What Was Left

Chapter 20

Brienne and Jaime bid farewell to the old witch, Maggie, at day break the next morning. They made straight for the coast, deciding that veering south to Storms End would take too much time from their final goal, Evenfall. Though they drove the horse to the edge of its endurance from dawn until dusk, they were still five days upon the road. Brienne saw to the cleaning and care of Jaime's wound, and he was quickly on his way to full health once more. For her, he brewed the nursing tea that Maggie had sent with them, and did his best to distract her from the longing for their babe which nearly overwhelmed her. Both desperate to reach their child, the only deliverance they found from their constant fear for him, was in each other. Each night was spent in adoring embraces and thrilling love making. The deep glorious passions they shared strengthened not only their love, but also their bond. Silently, privately, they prayed that no one would ever separate them ever again, and nothing would be allowed to shadow their happiness.

At last Jaime and Brienne reached the gently lapping waves of the Narrow Sea. They thought it odd that none of the enemy troops which had beset the Red Keep were encountered. However, both counted themselves lucky to still be stalwart upon their journey. As they strode upon the white sand beach that skimmed the coast of the continent, the sun shone over the surf as if it were lighting their path and wishing them well. Its bright rays shimmered off the water in a way that made them believe the day could end in nothing but joy. They were eager to cross the Straits of Tarth, and set upon their final distance to Brienne's ancestral home. While there was neither dock nor warf nearby, a little way down the shore they met a young fisherman willing to peddle his small boat for the few gold coins they held in their pockets, and the horse.

Before the sun had begun to move from its height at noon, Jaime and Brienne were rowing over the surf toward Tarth. They had barely put oar to water when Brienne grew silent. Jaime felt he knew the notion that had gripped her thought. He had tried to take comfort in the fact that meeting no enemy troops must surely have meant that the Tarly's, with Galladon in their care, had easily reached the Evenstar. With each passing mile, as he watched Brienne became more anxious, and ominously silent, Jaime was certain her fears of just the opposite were surely growing. He could not bear the pain in her solemn mood. He did his best to present a hopeful front to her. When at last the peeks of Tarth began to emerge over the horizon, Brienne broke her uncomfortable silence.

"How long do you think it takes for a babe to forget someone?" She asked Jaime mournfully.

His heart broke at her dreadful quandary. Jaime lifted his paddle from the brine, and rested it against his stumped arm. He reached across their tiny craft and took hold of her shoulders, trying to give her a settling presence in the midst of her hopeless. He turned her gently to meet his understanding gaze. "Brienne." Jaime spoke softly. "I am certain that you have never left Galladon's heart, nor his memory. Just as he has never left yours." There was not a hint of uncertainty within Jaime's tone. "You are his mother. Of course our son will remember you." He asserted. Brienne regarded him, tears in her eyes, wanting to believe him. The despair he saw tearing at her heart shattered Jaime's own. Jaime brought Brienne's fingers to his lips and kissed them softly.

Jaime smiled lovingly at Brienne. "You knew our child before he was born and he knew you. Galladon will remember you, and you will feel his relief." He promised.

Brienne held tight to his hand, raising his palm to her face and resting her cheeks to his warm skin. "Thank the Gods you are here with me." She smiled tenderly back at him. "What would I do without you now?" She asked, thinking of how close she had come to losing him only a few days before. Brienne's chin quivered, as the sobs threatened to burst from her throat.

A happy and encouragingly romantic grin found Jaime's face as he drew closer to her. "That, My Love, is a fate you will never know." He swore. He and Brienne shared a sweet and loving kiss as Tarth came fully into view, Evenfall shining high above the sapphire waters.
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The peaceful isle of Tarth spread before them. Jaime watched mesmerized by its soaring green peeks. He remembered the time he had viewed the island from the deck of a ship heading to Dorne, and had felt himself strengthen just to be so near to Brienne's home. Even now, Jaime smiled to himself imagining how strange he must have seemed staring at the little piece of land smiling like a fool, as if everything he wished for in the entire world had been there. Yet, she was not, Brienne had been so far from Tarth then and from him, he had known not where. Simply the thought of her had brought those astonishing eyes to his mind, his body almost reacting to the memory of her glorious body as it had at Harrenhal. His heart had thrilled to think that she was alive somewhere in the same world as he. It was all he had of her then, all he could give to her. Jaime had been far too dominated by Cersei to admit that Brienne was the one he loved. How wonderful it was that his sister no longer stood between them. Brienne was his, and she was beside him, not just an image but flesh and blood. Her heart now beat in time with his, all their hopes focused on the same thing, reuniting with their infant son.