Chapter 2

Jaime had nothing to eat this morning, as it had often been the case during his journey, but the farmer had offered him a bowl of hot soup the evening before - a real luxury - and he knew he was solid enough to cover the remaining distance with an empty belly. He had slept with all his clothes on and had used his black cloak as a blanket, which had not prevented him from shivering all night long from the cold. He stood up, managed somehow to attach his cloak with one hand, wrapped himself in it as a shield against the cold, grimaced when he thought about the weather that awaited him outside and led his mare out of the stable. Just like Jaime, the animal didn't seem to be very keen on leaving their shelter and he had to resort to some caresses and soft words to convince it to follow him outside.

A strong wind that was bloody cold greeted them and soon let Jaime's cloak and the mare's mane flutter in the air. There was a striking contrast between the dark sky that was entirely clouded and the white ground, covered with a thick layer of immaculate snow, on which still fell some large snowflakes. The heavy sky and the swirling snow made it difficult to see anything that was far ahead. Jaime got back in the saddle and resumed his journey, progressing slowly enough to move safely, but still quickly enough so as not to freeze on the spot. He was still wearing the same clothing as when he left King's Landing and he had realized it wouldn't be warm enough as soon as he had crossed the Riverlands, where the cold had already become barely endurable. An icy and implacable wind was now constantly blowing, whipping his face, seeping into the folds of his clothes and making him shiver regularly and violently.

The brave mare continued to move forward in the direction that he hoped was the right one and he soon started to feel numb from the cold and to let himself be gently rocked by the sound of the hooves walking on the snowy and frozen ground. He tried to remember all the moments of his life that might raise a sensation of warmth in him (with the exception, perhaps, of the dragon's hot and fiery breath he had so closely felt on the battlefield) to prevent himself from thinking about this terrible and neverending cold: warm summer days at Casterly Rock, the pleasant climate of King's Landing, the hot regions of Dorne… And then another memory crossed his mind, a memory that seemed both so distant and so real, so pleasant… Harrenhal and his baths, the dark room with its suffocating atmosphere, the warm water, the steam, Brienne's presence, so close, completely naked in all her innocence, her big blue eyes observing him, the contact of her skin against his as she had taken him in her arms… A wave of warmth went through him, he felt his heart swell in his chest and despite the cold, his situation and the uncertain outcome of his journey, a smile lightened his exhausted face. This vision let hope and motivation rise in him again and he straightened himself up in his saddle to observe his surroundings, try to locate where he was and guide his mount as best as he could.

Several hours went by, or so he estimated, with the sun completely concealed and the pale light of day not allowing him to guess what time of the day it could be. At the top of a small hill, his breath was suddenly taken away, his half-opened mouth letting escape an icy cloud of steam each time he exhaled: the impressive figure of Winterfell's towers could be discerned through the fog that was covering the horizon, under a sky that was clearly dark and menacing. Jaime remained there for a moment on the hilltop to admire the view and his heart started to beat faster in his chest when he realized Brienne was there, so close, behind these very walls… He would finally be able to see her again, but the happiness he felt at this thought was soon ruined when he thought he really didn't know how he would be received upon his arrival. The visions of Bran, of Daenerys Targaryen and of this dead army they were about to face that went through his mind did nothing to calm him. He closed his eyes, breathed in the icy air around him like some sort of purification, and thought about Brienne and Tyrion to appease his mind, then spurred his mare on, leading it in the castle's direction.