The Lion and the Warrior

Family

Bruised and battered, sliced and slashed, James and Rhaella were side by side in a room being attended to by Maester Tarly.  Jon, Daenerys and Jaime were right there with them.  They were fast asleep - James having passed out from the pain and Rhaella still had not woken from the hammer hitting her head.  Their fathers watched over them like eagles watching their young.  Neither Jon nor Jaime could leave the room.  They sat in silence, each begging the gods that their child would move, or wake up and say something, anything.

Jaime sat on the edge of the bed next to his son.  He moved the golden strands from his face and inspected his arm.  My golden boy everything about you is golden.  Not just your hair, but your smile, your heart, the love you hold there for your family and Rhaella.  I am so proud of you, so very proud of the way you fought today, and every single thing about you.  I would give my life this instant for you to just wake up and talk to me. He touched his forehead to his son's and whispered, "wake up baby boy please, please" he took a deep breath as tears lined his face, "wake up for me."

Jon stood watching his daughter, afraid to touch her.  Dany sat there, next to her holding her hand, just staring at her.  Samwell spoke up, "she will wake.  Not today, and maybe not tomorrow.  But soon.  She is going to be fine.  She will have a bit of headache, Im afraid.  But she is going to alright."

"Brienne should be here with her son."  Daenerys said.

"She is with Gendry,"  Jaime said.

"There are others who can deal with Gendry.  I will have two other guards relieve her at once," and she stepped out the door.

"Thank you, your Grace."  Jaime said, gratefully, not even realizing she had already exited the room.

Jaime stood to walk to the window.

"Please."  Jon said.

"Your Grace?"

"Just, please dont go yet."

"No, your Grace, I was just going to the window for a moment. I cant leave them."

Jon walked over to Rhaellas bed and sat next to her, holding her hand.  "She looks like Dany," he half smiled.

"Indeed, she does," your Grace, Jaime replied somberly.

"Jon.  Just, Jon."

"Jon," Jaime solemnly repeated.

Dany returned to the room with Brienne.  When she saw her son, her heart stopped, her eyes welled up with tears, but she refused to be anything but stoic before the royalty she served.

Dany said to Brienne, "Go on.  Its okay to be with him."  Brienne walked over to James and knelt next to the bed he lay in. She stroked his golden hair, and looked him over, noting bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs, and his arm – she could still see bruises and there was some blood starting to peak through bandages around his arm.  She looked to Jaime who was staring out the window.  She knew exactly what he was doing.  He wasn't looking at her, although he ached to be near her, and he was holding his breath, biting that bottom lip.

"Oh, my darling boy...I never thought you would come into this world, but gods please don't leave it before me," Brienne whispered.

Jon kept his eyes focused on his daughter, "We asked you here 10 years ago because we knew that you were the two best...the only people in all of Westeros that could give us the protection we needed.  You had a son.  And he would grow to someday fill your shoes.  But we never expected it be like this."

Brienne stood quickly and drew her sword placing it point down in front of her, dropped to one knee and bowed before her king.  You Grace, I have failed to protect..."  Dany rushed over to her and took her hand, "No!  No, you havent.  Please, rise."  Brienne stood, and Jaime finally left the window to be by her side.

Dany continued, "We knew that you would raise your son to be a fighter like the two of you.  You'd want him to be even better than the two of you combined.  We knew he would grow to be just and honorable.  But we didnt expect that we would love him like he was our son."

Jon added, "and we didnt expect the two of you become our family."

"You've become the family we've never had," Dany said, "I've never had anyone but Viserys, and he wasn't really much of a family.  There was Drogo...and Jon didn't have much time with his family. Catelyn Stark treated him terribly unkind.  And he left for the wall when he was younger than Rhealla."

Jaime was stunned and speechless. He looked at Jon wide-eyed with his mouth slightly open.  "Your Grace..."

"Jon," the king corrected.

"I never expected that I would feel the same.  And I certainly never imagined that you would either.  I truly have grown to love Rhaella.  All of you, really.  But I cant help but feel like I failed," Jaime said.

"Don't say that. Please.  If you failed, we all failed.  I dont want to believe that.  They tried so hard to protect each other and to protect all of us," Jon said, looking at Jaime, Brienne, and Dany.

"They are children.  And they shouldnt have been in that position." Jaime said.

"We put them there.  I put them there."  Jon said.

"We.  We put them there," Jaime corrected.

"Your son almost died for me today.  For us, my family, the crown, the kingdom.  He is truly, every bit you and your wife, our Lord Commander.  He is an honorable, brave, man."

Jaime stared at his son in awe, and couldn't fight back the tears.  Neither could Brienne.  Jaime could barely talk.  He looked to Rhaella, "He loves her.  He always has."

"It's been obvious since the day they met, that she feels the same way," Jon said.

"I just need them to wake up.  If the gods take me, so be it.  I dont care.  I dont need or want another moment in this world without them," Jaime said.

Jon looked into Jaimes eyes, and then into Brienne's, "Cersei's sons were kings.  They were given a title.  Thats all.  Your son will rule."