"What is it?" Sandor barked as he pulled Sansa's little red convertible beside the tricked out classic muscle car that his brother drove.
Not even an hour before, Gregor had called Sandor and demanded they meet. He had been cryptic in his description of the reason that drove his urgency. He had not been in contact since the morning he had shown up at Sandor's apartment with information of Cersei Lannister's questionable stock buying. After that, there had been no news from the police S.W.A.T Captain. Finally, this morning, a phone call rousted Sandor from his ominous thoughts. His brother wanted to meet, and in a location far from any chance of detection. The area of town he had chosen was even more run down than the environs or Sandor's office. Gregor had directed him to the empty lots beneath a crumbling bridge on the south end of town.
"Isn't that adorable." Gregor scoffed, eyeing the young sporty vehicle in which his scowling brother was stuffed. It had been his only mode of transportation since he had sent Sansa and Brienne North on his motorcycle.
"Save it!" Sandor shot back. "What did you find out?" He answered gruffly. Sandor was too fearful to hope. He hid his apprehension behind his usual mask of rough hatefulness.
At that moment Tormund Giantsbane screeched to a stop in his black pick-up truck, a short distance from them. He quickly shut off the engine and sprung from the driver's seat in one motion. Reaching the red convertible at full speed, he swung the open the door and jumped in, eager to hear anything that could bring them closer to the truth of who committed the murders. Desperate to clear Brienne from the shadow of accusation that hung over her head.
Both Sandor and Tormund looked like they had barely slept in weeks. Their time had been spent prowling every corner of Kings Landing, searching for anything that would clear the names of the women they loved. Much to their mutual dismay, they had found very few leads. Both men's tempers were short, and their patience was nearly non existent.
"Any news?" Tormund questioned, impatiently.
"It was busy over at Black Stag this morning." Gregor informed them. "Way too busy." He judged. "Cersei Lannister's office was crawling with a bunch of black suits. Her personal investigators." It seemed that he almost could not bring himself to look at his brother.
"Do you think it means something?" Sandor asked, already fearing the answer.
Gregor paused, taking a slow dreading breath. "I think they know where you've been hiding your girls." He broke the news abruptly. "I overheard something about some cabin up North." He reported.
Tormund bristled at the mention of the location where Brienne and Sansa had been staying for weeks. There was no way of telling how close Cersei's men actually were to discovering them. He thought of how tired and frightened Brienne had sounded during their last scheduled phone call. He needs to be with her, to comfort her, and to ensure that he would allow none of the forces working against her to ever touch her.
Still not completely trusting his brother, the only sign that Gregor's news had affected Sandor where his white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. Uncomfortable with feeling beholden, Sandor stared ahead of him but directed his words to Gregor. "Thanks." He said, dryly.
Gregor nodded, his eyes burning into Sandor. He nodded his acceptance and then spoke. "We're square." His intense stare betrayed his meaning to his brother. The big man's unspoken explanation passed between the two of them. It was their sister of whom he spoke. Sandor had always blamed his brother for the death of his beloved sister. He understood that by accepting Gregor's help, he would never see justice for the young girl who had been killed so long ago. For his Little Bird, he would make that sacrifice.
"Square." Sandor echoed in cold agreement. Seemingly satisfied, Gregor turned, shifted his car into gear and gunned the motor. He sped off, leaving Sandor and Tormund to consider the news he had just heaped upon them.
"That's it." Tormund twisted in his seat, angry and aggravated with worry. "It has to be the cabin. Those bastards know where they are." He stroked his beard roughly, tormented by the fear welling up within him. "For all we know they're surrounding them as we speak." He choked.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Sandor growled, grabbing his cell phone from his pocket.
Sandor frantically pressed the button that would connect him to the burner phone which had been his and Tormund only life line to Sansa and Brienne since the women had left. He drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel as he waited for the other end of line to connect. Sandor had found himself praying again during this time without Sansa. He could not say when or why he had stopped. It had most probably been when he was very young, perhaps when his sister had been taken from him. Lately, he had rediscovered a comfort in the act. However, he feared that to acknowledge his rediscovered faith would be to admit his terror that no living person could help his Little Bird. Now he pleaded to the Gods that it would be her who answered his call.
Jaime Lannister had driven all night and was somewhere just north of the Riverlands. He had sped over the suspension bridge that crossed the Trident about an hour before, and by his calculations, he guessed that a few more hours of driving would take him to the little cabin where he was certain he would find Brienne and Sansa. He knew it was crazy, and he knew his better judgement should have taken over by now, but still he had every intention of declaring his love to Brienne and begging her to give him another chance.
Just as he was imagining how sweet Brienne's lips would taste, the ringing of his cell phone through the sound system of his car startled Jaime from his thoughts. His face dropped to a hateful scowl when he saw that it was Cersei's private line. Apparently, he had been out of contact for too long. He decided it was best to see what she wanted.
"Where have you been?" Cersei bellowed.
"Working." Jaime announced, a little too sarcastically for his sister's liking.
"Well, it certainly doesn't seem like you're very good at." She scolded hatefully. "Why are my investigators the ones who found Sansa Stark and that skyscraper you used to date?" Cersei mocked. "Why aren't you the one bringing me that tidbit of information?" She demanded.
Jaime's breath choked in his throat. What had Cersei said? She had found them? Surely he had heard her wrong. "What?" He nearly screamed. It had to be her anger and his sleepless night that were playing tricks with his ears. "What did you say?" Jamie repeated, frantically.
The sound of frustration in Cersei's voice could be heard all the way from Kings Landing. "I said, that we have found where Sansa Stark, and Brienne Tarth have been hiding." He could tell she was smirking.
"Wh..., Where?" He swallowed the dryness forming in his mouth.
"Some ridiculous cabin up North." Her voice sounded through the speaker. He could tell she was rolling her eyes. "Honestly, we should have checked property records first. I cannot believe you didn't think of that." Again, she ridiculed him. She had grown masterful at that over the years. "It belongs to that half wild army Colonel that Miss Tarth found to take your place." Cersei chuckled hatefully.
"He's a Sergeant!" Jaime yelled at where ever the speaker was in his car. He had no idea why he took such offense at Cersei's blatant insult to Brienne's lover.
"Gods, Jaime. Who cares?" Cersei howled with glee. "The point is we know where they are." As she spoke, Jaime gripped the steering wheel so tightly he thought it might snap off in his hand, as if he thought perhaps his sheer will could stop the inevitable from happening. "I'm taking one of our helicopters up there. I'm on the roof waiting for it now. We have to land at our Northern airfield, and drive the rest of the way." She informed him, he could hear her impatience. "We should still be there before noon." She laughed, relishing the anticipation.
Reflexively, Jaime drew back his fist, and let loose his wrath on the only thing near enough for him to reach. He beat on the dashboard, Distraught and furious, the powerless feeling in the pit of his stomach was overshadowed only by the despair of realizing that he might be too late to come to Brienne's aid. Even if he were too late to win her back, he had to help her. He had to try.
"Within a few hours, they will be sitting in jail where they belong." Cersei's self-congratulatory tone was more than Jaime could stand.
Jaime stretched for the screen on the dashboard console and jabbed the button that would hang up his phone. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" He swore to himself, shaking with rage.
"Hey Babe." Sansa voice at first rang with the joy at speaking unexpected to Sandor, and then fell in worry through the speaker of his cell phone. "What's wrong?" She asked breathlessly. It was not time for one of the scheduled talks that had been their lifeline to each other, and it was highly unusual for Sandor to risk anything that strayed from his prescribed protocol.
Sandor knew the details he had to relay to Sansa would frighten her, but he had no choice. "Cersei Lannister knows where you are." He told her flatly, switching the smartphone to speaker mode. It surprised him how clear he was thinking. He realized he needed to be calm to get Sansa through the situation that lay ahead of her. He needed her to be leveled headed as well. His heart ached as he heard her take a moment, on the other end of the line, to compose herself.
"Ok." Sansa breathed deeply. "What do we do?"
Stewing in the passenger seat as they sat in Sansa's car, still under the bridge in Kings Landing, Tormund could not wait any longer. "Is Brienne with you?" He blurted.
Sansa understood that Tormund was just as concerned about Brienne as Sandor as about her. The truth was she herself was worried about her friend. Over the weeks they had waited in the North, Brienne had grown increasingly sullen. She was certainly not herself. Lately, although she tried to hide it, Sansa could tell that Brienne was not well.
"No." Sansa answered Tormund's question. "She's still in bed. I'll get her." Without realizing, Sansa had given him great cause to worry. It was not at all like Brienne to sleep that late.
"You need to get Brienne and get out of there." Sandor interrupted.
"You think they're that close, already?" Sansa shuttered.
"There's no way of telling how close they are." Sandor said, not wanting to think of the dire possibilities. "But, there's no need to wait around and find out." He proclaimed. "You both need to get out of there, now." The urgency in his voice told Sansa how terrified he was for her.
"Where should we go?" Sansa asked, her voice wavering in fear.
Sandor thought for a moment. His mind rushed across the whole of Westeros. Just where was there a place obscure enough not be under the surveillance of Cersei's people. He had been many places working on the cases he investigated, most of them where no place he would even want to imagine taking his Little Bird. In this case, however, he had no choice. His brow furrowed as he glowered ahead, staring out the windshield. Then, his face brightened a bit. "There's a shitty motel on the Old Kings Road. It's on the east bank of the Trident, at the intersection with Gold Road, just before you get to the Harrenhal exit." Sandor described.
"Ok." Sansa acknowledged, trying to picture the location he had detailed in her mind.
"It's not the nicest place, and I don't want you going out there by yourself." He warned. "But it takes cash, and they don't ask question. "Get two rooms." He said, already knowing what he planned to do the moment he finally saw her again. He was sure that Tormund had the same plans for himself and Brienne. "Check in with a fake name, and text me your room number." He instructed.
"Ok." Sansa snuffed back the frightened tears that were threatening to break free at Sandor's words. "How soon will you be there?" She begged. "I need to see you." She began to cry.
Sandor's heart broke at the distraught tone in Sansa's voice. "I'll just be an hour or two behind you." He swore. "Now, go wake up Brienne, and get out of there." He instructed.
"And Sansa." Tormund broke in. He had been sitting in silent rage, seething with anger and fear for Brienne's fate. "Would you tell Brienne that I'm coming, and that I love her." He asked plaintively, suddenly sounding very lost.
"Of course." Sansa agreed, understandingly. Tormund could only nod his gratitude.
"Little Bird." Sandor said. "Be careful." He pleaded.
"I will." Sansa promised. "I love you." She told him, desperately.
Sandor listened until the sweet lilt of her voice trailed from his ears. "I love you, too." He answered, wishing he could be with her in that moment.
Sandor quickly hung up the phone before he could no longer fight the lump forming in his own throat. He looked at Tormund with an urgent scowl. "That truck of yours filled up?" He asked.
"Sure is." Tormund almost chuckled.
"Good."Sandor declared. "Because no way in the Hells am I'm driving all way with you in this little kiddie car." Sandor regarded the interior of Sansa's sports car with a sneered.
Tormund allowed himself a full laugh. "Wasn't really looking forward to that myself." He smirked. "Ok. Lock it, and leave, and hop in." He ordered as he reached for the door handle. He got out and shoved the door shut behind him as Sandor was pushing the button to raise the roof into place. Tormund then looked back and bent down as the automatic cover latched into place. He rested his arm on the door, and looked into the passenger side window. "Let's go get our girls." Tormund smiled, already imagining Brienne in his arms.
Taking a moment to raise the windows, Sandor tried to tell himself that they were not too late, that Sansa and Brienne were making their narrow escape at that very moment and eluding Cersei's men. He drew his massive frame up out of the car and locked the doors with key fob. 'I'm coming, Little Bird.' Sandor whispered as he followed Tormund to his truck.
—
Sansa woke Brienne with a frantic urgency. "Brienne, Brienne. Wake up." She raised her voice as she shook her friend back to consciousness.
Groggy and rubbing her eyes, Brienne did her best to sit up although her head was spinning. "What? What is it?" She mumbled through her fatigue.
"You have to get up." Sansa told her in a rush, as she crossed the room to retrieve Brienne's clothes from a chair by the window. "We have to go, now." She said. The tone of fear in Sansa's voice was unmistakable.
Brienne grew instantly alarmed. "What's wrong?" She questioned after taking a settling breath.
Sansa tossed the garments at the foot of the bed and sat down on the mattress beside Brienne. "I just talked to Sandor." Sansa reported. "Cersei Lannister knows where we are." She broke the news bleakly.
Instantly, Brienne's face mirrored Sansa's concern. "Then she'll waste no time sending her goons to grab us." Brienne felt the blood in her veins run cold at the thought.
"That's why we have to get out of here." Sansa repeated. "Sandor has a plan. He and Tormund are going to meet us near Harrenhal, at a motel." She tried to calm both their nerves.
"Tormund was with him?" Brienne smiled at the thought of the man she loved.
"Yes." Sansa nodded.
Brienne's face was a mix of comfort and worry. 'How did he sound?" She was desperate for news of him.
Sansa smiled understandingly. "He misses you." She said. "He asked me to tell you that he loves you." She squeezed Brienne's hand in reassurance. Brienne took a moment to fill her lungs, the thought of Tormund somehow brought her a encouraging peace. She smiled to herself and nodded.
"Now, come on." Sansa prodded. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get to our guys." She grinned.
Brienne joined her in welcome hopefulness and pushed back the covers. She stood quickly, her head spinning, and reached for the clothing Sansa had laid on the bed. Brienne pulled on her jeans, as Sansa left the room to prepare herself for their travel. She threw her sweater over her head and settled it around her, sliding her hand over her frame. Her mind had been spinning since they reached the cabin. Their time in the isolated wilderness had seemed endless, and Brienne was beginning to wonder if she would ever see Tormund again. She was beginning to wonder a lot of things, and she hoped that once they were together again, she would have the courage to face the notions that had played in the back of her mind. Thoughts she was too afraid to be excited for.
"You ready?" Sansa called breathlessly, poking her head in the door of what had become Brienne's bedroom. Her insistent tone brought Brienne back from her thoughts.
"Yeah." She answered, grabbing her boots. "Let's go." She agreed.
Before either could think of what dread might lie before them, Brienne and Sansa rushed through the small main room of the cabin. They grabbed only what they had brought with them when they came, a jacket, a purse, a set of keys. They knew it would be clear to anyone that investigated that they had been here. However, the women hoped they would be long gone by then. Sansa quickly turned the knob and threw open the front door.
Brienne was the first to step onto the porch. She nearly ran headlong into the man who stood waiting for her. "Jaime!" She gasped.
"Hello, Brienne." Jaime Lannister tried to smile through the awkwardness of his arrival.
Brienne was speechless as the initial shock of seeing him wore off. She could only regard him with confusion, and a bit of suspicion. Her eyes searched his face for any sign of deception. It was a look that broke Jaime's heart. Brienne knew him well enough to tell whether he was trying to trick them. After a moment, she realized there was nothing to mistrust in his demeanor. Sansa was not so easily swayed.
"What are you doing here?" Sansa snapped at him sharply.
Jaime answered without taking his eyes from Brienne. "I've come to help." He answered plaintively. His heart was bursting and aching at the same time to finally be so near to Brienne, however, this reunion was not going as he had imagined.
He continued attempting to state his case. "Brienne. I need to talk with you." He begged.
Sansa exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes. "Trying to keep us here, so your sister can find us?" She mocked disdainfully.
Brienne held her hand up, partly to comfort Sansa and partly to quiet her. "It's alright." She said calmly. Even at Brienne's reassurance, Sansa was still unable to remove her disbelieving stare from Jaime's face.
"Oh come on, Brienne." Sansa begged. "You're going to trust him after..." She trailed off, knowing she was dangerously close to being out of line, even with her best friend. "After everything?" She reworded her thought. "For all we know he's here to arrest us, or hand us over to Cersei." She blurted angrily.
Brienne was quiet for a moment, studying Jaime. Finally she shook her head. "No." She spoke calmly and quietly. "He's not." She affirmed, her eyes softer than she might have meant for them to be.
Jaime eyed the floorboards of the porch, almost bashfully. Not only had he come here to protect Brienne, he also had hopes of winning back her heart. He had been so sure of his approach during the long drive North. Now when he stood face to face with her, under Sansa's accusatory glare, Jaime second guessed his every move.
"Please, can we talk?" He raised his gaze, and to his surprise found Brienne's eye, sympathetic and warm.
Sansa took Brienne by the arm, suddenly extremely protective. "We don't have time. We need to go." Sansa urged.
"It'll only take a minute." Jaime spoke up, hopefully.
Brienne looked torn. She was desperate to get to Tormund. But there was history with Jaime. She could not just leave him standing there. She gave Sansa a knowing smile. "It's alright." Brienne told her. "Could you get the bike ready?" She asked softly.
Sansa stared at them, uncertain how to react, unsure what it meant. Part of her understood Brienne's willingness to give Jaime a moment. They had been close once, in love. At that thought, something in her mind resented Brienne's acceptance of Jaime Lannister. She felt defensive, for Tormund's sake. Even though she was sure she knew better, Sansa wondered if there might be a chance that Brienne would consider taking Jaime back. Her mind was reeling from the events of the morning. Mostly, Sansa just wanted to be on the road heading toward Sandor.
Sansa rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw impatiently. "Fine." She muttered, pushing past Brienne and stomping down the steps.
Jaime and Brienne waited in silence, watching Sansa disappear around the corner of the cabin. Jaime ran his hand through his hair. Brienne jammed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, and fumbled with the loose threads she found there. They nervously circled each other.
"Are you...?" Jaime began. "How did...?" Brienne started to say at the same time. They both gave a nervous chuckle at interrupting each other, and smiled, embarrassed and unsure.
"Please." Jaime conceded. "You first." He smiled.
Brienne accepted his invitations with a polite sigh. "How did you know where we were?" She questioned.
Jaime reddened slightly with embarrassment. "Since we broke..." He trailed off as Brienne looked away anticipating the rest of his statement.
Jaime squirmed uncomfortably, as he searched for a way to rephrase his fumbling attempt to answer her question. Could the end of their relationship be called a break up? Is it really a break when he left without a word in the middle of the night, and never spoke to her until he was assigned to the murder case which threatened the woman he loved?
"Let's just say. I've made it business to make sure you're...safe." He said softly.
"Oh." Was all Brienne could answer. She understood that he had checked Tormund out, thoroughly. She had assumed, Jaime had not given her a second thought. It was best to let that topic drop.
"You drove all the way up here, to check on us?" She asked, astonished.
Jaime regarded her, his heart simply glad to be near her. "Well, you, mostly." He admitted.
Brienne stepped from him, unable to meet his piercing eyes. She hesitated for a moment, and then turned back. "Why?" She questioned, unknowingly gesturing her quandary with her hands.
"Because I know you didn't do this." Jaime told her intensely. "Because I had to make sure you were alright." He said, his tone softening. He moved nearer, longing to wrap her in his arms. He settled for reaching out and taking her hand gently in his. "And because I was a Godsdamn fool." He whispered, his face only a hair's breadth from hers.
Brienne's breath caught in her throat. She realized what Jaime was saying, what he meant, and what his purpose was in being there. He wanted her back. She could not help but recall the pain which his leaving had caused her. Brienne also remembered how she had felt when they were together. They had loved each other, completely. He was all she wanted, then. It had not lasted. He had taken it from her, or perhaps it had been stolen from them both. It did not matter now. She had struggled long and hard to get over him. To move on with her life. She had found another, and given her heart to him. Now all that mattered was the man who waited for her. Brienne thought of Tormund, and all they shared. She thought of how much she loved him. Now, he was all that she wanted.
She felt Jaime's breath played upon her hair, his body moving even closer to her. "Brienne," he whispered. She knew new another moment would find his lips reaching for her hers.
"Don't." Brienne answered Jaime. She pulled away from his touch.
Jaime felt her hand slip from his, and realized he could never fix what he had done, not matter how much he wished for it. The breath froze in his lungs, and he swallowed his regret like a bitter pill. "You really do love him." He said numbly, it was not a question.
Brienne nodded. "With all my heart." She had no wish to hurt Jaime, but she would not deny the truth of her feelings. "I would not give him up for anything." She asserted. He understood her meaning.
Jaime watched Brienne, her thoughts focused on someone else, and wished it were still him. "He's a lucky man." Jaime smiled sadly, trying to hide that his heart was shattering in his chest.
Brienne's eyes grew wistful. "I am the lucky one." She corrected.
He studied Brienne's eyes when she spoke of Tormund Giantsbane. How bright and happy they became, the same astonishing eyes that once shined for him. He saw her longing for the man who now shared her moments, happy in the life she had with him. Although, he knew it would change be nothing. Jaime needed to tell her how he felt. He ached to sooth his regret by swearing his heart to her forever.
"I should go." Brienne's voice brought Jaime back from his sad thoughts. She moved away from him, toward the steps. All he could do was follow her.
As she reached the edge of the porch, Jaime reached gently for her elbow, turning her momentum toward him. In that instant, Brienne saw the longing in his eyes. She understood now, why he had come. It was clear to her that Jaime Lannister was still very much in love with her.
"Brienne, I..." Jaime began. His voice shook with ache. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted to beg her to take him back. He could only stare longingly into the eyes that always mesmerized him.
She silenced him with a tender caress of his jaw. Brienne regarded Jaime for a moment, with understanding care. "I know." She told him, and then turned to continue her path from him.
It was then that Sansa came tearing around the corner on the motorcycle and screeched to a halt at the bottom of the porch steps. "We've got company." She yelled, pointing to the long tree shrouded path that led to the cabin.
In the distance, three large black sport utility vehicles, stirred up a cloud of dust behind them as they raced toward the cabin. Their was no sign of any actual law enforcement. A chill ran through Jaime, wondering just what Cersei was actually planning. He had no wish to discover the truth behind her show of force. Jaime felt only the urgent need to get Brienne out of there.
Immediately on the alert, Jaime helped Brienne climb onto the back of the bike, and put on her helmet. He frantically searched for another trail that would lead them to safety, and noticed a well worn drive leading off into through woods at the rise of a small hill. "Over there." He pointed the way to Sansa. "Go." Jaime shouted. "I'll hold them off as long as I can." He promised. Brienne regarded him gratefully as Sansa raced off toward the forest. Jaime's stricken gaze followed her, watching her speeding away, taking his heart with her.
Before Sansa and Brienne reached the treeline, Jaime heard the gravel crunching behind him, as the ominous black vehicles pulled to the edge of the drive. Before he could turn, nearly a dozen mysterious men crawled from the cars and took their positions along the grass. Some brandished pistols, some stood with rifles aimed. Cersei jumped down , quickly from the back seat of the one of the trucks, and reached Jaime's side ready to see her plan come to fruition.
"Jaime!" She screamed at him. "What the Hells?" Cersei bellowed, angry that he had let her targets get away.
He shrugged and tried to look innocent. "They gave me the slip." He protested.
Cersei rolled her eyes and swung around to address her black suited army. "Shoot them!" She ordered.
Before thoughts could even form in his mind, Jaime jumped into action, desperate to keep any harm from befalling Brienne. He sprinted to the guards, and grabbed the long rifle from the man's shoulder. Without hesitation, he pulled his badge, and flashed his police credentials to the line of thugs.
"Lower your weapons." He ordered, and was surprised that they actually complied.
Jaime planted his feet squarely, and raised the gun to his eye. He would do the best job he could of appearing to be a terrible shot. The fact that Cersei knew he was an expert marksman did not occur to him. Jaime's heart pounded so fiercely in his chest that he hoped he did not end up actually wounding Sansa or Brienne in his trembling attempt. He stared through rifle site as the bike neared the trees, trying to wait until the last possible moment to pull the trigger.
The bike grew smaller in the distance. Jaime could stall no longer. Praying his plan would work, he pulled the trigger. The bullet tore from the barrel of the gun. Jaime's breath stilled in his lungs. His heart no longer raced. It refused to beat at all. In barely the space of a blinking eye, the projectile split the side of a small bolder only inches from the back wheel of the motorcycle, and ricocheted away. Surprised by the sound of the shot, and the shattering of rock beside them, Sansa let the bike sway for a moment. Recovering quickly, she gunned the motor, and she and Brienne disappeared into the shadows. Jaime lowered the gun, and caught his breath. Cersei glared at him.
Hours later, Sansa guided the bike at full speed along a back road. She still could not believe they had escaped. She and Brienne had not spoken during the entire ride. The shock of their ordeal was only now beginning to wear off. Suddenly, she felt Brienne tapping her on the shoulder.
"Stop the bike. Pull over.' Brienne yelled from behind her.
The tone of Brienne's voice was so urgent, Sansa feared that her friend may have actually taken a bullet. She complied with the request quickly, and pulled into a thin thicket of brush on the side of the road.
"Are you hurt?" Sansa shouted as she swung herself off the seat. Brienne was already rushing to a nearby tree. She held onto the trunk tightly as the contents of her stomach emptied onto the ground. Sansa could only watch helplessly until Brienne's wretching was finished.
"Are you alright?" Sansa asked, as Brienne stumbled weakly back toward the bike, trying to wipe her mouth. Sansa took out a canteen and handed it to Brienne who accepted the offering gratefully. Brienne shook her head, and looked sickly at Sansa. She leaned, shaking, against the bike wheel.
Sansa watched her, suspiciously. "Yeah. I guess your ex-lover trying to kill you probably would have that effect." She glared.
Brienne shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "He didn't try to kill us." She corrected.
Sansa could hold her temper no longer. "He shot at us!" She declared, throwing up her hands in disgust.
Still shaking her head, Brienne looked knowingly at her friend. "Jaime is the best shot I've ever seen." She informed Sansa. "If he'd wanted to hit us, he would have.' She asserted.
"Then, what was he doing?" Sansa implored.
Brienne was still catching her breathe as she answered. "Buying us time." She said. "Letting us get away." Her eyes were distant and grateful.
Sansa calmed at Brienne's explanation, remembering how the rock had shattered beside her. Maybe Brienne was right. It would be nice to think they had someone in Cersei's inner circle who was actually looking out for them.
"Well." Sansa conceded. "It worked." She breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Yeah." Brienne smiled thinnly. "But I think we have another little problem." She said, her face grimacing with nausea.
"You're not well." Sansa concurred.
Brienne shook her head. "It's not that." She corrected, and then looked fearfully at Sansa. Taking a deep breath she was ready to face what she had suspected for some time. "I'm late." Her eyes growing at once soft and terrified. "Very late." She choked.
Sansa's expression softened with amazement. "What?" She asked, a sweet smile finding her face at her friend's news.
Even with Sansa's supportive presence, Brienne somehow felt very alone, on the run, and so far from home. "I think I'm pregnant." She declared.