"I've missed the ocean." Brienne say him at the stern of the ship, he looked out into the waters, the same blue as her eyes, and had to look away.

"She said it wasn't mine." He spoke after hours of nothing but the waves crashing against the ship, and the sailors going about their work.

"That would be some small mercy wouldn't it?" She knew exactly what he meant as soon as he spoke.

"I... I hope it wasn't a lie." He looked down at his hands, she said her hand into his, and he held it right enough to be uncomfortable.

"You did all that you could. You saved all those people, again." She whispered , he nodded, but he didn't believe it.

"I should have stayed." He leaned his head against her shoulder, and she wrapped her free arm around him. Some part of him knew he could never be happy with her until he had put everything with Cersei to rest, but he had never imagined he could be the one to end her.

"If... If she had agreed to leave with you what would you have done?" Brienne let her head rest gently against his.

"I don't know, I never expected it to work. Gone to Dorn I supose, raised our, the baby. Grown old." He said , she fell silent, and he risked a glance up at her, quiet tears tracked down her cheeks. He had forgotten in his pain how much he had hurt her.

"I do love you, you know that right?" He said the words for the first time, and it only made her cry harder.

"I know you do, in your own way." She turned away to try and dry her eyes. He touched her arm gently.

"I never would have left you if I'd known the child wasn't mine. I love, loved Cersei because she was all I had, because she made me into the man she wanted, but I fell in love with you despite her, and despite every reason not to. You made me a better man, but I will never deserve you." He said, his gaze drifting out to the ocean again.

"If... If you had left with her, and found out I was with child would you have stayed?" She set her hand on her armor, and his eyes followed to her stomach.

"Are you?" He couldn't even fathom the idea, he certainly couldn't process it.

"I don't know, I haven't bled since before our time together, and I should have, but they say stress can cause it as well, and you have been very stressful lately." She tried to lighten the mood, he forced a small smile, but it never reached his eyes. He looked so old in the waning light.

They fell back into silence for the rest of the voyage. He ate when she gave him food, and slept beside her, but it just hurt so much to talk about anything. Once they landed Brienne took him to an old cabin her father used to bring her to do they could fish. It wasn't extravagant, but it had all they would need for a little while. He needed time alone, or as alone as he could handle being for now.

"Where are we?" He looked around the dusty home, while she cleared out the hearth.

"It's a fishing cabin. The keep is too far inland to make the trip down, and back. Father had it built, but after my Mother died we hardly came out here. I know it's not as nice as the accommodations your accustomed to, but I didn't think you'd want to meet Lord Selwyn, or anyone else for that matter, while in this state." She got a fire going, warning her hands. Tarth didn't get as cold as the north, but the winters were wet, and chill could bite down to the bone if They weren't careful to keep dry.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, his throat tight as he tried not to start crying yet again.

"For what?" She pulled down a large pot, drowning as she realized just how much dust it had accumulated.

"For what? For everything. I left you, I went after another woman, and still you came for me, and what did you find? A blubbering mess. I did so much wrong, and even after I told you what I did you're here trying to help me through the death of another woman, and her child." He said, she wiped the pot out, eventually giving up, she would have to wash it.

"I forgave you the moment you left. Who am I to begrudge you wanting to protect your family? I was never angry with you, only terrified I would lose you." She looked up at him from the open door. He shook his head, stumbling back as if he'd been struck.

"No. Brienne, gods please, you can't forgive me! I can't, I can't be forgiven. I'm not a good man, scream, but me, do something, just please don't forgive me!" He looked up at the dirty rafters, his voice shaking. She set the pot against the door to hold it open, and went over to him.

"Is that what you want? Do you want to fight? Do you want me to scream at you for leaving, tell you that you got what you deserved for not listening to me when you had the chance?" She grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at her.

"I did so much wrong!" He shook his head, she nodded, leaning down until their brows touched, her breath got against his cold skin.

"You made mistakes, we all have, and Jaime, I forgive you. I will always forgive you, because I can see the food in you that you refuse to accept. I forgive you." She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and he fell into her, content to just hold her forever.

"I need to get water before it gets dark, or we won't be able to eat." She whispered against his neck after they had stood entwined for well over an hour. He pulled away with a small nod, and went with her. They worked in silence to wash the large pot, and gather firewood, and water. It felt good to work hard at something, and splitting firewood with one hand certainly made for hard work.

"Start this boiling, I want to set the nets before the tide comes in." She said, he went back, and set the water to boil. Once he'd done that he started to clean, just to keep his mind busy. They ate bread, and salted fish from the ship that night, but it felt good to be somewhere safely away from the eyes of other people. They undressed, and laid together in the bed, just holding one another.

They spent days uneasy silence, something Jaime had never experienced before. They had a routine, every morning they would go down to check the nets, clean anything the caught, and set it to cook while the gathered water. They would eat together, and go for firewood. Once it had been cut they would spar for an hour or so, and then go down the the long docks to fish, or father muscles. Jaime had never realized how much sea life could be used as greens.

"How do you know so much about finding food, and yet so little about cooking?" Jaime took the pot from her to cook himself .

"My cooking is edible that's all that is important." She rolled her eyes at him, he sighed, taking a pan to sear the fish instead of boiling it into a n incredibly plain soup yet again.

"If you're trying to bore me to death there are faster ways to get rid of me." He chuckled, for the first time since they had arrived.

"Good, you can do the wifely duties, while I go split more wood." She got up, they wouldn't need more for days already, he caught her hand with a little smirk.

"Now husband, you can't be sauntering around the woods in the dark. You have marital duties here at home." He rose a brow at her, she laughed , like she hadn't since before he left, and it lit up her face.

"Is that so?" Her voice dipped low with a hunger he had awoken in her so long ago. He moved the food to the edge of the fire and stood. He brushed his hand across her cheek, pulling her down for a passionate kiss. She tugged at his clothes, until they were tangled together naked on their bed.

He ran his hand down her waist while they kissed, pausing to pull back when he felt the swell in her flat stomach. He looked down absolutely in awe of every inch of her, she smiled nodding when he gave her a questioning glance. He laughed, leaning down to kiss her waist, moving south until he could taste her.

"Jaime!" She gasped, arching up into him. Even with one hand he was a remarkable study of what brought her pleasure. Hours later they laid, sweaty, and sated. Jaime sniffed at something after a moment of peace.

"I think we've burned the food." He mumbled, she laughed, rolling over him to salvage what she could.

"It would appear you're not quite the ideal wife you claim to be." She handed him a plate. He leaned heavily on her, trying to keep his eyes open.

"You may be right." He picked at the dry fish with a small smile on his lips.

"Thank you. " He said after a moment, she stopped mid bite in confusion.

"For what, bringing you burnt food?" She looked down at the damaged, but delicious food.

" No, for bringing me here, for staying with me, for forgiving me. I want to spend my life with you, whatever years I have left. I want to raise our child together." He smiled down at his food, she blushed.

"Brienne! Damn it girl, how could you come home, and not even visit you father wh... By the gods! Who in the seven helps is this?" Selwyn Tarth stood nearly three inches taller than Brienne, with short white hair, and leathery tan skin. He must have been near seventy years, but he still had a build that would rival any knight. Unfortunately he had caught them half dressed, and stinking of sex.

"Father! I, we..." She had no words, the worst thing her father had ever caught her at before this moment was fighting with the island boys.

"Sir Jaime Lannister of Casterly Rock Lord Evenstar. I apologize for not coming to introduce myself as soon as we landed, but after fighting in the great war in the North, and ending the war in the South I was in no condition to be making new acquaintances. Brienne and I were planning to make the trip up to the keep in the morning, but it seems you were faster than we imagined." Jaime held out his left hand, and for a moment Selwyn had to think of how to shake it.

"Well Sir Jaime Lannister that doesn't explain why your In only trousers while in bed with my daughter Lady Brienne of Tarth, the next Evenstar of shipbreaker bay! " Selwyn had begun to turn a bit red in the face.

"Sir Brienne is a knight of the seven kingdoms, and so long as you agree without trying to kill me, I would like for her to soon be my betrothed." He stood as tall as he could, trying not to show them just how nervous meeting her father under such unfortunate circumstances made him.

"Jaime?" She stood up to question him without another word.

"Well I was trying to ask before your father arrived." He whispered , her smile lit up her beautiful eyes, and all Jaime wanted to do was kiss her. Selwyn hadn't seen his daughter smile that way since she was a child.

"Do you want to marry this man?" Selwyn crossed his arms, staring the two of them down.

"Yes father, so very much." She took his hand, and Jaime brought hers to his lips, kissing the inside of her wrist.

"I see, well it seems that a feast is in order!" Selwyn crossed the room, and pulled them both into a crushing hug. This may not be the future he envisioned as a young man, or the family he had started so long ago, but he couldn't imagine anywhere in the world where he would be happier than here in her arms.