Slightly behind schedule, but once I got going on this chapter there wasn't much in the way of stopping me, so i'm glad. I'm trying to speed things up just a little bit as I feel like i'm still introducing all the aspects surrounding this story, next chapter a definitive decision will be made regarding where things are headed for Jaime. Feel free to comment and review, I beg you.

Reina

She wore her finest earrings for dinner that night, she couldn't stop touching them and looking over her shoulder, afraid Duncan might yank them out like he did the last time she wore them. They were her mother's, and at that time Duncan still hated seeing anything that reminded him of her then recent passing, Reina could still wince at the phantom pain she felt at the memory. Always had an awful temper, that one, she thought to herself, just like little Lorraine.
She regarded Duncan hazily once he had found his way to them and had begun whispering something into Elaine's ear as she giggled mischievously, she could almost roll her eyes at them, Reina wondered at how easily different her siblings were. Though Reina was more than well aware that they all loved each other immensely, there was a certain dynamic law to how her family operated, she wasn't as thick as people assumed she was. Looking around the hall, she observed the same dynamics in play, subtle, but still clear to whoever knew what to look for. They had always been so close, Janyne being the assumed mother and caretaker -even when she had left there was always a sense that she was still watching, Addam was always the knight, he was what people spoke of when the Marbrand name was mentioned, whenever she was scared she always found herself running to him -however silly that may have sounded, she always knew he would give her some semblance of protection, but then he had left as well and she could only think everything that followed was a consequence. Elaine and Duncan were always the life of any gathering, similar but still very different. Many would not call Reina very perceptive, but she knew her siblings, she loved them.
She looked at Elaine and Duncan laugh and to everyone else it would sound the same but she could pick up on the nuances of every sound that escaped them, Elaine laughed even when she was angry or sad, Duncan laughed just to be loud. They could all get angry, none of them was particularly reasonable when it came to that, not even Addam. All of them wreaked some sort of havoc, be it external or internal, and even though Duncan was loud, and Elaine would close in on herself, Addam would break something, Janyne would probably break something onAddam's head and Reina herself would only find relief in tearing and stomping at a few bushes in the garden, she knew Lorraine was the worst. She hadn't seen it many times, perhaps that's what made it so bad, it wasn't easy to anger her, but it was impossible to miss once it happened. She'll never forget seeing the rage bubbling in her sweet sister's eyes on those few occasions, she would never break anything or hurt anyone after, but when she was angry, somehow she got ...silent. It may sound silly, given she's a mute, but Reina liked to think she could hear Lorraine through her actions, her hands, her face, but when Lorraine was angry something inside her hardened, something closed up and there was suddenly wall no one could breach.

She thanked the gods, no one was angry tonight. She thanked the gods every time she looked upon her family, standing there together in one room, sharing space like they used to. It had been too long since they had all been together, and it won't be long till they would no longer be that way -Janyne will go back to Silverhill eventually, Duncan's off to King's Landing and Reina will be off to Gallowsgrey, all the way down in the Stormlands, Elaine is bound to marry not long after and leave as well. In that moment she almost envied Lorraine, in some strange way Lorraine had the freedom to choose what her fate would be, unlike Reina, who was to be shipped off to the Stormlands within the next moon with someone she'll be meeting for the first time in less than a fortnight. She shuddered suddenly as she remember when she had first been told of her betrothal to Steffon Trant, even with Janyne's insistence that she herself had met him once before and he seemed a nice, comely nobleman, Reina could not shake the thought of the hanging man on his banners, they would soon be hers. Something did not sit well with that.

Dragging her thoughts back to current company to rid herself of the somber attitude that would surely befall her if she kept thinking of Gallowsgrey and Steffon Trant, she grinned to herself as she viewed her family once more, her father talking briskly with Addam, Janyne pulling at Duncan's ear in the midst of some kind of scolding while Elaine giggled furiously in the midst of it, when she caught sight of something that did not usually fit in her perfect family portrait, Lorraine was standing farther away than most of them -with a stranger.

It was strange to think of Ser Jaime Lannister as a stranger, she had heard so much about him from everyone around her, but he was still foreign to her, to them. Their love for Lorraine and their want to protect her, which Lorraine herself resented at times, often hindered any of them to trust outsiders around her easily, someone always had some kind of question they wanted answered or a motive they had tried to hide. She had even overheard a few men talk of how they could "have her way with her" and she likely wouldn't tell, she couldn't. People are stupid, the thought to herself, they'll never know a thing about her.

But looking at Jaime Lannister move around her sister gently, like he was afraid to move too much and break contact, and her sister meeting his gaze steadily, she wondered how much Ser Jaime did know about her. He was a handsome man, Lorraine was not blind, none of them were. Reina even briefly imagined what it would be like to be married to Ser Jaime, or someone like him, someone Western and beautiful and close. But she had always been a silly, silly girl with silly, silly thoughts -or so everyone said.

Lorraine was smiling widely now, Reina noticed, and Ser Jaime looked like he wore a small smile of pride himself as he continued saying something to Lorraine that Reina could not hear. She was not the only one watching, she realised, as she saw Janyne sneak a glance from the corner of her eye, she could never help it, could she?

What was he saying to her? As soon as the instinctive suspicion she carried subsided Reina found herself happy at what she was looking at. Lorraine had made some sort of a friend, and what a friend that was. This new attempt at companionship was not without some difficulty though, Reina quickly noticed Jaime's eyebrows contracting together a few times during their interaction in confusion and Lorraine's favourite mode of defence in response: withdrawal. She hoped with all her heart that this sudden spark would not die out as soon as it had begun, she wondered for a moment how it had begun. Soon she would be gone, Duncan and Janyne right after and Elaine should not take long to find herself at the door either. Addam would stay, she did not know how long Jaime Lannister would stay with him, from what she had heard he was in no hurry to return to the Capital, so some part of her hoped with all her heart there would be someone to be a friend, or even a distraction, for her little sister.

Noticing Lorraine and Ser Jaime's interaction grow a little stiff she decided to interfere, she was good at that, and stepped forward standing across the both of them leaning in to drape an arm around Lorraine's shoulders,

"Ser Jaime, I heard you had a tour of Ashemark today, was it to your liking?" Do I ask that a lot? To her surprise she noticed that Ser Jaime had seemed slightly taken aback by her addition to the conversation, as if it were some kind of interruption, and she could not help but feel slightly indignant at the insinuation. Am I not worthy of your presence, ser?

"Yes, my lady, I had the pleasure of sharing the library with your sister this morning."

Is that why she seemed so strange earlier?

Before she could respond with another rehearsed pleasantry he quickly shifted his gaze to Lorraine once more,

"In fact, my lady, I believe I would like to share tomorrow morning with you once again, if it is not too much trouble. Perhaps you can teach me that game you had...mentioned."

Lorraine nodded enthusiastically at his suggestion, while Reina's mind furiously swirled at what they may have been talking about. It was right then that she noticed Lorraine holding a notepad and pencil in her hand. That's how they must have understood the specifics. With a confused look gracing her features she opened her mouth to speak to Lorraine, eyes still on the notepad,

"That's strange Lorraine, I didn't see you carrying that in when we walked here together" Hesitantly Lorraine looked at Jaime with a shy smile, sharing a knowing look as Reina faced him in further confusion.

"I brought it with me, my lady. To bridge the gap better."

She didn't know why, but she didn't like that. She felt like tearing it from Lorraine's little hands and burning it in front of his arrogant, handsome face. Before her anger could visibly show Addam suddenly stepped in. Oh, thank the gods.

"Lannister! Sisters, is he boring you?" They all laughed, Jaime with his head down, and Reina with a fake smile.

"On the contrary, Marbrand, it was pleasant enough before you showed up." She expected him to look at her then but he didn't. Thank the gods.

Lorraine's eyes danced back and forth from Addam to Jaime, meeting Jaime's with a sort of understanding Reina had not seen Lorraine ever have with someone that was not ...them.

Addam started once more,

"Regardless, I must pull you away, I believe we must be seated for dinner now, and i'd like to discuss some things with you before you run back to your room."

"I had already assured the Lady Serrett I would not be retiring so soon!" he said with a smile, Reina could not help but stare.

Addam feigned offence that Ser Jaime had promised Janyne and not him, and they jested as they walked to the tables, Lorraine and Reina linking arms and walking behind them, away from them, thank the gods, as Lorraine drew unending circles on Reina's sleeve. It always had a way of calming her down, as if somehow Lorraine knew she needed it.

Lorraine

It was a lovely morning, not that it is ever not lovely. I was surprised when Ser Jaime had suggested we take our game of chess to the fountain gardens when we had met at the breakfast hall this morning, I didn't expect Addam's tour to have been that thorough.

He struck me as quiet, when I first met him, how tight his posture was when others were trying hard to accommodate his arrogant iciness, how hidden his eyes were from the rest of them. But I did not expect anything he had given me.
After that rather strange encounter in the library where I had seen him at least try with me, he had all but run out after I had given him a bone. Automatically, I had assumed, as was the case with many, that he was put off by my presence, chilled by my closeness. I hadn't meant to be so familiar -I didn't even realise I was, but a part of me fluttered and soared at the tiniest hope that I had found a companion that did not share my blood. Almost sulking into the hall for dinner that night, Ser Jaime's sudden attentiveness towards me began as soon as I had stepped in. He approached me with a notepad and pencil, and I strangely took no offence to that. He had barely left my presence before dinner and spoke to me of the sieges (even though I had heard everything from Addam already), of horses and all he had seen in the Riverlands, and even stranger than that was that he asked me things: What I thought of Addam's courser, What my favourite volume was, Whether I like cats or not. It caught me off guard, and even now, sitting across from Jaime Lannister by the fountain in my own home, I felt shy at the recollection of my enthusiasm.

I was happy, "speaking" with him, the smile had rarely left my face in his presence the previous night. And I believe I am quite happy now as well, playing chess with my new "friend" while the water pours, the birds chirp and his lovely, godly golden hair glimmers beneath the same Western sun he had been born into.

"Do you find something amusing, my Lady?" He said with a sly grin, I scribbled into the notepad in my hand wishing he'd ignore my painfully rushed penmanship.

"It seems you've been bested, Ser" I met his confused expression with a smile as I motioned with my eyes for him to look down at the game board. Was he not paying attention? He was as good as beaten two moves ago. I wonder for a moment whether there is something heavily preoccupying his mind before I am pulled back to attention by the sound of a hearty laugh as I am met by the sight of his head pulled back in exuberance.
For a moment Ser Jaime Lannister looked even more different to me. He didn't look younger, the way he was laughing wrinkled his face and gave him crow's feet by his beautiful green eyes, but something about him and his laughter relieved a certain kind of heaviness around him and he suddenly seemed younger, younger and lighter.

"Chess has never been all that engaging to me, if I must admit, my lady." he carried on smiling towards me, I didn't even know if I was smiling back at this point. I raise my arms and shrug my shoulders to motion something to him,

"Why play, then?"

He stared at me pointedly as his mind formulated an answer, shifting his gaze from me to the fountain as I looked on to him, mindlessly resetting the game board once more.

He was trying to formulate an answer he had yet to work out. Is he trying to work me out? Does he even enjoy my company?

"I enjoy your company." he said with a small smile, answering my silent question. I don't know why I did what I did next, logically it must have not made any sense to him, but a part of me thought he would know. I reached my hand over to his and tapped my index finger on one of his knuckles twice.

"Thank you." I willed him to understand, pleading with my eyes, oozing gratitude. I thought for a moment how foolish I might look until he smiled at me.

"No need, my lady." Just then it was I who had to look away, formulating some sort of an answer. Instead I chose to motion a new start to the game, hoping perhaps I could teach the gelded knight how to win at chess, you would think for a seasoned warrior he would know a thing or two about strategy. I tried hard to let him win, I missed a few golden opportunities to crush him and subtly hinted for him to take action, but alas it would not do -I still beat Ser Jaime Lannister, badly. As we played I thought to myself how wrong he was about chess, he seemed engaged enough to me, he was just bad at it. And as he sighed in frustration at the ending of our game I took it upon myself to tell -or write, him as much. He laughed loudly once more with his head pulled back, and the sight warmed me. Perhaps it was selfish of me to enjoy it, but it has been a long while since anyone has laughed with me, i've had to endure people laughing at me when they thought I was not looking, but never with me.

For some reason people always assumed I was deaf as well as dumb. Idiots, the lot of them.

I looked upon the Amber roses surrounding the fountains and interwoven through the surrounding bushes while Ser Jaime reset the board as I had taught him, and I thought of how beautiful they would look in his hair. A deep orange against his darkening golden hair, I tried to imagine him in his youth with the long golden mane everyone spoke of, with my little flowers dancing in his hair. I think I prefer him like this, my flowers can be seen, he can be seen. In that moment, all that consumed my thoughts were those little Amber Roses and Jaime Lannister's golden, golden hair.

Jaime

She had taken him off guard. Everything about her. He knew she was not stupid, and her witty retorts during the prelude to their dinner the previous night had shown him she was quick on her feet, but he did not anticipate how intelligent she was. Seasoned in the practice of the mind, he thought. It was correct that Jaime was not very good, or interested, in chess, but still he could not help but be stunned at her immediate brilliance. It was obvious, it showed in her eyes as she calculated the next four moves in her mind, he could see the wheels moving. That also meant that he did not miss the obvious attempt by her to lose, which he avoided at all costs. He watched her hands move on the game board, and felt his blood burn where she had touched him on his knuckle, remembering the gentle press of her nail and how soft her finger was against his skin. It must have been a while since i've had a woman, he thought to himself to explain the near flush he had gained from her touch, ignore it. He warned himself every time she looked at him and smiled, he ordered himself to ignore the pull in his chest, this was Addam's sister. But nothing could stop him from wanting and getting more of her company, her smile, the gentle whisper of her voice when she giggled.

As he reset the board once more he noticed her lean away towards something from the corner of his eyes and caught sight of a flash of bright orange, looking up in confusion to find an Amber rose resting gently between her dainty fingers. She smiled shyly as she extended her arm towards him, nodding to his confused expression as a motion for him to accept the gift, her gift.

Taking it in his hand carefully, he did not miss how his heart skipped at the slight brush between their fingers. He had to speak to get his mind off it.

"Does my lady give consolation gifts to everyone she beats?" He jested in an attempt to lighten the mood, to get her to laugh, to get her to do anything other than stare at him the way she currently was, her eyes bewitching. All she gave was a sly smile and that gave him room to notice the slight beauty mark above the left side of her lip. She looked down to scribble something quickly, ripped the paper out and handed it to Jaime to read.

"I crown you King of Love and Beauty." He looked up to find a proud smile upon her, like it had been years since she had come up with anything as smart or funny.

She isn't something to pity. He thought as he looked on at her, returning her smile, all the while distracted by his own thoughts, She is smart, and she can be coy, but more than anything she is good. And lovely at being so.

He didn't know why, but he wanted to kiss her then. Just a peck on her little mouth. A chaste indicator of his admiration. That's all it is, he kept telling himself, admiration.

He got up suddenly, hoping she would not take offence at his constant abrupt exits. She stood up as well, looking at him questioningly, standing close as if to challenge his motion to leave. She was not very tall, but he could tell in that moment some part of her wanted to be intimidating. Something about her wanted to stand in his way, but he did not have the courage to let it.

"I fear I must take my lady's leave once again. I have some things I must attend to." Her eyes were suspicious but nevertheless forgiving, she tried to smile sweetly as she nodded to him, her dark curls swimming about her shoulders. He imagined crowning her dark head of hair with a wreath of white roses.

Smiling one last time, he turned around and walked away, meddling through the gardens trying to find his way back to the main hall thinking he could try to find Addam to see about training the new house guards. All the while, he thought of Lorraine's smile, burnt in his mind, and for some strange reason it made him think of Elia Martell.

He remembered her as gentle, she was always gracious, always nice -even when Prince Rhaegar had so obviously humiliated her in front of everyone at Harrenhal. He remember thinking she was pretty, nothing in comparison to Cersei, but pretty in a simple way. How he had initially thought of Lorraine. But, for some reason, he could not imagine Lorraine as Elia Martell. Lorraine was gracious and nice, but he could not imagine her holding her head up high even if her Prince, her husband had dishonoured her in front of everyone, he could not imagine Lorraine being silent about it. Instead he saw anger, he saw condemnation, he imagined Rhaegar cowering in fear of her wrath. He saw passion. Behind everything she did, he saw that Lorraine only did what she loved and wanted. She wants to spend her mornings beating me at chess.

Why am I even thinking of her?

Why am I thinking of her in Elia Martell's place? She is a sweet Western lady, who doesn't belong in King's Landing.

He suddenly shuddered at the thought of Lorraine meeting the same fate as the Martell Queen, tightening his grip on the flower she had given him. Walking deeper in to the castle trying to find his way he fought within himself to find peace, and find it away from Lorraine Marbrand.

If for nothing else, she is Addam's sister. He scolded himself. She is his sister. His sister. His sister. His sister. He kept repeating until it was etched into his mind.

Still holding the little flower, small and dainty just as she was, he struggled to find it in him to crush the petals in his fist and discard them, instead choosing to keep them in the pocket of his breeches. He walked on to find Addam, to find anything to take his mind off of the little thing he had let rest in his pocket, repeating, always repeating, Addam's sister.

I am Jaime Lannister, and I wish to kiss you, Lorraine Marbrand.

Addam

Margot Manning. That was her name. The woman he would be marrying soon. Right after Reina leaves and a little before Duncan and Elaine are shipped off as well. His father had informed him last night before dinner, and he did not give himself the opportunity to think about it as he downed goblet after goblet of wine. Now, in the fresh morning sun with a fresh morning headache, he wondered what she was like. Naturally he would wonder what she looked like, but he couldn't help but use each of his sister's as some sort of point of reference. Lorraine would surely argue with him that no one could be defined by a single feature, but Lorraine did not have to know did she?

Would Margot Manning be dominant, straightforward and warm like Janyne? Would she be a ready made mother?
Would she be pretty and shy like Reina is? Bubbly and excitable like Elaine? Lovely and engaging like Lorraine? He did not know. And he did not know what he preferred.

Staring down at Lorraine and Jaime Lannister playing chess -playing was too generous of a word, from his favourite balcony from which he was not visible, it suddenly occurred to him that he would be left alone with just Lorraine, his father and his new wife. He was a hard man, to love and be loved, he knew that. He had liked girls before, danced with them, kissed them, he had even bedded a few, there was definitely no shortage of beautiful women in King's Landing. But to love a woman, to share everything you had with her, your home, your family, your life, it daunted him. She would be someone that he had to please all the time, he knew that. Thinking of that, he wanted to hide himself. Perhaps that is the only way he can be loved by someone that was not his own family, if he hid the ugly parts of him far enough away. He almost laughed at the alarming amount of things he'd need to break in some far off abandoned part of the castle to contain his anger, perhaps I should dedicate a room to my rage. He supposed it was better than dedicating a room for his whores.

The only thing he knew about Margot Manning was that her father had perished during the Battle of Blackwater Bay and that she lived by the sea. Would she be disappointed, living on hard land? Would she be disappointed, living on hard land with him?

Happily distracting himself from thoughts of his new wife and their upcoming nuptials, he resumed his attention back to Ser Jaime and his sister.

He had found it strange, Ser Jaime's eagerness to share his younger sister's company. He could not say he was not somewhat pleased that she was getting along with his friend relatively well, and he knew there was no great suspicion in regards to what Ser Jaime would want with his sister. In different circumstances, if it was someone else requesting time alone with her, he would be standing by her side, chaperoning until the very last word was uttered, sending violent threats with his eyes. But Jaime was a man that knew better than to cause trouble with petty things, he was a man that was disgusted by taking something without permission, and moreover he was of the Kingsguard. That hasn't stopped anyone before, he thought.

He tried not to grow protective as he saw Lorraine reach over to touch Jaime, knowing nothing would happen. But still, something in the way Jaime looked at her made Addam feel like he was missing something. Like there was something between them he did not know about. Then Lorraine handed him a flower, and Addam was sure Jaime would laugh and take it, looking upon her like she was just another innocent child. But he didn't do that, and Addam's mind twisted in confusion as he watched Jaime carefully hold the rose and stare at it like it was something precious. Watching him stand up, he looked on as Lorraine stood to meet him, standing closer to him than she does with most, Addam felt a pang of something, somewhere as he found himself breathing out in relief when Jaime finally left Lorraine's company. She slouched back by the fountain, a sad expression gracing her gentle face, he could only wonder why.

She's my sister, Addam knew it, Jaime knew it, everyone did.

Ser Jaime is my close friend. He knew it, they knew it.

He would never. Addam was not so sure about that right now.

Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be solely a Jaime POV chapter, hope you enjoy!