"One day my lady will live with me in our castle, where the training grounds are fantastic..." Jaime was blathering as usual across the table. Brienne sighed and lowered her teacup.

Poor Ser Jaime, thought Brienne. He seems to really want to be with someone. He must be lonely without Cersei to return to. She idly stirred her porridge.

To her side, Jaime was still talking. "... after weeks of roaming the countryside, bravely defending the innocent, we shall return to Casterly Rock and have supper and wine with Tyrion —"

"What if your lady doesn't wish to live at Casterly Rock?" Brienne interrupted Jaime's musings.

"We could live somewhere else. Me, I like islands. . . ."

She resolved to find him the perfect wife.

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Sansa was sure she had misheard. "You want Ser Jaime to get a life?"

"A wife," Brienne repeated. "He talks about marriage non-stop. My ears ring with his ceaseless chatter. A marriage would provide him comfort, companionship, and a distraction."

So she had not misheard. "And you are asking me to suggest a match for him." She sounded skeptical.

"My lady, he is a good man and an honorable one, from a wealthy and powerful house. I am sure many maidens would be happy to be his betrothed."

"But not you, although you would sing his praises?" Sansa's voice was calm but her eyes were piercing.

"I have soldiers to prepare for battle, my lady. As a commander, I couldn't be someone's wife."

"He spends all day training with you. Maybe his bride would feel slighted."

"Well." Brienne looked down and frowned. "We're all aware of how I, well, you know." She gestured at her tall, sturdy frame. "He may enjoy training with me, but he wouldn't want to wed me." Nor bed me, but she kept that thought to herself.

Sansa was giving her a look, but she relented. "Lady Chrystine will be arriving for a visit tomorrow. Perhaps she will make an impression on Ser Jaime."

"Thank you, my lady."

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Lady Chrystine was an elegant, intelligent woman from a house loyal to the Lannisters. She was clever and sharp-tongued, and rumored to be beautiful as the dragon queen. She and Jaime would be well matched.

She arrived the next morning, shimmering astride a gleaming chestnut horse. Her long blonde hair fell in waves down her back, matching the ivory robes shining against the darker fur of her horse. Her long, slender fingers held the reins, rose-painted nails complementing the golden fabric of her dress and the golden tones of her horse. She was tall for a lady, but not as tall as Jaime, lovely and elegant. Her dress fluttered gently around her as she dismounted and offered a graceful hand.

Jaime swept a deep, courtly bow, reached out his golden hand, and kissed the back of her hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said with a deep voice and a charming smile.

They sat together in the dining hall, Jaime talking smoothly and Chrystine laughing, a clear and bubbling sound. He presented her with a bouquet of pink chrysanthemums and yellow sunflowers, and she presented him with an intricately-embroidered pair of gloves. She was sharp and intelligent as well, discussing trade and alliances with Sansa. She would be well-suited for leading and managing a house.

She watched as he trained, gushing and calling encouragements. She tripped daintily over a cobblestone, somehow looking graceful even as Jaime caught her on his arm. She beamed up at him and thanked him prettily. Brienne watched them walking through the courtyard and into the distance, looking like a painting of a handsome knight and a beautiful maiden. They looked so golden together. She felt unexpectedly grim.

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"Ser Brienne! Will you do me a favor?" Brienne looked up to see Jaime approaching her with a rolled scroll in his hand and a gleam in his eye. "Would you be so kind as to deliver this to Lady Chrystine?"

"Of course," Brienne answered, ignoring the cold feeling in her gut.

"Thanks!" Jaime grinned back at her and walked away.

Brienne trudged to Chrystine's room with her boots feeling oddly heavy. She knocked on Chrystine's door. "Come in!" Chrystine called.

Brienne opened the door slowly and held out the scroll. "Ser Jaime sends you this."

"Thank you." Chrystine looked nervous as she unrolled the scroll and began reading, then her face broke into a bright, beautiful smile. "Give me just a moment and I'll write a reply," she said. She rummaged through the room's desk and brought out paper and a quill, and quickly wrote a reply. She held it up to the candle to dry it, then rolled it neatly and handed it to Brienne. "Would you please bring him my answer?"

Brienne swallowed. "Of course," she said.

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Jaime looked equally happy at Chrystine's response. "That's a bit unexpected, but it's fantastic!" He gushed.

"Well, I'm happy for you both. You're an excellent match for each other." Brienne tried to sound enthusiastic.

Jaime's smile faltered. "What are you talking about? Didn't you read the scroll I gave you?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"I meant for you to see it! I didn't even seal it," Jaime protested. "You could have easily unrolled it and rolled it back up!"

"That's not honorable," Brienne stated flatly. "You know I would never."

Of course she wouldn't. Jaime rolled his eyes. "Well, if you had read it, you'd see that I apologized to Chrystine. She may have come looking for a marriage, but I couldn't offer that to her."

What? Brienne opened her mouth, and then closed it. She thought for a moment and tried again. "But, I don't understand. She's beautiful and looks beautiful beside you. She's great at sewing. She's smart and educated and would make a great Lady of a house."

"But she can't swordfight," Jaime said indignantly. "Besides, I'm not going to be Lord of any house, so why would she need to be good at being a Lady?"

"You're. . . not? But you said you wanted to live at Casterly Rock."

"With Tyrion, who will be Lord," Jaime said. "How can I be the Lord if I'm off on adventures all the time?"

"Oh," said Brienne. "But then, why did she look so happy when she read your scroll?"

Jaime tossed Chrystine's reply on to his desk and motioned for her to sit down. "Here, read it and see."

Dear Ser Jaime, I am very much relieved to hear your intentions. I was worried to disappoint you as well, for the truth is, I have fallen in love with Kynneth, and the reason for my visit today and in the past was to see him. I had a lovely time today and am eager for us to become great friends. Yours, Chrystine.

Kynneth was the name of Winterfell's cook.

"Oh," was all Brienne could think to say.

"Besides," Jaime added. "I don't want to kiss her." He raised his arm against he wall and leaned casually against it, lounging over the desk. The shape of his chest was visible under his thin shirt, and the candlelight gleamed off his arm muscles.

He was looking at her intensely and standing so close she could smell him. She shot up, making the chair fall back. She hastily stood it upright and backed out of the room, babbling, "Well I'm glad it worked out for you both have a good night Ser Jaime." She slammed the door behind her and took off down the hall, as quickly as her long strides could carry her without running. Her heart hammered in her chest.

"Good night, Ser Brienne," she heard floating from Jaime's room.

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Author's Notes

Chrystine and Kynneth are based on Chrys and Kin-chan from Itazura na Kiss.