𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋 || 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

Chapter 13

I avoided Jaime the next morning, I was so embarrassed for having cried in his arms like a small child the night before. As Brienne cleaned her sword, I picked up our things and threw them into a bag. I felt Jaime's green gaze watching me intently but I ignored it and walked over to Brienne.

"Do you need some help?" I asked, glancing up at her towering frame.

She smiled and shook her head 'no' as she continued to wipe her sword. She truly was a remarkable woman and I admired her greatly, even though I had shouted at her so many times already on this journey. Honestly, I wouldn't have gotten this far without her. I hated to admit it but I couldn't make it at all on my own. It was the one thing I'd always resented my mother for. She would never let me practice sword fighting with my brothers and Theon.

Even when I'd whine and shout, she never gave in. And now, because of that, I knew not how to defend myself. Evidently, it was a skill I should've fought my mother harder to learn.

"My lady? Are you quite alright?" Brienne said suddenly, breaking me from my reverie.

Smiling slightly at her, I nodded and she shoved her sword into its sheath.

"Come along, Kingslayer!" she called over her shoulder before walking ahead of me.

I stamped out the fire with my foot and puffs of smoke rose high up into the air. We walked for a long time in silence after that, the only sounds to be heard were Brienne's metal clanking as she walked and Jaime trudging along behind us. Birds cawed in the branches above us, light filtering through the trees. We came upon some bushes then and Brienne pushed Jaime ahead of us through it. His shackles clanked as he stumbled onto the other side.

"Do you know how long it's going to take us to get to King's Landing walking through fields and forests?" he asked her, irritated.

"Yes," she replied simply as we came to stand beside him.

"So how shall we pass the time?" he pressed on.

"By putting one foot in front of the other," she bit back and I snorted.

Jaime arched any eyebrow at me.

"It's going to be a very dull walk," he rolled his eyes, walking ahead of us.

Brienne held the chain to his shackles in her hand as we walked through a field, metal clanking.

"I'm here to take you to King's Landing and bring back Lady Stark's daughters in exchange. Dull is fine..." she told him sternly.

He stopped and turned to her then.

"You know, it doesn't matter how loyal a servant you are-" he started before Brienne shoved him back ahead of us once more.

"-no one enjoys the company of a humorless mute. Trust me on this. People have been serving me since I was born. You think Lady Stark is going to want a giant towheaded plank following her around for the rest of her life? A week's journey with you and she'll order you to fall on your sword,"

"If Lady Stark is unhappy with any aspect of my service, I'm sure she'll let me know. She's an honest woman," Brienne told him as we headed into another darkened thicket.

Blades of grass brushed along my satin shoes as we walked, my legs getting more tired by the second. But I didn't complain. I had chosen this path and I would continue on it for mother. Even if the two of them would end up making me pull my hair out and be as bald as Varys by the end of it.