Part 8

6 days later

"What are you doing, Snow?" Theon snorted.

"This is called reading," Jon replied, keeping his eyes on his book.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I'm just surprised that you can actually read."

Jon didn't bother to reply, he concentrated on the book. Shireen had given it to him and he had to admit that he had expected to be bored. He would have read the book either way in order to be able to talk about it with her, but surprisingly he had found himself enjoying it.

"Since when have you willingly read anything?" Theon continued.

"Since now."

"Oh, I see," Theon hummed smirking. "Does this have something to do with your little lady?"

"Yes, she gave me this book," Jon replied, he still wasn't looking at Theon.

"Oh Snow, Snow, Snow… Is she giving you orders already?"

Jon glanced at him and frowned.

"She didn't order me to do anything; I'm reading this book because I want to read it."

"Right, sure," Theon said mockingly. "Well, at least it's clear which one of you is in charge."

"I find that amusing coming from you," Jon replied. "You have to pay women for their company."

"Yeah, well at least my women are pleasant to look at, unlike your…"

Theon didn't have time to finish his sentence when Jon was on his feet.

"Watch it," he snarled. "One disrespectful word about Lady Shireen and the next thing coming out of your mouth will be your teeth."

"Yeah? I would like to see you try…"

"Alright, enough," Robb's voice said.

Jon glared at Theon who was smirking.

"Fine, I was getting bored anyway. Speaking of which, if I hear one more woman talking about Jaime Lannister, I'm going to punch someone."

"What about Jaime Lannister?" Jon asked.

"Haven't you heard? He is coming here with Renly Baratheon. That's all the women around here are talking about, even in the brothel. Can you believe that? They call him the handsomest man in all seven kingdoms."

Jon couldn't deny that seeing Theon so annoyed amused him.

"You don't think that's true?" he asked innocently.

"Of course not," Theon snorted. "Everyone knows how foolish women are."

"Yes, how dare they judge men based on their appearance."

"Exactly! It's natural for men to be attracted to beautiful women, everyone knows that! Normal men don't settle for just one woman."

"I have to disagree," Robb said. "I believe that one woman can be more than enough if you find the right woman."

Theon rolled his eyes.

"I doubt that." He paused and looked at Jon. "What do you think, Snow? Is your little lady enough for you?"

"Yes, she is," Jon replied coolly.

"Right. Good luck with that. At least you've practiced how to satisfy her, haven't you?"

Jon tensed; this was the last thing he wanted to talk about, especially with Theon.

"You went to see Ros, right?"

"Yes, I did," Jon replied, trying his best to sound calm. It was true that he had went to a brothel one time and paid Ros for her services, but he hadn't been able to have sex with her. All he had thought about was the possibility of fathering a bastard. No child deserved that.

"Nothing to worry about then," Theon huffed. "Besides, it doesn't really matter if you're terrible, how would she know? That's the beauty of virgins."

Jon really didn't like this conversation and he was glad when Theon left.

"What's the matter?" Robb asked.

"Nothing," Jon murmured.

"Come on, I can see that something is bothering you. Is it something that Theon said? Don't listen to him, you know…"

"Have you ever been with a woman?" Jon blurted out before he managed to stop himself.

Robb looked surprised, but he got over that quickly.

"Yes, I have. Why are you asking?"

Jon shrugged.

"I was just wondering… Did you know what to do or did you need to practice?"

"Well… The woman I was with was experienced, but I didn't really need much advice, it all felt very natural. Was it like that with you and Ros?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I just… I don't want to hurt Shireen."

"You know you will have to hurt her," Robb pointed out. "The first time is painful for a woman, but of course you can try to be as careful as you can."

"Yeah," Jon murmured. He hadn't really thought about this before, but now he was concerned. Of course he knew how to have sex, but would he be able to treat her gently enough. What if he wouldn't be able to control himself? How would he know where and how he should touch her? He really needed some advice, but from who? Should he ask Ros? It seemed that she could be subtle, obviously she hadn't told Theon that they hadn't have sex. He didn't think that asking her some questions would hurt.


"This is it?" Renly's voice said from the carriage. "I expected something…bigger."

Jaime didn't reply to that, he was glad that they were finally here. The journey had felt more than long and Renly had made it clear that he didn't enjoy traveling. Few more days and Jaime would have gagged him. They had few soldiers with them, but thankfully they hadn't run into any kind of trouble. Jaime observed Winterfell and patted his horse's head. They were riding towards the gates when he suddenly saw a young woman running towards the gates. Judging by her clothes, she was a noblewoman.

"Help me!" she shouted. "Help me!"

Jaime reached her before she reached the gates and quickly dismounted.

"What is wrong, my lady?" he asked.

Clearly she was upset, but he had got used to handling hysterical women. She was a pretty little redhead.

"My friend… She fell off her horse…"

"Alright, show me where she is," he said calmingly.

The girl hesitated, looking at him and Winterfell.

"My name is Ser Jaime Lannister," he said. "I am a member of the Kingsguard."

The girl's eyes widened, quickly she curtsied.

"Forgive me, Ser, I am Lady Sansa Stark."

Ah, Ned Stark's daughter. Jaime smiled at her charmingly, making her blush.

"I am honored to meet you, my lady. Shall we go and help your friend now?"

For a moment it seemed that she had forgotten her friend completely.

"Yes… Yes, of course."

She led him down the hill and he saw a young brunette lying on the ground. Half of her face was covered with scars, but other than that, she was a pretty little thing.

"My lady," he greeted her. "I am here to help you, are you hurt?"

She looked at him cautiously, but Sansa's presence seemed to calm her. The redhead knelt next to her friend and took her hand.

"My…my ankle hurt," the brunette said.

"Which ankle?"

"The left one."

Jaime nodded and got down on one knee.

"May I take a look?"

Again she seemed cautious, but she nodded.

"Alright."

Carefully he examined her ankle, pressing it lightly with his thumbs.

"It's not broken," he said. "But it's swollen; we better get you to Winterfell. May I carry you?"

"I… I think I can walk…" She tried to stand up, but she would have fallen if he wouldn't have caught her. His touch made her tense immediately.

"Shireen, it's alright," Sansa said. "He is Ser Jaime Lannister, he will help you."

Shireen? Jaime raised an eyebrow as he realized who she was. This was "the hideous" Shireen Baratheon? She didn't look so bad to him.

"Alright, I will lift you up now," he stated before scooping her up. She was still tense, but he felt her body relaxing slightly as he started to carry her towards the gates of Winterfell.

"By the way," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Shireen."