"Excuse me?" Podrick looked as confused as she felt and if it weren't so frustrating, she would have smiled over his face.
"It seems that I am pregnant, Pod," Brienne told him and looked at him.
"I haven't realized yet, but I am."
"That's..." Podrick didn't find any words; he just stared at her.
"Yeah...I know. But now that we are alone, Podrick, you have to help me to bring my child to Tarth as soon as it is born. I cannot raise it as long as Cersei Lannister is alive."
"Cersei? What is it with her?" Podrick managed to ask. He didn't understand, so she had to tell him.
"It's Jaime Lannister's child."
When she woke up and opened her eyes, she faced him. Jaime was awake and watched her. He had a little smile on his face. "You look so peaceful while you sleep."
She watched him for a while when she saw that he lifted his left hand to her face. Brienne didn't stop him.
He caressed her cheek, and she just looked into his eyes. They had a beautiful color. Brienne hadn't noticed it until now.
Jaime moved his head to hers, very slowly. She wasn't able to speak. And when his lips met hers, when Jaime Lannister claimed Brienne of Tarth's first kiss it felt like a dream to her.
Slowly, almost shy, she kissed him back, felt his hand on her cheek, felt her head becoming dizzy. Indeed, Brienne had never felt that way before.
He kissed her again, and carefully caressed her cheek, after a while her cervical and soon after that, he touched her shoulder.
Brienne knew what was about to come, but she wasn't afraid. To her own surprise, she felt good, indeed.
Their kisses became hungrier, more impatient and she felt him against her belly, as he put his hand on her waist to pull her towards him.
Brienne didn't realize when their clothes left their bodies, but when he caressed her naked waist, she blushed deeply and looked away. Jaime realized it.
"Don't look away, it's alright, you are beautiful. Don't be ashamed."
If it was possible, Brienne blushed in a deeper red. "You told me I am ugly if I remember it right," she said to him, but after a while, she looked at him.
"I was wrong, I'm sorry. You are beautiful, I was an idiot back then, and you know it best. I just realized it too late, as I always do."
He kissed her again and carefully touched her waist again, and this time she wasn't embarrassed. She didn't look away. She believed him.
The following touches made her feel better than she ever did. With a bit time, her hands moved over Jaime's naked body. And she could see, Jaime felt the same way. She'd never seen such an expression on a man's face. At this moment she knew they loved each other.
They didn't break eye contact that night. Every time they loved each other.
The following morning, Jaime held her in his arms as long as they had to stood up. But they weren't allowed to show. She knew it. If Cersei Lannister would get to know it, Brienne of Tarth was a dead woman.
"I don't want you to die," Jaime told her. "So let's keep it a secret for a while."
And Brienne agreed. It would be the best. She stayed at Kingslanding to bring Sansa back to Winterfell, to keep her safe. And Jaime. He kept healing physically. He seemed tense all the time. But they didn't manage to talk often. Cersei appeared to be around them every time.
"You know this is a bad joke, don't you?" Brienne had almost forgotten what she told Podrick when his answer came.
"It's not a joke Podrick, and I won't tell it again. And you won't too until you go and bring my child to my father. Do you understand that?"
She'd made a plan. Her father would raise her and Jaime's child until she was ready to do it on her own. She would write a letter to him, and he would understand. Brienne knew it. Her father had always known her.
And she couldn't go there on her own, she couldn't break an oath, Brienne had to bring Sansa, and Arya if she was still alive, back to their home. Back to Winterfell.
Brienne sighed. "It's the only way, Podrick."
She could see in his face that he wasn't happy, indeed. She wasn't happy either.
"You can raise it, while you stay in Winterfell," Podrick argued, but Brienne shook her head.
"I can't. Someone will tell the queen. And when she counts, she will know. She won't ask. Cersei will kill my child first, and then me."
But she would tell Jaime. He needed to know. But she couldn't send a raven. The risk was too high that Cersei would read it. She had to wait until they would meet again.
"We are alone now, and we have to plan it now. Podrick, this is important. We can't talk about this as soon as there are other people around us, do you understand that?"
Brienne felt tense and anxious. She needed to keep her and Jaime's child safe. She had to.
"Yes, my lady."
"Alright. Here's the plan. I will give birth in three moons. When the baby is born, I think we will need a few weeks to strengthen it. I have to spend...milk so you can travel with that little child. We will get you a ship, which sails right to Tarth. You will give my child to my father. Only to him, alright? I'll give you a letter for him. He will take care of it until I can do it."
And when she was able to do it by herself, she would tell her child who her father was and that he loved it. Brienne was so sure he would be happy about the news.
She caressed her stomach and sighed. If someone had told her a year back, that she, Brienne of Tarth, would lay with the Kingslayer himself, she would have fought him until he would never say that again.
But Jaime Lannister showed her his real self. He wasn't a Kingslayer. He protected Kingslanding and the people who lived there. The people he loved. Jaime Lannister was one of the good ones. Even if he didn't believe it.