Sarah had to admit that she grew tired. She was scarcely cut out for the amount of walking which the three of them had undertaken. Lurking in bushes and hiding behind trees had become tradition on the journey down towards King's Landing. Sarah continued to allow guilt to consume as she wished she had done more to keep Shireen safe.
But she knew that they would soon be reunited at Dragonstone and her father would scold her more than she wished to think of. She had spent the majority of her travels being glowered at by Brienne, not that she could blame the woman. Sarah held no part in her father's actions towards Renly, and she barely agreed with what he had done.
"Did you ever love the Wolf King?"
Sarah looked up as Jaime asked her the question. She shrugged nonchalantly, running a hand through her matted hair. She groaned at the feel of it, knowing that the time would come when a warm bath would do her the world of good.
"Robb was a nice boy," Sarah replied. "I did not love him. Why do you ask?"
"Just trying to make conversation," Jaime responded; his tone airy and breezy as he looked up to the sun in the sky and Sarah's brows furrowed. "The giant mute behind me refuses to indulge in conversation ever since I found out she harboured a deep love for the late King Renly."
Sarah looked back to Brienne, the female knight holding her head high and refusing to look at Sarah. She kept silent, her foot moving to trip Jaime over as he walked in front of her and then fell slightly. Jaime laughed back, his tone dark and Sarah folded her arms over her shoulders again and gripped her cloak tighter around her shoulders.
"You should not mock," Sarah spoke. "My Uncle Renly was an honourable man-"
"-Until he rebelled against your brother," Jaime spoke. "There is no honour in death."
"You do not have the right to speak his name," Brienne snarled, her gaze narrowing on Jaime and he rolled his orbs over to her, wondering how she could not have known of his sexual preference. It was all the gossip in King's Landing. "King Renly was a good and honest man. He would have made a fine King."
"Not in front of the Princess," Jaime whispered; a small smirk on his face and Sarah rolled her eyes as he looked over to her, a knowing look on his face.
"I am no Princess," Sarah said. "Your bastard son still sits on the Iron Thrones, does he not?"
The smirk on Jaime's face faltered then and Sarah dropped her hands to her hips, waiting for him to respond to her. His eyes narrowed as they walked by the river's edge, looking over to the opposite embankment to make sure no one was watching them.
"King Joffrey," Sarah drawled out. "How much longer do you think he will sit there? Do you think he truly stands a chance against all of these false Kings? Westeros is slowly becoming a blood bath."
"And you would sue for peace?" Jaime asked her. "Do you think the honourable Stannis Baratheon would agree with that? Is he not the rightful King is Joffrey is a bastard?"
"I should suspect he is," Sarah replied.
"And do you think he would allow Robb Stark to retain his title as King in the North? You know your father; Stannis will take what he thinks is his. He is a traditional man."
"The War of the Seven Kingdoms is something which will rage on and no one shall agree on who sits on the Iron Thrones." Sarah spoke.
Jaime and Brienne looked at her as she wandered ahead, her hands resting in the skirts of her dirtied dress as she went. Her cloak continued to trail on the floor behind her whilst she noted a bridge up ahead. She stood still and looked over to it, Jaime standing behind her and the stench coming from him caused her to wrinkle her nostrils.
"Ah," Jaime spoke as they noted the bridge in the distance. "Do you risk crossing the bridge where someone could spot us, or do we continue down the river?"
"Shut up," Brienne hissed at Jaime and he looked down to Sarah as she nodded slowly.
"We need to cross the bridge." Sarah said.
"I will be the decider of that, my Lady," Brienne responded, her tone taut and curt.
"Princess," Jaime corrected Brienne.
"The Gods only know how long this river goes on for. We can scarcely continue moving down it, can we?" Sarah said and she held herself tall, looking at Brienne with narrowed eyes. "Do you wish for me to cross the bridge first? I am certain there is no one else here."
"Not necessary," Jaime said and began to walk again. "I have faith that Brienne can protect us if anyone were to attempt to attack us."
Sarah looked at him with caution, wondering why he was so eager to walk across the bridge. She said nothing of the matter and walked by his side as they came to it. Sarah looked around; double checking that there was no one before she looked down to the water flowing underneath the tunnel of the bridge. It was then when Jaime sat down on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Brienne snapped at him. "You need to get up."
"My feet are killing me!" Jaime complained to her, looking to his well worn boots as Sarah continued to glance back and forth, making sure no one was watching them. What was he playing at?
"Jaime," Sarah ruefully called his name. "You need to move. There may be no one here, but do you truly want to risk sitting here?"
"Blisters," Jaime complained. "Blisters on my feet...I never used to get blisters...then again, I could go around on horseback everywhere in King's Landing. It's different now. I've spent weeks chained to a post and now I'm forced to walk through fields in muddy boots."
"Jaime!" Sarah finally yelled.
It was then when Jaime leapt to his feet and unsheathed a sword from Brienne's holder. Sarah jumped back, the small of her back hitting against the ledge of the bridge. Jaime tossed the blade in his hands, getting a feel for the weapon before he cut himself free of the chain which bound him to Brienne.
"You must be jesting with me," Sarah spoke. "You are both travelling to King's Landing. Why do you need to fight?"
"Because I do not need this beast of a woman escorting me," Jaime replied to Sarah's question.
Brienne withdrew her own sword and the pair of them began to circle each other like prey. Sarah huffed to herself and moved to stand in the midst of them. She received a look of annoyance from Brienne and one of amusement from Jaime.
"Stop this," Sarah demanded. "Both of you need to drop your swords and agree that you have a common goal."
"Drop the sword?" Jaime checked; looking at the blade with his glimmering orbs before he found Sarah's. "I don't think so, Princess."
It was then when Jaime lunged forwards, one hand wrapping around Sarah's wrist as he pushed her out of the way, her body falling behind him to the floor as his sword clashed with Brienne's blade. Sarah crawled on the floor, turning her head over her shoulder to watch Jaime continue his duel with Brienne. The clattering of steel was enough to drive her insane as she stood up and knew better than to get in the middle of the pair of them.
"Stop it! You are going to get hurt!" Sarah demanded from them and Jaime laughed as they began to circle each other again.
"Stay out of this, Princess," Jaime urged her and Sarah huffed, turning on her heel to look into the forest.
But this time the sight which greeted her caused her mouth to gape and her blood to run cold. She inhaled sharply and looked over her shoulder to Jaime and Brienne, both of them unaware of the horses which were fast approaching them.
"We have company!" Sarah shouted at the pair of them and Jaime grunted as she distracted him and he collapsed to the ground as Brienne bested him.
Sarah moved back as Brienne stepped in front of her and Jaime urged his body to its feet, groaning as he did so. He took a moment or two to groan at the motion, wondering how much more time would be spent with him being exhausted. He didn't know, but he could see from the banner approaching them that they were in trouble.
"Stay back," Jaime demanded from Sarah, his chained hands moving to push her behind him.
She did as he had asked, noting the banner approaching them as the flayed man of House Bolton. Sarah quickly remembered which House Lord Bolton was loyal to, recalling that it was Robb Stark. Sarah suspected she was lucky it was not the Lannisters.
"Looks like your woman is getting the better of you...if you can call that a woman..." a man atop of a white horse called out and Jaime held Brienne's spare sword tightly in his grip, refusing to let it go.
"Wouldn't you enjoy a good fight?" Jaime called out, his tone still one of cockiness. "Gets our juices flowing."
Jaime took another moment to pretend as though the banner they carried interested him, his brow arching as he did so. "Flayed man of House Bolton," he drawled lowly, "bit gruesome for my taste."
Sarah remained still, looking over to the man on the horse as he looked to his side, nodding to a man on foot who suddenly pushed an elderly man forwards, his head jutting out whilst he held tightly onto his stick.
"Are you sure he's the one?" the man on the horse asked.
"That's him alright. I saw him fight at the tourney for Sir Willem Frey's wedding," the man drawled and Jaime turned back around to look at Brienne, annoyance radiating from his scrunched up features.
Sarah wondered who the old man was, but she said nothing as the old man was handed a bag of silver for his efforts in depicting the Kingslayer.
"Let us go," Jaime demanded. "My father will pay you whatever you want."
"Enough to buy me a new head?" the man chuckled back. "The King in the North hears I had the Kingslayer and let him go he would be taking it right off. I'd rather he takes yours."
Sarah watched as the men began to walk forwards on their horses. She pushed back Jaime, her heart pounding ten to the dozen whilst Jaime watched her and his jaw remained stubbornly set. He often wondered where this girl got her bravery from sometimes.
"You fight for Robb Stark?" Sarah checked and the man climbed down from his horse, looking at her with a cocked brow. She wondered how long it would take for them to recognise her, or if they even would. She didn't know which option would be for the best.
"The King in the North," the man said and moved closer to Sarah, noting how she was not that much better looking than the burly woman who had bested Jaime. "And who would you be? Has Ser Jaime taken on a tavern slut for his escape?"
"Wait," another blonde man called out, moving from his own horse and squinting over to Sarah. "Isn't that her? The Baratheon girl? I'm sure it is Locke."
The man named Locke turned his head over his shoulder to look at the one who was coming to stand next to him. "Stannis Baratheon's daughter?" Locke checked, moving his fingers down the beard which sat on his chin as he did so. "And how would you know her?"
"She was supposed to marry the King," the man said. "I saw her when I travelled to Winterfell from the Dreadfort...I'd recognise that face anywhere...look at her..."
"And is that who you are, Princess?" Locke mocked her, moving past his man to reach for Sarah, his hand wrapping underneath her chin. "Daughter of Stannis Baratheon...and how much do you think he would pay to have you back? He's already sent ravens to all of Westeros..."
"Then you should know how much he will pay if he has sent the message," Sarah snapped back and Locke pushed her away, almost causing her to fall over.
"Clever little chit, aren't you?" Locke spoke clearly. "And ugly too."
Jaime watched on as Sarah moved to stand again. He remained still whilst she balled her hands into fists by her side and looked between the men, wondering if there was any way in outsmarting them. Their insults did nothing to bother her. She knew what she looked like. She'd already been reminded multiple times.
"Perhaps we will take you with us to Harrenhal," Locke told her. "See what happens to you there...depends on who offers the better price, Princess. The Lannisters or your father."
Sarah groaned as Locke turned her around and pushed her forwards. Her gaze met Jaime's and he looked at her as she jutted her chin out, wondering why there was no cocky remark to fall from his lips.
...
A/N: Thanks to anyone reading and if you are then please do review!