The Riverlands.
After a fierce struggle earlier, Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth had long since exhausted their strength. Thus, with almost no resistance, they were captured by Vargo Hoat and his men.
"Ser, I was merely sunning myself with my wife. We are simple folk with no money to speak of."
Jaime Lannister said with a smile, believing that his disheveled, unkempt appearance would prevent this pack of mad dogs from recognizing him.
"Is that so? Sunning yourselves, how pleasant. Then why did I see you two fighting to the death with swords?" A member named Ulf stepped forward.
"I was merely teaching her a lesson," Jaime laughed.
"Looking at her sturdy build, it seems more likely she was teaching you a lesson. kingslayer, stop the act. Don't think I can't recognize you just because you've grown a beard." Ulf chuckled.
"You know me?" Jaime's expression turned serious at once.
Ulf merely smiled and said nothing.
At this moment, Vargo Hoat stepped forward and said, "Let me think, how should I deal with you two?"
Vargo Hoat laughed wildly, never expecting such a big harvest from a simple patrol. However, as he thought about it, his expression suddenly darkened, for he recalled that Roose had recently been at odds with the Lannisters.
Just as Vargo Hoat was pondering the matter of Roose and the Lannisters, Jaime Lannister spoke up.
"If you let us go, my father, Tywin Lannister, will give you at least one hundred thousand gold. Believe me, that is a pile of gold you could never spend in a lifetime," Jaime Lannister laughed.
Before Vargo Hoat could speak, Ulf, who was standing nearby, said, "One hundred thousand gold doesn't sound too bad."
Ulf's hair was thin and dry, and beneath the pale skin of his face and hands, dark blue veins were clearly visible.
However, Vargo Hoat ignored the man's muttering and instead gave orders to the others nearby.
Vargo Hoat waved his hand, and Timmon the Dornishman along with a foul-smelling Ibbenese dragged Jaime Lannister to kneel before a large tree stump.
"Damn it! You bastards, can't you be gentle? You are dragging your gold!" Jaime cursed.
Truth be told, Jaime truly wanted to seize their longswords and plunge them into their throats, but the shackles on his hands made it impossible for him to resist.
Timmon the Dornishman said, "Gold can't talk. How much gold was it again?"
A person dressed in a green and pink jester's costume replied, "Didn't I just say? One hundred thousand! Hehehe."
The jester spoke in a half-mad, half-crazy manner, his mouth twitching constantly as he giggled foolishly.
"One hundred thousand gold will be enough to rest for a good while. By the way, was there any gold in that sept we just raided?" Rattleshirt asked.
"There were a few pretty gemstones on the person I killed, but unfortunately, your pet, Biter, scratched them up," Zollo the Fat said with a look of regret.
Listening to the conversation among these people, Jaime Lannister knew that none of them were any good; the Bravos Company was indeed just a mad dog under his father Tywin's command.
"Casterly Rock has plenty of gold. As long as you let me go back, you'll be rich," Jaime said, looking at the commander of the Bravos Company, Vargo Hoat.
In his view, all bandits in the world were the same; it was all about money. The Lannisters had plenty of money and could afford any ransom.
However, this routine that Jaime, as a Lannister, had used time and again did not work this time; instead, it completely enraged Vargo Hoat, who was currently at his wit's end.
Because what Vargo Hoat was thinking about right now was not gold, but how to save his own life.
"I just can't stand the high-and-mighty, hypocritical look of you nobles. Who cares about your damn gold!!"
Saying this, Vargo Hoat's eyes glinted with malice and resentment. The blade in his hand flashed, and he severed the right hand that Jaime Lannister used to wield his sword—the hand he took such pride in.
"Aaaaaah!!!!!!!"
...
Jaime Lannister's right hand was gone; he could no longer use a sword. His lifelong dream of knighthood was shattered; he could never become Arthur Dayne.
He finally understood the feelings of his brother Tyrion—that people would mock him for the rest of his life.
On the road to Harrenhal, the Bravos Company subjected Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth to all manner of humiliation.
They tied the two together, forcing them to ride the same horse face-to-face, and even hung Jaime Lannister's severed right hand around Brienne of Tarth's neck.
"What a lovely couple! Hahaha!" the jester Shagwell jumped around, mocking them.
However, Jaime Lannister had no reaction to this; having lost his right hand and seen his dream of knighthood shattered, he only wanted to die.
"Are you a coward?" Brienne spoke up.
"Huh?" Jaime looked at Brienne, who was facing him, their bodies pressed together so closely that he could even smell her breath. He thought he had misheard.
"Jaime Lannister, are you a coward?" Brienne of Tarth repeated.
Jaime did not speak; he lowered his head.
"What are you running from? Jaime, live. Do you think such a setback will defeat you?" Brienne said.
"I have lost my right hand; I cannot use a sword. My life has already reached hell." Jaime kept his head down, not daring to look at Brienne.
"No, you have not reached hell. You have only just caught a glimpse of the lives we ordinary people lead. This is the real world," Brienne said.
Seeing that Jaime Lannister was still in a state of despair, Brienne whispered encouragement in his ear: "Jaime, live. Live, fight, take revenge. No matter for whom, you must live."
In truth, Brienne of Tarth was very grateful to Jaime, because along the way, Vargo Hoat, Rattleshirt, Zollo, and others had tried several times to rape her, but Jaime Lannister had deceived them by saying that Tarth was rich in sapphires.
As long as they ensured Brienne of Tarth returned unharmed, her father would give them countless sapphires as ransom. Vargo Hoat believed him and persuaded Rattleshirt and Zollo to temporarily give up their assault on Brienne, which the two had to accept with resentment.
Rattleshirt was a hunchback with a clumsy build, covered in black hair, and he had no nose. He kept a pet named Biter, who was a vicious freak.
Zollo was a Dothraki member of the Bravos Company. He was very fat, which is why he was called "Zollo the Fat."
Jaime Lannister was moved by Brienne's words of encouragement. He looked up into her beautiful blue eyes and said, "I will live."
Seeing that there was finally a glimmer of light in Jaime's eyes, Brienne smiled with relief. This man, as expected, would not let her down.
Ever since she saw Renly Baratheon in her youth, this was the first time Brienne had truly and genuinely liked someone from the bottom of her heart.
However, this affection had not yet developed into love; Brienne simply believed that Jaime Lannister was not as bad as the world made him out to be.
Furthermore, Brienne discovered that Jaime Lannister possessed a certain quality that made her unable to help but follow him. At first, she didn't know what this trait was, but now she had discovered it: it was the spirit of knighthood.
How ironic, Brienne thought, that she had found the spirit of knighthood in the man the world reviled as the "kingslayer."
...
The group walked through the lush, dense forest and along muddy, narrow paths.
The commander of the Bravos Company, Vargo Hoat, ordered the group to rest temporarily beside a stream, then went off on his own, leading his black-and-white spotted horse to drink water nearby.
Brienne and Jaime were taken off their horses but remained tied together, so they could only lean against a large rock with difficulty to rest.
Seeing the elm trees on both sides of the road, Brienne's mind stirred. She had not expected to find elm trees in the Riverlands.
Upon seeing these elm trees, Brienne couldn't help but think of a strange, worn-out shield she had seen in her family's storehouse when she was a child, which bore the sigil of a falling star over an elm tree.
It was said that this shield had a long history, dating back to the time of Aegon V.
The elm trees were lush and leafy. Brienne thought that the environment here was much better than her home on Tarth.
She turned her head to look at Jaime Lannister, who was resting with his eyes closed, leaning on her shoulder. A warmth suddenly welled up in her heart; it was really hard on this guy to use the lie that Tarth was rich in sapphires to fool those people.
Brienne had always been straightforward. Seeing that the members of the Bravos Company were all resting and not paying attention to them,
Brienne whispered to Jaime, "Why did you save me? We both know there are no sapphires on Tarth at all."
Jaime squinted with sleepy eyes, looked around first, and then whispered in Brienne's ear: "I don't want them to destroy the castle in your heart and turn you into a cripple like me."
After speaking, Jaime didn't wait for Brienne to reply, but looked into her pure, flawless blue eyes and said:
"Once you touch the bottomless darkness, you can never turn back. Lady Brienne, please hold onto the justice in your heart and pursue your own path of knighthood."
...
After returning to Harrenhal, Vargo Hoat ordered Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth to go bathe first.
However, midway through, Jaime Lannister was called away by Roose Bolton, the Lord of Harrenhal, because Roose Bolton was, after all, cunning and calculating, and saw through Vargo Hoat's intentions at a glance.
Vargo Hoat knew that the Lannisters were indeed very wealthy, but he also knew that a Lannister always pays his debts.
He believed that although Tywin Lannister would pay him 100,000 gold dragons as ransom, he would also have his head chopped off for the Brave Companions' betrayal.
Therefore, Vargo Hoat planned to extract the ransom from Tywin Lannister first, and after receiving the money, immediately sell Jaime Lannister to House Karstark in exchange for protection.
Furthermore, Vargo Hoat had high political sensitivity; while in Roose Bolton's territory, he had already noticed signs that the other party was intending to surrender to Tywin Lannister.
Vargo Hoat feared that Roose Bolton would release Jaime Lannister and use his own head as a peace offering for Roose Bolton to give to Tywin Lannister.
Consequently, Vargo Hoat cut off Jaime Lannister's right hand, hoping to create conflict between Roose Bolton and the Lannisters to prevent Roose Bolton from quickly defecting to the Lannisters.
Although Roose Bolton had already seen through the machinations, Jaime Lannister's right hand was already severed and could not be reattached.
Therefore, Roose Bolton could only offer kind words, have the shackles removed from Jaime and Brienne, and have Qyburn treat Jaime Lannister's severed limb.
...
In the bathhouse at Harrenhal, Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth were naked and face-to-face.
This was the first time Brienne of Tarth had shared a bath with a man, so she was still a bit nervous, constantly covering her chest with her hands.
She looked at Jaime Lannister's long-untrimmed beard and hair, and felt that at this moment, Jaime looked exactly like a male lion with a mane full of fur around its neck.
"Your hand... how is it?"
Seeing the atmosphere between them becoming increasingly awkward, Brienne broke the silence and spoke first.
"How else could it be? If that fellow named Qyburn could reattach my hand, I would even be happy to give him Casterly Rock."
Jaime Lannister laughed; he had already accepted reality. However, encouraged by Brienne, he no longer wanted to seek death.
He only wanted to return to King's Landing now to see his brother, Tyrion, or his sister, Cersei. In Jaime's heart, his brother Tyrion's position was even higher than Cersei's.
After that sentence, the two fell silent once again.
But Brienne could not suppress the doubts in her heart, and she asked: "Jaime, are you really the kingslayer? Don't fob me off; I can see that you are not as despicable as the world says."
Brienne of Tarth was filled with doubts. She felt that the Jaime Lannister before her was shrouded in countless mysteries unknown to the world. Moreover, in the dungeons of Riverrun, Brienne had heard the conversation between Jaime and Catelyn Tully with her own ears.
Seeing that Jaime Lannister did not answer, Brienne asked again: "What did that sentence you said the other day mean? Will you tell me?"
Brienne remembered that Jaime Lannister's original words that day were: "There is one person in this world who loves me for a kindness I never showed, yet there are many, many people who curse me for my greatest act of mercy."
"What is your act of mercy? What exactly did you do, and how many people did you save?" Brienne of Tarth asked.
"Four hundred thousand, the entire population of King's Landing." Perhaps annoyed by Brienne's questions, Jaime looked at her and said.
Jaime Lannister also felt an unprecedented warmth from Brienne, so he looked into her eyes and revealed the truth that had been buried deep in his heart and silent for many years.
"They made me swear too many oaths, too many contradictory oaths, too many oaths that weren't clearly written. I don't know which one to uphold?" Jaime said.
Brienne looked at him without speaking.
At this moment, Jaime suddenly laughed and said:
"As for the kingslayer? Hmph, it's actually a pretty good title. However, does our The Mad King Aerys Targaryen really deserve to be king? I only saw his cowardice and baseness before he died."
Jaime continued:
"When the Targaryen dynasty was already on the decline, and my father came to King's Landing to rescue the king, I advised The Mad King Aerys not to open the city gates. Because I know my father very well; he would never help a loser."
"But..."
"But The Mad King Aerys actually listened to Grand Maester Pycelle and prepared to open the gates. That sanctimonious old bastard! It was a disaster, and the entire King's Landing was bathed in blood."
"Only then did The Mad King Aerys realize his mistake, but then he actually ordered me to present the head of my father, Tywin Lannister."
Speaking up to this point, Jaime Lannister asked Brienne:
"I ask you, if your His Majesty the King Renly ordered you to kill your father, would you do it? Would you still keep your oath?"
Brienne of Tarth was silent; she also did not know what to do when the oath to obey the king's command conflicted with the oath to obey her father's words.
"Later, The Mad King Aerys summoned the pyromancer who made wildfire, preparing to have him release the wildfire throughout the city. These round jars had existed since the time of Aegon V; they were distributed all over King's Landing. Once ignited, the entire city would be buried in a sea of fire, and no one would be spared."
"'Burn them all,' he said. 'Burn them all, burn them in their homes, burn them in their beds.'"
Jaime Lannister closed his eyes, recalling the final mad actions of "The Mad King" Aerys.
"I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I first killed the pyromancer who was going to release the wildfire. When The Mad King Aerys turned to flee, I stabbed him through the heart with one sword from behind."
"His blood stained my golden armor, stained my white cloak, and I sat on the iron throne, overlooking all living beings. From that moment on, my heart would never waver again. From then on, I would never again abide by any bullshit oaths; I would only follow the guidance of my heart and follow my own justice."
After saying this long passage, Jaime seemed to have shed a heavy burden, and he felt entirely relaxed.
"Jaime..." Brienne called his name with concern.
Jaime thought for a while, looked at the calm surface of the bathwater, and said his inner thoughts with vacant eyes:
"I think Aerys didn't actually want to die, because true dragon are not afraid of fire. He just wanted to make the people of the whole city a sacrifice for him, so that he could finally transform into a true dragon."
Subsequently, Jaime Lannister smiled at Brienne of Tarth and said:
"So, to ensure he wouldn't be resurrected, after killing him, I also used my sword to slit his throat."
"Later, Ser Alyn Westerling and Lord Roland Crakehall, under the command of my father, Lord Tywin, led everyone in. They asked me if I wanted to install a new king. I didn't respond to them; now that I think about it, 'Kingmaker' would have sounded much better than 'kingslayer'."
"Finally, Eddard Stark broke in with his troops. He ordered me to surrender the iron throne and claimed that the iron throne should be inherited by Robert Baratheon according to the law. According to the law? Even the Seven don't know what law they were following when they rebelled."
"And, do you think the noble, righteous Lord of Winterfell would come to listen to my feeble explanation of why I killed the king? What a man of honor, needing only to look at me to decide I was guilty!"
"Why should a lion care about the thoughts of a running wolf!"
"And what right does a running wolf have to judge a lion? What right!"
After speaking, Jaime Lannister, who was already physically weak, suddenly became emotionally agitated, and then he collapsed, trembling, into the arms of Brienne of Tarth.