Hand of the Queen

3

I sit across from Jaime with pain in my eyes as the men taunt him and the loss of his sword hand. When they finally walk away, he meets my eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Jaime." I say, he shakes his head at me.

"Do not apologize, Alysanne." He tells me, his voice riddled with pain. I watch as the men untie Brienne and drag her to the horses before they return for the both of us.

"You two are being taken to Lord Bolton at Harrenhal." Locke tells us as the men untie our ropes and pull us to our feet.

...

I sit atop the horse with ropes tied tight around my wrists, Locke leading my stead toward the gates of Harrenhal. Jaime's eyes do not leave me as I am pulled from the horse, stumbling to my feet. The three of us are put before Lord Bolton who looks to Locke in anger.

"Free them, you fool." Bolton says, anger slick in his voice. I watch in confusion as the ropes are cut from our wrists and Bolton takes in Jaime's missing hand. "Take him to the maester. And show Lady Stark to her quarters."

"Thank you, Lord Bolton." I say, rubbing my wrists as I watch Jaime be led from the room.

...

I settle deep into the steaming bath, the water easing my aching body. I let out a breath of relief as the end of my days as a captive finally comes. My eyes flutter open at the sound of footsteps before me, I look to see Jaime stood before me. His skin is completely void of clothing, heat rises to my cheeks as I stare up at him.

"Jaime..." I say, trailing off as he steps closer. I pull my arms to my bare breasts, he tilts his head and grins. My eyes do not leave him as he settles into the water across from me, the filth melting away from his skin. He drenches his face and his hair in its warmth, the dirt washing away to reveal the handsome face of a Knight. He reaches his hand forward, his fingers dragging against the bruises on my arm. The mark left by the man who meant to take me against my will only the night before.

"I'll kill him." Jaime says, moving his eyes to meet mine. I smile at him as his hand falls away.

"You'll kill for a Stark, Jaime Lannister?" He holds my gaze for a moment before answering.

"I will kill for Alysanne Stark." I force back the blush that threatens to rise to my cheeks. "Why do you show such kindness to me? You know how your father and your people felt about my actions, how your brother feels about my family."

"My words within that cell still stand, Jaime." I pause as he takes in my face. "And I don't believe you killed the Mad King out of some need to be the hero, that there was no honor behind your actions. I believe that are things Westeros doesn't know about what happened that day." Jaime falls silent, holding my gaze as he studies my face.

"There is." He finally says, I watch him intently. "I did not kill the king out of lack of honor. I was a kingsguard, my life's purpose was to protect my king. I upheld that oath through all of the war, never turned my back on the man I swore to protect." He pauses. "But I also made an oath as a Knight, to protect the people of Westeros. Aerys Targaryen ordered me to bring my father's head to him, then called for his pyromaster to burn them all. To burn the city to the ground with caches of wildfire he had hidden throughout its streets. He wanted to slaughter the city rather than allow Robert Baratheon take it from him. So I killed him, I killed him to save my people."

I look to the Knight in shock, disbelief slick across my face. Defeat settles across his own face, but shame does not hang in his eyes.

"Why have you never told anyone this? Never told my father?" I ask him, he brings his eyes to mine.

"I felt I didn't need to explain myself, I did not know I would become a man without honor across Westeros." He says, I shake my head.

"They do not know they you saved them, Jaime." Silence hangs between us.

"But you do." My stomach flutters as his eyes trail across my face, his hand coming to push the hair from my eyes. His place has moved from across the bath to beside me, so close that I can smell his newly cleaned skin. My heart begins to race as his hand rests on my cheek. "I wanted to tell you the moment you cleaned the mud from my face within that cell, I wanted you to truly see me in that moment, not the Kingslayer." I smile at him.

"I have always seen you, Jaime." Not a moment passes before his lips meet mine, before the taste of him is in my mouth. His kiss is gentle, full of longing. He holds me tight against him and I long for him to never let go. He finally pulls away and rests his forehead against my own, my hands gentle against his face. "Our families, they will not like this." I feel him shake his head.

"I don't care, Alysanne." He tilts his head back and meets my eyes, his good hand settling in on my cheek. "I want to be by your side. I will tell all of House Stark what I told you today if that's what it takes. I will do anything to be beside you." I smile and he kisses me once more, settling into our last bit of peace before the grueling war that is sure to come.