A Rest of Swords

Part eleven

First, a sort of interim between the plot we had in Winterfell and what is now to come on Tarth. You know me, I'm more the person who writes ten chapters of dialogue and everything happens in one single night instead of indulging in descriptions to develop the storyline, but we had to go on with the plot now, I knew there was no way around it, so I did this to give you something but also not stretch it too much - we all want to get to meet papa Tarth as soon as possible, don't we? And don't worry, we will.

They had left Winterfell.
Brienne's heart skipped at the thought. Not long ago, she hadn't dared to believe that she would live to leave the North at all, let alone going home after years in the field, and with a man by her side. And the most unthinkable of all: This man was Jaime Lannister.

Saying goodbye had been hard, but as the days blurred into weeks, the memories that remained were those of a heavy but proud heart. She remembered Podrick's beaming face when the last words of the knighting ceremony reverberated in the Great Hall, felt Sansa's warm arms as she hugged her goodbye.
It wasn't easy for Brienne, leaving the Lady of Winterfell and her service, now that she had finally found someone who had been really worth her devotion and loyalty. Consoled had she noticed Tyrion Lannister standing not far behind Sansa and watching her with soft, attentive eyes. She didn't want to be presumptuous, but it hadn't been the only time that Brienne had asked herself if there wasn't more to their relationship than met the eye at first sight - and if not just now, then possibly in the future.
Brienne smiled to herself while the salty wind blew around her, playing with the strands of her hair. Tyrion was intelligent and kind. Both of them deserved happiness and she didn't think it unlikely that they might find it through each other. They had spent a considerable part of their lives trapped in the poisonous politics of the capital, had to survive between two-faced speeches and the rotten glamour of a city doomed to internal decay under a sparkling veil of riches and luxury. Those years had formed them.
Sansa had been far too young, too inexperienced with the ways of the world when they had first been thrown into each other's life by the powers of chance, arbitrariness and Lord Tywin Lannister's caprices of strategy. How should such circumstances produce anything but misery?
Now, however? Despite their differences, they were kindred spirits in mind and soul.

Brienne's gaze wandered over the deck until it found Jaime. He smiled when their eyes met and she could feel the corners of her own mouth curl automatically as well.
I found mine too, she thought. I had found him before I even knew.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"There it is." Brienne gazed over the wide surface of blue into the distance. She heard Jaime's steps nearing her, coming to a halt behind her, just able to look over her shoulder when she pointed to the little spot of browns and greens that had appeared at the horizon a few minutes ago and kept growing bigger.

"It's beautiful." Brienne snorted, turning around to face him.

"It is", she smirked. "But you can't see that from here."

"Oh, I don't need to", Jaime told her. "I remember." His eyes lingered in the distance, recalling the picture in his mind.

"You were on Tarth before?", she asked honestly surprised, but he slowly shook his head.

"No, just passed it on my way to Dorne once", he explained, glancing at her with a strange look on his face. "It reminded me of you. These eyes of yours look just as if they had been filled with the Sapphire water surrounding your isle." He watched how her eyebrows rose and couldn't suppress a little grin.

"You're being ridiculous", she replied, quickly turning around to the sea once more, so he wouldn't notice her blushing.
Jaime just smiled to himself, knowing exactly what she was trying, and enjoying the new way in which they were now talking to and behaving around each other. It still seemed like a miracle to him that two people could show themselves so openly, didn't have to worry about any signs of affection and were free to wear their hearts on their tongue for everyone to see and hear. He knew she was still uncomfortable with compliments, but he delighted in expressing his feelings through those little teasing banters, and even more so since he was sure that she secretly did as well. After all, turning away in embarrassment was a huge improvement on suspicious disbelief.