A Lions Flower |J.Lannister|

• Chapter 11 •

"Do you know how long it's going to take us to get to King's Landing walking through fields and forests?" Jaime questioned Brienne as they moved forward from the dead bodies of last week.

It's been a week since the incident with the Stark soldiers. Rose has stayed relatively quiet, death was hard on Rose, especially when one of the soldiers deaths was on her hands. For Brienne and Jaime, everything seemed relatively normal. But the road was taking significantly longer than any other form of transportation and they had no choice other than walking, so it was becoming tiring and irritating to Jaime the most.

"Yes." Brienne answered Jaime's question.

"So how shall we pass time? By putting one foot in front of the other? It's going to be a very dull walk." Jaime commented again.

To Rose, dull would be just fine. The dread of having to return to King's Landing was already causing her more agony than she had ever felt before. Brienne seemed to agree because she just wanted Jaime to shut up.

Brienne learned a lot about both Jaime and Rose on this trip and she realized she liked Rose significantly more than Jaime. Jaime was becoming too irritable and annoying for her taste and he was incredibly self centered. The only time she saw some kind of care for another is when he spoke to Rose when he thought she was sleeping or when she was looking away. Jaime was a hard man to deal with and she had no idea how Rose dealt with it before.

"Dull is fine."

"You know, it doesn't matter how loyal a servant you are, no one enjoys the company of a humorless mute. Trust me on this. People have been serving me since I was born. People have been serving Rose since she was born. You think Lady Stark is going to want a giant tower headed plank following her around for the rest of her life? A weeks journey with you, she'll order you to fall on your sword."

Brienne tried to keep her composure but after weeks of Jaime's torment, it was almost time for her to put him in his place. Jaime's insults were trying to crack Brienne's stoic demeanor, make her feel less than the warrior she was. She was a strong, tough, independent knight who wasn't a true knight, surely she could handle a few insults from Westeros' most "loyal" Kingsguard. Brienne knew she had it in her to take him on and she could defeat a man who hasn't eaten anything but small portions of food she could catch and was much less of the man he once was.

"If Lady Stark is unhappy with any aspect of my service, I'm sure she will let me know."

There was a lull for a moment. All that could be heard were the sticks crunching underneath their feet and the birds chirping in the sky.

"How did you come into Lady Stark's service? There's something we could talk about."

"None of your concern, Kingslayer."

"It had to have been recently. You weren't with her at Winterfell."

"You were at Winterfell?" Rose questioned Jaime. She had no idea he had visited there recently and she knew Ned and Jaime did not get along well.

"With King Robert to bring Ned Stark to King's Landing to become Hand of the King. But I think I would have recognized you, you're head smacking into doorways and all." Brienne just pushed Jaime along.

"Move."

"Were you pledged to Stannis?"

"Gods no." Brienne replied, almost disgusted at the thought.