When King Jon tells them about his meetings with Daenerys Targaryen and Jaime—who, apparently, is now King of Westeros—everyone is, naturally, shocked. "How sure are you that this Lannister bastard can be trusted?", Lady Sansa asks, and many people back up this question.
His Grace places his hands on his breeches' pockets. "She knew about Arya and Bran, even though there was no way of knowing they'd come back", he states. "She knew about Stannis' death, despite news of it having not left Winterfell before my departure. And she knew too much about the Army of the Dead for someone who never faced them. Her story is so elaborate, I doubt it's a farce. At worst, she believes her own words, and… well, you can't fabricate eye color or tree sap bleeding, and I saw what emerged from her injured finger."
Madman's tales, these of the king's, but what else can they be but the truth? Everyone in Winterfell is well aware of the threat of the Night King, and how desperately they need allies. However, she thinks her liege lady is right to be suspicious. To have Jaime's word and forces, not to mention Daenerys'—it sounds too good to be true.
Sansa turns to Bran—who has announced his new identity days after his arrival. "Your mark", she tells him. "Is it possible that it works as a tracker and a blocker?"
He stares at his sister for a long time, and then, "Yes", he replies, with only the slightest display of emotion. "Of course, I can't exactly attest it all by myself, but… it's not impossible that the Night King would do something to make sure I wouldn't see past the trap they are setting against us." A short silence. "I've watched the South for some days. This Alysanne does seem to speak the truth. I've already seen she has yet to tell you everything, though."
"I'm aware", Jon says in response. "Ser—King Jaime told me he couldn't disclose all of what she said to make him believe her. I assumed it was personal stuff. I don't think she will withdraw any information that is truly vital to the war."
Lady Sansa speaks up again. "And they want us to hold a meeting in Dragonstone", she repeats when he said previously.
King Jon nods. "They are turning the city upside down searching for old wildfire caches", he explains, "so the… king is afraid of holding a big council there." Has Jaime told him about Aerys? She is tempted to ask, but stays silent. If Jon doesn't say anything on the matter now, she can ask later if she's feeling daring enough. "They asked for a few specific people to be there, if possible."
Her liege lady frowns again. "Who?"
"Our siblings", he replies immediately, glancing at Arya and Bran. "Your sworn sword." At that, he looks at Brienne. "Melisandre, though Ser Davos said to have spotted her in Dragonstone already—Ser Davos is on their list too, by the way." He scratches his head. "Sam, Theon… oh! Either the Hound or Beric Dondarrion. I'm not sure why it's either of them, but—I think we can send both. And battle commanders from the North, the riverlands and the Vale."
Sansa nods. "That is easily arranged." She then turns to Brienne. "Lady Brienne, are you willing to go to this meeting with my siblings?"
"If this is your wish, my lady", she replies, nodding.
With a smile that reminds her of her mother, she confirms it is.
It takes nearly a whole month, but they eventually arrive in Dragonstone. As they get closer, Brienne feels herself growing more and more anxious, and she can't pretend to not know the reason: Jaime.
King Jon said he rose to throne after his sister was executed for treason against the king that preceded her—Tommen, her own son. But how can this be? Brienne remembers with clarity the wedding that ended in Joffrey's death. She couldn't see all that clearly from where she stood, but Cersei's despair was evident. How could the same woman plot against her other son? What did she do?
She knows about the explosion of the Sept of Baelor, but details are lost to her. Had Cersei been behind it? It sounds absurd—she can't see what she could have gained from it—but what else would she be executed for? I'll find a way to ask Jaime about it, she decides. She might be too shy to approach anyone else, but not him—even if it means enduring the crazy jumps her heart makes whenever near him.
She knows she's been in love with Jaime ever since he gave her a Valyrian steel sword, fitting armor, a beautiful horse, and Podrick, all to fulfill an oath he swore under duress and that went directly against his family's wishes. Sometimes she thinks she began to fall for him when he rescued her from the bear in Harrenhal. Nobody has ever done for her what he did. Jaime respects her in a way not even her father and her master-at-arms did. Not even Renly, who saw it fit to grant her a place in his Rainbow Guard, recognized her worth as Jaime does.
(It's yours; it will always be yours. Does he know she could say the same to him, but of her heart?)
Of course, her feelings are fated to be once again unrequited. Jaime has loved his sister for his entire life. (I don't blame you, and I don't blame him either. We don't get to choose who we love.) Theirs is a passionate, all-consuming love. She can never give him that, for it isn't her nature, and how can she ever compare to Cersei Lannister—beautiful, graceful, powerful, intense?
And Jaime is a man who loves deeply. She's seen that multiple times in their time together. Not even death can drive him apart from his sister. Brienne can only hope that, now that he's free from her direct influence, he can be the man he was always meant to be—the man she fell in love with.
If he is willing to compromise with Daenerys Targaryen and the Starks, of all people, he's already pulling himself free of his sister's strings. She's glad they are no longer on opposing sides of a tiresome war. She can never have him the way she wants to, but now she can at least fight side by side with him. How can she ask for more?
However, she can't help but worry for him. According to King Jon, his most trusted guard is his bastard cousin, Alysanne Hill, natural daughter of his late uncle Kevan, who came from the future. Is she truly the person she claims to be? Is Jaime safe with her at his side? Jon told them he and Daenerys fled to King's Landing upon hearing Lady Olenna's description of the woman who saved the Reach armies from being slaughtered by the Crown's, fearing she was a White Walker who planned to take the throne for herself. Instead, they found Jaime on said throne, with Alysanne as his white sword.
Could it be that she pinned the twins against each other? She can't help but wonder. It wouldn't be the first time in recent history that House Lannister reveals itself to be divided. Of course, it all depends on what exactly Cersei did, not only in the present but in the future Alysanne came from—perhaps the Lion Queen did something that, directly or indirectly, doomed Westeros to destruction, and her cousin saw fit to see her removed before it could happen again.
She can only hope Jaime can recover from this loss. Jon didn't give any clue on his state of mind on their encounter, only that he and Alysanne seemed close—not in any inappropriate way, he insisted, but it spoke of familiarity.
Bran's voice from the other side of the cabin snaps her from her reverie. "I believe Ser Alysanne is trustworthy", he says casually. "I don't think we have anything to fear from her."
He's talking directly to her, so she feels compelled to reply. "You believe she's an ally."
"Yes." He grins. "You should talk to her. It seems that she will have much to tell you."
She opens her mouth to ask what, but then Bran turns his gaze away from her, and she knows he won't say anything more on the subject. However, she still hears him whisper, presumably to himself, "She has much to tell me too, I think."
They meet a woman dressed in red when they arrive on shore. King Jon calls her Melisandre, meaning she's the red priestess Jaime asked for. "Why are you not there yet?", he asks her with suspicion.
"I was on my way to Volantis", she explains, "when I saw in the flames that I was needed here once again. I've just arrived."
Brienne thinks it's a fair explanation, and so does Jon apparently. They all march together to Dragonstone, being greeted by an Unsullied who guides them to the throne room. At Jon's request, she and Ser Davos go ahead. They arrive at the main hall to find Daenerys sitting on the massive throne—more opulent than the one in King's Landing, in her humble opinion—but, as the dark-skinned woman introduces her many titles, her eyes search for Jaime.
And there he is, standing on a wall, far from the main scene. His eyes seemingly find hers at the same time, and he breaks into a shining smile that makes her knees weak. Then she darts to the woman standing beside him, who also fixes her gaze on Brienne—but with an amused expression that doesn't sit right with her.
Her eyes are just like Jon described: cold, unsettling, unnatural. It's hard to tear her gaze away from them, but she forces herself to inspect the rest of her. Her blonde curls scream Lannister—in fact, were for them alone, she'd say the Lannister twins are actually triplets, and she's the missing one. Her face is shaped like Jaime's, and her body like Cersei's. Only her broad shoulders and her odd nose are any indicators that a non-Lannister took part in her conception.
She's snapped out of her analysis when Ser Davos humbly introduces Jon as King in the North. Jaime steps ahead and introduces himself. "Jaime Lannister, First of My Name, King of—whatever's left of Westeros, I don't know anymore." It earns a chuckle from a few people present, Brienne included. Leave it to Jaime to fumble over his kingly introduction.
After everyone is properly introduced, Daenerys gestures at the chairs placed around the hall and invites them to sit down. Suddenly Jaime appears next to her, taking the nearest seat he finds. His white sword follows him closely behind. "Lady Brienne", he greets her in a whisper, smiling softly.
She can't help but smile in return, but her reply is polite. "Your Grace."
His smile is replaced with a frown. "Jaime, just Jaime", he says, pleadingly. "I hear 'Your Grace' more than enough times a day."
At his side, Alysanne Hill rolls her eyes. "You've been king for less than two months", she reminds him. "You can't be already tired of hearing your title."
"I've been tired of hearing my bloody title from day one", he retorts. "Must I remind you that I cursed when the septon crowned me?"
Alysanne seems to be biting off a laugh, and Jaime turns back to Brienne. "I was hoping we could talk later", he whispers softly.
"Of course", she replies, doing her best to ignore her heart tripping at his invitation—and failing as he beams at her.
Their exchange is interrupted by Melisandre, who stands over Alysanne and looks at her up and down. "You are not from this world", she guesses.
The bastard blinks, startled—and so does Jaime. "That was fast", she says, seemingly to herself. "I should have just come to you instead."
"I doubt the word of a red priestess would spare you any of the lengthy speeches you've had to make to everyone who meets you", Jaime replies instantly.
Without another word, Melisandre moves to take a seat between Bran and Samwell. She glances to her left to see Ser Davos sitting on her side. Looking ahead, she notices she's sitting across Tyrion Lannister, who is eyeing his brother with amusement. Jaime surely arrived here days ago, she thinks. The two brothers must have already spoken to each other.
From her seat on the throne, Daenerys begins to talk. "You all know why we are gathered here today, any and all enmities set aside in the name of the greater good. There is a great enemy marching against us, and union and peace are demanded from us if we want to win. This very meeting already requires that we set our differences aside, and that we ignore any political disputes, at least for now." She takes a deep breath. "That being said, I think it is best that we are all covered on the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. For that, I'd like to call forward: Jon Snow, King in the North, Ser Alysanne Hill of Jaime Lannister's Kingsguard and Bran Stark, the Three-Eyed Raven."
Jon stands up and walks to his brother to push him forward, at the same time Alysanne stands from her seat and walks to the centre of the room.
Bran is the first to speak up. "Our most immediate danger is the Night King", he declares in the emotionless voice she's grown used to. At her side, Jaime tenses up, certainly remembering what he did to the boy years ago. "He has an army composed of a hundred thousand wights, who march slowly but restlessly to the Wall. He is the enemy I've met in my time training to become the Three-Eyed Raven, and he is the one who marked me. I am his primary target."
"Why?", Princess Arianne Martell asks. "I get that you are a powerful greenseer, but what makes you the Night King's nemesis?"
"I hold the memories of the whole of humanity", he explains. "That's my true power. Without our past, we cannot move forward, so eliminating me makes the Night King's path easy to conquer humanity." He then turns to Alysanne. "But I believe our companion from the future can tell you more about the threats that lie ahead."
Alysanne closes her eyes and inhales deeply. "A long time ago, the first attack led by the White Walkers provoked the First Long Night", she begins. "For a generation, the sun did not rise. Its end is surrounded by legends and tales, but it is known that the White Walkers are what drove people to build the Wall—to drive them away. Centuries went by without any of them showing up, and we forgot the true purpose of the Wall and the Night's Watch.
"In my world, King Jon had a harder time making people believe in his world, so he marched beyond the Wall to capture a wight, to give visual proof. The effort led to the loss of one of Queen Daenerys' dragons, which was turned wight and used to tear down part of the Wall. We've avoided this loss so far, but make no mistake: we are only postponing the crumble of the Wall.
"As most of you must know by now, the Night King is not the true leader of the White Walkers. This role belongs to the Night Queen, who is its maker. In my timeline, the Night King's army was defeated in less than a full day, though the living still suffered many losses. However, it was only a distraction, a way to weaken our forces for when the Night Queen's armies came.
"It was the perfect scenario for them. Westeros had torn itself apart with numerous wars over the years, before and after the Second Long Night, so we were entirely unprepared for when the Night Queen came. In less than five years, every single person met their end by the hands of the undead, and it was a miracle that I survived long enough to find the Children of the Forest in order to be sent back in time to change things."
Silence falls, and Brienne squeezes her eyes shut. Alysanne's words and voice tone spoke of desolation and grief; how must it have been, to be absolutely alone in the world? Brienne has felt lonely many times in her life, thanks to the things that made her stand out and separated from other women, but even she cannot imagine a scenario in which there is absolutely nobody to turn to. She thinks she'd take scorn and ridicule any day, if it meant there were people around her to do so.
She opens her eyes to see Jaime looking down. He must have heard that story already, but he looks as sad as everyone else. Finally, someone—Arya—speaks up. "What do you mean when you say the Wall will crumble even without a wight dragon?"
Alysanne turns to the Stark girl. "The Night Queen has ice dragons at her disposal", she states. "They come from the far end of the Shivering Sea. In my world, the Night King didn't have to resort to them, but I have absolutely no doubts that he will if he finds no other way to cross the Wall. They were used to tear the rest of it down, and to destroy many settlements in Westeros and Essos."
"And how", Daenerys asks, "are we supposed to stand against them?"
"Your own dragons, Your Grace", she replies without hesitation. "Fire against ice. Over the years, I've counted three ice dragons on the Night Queen's army, each one ridden by a member of her court."
"How many members does she have in this… court?", Lady Olenna asks.
"Seven, including the Night King. They are… there is a word in True Tongue for it, one for which there is no translation." She frowns in concentration. "Oh—it's horcrux."
She sees Jaime frowning. Clearly, this is new information for him too. He relaxes in a blink of an eye, though. Perhaps he already knew she saved some revelations for the great meeting. At her side, Ser Davos asks, "What does that mean?"
"Like I said, there is no exact translation for it", Alysanne says. "But it means—the Night Queen created those horcruxes as guardians of her soul—or whatever equivalent of a soul she possesses. In summary, she cannot be killed as long as her horcruxes stand alive. We have to kill every member of her court before even contemplating killing her, and they are already hard to track down already."
"Did you manage to slay any of them?", A bald man—Varys, she remembers—asks.
"One", she declares. "A member of the Golden Company slayed a second, and a third was killed by—Brienne of Tarth." All heads turn to her, and she looks at Alysanne, startled. She feels Jaime's gaze on her. "It wasn't enough, though. We never even got to the dragon riders, and I only saw the Night Queen from afar."
It's Jon's turn to ask questions. "Is there a difference between the Night King, the Night Queen, these other court members, the White Walkers and the wights?"
She nods. "We never figured out all of those differences", she admits, "especially where it concerns the Night Queen. What we learned was this: the wights can be killed by fire, obsidian or Valyrian steel, any of the three. White Walkers and court members are immune to fire, and gods know what is required to slay the Night Queen." She sighs. "Each court member has a small garrison of White Walkers under their command, which crumble if their master is slayed. The same applies to the hordes of wights at their disposal."
"Can't we just head straight to these bloody court members then?", Clegane asks.
"We can", Alysanne replies slowly, "but we'll inevitably face their wights and White Walkers in the process. They exist to stand between us and them, after all. The wights have no strategic thinking; they rely on brute force alone. However, they are numerous, and they don't tire out, so the slightest distraction can be one's undoing. White Walkers are more calculating, and the Night Court is highly intelligent. We need many layers of defense in order to win."
"What is your idea, then?", Daenerys asks. "You know what didn't work, and I suppose you have some idea of what could."
The bastard nods. "The Night King may be a distraction, but he is not to be underestimated. He leads the largest wight army, even if not the most powerful. We must eliminate him with minimal losses, and for that, King Jaime and I have an idea."
She pointedly looks at the aforementioned king, who straightens up and clears his throat. "King's Landing has wildfire caches underground, spread all over", he begins. "They've been there since Aerys' time, and it only grows more unstable with time."
He stands up. "Bran just told us he is the Night King's primary target, something Ser Alysanne has already told me, Jon and Daenerys. He will march to wherever Bran is. We can use it to lure him and his army to a trap."
Realization dawns on her: Jaime and Alysanne intend to burn King's Landing down. Jon nods, as if he already knew this, but Daenerys gasps. "You don't want to move the caches out of the city", she states. "You want to bring the undead inside to burn them down."
"Exactly", he confirms. "We'd need one of your dragons for it. I thought of having Bran stationed at the top of one of the Red Keep's towers—we can demolish the ceiling so it will be open. When the Night King's army enters the city, whoever is riding the dragon takes Bran out and uses said dragon to ignite the caches. Most of them are placed in a way that one ignition will cause a chain reaction that will destroy the entire city. Honestly, we were lucky the sept's explosion didn't cause that chain reaction."
Brienne can't help but ask, "What about the citizens?" Surely he has a plan for them too, but she can't wonder what.
He turns to her, and his face softens so visibly, she can't be imagining it, even if he recomposes himself a moment later. "We have evacuation plans ready", he tells her, his gaze initially fixed on hers, then wandering around the audience. "Actually, we have evacuation plans for all settlements on the way between the Wall and King's Landing. The Night King will probably already raise the buried dead from the many graves across the Kingsroad and inside the great castles like Winterfell. There is no need to give him more bodies."
Jon blinks. "Which settlements do you plan to evacuate?"
"The entire crowlands", he begins. "All of the Night's Watch's forts. Last Hearth, Winterfell, Dreadfort. It would be wise to evacuate the northern clans too, if the Night King decides to cross the Wall through its west end."
"He destroyed Eastwatch in my timeline", Alysanne supplies. "But there is no guarantee he won't change tactics if he realizes Castle Black and Eastwatch are empty."
"Yes", Jaime agrees. "Thorren's Square, Cerwyn, White Harbor. It'd be ideal to evacuate the crannogmen too, but, if their homes are as hidden as they claim to be, they can actually be useful as a distraction for the Night King—I do believe it would be wise to place small garrisons so he won't realize our trap right away.
"And I'm only talking about the North—which is not my area of expertise. In the riverlands, we have the Crossroads Inn village, Harroway's town, the entire region of Gods' Eye, Harrenhal. The Twins are already empty, I think, but it would be wise to make sure of it."
Daenerys tilts her head. "And where would we send all these people to?"
"This is where our alliances come most at play, actually. We need to send the people to regions where the Night King is unlikely to go. He can't freeze oceans, so islands are a safe place. Bear Island, the Iron Islands, Tarth, Estermont… Even here, in Dragonstone. Dorne and the Reach as a whole are supposedly safe, given they are south of King's Landing. The stormlands as well, though I can't speak for a region whose lords are mostly not here. The Vale is also supposed to be safe, given all the trouble that is going through it. And, of course, the West, which I can freely speak for. We'd give shelter to as many people as we can."
A man she doesn't recognize stands up. "People from the Neck and White Harbor can take refuge in Vale's port cities and islands", he declares. "The Eyrie and other high castles are unusable during winter, though."
She stands up next. "Tarth can host a small number of crowlanders", she announces, and Jaime smiles brightly at her.
Daenerys nods. "A few crownlanders can come here as well, although, with the arrival of the Reach's armies and my own, I'm afraid we can't host many."
"The Reach can go back for the time being", Lady Olenna replies. "Your armies are still large, Your Grace, but with our leave there will be more space for refugees. The Reach will also welcome them."
"Dorne is open to whoever wants to hide there", Princess Arianne declares.
Two girls, Alys Karstark and Lyanna Mormont, proudly offer their homes to the Greyjoy siblings tell them the Iron Islands are not good for hosting too many people, but offer them anyway.
"I'm glad we're all together in this", Jon finally says. "We can begin evacuation immediately, starting with the North." He turns to Alysanne. "I believe our most immediate concern is solved here."
She nods. "It took two decades for the Night Queen to cross the Wall after the Night King fell. While I strongly believe we should go for her before she grows strong, we can detail our next steps after the Night King is defeated. The only thing we still need to discuss is how we kill him. Even after we burn his army, he will still be standing in King's Landing after the wildfire dies out."
"We can have soldiers stationed in the kingswood", Jaime replies easily. "Near Wendwater. The dragons can fly around the city to monitor the fire and the Night King, and give signals as soon as it's safe for them to invade. You said he was first defeated by a single blow, right?"
Alysanne nods again. "Arya Stark", she says, looking at the lady in question, "pierced the Night King with a Valyrian steel dagger. That's all we need… but his White Walkers will probably still be alive too when the fire dies out. That group is strong, so we need a handful of soldiers to hold them down."
"We can pick these soldiers later, though", Jon states. "For now, we focus on evacuation efforts. Tomorrow we will decide where the citizens of each city, village and settlement will go. Take the rest of the day to rest and think on the subject."
An hour later, she finds herself walking along the shore with Jaime. His ever-present guard was 'stolen' by Tyrion, leaving the two of them alone—much to her delight and dismay.
They walk in silence all the way out of the castle. She senses he is too tense to speak inside its walls, so she waits for him to feel comfortable to talk, which he only does after he finds a cave. He leans against one of its walls and gestures for her to come closer. "How have you been?", he asks. "I've heard there was a battle against the Boltons. Did you take part in it?"
She shakes her head. "Pod and I arrived in Winterfell just as Jon was proclaimed King in the North", she explains.
He grins. "I'm sure that battle would have ended quicker if you were there", he says teasingly. Then, softer, "But I'm glad you were far from that mess."
"You can't know whether it was a mess or not", she replies, but her heart is not in it.
"All battles are, my lady." My lady. Not wench, or any of the other nicknames he made up for her, or even her name. "Has your new liege lady been treating you well? I should hope so; I'd hate to find out I armed and armored you only for you to end up serving a cruel woman."
"Lady Sansa is a good person", she replies. "She's treated me kindly and is a good lady to her subjects. I was surprised by her gentleness, considering all she's gone through."
He sighs. "I'm glad she didn't let this forsaken world corrupt her", he whispers, looking away. "It's happened far too often."
Silence follows, even as he turns his gaze back to her. The intensity of his eyes on hers leaves her weak, so she decides to come up with another subject. "Your cousin", she begins, "from… the future. Who is she, really?"
His reaction is unexpected: he chuckles. "If you fear for my safety, my lady, worry not. Alysanne has been telling the truth about everything… except her parentage." He bites his lower lip, and Brienne has to make an incredible effort not to stare at it. "It is not my secret to tell. She was told by her peers to only disclose this information to those who guessed it right, and so far only I've been able to, but I can tell you this: she's half-Lannister, indeed, and she was conceived at the end of this day, shortly after the battle against the Night King."
She frowns, and the first thing she realizes is, "She's not your cousin. Your uncle could not have sired her."
He nods, grinning. "Clever thinking. So far none of my men has realized it yet. What else can you guess, Brienne?"
He says her name so sweetly, it almost drives her to distraction. Almost. "Can she still be conceived?" He nods. "You and Tyrion are the only Lannisters left." He nods again, more enthusiastically. "I—Jon said she claims to not have been born with those eyes of hers."
"She wasn't", he admits. "It was a side effect of the ritual she was subjected to in order to go back in time."
"Do you know how her eyes looked beforehand?"
He frowns. "Funny thing, I never asked. I didn't need that information to figure out her identity. Other aspects of her appearance gave it away for me, along with some background. C'mon, ask."
"You are way too excited for this", she says dryly.
His shoulders fall a bit. "Sorry", he replies sheepishly. "It's just—I've been the only one to know this so far, and I'm sure you can figure it out if you try hard enough. But if you want to speak of other things, we can change the subject." He reaches to grab her wrist. "I've missed you, Brienne, and I want to spend time with you before the mess of the battles to come sets us apart again."
She grabs his hand tightly, if only to anchor her in place. He missed her? He wants her company?
His eyes are fixed on hers again, and this time she can't bring herself to look away. Gods only know how much time passes before she finds it in herself to speak. "What happened in King's Landing?", she asks, even though she's afraid the question will drive him away.
He looks down, but doesn't let go of her hand. "Cersei was the one behind the burning of the Sept", he tells her quietly. "I've suspected it from the start, but there was little I could do without confirmation. I wanted to believe her innocence, especially when she—she began to not hide our relationship anymore."
"Oh, Jaime", she lets out. She can only imagine how he must have felt, to be able to love his sister out in the open. It breaks her heart, but she understands how happy he must have felt.
He shakes his head, eyes squeezed shut. "We weren't on good terms, though", he adds. "I barely talked to her, especially after she dared call Tommen a traitor—our son, Brienne, who jumped to his death after witnessing the explosion, and all she had to say was an insult against him?" He inhales sharply. "Then she sent me to take over Highgarden and eliminate Olenna." He opens his eyes. "It was where I met Alysanne. She told me of things that happened in her world—any doubts I had about Cersei were solved. I knew I could not support her any longer."
"What did she tell you?"
"It's better if she tells you", he says gently. "Part of it is your story too." She's already guessed she survived the Second Long Night, since Alysanne mentioned her slaying a member of the Night Court in the Third one. "But… Cersei's actions weakened the living's forces even more in the long run. I went back to King's Landing thinking of ways to diminish her power, to lessen her influence in the great scheme of things, but… there was no other way."
It dawns on her the meaning of his words. "You killed her", she whispers.
"There was a trial", he replies. "Sort of. She made me her Hand, unknowingly giving me the power I need to bring her to justice, and made Alysanne her Queensguard on the assumption she was Uncle Kevan's natural daughter. She liked the idea of having a Lannister bastard guarding her. One day, she told her Tommen died a traitor. It was the perfect opportunity to strike. How could Tommen betray the Crown if he was the Crown?" He sighs. "I made her indirectly confess that she ordered the explosion of the sept, then listed a few of her most serious crimes. She demanded a trial by combat and named Alysanne as her champion."
"But she was in the plan with you", Brienne finishes, "wasn't she?"
"She was the one who came up with most of it", he tells her. "She's an excellent swordswoman, Brienne", he cannot hide the pride in his voice, and his eyes shine upon saying that, "but Cersei didn't know that, so she never really noticed she was bluffing. Then she yielded." His expression saddens. "I was the one who executed her."
Before she can think better of it, she hugs him. His arms encircle her waist tightly, and he hides his face in the curve of her neck. "I'm sorry you had to do this", she whispers to him, rubbing his back as soothingly as she can. She may not be a delicate maiden, but if she can give him some comfort, she will.
He seems to appreciate her efforts. "I wish there had been another way", he whispers back, "but—Alysanne revealed to me some specific people must be alive for the fight against the Night Queen, and most of them would be at constant risk of dying, if Cersei stayed alive." He inhales deeply, seemingly not caring if she smelled of sweat. "Alysanne despises her greatly, even if she is her aunt. She blamed Cersei for many of her sufferings, even though she was long gone at the time of her birth."
Out of sudden curiosity, she asks, "What does she think of you and Tyrion?"
For whatever reason, he hugs her even tighter. "Tyrion was among the people she grew up with", he says, in a tone that leaves ambiguous whether he raised her as father or uncle. Then, "I was already dead when she was born."
He sounds so, so sad at saying that, she can't help but bring a hand to his hair, caressing it softly. They stay that way for several moments as she processes all he's said—and it dawns on her.
His earlier excitement at having her guess Alysanne's parentage. His pride upon praising her abilities with a sword. The way his voice cracked when telling her he never met her in the other timeline. "She's your daughter", she tells him, voice low. He feels him nodding against her neck. "Oh, Jaime", she exclaims.
In another world, Jaime had a daughter he most likely could have claimed openly, had he lived. The knowledge must have taken a toll on him—no wonder Jon noticed the two being close in King's Landing. Alysanne was meeting her father for the first time ever, and Jaime was finally given a chance at actually being a father.
But who is her mother, if not Cersei? She can't think of any other woman he could have laid down with—
No. It can't be. It's wishful thinking of her part.
It seems that she stopped caressing his hair, for he raises his head to look at her. "Brienne?", he asks, voice so low she almost misses it.
"Who is her mother?", she asks, voice trembling.
His hand squeezes her hip. "I think you know", he tells her softly.
"It can't be."
"I won't be able to tell you if you don't say it, my lady."
She doesn't know how long it takes for her to finally say, "Is it me?"
His answer is the brightest smile she's ever seen—and a kiss on her lips.
A/N: yes, I stole I plot device from Harry Potter. I won't apologize for it one bit xD