The aftermath of Ned Stark's discovery. Jaime heeds Margaery's opinion.
JAIME IV
"He knows about us. He knows the truth."
It had been several hours since Cersei told him what was said between her and Eddard Stark when they met in the godswood. The honorable Eddard Stark had found out about Jaime and his sister and their children, as Jon Arryn did before him. Jaime doubted this time they could rely on a timely death to get rid of the Lord of Winterfell. He had wanted to go right away and kill him when Cersei told him Stark was about to tell the king. It didn't matter if someone saw him. All that mattered now was to protect Cersei and their children. If he killed Ned Stark, the secret he discovered would die with him, and Jaime would face the consequences of his actions. Robert could try to execute him. Jaime would ask for a trial by combat.
The problem was, killing Ned Stark wouldn't keep the truth buried. According to that honorable ass, he had already sent two letters to warn people of his discovery. One had left with a ship bound to Dragonstone in the morning. It was intended for Stannis Baratheon, Robert's brother. However, that wasn't what bothered Jaime the most. It was the second letter he worried about. Ned Stark sent his best rider in the night through the Lion Gate, to follow the Goldroad. The second person to know about this would be Margaery Tyrell.
Jaime cursed Eddard Stark and all the wolves. Couldn't he write to Tyrion instead? No, he decided to write to his wife. It was their doom. Margaery Tyrell already despised him and Cersei. What would she think of them when she learns that he and Cersei had been sharing the same bed in secret for years? And Tyrion? How would that affect his marriage? Their alliance with House Tyrell in danger, the wrath of Robert Baratheon, the threat of a war with the North and possibly the Riverlands and the Vale, the ruin of his brother's marriage. What could be worse?
They couldn't stay put and do nothing. His sister-in-law reproached him more than enough to have done this in the past. Jaime wouldn't remain idle while his family was being destroyed. Cersei understood that very well too. They needed to act swiftly if they wanted to survive. His first thought after reflection had been to warn Tyrion, but Cersei discarded the idea. She didn't believe Tyrion would help them, or she didn't want him to help them. To Jaime, that was a folly. They needed Tyrion and his men more than ever, and they had to warn him about the message Ned Stark sent to his wife. Cersei would have none of it. They could only rely on their men here in the city.
It pained Jaime, but he had to give up the idea of asking for Tyrion's help. He could try to convince Cersei later. In the immediate time, they needed to neutralize both Stark and Robert. The king was hunting, but he would come back. Cersei told him to let her take care of her husband. The main threat for now was Eddard Stark. He told Cersei to ride for Casterly Rock with him and their children as quickly as possible and with as many men as they could. He said he wouldn't have their blood on his hands. The man was honorable, Jaime could give him that, but he was a fool. As if he and Cersei would run away. They were Lannisters, and Lannisters didn't run. They fought.
Ned Stark only had fifty men with him in the Red Keep. The red cloaks who were here to protect Cersei were two hundred. Jaime smiled at the prospect of a battle. It would be short, and wolf's blood would flow much more than lion's blood. Jaime led a body of thirty red cloaks through the corridors of the castle with the most important mission of all. Servants looked at them worriedly, giving way for them. Red cloaks seldom walked in such strong formation. They attracted attention for sure.
As they approached the Tower of the Hand, Jaime prepared. It was the wolf's lair. Jaime had spent about twenty years in the Red Keep, and he knew it better than Casterly Rock. If they acted quickly, all this would be over before anyone could realize what was going on. They walked along the corridors that rounded a small garden with a fountain. They were by the end of the afternoon now and light was beginning to fade. Days too long, life too short. The sound of the boots clicking on the marble was very distinct. As they turned a corner, a pretty young girl with red hair ran into them. She stopped at their sight and Jaime made his men halt.
"Lady Sansa."
Jaime didn't have much interaction with the Stark children in King's Landing. He didn't want another accident like the one in that tower at Winterfell to happen, so he kept his distance with them. Anyway, they reminded him of their father and he didn't like to think about Eddard Stark. Sansa Stark, on the other hand, the eldest daughter who was betrothed to Joffrey, barely reminded him of her father. She was more trout than wolf and mostly took after her mother. The youngest one had far more wolf blood in her veins from what he could tell. Jaime even thought he saw some of Lyanna Stark in her.
They were supposed to arrest the Stark girl in her room, but Jaime didn't expect she would be wandering around the Red Keep at this hour. She surprised them before they could reach the Tower. They had to deal with her. She was obviously distressed at the sight of so many Lannister men. However, the first words that came out of her pretty mouth weren't those Jaime expected.
"Ser Jaime! Please, hear me good knight, I need your help."
Before Jaime could recover from his surprise, a septa appeared behind the young lady. "Child, come back." Her eyes turned rounder when she realized how many men Jaime had behind him. "Sansa, come back."
"Wait a minute." Jaime raised his hand. "The young lady said she needed help. What do you need, sweet child? How can I be of help?"
"I must speak to the queen, ser. I know this is not appropriate, but I need to talk to her immediately. That's very important." The child was almost pleading.
"Sansa, don't do this," the septa warned her, but the Stark girl only had eyes for Jaime. He didn't know why she seemed so desperate, but why not use the situation to their advantage when an opportunity presented itself. He smiled warmly to the girl.
"You want to see the queen? Very well. Dake, Godwyn, escort the young lady to the queen's chambers. I'm sure my sister will be very interested in what she has to say."
"Thank you, ser. Thank you." Sansa Stark's face showed utter relief. A child's relief.
"Sansa, don't!" the religious woman shouted. She ran to catch the child's arm, but Jaime placed himself in the way and gently stopped the woman. He would say she was in the mid-forties.
Jaime repeated the order to his men. "Bring the lady Sansa to my sister. Don't worry. She'll be safe," he added in a whisper for the septa.
She had no fear to have concerning her little pup. Jaime grabbed the arm of the woman, holding it tight enough for her to not move, but not too strong enough either, to not hurt her. He didn't want to cause more pain than necessary. He waited for the Stark girl to be out of sight. He caught a glimpse of her face before she disappeared. She looked frightened, or uncertain, but she followed his two men dutifully all the same. Jaime let some time pass after she disappeared in another corridor, then he turned to the septa, whose arm he still held. He loosened the grip a little.
"I'm sorry," he said.
The next moment his dagger was in her heart. An expression of complete surprise came to her eyes. Jaime held her by the back and laid her carefully on the floor as blood filled her mouth. Then he stood up and watched her as her body slowly stopped moving and life left her. Her last gaze was for him, and it was one of hatred. Jaime regretted he had to kill her, but there was no other way around. He needed all his men to take the Tower of the Hand and make Ned Stark prisoner, but having one or two keep her prisoner would weaken his forces, and they couldn't allow her to warn someone of their plan. It was sad, but there was no other solution than killing her. At least he tried to kill her the gentler way possible, not like he murdered Aerys.
"Ser!" Jaime looked up at one of his men's shout to see three Stark guards staring at him from a distance. Damn! One of them ran away in the direction they came from. He was running to the Tower's stairs. Jaime knew immediately what they had to do. He drew his sword.
"Charge!"
The red cloaks followed him. Within a few seconds, the two guards were dead, one by his own hand, but it was only the beginning. Jaime ran after the third and his men followed him. They couldn't let him warn the others. They had to keep the effect of surprise. Two other men were guarding the entrance of the stairs. They were disposed easily as well. Jaime led his men through the stairs and corridors of the Tower of the Hand, leaving death behind them everywhere they went. Most of the Stark men were in their dormitories, unaware of what was going on and unprepared for battle. They died very quickly. When it became obvious for Jaime that most of the Stark guards were dead, he sent his men in smaller groups to search all the rooms of the Tower, then headed for the Hand's personal quarters.
They met Ned Stark before they reached his chambers. He came face to face with them along with ten of his men. And Kevan. He walked next to Ned Stark. What was he doing here? Jaime had to remind himself they told him nothing of their plan. Kevan wasn't involved. They should have told him. They both froze before each other.
"Ser Jaime," Stark said, cold as ice.
"Lord Stark," Jaime replied, displaying a mocking smile on his lips on purpose.
"Jaime, what's the meaning of this?" his uncle asked.
"The meaning of this…" Jaime began, "is… that Lord Eddard Stark, here… threatened the lives of the queen, Prince Joffrey, Prince Tommen and Princess Myrcella."
"This is a lie," the Northerner said.
"A lie? Really? Didn't you say to my sister in the godswood, this very morning, that she should leave the capital with her children as soon as possible if she wanted them to live? Are you going to deny it, Stark?"
A moment of silence passed. "I gave her a chance to save her children," he finally said.
"So you recognize you betrayed the Crown? You recognize that you threatened not only the queen, but also Robert's children, including his heir?"
"Joffrey has no right on the Iron Throne."
"You just condemned yourself with your own mouth, Lord Stark."
"Wait!" Kevan said. He stood between the two groups of fighters. Jaime had about the same number than Stark. It didn't matter. He had the best red cloaks with him, and himself. His uncle stared at the Lord of Winterfell. "Lord Stark, can you explain yourself?"
"You're a good man, Ser Kevan," Stark said, "but you don't know who your nephew and your niece truly are."
"I think he knows us well enough. He was there when we were born," Jaime retorted.
"Yes, you were born at the same time. You shared a womb, like your sister says. And she confirmed that you shared more than a womb."
"It's true," Jaime recognized. "We have a lot in common, Cersei and I. We care about our family. So when someone threatens our family, and threatens the queen and the king's children, not only I defend them out from the oath I took, but also because they are family."
"Oaths mean nothing to you. You swore to protect your king and you murdered him."
"Just like you would have murdered him if I didn't. You swore an oath to this king as well, and yet you rebelled against him."
"He killed my father, and my brother, and kidnapped my sister."
Jaime shrugged. "Technically, it's the prince who kidnapped your sister. And… considering one of the last orders the king gave me was to bring him my father's head… I think we have more in common than you might want to admit, Stark. Now, lay down your weapons and we will let you live."
"I do not obey you, Kingslayer."
"As you wish. I gave you a chance." He paused, then addressed his men. "Kill his men. Take him alive."
The Stark guards drew their swords instantly with their lord and the dance of swords began. Kevan drew his sword as well and met Stark's sword. The Lord of Winterfell looked surprised by this. Jaime's men attacked the Northerners. The corridor was narrow, which left small place to move. Jaime cut through one, two, then three of them. A fourth tried to take his head off. Jaime ducked easily and cut his head instead. He searched for Ned Stark, who he saw plunging his sword through one of the red cloaks' throat. Jaime threw himself forward. He waited for this moment long enough, the time when they would settle their accounts once and for all.
Ned Stark blocked his first attack and tried to hit him on the right flank, but Jaime stopped the sword easily. He waited for this a very long time and took joy in fighting Eddard Stark. To his great pleasure, the Lord of Winterfell held his ground quite well. He was a good sword. It would have been too easy if he had been a mean swordsman. Swords kept meeting and clashing against one another, none of them managing to take the advantage. It was only the two of them, with nothing to stand in the way.
After a time, Jaime stopped to smirk. Ned Stark wasn't only parrying his hits. He was also launching counter attacks, and almost managed to get through his defense. Jaime's mind focused on the duel and the duel alone, trying to find the weakness in his opponent's tactic, but he found none. Now he understood better how he could best three kingsguards. They broke their duel for a moment, facing each other, only a few feet separating them as they prepared for the next move.
Then Eddard Stark cried in agony as a spear pierced through his knee. Jaime realized that his uncle had plunged it through the former Hand's leg. Ned Stark was on his knees, without armor. All Jaime had to do was to finish him. It wouldn't be difficult. He was in no state to fight. But he couldn't. That wasn't the way it was supposed to take place. He wanted to defeat Ned Stark, not to kill him. With a raged cry, he hit the floor with his sword.
"Bring him to a tower cell." His uncle's voice brought him back to reality. His doublet and face were covered with strays of blood. "Fetch Pycelle to take care of his injuries. If he lets him die, tell him he will be hung for treason." The red cloaks didn't move anymore than Jaime for a time. "I gave you an order!"
The men carried them out immediately. One removed the spear from Stark's leg while two others dragged him, each one by an arm. Jaime looked around him. Only four of his men survived the battle.
"You, follow me!" His uncle's voice left no place to question. Jaime followed him like he would have followed his father.
On their way, Kevan inquired on the other red cloaks. All the northern guards were dead. He ordered some cloaks to clean the mess while he sent others to the portcullis, with the order to close it and let no one enter or leave. If the king was to come, they had to delay him and warn Kevan immediately so he could talk to Robert before anyone else could. The path they took afterwards led them to the royal apartments. Jaime had a good idea of who they were going to visit. On their way, Kevan assembled about twenty red cloaks to come with them. When they arrived before Cersei's rooms, he ordered their men to let no one enter. Kevan pushed the door and went in uninvited.
Jaime followed him inside to find Cersei discussing with Littlefinger. Both looked in his direction, alarmed, when he entered. "Please leave, Lord Baelish. I have important matters to discuss with the queen."
"As you wish, ser." The Master of Coin left with his usual smirk. Gods, Jaime hated that man.
As soon as the doors closed, Kevan looked at both of them with an expression that strangely reminded Jaime of their lord father. "Can you tell me what the hell is going on here?"
"We didn't expect you so soon, Uncle Kevan," Cersei said, all gentleness.
"I'm sure. I supposed you're the one who told Janos Slynt to invite me to meet him outside the city. It appears he had nothing of importance to tell me."
Cersei had tried to keep Kevan far away from the Red Keep while they would be dealing with the Starks. "Well, I'm glad you're here." She was good at faking. "In these terrible hours, family is all we can rely upon…"
"I doubt it. You didn't tell me you were about to slaughter Ned Stark's entire retinue, nor that you would have him arrested. What about his daughters?"
"They are well. No harm has come to them. We are watching them closely."
"Then in this case tell me why. You just assaulted the king's best friend and had dozens of people killed inside the Red Keep in times of peace. How can you explain that?"
Cersei's face was proud and unimpressed. "That is none of your concern as Master of Laws."
Kevan was obviously furious. Jaime supposed he didn't like to be left in the dark. He had been Father's closest advisor for many years. He was certainly always aware of his latest plans. "As a member of the small council, everything that concerns the king concerns me. And as the representative of the Lord of Casterly Rock here, everything you do is of my concern."
"I don't think so. I am the queen."
"The queen consort," Kevan rectified. "You really think you have any real power here? Everything you have, the gold, the men, they were given to you by your father, and then by Tyrion after him. He can call them back whenever he wants."
"Then I will wait for him to call them back." Cersei was smiling, cold as ice. She had a plan in mind.
"As you wish, your Grace. Jaime, come." Like a good dog, Jaime followed his uncle as he walked to the doors and opened them. He addressed the red cloaks in a voice loud enough for Cersei to understand all of it very clearly. "Guard this door. Don't let the queen leave these rooms under any reason."
Jaime looked back to see the stunned look on Cersei's face. Kevan kept walking away and Jaime kept his pace. The doors closed behind them and he heard shouting.
"Open the door! I'm your queen! I order you to open this door! How dare you? I am the queen!" The guards didn't allow her to leave. They kept the door closed despite Cersei's attempts to open it. They didn't obey her.
They walked to what Jaime knew were Kevan's private apartments. Kevan made a sign to make him understand to step in. He closed the door behind and sat behind his desk. He looked tired. "Cersei always overestimates her power. She doesn't realize that everything she has, she owes it to someone else. More than half the red cloaks were chosen by Tyrion, and some by me. He made it very clear to them that in the end, they were to follow my orders before Cersei's." Why didn't it surprise Jaime? Tyrion and Cersei hated each other. It wasn't unexpected that Tyrion would tell the red cloaks to follow an uncle who always respected him, and who advised him since he became lord, instead of the sister who always hated him. "Now, you're going to tell me everything, Jaime."
Jaime couldn't tell him. He couldn't tell him everything. "You heard my discussion with Eddard Stark. He threatened Cersei and her children."
"I heard that part. But I wonder why he threatened them. Why would he tell your sister to leave King's Landing when he just resigned as Hand? When I spoke to him yesterday, he seemed about to leave this very morning."
"I don't know. He threatened Cersei and her children. I couldn't stand by and let this happen. Cersei is my sister and her children are my nephews and niece. Father would have approved what I did."
"I doubt it. Tywin wouldn't have attacked the king's best friend in sight of everybody. This is the best way to have the Crown on our back. Robert will have our heads if anything happens to Eddard Stark."
"Robert won't be a problem for long."
"What does that mean?" Kevan asked with a frown.
Jaime shrugged. "I don't know. Cersei said she would deal with him."
Realization came to his uncle. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. "What led you to this madness?"
"Eddard Stark was going to say something to Robert that would have Cersei's head on a spike, and her children's heads next to hers. We had no choice. It was that or be killed."
"Is that so? What was Eddard Stark going to say to the king that could bring him to execute his wife and his children?" Jaime didn't reply. He tried to think about something, but nothing came to his mind. "Or should I say Cersei's children?" Jaime froze immediately. Kevan looked at him intently. "I suppose he discovered the truth about you two."
Jaime thought about denying it, but he didn't think it would work. It was obvious from the way he looked at him that Kevan knew the truth. "How do you know?"
"I was at Casterly Rock when your lady mother surprised you together at the age of nine and moved Cersei's room at the other side of the Rock to keep you apart. I kept the secret, like she did. When she died, I didn't want to make things worse than they already were for your father. He just lost his beloved wife. I didn't want to add to his troubles when he had just been given a dwarf as a son. I hoped it would vanish with time, but it seems I was wrong. You're not very good at hiding. I saw early that nothing had changed when I arrived in the capital."
Jaime could see how Kevan's eyes judged him for that. They were cold, just like his father's eyes. He remembered how Tyrion looked with disapproval after he pushed the Stark boy from that tower. "We had no choice," Jaime repeated.
"Eddard Stark said he gave Cersei a chance to save her children. What did he mean by that?"
With a sigh, Jaime told him everything he knew about the conversation between Cersei and Eddard Stark. When he was done, his uncle stretched his hand on his desk. "You should have accepted his offer."
"Accept? Robert would have us killed within the week."
"Unlikely. The king is hunting. He wouldn't have come back before days, maybe weeks. You would have more than enough time to place enough distance between you and the capital and reach the Westerlands. Tyrion and his bannermen would have sheltered you and we would have been able to make a deal allowing you and the children to live."
"You would have us let Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark tell the entire world that our children are born of incest?"
"Every house in the Seven Kingdoms will know it by the next two months. Eddard Stark wrote to Stannis Baratheon. He will make sure everyone is aware of the truth. He'll send ravens through all Westeros to spread the news. Even if Lady Margaery remains silent on that, everyone will know it soon enough. If you had accepted Eddard Stark's offer, we would have been able to arrange you a comfortable exile and the insurance that you would live. Now, because of your actions today, there will be war."
"We can win this war."
"Unlikely. We can only rely on Tyrion. The Westerlands are not strong enough to face the might of all the other kingdoms."
"We have the Reach at our side."
Kevan leaned forward. "When Margaery Tyrell reads Lord Stark's letter and learns the truth about Cersei's children, how long do you think the Reach will support Joffrey's claim?" Jaime had nothing to reply to this. "We could have prevented a war if you had ridden to Casterly Rock, and ensure your children's survival."
"You would have abandoned us?" Jaime asked, unbelieving.
"No. We would have made sure you stayed alive. Tyrion wouldn't have given up on you. He may hate Cersei, but he loves her children, Tommen and Myrcella, at least, and you were always his big brother. But now the only way forward is war. Robert will declare war upon us the moment he learns about what you did. His brothers will follow him, and so will the North, the Riverlands ad the Vale. Dorne is likely to stand by their side, and we can't be sure the Reach will help us."
"So, what are we going to do?" Jaime asked. Strategy wasn't where he was the strongest. He was a knight, not a war commander.
Kevan sighed. "There's no way to stop a war from happening now. All we can do is place all the chances on our side."
"How?"
"Did you warn Tyrion about the situation?" Kevan didn't need his answer to know it. "That's the first thing to do. Tyrion probably already knows about you and Cersei. He's clever, it would surprise me that he doesn't already know." Kevan was right about it. Tyrion was aware of the special bond between him and Cersei. "With some chance, he could even intercept the message Eddard Stark sent for his wife and convince her that Stannis is lying when the news begin to spread. We will need the Reach at our side when the war starts."
"What about Robert?"
"I hope your sister's plan works." Jaime almost sighed in relief. At least, Kevan approved that Robert had to die.
"And Robert's brothers?"
"There's nothing we can do about Stannis. He's out of our reach. Renly neither. He is at Storm's End. They will turn against us. As for the North… We'll have to convince Ned Stark to bend the knee."
"That won't be difficult, since he cannot stand on his feet," Jaime quipped.
Kevan didn't seem to find it funny. "I'll call all the lords and ladies of Westeros to King's Landing to proclaim Joffrey as their king. This includes Tyrion and his wife. We will need them here." Cersei would like it. "Now go. I have ravens to send and a lot of work to do. Seven Kingdoms are to be looked after, and many may be in open rebellion before long." Jaime walked away. "One more thing. You will not see Cersei again. You won't be allowed in her presence alone anymore. If you want to be a kingsguard, Jaime, I think it's time you behave like one."
As Jaime walked along the corridors, he wondered what it would be to live without Cersei. Well, things hadn't gone as horribly as he thought. Kevan would help them. Cersei wouldn't be happy about it, because she wouldn't get to rule as she always dreamed of, but her son would be king like she always wanted. In the end, it wouldn't be that different from what they hoped for.
On the way to his chambers, he crossed Meryn Trant's path who told him that Arya Stark escaped. Her dancing master held them while she ran away. Kevan wouldn't like it, and Cersei neither. At least they had the father and the eldest daughter. This should be enough to prevent Stark's son from doing anything foolish. Jaime realized quickly that it wouldn't be enough. The Starks being who they were, Robb Stark would march on King's Landing the moment he heard that his father and sister were imprisoned.
Jaime made sure the kingsguard remained loyal to Cersei and her children by assembling them and explaining they had to neutralize the Starks after they threatened the king, the queen and their children. That wasn't his watch, so he went to sleep that night.
He had difficulty to sleep. They would be at war soon. The last time he took part to a war was ten years ago, during the Greyjoy's Rebellion. He remembered talking about the siege of Pyke with one of Ned Stark's men. He said they fought together there. Was he among those he killed today? Now they would be at war again, and not again some petty lord who dreamed of plunder, but against the Starks, the Baratheons, the Tullys, and possibly the Arryns and the Martells. Kevan was right. They needed Tyrion, more than ever. He hoped his brother could convince his wife that whatever Ned Stark wrote was a lie. Jaime didn't know if he looked forward or dreaded the battles to come. He wasn't young as he once was. He had given up all his dreams of glory and honor when he witnessed the Mad King's folly. He had nothing to do of these things now. The only thing that mattered now was his family. Tyrion. Cersei. Their children. Genna. Kevan. Did he forget someone? He thought about it for a moment, and remembered someone very dear to his little brother. As such, she was the second most important person to protect. He couldn't let something happen to her. Tyrion. Margaery. Cersei. Their children. Genna. Kevan.
Jaime managed to sleep a few hours. The next morning, as he went to guard his sister, the queen, he slowly realized there were many gold cloaks patrolling the corridors. I've got a bad feeling about this.
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