*Thank you so much for all the feedback, it's been so helpful! I'll maybe attempt to wrap this fic up in the next few chapters and thanks for reading as far as you have, I've never done a GoT fic before and 99.9% of you have been so lovely and supportive, thank you! The chapter ending is abrupt but I have had a crazy, crazy week and I wanted it posted ASAP. I'm already working on the next chapter, it will be a bit more eventful, I promise! Obviously there is definitely more to come with Brienne, I haven't glazed over that whole situation!*
*I also posted another fic the other day but within an hour I received a review that pointed out it wasn't very compelling and there was no idea of where the fic was going so I temporarily deleted it to try and refine the first chapter a bit more and then I will publish it again once I've fixed it up a bit, sorry!*
*EDIT: 'Fractured Pride' has now been published and can be accessed via my profile page, enjoy!*
"You'll need me in King's Landing." Brienne urged furiously. Her face warped and twisted with such anger that even Jon felt a little uneasy. "Not further South accompanying the Lannisters!" The news of their shocking survival and her upcoming quest was going down terribly. The group had stepped out of the library and moved back to the secluded room further down the corridor that they'd claimed as their gathering spot. The Lannster captives securely barricaded in their current book holding room. Ser Davos flinched at her booming voice.
"More than anything, I need you to get them to Horn Hill safely. I trust you and you alone with this task." Jon steadied his dark gaze on her intense blue eyes but her face remained unchanged. The anger pouring from her stance.
"He's right." Ser Davos chimed in. "I know how to use a sword but I'm no match for Jaime Lannister, even unarmed with a half-cut side and a missing hand." He smiled embarrassedly. "If he was to start something en route, I'm not sure I'd be able to fight him alone."
"You escorted him for Lady Catelyn, I trust you can do it again for me." Jon softened his brows to frame his black-orbed eyes, offering her a pleading stare. "I dislike the pair with everything in me, but they're to be prisoners in my care. Tyrion has been good to me and we will treat them kindly." He gestured to a deflated looking Tyrion behind him, oblivious to the twitch in Brienne's lower lip, her memory burning painfully with the recollection of Jaime leaving her in Winterfell. Bedding her, taking her maidenhead and then abandoning her. Cold, alone and used. "He's badly wounded, he'll need a maester as soon as they arrive." He trailed off before uttering a final sentence, one that would embed itself painfully in her tender heart concealed beneath her hard, cold armour. "And she's pregnant, see that nothing happens to either of them along the way." He held out Jaime's confiscated sword. "I don't doubt your abilities but if you run into trouble along the way, handing him a blade might just be your only option."
"He'll fight 'til his death to protect Cersei. If you've ever seen him fight for her you'll know how dangerous he can be, even in the most dire of situations." Tyrion added glumly, glancing at Brienne he knew that she was aware of how he'd fight tooth and claw for her. "He'd help defend you when needed, especially if it's our sister's life that is threatened."
"I know all too well." She agreed coldly. "He lost his fighting hand for me, when I escorted him back to King's Landing." Her mouth twisted displaying a look of pure disdain at the memory before noting their intrigued faces. "Our captors were going to rape me. He stopped them and they took his hand. Getting back to your sister was the only thought that pushed him onwards." Elaborating less confidently she looked towards Tyrion, his eyes saw through her with a knowing glint. He'd seen them at Winterfell and knew exactly what had gone on between them.
"A Dothraki warrior raped Cersei not three days ago. Jaime took his head. He was alone, injured, half drowned, starved and dehydrated. Do you know how driven you have to be to muster the power to do that?" He let his gaze travel between all in the room before adding to the depressing sentence. "The Dothraki's braid was one of the longest I've ever seen. You run into danger, you give him that sword." Nodding in approval at his own words, he turned to pour himself a much needed cup of wine.
"Even so," Jon continued, a displeased look on his face at Tyrion's bold commands. "Take no precautions in the meantime. Bind their hands-"
"Bind their hands?" Tyrion repeated Jon's words back to him in shock, the wine only just making it down his throat before he'd turned to speak.
"We will not risk them making a run for it, if Dany finds out-" He stopped himself from finishing his sentence, the answer not even worth uttering. "Their hands will be bound. If trouble happens along the way, Brienne will cut them free."
"Is that really necessary?" His eyes moved from Jon back to Ser Davos who admittedly looked to be agreeing with him over Jon but he was hardly going to announce that. The stony stare Jon offered him was a very clear answer. Yes, it was absolutely necessary it would seem. He couldn't argue, he had no say in any matters concerning his siblings from this moment forward. They were prisoners of the North now and he prayed to the Gods that he had done the right thing.
"That's settled then." Jon nodded at his team. "We will eat and then head for King's Landing as soon as possible, the travel there will be made longer by the wheelhouse. Bran and Tyrion can ride together inside, Ser Davos and I will ride up ahead on horseback." He looked back to Brienne, her face still scowling irately. "You need another mount, for our captives."
"They've got legs, they can walk." The words she spoke held a vindictive tone, one that made Tyrion slightly nervous to be leaving his brother and sister in this woman's care.
"I'd strongly advise against it, given their current state-"
"Enough of the bickering." Jon interrupted Tyrion's defensive statement, looking between them with a harassed expression. "Ser Brienne, whatever has got you so heated about this, I need you to bury it and carry out your duties. Do I make myself clear?" She raised her chin proudly and nodded. "They need a mount, see that you find them one." The command wasn't questioned a second time, she left straight away without another word.
"I have no appetite for food, my only craving is this flagon of wine and some peace and quiet." Walking towards a chair in the corner, Tyrion wriggled on to it with a long sigh. "Enjoy your feast."
"Very well." Jon needed no explanation, he figured it must have been hard for him to see his siblings handed over as prisoners. In all honesty, everything the youngest Lannister had said in regards to his brother and sister had actually been playing on Jon's mind for most of the day. The empathetic part of him had done as Tyrion instructed and attempted to understand how it would feel to lose your children in such horrific ways, or how he'd feel if this was Sansa, Arya and Bran in their position. He would do his upmost to make sure they were protected too, no matter what they'd done. Granted the things Jaime and Cersei had done were terrible but they were just doing what they had to do to keep their family safe, no matter who got in the way. They were ruthless killers, no doubt about it but so was Jon. So was Ser Davos, so was Ser Brienne. The only innocence left in this world were the children.
"I knew we should never have trusted him." Her breathy words were dripping with a mixture of rage and sadness, her lip curling with contempt. "This was his plan all along. Handing us over to the North. I will give him credit, I would have bet my life on it being that Targaryen whore but Jon Snow? I failed to see that coming." Turning her gaze to Jaime she awaited his input but he was silent, causing her to scoff humourlessly. "I don't know why I'm even saying this to you, you'll only agree with him. You always have had a sickening soft spot for our beastly little brother-"
"Yes, because he's our brother." Finally taking the bait, he snapped back and fixed his attention on her. They were on opposite sides of the room, both coming to terms with what just happened. "You can't ever just see the plain and simple things, can you? There's always something devious behind a person's actions, nobody can ever just be helping you for the sake of helping you. Why is it that our brother saves us, offers us shelter and medicinal aid yet still you think he's out to get you?"
"Sorry, perhaps you weren't here earlier when Jon Snow declared us both his prisoners?" Her eyes burned in the darkness, the small source of light in the room only just making the glimmering anger visible as she tilted her head.
"Yes, at this moment in time I would much rather be alive and imprisoned than burning alive before a flame breathing dragon!" Standing tenderly as he grizzled his words through a snarl, he started moving towards her. "Do you remember what you kept saying to me when the Red Keep fell? Over and over and over again?" Reaching her, he looked down in to her eyes, her face had softened considerably upon recalling that wretched day. "You said you wanted our baby to live." The grizzle had gone from his voice now, his eyes caring and his tone gentle once more. "As long as we're together, nothing else matters." He cupped her face, his thumb stroking her cheek tenderly. "I made it out of Robb Stark's camp alive to get back to you, I got us out of King's Landing and I will get us out of this mess too. You just have to trust me, can you do that?" Watching her close her eyes, he felt accomplished when she let her forehead rest against his chin, her hands moving to grip at his waist as she let his words soothe her.
"You're the only one I trust, it's only ever been you." Melting into him, she let his arms envelope her securely. Oblivious to his biting jaw as he wondered exactly how he was supposed to get them out of this.
Bran refused the meal offering too, opting to stay with Tyrion in the small and cosy room. It was honestly more of a closet or a cloak room than anything else. Ser Davos and Jon had left them in the peace and quiet that Tyrion had so desperately wanted and luckily for him Bran wasn't much of a conversationalist. Nursing at his cup of wine delicately, he let his head rest on the back of the wooden chair, his eyes closing as he attempted to collect the information from the last couple of days. It felt like it had been a whirlwind of happenings, so much going on all at once. It wasn't long before he broke his own sought after silence.
"You know, it's rude to stare." He quipped, his head still slumped back and his eyes remaining closed as he basked quietly in his wild and racing thoughts. Bran's all-seeing eyes could be felt staring at him from across the room and it was disturbing his peace. "Has nobody ever taught you that?"
"I don't stare, I observe." Stating bleakly, he left the sentence at that causing Tyrion to raise his head and force his eyes open to look at him.
"How cryptic." Swallowing a mouthful of wine, he wiped his lips and sat the empty cup down on the table beside him. "Tell me, what is it that you observe?"
"Emotions, a person's body language. The way they physically respond is sometimes more telling than how they verbally respond."
"Alright, riddle me this. When you were in that room earlier, you were as quiet as a mouse. What were my brother's and sister's emotions telling you? I'm intrigued." There was a gap between Bran answering and Tyrion finished his forward question, he almost thought he'd foiled the newly hatched raven but his silky voice soon sang out, responding to his odd query.
"They're masked well, your sister more than your brother." He blinked, watching an enthralled Tyrion listen to his slowly spoken words. "Jaime deflects with arrogance, his comments about Jon's grandfather were said to steer the conversation towards hostility and confrontation because he could avoid true conversation that way. He still presented as confident and in control when really he was wounded and imprisoned. But his eyes betray him, they tell his feelings too easily." He muted for a second, as though he was thinking hard about Cersei's bodily behaviour. "Not like your sister." Smiling weakly, his words were still slow and soft on the ear. "She won't allow her face to betray her feelings in front of a considered threat. Her pride is unbreakable but blinding, it stops her from accepting the things that she needs."
"I tried to comfort her once." Tyrion interjected the analysis, a memory on this topic floating back to his mind. "She was upset, Jaime was still being held captive by the Starks and I figured she had nobody else to confide in. I'd often find we'd be in one another's company in the evenings, despite our dislike for each other. She was heartbroken. Crying about the monstrosity of her eldest son, as awful as he was, she loved him dearly." He swallowed, recalling the bloodcurdling wails she'd cried as Joffrey died in her arms on his wedding day. "She thought the Gods were punishing her through Joffrey, for her sins." Glancing at Bran momentarily, he realised he was aware of their incest. "Well, I hardly need to catch you up on the father of her children." He slid from the chair, heading for the flagon of wine again. "As she wept silently, I could feel she so desperately wanted reassurance. She wanted to be held, by Jaime of course but he wasn't there." His brow pulled down fleetingly as he stared into the red liquid sloshing about in his cup. "When I got to her she was only an arm away, I just had to reach out and hold her, comfort her but the moment I got too close she iced over. As easily as that, she just switched off, not a single word was needed just a glance that told me to leave her alone." His face relaxed to it's resting state, bringing the cup to his mouth as he gulped down more wine. "Maybe that's how the Gods were really punishing her? Pride so blinding she starves herself of the affection she craves."
"The Gods don't punish people for loving, you don't choose who you love." Bran watched Tyrion carefully, he'd remained standing as he pondered the many questions he had.
"An incestuous relationship between a brother and sister is deeply frowned upon. My brother and sister would have been killed for it. If that wasn't the case, I can honestly say we would not be here having this conversation right now." He turned to looked at the wheelchair bound boy. Although he was more of a man now, it was hard not to see the young Stark lad behind those dark eyes still. "I trust you actually remember how it is that you came to fall that day?"
"Now that I'm the Three-Eyed Raven, yes, I know how I fell." Nodding meekly, he continued. "I was climbing the tower wall when I saw them together, at the time I didn't know what they were doing or why I even stopped to watch but when your sister saw me, the fear in her eyes told me it was something forbidden. She didn't want me harmed but your brother did what he had to do to protect his family."
"He pushed you and nearly killed you, you cannot tell me that doesn't piss you off? Even just a little bit?" He squinted, hardly able to believe how casually he'd spoken about the topic of his near death experience.
"I wouldn't be what I am today if I hadn't been pushed." His features were unmoving, his stare blank and his voice so eerily calm. Tyrion watched him in silence, an uneasy feeling waving over his whole body.
"You terrify me, Bran Stark. I don't know what you are or how it came to be but nobody should have this much knowledge and so little human feeling. It makes me wonder what other secrets you're hiding in that head of yours." Blinking worriedly, he scanned his paled face as if able to see if he was harbouring more deep and treacherous information. "You're a dangerous person, do you know that? One revelation from you and the entirety of Seven kingdoms is about to be taken from Daenerys - her life along with it - and your brother-turned-cousin will be named King. All on the basis that you just know."
"There is much to see but it's necessary. All the forgotten things, the hidden secrets, the long lost lies. I can access them all and choose to put the world right, for the sake of the many." Justifying his strange and unique gift with more mystifying words only made Tyrion more dubious.
"You see, that right there is a scary thought. You choose what you share, how is that a comforting concept? You could know all manner of awful things and select to keep them to yourself."
"If it has the potential to cause more harm than good then it need not be brought to the surface." This boy had an answer for everything and as curious as it was, Tyrion was beginning to question what terrors of the past he had seen and was refusing to let come out.
"So you do know some dark and terrifying secrets? What if people had the right to know, you still wouldn't tell them? That sort of power shouldn't reside with you alone."
"This power is mine alone. I guard what needs guarding and share what needs sharing."
Their strange exchange of words was soon interrupted when Jon and Ser Davos re-entered the room. Their bellies full and their thirsts quenched, all kitted up and ready to go. Jon helped Bran out and upon reaching the large stone steps at the entrance of Highgarden, Brienne strode up them two at a time to assist with wheeling him down. The horses and wheelhouse were geared and awaiting their departure. The wheelhouse was particularly impressive, specially designed and altered for someone such as Bran. It had a larger space within, one side seat-less for his chair to rest and the other side plumped and fluffed with soft cushions and throws. Even he had to admit he couldn't wait to settle himself into the seat, he was trailing behind and watching as they got Bran inside quickly and efficiently. They'd got the manoeuvre mastered.
The sun was still on its way up, not yet in the height of the sky, it cast a glow across the lands before them. As much as he'd revelled in his adventures across the Narrow Sea, Tyrion couldn't say he wasn't happy to back home. Although, how much longer it would feel like home, he had no idea.
"Ser Brienne will leave with your siblings under the cover of nightfall. Far less likely to be seen or bump into any unfavourable men marching the roads." Jon's dark and shiny eyes moved over Tyrion slowly as he spoke, trying to decipher how the Lannister was feeling about the situation. "No harm will come to them on my watch, you have my word. They're prisoners in my care, I take my duties seriously."
"I know you do." Tyrion finally smiled genuinely but tiredly. "I trust they'll be safe with Lady Brienne." He looked over to her, she still had a look of deep despair staining her pale face but he could see a woman in love and hurting. He just hoped she wouldn't react rashly or emotionally if Jaime or Cersei were to grind her gears. For once it wasn't Cersei he was worried about, it was Jaime and his uncontrollable mouth.
"Ser Brienne." Jon corrected, smiling too. "If she hears you say that one more time, I fear she'll bag you and take you along to Horn Hill as well."
They mounted up, the clatter of hooves filling the courtyard loudly as Tyrion turned to stare back at the tall and elegant building. His heart was urging him to go back in and say his goodbyes but he knew Cersei would be simmering away. Her anger bubbling as they remained trapped and helpless. Right now she probably couldn't see it, blinded by pride as Bran had said. But in time she'd come to realise this was the best thing for them. The next few days and weeks to come were going to be bloody and cruel, his survival not guaranteed.
"You're holding them up, you should get yourself inside." Brienne commanded coldly. She was stood to the side of the stone steps, watching them prepare to leave and wishing she was accompanying them instead of having to carry out the task of escorting the man that jilted her and his twin sister. Tyrion looked to her slowly, a sickly sympathetic look on his face. As good as his intentions were, she despised that sort of look. Especially when it was being cast her way.
"I know you're hurting-"
"You don't know anything." She spat, still trying to keep her voice hushed despite the only other ears being too far from where they stood to hear.
"You must think I'm stupid." Remarking with a head shake, he stepped closer to her. She positively towered over him as it was, but stood up on the stone steps she was like a magnificent stone statue. "I saw the way you looked at him, at Winterfell. And I know you shared a bed-"
"That is enough." Growling angrily, she finally turned her icy blue stare his way. Granted, it wasn't nearly as threatening as Cersei's green gaze but it did come in at a close second. "You think I'd waste my time on someone as dishonourable as your brother? You're even more foolish than I thought."
"I know my brother, he's done some awful things but he's also done a lot of good things. You even said it yourself, he lost his hand for you." He blinked, watching her face soften slightly. "Leaving you the way he did was in bad taste, trust me, I would have preferred he'd stayed too but he will always return to her. That will never change. They were born together, as twisted as their strange bond is, there is no denying its immense strength." His tone changed from a sympathetic one to one that held grave warning. "Do not underestimate it." She scoffed at his alarming sentence.
"I am not afraid of your brother, dwarf."
"It wasn't him I was referring to." He cut in quickly, his words causing her brows to twitch. "If my sister catches wind of your night spent with him, I shudder to think how she'll react. Jaime's never been unfaithful before, not even a whore. And Gods know I tried to lead him astray over the years, on more than one occasion. He's devoted to her entirely." Tyrion's eyes widened when she moved down the steps towards him, no fear in her face whatsoever.
"I'm not scared of your sister, lioness or not, she cannot fight me and win."
"That is exactly my point." He clenched his jaw. "If she discovers his indiscretion she'll make her snide remarks, her spiteful comments, she'll hit you where it hurts but you cannot react." Urging desperately his brows framed his eyes in a worried manner. "Jon has entrusted you with the task of escorting them to Horn Hill safely. You have to keep your emotions in check! She'll sense something is off within minutes if you don't straighten your face and pull yourself together. She can read Jaime like a book and if you're behaving strangely too she'll put two and two together faster than you could even blink." His words were harsh but he was annoyingly right. "It hurts, I have been there myself, but you need to come to terms with the fact that he won't ever leave her. Especially not with his babe growing inside her."
Tyrion's words swirled through her head as she witnessed them set off for King's Landing. She'd never felt a pain like this before, total and utter betrayal. She'd given herself to him, trusted him with such a fragile moment of her life and this was how he decided to act? As much as it pained her, she chose to take the dwarf's advice on board. Jaime Lannister didn't matter, his twin sister didn't matter. In fact, none of the Lannisters mattered to her. All that mattered now was keeping her oath to the Starks. Jon had selected her with this sensitive task just as Lady Catelyn had before him. She wasn't going to let anything or anyone stand in the way of that oath being fulfilled. Besides which, the faster she got this over with, the faster she was away from them and back in the North or King's Landing where she was truly needed.
Slowly, she'd watched the sky darken into night, the sun turning in for the day as the pale crescent moon had started to glow softly in the sky. A thousand stars emerged to accompany it on the blanket of black behind. She'd readied the horses under the luminous orange licks of the braziers by the entrance. Her intimidating appearance made the task of finding a second horse quite easy, a defiant young stable boy had soon cowered within minutes of her yelling at him and handed over a large blood bay mare. Her coat was muddied but the bright reds and browns were still shining through. Her mane and tail as black as the night, moved briskly in the increasing breeze that was blowing their way. She'd bound their hands, cloaked them and had them both mounted on the beautiful mare without so much as grumbling a single word. Her eyes hadn't met either of theirs yet and she intended to keep it that way. She walked on ahead, her chestnut mount leading the way as she kept their horse's rope secured in hands, leading them along.
"Tell me," Jaime started, his yelling voice carrying over to her despite the growing wind. "Whose idea was it to travel at the dead of night?" He squinted from beneath his hood, attmpting to see ahead but he could only just make out the back of Brienne's head, all else was swallowed by darkness. He was sat behind Cersei, his bound hands between his front and her back.
"Quiet, Kingslayer!" Bellowing her orders back, she kept her horse moving on through the gale. A small part of her was extremely frustrated with the command to travel at night, the moon was but a thin slice this evening and the clouds had thickened considerably in the last two hours, obscuring the little light they already had. What was worrying her the most was the intensity of this wind. It was whipping at them relentlessly and unsettling the horses. Armoured up and wrapped appropriately underneath, Brienne could barely sense the biting cold but trailing a few feet behind on their restless mare, Jaime could feel every part of Cersei's body shaking in front of him. Her teeth chattering together loudly with only the feeble fabric of the robe she wore to cover her. Reaching his arms up, he put them over her head and secured his bound hands in front of her, perhaps even the small offering of warmth from his arms would help stem the chill. He felt her lean in to him, grateful for the gesture.
"I do not answer to you, these are Jon Snow's orders!" Calling back, she turned to look their way. Her white-blonde hair straying wildly. They were walking against the wind, the twin's struggling to keep their hoods up in the gale-force weather. Even if he could actually see his surroundings, the cruelty of mother nature was making it nearly impossible to distinguish where they were. The ride from Highgarden to Horn Hill was extremely short, ordinarily it would only take a horse at walking pace roughly a day. Maybe a little longer with stops.
"Can you even see where we're headed?!" Shouting his question past Cersei's head, they both flinched suddenly when a loud creaking ripped through the earth to their left. The cracking and splintering of wood muted by the hostile air as a tree tumbled down at the mercy of the wind, their horse spooked and jumped into a panicked canter. Almost abreast with Brienne's horse now, the pair pulled back on the reins as best they could with tied hands and Brienne reeled the rope in quickly so as not to lose her grip. "Woah, easy." Jaime repeatedly soothed the animal as best he could, her panic still evident in her skittish hoof movements but she'd at least slowed her pace again. Her head tossed endlessly, snorting and whinnying into the air. "This is ridiculous!" He bellowed across to the female knight, his arms tightened around his sister the moment their mount became unpredictable. "We can't see or hear a thing, we need to stop!"
"We don't stop until we reach Horn Hill! We'll be there before dawn!" She felt her throat strain with the volume of her own voice, she'd never experienced such disastrous weather before. Luckily for her, she was atop a sturdy and seasoned war horse, she flinched at nothing. Narrowing her eyes to her side, Brienne noted they were having issues with their highly strung mare. Cersei looked as though she was about to ice over with the cold and Jaime was doing his upmost to keep the animal under control. She was dancing wildly on the spot, there was no pacifying her.
"We won't make it there at this rate! We'll either be thrown off and our mount lost or Cersei's going to freeze!" His hood was ripped back from his head as he roared his words, it was then that he felt the first spits of rain, lightly and scattered to begin with, just dotting the skin on his face until the drops got larger, then slowly more frequent until finally they were hit full force with a downpour. It's natural fall being pushed so far sideways it was as if the rain was coming directly at their faces and not down from above. Raising his bound hands to Cersei's forehead, he tugged at the front of her woven hood, pulling it down and holding it there to keep her protected from the abusive elements. The reins still tight in his grip but he feared the horse would bolt soon.
To their right, Brienne couldn't say she didn't feel bad at the glances she stole. Jaime was favouring his good side, doing his best to shield his sister whilst she shook in his embrace. The exposed skin on her neck, décolletage and the parts of her arms that were visible beneath the cloak were now slick with rain. A crack of lightning illuminated the sky for a brief few seconds, allowing her to see the sorry sight of them both. She refused to let herself feel too sorry for them but her heart had felt a small pang when binding them at Highgarden. Cersei's bruised and blackened wrists were a stark reminder of what could have been her destined outcome had Jaime not stepped in to save her. She couldn't imagine how bad he must be feeling not being able to save his sister from that same cruel fate. As much as she hated them, nobody deserves that.
Despite his protests, she continued walking them on, the road barely visible underfoot. Following the lightning fork, a deafening clap of thunder hit the air. Rumbling and rolling across the lands around them, their blood bay mare was surely about to bail on their journey. Rearing frantically she nearly threw both twins from her back before landing on all four hooves again, stomping and scraping at the ground with a shrill whinny. She was all over the place, backing up, spinning and in full blown panic. Brienne kept tight hold of the rope and thanked the Gods she was donning a pair of gloves otherwise the skin on her hands would have been shredded moments ago. As much as she hated to succumb to his suggestion, they weren't got to get much farther with their horse behaving as she was. Scanning the surroundings pointlessly she could see nothing. She knew of an alcove along the way but where it was located she could not say.
