Robb Stark escorted Jacqueline to her horse the next morning, with Theon and a few armed northmen trailing closely behind. The moment she had walked out of her tent just after dawn, he asked her again if she would rather join Lady Catelyn on her journey to the Stormlands. Again, Jacqueline denied the offer and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Robb's mind appeared to be elsewhere and Jacqueline was content not to bother him. His emotions seemed to always be subdued when he wore the large bronze crown atop his head. Jacqueline didn't let her eyes linger on the Stark boy and instead she turned them upwards. The sky was cloudy and she hoped it wouldn't rain. She was tired of riding through the rain.

When they reached her horse, which had been readied for her, Jacqueline turned towards Robb to say her farewells. The King in the North kept a formal distance, which she expected. If he was still upset with the way the events of the previous night had turned out, his face didn't show it. Still, Jacqueline felt slightly guilty for spurning his advances.

Without much thought, she unpinned the golden stag brooch from her riding cloak and pressed it into Robb's hand. "I hope at least one of my brothers proves helpful towards you cause, your grace." If House Baratheon and House Stark could somehow put their differences aside and unite, the Lannisters wouldn't stand a chance. But those differences were large and to bridge them would require compromises on all sides. But Stannis wasn't one to compromise, especially when he was in the right. Without compromise, the war ahead would be a long one.

Jacqueline hadn't expected Robb to give her something in return, but the King in the North unpinned the silver direwolf brooch from its place on the leather strap of his large fur cloak and handed it to her. "Stay safe, Lady Baratheon. My sisters are counting on you." He said softly, reminding her of the promise she made, first to his father and now to him. She nodded, before turning away and mounting her horse with the help of the stable boy. She tucked the Stark brooch safely inside the pocket of her cloak, fully aware that it would not be wise to wear such a thing in public once she returned to the capital. But she was happy to have it none the less.

The journey back to King's Landing was tense. The captain of the Lannister guards had tried to interrogate her about what had occurred inside the Stark camp while she was there, but Jacqueline ignored him. He had then made it clear that he would be telling Lord Tyrion and Queen Cersei about her refusal to allow the Lannisters to escort her. Again, Jacqueline ignored him, having already expected as much.

The clouds had moved on by the time they reached the capital, allowing the sun to shine brightly on the city. It was midday when Jacqueline dismounted her horse in front of the Red Keep. She saw the Lannister captain all but run inside the castle, undoubtedly on his way to the queen. Jacqueline had spent the return journey thinking of an appropriate account of what happened in the Stark camp and she only hoped that she made the lie believable. She passed the reins to a waiting Antario

"See to your family, Ser Antario. It'll be awhile before I speak with Lord Tyrion, and I don't expect much trouble when I do." Tyrion would be no trouble, but she was less sure about Cersei.

"Are you sure, my lady?" The knight asked.

"Yes, if the dwarf really expected Robb to hand Ser Jaime over to me then he's as stupid as he is short." She picked up her skirts and walked into the castle.

Jacqueline had intended on going straight to her chambers to take a bath and change her clothes but the doors to the throne room were open and a large crowd had gathered inside, grabbing her attention. Curious, she turned into the room as the proud voice of Lancel Lannister floated back towards her.

"...with an army of wolves. Thousands of good men were butchered. After the slaughter, the Northmen feasted on the flash of slain." Jacqueline's eyes first fell on him, as he paced slowly across the room in between spectators. Then Jacqueline looked further forward, towards the throne. There was a girl kneeling on the floor before the throne and the braid of red hair told Jacqueline that it was Sansa Stark. Jacqueline pushed her way through the thin line of people until she was in the front.

Joffrey lounged atop the Iron Throne, a crossbow at his side. The boy king looked at the helpless girl like she was an inconsequential animal, much less than his betrothed. Sansa was on her knees pleading, weeping for her life. She looked as if she had been beaten and Ser Meryn Trant was standing before her with his sword drawn. Robb had made another successful attack against the Lannister army and Joffrey was not pleased. The promise Jacqueline had made to Ned Stark on the eve before his death echoed in her head. She stepped forward from the crowd.

"Your Grace, this is not appropriate." Jacqueline was surprised by the strength in her voice as it echoed across the large room.

Joffrey's eyes finally left the figure of his crying fiance and turned towards her, finally noticing her presence in the room. The hate in his eyes didn't diminish as he stood, crossbow in hand. "Shall we discuss the treason committed by your brothers, Aunt Jacqueline?"

Jacqueline held her ground and ignored his question. "It is not proper to have your future queen publicly beaten for crimes she did not commit, your grace."

He took a step forward, his face turning red. "The King can do as he likes! Ser Meryn!" The king sheathed his sword and crossed over to her. Jacqueline opened her mouth to speak again but the only sound that came out was a loud grunt as the Meryn Trant planted a fist into her stomach, causing her to double over. "Don't worry about her face." she heard the king say before the same fist collided with her cheek. Her vision went blurry and she could feel her legs start to give beneath her, but she only hit the ground when the knight threw her forward and she landed roughly against the stone steps before the throne, nearly cracking her head.

Her black hair had fallen out of its weak braid, covering her face as she laid atop the uncomfortable stone steps. Her stomach was churning and she was certain her entire left side would be covered in bruises from the fall. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Not now. Jacqueline had saved Sansa Stark from anymore humiliation but in return that abuse was inflicted upon her instead. So much for being ignored, she thought as her head continued to spin. The sound of a sword being drawn pulled her back to reality. Lifting her head, she looked up at Ser Meryn who was pointing his sword at her, just inches away from the tip of her chin. He was waiting on Joffrey's command.

A voice rang out then, breaking the tense moment. "What is the meaning of this?" Jacqueline recognized the voice of Tyrion Lannister but she couldn't see him, her eyes still pinned on the sharp steel before her. There was more talking, more voices, more yelling. But Jacqueline wasn't paying attention, not even when Ser Meryn withdrew his sword. For a moment, she wished she had accepted Robb's offer. All of it. She wished she had spent the night with him and then followed his mother to the Stormlands. Jacqueline could have found comfort in Robb's bed and saved herself all the pain and humiliation she was enduring at the moment. But she had closed that door. And she doubted she would ever be able to open it again.

Joffrey was yelling again, this time at his uncle, who was chastising him just as Jacqueline had. "The King can do as he likes!" The boy repeated again.

"The Mad King did as he liked. Has your Uncle Jaime ever told you what happened to him?" The Imp responded, taking a step towards the dais where Joffrey stood with a frown on his face. Jacqueline ignored the rest of the exchange as she pushed herself to her feet. She managed to stand without toppling over. Everyone was looking at her again, as Jacqueline brush her disheveled hair from her face. Luckily, Tyrion had decided to help Sansa to her own feet then, pulling eyes off of Jacqueline, who was struggling to hide her pain. She knew her face was bleeding; she could taste iron on her tongue from her broken lip. But she didn't acknowledge the injury as she straightened her muddy skirts.

Without another word, she followed the two out of the throne room with Tyrion's mercenary walking besides her. Sansa departed with her handmaidens, and Jacqueline was about to head towards her rooms like she should have in the first place when the Imp called her name. "Lady Jacqueline, I believe we have business to discuss."

A/N

It's been a long time. I graduated college and started law school so most of my time this past years has been spent trying not to lose my mind. Sorry for the wait. I'll try to be more regular with updates.