I am currently doing a combined read of AFFC and Dance, and I am again reminded of just how many parallels there are between Jon and Jaime throughout the books:

1. The both join the celibate, military orders young - 14 and 15 respectively;
2. The both become lord commander;
3. They both reject the opportunity to become great lords - Jon refusing Stannis' offer of Winterfell, Jaime rejecting Casterly Rock when he joins the kingsguard and again when offered the chance to leave it;
4. They both break their oaths to their orders because they place over values over their oaths vows to not judge or to take no part in politics;
5. Both, upon returning to their respective orders from journeys away, become Lord Commander and recommit themselves to their duties;
6. They both have forbidden love affairs that result in broken vows, and in both cases that lover is their first (and so far only);
7. They both leave their lover at least in part because they realise how different their goals and that of their lover’s are, and in both cases the decision is not easy;
8. Both are then deeply attracted to fierce blonde women, to whom they give a horse and a mission to find someone;
9. The both have dreams of the dark spaces beneath their boyhood homes - Casterly Rock and the crypts of Winterfell - and during that dream they both go down into the darkness, despite being scared of what they will find in those depths;
10. They both have dreams in which they both have burning swords - although Jaime's is silvery blue and Jon's is red;
11. Jaime loses his hand and Jon's is badly burnt, and both injuries occur when they are rescuing someone (Brienne and Jeor respectively);
12. They both threaten a baby to get its parent to cooperate (we can argue all day whether one or both of neither were bluffing) and they both conspicuously take child hostages as part of a peace deal (as does Dany);
13. The scenes where Jaime gives Brienne a sword and Jon gives Arya one have some similarities (the Arya scene is probably a relic from when GRRM planned a Jon/Arya romance);
14. They both send people on quests to rescue Stark daughters - Brienne for Sansa and Mance for 'Arya'. Both journeys have a 'red herring' element, in the sense that the daughter in question isn't there (Sansa is not in the Riverlands with the Hound, Arya is not in Winterfell), but Brienne saves Willow at the Inn while Mance is part of the rescue of Jeyne and Theon;
15. Mance sows dissension at Winterfell, and (if Thoros is anything to go by) Brienne's presence may well sow dissension amongst the brotherhood;
16. Brienne ends AFFC captured by the Brotherhood, and Mance may have ended ADWD captured and ‘hanging’ too (depending on your take on that pink letter). In any case, both are used as bait to tease the quest giver (Jon and Jaime) out; and
17. Both end ADWD is a pretty precarious position, with Jon probably dead, and Jaime clearly rumoured to be.

It's bears remembering, too, that back in season 1 of GOT (when George was involved) there was a whole scene added between Jon and Jaime referring the kingsguard and the Nights Watch. At the time, I wondered whether maybe they were setting something up between them (and indeed spoilers about the two of them pulled me back for season 8), but unfortunately they never really had a scene together again (unless you count the 'trial'). But the parallels in the books are so thick and obvious, I would be very surprised if *something* doesn't come of it in the books.

What do you think?