One Year Later

Her bosom heaved with some emotion she was too frightened to name as Ser Galladon clasped her in his strong arms and yanked her flush against his broad, firmly muscled chest.

"Bold wench," he growled, "you have more courage than sense!"

She gasped with outrage even as his lips descended towards hers. She wondered if he could feel her wildly fluttering heart, her trembling fuelled in equal measure by fear and forbidden desire. Her breasts tightened, her breath caught in antici-

Brienne jumps as there's a loud clatter in the kitchen followed by Jaime's colourful cursing.

"Need help?" she yells.

"Got it, everything's fine!"

She snickers at the mild panic in his voice but doesn't stir from her position on the couch. She and everything she wanted to keep arrived from Westeros yesterday and were placed here, in their new house on the beach. It's much bigger than Jaime's old apartment, with a couple of spare bedrooms and a strategy room on the second floor where members of the coconut telegraph can gather if they can't immediately get to Sam and Gilly's treehouse. Taking up the entire third floor is a library-slash-den for Brienne's books and desk where she can do her work when she's not teaching at the newly established University of Piratas or being an active member of the island's coconut telegraph.

The house is beautiful, as is the view, but not as beautiful as Jaime's face when, after a day of unpacking and moving furniture and entertaining a steady stream of island residents coming to help and welcome her into the madness, he presented her with the latest Aurora del Moniko novel, complete with a bright red bow perched on the cover while in his other hand was a matching box of chocolates and a bag of cookies.

"It's pretty good," Jaime said as he held them out to her, "no spoilers." His smile was both hopeful and bashful as he shrugged and said, "Unpacking can wait."

So could the book, Brienne discovered as she practically tackled him to the ground.

But today it's all about the epic, unforgettable love story of—she checks the back cover—Galladon and Rhaena. She gets more comfortable, pops another chocolate into her mouth, and returns to her book.

*/*/*/*/*

Jaime walks out of the kitchen and pauses on the threshold of his new living room.

Brienne is stretched out on the couch, book in hand, framed by the ocean waves sweeping onto the beach outside their window. She's covered in cookie crumbs, the box of chocolates resting on her stomach is almost empty and she has stains on her ragged t-shirt and sweatpants that look to be at least a hundred years old. Her hair is sticking up in tufts, her eyes are filled with romantic stars, and she's barely spoken to him all day.

She's perfect.

He grins as he turns and heads back to their new kitchen.

Maybe there's something to this magic thing after all.

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Author's Notes

Damn works in progress! There were a couple of plot twists I thought of too late in the posting process. I intended the guns to be in the "Islanders Only" part of Rhaegar's Mine—which would mean somebody on the island was in on it—but since I also wanted Hoat and his goons to be a little stupid, I didn't want them to have found them there. Unfortunately, by the time I thought of it, Pyg and Timeon already had guns and, well, so much for that. Even if I had managed it, I also hadn't dropped in enough islanders to have a viable suspect (other than Boros, I suppose) and it's just not satisfying storytelling to pull a random bad guy out of my ass (IMO, of course).

I also intended Jaime to be revealed as Aurora del Moniko but—again, by the time I thought of if, I hadn't dropped enough hints for that to be a satisfying plot twist. That, too, had to end up on the cutting room floor.

The story was also supposed to have a much longer epilogue, ending with Jaime and Brienne finding the real Rhaegar's Mine exactly where Brienne said it would be: on a different island a thousand kilometres away from Piratas. I wrote it all, too...and realized I hated it. If Jaime was right, it put Brienne's skills/expertise as an historian into question and I didn't want that. If Brienne was right, it destroyed the entire mythos of Piratas (at least as it related to Rhaegar's Rubies)...and I didn't want that, either. I've become overly fond of that crazy little island with its crazy people and hidden nooks and crannies and vigilante civilian police force, and I didn't want to hurt it (so much for Stephen King's writing advice to 'kill your darlings' - LOL).

Ah, well. I'm still rather pleased with how this one turned out, even though I feel a little bad about exaggerating the Starks' self-centred tendencies. But I needed a Mcguffin (or two) to start the story engine, so creative license needed to be taken. ;D

As for the Jimmy Buffett references (and believe me, I could have loaded this fic with more of them but forced myself to behave):

The coconut telegraph is, of course, from the song of the same name. It's just another way of saying 'grapevine' but when your story is set on a tropical island, well, you gotta go with Jimmy.

You can hear 'em on the coconut telegraph

Can't keep nothin' under their hat

You can hear 'em on the coconut telegraph

Sayin' who did dis and dat

Dis and dat, Dis and dat.

Lysa is a woman going crazy on Caroline Street, from the song of the same name. I tried to find the Westerosi spelling for Caroline but it doesn't seem like GRRM has used that name yet, so I came up with Caraline. Drat...just realized it probably should have been Caryline instead. *facepalm*

There's a woman goin' crazy on Caroline Street

Stoppin' every man that she does meet

Sayin' if you be gentle, if you be sweet,

I'll show my place on Caroline Street

Jaime's line that Lysa has good days and bad days and going half-mad days is from If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me, and that line is just a perfect description for so many things. I use that quote a lot in real life - LOL. Don't let the title fool you, though: the song is really rather heartbreaking (at least in my opinion, of course).

I have good days and bad days

And going half-mad days

I try to let go but you're still on my mind

I've lost all the old ways

I'm searching for new plays

Putting it all on the line

Jaime's story of how he ended up on Piratas in chapter 9 and his "well-deserved, overdue binge" is from The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful. This one is just as much fun as the title implies - LOL.

Well, now, that's just the start of well-deserved, overdue binge

Meanwhile back in the city certain people are starting to cringe

His lawyers are calling his parents

His girlfriend doesn't know what to think

His partners are studying their options

He's just singin' and orderin' drinks

Jaime's reference to "squalls out on the gulf stream" in Chapter 11, when they're talking about protecting the Ruby Tree from storms, is from Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season.

Squalls out on the gulf stream

Big storm comin' soon

Passed out in my hammock

God, I slept till way past noon

Stood up and tried to focus

I hoped I wouldn't have to move far

Sure could use a bloody mary

So I stumbled over to Louie's back yard

And finally, Captain Tony's comes from the name of a bar (that used to be?) in Key West and is also referenced in the song, Last Mango in Paris.

I went down to Captain Tony's

To get out of the heat

Then I heard a voice call out to me

"Son come have a seat"

I had to search my memory

As I looked into those eyes

Our lives change like the weather

But a legend never dies

I wanted to work in a reference to Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw (or A Love Song From a Different Point of View) but I couldn't quite make it work and if I wanted some A Pirate Looks at Forty and Treat Her Like A Lady references in there, too...as well as God's Own Drunk, Come Monday, Fruitcakes *record scratch*

See what I mean about having to behave myself?

Finally, for the record: I adore historical romances, whether bodices are ripped or not, just like I adore all kinds of romance novels and, well, every genre really. But I have to be honest: I've read some truly horrendous ones, too (I still get flashbacks whenever I see the word 'alabaster' used to describe skin…so much bad in less than five pages…*shudders*). Anyway, Aurora del Moniko (in my head) tends towards the "so bad it's fantastic" side of the equation...and now I kinda want to raid my bookshelves and re-read some of my favourites. ;D

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