Jesus, I had not intended for this chapter to be as long as it was (In my defense, though, this AN is what tripped it up into the six thousand word range). However, the way I wrote it, I wasn't exactly comfortable splitting it up into multiple parts like I did the last chapter. That being said, I promise the next chapter will be a little shorter. I know five thousand words is generally a good cut-off point for a chapter and I tend to like to make that my max capping point.

Since I got so many reviews for the last chapter(s) (and considering how long this chapter itself it) I will not be individually acknowledging everyone like normal. That being said, thank you ujemaima and Bella-swan11 for reviewing like always. They are muchly appreciated! As well, thank you Guest for kindly reviewing every chapter I have already written. You are awesome and don't you dare think otherwise :)

Love you all bunches!

- Nagiana

"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick."

- Brene Brown

He had wanted to stay with her all night, if not in concern for her mental wellbeing. However, after helping her ladies deliver her to her rooms, he had been summarily dismissed by a weary Olenna standing in front of him on the threshold of her granddaughter's chambers. From over the small woman's head, he could see Margaery's ladies lower the dazed woman gently into a chair by the table – the intricate curls of her hairdo starting to come undone as one of the Highgarden girls hastily filled their mistress a goblet of wine. After placing it on the table before her, Margaery gave the golden goblet one disgusted look before slapping it away from her. A goblet of wine had taken from her, her future. Theonax could have told them that wine at that point, would be rubbing a little too much salt into a fresh wound.

"You should go, boy," Olenna told him, her tone firm and even, but carrying a curiously gentle tone that for a moment, Theonax couldn't believe was there. The heir to Tytos didn't even spare her a glance as he continued to watch a mentally exhausted, irate Margaery interacting with her ladies from over her grandmother's head. "It is not seemly -"

"Theonax!"

Theonax didn't hesitate at Margaery's relieved outcry of his name. Pushing past Olenna Tyrell, he moved swiftly into the room and took a knee in front of her. Picking up her hand in both of his, he pressed a gentle kiss to the delicate knuckles. Her ladies stood there, eyes wide but they remained silent, nevertheless. A fierce look from Olenna as she closed the door to her granddaughter's room, only solidified their silence. Margaery, however, gave him a weak smile.

"Seems you no longer have to keep your vow to me, Theonax." She told him, her tone trying to be flippant but failing miserably. He swallowed hard.

"He didn't deserve to die like that, Margaery. He was a boy -"

"Theonax, please!" Margaery gave a snort of laughter as she closed her eyes and shook her head. She did not move to pull her hand from his and he wasn't sure if he would have allowed it, had she tried. "Renly, however . . . naïve, he was, did not deserve to die how he did. Joffrey, though . . . Joffrey might have been a boy, but he was not Renly. He was not Robb Stark, either – honorable and just. He was sadistic and cowardly. If anyone deserved his death, it was him," She shook her head then and placed her free hand to her head. "And neither of them were ever the man I wanted to marry."

Theonax swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. For leaving."

Margaery gave him another weak smile. Out of the corner of their eyes, they noticed Olenna gently herding her ladies out onto her rather palatial balcony, chirping something about the stars being rather bright and beautiful, despite this bloody night. Theonax wanted to smile, but the sight of a bereaved Margaery tempered that. "It's not your fault. You did what your father commanded. I was a stupid girl, to think you and Ash would always be beside me – that you would be the one my father would betroth me to. And besides . . ." She gave a laugh. "From what I've heard, your Dornish Princess suits you infinitely better than I ever could!"

Theonax shook his head. "Margaery, it doesn't . . . it doesn't have to be this way! We can think of something, I don't . . ." He trailed off and released a bitter curse before looking away. "I don't want to live without the both of you! I need you both, I don't -"

Margaery's smile softened as she moved to cup his cheek in her hand. "And what would possibly come of that, my brave, brash Eagle of Tytos? Would I be your mistress – the woman who reigned as Queen for mere hours, who bear your handsome bastards while you wed the Dornish Princess and become Prince of Dorne and Lord Tytos of Etna? Would you take me as a second wife like Aegon the Conqueror did his sisters?" She shook her head. "No. No, my love, I will not let that happen. You must go back to your Arianne. Forget me – forget we ever had anything together! Be happy with her like I know you are! Stop allowing your guilt for leaving me, keep you from being happy with the woman you love!"

He shook his head. "Margaery -!"

"You know I'm right, Theonax. You don't want to see it, but you know I am. You know that we cannot be together – fate will simply not allow it anymore. I wish things would have gone differently, you know I do!"

"What will you do?" He asked, his voice going quiet, and she gave a weak shrug.

"I don't know yet. Mourn for my . . . husband, I suppose – as is decent and expected of me. And then . . ." She heaved a sigh and leaned back in her chair then, where she cast her gaze upon the table beside her. She finally withdrew her hand from his and traced a whorl in the wood with the tip of one finger. He allowed her, if weakly. He knew she spoke the truth. She was right – he didn't want to admit it, but she was. It would best if he forgot about her – if he went back to Arianne and pretended none of this had ever happened. That they had never been betrothed and never fallen in love with each other. It would hurt, but Arianne – the woman he loved now – would quickly act as a balm to those wounds, he knew it.

Finally, she turned her eyes onto him, her gaze soft. "You should go."

The words were spoken on a quiet voice that made him swallow hard but give a shallow nod as he looked away from her. He felt the burning of tears in his eyes but stubbornly blinked them back as he got to his feet. From out on the balcony, he could hear Olenna rambling on about a certain constellation in the upper northern part of the sky, and wanted to rant and rave for a moment. How could people be so Godsdamned calm when situations like these were occurring not mere feet away from them?

After a moment, he heaved a sigh and bent down. Framing her face with his hands, he pressed his lips to her in a lingering kiss before pulling away. He held her close for a moment before pulling away from her. Turning on his heel, he marched from the room, hardly noticing that Olenna's voice had trailed to a stop upon him leaving her granddaughter.

He was halfway down the corridor when he ran into Jaime, looking particularly weary and downtrodden and after a moment's contemplation, realized why. Rumor or no rumor, Jaime had just witnessed his son die. He supposed any man would look the same as he did after such a thing occurring. He supposed, though, that he wouldn't be sad for long. Eventually, his sister would give him children - good, sane children - and Jaime could forget that a monster like Joffrey had ever been fathered by him.

Nodding to each other, they traveled down the corridors to the quarters that had officially become Jaime and Ashara's, in silence. After a moment, Jaime broke it, his voice quiet and interested. "How is she?"

He meant Margaery. Of course he did.

Theonax nodded. "She'll make it. She was always strong."

"How long?"

Theonax remained silent for a minute, casting his gaze elsewhere for a moment before speaking again: "Since I was nineteen and she was fourteen. She was too young to really understand, but . . ." He trailed off and continued to avert his elsewhere for a moment. "The more she grew up, the closer we became until our marriage was the one thing we looked forward to the most. When I was finally shipped off to Dorne, it was . . . it was looked upon as a betrayal. Father and Mace's friendship suffered for a time until my father offered up a marriage between Willas or Loras to Satine or Alysanne, on a silver plate. By that time, I was in Dorne and completely and utterly wrapped up in Arianne – that I hardly thought of the young woman I was forced to leave behind in Highgarden."

They fell into another silence then, Jaime nodding silently for a moment, as they continued moving. After a while, Jaime spoke, and when he did, his voice was as quiet as Theonax's had been. "It gets easier."

Theonax still did not look at him. "Does it really?"

Jaime looked at him then, before giving a shrug. "How can you live thinking anything else?"

Theonax returned to his rooms with Arianne not that much later, the both of them bone-tired from the day's events and Theonax's mind still whirling from his conversation with both Margaery and Jaime. He was so weary, in fact, that he hardly noticed Arianne stripping herself of the ornate gown she had worn from the wedding and after briefly washing herself of that day's sweat and dust, slipped into the bed. It was a ritual he rarely ever missed but that night, he did. It was something that Arianne was keen to notice.

"My poor Theonax – you look completely and utterly exhausted!" She spoke from over in the bed and it was then, when he turned his eyes onto her, that she reacted further. With a smile, she held open her arms to him and he couldn't help but allow a grin to spread across his face as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Come to me, my Eagle. Fly into my arms and seek shelter there!"

Grinning unabashedly then, he kicked off his boots and stripped himself of his breeches before climbing onto the bed and crawling on his hands and knees over to her. He felt her shapely arms wrap around him as her plush lips connected with his. They kissed for a moment, and it was during this moment that Margaery appeared, completely unbidden, to his thoughts. He wondered how she was doing this night since he left her so unceremoniously, and while a part of him was worried, a larger part of him was more concerned with the woman whose arms he currently laid in – the woman who caused his heart to ache and his stomach to twist into giddy knots. His lovely, lovely, Arianne Martell.

When they broke apart, it was slowly and rather reluctantly. "I love you . . . so much!" He murmured, and she smiled and nodded.

"And I love you too, my Eagle."

"So marry me, then."

Arianne's eyebrows rose. "Marry you?"

He nodded. "Tomorrow night or-or the night after – as long as it's here! We'll find a Septon and get married under cloak of darkness. Oberyn's already agreed to be a witness, I'm sure Ashara will too, and maybe she can persuade Jaime for extra clout. Then, when we go back to Dorne, we'll tell your father. There will be nothing he could do about it but accept it; he'll have to sign the contract, then!"

Arianne lay there, gazing at him for a moment with an expressionless face. Then, after a moment, she framed his face with her hands and brought him down, where she pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss. He tasted salt and realized they were tears, and when they broke apart, this time, with a bewildered look on his face, she closed her eyes and nodded.

"I will."

"You will?"

She nodded. "Of course! I'm not having our baby and giving it the last name Sand. I refuse!"

Theonax lay there frozen for a moment, eyes wide. "Arianne, are you . . .?"

She gave a laugh. "Oh, don't act so surprised! With as much as we've made love, I'm surprised I haven't become with child sooner!"

Arianne had never been taken in by pretty boys, and the first time she met him, she thought Theonax was exactly that: a pretty boy. The more she got to know him, though - the more she saw him fight and brawl and argue - the more she realized that he wasn't a pretty boy - he was a man. He wasn't pretty - he was mesmerizing to her. For the longest time, she had wanted a man like her uncle - with Oberyn's looks and prowess in battle and rumored prowess in bed. She had never seen anyone like Theonax before, and remembered being relieved when he was like her uncle and yet, so much more.

After a moment, he gave a smile and pressed a loving, less hungry kiss to her lips. When they broke apart, he held her close, his eyes closing in utter contentment for a moment. And as he lay there, he it didn't occur to him, not once, that Margaery had never appeared in his mind then. At that moment, his entire world was consumed by the beautiful woman who lay underneath him and the fruit of their passions that slumbered in her womb beneath her heart.

And for the first time, Theonax was utterly happy and utterly content for the first time in years.

They woke a couple hours later, Jaime and Ashara, lazy and still feeling quite satiated. After laying there for a while and quietly teasing each other over things totally inconsequential, he finally reached for her and she went gladly. Allowing him to pull into and against him, their mouths found each other's in the gloom. Silently and sleepily, they made love again and again until he felt completely emptied of his seed and she felt impossibly, wonderfully full. The last time, they had shuddered against each other and then fell asleep again, this time with him still locked deep inside of her.

They slipped away from each other sometime during the night, but managed to find each other again in the same stretch of time. When the morning light began to seep in through the windows, Ashara's eyes finally fluttered open. Nestled against him, she allowed the haze of sleep to clear from her mind and her eyes. His thigh was situated comfortably in-between hers, and an arm was curled rather possessively around her with his face buried in her hair and the nape of her neck.

The arm curled around her, ended with his hand clasped with hers – their fingers entwined. The handless arm was the one whose bicep was currently pillowing her head. Silently, her eyes ran over the stump, wondering how so many people could judge him as any less of a man now that he no longer possessed his hand. Gently, her fingers ghosted over it and she figured she could understand how, considering the hand that had been taken from him, had been his sword hand – the thing that gave him infamy and caused men to fear him by only hearing his name. She could only imagine how distraught Theonax would be if he was robbed of his sword hand. He would feel empty – almost as if what really had been robbed, was his manhood.

Jaime quite clearly still had that, though, Ashara figured with a slight pinkness appearing on her cheeks in remembrance of how the previous hours had been spent. How many times had they made love? And how many times had it surprised them, given they only thought the number would be one or two, if they were lucky? Truth being, she had lost count, and while there was a certain soreness and stiffness to her lower extremities, she otherwise felt fine – almost elated. She had been right: Jaime had taken care of her . . . again, and again, and again.

It was quite early in the morning, so she was surprised when the door to the room creaked open. Expecting to see a servant walk in, arms full of fresh linens or even the coal-boy, come to resupply their braziers with fresh coal, she was surprised, instead, to see her mother. Their eyes locked through the gauzy curtains separating them, and Lissianna's brow rose. Putting her finger to her lips, Ashara carefully disentangled her and Jaime's fingers before proceeding to slide out from underneath his arm. Bending down, she picked up her nightgown and slid it on before quickly but silently moving to join her.

"So you did go to bed with him last night?"

Ashara nodded as she pulled her whispering mother further back into the main room, trying to ignore the gazes Lissianna kept flitting back at Jaime. "I did."

"How was it?"

Ashara bit down on her lip and thought for a moment before finally answering: "It . . . hurt, at first," She spoke, and her mother nodded, muttering that was to be expected, underneath her breath. Ashara paused and crossed her arms underneath her breasts, feeling a little uncomfortable telling her own mother this. She knew she shouldn't be – her and her mother had possessed a very open and free relationship since she was a girl – but she didn't know . . . maybe she was being selfish, but she didn't want her mother to know every facet of her relationship with Jaime. She wanted to keep a few intimate secrets between her and Jaime.

After a moment, she gave a firm nod. "It was good - it went well. He was very understanding – very kind, gentle. That's all you need to know."

Lissianna nodded, looking a tad letdown for a moment, before collecting herself. "Well, your father will be good to hear it. He'll be happy receiving good news, for once," Ashara sent her a curious look, and Lissianna rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. "I told him about Satine. And, understandably, he didn't take it too well."

Ashara nodded. "What did he say?"

Lissianna gave a shrug. "What I thought he'd say: she's dead to him. She's made her decision, and however much we don't like it, she has to live with it and reap what she sows. If she comes crawling back to us, we have to send her away. We are forbidden from seeing her."

Ashara recoiled at this. "We cannot even see her?"

Lissianna shook her head, a look on her face that suggested she detested the notion as much as Ashara did. As cold as she could sometimes be, Lissianna was nevertheless a mother, and as a mother, she had no choice but to love all her children, even the most impetuous. "Typhon has taken this decision as an affront to his reputation. His younger daughter running off to become the mistress to a minor Lordling the day his eldest enters rather happily into matrimony with the Lannister heir. How did you think he'd react?" Ashara didn't know, but she remained silent, chewing at the inside of her lip as Lissianna heaved another sigh and continued: "Anyway, I do not mean to disturb you the morning after your wedding night, but I thought you should know that I've found a Lady for you. Lady Eleanah of House Sarwyk. She's a vassal house of the Tyrells and offered to be your Lady. She even agreed to be your taste tester outside of dinners. She'll arrive in a few hours, when she's sure she won't disturb the two of you."

Ashara nodded. "That's fine. Thank you, mother."

Lissianna smiled as she pulled her daughter into a hug. "My strong girl . . . you're a woman now. How does it feel?"

Ashara waited until they broke apart before answering her. She did so with a smile. "I'm sure I'll regret saying this later, but . . . it feels good."

Lissianna smiled and squeezed her shoulder before she brushed past her and left, the door closing gently behind her. Ashara stood there for a moment, reeling with the amount of information that her mother had just given her, before moving back into their bedroom. Sparing a glance at a still sleeping Jaime, she moved over to the opened balcony doors, where she stood there. Allowing the warm sea breezes to wash over her, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply for a moment. Satine, gone, and disowned from the family. Eleanah, her new Lady and taste tester . . .

She was brought out of her thoughts by Jaime shifting into consciousness behind her. Turning around, her eyes connected with his and she immediately shared the smile he sent her. "I could not have woken up with you in my arms? You're turning into a cruel wife already!" He spoke, rather groggily, and Ashara's smile turned upwards into a grin as she moved back over to him. He grinned as well as she lifted up the sheet and slid in beside him, where she allowed him to enfold her in his arms with a contented sigh.

"Mother dropped by, so that's why I was absent," Jaime gave a sound of acknowledgment and she continued with a sly smile tilted up towards him: "So no, Ser. Jaime, your wife was not absent from your bed by choice!"

He smiled and leaned down to capture her lips with his. "Good to know . . ." He murmured around the kiss they shared, and she released a smile of her own as she lay there, their arms wrapped around each other and the two of them feeling utterly content with the world for the first time in years.

"So . . . how was your wedding night, sister dear?"

Ashara couldn't help but grin when she heard her brother's voice split through her reveries. She sat there in the warm sun of the gardens, her new lady at her side. Lady Eleanah was younger than she had expected – a few years older than her at the max. Her hair was so fine and blonde that it appeared almost white in the light of the sun. Her face was long and angular, but she nevertheless possessed a certain comeliness to her that would not make it hard for her to find a husband given time. She was quiet and demure and Ashara liked her already. She hoped they would get along rather famously.

They sat there on the stone bench, Eleanah with her expert needlepoint and Ashara with a book of Braavosi poetry in her hand. Theonax, still grinning, took a seat beside her, and gazed at her rather expectantly. She nodded. "Good morning, brother. How was your night?"

He shook his head. "Nuh-uh, I asked you first! I'll tell you after you tell me."

Ashara gave an indulgent smile as she closed her book and set it aside. Shifting to Eleanah, she asked if she would please go fetch them some wine. Eleanah nodded and set aside her needlepoint. After giving a slight curtsy, she moved off to fetch them drinks. It was then that Ashara shifted to face him and he did the same, a look of mock seriousness on his face that had her threatening to break out into laughter. His eyes, though, were dark and hard – the eyes of a protective older brother wanting to know if he needed to go beat some sense into her new husband. Her heart warmed towards him, and after a moment, she did manage to speak, however, it came out laced with amusement. "It went rather well. Jaime was considerate and kind. He was more than I could have ever hoped for."

Theonax grinned again, and winked. "How many times did he . . . you know? Sail your Narrow Sea? Light your fire . . .? Come on, I've got loads more, Ash – don't make me say them!" He spoke with a laugh, and Ashara's cheeks grew pink at her brother's words, and she looked away. He gave another laugh and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Ash! I'm not mother – I'm your completely nonjudgmental older brother! And besides, if it makes you feel better, I've probably gone more times in one night than you or your Lion ever has! So come on, spill!"

Ashara shook her head. "I . . . don't know."

Theonax shook his head, a look of confusion on his face. "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know? How do you not know how many times you've fucked someone?"

Ashara gave a weak shrug, feeling suddenly very warm and uncomfortable. "I don't know because I . . . I lost count . . ." She trailed off, her voice going suddenly very quiet. Theonax sat there and blinked for a few seconds before suddenly breaking out in a broad grin. Shaking his head, he finally spoke:

"If there was any doubt I ever had over you being my little sister, they are gone now!" He spoke, and Ashara gave another smile as she quickly changed the subject.

"So . . . how was your night?"

The grin disappeared from Theonax's face then, and he looked away, chewing absentmindedly on the inside of his cheek. "Arianne's with child. She told me last night." He spoke, quietly, and Ashara's eyes widened.

"Theonax, that's wonderful!"

He nodded. "It would be . . . if there was any chance of that marriage contract being signed before the baby is born. Unless we're married, my child will born with the last name 'Sand' instead of 'Tytos' like it should," He turned to gaze at her then, a real look of seriousness on his face. She swallowed hard. "We want to get married here, Ash – father's already given his permission. We want to find a Septon who will do it under cover of night, and Oberyn has already agreed to be a witness. We need one more, maybe two – that way, there will be no doubt that it was done legitimately. We want you to be the other witness, and Jaime, if possible. Can you persuade him?"

There was no doubt in her mind that Jaime would say yes if she asked him. There was no doubt in her mind that Jaime would do anything she asked him to do, with little to no questions at this point. She was flattered and honored he would put so much blind faith and trust in her despite any real love between them, and supposed it was the amount of affection he held for her, that allowed him to make such promises to her.

Affection that bordered on love, anyway.

After a moment, Ashara shook her head and looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "Theonax, I don't . . . I don't know what to say -"

"Say yes!" He hissed, as he reached forward to take her hands in his. His gaze was fierce but pleading – completely emphatic in the amount of emotion he was feeling at that moment. "You're happy, Ashara, because you married a man you can grow to love! I love Arianne and I would cut off my hand if it meant I could marry her! Help me, here, Ashara. Allow me to marry the woman I love – allow my child to be born with my name instead of a bastard's. Please, Ash!"

Eleanah had returned by then, a tray of goblets and wine in her hands. Bending down slightly, the two Tytos' took their goblets and she filled them both before retaking her seat. Smiling and reaching out for the goblet in Ashara's hands, she was inches from handing it to her before Theonax beat her to it. His eyes steely, he took his sister's goblet from her and boldly took a sip without preamble. Taking it away, Ashara held her breath. Their gazes had remained unwavering the entire time and when it was apparent the wine had not been poisoned, he handed the goblet back to her.

"I would die for you, sister. In fact, I could have for you, just now. This, won't kill you, though. Quite the contrary, it's relatively harmless, and it'd make me a very happy man. Say yes, please. I have no one else to turn to!"

Ashara swallowed hard and took a sip of her wine to calm herself before finally giving a nod. "I'll talk to Jaime. But that's all I can promise!" She spoke, her voice barely rising higher than a breathless gasp, and Theonax immediately broke into an ecstatic grin. Jumping to his feet, he drained his goblet in one effortless looking gulp, before stooping down to embrace her. Ashara smiled and embraced him back before he released her.

"I'll go let her know. Ask Jaime and get back to me quickly, yeah?" Ashara gave a nod and he gave her another, seemingly broader grin, before turning and moving off down the garden path. Ashara sat there for a moment, wondering what the hell she had just agreed to. She must have looked unwell, for Eleanah's gentle hand on her arm, and a concerned look on her face as she spoke, brought her out of her stupor.

"My Lady? My Lady, are you unwell?"

Ashara sat there for a moment longer before nodding. "Yes . . . yes, I am feeling rather unwell, all of a sudden. Accompany me back to my rooms, Eleanah, and then, please, go fetch my husband. I need to speak with him."

Ashara was standing on the balcony, watching ships sail in and out of the bay, when she heard the door open behind her. She heard Jaime quietly tell Eleanah to give them some privacy, in which case, the door closed almost soundlessly seconds later. She heard his bootfalls on the floor as he neared her, and allowed a shiver to rake up her spine when he came up behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her back against him, and she felt his lips press to the flesh behind her ear. She gave another shiver and closed her eyes, where she reveled in his embrace before he spoke:

"Eleanah said you were unwell?"

Ashara shook her head. "I'm not. I mean, I was, but mainly, I needed to talk to you."

Jaime nodded as he stepped back, allowing her to turn around to face him. Her eyes caught his and she took notice of the concern echoing in those beautiful green depths. She hoped their children would have his eyes – those beautiful Lannister eyes. "About what?"

She swallowed hard as she reached down and took his hand. Their fingers entwined and she stepped closer to him. "I'm afraid that already, I must ask something of you that . . . that may have rather heavy implications."

He arched a brow. "Oh?"

She nodded and gave another hard swallow before telling everything to him that Theonax has confessed to her earlier in the gardens: Arianne being with his child, his fears of them never marrying and their child not having his name. Then, she told him of her brother's request: that the two of them act as witnesses alongside Oberyn at the secret wedding they were organizing. By the time she was done, the look of concern had melted from Jaime's face and was replaced with one of expressionlessness. In fact, there was a look in his eyes that chilled her – a look that better belonged on Tywin Lannister instead of his son who had treated her so sweetly over the last few days and whose most innocent touch already made her crave and shiver for something more intimate.

"You do realize what he suggests, could risk war, right?" He asked, and Ashara swallowed hard.

"My father gave him permission -!"

"Your father, for the first time in a long time, has made a very foolish decision, and, I think, for a very selfish, blinded reason," Jaime interrupted her, his voice firm. He shook his head and stepped closer to her. "Marriage contracts are there for a reason, Ash. Signing a marriage contract is a father giving his permission for his daughter to be married. In Doran's case, signing a marriage contract is, effectively, him giving his permission for another family to take over a throne that has been in his family's possession for centuries! Unless Theonax agrees to take Arianne's last name like all the other men before him, then . . . what he suggests, is nothing short of war!"

Arianne looked down, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. "He is my brother, Jaime . . ."

She felt Jaime's hands take a gentle hold of her face then, where he brought her eyes up to his. He nodded, that chilling look gone, only now replaced with a look of sorrow. "Oh, I know, Ash, I know! But surely, you have to see what I am talking about! My father would not -"

"They are in love, Jaime!" Ashara interrupted him, her hands smoothing out over his chest as she spoke. She shook her head, feeling guilty for trying to talk him into doing something he quite clearly did not want to do. His gaze turned slightly pleading, but she powered on, despite it. "They want what we have – what we will have!" She quickly corrected herself, only to see a slight smile appear on Jaime's face. "Is that too much to ask? Is it too much to ask for your child to be born with your last name instead of a bastard's?"

"This isn't the right way to go about this, Ash." Jaime told her, quietly, gently, and she nodded, sensing she had him on the brink of agreeing to do this with her.

"I know. But quite clearly, the right way hasn't been working out for them so far, now has it?" Jaime released a sigh then, and looked away. After a moment of submerging himself deep in his thoughts, he shook his head and gave an ironic sounding laugh. "The things I do for love . . ." He murmured, almost wistfully, and Ashara couldn't help but break out in a broad grin. Launching herself in his arms, he laughed as she pressed kisses to every inch of his face.

"My darling Knight, my hopeless romantic, my loving husband – I'll let them know immediately!" She cooed, and Jaime continued to laugh before her lips finally caught ahold of his. He held her as they kissed – as it deepened into one of love and passion. When they finally broke apart, she held him close and allowed a sly smile to come to her face – one that Jaime couldn't help but allow the corners of his mouth to tug upwards at. "Come to bed with me, my husband . . ." She murmured, only for him to grin and laugh. He shook his head although she did manage to catch the new lazy gleam that had entered his eyes upon her words.

"It is the middle of the day, Ash! I have duties . . ."

She cocked an amused eyebrow. "And what of the duties to your new wife, Kingslayer? Would the mighty Tywin Lannister really begrudge us time together if we came back and announced that we had conceived his grandchild in the interim?"

Jaime gave a slow nod as a smile appeared on his face. "Come to think of it . . . I think I can spare an hour or two for my wife . . ." He spoke as he began ambling them back towards the bed. A smile spread across her face as she allowed him to steer her. She nodded.

"Really? Only two?"

"Ash, please! I can get a lot done in two hours!"