Game of Thrones Collection

A Wolf in a Circus - Jaime Lannister

Word Count: 1,014

Marrying Jaime Lannister was the last thing you wanted to do.

You utterly hated each other and the thought of having to lay together on your wedding night and for all the nights to come after that made your stomach twist into knots.

You were the second eldest Stark child, a little less than a year younger than Robb. Your father, Eddard Stark, had brought you, Sansa, and Arya along to the capital of Westeros when King Robert Baratheon had asked him to become his Hand.

It was then determined once you had arrived and they had you, nevertheless, trapped within the walls that you were to marry Jaime and Sansa would be betrothed to Joffrey.

Ever since that day you had been faking a smile whenever eyes that weren't belonging to a Lannister or a Stark could see.

You had been chosen to marry Jaime for a very specific reason, and that reason was that you were adored by the people at King's Landing. Although they barely knew you, they had heard of how kind-hearted and fair you were to the people in the North. To them, you were one of the purest creatures that wandered the castle at King's Landing.

Jaime needed that, especially after the name 'Kingslayer' had been tacked onto his back since he took down the previous Mad King.

He was hated, curses spat at him when he left the inner walls that surrounded the castle of King's Landing.

You were supposed to be the polar opposite who would even him out in the eyes of the people. After all, if a young, beautiful, caring, woman could love a kingslayer, why couldn't the people?

The only issue was that you didn't love him, however that was a crack in the plan that only the Lannisters and Starks knew. Sometimes you wondered if you even had King Robert himself fooled. You were a good actress after all.

"(Y/N)." you heard Jaime say in a flat voice.

You turned your gaze away from the Narrow Sea which you had been staring at for the past hour and looked at your betrothed.

"Jaime." you spoke back, observing the features on his bitter face. He was handsome, you had to give him that. "What is it you need?"

"We have to take a walk together in the courtyard. Several members of The Sept are coming by for a visit and King Robert would like us to look in love." Jaime spoke, his voice still not changing from the monotone tone it had taken.

You couldn't tell if Jaime truly hated that he had to marry you or was simply unentertained by it. In all truth you weren't sure which one you would prefer. Hatred was one thing but to not even matter enough to be hated, that was something you had never thought you feared.

"Try not to strain yourself with a smile." you sighed, turning and taking one last glance at the Narrow Sea for the day before wrapping your arm around Jaime's and making your way down to the courtyard.

The two of you walked in silence until you reached the courtyard. It truly was a beautiful sight during this time of the year. All the flowers were in full bloom, crystal clear water spat from the fountains, grass grew greener than you had ever seen in between the stepping stones.

Even though Winterfell was your home, you had to admit that King's Landing was a beautiful place. A beautiful place filled with ugly, ugly, people.

"What is it you would like to pretend to talk about today?" you questioned as you smiled up at Jaime who was already looking down at you with a grin on his face. He too was a good actor.

"I'm not sure, perhaps how much I hate you and your family." he cheered, returning his eyes back to the stone path ahead.

Hate was better then not caring at all.

"Well I'm sure you will be happy to know the feeling is mutual." you spoke in an innocent voice, following your sentence up with a slight laugh. You knew people were watching, even if you couldn't see them.

"Why are you here? Because your father told you to?" Jaime asked, his grin not moving an inch as he returned his eyes back to you.

"Why did you kill the king? Because your father forced you to?" you spoke back without a second of hesitation. You felt Jaime's arm tense around yours as his eyes remained glued to yours, his false smile still on his face.

"You don't belong here, King's Landing is no place for a weak and ignorant Stark girl." Jaime retorted.

"And why is that? Because it's filled with horrible people who lie through their teeth and kill for power?" you questioned, looking down at the stepping stones you were walking over. How much blood had been spilled on these rocks that you now walked across so casually? "That's everywhere now a days if you haven't noticed. Wherever you go people will lie and people will kill." you paused, stopping in your footsteps and turning to look at the fountain that sat in the center of the courtyard.

You let your head rest on Jaime's shoulder, a look of peace coming onto your face as you closed your eyes and let your face soak in the warm sun.

"But you are correct, I don't belong here." you began once again, your eyes still closed. "This place is a circus." your eyes opened and locked onto Jaime's.

You noticed now his face was much less cheerful.

"The tigers and lions may be more powerful, but the wolf does not perform in a circus." you spoke in a low voice before pushing off his body lightly and continuing the slow walk through the courtyard.

"Then what do you consider yourself doing right now?" Jaime asked after several moments of silence while you admired the flowers that wrapped up the pillars along the side of the courtyard.

"Keeping the circus tent from catching on fire."