Sarah sat with Jaime for a long time; the sun had finally set behind the trees before Davos began to worry about her. Jaime had recounted stories to her about what had happened to them, but he had done it in much more depth. He failed to mention that he had taken her maidenhead, preferring to leave that tale for another day when she grew much more comfortable with him. He had recalled how he had held her during the nightmares she endured, and how they had shared their first kiss before he sent her back to Dragonstone. He told her how he detested everything that his sister had turned into, but it had taken him a long time to recall it.
He had not tried to kiss her again, choosing to take his time instead. He had sat still and allowed her to kneel by his side, both of her cold hands engulfing his warm one. He could scarcely believe how cold her fingers were against his skin, but it stopped bothering him after a while. She had been quiet during his stories until Davos interrupted them.
The Onion Knight couldn't help but think how happy the Princess looked in Jaime's company; not even her sister had made her this happy. A small smile was on her face as Jaime whispered to her softly, a smirk on his lips as his eyes looked sincerely onto her face.
"Princess," Davos finally called out and Sarah turned her head to the side to look at him. Jaime peeled his eyes from Sarah's face, staring over to the Onion Knight also. "We should go. Your mother and father will begin to worry where you have gotten to."
Sarah didn't want to argue how her mother and father would much prefer to spend their time in the company of the Lady Melisandre in comparison to her. She nodded at the Onion Knight and then looked back to Jaime as he nodded to her.
"I don't want you to be in trouble with them," Jaime told her. "You should go before they discover that you are here and with me."
Nodding, Sarah dropped his chained hand from both of hers. Jaime longed to do nothing more than sweep her hair from her face and peck her on the cheek one more time. She kept still for a second and Jaime wondered if she was going to make the first move. It would be much more fascinating if she did for it would mean that they had moved on slightly. They had to move on and she had to remember.
"I will try to come back," Sarah whispered and Jaime nodded.
"Don't fret for me, Princess. Your father's men are nowhere near as bad as Lord Bolton's men," Jaime promised her and she bit down on her bottom lip, wondering if that was supposed to make her feel better about things.
It took her a few moments to decide to lean over and swiftly kiss Jaime on his stubble covered cheek. He closed his eyes and Sarah pulled back just as quickly as she had moved forwards.
"I don't know why I did that," she whispered after completing the motion. "I just know that I feel something when I'm with you...warmth that makes me not want to leave..."
"You're not the only one, Princess," Jaime promised her, noting how Davos was tapping his foot against the ground in an inpatient manner. Jaime smirked and nodding to the back of the cart with his chin.
"Go," he urged her and she did.
Davos helped her climb down from the high wooden step before depositing her on the floor. She looked back up to Jaime for a second as she swept through the camp and Davos remained on guard. The Onion Knight said nothing, nor did Jaime. Both of the men were too lost in their own thoughts; thoughts of which never ended with a pleasant ending.
...
"Her deformed face should be enough to tell you that I speak sense, my King."
Sarah had entered the inn to find her mother and father sat with the Lady Melisandre, each one of them eating a bowl of stew by the roaring warm fire. Sarah had slowly shut the door behind her and looked to them, neither of them noticing her presence.
"She is not a true believer of the Lord of Light. You have seen his powers. He brought our beloved Sarah back to us, but he cursed Shireen. Surely that should be enough to tell you that the girl is evil. She is evil and she needs to be dealt with. It would only make sense, my husband."
Sarah could scarcely believe what she was hearing fall from her mother's mouth. The woman was clearly not of sound mind. Sarah wondered when this had happened. She had known that her mother had never been healthy, but she had never heard her speak in such a horrid manner about her sister.
"Enough," Stannis snapped at his wife. "Shireen is our daughter. She is a young girl who truly knows nothing of any God."
"There is only one God," Melisandre corrected Stannis.
"And Shireen is not a believer," Selyse cried out. "Surely you see that now? Sarah is so perfect...the Lord of Light did not take her from us...but Shireen was cursed an ugly child-"
"-Shireen has greyscale," Sarah couldn't help but make herself known as she stormed over to where the three of them sat. She looked to Melisandre first, the Red Woman smirked a knowing smirk at the young girl before she turned to her mother. "She is a young girl. How can you condemn her? What would you condemn her to; death by fire?"
Selyse's mouth hung open and she looked shocked with her eldest daughter. Stannis shook his head and made a move to stand, not intending on starting a row when a row need not be started.
"The Lord of Light has chosen, Sarah," Selyse almost wailed. "He brought you back-"
"-And he did nothing to Shireen," Sarah responded. "I do not know anything of this Lord of Light, but I do know that it is disgusting if he would condone the murder of an innocent girl. What has happened to you mother? When did you become so vile?"
Selyse looked horrified and Stannis glowered.
"Enough, Sarah," he demanded from his daughter, but she shook her head.
"You know that I am right," Sarah snapped to her father as Stannis tried to take hold of her by her shoulder, but she shrugged him off of her. "Shireen has done nothing to deserve this treatment. How can you sit there and listen to her?"
"I do not," Stannis promised his daughter.
"Your daughter speaks truth," Melisandre spoke up and stood too. Selyse remained sat sobbing, unable to believe that her eldest daughter had spoken to her in such a vile manner. Sarah felt no regret at her tone, knowing that she had done the right thing. "Shireen is merely a girl. I shall teach her of the ways of the Lord of Light. She will come to understand."
"No," Sarah snapped back. "You will tell her nothing. She does not need to listen to you."
"The Lord of Light is the one who brought you back, yet you deny his existence," Melisandre responded.
"I deny nothing," Sarah said. "Your Lord may have brought me back, but that does not mean that I have to be a devoted follower of his. I never asked to be brought back and have my emotions and memories wiped from me."
"Sarah!" Stannis finally snapped at her. "Do not be so inconsiderate!"
"Me?" Sarah checked. "You think I am inconsiderate? I know all about what you did to your own brother and what you intended to do with your bastard nephew. Did the Lord of Light want their deaths? Should he not be called the God of Death?"
Stannis looked horrified and Sarah finally realised the emotion which had boiled inside of her. Anger. She had felt true and pure anger with what she had heard.
"Who told you?" Stannis demanded.
"Jaime Lannister," Melisandre guessed and Sarah looked back to her. "She has been with him just now, listening to his lies and his filth."
"Sarah," Stannis complained to her. "Jaime Lannister is nothing but a traitor. He is nothing to you and you will stay away from him."
Sarah's hands curled into fists by her sides as she dared to challenge her father on the matter. But she never had chance to speak. Melisandre moved to the girl's side, taking hold of her by her upper arms and dropping her chin to her shoulder, whispering as she did so.
"You are drawn to him, are you not?" Melisandre checked and Selyse made to stand, hovering over her husband's shoulder. "That is why you go to him and think of him so often. You feel warmth when he is near and your pulse flutters."
"Why?" Stannis dared to ask. "Why him? I saw her with Shireen and there was nothing there."
Melisandre stood tall, looking back to Sarah as she came to stand by Stannis's side.
"No doubt it has something to do with the lion stealing the Princess's virginity from her. That can create a powerful bond."
Her words cut like ice through the room and the atmosphere became even tenser than before. Sarah shook her head back and forth, refusing to believe that she would have done that. She had always been trained that a woman's maidenhead was sacred until marriage. Stannis looked repulsed and Selyse turned away and began to sob once more for the daughter she was slowly losing again.
"Is this true?" Stannis demanded Sarah.
"The girl will not remember," Melisandre spoke back. "Her love for the Kingslayer grows stronger every second he is kept alive."
"No!" Sarah snapped at Melisandre, lashing across to the Red Woman, her hands balled into fists. Stannis intercepted her, grabbing hold of her wrists and slamming her against the wall, her head hitting the hard stone behind her. His face was scrunched up in anger and his eyes were glaring straight at Sarah.
"Is it true!?" Stannis roared and Sarah knew that she could neither confirm nor deny it. She did not know.
"It is true enough," Melisandre was the one to speak and Stannis pushed Sarah against the wall one final time as she dropped to the floor and felt tears form in her orbs.
"So my daughter is a Lannister whore...impure..." Stannis spat down at Sarah and she kept still on the ground, her legs folded underneath her. "I want the Kingslayer brought to me and I will take his head and send it back to his sister."
"No!" Sarah pleaded with her father.
"Enough," Stannis demanded from her. "You will be lucky enough to keep your head for your traitorous act because you are my daughter. But do not think for one second will I allow you to forget this, nor will I forgive this."
Sarah watched as Stannis stormed from the inn and Sarah kept still on the floor, knowing that she had to act quickly if she was to save Jaime.
...
A/N: thank you to mellielannister, SiSSIRi, Sirisu-Black-SFan and CupcakesAndAlice for reviewing the previous chapter. Do let me know what you think!