Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! I understand that I am making you guys wait for the romance but with the way I've set up Amarah and her relationship so far with Jaime I can't throw in a bunch of romantic stuff into the scenes right now. It just wouldn't be realistic since so far they've pretty much only seen the worst side of each other, but I promise it will happen, just not right this moment. I really just want to make sure the romance feels natural and not rushed. They really have to get to understand one another before the loving can happen, so that's what these next several chapters will be about (after this one). I've definitely written some "moments" in there but we aren't to the full blown romance for a little while yet. Sorry, you just have to be a bit more patient with me. Anyhow read on!
Amarah stared at the letter before her in a state of disbelief. The missive which she now held in her hand had been delivered by one of Winterfell's ravens mere hours ago. Hoping somehow she had misunderstood the letter's meaning, she reread the words once again, but there had been no mistake.
"That bastard!" she muttered to herself in a furious whisper.
Brienne had not yet looked at the note which Amarah held in her hand, but she seemed to guess by her lady's demeanor the news had not been good. "Can I be of some service, my lady?"
Amarah shook her head in denial of the request. "Unless you can somehow resurrect Bran and Rickon from their graves or throw Theon Greyjoy into the nearest sea, bound hand and foot, I'm afraid there is nothing you can do."
Brienne seemed a bit taken back at the blatant fury in her tone. The only time she had seen Amarah in a fit of tempter was directly after the failed attempt on her life, but she had not been as livid as this. The fury practically rolled off her in visible waves of heat. For a girl so commonly referred to the ice princess, she was anything but that now.
"Has my aunt seen this?" she suddenly asked Brienne before shoving the offending letter under the lady knight's nose, as if Brienne did not understand to what she referred.
"I believe so" Brienne answered with an affirmative nod of her head.
It worried Amarah that her aunt had already been told of this news but was nowhere to be seen. She needed to find her as soon as possible. "Does anyone know where she has gone?"
Brienne simply gave a hapless shrug of her shoulders, not having any idea of Lady Stark's whereabouts. Amarah was on the brink of running throughout the halls of the keep shouting her aunt's name before one of the servants came running into the hall in search of her. Due to the late hour, many of the servants had already retired to their quarters for the evening. So Amarah assumed if this man was still about, it was for an important reason.
"My lady!" he called out as soon as he spotted her near the large, blazing fireplace. "Lady Stark wishes you to come to her as soon as possible. She is with the Kingslayer below in the dungeons."
That was hardly a reassuring bit of news. "Does anyone know she is there?"
"No, my lady" he answered with a worried frown. "She instructed me to come find you but made me swear not to tell her brother's men where she is. Lady Stark seemed quite distraught when I left her. I think you should go to her as quickly as possible."
Amarah did not need any further prodding before quickly taking off in the direction of the dungeons. She prayed to the Seven she could arrive in time to prevent her aunt from doing anything foolish. Things had been relatively peaceful in the keep since their arrival almost two weeks ago. Edmure Tully still battled the Gregor Clegane's army near the crossing, but he and his men had managed to keep their forces at bay. Due to his and Robb's efforts, Riverrun had remained untouched by the enemy forces, providing a safe haven to those within its walls. With the positive tidings from their forces in the field, Amarah had almost begun to believe that events in this war were finally turning in her favor, but that was before she had seen that dreadful letter. The letter telling of the turncloak Theon Greyjoy's capture of her childhood home and his murder of two innocent children.
As painful as the news was for her, she could only imagine how much pain it had caused her beloved aunt. Bran and Rickon were Catelyn's children, and that monster had slaughtered them both like animals. She had always known Theon Greyjoy to be a selfish boy, but she never could have imagined the depths he would sink to in order to have his revenge on the family that had held sheltered him for so many years. If she had been able, Amarah would have marched to Winterfell herself to remove the traitor's head. She only hoped her aunt had not decided to take that same approach with the prisoner that now sat below in the dungeons. Jaime Lannister might be a dreadful human being, but he did not deserve to die for the crimes of another.
Amarah had not returned to the dungeons since visiting Jaime that first night in Riverrun, but she remembered perfectly where they were. All one needed to do was follow the putrid odor. She had been shocked at Jaime's appearance when she found him sitting there rotting away in his own waste. He had obviously not been shaved or even given a decent bath since being taken prisoner all those months ago at the Battle of Whispering Wood. She had always thought he exhibited the confident behavior of a prowling lion but with the mangy beard and hair he now looked like one as well. On some men it would look pathetic, but on Jaime Lannister it looked dangerous.
With these different thoughts running through her head, she finally arrived at the dungeons below the keep. As she approached the door to Jaime's cell she was disturbed to find the man who had been meant to guard door slumped over in a heap. Fearful that he might be dead, she quickly felt his neck for a pulse and was relieved to find him still alive.
"He's received a blow to the head" Brienne pointed out after arriving on the scene soon after Amarah. "His sword is gone as well."
Amarah gave Brienne a distressed glance at that news. "Gods! I hope she has not gone and killed the bastard."
After voicing this thought, Amarah rose to push open the unlocked cell door. She was almost afraid to see what her aunt had done, but she bravely proceeded in. Because of the cramped space Brienne chose to stay at the entrance rather than enter the room with her, but the lady knight kept a close eye on the others in the room. Once she had entered, Amarah noted with relief that Jaime's head was still in tact, but Catelyn stood before him gripping the sword she had taken from the soldier at the door. For his part, Jaime did not look too concerned with the angry woman who threatened his life.
"Aunt!" Amarah cried seeing the sword in her hands. "Are you mad? Jaime Lannister is Robb's most valuable prisoner in this war. You should not even be here with him, much less threatening his life."
"I don't intend to kill him" Catelyn answered never taking her gaze from the man in question. "I intend to free him."
The seven preserve us Amarah thought in alarm. She truly has gone mad. Deciding that gentleness would be a wiser course of action, Amarah slowly approached the armed woman. Without saying anything, she simply held out both hands, silently requesting the sword in Catelyn's hands. Her aunt looked very reluctant to give it up, but after catching sight of Brienne's imposing figure behind them, she finally relinquished the weapon. Not bothering to hide her sigh of relief, Amarah swiftly passed it off to Brienne before turning again to face her aunt.
"Now suppose you tell me why you want to free this man" she stated in a calm, even voice. Amarah had valiantly suppressed her earlier anger in an attempt to bring her aunt back to a reasonable frame of mind. It would not do to work the hysterical woman into a greater state anxiety by showing her own agitation.
"His brother sent word he would trade my daughter for the Kingslayer. If we are ever to see Sansa again I must release him" Catelyn said gesturing to Jaime who had still remained silent to this point. "I need my daughter, Amarah. I cannot loose anymore of my children."
She was becoming a bit hysterical now, and Amarah hastily attempted to calm her. "You cannot trust him, Aunt. If you release Kinglsayer, he will never live up to his end of the bargain to return Sansa. He has proven many times that he has no honor."
"I don't intend to just set him free" Catelyn stated in a calmer voice. Despite her more relaxed demeanor, Amarah felt an immediate sense of foreboding at the determined gleam that had entered Catelyn's eye. "I want you to take him to King's Landing for me. You're the only one I can trust to do this."
Amarah was so dumbfounded by this outrageous notion that she could hardly think of a reply. Taking advantage of her speechlessness, Jaime answered for her. "I told her you would never agree to it. It would be better to just kill me now."
Amarah finally found her voice at his obvious attempt to goad her. "You'd prefer that wouldn't you? Better to be dead than have to sit in this disgusting prison with nothing but your own thoughts of how useless you've become."
She could tell from the quick flash of anger on his face, she had correctly interpreted his thoughts. "I suppose you should return me to the capital then. It's either that or the sword, Princess. Lady Catelyn is in a fine state since Greyjoy has finally accomplished what I could not."
The look on Catelyn's face after his cruel remarks made Amarah thankful she had the foresight to dispose of her aunt's sword or she surely would have swung it at him now. Diffusing the current tension caused by his heartless comment, Amarah ignored him once again in favor of reasoning with her aunt.
"Surely you must see that I cannot do what you ask. Robb would never allow it, and he would hate me for betraying him in such a way. He might never forgive me. I couldn't bear that." She spoke this last sentence so quietly that only her aunt could pick up on the words.
Catelyn gave her hands a reasurring squeeze before replying in the same hushed tones. "My dear, he could never despise you. And if you can bring Sansa back to us, I know he would forgive you any transgression."
"It's not that easy, Aunt" she replied with a sad shake of her head. "No matter what Robb's regard for me, he could never forgive so blatant an act of disobedience. I cannot do what you ask."
"But you promised me" Catelyn replied in a sad whisper. "You promised me to look after them. Now you have the chance to fulfill that promise and bring my daughter back to me, but you choose not to."
Catelyn's tears were Amarah's undoing. She tried to stay strong in her resistance to this absolutely ludicrous plan, but she felt her resolve weakening under the onslaught of her Aunt's grief. All the guilt Amarah had tried to suppress since abandoning her family to Joffrey and his mother's mercy months ago came flooding back. She pictured Sansa's face in her mind as it must appear now. Instead of hope and wonder, her eyes were shadowed by the grief and horror she had been exposed to at Joffrey's hands. Gods, it was a bleak, cheerless image, and she felt somehow responsible for it.
"But why must it be me?" Amarah cried in frustration. Frustration at her aunt for asking such asking such a ridiculous request and frustration at herself for considering it.
Catelyn seemed to take some hope from the fact that Amarah had not refused her all together. "Because you are the only one I trust to do this. You can speak with Tyrion Lannister to exchange his brother for Sansa. You say Kingslayer has no honor but you have also told me that his brother does. You are the only one who can do this, Amarah. I need this from you."
"And if I refuse?" she questioned with one last attempt at resistance.
Catelyn's face became very hard at that question. "Then I should never forgive you."
Amarah felt a tight fist of pain clench around her heart at those words. How could Catelyn ask this of her? Glancing at the man they discussed with such ferocious intent, she found him looking at her with a curious gaze at what her decision would be. Trapped for a moment by the green, emerald eyes, Amarah was struck with a surprising jolt of sympathy for the man trapped away here in his horrid prison. Giving him a fierce scowl over the unwelcome sentiment, she withdrew her gaze to look towards Brienne who still stood silently in the doorway. Amarah tried to send her a silent plea for help, but Brienne looked as confused as she felt. Gods, she couldn't believe what she was about to agree to. It went against every fiber of her being to help a Lannister, but she felt almost helpless to refuse. The words were already out of her mouth before she had time to think.
"Very well, Aunt" she replied with a defeated sigh. "I will do what you ask. But if I do this, I take Brienne with me. I would have no hope of controlling him by myself."
Simply content enough that Amarah had agreed, Catelyn consented to her niece's condition before holding her tightly in silent thanks. However, her appreciation was cut short by Jaime Lannister's voice. "You think you can control me with the wench?"
Withdrawing from her aunt's embrace, Amarah marched to face the man who's undesirable company she would be saddled with for the foreseeable future. "Don't make the mistake of underestimating her, Kingslayer. If you give me any trouble I would feel no compunction in letting her separate that traitorous head from the rest of you."
He only gave an amused grin at her threat. "This should be fun, Princess."
Seven Hells! she groaned inwardly at his smile of anticipation. What have I done?
Well there it is. I struggled a lot with this chapter on how to make it believable that Amarah would make this decision to help release Jaime when it isn't something she would normally agree to. But her strongest sense of honor is when it comes to her family so I felt that her guilt was good enough reason for her to make an emotional decision rather than a rational one. Anyway, just a quick explanation on my part for her motivation here. Thanks for reading!