And another one. Maybe some with not too big of a time gap will help to make up for the wait?
Btw, I hope you don't mind that I'm going to mix a bit Tyrion-Sansa in here over the next chapters. I know the idea of them doesn't appeal to everyone but I liked it and the dialogue sort of just came to me...Would be a waste not to include it, wouldn't it? A waste of my time that I spent at 3 in the middle of the night writing it down when my brain decided this was the best moment to spit it out, that's for sure.
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
It took a couple of weeks for Jaime to recover, but he would for sure and that was everything that counted. No need to say that Brienne was most attentive in her care for him and the Maester was optimistic that he would be back on the height of his strength in less than a month from now.
Good news. And ones that brought new possibilities, almost uncountable possibilities, but also new things to think and to talk about.
They had lived on borrowed time until now. But not anymore. Stannis was dead, Cersei was dead, the Night King and his Army were gone and Daenerys had returned to King's Landing, finally sitting on the throne she had fought for since she could remember. Westeros was at peace for the first time in years, and beyond that, it was likely to stay that way. So, where to go from here?
Figuratively as literally speaking, Brienne thought.
She had written to her father in Tarth before the battle at Winterfell, just in case, as Jaime and Tyrion had done as well. She had written again afterwards, telling him about the outcome. About two weeks ago, she had received an answer, formulating a request -an order probably, to be precise- and Brienne had successfully pushed the thought of it aside, justifying herself with the fact that she couldn't possibly make any decision until Jaime was better.
But now he was, would be completely recovered in the not-so-far-away future and what she had delayed found its way back into her mind and lingered there quite unpleasantly.
She had to speak to Jaime about it, that was obvious. Sansa was a third party to be involved, but Brienne decided that it was wisest to clear everything with Jaime first. Make a decision in private and bring it in front of the Lady of Winterfell when she was sure what she wanted, what they wanted.
"Jaime." He looked up from the book he was reading - yes, he had taken that habit during his weeks chained to the bedroom and she encouraged him. Other than the common thinking that books were an occupation for Ladies, Brienne thought reading besides fighting to be the most fruitful activity, maybe not so much for the body, but for mind and soul.
"There is something I need to talk to you about", she said, looking down at her hands as she sat in her usual chair next to his bed.
"That sounds serious", Jaime said jokingly, but the glance she cast him made the amused expression fade away and he closed the book and put it aside.
"Hey", he said then, rather concerned, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, exactly", Brienne replied evasively, unsure how to raise the matter.
"It's just that I've received a letter...from my father", she said then, finally looking up at him and he nodded as a sign for her to go on. But she didn't, hesitating.
"You wrote to him after the battle, I suppose", Jaime said instead, hoping to lead her further.
"Yes, I did", Brienne confirmed slowly, "But..."
"But?"
"But I didn't expect him to order me home", she finally breathed out, throwing a curious glance at Jaime's expression. But there was no displeasure at the thought, only surprise and perhaps a hint of...concern?
"I see", Jaime said, apparently trying to order the new information, "And do you want to? Go home?"
"I- I'm not sure", she said truthfully. "I mean...I have..duties here. Friends."
You, she added in thoughts.
"I'm still sworn to Lady Sansa, I can't just leave, can I?"
"Sansa shouldn't be your main object of consideration", Jaime said to her surprise with a slight shaking of his head.
"What do you mean? I'm her -"
"Sansa", he interrupted her, "is not that girl on the run anymore. She's the Queen in the North now. She has dozens of swords, friends and family that will protect her. She doesn't depend on you."
"That may be true, but it doesn't release me from an oath", she countered firmly, but Jaime just smiled.
"Of course not", he agreed softly, "but it's something to consider when you make your decision. You may have...duties here, as you call it. But you also have an obligation to your father, to Tarth. You're the heiress of Evenfall Hall", he pointed out quite unnecessarily.
"I know that", she replied a little impatiently. Of course she knew.
"Then what's the problem?"
"There are...things to be thought of", she said, struggling to find the words to tell him what was really bothering her, but failing to hide the growing desperation in her voice, "things-"
Things like him. Him having to give up the life he had known so far. Or worse, him staying behind.
No, Brienne thought. Don't be ridiculous. He wouldn't want to leave her. Of course he would go with her. But what if he just did it because he couldn't say no? Could someone like him really be happy with such a life on Tarth as she was foreseen to be spending?
"There's only one thing to think of as far as I'm concerned", Jaime's voice brought her back from her thoughts. "Your happiness. What do you want, Brienne?" The question caught her a bit off guard.
"Me?", she stammered, "I-I..."
She had not actually thought about it that way. It sounded strange that she hadn't, but perhaps it just hadn't occurred to her. Because Brienne knew what she wanted. Him. Wherever she went, whatever she chose, what mattered was that he would be there. But if she would have chosen...
"I want to go home", she heard herself whisper without having intended to. It was the truth though, she discovered as the words left her lips. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life in the cold North. She missed Tarth. She missed her father. She missed not always being on guard.
"Good. That's settled then." Jaime nodded, apparently satisfied with her choice, just because it was her decision. But for Brienne, this whole matter was far from being resolved.
"Settled?", she said sceptically, raising an eyebrow that he had dismissed the discussion so easily.
"We're going to speak to Lady Sansa, of course", Jaime assured her light-heartedly, "but I'm sure she'll understand. You would have to wait a little while though. Two weeks maybe. I should be able to travel then, I guess", he added in one breath and Brienne's brain seemed to have difficulty to follow. Wait until-? Ready to travel? So that meant...?
"What?", Jaime said when he looked at her questioning face, an amused smirk creeping over his lips when he guessed where the expression came from. "You didn't think I would let you go without me, did you?"
He waited for her to say something, but she just kept staring at him, lost for words while her heart was internally skipping a beat at the realisation that it had been clear to him from the beginning that whatever she chose, he would be with her.
Jaime, however, couldn't help but misinterpret her silence.
"Unless..", he said cautiously, "unless you don't want me to-"
"No!", Brienne cut him off immediately when it became clear to her what he was about to say. "No, of course, I want you to come with me."
She couldn't say more now. Couldn't put her worry about him living on Tarth into words. The knowledge that he would be with her for the time being had to be enough now.
"Fine", Jaime smiled. "I guess I'm finally going to see the Sapphire Isle, then."
Brienne smiled back. She had been looking forward to seeing her home again, but even more had she longed to show it to Jaime. And for him to meet-
"One last thing...", Brienne said when a thought suddenly hit her and the tone in her voice made him look up. "Don't- I mean, it's not that I-...", she paused, taking a deep breath, "you know, in my letters, I didn't exactly tell my father..." She trailed off, but Jaime's eyes shimmered knowingly and he even...chuckled.
"Ah", he said, failing to suppress a smirk. "He doesn't know about me. About us", he added, needing no answer, but she smiled apologetically nevertheless.
"That's alright", Jaime assured her quite lightheartedly, only a hint of something strange audible in his voice, telling her that he tried to hide something - sadness, perhaps even hurt. "I understand that. Why should you peddle around with the Kingslayer?", he finished jokingly, but his eyes were betraying his tone.
"Don't be like that", Brienne said softly hoping to ease his mind and her own guilt by explaining herself. "You know it's not because I'm ashamed of you. It's just that my father, well...I'm hardly the daughter to bring men home very often", she pointed out. "He would have asked an awful lot of questions and..."
"You wanted to avoid the need to justify yourself", he ended for her. "Or rather me."
"There is no need to justify you", she replied firmly, growing a little impatient because he surely knew that he was being foolish. "I am entitled to love whoever I want. I just didn't want to tell him on paper, do you understand that? I wanted him to meet you in person because I know as soon as he gets to meet you, to know you..."
"He'll befriend the thought that it's me of all people who has captured his only child."
He had stopped trying to hide the emotion in his voice by now, or maybe he just didn't manage to, and Brienne couldn't suppress a little sight of frustration.
"Jaime..don't be so bitter", she asked him, knowing that it was a habit of his. Somehow, he seemed to be able to revel in self-hatred and -pity at the same time. Perhaps he would be able to leave the past behind, someday. She wished he would. But she knew that it was more than difficult when your reputation was following you wherever you went.
"I won't deny that he might be...prejudiced, at first", Brienne admitted. "But you really can't blame him", she added softly, cautiously, surprised when she saw his features soften.
"No", he said, sounding just sad and tired, "I suppose not."
"You're not the Kingslayer anymore", she said softly, grabbing his hand in support, for she couldn't bear the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes. "You're Jaime. My Jaime", she added and watched in relief how a little smile stole its way on his lips.
"And he'll get to learn that soon enough", she promised. "He just wants me to be happy."
Jaime sighed, patting her hand gratefully.
"Of course you're right", he replied then and Brienne released the breath she didn't even know she had been holding. "As always."
She smiled back as a knock at the door disturbed them. Brienne turned around to find Pod's head poking through a gap.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mylady...Ser", he said with a cautious look at their joined hands, but Brienne didn't give it any further notice.
"It's alright, Podrick", she said friendly. "What is it?"
"Lady Sansa sends me", he told them and continued with his eyes fixed on Jaime. "She received a raven from King's Landing. Your brother is on his way to Winterfell."
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
"Jaime."
They were in the courtyard. Jaime had been granted permission to get up and take strolls around the grounds, so they had taken the opportunity to await the arrival of his brother. They hadn't seen each other since Tyrion had left for King's Landing to rule it in Daenery's name before the battle, and neither of them had known if they even were to meet ever again, so Jaime's impatience since Pod had brought the news of his coming didn't surprise Brienne in the least, nor did the wide grin that spread across his face when he turned around now to see his brother coming towards him with an equal expression.
"Tyrion." Jaime knelt down to draw his brother into a hug which was returned by the other without any hesitation, but when he tried to get up again, he twisted his face in slight pain, even if only for a moment.
"I'm sorry you have to bend down for me", Tyrion said apologetically, obviously concerned. "I've heard you've been injured."
However, Jaime just grinned.
"But I'm not dead yet", he countered, although he was shifting his bandaged shoulder while he spoke. "I'm sure I'll manage to hug my little brother after defeating the Army of the Dead, thank you very much", he added jokingly and Tyrion couldn't help but grin in return before he turned towards Brienne, who was noticeably trying to hide her own smirk.
"Lady Brienne", he greeted friendly and Brienne nodded in return.
"Lord Tyrion."
"Tyrion, please", he replied immediately. "As I understand it, we're not unlikely to be further connected in the future anyway, aren't we?" He watched how her eyes widened at this declaration and he enjoyed it to unsettle the always so dignified Lady of Tarth, but there was no need to shoot all his bolt just now.
"I'm not here to tease you", he therefore said soothingly, but unable to withstand the temptation, he added, "not now, at least. There might be a better opportunity later, to a time with more privacy, and more alcohol", he finished with a meaningful grin on his face that caused Brienne to blush. Of course, neither of them had forgotten her last encounter with the Lannister brothers and the combined effects of high spirits and ethanol.
"Tyrion", Jaime muttered through his teeth, but his little brother ignored what was obviously meant as a warning and just smiled.
"It's so good to see you, Jaime", he then said in a way that there was no question he sincerely meant it. The two brothers locked eyes for a moment, a bond that transferred unspoken truths from one to the other, until Tyrion averted his gaze to let it wander through the courtyard. Doing so, he became aware of a familiar figure standing in an elevated position fitting her title and his eyes lingered on her a second longer than would have been necessary before he focused on his two companions again, clearing his throat.
"Very well", he said. "Mylady." He bowed to Brienne. "Ah", he remembered then, "no... Ser, isn't it? It's been a pleasure as always, but I fear I should pay my tribute to the Lady of Winterfell now".
"Or should I say the Queen in the North?", he muttered more to himself when he waddled away.