A/N: Decided to give you guys Chapter 26 because I like this installment and I decided to be nice

Thank you to Bella-swan11 and Amrawo for the reviews, I really appreciate it so much and I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story!

Dimeria's new room was far from anything that looked new. The one window that had been boarded shut hardly had any more boards on it; they were all broken and hanging crookedly off their nails. Random pieces of furniture were strewn about the space with only one chair comfortable enough for Dimeria to sit on.

She felt helpless.

Roose Bolton was going to make her travel back to Robb Stark's encampment any day now. She didn't want to go back; she had made it this far south already, going back would make it all worthless. Not only that, but she could only imagine how Robb would react to seeing her. It wouldn't be all that bad at first, Dimeria knew, but once Bolton told him that she had released Jaime Lannister…

Well, Robb would probably end up putting her in the same cage Jaime had been in. She cursed her luck. After all she had been through, her journey was now at an end; she hadn't even made it to her destination! Oh, but Jaime was going to make it. The thought drove her mad. Why should he get to go home? The longer Dimeria thought about it, the angrier she felt. She almost hated Jaime for it; just because he was a Lannister, he got whatever he wanted. Dimeria knew it technically wasn't Jaime's fault, but she couldn't help the utter hatred and resentment she was feeling for him. Well, at least she wouldn't be seeing him any longer; he was probably already on his way to King's Landing by now.

The clanking of the steel lock being unhinged drew Dimeria from her thoughts.

Shit… Dimeria thought to herself. Jaime hadn't gone yet.

"You're still here…" She snapped at Jaime.

He looked at her quizzically for a moment. "You're angry with me." He stated more than asked.

Dimeria instinctively wanted to scream, 'yes', but she couldn't since it wasn't technically true. She turned her back and threw her hands into the air.

"Well, I'm angry but…" She groaned out of frustration. "I can't go back to Robb Stark. I need to get to King's Landing, but I can't! Oh, but you can because you're Jaime fucking Lannister!" Dimeria's rage was beginning to bubble over. "All I have is my pack and the clothes on my back, but none of that will matter because I'll probably be dead as soon as Robb sees me!"

Jaime walked closer to Dimeria, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around. "Calm down, Dimeria." She pulled away from him, but he wasn't fazed. "I won't let anyone kill you."

Dimeria scoffed. "What can you do about it?"

"I owe you a debt, Dimeria." Jaime began. "I promised to get you to King's Landing and that's exactly what I'll do. As soon as I get to back to King's Landing, I'm going to come back for you. I swear it."

Dimeria had calmed down a bit, but she couldn't find it within herself to believe Jaime's words. By the time Jaime got back to King's Landing and managed to march to the Riverlands, she would probably be dead.

"Just go, Lannister. You've already paid your debt to me." Dimeria muttered.

"And how is that?" Jaime asked.

"If it weren't for you, I'd still be that pathetic little girl cowering in the corner. You saved me from that."

Jaime nodded, but he did not agree with her in anyway. For once in his life, Jaime saved someone because he knew it was the right thing to do; not because he owed them a debt. No, Jaime didn't believe he had paid his debt to Dimeria and he was determined that he would.

"I leave tomorrow." He told Dimeria as she turned away from him. "I will see you again."

Dimeria didn't turn back to face him that way he didn't see the tears that were threatening to spill over. She didn't sit back down until she heard the click of the door shutting behind her.

…

Jaime was down in the courtyard of Harrenhal the next morning, readying the mount on his horse. He couldn't seem to focus; his mind kept drifting around to Dimeria and how guilty he felt that he couldn't do anything to bring her to King's Landing with him.

"Lannister…"

He was thinking of her so much that he believed he was actually hearing her voice.

"Lannister…"

It was steadily getting louder.

"LANNISTER!"

Jaime turned to face an annoyed Dimeria right behind him. Apparently he hadn't just been hearing things.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Dimeria.

"Roose Bolton is setting out for the Riverlands. I thought I should say good-bye." She explained.

"This is not good-bye...not forever."

"Then good-bye for now." She said rolling her eyes. "I wish you safe travels."

"And you as well." Jaime said.

He watched her retreat back into the stables, looking for a horse that she could mount herself.

"You will give my regards to Lord Tywin, I trust." Roose Bolton said to Jaime, coming up to him with a horse in tow.

Jaime nodded. "Tell Robb Stark I'm sorry I couldn't make his uncle's wedding." Jaime mounted his horse. "The Lannisters send their regards."

With that Jaime drove his horse to a slow trot out of Harrenhal. It was small, but Jaime couldn't help the flicker of relief he felt that he was finally making it to King's Landing; he just wished Dimeria were by his side. Ignoring the glares of many of Bolton's men, Jaime held his head high and refused to look behind him.

And just when Jaime had thought the worst was behind him, a hideous voice seeped through his ears. "Safe journey, Kingslayer."

Seven hells, did Locke never give up?

"What, nothing to say? I liked you better before…" Locke continued taunting, but Jaime resisted giving him any satisfaction by reacting. He spurred his horse onward, gripping the reins tightly. Before Jaime was out of earshot though, Locke called one more thing out to him.

"And don't you worry about your friend, we'll take good care of her!"

It took every ounce of willpower Jaime had not to turn around and have his horse flatten Locke.

Take good care of Dimeria? What did he mean by that?

Locke was staying in Harrenhal; and Dimeria was going to the Riverlands with Roose Bolton…

Wasn't she?

…

Dimeria's horse let out a snort, mimicking the short sighs Dimeria had been releasing frequently. The palomino mare rubbed it's snout against Dimeria's shoulder, somehow sensing that Dimeria was depressed. Although she appreciated the gesture, it didn't lift Dimeria's spirits whatsoever.

"Don't look so depressed." Locke's voice pierced her thoughts like a rodent biting cheese.

"Leave me alone." Dimeria snapped at him.

"Well if I did that, I wouldn't be able to tell you the good news!" Locke said to her.

"Unless you're about to tell me that you only have 1 day to live, I don't care." Dimeria said, walking away from him.

Locke pulled a dagger from his belt and held it against Dimeria's back, causing her to stop mid-stride. "You don't have the Kingslayer to protect you anymore. I would watch that mouth of yours, if I were you." He removed the blade from her back, so Dimeria turned to face him.

"What is it?" She asked, sending her own daggers with her eyes.

"Lord Bolton is no longer requiring you to go Robb Stark's encampment with him." Locke said.

Dimeria's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? I can go south to King's Landing?"

"Well, not exactly." Locke said, stepping closer to Dimeria.

Dimeria felt as if she had just been kicked in the stomach. "No. I'm not staying here. I'm not staying here with you."

Her chest heaved up and down.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." Locke said.

Dimeria dropped the reins of her horse. "No...you can't make me."

"Wrong...again." Locke taunted.

Dimeria began backing away.

"No…"

Locke pursued her.

"There's no point in struggling."

Fear had a firm grip on Dimeria's heart.

"I'm not staying."

Locke smiled evilly at her.

"Yes. You are."

Locke jutted his chin out towards Dimeria quickly and very suddenly. Dimeria didn't understand...until a man behind her pounded the pommel of his sword down on her head; and her world turned to darkness.

…

Dimeria had been kept in her rooms when she was child at Castle Black, she had been forced to stay inside of her tent when Robb Stark had first captured her, and her hands and feet had been bound when Locke kept her prisoner; but never before had Dimeria been behind bars. It was dark and wet, with little light from torches finding it's way through the thin columns of metal.

An acrid stench burned her lungs as she laid on the dark, cold ground of the cell she was in. The ends of her gown were wet, chilling her ankles down to the bone and crawling up her legs to the rest of her body.

Dimeria was stuck in Harrenhal with Locke. The thought disgusted her more than being sent back to Robb. She had no chance here; Locke was going to torture her until she begged for death, and even then he would never give it to her. Angry tears flowed from her eyes as the fear and frustration drove her body to the bars. She ran at full force, screaming and shouting at whoever could hear her as she pulled and pushed on the entrance to the cell. She kicked and shrieked until she felt her body collapse under the physical strain. Down she fell to the floor, her muscles too tired to move themselves into a more comfortable position.

Dimeria was too frightened to think of what Locke would do to her, so she settled for something else. She let her mind wander to Jaime and the fact that he was on his way back to King's Landing; and although she knew it would never happen, Dimeria allowed Jaime's promise to come back to her mind. The words flowed in her mind, trickling into a pool of comfort, somehow healing her beaten and torn up heart.

…

"So why did the Citadel take your chain?" Jaime asked Qyburn. "Did you fondle one boy too many?" Jaime and the small group of Bolton's men that had departed with him had begun to settle down into camp for the night.

"No, my Lord, that's not my weakness." Qyburn answered, unperturbed by Jaime's taunting; he almost seemed amused.

"Then what is?"

"Curiosity." Qyburn answered immediately. "The only way to treat disease is to understand disease. And the only way to understand it is to study the afflicted."

"You performed experiments on living men." Jaime concluded.

"On dying men." He corrected.

"With their permission?"

Qyburn gave Jaime a pointed look before explaining himself; although the healer really couldn't have cared less what the Kingslayer thought of him.

"My studies have given me insight that has saved many lives."

"Dying paupers, I assume." Jaime decided to continue on with his speculations of Qyburn's life as a former maester. "Men with no families to complain. You found them moaning in the poorhouse and had them carted back to your garret and opened up their bellies to see what was inside."

"How many people have you killed, my Lord?" Qyburn stopped Jaime's rambling.

"I don't know." Jaime said, slightly surprised by the sudden question.

"Countless?" Qyburn suggested.

Jaime tilted his head, considering the word. "Yes, countless has a nice ring to it."

"And how many lives have you saved?" Qyburn asked.

"Half a million." Jaime said without missing a beat. Qyburn gave him a questioning glance. "The population of King's Landing.

Qyburn looked like he wanted to ask more, but he resisted the urge and let the topic go.

"When did Lord Bolton set out to the Riverlands?" Jaime questioned suddenly.

"They left not long after us."

Jaime looked back to the small silhouette of Harrenhal; the view would be gone by the next day. "Does he really plan on turning in Dimeria to Robb Stark?" He asked Qyburn.

Qyburn furrowed his brows at Jaime. "Lady Dimeria is not travelling with Lord Bolton."

"What?" Jaime asked urgently.

"Lord Bolton left her in the hands of General Locke back at Harrenhal."

Jaime's chest sunk in at the news. Dimeria in the hands of Locke? Jaime couldn't leave her in that situation; he had to save her. Determination fixed upon his face, Jaime made his way to the guard that had been leading the small contingent to King's Landing so far.

Luckily for Jaime, he managed to convince the men rather quickly to turn back around to Harrenhal. "I've left something." Jaime claimed to the men; and after threatening to tell his father that they had tried to endanger his life, they all made their way back to the looming towers of Harrenhal. Jaime only hoped he would make it in time to save Dimeria.

…

The last time Dimeria had been this injured was when Locke almost had her beat to death. This was different though; back then she had been helpless with no will to live, Dimeria was fighting for her life now. Sadly though, the attempt at living for Dimeria at this moment seemed just as futile as it did back then.

A wooden sword against a bear...Dimeria didn't know how she had managed to survive this long.

Three deep gouges ran along her shoulder and down her back. Her gown was dirty and hung in tatters around her mud-covered ankles. Once again, her white strand of hair was tainted and strewn about her head in messy tangles. For any normal person to look in Dimeria's eyes, they would have been terrified by the frenzied and crazed look she possessed. Her will to live was stronger than it had ever been, but each roar and growl the bear released thudded against her chest and threatened to shatter her determination.

A song drifted down to her ears as she desperately tried to keep a safe distance away from the bear.

"Oh come they said, oh come to the fair!"

The cruel men watching her from above the pit she was in were singing along loudly, all the while cheering and cursing her on. Dimeria swung the wooden toy defensively in front of her, hoping the keep the beast at bay.

The singing went on, but Dimeria had never heard the song before, so she paid no mind to it; letting it drift through her ears whimsically.

"They danced and spun, all the way to the fair! The fair! The fair!"

Her heart beat against her chest quickly, though her labored breaths were coming much faster. She shuffled her feet to the side, deciding never to turn her back on the bear; Dimeria wouldn't risk her life in such a foolish way.

The singing got louder and louder as the men's excitement level grew higher than The Wall itself. It roared in and out of her ears senselessly; Dimeria still could not make much sense of the lyrics.

"Her hair! Her hair! The maid with honey in her hair!"

Dimeria's limbs ached with fatigue; the only thing keeping her going was the incessant adrenaline coursing through her veins. She ran from the bear once more, ignoring shouts from Locke and other men telling her to stand her ground and fight. If she could afford the risk, Dimeria would've screamed back up at them to fight the bear themselves.

"Oh, I'm a maid, and I'm pure and fair! I'll never dance with a hairy bear!"

I'll never dance with a hairy bear…

The words stuck in her mind, repeating over and over. Dimeria wished she could claim those lyrics for herself, but obviously she couldn't.

Suddenly it all just clicked.

"I called for a knight, but you're a bear! A bear! A bear!"

Dimeria could have laughed if she had the time. Were they actually basing her torture off of a silly song? Somewhere within herself, Dimeria felt angry; but one side of her, the more humorous and sarcastic side of herself, thought it was amusing. She supposed if she weren't the one in the pit, she would probably be laughing along with the men.

"She kicked and wailed, the maid so fair, But he licked the honey from her hair!"

So she was the maid they were singing about? Dimeria could hardly believe it. She suddenly found herself listening to the words of the song; perhaps they gave some hint as to what they had planned for her next.

"Then she sighed and squealed and kicked the air!"

The words soared in front of her eyes, distracting her from the obstacle directly in front of her, but she could help herself; the song was amusing! The wooden sword was involuntarily lowered in front of her as Dimeria became more and more enthralled with the music.

"And off they went, from here to there, the bear, the bear, and the maiden fair!"

The singing stopped. But the bear didn't.

Dimeria's eyes widened as she saw the bear rise up on it's hind legs, towering like a skyscraper before her. She raised her pathetic weapon ahead of her, but she was too late. The bear swatted the wood to pieces, knocking Dimeria off balance at the same time. She stumbled to the side, barely able to maintain her balance; but it was all for naught, for the bear suddenly pounced on her. A crushing paw stepped upon her back as she screamed out in pain. Angry shouts from above drifted down to Dimeria, but they were pounded away by the thunderous beating of her heart.

She somehow managed to scarcely crawl away from the bear, more tears and scrapes appearing along her back. A flying form abruptly appeared between Dimeria and the bear, grabbing her arm and trying to help her up.

"Get behind me!"

Thank the Gods… Dimeria thought to herself as she scrambled to her feet and moved quickly behind Jaime Lannister.

The bear swayed it's head from side to side, sizing up it's new opponent at it's feet. Jaime cursed under his breath. He hadn't thought this far ahead. No weapon was at his reach and there was no escape except going back up the way he came; and that was not an option with the bear starting to close in on him and Dimeria.

He could feel Dimeria at his back, staying close since she really had no other option. A rumbling roar escaped the bear's maw. Jaime and Dimeria both jerked their heads up to see the man who had been leading Jaime to King's Landing with a crossbow in his hands.

"The fuck you doing to my bear!?" They heard Locke scream.

Jaime averted his eyes back to the bear and it's thrashing head. This was his once chance, he knew he had to take it.

He pushed Dimeria back against the wall of the pit. "Pull her up!" He screamed to the men above them. Jaime then bent over on all fours and turned over his shoulder to Dimeria. "Climb up there." He demanded.

Not having any time to argue, Dimeria stepped on his back and clambered up the wall to reach the outstretched hands above her head.

"Hold my legs!" Dimeria ordered the men once she had climbed back up. She knew she didn't have anytime to waste.

"Jaime! Grab my hands!" She shouted desperately.

The bear was charging at Jaime now, all of it's lumbering weight threatening to crush him.

"Jaime!" Dimeria screamed. "Stop staring and GET UP HERE!"

Dimeria's voice pierced Jaime's world of panic and fear; and he climbed to find whatever foothold he could to reach Dimeria's hands.

There they were; a beacon of light in Jaime's frightening world of darkness. Her blue eyes shone with worrisome tears, scared that Jaime wouldn't make it in time.

Almost there.

A deep vibration like an earthquake rattled the rafters of the pit from the bear tackling the wall; and reaching out at the last second, Jaime grabbed Dimeria's hands and was pulled to safety.

They landed at the top, breathless and panicked, but more or less uninjured. Jaime pulled Dimeria up and turned to finally come face to face with Locke.

"The bitch stays." Locke urged.

Dimeria took step forward, ready to knock Locke's head off with her bare hands. Blood ran down her arms and legs, making her look like a vengeful queen of death. Jaime held her back though, holding steady and dangerous eye contact with Locke.

"I'm taking her to King's Landing." Jaime almost growled out the words.

"She belongs to me. Lord Bolton's orders." Locke said.

"What do you think is more important to Lord Bolton? Making sure his pet rat is happy, or ensuring that Tywin Lannister's son is returned to him?" Jaime challenged.

Locke backed down and rested his hand against the wooden railing. He stopped fighting. Finally. For the first time in months, something had finally gone Jaime and Dimeria's way. Without another word, Jaime walked forward and left Locke behind.

The flaming hatred and ferocity did not diminish in Dimeria's eyes. After all Locke had put her through, Dimeria couldn't just walk away like Jaime had. Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins as she made one last step towards Locke. Moving faster than anyone around could blink, Dimeria drew the sword from Locke's very own belt; and moving smoothly and quickly, she cut Locke's hand off.

An agonizing scream escaped his mouth, reverberating off the broken towers of Harrenhal as Locke fell to his knees.

Dimeria had nothing more to say to him. She dropped the bloodied sword behind her; and after tucking her hair behind her ear; she walked off to follow Jaime.

They would soon be on their way to King's Landing. Together.

Well it's about freaking time they got away from Locke! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; remember to leave reviews. I love hearing from you guys, so let me know what you think!

Until next time…