A/N: Sorry it's been a while again folks, but I am back for the foreseeable future and that means the return of regular updates. Hope you're all still there!

Helewise: Thank you so much, glad you liked it. Indeed, if they manage to pull it off that is exactly the outcome I would expect!

Hope you enjoy this one, more later in the week!

:)

XXV

"You seem brighter today," Alys said lightly as Jeyne twisted her hair back but she could sense the underlying suspicion in her voice. "Do I?" Jeyne kept her own tone light as she pinned her hair into place and began working on another section. "You do," Alys confirmed, "and you can tell me to mind my own business but…I can't help but notice you've not been spending many of your evenings in my company anymore."

"I've not been with the King if that's what you're implying," Jeyne said, frowning slightly and hoping that Alys didn't think such a thing. "Of course not!" Alys sounded aghast and Jeyne felt relief and slight guilt at the same time. "I just wondered if perhaps there was someone…" Alys continued tentatively and Jeyne sighed, wondering if she should say anything. On the one hand she felt she could probably benefit from some advice about Damon, but on the other hand she didn't want Alys to jump to any conclusions. It wasn't as though anything had happened between them, not besides that stupid drunken kiss that Jeyne still felt mortified about. "I'm sorry," Alys said again, "ignore me, Edmure is always telling me I read too much into things."

"No it's not that," Jeyne said quickly, sliding another pin into her hair; "I'm just not sure whether…whether there is something or if it's nothing. He's a friend I suppose but…" she trailed off, not really sure how to define him, and unsure if she should tell Alys about the kiss. "But?" Alys coaxed her, turning around on her stool now and looking up at her now her hair was finished. "There was a moment," Jeyne said carefully, "but then I ruined it, crying over the King."

"Oh Jeyne," Alys said sympathetically, rising up now and taking one of her hands. "It's my own fault, I got myself into a state and foolishly drank too much and then -," she cut off abruptly as the flap of the tent was pushed aside to reveal Lord Tully. "I'm interrupting," he said at once as he looked between them but Jeyne shook her head quickly. "Of course you're not my lord, I have just finished attending on my lady…I ought to take my leave," she said, smiling brightly for him before moving to leave, him holding aside the canvas for her so she could step out. "If you're sure my lady," he said as she moved passed him. "Quite certain," she inclined her head to him, "I will see you tomorrow my lady."

"Of course," Alys said, her tone slightly disappointed as Jeyne disappeared out of the tent, the canvas dropping back into place behind her. "I was interrupting wasn't I?" she heard Lord Tully's voice drift through the canvas and she smiled slightly, not waiting to hear Alys' reply as she set off through the camp towards her own tent. As she passed by the men sat around one of the campfires she caught Damon's eye and couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged on her lips. She saw a ghost of a smile on his own as she walked by him and on towards her tent. "Jeyne!" his voice called her back as she approached her tent and she turned back to him.

"You will have them all talking," she told him, her head inclining slightly over to the campfire where several of the men were throwing curious looks their way. "And?" he asked her with raised brows; "Do you think it matters to me what they think? If I want to spend time with you then why shouldn't I? Likely they are just jealous anyway," he finished with a grin and she snorted slightly. "I highly doubt that," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You don't give yourself enough credit," he told her seriously and she met his eyes for a long moment before averting her own, feeling a blush coming up on her cheeks.

"What's going on over there?" she asked, partly to change the subject and partly because she was curious as to why two bands of men seemed to be readying to leave the camp. "Apparently they're going to scour the base of the Rock for some secret tunnel," Damon told her, his eyes rolling and his tone exasperated. "The one that Lann the Clever supposedly used?" Jeyne frowned slightly and he raised his brows. "The very same," he confirmed, "apparently the queen stumbled across the tale and well…the King will do anything for a quiet life."

Anything for her more like, Jeyne thought. "How do you know the tale anyway?" Damon asked her curiously, his eyes back on her now. "You forget where I'm from," she smiled wryly at him; "I was never supposed to end up on this side, my family are sworn banners to the Lannisters, tales of the Westerlands and their legends were well read in our household."

"Perhaps you could tell me some over some wine?" he asked her and she wondered if she was imagining the hopeful look in his eye. "You don't really want me to tell you them do you?" she asked in return, her brows raised expectantly. "No," he conceded with a sheepish grin; "but I would very much like to share some wine with you." She had to fight to keep a wide smile spreading across her face, instead inclining her head in what she hoped was a demure fashion. "Very well," she said lightly, "I'm sure I can spare some."

"Well, the men have been sent out. Olyvar has gone with them, seems he is just as eager as you are for this tale to be true," Robb said as he set about pouring himself a cup of wine, his eyes flickering to where Roslin was reclining in the bath. "How lovely," she sighed in contentment, sliding down further into the steaming water. "It may take more than one night to search the length of the entire Rock," he went on and her eyes opened lazily, blinking a few times at him as he swallowed down some of his wine. "I know you think it's stupid," she said knowingly, "but I know you wouldn't have sent men out if you thought any harm would come from it."

"I never said it was stupid," he said slightly defensively and she raised her brows with obvious scepticism. "No, I'm certain if they do discover a secret passageway that you would miraculously become a believer and claim it was all your own idea," she said pointedly and he couldn't help but bark out a slight laugh. "Is my cynicism rubbing off on you wife?" he asked her teasingly then, approaching the bathtub. "I just believe in credit where it is due," she told him as he set his wine down on the table and moved to unfasten his doublet, moving out of her sight. "If they find it then I will be sure to give you all the credit you deserve," he promised her as he tossed his doublet aside and pulled his tunic over his head before kneeling down at the head of the tub.

"Will you now?" she asked him softly as he moved his hands to her shoulders, her head tilting back to rest on the metal of the tub as he did so. "I will," he confirmed, leaning in close to her and pecking her lips softly before moving back and massaging his hands over her shoulders. She mumbled out her appreciation of his ministrations and he continued with them, revelling as he ever did in the softness of her flawless skin. After a time he couldn't help but move his lips down to her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her before trailing them along her neck. "Is there anywhere I can be safe from your desire?" she asked him in a teasing tone and he nipped at her throat lightly in response.

"If you insist on bathing in my presence then you must be willing to suffer the consequences," he replied, still trailing kisses up and down her neck, one of his hands sneaking lower down across her collarbone and towards her breast. "I'm not sure suffer is quite the word I would use," she said, her breath coming slightly more sharply as his hand came to cup around her breast. "No?" he whispered, his lips pressing a kiss to the side of her mouth. "No," she confirmed, her chest rising and falling more rapidly now; "perhaps endure," she added in a teasing tone and he smirked against her lips before capturing them with his own.

She twisted her body slightly in the tub and his own hands moved to support her as she moved around so she could face him, their kiss breaking as she did so. He twisted his fingers with hers as she rested her hands on the side of the tub, sat up on her knees now with her wet hair clinging to her skin. Gods she looked so beautiful, he could barely look away from her. "Tell me what you're thinking," she said quietly, whispering her fingers up his arms and causing his muscles to tense slightly as she did so. "I'm thinking about how beautiful you are," he breathed honestly, his eyes meeting her dark pools that were blinking slowly and innocently at him. He still didn't know how she managed that; managed to be so entirely innocent and yet so seductive at the same time.

"What are you thinking?" he asked in return and she bit down on her bottom lip gently before she moved closer to him, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. "I'm thinking that I want to tell you again," she whispered, her eyes not leaving his. "Tell me what again?" he breathed back and there was a flicker of apprehension in her eyes. "That I love you," she said softly and he leaned forwards and pressed his lips to hers in an instant. It took all his self-control not to drag her out of the tub and to the bed, his mind racing almost as furiously as his heart. How easy it would be to pull out of the kiss and murmur those words back to her. How simple. He must love her, he must. There had always been that certainty about Jeyne though and now he was slowly coming to the realisation that their feelings, as intense as they had felt at the time, no longer resided inside him. No longer lingered there. If he had truly loved her, surely he would still feel something. Surely.

What if it was the same with Roslin? What if he was confusing the lust and desire he had for her for deeper feelings of love? He remembered the way his stomach had clenched when that guard had come to him, told him she was hurt. He remembered how his heart felt like it had exploded in his chest; how it didn't seem to beat evenly again until he saw it with his own eyes that she was alive. That was real. That was inexplicably real. He tore his lips from hers. Felt her breath against them. He pulled back slightly further, his eyes meeting her gloriously dark pools. How he could drown in her eyes. Forever. How he would love to drown in her eyes. "I love you," he said before he could think any more, trusting his pounding heart; "I love you."

Olyvar felt blindly along the rough rock, feeling tiny crevices under his hands, small holes. Some larger holes that he could fit his hand inside but that went no further, the tips of his fingers brushing against more cold stone behind it. Most of the men feeling their way along the Rock behind him thought that this was a waste of time. Grumbled about how they were missing out on a decent night of sleep. Others were less sceptical, willing to come along because if there was even the slightest chance that this tunnel existed then they wanted to find it. Olyvar himself wanted to find it, for himself. For Roslin. For the King. For all the men who had been away from their hearth and home for far too long. Many had left behind wives, children. All any of them wanted was to go home and he knew that if this tunnel existed, if they found it, then they would be able to go all that much sooner.

A siege could take months, longer even. Olyvar knew that much from sitting in on the King's council and speaking with the King himself in private. He desperately wanted to believe that this tunnel was real. Just as Roslin did. Roslin wanted them to find it above all else, she wanted the story she had stumbled upon to be based on fact. He wanted to find it for her, so she could go back where it was safe and give birth to her baby in some comfort and with a sturdy roof above her head. His hand scraped against a particularly jagged piece of rock as he moved along and he cursed. "You alright lad?" northern tones inquired. "Just a small cut," Olyvar said, trying to inspect the palm of his hand and see how much damage had been done. "Should have worn gloves," another gruff voice commented and he rolled his eyes in the darkness.

"Go ahead, we'll catch up, I have a rag you can wrap around it," the first Northman said and the other grumbled a little under his breath before moving passed Olyvar, three others skirting around as the last of them fished in his doublet. "Here," he said after another moment, holding out a cloth to Olyvar. "Thank you," he said gratefully, wrapping it around his hand and fumbling a little to tie it as he could barely see in the pitch black. The King wanted them back before dawn threatened to rise, even if they hadn't met the second party of men who were travelling along from the north of the Rock. If they had to go back for a second night or even a third to scour every inch of the Rock then they would. It would not be a half-hearted attempt, not when there was something so potentially wonderful waiting to be discovered.

"By the Gods," the gruff voice from before sounded and Olyvar snapped his head to him, forgetting all about his cut hand and moving quickly towards him. "What do you think? Unarmoured man could fit, I reckon…" he tailed off, his face turning to Olyvar now and frowning down on him. He had clearly been a sceptic before but now he sounded almost hopeful. Olyvar moved closer to the crack in the Rock, less than a foot wide and perhaps no more than five feet tall. He supposed it would be possible for an unarmoured man to squeeze himself into the space, but if it remained that small then he didn't hold much hope of actually living to get to the other side of it. "Try it, we can heave you free if you get stuck," another of the men said and Olyvar sighed heavily. He had bitten his tongue when the King had formed the parties, not wanting to speak out of turn, but the truth was that they were all far too heavily built.

Olyvar was not the slightest of men but he was compared to the Northman who were accompanying him and so he knew he would have to be the one to try and squeeze into the gap. "Very well," he said after a long moment, fixing his eyes on the space and wondering what would be the best way to manoeuvre himself into it. Gods he hoped he wouldn't get stuck. After a deep breath he shifted one of his feet into the space, turning his body sideways and sliding in as best he could. It felt awkward but at least his body didn't feel too constricted. There was a little room for him to twist and crouch slightly, his foot sliding further in, his body following behind as he leant his head to the side so he wouldn't bash it. His second foot slipped in then and he shuffled as carefully as he could in the restrictive space, praying that it would widen and heighten at least a small amount so he could make some real progress.

Almost in answer to his prayer he slipped through the gap and into a larger space. He reached his hands out tentatively, turning his body to face the front. His hands found rock quickly and he gingerly felt his way up, seeing if there was enough space for him to straighten his legs and stand properly upright again. It seemed there was and he rose slowly until he was his full height, taking a breath of relief. There was still not much space, not much room at the sides to manoeuvre and perhaps half a foot above his head. Still, there was enough. "Pass me a light," he called back to the men on the other side, hearing them fumbling around for a minute before a lantern was quickly thrust through to him. He took it carefully, turning it to the front to see what would greet him, praying that there was a tunnel ahead and not just a solid wall of rock.

Olyvar lifted the lantern as high as he could, a burst of laughter almost leaving him as he saw that the tunnel did indeed go on. He tried not to feel too excited, to let the idea of having found a secret way in consume him but he couldn't deny that this was something. It might prove to be nothing in the end but right now it was something, and he would cling to it unless he came face to face with a dead end. "Well lad?" an impatient voice sounded on the other side of the entrance. "It widens a little, enough for men to walk in single file once they're through. As far as I can see with the light it goes on the same way…" he reported, hearing their disbelieving and almost excited murmurs coming from behind him. "I'll walk on a little," Olyvar said and they relayed their agreement, telling him they would stay put on the other side.

He moved the lantern out ahead of him, squinting down at the ground and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw no sign of footprints. No sign of any disturbance at all. Thank the Gods. Truly, if the Lannisters had known about this then they would surely have had it sealed many years ago. Slowly Olyvar began to walk, his heart pounding a little more quickly with every step he took unimpeded. The tunnel didn't widen any more, in fact, in places it became even more narrow and he had to force his body through. At one point he actually thought he might get stuck but he managed to get himself free and continue on. After a time it seemed as though the tunnel were slowly moving off to the right and he followed the curve, keeping the lantern high above him to make sure it continued on.

After several more minutes he was almost certain that this was it. The tunnel had gone on for so long now that it surely had to lead somewhere. In his mind Olyvar had seen enough, and the King had been adamant that they had to return before dawn even threatened the horizon in case any guards spotted them. Reluctantly Olyvar made to turn around, casting his eyes back over his shoulder before he made his way back along the tunnel. Strangely the return journey seemed to take less time and it wasn't long before he was wishing he were a foot shorter and a few inches slimmer as he snuffed out the candle and forced himself back out into the open air. "Well?" one of the Northmen asked him almost hungrily. "Well," Olyvar couldn't help but grin, "best we mark the ground, there is definitely something here the King will be interested in."

Jeyne stirred awake as she heard the voices through the darkness, a frown creasing her brow as she wondered just what was going on outside. Whoever was speaking they were clearly trying to keep their voices down but she could hear enough to conclude they were excited about something. In the next moment they passed by her tent and she sighed, rubbing her hands against her eyes for a moment before she turned her head. Damon was still there, sleeping at her side as he had been doing more often than not lately. It was a little routine they seemed to have fallen into. They would share a drink and conversation and as the darkness crept in and the hour grew late Jeyne would avert her eyes and ask him to stay. He always agreed and she would be content to fall asleep in his arms, knowing that the dreams of Robb would be far less frequent with his presence.

Sometimes she felt guilty for using him just to get a peaceful night's rest but he never complained, and he never pressed her for anything more. The way his eyes followed her sometimes told her that he would have few complaints if she were to offer him more than a companion to sleep beside. Sometimes she found herself wanting to offer but after the last time when she had made such a fool of herself she was far less willing to try again. Perhaps if enough time passed he would instigate something. She felt wanton and sinful for wanting him to as she rolled over onto her side and carefully moved herself closer to him. He shifted slightly in his sleep, his jaw twitching slightly and before she could stop herself she had reached up to carefully press her fingers to the dimple she knew resided at the corner of his mouth.

Damon mumbled slightly at her touch and her heart sped up as she thought she recognised her name tumbling from his lips. His lips that were parting ever so slightly. Before she could pull away his eyes fluttered open and she could not seem to move her hand away from his face. He blinked slowly at her and she blinked slowly back, their eyes meeting for far longer than they ever had before through the faint gloom that told her dawn would soon be breaking. Jeyne wondered if he was almost scared to draw breath the way she was as she inched herself a fraction closer to him. His head tilted downwards ever so slightly at her movement and she carefully traced his bottom lip with her index finger, his warm breath quickening against her skin as she did so. Again he moved closer and Jeyne swallowed hard.

This wasn't like last time when she had been half full of bitterness and half of wine. She wasn't completely drunk with her head spinning with memories of Robb. Her head was clear and Robb was pushed to the back of her mind, all their memories locked far away because she did not want him intruding on this moment. They inched closer at the same instant then and before she could second guess herself she allowed her lips to brush his lightly. Pulling back a fraction they both seemed to take a moment before Damon moved closer again and kissed her softly. Slowly. He was almost hesitant and strangely it made Jeyne want him even more. He was never hesitant. Often he would barge right into her life unannounced and be the most big-headed man in Westeros but right now she could feel it in his kiss that he was just as terrified as she was.

"Jeyne," he breathed out against her lips when they pulled back again and she instantly leaned forward to press one more kiss to his lips. "Don't speak," she whispered before kissing him again, trailing her lips away towards the dimple at the corner of his mouth, her hand caressing his cheek lightly; "just hold me," she whispered against his skin and his arms came obediently around her, almost crushing her against his body. One hand slipped up her back and came to tangle in her hair as she shifted herself so her head could bury in the crook of his neck. "I will," he murmured against the top of her head, his lips pressing a firm kiss to her; "for as long as you want me to, I will."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading that, I certainly enjoyed writing it. I love happy chapters haha. More soon!

:)