Chapter 1 ~ Dark Wings, Dark Words ~

I huddled under my cloak and waited, I had rabbits for both Brienne and Jaime but not one for myself, I knew there was another rabbit out there in the darkness I could hear it quietly hopping through the undergrowth just in front of me, close by but too far to kill it, I waited as it hopped closer and closer, finally coming into view as it cautiously came from safety, I didn’t move, couldn’t breath as it came closer and closer then I struck as fast as viper trapping it in the cage that I had set up, it struggled as I snagged it and killed it quick and as painlessly as possible before grabbing the other two rabbits and going back to our small fire. 

 

“Took you long enough” Jaime teased as i crouched down and began to skin and gut the rabbits before handing them to Brienne who skewered them with sticks and began to cook them. 

 

“If you’re not careful you’ll be next” I looked at him and gestured with my dagger to the food. 

 

“I’m much too dirty to eat” Jaime replied with a grin as I snuggled closer into my cloak, the nights were getting chillier and even the fire did little to stave off the icy tendrils that caused me to shake hard at night. 

 

I looked down at my cloak and sighed, I was also filthy, a few months traversing the wilderness will do that to a person, but not as filthy as Jaime who hadn’t had a bath in almost a year, his boots had seen better days and his hair was in need of cutting “you’d give us a gut ache” I mumbled as Brienne silently handed me a cooked rabbit. 

 

~ Later ~

“How did you come into Lady Stark's service?” Jaime asked Brienne after she ignored him successfully for a few days she was starting wear thin and was really letting get to her, Jaime saw it as a game but what I saw was a woman who would very happily skewer him if she hadn’t sworn an oath to my mother “There's something we can talk about,” I rolled my eyes. 

 

“Not your concern, Kingslayer” Brienne fobbed him off, their back and forth, while entertaining, was getting on my nerves. 

 

“It had to be recently. You weren't with her at Winterfell” he looked at me and I shook my head. 

 

“How would you know?” I asked him “when you were in Winterfell you were indoors most of the time” 

 

Jaime chuckled and shook his head “Because when we were in Winterfell, I would have noticed her dour head smacking into the archways” he leant towards me and winked “even though I was distracted by a certain woman” I pushed his face away from mine, “Were you pledged to Stannis?” He asked Brienne. 

 

Brienne by all rights looked at him like he was absolutely insane “Gods, no” she looked at me like he’d just insulted her entire family. 

 

“Ah, Renly. Really? He wasn't fit to rule over anything more important than a 12-course meal” Jaime remarked causing me to swiftly turn and punch his arm, he and Renly weren’t on good terms but that didn’t mean he had to insult the man. 

 

“Shut your mouth,” Brienne growled out as the trees that lined both sides of the path we were on began to thin slightly. 

 

“Why? I lived with him at court since he was a boy, don't forget,” Jaime chuckled as he continued “Could hardly escape the little tulip. Skipping down the corridors in his embroidered silks. I knew him far better than you” I turned to hit him again but he caught my hand and kissed it “you knew him better then the two of us, Wolf,” his teeth grazed my knuckles and I pulled my hand from his. 

 

“I knew him as well as anyone. As a member of his Kingsguard, he trusted me with everything” Brienne said with her head raised. 

 

“He would have been a wonderful king,” I commented quietly, it was true, he would’ve made a fine king, he cared for a lot of people and he was well loved by a lot of people.

 

“Sounds like you quite fancied him” Jaime commented with a look in his eye that made me grin, he was jealous of a man who had a male lover and no interest in women. 

 

“I did not fancy him,” I scoffed, while when I had first met Renly I did like him very much and had been hoping father and Robert would think we were a good match I realised that he had no interest in me whatsoever.

 

“Oh, gods, you did” he fake gasped and then looked at Brienne who was blushing, she also had a thing for Renly which made Jaime’s jaw drop before he sobered up “Did you ever tell him?” He asked her but when she received only a slight yank on his ropes he continued “No, of course not. You weren't Renly's type, I'm afraid” he grinned when she yanked the rope harder in response “He preferred curly-haired little girls like Loras Tyrell,” he chuckled and looked at Brienne for a moment “You're far too much man for him” this time I was the one who grabbed the rope and yanked making Jaime scramble to stay upright. 

 

“I'm not interested in foul rumours” Brienne said with a scoff.

 

“Unless they're about me,” Jaime spat out at her causing me to wince at the sound of anger in his voice “It's all true about Renly. His proclivities were the worst kept secret at court, It's a shame the throne isn't made out of cocks. They'd have never got him off it,” Brienne moved, fast as lightning, yanking Jaime backwards one moment and the next she had him standing directly in front of her looking him in the eye with hatred. 

 

“Shut your mouth!” Brienne seethed and Jaime waved me off when I went to intervene. 

 

“I don't blame him, And I don't blame you, either” he then looked at me and a small smile on his face “We don't get to choose who we love” Brienne let Jaime go as a man approached leading a horse and wagon, he’d noticed us and looked at all of use in turn. 

 

“Where are you headed, then?” The man called out, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I stared directly at him. 

 

“South” Brienne said “You?” 

 

“Riverrun. Staying off the kingsroad, are you?” When Brienne nodded he smiled “They get you no matter where you go. You can't win” he shrugged. 

 

“No, you really can't” Brienne said with a chuckle which made the man smile at us kindly. 

 

“Looks like you're safe enough, though,” he nodded to Brienne’s swords “Meaning no offense, my lady, but I wouldn't tangle with you” he laughed again and continued one his way “Seven blessings to you” he called back. 

 

“And you” Brienne said as she tugged Jaime forward, I looked behind us in time to see the man stop and look towards us once more, as if he was trying to recall something. 

 

“He knows who we are,” I commented quietly, but Brienne shook her head in denial. 

 

“He doesn't” she replied, but her words did nothing to elevate the sinking feeling I had in my stomach. 

 

“Maybe you're right,” Jaime said, he also had caught the man looking back “But what if you're not? What if he tells someone?”

 

“We're not doing it. He's an innocent man” Brienne mumbled shaking her head again. 

 

“More innocent than Lady Stark's daughters?” Jaime asked causing my teeth to grind together and Brienne to shove Jaime harshly forward, there would be no convincing her. 

 

~ Later ~

 

After Jaime and Brienne had another argument about whether we should cross the river via the stone bridge or cross it using the water but Jaime shot himself in the foot by saying he’d easily escape from Brienne so she shoved him onto the bridge while I followed behind, scanning our surroundings. 

 

“Gambler at heart,” Jaime commented and Brienne led the way “Wouldn't have guessed” he met my eyes and I shrugged.

 

“Be quick about it” she dragged him to the middle but Jaime has other ideas, he stopped moving and plopped himself down on the bridges wall, causing Brienne to stop as well. 

 

“I need to rest” Jaime said as I spun slowly in a circle, my eyes scanning the trees for threats of being discovered. 

 

“Get up” I said as Jaime took his show off and rubbed his feet gingerly. 

 

“I have these, you know, on your feet when you walk too far” I glared at him when he looked up “What do you call them?” He asked, if he gets us caught and taken back to Robb I am going to kill him. 

 

“Get up now,” Brienne demanded, yanking on the rope as she joined me in looking around like we were going to be ambushed by the Hill Tribes. 

 

“Corns,” Jaime exclaimed when he thought of the word “never used to get corns, Of course I used to ride everywhere,” he looked at me and grinned, he obviously was remembering all the times we rode together “not march around like a common foot soldier wearing the same shit boots for over a year” Brienne got tired of his game and hefted him to his feet “This heel is ruined. There's no way-“ I moved forward as she moved away and Jaime took that unguarded moment and unsheathed my sword while shoving me behind his body, he drew Brienne’s long sword a moment later and threw it into the river. 

 

He used my sword to cut his ropes loose and took a fighting stance in front of Brienne who was staring at him in surprise “I never understood why some knights felt the need to carry two swords” Jaime commented as Brienne removed her second sword and took an aggressive stance, Jaime danced around her making her move “Ooh. You move well for a great beast of a woman” he grinned as he lunged forward and their swords clashed, “You shouldn't grimace before you lunge,” he shoved her back “It gives away the game” he lunged again but Brienne countered and they switched places, I perched on the wall of the bridge and leant my chin on the palm on my hand. 

 

“Bit of a quandary for you,” Jaime said as the clashes once more “If you kill me, you fail Lady Stark and Ris will most definitely kill you” i raised my eyebrow at him when he shrugged “But if you don't kill me, I'm going to kill you” he struck again, “You're good. Graceless, but good” Brienne got tired of his game and got close enough and kneed him in the stomach. 

 

“Enough” I said as I got up, there was a moment of silence before they collided again, and in that moment I heard hoof beats coming from the other side of the bridge, “Brienne”

 

“See?” Jaime spoke, interrupting me “If you were willing to hurt me, you might have had me there,” Jaime increased his attacks, their shoulders collided as they got closer to me, but my eyes were trained on the opening of the forest, Brienne took Jaime to the ground as a horse neighed and three mounted men exited the forest coming towards us, their banners were ones I was not happy to see.

 

“Looks like your woman's getting the better of you, if you can call that a woman,” the man in the middle spoke as I moved closer to Jaime and snatched my sword from the ground. 

 

Jaime laughed “she’s my wife sister actually, We enjoy a good fight, gets my juices flowing”

 

“The Flayed Man of House Bolton,” I said and the man nodded once, Jaime got between me and the men while Brienne came and stood next to my other side. 

 

“A bit gruesome for my taste” Jaime commented, he glanced over his shoulder as the man spoke again. 

 

“You sure he's the one?” He asked as the man we encountered in the forest earlier was brought forward, the one Brienne had spared. 

 

“That's them, all right. I saw him fight at the tourney for Ser Willem Frey's wedding and Lady Stark visited her grandfather when I was in Riverrun selling my cabbages, but older now but definitely her”

 

“Give the man his silver,” the Bolton man said and a sack of coins was handed to the man who thanked the men and left, my hand tightened on my sword and i went to lift it when Jaime grabbed my wrist and held it. 

 

“Let us go and my father will pay you whatever you want,” Jaime said almost causing me to scoff, these men while greedy wouldn’t take that deal, there was no guarantee that they would get money, take us back to Robb however and they’d get glory. 

 

“Enough to buy me a new head?” The man asked sarcastically, proving my assumptions right, “If the King in the North hears I had the Kingslayer and his dear sister and let them go, he'll be taking it right off” the men snickered behind him “I'd rather he takes yours” he moved his horse forward essentially trapping us on the bridge, we were headed back to Robb and mother less then two moons after we started our journey.