Chapter 14

They had trekked through the tunnels for several hours before finding anything relevant. Jaime who thought he had known most everything there was to know about Winterfell was both surprised and impressed upon finding these intricate series of inside passage ways which expanded throughout the castle allowing for a completely different vantage point for residents and spies alike. It wasn't until coming to the west tower that they found literal breadcrumbs, which had been pulled out of a sack and were quickly being gobbled up by some rats. Jaime drew his sword and a couple rats scattered but Brienne stopped him from slaying the fearful rodents.

"Do you hear that?"

Jaime leaned over to listen closely. Other than the squeaking rats he heard nothing that was until a moment later there was what sounded like a clinking noise coming from further ahead. Jaime looked to Brienne and gave her a silent nod in reply. Brienne drew her sword and they both set off in the direction of the sound.

Brienne was the first to discover the source. They had reached the end of this particular tunnel and there was an open window. It was very drafty and as the cold air blew inside it caused the pin that held the window shut to ping against the stone surface of the inner wall. Brienne glanced to Jaime thinking whoever had been here must have escaped through this window. She closed the window and replaced the pin when a blur came out of thin air and tackled Jaime to the ground. It all happened so fast but when things came back into focus Brienne realized the assailant had wrestled Jaime onto his back and was holding a knife to his throat.

In a moment of panic, Brienne used her strength to swat the man away with the handle of her sword. "Get off him!" She growled holding her sword down so the tip hovered over the man's heart. He was someone Brienne had never seen before but the way he was dressed made him appear as if he may have worked for the Stark family in some capacity here at Winterfell.

"Who are you?" Demanded Brienne as Jaime recovered his strength he moved over to hold down the man and remove the knife from his hand.

"Did you kill Lord Baelish?"

"Get off me you Beast!" Growled the man and Jaime moved the knife the man was holding to his neck.

"Answer her or pay with your life."

The man growled and then bit Brienne on the hand. Brienne cried out in pain as his teeth made imprinted marks on her flesh and Jaime sliced a line in the man's cheek causing a high pitched whimper in pain to escape from his lips.

"You should not have done that," Jaime growled in warning.

But to Brienne and Jaime's surprise the man's face began to change before their eyes and all of the sudden a new face appeared. Both Brienne and Jaime's mouths dropped in shock because lying before them was none other than Arya Stark.

It took a moment for Brienne to clear her confused thoughts but when she did she spoke.

"Arya? What are you doing here? Have you been here this whole time?" Brienne questioned wondering what kind of sorcery was involved to allow the young woman to change faces so convincingly.

Arya struggled once again to escape Brienne's grasp and then she growled, "Let me go."

"Not until you answer my questions," replied Brienne sternly. "Tell me what you are doing here."

Arya glared at Brienne and then Jaime with contempt. She was stubborn at first, refusing to talk but after several long moments she realized she was outnumbered and replied shortly, "I'm looking out for my family, unlike you and your Prince of Darkness here. Now may I go?"

Brienne glanced to Jaime and then she returned to Arya, "No you may not. I pledged my life to your mother to bring you and your sister back here safely but you look different from when we last met. What happened?"

"If you cared so much about my sister, where have you been these last few days? Where were you when Ramsay Bolton was torturing her?"

Brienne glanced away feeling a pang of guilt for not being here for Sansa in her greatest hour of need. But she knew she had to get Arya to talk to she tried to steer things back to her line of questioning.

"Like you, Sansa turned away my help in the beginning. But I found her after she had escaped Bolton and have been with her since, with the exception of the last two days because I was asked to take a temporary leave. I had to obey her command. Now that I have answered your questions, can you please tell me why you are in hiding? Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"I have no enemies. My gift is death, and my reach is far and wide," Arya added cryptically sending Jaime a warning glare.

"You are saying you have killed?" Questioned Brienne carefully and Arya simply smiled. "Did you kill Lord Baelish Arya?"

Arya lifted her gaze to Brienne and met her blue steadfast gaze with confirmation. "Any who dare to cross my family shall find their names on my list."

Unsure how to handle this Brienne stated cautiously, "I would like to bring you to your sister."

Suddenly Arya shot up and replied quite sternly, "No."

"Arya, there must have been a reason you travelled all this way. It was not just to be a ghost that haunts from the shadows is it?" Questioned Jaime.

"Yes actually. My life as Arya Stark is done. I wish for my sister and brother to remember me the way that I was. Not what I am now."

Frowning Brienne moved aside so she was no longer pinning Arya down and she closed her eyes feeling grief and empathy for the girl. She must have gone through unmentionable struggles and sacrifices to become this young woman before her. Brienne thought it best to try a different tactic.

"It was very brave of you to kill Lord Baelish. I imagine he put up quite a struggle."

"Actually, it was easy. I pretended I was Sansa and then slit open his throat in one stroke," Arya replied simply. Both Brienne and Jaime were surprised by the detachment in Arya's voice. Brienne even wondered for a moment if it might be for the best to keep Arya's presence confidential for everyone's safety. But she wanted to learn a little more before she made her final decision.

"You said you killed many, who else?" Jaime questioned clearly on the same page as Brienne and Arya's wide soulful gaze flicked with his.

As if she was remarking on a topic as mundane as the weather she rambled off the names of her victims ending with the most surprising of all, "I slit Walder Frey's throat before telling him that he had just eaten his twin sons whom were baked in his slice of mincemeat pie."

Brienne appeared horrified after hearing Arya's confession. Jaime was amazed that this young girl before them, who appeared as innocent as a newborn puppy, was actually a cold blooded killer.

"You see now why I must remain in the shadows?" Explained Arya.

Brienne gave a silent nod and stood up to allow Arya full freedom to move.

"Will you stay here?" Questioned Brienne, but Arya did not give her an answer. Instead she turned towards the window that was once open and pulled out the pin once more to unlatch it. The wind filled the tunnel and the whistles echoed past them eerily.

Arya was about to climb out when Jaime spoke.

"I know what it is like to feel completely alone Arya and to fight for the greater good even when it is not a popular opinion. Trust me when I say a life of solitude is no life at all. At least it's not a life that is worth living."

Arya tilted her head and glanced at Jaime through the sides of her eyes.

"You know the only reason I did not kill you earlier is because you removed a name from my list?" Jaime seemed confused and Arya explained. "Your sister, Cersei was on my kill list. She tortured Sansa and made her life a living hell. I know you loved her, more than a sister and brother should. Everyone knew." Jaime swallowed and dared to glance at Brienne whose eyes were drawn inward. "I thought a man who could love that monster must have been a monster himself. But then you killed her. Your own sister, your twin, and the love of your life. It is yet to be determined whether or not you are a monster worthy of my list."

Jaime glanced down sadly and Brienne shook her head.

"Sir Jaime is not a monster."

"Are you just saying that because he is fucking you?" Arya asked bluntly.

"No. I'm saying that because I love him," replied Brienne.

"And I love her," answered Jaime who had come around to place a hand on Brienne's shoulder.

Arya looked at them oddly and then shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose I have seen stranger pairings."

She moved her gaze to Jaime and stated, "This still does not explain how you know anything about living a life of solitude. It looks to me like you have moved from one bed to the next. What would someone like you know about isolation?"

Jaime was silent for a moment and Arya turned again when Brienne spoke.

"He knows because he is the Kingslayer, and now a Queenslayer. He killed like you to save people from greater misfortune."

"What she says is true. The Mad King wanted to burn them all. He even ordered me to kill my own father. So I stabbed him in the back with my sword. My sister had just orchestrated the destruction of the Sept of Baelor with wild fire when I returned from Riverrun. Many lives were lost and it was apparent she was not yet done. I loved her, but that love soured many moons ago. The events that transpired after the loss of my hand changed me." Jaime looked over to Brienne to make sure she understood that she was the reason for his major change.

"No one trusted me, especially your father whom everyone knew as a just and respected Hand to the King. But the great Eddard Stark had me painted as the villain before I could even explain. I had my reasons, just as you have yours. And that is what we alone must live with because it is the burden we have chosen to bear as a cost to the choices we have made."

Arya met Jaime's gaze and he continued. "Having no one to turn to when you have sacrificed everything will transform you into what you claim to be—a ghost. But your sister and brother, after defeating all odds found each other again. They chose each other, they chose life. It's not too late for you Arya. You could have that too. It's easy to walk away and become martyred. The hard choice is to stay, to explain. Coming from a man who has hit rock bottom and thought there was no other way out, there is, and that way is love."

Arya appeared conflicted and Brienne glanced to Jaime.

"Will you consider staying Arya?" Brienne questioned.

Arya was silent at first but then a few moments later Brienne had her answer.

xxx

Standing before Sansa and Jon, Brienne was unsure what to say but luckily she did not have to speak because the surprise and joy expressed by Sansa and her brother after being reunited with their younger sister Arya was explanation enough. First Jon held Arya followed by Sansa who shed tears upon seeing her younger sister after so many years apart. They would have to re-strategize their choice to leave Winterfell but Brienne was confident that they would work out a solution. There were dark times ahead, of that she was sure. They still had battles to fight but Brienne knew they had made it this far and the further they went together they only seemed to become stronger.

She saw Tormund on their way into the Great Hall and Brienne greeted him cordially. He commended her for convincing Arya to return to her family. Brienne told him she could not have done so without Jaime's help and Tormund laughed and asked if Jaime needed a skirt this time to convince the youngest sister to return.

Brienne put her hand on Jaime's arm to prevent him from doing anything foolish. She knew Jaime was biting his tongue in an effort to keep the peace and she appreciated his effort to censor himself. Tormund soon left and they watched the family reunion unfold before them. After a few moments Brienne remarked to Jaime lowly, "It is good to have them back together. I never imagined this day would come."

"I must respectfully disagree. After all those months of searching and remaining near Sansa, you had to believe this day would indeed come."

Brienne smiled faintly in accord and Jaime took her arm. "You are an amazing woman Brienne, never allow anyone to tell you differently."

Brienne's face flushed and she shook her head not yet comfortable with Jaime's flattery she wished to give him the credit he deserved as well, "I could not have done it without your help. You gave me the newly forged armor and Valyrian steel sword, you issued your squire Podrick to assist me, and you have supported my efforts to fulfill Catelyn Stark's final request. You are a good man Jaime Lannister. I could not marry you if I did not think this true."

"Shall we go find Sir Davos then?" Asked Jaime in reply.

"Why?" Brienne questioned curiously.

"The rules of triumph clearly state that a celebration is in order after a miracle is performed and the only celebrating I wish to do involves you, naked, and sharing my bed. In order to do this we must marry immediately."

"Do you not think we should confirm that the Starks are well first?"

"Must you always put a damper on our love life by bringing up business?"

"I merely wish to ensure that everyone is happy before we disappear."

"The very act of disappearing is impossible if everyone knows where we have gone."

"Do you enjoy antagonizing everyone or do you have a special fondness for me especially?"

Jaime laughed and asked Brienne through glinting eyes, "I should think the answer to that question is quite obvious?"

Brienne tossed her eyes up and remarked shortly as she noticed Sir Davos enter the Great Hall from the side. "I suppose at least with you as a husband life could never be boring."

"Yes that is quite true. And a man would never require extra security with you as his wife."

Brienne smiled smugly and nudged him. "Enough. Let's go speak with Sir Davos."

Jaime grinned happily and took Brienne's hand. "That's the best idea I have heard yet today."