She will be well beyond love, the old man had laughed. She will forswear love for the rest of her days if she can spend one hour with you. The potion glittered like a jewel when held up to the light - a lovely, pretty poison. A temptation; a confection. A killer of love, indeed. Still, Jaime had hesitated.
One hour? he'd pressed, setting the concoction aside, his interest and his gold both fading before the potion-maker's eyes. And who's to say she won't throw herself at the first lucky guard she encounters? Some thankless fool enjoys the benefits of my gold before I have a chance to catch her. A worry he does not feel, truthfully - certainly he would not allow a hapless guard to intervene with his designs. It is only that he wants very much to hear what comes next, and the old man does not hesitate to reassure him.
Oh, no, my lord. It is you she must have. There can be no words to describe it. These, of course, were words belonging to a talentless salesman, for who would make no effort to describe the merits of his product? But the assurance came with a randy grin, and the potion had in fact been brewed with one of Jaime's own golden hairs, though whether that was only a bit of dramatic flair, he couldn't say. Perhaps he enjoyed the fact that no words could convey the power of what his gold had bought. Perhaps there was no greater selling point than that truth he already knew, and had known all his life: it could only be him. In this discreet undertaking, as in all things, he was peerless. He left with the potion in hand, caring not at all what it had cost him.
An even easier task it was to secure a servant to deliver the prepared drink to the fair lady of Rohan on the night of the feast. She would not know that it had come not from the kitchens, but from the golden lion's own hand. Having evaded him once before, she must be arrogant enough to believe that she need not worry about evading him again. She had pressed her blade to his throat, had driven her knee into his groin, and no doubt heralded her escape as a victory. He would not be daft enough to accost her again, knowing she would open his throat should they meet a second time in darkness. A grim and haughty woman, certain that her dignity and her station would protect her. Or her guards, if nothing else. Her gods, perhaps, if she held any.
Their encounter had left no such impression upon him. He had felt the cold bite of her blade, yes, and her abrupt knee had lent him a lasting bruise, but he had not retreated in fear or shame. He had not retreated at all, by his own estimation: he had not landed his first strike, but he would land his second. She had managed a perry, however unexpected, but the battle was not done.
Almost as startling as the confrontation itself was the unbecoming fact that there had been a misunderstanding at all. What reason had she to refuse him? She knew his name, his rank, and his reputation. It did not stand to reason that she might prefer another, or would rather lead her life with no attentions at all. And even if she did - one or the other, the finer points of her refusal did not interest him - she would not say no. She could not. He had not asked, and did not mean to. Never in the histories did a lion ask. They would not start now.
Yes, it is true: he had stood dumb and blinking, hot blood thrumming blind and lost through him as she fled, but he had not retreated. He had simply designed a new approach.
And he had been impatient in its making, for it was not in his nature to wait. Not for the honing of his steel, not for the readying of his horse, not for the slaking of his thirst or the satisfying of his hunger. The world as he had always known it bent to his whim. It bent willingly for the most part, and what did not bend was broken. A path could always be hacked through unyielding bramble. A coward could always be intimidated. Pleasure could always be bought.
He does not arrive at the feast gloating that his victory has been paid for, however. There is little glory in a fistful of gold. Blood is sweeter, and has always promised a more thrilling rush. He might have chosen to toss his gold at two eager grunts to hold the unflinching lady down, if he did not care to hunt. He could have had what he wanted days ago, and at a much cheaper price, and been done with it. One need only glance at the golden knight's predatory green eyes, however, to know that it is the hunt he craves. So he had put his gold to better use, so that he would not be denied the satisfaction of watching his prey stagger before him, of watching the shadow of defeat - his own looming shadow - fall across her. Only now, thanks to what had been poured into her dark wine, she would meet his eyes with an unspeakable plea in her own.
It seems at first that the evening is unfurling according to his personal fantasy: the obedient servant delivers the proud goblet, and the lady drinks. He watches with hawkish focus for a moment, aware that maybe the her woman's sensibilities will alert her to something strange about the drink. When the wine touches her lips, Jaime's careless trust in the codger who brewed his potion is revoked, and it seems likely that their guest will taste his foul intentions in the wine. It is a fleeting hesitation, and he is braced by it only for a moment, maybe two - and she sets the goblet down. She does not grimace or cry out that she has been poisoned. She takes another polite sip. The thrill rises once more.
Do hours pass before that sweet elixir overtakes her? It seems so, but so too does the sun seem to take days to arc across the sky when he is impatient for the next day to come. But it takes her after all, at last - she rises, she is trembling, she is unsteady. She is frightened, though she disguises it well. She is anxious to depart this warm, bustling, raucous place. She senses now that something is wrong, and finds herself in the same moment unprepared to face it. The sight of the serene, collected woman so near to shambles makes Jaime's blood run hot and hard. He falls into step behind her, prowling, dappled by shadows that reach for and fall from him like asking hands.
To her borrowed rooms she goes, as she must, and the golden kingsguard is wearing an easy smile as he arrives behind her. He pauses just outside the door, relishing how fiercely she has slammed it, and savors the first taste of his victory: a helpless cry from within. She is hoping for some swift, sad release, surely; no, she will be praying for it by this point, if she has the gods to listen. He waits a second longer, a rare instance of self-imposed restraint, allowing her the briefest of privacies, and then he invites himself in.
Ducking after her, softly closing the door behind him, he is greeted first by the shameless slap of sex. It is a scent, as rich to him as the scent of any meat to a hungry hound, and it is the electric vibration of the air. It is the tension he breaks when he steps into the room, and it is the laughable sight of his prim and noble guest with her skirts hiked up as if he'd stumbled upon an artless tryst, as if he'd scared away her fumbling lover. But there is, as he delights in knowing, no lover - it is only the proud lady and her hand, and her tearful eyes, and that ineffectual hand nobly finding her sword. He does laugh at the sight of her, a sound that is cheerful and light above her humiliation.
You, she says, and that word is finer than a hand upon the skin, because now she knows it, too. Now she knows that it can only be him - that it could only ever be him. Is she looking upon him, as the old man said she would, with a dawning, keening horror? She knows what must be done - or, at the very least, her sodden cunt knows it - and if that pretty potion has done its work, there is nothing she will not give to see it done. What have you done to me? He turns the words over in his head, tasting the pearls of desperation in her voice, leisurely advancing into the room, not needing to spend any more than he already has. And it is the alchemist's promise that answers her, though it need not be spoken: There can be no words to describe it.
He laughs again, charmed, blithely ignoring the sword she means to grasp. Instead, he lifts his own hand to her cheek, brushing aside a wayward lock of hair, fingers fanning like a lover's over her bright cheek. His kindly bearing is betrayed by the venom he murmurs back in turn, bringing his face close, smoothing over her threats and her hate.
"It's rather unseemly to leave your host's feast so early in the evening, my lady."
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sforzinda
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Date: 2023-12-13 11:19 pm (UTC)One hour? he'd pressed, setting the concoction aside, his interest and his gold both fading before the potion-maker's eyes. And who's to say she won't throw herself at the first lucky guard she encounters? Some thankless fool enjoys the benefits of my gold before I have a chance to catch her. A worry he does not feel, truthfully - certainly he would not allow a hapless guard to intervene with his designs. It is only that he wants very much to hear what comes next, and the old man does not hesitate to reassure him.
Oh, no, my lord. It is you she must have. There can be no words to describe it. These, of course, were words belonging to a talentless salesman, for who would make no effort to describe the merits of his product? But the assurance came with a randy grin, and the potion had in fact been brewed with one of Jaime's own golden hairs, though whether that was only a bit of dramatic flair, he couldn't say. Perhaps he enjoyed the fact that no words could convey the power of what his gold had bought. Perhaps there was no greater selling point than that truth he already knew, and had known all his life: it could only be him. In this discreet undertaking, as in all things, he was peerless. He left with the potion in hand, caring not at all what it had cost him.
An even easier task it was to secure a servant to deliver the prepared drink to the fair lady of Rohan on the night of the feast. She would not know that it had come not from the kitchens, but from the golden lion's own hand. Having evaded him once before, she must be arrogant enough to believe that she need not worry about evading him again. She had pressed her blade to his throat, had driven her knee into his groin, and no doubt heralded her escape as a victory. He would not be daft enough to accost her again, knowing she would open his throat should they meet a second time in darkness. A grim and haughty woman, certain that her dignity and her station would protect her. Or her guards, if nothing else. Her gods, perhaps, if she held any.
Their encounter had left no such impression upon him. He had felt the cold bite of her blade, yes, and her abrupt knee had lent him a lasting bruise, but he had not retreated in fear or shame. He had not retreated at all, by his own estimation: he had not landed his first strike, but he would land his second. She had managed a perry, however unexpected, but the battle was not done.
Almost as startling as the confrontation itself was the unbecoming fact that there had been a misunderstanding at all. What reason had she to refuse him? She knew his name, his rank, and his reputation. It did not stand to reason that she might prefer another, or would rather lead her life with no attentions at all. And even if she did - one or the other, the finer points of her refusal did not interest him - she would not say no. She could not. He had not asked, and did not mean to. Never in the histories did a lion ask. They would not start now.
Yes, it is true: he had stood dumb and blinking, hot blood thrumming blind and lost through him as she fled, but he had not retreated. He had simply designed a new approach.
And he had been impatient in its making, for it was not in his nature to wait. Not for the honing of his steel, not for the readying of his horse, not for the slaking of his thirst or the satisfying of his hunger. The world as he had always known it bent to his whim. It bent willingly for the most part, and what did not bend was broken. A path could always be hacked through unyielding bramble. A coward could always be intimidated. Pleasure could always be bought.
He does not arrive at the feast gloating that his victory has been paid for, however. There is little glory in a fistful of gold. Blood is sweeter, and has always promised a more thrilling rush. He might have chosen to toss his gold at two eager grunts to hold the unflinching lady down, if he did not care to hunt. He could have had what he wanted days ago, and at a much cheaper price, and been done with it. One need only glance at the golden knight's predatory green eyes, however, to know that it is the hunt he craves. So he had put his gold to better use, so that he would not be denied the satisfaction of watching his prey stagger before him, of watching the shadow of defeat - his own looming shadow - fall across her. Only now, thanks to what had been poured into her dark wine, she would meet his eyes with an unspeakable plea in her own.
It seems at first that the evening is unfurling according to his personal fantasy: the obedient servant delivers the proud goblet, and the lady drinks. He watches with hawkish focus for a moment, aware that maybe the her woman's sensibilities will alert her to something strange about the drink. When the wine touches her lips, Jaime's careless trust in the codger who brewed his potion is revoked, and it seems likely that their guest will taste his foul intentions in the wine. It is a fleeting hesitation, and he is braced by it only for a moment, maybe two - and she sets the goblet down. She does not grimace or cry out that she has been poisoned. She takes another polite sip. The thrill rises once more.
Do hours pass before that sweet elixir overtakes her? It seems so, but so too does the sun seem to take days to arc across the sky when he is impatient for the next day to come. But it takes her after all, at last - she rises, she is trembling, she is unsteady. She is frightened, though she disguises it well. She is anxious to depart this warm, bustling, raucous place. She senses now that something is wrong, and finds herself in the same moment unprepared to face it. The sight of the serene, collected woman so near to shambles makes Jaime's blood run hot and hard. He falls into step behind her, prowling, dappled by shadows that reach for and fall from him like asking hands.
To her borrowed rooms she goes, as she must, and the golden kingsguard is wearing an easy smile as he arrives behind her. He pauses just outside the door, relishing how fiercely she has slammed it, and savors the first taste of his victory: a helpless cry from within. She is hoping for some swift, sad release, surely; no, she will be praying for it by this point, if she has the gods to listen. He waits a second longer, a rare instance of self-imposed restraint, allowing her the briefest of privacies, and then he invites himself in.
Ducking after her, softly closing the door behind him, he is greeted first by the shameless slap of sex. It is a scent, as rich to him as the scent of any meat to a hungry hound, and it is the electric vibration of the air. It is the tension he breaks when he steps into the room, and it is the laughable sight of his prim and noble guest with her skirts hiked up as if he'd stumbled upon an artless tryst, as if he'd scared away her fumbling lover. But there is, as he delights in knowing, no lover - it is only the proud lady and her hand, and her tearful eyes, and that ineffectual hand nobly finding her sword. He does laugh at the sight of her, a sound that is cheerful and light above her humiliation.
You, she says, and that word is finer than a hand upon the skin, because now she knows it, too. Now she knows that it can only be him - that it could only ever be him. Is she looking upon him, as the old man said she would, with a dawning, keening horror? She knows what must be done - or, at the very least, her sodden cunt knows it - and if that pretty potion has done its work, there is nothing she will not give to see it done. What have you done to me? He turns the words over in his head, tasting the pearls of desperation in her voice, leisurely advancing into the room, not needing to spend any more than he already has. And it is the alchemist's promise that answers her, though it need not be spoken: There can be no words to describe it.
He laughs again, charmed, blithely ignoring the sword she means to grasp. Instead, he lifts his own hand to her cheek, brushing aside a wayward lock of hair, fingers fanning like a lover's over her bright cheek. His kindly bearing is betrayed by the venom he murmurs back in turn, bringing his face close, smoothing over her threats and her hate.
"It's rather unseemly to leave your host's feast so early in the evening, my lady."