Gwen hated Harrenhal. She hated it for the simple purpose that it held nothing but bad memories. It was eerie, that much was true. It was supposedly haunted. But it had been the place where she thought that Jaime had truly left her to the mercy of Hoat. That night after their argument had been one of the worst of her life. She had feared for the future. Hoat had shown her no mercy that night he had taken her. He had been ruthless.

And she had almost lost faith in Jaime until he had come in and saved her from Hoat. He had been an hour too late. But he had come. Now she found herself coming to him. But she knew that she couldn't save him. She was no maester. She possessed no skill to heal him or any magic. She walked through the corridors after being shown the way by a squire. She supposed she was lucky that Harrenhal was still Lannister controlled.

The squire finally opened the door to Jaime's room after knocking once. She moved inside, Sansa and Arya close on her heel. The two girls looked around at their surroundings, both of them glancing at each other for a moment in mutual understanding that what they were seeing was rather creepy. Gwen saw Jaime in the bed, his head on the pillows and it was just like last time.

The fever from his infection had weakened his body again. Peck stood up as soon as he saw Gwen enter the room. She instantly moved over to the bed, dropping down to sit on the side of it, her hand moving to Jaime's cheek and stroking the stubble along it.

"How long has he been like this?" Gwen wondered from them. Arya and Sansa stood in front of the closed door with Brienne behind them, her gaze focused on Jaime as he slept soundly, his breaths coming out in ragged pants.

"A few days," Peck said. "He became worse yesterday. He was having delusions...he kept on calling for you..."

Gwen felt a lump rise in her throat as Peck told her that piece of information. She remained sat where she was for a few moments, her hand still on his cheek. She leaned closer to him, her upper half bent over him as she kissed him on the forehead, felling the tears well in her eyes once more. She didn't know how much more she could handle.

"The maester said that his worst day was yesterday. He's mildly better today," Peck informed Gwen and she nodded, forcing herself to turn and look at the young squire. He stood at the foot of the bed, watching the scene in front of him. Gwen sat up straight, her free hand picking up Jaime's and holding it tightly.

"Thank you, Peck," Gwen said. "You saved him...from Beren..."

"I did what I could," Peck admitted to her. "That was all it was. I'm no saviour."

"You still helped him," Gwen replied simply and Peck nodded.

"He told me to tell you...well...he said that if anything happened...then I should tell you that he-"

"-No," Gwen cut him off curtly, shaking her head back and forth and refusing to let Peck finish the sentence. As long as Jaime was still breathing then she refused to hear anymore. She would not hear his goodbyes whilst air still continued to come from his parted lips. "He can tell me himself."

"That's what I told him," Peck said to her and smiled softly, trying to be encouraging and failing. Gwen looked back at him, wanting a few moments on her own with the man she had been through so much with.

"Peck...can you take the girls and Brienne for some food?"

"We're not leaving you," Arya spoke with determination. Gwen forced herself to look at the young girl, hiding the tears which threatened to spill over and out of her eyes.

"Go," Gwen urged her. "I need a few moments with Jaime and you need some food and some rest."

"Gwen-"

"-Come on," Sansa cut her sister off from protesting anymore, placing her hand on her shoulder and turning her to leave the room. Only when the wood had shut did Gwen feel her eyes well up with tears which proceeded openly to move down to her cheeks. She placed a hand over her mouth before resting on the bed next to the sleeping Jaime, she propped herself up on her elbow, looking down at him before her good hand ran through his golden hair.

"Don't leave me," she urged him. "You're stronger than this, Jaime. You're a Lannister...you're a lion, remember that. You can't die here and now...not when I just came back. You're strong. You're too strong to give into a fever and infection. I know you. I love you."

She watched as he said nothing, simply remained where he was, his eyes closed and his body still. Gwen's tear slid from her cheek and down onto his skin as she dropped her head to rest at the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent and sobbing against his body, her own limbs shaking as she laid next to him.

"I love you...I love you so much...please...don't leave me...don't go, Jaime...please..."

...

"You need to eat something, Lady Gwen," Brienne demanded as Gwen continued to lie by Jaime's side, refusing to move after an entire day had passed. She had become numb, a shell of the woman who had been ecstatic to be returning to Westeros. She hadn't left Jaime's bed and she refused to move until he woke up and came back to her.

"I'm not hungry," Gwen assured Brienne who remained stood by the door. The knight sighed at hearing the young woman as her eyes remained set on Jaime. She watched him with intent, constantly making sure that his breathing was stable. She could do no more than that.

"Lady Sansa and Lady Arya are worried about you."

"I'm fine," Gwen promised. "Honestly, Brienne. I'm fine here with him. I don't want to go."

"Gwen-"

"-Please," Gwen snapped, her voice curt due to stress and a lack of sleep. "Brienne...please just go...I'm not leaving him alone. I'm not leaving him here."

The blonde knight took a deep breath but nodded in agreement with the request which had been made of her. She closed the door again and Gwen turned her attention back to Jaime. She stood up and grabbed the jug of water which had been left on top of a desk. She dipped a cloth into it, pressing the cold material against Jaime's warm forehead.

He shivered at the contact but made no sign of waking up. She continued to run it over his skin before changing his clothes. The maester had told her that he was capable of doing it but she had assured him that it was in her place to help Jaime. The maester had insisted on checking her arm, informing her that the bone had almost healed itself. She had commenced using her arm gingerly, not wanting to strain it too much.

She finished changing Jaime and the bed sheets, leaving them in a corner to be collected. She only hoped that Lord Baelish had not been informed that they were staying at Harrenhal. Tywin Lannister had granted him the kingdom but Tywin Lannister was no more.

Gwen forced Jaime's lips to part before giving him water to drink. He drained it as she held his nose shut and tipped his head back, watching to make sure he swallowed it.

The routine seemed to go on for days on end with Jaime showing constant signs of improvement. It wasn't until the sixth day that he opened his eyes.

Gwen was stood in the room, changing into a cotton blue gown after a bath had been drawn for her in the room. Her hair was pushed over one shoulder and she was finishing folding the towels when he spoke.

"Am I dead?"

Gwen whirled around, seeing him still laid there, his eyes only open slightly as she dropped the towel, rushing over to him with haste. She sat on the side of the bed; reaching for his hand as her other hand took to his cheek. She stroked it softly as Jaime urged his hand to hold tightly onto hers. She smiled down at him, pressing her lips squarely against his as she shook her head at him.

"No," she promised him gently. "You're not dead. You're very much alive."

"It feels like a dream," Jaime muttered to her. "I didn't think I'd see you again."

"You have," Gwen promised him. "I'm here and I'm never leaving you again."

"You'll have to marry me for that to happen," Jaime croaked out, closing his eyes again. A sad smile crept over Gwen's face before she pushed his hair from his face and kissed him on the top of his head.

"Perhaps I will."

...

Jaime continued to sleep on and off, slowly regaining his strength over the course of a week. He had crutches to support him, the wound in his leg healing slow by sure. He'd been told he had been lucky that it hadn't been too deep and that he didn't let it become infested more than he had done. Jaime didn't feel too lucky. He didn't say this, choosing to keep his opinion to himself for once.

Gwen was with him the entire time, watching over him and making sure he did nothing too strenuous. Jaime had met with Sansa and Arya too, the younger Stark informing him that she didn't like him for what he had done, but she would tolerate him for Gwen's sake. She had watched him with the maid and seen something similar to what her parents used to have. Sansa continued to watch romantically, her heart warming for Gwen every time Ser Jaime placed a tender kiss on her cheek or her forehead.

Jaime's squires left for Casterly Rock after airing their concerns of not finding work to Jaime. He had nodded in agreement with them, telling them that Damion would welcome them in Casterly Rock under his permission. They had smiled softly, wondering if Jaime would grace them with his presence.

"You are Lord Commander of the Kingsguard," Gwen reminded Jaime once they were alone.

"I am supposedly lost now," Jaime said. "A raven came this morning wondering where I was. A squire asked if I should respond to it. If I am lost then I am not a member of the Kingsguard."

"And what is lost can often be found," Gwen reminded him, moving around the room and lighting a fire in the arch. Jaime continued to lounge on the bed. Dressed in his simple attire he looked like he had done the last time Gwen had seen him. He had become thinner, there was no denying it. Yet she had been forcing him to eat and regain his strength.

"I'm good at hiding," Jaime assured her. "My Uncle Kevan is in charge. He is the one who rules over Tommen. I doubt he would let me leave the Kingsguard. There has only been one removal from the Kingsguard. It is for life."

"So you cannot marry me. You would break your oath," Gwen said and Jaime shook his head.

"We could hide," Jaime assured her. "I cannot be with you regardless of whether I keep the cloak or not. I thought you wanted to be with me?"

"You know I do," Gwen said quickly to him, shaking her head back and forth whilst Jaime watched her.

"Then we hide," Jaime told her simply. "Tommen shall not be King for long. There is change in the wind. Talk of the Targaryen girl coming back with dragons. Westeros is still at war and we both do not know what will happen. But I know one thing. I know that we will be together through this, whether it be hiding in Casterly Rock or hiding in a mudded pit somewhere."

"What of Arya and Sansa?" Gwen wondered, poking the fire quickly again. "What shall happen to them?"

"Do you wish for them to come with us?"

"Of course."

"Then they will," Jaime said. "I know I pushed their brother from a window...I know I did that...but...their brothers are dead now."

"What?" Gwen snapped quickly, a tone of disbelief in her voice. "How? When did you find out?"

"In Casterly Rock. Theon Greyjoy seized Winterfell and killed the boys," he said and Gwen wondered if it was possible to hate Theon more than she had done before. Apparently it was possible to do so. "I can write to the King. I can declare myself incapable to serve him. It is true. I'm a cripple with this leg and loss of my hand. I can reclaim Casterly Rock if you are against us hiding."

"And what of Sansa and Arya? I can hardly take them there. What if someone notices them?"

"No one knew what the Stark girls looked like before the war. They will not know what they look like during the war, will they? They will have no idea whatsoever, Gwen."

"And you would publically have me as your wife?"

"Yes," Jaime said. "Cersei would be unable to stop me. She would be unable to do anything about it. We can live out our days at Casterly Rock together."

"It is a risk, Jaime," Gwen whispered.

"I'm willing to take it if you are," Jaime promised her and she finished poking the fire. She moved over to him, sitting beside him on the bed and nodding in agreement with what he was asking from her. She took a second to press her lips against his and he smiled.

"We'll get through this," he promised her.

"I know," she said to him. "I know we will."

...

"He's been dismissed from the Kingsguard," Gwen informed Sansa and Arya on the morning they had decided to travel back to Casterly Rock. "I...Jaime has promised me that you will be safe in Casterly Rock. No one knows who you are and you will pose as my younger sisters."

Sansa and Arya both looked at each other, wondering what other choice they really had in the matter. They had nowhere else to go and they wanted to stay with Gwen. The news of Bran and Rickon being killed by Theon had hit them hard. They had felt disgusted with it. They thought that Theon had been a part of their family. He had been raised like a brother to Robb.

"Arya is already supposedly married in the North. I doubt anyone would question it."

"I'll go," Sansa was the one to speak first. Gwen smiled, looking to Arya and waiting for an answer from the young girl.

"I suppose I will too," Arya mumbled, not entirely happy with the predicament which she had been involved in. "Someone needs to keep watching the Kingslayer."

"Don't call him that," Gwen urged her softly. "Just call him Jaime. He's no longer a knight. Brienne has gone to join the Kingsguard in his place."

"She's a good knight," Arya agreed.

Gwen thought back to the morning when Brienne had left them. There had been no awkward hugs between any of them. Only curt nods and smiles had been exchanged as Brienne agreed to go and protect King Tommen. She wanted nothing more than to avenge Renly, but she knew it would take time. Revenge was a dish best served cold. Besides, Brienne was a knight. She needed to train and she needed to be loyal to someone like she had been with Lady Stark.

"She is," Gwen agreed with her. "So you need to see that Jaime will make sure we are safe. Casterly Rock has been the home of Lannisters for years."

"And Lannisters have always been our enemies," Arya mumbled.

"Times change," Sansa declared. "We need to realise that. Gwen deserves to be happy and I am tired of running away. I am tired of being unhappy. We have a chance to be happy. It is what we have always wanted."

"It's what you've always wanted," Arya said simply. "I know what I want to do."

"And what is that?"

"I want to be like Brienne. I want to be a knight and learn how to fight better than I do already," Arya said and Gwen bit her tongue. She didn't want that for the young girl. She said nothing, keeping her opinion to herself as she ran a hand down Arya's hair.

"Perhaps one day you will be," Gwen promised her. "But for now...I won't leave you two...but Jaime...he means a lot to me and I want to keep you safe. Casterly Rock seems like the best option."

"Fine," Arya agreed. "As long as I can continue to practice my sword fighting."

"I wouldn't dream of letting you do anything else."

...

Gwen looked on as they arrived at Casterly Rock and she feared the worst happening. She feared the face of Cersei Lannister being there, constantly haunting her. She knew that Casterly Rock was Jaime's home, yet it held nothing for her. Gwen couldn't help but think of all of the Lannisters that had resided there for years on end. Including Jaime's sister.

She said nothing as Jaime led her and the girls to their own rooms. He had ordered for everything to be ready for his arrival as he had sent a raven from Harrenhal. Gwen had met his uncle who seemed relatively pleasant, a trait she had not seen in most of his family. Sansa and Arya had been on edge, constantly worried that someone would see them.

Jaime had assured them that nothing would happen. He was well aware that they would be nervous for some time. They had no need to be. It was later on in the day when Jaime had returned to them, telling them to give Gwen a dress to wear later on in the evening. Arya had remained confused yet Sansa had understood fully what Jaime had planned for her.

Arya had rolled her eyes when she understood.

"What does he have planned?" Gwen wondered as she held the long cream coloured gown against her body. She admitted that she was truly confused. It wasn't like Jaime to bestow her with gifts. As a matter of fact, he never had done. Sansa had looked at Gwen as she changed into the gown and smiled softly. Arya remained sceptical, admitting that Gwen did look pretty in her gown.

"You look like a Princess," Sansa drawled and Arya rolled her eyes at her sister's swooning. "We should be going."

"Where?" Gwen wondered, smoothing out the skirt to the dress, looking down on it as she twirled around and it followed her movements. She took hold of Sansa's arm as the pair of them moved through the empty corridors. There was no one in sight as the night fell over the castle and servants retired for their own meals. Arya walked beside Gwen until they came to the chosen location. Gwen did a double take as she looked through the curtain to the balcony. Jaime stood there; his red cloak covered his shoulders as he held onto his crutches. Another man stood to his side, the pair of them conversing quietly. Sansa coughed once, pushing the curtain aside.

Jaime turned around to see Gwen stood in the archway to the balcony outside of the library. It was the most secluded area in Casterly Rock and that was what Jaime had wanted for them.

"What's happening?" Gwen wondered; stepping forwards cautiously as Arya and Sansa remained in the background. Gwen moved forwards, her gaze never leaving Jaime as she moved slowly and purposefully.

"I feared that I wouldn't see you again," Jaime told her as she stood opposite him. "And I promised you that I would marry you. That's why you're here, Gwen. I don't want to wait to make you my wife. I want to marry you now."

"A bit more warning would have been nice," Gwen laughed at him and he smiled back at her, moving his hand out to her, willing her to take it and accept him.

"Gwen, will you marry me?" Jaime wondered and she took a moment before nodding gently, her heart swelling more than she had thought possible. She stepped closer to him as he swiftly kissed her for a moment, his own lips turning into a smile.

Sansa stood back with Arya, both of them watching on with wonder as the septon spoke loudly, declaring how Jaime was to protect his wife and was to look out for her. He removed his own red cloak from his shoulders, awkwardly wrapping it around Gwen and covering her as she remained stood where she was, holding onto the red material. She didn't know what to think about becoming a member of House Lannister. But she chose not to think about it.

It was Jaime who she was marrying. It was Jaime who she was to be with for the rest of her days now. He smiled at her before they were finally declared married, bound together under the Gods. Sansa gleefully clapped whilst her sister looked at her with disbelief.

"Have I told you that I love you?" Jaime wondered as Gwen stepped closer to him, both her hands resting on his shoulders as he steadied himself on his crutches. She thought for a moment, looking to the darkened sky before shaking her head.

"I don't think you have," she admitted to him and he smirked, lowering his face closer to hers.

"Then I love you," Jaime said and they kissed each other, forgetting the presence of Sansa and Arya.

"I love you too," Gwen said when she pulled back from him. Jaime wished he could get rid of his wretched crutches so that he could hold her to him. Instead he watched as she turned to face Sansa and Arya, beaming widely at the pair of them. Only one smiled back warmly, the other's grin was lukewarm. Sansa hugged Gwen tightly before Arya did the same.

Jaime hobbled forwards, his eyes looking onto Gwen's blonde curls before he noted the small figure over her shoulder. Jaime narrowed his glance as the small man moved away from the curtain and Jaime wondered if it could be true. He thought that he had fled Westeros.

"Gwen," Jaime spoke to her. "I'm just going to apply some ointment to this scar before we retire."

"Do you need help?" Gwen wondered.

"No. Take Sansa and Arya to their rooms. I'll be back soon."

Gwen said nothing as Jaime hobbled away on the crutches. He moved through the library, noting the door to the private reading area was open. He limped inside the room, the only light coming from some candles as he closed the doors, the voice entering his ears and making himself known.

"Hello, dear brother."

...

A/N: So thank you to Jofrench22, chen, Miss. Lori MacManus and meri for reviewing the previous chapter. Please do let me know what you think!