Part 14 is here! Thanks ZabuzasGirl for the review and to Katie-Lady16 for the super sweet comment on the last chapter! It seriously just made my day when I read it. This part has a lot of Jaime in it so I hope I wrote him well. Let me know what you think!
The men came back on their horses, glorious smiles upon their faces. Dimeria saw Robb dismount his horse and she almost fell to the ground in relief. Her knees went weak and she thought her stomach had turned inside out; she feared she would never see Robb again. They embraced each other tightly, not caring about the men seeing them together. To them, it was as if they were the only 2 people in the world; no one else existed at that moment. As they held each other, Dimeria forgot about the words she had said to Robb the night before; none of it mattered. The two of them never got a moment alone that night, the men were much too excited about their victory and Robb, being the good man he was, reminded them that there was still a long road ahead of them, that their fight was not over. The battle had changed him, Dimeria noticed. He was still brave and noble, but the fighting had hardened him, taken away some of the innocence he had possessed before.
It did not help when Robb received word that his father had died.
Dimeria wasn't sure how to comfort him; she had no clue what it felt like to lose a parent, but she wondered if it was anything like finding out that someone had lied to you your entire life. If so, she understood Robb and Catelyn better than she thought.
Robb came back to his tent (where Dimeria had been waiting), red-eyed and exhausted. The joy and pride he felt when he captured the Kingslayer had absolutely diminished when he got word of his father. He looked into Dimeria's eyes and saw the pity and comfort she wasn't sure how to express. Not knowing what else to do, they embraced each other and Robb continued crying into her shoulder as she stroked his curly hair. She gently soothed him and sat down with him on the bed, his head still pressed into the crook of her neck. The stroking came naturally to Dimeria, something which surprised her.
"Shhh, it's okay." She whispered gently in his ear.
"It's not." He sobbed. "You don't know what it's like, Dimeria. You don't know."
Dimeria could hear the pain and anguish in his voice and it hurt her to know he was feeling this way. A weakness she hated herself for having. She pulled Robb away from her shoulder gently, for he had calmed down significantly and the only tears that remained were quietly streaming down his face.
"You're right; I don't know what it's like to lose a parent." She said quietly.
"No, I didn't mean it like that…" Robb said pressing his hands to his face.
"I know, it's okay." She assured him. "But...I know what it's like to lose someone you cared for."
Robb looked at her curiously; this was the first time Dimeria had ever hinted at her past life...the more personal aspect of it anyway. She took a deep breath to get her thoughts in order, she felt as if she owed it to Robb to share this with him after everything he had done for her.
"I've known for my entire life what I am-a bastard. I accepted it at a young age. As long as I could fight with my sword I was happy; it didn't matter to me who my parents were. Jeor and Aemon did a good enough job in my opinion. I never realized it then, but I guess I considered them my makeshift parents." She bit her lip, never realizing that she cared for Jeor and Aemon so much.
"They never told me about my parents and I didn't care, but then I heard them talking one day."
"About what?" Robb asked quietly, his tears finally coming to a stop.
"They said that if I ever found out who I really was, it could be dangerous...they didn't want to tell me who my parents were and I hated them for it." She looked at Robb, her own eyes watering with salty tears.
"I felt betrayed. My entire life, I thought I was just a simple bastard child...no special story or anything, but then I found out that they had been keeping it a secret. My life. They knew everything about it, yet they wouldn't tell me...the two people who raised me kept my entire life hidden from me. I didn't want to have anything to do with them when I found out. That was when I lost them."
"And that's why you're travelling south, to find your parents?" Robb asked.
"Yes. I didn't tell you before because-"
"You didn't trust me." He finished for her.
She nodded yes and gave him a small smile. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders; she had never been that honest with someone ever since she left Castle Black. Robb kissed her gently and mumbled against her lips:
"Thank you."
"For what?" She whispered back.
"For trusting me just enough to tell me now."
Dimeria smiled and soon felt his lips back on hers. She didn't know what it was about Robb, but somehow he could make her forget everything; all the things that had once pained her and all the reasons she was so guarded…
and she hated it.
The King in the North.
The men chanted and cried vehemently as they declared Robb their king. They looked up to Robb, Dimeria realized, even though he was half the age of most of his men. She gazed around at all the men who were now standing on their feet, continuing their cheers.
She thought it was all ridiculous.
They were currently fighting a war to get rid of a king, yet they just named a new king? What was the point? Dimeria silently got up and walked away from the brunt of the encampment. She just couldn't fathom why the men felt the need to have a king. Didn't they want to be free? She shook her head and came to the conclusion that the further south of The Wall you went, the stupider people got.
Dimeria began walking up a small incline towards the posts where the prisoners were kept; it was quieter in that area and gave her the atmosphere she needed to think. Hurried stomps and quick breaths sounded before her and she looked up to see a perturbed Catelyn Stark walking away from the area of the prisoners.
"Lady Stark-uh, Catelyn, is everything alright?" Dimeria asked her.
"Yes, I am fine." She answered with a nervous smile. "Is there anything you need?" She asked wondering why Dimeria was wandering about by herself.
"Oh no, I was just taking a walk...to clear my mind."
"Would you like me to join you?" Catelyn asked.
"Don't worry about it, I prefer time by myself."
Catelyn smiled kindly, but continued to glance warily behind her towards the prisoners. She nodded to Dimeria and went on her way, causing Dimeria to furrow her brows in confusion. Dimeria continued walking up the small hill. The night was dark with hardly any stars in the sky to cast light upon the ground. Her feet crunched on dead grass and twigs, making the silence of the darkness shatter like breaking glass.
"What's a pretty lady like yourself doing out here all alone?"
Dimeria glanced down at the prisoner tied uncomfortably to a post.
"It could be dangerous, ya know." He continued. "Some men just can't handle themselves."
She smirked and snorted at his attempt at taunting her.
"I grew up with men who were put in prison for raping women. Don't worry about me."
The prisoner looked up from the mud and peered through his dirty hair at Dimeria. His eyes widened when he saw it was her and he immediately sat up straighter.
"What's your name?" He demanded more than asked.
"And why should I tell you?" She said with narrow eyes.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."
"I already know who you are, Lannister." Dimeria said, rolling her eyes in the darkness.
"Well if you know who I am, I believe I should be given the same courtesy." Jaime said without missing a beat. Dimeria sighed and gave in.
"Dimeria."
"You're the bastard girl from The Wall." Jaime said.
"You know of me?" She asked suspiciously.
"The men here never shut up about you...and my brother spoke rather highly of you when he returned from Castle Black."
"The men here are idiots." Dimeria spat.
"I agree!" Jaime said with a laugh. Dimeria still stood in front of him, staring off into the night and almost cringing every time she heard the men chant, King in the North! Jaime took notice and asked:
"The King in the North, is that what they're chanting?" He said looking to Dimeria. "Why don't you join them, you seem rather fond of the Stark boy."
Dimeria felt a warm blush creep into her cheeks and hoped that the darkness around her concealed it.
"Idiots do idiotic things...I don't want to chant to 'the king in the north.' Chanting along with them would mean I pledge loyalty to Robb Stark. I am loyal to no one except myself."
"Not loyal to Robb Stark? You seemed so happy to see him when he returned the other day. Or are you just happy to spread your legs for him?"
Dimeria turned on him quickly, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Jaime could almost feel the cold hatred she had for him at the moment and he instinctively backed his head away as far as he could.
"I am loyal to no one...and I spread my legs for NO ONE." She growled angrily and emphasized each word.
"An admirable trait…one that most women, I'm afraid, don't possess now a days." He said with a smirk. "Although, I guess you don't know many women since you were raised on The Wall."
Dimeria didn't answer, finding every horrible thing Robb said about Jaime to be true. He was arrogant and crass; Dimeria thought herself lucky that she had been around men like that all the time at Castle Black. She gazed at him curiously, wondering about another thing Robb had said about Jaime. Did women really think he was handsome? She couldn't see it, but she supposed that was due to the fact that he was dirty and most likely sitting in his own shit. Still, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to maybe dent his pride a bit.
"Do women actually find you attractive? I must say I don't see it at all."
"Well, you wouldn't since you are so obsessed with Robb Stark." He replied quickly.
"I am not obsessed with him!" She said raising her voice and bringing an even bigger smirk to Jaime's face.
"Lady Dimeria?"
A guard began walking up to her with a concerned look upon his features. "Is everything okay here?" He asked glaring at Jaime.
"Everything is fine." She snapped. Closing her eyes and collecting herself she said, "I was just taking a walk around the encampment, its okay."
The guard nodded and turned back around, resuming his prior activities. Dimeria also began to turn away, fed up with Jaime's comments.
"Wait!" He called back to her. She turned, preparing herself for another obnoxious remark. "Do you think you could spare me some water? These idiot men have not supplied me sufficiently."
Dimeria raised her brows and walked a step or two closer, removing the water skin that hung on her belt. She brought it to her lips and drained it of its contents, holding it upside down for Jaime to see.
"I'm sorry. I seem to have run out." She said feigning politeness. She gave him an overly sweet smile and finally turned to walk away.
The same smirk still resided upon Jaime's face; he was almost amused at her last little stunt, but it quickly dulled down to a thoughtful expression as he watched Dimeria walk away.
You truly are a Targaryen, aren't you? Jaime thought to himself.
"Robb, if you want to trade him for you sisters, you're going to have to keep him in good condition." Dimeria pleaded with Robb. He was not exactly pleased when he saw Dimeria returning from speaking with the Kingslayer. Dimeria was fairly objective about the matter of keeping Jaime alive; it wasn't her war or enemies they were fighting, but she understood how important Jaime was to everyone.
"I honestly doubt his family will exchange Arya and Sansa if he is nearly beaten and starved to death." She said in an effort to further make her point.
"He pushed my brother from a window, Dimeria. Why should I treat him with anything other than hatred?" Robb spat out angrily.
"Because you want your sisters back." Dimeria answered firmly.
Robb turned away, hating that she was right in this matter. Robb was finding himself becoming increasingly annoyed with Dimeria lately; she was too smart for her own good. They had moved the encampment further into the Riverlands, defeating every Lannister army they encountered and each one increasing the moral of his men. Thankfully, he had Dimeria by his side, many times advising him on complicated matters, but she was bold. She often made him look stupid, questioning his authority and the choices he made. It wouldn't have been so bad if she weren't right all the time, but she was. He knew he shouldn't have been getting angry with her; she was ultimately helping his cause, but he couldn't ignore how inferior she made him feel sometimes.
"I can tend to him to make sure your men don't further harm him. You need him alive." Dimeria offered him.
He nodded with his back still turned to her. Robb wished she would come up behind him, grab his hand and comfort him, tell him that although times were hard...it would get better. He knew she wouldn't though, that was not who Dimeria was. There were times, very rare times, when Dimeria softened up and showed her sensitive side (It was very small in comparison to her tough side.). It was those moments Robb treasured and they were coming more often, making the rough patches worthwhile.
Dimeria walked out quickly, causing a loud swish of the tent flap. The hustle and bustle of the camp had significantly increased the more battles Robb's army fought and Dimeria had taken it upon herself to help with the wounded. She had nothing better to do and she was fairly good at tending to people's injuries. Robb was a fierce leader, but also merciful; he kept many of the still surviving enemies as hostages rather than executing them. Dimeria sometimes wondered if it was better to just end their lives, for most of them seemed pretty miserable sitting in the mud and their own shit. It was one of the many things Dimeria had argued with Robb about, but he was adamant about keeping them alive.
Seeing many of the other handmaidens running about to wounded men, Dimeria grabbed a large bowl filled with water, some rags, and some cloth to wrap the injuries up. By the time she reached the Kingslayer, her hair was trickled with sweat and she had already had to get more water 3 times. She felt it was her duty to at least try to keep Jaime in healthy condition, so she grabbed a couple pieces of bread to feed him; he most likely hadn't been fed in several days. When she got to the post he was tied up to that was also surrounded by a small wooden cage, the portal to enter by had already been swung open by a guard who was currently kicking Jaime in the ribs.
"What do you think you're doing?!" She snapped at the guard, immediately grabbing his attention. Jaime remained slumped in the ground, groaning slightly.
"Lady Dimeria! Uh, the Kingslayer...he was-"
"He was what?" She said impatiently.
"A couple of us were trying to train...he wouldn't shut his damn mouth, so I decided to shut it for him." The guard said.
"I was merely trying to give you some tips." Jaime moaned as he sat back up.
Dimeria sighed audibly and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
"What is your name?" She asked the guard.
"Tulkas, of House-"
"I don't care." She interrupted him. He pinched his lips together and looked down at his feet. "Tulkas, do you realize who this is?"
"Of course, he-"
"Jaime Lannister, commonly referred to as the best swordsman in Westeros. If he is giving advice with a sword, you should most likely take it."
"The only advice I will willingly take is from you, Lady Dimeria." Tulkas said trying to sound brave.
Dimeria rolled her eyes and tucked her white hairs behind her ear.
"Go about your duties, Tulkas. And drop the, 'lady' from my name." She told him as he began to walk away.
She walked up to Jaime and knelt down, gently settling all of the supplies on the ground.
"Don't like being called, Lady?" Jaime questioned her.
"I'm not of a high born house, there's no need for it." She answered. "Drink." She held up a small cup filled with cool water up to Jaime's lips. He gave her a suspicious glance, but then willingly gulped it down.
"He was rather smitten with you, wasn't he?" He asked, receiving a questioning look from Dimeria. "I mean the fact that he 'only takes advice from you'." He said mockingly. "You must be a gifted fighter...my brother said you were."
"I might be." She answered curtly as she dipped some of the cloth in the bowl of water.
"You and I could fight. That would surely test your skills." Jaime said mischievously.
"I thought you and I agreed that the men were idiots...not me."
"That's true, can't blame me for trying though." He said with a smile.
"I can blame you for the poor attempt." Dimeria said smiling back and rolling her eyes.
Jaime laughed in response and watched Dimeria as she readied her things. She scooted closer to him on her knees, slightly bumping his side. He winced visibly and said:
"Ah! Careful, I think he may have bruised my ribs."
"I'll take a look at them later." She mumbled as she pushed his hair aside, trying to get at the cut along his face. It wasn't deep and most likely wouldn't scar too badly, but she wanted to make sure it didn't fester. She wiped the dirt from his face, revealing his golden skin and gently dabbed at the cut. Once again, Jaime winced.
"Could you be more careful?" He snipped at her.
"Could you stop complaining?" She snapped back, frustration evident in her voice. She sat back on her heels and gave Jaime a serious look.
"Ya know Lannister, most of these people want you dead. It took me a long while to convince Robb not to let his men beat you to death or burn you at the stake!"
"And why would you do that?" He asked curiously.
"Because…" She said going back to cleaning his wound, "Robb needs you alive and in good condition if he wants to get his sisters back."
"Really? Are you sure it's not because me and my charming personality have grown on you?" He asked sarcastically.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but no...that's not it." She paused and then said, "Actually...I'm not sorry to disappoint you."
"Such rude behavior from a little lady." Jaime teased her with his customary smirk on his face.
"I'm not 'a little lady'." She said mimicking his voice.
"Ah right, you're a little warrior."
Not having any better response, Dimeria proceeded to push down harder on his cut, causing him to move away in pain. She smirked contently after getting the reaction she wanted and then grabbed a piece of bread for him.
"Eat this." She said holding it up to his mouth. "Then I'll take a look at your ribs."
He chewed quickly, relishing the simple taste of bread. Jaime never thought he would miss such a common food, but after not being fed for several days, bread looked like a stuffed pig. Dimeria lifted up his tunic, making Jaime hiss in pain, but she ignored it. His ribs were a little bruised and after poking and rubbing her hands along his sides, she was able to tell they weren't broken.
"Try to keep your mouth shut and maybe they'll be able to heal without you getting them broken." She said offering him the second piece of bread.
He rolled his eyes and with bread in his mouth asked, "So what did it take for you to convince the young wolf to not let his men beat me?"
"Not much, just my brilliant mind and good looks." She said with a triumphant smile.
Jaime gave a loud and very sarcastic laugh, drawing curious looks their way and earning an annoyed glare from Dimeria.
"What's so hard to believe about that, Lannister? Are those not qualities that you pride yourself on having?" She asked him.
He stopped laughing and eyed her curiously. "You are the only person here that doesn't call me Kingslayer. Why is that?"
She shrugged her shoulders and began gathering her supplies. "He wasn't my king, why should I care?" She stood up and tucked her hair behind her ear. She began walking out when she turned back and said:
"Try not to anger the guards; I won't always be here to save your ass." She said with a smirk.
"Oh, I have a feeling you will be, my little warrior." He called to her back.
Jaime watched her until she was just a silhouette on the horizon. He began chuckling to himself. It was quite ironic how she didn't care that he killed the Mad King. After all, it was her own father that he stabbed.
…
"Stannis Baratheon has laid claim to the throne." Robb said impassively.
"Who?" Dimeria asked. She felt a warm hand on her own and looked into Catelyn Stark's eyes.
"He is the elder brother of the late king, Robert Baratheon. His younger brother is Renley Baratheon."
Dimeria nodded in understanding and turned back to Robb thoughtfully. He had set down the letter he received and nervously began pacing about the room. Eyeing him quizzically, Lady Stark reached across and grabbed the letter to read it for herself. Dimeria observed her reaction attentively, trying to get a read on how Catelyn was feeling without having to ask. Catelyn's face immediately paled and she held her breath, her hands shaking quite visibly. Dimeria tensed her body, not comfortable with other people's feelings and she looked to Robb for help. He had already set his gaze on his mother and was practically radiating concern.
"What is it?" Dimeria drawled out slowly.
"The acting king, Joffrey Baratheon...is no Baratheon." Catelyn answered with an unsure voice.
"And whose child is he…" Dimeria asked.
"The Kingslayer's." Robb growled bitterly.
Surprise and disgust filled Dimeria's mind. "You mean he has been fucking his own sister?!" She said loudly and causing Catelyn to flinch.
"Dimeria." Robb snapped at her.
"I'm sorry…" Dimeria said regretting her words. "It's just...I can't believe-" She stopped not able to voice her thoughts.
"So Joffrey is not the rightful king." Catelyn said. "And not only has Stannis laid claim to the throne, but also Renley. What are you going to do Robb?"
"I'm not sure yet." Robb said honestly. "Renley has a larger army, but Stannis is more experienced in wars." He said weighing out his options.
A shadowed look came over his face then, darkening his Tully blue eyes and making his already firm jaw appear harder. His expression looked almost as if anger had a face; as if anger itself had been personified. All the pieces suddenly fit together in his mind of why everything was happening, why it had all began.
"That's why he pushed Bran." He said darkly. Catelyn peered at him, not understand his words, but Dimeria knew immediately what he meant and she closed her eyes mournfully.
"Bran saw them together." She whispered, quietly finishing Robb's thoughts.
Catelyn covered her mouth, a sob escaping her mouth as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Robb narrowed his eyes and flared his nostrils, rage bubbling inside him, but he knew he couldn't act out on it; he was a leader, a king...he needed to handle this diplomatically. He looked back to his mother who was now steadily crying next to Dimeria, who looked absolutely stunned at what had just been revealed, and then walked out of the tent.
Dimeria took one last look at Catelyn and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, hoping her touch would be enough, but she knew it wouldn't be. She quietly walked out of the tent and back to her own, wondering where it was Robb was going. Sleep claimed her quickly that night, but it was filled with strange dreams that made her toss and turn on the bed.
It started out like the same dream she had several months ago at The Wall with her being surrounded by fire. When it lashed out at her though, it didn't burn her like it did before; in fact, she could hardly feel it. She was able to defend herself, but she quickly tired and fell to the ground in exhaustion. Wind rushed over her body like in her last dream, but it was warm and soothing this time. She sat up straight in her bed, her breath coming in rapid pants. It was still late at night and the only thing she could see was a mysterious glowing coming from her tent. It seemed to come from her dragon eggs and for some reason, that brought her comfort. She rolled over on her side so she would be able to face them as she thought over her strange dream. Eventually, the glowing began to blur at the edges and her eyelids became heavier and once again, sleep claimed her body. For reasons unknown to her, her second dream that night involved Jaime Lannister.
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Until next time...