Sarah had managed to alienate the entirety of her family through one simple defiant act. She had been confined to her chamber and Davos had been instructed to go to the Wall with her father. She had released the Onion Knight from his cell and told him what her father intended to do with the boy she had come to know as Gendry. She had urged him that they had to do something and he had agreed with her, but he did not want to go against Stannis.
It was then when Sarah had said that Stannis was unimportant in the scheme of things and that the boy had done nothing to deserve death. Davos could not disagree with Sarah on that front. She had a point and so he had agreed to secure the boy a rowing boat which would take him back to King's Landing. Sarah had secured water and food for him, placing it in a cloth bag before meeting Davos in the dungeon.
They had executed their plan without anyone's knowledge, both of them knowing that they would face punishment for their actions.
And so here it was. Stannis had confined Sarah to her chamber, telling her not to bother trying to escape. His anger had not mellowed in just under a week and Sarah was growing tired of sitting inside her chamber come cell. Her mother had looked at her with disgust, wondering who she was. No longer was she this meek little girl who would cling to her skirts and Selyse could not stand it.
"Sarah."
Sarah stood to her feet once she heard her father enter her chamber, a guard opening the door to let him in. She felt her small hands ball into fists by her side as Stannis did his best to avoid looking her in the eye.
"Father," Sarah curtly returned the greeting to him and Stannis finally looked her in the eye, the sight of her enough to fill him with anger and sorrow at the same time. How did she manage that? How did she manage to mellow him?
"Your mother is travelling to Brightwater Keep this evening," Stannis suddenly said and Sarah cocked a brow as she heard him. "She is not well...I feel as though the climate at Brightwater will help her...Dragonstone has done nothing for her. It is too harsh here."
"What is wrong?" Sarah asked and Stannis could hear the fear in the girl's voice. Her mother may have turned against her, she may have claimed that Sarah was not one to be saved, but Sarah still loved her mother. She always would do.
"The maester does not know, but I think...her mind is not well...it has not been for a long time...perhaps a change of scenery is in her best interest, but she is to go alone."
It was then when Stannis saw the hurt on his daughter's face. She looked away from him, blinking to hide the tears which formed in her eyes. So that was how it was to be. Sarah had distanced herself too far to have any hope of return. But there was a part of her which failed to care. She knew that she had done the right thing on all occasions and if her parents wanted to call her a traitor then she would let them.
"Shireen is to stay on Dragonstone. I have Beren as the captain of the guard and I doubt you will have any trouble. The true war lies with the usurper Robb Stark who has yet to die. The Lannister forces are scattered and mine are growing."
Sarah said nothing, turning from her father to walk around to the other side of her bed, her hand trailing over the headboard as she went.
"And I am to be kept locked up in here?" Sarah wondered from Stannis.
"Well I can't trust you," Stannis responded and Sarah looked out of her window onto the bleak skies which circled Dragonstone. "You have done nothing to prove your trust to me, Sarah. You ran away to Robb Stark and now you come home and I do not know who you are. You claim not to be a Lannister whore yet you defend Ser Jaime at any given moment and go against my orders."
Remaining silent, Sarah felt her mouth dry up and tears threatened to prickle her eyes. But she refused to cry. She refused to let her father see how worried she was. He did not deserve to see her suffer for doing the right thing.
"Mother should take Shireen with her," Sarah finally responded.
"-Your mother has never love-"
"-Shireen is a little girl," Sarah interrupted her father, looking at him over her shoulder. "She does not deserve to be locked up along with me. Do you know how miserable she is here? She has no friends and she has no company. Maybe a change of scenery will help her too? Not that mother has ever thought about her before."
Taking a moment to groan inwardly, Stannis nodded in agreement with Sarah on that front. Shireen was a sweet girl, even Stannis knew that. And she deserved much more than her mother's resentment. Maybe Sarah had a point. She had always relied on her sister, but Shireen needed someone else now that Sarah was scarcely one for company.
"Aye," Stannis agreed. "Perhaps you are right."
"Probably," Sarah didn't bother to try and appear modest as she continued to stare out of the window. "Was there anything else you needed?"
Stannis shook his head, his teeth gritting together as he looked to his daughter and she refused to look back at him. Why was she making everything so difficult? Why could she merely not do as she was told?
"No," Stannis responded and left her alone, the sound of the closing door enough to fill Sarah with dread at what the future was to bring.
...
"I would go to Dragonstone."
Cersei looked up from the seat she sat on in her chamber. The dead of the night had come over her and she demanded Jaime to come to her that night, knowing that it had been too long since she had made love to him. He had not even touched her since he returned to King's Landing, choosing to keep his distance from her and train whilst she continued the preparations for Joffrey's wedding.
"And who told you about Dragonstone?" Cersei wondered and Jaime remained stood, not even bothering to notice the revealing robe which barely covered her body. "It was meant to be kept quiet until Stannis had left it and it was vulnerable."
"Well, I found out," Jaime shrugged back to his sister. "So it is true; you intent to attack Dragonstone and have Sarah taken as a hostage?"
"Sarah?" Cersei checked with her brother, a smirk on her face as she did so. "The Baratheon whore seems to have captivated you somewhat, brother. Tell me, did she suck your cock when I couldn't, is that it?"
Jaime didn't even flinch at her insult. He would not let her get to him with her harsh words. If she did not know that he was faithful to her then he did not know her at all. He gave up Casterly Rock for her. He gave up the chance to have children or a wife. And it was all because he loved her.
"She is an innocent girl in your schemes," Jaime replied. "You know that as well as I."
"There have been a countless number of innocent people who have been killed during this war," Cersei shrugged nonchalantly at Jaime. "One more girl will not hurt. Stannis will bend the knee...or he will die...my bet is that he chooses death. He always has been an honourable man, and in that case his daughter's heads will look very pretty on a spike next to his."
Jaime could feel the blood boil in his veins and he shook his head at his sister, his hand moving to his hip and against the leather of the coat which he wore. Cersei remained mute, trying to weigh up what was going on in Jaime's mind. He had her. He had all that he wanted. But Cersei didn't. She didn't know how to feel about him every time she saw his stump.
"So, why is it that you wish to go to Dragonstone? To ship her off somewhere else?" Cersei wondered and Jaime shook his head.
"I will bring her back if you wish for it," Jaime nodded, "but I should see her here unharmed. She did the same for me when Locke had my hand cut off. A Lannister always pays their debts."
A smile of disbelief passed over Cersei's face and she shook her head at her brother. She knew that there was more to this than he was letting on, and that angered her. It angered her beyond belief.
"Did she nurse you better?" Cersei checked. "Is that when you fell for the dumb whore?"
"I never fell for her," Jaime snapped back. "You know that, Cersei. The Gods know that they spited me when they made me love such a hateful creature like you."
It was then when Cersei stood up and covered herself up with her robe, pulling it tightly across her body to gage his reaction, but there was nothing. There was no lust in his eyes for her. Where had that gone?
"You cannot stand here and tell me that you do not care for her. You speak of her as though she is our ally."
"She is no my enemy," Jaime responded. "And I will go to Dragonstone and escort her back here personally if you command it. I cannot stop you from doing this-"
"-No, you cannot," Cersei replied. "What does she have over you? It cannot be her looks. The girl is fortunate that she has wide hips and breasts; at least no man need look on at her face whilst he fucks her like a dog."
It was then when Jaime felt himself tip over the edge. He took hold of Cersei by her shoulders and she looked at him, not once flinching. He would not hurt her. Jaime had never hit a woman in his life before. He had done many things, but that was not one of them. She could see the hatred in his eyes for what she had said and she knew that she was slowly losing him.
"She does not deserve any of this," Jaime warned her. "And I will leave the King's side to see that she is not hurt by you."
Cersei glowered and shoved at Jaime's chest, pushing him from her. She could not care less if he left Joffrey's side. Perhaps it would actually be for the best.
"You go for her," Cersei said. "My men will go with you to make sure she doesn't escape. But what will you do then? Do you think that you can protect her when I have her? I would have her sold to the highest bidder whilst Stannis decides what to do...Lord Bolton's bastard...Littlefinger...even our little brother could have her for his own whore..."
Looking at Cersei, he wondered when she had turned into this monster. When had she become so twisted? She moved over to her desk and poured herself a goblet of wine, draining it in one go before Jaime adjusted the shirt he wore in his breeches and spoke lowly;
"Sarah Baratheon may be many things," Jaime said and Cersei cocked a brow at him. "But we both know that she is the rightful Princess of the Seven Kingdoms...and I dare say that she would be a better ruler than your son ever could be."
"Our son."
"He is nothing to do with me," Jaime shook his head. "I squirted some seed into your belly and you raised it. I had nothing to do with him."
"He is half you."
"But mostly you," Jaime said. "I see that now. I see the hate which has built inside of you and I don't know where it has come from, but I do not like it, Cersei."
"No," Cersei replied. "You like the good and pure things now, don't you? Is that what attracted you to her? Do you think that she can redeem you for all the bad you have done?"
Shaking his head, Jaime knew that he had to leave before their words became too heated. He began to walk to her door slowly, calling over his shoulder;
"No one can redeem me," he responded, "but she was right about you. You're a poisonous woman."
"And I will have her head for it, dear brother," Cersei snarled the words. "And you can watch me."
...
A/N: Thank you so much to Yakitori-Chan, danceegirl92, Kathy, Richasa, AverageBraavosi and CupcakesAndAlice for reviewing the previous chapter. I do hope you will met know what you think and in the next chapter Jaime reveals some things to Tyrion and makes the advance to Dragonstone.