Chapter Text
When he arrives in the Throne Room, it is mostly dark, save for some torches. The king is there, ordering Rossart to ignite the wildfire.
This can't be happening. He plans to burn the entire city, Red Keep included! Does he fancy himself a dragon?
"Your Grace," he calls, approaching the Mad King carefully. "Is this truly the best course of action? I can negotiate my father, I know he will listen to me."
To be entirely honest, he is not sure his father will back off simply because he asked, but he cannot let Aerys see anything other than a confident Lion of Lannister. Not if he wants this madness to be prevented.
Aerys turns to him, and his purple eyes glimmer in the torchlight. Jaime feels his heart in his throat. "Here are your orders, Lannister," he hisses. "You will go to your Father, and you will bring me his head."
"What?" He exclaims, then shakes his head. "Your Grace, what you ask is kinslaying. You ask me to stain my own honor. Please."
"Your vows are to me," the king spats. "Not to your father. I want him dead, the traitor. I want his head, you'll bring me his head, or you'll burn with all the rest. All the traitors."
He gulps. "Even so, there is no need to burn the city, Your Grace. You can merely wait for Robert Baratheon to be caught and sent over here, and kill him and his men. The citizens of King's Landing don't need to pay for other men's crimes."
Aerys narrows his eyes at him. "He wants my city, my throne and my house's legacy. Let this Robert Baratheon be king over charred bones and cooked meat. Let him be the king of ashes."
I'll burn whether I kill my father or not, he realizes as he looks around the room and can no longer see Rossart. I have to stop Rossart and the pyromancers. It's the only way. Resolutely, he turns to Aerys. "It will be done, Your Grace."
The king says nothing as Jaime rushes out of the throne room. Where could Rossart have gone to? Not long, he concludes, so he heads to the tunnels under the Red Keep. If there are indeed wildfire caches under the castle, that is where the man probably went to. If the other pyromancers see the Red Keep in flames, surely they will know it is time to ignite the rest. Great, now I'm trying to think like the madmen they are, he mentally huffs and he hurries through the tunnels.
He does find Rossart and the wildfire caches. Only, it is too late.