The Wolf and The Lion || Jaime Lannister

Seventy Five

Rayna

Jon and Tyrion came running when they had heard my screams from their room.
Jon had caught me as my knees gave out and was the only thing keeping me standing as Varys took the letter from Lord Manderly and read it aloud to everyone.
Tyrion stood looking as shocked as I've ever seen him as we tried to process what had happened but couldn't.
Cersei ordered the kingsguard to murder Jaime. She killed him.
I don't remember much of what happened after Varys finished reading the letter but I remember looking up and seeing Daenerys standing there in shock as she saw Jon struggling to hold me up while I screamed. The bloodcurdling screams of a new widow.
"Burn her", I cried as I imaged Cersei's smug face watching as Jaime fought, as he was cut down. But I wasn't just sad, I was furious. My cry came out as a harsh scream that echoed through the hall "Burn her!"

Hours later Tyrion and I sit together in silence as silent tears fall from my cheeks wetting the locket I hold against my chest. My last gift from him. Then I run my hand over my stomach and remember that I have one more gift from him yet to come. A child who will never know its father.
Cersei will die. Maybe not today or tomorrow or even in the next few months. But she will die, slowly and painfully. I will have her head.
"I can't believe she actually had him killed", Tyrion finally says but my pain has turned to cold fury.
"I can", I reply but the hatred I feel for her is nothing compared to the hatred I feel for myself "I should have known that even if Jaime stayed in Kings Landing Cersei would have never gone through with sending an army, I should have fucking known"
Tyrion looks up and I see a broken man. "If Cersei wanted him dead she would have found a way no matter what"
He's right but I sure made her job easier.
I don't bother arguing the point with him. Jaime is dead and it doesn't matter what either of us could have done. Cersei killed him because we underestimated her. I thought Jaime could control her and Tyrion thought Cersei wouldn't actually hurt him.
We were both wrong.
Tyrion has lost his brother. The last family who he truly loved. I know his pain. I know the pain of losing a brother far too well.
And I've lost not just my husband, I've lost the other half of me.
Jon enters and holds a cup of water out for me.
"You need to drink"
I simply turn my head away and he puts it down "He loved you", he says not really knowing what to say to make it better.
"Love can't bring him back", I say numbly.
He puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it. A simply gesture of affection him, Robb and Father all do, or well that they used to do. I was worried when Jon left with Daenerys that I'd lose him but he is here for me. The pack still survives but it's broken.
Brienne is standing guard in the doorway even though there is little reason, we are safe here. Her jaw is clenched tightly and her eyes are watering. She loved him too. Once romantically but for the past few years she has loved him as a friend, as family.
"Brienne come sit", I say calling her over. She is mourning as well.
She nods and comes to sit by my side.
"He would have fought until the very end", she says but I can't bring myself to smile. No matter how honourably he died he is still dead.
"He would have", I agree. He would have done anything to survive, to come back to me.
I look around and I realise one person I haven't seen "Where's Theon?"
"He's gone with the Iron Born to rescue Yara", Jon answers and I nod. I pray he does and that he stays in the Iron Islands. Far away from this land which is about to be thrust into war.
I return to playing with my locket and I open it up. Jaime left one of the first letters he ever wrote to me inside of it. A letter he wrote to me shortly after he proposed, a sweet but somewhat dirty letter that asked me to visit his room, if promised that as hard as it might seem that nothing will stand between us.
So many letters over the years. Declarations of love, fighting, begging, pleading and deceit.
So much deceit.
The greatest lies I've ever been told have been through letters.
Cersei has been a lying whore from the moment I met her. I knew she had no intention of sending men North which is why I left Jaime there. I thought if I left him to oversee her end of the truce she would have no choice but to comply.
I was wrong and now he is dead.
Unless-
"Brienne, show me that letter"
Her hand trembles slightly as she hands it to me. The greatest deceits I've ever been told have been through letters.