State of Grace / Ned Stark

36. Sexy As Sin

"Tyrion escaped!" Grace declared. "He's with father and... they are on their way here. Robb wrote and said the same." 

"Wonderful!" Ned agreed. "I didnt get that raven."  Grace handed it over. 

"It came at the same time, I meant to give it you." Grace offered. 

"Thank you." Ned agreed. 

"She reads everyones ravens." Petyr remarked. 

"Can we get rid of Petyr?" Grace pondered. "He seems to have his values out of whack." 

"My lady you offend me, I am loyal to the crown." 

"You are loyal to the money. " Grace corrected. 

"When will they be here?" Joffrey questioned. 

"I give them three days at most." Grace pondered. 

"Then we will welcome them and find a peaceful end to this madness." Joffrey agreed. Cersei was impressed.  Grace ran a hand over his back contently. "But Eddard, you need to summon your wife. She will pay for her sins." 

"Yes your grace." Ned agreed. 

"She ignored my raven." Joffrey remarked. "Thats not a good start."

If Grace didnt want catelyn dead she would have said something along the lines of 'maybe her sister opened it and forgot to tell her.' but since she hated Catelyn she didnt say a peep. 

"I will summon her." Ned agreed. 

+

"What are you doing?" Robb demanded. 

"We are not going to court! They turned your father against us, this is a trap!" Catelyn declared. 

"Mother, we are going, we are a days ride out." Robb corrected. "Father is hand of the king, they agreed it was a misunderstanding, we need not fight anymore if father and the lannisters made peace." 

"Thats just what they want you to believe, Robb, dont be so foolish!" Catelyn demanded. 

"Where are you going?" 

"Home." Catelyn spat. 

"Mother-"

"Robb." Catelyn demanded. "They summoned you not me. I'm going home."

"What about the raven I saw you burning just yesterday?" Robb countered. "That wasnt a summons for abducting Tyrion lannister? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking he sent an assassin after my son!" Catelyn spat. 

"I can see why father wanted to get away from you." Robb grumbled. 

"What did you say?"

"Run home." Robb agreed. "But I'm going to the capital and seeing father." Theon nodded riding forward. 

"Robb! I am your mother-"

"And I am lord of winterfell!" Robb reminded her. "Run home mother, but dont come crying to me when you end up in chains for fleeing the crown." 

"You fought against the lannisters just last week and now you will stand beside them. You rebelled against the king and his summons and now you-"

"Father wrote!" Robb corrected. "He wrote twice, once while in chains begging me to stand down until the trial was over, said Grace was trying to get her father to stand down as well."

"Grace." Catelyn muttered. 

"Yes, sexy as sin Grace Lannister wanted to help us, she doesnt want father dead and he's alive, he is good and hand again. Can't you accept that?" 

But Grace didnt only send out a letter to her father, she sent one to Jaime. Telling him it was time to fry the fish. 

Jaime smirked down at the words.

"Where are you going?" Tyrion questioned. "The capital is that way-" he pointed. 

"I need to fry a fish." Jaime corrected with a smirk. "Dont worry about me little brother. I will see you soon." 

"Be careful jaime." Tyrion countered. "Wait, did Grace-" Jaime was already riding off. "Jaime! Damns Gracie." Tyrion shook his head knowing her riddles. 

When Jaime passed RObb's company traveling to the capital he peered around discreetly from above for Catelyn but didnt see her. Jaime shook his head, she was still running away from her obligations. Coward. 

Jaime whistled out it was almost night fall, the sun just barely peeking through the horizon when he was going to give up for the night, he assumed she was going home, he didnt want to keep going that far north but for Grace, he would. 

But Jaime saw a fire, could he be so lucky? A muttering and mumbling Catelyn sat by the little fire stabbing at it like she needed to attack it, like it was hurting her feelings. Jaime smirked. 

Stab, stab at the fire. 

"I am his mother, he listens to me! Since when does he start making excuses... Gods I'm so angry." Catelyn muttered. 

"Share the fire, Lady Stark?" She jumped up and stumbled back tripping over the log she was perched on and fell back right into Jaime's blade. 

"Thats... anticlimactic, what will I tell Grace now? She will want a story, about how you begged and pleaded and ran, she loves a chase, she will have wanted you to suffer for all the hell you put Tyrion though. And so do I." Jaime remarked twisting the blade. "You messed with the wrong family." 

"Auntie?" Joffrey questioned. 

"Yes honey?" Grace answered. 

"I just got word, the Targaryen girl is dead." Joffrey informed her. 

"Oh... what a pity... thats okay." Grace assured. "She would have come for your crown and we worked so hard to get it."