Lyanna would not see her husband for two days, and two nights, after his return to King's Landing, and when it happened it was neither husband nor wife who had sought the other out intentionally. In fact it was not even a panned encounter, and Lyanna would never know how long would have gone by if it was not for her presence when one of the Queen's messengers interrupted her and Sansa's stroll, demanding Sansa's immediate presence.

More out of a sense of loyalty and protectiveness than anything else Lyanna had not hesitated to accompany her sister, and up on entering the King's office her eyes briefly landed on the man responsible for the child within her belly, standing a little to the right behind the seated Queen, but Lyanna barely noticed him. Instead her eyes had landed on the parchment and quill arranged in front of the empty seat opposite the Queen. She was going to use Sansa to write Robb again, just as she had upon their father's arrest. It was not surprising since he had hardly answered favorably to their father's death and Ser Jaime's escape from what she heard. But Lyanna could not imagine anything the Queen would have Sansa write that would change that. If Robb blamed the Lannisters and the King for their father's death even the return of both Lyanna and Sansa would not be enough to appease him, and she doubt the Queen would be willing to part with her hostages or hand over the child Lyanna carried.

"Sansa, darling." The Queen greeted with an overly sweet smile that made Lyanna want to reach out to her sister and keep her away from the woman. But she did not, instead she was forced to curtsey when the Queen acknowledged her presence as well.

"My Queen."

"I do not believe I requested your presence, sister." She said, and Lyanna noticed with some distant amusement that it was the first time the Queen had called her such for a very long time. "This is between your sister and myself."

"My sister and I were taking a stroll in the gardens when your message boy found us. I merely assumed that I too would be welcome to join you. If my presence is undesired I will naturally wait for her outside."

"I merely worry for your health." The Queen dismissed her offer. "I fear there is no extra seat available for you, neither here nor outside. Had I known you were coming I would have arranged one." Lyanna was more than a little annoyed by the Queen's words, there had been no repeat of her fainting spell yet the Queen insisted on speaking about her as if she was frail and had acted as if it would have been best if she spent the entire pregnancy in bed.

"That is not necessary, in the last few weeks I find that I prefer to stand and walk to sitting." Lyanna said instead, biting back her annoyance.

"Then perhaps you would like to go for a walk while you wait for your sister?" The Queen suggested, then almost reluctantly she turned to look at her twin. "Why don't you accompany her, Jamie?"

It wasn't until her husband began moving towards her that she noticed his bandaged hand, though she had distantly noted the lack of his golden armor when she had entered. Assumingly the injury was the reason. Especially considering the fact that the Queen had appointed him the head of the King's guard after Ser Barristan had abandoned the position, and the capitol, briefly after her father's imprisonment. She would rather he had stayed; she missed him and could have used his advice and company many times since then.

When Ser Jaime reached her she noticed eyes flicked back and forth between her face and her midsection, something she assumed would be only natural, had his expression held some kind of joy or any emotion at all, but instead it was blank. Not even his usual amusement graced his face. It made her wonder what he had been told, and if her brother had extended the message to her husband as she had asked. Perhaps he had not even been aware she was with child.

They did not speak until they were back in the gardens she and Sansa had been walking though earlier, and even then it was awkward. Perhaps he finally was beginning to see the error of not seeking her out, of not coming to her chamber to see her even once in the past two days.

"You seem well, my lady."

"Thank you, husband." She said more coldly than she had intended. She mentally sighed, had it been one of her siblings she was talking to she would not have bothered hiding it, and she briefly wondered how she would be able to raise a child with a man she did not feel comfortable to even sigh in front, and felt the need to hide behind a cool polite mask when she spoke with. Determined to change that she forced a small smile on her lips. "I am pleased you have returned in such good health, it seems you were not treated too badly."

"I was not, I believe I have you to thank for that." He confessed, seeming even more awkward than earlier. "When your brother informed me you were with child I did not believe him at first, but I see he spoke the truth." Than almost hesitantly he added. "It is mine?"

He was indeed correct to hesitate, for the question made Lyanna stop dead. The first flash of emotion she felt was disbelief, accompanied with deep-rooted offence, which in turn was followed by anger and a curt. "Yes."

"There are rumors-" He began and Lyanna had to clench her hands to stop herself from slapping him. How dare him?

"You dare to ask me of rumors? You who have an affair with his own sister, who has fathered three bastards with her, and who would slay the people he has sworn to protect. You dare to ask me if I have broken my vow and shared my bed with another?" She hissed angrily, glaring at him as if he was lower than dirt. "Merely because you lack honor does not mean I do." She added, cutting him where she knew it would hurt.

"Those rumors are no less true than-"

"I have lied to my own sister for your sake, I have defended you to you to strangers and friends. I even seem to have manipulated my own brother and kept you alive. Yet I will not demand that you stop your liaisons with the Queen. But what I will demand is that you show me respect. You will not lie to me. I am your wife. I am the mother of your unborn child."

"Yet, you appear to have no mind of your own, listening to such rumors. The Queen is my sister. I would never touch her in such a manner." He informed her with an icy cool. "Yet the late King's affection for you was no secret, he asked for you as he lay dying, and you faint in grief upon his death. It is only natural I wonder."

"I was still pure on our wedding night, you know this. King Robert may not have been ideal but he loved my father and had sworn to him not to touch me in such a manner." She said, not mentioning her old fear that he would go back on that particular vow. "Additionally servants loyal to your family and the royal family have sworn to both to my virtue and to when my bleeds stopped. This is your child, and I can only pray he does not end up like your firstborn. For I have never met a more spiteful and cruel child than he." She spat.

"My firstborn? What do you base your accusations on? Hair color perhaps?" He demands, seeming more interested in her reasoning than her fidelity. Perhaps he did not care, after all it was his father that had wished him wed, not he. Perhaps she would be as alone in this now, as she was when he was a captive. But if he wanted her reasoning, so be it. She would oblige him.

"Your sister ordered all King Robert's bastards killed, if she did not fear her children's linage would be questioned there would be no reason to do so. Additionally my father was always thorough before he made any kind of accusation, and would have been especially so with one such as this. He grew up with the late king, he remembered him as a child, as a young man, and as the man he became, he remembered what he looked like though out it all, what his brothers looked like, and the looks of many of the children King Robert fathered. Yet he saw no likeness in the Queen's children. They are pure Lannisters."

"That is no proof."

"Yet the land is at uproar because they believe it." She countered, for the first time almost glad for the uproar. At least her father had not been held captive and had his title taken for nothing.

"That is because King Robert's brothers are both power hungry fools." He said, recounting almost the same reasoning she had given Sansa only days before. Though the words were different. She shook her head.

"I do not care if they are yours or King Robert's. I do not care about the King's bloodline, he is already king, and I would still be held captive here or in our home as long as there is unrest between our families whether he is your son or not. But I will not have you doubt my honor, or doubt that you fathered our child. You will show me and our child respect."

The walk back to the King's old office was silent, and no words were exchanged between them as Lyanna left with her sister. She was too angry and hurt by his accusations to even keep up appearances. It was even without any real interest she asked her sister what the Queen had had her write, and to whom.

"She asked me to write Robb, and tell him that neither Joffery or the Queen had anything to do with our father's death. It is only your words and belief that allowed me to write such words in good conscience. You still believe it to be true, do you not?" She asked almost as if she feared the answer.

"I do." She promised. "But Robb will not. Just as he did not believe her words, when they were written in your hand last time. I do not know why she is even trying this again. What she should do is push for a quick wedding between you and King Joffrey. It would prove her desire to abide by her late husband's wishes, it may even help silence some of the rumors, by reminding the people that King Robert regarded the current King as his son and heir. And should he not know best who he has and has not sired?"

"You still think I will be Queen?" Sansa asked, and some of the old joy the idea used to give her returned to her face.

"Yes." Lyanna said with a forced smile, Sansa did not seem to notice though. In truth Lyanna did not know if there still would be a wedding or which outcome was best for her sister. If the King did wed her sister, would he treat her well? Would she be happy? She simply did not know. It was easier to analyze from a political perspective. From a publicity standpoint Sansa would be the best choice for the very reasons she just told Sansa. However if things remained as they were the King may need to wed another to solidify an alliance with another house. To be honest she did not know which option was best for either Sansa or the country.

"And you are sure he did not have father killed?"

"As sure as I can be." Lyanna promised, without really promising anything. She did after all have no proof of this, it would have been easy for him to have had their father killed on the road. But it did not benefit him in any way, it only made things worse.

"Do you think you could mention your reasoning to Joffery? He listens to you." Sansa asked, already seeming to be back to planning her wedding.

"He will not be the one who decides on his own bride. You need to keep your standing with the Queen, and perhaps charm Lord Tyrion."

"Lord Tyrion?" She repeated, sounding appalled by the idea.

"He is the hand of the King, and Lord Tywin's voice in the capitol. He is more powerful than both the King and the Queen combined."

TBC…