The Wolf and The Lion || Jaime Lannister

Eight

Rayna

More weeks go by without speaking. My engagement to Loras is public and official. We are bound by oath now. I regret my decision more with each day. I'll be shipped off to High Garden after the wedding and I know it's not where I belong. I don't belong amongst the flowers while having high teas, I belong amongst Weirwood trees and running through the wilderness. I should have taken Theon as an option more seriously.
I'm terrified to even glance at Jaime or the Queen after that night. I never spoke a word of it to anyone. My heart aches for him but I know that it's forbidden and I fear for my life if I defy the Queen. Or even worse that I'll wake to a member of the Kingsguard in my bedroom.
I can't be here anymore. I can't stay here.
I go to my Fathers office to plead with him.
"Father", I say as I take a seat and he already looks apprehensive.
"If this is about Jaime Lannister-", he begins and I shake my head as I don't have to fake the tears.
"I want to go home", I cry "I want to see Robb and Bran and Rickon, I want to see mother"
"Rayna", he says softly "You have a duty to the Tyrells"
"You know that Jaime is the only man I want but I will give him up if you break the engagement to Loras", I reluctantly decide "I just want to go home"
"What about a husband, you need to be married to a man from a good house"
As much as I still don't like the idea of it it's the best option I have "Theon"
He sighs heavily "He is my ward and the Greyjoy's have been disgraced in the eyes of the realm"
"I don't want to marry him he's a brother to me but I will do anything to go home to Winterfell"
With that he can see how desperate I am to leave the city and he only looks concerned "What's happened Rayna, why do you want to leave Kings Landing?"
I can't bring myself to speak of that night.
"Please", I beg quietly "Just let me go home".
He can see how desperate I am but even I know that he can't break the oath that easily.
"I'm so sorry Rayna", he says "Perhaps one day you will grow to love Loras"
With those words I fully break down in his office sobbing with my face in my hands.
"Ray-" He says reaching out to comfort me but I pull away and blindly walk out of his office and down the hall until I run into a firm armoured man. I look up and of course it's the one person I can't bare to see.
"Rayna?", he asks as he goes to touch me and the concern in his voice breaks my heart. I flinch away from him remembering Cersei's threat and without any words I keep walking.

Jaime

One day I'm on duty while they are parading Sansa and Joffrey around the city, Roberts away on another hunt and the council thought the city should see more of their heir except as usual Joffreys being a cunt. I know he is my son, he is my blood but in the end I don't feel any love for him. He is a truly twisted bastard. Cersei may love him but I was never allowed to love my children and Joffrey doesn't make that very hard. The youngest two I do love but Joffrey is just cruel.
So when it turns sour I'm not surprised.
"Jaime, Jaime", Cersei screams as the guards have to fend off the common folk who are revolting. I look up and see a wall of white cloaks surrounding her yet she still calls for me.
"Let's see if what they say about the Stark Beauty's true", I hear a man snicker followed by a haunting scream.
"Jaime", Cersei calls.
"Get off me", Rayna screams. My head darts around as I try to see her in the crowd but I can't find her.
Cersei's eyes meet mine warning me not to defy her but I've made my choice.
I turn and run after Rayna, pushing through the crowd calling her name as I try to get to her.
"Rayna", I yell repeatedly but I can't see her. I can't fucking see her, where the hell is she?
"Rayna", I roar as I desperately try to push through the crowd.
"Jaime", she screams.
My head jerks in the direction of her screams and I see her being dragged into an ally in the distance. My hand grips pommel of my sword as I push through the crowd.
As soon as I turn the corner where she was being dragged I draw my sword. Her screams grow louder as I run down the stairs.
When I find her she's being pinned down and attacked by four men in the ally, with one holding a knife to her throat.
One is undoing his breeches while the other is trying to tear her dress as she screams and tries to fight against them and I run them both through with my sword without hesitation.
I grab the man who's holding her down and hold him in a chokehold while I point my sword towards the one holding the knife to her throat. She stares at me with wide, terrified eyes and flinches away from the blade against her skin.
"Remove the knife from Lady Starks throat", I order and as he notices my Kingsguard armour he does it immediately raising his hands in surrender "Drop it", I order
He drops the knife and it hits the ground beside Rayna. She breathes heavily for a moment before she grabs the knife from beside her and suddenly twists around and slams it into his neck, catching me off guard as she stabs him repeatedly she half screams and half sobs with each hit until he lies on the ground unmoving.
The man in my chokehold writhes in fear as she stands shaking violently and grips the blood knife tightly while I watch in awe. She may be shaking but her eyes are cold and filled with a disgust I hope I'll never see again. My eyes ask her if she's sure and she nods in reply. I release him from the chokehold and hold him firmly by his shoulders to give her access to his throat as she takes the knife and slits his throat in one sharp motion barely noticing the blood that sprays onto her as she severs the artery.
Finally she looks to me and then to her bloody hands and her torn up dress in horror and with a loud cry she drops the knife and falls to the ground. She backs into the wall behind her shaking violently and tucks herself into a ball hiding her face behind her bloody hands.
"Rayna", I say gently as I get on my knees beside her "You're safe"
"Jaime", she cries lost for words. I move to touch her, to reassure her but she unsurprisingly flinches away.
"I'm not going to hurt you", I promise. I'd never hurt her.
"You already have", she whispers quietly trying her best to contain herself but the tears keep falling.
"Let me take you back home", I say quietly as I know it's true. I have hurt her. I didn't hold her down and try to assault her, I never physically harmed her but I did hurt her. I watched her beg for me to comfort her, to be able to stay with me and then coldly sent her away. Even if it was only because Cersei was watching I did hurt her. More than once.
She shakes her head and turns away from me.
"It isn't safe here, please let me take you back", I insist knowing damn well she can't stay down here.
"Cersei can't see us together", she sobs and the fear in her eyes as she mentions Cersei is far greater than just moments ago.
"Fuck Cersei, she can't hurt you but men like them can", I say reminding her of the current threat, although Cersei is a very real threat men like them are a far more immediate one.
She looks up at me and I've never seen her so shaken. I remove my glove and extend my bare hand towards her.
"Rayna, it's me", I assure her "It's Jaime, you know you are safe with me"
She doesn't stop shaking as she takes my hand and I help her to her feet. She looks back at the bodies and I know the look in her eye, the look someone has the first time they kill someone.
She doesn't let go of my hand as we travel in silence all the way to the keep. I take her the way I know will be the most isolated.
"Cersei can't see us", she repeats as we enter the Red Keep.
"She won't see us", I promise her and I hope it's true. The last thing she needs right now is Cersei and the more afraid she gets as we walk in the more I'm certain Cersei threatened her. For weeks she didn't dare come near me and I had my suspicions but now I'm certain.
"What did she do to you?" I ask as I continue along the most isolated route, away from where Cersei would be.
She shakes her head and I can see the terror in her eyes, she won't speak while we're at risk of someone seeing us so I pull her into one of the empty rooms nearby and lock the door.
"Sit down", I say and she does without letting go of my hand. I stroke her cheek gently as I search her eyes and only become infuriated that she is more terrified of being caught with me by Cersei than being out there with the rapers. "What did she do?"
"You can't know", she trembles.
"Rayna I promise you that Cersei won't know about this conversation, she won't know anything you've told me"
She swallows hard and stutters as she tries to find the courage to tell me then shakes her head.
"Trust me", I ask her. She squeezes my hand tightly and I take her other hand which is trembling in my own, lacing our fingers together. She looks up at me and I see the fear in her eyes turn to anger but for once it's not towards me.
"After you came to my room that night I was upset and I went to find you but Cersei found me first", she says and I curse silently. Fucking Cersei. "She called me a whore and threatened to tell the Tyrells and my father that I was visiting you at night, I told her it was you who came to me and she had Ser Ilyn hurt me"
"What do you mean hurt you?" I ask fearing the worst.
"Not what you think", she quickly says "I thought that he was going to, she told him to show me what whores get in Kings Landing, instead he pushed me against the wall and strangled me until I couldn't breathe"
"What else?" I ask trying to hide my rage for her sake as I know that's not the end of what happened.
"I said I'd tell my father, she said that he'd be ashamed of me, for not fulfilling my oath and again that I was a whore then I said he'd defend me I knew he would and then-"
"Then what?" I ask quietly not raising my voice despite the anger consuming me.
"I said I'd tell you, and she was furious, she threatened to send me back to Winterfell but not in one piece", she stutters "She wants me dead Jaime"
"If anything happens to you I will kill her", I promise and despite my love for Cersei I know it's true. Although I'm not sure there is any love left, not after this.
Rayna came after me that night, she tried to find me but that's not what's important right now.
"You are safe", I remind her again "If you don't feel safe you know where to find me"
"That's not a good idea, I think I'll find my father thank you Ser Jaime", she says stiffly, her gaze flicking to her bloody hands.
"You killed your first man today", I say quietly. She killed a man. Two men. The first was in fear, anger and almost reflex but the second was cold and calculating. I could see the fury in her eyes and I know that something in her heart changed in that moment. After the first time you kill someone you are never the same.
"You think I don't know that", she says, her sarcasm becoming lost in the weakness of her voice, her bloodstained hands are still shaking, I squeeze her hands tightly.
"Let me take you to Ned"
She shakes her head at me, she isn't in her right mind. I can't leave her here like this.
"You are in shock, I'm not leaving you alone until you are with your father or someone else, please let me take you there" she doesn't protest out loud as I guide her to Neds office. I expect her to release her iron grip on my hand but she only holds onto my hand tighter as I knock.
"Rayna", Ned says in shock as he opens the door. "Come in"
Her grip on my hand is still tight as I go to follow her in and he stops me
"Not you", he says and despite all of this he still sees me as the enemy.
"She was about to be raped when I found her and now they are dead". I inform him quietly trying to swallow my anger at the rapists, at him, at myself for not being able to take care of her, to protect her.
"He saved me", she says quietly, looking at me with those doe eyes "I'd be dead if it wasn't for him, no one came for me but him"
"Thank you Ser Jaime", he says swallowing his pride "I'll look after my daughter from here"
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it gently. The gesture that says all the words that we don't dare speak.
Finally I let go of her and Ned closes the door on me.