What Was Left

Chapter 20

For a moment, Jaime regarded the monumental structure in which Brienne had grown. It was ancient, like his own home of Casterly Rock, yet it did not appear to have forced its way out of the bedrock below as did the Lannister stronghold. Although it's walls were thick and massive, Evenfall Hall seemed to have an almost otherworldly quality. It appeared as if some celestial being had set it from the Heavens upon the slopes of Tarth. The family's Sigil flew high above the castle, displaying the sun and moons of some mystical realm. Jaime turned to regard Brienne as she seemed to calm in the presence of her home. He thought how much the place suited her. It was by rights part of Westeros, yet seemed somehow set apart from it, untouched by the bloody conniving of the mainland. It was like her, unmoving, pure, rising above all of it.

Through some connection that had grown long ago, Brienne felt Jaime watching her and smiled sweetly. She looked up to his loving eyes upon her. "What is it you are thinking?" She sighed.

Jaime breathed contentedly, drinking in the sight of her as they rowed. "How this place suits you." He admitted. His eyes drifted toward Evenfall and back to Brienne. "And how much I love you." He answered sincerely.

A bashful redness blazed across Brienne's cheeks, still unaccustomed to such open adoration, yet enjoying it immensely. The deep crystal blue depths of her eyes rivaled the water, as they trapped the emerald hue of his own in her gaze. "I love you, too." She vowed. It was the most earnest pledge that Jaime had ever heard. It would joyfully echo in ears forever.

They landed upon the beach just below Evenfall. Brienne hauled the little boat onto the sand and beyond the surf, unwilling to allow Jaime to aggravate his wound. Together they hurried up the sandy dunes and rocks to the gate of the great fortress of Brienne's ancestral home. The guards who stood at the portcullis recognized Lord Selwyn's daughter immediately, and tried to hide their judgemental eyeing of the Kingslayer. Snapping to attention,The Evenstar's men ushered Brienne and her companion quickly into the courtyard.

"Fetch my father." Brienne ordered them. The men rushed off, eager to comply with the wishes of the woman whom they understood would someday be the successor to Lord Selwyn's honored title.

She turned to Jaime urgently. "Help me with my armor." She beseeched him, beginning to pull at the leather and buckles that held the steel plates together around her body. "I want to hold our child close to me when I see him." She explained. "I do not want anything between us." She told Jaime, her eyes betraying her dread that Galladon might not be there.

Jaime hurried to grant her request, unfastening ties and laying the pieces of Brienne's armor on the ground at her feet. Neither noticed how the bannermen, squires, and servants had abandoned their duties in the courtyard and stood watching the Evenstar's long-absent daughter and the Kingslayer. It was not until the tall, white-haired Lord of Evenfall emerged from the castle's main doorway did the onlookers scurry to give him the privacy that was due his rank and station.

"Brienne!" Lord Selwyn's booming voice echoed off the stone walls surrounding them. He strode toward her with a commanding force, a sure step, and regal air that Jaime noted would have made Tywin Lannister envious.

Brienne looked up, a sweet smile bursting forth upon her face in greeting. Jaime watched her relax now in the reassuring protection of her father, while he felt himself grow nervous at what the Evenstar's reaction to him would be. Jaime's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he noticed that Galladon was nowhere to be seen. He was unsure if he had thought Lord Selwyn would have the babe in his arms, but he feared Brienne's reaction if their son was not there.

"My Darling Girl!" Lord Selwyn beamed as he at last reached Brienne and threw his arms around her, enveloping her in a endearing embrace.

Brienne crumbled against Lord Selwyn, tears beginning to fall from her weary eye. "Father!" She exclaimed, the years of missing him and longing for his comforting unconditional affection seeping from her with a long slow sigh.