this will all end in tears i know it

[goldnhand]

Jaime is furious, and his sister is an idiot, but all things considered, he'd rather have it this way than their roles reversed. Which is, as he feels the weight of his golden hand, the first time that's been the truth in a while. Best not to think on that, though. Moving onto more pressing matters

Comments

[eldeststark]

THIS? THIS IS ME LOVING YOU FOR EVER AND EVER AND EVER.

Hi, Jaime! Here's a boy you might know.

Standing a bit away, his expression has suddenly gone completely and totally blank.

On the other hand, the pony-sized wolf next to him's expression is not blank at all. Lips curled back from enormous fangs, Grey Wind is not pleased. It shows. And Robb is considering just letting him have at. For now, keeping one hand on his ruff and one near the sword on his hip, he says nothing, letting Jaime take the fact that he exists in.

He figures he can leave the talking to that one.

[goldnhand]

Bugger bugger bugger bugger.

There's only so long a man can willfully ignore the sound of a snarling wolf before, when the creature fails to disappear as hoped, he either accepts the fact that he has indeed gone mad, or turns to face it. And Ser Jaime Lannister earned his epithet in a way that will cause him to never accept going mad.

He puts Cersei's letter away in a pocket of his breaches, and turns, trying to hide his surprise at finding a man who should be dead and... well, isn't, really.

Not to mention the wolf.

Bugger bugger bugger bugger.

It's a mocking tone, with a smile to fit, "Your grace."

[eldeststark]

Robb's expression twitches in a violent and somewhat unfortunate way. His right hand curls into a fist once. Oh look, he has two of them, too. And a head. Isn't this fun.

He doesn't sic Grey Wind on him yet, though. Not quite sure his father would approve. And decides to cut to the chase.

"You bastard."

And while Robb does tend more toward the heated anger end of things, right now it's the icy Stark rage coming out, and it's quite a bit more dangerous. Grey Wind tugs at the restraining hand, clearly not pleased with this business. And growls louder.

[goldnhand]

Jaime has never been a creature of temperance, not even Vargo Hoat could cut that out of him. Arrogance is a trait too addictive to be done with so quickly.

He's still Lannister. He's still Kingslayer.

He's still Jaime.

"Ask your father about those, I'd not know enough on the subject to adequately inform." At least it wasn't a your mom jape, that would be disgraceful. In the meanwhile, Jaime wonders what he'll do if the Stark boy lets up his hold on the wolf. With no sword and one hand, he can... punch it in the face. Right.

[eldeststark]

Robb's chin lifts. "Jon has better blood in the smallest finger on his left hand than your entire family. And is a better man by any measure." The snarl is almost an imitation of his wolf. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you outright."

[goldnhand]

Yes, Jaime stops himself from pointing out, but none of my siblings are dead.

Which, the tugging of something resembling what might be confused as a conscience by a naive warrior-wench tells him, is too low a blow for a dead boy-king (and his wolf).

"I have no reasons." He is not going to beg. Lannisters do not beg. Jaime wonders, what would Tyrion do? Oh, wait, idea! "Though I should remind you, when I was in a similar position with your good lady mother, she had kindness enough to let me go."

[eldeststark]

Good idea, Jaime! That would be a very good way to get yourself very killed.

Robb's jaw goes taut anyway, though. "My good lady mother is dead," he snaps. "So mercy didn't get her far with you, did it? Let alone the fact that you didn't have either of my sisters to bargain with in the first place." His right hand works again.

The noise Grey Wind makes is more of a 'let me kill things' than anything.

[goldnhand]

"I know of your mother, yes." Jaime still isn't sure how he feels about that.

Like everything he hasn't made up the emotional part of his mind about yet, he tries not to think about it.

Instead, he says, "I do not think Lady Catelyn let me free so she could get far, though that may be besides the point, your grace."

In his head, Jaime weighs the pros and cons of telling the young wolf about Brienne, and if that would sound too much like begging. Or Bran, and what purpose that would serve at all.

[eldeststark]

Robb. Glares. "I didn't expect it to be a surprise." A brief pause to take a breath, trying to be at least a little rational, because he thinks it might be a good idea. And all these people telling him not to just go killing people might be getting through his head a little. "I think she was at least hoping to live long enough to see her daughters again, ser."

Bran would at least redirect some of the anger Theon's direction. Or possibly not. It would really depend on how it was phrased.

[goldnhand]

Jaime would probably phrase it horribly. That is kind of Jaime's job, at this point. It would be a fitting replacement after commander of the kingsguard.

Inner-monologue sarcasm aside, "Then we have that in like. Or had." Smooth one, Kingslayer. But hopefully that glosses over the fact that, yes, he'd have preferred it if he could have kept well on that oath.

Honor, when it rears its ugly head, can be rather embarrassing.

[eldeststark]

He tenses.

"Do you meant to say that you didn't know you were swearing an oath you couldn't keep?" Putting all the derision into his voice that he can.

But he hasn't loosed the wolves of war yet. He's listening, reluctantly, but it's something.

[goldnhand]

Jaime blinks. And thinks about his answer very carefully. And maybe blinks some more, just for the hell of it.

"I try not to swear oaths I know I can't keep at the time, it becomes difficult to keep them separate from the oaths I've knowingly broken."

[eldeststark]

Robb narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Stop dancing around it and say what you're trying to say, ser." He says it shortly, but at least he's still asking questions.

Though Gods know he's tempted.

[goldnhand]

Jaime Lannister's one1 weakness: complementing himself. And admitting he tries to keep his honor is indeed a complement to a kingslayer such as himself.

But would he really rather die than do that?

Uh.

Tough question. "My, for someone recently lost a war, not to mention his head, you are quite demanding, Stark. One would say crowing yourself king went to your head. You know what happened to the last king who could boast such a thing, do you?" Yes, weaponless handless Jaime Lannister is totally threatening a dude with a trained attack wolf. What of it?

---
1 - and by one, we mean 'one of many'.

[eldeststark]

Robb's back snaps straight and his eyes go flat flat flat and cold. "I do remember something about one oath you've broken. What would another be to that?" Grey Wind tugs again, powerfully.

His expression is cold, like ice. "There is, however, one thing."

[goldnhand]

Jaime's stance begins to shift into something that is, well. Reading to punch a full grown direwolf in the face.

Can't say he didn't try.

"Oh, young wolf? And what would that be?" But as he speaks, his eyes do not move from Grey Wind, and Grey Wind's bared teeth and strong jaw.