Not Just a Kingslayer

Chapter 23

After that day time passed happily. Brienne began training Daena in sword fighting.

"Don't swing so hard if you might miss."

"Keep your sword close to protect yourself."

"Make sure to stay alert."

And on and on it went. They were having a practice bout one day when some unexpected visitors came by the training yard.

Jaime and Cersei had been getting closer than they had been in a long while ever since Jaime returned. Cersei had seemed to finally accept the fact that Jaime loved Daena, and Daena just wanted Jaime to be happy; if that meant maintaining a friendship with his twin, so be it, so long as they didn't revert to their old ways.

The twins looked radiant that day, mirrors of each other. Their green eyes sparkled and their hair shone in the sunshine as though it were spun gold. They walked arm in arm, talking quietly. Cersei actually had a smile on her face for once. They both looked up at the same time when they realized what they had come upon.

Jaime grinned. "That's it Daena, get her," he cheered,"get revenge for when she fought me while I was in chains!"

Cersei laughed. "In chains, brother? I hope you had both hands at least."

He laughed. "That I did sweet sister, or I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Brienne unleashed an onslaught of blows that Daena clumsily blocked until her foot caught on the ground and she tripped. In seconds, she was on the ground with a sword at her throat.

Brienne smiled. "Better," she said,"but you would still have died."

"Well it's a good thing I have you to teach me then," Daena said, grinning, as Brienne helped her to her feet.

"My turn!" Jaime shouted, gently taking his arm from his sister's. He felt a slight twinge, knowing that his sword-fighting was extremely subpar now, but he ignored it. He trusted these three. Each was important to him in her own way. He grabbed the sword from Daena, giving her a kiss in return and causing a blush to fall over her cheeks. He turned to Brienne, grinning. "Rematch?"

Brienne rolled her eyes at him. "You have one hand, Jaime. I hardly think that's fair."

"Hmm." He pretended to think about it. "You're right wench. Do you want me to be blindfolded too?"

She scowled at him while simultaneously blushing at what he always used to call her. "Alright, Kingslayer, you brought this on yourself."

She rushed towards him and his sword flung up at the last second to block her swing. He pushed it away, ending in a thrust of his own, which she easily dodged. She pressed forward again, aiming together him towards a wall where she could swiftly end the fight. Ser Jaime still had his instincts though; she wasn't beating him as swiftly as she would have expected.

She shook her head to herself. He has one hand, Brienne. Just end this quickly.

Jaime grinned. Nothing made him feel as alive as a fight. He saw Cersei and Daena watching out of the corner of his eye and he knew that Cersei was reminiscing about their younger days. Come on Jaime, he thought, you're doing fine. That training must've paid off. End this.

Suddenly though, Jaime felt a change in the current of the fight. Brienne began pressing him back towards a wall. He tried to fight back against her onslaught but he made a mistake, moving in the wrong direction, as he was so used to using his right hand. Seconds later, he was on the ground with a Brienne's sword at his throat, big blue eyes staring into his with a combination of triumph and something else he couldn't quite place. He found himself lost in those eyes for a moment before he shook himself out of it, a grin spreading across his face. Brienne stood back to let him up, lending him a hand.

"I guess maybe you should've had the blindfold wench."

She scowled at him again, but there was no mistaking the mirth in her eyes. "I won the fight, the least you can do is call me Brienne, Kingslayer."

"Alright, Brienne," he grinned as they walked back over to Cersei and Daena, who both looked like they were holding in laughter.

"At least there were no chains this time brother," Cersei said, laughing.

"Yes that's a good thing," Daena said,"or else you might be dead right now."

Jaime put on a sad face. "Have you no faith in me?"

"Not anymore," Daena replied with a smirk. Then she took the sword from him with a kiss and walked away, leaving him standing there bewildered. Brienne followed after her to continue their lesson, leaving the twins to continue their walk, linked arm in arm once again.

Daena got into fighting position, but when Brienne reached her she relaxed into casualty once again. She smiled. "He loves you, you know."

Brienne blushed, nearly dropping her sword. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know in what way, Brienne, but he does love you. It's easy to see."

Brienne blushed even more, flustered, and then they went back to their fighting, as though nothing had happened, even though Brienne thought her heart like to beat out of her chest. They practiced until dusk, leaving side by side.