The Lannister Wolf Series

Chapter 11

Jaime knew this was wrong. It even felt wrong. It had never felt so wrong before but now, Jaime hated it. Cersei wouldn't say a word and Jaime was glad of it for he hoped to finish and get out of that cursed tower as soon as possible. It was eating at him and all he wanted to do was go and throw himself off a cliff.

Every time he moved, Evelyn's face appeared in his mind and he would shut his eyes to try and not think about how bad it was but that would only make the girl's face even more real. She was just staring back at him.... No expression.... Her amber eyes a blaze with blue fire, her black hair cascading to her waist and her pouty lips pursed together.

"Stop!" Cersei cried in horror.

Jaime almost immediately stopped until he saw what Cersei had noticed. Bran! Jaime jumped to his feet and pulled his pants up as he rushed to the window. Bran was about to climb away from the window, but Jaime grabbed him first.

"Are you completely mad?" he asked, shocked that the boy was that high with no protection.

"He's seen us!" Cersei yelled, horrified.

"I heard you the first time!" Jaime snapped, turning to look back at Bran.

Jaime glanced out the window at where Summer was barking up at them way below. He looked back at the little boy and felt a tinge of pain. He knew that if he let Bran know the boy wouldn't hesitate to tell his parents or even worse... Evelyn. But something inside Jaime told him to not harm the boy who would one day be his brother in law.

Jaime looked over at Cersei who had composed herself and had a smirk on her face, "If you don't push him, your dear Evelyn will find out about this."
Jaime glared at his sister, "This is your fault for threatening me!" he snapped.

Just then, their conversation was cut short by a familiar voice.

"BRAN! Where are you?"

Jaime felt his heart fall to the sole of his shoes. Evelyn. She was right near the bottom of the tower. He had no choice. Evelyn would hate him if she found out... but it would break her if Bran got hurt.

Reaching forward, Jaime was about to pull Bran into the tower, hoping he could talk the boy out of telling anyone but when he looked at where the boy was, he saw that Cersei had approached him and had reached out a hand.

"Cersei no!" Jaime cried, rushing forward to stop his sister from pushing the boy.... But the movement was just the boost that was needed to knock Bran off balance....

The scream that filled the air was enough to make your blood boil and in Jaime's case, heart break. It ended short the moment the sound of a body striking the ground could be heard.... Then another shout followed.

"JON! ROBB! FATHER!"

Jaime bit on his finger to keep himself from breaking down in sobs. The girl's voice was urgent and desperate and even though it cracked with pain and suffering, it was strong and demanding at the same time.

Jaime could hear the voices of Ned Stark, Robb and Jon as the three men rushed to the scene. Jaime grabbed his jacket and strapped it up, so he didn't look like he had been up to something and turned to Cersei.

"You breathe a word of this to anyone, and I will forget any love for you and see you disowned."
Cersei smirked as she watched her twin walked out of the tower. When Jaime came upon the scene, he tried not to vomit. He had seen plenty of blood and death on the battlefield... but the scene before him had no blood but it was enough to make him pale.

Bran was laying on the ground, his legs bent all the wrong directions beneath him and his head to the side, his eyes closed. Evelyn was feeling along his neck, arms, shoulders and spine checking for broken bones. Jon and Robb were kneeling on either side of him, Jon stroking his hair and Robb going so pale he looked ready to faint. Ned Stark was calling guards and demanding them to get Catelyn and to keep the other children away.

"His spine is broken," Evelyn concluded, "he's still breathing but he's in a coma.... We need to get him inside and warm."
Robb nodded and was about to lift him when Evelyn stopped him. She grabbed his arms and moved them so that they were flat before helping him slip them under Bran's back. She then got Jon to do the same with his arms and keep one hand under Bran's head, the other on the middle of his back to keep his spine from being bent more.

The two boys carefully lifted their little brother before cautiously carrying him inside, following their father. Jaime saw that while everyone else rushed after the injured Stark, Evelyn stood alone on the spot where her brother had lain not seconds before, staring at the ground. Slowly Jaime approached her and sure enough, he saw her shoulders shaking in quiet sobs and he didn't hesitate to approach her.

He contemplated saying her name to let her know he was there or to simply give his condolences, but something came over Jaime. This was his fault. This was all his fault. He knew that simply telling her he was sorry for what happened to her brother would not fix the horrible thing he had done.

Something in Jaime snapped and he approached the girl, not caring if Ned found them and got angry, not caring if Cersei was watching, not even caring if Evelyn rejected him. He deserved it if she did. Approaching the girl from the side he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a strong squeeze.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in a soft voice.

Evelyn slowly turned her face toward Jaime and the man felt his heart throb. Her face was deathly pale, and her cheeks stained with tears. Her eyes were listless.... Sunken in.... almost dead. Jaime didn't waste a second and wrapped the girl in a gentle hug, holding her head to his chest with one hand while the other wrapped protectively around her waist.

He didn't expect her to return it, but she clung to him desperately and let the tears fall.

"Why?" she cried into his chest, "Why do things like this have to happen?"
'Because if they didn't you would hate me,' Jaime thought to himself.

"I know," he whispered, stroking her hair softly. "I don't understand it either."
Evelyn quickly retracted her arms and took several steps back from Jaime, "I apologize."
Jaime reached out instinctively, about to pull her back but Evelyn had turned away from him and had hurriedly wiped away the tears before turning away from him and following closely behind her father.

"What have I done?" Jaime whispered.