Herzeleid - Rhaegar/Jaime [A Song of Ice and Fire]
Authors: sturmbringer & zephyrina
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire
Characters/Pairing: Jaime Lannister/ Rhaegar Targaryen
Prompt: Pride
Word Count: 1.216
Rating: R
Disclaimer: A Song of Ice and Fire, Rhaegar and Jaime belong to G.R.R. Martin. We don't make money, blablabla. If the boys were ours, they would have hawt sex 24/7.
Author's Notes: Very much AU. Rhaegar never died, Robert never claimed the throne and Jaime did it all for Rhaegar. You will see. Title is from a Rammstein album. Go and buy it, you know you want to.
The passage was too dark. Jaime was forced to walk slowly, holding both hands in front of him, to avoid crashing against the walls of the Keep when the corridor abruptly made a turn. Rhaegar had not wanted to give him a torch; he had said it would bee too dangerous. The light could be seen through the stones, giving away his presence.
Rhaegar was right, of course, as well as he had been right about Aerys’ habits or about Aerys’ lack of resistance when Jaime would lower the fatal blow, making Rhaegar King. The Dragon Prince seldom made any mistakes, it seemed.
He smirked before stopping and knocking against a stone. On the other side, Rhaegar was in waiting for him, he would open the passage and let him in.
Would he?
There was no reaction to his knocking, however, the stones stayed cold and silent. No sound at the other side of the hidden door indicated that anyone was there at all. It was as if Jaime, the stones and the darkness were the only things left in the world.
Suddenly, he recalled some tales of old he had heard when he was still a child in his Father’s manor, tales of people who had entered the passages of the Keep and never come back. Only in that moment Jaime realized that he had put not just his honor, but also his life in Rhaegar’s hands.
None knew he was there, and none would hear his screams, the stone was too thick… if the Targaryen had decided to leave him there, Jaime had no chances to escape.
Sweat began to form on his brow, and he knocked again, louder.
Light flooded through the narrow corridor, when the door was suddenly opened, causing Jaime to stumble through it. Rhaegar was standing there, in the light of the fire coming from his room. He was clad only in a white shirt and this combined with the sudden brightness almost made him appear like a ghost. His face was distorted into a mask of apprehension.
"Is it done?" he whispered urgently, and then, when Jaime did not answer at once, louder again. "Is it done?"
“Why did you not open?” Jaime asked in return, breathing a little faster than usual. He wore the white garments of the Kingsguard, and they were bloodstained.
"I did not hear you," Rhaegar replied, closing the hidden door again. His gaze fell on Jaime's soiled clothes and his eyes sparkled, indigo fire. Within a heartbeat, he was at his side; within another, he had torn off the white cloak and was pulling Jaime against him.
"I knew it. You set me free. I thank you…" They were leaning against the wall and the Prince laughed. It sounded carefree and relaxed now and he slipped his hands underneath the bloodied shirt without hesitation. "Claim your prize."
“My prize…” Jaime wrapped his left arm around Rhaegar’s waist, possessively, and buried his other hand in the Prince’s hair. It was so soft, it smelled nice, under his fingers it felt exactly as he thought it would. He smiled, caressing his scalp with his fingertips, as tenderly as he could. “Rhaegar…” he breathed, calling him by his name for the first time.
For a moment, it seemed as if the Dragon Prince was hesitating. He swayed a little, and his indigo eyes showed confusion. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again without a word. His hands stilled on Jaime's skin, only touching, as if through them, he would somehow find an answer to the question that showed in his face.
“What is it, my dear?” asked Jaime, who had taken a step backwards, “what is it?”
But it was only a moment. Rhaegar laughed abruptly, bringing them both back to reality and pulled the Knight closer again.
"No need to get sentimental, my hero. Come…" He glanced down at the remnants of Jaime's clothing. "First, we shall get you out of this…." And with this, he began undoing the other's shirt, gently pushing him back to the bed.
“No.” Jaime’s hand reached up, his fingers curled around Rhaegar’s wrist. He was stronger than the Targaryen, he could easily crush him if only he would, but surprisingly, his grasp was tender, albeit steady. “Not like this. Your Father’s blood is still on my hands. I do not want to have you like this.”
"Like this?" Rhaegar's voice was cold as he stepped back, pulling free of Jaime's grasp. "I offer you what many desire, offer you myself… and you think you can decide on everything? Like the how and when? Believe me, Ser…" Coming closer again, he took one of Lannister's hands, guiding it until his palm came to rest upon the naked skin of his buttocks, fingers only inches away from the cleft between them.
“I don’t…” Jaime started, only to be cut off by Rhaegar.
"Believe me, you would miss something. I am not one to deny a reward. As well as I am not one to offer second chances too easily. Don't do anything you might regret. I am an honorable man, Jaime, and I can be very grateful."
Nimble fingers laced with Jaime's, guiding them closer to their target, then away again, showing the young Knight that the Dragon Prince was not only grateful, but also quite excited.
Jaime’s eyes narrowed. He was torn between his desire, the need to have what he had always yearned for, and his pride. It pleased him - and it excited him, too - to see that Rhaegar wanted him, of course, but the point was another. The point was that he was not cheap whore, willing to get whatever the Prince gave him.
“No,” the Knight repeated, a bit louder this time, stilling Rhaegar’s hands once more. “I am an oathbreaker, now. I slew my King, your Lord Father, because I truly believe that you would make a better ruler, thus breaking all my vows. They said I were to protect Aerys, not the realm. The realm matters not to the Kingsguard.”
He paused, looking down at the sword hung at his side, and shook his head. “Oathbreaker, yes, but I still have pride. I am no whore, ready to spread my legs at your command. I will not lay with you while Aerys’ blood dries on my clothes. I will not.”
"So," Rhaegar hissed, "you mean to determine the conditions of our contract." He turned abruptly, bringing some distance between them again. "No whore, indeed. I did not mean you to 'spread your legs' for me, but be it as it may, you are not interested. I cannot force you. I suggest you go to bed then, Lord Jaime, for tomorrow will bring a lot of uproar, and your new duties will be assigned to you soon."
Picking up a silver dagger from a small table nearby and testing its blade with his thumb, Rhaegar laughed. "A better ruler… Oh yes, indeed." The blade was razor sharp, cutting the tender skin of the Prince's palm without effort. The crimson of the cut seemed to color his eyes in a dark red as well.
"Yes, this I swear to you, even if nothing else is true. I will be greater."