Northern Sun | Robb Stark

Chapter 15

Jaime made it to the Great Hall alive.

"Surprised you didn't tell them to hack my head off," he murmured to Eidalya as she stood over him, the Northern men having disarmed him and tied his arm behind his back after two groups of them nearly beat him bloody in the courtyard.

Lord Umber forced Jaime to sit back on his heels. "Give us the word and we'll behead him, Princess," said the Greatjon.

Eidalya held out her hand. "Thank you, Lord Umber, but that will not be necessary. You may all leave us." She waited for the lords to leave, the door slamming shut behind them, before glaring down at Jaime, chest rising and falling heavily, "You've one less hand than the last time I saw you."

"And you still hold yours to Robb Stark," said Jaime curtly, displeased with her attitude.

She rolled her eyes. "Why are you here?"

"You know, you may not like to remember you're Cersei's daughter, but you are exactly like her when you're angry."

"You say that as if I can't have my men behead you right here and now!" snapped Eidalya. "I could command Lord Glover and Lord Umber to tie your arms to one horse and your legs to another and then any number of men will gladly volunteer to smack their bums and let the horses rip you apart."

"You could, but you won't. You've hated me the moment you learned who I really was. You never gave me a chance to say anything then and you certainly don't seem about to give me any chances now. So why ask anything? Why bother speaking to me? You wish to kill me, get it over with. Rid yourself of the thing you hate."

Her hands shook, finding it as hard to look at him now as she did when Grey Wind first led her to his pen, back when he'd been Robb's captive. "You and my mother disgust me."

"The Targaryens–"

"Do you think saying that makes it any better? I was no less disgusted when I learned the Targaryens did it. You know, Jon Arryn once told me of a rumor that King Aerys bedded Lady Joanna. I never believed anything came of it because he and I poured over the documents of that time and it would've been near impossible for King Aerys to have fathered you and my mother, but considering your predispositions toward each other, I cannot help but wonder if maybe the rumors were right!"

Jaime swallowed hard. "Right or not, your mother is losing her mind in the black cells. She never wanted me to be a father to any of you. She didn't open any opportunities, she never imagined the world would know. But the world found out, the war began before that, and you ended it. I... I was your enemy for a time. I came to many realizations when Lady Brienne was taking me to King's Landing. Even more after I saw Joffrey die. I realized we might all die and I would never truly know you, or Myrcella, or Tommen. Three children that I... never really spoke to. You and I parted on poor terms. I wanted to change it. I want to know you, I want to keep you safe from whatever else is going to come. My place is no longer in the Kingsguard or... beneath Cersei's thumb. The one thing I've never been is a father. I wish to change that."

"You're as mad as her if you think I'm allowing you anywhere near Myrcella and Tommen," said Eidalya darkly. "You're very right, Kingslayer, we don't know each other and I have no way of determining if this is all an act, if you're going to hurt the people I care about."

"They've become your family," said Jaime. "I understood it even before, when you told me why you sided with the Starks. I didn't think you'd manage to put Stannis on the throne, that you'd manage to keep Robb Stark alive. Your grandfather didn't believe you were capable of any of it. But you did it. You have Tommen and Myrcella. They're safe. You... you took better care of them than any of us ever did. I would never want to hurt them, Eidalya. I never even wanted to hurt you. I've been a horrible man. I see that you should hate me for what I am, for what I've done. But I do wish to change it. I stand to gain nothing from harming the people you care for. But I can gain... even some slight redemption by keeping you three safe."