"I see you've moved up in the world," Gwen spoke as she came to see Jaime once more. The camp had been moved and consequently so had Jaime. He was looking worse for wear, Gwen could see that. Lady Stark had told her that she was to offer him the bare minimum of food. Gwen had done so, seeing the pain in his eyes every time she simply managed just to produce a bread roll for him.

"Yes," Jaime replied, the usual sarcasm back in his voice. "I have, haven't? I now get to be caged in a metal hut instead of remaining outside. Tell me, Gwen, how long have I been here?"

"Longer than I care to remember," Gwen whispered to him and she pushed his long hair behind his ear before running her hand down another bruise which had formed on his cheek. "Lord Robb continues to win battles. He seeks to negotiate with your father, I hear."

"Really?" Jaime checked, his voice nothing more than a whisper as Gwen placed some bread into his mouth. "My father will offer any price for my return. I do not doubt that. But he will never allow the Stark boy to become King."

"Lord Robb does not wish to become King. The Iron Throne holds no interest for him." Gwen assured Jaime and she saw how filthy he truly was. His clothes were covered in dirt and his beard had spread all the way around his chin. She knew that the smell came from him but she tried not to let it bother her too much. Guards remained outside of his cell, keeping their eyes on him.

"No...I think he is attached to me. He keeps dragging me around all of his camps," Jaime spoke and Gwen shrugged.

"He knows that you would die if he left you with his banner men. This is the only way to keep you alive."

Gwen heard him chuckle once more and he winced at the pain in his ribs. She sighed and looked at him for another moment, her brow arching as she wondered what injuries he had suffered now.

"Oh," Jaime said when he finally noticed how she was looking at his midriff. "The guards may not be able to kill me but they can beat me. I would hate to deprive them of their fun."

Gwen sighed and shook her head, moving around him as he watched her. Jaime allowed his legs to part as Gwen sat in between them, her hands working on the shirt in the waistband of his breeches. She pulled at it and Jaime grinned, watching her pale fingers against his dirtied skin.

"If you wanted to be close then all you had to do was ask, Gwen," he informed her. "It has been a while and I may be rusty but I am sure I can please you."

She didn't respond to him, making sure that the bruise wasn't that bad. He leant his head back against the post, wishing that the iron could be removed from his neck. He had to admit that his discomfort was becoming increasingly annoying. Gwen lowered his shirt again, resting her hands on his chest for a moment and looking at him. He wondered what she was playing at as a small smirk sat on her face.

"You know that if you stop taunting the guards then they may not beat you as much?" Gwen wondered from him and Jaime arched a brow.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I am the one who has to look after you." Gwen reminded him. "And you make my life more difficult every time you decide to be beaten."

"Making your life difficult? I do not wish that," Jaime said, his voice sarcastic and laden with irony. Gwen looked down, smirking at his words before she pushed herself to her feet and looked around the small cage which he was being housed in.

"I should be going," Gwen said to him. "Can you try to keep your mouth shut so that you don't get into any more trouble?"

"For you, I shall try," Jaime said and he tipped his head back and smirked with his eyes closed. He heard Gwen leave, only then peeling one eye open and allowing her to leave him be. He had to admit that he was surprised how she acted towards him. Ever since she had divulged her secret with him he had not mentioned it again, deciding to leave her be. She was the only one who showed him kindness. She was the only one who looked after him and he knew that angering her would do him no good. And so he kept his mouth shut.

He had to admit that it had been tough. He had wanted to ask her more. He wanted to know what had happened. But he didn't know why. He did not know why he was so interested with her.

...

"Have you heard the rumours circulating?" Robb asked Gwen as she sat beside him later on in the evening. His visit to the Kingslayer had been quick and he had refused to sit back and allow Jaime to taunt him. He would not deal with that.

"And what rumours would these be?" Gwen asked, her breath coming out in short pants as the cold effected her and made her want to go to her own tent and hide under the furs there.

"The Kingslayer and his sister," Jaime told her and Gwen did nothing for a moment, keeping quiet. She arched a brow, pretending to act shocked at whatever he was going to say to her. "They were...well..." Robb tried to find the right word, not wanting to act crude in the presence of Gwen. "They have been lying together. They say that the children of the Queen's are his. Joffrey is not the rightful heir to the throne."

"What?" Gwen checked. She had not expected that part.

And then she thought of it. The children were pure Lannister's. They were nothing like their father but were golden and resembled their mother. And Jaime. She did not think he would have been lying with her for as long as he apparently had been doing. She should have seen it before. She should have known.

"It is true," Robb told her simply. "And I thought of it and how the children have none of the old King in them. They look nothing like him. That is why he pushed Bran from the tower. He saw Jaime and Cersei."

Gwen said nothing, her face paling as the truth finally came out and she moved closer to Robb, feeling the warmth emitted from him. He was comforting and she needed that in the cold night air.

"What do you intend to do with him?"

"Nothing," Robb responded. "I want to kill him but there is no point. There is no reason to murder him, regardless of how much I wish to do so."

"No," Gwen shook her head, agreeing with him. "You are right. There would be no logic."

"My mother travels to Renly Baratheon," Robb informed her, tiring of speaking of Jaime for he knew that Gwen did not despise the man as much as he did. He could not understand it. He had seen her with him. He had seen her tend to him with such delicateness that Robb wondered how she could do it. "She sees him as being the one with the legitimate claim to the Throne now that Joffrey is the one who is illegitimate."

"I see," Gwen whispered, her teeth beginning to chatter and Robb noticed. "Anyway, Joffrey may be King but I hear that is only true in the South. The men have been calling you the King of the North. They look up to you."

Robb chuckled, reaching behind him and grabbing onto a large fur. He picked it up and placed it over her shoulders, his hand running down her upper arms and she smiled softly at him.

"Thank you," she spoke.

"You're welcome," Robb said formally. "My mother wishes to take you with her. She does not see the Queen as a threat to your life. Yet she refuses to ask for you to go with her. She sees you as being the only one who keeps the Kingslayer alive. She still thinks that his life means something."

"If we are to have Lady Sansa and Lady Arya to return to us then his life is important," Gwen spoke and Robb pushed his lips into a tight line and said nothing.

"And so you wish to stay here?" Robb finalised.

"Yes, my Lord," Gwen nodded and she stood up, beginning to remove the fur from her shoulders. Robb held his hand up, resting his fingers on her shoulders. "Keep it. You are freezing. Do you require an escort back to your tent?"

"No," Gwen said too quickly. "I shall be fine, my Lord. You should get some rest."

"As should you," Robb said and she smiled, bowing her head down and then leaving the tent. She took a deep breath and moved through the camp which had darkened. Men slept as Gwen made her way to the Kinglsayer once more. He was awake, his eyes watching Gwen as she returned and his brows rose on his forehead as he wondered what she wanted.

She nodded curtly at the guard and he opened the door for her. She stepped inside and the metal closed behind her as Jaime stared at her.

"Is it true?" she wondered from him and he sighed, instantly knowing what she was talking about.

"I assume you have spent time with Lord Robb. He really cannot keep his mouth closed, can he?"

"You are the father to her children?" Gwen checked and Jaime rolled his eyes.

"Why does everyone make it sound so important?"

"Because you are their father."

"By blood only," Jaime muttered. "I am not a father to them. They had a father in the form of the King. I was never that to them nor will I ever be. I admit that I am shocked with you, Gwen. Did you not notice before how they looked nothing like Robert?"

"I never thought of it," Gwen whispered. "I never thought that it could be you for one moment. How long have you been with her?"

"Many years," Jaime admitted. "Honestly, Gwen. I grant you with more intellect than you deserve."

"And so everybody knows your secret now," she concluded. "Everyone in the seven kingdom is aware of how your son is not the rightful heir to the Iron Throne."

"My sister will never allow Joffrey to give the throne up," Jaime told her. "He would never give it up, anyway. The power will have gone to his head. Besides, I tire of this topic. Do you think that I could have some more food? I am completely famished."

"You know that I cannot bring you anything until the morning," Gwen said and he rolled his eyes.

"What use are you, Gwen?" he wondered and she backed away from him. "Honestly, you don't know how to treat a knight."

"Try and get some rest," Gwen urged him as the guard unlocked the door. She turned to face him once more, her limp curls resting over her shoulder as she looked at him. "We move camp again tomorrow."

Jaime groaned at hearing her and she left him be, wondering what the future had in store.

...

Gwen did not know how many days had passed. She travelled from camp to camp with Lord Robb whilst Lady Stark left them, trying to find an ally in Renly. She had been gone for many days and Gwen worried for her. She prayed every night for Lady Arya and Lady Sansa, wishing them safety and giving them hope to continue on. She would find them again.

Her visits to Jaime were a regular occurrence and one which Gwen had learned to tolerate. She had managed to go to him, watching him and even managing conversation on a few occasions. Not once did he bring up the topic of her first love and she was grateful for that. He never spoke to her of his sister or their children. He often asked her how the battles were and each time she came back with news of how Lord Robb was prevailing to be the King of the North.

Jaime knew that he had to escape soon. He needed to leave and run away back to his father. His body was weak and his mind was going stir crazy.

He just needed the right moment to present itself.

...

Gwen walked through the camp once more, her hands holding onto her skirts as she moved along. She looked into the prison which housed Jaime and her eyes widened as she looked around it. It was empty with the exception of one body. Gwen opened the closed gate and held onto the metal, her fingers curling tightly around it as she saw the dead body.

"Help!" Gwen yelled out loud. She rushed inside, settling down on her knees and pressing her fingers against the boy's pulse. He was the cousin of Jaime and had been sent there earlier in the evening. But Jaime was not there. He had gone.

"No!" a voice roared and pushed Gwen from the boy. She stood up from the muddy floor and looked around as the men realised that Jaime had disappeared.

Gwen was the first to react, rushing along the ground and running as fast as she could. She looked into the forest before her and closed her eyes, daring to go in there and find him. How could he have been so stupid? He was malnourished and weak. He wouldn't make it far and Gwen knew that. She knew he had no hope.

She ran into the darkened forest and looked around as she went, searching for any sign of Jaime before the roars of the men entered her ears and she heard them close on her heels. She knew that if they found him then they would kill him for his act. They would see to it that he suffered more than he was doing.

She cursed the Gods under her breath, willing herself to move faster and find him. She almost tripped over multiple tree trunks and roots on her way. But she didn't stop. She kept on going, finally tiring as her feet refused to carry her any further. She slowed to a walk, huffing and puffing as she moved through the shadows, looking around for him.

"What are you doing here?"

Gwen almost screamed out loud as she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her against a chest. She felt a hand move over her mouth, silencing her screams as she fought in their hold.

"Gwen...what in the name of the Seven Hells are you doing here?" he spat at her, finally letting her go. She turned around and glared at him, moving her hand and hitting him on the upper arm, managing to shove him back a few paces due to his weakened state.

"You fool!" Gwen snapped at him. "How far did you think you would get? You killed your own cousin!"

"He agreed to help me," he warned her and held onto the dagger in his hand which he had managed to steal.

"I don't think he would have if he knew you were going to kill him," Gwen hissed, annoyed at his stupidity. "You idiot...they're going to kill you now. Do you not know that? They will definitely send your head to your father."

"They won't if they don't find me," Jaime said and he took hold of her elbow after hearing the roars of men. He dragged her along with him, his fingers tightly holding her as he pulled her through the forest and she stumbled behind him. "I can escape them...unless you intend to scream?"

"You cannot escape them," Gwen hissed, trying to turn in his hold as she pulled at his arm, trying to stop him from moving. "They have been fed and you haven't. They have the stamina to find you and then they will kill you."

"Is that some form of caring in your tone, Gwen?" Jaime asked her, turning back to look at her for a brief moment as he saw the light from the torches they carried. He moved quickly, pressing Gwen up against a trunk, his body crushing hers as his hands rested either side of her head. She winced at the forceful contact and felt his warm breath on the top of her head as he lowered his own head.

"And where will you go? Do you think you will make it to Kings Landing?" Gwen whispered as Jaime kept his body tightly pressed against hers. She looked straight at his chest as his eyes wandered downwards, unable to look away from the view down her gown as he spoke to her.

"I know that I am never going to make it to Kings Landing if I sit here as Robb Stark's prisoner," Jaime whispered to her. "I have a better chance going alone."

"You won't make it," Gwen hissed and she looked up at him, seeing where his gaze was before she rolled her eyes. She moved her hand to his chin, roughly pulling his face downwards until he was looking at her evenly. "My eyes are on my face," she reminded him and he grinned mercilessly, turning to look as shouts echoed around him.

"I preferred the other view," he whispered to her and she resisted the urge to slap him hard.

"Stop it," she urged him. "You have no idea how stupid you are being. Robb isn't here to stop them from killing you...Lady Stark is due to return soon but I do not know when...there is no one to protect you when they find you."

"A bit of faith, Gwen," Jaime urged her, his gaze looking around as he dropped a hand to her hip, pushing her further against the tree as voices came too close for comfort. Gwen wheezed for breath as Jaime continued to push against her, his other hand steady on her waist as he looked into her eyes.

"They will not find me unless you intend to tell them," he informed her and she avoided his gaze for a moment before she felt his hand move around her waist and press against the small of her back.

"I won't have the chance to tell them if you insist on squeezing the life out of me," Gwen complained to him and he chuckled at hearing her.

"I let you go that time, Gwen," he reminded her. "I let you go..."

"This is different," Gwen reminded him. "You pushed Lord Bran out of a window...you are the only thing that can bring Lady Sansa and Lady Arya back...you cannot go..."

"I have to," Jaime told her. "I cannot bring those girls back and you know that. Deep down you know that."

"No," Gwen denied. "I do not."

"And if I go back then they kill me. You said so yourself. And then I am no use," Jaime said to her and she studied him for a moment. She moved her hands to his cheeks, drawing his gaze onto her once more as she thought of the bargain which she would offer him.

"If you manage to get back to Kings Landing then you tell your sister to send the girls back to Winterfell," she demanded from him. "You tell her that and you make sure it happens. If you do that then I will let you go. I will let you run and I will say nothing."

Jaime considered her for a moment and he nodded in agreement with her, seeing how much she cared for the girls. He could try. He could speak to Cersei if he got that far. And if she refused then he could do nothing more. But he would be free.

"I agree," he told her and she nodded at him, looking around and seeing the glow of torches from either side of them. She took a moment to think as Jaime realised he wouldn't be able to sneak past them. He was being swamped out.

"You need a distraction," Gwen said and she saw the dagger he held. Jaime followed her gaze and he shook his head, knowing what she was hinting at and refusing to go through with her plan.

"No," he said. "I shall not have your blood on my hands."

"I do not want you to kill me," Gwen snapped at him as Jaime hid the dagger behind his back. "Just stab me in the arm or somewhere it may not hurt too much...climb up the tree and hide there until the coast is clear...I will tell them you ran west but you then head east."

"No," Jaime drawled, the sarcasm back in his voice. "I thought that I would head west and follow them."

"Be quiet," Gwen hissed and pushed him back from her for a moment. "Now...just stab me..."

"Gwen," Jaime whispered, hesitance entering his voice. "Can you not just scream and pretend to be injured?"

"Unrealistic," Gwen simply said. "Do it and go and find the Lady Sansa and the Lady Arya. You have had no problem in killing before."

"This is slightly different," Jaime reminded her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Dear Gods I think just by being in your presence I may have gone mad," Gwen complained and she snatched the dagger from him. Gwen didn't think for a moment as she quickly placed the blade into her thigh. Jaime winced as he heard the tearing of her gown and he saw her thigh begin to bleed instantly. Gwen sank to the floor, crying out in pain as Jaime instantly caught her in his arms, pushing her hair from her face and looking at the blood.

"And you think I'm an idiot," Jaime hissed at her and she groaned in pain, dropping the dagger from her hands as Jaime dragged her into his lap.

"Go," she urged him. "I will be fine...just go..."

"How can I-"

"Jaime," Gwen dared to speak his name as she moaned in pain. "Go now before I scream out loud."

Jaime rolled his eyes and removed her from his arms, resting her against the tree before he began to scale it. It took him more effort than it normally would but he finally reached the safety of the branch. He looked down as Gwen caught his eye once more and then she let out a scream which Jaime was sure damaged his ears.

Her moans were heard through the great forest as a group of men finally found her.

"My Lady," one of them spoke, "what happened?"

"The Kingslayer," Gwen called out to them, watching as the blood trickled down her leg and she resisted the urge to close her eyes and faint. "He did this...I found him hiding...he stabbed me and went west...he's trying to get back to Kings Landing."

"Yes, my Lady," the one in charge spoke before he wrapped his arm around Gwen's waist and another under her legs. He pulled her into his arms, hearing her cry out in pain as her wound ached. "I will take her back to camp. You gather the men and head west."

The men nodded and instantly took off before the man carrying Gwen went the other way. She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up into the trees where Jaime sat, his green gaze never leaving hers as he finally saw her close her eyes and allow unconsciousness to take her.

...

A/N: And so he is free! Not for long, obviously. But then the real action begins! So, only two reviews for the previous chapter in the form of Jofrench22 (thank you for continuously reviewing!) and x XRoweenJAugustineX x, thanks for letting me know what you think. And thank you to everyone who is reading. It would be amazing if you could leave me a review to let me know what you think as I haven't had many for the past few chapters!