Just checked my calendar and it tells me that today was the day I had planned to publish Chapter 7! Wow...talk about getting ahead of myself. Just a little later than usual since I have been SWAMPED with Uni work. Anyways, new arrivals, new emotions, new opinions, more Jaime and Lorraine action. Got a bit sidetracked while writing this, ended up writing it non-stop for a whole day instead of taking my time since I binge watched the new season of Orange Is The New Black and I didn't wanna be too late in getting this chapter out. Idk if any of you would find this chapter boring since it's mostly OC's but I needed this chapter to finally emphasise and conclude the dynamic between sisters.

Reina

She watched as the gates opened with a slight creak to them and the horses rode in swiftly, creating a miniature storm with the dust in the entry yard.
She had almost opted out of meeting the arriving party upon their due to her nerves and unwillingness to accept just yet that it was time, but her father had insisted.
"It would be rude." He had said. But for once Reina found she cared very little what someone might think.

It was cloudy, she noticed. How fitting. She did not know why she was condemning this arrival so assuredly, it's not as if she hasn't been dreaming of this very day for a long while. She always wanted to get married and start a family, just like Janyne did. And she thought, just like Janyne, she would marry a decent Western-man in a place close to her own home but far enough away to call her own. She had had many suitors, many betrothals that fell through due to circumstance and Reina was tired of holding out hopes and simultaneously constantly lowering her expectations. She was older now than most noblewomen at the age of marriage, and she could not afford to turn her back on this betrothal as she likely would end up alone.

But she did not have any expectations, good or bad, of Steffon Trant. Perhaps it was his eerie banners that cast all thoughts of him far away from her mind, but she spent very little time thinking about him. She did not want to entertain the idea that perhaps he would be cruel and use her as she had heard so many men do to women before. Or the idea that he would be ugly. For some reason she could only envision him with an ugly scar down the left side of his disgruntled face past his mean lurky eyes. Something about his name and where he was from suggested a certain...hardness, to Reina. And she was not prepared to leave all the gentle love she had in the safety of her own home amidst her family to stay with a man made of stone and rain and cold.

As the first rider rode closer in to view Reina clasped Addam's hand tightly as she resisted the screeching urge to fold herself into Addam's shoulder and further avoid this doomed meeting. Holding her head up high she reminded herself what everyone had kept telling her over the past fortnight, that he was a fine Lord and that they would not be sending her away were he not. But how could they know? How could they know what he is behind closed doors? I am one thing to the people but another to myself!

She suddenly found herself stood feet away from the first rider. Even though her eyes were down to the ground she could feel his presence cowering above them.

"Welcome to Ashemark, Ser Steffon." She heard her father say followed by the sound of feet landing on the dusted ground and footsteps approaching.

"You do me the great honour of having me, My Lord."

She raised her head then, slowly, so as not to show that something had roused her curiosity, daring to look at the man who's voice the last statement had come from.

He did not have an ugly scar down his face, as Reina had originally imagined. In fact, his face, in Reina's opinion, was quite...nice. But he gave nothing away, his mannerisms were exactly as pleasantry entailed and did not give anything more than he should. He shook her father's hand firmly and she looked, curiously entranced by his hands and how he had taken his time removing his gloves from them. Before she knew it he had already met and shaken Addam's hand and was standing in front of her with a strange look on his face.

He was examining her, she could tell, just as she was doing with him. For some reason it seemed like the moment that had passed in silence felt like an hour. His eyes were a darker shade of blue than hers, but there was something about the contrast between his mussed dark hair and his eyes that made them shine. He was not exactly smiling, but there was no trace of a frown upon him and something about him suddenly seemed unsure...could he be shy?

As the moment lapsed in silence Reina suddenly realised that she was receiving him as a guest and should welcome him accordingly, she could feel everyone's heated glare on her awaiting any kind words of welcome.

"Welcome to Ashemark, my Lord." He smiled then. She didn't think he could. She extended her hand out to him.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my Lady." He held her hand in his and lifted it up to place a kiss and Reina almost gasped at how soft his hands were.

"I am very pleased to have finally met my betrothed, a beauty i'm sure many would envy me of." He added as his dark blue eyes bore into hers. She could not help the sudden blush that crept up her neck and to her cheeks. She wanted to look away, like she would usually do. But Reina knew she did not want to cower from him or any man who's wife she would be.

"My Lord is too kind."

"Steffon, please."

He had stunned her with this immediate insistence on familiarity. But then again, he was going to be her husband. Nevertheless Reina felt like speaking would only make her sound like a giddy little girl and the sudden jump between her "fantasy" of Steffon Trant and the now glaringly real -and somewhat handsome, reality was all too much. So Reina could only nod, and offer a shy smile. He grinned in return and offered a hand to the rest of her sisters and Duncan before her father had taken him by the shoulders and offered to escort him himself to his chambers in the guest wing.

She thought for a moment why Jaime Lannister was the only one of their guests who stayed in the same wing as them. She supposed their finest rooms were on that wing and Jaime Lannister is...well a Lannister.

Still standing in the courtyard in somewhat of a daze she suddenly felt the excited pull of Lorraine's hands on her arm and turned to find her sister giddy with excitement and a wide grin to accompany it.

"Find anything interesting, sister?" Asked Reina, knowing full well she would receive nothing but one of Lorraine's knowing smirks. Lorraine placed the back of her hands upon her cheeks and sent a feigned dazed look Reina's way.

"He's handsome."

"He's...not awfully disfigured or ugly." Lorraine's scrunched up her nose as a reply. Holding up her left index finger and crossing her right index finger in the middle of it. We have far too many signs for you.

"Liar."

"I won't make any assumptions Lorraine! By the Gods, i've only just met him." Lorraine nodded in agreement in return and held Reina close as she motioned for them to walk towards the steps leading to the under-garden.

"Lorraine I really don't feel like taking a walk right now, would you find Elaine? Walk with her."

She did not know why but Reina suddenly felt a weight on her, like she had pushed everything at bay for so long and now everything was crashing down on her. She barely spent much time considering what she would do if Steffon Trant was awful, so naturally she didn't spend any time at all considering what would happen if he was actually as decent as everyone had promised he would be. Suddenly the options were all too many and all too real. She needed to be alone.

Lorraine looked at Reina in a mixture of shock and annoyance, as if it was so unlike Reina to say no to anything. She motioned with her hands,

"What's wrong? Why has this upset you?"

"I'm not upset! I just...I need a moment. I can't breathe." They stopped suddenly and Lorraine turned to face Reina, placing her hands on her upper arms by her shoulders. Lorraine then moved to place one of her hands above Reina's eyes, causing them to flutter shut and leant in to kiss Reina's forehead and replaced her lips with her own forehead.

For the first time during that day Reina felt at peace, like her mind was empty. She was just standing there in the middle of the hallway with her forehead pressed to her sister's and the nervous pit in her stomach slowly dissipated. Sometimes Reina forgot she was older than Lorraine.

Lorraine slowly moved away causing Reina to open her eyes once more, finding an understanding look in Lorraine's eyes. She motioned to her once more, stroking the crease of her apposed thumb with her other index finger and then pointing at her.

"Everything will be fine. You will be fine." Reina reached for her hand then, looking at her little fingers and wondering how long it would be before she would have to get used to not having them around.

Lorraine, as if sensing this, pulled her hands away gently from Reina's grasp and motioned her hands away.

"I'll go find Elaine."

She smiled at the statement.

"Yes, you go do that. I'll see you at dinner."

Elaine

She was pleasantly surprised that Lorraine had sought her out for a walk. She had seen her approach Reina after Ser Steffon Trant's arrival and thought they may have wanted their privacy. Now here her little sister stood in the observatory, eyes pleading her to abandon her work for a meagre walk. All we ever do is walk.

"For the last time Lorraine, i'm otherwise occupied." And with a huff, Lorraine plumped down onto one of the plush cream seats against the wall on Elaine's right.

Lorraine usually did not bother her sister during her "alone" time, no one did really. Elaine did not understand why that was, it was not as if she did minded terribly at the presence of another, it did nothing to deter her from her efforts, even sometimes putting her at ease. They had always joked that she was the enthused conversationalist and Lorraine was her opposite. And today especially, Elaine felt like she could use a good chat, even if present company could not reply. On the contrary, Elaine often believed that Lorraine was very accomplished at coaxing out conversation from others despite her not speaking, she'd make a great torture assistant. She thought, snickering to herself in the process.

"What did you think of Ser Steffon?" She paused after she finished her brush stroke and looked sideways at her sister for a response. Lorraine caressed her thumb with her index finger and then motioned her left hand carefully to and fro as if she was unsure.

"He's not bad."

"What does Reina think of him? Did she tell you?" Lorraine visibly slumped into her seat, looking up at the ceiling trying to formulate an answer. Elaine expected some sort of an elaborate interpretive dance on Reina's opinion of every hair and crease on Steffon Trant but was instead met with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I don't know."

Elaine sighed and turned back to the painting, she was painting the view out of the Observatory this time. When they had returned to Ashemark after their time at Silverhill she had looked through the archives for drawings or paintings of her home and was abhorred by the diminutive number of works available. So it was there and then that she had formulated a project to paint Ashemark from all angles on the outside, and all inner views to the outside, so the collection would never be lacking again. She still had quite a way to go until her collection was complete, Father had scarcely let her out of the grounds long enough for her to get a decent sketch so as of yet most of her work had consisted of views from the inside looking out.

"I suppose she'll know soon enough." She picked up a wider brush and continued broadly stroking at the sky on her canvas, not looking back at Lorraine.

"You know how Reina is. You know how she's been. She's only scared is all, wouldn't you agree?" She did not have to wait for a reply to continue.

"It's just that...we don't know him. And he's so far away, they'll both be soon. It must be daunting." She dipped her brush in the light shade of blue once more, scraping the corner with a tinge of green.

"But from what I can tell he's nice enough. He's a little handsome as well, isn't he? Those banners though! How depressing. I wonder how they came up with that. Though i'll admit if they were my liege lord I would not hasten to argue with them." She smiled to Lorraine then, noticing how her brow was creased and she looked deep in thought as Elaine herself yapped away.

"Is something the matter?" Lorraine shook her head, smiling reassuringly and leaning back into her seat simultaneously signalling with her arms for Elaine to continue what she was saying. She stayed quiet for a moment, formulating her next sentiment.

"Isn't it probable that one of us is bound to marry someone awful?" She said suddenly, looking to Lorraine for an answer. All she did was look at her questioningly. She breathed in deeply before she continued.

"I mean, we can't all be so lucky in fortune when it comes to spouses...i'm not blind to that." She turned sharply back to the canvas to avoid Lorraine's pointed stare.

"I'm happy for Reina, and I hope Steffon is as good to her as he is handsome...or perhaps even better than that. But I can't help but feel that one of us is bound to get the short end of the stick. Addam's betrothed is due to arrive soon, what if she's miserably dreary? I'm bound to marry soon, what if he's an oaf? What of Duncan?" She shook slightly as she steadied herself to breathe in deep, suddenly feeling a hand on both her shoulders and a head resting by her neck. She dropped her brushes in the box then and grabbed at Lorraine's hand in an effort to comfort herself as she felt Lorraine's nose poke at her neck gently.

They tightened their grasp on one another, and Elaine found that she was too afraid to let go. But Lorraine was brave enough for the both of them. And she stood up slowly, keeping her hands on Elaine's shoulders as she sat to brace her up and gave them a final gentle squeeze as she returned to her chair. She opted this time to lounge carelessly on the seat, providing the sudden heavy atmosphere with the lightness that Elaine usually provided. It made her laugh.

"What are you doing here anyway, silly girl? Don't you have anyone else you can bother?" Suddenly she remembered,

"Wait, do you not usually spend this time of day with Ser Jaime?" Lorraine looked as if she was considering the validity of the question, as if she had not yet realised that it was a sort of routine she had now.

"Well why don't you go look for him? I'm sure he'll be happy to entertain you. If not you could always watch Duncan in the training pen." They both giggled scandalously at the last statement and Lorraine huffed as she clumsily tried to gather the flowing material of her robes lying about the couch. She passed behind Elaine and planted a swift kiss on the middle of her head.

"I'll see you at dinner sister!" She said in a raised voice as she continued on with her work and her mind distantly accounted the sound of her steps leading out of the Observatory.

Jaime

He had steered clear of the Marbrands' way for as long as he could that day. He could imagine they may have been busy coordinating the guests' rooms and the dinner feast later on as well as the nerves that were rushing through them at finally meeting Reina's betrothed. He could not help but remember the clear look of suspicion and worry on her face the night before. He did not particularly enjoy Reina's company, but he knew she was a sweet girl. And while he was not unrealistic enough to wish for her betrothed to be a handsome gallant knight that will promise to love her and give her a happy marriage, he did hope Steffon Trant would be good to her. How sad is it, Jaime thought, that women must now hope and pray day and night that their husbands will not abuse them?

He sat on one of the bridges on the farther ends of the castle, still sweating after a recent spar with Ser Ilyne Payne in an attempt to retrain his left hand. He was getting better, he knew that much. But it still took a lot out of him and required more work on his part to wield his sword the way he used to. He glanced then at his golden hand resting on his lap glistening underneath the sun, taunting him with all its glory.

Spotting a dot of mahogany wandering the grounds he was half looking at he focused his gaze to narrow in on what he thought -or hoped, might be Lorraine. He was right. He watched her from afar as she clutched what seemed to be a notepad tightly in her hands and looked about like she was searching for something or someone. Could it be me you're looking for? He waved himself off at that thought.

Jaime had not been blind to Lorraine's growing attachment, and a part of him wanted to believe it was not purely because he offered her companionship and entertainment outside her family. He noticed over the past week, especially after the previous night, that she flushed beautifully at times when they were in close proximity. And she would touch him, even if it was not necessary. Chalking it all up to her being used to familial warmth and intimacy he tried to fight off thoughts of her feeling what he was struggling with every time he looked at her. But then last night, out in the open air with the music booming and wisps of silk floating, she opened herself to Jaime in a way that he had never seen her do before. And he felt honoured that she would let him be there to witness it. In that moment, wiping the stray tear that had escaped her felt like the most natural thing he could do, but he stopped, reminding himself once again that it was too soon.

Now that he thought of it, it was not completely out of the question that Lorraine was indeed seeking him out. They usually spent this time of the day together with some sort of pursuit and she could not very well knock on his chamber doors. It would be improper. But, Jaime was learning, Lorraine was not meant to be the proper lady one would expect to find in such a castle.

Deciding that he would in fact risk looking like a fool at assuming Lorraine was desperate for his company he stood up and made his way to where Lorraine was likely heading on the other side of the castle in a half-run. He stopped right in front of the outer bushes to wipe some sweat off his brow, suddenly feeling all too self aware at his scuffed up state. Straightening himself, he walked in to the little court by the fountain and found Lorraine exactly where he had expected her to be. Her face swung up at the sudden intrusion and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Have you been waiting for me, My Lady." She smiled in return and leant over above the water and swung her hand across the surface, splashing Jaime in the process with a hefty amount of water. He shook the water dry off of him and Lorraine giggled with her back hunched and her mouth covered.

"I see my current state does not please you much." She craned her neck and began writing in her notepad.

"Good spar?"

"You should see Ser Ilyne's state, My Lady." She rolled her eyes at him and drove her hands in to one of her pockets searching furiously for something. Eventually after a long moment of twisted facial expressions -that Jaime was very much enjoying, Lorraine's pulled out a linen handkerchief and hesitantly offered it to Jaime.

He took it, admittedly partly because he wanted to feel her skin once more. Soft as ever, he pulled the handkerchief away and smiled in thanks as he dabbed the soft cloth about his brow.

"Did everything go smoothly with Ser Steffon Trant's arrival? I did not expect you to be finished this soon." He attempted at filling the void left by their silence as he dried himself up. Lorraine nodded slowly, as if she was not sure if it did go as smoothly as she thought. She pointed her thumb behind over he shoulder and motioned to her face like she was carrying it with the backs of her hands and then shrugging after.

"He's handsome, I suppose."

"That's not always enough." He heard slip out of him. Both their heads whipped around to meet each other's gaze at the sudden statement but for some reason Lorraine could not hold Jaime's stare for long, looking away like she had much more to think about.

Jaime leaned over slightly, extending the now wet and dirtied handkerchief with his hand and an apologetic expression rest on his face. She shrugged him off with her hands and only a thin remnant of a smile gracing her face.

"Keep it."

He knew it was silly, he knew it was nothing, it was but a piece of linen. But it was hers, and now he held it in his hands.

Noticing a slight shift in the air now that Lorraine seemed...preoccupied in thought, he decided to just sit down and enjoy what he could with the moment he had with her. The water rippled through the fountain and Jaime could hear the insects crawling about them, tick tick tick. As if finally remembering where she was Lorraine turned to face Jaime once more, asking him with her hands,

"When will you be leaving Ashemark?" He considered his answer carefully, now was an opportune moment to bring everything up with her. It was quiet, they were alone, it was a lovely day, he could ask her right the moment. But it just did not feel right yet. All thoughts would be with her sister, and she seemed already lost in thought over a different matter, he did not want to add to that. He kept chalking it up to nerves rather than thinking he was actually being as considerate as he was, he did not know which one was worst yet. Nevertheless, he had to give Lorraine an answer.

"I don't know. I'll be staying longer than I had initially anticipated." She smiled in something Jaime could only describe as happiness but quickly faded back into a curiosity as she wrote,

"You don't need to return to King's Landing?" Again, Jaime thought this would be a perfect time to tell her. She would be sparing him the trouble and nervousness of formulating a way of broaching the subject by himself. But he could not, neither one of them was ready for it, he knew. But that did not mean that he could not impart anything onto her. He could tell her something so when he did go about proposing it would not stun her as much as he imagined it would. Bracing himself for her reaction, straightened his back and placed his hands at his sides gripping the fountain ledge,

"I do not, my Lady. As a matter of fact, earlier this week I was released from the Kingsguard by way of royal decree from my nephew, the King. So...that leaves me as the Lord of Casterly Rock...you see." He almost winced before he could look at her expecting her already large eyes widened beyond repair and aggressive hand movements of "Why?" "How?" "How could you?". Her eyes were in fact wider than he had seen them before, and her expression was unreadable. But that was not the case for long as a new look of understanding washed over her features, but Jaime found he could not yet let out the breath he had unknowingly held in.

She did not ask him anything, or stood accusing him of anything. She merely nodded in her way of saying, "I understand."

Breathing out somewhat in relief, Jaime gulped down before he could ask,

"Do you not think me dishonourable then?" His eyes flutter up to hers while he waited for some sort of condemnation now that he had suggested it. Instead she only frowned slight and shook her hand, leaning over even closer to Jaime as she placed her delicate hands on both of his -including his golden one. Her hand seemed surprised at the coolness of the metal and she leaned in even further to examine the fake hand. She squeezed both of them comfortingly, as if he would be able to feel it, and looked up at him with a soothing expression surprisingly far closer to his face than she had expected. Without rousing any impression Jaime may have had of her discomfort at their unprecedentedly close proximity she turned away once more, grabbing her notepad to write something down to him.

"You seemed unhappy when I first saw you." He was afraid to ask,

"And now?" He searched for something malicious in her eyes, something taunting. But he could not find it, instead he swam in her eyes of rich chocolate looking for the answer to whatever it is he was asking. She returned to her notepad, scribbling furiously before she ripped the paper out and held it up to Jaime's eye level as she continued to unknowingly sooth him with the safety of her eyes.

"Now, the Golden Knight smiles."

For someone who had never known self-control, Jaime found his knuckles white and his heart squeezed to the point of explosion as the overwhelming urge to kiss Lorraine Marbrand's little nose, rosy cheeks and perfect lips shook through him.

The train is moving people! Lots of feels. Addam's betrothed will be introduced next chapter as i'm really hoping to speed things along in terms of timeline. Thank you for reading! I'm afraid the next chapter might take a little longer as it's been pretty hard to start and I have finals this week. According to my adjusted calendar i'm supposed to publish chapter 10 on the 4th of July, ideally I would be able to get it all done in one go but I feel like I have to be realistic and anticipate that I may be publishing later than usual.