The scream from Jaime Lannister startled everyone in the hall, none of them expecting a man of his stature and nature to lose his calm like that. All eyes were on Jaime, but the man did not notice even one of their looks. His eyes were large, stunned and agonised. He was gripping his right wrist, the one that had been chopped off in the future.
Tyrion called out to him, as did Joanna. But the man did not respond.
"A break!" Tyrion shouted, dragging his older brother to his chambers, Joanna not too far behind.
xxx The Lannisters xxx
It was as if Jaime had already lost his hand. He stared at his wrist and could have sworn his right hand was missing. The world around him spun and he felt sick to his stomach.
Then he fell over and the world around him stopped spinning. His cheek stung and he looked up to see his brother and mother hovering close.
"What-"
"Oh good you've snapped out of it" Tyrion sighed. The imp helped his brother back on the bed. Jaime realised that it was the bed he'd fallen off of.
"I don't remember us breaking off from watching the future, but I had the most terrible nightmare. I might need to cut my viewing time so-"
Jaime's voice died away seeing the faces of his mother and brother.
It hit him that he had not dreamt it.
One more he stared at his right hand, his sword arm, more or less his best friend.
"You're still alive, at least," Joanna said softly, trying to comfort her son.
Jaime was not comforted.
Instead, it filled him with rage.
"Alive? Alive?!" Jaime shot up to his feet, glaring daggers at his mother who recoiled from the outburst.
"Jaime" Tyrion called his tone warning and mismatched eyes cool and reproachful.
That quelled some of what Jaime was feeling. Jaime was not someone who was calmed by soft comforting words but rather the opposite, but never abusive words. That was his father calmed him, as did Cersei. Tyrion knew that better than their mother who did not have the chance to raise Jaime for long.
"Alive!" Jaime fell back on the bed, hands on his head as he bent over and rested his elbows on his knees. "I can't read right, I can't write right. All I have is my sword and my swordsmanship. I pushed myself to become the best because there wasn't much else I could do otherwise" Jaime muttered. He raised his head and stared at his mother with tears in his eyes, tears of anger and bitterness. "And now even that is being taken away from me."
"Nothing has been taken from you, brother" Tyrion took Jaime's right hand in his hands and squeezed it painfully tight.
Jaime winced.
"You feel that, right? The pain? It means you still have your hand. Meaning nothing has been taken from you. And we will not let them take it either. I will not allow it, brother. I swear that to you."
Jaime stared at their joined hands and then at Tyrion, a slow and small smile appearing on his face. He looked up when he felt a hand ruffling his hair.
It was his mother.
"I apologise for-"
"You apologise for nothing," Joanna told him kindly.
Jaime smiled at her, before lowering his head.
xxx The Viewing Hall xxx
With the Lannisters abruptly (and rightly) exiting, the viewing of the future had come to a stop. With no other choice but to wait, everyone stood to stretch their legs, some glad others seeing no other choice.
Jon was ready to walk with his mother and talk with her more when Robb pulled him away.
"I-"
"Go go" Lyanna encouraged her son with a smile. A sad and small smile.
Jon turned, shrugging Robb's hand off and walking with him.
"Your boy is a lot like you. A fiery temperament and not shy to confront people" Brandon the elder stated, walking up to his sister.
"I think he's learned it from Ned more than getting it from me. He's exactly like him" Lyanna muttered with a small smile.
"Ned's done well in raising him."
"Aye, he did. And I can never repay this favour of his."
"It was no favour" Ned spoke and they both turned to find him standing behind them. "Jon is my nephew and you, his mother, are my sister. I was not about to let him become a lone wolf."
"The Lone Wolf Dies But The Pack Survives" Brandon shook his head. Then he turned to Lyanna. "I want to apologise to you for blurting your secret to Jon as I did. I should never have dragged either of you into it."
"I was pissed at you for it" Lyanna rolled her eyes. "But then realised that if you hadn't told him, I would never have. And if by any chance it would have been revealed later on, it might have been worse then than it was now."
Brandon nods with a smile.
"I am still mad at you and expect you to make it up to me somehow."
Brandon rolled his eyes with a smile.
x
The duo of Jon and Robb were joined by Sansa and then surprisingly by Margaery, Myrcella and Daenerys.
Robb's equally confused and surprised face told Jon that he had not expected them either.
"Are you alright?" Margaery began before the other. She was talking to Jon.
The boy looked at her with confusion.
"Me?" he asked.
Margaerys rolled her eyes slightly.
"Yes, you" she insisted. "You are the one that learned that his whole life was a lie, yes? That your father was Rhaegar Targaryen."
The mood seemed to dip slightly. Robb and Sansa sent Jon uneasy looks.
"He is not my father" Jon said stubbornly. "He may have had a hand in my creation, but I refuse to accept him as my father. Lord Stark has raised me as his son and I intend to call him father for it."
Jon and Sansa smiled at their cousin.
Margaery frowned.
"Yet you are Rhaegar's son" the young woman pointed out. "You'd need to accept that if you ever decide to stake your claim on the Throne."
"Why would I?" Jon asked with a raised brow.
"Because you are Rhaegar's last living son, a true Targaryen. The throne is rightfully yours."
Jon inhaled deeply before exhaling.
"I have been raised a bastard, taught nothing of Lordship let alone how to be a Prince and King" he explained calmly. "I do not want the throne, because I don't know what to do with it. It would be better for King Robert to marry again and try for an heir."
Margaery nods, before smiling slightly.
"I apologise for asking so many questions. My grandmother is of the opinion that you should be pushed to take the throne after King Robert" the young woman admits, to the shock of the rest. "And that when you do, she wishes to have our family back you with its strength and numbers."
"And what if I refuse to?" Jon asks.
"Well, I suppose I'll have to suggest that the King should be who she eyes instead of you."
"But he's so much older than you!" Sansa argued aghast.
Margaery shrugged.
"It doesn't matter who the King is, as long as I'm Queen."
"Is that why you are okay with marrying Joffrey?" Robb asked harshly.
Margaery's usual serene smile fell and a scowl replaced it.
"He's a nuisance and a maniac and we are all glad to be rid of him" she snapped, before quickly composing herself. "Joffrey will not be an issue for any of us anymore."
"And what about her?" Robb asked, pointing his chin at Myrcella.
The girl who had been listening silently till now jumped slightly.
"What about her?" Jon asked.
"She's Joffrey's sister, is she not? Another bastard."
"And?" Jon raised a brow. "Has she done anything to warrant us to do something about her?"
"She is Joffrey's sister!"
"And Rhaegar is the reason I'm here, and you've seen what he truly is beneath all the propriety" Jon deadpanned.
"That's different! You were raised by my father" Robb argued.
"And Myrcella has turned out to be mellow even with Cersei," Jon said pointedly. "And anyway, if she's here, then there is a reason for it. Else she wouldn't be here."
Robb conceded to that with a sigh and nod.
Jon turned to Myrcella.
"You came here. Was there something you wanted to tell us?"
The girl looked nervously at Robb before she nodded at Jon.
"My grandmother and uncle Tyrion made a deal with fa- King Robert, Lord Arryn and Lord Stark. The deal is that if Jaime is sent to the Wall and if Tommen and I are spared from the punishments and are naturalised as Lannisters, then the Lannisters will forgive the debt that the Crown owes it."
"And you want us to convince Father to accept it?" Robb asked.
"No. They've accepted already" Myrcella answered.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I don't trust my uncle," Myrcella said tightly. "He says he's looking out for me but so far he has done nothing for me that looked like it was the best for me. Tommen will be safe since I'm certain with Jaime at the Wall, Uncle Tyrion will inherit Casterly Rock after Grandfather, and Uncle Tyrion will want to name Tommen his heir. I don't know what he will do with me…"
"I see" Jon muttered softly.
"Yes… I want your help. Can you convince Lord Stark to take me in as a ward? Like he took in Theon?"
Robb stiffened at the mention of Theon.
Jon placed a hand on Robb's shoulder.
"We will talk to him about it" Jon assured the girl with a smile.
Myrcella smiled back, curtsied and then rushed back to her brother.
"She sounded desperate" Sansa noted with a small frown.
"She was" Jon muttered.
Sansa turned to Jon and smiled slightly.
"I- want to apologize to you."
"For what?"
"Everything. I didn't treat you right at all and I just- I wanted to apologise for that."
"Oh," Jon blinked before smiling. "You were young and easily influenced."
Sansa smiled, giving Jon a quick hug before stepping back.
"I want to thank you" Daenerys blurted out immediately, blushing slightly when they all looked at her. "For just now. You stood up for me against my brother. I wanted to thank you for it."
Jon waved it off with a smile.
"He had no right to reprimand you for anything when you're in your situation because of him."
Daenerys smiles a little wider.
The group is about to separate, but Jon stops them.
"I wanted to mention something before we part" Jon stated. "Do you guys remember how Varys said that some warlock cut off his cock and balls for some ritual?"
"Vaguely. Thank you for the reminder" Robb said with a disgusted look on his face.
The girls did not look too pleased by the reminder either.
"Why did you have to bring it up?" Margaery asked.
"Well, it's something Melisandre said that got me thinking."
"What was it? She said a lot of things" Sansa muttered.
"There's power in King's blood."
The group were silent for a moment.
"You're overthinking it" Robb smacked his brother on the back of his head. "People get castrated for rituals over in Essos all the time!... I think."
"I'm not sure it happens all the time," Margaery giggled, "but it can still happen to anybody."
"I guess" Jon muttered.
But he wasn't completely convinced. Something nagged at him that there was more to this thing than just that.