The combined forces of the Unsullied and the North were visible from five miles out. Brienne rode into camp with Jaime behind her, to the greetings of the soldiers. Strangely, they didn't seem surprised to see her.
A mounted guard approached them. "Queen Danaerys has been expecting you," he said. "Please follow me."
Brienne exchanged a confused glance with Jaime as they followed the guard to Danaerys's tent. "Sers Brienne and Jaime," the guard formally announced.
"My queen." Brienne bowed and heard Jaime do the same.
"I received word from Lady Sansa that you were on your way here," Danaerys announced, then turned to address Jaime. "She warned me that you may come to your sister's aid."
Brienne tensed. "My queen," she began, but Danaerys held up a hand to stop her.
"It's all right," she said. "You would have sneaked into the city if you meant to betray me. Instead you have ridden into camp, as he assured me you would."
He? Brienne wondered. Danaerys turned and motioned behind her. Tyrion stepped out of the shadows, and behind him, Podrick, his expression stern but his eyes twinkling. Brienne gaped at him.
Podrick answered the unspoken question. "I took a ship here. I knew you would turn up eventually, and I could risk being seen."
Brienne frowned. "What are you doing here? I left you in Winterfell, where it's safe," she protested.
"As Ser Jaime did," Podrick replied. "But there you are, and here I am."
"Have you ever run away from a fight?" Jaime helpfully added. Brienne glared at him. "Podrick is right," he continued. "I am here to help you win the war. I will talk to Cersei and ask her to surrender."
"She won't surrender," Tyrion said sadly. "I begged her, for the sake of her unborn child. She refused."
"I will not let an experienced commander such as yourself walk into certain death," Danaerys said. "Cersei executed Missandei. Were it not for our armies, she would have killed Tyrion. She will not hesitate to kill you if you speak to her alone."
"She might listen to me," Jaime said urgently. "The child growing in her," he paused and took a deep breath. Brienne saw Tyrion wince, and suddenly she knew what Jaime was about to say. "That child is mine."
Silence fell over the tent. Danaerys looked shocked, while Podrick looked cautiously at Brienne. Jaime's eyes flickered towards her, then flickered back to the ground. In a shaky voice, he continued speaking.
"She had the chance to kill me when I rode north, but she stayed her hand. There's a chance she might still listen to me."
"I have an idea," Tyrion said slowly. "You can sneak into the Keep through the tunnels. That will buy you a few minutes to speak with our sister. The tunnels are dark and narrow, so you will not be outnumbered. Take a handful of our soldiers with you. Kill the guards quietly and take their armor. That should get you into the keep."
He took a swig out of a goblet. "Once inside, you will contend with Euron, Clegane, and the queensguard, but not the army. Occupy them, and she will be alone. You must take a small group of the best fighters to avoid being seen and setting off the alarm."
It just might work. Brienne glanced at Podrick, and he nodded firmly. "Podrick and I will accompany Ser Jaime into the Keep," she said. "I am one of the few who can face Gregor Clegane in combat." She didn't look at Jaime, and he knew better than to protest.
"Very well," Danaerys said. "We attack in the morning. As with the Night King, our armies are merely a distraction. The real battle will be in your hands. Vanquish Cersei, and the war will end."