The Lion and the Warrior

Going Home

Jaime and Brienne said goodbye to Sansa and thanked her for allowing them to stay in the north.

Sansa was sad to say goodbye to Brienne. They were both teary-eyed, but Sansa really was overjoyed that Brienne was in love and happy.

Jaime helped Brienne into the carriage and they headed toward Casterly Rock. They had agreed that staying in Winterfell just wasn't where they wanted to be. They both grew up on beautiful beaches surrounded by crystal blue waters, and although they would be happy anywhere as long as they were together, living in the north just didn't suit them.

Neither of them wanted to raise their baby at Winterfell. Although they shared good memories there, Jaime's past would catch up to him one day. What would he tell his son? "...and this is where I tried to kill Bran Stark." No. He really didn't want to stay. He wanted his baby, boy or girl, to have the adventurous childhood he had at Casterly Rock. Perhaps jumping from hundred foot cliffs wouldn't be acceptable, but he wanted his baby to be in the sun, running, playing and swimming. Not dressed in furs, living under gloomy skies. It was just too depressing. He was ready to go home. It had been so long since he had been there, and he wanted to give his child all that he could.

"I can't wait for you to see Casterly Rock. I'll show you the cliff I dove off when I was 7 - a hundred foot drop into the water."

"Were you mad?" she asked with a grin.

"I'm still mad! Mad for you, Brienne of Tarth," he kissed her hand.

"Well, I am looking forward to seeing your boyhood home." She smiled and held his hand.

The journey was long and bumpy. The carriage was not very comfortable. In fact, there was nothing comfortable about it. They had cushioned seats and blankets to keep them warm on their journey out of the North, but being 3 months pregnant now and used to riding a horse rather than a carriage, wasn't suiting either of them. Brienne shifted from side to side. She moved to the other side of the carriage and tried to stretch her legs. Jaime looked on with concern. "Oh dammit!" She sat up and leaned out of the carriage window, "Stop! Stop the carriage!" She yelled.

"What are you doing?" He asked, completely confused.

"I can't ride like this. I need to be on a horse." She got out of the carriage and mounted a horse.

"Wait a minute..."

"You can't possibly be comfortable in this thing."

"No, I'm not, but it doesn't matter. This is not a good idea."

"It's fine. I can't stand being stuck in there another moment."

"Okay listen, we can just stop for the day."

"I don't want to stop. I want to get home. Stay in the carriage if you want but..."

"Okay, I get it, I know you're not going to listen. But no running, understand?"

Brienne smiled and said, "As you command, Kingslayer," as she got on her horse.

"That's not funny." He replied as he climbed onto his horse.

She grinned at him and said, "Of course it is," and took off at a full run.

"Crazy, sexy, mother fu...YAH!" He commanded and kicked his horse into a run and raced after her. He knew this was a race and he wasn't about to stand down. He was a little angry, a little turned on, a little excited for the adventure and competition and a bit worried that this wasn't the smartest thing for the mother of his baby to be doing.

He could never stay mad at her for long, for he knew that Brienne had never been pregnant before and didn't know much about being so. It felt so good to run a horse though. He finally caught up to her after about 10 minutes. She slowed down and finally stopped in front of a creek.

They dismounted to rest under a tree, while the horses drank fresh water from the creek.

"Are you completely mad?!"

"Look at you all flustered and jealous, I beat you..."

"Yes, you did and that's not the only problem here is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're pregnant."

"Right. I'm pregnant, Jaimie. I'm not dead or dying."

"Well yes, alright. Brienne, you have to be careful. Running horses and excessive behavior puts the you and the baby at risk."

"Jaime, I am not fragile. Our baby is not fragile. He's our baby. Look at who his parents are. I am not going to stop living - I can't."

"I know. I know, I just want you to be safe. I want everything to always be okay."

"As do I. Now come on, shall we have a bite to eat?"

They had only eaten two hours ago. But no harm in a snack, he thought.

They reached Casterly Rock sooner than expected. Brienne was now 4 months pregnant and ready for a soothing bath and a comfortable bed. Her new castle sat high upon a mountain with gorgeous views from every angle, of emerald waters and white-sand beaches. They arrived at the bridge, and the gate was lowered. Brienne looked at Jaime and could see a gleam in his eye. "Welcome home, Ser Jaime."

"Welcome home, Lady Lannister." He smiled with pride.

She tried to smile, but it wasn't easy. She took a deep breath, "Lady Lannister." She repeated.

He caught on quickly, realizing that the last lady Lannister was his sister and that this place was going to be filled with the ghost of Cersei. He was going to be fighting her the rest of his life. It wouldn't be much of a fight though, he thought. He was more than ready to move on and be happy.

He kissed her cheek and took her hand. "Bri, this is your home, our home. And from now on, everything is about us. You, me and our beautiful family. No one else exists or matters."

"I know darling. I know you want it to be that way."

"We are going to have a beautiful life."

"I know." She looked into his eyes. "I love you so much. And I want it to be that way too."

"It will be. We'll make it that way. We are going to have a beautiful wedding and a beautiful baby. I can't wait to get settled here with you and begin our lives together."

"Jai...we have been on the road for so long. Let's have a bath. Please...lay down with me for a little while and then when we wake up, you can give me a grand tour. But for now, I just really need to rest."

"Yeah. Me too."

Jaime led Brienne to a large room with marble floors and columns. There were stained-glass windows with the images of his house sigil, the golden lion on a background of crimson red. The sun shone through and lit the room in red and gold. There was a large pool built into the floor - it was big enough for six people to bathe in. Brienne bent down to touch the water. It was warm and inviting.

She took her clothes off and helped him with his. He stood there and watched her walk down the steps. She went all the way under the water and came back up. "What are you waiting for?" She asked.

He stepped in. "Oh that feels good." He dove in, coming up right in front of her. "I believe we've done this once before. You hated me back then."

"I never hated you, Jaime. I was intrigued by you. And I fell in love with you in that tub that night." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. She could feel that his body needed her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I missed you, Lady Brienne."

"I'm not a lady."