"Slow down," Brienne warned Gwen as she gulped down the wine which Brienne had handed her that night at the Crossroads. They had spent weeks on the road, travelling and searching but had come to no prevail. Gwen was beginning to lose hope. She was contemplating whether or not it would be possible to find Sansa and Arya again.

"It's impossible," Gwen complained to her. "Nothing has happened so far and I'm beginning to wonder if it will."

"We need to keep faith," Brienne said and Gwen snorted once and shook her head as she slumped further down against the table, her body drained and tired as she made the motion. She knew she should probably retire for the evening before she drank more of the wine and found herself unable to stand and move away.

"Go to bed, Lady Gwen, before you drink yourself under the table."

Gwen did as she was told, managing a smiled for Brienne before she moved up the steps. She jumped back as she saw Podrick Payne moving down them, her heart beat racing before she looked at him and managed a small smile.

"Brienne is sat in the corner, Podrick," she spoke softly to him and he nodded.

"Thank you, my Lady," he muttered and she wondered if he could ever speak at a normal level. The boy always seemed to be whispering and she had wondered why he had been brought along on the journey. He had followed them for days, always lurking behind before Brienne confronted him, demanding to know what he wanted from them.

He had squealed and informed the pair of them that Tyrion Lannister had escaped his cell. Gwen remained apprehensive, wondering if Jaime had a part to play in his brother's escape. She said nothing as Podrick continued with his story of how he hoped he could find his master with Sansa. They had allowed him to travel with them and he had been a pleasant companion so far. He rarely said anything but he proved to be quite handy with a sword under Brienne's tutor.

She wondered what Jaime was doing and where he was. She had heard rumours circulating of him being sent to Riverrun but she did not know whether this was true or not.

"And what do we have here then?"

Gwen froze as she heard a familiar voice from down below the steps. She took hold of Podrick by the arm, pulling him to the top of the staircase and the pair of them dropped down, looking through the gaps in the wood from the railings as they observed the scene in the tavern beneath them. She noted one man wearing a helmet shaped as a Hound and she wondered if it was the same member of the Kingsguard that she had heard stories about.

"Look who it is Biter...the big dumb knight from Harrenhal," an ugly man informed the one called Biter as he glanced down at Brienne. Gwen felt her blood run cold as she realised who the men were. They were the ones who had been with Hoat. They were the ones who had mercilessly mocked Jaime when he had his hand chopped off. The ones who had taunted Brienne for her size and appearance. And the ones who had raped Gwen.

"All by yourself, are you, darling?" Biter wondered from her and Brienne stood up, her hand on the hilt of her sword as she prepared to attack.

"Leave, my Lady," Podrick demanded Gwen, his voice sterner than she had ever heard it before. Gwen shook her head, unable to leave Brienne when she had travelled so far with her. Brienne looked around, her gaze settling on where Gwen and Podrick hid for a couple of seconds.

But it was long enough for Biter to follow her gaze and nudge the man stood next to him. Gwen slowly stood up, realising that there was no point in hiding anymore for they had seen her and Pod without a moment of hesitation.

"And if it isn't the pretty little Stark maid," a voice called out and Gwen wrapped her hands around the wood of the balcony she stood up on. "We'll be taking you with us and maybe we'll even get to enjoy the fun we had before."

Gwen said nothing as Brienne leapt into action, jumping in front of the men as she stood by the stairs, her sword clashing with theirs, each movement graceful and precise as Podrick prepared to move closer, ready to step into action as Brienne ran her sword through one man with ease. Gwen was almost shocked at the sight of her and how easily she found it to kill. Brienne ducked down, missing a swipe which came from the one wearing the head of the Hound and she glared at him with venom before yelling out in pain.

Gwen knew that they had no chance of escaping. She knew that Brienne was a good warrior but there were too many men for her to take on. Podrick had joined in the fight once more, standing on the bottom step and defending himself as Gwen rushed down them, trying not to trip over her skirts.

The Gods only knew what would happen to them once the battle ended. Gwen wished she wasn't so useless as Brienne pulled her sword out from the one wearing the Hound's helmet and he stumbled back before falling to the ground.

"Brienne!" Gwen shouted out loud as she saw Biter advance towards her, his mouth parted and Gwen shrieked as she saw him take the flesh of Brienne's cheek into his mouth. Placing her hands over her lips to stifle her gasp she rushed forwards, trying to pull him from Brienne who was screaming in pain.

"Get out of the way, my Lady."

Gwen had no chance to ask who was telling her to move as she felt a hand move around her arm and drag her from the scene, pushing her back to the stairs which she tumbled against, ending up sitting on one of them as Podrick fell to her side. She saw the boy who had dragged her from Biter as he ran a spear through his neck and Biter released Brienne from his hold as another man caught her, keeping her restrained tightly.

"Podrick," Gwen whispered to him as the men did their best to keep Brienne under control. Gwen and Pod went unnoticed for a few moments as she looked to the boy. "You need to go. You need to get away from here and go to Jaime...go and tell him that we're in trouble..."

"Jaime Lannister?" he checked with her and Gwen resisted the urge which came over her to slap the boy for wasting time.

"Yes," she said; her stomach churning as she remembered what had happened the last time she had been left to the mercy of men. "Go now!" she snapped and Podrick stood up, stumbling back up the steps to his room where he knew he could manage to climb from the window.

"The boy!" one yelled. "Go and get him!"

Two men pushed past Gwen without a second's thought as she saw the one she had come to recognise as Foney in front of her. He'd been the main perpetrator when it came to hurting Gwen before and she was disgusted to see that he was still alive and looking well. She stood up quickly, looking as Brienne gave up her fight, her head slumped and defeat running through her body.

"You say this one is the Stark maid?" a boy asked. She looked at him and couldn't help but think that he had to be around Robb's age. His hair was thick black and his blue eyes almost matched Gwen's vivid ones. She said nothing as Foney wrapped his hand around Gwen's arm and he hauled her closer to the one who had spoke.

"She's the one," Foney declared and Brienne looked to the boy who had spoken; her eyes widening as she took in his appearance. It was as if Renly was staring at her.

"Then we have no choice but to take them back to our leader. I am sure she will be very happy to see them."

Gwen said nothing as she watched him and Brienne was the one to speak, her voice loud and commanding.

"And who is your leader?" Brienne wondered, simply grateful that she was still alive at that moment in time. Gwen fought against Foney's hold as she recognised the men who had demanded her to be held captive were different in comparison to the mummers, with Foney being the final one left from them.

"You will soon see," the boy promised her. He nodded at one of his men who dragged Foney from Gwen, his gaze completely narrow as he wondered what was happening at that moment in time. Without a moment of hesitation the man who held Foney ran his sword straight through his back, stopping him from doing anymore damage and Gwen wondered who these men were.

"A capture has the right to know their captors identity," Gwen recalled Jaime's words to Brienne and the boy with bright blue eyes looked at her with hesitance.

"The Brotherhood Without Banners." He declared and Gwen shook her head at hearing him. "I think you'd know our leader. She will be most happy to see you if you are the traitorous Stark maid."

"Traitor?" Gwen wondered. Who was she supposed to have betrayed this time? She was losing count of all of the people she had wronged in her time.

"Don't pretend you don't know," he snarled at her. "Tie them up and we will begin to move again."

Gwen didn't gain the chance to argue as he left her and Brienne and she wondered where they were being taken to.

...

Jaime had come to realise that everything he knew wasn't right in life. He had looked at the letter which sat beside him on his bed and he had contemplated replying to it. He had contemplated picking up a sheet and a quill and writing his response of how he would come and save her. She had begged him to come and fight for her but he refused. He had witnessed how his sister had lost her mind, slowly deteriorating until she was just a shell of her former self. She had spent hours plotting and involving herself in politics, alienating herself from everyone who tolerated her enough to care for her. Jaime hurt to see her act as she did. He hurt to know that she had betrayed him and he couldn't help but wonder if he was responsible. Perhaps if he didn't leave her to her own devices then she wouldn't be in the state she found herself in.

But Jaime couldn't be with her after Tyrion's harsh words to him. After the cruel things which she had done to him, he held no pity for her. She was the making of her own destruction. Jaime still struggled to believe that he had lost her. He had lost his father and he was sure that he had lost his brother too. Tyrion wouldn't want to be anywhere near him now and he couldn't blame him. Jaime had found it in him to tell him the truth of how his wife was no whore like their father had accused. He had told him all about it and Jaime had seen the growing despair in his eyes along with the growing hatred for his brother. Tyrion told Jaime of how he was fool for ever loving Cersei and how he had been the one to kill Joffrey. Jaime had looked shocked but he had let his brother go, listening as Tyrion called back to him and told him that he was sure that even a Stark maid could do better than Jaime.

And then the next day Jaime had found his father mauled with Tyrion the one responsible.

Cersei had ordered Jaime to become the Hand of the King and he had scoffed, shaking his head back and forth in disagreement with her request. He'd told her that he had better things to do and she had told him that she wished she had never loved him and that she would make his life a misery if she ever found Gwen. Jaime had wished her luck in finding the maid and Cersei scowled in disgust. She stomped away from him, demanding him to go to Riverrun where she didn't need to look at him. He'd agreed with her and had taken Ser Ilyn Payne with him along with his hostages.

He had begun the journey away from Riverrun, making camp before excusing himself and moving into his own tent. Lying on his bed, he contemplated all that had happened. He had been away from the capital for so long that he knew everything had changed. He knew that nothing would be the same as it had been before and he allowed his mind to wander away from politics and sieges.

Gwen was the one who he thought of and he hoped that she was still alive and well. He had heard no word of her or Brienne or the finding of the Lady Sansa.

"My Lord." Jaime looked up and saw Lewys Piper stood before him and Jaime sat up from his bed, dropping Cersei's letter back to the bed he rested on.

"Yes, Piper?" Jaime said quickly.

"There's a boy out here who wants to see you. I asked what it was about but he didn't tell me. He said that a girl named Gen sent him."

Jaime moved from where he sat and instantly began to slide his boots into his feet.

"Gwen," Jaime corrected him. "Tell the boy to come in."

"Yes, Ser Jaime."

Jaime quickly dressed himself as much as possible before he heard the flap to his tent open once more. He said nothing as he saw the boy enter and he vaguely recognised him from somewhere before. He didn't know where but he would soon find out. Jaime left the golden hand on the side, his stump hanging by his side as he began to speak;

"Why are you here?"

"Gwen, my Lord," the boy squeaked and Jaime had to strain his ears to hear him correctly. "She has been taken along with Lady Brienne."

"Taken where?" Jaime wondered.

"The Brotherhood without Banners," he whispered simply. "I do not know where they have taken her. She told me to come and find you."

"Silly girl," Jaime complained. Why couldn't she be the one to run and find him? Why did she have to have herself captured? Jaime shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing but he said nothing, only hoping that the Brotherhood treated her with a bit more respect than Hoat and his men had done.

"When you left her to their mercy," Jaime scowled, "was she healthy?"

"Yes, my Lord," Pod said, the instant realisation that Jaime Lannister wasn't pleased with him hitting the former squire instantly.

"Do you have a horse, boy?" Jaime wondered from him.

"Yes."

"You'll ride back with us and we'll find them."

Jaime waved his hand to dismiss him before running his fingers over his stubbly chin and he wondered how much trouble Gwen had managed to find herself in.

...

Gwen had tried to tend to Brienne as best as she could but the knight had become delusional. She had been speaking Jaime's name during the entire journey, her cheek completely bare and Gwen worried that she needed medical supplies to stop the pain. She kept her thoughts to herself as the leader led the way with the rest of his men following for he had seen how bad Brienne was but had ignored it. Gwen had pushed until they had gagged her mouth, keeping her silent.

She supposed she was simply glad that Hoat wasn't with them. She knew his men all too well but the Brotherhood seemed to be respecting her a bit more than she had anticipated. They offered her the bare minimum of food and water and she couldn't help but be grateful for every slurp of water which she took.

She wondered if this was how Jaime had felt whilst he had been captured.

They made camp one night and Gwen felt herself being pushed from the horse until she landed on her side on the floor. Brienne was being pushed along by some unknown man to the other side of the small camp for the evening.

"We are about a day's ride away," the blue eyed boy told her. "Our leader will want to see you as soon as we reach camp."

"Are you intending to tell me who your leader is?" Gwen wondered as he pulled the gag from her mouth and she took a moment to regard him. "It's becoming tiresome not knowing who is going to punish us."

"You'll see her soon enough," he promised Gwen and she rolled her eyes at hearing him. Her wrists and ankles had been bound and she had tried her best to worm out of them when she saw Brienne in pain before her eyes. But she had failed to succeed and only caused indentations in her skin and made it bleed.

"And who are you?" Gwen wondered from him. "You've interrupted us so we have a right to know your name. We were on business looking for Lady Sansa and Lady Arya Stark."

"Really?" he wondered. "You're searching for Lady Arya?"

She watched as he spoke Arya's name and she wondered if he knew anything. She told herself not to be foolish. Why would he know Arya?

"And Lady Sansa. We fled Kings Landing to continue on with the promise which we made to Lady Stark."

"Of course," he said with sarcasm in his voice and Gwen rolled her eyes as anger took hold of her body. "Then why do you have the King's scroll with you? Surely you are on King's business which means that you are on Lannister business."

"Jaime gave us it to make sure that no one would interrupt us," Gwen snapped at him, tiring of the conversation already.

"Jaime?" he wondered. "As in the Kingslayer? You sound very cosy with him."

"No," Gwen shook her head in stubbornness. "I looked after him on the way to Kings Landing. I kept him alive so that we could exchange him for Lady Sansa and Lady Arya when we got there. But they had already gone."

"Lady Arya is to marry a Bolton bastard," he informed her. "And Lady Sansa is missing. Your story is quite unconvincing."

Gwen gritted her teeth and she knew that nothing that she said would change his mind. He didn't believe any of her story.

"Please," Gwen pleaded. "We have to find them."

"Save you story for our leader," he urged her. "I wouldn't want you wasting breath."

Gwen groaned loudly before looking across to Brienne who had fallen into a sleep. She remained sat where she was, looking into the fire which was being made as she groaned to herself at what was currently happening to her. She closed her eyes for a few moments, the only thought which kept her going was hoping that Jaime managed to find her and Brienne.

...

Gwen tried to hold her nerve as she was slung over the shoulder of a young man and carried away from her horse. Everything had been a daze to her after days of travelling and she wondered what was happening. She tried to hold her head up to look at her surroundings but she didn't recognise anything. She saw that they were in a camp and Brienne was being dragged behind her by someone who she didn't fully recognise.

She groaned as he adjusted her on his shoulder and felt his hand mercilessly wander over her backside. She said nothing, tightening and wincing as she closed her eyes, willing for the hell to end. She said nothing for a few moments as she looked at the tents which she was passing. They were all empty and Gwen considered it odd.

She said nothing as she was finally set down roughly and she looked to the woods which surrounded her. A large fire sat amongst them and men lined the wood which covered it. Gwen crawled over to where Brienne had been deposited and she looked at her quickly.

"Are you okay?" she wondered from her and Brienne forced herself to nod. Exhaustion was taking hold of her and Gwen knew that she needed proper rest and proper food. She needed a maester to tend to her wound. But Brienne was tough. Gwen had no doubt that she would survive the ordeal which she had been put through.

"Hang on," Gwen urged her. "We'll get out of this...we'll find a way to get out..."

"I wouldn't count on it," the blue eyed boy spoke.

Gwen looked around to the trees which surrounded the area and she saw the rope hanging down from the branches, a noose on the end of it. Gwen felt her veins pump with fear at the sight of it and she wormed around in her ropes even more, trying to get free.

She looked across as silence descended on the Brotherhood as the men turned their glances onto a hooded figure which moved closer to Gwen and Brienne who remained on their knees, surrounded by men with swords to make sure they didn't go anywhere.

The hooded figure placed her hand over her throat and her raspy voice spoke out to them. Gwen looked on with horror as she tried to recognise the figure underneath the hood.

"Why did you bring them here, Gendry?" she wondered and then dropped her hand from her throat before the blue eyed boy spoke to her and moved in front of Brienne and Gwen.

"They are traitors, my Lady. The knight and the maid have been in Kings Landing. I fear that they have been turned by the Lannisters."

"What?" Gwen snapped out loud. "That is not true! We are searching for Lady Sansa and-"

"-Lies," the woman hissed from her cloak and she pushed her hood down and revealed her face. Gwen gasped as she saw the woman and a moment of relief took hold of her. Her gaze met the creature in front of her and for a moment she smiled at her, urging for her to remember. Gwen knew it had been months since she had seen her but she urged for her to believe her.

"No!" Gwen called out. "Lady Stark-"

"-That is not my name," she spoke back. "Lady Stoneheart is who I am. And you failed me. You betrayed me. My daughter's are lost."

"No," Gwen interrupted. "They're not...Jaime sent us to find them! We took him back to Kings Landing but the girls weren't there! Brienne and I set out after them and we search now!"

"Don't lie to me," she snapped back at Gwen and the maid instantly knew that she would be fighting a losing battle. "You have converted to the Lannisters."

"No, we haven't," Brienne growled back. "We have a declaration that says we are Kings Business but we are trying to find your daughters!"

"Yet you have not found her. You two have lied to me."

"Jaime was taken back to Kings Landing!" Gwen snapped, fighting in her ropes as Stoneheart watched her intently.

"Jaime...you talk about him with such familiarity. I often wondered about your compassion to him," she sneered and Gwen shook her head in disgust. "Tell me, are you warming his bed at nights now?"

"No!" Gwen snapped back. "There is nothing going on! I haven't seen him since we left Kings Landing. You have to believe me. You know that I would have done anything for those girls!"

"Anything?"

"Yes," Gwen said; her voice loud and curt.

"And you claim not to be in league with the Lannisters?"

"I'm not...you know that I can't be after all that they did to me..." Gwen said and Brienne knew that the conversation was leading somewhere. The woman she looked onto did not resemble Catelyn Stark. Half of hair had been lost and her face was pale, her eyes unforgiving. It looked like she had died and come back as a monster. She held the slit in her throat to help her speak and Brienne wondered how she was still alive. A slice through the throat should be enough to kill anyone.

"We are not working for the Lannisters." Brienne seconded Gwen.

"Then you should have no problem in proving your loyalty," Stoneheart declared.

Gwen and Brienne exchanged a hesitant look and they wondered what she wanted. Gwen knew that the woman in front of her was not Catelyn. She didn't have her kind nature of her beauty. All shreds off that had been ripped from her and Gwen wondered why she had become this.

"I am loyal to you, Lady Stark," Gwen muttered and Stoneheart winced at her true name which had been spoken. "I always have been and I always will be...you know how much I care...Sansa and Arya...they are the ones who I want to find...and I will find them. I will bring them home."

"Lies," Stoneheart snapped and she looked to the nooses which sat behind her and the two captures followed her gaze. "You are nothing but the Kingslayer's whore. Don't deny it to me."

"I'm not," Gwen did the opposite of what she had been told to do. "I am not lying to you...Jaime and I...he is not my concern, Lady Catelyn. He is nothing to do with this mission."

"And he means nothing to you?" Stoneheart wondered, her fingers turning white as she pressed down hard against her throat. Gwen kept silent for a few moments, unable to answer the question which had been asked of her.

Stoneheart sneered at the pathetic attitude of Gwen and she instantly knew a way in which she could test her loyalty. It would also punish the girl for her betrayal to her. She hadn't found her daughter's and she couldn't trust her. She couldn't trust any of them.

"If he means nothing to you then you should have no issue killing him."

"No." Gwen snapped instantly. She shook her head back and forth, her curls flowing behind her as she closed her eyes, Jaime's face coming into her image. But it wasn't the image of the clean shave and well groomed Jaime. It was the dirty Jaime. The Jaime who had held her that night and told her to be strong. The Jaime she had grown to care for.

"So you do care for him."

"He helped me," Gwen admitted. "I cannot kill him but I do not serve the Lannisters...he is a changed man, Lady Catelyn...he's not who he was...believe me..."

"She is right," Brienne spoke up again, trying to keep herself sat up right before exhaustion took hold of her. "He is different. After everything which has happened...he has changed..."

"Liars," Stoneheart declared and she pointed to Brienne. "If you two cannot do this then you are not loyal. You're traitors."

Gwen watched with horror as two men grabbed hold of Brienne and moved closer to the tree which the rope hung around.

"No!" Gwen yelled once again. "Don't kill her! We are searching...you have to believe me! I wouldn't lie to you!"

Brienne said nothing as she closed her eyes, being forced to stand on a makeshift platform which could easily be kicked from her feet. Gwen crawled closer to Stoneheart as the men made no move to restrain her. She moved her clasped hands to grab onto her skirts tightly.

"Don't kill her. She has done nothing but be loyal to you."

"There is only one way to save her life, Gwendolyn," Stoneheart spat her name out from her lips as if it were posion. Gwen shook her head quickly, willing to do nearly anything to save Brienne from death. The Knight had done nothing to deserve this fate and Gwen would be damned if she sat back and allowed her to hang.

"But I can't kill him," Gwen said and moisture began to pool in her eyes. But Stoneheart took no pity on her. She had lost any of that when she lost her family.

"Then you die after her. But I will wait for him to come here so that he can watch. And then I will kill him," Stoneheart informed her. "And then we will see how much you care for him and it will prove you are a traitor."

"No!" Gwen cried out again as she saw Stoneheart order her men to tighten the noose around Brienne's neck. She knew that she had to act quickly. She knew that Stoneheart wasn't going to listen to her. Her gaze met Brienne's and she saw fear there. There had been only one previous time when she had seen her look so scared and that was when she had been in the company of Hoat.

"Stop," Gwen demanded Stoneheart and she arched a brow, looking back down to the maid who had loosened her grip on her skirts. She waited patiently for Gwen's sudden outburst but the girl did not speak. She looked up to her former Lady and their eyes held one of understanding.

"So we have an agreement?"

...

A/N: Oh, Gwendolyn, look what you've agreed to. I hate to leave it on a cliffhanger especially considering that I may not be updating for a few days due to social uni life and coursework and all of that. However, I would love, love, love it if you could leave me a review and let me know what you think of this horrid cliffhanger! I can give you a clue in that Jaime doesn't come riding to the rescue which is something I personally dream of happening.