Jeyne opened her eyes and saw Ado Serrett crouching beside her, keeping a respectful distance.
She realized she was lying on a black cloak. Nearby, the towering watchtower loomed above them.
The young knight who had carried her up the hill was nowhere to be seen, only she and Ado remained.
The torchlight from the watchtower illuminated the night sky, but the area below was dim and shadowed.
"What happened to you?" Jeyne sat up, her voice calm but cautious. She crossed her arms over her chest instinctively, shielding herself.
She was on guard against Ado's possible advances.
Hidden on the other side of the tower, the crazed Polliver was overjoyed. He had always believed in Jeyne's purity and loyalty, just as fiercely as he was loyal to Ser Gregor. Unlike other noble ladies, Jeyne was someone Polliver had trusted from the first moment he saw her.
Ado winced as he spoke, his face twisted in pain. Losing teeth really hurt, though the numbness had worn off and now the pain was sharp.
"I rushed up the hill and fell on the rocks… knocked out a bunch of my front teeth," he explained.
"Let's go down to the Maester's Tower, I'll take a look at your injuries." Jeyne said, maintaining her poise and courtesy. She stood and offered her hand. "Ser Ado, please stand and let me see."
But Ado recoiled as if avoiding a venomous snake, fear flashing in his eyes. He took a step back, keeping his distance.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm okay." he said, forcing the words out through the pain.
He dared not let Jeyne touch him. Polliver had warned him: if anyone so much as touched Jeyne, Polliver would cut off that same part of the offender's body and roast it. Though such brutality was unlikely inside Clegane Keep, once they left for home, Gregor's 63 knights were certainly capable of intercepting them on the Goldroad and making them "talk" again.
But now, the problem wasn't Ado touching Jeyne, it was Jeyne wanting to help him.
Jeyne knew medicine.
She had a kind heart.
She wasn't the type to stand by and do nothing.
Besides, Jeyne secretly liked Ado Serrett. Her heart had stirred once or twice.
But now her status had changed, she was someone else's lawful fiancée.
"What's wrong?" Jeyne frowned slightly, sensing something off. "Are you afraid of me?"
"No, no, I'm not." Ado quickly denied. "I just hit my head pretty hard when I fell, I'm still dizzy."
"Then come sit down quickly." Jeyne urged him. "Come sit on the cloak. Let me see your injuries. Besides the broken teeth, are you hurt anywhere else?"
Seeing that Ado had no hostile intentions and was truly afraid to touch her, Jeyne relaxed immediately. She noticed his respectful distance and grew to admire his pure-heartedness. She also understood how Gregor's reputation might instill fear in him.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Jeyne. I asked you here tonight to apologize." Ado said, his voice altered by the missing teeth but still clear enough.
"Apologize?" Jeyne said lightly. "Forget it, I was forced here by your friends, and you haven't been disrespectful to me. No need to apologize. Now, let me see your injuries."
Ado looked dejected, blood staining his fine coat and his lips badly bruised. The heavy price he paid just to talk to Jeyne alone made her heart ache, and her caring nature as a healer surged.
She stepped forward and gently placed her hand on Ado's shoulder, stopping him from stepping back; there were others watching from the other side of the tower.
When Jeyne touched his shoulder, she felt his body instinctively tremble, as if her hands were red-hot irons.
"Come here, it's too dark in the shadows, let's sit on the cloak." Jeyne encouraged, reaching for his hand.
Ado recoiled again, afraid even to let Jeyne touch his hand after she'd already touched his shoulder. He shifted sideways.
"Jeyne, step back a little and listen to me."
Jeyne, a noble lady trained in etiquette, obediently took a step back, showing respect.
She didn't want to see the panic so clear on his face. She had not expected this honest, shy knight behind closed doors.
"Jeyne, this afternoon when I was drinking with friends, I said disrespectful things about you in public. I deeply regret it now. Those vile words have brought shame to my family. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness."
Ado's eyes shone with genuine remorse.
He nearly dropped to one knee.
Because of his careless words, if Jeyne did not forgive him in person, the madman, having passed on Gregor's orders, might intercept him anywhere on the road home and cut out his tongue.
Ado knew Gregor's threats were not empty. Once he said it, it would be done.
"Ser Ado, even if you were drunk, you should never say damaging things about me in public. You are a noble knight, after all." Jeyne said seriously.
Ado was terrified, there was a madman and a killer listening just behind the tower.
Though he apologized, Jeyne did not forgive him outright.
Behind the tower, Polliver clenched his fists hard. He had won another bet, Dunsen had lost again.
Dunsen had thought Jeyne would forgive Ado easily, being a noble lady. But Polliver believed Jeyne, loyal to Ser Gregor as his fiancée, was a woman of principle, and principled people don't forgive insults to their honor lightly.
Dunsen was surprised, Polliver was stubborn, neurotic, even a bit foolish. How could he be so accurate in judging Jeyne's character? Polliver was a hard-headed fanatic, once he made up his mind about someone, he believed without doubt.
Ado knelt on one knee: "Jeyne, by the Seven Gods and the honor of the Serrett family, I beg you to forgive my disrespectful words and crude behavior today. Tell me what I must do to earn your pardon, and I will do it."
He trembled, on the verge of kowtowing.
If he failed to receive forgiveness after three requests, Gregor would cut out his tongue.
On the way out of town, on the Goldroad, he must pass through Gregor's territory.
Speak the truth! Speak the truth! Speak the truth!
Ado's regret was like an endless river.
Jeyne was startled. She sensed something was wrong.
"Ser Ado… was Ser Gregor threatening you?"
"No, absolutely not." Ado hurriedly denied. "Lady Jeyne, this has nothing to do with Ser Gregor, I swear. I ask you…"
"Alright, I forgive you." Jeyne said softly, her heart tinged with a subtle contempt, deep down, Ado was nothing but a pitiful weakling in her eyes.
"Ser Ado, Ser Gregor is not as fearsome as you imagine, nor as crude as rumors say. Cruel and coarse men don't like kittens. Though he has a bad temper, he has a delicate and kind side. You don't need to be afraid of him."
Behind the stone tower, Polliver's eyes gleamed like a wildcat's in the night:
"Dunsen, Lady Jeyne is the second person I swear loyalty to. We… will come back next time and jump off the cliff."
"Why? Let's just jump after we finish."
"No. I want to swear loyalty to Lady Jeyne. She needs protection."
"She has her family's guards."
"They're idiots. No one can protect her."
"Tsk, tsk, Polliver, calm down. Can Ser Gregor protect Jeyne?"
"Yes!"
"Then why does she need you? Tsk tsk!" Dunsen teased.
"We still have a few more to deal with."
"Oh! I won't forget that." In the shadow beneath the watchtower, Polliver's eyes shone bright and wild like a beast's. He twirled a dagger between his fingers, while the young knights trembled in fear, their proud airs completely gone.
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