The she-wolf and the lion

Chapter 41 - "who's there?"

They ride in to the woods and Lyra notice something in the distance, does a wolf whistle to alert the men to come to her side.
"There's someone watching us", Lyra says calmly.
"Take the boys back to the castle, now", Jaime says calmly, signaling to Bronn and Will to ready their bows.
"I'll stand with you!"Lyra says hotly.
"Lyra, do as I say for once, take Daemon and Gerion back to the castle, please, we'll come after you", Jaime says calmly. "If there's any trouble, I want you three safe."

Jaime readies his own bow as he sees his little family get ready to ride away, back to the castle.
"Knock, draw...hold...hold, loose", Jaime says and the men let fly their arrows.

After a few seconds they hear a thump.
"Back to the castle, with haste, go, we'll follow", Jaime says turned to Lyra, already spurring her horse and the boys spur their horses so they move at the same rapid speed as their mother's horse.

Lyra and her sons slow their horses down as they ride in to the courtyard.
"Where is lord Jaime, the captain and young Will?" Patrick Reyne, one of the members of the household guard, asks.
"They sent me and the lord's heirs ahead back to the castle, there was something or someone stalking us in the woods, they are hunting whatever or whoever it was", Lyra says calmly, getting off her horse and helping her sons dismount. "Take care of our horses."
"Yes, lady Lannister", one of the stable boys says, taking the reins and leading the three horses away.

As Lyra is about to bring Daemon and Gerion inside the castle, she hears well known hoofs behind her and turn around. Riding in to the courtyard side by side is her husband and the family's guard captain with the young household guardsman following tight behind them, Bronn with a dead wolf slung across the saddle and Jaime with a dead mountain lion across his.
"It was one of these beasts that were stalking us in the woods, we took out both just to be safe", Jaime says. "What do you think, my love? A mountain lion cloak for your name day? And perhaps some wolfskin gloves for the boys?"
"Are you hurt, husband?" Lyra says, seeing the scratches on Jaime.
"No, I'm alright, my love, it's just a few scratches", Jaime says.
"And how are you faring, captain?" Lyra asks, every inch the noblewoman, turned to Bronn.
"I'm well, m'lady, a few scratches, didn't let them get close enough to hurt us, only close enough for us to kill", Bronn says, his dark eyes glistening like polished onyx, a lot like her father Benjen's eyes.
"Have these skins tended to and turned over to the seamstresses, the wolf skin shall be gloves for my sons, myself, the captain and my lady wife, the mountain lion skin shall be a cloak for my lady Lyra's name day, with a wolf skin collar if there is enough of the skin left when the gloves have been made", Jaime says turned to a tanner.
"And tend to the horses", Bronn says turned to Will coming in last.
"Yes, my lords", the tanner and the stable boy say, going to tend to what the two men asked of them.

Jaime and Bronn enter the castle with Lyra and the children.
"Bath! In my rooms! One of you can wash me", Bronn roars at a servant girl.
"Bath! In the lord and lady's rooms, my wife will wash me", Jaime roars at another servant girl.
"Yes, my lords", the servant girls say, getting to work, filling the tubs in the master's chambers and in the guard captain's rooms, with hot water and oils.
"Where are the children?" Jaime asks as he sinks in to the hot water.
"With my ladies in the great hall", Lyra says. "They seemed very excited about the mountain lion and the wolf you and Bronn caught."
"They were very brave today, as was you", Jaime says.
"They are sons of the lion of house Lannister and the direwolf of house Stark, they are bound to be brave", Lyra says. "As brave as their father."
"And as their mother", Jaime says, giving Lyra a deep kiss.