Chapter 7 ~The Bear and the Maiden Fair ~

I spurred my horse to ride faster as I came through the gates of Harrenhal once more, Storm ran full pelt at my side and Jaime with the rest of the men were a ways behind us, I pulled my horse to a stop and looked around the deserted courtyard “Storm, scent” I held a piece of cloth Brienne had given me, her family’s sigil on it, Storm huffed and took off to the left, she was silent and quick, I spurred my horse to follow and found a crowd of men around a makeshift fighting pit, the men began to sing The Bear and the Maiden Fair as an animal roared from inside the fighting pit. 

 

“Gods, Ris, you’re faster then I give you credit for” Jaime said as he jumped off his horse and we both climbed the stairs that lead up to the ring around the top of the pit, i unsheathed my sword and had it ready as Brienne came into view but so did the animal that was in the pit with her, the bear was far bigger then any I had seen and it was angry, Brienne held a wooden sword, her dress already slashed by the bears claws. 

 

“A wooden sword?” I shouted at Locke who looked over the jeering men and had the decency to actually appear shocked that we’d come back. 

 

“I thought you'd gone,” Locke replied as I shoved my way towards the little man, men grumbled at the fact that I was blocking their view. 

 

“You gave her a wooden sword,” Jaime shouted from next to me and Locke just shrugged and gestured to the bear who roared again and lunged for Brienne who was out of the way before it could get to her. 

 

“We've only got one bear,” Locke said as if it was the most important part of what was happening below us. 

 

“I'll pay her bloody ransom. Gold, sapphires, whatever you want” Jaime growled, as he stepped closer to Locke, “Just get her out of there” Locke quirked an eyebrow but laughed. 

 

“All you lords and ladies still think that the only thing that matters is gold” he shoved Jaime which in turn made me fall back slightly into the men behind me, “This makes me happier than all your gold ever could. And that makes me happier than all her sapphires” he shoved Jaime again and laughed “So go buy yourself a golden hand and fuck yourself with it” the bear roared again and I turned to see Brienne try to fend it off with the wooden sword, it was no match, the bear swiped at it and disarmed her instantly before it pounced at her and knocked her to the ground. 

 

Brienne yelled out and without a moment’s hesitation Jaime jumped into the pit, I went to follow him but Steelshanks held me back “he’ll be fine M’lady” he levelled a bow and arrow at the beast of a bear and fired an arrow at it while it was distracted with Jaime. 

 

“What the fuck are you doing to my bear?” Locke shouted at Steelshanks as he notched another arrow. 

 

“Lord Bolton charged me with bringing him back to King's Landing alive and that's what I aim to do” he sent a glare at Locke like he was dating him to try and make his job harder then it was. 

 

“Pull her up” Jaime yelled from below us as Steelshanks let loose another arrow, narrowly missing the bears head, I grabbed Brienne’s outstretched hand with two other men and hauled her up. 

 

“Hold my legs” I ordered the men as soon as Brienne was safely on the platform, strong hands gripped my ankles and I reached for my husband, Steelshanks let loose more arrows, I snagged Jaime’s good hand and reached under his armpit and held on as the men pulled us both up as the bear swiped but missed Jaime, we both collapsed onto the harsh wooden platform and gasped in breaths “never do that again” I told him making him chuckle as he stood and hauled me up with him. 

 

“You know I will” he kissed me and we looked back down as the bear pounded on the wood below us where Jaime and Brienne had been. 

 

“The bitch stays,” Locke seethed making me stoop down and grab my sword, I levelled it to his face and glared at him. 

 

“We're taking her to King's Landing,” I told him pressing the blade to his face “Unless you kill me” I challenged him. 

 

“She belongs to me,” he said spitting out the words “Lord Bolton's orders” the crowd had gone silent, they were waiting to see what would happen next and I was going to prove to them that Locke was a coward. 

 

“What do you think is more important to Lord Bolton?” I asked him making it clear he wasn’t going to be getting what he wanted “Getting his pet rat a reward or ensuring Tywin Lannister gets his son and his wife back alive?” I asked him and for a moment I thought he’d actually try to fight me but being the rat he was he relented. 

 

“Well, we must be on our way,” Jaime said as I put my sword away and turned my back in Locke, the ultimate insult to a man with a fragile ego, “Sorry about the sapphires” Jaime mocked as I lead Brienne away from the pit, Steelshanks followed and quickly secured a horse for Brienne. 

 

“How did you find me?” She asked me, I gestured to Storm who was waiting patiently for us. 

 

“Your sigil” I said as I handed it back before getting into my horse “I knew it would come in handy” I grinned as we left Harrenhal, Brienne would be safe with us, when we reached the capital I’d send her off with Sansa and Arya to somewhere even safer.

 

—————

 

“The draft you are after is extremely difficult to produce, if done incorrectly it would be ineffective” Qyburn said a few days after we’d left Harrenhal, it was deep into the night when I finally decided to say something about the draft I wanted, well needed. Jaime sat beside me, listening but not really paying attention to us while our guards and Brienne slept on the harsh ground around the fire that was lit to keep us warm. 

 

“I understand, Qyburn but can you do it?” I pressed the would be Maester to give me an answer, Jaime grumbled when Qyburn thought on it for a moment. 

 

“I can, i am not sure if it will work” I glanced at Jaime who gave me a look that said he was okay if it went either way, i was still undecided, with everything going on being with child seemed like a bad decision.

 

“Try, and if it doesn’t work then you’ll be helping me through out the time of my pregnancy, gods know i will not have Pycelle come near me” I shuddered and Jaime chuckled quietly, he knew of my hatred for the old Maester that serves the Red Keep, 

 

“I’m unsure how helpful i can be but I will happily serve you, my lady” Qyburn said making me smile in reply, Qyburn stood and made his way over to his satchel “I don’t have what i need to make this draft but the herbs are easy to find in these woods” he rummaged in his bag and made a noise when he didn’t find what he was obviously looking for he began to mutter to himself as he plopped down on the grass.

 

“What do you think?” I asked Jaime as he scrubbed his good hand through his beard, he sighed deeply and met my eyes after a long moment. 

 

“I think that with everything that is happening being with child might be a bad decision” we both made the same noise in agreement “but if it happens then I’m with you even though I’m a cripple” he turned and glared at his stump.

 

“I already told you what i think of that” i told him before touching his scruffy face “we’ll be in King’s Landing before the week is out, knowing Qyburn he will make the draft correctly and then we can revisit this again, if not then we’ll have and little you and me running around causing chaos” i brushed his hair away from his eyes when he turned to look at me and smiled.

 

“I would love to see the chaos a little you would cause” he replied before kissing me soundly as if we weren’t in the middle of the woods during a war that was threatening to tear the known world apart. 

 

—————

 

We stopped at an Inn a day or so ride from King’s Landing, the draft I had asked Qyburn for burned its way down my throat and i was in need of an ale to wash the bitter taste from my mouth, “I swear on me life” a merchant said loudly to his companions, “The Frey’s rode the King in the North’s body out for all to see, his fucking wolf’s head was sown onto his body” the man laughed loudly when i came to a stop suddenly, “killed his bitch, the pup and that whore of a mother of his as well as their soldiers”

 

“Fucking King in the North, stupid boy playing at a war, traitors all of them” another man spat, I spun on my heel and grabbed the merchants throat and chocked him.

 

“The fuck did you just say?” I asked him, his eyes bulged as he tried to removed my hand from his fat neck, “what did you say about Robb Stark and his mother?” I shook him when he didn’t reply. 

 

“The Frey’s” he chocked out, “Roose Bolton and Walder Frey killed him, his wife and his mother at Edmure Tully’s wedding to a Frey girl” i threw him to the dirt floor of the Inn and all but ran from the building, I went to jump on to my horse when Jaime appeared and grabbed me around the waist.

 

“No, let me go” I screamed as Jaime dragged me from the horse “I’m going to kill those bastards, Roose Bolton is on the top of my list” I continued to struggle as my breathing became hard and tears bubbled from my eyes.

 

“Anything you do now will be watched, breathe, you’ll make them pay when its time” he trapped me in his arms and held me tightly as I wept for my brother and mother, i would never seen them again and i hated Roose Bolton and Walder Frey with all my being, they would pay and pay dearly.