Lady of the Knight

Chapter 15 - The face

The next morning I woke up to the comforting feeling of Brienne's strong arms cradling me. As I lifted my head from her chest I saw she was fast asleep. I let her rest for about ten more minutes before my need for her became too much, I softly kissed her neck and she started to rouse.
"Mmm good morning my lady" she murmured.
"Gods I love it when you call me that" I breathed and my lips quickly found hers.
She rolled me on top of her and held my body flush to hers.
"Can we just stay like this all day?" I begged.
"I'd love nothing more" she said between smooches, "but we're going hunting today".
"Do we have to?" I whined, still kissing her.
"Well...I suppose the game can live for five more minutes" and she threw me down on the bed kissing all over my body, "actually make it ten".

An hour later we collected the horses from the stables and rode off into the woods. It was a cloudy day but the air was fresh. Sansa had generously asked the blacksmith to make me some leather armour so today I thought I would try it out. I noticed Brienne kept glancing over at me as we trotted through the snowy forest.
"What are you staring at?" I said amused.
"Nothing. Your armour looks good on you. It's very-" she cleared her throat "well fitted".
"Oh is it now? Well maybe later you can be my squire and help me take it off?"
Brienne smiled coyly and bit her lip. I loved making her blush.

After hunting some rabbits and deer we stopped for a break. Brienne flopped on the ground and sat at the bottom of a tall tree.
"Why do I feel so exhausted today?" she said, pushing her hair back.
"You wore yourself out last night" I said cheekily, sitting down next to her.
I put my head on her shoulder and she rested hers on mine, watching the snowflakes drift down from the sky.
"Last night was wonderful, Imogen".
"It was the best night of my life".
She hummed and kissed the top of my head. She hadn't actually said that she loved me back yet but I knew that she cared and held a deep affection for me so that was all I needed. For now.
"Did you hear that?" I said, lifting my head and looking around.
"Hear what?"
"Exactly. We're completely alone in the middle of the woods. You know what that means?" I said flirtatiously as I gathered a handful of snow behind my back.
"I don't know" she said with a cheeky smile.
"It means...snowball fight!" and I smashed the snowball on her head and ran away laughing towards the horses.
She gasped as the cold snow melted down her face and neck.
"That's NOT funny Imogen!" she said angrily and she didn't look amused.
"Oh shit, she mustn't like pranks" I thought.
"I'm sorry Bri, it was just a-ARGH!" I cried as an even bigger snowball hit me in the face.
"Now that is funny!" she said through hearty laughter.
"Oh you've done it now!" and we chased each other around laughing and throwing snowballs at one another until we were sore and cold.
"OK OK! You win Ser Brienne of bloody Tarth!" I panted holding my hands up.
She smiled smugly at her victory, "come on let's head back to the castle".
"Wait! The winner gets a prize" and I stood on my tip toes to pull her in for a kiss.
"Just you wait until tonight my lady".

*

About ten minutes into our journey back Brienne halted us and looked to her left.
"What's wrong?" I whispered.
"I heard something" and just as she said that snow fell from the branches of a nearby tree. We looked up and there was nothing there, but something felt strange.
"Stay here" she said firmly.
She dismounted her horse and drew Oathkeeper, creeping towards the noise. I silently climbed down and drew my daggers, keeping a safe distance behind her. She parted the bushes and scanned the area...nothing. She sheathed her sword and turned back to me.
"Must have just been some-"
"Brienne!"
Before she could finish her sentence a figure in a crimson hood and cape appeared behind her and whacked her across the head with a thick branch. She fell to the floor unconscious as I screamed her name, I gripped my daggers tightly and sprinted towards the Rider stabbing him straight in the gut. He collapsed at my feet then I heard a familiar deep evil cackle behind me. I slowly turned to see the face of the man that had haunted my dreams for weeks, the man that ordered my brother to be killed, the man who stole my parents from me. My blood boiled and a fiery rage I had never felt before burned inside me.
As I went to lunge at him I felt something smack the back of my head and I too fell unconscious.

A/N: This is what I imagine Imogen looks like in her leather armour (but with daggers instead of a bow):