"She was stupid," Cersei declared, shaking her head back and forth whilst Jaime stood opposite her. The Queen had taken to hiding in her chambers, refusing to see anyone for the night. Her husband had been speaking to Lord Stark who had been less than impressed with her antics. She had told him that it had to be done. Gwen had spoken to her and renounced her as Queen. It was so traitorous that Cersei had no other option but to see to it that the girl was taken away.
"Who does she think she is?" Cersei continued to speak whilst Jaime said nothing, turning around and looking out of the window in front of him. His eyes found the lights in the distance, scattered around in the dark and illuminating it. "I did not think she was so foolish to speak to me as she did. She is not a young girl. She is twenty three years of age. She really should have known better."
"Does it make a difference?" Jaime wondered, his eyes still searching the darkness as he shrugged his shoulders. "You had already decided that killing her would be the only option because she knew about us so why should she not lash out? Her words make no difference. It is what she knows that does."
Cersei studied her brother for a moment, folding her arms and watching his back as he ran a hand through his hair, parting his blonde locks and resting his palm on his head for a moment.
"Do not tell me that you are defending the girl," Cersei urged her brother. "You heard how she spoke to me, brother. You heard how she defied everything I said."
"Because she knew that she was going to die," Jaime concluded. "She has a temper on her when she needs to use it. She has never witnessed anything like lies and deceit. She is not from our world, Cersei. She was angry with you because you ripped her away from everything which she knew."
"I am still the Queen," Cersei growled back to Jaime. He shook his head, a dark chuckle eliciting his lips before he turned on his heel and faced his sister. "She should never have spoken to me as she did."
"She knew she was going to die," Jaime replied. "She did not care how she spoke to you. I can only imagine how she is down in the dungeons now, a snivelling wreck at the prospect of being killed."
"She would not be in this mess if you managed to get rid of her that night she heard us talking," Cersei reminded her brother. "You had no problem pushing a boy from a window yet you cannot get rid of a maid. Is it your cock that makes your decisions?"
"Of course it is not," Jaime snapped back at her. Her eyes held wonder along with rage at the sight of her brother and she did her best to remain calm, staying where she was and trying not to snap at him. "You are the only one I have ever had, Cersei. You know that as well as I. Killing the girl would not have been clean."
"But it would have been necessary. Don't you see?" Cersei asked her brother, stepping closer to him and resting her hand on his arm. Jaime sighed and looked down at the contact she had made, not reaching out for her as his stare remained fixed on her hand. "You have to agree with me, Jaime. You cannot think otherwise. We have to keep what we have a secret. If she talks to anyone then we are in danger. The kingdom is in danger and our children are in danger."
Jaime gulped at hearing that, his eyes flickering over her head for a moment.
"We are Lannisters," Cersei reminded him. "We are meant to be together, Jaime. Do you want her getting in the way of that? Do you want her to ruin what we have?"
"Of course not," Jaime spoke back. "Why do you think I stay here? Why do you think I stand and listen to your husband fuck other women behind your back? I stay here for you. You are the only reason I am here."
Cersei nodded sternly; glad that he had told her and she smiled weakly at him, moving her hand to his cheek.
"We want the same thing, Jaime," she told him. "We want to continue with this but we know it has to be a secret."
Jaime said nothing, unsure of whether or not she was right. Did they want the same thing? Did they really want that? He didn't know. He didn't know at all. He knew it was wrong to kill Gwen. Seven Hells he had left the dungeon and felt guilt enter his body. He had killed many men before. Most of them had been innocent, fighting against him for what they thought was a worthy cause. But he could not think like that on the battlefield. He could not think of how they probably didn't deserve death because then they would have killed him without a second of hesitation.
"If the girl means nothing to you then this should not bother you," Cersei told him.
"Yes," Jaime said to appease her although his agreement was only half hearted. Cersei nodded at him, her hand tucking his hair behind his ear as she studied him. If only she had been a man. She would not have shown any weakness like her brother had. She would have rid herself of the girl in a second.
"You should go," Cersei said, turning on her heel and making her way to her bed. "It is late and I assume tomorrow shall be quite hectic."
"And why is that?" Jaime asked; his hands on his hips as Cersei looked at him as if it were obvious.
"We need to execute the girl," Cersei said. "The longer she remains alive then the more of a liability she becomes. We cannot risk it."
"I see," Jaime replied to his sister and moved over to her door. Cersei watched him, studying for any sign of conflict in his actions but there was none. She smiled at that, glad that her brother had once again managed to come around to her way of thinking. It made things so much easier.
Jaime left Cersei to her own thoughts, inhaling sharply as he stood outside of her door, looking up and down the corridor for a moment before leaving for his own chamber. His hands remained by his sides as he tried to forget her. He tried to forget her down in the dungeon, captured and crying to herself.
His sister had been right. He had pushed a boy from a window, crippling him and almost killing him yet he had lost no sleep. This should not be any different. He should not care.
Jaime returned to his room, ridding himself of his armour and glancing at himself in the mirror which stood by his wall. He shook his head, knowing that he could not go through with it. The thought of sleeping did not bode well with him for he knew he would never drift off. He would never be able to sleep knowing that she did not deserve to die. He groaned to himself, changing into his simple attire once more and he moved down the darkened corridors. There was no one around, everyone retiring for the night and resting their heads on pillows.
He moved hastily, well aware that time was not on his side.
...
Gwen did not know how long she had been sat in the dungeon for and she had no recollection of time for no windows showed her the true time of day. She had been taunted by the guard, of course. She had been told of how he could ease the suffering she felt and how he could make her feel better. She had snapped at him to leave her be, telling him she did not need anyone's help nor did she want some vile guard to warm her last night.
She sat in the corner of the cell, her legs still pushed up to her chest and her head resting on her kneecaps as she listened to the silence around her, wondering what was going to happen. She vaguely heard a loud grunt come from the end of the corridor and her head snapped upwards, her eyes narrowed in the darkness as she wondered what it was. She stood hesitantly, walking towards the bars of the cell and wrapping her hands around them before she saw the man come into sight and her eyes widened.
"What are you doing here?" she wondered aloud and he looked back at her, his own eyes wide as if it were fully obvious.
"Coming to get you out of here," he told her and she smiled softly at him, worry becoming evident on her face and he shook his head at her. She looked down the hall to where the guard was supposed to be and he spoke to her, fiddling with the keys which sat on the chain, trying to find the right one.
"Don't worry," he urged her. "The guard is temporarily unconscious."
"And when he wakes...what will he say?" Gwen wondered and he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Who knows?" he wondered. "He did not get a chance to look at my face so I doubt he will be able to retell the events of this."
"And what shall happen now?" Gwen wondered as he finally found the right key. "You will be punished for helping me...you will be as bad as I am..."
"Lord Stark is providing me with an alibi," he told her quickly. "I am currently with him drinking and toasting to his successful appointment."
Gwen stepped out from the cell, allowing his hand to wrap around her arm without another word.
"We don't have much time. A horse is saddled and waiting and you must leave Kings Landing as soon as possible. Go back to Winterfell and Lady Stark shall see to it that you are safe. Lord Stark is unable to send any men...he knows it would look suspicious if one went missing the same time as you...he does not want anymore tensions here."
Gwen nodded, allowing him to drag her up through the dungeon and back onto ground level before the pair of them made their way out of the castle.
...
Hesitance took hold of Jaime and he wondered what he was going to truly do. His walk had become slower and his mind had begun to work overtime. Could he do this? Could he free her and let her tell anyone of his secret? Was she really worth the risk?
Jaime had encountered a few members of the guard on his walk, seeing them stood there and patrolling the corridors for any sign of trouble. He had ignored them, his mind too consumed as he came to the hall leading to the steps of the dungeon.
Perhaps he would simply go and talk to her.
Jaime froze as he heard hushed whispers and he took refuge around the corner, his head peaking around as he looked at the growing shadows which came from the steps of the dungeon. With narrowed eyes he found two figures leave the dismal place causing a brow to quirk at the sight.
Her blonde limp curls were recognisable to him even from a great distance. She scurried along by the tall man's side, his hand wrapped around her arm and dragging her in the direction where she needed to go. Gwen remained silent, turning her head over her shoulder and looking back down the corridor to check that they were still alone.
Jaime pulled his head back then, not wanting her to spot him. When Jaime looked back he saw that she had gone. Her figure had disappeared whilst Jaime tried to remember the name of the man who had been with her. He recognised him from the journey yet Jaime was no good with names, choosing to remember only those who made an impact. He took another moment to think before nodding. Jory.
So Lord Stark had gone against his Queen and had his man free the girl. Jaime shook his head, struggling to believe it. He knew that he should raise the alarm. He should alert the guard to the missing prisoner and they would swarm the castle. Gwen wouldn't make it out of Kings Landing alive.
Yet Jaime did nothing. He leant against the wall for a moment, nodding sternly to himself before pushing himself off the stone, walking down the corridors and playing ignorant. Besides, her disappearance would be noticed in the morning and only then would accusations begin.
But Jaime would not be the one to start them off. Anyway, he should be thanking Jory. The man had managed to do his dirty work for him.
...
"What do you mean she escaped?"
The Queen's anger radiated through the hall as they ate breakfast the next morning. Her husband was not present yet her children were; their eyes wide with wonder as to what had upset their mother so much. Jaime stood back, his eyes looking at Cersei as he told her of the news. No other member of the Kings Guard had wanted to tell the Queen, knowing that the maid had been sent there by her majesty and they assumed she would not take kindly to the news of her escape.
The King had been notified and he had ordered his guards to search the city for her. He knew it was hopeless for she had probably managed to have ridden away by then, escaping and getting as far away from the city as possible. He also failed to care of a maid who had escaped. Her crime had not been against him yet it had been against his wife. What the maid did was not his concern.
Even though she was the Stark's maid, the King never thought that his dear friend would have helped her to escape. He knew Ned and he trusted him. He would never betray him in such a way. Besides, the King remembered that he had been drinking with Lord Stark the previous evening in the company of Jory. He had passed out of course, too much wine proving to get the better of him.
"I mean she has escaped," Jaime said again, thinking it was self explanatory what had happened. "The guard was found unconscious by her cell and the cell was empty. There is no sign of her."
"How?" the Queen wondered, remaining calm in the face of her children. She ran a hand down Myrcella's hair soothingly, her green gaze fixed on her brother.
"No one is quite sure." Jaime said.
"She must have had help," the Queen stated. "Has anyone bothered to look into that?"
"No," Jaime replied. "We do not know who could have helped her."
"The Starks, of course," Joffrey decided to pipe up after chewing on his bacon. His eyes found his Uncle Jaime's whilst his mother stared at her. "She was their maid, after all. Besides, she is all that Sansa would talk about...boring little chit."
"Joffrey," Cersei scolded her son and he shrugged nonchalantly.
"It is true," he told her. "Besides, I do not see why you are so concerned. If she has escaped then the chances of her making it on the open road are slim. She is a pitiful maid. Surely some man will find her and claim her for his own; that should be punishment enough, to be ra-"
"Enough," Cersei snapped at her son, wanting to do nothing more than protect her daughter and other son from his words. Joffrey looked at Myrcella who was staring at him in wonder but he said nothing, rolling his eyes and continuing with his breakfast.
Cersei turned her eyes back to Jaime, glaring at her brother who was still taking in the words from the Prince.
"Talk to Lord Stark and see what he knows of this," she demanded her brother. "And question all of his men. I need to know who did this and I want her found. I also wish to see the guard who was on duty."
"As you wish," Jaime said, bowing his head and taking his leave.
He walked slowly down the corridor, passing members of the castle as he went. He paid them no attention, preferring to keep himself to himself as he wondered where the girl was. He wondered how she was fairing in the openness on her own. She had lived a sheltered life so far, twenty three years in Winterfell. Jaime knew that it would be luck if she survived the journey back.
But it was not his concern.
...
Gwen continued travelling for days on end, sticking to the maid road and refusing to deviate. The horse she sat on rode hastily, taking her as far away from Kings Landing as possible. She had been travelling for two days, her body weak and longing for more water. Jory had presented her with enough water for a few days but it had run out too soon. She could hear her stomach growling from underneath her dirty blue dress but she said nothing.
She continued on with her path, trying to remain awake for as much of it as possible. She had hardly bumped into anyone, no seeming to be on the main pathway and she had to admit that she preferred it that way. Her journey took her into the third day before she came across two figures in the distance.
She squinted, wondering if she should move away and avoid them or if they could be trusted to simply pass her by. Keeping on with her course, Gwen sat on top of her horse, her hood covering her face as she noted the figures come closer. She failed to remove the look of shock which sat on her face as she recognised the woman and she shook her head.
"Lady Stark," Gwen whispered as their horses stood opposite each other. Gwen removed her hood from her head and Catelyn's eyes widened at the sight of the maid.
"Gwen..." she drawled. "What are you doing here?"
"I...it is a long story," Gwen admitted to the Lady Stark. "One which I am still struggling to come to terms with."
"Lady Stark, we have to keep going," Rodrik urged her and Catelyn held a hand up, silencing him for a moment as her eyes continued to look at Gwen.
"Tell me," she urged the girl and Gwen wondered if she said anything of their secret.
"The Queen had me held in the dungeon," she told Catelyn. "I was to be exiled for treason against her. She had me removed from Lady Arya and Lady Sansa's service because she found me to be incompetent. She did not think I was suitable...I lashed out...Lady Stark...I was upset and angry...and she had me taken to the dungeon."
"Gwen," Catelyn sighed in exasperation. "She is the Queen. Why did you act so foolishly?"
"It was the heat of the moment," Gwen admitted to her. "But Jory came to me on your husband's orders. He helped me flee and I have been travelling for three days...heading back to Winterfell."
"I see," Catelyn said and turned to look at Rodrik. "Give her some food. She must be famished by now."
"Yes, Lady Stark."
"May I be so bold as to enquire why you are here, Lady Stark?"
Catelyn studied the maid for a moment, wondering whether or not she should tell Gwen of her discovery. She watched as the maid accepted the bread and water hastily, eating and drinking as fast as she could.
Rodrik caught the Lady Stark's eye and shook his head. The less she knew the better.
"I need to speak with Ned," she responded simply. "I have an urgent matter which needs to be discussed."
"Yes, my Lady," Gwen nodded, not daring to divulge anymore.
"It matters not...Gwen...you cannot travel back to Winterfell with no escort. The Gods only know what could happen to you on your travels."
"I have to," Gwen shook her head at Catelyn. "I need to get away from King's Landing, my Lady."
"But I cannot allow you to go back alone. I doubt you would make it," Catelyn told her honestly. "Come back with me. No one shall recognise me and you shall remain hidden. I do not intend to go into the castle or be spotted. How many people saw you during your time at Kings Landing?"
"Few," Gwen admitted to her. "I was taken to the dungeon within the hour."
"Then no one shall recognise your face," Catelyn assured her. "And if someone questions it then I shall say you are my daughter and they are mistaken. We shall be hidden and no one shall find us. I cannot allow you to travel alone, Gwen. If anything were to happen then the girls would be distraught along with myself."
Gwen took a moment to think of what the Queen had said to her and she nodded curtly in agreement.
She knew it was stupid. It was foolish to go back to that place for she would be sure that the Queen would have guards looking for her. Yet Lady Stark was right. No one truly knew what Gwen looked like. No one had really seen her. All they had was a description of her and descriptions could be altered.
Gwen slowly turned her horse around, following behind Lady Stark and Rodrik, wondering what they wanted to speak with Ned about that was so urgent. She did not say anything, keeping quiet. Her thoughts turned to Jaime Lannister for some unknown reason. She wondered how he would be feeling now that she had escaped. He would surely be annoyed. Perhaps he would angered by the news. She doubted he would be as angry as his sister.
She kept quiet, the secret of the Queen's and knight's affair eating up at her.
...
A/N: so thank you to The Velvet Ash, Guest, jofrench22, Aegann and moonlight1fly for reviewing yesterday! I do hope you will let me know what you think!
