Finding Hope - Jaime Lannister fanfic

The Feast

Chapter four

~ The Feast ~

Liya sat quietly in the room full of rowdy people. She felt uncomfortable and out of place with the ballad singing and wine-drinking men and women. Giving up she sneaked out of the room into the hall and walked away from the noise. Turning a few corners she ended up seeing her younger brother furiously slashing into a hay-filled sack.

"Whatever did that poor thing do to you, Jon?" She voiced and Jon swiftly turned and looked wondering who had spoken, but soon he smiled as Liya walked out into the open

"He did nothing, I just needed to hit something," Jon said with a shrug, though he held his sword in an angry and tight grip

Liya looked sadly at him. She knew what her mother had told Jon, the one reason he was out here slashing his anger away on a practicing doll. She did anything but agree with her mother and had tried many times to tell her and Jon that they were family by bond, just not entirely by blood.

"Why're you here though? I thought you liked feasts?" Jon asked with a slight tilt of his head

"I do, but the wine is flowing tonight"

Jon only nodded, knowing that Liya hated rowdy men who had had a little too much to drink, of which many would be attending the feast tonight.

"You should get back" Jon suddenly said

"Why?" Liya asked arching her eyebrow

"Since you've probably snuck out of the hall and Lady Stark most likely already knows you have"

Liya laughed at Jon's words. He knew her so well, the things that she loved and the ones she hated. Though it came most likely to be since they so often confided in each other, just like tonight. Jon first thought, when he was younger, that the reason Liya talked to him so much was out of pity since he was a bastard. Although after Jon had voiced his thoughts to her it resulted in a young Liya sobbing and crying telling him that she really wanted to be friends with him. Jon had felt so guilty at that moment, his doubts about his belonging within the Stark family had gotten the better of him. From then on the both of them got along as well as any siblings could be.

"Then I probably should"

"Not until you give your uncle a hug!" Liya turned her head and there beside a dark-colored horse stood her uncle Benjen dressed in his raven-black clothes

"Uncle Benjen!" both Jon and Liya greeted him at the same time

He held his arms open and both of them hugged him tightly. Liya could smell the cold that was resting in the fur of his coat. He had taken the black and rarely came back to Winterfell, so Jon and Liya were ecstatic as they hadn't seen him in so many years.

"Go on to your mother Liya, she must be fuming by now" her uncle spoke giving her shoulder a tight squeeze

"I will uncle, let us speak more in the morrow"

"We will Liya"

She said her farewell to her brother and uncle and made her way back towards the great hall where the feast was held.

"Already had enough of the feast milady?"

Liya looked ahead of her and saw a small figure leaning against the wall. Though as it stepped forward she saw that it was an imp and not just any imp.

"Lord Tyrion," She said giving him a respectable bow "I was actually on my way to return to the great hall"

"I see" and Tyrion took a gulp from the cup in his hand, which was most likely filled with wine

"Although I think you'll most likely only return once your cup is empty," Liya said with a small smirk gracing her lips

Tyrion gave a short laugh "That's true milady. You already seem to know me so well even though we haven't even been introduced to one another"

Liya returned his laugh "Lady Liya Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you my lord" she said with a bow of her head

"Likewise lady Liya, Tyrion Lannister," the imp said also giving a small nod of his head

He brought his cup up and in one throw gulped the liquid down his throat "It seems that my cup is empty lady Liya, shall we return to the feast together?"

Liya laughed at his actions and nodded. Together they walked down the hallway to the feast, conversing along the way. Liya opened the wooden door, to let Tyrion in first, and immediately was greeted with the noise of the revelers and the smell of food, wine, and sweat. Liya said goodbye to Lord Tyrion and went to sit next to her brother again.

Tyrion walked, while slightly swaying, to his seat and immediately grabbed a pitcher that was filled with wine. Though a hand soon swapped it away from him. Tyrion looked bewildered and slightly angry at the person who had taken the pitcher from him.

"That's enough brother," Jaime said firmly

Tyrion huffed at him, though a little embarrassed that his older brother was the one pointing him on his bad habit of drinking "Always interrupting me from the pleasures of life, drinking, and women"

Jaime knew he was jesting with him, but he was, what you could've called, concerned about his brother. Jaime slightly shook his head out of disappointment, his little brother shouldn't have to find 'the pleasures in life' only out of women and drinking.

"At least lady Liya could laugh about it" Tyrion snarled at him in his tipsy state

"Lady Liya?" Jaime tilted his head, wondering how lady Liya was involved in all of this

"Yes, lovely women she is. Walked me back to this blasted feast in my inebriate state"

Jaime looked at the lady, she was sitting a few seats down right next to her brother, intently listening to him as he spoke with wild gestures of his hand. Her hair was styled in a northern way, something he wasn't very familiar with, but it suited her well. The deep blue dress she wore worked nicely to her form and flowed out slightly at the bottom. Women in Kings Landing would dress and adorn themselves in the richest of silks and jewels to show off their wealth and status. But Liya's dress was simple and Jaime somehow found that he liked that.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" the slurred voice asked beside him

Tyrion had been looking at Jaime for the few seconds that he eyed the lovely lady Liya. Although no one could deny that she was indeed fair to behold, his brother Jaime had never shown any interest towards another woman other than Cersei. Somehow her beauty seemed to have bewitched him, so he eyed Jaime with slight curiosity for his answer.

Jaime looked at his younger brother and softly said

"She is"

A/n: finally had time to make a decent cover I hope you like it

As always thank you for reading

Love,

Ann