Chapter 5
JAIME LANNISTER
The journey had been unusually quiet. Jaime had ridden forth at the King's command, and had reached Deep Den quickly, and they had departed a few hours after his arrival. Robert had become rather frustrated with everything and wished to leave for the North as soon as possible.
The lack of progress in the assassination attempt on his son had only aggravated his frustrations, and even the usual combination of wine and women was not able to quench his rage. They had ridden hard and long, and yet despite days of riding, he had yet to dine a moment alone with Steffon, who had been unusually quiet during the whole journey.
He had tried to speak to him a few times. Had tried to muster up the courage and talk to him, yet there was too much unsaid between them. He did not know what to say or ask. So, he recused himself into protecting him as best as he could.
Jaime had fathered four children, even though he may never be able to claim them as his own openly. He loved them equally, yet some were just easier to love than others.
Still, they were nearing the Capito, and he could already smell the city in the air. They would reach the Red Keep in half a day, and so he needed to talk to him. So, he did as he had always done and pushed his horse closer to Tyrion's and chose to ask him.
"Has he been this quiet the whole journey?" and his brother shook his head.
"Not really," and meeting him had been the one solace of this trip, and he was only thankful that their father had sent as many guards as he had, for otherwise he would not have just lost a son, but a brother as well.
"We were having quite a banter, at least until the attack happened," and such a thing would make anyone turn quiet.
"You think he is quiet because of that," and he had been told that they had faced a few bandits along the way as well, and that he had killed one of them during their escape.
Jaime knew what the first kill felt like. It tore one up, and while the ones after that may blur up, one hardly ever forgets their first kill.
"Because he killed someone," and his brother scoffed and shook his head.
"It can't be. This is not the first time he has killed someone," and his head snapped to Tyrion at that, who was sipping wine from his flagon.
"What?" and he did not remember any mention of that.
"He was father's page. You know how he is," and Jaime's hands over the reins tightened, and he really should have known better.
"When?" he asked, before adding sharply.
"And why didn't you mention it in your letters?" he could have done something. He could have written to his father. He could have tried to stop it.
"He has been going bandit hunting for a year now. I think he has made like three trips. He killed his first man around a year ago. How many has he killed after that? I have no idea," Tyrion answered truthfully, and he had asked him to keep an eye on him, and yet he had been told none of this.
"And why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked again through gritted teeth.
"Because, you may be my brother, but he is my nephew as well," he said, pointing towards Steffon.
"We need to have some secrets of our own," yet that was not the real reason, and Tyrion was quick enough to realise that he had seen through his lie. So, after some silence, his brother finally uttered out the truth with a sigh.
"I did not want him to feel that he could not trust me," he answered.
"He is smart. He figured out that I was keeping an eye on him for you and Cersei within a few months, and so I did not want him to feel like he could not trust me with his secrets," and that was well intentioned, yet still it pained him to realise that there was much he did not know about his son.
"What else didn't you mention?" Jaime asked, and Tyrion sighed.
"Not much. You already know about his distaste for the Capitol and his family. He is not much fond of his father as well," and it took him a second to realise that Tyrion was speaking of Robert, and not him.
"He figured out a way to better organise the ledgers at Lannisport, and the same method is being adopted all over the Westerlands at their father's command. He is not much fond of drinking, or his twin for that matter," and knew much of that, yet every line felt like years he had lost with him.
"He is a well-behaved kid," Tyrion finished, before those eyes narrowed onto him.
"Which makes me wonder what exactly made our sister send him to father so suddenly?" and Jaime stilled at that question, as Tyrion looked at him with a piercing gaze.
"Has he told you anything about it?" Jaime questioned cautiously, and Tyrion waited before shaking his head.
"No. Not a word," he began.
"What about father?" and again he was answered with a shake of his head, much to his relief.
"I know that he asked him about it, but he refused to answer. In the end, father did not push, but I will," Tyrion was adamant.
"What the hell happened for Cersei to send him away to father of all people?" and he wished that he could answer, but he could not.
"Nothing," he lied, as Tyrion's lips thinned.
"I am your brother, Jaime. You have to tell me," and the last words were whispered, and he knew that he could. But he had promised.
"Not here. Not now," he answered, and Tyrion backed away.
"I will hold you to that. But I want to know the truth," and he gave him a nod before his gaze turned towards Steffon once more, and just beside him, the Capitol came into view, and now they could see the city and the Red Keep with their eyes.
"Kingslanding," Tyrion whispered, and he knew that he could wait no more.
Still, if he had hunted bandits before and had killed men as well, then why was he so quiet now?
"We are finally here," and they were indeed.
"Why is he so quiet?" the words slipped out of his mouth again, as Tyrion answered the question for him.
"He is thinking," and Jaime frowned at the answer as he turned towards his brother.
"Thinking? About what?" and Tyrion nodded.
"The attack of course," he answered with a roll of his eyes.
"He is like father in this regard. They both become quiet when they are plotting something big, and I believe that he is plotting revenge," and that could not be possible.
"For that we would have to know who planned the hit?" Jaime answered with some frustration.
"He already knows," and the words took a second to register, and he nearly pulled on the reins of his horse as he nearly shouted.
"What!" and Tyrion shushed him.
"Shush! Quiet," and Jaime gulped down, still not believing the words that had reached his ears.
"He knows who planned the attack?" and Tyrion nodded.
"Or at least he has a very good idea about who they might be," Tyrion added, as those eyes narrowed on Steffon's back.
"He suspected it even before we had left the Rock. That was why he had father double the number of guards, and then asked him not to inform the Capitol about the change," and that was true indeed, for no one in the Capitol had been told about the increased size of the retinue.
It was something he had not noticed before.
"You are saying that the increased number of guards was his doing and not fathers," and Tyrion nodded.
"He was the one who asked for more guards. Father simply accepted the request and did not tell anyone about it," and if he did have a suspicion, then why hadn't he spoken up yet?
"If he knows who planned to kill him, then why hasn't he said anything?" and they had managed to capture one of the bandits, yet he had died mysteriously in his cell.
One of them had managed to escape, and they were still searching for him, but had found no trace of the man yet, who was the last lead into the matter.
"I don't know," Tyrion answered, and once more Steffon's thoughts and plans remained a mystery to them.
"You should talk to him, maybe you will have better luck than me," and Jaime knew that he had to do it soon, for they would be at the Red Keep soon enough.
So, after gathering his thoughts, he pushed his horse forward until it was just beside his as he motioned for the guards to move away slightly. Steffon glanced at him with a slight tilt of his head before giving a light scoff.
"My prince," he began, yet before he could say more, Steffon answered back.
"So, you finally found the courage," and Jaime's head fell in shame at those words, as Steffon scoffed.
"Well, better late than never," and still he did not back down.
"About that da..."
"No!" Steffon's reaction was visceral, as that face flushed, and in that moment, it reminded him much of Cersei when she grew angry.
"We will not talk about that." Steffon's words were a whisper as he pushed his horse closer to his own.
"Not here. Not now," and he could only nod at that command, as he backed off.
"As you say," and finally that frown eased up, as he set his gaze forward once more.
"You do scowl a lot," and he frowned at that.
"What?" and Jaime felt a smile come to his face.
"There are rumors in the Capitol that Lord Tywin has passed his scowl onto his grandson. I am beginning to think that they are right," and for the first time during the trip, he saw a small smile come to those lips as he touched his forehead.
"Scowling! I don't scowl that much," and Jaime raised a brow.
"You do. I haven't seen you without one during our entire ride," and he saw those shoulders come down, as Steffon chuckled.
"I will have to work on that, I guess. Otherwise, they will begin calling me Steffon the Scowler." and so, he was not entirely without humor, and with every passing second, Jaime regretted not having done this sooner.
"You did not write to your mother?" and he would not dare request that he write to him, yet the lack of letters had really pained Cersei.
"I did not think that I had to," and that was a lie.
"Sending you away nearly broke your mother," and he saw those lips thin at the mention of Cersei, and he knew that not sending letters was his own form of revenge.
"Your siblings. They missed you as well," and his expression softened a bit.
"Not Joffrey," he added with a scoff, and the relationship between them had been a bit cold. And it felt so strange seeing twins behave like that when him and Cersei had been so inseparable.
"He is your twin. Of course, he missed you," and he could see that he could argue, but he chose not to.
"If you say so," and that was perhaps the only reason why the two of them had never come to blows, for while Joffrey could be childish and jealous, Steffon had always avoided conflict. Despite being younger, he had always acted as the mature one, refusing to rise to his elder twins' teasing.
Still, they talked a bit more as he realised that Steffon was not as quiet as he had thought, yet some time later he decided to ask away the most important question.
"Tyrion says that you know who plotted the attack?" and the smile was gone in the blink of an eye, as Steffon gave a deep sigh.
"I have my suspicions," and so Tyrion was right.
"You knew something like this might happen; that is why you had Father double the guards in the retinue," and once again, he was answered with a nod.
"Then why haven't you said anything until now. Give me the name, and we will have them in chains within an hour," and for the first time in many years, both the King and Queen were aligned on this one singular subject.
Both of them were demanding blood, and yet he refused to say anything.
"I can't say anything. Not yet," he answered, and Jaime did not understand.
"But why? If you fear for your life, then fear nothing, I will protect you with my life..."
"I am not afraid," Steffon countered angrily as those green eyes met his own.
"At least not for myself," he added, making him frown.
"Then who are you afraid for? Tell me, and I promise that we will protect them...
and Steffon stopped him with a raise of his hand.
"Stop it, please," and he was shaking his head in frustration by now.
"I am still thinking..."
"Thinking about what!" and his voice rose with his frustration.
"ENOUGH!" and Steffon's rose even more so, breaking him out of his trance. He saw everyone looking to them as Jaime let himself calm down.
"I apologise, my Prince," he said as he lowered his head.
"There is no need for that," he answered.
"I know that you are worried about my life, but I am quite capable of making decisions on my own," and he would have liked to argue more, but he could not.
"We will talk about this later..."
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