Some Days Before

Ser Jaime Lannister watched eagerly as Jon Snow dueled Robb Stark in the courtyard. It was practice, and with dulled swords, but Jaime knew how to watch for skill better than almost anyone else in Westeros. There was only one knight Jaime had met who might have bested him, and Ser Barriston was one of his sword brothers. There had been more, once, but Ned Stark had killed them.

It brought a smile to his face to watch Ned's slip-up do battle with the heir of the North. Like everyone else, the Kingslayer suspected that Jon Snow had as much right to the Stark name as Robb - perhaps more. Ned Stark's first marriage was simply ignored for political expediency during the first dizzying days of Robert's Rebellion. No one but Ned and Ashara knew if it had even truly happened, after all, and Ashara had passed years ago. He also had more skill. Though Robb was winning the duel, Ser Jaime knew that that had always been a foregone conclusion. Jon Snow was not allowed to win, especially in front of such august company.

Jaime watched Jon's eyes flit to where he correctly anticipated Robb's next moves, and Jaime smiled each time Jon avoided taking advantage of his legitimate brother's legitimate mistakes. Robb was a talented swordsman himself, but Jaime saw something else in Jon - Arthur. He noticed that he was smiling almost ear to ear. Jon fought Robb like an instructor. That was a boy of incredible talent, wasting away up here in this wasteland. That was the way things were in an era of peace, he supposed.

When Cersei, who had been bored out of her mind observing the match beside him, whispered that Jaime should meet her in the broken tower nearby, he told her that it would have to wait. He made an excuse about the King, and when she left in a huff, he saw that Robb had been declared the victor.

Robb made ready to duel Joffrey next, and Jaime couldn't bear to watch that. Instead, he followed Jon and requested a bout himself. Something about that boy reminded him of Ser Arthur, and of himself.