A/N: Everything is about to hit the fan, my friends. Winter is coming, and the end is near.. xx
The dragon queen returned from the dead upon the back of a dragon and with an army of thousands of Dothraki screamers. She burned Meereen and half of Slaver's Bay. She has taken Pentos and handed it over to the sellsword company the Windblown, and she takes up residence there. Word has it that she is planning to invade Westeros soon, and at her side, a certain dwarf..
Arianne Martell has called her banners and joined forces with Aegon Targaryen. There is no word if Doran Martell had any hand in this, however, as he has shut himself away and refuses to see anyone since news of his son's death at the hand of Daenerys Targaryen. Nymeria Sand swears fealty to the crown, however, and Myrcella and Tommen are very fond of her..
There is talk that Stannis Baratheon has sacrificed his daughter to the Lord of Light. His red witch has poisoned his mind, which may not be such a bad thing. They burned the child alive. Some whispers say it was in order to resurrect Jon Snow, who some have seen alive in Winterfell since his death at the Wall..
Walder Frey did the realm the courtesy of dying, and the Twins are in chaos. Each son plotting against the other. My fool of a husband hasn't been quite as foolish as them, however, for he is satisfied with his station here, at Riverrun..
I am not sure what you are doing, hiding in your rock, nephew. Things are getting out of hand, and the king needs you. He needs his mother. He needs his father. I know you are loathe to leave Leia and Joanna, but it is your duty as Lord of Casterly Rock to go to your king's side. It is what your father would have done.
Genna's letter left a sour taste in his mouth, and an ache in his head. Things were escalating quickly, much quicker than he had anticipated, and he was growing more and more anxious. He could hardly believe that Tyrion had gone to Daenerys, or that Dorne had joined forces with the dragon pretender. He wondered if Starfall had followed the Martell girl..
His thoughts turned to Leia and guilt filled his throat like bile, but he still could not bring himself to face her.
He clenched his good hand and screwed his eyes shut, trying to push out the pain behind them. He tried to drown out the pain and the anxiety with a Dornish red, but it only seemed to worsen it. Jaime felt hopeless and helpless, and he wanted to see his wife and his daughter.
But he was much too drunk and it was much too late, and he was afraid he would tell her everything, so he stayed in his solar and tried to find solace in his goblet.
How could this be happening? Where did everything go so horribly wrong?
When I pushed Bran Stark from that tower? When Robb Stark captured me in the Whispering Wood? When I lost my hand and traded in my whites for a lord's title?
Or maybe when I killed the mad king. Perhaps none of this would have happened had I just let King's Landing burn.
Letter after letter, each worse than the other and none from whom he needed to hear from the most..
Where in the seven hells is he? I should have heard from him by now..
Jaime sighed and poured himself another drink.
It was going to be a long night.
Leia was frail and weak, and the guards outside her door would not allow her to leave her chambers, nor for her to have any visitors.
"You need to rest." The maester said each time she begged for company, or begged for a small breath of fresh air. She had not left her chambers in weeks, and she was going crazy.
"No, I need my husband. I need to be out there by his side. I need my baby.." She was desperate and frantic, yet that only made them frown and stand by their decisions that much more. There was no escaping for Lady Leia.
You have to trust me.
What a fool I have been, to have actually listened to the Kingslayer.
Leia knew that Cersei was now running the household, standing by Jaime's side and acting as Lady of the Rock. She was probably even sharing Jaime's bed and working on a new heir, a son perhaps..
Leia cried more oft than not; she was homesick and heartbroken and seemingly left to die. When she wasn't emptying her stomach one way or the other, she was too weak to leave the bed. Joanna had been moved into the wet nurse's chambers, for fear of her catching whatever it was Leia had.
Though we all know this is the queen's doing..and I would not be surprised if the Kingslayer was in on it, too. He probably planned this all from the beginning. If Erron was still here, this never would have happened..
Leia had written letters to Erron and her sister back at Starfall, but she received no reply, and she knew that the letters were probably never even sent.
As the days past, Leia grew more and more miserable, and she found herself looking out her window more and more, wondering if her sister Ashara had found the peace she sought when she jumped from the Palestone Sword..
I could just..let myself fall, and it would all be over.
She stared out over the dull, icy land. She remembered when she had first arrived, how lively and bright the Westerlands had been. Now, however, they looked grim and frozen, dying under the weight of winter. She pushed her window open and let the icy wind bite her face, but she did not recoil. It almost felt good; the cold burn across her face, stinging her eyes and chapping her lips. It almost made her feel like a person again, instead of a numb, fragile doll locked away and left to rot.
"Lady Leia! Close that window!" Leia had not even heard Maester Creylen enter, but he was scrambling towards her and slamming the window shut in her face.
Her eyes were wide as he grabbed her arm and drug her towards her bed.
"Unhand me!" She barked, trying to pull herself free, yet he was stronger than her in her state, and he managed to hold her down.
"Lady Leia, you need to calm down. Please, my lady." He pleaded as she fought against him, tears springing to her eyes. "Take this, my lady. It will help you rest."
Leia thrashed and fought him as he put a vile against her lips.
"Please, no. No, no, no. Stop this. I want Jaime. Where is Jaime?" She was sobbing and Creylen was calling for a guard.
Two entered her room and held her down as she cried and screamed for her husband, her husband who never came.
The sweet tasting liquid slid down her throat as Creylen held his hand over her mouth and his other over her nose, forcing her to swallow.
They're going to kill me.
Her thoughts were of Jaime and Joanna as she sunk into darkness.
The entire realm shook that day, and the cold grew colder.
Jaime and Cersei sat upon the dais, breaking their fast when a horrible, piercing screech broke the silence between them. A sick, twisting feeling took over in Jaime's gut and his head spun as the sound filled his every sense. Cersei's face was pale and her hands covered her ears, while Casterly Rock seemed to vibrate with the sound.
The sound lasted for only a few moments, yet it felt like years. Jaime met Cersei's wide eyes, but before either could speak, the world shook with such violence, Jaime was sure that the rock was going to come crumbling down upon them.
Jaime grabbed Cersei and pulled her under the table with him, covering them from any falling debris. He looked around at the panicked household as they scrambled in the hall to do the same. His thoughts fell to Joanna and Leia, and he was tempted to rush to them, but Cersei's grip on his arm and the shaking of the Rock kept him under the table. There was screaming and crying, bowls and food crashed onto the floor and dogs were heard howling.
When it was over, everyone looked dazed and lost. Jaime's heart was beating wildly as he stood, pulling his sister up with him.
"I've never felt a quake like that before." She said, grasping the table for stability.
Suddenly, the air around Jaime seemed to freeze. His breath could be seen in clouds before him, and his hands were all but numb. Cersei looked up at him with eyes full of confusion, and his people began muttering and pulling their furs and cloaks around them tighter.
The Stark words fell into his mind then, and a shiver ran down his spine.
Winter is coming.