Author's Note: Sorry that things are moving so slowly. We're going through a build up right now. Things will get more exciting soon as the rest of the realm begins to catch up with Jaime and Lyra.

Enjoy ^.^

Chapter 34: The Wolf Queen Who Never Was

It was evening by the time they finally arrived to the Twins. Jaime was relieved that they would be leaving the Riverlands soon; being back in the place where he lost his hand and Robb Stark had him imprisoned for almost a year was causing him to have nightmares again. Nightmares of being chained to that post, sitting in his own filth, never knowing whether or not he'd see Cersei again let alone live through the night, and his hand… Jaime was beginning to have particularly vivid nightmares about losing his hand.

Last night, Jaime dreamt of losing his sword hand. He could smell his own rotting hand, which was hanging around his neck, and then they came for his other hand…

Thank the Gods that Lyra had woken him from his nightmare, though it wounded his pride that his wife saw him in such a state. Jaime was sweating and breathing hard, still in a dream-like state, screaming about his hand.

Lyra had been understanding, she reminded Jaime of his mother when he was young and he and Cersei had terrible dreams. Gently waking Jaime, Lyra put her arms around his torso, and laying her head on his shoulder, she told him that he was safe. Once he'd calmed down, she helped him lay back down on their bedroll before pulling Jaime's head on to her soft, warm breast and stroked his hair.

Thinking about the incident, Jaime felt embarrassed. He was a grown man, a former knight of the King's Guard, the best sword in the Seven Kingdoms, the Lion of Lannister, battle experienced, and Lord Lannister. Yet, here he was, having nightmares about outlaws and the dead boy-king, Robb Stark, while his twenty-two-year-old wife, a swordswoman herself, was comforting him from these nightmares.

Looking at the walls of the Twins, Jaime dismounted with Lyra, whose expression was becoming more pensive and serious the longer they were in the Riverlands. It was unspoken between the husband and wife, but as the Riverlands brought back terrible memories for Jaime, they also brought terrifying ones for Lyra. Jaime saw his lady wife fighting back tears and anger as they approached the Twins: the place where her Stark family was brutally murdered by a traitor, the place where Queen Talisa was stabbed to death in her pregnant belly; the place where Lyra could have met the same fate had she been Queen in the North.

Offering his arm to Lyra, Jaime walked her through the corridors and into the Great Hall where Lord Walder Frey was waiting to receive them. The tension was coming off of Lyra in waves as they got closer to the hall, step by step.

"I see you've come back, my lord," Walder said to Jaime in his gravely voice. "Have a nice journey?" He added, almost mockingly as he saw Jaime and Lyra's slightly disheveled appearance and circles under their eyes from lack of quality sleep.

"Yes Lord Walder," Jaime answered dryly. "We shall be ready to take Riverrun as soon as we've properly fed and rested." In Jaime's mind, if the Lannisters were going to take Riverrun for the Freys, then the he was going to at least impose on Lord Walder to properly feed the men and horses, as well as allow them to get enough rest before continuing. Due to Lyra excursion North, half of Jaime's army was worn out and in need of a couple of days rest.

"Fine," Walder responded deadpanned and irritably before snapping at his own lady wife to find the steward so he could find rooms to house the Lannisters.

As everyone else was dismissed, only Jaime and Lyra remained with the Freys.

"Now, before we get down to business, I have an important question." Lord Walder broke the silence in the great hall. "Who's this one?" He asked, turning his gaze towards Lyra.

"My wife, Lady Lyra Lannister."

"The Lone Wolf? As in Lyra Stark?" It was posed as a question, but it was more of a statement.

When Lyra confirmed that she was the Stark from Sunspear before her marriage, the room suddenly erupted in mumbles from the Freys. The heir to Winterfell? A Lannister?

"Lady Lyra Stark, the would be Queen in the North," Lord Walder said more to himself.

The noise in the room quickly turned from curiosity and disbelief to outrage as Walder's children told their father that he was forgetting his manners.

Setting his jaw irritably, Walder barked at his sons; "Shut up!" As the room quieted, he took a softer tone and motioned for Lyra to approach him, "Alright my lady, Please come up so I can observe the proper formalities so we can get on with this."

Lyra, having had it just confirmed that she was now becoming known as the Lone Wolf, did not look at Jaime or anyone else as she approached Lord Frey's seat. Instead, she only held Walder's gaze with her own icy one. Holding out her hand, Lyra did her best to let the Freys know of her disapproval and disgust by their actions with her ice-cold stare and her simmering rage at these cowardly traitors beneath it.

Lord Walder, who was briefly taken aback by the wife of his liege lord's hostility, recomposed himself and kissed her hand. Lyra was disgusted as she felt Lord Walder leave a trace of saliva behind on her hand, however, she never broke face.

"Ha!" Lord Walder laughed, almost strangely delighted. "You may be Lady Lannister, but there's no mistaking those Stark eyes!" Lord Walder remembered how Catelyn and Robb Stark had given him that same look full of contempt hidden with icy curtesy. "Though you seem to have no problem with letting me know exactly how much rage and hate you hold for me. You've got more pluck, I'll give you that. What is it Lone Wolf? Angry that we defeated your traitor king?"

"Father!" One of Lord Walder's son's interjected before Lyra could respond. The suffocating tension suddenly returning to the room.

Being reminded of his manners in front of the wife of his liege lord, Lord Walder re-composed himself; telling Lyra "a thousand apologies" for his rudeness.

In turn, Lyra did not feign forgiveness as curtesy dictated; instead, she wipped her hand on her dress with visible disgust. "I'm sure that Lord Walder forgets himself since the Freys have been failing to take Riverrun for over a year now," Lyra couldn't help the smug smile curling her lips as she backed down to re-join Jaime. "I'd probably lose my manners too if I'd been failing at a siege for that long." The insult was not terribly subtle, but Lyra got her point across. She was certain that word of her victory in Winterfell, where the odds were stacked against her, had reached the Twins. Lyra, a lady whom had been relatively green to war, defeated war experienced armies, while Walder was failing miserably to take a castle for more than a year.

Re-composing himself, Lord Walder barked at his children; "Alright, now that I've observed the proper customs, get out! All of you!" Lord Walder and Jaime had much to discuss.

As Lyra saw everyone leave, she was unsure as to what to do. This was the first time she had to perform any formal customs or duties as Lady Lannister. She looked at her husband with uncertainty.

"I'll come to you as soon as we're done," Jaime assured Lyra; subtly indicating to her that she should follow the Freys out of the hall.

Lyra wasn't sure as to where she was going as she followed the Freys. All she wanted to do was to get out of the hall where her cousin and aunt were violently murdered by such a disgusting, traitorous man. There were many ways out of the Great Hall so Lyra chose to exit through the door that the young Lady Frey, whom Lyra was certain to be younger than herself, had gone through earlier with the Lannister officers to find the steward.

Walking aimlessly through the corridors, horrible thoughts of Robb and Cat began to creep up on Lyra. They were frightful and guilty thoughts. Worst of all, Lyra began to think that had she been Queen in the North, the pain and humiliation that the honorable people of the North and Riverlands had suffered would not have happened. Which was indicated further when Lyra remembered the way the Freys mockingly called her the "would be Queen in the North".

Thankfully, the girl, Lady Frey, broke Lyra from her thoughts when she found her walking aimlessly in the corridors. Lady Frey took Lyra to a sitting room where another girl, who was close to Lyra's age, was sitting.

"Beg pardon Lady Lannister, but your rooms with Lord Lannister are not yet ready and your household is quiet scattered," the girl-lady told Lyra rather meekly. She then added that the other woman in the sitting room, "Lady Roslin", would entertain Lyra while she waited for the preparations to finish.

The door shutting behind Lady Frey, a silence ensued between the two ladies in the sitting room as they briefly stared at one another. Lady Roslin looked at Lyra curiously before some, seemingly, horrible realization washed over her pretty face. The Lady Roslin with a bundle in her arms making a tiny squeak as she began to stand to properly greet Lyra.

Realizing that the bundle in Lady Roslin's arms was an infant, Lyra quickly strode over to the other woman and stopped her from standing. "Lady Roslin, please sit. You have a babe in your arms," Lyra kindly smiled. She could tell that Lady Roslin was having difficulty standing, and Lyra would never expect a woman with her infant in her arms to stand.

"Thank you," Lady Roslin said almost breathlessly as she gingerly sat back down. "You are took kind Lady Lannister. And it's just Roslin, if it pleases you. I am no lady…" Roslin said this with watering eyes.

"Please, call me Lyra," she sat down next to the woman to look upon the bundle in her arms.

The babe appeared to be a boy, not much older than perhaps seven or nine months. He had thick auburn hair like Robb's, but the boy had more brown in his hair than the dead king. His eyes were a beautiful color of green-blue. They reminded Lyra of the sea.

"He's precious," Lyra smiled at the babe who opened his eyes, cooed, and happily smiled back at her. "What's his name?" Lyra attempeted to strike a conversation with Roslin about her babe since Lyra would be a mother soon as well.

Roslin hesitated a little before answering; "Brynden Tully, Lady Lyra." There was a palpable shame in Roslin's voice as she answered Lyra's question.

"Ah! So you're Lady Tully then?" Lyra smiled in an attempt to disarm the fearful girl- why does she think I'd be upset about the fact that she's Edmure's wife?

"I'm so sorry Lady Lyra," Roslin choked out. She still felt such shame over the wedding where her king had been killed, especially in front of the woman who should have been her queen. "Your cousin and aunt. My father and brothers, they made me do it," Roslin cried softly; tears running down her pale cheeks.

"No, no, Roslin," Lyra attempted to comfort the other woman. "There's no need for tears." Lyra pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her subject's tears so she wouldn't have to put down Brynden. "I'm sincerely happy to meet you, and there is no need to apologize or feel any shame. You did what you had to do in order to survive." Lyra comforted Roslin in the similar manner she'd comfort Sansa. She reminded Lyra so much of Sansa during her imprisonment in the Red Keep.

Just then though, Lady Frey came back into the sitting room to fetch Lyra. Leaving, Lyra asked Roslin if she could visit her and Brynden tomorrow.

At Lyra's request, Roslin initially looked perplexed, but smiled gratefully and accepted her request.

Coming into the room she'd be sharing with Jaime, Lyra was pleasantly surprised to find Ashara and Joyce. She had a happy reunion with her friends and handmaidens; though Joyce often annoyed Lyra, she did consider the Lannister handmaiden to be her friend as well as Ashara.

As the three ladies caught up, Lyra told her handmaidens of her adventures up North. At this, Ashara seemed to swell with pride at the fact that Lyra was living up to her Rhoynish ancestry; Joyce, on the other hand, was horrified at Lyra's supremely unlady-like actions, however, to her credit, she also seemed impressed with Lyra's relatively newfound skill in battle and conducting warfare. Of course, both were quite saddened at the death of Princess Meria, as was Lyra at the reminder of the fact that her mother was now gone forever.

Lyra, hearing her friends' stories about being at the Twins for so long, was not surprised to hear that Lord Walder, who was infamous for being such a lecherous old man, tried to fondle her handmaidens on many occasions. It's no wonder that Lady Frey is so grim.

After having some Dream Wine with her handmaidens, Lyra bid them goodnight. Getting in the bed to settle in for the night, Lyra couldn't help but to revel in the creature comforts she had re-gained. Her pregnancy seemed to be approaching three months and she was beginning to feel some discomfort from traveling so much. Now though, she was wearing her soft, warm nightdress so she wouldn't have to be so cold as she slept, and she couldn't stop touching her soft, thickening hair, which was brushed quiet thoroughly by Ashara and Joyce.

Not long after Lyra got into bed, Jaime came in. Armor off, he washed his hands and face in the basin before stripping and climbing into bed with Lyra.

Feeling the effects of the Dream Wine, along with Jaime stroking her soft hair, Lyra situated herself so she could lay in the crook of his arm and rest her head on his chest and shoulder.

"Quite the display of hostility you showed Walder Frey," Jaime began. Though he found the verbal spar between his lady wife and Walder Frey to be funny, it worried him nonetheless. Lyra had been visibly displeased with the Lord of the Crossing for murdering traitors to the crown, and Jaime feared that with Cersei behaving so unstable, Lyra's words to the Freys may get back to the queen who was looking for an excuse to have her killed.

"I'm sorry," Lyra apologized; she was so consumed by rage at the traitor that she'd forgotten herself as well as Lord Walder.

"No need to apologize to me, I'm not particularly fond of Walder either; but you need to be safe, Lyra, He kept referring to you as the 'Would be Wolf Queen'," Jaime kissed her. "If someone ever came for your head and I lost you," Lyra knew that he was talking about Cersei, "I think I'd lose myself."

At this, Lyra felt guilty and reassured Jaime that she would do her best to be gracious and Lady Lannister instead of the Lone Wolf. "How long will you be here before going to Riverrun?" Lyra asked. She wanted to know how long Jaime planned to stay before leaving and how long he'd be gone while she waited with these people.

"No need to worry about the Freys, Lyra," Jaime heard the apprehension over his leaving in her voice. "I've decided that it would be best to take you with me, along with our house hold. We will all be traveling together from now on until we reach the Rock." He heard Lyra let out a sigh of relief before wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him before snuggling back into his side.

Next: Lyra speaks with Roslin about the Red Wedding, Jaime discusses strategy for taking Riverrun, and Lyra makes an odd request.