The Lion and the Warrior

The Storm

The air was thick and heavy, the night black as coal. Clouds filled the starless sky. The only light was from the pale moon hiding behind the clouds. Thunder erupted in the sky above the Red Keep and jolted Jaime out his sleep. He was breathing heavy with fright and sweating so much that his bed was now soaked. He realized that he was alive and well and looked over at his wife who was sleeping soundly and shook her awake, at the top of his voice, "Brienne!" Her heart dropped when he startled her awake. The rain came pouring down and lightening lit the sky. "Jai? What is it love?" She grabbed his arm and he turned to hold her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Gods, you're okay. Look at me...let me see you." He held on to her, shaking and breathless.

"Please tell me...gods, Jai the bed is soaked...my darling, you're soaked." She leaned back to look at him, moving his hair from his face. "Talk to me, love."

With tears in his eyes, he ran his fingers through her blonde waves and before he could explain, the doors burst open to another loud crash of thunder. Lightening flashed and they saw their son's silhouette standing before them. Jaime's heart was in his throat as he looked at his son, bare foot and shirtless wearing only his sleeping pants - and unarmed. He ran to them, "Mom! Dad!"

"James!" Jaime cried.

James fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Jaime ran to him and picked him up off the stone floor. "Son...you're ok now. You're back with me. Look, mom's alright. Look at me."

"How do you know?" James asked.

"It was just a dream."

James buried his head in his father's chest and just shook his head no. He was holding his breath, trying not to be emotional. Jaime held on him, and kissed the top of his head. "Shh...my golden lion. Alright. It's alright," Jaime said to him, his heart aching to help his son. "James, look at mom. She's alright." He didn't look up.

"How can she forgive me? How can you forgive me?"

"That's what love is, son." Jaime walked him to the bed and the three of them sat together - James in the middle. Brienne put her arms around him and held him close. Jaime sat next to him.

"I love you both so much," James said.

"We love you too, my darling," Brienne said looking at Jaime in confusion.

"Please forgive me."

"You two had the same dream. That's what woke you up." Brienne stated.

"We were at the seawall. Fighting," James said.

"And?" Jaime asked.

"You know."

"Say it. I need to know if it's same," Jaime said.

"I killed mother and I killed you. Mother was an accident."

"But your father wasn't?" Brienne asked.

"No. He wasn't." James said, sadly.

"I wasn't." Jaime said.

"It wasn't me. Not really me. It was like I was someone else."

"And do you know who that someone was?" Jaime asked, already knowing the answer.

"We all know who that was, dad. I'm not going back to sleep. I don't ever want to sleep again. I can't."

"Darling, you can't go your entire life without sleep. You'll never make it." Brienne told him.

"Mom, you don't understand. You didn't see it. I don't care who I kill - I can kill anyone in awake or in a dream...but it can't be the two of you."

"Sleep when you're ready." Jaime said.

"What about you, dad?"

"Oh I intend to get a lot of sleep. A lot."

The storm raged outside just as it raged in Jaime. The thunder rolled and lightening lit the sky so bright, it seemed it was a flash of daylight. Jaime got up and walked to the window overlooking the bay. The wind whipped around the castle and the rain came down in sheets. 'What a night,' Jaime thought. He felt as angry as the waves crashing over the seawall. He wanted to scream and he wanted fight and he wanted to kill.

James couldn't get the images of his dream out of his head. He loved his mother and no matter what his father's past was it didn't matter. Cersei wanted Jaime back and James wasn't going to let him go. He went over to the window and stood with Jaime watching the waves crash over the wall. The cold rain misted into their faces but neither seemed to notice. It was as though they were letting it wash something away.

After a minute in silence James whispered, "I'll never let you go. I'm never letting you go."

"I know. And I will never. Ever. Let you go. But neither will Cersei."

"She won't have a choice." James said looking into Jaime's eyes.

Jaime saw the James he knew. The boy he was desperate to see tonight. He saw himself in his son once again. He was thankful for that. This was a nightmare - a nightmare in dream and a nightmare in his consciousness. He killed that woman long ago and thought he was done; that he was finally free. Yet, here he was because, no one walks away from Cersei.

Jaime said, "There is nothing that you could ever do that will make me turn away from you or not love you. Even if you tried to kill me. I know that wasn't you. You, your mother, and your sister are all I live for. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

"Go on then, go back to your room. I'd like to speak with your mother. I will come look in on you soon."

"Right then. I will see you soon." James hugged his father one more time and walked over to the bed where his mother was sitting. She wiped the tears from her cheeks when she saw him coming. "Mom...I love you, you know that?"

"I know my sweet boy. You'll always be my golden lion." She held him tight, "we're all going to be alright. You'll see."

"I need you, mom."

"And I am here. Now and always."

James retreated to his room and Jaime went to Brienne. He sat next to her on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his and kissed it. "You don't know what that felt like." He looked into her eyes. Those stunningly beautiful, sapphire eyes, "I'd say I hope I die first but I don't ever want you to feel what I felt. I just watched you die in my arms. I've said it before...I can't be without you. I am nothing without you."

She began to cry. "But you are. You are everything that matters." Tears streamed down her cheeks, "Everything that I am, is you. I can't lose you either. I can't imagine what he's seen. What you've seen. But I don't want to live without either of you."

"You brought me back to life. To who I really am and always was. You made me free," he said.

"You made me love. You made me want to be a woman in every way. You gave me your heart and our three beautiful babies...all without taking away the fighter I am. You made me into more than I thought I could ever be," she said.

He kissed her and they laid in the bed in each other's arms. "I don't want to let go," Jaime said.

"We don't have to. I know we don't. She hasn't won the war for you yet. She won't win now."