Chapter 2
Bridgit Flowers (32) portrayed by Lotte Verbeek
Madelyn Penrose (19)portrayed by Gemma Arterton
Jon
Today was a new day to move forward. With the late King Robert's death, his son, Niklas, succeeded to the throne. Jon Arryn knew it was time to make plans for his new King's reign. All of the monarch's advisors sat at the Small Council, serving as heads of the government in Westeros: Jon, Paxter, Varys, Baelish, Pycelle, and Selmy. Lord Jon took in all of the members and observed them carefully, seeing who was ready to aid King Niklas maintain The Seven Kingdoms.
Lord Jon Arryn served as Hand of the King. A humble lord whose duty was to act and speak with the King's authority. He served under the late King Robert Baratheon. Now, the time came to assist his heir, Niklas, by ensuring that he was a just and fair ruler. It was the least Jon could do since he practically raised Robert and taught him how to lead. However, Jon Arryn didn't know if the same could be said for the rest of The Small Council.
Paxter Redwyne took over the title of The Master of Ships after Lord Borys couldn't fulfill his obligations during Robert's reign. His responsibilities maintained the safe and efficient operation of the vessel, including its seaworthiness, safety, cargo, crew, and maritime law compliance. Out of everyone in the room, Jon was the least concerned with Lord Redwyne as well as Barristan Selmy.
Ser Barristan Selmy was Lord Commander of the King's Guard. He almost reminded Jon of himself—courteous and steadfast. Although the late King Robert never invited Ser Barristan Selmy to The Small Council due to his loyalty to the Targaryens, there was no denying how devoted he was to his knighthood, even though Ser Barristan never really showed interest in any political affairs. King Niklas must have recognized his accomplishments though by having him attend the meeting. At least, Lord Jon could rely on an honorable man as opposed to the other members.
The Grand Maester, Pycelle, followed those in power blindly. Lord Jon never forgot how he agreed with The Mad King to dispose of his own army and people through wildfire in order to defeat his enemies when they breached The Capital's walls. Pycelle may say he would be as silent as the grave to keep a secret, but he wouldn't hesitate to rat the person out to anyone he deemed powerful, which happened to be the Lannisters. He was practically The Queen Regent's puppet—following her every word and carrying out her orders.
Next came Lord Varys, The Master of Whispers. Nearly everyone knew he came from Essos who worked his way to be a prominent and secretive man. According to Varys, he always looked out for the realm, and he surely did by gathering information from his Little Birds in all parts of Westeros and across The Narrow Sea. It was why he was also known as The Spider due to his vast web of intelligence. Despite his value for the realm, if he believed that one is bringing the country into ruins, then The Spider may turn on them, making it difficult to trust him since one did not know how they may not be good enough for the realm. However, the one council member Lord Arryn was most wary of was Petyr Baelish.
Lord Baelish's role was The Master of Coin. His responsibility was to manage the Kingdom's finances and ensure the Crown's coffer's are well-stocked. He was somewhat similar to Lord Varys by working his way to be an influential figure in King's Landing. However, Lord Jon was incredibly wary of Littlefinger—that was the nickname he was given by Edmure Tully due to his short stature and the location of his family's holdings on the smallest of the peninsulas called "The Fingers" in The Vale. Littlefinger was certainly not to be trusted since he only did what benefited him. Also, Lord Arryn certainly could not forget how he longed for Catelyn Stark when she was in love Brandon Stark. He even challenged him to a duel, resulting in his loss and a horrible scar that stretched from his naval to his collarbone. Now, Catelyn was married to Brandon's brother, Ned, and had five children with him after Jon arranged for their marriage to secure more people to fight against Aerys Targaryen.
Now that Jon thought about it, he wondered how his old friend was doing. After all, he mentored Ned alongside Robert. Surely Ned may not be too pleased for what the late King wished for before his death, but he must at least consider it, especially since Niklas must have an heir to secure his throne.
All of the council members soon turned their heads to see their King descending the stairs with the Queen Regent following behind him. They all stood from their seats to greet His Grace and his mother. Ser Barristan grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and set it beside King Niklas's chair. As soon as the King reached his seat, he gestured for the rest of the members to take their place with the Queen Regent sitting to his right and The Hand to his left.
"Let's begin with the masque to honor my coronation," King Niklas opened for discussion.
Since the matter dealt with The Crown's expenses, Littlefinger questioned how much he wished to spend. With confidence, King Niklas declared that he wanted to spend forty thousand gold dragons on the food, wine, musicians, contortionists, fire breathers, and fire workers, twenty thousand to the winning archer in the flaming arrow tournament, and ten thousand to the runner-up. Seemed reasonable enough, until Grand Maester Pycelle pointed out if the treasury could bear such expenses.
"I'll have to borrow it," Littlefinger said.
The King's smile remained on his face, but his eyes turned hard when he calculated Lord Baelish's words, and not even his mother seemed to reassure him. "The Lannister House will accommodate, Your Grace."
King Niklas was hardly anything like his father. He never snapped or bashed a man's head in. No. Robert's eldest son tended to act like his grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister. There was no fooling Niklas when the words sank through his head before either being straightforward or discreet. At least Niklas smiled more than Tywin's blank expression, but Lord Jon will admit that it was difficult to tell what both of them were thinking.
"Oh, I have no doubt our House will accommodate, mother. However, I have the strangest feeling that this is not the first time where we had to borrow money for the Crown's pleasure, so tell me, Lord Baelish, how much have we borrowed under my father's rule?"
His voice did not sit well with anyone with his tone being dominating and candid—similar to Lord Tywin's. In fact, he challenged Littlefinger to be cautious with his answer. One wrong move, and their King would surely notice. Everyone then turned to Littlefinger to see what his response would be while the King stared at him coldly with a humorless smile.
"We owe your grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister, three million gold. What's another seventy thousand?"
As soon as the King heard his answer, His Grace scoffed and turned into a wicked grin while he traced the marks on his armrest. "Hmph. So we are over three million in debt?"
"No, Your Grace, the Crown is over six million in debt."
When he turned to the members, the room grew cold, and his tone grew less humorous. "My father entrusted all of you to ensure that his expenses and his legacy are maintained."
Lord Redwyne then spoke up, "Forgive me, Your Grace, but your father would have listened to us if we tried to stop him-"
"Well, it seems that none of you were doing your job then. Now, I do not want any more mistakes from here on out, are we clear about that?"
Majority of the members were somewhat taken aback when they heard their King's authoritative tone. Completely different from his father's approach, but then again, he never cared enough to join the meetings. It was what made Niklas different. Despite his age, he was far too clever for his own good. However, Lord Jon always couldn't help but notice how the King's smirk often extended to the glint of mischief in his eyes.
The King then turned to his Hand to address him, "Lord Jon, you said that you had important matters to discuss after my coronation. Was this it?"
"No, Your Grace." The King's green eyes shone with interest when the Hand placed a parchment on the table. "Your late father was going to have a messenger deliver it. Unfortunately, he died before he had a chance to do so."
When the King broke the seal to read its contents, his green eyes scoured through every inch of the parchment before he finished with a coy smirk and tossed the message carelessly back on the table. "So my father wished to wed me off to Ned Stark's eldest daughter?"
It didn't seem that King Niklas understood the importance of what his late father intended, which was precisely why Lord Varys spoke up, "Your Grace, in your father's good grace, he believed this would bring a union toward your Houses after The North reclaimed their independence when your late father took the throne."
King Niklas appeared to be considering The Spider's reasoning, but it was difficult to tell when his eyes shifted back to his armrest to distract himself again by tracing more lines. Lord Arryn wanted Niklas to consider it. The North may have gained its independence after Robert's Rebellion, but the union between House Baratheon and House Stark would make the country whole again. Should The Seven Kingdoms ever be attacked, The North would supply a surplus of resources and men to aid their King. All that was left was to convince The King before convincing Ned.
Lord Jon was relieved when King Niklas turned to him for approval. "And you agree with this, Lord Arryn?"
"I have known Ned Stark for a long time, Your Grace. I raised him as one of my own, and I assure you, Ned Stark is a man of great honor. He will undoubtedly swear allegiance to you when you make his eldest daughter your betrothed. Through marriage, you will have The Warden of the North by your side."
"There is no doubt that Ned Stark will be on my side. However, the question isn't whether he will claim his fealty to me. What we should be asking is will Ned Stark's eldest daughter and the rest of his children be faithful to me? After his death, they are the ones who will represent The North, particularly his eldest son. I need to see how his heir will see me as his ruler."
"We can give her a chance, Your Grace," Littlefinger spoke up.
The Hand looked over at Littlefinger then, and his gaze hardened since he was well aware of why he wanted the marriage to take place. If the King married their daughter, it would be an opportune moment for Littlefinger to be as close to her as possible. That was something Lord Arryn could not allow.
King Niklas stood from his seat, scratching his chair against the floor to make himself known to the members of The Small Council as he addressed them the way a tutor taught his students, "The only way to make sure is if I see her for myself. Send a raven to Lord Stark. Let's test his children to see if they will swear their fealty to me. Dismissed."
The Council stood from their seats when their King left the room with his mother trailing behind him. All that was left for Lord Jon to do was to send a raven to Winterfell to prepare for His Grace's arrival. Lord Jon was finally going to see his dear friend again. There was something of grave importance he needed to address to Ned since he didn't trust anyone in King's Landing, especially the members of The Small Council. He thought about telling Ser Barristan, but there were too many ears everywhere, and he was not certain if The Lord Commander would go and speak word of this to the King since he was sworn to protect him. It was best to trust Ned when he met him in The North.
Eleana
Eleana stood idly by in the Queen's chambers with a few other handmaidens in the corner of her room. She waited patiently for her aunt to ask her to do something, but she didn't. Since they were preparing to leave for Winterfell soon, The Queen Regent called for some servants to provide resources for their journey. Eleana ensured to always keep her head low to avoid any eye contact since she had no desire to be called by her even if it was her job.
She should have known though that it was an impossibility since her aunt always needed her for something, and sure enough, she did after dismissing her servants. "Eleana, come here."
When Cersei noticed her other handmaidens were still in the room, she ordered them to leave. They quickly curtsied and gave the Queen Regent her privacy with her niece. Eleana remained in her place, waiting for instructions, but it never came, which wasn't surprising to her. It was what her aunt often did, and it always made Eleana uncomfortable.
As Eleana approached her, she caught a glimpse of Cersei grabbing the goblet from her table to drink from it. No doubt her fierce, green eyes burned into Eleana, making her feel more uneasy. She just wanted her to hurry and give her an order so that she could dismiss her.
Finally, Cersei opened her mouth, "Come help me, Eleana."
When the Queen Regent went to take her seat, Eleana made her way over to her and grabbed a brush to soothe out her hair. Her long, golden mane symbolized her House's heritage, maintaining her power and femininity. Eleana always wanted to have beautiful hair like hers. Even though she heard many whispers that Eleana outshone the Queen Regent's beauty, she didn't think she could ever compare herself to her. After all, Cersei was absolutely striking in comparison to Eleana's delicate features.
"What do you think about traveling up North?"
Eleana ceased her movements for a brief moment before resuming her duties to serve the Queen. "I never gave it much thought."
"Well, now you do."
It seemed to be a test, and Eleana wasn't sure how to answer it. Cersei never really wanted to hear her opinion on anything, but then again, they were heading to the North, an entirely different culture than the South or even the West where they came from in Casterly Rock. Maybe it would be alright to share her thoughts with her aunt. After all, they were family, and if there was one thing her uncle taught her was to always be there for her family even if they may not like her.
"It might be a good opportunity to finally unite The Seven Kingdoms. The North has reclaimed their independence for a while now after your late husband usurped the throne from The Mad King."
"Perhaps you're right,...or not."
When Cersei took her niece's hand, Eleana moved to face her and knelt to the floor when her aunt told her to. She had no idea what she was doing, but Eleana had no intention to argue with her. Whatever her aunt had to say, Eleana would take it. She had been used to it for as long as she could remember.
The Queen Regent took her chin to meet her eyes before questioning, "You were rather late to rise. Where were you?"
There it was—her interrogation. Cersei often questioned her before finding some way to ridicule her. It was to be expected, and Eleana always took it in the hopes to gain her approval someday. All Eleana ever wanted was to be accepted into her family, but only a handful did: her uncle, Tommen, and Myrcella. She certainly did not want to disappoint her aunt by giving her a wrong answer.
With little thought, Eleana lied, "I slipped when I went to deliver Myrcella's breakfast, but I'm better now."
Cersei stared at her skeptically as if she tried to see if she was telling the truth, and sure enough, she knew. "You've been reading again, haven't you?" When Eleana looked away, almost in shame that she had been caught, she turned back to her aunt when she heard her say, "They say some people read because they cannot think for themselves, but you cannot find yourself wasting away to read, not when now is the utmost importance to serve The King and his family. Loyalty to him must be absolute, and I will not stand for negligence or impertinence by anyone who needs constant reminders of their station."
There wasn't much Eleana could say except for, "Yes, Your Grace."
If only her aunt saw her as one of her own, then Eleana's heart wouldn't clench every time she didn't recognize her. Then again, Cersei tended to not only hold a critical eye at her own niece but her face often held a look of disdain. The Queen Regent never looked at Eleana favorably, and Eleana always believed it was due to her illegitimacy just like everyone else in court.
"Your appearance does reflect a certain crudeness. What will you do to change that?"
Eleana gave her a small smile and admitted, "Well, I do try, Aunt Cersei. I do wish to please you. Sometimes, I sit on my own and try to think of what else I could and how I should act. I never try to offend you—"
"It is your manner that offends me, Eleana." Cersei's tone may have been soft but it slowly dripped with venom. "Throughout the years my brother took you in as his ward, he was to ensure you'd be well taken care of and provided you etiquette lessons should you ever marry, and yet, you seem to forget your place. Perhaps my youngest brother has not been fulfilling his duties after all."
Eleana did not mind whenever her aunt ridiculed her, but she did not want her to criticize her uncle, Tyrion. "No, he has. It's my fault. I will pay more attention to ensure I don't make the same mistake again."
"See that you do then." When her aunt released her, she dismissed her. "Now, go and prepare for our departure."
Without another word, Eleana simply nodded her head and left her aunt to herself. No matter how hard she tried, The Queen Regent still always expected more from her, yet nothing was ever good enough. All Eleana could do was try her best by maintaining her responsibilities by helping her family and serving her cousin, King Niklas.
When Eleana walked through the halls, she thought that she needed to wish her friends well since she wouldn't see them for a while, so she headed to the kitchen. Many of the cooks and servants stared at her before resuming their work. Eleana wished they stopped giving her horrible looks as if she was a grotesque creature, but there wasn't much she could do about it. It didn't bother her so much anymore than when she first came to King's Landing. However, one hoped it would be better. At least there were only a handful of people Eleana never needed to worry about: some members of her family and her friends, Bridgit and Madelyn.
Bridgit Flowers was just like Eleana-a bastard but from the Hightower family. Her appearance resembled her House well, particularly with her poppy red hair curling to her back. She never spoke highly of her family-then again, she never really paid any mind to them at all. To Eleana, she believed that Bridgit never wanted to speak on the matter because they may not have treated her well, which was understandable. Bastards were never viewed well in any part of Westeros. At least she began a new life in King's Landing when she left Oldtown by hiding from high society to be a cook. Her carefree nature was completely different from Madelyn's quiet persona.
"No work from the dressmaker, Mady?" Eleana asked when she approached the two women.
They both smiled when they saw their friend. "I just finished seaming the lines onto Princess Myrcella's new dress. He dismissed me for now."
As delicate as they were, Madelyn was incredibly skilled with her hands, especially when it came to her sewing skills. Lord Penrose sent his own daughter to be a handmaiden-only to find herself being a seamstress when she assisted the dressmaker to repair a gown for the princess. Out of the three women, Madelyn tended to be the most mature, and she always warned her friends to be mindful of what they were doing.
Bridgit wiped her hands by soiling her apron before turning to Eleana. "I'm quite surprised I've just seen you, Eleana. The Queen Regent's worked you tirelessly, I take it?"
Eleana expressed how her aunt was difficult to please, which didn't surprise Bridgit and Madelyn. Everyone knew of the Queen's nature. She was hardly ever satisfied unless her children were, and she never shared her gratitude if anyone did their job properly.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Eleana? You don't need to try so hard."
Eleana wanted to argue with her, but she knew it would be pointless since Bridgit was strong-willed like her, but it didn't stop Madelyn from reminding her, "It's her job to serve her."
"That doesn't mean she needs to go above and beyond for her approval."
She didn't want to hear any more of it, so Eleana decided to bring up, "Alright, Bridgit. I didn't come here to be reprimanded like a child. I came here to wish you both well."
"Oh, right. I heard the King is heading up north," Madelyn said. "The entire Red Keep's been talking about it."
"I've never been so far up north. I wonder what it's like."
Bridgit smirked while asking with a bit of humor, "Your books didn't help you?"
Her friends were well aware of Eleana's passion for books. Bridgit didn't mind since she often expressed how Eleana deserved to have her own free time to get away from everyone else. Madelyn, on the other hand, tended to be the one to remind her to read less since The Queen Regent did not look too favorably on how Eleana wasted away reading instead of doing her work.
"Oh, come on, Bridgit. You know it's different experiencing it than actually reading about it."
"Of course, and I'm sure you're wondering what the noble lords there look like. I know I would."
Madelyn shook her head and reprimanded her friend, "She's not like you, Bridgit. Chasing after the first man you set your eyes on."
Eleana couldn't help but smirk when Bridgit turned to her with a wink. Sometimes Bridgit acted much more childish than both Eleana and Madelyn. Eleana didn't seem to mind as much, but it was clear that her other friend did, which was why she let her know that she wouldn't waste her time with men over there. After all, Eleana needed to maintain her maidenhead to marry a noble lord. She had no clue who or when the marriage would ever occur, but she wasn't going to tarnish her family's name even further since it had already been ruined from her uncle's stature, her father's title of "Kingslayer," and her illegitimacy. The last thing Eleana needed was to lose her chastity to a northerner, and she was certain to maintain it.
Jaime
The King's bedchamber was incredibly spacious. His bed's columns rose high to the ceiling with curtains tied to the posts. There were a great deal of vibrant colored plants in every corner that brought life to the room with unlit candles standing on gold on the tables, and a pitcher of fine wine with golden goblets sitting patiently to the side. The late King Robert Baratheon used to dwell in here, and now, King Niklas succeeded into it.
He sat at his desk with a quill. His hand glided over a roll of parchment to trace the words in his head with The Commander of the Kingsguard and Jaime Lannister standing next to each other to watch over His Grace, while the sea breeze coming from the balcony wafted through their nostrils.
When the King paused for a moment to look at them with a hint of mischief that Jaime knew all too well as His Grace smirked when he said to them in a somewhat bored tone, "Quite a predicament, isn't it? First, I became King after my father tragically died, and now, I am set to marry a northerner due to my father's wish. I've heard they were all savages. What do you think?"
Ser Barristan was the first to speak, "I trust Lord Arryn, Your Grace, and if the Warden of the North is an honorable man like him, then we should put our faith in him."
King Niklas seemed rather lost in thought until he turned his attention to Jaime. "What say you, Uncle? Do you agree with this?"
Jaime of course didn't particularly care about northerners. They were completely different people as opposed to everyone else. Within the other regions, they were far reasonable to socialize with. Northerners, however, were barely tolerable due to their stubbornness. They carried more pride than a lion sometimes.
"You'll see for yourself soon, Your Grace. You'll know then."
The King smirked at Jaime's words as he responded, "How political of you, uncle—not providing a reason why or why not I would benefit from the North. It makes me wonder if you behaved this way towards The Mad King. What did he say to you after you stabbed him in the back? 'Traitor' I imagine."
Jaime never particularly cared when others judged him, not even from the King himself. He had his reasons for killing Aerys Targaryen, and he would do it again. No one needed to know why. It wasn't like it would make a difference any way. All of these men were too self-righteous to understand, nothing but hypocrites who'd do the same if they were in his position. Now, Jaime carried the weight of his title of Kingslayer and Oathbreaker.
Even though his King masked a smile, Jaime recognized the hardened stare he gave him. It was similar to his mother's—how he condescendingly used his smug expression to those he cared little about. There wasn't much Jaime could do though. He couldn't speak against his King. His sister may hear of it later and ridicule him for it.
Jaime's gaze hardened when he answered the King in all seriousness, "He said the same thing he had been saying for hours: Burn them all."
When the door opened, they turned their heads to see a young handmaiden, but it wasn't just any handmaiden. It was his bastard—his brother's ward. She looked a great deal like her mother, Ayleen Kenning: blonde hair, a graceful figure, and a delicate face. The only aspect that separated her were her eyes. She inherited the Lannister eyes from her father as their green pairs of orbs connected to each other, forcing her to freeze for a brief moment before remembering why she entered the King's chamber in the first place. His bastard quickly composed herself by approaching her King and presented herself in an elegant curtsy.
"I assume my mother sent you here, cousin?" His Grace asked.
Her head hung low, and she folded her hands in front of her like the dutiful handmaiden she was. "Yes. She wanted you to know that the preparations have been made, Your Grace. We will be leaving in a few hours."
"Very well. Inform my mother that I will be at the carriage soon with my horse."
When he dismissed her, she rushed her curtsy and proceeded to leave the room before smiling briefly at Ser Barristan, who returned the favor. She never bothered to show Jaime, who brought her into this world, the same gesture. Then again, he never gave her a reason to. Jaime never forgot the hopeful look on her face when she first came to court to serve his sister, The Queen. The young girl gazed at him like a heroic knight, but Jaime was hardly anything like that. He speculated that Tyrion filled her head with false hope, to which he hoped he wouldn't, but the damage had already been done. Jaime wanted nothing to do with his bastard, and he made it clear to her whenever she approached him at a young age.
He was anything but chivalrous to her. He treated her more like a stranger who often told her off if she wasn't doing her job whenever she came to speak to him. It was best for Tyrion to raise her. After all, he already promised their father that he would ensure her education and bring her up to be a noblewoman so that she could marry a lord someday. If it was their father, he would already seek out marriage proposals for her to start popping out children and extending their family line. Despite her illegitimacy, it was to be expected for a young woman to marry, especially if she carried noble blood. Tyrion, however, had yet to do so, probably because he wasn't ready to let her go just yet, or maybe because he hadn't found anyone well-suited for her. At this rate, she'd be a spinster if Tyrion did not search for marriage proposals in time.
As soon as his bastard left, Jaime noticed how the King never turned away from the door. He seemed lost in thought about something. Jaime wondered what he possibly could be thinking until he saw his emerald green flash in an instant—something Jaime was too familiar with every time he was with his sister.
"My cousin grows more beautiful every year, and it is evident by the amount of men who approach her, especially with what happened to her in the gardens. You were there Ser Barristan. What did happen?"
Instead of turning over to the Lord Commander, Jaime's gaze hardened at the King, and Ser Barristan was clearly uncomfortable by the subject due to his hesitancy. "It is not an appropriate conversation, Your Grace."
"What's the harm in discussing it? It's all in the past, isn't it?"
The King may find it humorous, but both Jaime and Selmy hardly thought so. His Grace did not know what lines were not meant to be crossed, and he didn't seem to care. He simply did whatever he wanted—a trait that will get him into trouble one day if he didn't fix it.
Jaime made sure to press his lips together to not offend the King with his callous tongue while Ser Barristan spoke, "I was patrolling the gardens when I heard her cry. A fellow member of the Kingsguard placed his hand over her mouth to prevent the girl from screaming while he attempted…to force himself inside the poor girl."
"And then?" King Niklas pressed.
Ser Barristan averted his eyes away from his own King as if he wanted to escape from the discussion. The Commander was an honorable man, and speaking about a near rape incident must have been difficult to speak about. It was a shameful matter to discuss so casually, and yet the King did not appear to have any dignity over the subject.
"I drew my blade and defended her honor by impaling his leg so that he was on his knees. Shortly after, she told Lord Tyrion what happened."
"And now he is in the Black Cells, choking on his own vomit, and his cock was fed to the dogs I believe. A justified deed. Don't you think so, uncle?"
Watching the life drain from his eyes while he held his last breath would have been justifiable than what Ser Barristan did. That Kingsguard found himself a great fortune to encounter the Lord Commander. If it were Jaime, he would have severed his hands so that he could never touch her again before he cut off his head. His eyes remained on the ground like a dog, unable to look at her. It always simmered him to the core whenever he saw the desire in a man's eyes by gazing at his brother's ward like a prized whore.
"Of course, Your Grace. If that is all."
King Niklas excused him by gesturing him to leave, and Jaime turned to Ser Barristan before nodding his head—an act out of courtesy. When he left the King's chamber, all he thought about was his bastard's mother, Ayleen as he reached a hand to fix the string around his neck. The item that was tied at the end of it was something he carried around everywhere he went as if he took his cousin with him. She was kinder and far better than him. It almost made Jaime jealous of her. He never understood what she saw in him. Even when Rheagar Targaryen married her as she became his second wife, she still wanted Jaime. To this day, there was not a moment where he hadn't thought about her since she was the one who saw the best in him when he didn't deserve it.
Here is the second chapter! I know we haven't met Robb yet, but trust me. He'll show up in the next chapter. Please let me know what you think whether it's about any changes I made from the series or the storyline so far overall. Stay tuned for more chapters heading your way!
