CHAPTER 3 | A MAN WITHOUT HONOR

LAILA had known Robb Stark since he were a boy. She was significantly older than him – gods, she was even around for the arrival of Theon and Freya Greyjoy at Winterfell. She had always been older than them, and thus they thought of her as wise. They didn't speak to her much, which is why the lot usually kept to themselves. But she had always been there, lurking in the background of family dinners and celebrations. Laila had been there.

This was what made her decision so hard now. She knew she had to follow her lady's orders; it was Catelyn after all. She didn't want to betray Robb's orders, but what could she do? Maybe she was second-guessing herself, but all Laila was was a handmaiden. She had grown up in the Rills, and tried living amongst the Ryswells – her true family – but none had cared for her. They did not like the lowborn woman her father had married, so they abandoned him. Eventually, they ran out of coinage to support themselves, so they fled the Rills. Their family didn't care anyways, but the Starks did – always. She was working for both sides of the Starks, though now she was forced to choose between a mother and son's wishes.

Laila was currently tugging on her lady's arm, who was also followed by Brienne. "Lady Catelyn," she heaved, "I ... I cannot do this. I am but a handmaiden, yes? What purpose do I have for this mission?"

"I will do anything you ask of me, Lady Stark," Brienne agreed with a nod of her head, "but to escort a Lannister? You have to be joking. You'll be betraying your son."

Catelyn turned to look at them with heated eyes. "My girls are in King's Landing. Captured by the enemy. This is the only way I will get them back." She sighed, shrugging off her handmaiden's hand. "You two are the only people I really trust in this war. Lady Brienne, you are a woman of immense strength and duty. I know you will be able to handle this mission. And Laila, you are capable of more than you know. I need you to keep the peace and present Jaime to the Lannisters when you arrive at the Red Keep. You have always been a great speaker and handler. Brienne will need your help. I need you both to do this for me."

Brienne and Laila looked at each other again. Laila swallowed hard. "What if we fail?" Brienne asked.

"You won't," Catelyn quipped, leading them into the camp.

The army amongst the camp only became more and more violent with each other as the day went on. Some sided with Lady Stark, while some were with Lord Karstark. Laila was fighting with that decision herself as she walked through the rain. It poured down that night, but Lady Catelyn, Freya, and Brienne met in the middle of the field and watched a group of soldiers argue over the issue. Laila admired Queen Freya's proper attire from the back of Catelyn.

Brienne made a disgusted noise at the fighting and asked, "Your husband returns at dawn, Your Grace?"

Freya nodded, "Precisely."

"The Kingslayer won't last the night. The more they drink, the angrier they'll get." Brienne observed with a frown. "And when the Karstarks draw their swords ... Who wants to die defending a Lannister?"

"You'd be surprised," the queen replied.

Catelyn glanced to the ladies beside her. "Come, Brienne, Laila. I must speak with the Kingslayer, or your words might come true."

Queen Freya moved out of the way so the ladies could walk forth into the camp, and Laila looked to the banner men again, who were now rolling on the ground. They fought with each other, hissing disgusting words that they wouldn't have said a day prior. She stared with wide eyes, holding an arm over her head, but it did nothing to protect her from the rain. She continued to follow Catelyn and Brienne.

They approached the Kingslayer's dirty tent slowly. Mud covered every inch of it. The grass around the cell was dying, and the wooden bars were rottening. Laila hesitantly pinched the bridge of her nose to hide the smell. She wouldn't be surprised if Jaime Lannister shit himself from time to time because he couldn't move.

He was tied to a post within the cell. His neck was chained to said post, holding his back straight. He looked to the three women approaching his tent in confusion. Catelyn stepped forth into the cell, a Stark banner man to her left. Brienne and Laila stood behind her.

"I need to be alone with him," Catelyn told the soldier.

The banner man shook his head. "My Lady, our orders –"

"Your orders, which I just gave you, are to leave me alone with him."

Jaime's eyes lifted. Blood dripped down the side of his face as his vision met Laila's. She began to move more behind Brienne then.

"Come to say goodbye, Lady Stark? I believe it's my last night in this world." The Kingslayer teased, before looking to Brienne on the outside of his cell. "Is that a woman?"

Brienne stepped inside the cell, dragging Laila with her. The handmaiden's feet squished into the mud, and she cringed at the feeling. "Do you hear them out there?" Catelyn asked. "They want your head."

Jaime huffed out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, old Lord Karstark doesn't seem to like me."

Laila scoffed softly, but Jaime still heard her.

"You strangled his son with your chains," Catelyn spat.

"Oh, oh," the Kingslayer pondered. He gave a false expression of sadness. "Was he the one on guard duty?" He then sighed. "He was in my way. Any knight would have done the same."

Catelyn narrowed her eyes. "You are no knight. You have forsaken every vow you ever took."

"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King; obey the King; obey your father; protect the innocent; defend the weak." Jaime paused to collect his thoughts. "But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another." He was staring at Brienne again. "Where did you find this beast?"

Catelyn opened her mouth, but Laila was already speaking. "She is more faithful knight than you will ever be," Laila snarled, the old Ryswell venom practically seeping from her mouth, "Kingslayer."

"Receiving help from a handmaiden now. Aye, Lady Stark?" Jaime laughed, and Brienne held out her arm, preventing Laila from moving forward in anger. "Ah, Kingslayer. What a King he was. Here's to Aerys Targaryen – the second of his name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm – and to the sword I shoved in his back."

Laila's mouth dropped just the tiniest bit. This man had no regret. He had so many faults, and he regretted none of them. King Aerys has been a horrid King, or so Laila heard, but he physically stabbed him in the back. Laila knew shit about politics, but there had to have been another way to get him off the throne? Her mind ran with confusion and anger towards this shit knight.

Catelyn shook her head. "You are a man without honor."

Jaime glanced to the dirt staining his boots. "Do you know ... I've never been with any woman but Cersei? So, in my own way ... I have more honor than poor, old, dead Ned." His lips tugged into a smirk. "What was the name of that bastard he fathered?"

"Brienne."

"No, that wasn't it." Jaime said, regarding Catelyn's call. "Snow, a bastard from the North."

Brienne stepped closer to Catelyn, but Laila's feet were planted right in their spot. Jaime stared at her lady with a devilish glint in his eyes. She wanted to rip his eyes out, but Laila was never one for extreme violence. She'd never know how to anyways. But still, she could, and the idea was tempting.

"Now, when ... when good, old Ned came home with some whore's baby, did you pretend to love it?" Jaime asked, lofting a brow. "No, you're not very good at pretending. You're an honest woman. You hated that boy, didn't you? How could you not hate him? The walking, talking reminder that the honorable Lord Eddark Stark fucked another woman."

"You little shit –" The words came out of Laila's mouth like vomit.

Catelyn interrupted, thrusting her hand out to Brienne. "Your sword."

Brienne pulled her sword from it's sheath, like she had been doing it since birth. The lady knight stared down at the Kingslayer with violence dancing in her eyes, but Jaime just watched with ease. He smiled confidently, and soon exhaled a breath of the misty air.

•••

A/N: So, as I said before, this story isn't going to be as long as my others. It's taking place during a pretty short time in the show, but this part in the show is where Jaime (in my opinion) has the most character development and is the most vulnerable. Seasons 2 and 3 were also my favorite Jaime seasons! Also, Book I will only have 5 chapters (because it takes place at the end of Season 2), while Book II is going to have a lot more! That's about it; can't wait for you guys to read what I have in store!!