Brienne

Brienne watched Jaime's still face as the small island of Tarth grew larger in the distance, a speck of moss in the vast blue sea. She had seen Jaime face many things in their time together- bears, Mummers, the Brotherhood- but she had never seen him quite as uneasy as he was right now. He was doing his best to hide it, to be sure, but she could see the muscles in his neck and jawline stretched tight under the skin.

She frowned. "Jaime. This is my home. You might try to not look so unhappy."

Jaime turned and gave her a defensive look. "Sorry, my lady. This just isn't the kind of battle that I'm good at. I'm no good at fighting words with words… we should have brought Tyrion to speak for me, if you really want Lord Selwyn to approve of me. A few cups of wine with him, and I'd wager he'd be willing to wed us the very next day! But with me…" he gave a bitter laugh, "he will call me Kingslayer or oathbreaker and my first instinct will be to give credence to the names, rather than prove them wrong. After all, I have done many things trying to prove them wrong, and still those taunts follow me everywhere."

Brienne took hold of his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "My father will respect you more for speaking for yourself. Besides, you and your brother are still not on very good terms… I doubt he has much good to say about you at the moment." Jaime winced at that. Her voice softened. "He will understand. He is old enough that he remembers well the Mad King's cruelty in the end, and he will believe your story. And even if he does not, he will see the love that we bear for each other, and that will be enough."

"And what if it's not?" Jaime's voice was cold as ice, and she knew it would be futile to avoid the question.

"Even if he refuses to accept you, I will stand by your side, as I have always done. Do not think me so fickle that I would change my mind for anyone, even my father." Jaime's green eyes searched her face for any hint of doubt, but there was none.

Then he smiled. "You always were a stubborn wench."

She flushed, as she always still did at the word, and elbowed him in the ribs, "I told you, I hate it when you call me that." She mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Jaime bowed apologetically, "can I make it up to my lady with a kiss?"

"No, you may not!" She said, though she smiled in spite of herself.

"Alas, I have given my heart to a lady most cruel!" He was mocking her now, but Brienne had come to know when his japes were meant in fun. She played along, until at last she accepted a gentle kiss on the cheek.

By then, shouting could be heard from the handful of docks that lined the northern point of Tarth. They were drawing near, and lines were thrown out to secure their small ship. As they disembarked, Jaime visibly crinkled his nose at the strong stench of fish as the boats around them unloaded their day's catch. However, as they rode away from the docks and the smell, his eyes became wide with wonderment at the beautiful landscape stretched before them.

The trees were fall taller and larger around than he had ever seen, and he guessed that it would take half a dozen grown men with arms outstretched to reach around some of the greatest trunks. The edge of the path was lined with several types of broad-leaved ferns with smooth and waxy leaves. Some of these also had flowers of brilliant shades of magenta, citrine, and azure. It was high spring, and the lazy whirring and flapping of insects blended with birdsong to create a veritable symphony of young life. At times, the pristine blue waters of Shipbreaker Bay could be seen through the trees, shining with a brilliance that put even the most magnificent of the flowers to shame.

"Your home is truly dazzling, my lady." Jaime murmured breathlessly. "I had always thought there could never be a better place than Casterly Rock, but this… Why you would ever leave it to go to war, I could not say."

"I left because Renly asked me to. Besides, even though it is beautiful, it is small, and even the most gorgeous picture becomes dull when you look at it too long. I wanted to see the rest of the world. I was ready for something new and exciting. But, by the Seven, it is good to be back." Brienne breathed in the familiar air deeply. "I should warn you, though. The island is beautiful, but it is not rich. Evenfall Hall will be nowhere near as grand as Casterly Rock, but it is large enough."

Shortly, the road opened up to the sky again as it exited the forest to wind along the western coast. From here, the castle could be seen clearly. It was seated on the top of a cliff on looking out over the forest to the east, and the Straits of Tarth to the west. Over the ramparts waved banners quartered in pink and blue with flaming suns and waxing moons. Upon closer inspection, these symbols were also carved in an alternating pattern upon the merlons of the outer wall.

Brienne's excitement had been growing during the ride, as memories of her childhood filled her with nostalgia. She now wanted to do all the things she did as a child. She wanted to riding through the forest and hawking on the cliffs. She wanted to swim in the reefs to the south, dive off the cliffs, and go sailing. She wanted to do all of these things that she had loved, and most of all she wanted to share them with Jaime- but hopefully there would be time for that later. First, they needed to greet her father.

They were met inside the gates by the steward, a middle-aged portly man named Rhodan Drent. Brienne had known that it was unlikely that her father would come out to receive them in person, but she was shocked to hear that he was not at Evenfall. Rhodan told her that he had left that morning to spend the day on his pleasure barge.

Brienne thought it odd. Her father was very old, and rarely left Evenfall. He did enjoy occasional outings relaxing on the small craft that they used to take up and down the strait on sunny days, but that he had chosen today of all days, when they had written to him of their arrival well in advance, was a slight that even she could not ignore. She could feel Jaime tense next to her, but thankfully he said nothing but a curt 'thank you' as Rhodan offered to show them to their rooms. Brienne graciously accepted, but the sun no longer felt quite so warm. Doubt gripped her heart like an icy coil. She sensed that more would come of this, but not until later. So, she stifled her misgivings for the moment and looped her arm through Jaime's as they followed the steward into the castle.

A/N: A quick disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters (except Rhodan, I made him up) or locations. These all belong to GRRM. Also, thank you for reading! Reviews are always welcome.