AS HIGH AS HONOR | Jaime Lannister

PROLOGUE

Jon Arryn stared at his daughter with a sheepish look; one that was uncommon on the man's face. Jon Arryn had three default expressions—an honorable one, a loving one, and a determined one. The latter was usually precedented by a furrowing of brows and a grinding of teeth. On the contrary, Jon Arryn's face now looked positively uncomfortable and his uncomfortableness seemed to increase with each syllable that left his mouth.

Jeyne Arryn (appropriately named after Jeyne Royce, her late mother) had absolutely not an iota of knowledge of how to respond to her current predicament. Her brown eyes were wide and unconvinced of what her father was telling her. When her father had assisted in the destruction of the former King Aerys, some of his insanity must have slithered out of the grave and laid eggs in Jon Arryn's brain. According to the madman before her, Robert Baratheon had refused Tywin Lannister's request for his daughter, Cersei, to be his Queen. Two things were inherently wrong with this statement; firstly, Robert's refusal of Cersei, considering she was considered the most enchanting woman in Westeros and secondly, his refusal of Tywin Lannister himself, who was known to be as dastardly as Cersei was beautiful. Jeyne could hardly wrap her head around it.

The Lord of the Eyrie sighed and ground his teeth together. "Jeyne, Robert cannot stomach the thought of a Lannister Queen. He believes, at the behest of Ned, that Tywin's neutrality in the war does not warrant his daughter a place by his side." Jeyne blinked and felt like her father was avoiding the point. This was evidently a horrible political decision for Robert, and she felt badly about her father's position as he was inheriting the job of having to deal with his former ward's mistakes. However, Jeyne was not her father's confidant nor his friend. She would have heard the news from Septa Mander or something of that sort. No, her father had called her because he needed to tell her something. Something that only he held knowledge of, and a little voice in Jeyne's head began screaming. She was no fool. She knew what was coming, but she held onto her current ignorance with an iron fist. He hasn't said it yet.

"I hope this will not incur Lord Tywin's wrath," Jeyne says quietly, and does not say anything more. She will not ask about who will be Robert's new Queen. She does not urge her father on. Jon Arryn's study was not a small room; when Jeyne was a child, she thought it contained all the secrets of the realm. However, she felt it suffocating her now. She decides she did not want to know all the secrets of the realm as she had once. She does not want to know anything. Jeyne curses her younger self for her curiosity and also for never pursuing Ned Stark.

Jon Arryn sank down into his chair and gestured for Jeyne to do much the same. She implores her father, sitting and smoothing out her skirts while trying to ignore the tremor in her hands. "It will, dear girl. He will never agree to Stannis Baratheon as a suitable replacement," he said and wrung his hands together. "But that's not why I've summoned you here." Jeyne braces herself for what she knows he is about to say. "I am at your service, Father," she settles for. The newly annointed Hand of the King forces out a chuckle.

"Rob-The King," her father corrected himself hastily. "He has requested that you become the Queen in Cersei's stead."

Jeyne's hands clench in her skirts. Her breath catches in her throat, and she feels all the blood drain from her face. She knows her father is gauging her reaction, and Jeyne knows she has to respond. She also knows that a "request," from the King is no mere request. It is an order. Jeyne feels her lips move and hears her voice speak, but she doesn't feel as if it is truly her, that this is truly happening. "I-I would do as my King commands," she answers, and she sees a glimmer of sadness in her father's eyes.

 Jon Arryn, following the passing of his wife during childbirth, had been forced to assume the role of both parents for his small, mahogany haired daughter. He had remarried only once in an attempt to produce an heir and was now set to marry Lysa Tully in another. Jeyne and her father had never been especially close, but she loved and respected him because he was an honorable man. She recalled when he had refused to hand over Ned and Robert to be killed. Jeyne had been proud of her father for his honor then, but she found herself reviling it now.

Her father would never refuse Robert. "You have known Robert since you were a girl. Many women never meet their betrothed until they are wed," Jon Arryn comments softly. 

Jeyne wants to tell her father that that is precisely the problem. She has known Robert Baratheon since before she had even flowered. She was six, and the King had been only two years older. She remembers when she was one and ten and Robert had been three and ten. She remembers when Robert had asked her if she wanted to kiss then, and his stormy eyes when she had refused. She remembers when he had first shown interest in brothels ( he had had such a large interest) and how red his face had gotten when he drank too much. She remembers how terrifying he looked swinging his warhammer in the fighting pen and how enraptured he had been with Lyanna Stark. She remembers when Rhaegar had crowned the Stark wolfgirl Queen of Love and Beauty, and Robert's enraged response. She did know Robert Baratheon, and she was not comforted by that in the least.

"I know, Father. I am honored to be chosen," she says and refuses to cry. "We  ride to King's Landing on the morrow. The wedding will be in a fortnight," her father declares and Jeyne knows she is dismissed. She stands up, curtsies, and all but flees from the room.

Queen. I am to be Queen. When she takes refuge in her chambers, Jeyne distinctly wonders whether Cersei Lannister had thought much the same before Robert had ripped that opportunity away from her. I don't want to be Queen. Another traitorous thought weasels out of her before she has the chance to abolish it. I don't want to be Robert's Queen. Jeyne Baratheon, that was to be her new name. Jeyne Baratheon, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. As far as Jeyne knows, she is the first of her name, regardless of the Baratheon part. She has never read about a Queen Jeyne before. Her name was common among smallfolk and rare amongst those of noble birth. There were probably a million Jeynes in towns across Westeros. Queen Jeyne. It sounds silly even to her own ears.

The subject of her betrothal had been broached before. She was one of the many who thought she might be married off to Ned, the second son of Rickard Stark. Brandon had already been promised to Catelyn Tully, and Ned had fostered with Lord Arryn for many years. It was a sensible match. Jeyne had liked Ned; he had never teased her or treated her unkindly. He had been terribly boring, though, but Jeyne would've preferred him over Robert. Jeyne Stark even had a certain appeal to it. Once Brandon Stark had been cruelly executed by the Mad King, it was clear that Catelyn would marry Ned Stark instead. Now, Jeyne had never been so envious.

Her mind wanders to Ned's bastard and she reconsiders. It was uncharacteristic of him to do such a thing, and Jeyne had been shell shocked to hear of it. Jeyne's stomach turned when she realized her soon-to-be Lord Husband would probably father seventy times the amount of bastards his dear friend did. Robert's wandering eye was no secret, least of all to Jeyne. She had witnessed him lust after almost every woman that worked in Lord Arryn's household, every whore in the Eyrie's brothels, and eventually, Lyanna Stark.

Lyanna Stark. Jeyne realized suddenly that she was very much not Lyanna Stark, and she had a sickening feeling that was going to make all the difference in her marriage