From now on, I won't follow the story or these terrible spoilers for Season 8 I've read. I hope you like it :)

Jaime

He'd left Cersei.

Indeed, he hadn't believed in himself until he'd left Kingslanding with nothing more than a little bit of money, Widow's Wail and his horse and took the road north.

There was only one thing left to do for him. Jaime would tell Jon Snow and Queen Daenerys that Cersei betrayed them.

Cersei wouldn't help them, never planned it. And she didn't trust him, her twin anymore. She was about to marry Euron Greyjoy.

His place wasn't at his sister's side anymore. Wasn't it for a long time.

He should have left earlier, maybe he wouldn't feel that broken, perhaps Brienne wouldn't hate him.

All the time, after their too short talk in the dragon's pit, Jamie thought about the woman he loved, how she looked at him with these sad, sapphire-blue eyes. Brienne wouldn't understand why he reacted like this.

She wouldn't forgive him how he acted, how he pushed her away from him, didn't look at her, he thought so. He did it to protect her. Jaime knew Cersei had been jealous. She would have killed Brienne if she hadn't left Kingslanding to find Sansa. But how could Brienne know?

One thing was left to do: He needed to talk to the Dragon Queen.

When he'd told Jon and Daenerys what happened, he would leave his life in their hands. If they decided to kill him, it was good. There was nothing left worth living for.

He decided to rest at a tavern. Sat there in a dark corner and stared at the fire.

He drank. A lot.

Jaime didn't realize how much. But he didn't want to think about anything anymore.

He wanted silence.

Brienne

Brienne decided they would need a rest. So they stopped at a tavern later in the evening. She hoped the most people would be in their rooms. And so it was. She only recognized one person in a dark corner who appeared to be very drunk. She didn't waste another look and sat with her back to him. Brienne wasn't a friend of drinking.

They got their rare meals and began eating them. Yet Podrick seemed to be interested in that drunk man. He looked into his direction from time to time.

"What is it Podrick?"

"Don't you think he looks just like Jaime Lannister?" Podrick asked her silently Brienne promptly turned around. She took a second look at that guy. This time she watched him closely. Podrick was right. It was him.

Without another word, she stood up from her place and went to him. He didn't recognize her, he watched the fire and seemed so sad and, indeed, so very drunk. He held his mug of ale in his hand. She knew he was broken, saw it in his eyes. But she'd never seen someone in such a dejected state.

"Ser Jaime?" Brienne spoke carefully. Her heart ached at his sight. He lifted his head so he could face her. His eyes were red rimmed, and when his gaze finally met hers, which needed some moments, he didn't seem to believe she was truly in front of him. Jaime didn't say anything. Maybe he couldn't, Brienne hadn't seen him drunk before. Drunk and so lost.

She sat down beside him, carefully put the mug of ale out of his hand and away from him. Indeed, she didn't know how to react, so she asked the first question, which came into her mind.

"Did you eat something?"

Jaime just watched her, but she could see in his eyes, he was about to cry, and honestly, she didn't know what to do, so she looked over to Podrick, asked him to help her to bring Jaime to her room for the night. Whatever it was that had happened to him, he needed to rest and then they could talk.

They managed to bring him upstairs. It wasn't straightforward. Jaime missed every second step, so they carried him most of the way. Brienne opened the door with her feet, and after they finally sat Jaime down on the bed, she sent Podrick away to get some food for Jaime.

She pulled Jaime's shoes from his feet and his pants off his legs. Pulled off this stupid golden hand. Kept his shirt on and helped him, to lay down. Jaime wasn't in the state to help her, he could barely manage to sit on the bed, he was about to lose his balance when she didn't hold him. It took her a while until she definitely made him lay down.

When she covered him with a blanket, he finally did something. He searched for her hand and Brienne, gladly for this, put her hand on his. She looked at him, and if it was possible, Jaime's eyes became sadder.

"Don't go," he slurred. Brienne's heart ached at his sadness, but she nodded and squeezed his hand.

"I won't go anywhere, just let me take off my armor," she smiled a little when he nodded and loosened the grip of her hand. Podrick brought their food and helped Brienne with her armor, after that, she sent him away again.

"I will call you when you're needed. Maybe we stay a little longer in this tavern than planned."

Podrick nodded and left the room.

Brienne turned around and looked at Jaime. With eyes closed, he laid on the bed. She didn't take time to think and took her place beside him. He opened his eyes at the movement, just a little so he could see what happened.

"You're here," he managed to say, his eye lids seemed to be very heavy. "Really here," he slurred. His words were barely hearable.

Jaime tried to touch her, but his movements were unsuccessful, his body was not under his control.

So Brienne reached to him carefully. Her hand caressed his cheek very soft, and he closed his eyes. Very soon he began to weep bitterly. His whole body was shaking, and a sob escaped him. What in the seven hells happened to him? Brienne felt totally awkward at that moment. Her hand rested on his cheek, and she watched him helplessly, overwhelmed by his sadness. And Jaime didn't stop crying for a while. Brienne decided some moments later to rest her head on his chest. He said he didn't want her to go, so she wanted him to feel her. It was the only thing she thought that would help him, and it did. Slowly, she helped him, when he tried to lay his arms around her, but couldn't manage it on his own.

He held her close to his body until he relaxed a little. He stopped crying after a while, drifted off to sleep. Brienne didn't sleep that night, she couldn't.

Jaime

He woke up in a soft bed, he could feel the pillow under his head, the blanket he was wrapped in. Carefully, he opened his eyes. Seven hells, he had a badest headache since ever. He moaned a little when he realized something else. Blonde hair. His body tensed. Did Cersei find him?

"Ser Jaime? Everything's alright?"

Brienne. He sighed deeply and relaxed. He didn't know why she laid in his arms, but that didn't matter. She was here, with him. Later, he would ask her how she found him, he couldn't remember anything.

"I think so," he slowly answered her question but didn't move. Maybe he was too afraid that this was just a nightmare. That Brienne wasn't here, wasn't in his arms.

But she moved, sat up a little to look at him. "You look peaky. Do you need anything?"

He snorted a little. "Thank you, Lady Brienne. No. I don't know." He closed his eyes again. He didn't know what he needed at the moment.

"Ser Jaime?"

"What is it?"

"What happened to you? Last night...you..." Brienne stopped talking, so he opened his eyes again, just to look at her.

"Last night?" He asked her, he didn't understand what the matter was.

"You...cried.. a lot, half the night. I...what happened that made you so sad?" Brienne had a worried countenance when she looked at him, and he lifted his left hand, wanted to touch her, but let it fall again. He looked away from these sapphire-blue eyes.

"I left Cersei, that it is. I left her, and now there's nothing left for me."

Brienne said nothing, only took his hand in hers. He let her, but his heart ached, he was so afraid, that she would pull him away. But she didn't. Instead, she sat up so she could better look at him.

"Why do you think there's nothing left?" She asked him when he said nothing more.

"Cersei won't send anyone to the North. She tried to get me killed." Jaime tried and looked at Brienne's direction. Her expression didn't show any emotion.

"You knew she wouldn't do that, right?"

Brienne only nodded. His wench had always been so much smarter than him.

"I'm such a bloody fool, I believed her. I've been on my way to tell the Dragon Queen."

"You're not. You've been loyal, and you wanted your sister's words to be true, there's nothing stupid in this," Brienne argued, and he wanted to believe her.

"What will you do then?" She asked him. He looked away from her and closed his tired eyes for a moment.

"I don't know. What's left for me, Brienne? I don't have many options.."

"You have! There's always an option!" He knew she would say that and smiled a sad smile.

"For you. But not for me. No one will trust me, I'm the Kingslayer, a one handed cripple knight. I betrayed my Queen, my sister. I couldn't save my three children, I disappointed you. There IS nothing left for me."

"Stop talking, you goddamn idiot!" He snorted but stopped talking. So, she wanted to say something, at least he was glad that he didn't need to speak.

"There is a reason, you must believe me. I cannot tell you right now, but there is something worth living for. And I'm not disappointed. Why should I?"

"I treated you like a stranger, you should be disappointed with me. What is it then? The reason?"

"Oh come on, that's all? I've had much worse. And I understand why you did so. Don't you think I haven't seen? Do you think I'm angry with you because you didn't kiss me in front of your murdering sister? Come on Jaime, I know you couldn't. It's alright. I can't tell you here, nobody knows it, and I want it that way for a while."

Jaime opened his eyes, god he felt like he was about to cry when turned his head to look at her again.

"Why do you trust me, Brienne. Why do you think I had a reason to do so?" He asked her. He couldn't believe she sat there and said all these things.

"I know you. And I saw it in your eyes. I could see how you wanted to say something more, something real. I see you." Tears burned in his eyes. She was so right.

"You're grieving, and that is alright Jaime. But I'm here, I'm with you. I love you. And nothing you do can change that, don't you dare and believe anything else."

Jaime looked at her. Brienne's cheeks flushed a dark red, but she didn't turn her eyes from him. She meant what she said. Jaime sat up, ignored his headache and pulled Brienne in a tender embrace. The only person in his life who still believed in him. Jaime couldn't be more thankful for that.