BACKSTORY: In the sequel to 'Blood of Dragons', treachery and savagery, seep into the lives of the players in this story, more so than ever.
It has been a month since Lady Cersei Arryn, after poisoning her boy husband, Robert Arryn with milk of the poppy and fleeing Eyrie, headed to Highgarden, with three of her shadow children that Stannis Baratheon forced her to birth.
Margaery Tyrell, gets permission to accompany a small army to Winterfell to see about Lord Davos, her forced fiancee, who is supposedly imprisoned there. But Margaery slips away from the group, taking three of her own shadow children...
The result is swift and vulgar justice, as Cersei and Margaery return to King's Landing with the shadows that THEY now control, and murder Stannis Baratheon and his men. Melisandre disappears and Stannis's only child, his diseased daughter, Shireen, is kept as a prisoner.
The news that there are two Queens and that they are in the form of Cersei Lannister and Margaery Tyrell, makes the people of Westeros wonder if Stannis and his witch queen, were so bad after all?
Joffrey eases back to the fold, and is horrified to realize that his mother has no intention of restoring the throne to him. Nor does Margaery intend to marry him. Joffrey soon sees that he is quite outnumbered by the shadows. Cersei puts out a coined challenge for anyone that can kill the remaining Targaryen dragons. Neither Queen Cersei nor Queen Margaery, have any use for them now that the shadows are there.
But neither Cersei or Margaery, are REALLY willing to share power. And as both try and figure out ways to kill the other, the business of ruling must continue.
That means executions. Many of them.
And what of Tyrion and Sansa Lannister? In the previous installment, Sansa had been unfaithful to Tyrion with Sandor Clegane, as he tried to spirit her away from Winterfell and keep her safe from the Shadows. Tyrion discovered his wife's betrayal and had Sandor beheaded. He also had beastly sex with her after the execution, much to Sansa's horror and Tyrion's semi-regret.
Now as Sansa Lannister's belly grows larger everyday with Tyrion's child, they have been ordered to come to King's Landing at once. Tyrion's only hope is Jaime, who has returned to his sister's side with his new wife, Brienne...
Cersei took the torch away from the guard and nodded, as he let her into Lord Petyr Baelish's cell. He was to be executed in a few days.
Cersei smiled at the whore monger's disheveled state. It wasn't disheveled enough for her. Baelish, best known as 'Littlefinger', smiled tolerantly and allowed the 'Queen' to look him over.
"Your highness. I never took you for one to hold a grudge."
"Grudge? You threw me, a queen, out of a carriage and left her to almost be ravished in the woods. That is more than just a grudge, Lord Baelish. It is a punishable offense. Punishable by death." Cersei smiled just as tolerantly.
"You would be wise..."
Cersei took her torch and burned Baelish's arm! He hissed and moved back.
"YOU would be wise, not to speak a word to me! You should have been by MY side, when that Targaryen whore flew in here on those dragons backs, destroying everything I had worked for. Destroying everything I had suffered and endured for. I am here because I am offering you quick death, instead of what you are going to receive, if you tell me where Varys is."
Baelish raised a brow.
"Believe me, if I knew, I would tell you for free. I have no idea where is. And as for what happened with Queen Daenarys, what would you have had me do?"
"Die like my father did. You should have died before you became part of her council."
"And yet you did not, did you, my Queen? You befriended her."
"You befriended her AND Stannis Baratheon! You tried to school that loathsome child that I was forced to marry, on the ways of love, so that he could one day learn how to make love to me? You will die for that and then some!"
"What of Lord Tyrion, may I ask?" Baelish asked, changing the subject.
Cersei smiled coldly.
"He will join you in death. But not on the same day. Why do you ask?"
"Because I can help you hurt him more in this life. I can help you make him wish you would execute him..."
"Which I plan to, Lord Baelish. I don't want to hear any insipid nonsense from you. And I'm not stupid, despite what you think. You were about to offer me some kind of deal, where in which you end up with my dear sister-in-law, Sansa, thus hurting Tyrion. I want both of their heads. So you will be seeing her in death as well."
And with that, Cersei turned and knocked on the cell door. The guard came quickly and let her out, leaving Lord Petyr Baelish in darkness again, and oddly, thinking of Ned Stark.
Lady Oleanna Tyrell, shook her head as she sat with her granddaughter in the throne room. She was looking over the list of people slated for execution.
"Tell me, dear, how goes the search for Melisandre?" Oleanna asked, rolling up the parchment.
"She is a witch. There has been no sign of her. I find little surprise in it." Margaery responded.
"And you can't take much comfort in it either," Lady Oleanna told her, "that woman was the first to birth one of those shadows. She probably knows how to control them better than Cersei and yourself do. She is still a threat."
Margaery shook her head.
"I'm more concerned about the growing unrest within the realm. I have to show that we will not be ruling such as Stannis, Daenarys or Joffrey did. And Cersei is making that impossible."
The door to the room opened, and Lady Brienne Lannister was announced. Lady Oleanna and Queen Margaery smiled as Brienne bowed, then approached.
"My Queen. Lady Tyrell. Thank you for seeing me." Brienne said towering over them.
"Lady Brienne, is something troubling you?" Margaery asked gently.
"I would be honored if Queen Cersei and yourself, would allow me to slay one of the Targaryen dragons. And I would do it for free, of course."
Lady Oleanna almost choked! She slowly stood from her seat.
"My goodness, girl, have you lost your mind!"
"Grandmother..." Margaery began, but Lady Oleanna silenced her granddaughter with a look, before focusing on Brienne.
"My dear, you are a Lady. You were one before you married the Kingslayer. And to be honest, there is talk that your marriage to him is not valid, because a member of the kingsguard cannot marry...or queensguard. Ladies do not go around slaying beasts."
"My Lady, you do not understand how bored I have been..."
"That is part of being a lady as well, dear. Child bearing and tremendous boredom," Lady Oleanna said crisply, "but worry for not. Under my tutelage, you will forget all of this dragon slaying nonsense, and become a proper lady."
Brienne looked to Margaery! Margaery smiled sympathetically.
"Lady Lannister, I know what pride you took in defending my late husband. But my grandmother is right. The sooner you accept your true place here at King's Landing, the easier it will be."
Brienne bowed, them turned and walked out of the throne room. Maybe Queen Margaery had a point. It wasn't as if Jaime would've been pleased at such a notion anyway.
She stopped as members of a small army, dragged in the former Lord Davos Seaworth, who's title had been stripped. He was slated for execution tomorrow and he was yelling about being 'engaged to the Queen'.
Brienne closed her eyes at his words. He needed to keep quiet. Spouting off like that would only make his death all that more painful and slow.
Jaime was waiting for Cersei, as she emerged from the dungeons. Cersei smiled coldly.
"I didn't hear a giant's footsteps. Is your wife sleeping?"
Jaime kept his expression neutral.
"I am sorry, sweet sister, that you feel my marriage to Brienne was a betrayal of some sort. I love you the same."
Cersei looked around, then lowered her voice.
"But it is not the same, is it? You have not been to my bed in the time you have been back."
"Because I have a wife now, Cersei. Something you can never be. I would like to speak to you about this sharing of the throne with that Tyrell girl. It won't do, you know that? You need to restore Joffrey to the throne."
"I have advisors to tell me such things. You guard me. That is all. Have Tyrion and Sansa been shown to their cells?"
Jaime's jaw tightened.
"You plan to execute our brother and his pregnant wife?"
"I plan to execute EVERYONE that betrayed me!" Cersei snapped.
"You cannot do this."
Cersei touched Jaime's face.
"And maybe I won't. Maybe I will spare them...if you return to my bed."
"I have told you I am married."
"Oh Jaime! I was married, remember? You can keep your beastly wife! If anything your being married will remove all talk of incest. And as for our son, I plan to marry him off and ship him away. If he had been a fit King, he would've never allowed that Targaryen whore to take everything that was ours."
Jaime said nothing to any of that. Cersei reached for his hand.
"I forgive you for not being there when I needed you. But Tyrion and Sansa WILL die, if you do not return to my bed. Think on it."
And with that, Cersei walked away from him just as Gregor Clegane approached him.
"Your imp brother and his wife have arrived. I will seek justice for what happened to my brother." Gregor said, before walking off in an opposite direction. Jaime pressed his lips together.
He needed Brienne right now.
Queen Margaery made sure she was present, when Tyrion and Sansa Stark were brought in. Bronn had disappeared...
She looked at the guards.
"Remove the manacles. I will take charge of the Lannisters."
Cersei moved into the entry way.
"Actually, they will be moved to the dungeons."
Margaery turned to face her 'Co-Queen'.
"Do you really want the people of King's Landing to think that you not only starve them, but that you mistreat pregnant women?"
Cersei said nothing for a moment, then spoke.
"Fine. Take charge of my sister-in-law. But Lord Lannister goes down to the dungeons."
Tyrion sighed and looked at Sansa, who would not look at him at all. Her stomach was only slightly protruding and they were in a very dark place, with regards to their relationship. Sansa was still angry about Clegane's execution and the beastly sex he had with her, after his murder.
Tyrion had not had it in him to apologize. Why should he? Sansa should not have been faithless! And yet now that the Hound was gone, he felt he could forgive any sin of hers.
Shae was dragged in screaming and Cersei loudly told the guards to take her down to the dungeon as well. Cersei then looked down at her brother.
"You'll be joining your mistress down there shortly." she told him, slyly looking at Sansa to see if that reveal was a shock. But Margaery glared at Cersei and pulled Sansa off in another direction. She just HAD to think of a way to kill that woman!
Tyrion moved towards his sister.
"I want to see Jaime."
"I suppose you do. Maybe I'll send him to see you. Or maybe I'll forget you asked."
"We all did what we had to do, sister." Tyrion said quietly. "And somehow I suspect I would still be in this position, even if I had shared my knowledge of Jon Snow's true parentage with you."
Cersei said nothing to that. Jon Snow was still a threat. People were rallying for the true Targaryen heir to be restored to the throne. He had managed to establish a small army and it was growing in numbers. She feared they would have to once again, fight to keep what was rightfully theirs. Then again, didn't she always?
She looked down at her misshaped brother through narrowed eyes, then nodded to two guards. They grabbed Tyrion and lead him towards the dungeons.
"We're alone, Sansa. Tell me what has occurred?" Margaery asked quietly as they walked down the hall towards the throne room.
"Oh my Queen! I don't even know where to..." Sansa stopped suddenly. There were noises coming from the throne room! Very familiar sounding noises!
Margaery let go of Sansa's arm and threw open the doors!
Lady Brienne Lannister was on her hands in knees in front of one of the thrones, as her husband, Jaime Lannister crouched behind her, pumping urgently! The noise of their entrance caused Brienne to cry out in shame. Sansa wisely closed the doors behind them as Margaery approached the couple. When she reached them, Jaime was just putting on his armor and Brienne, the same ill fitting dress that Margaery had seen her in before.
"Your grace, I don't know what we were thinking..." Brienne stammered. Jaime, of course looked less ashamed. Margaery didn't especially care for his smirk!
"How dare you desecrate the royal room in this way!"
"Well aren't all of the rooms royal, your grace? Hello Sansa. You look lovely as always." Jaime said.
Sansa did not answer him. She moved forward and looked at Brienne.
"My lady, I am honored to finally meet you. There is much that I want to learn from you."
Jaime raised a brow. There was much Sansa wanted to learn from his wife...in what way? Surely not swordplay?
"Both of you leave my sight!" Margaery insisted. But Sansa turned to her.
"I am sure that Lady Brienne was lead astray from her teachings. I would really appreciate it if she could stay and I could speak with you both."
Margaery nodded and gave Jaime a cold look. Jaime smiled at Brienne, knowing better than to kiss her goodbye. He walked up to Sansa and attempted to touch her stomach but Sansa shirked out of his reach. Looking at Jaime now made her loathe him more than ever, for what he did to Bran.
Jaime drew his hand back, bowed and left the room. Once he was gone, Brienne spoke.
"Lady Sansa, my husband does not mean to be so forward. But he loves his brother and is very happy for him. He would only like to get to know you."
Sansa sighed, then spoke.
"I can't think of Tyrion. I cannot even think of the child I am carrying. I can only think of my slain mother and uncle. I was at Riverrun briefly, visiting with my Aunt Rosalin, who has been left widowed. I want to learn swordplay. And I want to hunt down that witch Melisandre. She is just as responsible for my mother's murder, than Stannis was."
Margaery spoke, as she looked from woman to woman.
"This is dangerous talk. Of course I want Melisandre found and executed. But Brienne, you are in a queer place now. You should be content to be Lady Lannister and not an armed guard. Sansa, you are with child and yet all you can think of is learning Brienne's skills. It will ruin your marriages."
Brienne touched Sansa's shoulder.
"The queen is right, Sansa. I must take my leave now." she said sympathetically. Brienne left the room and only once turn to glance back at the two women. It could not hurt any woman to learn the ways of the sword. She shook off such daring thoughts and left the throne room.
Sansa shook her head.
"My queen, my marriage was ruined when I allowed Sandor Clegane to seduce me-twice. And I fear that Tyrion and I will never be able to get past it. Not even for the sake of our child."