*not yet edited*
Brienne huffed as she pulled at the sleeves of the ridiculous pink thing she'd been given to wear. It had ruffles and lace and ties and everything she was not fond of. She much would have preferred her armour and boots, but that had been taken from her now. She ate breakfast alone amongst the other Bolton men. Jaime was still in bed, she assumed. After fainting last night, she'd called for help and a maester had taken him away. She'd not seen him since. Brienne had thought long and hard about Jaime's confession as she lay awake in her bed. She felt horrible that the world only saw him as a man who betrayed his King, when in reality, he had saved so many lives. He'd looked so broken and vulnerable, it made Brienne wonder whether he'd ever told anyone that story before.
Time was passing slowly and she missed his presence. She wondered where she stood with Jaime. Was he repulsed by her? He couldn't be after his confession last night. Or did that mean that he could at least stand her now? Trust her even? She would never expect him to find fancy her, she was much to brutish and short tempered. It made her heart sting, as she was becoming more fond of Jaime as the days went by.
By midday Brienne was bored out of her mind, and decided to go look for Jaime. She found him in the training hards, trying to train his left hand to wield a sword. She stopped and watched from a few feet away. He was not great. His balance was off, the weight of the sword looked foreign to him and his swings were sloppy and uncontrolled. Still though, she admired his persistence. He was dressed in old black training clothes, his arm still in a sling after his maiming. Bloody Kingslayer, still looked so good even in rags. She approached him, dodging his blow as he turned, swinging towards her. Upon seeing her, he lowered the sword immediately. He drew in a short breath and Brienne wondered if they would pretend last night didn't happen. If they would pretend they hadn't seen each other naked, that he hadn't confessed his deepest secret…that she hadn't held him tenderly as he looked into her eyes, like there was nothing else in the world.
"Lady Brienne," he addressed her, cocky his head slightly and letting on a small smile. She was about to retort that she was no Lady, as she always did, but then she remembered the ridiculous pink ruffles she was in and smiled slightly, nodding.
"Ser Jaime," she replied. It was the first time she'd called him by his first name, and she loved the way it sounded. If she were daft, she would have guessed that he liked it too, by the way the Lannister's jaw flexed. They said nothing for a moment, and Brienne found herself staring into his green eyes. Renly Baratheon had blue eyes, and for many years she believed they were the only eyes she would ever love. But standing here in front of Jaime Lannister's striking green ones made her think that maybe they wouldn't be.
"How's the training going?" She asked as they walked through the grounds of Harrenhal. It was a mucky place, dusty and muddy. The sounds of swords clashing and shields clanking surrounded them, but Brienne had no trouble focussing on Jaime alone. They walked close together, step in step.
"Alright, still getting used to it. Ill never be as good as I was though," he said, shoulders slumped slightly. Brienne wished she could comfort him and tell him he would be, but deep down she knew the truth too. He would practise and he would improve to be better, great even, but he was a true master swordsman with his right hand. She prayed to the God's for something warming to say to him.
"You're still a widely respected Commander Ser Jaime, don't forget that."
He caught her gaze and a small smile spread across his lips. They continued to walk across the courtyard filled with training boys and men. Brienne missed the familiar weight of a sword by her side, and she wanted more than anything to be back in her armour and on her way to Kings Landing, with Ser Jaime. It mental startled her when she considered that maybe she craved to be alone with him, not just back on the road to find Arya and Sansa. Her fingers fiddled with the lacy ruffles at the end of her sleeve as her stomach began to tense and clench at the thought. Yes, she believed it no secret to either of them that they had formed an unlikely bond, and they'd covered each other's backs when the moments arrived, but it was certainly not in any way a romantic or flirtatious relationship. Just purely two people with a common goal to avoid being killed and find clear passage to Kings Landing. She supposed she would never see him again once he was returned. Her heart sunk a little and she tentatively bit the inside of her lip.
"So I've heard we'll be dining with Lord Roose Bolton this evening," Jaime said, and Brienne looked at him to hear what he thought of it. "That'll certainly be interesting. To be honest I've never taken a liking Boltons. Their amateur interest of flaying men - not quite my taste." He scrunched his face slightly at the last part and Brienne chuckled at his lightness of heart.
"Yes I've heard they can be quite gruesome, particularly his son, Ramsey. Nevertheless I hope to persuade him to allow us to be on our way as soon as possible, we've had far too much delay already, and I believe Lady Catelyn wants her daughters back before they reach thirty years." Jaime brushed his arm against hers playfully and raised an eyebrow at her.
"Ah of course, Lady Catelyn, your oath, your unwavering honour. But we both know you just can't wait to have me all to yourself again, Lady Brienne." She rolled her eyes at that part. "If you wanted us to be alone, understand that you need only ask and I'd be happy to oblige." Brienne scoffed at his remarks whilst silently wishing he weren't joking. Her heart throbbed for him. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and over his lean body, wanted to feel every inch of his perfectly sculpted stature.
"Ease yourself, Kingslayer. You're merely my trading card for Lady Catelyn daughters. Once you're returned to your father I expect we shall never see each other again." She forced out the words but they stung in her very core. She held a a tight composure as she snuck a glance at him to see his reaction, but the way he looked away and softened his voice was not what she expected.
"Yes, I'm afraid you're probably right."
Brienne stared into the cold blue eyes of Roose Bolton as Jaime wrestled one handed with a piece of meat on his plate. A few platters and bowls of food were placed on the table in front of them but Brienne was not tempted, she was here for one reason.
"I see my men finally found you something appropriate to wear." He said shortly, his expression giving nothing away. The room was dimly lit by a single window behind Bolton, casting a shadow over his face and body. Jaime continued to vigorously saw at his food and Brienne glared at him briefly before she began her persuasion.
"Yes, most kind of them," she said tightly, knowing full well that she would rather wear anything else at this point. She had to choose her words carefully if she wanted to win him over, so she attempted a small smile. "You're Stark Bannerman, Lord Bolton. I am acting on Lady Stark's orders to return Jaime Lannister to Kings Landing."
"When Robb left Harrenhal his mother was his prisoner. If she wasn't his mother he'd have hanged her for treason," Bolton retorted. Before he could continue Brienne grabbed her fork and stabbed it into Jaime's meat so he could cut it. The endless rattling of his plate was driving her mad. Roose's face remained still and unwavering. "I should send you back to Robb Stark," he mused.
"Yes you should. But instead you're sitting here, watching me fail at dinner," Jaime piped up. "Why might that be?" He asked comically, taking his first bite of meat.
"Wars cost money," a small smile pulled at his lower lip. "Many people would pay a great deal for you."
"But we both know who would pay the most. And I'll make you pay the most of he found out that you captured me and sent me back to the North for a summery execution." Brienne's heart was battering as they played their cards on the table. Jaime was right. Bolton couldn't send him back to the North without Tywin Lannister finding out and making him pay for it, most likely with his head on a spike.
"You're right," he said, and Brienne felt her muscles relax slightly. "Perhaps the safest thing to do is to kill you both and burn your bodies." At that her face muscles tightened and she had the urge to use her knife and lunge over the table to slice his throat with it. It would be quick and easy, and she wouldn't have to sit here in this hideous dress trying to persuade him to let them go any longer. Her hand wrapped itself around the knife while her eyes never left his, glaring daggers into his skull. Suddenly a warm hand came to rest over hers and she glanced down briefly to see Jaime casually playing off the gesture. He was telling her to calm down. She took a silent breath and opened her hand again, laying it flat on the table where she couldn't throw the knife through his skull.
"It would be," Jaime agreed, "If you honestly believe my father would never find out about it." Good, Brienne thought. He was good with words. Perhaps better at it than she in this situation. The Kingslayer had talked his way out of countless situations such as these. Admittedly, he did have the added advantage of being Tywin Lannister's son. Roose Bolton's face cocked to the side slightly.
"King Robb is keeping your father quite busy, he doesn't have time for anything else."
"He'll make time for you." There was a slight pause and Brienne dared not move a muscle as they waited for Bolton's decision. Roose took a short breath before speaking again.
"As soon as you're well enough to travel I will allow you to go to Kings Landing as…restitution, for the mistakes my soldiers made. And you will swear to tell your father the truth, that I have nothing to do with your maiming." He finished and Brienne eased. He was letting them go. The glanced over at Jaime again as he held his gaze on Roose before nodding slightly, and picked up the jug. He offered Bolton before commenting on how odd it seemed to ordinary people when he refused the wine, and poured Brienne and himself a cup each.
"Well my Lady," her heart skipped a beat at his affectionate words, even if it was an act for Bolton. "May our journey continue without further incident." She was about to pick up her goblet to cheers it with Jaime's when Bolton spoke again.
"Oh, she won't be going with you." She felt Jaime stiffen next to her.
"I am charged with bringing Ser Jaime — "
"You are charged with abetting treason." Brienne didn't know what to say. Jaime abandoning her for a moment was worse than thought of being held prisoner here. She had to go with him.
"I'm afraid I must insist." Brienne looked over at him as the words left his mouth. Although she desperately wanted to go with him, Jaime didn't need her to. He'd been given safe passage to Kings Landing. He'd been given what he wanted, that was all he needed. Why was he vouching for her now? She wanted to question him with her eyes but the Lannister kept his gaze hard on Roose Bolton.
"You're in no place to insist on anything. I would have hoped you'd learnt your lesson about overplaying you're…position." Brienne felt her heart sink. There was no way around this. Jaime had been given safe passage to Kings Landing and that would have Tywin Lannister off his back and no more Kingslayer to deal with. She knew though, that she had no protection. No one would be on Bolton's back if she was kept here. No important families that would come after her. She wondered what they'd have her do here. She ached inside at the thought of Jaime leaving her. They'd been in each other's company for so long that it was normal having him around. She didn't want to be apart from him, not ever. And now, she would never see him again because a certain Bolton didn't feel like letting her go.
