When Jaime arrived in the great hall in search of Brienne he stopped in his tracks and beheld the sight before him. Many a man and woman, some cleaned from their mud and wounds, others, like himself, still left with marks of the dead, eating silently, or muttering to the man beside them. In the distant end of the hall he could hear the cries of the injured, tended to by the likes of Lady Sansa, who he observed, was trembling but applying bandage after bandage, salve after salve, to those who needed it. Her people. He knew Lady Catelyn would've swelled with pride had she lived to see the woman her daughter had become. Maybe even Ned Stark himself.

Even more still was their other daughter, a polar opposite, the cold and calculated steel to Sansa's warmer demeanour. He heard the rumours almost immediately after it all went down.

The younger Stark saved them all. Struck her Valyrian steel dagger into the heart of the Night King.

None but the youngest Stark bared witness, a boy that unsettled Jaime. A ghost of his past and all his wrongdoings.

When he heard the other men whispering of such things, about how they did in the end win, he couldn't even find it in himself to rejoice, laugh, or speak about the Stark girl. His whole body was numb. Simply struck dumb by what had transpired.

He was broken out of his thoughts, standing mutely in the middle of the hall, a light hand on his arm breaking the spell. Podrick's kind eyes met his and the boy - more of a man really – spoke "Come Ser. There's a seat here", and the knight simply nodded numbly, handed a bowl of stew by the squire. He looked up to their table, meeting for the first time since the dawn the lady knight herself, still covered in mud and blood. I hope to the gods that's not her own blood marring her face. Her eyes, still so shockingly blue, met his and she said nothing. Looked back down to her stew and carried on eating silently, with the great beast of a man to her right – what was his name? All Jaime could catch was that bloody name he gave himself… Giantsbane?. The wildling ate with great fervour, hungry eyes on Brienne the entire time, and she squirmed a little further away in her seat, catching his stare like it were a flame near her face.

Jaime wasn't a fool and neither was Brienne. The man was utterly besotted, and that amusing tale of how he earned his name kept Jaime chuckling for much of the night before. He wasn't sure why he found it funny. At first, Jaime would admit to himself, he was a little threatened by the sheer aggressiveness in the wildlings advances, but as soon as he glanced to Brienne's face he couldn't help but relax. She couldn't possibly take a man like him seriously. This was Brienne. She had no interest in such things. Peculiar that it made him relieved. He shouldn't care what the wench does in her spare time. She's a free woman.

They all ate in relative silence, none knowing what exactly to say in that moment in time. Yes, they'd had the day to process it all. But the wildling out of all seemed the least bit bothered. I suppose he knew what was upon them. A real man of the North.

"You fought better than the rest of those soft little boys from the South combined" The man – ah yes, Tormund was his name – declared, ogling at Brienne, so clearly addressing the lady.

Brienne looked up and a hardened expression on her face appeared, perhaps a little offended by what he was saying, clearly missing the compliment the man was paying her. She never seemed to see when a man was praising her. Always seen as a jape. "Most of those men who fought were Northern bannermen, and they bravely gave their lives".

An uncomfortable silence passed over and Tormund for a small second looked slightly ashamed, much to Brienne's dismay. She stuttered then, clearly seeing her words were a little too harsh, considering the day that had just transpired. She could see that the man used his humour to help him. He was simply passing her another compliment.

"Forgive me, Ser" Tormund replied, looking down to his food. "I'm not good with words at a time like this". It was alarming seeing the man this way for Brienne. He was always so confident, and never seemed to mind her rebuffs. It wasn't as if this were a game to her. She hated games. More that he wasn't getting the message every other time, or he refused to give up, and now the thought of her truly harming his feelings left her feeling quite sorry for herself.

Jaime watched with keen eyes at the interaction in front of him, Brienne's face appearing with a splotchy red that only he appeared to notice underneath her bloodied face.

He continued "I didn't mean to disrespect the dead… It was just seeing you out there slaying those dead men, you looked every bit a Knight. You fought with the strength of ten men on your back". Her blush deepened, and this time one that made Jaime's stomach drop, and for the wrong reasons. She was embarrassed this time, not angry, spluttering over words like some flustered young maid.

"I- … Thank you" she managed, now looking him in the eye, with a small upturn of her lip, as much of a smile as she could manage in that moment. They nodded, a mutual respect transpiring, as if she spoke back "You fought well too". Tormund would take what he could get, and before others knew the moment began he rose from his seat, and sauntered away, but of course not before passing her the most unsubtle of winks and wriggle of the eyebrows. Brienne turned back down to her food, ashamed, abashed and embarrassed by the interaction.

They ate in relative silence, the awkwardness still hung over the group of them, broken by Ser Davos, obviously trying to diffuse the tension. The Kingslayer's eyes were following Tormund's retreating form, staring daggers in a very unsubtle manner. It didn't it go unnoticed by Davos, Sandor Clegane nor Podrick opposite him.

"Well then" he began. "The lot of you reek. I'll get the servants to draw bath's". Brienne began to protest but was hushed "I won't hear another word Ser Brienne. You haven't stopped since dawn. Nor you for that matter" The man's finger pointed accusingly at Jaime, who turned his eyes away from Tormund and glanced back in annoyance. "Can barely eat my food with that bloody stench".

Jaime huffed with a small laugh, relenting. "Can't argue with that". His voice, Brienne noticed, was gravelly and battered. He looked as if he had aged in such a small space of time. Flecks of grey in his beard, and in his darkened hair. Less of a Lannister gold. More brown, like soil. She'd never seen him look any less like the proud Lannister lion. His sister would turn her nose up at the sight of him, Brienne mused.

His sister. Not many things terrified Brienne. The dead, and the storm it brings with it, yes. Her father, vulnerable and alone in Tarth. The Stark girls in any threat of danger.

But the thought of Cersei struck something colder in her still. She met the woman. A cold, calculated woman, with an agenda written on her pretty face.

Ser Jaime has served his purpose here. He is done, and there's nothing else for him here. He will do what he has always done. Serve his house with honour, what is left of it. Would he leave?

Brienne imagined if Queen Daenerys had anything to say Ser Jaime would've been turned to ash and dust by one of her dragons by now. The thought sent a chill down her spine. She couldn't think about it for another second.

"How fares Arya?" Brienne asked Ser Davos, dropping the titles and pretences because she knew the girl well. She was of the same breed as herself. A fighter through and through, stuck inside a woman's body. Jaime's gaze softened on hers. She cared so for the Stark girls, even after all this time. She never broke her oath to Lady Catelyn, no matter what transpired.

Ser Davos had been with Lord Snow, amongst the others all morning, in meetings. Davos turned to her, and smiled. "Well, normally I would expect the likes of her to be a little shaken by the entire thing. I'm sure any man would. She did kill the Night King after all… But no, she seemed calm. Almost as if she was certain it was what she needed to do".

Brienne managed a small smile "Sounds like her". She sounded almost proud. She stole a glance towards Jaime, for the first time since he joined their table. All he could do was smile back, alarming Brienne. What in the seven hells has gotten into this man? Ever since he got here he has been nothing but nice. Not japing, not biting back at her temper. It alarmed her even more. Was this some kind of joke? Even having it all established that he came to serve and fight for the living, his answer to her previous question still didn't seem to satisfy.

x

"What are you doing?" Brienne swivelled at him accusingly.

"What?" Jaime replied, bewildered by such a sudden question.

"I think you know".

"I truly don't". He wasn't teasing her about this either. He was just as confused as she clearly was.

"We have never had a conversation last this long without you insulting me. Not once".

Jaime was now even more confused. "You want me to insult you?".

"No!"

"Good" he bit back. He wasn't sure why he put it like that. He always quite enjoyed getting under her skin. But now wasn't the time. Why couldn't she see this wasn't a joke to him? How did she not see that she wasn't a joke to him?

After some silence past, except this time not comfortable as it usually may be, Jaime looked up and studied her. Oh, he thought, She really doesn't believe me. With that established he tried to find the words to make her understand. But the real trouble of it all was that Jaime himself had no idea what to say. Why did he come back after all? Struggling to form words he started with "I came back to Winterfell because - …".

Oh shit, why did I bloody come to Winterfell after all.

He was more flustered now, especially with her studying him with baited breath with those astonishing and severe eyes of hers.

Why did you come to Winterfell? He had to be honest. Had it not been for her words in the Dragonpit some weeks before, Jaime never would've dared to leave. "Fuck loyalty" were here words. Such an odd and poignant thing for arguably the most honourable and loyal woman in the whole Seven bloody Kingdoms to say. But she was right, this was far more than houses, and oaths and honour. This was about life and death. But she heard him that very morning speak those same sentiments, and yet she still wasn't satisfied. To tell her a truth he did not even know himself? That he came to Winterfell for her?

No that wouldn't do. It would terrify her.

After some time, he managed something he thought would play more for her ears than "I came because I can't let you fight and potentially die without me trying my best to fight and protect alongside you".

"I'm not the fighter I used to be". She looked confused. "But I'd be honoured to serve under your command… if you'll have me".

x

Brienne was still confused, even after all that he proved to her. He fought alongside her. Saved her skin more than once. But why?

Suddenly, as if burnt by something, Brienne stood up, with her stew unfinished, and muttered an excuse before departing. It all happened so suddenly that it left Jaime perplexed. Had he said something to offend the lady knight?

By some reflex, Jaime rose almost immediately after, like some lovesick fool, and began following her retreating form down the corridor, stew left untouched. The group left at the table was bemused by what took place, a little perplexed even.

"Oh for fuck's sake. Is somebody going to tell the two of them to just get it over with and fuck?" piped up the Hound, an ever-present anger in his tone.

A paused of silence and then a slow bubble of laughter arose in Ser Davos, seeming to find it hilarious, and the laughter began to ripple amongst the men around them. They were relieved that somebody else could smile at such a time, and joined along with him, like it was infectious. It wasn't even what the Hound said that made some of the men around them laugh as they mused over their stew. It was more the relief that they could laugh.

They were happy to have something to laugh over, breaking the god-awful blanket of despair which held all the survivors as hostage.

Thank you once again for the lovely reviews, it really keeps me fuelled. So glad some of you are liking the way I'm portraying Jaime and Brienne especially. It honestly means a lot considering how much I love these complex and amazing characters. Please keep the feedback coming. Assignments are a little heavy but will try my best to update in the next few days. Thanks again guys!