This chapter was written as part of the Facebook challenge "Sur Votre 31":

- Invite : ''Far''.

- Number of words: From 100 to 1000 words.

All the universe of Game of Thrones belongs to GRR Martin, DB & DW.

Enjoy reading!

Context : S06E01 – Continuation of He tells me I'm beautiful

When the boat that brought him back from Dorne with Myrcella's dead body docked in King's Landing, the first thing Jaime saw was Cersei's hair. Or rather, what was left of it.

He had heard the rumors, of course. In all the Seven Kingdoms, it was the only thing they talked about, the humiliated queen, forced to walk through the city completely naked, as stripped of clothing as of dignity, bruised, wounded. And he had hoped it would be no more than that, rumors, gossip, lies.

That when he returned he would not find this fallen queen with the crown of glory slaughtered, as people said, but that he would find his Cersei, his queen with the long golden mane.

He hoped this, because the mere thought that they might have taken advantage of his absence and the fact that he was far, far, far too far away to do anything to hurt his sister, to injure her, to destroy her both physically and psychologically was unbearable for him.

Just the thought that he could have broken another oath to the love of his life made him sick, the horrible blaze of guilt consuming him from within. He would, once again, have been unable to protect her, even though he had promised to always do so, and had broken that promise too many times.

When he had been unable to protect her from the cold looks and condescending words of their father.

When he couldn't protect her from marrying Robert, and from the many atrocities that had been done to her in the name of marriage rights.

When he couldn't protect her from the sadness of losing their eldest son, a sadness that he had added to because of his own selfish desires.

And, when he saw the short locks that replaced his sister's long gold curls, he realized that he had failed again, because he had gone too far.

He also saw all the sadness and pain that her eyes betrayed when she saw the form under the golden shroud he was standing beside.

As soon as he set foot on dry land, he walked towards her.

No one was around, so the first thing he did when he got close to her was to open his arms and wrap her in his embrace, without a word being spoken. They didn't need it.

It was Jaime who broke the silence first, when he felt Cersei's warm tears streaming down his neck.

''Damn it, Cersei, I'm sorry...''

To say he was sorry was an understatement. How could he simply be sorry when he had committed horrors to the one he loved above all else, to his other half ? How could he express the black fury that was overwhelming him at this very moment, a destructive, devastating anger directed at the whole world, at the Great Sparrow and his sect of fanatics, at the people of King's Landing, all of whom had taken pleasure in lyncing this queen they despised and who was doing them good, but above all, at himself, for not being there, for not being there, for being absent, for being far away?

But this rage did not matter for the moment.

Nothing mattered to him at that moment, except Cersei, still huddled against him.

He continued to hold her there, against his chest, for what could well have been seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, seasons, centuries, millennia, whispering to her:

''I'm sorry, my love... I'll never go away again, I'll never leave you again...''

Because that's what he had done, no more, no less. He was horribly ashamed to say it, but he had abandoned her when she needed him more than ever. He had left her totally alone, when they were already exposed by the death of their father, to which he had unwittingly contributed.

But he had no intention of going back, not now, not ever.

He would stay with Cersei, that was where he belonged, since their birth, even before that.

He would never be far from her again.

Thank you for reading!
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Don't be too hard on English, it is not my mother tongue.