The Lion and the Warrior

Just Tell Me

The Long Night has come and gone, and that battle was won. Still, there were more to come. Cersei was still on the iron throne and likely still the queen of Jaime's heart. It has been weeks since their encounter and Brienne tried her best to avoid Jaime Lannister, although it wasn't always possible.

Brienne came upon Jaime preparing his horse. She stopped and watched for a moment and decided to approach him.

"Heading back to Kings Landing?"

"I think we've said our goodbyes." He said coldly, avoiding eye-contact. He continued to adjust the saddle on his horse as the snow began to fall.

"Right then." She walked away trying her hardest not to look back at him.

"You said you didn't want to do this."

"I don't! You're going back to Cersei. We both knew you would; you should just go."

"You're right. Cersei is hateful. And so am I." Jaime mounted his horse and began to ride away.

She watched him ride to the gate, sure that that she would never see him again. Suddenly he turned around riding back toward her. He got off his horse and stood toe to toe with her. "Cersei promised your queen an army. Even when she told me it was a lie, I left her and came here to fulfill my promise to fight for the living, you helped me to keep that promise. Since we were children, I have known what she is; how hateful and cruel she could be and I loved her anyway. I loved her so much that I was cruel and hateful too. I pushed a ten year old boy out of a tower, hoping he would die because he saw us together. I killed my own cousin just to get back to Cersei. I became a King's Guard because Cersei had to marry Robert Baratheon and it was the only way I could always be with her - we continued our affair and had three children while he was married to the king, and he never knew...or he knew and didn't care. Everything that I have done, I did to be with Cersei. She was the only woman I had known until you. I don't want to be with Cersei. Its finished. Its over. You spoke for me when Daenerys Targaryen was ready to behead me. Why?"

"I think you know why."

"I do. Why can't you tell me? Just tell me," he demanded.

"I love you."

He put his arms around her, pulled her into him and kissed her. His heart beat so fast that she could feel it pounding against her own chest. She was never afraid before of anything. But she felt the fear and pain of heartbreak because she was almost sure that this couldn't be real. He stopped kissing her only to catch his breath and long enough to say, "I am in love with you. And I don't want this to end."

Brienne kissed him again and put her head on his shoulder. He ran his fingers through her hair. "Jaime, Jaime, Jaime...I love you so much."