A/N: I'm so sorry that it's taken me a MONTH to update this story. I'm happy to report that I have the rest of the story at least sketched out now - there will be five more chapters...hopefully it won't take me five months to finish the story! Thank you all for your messages and comments, I love you I love you I love you.

Everything appeared to move in slow-motion.

Maintaining a grip on her husband's arm, Brienne stretched her opposite arm down below the bed and finally grasped her sword. As she drags it up from beneath the quilt, she sees Jaime knocking Bronn's hand from his shoulder. The dagger in Bronn's other hand flashes through the air towards Jaime and he ducks, anchoring himself on Brienne's grasp, dealing Bronn a blow to his ribs as he turned back toward the bed. Brienne loosens her hand from Jaime's arm and unsheaths her sword with a hiss as she rises on her knees, the quilt falling from her body. But Bronn is quick. As he spins back to the bed he transfers the dagger to his dominant hand and in an instant is holding it against Jaime's throat even as he pulls a shortsword from his belt and meets Brienne's blow in the air.

Brienne freezes, easing slightly on the pressure of her sword against his.

"Calm down, milady...ser. If I was wanting to kill you, you'd have been dead a week ago when I picked you out of the column. You didn't seem to want anyone to know you were there - so they'd never know if I'd decided to take you out on the way south.

"You wouldn't have had the chance," speaks a voice from the darkness behind Bronn. Instantly, Bronn's sword has clattered to the ground and his dagger is nowhere to be seen. Bronn himself is suddenly on the ground moaning, "I think you broke my arm, you bitch!"

Brienne looks questioningly at Jaime who has gathered up Bronn's shortsword, and the two hold their blades tentatively in the air, squinting into the darkness. Finally they make out the figure - a woman, Brienne thinks…

"Arya?"

"He's been riding with us since Winterfell. I knew he wasn't one of our men - I recognize him from the Twins."

"The Twins?" says Jaime, slowly lowering the blade in his hand.

"After the siege of Riverrun. Your timing was impeccable, you know. I was able to enter the castle as a camp follower and stay as a serving girl until I was able to do my duty."

"Arya?" says Jaime, still uncertain, "You were there with the Freys?"

"I overheard your soldiers at the feast discussing their victory - how you had ordered that they take the castle as bloodlessly as possible - that you'd wanted the Blackfish to live."

Brienne slowly sat back on the bed, pressed against her husband.

"It's the only reason I didn't poison you and your men as well. Despite what old Walder said about Lannisters and Freys working together, my quarrel for the moment was with the Freys. After you and your men headed south again, I killed Walder and his sons. Then I freed my uncle and headed north again."

The figure moved further away, keeping an eye on Bronn splayed on the ground nursing a sprained wrist and a blow to the head. She pulls a flint from her pocket and strikes it, lighting a torch in the corner. In the light, Brienne pulls the quilt up her torso again and gasps as the girl turns around. She is about Arya's height and walks with the same fierceness as the young wolf, but that is not Arya's face.

Disparate recognition dawns on both Jaime and Brienne's face at once. Jaime's eyes go wide as he takes in the face of the girl from the feast at the Twins - the one that kept trying to catch his eye even as Bronn was trying to catch hers. He begins to raise the blade again, but Brienne grips his elbow.

"Who are you?" Jaime whispers.

"The faceless men," Brienne mutters unbelievingly, "Arya spent time-"

The figure removes her face to reveal that of Arya Stark. Jaime's eyes go even wider and he tries to inch back on the mattress. Brienne's lips curl into a hesitant smile and she sets the sword down at the side of the bed.

"What the FUCK is going on here!" cries Bronn from the ground.

"I knew he was one of yours, Ser Jaime. But when he never approached you on the march I knew something was amiss." She gives Brienne a look that borders on patronizing, "It was bad enough I wanted to keep an eye on you while you strayed far from the camp at night, but this one did too. At least with you I knew you wouldn't be planning an attack or something."

Jaime's head snapped back to look at Brienne. "She knew you were…"

Later," Brienne mutters, cupping his cheek.

"When we arrived today, I spotted him stealing away to the river. That's why-"

"-You asked your uncle if you could explore the castle...you knew Bronn was about-"

"-And I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be a problem. But by the time I located him, he was leaving the warmth of the castle again. I'm glad I caught up when I did."

"I wouldn't exactly call the dungeons warm," moaned Bronn, "but it's better than sleeping on the ground."

Jaime threw a stormy look in Bronn's direction, then turned his eyes to the girl. "Thank you, Arya."

"Your wife may thank me. I didn't do it for you. She's the only Lannister I really like."

"Thank you," says Brienne quietly as Jaime dips his head in a nod.

"Anyone gonna thank me for not killing all of you in your sleep in the last fortnight?"

Jaime's eyes gleamed in the torchlight as he looked back toward Bronn. "I should ask Arya to kill you for how you touched my wife."

Brienne doesn't argue, but her grip on Jaime tightens. "Why are you here? Why are you trying to kill us at all?"

"It's only him I'm after… Your lord husband here - his sweet sister wants him dead. Him or his brother, but I've not been able to find that one. He's better at negotiations but he'd left with the dragon queen by the time I arrived in Winter Town." Bronn eyes Arya and sits up. Arya watches him but does not make a move to stop him. His weapons are long gone. "Ya see, I don't really want to kill anyone - not even this twat," Bronn gestures up at Jaime, who Brienne could feel tensing at her side. "I mean I would, I've killed many a man for less, but I didn't plan on actually killing anyone. I figured with Cersei in that keep about to get burned to bits she can't uphold her end of our bargain - but you or yer little brother could offer me something spectacular."

Brienne meets Jaime's bitter glance. She furrows his brow at him, and he nods. Brienne turns to Bronn. "Cersei already has Tyrion."

Bronn's face falls. "Damn. I like him, truly. Is that where you're all off to then? I knew we were headed for King's Landing but I wasn't sure - these northerners aren't exactly chatty…" He eyes Arya's dark unblinking eyes and looks away. "Shit."

"Ride with us." Brienne looks at her husband, furious and he takes her hand to soothe her. "We could use another sword," he turns back to Bronn, "and if Tyrion lives, he'd certainly be more equipped to offer you something than I would."

Bronn seems to chew on the idea for a moment, watching Brienne's face go pink and then red. He looks up at Jaime almost accusingly, "Nah, I don't like the idea of rushing to my death, that's your bit." He turns to Brienne, "You didn't see him, my lady...ser. He wanted to throw himself into the Blackwater when he thought you'd died." Brienne now tensed at Jaime's side and dug her fingers into his arm, staring at him willing him to look at her, but Jaime could only grit his teeth and glare at Bronn.

"Jaime?"

"And the first chance he got he tried to get himself killed by one of those dragons. Ran straight for the thing's mouth, all because he thought you were dead and you'd spoiled his plans to die in the arms of the woman he loved."

I didn't want to escape

From the bricks that I laid down

Brienne swallowed. She knew that Jaime had rushed the dragon. She knew that Bronn had saved him from being incinerated. She'd once asked him why he'd charged the dragon. And what had his answer been? Desperation. At the time she'd thought he meant over the war - she never imagined it had to do with her.

"It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude," she replied with distaste.

Bronn colored at that and looked down at his hands, rubbing the injured wrist. "I'm sorry for coming in that way." He looked back up at her. "Have to say I almost didn't recognize you there - who'd have known you were - he looked at her appraisingly, then looked to Jaime who was glowering at him. "You've got a good woman here."

Jaime goes to speak, but Brienne cuts him off. "As I said, I seem to owe you a debt. I am a Lannister now - I understand you expect to be paid." Jaime and Arya both turned to her with brows raised. "As distasteful as I find you, I will give you this choice - ride south and make yourself useful, or we can leave you in the Riverrun dungeons you enjoy so much. I'll not ask Arya to kill you where you sit. But neither can I guarantee that Edmure Tully will send food to your cell."

Arya looks at her with respect, tinged with disappointment.

Jaime can only look on her with awe.

"The choice is yours."

Bronn swallowed and his glance ticked from one to the next until returning to Brienne. "Much as I'd like to stay in the north somewhere til the fighting's done, I find my preference is not starvation. I will ride with you.

"Excellent. Though you shan't be riding with us, precisely."

Jaime turned to his wife, "What are you doing?"

Brienne turned to Jaime with a grin, "Making him useful."

"Arya - if you would, please escort Ser Bronn to his cell so that he can enjoy one more night in the north. And then please tell Lord Gendry that he'll have some company on the road in the morning. Ser Bronn, tomorrow we ride east to the Trident and the Kingsroad. You will ride south with the lord of Storm's End and a handful of Lord Edmure's men - take the mountain pass through to Tumbleton, and from there to the Kingswood until you reach the southern Kingsroad and ride for Storm's End. Lord Gendry is charged with raising men to join our fight. I trust that you will help the young lord persuade his men to send an army or ships north. If you succeed in this, then I have no doubt that you will be rewarded."

Bronn glares up at her but Brienne remains impassive. She watches his eyes move from her to Jaime, and back to her perhaps with an ounce more of respect than before.

Arya leans forward and stands Bronn up, holding his shortsword to his back as she nudges him to the entrance of the tent.

Bronn chances a look back at them as he reaches the flap. "You two are certainly suited for one another." He chuckles at Brienne's reddening face and allows Arya to lead him out of the tent.

Jaime lets out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. He turns to Brienne and cups her cheek, seeing that she's wary of him. "I thought…" his eyes are wild as he glances at her neck, "Are you alright?"

"Are you?"

He nods and pushes his forehead against hers, breathing her in. Her fingers move gingerly to his shoulder and she takes a deep breath.

"You thought I was dead."

He nods against her. "After Riverrun. The battle in the north. I thought… if only you'd stayed. If only you hadn't rowed away. If only I'd stopped you - you might be alive." He hangs his head, eyes gleaming, as Brienne strokes his hair. "Bronn kept me alive, almost as if he knew you were still out there somewhere, like he had more faith in your abilities than I did." Suddenly he seems to sag against her, wrapping both arms about her. "That's why I… I was drunk all the time and… the world seemed so dark and Cersei she... "

Brienne hushed him. "I know. I know. It's alright."

"Riding to the reach - all the death and mayhem - it cleared my head of Cersei. Everyone was dying around me. The dragon was burning hundreds of our bannerman and I thought - I thought - I thought I'm finally free of her. Free to choose the right path, to do what Brienne would have had me do ages ago...but Brienne is gone... let me die and be with her."

"Oh gods, Jaime."

He shakes his head, "I couldn't know...I didn't know that you were still - I told you that when I was sinking in the river all I could think of was you...that's because I thought I was finally going to be with you again." Brienne clutches him tightly as they kiss the tears from each other's faces.

"That day in the dragonpit - Bronn got to see you alive before I did. He was walking with Pod and I spotted them and I knew that you were alive. Bronn looked so pleased with himself, as if he'd known all along that you'd come back to me."

She sniffs and finally pulls her face away from his, fingering his jaw. "I will always ALWAYS come back to you, Jaime, be it here or after. In any case, live - for me. When given the choice, always choose to live."

You are the only one

He nods into her shoulder and then raises his head to meet here eyes. "Always." He kisses her gently, then stands up and puts the torch in the corner out. Climbing back onto the cot, he covers her body with his, kissing her deeply. And when they finally sleep in the few hours before the grey dawn, their limbs are tangled together, holding one another so tightly they'll be bruised at their joints in the morning, marked by their promise.

A/N: I do not own Game of Throne or these characters; some dialogue may be taken verbatim from HBO's Game of Thrones or George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Lyrics used are directly from Halestorm's "Break In" (C) 2012.