The Wolf and The Lion || Jaime Lannister

Sixty Three

Rayna

I stand close to Tyrion as we walk up over one of the hills to see the scene below us.
I watch in both awe and horror as the dragon obliterates everything.
As she obliterates everything.
I pull Tyrion out of earshot of the Dothraki as subtly as I can.
"This isn't right", I say as I listen to the men scream in agony.
"I know", he says quietly. These are his men, he is a Lannister and he is watching people he has probably fought with be slaughtered.
"We have to stop this", I say and he looks up at me sadly.
"We can't", he says and I know we are both powerless in this moment. I have never felt so powerless as I do now watching these men be slaughtered.
So when the scorpion fires at her I pray that it hits her. I pray it kills that fucking dragon.
No one should have so much power, nothing that causes so much destruction should live.
When it misses I curse under my breath and Tyrion looks up at me.
I've never seen him look so conflicted. He loves Daenerys but these are his men. This is his house.
As the dragon hovers above the scorpion I pray and the arrow strikes true into the dragon.
As it lands I realise it's barely injured but it is buying the men time.
I watch her try to pull out the arrow and then I see a man on a white horse.
A horrified gasp escapes me as I recognise the man.
"Jaime", I whisper.
No he can't be here. He is in Winterfell. As he looks around I see his face and swallow hard.
What the fuck is he doing here.
"Flee you idiot", Tyrion mutters and I grab his hand as I need something to hold onto.
I want to run to him. To scream for him but he can't hear me. He's too far away.
Then he rides forward and grabs a pike and charges towards Daenerys.
"You fucking idiot", Tyrion whispers.
My hand covers my mouth as he charges looking every bit like a knight out of a story, of some hero of legend and I know what he's doing.
He killed the Mad King and saved thousands of lives.
Now he's going to kill his daughter to do the same.
Except I know that he'll never make it.
The dragon opens its mouth and my eyes close as I hear the roar and I scream involuntarily into my hand. Hot tears blur my vision as they open and all I see is fire.
Jaime.
I don't care who sees as I fall to the ground screaming. Jaime. Oh gods Jaime.
"Rayna", I hear Tyrion yelling through the ringing in my ears as he stands in front of me.
"Jaime", I sob and he shakes my harshly.
"I think that fucking idiot might have just lived,", he whispers and I look up at him in confusion "You are a fucking Queen get up and act like it"
I rise and force myself to look at the fire.
"Bronn the crazy cunt pushed Jaime off the horse before the flames could get him", he says and I don't say anything as I stare at where I last saw him. At the flames.

Slowly the screams cease and I see Daenerys next to her Dragon.
"If Jaime is dead I will kill her myself", I whisper to Tyrion feeling the weight of the dagger I keep strapped to my thigh.
"If you want to live you won't", he warns and he follows me as we walk through the battlefield covered in ash and blood. I walk towards where Jaime charged at the dragon.
Even if Bronn pushed him off he could have died from the fire. He still could be dead.
As I walk I look for a golden hand. The only part I would be able to recognise of a charred corpse.
Finally I reach where the dragon was.
I see the burned remains of Jaimes horse but not him. Then I look to my right and see the river.
His armour could have easily drowned him.
"There is a chance", Tyrion says as he stands beside me.
"Chances are he drowned", I say hoarsely as I see how deep the river is.
"Or perhaps he didn't", he says hopefully.
I look at him feeling nothing but cold rage.
"I don't know what he was doing here but having to stand up there and watch him charge towards that fucking dragon", I begin not bothering to curb my anger "I have never felt so helpless in my life"
"He is my brother Rayna, we both love him"
"But you love your Queen more", I say in disgust.

I stand beside her and Tyrion as captured soldiers are marched towards us.
"You wanted to see what my dragons and my army can do", she says as she looks at the scene before her proudly "What do you think?"
"I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the smell", I comment as all I can smell is the burning corpses. I remember when Jaime told me about the mad king burning men with wildfire. The one thing he never forgot was the smell of it.
Now I understand.
The remaining men are finally rounded up by the Dothraki and they stand facing us.
They all eye me painfully and in horror I realise I recognise some from Winterfell. Some of these men fought in the battle of the bastards.
Some of these are those loyal to Jaime, to me and now they see my standing beside the woman who slaughtered them.
"I know what Cersei has told you, that I've come to destroy your cities, burn down your homes, murder you and orphan your children", Daenerys begins.
She may not have destroyed cities or burned down homes today but she slaughtered thousands of men and Gods know how many children's fathers will never return home.
With the Bolton's many of those men were killed but I have had Jaime find the children of the men killed in battle and to make sure they are alright. Daenerys won't give a second thought to what she did today.  This is a victory to her. It wasn't even a proper battle, it was a fucking ambush with an army maybe ten times the size of theirs and a dragon.
There is no honour in that.
"That's Cersei Lannister, not me. I'm not here to murder. And all I want to destroy is the wheel that is rolled over rich and poor to the benefit of no one but the Cersei Lannisters of the world. I offer you a choice, bend the knee and join me. Together we will leave the world a better place than we found it, or refuse and die"
What a considerate choice. Bend the knee and betray their house or die.
I'm not even that cruel.
A few Lannister men kneel to the ground, while most remain standing. The dragon roars and moves closer to the men. Most of the remaining men kneel except for a few particularly brave men.
I see a man who I recognise from Kings Landing however I can't put a name to him. By his armour he must be a Lord or a nobleman.
"Step forward, My Lord", Daenerys says and he steps forward in front of his men.
"You will not kneel?" she asks sounding kind but after seeing what she has done today I will never look at her the same.
"I already have a queen", he says bravely.
"My sister, she wasn't your queen until recently though was she, until she murdered your rightful queen and destroyed House Tyrell for all time. So it appears your allegiances are somewhat flexible", Tyrion says and I stay silent. Too shocked and furious to trust myself to speak as I wait for the Dothraki to drag Jaime into the crowd of Lannister soldiers but all the men have been rounded up. Jaime isn't one of them.
"There are no easy choices in war. Say what you will about your sister, she was born in Westeros, has lived here all her life. You on the other hand, you murdered your own father and chose to support a foreign invader. One with no ties to this land, an army of savages at her back", he says and then he looks at me "Several thousand of the men that died here today are sworn to a different Queen"
Daenerys looks at me as he says "The Queen in the North"
I step forward not looking at her and speak to the man with a rough voice "Tell me, why were my men slaughtered today?"
"Jaime Lannister is the Lord of Casterly Rock, his bannerman declared him so. He rode south and stole these men out from underneath Cersei", he says and I can tell he isn't pleased by this, that this man is loyal to Cersei "He told us that we are under the command of House Lannister and House Stark"
I turn and look at Daenerys as he says "Under the command of The Lord And Lady Of Winterfell and Casterly Rock"
Shock crosses her face as she realises.
"Did you know?" she asks Tyrion and he doesn't respond.
Jaime was going to march these men North to Winterfell. These are my men that were slaughtered today.
I step forward in front of the men.
"Stand", I order and they reluctantly look at each other, then between myself and Daenerys.
"Kneel", Daenerys orders and I turn and look at her.
"They are not your men, they are mine", I declare and she looks furious.
"You lied to me", she says looking betrayed and Tyrion can't look at either of us "You are married to the Kingslayer"
"I am, imagine my shock looking down and seeing him on the battlefield", I say barely containing my fury "Now I don't know if he is dead or alive"
"You lied", she repeats and I remain strong as I hold her cold gaze.
"I never lied, but I'm more concerned about my husband and these men standing before me than your offence"
She steps forward towards me.
"Surrender the surviving men to me", she orders.
"No"
I turn and face Daenerys fully and stand with my back to the men. Jaime could be dead, they have no commander. If he was here he would die before abandoning his men and so shall I.
"Bend the knee or die", she says to both myself and the men "If they don't want to surrender their honour I respect that, but I must make an example"
"Rayna, tell them to bend the knee", Tyrion advises but I remain resolute.
"If you are going to execute these men then I shall die alongside them", I decide them knowing that Jaime's body is likely amongst the fallen "As you said yourself what type of Queen am I if I'm not willing to risk my life for my people"
"I know you love Jaime and I know you are furious but do not be reckless", Tyrion pleads.
"Go ahead, kill the Queen in the North, slaughter me like you slaughtered these men", I say coldly "I'm not afraid to die"
She is hesitant as she looks at her Dragon.
"Daenerys, neither of you were aware these were her men. Neither of you knew Jaime was here. This is all a misunderstanding. Let these men continue on to Winterfell", Tyrion advises her and I want to see if she is merciful. If she is wise.
This may indeed have been a misunderstanding, but soldiers don't deserve to be ambushed and burned alive on the battlefield. Except for those men it wasn't a battlefield, they were transporting grain. Grain that was likely meant for the North.
If Jaime is dead, if I don't hear word that he is alive then Daenerys will suffer for this.
Even if he was here, if the Dothraki captured him chances are she would have burned him alive while Dothraki held me back kicking and screaming.
He was willing to die so this would never happen again.
I'm not quite that reckless with my life yet, or as brave but if he is dead then I will happily finish what he started.
Whenever I've been driven into madness it's due to losing what I love. Her madness however is driven by the want for power.
"Show these men who you truly are, remember what I said; Give them a reason to love you, not fear you", I remind her and although fury burns in her eyes but I know I have her cornered. I know that I have won.
"Organise your army, and meet me at the ships", she orders as she turns her back and climbs on her Dragon. We all stand still until she takes off towards the coast.
The Dothraki stand there looking somewhat confused.
"Follow your Queen", Tyrion orders them and they begin heading back over the hills to the coast.
I turn to the lord who Daenerys asked to step forward.
"What is your name?" I ask
"Randyll Tarly", he replies and I raise an eyebrow as I recognise the house.
"Bannerman of House Tyrell", I say knowing the houses and their bannerman well. Maester Luwin was firm when it came to education.
"Not anymore", he replies.
"Then who do you serve?" I ask "My husband may have claimed you and this army as mine but unlike Daenerys and Cersei I do not force men to fight for me"
"Your husband refused to leave us when the hoard approached, his right hand man told him to leave but he said he wouldn't abandon his men", he says with respect "I pledged myself to Cersei, but she never would have stood by us like you just did and she never would have been prepared to die with us like you and Ser Jaime"
He draws his sword and bends the knee to me and his men follow willingly.
"My Queen", Lord Tarly says and slowly I begin to realise I'm not just the Queen in the North anymore.
"Rise Lord Tarly", I say and he rises while the Lannister soldiers remain kneeling. "In Jaimes absence you are the Commander of this army"
"Thank you your grace", he says and I look to the army
"Rise and gather what you can of the resources that remain, gather whatever still remains and march North to Winterfell"
"There are still grain supplies in the Reach"
"I do not pillage", I say not wanting to forcefully take what isn't mine. That is the difference between myself and the other queens. I win their loyalty, not buy it or force it.
"House Tyrell is dead, the Reach is up for the taking"
"The Tyrells swore themselves to Daenerys, she still sees that land as hers", I say uncomfortably "I cannot take it without risking war"
"Do you truly want to be allies with the woman who slaughtered your army?"
"No, but to survive I must be. Tell me did you see Jaime after he charged at the dragon"
He shakes his head and I look up to the sky as I often do when I am praying for strength.
"Search the river", I order several of the men still standing nearby and they quickly hurry to where I last saw Jaime.
I notice Tyrion is still standing nearby.
"Please excuse me", I say to Lord Tarly and he goes and begins shouting orders at the soldiers.
Tyrion approaches me.
"I don't know how you are going to secure an alliance now", he says weakly.
"I do", I reply "And I will"
"I thought you would be running back to Winterfell the first chance you got", he says and I shake my head.
"No, how can I when I have two Queens who could invade", I say being logical and trying to curb my fury.
"We had the War of the Five Kings, we don't need the War of the Three Queens", he says
"Exactly, I will make an alliance with Daenerys or at the very least a truce", I say as I begin walking to the river where I can see a soldier diving below the depths to search.
"How though?" He asks chasing after me.
"Aren't you meant to be the clever one?" I reply and he looks slightly offended "Who is the bigger threat to her throne, the Queen in the North or the Queen who sits on the bloody throne"
He steps in front of me and stops me.
"Rayna, the Westerlands, The Vale and the Riverlands are sworn to you. You aren't just the Queen in the North anymore", he says and I realise it is true. I also realise he is afraid.
"Do you think she will see me as a threat?" I ask. I know I am a threat, I have the respect of the people of Westeros unlike her.
"Yes, so make her think you aren't one and submit to her", he pleads and I can see it is with genuine concern for my life.
"I will die before I submit, I am a Queen and by the Gods she will know it".