Wish You The Best / Jaime Lannister / Tywin Lannister

21. Fragile Heart

"Come to say goodbye, Lady Stark? I believe it's my last night in this world. Is that a woman?" Jaime peered past Catelyn to Brienne. Arthur begged his father silently to shut his damn mouth.

" Do you hear them out there? They want your head." Catelyn spat.

" Old Lord Karstark doesn't seem to like me." Jaime added innocently.

" You strangled his son with your chains." Catelyn demanded.

" Oh. Oh. Was he the one on guard duty? He was in my way. Any knight would have done the same." Jaime added. Arthur rolled his eyes he had forgotten for a moment why he was closer with his mother and liked the silence. Now he was stuck with his father for the foreseeable future.

"You are no knight. You have forsaken every vow you ever took."

"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the king, obey the king, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the king? What if the king massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another. Where did you find this beast?" Jaime pondered nonchalontly. Arthur had to admit his father was right.

"She is a truer knight than you will ever be, Kingslayer."

"Kingslayer. What a king he was. Here's to Aerys Targaryen, the Second of His Name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, and to the sword I shoved in his back." Jaime barked.

"You are a man without honor."

"Lets talk about ned and that man of honor. What was the name of that bastard he fathered?" Jaime countered.

" Brienne." Catelyn demanded.

" No, that wasn't it. Snow, a bastard from the North. Now, when When good old Ned came home with some whore's baby, did you pretend to love it? No. You're not very good at pretending. You're an honest woman. You hated that boy, didn't you? How could you not hate him? The walking, talking reminder that the honorable Lord Eddard Stark fucked another woman." Jaime pushed and pushed.

"Your sword." Catelyn instructed, Brienne unsheathed her sword and handed it to catelyn

Arthur closed his eyes unable to watch. He should run. Run home and tell his mother he was so sorry.

But the slice and grunt and ozzing blood dripping to the ground never came. Arthur peered around to see his father rising up. He winked back at arthur discreetly before being shoved out and led off. Arthur followed after them.

" Tell me this isn't true." Robb demanded.  Catelyn looked up slowly at  her son. "Why?"

"For the girls."

"You betrayed me.' Robb hissed.

" Robb-" Catelyn pleaded.

" No! You knew I would not allow it and you did it anyway.""

"Bran and Rickon are captives in Winterfell. Sansa and Arya are captives in King's Landing. I have five children, and only one of them is free."

" Damn." Jaime muttered as he was pushed from the horse, hooded and chained.  "You're much uglier in daylight. What's your name? I'm Jaime Lannister of Casterly Rock, son of Tywin." Brienne didn't speak as she pushed him along.  "This is my son, as you know Arthur. Hes a good boy. Thank you for not turning him over. It would be a shame to have lost him this close to freedom"

"Thank you. My mother will be eternally grateful for your helping." Arthur added.

"Im not helping im trading." Brienne corrected.