Chapter Text
When he finally stepped into Brienne’s house, Jaime had to hold tight to his duffel bag as he dodged a series of boxes and people passing by with trays full of ornaments and flowers.
He referred to it as “Brienne’s house” because that’s what she called it—‘my house, my home,’ she said, every time she talked about it—but Evenhall was a small castle in its own right, built of everlasting stone, passed down generations. He grinned at the tall ceilings and the old portraits and when he turned back to the great oak door, he smiled even more broadly for Selwyn Tarth, who very kindly had dropped his red suitcase on the floor with a thud.
“Thank you for having me over,” Jaime said, pulling his most charming Lannister manners again, even if none of them had worked in the ride over.
Selwyn Tarth, official title of the Evenstar, was a towering, serious man, who had gone to pick him up at the dock only because Brienne had asked, if his stern silences were any clue.
Jaime could almost touch his judgement, it was something Brienne had clearly inherited from him. He wondered if he could make the man smile, and widened his grin.“You have a lovely home.”
Selwyn clicked his tongue, glancing around at the disorganized living room, at the people who busied themselves up and down his corridors.
“We barely use this part anymore,” Selwyn shrugged. “You’re early enough to help put it all together, if you want to make yourself useful. Brienne!” He called in a strong voice. “We’re here!”
Jaime tightened the duffel bag to his chest.
“I imagine she’s very busy.”
“She’s very hardworking, my Brienne,” Selwyn agreed, getting rid of his coat and rolling up his sleeves. Jaime thought there was an implied Unlike some people in Selwyn’s side-eyed glance at him, but he was used to that. “She’s been organizing the ball these past years, to be true. I rarely do anything anymore.”
Jaime was going to say ‘classic Brienne’ when he recognized one of the laughs coming from the hall and turned. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, striking blue eyes tinged with amusement, muscled arms in full display thanks to a blue tank top stained with flour and dirt.
“Jaime!” She lit up, and he couldn’t help the goofy grin that came to his face. “Welcome!”
His arms opened instinctively, and the duffel bag almost fell.
“Woah, so much vanity luggage, Lannister,” she closed the distance to help him hold it. “This is heavy, what is it?”
“Gifts,” he said, and stood on tiptoes to hug her more easily without crushing them. It had been a month since last he'd seen her, and the fresh smell of Brienne crashed on him like a wave.
“Jaime. You didn’t have to—”
“Bother? I didn’t.” He leaned back, taking the bag with him. “I had my father’s assistant pick them all out for me.”
Selwyn grunted his disapproval somewhere behind him, and Jaime gloated in his small triumph.
“Of course you would,” Brienne said, but there was fondness in her tone “Let me give you a tour. You’ve met Dad.”
Brienne pointed at Selwyn, who did a half-hearted wave as he began piling boxes to clear a path from the door to the stairs.
“And this is Evenhall,” Brienne looked around. “But we live mostly in the back.”
“Near the kitchen.” Jaime pointed at the flour as he placed the duffel bag on the floor. He wordlessly headed towards the stairs to help Selwyn arrange the boxes in the way he needed.
“I was trying to bake some cookies to keep the kids busy,” she explained, follwing suit. “But then someone needed help with the table outside.”
“I told the girls to help,” Selwyn scowled, dusting off his hands as they finished. Brienne shrugged. “Seven take me,” he whispered. And then, in a strong voice. “Arianne, Alysanne! Come now!” And then, as an afterthought. “Come say hi to your sister’s guest!”
Someone in another room heard and repeated the order, and someone did the same further away.
“It can be later,” Jaime hurried to say, as some workers in the next room politely called Brienne over. “It's so busy in here…”
Selwyn raised a hand to stop Brienne, and he walked over instead. Another woman passed them by with her arms full of decorations, nodding at Brienne pleasantly, then frowning slightly in disbelief at Jaime. He really wanted to ask her if he stood out that much.
“It's not always like this,” Brienne gave him an apologetic smile. “It’ll be quieter after tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry,” Jaime shook his head as he picked up his bag again. “It's—”
“Daaaaad,” a voice popped from a doorway. “You called?”
“Yes!” Selwyn’s voice came from the next room. “Your sister’s guest is here!”
Jaime saw a shadow of straw-colored hair disappearing behind the door as it said, “Aly! Bri’s boyfriend’s here!”
He arched an eyebrow at Brienne, who shook her head with resignation. “They know you’re not. Sorry in advance.”
Jaime couldn't help a chuckle. “It's alr—”
“Hurry up, Aly!” The girl finally strode towards him from among the boxes, right hand stretched out with determination. He knew Arianne was 11, but she was tall for her age. She didn’t have Brienne’s freckled skin and was thin as a stick, but she did have the toothy smile. She wore a pair of old overalls that had clearly seen much better days, which of course it could only mean she ran the place—literally.
“Hi, Bri’s boyfriend,” Arianne said in a cold voice, extending the palm up even more, threatening consequences if he didn’t take it.
“Hi, Bri’s sister.” Jaime dug out his left hand from below the duffel bag and offered it instead. His right still had very visible scars, and he didn’t want to scare her off. “You're Arianne, right? Brienne has a lot of pictures of you.”
Arianne narrowed her eyes, but shook the hand he’d offered back.
“I am,” she said, dryly. “Brienne talks a lot about you, too.”
“Does she?” Jaime turned slightly to catch a glimpse at Brienne's flushed cheeks.
“Yeah. She says you’re an ass,” Arianne said, knowingly and proudly.
“Ari,” her father warned from the other end of the room.
“But she says you're also nice,” Arianne sighed, as if she'd had many a battle over this. “So she says I have to be nice, too.”
“Of course Brienne would say that,” Jaime nodded with a serious look. “She's nice.”
Arianne gave him half a smile. “She is.”
“Is the boyfriend here?” Came another voice from the same door. Alysanne trotted in, bobcut hair bouncing with her head. Given everyone else in her family, Jaime was surprised at how small she was, even at her 10 years old. She had the unmistakable blue eyes as well, and a scowl he’d seen more than once in Brienne’s face. She wore a skirt and an oversized sweater, without shoes. She gave the impression of being too important for shoes.
Alysanne stood next to her sister, glancing him up and down. “Well,” she declared in a high pitched tone, “at least he is as handsome as Bri said.”
Brienne groaned. “Can you two at least be more original? Sorry, Jaime, they're just being obnoxious to annoy you.”
Jaime gave her a sharp grin. “Just like you, then.”
That got him a couple of giggles from the girls and a glare from her.
“And here I was, defending you, Lannister.”
“You know that’s a helpless cause.”
“Truants. The lot of you,” Brienne shook her head to hide a smile.
Alysanne cleared her throat, her tone back to normal. “Can we ask about the bag now?”
Jaime heard Selwyn chuckling, this time on the other side of the room, but Brienne heaved an exasperated sigh.
“Yes, you can ask about the bag now.”
“What's in the bag, big shot?” Arianne stood on tiptoes, as if that would help her see inside.
Jaime gave her an innocent look. “This bag?”
“Yeah, that bag,” Alysanne joined in the siege. “Come on, hand it over.”
“Or die by our sword.”
“Ari,” Selwyn's voice cut again.
“I can't even threaten people in my own house now?”
“Not me,” Jaime smirked with as much smugness as he could muster. “I have guestright.”
“Hey, the bag,” Alysanne tugged at it. “Brienne said you'd get candy from the city.”
“Aly!”
“Brienne said you might get candy from the city. Is it candy?”
Jaime grimaced. “Sorry, no.”
“Oh,” Alyssanne’s face went directly to sour indifference. “I see.”
“It's lots of candy.”
Jaime unzipped the bag and took out one of the boxes. Before he could preface it with anything else, Alyssane and Arianne had it unwrapped on the floor, exploring the contents eagerly and yapping at their discoveries.
Jaime felt Brienne’s hand in his arm. “When I asked you for candy, I didn’t mean the whole shop.”
“It was on sale,” he said automatically. He then felt Selwyn standing next to them as he was finally able to approach them.
“Sounds like a pack of wild dogs in here.” Selwyn’s grey eyebrows shot up when he saw the size of it all. “Seven hells, son. That is a lot of candy.”
“It was on sale,” Jaime repeated, thinking of the second box still in the duffel.
“I asked him to bring some, Dad,” Brienne snatched the box from the girls’ hands, who broke in loud protests. “We can use it for the Long Night.”
“Well, keep it in your room, then,” Selwyn took a heavy breath. “Until Arianne and Alysanne do their part.”
“I’f agheady done my paght,” Alyssane gritted through a mouthful of sugar. “Aghianne din’t.”
“Truants,” Arianne said, as she pocketed her own treasure. “The lot of you.”
Selwyn gently shepherded them away through the hallway. “Off you go. And say welcome to Brienne’s guest.”
“Welcome!” the girls sang in tandem.
“Thank you for everything, sir!” called Jaime after them, but they had disappeared behind another door.
Brienne snorted.
“Sir?”
“Hey, I wanted to make a good impression.”
She openly laughed at that. It was usually a rare sight, one that was mostly reserved for him and Sansa and Margery during their hangouts. This whole coming to Tarth thing had been the best idea in his godsdamn life.
“Jaime,” she said, picking up his suitcase and finally making her way upstairs, “we both know nothing will make a better impression than a bunch of candy you bought on sale.”
“Two.”
“What?
“Two bunches of candy I bought on sale. So it’s double good.”
Brienne widened her eyes at the duffel bag in his arms and whispered, “Don’t let them know.”