*”Forgive me, my son.” I prayed to The Seven that my son would understand.*

I watched the men grow restless and violent. All of them wanted Jaime Lannister’s head. And who could blame them? Each argumentation was as valid as the next. I was grateful for Brienne at my side.

“You son returns at dawn, milady?”

“He won’t last a night.” I replied.

“The more they drink, the angrier they’ll get and when the Karstarks draw their swords, who wants to die defending a Lannister?”

I didn’t answer her question.

Instead I said, “Come” and we walked toward the Kingslayer. His stench from days on end covered in his filth invaded my nostrils. I ignored the smell as I walked closer to the man who attempted to murder my son, Bran. One side of me wanted to hack Jaime to pieces with Brienne’s sword. Oh how pathetic he looked there. My eyes would never reveal the rage that grew stronger as I looked at him. He raised his head. I spoke to his guard.

“I need to be alone with him.” The guard began to protest.

“My orders were to…” I interrupted him.

“Your orders, which I just gave you was to leave me alone with him.”
I whispered fiercely and he reluctantly walked out of the wooden cage that held the Kingslayer.

“Come to say goodbye, Lady Stark. I believe it’s my last night in this world.” He looked behind me to Brienne and feigned mock shock “is that a woman?”
“Do you hear them out there, they want your head.”

He sighed uninterested,  ”All those Karstark, really don’t seen to like me.”

“You strangled his son!” I struggled to keep my voice even.

“Oh, was he the one on guard duty, he was in my way. any night would’ve done the same.” The Kingslayer replied in an obnoxious tone.

“You are no night. You’ve forsaken every vow you ever took!”

“So many vows, they make you swear and swear. Defend the king, obey the king, obey your father. Protect the innocent, Defend the weak. What if your father despises the king? What if the king massacres the innocent, it’s too much. No matter what you do you’re forsaking one vow or another. Where did you find this beast?”

“She is a truer knight than you will ever be, Kingslayer!” I spat back and my voice shaking. How I despised him!

“Kingslayer, what a king he was. Here’s to Aerys Targaryen, the second of his name. Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm and to the sword I shoved in his back!”

“You are a man without honour.”

“You know, I’ve never been with any woman but Cersei so in my own way, I have more honour than poor old dead Ned. what was the name of that bastard he fathered?”

“Brienne!” and she was at my side.

“No, that wasn’t it. Snow, the bastard from the North. Now when good old Ned came home with some whore’s baby, did you pretend to love it? No, you’re not very good at pretending. You’re an honest woman, you hated that boy didn’t you? How could you not hate him? The walking talking reminder that the honourable Lord Eddard Stark fucked another woman!”

I was calm. As calm as the sea when I asked Brienne for her sword.