Jaime spurred his horse into a gallop. Brienne would not be far behind. He had hoped to escape under the cover of darkness to buy himself a few more hours, but somehow she had known. He had cruelly attacked her with his loyalty to Cersei, trying to wound her so deeply that she wouldn't follow him. It would only buy him an hour or two. She was the toughest, bravest, and most stubborn knight he knew.
How had she woken up?
Jaime clenched his fist and hunched his shoulders as warmth and acid rose from the pit of his stomach into his throat. Of course she had known. She was as attuned to him as to her own beating heart. Like a lover. More than his own twin. Or perhaps the Gods had interfered to rouse her. Despite himself, he laughed bitterly. A message from the gods themselves.
"Ser Jaime Lannister has decided to stay in Winterfell."
For a brief, beautiful month, he had dreamed of a new life, away from King's Landing and away from his complicated past. He was a guest of Lady Sansa, and Brienne was her sworn protector. They were safe, far away from the fighting and from those who would want him dead. The North had grown on him, and he allowed himself to feel happy.
Then the illusion shattered. First came Bronn with the crossbow aimed at his heart. Then one day, he came upon Brienne and Lady Sansa deep in conversation, with frowns on their faces and lines in their brow, and he learned about the ambush. The Golden company was here. Cersei's forces were here.
I should have known better than to ever think I could escape from her.
He dismounted by a stream to let his horse drink, but soon he was riding hard again. He had to hurry. His horse was the finest that money could buy, and he was lighter than Brienne, but she was stubborn. He couldn't let her catch him. It was well past nightfall before he led his horse into the underbrush to set up camp. Not daring to start a fire, he bundled his cloak around his body and fell into a fitful sleep.
He dreamed of a warm room and a roaring fire. Brienne sat next to the fireplace, dressed in her sleeping robe. He sat next to her and took her face in his hand. "I love you," he told her. "I have to make the world safe for you." She gazed back at him with brimming eyes filled with love, and she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his head against her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her. He woke up alone in the dark with tears on his face.
The first birds were chirping, and he could start to see shadows around him. He had slept too long. He quickly saddled his horse and set out. Although no one was around to hear him, he whispered an oath into the wind.
"I'll come back for you, if you'll have me."