The soft breeze off the ocean played on Brienne's skin. It teased at her hair, and filled her lungs with salty sweetness. The glorious warmth of the day penetrated into her very bones, and filled her with relaxed contentment. She leaned her head back and drank it in. Brienne rolled her neck, letting the knots stretch from her stiff muscles. It had been Jaime who had suggested this excursion, and she was now grateful to have accepted. She peered toward to gentle waves that rolled into the beach and giggled. The bright sunlight dancing off the water outlined the shape of her beloved husband, dressed only in thin britches, happily splashing in the tide with their toddler son who had only just take his first steps a few moons before. Their little family was so perfect, so happy, and nearly complete.
Brienne sighed with a pleasant peaceful heart, and traced her palm softly along the outline of her large rounded belly. Her smile rested lovingly upon her swollen abdomen, and her hand hovered over the spot she had just felt the babe kick. Her second child was due any day, and Brienne was eager to greet the new life she and Jaime had created. The tiny being that even now seemed just as impatient to make its arrival. It was almost as if the babe could sense the amusement of its father and older brother, and could not wait to join in.
"Don't worry, Little One." Brienne grinned adoringly as she spoke to her unborn child. "Your father will take you to the edge of the tide, as well. As soon as you are big enough." She sighed. Brienne recalled her nervousness the first time Jaime had taken Galladon into the surf. She had never trusted the sea, not since it had taken her brother. She could barely watch as those she loved most in the world, tempted fate and dared to wade out past their ankles. However, she trusted her husband, and soon found her tense fear fading as she watched her son's sheer delight. Reassured by Jaime's fierce protectiveness of their son, Brienne knew he would never allow anything that could possibly threaten their children.
Brienne shifted upon the pillow-filled chaise which Jaime had insisted be laid on the sand for her, under the silken cabana that shielded her from the sun. How different this time was for her than the way she had spent the months of her first pregnancy, trapped and alone in a dark cold cell. She shuddered to remember the fear under which she had lived, certain she would never see her child draw breath. Another strong nudge from within brought her back from the painful thoughts. Brienne shoved the dark memories once again to the back of her mind where she hoped they would disappear. Almost in gratitude to its mother's resolve, the babe let loose with another firm kick to Brienne's side. She grinned, and soothed the nerves of her abdomen, imagining her caress upon her soon to be born babe. She marveled at the connection between them.
Peering up from her motherly imaginings, Brienne's smile widened upon seeing Jaime and Galladon making their way back up the beach to her. She chuckled as she watched them, her heart bursting with love. Brienne reveled in the blessings which the Gods had given her, and gave a silent prayer of thanks. Almost sensing his mother's joy, Galladon let out a loud giggle and ran, as best he could, covering the distance between himself and his mother in babyish glee.
"Mama!" He squealed in his high pitched baby voice, his arms open wide.
Brienne reached down and held out her hands for her child to brace himself upon as he climbed onto the chaise and settled in at her side, her loving grin matching his. Jaime followed a few moments later, a wide happy smile upon his own lips at the sight of his little family. He grabbed a linen from a stack at the foot of the chaise and dried himself and Galladon from their romp in the ocean. Brienne loosened the bodice of the flowing smock she wore and nestled their son close to nurse from her. Jaime sat at her hip and draped his arm around her large belly. Brienne swore that her husband had not removed his hand from their growing babe for the whole of her pregnancy. She rested her fingers atop his, and gazed at him sweetly.
Jaime regarded Brienne and their children, pride shining on his face. "Soon, you will have two of my babes at your breast." He sighed in fascination, bending to kiss the soft skin of her jaw.
Brienne gloried in his caring attention and twisted her neck to receive his adoration. "Very soon, I think." She informed him, rubbing her abdomen beside his warm touch. "Your child has been very active within my womb today." Brienne chuckled. "It feels as though our babe is running out of room." Her lilting laugh was contagious as Jaime joined her in anticipation.
He moved himself level with his wife's swollen waistline and laid a kiss upon her belly through the fabric of her frock. "Hello, in there. This is your father." He announced to their child, as Brienne stifled a laugh. "Let your mother rest." Jaime ordered, playfully. "She will shortly bring you into this world, and she will need all of her strength." He followed his teasing ultimatum by grazing another kiss along the bulge of Brienne's middle.
At the very moment that Jaime laid his face to Brienne's abdomen, the babe within her answered with a hard kick that stretched at her skin, and made contact with his mouth. Feigning injury, he sprawled on the mattress with his wife and son. "I believe this one is going to be as willful as your mother." He swore to Galladon, who looked at him quizzically and continued to suckle while Jaime pretended to be shocked.
Brienne graced him with an understanding smile, and traced a circle over the spot that her unborn child had just made its presence known. "You sort of asked for that." She quipped, running her other hand through his hair.
Jaime rubbed his mouth as if he had just received the strongest punch of his life, his face beaming with amusement. "Yes. I suppose I did." He wholeheartedly agreed, all the while never removing his arm from around Brienne's belly.
That night Brienne nestled against Jaime in their bed, his body a cushioning support to her cumbersome frame. Her husband's arms enwrapped Brienne as if she and the babe she carried were the most vaulable treasure ever known to the world. At last finding comfort for her aching muscles, she dozed in his sweet adoration. He had settled her shift just below her full breasts, his hand tracing the outline of her rounded abdomen, as his lips followed the curve of her neck. Nuzzling behind her ear, he hit an especially sensitive nerve which made Brienne gasp and giggle at the tickle of his whiskers brushing against her throat. At that moment, as Jaime's fingers caressed her skin, their soon to be born child seemed to turn a somersault within its mother, making Brienne's entire belly jump. The blissful couple dissolved in joyful laughter and looked excitedly toward meeting their second child.
After a moment, Brienne and Jaime returned to their quite revelry. Brienne closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness of the man she loved. When at last her eyelids opened once more, she could not mistake the look of sadness which loomed over Jaime's expression. She feared he was imagining and remembering other times, another family, long passed and long dead. Brienne did not want to believe that Jaime's thoughts might be consumed with Cersei and the children he had shared with her, however, she could not bear the remorse she saw in his eyes.
"What is it?" She asked, almost fearfully, laying her hand caringly along his clenched jaw.
Jaime's gaze washed over her with such intense sorrow, and so much devotion that her image of his concern for another woman and other children disappeared from her mind. He sighed slowly. "I never felt Galladon moving within you." Jaime whispered to her. "Not before your time had come upon you." He told her, his expression begging forgiveness. "Not like this." Suddenly, he could not meet his wife's eyes.
Brienne turned closer to him. She brought his face up to meet hers, and spoke with earnest compassion. "You were there when we needed you the most." She comforted. "You brought him into the world, and kept us both safe." She reminded.
"After an unimaginable ordeal." The tears in his eyes displayed his bitter sorrow. "I shall never forgive myself." He held her as tightly as he dared.
Brienne regarded him with love. There was no need for his contrition. "Does it help that I forgive you?" She asked, smiling adoringly at him. Jaime's chuckle told her that the terrible memory was leaving his mind. "If you had known of our distress, you would have moved the Heavens and everything beneath to get to us. I know that." Brienne assured him.
"How is it that I should even deserve you?" He marveled.
Her smile widened. "Possibly because you, My Love, are the most magnificent husband, and the most wonderful father any woman could hope for." She praised him. "And I love you with all of my heart." Brienne choked back her own adoring tears.
Jaime searched Brienne's face, and found only passion and affection. It mirrored the emotions in which he held her so dear. "Oh, how I love you." He vowed to her before his lips met hers, and kissed her ardently.
The past left where it belonged, Brienne and Jaime lay with each other in the darkness, one child waiting to make its entrance into the world, and the other cooing softly in his sleep from the next room. Unable to fight the fatigue of her pregnancy any longer, Brienne drifted off and was soon sleeping soundly in Jaime's arms. He remained awake, holding the woman he loved, and feeling the life they had made stir within her. He would never take them for granted, nor the knowledge of how lucky he was. At length he joined Brienne in slumber.
A few hours later, in the middle of the night, Brienne was awakened by a sharp pain which squeezed her middle and doubled her over from the force of it. She knew instantly that her time had come. Gasping for breath and clutching her middle, her eyes searched the short distance to Jaime through the darkness. He lay pleasantly unaware, still sleeping on the pillow beside her. As the tightness in her belly subsided she understood, to her relief, that she had not awakened him. Brienne knew her spasms would greatly worsen. She also remembered that it would be hours before her laboring would reach its urgency. Deciding to let Jaime sleep as long as she could, Brienne laid softly back in the bed, cradled her swollen belly, and waited for more.
As the early morning hours passed, Brienne found her pains growing, as well as her anxiety. She was grateful not to be spending this time on horseback, as she had during the birth of her first child, but was still nervous at the trial to come. Although she had been attended by both maester and midwife for months, and had been deemed in excellent health, she still could not help thinking of both her mother and Jaime's. Each had been healthy, and each had died in childbed after bringing forth several babes. For a moment, Brienne allowed the terror of facing the birth to overcome her usually calm demeanor. A silent tear fell from behind her lids, as she tried desperately to calm her nervous breathing.
After struggling through another hard pain, Brienne found that she could no longer lie still in the bed, with Jaime sleeping peacefully beside her. She needed to move, to stretch, and to writhe in agony when her contractions hit their zenith. Quietly, Brienne drew back the blankets, and lifted her heavy form from the mattress. With her hands placed against the backs of her hips, she stretched the tension from her muscles. Taking a deep breath, she began to pace the bed chamber, preparing for the onslaught of another pain, as her body tried to move her babe downward inside her.
Brienne attempted to rest in the chair beside the fire, the soothing warmth calming her muscles a bit. However, it did not last, her body soon attacked her again. It was almost as if her anatomy was mocking her for having the audacity to attempt birthing another child after having been blessed with the babe she never thought she would see to his life. Fighting the urge to yell against the pain, Brienne but her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that twisting her waist until her spine protested might ease her agony. It did not. Once the tightening of her belly had subsided she collapsed against the chair back, trying to catch her breath, certain she could not stay quiet much longer. Everything in her wanted to wake Jaime, but she resisted.
Once she could again breathe easily, Brienne went to check on Galladon. She found her first child sleeping as sweetly as his father. Nestling the soft blanket around her son's tiny chest, Brienne held his tiny hand in hers. She prayed the day would see her second babe safely into the world to join its brother, and their mother still living. A sob choked her throat, as her abdomen constricted again. She clutched her tender belly and stumbled to the bedchamber. Her legs growing weak, Brienne braced herself against the little cradle that had been set at the foot of the bed, awaiting the babe she was about to bring forth. She gripped the rail of the heirloom until her knuckles were white from the effort, Unable to bear anymore, Brienne let a low uncontrollable moan escape her throat.
The sounds of Brienne's struggle roused Jaime from his slumber. He rose from the pillow uncertain what was occurring, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of the embers in the hearth. At once he realized that Brienne did not lay beside him. He turned to see her bathed in the firelight. She was bent in agony, her face contorted with pain, gasping for the breath her own lungs were denying her. Suddenly frantic, Jaime jumped from the bed and was at Brienne's side within moments.
"Why did you not wake me?" Jaime implored. "The babe? Is it coming?" He asked in fear, wrapping Brienne in his arms.
Brienne valiantly tried to smile as her body relaxed. With one hand she grasped Jaime's wrist, while her other rose to touch his face. "There was no reason for both of us to lose sleep." She explained as calmly as she could, her face somehow amazingly sweet with love as she gazed at him. "I believe our babe is nearer to making his or her appearance, but I still have a long way to go." She sighed, already leaning against him with fatigue.
"Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly.
Brienne gladly accepted the support of his body, and nodded. "Remember how long we road when I labored with Galladon?" She recalled. Jaime was too nervous to answer. "It will yet be some time." She assured him.
"What can I do?" He begged, eager to ease her pain through his own anxiety.
She smiled. "Just this." She told him gratefully, bringing her eyes to his. "Just hold me." Brienne told him. Jaime vowed silently that if she needed him to, he would never let her go.
And so, the rest of the night was spent with Brienne toiling through her pains as they continued to grow stronger, closer, and more intense. Jaime did his best to comfort her, feeling wholly inadequate to truly help her. He walked beside her as she needed, sat with her when she wanted, rubbed the angry knots from her muscles, and tried to soothe the battle being waged within his wife to bring their child forth. He was thankful that this time, with her being in need of him and wanting him near, was so different than her laboring with Galladon. He recalled when they hid in the darkness of the abandoned cottage and she would not even let him near her.
As if reading his mind, Brienne stopped her pacing and regarded him lovingly. "My heart is so glad you are here with me." She confessed, as he held her closer. "Don't let them make you stay from side." She pleaded. "I need you here with me, when the babe comes." Her voice cracked with emotion. "I cannot do this without you." Brienne declared, tears forming in her eyes at the thought that Jaime would be kept away from her during the birth of their child.
He kissed her temple, and shock his head. "Fear not, My Love." He reassured her. "Fire breathing fucking dragons could not keep me from your side." He vowed. They both dissolved in guarded laughter, at his meaning.
At dawn, their vigil was diverted as their son's hungry waking cry echoed from his bassinet in the adjacent room. "I shall fetch the nurse." Jaime offered, anxious to provide Brienne any help she needed.
Brienne laid her hand upon his arm. "No. Bring him here." She bid. "I will feed him." Her soft tone contrasted her furrowed brow.
"But, Dearest." Jaime began worriedly. "You are laboring." He cautioned.
Brienne calmed him with a sweet glance. "He needs to eat, and I have enough to give him." She tried to relieve Jaime's worry. "I want a moment with him." She said, a tinge of sadness in her voice. "The nurses will take him from me soon, and I need him with me a while longer." She realized this would be the last time it would be just Galladon in her care. Although Brienne was overjoyed that she would soon be shared with another babe, she would miss her special times with her first born.
"Very well." Jaime agreed. "Whatever you wish." He conceded to Brienne's hopeful request. He took her hand and kissed her fingers as he sat her gently upon their bed. Then he strode quickly to the nursery. He disappeared for only a moment before returning, holding Galladon snuggly next to him.
Brienne smiled and held open her arms to welcome their boy to her. Galladon returned her joyful greeting, and stretched for her embrace. She wrapped him around her cumbersome body, and opened the ties of her bodice so he could break his fast. The toddler sucked greedily from her, and Brienne soon found her nerves soothed by the calming familiarity of their routine. Even the spasm that hit her while she was nursing did not seem as severe with her little boy near. Jaime sat next to Brienne, massaging the muscles of her back and looking upon his wife and children with awe.
With both Brienne and Galladon satisfied, and his nerves already on edge, Jaime took the opportunity to plead his case. "There, you are both appeased and content." He kissed Brienne's hair, and laid his hand atop her protruding belly. "At least for a moment." He chuckled, apprehensively. "Will you please allow me to call for the maester and the midwife?" He begged.
Brienne shook her head emphatically. "Not yet." She announced. "I do not want them barking orders at me, yet." She explained. "They think they know my body better than I do." Her mind replayed the prying eyes and probing hands of Casterly Rock's maester, and the plump old woman who had been hired to see to Brienne's delivery. "This is our child." She nestled closer to Jaime. "We have done this before." She smiled wistfully. "I just want this to be us. Just for a little while longer." Brienne looked earnestly into his eyes. "We will summon them when they are needed, alright?" She asked hopefully.
Jaime had never truly told Brienne how terrified he had been the night he helped her birth Galladon. The fearful look that he saw upon her face as she stuggled courageously to bring forth their son after so long an ordeal in the dungeons of the Red Keep, had plagued him for sometime after. Now, even as she fought the pain of laboring with their second child, she wore a relaxed and peaceful expression. She was calm, and confident. Although inside, he was practically hysterical and frightened out of his mind, Jaime found himself comforted and encouraged by her bravery. If she needed a little time, he could not deny her.
Jaime gave Brienne a proud, but concerned sigh. "When you put it that way, how can I contradict you?" He smiled. "But you must tell me when the babe is close, so I can call for them." He insisted.
"I promise." Brienne assured him. "When the girls bring the breakfast tray, they can inform the maester and the midwife, so they will be ready." She compromised. "You can have them station outside the door, and the nurses can take Galladon in a little while." She permitted. Jaime nodded his acceptance of her offer.
Brienne's face suddenly grew serious, as she moved her hand to cover her middle. "Now, I need you to take him." She said, starting to breath heavily.
"Another one?" Jaime asked nervously as he took Galladon into his arms.
"Yes." Brienne tried to smile, reaching for his hand. His grip gave her the resistance she needed to fight through the pain. His presence gave her the courage to face it with hope and faith.
The morning came and went, and by the time the sun outside rose to the middle of the sky, Brienne was deep in her labor. The happy sweet smile she had worn earlier had been replaced by an exhausted, pain-filled grimace. The maids and nurses waited dutifully in the hallway, and when Brienne's water broke, Jaime hurried them in to usher Galladon from the chamber. Brienne watched tearfully as her son was taken from her, but had no time to dwell on her disappointment.
"I think I'd like to lie down now." Brienne told Jaime wearily. He supported her to bed, and layed her carefully into the quilts.
There was no time to relax, as the pummeling of her insides continued. As afternoon bled into evensong, Jaime and Brienne faced her trial together. Her pains mounting, he never left her side. His strong grip was her lifeline, his presence her focus. He spoke quiet words of strength to her, and did his best to distract his wife with his touch and his voice. As the sun slipped from view through the windows, Brienne began to sense the pressure that would force their babe toward life.
Clutching Jaime's fist with one hand, and her aching belly with the other, Brienne arched her back and muttered an agonized moan. "It's time to fetch the midwife." She warned.
At her order, Jaime jumped to his feet and scurried for the door. Before reaching halfway there he pivoted and returned frenzied to Brienne's bedside. He hastily took her face in his palm, and kissed her cheek tenderly. "I love you." Jaime beamed proudly at her.
Brienne did her best to smile through her hasty panting. "I love you, too." She answered breathlessly. Somehow her exhausted eyes sparkled at him. "Now go!" She gasped, her voice rising in urgency.
Jaime nodded. " ." He capitulated. "I'm going." He called behind him as he again ran for the door. Upon reaching the threshold, he threw the door open, ready to spring into the hallway. Much to his relief, Jaime found those he sought already waiting for his beckoning.
The gray-haired, rose-cheeked midwife, hurried to tend to Brienne with a comforting smile, as the maester took his place near the bedside should he be needed. Jaime returned to Brienne's side, eyeing the new participants in the birth of his child threateningly, almost daring them to try to make him leave. Neither of them made any attempt to remove Jaime or distance him from Brienne.
"Your little one ready to join us?" The midwife asked Brienne pleasantly, throwing back the quilts to expose her patient's body to examination.
Brienne held tight to Jaime's hand and nodded in reply. "I need to push." She answered insistently as the old lady spread her legs, her fingers disappearing between them, and Brienne wincing in discomfort.
"Then, by all means." The midwife suggested. "Go on and push. You're ready." She reported, pulling back her hand, and laying it upon Brienne's upbent knee.
Brienne blew her breath out threw pursed lips, and gave Jaime a willing look as she pulled his hand closer within hers. He nodded to her with a nervous but ready grin. Hastily, he took a seat on the mattress behind her, supporting her to sit upright. "Remember what I told you before, when Galladon was coming." Jaime recalled. "You are Brienne Lannister of Tarth. The strongest woman in Westeros." He said to strengthen her resolve. "You can do this." He encouraged.
Brienne could resist no longer. Her body called to her with an urge she had no wish to fight. She breathed deeply, lowered her chin to her chest, gritted her teeth, and strained against the compelling need in her body. Her guttural groan becoming a painful wail as she pushed through her pain. Brienne's fingers squeezed Jaime's with all her might. He returned her strength and held fast to her.
"Push. Push!" He rallied her, as she tended to her woman's work. After a moment, Brienne relaxed against her husband's shoulder, resting and readying herself for the next assault.
Brienne labored long into the night. Each answer to her body's urging brought on a deeper even more desperate need, her loud complaining wails turning to cries and finally to screams as she began to feel her babe emerge from her body. Jaime bathed her face with cool clothes, and braced her against the forces of her own body, trying to kiss away her pain. As the end drew near, suddenly Brienne stopped her brave battling.
"You are almost there, My Lady." The midwife aided. "Do not stop, now." She tried to hearten Brienne for her final effort.
"No!" Brienne sobbed, turning to Jaime. His worry consumed him listening to her plea. "I want our babe to born into your arms." Brienne cried. "As Galladon was." She begged him, her face lined with desperation and pain.
Jaime regarded Brienne with reverence, and brushed his lips against her temple as he moved from behind her. "I would have it no other way, My Love." He replied, taking his place in front of her to watch over their child's birth. The midwife happily moved aside to make way the babe's father.
Brienne smiled lovingly at him through her suffering. She hunched herself forward, and took hold of his shoulders to bolster herself as she had done when she birthed their son.
"Are you ready?" Jaime asked her, nervously.
Brienne answered with a loving imperative nod. She was more than anxious to be finished, and eager to greet the new life they had made. Gasping, she bore down again, crying out as she felt the burning stretch of their babe tearing through her.
Jaime smiled at Brienne in amazement. "I see it. It's coming!" He shouted excitedly. His mind recalled all the times he had felt the tiny being move within her. Now they were moments from bringing that precious life into the world. "Push!" He ordered.
Brienne complied, exerting herself again. This time she felt her baby's head leave her. "The head is out." Jaime nearly laughed with joy.
He reached down to support the infant's neck, and provide a gentle pull to help Brienne's give birth. "Push. Push!" He encouraged, but there was no need.
Brienne could not control the demands of her muscles, as they forced the babe from her, it took only a few more attempts and a mighty scream, and their babe was finally born. She relaxed, and searched for breath with a smile as their child's cry filled the room. Her ordeal over.
Tears of joy flowing freely from Jaime's eyes, he held up a scrunched and squalling little face to meet its mother. The vision was matched only by the first view of their son. Both equally beautiful. "It's a girl." Jaime announced. "A daughter." He told Brienne with pride.
Jaime laid the tiny infant in Brienne's outstretched arms. He quickly moved around the mattress to take them both in his embrace. Her happy tears met his as they welcomed their newborn into the world. Brienne cradled her babe to her, and sighed with the unconditional love of a mother finally holding her long awaited infant.
"She is breathtaking." Jaime cupped his hand around his daughter protectively. "Just like her mother." He kissed Brienne's forehead, and trailed his lips to hers. She answered his passion in loving return.
Barely able to control her happy sobs, Brienne reached for Jaime' face. "I love you." She whispered, ardently.
Jaime held Brienne tightly, his heart bursting with thoughts of the family they had created, and how much he adored her. "I love you, My Wife." He swore.
Brienne raised their daughter to her face, kissing her slick little head, and reveling in the sound of her first cries. Jaime nestled them back onto the pillows as the midwife calmly severed the cord which connected child to mother, and helped Brienne finish her delivery. She cleaned Brienne and dressed her for the bleeding that would come, and for the bed rest she badly needed. Brienne herself barely felt the commotion at the foot of her bed, so enthralled she was in enjoying her daughter along with her husband. Jaime could not take his eyes from their glowing faces, nor his arms from around them. He wept openly, unable to control his happy tears, his heart overflowing with love.
"My Lady." The midwife, cleared her throat. "I should clean her." She smiled sweetly and compassionately.
Brienne sighed happily but reluctantly, understanding the woman's need to bathe her newborn. She smiled at Jaime, who was finally able to return her grin. "Alright." Brienne conceded. "Please do not be too long." She begged.
"She will be back in your arms in no time." The woman comforted her, and smiled softly.
Brienne gave up her infant, hesitant to feel her gone for a moment. The midwife held the babe carefully and laid her on a clean linen at the foot of the bed. With another warm wet cloth she cleaned the child of the remnants of her birth. Jaime held Brienne in his strong reassuring grasp. She clung to him joyfully.
Jaime brought Brienne's fingers to his lips and kissed them. "We have not yet chosen a name for our beautiful little girl." He reminded her, as she leaned against him. Throughout Brienne's pregnancy, they had considered a long list of suitable christenings for their child, but had finally decided to wait until the babe arrived, feeling certain one would stand out when they finally beheld their infant.
Brienne lifted her chin proudly as their babe, cleanly napkined and swaddled, was laid once more into her arms. "I know exactly what her name should be." She smiled at Jaime. Brienne placed a kiss upon their child's tiny forehead, and regarded her with loving pride. "Joanna." Brienne declared. "Her name will be Joanna." She returned her tired but radiant eyes to her husband.
Jaime gasped at the perfection of Brienne's suggestion. It was his own dear mother's name with which she had graced their child. Even the babe seemed to glorify in her new moniker as she wriggle and cooed with delight in Brienne's arms. A glowing smile drifted onto Jaime's face as he rested his head against her hair, his eyes studying their babe with fascination.
"You are the most amazing woman that has ever graced this world." Jaime swore as he trailed kisses down Brienne's temple and onto her cheek. Finding her lips, he lost himself in their passionate kiss. She melted into his soft loving grasp.
Her body spent, and her heart full, Brienne crumpled against Jaime's chest, the fatigue of her ordeal beginning to set in. Feeling the fullness of the need within her body, Brienne loosened the wrap of her shift and held her babe gently to her breast. The infant took to her happily, and suckled greedily, sighing with contentment between gulps. Jaime rested his hand softly against their new little bundle, sheltered Brienne in the crook if his arm as she fed their child, and considered himself the luckiest a man in the whole of the Seven Kingdoms.
Once the babe's stomach was full, and Brienne could fight sleep no longer, Jaime tenderly lifted Joanna from her arms, and happily took charge of their child's care. He nestled Brienne against the pillow once again, and kissed her forehead. He would sit beside her, holding their newborn daughter while she slept. "Sleep now, My Love." He bid her. "When you awake, we shall introduce our precious girl to her big brother." He said softly in anticipation as Brienne drifted into her well deserved slumber, the smile upon her lips saying all she had not the strength to voice.