lover's mercy - jaime lannister

TWENTY

Elyanna Stark walked down the row of the camp. As she passed, the soldiers would bow their heads with mumbles of m'lady. They had a look of awe on their faces as she passed; awe for her beauty...and the three direwolves that followed.

               They were massive now with the few months that followed since her rescue. The wolves were almost as tall as a horse but just as long with Rheina being the biggest of all of them.

                 So Elya always looked quite intimidating with her three giant wolves (Grey Wind stayed with Robb). That was how she looked now as she walked down the camp and found Robb.

                  The King in the North. The Young Wolf. Her twin brother. She was so proud of him and all that he achieved.

                  She stopped in front of him as he shook his head at the men still staring, "You know they call you The Wolf Queen?"

              "Well, it goes with your own title," she teased with a half-hearted smile. "The King in the North."

                 She ruffled his hair and Robb scolded, "Elya!"

                  She chuckled a bit, "What? I have to make sure it doesn't go to your head."

                  "Oh, yes, certainly," he fixed his hair. "So I suppose I'll have to do the same for you?"

                   She shook her head with a small smile, "No. Just you."

                Smiles were rare for her these days. She only really smiled around Robb after news of father. And Robb cherished each one that he caused; he missed the days of home when she would smile often and laugh loudly. Now, like her skin as white as snow, she was a ghost of who she used to be.

                 And Robb didn't know how to fix it.

              _____

               Jaime Lannister hadn't seen Elyanna Stark in weeks. Usually, she would visit his little cell and see how he was being treated. She wanted to treat him honorably as he had treated her; it was the least she could do.

                She approached his pen and asked him how he was doing, if she could make things better.

                "I have nothing to report today but I will let you know if I have a complaint," he replied with dry humor.

                  She only merely cracked a smile at his tone.

                 If she wasn't smiling for Robb, she was smiling because of Jaime. Being in a cell all day, he finally realized just how beautiful her smile was. She had little dimples that formed and he couldn't help but form a small smile of his own as hers took his breath away.

                 "Come on," Jaime said. "Smile a bit more. I'm the one in a cell, not you. And don't you know it's terribly unbecoming of a woman to frown so much?"

                  She rolled her eyes but she, nevertheless, smiled a bit more where it reached her eyes. Jaime gained a victorious little smile, "There it is."

                 "What is your obsession with me smiling?"

                 Jaime blinked at the question. He never wanted to make Cersei smile; he never cared. But with Elya, he hated seeing her frown; it was unnatural on her face compared to Cersei who always wore one.

                 "I don't know," he frowned. "I only wish you weren't sad anymore."

               "You know why I am."

                "I know," he referenced her father dying. He had told her he would change it if he could and he meant it. But there was nothing he could do but get her to smile a little more each day.

               But ever since the news came from Stannis, she hadn't visited. The rumors were rampant around camp: that he slept with his sister and her kids were all his bastards. After that, Elya didn't visit him, probably figuring out that he was the one who pushed her little brother from that tower.

                In her absence, he'd started to dream of her smile. He longed to see it but he knew he could probably never make her smile again; not him. Not anymore.

                 Then one night, she visited him. She approached him quietly and she stared at him sadly. And he hated it. She didn't look at him like he was good anymore. No, he was tainted to her now. He wasn't a noble knight in her eyes like he used to be.

              "You heard, I assume?" he asked as he looked away.

                    "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and ask you: did you push my brother from that tower?" she asked quietly and her voice was hopeful.

                  Hope. For him. He felt like he'd been stabbed in the chest because he knew he'd disappoint her. He clenched his jaw, "Yes."

                 Tears filled her eyes and she sniffled, "Does that even bother you?"

                "Of course it bothers me," he looked back up at her as he spoke like he was insulted she even asked that. "But I had to do it. For Cersei. Everything I do is for her."

              "Is that what you tell yourself? That you needed to push him because loving her is so right."

              "And why isn't it right? Because your pretty little head doesn't think so?" he argued angrily; he didn't like how her judgment made him feel.

                "You pushed a little boy out of a tower. I think that speaks for itself," she said softly.

               Her words silenced him and he closed his eyes as the guilt came rushing back before he opened them. He looked at her carefully, "I am sorry, Elya."

              She considered him for a moment, her eyes felt like they were staring through his soul, before she responded, "I know."

                 And she walked away.

____

After seeing Jaime, she found her mother who had been watching her. Catelyn shook her head, "My sweet girl, the Kingslayer doesn't deserve your kindness."

"He's the only one who does," Elya said. "I know...what he's done but it doesn't change what he's done for me. I probably would've been dead or worse if it wasn't for him. I'll treat him honorably because of it."

"No more talk of the Kingslayer," Catelyn sighed. "I was coming to tell you that in the morning you'll be riding with me to the Stormlands."

"And I assume we need to gain favor from Renly?"

"You assume correctly," Catelyn said. "You've seen him at court when you were in King's Landing. You'll be able to talk to him better than I probably can."

She nodded, "I'll help."

In the morning, she was riding to the Stormlands with her mother to gain help in the war from a Baratheon. Only Elya gained the attention of a different Baratheon than intended.