"Look at you," Tyrion exclaimed as he entered Jaime's chambers that evening. He could see that his big brother was in a state. Anyone could notice that. Jaime was pulling his white armour onto his body awkwardly, doing his best to fasten it in place. He had dismissed his squire, preferring to carry out the menial task himself after discovering he was in a foul mood.
"You look every inch the soldier you were born to be," Tyrion concluded, moving to Jaime's desk and to pour himself a goblet of wine. He began to drain it and Jaime arched his brow before shaking his head.
"Are you drunk?"
"Merely," Tyrion said, making a motion between his forefinger and thumb. "Besides, I thought that I would come and see my brother off before he lays siege to Dragonstone and returns with the rightful Princess."
"Careful," Jaime warned Tyrion, suddenly feeling himself warm up under the weight of his armour, the heat of King's Landing and the pressure of what he was about to do. "You wouldn't want our sister to hear you."
"Ah," Tyrion drawled, "our sweet Cersei. She really has turned much bitterer since you returned home. I thought you would only bring her happiness, but you come with a new found sense of righteousness."
"You are drunk," Jaime quipped back and Tyrion snorted, raising his brows and then refilling his goblet.
"Not enough," he complained. "Do you think that you will be back in time for the wedding? Joffrey is already wondering how he can torture his new plaything once he gets her in the Capital. His sweet bride to be did her best to calm him, but Joffrey is intent on ruining the one he calls the Baratheon whore."
Jaime shook his head, finishing sliding his gloves onto his fingers and then he sat on the edge of his bed, looking to Tyrion and wishing that he would offer him some sound advice for once. Jaime needed it more than he could understand. What was he feeling? Where had his resentment for Cersei suddenly come from? What was going through his mind?
"I wonder where he got that name from," Jaime commented. "Besides, the girl is anything but a whore. She is as innocent as they come."
"My dear brother," Tyrion drawled out, peering at Jaime from over the rim of his cup. "Has the girl made you soft?"
"No," Jaime replied. "I am merely looking out for her like she did for me. A Lannister always pays their debts and that is what I am doing. If the men got anywhere near her on Dragonstone then they would rape her as soon as they saw her. You know what they are like after a fight and her virginity means nothing to Cersei."
Tyrion had to agree with him on that front. The girl was especially in danger if Stannis had left her without the full force of his guard. The entire Seven Kingdoms were at war and there was no way to stop it.
"But do you care for her?" Tyrion asked. "I sense that you cannot stand being by Cersei's side. The pair of you have done nothing but bicker about matters which are trivial and others which are not since you returned here."
Jaime shrugged at hearing that, standing up to reach for his sword. His father had presented him with a valyrian steel sword. He should be proud to wield it. It was an important blade to wield and better than anything else. But Jaime felt nothing when he held it. The power it possessed did not bother him, but he knew that he would need it for the fight on Dragonstone.
"She is young," Jaime said, "yet wise beyond her years. She saw through Cersei before I did."
Tyrion watched his brother in awe. "You have been under Cersei's thumb for too long. The girl is right in what she says. Cersei is much more poisonous than she has been in years."
"And Sarah is the complete opposite," Jaime spoke whilst sheathing his sword and looking to Tyrion with a strange and foreign look in his eye. "She is quite charming when you get to know her. She may not be beautiful; no one to fight wars for, but she is not grotesque."
"She is not as bad as me then?" Tyrion checked and Jaime smirked.
"Thankfully not," Jaime replied.
"I suppose the girl will be grateful for your appearance then," Tyrion said as Jaime began to walk from the room. "A gallant knight turning up to rescue her."
"When have I ever been gallant?"
"You're being gallant right now."
The room went silent, the sound of Jaime's chuckle echoing behind it and Tyrion remained seated, knowing full well that Jaime was bringing a storm from Dragonstone to King's Landing. A storm Tyrion did not want to embrace.
...
Stannis has left Dragonstone along with his wife and Shireen. Shireen had sobbed to Sarah, pleading for her to say something to stop her father from sending her to her mother's birthplace. Sarah had told her that it would do her some good. There would be other children to play with and people would welcome her. She knew that Shireen was merely scared. Selyse had bid a curt farewell and Sarah had received the same treatment from her father.
There was hardly anyone left on Dragonstone. Stannis had amassed his forces and they were heading to fight the war beyond the Wall. Sarah did not know what to think of the White Walkers. She didn't know whether or not the Red Woman would lead her father astray, but Stannis would not listen to her. He never did.
"Do you know how lonely it is in here, Beren?" Sarah asked the head guard as he entered her chamber the following day with her meal. "I trust that there is hardly anyone left on Dragonstone now. You know as well as I that it is hardly a place to entertain life form."
Beren's lips quipped upwards and he rested her breakfast on her desk as she stood by his side, her arms behind her back as she did her best to persuade him. She looked at him with wide eyes and he arched a brow as she placed her hand on his arm.
"Please," she pleaded with him. "I only wish for some fresh air...anything instead of being cooped up in here. My father won't even know."
"Are you trying to flirt your way out of here?" he wondered and Sarah rolled her eyes, her hand on his arm still.
"Gods, I've resorted to widening my eyes and pleading," Sarah complained and Beren laughed as she moved through her room, pulling at her hair in her hands.
"You're not that great at it," he warned her, "but you can come and escort me on a walk if you so wish."
"I do," Sarah said and Beren held his arm out to her.
She looped hers inside of his and both of them spoke of trivial things on their journey, laughing and joking as they went. It wasn't until the noise of bells began to ring throughout Dragonstone that Beren looked worried. He kept hold of Lady Sarah's arm before looking around the path they walked upon. He looked out to sea and saw them. The sight of red sails filled him with dread as he looked at Sarah and she squinted onto their sails.
"Are those Lannister ships?" Sarah wondered. "What are they doing here?"
"Go to your chamber and bar the door," Beren demanded his hands on her shoulders as he spoke his demand to her. She nodded quickly, her mouth gaping and she turned on her heel as he gave her a gentle push away. Sarah rushed down the hallways with haste, hiking her skirts up her legs whilst others ran towards the dock of Dragonstone.
Sarah finally entered her chamber; the only noise she could hear was the panting of her breath and the beating of her heart. She locked the door and moved over to her window, trying to peer into the distance, but she hardly had a view at all, only of the west side of the island which was seemingly empty of ships.
She sank down to the floor behind her bed and pulled her knees to her chin and waited patiently for any sound of noise. She could sense that she was in for a long wait.
...
Jaime regretted how he sliced any man who stood in his path out of the way. He did his best not to kill, only to injure. The other soldiers seemed to have a different idea, but Jaime knew that he was not here for bloodshed. He had seen enough of that recently.
He looked up to the castle, finally seeing what Sarah had complained of. It was bleak, and cold. There was a sea feel in the air and dragon sculptures lined the walls ever so often. Jaime peered up, wondering where she was hiding before he entered the castle, men rushing past him as he held his sword in his hand, prepared for anyone who looked ready to attack.
It was vaster than Jaime had thought, stone corridors turning off every now and then. Jaime didn't know which ones to take, but he did note a guard stood by the end of one of them, his armour that of the Baratheon's.
"Your life is meaningless to me," Jaime called out as the boy seemed to quiver, but he kept hold of his sword in his hands, refusing to drop it to the ground. Jaime held his hands up in innocence and the boy gulped, sweat dropping from his brow.
"All I want is to know where Lady Sarah is," Jaime spoke. "I assume she has probably guarded herself in her chamber. Take me there and you can keep your life."
The boy seemed to consider Jaime's offer, knowing that he would be betraying Lord Stannis if he committed this one act. But he would get to keep his life. He would keep on living and that was all that mattered at the end of the day.
"Turn right at the end of the corridor," the boy spoke in a small whisper. "Climb the stairs and her room is down the corridor on the left."
Jaime didn't know if he could trust the boy, but he was not quick enough to catch him as he ducked under his arm and rushed down the corridor in the opposite direction to Jaime. Not bothering to catch him up, Jaime did as he had said, rushing down the corridor towards the staircase. It was only when he began to move up the spiral steps did he hear a girl's screams. His steps quickened and he finally saw the sight by the top step.
The sight of Sarah Baratheon bent at the waist, her dress ripped down to her waist as her hands rested on the wall in front of her. A man had his hands under her dress at her waist, his fingers moving in between her legs whilst his other hand cupped her breast. Another man stood by his side, his hands in his breeches as he moaned lowly.
"I'm gonna fuck you real good," the man whispered into Sarah's ear before Jaime made himself known.
"No, you're not," Jaime spoke, holding his sword up and moving it to the man's chin who was still groping at Sarah. "Now, get off of her before I slice your head from your throat."
The two men seemed to acknowledge each other, both of them knowing that it would be for the best to listen to Jaime. The man moved from Sarah and she felt his hand snake over her belly as it left her skirts and his other left her breast. She stood straight and bowed her head, her hands still against the wall as she felt herself begin to sob.
"Now," Jaime drawled, "both of you will send word that I have the Lady Sarah and have the men spare anyone who surrenders."
They nodded and rushed off, not daring to challenge Jaime's word. The Kingslayer watched them run down the stairs before he turned his attention back to Sarah. He pulled his cloak from his shoulders awkwardly, sheathing his sword before he did so. He draped the material around her shoulders and she looked over her shoulder to him.
"Why are you here?" she managed to ask the question. "My father has gone...he left me alone..."
"We know," Jaime responded to her. "My sister and father planned this. They intend to hold you as a hostage in King's Landing to make your father withdraw his claim. It was the plan she always wanted, but the one she never got."
Shaking her head, Sarah pulled the cloak tightly around her body, still feeling disgusted at what had just happened to her as Jaime moved his hand to her cheek, his fingers parting her hair on her head as he made the movement and she looked at him with wide eyes.
Sarah was no fool. She knew that by them taking her then they would have her father surrender. Did she honestly believe that he would walk away with his head? Did they think that she was foolish enough to believe that? She could not let them take her.
"Can I change first?" Sarah asked in a small voice to Jaime.
"Of course," he responded and rested his hand on the small of her back.
She led him down the corridor toward her chamber and she stood by the door which had been broken from its hinges. Groaning lightly, Sarah turned to look at Jaime and he nodded in understanding.
"I will wait here," he promised her.
Sarah moved into her room and pulled a red gown from her wardrobe. She quickly changed around the corner so that Jaime could not see her. She took a deep breath, her forehead against the wall before she knew what she had to do. She had no other option but to run. She could remember all of the corridors without concentration. She could lose Jaime and find the staircase which led straight down to the courtyard. From there she could use the hidden staircase to the tunnel which led to the beach.
The main issue was escaping Jaime's gaze.
"Are you nearly finished?" he asked her as she continued to think.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah rested her hands by her sides, hiding them in her skirts so that she could pick them up without a second thought. Sarah moved slowly to begin with, allowing Jaime to offer her his arm before she ducked underneath it and began to run.
"Sarah!" Jaime roared to her, not once thinking that she would attempt to escape.
He should have known better. He commenced to run after her, watching her gown swish around corners before she came to another staircase. Jaime swore under his breath that there were no other men to catch her. A long corridor came into view and Jaime watched Sarah swoop under a guard's open arms as he failed to catch her.
He looked perplexed and Jaime pushed him out of his way, taking to another staircase and running down it.
Sarah could feel her breath catch in her throat as she came to the courtyard and noted the men who were stood outside in it, gathering up all of the people who remained in Dragonstone. She kept silent as she ran to the hidden staircase behind a wooden door. She pulled the door open and slammed it shut before running down the spiral stairs, almost tripping over her feet. She heard the wood slam against the wall above her, Jaime's footsteps soon following the sounds and she knew that he was quickly gaining on her.
She finally came to the beach, the sand restricting her from running as fast as she could. She stumbled multiple times, her dress well and truly being held above her knees. She kept on going towards the rocks where the hard wet sand was, knowing that it would be easier to run on. But she never got that far. She shrieked loudly as she felt an arm loop around her waist and drag her to the floor.
"What in the name of the Seven are you doing?"
Sarah lay on her back, sand entering her nostrils and sticking to her hair as Jaime Lannister straddled her waist, his hand holding one of hers whilst her free hand hit against his armour.
"Get off of me!" she yelled at him and Jaime shook his head.
"I cannot stop a hundred men!" Jaime snapped back at her. "Do you think that I want nothing more than to see you run from Dragonstone?"
"Then let me," Sarah pleaded with him.
"My men are following me," Jaime shook his head. "I would be branded a traitor and I would be unable to protect you when they take you back to King's Landing."
"And how do you think you can protect me there?" Sarah wondered and Jaime bent over her upper half, his chest brushing with hers and she remained limp for a few seconds, wondering what was going through his brain.
"I can take you there and plan your escape," Jaime whispered into her ear as he heard the sound of men approach him. "You have to trust me, Sarah. There is no way out of Dragonstone for you, but there is a way out of King's Landing. I will see to it."
He pulled back and dropped her hand to the floor, allowing it to move and brush her hair from her face, trying to gauge her reaction. She took a second before she nodded once at him, cursing herself as she had done it. Jaime said nothing back to her, his thumb tracing along her bottom lip before he stood up and offer her his hand.
Sarah took it, allowing him to haul her to her feet before he noted the row of men who were stood waiting for some form of declaration.
"Is your mother and sister on the island?" Jaime asked her softly.
"They left," Sarah said. "It is just me here."
Jaime seemed content with her answer and he took her wrist roughly into his hand, twisting it behind her back to make a show. She winced momentarily and Jaime called out to his men;
"We have what we came for," Jaime decreed. "Back to the rowing boats. We leave for King's Landing."
The men cheered and began to move back as Jaime urged Sarah to walk forwards, bending down to whisper in her ear as they went;
"Stay by my side," he told her. "The men want nothing more than to ruin you and Cersei wouldn't care either way if they did do."
Gulping, Sarah moved her wrist from Jaime's hand and he allowed her, watching as she kept her hand behind her back and her fingers moved into his. Jaime squeezed her hand tightly and looked back out onto the water which would take them back to King's Landing.
...
A/N: Thank you to AverageBraavosi and danceegirl92 for reviewing the previous chapter. Do let me know what you think thus far!