Author's Notes: Good day, everyone! Thank you for your support in making this story realized. Your kindness drives me!

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Chapter 89

Jaime XXXI

He took long deep breaths, but he couldn't stop the nervous pounding of his heart. He and Brienne were on the docks. It was merely a day after Princess Daenerys had arrived in King's Landing and now Brienne's father, Selwyn of Tarth, the Evenstar, was finally making his appearance.

Jaime never had the opportunity to meet Lord Selwyn in his last life. He had assumed the Evenstar would be less than pleased with Brienne's association with him. Back then he was the unvarnished Kingslayer, rumored sisterfucker, and son of the biggest prick in the land. No matter his status, any lord worth his salt would have balked at their virginal daughter having any association with him—unless it was to marry him. However, he got the impression that the Evenstar would have still been upset, no matter the wealth and glory his grandchildren would have inherited. Jaime could hardly blame him after all of the shit he had been wallowing in, both literally and figuratively.

So he was pleased that he could now meet the Evenstar and win his respect in a much more advantageous position. Although he was still the Kingslayer, he had proven his loyalty, trust, and—dare he say it?—honor to his king and country. He wouldn't be Hand of the King for long, but he was still going to be a member of the small council and officially take his position as head of House Lannister. Under normal circumstances, fathers would be groveling at his feet for him to deign to look upon their daughters and the ladies would likewise be beseeching him. But he had wasted no time in approaching Brienne as soon as he was able. It did not escape him that most of the ladies of the Red Keep shot daggers with their eyes at Brienne wherever they walked. She tried to ignore it, but he knew it still bothered her, even if she had little care or respect for the ladies' opinions. The men at least nodded at her with grudging respect after she handled Ser Osmund Kettleblack. That still did not satisfy Jaime, but Brienne insisted on letting it be.

I will. For now, he thought. The Gods damn him if they were to marry and he allowed Brienne to suffer any further disrespect as Lady Lannister. Just because his father couldn't resist the siren's call of the throne did not mean all of the man's principles were worthless. Jaime was willing to employ many of the same tactics to instill the necessary fear and respect. At the very minimum, he should not have to stoop to the fate of the Reynes and the Tarbecks to make his point.

But would he even need to? If the coup had clarified anything, it was his loyalty to his king and the king had just proved his heritage and cemented his power with the hatching of Rhaegal. The smart ones were unlikely to pick at either of them with the promise of another Balerion at the king's beck and call. And now Princess Daenerys had arrived with her own older dragons. Rhaegal was not particularly intimidating, but Princess Daenerys' dragons were starting to rival ponies in size. Watching the dragons fish the Blackwater Bay, throw their catch in the air, and fry it had become a daily spectacle.

And they'll only get bigger, he thought with a shudder. He dearly hoped he would never have to see lines of men being roasted alive before his eyes again. Aegon and his sisters' conquest of the Kingdoms showed that those who surrendered were integrated into the kingdom and the rest were burned, as evident by the extinction of House Gardener and the burning of Harrenhal's oversized castle.

As Lord Selwyn's dinghy came into view, Jaime glanced at Brienne. She had been especially quiet upon hearing a vessel flying the flag of Tarth was docking that morning. Jaime thought that she might be nearly as nervous as he was because he saw her keeping her eyes to the ground like a child expecting to be chastised. It was a stark difference to the Brienne he had known in the previous life.

That Brienne would have kept her chin raised. After everything she went through, she was not one to be cowed, he mused. But this Brienne had not experienced spending weeks hiding in the foliage while they marched to King's Landing, being tossed into a bear pit, and scouring the countryside for Sansa Stark. He wanted to say Brienne hadn't changed between the time he'd seen her in King's Landing to when she showed up at Riverrun to barter for the Blackfish, but now seeing this Brienne, he thought she might have. The old Brienne had definitely been more confident. He'd have to encourage her to grow into that confidence at some point.

Upon the Evenstar's approach, it was impossible to miss that he was taller than even Brienne, if only by a few inches. It seemed that only the Mountain had been taller. And he's now a head shorter, Jaime thought ruefully.

The Evenstar barely glanced at him; his eyes were only for Brienne. His pace was measured and his arms were already outstretched in a waiting hug. "Brienne, my child," he said in a kindly voice. He had the same startling blue eyes as she did.

"Father," she replied somewhat stiffly, but as soon as they embraced she seemed to melt into him. "I have missed you."

"And I you. I was ever so concerned when you ran to heed Lord Renly's call, but I knew your heart could not be denied your true calling," he said to her once they had stepped back. The warmth of his eyes disappeared as they refocused on Jaime. "Lord Lannister, I presume?"

"Yes, I am Lord Jaime Lannister of Casterly Rock," he said, holding out a hand.

The Evenstar hesitated for just a beat before firmly taking his hand. "I must say, I was surprised when I received your letter. If Brienne's letter had not accompanied it, I would've taken it for a jape."

Jaime chuckled. "I understand, but I assure you this is no jape. My intentions are clear: I wish to marry your daughter."

Lord Selwyn sized him up and looked over at Brienne. She nodded and gave him a fragile smile. Jaime thought he felt his heart skip a beat at her hesitance and hoped that her father assumed it was merely nerves.

"Very well. I would prefer this be discussed up at the Red Keep."

"Of course, my Lord. Our horses are this way," Jaime said, waving them on. As always, Pod was at the ready, safeguarding the reins of all four of them. The two horses for Brienne and her father stood in stark contrast to Jaime's dark grey mare. Their horses lacked the fine breeding of a Tyrell mare and he resolved to himself that he would buy Brienne such a horse when the betrothal was finalized. She would need it for their journey to Winterfell.

A guard of four Lannister men escorted them through the streets. Brienne fell back to be with her father. Jaime looked back to see them speaking, but the words were too soft for him to hear. He only saw the briefest ribbon of grey sound that quickly disappeared in the overall town babble. He pushed it out of his mind the best he could and kept his eyes trained forward, but the hair prickled on the back of his neck and he felt his heart racing. Was Brienne saying favorable things about him? Was Lord Selwyn believing them?

For sixteen years, he had exercised patience as Robert's guard, with little to keep his mind occupied from the avalanche of memories and concerns he had for the future. Aemon elevating him to Hand and sending him away had been alarming, but still challenging. It had kept his mind from stewing on the possibilities with Brienne and whether he could win her again. He thought the lowest part of his uphill battle for her affection would be when he was forced to knock her unconscious in the Red Keep. However, Lord Selwyn had not been a factor at all in the time before and, like a wight risen from the grave, the thought emerged that no matter what Brienne thought, her father could stop the betrothal in its tracks immediately. And Jaime would be forced to accept that.

His hands tightened around the reins, but he worked to squash that. Lord Selwyn has yet to even glare at me. I'm getting ahead of myself, he mused. Most other men would have already called him Kingslayer, presuming that he took it as a compliment. Brienne's father had been perfectly cordial. Jaime had waited seventeen years, negotiated Aemon's alliance with the Tyrells, managed and eventually arrested his own father for treason, and actually managed to work his way into Brienne's confidence. He would be damned if he allowed his own fear to ruin his chances with her. He drew in deep breaths and tried to stay calm before he gave himself a seizure. Jaime had been fortunate not to suffer one since the attempted coup and he intended for it to remain that way.

Once Jaime had handed off his reins to a stableboy, he coaxed himself into standing patiently nearby. He tried to keep his stance relaxed, but he was uncertain if he was successful.

"So what would you prefer to do now, my Lord?" he asked.

"I should think I would like to see my quarters," Lord Selwyn replied. "Daughter, will you show me the way?"

Brienne became flustered, "Well … uh … well, I-uh-I don't know where your quarters are."

"Pod, escort the Evenstar and Lady Brienne to his quarters, would you? Lord Selwyn, I will be in my solar if you need me."

Lord Selwyn gave a stiff nod. "My Lord Hand," he said. "It was a pleasure."

Jaime trooped off, determined not to glance in their direction and kept his eyes on the door instead of at his feet. He rather doubted he would be able to get any work done the rest of the day. He told the guard at the door to send Pod in when he returned.

After a few minutes, he was jolted from his reverie by a knock at the door. "Enter," he snapped.

"You sent for me, my Lord?" Pod said, his voice ending on a crack that splashed red. Jaime put it down to his growth into a man.

"Did they speak on the way to the rooms?"

"Yes, my Lord, they did."

There was a moment of silence and then Jaime prompted him, "Well?"

"Lord Selwyn asked Lady Brienne what she had been doing," Pod began hurriedly. "She said she spent much of her time in training. She mentioned that you were the one who opened the training grounds to her and got rid of her … annoyances. She said she was training with Lady Maege and Lady Dacey and that she had started to train some of the younger girls in the Keep."

"Anything about me?"

"Yes, she said you often dueled in the yard and that she had yet to win a bout against you."

"She will, eventually," Jaime muttered. "Is that all?"

"Yes, my Lord. That is all."

Jaime narrowed his eyes at him. Pod swallowed nervously but he never took his eyes away from him.

"Thank you, you're dismissed."

He sat back with a sigh as the door snapped shut. It had all been perfectly ordinary. He had the feeling that Lord Selwyn had been aware that Podrick was likely to report back to Jaime.

Later that evening, Jaime had arranged for a private dinner in the Tower of the Hand. He and Tyrion were already seated at the dining table by the time Brienne and her father made their appearance. Jaime promptly rose to his feet and pulled out Brienne's chair for her. Her expression was disgruntled, but he tried an endearing smile. "Thank you," she muttered.

As soon as Jaime sat down, servants descended on the table with plates of lamb and prawn, rolls, and spring vegetables. While their cups were being filled with Arbor Gold, Jaime made an effort to catch Tyrion's eye and give him a stern look. Tyrion glared back and gave the barest of eyerolls, but he nodded grudgingly. Jaime felt better that he could be assured his brother wouldn't drink himself into a drunken stupor. This Tyrion wasn't nearly quite as bad about it as the Tyrion from before, but Jaime thought his drinking had noticeably increased since he had relayed the past life to him. The ground between them was still not solid, but Jaime thought it grew firmer every day at least.

"Lord Selwyn, this is my brother, Tyrion," Jaime said once the servants departed.

Tyrion raised his goblet up in a salute. "It's a pleasure, my Lord."

"Brienne has told me about you," Lord Selwyn replied with a nod. "She said you are clever and have a keen wit."

Tyrion smiled. "Lady Brienne is lovely to think so. I know my brother would be very lucky to wed her."

Jaime frowned at Tyrion and glanced over at Brienne, who was trying to hide the redness of her cheeks by taking another draft of her drink.

"Do you speak with Brienne often?" Lord Selwyn asked.

"Oh yes. I believe she shares at least one meal a day with us. She is always a welcome party who makes these drab surroundings all the brighter."

Jaime focused on his meal to keep his mounting anxiety in check. He had to marvel at the level of control Lord Selwyn was displaying. His voice was a measured and even ocean blue, much like the blue of the water surrounding Tarth. Jaime couldn't really be sure what Lord Selwyn was thinking, but he was calm about it.

"I had heard that Brienne was spending a lot of her time in your company, Lord Jaime," Lord Selwyn said and the color of his voice shifted to include a tinge of orange. "I would hate to think that you have sullied her honor."

"Father," Brienne said sharply, her own voice a burnt orange. "I told you. He has respected my honor as an honorable man should."

Although Selwyn acknowledged her, he remained quiet and focused on Jaime.

"My Lord, Lady Brienne has my utmost respect and I would never dare do anything that might bring her dishonor. All of our meetings are quite public," Jaime replied, refusing to shy away from Lord Selwyn's eyes.

"Lord Selwyn, my brother is an honorable man with impeccable manners. And, if I may be so bold, Lady Brienne could make quick work of him if he stepped even a toe out of line. She is formidable, but then that's why Jaime loves her."

Jaime broke his eyes away to glare at his brother, who winked at him cheekily.

Quite suddenly, Lord Selwyn's fury eased and he returned once more to eating from his plate. Jaime felt the tension ease in his shoulders and he breathed. Although his stomach was tied up in knots, he forced himself to keep eating.

"Yes, I am aware that my daughter can handle herself. I made sure she was prepared. However, we all know that such a situation is as much a political one as it is a physical one. Lesser men than you, Lord Jaime, have enjoyed throwing their weight around and taking advantage of innocent girls. You are Hand of the King, the second most powerful man of them all. Good men have tasted the sweet nectar of power and become drunk with it."

Jaime's first thought ran to Mad King Aerys. His father told him that King Aerys had been a good man and a good friend once. But as the years passed and King Aerys' jealousy of his father grew, until his madness had finally broken the surface and everyone was forced to either swim or drown in it. Even though those days as the lone Kingsguard at the Mad King's side was nearly forty years gone since his last life, he could still remember the deep despair and considered allowing himself to drown to escape it.

"Father, please. Jaime has never once compromised my honor. I told you, he saved my life!"

"And he humiliated you, my dear."

Brienne abruptly turned away and closed her eyes. Jaime regarded her briefly before once again turning back to her father.

"I appreciate that you saved her life from a miscreant like Ser Osmund Kettleblack, but you were equally brutal in destroying my daughter's confidence."

Jaime grimly nodded. He didn't think he would be able to escape the incident with Ser Osmund Kettleblack. It seemed likely in the intervening weeks that Lady Brienne had sent a letter to her father, speaking of the events of the duel. "What I said that was wrong. I was angry … I was—it doesn't matter. There are no excuses for my behavior and the horrendous words I said to her. I have apologized to Lady Brienne."

"Which I mentioned, father," she replied, a surprising note of irritation in her voice.

"But I will apologize to you for disrespecting your daughter. Lady Brienne is a fine warrior and it is because of your tutelage and … openness that she was able to exercise her talents. There is no doubt about it: Brienne defeated her opponent Ser Osmund Kettleblack and that should have been the end of it. A knight disregarded his sacred vows and attempted to kill your daughter. Although I stepped in and stopped Ser Osmund before he could deliver a killing blow, I nearly dealt the blow myself with my words. No, it would not have killed her, but it did nearly kill her spirit. Your daughter and her zeal for fighting and her commitment to honor is one of the best things to happen to the Red Keep. I apologize for nearly dashing that."

Lord Selwyn nodded agreeably to his words but his expression remained calculating. Brienne was nearly red as a tomato. Tyrion opened his mouth, but at Jaime's attention he abruptly snapped it shut and reached for his wine.

"It's interesting that you would mention Ser Osmund violating his sacred vows when you're rightly famous for murdering your king," Lord Selwyn replied.

Brienne jumped to her feet. "Father, please! You've gone too far!"

"It's okay, Brienne. It was bound to come up," he said, though his voice sounded distant to his own ears. He was quiet for a moment as he tried to think through his next response, but he was beginning to feel a heavy despair weigh on his heart. He took a deep breath and met Lord Selwyn's eyes. "I am forbidden by my king at present to divulge the reason for King Aerys' death. But think about this: I had sixteen years to kill King Robert Baratheon and I didn't. I assure you, I don't take breaking my oath lightly. I needed a damned good reason to do it and I had one. And King Aemon agrees with that reason or I wouldn't be Hand of the King."

Lord Selwyn appeared surprised. "I had wondered how King Aemon could trust you with such an important position after what you did to his grandfather."

To question my ascension is to question the king's judgment. The words were on the tip of the tongue, but he kept his mouth firmly shut to keep them from slipping out. Yet they may as well have from the way Lord Selwyn shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Forgive me, my Lord, for my harsh words," Lord Selwyn began. "Brienne is my last remaining child. She has now had four failed betrothals and the last man tried to kill her. I had to know that the fifth man is the right choice. You must admit that you are a puzzling choice. The Lord of Casterly Rock—the wealthiest of the Seven Kingdoms—and the selfsame oathbreaking kingslayer, asking to marry my daughter. I mean no disrespect, daughter, but you clearly did not appeal to most men with your warrior ways, your sense of duty, or your sense of honor. Never did I imagine that the Kingslayer of all people would."

"Father, he doesn't like being called kingslayer," Brienne snapped.

"My apologies, but I do think I am satisfied here. I may not have heard every answer I wanted, but I think I've seen enough," Lord Selwyn said. He leveled his gaze with Jaime's. "I have heard of your ill deeds, but I have equally heard of your heroism. You stole into the Red Keep and captured Renly, preventing a bloody battle. You arrested your own father for treason. And, of course, you saved my daughter from the scourge of Ser Osmund Kettleblack. I must admit my consternation when Brienne told me she had not seen my letter warning her to take care with the Kettleblacks. Although Ser Osmund had a reputation for being a powerful knight, there were rumors of his dishonor and his love for violence."

Jaime furrowed his brow in confusion and felt his back tighten. He took meddling with their messenger birds seriously and he would look into it.

"I grant you my blessing to marry Brienne. I do not grant it lightly, Lord Jaime. My daughter's happiness is of utmost importance to me. But you have shown me in many ways that you greatly care for my daughter. Brienne, are you willing to marry Lord Jaime?"

All of the tension left her body and she smiled. "Yes, father, I would marry Lord Jaime Lannister."

Jaime felt his shoulders slump once more with relief. Tyrion leapt to his feet on his chair and poured another generous helping of wine into his goblet. "A toast to the future Lord and Lady Lannister!"

"Cheers!"

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