A few days had passed since Brienne and Sansa had seen Petyr Baelish and a new layer of snow coated the land. Winter was most definitely coming Brienne thought as she crossed the courtyard, she glanced down to her chest and smiled slightly at the silver and blue broach that was pinned to her overcoat. When blood began to rush to her face in thought she straightened awkwardly before making sure that no one had seen her daydreaming. After a fast walk across the courtyard she entered the dining hall where Jon, Sansa, Tormund and man named Edison sat at a table covered in a map of Westeros. Edison was the man who was to take the position of Lord Commander after this meeting, they muttered among themselves agreeing on what was to become of the Night's Watch after Jon's departure. As Brienne sat down, the discussion of what to do about the Bolton hold on Winterfell. Jon stood and flattened the edges of the map with his hand, "we cannot defend the north from White Walkers and the south from the Boltons, if we want to survive then we need Winterfell" he said, pointing to its place on the map and picking up a piece from the surface, "and to take Winterfell, we need more men" he stated in frustration before tossing the piece back onto the table. Ser Davos was deep in thought; Brienne gave the man a side glance before turning her gaze to Sansa.

"Aside from the Starks and the Boltons, the most powerful houses in the North are the Umbers, Carstarks and the Mannerly's" Davos rose from his seat, and moved the pieces with the three sigils on them onto the part marked Winterfell, "the Umbers and the Carstarks have already declared for the Boltons, so we're not doing so well there-"

"The Umbers gave Rickon to our enemy, they can hang" Sansa stated curtly, curling her lips into a snarl. "But the Carstarks declared for Ramsay without knowing they had another choice" she continued, her face changing into small smile that tugged at the side of her mouth in hope that this might help. Ser Davos pulled a strained expression at her,

"I beg your pardon my lady, know that a Stark beheaded their father and I don't think we can count on them either" he said plainly, Sansa's mouth was now formed into a straight line as she shifted in her seat,

"How well do you know the north Ser Davos?" Sansa asked bluntly in contempt, "my father always said that northerners were different, more loyal and more suspicious of outsiders"

The debate between Davos and Sansa regarding the continued for a while, Brienne sat back and relaxed for a moment while the others bickered among themselves. She heard the conversation draw to a close, noting that Sansa lied to her brother concerning how she learned of her uncle in Riverrun. Brienne would bring this up afterwards, but she sighed in the knowledge that she was being sent to Riverrun to take a message to 'Blackfish', Sansa's uncle. Brienne would be going alone; it would be six days' round trip assuming that there were no complications on the way.

Once the conversation drew to a close, everyone went their separate ways to prepare for the journey south. Brienne walked with Sansa to her quarters, once they were inside she felt free to speak her mind. "Can we not send a raven my lady? It would be much faster" she protested, not really understanding why she was being sent away and leaving Sansa unprotected.

"A raven may be intercepted by Ramsay, you will go" she demanded, not wavering but Brienne was not done making her point. She knew men, she knew that they had no loyalty in them. Ser Davos for example, helped a man kill his brother and before the man was cold they were already firmly lodged between Jon's butt-cheeks. "I do not trust them" she stated, Sansa protested in defence of her brother but it was not Jon who concerned her, "I do not trust Ser Davos and the Red Lady, they are disloyal and spineless. Jumping from leader to leader depending on who might hold power" she went on, but Sansa stopped her worrying with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I will be fine, now prepare for your journey. It will be a long one" she said with a smile before her blue eyes flickered to the broach. "Where did you get the broach Brienne? It is very pretty" she complimented. The room suddenly felt as though a dozen hearths had suddenly been lit by wildfire as Brienne's face flushed red, as the realisation washed over Sansa she grinned, "is this from Tormund?" she asked, her smile formed into a perfect grin.

"It was a gift. Good day Lady Sansa, I bid you farewell and good luck on your travels" Brienne said quickly before quickly walking out to return to her quarters. Sansa returned to her own preparations to go south with a chuckle as she watched her friend walk away from her.

Brienne left with a nod and returned to her quarters to gather her things. Her saddle bags were almost packed when Tormund knocked on her door, she opened it with a vague expression of surprise, "Hello Tormund, how can I help?" she asked, her attempts to control her facial expression failed as her pale cheeks flushed pink.

"Hello Brienne, can I speak to you?" He asked softly, a small smile playing on his lips. She was glad however to not be in her nightgown this time, Brienne waved him inside and offered her chair as a seat. Tormund sat awkwardly in the chair, between his sheer size and his thick winter clothing the chair really wasn't big enough and so he decided to remain standing. Brienne brushed the short strands of blond hair out of her face before perching on the edge of her bed to listen to what he wanted to say. Her crystal blue eyes met his, making his voice catch in his throat as he began to speak.

"Have you enjoyed your time at Castle Black?" He asked as he looked around the room, the smile growing as he noticed the broach that was pinned to her shoulder. "The broach, you kept it" he said barely louder than whisper. Brienne turned her head downward to look at it with a fond gaze before she gave a nod. Tormund's smile grew as he slowly moved to sit next to her, wary of her like she was a wild animal that might spook. Brienne watched him carefully, her ocean blue eyes not leaving him as he sat a hair's width away from her. Her breath caught in her throat at the proximity, she could feel the heat and tension that grew between the two of them. Tormund turned his head to look at her, his brown eyes held a soft gaze that meant no harm. Brienne lifted her eyes to meet his eyes, their iris' locked as the heat in her abdomen returned under his gaze.

Tormund had known that this encounter would have been tense but he had never felt like so like a wide-eyed rabbit as he did now. He had severed heads from men's shoulders without a flinch but held in the intense stare that Brienne continued he found himself feeling vulnerable for the first time in his life. Her face was flushed, now that he was this close he could see the pretty hairline scars that decorated her face. Despite her current vulnerability Tormund knew she was a warrior, clearly as fearless as he, their souls matched in their soldier hearts. He released a soft sigh before cupping her face as gently as he could with his rough hands, her blue eyes widened in surprise which only led to her face flushing further. Tormund held her gaze before pressing his lips to hers, Brienne tensed against him at first but he felt her relax and lean into him. He pulled away slowly, her lips lingering on his for just a moment before she sat up straight and averted her gaze. Brienne's face was still glowing gloriously as she shielded her embarrassment and a shadow of doubt was cast across his mind. He felt his heart thud beneath his chest, Tormund's brown orbs turned to look at her full pink lips, he thought about how much he wanted to kiss those lips before returning his gaze to her sapphire blue eyes which were currently filled with such embarrassment. He had no idea that this was the first time anyone had ever looked at her with such grandeur, nevermind kiss her.