Marriage was something that felt good, he loved Dany and she loved him. They complimented one another very well, she was smart and slightly reserved but with a playful side that very few got to see. He considered himself very lucky to be the one who got to see that side of his wife. She was good with managing the books and some of the more tedious aspects that came with being a lady of a great house. That she got on famously well with Mother also helped. The two most important women in his life getting on well was something that Jaime had always hoped would happen and that it was a truth was always going to be a good thing for him.

Dany had helped him handle his grief as well. When word had come of Father's murder, he had been a mess. He had wanted to do so many things, that he had felt overwhelmed. As the new Lord of the Rock and Warden of the West he had had to remain impassive when the news had been given to him, though he had wanted to slump down and scream. He had cried into Dany's chest later, and she had held him and stroked his hair. She had provided him with the strength he needed to be there for Mother, and Cersei and Tyrion. He had done all he could to be there for his family, and Dany had been there for him. He loved her with everything he had. And he was confident that she loved him as well.

That was why when the raven had come from King's Landing, carrying strict instructions from the King, Jaime had hesitated. He knew war was necessary, the rebels could not be allowed to continue on their dangerous path. The man who had murdered Father had been executed, but Jaime had a feeling that those who were really responsible for his murder were the ones now rebelling and Jaime wanted to handle them. But at the same time, he was nervous about leaving. He had seen how war had affected Ned, how Duskendale had kept his foster brother up screaming for days and months afterwards. He was scared that that would happen to him. Yet he had summoned the banners, and the war was happening.

Jaime took a breath, blinked and then looked at his wife and mother. Both of them were looking at him expectantly. "I do not think it would be right for Dany to come with me on campaign. After all, war is no place for a lady, you are a Lannister by marriage and a Targaryen by birth, you would make a very valuable hostage should anyone dare think that way." He knew that some would also mutter at his wife's presence there simply because she was a Targaryen.

His wife however, did not seem convinced. "I know that that is a risk, Jaime, but I am as you say a Targaryen by birth. The fighting that you propose will take place in the Riverlands. The Riverlords have traditionally been staunch supporters of my family. Any lords who are wavering could well be convinced to side with us, should I be present."

Jaime knew his wife was correct, there were reports streaming in of lords remaining firmly rooted within their castles, and not moving for either Hoster Tully or Hendry Bracken, perhaps his wife's presence could break that deadlock. But at the same time, there was another concern. "And having you within our army would also put our soldiers at extra risk. Do you think they will be able to fight just as freely knowing that their Lady is within their ranks? Soldiers will have to be assigned to guard you, that will take men away from the field."

"Men who would otherwise be guarding baggage trains and food supplies. I would only need two or three guards at most. No more. I would not need the number; I know you are thinking about." Dany replied.

Jaime turned to his mother, Lady Joanna's face was expressionless, for a time he had worried that Father's death had made Mother fully give into her grief, but he had come to learn that this was how Mother was normally, this was her political face. "Surely you do not agree with this Mother? Surely you can see why Dany needs to stay here. She is Lady of the Rock, she should be in the Rock, not off gallivanting around the countryside."

"I would not be gallivanting around the countryside!" His wife protested vehemently. "I would be with you, my husband. I would be where I need to be."

"And what would happen to the Rock? Who would manage it? Who would look over its accounts and its stores? Who would ensure that the servants are paid on time?" Jaime demanded. He knew it was a weak excuse when Mother was still with them, but he had to make it anyway.

It was at this juncture that Mother decided to speak. "I am still here, Jaime. I might not be as young as I once was, but I was lady of the Rock for twenty years, I know how to manage the accounts and the household, and to ensure the servants are all paid. I know what needs to be done. I think Dany as your wife should accompany you on campaign. She will be good for you, and you will need her more than you think, after the fighting, and during it."

Jaime looked at his Mother, wanting to demand why she would say that, he did not want to give into his desire for his wife to be with him at all times, he knew that could be dangerous not only for him, but for her. Instead he asked his mother. "You would be comfortable doing all of that?"

Mother smiled at him. "I have done it before, and I would not have difficulty doing it again." Mother looked at Dany then and said. "Besides I think Dany would prefer being with you, then here, when Cersei would be doing what Cersei does, wouldn't you, sweetling?"

His wife blushed slightly, but said all the same. "Yes."

Jaime threw up his hands. "Fine. You can come to the front, but please don't get in the way." He was rewarded with a kiss to the cheek that made him smile. Then he remembered the other thing that Mother had said and he asked. "What has Cersei been doing?" His sister seemed to vary in mood, sometimes she was very pleasant and easy to talk to, other times she was moody and not willing to do anything but sleep and read. Jaime wondered why she was like this, and neither Mother or Dany had provided him with an answer.

"She continues to read the book of poetry that that Braavosi trader gave her." Mother said.

Jaime stared at his Mother for a long moment. "You mean that book of love poems? Why is she reading that? She called it a lot of nonsense when he gave it to her?" He remembered that because he'd had to chastise her about not insulting their guest, she'd merely laughed at him and fluttered her eyelashes at the man.

"Yes, well it seems she has taken a liking to it and has begun reading it quite a lot, and quite loudly as well." Mother replied, sharing a sympathetic look with Dany.

Jaime saw the look and asked. "And I take it this has started becoming a regular occurrence whenever you are with her?"

"Yes, though I do not think she means it maliciously. I think she is merely sad. After all, you and I are married, Lord Eddard and Lady Ashara are married, the two people she knows best are married and she is not." Dany said defensively.

Jaime's eyes widened. "You think she wants to be married?" He could not imagine that, every boy who had tried to court Cersei recently had left with their hearts in tatters and their pride wounded beyond repair.

"I think that your sister is merely going through another stage in the journey of becoming a woman." Mother said simply.

Jaime stared at his Mother, comprehension slowly coming to him. He shuddered slightly and said. "I see." There was a brief, awkward pause, and then he asked. "Do you think I should start looking for someone for her to marry then?"

"As you are about to enter a war, that would be beneficial to the cause, yes." Mother replied. "I have already shortlisted several candidates for consideration." Mother pulled out a piece of paper which had several names on it, all of them written neatly. She handed him the piece of paper and he read through it.

When he was done, he asked. "How old is Edmure Tully?"

"Three and ten namedays old. He would've been a good match had the Riverlands not been tearing itself apart. My personal preference is for either Willas Tyrell or for Horas Redwyne, or for Randyll Tarly. Quentyn Martell might be heir to Dorne, but Dorne has never gotten involved in any such conflicts, and I do not think that Doran Martell is like to change that. With the war, marrying Cersei to one of your bannermen does not make sense." Mother said simply.

Jaime nodded and said. "I shall need to think on this."

"Naturally." Mother replied, standing up. "Do not take too long to think over it though." With that she nodded and walked out of the solar, leaving Jaime alone with Dany.

Jaime looked at his wife and asked. "What do you think? Who should Cersei be married to?" Though they had been close once, Jaime and his sister had drifted apart over the years. It made sense, he had not really been at home that often since he was around eight namedays old. Still, there was a part of him that missed his sister, missed the closeness they had shared. Dany was close to Cersei, and likely knew her better than anyone else did, apart from Mother.

His wife took a moment to think over the query before replying. "I think that Cersei might like Willas Tyrell, or she might like Quentyn Martell. I think she would want someone who listens to her and makes her feel as though she matters. The others that Mother has listed don't or won't do that as it does not fit in with their personalities."

Jaime nodded. "I suppose then that Ned and I shall be in competition for getting Willas's hand for our sisters."

"You know Lord Eddard is looking to get Ser Willas for his sister?" Dany enquired.

"He mentioned it in his last letter." Jaime replied. "I think that he might go for it simply because from what we know of him Ser Willas is the only one who would realistically put up with all the quirks and oddness that make up Lyanna Stark."

Dany smirked slightly, then she became more sombre. "How is Lord Eddard holding up?"

Jaime sighed, word of the Red Wedding had reached them and when it had, they had all been horrified, Jaime had thought only of his brother, and how this would be another thing that would keep him up at night. He hoped that Lady Ashara was doing all she could to make sure her husband was not struggling. "I think he is coping. He has not written much of how he feels about what happened. But I know he appreciates what Lady Ashara has and is doing for him."

"And how do you feel, my love?" Dany asked moving closer to him, so that their shoulders were touching.

He took her hand in his. "Better. I miss Father, but it no longer hurts as badly as it did before. I have you to thank for that, my love." He turned and kissed her full on the mouth. She kissed him back, when they eventually broke apart, he could feel the heat in his face. "I'm glad you're coming with me. I do not think I could manage with you."

Dany kissed him again, and did not reply. She did not need to, he knew how she felt, he could feel it in the way she kissed him, in the way she hugged him and then kissed him again. Eventually, they had to separate, they got up and moved to their rooms. They made love then and Jaime enjoyed it, not knowing when they would next get to do this so freely. When they were done, he washed and changed and made his way over to the great hall, where the lords of the West were gathered for the war council. They all fell silent when he entered and took his seat on the Lion Throne. He looked at them all and then asked. "What word has there been?"

Uncle Kevan spoke. "Bracken forces under the command of Hendry Bracken defeated a host under the command of Tytos Blackwood at the Battle of the Sound and they are currently laying siege to Raventree Hall. Robert Baratheon and his Stormlords managed to defeat a host under the command of Lord Cafferen at Summerhall and they also managed to secure their border with the Reach by defeating Randyll Tarly's host. Tarly is badly wounded."

"What of the crown, what has His Majesty, the King done?" Jaime asked. He knew the King; he knew that the man would never sit on his laurels.

"Our sources report that he has ordered King's Landing fortified and has also summoned the banners, they are preparing to march southwards to deal with Robert Baratheon." Uncle Kevan stated.

"Who commands them?" Jaime asked, he hoped it was Owen Merryweather, that man was a fool, a fool who had to be removed for the crown to really shine through.

"From what our sources say, the King himself plans on leading the host to handle Baratheon." Uncle Kevan stated.

Jaime's eyes widened. "What of Prince Rhaegar?"

"He commands another host marching northwards to aid the Blackwoods against the Brackens." Uncle Kevan replied.

"This has Jon Arryn's hands all over it." Lord Crakehall said.

Jaime looked at the man and asked. "What do you mean, my lord?"

"When there was last a war within Westeros, it was during the Pheasant Uprising during the reign of King Aegon the Fortunate. Jon Arryn was one of the main instigators of the uprising, though the King never gained enough proof to suggest that he was. In his manner of speaking, Arryn spoke of how if he were to ever rebel against the crown he would do it this way. Use minor houses to cause diversions, and use his main ally to bring the King southwards, and then he would bring the might of his army into the Riverlands to sweep away any and all opposition." Lord Crakehall replied.

Jaime considered the information he had just been given as well as what Lord Crakehall had just said and then said. "So, you believe then that Arryn wants the King and the Prince of Dragonstone separated from one another, and that he will try and destroy the Prince's host first?"

"Yes. Remove the Prince, the King is left with only a sickly grandson as his main heir, thus adding strength to any who might want Robert Baratheon on the throne." Lord Crakehall said.

"Nowhere has the man stated that is his goal." Lord Brax countered. "Indeed in the raven he sent to everyone, he merely stated that the King had lost his way and that he intended to fix that."

Lord Crakehall snorted. "Come now, Andros, you must know what that means. The King is not going to easily change his mind, and with Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon having rebelled, he is never going to listen to them. The King remembers what happened to his grandsire too well for that to work. No, Jon Arryn knows that removing the Targaryens from the throne is the only reasonable thing he can do for his head to remain on his shoulders."

Brax opened his mouth and then shut it abruptly, and Jaime wondered at that, he also wondered where Tytos was, he would've thought that the heir to the Brax family would've been at this meeting, and knowing him he would've been. Jaime looked around the hall, found his uncle Gerion's eye, and slowly nodded, his uncle nodded and slipped out of the hall. Jaime brought his attention back to the matter at hand when he heard Lord Jast state. "We must defend the crown, marching for King's Landing would make the most sense."

Jaime laughed. "Come now, my lord, surely you are not that foolish? The land is up in arms, we are fighting for the King, not trying to remove him. Unless the King invites us to the capital, we cannot go there."

"Even if it means the city is threatened?" Jast threw back at him.

"The city shall not be threatened, for we shall not let Arryn attack the Crown Prince." Jaime retorted. "We shall march forth from here and into the Riverlands, we shall go first to Riverrun to aid the Tullys and then we shall march for Fairmarket and Raventree Hall. We shall force confrontation with Arryn and we shall destroy him."

"And should he not take the bait? Should he remain within the Vale, or go around us?" Jast asked.

"Then we shall find him and we shall destroy him, and then we shall find Baratheon and destroy him as well." Jaime stated simply. There were murmurs of agreement there, but nobody voiced anything in opposition to his words. "We shall leave on the morrow, prepare yourselves, drink, whore, do what you need to do tonight, for tomorrow we march for war." There was a definitive cheer at that, and the lords filed out. Jaime spent the day and the evening pouring over plans for the war, preparing for every eventuality and keeping himself updated on everything. When a messenger told him that Riverrun was under siege, he knew he was right to suggest what he had. Dany and he made love that night, and in the morning, they rode out with twenty thousand men, for the Riverlands and for war. He took one last look at the Rock and swore he would return.