I Can Do It With A Broken Heart / Joffrey Baratheon /Rieka Stark (2.6)

20. Dragonglass

"Long day?" Joffrey questioned as rieka pulled off her dirty boots. "Your brother getting enough dragon glass?"

"Yeah. We are going to need some skilled wielders," rieka added letting down her hair. She shook out the braid. "Maybe when we get back we can recruit in the lower town."

"Sure. Not us though... right? Like other people."

"You cant really be scared of-"

"Im not scared of anything." Joffrey corrected quickly.

"Im scared of spiders. Hate 'em." Rieka countered.

"And sharks." Joffrey recalled.

"They are scary fuckers." She agreed. "Its not bad to have fears. It keeps us alive. Fear. If we didnt have fear we would jump off cliffs and swim with sharks and -"

"I get it." Joffrey agreed. "Last time i was down there was..."

"You were a big man child." Rieka agreed. He grumbled splashing at the bath waters surface. "And demanding all the people be killed."

"They hate me." Joffrey grumbled.

"I like you so who cares what they think?" Rieka countered.

"Come here." Joffrey requested. Rieka let her short and pants slump off in a heap at her feet. Rieka plopped down in the bath in front of joffrey. His arms wound around her. "Im glad you like me." He whispered.

"Fair warning. I reek." Rieka assured. He kissed her neck and cheek tasting the salty sweat on his tongue. Avalon jumped up sticking her face in the water before lifting her head and giving a rough shake. Rieka and joffrey flinched back at the splatter.

"Avalon!"

🐺

"What if she doesnt come?" Joffrey questioned, it had been a week and there was no sign of Daenerys Targaryen.

"How long does it take to sail across the narrow sea?" Rieka countered. "We are set up. We are ready and Jon has more time to mine for dragonglass, its a win win no matter what."

"Our men will be tired from mining-"

"I have them on shifts." Rieka countered. "Hey dont worry, you got me. We get through this together. Til death do you part, remember?" she teased kissing him.

"You are better at this than I am." Joffrey admitted when they got to the caves to mine.

"I got the muscles." Rieka agreed lifting and flexing an arm before wiping the sweat from her brow.

"I meant ruling but yes. You are good at this too." Joffrey agreed.

"You lost the peoples trust. You have to give them time to warm up to you."

"How?" Joffrey countered swinging the axe.

"This is a god start. Showing them you can get your hands dirty." Rieka offered leaning back on her pick axe. She smiled looking him over. Joffrey glanced back at her.

"What?"

"I like seeing you like this too." Rieka added. "Sexy. You are giving me northern vibes."

"And thats a good thing?" Joffrey countered.

"The northern men are strong and courageous and tough. You know you think southern men you think frolicking. You think northern you think rugged."

"Again. Thats supposed to be a good thin?" Joffrey countered.

"You could use a bit of toughness. Ruggedness. If the people could see you now they would be..." rieka looked him over again and whistled. "I think they would see a changed man."

"You think?"

"You have changed. I see it. I wouldnt be so keen to spend all this time with you." Rieka agreed. Joffrey smiled softly before continuing on their mining journey.

"Jon my arms are noodles!" Rieka declared.

"Thanks for all your help Rie." Jon answered taking her deadly weapon as she had begun calling her pickaxe.

"You want to start sending the dragonglass back to the capital?"

"I want to send it north." Jon corrected Joffrey. 

"You need wielders." Joffrey corrected. 

"The north has wielders." Jon assured.   

"Not like the capital."

"My friend Gendry was a wielder, a smith, he was good at it too before he was stolen by a witch and the brotherhood." Arya chimed in. 

"Well if he's stolen by a witch then he's not really useful to us." Joffrey sassed. Arya growled back at him. 

"Both of you." Rieka begged. "But joffrey is right." She added. Arya gaped back at her, while Joffrey was as smug as ever. "If we dont know where he is we can't help him and he can't help us." 

"Fine," Arya grumbled. 

"I'm starving," Rieka added heading off. "Lets think of a good plan, Jon get the ship packed up, I will send word to Robb to have him collect some smiths for us." She added over her shoulder.  Jon and the men got back to work, Joffrey chased after her. 

"See, see what I mean." Joffrey demanded. 

"What?"

"They listen to you.'

"I make orders." RIeka agreed. "I'm the queen, they better fucking listen to me." 

"They dont listen to me."

"You didnt make orders you sassed my sister." Rieka corrected. "Now if you want to be listened to, you need to make fair and reasonable demands. No one is going to listen if you say throw yourself off a cliff. But if you say push the monster Daenerys and her savages off a cliff, thats more logical."

"I like you when you get murderous." Joffrey decided. She smiled back at him. 

"I know what turns you on." Rieka agreed. "Now after we eat we can go back to using our deadly weapons and we can pretend the stone is the face of our enemies. I'm going to picture Theon since i know what he looks like and carve out his fucking testicles."

"Rieka Baratheon." Joffrey tasted her name as if he was speaking the name of a deity, as if he wasn't worthy of the woman he held in his hands. Rieka blinked back at him, her lips parted as she met his dark gaze. "I love you."