The Finding of Lya Stark

Cages

"Catelyn! Robb!" I say walking into Robb's tent. Catelyn is standing there talking to him while he sits looking over some paperwork. They look up at me as I walk in. "I've seen them! I've seen all of them."

"Sit down, tell us everything."

"It's not very much," I say listening. "But they're all alive. Bran and Rickon are with Hodor, and Osha, remember her?" I ask Robb.

"Of course I do."

"She seems to be helping them now. And Sansa is alive, in the capital. I saw Arya but she's surrounded by darkness."

"Oh this is great," Catelyn says hugging me.

"I have to go sit for a little while," I say getting up. I leave and make my way to the river. I throw some stones into the water and watch the ripples for a few moments. I stop when someone walking by says a Lannister is in the King's tent. I go back to it just in time to hear Robb.

"And what does she say?"

"She admires your Spirit Your Grace. And she um, she tore the paper in half Your Grace," he says nervously."

"You've acted with Honor I thank you for it. Lord Karstark see that his pen is clean. And that he gets some hot food."

"Does he have to lie down?"

"Why?"

"There's no room."

"Have the men build him a new pen. Put him with the Kingslayer for now," his eyes find mine at those words and I look down. "Everyone out," we all turn to leave. "Except you Lya." I move closer as they all leave. "I would like to talk to you for a moment."

"Yes?"

"What did you leave out about our sisters earlier?"

"Sansa has a cut and a bruise on her face, and she looks miserable."

"Anything else about Arya?"

"No, what I saw of her I told the truth. She doesn't look to be harmed but I can't see anything around her."

He nods taking a deep breath. "I'm going to get them back but we aren't going to do that by letting the Kingslayer go."

"His name is Jaime."

"I know that you had feelings for him but he tried to kill Ned."

"And he didn't," I argue back. "And he didn't try to kill anyone else in our family recently anyway. What if they kill Sansa?"

"They won't, they know that will ruin things for them."

"A moment of your time Your Grace?" Lady Talisa asks.

"You can go," I turn to leave.

"How are your fingers?"

"Fine thank you," I say continuing to walk away.

"Jaime!" I call walking closer I nod to his guard and kneel down in front of their cage. "That's so nice to hear."

"Shut up," I say. "I want you to know that I-," I stop talking.

"You what? You still don't want to marry me?"

"I hope you're sister," I spit the word at him, "likes you as much as you think she does. As much as I thought I did."

"You liked me? But you wouldn't marry me?"

"I thought I did but I know for certain now that I don't."

"Yes, well feelings change," he smiles at me and it drives me crazy. I want to go in there and smack him and another part just wants to kiss him. "Have you met my cousin Alastor?"

"He's a monster," I say to his cousin. "Don't look up to him. Good night gentlemen." I get up and walk away.

"I hate you too Lya!" Jaime yells after me.

I don't sleep much that night. Jaime had killed his cousin and then a guard and escaped. I sit with Catelyn who's going over letters with me having found out that I don't read very well. I'm getting frustrated so when a man comes in disrupting us and is short with Brienne I welcome it. She puts him in his place and when he announces to us that Jaime has been found we both run out. "Lord Karstark!" Catelyn interrupts him. She argues with him, and I walk right up to him. 

I slap him across the face."You fucking asshole!" I scream at him. "You killed him. You killed your own Cousin," he looks down. I can't help but kick him. "You killed one of the Karstarks, just so you could be free!"

"You would have-," I grab his hair. 

"You have no right to talk to me," I shove him towards the ground. "Now I see who you really are," I spit on him. I walk away as Catelyn continues to argue with Lord Karstark and then Jaime jeers her.

I ignore all the fighting around me and go to him. I kneel in front of him and take out the rag I had taken. I wipe the filth from his face and he just watches me. "I thought you hated me," I look away.

"You have no regard for the human life around you, and yet with me and those you love you're-...."

"I love them," he says softly.

"Why? Why did you do that?"

"You're brother is either going to kill me or send me back. I figured I would rather go home than be killed so I took my chance."

"You killed your own family member."

"I-," he looks down. 

"Exactly."

"You're mother is accusing me of something I didn't do. I will gladly own up to the things I did, but I didn't attack you and your little brother."

"I know that," Catelyn comes in and I stand aside. She glares at me and I just look at him as he looks down. 

"Get out," she says. We all go to leave. "You stay," she says to me. 

"Come to say goodbye Lady Stark? I believe it's my last night in this world. Is that a woman?"

"Shut up about her," I say. "She's better than I am."

"Not better looking," I smack him despite myself. 

"Spare me Lady Catelyn, you're daughter's already giving me crap about how I'm a terrible person. I killed his son, he was in my way. And my cousin. Any knight would have done the same to get out of his enemies encampment."

"You forsook every vow you ever took."

"So many vows. Defend the king obey the king, obey your father. Protect the innocent defend the weak. But what if your father despises the king? What if the king massacres the innocent," I look away remembering what he had told me of the Mad King. "It's too much. I'm always forsaking a vow no matter what I do."

"You're title is the Kingslayer."

"What a king he was," he says. "I shoved a sword in his back. The king of all of us."

"You are a man without Honor."

"Y'know I've never been with another woman but Cersei, so in my own way I have more Honor than poor old dead Ned. What was the name of that bastard he fathered?"

"Jaime shut up," I say. He looks over at me. "Stop talking or I'll hit you again."

"Lya you're sword."

"You didn't love him did you?"

"Mom, he's-."

"I saw it when I was in Winterfell."

"Lya?" she has her hand held out. 

"She's going to end this for me."

"Cut his chains," she orders me. I blink at her but then I listen drawing my sword and cutting his chains. Brienne drags him to his feet and I look at him swallowing. 

"Are you going to hit me now?" he asks his stupid smile back on his face.

"Shut up," I say. 

"You two have things ready for you to leave, go on."