The Lannister Wolf Series

Chapter Five

"I still cannot believe that they haven't tried to take you prisoner or kill you," Jaime observed.

Evelyn shrugged as she sat before him, tending to his wounded arm, "They did, but failed."

Jaime smirked weakly at her reply but hissed when she poured water over his wound.

"When we get to Harrenhal tomorrow, this needs to be tended to immediately." Evelyn observed.

Jaime rolled his eyes, "I doubt Locke and his friends would allow their prisoner to get medical treatment, considering they either rape or remove a limb from their prisoners."

"You know, your hand is not a limb. You still have the rest of your arm, "Evelyn observed. "I could have been worse."
"How?" Jaime snapped.

Brienne was about to scold Jaime for being rude when Jaime felt a chill run down his spine as the stranger looked at him from within the depths of her hood.

"Your head could have been removed," Evelyn pointed out with a deadpan tone in her voice.

Jaime looked down, suddenly feeling guilty.

"The Kingslayer makes a valid point though," Brienne intervened. "How will he get treatment when Locke will not even let him near the fire for warmth?"

Evelyn smiled and while the two couldn't see it, they sensed mischief radiating off the mysterious stranger.

"Locke cannot deny you treatment if you aren't his prisoners."

Jaime frowned, "I doubt he is going to free us."
However, Brienne caught onto Evelyn's plan. "You're going to take us prisoner from him?"

Jaime's eyes suddenly widened and he tried to scoot away from Evelyn, "Why would you want us as prisoners?"

Evelyn chuckled, "I have no need of prisoners, which is why I will set you free the moment you two are safe and cared for."
"but why?" Brienne insisted. "Why spend so much time and effort helping us, to not get anything in return?"

Evelyn smiled, "Closure. That's what I get."
Brienne and Jaime looked at her confused, but Jaime yelped when Evelyn pulled him back in order to rebandage his hand.

"Though, if you do want to do something for me, you could relay the message."

"TO whom?" Brienne asked, wholly intrigued.

Evelyn finished tying Jaime's bandage and set about using the rag and water to clean off the mud and blood from his arms.

"Cersei Lannister. Tell her that I may not be the one to come and take her down but tell her that she will pay for the things she has done."
Jaime's eyebrows shot up in amusement, "Why is it that my sister is on the top of every hit list?"

"Gee," Evelyn observed sarcastically, "I wonder."
Brienne covered her mouth to hide her grin but Jaime noticed.

"At least there will be one person I'll get to see when I get home who isn't on a hit list or out to kill me." The guy remarked.

"Who?" Brienne teased. "Your stable boy?"

"My wife," Jaime snapped back defensively.

Evelyn felt her heart freeze. He didn't know.... H didn't know she ran.... He didn't even know that she had been with child at the time she left...

"How long has it been since you were home Kingslayer?" Evelyn asked.

Jaime pursed his lips in thought, "Almost a year and a half.... Maybe twenty months."
Evelyn chuckled, "Your poor wife. I hope your sister didn't try to do anything in those twenty months of absence."

Jaime bit his lip, "Even if she did, I know Evelyn could take care of herself. She was always able to handle herself without me. Whatever she chose to do in my absence, I know it was the right thing to do."
Evelyn felt her heart skip a beat. Even after a year of being apart from her, after a year of being a prisoner of her brother, after losing his hand and dignity, he still trusted her.

Brienne seemed to notice Evelyn's interest in the young Stark who had taken the name of Lannister. An interest in a girl she had never met, obviously something Brienne held in common with this stranger.

"it sounds like you love her a great deal," Evelyn said at last, skillfully disguising the lump in her throat.

Jaime smiled, his eyes drifting into another world with a look of fondness in his eyes, "Aye, I love her more than anything."
Brienne noticed the way the stranger was totally absorbed in Jaime's words and it confused her.

"I just hope that when I return, she will still love me," Jaime whispered.

Evelyn smiled, "if this lady was able to make the Kingslayer's heart skip a beat, I am sure she will love you till her dying breath."
Jaime smiled sadly before turning to look across the camp at where Locke and his men were watching them warily.

"That bracelet," Brienne said, pointing to the bracelet on Evelyn's wrist, the only form of jewelry that the stranger appeared to be wearing.

Evelyn looked down at what Brienne was referring to and smiled. "My brother gave it to me when I was but a child."
Jaime studied the bracelet and Evelyn was glad that she never wore it around him and had kept it hidden in her bags until the day she ran away, then she brought it out and hadn't removed it since.

"Eve!" a ten-year-old Jon called out.

Evelyn turned to see Jon dragging himself through the knee-deep snow which, for little Jon who hadn't yet hit his growth spurt, was closer to his mid thighs than his knees.

"What is it Jon?" Evelyn asked, sitting up from where she had been lying on her back on her and Jon's thinking rock, leaving a print of her body in the snow.

Jon finally reached the thinking rock and climbed up to sit in front of Evelyn, "How in the world do you not freeze to death lying in the snow?"
Evelyn shrugged, "Maybe I just have a warmer body than you."

Jon nodded in agreement, shivering. Evelyn scooted over and quickly wrapped her arms around her brother, pulling him into her side and rubbing his arms to warm him up.

"What are you doing out here if you're so cold?" she asked, blowing warm air on his bare hands to warm them.

"I wanted to give you something," Jon replied. "I know your birthday was three weeks ago, but this took longer to make than I thought."

The boy reached into his pocket and drew out a small brown leather pouch barely the size of his hand and placed it in Evelyn's hands.

Evelyn slowly moved her hands to open the pouch and pulled out what appeared to be a bracelet. Made of pure silver, the top looked like a dragon's head and from how hard Jon spent on the band part of the bracelet, it looked like he meant for it to look like the tail of a dragon.

"it's beautiful!" Evelyn whisper yelled, admiring the hard work that her half-brother put into her gift.

"you like it!?" Jon asked, hardly believing his ears.

Evelyn smiled and wrapped her brother in a tight hug, "I love it! I will treasure this forever!"