Jaime was furious.
He had received an urgent summons to Dragonstone early in the morning, ridden across half of King's Landing, and arrived at the River Gate only to find the garrison arresting his brother. A sense of unease overcame him, and he immediately turned back to the Red Keep. Sure enough, something was happening there too.
Cersei was not only his twin sister, but his first and only love. Seeing her kneeling on the floor with her face covered, looking weak and helpless, Jaime's rage ignited completely.
"Robert Baratheon—" Jaime's voice trembled with fury as he drew his sword for the second time that day. Because two of his sworn brothers stood behind him, weapons drawn and eyes full of warning, he did not immediately raise his sword to the king's neck. Instead, he confronted Robert from a distance, as if trying to kill him with his eyes. "You had better explain what's going on, or I'll show you why they call me the Kingslayer."
"Are you threatening His Grace?" said Boros Blount, the fattest of the Kingsguard, though he moved with surprising agility as he stepped into the room. "Jaime Lannister, you go too far!"
Ser Arys Oakheart followed closely behind, weapon in hand, coldly reminding him, "Lower your sword, Jaime. Don't forget who you are. This is the king you swore to protect."
Without Robert's order to strike, the Kingsguard could not stop Jaime at the door. But that did not mean the remaining five white-cloaked knights would stand by and watch him run wild. The Kingsguard posted outside had also drawn their swords. Two had entered the room and now had their blades aimed at Jaime's back, while the other three stood tense, facing down the red-cloaked Lannister guards who were clearly ready for a fight. Jaime's sudden return had raised the morale of the red-cloaked guards.
"I know why they call you the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister. We both have names we don't like, but that won't scare me." Robert, the usurper and dragon-slayer who had overthrown the trueborn Targaryens, was not a man like Janos Slynt. He showed no panic. Instead, he sneered and lifted the warhammer from the low table, weighing it in his hand and savoring the familiar heft.
Jaime was an excellent fighter, but among the Kingsguard it was said he and Barristan Selmy lost more duels than they won. And Barristan had been no match for Rhaegar Targaryen... whom Robert had slain with this very hammer on the Trident.
...
...
Though that wasn't enough to prove Robert superior to Jaime in a fight, facing the man who had defeated the man who had defeated the man who had defeated Jaime's better, and the brother-in-law suspected of cuckolding him, Robert was not afraid, only angry.
"You and Cersei are alive today only because of our good Hand of the King, Eddard Stark. He argued with me half the night to convince me that 'living Lannisters are more useful to us.' So I held back and didn't act yesterday. You left the Red Keep and then came running back to die. You clearly don't value your life. I pity you, Kingslayer."
...
"Uncle Jaime!" Sensing that the mood in the room had shifted from a cold standoff between man and woman to a deadly standoff between men, and that things were spiraling out of control, Myrcella ran from Robert's side to Jaime, tears streaming down her face. She clutched the arm that held his sword. "Father and Mother are just arguing. They always do this. Please, don't make it worse. Please, Uncle Jaime!"
Jaime would never hurt his own daughter. His arm slowly dropped, the point of his sword finally touching the ground. The killing intent in his eyes faded.
"Jaime, kill him! He wants to keep me trapped in this rotten castle and make a Lannister give birth to piglets for him like a sow!" Cersei lowered her hands from her face, revealing flushed cheeks. She looked up at Robert in fury. "I'd rather die than live like that. Kill him!"
"Mother, please stop. Please!" Myrcella finally realized what it meant to be powerless. She sobbed harder, clinging tightly to Jaime's arm. "Uncle, don't listen to her. If there's something to say, sit down and talk. We can figure this out!"
(The rumor is true. Can this be talked out?)
Jaime had his doubts, but with the children present and two Kingsguard blades behind him, he had to calm down. Robert was not the Mad King. Killing him would bring disaster upon House Lannister. Even putting family aside, from a personal standpoint, Jaime did not want to break his vows again.
"You sent me to Dragonstone this morning. What would have happened if I had just gone?"
"Nothing would have happened. That idea came from our good Hand of the King. He said I couldn't kill you or arrest you without cause, but I also couldn't let you roam the Red Keep, humiliating the crown. Nor could I let you return to Casterly Rock and give your father free rein. So I needed to 'find a secure place to limit your movements.'" Robert's voice was cold. "He chose Dragonstone. The Lannisters have no power there, and aside from Stannis's fleet, almost no ships dock there. Unless you plan to swim back, you'll have no choice but to stay put." He paused. "It was a sound idea, but you didn't take the bait. Now it's my turn to ask—after leaving the Red Keep, why did you come back? Aside from a guilty conscience, do you have any other explanation?"
"I ran into Janos Slynt on the road out. He had arrested my brother Tyrion." If a mere garrison commander had dared touch a Lannister without reason or support, he had to have been emboldened somehow. Jaime didn't know the specifics. He just knew that the moment he sensed something was wrong, he turned back—and walked into this mess. "Was that your order too, Your Grace?"
"No. Why would I arrest a dwarf?" Robert snorted with contempt. "Only a fool would lay a hand on your brother. If anything happened to Tyrion, Tywin wouldn't grieve, but he'd have his excuse to go to war. I already have you and Cersei. That's enough to keep your father from making any reckless moves. Since you're back, that's fine. Next question. Do you admit to the truth of the rumors?"
"I do not." Jaime was arrogant, but not a fool. "It's pure slander. Aside from the children's blonde hair, none of it's true. If Your Grace wants me to explain why the prince and princess don't have black hair, I'm afraid I can't help. You like black-haired women? You should've married a Dornish girl."
"Very good. Since neither of you admit to anything, then I came here for nothing." Robert let out a long breath. "Kingslayer, for the sake of your father Tywin, I'll give you one chance. Make your decision before the garrison arrives. Pick a room in the Red Keep and stay there until my next child is born. Or, let me send someone to escort you to Dragonstone for a long vacation."
(To be continued.)
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