// Long time no see Tyrion. He wanted to speak, so I let him speak.
xxx
The silver princess allowed herself a little stroll in the garden. The plan had been settled and Jaime and Jon were set to leave King's Landing in a matter of days. It took its time, but Bäahal had accepted the decisions made by Commander Jon. She would patiently wait for Jaime and her nephew to return from their mission but since her survival had to be kept a secret, her options were limited. The garden was the safest place she could go to, along with the catacombs. There, she would be able to think and let go of the emotions she usually kept to herself. Occasionally, Tyrion would find her and they would engage in friendly banter. Tyrion had never been shy about his joy to have his brother with him. Since Tyrion's escape from King's Landing and his decision to join Daenerys, he had rarely seen Jaime, let alone been able to take a walk or dine together. Yet, they were able to do so. He felt he owed the princess for her involvement in his brother's return and he decided to take the opportunity to talk to her. Tonight seemed to be a good opportunity to do so.
He had been thinking about the relationship between his brother and the princess. They were in love with each other, that was plain to see. He had observed the smiles she had whenever Jaime's name was mentioned. He had noticed the way his brother's mellowed whenever he brought up Bäahal or the look of concern when they talked about the siege and the near-death of the princess. Tyrion had tried to warn them about the dangers of this relationship. He had tried to protect his brother from the spotlight a relationship with the princess would put him in. Jaime was hated, that was not a secret. Jaime was despised by Westeros for what he did to Aerys II, for what he did for Cersei, for what he did to the North, and for his arrogance and beauty. Jaime was a target, and Tyrion knew that people would try to kill him any chance they got. Bäahal was also holding the heart of his brother in her palms and while he truly appreciated the woman, he didn't want Jaime to have his heart fully broken.
So he suggested Jaime let Bäahal try and find new suitors. If she had her eyes set upon someone else, maybe this fragile love story would die out, snuffed by duty or genuine feelings. It backfired horribly because the princess explained that long before she shared her feelings with the Golden Lion, she had tried to find suitors, and always ended up in tears and unhappy. She reminded him that she was loyal to her sister and would absolutely do as she was told, but if she was requested to marry another man, then she would end up heartbroken. It would be worse than just being unhappy. If she was to marry another man, she would be sold like she was before. It was preferable she didn't marry someone else, but then, would she be happy?
"I remember when you asked me about finding suitors to marry." -She pointed out, bending forward to smell a flower-
"At the time, I thought this was the best solution to keep both of you alive." -He walked closer and touched a flower with the tip of his fingers- "Clearly, I was wrong."
"You wanted to save our lives. You still do. I don't blame you Tyrion." -It was the first time the princess called him by his name only. She dropped the titles for the conversation she wanted to have with him. He could tell she was upset, yet still in control of her emotions.- "I know you want to protect us from the consequences of loving each other. I don't want it to be a doomed love story. I want to protect Jaime however I can. I promise Kyra that I would do my best to protect you, even from me."
"I don't want you to speak as such. You sound like you're ready to renounce your love for Jaime." He said, furrowing his brows. She shook her head and glanced at him with her purple eyes- "Then if you're not renouncing those emotions, what are you saying?"
" I am saying, I am ready to give up on my dreams of being with Jaime if that meant I could save his life. I am saying... I am ready to be unhappy if that means he is alive. I am saying... I am saying that while loyal to my sister, I could never ever, accept marrying another man. The idea of being touched by another revulses me. The idea of someone calling me his wife, someone who isn't Jaime, is breaking my heart. SO... I am ready to submit to my sister and her council's decision regarding my relationship with Jaime, but I will never, ever, find another suitor. I can't. I can't..." -She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. her voice broke at the end of her sentence and that prompted Tyrion to close the distance between the two of them.-
He was sad for the two of them because he realized that they both loved each other so much, that they were not ready to move forward. He was sad because he knew his words couldn't comfort the princess and the fear of potentially living a life without Jaime was overwhelming the young woman. Jaime had a life, he got the chance to live and love and even father children but Bäahal was barely starting hers. She'd just found love, discovered joy and pleasure, and perhaps would become a mother someday but she was willing to give up on a happy life with Jaime and a potential good life without him because of the love she felt for him. He was sad because he couldn't bring himself to allow this to happen. she was genuinely loving his brother, despite his past, despite his stupid self. She cared for Jaime, cared for Kyra, and even for him. How could he look at her and not bring a smile to her face? She had to smile. she deserved to smile and he would make sure to help her do that. He gently grabbed her hand and squeezed it, only to feel her squeeze him back.
"I cannot allow that to happen. It breaks my heart to hear you speak like this, princess. I cannot watch as you whither away from my brother. I saw you two, I know how powerful that love is and I will do my very best to protect you the best way I know. Have faith. Your sister will warm up to the idea of your love, especially when she sees how genuine and powerful it is. Have faith, princess, in your sister and her love for you. Please, don't shed tears, let's instead have a walk and we'll talk about your progress in the art of wielding a sword. I heard you were training again."-She looked at him with disbelief in her eyes. she had not anticipated that he would be so kind to her, but it soothed her and helped her dry her tears.-
-TBC-
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