Chapter Twenty-Eight

Well, Tyrion is the clear winner but there is still time to vote in the poll on who you want to see most of once we reach King's Landing. I'm surprised that Sansa is getting so many votes but I will just have to work her in for you lovely voters!

Enjoy!

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Melara thought she looked ridiculous, standing in the middle of a clearing wearing an extra pair of Jaime's clothes and holding a large stick. She had asked Brienne to follow through with what the woman had said a few days before, about teaching Melara of swords and fighting. Melara saw the veiled excitement behind the usually emotionless Brienne's eyes when the girl had asked her again. The more time Melara spent with Brienne, the more she admired the strong woman. Melara knew she could never be as physically strong as Brienne, but she would be damned if she didn't at least learn to defend herself properly. Jaime sat on the ground off to the side, his back against a tree and his clasped hands behind his head. He may have looked calm, but Jaime was not excited for what he was about to witness. Melara looked even smaller next to the large Maid of Tarth and Jaime felt a bit worried for a moment that his wife would be hurt. He remembered the ease in which Brienne had disarmed the man at the Brotherhood's camp and hoped she had enough sense to hold back her strength. If she doesn't, I'll kill the wench. Brienne had spent the first two days making Melara learn the basics of holding a sword. Melara had never concentrated on something so hard before. She knew that her life would be threatened in King's Landing and she needed to learn swordplay quickly. Jaime said they were close, no more than a week away, and Melara thought that Brienne had been stalling the arrival by suggesting they camp each night.

"Up." Brienne spoke as if she had been training legions of warriors for years, making Jaime wonder just how many battles the woman had under her belt. Melara lifted the stick and held it in both hands in front of her. Brienne stood across from her, a large stick also in her hands. Brienne couldn't decide the best way to train Melara. At first she had thought to take things slow and easy, but because they were closing in on their destination she had precious little time to teach Melara how to defend herself. Brienne decided to skip over most of the proper way to learn swordplay and get right into defensive techniques. Melara stared at her in concentration, her body in the stance that Brienne had told her to take. Melara didn't even see Brienne move, but she felt the pain of Brienne's stick hitting her side. Melara dropped the stick in her hands and cradled her injured side with her hands. Brienne had told her she would be hurt, but being told something and actually feeling it were two very different things. Melara's voice betrayed the pain that Brienne had caused.

"That hurt."

"I told you this would be a painful experience." Once the sting had went away, Melara was able to pick up her stick once more. She took up her stance again and held her stick just as Brienne had showed her. Jaime watched over the next hour as Melara took a beating from Brienne. The larger woman did not go easy on Melara, and by the time that Jaime decided to interfere he knew that Melara would have bruises. Brienne had just given her arm a particularly sharp blow when Jaime spoke.

"That's enough." Melara cried out as she felt the blow to her arm. Brienne hadn't been vicious, only stern, and Melara did not blame the woman for her tactics. She had warned Melara multiple times that it would be painful, but the girl had not listened. If I am attacked, it won't be with gentle blows. Melara felt as if her body was on fire, yet did not feel any pain. She had adrenaline pumping through her veins, just like she would get back in Winterfell when she would be running away from someone, and so she would not feel pain until that had left her. She had done well enough, managing to block one of Brienne's blows even, but she still felt that it would not be enough to keep her safe. I'll practice every night, until I know I will be safe. But a doe would never be safe when thrown into the lion's den. The women turned towards Jaime, who had stood and walked over to them.

Melara had slowly felt her anger towards Jaime dissipate over the last few days. She didn't know if she could ever forgive him for what he had done to Bran and Ned but a part of her wanted to forgive him for his past mistakes with Cersei. Just as I start to understand my feelings for Jaime, I learn things that change everything and I become confused again. But I do know that once we are in King's Landing, my marriage to Jaime will be the only thing keeping me alive. Melara was secretly glad for her despoiled status, Jaime and she would not have to really consummate the marriage because no one could discredit the claim. She figured they would just tell everyone that Jaime had taken her at some point and the marriage was legitimized. Brienne took the stick from Melara and walked away with the intention of putting them away for the night. Jaime and Melara were left alone with each other in the clearing. Jaime rarely was at a loss for words, but now was one of those rare times. He wanted to say everything at once but nothing would come out of his mouth.

"I think I need a little more practice." She turned to him and gave him the tiniest of smiles. But to Jaime, her smile looked to be wider than the Narrow Sea itself. It was the first smile she had given him since she had discovered the truth and Jaime was willing to accept this small step towards her forgiving him.

"You need more guidance. You can't expect to learn anything from that wench if all she does is hit you with sticks." Jaime had seen men who were trained in the style that Brienne was teaching Melara. They were slower, less skilled and overall worse than the ones that he had trained. Jaime had observed Melara each time that Brienne had instructed her and he saw exactly what the girl needed to work on. "Can I show you something? A different way to learn?"

"But Brienne took the sticks…"

"Then we will use my sword." Jaime drew his sword to make his point. Melara had no idea what Jaime was planning on doing but decided to give him a chance. Both to show her how to wield a sword and to win her back. They were still man and wife, after all. She nodded, still not able to feel the pain from Brienne's blows upon her skin from the adrenaline rushing through her veins. He wrapped her hands around the hilt of his sword and when he let go she nearly dropped the heavy weapon. Her arms shook from the weight of it and she dropped the tip to the ground. Jaime put his left hand over her hands and moved his body around her, molding his form to hers. He wrapped around her and brought his right hand to rest on the hilt as well. She felt his head next to hers, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder, and he helped her lift the sword. "Using sticks and being beaten will not help you. You need to feel the weight of a real sword as you swing it."

As he spoke he slowly guided her hands and arms, showing her the moves that he had perfected long ago. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the way he was moving her, trying to memorize the bending and flexing so she could perform them the next day with Brienne. The clothes she wore were thin, as were his, and she could feel the hardness of his muscled body against her. Each movement he made caused a different muscle to shift behind her. Her body began to heat at the closeness of Jaime. Her mind and heart may not have forgiven him, but her body was beginning to ache for his touch. With her eyes closed and Jaime's body moving behind her, the young woman could not fight her body's reaction to him. His whispered voice in her ear only made her body react more.

Jaime continued to guide her body through a series of sword exercises, his own hands knowing the movements from years of repetition. He took advantage of their body's being so close and placed a kiss just below her ear. She tensed in his arms and he continued before she could push him away. He trailed his lips down her neck, placing small kisses along the way, and when he placed his lips on her collar bone and sucked on the salty flesh his mouth had found he heard her gasp. He couldn't tell if it was from surprise or pleasure, but he hoped the latter. He removed his hands from the sword and she released the weapon shortly after, unable to wield it while Jaime made her body feel as if on fire. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled his lips away from her skin to speak again.

"Forget everything that I've done." His hands moved from her hips, coming dangerously close to the place that Melara felt begin to throb from Jaime's attentions, and clasped together in front of her stomach. She rested her own hands on top of his strong arms that were wrapped around her. She turned her heard towards him, using his shoulder to rest her head. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and Jaime had to pull his hips away from her, lest she feel his growing arousal and become frightened. "The only way I can protect you is if you let me. If you walk in to the Red Keep and Cersei suspects even a hint that you are not under my control, she will kill you faster than if you play the part of the devoted wife."

He turned her to face him but she would not look into his eyes. He placed a bent finger under her chin and guided her face up, until she looked into his eyes. He became lost in her eyes for just a moment. So blue and beautiful and full of emotions. He wanted to just run away with her, take her away to a place where he didn't have to be Jaime Lannister and she didn't have to be Melara Baratheon. To a place where they could just be man and wife. Instead, Jaime knew they were going to a very dangerous place for both of them. One wrong step by either of them, and Melara would be dead. Jaime didn't fear for his own life, only for the life of his love.

"I don't understand."

"Melara, I know you hate me, but I can't change what I've done. I have my regrets, but I did all of those things before you changed me. Before you showed me the fool that I was." He rested his forehead against hers and sent a silent thanks to the Gods that she didn't recoil from him. "Play the part of the smitten wife when prying eyes are around. If we are going to live, we have to beat our enemies at their own game."

"Who are our enemies?"

"Anyone who isn't us." She knew he was speaking the truth. The only reason she had stayed alive when she was in King's Landing before was because she had deceived people. "I won't be the man you know once we reach the gates to the city. I'll say and do things that you won't like, just as I've been doing before, but I won't have the choice to not do them. And you, as my Lady Wife, will be required to support whatever I do." Melara felt her adrenaline leave her and be replaced by dread. It was the same feeling she had when they were near the capital the last time.

"And if I don't play along?"

"Then you will be dead the first time you are out of my sight." Jaime loved the feel of holding Melara in his arms, speaking whispered words to each other. If they would have been speaking of happier things it would have been a verse from the tales of love that bard's sang. He could sense her hesitation but Jaime would not allow her naivety to get in the way of him protecting her. Can she not see this is the best way to protect her? To act the past of the obedient smitten wife? I can get Cersei to believe that she is nothing to me, just an inconvenience that Father burdened me with. Cersei won't feel threateented by the girl as much if she thinks she still has my love. Jaime knew that he would have to deal with hi sister first thing when he arrived back in the Red Keep. He only hoped that they could complete the mission they were sent on by Lady Catelyn to retrieve the two stark girls from King's Landing quickly. His father would gladly allow him to take his rightful seat as Lord of Casterly Rock, with Melara at his side. At least, that was what he hoped and wanted. In Casterly Rock, he could give Melara anything she desired, in King's Landing there was nothing he could give Melara but bad memories. He wanted to tell her just what he could offer her if she played along with his deceitful plan. "Sweet Girl, if you do this, play along for a short while, I can give you everything, clothes, jewels, safety. Anything and everything you could want."

Melara knew that he was offering her what every woman in Westeros would want. Her determination to hate him was leaving her the longer she stayed with him and listened to his sweet words. First her body yearned for him, and now her heart began to yearn for him as well.

"I don't want any of that, Jaime. I just want you. Just you."

"Then you shall have me." Jaime closed the distance between their lips and tried to make Melara feel all the regret and shame and love through the kiss. She was far from forgiving him, but with the threat of King's Landing hanging over them, Melara shut her thoughts away as she remembered the words he had spoken to her once before. Don't think. Feel. Melara finally let her tears fall from her eyes as she stood in the clearing, being held by the man that she didn't want to love but didn't want to stop loving either. The only part of her that still wanted to hate him for all that he had done was her mind. And she feared that soon, even her mind would give in to him. He pulled his lips and body from hers and took her hands in his as he spoke. "What can I do to make you forgive me? How can I make things right?"

"You can't, Jaime. You can't bring the dead back or undo things that have been done." Melara thought of Catelyn and how she had forgiven Ned when he had been unfaithful. Lady Stark had told her the story of seeing him ride into Winterfell with another woman's child in his arms. She had said to Melara that a day would come for her when she would have to stand by her husband, even if she didn't agree with him. It is a wife's duty and I am his wife. Melara felt exhaustion start to take over her body and Jaime could hear the tiredness in her voice as she spoke. "But I am your wife and it is my duty to stand by you." Jaime was once again reminded of how innocent Melara was. She still believed in all of the things that Catelyn had told her about being a wife and a Lady. It's no wonder she has been manipulated so much in the past. She is blinded by childish innocence. Jaime could easily continue to manipulate her, but when he looked into her eyes once more he only wanted to redeem himself.

"Your duty as a wife means that you must forsake your duty to your family. And to yourself. I always hated that by following one vow it meant you had to break another. But the only vows I will hold now will be my vow to protect you, and my vow to make things right. And that means returning Sansa Stark to the North." Melara felt the anger and hatred she felt towards Jaime be replaced by hope. Hope that what he spoke was the truth and hope that things could still turn out happy for them.

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There you have it. I need some confidence building after this chapter. I feel like it is my weakest chapter yet and I'm nervous that Jaime has changed way too fast around Melara. This chapter took me six hours, compared to the normal two and I had trouble getting it out. That being said, who wants to go to King's Landing next chapter? Leave me a review and let me know. If I get an overwhelming demand to get to King's Landing then that is what I will do. Also, who wants to help me get my groove back with a lovely confidence building review? They are much appreciated and keep away the writer's block, or in my case "bitter writer syndrome". Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting, loving, living, breathing, laughing.