Jaime Lannister was deeply conflicted. What Ser Addam and Tyrion were suggesting was a deep betrayal of the most important person in his life – his other half, his twin. They wanted him to move before the next Small Council meeting. Cersei had demanded that Joffrey continue to have a role in the public eye, when that was the last thing that was needed.
In the end, he found himself in Cersei's chambers and dismissed Ser Preston from guard duty that night. His sister was dressed beautifully; her red dress had a plunging neckline, revealing an egg sized emerald tucked in her bosom. He wanted her so badly.
"Cersei, we need to talk."
Cersei looked up, heat in her eyes. "What do you want?"
"It is about Joffrey. He's unfit to rule. Many are calling to have him step down and take the Black, allowing Tommen to be King instead."
"What? Who are these traitors?" Cersei's full attention was on him now.
"Those traitors are those who don't believe we can survive with Joffrey ruling us. And I'm starting to think they are right."
"You can't be serious – he is our son; how can you contemplate treason?"
"The boy may have already doomed us and has yet to even attempt to make amends."
"He is a King! He slew a traitor. Yes, it will make father's task more difficult, but he acted bold as a lion."
Jaime groaned, "See? This is why I listen to the others. They don't want you as Regent for Joffrey or Tommen."
Cersei paled. "And you are listening to these others? I am the Regent; how can you even think about working with these traitors. Who is it? Is it Tyrion? That disgraceful little Imp has always hated me."
Jaime poured himself a cup of wine and then settled in on a chair at the table. "It doesn't matter who it is; what matters is that we protect the family. I don't want to do this Cersei. Give me a reason not to, give us your blessing to have Joffrey go to the Wall and make Tommen King."
Cersei studied Jaime; her green eyes flashed with understanding.
"You would do it, wouldn't you. You'd help them rob me of my rights as a mother and a Queen. Does your spite and hate know no depths?"
"My spite and hate? Fuck you, sister; it is not me who has kept us apart. I have wanted… Seven Hells, Cersei, listen to yourself!"
Cersei pushed back her chair and began to pace.
"You lied to me, then lied again. You went behind my back. We are supposed to be one, unified, together– nothing should separate or come between us. And you betrayed me, put my daughter in danger, and when I learned of it, you lied again. I can't trust you, Jaime, and it is your fault."
Jaime sat back and watched the most beautiful woman in the world. Was she right? Was this his fault for lying to her? What he had done had worked. The Stormlands were the only reason that they still stood a chance. Cersei must have seen something indecisive in his eyes. She glided forward until she was in front of his chair.
"I can't trust you now, but maybe I can in the future. Maybe we can fix things between us," she spoke as she leaned down and caressed his cheek. He had been denied her touch for so long; he wanted more. He looked at her ivory skin and painted lips and wanted nothing more than to devour them.
"You want us to be one again, Jaime."
"I do," he said in a now raspy voice.
She lowered herself onto him. Her hips straddling his armored form; he cursed the armor he was wearing for denying the feel of her body. Her hands caressed him again, along the cheek and around the neck. Her lips were now so tantalizingly close.
"Then prove it. Be my knight, be my champion. Protect our son from these traitors. Tell me who is scheming, and we can become one."
He let out a groan. Gods, he wanted this so badly. Cersei was all he had ever wanted.
"Cersei…"
She leaned in close, her lips a hairbreadth from his ear, "Tell me, Jaime."
"Ser… Ser Addam."
Cersei leaned back, and then her mouth found his. The feel of her lips, her tongue, it was ecstasy. After a blissful minute, Cersei stood up and helped Jaime out of his armor. Something she had done regularly when Robert was still alive.
The lovemaking that occurred next was frantic and hurried. Afterwards, they lay together, and Jaime's head felt clearer. He couldn't betray Cersei, but he also wouldn't betray his friend.
"I will send Ser Addam and the knights most loyal to him to Duskendale. He can besiege the place. If need be, he can be recalled swiftly."
Cersei frowned, "We can't trust him."
"He came to me, Cersei. I know him; he would never attempt anything without having me convinced and on board."
"He wanted our son to go to the Wall!"
Jaime kissed her. "And so did I – no, don't look at me like that. We need to teach Joffrey to be wiser, but I promise you, I am yours, Cersei. When I've killed Stannis, Balon, Mace, Eddard, Hoster, and whoever else dares challenge us, we will be married like the Targaryens were."
Cersei's eyes widened. "Don't be a fool; that would put Joffrey's claim in doubt."
"When all our enemies are dead, why would it matter?"
Cersei was not convinced, but it did not matter for the moment. They were one again.
***
Bran feared that he would be too late. The battle had already begun, even as he raced forward. He had successfully tricked Dacey, but now it looked like his efforts would have been in vain. He stopped to catch his breath; he was tired, but Duty was not. Duty could understand his needs perfectly, but he couldn't speak, and he needed to warn Robb. He needed to. He needed to.
With no warning, Bran's perspective shifted. He was now looking out of another pair of eyes as his body crumpled to the grass. Despite the extreme oddity of the situation, he had an instant awareness of what had happened. He was in Duty – no, he was Duty, and Duty was him.
He raised his nose into the air and looked to the battle. He could sense where his sibling Grey Wind was. That would be where Robb was too. He sped on four legs, the distance between him and his brother dwindling by the moment.
On, Bran ran. Through some of the camp followers, through lingering soldiers, and into the waters of the Trident. Grey Wind was close. He surged forward, the current barely slowing him down. There he was, the giant. The giant from his dreams. The giant swung his massive sword around at Robb, who ducked beneath it and lashed out with his own blade.
Robb made no progress as he struck twice at the hulking figure. Bran saw a Northerner dart in and drag a body from the water. Robb backed away from the figure that slashed widely. He wasn't fast enough though and took a powerful blow to his breastplate. As Robb was in plate armor, not even the powerful strength of the eight-foot-tall knight could slash through. It did however send Robb back several feet and onto his back.
Grey Wind went to save Robb as the giant stomped forward. Just like the dream, only this time Bran was here. He rushed in first, drawing the attention of the knight. Relying on speed, he barely avoided a slash of the sword. Grey Wind used his powerful body to slam into the giant's legs but did not succeed in doing more than a moment of unbalance. Theon Greyjoy came in low and from the side, aiming for the back of the knee.
His blow connected but failed to cut through. Bran had to dodge a Lannister spearman, so he didn't see what happened next, but Theon's sword was flying through the air and splashed into the water. Red ran down his arm, and he likely only escaped worse because Robb was back in the fight. Grey Wind ripped out the throat of the spearmen that Bran had dodged, and Bran was free to engage the giant.
His brother feinted, and then when his foe raised his sword to strike, Robb ducked the blow again and tried to puncture the armpit area, a thin portion of the armor. The effort failed as the knight turned his body, allowing the stabbing strike to skitter off the plate. Bran darted in and bit into the giant's off hand. His teeth could not puncture the metal of the gauntlet, but the palms were only boiled leather, and he did pierce through and draw blood.
He was thrown bodily into the water, and the humongous knight bellowed in pain. A Stark soldier ran in with a great axe, attempting to strike the massive figure. He may have been in pain, but he saw the axe coming. He deflected it with his own sword and then sent the massive blade crashing against the side of the axe wielder's head with a sickening crunch.
Bran suddenly knew what Grey Wind was going to do. As the massive knight turned again to Robb, Grey Wind and Bran rushed forward and leaped right into his back with both of their weight. With a combined mass of over 300 unexpected pounds, he stumbled forward and onto one knee. Robb took his blade in both hands and slashed it into the giant's helm. The strike clanged hard and no doubt rung the Lannister knight's bell.
Another Lannister knight tried to intervene, but Grey Wind darted in low and bit into the knight's boot and pulled, sending him down into the waters. A heavily armored Karstark soldier smashed his hammer into the downed foe, ending that threat. There was chaos and blood, and despite the danger, none of it seemed to terrify or nauseate Bran. He was the wolf, and the wolf relied on instinct – no time for second guessing or fear, just movement.
Despite all their efforts, Robb had yet to vanquish his foe. Even on his knees, the giant towered six feet high. As Robb went to strike again, the man lifted his arm and blocked with his vambrace. Bran knew from training with Ser Barristan, that sort of move was one of desperation, as it was a good way to damage your arm. But the thickness of the plate and strength of the giant were enough to stop Robb's strike cold.
The enemy knight tried to rise up from the waters, but an Umber man-at-arms shouldered him as he was rising. The giant teetered and fell into the waters. Robb and the Umber soldier let their weapons rise and then slashed down. They failed to penetrate or deal real damage, and the Lannister knight lashed out with a powerful kick to the leg of the Umber knight. The armor cracked, as did the Northerner's bone, and he fell into the waters with a scream.
Robb had a spear thrust at him by a Lannister levy, and his attention was divided.
"The Mountain is down – to me! Finish him! Don't let him rise!" Robb desperately called out to his bannermen as he traded blows with the interloper. Grey Wind ripped open the calf of the spearman and then let out a bone-chilling howl that gave the other oncoming Lannisters pause.
Karstark and Umber men converged, and the Mountain's blade swept in a circle to try to drive them back. Bran knew they couldn't let the massive giant back on his feet. As he tried to rise, Bran jumped atop his back. The Mountain threw him off, but the distraction gave time for another hammer blow to crack into his armor. The gargantuan man let go of his sword and punched the hammer-wielding man in the face with his good hand, smashing the man's nose guard into his skull with deadly effect.
Once more, the giant knight tried to rise from the water, and once more Robb hacked at his helm. The blow slashed into the metal but did not cut all the way through; it did send another bellow of agony through the air as the Lannister knight took another wound. Robb pulled back, and the Mountain stumbled to his feet. His movements unsure and unsteady. The deadly and implacable solidity seemed to be shaken.
The Mountain backed away, and Grey Wind and Bran were there at his back. Robb harried the now unarmed knight. The giant sensed the wolves at his back and instead rushed Robb, as if to wrap him in a bear hug. Robb though had sensed the sudden shift coming and was already darting to the side; the momentum of the huge knight was too much to turn and reorient. Robb was past him and shifted the grip of his sword to do a backward plunge into the thin armor at the back of the knee. He used his full strength and bodyweight in the blow, and the thin chain snapped under the piercing power.
The Mountain crumpled back down to one knee. Robb was still behind him, pulled out the sword and delivered a devastating blow once more to the giant's head. The man gave a cry of pain and fear, cradling his head. Theon arrived and added his own sword strike, and the two battered the massive figure, aiming to end.
"YIELD! I YIELD."
Bran saw Robb hesitate and then lower his blade.
"Take him prisoner."
The Lannister men still in the area began to flee and cry out that the Mountain had collapsed. Grey Wind was already nipping at their heels. Bran went to go help and saw the Lannister forces in the immediate vicinity flee. He was dimly aware of a massive battle still taking place, but the Stark forces now held the shallowest crossing.
Bran was Duty, and Duty was Bran. But it was time for Bran to be Bran again. How would he end… whatever this was? Just as he had that thought, he opened his eyes, Bran once more. He heard riders in the distance and felt weak as he sat up. He saw the Mormont banner. Dacey would be quite furious with him. It was worth it though – he had saved Robb.