Near the gates of King's Landing…
Sansa Stark rode to the capital along the Kingsroad from Riverrun with her handmaiden Shae. Although she was saddened by the passing of her grandfather, Lord Hoster Tully, Sansa reminded herself of her sworn duties as a highborn lady. The royal wedding was around the corner, preparations were being made and word soon arrived that the invited guests were beginning to arrive. As such, Sansa's presence was required.
For the occasion, Sansa was dressed in a formal gown completely lined with drop ball sleeves. Gilded and intricate wings resembling maple tree samara seeds fasten her bodices as claps; her carved, golden lion necklace Daveth gave her two years ago was still worn around her neck. The fabric in her woven pattern, combined with the dress's winged sleeves gave her attire the air of a dragonfly itself.
"Do you think people will like it?" Sansa asks.
Shae turns to her mistress, smiling at seeing Sansa's girlish optimism shining as the young woman couldn't hide her excitement. She was getting married to the King, yes, but even so there was a strong bond the Lorathi woman could tell was there. It was something Shae shared with her beloved Tyrion Lannister despite being a lowborn whore now raised to a handmaiden in service of a noblewoman of higher status, especially since Sansa's from one of the more ancient families in Westeros.
"I think they will even notice more than that, my lady," Shae answers. "They know how much their King adores his lady. From what I can tell, the Oathkeeper paid a fortune to ensure the finest silks were made for your wedding."
Sansa smiled and blushed. "Our wedding," she corrected her. "Daveth likes black fabric with crimson leather sleeves and little gold trims."
"He has a very rich grandfather."
"I'm well aware of how wealthy House Lannister is. And I'm… aware of how nasty they can be."
"Yet you've been very careful around most of them. I heard the soon-to-be Dowager Queen is still livid."
"And I still don't understand what I could possibly have done to upset her," Sansa shook her head in bewilderment. "I did what was expected of me, yet somehow it was never enough."
"But Daveth did warn you about her," Shae pointed out.
"He did."
The atmosphere between them had changed uncomfortably when the topic of Cersei Lannister popped up. A long silence lingered for a while as Sansa and Shae walked through the Gate of the Gods.
"And yet," Sansa continued, "I've learned a lot. I am a bit of a slow learner, it's true, but I've learned nonetheless."
Shae nodded in approval. "Then you know what you need to do to survive in this city."
The two soon rode to the nearest checkpoint, where a couple City Watchmen were waiting for them… led by one man in particular.
"Welcome back to King's Landing, Lady Sansa," Petyr greeted her. "We all mourn the loss of your grandfather, Lord Hoster Tully."
Sansa looked at Petyr, eyeing him up and down as she dismounted.
"Lord Baelish—" she tried to speak.
"Petyr," Petyr interrupted.
Sansa felt uncomfortable. "Petyr," she finally said. "House Stark and House Tully appreciate your kind words. Though I do not know exactly how you learned of my grandfather's passing."
"My father was a longtime friend of his during the War of the Ninepenny Kings," Petyr explained. "It was how I came to be fostered at Riverrun in the first place, remember?"
"As a matter of fact, I do, Lord Bae— I mean, Petyr."
Shae instinctively felt the urge to stand between the strange man and her mistress, but the look in the young Stark maiden's eyes simply told her to be patient. Sansa then took a moment to look around and noticed the sigil of House Arryn and knights of the Vale gathering in the courtyard.
"The knights of the Vale?" Sansa recognizes them. "They are here?"
Petyr nodded. "Of course, Sansa," he said. "They've attended with your aunt Lady Lysa and her son Robin from the Eyrie to attend the wedding."
She hinted that there was more to it than that. "There is more, isn't there?"
"You sure have blossomed into a clever wolf, haven't you, Sansa?" Petyr chuckled. "Alright, I confess. I married your aunt Lysa shortly after the Battle of Blackwater Bay. She came here at my behest to swear fealty to the King. And before you say anything, no, chaos is not a pit. Chaos is a ladder, Sansa. The Blackwater Bay incident was rather chaotic. Many try to climb it, but they fall and never get to try again. It breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb. They refuse, they cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is."
"How did—?"
"The King himself arranged it."
Now Sansa was indeed surprised.
"So that makes you my uncle by marriage," Sansa concluded.
"Correct. I am your uncle," Petyr stated honestly. "We're family now. Let me show you to your chambers. You have had a long and trying few weeks, I know. You must be weary."
Before Sansa could open her mouth to reply, another figure stepped from the shadows.
"There you are, Lady Sansa," the voice announced.
Sansa and Petyr looked and saw Ariyana Dayne stepping forward, dressing in formal golden Dornish attire – but still donning a small portion of her armor bearing the sigil of House Dayne. Her long black hair was smooth as silk; her violet eyes pierced those around her and kept her family sword Dawn at her hip.
"Lady Ariyana," Sansa spoke up.
Ariyana nodded. "Thank you for welcoming her ladyship, Lord Baelish. I will take over from here. Catelyn Stark's orders."
Petyr's smile was almost as if it was a sneer. "Of course," he said calmly. "How rude of me; I should not keep my niece waiting when such an important day lies before her."
"I'm sure your wife seeks your… comfort," Ariyana replied.
Sansa looked back and forth between Petyr and Ariyana as Littlefinger turned to see to the Vale knights. Using this moment, Ariyana steps towards Sansa and Shae.
"He's been like this ever since he was named Lord of Harrenhal. Now that he's Lord Protector of the Vale…" Ariyana groaned in irritation. "I don't know what King Daveth was thinking."
"I'm sure he must have his reasons," Sansa suggests.
Ariyana sighed. "Perhaps; most of us are not entirely sure what goes through his head. But that is a conversation for another time."
"For now, we must get you ready," Shae chimed in. "The wedding is only in a few days. We must make you look beautiful for your soon-to-be husband, no?"
Sansa smiled lightly. "Husband…" she hummed quietly to herself. "My husband…"
The two made their way into the Red Keep, making the arrangements for the wedding. Unbeknownst to them, an unknown female had been observing them rather closely.
######
At the White Sword Tower…
"All the Kingsguard will be on duty," Ser Barristan begun, observing the map of the Red Keep's royal gardens closely. "Ser Boros will be stationed here. Ser Meryn will guard Lady Margaery and Prince Tommen."
Ser Lucius chimed in. "I will guard the King and Lady Sansa. Ser Jaime will not be far with our guest, Lady Ariyana Dayne, beside the primary entertainment."
Sers Meryn and Jaime rolled their eyes.
"Always stuck with the gallery," Jaime sighed.
Lucius took notice. "Need I remind you that you disobeyed a direct order and deviated from the plan during Renly's rebellion, Ser Jaime?" he lectured him.
Jaime frowned as King Daveth entered the room.
"Your Grace," Ser Barristan greeted.
"Your Grace," said the other Kingsguard knights.
Daveth nodded. "How have preparations been, Lord Commander?"
"We've made the appropriate seating arrangements for our guests as well as ramping up matters of security," Barristan answered. "It's as your Master of Coin stated. The royal wedding is to be one of the biggest events in living memory."
"Without a doubt, I'm sure it will be," Daveth said as he looked down at the map.
Ser Meryn felt restless. "Still not sure about having the Tyrells waddling about, Your Grace. They did betray you when they sided with Renly."
"I'm well aware of that fact, Ser Meryn," Daveth spoke up. "And they're paying the price for it. Mace Tyrell has already supplied the bulk of food, entertainment and money from Highgarden to ensure the costs are paid for by my leave. And I will not hear another word about it."
The Trant Kingsguard merely grumbled.
"What about the others?" Daveth inquired.
"The remaining Kingsguard have been stationed at their post," Jaime answered his nephew. "Although there still remains an empty spot since the, uh… 'unfortunate' treachery committed by Ser Mandon Moore."
"Attempting to slay one of my advisors, my own uncle, in public during the Battle of the Blackwater, in front of me, was a foolish mistake he's made on his part," the Oathkeeper spoke rather bluntly. "I'll find a suitable candidate to fill the vacancy once the wedding is over."
Barristan looked at his former squire. "How long has it been since you've slept, Your Grace?"
"I know where you're going with this, Ser Barristan," Daveth replied rather quickly. "But to answer your question, I've been getting more time since my Lord Hand suggested I take a moment's reprieve as of late."
Jaime looked at Daveth. "So that tells me you've been sleeping more?"
"I've been sleeping more, uncle."
When Daveth moved his hand to move another puzzle piece onto the map, his hand knocked against the cover of the Book of Brothers.
"This is…"
"The Book of Brothers, Your Grace," Lucius mentioned, taking a moment to walk over to Daveth and turn the pages. "This records the deeds of every knight who served in the Kingsguard throughout our order's three hundred year history."
"And it's the duty of the Lord Commander to fill in those pages," Barristan mentioned.
Daveth looked up. "I take it you've had to fill in your fair share these last twenty years, Barristan?" he asked curiously.
The old knight chuckled. "A couple times, Your Grace. But yes. Look here," he points to one of the noticeable pages.
"'Ser Arthur Dayne,'" Daveth reads. "'Second son of Lord Beric Dayne of Starfall. Named Sword of the Morning and wielder of the great white blade Dawn forged from a fallen star. Won many tourneys and broke twelve lances against Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone at the Tourney of Storm's End. In the year of the False Spring, at the Great Tourney at Harrenhal, he stood against all but the Prince once more.'"
He stopped to look at Barristan and Jaime.
"Did he also play an instrumental role in defeating the Smiling Knight in single-combat and defeat the Kingswood Brotherhood?"
"That he did, nephew," Jaime answered. "Ser Barristan and I were there many years ago. Even without our aid, we both knew what he was capable of. Best swordsman in the history of the Seven Kingdoms."
Daveth felt his curiosity peak as he looked at the tome once more.
"'Ser Lucius Blackmyre,'" he continued. "'Sole survivor of House Blackmyre near the Dornish Marches. Nicknamed the Bull by Ser Gerald Hightower for his ferocity and mind for strategy during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. Won many battles near the southern border before being elevated to the Kingsguard by King Aerys the Second. Pardoned by King Robert Baratheon after the rebellion. Assigned as sworn shield to his son and heir Daveth Baratheon.'"
Lucius felt a small grin creep up on his wrinkled face, as some rather old memories of his past life came back to him.
"'Ser Barristan Selmy. Known by his honor and chivalrous reputation that is second to none. Nicknamed Barristan the Bold after a joust with Prince Duncan Targaryen at ten years of age. Widely considered by many to be one of the best swordsmen in the whole of the Seven Kingdoms, he was elevated to the Kingsguard by King Aegon the Fifth as a reward for his valor in battle during the War of the Ninepenny Kings where he slew Maelys the Monstrous of House Blackfyre in single-combat on the Stepstones. Pardoned by King Robert Baratheon after the rebellion. Promoted to Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.'"
Daveth looked at Barristan. "And one of the finest mentors I've ever had," he complimented.
Barristan smiled. "And one of the best squires I've ever trained."
The Young Stag felt himself swell with pride at hearing Barristan's praise. The two were rather close, ever since King Daveth was a child.
"Hmmm," Daveth hummed as he flipped more pages. "Four pages for Ser Duncan the Tall, I see."
"So they say," Jaime thought aloud.
Flipping more pages, Daveth observed another. "'Ser Jaime Lannister…'"
Jaime lifted his head as he noticed the expression on Daveth's face change into one of seemingly disbelief as the Young Stag traced his index finger and stopped at half of the first page.
""Squired for Barristan Selmy against the Kingswood Brotherhood. Knighted and named to the Kingsguard in his sixteenth year for valor in the field. At the Sack of King's Landing, murdered his king, Aerys the Second, at the foot of the Iron Throne. Pardoned by King Robert Baratheon. Thereafter known as the Kingslayer.'"
Daveth looked up and stared at his uncle.
"And why is it that this page is so short?" he asked. "Where are your great deeds?"
Jaime raised his hand. "It's all right, nephew. It's all right. There's still time. No need to rush things. And there's still room left on mine," he said trying to reassure him.
Daveth shook his head. "If you insist," he sighed.
A brief pause filled the room, before Daveth closed the book and left the White Sword Tower to see to his guests. As the other Kingsguard followed suit, only Jaime and Barristan remained for a moment.
"He still doesn't know why I did what I did," Jaime said.
Barristan noticed. "Be that as it may, Ser Jaime, it was the most dishonorable thing a knight of the Kingsguard has ever committed. Even if serving a madman meant it would cost us our soul, you can't expect to break a sacred oath and not be surprised when the people despise you for it."
Jaime felt his irritation starting to boil. "You think I don't know that? Everywhere I look, I see how the people have been looking at me these past 19 years straight," he sharply inhaled through his nostrils. "'Kingslayer', 'Oathbreaker', 'A man without honor'. Nobody cared to listen to my side of the story."
"Your side of the story?" Barristan looked down at his former squire.
Jaime shook his head and made for the door. "Does it matter?" he sighed exasperatingly. "Of course it doesn't. I was the only Kingsguard left in the capital while the rest of you were fighting at the Battle of the Trident. You didn't see what the Mad King did when you weren't around."
Barristan decided to stop scolding, and simply stood in front of Jaime with his arms crossed.
"Then tell me," the Lord Commander requested.
Jaime felt uncomfortable. He hadn't felt ready to talk about what he did in the past. But so long as people kept calling him "Kingslayer", Jaime felt he might as well get it over with.
"You remember seeing wildfire?"
"Of course," Barristan nodded. "The Mad King used it as a means of execution. Burned men alive, killed sons in front of their fathers and any he believed conspired against him."
Jaime nodded and continued. "But what you didn't know was that he also had his pyromancers place caches of wildfire all over the city. Beneath the Sept of Baelor, beneath the slums of Flea Bottom, houses, stables, and taverns. He even had his pyromancers place them beneath the Red Keep itself. And then finally the day of reckoning came."
Barristan felt his nerves twitch and his stomach twist in knots as more and more of Jaime's confessions spilled out.
"Robert Baratheon, my own nephew's father… and my late brother-in-law, marched on the capital after his victory against Prince Rhaegar at the Trident," he continued. "But my father got there first with 10,000 Lannister soldiers at his side, promising to defend King's Landing against the rebels. But I know my father better than anyone alive. He's never been the kind to support the losing side. I urged the Mad King to surrender peacefully, but he didn't listen to me. He didn't listen to Varys, who also tried to warn him."
Jaime felt his muscles tense.
"But he did listen to Grand Maester Pycelle, that grey, sunken cunt," he cursed. "'You can trust the Lannisters,' he said. 'The Lannisters have always been true friends of the crown.' So Aerys opened the gates and my father sacked the city. Again I begged King Aerys to surrender. I begged him to stop this violence from escalating any further. And he told me to…" Jaime paused and took a moment to compose himself before resuming. "He told me to bring him my father's head to prove I wasn't a traitor. Then he turned to his pyromancers."
Barristan looked closely. "And then what?"
"'Burn them all', is what he said. 'Burn them in their homes. Burn them in their beds.'"
The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard felt sick to his stomach. He knew King Aerys II Targaryen was an insane, cruel tyrant, but never did in his 40 years of combat experience did Barristan even think that Aerys would have stooped that far as to burn King's Landing to the ground with all of its inhabitants.
"Tell me, Barristan," Jaime narrowed his eyes, "if someone commanded you to kill your own father and stand by while thousands of innocent men, women and children burned alive, would you have done it? Would you have kept your oath then?"
For what seemed to be the first time in his life, Barristan honestly had no way of answering that what-if question and was stunned into silence. But still Jaime didn't stop there.
"First I killed the pyromancer. And then when Aerys turned to flee, I shoved my sword deep into his back," Jaime finally confessed. "'Burn them all,' he kept saying. 'Burn them all.' I didn't think he expected to die. Like his stupid, delusional uncle Aerion Brightflame, Aerys believed he wouldn't die as the city burned. No, I think he assumed he would burn with the rest of us and rise again, be reborn as a dragon and turn his enemies to ash."
He shook his head and hissed. "I slit his throat to make sure that didn't happen. That's where Ned Stark found me. I saved half a million lives, and this is the thanks I get in return? They spit on me and judge me guilty? By what right do they have to judge a lion?!"
Barristan stood in front of him, eyes wide in shock and horror. "Does your nephew know about this?"
Jaime's facial expression changed from years of pent up anger and frustration into one that showed a hint of sadness, hesitation and remorse.
"No," he shook his head. "He never asked me about it. Not once."
"Don't you think he has the right to know?"
Jaime sighed. "At some point; but now… Now's not the appropriate time. Once things have settled down a bit… I'll tell him."
"You'd better," Barristan said once he finally recomposed himself. "Now, go get some rest, Ser Jaime. That's an order."
Jaime suddenly felt dizzy and nodded, making his way past Barristan. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard remained behind and looked back at the Book of Brothers. He slowly re-opened the tome and turned to Ser Jaime Lannister's page. Barristan looked at the page closely and shook his head shamefully.
"Gods preserve me, Ser Jaime," Barristan sighed wearily. "I thought I trained you to be better than that. No, maybe that fault lies with me."
Barristan picked up a nearby ink and quill, holding it between his fingers as he pressed the tip of the quill on the page. And once he gathered his thoughts, Barristan began making small steady strokes.
######
Author's Note: Well, here you go guys! Preparations for the wedding are underway and Jaime confesses his deepest, darkest secret. But to someone other than Brienne of Tarth. How do you think this will affect his relationship with Barristan the Bold? Or even his nephew the King? Next chapter should be a bit more interesting as I'll introduce a new, but familiar face. Care to guess who it'll be? But other than that… Thoughts? Let me know.
Kat: I'm just dying for the wedding!
―It's something that King Robert had always wanted from the beginning: Baratheon and Stark bound by blood. He failed with Lyanna, but he refused to give up and hoped his son Daveth and Eddard's daughter Sansa would realize the dream for him.
General Hawk: Absolutely loving the story, keep up the amazing work.
―Thanks. Will do.
The Three Stoogies: a great chapter keep up the great work
―Thanks. Will do.
DaddyChad: Responding to Patty 4577's theories: A Purple Wedding for this story would be boring and not very creative.
And Cersei conspiring with Roose and Walder to kill the Starks is something that even Cersei wouldn't risk at this moment.
"Without Tywin's stamp of approval it would be too risky" is something that doesn't matter in this situation since Daveth is a good king that knows what's up, so Tywin has virtually no chance to go behind his back like that without Daveth figuring that out and hanging both Tywin and Cersei from the rafters or to bring them to the nuns and the Wall.
Oto Mustam: nice chapter
―Thanks.
BioHazard82: Another good chapter.
―Thanks.
chase manaena: interesting very interesting
―The big event draws near. Any particular part of the chapter catch your interest?
kira444: I just updated one of my stories and now this. Dude, the timing is nuts!
―It's almost as if it was in sync, wasn't it?
Patty 4577: I figured that besides Brienne, the only other person Jamie would confide in would be Barristan. Now since this is Game of Thrones the wedding must not go to plan. Most likely that Varys informs Daveth that the Ironborn have launched their attack. Other options include a Red Wedding like scenario where Cersei conspires with Walder Frey and Roose Bolton to kill off the Starks once Sansa and Daveth are no longer in the room. Of course Tywin would be in the room and there is a risk he could be killed. Also both Walder and Roose are smart enough to realise that unless that plan had Tywin's stamp of approval it would be too risky. Or a purple wedding scenario where Daveth is poisoned by Olenna so that Tommen can take the crown and therefore Margaery becomes queen. Of course that plan would backfire as Tywin would suspect the Tyrells (even with Cersei trying to pin the blame on Tyrion) and at worst it could see the Lannisters and the Starks allied against them.
Still these are just some of my theories.
―So many theories, so many to choose from. Makes my head hurt just thinking about it.
mpowers045: Love the you did that explanation scene
―Thanks. I figured it was long overdue that we get to see a more human side of Jaime Lannister as we've seen him in both the books and TV series. Tried to make some modifications to it, too.
RHatch89: Awesome update :)
―Thanks.