Jaime had held Brienne for hours, clutching her pain ravaged body close to him. Her laboring began shortly before noontime the previous day, and it was now near to sunrise. She had led the armies of kings and queens, stood fast against the legions of the dead, and kneeled before his own blade to accept her duty as the bravest knight in all The Realm. Yet it was this battle to bring their child into the world, which she fought so valiantly upon her back that was the bravest of all. Brienne's own body threatened to betray her will and resolve, and she endured the agonies of the birthing bed with greater valor than he had seen from a thousand men in combat.
Jaime had not strayed a moment from Brienne's side as her ordeal worsened through the night. He stroked her hair, bathed her exhausted brow with cool water, kissed her temple, and whispered loving words into her ear when her fortitude seemed at an end. Somehow, at Jaime's touch it seemed Brienne would roust herself from the mire of pain in which she spiraled, and begin anew her loving struggle.
In awe Jaime, witnessed Brienne's quiet strength. He was at once her champion, embroiled with her in the hardest fight of her life; and yet but a witness, set so far apart from his love as she labored. A mere spectataor. As Brienne leaned closer into him, and buried her stricken face in his neck, Jaime was bludgeoned with a sudden and terrifying thought. From the moment he knew he loved her, Jaime also pledged to The Gods themselves that he would protect her no matter the cost. He had always done exactly as he vowed. He held Brienne, trying desperately to shield her from the anguish she suffered, and realized he was all but helpless to protect his dearest love now. What if he had died all those moons ago? What if the bricks had done their worst and smothered the life from him. The blood in his veins ran cold. The thought of his beloved Brienne enduring this struggle alone stole the breath from his lungs. Jaime shook the mocking thought violently from his mind, and instead vowed to keep his spirit strong with hopes of the joyous life they had built in the North.
He was glad they were here, in their home. Their Northern fortress so far from where either had grown. Evenfall was hers. The ancient fortress from the time of the andals which stared out across The Narrow Sea, a part of Westeros yet distanced from it, declaring its purpose. Someday she might inherit The Evenstar's title, or perhaps their child may grow to become Lord of Tarth, though Jaime felt he would never truly belong. Surely, the stain of his sins was far too great to ever be truly welcomed by such a pure and pious place. Casterly Rock, the forstress his own family had held for generations was now to Jaime only a loathsome cavernous reminder of his dishonor. He wanted nothing to do with it.
Evenrock had become their bastion. Where once had stood a cold forboding mass of blood soiled rock, there was now a bright warm welcoming manor filled with love and contentment and dreams for the future. Although the property was now theirs by right, Queen Sansa forbade Lord and Lady Lannister from entering until it had been properly expunged of any sign that House Bolton ever existed. Upon orders from The Queen in The North a legion of servants were set to work clearing overgrowth, polishing fine woodwork, shining gilt, and scouring the castle from rafter to root. The sigils of flailed men were torn down and burned, and in their place hoisted the proud banners of House Lannister of The North. The red and blue field of Brienne's family with their celestial suns and moons was cut by the fierce rearing lion ready to do battle to protect his ethereal charge. The old fortress seemed to draw a deep breath as if it had suffocated in sadness, even the woodlands that surrounded it seemed brighter, suddenly alive with game. Jaime dreamed of teaching his children to hunt within the thick ancient trees. In no time Evenrock was prepared to welcome the new family that would call it home.
Though she was heavily burdened with the babe she carried and her time was near, Brienne insisted that their first child would be born in the home she and Jaime now shared. And so the Lannisters of Tarth established their possession of Evenrock. Jaime chose a grouping of cozy sunlit rooms on the south side of the castle to become their marriage chamber. He thought it would please Brienne. The beaming smile which graced her beloved face the moment she crossed the threshold told Jaime that he had been correct. The quarters soon became their refuge. It was not the largest suite in Evenrock. Brienne jovially decreed that grand vast apartment at the top of the castle would be saved for her father, whom she was certain would all but take up permanent residence there once his grandchild was born. Jaime felt the warm happy chamber in which he and Brienne lived was more than suited for two knights and their eagerly awaited babe. It overlooked the river and the lush forest beyond. There was a large hearth, and a long seat before the window which had been made softer by a thick brocaded cushion. Jaime reveled in the vision of Brienne singing their children to sleep there. A small quiet sitting room near the four post bed made a perfect nursery. Within the antichamber a new cradle made of the finest cherry wood and carved with suns, moons, and lions stood waiting for its tiny occupant. This was their place, theirs together, at last.
It was here that Jaime Lannister the bold lion, the man once disdained as a Kingslayer and a sister fucker, now an honored Northern Lord, sat perched upon a sweat soaked mattress his arms filled with his beloved wife, as she labored to bring forth their child. Never could Jaime have imagined himself here, and it was the only place he wanted to be. 'His child,' Jaime marveled, as Brienne's delivery became imminent. He had fathered other babes, had seen them born and watched them grow, but always at a distance. To the world they had not been his, could have never been so. This child would be his, wear his name, inherit his title and lands, sit proudly perched with him in the saddle as they rode, and grow to be the man Jaime had always wished to be. The babe whom even now Brienne strained to give life had been created from love, not duty or manipulation. That his seed had taken root and grown in the womb of the woman he loved more than his own life, brought Jaime more joy than he could express. He hoped the tears in his eyes told its mother all he could not say. This was the child he wanted. Already his heart burst with love and pride.
As the night stretched on, Jaime cared for Brienne through the tumult of the maelstrom in which she suffered. It was a battle he could not fight with her. Though he stayed, as always, steadfast by her side, the struggle was hers alone. Brienne faced this battle as she had done all others, with bravery and determination. Before the thought left his mind, Brienne moaned softly and stretched against him, writhing in protest of the pain that had overwhelmed her body. He pressed her hand tighter, giving her the resistance she needed, as she strained to birth their babe. For the brief passing of a moment the image of Cersei's childbirths assaulted Jaime's thoughts. Such a contrast it was to his darling Brienne's silent strength. Cersei had screamed and raged at everyone in the room, including him. He recalled how she had threatened and berated. Brienne, however, was quiet in the war she waged in her birthing bed. She fought her pains with long deep breathes and low guttural groans. Her urges were accompanied by the softest moaning, and the desperate squeezing of his hand. Brienne did not shove Jaime away, but held tight to him, as if he were the only life line to the world beyond her agony. He answered her silent cries with the only help he could offer, his reassuring presence. Nothing could have moved him from Brienne's side. As the hours passed, he washed her grimacing face, kissing her soaked hair, and worked the knots from her tense muscles. Shaking with the pain, Brienne would open her eyes and drew her strength from his.
At last Brienne's protests grew louder, more insistent, as her body's need became more urgent. She pushed and strained at the orders of the midwife. Jaime could tell that his dear wife had nearly taken all she could bear. "Be brave my love." Jaime whispered into Brienne's ear, trying to will vigor into her. As if he had given her a final surge of strength, Brienne gathered all that was left of her endurance, sat up against Jaime, and bore down as hard as she could. She gave a loud battle cry as the babe left her. It was answered by their child's first wail.
"It's a boy." The midwife announced with a happy smile."You have a son." The kind old woman beamed as she laid the wriggling newborn into his mother's arms.
Brienne's breath came in short spurts, halted by exertion and astonishment. She looked with amazement into the face of the tiny infant she and Jaime had made. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. As if in a dream, Brienne felt Jaime's lips upon her temple, she watched the babe's small flailing fingers grasp sturdily onto those of his father, as Jaime wrapped his arms around them. Brienne turned to share the joyous moment with her husband and was met with his broad smile and the happy tears which streamed from his eyes. They matched her own.
"I love you." Jaime whispered to Brienne, in awe.
Brienne rested back into his embrace. "I love you." She whispered in reply, nearly too overcome to speak as she cuddled the babe she never thought she would have.
"What shall his name be?" The Maester of Evenrock, who had been standing vigil beside the bed presiding over the affair, asked.
Jaime nodded to Brienne, who answered his silent quandary with an assuring dazzled expression. He squared his shoulders and regarded the son Brienne had just given him. "Galladon Lannister of Tarth." Jaime exclaimed proudly. The name had been chosen to honor Brienne's long lost brother. He quickly returned his attentions to his little family. Mother and Father were joined in their happiness by their precious infant, only moments old, who sweetly cooed his approval at the sound of his name.
In the joyful years that followed, Brienne and Jaime were blessed with three more children, another son and two daughters. It was widely known that their House was the happiest, closest, and most loving family of any in The North. The halls of Evenrock were filled with laughter and the sounds of merriment. Lord and Lady Lannister raised their children to be honorable and courageous. There were lessons and training, outtings, and celebrations, and balls at which no boy snickered at the lovely daughters of the Lord or made sport of them behind their backs. The girls as well as the boys were schooled in the arts of battle and steel until their skills rivaled those of their parents. Above all Jaime and Brienne surrounded their precious babes with acceptance and adoration. It was the love which the couple exuded for each other that built the foundation of their home, and the promise of their future.
Galladon, Jaime and Brienne's eldest son, grew to be a legendary knight in his own right. Known for his dashing handsomeness, the young man was the very image of his father save for his striking sapphire blue eyes, a gift inherited from his mother. Galladon, however, suffered none the vanity or arrogance with which Jaime had been afflicted as a youth. The boy's interests lay much more in tending to the need of others, than expounding his own merits. Though the peace of The North, and it's alliance with The Capital through King Brandon Stark, permitted few opportunities for the lad to prove himself in battle, his success as squire and champion of nearly every tournament and melee he entered made young Galladon a renowned warrior. The two greatest Houses of fhe North were joined when Ser Galladon Lannister of Evenrock wed Princess Catelyn Clegane of Winterfell, Queen Sansa's eldest daughter, born only a few moons following Galladon's own arrival into the world. He eagerly became Lord Consort to the young woman would one day be The Queen In The North. Their marriage was filled with love, and the halls of Winterfell soon echoed with the cries of their happy babes.
Brienne gave Jaime a second son in less than the turn of two years after their first was born. Named for his grandfather, Selwyn Lannister sported his mother's features, and his father's green eyes. He was every bit his brother's equal with steel. A friendly rivalry developed between the boys as they grew, and the pair was often found sparing through the passways and chambers of Evenrock. So fearsome were their duels that Jaime swore they would both take each others sword hands by the time they became of age to squire, and then would truly favor him. Fortunately, his sons reached adulthood with all their limbs intact. With the eldest Lannister heir residing at Winterfell as Sworn Sword to his fair wife, it was Selwyn who inherited Evenrock and his father's title of Lord when the time came. As a youth, he grew enchanted by the eldest daughter of Ser Podrick Payne, and was wed to his lady love shortly after being knighted at the age of nine and ten. The loving pair soon filled Evenrock with rambunctious grandchildren upon whom Jaime and Brienn, as well a Pod and his dear wife, doted.
Lord and Lady Lannister had enjoyed not quite a half decade of marriage when their first daughter arrived. The easiest of Brienne's pregnancies and the shortest of her labors, lovely Joanna was born with a cry which sounded more like a serenade than a squall. Named for Jaime's mother, the girl resembled Brienne in almost every way. Thrilled at that fact, Jaime spoiled the child nearly to the point of ruin. Gifted by her father with anything her heart desired, Joanna was not only permitted but encouraged to run and fight with her brothers. Even Brienne could not deny that she had been similarly indulged by her father, and smiled as endearingly as her husband at their girl's skinned knees, dirty cheeks, and bruises. Knighted by her own mother, it was Ser Joanna Lannister who grew to become Evenstar. The young woman married the middle son of Lord Gendry and Lady Arya Baratheon of Storms End and inherited Evenfall Hall, the fortress of House Tarth, all in her eighteenth year. It Was Lord Selwyn himself who bestowed the honor of ruling her mother's house upon the young woman. Lady Joanna was a kind and dutiful ruler, tempering her leadership with compassion and a love of her island home and it's people. She upheld the traditions of The Evenstars who had come before her, strengthening Tarth and expanding its influence in the court of King Bran. Her children led their grandmother's homeland into the future.
An unexpected surprise, born when Brienne was nearly fifty years of age and Jaime close to sixty, their youngest child was by far the most independent of their brood. Bright eyed, Arianna was, like her sister, gifted with all of her mothers majestic features and all of her father's bravado. Her name created by the pairing of those of Brienne's older sisters who had been taken in infancy, her youngest daughter seemed to sense the weight of giving proper life to those babes who had known so little. She celebrated her own with a reckless passion, eager for each new day and every unknown experience. Arianna amazed her parents with her intellect and wit, and though she was a number of years their junior she soon challenged her siblings in skill and bravery. The girl was a force with which to be reckoned, at once an unstoppable bundle of energy, and as immovable as Tarth itself. She was stubborn, daring, and bold. Her power was rivaled only by her kindness and caring for those she loved. Jaime imagined that must have been how his darling Brienne had been as a girl, for he saw all of those qualities still within her. Knighted by her father, it was only natural that Arienna accompany her older sister, Joanna, to Tarth to assume the duties of the Lady Evenstar's Lord Commander. She led the Evenfall Guard with dedication and pride. It was a surprise to none when Ser Arienna caught the eye of the most daring knight in the land. A bit later than her siblings, in her twenty-fifth year, Arienna married Ser Victor of Highgarden and gave him two sons. Jaime never quite got over the fact that his daughter had wed the youngest son of Ser Bronn of the Blackwater.
House Lannister of Evenrock became a powerful Northern House, and Jaime a honorable Lord with Brienne by his side. The life they built together was filled with love, peace, and happiness. Laughter and joy reigned at their hearth, and friendship and family bloomed at their table. The children born to them thrived along their chosen paths. The Lannister name through Jaime and Brienne flourished well into the future. Westeros enjoyed generations of peace under King Bran and the heirs he chose. Jaime and Brienne knew a lifetime of love. It had been well earned and hard fought, and it was never taken for granted.