Winter Is Here // Game Of Thrones

victory. (Third Person POV)

When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.

Jaime hated being once again stuck on a chair beside their shared bed, with Audelia once again unconscious, pale with blood loss, and so unnaturally quiet. 

Jaime hated the solemn room, the drawn curtains not letting any light into the room, and the fire place being the only source of warmth. As if the entire world turned cold at once. Even the furs could not warm him up anymore.

Jaime hated the quiet. All of the guards made sure to tread carefully outside their chambers, the servants did not laugh or talk down the halls anymore, and the maids rarely came into the room. The Maester was the only source of any noise at all, but Jaime hated it as well. If the Maester talked it meant he talked gibberish, whatever Maester talk it was. Jaime understood none of it.

All he wanted was for his love to open her eyes again and smile at him. All would be set right then.

He just needed her to open her eyes. How could it be that it did not happen?

He had prayed to the Old Gods and they had returned his love to him, but they have taken her away now once more. Was it to punish him? For what crime? As if he did not have a long list already. But they had taken a mother away from her son. Old Gods be damned.

"Ser Jaime", Jon said. He had been calling Jaime's name for a few moments now. Jaime had not heard him. "Ser Jaime".

Audelia was actually quite gorgeous, lying so still. It was not the first time he saw her this way. He hated that he found it quite ethereal.

He realized, he didn't appreciate it enough. Her beauty. He found that with her eyes closed, he couldn't quite remember the right shade of grey they were anymore. He knew they were grey, it was a well known fact, but was it sky after before rain grey? fog over water grey?

He took her beauty for granted and now he was able to appreciate all of it truly. Looking at her for hours, night and day, just watching her chest rise and fall. 

Jaime wasn't sure how long it's been. He hasn't been able to hear anything other than her breathing or his own heart. He hasn't eaten, or drank anything. 

He wasn't sure he needed to.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, it was telling him that he can't let this continue. That it won't always be like this.

Why wouldn't it? What would change it?

How was he meant to close his eyes, sleep or eat or drink, look away, bathe the dried blood of Brynden Tully and countless others off of him, or even breathe if Audelia Stark did not open her beautiful eyes.

Time.

That was the answer to everything wasn't it? Time.

He could really feel the clouds parting at that. 

Audelia would say, "You're being funny, but be serious now Jaime".

She always said something to that sort, but she always got that lopsided smile that showed her teeth. He loved that smile. That smile made him want to make stupid remarks and unfunny funny jokes all the time. Just to see it.

If he were to say something stupid now, it would fall on deaf ears.

"Jaime", Jon put a hand on Jaime's shoulder, bringing him back to earth. "She doesn't need you right now".

Jaime scoffed at that. It felt refreshing to hear a voice in so long. How long was it? It felt forever.

"I don't want to have a heart-to-heart with you", Jon said with a sigh. "Do you?".