A Rest of Swords

Part three

Be prepared for a little need for explanation, a bit angst and blaming perhaps, but of course, fluff! I am simply incapable to leave our two cuties unhappy...

"You came back", Brienne said, almost expressionlessly. The exact same words Cersei had used, but now, here and from her, they woke an entirely different feeling in him.

"Of course, I did."

"You didn't say that you would."

"Because I wasn't sure if I could." She didn't know what he meant, but right now, she didn't care.

"But you did", she detected again.

"I did", Jaime confirmed no less shortly. This conversation sounded ridiculous to him. The last time they had seen each other, she had cried and begged him not to leave her and now that he was back, she merely said a word.
She still doesn't know why, it shot through his head. How stupid. He had been so occupied with dealing with his feelings over his sister's death that he had forgotten about the fact that Brienne didn't even know yet.
"Cersei's dead." Short and sweet.

"What?" Brienne's expression was one of pure shock, surprise, disbelief.

"I killed her."
He could watch how her face changed, how it became softer.

"Oh, Jaime..." She made a couple of steps in his direction, lifted her right hand as if to touch him, but apparently, she thought better of it, because she let it sink again before she had reached him.

"I had to, but-" Jaime broke off when he felt that his voice would probably fail him anyway. But he didn't have to explain anything - she knew.

"You loved her", she said. But there was no anger in her voice, no hurt, not even jealousy, only warmth and understanding, and that gave him the strength he needed to answer.

"Not in the same way I once did, but yes, I did love her", he confessed truthfully.

"I'm sorry, Jaime", Brienne said softly, "really, I'm so sorry..." If the tone of her voice had not already been enough to convince him of her sincerity, her sapphire blue eyes that he loved so much would certainly have. They radiated nothing but warmth, even now while he was mourning the sister she thought him to be still in love with. He couldn't help but compare them to Cersei's eyes, beautiful and green like wildfire, but no less dangerous - deadly and cold.
I made the right choice...

"Can I help you somehow?", Brienne asked carefully. "Please, just tell what to do and I'll do it."
After all the time he knew her, Jaime was still surprised how selfless she was.

"Actually, there is something", he told her.

"What is it? Tell me, I'll do whatever you want." She meant it, he knew that she did, but he wanted to explain everything to her before. She deserved a decent explanation.

"I need your help", he therefore stated rather vaguely.

"My help? With what?"

"It's a bit...complicated. But it's something only you can help me with."
We're getting closer, Jaime thought. But he had to begin things properly. He knew that he had hurt her when he left and he couldn't risk her rejecting him. He had no idea what to do if she did.

"Then, of course, whatever it is, consider it done", Brienne encouraged him again. "I know what she meant to you..." He saw how her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.
"Why did you do it?", she then asked carefully. "You said you had to, but-" She trailed off and that was his keyword.