The Long Winter | Jaime Lannister X Stark OC | GOT/ASOIAF

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken

His mother had - predictably - not taken the news well.

In the end, Ren had not had Jaime tell her; he had reminded himself that he was a man grown and gone to do it himself. Though the knight had been in his mother's chambers when he got there anyway, which was rather jarring to say the least. 

There had been a moment where Ren took in the scene - the two figures sat far too close together on the edge of the too-small bed (which he suddenly realised both of them slept in) poring over some letter or other - before they noticed he was there and his mother shifted apart immediately. 

Although he'd rather not have seen that - nor known that Jaime practically shared his mother's chambers - Ren found himself somewhat glad that someone else was there for this conversation.

"Well?" His mother raised an eyebrow at his silence, though he could see she was rather concerned by his uncharacteristic hesitancy to speak. "Someone must've died for you to be dreading telling me this much. Or have you got that girl at Winterfell with child?"

"No Lizzie's not with child," Ren pulled a face as Jaime laughed, her remark succeeding in distracting him from the grim news; the horror of his mother asking him such questions made him sound like an eleven-year-old boy. 

"Good. I'd hate to be a grandmother at four-and-thirty,"

"Edrick's more likely to make you a grandmother than I," He grumbled. "With a Wildling for the child's mother no less," His little brother had been intrigued by the few girls from beyond the Wall who had stayed at Castle Black, who were equally intrigued by a 'southron' lord who acted as wild as they did. It was too much to assume that Edrick could get his hands on any moon tea up here, or that the Wildlings would drink it if he did. "Hells, Morganna's more likely," 

"Don't speak about your sister in such a way," His mother said sharply, though seemed amused despite herself. "Now, enough delaying - what had you walking in here like you're on the way to your own execution?"

Any trace of laughter left his face immediately. Ren opened his mouth then closed it again, but she would have to find out at some point, and better here in private, from him, than anyone else.

"Daenerys Targaryen is gathering an army on the shores of Essos to cross the Narrow Sea. With her are the Golden Company and twenty thousand Dothraki screamers. Also freedmen and Unsullied from Slaver's Bay, several Westerosi knights - one of which being Barristan Selmy - as well as her husband, a boy claiming to be Rhaegar's son Aegon. And," He almost winced, seeing her face growing darker and darker. "Three dragons,"

His mother did not speak a word. She looked as though she was in the middle of a waking nightmare. Likely she was; when he was a boy he had seen her violently wake from sleep more than once from dreams of Aerys Targaryen, eyes wild like a cornered animal, a silent scream on her lips.

"Excellent," Jaime's voice was cutting as ever, though there was a look on his face that Ren had never seen before. "Ice monsters and dead men coming down on us from the north, and fire-breathing dragons to the south. Personally I'd rather take my chances with the ancient creatures of darkness than with Mad Aerys' daughter, but I suppose my case is an exception,"

"Either one is going to try to kill you the moment you cross their path," Ren said. "The choice isn't yours, if that makes things easier. Loreon wants us to go south - " 

"We can't leave the Wall guarded by Wildlings," His mother managed to get out. 

"I know - that's why me and him will go alone, and leave the soldiers here. By the time they've all travelled to King's Landing it would likely be too late anyway,"