Who In Seven Hells Is This One? The Lord Commander Of The Kingsguard, Jaime Returned With Cold Courtesy.

“Who in seven hells is this one?” “The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard,” Jaime returned with cold courtesy. “I might ask the same of you, my lady.” “Lady? I’m no lady. I’m the queen.” “My sister will be surprised to hear that.” “Lord Ryman crowned me his very self.” She gave a shake of her ample hips. “I’m the queen o’ whores.” No, Jaime thought, my sweet sister holds that title too.”

Losing It.  Jaime and Brienne

Podrick was tending the fire.  They had ridden as hard, and as long, as they dared.  The horses were exhausted and so were they.  He hoped that no one was following them, that the Brotherhood without Banners would feel that pursuing them was not a priority.

Jaime realized that Brienne had been gone a long time.  When they stopped to make camp she had gone off by herself.  He thought she just needed a moment of privacy, but she had yet to return,  He decided to look for her.

Jaime found her a short distance from the camp.  Her back was against a tree, facing the river.  Just the faintest glow from the fire reached this spot.  She was all shadow and shape.  Her arms were wrapped around her legs, and her head was bowed over her arms.  It looked like she was crying, but that couldn't be right.  Brienne didn't cry.

He sat down beside her, and touched her shoulder.  She looked at him for a moment, with a face ravaged by tears.  Then she looked away and wiped the tears from her face.

"Brienne ..." He said, but left the thought unfinished because he didn't know what to say.

"She saved my life once, you know."  She was talking about Lady Catelyn.

"No I didn't know"

"When Renly died do you think anyone wished to hear about a demon shadow. I cut down two of his guards without thinking, but Renly was on the ground bleeding out.  I was lost.  It was Lady Catelyn that brought me to my senses. She made me a part of her travelling party, and snuck me out of the camp in the middle of the night.  If it wasn't for her I would probably be a prisoner. or dead.  And now I've... "  Her voice trembled and caught as her eyes filled with tears once more.

"Brienne, listen to me.  That woman, Lady Stoneheart, she wasn't Lady Catelyn.  She may have had her body, but it wasn't truly her.  Lady Catelyn would have never harmed you.  She would have never asked you to do anything dishonorable.  You have to know that."

"Oh Jaime, I don't know anything."  She sighed.  "When I made that vow it seemed quite simple. I had no idea how much it would cost me.  I have killed more men than I like to think about.  Multiple men have tried to rape me.  I was thrown into a bear pit.  Biter tried to eat me alive.  I almost perished from fever, and they hung me from a tree to die."

"Why did they try to hang you?  You had done nothing to deserve that"  She gave a short bark of laughter.

"Because I lay with lions.  Or one lion in particular"  She said looking at him.

"Me?" She nodded.  "Shit, they were going to hang you because you associated with me?" 

"Yes. it now seems that I am universally known as the Kingslayer's whore." Jaime cringed.  He knew how much she would hate that.

They sat there quietly for a few moments.  Jaime thinking about all she had said.  Then Brienne got up, undid her sword belt, and handed him Oathkeeper.

"What are you doing?"

"I am giving it back to you"

"It was a gift"

"A gift you gave me to fulfill a vow.  I no longer believe I can fulfill that vow.  You once said that it wasn't possible to uphold every oath.  I didn't want to believe you, but now I see that you were right."  

Jaime felt something shift uncomfortably in his chest.

"Brienne, please don't say that.  You are the one person in this life that gives me hope"

"I am sorry Jaime.  I failed you, and I failed myself."

"You didn't fail me.  You could never fail me.  You are the one person that I know is truly good and selfless."

"Jaime your a fool, and so am I." And, she walked away. 

A03

If I give him sons, he may come to love me. She would name them Eddard and Brandon and Rickon, and raise them all to be as valiant as Ser Loras. And to hate Lannisters, too.  In Sansa's dreams, her children looked just like the brothers she had lost. Sometimes there was even a girl who looked like Arya.

The Return - Jaime and Brienne

Note:Since it looks like the will be no LSH on the show I thought that this maybe an alternative way for Jamie to get to Brienne A03

Jaime was pacing the Kingsgaurd room.  He was thinking of his confrontation with Cersei.  He could see that there was an uncrossable rift between them. He didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to do with himself.

There was a knock on the door. Ser Loras entered.

“I am sorry to disturb you Lord Commander, but there is a young man most insistent on speaking with you”

“Who is it?”

“His name is Podrick Payne.”  It took him a moment to place the name.  Then he remembered he was Brienne’s squire.

“Send him in”

Podrick Payne entered.  He looked pale and frightened, but what turned Jaime’s stomach was he had Oathkeeper in his hands.

“Podrick, where is Lady Brienne?”

“They are holding her hostage, Ser”

“Who is? Where? When did this happen?” Jaime demanded.  Podrick looked like he was about to cry.

“He looks scared to death” said Ser Loras.  Jaime hadn't even realized he was still in the room.

“Boy, why don’t you sit down and start at the beginning” Loras reassured him. Podrick sat down and placed Oathkeeper on the table.  Jaime tried not to look at the sword, and concentrate on the young man before him.

“About two, maybe three weeks ago m’lady and I stopped at an inn in the riverlands.  The inn was run by children and young people who’s parents had died during the war.”  Jaime wished he could hurry him along, to get to the most pertinent information.

“I don’t know all that happened next, because I was inside the inn and m’lady was out in the yard.  From what I could gather, some brigands attacked, and m’lady tried to defend the inn” Gods, that did sound like something she would have been foolish enough to do, thought Jamie.

“She fought off one attacker and killed him, but another knocked her on the ground.  He probably would have killed her if the inn’s smith hadn't used his hammer to smash the man’s head in.  That is where I found her, bleeding and passed out in the yard.  That is also when they showed up.”

“Who?” asked Jaime

“The Brotherhood without Banners.” Shit, thought Jaime.

“They captured us, and took us to their hideout”

“Where?”

“A cave.  I don’t know where.  They covered my eyed so I wouldn't know it’s location.”

“You said this was almost three weeks ago?” Podrick nodded.  “Why are they sending you now?  Why not sooner?”

“Because m’lady was ill with fever.  For a time I was afraid she would not live.” Jaime felt a pain in his chest.  “But she pulled through.  Then they put us on trial for being enemies of the realm.”

“You said she tried to save the children at the inn.  How could she be an enemy of the realm?”

“Because she serves the Lannisters”

“But she doesn't”

“She has a lion sword, and ...” Podrick hesitated for a moment “They called her the Kingslayer’s whore.”  Jaime cringed.

“She tried to tell them about finding Lady Sansa, but they didn't believe her. They wanted her to bring them your head to prove she wasn't serving Lannisters.  She refused.  Then they hanged us”  Podrick turned down his collar, showing the bruising that circled his neck.  Gods, Brienne, thought Jaime, what did I send you into.

“I don’t know what she said, but she stopped them from killing us.  Then she promised that she would help them in anyway they needed.  They argued for a time, but they decided to send me here, to you.  Two men escorted me to the edge of King’s Landing.  They said that if I don’t return in four days time, with you and 1000 golden dragons, they will send word to the Brotherhood and Lady Brienne will be killed.”

“Alright, I will start making the arrangements immediately”  Jaime turned as if he meant to leave.

“Ser” called Podrick “You are not to come back with me.”  Jaime turned to Podrick.

“I don’t understand”

“Before I left, m’lady old me that I am not to bring you to the Brotherhood.  She says it’s a trap.  That they will kill you if they get their hands on you.  She said the most important thing was getting me to safety.  I think she means to die in order to safe me.”  Podrick started to cry in earnest. 

Dammit, thought Jamie, why did she have to be so self sacrificing.  The fool woman.

“Podrick, listen to me, I am not going to let Lady Brienne die.  Do you hear me?”  Jaime turned to Ser Loras.  “Ser, I may need your help.”

Loras nodded. 

Sansa, as Alayne, starting to understand Jon and miss him

a l m o s t   ✘ ✘