It had been two days since Rose's conversation with Brienne and silence had overtaken the boat once more. The river seemed to be closing in on them and they would have no choice but to return to land and finish the journey on foot. Jaime was enjoying the time on the small boat because he never had to work for anything and he just sat down and relaxed the entire time. Though, he couldn't seem to shut his mouth the moment they got off the boat and back on land.
He found it amusing to harass Brienne even more than he had as they traveled on water. The three were walking across rocks and mud to a gravel road where their muddy clothes could dry. Rose's feet were beet red and the gravel surely pained them more but she continued on because Brienne didn't need to hear more complaining and Rose didn't want to be a nuisance to anyone.
Jaime, on the other hand, continued on with his nests and vulgarity.
"You're a virgin, I take it?" He asked Brienne but she didn't even flinch at any comment Jaime made. It's like she was made of steel. Rose was taken aback by the question and threw Jaime a look of disappointment and urged him to knock it off. It was none of his business anyway.
"Walk." Brienne ordered him and pushed him in front of her so he leads the way. Yet Jaime continued to glance back at her and mess with her.
"Childhood must have been awful for you. Were you a foot taller than all the boys? They laughed at you, called you names? Some like a challenge. One or two must tried to get inside big Brienne."
"One or two tried." Brienne responded flatly.
"Ah. But you fought them off." Jaime replied, seemingly very interested in Brienne's sexual encounters.
"But maybe you wished one of them could overpower you, fling you down, tear off your clothes. But none of them were strong enough... I'm strong enough." Jaime commented. Rose looked toward Jaime with furrowed brows. Jaime just shrugged back as if he were doing no wrong so Rose scoffed and turned her head way, taking in the forestry around them.
"Not interested." Brienne replied.
"Of course you are, you'd love to know what it feels like to be a woman." Rose halted as she looked ahead of her and saw three swaying bodies hanging from a tree. Three women, young from what she could tell, their clothes ripped and a sign hanging from the middle woman's neck.
They lay with lions.
All Rose could think was that one of those girls could have been her.
"They lay with lions." Jaime read the sign aloud.
"Tavern girls I'd say, they probably served my father's soldiers. Maybe one of them gave up a kiss and a feel. That's how they earned this. The glorious work of the northern freedom fighters. Must make you proud to serve the Starks."
"I don't serve the Starks. I serve Lady Catelyn." Brienne said as she tied Jaime to a tree. Brienne then unsheathed her sword and walked toward the rope that held the women in the trees.
"Tell yourself that when they swing in your dreams. What are you doing?" Jaime said.
"Burying them." Brienne replied to him and continued on trying to retrieve the women.
"We need to leave. The bodies aren't rotting, these are fresh." Rose warned and Jaime appeared to agree with her, suddenly nervous of their open position.
"We shouldn't stay here. We should get back on the river. I think these women would understand-"
"I don't care what you think." Brienne shot back and ignored their pleas.
"We should go. It's not safe here." Rose warned again with an urgency.
Suddenly there were voices coming from over the tree line. All sounded like men. Rose immediately thought the worse and that they would kill upon realization there was money to be had if they were all captured. The unfortunate aspect of the entire situation is that they were making progress on their trek and did not need this hurtle.
"Untie me." He shouted to Brienne in a hushed whisper and he held out his arms to her but she had no time to help him because the men were in sight in a moments time.
"Woah." One of them said as he realized three strangers were in their territory.
"What is your business here?" The same one asked.
"Traveling a prisoner." Brienne replied cooly, trying not to give anything away.
"You're a woman!? A woman! Well fuck me!"
"We'll be going." Brienne, Jaime, and Rose all tried to leave but were stopped again.
"Who do you fight for?"
"The Starks." Brienne replied honestly.
"What did he do?" He motioned to Jaime as he was the only one with his hands bound.
"Apparently eating is now a crime." He lied and tried to hide his face the best he could by looking at the ground or away from the men.
"Who knew?"
"No, stealing is a crime." Brienne snapped at Jaime.
"But it's not a crime to starve."
"That's justice for you."
"Where are you taking him?" One of the three men asked.
"To Riverrun."
"Why Riverrun?"
"You steal from the Tully's it's their dungeons you rot in."
"And what about her?" They looked behind Brienne and Jaime to Rose who looked at Jaime for some kind of answer but he was unable to give anything for her to make up so she had to think of the most basic reason for her to be there.
"I'm a witness. I must travel along with them so that this man can be fully prosecuted for his crimes."
"You speak like a highborn." The one commented.
Rose could feel the panic rise in her.
"Do I know you two?" He motioned his finger, pointed between Rose and Jaime.
"Have you been to Ashemark?"
"No."
"Then you don't know me."
"What about you?" He asked Rose.
"Honeyholt." Rose replied.
"You ever been to the River Market at Salt Rock?" He asked Jaime.
"Is it near Ashemark?" He shook his head. Jaime nodded too.
"I've never been there."
The three men seemed to let the interrogating go after that but they kept an eye on Jaime and Rose. They were trying hard to figure out who they were.
"What do you think of these beauties? They are almost as beautiful as you." The same man commented to Rose and she felt a sudden urge to gag at the sight of the decaying bodies and what the men did to them. She could only imagine. Rose tried her hardest to remain calm but all she wanted was to kill that man.
"Wait. I do know you."
"Your Jaime Lannister." Jaime scoffed and acted surprised.
"I wish someone would have told me. I wouldn't have had to steal that pig."
"If this is the Kingslayer, I'd think I'd know about it." Brienne commented.
"How do you know what the Kingslayer looks like? I was at whispering wood. I saw him. They dragged him out of the woods and threw him before the King."
"He's not the Kingslayer. Sorry to disappoint." Brienne replied and pushed Jaime a bit, making him move back towards the river.
"I was also in the camp when Lady Stark brought a guest to camp. It was you. How could I forget a face that nice? A Tyrell so far north? Who could forget."
"I'm sorry but I'm no Tyrell. If I was I wouldn't be here right now."
"No? Well this seems to make perfect sense. A knight traveling with the Kingslayer and his whore."
"I can assure you that I am no whore and I am not a Tyrell and this is not Jaime Lannister."
"Really?"
"Well when I count to three, I want the two of you to tell me this mans name."
They were in trouble now.
"One."
Rose and Brienne made eye contact. Rose shifted a bit and grabbed onto the small knife on the back of Brienne's armor.
"Two." Rose slowly pulled the knife out of its sheath and held it tightly in her hand.
"Three."
Brienne attacked one of the men. She pulled out her sword and began fighting them. Rose took the blade and threw it at another man, striking him right in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground and try to stop the bleeding though he figured he would die anyway. Rose pushed Jaime out of the way, as he was practically useless now. Brienne killed the man and went to the last one who was still laying on the ground. He put his hand up in defense.
"Two quick deaths..." Brienne slowly impaled him with her sword, killing him slowly. Jaime and Rose watched, slightly relieved they hadn't been killed.
"Those were Stark men." Jaime said.
"I don't serve the Starks. I serve Lady Catelyn. She's the one who I was told to protect and I'm doing this for her. If this is what Stark soldiers do, I don't serve them. I told you I'm going to take the both of you to King's Landing, and that's what I'm going to do."
Brienne walked away, going to bury the three women and the three men.
Rose breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to face Jaime.
"Are you alright?" She asked him.
Jaime nodded. "You?"
"I'm fine."
"Honeyholt? Really? Couldn't think of anything better?" Jaime said and Rose scoffed a bit at his comment then thought about his answer to the question.
"Ashemark? Really?"
"Maybe not my best lie but it doesn't matter they're dead." They watched Brienne bury the bodies. She dug shallow holes by the tree line for them.
"If we took the King'a Road we would be home by now." Rose said.
"Where are you going to go when we get to King's Landing?" Jaime asked.
"Well I'm sure Cersei wouldn't want me anywhere near you, so I will probably go back to Highgarden."
Jaime stayed quiet. He knew she was right. Rose doesn't even know the terrible things he's done since she left him.
"How are the children?" It pained Rose to even ask but when Myrcella was baby, Rose had never seen something so precious, she had never seen something she wanted so badly. Joffrey was a vile child from what she could remember but Myrcella seemed like a gem, one she surely wanted.
"Last time I saw them Joffrey was still violent, Myrcella was still sweet, and Tommen was still innocent. But I don't know now."
Rose nodded. The one thing that pained her more than anything in the world was Jaime's confession that he loved his sister. She knew the stories of the Targaryen's marrying each other but never anyone else. The worst of it is that Rose knew that relationship carried on while she was with Jaime. She was in King's Landing when they were born, all of them except for Tommen. Although he would never say, Jaime knew she knew he carried it on and knew it was one of the biggest reasons she left him.
Rose stayed quiet for the remainder of the day, only thanking Brienne for saving her life. Her mind continued to itch at the fact that once they arrived in King's Landing Jaime would run right back into the arms of Cersei, if they made it back alive.