Moving slowly through the camp, Sarah passed all of the sleeping men on her way, making sure she did her best not to wake any of them. She wore her cloak around her shoulders and carried her father's letter in its breast pocket.

She kept her breathing quiet as she finally came to find her horse tied to a nearby tree. She stroked its mane and looked around, knowing full well that she was alone. That was how she wanted it. She needed to be alone.

So why did she feel as though someone was watching her? She supposed the answer presented itself soon enough. She didn't have any time to climb onto the horse before she heard a voice speak from behind a tree.

"I knew that there was something off with you."

She jumped back, her hand moving to her chest as she feared her heart may break out from her chest. His voice entered her ears and she saw him finally move closer, his armour gone and his white attire present on his body. She held her head high and kept her cloak around her.

"What?" Sarah wondered, her brow furrowing. "There is nothing wrong with me. I feel perfectly fine, but thank you for your concern."

"Then why did you sneak out of your tent?" he wondered from her and she rolled her eyes.

"I was hardly sneaking," she assured him. "I would think that I know the difference between sneaking and walking normally."

"Trust me," Jaime replied to her, "you were most certainly sneaking. Do not even attempt to pretend otherwise, little stag. I saw the way you looked around suspiciously."

"No," Sarah said, a nervous laugh escaping her as Jaime's brow arched and he knew that she couldn't escape from the truth. He did want to know why she was even bothering to do so. "I simply needed a walk. I had a nightmare, and I needed some air."

"And that took you to your horse, did it?" Jaime wondered from her.

"Horses have a soothing presence," replied Sarah, her tone flat and lacking emotion. She did her best not to snap at Jaime. She supposed she could run. She might make it far. She always had been quite a fast runner.

"Of course," Jaime sarcastically replied. "Now, do you intend to tell me what is happening, or are you going to make my life difficult?"

"Why do you assume that there is something happening?" Sarah wondered from him. Maybe he would let her go. Maybe he would understand that she had no choice but to do what her father wanted her to do.

And then she considered the other side to the coin. Jaime Lannister had a job to do. A job by the order of the King. He wouldn't let her go with no reason. Seven Hells, she had no reason as to why she was really going.

"How many times do I need to tell you that nothing is wrong?" Sarah said; her voice much tauter and curter this time. Jaime looked at her with narrowed eyes before taking a step closer towards her.

"It is to do with the letter from your father," Jaime informed her. "Your mood changed ever since then. I know it. I saw it."

"The letter contained nothing of importance," Sarah replied. "Your mind is running wild."

"Believe me, little stag, not once in my life has that happened," he replied, his tone holding impatience. "Besides, if the letter is not important then you should let me read it."

"It is in my tent," Sarah said. "You'll notice that I have nothing on me, Ser Jaime. My trunk is in the tent, along with all my possessions. I'd need them if I was to run away, wouldn't I?"

"They'd weigh the horse down," Jaime told her. "And I wonder if you'd be able to carry them."

"Good point as always," nodded Sarah. "You should get some rest. I'll head back to the tent in a moment."

"Do you think me foolish?" Jaime wondered, quite amused with the naivety and hope coming from the girl in front of him. "Do you honestly believe that I will leave you alone here?"

"If you trust me then you should," Sarah said and Jaime scoffed.

"Don't bother talking to me about trust," he urged her. "It will get you nowhere, young Baratheon."

"Fine," Sarah said and she held her hands in the air. She kept a deep breath in before she exhaled and walked over to Jaime. "Take me back to the tent."

"That's more like it," he smirked.

Of course, Sarah had a different idea. She moved with haste, pulling Jaime's sword from its sheath before she held it in her hands, jumping back from him as he remained perplexed at what had just happened. So the stag was growing up.

"What are you doing?" Jaime asked and Sarah moved closer to her horse, her hair falling in her eyes as she bent under the weight of the steel. "Sarah, what are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I have to do," she replied to Jaime, standing by her horse as he took a step closer to her and she waved the steel more ferociously at him. "Just stay back."

"If this is about running away from Robb Stark-"

"-This does not concern the Starks," Sarah snapped at Jaime. "This has nothing to do with my bloody impending marriage to Robb Stark!"

"So it concerns the letter from Stannis?" Jaime checked and Sarah kept quiet, a curt nod of her head coming through as she watched Jaime move from side to side, slowly, but certainly, advancing towards her. She knew that she had to act soon. She didn't have time for Jaime to keep questioning her.

"What did it say? What does Stannis want?"

"He...He..." Sarah whispered, wondering if she should bother explaining to Jaime. "It is none of your concern."

"It is every bit my concern," Jaime assured her. "And if it isn't then I can make it my concern. Do not doubt me, little stag."

Sarah took a deep breath and contemplated stabbing him in the knee. Maybe it wouldn't hurt him there that much? It would give her a chance to escape quickly. Jaime stood still for a moment as her cheeks turned red, too much worry and determination taking hold of her.

"Just stay back," she warned him. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You wouldn't," Jaime assured her. "You don't have the guts it takes to stab me. Have you ever stabbed a man before, Sarah? Have you ever stood there and watched him bleed? It's one of the few things that truly make me feel alive."

"Don't make me..." Sarah warned him and he laughed. He laughed at her.

How many times had she been mocked? She didn't know, and she failed to count.

"No one is making you," Jaime assured her. "It is your choice to swing at me. You won't, of course. I'm no fool with a blade. Not like you."

Sarah moved with haste then, her vision seeing red as she dared to swing the sword. Jaime jumped back avoiding the blade before she put her plan into action once seeing him on the floor. She swung the sword against the rope holding her horse, cutting it before she lowered the blade down, the weight too much for her to handle.

Jaime fell to the floor, the leaves fluttering around him before he saw her free her horse. He moved then, standing tall and wrapping his muscular arms around her slender waist, his hands holding her wrists and trying to pry the sword from her hands.

"That was a good attempt, little stag," he told her as she clung onto the sword, refusing to give up without a fight. Jaime pressed his chest flush against her back, his hot breath against her neck as she squirmed around and did her best to fight him.

"Get off of me," Sarah snarled and Jaime moved one of his hands to her neck, gripping it tightly before he pressed the other one against her stomach, pushing it and causing her to choke as she swallowed.

The blade fell from her hands then and Jaime's grip slackened as his fingers splayed across her stomach and his other remained on her neck, the tips of them soothingly stroking where he had pressed.

"You gave me no choice," he reminded her as she did her best to regain her breath.

She coughed loudly and Jaime felt her knees grow weak underneath her. He moved his hands underneath her arms, allowing her to fall to the floor against him, her back resting against his side.

He knelt on the soiled floor and she realised that she couldn't escape him. She never would be able to. She moved her hand into her pocket, knowing that persuasion was the only thing she had left to get away.

She pulled the letter out and handed it to him, pressing it into his palms whilst she kept her eyes on the tree above her. Jaime slowly tore the seal again and read the words, doing his best to keep his opinions to himself.

"He does not say why he wants you to go back," Jaime commented and Sarah nodded.

"I know," she agreed with him. "I do not know why. I don't even have an incline as to why."

"Yet you were determined?" Jaime checked with her. "You'd do as your father says so willingly?"

"He is my father," Sarah reminded Jaime. "What more do you expect me to do? I can hardly ignore him. He believes that I am in danger...he returns to Dragonstone...something is not right."

"This is Stannis Baratheon," Jaime reminded her. "He is always cautious. I hear he is too cautious of his own wife sometimes, hence why he has only two daughters."

"Must you always joke?" snapped Sarah. She snatched the letter back from his hands and began to read the words again. "He wants me back at Dragonstone. My father has commanded it."

"And the King has commanded me to take your North," Jaime replied and the pair of them pushed themselves up from the ground, glaring at each other as they did so. "That is what I am going to do."

"But-"

"-There is nothing more to this conversation," Jaime said to her. "Stannis's wishes are not the King's wishes. By the sounds of your letter, I would say Stannis wants you to avoid the King. He is going against him."

"So?" Sarah wondered. "It is my duty to honour my father."

"It is also your duty to honour your King," Jaime replied. "As it is mine also."

"And what a fine job you did with the Mad King and your duty," Sarah replied to him, her tone harsh.

She knew that was when she had overstepped the mark. Jaime's jaw jutted out and a tick appeared in the corner. Sarah gulped and she backed away as his gaze darkened.

"I think I preferred you when you were quiet," he whispered menacingly. "Now, you are going to get back into your tent. You're going to go to sleep, and you're going to wake up in the morning and cause me no hassle."

Sarah turned on her heel and made her intention to run known. Jaime was quicker, leaping forwards and grabbing her by the wrist, hauling her back to him as she fought strongly. He moved with haste then, wrapping his arms around her legs and tipping her upside down and over his shoulder. She squealed; waking the camp up as she pounded on Jaime's back.

"You cannot treat me like this!" Sarah roared and Jaime adjusted her on his shoulder, allowing his hand to grope her behind. He smirked as her punches grew stronger after that. "Put me down!"

"You'll only run," Jaime said, passing by his men as they watched with tired eyes, wondering if they were seeing the sight before them. "Besides, you're much easier to control this way."

Sarah's teeth ground together like her father's. Jaime moved into her tent and dropped her onto her bed, watching as her gown rode up her thigh and her chest heaved under her cloak. Her hair fell into her face as Jaime bent down and placed his hand on her cheek.

"I have a campsite full of men," he told her. "You're not working your way around any of them. From now on I will have you guarded closely. Do you understand me?"

Sarah said nothing further as Jaime pushed her hair from her face and ran the back of his hand down her dark curls. "Good girl."

He left her on the bed, huffing to herself before he swept out the tent, yelling to the men around for them to hear as well as the Lady Sarah;

"No one is to let the Lady Sarah run off. Do you all understand me? I do hope so. I'd hate to gut you all from balls to brains."

He turned back to see that the flap to the tent was still closed. He sat down in front of the entrance, knowing full well that he wouldn't get a good night's sleep that night.

...

A/N: Thanks to anyone reading and I do hope you're review!