"Jaime!"
Brienne's scream echoed in his ears as the eldest son of Tywin Lannister knelt at the feet of the one who felt so badly wronged.
As heavy footfalls thudded down the corridor and echoed about the walls, a sleepy, foreign, female voice questioned, "Lover?"
A hum as shrill as a morning bird sang through the air…
Time slowed.
He had this coming; after all.
Jaime could almost imagine the arch of the blade heading his way as he squeezed his eyes shut and wished with all his heart that Brienne would live a long and happy life…
The clatter the sword made on the ground astounded him; he, the lion surrounded by vipers and bears, looked up and into the eyes of the enemy.
Oberyn wasn't looking at him, however; he was smiling beyond him… in the direction of his wife.
Brienne was in the frozen corridor of Castle Black, naked and enraged; glorious! She was in a defensive pose, fists raised and hunched back, ready to strike.
Jaime tore his eyes from her splendour to look back at the Dawnish Prince, who was smirking and showing no sign of attack.
"The strength of love from such a woman tells me what I must know of you," Oberyn grinned, pulling up to his full height and sneering, "Lannister."
Relief flushed though Jamie like a wave to the sea…
Even the slightest hint of forgiveness was sunshine through the years of paternal guilt…
Oberyn bent to place a kiss on Jaimes cheek and deliver the quieter message of, "Your father has no such devotion, however."
And he supposed the prince was right; his father deserved many fates for his actions. But he was still Jaimes father…
For now, he thought, he would cross that bridge when he came to it…
So, lighter than he had felt in some time, Jaime stood and turned...
But rather than a relieved, quivering, fragile damsel he may have expected had he married any of the plethora of suitors his father would have chosen for him, he was faced with the glorious, furious, warrior he loved stalking toward him.
Jaime, at once titillated and terrified, curved his shoulders up to placate, "Darling…"
Her hand slapped across his face so quick he was amazed his neck hadn't snapped.
"You idiot!" She hissed, enraged and enchanting.
Jaime found no words as he was gripped and pulled into the consuming fire of Briennes kiss. And as much as it burned it bolstered his feelings for this woman; his warrior was claiming him and making him feel as though his life was not his to give… but hers and would always be so.
Once she had finished teaching him this lesson, she ripped away and headed for Oberyn.
Standing toe-to-toe and towering above the Dawnish prince, Lady Lannister of Tarth rolled her height up to look down on the bronzed man before her and warn, "The next time you raise a sword to my husband will be a last time you raise a sword."
The air was sharp.
Then Oberyn smirked and looked down his body, mercifully clad in loose skirts from the hip… "I think not… my Lady."
Brienne's shoulders squared, misreading the comment as a threat until Ellaria found her place at his side and reached to the weapon the prince had been referring to, "Allow me to calm the situation…"
Oberyn was entirely captivated… and Jaime wondered if people saw that same attraction and depth of feeling written in the eyes of he and his wife?
Of course, right now, the look she was giving would have curdled milk as Jaime slowly approached and suggested, "Shall we retire?"
Oberyn and Ellaria were already wrapped in each other as their door shut…
The Lannister-Tarths returned to their chamber and Jaime collected a fur from the bed to hurl it across Brienes shoulders as she eyed him.
He knew why…
"I had to…" he shrugged.
"Had to?" She asked, dangerously.
"There's a lot of…" Jaime squirmed, "history…"
"I understand," Brienne nodded, surprising him somewhat… "But if you want someone to kill you, I will, quite willingly, the next time you do that to me!"
Gods; he loved her!
Jaime moved to grip the furs about his wife and pull her close for a kiss, but was halted by the thud of an open palm on his chest… and he met her intense, sapphire eyes...
"Anyone who harms you will pay for it blood for blood!"
She was magnificent; pinked and altogether to railed. Jamie felt instantly guilty for putting her through this and moved to placate her with a hush from his lips…
But she threw herself back from his touch, eyes wide in anger and flooded with adrenaline.
"Brienne," he pleaded, "I am sorry, please believe me." She had to understand that this was a question he needed answering, didn't she? "I didn't mean to upset you…" that much was true, but a larger, less desirable, part of him was thrilled and aroused by her passion…
Best not mention that in the moment, he thought.
"Did you think I wouldn't avenge you?" Brienne continued.
"I have no doubt," Jaime replied, embarrassed at how slightly breathless he sounded.
She broke from the conversation, pacing the room like a trapped bear; frustrated and on fire as she attempted to cool.
He shouldn't have driven her to this. And in an attempt to reach for her, he was caught in a scramble of limbs as she moved away, he reached again and she evaded…
Jamie swivelled to try once more, but found himself gripped by the shoulders and pulled into his wife's desperate lips, eager to press his open as she shoved him against the nearest wall, sucked his tongue into her mouth and devoured him.
Breath was knocked from his lungs as she shoved him against the nearest stone wall and swallowed the slight cry he gave as her leg wound about his hip to grind him against the rock.
He was hard in that instant; head swimming in the euphoria as he wondered again how she elicited such immediate and primal responses within him.
Her hand wove between them, rubbing the length of him, making him strain against the material as he clawed to grasp her closer until she broke for air.
Jaime immediately took advantage, swirling his tongue down and around her jaw to the pulse point of her neck and sucking at the heated flesh as she ground into him…
His body was flame; motion and sensation consuming thought as he broke and found the strength to shove her back into the cold room and bend to run his hand around the curve of her right breast to clamp his mouth about the pert nipple, pressing her to him with his golden hand and suckle at her until she mewled and dampened for want of him.
His hand kneaded her buttocks and round her in faster, sweeping cycles, closer and close into his body as they shifted to the bed and he toppled her down, spread for him and ready as he kissed her centre, slowly and deeply while her nailed raked through his hair.
While her lips shuddered against his tongue, Jaime allowed the blood pounding through him to take charge, climbing up her body to kiss her and enter her in the same instant.
And the night melted about them.
It burned brighter than the Red Gods flame.
And Jaime let them burn.
()()()
Jaime woke in the cold air of the North… Brienne was already risen and gone.
He wriggled in the warmth of their bed and knew he should find her before their time ran out.
There was never enough time these days.
So he dressed; leaving the glorious mess of the bed behind to search for his wife…
Which didn't take long as he arrived at the first point of call…
The Medical Room…
"Here he is now!" Ygritte announced as Jaime crossed the threshold into the apothecary.
Jaimes instant reaction was to swagger and respond, "Here I am! In the flesh… for all it's worth." Which seemed to make all the ladies giggle as his wife turned her wide-eyed expression toward him.
"Worth a bit, M'Lord…" Ygritte gave a commoners bow and grinned, "from what I hear…"
Gilly sniggered as Brienne blushed…
Ok…
"I just came for my wife…" he said, a little uncertain…
The wildling sniggered and retorted, "You certainly did."
Gilly burst into laughter and rushed out of the room…
Jaime looked to Brienne for some explanation, but all he found was her pale and shocked expression.
This made no sense…
"Can we have a moment?" He begged as the fire-haired woman beside his wife nodded and walked out the room, dragging Gili with her.
Brienne rushed to him but barely managed to say his name before his own urgency insisted he say, "We need to get out of here."
His wife stilled and asked, "When?"
Jaime smirked; she was a warrior! Of course she sensed the danger about them; knew the enemy was surrounding them. No need to fill the air with explanation of why Stannis was dangerous to them; just a question as to when they would leave.
"Now," he answered without reiterating the sooner, the better…
Brienne gave a sharp nod and stated, "I shall inform Jon."
Jaime nodded, "I'll get Pod."
"No," his wife countered… "I think he and I need to talk about where his heart truly lies."
Jaime gave her a quick look; she meant his loyalty to Tyrion…
"Do you mean to leave him behind?"
Brienne rolled her shoulders, "If he should so choose."
By the Gods; he admired her loyalty.
It was hard to clear his head… but there was a time limit on their actions and, though he deeply regretted it, there wasn't the time to kiss her and guide her to the floor to show his wife how he felt for her at this moment.
They had to leave.
And quickly.