Instead of taking the River Road all the way to the Westerlands, Jacqueline decided to cut across the green plains and cross the Red Fork well past Riverrun, the ancestral seat of House Tully. Jacqueline had never traveled alone. She rarely went anywhere without an escort, even in King's Landing where she was always shadowed by Ser Antario. Nonetheless, Jacqueline had heard constant stories of the horrors that befell woman alone on the road while at King's Landing but, so far, she had experienced none of them. She avoided towns and inns, except when she needed food. Jacqueline doubted anyone would recognize her but she wanted to evade any potential question about why she was in the Riverlands alone. Just riding to Casterly Rock to alert the Lannisters that the daughter of your liege lord has taken one of them hostage.
Jacqueline was thankful it didn't rain as she got closer to the Westerlands; she didn't want to get stuck in the flood waters of the Red Fork. But as the flat plains started to give way to hills when Jacqueline crossed over into the Westerlands, the sky began to darken and Jacqueline decided to pick up the pace to find shelter before the rain began. By the time she crossed back onto the road the surrounding trees started to thin and Jacqueline could see farther into the distance. Evening was still a couple of hours away when she spotted them.
The mass of red tents was a stark contrast to the green landscape around it. Jacqueline couldn't be certain from the distance but a number of the red banners appeared to have a golden lion in the center. The camp was still a distance away and she lost view of it once she descended the hill she as on but Jacqueline kicked her horse into a run, determined to the reach the camp before nightfall. Though, she couldn't figure out why there would be a Lannister camp this far away from Casterly Rock and she hoped its appearance didn't have anything to do with Catelyn Stark. But why else would Lord Tywin be gathering his forces, Jacqueline thought as the road was once again surrounded by a thick cluster of trees.
There were three of them standing in the road. She thought they were soldiers, sentries perhaps, so she slowed her horse to walk. But as Jacqueline got closer to the men she noticed that none of them wore Lannister red or any significant color that announced their allegiance. But they were armed. The man closest to her, who stood a bit in front of the two, had a sword strapped around his waist. His companions behind him were shorter and carried an axe that look like it was made more for cutting wood than killing men and the other was only armed with an bow, which he had yet to draw. The man in front put up his hand, signaling her to stop, which she did.
Jacqueline made certain to stop a good distance away from the men so she was well out of reaching distance of their weapons, with the exception being the archer. The man with sword apparently wasn't happy with the distance between then, as he moved forward silently, only coming to a halt right in front of her horse. The man was young, not yet thirty years, with mud colored hair that stuck to his head with sweat and grim.
Jacqueline was uncomfortable with his lack of distance from her. She was even more uncomfortable with the men's lack of colors or banners. She was now in the Westerlands, so most likely they were sworn to Lord Tywin or one of his bannermen. But they were also close enough to the Riverlands that they could possibly pledge fealty to the Tullys. Or they could be neither. Outlaws. They certainly looked the part. Rough clothes, bannerless, and their weapons looked to be quite old and worn.
"The road ain't safe for a woman alone." The man said, with his hands on hips with easy access to his sword. His rough accent confirmed Jacqueline's belief that he was a commoner. I've had no trouble thus far, she thought to herself.
"Who said I was alone?" She said firmly, in the strongest voice she could manage without sounding too rude. Better to leave them in doubt than confirm their suspicions. The man looked about quite clownishly before giving her an expecting look. Jacqueline noticed that his eyes were the same dirty color as his hair. "Lord Tywin Lannister is expecting me," she lied. "Let me pass."
The man didn't appear to hear her. Instead he casually took hold of her horse's bridle and stepped closer. "You got any gold?" He asked boldly. Robbers. Jacqueline had very little money left. She had a sneaking suspicious that she had been overcharged each time she stopped for supplies simply because she was a woman. She didn't argue with the merchants though. And her silence had severely depleted her purse and the current contents of which were not likely to please the robbers that blocked her way.
She took hold of the small dagger that was hidden near the pommel of her saddle. She had never used it before and she hoped it would remain that way. "I have nothing of value for you," she said more rudely. "Now get out of my way or Lord Tywin will hear of you boldness." Jacqueline also decided to remove one foot from its place in the stirrup, ready to the kick the man in the face if need be.
Unfortunately, she never got the chance to do so before he acted. The man pulled his own dagger from his belt and slashed her horse across the neck. Warm liquid splattered onto her face before Jacqueline was thrown from the panicked horse. Somehow, how she managed not to stab herself with the dagger that she gripped in her hand when she landed with a loud thud on the dirt road. The sounds of her dying horse echoed in her ears as Jacqueline tried to get rid of the dizziness that swarmed her head. She also heard the sound of many hooves beating across the ground.
She felt hands pulling at her clothes then, digging into her pockets and removing their contents. Unsatisfied, the rough hands moved to her neck, pulling at the gold chain and her mother's locket that was attached to it. Instinctively, Jacqueline swung her arm up, intent on pushing the hands' owner away from her. Instead, the dagger she held planted itself in the man's throat, just below his chin. The sound of the metal cutting through his skin was louder than everything else around her. Blood covered her hand and the man collapsed top of her which caused the dagger to widen the gash in his throat. An iron smelled crept into her nose and the taste of it in her month.
Then the sound of hooves came to an abrupt end and more voices took their place. There were a number of angry shouts but Jacqueline was more concerned with the dead man that now pinned her to the ground. She was nearly in tears from both fear and frustration by the time the body was pulled off of her and tossed to the side. Jaime Lannister quickly pulled to her feet and grabbed Jacqueline roughly by the shoulders to look her in the eyes.
"What in the name of the gods are you doing here, Jacqueline?" He all but screamed while taking the gory dagger from her bloody hand. She started crying then.
Author's Note
Once again, sooooo sorry for the wait. School and writer's block got in the way.