Chapter Text
A corpse stood before her. He looked much like Jaime Lannister, but at least a good ten years older than Jaime. There were rings around his swollen eyes and scratches all over his face.
Brienne was not prepared for this. She had wept about the likelihood of his death for weeks and yet here he was. The nerve of him.
Instead of weeping, she fell to her knees. Jaime took a few step forwards slowly, careful not to touch her.
"Brienne," he said, refusing to look at her directly in the eyes. This first time he had acknowledged her existence since that night he left Winterfell. He had forgotten her, and everything.
Tyrion was very reluctant to relply when Brienne tried to find out if Jaime had any message or last words for her when Tyrion freed him.
Hearing him sound out her name hurt so bad as she had forced herself to accept that he would ever speak to her again.
Brienne somehow managed to get back to her feet and she took a few steps back from him. Jaime had not given her the apology she was expecting upon his return. Nor a reason.
"I thought you were dead," she said.
Jaime nods, with pained look in his eyes. "I might as well be."
He had told Brienne about his sister's pregnancy one night in Winterfell. She had not known what to say. All she knew was that he still loved Cersei and was guilty about leaving his unborn child. And Brienne knew she still did not want to leave her bed.
Brienne couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. At some point, crying in front of Jaime was inevitable. She surrendered to her grief, all her memories with Jaime, away from Jaime, mourning for Jaime, praying for Jaime, and for him to just stand here.
He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Even his touch was strange.
"You'll only get hurt if you love me, Brienne," he whispered in her ear.
His words were sincere more than anything, and yet she did not want to accept that love would only bring pain. Pain and scars. His embrace was warm and his body felt thinner. He must have lost all that weight grieving for Cersei.
"I'm sorry you lost your family." She heard her voice crack with emotion. She truly was sorry. She did not want to see him broken like this.
Jaime pulled back. "I'm going to go to Casterly Rock. I was allowed to keep my position as heir for upholding my vow."
Brienne nodded. "You will be a Lord then, there by yourself?"
Jaime's smile was bitter. "Yes, my Father got what he wanted in the end after all. I'm to marry a suitable woman and produce little heirs."
So he was going to be the Lord of Casterly Rock. With a wife and children. It was so absurd with his lover and child gone.
"Who will you marry?" She asked him, "Some proper Lady?"
He smirked. "Jealous, Brienne?"
That made her blood boil. She wasn't ready for teasing when she had gotten her heart broken by him so recently. Jaime seemed to have sensed her pain because he spoke quickly.
"I would choose you Brienne, but you wouldn't love me after all the pain I inflicted on you."
She hadn't realised up to this point that Jaime still loved her. Even if he loved Cersei.
"The problem is that I would still love you, Jaime. I loved you even though I knew your heart belonged to someone else and that you would hurt me. I can't choose who I love. You are right, it's best we stay away from each other." She had no choice but to do this. Put an end to all the pain that love brought them.
Love was a curse after all.
Tears swell in his lovely, green eyes. "Goodbye Brienne." Jaime turns his back to her and walks away, out of her life.