Only A Northern Song ~ Game of Thrones / Willas Tyrell ~

Chapter Sixty Four: Mistakes

"Tell me everything you know about house Westerling,"

Eddmina's demand didn't wake Jaime Lannister, but her sharp kick to his side did. He jerked, leting out a startled grunt as he looked around wildly, trying to spot where his attacker had come from. When he saw her stood over him, his eyes narrowed to see through the darkness, and the moment the haze of sleep cleared and he realised it was her, a smirk grew on his face. He opened his arms out, as if beckoning for her to join him.

"Ah, Princess! It has been a while! I had wondered when you would next grace me with your presence," he greeted her with a jesting tone. She wondered how he had spent so long in chains yet had maintained his need to poke fun at her. "No wine this time?"

"If you answer all of my questions and stop being such a prick then I promise that I will bring you whatever you want next time I visit," she vowed.

She kicked him in the shins once more, simply because she could. She told herself it was for Bran, but the thought of her little brother made grief shoot through her in a way that even beating Ser Jaime to a pulp wouldn't solve. He might have pushed him from the tower, but he didn't kill him, or Rickon, and she silently noted to save her rage for the men who were truly responsible. With that she sat down across from Jaime, not caring if she dirtied her dress.

Surely if anyone knew anything about the Westerlings it would be the son of their liege lord. Surely if anyone could take her mind off her revelation she had while in the privy then it would be their prisoner of honour. His smirk was infuriating, but it sure helped towards her latter predicament.

"What's the sudden curiosities with the Westerlings?" Jaime asked with a careless shrug. "They're fairly uninteresting as I recall,"

"If I had ever remarked that one of my father's bannermen were 'uninteresting', my father would surely have subjected me to history lessons and taught me himself until I knew everything I needed and had learnt the necessary respect that such people are due," she explained coldly.

"I thought you would have learnt by now that our fathers are vastly different men," Jaime pointed out, though his smile faltered slightly, becoming almost sad. He quickly righted himself, adjusting his position so he was sat up a little straighter. "It was an understatement, though. The Westerlings are very uninteresting. They might be one of the oldest houses in the west, but they haven't used that time to learn how to become decent gold miners. They're fairly poor, and even though they have the blood of the first men, they are frightfully dull. It is a fate worse than death to get caught with Gawen Westerling at a dinner party."

Gawen Westerling had been the man who'd looked fairly uninterested during the greetings that had taken place earlier, though he had also regarded her warily. He'd stared at her and somehow mastered a look that was uncaring yet intensely suspicious all in one. Somehow in those few minutes she had spent in his presence Eddmina had learnt she not only disliked him, she didn't care a great deal about him either.

It was his wife and his children she cared about.

"What about Lady Westerling? And their children?" Eddmina pushed, noting how Jaime tilted his head slightly as he looked at her, trying to figure out why she was so bothered. Knowing he wouldn't tell her anything without context, she made a simple lie as she said, "King Robb has captured the Crag. I simply want to know what our new prisoners are like."

That certainly caught his attention. He laughed, though the sound was a raspy choke, an obvious sign of him not drinking enough in his imprisonment. She realised then how poorly he had been kept, as he looked skinnier than he had been, his face looking tired and drawn, while his hair had grown darker and longer, falling in greasy clumps. He was not the glorious shining knight that had rode into Winterfell so long ago. Then again, she was not the young newlywed girl returning home for the first time anymore either. War had changed them both, and Eddmina thanked the gods for keeping her safe enough so that she did not decline as much as Jaime had. There was not much time to linger on that thought, not as she caught the expression of fearful disgust cross his face.