Such Beauty untold
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations written by G.R.R. Martin. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended and no money is being made. The plot of this fiction is all mine, though.
Summary: When King Joffrey heads down towards the dungons after the infamous Battle of Blackwater Bay, he is eager to bask in the sight of his captives.
He is to face a serious surprise within the shadowy cells of the Red Keep though, since there is definitely more to his 'cousin', the Princess Shireen, than a first glance at her Grey Scale blemished cheek would suggest. At least he might become a Baratheon for real in the process...
Prologue:
~Shireen~
Shireen Baratheon had always loved the sight of the sea, rushing against the shores of Dragonstone. Beautiful colours of grey, bottle-green and stormy blue, crowned with highlights of white that kept rolling against the coast and the steep cliffs below the castle in a never ending rhythm of threat and allure, their roiling thundering never coming to rest even at the peaceful times of a summer's night. Their constant powerful tune had been her own cradle song, lulling her to sleep in place of a mother's voice.
There were no such steep cliffs, no harsh rocking waves around the Bay of King's Landing. Nonetheless the sea was an enemy around here – a menace. Tonight she was afraid of the dark, bottomless waters below the ship, no matter how far from the Battle it did cast anchor.
Tonight's sea was nothing like Shireen Baratheon was used to – nothing at all!
The blazing green fire of Blackwater Bay was a dreadful sight.
Terrifying.
She could not truly comprehend what was happening to herself, nor the others anymore. All of it was happening so quickly – way too fast to fathom. Her head was spinning in confusion as she turned around.
The one moment she recalled standing next to her mother atop the deck of the 'Sea Serpent' - one last moment of fragile peace and safety, while she was regarding her father's and Ser Davos' ships in the far distance.
Then all of a sudden – from out of nowhere – the green enclosed.
There was nothing else. Nothing but – green – all around. A blazing force of destruction that was spreading across the water's surface in matters of –seconds – all the way from the bay, rushing into the far distance of their stay upon the waves of open water.
So fast.
She did not even realise what was about to happen until the first flames were smoldering at the ship's bottom. From there on there was no haltering – no escape...
Fire took over within a heartbeat.
Fire on the planks of the ship.
Fire within the cloths and hair of anyone around.
Just and nothing but fire – everywhere...
After a split second – that had kept her paralyzed with shock – the will to live took over. Therefore, before she even realised what she was doing, Shireen Baratheon dived overboard into the one patch of 'greenless' sea she could find. The sheer force of the imprint took her breath away.
As soon as she broke the water's surface the full force of what was happening hit her. Within an instant she was struggling for dear life, green all above her – deathly – impossible to cut surface.
Air.
She needed to breathe yet knew she could not – must not – dare to get out of the water. There was nothing but fire and destruction above her. Yet she got to breathe, so desperately.
Still struggling to keep her head beneath the flaming waves, despite the desperate need for air, the world turned upside down for Shireen Baratheon, a faint tune from her childhood days echoing within her mind as she drifted off with the tide...
It's always summer, under the sea
I know, I know, oh, oh, oh
The birds have scales, and the fish take wing
I know, I know, oh, oh, oh
The rain is dry, and the snow falls up
I know, I know, oh, oh, oh
The stones crack open, the water burns
The shadows come to dance, my lord
The shadows come to play
The shadows come to dance, my lord
The shadows come to stay…
Effortlessly she sruggled and fought, until the shadows captured her indeed and she knew no more...
~Joffrey~
The first rays of the new morning, he had never expected to see, peered above the towers of the Red Keep and into Blackwater Bay to unveil the dreadful battle's destruction to full degree.
More than a dozen ships had been crushed into the strand. Their sorched and torn planks and tattered splinters of their masts were littering the bay. Several wrackages were even still illuminated by the rest of that dreadfull flickering green. There were more dead bodies he had ever imagined to see. Some of them were floating in the water with those unnatural green flames still licking at the remains of their cloths.
The clearing up work had already begun, but it might be weeks, if not months until a halfway baerable situation in the capital might be reastored. Not to mention its erstwhile decadent palatial imperience.
In spite of the finally lucky outcome of the battle, Joffrey Baratheon was anything but pleased.
He was more than aware of the fact that there had been nothing glorious or kingly in his actions the previous night. He had been paralysed with fear in the face of battle. At the same time he was angry at Tyrion for holding off the troops in his place. Angry at his grandfather and his army for turning the coin instead, even if he had been releved beyond reasoning, back then.
In those final, dreadful minutes before his grandfather's arrival, when he had expected the capital to fall to the fury of Stannis Baratheon's forces – he had not seen any hope of surviving the night at all.
And it had been just then – in a rare moment of clarity – that he did truly reflect upon a couple of things, apart from his self centredness.
It had been back then – in fear of certain death – that he did realise the failure in his attempts to be a regent – his cowardice. More throughly than he might have ever done otherwise. He had been aware of the fact that – no matter of how much he might try to hide – there was not a single place in the entire city Stannis Baratheon would not find him and he had been captured by unreasonable fear. But – for once – he had just as well worried about his mother and even about anoying little Tommen – and even had been glad to know that his brat of a sister was far away at Dorne at the same time.
It had been an experience so strange that he was simply unable to understand and now that dawn broke into a new morning, he already felt ashamed about it.
Nonetheless the experience had been there and it did leave an imprint of regret and shame within his very soul, no matter how hard he might try to ignore it.
Now however Joffrey Baratheon was back to his senses, determined to cover up for such weaknesses. Word had reached him that Stannis Baratheon and his daughter were amongst the captives.
AN: Well that's were we come from. Pretty hopeless case for all it looks like. And their parents are hardly any better, I asume. I can not see Stannis inviting Cersei for tea or vice versa. But well, if you are not entirely deterred by the strangeness of the pairing, just lean back and watch as the story enfolds into the tender romance I intend it to bloom into. : /
I hope you'll enjoy. Please let me know what you think of this. Your feedback is highly apreciated.
Lots of thanks to SebastiansGleek for beta reading!
Serpentina
PS: Just for those who might not know: The song is not mine either. It is called 'It's always summer under the sea' and can be heared at the end of episode 5 in season 3.
