LIONS AND WOLVES | Robb Stark

04. Uncle Jaime 𓃬

JOANNA KNEW THAT THE STARKS were holding her uncle captive. After gaining knowledge of his whereabouts from Alden, who let it slip and seemed furious with himself, he offered to escort her to the cells. Knowing that he would just follow her anyway, Joanna accepted the offer and the two of them walked down to where the Starks were keeping their prisoners.

"You sure about this?" Alden asked.

"He's my uncle," Joanna replied. "And besides, what harm can he do from a cell?"

"I don't like this," Alden warned. "Robb will-"

"Robb doesn't dictate what I do," Joanna said.

"Yeah, but he does dictate what I do," Alden replied. "And when he finds out I brought you down here, he'll-"

"Do nothing because you were simply looking out for me," Joanna assured him.

Jaime was tied to a post in the middle of a clearing, in plain view of the guards assigned to watch him. Catelyn Stark was walking away from him and when she was gone, Joanna rushed towards her uncle. He looked in worse shape than she had imagined, covered in dirt and dried blood. His hair was longer, matted in places from the mud and his eyes were downcast.

"Uncle Jaime," she whispered, crouching down beside him.

He looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping myself alive," Joanna replied.

That surprised Jaime even more than seeing her kneeling in the mud before him. "You truly think you're safe here?"

"She's safer than she would be in fucking King's Landing," Alden snapped from behind Joanna.

Jaime glanced up at him. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"Alden Oscura," Alden replied.

"I'm afraid that name doesn't ring a bell," Jaime said.

"All that matters is your name, Kingslayer," Alden replied, shrugging. "Who I am is inconsequential to you."

Joanna turned back to her uncle. "You're hurt."

"Am I really?" Jaime asked sarcastically. "That tends to happen when you get taken prisoner, believe it or not."

"I wish I could say I came with good news, but truly I just wanted to see for myself that you're alive," Joanna said.

"Well, here I am," Jaime said. "Alive, as you can see."

With a sigh, Joanna placed her hand over Jaime's. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jaime."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he replied. "Although I do rather worry for your head right now. Did you hit it hard? What were you thinking coming here?"

"I came here because if I didn't then Joffrey would have cut my head off the same way he did Ned Stark's and nothing that mother nor anyone else said would stop him," Joanna answered. "I wasn't safe in King's Landing and Robb has promised me safety, so this is where I'll stay."

Jaime let out a short breath that sounded almost like a laugh. "I must say, I am very impressed."

Even though he had not fathered her, Jaime had always been fond of Joanna. Ever since she was a child, she had a habit of going for the swords rather than the books, and countless times Jaime had found her playing with a knife she had picked up from who-knows-where. The fact that she was so eager to learn from him was what made him dote on her in the first place and seeing her now, barely seventeen and already a much braver woman than any he had met made him proud that he played even the smallest part in getting her to this moment.