Jaime clamped his eyes shut against the encroaching darkness, not from fear, but so that the hateful face of his own sister would not be the last thing which filled his mind in this life. He told himself that even as he held Cersei's wicked frame in his arms that it was his true love, Brienne, he clutched as he had for so many passion-filled nights in the North. The bricks and dust now pummeled him on all sides, yet it was odd that he felt little pain. Nothing could have ever been as painful as watching the tears that filled his darling Brienne's sapphire blue eyes as she begged him not to go. He had not told her then that his wish was not to reunite with Cersei but to drag her to the Hells himself, so that she, Brienne of Tarth, the one who truly possessed his heart would always be safe. He could not have divulged such a truth for she would have surely followed him here to her death. It was a fate he could not abide. So he left her hurting, sobbing in the freezing cold, unsure of his love, all the while knowing that his heart would forever be true to his Sapphire Maid.

He clutched Cersei close to him, fearful she would bolt from the terror of the walls collapsing all around them. He had already sacrificed too much, they would both die this day, for Brienne. His mind filled with treasured images of the time he had spent with the woman he himself had knighted. They had been so happy, and so in love. Widows Wail, his magnificent Valyrian steel sword, virtually pulsed at his side, searching for its own mate. The blade not knowing that Oathkeeper was so far away. He had given Brienne her own glorious weapon. He had sworn it would always be hers. They both knew that he spoke of his heart. Jaime hoped it was a bond that would connect him to Brienne, even in death.

As the dirt choked his lungs, Jaime said a prayer of thanks to the Gods, that Brienne was safe. He felt Cersei shaking as he held her in the darkness. He wondered for a moment if her tremors were from fear, or from knowing it was he who was to fulfill the witch's prophecy she had revealed to him long ago. She had always hated Tyrion not only from the blame of their mother's death, but for her assumption that it would be her youngest brother who would wrap his hand round her throat and choke the life from her. Jaime almost laughed to think that he had been her Valanqar all along. Cersei sobbed in the final moments and pressed her flat belly against him. Surely, she knew now that he realized there was no child. Her desperate effort to keep him, had been a lie. The knowledge only strengthened Jaime's resolve. As the ceiling gave way above them, and the thick rubble crushed their very bones, knocking them to the floor and covering them in a tomb of rubble, Jaime gasped for his voice, needing to call out one last word to whatever God would listen. Cersei too, choking and fighting reflexively for air, drew what Jaime was certain would be her death rasp. Weakly Jaime leaned his lips to Cersei's ear and spoke his final whisper so that she would know the truth.

"Brienne." He called, as he was buried by the falling bricks, and all went black.

In an instant, it stopped. The ground beneath Jaime's feet ceased its shaking. The dust no longer choked his lungs. The bricks halted their destruction of his body. Cersei was gone from his grasp. The pain was no more.

Slowly, Jaime began to force his eyelids apart. His mind raced to discover what had happened. Had he somehow survived? Did he lay buried under the remains of the Red Keep? Had he kept a tenuous grasp upon life, perhaps so that he might return to the woman he loved? At the same time the thought shamed him, Jaime's heart filled with urgency. Brienne. It had all been for her. He prayed his planned had been successful. If his luck were solid, Cersei would no longer be of concern. She would be burning in some Hell somewhere. Somehow, if the Gods smiled just once more upon his existence, Brienne would forgive him.

As awareness flooded his mind, so too did a brilliant light fill Jaime's vision. It was the brightest and warmest beam of sunshine he had ever beheld. Fully conscious, he looked into its brilliance. It did not hurt his eyes. The light cloaked him. It encircled him, enveloping his entire body, and seemed to course through him more energizing than his own blood. The glow shielded Jaime, strengthened him, until he felt as though he were floating. The only time he had ever felt as warm, as welcomed, as accepted, or as loved was when he had held Brienne in his arms.

Although he did not know where, Jaime understood that he was far from Brienne, farther even than King Landing itself. As distant as Westeros was from the stars, that was where his journey had ended. In that moment he knew he was dead. He would not be returning to his beloved Brienne, as he had hoped before Euron Greyjoy's blade exacted its harsh punishment. He had saved her. His purpose was fulfilled. She would never feel the wrath of Cersei's vengeance. Jaime closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She was safe, and that was enough. He could last an eternity secure in that assurance.

"Brienne." He spoke her name like it was a prayer.

No sooner had the music of her name left Jaime's lips did he find himself standing amidst a lovely terraced garden. His body felt healthy and healed. He seemed younger, energized, once more a fierce golden lion. As he glanced over the strange newness of a body almost unfamiliar to him, Jaime noticed it. In awe he held a restored a fully formed right hand before his eyes, examining the flesh and angles. It flexed and turned on command. His arm felt whole, as if it had never been removed. At once, the relieved smile which spread over his face disappeared. Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, was dead.

Beyond the vista of colorful blossoms which all seems to turn their heads to regard him, rays of sunshine glistened off the crashing waves of a deep endless ocean. A strangely familiar stately fortress rose behind him, and the entire scene rested upon a rocky cliff. Jaime felt that he knew this place. It felt oddly comfortable and inviting to him. Then he realized, this was some otherworldly incarnation of Casterly Rock.

Almost before understanding formed within his brain, Jaime felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Below him, almost hidden upon one of the blooming levels sat a woman. Although the lady peered out over the churning waves, Jaime could discern that she was young, slender, stately. Her long golden tresses trailed to her waistline in soft waves. Jaime's face fell. So, this was no sweet beautiful Heaven. Everything within him warned that the woman was Cersei. She looked for all the world like the sister of whom he had tried to rid himself, to rid the world, to save Brienne. He could think of no more fitting punishment for the life he had lived, for the wretch he had been, or for the hurt he had inflicted upon Brienne. He would atone for all if it as Cersei's consort, forever. Certainly, Jaime thought, he had found himself in a hideous eternal Hell.

Swallowing hard, to keep the bile from his throat, Jaime forced his feet to move his dreading heart toward the woman he had hoped to never see again. His mouth went dry, his limbs felt as heavy as lead. The only thought which swirled in his brain was the loving smile of his sweet gentle Brienne. He held to it like a lifeline. Finally, with a deep sigh, he reached his companion and turned to study her. As if he had been granted life once more, Jaime's lungs filled with relief and fresh fragrant air, at last beholding fully, the regal lady who sat a few paces from him.

"Mother?" Jaime's voice trembled in a disbelieving whisper.

Lady Joanna Lannister turned her head gracefully to regard her eldest son. Her beautiful loving smile brought tears to Jaime's eyes. Before his legs collapsed under him, he rushed to her and fell to his knees, burying his face in her lap. A lifetime of pain poured from him in bitter sobs. He felt his mother's gentle fingers stroking his hair. Jaime clutched at Joanna's skirts, as her soft hands comforted his heaving shoulders. Tenderly, she held her child until he had no more tears left to cry.

Softly, she cradled his chin in her palms and raised his gaze to her own. "My darling boy." She looked upon him the way she had when he was a child and had done some sort of boyish mischief which had caught the attention and wrath of his father. It was his mother who had always comforted him, cheered him, and made him believe everything would be alright. He looked at her now with the same childlike pleading.

"I have missed you so." Jaime declared to his mother.

Joanna smiled thoughtfully and nestled her forehead to Jaime's. "My sweet child." She replied. "I have never been far from you." She revealed. "You or your brother." Joanna confessed.

"Tyrion?" Jaime questioned, recalling the wicked hatred with which his brother had been bombarded from their father and sister. "Father never forgave him. Tywin always blamed him for your death." Jaime informed her bitterly.

Joanna nodded solemnly. "And I hate your father for the way he treated my poor son." She lamented. "As if he did not already face enough obstacles in life." She shook her head. "Although it separated me from you, I thank the Gods they took me and allowed him to live." She smiled wistfully. "Your father never realized, that as a mother I gladly gave my life so that my child would be safe." Joanna lowered her eyes sadly at the thought of Tywin's mistreatment of Tyrion.

After a long moment, her attentions returned to Jaime. "Just as you have sacrificed for the woman you love." She told him, proudly.

Jaime sat back on his knees, his mind and heart filling with thoughts of his dear maiden knight. "You know of Brienne." He asked Joanna with wonder.

His mother took his hands in hers. "Of course I do." She said with an approving grin. "I know everything about you, and Brienne of Tarth." She asserted. Brienne's name from his mother's lips sounded like a chorus from angels.

"I know you love Lady Brienne with all your heart." Joanna continued. "Just as she loves you." His mother affirmed. "I am proud that you chose such a fine woman upon whom to rest your affections. I could have picked none better for you." She commended. "It was she all along who was the second half of your soul." Joanna confirmed, searching Jaime's eyes for understanding.

Realizing that his mother knew all that had passed between himself and his sister, Jaime reddened. Suddenly overcome with regret and embarrassment, he could not meet his mother's scrutiny. "You know?" He asked in a hushed choke. "You know about Cersei and myself." His question became a statement. Something inside Jaime told him that his mother was aware of all of his secrets, and his transgressions.

"I always knew." Joanna replied. Jaime noted that there was no tone of judgment in her voice. "Even when you were children, I knew." She admitted. "I tried to stop you, but nothing I did could keep the two of you apart." She shook her head regretfully. Jaime hid his face instinctively, remembering the time his mother had caught them, an occasion which warranted the relocating of his bedchamber from that which Cersei inhabited. His embarrassment, and regret, were overwhelming.

"Or more accurately," Joanna tried to ease his humiliation. "I could not keep her from you." Joanna told him.

Jaime looked up at her, baffled. "What?" He asked in confusion. He could not recall when exactly he and Cersei had begun their incestuous explorations. However, as the male in a world of powerful men, Jaime had always assumed it had been he who first insinuated himself upon her. That was always what Cersei had insisted.

"I know that over the years, Cersei has made you believe that you were the aggressor." She replied. "But, you were not. It was her who started everything." Joanna recounted. "She filled your head with all that foolishness about the both of you being soulmates, and she used her body to make you believe you loved her in more than a brotherly way." Joanna explained. "She abused you, and all for what your sword could get her." Their mother gave Jaime a guilt-ridden look. "I am so sorry I was not there to stop her." She lamented.

Jaime's gaze grew distant, as if witnessing a distant horror. "Nothing could stop her." He shook his head. "She brutalized anyone that got in her way." He winced, imagining the fears which had plagued him, envisioning what Cersei would have done to Brienne.

Joanna caressed her son's jaw. "You stopped her." She reminded Jaime.

He nodded silently. Suddenly unable to look at his mother. "I sent your daughter to the Hells." Jaime's tone shattered. He would never regret holding Cersei under the bricks which took her life, his final act in life to protect Brienne. He feared that his own mother might resent him for the thing he had done.

Again, Joanna brought Jaime's eyes to meet her own. "Cersei was lost long ago." She told him in a voice at once sad, and understanding. "I will always love my daughter. I will always mourn the woman she might have been." Joanna said painfully. "I could not save her." She confessed. "Your sister was beyond hope. But you…" she stared proudly at her eldest son. "You were always an honorable man." She asserted reverently.

"Honorable?" Jaime questioned. Even in death he could not imagine the world remembering him as such.

"Yes." Joanna repeated emphatically. "That is why you are here." She explained, a light of anticipation in her eyes. "There is still one debt left unpaid." She continued.

"You are not yet finished." Joanna smiled cryptically, her lovely face beginning to fade from Jaime's view.

He clutched at his mother, trying to keep her with him. "Don't go!" Jaime cried frantically.

"It is alright, My Son." Joanna tried to calm him. "Someone wishes to meet you." She said. The words were a hasty farewell as she disappeared. Jaime could only watch her leaving him again until all that remained was the warm feeling of acceptance and love within Jaime's heart. Bewildered, Jaime struggled to hold onto anything he could of his mother, in the midst of a landscape transforming before his eyes.

Suddenly, the terraced gardens of the Heaven's version of Casterly Rock, stretched and curled themselves to the sky becoming towering immaculate marble columns. The clouds above formed into a frescoed dome held aloft by delicate arches and buttresses. The soft oranges, blues, and purples seemed created by the brush of some celestial artist. The veined stone floor beneath his feet shone like ice and stretched toward the fine glass of grande doors which formed the walls. Beyond them, a calm sea lapped gently upon a silky shore. The waves were the same sapphire blue as Brienne's eyes. Jaime's thoughts flashed through his mind in a rush of understanding. He had seen the ethereal construct of his own ancestral home. This was surely the God's own Evenfall, set on the edge of a divine Tarth. This was from whence his angel had come.

Jaime's eyes scanned the distant reaches of the bright hall. He had met his mother in the same gardens she had loved in life. She had told him there was somehow still more he must do. 'Could this be it?' He hoped.

Then he saw her. A woman, stately, tall, her skin like cream, her hair like the rays of the sun itself. 'Brienne!" His heart called.

It seemed to take an eternity before he reached her. As he walked slowly toward the only other occupant of the room, Jaime saw the same bright lustrous crown of satin which framed his true love's face lay over the woman's shoulder in a long braid. The curve of her neck was the same he had kissed a thousand times at Winterfell. Her long graceful fingers held tight to her flowing cloak of red and blue as Brienne's had gripped the hilt of his heart, her glorious sword, Oathkeeper. The angles of the woman's lovely face were so familiar, yet different than the ones he had etched into his memory so long ago as he stared intently at them, chained as he was to their owner's wrist. It was clear, as Jaime drew closer that this highborn lady was not quite as tall as the one whose honor he defended with his sword hand. However, as the woman raised her face to watch his last few paces, he found himself beholding the same astonishing eyes in which he had drowned each time he looked at Brienne. At last, he knew whom he addressed.

Finding his voice, Jaime stared in wonder. "You…" he gulped. "You are Brienne's mother." He declared with certainty.

This familiar stranger looked lovingly at him, as if she could read his heart. "And you." She smiled. "You, are the one who loved her the most." She nearly sang the line with which Podrick had serenaded before that Long Night.

Brienne's mother extended her hand to Jaime. He grasped it admiringly, and pressed his lips to her knuckles. "I am Lady Allysia Tarth, Ser Jaime." She confirmed. "Thank you." She bowed her head. "For protecting my darling child." She sighed as if she were blessing him.

Jaime's eyes filled with bitter tears. "And she shall hate me for it." He grieved. Once more, he saw Brienne weeping before his eyes. He felt her pain like a blade through his chest. Such a punishment would have been far more bearable.

Lady Allysia watched Jaime's shoulders slump in remorse, his gaze filling with anguish. "No. She doesn't hate you." Brienne's mother assured him. "My daughter loves you far too much." She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"And you were right." Lady Tarth nodded. "Queen Cersei would have certainly had her killed, and as much as I long for my daughter to be with me, I would not trade her life for anything." She turned to stare out over the distant ocean. Jaime wondered if perhaps the lonely mother was keeping watch over her precious daughter. "But you did." She returned her care-filled expression to Jaime, reaching, she laid a gentle palm upon his restored hand. "You sacrificed your own life to keep Brienne safe. Surely there is no greater love than that." Lady Allysia declared proudly.

Jaime nodded weakly, and turned in the direction Lady Tarth had stared only moments before. He could almost sense Brienne on some far away other side. "I wish she knew." He whispered.

Allysia squeezed his fingers reassuringly. "She knows." The woman asserted. "Brienne knows what you did, and why you did it." Lady Tarth told him with such certainty that Jaime shivered in clarity of her words.

"I wanted more than anything to stay with her. I swear it." Jaime told Brienne's mother. "I must have sat in our…" He stumbled, fearing revealing some secret to Brienne's mother which she would not wish known. Upon seeing the understanding in Lady Allysia's eyes, Jaime realized the woman already knew. "I must have sat for hours in our chamber, watching her sleep, gathering my courage to leave her.'" He shook his head pitifully. He doubted any man had ever known a greater struggle.

Bowing her head graciously, Lady Tarth acknowledged Jaime's logic. "You knew her oath to Lady Sansa would keep her in the North." She repeated the very thoughts which had flowed through his mind when he knew Cersei had ordered his death, and that Brienne would be next.

"That was the only reason I could have forsaken her." Jaime admitted, ruefully. "Brienne was safer without me near." He knew with Cersei alive, she would have always been in danger.

"Can't argue with that!" A loud scoff echoed across the hall as a tall muscular young man strode urgently to stand beside Lady Tarth, seemingly from nowhere. This new arrival wore the same sunny hair and blue eyes as Brienne and her mother.

"Galladon." Allysia scolded. "Ser Jaime gave his life to protect your sister. We owe him the utmost tribute of gratitude." She corrected.

The young man sneered in Jaime's direction. "Brienne wouldn't have been in danger if it weren't for this sister fu…" He stared Jaime down.

"Galladon!" Lady Allysia sternly halted her son's condemnation.

"No." Jaime raised his hand to stop any defense of him. "There is no need, Lady Tarth. Your son is absolutely correct." He said sadly. "Had I not quit Cersei and gone North, had I not made clear my feelings for your daughter, had I not had every intention of spending the rest of my life with her, Brienne would never have been exposed to my sister's hateful vengeance or her power hungry need for war." Jaime agreed.

"But I could not." Jaime turned toward Galladon. "When I saw her at that Dragon Pit, I realized there was nothing else I could have done." Jaime's glare was far away, imagining the vision of Brienne as he had beheld her on the day Daenarys Targaryen came to Kings Landing. It had been the day Jaime understood he could no longer deny his heart's desire for his Maid of Tarth. He knew there was no other course for him but to go to her, and adore her for eternity. "Just as I knew when Ser Bronn found my brother and me in that tavern with orders to kill us both, that I could not let Brienne be next." Jaime affirmed. "I had to protect her." He swore.

Lady Allysia stepped kindly to Jaime, and took his arm. "You love her." She addressed him understandingly.

Jaime bowed his head. "With all of my heart and soul." He replied, his smile melancholy at the longing for Brienne.

Galladon stood unmoved by Jaime's profession. "I have always been my sister's protector." He looked down his nose at the Lion of Lannister. "From the moment she took her first breath, and the instant I drew my last, I have been at her side watching over her as she became the strongest, most honorable warrior in all of Westeros." His eyes flashed with pride. "Better even than you, Kingslayer." He sneered.

Jaime shared Galladon's moment of delight at Brienne's prowess. "That she is!" He agreed gladly.

Galladon continued to study Jaime, still not finding enough to deem the man worthy of his little sister. "Now Brienne will have a new guardian." He announced, his face still registering disappointment. Jaime could only stare in confusion before Lady Allysia spoke up.

"They wish to speak with you." She informed Jaime.

Jaime blinked, unsure of the meaning of the Lady Evenstar's words. "Who?" He stammered, unable to hide the trepidation in his chest.

Brienne's mother was calm and composed. "Who do you think?" She answered with a compassionate gaze.

Barely having enough time to sound a shocked gasp, Jaime's eye grew wide as Lady Allysia and Galladon, the latter still regarding him disdainfully, began to fade before his eyes.

"Do not be afraid." Lady Tarth assured him, as she began to disappear upon the breeze.

"Watch over my sister!" Galladon shouted, almost as a warning, before he was gone.

Jaime's last sight of Brienne's mother were her brilliant blue eyes. She gave one final encouragement "They are merciful, and you have redeemed yourself." Her tone came sweetly to his ears. She sounded just like Brienne.

Jaime clung to the music of Allysia's voice as long as he could. It was like a hymn that somehow brought him closer to Brienne. He closed his eyes as her words echoed in his ears. '…you have redeemed yourself.' Jaime pretended it was Brienne who spoke them. As Lady Tarth's affirmation faded, Jaime felt his feet set again upon solid ground.

As his eyes opened slowly, Jaime found the images before him were not as welcoming as the sweet vision of his home he had enjoyed. Nor were they as enchanting as the beauty of Brienne's birthplace in which he had been allowed to partake. This place was dark, forboding. He shivered in spite of himself, his courage steadily failing. A glance upward, told Jaime that he was in some sort of Sept. There were seven walls, each so tall he could not tell if they ever reached an end. A seven pointed star mirrored itself on the floor as well as a formless ceiling of swirling cosmic worlds. The same symbol was cut into the wall, and shone brightly with light from the other side. Seven corners held seven shadowy figures, each perched upon a high pedestal, their forms obscured by a heavy mist which shrouded only them. The entities seemed to be made of the stars themselves, as if all the galaxies in the celestial nether had joined, giving form to more power than any mere man could fathom. It was clear to Jaime that he was in the presence of The Seven. He was keenly aware that they were watching him, studying him, passing judgment.

"Jaime Lannister." The voice of the being directly before him boomed, as an aged and stoic face appeared through the clouded expanse. "You have come to us far too early." The Father decreed. "You were not meant to leave your mortal life for quite a number of years." The deep voice shook the walls of the Heavenly Sept with its displeasure.

"But it was given for so noble a cause." A young woman answered for him from atop another podium with a soft melodic voice. Jaime knew it was The Maiden herself who defended him. The realization brought his true maiden, Brienne, so perfectly to his mind. His heart pained to think of the life he was meant to share with her, the one he had sacrificed so that she would live, unthreatened.

"And given for the sake of another." Jaime turned at the voice of an old woman who added her agreement from somewhere behind him. The Crone gave him an almost favorable glance from her vantage above him. "So that his true love, Brienne of Tarth, would always be protected." She affirmed, the kindness and understanding in her tone unmistakable.

"Aye." A rasping, almost hideous grunt sounded from the pedestal to the left of The Father. "By holding his own sister under the crumbling stones of the Red Keep, assuring her death." The Stranger judged.

"A soul which had already been condemned to the Hells." The Maiden continued. "His sacrifice was selfless and just. Honorable." She announced approvingly.

Something that would have once been unimaginable to one such as him, in the days of his youth." The Warrior raised his sword in approval. "Surely, that and his valor in the Battle Against the Dead, is proof of Ser Jaime's redemption and atonement." The God of courage and strength offered.

"Be that as it may." The Smith spoke as he stared down his nose at the weak soul who stood before them. The shadows of muscles quivered beneath his celestial skin. Jaime could not tell if the being was angry or mournful. "Ser Jaime took matters into his own hand." The deity charged. "Such a choice was not his to make. He had been blessed with the honor for which he always yearned, and the innocent heart of the purest woman in Westeros. But he left his true soulmate broken-hearted, shattered." The Smith waved his hand and Jaime's fell to his knees at the vision which formed before his eyes.

Jaime saw Brienne in the courtyard at Winterfell, her anguished tears a greater indictment upon him than even the words of The Gods themselves. Her pain echoed in his ears as she tried to make him see reason. Her plea had not entreated that he would not leave her, for surely she realized how great was his love for her. She begged simply that he would stay, not to seek out his death. Brienne declared that he was better than his sister, that he was a good man, and that he had truly always possessed the honor which he had sought. He could not bring himself to look into her astonishing eyes. If he had, Jaime was certain he would have eagerly given her what she asked. He could not waiver, his determination to keep Brienne alive and protected from Cersei was greater than his desire to spend his life with her. Jaime knew then that he was already dead. It was the broken shell of a man who had ridden into the night, far away from the woman who would hold his heart for eternity. The Gods showed him even more than he knew. Jaime felt the time passing, yet somehow frozen just as Brienne had stood, unable to move when he was gone. He watched her heart crumble into a thousand frigid pieces as she stood in the yard until dawn. Jaime's stomach opened into a bottomless pit realizing she had waited there all night, in the cold, for him to return. He never did.

As he reeled from the horrible reality of the worst act he had ever committed, the Gods gave Jaime another vision. It was one for which he had no memory, yet he felt every moment acutely, as if someone had opened his chest and spilled his heart upon the ground. They took him to the chamber he had shared with Brienne at Winterfell. Jaime sighed dreamily in the warmth he found there. Then he saw her. Brienne sat sunken upon the chair at the foot of their bed, where he had remained frozen for hours on that terrible night, trying to find the courage to leave her. Her shoulders slumped weakly, as her chest rose and fell in harsh bursts. The sobs shuddered hoarsely from her throat, and tore at Jaime's heart. Brienne's head was bowed, her eyes shut against the harsh reality of the words penned upon the parchment which had fallen at her feet. Jaime recognized Tyrion's script over the tear soaked page. It was not a Raven's post, but a messenger's dispatch. Jaime realized this was the moment Brienne had learned of his death. His brother had informed her as if she were indeed his wife. He would find a way, somehow in eternity, to express his gratitude to Tyrion for that thoughtful act. Brienne had read every detail of Jaime's demise, and then clutched Oathkeeper to her heart, the only thing she had left of him. All that Jaime wished was to wrap his arms around her, and take the sorrow from her heart.

"Oh Jaime." Brienne whispered a mournful prayer for him to the Gods.

With bitter tears streaming down his face Jaime rose, fists clenched, ready to fight The Gods themselves. "Why do you show me this?" He shouted at them. "I know how I hurt her. That is the night I died." Jaime declared. "The bricks of the Red Keep crushed only flesh and bone, my heart and soul had already left the shell which held them." He cried. "They stayed at Winterfell with Brienne." Jaime shook with the intensity of his own broken heart.

Emboldened by the passion of his love for Brienne, Jaime found the courage to face down the Gods. Standing at their feet, his fists raised in protest, The Lion of Lannister entreated with rage in his throat. "Please! Please! Just tell me she will be alright!" He begged. "That is all I care about." Jaime forced himself not to break down, but could only cling to the echo of a sob that sputtered from his chest.

At last the kind, forgiving voice of the female entity who sat just to the right of The Father, a babe nestled in her arms, filled Jaime with an overwhelming peace. "There are chapters still to be finished in Ser Brienne's life book." The mother nodded over his shoulder.

As Jaime turned toward the direction The Mother had shown, there burst into The Sept, four happy lively young children. Each wore a crown of hair as bright as the sun itself, and smiles that reminded him of Brienne's own. As they came closer, he saw that all were blessed with the same astonishing eyes of sapphire blue which had held Jaime's dreams even before he declared himself to Brienne.

So sweet and innocent were their smiles, and so carefree was their manner, that Jaime could not help but smile. He was smitten upon his first sight of them. Without a sign of timidity, the three boys and one girl crowded around him, eager for his attention. The eldest, who could not have been more than twelve, but who already stood nearly as tall as himself took the lead.

"You are Ser Jaime Lannister!" He proclaimed with something close to hero worship.

"The greatest swordsman in all of Westeros." The smallest boy, who was every bit of seven or eight years, proclaimed through the lisp of two missing front teeth.

"A man of courage and honor." Said the serious looking ten year male child, with a dreamy expression, and Brienne's studious brow.

"The Lion of Lannister!" Shouted the wide-eyed little girl, obviously gifted well beyond her apparent five years.

Jaime smiled bashfully. "Well, I don't know about all that." He appeased them humbly. "Who are all of you?" He asked, unsure why he should feel such a proud and comfortable sense of comradery with these young ones he did not know.

Then, Jaime remembered where he was. He turned urgently to The Father. "Oh, do not tell me these treasures have been taken from some poor family all at once." His face registered his horror at the tragedy of the notion.

The children answered him with a laugh. "No." The eldest replied. "We have not yet been born." He corrected.

The lovely girl stepped to meet Jaime where he stood, and looked up at him with delight. "Ser Brienne of Tarth will be our mother." She informed him gleefully.

Jaime felt the breath rush from his lungs as if he had been punched in the gut. Realization hit him harder than the bricks that had taken his life. Bitter tears weighed heavily upon his eyelids, and glistened in the dim light as he beheld the children. At once, he saw all he had given up. In order to keep Brienne safe, he had not only sacrificed his life and a future with her, but also the joy of the family they would have shared.

Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he bent to his knees, wanting to face the children eye to eye. He wanted to know them. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but only one came to his lips. "Tell me." He breathed hoarsely. "What is it you hope for the lives you will live, young ones." He smiled tenderly.

"I wish to make my family proud." The eldest asserted, his chin held high, already dreaming of a future of tribute.

The middle child nudged his older brother out of the way. "I want to be honorable and brave." He asserted, trying to stand taller than his brother.

"I am going to be the greatest sword fighter in The Realm." The youngest boy vowed.

Jaime smiled proudly. "Worthy goals." He acknowledged. "I see honor, and bravery, and glory in each of you." He assured them.

Then Jaime placed a soft reassuring hand upon the small girl's back. "And what of you, my dear?" He said softly. "What is it you wish to be?" He studied her intensely.

The girl gave him a beaming smile. "I want to be Evenstar someday, like my mother will be." She grinned.

Jaime returned her youthful confidence with certainty of his own. "I am sure you shall." He agreed, taking in the wonder of her tiny trusting eyes.

Then Jaime stood and cast an admiring gaze over the young souls, so ready and hopeful for the world they were yet to know. "I am sure you will all achieve everything you desire and more." He told them earnestly. "And your mother will love you beyond measure." Jaime grew wistful imagining Brienne with her children. The ones he wanted to give her.

Suddenly, from above them came the nurturing voice of The Mother. "Say your goodbyes, Children." She bid.

At once they rushed and embraced Jaime, each bidding a reluctant farewell. Overwhelmed by the intensity of the bond he had already formed with them, Jaime held Brienne's children tightly to him. When he released his grip and watched them depart, he could not explain the emptiness which invaded his soul.

"They would have been mine?" He said, never taking his stare from the path that had led them away. His words held more statement than question. He needed no confirmation. Jaime already knew that his assertion was correct.

"Yes." The Mother answered. "Had you stayed with Ser Brienne, you would have been their father." She told him softly. The words cut through Jaime more bitterly than the blade which had in life taken his sword hand.

The deep voice of The Father stirred Jaime from his self-loathing. "They could have been yours." He said. "But they were meant to be Ser Brienne's gifts to the world." The God affirmed. "They will do great things. Deeds you can only imagine." The Father almost sounded proud as he finished.

Unable to bear anymore, Jaime felt he could move the Heavens with the force of his will. "Let me return." He pleaded. "I beg you. Please, let me go back to her." Jaime cried.

"That is impossible." The Stranger replied stoically. "Your mortal body has been too long dead, and was too damaged to sustain your life." He pronounced remorselessly.

"Then, Brienne shall marry." Jaime acknowledged sadly.

"Is that not why you gave your life?" The Maiden reminded him. "In order that she would live?" She asked rhetorically. Jaime deflated with the truth she spoke.

"Ser Brienne's life will be happy and full." The Father declared.

"As it should be." Jaime conceded.

"And you shall share eternity with her when her mortal time has ended." The Mother promised.

Jaime stared in confusion. "What of the man who shall be her husband? Will not their marriage vows give him that right." Jaime asked sadly.

"Your vow was pledged to Lady Brienne first." The Father announced.

Jaime's shoulders slumped. He sighed in defeat. "We we're not joined in marriage." He corrected, the sad omission stabbing his heart with regret. "We pledged no vows, save for the ones in our hearts." Jaime almost smiled at the memory.

The Father gave Jaime a knowing look. "It is yours. It will always be yours." He repeated the only oath Jaime had been able to give Brienne when he gifted her with the magnificent blade, Oathkeeper, both of them knowing it was he his very heart that he gave.

"Perhaps not the traditional marriage ceremony, but a vow nonetheless." The Father bowed his head reverently.

"One kept with your life." The Maiden's sympathetic gaze washed over him. "The man Ser Brienne will marry shall know the blessing of these Heavens, and he will carry on to another life when his time has passed." She said prophetically.

"You have proven yourself worthy of forgiveness for your sins." The Father continued. "You chose to sacrifice your life for hers, Ser Jaime. That cannot be undone." He explained, his tone something akin to sadness. "But, you will be near to her until eternity itself passes." The Father guaranteed. "You shall protect Lady Brienne, as you always have." He assured Jaime.

"Brienne of Tarth will be the Evenstar someday." The Crone proclaimed. "She will marry. She will bear children, and her legacy will endure as one of the greatest warriors Westeros has ever known." The wise aged God foretold.

"And you shall be her protector." The Warrior decreed.

Jaime's thoughts rushed back to what Galladon, had said. 'Now Brienne will have a new guardian.' Had her own brother voiced the idea moments before, or years? Jaime was not sure. The only truth that his mind could grasp was that the Gods had saved him from the eternal damnation he deserved. They were granting him a lifetime, and beyond, with the woman he loved. He had given his life to keep her safe and it was his greatest honor.

Even as he reveled in the promise of eternity, the sentence the Gods passed clouded Jaime's heart so dark and thick that at last he understood he was no longer a man. Surely he could not even be the spirit they proclaimed him to be. He was a shadow, caught between two worlds. No longer able to win back Brienne, yet pledged to her side, unseen. His torture would be to watch her heart taken by someone else. He would die a thousand deaths witnessing Brienne become wife to another man, mother of another man's children. She would warm another man's marriage bed. Her dreams would be built with someone else. He felt his heart might shatter in his chest to be witness to her happy life without him. Part of him applauded the Gods for their fitting sense of irony. He should have been condemned, damned to some rancid Hell with only his sister as companion. Their justice would cut deeper. His sentence, to be a powerless spectator as Brienne lived the life he wanted to give her, without him. The perfect punishment.

As his reward, the Heavenly judges had promised eternity with Brienne. His soul would be sustained with that guarantee until she was truly his again. All of it he would endure just to be close to her, to protect her. Jaime puffed with pride at the thought.

As if reading his thoughts, The Crone spoke up. "You must pay the debt you forged in life. Your time so near to Lady Brienne, yet so far from her, will settle that account." She explained.

"However." The Maiden said, a quiet romantic lilt in her statement. "Your love for her was so strong that you willingly gave your life so that she would know the future for which she is destined. Your sacrifice was noble and pure and true." Declared the champion of love and innocence.

"You, Ser Jaime have always been Ser Brienne's guardian.." The Father gave Jaime one final approving glare. "It was you, who in life recognized her purity and honor, and loved her strength, and the unique beauty she possesses." He lowered his gaze respectfully to Jaime. "It shall be you who will choose the man with whom she will now share her future. The one to be her husband, who will father her children, who will win her heart." The God continued. "You will determine the only man who will love her as you love her." The Father tasked.

Jaime could only stare as he slowly began to realize the dreadful enormity and truth of the purpose with which he had been charged. How could he give Brienne up to another man. Worse yet, it would be he who would bring his very own rival into her life. His heart burned with remorse in his chest. Every ounce of his will told Jaime to refuse. He wanted to curse the Gods for the unbearable pain they were inflicting upon him. Then he saw once more how desperately Brienne had wept for him. He thought of her goodness and strength. He recalled how completely she had loved him, and how he had given his life for the very reasons the Gods had laid before him. He could not condemn his love to a lifetime of loneliness. She deserved all of the blessings meant for her. In that moment Jaime knew he could not refuse.

In the beat of a heart, the ancient stone floor upon which he stood dissolved around him. Jaime saw spread out beneath him in all directions, the entirety of the Realm. Every place he had known in life opened to him. The thoughts of millions swirled through his mind. Some he discounted immediately, certainly unworthy of his dear pure Brienne. Others, he considered only to find lacking within moments. Jaime knew not if he searched for hours or years, so intense upon his concentration he was. Almost as a shock, realization came to him, when the object of his hunt was located. There was only one he found to be honorable enough, kind enough, and good enough to entrust with Brienne's heart and life. He watched the man carefully, every observance confirming his choice. He had found the other, the one who would share the future with his own true love.