Chapter 45 Chapter 44 James

His fever lingered, but as the amputated limb healed, Cobain finally declared that there was no danger to his hand.Jaime waited impatiently, wanting to leave Harrenhal, the Mummers, and Brienne of Tarth behind.A real woman is waiting for him in the Red Keep. "I sent Qyburn to take care of him along the way." Roose Bolton added on the morning of parting. "He hopes your father will ask the city to return his necklace. He will be grateful for it." "We all had a lot of hope, and if he let my hand grow back, my father would make him a grand maester." Ironlegs Wharton was the escort, blunt, brutal and cruel, a simple soldier at heart.James had dealt with people like this all his life.They will obey the order to kill, they will take advantage of the fire after the battle to rape women, they will burn, kill and loot everywhere, but once the war is over, they will return home silently, put down their spears, pick up a hoe, marry the daughter of the neighbor, and give birth to a large family. Here comes the chirping child.Although this kind of person obeys unconditionally, he doesn't have the extremely cruel and evil personality of the Warriors.

This morning, with the cold gray sky heralding impending rain, the two teams left at the same time.Ser Aenys Frey's party had set off three days ago, up the Kingsroad, heading northeast, and Bolton would follow him. "The Trident is swollen," he told Jaime. "Even Ruby Ford is hard. Send your father my kind regards." "And you send my regards to Robb Stark." "no problem." Many "warriors" gathered in the yard to watch them, and Jaime galloped over. "Zoro, thank you very much for seeing me off. Pug, Timon, will you miss me? Shagwell, no parting jokes? Have the heart to let me go on the road sullenly? Rorge, come and kiss me goodbye? "

"Get lost, disabled." Rorge said. "You are welcome. But please remember: I will return, and the Lannisters will pay their debts." He turned his horse and galloped towards Ironheels Walton and his two hundred elite soldiers. Lord Bolton dressed him up as a mighty knight, but without his right hand, this look is really ridiculous.Jaime wore sword and dagger at his waist, shield and helm on his saddle, and mail mail under his dun coat, but he was no fool to wear the lion of the Lannisters, much less the white of the Kingsguard. Heraldry—this was his right.Instead, he found a dilapidated, battered and battered shield in the armory, on which could be seen the coat of arms of the Rothstein family's big black bat on a gold and silver background.Before He An's family came to Harrenhal, the Rothstein family was a powerful lord here, but they had lost their sons and grandchildren in a few generations, so no one would come out to oppose his embezzlement of the coat of arms.He doesn't want to be anyone's relative, anyone's enemy, anyone's guard... In other words, he is nobody.

The two teams walked out of the small east gate of Harrenhal together, and parted ways after six miles.Wharton led the team south along the path by God's Eye Lake. He decided not to take the King's Road, but to follow the farm trails and hunting paths. "The king's road is faster." Jaime could only see Cersei, and if he marched fast enough, he might even catch up with Joffrey's wedding. "I don't want trouble," said Iron Legs. "God only knows what ambushes lie in wait on the Kingsroad." "But you don't need to be afraid, right? There are two hundred people under my command."

"True, but the other party may be larger. My lord has asked me to see that you are returned to King's Landing safe and sound, and I must do as I am told." I walked this road, within a few miles, looking at a deserted mill by the lake, James realized.Where the miller girl smiled shyly at me, the grass grows tall now, and he seems to hear the miller yelling, "This is the way to the tourney, sir!" as if I were a child. King Aerys gave him a grand investiture ceremony.Wearing white scales, he knelt on the green grass in front of the king's tent and swore to protect his lord.People all over the world are watching.When Ser Oswell Hean helped him to his feet, and Ser Gerald Hightower tied the snow-white cloak of the Kingsguard on him himself, the cheers that rang through the sky are still ringing in our ears.But that night, Aerys turned his face and announced that he did not need the protection of the seven iron guards, and ordered Jaime to rush back to King's Landing to take care of the queen and little prince Viserys.The White Bull volunteered to go on his behalf so that he could continue to participate in Lord Ho'an's tourney, but Aerys flatly refused. "He will have no honor," said the king. "He is mine, not Tywin. He will do what I tell him. I command, and he obeys."

Only then did Jaime realize that it wasn't martial arts and skill that won him the White Robe, nor was it his bravery in destroying the Brotherhood of the Kingswood.Aerys took a fancy to him only to insult his father, only to deprive Duke Tywin of his heir. Even now, after so many years in the past, thinking about that time still makes him painful.That night, wearing a brand new white robe and riding a fine steed, he went south overnight to an empty castle.A young man is passionate, but his ambition is hard to repay.He wanted to take off his white robe more than once, hang it on a branch, and walked away.But it's too late.He swore to the whole world that the Kingsguard would remain unswerving for life.

Cobain leaned over, "Your hands are uncomfortable?" "I don't feel well without hands." Every dawn was hard, because in his dreams, Jaime always replied perfect.Half asleep, half awake, he could feel his fingers twitching.It's just a nightmare, a part of me murmurs, still refuses to give in, a nightmare.Dreams always wake up. "Last night's visitor," Cobain said, "do you still like it?" James glanced at him coldly, "You arranged?" The bachelor smiled cautiously: "Seeing that your high fever has subsided a lot, I guess you might want to do some exercise. Pia's skills are very good, right? And she...has a desire."

Yes.She slipped into the room and stripped naked so quickly that James thought it was just another dream. It wasn't until the woman slid into the blankets and placed his left hand on her breasts that he finally turned on.What a cute little stunner. "I was a girl when you came here to attend Lord Ho'an's tourney and be commissioned by His Majesty the King," she confided to him. "You are so handsome and dressed in white. Everyone says you are the bravest knight. I've slept with many men since then, closing my eyes every time, pretending it's you, pretending they have your soft skin and golden curls. But...but I never thought that I could actually be with you Together."

After this confession, it was really hard to push her away, but James forced himself to do it.I've never slept with another woman in my life, he reminded himself. "Do you always send girls to 'visit' after you do bloodletting?" he asked Cobain. "No, Master Wag often sends girls to me. He asked me to check them first, and since that time... when he fell in love with one of them, he never wanted to come again. But don't worry, Pia is quite Healthy, and so is your Tas woman." James looked at him sharply, "Brennie?" "Yes, that strong woman, her membranes haven't been broken. At least it wasn't broken last night." Cobain couldn't help laughing.

"He asked you to examine her too?" "Of course. He's...a fussy master, let's just say." "A ransom relationship?" James continued. "Does his father need proof that she's a virgin?" "Haven't you heard?" Qyburn shrugged. "A bird came from Earl Selwyn to discuss the issue of ransom. Evening Star offered to exchange three hundred gold dragons for his daughter. I have told Varg My lord Tath has no sapphires, but he just doesn't believe it, and thinks that the Evening Star is playing with him." "Three hundred golden dragons are a fair price to redeem a rider. The goat should be satisfied."

"The goat is the lord of Harrenhal, and the lord of Harrenhal does not allow others to bargain." The news upset him, although he had expected it to come.My lies can protect you for a while, but not forever, girl. "If her membranes were as strong as the rest of her body, the goat would probably be wrung out," he joked.Brienne was not weak, and could take a lot of rape, Jaime judged, but if she resisted too much, there was no guarantee that Vargo Hurt would not bind her hand and foot and punish her.Even if he did that, what does it matter to me? If it wasn't for this girl's stupid stubbornness, refusing to give me my cousin's sword, how could I end up with my right hand being crippled.He sneaked up on her, intending to cut off her leg with one blow, but he was caught and counterattacked continuously.The goat will soon see her strange strength, and he must be careful not to let her bite off her thin neck.Haha, isn't this a beautiful thing? James suddenly got tired of Cobain's company and rode to the front of the team alone.A small, round-faced northerner named Najib walked before Iron Legs, holding aloft a banner of peace: a seven-colored stripe with seven long tails, held on a pole topped with a seven-pointed star. "You northerners don't change a flag of peace?" he asked Walton. "What are the Seven to you?" "They are the gods of the south." The captain said, "and we need peace with the southerners, and we want to send you back to your father safely." My father, Jaime wonders if Lord Tywin ever got a goat ransom, saw his rotting right hand.How much is a swordsman who doesn't know how to use a sword worth? All the gold in Casterly Rock? Three hundred golden dragons? A penny? My father never let emotion affect his reason.In the past, Tywin Lannister's father, Duke Tytos, had arrested one of his rebellious lords—the Earl of Tarbeck. The capable Lady Tarbeck retaliated and captured three members of the Lannister family, including the young Steve Lannister, when his sister was engaged to Tywin. "Hurry up and return my husband and love, or I will make the three of them pay the price." The proud lady sent a letter to Casterly Rock City.The young Tywin suggested that his father cut Earl Tarbeck into three and sent him back, but Lord Tytos was a weak lion, and finally let go of the stupid Tarbeck and welcomed back to Stafford—he later married, had children, Died at Oxford.Tywin Lannister sees everything in his eyes and keeps it in his heart. He endures and remembers it like the rocks of Casterly Rock... Now you have not only a dwarf son, but also a crippled son, how angry you must be... Along the trail, they passed a village that had been burned, apparently more than a year ago.The houses were all charred and collapsed, and the weeds grew wildly in the fields until they were waist high.Iron Legs told the team to stop here to drink the horses.I've been to this place too, James thought silently, standing by the well.Only a few foundation stones and a few chimneys remain of the little hotel where I once drank.I remember the black-eyed little girl brought cheese and apples, and the shopkeeper announced with joy that he would be the treat. "It's an honor to have a member of the Kingsguard at the cottage, sir," he laughed. "I'll tell my grandson the story one day." Over the years, does the store have any grandchildren?Would he tell them that it was at his place that the Kingslayer drank beer and ate cheese and apples? Would it be a shame for his life? He didn't know, and he only hoped that the burner of the hotel would spare his grandchildren. Phantom's fingers twitched again.Iron Legs suggested to take a break, light a fire, and eat something. James shook his head: "I don't like this place, let's go." In the evening the team left the lake and followed a rutted path through a forest of oak and elm.By the time they set up camp, the severed limb was numb with pain. Fortunately, Qyburn sent a bag of sleeping wine.Wharton was busy arranging a watch, while James stretched out by the campfire and put a bearskin on a tree stump for a pillow.Niuer told him to eat before going to bed, so as to ensure his strength, but he was too tired, so he closed his eyes, hoping to dream of Cersei.Fever dreams are so vivid... He found himself naked and alone surrounded by enemies, surrounded by impenetrable stone walls.This was Casterly Rock, he knew, feeling the weight of the weight on his head.I went home, and not only that, but my body recovered. He raised his right hand, feeling the strength of his fingertips.It's the same feeling as having sex in bed, and the same feeling as being bloody on the battlefield.Four fingers, one thumb, I dreamed I was crippled, but it wasn't real.The sudden relief made him shudder.My hand, the right hand intact, no one can hurt me again. Beside him, there were a dozen or so tall dark figures in long robes and hoods, holding spears in their hands. "Who?" he demanded. "What are you doing at Casterly Rock?" The shadows made no answer, but poked him with the points of their spears.There was no way for him to escape, he could only go down, through a tortuous passage, stepping on the steps hewn in the huge rock, down, down.No, I have to go up, he told himself, up, not down.What to do next? He had a vague premonition that there was destruction waiting for him underground, darkness and terror lurked there, and something wanted to catch him.Jaime tried to stop, but the spears trailed behind him.If I have a sword in my hand, none of you can stop me. In the empty darkness, the steps disappeared suddenly, and James stopped hurriedly, almost falling into the boundless nothingness.The tip of the spear persisted, poking his back, trying to push him into the abyss of hell.He screamed...the fall wasn't heavy, he landed on all fours, surrounded by soft sand and shallow water.Remember that there are many underground water caves under Casterly Rock, but there is something special about this place. "What is this place?" "Your place." A voice echoed... no, not one voice, but a hundred voices, a thousand voices, the voices of all Lannisters since "Smart" Lann in the Dawn Era.The deepest of these is the father, and beside him stands the sister, pale and beautiful, holding a torch.In front was Joffrey, their son, and behind them were many dark shadows with golden hair. "Sister, why did father bring us here?" "Us? No, brother, this is your place, your darkness." The torch in her hand was the only light in the cave, the only light in the whole world, but she turned away. "Don't go!" Jaime pleads, "Don't leave me!" Everyone is leaving, "Don't leave me in the dark!" There's something scary here. "At least...give me a sword." "I'll give you the sword." Duke Tywin said suddenly. A long sword appeared at his feet.James groped into the water until his fingers closed around the hilt of his sword.With a sword in my hand, no one can hurt me anymore.He raised the weapon to see pale flames dancing from the tip and blade, all the way to the hilt.The flames are the same color as the steel, emitting a silver-blue light, driving away the surrounding darkness.Crouching, listening, Jaime circled, waiting for the threat from the darkness.The running water soaked into the boots, up to the ankles, and it was icy cold.Watch out for the bottom, too, he told himself, God knows what's hiding in there... There was a loud sound of water behind him, and Jaime turned around...in the faint light, he saw that it was... Brienne of Tarth, with heavy shackles on her hands. "I swear to protect you," Niu said stubbornly, "I swear." She was naked, but she held out her hand in front of James. "Sir, do me a favor and get rid of it." The hand raised the knife and fell, and the iron ring shattered. "Give me a sword, please," Brienne begged.The second sword suddenly appeared, even the scabbard and sword belt were intact, and she tied it around her thick waist.The light was dim, and even though they were only a few feet away, James couldn't see each other's faces clearly.In such an atmosphere, even she becomes beautiful and alluring, he thought, a true knight.Brienne's sword was burning too, shining a silver-blue light.The darkness stepped back in a circle. "Sword burns man," Cersei called far away, "sword destroys man." "Sister!" James called loudly, "Don't leave me, don't!" There was no response, only the faint sound of footsteps fading away. Brienne swung the long sword up and down, the silver-blue flame danced and flickered, and the calm water reflected light.She was as tall and strong as he remembered, but James thought she was a little more effeminate. "They keep a bear here?" Slowly, warily, Brienne began to move, sword in hand, one step, one spin, another step, listening.Splash little water. "Cave lion? Direwolf? Bear? Tell me, Jaime, what's there? What's waiting in the dark?" "Destroy." No bears, he thought, and no lions. "There is only destruction." The cold light shone on Niu'er's pale and determined face. "I don't like it here." "Me too," said the two long swords, an isolated island in the black sea, a strange creature in the shadows, "my feet are all wet." "We can climb out of the way. Come on, you should be able to reach the hole by standing on my shoulders." Yeah, then I go after Cersei.A flash of thought made him hard, and he quickly turned around so that Niu'er could not see him. "Listen." She suddenly put her hand on his shoulder, making him tremble.so warm. "Something is coming." Brienne pointed her sword to the left. "there!" He tried to look into the darkness... Finally, he saw - something, it seemed to be... "One rider, no, two, two riders, come side by side." "Underground, under Casterly Rock?" What madness! But there were indeed two riders on white horses, both in heavy armor, advancing from the darkness.No words, thought James, no splash, no sound, no hoofbeats.The sight reminded him of Ned Stark riding through Aerys' throne room, also silent, with eyes that spoke: grey, grim, full of condemnation and judgment. "Is that you, Stark?" Jaime called. "Come on, you didn't frighten me in life, and much less in death." Brienne touched his arm. "There are others." He saw it too.Everyone who came was wearing snow-white armor, and clouds of mist drifted back from their shoulders.Their helmets were tightly shut, but James knew who they were without looking at their faces. All five are his brothers.Sir Oswell Hean and Sir Jon Darry, Prince Lewyn Martell of Dorne, Gerald Hightower "White Bull", Arthur Dayne "Sword of Dawn".Among them was a man with flowing hair in the crown of Mist and Sorrow, and this was Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne. "Don't you try to frighten me," he cried, and they dispersed to surround him. "Come one by one, or all together, I don't care!" He turned around, "But it's none of Niu'er's business! Let her go!" "I swear to protect you," she said to Rhaegar's shadow, "I swear." "We both swore," said Ser Arthur Dayne mournfully. The ghost stepped down from the horse formed by the thick fog, and the six long swords were unsheathed, but there was no sound. "He will burn the city," said James, "and leave Robert with ashes." "He's your king," Darry said. "You swear to protect him." He An said. "Guard the descendants of the royal family." Prince Levin said. Rhaegar's body burned, emitting a cold light, sometimes white, sometimes red, sometimes black. "I commit my wife and children into your hands." "I didn't know he would hurt them." Jaime's sword faded. "I'm with the king..." "You killed the King!" said Sir Arthur. "Cut his throat." Prince Levin said. "You killed the monarch you swore to protect," said the white bull. The flame on the blade began to die, and Jaime remembered Cersei's words.No! Fear gripped his throat like a giant hand, but his sword died after all, leaving only Brienne's burning.The ghosts swarmed up. "No," he yelled, "no, no, no, no yes yes yes!" He jumped up suddenly, his heart was beating wildly, and he returned to the forest, with the bright moon and starry sky above his head, the bitter taste of bile in his mouth, hot and cold, sweating profusely, and trembling.He looked to his right hand, where the wrist ended in leather and burlap, wrapped in ugly severed limbs.Tears welled up in his eyes.What I felt, the strength of the fingertips, the rough leather of the hilt, my hand— "My lord." Cobain knelt beside him, his kind face full of concern. "What's wrong? I heard you scream." Ironlegs Wharton stood tall behind, his face sullen. "What's going on? What's it called?" "A dream... a dream." James looked around the camp, at a loss as to where he was. "I'm in the dark... my hands have grown back." Looking at the severed limbs, he suddenly felt nauseous.That is indeed the tunnel under Casterly Rock, he thought.His stomach was empty and sore, and his head ached from resting on the stump. Cobain stroked his forehead. "You have a fever." "Hot night's dream." James tried to stand up, "Come on, help me." The iron leg grabbed his good left hand and pulled him up. "Another sleeping wine?" Cobain asked. "No, I've had enough sleep tonight." I don't know how long it will be before dawn.He was dimly aware that when he closed his eyes, he would return to that dark and damp place again. "Do you want poppy milk? To suppress the high fever? You are still weak, my lord, you need more rest and sleep." This is the last thing on my mind.The pale moonlight shone on the stump on which Jaime used his pillow, thick with moss, and the tree had not been noticed to be white before.It reminded him of Winterfell, of Ned Stark's heart tree.Impossible, he thought, impossible.Stump is dead, Stark is dead, all of them are dead.Prince Rhaegar, Ser Arthur, the children... Aerys, especially Aerys, they are all dead. "Do you believe in souls, maester?" he asked Qyburn. The other party had a strange expression, "Once, I walked into an empty room in the school city, looked at an empty chair, and found that there was a woman here, who left not long ago. The cushion was dented because of her, and the fabric was warm because of her. The air is fragrant because of her...I suddenly realized that since our bodies leave the room and leave a smell, why can’t our lives leave the world behind our souls?" Cobain spread his hands, "I will tell the cardinal what I think. Doctors who will, but everyone but Marwyn sees it as heresy." James ran his fingers through his hair. "Wharton," he said, "get ready, let's go." "Go back?" The other party repeated in disbelief. He thought I was crazy, maybe I was. "I forgot something at Harrenhal." "It's Lord Wagga's territory now, occupied by him and his blood troupe!" "You have twice as many people as he." "If I don't get you to your father as soon as I'm ordered, Lord Bolton will have me skinned. We've got to get to King's Landing." The old Jaime would have threatened with a smile, but now he was a cripple and had to do something else... Tyrion's way.My brother must have a way. "Iron Legs, didn't Lord Bolton tell you?" The other party frowned suspiciously, "What?" "If you don't send me back to Harrenhal, the song I'll sing to my father won't be the one I was promised. I might say . . . Bolton cut off my hand, and it was you who did it." Wharton was so startled that he could not close his mouth from ear to ear, "You are spreading rumors!" "Yes, but who will my father trust?" James forced himself to smile, the way he usually smiled when the sword was in hand and fearless. "Going back now, everything is easy to talk about, but it will be a day's delay, and we will soon be on the road again. At that time, what I boasted in King's Landing will be so sweet that you can't believe it. In addition, there will be beautiful women and a large sum of gold as a reward." "Gold?" Wharton repeated. "How much gold?" He was hooked. "How much? How about you speak up?" By the time the sun rose, they had turned halfway back. Jaime doubled his horse's charge, and Ironlegs and his northerners struggled to keep up.Even so, it was almost noon when we arrived at the giant city by the lake.The overcast sky heralds the coming rainstorm, and the majestic wall and five towers rise ominously and darkly.Dead silence.The walls are empty, the city gates are closed, and a flag hangs alone.This is the black sheep of Qohor, he knew, so he put his left hand around his mouth, "You are still there! Open the door! Or I will kick it in!" It wasn't until Qyburn and Iron Legs joined in together that a person finally appeared on the battlements.He looked down for a moment, then disappeared.Soon, they heard the rattling of iron chains, the gate slowly rose, and the gate opened. Without saying a word, James Lannister rushed in first, not paying attention to the killing hole above his head.I thought the goat would be very wary, but I didn't expect that the Warriors even regarded Bolton's people as allies.fool. The outer court was deserted, save for the horses in the long, slate-roofed stables.James reined in his mount and looked left and right, only to hear voices coming from the Ghost Tower, a group of men shouting with seven or eight accents.Iron Legs and Cobain followed immediately. "Get what you want, don't waste time," Wharton said, "I don't want to conflict with the blood troupe." "As long as you instruct your subordinates not to leave their weapons, the blood troupe will have no problems. Two to one advantage, understand?" James turned his head to look in the direction of the roar, his voice was weak but ferocious. Ronburg's ramparts reverberated, with a tidal wave of jeers.Suddenly, he understood what was happening.Am I late? Cramping, he kicked his mount and galloped across the outer court, across the arched stone bridge, around the Wailing Tower, and into Flowstone Court. They threw her in the bear pit. The extravagant and black-hearted King Heron made everything very exaggerated.The Bear Pit was ten yards wide and five yards deep. The walls were stone and the floor was quicksand. There were six circles of marble benches for the spectators, and the Yondus were only a quarter full.Jaime rolled awkwardly off his horse, but the mercenaries were so engrossed in enjoying the show below that only a few people who happened to be directly opposite noticed him. Brienne was wearing the same ill-fitting women's dress she had worn at dinner with Roose Bolton.No shield, no breastplate, not even leather, just pink satin and Myrish lace.Maybe the goat thought she was more fun fighting in women's clothes.Right now, half of the dress on her body has been torn, and her left arm is bleeding continuously, which is obviously scratched by a black bear. At least they gave her a sword.Niuer held it with one hand and moved sideways, trying not to let the bear get close to her.It didn't work, the space in the pit was too narrow.She had to attack, she had to find a flaw, and kill it with one blow.With a long sword in hand, what bear can stop it? But Brienne dare not approach.The blood mummers yelled obscene insults and ridicule at her. "It's none of my business," Ironlegs warned James. "Lord Bolton ordered this woman to be theirs, and to do whatever they want." "Her name is Brienne." James stepped down the steps, past a dozen startled sellswords, to Vargo Hurt in the lord's box on the last round of stools. "Lord Vargo," he called loudly over the noise. The Quhor man nearly choked on his drink, "Kingslayer?" The left side of his face was roughly bandaged, with blood-stained linen across his ears. "Pull her out." "Don't even look like an elephant, Sijun, if you blame me for chopping off your hand again." He asked for another glass of wine. "Your bitch has bitten my ears a lot, no one! No one will come to her." There was a thunderous roar behind him, and James turned back.I saw that the black bear man stood eight feet high.Gregor Clegane in bear's clothing, he thought, and more deft than the Mountain.Fortunately, it doesn't have that giant sword, and its attack range is not enough. The black bear roared angrily, bared a mouthful of huge yellow teeth, then hit the ground on all fours and charged at full speed.Here's the chance, James thought, hit it! One blow kills it! But when she handed out the sword, she was powerless.The black bear flinched, then swooped up again, its paws slapping the ground with a rumbling sound.Brienne dodged to the left, stabbing the bear's face again.This blow was swept away by the bear's paw. It was careful, James could see, it had been tricked by humans, and it knew the power of swords and spears.But in any case, it is by no means her opponent. "Kill it!" He yelled loudly, but his voice was drowned out by countless shouts around him.If Brienne did hear it, she didn't say anything.She circled the bear pit, her back against the wall.No good, too close, if the bear pins her to the wall... The beast turned around awkwardly, roaring and galloping forward.But Brienne quickly changed positions like a civet.This is the girl in my impression.She swung to the back of the bear and slashed the sword. The beast roared in pain and stood up again.Brienne hurried away.Why is there no blood?... He finally understood, and turned his head to glare at the goat, "You gave her the blunt sword used in the tournament!" The goat grinned, and sprayed James with wine and spittle, "Dang Ran." "Fuck, I'll pay the ransom, gold, sapphire, whatever you want. Pull her out!" "You bit her? Go wax it." he went. Jaime grabbed the marble railing with his left hand and jumped down, rolling on the quicksand.Hearing the sound, the black bear turned around abruptly, sniffed, and watched the new intruder warily.James struggled to get on one knee.Seven hells, what the hell am I doing? He's grabbing a handful of quicksand with his left hand. "Kingslayer?" he heard Brienne cry in surprise. "James," he corrected, throwing sand at the black bear's face.The beast grabbed the air indiscriminately and let out an earth-shattering roar. "What are you doing here?" "Do something stupid. Get behind me." He moved in front of her, putting himself between her and the black bear. "You should be behind, I have a sword." "It has no point or edge, what kind of sword is it? Get behind me!" Something was buried in the sand, and he grabbed it out with his left hand. It turned out to be a human jawbone with some discolored flesh and maggots crawling on it.So beautiful, he thought, whose face it was.The black bear leaned forward, and with a flick of his arm, James sent bones, rotting flesh, and maggots toward the beast's head.A full yard off.Damn it! This left hand might as well be chopped off. Brienne tried to rush forward, but he kicked her over.Niu fell in the sand, clutching the useless sword, and Jaime sat on top of her as the bear charged. Whoosh, with a deep bang, the feathered arrow pierced the beast's left eye.Streams of spittle and blood dripped from its gaping mouth before a second arrow hit the thigh.The black bear roared, backed away, saw James and Brienne, and staggered forward again.Countless crossbows fired at the same time, shooting it into a hedgehog, so close that every blow was impossible to miss.The feathered arrow pierced through the fur and flesh, but the black bear still insisted on taking a step forward.What a poor, brutal and brave fellow.It came up to him, and he darted out of the way, kicking up sand as he yelled.The beast continued to pursue its tormentor, but just as it turned around, two more arrows hit its back.With a final growl it sat down and lay sprawled on the bloody sand, dead. Brienne stood up, blunt sword in hand, breathing heavily.The iron-legged crossbowman watched the blood mummers curse and threaten to stand up, and reloaded the arrow.Rorger and "Three Toes" drew their long swords, and Zorro untied his long whip. "You killed my bear!" Wag Hurt screamed. "That's right, if you talk too much, I will kill you together," Tie Leg remained unmoved, "We only want this woman." "Her name is Brienne," James said. "Brennie, a virgin of Tarth. By the way, are you still a virgin?" A flush appeared on her flat, broad face. "yes." "Oh, that's great," said James, "I only save virgins." He turned to the goat. "I'll pay the ransom, the ransom for two, you know, Lannisters will pay their debts. Let the rope down and pull us out." "Damn you," roared Rorge, "goats, kill them, and don't let these damned pigs go!" The Cohor hesitated.Half his men were drunk, and the Northmen were not only as calm as rocks, but there were twice as many.The crossbowmen took aim. "Pull them out," said the goat slowly, and then turned to James. "I am generous. Please tell your lord father what happened today." "I will, my lord." But that won't save you. It wasn't until half a league away from Harrenhal, out of the range of the bow and arrow, that Iron Leg finally broke out, "Are you crazy, Kingslayer? Are you looking for death? How dare you fight a bear with nothing in your hands!" "An empty hand and a severed limb," James corrected. "I know you'll move before the beast kills me. Otherwise, Lord Bolton will peel you like an orange, won't you?" Ironlegs cursed the Lannisters for their stupidity, and kicked his horse to the front of the line. "Ser Jaime?" Even in her revealing pink satin and lace, Brienne looked more like a man in dress than a woman. "I'm very grateful, but...but you're already on your way, why come back?" Numerous sneers came to mind, each more cruel than the last, but in the end James just shrugged. "Because I dreamed of you." After finishing speaking, he walked away.