Two Months Later- Tarth.
"Still no name?" Tyrion asked her, still staring at the child in his arms.
"I try something new everyday." Brienne admitted.
"Do you?" He laughed.
"I do." She smiled wistfully. "It seemed wrong. To do it without Jamie." Tyrion nodded looking up at her sadly, before looking back down at the baby.
"These are Jamie's eyes." He whispered. Brienne nodded, her lips twitching into a smile. "And Myrcella's little lips."
"I think that too." She sighed.
"Are you ready to hear it now?" Tyrion asked, his sad eyes meeting hers.
"I suppose if you're ready to tell it." She took a long slow breath steeling him with her icy blue gaze.
"When it came down to it, he let The Hound take down Cersei. He went for the bell." Tyrion smiled slightly at the idea that his brother was determined to save as much of the city as he could. "All those people are alive because of what he did."
"Was it worth it?"
"The south side of the city took the biggest hit from the Dragon fire, and the Green fire took a small portion in the center, but the rest of the city did not burn." Tyrion dropped his eyes to his brothers child. "I guess to some that would be worth it."
He took a breath and let it out slowly.
"There are reports of him leaving the tower, but not from anyone we know personally. Jon had the Northerners look, what was left of the Golden Army got a nice purse from Casterly Rock for their efforts, but..nothing." She looked towards the doorway as if she expected him to come through. "I wouldn't have stopped looking until I found a body. You know that. I was determined to bring him home to you. Until we found this…" He moved forward offering the baby up to her before he pulled at the long leather case he'd brought with him. Brienne was prepared for him to pull out the damn hand. She'd been thinking about what she would say if he tried to give it to her. How she'd stop herself from telling him where he could cram the damn thing, but then when the case was set on the table before her and he folded back the velvet lining her breath caught in her throat and all of her fury left her.
Widow's Wail glinted in the light from the window.
"I know he'd never leave it behind." Tyrion whispered. "It was his link to you. It was the way you two carried the other with you when you were apart."
Brienne lifted her child to her shoulder with one hand while she reached towards Jamie's sword, her fingers sliding slowly up the blade, peaking the guard and landing softly on the hilt. Her hand molded around it and she could almost feel Jamie's fingers close around hers.
"Thank you." She whispered softly, letting the tears slip over her cheeks. "For knowing what this means to us."
"Of course." He soothed.
"This is just as good as bringing a body home to us." Her voice broke and she carefully slid the sword to her lap, pressing a kiss against her infant's temple. "Better."
"Someday you can teach the next generation fo Lannisters to use them." He raised an eyebrow. She nodded, inhaling and exhaling in deeply.
"How is the King?"
"The work is slow, but it is continuing." Tyrion nodded. "He needs you back at his side."
"I told him by the coronation, I'll return to service. She nodded. "And from what she writes me Sansa feels she'll be able to head south by then."
"As long as everything goes as planned." He nodded, leaning again to look at the baby. "If the child born is healthy and she has recovered enough for a sail around Westeros, Uncle Tyrion will bring your cousin for a visit."
"Every summer." Brienne whispered Jamie's vision. "Please say you'll travel south to Tarth. When they're older they'll learn to swim in the sapphire water and sleep out under the stars."
"Jamie and I did that." He choked. "As boys, we'd sleep out under the stars and he'd make up stories about them. Always knights and swords and horses." Tyrion watched his brother's widow swallow back her sorrow. He glanced up as his man appeared at the door.
"It's time, My Lord." His attendant told him softly. Brienne wanted to hug him, but she couldn't seem to let go of the Valyrian steel settled against her knees. He leaned over it and she kissed his cheek.
"Take care, Dear Sister. " He said softly as he made his way out of the room and down the steps of Evenfall to the shore where the row boat to his ship waited.
He did not see see his brother's wife bring the pommel of the sword to her lips and press a kiss to it, nor did he take the time to consider the irony of her widow's wail as it drifted through the window into the wind that would finally guide him home to his wife.
…
15 years later- Kings Landing.
"I suppose we've gotten it all squared away then?" The Lord Commander of the Kings Gaurd lifted her head towards the irritated voice of the Hand of the King and gave her a droll look.
"We have." She ran her hand across the pages of the white book she knew by heart with such love Arya couldn't help but sigh. There was something about Brienne's heart sickness that had always made a part of Arya wish that she had become the Lady of Storm's End.
"And your replacement is well versed?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Temporary replacement!" Brienne corrected sharply, raising her eyebrow right back. "And yes. He is well versed."
"Not as well versed as you." Arya complained.
"I promise you this will be the last time." Brienne dropped a little bit of her official persona and gave Arya a pained sigh.
"I find the odds of that doubtful."
"Think what ever you want." Brienne shrugged.
"So." Arya smirked. "Kings Landing will see you next spring?"
"Yes. And I will see Arya Stark next week, correct? For dinner?"
"You will." Arya flashed her a real smile, and Brienne nodded making her way out into the court yard, pausing to watch the squires spar below her. The summer sun beating down against her gold cloak.
She smiled at the sounds of sparing swords clipped in her ears.
"Lord Commander." Came a warm voice from behind her.
"Your Grace." Jon joined her at the railing.
"She really is coming along." He said proudly.
"She is a Lannister." Brienne raised an eyebrow at him playfully. "It's in her blood."
"She comes by it naturally," The King told her with raised eyebrows. "From wherever it may come." Brienne snickered, but relented with a nod. "You have along trip ahead of you." He reminded her.
"I do, Your Grace."
"Safe travels Ser Brienne."
"Thank you, Your Grace. " She watched him look back at the little swords woman before walking on. "Lyanna!"
The young girl stilled her sword and pulled off her helmet, her pretty hair swinging loose.
"It's time to go."
…..
"Welcome home M' Lady." Brienne did her best not bristle as the residents of Casterly Rock greeted her as she and Lyanna arrived at the gate. Behind her, the girl tried not to snicker as she looked up for permission to depart. Brienne nodded at her and she ran off.
"Thank you Hammond." She said sweetly, as she pulled her shoulders up and handed him the reins of the horse. She continued to give sweet soft lady like smiles as she made her way to the main courtyard past the well and into one of the red capped towers.
Once inside she pulled her belt off and unsheathed Oathkeeper, setting it on the rest next to Widows Wail, pausing to touch the other blade. She tugged at her boots and shook off her travel armor and let it drop to the floor before she looked out the window at the Sunset Sea.
"Well. Well. Well." Came the thick melodic voice from behind her. She felt the tension of the trip ease off of her with just those words in his predictably teasing tone. "If it isn't the brave Lord Commander of the Kings Guard, slinking back home to the Rock after finding herself once again in the family way."
He moved his arms around her and she slid her own hands towards them as he kissed her neck.
"This is the last time, Jamie." She told him honestly, as his left palm curved around the small rise in her abdomen.
"You say that every time." He nuzzled his chin with his nose.
"I mean it every time." She reminded him sharply.
"I know you do." He chuckled lightly. "Your hair's gotten so long." He pressed his face into it.
"It's only been six weeks since you've left Kings Landing how much longer could it be?" She breathed. "It's just dirty from three days of rowing and riding."
"Please tell me you let Lyanna do most of the rowing."
"Mostly." She dropped more of her weight back against him before letting her head lull to the side. She loved the way his eyes still softened when they met hers.
"Liar." He pressed his mouth to hers and she kissed him with more hunger than he'd expected before pulling back and looking at him.
"You have your boots on." She noted, taking in their even height.
"I knew you were coming." He grinned.
"I missed you." She turned in his arms and kissed him again before pressing her face into his with a sigh.
"I've only been gone six weeks." He teased, before stroking her face with his thumb. "You're Just tired from all the riding and rowing Lyanna did." She hummed against him. "You should rest."
"I haven't seen my children." She whined, but he was already pulling her back from the window towards the bed. "Jamie."
"My brother and his unruly brood of fur covered, semi wildlings will be arriving tomorrow to collect their daughter; and the Lady Lannister of Winterfell will be after me like a direwolf if you don't look well cared for." He settled her on the bed, pulling back the blankets.
"The boys are out on the rock doing unmentionably dangerous things under the watchful eye of Ser Podrick and their much smarter cousin Lyanna." He went to basin and wet a wash cloth before returning to her side. She watched him quietly as he wiped it over her face and neck before undoing the strings of her top layer and kissing her collarbone.
"We'll see them at dinner and you can put them to bed with scary stories of the Night King and the undead." She reached her hand up and drew her thumb across his face. "And Ren will ask to see your scar because he always does, the gory little bastard. And you will show him and Tom will look away because he's very sensitive and Ty will roll his eyes because he's the oldest, he's sick of this story and he's your son." Her lips flickered and he beamed at her. "I'm not sure young Jon has heard the story since he's been old enough to understand."
"Probably not." She said softly.
"But right now." He sat down on the bed beside her and slipped off his boots with a comfortable ease that the years had given him. "You're tired." He touched her temple with his lips. "And your back is sore. I can tell by the way you're holding your shoulders." She sighed as he pressed her towards the matress. "And we have yet another child to think of." He skimmed her waist with his right arm and she slid her hand up it as he joined her. "I haven't held you in my arms in six weeks and I would very much like to."
She breathed a heavy sigh as he pulled them together. Her leg wrapped over his hip, forcing him closer.
"Where did I even find you?" She breathed airily, watching the edges of his lips quirk up as he tilted his chin up to kiss her forehead.
"They say the best husbands are found bound, dirty and foul mouthed on dungun floors." He teased. She kissed him in agreement.
"I did miss you." She told him her eyes slipping shut.
"I'm glad your home." She almost argued that Casterly Rock was far from home. Home was Evenfall. Hell, home was King's Landing, but she realized as she pressed her face into the curve of his neck that there, in his arms, that was the only home she'd ever really had.
...
A/N: This was the first chapter of this fic that I wrote. It was supposed to be the last and it was supposed to end at the first break, followed by a note saying that I would post a 15 year fix to my own fic for anyone that needed a different ending, but let's face it we all need a different ending. So I added it here it's attached here.
Also: I have stubbornly continued writing little one shots from this universe. I will post them here after the official ending. They won't be in any particular order, just snippets of life. I will identify their place in the timeline at the beginning of the chapter. If anyone has requests for what they'd like to see I may be willing to oblige.
Thank you for reading xo