It's everyone's favorite incestuous twins.

Cersei

"Lord Stark's men have been visiting brothels more than usual."

The man before her trembled under her gaze, for no other reason than he was scared of what she could do to him. Well not herself per se, but what she could have others do to him. There were thousands who would jump at her command and would gladly kill this man if she asked it. That was power, and she doubted any woman in the Seven Kingdoms had as much power as her. She reveled in that power.

Somehow, someway, Jon Arryn had become suspicious of the true parentage of her children and, along with Stannis, had started looking into it. She knew to keep herself and her children safe she would have to kill the two men before the secret got out. However, before she could arrange anything Jon Arryn had died, and whether his death was natural or not, it had scared Stannis enough that he had run away to Dragonstone. While that would be worrying, the middle Baratheon brother had sealed himself tight at his island fortress and made no effort to contact anyone in King's Landing about anything, especially the King. She knew this because she read all of the ravens meant for Robert before he did, not that Robert was aware of that.

Cersei thought her problems were taken care of by some type of divine intervention. She insisted to her oaf of a husband that he appoint her father as the Hand. No one would dare suggest to her father that his grandchildren were not the children of the King. However, rather than appoint her father to the position, a position he had previously held successfully for a number of years, Robert had brought them on a two month journey to the cold and barbaric North just so he could give his boyhood friend the position. Oh Cersei remembered Ned Stark well, even after the almost sixteen years since she last saw him in King's Landing. Everyone said he was an honorable man but she knew what he really was, a fool. A fool who put his honor above everything else, no matter what it would cost. Men like that didn't last long in King's Landing; they either lost their honor or their lives.

She knew it was Stark who cut back the royal budget. She knew it was him that had sent Myrcella and Tommen away from her to some lesser lords to foster. It was Lord Stark who implicated Jaime in the explosion at the Dragonpit, when it was Stark's idea to tear the damned thing down and the Mad King who put the wildfire there to begin with. Jaime was a hero for what he had done all those years ago and they were punishing him!

Ever since he had been forced to help rebuild the areas destroyed by the explosion she had seen Jaime a handful of times as he made his way back to his chambers in the White Tower. He would come trudging back into the Red Keep well into the night, smelling terrible and too exhausted to do anything. Even when she managed to sneak into his rooms and undressed in front of him he showed no interest, preferring the comfort of his bed over the comfort of her embrace.

And now, Stark was looking into what Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon had previously looked into; the true parentage of her children, the princes and princess of the realm. She knew from Pycelle he had the same book Arryn had been reading before he died. She knew that he had not only visited one of Robert's bastards, but he had gotten the boy on a ship and sent him north to the frozen wasteland the man called home.

The visiting of the brothels had to be to find the whore that Arryn and Stannis had met with. She didn't know if the whore or the baby still lived. It would be best if she sent her own men searching through the city to see, and if they both still lived she would have them killed before they were discovered. If she could get ahead of Stark's men that would be one less clue for Stark to follow.

Yet even if Stark wasn't able to put all the pieces together, there was still Stannis. And after Stannis and Stark, there was always the possibility of someone else finding out and telling Robert. Which left only one obvious option, she needed to be rid of the King. With Robert gone, Joffrey would be king, as was his right, and she would be the regent until Joffrey came of age, as was her right. Then no one would dare say anything against them.

Cersei dropped a silver stag into the hand of the man in front of her, who took it greedily. He was a Gold Cloak who had the same vices as most men - whoring, drinking, and gambling. And she had used those vices to turn him into a source of information. Varys had his little birds and she had men desperate for money to fuel an addiction.

"Keep an eye on Lord Stark and his men. Report to me anything else you find."

"Yes your grace," the man said, bowing so low he almost toppled forward.

He scurried away from her and her lip curled in disgust as she watched him leave. It was insulting that she needed to consort with people so far below her like this, but it was necessary if she wanted to have any information on what went on in this city. Her father had taught her information was power. Rather he had taught it to Jaime when her twin was being trained to take over Casterly Rock and Jaime would often share those lessons with her later in the night, and unlike Jaime she took the lessons to heart.

The echoes of laughter drifting in from outside drew her to the window. Far below in the godswood she spied two figures that could only be Sansa Stark and her friend playing with that foul beast of hers.

Down there was a soon to be great source of information on Ned Stark. She was grooming Sansa to be an unwitting source of information into the happenings in the Tower of the Hand, as well as what her father was up to, and it costs nothing more than kind words and feigning interests in the childish fantasies of a naive girl. The redheaded child was already 14 and yet she showed no interest in being involved in decision making or the events of the realm. So Cersei had been suggesting to the girl that they were things of importance, and that she should start talking with her father about such things, and then would ask the girl if she did so and what was discussed.

Of course she had to do so when the girl wasn't in the presence of that damned direwolf. The sheer size of the thing was terrifying in and of itself, but the direwolf always placed itself between Sansa and herself, making it all but impossible to talk with the girl. That Robert allowed such a beast within the same walls as her children angered her. And none of the men she approached to slay the beast, discreetly of course, she couldn't have it reaching anyone's ears she was trying to kill the damn thing, were brave enough to attempt it. Cowards and lickspittles is what she was surrounded by.

The next day the man returned to her, telling her that Stark's men had discovered something in the city and whatever it was, it was enough for Stark to ride out at once. Cersei knew they must have discovered the whore who had fathered one of Robert's many bastards. Whatever plans she was going to make to take care of Robert needed to be put into action soon, and something needed to be done about Stark. Where was Jaime when she needed him?

Jaime

Five months of hard manual labor had left Jaime in a state of near constant exhaustion. The smallfolk he worked with at first thought it funny, a Lannister working alongside them like a commoner, but he had earned their respect over time. It helped that he was far stronger than any of them, and while his muscles had ached something awful those first few weeks, he had grown even stronger since. It was the only benefit to the entire damn thing.

Choosing to forsake his oath to kill the King he swore to protect, and saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the process, had been his greatest moment as a knight, but also his biggest failure. And now, years later, that moment had come back to haunt him. How was he to know wildfire grew more volatile the longer it sat? That wasn't something taught in the lessons he had sat through as a boy.

And how was he to have known that sixteen years later Stark would want to tear down the Dragonpit? The building had sat a ruin for over a century, and likely would have sat for a century more if it wasn't for the oh so honorable Ned Stark. Yet was Stark here amongst the smallfolk, hauling chiseled stone through the streets and laying it atop each other? Was he helping to carry pieces of lumber upon his shoulders as men far beneath his station told him where to place it?

Jaime stretched his arms out above him and flexed his back in an effort to work out the pain in his lower back. He had been working for hours already, the only rest being for a quick bite to eat around midday. There would likely be a few more hours left before he could have supper and make his way to his room in the White Tower to get some much needed rest. At least they were approaching the end of construction. Another few weeks and the last of the planned buildings should be completed and he would finally be free of this blasted punishment.

That the drunkard of a king had actually punished him had shocked Jaime more than anything else. It was almost king-like, something Robert rarely was. He had thought of protesting but in his sixteen years of guarding the man, he knew that few won arguments against the king. All he would have done is pissed off the man and likely worsened his punishment. The worst part of the entire thing was that he had to endure it under the judgmental eyes of Stark. Those same eyes that had judged him all those years ago in that very throne room.

"Jaime!"

He turned to see Cersei approaching him, Ser Boros Blount and twenty men in the red colored armor of the personal Lannister guard, half with pikes and the other half with swords, trailing after her. He hasn't had much interaction with his sister since this punishment had started, despite her efforts. Since he was temporarily removed from the Kingsguard, there was no reason for him to be guarding her, and on the few occasions she had snuck into his room at night, he had been too tired for sex.

"Your grace!"

The commoners around him all bowed low to Cersei. She ignored them, as she often did with those she considered well below her. Instead she grabbed him by the elbow and led him away from everyone else.

"Stark is going to kill my children."

Jaime chuckled at her words. No, he had seen first hand Stark's anger at the killing of Princess Ellia and her children. The man might be many things but the type of man to harm a child, he was not.

"Don't you dare laugh! These are my children's lives at stake," his sister hissed, furious.

"Ned Stark would never bring harm onto a child. His damnable honor would never allow it."

Cersei leaned in close to him and dropped her voice to a whisper. "He's questioning who their real father is. If he finds out and tells Robert…"

Robert will kill Cersei in his anger, maybe even the children too.

Jaime didn't particularly care for the first born of the children that were technically his, not that he ever felt particularly fatherly with any of them. Joffrey had always been arrogant but he was turning crueler the older he got and Cersei was blind to it. Myrcella and Tommen were both sweet children though, and he cared for them as he imagined any uncle would care for their niece and nephew.

It was Cersei he loved above all others. Her well-being was the one that meant the most to him. She had thought the safety of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen would give him concern but it was realizing that if Ned Stark did put the piece together, Cersei would surely die, that angered him. Why was it always Ned Stark? He was there with his fucking honor at the lowest moments of Jaime's life, and was now putting his sister's life in danger.

It was at the moment that Jaime spotted him. Riding atop a horse and flanked by six of his men was Ned Stark himself. His men wore their silver armor with white cloaks that hung from their shoulders. Stark himself was wearing a simple tunic, not a piece of armor in sight. He was seen walking through an intersection and appeared to be heading back to the Red Keep.

Jaime moved to one of the Lannister guards that had accompanied Cersei and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He ignored the noise of surprise from the man as he pulled the sword from the scabbard. The weight of the steel felt right.

"Ser Boros, get the Queen back to the Red Keep. The rest of you men, with me."

"Jaime," Cersei warned.

Jaime didn't listen to her. He marched off to intercept Stark. He could hear the clatter of armor and knew most, if not all, of the Lannister men had fallen into line behind him despite originally accompanying the Queen. Men-at-arms instinctively followed the commands of a man over that of a woman, even if that woman was royalty.

Sixteen of the men had followed him, which he split in half. While Jaime wasn't an expert on the layout of King's Landing, he knew it well enough. He managed to get in front of Stark, moving into the middle of the road with the eight men lining up behind him. Coming down the road, behind Stark, were the other eight Lannister men.

"What is the meaning of this, Ser Jaime?" Stark demanded, pulling his horse to a stop.

"You're looking into things better left alone," Jaime responded, holding the sword he had taken out to the side.

Stark's eyebrows scrunched for a moment in confusion before a look of realization came upon his face. "What do you know of the death of Jon Arryn?"

Now it was Jaime's turn to be confused. What did Jon Arryn have to do with anything? "He was an old man who died. I'm told that's what happens when you're an old man."

Had Cersei misjudged the situation? If Stark was looking into the death of Jon Arryn, what did that have to do with Cersei? Unless his sister had the man killed, which he wouldn't put past her. If she thought she or her children were in danger his sister would without a doubt have the person who was putting them in danger killed if she could; a lioness protected her cubs after all.

Jaime might not have the brains of his brother, but he was able to put the piece together. Jon Arryn must have looked into who was really the father of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen. Cersei found out and had the man killed for it, and now Stark was looking into Arryn's murder, and in the process was investigating the same thing that had gotten Jon Arryn killed.

For Cersei, Stark was harder to get to. He had more men with him than Arryn did and was always surrounded by a few of them. He ate most of his meals in the Tower of the Hand, and the staff of the tower was full of northerners she was hesitant to try to bribe to do her bidding.

"Jon was murdered," Stark said, gray eyes impassive.

"He wouldn't be the first fool to be killed in King's Landing."

"Jon Arryn was an honorable and noble man. Not that you would understand what that means."

He didn't say it, but Jaime could hear the unspoken Kingslayer at the end of Stark's words. Jaime felt his blood boil. Who was this man to always judge him so? He was a Lion of Lannister!

"You know nothing of my honor," Jaime hissed. "Kill his men, Stark is mine."

Jaime stomped forward as the Lannister men hesitated for a moment before moving forward to obey his commands.

Stark's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing Lannister? Are you mad?"

Mad like the Mad King.

Ever since hearing of the death of Arthur Dayne at the hand of Ned Stark, Jaime had been eager to pit himself against the northern lord. Dayne was the greatest swordsmen Jaime had ever seen, and he had died in the Dornish Marches to this unassuming man.

As the Lannister men continued to close ranks, Stark seemed to understand that Jaime meant business. "Men, to arms!" he cried as he pulled his sword from his sheath and raised it high.

One of Stark's men, a man with a pudgy face, urged his horse forward in an attempt to run Jaime down. As the man and horse got in closer, Jaime quickly sidestepped the beast and, ducking the swing of the man's sword, swung his own sword into the side of the beast. Metal cut through the hard flesh of the horse before clanging off of the metal armor protecting the man's shin. The horse collapsed to the ground and the man atop it tumbled with it, making him easy pickings for the Lannister men.

One of Stark's men, before he could fully comprehend the situation he found himself in, was surrounded on four sides by men who tugged at the man and the reins of the horse he sat atop. The man swung his sword wildly but was unable to hit anything but metal plate as he was dragged from his horse. Stark moved to assist, killing one of the Lannister men but was driven off by two of the others, while the third struck a killing blow.

"He's mine!" Jaime cried, urging the two Lannister men to back off as he swung at Stark's horse. Stark blocked the below and spun his horse around, forcing Jaime to quickly pull back less he wanted to get slammed into by nine hundred pounds of horse.

Another of Stark's men broke through the ranks of red armor and circled back around, his sword raised.

"No Wyl!" Stark yelled. "Away! All of you away!"

Wyl didn't listen, swinging his sword and catching one of Jaime's men in the face. The man fell and Wyl's sword glistened red with blood, but his victory was short lived. The heavy blow of a pike caught Wyl in the chest and he tumbled from his saddle. He was quickly set upon and a sword into the gap at his neck ended his life.

A rearing horse caught a Lannister man in his helm, crushing both the metal and the man's skull underneath it. Another of Jaime's men was trampled by a horse as it, and its rider, fled the area. The fifth Stark man tried to run but his horse was cut down from under him, and his awkward landing broke his neck.

Jaime moved toward Stark again and again the man made his horse spin to give distance but this time the horse slipped and fell. It landed on its side, crushing Stark's leg underneath it. Stark cried out in pain, which continued as the horse scrambled to rise, twisting the man's leg as the foot was still caught in the stirrup. Eventually the foot came free and the horse was up and running roughshod down the street, leaving a heavily wounded Stark laying there.

The final Stark man, upon seeing this, tried to ride to the rescue. He killed a pair of Jaime's men before both the rider and the horse were killed by pikes.

Jaime stood over Stark and raised his sword. This wasn't the way he wanted to kill Ned Stark, but he would gladly take it. Then there was a large growl and a scream. The Stark girl's white direwolf crashed into one of the Lannister men still standing, drawing Jaime's attention. Although the man was protected well in metal the direwolf's jaws latched onto a gap in the armor between the forearm and upper arm protection on the man's sword hand, its teeth easily puncturing the leather there. There was a loud crunch and with a yank of its head, the direwolf started to rip the lower part of the arm off.

Shouts were heard as the northerner who had previously fled on his horse and another of Stark's men, as well as a bunch of Gold Cloaks, all came running. In a second Jamie realized he stood here, with no armor to protect him from the direwolf, and that in his anger he had just attacked the Hand of the King and his men. This was something neither his father nor his sister wouldn't be able to get him out of.

So he did the only thing he could think of, he ran.