Sarah was precariously dangling from the back of Locke's horse as they made their way to Harrenhal once more. Jaime had been forced to sit with his back against Brienne's. His head was dangling down and his eyes were set on the muddy ground beneath him. Sarah kept on looking over to him, wondering what was going through his mind as his disregarded hand hung from his neck like some form of trophy.

She knew that they were mocking her. She could see that with ease. She merely wanted to know why they were punishing him in such a manner. He was suffering enough without being humiliated. It wasn't until Locke slowed his horse down did he speak loudly to the men around him, his voice full of glee.

"How many fingers do you think we could shove up his arse?"

Men laughed and Sarah winced at the crudeness, wishing for the safeness of...well...anywhere but Locke's company. Her eyes set on Jaime, but he still refused to let them meet his gaze. Silently, Sarah urged him to look at her, almost pleading him to acknowledge her existence for once in his life. She had to see that there was still some life left inside of him.

"What do you reckon, Kingslayer?" Locke wondered from Jaime. "Is that the kind of thing you and your sister go in for? Has she loosened you up for us?"

"Leave him," Sarah suddenly demanded from Locke and he turned his head over his shoulder to look at where she sat. She was as far down the saddle as possible, her hands behind her and steadying her on the horse's behind because she refused to hold onto Locke.

"Would you look at this, boys?" Locke roared out again. "The Kingslayer has a Baratheon bitch on his side. Didn't know he needed a woman to defend him."

"He's going to fall!" Brienne's voice suddenly rang out and Sarah looked across the way, following the female kinght's gaze over to Jaime. True enough, he was slipping down from his horse to the floor. It didn't take long before he found himself stuck in some mud. Locke climbed from his horse, taking Sarah by the arm and hauling her down too, pushing her over to a man who stood by his side.

"Get up," Locke demanded Jaime.

Sarah felt this man take her by the waist, his hands pressing against her stomach to stop her from even contemplating escaping his grip. She tried to move from him, the sight of Jaime's soiled state in the mud causing something to stir inside of her. He may have done evil things, but she could not help but pity him now.

Brienne was restrained by three other men as Jaime croaked out, pleading for water.

Locke handed him a flagon and Sarah's eyes widened as Jaime drank it all down.

"Never seen a man drink horse piss quite so fast," Locke suddenly laughed.

Looking away in disgust, her gaze lowering to the floor, she noted Brienne had done the same. Both of them exchanged a worried glance. Brienne was worried for what would happen to Lady Stark's daughters if the Kingslayer didn't make it to King's Landing. Sarah was merely worried for Jaime's health for reasons unbeknownst to her.

"Have you had your fun now?" Sarah called out, fury rising inside of her. "You have mocked him and ruined him. Is that not enough or is there more? What else could you do to him? He needs to see a maester."

Everyone ignored her for a few seconds, only then did Locke turn to look back at her and nodded at the man who was holding her. He spun her in his grasp and hit her across the face harshly, almost causing her to tumble to her right. But he grabbed hold of her and hit her other cheek before pushing her against his chest once more.

It was then when Jaime made his move. He acted with haste, reaching for the sword inside of Locke's sheathe. He held it in his hands, weakly hitting the blade against the other men's swords. Sarah had never seen him look so weak with a blade. She recalled the time on the King's road when Jaime had cut down men with ease. But now he could scarcely cut through a tree.

"You ever try that again," Locke said once Jaime had been pushed to the ground, his sword taken from him, "I'll take your other hand from you."

...

"You need to eat," Sarah spoke once they had made camp for the night and she had been sent to tend to his wound. She had done her best to clean it, removing the cloth of her gown which acted as a bandage. Jaime sat in front of her, curled on his side whilst she held his stump over her lap.

"No," Jaime replied and Sarah's brow furrowed as she noted the stale piece of bread next to him which he would not touch. "You know it is pointless, Princess. You have seen my wound."

"I am looking at it now," Sarah agreed, her voice one of sudden annoyance with him. "And I imagine there are thousands of other men in this war who have lost their limbs. No doubt there are too many who have died and would do anything to have a lost a limb instead of their lives."

Jaime looked at her then, noting the way her black hair hung limply down her back and her shoulders. Her gown was ripped and soiled whilst her eyes remained stubborn. Jaime chuckled and looked to the sky as she rubbed water over the dirt near his wound.

"You've changed," he commented. "I remember when I first met you in King's Landing."

Sarah tried not to recall her time in King's Landing. "We've all had to change." She replied. "War changes people...and sometimes for the better...but other times not for the better..."

Jaime shook his head, gulping loudly and opening his dry mouth to talk; "You've changed for the better. You're stronger...I can see it..."

"And you?" Sarah replied. "Have you changed?"

Jaime chuckled and moved on his side after feeling numbness down near his hip. He shook his head, his matted, dirty hair falling into his face. He knew that he not changed. How could he change? People had judged him for years and he never cared to disappoint their views.

"No," Jaime spoke. "People will never see me differently."

Sarah smiled at that and folded her legs underneath her whilst she began to wrap his stump up with her dress's fabric again.

"I remember you once told me that I shouldn't concern myself with the opinions of other people," Sarah informed him and his lips tugged up at hearing that. He said nothing for a second before reaching for her hair and tucking it behind her ears which she enjoyed to keep hidden due to their vast size. She sighed as she felt his fingers linger on her neck and she closed her eyes.

"People may not see me a being different...but how can you ask if I have not changed? I have lost my hand," Jaime said and Sarah took his hand from her neck, holding his wrist tightly in her lap and near his stump.

"A hand does not define you."

"It was my sword hand," he counteracted. "It defines me perfectly and without it I am nothing."

"You are not nothing," Sarah quickly hissed. "There are people in King's Landing who care for you and you know that. You have..."

"Cersei," Jaime spoke her name. "And what relationship do I have with Cersei now? The entire Seven Kingdoms know of our relationship."

"And they know that you pushed a young boy to his death," Sarah added on and Jaime looked at her, his eyes narrowed.

"I love Cersei," Jaime said and Sarah looked at him, trying to keep her face emotionless. She didn't want him to see her disgust at his words. She would never understand the nature of their relationship, nor would she ever see what good came from it. "What do you think would have happened if that boy had seen us and gone off talking? Cersei's head would be decorating the walls of King's Landing...along with her children and possibly my head too...my father would have declared a war and more lives would have been lost."

Sarah looked back to him then, challenging his firm stare. "We already are at war because of your actions."

"No," Jaime retaliated. "We are at war because Joffrey chopped Ned Stark's head off."

"And because Joffrey is not the rightful heir to the throne."

"No one would have known that if Ned Stark had not gone searching," Jaime replied.

"And Jon Arryn?" Sarah responded. "My father told me of the others in King's Landing who knew the truth. It was bound to come out sooner or later. My father is at war because the wrong king sits on the Iron Throne."

"And Stannis would make such an excellent King? I heard how he killed his own brother...a kinslayer now..." Jaime wondered and Sarah felt her cheeks redden.

"He would be better than Joffrey," she concluded, refusing to argue with Jaime on the matter anymore. She often found that arguing with Jaime Lannister never brought her solace. It just brought her anger, not that she couldn't understand why. Jaime was an annoying man, even more so when he refused to admit he was wrong.

"As you say, Princess," Jaime mumbled. "I did what I did to protect my sister. One life for several others does not seem like a great cost to me."

Sarah tried to understand him, and in some deluded way she could. He had pushed Bran to save his sister. He truly loved her. Killing came second nature to Jaime, only after breathing. Sarah's face scrunched up and she finished tying the fabric over his stump before reaching for the piece of bread by his side which he refused to touch.

"And if you truly love your sister then you should keep on living for her sake, shouldn't you?" Sarah pressed the bread into his hand and stood up to move away from him.

Jaime watched her sit on the other side of the fire near Brienne who had been silently gathering her thoughts. Jaime watched her curl her arms around her legs and bring them to her chest. She bit down on her bottom lip and looked away into the distance.

He bit down on the bread, his mind still on Sarah Baratheon as he wondered when she turned into a stubborn mule.

...

A/N: thank you to anyone who is following and to born-to-be-lost, CupcakesAndAlice fore reviewing the previous chapter! I do hope you will let me know what you think if you're reading!