AN :
Top 25....
In the Game of Stones, you either win or you wait. The more Power Stones you offer, the faster the chapters come.
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( Jaime Lannister POV )
The trundle of the Wheelhouse beneath his feet made Jaime's stomach queasy, even after so many days on the Gold Road. He found it hard to stand still on the restless contraption, with all of its bumps and breaks and the constant creaking of the wheels and trotting of horses. He was honestly baffled by Cersei's ability to sleep while riding in the great wooden box.
Some day Uncle Tygett would let Jaime ride on the back of his saddle, which was much preferable, but since yesterday afternoon the weather had grown foul, and with storm clouds overhead Jaime had been directed back into the wheelhouse with Aunt Genna, Cersei, and Callum.
It was a bit sad that they hadn't brought Tyrion. The boy had been so eager to go see a tourney, but Uncle Kevan had said he was too young to travel. Jaime thought that was a bit odd since Callum had traveled to the tournament at that age, but then Callum had been quite different than Tyrion. His more stern, always careful behavior was nothing like Tyrion's rambunctious play and exploring.
He supposed that rambunctious play and exploring might not be so well received in King's Landing.
Jaime glanced over at his sister, who was comfortably listening to one of Aunt Genna's stories about Uncle Emmon and his rather bumbling attempts at being Lord Tempor. He seemed to have a great habit of putting his foot firmly in his mouth when it came to talking to merchants and such but somehow was becoming beloved by the small folk. It made Jaime smile, and Cersei seemed to be loving the story, especially the parts where Aunt Genna had to swoop in and make everything right.
Not wanting to intrude on their moment, he turned to his right and saw that Callum was over across the wheelhouse, looking out one of the windows at the summer rain and brooding. Jaime thought it a bad look for such a handsome boy as his brother, so he wandered over.
"Stag for your thoughts Callum?" He asked, sidling up next to the slightly shorter boy. "You're staring at the rain pretty fiercely."
"Hmm? Oh. Jaime." The boy frowned, then sighed. "have you ever kicked a pebble off the top of Casterly Rock?" He asked, but Jaime got the sense that it was rhetorical. "Seen it bounce down the side of the mountain and knock a boulder out of place? Soon enough a rock slide starts rolling down though you didn't mean it to." Callum said glumly. "I'm afraid I may have wrought something like that on Lannisport."
"A rockslide?" Jaime tilted his head.
"No, I mean- it's a figure of speech!" Callum got a bit flustered, which was funny to see on the boy. He was usually so calm. "I believe the consequences of my actions will be bigger than I intended. I have no idea how far they'll go, and I don't know how to respond either." He sighed. "Once the hounds are loose there's no getting them back into the kennel." He said, ah, finally a metaphor Jaime could understand.
"Why would you want to put them back?" Jaime asked. "They'll just lick your face and play with you. Let the Kennelmaster put them back when they're tired."
Callum snorted, then giggled. "Jaime… that's the funniest thing I've ever heard you say." He smiled. "It's just, I'm afraid I'll never be done with what I've started. You remember that woman-the Septa who waved us out of Lannisport, the one who was shouting?"
"Oh! The tall one with the loud voice." Jaime nodded, remembering the woman. "Long black hair and skinny as a willow tree." She had been shouting something about Callum come to think of it.
"She thinks I've been blessed by the Smith. I showed her and a Septon my printing press-how fast it can print the Seven-Pointed Star." The boy said, frowning as he rubbed his arm. "She thinks I've been blessed by a miracle. I told her I wanted to give a copy of the Seven-Pointed Star to every Household in the Westerlands, and… well I really put my foot in it. I called it a holy mission and she took it literally." Callum sighed. "I fear where it will go."
"A miracle?" Jaime raised an eyebrow. "From one of the toys you've got up in your study?"
"Not a toy and it's in the lower Castle now. I set up a workshop and things." Callum frowned back at him for calling his toy a toy. "It can make copies of the Seven Pointed Star far faster than any scribe."
"So you want to give a copy to all the Small-folk?" Jaime asked. "They can't even read."
"Aye, but they can learn. That's not the part I'm worried about." Callum looked a bit grim. "Matters of Gods and demons scare me."
"Leaving your study scares you. I'm sure it'll be fine." Jaime teased. "if anything it sounds like a good thing to be blessed, I'd like to be blessed."
"No- I mean- obviously it's good to be considered blessed, but I don't… I never wanted it to be seen as a miracle Jaime." Callum looked down. "This is spiraling well outside of my control. I don't like it."
Jaime looked at his brother and smirked. "You know, you ought to be grateful if a Septa says something is a miracle. She probably knows more about the Seven than you." Jaime said confidently. "You should just accept the praise."
Now it was Callum's turn to smirk. "You certainly do like your praise, Jaime."
"Of course!" Jaime nodded cheerfully, ignoring his brother's sarcasm. "It suits me!"
Callum chuckled and shoved Jaime away, which Jaime took as an opportunity to shove back, and soon they were roughhousing cheerfully until Aunt Genna intervened.
"If you want to fight each other then you can go do it out in the rain." She said sternly before her expression softened. "If you do I'll put a stag on Callum. He's meaner."
Jaime couldn't believe it, betrayed by his own aunty!
"Surely it'd be a better bet on Jaime Aunty!" Cersei said, sounding indignant. "Callum's too girly to fight." Jaime smiled. His angel of a sister would always rush to his aid. "A stag on Jaime!"
"As if you'd know anything about what's girly, troublesome niece" Their aunt chuckled, her words making Cersei blush. "Anyway, I don't think Callum would win for sure, but he might if he poked Jaime in the eyes."
"Eh?" Jaime blinked, turning around. "You wouldn't do that right Callum?" he asked his brother, whose face suddenly took on a rather frightening appearance.
"Nah, I'd kick you in the groin." His brother confirmed. Jaime paled and stepped back slightly as Callum chuckled darkly.
"Eeee!" Cersei shrieked in excitement "Callum! Don't you dare!" She hurled a pillow from across the Wheelhouse that smacked right into Callum's face, which started Aunt Genna laughing, Especially when Callum recovered and threw it back at their sister. Jaime, not being prone to turn down a good fight, grabbed the cushion next to him and whacked his brother upside the head, for which he got the next cushion overthrown into his own face.
Soon it devolved into a no-holds-barred brawl within the wheelhouse, with cushions and pillows and flailing limbs. At first, he and Cersei were beating on Callum, but then she decided their younger brother had had enough and whacked Jaime instead, after which it promptly fell into a free-for-all all, Aunty Genna's laughter hanging over everything like a merry market song.
When they were all exhausted from the play fight, Jaime couldn't help but smile. His stomach felt better and he didn't mind the wheelhouse so much after all.
"Feeling better now children?" Aunt Genna asked sarcastically, stepping past the tangled mess of pillows and overexcitable children. "You may want to clean up. Given the smell I believe we're getting near King's Landing."
As the three of them looked up at her in confusion, she stopped for a moment and then chuckled.
"What I mean to say is that you may want to be presentable when you meet your father."
Three childish pairs of green eyes widened, and Jaime felt a shiver run down his back. Yes, definitely, presentable was good. Now where did he put his comb?
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