"Have you met Lord Bolton before?"
Brienne's question took Sarah off guard as they walked closer towards Harrenhal. Sarah had studied its crumbling walls and the eerie fog which surrounded it. She could recall her Septa teaching her of all of the places in Westeros. She recalled how Harrenhal was supposedly haunted and full of ghosts. Its occupancy had been a House which Sarah could not quite recall, but it now appeared that Lord Bolton had taken control over it.
"I have heard of him," Sarah replied, willing for the ropes to be cut from her wrists.
They had been tied by their wrists and forced to walk the final mile. Jaime was in the midst of some of Locke's men as they taunted him, leaving Brienne and Sarah to walk behind. Sarah's eyes occasionally flashed over to Jaime. He walked all of the way with his head bowed, his body tiring and his mind almost lost without his sword hand.
"What do they say of him?" Brienne asked.
"Why do you ask?" Sarah asked of intrigue. She looked up to the woman and she shrugged awkwardly. She had done her best not to speak with Sarah too much, deciding it would be for the best considering that she fully intended to kill her father.
She could see that the girl was kind, if not slightly naive, but her heart was in the right place. It was a shame her father had killed his own brother for an iron throne. Brienne may not have hated him.
"I need to continue on the way to King's Landing," Brienne replied. "I wondered what side Bolton fought for."
"The last I heard he was on Robb's side," Sarah admitted. "He is a Northerner. He occupies the Dreadfort and his family have been loyal to the Starks for many years. I...what Lord Bolton does remains to be seen..."
"The Northerners want the Kingslayer dead," Brienne reminded Sarah and Jaime almost stumbled over his own two feet a few paces in front of them. Sarah winced at the sight and shook her head back and forth.
"For now we need to worry about keeping Jaime alive from a fever," Sarah replied and Brienne took another swift glance at her.
The girl's orbs were wide and firmly set on the Kingslayer. Her lips were chapped and parted to allow for her mouth to gape gently. Her hair was by her cheeks, covering her face and her large Florent ears. But it was not her features which concerned Brienne. It was her look of concern. Brienne had seen the look many times before.
"You care for him," Brienne said and Sarah closed her mouth and looked away from Jaime and back to Brienne. "You do know who he is, don't you?"
"I know full well who he is," Sarah promised her. "I know what he has done, too. He has...he has done things for his own reasons...he believes himself to be honourable for reasons that I cannot understand...well I can...but I don't want to..."
"Jaime Lannister is a man without honour," Brienne reminded her and she took a few moments to think before she sighed and stepped over a puddle of mud. "You seem like a pleasant young girl, Lady Sarah. I know that you are involved in this mess because of your father-"
"-I don't agree with him," Sarah suddenly interrupted her and looked to Brienne. "I know what my father did and I know that it ate him up...but he still did it...I do not know if he knew what his actions would bring. The shadow you speak of came from the Red Woman after her and my father...well...consummated their relationship, so to speak."
Brienne kept quiet whilst Sarah continued to speak.
"I fled with Shireen as soon as we heard. My uncle Renly was a good man. I know. I remember my first time in King's Landing...there was the King Robert...he was not a man I enjoyed the company of, but my uncle Renly was always so kind to me when everyone else looked at me as though I was some form of deformed cripple."
Brienne gulped, trying not to think of Renly and how much she cared for him. She still did care for him, even after his death. She wondered when the feeling would go away.
"He was a good man," Brienne weakly agreed.
"But not the rightful heir," Sarah said, looking sadly to Brienne.
The female knight dared to challenge her, but Sarah shook her head, refusing to listen to her.
"He is my father's younger brother," Sarah said. "He could not become King before my father. Yes, I know that my father is...well...a strict man. Perhaps Renly would have been a kind King, but he was not the rightful King. I only wish that they could have solved their differences...ruled together or something...anything but this."
Brienne glowered for a few moments. She knew that the girl had a point. Of course she did; it was only logical that Stannis succeeded Renly. But Stannis would be a terrible king. He was not kind enough, but was Joffrey any better? Brienne certainly thought not.
"Oh!"
Sarah and Brienne looked straight ahead as they heard Locke shout for them. Sarah's brow quirked from annoyance and they finally came through the gates of Harrenhal. Sarah moved by Brienne's side before they were both pushed to the ground on their knees. Jaime was pushed last, falling to his knees and a small groan left him.
He turned his eyes to the side, looking at Sarah and she gave him an encouraging stare.
She looked up whilst Jaime kept his head lowered, almost as though he was too afraid to say anything to Bolton.
"What happened to his hand?" Roose suddenly wondered.
"Nothing, m'lord," Locke responded and picked the hand up from Jaime's neck, holding it out to Lord Bolton with a small smirk on his face as his men laughed behind him as though it was the funniest thing they had heard. "It's right here."
"Get rid of it," Bolton snapped back and Sarah studied the man for a few seconds.
He was tall and lean, little hair covered his head and his eyes were unnecessarily cold. He didn't look like a man who was to be trifled with and so she would not speak out of turn, especially when her life was in his hands. She took a few seconds to look at him before moving her eyes back to Jaime, noting how mud dripped down his face and his cloths remained soiled.
"And send it to his father!" Locke yelled out victoriously.
"You'll hold your tongue unless you want it cut out," Bolton hissed. "And untie these ladies. They are in my care now."
"My Lord Bolton," Locke spoke quickly. "This one is the Baratheon bitch. Stannis's daughter from Dragonstone. We found her travelling with them."
"Lady Sarah," Lord Bolton drawled out her name as Locke picked Jaime up from the floor and Sarah stood, finally free of her ropes.
She looked to him and remained stood still, waiting for him to say something to her. She had no particular urge to return his greeting, nor did she truly want to speak. She wanted to know her fate and then decide what to do.
"You are a long way from Dragonstone, my lady," Bolton spoke and Sarah nodded back.
"So it would seem," she agreed with him and he smiled a half smile at her, knowing full well what he had to do with her now that she had been sent to him.
"Your father has been busy during you absence," Bolton informed her. "Stannis Baratheon laid siege to King's Landing. He sailed into Blackwater Bay and stormed the gates with thousands of men."
Jaime looked at him then, wondering what had happened to Cersei whilst Sarah waited for news of her father. Bolton moved closer to her, ignoring Jaime's stare on him. He kept mute, a smirk forming on his face with knowing.
"The Lannisters came to the rescue and forced Stannis Baratheon back to Dragonstone. They say he is holed up there. He speaks to no one. The chances of him offering me a generous sum for your return is slim," Bolton promised her, the sly smirk still sitting on his face and Sarah's brows furrowed.
"And where would you have me sent?" she wondered and Lord Bolton shook his head as Jaime kept his eyes on Sarah, knowing full well where Lord Bolton was sending her. "You are Lord Robb's bannerman. He could keep me as a hostage...against the Lannisters...against my father..."
"And do you think Lord Robb truly cares about what happens to you?" Bolton checked. "He should be more concerned about his own life staying intact."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sarah wondered.
Bolton gave Jaime a swift look and he knew there and then that Lord Bolton had switched sides. No longer was protecting the Starks his main concern; killing them was.
"Ser Jaime isn't well," Bolton suddenly turned his attention back to Jaime and nodded to Locke's men. "Take him to Qyburn and take the girl to a dungeon and hold her there. The other lady may bathe for a while."
"But-"
"-There is to be no exceptions," Bolton said once Brienne tried to interrupt her. "The hospitality of Harrenhal is yours for as long as you do nothing to damage it."
Sarah looked to Jaime, wondering whether or not he would attempt to defend her as she felt irons clasp around her wrists. His gaze did meet hers, but he did nothing. He said nothing, nor did he look apologetic. There was nothing there.
She doubted there ever would be, regardless of how much she tried to help him.
...
A/N:Thank you to CupacakesAndAlice for reviewing the previous chapter! If you are reading then do please leave me a review as it would mean a lot to me!