Chapter 5 ~ Valar Morghulis ~

We’d traveled though out the next day and night, but it felt like four lifetimes especially when Jaime kept trying to provoke Brienne into fighting him, I’d clobbered him several times to shut him up but he didn’t take the warning and he just kept going, so I gave up and just shoved a hood on his head when Brienne hefted him into horseback. 

 

“You do realise….” Jaime said behind me, his words slightly muffled by the hood that covered his face, he held the back of my tunic as I steered the horse over tree roots. 

 

“I know, I know you’ll get me back for doing this to you” I sighed and shook my head “I’m so scared” I muttered sarcastically. 

 

“When we get back to Kings Landing I’m going to tie you to our bed” my hands tightened on the horses reins and I swallowed my gasp “it’s been months since I’ve properly held you” I felt his head touch the back of mine lightly. 

 

“I like when you do things to me” I replied back quietly, I was hoping Brienne couldn’t hear us because she’d be disgusted by what we were talking so casually about, most noble Ladies didn’t talk like this. 

 

“I know you do, and when I get out of these ties….” His comment was left hanging when Brienne stopped abruptly and got off her horse, she practically tossed Jaime to the ground and I followed suit, she slapped both horses hindquarters and the two animals took off without a thought, she then ripped Jaime to his feet and removed his hood. 

 

“You're much uglier in daylight,” Jaime commented as Brienne tied us together when she didn’t react Jaime spoke again “What's your name? I'm Jaime Lannister of Casterly Rock, son of Tywin” he said proudly, he glanced at me when I sighed deeply and rolled my eyes “you’ve already met my beautiful wife”

 

“Suck up” I mumbled as Brienne once again ignored him and pulled the rope that tied us and towards the bank of the Red Fork, she was doing the safe thing and we were going the back roads to get to Kings Landing. 

 

“A captive knight has a right to know his captor's identity” Jaime urged as she shoved him roughly over a trees root.

 



“Brienne of Tarth” she grumbled and she helped me gently over the root as well, I began to walk next to Jaime as he kept repeating the word Tarth over and over under his breath, clearly trying to remember where he’d heard the name before.

 



“Crescent moons and starbursts,” I supplied as Brienne kept silent behind us she was probably scanning the area looking for people “Lord Selwyn Tarth” Jaime looked at me and nodded. 

 

“Ah, Your father,” he said to Brienne over his shoulder “Do you have any brothers and sisters, my lady?” When she didn’t reply once more he kept talking. 

 

“It's a long way to King's Landing,” I told him in warning, he was getting on my nerves and I could practically hear Brienne seething. 

 

“Might as well get to know one another” Jaime stated with a shrug, he had nothing better to do and it was obvious that captivity had made him extra talkative, “Have you known many men? I suppose not Women? Horses?” Brienne had had enough of Jaime’s mouthing off because she shoved him into his knees at the bank of the Red Fork where a small boat was tied up “Ow,” he complained as I had to stretch out my arms and stoop so the ropes wouldn’t pull on the skin of my wrists “I didn't mean to give offence, my lady” he shot me a look when I muttered out ‘liar’ “Forgive me” he almost pretended to simper but stop short when I started to laugh.

 

Brienne looked off down the river, concerned of being seen from a small bridge that looked deserted “Your crimes are past forgiveness, Kingslayer” she said quietly, I could see she was getting quietly angry at Jaime, while Brienne was quiet and stoic she had a small tick in her jaw whenever Jaime opened his mouth.

 



“Why does she hate me so much?” Jaime asked looking up at me with innocent looking eyes “Have I ever harmed you?” He asked Brienne who sighed.

 

“You've harmed others, those you were sworn to protect, the weak, the innocent,” she spat out, she and mother didn’t believe that Jaime was with me when Bran fell from the broken tower, even after I swore on my sword that Jaime wasn’t involved, the incident with father that led us to this situation though, that was partially his fault attacking my father was stupid and Jaime was well aware of that fact now.

 

“Has anyone ever told you you're as boring as you are ugly?” Brienne ripped Jaime up by the scruff of his tunic and towed him to the rivers edge.

 

“Jaime, keep insulting her like that and I’ll drown you in the river” I said loud enough for Brienne to hear, while we wouldn’t be considered friends I refused to treat her badly, she’d done nothing but been polite and protective since we’d left Renly’s camp. 

 

“You wouldn’t” he said back aghast at my tone, it was a new one for me to use on him and by the look he gave it it was one he didn’t like. 

 

“Listen to your wife, you will not provoke me to anger” Brienne said as she readied the boat for us.

 



“I already have, Look at you. You're ready to chop my head off” Jaime said proudly, making me groan loudly “Do you think you could? Do you think you could beat me in a fair fight?”



 

“I've never seen you fight” Brienne admitted making Jaime chuckle with arrogance. 


 

“The answer is no” he told her “There are three men in the kingdoms who might have a chance against me. You're not one of them” I cleared my throat and looked at him pointedly, last time we fought I got the upper hand several times “and one woman”

 

“All my life men like you have sneered at me, And all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust” Brienne said causing me to grin if it came down to it I’d be betting on Brienne.

 



“If you're so confident, unlock my chains, Let's see what happens,” Jaime dared her as she all but shoved him into the boat, but Jaime was stubborn and was stronger then he looked so he barely moved.

 

“Do you take me for an idiot? In!” She shoved him again and he got the message, she then held her hand out for me to take so I could get in without falling onto my husband or my arse, the one that wasn’t on my body grinned at me from where he’d decided to lie down and wiggled his eyebrows 

 

I sat near Jaime’s head while Brienne sat opposite “I took you for a fighter, a man Pardon. Woman of honour. Was I wrong? You're afraid” he with a cheeky smile that I wanted to remove.

 



“Maybe one day we'll find out, Kingslayer” she replied before pushing off the bank with the boat paddle and let the current pull the boat downstream.

 

“I’ll pay 10 gold dragons just to see her hit you” I said to Jaime as he sat up slightly and rested against my leg. 

 

“Why would you pay someone else when you can do it yourself” Jaime asked, his hand crept under my skirt and he touched my calf gently “you have more muscle” he mumbled “been practicing without me?” He glared up slightly but the look softened when I nodded to Brienne who was steering us under the bridges supports. 

 

“Do you really think I wouldn’t see what my mothers sworn sword was capable of?” I asked  him as he slumped when he realised that the dagger I usually kept attached to my calf wasn’t there, I had a feeling he’d do something like this so I strapped it to my thigh instead making sure it was hidden in the folds of the thick woollen skirts. 

 

—————

3rd Person POV:

 

Jaime looked down at his wife who slept snuggled to his chest on the cramped boat and for a moment he cursed his shackles, Brienne had untied Anaris when they thought it was safer to do so but he was still confined, he wanted to hold her properly. She’d had a bath before they’d left Robb’s camp that much was obvious because she smelt of flowers instead of horse shit and whatever Torrhen Karstark had stunk of.

 

“She’s usually fretful in her slumber” Brienne mumbled almost to herself as she steered the boat away from a large stump that was partially submerged in the rivers waters “screaming mostly” 

 

“When we were in Kings Landing and Winterfell she never had an issue,” Jaime replied truthfully, he didn’t want to wake Anaris up with fighting so he decided not to spur the large woman into a quiet rage, “she told me she wasn’t sleeping because of her dreams” he looked down and took a deep breath of her hair. 

 

“She’d mentioned them to Renly when we were in the Stormlands, Kings Landing on fire, stones melting” Brienne glanced at Anaris, when she twitched and made a noise in the back of her throat. 

 

The slumbering woman was dreaming of the sound of leathery wings and screeching that hurt her ears as she stared out at rolling hillsides and an ocean that was as grey as the sky above her, when she turned in her dream she stood before a dragon the size of Balerion the Dread, whose skull was in the dungeons of the Red Keep, there was a flash of silver hair and a young woman came towards Anaris with a friendly smile on her face that was when she woke with a gasp and sat up abruptly causing both Jaime and Brienne to jump minutely “Ris?” Jaime said reaching to touch her slightly.

 

“Just a weird dream” she muttered loudly before shaking her head, “you need to rest Brienne, there’s nowhere for him to run” she looked to the bank where Whispering Wood lined the banks of the Red Fork where a flap of wings and an owls hooted in the distance and Brienne awkwardly shuffled her body down and closed her eyes, the married couple didn’t speak until slight snores were coming from Brienne’s now relaxed body. 

 

“What did you dream of?” Jaime asked quietly so he wouldn’t disturb their companion, Anaris shifted and sat up straighter and began to steer the boat. 

 

“Dragons,” her mind replayed the dream and the young woman with silver hair whose family was all but wiped from existence “and a Targaryen girl” she shook her head to clear her mind and continued to let the currents slowly take them down the river. 

 

“I know Aerys sent his wife and two youngest children to Dragonstone during the rebellion, she was pregnant” Anaris nodded, she was born just before the rebellion, while Robb was born during, Anaris could remember the lessons Maester Luwin had done, Viserys and his unborn sibling were whisked off with the bare minimum of guards in the night. 

 

“I remember Robert talking to father about the ‘Targaryen whore’ he wanted her dead so she couldn’t come back with a Dothraki army” she shook her head at the laughable thought of the Dothraki crossing the Narrow Sea “but I’ve never met a Targaryen, let alone see one that had their hair, Old Nan used to tell me stories of people that could see glimpses of the future and control animals, Greensight, she called it” when Jaime shot her a look Anaris just shrugged “I said they were stories Jaime” 

 

—————

 Anaris’ POV:

 

By noontime the next day we’d reached just west of Pinkmaiden and Jaime was still trying to bait Brienne into hitting him, I stood unsteadily and hopped from the boat as Jaime raised his chained hands and looked at Brienne expectantly, while I rubbed the backs of my thighs to ease the pain, Brienne hefted him up and out of the boat while Jaime looked her up and down while I grabbed our supplies and kicked the boat back the way we’d come, we wouldn’t be returning this way “You're a virgin, I take it?” I petted Brienne gently on the shoulder as I walked past her and lead the way into the grove of trees that grew along the bank. 

 

“Walk” I heard from behind me and I knew Brienne shoved Jaime in my direction. 

 

“Childhood must have been awful for you. Were you a foot taller than all the boys?” Jaime said with a clear smirk in his voice, he was getting to Brienne again, the night had been peaceful now Jaime was at it again “They laughed at you, called you names? Some boys like a challenge, one or two must have tried to get inside Big Brienne” 

 

“One or two tried” Brienne said truthfully, I glanced at my husband and met eyes with Brienne, she didn’t need my pity for the girl she once was and she certainly didn’t want it but I wish I could’ve known her then, so she’d have someone. 

 

“Ah,” Jaime said causing me to break eye contact with Brienne “but you fought them off, But maybe you wished one of them could overpower you, fling you down, tear off your clothes” I met Jaime’s eyes this time when I turned and looked, he wiggled his eyebrows in my direction and I sighed “but none of them were strong enough, I know someone strong enough” 

 

“Jaime” I said disgusted by his words, he didn’t have to be like this to her, and he certainly didn’t have to say such things. 

 

“Not interested”

 

“Of course you are,” Jaime continued when I stopped dead in my tracks and stared ahead of me with wide eyes “You'd love to know what it feels like to be a woman, Ris can tell you how it feels” Jaime bumped into my back and saw what I was seeing, three women were hung in a tree, the middle of the trio had a sign around her neck that stated ‘they lay with lions’ bile rose in my throat as I imagined what they would’ve gone through. 

 

“Ah. ‘They lay with lions’” Jaime read in his stilted way. 

 

“Tavern girls, I'd say” I said quietly as I swallowed the sorrow that choked me, “Probably served your father's soldiers” I said and felt Jaime lay a kiss to my head, he knew what I was probably thinking, knew that if I’d stayed behind with mother and Robb this would probably be my fate as well. 

 

“Maybe one of them gave up a kiss and a feel, that’s how they earned this,” Jaime said, the forest was silent as if it also mourned the loss of these girls “The glorious work of the Northern freedom fighters, must make you proud to serve the Starks” Jaime said to Brienne who moved around us and held the rope that was attached to Jaime out for me to grab. 

 

“I don't serve the Starks, I serve Lady Catelyn and for now Lady Anaris” I watched as Brienne made her under the bodies to the ropes that was attached to the tree. 

 

“Tell yourself that tonight when they swing in your dreams” I shuddered and drug Jaime to sit on the tree root while I helped Brienne. 

 

“What are you doing?” Jaime asked as I tied him to the tree and went over to Brienne. 

 

“Burying them” I replied, making sure my cloaks hood securely over my hair I adjusted it so I could see what I was doing. 

 

“We shouldn't stay here, We should get back on the river” Jaime urged us as I stood under the rotting corpses and got ready to catch the first girl. 

 

“I think these women would understand if I don't care what you think” Brienne replied as she went to loosen the knot of the rope we heard voices approaching us, the men were arguing about a dagger that had been lost. 

 

“Untie me. Now!” I rushed to Jaime and instead of untying him I quickly wrapped the ropes around my wrists so it looked like I was also tied up, my sword was hidden in the folds of my cloak, three men approached still bickering about a lost dagger. 

 

“I gave it to you to cut the rope, and now I don't have me dagger no more” the middle of the three said, their leather armour bore my families crest but they were unfamiliar, still I hid my face and looked to Jaime to make sure he knew to play along. 

 

“So unless it got stuck in your arse on its way to your cunt, it stands to reason that it's gone,” the one of the left said when they finally noticed us, all three sets of eyes skittered between Brienne, Jaime and I “Whoa, What's your business here?” His hand rested on his sword, ready to draw it at a moments notice, my fingers twitched for my own blade but I held still and kept my breathing steady. 

 

“Traveling prisoners” Brienne replied causing the three men to begin to laugh hysterically at the thought of her doing a man’s duty. 

 

“You're a woman. A woman!” The middle man said clutching his stomach while his friends were all but doubled over still laughing. 

 

“Well, fuck me!” The one on the right spoke as he wiped his eyes as tears begin to stream down his face. 

 

“If you've quite finished up-“ Brienne said causing them to laugh even louder and harder, being fed up with their behaviour she turned towards Jaime and I “All right, we'll be going,” Brienne grumbled as she began to undo the rope, she met my eyes and looked to to my ‘tied’ hands and made a quiet noise to let me know she knew what I was planning, if it came down to a fight I’d be ready to help. 

 

“Whoa. Whoa!” The men finally stopped laughing as Brienne adjusted the ropes “Who do you fight for?” She went to leave but the men blocked our passage. 

 

“The Starks” Brienne replied, it was the smartest answer, the Karstarks and Boltons wouldn’t have a woman fighting for them, my family would on the other hand. 

 

“What did he do?” The left man asked, making my hidden eyes dart to Jaime then Brienne, both hesitated to I spoke up making sure my voice was unrecognisable. 

 

“Apparently eating is now a crime,” i said from the depths of my hood.

 

“Who knew?” Jaime said with a shrug causing Brienne to make a noise in the back of her thought. 

 

“No, stealing is a crime” she replied. 

 

“But it's not a crime to starve,” I said to Jaime who chuckled. 

 

“That's justice for you,” he said as Brienne tried to get around the men again but they continued to bar our path. 

 

“Where are you taking them?” The first man asked Brienne, his hand still resting on his sword eyeing the three of us with suspicion. 

 

“To Riverrun” 

 

“Why Riverrun?” The second man asked, he was also suspicious and the third man began to slowly inch around us. 

 

“Steal from the Tullys, it's their dungeons you rot in” Brienne said dragging Jaime and I closer, the jolt caused my hood to move slightly.  

 

“What do you think of these beauties?” The first man asked as he finally let Brienne move slightly past him. 

 

“I hope you gave them quick deaths” she replied, as we skirted around the men. 

 

“Two of them we did, yeah” the first man said with a smirk, we stepped into a puddle of sunlight and I knew my hair was showing now, a breeze had ruffled it slightly and when the sun hit my deep brown locks the red that was hidden within the strands shone. 

 

“Wait. I do know you” the second man spoke, making my hands twitch again this time closer to my sword “That's Jaime Lannister” I glanced at the man when he locked eyes with me “and Anaris Stark” 

 

“If this is the Kingslayer and the Kings sister, I think I'd know about it” Brienne said trying to get away from the men. 

 

“How do you know what the Kingslayer looks like?” The third man asked his companion, he was now behind us and I didn’t like having him at me back. 

 

“I was at Whispering Wood. I saw him. They dragged him out of the woods and threw him down before the king, Lady Anaris was found by the King in the Wood” the man who recognised us said making the hairs on the back of my neck rise, he knew, he was there the day I pleaded with my brother and mother. 

 

“He's not the Kingslayer and she’s not Lady Stark, Sorry to disappoint you” Brienne went to move again “If he was, I'd only be traveling his head” she tugged us forward again but this time my hood fell off completely. 

 

“I have a question for you all” the first man spoke stopping us again, my hair now on full display there was no way of hiding who I was “I want you to answer it at the same time. I count to three, you both answer. What's his name? One. Two. Three” my hands came untied as Brienne shoved Jaime to the ground and I spun to attack the man who had inched closer to us, my sword already in my hand before he had time to draw his, I heard fighting behind me as my sword pierced his armour and cut into his body, I’d sharpened it to the point where you couldn’t fell the blade as it cut through skin, I pulled my sword through his guts and stepped back as he dropped to his knees and clutched his intestines as he flopped down on his back gasping for air, arms wrapped around me and I slammed my head against the second man who was trying to get a grip on my sword, when he let go an inch I yanked my dagger from my skirts and dropped into a ball, spinning on the balls on my feet I yanked my dagger across the backs of his knees splitting the delicate tissue open easily, with the tendons severed he could no longer stand and ended up on his back next to his friend as Brienne quickly dispatched the first man. 

 

She wiped her sword on the first man’s shirt and came over to me as I stood staring down at the man who was whimpering on the ground “Two quick deaths” I stated as the man slowly bled from his wounds, Brienne stepped next to me as I slowly shoved my sword through the man’s stomach and under his ribs into every vital organ, blood bubbled from his mouth and he stilled as I withdrew my sword and wiped it on his tunic. 

 

“Those were Stark men” Jaime said as he got to his feet and I stepped away from the blood puddle that was spreading from the mens bodies. 

 

“I don't serve the Starks. I serve Lady Catelyn. I told you I'd take you to King's Landing, and that's what I'm going to do” Brienne stated as Jaime came closer to me and checked to see if I was hurt at all “Stay” she ordered Jaime as she walked over to the rope that held the women’s bodies. 

 

“If they got me they would’ve done the same thing to me as they did to them” I nodded to the women as Brienne swung her sword with a grunt and severed the rope, the rotten bodies hit the ground with a thud “Lord Karstark’s men cornered me before they captured you again, told me I was a whore who spread her legs for the Lannister’s and that I was going to get what was coming to me and be passed around to the men” I met Jaime’s eyes as Brienne began to dig a grave for the bodies “one of them was about to…” I stopped and swallowed the lump that rose in my throat once more, “that’s when Lord Bolton entered the tent and found me, he killed them” Jaime raised his filthy hand and touched my face gently “these men deserved worse for what  they’ve done to these women” I went to move away from Jaime but he hooked his hands around my head and our foreheads met gently. 

 

“You’re stronger then you look Lannister” he mumbled as he rubbed his nose against mine and kissed me gently.