Chapter Text
A year. A blasted year he had been a prisoner at Storm’s End. His cell was far more comfortable than the one Robb Stark had stuffed him inside at Riverrun but even so, he was going mad cooped up. He wanted battle. He itched to have a sword at his side. He wanted to know what was to come of him. His uncle Kevan was Lord of Casterly Rock, and he had been told of Tyrion’s death already.
That was a bitter thought. Jaime truly had loved his brother, it had almost broken him to reveal the truth about Tysha the day of his release. And then Tyrion had gone and been involved in the murder of their father. Dornish poison, the Kings secret tunnel, but Tyrion's plan. And he had died a traitors death, beheaded at Sunspear before Kayne sacked the city and killed both Doran and Oberyn Martell for trying to seat a boy they claimed was Rhaegar's son upon the throne.
Jaime hadn’t believed the rumours. Elia Martell died trying to protect her son, if the babe had been swapped she would have been defending Rhaenys instead. Unless she had not known? But a mother would have known her son, besides it would not have been difficult for the spider to find some baseborn valyrian looking child of the right age to pose as Aegon in order to contest Kayne. None of that mattered now though. Tyrion was dead. Varys was dead. The boy Aegon was dead. Elia was long dead and Rhaegar too, though they still visited Jaime in his dreams. They all did.
There was not a single night that he had gone without being pestered by his failures. First it had been his father. Then Cersei raging and screaming at him that he should have defended her. Then Tyrion. Tyrion calling him a liar and a betrayer, and all three demanding revenge. Then came Rhaegar who rode with five white ghosts. Gerold Hightower the White Bull, the man who had strapped the white cloak to Jaime’s shoulders. Ser Arthur Dayne, his hero and the man who had knighted him with that legendary blade Dawn. And Lewyn Martell, Oswell Whent and Jonothor Darry. The brothers he had failed. Kingslayer. They chanted it over and over again. You should have been beside us. Fighting against the Usurper. And then Stark would come last of all.
He would always ride towards Jaime with that same gods be damned judgemental frown upon his face. By what right did Eddard Stark judge him? He was no holier than other men. He fathered a bastard of his own. He had rebelled against his lawful King. He would have died in a fiery blaze alongside Jaime’s father and hundreds of thousands of people besides if he had not killed Aerys. But then he had never told anyone that, save for Brienne and the bastard and then Daenerys. But it did not matter now. Cersei had finished what Aerys started. He had not expected that, not even to beat Kayne. The day he slew Aerys he saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and his sister had undone all of that in one swoop. She had almost taken down their entire house with it. Cersei had imagined herself as Tywin with teats, but had proven to be Aerys come again.
Now at least House Lannister was safe in the hands of his Uncle Kevan. Tyrion Mayhaps would become lost to history, Tywin would be remembered as the man who sealed his daughters demise by giving Kayne a castle and an army, Cersei would be forever more known as the Mad Queen and last to sit the iron throne. And Jaime… he would be remembered as the Kingslayer. Just another knight slain by King Kayne who would undoubtedly be remembered for thousands of years.
All of these thoughts had occupied Jaime’s mind for the entirety of his imprisonment, until one day he had been visited by Daenerys Targaryen. A Targaryen in Westeros, living and breathing in Storm’s End. He had to laugh to himself at how Robert would be spinning in his grave as his son welcomed the last Targaryen into the castle of his father and his father before him. From what Jaime had seen of her, Daenerys had been more like her brother than her father. Had circumstances been different he would have been guarding her his entire life. He frowned at the thought, at the memory of those long dead, until finally his cell was unlocked.
“Ser Jaime. Stand up.” Jaime stood, tall and proud. He would not let them see him ashamed. Not if this was to be his last day alive. Ser Balon Swann draped in the white cloak and all white armour of the Kingsguard stood in front of the door and escorted Jaime from his tower cell down the empty halls. No light came from the windows, it was night. The castle slept. Storm’s End was unfamiliar to him, having only visited twice before. Once for a tourney during Aerys’s reign, and once for a tourney during Robert’s. As such he did not know where it was he was being taken, but soon got his answer as they emerged from the corridors into the throne room.
The King sat the throne, his crown upon his head Oathkeeper laying across his lap. On one side of his throne stood the Queen, Sansa Stark was growing to look more like her mother but even more beautiful. She suited her crown well, along with all of the fancy dresses and jewellery that came with being Queen. She looked much better suited to it than Cersei had he had to admit. And Daenerys sat on the other side on a crude throne of her own. She too wore a crown, a golden ringlet with three dragons heads one with black eyes, one with green and one with gold.
“Ser Jaime Lannister. You are charged with the murder of King Aerys Targaryen. Treason against King Robert Baratheon. Incest with your sister Cersei Lannister. Attempted murder of Brandon Stark. How do you plead?” His own uncle asked. It was true, Kevan was hand of the King. He wore the hands badge and stood diligently beside Ser Barristan Selmy who looked upon Jaime with a frown as he ever did.
“Finally. Do you make all prisoners wait this long for a trial?” He gave a cocky grin that made all three monarchs frown.
“Answer the question Jaime.” Kevan sighed.
“Guilty. Is that it now? Can you take my head and be done with it? Be a good lad and use that Valyrian steel. I don't want it to take long. And for gods sake do not hang me I want a quick death.”
Jaime watched as the King leaned forwards in his throne.
“You will not die this day Ser Jaime. In ordinary circumstancesI would take your head myself and allow my ally here to feed your corpse to her dragons.” He began and gestured to Daenerys. “But these are not ordinary circumstances. Like everyone in this castle, in the realm even, I am sure you have had haunting dreams. Those long dead come back to judge you. And a crow with three eyes commanding you to serve its champion. The Long Night has begun. The deep cold creeps further south with every day and death comes with it. We require every man able to wield a sword to fight the terror to come.”
Jaime made no reply, he simply raised his false golden hand.
“You have a left hand do you not?” Sansa asked then and frowned sternly, she really did look like Catelyn Tully when she was cross. Seven save Kayne.
“I do. But I must admit it is not as adept as holding a sword as my right once was.” Jaime replied in all honesty.
“Be that as it may, you have experience commanding. They could use you at The Wall. You shall wear a black cloak and swear the oath. Try not to break these ones. Should the Wall, and you, survive what is to come you will serve the Nights Watch for the rest of your days.” The King Commanded. It was a rather fitting punishment Jaime supposed, and the lightest sentence ever given for treason against three Kings.
“You will be sent on the morrow, finally justice delivered for crimes against houses Targaryen, Baratheon and Stark.” Daenerys spoke up then, and only then did Jaime note the sadness in her eyes and the break in her voice. Jaime was brought to the side of the throne room, his hands still bound and he watched as the next two prisoners were brought in. Littlefinger had seen better days, as he was ragged and beaten. Lysa too had become so slender she appeared to be a skeleton and she screamed like a banshee a whole load of nonsense.
“Lady Lysa Tully,” the Kings stern voice finally silenced the mad woman, “you said you have to confess. Speak up now.” He commanded.
“I did it! I did it! I did it! The tears! I put the tears inside his wine and let him die! I did it!” She wept and wailed and fell to her knees.
“Who’s wine?” Sansa pressed.
“My husbands. Jon Arryn. Petyr told me too! He told me Jon wanted to send my boy away! My sweet Robin! He wanted to send him to Stannis Baratheon or worse, Tywin! i could not let that happen!” Littlefinger looked lost for words, for the first time in his life, as Lysa confessed to what felt like a thousand more secrets.
When she was finally done a dozen lords of the Vale came forth to give their testimonies against Lysa and Baelish. And finally Barristan himself spoke against Littlefinger, recounting how the man betrayed Eddard Stark. Jaime had no love for Stark, but even his blood boiled as he thought of the Lord of Winterfell being beaten by a dagger to the back. That’s why he had wanted to face him man on man, sword against sword.
“Confine Lady Lysa to her cell. After the war she will be sent to Riverrun to live out her days in a tower cell in her home. As for you Lord Baelish, your lands shall be granted to a loyal knight. And you will be hanged from the gatehouse, Ser Richard have it done at once.” The King commanded and his Kingsguard obeyed. More prisoners were seen and sentenced, some a little rushed. It truly did seem like Kayne feared what was to come. He had never seen the bastard afraid, even as a boy he had been nothing but bold. He observed how Kayne and Daenerys spoke together, it was clear a strong alliance had been born.
When the justice was delivered and all was done, Jaime was escorted to the docks with other prisoners sentenced to The Wall and found an old friend stood waiting for him. Brienne had Widows Wail at her hip and smiled at him.
“I renamed it.” She said at once.
“Oh? Will I blush?”
“Golden Honour.” She replied. “I thought it was fitting, and now I guard Ned Starks daughter with half of his sword.” She said proudly.
“It belongs with you now. It suits you Brienne.” Jaime did not have to force nor fake his smile.
“I have been knighted by his grace. I believe he means for me to form a Queens guard.” Brienne said.
“For which Queen? Is he fucking them both now?”
“For Sansa! Daenerys is an ally. After the Long Night is won she means to return to Essos to restart a Valyrian Empire clean of its sin of slavery.”
“I don’t suppose I shall live to see that.” What a sight it would be. Rhaegar would be proud of his sister Jaime knew.
“Until our paths across again Ser Jaime.” Brienne outstretched a large hand and he shook it with his own.
“It will be my honour Ser Brienne.”