Cersei Lannister, when she was young, had sworn that the most terrifying place in the world for her was the Darkling Pools in Casterly Rock. The Pools themselves were old mine shafts that had flooded in the later days of Loren the Last that for some reason were never sealed off. Cersei could still recall the times her and Jaime would sneak out of their room in the middle of night to get a glimpse of the dark waters. She could still recall the way...

Down the hall, left at the lion with the chipped tooth, down the servant's stairs, through the stables, left at the third storeroom, right at the shelves of cheese, down the small staircase and left into the shafts...

And she could still picture the scene. Dry sandstone steps disappearing into waters as dark as night. If you moved the torch just the right way, you could see the glints of untapped gold veins sparkle like stars on a dark night. Of course back then, their Uncle Gerion had convinced them that the glints were not of gold but of the eyes of dark creatures from the deep who would drag you down into the dark if you got too close.

Jaime and her would dare each other to dip their toes into the waters to see who was bravest. Often times she would find a way to scare him off by kicking the water or pushing him forward. But one night she had felt something cold and slimy touch her foot and it sent both of them screaming up to the rooms (as well as a stern reprimand from their father). She knew of course that it had probably just been some blind cave fish but regardless, she and Jaime never went down there again.

Yes, the Darkling Pools had been scary and Cersei and Jaime had both grown up. But now Cersei had discovered a truly terrifying place.

Whereas the Darkling Pools were stuffy and deep in the earth, the Widow's Tower of Harrenhal was high in the sky and it seemed a breeze was always blowing through it. During the day the tower was quiet with only the distant sounds of the yard rising up to her ears. But at night, when everything should have been quiet, she heard the noises.

Quiet moans, hushed whispers, taps at the stone and at her chamber door. One night she had thought someone was hissing her name from the fireplace. And since that night she had taken to sharing her room with her handmaiden once the sun had set.

Unfortunately, this in itself was a sacrifice as she could not stand her handmaiden.

Jeyne Algood was a thin girl whose stringy blonde hair fell over her pointed nose and whose voice was so nasally that Cersei couldn't understand why the girl bothered using her mouth at all. The Algoods themselves were minor nobles who held the lands closest to Casterly Rock and Lannisport. And though their sigil seemed to imply some sort of wealth with its golden wreath on a royal blue field, they were in fact very poor.

"They've always been someone's vassal," her father had told her once in regards to the family, "They may have once been wealthy in the past but since the time of Lancel V they've been forced to rely on tourney winnings to keep Geldenhill from falling apart. They have always been loyal to our house but mostly out of desperation for handouts instead of true loyalty. Flatterers, grand-standers, and beggars. Never take what they say of face value. The rarely mean it."

Cersei could certainly understand what her father meant. Jeyne, when she was not mooning over some knight or lesser lord, would be praising her beauty and saying how much she wished to have such curls, or eyes, or breasts, or skin.

Not a chance with your mother, she would always think to herself. Jeyne's mother had been the ugliest of a Lannisport merchant's daughters but her father had been wealthy and desperate to marry her off and Lord Algood had been very poor and desperate for coin. "Never has there been such a fortuitous marriage," Uncle Gerion would laugh.

Currently the girl was blabbing on about some hedge knight currently with the royal army that had gathered at Harrenhal, "Oh and his eyes are so brown! And it is just so easy for me to get lost in them and his smile... oh his smile..."

Cersei set on her fake courtly smile for the girl, "That's lovely Jeyne. Mayhaps you should see if he will ask your father for your hand?"

"Oh..." Jeyne blushed a crimson deeper than Cersei's dress, "I-I shouldn't. Father his hoping to make a good match for me. Maybe a Marbrand or a Lydden."

A Frey more like then not if he is still in debt, she thought but just smiled, "And I'm sure you will be a lovely bride for that lucky lord."

Gods preserve that man...

The skinny thing smiled gaily and was about to start rambling on again when one of her father's guards stepped in with a bow, "M'lady Cersei, your father requires your presence in the Kingspyre."

Cersei was quick to escape her captor of a hand maiden so she did not bother asking why, "Of course, lead the way. I shall return later, Jeyne." But secretly she hoped Jeyne would be off flirting with some man-at-arms when she did.

She followed the crimson cloaked man out of the room and down the hall where they went out onto the stone bridge that linked the Widow's Tower to the Kingspyre. From this vantage point, she could see almost all of Harrenhal.

The ruined castle was filled to the brim with those who had chosen the heir over the sire. Lord Blackwood's pale weirwood fluttered over the sharp edged Tower of Dread. The stout Wailing Tower held the sky blue and golden banners of House Lefford from its windows. On the far edge of the castle, in the Tower of Ghosts, the Black Bats of House Whent still resided. Behind her she new her father's golden lion held command. And as she looked up ahead of her she could just barely see the red and black of her liege's banner half hidden by the clouds.

The two of them entered the large tower and slowly began to wind their way up the large staircase that ran along the edges of the great structure. Along their way, they ran into a few notable members of the King's army.

Ser Oswell Whent was a walking contrast, his dark hair and dark eyes clashing with his pale platemail. He did not give them so much as a look. The other knight however cracked a grin that filled Cersei with the greatest annoyance.

"Dear sister," Ser Jaime clucked in mock disapproval, "You have been cruel to make our father wait so long..."

Our father or you? she thought snidely. They had not been alone together for some time and whenever he passed she could see the desperation in his eyes. Risky, she thought when she considered that her father was but doors down form her chamber. Stupid, followed after when she also knew the King himself was in the same castle.

"I came as soon as I heard, dear brother," she replied with as much grace and hidden venom she could muster, "I've no wings so do not mistake me for a raven, featherbrain that you are."

This produced a slight cough and a lazy grin from Ser Oswell. But Jaime just gave her a grin. Not a friendly grin or even his classic grin laced with condescension. No, this one was almost angry.

Like a cat that's finally caught its mouse.

But despite that grin and his evil eye, her brother assisted Ser Oswell in swinging open the two doors of dark oak to let her in.

The room she now found herself in was dim and quiet with only the scratching of a quill on paper and the crackling of burning logs to fill the silence. The walls, like the rest of Harrenhal were comprised of black stone, twisted and distorted and fused together into ugly cold masses. There was a large fireplace along the left wall casting ominous red light into the otherwise dark room, a large highbacked chair stood in front of it, creating a shadowy pillar that extended across the floor and into the darkness.

But ahead, sitting at a table and writing out on parchment was her father, illuminated by a golden glow of three bright candles set on a short candelabra. Swiftly she moved to the open seat across from him and sat down.

Lord Tywin Lannister took no notice that she had sat down and simple continued his correspondence without breaking stride. A younger or bolder Cersei might make some small noise to alert him of her presence or demand an explanation, but she had learned long ago that it was best to let her father finish his work in peace, lest his force her down with his cool green eyes.

A few moments later he scrawled out his name in a spidery hand upon the bottom of the parchment before setting his quill aside and looking up at his daughter.

"Be thankful you were born a woman, Cersei," he said as he rolled up and began pouring wax over the folded paper, "That you need never command during a war."

You know nothing of being a woman, Father, Cersei thought, Where every day is a war and your only levy is yourself.

"Lord Mallister is overly bold," Lord Tywin continued, pressing the King's seal into the wax, "He suggests we use our fleets at Lannisport and Seagard to attack Oldtown without even acknowledging the fact that the just the Redwynes posses almost twice our ships not to mention the sellsails bought by the Hightowers. All while Lord Staunton is overly cautious and thinks that we could get any decent terms if we negotiate."

Cersei nodded along, seeing her father's reason, "And what does His Grace think?"

"His Grace thinks that it would be best if he trusts his Hand to develop the strategy."

Cersei turned her head to see a figure rise from the chair by the fireplace.

Once upon a time, Cersei would have praised him as her Silver Prince and longed to be his wife. He had been beautiful and sad and she had planned to fix his woes. But now, he was different. He was just as silver as he had been when she first laid eyes on the Targaryen, but his rebellion against his father and now a war against his brother had left him worried and haggard.

His face, once full and strong now looked gaunt with his eyes sagging due to lack of sleep. His hair no longer flowed free as it once had but now pulled back into a reserved ponytail. He wore the black and red of his house on his everyday garb, though now there was often more black than red. And the simple golden band of a crown that had belonged to his great-grandfather as well as Kings Aegon III and Viserys II seemed to weigh him down, forcing his neck to bend just a bit.

Rhaegar Targaryen I of the House Targaryen had certainly seen fairer days and the gloom of Harrenhal had done little to help.

Despite her surprise at his sudden appearance, Cersei dipped down into a flustered curtsy, "Your Grace."

The King merely gave her a soft smile and a nod before moving to a large table off to the side. A large map of Westeros sat upon it with little carved figures set upon it. Rhaegar picked up a red dragon from Harrenhal and appraised it before turning to Cersei, "Tell me, my lady, do you think I can win this war?"

This took Cersei aback. She had not expected him to come to her with such a question. But she did not forget her courtesy and gave her reply, "Of course you will, Your Grace. You've won all previous battles and you are beloved by the realm."

At that, Rhaegar gave a mirthless laugh, "At one time, I suppose. But that was before I slew my own father which resulted in the fire that killed my own mother. I am named a kinslayer by Ser Gerold and half of my father's Kingsguard. Most of the Reach has backed my little brother's claim. What allies I do have are trying suppress rebellion in their own kingdoms or simply cannot reach me. No, my lady. I may have won every battle prior to the Burning of King's Landing but that was when my enemies were scattered and I had the hate toward my father to fall back on. But now, many see me as a power hungry heir who couldn't wait to get what was rightfully his. Others simply find it more profitable to put the crown on Viserys' head. I've heard tell how they plan to wed him to a Hightower girl. Who do you think the Seven Kingdoms would support? A King with a half Dornish heir or a child born of the noble Hightower blood?"

Cersei took a moment to realize it was an actual question posed. Hesitantly she spoke her mind, "The Reach of course would prefer an heir with Reacher blood. The Dornish would love the crown to pass to one of their own. The Vale would back the Hightowers for their rich Andal blood. My father already backs you. The Riverlords only care if the heir would help protect them. The Ironborn would be wholly indifferent as would the North I suppose. And the Stormlanders would pick a Reacher just to spite the Dornish."

Rhaegar nodded as she spoke and gave a cheerless smile at her last comment, "And so the last two you name are the vassals I need the most. I have sent raven after raven to Storms End to gain the support of my cousin but still Lord Robert declares himself neutral in the affair. I've even had my... friend, Lady Lyanna, try to speak to her husband but for every reason she gives for joining me, Robert's brother Stannis gives a reason for staying neutral. And so, Storms End will not raise its banners. Unless we get his brother to join us."

"I wish you all the luck then," Cersei replied, "As I have heard it, Ser Stannis is newly knighted and very stubborn."

Rhaegar shook his head, "I am well aware of the kind of man Ser Stannis is. It is not him I am referring to."

Cersei quirked her brow, "Renly Baratheon is but five years old. I doubt Lord Robert takes his thoughts into account."

"Stannis and Renly are indeed his brothers by blood," her father cut in, "But Lord Robert is more affectionate of his brother-in-law than either of them."

"Lord Stark?" Cersei asked, confused and trying to figure out which damn wolf they were referring to.

"Lord Eddard," Rhaegar confirmed with a nod of his head, "I had the full support of his father and elder brother. But when they died along with my father, Lord Eddard felt that he had no obligation left toward the fight and will not risk any northern lives in the war as it is now."

Tywin nodded knowingly, "He has fortified Moat Cailin and has had Lord Reed turn back any envoys entering the Neck, both ours and the Hightower's."

"Then what do you mean to do about it?" Cersei asked, then instantly regretted as the King gave her father a look.

"I shall leave you two to discuss the matter..." the Targaryen gave a small bow to the two of them and exited the room.

Once it was just father and daughter left in the room, Cersei turned to her father, "What does he mean by that?"

"You will marry Eddard Stark and bring the North and Stormlands into the fold," her father declared, not missing a beat, "You will gain his love, bear his children, and council him always in our favor."

Cersei was speechless. Marry? A wild northern lord? Without being asked at any point? No. Surely not. Perhaps there was another way?

"M-Must it be me? I mean, I hardly know the man. He hardly knows me."

"It matters not if he knows you," her father sat back down in his chair, "He will gain a fair wife to give him heirs as well as a sizable dowry that will give the North a well needed boost of income. Then he will feel obligated to side with us."

Cersei searched her mind for any excuse before she remembered Harrenhal, "Why not marry him to Ashara Dayne? Everyone knows the two of them have affection for each other."

Tywin gave a nod, "Ser Arthur suggested the same thing. But I argued against it."

"Why?"

"It doesn't benefit House Lannister as much as this will."

"How did you convince the King to go against his best friend?"

Her father simply leaned back in his chair, "Because Ser Arthur isn't providing the bulk of his army."

Cersei could hold it in no longer and blurted out, "But why me!? Why not one the cousins!? WHY ME!?"

A long silence followed that Cersei felt took far too long. Not a word was said as the cold eyes of her father pierced her very resolve. The torturous quiet stretched on till her father's cold voice interjected, "I might say that I would not insult Lord Stark with a lesser Lannister or that it is past time you were wed and Lord Stark is an excellent match. But instead I will simply say that you will obey because I am your father and head of House Lannister."

"But-"

"You will leave tomorrow morning at dawn with your Uncle Tygett and head straight for Winterfell."

"I-"

"And you will do it without complaint."

"Fath-"

"Am I understood?"

The two lions stared at each other harshly before Cersei finally backed down, "Yes father."

Lord Tywin simply leaned back, "You are dismissed."

Cersei ran all the way back to her chambers, tears stinging her eyes and did not even bother to hear Jaime call out for her.

Well I lied about the Christmas thing but I hope you guys enjoy this new format. If you like it or find something you don't like, don't hesitate to add a review. That's what they are for. I hope to come out with the next chapter soon. Enjoy!