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[RIVERLANDS TAVERN]
[The tavern is lively with drinking and laughing.]
"Now, how did three children-"
"We're not children."
"You are. He" Robb pointed to Gendry sitting beside Varys, "may not be but you are."
Arya scowled at her brother.
"How did three young persons such as yourselves, untrained in the art of war, escape from Harrenhal?"
"Gendry's a smith. He was apprenticed in the armoury."
"A smith, eh? Where'd you train?"
"King's Landing. Tobho Mott's shop."
"That criminal. He charges twice as much as every other armourer in the city."
"That's because he's twice as good" Gendry grumbled.
"That's because he's twice as good."
The boy looked quite proud at repeating himself.
"Aha! A smith and a salesman."
"Gendry stole our weapons."
"Ah, fought your way out of Harrenhal, I see."
"He knows how to use a sword and so do I."
[The men laugh.]
"My brothers taught me."
"You did?" Ned raised a brow.
"Jon showed her how to stick them with the pointy end!" Robb said immediately.
Jon looked at him with a scowl and shoved him slightly rough.
Ned snorted and shook his head.
[The men laugh again. ARYA stands to prove herself. She draws her sword and points it at THOROS's throat. THOROS looks at the blade and feints a drink. Instead, he rises, draws his sword and disarms ARYA with a sweeping move of his blade. Surprised, ARYA steps backward, afraid. The men cheer. THOROS takes some dramatic and slightly drunken steps, then relents. He turns to rejoin the table, taking up some ale along the way.]
"To your brothers!"
[The men cheer. ARYA meekly picks up her weapon and sits back down at the table, next to the silent GENDRY and HOT PIE.]
"Gee thanks, Arya" Jon muttered with a small smile.
The sowling girl was now blushing.
"You can finish your meals before you go. It may be a while before you see another."
"You'll free us?"
"I gave you my word."
[The trio rises. So does THOROS.]
"But before you go, allow me to raise a cup to your-"
[THOROS is interrupted by the smiling entrance of ANGUY and more brothers, with a large hooded captive. They are proud of their capture. The men cheer.]
"Now that is an uncommonly large person. How does one manage to subdue such an uncommonly large person?"
"One waits for him to drink until he passes out."
"Of course" Olenna snorted. It's always the ale.
[He removes the hood. The captive is THE HOUND. ARYA is worried, and turns away before she can be seen.]
"Aha, not a man at all. A Hound!"
[The men howl in jest.]
"So good to see you again, Clegane."
"Thoros? What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Drinking and talking too much. Same as ever."
[HOT PIE, GENDRY, and ARYA start to leave.]]
"Girl."
"Well, there goes any hopes of you guys being let go now" Brandon the Elder commented.
"He swore!" Arya argued.
"And you're the daughter of a former Lord, sister of a King, and they are brigands at this point. They will want their money's worth from you."
Arya scowled at his uncle. But with all she'd seen, she couldn't deny that was what would happen.
[RIVERLANDS BRIDGE]
[When they reach the middle of the bridge, JAIME sits down, back to the wall.]
"He's making good use of how exposed they are. Probably trying to get themselves captured by that man and his friends from before" Oberyn commented.
"It was foolish of the girl to use the bridge where they are open" Doran commented.
"Ser Jaime could jump into the river and escape if they went underneath and down the river" Elia pointed out.
"He wouldn't make it far with those shackles on him. He'd drown at best" Doran shook his head. "It was a foolish choice by the woman."
[She looks around, feeling nervous and exposed.]
"I never used to get corns. Of course, I used to ride everywhere, not march around like a common foot soldier wearing the same shit boots for over a year."
[BRIENNE tires of his ploy. He grabs him and tries to make JAIME stand back up.]
"This heel is ruined. There's no way-"
[JAIME takes his opportunity and grabs BRIENNE's sword from its sheath.]
"She's let her guard down," Olenna said disapprovingly.
"She was too caught up with her surroundings" Lyanna commented. "It took her focus off of her target."
"I see" The old rose eyed the winter rose keenly.
Lyanna shrugged.
"I went on a few hunts" she explained.
[He runs as far as he can before the rope stops him. He cuts it with the sword. His hands are still bound, but he measures the feel of the sword and chuckles.]
"I never understood why some knights felt the need to carry two swords."
[BRIENNE takes an aggressive stance. JAIME is playful and cavalier, trying to goad BRIENNE into making an ill-conceived move. She remains conservative in her tactics. They take stock of one another.]
"You move well for a great beast of a woman."
[JAIME begins an attack. Their sword clash.]
"You shouldn't grimace before you lunge. It gives away the game."
[JAIME lunges again and pushes BRIENNE back. She counters, but he regains momentum. In a spinning move, they switch places.]
"Bit of a quandary for you. If you kill me, you fail Lady Stark. But if you don't kill me, I'm going to kill you."
[He attacks again. They end with their swords in a contest and switch to a game of strength and leverage.]
"You're good. Graceless, but good."
[BRIENNE uses her hilt to break the deadlock with an upward thrust of her sword. They face off again. This time, BRIENNE goes on the attack. She gains the advantage, and knees him in the stomach.]
"See? If you were willing to hurt me, you might have had me there."
"You're having fun" Tyrion noted.
"From the looks of it, I haven't had any in a year at least" Jaime mused.
[JAIME spins to increase the force of his attacking blow and drives BRIENNE back down the bridge. Their shoulders collide and they face off once again, panting heavily. JAIME starts a new assault, but BRIENNE parries and gains the upper hand. She punches him in the jaw and he reels to the bridge wall. BRIENNE's next blow misses but ignites sparks on the wall. BRIENNE grows stronger and more confident as JAIME is beaten. Exhausted, he ends up on the ground. A horse neighs just off the bridge, and BRIENNE looks to locate who has joined them. Three mounted men ride out from the woods, with additional forces behind.]
"Looks like your woman's getting the better of you if you can call that a woman."
"We enjoy a good fight. Gets our juices flowing. The Flayed Man of House Bolton. A bit gruesome for my taste."
"You sure he's the one?"
[The MAN that JAIME and BRIENNE encountered in the woods is brought forth.]
"That's him, all right. I saw him fight at the tourney for Ser Willem Frey's wedding."
"Give the man his silver."
"Let us go and my father will pay you whatever you want."
"Enough to buy me a new head? If the King in the North hears I had the Kingslayer and let him go, he'll be taking it right off. I'd rather he takes yours."
"Well... shit" Jaime sighed. The one way of escape, and the idiot brings him Stark men.