Trigger Warnings: Mentions rape and murder.
After a little more convincing, Keaira managed to get Jaime to go back to the tourney, and they decided he would go first. She knew that Littlefinger seemed to be taking an interest in what was going on with Jaime and didn't want to fuel any rumours. However, things did not go as planned.
"Where have you been, Kingslayer? And what's that cut on your cheek from?" The King inquired, as Jaime approached him, about to make his apologises.
"…I slipped, your Grace" Jaime answered.
"You may be a lot of things, but you're not clumsy. Who managed to draw blood from the Kingslayer? I'd like to congratulate them" The King grinned.
"No one, your Grace" Jaime shook his head, his eyes on his sister.
"You missed the tourney" Cersei stated, tight lipped.
"And what a mess, it was. Still the entertainment wasn't bad" The King chuckled to himself.
"My apologises for missing it" Jaime mumbled, as he went to stand by his sister.
"Where were you?" Cersei hissed at him.
"I'm surprised you noticed my absence" Jaime retorted, surprising Cersei.
"Ah, another lost soul returns" Littlefinger announced, as Keaira walked towards the Starks.
"You said you were only going to get a drink, it's been hours" Ned stated, unimpressed.
"My apologises, I got a little…distracted" Keaira replied.
"By what…or should I say whom?" Littlefinger suggested, turning so his gaze was placed on Jaime Lannister.
"And here I was thinking you had become celibate, Lannister" The King exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I'm sure Keaira has an explanation for her absence" Ned insisted, as Keaira bit her lip, not sure what to say.
"It's true that I am the reason she was delayed. I made a disrespectful comment to the Lady Keaira, and she rightly struck me for it" Jaime announced, as she glowered at him for calling her a lady.
The King erupted into a fit of laughter at that, images of the small girl besting Jaime Lannister brining him much joy. It seemed to put a stop to the rumours, as most people seemed happy enough with the explanation.
"We will be having words about this later" Ned informed her, as she came to sit next to Sansa.
"Don't be so harsh on the poor girl, Lord Stark. Most ladies would find Jaime Lannister hard to resist" Littlefinger smirked at her.
"Are you capable of not speaking in riddles, Lord Baelish?" Keaira questioned, having to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
This seemed to stop Littlefinger in his tracks, and earned her a small smile from Ned, who was always happy to see someone standing up to the man.
"It's late, Arya. You shouldn't be out at this time of night" Keaira scolded the small girl, after she found her wandering the castle that night.
"I can handle myself" Arya retorted.
"No, you can't. You're a child. The people here would hurt you without thinking" Keaira warned her, as she grabbed her hand and pulled her along with her.
"Father's men would protect me" Arya reasoned.
"And yet I see none of them around?" Keaira argued.
"I didn't mean to stay out so late" Arya mumbled.
"I know. It's alright. You just need to be smarter" Keaira told her.
"Why were you wandering the castle?" Arya inquired.
"Avoiding your father" Keaira sighed.
"Why?" Arya frowned.
"I've been making some friends he doesn't approve of since coming here" Keaira answered.
"The Imp and the Kingslayer?" Arya guessed, as Keaira nodded.
"Why do you want to be friends with them? They're so…pompous" Arya questioned.
"That's true. I suppose I just find them…interesting" Keaira shrugged.
"No one wants to be my friend. They all think I'm strange" Arya pointed out.
"Then they're stupid" Keaira informed her, wrapping her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder.
As they rounded a corner, Keaira could hear drunken shouts coming from near the stables and quickened her pace. She could see two men approaching her from the corner of her eye but tried to ignore them.
"My, my. Aren't you a pretty one?" A voice boomed.
Keaira had been so distracted by the two men to her side, that she hadn't noticed another man in front of them. From the way he was swaying lightly in the wind, it was clear he was drunk.
"Excuse me" Keaira announced, as she tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.
"Where are you going?" He asked, his grip strong.
"Let go of me" Keaira exclaimed, as she shoved the man away.
"Now that wasn't very nice" The man grumbled, the other two coming up behind him.
"I don't want any trouble" Keaira informed him, as they got closer.
"C'mon, we just want a little fun" One of the other men grinned, his yellow teeth showing.
"Arya go get the guards" Keaira whispered, as she ushered her away.
"But-" Arya started, but Keaira cut her off.
"Go!" Keaira insisted, as the small girl turned and ran.
"Want us all to yourself, huh?" The man with yellow teeth, suggested.
"Leave me alone" Keaira shook her head, as she went to turn and leave.
However, one of the men grabbed her arm in an instant, as another grabbed a fistful of her hair.
"Don't worry, we'll be gentle" The yellow toothed man grinned.
"Don't touch me!" She cried, as she raised her fist to his face, as he stumbled back.
"That's enough of that!" The yellow toothed man exclaimed, raising a dagger she hadn't noticed before, towards her throat.
Keaira instantly focused on the handle of the blade, and used her fire to heat up the metal, causing the man to cry out and drop the dagger. She quickly caught it and pressed it against the man's throat.
"I said…don't touch me" She hissed, pressing hard.
The other two men rushed away, clearly seeing how the tables had turned. It was then that Keaira noticed something on the ground near the stables. It was a body. A woman's body.
"What did you do?" Keaira frowned, as she pulled him towards the stables.
Meanwhile, Arya had been rushing through the hallways, unable to find any guards. She had begun banging on the doors near the kitchens. However, no one seemed to be answering.
"Why are you making that insentient racket?" A voice grumbled, as she heard a door open.
She was relieved to see it was none other than Jaime Lannister, who must have heard her banging on the doors.
"Keaira's in trouble! There's men by the stables-" Arya began, as Jaime grabbed his sword, and began rushing in that direction.
"What men?" Jaime questioned.
"I…I don't know. But they were drunk, and she told me to get help" Arya panted.
"Stay here" He ordered, as Arya reluctantly did as she was told.
Keaira looked down at the woman's bloodied body, her dress dumped on top of her. It was clear what had happened.
"I…she's alive. I swear it!" He told her, as she kept the dagger against his throat.
"You raped her?" Keaira asked.
"We all did…She'll live-" He insisted, as Keaira turned to look at him.
"She'll live?!" Keaira shouted, angrily.
"I didn't mean to hurt her-" The man began, as Keaira's hand moved.
It was a split-second decision, as she sliced the blade against the man's throat, blood splattering over her. She looked into his eyes, as he clutched onto her shoulder's, his fingernails digging into her skin through her dress. He only stayed upright for a few moments, before he suddenly flopped to the ground. Keaira watched as blood pooled beneath his body, which was completely motionless.
"I didn't mean to hurt you either" Keaira mumbled, wiping some of the blood away from her neck.
She heard a sound from behind her and whipped her head around to see Jaime standing there, a shocked look on his face. His eyes widened as his eyes found the blood covering her upper body, before finding her eyes.
"You really are full of surprises, aren't you, Little Dragon?" Jaime suggested, raising an eyebrow.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Apologises for not updating so far this year, but I'd really like some feedback! I thought I would put a trigger warning up for this chapter, just in case. What do you guys think of this darker side of Keaira? Please leave a review:)
Guest: Thanks for the info! I hope you liked this chapter:)