Brienne

Brienne slowly lifted her head off his shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes, as she wiped her own with her sleeves. He cocked his head to the side and used his stump to raise her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"You're a strong woman, okay, don't let this destroy you. We'll work something out." Her heart skipped a beat when he said 'we', but she tried not to let it show.

"Thank you, Jaime. You're… You're not as bad as I thought you were."

"I should make that my motto – 'Not as bad as you first think'" He winked in response, and Brienne couldn't help but laugh quietly. She'd cried upon his shoulder until her eyes were sore, and now she just felt empty. She wanted to fill that hole with happiness, not more tears, and so she was grateful for Jaime's cheery nature. But she couldn't help but wonder what she would do now, she felt like she no longer had a purpose.

"What now, though?" She asked him, "I can hardly return the Stark children to a corpse, but I can't just forget my oath. Be honest with me, are they safe at King's Landing?" Her eyes probed his, searching for truth. He paused before he answered.

"No." He shook his head sadly. "Nobody is truly safe at King's Landing, least of all the daughter of a dead traitor. I haven't heard any news to the contrary, so I assume that Sansa's still betrothed to Joffrey, which will protect her from being killed, but little else I'm afraid. My sister's son is a vile boy who takes pleasure in other people's pain." Brienne noticed how he didn't say 'my son', as if trying to distance himself from the boy, and she didn't press the matter.

"I have to help them," she muttered. "You swore the oath as well, you promised to trade them back to Catelyn, you have to help me protect them." Jaime raised his stump uselessly, letting it hang between them.

"I'm afraid I'm not much good at protecting anybody."

"That's not true. You protected me." She felt embarrassed the moment the words left her mouth, but it was too late to unsay them, so she waited anxiously for his reply.

"Don't tell anybody that, wench, I have a bad reputation to maintain." He mockingly put on a scary face, baring his teeth and angling his eyebrows before continuing. "Cersei won't let you take them away, not now that the Young Wolf is no longer a threat, so-"

"But you promised!" Brienne cut him off, protesting loudly. He raised his hand to silence her.

"You didn't let me finish! Cersei won't let us take them, so we'll have to be sneaky about it. I'll get you a place in the City Watch, I daresay gold will look rather good on you, and in the meantime I'll work out what the situation is with Sansa and Arya, how well guarded they are and things like that. I'll speak to you when I can, but it won't be able to be very often, or it'll raise suspicion. You'll need to be ready to go at a moment's notice, and… Keep your blade sharp." Brienne needed a moment to absorb his words, and realised the weight of them.

"You wouldn't be coming with us?" She asked stupidly. Jaime sadly shook his head.

"I'm Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, my place is by Joffrey's side, no matter how despicable he is. You wouldn't want me abandoning my honour. Besides, I thought you found me insufferable?"

"You are insufferable." She retorted, and Jaime grinned. "But I've grown used to you, Jaime."

"I've grown used to you too, Brienne, but we both have our places, and they're not together. Now, come on, we should leave whilst it's still early, if we make good time, it shouldn't take us more than two days to reach King's Landing." He gathered their bag of meagre food supplies, and left out the door, and Brienne had no choice but to follow.

Jaime

He had tried hard not to show his sadness at the fact that they didn't have much time left together, but as he rode ahead of her where she couldn't see his face, he let himself think about what was to come. Brienne had irked him initially, her unfailing honour had been tiresome to him, but now he respected it. She was loyal, honourable and moral… All the things that Cersei wasn't. Jaime was really nervous about seeing Cersei again, it had been almost a year, and he didn't know how she was going to react to his stump. She'd always loved him because he looked like her, she had seen him as a reflection of herself, and now that he no longer had his hand, he wasn't sure whether she'd still want him. But what if you don't want her? An even more nagging voice at the back of his head asked. He could close his eyes and see her as clearly as if she were standing right in front of him, her long golden hair flowing beautifully down her shoulders, her emerald eyes gleaming; she looked perfect. Except Jaime wasn't sure that he wanted perfect anymore, he was broken, he wanted somebody who would accept that. He thought of Brienne with her freckles, crooked teeth and homely features, and smiled inwardly. She always made him feel so comfortable and relaxed, despite his flaws. Cersei was like a glass of fine wine – she made him feel confident and she was undeniably desirable, but afterwards he would be insatiable, always striving for another taste, never content, and too much would make him feel dizzy and ill. Brienne, on the other hand, was like a warm broth – not particularly fancy, but robust, familiar, she was a constant and there were no unwanted side-effects, she made him feel like himself.

"Wench!" He called out, disrupting his own thoughts as he slowed his palfrey to a stop. "I'm hungry!" He dismounted and reached into the saddle bag to get some food, and she gave a resigned sigh and dismounted next to him.

"Make it quick, we have a long ride ahead of us."

"And it will just seem soooo much longer if I don't eat something. How are you not starving?"

"Because I don't let my stomach control me."

"No, but you let my stomach control you." He winked at her as he popped a chunk of bread in his mouth, and then offered her a piece, which she took reluctantly. "So," he said, through a mouthful of food, "When we reach King's Landing, do you want me to try and get you a room in the Red Keep, or do you want to stay in quarters with the rest of the City Watch. I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable sleeping in a room full of men?"

"I, I hadn't given it much thought. I suppose I should just live with the other gold cloaks, I don't want them thinking I have preferential treatment. It might make things suspicious when I need to rescue the girls."

"Don't let them take advantage of you, you're strong, let them see that. And if any of them give you trouble, warn them that you know me personally, the Lannister name still commands respect in King's Landing, if nowhere else." He paused to drink, and noticed her wince as she raised her hand to her mouth to eat. "How's your burn healing up, does your hand still hurt?"

"I'm fine." She answered, too quickly. Jaime knew she was lying.

"Let me see," he commanded, swallowing his water, and licking his lips to get the last of the moisture off. She pulled her hand away, but he held on, carefully undoing the cloth around it. She drew a sharp breath as he peeled the last layer off. Underneath the skin was red and sore, but it didn't seem to be infected. "I'm going to give it another clean, just to be safe. Hold still," he murmured soothingly, pouring some water onto the wound. Her hand shivered as the water touched it, but he steadied it with his stump. Then he awkwardly tied the cloth back on, and let go of her.

"Let's get back on the horses, Jaime, it looks like it's going to rain soon." Jaime looked up; apart from a single ominous grey cloud, it was a clear blue sky.

"You're too negative, Brienne, it's a lovely day! It's not going to rain."

Brienne

The rain was coming down in sheets. It was cold, and uncomfortable, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement as she buried her head into her horse's mane to try and keep the drops off her face. It was so rare that she got to say "I told you so," to Jaime, but this time she'd predicted correctly. When they felt the first drops landing, he'd turned around with raised eyebrows and mouthed "Guess you were right, wench," before the skies had opened up and poured down on them. It hadn't let up since, and the sky was beginning to grow dark. With the rain as thick as it was, they could barely see in front of them, and when the light went, it would be too dangerous to keep going.

"Jaime!" She shouted, "We need to make camp!"

"I know!" He shouted back, "I'm looking for somewhere suitable!" Eventually he pulled over next to a large clump of trees where the branches overhead were keeping off most of the rain, so that only a few drops trickled through. They tied their horses to one of the trunks, then took off the saddle bags and carried them over to a thick yew tree. She propped herself against the trunk and sat down, but he stayed standing and slumped his shoulders.

"The ground looks muddy." He complained, and she laughed back at him.

"It is muddy. Stop being such a baby and sit down, unless you want to get leg cramp." Grudgingly he agreed.

"Can we at least make a fire?" He pleaded.

"I suppose, as long as you can find some dry kindling." He foraged around, and after a while came back with an armful of wood, which he dumped unceremoniously at her feet. He used his sword to scrape the outer layer of damp bark off, and then looked imploringly at her. Since losing his left hand, he hadn't been able to light a fire, so it was up to her to make the spark. Soon, a small fire was burning, and she and Jaime were leaning close to try and soak up its warmth.

"My tunic's sticking to me, do you mind if I take it off? I'm wearing a vest underneath." She nodded and averted her gaze, but when she looked back, she saw Jaime fumbling at the leather ties around his neck, unable to undo them. He saw her watching and shrugged apologetically. "The rain's made it difficult, I can't do it. Would you-" he trailed off, leaving the request unasked. Wordlessly she shifted over to Jaime's side to undo the ties for him, and then pulled on the sleeves to move the tunic over his head. He shivered as the wind hit his bare torso.

"You said you were wearing a vest." She said, frowning. He smirked.

"I knew you'd never help me if I said I wasn't. Why, do you find this distracting?"

"Shut up." She turned away from him in mock disgust, and he chuckled, balancing his tunic on a stick he'd propped up next to the fire to help it dry quicker. She reached into her saddlebag to pull out her scratchy blanket, but as she reached inside, she was horrified to feel water. "Seven hells!" She spat, dragging out the sodden blanket. "Everything's soaked through. I must not have closed it properly." Jaime had already draped his around his shoulders to keep him warm, and she looked enviously at it.

"Mine's big enough for two people." He suggested, widening his arms as if to prove his point; Brienne couldn't help but notice the way the firelight flickered off his chest. He had lost weight since the first time she'd seen him, his skin was stretched across his bones, giving him a gaunt look, and yet it was still plain to see that he had a strong build underneath. She imagined what it would feel like to sleep next to him again, and wondered if he'd hold her like he did the night before. I should refuse. I should take my chances with the cold, it's better than risking heartbreak. She opened her mouth to say no, but instead found herself saying,

"Yes. Thank you." He smiled and gestured for her to move over to him. Cautiously she dragged herself over, but stopped a few inches away. He shook his head teasingly.

"Come on, you don't want to catch a cold," he smirked suggestively. And without waiting for her reaction, he moved his right arm around her, settling his hand on her shoulder and pulling her down until her head was resting below his. "You're all wet." He stated.

"Sorry." Brienne whispered, feeling very self-conscious. He brushed a strand of hair away, and carefully planted his lips on her forehead. She closed her eyes, and allowed the sensation to flow through her, before he raised his head back up.

"We should get some sleep, hopefully this rain will let up and we'll arrive at King's Landing tomorrow." He lay down on the ground, and, nervously, Brienne joined him. His hand snaked around her waist, urging her closer, and she was about to push him away, before he removed it to pull close the corner of the blanket, and she realised he was just trying to keep them warm overnight. She allowed herself to relax, and focused on his gentle breathing as she tried to steady the rapid beating of her heart. Soon, his quiet snores filled the air, and she let the waves of sleep take over her.

Jaime

A harsh light filtered through the leaves in the canopy above, waking him up with a start as it hit his eyelids. He felt a heavy weight pressed against his torso, and looked across to see Brienne slumped over him, her arms loosely wrapped about his chest. For a moment he considered waking her, and watching her embarrassment as she realised the position she'd assumed in her sleep, but he thought better of it. Her hands were warm against his skin, and the sleeves of her tunic were cold and wet, yet oddly comforting. He gently eased himself out from her grasp and sat up, reaching into his saddlebag for some dried meat. Brienne grunted as he moved out from under her, but remained asleep, so he nudged her softly with his foot to wake her. She raised her hand to wipe her stunning sapphire blue eyes, before sitting up hastily.

"Good morning!" He called cheerily, to avoid any potential awkwardness. "What do you want to break your fast, bread or meat?"

"I'll just have some water." She said huskily. He passed her the waterskin.

"The skies have cleared, we should have easy passage today. We'll likely arrive around evening time. I know that you're a proud woman, but don't do anything hasty when we get there. They may make a few japes at your expense, but just ignore them. I'll let them know that you're to be treated well, and I'll make sure that you're fed and quartered. And it's best that you don't mention the Stark girls, we don't want them finding out about your purpose, leave that to me, alright." He finished the piece of meat he was working on, and jogged over to his horse.

It was near nightfall when they finally reached King's Landing, and tied their horses to a post at the edge of the city, where they would no doubt be taken by some lucky smallfolk. Ahead, the Red Keep loomed over them, and Jaime felt a flood of emotions upon seeing it, chief of which was anxiety. This was his life, and the old Jaime had been well suited to it, but after losing his hand, and experiencing the journey with Brienne, he wasn't sure how well he'd slot back into it. The coming weeks were going to be interesting to say the least. He decided that they should enter through the mud gate, as they were likely to draw the least attention there.

In front of it stood Ser Meryn Trant, his brother in the Kingsguard. Trant raised his eyebrows when Jaime and Brienne approached, his eyes full of suspicion.

"Let us through," Jaime ordered, hand on his sword hilt, but Trant just laughed.

"Oh, am I supposed to stand aside for a cripple and some beast of a wench?"

"Is that anyway to speak to your Lord Commander?" Jaime asked menacingly. The guard's eyes widened in recognition, and he coughed sheepishly.

"I beg your pardons, ser. Welcome back, Lord Jaime." Ser Meryn pushed open the gates, and Jaime walked into his new 'old life'.

Sorry for the long chapter, I wanted to fit it all in so that I could start on the King's Landing chapters next week! Thanks so much for all your kind reviews, they really mean so much to me, so please keep them coming if you enjoy my story. Also, I know that by this point Joffrey and Sansa are no longer betrothed, but Jaime would have no way of knowing that, which I why I left it in tbere. Just a reminder, there aren't going to be any spoilers in this fanfic, so all the major events to come are just my imagination :)