Author's Note: When I watched Mockingjay Part 2, I had this idea of a crossover between THG and ASoIaF. Since Gwendoline played both Brienne and Lyme, I thought I'd connect it somehow. So yeah this was born. It took me a month to finish and I had like 3 drafts for this XD I tried to edit and proofread this as best as I can and I hope you enjoy it. :)
Funny how the first thing she thought of when she's dying was her conversation with Beetee before she goes off to fight to the Nut.
She loves him. Maybe not in that way. She probably isn't sure herself. But anyone can see how much he cares for her.
She had only meant to ask about Soldier Hawthorne and why he is so cold and indifferent and Beetee had told her of the rift the Games had opened between him and the Mockingjay.
And of the victor, Peeta contributing several yards of it.
Finnick's words, not mine.
She could hear the chuckle of the Victor from 3 yet she couldn't draw up his image into mind, or any of the Victors, not even the soldier of 12.
All she saw were green pools slowly losing its light.
Though they were running on adrenaline alone, Lyme and Leo dragged the poor boy from District 12 with incredible strength and speed as they ran through the stony halls of their castle arena. Behind them, footsteps pounded, but they didn't dare look back.
"God, why do you even bother with the boy?" Leo whined.
"Don't you ever get tired of talking?" Lyme simply replied.
The beautiful blond tribute with emerald eyes from District 1 gave her a boyish grin.
"Sorry, I talk a lot when I'm tensed,"
Lyme wanted to roll her eyes and tell him that he talks a lot regardless. Where does he even get all his energy and wits at a time like this?
Despite his jokes though, Leo seemed to care for the boy as much as she did. Somehow, they came to this silent agreement to survive as three for as long as they can when they found the boy shivering in the corner with a knife. Their female ally from 4 had nearly slain the boy if it weren't for Lyme. With one swift thrust, her comrade had fallen, followed by a canon soon after. Then, Leo twisted the knife off 12's hand. The boy had begun to cry.
"He's scared,"
Her ally had understood what she was implying and stared at her blankly.
"We're in top 5, we're not gonna get attached to this kid," Leo had said in his rare serious tone. "I don't want to have to kill him. I know you don't either,"
Despite that, Lyme had still managed to convince him to bring the boy along. Leo only sighed and told her she was a stubborn bitch.
After a few hours of hunger, exhaustion and near death experience with traps, they heard a canon boom and the stones around them began to grind. The wall beside them split apart to form a new hall. It was a dark way and neither torch nor window lit the way except from where they came from.
Leo's ears had perked up and told them to keep quiet. They heard something slapping against the stone floor in rapid successions coming from dark hall. They squinted at the darkness while raising their weapons in a fighting stance and pulled the boy behind them. Then, they saw a figure begin to form into the light but it was quickly yanked back into the shadows and it made some gurgling sound.
That's how the trio found themselves running blindly in the halls of the castle. They barely even heard the canon.
"I was getting worried we'd have to face that tribute," Leo muttered.
Lyme didn't want to have to kill the remaining tribute, too. Her hands had shaken when she saw the blade go through the ally she killed. And it seemed to take all of her strength to pull it out.
In fact all the deaths she witnessed shook her, too. She was the second tallest tribute but she felt like she was the smallest. She was only training to be a Peacekeeper but when her name was pulled out of the Reaping bowl, she accepted it as duty, even though someone had wanted to volunteer in her place. She hadn't even made a kill until District 4. All of the members of the career pack were either apathetic or blood thirsty and they killed at least one person during the blood bath. She felt queasy and her eyes were near tears when she saw someone die, especially since Ragnar, the tallest and strongest from her District was brutal. After the blood bath, Ragnar, had done all the killing for their pack. She wasn't sure if it was his brutality or how easy he kills is what caused the Capitol to cross his path with that clever tribute from 11. At least he had gone down with a good fight. After that, the rest of their pack had gotten picked off one by one. The male from 4 ran into a trap and had gotten shot with an arrow from the walls. The female from 1 took off when she had the chance and they only heard the canon. Then it was her, Leo and the female from 4 until Lyme had killed her.
Leo, however, stayed. She didn't know why. He seemed more sympathetic to her. From day one of training, he was the only person who genuinely liked to talk to her. The other tributes were either afraid of her or only talked to her because of a possible alliance. Even then, she was often picked on by the other careers because she was the most mannish from them. Leo defended her though. Usually by pointing out her bully's faults and sarcastic remarks but he often stared at her with sympathy and other things she couldn't point out. Lyme wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.
"Guys, l-light," the boy gasped and snapped Lyme from her thoughts.
The older tributes saw it, too. The footsteps behind them grew a little fainter. Lyme swallowed her fear of what might lie beyond. It was down to the top 3 anyway. Lyme hoped that Leo or the boy would make it. And she fervently hoped that it wouldn't come to a showdown between the three of them.
The light was becoming blinding and Lyme had to squint. They've been used to the soft glow of torches that their vision isn't used to this brightness.
And the light swallowed them.
When their eyes finally adjusted, almost everything was indeed white. Light snow fell around them. The trio found themselves panting and almost fainting back where they came from strong and healthy- the courtyard. In even older ages, courtyards were used as training grounds for rookies. But this courtyard had a stone cornucopia in the middle of it. The cornucopia had no more supplies, though. They had picked it off clean.
"It's a dead end," Leo pointed out after loud gust of breath.
The boy from 12 collapsed on the snowy ground. Minutes passed as they were catching their breath and they hadn't heard a single footstep from the opening.
"Why aren't they attacking us?" Lyme whispered to Leo. She didn't want the Gamemakers to hear it. She was afraid they will make their pursuers come bursting through the door.
"Easy," Leo made a grand gesture, like he was Caesar Flickerman opening the show. "They want a show, wench,"
Lyme blinked at him. Something about what he said took her aback but she lost it as soon as it came.
After a while, he seemed to think she didn't understand what he meant because he called her a dumbass.
"They want us to kill each other," he said plainly.
Her sword was poised in her hand but she looked to her two allies. The sweet little boy from 12, who no doubt the Gamemakers saved only so they could put on a show, stared at Lyme with hope. He was only 12 and such a small thing. She couldn't bear slay the boy. Her mentor advised her not to remember any of the tributes' names except for her pack because only her pack could keep her alive. She hadn't asked for the boy's name for fear of getting too attached. But now, she can't slay an innocent. She just couldn't.
Then there was Leo. The gorgeous man from District 1 with his golden locks and emerald eyes-and they were giving her the strange look again. This boy was an half an inch shorter than her but they were both 17. Although he was annoying and seemed to waste his breath and energy talking and making fun of everyone, he had this soft side that he tries to mask. He is always ready to help her yet he knows when not to get involved. It was strange really. It was as if they had known each other their whole life. But travel between districts was forbidden, so it could never be.
"Well," Leo snapped Lyme back to attention. They seem to have caught their breath already. "It seems clear to our Gamemakers that we aren't going to kill each other," He cut the air with his sword. "Best we ready for the mutts,"
He winked at her and Lyme felt a blush creep into her face. Gods, I'm over six feet and heavily muscled and I blush like a delicate little girl.
Their moment was broken, however, when they heard the castle rumble. The walls that where once solid opened up several other openings. The two remaining Careers gripped their weapons tighter and nudged the boy behind them. They backed away to the Walls of the Cornucopia. Lyme glanced at Leo and she saw the look again, except another prominent feeling replaced the usual sympathy that he gave her. This idiot is going to die with me.
Lyme graced him a smile and Leo looked like he was caught off guard.
"That will most certainly be the last thing on my mind when I die," Leo sounded like he was mocking her but his expression said otherwise. He saw a genuine smile from him-almost shy and made him look younger.
The light snowfall suddenly became a blizzard. And they came pouring out.
"Not them again," Leo grunted.
She gave Leo a quick sidelong glance. Whatever illusion of indifference his voice gave, it was wiped by how pale he turned. She also felt her blood drain at the sight of the mutts that came through.
They looked like humans wielding weapons at first glance. But their skin was a grayish blue like corpses left out in the cold too long. But what really shook them was the fact that these creatures wore the faces of the tributes that died. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't real, because she knew that it was a trick from the Capitol. There was something unnatural about how they looked despite their uncanny resemblance to the tributes. But she could feel the chills that have nothing to do with the blizzard.
"Ice zombies," Leo hooted. "Now we're talking,"
The Mutts were slower than they were but they made up for it in numbers and they could still do damage with their weapons. Lyme knew she had to take them one at a time. She looked at the tallest one she could find and sideswiped the shorter ones. The boy wielded a scimitar. She hacked off the arm holding the scimitar but it kept coming. She batted the Mutt aside and kicked another two that had begun to rise again. One who wielded a knife cut her on the leg and she almost collapsed in pain. She tried hacking off the other arm yet it still kept coming. And more of them kept coming.
"They don't feel pain," Lyme shouted at his partner.
"No kidding," Leo shouted back and she saw a head flew past her. "What the fuck? I lopped its head off. How is it still moving?"
She cut off the legs of as many Mutts as she can but they were beginning to thicken. Lyme could feel death upon her and then Leo screamed.
"The HEART. It's the heart,"
Leo had moved on to another victim but she saw his previous victim with a hole in her chest. There was no blood but ice crystals crept and spread from the hole.
"Ah. Our mutts have frozen hearts, my lady," Leo yelled, the winds almost muffling his voice.
Their weakness was their heart. Very dramatic. Very Capitol.
"Is that the best jape you could come up with, sir? Really?" Lyme countered mockingly, pushing off an armless Mutt and then stabbing it at the heart. Somehow Leo's japes were distracting her from the faces of the tributes. She tried hard not to look too closely at them, especially at the eyes. She was afraid that she'd find clear blue eyes staring back at her.
"Sorry. I can't think well with this freezing weather," Leo whined.
Lyme laughed. She wasn't sure what was funny about it but it felt good to laugh in her last hours.
"Not only a smile will I bring to my grave but also the sound of your laugh. I'm very lucky," she heard her ally say.
And without knowing it, the frozen copies of the tributes littered around them- dead like their counterparts. Before they could even count the bodies, they melted like snow in spring, leaving everything that wasn't part of their body with them. The blizzard also stopped.
"Are you okay, kid?" Lyme turned to the boy behind them.
"Y-yes. Thank you," the kid spluttered.
"Are you okay, b-"
The ground rumbled before Leo could finish his sentence. They thought it was an earthquake at first, but the pounding came at them like a drum in a crescendo.
"I think our old buddy is here," Leo pointed out.
They hadn't met him on the field. They knew because you can't miss a 6 foot eleven tank of a man even if they fought hundreds of tributes.
"Hide in the Cornucopia, boy," Lyme barked at the kid who obeyed in a heartbeat.
"This might be when we'll die. So, goodbye… Lyme," Leo said the last part hesitatingly, as if he was trying to get the feel of it in his tongue. Somehow, it felt wrong.
"Thank you, Leo…" his name sounded wrong, too. What felt right was in the tip of her tongue she knew but she couldn't see the tip. "… for everything,"
Then, Ragnar burst through the doorway.
He was the same as the other zombies. But he was stronger and more surefooted. His limbs were thick and Leo and Lyme weren't sure if they'd be able to cut their steel through them. Though he didn't wield any weapon like the other tribute Mutts, he had a longer reach than they did. Lyme had wondered how she would've killed Ragnar if it came to them but no idea had ever come to her. She would've thought harder but Ragnar was killed. His death was no help either. He had died from a poisoned blade. Lyme doubted this one could be poisoned. Even his killer died before he did. Ragnar had crushed the tribute from 11 like one would with one of the District's fruits.
"Find 11's spear. I'll keep him busy," Leo asked.
The tribute from 11 may have not killed him with a blow from his spear but he still delivered mean cuts to Ragnar even if you didn't count the poison. And the weapons hadn't melted with the bodies so she knew the spear was still there somewhere.
A few feet from the Cornucopia, she saw a long rod on the snow. She yelled at Leo to hang on then made a dash for it. When she lifted the spear from the ground, she turned to see Leo dancing in front of the Mutt. He made graceful movements with his sword- pretending to attack it but backing out the last second. He was even shouting insults at it.
"Come on, big guy. You're disappointing me so much. I looked up to y-whoa-"
Mutt Ragnar swung a fist at Leo and the Mutt was an inch close to hitting him. Lyme felt her heart jump at that.
"I was in the middle of a witty line and you interrupted me," Leo almost sounded whiny.
That idiot is going to kill himself. Conveniently, she saw a shield a few feet from her and she grabbed it. She dashed madly toward her fellow Career with the spear and shield. Leo was still dancing and teasing the Giant but she could see he was going to slip and miscalculate soon.
Wang
She parried Ragnar's fist with her shield before it could hit Leo.
"Leo, give me your sword. You spear him,"
They exchanged weapons. The Giant had its eye on Leo but Lyme banged on her shield.
"Over here," was all she could say. "Come on big guy," She kept banging on her shield. The Giant's attention was all on Lyme. The huge Mutt swiped at her but she dodged it. It went at her again but she dashed away at the last second. She was tempted to call out to Leo but she didn't want to risk it. She wanted to see where he was but she could get distracted from her task. So she did all she could to dodge. After a few missed hits from the giant, one finally hit her. Although she didn't get the full impact from it, she could feel her shield arm throbbing. Her shield was beginning to slip, too.
Then she heard the scream.
"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
She saw Leo slid on the ground between the legs of the Mutt and stabbed the chest. Unfortunately, he speared slightly too low.
"Oh for gods' sake!"
The stab didn't harm the Mutt but he was surprised by the yelling. It gave time for Lyme to run to Leo and help him slide the blade upward so it would hit the heart.
The ice crystals spreading across Mutt Ragnar's chest was the most satisfying sight in the world that moment. Then, the rage took Lyme.
"Are you stupid, Leo? You could have gotten us all killed,"
Leo pouted at her.
"I still killed it," he boasted.
"WE killed it, Leo. Godsdamned I don't even know-"
She abruptly halted her speech when Leo wrapped his arms around Lyme. She could feel herself turn red, yet it felt like she had been yearning for it for thousands of years.
"Y-you… you can let go now," she stammered after what felt like an eternity.
And all the warmth left her. Lyme saw a bit of blush on the District 1 tribute's cheek but it may just be because of the cold.
"Hey kid. Come on out," Leo called out to the Cornucopia.
But no response came. Lyme's heart hammered in her chest. She ran to the Cornucopia and she found the kid hanging on a noose. A canon boomed.
"Oh my god," she gasped.
She could hear Leo running toward her but all she saw was the kid. She closed her eyes-hoping that it was a trick from the Capitol and the kid was safe. But the arms that held her tight told her otherwise. She wanted to elbow Leo away. The firmness of his hold made the boy's death feel real. Yet, she needed his comfort. She needed his warmth.
Then, his grip suddenly slackened and she felt something warm spread on the back of her shirt. She felt Leo slip away from her. When she turned, she saw a figure stand before her. Against her common sense, she looked up. She was faced with the person that she dreaded to see. She had hoped that it was Leo who had killed her during the first attack of the ice zombies. Yet here she is- those clear blue eyes she hoped not to see again.
Before they met the boy, Lyme, Leo and their ally from 4 had run into two tributes. The boy caught the girl by her auburn hair when they had run into them. Most of the tributes were ready to kill whenever they ran into tributes. Ragnar was always quick to kill so they didn't ever have the chance to plead for their life. It wasn't much consolation but it helped a little. But this was the first time she saw someone beg. The girl had turned to Lyme. Those clear blue irises shone with fear. 'Help,' she mouthed before those eyes lost all life. Her enemy had slit her throat. Lyme had been paralyzed for a bit and then she unconsciously moved forward. The girl's killer would've killed her, too, if it wasn't for Leo.
Leo
She tore her eyes away from the dead girl's cold, unforgiving eyes. It was no use to dwell on her guilt. Her friend needed her. Lyme gingerly put Leo's head on her lap. The tears she had held since she saw people die finally flowed freely and heavily.
"Brienne,"
And everything clicked into place. Why they seem to know each other. Why he was familiar. Even they used words people this age wouldn't use anymore, but they didn't feel it awkward or out of place when used between them.
"Jaime. Oh gods Jaime. No. I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. She remembered everything. She was Brienne of House Tarth. Her ally was once her friend, Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard. They had traveled together and formed an unlikely friendship, maybe even more, but they didn't have time to dwell on it when Lady Stoneheart-once Catelyn Stark- had asked her to kill him to save the squire, Podrick Payne and her companion Ser Hyle Hunt. But she couldn't. So the lady stabbed Jaime herself and ended up hanging the squire, too. She had been allowed to live for bringing Jaime to them and Ser Hyle, too, for he wasn't related with the Lannisters, Boltons or Freys, but the hatred and disappointment of Jaime's green eyes was burned into her mind and was always a prominent theme that haunted her nightmares. It was her last thought when the Others had taken her life. And now, she had to witness him die before her eyes again.
"Bri," Jaime tried to laugh but he coughed up blood instead. "Modern age has such interesting nicknames, don't you think? I could've called you that had we been born in a later time than Westeros with the same names," Jaime sighed. "Couldn't we have met up earlier? The gods are indeed cruel. And when you actually looked way less like a cow," She blushed at that. "We are finally closer in age, too,"
"I'm so sorry," was all she could muster. "I have failed everyone. I have failed you,"
This arena was almost like her whole past life packed in a moon's span. The little boy. The auburn girl. Even her District partner was the reanimated corpse that ended up serving the Others instead of their cause. She felt like the gods had conspired with the Gamemakers to bring down the judgement on her for her deeds.
"Noooo," he bellowed, or at least it seemed that way. His voice was becoming weaker. "You actually kept my right hand attached to me this time,"
She ignored his jibe. "Lady Stark. Podrick. They-"
"-are dead. Last and this time. I know," Jaime sounded more serious now, but maybe it was the way his voice is getting softer with every breath. "I don't want to hear it. Nor do I want any of your apologies. You better listen to my last words, wench. At least grant me that as part of your atonement,"
Brienne pursed her lips.
"I shouldn't have gotten mad at you," he began and Brienne had to widen her eyes. "The guilt must have killed you. I saw how you cared for that boy from 12. I knew you wouldn't abandon innocents. But I was being dick Jaime at that time. I'm such an asshole, huh,"
"There's nothing to forgive," she blurted out.
"Same here," he quickly responded. "Now hold me and weep for me like a proper lady, Brienne. It would very much please me,"
She had hated those jests in her past life, but she couldn't bring herself to care. So she did as he requested and she stroked his hair with one hand and held his right hand with the other.
"This wound hurts like a bitch but I'm content to just lie here with you," He grinned at her, bloody teeth and all.
"You are the noisiest dying person I've ever met," she attempted to amuse him but her voice was cracked.
"Sorry, you're holding my right hand. I'm as giddy as a girl who sat next to her crush,"
She gave him a small smile and his stunning smile grew even more beautiful.
"You're still a tank of a woman," he whispered slowly. "But the gods are at least merciful to let you keep your blue eyes,"
He was breathing more rapidly now. She knew he wouldn't say anymore. She just sat there and stared into his green eyes until he was completely still.
Leo…Jaime and his green orbs were the last things in her mind when Commander Lyme lay on the grounds of her very District. It did give her peace to know that the last she saw those dying eyes was forgiveness instead of contempt. The Capitol left her alone. They were mad for keeping an alliance instead of giving the crowd what they wanted. But they thought the deaths of 1 and 12 were enough punishment. But the moment the canon boomed for Leo, she swore she'd bring down the Capitol. She would even be Kingslayer if she had to. But she wouldn't live to see the end of this rebellion. She hadn't even died surging the Capitol. She is going to die on her own soil, fighting her own people. Surprisingly, she seemed almost nonchalant about it. Perhaps because her experiences with Jaime had taught her that promises were meant to be broken. Besides, she was too tired to hurt.
Her vision began to darken. The Stranger was going to take her now. Everything may be getting darker but she's holding on to the vivid thought of her friend's image.
"Brienne,"
He could hear his voice.
"Come on, wench. Don't keep me waiting," the voice seemed to whine.
"You're such a selfish diva," she heard herself reply.
The voice chuckled. It was the most pleasant sound she had ever heard.
"I've waited long enough for you. Come,"
She didn't know if it was real or a hallucination from dying. She didn't remember this the first time she died. She didn't want to be disappointed if it was only an illusion.
Yet she still found herself reaching for him.
And he was warm.
"Welcome home, my lady,"
Author's Note: I actually based this more on the books. For the ASoIaF side, it was quite obvious since I went with the Lady Stoneheart route. Though I made up some stuff like how the meeting of Jaime and Stoneheart met, Brienne's death and Gregor Clegane (I don't know why I wanted Clegane in this when Brienne hasn't exactly met him) as a reanimated corpse that was supposed to fight for Westeros but ended up fighting the others. For THG, according to my research, Lyme wasn't mentioned after the assault on 2. And she wasn't part of the tribute voting for the Capitol Games so I assume she's dead. In the movie, she was still in the assault of the Capitol but I was feeling slightly angsty and kill her during the assault on the Nut. I'm mean XD There's no definite moment when Lyme died but she was never mentioned again so I assume it was during the Nut.
Anyway I edited this as best as I could. I'm tired. XD Merry Christmas and I hope to post more fanfics in 2016. Please pray that I can get inspired more 3