After lunch, Brienne was surprised by Ser Jaime's petition to her father. He asked politely for a guided tour around the castle and wished for her to be his guide, if it wasn't an imposition on her. He added that it would do him good to get some fresh air to help him clear his mind. With a puzzled expression, she agreed to oblige him as long as her father allowed it. Selwyn, also a bit into his cups, consented to it, but he said that he'd assign two guards to escort them. Brienne suspected that he did that not only in order to reinforce their protection, but also (and especially) to make sure that Ser Jaime would behave properly. In other words, they'd be accompanied by a couple of chaperones. Brienne nearly snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation.
They arranged to meet at the main doors of the castle in a short while, after freshening up. With her heart beating fast, Brienne rushed to her quarters to relieve herself and change her clothes into something more fitting for a stroll. What does a plain thing like myself wear to accompany such a handsome man like Ser Jaime? Resigned to the inevitable, she fixed her hair the best she could and donned her newest set of shirt, breeches and a jerkin with the Tarth colors. She also added a cape to keep the cold at bay. And then she was ready. There's not much I can do to enhance this appearance. She took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. Why would Jaime Lannister, a man who might get the company of any woman with just snapping his fingers, choose her to spend time with? She couldn't fathom the true reason behind his request. No boy or man, except for Renly Baratheon, had ever chosen her company over others'.
Brienne couldn't help her rooted mistrust. Even after their favorable first meeting at the yards and what she had observed over lunch, she didn't know him yet. His apparent admiration for her fighting skills didn't mean that he liked other aspects of her.
It might all be just a guise. But what for? Was he planning to toy with her and then unleash his nastiness, taking her by surprise, as those evil boys at the ball did? She knew too well that many people didn't need any excuses to be cruel and that a lot of them enjoyed hurting those who didn't fit into their standards. In addition, the Lannister house wasn't known precisely for its goodness. Brienne was the first one to admit that nobody deserved to be judged because of their family or house, and both young Lannisters had made a positive first impression on her, for now at least.
Well, she had no other choice but to spend time with Ser Jaime and see for herself how things would turn out.
When she arrived at the main doors, he was already there. He had also changed his clothes and looked slightly more sober.
"My lady," he said in greeting, his voice a bit thick, but at least his words weren't slurred. "I'm sorry for having drunk a bit too much before. It's not a usual occurrence in my case. But sometimes when one enjoys a decent meal in excellent company, and the wine is really good... Well, it's due to happen sometime," he said with a small smile, in an attempt at an apology, and he looked indeed apologetic. The proud Jaime Lannister was excusing his behavior to her. It was certainly suspicious indeed. Or just an aftereffect of drinking.
She noticed he'd said in excellent company. Did that include her? Why was he being such a gentleman to her? The only one who'd ever truly been that polite outside of her household had been Renly.
It wasn't that she thought that Jaime Lannister couldn't be genuinely polite when he put his mind to it, but... And yes, he was a guest in Evenfall Hall and a guest usually didn't dare to offend his hosts and hostesses, but even so...
"If you aren't feeling well, Ser, perhaps you should rest," she suggested, though a traitorous part of her would regret missing that chance to get to know him better.
"Oh, no, my lady, I'd rather take that stroll with you. I'm sure that if I lie down everything will start spinning around me and I'll end up paying a visit to the chamber pot, that is, if I get to it in time," he joked. Again she caught that hint of self-deprecating humor. That man was truly disconcerting. He didn't seem to mind laughing at himself, an extremely rare feature in a man, and even less in a man of his station. "Unless, of course, that you don't really fancy accompanying me. In that case, you just have to tell me, I'll take no offense for that." he added, trying to focus his stare intently on her face.
Brienne shook her head. "I'll go with you gladly, Ser. But we'll take it easy, all right? And if you feel worse or tired, just say it and we'll come back, promise?," she proposed.
Ser Jaime nodded. "I promise. Now shall we go?" He invited her to join him with a hand gesture, and she advanced to place herself next to him. A servant opened the main doors for them and as soon as they set foot outside, they saw the guards that her father had provided them with waiting for them.
Brienne led the way and they began to walk side by side, with the other men following a few steps behind, far enough to grant them their privacy, but also close enough to reach them in time if something happened.
The weather remained quite calm and sunny. The wind was blowing stronger than in the morning and it was chilly, but the warm clothes they were wearing helped keep the cold at bay.
"Your island is beautiful," he commented, staring around in interest. "You're lucky to live here."
"I've been told that the West is beautiful too, with the views of the Sunset Sea," she complimented in return.
"We've both grown up next to a sea," he replied. She saw him smiling fondly out of the corner of her eye. "I don't like sailing, but I like swimming and watching the expanse of water, especially at sunset," he admitted.
She turned to look at him, surprised by his admission. "It's the same for me. I love swimming and watching the sunset over the water, but sailing hasn't ever been one of my favorite activities."
Ser Jaime also glanced at her sideways. "It seems we have a few things in common. Swordsmanship, the sea, swimming, watching sunsets. We're almost soulmates," he said in a teasing tone.
Brienne felt a shiver at his words. He must still be feeling the effects of wine, or otherwise he wouldn't be virtually flirting with her. Why then would he be pointing at their shared tastes? But, Jaime Lannister flirting with her? It wasn't possible, was it? Unless it was all part of a cruel joke. He looked like a man who liked jokes, but up to that moment, he hadn't laughed at her.
She searched for the next topic of conversation that came to her mind. "Do you like reading too? Because I love it," she asked, genuinely curious.
Ser Jaime's features darkened and he shook his head. "Reading has never been easy to me. I've always had an issue with it," he confessed uncomfortably.
Brienne nodded in understanding. "I've heard about that problem. Our maester once commented that the Citadel has found a name for it. It's called dyslexia," she supplied. "And it's a more common disorder than people believe. It's not your fault, you can't help it and you shouldn't feel ashamed," she said in encouragement. She didn't wish for him to feel bad because of something he wasn't to blame for.
He then turned fully to her, with a grateful stare. His green eyes shone impossibly in the sun. "Thank you for your kind words," he whispered softly. "By the way, Tyrion loves reading too. He hardly does anything apart from reading, drinking and whoring. And pestering me with that sharp mind of his."
Brienne's eyes opened wide in shock. "Drinking and whoring? Isn't him a bit young for that still?" She was aware that many kids took a liking to alcohol and that lots of people started having sex at an early age, and that a big part of the prostitutes who worked in brothels and taverns were hardly old enough for such a job, but even if all that was something as ordinary in everyday life as flies around dirt, it didn't feel right to her. They're still children, and children should be spared that sordidness. It was wishful thinking of course, but kids were innocents and in her code, innocents should be protected from the worst miseries. That is, if the world were a fair place to live, which unfortunately wasn't. But that was what the knighthood's code proclaimed, wasn't it? To fight for innocents and make things better for them. Brienne would never be a knight, to her regret, but she didn't need the title to pledge herself to that principle, to which she intended to devote herself.
Ser Jaime shrugged. "Well, yes, he is very young. But a cat can hardly be shoved bak into the sack once it's gotten out from it, can it? Besides, everybody has to deal with their own demons their own way, and Tyrion deals with his that way."
What are your demons then, Jaime? What makes you so sad? I can read it in your eyes. Brienne wasn't as naive or featherbrained as to believe that the fact of belonging to a powerful and rich house meant that its members had to be happy automatically, but she wondered what was it that made Ser Jaime unhappy. He'd lost his mother too, another thing the both of them had in common. His father stayed far from home a great part of the year, serving as Hand of the King, and he was known as a fearsome man. He was told to be ruthless, cold and unforgiving. Did it apply to the way he treated his children too? And to add to it all, Jaime's twin sister had left Casterly Rock to marry the prince. They surely were very close. Brienne could relate and her heart ached for him. She'd been very close to Galladon, and to her own twin little sisters during the short time they lived.
All things considered, Jaime had very sound reasons to feel unhappy, and Brienne was sympathetic. "Lord Tyrion and you look very close to each other. That's a precious thing and I'm glad that you have him. I would give anything to have my siblings back. And my mother," she confessed with a lump in her throat.
He looked equally touched, and uncomfortable to be caught in such a moment of weakness, she suspected. "Me too," he agreed. Brienne ignored whether he referred just to his late mother, or both to his mother and absent sister. But it didn't matter. Either way, he had experienced loss as well.
Then an idea came to her mind that might brighten his mood. "I know of a place I think you'll like, Ser Jaime. Would you fancy going there with me?"
He smiled, and her breath caught in her throat. His face looked even more beautiful when he smiled. "Yes, I would. Is it a secret hideaway for committing mischief, my lady?," he asked with a teasing spark in his pupils.
She rolled her eyes and huffed. It looked like his usual teasing self was back into place. She ignored if feeling relieved or worried.