Author's Note: Thank you as always for your wonderful comments! Y'all are so amazing for all the support you give me. One of my reviewers did have a concern that Robb marrying Jeyne was out of character for how I wrote him, but there is a further explanation of that in this chapter. The marriage didn't go down exactly like it did in the books, and I think it still fits with Robb's character even though he loved Amarah. Just wanted to address that worry if any other readers had it. I do want the elements of my story to be equally believable and enjoyable for you guys. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
They were to leave Harrenhal that very night, but it could not be soon enough for Jaime. He hated this place and its haunting feel as if the very ghosts of dead lords and mistresses silently watched his every move. He noted that Amarah did not seem to share his eagerness to escape, but he hardly found that surprising considering she was escaping this prison only to enter into one of another making. While King's Landing meant freedom for him, it was only a gilded cage for the Baratheon princess.
It also appeared she did not seem too agreeable with the order from Bolton to leave that wench of hers behind. When she first heard the decision regarding Brienne, Jaime feared she might jump across the table and slit the pale lord's throat even as his guards stood around them, but she had remained blessedly silent after her initial outburst. Jaime kept a close eye on her now as they readied the horses for their journey to the capital.
She had managed to say a few words to Brienne before the wench was pulled away by some of Bolton's men to be delivered to the goat. Jaime feared Amarah might try to enact some ill-advised escape attempt with her faithful knight, but she had thankfully done nothing. Now she just waited in the quiet darkness, looking up into the starry, evening sky with a distressed gaze. Jaime didn't fault her for the worry plainly stamped on her lovely face. Whatever their disagreements had been in the past, Jaime felt sorry for the wench. He had no doubt she would die defending her virtue that very night. Moving his gaze away from Amarah, Jaime looked to maester Qyburn who was busy saddling one of horses with different, strange smelling jars. The old maester had been permitted to travel with them to King's Landing in the case that Jaime needed his further care.
Despite Amarah's best efforts earlier to hide her feelings, Jaime knew she had been profoundly affected by the news of Robb Stark's marriage. Jaime had been rather amazed by the tale himself. He had no doubt of Amarah's affection for the boy, and he couldn't imagine Stark would not return the feelings. He recalled that time so many months ago when their royal party had visited Winterfell before Eddard Stark became Hand of the king. He remembered the way the Stark boy's eyes had followed Amarah's every move whenever they were in the same company. It hadn't been enough to spark his interest at the time as he held no interest in the princess, but now that he had been made aware of her affection for the boy, he had no doubt Robb Stark felt the same. That was why Jaime found it difficult to believe the boy king would break his treaty to a powerful family like the Freys for a woman other than Amarah.
Jaime made certain to lower his voice to enough to escape Amarah's hearing before questioning the old maester. "Tell me, Qyburn, what do you know of this marriage of Robb Stark's?"
The old man thought about the question for a moment as if trying to recall the details. "Jeyne Westerling was the bride, I believe. King Robb brought her back to Riverrun after the battles at the Crag. They were married they day they returned. I recall because a raven was sent to Harrenhal with the news of the marriage that very same day. I know nothing else about it."
They were married the day he discovered Amarah's betrayal Jaime thought with a grim frown. "Be sure you don't speak about any of this to the princess" he ordered the maester before turning his attention back to the girl that occupied his thoughts.
Jaime had requested Quyburn's silence on the matter because he saw no reason for Amarah to blame herself for Stark's stupidity. The boy had won many battles against the Lannisters, but he would lose the war all because of a wounded sense of pride and skewed sense of honor. Jaime didn't doubt Stark had married this Jeyne girl after he bedded her. Whether the bedding was before or after he learned of Amarah's role in Jaime's escape, he did not know. He only knew the boy was a fool and would undoubtedly pay the price in this war for his poor decision.
Amarah looked towards him then, and his dark thoughts must have showed on his face because she gave him a concerned frown. He shook his head to let her know nothing was amiss, but she ignored the gesture and began walking towards him. As she came closer, Jaime noticed dark circles under eyes that testified to her lack of sleep while watching over him these four days of their captivity. The sight of her weariness caused him the absurd impulse to hold her in a comforting embrace. He hastily pushed away the unexpected urge just as she came within arms reach.
Jaime regarded her with a lazy smile to hide his thoughts from her penetrating gaze. "Is there something you wished to discuss, Princess?"
"Do you really intend to ride away from here and leave Brienne behind to let that goat defile her?" she asked him in an angry whisper. He was taken a bit unawares by her question as he half-expected the worry on her face to concern him, and he felt an irritating prick of disappointment that it hadn't.
"Of course I intend to leave her" he said brushing off Amarah's concern without a thought. "Why should I risk my life to save that creature?"
Amarah looked appalled at his lack of concern. "You already took a beating to protect her virtue" she reminded him. "Why let such a sacrifice go to waste?"
"It won't work" he informed her with a knowing look.
She regarded him with a seemingly confused expression. "I don't know what you mean."
"You want to convince me it would somehow be in my best interest to help the wench escape this place because I told some lie about sapphires to save her hide, but it won't work. I might take a beating for her or lie for her, but I won't risk my life when it's just been handed back to me."
Amarah looked as if she wanted to scream at him in frustration of his refusal, and Jaime was impressed with her resilience not to give into the urge. Cersei surely would have. Where had that thought come from? He quickly gave his head a small shake to clear away the disloyal notion.
"Nevertheless" Amarah continued on heedless of Jaime's thoughts. "I cannot abandon her. She saved my life, and I am loyal to her. You cannot ask it of me to simply leave her here with these disgusting lechers."
Jaime's gaze suddenly turned hard at her continued stubbornness. Despite the kindness she had showed him earlier, it was necessary that Amarah understand she was no longer in charge of this little adventure of theirs. Now she answered to him whether she liked it or not, and they would not be risking their lives just because of some perceived debt that she owed the wench. They were leaving this place, and that was final in Jaime's mind.
"I'm not asking you anything, Princess" he replied with a dangerous smile. "You're going to get on that horse and ride away from this keep without that wench of yours in tow. This isn't some polite request. It's an order, and you would do well to remember that you're not giving them anymore."
"I won't do it" she replied with an obstinate set of that pretty, little jaw.
Jaime slowly leaned forward until their noses were almost touching and he could smell the lemony scent of her breath. "Oh, you'll do it" he answered back in a deadly whisper. "You'll do it if I have to bind you hand and foot and ride the entire way to King's Landing with you slung across my shoulder."
After hearing his unyielding warning, the stubborn look in her eyes gradually turned to one of hurt betrayal. "I'll never forgive you for this." She breathed the words so softly he wouldn't have understood them had their faces not been so close together.
He felt a stab of guilt at her mournful expression but hardened his heart against the feeling. "And yet I'll still sleep at night."
Amarah suddenly pulled back from him then as if he had struck her. Jaime tried not to flinch at the hurt expression on her face, but it was damned hard. "I thought you were different somehow" she said with a sad shake of her head as those gray eyes bore into him like they could see the blackest depths of his soul. "But now I see I was wrong. You'll always have shit for honor."
Throwing these bitter words in his face, she swiftly pivoted on her heel and marched back towards her waiting horse without giving him another glance. As he watched her walk away, Jaime burned with the need to stride after her and yank her to him, not letting her free until she took back the cruel words, but he didn't. He just watched her walk away before turning to mount his own horse. It took two men to help him climb into the saddle without the use of his right hand. After a bit of a struggle, they finally managed to get him into the saddle. However, once Jaime was seated on the horse, he realized that he had forgotten about holding the reins. He would never be able to properly direct the horse with only his awkwardly controlled left hand. He felt swamped by a feeling of deficiency at not being able to complete such a task, but was soon pulled from the mire of self-pity by the old maester's voice.
"Do you require my assistance, Ser Jaime?"
Jaime looked down at him while contemplating his reply. He had no great desire to ride all the way to King's Landing with an old man sitting on his lap. Glancing back at Amarah, he saw her furious gaze fastened on him. As indicated by her harsh words moments ago, she was clearly still quite angry with him, and he doubted she would give in to his edict so easily that they leave Brienne here. The girl would probably ride away at the first opportunity to return to the keep to retrieve the wench, most likely getting herself killed in the process. It would be in Jaime's best interest to keep as close an eye on her as possible.
With his decision made, Jaime looked back to the maester's expectant face. "Lady Amarah will ride with me."
Qyburn nodded his head in acknowledgement of the order before going to fetch her. Jaime knew Amarah would not appreciate the decision that she ride with him, but he didn't much care. The only way for him to ensure that she followed his order to leave the keep without Brienne was to keep her within arms reach at all times. She had stung him before with her harsh words about his honor, but he tried to push that from his mind as she walked to him now on the arm of the maester. He couldn't let her command him and manipulate him into doing her bidding.
She approached him without saying a word, and soundlessly accepted his good hand as he reached down to pull her into the saddle. Once she was seated in front of him, she continued to stare straight ahead as if he didn't even exist. Jaime assumed this was some sort of tactic angry women used when they didn't get their way, so he just ignored it and reached around her small waist to grab the reins with his left hand before giving them to her. She readily took them from his waiting hand, but still gave no other acknowledgement that she was aware of his presence. Looking away from the irate female in his lap, Jaime gave his men the signal to move out. At his command, the soldiers began cantering out of the courtyard, but Amarah hesitated for a moment to took up at the keep's many towers where Brienne was being kept prisoner. Jaime noticed the movement of her eyes and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"There's nothing you can do for her, Princess."
She twisted her dark head around to look at him then and he saw disappointment in those beautiful gray eyes rather than the anger he expected. "No" she whispered back softly, "but you could have."
With that, she turned away from him once again before flipping the reins to move their horse in motion along with the rest of the soldiers. Despite her nearness to him, Jaime felt that they had never been more far apart. Her back was rigid and straight. Rather than leaning into him for comfort, she sat forward so as to put as much distance between their bodies as possible. It was such a stark contrast to the beautiful goddess who had straddled his lap mere hours before in the bathhouse as she stroked and kissed him into blinding pleasure. He had never been touched like that by a woman before. Certainly Cersei had paid him similar favors, but her touch had always been hurried and almost violent in her eagerness to bed him. She had never taken the time to hold him gently, to caress away his cares and worries. Her lovemaking had been more of the selfish kind. Thinking more of her own fulfillment than bringing the pleasure to him.
He regretted the unkind thought regarding his sister almost as soon as it had formed, but he couldn't put it from his mind. His fucking with Cersei had always been the way she liked it, hard and fast and rough. Amarah had been a complete contradiction to that. She had been gentle with him, slipping past his defenses and overwhelming him. Her touch hadn't been to arouse her own pleasure but to give him his. It had been the most unselfish thing anyone had ever done for him. She hadn't cared about his reputation as the Kingslayer in that moment. She had only seen him as a man in need of her healing touch. Amarah had shown him more kindness these last four days than any other person in the entirety of his life, and he chose to repay that kindness by refusing her request to rescue her knight from certain death.
As Jaime continued to stare at the back of her curly head, he tried to evade the cloud of guilt that chased him over his refusal to let her take the wench with them. It was madness to even consider such a thing. If they returned to take the goat's only remaining prize, he would surely try to kill them both. With only his left hand remaining, Jaime didn't think he stood much of a chance in fighting off Hoat and his men. He thought himself a fool for even considering such a plan, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. They continued to ride on for the space of almost two hours as Jaime inwardly wrestled with guilt and indecision. When they finally stopped to take a short rest, Amarah moved to get off the horse, but Jaime stopped her by wrapping his good arm around her waist. She turned to look at him in confusion before she saw his resigned expression. Her confusion slowly morphed into expectation as she waited for him to speak.
"It seems I might not sleep so well after all if we leave that wench of yours behind" he spoke softly.
Amarah didn't say anything at first as she took in his words, but once she understood the meaning behind them she gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him squarely on the mouth. Jaime was shocked at first by her unexpected response, but made no move to push her away. This kiss wasn't one of soft, sweet seduction or a carnal mating of tongue and lips. It was just an innocent gesture of blatant appreciation. After she finally pulled away from the kiss, she leaned forward to hug him and whispered her thanks in his ear.
He pushed her away slightly with his hand before regarding her with a wry smile. "Don't thank me yet princess. We have to save the wench without losing our heads to the goat along with my hand."
"I'm certain you'll think of a way" she said confidently. Jaime appreciated her belief in his ability to get Brienne out of that fortress with all limbs still in tact. He couldn't say he shared her optimistic view of the situation.
So what happens next? You'll just have to keep reading to find out! Thank you again for reading. Please review!