Northern lights

65. Parting ways

Rosalie Tyrell

"It doesn't make sense", Olenna exclaims as Rosalie raises her eyebrows.

"It's the one thing that does make sense!"

Standing abruptly, Olenna shakes her index finger at her granddaughter with fury. "Don't you take that tone with me, young lady! I've been around long enough to see several kings fall and I've lived through it all while keeping this family intact! I did it all without ever putting on armor!"

Scoffing, Rosalie shakes her head with a disheartened smile upon her lips. "You taught me to use my mind and I do so when it is possible, but sometimes a woman needs to grab a sword and stop allowing men to make her life decisions because in the end all they are good for is betrayal and I will not put my sister's safety in Lannister hands."

Glancing at Olenna, Rosalie sheats her sword. 

"Your father can do this on his own", Olenna tries once more, her voice laced in uncertainty. Not even she believes her words.

Stepping closer, Rosalie keeps her eyes on the armor as she fixes it. If it's too loose or too tight, it will make it difficult for her to move properly and put her at risk. Robb made sure she knows just how well it's meant to hug her body in order for her to have the agility and speed, as well as protection.

"My father is a lovely man, but we both know he can barely ride a horse." Looking up at Olenna, Rosalie continues. "He's not a man capable of drawing blood when it is necessary and if Jaime tries anything I swear to the gods, old and new, I will cut him down."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Olenna takes Rosalie's hands in hers. The horizontal line forming a usually shallow crevice between her eyebrows deeps, conveying her concern. 

"You are hurting and I fear it clouds your judgement."

Biting the inside of her lower lip, Rosalie purses her lips as her teeth break skin. "You're not wrong. I've been hurt and a part of me is looking for an excuse to hurt someone too." Licking her lips, she smiles coldly. "Jaime. And Cersei. I want her to live a long, long life. I want her to see her family fall from grace, to watch their name lose its value as she becomes completely irrelevant. I want to see her suffer."

"And Jaime", Olenna raises a brow, curious as to what Rosalie might say.

Rosalie smirks, "Oh, him I want dead."

With a kiss on the cheek from her lady grandmother, Rosalie set off to the front of the Red Keep where her horse waited. She knew her father would not allow her to join the army, perhaps even Jaime would object, so she decided it would be best to blindside them.

It didn't take long for her to catch up to them, smiling to herself at the sight of all the manpower they'd have. She's itching for a fight, for someone to challenge her. A beast inside her has been born from the ashes of the old Rosalie Jaime destroyed and this beast demands a blood sacrifice. 

She notices Jaime in his golden armor atop a horse, her father right beside him as they lead the soldiers down the street.

Mace moves in front, stopping before Jaime and the soldiers quit their march.

"My friends, the hour has come. Madness has overtaken this city and grasped in its claws my children. But now we must drive it back under the rocks whence it came. Madness has had its day!"

As her father speaks, she catches Jaime's eye. His bright green eyes seem to have dulled in the matter of a few weeks, the dark circles around them far more prominent than before. If anything, the last time she saw those circles was in Robb's camp. His face is drained, pale, his beard growing unlike his usual clean shaven look. The hair he adores is an unkempt mess atop his head and for a moment, Rosalie can't help but smile as it almost seems as if he cares about their split. Only for a moment does she allow her breath to turn stale at the back of her throat in the memory of the way he brought back her smile to surface after Robb's passing.