“My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel.”

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

Tommen helped restore her to herself. He had never been more precious to her than he was that morning, chattering about his kittens as he dribbled honey onto a chunk of hot black bread fresh from the ovens. 'Ser Pounce caught a mouse,' he told her, 'but Lady Whiskers stole it from him.'

I was never so sweet and innocent, Cersei thought. How can he ever hope to rule in this cruel realm? The mother in her wanted only to protect him; the queen in her knew he must grow harder, or the Iron Throne was certain to devour him. 'Ser Pounce must learn to defend his rights,' she told him. 'In this world the weak are always the victims of the strong.'

'Jaime,' she said, tugging on his ear, 'sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak ... but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you. I said so once to your father's face, and he would not speak to me for half a year. Men are such thundering great fools. Even the sort who come along once in a thousand years.'

‘How is it that you did not wed?’ Jaime asked him.

'Why, I went to Tarth and saw her. I had six years on her, yet the wench could look me in the eye. She was a sow in silk, though most sows have bigger teats. When she tried to talk she almost choked on her own tongue. I gave here a rose and told her it was all she would ever have from me.’ Connington glanced into the pit. 'The bear was less hairy than that freak, I’ll-’

Jaime’s golden hand cracked him across the mouth so hard the other knight went stumbling down the steps. His lantern fell and smashed, and the oil spread out, burning.

'You are speaking of a highborn lady, ser. Call her by her name. Call her Brienne.’

Connington edged away from the spreading flames on his hands and knees. 'Brienne. If it please my lord.’ He spat a glob of blood at Jaime’s foot. 'Brienne the Beauty.’