He's the one who comes up with the idea to sail past the Vale before he and Ned Stark go their separate ways. His main motivation is his wish to stay with Brienne as long as possible, but… "Ygritte and I might be recognized in Saltpans, considering what happened in the Eyrie and Harrenhal. If I recall correctly, Lady Brienne is also recognizable, as she was around the place when she went to Harrenhal."
"He's right," Brienne agrees, and he grins in satisfaction at remembering her story well. "I spent some time in Duskendale and Maidenpool, and Houses Rykker and Mooton know who I am."
"Exactly. It's better if we sail past that region and go straight to a Vale port—not Gulltown, of course, but some smaller port village, closer to the Neck."
The new King in the North hums. "I think there is a small village at the transition between the Neck and the Vale. We could go to one of the Three Sisters and then get a boat there. Good idea, Lannister."
Ned Stark has dropped the 'Kingslayer' moniquer since his rescue. Polite as ever, he refuses to call him 'Ser Sisterfucker', picking 'Lannister' instead. Jaime grins. "What can I say, even the stupidest Lannister has good ideas sometimes."
He only realizes his words when Brienne looks at him with her big blue eyes and a sad expression. "That's not a nice thing to say about yourself," she says quietly, "and untrue. Who ever told you that?"
He swallows hard. If it was anyone else, he'd shrug it off, but he is powerless under Brienne's gaze. "My father," he begins, "my sister, my brot—"
Ygritte cuts him off with a huff. "Look, you may be the only Lannister I've seen up close, but from what I've heard, there is at least one Lannister who is dumber than you."
He blinks. "I'm afraid to ask who."
"Your sister," she replies instantly. "I mean, you two fucked, right? That's how you found yourself in the Wall."
"Yes," he replies slowly, "and I thought you'd call that a stupid move of my part."
"Well, did you force yourself on her?"
"NO."
She grins. "So, it was stupid of her too. And, given she was the queen, who thought cheating on her husband, the king, was a good idea… she's even dumber."
At her side, Lady Sansa nods. "Not to mention she thought she could easily pass up three blond children as the kids of a dark-haired man," she adds. "No wonder Robert figured it out without even catching you two on the act."
That isn't fair at all. "It took over a decade," he says defensively, "so we fooled the entirety of King's Landing in the meantime."
Brienne shakes her head. "Ygritte has a point, though. You might have been Kingsguard at the time, but having sex is hardly the the worst way to break your vows. The problem is who you had sex with, and the stakes were way higher for your sister than you. So yes, she is dumber than you, which means that, at worst, you are the second stupidest Lannister."
"Wait," Ygritte says. "Did your father know about you two?"
He lets out a snort. "Gods, no."
She raises an eyebrow. "So he's also dumber than you. What kind of father doesn't notice his children fucking each other?"
"Denial?" Lady Sansa suggests. "Either way, I don't think you are stupid, Ser. You may have made dumb mistakes, but that doesn't make you so. No one who gets a master title at the age of fifteen can be truly stupid."
He raises an eyebrow at her. "I lost it two years later," he reminds her.
"Purely out of dishonor," Ygritte quips, doing a poor impression of Jon's voice. Ned Stark shifts uncomfortably on his seat, likely remembering that night.
Brienne frowns at the new King and raises an eyebrow at Jaime. He shrugs, and she brings back the subject of their route. He'd kiss her in thanks if he could.
They reach the Three Sister sooner than he wanted, but he has no trouble admitting to himself it would always be too soon to part ways with Brienne. He can be an idiot in love in his mind, right? As long as he doesn't let it show in front of her, it's fine.
Her low self-esteem, caused by a lifetime of insults and hurtful words, comes with the perk of obliviousness; she has absolutely no idea he feels anything other than respect for her. It's both a curse and a blessing: as inconvenient as his feelings are, he wonders if it wouldn't be good for her to know she can be loved and desired. If Jaime does, why wouldn't another man? A better suited man, who can wed her?
(Also, one that doesn't carry arguably the worst reputation of Westeros on his shoulders. Although Jaime wouldn't call himself a bad man, he's far from virtuous either, and Brienne is, without a doubt, the most honorable person he's ever met.)
Still, the risks of confessing are greater than the benefits. There is a chance, small as it is, that she feels something in return—if he can fall for her, surely she can fall for him. Even if she doesn't at the moment, the mere act of confessing may make her see him in a different light and seriously consider him as a romantic partner. Problem is… he isn't an option, for obvious reasons. So it's best to leave his feelings unsaid and part ways. We'll meet each other again, he reminds himself as he bids her goodbye. Our paths will cross again when the time comes to fight against the Others.
Their parting point is an old, crumbling town-village called Sisterton, in the island named Sweetsister—he's sure he could come up with a metaphor for his relationship with Cersei if he wasn't so distracted by the hanged men displayed at the welcoming gates. "Seven hells," he mutters under his breath.
Ygritte finds a ship to Karhold, which is actually better for the women than White Harbor, and Jaime is left with the Northern King to wait for one that goes to the aforementioned city. In an act that surprises Jaime, Ned uses his new status to get them a place in Breakwater, the castle from which House Borrell rules the island. He doesn't remember ever hearing of the Borrells before, not even in the half year he spent in the Eyrie. He hopes this means he won't be recognized.
Lord Godric Borrell gleefully recalls how Ned met his father in the last war and says he is glad to host the now King in the North. Jaime introduces himself as a wandering crow who found the Stark monarch on the road and is tagging along with him to go back after failing to gather new recruits. If Lord Godric finds his tale odd, he doesn't show.
They are served a distasteful dish called 'sister's stew', which is, apparently, part of the local cuisine, then led to neighboring chambers. Jaime's years as Kingsguard kick in when he almost offers to share Ned Stark's room so he can watch over him, but then he remembers they'll spend an unknown amount of time together in the near future, so he bites his tongue.
He wakes up with the sun, which looks as sad as the rest of the island feels. After breaking their fast with more sister's stew, he and Ned are guided to a ship heading to White Harbor. "We have no news of Prince Robb, Your Grace," Lord Godric laments, "but I'm confident you'll find them in the city."
"So am I, my lord," Ned replies politely. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll remember it."
Jaime bets Lord Godric will sell information about the King in the North at first opportunity, but perhaps there won't be an opportunity to do so, considering how poor and unimportant his seat is.
Ned is quick to tell him they shouldn't talk about anything of importance while in the ship, so their one-day voyage is blissfully quiet. When they set foot on the docks, they find out Lord Godric sent word of their arrival to House Manderly, as several guards carrying its banner are there to escort them to New Castle.
"We are in the North now," Ned says as they follow the guards on newly given horses. "We're safe to be ourselves and tell the truth."
He nods, not adding anything to that statement, and takes a good look at the city. It's a significant improvement from the last cities he's been in since he left King's Landing, which is to be expected, considering this is the largest city in the entire North. Far ahead, he catches sight of a sept. Do the Manderlys follow the old gods or the new?
He gets an answer when he sees knights at the castle's door. No follower of the olds gods would get legitimate knights in their household, as it is tightly linked to the Faith of the Seven. They are greeted by Lord Wyman, and Jaime is finally introduced as himself.
"The Kingslayer was really out of the Wall, then," the fat lord says, humming. "Although this is rather old news for us. We've known about Jon Frost and his travels for a while. A short while, but a while nonetheless."
Any hope for rest dies when he says that, as Ned is eager to find out what Manderly already knows. They are taken to a solar, where they are left alone with Lord Wyman and his granddaughter Wynafryd. "My sons Wendel and Marlon went to Winterfell a couple months ago," he says, "at your son's summons. There, he revealed all about the Avatar—who he is, who his parents truly are."
Ned shifts uncomfortably on his seat. "I had to tell the realm Jon was my son," he defends himself. "Robert would have killed him."
"You won't be judged here, Your Grace," the lord says affably. "Especially considering what happened when the truths of Cersei Lannister's children came out. We've heard a lot of intervention was needed to prevent the execution of five people at once."
Jaime lowers his gaze to the ground. He never thought he'd hear a comparison between Ned's situation with Jon and his with his three children. Distantly, he remembers Brienne telling him about Joffrey's death.
"Prince Robb shared news of your murder charges and the Crown's demand to bend the knee," Manderly continues, "and of the same Crown's quest to hunt and kill the Avatar. There is a generous price on his head, as well as the Kingslayer's."
He huffs and rolls his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know, my lord," he mumbles.
The fat man laughs. "I suppose you've grown used to having people wishing for your death," he comments. "Reports of wights have increased since you both left. That, combined with the Crown's slights, prompted the Northern lords to call for independence. Your son proclaimed you King in the North and called for arms to rescue you and Princess Sansa."
"Is he still in Winterfell?"
"I got a letter from Marlon a week ago, in which he says they had just left Wintertown. He estimated they'd stop by here in two weeks."
"So a week from now.
"Yes. You can wait here, Your Grace—"
"I thank you for your hospitality, Lord Wyman, but I'd rather be escorted to my son's camp. The sooner my men see me, the better."
Although Jaime would rather stay in the comfort of a castle, he sees Ned's point. In his place, he'd want to do the same.
"And what about Ser Jaime?" Lady Wynafryd asks. "Is he going with you, Your Grace?"
At that, Jaime and Ned exchange glances. The plan had always been to deliver the Stark king to his son in person, but, now that he has House Manderly to do the job, Jaime is unlikely to be needed. "My mission was to see the King in the North safe," he states. "This mission was given by the Avatar himself. It is up to His Grace whether he considers it fulfilled or not."
The Northern King eyes him up and down, saying nothing for a while. Eventually, he answers. "I'd like to talk to you about some things, Ser," he says. "But there is no need to postpone your trip back to the Wall on my account."
He has to swallow a sigh of relief.
Despite being clearly followers of the Seven, the Manderly do have a godswood lying around their castle. It isn't as absurd as he initially thinks; Casterly Rock and the Red Keep also have godswoods of their own despite the utter absence of followers of the old gods.
He and Ned Stark go there for their private talk right after dinner. Jaime has no idea what the man wants to talk about, so he just follows him silently.
"Ygritte gave me an earful when we were on the ship to Sweetsisters," he reveals. "She told me you weren't half the bad man the stories made you out to be, and that I've been too harsh with you all these years. From what I've heard, you've supported Jon ever since you found out about his true identity, and a dear friend."
He nods, unsure of where this conversation is supposed to go. "Jon, Ygritte and I have gone through a lot together since we left the Wall," he confirms. "Friendship is a natural consequence of it."
Ned hums. "She implied there is more," he says. "Although she did not disclose what. I've thought about it these last few days. What could lead Ygritte to berate me for having the opinion I have of you, since she knows we never spoke between the end of the rebellion and Robert's visit to Winterfell?" He takes a deep breath. "The only conclusion I could draw is that she knows something I don't, which brings me to the question: why did you kill Aerys?"
He takes a step back. Distantly, Brienne's voice echoes in his mind, asking the same thing in a night much like this one, but with far more curiosity and kindness in her voice. She truly wanted to know—she was truly puzzled by his behavior in contrast to the stories she's heard for her whole life. This is not the case for Ned Stark, and it shows.
He smirks. "Why else would it be, Your Grace, if not to further my father's ambitions?"
The King in the North frowns. "These words alone tell me I've been wrong about that day," he replies. "In hindsight… you couldn't have known about your father's plans, could you?"
"I could," he replies instantly. "Varys was there; he could have told me."
"Assuming he knew." He sighs. "Look, I get that you don't want to tell me. It was me who called you Kingslayer for the first time and made sure to spread the tale. But I'm also the person who can somewhat restore your reputation, if there is anything to restore."
He lets out a mirthless laugh. "There isn't," he retorts. "I've been the vile oathbreaker for fifteen years. And now I'm a sisterfucker as well. Haven't you heard Ygritte calling me that every three sentences?"
"And yet the entire North knows you've aided the Avatar," he replies. "Consider this a payment for all you've done for Jon and for me, Ser. Let me try to fix whatever mistake I've made."
Jaime bites his lip. He isn't sure Ned will believe him, but what does he have to lose? It's not like his public image can get any worse. "You remember how your father and brother died, right?"
He nods. "Wildfire," he says. "Aerys used it to compensate for his lack of bending."
"Exactly." He tells him about the countless caches he ordered made and spread under the city, and how he told Rossart to ignite them when his father began to sack King's Landing.
At the end, Ned has only one question for him. "Are those caches still under the city?"
"Yes," he replies. "I've never reported them to anyone. It seemed safer that way. Gods know what someone with enough power and enough of a sick mind could do with that information."
The King nods. "It's a good thing you freed me then," he comments quietly. "Thank you for sharing, Ser. I'll do my best to ensure the North is aware of my mistake and your heroism."
There is no proper answer for that, so Jaime just nods and bids him good night. He catches his ship to Eastwatch early in the morning, not really willing to see if Ned Stark is really going to tell the tale behind his kingslaying to the Manderly and how they will react to it. It will make no difference, he tells himself. I'm still a Lannister, a sisterfucker and an oathbreaker. And I'm stuck in the Wall anyway; the truth of my actions will be nothing but juicy gossip.