She was laughing and smiling like nothing had happened. She was flinging her hair flirtingly, charming the pants off of every man within 3 meters of her.
Cersei Lannister clung to Robert Baratheon's arm like it's the life support she had always wanted. She looked at him like all her prayers if she had prayed ever to be answered all in one man. And it hurt. It hurt so much Jaime Lannister wanted to tear Baratheon in pieces to ease his pain.
But instead all he could do was drown himself in the free flowing alcohol that the affluent of Westeros are indulging with bought by Lannister gold.
All the who's who of King's Landing and its neighboring countries were all there to show themselves off in hopes of bumping shoulders with Tywin Lannister. Regrettably so, the Lannister patriarch did not grace them with his presence. Without the man himself to overshadow everyone else by his attendance the limelight was up for grabs by anyone. Or they could at least try and yet fail.
Hence, the ridiculous and boisterous boasting of deeds and achievements of even their ancient predecessors could be heard in every conversation to one up the other.
He glowered at two approaching men to dissuade them from trying to make acquaintance of him. Jaime had lost count of the imbeciles he sent scampering away, men and women of all ages, with friendly or lascivious intents both.
For all his impending intoxication he knew to avoid conversations lest he sputter things he should not let slip his tongue in fury. Cersei's cold reproach when he tried to catch her gaze was damning. He hated the fact that he understood all too well what her wintry countenance meant. She was able to push back their illicit encounter only an hour ago behind the façade of fawning at her recently announced fiancé.
There was untold threat in her few gazes, making sure he keeps his mouth shut, make certain that he had cleaned up after them. He knew of his sister too well. Despite the bitter fight between them, Cersei was assured that he would do nothing that will cause her harm. She banked on his loyal affection.
He grimaced at his twin's audacity. Cersei insulted him, his pride, his manhood and even his love for her. It was his love for her that was one he knew was his and took quiet pride of. But she gouged it and trampled over it. Her dreams found more foothold in her than he did it appeared.
He failed to convince their father. Tyrion the clever, laughed when he heard of his effort. Pityingly, his younger brother patted his lower back in a show of consolation. They both knew what futile an attempt it would have been from the beginning.
'You're the most beautiful idiot I've ever met, bro.' Tyrion commented, a remark both for his effort to persuade Tywin Lannister from his decision and underlying admonishment for his affair with their sister. And he could only glare back at his younger brother.
Cersei knew the answer he got from their father almost immediately. When he tried to meet her, to plead for his case, with her back turned towards him she just stood in a pose as if for a camera and how he wanted to catch the image. But the beauty of it wasn't just all her physical looks, the forlorn and regret in her stooped shoulder and resigned smile made it enigmatic. If only it had stayed long enough.
His twin sister looked at him from over her shoulders, he remembered. She stared at him for a bit and restated what every media source has been feasting in printing and televising about. 'I'm marrying Robert.' Disappointment, anger, once more all towards him. She blamed him. It was all his fault in her eyes and he didn't realize he was slowly and yet surely absorbing her accusations as if it was the truth. Her truth, his reality.
His hand shook, his drink sloshing over the rim. He took one big swallow before he unceremoniously flung it on the floor startling the nearby huddled groups.
Jaime scanned the room plotting for a fast exit so as not to witness anymore of his sister's sickening show of affection to another man.
He walked towards the nearest exit, all be damned as they watch him unmistakeable with his intent to leave the event his family's colors hosts. He couldn't care anymore less. But for all his bravado his eyes once more were attracted to where he knew his golden twin was.
But Cersei wasn't there. He stopped and inadvertently scanned the brimming hall, overflowing with people who gave ignorant if not empty praises to the lavish décor hardly appreciating the history or the artistry of every piece of furniture and tapestry they gazed upon.
Jaime would think much much later as to why his feet started moving one after the other towards the direction where he saw the familiar gold strands of her sister's hair disappear following the straw-colored hair sticking out to one too many direction.
He elbowed his way in between shrieking matrons and superfluous bald and pot bellied men. He strode as a man on a mission.
In the darker hallway, he immediately saw the ridiculously tall woman backed by his much fragile looking twin sister. A passerby might not believe that it was the bigger of the two that was in dire need of saving. He knew all too well how merciless and a bitch his sister could be.
'Brienne!' He called aloud.
Two pairs of eyes looked at him bright in contrast to the shadows, both recognizing him immediately in their own ways. One pair was like looking at a mirror and the other, the other was so blue, so blue he never knew such color possible for such a woman.
Cersei glared at him as he purposely walk closer at the two women.
'You know her?' The incredulous tone on her sister's voice didn't bode well for him or for Brienne.
'Come with me,' pointedly ignoring his sister he directed his instruction to Brienne. The foolish woman instead of snapping into movement just stared at him like he sprouted a second head. 'Come, Brienne.' He said again, not liking the trend of repeating himself with Brienne.
'What is happening here?' Cersei whispered in a half contained voice not liking being ignored as much as he does.
He gave his sister a piercing look. Making a point of not giving her the cosseting she was so used to getting from him.
'Let's go.' His hand wrapped around the nearest limb of Brienne's and pulled her towards him. The recognizable scent of Cersei pervaded the little space the three of them occupied in that short moment before he stepped away with the full intent of dragging Brienne with him.
But he was stopped from walking away when Brienne yelped in pain. He instantly let go of her arm and expecting Brienne snapping at him but she was looking at Cersei and at the other arm his twin sister was gripping, red nails digging at Brienne's pale skin.
'Jaime,' Cersei's voice held warning for him. She didn't let go of Brienne as she stared at him, a conversation only the two of them were privy of.
What is the meaning of this?
None of your goddamn business.
It is my business!
Well, fuck you!
And he took hold of Brienne's arm again with the full intent of getting away from Cersei while they still both can unscathed.
'What the hell is wrong with the two of you?' Someone snapped and he wasn't all too surprised when it was Brienne.
She easily pried her arms from their grips and glowered at the both of them, towering, chiding and disbelieving.
'I don't want anything to do with the two of you so can you just leave me alone.' Brienne said with sharp looks that for some reason reminded him of someone so familiar from the past, fleeting thought. 'I'm leaving.' She murmured to no one in particular and he could hear her muttering, he couldn't blame her if she was cursing him and his twin up to the last strands of their hairs.
She marched off without looking back and he wanted to do the same, preferably soon. He was about to when he felt the sharp nails on his arm.
'Jaime, you can't just let her go! She will tell people!' There was frantic panic in Cersei's voice and in her eyes. It was the vulnerability she rarely shows. It was only with him that she will be ever willing to show it. He wondered if Baratheon will see it now too.
He placed his hand over Cersei's. It remained there touching her warm skin disregarding the pain of her nails sinking on his wrist she gripped.
His fingers, his fingers almost caressed her soft skin. Jaime looked at her, the panic, the plea.
'Brienne won't tell anyone.' He believed Brienne, an unfounded trust on a stranger's words.
'How can you be sure?'Cersei shrieked irritated with his evident conviction. 'How do you even know that freak's name?'
'She has a name.'
'Who cares, Jaime? Make her quiet. She can't ruin this for me. No one can ruin this for me!'
Jaime sneered at her sister's words. 'Obviously.' No one, not even him. Not what they have or had.
His fingers on top of hers stilled and he pulled her blood red nails off of him.
He held her hand for a beat longer. And he walked away. He walked away without succumbing to the need, to the desire to take one more look at her. He heard her voice calling him. It was hissed, whispered, unwanted to be heard by anyone else. She could have run after him but no she couldn't afford to do that. People will see, people will ask. It might ruin things for her. But of course he won't ruin things for her. He's just Jaime, he is just her brother, the brother who fucked her half their lives together.
Jaime took a big gulp of air as soon as he stepped out from the cloistered hall of where the fashion show happened, where his sister's scent permeated the whole space.
He closed his eyes, willing all the images in his mind, memories of them together taunting him, to be gone.
His will was weakening just from remembering his sister, immediately he wanted to run back inside and take her back to his arms, run away with her. They can live far away, they don't need any of the golds and the fame, they don't need anything else. Cersei will realize it soon enough. They just need each other, just like before.
He was ready, he was willing, he wanted to. Jaime turned to go back but as he did so he collided with a wall sending him on the floor with a force.
He heard a groan.
'What is wrong with my luck!' The wall exclaimed. 'A Lannister! Again!'
Instead of getting up, Jaime laid still on the ground. He laughed. He laughed loud and long. And he didn't care. His belly hurt.