The she-wolf and the lion

Chapter 188 - inspecting the troops

Two days later, Jaime, Daemon and Gerion are inspecting the troops, Bronn is dressed in his armor and sits proud and strong in the saddle among the soldiers in front of his master and master's sons.

Jaime and his sons ride in circles around the gathered men. A couple of the men are unfamiliar to Daemon, he flashes his father a questioning look.

As the son of a lord, Daemon grew up around his father's soldiers, learning from his father how to train them and how to become one of them, the faces of his father's soldiers has over the years become as familiar to Daemon as his own face, as familiar to him as the faces of his father, brothers, sisters and mother.

He grew up learning from his father what kind of soldiers are needed to protect the lord and his family from his enemies. Grew up learning from his father, mother and Bronn how to work his weapons and how to control his horses.
"There are a couple new faces here, I see, unfamiliar to me, father, tell me, who are they?" Daemon asks.
"Twenty of them are new recruits" Jaime says. "Recruits, step forward and let my heir inspect you properly"

Jaime tells the new recruits in his commanding "lord Lannister" voice, to come forward so that his heir can inspect them properly. Daemon, with Gerion at his side, ride up to the new recruits to inspect them.
"What do you boys think?" Jaime asks.
"Are any of them battle tested?" Daemon asks.
"Have they served other lords or are we the first lords they serve?" Gerion asks.
"Six of them have served other lords before" Jaime says. "The rest of them are green as summer grass"
"We need men who are tested in battle, father", Gerion says.
"I believe you are right, my son", Jaime says. "We need battle tested men to serve us"

Bronn rides up to Jaime to hear the decision made by the lion and his sons.
"What decision have you made, my lords?" Bronn asks.
"My sons advise me that battle tested men are needed in our service", Jaime says.
" Your sons are right, you need battle tested men to serve you and to serve your wife and children", Bronn says.
"My wife suggested that we need a few new servants in the castle as well", Jaime says.
"Lady Lyra is a very wise woman", Bronn says.
"She noticed some of the women servants were disloyal to us when her last pregnancy became known, especially disloyal to her, they tried bedding me when they were convinced that Lyra wouldn't survive the birth of our youngest son, little baby Jaime, Lyra is convinced that they would have made sure that she wouldn't have survived the childbirth if I, Daemon, Gerion and you weren't in the room while she was giving birth", Jaime says.
"I see, my own wife mentioned that to me, that some of the women were disloyal to lady Lyra and were prepared to trying to have you bed them all while you were grieving the loss of Lyra, were she to die in the birthing bed during the birth of baby Jaime", Bronn says. "I didn't want to believe that such treachery would be possible among your wife's women servants, but my own wife made me realize that it would be very possible, she mentioned having heard such talk during lady Lyra's last three childbirths, even the few times you haven't shared her bed"
"I would never betray my wife and the mother of my children like that", Jaime says.
"I know, neither would I, I don't have it in me to do that to the woman I love", Bronn says.
"Sadly I can't say the same about both my sons", Jaime says.
"Which one of them has been unfaithful this time?" Bronn asks.
"Gerion, again" Jaime says.
"Who did young Gerion have this time? Not his sister again?" Bronn asks.
"Oh no, this time it was one of the ladies in his wife's service" Jaime says.
"I see, you must be so very proud of your son", Bronn says sarcastically.
"Ha! Oh no, if I wasn't there at his conception and his birth, and if he didn't look like me, I would question if he was really my boy", Jaime says.
"Understandable, how furious are you with your son?" Bronn asks.
"I was more furious with him when I learned he had laid with his own sister, the way I lay with their mother", Jaime says.
"Understandable, I would have been furious if it was my son", Bronn says.
"To have them both forced into marriages with others was the best thing I could have done", Jaime says. "I didn't want to have to do it, but it was best that way, they would have both refused to marry again and I wanted to make it happen quickly before they came to me with the same demand that my sister came to my father with when I was to be betrothed to Lyra"
"Your sister came to your lord father to demand him letting her marry you?" Bronn asks.
"She did, but she hadn't thought of the fact that I had no intention or interest in marrying my own sister, the only woman I wanted to marry was Lyra, and that was before we were formally promised to each other", Jaime says. "Cersei was convinced that she would get whatever she wanted, that she would get me even though I never wanted her and had already chosen Lyra".
"I see, what did your lord father say to such outrageous demands?" Bronn asks.
"He reminded her that we are not of house Targaryen and such a match would never be accepted by the realm, that it would damage the reputation of all of house Lannister for all future if he allowed such a thing to take place, he then came to me and asked my opinion, if my wish was the same as Cersei's, when I told him my wish and intentions were to honor the pledge he had made to house Stark, offering my blood and seed to lady Lyra, he took charge and demanded that Cersei be wed to her first husband", Jaime says.
"Lord Robert Baratheon, that my son is named for, right?" Bronn asks.
"That's right, my sister's first husband was lord Robert Baratheon, friend of my wife, her father and her uncle, and of me", Jaime says. "Her second husband was lord Euron Greyjoy, the kraken of Pyke, she started having an affair lord Oberyn Martell during her first marriage, the viper who wanted one of our children for one of his, and who wanted Lyra in his bed instead of in mine"
"And your sister wanted one of your sons for a future possible daughter, didn't she?" Bronn asks.
"She did, but Lyra would never have sold one of our sons as husband for such a woman's child", Jaime says. "She didn't trust that our son would be safe if we gave him up to my possible niece".
"I honestly agree with you lady wife, I pulled a stolen knife from your bed when she was expecting him, the thought of it still makes me uncomfortable", Bronn says.
"I know, what if we hadn't noticed the knife and I had laid her down on the bed and started making love to her? My weight on top of her would have forced the knife into her back and would likely have killed her and Daemon both instantly" Jaime says, shuddering with discomfort at the memory of the knife that Bronn pulled for the bed.