"Sarah, where have you been?"
She slipped her cloak from her shoulders and placed it across the bottom of the four poster bed which she and Shireen were sharing. Robb had offered her a room of her own, but Sarah had declined. She preferred to stay with her sister when she was somewhere different.
"I couldn't sleep," Sarah lied to her sister, settling on the edge of the bed. "I went for a walk. There is no need to worry."
Shireen bit down on her bottom lip, a trait she had picked up from her sister. Sarah sat on the edge of the bed, pushing Shireen's hair behind her ear as she smiled gently. "Why don't you try to sleep again?"
"Will you leave me again?"
"Of course not," Sarah said, doing her best not to show the wince she made. She covered it up with a kind smile and kissed Shireen on the top of her head. "I will never leave you, Shireen. You know that, don't you?"
"I know," Shireen said without skipping a beat. Sarah smiled and ran her hand down Shireen's hair before she moved to sit on the floor by the fire. She looked into the flames and picked up the book she had previously been reading before she went to see Jaime.
"Lady Stark is nice."
Shireen suddenly spoke and Sarah turned her head over her shoulder to look back at her sister. A small smile fell on her face as Shireen rested on her side, a small hand clenched under her pillow and her eyes closed.
"She is," Sarah agreed. "I trust she sought out the lemon cakes for you?"
"Why do we not have them on Dragonstone?" Shireen wondered. "They are really nice, Sarah. I like them a lot. Have you had one before?"
"I had one whilst I was in King's Landing," Sarah nodded, realising the she would be unable to focus on her book whilst her sister spoke. She kept the page she was on in her hand and slowly read down the words whilst speaking. "They were indeed delicious, Shireen. Perhaps she will allow you to have more tomorrow."
"She said that she was going to show me the gardens," Shireen replied. "I told her that we didn't have any in Dragonstone."
"That is kind of Lady Stark," agreed Sarah. "Make sure you thank her, Shireen."
"I did," Shireen said; sounding slightly put out that her sister would urge her to mind her manners. "I am always polite, Sarah."
"I know," Sarah replied with a small smile.
"How long will we stay in Riverrun?" Shireen wondered. "I like it here."
Sarah wished that she could share her sister's emotions. She had been in the castle for less than a day and she had already decided that she was in love with it. Sarah envied her to a certain extent. She envied how young she was and how easily she could forget things.
"I don't know," Sarah replied. "We need to stay hidden, Shireen. If father finds out we're here then he will demand for us to go home. If he cannot control his two daughters then how can anyone expect him to control a kingdom?"
Shireen remained silent then, not too sure what she should say in response to her sister. It seemed that Sarah didn't want to stay in Riverrun. Shireen didn't know why. It was a lovely place, full of different types of foods and flowers. Shireen finally felt as though she was living inside of her books.
"I heard someone whisper something about the Kingslayer," Shireen spoke suddenly.
Sarah did her best not to inwardly feel disgusted by what he had said to her earlier. She closed her eyes and finally shut her book with a gentle thud. Sarah stood up and continued to stare into the flames of the fire.
"Jaime Lannister is a prisoner in the dungeons," nodded Sarah. "Apparently he attempted to escape and so is down there. Why? Do you worry about him?"
"No," Shireen replied. "He is locked away, isn't he? I know that he isn't a good knight. Father told me that, Sarah. He's not like the knights in books."
Sarah wanted to tell her sister that there were none like the knights in her books. She bit down on her tongue and kept silent, shaking her head back and forth. She did not wish to speak of Jaime Lannister at all.
"Have you met him?" Shireen wondered. "They say he is handsome."
Sarah scoffed. "I met him when I was in King's Landing. He is a lion, Shireen. We should not speak about him. It will do us no good, sweetling."
"I just wondered," Shireen replied, stifling a yawn.
Sarah finally turned around to see her sister slowly falling to sleep. She moved back to the bed and blew out the candle which sat on the bedside table. The smoke flickered around for a few moments and Sarah pulled the covers around Shireen's shoulders.
"Try to sleep, Shireen. I shall speak to you in the morning."
Sarah didn't receive a response for Shireen was sleeping soundly the next moment. She moved back to her place in front of the warm fire and sat down again, trying to read her book. She failed terribly, for she constantly allowed her thoughts to turn back to Jaime Lannister.
...
"You went to see him last night. You went against my word."
Sarah knew that Robb was angry with her. She could see it in his narrowed eyes and tinted red cheeks. He had his hands resting on the table, his fingers on the map he had been studying before she entered. She stood before him with her hands by her side.
She kept her head held high, refusing to look ashamed of her actions. Yes, she had gone against Robb. But what right did he have to keep her from talking to Jaime Lannister? She had deserved an answer and he had given her one. That was enough for now.
"I asked you," Sarah said. "You denied me and so I took matters into my own hands. How did you find out?"
"The Kingslayer enjoys speaking," Robb muttered under his breath. "He wonders if you will be joining him again. Apparently he enjoyed your company more than he thought he would."
Sarah rolled her eyes at hearing that part. "I questioned him and he gave me the answers that I wanted. That is all there is to it."
"Is it?" Robb wondered, his tone suspicious as he drew himself up to full height. "I want to trust you, Sarah. I want to do nothing more than trust you."
"You can," Sarah promised him. "Believe me, Robb. I want nothing to do with Jaime Lannister."
Robb took a moment to close his eyes and run his hand over his chin, his beard prickling against his fingertips as he did so. He took another moment to study her, wondering if he could trust her. She had never given him any reason to believe her.
"I saw you two in Winterfell," Robb replied. "He spent most of his time hovering around you."
"To make sure I didn't escape," Sarah said. "My father had sent a raven demanding my return. Jaime Lannister refused to let me leave. He refused to fail the one job he had been given; getting me to Winterfell and keeping me there. That was the only reason he loitered so intently around me."
Robb remained sceptical. He wanted to believe her. He longed to believe the young Baratheon. He had found Sarah to be a shy and quiet girl in Winterfell, but now he looked at her and she was a shadow of her former self. She was bold, much more than a she had been.
"And the sniggering?" Robb wondered from her. "The whispering in each other's ears; did that mean nothing?"
Sarah bit her tongue for a moment before she groaned. "Seven Hells, Robb," she complained. "You do know who is, don't you? He is a Kingslayer and has bastard children with his sister. What did you think I was going to do in the dungeons? Did you honestly believe that I was going to help him escape? Do you think me that foolish and naive?"
Robb's brows furrowed. "I do not mean to insult you, Sarah. I simply wanted to know why you had gone to him when I forbade you from doing so. Do you see why it looks so suspicious to me?"
Sarah dared to take another step forwards before she stood by Robb's side and looked over the map on the table. She saw the lion sculptures and the wolf sculptures. It was only when she saw the stag ones did she realise how serious this war was.
She picked one up from Dragonstone and held it tightly in her hands.
"I know," she declared. "I just want you to know that there is nothing suspicious going on. Jaime Lannister and I have never seen eye to eye, and we never will. You can believe me on that, Robb. He is stuck in a dungeon and I assume that is where he will stay."
Robb watched her as she stared back down at the stag in her hands. He slowly moved to pick it out of her fingers and looked on to it himself.
"I have told my mother to pretend that you are her relatives," Robb declared. "Long distance cousins from the North. The men who brought you here have been silenced with plenty of dragon coins. Hopefully the story shall stay up. Your sister...well.."
"Her face is distinct," nodded Sarah. "I know that all too well."
"Yes," Robb said. "Most of my men reside in the encampments outside of the walls of the castle. So long as you stay inside and hidden then I do not think there is an issue with you staying here."
Sarah moved her hand to rest on Robb's arm, silently thanking him. She didn't know if his efforts would be enough. There were always spies inside of walls. Her father had told her of that. She would buy her time and then decide what to do, but she was not going to ignore Robb's hospitality towards her.
"Thank you," she whispered to him. "It means a lot to me, Robb."
"I would hope that you'd do the same for me," Robb decided to say. "If I was in your position, that is."
"Of course," Sarah nodded at him. "I would help you if you needed help, although you seem to be doing well for yourself."
"Is that what you think?" Robb snorted. "My armies are strong, that is true...but...I don't seem to be advancing on anything. It is like I am stuck in a rut; a rut that I cannot get out of. All I want is to bring Sansa and Arya back home. That is it."
"Have you tried negotiating?" Sarah wondered from him and he nodded at her.
"I did my best. They want the Kingslayer in return for Sansa and Arya."
"Two in exchang for one," Sarah nodded. "It is a fair offer, wouldn't you say?"
"Two girls for one of the most gifted knights there has been," Robb counteracted. "I declined the offer. It is not good enough."
Sarah looked at him for a moment and thought about what she would have done if Shireen was in Sansa's situation. She would have personally escorted Jaime Lannister back to King's Landing herself. Lady Stark must be feeling the pain of losing her daughters. No wonder she seemed so distant most of the time.
"But..." Sarah whispered, "they are you sisters, Robb."
Robb looked at her for another moment and Sarah shook her head.
"I know what I am doing, Sarah," he promised her.
She arched a sceptical brow at hearing that. She did her best not to seem too condescending as she heard him. She couldn't help her look of wonder. Shaking her head, she realised that it was not her place to question the King in the North. It would do her no good. She was sure Lady Stark had already spoken with him about this.
"I do not doubt it," Sarah assured him. "I should leave and go to Shireen. Thank you again, Robb."
"Do not mention it," Robb said and he inclined his head as she turned on her heel and swept from the room.
She walked down the corridors, seeing the doorway to the dungeon before she heard a strangled noise coming back up from the steps. Sarah remained stood there out of curiosity before she saw a maid carrying a piece of bread and a jug of water. Her face was pale white and Sarah instantly stopped her when she saw her.
"What is it?" she wondered, looking back down the dark corridor.
"Oh, my Lady," the young girl spoke. "I apologise. It is nothing for you to concern yourself over."
"You look as though you have just seen the ghost of Harrenhal," Sarah informed her. "Tell me what it is?"
"A man," she whispered. "There is a new man in the cell...well...he said something...horrible things...and I ran. I know it was childish of me. It was foolish."
"No," Sarah promised her. "You do not need to be sorry about this. Who were you going to see?"
"The Kingslayer," she replied and Sarah resisted the need to groan. "The Old Nag is going to have me punished for this again...she'll put me outside cleaning up after the animals for being such a child...or cast me out...she's been threatening to do it for months..."
"Come here," Sarah said, pulling the bread and the jug from her. "I shall go down and feed the Kingslayer."
"My Lady, it is not your place. You do not need to associate with a man like him." The girl spoke with such haste that Sarah struggled to keep up. "I shall take my punishment. I shall go back to the woman and ask someone else to go down there."
"No need," Sarah promised her, trying to show her a small smile. "I don't think anyone should be cast out over this. It is hardly your fault that there is a brute of a man down there. Believe me, no one shall hear of this."
"My Lady-"
"-No one," Sarah repeated. "Go about your duty. I shall see to the Kingslayer."
The girl couldn't have been much older than Shireen. The thought of her being tormented in the dark caused Sarah's blood to cool. The Baratheon moved down the steps of the dungeon, a guard coming up them as he saw her.
He looked confused for a moment. "Where's the girl who was down here?"
"I have relieved her of her duties," Sarah spoke.
The man looked at Sarah with little regard. He obviously thought she was a maid. She could pass for one with her dull grey dress that hung limply on her frame.
"I came to tell her that I gave him a beating to...he'll be quiet whilst he's unconscious." The guard told Sarah. "No need to fear, girl."
"What was he saying to her?" Sarah wondered, beginning to walk back down the steps behind the guard.
"The usual," he shrugged nonchalantly. "How he'd like to have her from behind and how he'll take her once he's free. Poor lass couldn't cope."
"I don't doubt it," Sarah said, finally coming past the cell in question. A man lay on wisps of hay, blood pooling out from his nose as he seemingly slept soundly. Sarah gulped and looked away from him as the guard stopped outside of Jaime's cell.
The Kingslayer looked up from his lap, an amused grin spreading on his face as he saw Sarah. He wondered what she was doing back but he kept quiet.
"Let me know when you're done, girl," he urged her. "Don't want this one escaping."
"One day," Jaime called back as the guard wandered off and left his door open. "I'll make sure you're silenced when I do escape though."
The guard grunted back as Sarah stepped inside the dark and cold pen. She moved over to where Jaime sat and knelt on the floor, the stench from his body causing her to gag. Jaime noticed and he rolled his eyes;
"I thought that this smell would be natural to a girl from Dragonstone," Jaime informed her as she knelt by his side and looked down at him. His eyes were moving all over her form as she tore a small piece of bread off from the slice and he opened his mouth. She dropped it in and glowered at him.
"Dragonstone is civilised," she reminded him. "Besides, I am amazed you're not in the same position as your neighbour considering how you insist on taunting the guard."
Jaime moved his gaze to the side to look at the unconscious man and shrugged his shoulders as Sarah placed the jug of water to his lips. She could see that he was malnourished. His clothes were rags on him and his beard looked like the mane of a lion.
"He has a soft spot for me really. I can tell," Jaime promised her. "What brings you back down here? Do you intend to set me free for yourself?"
"You're out of luck," Sarah promised him. "I am here because the girl who was about to feed you looked scared to death. It seems your neighbour spoke of raping her."
"The girl should grow accustomed to the way men speak," Jaime said.
"She looked nothing above ten and three years," Sarah snarled back at him, tearing off another small piece of bread to feed to him. "The poor girl didn't know what to do. She was scared of being cast out and so I volunteered to come down for her."
"Did you miss me that much?" Jaime taunted her. "I admit, Sarah, I did not know that you had that much of a fancy for me."
Sarah rolled her eyes and looked back to him before she gave him some more water. "I don't think your sister would care for you in this state. You smell like a sewer."
Jaime looked down to his soiled clothes and then back to the Baratheon as she gave him some more bread.
"I think you over-exaggerate," Jaime told her. "The smell may not be lavender, but it is hardly atrocious. Besides, all you have to do is clean me if it annoys you that much. I am sure it would be educational for you...that is if Robb Stark hasn't had you already."
"Why do you think Robb Stark would want me?" Sarah hissed at him. "He didn't want me in Winterfell and he doesn't want me now. It matters not to me."
"Really?" Jaime wondered. "You sound positively enraged."
"And you are positively disgusting," Sarah promised him before she noted some form of fly in his hair. She moved her hand and swatted it away, clipping Jaime around the head as she did so. She couldn't help the look of triumph on her face as Jaime grinned.
"There was a fly," she promised him. "Anyway, hurry up and drink this. I need to go."
"Where?" Jaime asked from her. "I don't think you have any pressing need to leave, do you?"
"Why?" Sarah replied. "Are you enjoying my company too much?"
"Hardly," Jaime replied. "I just know how much you loved spending time with me in Winterfell."
"That was before I found out you were sleeping with your sister and had almost killed a little boy," Sarah responded thoughtfully.
Jaime's rueful smile was back. "So you enjoyed my company before?"
Doing her best to put up her defences, Sarah said nothing to him. Did she enjoy his company? Did she find it enjoyable? She didn't really know.
"Tolerated it," she muttered. "Besides, how long did you know your sister was slipping moon tea into my cup?"
"Since she planned it," Jaime responded to her quickly, no compassion to his tone. "I did tell her to leave you be. You were as much trouble then as you are now. You are no one to bother about."
"I trust that she didn't listen," Sarah scoffed. "Not that it matters now."
"I did help you before," Jaime told her. "I think you should try to help me out of here."
Sarah pursed her lips at his feeble attempt and stood up, taking the jug and bread with her.
"Beren saved me that time in the forest. You turned up too late," Sarah responded.
"I stopped you from drinking the tea," Jaime informed her, unsure as to why he did.
He watched as she stopped, her long black hair slowly moving over her shoulder as she turned back around to face him. Her eyes had widened and her unsightly nose had crinkled up.
Why did she look so shocked? Jaime didn't know why she had that odd expression on her face. It wasn't like he had just declared his undying love to her.
"One morning over breakfast," Jaime told her. "The day I swapped goblets with you. She had laced it with moon tea. I made sure you didn't drink it."
"Why?" Sarah wondered, recalling the day.
Shrugging, Jaime sighed. "Perhaps I knew that I would need a favour from you later on. A Lannister always pay their debts. Does a Baratheon?"
"You stopped me from drinking it," Sarah said. "I do not think that is a debt."
"Then what is it?"
"An act of kindness?" Sarah suggested.
"You flatter me," Jaime drawled.
"I think that freeing you from here is bigger than what you did for me," Sarah told him. "It is not my place to help you, Jaime. I do not have that power. Do not ask me for something that cannot happen."
Jaime knew that it had been a long shot. He supposed desperation had come over him with haste. All he wanted to do was escape from the hell he was currently in. Manipulating Sarah Baratheon seemed like the only way.
"It was a feeble attempt, but I cannot say that I did not try," Jaime replied with a drawl. "Run along, Sarah. I am sure you have other amicable duties to perform."
Sarah did as he had said, wandering away from him as she held the empty jug to her chest, thinking back to the day in Winterfell when he had swapped their drinks. He had helped her. She didn't care what he said. That had been an act of kindness, whether he believed that or not.
...
A/N: I am so overwhelmed by all of the lovely comments I have received so far because of this story! I do hope that you are still enjoying it and will continue to read on! Updates may be a bit slower in the next coming week as I am preparing to move back to uni so I do hope you will stick with me!