A Game of Lies

The Three Dead Criminals

The howling started, as Cersei and Jaime made their way back to the gathered crowed. She'd pulled him away urgently, asking him all sorts of questions regarding what he planned to do about the Stark boy.

"He must die, Jaime", she said over and over.

When they arrived at the wheelhouse, Jaime cursed under his breath. Lewyn was nowhere to be found.

He walked to Ser Barristan, thinking maybe the man had sent Lewyn to his wagon. He was already annoyed by his sister, and he'd made it clear to Barristan not to leave the boys side when they were traveling to and from Winterfell.

He heard the far off cries of a wolf. He wouldn't miss the North, he thought as he approached Ser Barristan.

"Ser Barristan, is Lewyn ready in his wagon?", Jaime asked.

Ser Barristan looked oddly at Jaime.

"My Lord, I was told he was with you, so I stopped looking for him, I have not seen him", he said.

"Who told you this?", Jaime said, his temper rising, and Ser Barristan nodded to the Queen herself.

Jaime paused for a moment, the howling and barking growing ever more persistent, as more of the beasts joined in.

He noticed Jon Snow, saddling his horse and talking to his brother, Robb, when a scream rang out.

Jaime looked suddenly to his left, a basket full of apples flying through the air, as a woman fell backwards. The beast that had knocked her over was racing towards Jon and Robb.

"Ghost?", Jon yelled as the direwolf leapt and jumped wildly in front of him.

"What is is, Ghost?", he said, trying to pet the dog but the dog jerked away, suddenly running towards Jaime, stopping abruptly in front of him, sitting there, just staring at him. And Jaime stared right back.

Jon had began walking towards Jaime and Ghost, when the dog suddenly broke its contact, turning and running away, howling as it did so.

Jaime looked to Jon, and both men began running after to the animal. Jaime wasn't actually sure why, but something was wrong.

Other men followed, the Hound, Ser Barristan, they all ran as fast as they could, none gaining enough speed to keep up with the animal.

It took them all running through a bit of grassy field, when it suddenly dove into the trees, all the men stopped, as they lost sight of the direwolf.

Jaime was the first to step forward into the brush, hearing the slight whimper of an animal.

As he came to a clearing, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Ser Barristan coming up behind him.

The direwolf Ghost was standing there, wagging his tail, it's tongue flopped from its mouth, whilst the other one was laying on something, whimpering and pawing at whatever it was over.

"Summer?", Robb Stark suddenly said, coming up beside Jaime.

"Summer, up, come here", he said, and the dog suddenly rose, walking to him, pressing into Robb as he sat next to him.

There was a collective gasp. Jaime walked forward, until he was all the way through the clearing, and that when he saw the other two bodies.

"Wildlings?", Theon Greyjoy suddenly asked.

"Possibly", Robb Stark replied. He didn't sound so sure.

Jaime stepped back a bit. Three dead men, all bloody and dead. Just lying right here. It was odd to him, though he couldn't deny the direwolves made wonderful security.

Theon stepped forward, and so did Jon and a few other men. They approached the biggest man first, flipping him over.

"Wait a minute", Robb said suddenly.

"They aren't Wildlings. These men were sentenced to die or take the Black. They were leaving today with my brother and uncle and the others", he said to the crowd.

"Who are they?", Theon asked.

"Ones an old man. Haymyr Snow. And that one," he said, pointing the big oaf of a man, "this here was Coleman Baler", he finished.

Theon flipped the man closest to Coleman over.

"Who's this", he asked Robb.

"That would be Finnegan Pyke", he said.

At that time, one of the other young men had walked to the third man, flipping him over.

"I thought you said Haymyr was an old man?", he asked Robb, puzzled.

"Aye, that's right", Robb responded surely, "they were the only other three going, and I saw the others myself just before this all happened", he said.

"But, this is but a boy", he said.

Robb walked briskly over to the boy, looking down. He couldn't recognize him, not with how swollen and mangled his face was. He looked at Jon as Jon walked up behind him.

"My Gods!", Jon said suddenly.

"Ser Jaime!", he whipped around, staring wide eyed at Jaime Lannister.

All the men looked to Jaime, who looked around at them, and then he ran forward, falling to his knees beside the mangled body as he recognized the hair, even through the blood and dirt. His sons face was nearly unrecognizable to him. He noticed Ser Barristan picking up his son sword a few feet away.

"The men attacked him", Ser Barristan said grimly.

"Lewyn!", Jaime began to call, shaking the boy.

"Call a Maester! Get him back to the castle!", Robb yelled, and Jaime scooped his son up, running clumsily through the trees.

As he looked down, he recalled carrying his son like this as a baby.

"Don't you dare leave me!", Jaime growled, tears falling freely from his eyes.

"I forbid you!", he whispered.

As the men entered the gates, the people pushed and shoved to get a look, gasping and screaming. All but Cersei Lannister, who stood silently by the wheelhouse.

They'd rushed him into to the Maester, who confirmed he was still alive, but barely. Jaime had stayed with the boy until the Maester got his breather up, which took hours, every so often, they lost the boys pulse, but it always faintly came back.

As night had fallen, Jaime stepped from the Maesters chambers, leaning against the railing.

"How do you feel about a quick, clean death now?", Tyrion asked p, suddenly approaching from behind Jaime.

"Leave me, brother. Now is not the time", he growled.

"Is it not? Are you hurting? Are you grieving for your poor boy? At least now you understand how Lady Stark feels", he said, standing next to Jaime now, looking out over Winterfell.

"Why do you keep bringing up that damned Stark boy, brother", Jaime said exasperated.

"Oh, no reason", Tyrion said quietly.

"They always did say the Northern Gods worked their punishments fast", Tyrion said, suddenly turning and heading for his chambers.

"What's that supposed to mean?", Jaime called after Tyrion.

"I think you know, brother", and he turned the corner, leaving Jaime alone.

"Our sister is no God", he whispered, hatred in his voice.

He knew it was her.