Digging her cracked fingernail into the wall Joanna marked another line into the wall. 2 months she had been trapped, 1 month since her mother visited her. Sadly Cersei hadn't lived up to her promise and got her released but at this point she didn't care. She would do anything to see her family again, even Loras. This miserable experience was torture to her, taking her away from the people she loved most in the world.

She imagined what Loren would look like now. At her daughters age two months would change her appearance drastically. Joanna wondered if her baby was crying for her, too young to understand why her mother had left her. It made her eyes well up, the thought of Loren missing her almost too much to bare.

Knowing that her guards would be coming soon she decided to put her plan into action. Reaching behind her at the wall she gripped the loose brick. Slowly she pulled it out of the wall and reached her hand into the gap created. It had been two weeks before when she had discovered the hole by accident. It was in here that she had found her method of escape.

She assumed the stone knife had been crafted by a previous prisoner in her cell and left behind when he was either executed or freed. It had been almost impossible to resist the temptation to act immediately but she had remembered her grandfather. Tywin Lannister wasn't one to make rash decisions and his careful planing and strategy had won him many battles. Joanna would be damned if she made the mistakes that her grandfathers enemies had. Her plan required refinement. What good would killing the first person she saw do? She was outnumbered and not familiar with the prison. She could easily get lost and captured if she ran without thought.

For the past week she had been spying through the small gaps in the door. She watched when the guards switched and where they went. It seemed that when those pious old women came to make her confess the current guards would leave and it would be several minutes before he next shift arrived. Whenever they left they would head to the end of the corridor and turn left, where Joanna assumed the exit was. The two sets of guards seemed to differ considerably in strength. The night guards were thin, pasty men who Joanna was surprised were allowed to guard at all. The second group where much larger and she recognised one as a former member of the city watch. The first group would be much easier to face, if not for the identity of one of the men. Lancel Lannister, or brother Lancel as he now preferred to be called. Lancel was a couple of years older than her and she had memories in her youth of her and Joffrey playing with him when her would visit from Lannisport. Her mothers cousin had always been a sore loser and whenever he would lose he would claim they were cheating, which they were, but Joanna found that fact irrelevant. He may have been a Lannister but he was from the secondary branch and his status was nothing compared to that of royalty. He needed to know his place but like now he always had a stick up his arse and was a thoroughly miserable person.

Footsteps sounded outside and Joanna quickly slid the knife up her sleeve. Bending into a crouch she prepared to leap at whoever opened the door. The thick wooden door opened and she leapt forward, aiming the knife towards the guard. Unfortunately the guard caught her arm and twisted it behind her back.

Squirming Joanna cursed and attempted to get out of his grip.

"Stop! Joanna calm down. It's me!" A muffled voice said, whispering into her ear.

Recognising the voice she stopped fighting and twisted her head around to look at his face. Stood just under a head taller than her was her husband. Loras was dressed in a guards uniform but Joanna could recognise his golden brown eyes anywhere.

He let go of her and looked at his wife. She was lost large amounts of weight and her skin had lost its golden glow and was now a pasty white. Any extra weight from the pregnancy had completely vanished leaving a shell of her former self.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned, still in shock. "I could have killed you!"

Loras chuckled and grabbed her hands. "I'll explain later but we have to go now before more guards come. "

He pulled her outside and Joanna saw the bodies of both her cousin and the other man laying unconscious on the floor.

Loras had been able to free relatively easily but sadly Joanna couldn't disguise herself as a man so stealth would have to be their method of escape.

He managed to navigate the maze f corridors with ease, dragging the weakened girl behind him. Several times she tripped and almost fell, her legs unused to that level of work.

Soon they reached what looked liked and exit and Loras informed her that it was the door for the guards and lead straight outside.

Pulling a key out of his pocket he unlocked the door and pushed it open. The sun was blazing outside, the midday sun at full power. Joanna had to sheild her eyes from the sun, the bright light made her dizzy.

The rest of the escape was a blur, the starvation, thirst and tiredness catching up with her,

After what seemed like only a few seconds but what was in fact most of an hour Joanna felt herself being carried inside. Craning her head to the side she saw several people she recognised but couldn't put names to. She knew that her family were there but in her weakened state she couldn't match their faces to names.

Loras placed her on a bed, the soft mattress a strange feeling after weeks of sleeping on the floor.

In and out of sleep she fell, night and day blurred together in her half-awake state.

At one point she awoke and felt almost back to normal. The sight of light no longer blinded her and her thoughts began to come back to her.

Sitting up she saw that she was in her chambers, the ones she had had before her marriage. All her old furniture was still there, and Joanna could almost laugh with happiness. A delicate yawn sounded from the side of the bed and she saw Tommen sat on a chair, his head resting on the side of the bed. His clothes were creased and old, his hair unbrushed but Joanna couldn't care in the slightest. At that moment he wasn't the King, the most important person in the seven kingdoms. He was just her brother Tommen, who appeared to have refused to leave her side. She imagined that his wife wasn't very happy about that.

"Jo..." Tommen mumbled, looking at her with sleep filled eyes.

Happiness filled her and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Sobbing she pulled her brother into her arms and clutched him to her. He returned the embrace with equal fury and started rambling about how much he had missed her.

The door opened and Loras entered, holding Loren, who was considerably larger than last time she had seen her. He rushed over to her and sat on the side of the bed. No words were required as he passed their daughter to her.

Joanna couldn't recall a time when she was happier as she sat surrounded by family, and soon Loras was also in tears.

A soft meow sounded and Joanna laughed and Loren's kitten bounced up on to the bed and began nuzzling her leg.

Joanna smiled, she was back with her family and she knew nothing could ever hurt again, she wouldn't let it.

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There's only one chapter left before the epilogue.