6th Month of 299 A.C. King's Landing

Queen Cersei Lannister

The words that the witch had spoken that day many years ago were haunting her dreams and her waking hours. She remembered the wording and what had come afterward, the deaths of those girls who had come with her, the beating she had gotten her sworn sword Meryn to give Jeyne Farman. It was all coming back to her now, it was driving her mad, the constant visions, and the presence of something at the back of her mind that she had kept at bay for so long. It was coming true, all of it. She had become a Queen to a man who had more children than she did. All of Robert Baratheon's bastards were either dead or hiding somewhere, she had seen to that. But there was the one who had escaped, he was not a bastard though, the bull was hiding somewhere, she had allowed for that to happen. She could not risk him dead, he was hers, and hers alone, neither Robert's nor Jaime's, but hers. Gods she wanted him here, she wanted him here with her, but that would be madness, the realm thought he had died when he was but a babe, no one else remembered him. She was going mad thinking about him, he was gone now, somewhere far beyond. Somewhere she could not reach him. She needed to keep Tommen safe, to keep him safe the boy could never know of who he was. That was essential, and yet it was like a dagger to her heart. It was a sense of pain, a constant sense of pain. The feeling that she could not get her child, her firstborn. By the gods it was driving her mad with pain and grief. Would he have been a good king? She would like to think so, the best of her and her lover, gods it was painful thinking about him. Gods, she could see him now, his blue eyes looking at her lovingly, and the laughter that he had, it had been infectious, and she would often smile when he did. He had been the only thing that she and Robert had ever agreed upon, and then she had had to give him up to the flames. He was somewhere else though she was sure of it. Just like shew knew Myrcella was not dead, despite what the eunuch's spies said. She would know if her daughter was dead, just as she would know if her baby was dead. It was hard to get thinking about this, it was painful and she had experienced so much pain. She did not think she could deal with much more of it. Her son who was king was nothing more than a babe, Tommen, nothing but a poor imitation of Jaime as he had been when they were nothing more than babes themselves. He was weak, he was not Joffrey and he certainly was not her firstborn. That shamed her, and the Tyrell girl would dig her claws into him the first chance she got.

The Tyrells were responsible for her uncle Kevan's death. She knew it, she just knew it. Her uncle was a strong presence, and the Tyrells one way or another had gotten rid of him. The fat flower might be in Maidenpool but his mother and his daughter were here and they were far cleverer than the fat flower. They would have done the deed quietly whilst no one suspected it. It was clever she had to give them that, the guards had found her uncle dead, having bled to death. Knife wounds, no doubt some sell sword or hired knife had done the deed, for a chance to kiss the Tyrell girl. It was aggravating, her son was not safe. He truly was not, she had no doubt that the first chance the Tyrell girl got, she would try to fuck her son or fuck someone else, a Lannister cousin and try and pass the child off as Tommen's. The mere thought of it all made her angry. So very angry, the nerve of the Tyrell girl and her grandmother, to come here, when they had come as beggars, to try and remove her from power and remove her sons. She knew it had been them that had seen to it that Joffrey was killed during the fighting with Stannis. It had to be them. it was all them, all of it, it was all on them. This grave infortune it had fallen on her and her family because of the Tyrells, and they would pay for it. She swore a holy oath that they would pay for it. They would succumb to their greed and avarice and pay for what they had done. She would see it done. Her uncle's body lying in state at the Great Sept of Baelor, the blood oozing from him and the mere looks of disdain that the Tyrell whore and her harridan of a grandmother had given her uncle, all of it had been seen and Cersei was determined to see them pay for it. They would not get away with this, they had risen too high too quickly and she meant to see their fall just as quick. The Tyrells would fall and death would come for them. She was determined of that, she knew that death would come for the roses, she knew it, and she just knew it. Already she had accusations getting ready to be made against Loras Tyrell, to feed the fire that was the growing anger that was the Faith. She was going to see the man imprisoned and his sister removed and killed. Cersei laughed at the thought of this, her revenge, it would be sweet, so very sweet. By the gods would it be good, to see the smugness rubbed off of the Tyrell girl's face. Oh she hungered for it. She desperately hungered for it. The sweet taste of revenge. But first, first she must play her moves on the council.

"What news is there from the Riverlands? Has Mace Tyrell finally moved from his hiding place in Maidenpool toward doing something about the threat of the traitors?" she asks barely keeping her voice calm.

The eunuch looks at the scroll before him before replying. "It appears not Your Grace. Mace Tyrell remains sequestered in Maidenpool awaiting something or the other. It also seems that the man has lost a valued friend and commander in Lord Tarly. The man finally succumbed to his wounds some five days ago."

"A shame," Cersei says taking a sip of wine. "Tarly was the only one capable of doing anything worthwhile in the Reach. With him gone, what is there preventing this fool of Highgarden from capitulating and bending the knee?"

"The fact that his daughter is still here and is still Queen Your Grace." Lord Baelish replies. "The moment his daughter looks in danger Mace Tyrell will come scampering back here, like a mouse with its tail between its legs. Keeping the Tyrell girl here reminds Mace that we have his most valued possession."

Cersei nods. "And the gold cloaks are keeping a firm eye on her and her grandmother?"

"Yes my queen. They do nothing without the gold cloaks learning about it. And as such I know about it before they do as well. My own men are part of their guard." Baelish responds.

Cersei nods. "Very well, and Tarly had a daughter did he not?"

"He has two my queen," Lord Varys says. "Talla who is some ten and five namedays old, and Yara who is some ten and four namedays old."

Excellent. "Ask them to come here. The Reach is no place for two maidens. Especially with Euron Greyjoy and his pirates raiding with impunity. They will come here and we will see that they are given marriages befitting their station."

Lord Varys nods and then asks. "And what of the boy? Lord Tarly's son Dickon is in Maidenpool and is currently married to Willam Mooton's daughter."

"You have spies in the Tyrell army do you not?" Cersei asks. The eunuch nods. "Good, use them. Have Tarly killed. It is time we started reclaiming some of what the Reacher lords have taken." The eunuch nods. Cersei then looks at Maester Pycelle. "How is my brother doing? Will be able to join this council meeting any time soon?"

The grand maester looks somewhat abashed when he says. "I have tried my best Your Grace, but it looks as if Lord Tyrion will not be able to do much more than sleep and eat at his bed for the time remaining. I do not know what it is, but something is preventing him from getting better."

Another Tyrell plot. Cersei thinks, aloud she merely says. "Are you sure you have done all you could to ensure that my brother gets better Maester? I know your mind is not what it once was."

The grand maester looks indignant then. "I have done all within my power to try and bring Lord Tyrion back to a suitable state of being my queen, I assure you. And yet I have not been able to find out why it is that none of the methods I have used have worked. Something that perhaps might be a personal decision of Lord Tyrion's."

Cersei snorts. "You truly believe my brother would want to die? No, this is something else. Someone else is deliberately preventing my brother from getting better. Do you know the Tyrell maester?"

"Maester Ebrose? I know him somewhat. Why my queen?" the Grand Maester asks.

"I want him placed under arrest." Cersei says looking at Lord Baelish.

"Arrested? For what crime?" Pycelle stutters.

"The crime of trying to kill a member of the royal family. The Tyrells think they can out manoeuvre me then they are grossly wrong. It is time we showed the roses who is truly in power. Did you not say that Margaery had come to you asking for Moon Tea?" Cersei asks remembering something that the man had told her.

The Grand Maester looks somewhat perplexed. "I…I… yes, yes she did my queen. But she said it was for someone else."

"A lie it would seem that the Maiden of Highgarden is no maiden. I believe it is time we made sure that my son's wife truly is what she claims. I want her brought for questioning." Cersei says feeling triumphant.

"Do you wish for the man to ask her?" Baelish asks.

"I do, he will get the best results. And should she refuse to co-operate, well the faith has been acting up for some time. Perhaps it would be best to get them involved." Cersei says dismissively.

"Your Grace I must want against this." The Grand Maester says hurriedly. "This is a most inappropriate course of action. The Tyrells are our allies, we cannot antagonise them to this extent. They will withdraw their support and then we shall be left with nothing."

"They will do nothing. Not a hair on Margaery's head will be touched. She is merely going to be questioned, about some vile rumours that have been spread about her." Cersei responds.

"What do you want done with Shireen and her mother?" Baelish asks.

"Kill them. They are nothing but a nuisance now. Remove them and feed their bodies to the flames. The faith should like that." Cersei says.

There is silence for a moment as the council digests what she has said and then the eunuch says. "My Queen, my little birds have been reporting to me that it seems that Euron Greyjoy is looking for better pay than the pretender Aegon Targaryen can give him. He is looking for gold for the services he is willing to offer."

"And what does the traitor want?" she asks.

"He wants gold, and he wants the Iron Islands and a chance to avenge his fallen kin. He wants the Stepstones as well." The eunuch says.

"Well if he beats Paxter Redwyne and gives me Aegon Targaryen's head he can have it." Cersei says dismissively. "If not then he will die and the islands will be torn asunder."