"And she hasn't left her chambers since?" Gendry queried, amused.
"No, sir," the young lad said, his grin wide and eager. Mateos was his name. He was the son of the man who worked at the shop next to the forge where Gendry worked and he had been one of Gendry's first recruits. "We haven't seen her all day."
"Excellent," Gendry said, chuckling, "but giving Cersei terrible rashes was only step one."
"I know, sir," Mateos replied, saluting him. "I'd best get back to the keep."
"Yes," Gendry said, inclining his head and watching Mateos scamper away. He turned back to his work, which had become his second priority. Since he'd learned of the Freys' murder, he had started to talk to the people of King's Landing, principally those of Flea Bottom, and he had got enough men around him to start to really irritate Cersei.
They did little things, like affect her bath water to make her develop rashes, but those little things gave them time to do bigger things in the keep, without her noticing. Mateos had returned to the keep now, to work with the rest of the children to leave pigs blood spilled outside of her door and various other distractions for the guards, while one of Gendry's best thieves went in and stole the queen's crown.
They had originally wanted to steal the Iron Throne but, after doing a reconnaissance mission, had discovered that it was not just a large chair. It would be impossible to steal, so they'd gone for the crown. One of Cersei's handmaiden's handmaiden was a spy from their small but growing ranks and she was able to supply them with the information of where it was kept and how it was guarded.
Gendry felt as though this was what he had been born to do. People listened to him. He spoke for them, for their hunger and the deaths of their people at the Sept of Baelor Slaughter. The noble people had no place here, no place ruling them, and especially not Cersei.
At first, it had just been about annoying Cersei, about having her make stupid decisions, but the more people who surrounded him, the more they demanded her head. Gendry knew it wouldn't be long before they were considering who to put on the throne.
It wouldn't be him. He had no ambition for the throne. The only thing he wanted was to be able to look Arya in the eye when he found her, and tell her that he fought Cersei, not for himself but for her. That knowledge was, of course, not public. The other rebels knew nothing of his familiarity with Arya but one day they would, when she returned.
XXX
Casterly Rock was an intimidating sight, Brienne had to admit as they finally saw it in the distance. It was huge and built of a light-coloured rock, on a tall dark hill, overlooking the sea beyond. Brienne wasn't sure, now as she looked at it, what she had imagined, but it was precisely the sort of home that the Lannisters embodied: a light-coloured, well-designed castle, but huge and higher than anything in the distance. It was beautiful but also impressive and scary.
The moon shone overhead. Brienne watched as Jaime pulled his horse to a halt. "We should rest here for a while," he called back to the men who had accompanied them. "We'll enter Casterly Rock at the changing of guards, when the sun begins to rise."
Jaime slid down from his horse and offered Brienne a hand in getting down from her own. She thanked him with a smile. "Do you want to rest?" he asked softly. Brienne smiled and nodded. "I'll have the men set up a tent."
Brienne shook her head. "No, Jaime, it's only a few hours. I'll sleep outside like the rest of you. You can keep me warm."
Jaime smirked at the comment and Brienne pursed her lips at him. "Come on, then, wench."
They lay down together on the sleeping mat that their packhorse carried, along with many other supplies. Their journey down to Casterly Rock had been long and they did not have many men, nor even a cart for supplies. It made for a quicker journey but not necessarily a more pleasant one. They had a few tents, enough for everyone if the men shared, and more often than not they used them. But, some nights, like that night, they simply did not have the energy to put them up. And, as they got further south, and it got warmer, their bedclothes were generally warm enough anyway.
"It was fun to do a journey with you again," Jaime commented when they were cuddled together under some sheets. Brienne hummed her agreement. "Better that we were fucking than fighting this time."
Brienne chuckled. "Shush," she said halfheartedly. "We've come a long way since that journey." Jaime nodded against her shoulder. "Thank you for coming for me."
"I always will."
"Well, I hope you never have to again, because we'll be together."
"Mmhmm," Jaime said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Always and forever."
Brienne tapped his side. "You're soft."
"You're soft," he repeated protestingly. Brienne laughed, arching back to kiss him softly.
"Are you glad to be back here?" she said, nodding up at Casterly Rock's intimidating figure in the distance.
Jaime chuckled. "Yes, because the happiest years of my life were spent here," he said sarcastically. Brienne turned to look at him with interest. He sighed. "I suppose it will be nice to see the old place, but it's where my mother died, where Cersei and I-" he shook his head "- where I let Cersei bully Tyrion, where my father bullied us all, where I couldn't read, where-" he cut himself off. "I was so happy when I left here to squire."
Brienne kissed him again, cupping his cheek. "We'll make some happy memories here."
Jaime smirked. "Yes, I have plans to fuck you in my father's chambers."
Brienne wrinkled her nose. "That's a bit weird, Jaime." Jaime snorted. "What are your plans for arrival? Do you know who is there at the moment?"
Jaime smirked. "I know him very well. Addam Marbrand commands here and trust me, I have plans."
XXX
"I'm not sure about this, Jaime," Brienne said as she took a seat in his mother's old chair at the high table of the Casterly Rock great hall. Jaime took his seat next to her, grinning at his own genius. Addam was going to be so shocked.
"It's going to be great," he said, swinging his feet atop the table. This had been his father's seat once and Jaime had never wanted it, but it was his now and he could do what he liked, so he sat with his feet on the table and his wife at his side. "Just you wait to see Addam's face."
"You're sure they'll be the first people in here?" Brienne asked, biting her lip in worry. Jaime smiled and reached over to kiss her.
"Yes. My father always demanded that the lord sat at the table first and then the servants came in with the food. It made him feel important, I think." Brienne clucked her tongue and looked around the room. "Surveying your kingdom, wench?" he teased. She gave him a sideways glance.
"Was this room always full when you were a child here?"
"Mmhmm," Jaime agreed. "Always. My father expected loyalty from his men and they expected to be fed and watered well when they visited Casterly, which was often."
Brienne opened her mouth to say something else but then the doors began to open and Jaime widened his eyes at her with a grin and leaned back against his chair, which was really a sort of throne. Brienne gave him a soft roll of her eyes but she was smiling.
Addam appeared from behind the door, a woman who was not his wife at his side. Behind him were soldiers and courtiers, just as Jaime knew there would be. He could also see the servants peeping in from the side doors, waiting to see when they should bring food in. He wondered if they had recognised him yet.
Jaime was treated to the wonderful sight of Addam's face as he realised what was going on. There was shock first and then he grinned a bit and then he scowled. "Jaime Lannister," he growled, stalking into the room, his mistress clamouring to keep up with him. The soldiers and courtiers were shocked. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
Jaime sighed, stretching his legs out and looking about him. He found Brienne watching him with amusement. "This is my wife, Addam, Lady Brienne of Tarth, by the way. Very rude not to ask," he said lazily, glancing down to look at his fingernails and then up again at Addam, who had narrowed eyes. "And where are your lovely wife and children? This one is blonder than your usual ones."
The woman's eyes widened and she glanced up at Addam with stricken eyes. Jaime smirked. "This chair is very comfortable, isn't it?" he said, running his hand along one of the arms.
"Where have you been, Lannister?" Addam said, his voice still more angry than pleased. Jaime knew him better than that, though.
Jaime shrugged. "You know, running around saving damsels in distress, getting married, enjoying the honeymoon period. I had to spend enough time breaking the wife in." Jaime expected the punch to his arm before he felt it and turned to grin at his wife, who was scowling. "Or she's been breaking me in," he revised. He saw the small smirk creep onto Brienne's lips before it vanished into a scowl.
"You know why I'm here, Addam. I'm here for my men."
Addam finally grinned. He was rather close to the top table now. "Finally," he said and Jaime's smirk turned into a genuine smile, watching his closest friend approach to take his hand.
XXX
"Sir, sir!" a voice cried, interrupting Gendry's conversation with the messenger that his spy in Cersei's circle had sent to give him information. Gendry looked up to find his best messenger, Mateos, jumping up and down with information.
"What is it, Mateos?" he asked with urgency.
Mateos smiled. "It's the Dragon Queen, sir," he said, still panting slightly. "She's taken the Vale."
Gendry's eyes widened. "Do we know anything else? How did it happen?"
"Lord Baelish has been imprisoned and the Lords of the Vale have sworn to the Dragon Queen." Gendry smiled. This would be terrible news for Cersei. "Sir, Sansa Stark is with her, and the Imp."
"Tyrion Lannister?" Gendry clarified, his mind whirring. They had heard that Sansa Stark had married the Bastard of Bolton and that Daenerys had taken the North, killing the Bastard. Not much had been heard of Sansa since, but it was clear now that she was alive and working with Daeneyrs and, apparently, Tyrion Lannister.
Gendry nodded slowly. "Mateos, I need you to find me a raven. You might have to go to the keep. We need to send a message to the Vale." Mateos ran off and Gendry turned back to his other messenger, though his mind was still with Sansa. If Sansa was at the Vale, did that mean Arya was at her side? Gendry knew that Arya's first priority would be to return to her family. His heart began to speed up. Perhaps he would see Arya before too long.
XXX
Baelish's trial was private, to an extent. Queen Daenerys presided, of course, because, as soon as Baelish had been imprisoned, the Lords of the Vale had agreed that they would support her claim to be queen. Sansa knew that they did so because of a dislike of Cersei rather than a love of Daenerys, but she also knew that Daenerys would bring them around, once they knew her.
Other than the queen, the Lords of the Vale were the judges. Sansa was the witness who would condemn him and Lord Tyrion and Arya were allowed to be her support. Jon, Ser Jorah and Lord Varys were spending time with the high-ranking soldiers, to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of the Knights of the Vale.
"Sansa, my dear, you went back to where I rescued you from," Baelish commented as two Knights of the Vale led him into his seat. Sansa ignored the comment. She felt Tyrion stiffen in anger at her side. It had been him, after all, who Baelish had taken Sansa away from. The thought that that had once been what she wanted was almost unbelievable.
"You are not allowed to speak to Lady Sansa, Lord Baelish," Queen Daenerys said, her face a mask. "Hold your tongue."
"Of course, your grace," Lord Baelish said, bowing his head as though a repentant. Sansa felt her heart stir in anger at the way he was playing false. She knew that he felt no remorse, ever.
"You are accused of the murder of Lady Lysa Arryn, Lord Baelish. How do you plead?"
"Innocent," Lord Baelish said. Sansa schooled her features not to show how she felt. She squeezed Tyrion's hand to encourage him to do the same. He would pay, no matter what he said.
And pay he did. The trial didn't last very long. Sansa gave her witness statement to the murder of Lady Lysa. It was her word against his but she was Lady of Winterfell and one of the queen's ladies. Her word was unchallenged and Baelish was condemned to death. Sansa allowed herself a smile as he was taken away to wait for his executioner.
Sansa was invited to watch the execution, as were all the participants in the trial and others within the Eyrie, but she declined, asking Tyrion to go in her stead. It was enough to know that he was to die. She did not necessarily have to see it, especially after having already seen Ramsay's.
"Arya," Sansa said, drawing her sister's attention back to her as they sat across from each other, at the lunch that the servants had set out for them. Arya was looking out at the mountains beyond.
Arya smiled. "Sorry," she said. "How do you feel now Baelish is dead?"
There was little time between Arya's arrival and Baelish's trial, but enough to give Arya the basic details of what had happened since they had last seen each other. Arya had been less forthcoming with details of her few years. "I feel fine. Can we speak about you for once?"
Arya groaned dramatically. "Sansa, you've been married three times, run away from King's Landing, run away from Winterfell and now you're the Lady of Winterfell. There is nothing I can have done in the past years that equates to that."
Sansa smiled at the way Arya had summed up the traumatic events of her life. As she opened her mouth to speak again, however, there was a knock at the door, soon revealed to be a messenger. "Thank you," Sansa said, taking the scroll and unfurling it.
"What is it?" Arya asked disinterestedly.
"It's-" Sansa swallowed, cutting herself off. Arya looked up. "It's from a man claiming to be Robert Baratheon's bastard, a smith from King's Landing."
"What?" Arya said, swiping the scroll from Sansa's hands. Sansa furrowed her brow as she watched emotions flicker across her sister's face: shock and then happiness and then a determination that made dread fill Sansa's stomach. "I have to go."
"Why?" Sansa said quietly.
Arya sighed. "I- This- I knew a smith once, by this name. I didn't know he was Robert's bastard, admittedly, but he was my friend and - I have to go and help him Sansa."
"Help him?" Sansa repeated incredulously. "Help him with what?"
Arya chuckled, a breathless thing. "He wants to deliver Daenerys King's Landing."