A/N: Hello everyone again! It's this time of week again and here's another update for you all to read and tell me what you think of it. In this chapter, basically; Jaime finds himself regretting asking Eliana for help in order to help her in exchange, Petyr Baelish meets with Catelyn and attempts to negotiate with her, as he tried to with Renly. Robbs discovers letters sent from Oberyn Martell to his sister and confronts her about them.

I NEED help! I'm thinking of keeping Catelyn alive after the events of the red wedding, but I would like your personal opinions on this choice. I've already been playing around some ideas. Also, I'm sorry for the late update, my internet connection has been so bad that I've struggled to do anything online, sorry guys.

Please read and review!

Negotiations

"Have you lost your mind?" Eliana was staring at Jaime with wide eyes, he'd lost it. He'd finally lost it... she put it down to being locked in the stockades for a little of over a year but then she wasn't so sure. He looked serious, like he wanted her to help him desperately.

Jaime shrugged with a smile, "You don't want to marry Ser Daisy, so help me escape and I'll help you get your sisters back." He negotiated, knowing it was an appealing option to her.

Eliana shook her head, thinking as his enemy now. "No... I have a duty to follow through on my father's behalf, I will not jeopardise that just to help an enemy to freedom." She vowed to herself, her eyes stinging at her words. She saw the look on his face and shifted uneasily. "Look... I have to help my brother win the war." She knew she was just being honourable but it was her duty to follow through; her father had made her promise to watch over Robb and teach him.

"Do you honestly think Robb Stark will beat my father? That boy will fall..." Jaime growled, glowering in annoyance as she refused to listen to him. How hard is it to accept something so simple? "I'm offering you a way out, take it!" Jaime demanded, looking into her eyes and shifting in his spot as he tried to persuade her. He saw that she wasn't going to budge so he told her what he thought would change her mind. "He will kill you and your family, your brother and your mother will die!"

She stared at him silently, seeing how he'd changed all of a sudden. He was welcoming but now he was being hostile towards her because of her defiant nature. I'm no coward, I will stand and fight alongside my brother and my father's bannermen. We will win... and we will not die.

Jaime sighed and stared right back at her, wondering what she was thinking as she sat there opposite him. It was unnerving. He was stupid, he knew she would never leave her brother or her mother now... but he couldn't stand to watch her fight in this war which could get her killed. The Starks will die, he secretly told himself but he also knew that Eliana would do her best to stop that from happening. "What do you love, Lia?" Jaime folded his arms over his chest and he studied her with his eyes. "Tell me what you love."

She looked pained then but she answered him. "Everything I loved is in the past now." Eliana recalled, her eyes glazing over. "I miss the days when I didn't have to fight to stay alive. When I spent my days in the courtyard and my nights reading before a warm hearth." Eliana paused, taking a hesitant breath. She felt the pain erupt through her chest and it made her feel sick. "Before everything I loved was gone."

He frowned, you have your mother, brothers and sisters still? "Forgive me, but you still have your family?" Jaime asked carefully, intrigued by her choice of words. Her family was still with her, scattered yes, but still alive.

"But not my father." He held everything together, he was the glue... the soul.

Jaime fell silent then. He didn't know what to say in reply to that - he knew it was still too raw for her to speak of her father's departure from the land of living, even talking of times before he passed. His head was probably sat swaying in the wind right at that moment in the capital. She looked away from him and he caught sight of the fresh line across her neck; the scar he'd given her when they fought outside Littlefinger's brothel in King's Landing.

Eliana sucked in a breath as Jaime met her quickly, "Little wolf..." He cooed as their blades collided angrily. He laughed when the metal clattering rung through the air, she was better than most.

Without warning, he struck downwards, aiming for her legs as an attempt to catch her off guard. But he was startled when she brought her blade down quickly enough to deflect the blow, and he went to force her back.

Jaime was intrigued by her style, "Did your father teach you that? Or Jory?" He taunted, knowing he would always be stronger than her although she was far lighter and quicker on her feet while she moved herself out-of-the-way as he continued to try to force her back.

Eliana sidestepped out-of-the-way, avoiding a blow meant for her shoulder which cause Jaime to curse under his breath before he whirled around to face, blade up and ready.

She then went to bring her own sword down on Jaime's shoulder but he parried her quickly and pushed her away from him. Jaime then came at her with a complex form and unknown to him, Eliana was very familiar with those thanks to Rodrik Cassel. She ducked and dodged the blade, it clipped her own and it fell to the stone below.

Jaime smirked as she stood before him unarmed. "Little wolf..." He sighed, sheathing his sword and retrieving the dagger from the fallen Jory and wiping it clean on his trouser leg.

He took a strong hold of Ned Stark's daughter, holding her against his chest as the dagger hovered near her neck, waiting. His mouth was at her ear, "Don't move, if you do... the blade will pierce your porcelain skin. We wouldn't want that now would we?" Jaime whispered, staring at Ned as the Lannister guards he'd been fighting, fell to the ground, dead.

"No further, Stark." Jaime warned, holding the dagger against her neck. "I want my brother back."

Ned glared and froze still, his eyes trained on his daughter. "Release her." He went to move forward again.

In one fluid movement, he dragged his dagger across her neck as if to provoke Ned. The red liquid ran across her skin. Eliana could feel blood swimming down her arm and to the tips of her fingers.

Jaime pushed her away from him then and drew his sword with his smirk burning bright.

He longed to fight her again, a fair fight where he didn't have to hurt her to get what he wanted.

"I'm not helping you escape, Jaime." She muttered, standing silently and moving to pen door, leaving him with the mead. She didn't even send him a last glance, she slipped away into the darkness.

He remembered her eyes, how dark they'd grown in a few moments and as he remembered them, he knew she was replaying the moment her father was beheaded and he knew she was imagining killing all responsible, which probably included him.

Catelyn had heard he was in the camp, lurking somewhere in the shadows. Why is he here? She asked herself, as she heard someone enter the tent she was occupying for the time being. "How dare you?" She hissed as she clapped eyes on him.

"You may have heard false reports..." Came the voice Petyr Baelish, a short man of slender build with handsome and sharp features. Petyr had grey-green eyes, a small pointed beard on his chin with threads of grey running throughout his dark hair.

Catelyn rose to her feet, feeling nothing but hate towards a man she once respected. "You betrayed Ned." She growled, bearing her teeth like a wolf. The north had changed her, she wasn't the woman she had been while growing up in Riverrun as a girl with her father, ill mother, uncle and siblings.

Petyr Baelish, her father's ward, had grown vile, he was cunning and deceiving - no more the sweet boy who came to Riverrun remained as she stared at him. He had changed and not for the right reasons. He was power-hungry and now wormed his way into minds of the unsuspecting.

"Betrayed?" Petyr spat in reply, his eyes wide with shock that she would accuse him of such things. "I wanted him to serve as Protector of the Realm. I begged him to seize the moment..." He tried to reason with her, but she would have none of it.

"I trusted you. My husband trusted you." Catelyn shouted, her eyes harsh and wary of the man stood before her. "And you repaid our faith with treachery."

Petyr shook his head desperately, wanting her to understand. "No, My Lady." He argued with a quiet tone, pleading.

"Get out!" Catleyn exclaimed, turning her back on him as he rushed after her.

"Cat, I've..." He composed himself, before he continued. "I've loved you since I was a boy. It seems to me that fate has given us this chance..." He tried but failed miserably as she went for him again.

Catelyn took hold of a knife when she felt him grab her arm, she swung around to face him. "Have you lost your mind?" Catelyn jerked the knife in his direction, threatening to cut him. "Get out!" She repeated in anger.

Petyr backed away from her and turned to exit her tent but decided against it and stayed. "Do you want to see your girls again?" He taunted softly, seeing her face soften at the mere mention of her children, her two daughters. Sansa... Arya... "Sansa, more beautiful than ever. And Arya, just as wild as ever." Petyr mused to himself, knowing he gotten to her so easily by using simple words.

"You have Arya, too?"

Petyr nodded in reassurance, "Both girls are healthy and safe... for now."He began again, satisfied that he had her full attention now. "But you know the Queen and you know Joffrey... I fear for their longevity if they remain in the capital." Petyr finished, knowing Catelyn would want to know more now.

Catelyn hesitated, deciding whether she could trust Petyr or not and she was still unsure. He'd betrayed her. "What do you want?" She murmured, lowering the knife and stepping away from him. She didn't have the fight left in her anymore, she couldn't do it... she was suffering from losing Ned. She felt so weak, she just wanted to return home to Winterfell with her children.

"The Lannisters will trade your daughters for the Kingslayer." Petyr informed Cat, moving towards her.

Catelyn scoffed, her anger rising from within her. "Of course they will... Jaime Lannister for two girls?" She spat in annoyance as she looked at Petyr. Her two girls were worth more than any man alive. "Robb will never agree to those terms."

He nodded in agreement, smirking. "I'm not bringing these terms to him. I'm bringing them to you." Petyr spoke.

"You think I'd keep secrets from my son?" Catelyn pressed, her patience going by the second. She hated his games and she certainly didn't have any time for them right now.

Petyr sighed, "Robb has surprised them all with his skills in battle, but he's not a mother." He commented, the truth seeping through to haunt her. "Consider it, Cat. You may not get another chance." He advised, seeing all battle and defiance leaving her face as soon as it had come. "I've brought you a gift." He announced, clasping his hands together.

"I don't want your gifts." Once again, she turned her back on him in disgust. She didn't want anything from him.

Petyr walked out of the tent but returned again with two servant carrying a trunk, "A token of Tyrion Lannister's goodwill. He wants you to understand that this exchange of prisoners is offered in good faith." He informed her, as the trunk was set down behind her.

Catelyn shook her head at his venom. "Good faith?" She laughed breathlessly, turning back to see a large trunk at her feet. She paused. "What's this?" Catelyn asked, her brows knitting together in confusion but she knew what was in it, deep down, she knew. And it terrified her to her core.

Petyr didn't reply.

Catelyn sunk to her knees and held her breath as she reached for the clasps on the lid. Slowly, she lifted it and her gut was right. She had to stop herself from crying, she needed to be strong for Ned. She wouldn't let him down again by being seen crying, they would think she was weak. She chastised herself.

Petyr wasn't finished with torturing his childhood love, continuing to speak of Ned. "Your husband was an honorable man. He should rest beside his family in the crypts beneath Winterfell." Petyr tried to comfort her with all he could, not wanting her to push him further anymore. "You may not believe..." He began but didn't get to finish.

Catelyn felt tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "Get out." She whispered, finding that she didn't have the strength anymore to threaten him.

Petyr didn't speak, instead he bowed his head and fled the tent.

And then Catelyn cried, unable to compose herself any longer. She wanted nothing more than to hold him and kiss him but all that was impossible... and she would never see Ned again, and neither would her children, their children.

Robb's face twisted as his eyes scanned the pieces of parchment in his hands. His jaw tightened as each word sunk into his mind, sparking his anger and interest to what she'd been up to. But now, he was shocked to finally discover what his sister had been up to in Dorne. He wished he'd never walked into her tent in the first place.

When she arrived home from her trip, she didn't speak much of the trip, only that it was entertaining and that she would do it again. Robb hadn't thought much of it then but now it made sense; she had been with Oberyn Martell. Oberyn Martell! "No wonder she was so reluctant to speak of it... does mother know? Did father?" Robb questioned himself as he continued to read.

"... your departure has left me bored. I fear my sanity of life will be questioned as I find myself clueless of attempting to occupy all the free hours I now have. Come back and see me again, I miss you." He muttered, shaking his head. He didn't know whether to be shocked or amused. "Please don't tell me she let this man bed her..."

Robb forced the first message behind the others and began to read the second, pausing to see how recent it was. "I am sorry to hear of your father's brutal murder by the bastard Joffrey – if it were my decision I would join you and your brother immediately – at dusk or dawn but sadly, my brother won't submit himself to as such..." Robb spoke while his brown deepened.

Unknown to him, Eliana had entered her tent and froze when she spotted her brother rooting through her possessions. She didn't speak or make to snatch the letters back from Robb, she stood and watched him silently instead.

Robb closed his eyes, "Lia, what did you do?" He asked, his fingers tapping against the weirwood desk in her tent as he lent over it while he read. He could feel his heart getting faster the more he thought of what she'd done in Dorne.

"Depends, what do you think I did?" She spoke up, sinking into a chair. She watched as Robb turned on his heel to spot her sitting behind him with a tilted head. "Found something to your liking, brother? Oh, please, do spill..."

Robb's brow fell into a frown, scoffing he replied. "...I will seek you out after this war; I will find you and take you away from the horrors of Westeros. I promise you." He read aloud for her to hear as well. "You let Oberyn Martell bed you?"

"You can tell that from the letters?" Eliana jested, laughing when his face falling at her amusement. She was happy that someone had finally found them if she was being honest with herself, she'd been purposely leaving them lying around for someone to find them and Robb had and now she could taunt him. "That's exactly what father said... it's rude to root through someone's possessions Robb, you should know better. You're a king." She mused with a soft smile, "It was nothing, fun but nothing."

"This was not nothing, Lia." Robb contradicted, pulling a seat over to her before seating himself in front of her. "You will marry Ser Daisy, if you wanted this man so much I don't understand why you didn't marry yourself to him in the first place." He trailed off, re-reading the letter.

"I regret it, Robb. Believe me, I do."

He rubbed his temple in contemplation, a brooding look flowing onto his face. "All you have to do is marry Ser Daisy, to help get us through the war." Robb began, seeing the uneasy look on his sister's face. "And when we win the war, you can be with the Viper." He concluded, leaning back in his chair and feeling slightly proud of his conclusion to their disagreement.

Eliana shook her head, appreciating his help despite how awful it was in her eyes. "Robb, you make it sound so easy... it's not. It never will be and don't negotiate, I hate negotiating."

Robb nodded in understanding. He just wanted to do something right for his sister, she deserved to be happy as did everyone in their family... but her most of all in his eyes. In silence, he stood and made for the tent entrance but her voice called him back. "Robb..." He turned back to face his sister, seeing her looking worried. "Don't speak of this to mother, I'm planning to tell her soon. When she arrives from Renly's camp, in fact."

Robb's eyes widened at the news, he didn't know their mother was left in the dark. He thought she knew. "Mother doesn't know of this?" He stuttered, hardly believing what he was hearing from Eliana. "Why haven't you told her? Her of all people should know."

She rolled her eyes, "Because it's Oberyn Martell." That was true, Catelyn had never been keen on the idea of him being a suitor for Eliana. Ned had once told Eliana Catelyn's exact thoughts on the man and she didn't disagree but when she met him, all of what she'd been told was false. Oberyn was lustful yes, but he was so much more than what other men were. He was interesting, he knew many things, he could write and read and he could fight properly.

Oberyn was enchanting and he enchanted Eliana as soon as she saw him.

"You love him."

Eliana stifled a laugh, "I have to disagree with your assumption." She noted with a small smile. She wasn't in love with the man but he made all her problems go away in such a short amount of time. "He's a wonderful man, full of surprises but..." She stopped, feeling uneasy as she thought more and more of their relationship.

"But?" Robb moved back over to her, concerned.

Eliana sighed and shook her head, this wasn't a matter of importance now. "You have a war to plan do you not?" She inquired, rising to her feet. She saw the look he gave her but she chose to ignore it. "You don't need to worry over me, Robb, it's in the past." She smiled, pushing him out of her tent while she followed behind. "We have a war to win."

A/N: Please read and review?

Catelyn to live?