"You can't siege Riverrun," Maya shouted at him.
This is the third argument the Lord and Lady of Casterly Rock have had in the past week. Maya and Jaime have done nothing, but argue with each other ever since their disagreement of where the future of their family lies. Jaime wanted to stay, but Maya wanted to go as far away from Westeros and Essos as possible.
Jaime thought it foolish to live their lives not knowing where they will be going which led to Maya finding a letter addressed to Jaime when she was trying to find the book that told of other lands beyond Essos and Westeros. Jaime's letter stated that of the amount of supplies, men, and horses that they will need in order to siege Riverrun and force her great uncle, Brynden to give up Riverrun while Edmure was still held captive in The Twins with the Freys.
In a letter addressed to Maya which Jaime had also hidden from her, Brynden was refusing to give up Riverrun and was holding it for several months now in Robb's name. He urged her to come fight with him and that the Northerners will rise up once again when they saw that she was willing to fight once again for her family. He show relentless determination to fight for Riverrun, his home. He told her the truth of the Red Wedding, knowing that she would want to know what the Freys did to her family. The letter was personal and the fact that Jaime had read and hid it from her knowledge infuriated her beyond belief.
"I have to," he retorted. "It is the king's command, Maya."
"You mean Cersei's command. You would go back to her after what she did-"
"I haven't forgotten what she did nor am I ever going back to her, but I have orders and must obey them."
"You are going to torture my uncles who have been put through the deepest of the seven hells already by watching their entire families die-my family died," Maya sneered at him. "How can you just ignore that?! He's my uncle and you're planning to do Gods' know what to him. They are the only family I have left. Gods only know if Sansa and Arya are still alive. They are all I have left...please don't do this."
"You can't stop this, Maya. I have to do this for the sake of our family. I don't have a choice."
"You've always had a choice and your rebellious nature is the reason why I love you," Maya said truthfully to him. "You walked away from sieging Riverrun once because it was the wrong choice...do it again for me."
After a moment, Jaime muttered, "I can't...I can't do this for you."
"Am I not enough now? Have you finally grown bored of me? Perhaps we've grown too different now to love each other anymore."
"I still love you."
"You love me less than you did before...go then! Go seige the entire fucking Riverlands for all I care, but once you do, you will lose me forever."
"Why can't you just trust me for once?"
"Because you have the tendency to hide things from me constantly."
"If I didn't hide that letter from you then you would have gotten yourself killed protecting a family that's already extinct!"
"Well then that's my decision to make, not yours," Maya shouted at him. "This letter was sent to me before I was with child so I could've gone and helped my family. How can I trust you when all you've done is put doubt in my mind?"
"I am your family now, not them."
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," Maya quoted. "He's my family too, doesn't matter if he's a fish, he's still blood. Family, duty, honor...the Tullys are my family too and my mother would've wanted me to help him."
"You will stay here, Maya or seven hells, I will come looking for you, drag you back here, and never let you leave The Rock," Jaime warned then left their chambers.
Maya's belly was larger than ever, she smoothed her hand over her stomach to calm the fire burning inside of her at Jaime's stubbornness.
ONE MONTH LATER
Ser Brynden's horse's hooves clattered against the planks of the drawbridge. Jaime already disliked the man once he saw him, perhaps it was because of the contents contained in the letter to his wife.
Jaime had thought long and hard about what to wear to this meeting; in the end, he had chosen a leather jacket and a crimson cloak. The cloak was flowing behind him as he sat up high on his horse, reminding Ser Brynden of Tywin Lannister in his younger years.
"Kingslayer," said Tully.
Jaime was resolved to keep his temper for the sake of Maya since he knew that if anything were to happen to her precious great uncle then he would surely face the consequences of his actions.
"Blackfish," he responded. "Thank you for coming."
"I assume you have returned to fulfill the oaths you swore my niece," Ser Brynden said. "As I recall, you promised Catelyn her daughters in return for your freedom. Yet I do not see the girls. Where are they?"
He wants me to admit of my failure...he wants to show everyone especially the spies which will surely report back to Maya of this meeting that he isn't an Oathkeeper, that he breaks his vows like how a Dothraki takes slaves.
"I do not have them."
"Pity. Do you wish to resume your captivity? Your old cell is still available. We have put fresh rushes on the floor."
Jaime narrowed his eyes at him, giving him a mocking smirk. "That was thoughtful of you, ser, but I fear I must decline. I prefer the comforts of my pavilion."
"Whilst Catelyn enjoys the comforts of her grave."
It doesn't matter, Jaime thought bitterly, no matter who I marry or the things I do for her, no one will seem to accept that I've changed. Partially at least.
Jaime noticed the look on the fish's face. It was the exact same look, Eddard Stark had on when he found Jaime on the Iron Throne with the Mad King's blood on his blood and his body only just a mere couple of feet away from where he sat.
"I came to speak of the living, not the dead. Of those who need not die, but shall . . ."
"Unless I hand you Riverrun. Is this where you threaten to hang Edmure?" Ser Brynden finished, his eyes stone, reminding him of Catelyn Stark. "My nephew is marked for death no matter what I do. So hang him and be done with it. I expect that Edmure is as weary of standing on those gallows as I am of seeing him there."
"I'll return your nephew in exchange for Riverrun."
"As you returned Lady Catelyn's daughters?"
Jaime still held that bitter smirk upon his face. "A castle for your liege lord with no bloodshed. That's a better bargain than you could have hoped for."
Ser Brynden smiled a hard smile. "You do not lack for gall, Kingslayer. Bargaining with oathbreakers is like building on quicksand, though. Cat should have known better than to trust the likes of you. I only pray that Maya knows better now."
"Leave my wife out of whatever it is you think you are trying to achieve," Jaime warned lightly. "The promises I made to Lady Catelyn were at swordpoint."
"And the oath you swore to Aerys?"
He felt his phantom fingers twitching. "Aerys is no part of this. Will you exchange Riverrun for Edmure?"
"No. My king entrusted me to keep this castle safe specifically, and I swore to keep it. I will not hand it over to a Frey of all people."
"Maya wants it. No harm will come to you or Edmure. You have my word on that."
"Your word of honor?" Ser Brynden raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what honor is?"
A horse, he wanted to say, but bit his tongue, thinking it wise to not anger him even more since the Freys always kept on tugging the hypothetical noose around Edmure Tully's neck. "I will swear any oath that you require."
"Spare me, Kingslayer."
"I want to. Strike your banners and open your gates and I'll grant your men their lives. Those who wish to remain at Riverrun in service to Lord Emmon may do so. The rest shall be free to go where they will, though I will require them to surrender their arms and armor."
"I wonder, how far will they get, unarmed, before 'outlaws' set upon them? You dare not allow them to join Lord Beric, we both know that. And what of me? Will I be paraded through King's Landing to die like Eddard Stark?"
"I will permit you to take the black. Ned Stark's bastard is the Lord Commander on the Wall."
The Blackfish narrowed his eyes. "Did your father arrange for that as well? Catelyn never trusted the boy, as I recall, no more than she ever trusted Theon Greyjoy. It would seem she was right about them both-"
"Your niece trusts the bastard on The Wall. So do I then."
"No, ser, I think not. I'll die warm with a sword in hand running red with lion blood."
"Tully blood runs just as red," Jaime reminded him. "If you will not yield the castle, I must storm it. Hundreds will die."
"Hundreds of mine. Thousands of yours." The Blackfish reminded him. "Lady Maya won't let you though. Kill me that is. I am her family and that means the world to her since your family butchered them. Do you sing, Kingslayer? Do you sing to your unborn child? Do you sing it to the tune of 'The Rains of Castamere'? My men would sooner die upon their feet fighting than on their knees beneath a headsman's axe."
This is not going well, Jaime thought with a sneer. "This defiance serves no purpose. The war is done, and your Young Wolf is dead."
"Murdered in breach of all the sacred laws of hospitality."
"Frey's work, not mine."
"Call it what you will. It stinks of Tywin Lannister."
"My father is dead as well."
"May the Father judge him justly."
"I would have killed Robb Stark, but my wife stopped me and she is the only reason why I have not yet killed you, Blackfish. So does it matter how he perished? He's dead, and his kingdom died when he did."
"You must be blind as well as maimed, ser. Lift your eyes, and you will see that the direwolf still flies above our walls. It still lies within your wife-my niece as well. It lies within your own child. You may think you've tamed the wolf inside of your wife, but you're only just seeing the tip of it. I know why the reason why she did not come was because of you."
"She is with child, only most likely two moons left. She did not come for the sake of our child. It doesn't matter though since all your bannermen have yielded. Only Riverrun remains. We have twenty times your numbers."
"Twenty times the men require twenty times the food. How well are you provisioned, my lord?"
"Well enough to sit here till the end of days if need be, whilst you starve inside your walls," He lied easily.
"The end of your days, perhaps. Our own supplies are ample, though I fear we did not leave much in the fields for visitors."
"We can bring food down from the Twins," said Jaime, "or over the hills from the west, if it comes to that."
"If you say so. Your wife will grow apart from you if you stray too long. She will no longer love you if you do. I still don't know why she does love you. Far be it from me to question the word of such an honorable knight."
"There is a quicker way to decide the matter. A single combat. My champion against yours."
"I was wondering when you would get to that," Ser Brynden laughed. "Who will it be? Strongboar? Addam Marbrand? Black Walder Frey? Why not you and me, ser?"
"I made a promise to Maya. When Lady Catelyn freed me, she made me swear not to take arms again against the Starks and Tullys."
"A most convenient oath, ser."
His face darkened. "Are you calling me a coward?"
"No. I am calling you a cripple." The Blackfish gestured at Jaime's golden hand. "We both know you cannot fight with that."
"I had two hands. Some might say a cripple and an old man are well seems to satisfy Maya."
"You bastard."
"Free me from my vow to Lady Catelyn and I will meet you sword to sword. If I win, Riverrun is ours. If you slay me, we'll lift the siege."
Ser Brynden laughed again. "Much as I would welcome the chance to take that golden sword away from you and cut out your black heart, your promises are worthless. I would gain nothing from your death but the pleasure of killing you, and I will not risk my own life for that . . . as small a risk as that may be."
"Are there any terms you will accept?" he demanded of the Blackfish.
"From you?" Ser Brynden shrugged. "No."
"Why did you even come to treat with me?"
"A siege is deadly dull. I wanted to see this stump of yours and hear whatever excuses you cared to offer up for your latest enormities. They were feebler than I'd hoped. You always disappoint, Kingslayer." The Blackfish wheeled his mare and trotted back toward Riverrun.
Jaime turned his horse's head for the long ride back to the Lannister siege lines. He could feel the eyes on him; the Tully men upon their battlements, the Freys across the river. He would need to storm the castle. Well, what's one more broken vow to the Kingslayer? Jaime resolved to be the first man on the battlements.
Jaime glanced down at the golden hand at his side, scowling a little.
With this golden hand of mine, I'll most likely be the first to fall.
TBC…
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I think that next chapter, you all are gonna be so happy because Maya will welcome someone new into her family so I can't wait for you guys to read that chapter. I hoped you all liked this chapter.
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