So there are some things I wanted to rework in this, but I thought screw it, one more chapter for 2016. Hope you like, and thanks again for follows, faves and reviews, love that sh*t. Ok, Happy New Year everyone! Have fun, be merry and stay safe!

See you next year.

Tread lightly, she is near under the snow, speak gently, she can hear the daisies grow.
All her bright golden hair tarnished with rust, she that was young and fair fallen to dust...
Coffin-board, heavy stone, lie on her breast; I vex my heart alone, she is at rest.
Peace, peace; she cannot hear lyre or sonnet; all my life's buried here. Heap earth upon it.

from Requiescat by Oscar Wilde

Jaime

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He'd not been in Casterly Rock in a long time, and now that he was back, it felt larger, and emptier than ever. Oh he still had servants, and guards, but he was alone in the vast castle. His family was gone for the most part, except for his brother in King's Landing. He'd never wanted dominion over the place, especially now that he was alone. So at first, he drank the days away. The castle was mostly self-sufficient, his father had made sure, and Daenerys had pardoned his workforce as long as they bent the knee, which they readily did. It seemed his father was not as beloved as he'd thought. He never asked anything of them, but they worked hard anyway, and what's worse, they seemed to like him.

After he'd killed the Mad King, people looked at him differently. He could see the disdain in their eyes, even when they smiled at him. He grew accustomed to always facing judgement. But now, they looked at him with kindness and respect, and he hated them all the more for it. She was his sister and he'd choked the life from her, and they loved him for it. What's worse, is he knew it'd been the right thing to do, and yet, he hated himself and everyone who'd lived because he'd killed her.

When he received word that the Queen planned on heading his way, with the Greyjoys in tow, he decided it was time to pick himself up. At least enough so that the Ironborn would not see the Lion of Casterly Rock whimpering in his own home.

So he cleaned himself up, and though he'd been tempted to cut his hair, he didn't. It reminded him of the Jaime of old, and so he left it. He stopped drinking and took care of his castle, and then the only time he thought of her was whenever he was not busy. He began training again, and his left got stronger and he learned to use his gold hand to his advantage, but nothing changed really. Whenever he stopped moving she appeared full force, and he only didn't drink himself into a stupor because he'd received word again, from a scout of his own house, that Daenerys and her men, would arrive in three days, perhaps two.

She came in full force but without her dragons, apparently they appeared when she wanted them to and not otherwise. From the start, it was clear she did not come for council nor for his hand in battle; she came to face Euron, and she would do it without him and his army. She needed him only in face, so she could assault her attack from Fair Isle and the Banefort, both houses sworn to him.

He was fine with that. After all, he'd see no one die, and his castle bustled, and he felt less alone though he hardly spoke to anyone. One night however, he'd been sitting on a balcony in silence, when Theon Greyjoy walked in, not realizing he was there. He knew instantly that he was not the same boy he had met once in Winterfell. Theon's gait was less arrogant, and his stance less proud. Jaime knew instantly that someone, or something had broken him and he was only beginning to pick himself up. Which was more than he could say for himself.

The Ironborn from the north leaned on the railing and looked out. His sister Yara would leave for Fair Isle in the morrow while Theon and some of the Queen's unsullied would occupy the Banefort. That was all he knew and all he'd been asked to arrange, and by this time the next day, he would be alone once more. Seeing no harm in it, he spoke to him.

"Theon Greyjoy. I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced," He said then, breaking the quiet.

Theon spun towards him and when he saw him, he said, "The Knight of Mercy."

He never liked Kingslayer, but he liked this new nickname even less.

"Ser Jaime will do," He replied trying to sound like himself.

"Are you afraid for the battle?" He asked curious.

"I would be stupid if I wasn't," Greyjoy answered steadily.

There was a moment of silence, as the once heir to the Iron Islands turned to lean on the ledge and look up at the sky, probably considering the conversation over.

He'd last seen his better half, meaning she who saw the good in him, Lady Brienne, in the Riverlands. He'd found out then that she'd accomplished her mission, and it had given him hope for himself, and so Jaime could not help it.

"You were there, were you not? When Lady Brienne rescued Lady Sansa."

Theon turned to him then, his expression pained, as if he was reliving hard moments.

"I was," He finally answered.

Jaime pretended not to have noticed and continued, "You got her out of course, and saved Podrick did you not? Good lad, loyal."

He seemed to appreciate the words, though he tried hard not to let it show.

"I stabbed a man in the back," He answered simply. "I'm no hero."

He smiled at the young Greyjoy, though it was not happy, feeling a kinship with the broken man before him.

"Nor am I," He responded, then turned to the night sky once more.

He figured that would be that, there had been no real intention to convey anything to the ironborn. He'd simply been interested in having a conversation with the man. But then, Theon spoke.

"Why did you send lady Brienne to rescue lady Sansa?"

It was only a question, but he said nothing at first, as it was not something he felt very comfortable sharing. The answer was easy, 'It was the right thing to do,' yet saying it did not feel easy. His sister had asked for Sansa's head, and he'd sent Brienne to save her instead. He'd betrayed his partner, his twin, not for lady Sansa or his oath to her mother, or exactly for them perhaps. He'd done it because he wanted to show that he was an honourable man, though no one cared to believe it.

"I wanted Brienne to leave the capital," He finally answered, then added for good measure, "I never thought she'd actually find her."

He saw movement from the corner of his eye, he looked over and saw that the ironborn was facing him.

"That I don't believe," He said with conviction. "You knew she'd find her. Lady Brienne is honourable, and a skilled fighter, anyone who knows her knows that."

The boy had caught him in his lie. It was no matter, he was very good at lying.

"By then, it was no matter to me."

This time, his lips went up a bit before speaking, "There was a bounty for Sansa, was there not? She'd been accused of killing Prince Joffrey."

He was not sure if he ought to be grateful, or offended the boy had not said 'your son'. The truth was known, he'd kissed her in front of all those people, and no one would surely forget.

"She did not kill him any more than my own brother did."

He turned away once more, and hoped the Greyjoy was satisfied, as he felt finished with the conversation. It seemed he wasn't.

"Why do you not come with us to... to deal with my uncle? Show the Queen what you're capable of."

He wanted to scold the man like a boy, but instead he held up his gold hand and replied, "I'm not capable of anything."

He stood, deciding he'd take this conversation no longer.

"I was like you once," Theon said then, his voice solemn and honest.

"For longer than I care to remember, all I knew was pain, even after, for a time. I had earned my punishment, pain is all I thought I deserved."

He wanted to tell him that he knew nothing, but the truth was, Theon's words resonated deeply within him and he did not move.

"But then I realized, I'd survived. Against all odds. If I let the pain consume me, it'd be like I was dead, and he'd won. He'd destroyed me. A broken man may never heal completely, but he can be remade into something new."

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"It is not my wish to insult you, but I must ask, can you fight?"

He was taken aback by this question, so he did not immediately answer, though he was not at all insulted.

"Begging your pardon your Grace, might I inquire why you ask?"

All civility she'd spoken with earlier departed as her cold steady gaze took its place.

"I will tell you once you answer my question."

He nodded, and replied, "I cannot say I am what I once was, but I am capable of defending myself, and I work at it, and before in..."

His voice trailed off and they both knew he meant to say King's Landing. She spoke so as to move past it.

"I have come to realize that if I hope to unite the kingdoms I must truly embrace them all as my own. Therefore, you will join the fight for the Iron Islands."

She paused, her words settling in the silence. She did not seem entirely comfortable with this notion, and he knew Theon had somehow convinced her to include him. No harm talking to the Greyjoy, indeed. And the boy had acted fast too, surely he'd approached the Queen before dawn.

He bowed, and said, "Your Grace."

"You will accompany Theon Greyjoy to the Banefort, and help him seize the castle and his Uncle Euron."

They departed Casterly Rock; Queen Daenerys, Yara Greyjoy and a portion of the Queen's men including the Ironborn stormed the sea to Fair Isle and then to the Iron Islands, while Jaime, Theon and a small group of Unsullied, including their captain a man oddly named Grey Worm, travelled covertly by land.

Their intention was to use the Banefort, who traded regularly with Pyke, to capture the castle and Euron Greyjoy though they would not kill him. Everything went according to plan except for one moment when one of the soldiers nearly got the better of him, and Euron nearly choked Theon to death, had it not been for Jaime, who'd defeated his foe, and his golden hand that knocked Uncle Greyjoy out cold.

After, he accompanied them, the Queen and her Greyjoy siblings, to some cold and windy hill overlooking the sea, where she spoke before her people. He stood behind the Queen next to Theon as she addressed them.

"The bleeding star marked the coming of a new dawn. One where the rules of God and Man are true and obeyed, where innocents will not suffer for the sins of richer men. Where peace is the way of all men. Therefore, there will be no more roving, raiding nor raping in the Iron Islands."

A murmur of hushed voices of dissent stirred after she spoke, and he knew they'd get louder. That was their way of life since gods knows when, he was sure they could not just accept this 'new dawn'. She seemed to know that as she turned to look at Grey Worm, and nodded slightly. He then turned to the others, and spoke in Valyrian. A small group of men approached, her Unsullied, holding a bound man among them. Euron Greyjoy. He was grinning, and oddly silent.

"Euron of house Greyjoy, you have been charged with murdering your own brother, and attempting to do the same to your nephew Theon and niece Yara, the rightful heir to Pyke. You are sentenced to death."

The guards who held him let go, and stepped away from him. Queen Daenerys did not move, but Yara, the soon to be Lady of the Iron Islands, smiled. Suddenly the air grew quiet, though Euron was rambling something about the drowned god, as he remained kneeling before them all. Suddenly there was a roar, though not like any he'd ever heard before, and from the corner of his eye he saw a flash of black soar by.

He looked up, and though the great beast took up half the sky before him, he could not believe it was real. He'd seen the great bones of the Targaryen dragons, but looming above him with its black leathery skin, with red streaked throughout, horns and ridges that ran along its head and body, its great wings and sharp claws, it was much more terrifying to behold. He descended slowly behind Euron who did not seem to realize he was there, not until he landed with a heavy rumble to the ground.

Euron turned, and though Jaime knew what was coming, he startled when the flame burst out its mouth, and screams filled the air.