"Jamie, I'm sorry .. I couldn't, how could I do what they asked?" She gulps and takes a few deep breaths, she will not sob in front of him, she couldn't, any more than she could have brought him here and not championed him.

"Please Ser, I beg you understand, and know I will not allow them to take your life, I swear it sir on oath keeper, I swear it". He still does not move he sits in the corner staring at the wall of the dark, damp cell, not even glancing at her but his remaining hand curls into a fist on his knee.

"Please Ser" she begins again.

"Come here' he interrupts his voice is strong every bit the Lord of Casterly rock, every bit the kingslayer and none of Jamie, her Jamie, who had attempted to beg and rile and poke her thoughts from her as she had unbeknownst to him led him to what perhaps was their doom. Still she obeys, how can she not, he is the man that believed her send her to complete their oath trusting her with his sword and his honour and she had betrayed him. So, she takes the key that the guard had given her after all who should the kngslayer spend his last night with, in the absence of his sweet sister if not the whore who calls his name the guard had jeered. presuming either that she was too honourable to help him escape or that they were both to weak she knew it was probably the latter but couldn't find the energy to care. She moves to stand in front of him, his head is still bowed, and he doesn't look at her even as he commands her again.

"Kneel" she doses as she bid, again without thought. "Jamie" she prompts in a whisper, he looks at her then and for moment she averts her eyes she doesn't want to see the betrayal the hatred, for a moment longer she want to remember the way he looked at her when he gave her oathkeeper, as if she was something to him, as if she were more than a lumbering hulk of woman who could only dance with a sword in her hand, as if she could be trusted. Still she knew she could not postpone it forever so steeled herself and glanced towards him and found nothing she expected he looked sad; afraid but she could not find the hatred or the disgust that should have rightly shone from him.

"you are a stupid wench, stupider than all the simpering women of the court, stupider than my sweet sister more stupid than even me, what possessed you to not heed my words, why would you had offered yourself as my champion?"

she straightens "jami-"

"shut it woman" he growls all the softness that had imbued his tone gone "you think I am angry that you brought me here, I am angry that you fucking stayed. This my lady is what I deserve, what I definitely don't deserve is to cost you your life"

Jamie grabs her by the shoulder and shakes her a little.

"What you are going to do now, is leave, and tomorrow you are going to withdraw from fight, and when its overtake Podrick and find Sansa, better yet go back to Tarth wench live, be happy" Brienne stares willing the tears not to fall from her eyes even as Jamie removes his hand from her shoulder to tilt her face towards him.

"I can't" she meant her voice to be steel to carry all the power that his had, but it was barely a whisper in the wind. In fact, she would wager she had never sounded so womanly, that almost made her laugh.

Jamie hand grips her face roughly then "what do you mean you can't, of course you bloody, well can, lady Catelyn or whats left of her has no desire for your head, it is me she wants" '

"I can't, I won't leave you I already failed to return Sansa, I will not fail you too' this time Brienne couldn't stop the tear the rolled down her cheek but she manged to inject enough steel into her voice that Jamie eyes sharpened.

"Listen here wench' he stopped abruptly as his finger came in contact with wet trail left by the single tear that had travelled down her cheek

"What the maid of Tarth dose to herself trying to ensure the honour of all around? You are remarkable you know that?" His voice is soft now, sweet even, and now she can help it she cries and its ugly and she knows it

"Remarkable? " she cries hoarsely through her tears

'Ser Jamie have you lost your senses here in the dark, I failed to find Sansa, was half eaten by a cannibal and led you to a trap. What part of that is remarkable? I am as useless as a simpering courtier more useless still because at least if I had been some great beauty maybe my father would not be alone. It seems all I can do is cry like some woman'

Jamie hand slips from her face, as tears begin to flow unending from the bright sapphires of her eyes, she cries in earnest not noticing until her head is resting on Jamie chest that he pulled her closer, she attempts to struggle from him, while she may be behaving like some pathetic damsel, she had a warrior's dignity and she simple could not allow herself to cry on his chest, besides a traitorous voice whispered in her head, if she let herself cry in his arms now, she never want to leave them, she always wandered if it hold her if she cried and now he was. Still she struggles his grip only tightens.

' Stop it' he growled a hint of the lord back in his voice, she once again found herself acquiescing to his request this time not out of guilt but out of pure desire, she wanted nothing more than to cry just this once for all her past failing and her future ones, for all those she had Served and lost, for all the unsuitable men she loved, including she ruefully admitted the one that held her now.

She wanted to cry to shatter like glass, to come apart in his hands until morning came. So, she relaxed stopped struggling and cried. his arms puled her tighter still forcing her to shift so she all but lay in his lap.

" How are you not remarkable wench?" he whispered into her hair as he held her £ You travelled half of Westeros looking for that girl and you will continue to look even after this , I know you, you still bow to your lady Caitlyn even now and she's a corpse, and still knowing everything I have done, you still are determined to die for me, hell wench you're even crying for me, me, the kingslayer, I doubt even my sweet sister would cry for me. Your right wench you're not remarkable you are a bloody saint."

He chuckled then, as he soothingly rubbed circles on the ladies back and surprisingly, in spite of situation, found himself surprisingly contended.

"I am not" she gulped trying to calm herself "I'm not crying for you, you shall be safe I swear it, I shall win on the morrow and you Pod and Hyle shall be safe" she shifted slightly to look into his eyes to show him she meant her words, he smiled and his eyes shone and for a moment she was lost as she looked at him unable to decipher the words hidden in his stare.

"See wench" he whispers almost laughing as he pulls her back to rest on his chest "you could never just be some woman, even as your crying on my chest your swearing to protect me and keep your oaths, you're a thousand times more dangerous than any simpering courtier you could break a man's heart and their legs"

"Ser Jamie "she says attempting to infuse her tone with some annoyance even as she allows herself to curl further into his embrace "don't mock me how would I break anyone" he laughs then a proper one , a kind of laugh she had only heard rarely

"How would you break anyone's heart all that have do is know you, know your honour your loyalty and then have you look at them with those astonishing eyes of yours filled with tears, for people so unworthy of you and they would be gone. Oh, my lady, you're a woman deadlier than any I have ever met, and that is without a sword in your hand."

He lets his head rest on hers "all it would take Brienne is one look, so for the Gods sake break on me, take as long as it takes, put your head on my chest, let me help you forget, because if I have to see those extraordinary eyes filled with tears a second longer. . . well I'd rather have lady stone heart hang me and resurrect me just to hang me a thousand times more"

For a moment Brienne considers responding telling him all the reasons that couldn't be true; telling him that he loved his sister and that he was simply saying that because he was afraid, telling him not to jape so cruelly at her expense or better yet telling him all the words she kept hidden like how much she thought of him, needed him. Instead she stayed silent and did as she was bid she cried heavily and as silent as possible she cried in a way she hadn't since her brother drowned. She sobbed and Jamie, rocked her, whispered to her told her everything and nothing, as they held each other in the dark.

Tomorrow she would deny it, tomorrow she would let him deny it tonight however, she would lie in his arms and allow herself to believe his words. She allowed her hands to curl around his waist and let herself be lulled into Serenity by the warmth of his chest and the gentle beat of his heart. He ran his hand through her straw like hair and down her back, she shuddered and felt him smile into her hair "Brienne… you may be the best friend I have ever had" Brienne snuggles further into him unable to help herself now that she had given in.

"Ser Jamie" she whispers hiding her face in his chest so that Jamie has to strain to hear her "you may be the only friend, I have ever had" his arms tightened not she could get any closer than she already was.

"Brienne, do you trust me?"

"Of course," she says automatically her voice confident for the first time since she had entered his cell.

"Then shuffle back my lady and close your eyes" he says she looks up at him in confusion but dose as he asks, she feels Jamie shift, she can't tell where he is now

"Jamie?" she questions, but he says nothing she's about to open her eyes when she hears mental slam and opens her eyes to see Jamie locking the cell door, locking her in, while he stands on the other side watching her.

For a moment all she can do is stare at him

"I'm sorry, the only think that would be worse than watching you cry, is watching you die seeing the light leave your eyes, I can't, I won't … curse me"

"kiss me " she interrupts sarcastically even she can hear the hurt hidden in her tone.

He smiled sad and sweet "if only, my lady"