Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun.

Book 2

Chapter One-Hundred and Twenty

Jaime knew well what it was like to live under a true tyrant, on some days he was certain that he could still smell the scent of cooking flesh and burning bones and silks and velvets catching fire and the coppery scent of blood in the air, and the memories of it would never leave him. It was clear however that some had forgotten what it had meant to live under the Mad King if they truly thought the anger of the new king was something that terrible to bear.

Eddard Stark sat atop the Iron Throne, his crown on his head and a deep frown on his face which in truth was just his face as Jaime had come to learn that the man looked miserable even when he was happy, at least with Aerys you could always tell what he was feeling from the way he held himself or just by looking at his face, most days he was in the same mood regardless. Endless and blind rage.

Jaime wouldn't be surprised if Eddard Stark looked the same when he was enraged as when he was making love to his queen, the man was a block of ice in all things but having spent years and years in close proximity to him Jaime had learned a bit to distinguish the subtleties of his demeanour and he could tell that the king was angry, but not enraged and he looked more tired to him than anything else.

No, it was the Queen that Jaime was sworn to protect that was enraged though Elia was doing her best to hide it from the assembled court but Jaime knew her well enough to see how she was truly feeling as she sat in her carved chair in front of the steps of the Iron Throne, her fingers were clenched tightly around her weirwood walking stick unit her knuckles were near as white as the wood she clenched tightly in her hands.

The entire court had been assembled in the early morning, many of them were still half asleep and at least a few were poorly trying to stifle yawns as they stood before their king. But there was fear present in the air as well, and Jaime knew that it was because none of the lords and ladies that stood assembled before the Iron Throne, nothing like this had happened in the court before.

"Septa Rhaenys, please step forward." Eddard Stark spoke, the words may not have been framed as a command but there could be no doubt that was what it was as the young holy woman step forward, into the looming shadow of the Iron Throne.

Jaime looked close at the girl, his niece. She was Cersei come again, though her eyes were Rhaegar's. Many a man could fall in love with those violet orbs and if the girl ever got it into her head that she wished to be a queen then he imagined that many men would die for them as well.

She stood tall before the throne and did not cringe even with all the eyes in the throne room on her, her hands clasped tight in front of her and her back straight, if she was afraid then she did not show it and for a moment Jaime could see the Queen that she could have been before him.

The girl then fell into an effortless curtsey and bowed her head. "Your Grace, I am your humble servant in all things."

Eddard Stark's frown deepened, it was a subtle thing but Jaime noticed right away. "You may stand Septa," at the words Rhaenys rose to her feet and waited for the king to speak again.

"Septa, your lady mother Princess Cersei and your brother have fled from the Red Keep without our leave and we can not forgive this. You were seen visiting your mother in her apartments on the morning of the day before she and your brother left our custody, I will ask you plainly. Did your mother make any mention of her plans to leave the Red Keep to you?"

"No." The answer came as soon as it was asked and there was already mummering at the sides of the throne room, the vicious buzzing of a court that was always looking for weakness. That hadn't changed no matter who was placing their arse on the Iron Throne. Queensguard, like their cousins in the Kingsguard, were meant to keep silent but what that meant was that all Jaime could do was listen and the buzzing was hard to ignore.

The girl had been too quick to answer, which meant that she was guilty. The girl had spoken too firmly, which meant she was guilty. The girl had said she wasn't guilty, that meant she was guilty. The vultures could see that there was nothing to be gained in keeping this former Princess alive, no way she could be used to their advantage, and so they were keen to be rid of her.

Eddard Stark said nothing as he stared down at her from high above on the Iron Throne but after a moment he nodded, "I see, thank you Septa. You may withdraw."

Rhaenys nodded and made her way toward the gallery with her head held high, Jaime watched as the crowd parted for her and he wished he could help her but he had his duties and he swore his vows and so he stayed where he was.

"Tygett Targaryen, step forward." Came the word from on high and his son stepped forward, the boy was every inch a Lannister and Jaime wondered if he had looked like that when he was young. The lad was tall, but lanky with a head full of golden curls and bright green wide eyes, a comely looking boy to be sure but the terror came off of him in waves.

The boy seemed to be trying to make himself smaller as he stepped into the shadow of the Iron Throne and Jaime could see that the boy was shaking and for a moment he wondered if the boy was going to be sick but he seemed to keep a hold of himself, though he was very pale.

The king spoke, his voice was not raised but it was not any gentler than it had been with the boy's sister, "Tygett, I must ask you to be honest with me now. Did your mother or your brother ever mention anything to you about any plans to leave the Red Keep without our permission, tell me truly now."

Tygett opened his mouth but no words came out of his mouth as he stood there, instead a high pitched noise was all that left and a moment later the boy burst into tears and a long rambling collection of words, interspaced with breathless sobbing, and Jaime could only stand and watch the sight from his place, shame and pity swelling in him at the sight.

Eddard Stark said nothing as the boy kept crying in front of the entire court, his face was stone but the man's eyes were slightly softer than they had been when he had been speaking to the lad's sister and when the boy started to gasp for air the king gestured down towards the Grand Maester who was sat at the long table that had been placed before the Iron Throne for the Small Council to sit. "Grand Maester, will you please take Tygett from the throne room and put him to bed with a sleeping draught?"

"But of course, Your Grace," Grand Maester Ryam spoke as he rose from the table and walked around it to cross the throne room to take the lad by the arm and lead him out of the throne room, the man was older than almost everyone in the throne room but not as old as Pycelle had been which was a good thing at this one was at least less likely to die in his sleep.

It had been something of a shock, though hardly a massive one, when Pycelle was found dead in his bed within his chambers when he had not attended the small council meeting that he had been summoned for, he was an old man and in the days leading up to his death he had been sluggish and he had been sleeping later and later, but the rate at which he had degraded had been quick.

And thus word had been sent to the citadel for a new Grand Maester, and Ryam had been sent to them very quickly. Perhaps they had been expecting Pycelle to die due to his age or perhaps they had simply had their choice for Grand Maester already picked out regardless of when Pycelle died.

Jaime did not know what to make of him, he had not been within the capital for long but he seemed less tiresome than Pycelle and he could certainly do things faster than the old man could but Jaime had survived in King's Landing long enough to know that no man was what they seemed to be, Ryam was more affable than Pycelle had ever been with an easy smile that made Jaime think of his Uncle Gerion.

The King looked down at his herald who slammed the but of his staff down to the floor and called an end to court, the lords and ladies slowly slipped out of the throne room and once it was nearly empty Eddard Stark began to descend down the twisted iron steps of the great and monstrous throne, the room was entirely empty aside from the Queen, the Small Council and both orders of knights when he finally reached the marble dais.

"We should take their heads," Hoster Tully said as Eddard Stark stepped down from the dais towards the long table, arm in arm with his queen, "Their brother had committed treason and fled from under our very noses, the nobles will sense weakness and they have two Targaryen that they can use as pawns for their own ends, and there are many who remember what Prince Rhaegar was like before the war, many might wish for a return to that."

The frown that crossed the King's face was severe, even for him, as the hand that he had not chosen spoke. "They are children, they've been raised alongside my own. My own daughter sees Princess Rhaenys as someone to admire and follow into a life of service and duty and while I might not understand her wish I have accepted it, Prince Tygett is a shy and bookish boy that does not have the nature to harm anyone. I will not kill them."

"Ned," Jon Arryn was the only man on the small council who would dare to speak to the king so casually, and he was not even his hand. Not in name at least. "I know you do not want to hear this, I do not want to say it. But we have a Targaryen prince loose in the world and apparently, Mace Tyrell's favourite son has gone off with him and if he turns up in Highgarden then Aemon could soon have all the swords of the Reach fighting to put him on the throne."

"And if Tyrell goes then Lannister won't be far behind," growled Quellon Greyjoy, the man reaching out for a square of silk on the table to cover his mouth when he coughed. "I warned my lords that little bitch cousin of his has been building up the fleet outside of Lannisport, I sent ravens to her and to Lord Tywin and told them they were in violation of the quotas I set for the number of ships they were allowed to have, I still have not yet seen a response from either one of them."

"We have been too lenient with that kingdom if you ask me, the west has been brazen with their defiance to the crown for almost as long as you've been sitting on the throne your Grace," spoke Bronze Yohn Royce, and Lord Staedmon and Lord Karstark nodded in agreement. "Princess Cersei is Lord Tywin's daughter, Prince Aemon is his grandson. How do we know that they are not safely tucked away deep inside of Casterly Rock at this very moment."

"I will not insult my lords by suggesting that relations between the Crown and the West are...perfect," It was Lord Farman that spoke then, Jaime had known Sebaston Farman when they had both squired for old lord Crakehall but they had not been friendly with each other, he had kept trying to convince Jaime to wed his sister Jeyne who had been sent to Casterly Rock to act as a companion for Cersei.

The callow boy that he had been would probably have taken some joy in how clearly miserable the other man was being within the capital, and he wouldn't deny that he found it a little bit amusing now as well, it was something of a thankless task after all as he was here to represent the Westerlands interests while the West itself did not care for what the Iron Throne could do for them.

"However, none of us are traitors to the throne either. We all remember too well the horrors of the rebellion and none in the west wish to see that repeated, I can assure you." To be fair to the man he almost managed to make it sound convincing.

"I do not think that Cersei would have taken Aemon to Casterly Rock regardless," The Queen said then and she tapped her walking stick rapidly against the floor of the throne room. "Lord Tywin has never forgiven her for costing their house victory during the Grand Council, I imagine that if she did turn up there then she would not have long to live."

"What about Highgarden?" Lord Fowler asked, his blue eyes cutting over to where the flatulent flower of the Tyrell bush was sitting, who glared back at him at the same time. "Loras Tyrell is Mace Tyrell's favourite child, as Lord Arryn just pointed out, and it would be possible to get Oldtown by ship and then ride down to Highgarden itself. I doubt Mace Tyrell would turn them away, Aemon is of good age to be married to his daughter and what father does not wish for anything less than his daughter to be a Queen."

"Now hold there a moment Lord Fowler, it is true that Loras may be doted on by my nephew, I always thought a little too much if anyone ever deigned to ask my opinion on the matter but it's something of a leap to go from that to suggest that he is harbouring a traitor to the crown."

"And so if Aemon Targaryen does show himself at Highgarden, we can trust your nephew to deliver him, and his son, to the crown for justice?" Lord Fowler asked him and Garth Tyrell coughed, then farted, and spoke again.

"But of course."

"Enough," Spoke the king as he rubbed at his eyes. "We don't know where they are, and until we know this is something of a pointless conversation. I've made my decision regarding Rhaenys and Tygett, they are not to be touched. When Aemon shows himself then we will deal with that then, you may leave now my lords."

The lords of the no-longer small council slowly left the throne room until only the King, the Queen and the knights that were sworn to protect them were left. "We can not do nothing."

"What would you have me do?" The King asked as he turned to face his wife. "Shall I call the banners and march against the West, against the Reach when we have no evidence that they had anything to do with it? This could have just been a plot that Cersei Lannister thought up, with the aid of that eunuch. I told you that we should have dismissed him from court long ago, but you insisted he could be useful."

"And he was useful, I knew we couldn't trust him but I had hoped that I would be able to see any betrayals coming, I had eyes on him but all of those that I assigned to that task have vanished, I'm assuming either dead or turned." The Queen frowned. "Ned, this is not good. This is how wars get started when others see there is another choice that might be more favourable to what they want and the Westerlands and the Reach still outnumber the rest of the Seven Kingdoms put together."

"I am well aware of all of this, I am not asking what is actually happening I am asking what you think we should do about it." Ned Stark rubbed at his again, the silver in his standing flush against the skin of his temples. "Tell me what you think that we should do?"

The Queen sighed heavily and shook her head. "I don't know, we can't let Garth Tyrell or Lord Farman leave the city. They aren't exactly the greatest hostages that we could ask for but they are better than nothing. Garlan and his wife serve us better in that, though we shall be slightly less strident with them as if they try to leave then that's proof enough of Highgarden's guilt. One of Tyrell's baseborn sons squires for you, does he not? That's something else that we can use against Highgarden if we have to."

"He's a child."

"How many children are in the city my love? How many thousands? How many will die when Lannister's sword and Tyrell's axe break down the gates? How many will choke on smoke as their homes are burned down by fire arrows? One child against all of them, I know the choice that I would make." The Queen looked sad and crossed the distanced between herself and her husband and cupped his cheek.

"It's just a precaution, he'll still be your squire and Garth will still be Master of Coin and Garlen will still be one of your courtiers while Leonette serves as my lady, for the moment, it's just that they won't leave the Red Keep and nor will Farman." Elia raised up to press her lips against her husband and the king raised his arms to wrap around his wife's middle for the next five minutes the two of them just stood there wrapped up in one another while Jaime had to ignore the ache in his shoulders.

The king left first, his sworn brotherhood of knights following behind him like a flock of geese and once it was simply the Queen and her own guard she turned to face them. "You all of you know your duties so go and see to them, Ser Jaime I wish to see you in my solar now."

The air in the Queen's solar was thick with the scent of cinnamon, jasmine and orange peel when they arrived and Elia dismissed the two of her maids that were in the solar waiting for them, the Queen then took her seat behind her desk and looked at him. Jaime saw the lines around her eyes and her mouth, the silver that was slowly starting to outnumber the black in her hair but she was still beautiful.

"What would you have of me, your Grace?" Jaime asked of her as he stood in front of the desk, his hands folded behind his back.

"We're old friends, are we not Ser Jaime?"

"I am honoured to be considered a friend to your Grace," Jaime said, his words were perfect but he felt a stir of dread in his gut as the Queen did not answer his question.

"Are you loyal to me?"

"I swore my vows to you, your Grace, I swore to protect and die for you, to kill for you, to forsake lands and honours, titles and children for you. To obey and to keep your secrets. I would swear all those vows again today if I had the chance over again." And he would, Eddard Stark had been right all of those years ago. He did love her and he would do anything for her.

For a moment his Queen looked so sad, but only for a moment as her features hardened. "Your sister has fled, she means to commit treason and to put her son on the throne. The throne that my husband currently sits on and how many will die when they come for it? I need to know that when the day comes you will fight to defend me and mine, could you kill your sister if I needed you to do that?"

Jaime frowned as for the first time in a long time he turned his thoughts on to his sister, how long had it been since he had actually spoken to Cersei? It felt like years, it must have been at least and that conversation had not exactly been pleasant to dwell on, he had a vague memory of a vase of orchids being thrown but he couldn't remember if it had been him who had thrown it or if it had been Cersei.

It had probably been Cersei.

But she was still Cersei, his sister and the woman that he had based so much of his life around her and he still loved her, a part of him always would and could he truly bring himself to harm her? He didn't know.

But that wasn't what the other woman he loved and swore to serve wanted to hear and so he nodded. "Whatever your Grace has need of me, I shall do."

"I am glad to hear it," The queen rose from behind her desk. "Because I have a task for you."

End of Chapter One-Hundred and Twenty.