Elena had been crying for five minutes before Jaime tried to soothe her. Night had fallen and they had been tied to a tree together. Jaime had managed to wrap his arms around his wife as she moved her hands to his upper arms. Her fingers curled around him and she wondered where his muscles had gone for a brief moment. She had her head resting against his chest and the tears continued to fall.
They were tears of fear and worry. She worried about Harrold and Joanna. She worried about what could happen to them. She was scared of what would happen to her and Jaime if they were returned to Roose Bolton. No doubt the King in the North would take their heads.
"Elena," Jaime whispered his wife's name and she kept her eyes closed as his voice ran through her. "You have to be strong. Everything will turn out for the best. I promise you that."
"How can you promise me that?" Elena demanded from Jaime and she looked up to him again. He moved his chained hand to her cheek, running his fingers along her pale skin and placing her hair behind her ear. "You don't know what will happen, Jaime. We don't know where they are...or if they are safe..."
Elena gulped down a horrible feeling in her throat before shaking her head. Jaime continued to stroke her cheeks in a tender motion and she wondered what she was doing. Why was she letting him touch her? She hadn't let him be anywhere near her since she had found out what he had done. She couldn't stand to be near him. But then he had said those three words to her. He had told her that he loved her and she didn't know how much more she could stand.
He had never told her that before. He had never said those three words to her.
Why would he say them now?
Had he just said them because he didn't want to lose her or the children? Had he said it to make everything seem insignificant? It wouldn't work. Elena couldn't let him work his way back into her life after what he had done. Yet Elena was clinging to him. She was clutching him as though he was the most important thing in the world to her.
She didn't know just how she felt for Jaime.
"Harrold is a clever boy," Jaime promised her, snapping her from her thoughts. "He knows how to protect himself and he will look after Joanna. You have to have faith in them."
"How can I?" she wondered in a small voice. "I'm so worried about them. They are only children...and there are men...grown men with armies..."
Jaime shook his head at her and she bit down on her bottom lip. Her tears now silently fell down her cheek and Jaime knew that they had to try to do something to escape.
"Locke," Jaime called out loud.
Elena pulled back from Jaime after a moment, looking to him with wonder. He glanced back down to her, his gaze stern and a stiff nod escaping his head. Elena continued to stare, but she did not say anything as Jaime called the leader's name again. Jaime ran a hand along her cheek to push her hair away from her face as he waited for Locke to come closer.
"What the bloody hell do you want?" Locke demanded in a harsh snarl, his men near him and watching with interest as to what he was about to do.
"I was just wondering if you could let me rest on the ground for the night?" Jaime wondered and Elena's brows furrowed.
She moved a hand to his forearm, her fingers curling around him as she waited with patience. Jaime couldn't help but become momentarily distracted by the feeling of her holding onto him, silently urging him not to do anything stupid. He kept his gaze on Locke, trying to appear unfazed by Elena's worry.
"You want me to cut you from the ropes?" Locke checked with him. "And your whore? Do you want to spend the night with her too? Fucking her, perhaps?"
Jaime chuckled and Elena was about to scold him and ask what was so funny about this situation. She decided to keep silent, pursing her lips and letting her husband take charge of the conversation. He had always had a way of dealing with people.
"No," Jaime responded. "We don't truly appreciate an audience when we fuck. My wife is hardly quiet."
Elena opened her mouth, but closed it when she felt Jaime's hand wrap into hers, hiding inside of her skirts so that no one could see. He kept his head held high as the men chuckled and looked at Elena like a piece of meat. The Lady Lannister lowered her head, her cheek almost resting against Jaime's chest as she longed for freedom. She longed to go back to how it was.
"Rumour has it she isn't the only one you fuck," Locke informed Jaime. "Apparently you have taken quite a shine to your sister too."
"Have I?" Jaime wondered. "Anyway, that is hardly the point."
"Is it not?" Locke drawled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as Elena kept hold of Jaime's hand and squeezed it tightly, wondering if he truly knew what he was doing. "So what will you give me in return for a night on the floor?"
"Gold?" Jaime suggested. "Lannisters have a lot of that."
"No," Locke chuckled. "Perhaps your daughter? They say she is a beauty...married to a bastard...she'll be a disgrace to you now. Betroth me to her and we have a deal."
Jaime laughed loudly and Elena wondered if he was being serious. How was this a laughing matter? Of course, Elena knew that Jaime would never give Joanna to a man like Locke. He loved his daughter more than anything. Harrold and Joanna meant everything to him.
"I do believe you identified the issue already," Jaime spoke in a low voice. "My daughter is already married to Jon Snow."
"Then let me have her as a whore," Locke said with a shrug. "I'd treat her well."
"Unfortunately my daughter is not negotiable," Jaime said, refusing to contemplate Joanna with a man like Locke. "But money will buy you as many whores as you want...and a castle to keep them in. How does that sound? A man like you doesn't want to spend his entire life being Lord Bolton's...well...lesser."
Locke seemed to consider what he was hearing. Elena dared to take a look at him, recalling the way his hands had touched her earlier. He was not to be trifled with, and Jaime was doing just that. Elena glanced back to her husband, her hand still inside of his. Her other hand ran up to his shoulder and neck.
She said nothing and Jaime glanced down to her, giving her a small wink so that Locke didn't notice. Elena felt his rough beard under her fingertips as she stroked his face, urging him to stop whatever plot he was cooking up.
"A night on the ground for a castle?" Locke checked with Jaime.
"It's too good to be true," Jaime said smugly. "But yes, all I want is some comfort for the night."
"We can see to that," Locke suddenly agreed and Elena felt the ropes loosen around her and Jaime.
She moved with haste, pushing herself to her feet as Jaime groaned at the thought of her doing something foolish. He made a move to stand too, hauling Elena to his chest before she could run away. He scrambled to keep his arms around her waist as men laughed and she shrieked.
"Let go of me!" she demanded Jaime.
"You have your hands full with that one," Locke laughed and Jaime threw him a knowing smirk before leaning down to Elena's ear.
"Trust me," he urged her.
She stopped fighting as she was pulled from Jaime's hold and tied against the tree again. She watched on as Jaime stood tall, tugging at the tatters of robes he wore before nodding to Locke.
"How about a nice bit of partridge too?" Locke wondered from Jaime and the Kingslayer weighed him up before nodding. "The bird is still warm."
"Sounds lovely."
Elena strained her eyes to watch her husband as he was dragged towards the main part of the camp. She kept silent, trying to fight against the restraints which held her to the tree. She only looked up when she heard a shout, her eyes narrowing. Her face turned pale and her heart sped up. She looked on as Jaime was bent over a tree trunk, his hands pulled away from his body.
"No," she whispered, wondering what they were about to do to him.
Elena had spent years detesting her husband. She hated what he had done, but now she saw him and fear rose inside of her. Fear of what would happen to him. She yelled loudly, begging for them not to kill him. No one seemed to listen to her as a blade rose in the air. Elena screamed loudly, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight. She fully expected the blade to land on Jaime's neck. She waited patiently, the fear eating away at her as she did so.
But then Jaime's screams echoed around him and she realised they had not killed him. She struggled to see what had happened, but then she saw that they pulled a hand in the air and she knew his greatest asset had been taken from him.
...
A/N: Shorter chapter than usual, but I do hope you'll let me know how you think things will play. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to take Jaime and Elena's relationship so any suggestions will be welcomed!
