A/N: Hey guys! Hope you were all happy with the latest chapter? So sorry that i'm behind schedule, I know, I suck. I had written almost a whole chapter for Lorraine on the website from a University computer (AND SAVED) but then when I got home it got deleted! All gone...over a thousand words...vanished. I got really discouraged after that. I couldn't really find the time but as soon as I started again it was hard to stop. I was just so inspired when writing the last chapter -I finally got things going didn't I? I wanted to make it good and not rush it so much.

Thanks to all my new followers and reviewers!

Jaime

Greetings, Brother

You'll forgive me for not wishing to keep this too lengthy, conciseness is a new talent I fear I must learn all about.

After you so kindly let me out of that prison our sister had put me in and sent me off with the Spider -in a box might I add, do you know how uncomfortable boxes are to travel in? No, why would you? Where was I? Oh yes, leaving Westeros! I found myself with old Varys in Essos. And after a series of events I think it wiser not to disclose to you, I found myself in Meereen, as a loyal advisor to Danaerys Targaryen.

Yes, it was all well and good helping a young girl, and rightful heir, stumble her way through turmoil as I imagined coming back on the backs of one of her dragons and burning Casterly Rock to the ground -how is Casterly Rock by the way? Back to the point...we have a problem.

He could scarcely believe what he was reading. It was Tyrion, this is Tyrion. If the handwriting was not at all telling then the style was more than expository. Tyrion...in Meereen? With Danaerys Targaryen? At this point he could only worry what his intentions were for writing, especially after their last conversation.

The Targaryen Khaleesi has flown off on the back of one of her most unruly -and deadly dragons. No one knows where she is, and I have been governing in her place in the meantime.

This is not a warning to you, but a suggestion for an agreement to arise from nothing more but common interest. There has been talk -even out here in Essos, of how far the Greyjoys are willing to go for another rebellion, albeit a successful one. And Casterly Rock is just about as far as West goes, which makes it quite close to Ironman's Bay, correct?

Why would I care about you or Casterly Rock being taken by those sad pillagers? Euron Greyjoy. I'm sure you've heard of him -the banished younger brother of Balon who coincidentally found himself back at Pyke the day after his dear elder brother's death, the owner of Silence, the reputable sadist. Yes, that Euron Greyjoy. He has sent his brother, Victarion here to court the Khaleesi in his name of all things! However, I have successfully sensed that there is not much love between these too brothers -as i'm sure you have heard the tale of Euron and Victarion's saltwife. Sounds a tad familiar, doesn't it? Oh and did I mention Victarion is here with a Dragon Horn that Euron gave to him as leverage? It would prove useful if anyone was brave enough to try blowing the thing. Apparently Euron has a reputation for poisoning his gifts, you see.

Now that i've given you some back drop, I will get straight to the point. Since I happen to personally know that the West is not currently participating in any farce of a feud, I know that you have vassals at your disposal. I know that because of your position, your exposure to the sea, the history of the Greyjoys completely destroying Lannister fleets as well as Victarion confessing to me that his brother plans on claiming the West personally, it is probable the Ironborn will advance West.

I said this wasn't a warning, but I suppose it is. A little. I still need something in exchange for something you could benefit from. Capture Euron. Kill him. Spare Victarion the taboo of Kinslaying, and they will leave you at peace. And once my Khaleesi returns I will convince her that if and when she decides to reclaim her rightful throne, you, the West and your new wife will be left untouched and unharmed.

Sincerely, you know who.

p.s. Congratulations on your nuptials. I hope she is lovely. I am surprised your dear Addam Marbrand would so readily give his permission to fuck his sister. But am I, really?

He could almost laugh. Almost. The letter was not signed but he knew, painfully he knew, exactly who had sent it.

He knows, he thought. Tyrion knew about what was going on West, and he knew about Lorraine. He did not bother to wonder how.

After that night in the tunnels of the Red Keep, after the night he saw a grim fire stir in Tyrion's eyes at his confession and the ashes of that fire he found in his father's room in the morning, Jaime did not think he would ever see or hear from his brother again. His brother who, overcome with bitterness and vengeance himself confessed to a crime Jaime knew very well he did not commit just to spite him, just to somehow hurt him.

He could almost feel betrayed at the fact that Tyrion had so readily sided with the Targaryen if he was not so curious about how she had even accepted him. And in regards to his proposition, he hardly thought it was something the Targaryen "Khaleesi" would agree to. Afterall, they don't call Jaime Kingslayer for nothing.

She has the Mad King's blood in her veins, she will not see reason when it comes to me. If she comes to me. He thought, instantly forgetting that the great Targaryen girl was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she is already on her way.

He shook his head at the thought. It was mildly inconveniencing him that Tyrion had even bothered, Jaime was already having a trying day. And only seconds later did it occur to him how strange it was that the thought of hearing from his only brother from the other end of the world, that hearing from the brother he had loved and hurt, would be a "mild inconvenience".

Before he could reread the letter once more and truly understand its implications his ears stood alert at the sound of footsteps approaching the chamber door and in a panic he stuffed the letter furiously into a trivial ornamental box.

When the door clicked open and he turned to face it in a hurry he found it to be none other than his sweet wife, of course. He smiled at her and immediately knew she could sense the nervousness on him. For some reason, though, she chose to ignore it -only keeping the vague suspicion in her eyes.

"You're here." He clasped his hands behind his back, hoping she would somehow not see them sweat.

"Yes." He gave the silence no chance to reign, and quickly silenced it with the sword of his tongue.

"I, you see I was one for the day. I thought i'd wait for you here."

"You could have joined me for luncheo-"

"No no I had already eaten. Are you tired? Do you want to sit down." The suspicion did not fall from her eyes as she shook her head.

He needed something to occupy the sudden space of time. He needed something to occupy him and his thoughts. He needed something.

"Well then how does a walk sound to you? You could show me your work for once!" Hesitantly, she giggled. Yes, he was getting somewhere now.

"You would be bored" He waved his hands in response,

"Nonsense. Come," He extended his bent elbow out to her and she eyed like it was a goblet of wine she had never tried before.

"Show me."

And the touch of her hands wrapping around his arm may have not been enough to steer all thoughts of his brother behind, but it enveloped him in a warmth he had missed. And for now, for the current moment, for the afternoon with his wife in his arms and the knowledge of the breeze curling through her hair, that was enough.

.

Lorraine

For the second time that day, my husband and I walked with one another. And, for the second time that day, it went on mostly in silence. But this time, I was not under the impression that we were both in thought about the same thing -mostly because I had no idea what it was that had so obviously rattled my husband so.

He was hiding something from me, and I found myself slightly assured about the matter. I knew...I knew I did not like him keeping things from me. But he had changed so much, and somehow I was confident that he would not hide it for long. I found it important to myself that I should wait until he comes to me himself.

As the darkest ends of the halls seemed to swallow us and we remained in cavorted silence my thoughts strayed to Elaine and the blank letter I could not bring myself to write. Even the thought of approaching the matter, to face Elaine -even through paper, and lie like my hands were not already shaking...it was too much to bear just yet. It struck something in me, it choked me, to know that danger was amidst us but I could still not be sure. I cursed the day we had been separated. And I know that if it comes to it, I will curse the day I separate from Jaime as well.

I can not exactly say when I had developed such a deep and traumatic fear at seeing someone leave me. Perhaps it was when Addam first left us, and the day swallowed me up and spat me out onto the ground where I cried when he left. I remember being about ten years of age and standing by the gates every single day, waiting to see his horse. Waiting for news. Waiting for him even when the hot ground burned at my bare feet. And when he finally did return I attributed it to my religious wait and I promised to make it my shrine.

Where is my shrine now? Who do I worship, who must I beg to keep us safe?

Our silence was interrupted by my sudden giggle. I was thinking of what Elaine would say if the reports are true and she had to come here. Something like, "Does it take an invasion to have me as your guest, sister?" I looked back to Jaime, he was smiling.

It was the strangest thing, i'm sure i've mentioned it to myself before. But I had grown so very attached to the man I had married...who knew? I did. Surely, I must have. For now I can not even imagine what it would be like to be indifferent about the matter. I daresay I shan't even find comfort sleeping in our bed without it, not since we had made it our bed. I can barely even remember what it had felt like to be alone.

I know I had never truly been alone, I had my family. But when I went to bed at night, it was just me. Jaime is...part of me now. Together, we are our own house...we are a home. I'd like to think we complete each other. And i'm afraid to think of what i'd be without him by my side. Is that terribly selfish?

The light we had come to suddenly tore me out of my reveries, and I found myself standing in the midst of the bare garden I had not yet approached in my endeavors. It was the East garden, located on a large open clearing in the East wing -I had not even realised that was where we were headed. The staff told me they had dubbed it the Garden of Thorns, something about the soil made all the flaura in this particular space grow heavily prickly, to the extent that I had even heard that Jaime and his siblings were not allowed to play up here in fear of injury.

It had not been tended to in a long while, and I suppose the late Lord Tywin was happy to allow it to whither away. All that was left of it were shrubs and puffs of dead grass. It could not have been somber if it had tried.

"What have you planned for here?" And it was just the sound of his voice as he said it that turned me to wind. His voice, so full of the things he would whisper at night, his smile so genuine I could almost see the child that was not allowed to play here in the long summer. I had begun crying for the second time that day.

All but leaping to my side, Jaime rushed to embrace me.

"Sore subject?" I would miss him, I would miss this. This was Jaime, and I would miss him.

"Hush now," he said as he stroked my hair gently. I was not sobbing like before, merely a few stray tears...but it warmed me that he knew that I needed him to hold me.

"I think we should go back to our room." I nodded, swallowing down the thick tears. I did not even know what I was crying about any longer.

Instead of loosening his grip on me so that we can commence back, his grip did not waver and to my shock Jaime leant down and picked me up. He looked at me as he carried me, my face surely incredulous at his nerve and he looked back at me the way only Jaime Lannister could,

"Don't you worry. I've got you."

By the time we made it back to our chambers I was a giggling mess partially by Jaime's renewed joviality and his insistence on using his hand placement to tickle me. He laid me down on the bed gentle, undoing the strings to my gown as his eyes stayed on mine.

He took me by surprise by removing his own clothes and simply laying next to me in the bed with one arm underneath me, gripping me tightly to him. He drew soft circles into my skin and I found my eyes slowly closing, partly comforted by our position and partly ashamed that I could be so weak. I was weak because Jaime was taking care of me, completely. I had completely disregarded how this day had had any effect on him, and had in turn offered him no comfort. I lifted my hands up slightly higher than my head so that he could see the gesture I was making -if he was not already asleep.

"I'm sorry" His circles stopped.

"Do you want to know what I thoroughly enjoy about you, my dear?" My heart stopped. Whatever movement my head was telling my body to make would not prevail, I was stiff in his arms. I had no idea why.

His breath blew across my ear,

"You apologise when you're wrong, and I let you. But i'm here to tell you there is nothing here for you to apologise for. Look at me." I did. His eyes were pained, but so beautiful.

"I won't lie to you. There is much to come, either way. And I know a separation is not ideal, I know that. Do you think I would enjoy sleeping in empty tents when I could be sleeping next to you, beautiful woman? But it's necessary...and I know you know that...I just feel like...like I need you to know that...this isn't what I want...but I have to- I must...I don't want to be anywhere without you, but I also don't want to live in a world where I can't ensure your safety...so you must know...all of this it's-" I cut him off by embracing him and using two of my fingers to cover his lips. I did not want to hear my husband grasping for words so painfully when I knew what he had meant to say.

He did not say another word. We slept like that, with his arms around me and my fingers on his lips -and I felt peace that whatever it was in our bodies that made us feel the way we did was the same.

The next morning I woke up with my husband's arms still around me, still so deep in sleep. As I looked upon his sleeping face I wondered how many maidens in the land were in love with Jaime Lannister, or at least the idea of him. With the sunlight hitting his face and growing hair he looks like a king people would write thousands of songs about, he looks like a God soldiers would worship for glory. He looks like a man I have promised to stand by through everything, when will I become the woman worthy of it? I best start acting like it.

I leaned over so my lips were right at his ear, and I smiled at the thought of him feeling as I feel whenever his breath reaches my ears. I whispered, faintly enough to cause breath to leave me,

"Wake up, my prince."

He stirred slightly before opening his eyes at me and smiling, completely oblivious to what he had just heard.

I gripped his shoulders and kissed his shoulder blades neatly as his eyes opened at their full capacity.

"Good morning" He groaned as she stretched out. And I responded by moving the hand that had previously been on his shoulders down to his manhood.

His seductive smirk always irked me to no end, but at this moment it was what I yearned for. He pulled one of my legs across his hips and moved on his back, moving me up on him so that I was straddling him -and right before I let myself fall into a pit of pleasure by placing him inside me I wondered if he marveled at my face in the morning sunlight too, thinking me a goddess.

It took a miracle to finally tear myself away from my husband after we had finished -I insisted that we have breakfast together from now on, and he obliged me for the most part.

I, for one, was feeling starved. We had skipped our dinner last night and I had definitely worked up an appetite this morning...I almost had to fight Jaime for the bread. As Jaime gobbled down at his ham furiously and I proceeded to pour myself some more water our morning feast was interrupted by our dear old castle castellan.

"My Lord! My Lady, how do you fare this morning?" He seemed far more cheerful than he usually was -which was strange considering the general atmosphere of things these past few days.

I gestured my hello to him and tried my best not to resume my focus back on my food to quickly just so he could awkwardly stand there, watching. Thankfully, that was prevented by Jaime -who himself seemed to be in a better mood than he was on most mornings...I wonder why. I couldn't help the growing smirk on my face.

"What has you so cheerful this morning Damion?" He said, barely sparing a glance in his subject's direction.

And still wearing a wide smile Damion replied,

"Oh the most shocking news, my Lord! I went to speak to the Maester Creylen this morning and I found him with Amber...she's pregnant! Can you believe it? Apparently the other cat she's been running with was a male and...you know... well...we'll be having plenty more cats around it seems!" His face was bright red, as was mine for that matter. I knew that other cat was trouble!

I could not help but let my laughter bubble through at the news, all this time...who'd have suspected? By the time I could look at Jaime we were both in hysterics and I could even hear a few chuckles escape Damion...what a wildcard Amber has been. On the bright side I should have a lot more chances to raise a kitten right it seems!

I met with Roslin later and relayed the happy news to her, she grew even redder than Damion! After her few giggles died down she looked at me with her small eyes and her mouth trembled slightly, wanting to say something it was unsure of. But, and I was proud to say this about my friend, she expressed herself fully to me,

"It doesn't...bother you?"

"What?"

"Forgive me I shouldn't have said anything" I reached over to place my hand over hers and let me eyes pin her in place, pleading her to go on.

"Go on"

"That...that you're not withchild yet. People talk, even if you pretend you can't hear them. That much I know."

I leaned back in my seat considering my answer. For one, no, it did not bother me at all. The subject of children was not on the highest of orders to me, though I knew it'd be important in the long run. It is just Jaime and I for now, and i'm happy.

I can laugh about this. I will laugh about this. And I will pretend not to see the pity in people's eyes as they think: Even her cat is pregnant and she is still not. It is I who pities them, truly, for they think I would let anything as trivial as that to make me think of myself as less than a woman. I pity them because they do not know what it is to be happy with what you have instead of constantly longing for more -especially when it is for another's approval, to fulfill some sort of duty. I married Jaime because I believed I could be happy with him, and I think that despite it all, I am. Why would I ruin it all by hating myself for allowing myself to be pressured to conform to some unwritten standard?

I waved Roslin's concerns of me like a weak gust of wind and covered it all in good humor,

"Amber is apparently trying harder than I" And the wrinkles I had so grown to admire around Roslin's little eyes returned and so did the sound of her laughter -followed by a gurgle from the only man allowed in on the conversation.

I leaned down to face the little man and he grabbed my thumbs with all his might, waving them around wildly in a strange sort of dance. And it was then that I found myself humming out a tune I had so long since forgotten.

.

Jaime

He stood on the elevated roof silently as he watched over Lorraine and Roslin's exchange. She laughed so freely with someone Jaime still thought would be to her a stranger.

He recalled that not too long ago he would watch as she interacted with her brothers and sisters, and remembered now that he had seen the same sort of ease in her then that he saw now with Roslin Tully. She was happy.

He did not exactly know how Lorraine exactly felt about the subject of children. She seemed to laugh it off easily enough that morning but he knew how persuasively deceptive she could be. Jaime could claim to know his wife well, but for the many trivialities they had discussed during their lazy mornings and long nights -children had never been part of the discussion.

For Jaime, it was not a priority, nor was it a necessity. Logistically speaking, they had only just started in their...efforts in reproductive actions, so it was expected that there would be no immediate pregnancy -but Jaime was all too aware that it only takes once. He did find himself wondering sometimes what he would see of himself in a child of his and Lorraine's...he would not mind such brown eyes. So he had expected Lorraine's mind to stray to that thought, naturally, every once in a while. He liked having Lorraine all to himself, they were back on good terms and everything seemed...peaceful between them, he was not prepared for any disruptions. What worried him the most about the matter was how vicious people could be with their opinions.

Lorraine was not one to care too often, but she was Lady Casterly Rock now, and whatever scrutiny she may have felt as Lorraine Marbrand could only be intensified greatly now that she was Lorraine Lannister.

But looking over now at his wife, who seemed not to have a care in the world besides how the wind carried the tune of her laughter, his thoughts of punishing those planning to attack Lorraine with their vile words dissipated.

He had admitted it to himself before -he liked the thought of her being happy, even if it meant her being happy without him. What would become of her once he had left her alone? He could not imagine Amber's kittens would be enough to subdue his wife's loneliness. Nor could he imagine his wife sitting down in their big bare castle awaiting his return. No, as much as it may have irked him...he wanted this woman to smile even when he was not near.

I'll order Whitesmile Wat to return, he thought. Whitesmile Wat was the resident singer at Casterly Rock until he had left with armies to the war and had not been back since, to Jaime's knowledge he was still at Riverrun with his aunt. Perhaps some music will do her spirits some good.

But it was not enough, and he knew it. What else could he do? He crossed his arms over one another on old rock of the rail and leaned forward, still staring intently at the vision before him.

I can't have Elaine here, not yet...not without good cause. Duncan is needed in King's Landing. Reina would not get here in time. Perhaps I could call Addam to come? But I imagine he would want to take Lorraine back to Ashemark, and I need her here. I'll keep that option open.

He carried on with his intent thoughts, surely there is something more I can do.

And just then, it him harder than the wind blowing unto the sea. He would keep Roslin and her babe here with Lorraine.

They obviously made her happy and made for good company. Edmure's agreement could be changed. In fact, it might be a better incentive for him, at least until all of this was over and he could return and remain in Casterly Rock for good. Yes... he thought, this is working out better than expected. He wondered if this is what his father felt when plotting and planning.

A small, sincere smile found its way to him. And he thought of the smiles his decision would award Lorraine with, and his smile widened to the vision.

Again, sorry for the delay! I had a lot of tests the past week. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a week or so (or hopefully beforethen since I have a long weekend ahead).