'A Feast For Crows' concluding post and more Jaime & Brienne Love and OTP

[winterspel]

When I was re-reading bits of AFFC and taking notes for this last post on the book, the shape of excessive Jaime/Brienne/OTP Love came to me, so forgive me (or don't) if there's more of that in this post than anything else. As I showed kitsah last Friday night, I've gone uber-geeky about this - my hardcover of A Feast for Crows is feathered with post-it notes, and I even have a tab positioning system. Makes it a LOT easier to find everything this way. I heartily regret that there is no table of contents in Martin's books that gives page numbers for all the chapters - it would be so much easier to find the POVs this way!

Hee! When I talked to N about this last weekend, he said it sounded like I was writing a research paper...well...yeah, sorta. ;) My brain is exploding with thoughts about this amazing, amazing book and series. I'm in total obsessional overload, and I'm only SO GLAD that kitsah and I have been able to have our fabulous convos to hash out Jaime, Jaime, and oh, yes, more Jaime, and LOTS of Brienne AND OTP, and yesyesyes, everyone else, too. :D I don't love the others LESS - they're very interesting and cool, but they haven't captured my heart and imagination as Jaime & Brienne have.



Lots of Random Thoughts and a lot of this was written while I was very sleepy, so maybe they aren't too coherent, either...Also, please don't hate me for excessive quotation; I couldn't help myself. All page cites are from the U.S. hardcover of AFFC and the U.S. mass market paperback of ASOS, and all boldings are mine for emphasis. I apologize if any of this is repetitive of any discussions y'all might have had already - I just wanted to organize my thoughts as clearly and thoroughly as possible.

To begin, here are a few statistics: my hardcover of AFFC is 648 pages long. In part one (when I divide that evenly) there are four Cersei POVs, two Jaime, four Brienne and twelve of everyone else. In part 2, I think it's fair to say that the second of half of the book is dominated by Cersei, Brienne and Jaime: there are six Cersei POVs, five Jaime, four Brienne and only six of everyone else.

Cersei
Where I last left off, Cersei had just granted royal approval to restoration of the Faith Militant in the form of two groups, The Warrior's Sons and The Poor Fellows. The frightening thing about Cersei is that she doesn't realize just how ignorant she is. When Jaime hears of this from Lancel, he wonders:"Why would the Iron Throne allow that?" One of the early Targaryen kings had fought for years to suppress the two military orders, Jaime recalled, though he did not remember which. Maegor, perhaps, or the first Jaehaerys. Tyrion would have known. (p.458)
At least Jaime has the sense to remember as much as he does, and that the precedent of their banning was not without reason. Cersei only thinks about getting her own way without any other thought to the cost or consequences to others, certainly, and as we see later in this book, the cost to herself. Her lack of foresight is truly breathtaking. I almost wince when I read her chapters.

[Just as an aside, Lady Genna reveals more about the old troubles with the Faith Militant:"And speaking of the Seven, why would Cersei permit the Faith to arm again?"

Jaime shrugged. "I am certain she had reasons."

"Reasons?" Lady Genna made a rude noise. "They had best be good reasons. The Swords and Stars troubled even the Targaryens. The Conqueror himself tread carefully with the Faith, so they would not oppose him. And when Aegon died and the lords rose up against his sons, both orders were in the thick of the rebellion. The more pious lords supported them, and many of the smallfolk. King Maegor finally had to put a bounty on them. He paid a dragon for the head of any unrepentant Warrior's Son, and a silver stag for the scalp of a Poor Fellow, if I recall my history. Thousands were slain, but nigh as many still roamed the realm, defiant, until the Iron Throne slew Maegor and King Jaehaerys agreed to pardon all those who would set aside their swords."

"I'd forgotten most of that," Jaime confessed.

"You and your sister both." (p.500)]
So with how many people has Cersei had some kind of sexual relations now? I'm sure that she did something naughty with Aurane Waters when he came to tell her of the battle at Dragonstone...I'm sure that a retelling of the battle would not require so much time that it grew dark by the time he'd finished! And then there is her reference to Rhaegar after: 'A wicked smile, the queen thought. Aurane did not resemble Prince Rhaegar as much as she had thought. He has the hair, but so do half the whores in Lys, if the tales are true. Rhaegar was a man. This is a sly boy, no more. Useful in his way, though' (p.531). Cersei seems to think that she can only command people through a force of will she does not possess (she could never be Tywin, or her brothers, even) or through her laughable seductive powers.Maggy the Frog's Prophecy (p.540-541)

Cersei asked three questions: Q.When will I wed the prince? A. Never. You will wed the king. Q. I will be queen, though? A. Queen you shall be...until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down, and take all you hold dear. Q. Will the king and I have children? A. Six and ten for him, and three for you. Gold shall be their crowns, and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale, white throat and choke the life from you.

My interpretation, if the rest of the prophecy is to come true is that Cersei won't die until after all her children are both crowned and dead - which means that Myrcella may end up crowned in Dorne after all, and that possibly Jaime will kill Cersei, since I can't believe Cersei would be right about Tyrion, when she's wrong about most things most of the time. OR, valonqar doesn't refer to either of them, despite its meaning - maybe that's not the correct translation, or something like that.
Victarion
We learn from "The Reaver" chapter that Victarion is cutting a swath before him. I don't like Victarion at all, as I dislike virtually all of the ironmen (except Asha, and even with her, I feel like the jury is still out), yet I do love that Victarion is highly suspicious of his brother, and still nurses resentment against Euron for what happened with his wife (that whole beating his wife to death with his own fists part just make me ill), AND that he's not into the whole shaming one's vanquished foe thing that Euron seems to relish.He shames Hewett as he once shamed me, the captain thought, remembering how his wife had sobbed as he was beating her. The men of the Four Shields oft married one another, he knew, just as the ironborn did. One of these naked serving wenches might well be Ser Talbert Serry's wife. It was one thing to kill a foe, another to dishonor him. (p.438)
I feel like I missed something in here - I understand Victarion musing about shaming, but right in the middle is the line about men of Four Shields marrying one another like the ironborn, and 1) Whaaaa - it seems like a non sequitor, and 2) the men married each other? In Westeros? If I understood that correctly, cool, but I am surprised (I could see it happening across the narrow sea, but I didn't expect that in Westeros for some reason). So to conclude, Euron is sending Victarion down to Dany to retrieve her and her dragons to be Euron's bride, but Victarion wants to steal her for himself to replace the wife Euron "stole." Ugh. Dany, beware these ironborn pirates! Yeesh. Poor girl has enough people chasing after these days.

Arya & Sansa
Arya doesn't frighten me, but she does surprise me with her boldness, and her emerging assassin. I think Martin has done an interesting thing in this book in the way that he narrates certain characters, like Arya and Sansa, as who they are becomes sublimated into their new names, identities and lives. The fact that Arya's chapter is called "Cat of the Canals" and Sansa's is called "Alaynne" signals this immediately, but the girls themselves have buried their true selves deep, deep, deep with only flashes to remind us. And then there are the reports of Nymeria and Arya's own dreams of her direwolf leading a vast pack that has grown bold and vicious - just like Arya....the table talk turned to wolves, of the four-footed kind. Ser Danwell Frey claimed there were more of them about than even his grandfather could remember. "They've lost all fear of men. Packs of them attacked our baggage train on our way down from the Twins. Our archers had to feather a dozen before the others fled." Ser Adam Marbrand confessed that their own columns had faced similar troubles on their way up from King's Landing.(p.451)
Anyway, while Arya may not have a pack right now, if she becomes a Faceless Man, Woman (or whatever she is doing), she will surely have a pack in their brotherhood. I am so sorry that Arya doesn't seem to register that the Lord Snow of which she hears is actually her Jon Snow. A pity - even Sansa was startled by that discovery.

Speaking of Sansa, I wonder if she realizes that Petyr is manipulating/buying her off (with her betrothal to Robert Arryn's heir), just like he's methodically been doing with the Lords Declarant. And Sansa will be participating in the murder of Robert Arryn if she permits Petyr's scheme to mature - indeed she has already been participating in it by forcing Maester Coleman to give Robert too many doses of sweetsleep. Anyone want to wager how long Maester Coleman will survive? Anyway, he's seducing Sansa with the idea of regaining Winterfell. Which means he doesn't entirely trust her either (which would be smart, of course - she's still a wolf). And he's kissing her! Ugh. *shudders*

A few other notes

• I like how Robert Baratheon's bastards keep popping up so we can never forget him. I like particularly how Brienne thinks she's seeing Renly at first when she sees Gendry.
  
  
• I wish Aemon hadn't died. I really liked him, and I would have loved to see how much more he remembered, and what he could have taught and shared with Sam and others. It was nice to see the affection he clearly bears his long-gone Egg. And Sam is getting tougher, stronger and harder! In a good way. I'm both happy and sad for Sam that he breaks his vows with Gilly - he deserves some happiness, and obviously they care for each other a great deal.
  
  
• So Arianne was promised to Viserys - thank god he's dead. And Quentyn is off looking for Daenerys, too! Prince Doran has been plotting a long game to restore the Targaryens - I like what he says at the end:[Arianne]narrowed her eyes. "What is our heart's desire?"
  
  "Vengeance." His voice was soft, as if he were afraid that someone might be listening. "Justice." Prince Doran pressed the onyx dragon into her palm with his swollen, gouty fingers, and whispered, "Fire and blood." (p.604)
  My only question in all this is - Doran is pissed about the death of Elia and her babies, naturally, but wasn't Aerys holding them hostage to ensure Dorne's support during the War of the Usurper?
  
  
• We find out from Lady Genna on p. 501 and then later in Cersei's POV on p.535 that the Braavosi Iron Bank is calling in loans all over Westeros, not just demanding repayment of the royal loans.
  
  
• I wonder, how did Lady Genna disappoint Tywin, as she states on p.502. Does anyone know if it has been alluded to before? I also like this exchange between Genna and Jaime:"I am sorry for your loss."
  
  "I had a new hand made, of gold." He showed her.
  
  "Very nice. Will they make you a gold father,too?" (p.497)
  
• Arya is BLIND?? I'm sure that it's just a phase in her training, and as I told kitsah last Friday night, I think that the kindly man was actually pleased that she killed Dareon. But still, it is rather disconcerting to leave Arya that way.
  
  
• A kinda stupid note: Either a typo or a mistake, but on p.57 Brienne's horse which is "sweet to look upon" is described as "a big bay mare" (p.58), but somehow by page 369 her horse is a big grey mare...do I just not remember her getting a new horse...?
  
  
• So Dalla's baby will be named after royalty - which is fitting in a sense since Mance had been called the King Beyond the Wall.
  
  
• What foul creature is Qyburn raising in the black cells??"I had another sort of champion in mind. What he lacks in gallantry he wll give you tenfold in devotion. He will protect your son, kill your enemies, and keep your secrets, and no living man will be able to withstand him." (p.479)
  Cersei has no idea what she unleashed when she allowed Qyburn to do his dark work in the black cells. And she very deliberately forces herself not to think about it, and she finds it frighteningly easy to rationalize the necessity of her evil deeds.
  
  
• queenofthorns pointed out to me that Sandor Clegane is most likely a novice on the Quiet Isle, something I must confess that I completely missed on my first read-through:On the upper slopes they saw three boys driving sheep, and higher still they passed a lichyard where a brother bigger than Brienne was struggling to dig a grave. From the way he moved, it was plain to see that he was lame...The gravedigger lowered his head. When Dog went to sniff him he dropped his spade and scratched his ear. (p.462-463)
  I was wondering how the Elder Brother knew so much about Sandor and also how they managed to get hold of Stranger, and this makes perfect sense. He tells Brienne that the Hound is dead but he only says that Sandor Clegane is at rest (p.469-470). Thank you QoT for pointing this out!
  
  
• And Pate at the end, with Sam? This has to be the Alchemist, of course, from the prologue, but my best guess is that the alchemist is Jaqen H'ghar - who else but a Faceless Man could become Pate?

~*~

Okay, now on to Jamie and Brienne, OTP, Cersei and a few others

I'm seriously addicted to Jaime and Brienne, but especially Jaime. I can't seem to stop reading his POVs. And re-reading. And squeeeing. And aching for him, and for poor Brienne and the earnestness of their goals, and for what I fear will be their fate.

Jaime

Jaime spends virtually all of AFFC NOT mourning his dead son and father, but rather obsessing over Cersei's infidelity.

While I was re-reading, I went back to the beginning and tried to note all the times in AFFC that Jaime thinks of Brienne. Why? To satisfy my shippy heart!

p.123 'Father, give her strength. Almost a prayer...'

p.398 'Payne was as rusty as his chainmail, and not so strong as Brienne'

p.401 As his company draws closer to Harrenhal, 'Jaime found himself wondering if Brienne might have passed this way before him.'

[Why does Harrenhal seem to inspire cannibalism in its inhabitants?]

After talking with Ser Bonifer Hasty, Jaime wants to fight, so he thinks to find Ser Ilyn, yet unconsciously he ends up at the bear pit. It's not Ser Ilyn who stands there though, but a drunken Red Ronnet Connington, who has come to gaze upon the scene of Brienne's battle with the bear. Oddly, Jaime feels 'a pang of pity for the beast,' as he did during the fight ('the poor, dumb, brave brute').

[Another aside: I keep re-reading the bear pit scene in ASOS, and I'm afraid I get rather ver klempt each time. Jaime jumps into the bear pit! Without a plan! No thought, just instinct, and he jumps in. And then he insists on putting his body between Brienne and the bear, despite the fact that he is unarmed and ostensibly defenseless. And then he kicks her legs out and straddles her to protect her while the bear charges! *mad squeeeing* Perhaps his second finest moment...]

As queenofthorns has discussed before, Jaime's reaction to Connington is very interesting. "...the sight of Brienne naked might have made the bear flee in terror." Connington laughed.

Jaime did not. "You speak as if you knew the lady."

"I was betrothed to her."

That took him by surprise. Brienne had never mentioned a betrothal. (p.408)
Jaime is surprised to discover that not only had Brienne been betrothed, but three times, and that Connington was the second. I don't think that Jaime is hurt that he never knew this, but rather, I think this makes him feel even greater pity for her that she was rejected three times (a logical conclusion which he must have guessed immediately; he's thought of her in conjuction to Tyrion before, and so I do think that he really feels sorry for her being a freak amongst people, just as his brother is). Jaime listens to Connington go on about meeting Brienne and he hears another man who knows her describe her in much the same terms that he has used in the past: 'a sow in silk' - and Jaime backhands him hard with his golden hand, sending Connington down the steps with a bloody mouth. '"You are speaking of a highborn lady, ser. Call her by her name. Call her Brienne" (p.409). [and I swoon for his new-found chivalry]

So okay, Jaime loses it there, which is very interesting and leads me to all kinds of fun speculation, but it's what happens after this, on the way to Castle Darry that piques my interest even more: 'Jaime had charged Red Ronnet with the task of delivering Wylis Manderly to Maidenpool, so he would not need to look on him henceforth' (p.446). I went back to see if there was any other mention of Jaime and Connington, and there really isn't - he's mentioned briefly as one of the company when they leave King's Landing for the riverlands, but it seems to me that Jaime is unable to bear the presence of Red Ronnet solely on the basis of their encounter at the bear pit. It fascinates me that Jaime is perhaps so disturbed by the presence of someone who was cruel to Brienne that Jaime sends Connington away; it could also be that Connington reminds him of his own shame in how he treated Brienne. Either way? Fascinating reaction from Jaime. My shippy heart is doing cartwheels!

When next we see Jaime he is at Castle Darry, a detour that he's made really only for the purpose of having a chat with his cousin, and finding out the truth of Tyrion's claims about Cersei."Darry was on my way," lied Jaime. Riverrun will keep. And if perchance the siege had ended before he reached the castle, he would be spared the need to take up arms against House Tully. (p.447)
While there, he has the moment with Pia where he "notices" her and remembers her climbing into bed with him at Harrenhal by Qyburn's bidding. He's clearly turned on, and then he immediately recalls Brienne in the baths at Harrenhal. Hmmm. 'He had been feverish and weak from loss of blood, and the heat had made him so dizzy he found himself saying things better left unsaid.' (p.449) He sends Pia away and then tells Peck his squire to see if Pia is interested. I LOVE what he tells Peck:"If you bed her, though, be kind to her."

"Kind, my lord? How...how would I...?"

"Sweet words. Gentle touches. You don't want to wed her, but so long as you're abed treat her as you would your bride." (p.449)
Awwwww! Jaime knows how to treat a woman properly, I've no doubt, even if he only ever had Cersei to practice on. And he's so chivalrous of Pia - both in sending her away from his own temptation, and in seeking to ensure that Peck treats her well.

At dinner that night, in conversation with Lady Amerei, Lancel's wife, she compliments Strongboar when he vows to hunt down the Hound:"You are a true knight, Ser Lyle, to help a lady in distress."

At least she does not call herself "a maiden." Jaime reached for his cup and knocked it over. (p.454)
Here, I realize that I'm probably reading way too much into it, but I wonder if Jaime knocks the cup over because he's thinking about Cersei and the deceit of women (since Lady Amerei is known as Gatehouse Ami, and Jamie wondered almost immediately if she was carrying on an affair with Harwyn Plumm, not to mention Amerei's gold-hand-stroking).

When Jaime confronts Lancel about Cersei, Lancel spills the truth and Jaime doesn't freak out - he was expecting it, so he wasn't shocked anymore. It was merely a confirmation of what he's been coming to terms with up to this point. Jaime seems oddly flat in his reaction to Lancel's confession. I can almost feel his sense of bitterness though, as he reflects on why he joined the Kingsguard - for Cersei - and in his own confession to Ser Ilyn during their evening excercise - that he would have killed an innocent young girl for Cersei, if only he had found Arya Stark first. 'The things I do for love.' He's beginning to realize that the depths to which he would have sunk were ultimately for nothing; what he perceived as the pure and true love of his life, for which he would have done anything, sacrificed anything - was a one-sided passion. I wonder, what great and noble acts might he be capable of for the love of someone who deserved it - like Brienne?

Later, on the way to Riverrun, when Jaime meets his cousin the Warden of the West, he recalls his dream of the previous night where he'd found Cersei with Moon Boy; in his dream, he killed Moon Boy and smashed Cersei's teeth in - by this point, his anger and sense of betrayal toward her is greater than any other emotion - certainly greater than his feelings over Joffrey and Tywin's deaths. Also, in his dreams, he has two hands, but now one of them is golden, although it works just as the other does. He's no longer dreaming of having two normal hands like his previous dreams.

I love this passage:If truth be told, he liked this life. He felt more comfortable amongst soldiers in the field than he ever had at court. And his men seemed comfortable with him as well. At one cookfire three crossbowmen offered him a share of a hare they'd caught. At another a young knight asked his counsel on the best way to defend against a warhammer.(p.493)
I love that despite the loss of his hand, there is still a place for him and a way to be comfortable in the world - and that he can find it out in the field, among the tents and horse lines, away from the politics of court. Jaime has always been a soldier first - it's in the soldiering that his comfort zone lies, even handless. Now he has to learn to be more than that - to become a true leader and a politician - two things that he is not entirely prepared for, just as he is learning anew the ways of a true knight.

I also liked the contrast that Martin sets up between Jaime who needs to take Riverrun and Ser Loras who has ridden off to take Dragonstone. Jaime wants to take Riverrun bloodlessly so he can uphold his vows to Catelyn Stark to never take up arms against the Tullys, so although while Ser Daven says they need to storm the castle, Jaime thinks "there had been a time, not so long ago, when [he] would doubtless have urged the same course" (p.492).

[Sidenote: Ser Loras, of course, does storm Dragonstone in a vicious battle:"I never saw a braver knight," Waters said [to Cersei], "but he turned what could have been a bloodless victory into a slaughter. A thousand men are dead, or near enough to make no matter. Most of them our own. And not just common men, Your Grace, but knight and young lords, the best and the bravest." (p.530)

Of course Cersei is so stupid that she doesn't think on the enormous waste and loss and what it means for the kingdom in the long run, but only of her own selfish goals - that Loras be sidelined or killed.]

[Another sidenote: Martin sets Loras up as Jaime's younger mirror, and now, if Loras survives his injuries from the battle for Dragonstone, he will be hideously disfigured by the burns of his boiling-oil-dousing, and it's unlikely that he will ever be a warrior again - so he will be in a similar situation as Jaime - and either he will try to rise to the occasion as Jaime has done and is doing, to overcome his loss and be something more, or he will not, and his loss will drown him. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a Brienne.]

The confrontation between Jaime and the Blackfish is rather dramatic, and I love it because of how much Jaime restrains himself and manages to keep his temper and pride under control. Plus he goes out to meet Brynden Tully, a man he idolized as a teenager, and a man who now utterly despises him, on a horse named Honor. He doesn't wear armor, and his only nod toward his name or family is in a red cloak - he's really trying very hard to appear as neutral as possible, which is a nice, albeit futile effort. Brynden sorely tries Jaime, and he struggles to maintain his composure:"When Lady Catelyn freed me, she made me swear not to take arms against the Starks or Tullys."

"A most convenient oath, ser."

His face darkened. "Are you calling me a coward?"

"No. I am calling you a cripple." The Blackfish nodded at Jaime's golden hand. "We both know you cannot fight with that."

"I had two hands." Would you throw your life away for pride? a voice inside him whispered. "Some might say a cripple and an old man are well matched. Free me from my vow to Lady Catelyn and I will meet you sword to sword. If I win, Riverrun is ours. If you win, we'll lift the siege."

Ser Brynden laughed again. "Much as I would welcome the chance to take that golden sword away from you and cut out your black heart, your promises are worthless. I would gain nothing from your death but the pleasure of killing you, and I will not risk my own life for that...as small a risk as that may be."

It was a good thing that Jaime wore no sword; elsewise he would have ripped his blade out, and if Ser Brynden did not slay him, the archers on the walls surely would. (p.564)
To my knowledge, this is the only other time that Jaime really loses control in AFFC (the first being when he smashed Connington in the mouth), and it was not for nothing - the Blackfish hurls insults at him relentlessly throughout the entire exchange, while Jaime struggles to maintain a cool and courteous tongue. Ser Brynden's parting shot: "You always disappoint, Kingslayer," just made me cringe on Jaime's behalf.

Why is it that all of Tywin Lannister's children want to be his son, and the only one who really believes it is the one who is least Tywin's son, both figuratively and literally? Lady Genna's words ('"Jaime," she said, tugging on his ear, "sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak...but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you."'(p.502-503) rankle with Jaime and he tries to follow his father's example at the war council by letting his men speak first. Unfortunately, because he isn't Tywin, that backfires when a fight nearly breaks out between Lord Piper and Walder Rivers. 'My father's councils never went like this' (p.567), Jaime considers as he breaks them up.

I love how implacable Jaime is later with the drunken sot, Ser Ryman, when he backhands him, sends him off, and takes Edmure Tully away from the gallows. But clearly, Jaime does not want to say what he says to Edmure when he threatens him with destruction if the castle is not yielded. Jaime is not Tywin, who would have delivered the threat coldly and grimly and not given it a second thought. Jaime instead forces himself to smile and delivers his vile threat, trusting that Edmure is not strong enough or defiant enough to withstand it, so that Jaime will not have to violate his vows to Catelyn Stark and wage a senseless assault on the keep. His comment to Edmure about sending his child back to him via trebuchet stays with him when his aunt throws his chivalry back at him: 'Ask Edmure how chivalrous I am, thought Jaime. Ask him about the trebuchet' (p.667). I think Jaime hated playing the villain with Edmure and giving the Tullys one more reason to think that he is what they think he is - a black-hearted oathbreaker and a murderer, just as I think he hated walking amongst the Frey encampments surrounding Riverrun and seeing all the "faces of men he'd done his best to kill in the Whispering Wood, where the Freys had fought beneath the direwolf banners of Robb Stark" (p.568) I think he hated himself for saying what he did, but he knew that scaring Edmure with a horrible scorched earth scenario was his last remaining chance to stave off more oathbreaking and needless, wasteful death, so he made his terms as harsh as possible.

The end of Jaime's last POV in AFFC has him looking forward to planning for the future and making plans to clean house in King's Landing: he considers whether to tell Tommen that Jaime is his father, and he knows that Tommen is best off far away from Cersei. He isn't thinking about what is best for himself, but rather he is thinking about how to best serve the realm and save it - to have able men replace Cersei's follies and to find a way to remove his foolish sister before she does further damage. He's being practical and I love him for it.

The POV concludes with a disturbing dream in which his dead mother's shade appears to him and for the first time, in his dream he only has one hand. Finally, after all this time, he has come to terms with his loss. And then when he wakes to snow and receives Cersei's urgent summons to defend her, he does something curious before he hands the scroll to Peck (I know, I'm reading way too much into this) - 'Jaime rolled the parchment up again, as tight as one hand would allow, and handed it to Peck. "No," he said. "Put this in the fire" (p.671) I had such a sense of relief and mad squeeing at that point, because Jaime is finally OVER his poisonous sister. But I'm still struck by the fact that he ROLLED THE PARCHMENT UP - it seems so deliberate, and cool, and calm, which means happy things to me - he doesn't crumple it up, but he does the awkward motion of rolling it up with only one hand. Okay, I know, I'm dwelling on a tiny insignificant thing, so just ignore me. I interpret it as Jaime wanting to close her words away from himself, but without passion, without grief, without emotion.

Through AFFC, I see Jaime as having entirely lost his arrogance while Cersei seems to grow more arrogant with each chapter. Jaime might talk a good line, but internally he's brutal with himself and he doesn't let a single thing slide. He is realistic and practical, though, and he never permits himself to retreat into self-pity.

He is such a contrast to Cersei - Jaime has been forced by circumstance to rely on his wits and be realistic about the world and his own expectations for his future - he lived as Brienne bid him, to survive, and take revenge (which she really ends up taking for him); he's managed to carve out a temporary niche for himself and he is beginning to distinguish himself TO himself - he hasn't broken his vows to Catelyn yet, and he aims for chivalry and righteousness everywhere he can.No Wodes appeared, nor any of their smallfolk, though some outlaws had taken shelter in the root cellar beneath the second brother's keep. One of them wore the ruins of a crimson cloak, but Jaime hanged him with the rest. It felt good. This was justice. Make a habit of it, Lannister, and one day men might call you Goldenhand after all. Goldenhand the Just. (p.400-401)
Cersei on the other hand is just a mess that gets messier and more horrific with each chapter. She's having people assassinated, she's letting Qyburn do his mad plots in the black cells, she's conspiring against her son's wife among others, permitting the dangerous Faith Militant to re-arm, and basically running the kingdom into the ground.

At the end, when faced with her own destruction she thinks only to have Jaime save her, and she doesn't care if it means his death, too. She's so selfish that she thinks that if she must die, then Jaime should die with her, so they can leave the world together as they came into it together. This has always been her main flaw - her utter lack of compassion. Cersei sees the world only in terms of her needs and wants. Nothing else exists outside of that. While I pity her for being ill-used by Robert, she did nothing to make their marriage any better, and in fact made it worse constantly. The fact that she had Jaime at her beck and call and still yearned for Rhaegar, the fact that she was so unfaithful to Jaime who has never been with any other woman, and then horribly cruel to the one man who would have gone to hell and back for her just makes me sick. If Cersei had ever been kind to him after he returned from Riverrun, is she had ever demonstrated the slightest bit of compassion or love that was selfless and not motivated by her selfish needs, then she would have had such a powerful ally at her side. Jaime would have done anything in the world for her - and she threw him away like a used rag. My heart breaks for Jaime that he wasted his life until this point on the wretched woman, and aside from killing Aerys, the one act for which he should be celebrated, he has nothing to show for his life until this point. The moment at the end of his last POV in ASOS is so poignant for me as he considers the White Book and what he can record of his own life: Whatever he chose. At the end of AFFC, finally, thankfully, he does not choose Cersei.

Brienne

In Brienne's first POV chapter, she reflects on her task to find Sansa:"She found herself wondering whether Jaime had given her this task as some cruel jape. Perhaps Sansa Stark was dead, beheaded for her part in King Joffrey's death, buried in some unmarked grave. How better to conceal her murder than by sending some big stupid wench from Tarth to find her?

Jaime would not do that.He was sincere. He gave me the sword, and called it Oathkeeper. Anyway, it did not matter. She had promised Lady Catelyn that she would bring back her daughters, and and no promise was as solemn as one sworn to the dead.(p.58)
Brienne is still slightly suspicious of Jaime here, as she sets out on her journey, but that changes dramatically through AFFC. When did Brienne begin to love Jaime? 'Ser Jaime's mockery had cut her deep; the little man's words hardly touched her' (p.65) - why did she begin to care? Also, she never refers to him again as Kingslayer in her mind - he is always Jaime or Ser Jaime. What a difference from the beginning of ASOS when she thoroughly despised him; calling him "ser" means that he has earned her respect - and even that she might look up to him now.

At the Old Stone Bridge Inn on the way to Duskendale:
Brienne remembered her fight with Jaime Lannister in the woods. It had been all that she could do to keep his blade at bay. He was weak from his imprisonment, and chained at the wrists. No knight in the Seven Kingdoms could have stood against him at his full strength, with no chains to hamper him. Jaime had done many wicked things, but the man could fight! His maiming had been monstrously cruel. It was one thing to slay a lion, another to hack his paw off and leave him broken and bewildered. (p.68-69)
And then, astonishingly, Brienne is so overwhelmed or distraught at this thought, that she has to leave the common room immediately! She returns to her room and has a look at Oathkeeper, remembering what Jaime told her when he gave it to her: '"You'll be defending Ned Stark's daughter with Ned Stark's own steel," Jaime had promised' (p.69). So she prays to the Crone for guidance, just as Jaime had prayed for her while standing vigil over his dead father. And interestingly: 'She had failed Renly, had failed Lady Catelyn. She must not fail Jaime. He trusted me with his sword. He trusted me with his honor' (p.69). Awwww, poor Brienne - she feels the weight of this task quite keenly, and it's no longer only about saving and protecting an innocent young girl, or fulfilling her oath to Catelyn Stark, but the thought of Jaime's honor consumes her mind.

[Aside: Both Jaime and Brienne think of each other admiringly from their sword fight at Maidenpool. While Jaime was weakened by his long imprisonment and malnourishment, and fettered by chains, Brienne had also just taken two arrows - one to the back and one to the leg - so neither was at their top form, yet they both fought impressively.]

At the Seven Swords Inn in Duskendale, Brienne has a bath, and of course, like Jaime remembering her, she remembers him:The bathhouse had been thick with the steam rising off the water, and Jaime had come walking through that mist naked as his name day, looking half a corpse and half a god. He climbed into the tub with me, she remembered, blushing. She seized up a chunk of hard lye soap and scrubbed under her arms, trying to call up Renly's face again. (p.133)
I know I keep saying 'poor Brienne' but oh, dear, Jaime has already begun to replace Renly her in her affections and idealization - and as QoT has eloquently stated again and again - Brienne has seen Jaime at his worst, absolute worst, so for her to develop affection for him, or even love, is HUGE. It's more real than any infatuation she could have had for Renly who was beautiful and kind - Jaime was really neither - he looked awful most of the time (Ugh, hate the thought of his shaved head) and he was SO MEAN to her, really horrible.

When I went back to read chapters in ASOS, Martin describes it very vividly - Brienne and Jaime rode face to face with his rotting hand slapping her chest between them, and the Bloody Mummers made her care for him and 'they made Brienne wash the vomit out of his beard, just as they made her clean him up when he soiled himself in the saddle' (ASOS, p.414). Now the first is bad enough, but the second? *shudders* Yet Brienne did that for him - perhaps not willingly, but there is an intimacy in caring for someone who is so incapacitated as Jaime was. Not only has she seen him at his worst physically - dying, delirious, weak and starving - bald, maimed and gaunt, and thoroughly disgusting - but she also sees him sunken into the depths of despair, in the worst pyschological state he's ever been in, in probably the worst state that any human can be in and still live. Through this, Brienne has seen the true colors of Jaime, as they're rather hard to hide under those circumstances, and despite his best efforts, his true feelings slipped out during his weak moments, and she has learned to see through Jaime's verbal armor.

Later, Brienne recalls the last time she was in Maidenpool and remembers: 'Jaime sang "Six Maids in a Pool," and laughed when I begged him to be quiet' (p.139), and then when the common room talk at the inn turns to Tywin Lannister's death and who would rule the kingdom, Brienne again becomes upset when Jaime is referred to disdainfully as "that oathbreaker." She dreams that night of Renly's death, only it is Jaime Lannister inside Renly's green steel armor: "and she had failed him" (p.140).

It's eerie for Brienne to be visiting some of the places that she passed through with Jaime after their escape from Riverrun (just as it is disturbing for Jaime to be back at Harrenhal). Maidenpool was the scene of their great sword fight - Jaime's last real battle, the last time he held a sword with two hands. Brienne remembers this and the rest and how much she hated him then (p.199). I feel so sorry for her when she remembers the "courting" and the wager at Highgarden. It's no wonder that Brienne is as painfully suspicious of nearly everyone as she is - not only has she experienced the harsh realities of traveling throughout these troubled regions, but she knows firsthand in so many ways (not just from Highgarden) how cruel and vicious men can be.

When she's with Nimble Dick, Brienne remembers the melee at Bitterbridge and how she defeated all of her "suitors" from Highgarden and the Knight of Flowers to boot (something which still rankles Loras) - and then she goes 'to sleep dreaming of the fight they'd had, and of Ser Jaime fastening a rainbow cloak about her shoulders' (p.284). A short while later she muses 'would that Jaime had come with me' (p.285).

When they come across the former Bloody Mummers, Timeon tells her that biting Hoat's ear off ultimately led to his death (in ASOS, Jaime is also gleeful that Brienne is responsible for the Goat's death). When she fights Timeon, she cuts his hand off and thinks, 'That one was for Jaime' (p.296).

I really like the Brienne chapter where she goes to the Quiet Isle with Septon Meribald, Ser Hyle and Podrick. In some ways, I feel like the way there is symbolic of Brienne's changing opnion of Jaime, of Jaime's path toward redemption, of Brienne and Jaime's path toward each other (and of course lots of other things):The path of faith was a crooked one, Brienne could not help but note.(p.461)
***
A hundred yards out, Meribald turned abruptly toward the south, so his back was to the septry. He proceeded in that direction for another hundred yards, leading them between two shallow tidal pools.
***
"Isn't that where we want to go?" Ser Hyle called out from behind them, pointing at the septry. "We seem to be walking every way but toward it."

"Faith," urged Septon Meribald. "Believe, persist, and follow, and we shall find the peace we seek." (p.461)
Later, when Brienne talks to the Elder Brother, her breakdown is so heartbreaking - I'm in an agony of sympathy for her, poor girl!All of it came pouring out of Brienne, then, like black blood from a wound; the betrayals and betrothals, Red Ronnet and his rose, Lord Renly dancing with her, the wager for her maidenhead, the bitter tears she shed the night her king wed Margaery Tyrell, the melee at Bitterbridge, the rainbow cloak that she had been so proud of, the shadow in the king's pavillion, Renly dying in her arms, Riverrun and Lady Catelyn, the voyage down the Trident, dueling Jaime in the woods, the Bloody Mummers, Jaime crying "Sapphires," Jaime in the tub at Harrenhal with steam rising from his body, the taste of Vargo Hoat's blood when she bit down on his ear, the bear pit, Jaime leaping down onto the sand, the long ride to King's Landing, Sansa Stark, the vow she'd sworn to Jaime, the vow she's sworn to Lady Catelyn, Oathkeeper, Duskendale, Maidenpool, Nimble Dick and Crackclaw and the Whispers, the men she'd killed...

"I have to find her," she finished. "There are others looking, all wanting to capture her and sell her to the queen. I have to find her first. I promised Jaime. Oathkeeper, he named the sword. I have to try to find her...or die in the attempt." (pp.471-472)
Sorry for the excessive quoatage, but the passage is so moving! Her oath to Jaime is now more important than anything, and even more significantly, she's now willing to give up her life towards its fulfillment. Later, however, at the crossroads, she contemplates her options, and considers failure:Or I could take the kingsroad south, Brienne though. I could slink back to King's Landing, confess my failure to Ser Jaime, give him back his sword, and find a ship to carry me home to Tarth, as the Elder Brother urged. The thought was a bitter one, yet there was a part of her that yearned for Evenfall and her father, and another part that wondered if Jaime would comfort her should she weep upon his shoulder. (p.553)
Poor Brienne! (this is my mantra, it seems) The crossroads is a literal and figurative crossroads for her - her options lay before, as does all of Westeros. Finding one young girl in all that is a rather impossible task, under these circumstances, just as finding Jaime's honor would seem to be. And yet, it is an appropriate quest, then, for a knight with a magic sword. ;)

The end of Brienne's story is even more heartbreaking than everything that came before...

She takes on Biter in the Hound's helm to protect the children at the inn, and although she nearly defeats him, she ends up with a broken arm and cracked ribs, not to mention that Biter tears a piece of her face away with his teeth! *shudders* I know that kitsah is horribly traumatized by this scene, and I will admit, it terrifies me, too - particularly because if (as queenofthorns says) the sword fight between Jaime and Brienne was couched in poetic sexualized language, Biter's final assault on Brienne sounds like rape to me. It's truly horrifying.

It's painful and so sad as Brienne drifts in and out of consciousness through the next little while and keeps calling for her sword and for Jaime. Always, thoughout this next section, it is Jaime who is first in her thoughts, Jaime who consumes her mind, before all others. 'Oathkeeper,' she thinks: 'I have to find the girl. I have to find his honor.' (p.633). She hallucinates Connington walking away from her:As he walked away, the griffins on his cloak rippled and blurred and changed to lions. Jaime! she wanted to cry. Jaime, come back for me! (p.633)
When she wakes up later and talks to Thoros, I like this very sad passage:
"My lady," Thoros said. "I do not doubt that kindness and mercy and forgiveness can still be found somewhere in these Seven Kingdoms, but do not look for them here. This is a cave, not a temple. When men must live like rats in the dark beneath the earth, they soon run out of pity, as they do of milk and honey."

"And justice? Can that be found in caves?"

"Justice." Thoros smiled wanly. "I remember justice. It had a pleasant taste. Justice was what we were about when Beric led us, or so we told ourselves. We were king's men, knights, and heroes...but some knights are dark and full of terror, my lady. War makes monsters of us all. [I love his play on the old phrase here, the night is dark and full of terrors]

"Are you saying you are monsters?"

"I am saying we are human. You are not the only one with wounds, Lady Brienne. Some of my brothers were good men when this began. Some were...less good, shall we say? Though there are those who say it does not matter how a man begins, but only how he ends. I suppose it is the same for women." (p.636)
I contrast this passage with the Quiet Isle - there was a cave there, too (only it was warm and cozy), with a "holy man" inside, yet there on the Quiet Isle, men and women could find refuge and a place to rest and recover: 'Many of our brothers come here to escape the horrors of the world, not to dwell on them' (p.464).

When Brienne is brought before the assembled company and Stoneheart, I cringe through the entire scene."The Kingslayer's whore."

She flinched. "Why would you call me that?"

"If I had a silver stag for every time you said his name, I'd be as rich as your friends the Lannisters." (p.638)
She is condemned by her own lips and by both sword and parchment: 'It is no good, Brienne realized. No words of mine will sway them' (p.638). When Stoneheart offers her the terrible choice - the sword to slay Jaime or the noose to hang for betraying her oaths to Catelyn - Brienne refuses to choose because she can't betray Jaime like this, not when she knows what she knows. If it wasn't for Pod...

So yes, we come to end of Brienne's story in AFFC, where she cries out one word, and I do agree with queenofthorns that "sword" is likely the word that she screams as she's being hung. It makes sense - it would provide a logical character arc, as some of us have already discussed. If Brienne swears to kill Jaime to save Pod's life, then she will have to choose amongst her oaths as Jaime has had to do.

[I'm already having crazy visions of them facing off in a forest in another six months or a year (after Jaime's improved with his left hand a bit more), and this time it's Jaime who has the steel cage about him and is doing his best NOT to hurt her (although I also don't believe that Brienne could ever attack him, so this is just a wild fantastic vision, not anything I actually want to come to pass) just as she did her very best not to hurt him in their first sword battle. Jaime would be fighting with his left hand, his shield arm - his defensive hand. There would be tears and apologies, and then the music would swell, and they'd toss their swords aside and kiss in the snow. Very House of Flying Daggers-ish. Ahem. ;)]

My BIG HUGE REVELATION that came to me last week (probably something most of you have already realized and talked about) is that it's not just hatred at the Freys and Boltons or at the world in general that have inspired this particular RAGE in Un!Catelyn (how could she know how carefully Tywin had orchestrated the events leading up to the Red Wedding - or that the Westerlings has been a trap all along). There is a very good and specific reason that she is so hostile and yes, stone-hearted toward Brienne. One of the last things she heard before she died, before she saw her son killed before her eyes was...drum roll please..."Jaime Lannister sends his regards" (ASOS, p.704).

Argh! It's all Roose BLOODY Bolton's fault that poor Brienne has a rope around her neck! Sure, maybe Stoneheart would have done the same anyway even if not for that, because she surely realized that the Lannisters were involved in the Red Wedding, but she might still have believed in Brienne, even if not in Jaime. She wouldn't have had any particular reason to think that Jaime was involved in the Red Wedding, because as far as she knew, Jaime and Brienne were still being hunted as they tried to make for King's Landing, and she had no reports of their whereabouts by the time she died. But because of Roose Bolton's parting words to Rob, which implied that Jaime Lannister knew what would happen that day, he comes to represent the greatest enemy for Un!Catelyn (because she placed her trust in him, and believes that he betrayed her for it to an ever worse end). Thus, everything touched by him is tainted, as far as Stoneheart is concerned, and Brienne is guilty by association, and her life is forfeit. Yeah, this is me gnashing my teeth bitterly. I want Roose Bolton to end up like Vargo Hoat, only flayed as well. Would serve him right.

The future for Brienne and Jaime

I do think that Brienne is in love with Jaime, head over heels, well and truly in love - of course she is. He's earned her respect and admiration. He's replaced Renly for her, and she's willing to die for him, not just at the end of Stoneheart's rope, but before that she was willing to lay down her life to fulfill his request that she find and protect Sansa Stark for his honor.

Does Jaime love Brienne? In my opinion, not yet, but he's on his way. Getting over Cersei was his big hurdle in AFFC. However, I do see the seeds of love and indeed of attraction in what we've seen from him so far. The very first indication is the fact that he's aroused in the bath at Harrenhal in ASOS - he chalks it up to being away from Cersei for too long, but *wink* I know better. That was a purely unconscious response, and since we know Brienne isn't attractive in the slightest (apart from her gorgeous eyes), it has to be a true response from him, doesn't it? He doesn't understand and probably doesn't want to believe that he's responding physically to Brienne because she so ugly so he rationalizes it and I think he's continuing to do that, not realizing that his body is sending him a message, not only his heart. (I'm just going to cover my ears and hum really LOUD if y'all disagree with me on this point, because I want it to be true! *oh, please, let it be true*) The fact that Connington upset Jaime so much that he not only hit him, but sent him away so he wouldn't have to look at or be around the man anymore also tells me that whether Jaime knows it or not, there's a much deeper feeling at work than he might be able to recognize or comprehend at this point. He's ostensibly aroused by Pia and then directly thinks of Brienne! Naked! in a a steaming tub! And then there's the fact that he has been very thoughtful to her in several small ways: he sent that septa to her in King's Landing (very kind of him, to be sure), and he compliments her:"Blue is a good color on you, my lady," Jaime observed. "It goes well with your eyes." She does have astonishing eyes. (ASOS, p.1006)
He also did her the kindness of making sure she was well-kitted for her quest with a good horse, chain mail, horse gear, a greathelm, and plenty of coin. These are the few opportunities that he has to do something nice for her, after everything she did for him while he was injured and so severely ill. He doesn't love her...yet, but he's working up to it.

[Amended: queenofthorns has just reminded me that I did not mention Jamie saving Brienne from rape by crying "Sapphires!" and when he went back to Harrenhal to rescue her from the bear pit, as well as entrusting his honor to Brienne among the nice things that Jaime has done for her...I didn't only because I thought they were the enormous things that underline virtually everything between them, so I guess I thought that they went without saying. But you know what? They DO bear mentioning, because when I think on it, they bear mentioning again and again and again! The fact that the same man who threw Bran from a tower window, and who cut Ned Stark's men down around him without mercy, could do these things for Brienne...well, if that isn't proof of a man capable of great compassion and possessing the ability to make a virtual 180 degrees turn in his life, I don't know what is. Loving Brienne is just another step on this path.]

I'm enraptured!
By chance I discovered something wonderful - Jaime said something REALLY NICE to Brienne (although it sure doesn't sound nice at all at first blush)! I know, it's sad what little crumbs I chase after...Before he sends her off after Sansa Stark, he says to her:"Take the bloody sword and go, before I change my mind. There's a bay mare in the stables, as homely as you are but somewhat better trained." (ASOS, p.1009)
And then in Brienne's first POV in AFFC, Martin writes: 'Brienne's mare was sweet to look upon and kept a pretty pace' (p.57). I wonder if she even remembered or realized what he'd said, when he compared her to a lovely horse...:) For anyone else that might not be much of a compliment, but for Brienne...?

In regards to Jaime/Brienne OTP, kitsah and I talked about the realistic possibility of a sexual relationship between them developing and whether any attraction for Brienne could remain now that she's been hideously disfigured by bloody Rorge - losing a chunk of face is kind of hard to hide - even harder than disguising a missing hand. But I do think that the distinct possibility exists. Jaime has been on a path of learning to see beneath the surface, and see through to the truth of things. He's seen how his beautiful sister who he loved more than anything is really a cesspit of deceit - her beauty is only a disguise. What he's beginning to feel emotionally for Brienne could indeed translate to a physical response (well, I believe that his physical response is already there, even as unrecognized and subconscious as it is at this point) because he will be able to see Brienne's spirit, and that will make her beautiful to him - she's his salvation, his protector, his redeemer. And yes, his true love...eventually. :)

~*~

And finally...

I can pretty much guarantee that at least some of the below ventures into the area of Wild Speculation, so feel free to set me right or whatever...I'm not too proud. I'm only trying to think through some possibilities.

The Prophecy of Dream? Some thoughts about Jaime's Dream in ASOS (pp.609-612) and how it means that Jaime and Brienne are destined for one another. :D

After leaving Harrenhal and Brienne behind with the Goat, Jamie sleeps with his head pillowed on a weirwood stump. In his dream he has two hands:He held his right hand up and flexed his fingers to feel the strength in them. It felt as good as sex. As good as swordplay. Four fingers and a thumb. He had dreamed that he was maimed, but it wasn't so. Relief made him dizzy. My hand, my good hand. Nothing could hurt him so long as he was whole.
However, later, after he has been prodded downwards beneath Casterly Rock, he's not so confident anymore:I must go up, he told himself. Up, not down. Why am I going down? Below, the earth his doom awaited, he knew with the certainty of dream; something dark and terrible lurked there, something that wanted him. Jaime tried to halt, but their spears prodded him on. If only I had my sword, nothing could harm me.
I think it's interesting that at first, Jaime believes himself invincible with his sword hand, but then it's the sword that he longs for - the hand alone is not enough.

Cersei, Tywin & Joffrey appear to him. By the end of AFFC, two of them are dead, so I think that those three appear to him particularly because they will all die before him."Sister, why has Father brought us here?"

"Us? This is your place, Brother. This is your darkness." Her torch was the only light in the cavern. Her torch was the only light in the world. She turned to go.
Cersei has been his guiding light for nearly his entire life - he wanted his father's approval, but he wanted Cersei more. He joined Kingsguard for her, he violated his vows for her, he tossed poor Bran off the window to protect what he shared with Cersei. He would have killed Arya Stark for her. So many terrible deeds that he has done (save killing Aerys) can be traced to his poisonous relationship with his sister. And now that guiding light recedes before him. Whether it is only because of her rejection and cruelty of him, or because of her possible future death, Cersei is no longer the light for him in the world.

They leave Jaime alone in the dark, with only the flaming sword - a sword provided by Lord Tywin, just as in life Tywin gives Jaime the two-handed Valyrian steel blade that his son can no longer wield. However in the dark beneath Casterly Rock, Jaime does wield this blade, and he is joined by Brienne.From behind came a great splash. Jaime whirled toward the sound...but the faint light revealed only Brienne of Tarth, her hands bound in heavy chains. "I swore to keep you safe," the wench said stubbornly. "I swore an oath." Naked, she raised her hands to Jaime. "Ser. Please.If you would be so good."

The steel links parted like silk.
The chains could be her oaths - and now that we can speculate what Brienne cries out to Stoneheart - the chains could even be her conflicting oaths, if indeed she has sworn to kill the man who she also swore to protect. Jaime cuts her chains easily with his sword. While he named his sword "Oathkeeper" he himself is a famous oathbreaker, so it is fitting that he would break her chains. Of course the chains can be lots of things - this is just my favorite idea.

Jaime considers that 'In this light she could almost be a beauty...In this light she could almost be a knight'.

These are two things that in life Brienne is not - she is neither a beauty nor a knight, but this could be what she comes to embody (well, I already think she does, but for Jaime, she comes to embody beauty and true knighthood - she's certainly truer than anyone else out there, imo).'She was as tall and strong as he remembered, yet it seemed to Jaime that she had more of a woman's shape now.'
This is one of my favorite lines in the dream, because I always think that it must mean that Jaime's feelings about Brienne have to change in the sense that he will find her physically attractive somehow - that even though she herself doesn't really change, his perception of her changes. [I do realize that this is probably too literal of an interpretation for a weirwood stump dream, but I'm hopeful]

As they are both trapped down there, Brienne offers her body to Jaime to help him climb out of the watery cavern - even in his dream, Brienne is sacrificing for him. When 'she put a hand on his shoulder...he trembled at the sudden touch. She's warm.' Brienne is always warm as opposed to Cersei who is always cold.

When his former brothers of the Kingsguard surround him with Rhaegar:"I swore a holy oath to keep him safe," she said to Rhaegar's shade. "I swore a holy oath."

"We all swore oaths," said Ser Arthur Dayne, so sadly.
They did swear those oaths, and their oaths conflicted so they each chose which oaths to uphold and which ones to ignore, just as Jaime did and as Brienne will likely have to do. What are oaths, but so many words? It's the righteous actions that mean far more.
"The flames will burn so long as you live," he heard Cersei call. "When they die, so must you."
When the light of Jaime's sword dies - which probably represents both his loss of honor as well as the loss of his sword hand - Brienne and her flaming sword remain to sustain them both. She becomes his chance to regain honor - his chance to survive, and also she becomes his sword. Brienne told him to "live, and fight, and take revenge" (ASOS, p.415), yet he has not taken revenge - Brienne has done for him. She bit of Hoat's ear which contributed to his death, and she killed Shagwell, Pyg & Timeon. She is avenging him. She has become his sword hand. [And if I go back to the beginning of the dream where Jaime has his right hand back, the hand that makes him whole, and if Brienne is actually symbolically his hand, then he can't be whole without her, and nothing can harm him as long as he has her]

Jaime wakes with a cry when his sword goes out, but Brienne's is still alight beside him, the only thing between him and doom. So, if this is indeed a prophetic dream, their fates are inextricably intertwined, and Brienne will save Jaime as long as she has honor and/or can restore his. Jaime takes something of this premonition (whether or not he understands it as such) from the dream, because he goes back for her immediately, even though it was still the middle of the night ("by the time the sun came up, they were halfway back to Harrenhal").

~*~

Okay, that does it! I'm all written out. I think. If you've managed to read this entire post...well, there should be a prize! :)