𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋 || 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

Chapter 11

Note: Sorry for the extremely long wait for the update, guys! I've been so busy that I haven't had the time. Either way, I hope you like this new chapter! :)

The trees rose up around us, enclosing us in the forest. They stood tall, their dark spindly branches clawing their way high up into the sky, giving them an almost sinister look. Brienne walked ahead of me, dragging a tired looking Jaime behind her. We were all tired though. We'd been walking for what seemed like miles and we were all at each other's throats by now. At least Brienne and Jaime were.

He'd been making remarks the entire trip. As he started to make another, Brienne hit him across the back of his head, silencing him.

"You don't have to be so rude to him." I said curtly to her as we continued on.

She arched an eyebrow at me but didn't speak. We walked for a couple more hours until finally the sun started to come up, sending rays of light shooting through the canopy of trees and down onto the forest floor. I smiled, feeling its warmth on my skin. But smile faded just as quickly as it had come as thoughts of my family flooded my mind. I remember clearly a day like this when we'd first arrived in King's Landing...It seemed like such a long time ago now...

Now everything had changed. Father was dead, Arya was missing, Sansa was being held against her will, and mother and Robb were fighting the Lannisters. My life was so different than it had been that first day. I never thought I'd have ended up here. Suddenly, Brienne cleared her throat, jogging me from my thoughts.

"We should rest for a bit, my lady. The camp is far away now. If anyone followed us, they should be long gone by now," she said, pushing Jaime ahead of her as we stepped into a large grassy clearing.

I nodded to her as she forced Jaime to his knees before taking off the bag that had been placed over his head. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light before landing on Brienne. He made a face.

"You're much uglier in daylight," he remarked and I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth to suppress a giggle.

She scoffed and led us through the clearing and into another forest. All of a sudden, a foul stench reached my nostrils and I started coughing, covering my mouth as I did.

"Ah, what is that horrible smell?" I said through my coughs.

Then I saw it. Up ahead, hanging from a tree were the corpses of three women. Ropes had been tied tightly around their necks and their feet dangled just off the ground. From the looks of their rotting skin, it had taken place several days ago. Horrified, I looked away.

"Who would do such a vile thing? Those poor souls..." I said, feeling sick at the sight of it.

"I don't know about that. I think they deserved it," a masculine voice spoke up.

A shiver went up my spine as I glanced ahead to see three male figures standing before us. They were soldiers by the looks of it. All three of them were chain-mail and jerkins with swords at their sides. With a sinking feeling, I realized they were my brother's soldiers. Stark soldiers.

"What is the meaning of this? Why did you kill these innocent women?" I asked, my voice taking on a command of authority.

"They needed to die," one of them said, stepping towards me, "Or maybe it was just because we wanted to kill them,"

Brienne unsheathed her sword then and pointed it at the men.

"Take one more step towards her and you lose your head," she threatened.

One of the brutes spoke up then.

"You look familiar," he mused, directing the comment towards Jaime.

Realization must have hit him then because a smirk lit up his face.

"Kingslayer," he sneered suddenly, unsheathing his sword.

The other men did the same and before I knew what was happening, Brienne had pushed me towards Jaime. She deflected their blows with the grace and ease of a well-trained warrior. My eyes followed her every move but I felt another's eyes watching me. Turning ever so slightly, I noticed Jaime watching me. His grass-green eyes bored into me and I tried ever so hard not to look into them. It was so tempting though.

I'd looked into his eyes once before, just once. When he'd walked me to Cersei's chambers back in King's Landing and I'd tripped. He'd caught me then and I could scarcely breathe as I'd gazed into those breathtaking swirls of emerald. The rush of air by my ear jolted me from my thoughts and I felt arms grab me roughly. Beside me, one of the soldiers fell dead on the leaves by Brienne's sword. I gasped and looked up to see who'd saved me.

My cocoa-brown eyes Jaime's green ones and I felt goosebumps on my skin from where his hands held my bare arms.

"Thank you," I said, breathlessly as he slowly released me from his grasp.

Suddenly, I felt cold without the warmth of his arms surrounding me. I shrugged it off though as I glanced up and noticed that Brienne had killed the three men. Guilt shined through in her eyes but otherwise she wore an expression that showed no remorse.

"I thought you worked for the Starks," Jaime said, his voice soft and calming as usual.

I looked over to him and he met my eyes once more before I tore myself away from his hypnotic gaze.

"I work for Lady Catelyn. Not for the Starks..." she said, avoiding my eyes.

I bit my lip, understanding her perfectly. I had already known that she wasn't doing this for me. No, I was on my own out here. Yes, I knew Jaime and while I harbored feelings for him still, I knew he didn't feel the same. He was just a prisoner being taken back to his beloved Queen. Beloved not only because he was her subject or brother but because he truly loved her. And that was something that no matter how good it felt to be in his arms, I just couldn't forget.