Dragons and Thrones: Rising Tensions – Breaking of Bonds
Chapter 35 of my crossover story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin. Dragon Age belongs to Bioware.
Jaime
Jaime bit back a sigh as he sat, clad in just a towel, was the barber prepared to shave him again.
"I was shaved only a few days ago?" He remarked.
The man who seemed in charge of maintaining his appearance, apparently some sort of Chamberlain nodded.
"Yes, for your private audience with her Radiance." He explained in that ridiculous accent of his. "But this will be before the entire court, you have stubble, it must be removed, also, sideburns, half an inch."
The barber got to work and Jaime rolled his eyes. 'They take everything so seriously here.'
He and Brienne had kept mostly to the chambers they had been provided, occasionally meeting with Celene, the two of them sharing history of their lands and such together, learning what they could from each other.
Jaime couldn't deny he was impressed with Celene, while his disgust for Orleasian culture intensified. There was something about Orlais that made him uncomfortable.
'Brienne, she has to go through this ridiculous routine too.' He noted; biting his lip as he thought about her.
It was strange, they had spent their time imprisoned goading each other, then came the silence, now they seemed almost...companions. Two strangers lost in a strange land, no wonder they drew closer. But that wasn't what disturbed him.
What disturbed him most was the dreams he had been having, dreams he used to have regularly, and about Cersei. But now, now Cersei was gone from his dreams, to be replaced with, of all people, Brienne.
What disturbed him about it was he felt no revulsion or pain, leaving him even more confused. Just thinking about Brienne reminded him of those dreams, and of the fact she was here, in the same room.
It was a large room, divided by a velvet curtain which now separated the side he was in, from the side Brienne was in. At most, he could make out shadows, Brienne's being unmistakable. A woman who seemed to serve the same purpose for Brienne that the Chamberlain served for Jaime could be heard.
"Maker's breath, the amount of material required alone." The woman was saying in a high-pitched Orlesian accent. "This is unheard of in Orlais, a woman this...size."
Jaime grimaced, both trying to smother his rage at how the woman was talking about Brienne and trying not to let the accent get to him. The Chamberlain then spoke, distracting him.
"Good, that will do, if Ser would clean up, then come over here." He remarked. "I have taking the liberty of procuring some garments suitable for him, if he will, please, choose."
Jaime cleaned his face and stood, walking over to the clothing set out on various stands.
'His accent's just as bad...' He noted, as he observed the clothes, surprised. "Red and gold?"
The Chamberlain nodded. "Your family's colors, correct, Her Radiance herself informed me."
Jaime nodded, before selecting the outfit which pleased him most and pulling it on, discarding the towel.
It was then the curtain was pulled back and the woman, dressed lavishly, approached them, followed by Brienne, clad once more in a dress and looking very uncomfortable.
He overheard the woman talking to the Chamberlain. "Well, I tried, but there's no hiding this woman's…warrior, status."
"It will suffice. "The Chamberlain replied. "Now, both of you, this way, masks."
They shared a look, startled.
Brienne was the one to voice their question. "Masks?"
"Yes, you will be joining the court for this, you must be like them, we all wear masks." The Chamberlain explained before gesturing to a sideboard, upon which were several masks in varying shapes, sizes and decoration.
The woman then spoke. "Simply pick the mask you find most suitable, put it on, then follow us."
Jaime shared a look with Brienne again before stepping forwards and, after careful examination, picked one of the masks and placed it on his face. It seemed to fit well, Brienne did the same, seeming more self-conscious than ever.
They made their way out of the room, following the Chamberlain and his female companion as they headed for the grand ballroom. On the way they were given instructions on the proper approach but even while listen to that, they could hear the comments from the other Orlesians as they passed.
They were mainly disparaging comments about Brienne, again Jaime felt a surprising rage fill him at that.
Looking back he wasn't sure what made him do it, but he ended up reaching out and taking her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Even with her mask covering most of her face, it was obvious she was blushing, before responding in kind.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He merely nodded, surprised at how he felt. Normally, when with Cersei, he sometimes felt the need to overcompensate, to be exactly what she wanted. But with Brienne he didn't feel that. He still wanted to change, that Lyrium dream had etched that into his mind. But with Brienne he realized he could be himself.
Reassured by that he managed to school his features and focus. Brienne did the same and together they walked down the ballroom towards where Empress Celene sat, they bowed, as taught and then made their way to their table, sitting down and, once everyone was seated and Celene gave a small speech, they began to eat.
The meal was interrupted however when Celene stood again and all eyes turned to her.
"Good people of Val Royeaux, it is with deep regret that I must announce a state of emergency in Halamshiral. Dangerous forces, either allied with the Grand Duke, or acting on their own accord, have occupied the city." She explained.
Whispering began immediately but stopped as Celene continued.
"However, we cannot allow this to go unchecked." She continued. "We will prepare to go to war against these forces and drive them out, even if it means we must reach an accord with the Grand Duke. For these forces are clearly part of a larger army. Therefore we must ready our own and strike back, our first target, is their base in Halamshiral."
There were murmurs of approval and applause from many as Celene sat, the feast continued, only now the tone of conversation was different.
Later, with the music audible in the background, Jaime let out a sigh as he stood on the balcony, along with Brienne. As soon as the music started and the ballroom filled up with people looking to dance, Jaime knew Brienne would become a target.
He quickly made up some excuse, getting them out of the ballroom. As they stood Jaime removed his mask and leaned on the railing.
"A long day."
Brienne nodded, doing the same. "I never thought I'd find a place I hated, more than here...It seems there is one place in Thedas where, women like me aren't regarded highly."
Jaime nodded. "I know what you mean...I just, the sooner we find a chance to return home, the better."
Brienne didn't say anything, but Jaime could see that she agreed.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.