A/N: AGAIN I have to apologise for the delay in updates. I lost focus again and it's because I've sort of already moved onto the second half of this, so filling in this gap - where I know what has to happen, has been a bit hard.

You might notice I've changed the title. That's because I've decided to split the story in two. After these last few chapters the story seems to come to a natural conclusion, so it feels right to do it in two halves. The next story will be posted separately and named The Rise... but I won't spoil what happens at the end of this story first.

Also thank you so much for the reviews, the follows and the favourites! It's wonderful to know people are enjoying the story. I promise there's much more to come!

I do hope you're still enjoying!

Everything seemed to happen so fast after the wedding.

Tywin refused to let Adelais see Tyrion before the trial. Any information she could have fed him, could have prepared him for was lost. The only time she got messages to him was via Podrick and even that was risky.

Whilst the events of Joffrey's death unfolded and Tommen was crowned King, Tyrion languished in a cell and Adelais languished in hell waiting to see what would happen. Tyrion's closest allies were frozen out. Which meant the only people testifying were on behalf of the king.

The pain of the trial felt almost physical to Adelais. Watching Tyrion be beaten down and betrayed by his family in such a public arena was so much worse than seeing him beaten by boys when they were younger. His pain was palpable. Emotions stormed through her, anger at him for not leaving when she'd suggested, anger at the court for not seeing through Tywin and Cersei's games. Anger at his supposed friends for not standing their ground. Sadness, that his family could treat him this way, devastation as she realised how Tyrion must feel, the crushing weight of disappointment as he realised a family he had done nothing but fight for, wanted nothing but the best for, were about to destroy him.

Bronn seemed to have fallen into the sea. Adelais knew it was probably some order keeping them apart, keeping Tyrion's friends apart from him and each other, lest they conspire to free him and take off into the night.

Still it hurt that Bronn hadn't found the time or the energy to sneak to her. It wasn't even the relief that sex would bring that she wanted. It was the closeness of someone else who, in some small way could understand how she felt.

Charity had been right, this whole thing would have been easier with someone at her side, and why couldn't that someone be Bronn. They could marry and he could help with the running of the house. He knew his weaponry, his armour and he knew how to fight. He would be a strong support to her, and he cared about her, didn't he? She certainly cared about him. They would be safe then. Married and head of a household the crown needed. They could probably help find Tyrion a decent champion. Especially someone big from Aubouroc, big enough to take on the Mountain anyway.

After debating with herself for days; about how vulnerable this would make her, about whether it was the right thing to do, about whether she should confront with those closest to her in Aubouroc, Adelais went looking for Bronn. An hour or so of in and she found him.

"I'm beginning to think you're avoiding me." She said, resisting the urge to run and wrap her arms around his neck when he turned. He looked… looked, better than good. He still had that rough charm, something she didn't think he'd ever lose no matter how fancy his clothes were. He looked cleaner, he had new clothes. Adelais wondered for a moment if these were the perks of staying away from Tyrion's trial that Tywin and Cersei had given him.

"Guards advised I stay away from you whilst Tyrion's trial was on. I'm guessing they did the same to you." Bronn said not entirely meeting her eyes.

"They did, but I didn't think we were ones for following rules." Adelais pointed out.

"I am when it stops me getting killed." Bronn replied.

There was something in the atmosphere tonight, like a storm brewing. The way he'd emphasized the I and the me of his sentence gave the clothes a new meaning. They left her feeling unsettled.

Maybe being away from each other had given him time to review their situation, maybe he'd decided that things were getting too intimate for him. Adelais didn't know whether she believed that though. She'd after all been to Aubouroc and back and he'd greeted her with the same enthusiasm as always.

Something seemed to have changed after Tyrion's wedding though and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Something both outside and inside, it was like she was readying for battle, readying to protect herself against some unseen enemy.

"Come back to Aubouroc with me." Adelais said, quietly.

"What?"

"I said come back to Aubouroc with me. Marry me. We can rule the house together." Adelais felt nerves bubble up inside her stomach. In her head those words had sounded ridiculous and all she'd been able to think about was rejection. Was the sound of Bronn's laughter echoing into the night. Now they felt right though, like this had been her obvious and only solution all along. She didn't know whether she was head over heels from Bronn and she was reluctant to call it love, but that's what it was building too wasn't it? She was falling, hitting clouds to slow herself but she was definitely falling.

"Adelais-" Bronn looked away from her.

"I know, I know I've taken my time coming to that conclusion but after everything with Tyrion. I-I trust you, with my life and I'd trust you to help me run the house and not take advantage of me. Plus I actually think you'd be pretty good at it." Adelais said quickly. "This- this thing between us. I know it started out just- jus- but it's more than that I ca-"

"I'm getting married." Bronn cut her off and the initial confusion Adelais felt as she tried to piece the words together shifted. Her heart dropped out of the bottom of her feet and continued on through the earth and clay and stone of the floor beneath her.

"What?" Adelais said, trying to keep her breathing steady even though there was a sharp pain in her chest and it felt like the energy was leeching out of her.

"A Lannister has finally come good on their word and Cersei has seen to it that I can have a highborn wife and castle as long as I don't fight for Tyrion." Bronn replied evading Adelais gaze.

Taking what Cersei had offered had been easy. Especially when he really thought about it. Especially when he thought about the fact that Adelais was probably going to marry someone else. Cersei and Tywin had also brokered the subject of Adelais being barren as a Mereen Wasteland and that she was close to losing her own house. Hadn't Bronn always said, even for love, he wouldn't go back to living a shit life? Besides it wasn't really love was it. Just infatuation that had gotten out of hand.

"You could-" Adelais stumbled over the words, they tripped on her tongue, becoming lodged in her throat. She'd genuinely believed that Bronn would want to marry her. That he'd want to join Aubouroc house. She'd believed he had feelings for her but now-

"Marry you?" Bronn asked. "Look, we had a good run Adelais but Lolly's Stokeworth is less trouble. She can give me heirs and she's a sure thing as far as her wealth and lands are concerned." Bronn pointed out. It wasn't about her. This. It was about saving himself for once, didn't he deserve something nice after all these years and a castle and Lolly's, soft and pliable was about as good as it could get. He was already better fed, better dressed, cleaner and happier, mostly, than he'd been in his entire life. Lolly's was less trouble and when he got bored with her, he couldn't see her kicking up a fuss when he went off to the whorehouse.

"Lolly's Stokeworth?" Adelais breathed.

"Aye." Bronn replied.

"She's- you-" Adelais wasn't sure what she wanted to say, that what, Lolly's was dim-witted? That he'd have a hard time having a decent conversation with her. That Lolly's would never challenge him, never counter his arguments. That she'd mostly roll over and agree like the good wife she'd been brought up to be. Maybe that was what he wanted, after all wasn't that what all men wanted? Hadn't she known that before this whole thing had started? Hadn't she been well aware of her position. "What do you mean about Aubouroc house?" Adelais said as her mind replayed his words.

"Cersei said your sister has something up her sleeve about your paternity. That Aubouroc is going to be brought on side one way or the other." Bronn looked at the ground and Adelais swallowed hard.

"You didn't think to tell me?" Adelais asked him.

"Oh, I've been doing a lot of thinking the past weeks."

"But you didn't think to inform me that my house was going to be torn from underneath me." Adelais shouted.

"To be fair, if you'd have stopped focusing on everyone else, you'd have seen that for yourself. Someone's been trying to kill you for an age, you'd think you'd be taking more care." Bronn said.

Adelais just stared at him and the gulf between them seemed to widen in the silence that followed. How dare he.

He was also right, she'd become distracted and she had allowed things to slide even further than when she'd first come here to get away from things. She should have known better. She should have ignored her weary heart and not allowed a man like Bronn to weedle his way in there.

"We don't have to stop, next time you're here, we can still me-" Bronn was cut off as Adelais' fist collided with the side of his face.

"Fuck you." She growled, breathing heavily she stood staring at him with fire in her eyes. "I am not some common whore."

"Adi-" Bronn rubbed his jaw realising he might have pushed things too far. No matter what he tried to tell himself, somewhere underneath all the bravado he was hurting too.

"I am Lady Adelais Aubouroc of Aubouroc House. I am not your plaything. I thought you cared about me." Adelais shock had moved through sadness to fury and now she stood, brighter, bolder, seemingly made bigger by her rage.

"Adi I do." Bronn started, because some part of him wanted to fix this.

"I would have given you the keys to my legacy. I would have given you heirs. I would have married a jumped up sellsword, to keep us both safe. To keep you safe. I thought-" That moment after Blackwater, when he'd asked her to wear the new scar with pride flashed through her memory. "-I thought you cared about me. I let myself believe that-"

"I do care about you." Bronn said quietly. "But I care about myself too, and I'm done living in the shit of someone else's shadow. From the way Cersei tells it you won't have a house left soon and I can't go back to living rough. Even for you."

How easy it must be, Adelais thought. To be so selfish. Here she'd thought, contrary to evidence, that she had found someone who would make a sacrifice for her. Here she'd thought she'd found someone she would be enough for. Her anger turned inwards. How could she have been so stupid? Why had she ever believed that she would be enough for anyone? Hadn't she been told since she was a child about how she would never find love? How she would never know true protection and warmth because of her scars?

Yet all she could think of now was how perfect this all was. Now she had no reason not to fight for Tyrion. No one else was going to. If everything was going to be taken from her anyway and she couldn't bend to the whim of this Lannister ruled world, she was going to go down fighting at least.

"I hope you live a long and happy life with Lolly's. But I'd also be cautious about trusting a Lannister." Adelais said calmly, before turning and walking away.

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