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Chapter 76
Selene Baratheon Targaryen returned to King's Landing as she had left it: through the deepest levels of hell.
At least, that's what it smelled of.
As far as looks, she couldn't quite say. Varys, as he did before, led them through the blackness without the help of torch. "There are horrors in these depths that no living soul should have to see," he had told them, and if the stench was any indication of the sights, Selene believed him.
It had been cold enough last time, and that was only autumn. It was winter proper now, and the lowest levels of the dungeons were freezing, a damp bone-chilling cold that set her teeth rattling and stung her lungs with every breath.
Selene held her sister and uncle's hands as they crept through the black in silence. The only sound was the soft scape of leather on stone, and Varys' occasional warnings, "Careful, there is a step ahead," or "The tunnel slopes upward here." Besides that, it was quiet, for which Selene was grateful. It gave her time to think.
Mother…
Selene knew the subject was a sour spot for her, one that made her temper flare and her walls slam up, but there was something about escorting an assassin to her mother's doorstep that made her apprehensive.
I don't want my mother to die.
That revelation shocked her. Selene and her mother were never close, but after all these years of war, she was stunned to find that a small part of her still cared. Maybe it was the babes in her belly, or the way Myrcella looked at her with their mother's eyes, or the way Jaime would smile with his sister's grin…not that Selene could ever remember her mother grinning.
At last, Varys brought them above to the third level of the dungeons. It was still dark as all hell, but the Spider allowed them torches, and handed two to Jaime and Arya.
Selene could not see beyond the amiable glow of the flames, but was glad for the faces around her. They were serious, all, though Jon's was something more. And he wasn't quite meeting her eyes.
The knot in her stomach twisted.
"The worst is behind us," Varys said softly, "but we have a ways to go." With that, he turned and continued their ascent, until he became only a scarlet light in the distance.
The worst is behind us? Something in Selene's gut knew that was a lie. It's what laid ahead that made her hands clammy and cold.
Jaime shone his torch for his nieces, while Arya and Jon huddled around their flame, the latter falling behind until the Lannisters felt they could speak in confidence.
Uncle Jaime cleared his throat. "We can't let her die," he said, quiet and resolute.
Selene shook her head, "Surrender is not in her nature."
"She'll listen to us," Myrcella tried. "She has to."
"She's pregnant," Selene reminded them with a whisper. "If she thinks she's doing what's best for her child, she won't step aside." She thought of what her mother did to the Tyrells, and why. "The worst things she's done, she's done for her children."
The lines in Jaime's face deepened, "Say what you will, but once you hold your sons in your arms, you'll understand her."
"Understand her?" Selene felt a prick of annoyance. "She was never truly a mother to me. Maggy the Frog made sure of that."
"You're Robert's daughter," Jaime said.
"I'm her daughter, too."
Myrcella and Jaime exchanged a look.
Jaime sighed, sounding more tired than anything. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Enlighten me, then."
The only sounds were the gentle steps of their feet on the stones, and the low murmur of Stark voices further behind. Until Jaime said, "You know what I think? All Cersei ever wanted was our father's trust. His confidence. But all she ever got were commands. Marry Robert. Bear and raise his children. That is your purpose. She saw the way Robert loved you, the way he trusted you with a sword, the way he doted on you…and she saw the relationship she never had."
Selene's fingernails dug into her palms. "That's not my fault."
"I never said it was. The woods witch told Cersei she would be betrayed by her child by Robert, but when you were born, I swear to you, she did not care. She would not believe you would ever grow to betray her. It mattered not what you looked like. She was going to raise you Lannister. You were her black lioness, you were her daughter."
Selene's path ahead began to blur.
"It wasn't until Robert began to give you all the love he never gave Cersei, the love she never got from our father…It ate her up inside. Ate away the part of her that should have been loving you. Suddenly, the thought of your betrayal seemed possible, even likely, as you grew more and more into Robert."
"Are you telling me to forgive her?"
"No one can tell you what do you, least of all me," Jaime mused, before growing serious, "but if you want to be a good mother to your own children, you're going to have to let this hurt go."
Hurt. The word surprised her. She always considered herself angry, bitter, jealous…but never hurt. Strip away the anger, and what lies beneath? Hurt, sorrow, regret…maybe I should-
A sharp, fearful gasp burst from Myrcella's lips.
Jaime and Selene's hands flew to their pommels as a shape materialized from the darkness before them.
"Arya," Selene chided through grit teeth, her heart racing. "What the hell was that for?"
Jaime turned, "I thought you were behind us."
"I was," was all Arya gave as explanation. Her grey eyes locked on Selene. "I need a word."
Selene gave her family a nod, Jaime handed Arya his torch, and then she left them behind, following Arya forward. The soft glow of Varys' flame was just in their sights. Selene looked over her shoulder as her family faded away, Jon's light journeying toward them.
"You're both being stupid."
Selene's sharp laugh bounced off the stones, "Why don't you say what you truly feel?"
Arya ignored the jab, "You should not have lied. You thought your reason was just-"
"Thank you."
"That doesn't make it right. Your reason doesn't matter."
Selene narrowed her eyes, "You would lie to protect him, too."
"I would do that and worse. Anything."
The cadence of her voice sent a shiver down Selene's spine. Ever since Arya came back into her life, there was a darkness in her eyes that had not been there before. When Arya spoke, others quieted, where she walked, people parted, as if all knew it was foolish to do otherwise.
"Anything," Arya said again, "but I'm not his wife. Don't lie to my brother again."
Irritation bubbled in Selene's chest. "Take care, Arya. That almost sounds like a threat."
"Consider it advice."
"I'm more than his wife," Selene reminded the girl. "I'm your queen."
Arya's lip twitched.
"You think it laughable?"
Arya did not answer, only continued walking. Selene was vaguely aware that the girl's steps were silent, and that realization made her hesitant to prod her further. What did they do to her in Essos?
"Do you want to end it?"
"End what? My marriage?" Selene almost laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."
A ghost of a smile rose to Arya's lips, "Jon said much the same. If that's how you both feel, then this is a waste of time."
A light appeared ahead of them, too dim to be daylight, and grew as they approached. After a while, she could see it was an arched doorway, closed off by an iron gate. Varys produced a key, and they stepped through into a small round chamber. Five other doors opened off the room, each barred in iron. There was an opening in the ceiling as well, and a series of rungs set in the wall leading upward. An ornate brazier stood to one side, fashioned in the shape of a dragon's head.
"I feel right at home," Jon mumbled emptily.
Selene choked on a laugh. She met his eyes, and for a moment, they were as they always were. Until Jon looked away, and Selene remembered that they weren't.
There was something about the flaking, iron ladder and the floor mosaic of a three-headed dragon wrought in red and black tiles…
"I know where we are," Selene realized.
"I was hoping you'd remember," Varys said. "Now I don't have to make the climb."
Selene looked up. Mother is just above these rungs, as Tywin was. Her fingers twitched.
"You remember the way?" Varys asked.
Selene nodded.
"Good," Varys said, "then my part is finished."
"We may need your help above," Myrcella said.
Varys shook his head, "I'm no warrior, princess. A spider's place is in the dark." He looked about their small party warily, as if wondering which of them would not return, "Good luck."
Selene watched Varys slip out the iron door, and back into blackness.
"We need a plan," said Jaime.
"We have one," Arya said. "You'll try to persuade Cersei off the throne, and if she doesn't end her reign, then I will."
"Yes, you've made yourself perfectly clear," Myrcella snapped.
"Let the three of us up first," said Jaime. "Stay close behind, but not too close that she sees you. Give us a chance."
Arya looked to Jon.
Jon's eyes flicked to Selene, some of the hardness in them softening. He nodded.
"Alright, then," said Arya. She gestured to the ladder, "After you, Lannisters."
Selene grabbed hold of the flaking iron.
Rung by rung, they ascended into darkness. At first she could see the dim outline of each rung as she grasped it, and the rough grey texture of the stone behind, but as she climbed the black grew thicker. Seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty. By forty, her arms trembled with the strain of pulling. Selene paused for a moment to catch her breath and glanced down. She knew Jaime was just below her, but she could not see him. A circle of faint light shone far below, half obscured by all the climbers following her. Selene wiped the sweat from her brow and resumed. Fifty-nine sixty sixty-one. By seventy, her legs burned. The ladder was endless, numbing. Seventy-one, seventy-two, seventy-three. By eighty, her back was a dull agony, yet still she climbed. She remembered there being pain last time, but this time she was pregnant, and bile rose in the back of her throat by the time she hit one hundred.
Yet still, she climbed.
The pain in her bones felt very far away, the turmoil in her chest and mind stronger than all that.
We're coming, Mother. To save you or kill you, we're coming all the same.
When she reached two hundred and thirty, the shaft was black as pitch, but she could feel the warm air flowing from the tunnel to her left, like the breath of some great beast. Selene could hardly see, but she poked around gingerly with her foot. The tunnel was even more cramped than the shaft.
Selene had to crawl on her hands and knees.
"How dignified," Jaime murmured as he shuffled behind her.
Selene almost smiled, "Tyrion called it a place made for dwarfs."
"He has the right of it," Jaime grunted.
Though it made the journey slower, Selene crawled with a hand against the wall, feeling for gaps. Last she was here, she overheard snippets of conversation between bored guards, but this time there was only silence. It set her teeth on edge. This is the way to Mother's chambers. There should be guards. Where is everyone?
When Selene came to the third door, she fumbled about for a long time before her finger's found a small iron hook set between two stones. When she pulled down on it, there was a soft rumble that sounded loud as an avalanche in the stillness, and a square of dull orange light opened a foot to her left.
The fireplace was full of ash. She edged past in gingerly, her belly brushing against stone, taking quick steps so as not to burn her boots. She should not have bothered.
The hearth was cold.
When she found herself in the bedchamber, she stretched, breathing in the silence. Had Mother heard? Would she raise the alarm?
The dead whore was gone. That was the first thing Selene noticed about the Hand's bedchamber. Eleni's skin was around her shoulders rather than hung from the wall. She noticed that, too, and pulled the cloak tighter around her.
The chamber was empty.
Jaime brushed soot off his chest, "She must be in the solar."
But she wasn't. Nor the privy, as Tywin was.
Myrcella was growing nervous. "Where is she?"
"Where would she go?" Selene asked Jaime.
Jaime shook his head, "I don't know. Maegor's Holdfast would be the safest place to wait out a siege. She may be in the throne room, or…." he trailed away, his eyes glazing over in memory. "Or the great northern courtyard."
"Why would she go there?" Myrcella asked.
Jaime's eyes were faraway, "From there, you can see the entire city, as well as the coast and bay. She could keep an eye on her ships, our forces, the capital…" he shifted uncomfortably. "It's where Aerys was, the morning of the Sack."
"What are we waiting for?" came Jon's voice from behind.
The Lannisters turned to find Arya and Jon, the former with a hand on the pommel of her dagger.
"Jaime thinks he knows where she is," Selene said, "but we're going to have to make our way through the keep. There'll be guards."
"Well, we didn't bring our blades for show," Arya said, turning on her heel, eyes on Jaime, "Lead the way."
Jaime eyed the girl warily, before drawing his sword.
Selene nearly drew Dark Sister, but hesitated. The sword was special, and the first time she wielded it needed to mean something. Stormsbane was her father, and she wanted him close now.
As she freed Stormsbane from its scabbard, the group began their journey through the keep.
Selene knew the courtyard Jaime spoke of, but had few memories of the place. The royal family tended to stay within the confines of Maegor's Holdfast, which had plenty of courtyards to choose from.
Metal clanked ahead.
Jaime held up a hand.
All froze as the noise grew louder, its source growing closer, until a solider in crimson plate rounded the corner.
His dark eyes went wide, his mouth dropping in alarm.
Quicker than Selene could believe, Arya sunk the end of her sword into the man's throat.
With a terrible choking sound, the soldier fell, his blood puddling beneath him.
Without so much as a glance, they stepped over the dying man and continued.
Jaime led at the front, Jon at the back, Selene beside Myrcella, safely in the middle. Arya scouted ahead, silent, the only sign of her comings and goings the corpses she left in her wake.
Selene glanced over her shoulder at Jon, and not for the first time that day, wished they were alone so she could tell-
Jon met her eyes, and then he was moving. Before she could blink, Jon's hand shot around her back and pulled her close, the other swinging Longclaw over her shoulder.
As the Lannister soldier slumped, Selene could only stare up into Jon's face.
"Be careful," Jon scolded, his grip tight.
Selene opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.
After a moment, Jon's grip relaxed. He stopped holding her against him and simply held her, eyes flicking back and forth between her own. He glanced down at her swollen belly between them and swallowed hard, the muscles in his throat working.
"Selene," Myrcella hissed.
That shook her from her trance.
Jon released her.
They made their way outside, the group standing beneath a crimson stone archway that led to the great northern courtyard.
Jaime held up his hand once again, but Selene did not need the instruction. Her feet froze all on their own.
On the other side of the cobbled courtyard, leaning against blood red bricks, was her mother. She stood straight and tall and sure in another dress of black and iron. At her left hand was a giant in steel, who could only be the Mountain. On her right hand was-
Selene stiffened, her vision tunneling on the kindly old man who stood beside her mother. Even from behind, she knew him. She had dreamt of him a thousand times. She would know that monster anywhere.
He was still tall, slightly stooped, and his grey hair had turned white. She remembered him being fatherly, but now he looked grandfatherly.
Qyburn.
Selene was not in the Red Keep anymore. She was trapped in a metal cage on the kingsroad, Robb's blood crusted on her silk gown. She was starving and heartbroken and weak.
She was pregnant.
Jon must have seen it in her eyes, "Selene?"
"It's him," her voice was trapped, but she forced it out with a rasp. The man I see in my darkest nightmares. "That man. That thing. He killed my son."
Myrcella grabbed her hand.
Jaime's grip tightened on the pommel of his sword.
Tears burned Selene's eyes, but she hardened, and would not let them fall.
Qyburn can't make me weep. Never again.
Jon looked horrified. "I'm so sorry. I thought Tywin-"
"Grandfather wrote the order, but that…that's the hand that dealt it. He had men hold me down and-" her throat clenched. She could not say the words.
Arya narrowed her eyes, "He killed Robb's child?"
Selene went to stand beside her, her eyes never leaving the backs of the three that stood across the way. She nodded.
Arya's eyes were like silver fire, "Sandor told me not to add any more names to my list."
"Then don't," Selene said, a curious calm settling over her. "He's mine."
Stormsbane grew heavy in her hand. Dark Sister's steel winked in the sunlight, as if asking for the honor of the kill.
Jon hesitated, "I don't think that's a good-"
Selene met his eyes, her expression obliterating his words of warning before they could breathe the air.
Jaime went to stand before her, "Selene, listen to me. We need to focus on Cersei."
Selene rubbed the onyx of her sword pommel.
"We'll clap him in irons," Jaime promised. "I swear to you, he will face justice for what he's done."
Selene met her uncle's eyes. There was only love there. After a moment, she nodded.
Jaime gave a small breath of relief, before turning to Arya and Jon, "My sister will likely call for help, so-"
"-no ears around to hear," Arya finished. "We can do that."
With that, the Stark girl dissolved into the shadows.
Jon looked like he wanted to hold Selene again, but stopped himself. "Be careful," he said again, though this time there was no anger, only sincerity.
Selene almost smiled, "Have you ever known me to be otherwise?"
Jon's lip twitched, but then he turned to their Lord Commander, and suddenly he was a king again. "I know she's your sister, but your duty is to my wife and children. At any and all costs."
Jaime blinked, as if he hadn't thought it would come to that choice. He nodded, "Yes, Your Grace."
Jon gave her one last look, and went to silence any guards he could find.
The three Lannisters turned to the courtyard.
"Are you ready to face her?" Selene asked, ignoring the tremble in her voice.
Myrcella and Jaime straightened, their eyes blazing with determination. Selene wished she shared their confidence.
The Lannisters emerged from the shadows and approached their fellow lion.
The Mountain turned first, a colossal paw on his pommel.
Qyburn turned second, and when his eyes found hers, Selene nearly seized up. It was the presence of Jaime and Myrcella alone that kept her feet moving.
The maester's eyes widened, "Your Grace!"
Cersei Lannister, the First of Her Name, turned slowly, and seemed to have been expecting them. "Ah, I wondered when you traitors would come crawling back."
Myrcella gathered all the courage she had, "Enough, Mother. It ends today. Open the gates."
Cersei tilted her head, "Have you ever seen a city sacked, my dear? To do as you ask would be to ruin my capital. The Red Keep has never fallen, and it will not fall today."
"It will," said Jaime. "You will open the gates, instruct your men to lay down their weapons, and you will flee. You will live, you and our child both."
"Your queen has agreed to this?" Cersei asked, amused.
"Daenerys Targaryen is not my queen," said Jaime.
Cersei frowned, "No? Then who is?"
Of course she doesn't know, Selene realized. She's been trapped in this city, with no word in or out. She almost answered, but something in her mother's gaze kept her as mute as a silent sister.
Leave no words unspoken.
Selene stepped forward, "I am. My husband is King Jon Targaryen, trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar and Lady Lyanna Stark."
Cersei Lannister paled as she steadied herself on the low wall at her back. "Lyanna…Rhaegar…that's impossible."
"It's the truth," said Jaime. "I'm their Lord Commander."
Cersei's eyes fell to her belly, "You're pregnant."
Selene placed a hand on her stomach.
A small smile fluttered on Cersei's face, "Rhaegar and I share a grandchild."
"Twins," Selene said proudly, not entirely sure why she was desperate for her mother to know.
Cersei's expression softened, her eyes flicking from her to Jaime, "Like us."
Selene shivered. Gods, I hope not.
Her gaze turned to Qyburn and hardened, "Mother, how could you have that man in your service?"
"What?" Cersei looked genuinely confused. "What is she talking about?"
Qyburn reddened, "I have no idea, Your Grace."
Selene sighed, understanding. "You don't know." A sharp laugh burst from her lips. "First Euron, now Qyburn. Mother, your allies have caused you more pain then you know."
Cersei shook her head, "Qyburn is a loyal friend. He designed our greatest weapon against your beasts."
Selene looked from her mother to her monster, her voice even, "Do you remember me?"
Qyburn did not look like a monster now. He looked very much a frightened old man. "I do. The years have changed you, but I can still see the girl you were."
"Do you remember what you did to me?"
The pretend maester looked away, "I did as I was commanded by Tywin Lannister. I had no choice."
Selene levelled her sword at the elder man's chest, "Were you there at the Dragonpit? Were you hiding in the shadows?"
Cersei turned, "You were ill."
"Ill?" Selene almost laughed again. "How convenient. You knew I was coming, and you hid from me. That was wise."
Cersei's lips curled in rage as she addressed the man at her side, "The truth, Qyburn. Now."
Qyburn looked desperately between his queen and the sword at his chest, "I…I only did what I was bid…please, Queen Cersei…my queen-"
"Enough!" Selene could not take another word. She took a small step forward, the tip of her sword pressed lightly against the man's chest. "Say another word and I will cut out your heart, as you did mine."
Qyburn's face was the color of curdled milk.
Cersei blinked, "I thought…I thought he cared for you."
"Cared for me?" Selene laughed, dark and angry. "He killed my son, your grandson," she said without feeling. "He had men pin me down. He forced tansy tea down my throat."
Cersei's eyes turned to wildfire, and she struck the old man in the face as quick as lightning.
Qyburn went down with a terrified cry.
Stormsbane loosened in Selene's palm, her mother's reaction shocking her.
"How dare you," Cersei growled. "How dare you look me in the eyes after what you've done to my daughter. To my own grandchild. I will have you begging for the Stranger's kiss before long."
Qyburn began to weep.
Selene only stared at her mother, frozen. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jaime step up to the dribbling man, bend down, and knock him out cold with the pommel of his sword.
"I want him dead as much as you," Jaime told her sister, "but we have more pressing matters to deal with. Like your escape."
"I can either fight and die or surrender and die," Cersei cried. "I know my choice."
Myrcella rushed forward and grabbed their mother's hands, "Daenerys is willing to let you go, Mother. Run to Essos. Take as much gold as you can and live. If not for yourself, then for the babe in your belly. For us."
Cersei gave her daughter a watery smile, reached out and held her cheek, "What life is there for me without you?" she looked to her twin, "Or you?" she looked to Selene, "Or…"
A tear slipped down Selene's face.
The queen cleared her throat, "That is no life."
"If you live, we can visit you," said Myrcella through pretty tears. "Don't you want to meet my children one day? Mother, please…I can't lose you."
Cersei tucked a blond curl behind Myrcella's ear, "I have no intention of dying, sweetling. The dragon queen should not have sent you three into the lion's den alone. You could never kill me."
"They're not alone."
The four turned as the Starks emerged from beneath stone archways.
Cersei took a step back, her eyes flicking to her kin, "You've brought them here? Why?"
"Should you…" Selene began, her words catching in her throat. "Should you refuse us."
Cersei's face grew paler.
"Do you know who I am?" Arya asked softly.
Cersei grabbed Jaime's arm, "You can't let them. Jaime, you can't."
Arya continued as if she hadn't spoken, "My name is Arya Stark of Winterfell, daughter of Lord Eddard. You stood by and watched your bastard execute my father. Heed your family's warning, or I will take your life, as he took my father's."
Mother narrowed her eyes, "Ser Gregor, protect me."
Selene had nearly forgotten about the Mountain, still and silent as he was. Cersei's words were all he needed to hear, though, as he instantly drew his massive double-handed broadsword and charged at Arya.
Jon rushed to protect his family, but Arya's blade was already drawn as she rolled away. Together, the two Starks fought side by side against the Mountain.
Ser Gregor's wide arc narrowly missed Jon's neck.
Selene turned to her mother, "Call him off! Please, before-"
"-someone gets hurt?" Cersei almost laughed. "They're here to kill me. You've all come to kill me."
"We've come to save you!" Jaime cried, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"I can trust no one but myself," Cersei muttered. "No one." Then she turned, grabbed a torch from its sconce, and dropped it from the wall.
"What was that?" Selene ran to the wall, watching the torch disappear into the grey winter waves. "What have you done?"
Mother only smiled, and it was terrifying. "I told you, I know my choice."
Wood screamed from across the bay. Selene turned in time to see one of Asha Greyjoy's ships sink below the waves.
Euron's forces were attacking.
"He has nine times more ships than his niece," Cersei said proudly. "He will lift the siege, and if the dragons try and stop him, they die."
A dragon screeched.
Selene watched as three dark shapes arose from beyond the siege lines.
"What is she doing?" Myrcella cried out in alarm.
Jaime's eyes scanned the sky, "She's protecting her ships. Her men."
Selene turned to her mother, "Call off the attack."
"Even if I could-"
Selene watched a bolt from the city walls narrowly miss Drogon. "Now!"
"And why should I?"
Ser Gregor fell to one knee as Arya slashed at his calf.
Cersei noticed, fear flashing in her eyes.
"The Mountain is only slowing her down," Selene warned. "Call off the attack and open the gates, unless you want to follow him into the grave."
Jaime placed his hand on his sister's shoulder, "Cersei, please…"
Jon was at Selene's elbow, a small cut on his cheek.
"Are you alright?" Selene asked in distress, her fingertips gentle on his face.
"I'm fine," he assured her, taking her hand. "Do you feel the dragons?"
Selene had been too preoccupied with her mother, but at Jon's words, she felt it. A low rumbling in her bones. Rhaegal was reaching out to her.
Viserion landed beside them, his weight shaking red bricks loose around the courtyard.
Jon glanced at his sister where she danced with a stumbling Ser Gregor. Selene could see that his time was ending. He was too big, and Arya was too quick, too deadly.
"Arya is almost done with him," Jon said. "You're safe, so I'm going to help the fleet."
Selene's grip on him tightened, "Take care."
"I will."
She could not let him to go, "Jon…"
Jon gave her a half-smile, "I know."
That was not good enough. She had to say the words.
"I'm sorry," Selene's voice cracked. "I'm so sorry, Jon. I've never been sorrier for anything. Forgive me."
Jon took her face gently in his hands, "I know you did it for love, it's only-"
Drogon and Rhaegal roared in the distance as they weaved through the fleet, burning all they could. The screams of men pierced the air as ships became kindling.
Jon grimaced, "We'll speak more of this later."
Selene nodded, and before she knew what she was doing, she pulled him close and pressed her lips desperately to his.
Jon wound his arms around her and squeezed her tight.
She pressed her forehead to his, "Come back to me."
"I will." Jon smiled, and for the first time that day, she saw happiness there. "You will never look and find me gone."
"Never."
Jon gave her one last kiss, and turned to mount Viserion, his cloak fluttering behind him.
Selene watched Viserion rise into the sky and fly toward his brothers.
Cersei Lannister's eyes were on her good son. "He truly is Rheagar's son," she breathed. "Father promised me Rhaegar, but I got Robert instead. My daughter and Rhaegar's son," she mumbled with a smile.
Selene grit her teeth, "We are Robert's and Lyanna's children, too. And we are not you, or them."
Mother grimaced at that.
The ground shook below them as the Mountain fell with a crash.
Selene turned just in time to see Arya drive Needle into Ser Gregor's eye. "For Sandor," she said, twisting.
The Mountain twitched, and then was still.
Cersei shrunk against the wall, away from Arya. "Stay back."
Arya Stark wiped her blade on her arm, "Will you surrender?"
"Never."
Arya sighed, stepping forward.
Jaime blocked her path.
"What are you doing?" Arya demanded.
"We need more time," Jaime said desperately.
"What part of never don't you understand?" Arya asked. "This was the plan. You failed."
"A moment longer," Selene begged, before turning to her mother. "Do you want to die today?"
Cersei shook her head, eyes never fixed on one thing for longer than a second, "Today is not the day I die."
Myrcella fiercely grabbed their mother by the arms, "Listen to us, Mother! Leave or die. There is no other choice."
Cersei glanced at Jaime, "He won't let me die. Jaime will protect me."
Jaime looked torn, but he said, "My duty is to my king and queen."
"Jaime…I need you."
"No," Jaime said firmly. "Enough, Cersei. You are my sister and I love you, but you cannot bend me to your will. Not anymore." He looked to Selene and Myrcella, "They need me, too."
A metallic screech of agony rang from over the Blackwater.
Selene whipped her head around in time to see Viserion diving.
No, not diving, Selene realized, her blood turning to ice. Falling…
"Jon!" Selene screamed, terror and horror ripping through her.
The dragon beat its wings desperately as it fell toward the sea. Drogon and Rhaegal flew to their brother's side, as if they could prevent his fate.
Viserion crashed into the swirling sea.
Selene's hand flew to her sleeve, drawing back the fabric.
The skin of her arm was clear, her curse gone. That's when she knew for sure.
Selene sunk to her knees, her hands breaking her fall.
Her ears were buzzing. Jaime knelt before her, his lips moving, but she heard nothing. She was lost in memory.
###
Selene's eyes locked with a pair behind the Starks, eyes like chips of ice. They belonged to a boy not a year older than her, with fair skin and a dark mop of hair…
Selene walked up to the lower dais and reached her hand out to Jon…. His confidence was growing by the second. Jon and Selene jumped around together in perfect time to the music. For the first time since she met him, Jon was wearing a large grin…
"In another life," she asked hopefully. He grinned. "Another life," he promised…
"I love you, Selene Baratheon," he said quietly, almost in wonder. "I love you too, Jon Snow." …
Tears rose to Jon's eyes, "You've given me more love than I ever thought I would have in my life, and I'm so lucky to have known you, even for such a short time. I will treasure our days together until my last…which might be sooner than I'd like." …
Selene turned her face in his arms. His wet grey eyes were as bright as the steel sky above them, and she looked between them, marveling. I thought I would never see him again. He brushed her tears aside with his thumb, gently holding her face. "Jon-" she began, when he drew her face to his and kissed her….
Selene felt like she had drunken pure sunlight, "We've never had to force it, have we? We were drowning in it the moment we met." Jon held her face in his hands, "I let you go once, Selene. I swear I'll never do it again." …
"I want you," Jon said in her ear, "Not as a princess or a queen. I want you just as you are." …
"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger. I am his, and he is mine, from this day, until the end of my days." …
"You're a warrior, Selene…and I swear, you'll never fight another battle alone." …
Jon grew serious, "I know it's no consolation for what you've lost, but…know that you always have my name, if you want it." …
"Listen closely, Selene. I am here, I have been and will remain here with you. You do not need to carry this alone." He kissed her fingertips, "You will never look and find me gone." …
"Great news," Selene beamed. "My love, I have to tell you but now that I come to it, I hardly know how…I'm with child." …
Jon's breathing was ragged, "Kiss me, Selene, and know that you mean more to me than life, and I have no regrets." …
"There's more than one." She grinned at his confusion, "There's two. Boys." …
"Oh, Jon…you do break my heart with loving you." …
###
Selene sunk her face into her hands and wept.
The thought of never seeing Jon again, never hearing his laugh, never holding him close…
Jaime was still on his knees before her, a warm hand on her shoulder. "Selene…" his voice sounded as broken as she felt. "Selene, I'm so sorry."
Myrcella sat beside her. "Selene?" Her sister's voice was small, afraid, "We're here. We're right here."
Tears fell freely and ferociously down Selene's cheeks. "It was supposed to be me." Why didn't they understand that? Where was the red god?
A comforting arm fell across her shoulders and drew her close, but it didn't belong to Jaime or Myrcella.
"Mother?" Selene asked in a thick voice as she looked up into her face.
Cersei Lannister held her close, "Hush, now, Selene. It will be alright."
Selene could not remember the last time her mother held her, but the hole in her chest was too much to bear. She leaned against her mother for strength, willing her tears to stop, wishing her heart would go dead.
Mother stroked her hair, "You need to be strong, Selene. You need to be strong for your children. A mother has no choice."
Children, Selene thought weakly. Two boys who will never know their father…
Jaime whirled at sound of the closest blast yet. He stood, looking off into the city.
"No…" her uncle whispered.
More eruptions, but Selene did not care. Why should she care? What could be worse than her sorrow?
Jaime knelt again, "Selene, look at me!"
Slowly, she raised two raw, bloodshot eyes.
"You need to see this," Jaime dragged her to her feet. "Selene, look!"
What's the point? She thought, but she did as her uncle bid, too tired to fight him.
Drogon was unleashing stream upon stream of black fire on the walls of the city, Daenerys clearly intent on destroying the weapons that killed her child. Terrified screams rose above the sky, and green plumes began to crop across the northern side of the capital.
"She's setting off Aerys' wildfire!" Jaime said frantically.
"But…" Selene's head felt like it was full of sand. "You said the walls…"
"I know what I said!" Jaime burst out. "I was wrong. Wildfire is unpredictable. You have to stop her!"
Grief gripped her by the throat and froze her where she stood. Stop her? Why should I? I want to curl up, close my eyes, and sleep. Sleep forever. Enough grief. No more…please…
Myrcella shook her shoulders, "Selene, please, you have to do something!"
Selene shook her head, "I can't…I can't stop wildfire."
Jaime was at her elbow, "Listen to me! I know you're heartbroken, but you and Rhaegal are the only ones standing between this city and its ruin."
If you look back you are lost.
Selene blinked at the memory of Ser Barristan's words.
Anguished screams rose across the capital.
The people need me.
"A long time ago, the gods decided you would have fire and steel in your blood," Jon told her when she had awoken from the dead. "You are a warrior, Selene."
Jon would want me to fight. He would expect no less of me.
Selene wiped at her face roughly, steeling herself. She could curl up and weep later, but not now.
Green scales flashed in sunlight as Rhaegal flew toward her.
Selene met her uncle's gaze, and nodded.
A faint voice from behind them, "Jaime?"
Cersei Lannister wore a small frown, her fingers around the tip of the blade that jutted out from her stomach.
Arya Stark pulled Needle free, sheathing the blade at her hip.
"Cersei!" Jaime cried, rushing forward, and catching her as she collapsed.
"Mother!" Myrcella fell to her knees with her parents.
Selene had eyes only for Arya. "What have you done?" she cried in renewed anguish.
"What we agreed," Arya said simply.
"Cersei?" Jaime said, "Look at me, Cersei, look at me."
"It hurts," Cersei murmured, her skin growing paler.
"I know, I know," Jaime said soothingly. "It won't hurt for much longer, I promise."
Cersei's eyes flicked to Selene. "There…" she coughed up flecks of blood. "There was once a mother lion and her cub."
Selene sobbed, going to her mother's side.
Jaime glanced at the horizon, "Selene, the city…"
"I need a moment," Selene begged. "Just one."
Cersei's eyes were as green as summer leaves, "I'm sorry."
"I know," Selene found herself saying, gripping her mother's hand tight.
Mother reached for her own hand, twisting something from her finger. "Take this," Cersei murmured. "It was my mother's."
Selene looked down at her palm. The ring was a square emerald set in gold. The gem was the color of her mother's eyes, the band the color of her hair.
Fresh tears poured down Selene's face.
"I know it's not enough," Cersei sighed, her breathing growing more and more labored, "but it's yours." She glanced at her belly, "You…you'll be a better mother to them than I was to you."
The blasts and screams in the distance felt far away as Rhaegal landed in the courtyard.
Jaime's eyes were over her shoulder, "Selene, please…"
Selene shook her head, speaking only to her mother. "I can't leave you."
Cersei gave her a half-smile, "I'll be here when you return."
She's lying. One look at Jaime and Myrcella told her that they knew it, too.
You're going to have to let this hurt go.
"Maester Beldon," Selene said suddenly.
"What?"
Selene smiled through her tears, "For so long, I thought I was only my father's daughter, but you…you taught me to be brave. To straighten my spine and raise my chin."
Cersei smiled through red teeth.
The sight made Selene's heart clench, but she kept on, "I am a lion, and I am your daughter."
A tear slid down Cersei's cheek.
The blasts grew louder.
Selene stood, slid the emerald ring on her finger and straightened her lion's cloak.
Jaime sighed in relief as Selene went to mount her dragon.
"I'll order the evacuation of the city," said Jaime. "Stop Drogon!"
Cersei looked to her twin, "Jaime, it's hurts…I want it to stop…"
Jaime brushed a curl from her face, his hand trailing down her cheek, "Shh, hush now…I'll stop the pain…"
Selene looked away, leaned forward, and soared.
The screams below grew louder, no doubt the commonfolk terrified of a second dragon joining the fray. She kept her eyes on Drogon where he destroyed the last of the scorpions on the eastern walls, just at the edge of the bay.
This is it, Selene realized. My choice.
The rubies in Dark Sister's hilt winked at her, as did the golden gems of Stormsbane's stag pommel. Even her new emerald ring shone in the sun.
Dark Sister will help you make your choice, Bran had told her, and he was right.
My allegiance isn't to any one family, but to the realm. To the people. No matter the personal cost.
Selene urged Rhaegal faster, picking up speed, and drew the ancient Valyrian steel sword.
This sword will defend my people, as will I.
She felt the dragon's resistance. He does not want to fight his brother.
We don't have a choice, Selene thought, praying he understood.
Rhaegal reared back with a roar, claws outstretched, and the two dragons collided with a force great enough to nearly throw Selene off.
Livid screeches erupted from both dragons. Drogon and Rhaegal spun together, clawing and scraping and fighting just over the streets of King's Landing. Selene clung to Rhaegal with all her strength, refusing to fall.
Rhaegal and Drogon pushed each other away, landing on roofs opposite the Street of Silk. The brothers extended their scaled necks and roared at each other from where they perched.
The air around them seemed to quiet.
Daenerys was furious, her features contorted with rage and sorrow, "What are you doing?" she demanded. "They just killed my child!"
"And my husband!" Selene yelled back. "Look!"
Daenerys turned, her eyes widening as she saw the wildfire blazing in pockets across the city, "What…"
"Jaime warned you! Your father left wildfire beneath the city, and you're setting them off!"
Daenerys' mouth dropped, her eyes welling with tears of disbelief, "He said the walls...I only...what have I done?"
"We have to evacuate the city!" Selene shouted. "We have to stop the wildfire from spreading!"
Daenerys shook her head, "Wildfire is unstoppable. The city will fall."
Selene groaned in frustration. She's right. Nothing can put out wildfire, she thought in despair. It's the hottest substance on earth, the only thing hotter is…
"Dragonflame," Selene muttered. "We can use dragonfire! Dany!
"I…I'm just like my father…"
"Dany, listen to me!" Selene roared. "We can contain the wildfire using dragonfire!"
Daenerys shook her head, "Dragonfire does nothing but destroy. Targaryens do nothing but destroy..."
"Dragonfire doesn't spread like wildfire! It will burn and it will die. If we don't do this, the entire city will be destroyed!"
Daenerys was crying, "No…no…my child..."
"Listen to me, Dany. If you look back you are lost. The city needs us now! We need to lead an evacuation."
"I…I'm just like my father!" Daenerys wailed in agony.
Selene grit her teeth. Looks like I'm on my own.
"Come on, Rhaegal."
The dragon cracked his wings, and together they flew low over the city.
Selene peered through streets, watching the panic and chaos. She saw a mob fleeing in fear, but they were only careening toward a pocket of wildfire around the corner, into the inferno.
Rhaegal landed on the ground before them, roaring. The crowd recoiled.
Selene pointed with Dark Sister, "That way! To the Gate of the Gods. Now!"
"Princess Selene?"
"Robert's daughter?"
We don't have time for this!
Selene squeezed the dragon's spinal plates.
Rhaegal screamed into the throng.
With terrified shrieks, the crowd turned and fled toward the gate.
Selene spotted a group of gold cloaks.
"Men of the City Watch!"
They looked up at her in shock.
"Evacuate the people nearest the flames! I need a range of a city block around each blaze. And trenches! If any gold cloak dies without a shovel in his hand, I'll haunt them through all seven hells!"
The men hesitated. One shouted, "Who do you serve?"
"I serve the people of this city!" Selene boomed in her battle voice. "Who do you serve?"
One older man stepped forward, nodding, "The people of this city!"
"As do I!"
"And me!"
"Then GO!" Selene roared. "And tell the rest of the Watch, any soldiers you can find. Get the people out!"
As they hurried away, Rhaegal spread his wings and flew. From above, Selene could just make out the pockets of wildfire. Her high vantage point helped her see the safest routes, and when she saw crowds headed for the flames, she gave them a fervent shove in the right direction, toward the safest path. She shouted at more gold cloaks, and word soon spread amongst them. At the last few spots, gold cloaks were there already, helping the most vulnerable abandon their homes.
Green smoke continued to rise over the city like an unholy cloud from hell.
Selene coughed and spluttered as the smoke ripped painfully through her lungs.
Rhaegal roared in protest.
"I know," Selene wheezed. "We don't have a choice."
At the last blaze, she landed feeling lightheaded.
There were gold cloaks already there.
"It's clear, princess!" one man said.
Selene opened her mouth to speak, but could only cough roughly.
The knight's eyes went to the grime and soot that clung to her clothes, skin, and cloak, "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Selene croaked. "Every blaze?"
The knight nodded, "The men have evacuated a city block around each fire, and they're digging like their lives depend on it, but it won't last. The fires grow too quickly."
I have to be faster than wildfire.
"Keep working," Selene said, "I have to-"
I have to rain fire upon my home.
A shadow passed over the sun. Drogon landed on the building beside her. Daenerys looked her way, her violet eyes blazing.
"Tell me what I can do."
Relief swept through Selene. With two we have a chance. "We need to burn around the wildfire. The dragonflame will burn, yes, but then it will meet the trenches and die."
Daenerys looked appalled, "You want to burn the city?"
Burn it to save it.
Selene narrowed her eyes. Has she forgotten who started the blaze? "If you have a better idea, I'd love the hear it!" She turned back to the gold cloak, "What's your name?"
"Ser Jacelyn."
"Thank you, Ser Jacelyn. Continue the evacuation."
"Yes, princess."
Rhaegal spread his wings in the streets, beating them hard to get airborne.
Drogon soared beside them.
"I'll go north!" Selene shouted over the wind, "You go south! We'll meet in the middle. And hurry!"
Daenerys nodded, banking southward.
Selene flew north, toward the first blaze of wildfire.
"DRACARYS!"
Jets of red, orange, and yellow flame shot from Rhaegal's jaws. Selene winced as the street burned, circling above the blaze. She kept her eyes open for people, but thankfully saw none. In the distance, she could see the rise and fall of crowds running toward the gates.
Sweat trickled down her brow, slid down the back of neck. Heat pooled under her arms and between her thighs and everything was hot…too hot…like the fires of all seven hells…
Selene wiped the smoke and sweat out of her eyes and looked down at the flames.
The wildfire filled up as much space as it could, and when it reached the circle of dragonfire…
It stopped.
Selene wanted to feel relief, she truly did, but there were so many fires left.
"One down, twenty more to go."
Rhaegal soared toward the next closest patch of wildfire.
"DRACARYS!"
On and on they circled, Selene raining fire and blood on the city that gave her birth. She set fire to streets she used to ride down, squares she used to visit, and to the skyline she loved to look down upon from her high window in the Red Keep.
Tears slicked her face as much as sweat and soot.
"DRAC-"
"Help!"
Selene looked about frantically at the shrill cry. There was movement on the rooftop she was just about to set ablaze. Small arms waved desperately, hysterical screams high-pitched and chilling.
Rhaegal landed on the building's edge.
Selene leapt off, sheathing Dark Sister as she rushed toward a sobbing little girl with singed hair and burns on her arms. She couldn't have been older than five.
"Help!"
"It's alright," Selene said, trying her best to sound calm rather than frantic. "You're safe now, come with me."
The little girl nearly pulled Selene's arm out of its socket, "My papa's in there!"
Selene looked at the building she was pointing to. Green flames licked the sky above it.
It's too late for him.
Rhaegal screeched in warning.
The building rumbled beneath their feet.
The roof will not hold.
Selene knelt and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, "What's your name?"
The blonde girl sniffled, "Amyra."
"Hi, Amyra. My name is Selene. I'm going to help you, alright? I need you to trust me."
The building lurched beneath her feet.
Amyra gave a shout of fear.
Selene grabbed the girl by waist and threw her over her shoulder.
"No! I can't leave him. I can't!"
The girl kicked at Selene, making her already short breath even shorter as she ran to Rhaegal. Behind her, she heard the terrible sound of stone crumbling and crashing stories below.
Selene leapt on the dragon's back, and shoved the girl firmly between her legs. Amyra's screams only grew louder as Rhaegal rose, the building collapsing below.
The smoke was too much. There was too much of it around her, inside her, and it was all she could do to keep the struggling girl from falling off the dragon.
I don't have time to stop, Selene thought, clutching the girl close.
"Rhaegal!" Selene cried with all the strength she had left. "DRACARYS!"
The dragon rained fire down on the city. In the edge of her vision, Selene saw the glint of black plates in the sun, and knew Drogon was getting closer.
That's all I need to do, Selene thought deliriously. I just need to keep flying until I reach Dany. When I reach her, we're done.
Just one more, Selene thought as Rhaegal shot flames on Cobbler's Square.
Just one more, she told herself as they flew over the Muddy Way.
Just one more, the Street of Steel.
Just one more.
Just one more.
Just one more.
Rhaegal landed on the ruins of the Sept of Baelor, on Rhaenys' High Hill.
My mother burned this place down long before we got here, Selene thought wearily. Mother…
Selene coughed into the crook of her elbow.
Blood spattered on cloth.
Selene grimaced.
Amyra turned her head and looked at her with wide, dark eyes, "Is it over?"
Selene panted, her throat burning, as she desperately tried to clear the smoke from her lungs. She looked out over the capital.
There were still green flames along the skyline, but they all flickered weakly behind red walls of dragonfire. The smoke rising into the sky was now black instead of green, and Selene swore she had never seen a lovelier sight.
The bells stopped ringing. She couldn't remember when they started.
The city grew quiet.
"Yes," she answered, her voice cracking and burning like firewood. "It's over."
Selene burst into tears.
Amyra turned, throwing her small arms around her. The girl buried her face in Selene's neck and sobbed for her lost father.
Selene clutched the girl tight. It felt good to hold someone she'd saved. Proof that some good came from this cursed day. Selene's heart broke in her chest for her city. For the death and destruction she had served it. She thought of all the people trapped beneath the wildfire, all the people dead because they couldn't escape, all the people trapped and burned and dead and dust.
She wondered if her mother was dead yet.
And Jon…
Selene swayed where she sat.
Amrya's voice rose in alarm, "Selene? No, don't fall asleep!"
Drogon landed beside her with a rumble that shook the earth.
Amyra shrieked in fright.
Daenerys was smiling, "Selene! We did it! The city is-" her words died at the lifeless look in Selene's eyes.
Selene had no words. She had no thoughts. She was weary. Weary of fighting, weary of playing the game, weary of making excuses. She had done as she was bid, she had looked ahead instead of behind and pushed aside her grief to defend King's Landing, but as the calm quiet settled over the city, her weariness was creeping up on her. She did not have long.
So she drew Amyra down before her, leaned forward on Rhaegal, and flew toward the Red Keep without a word.
Selene's head spun, the strong wind threatening to push her off the dragon. It was for the sake of the babes in her belly, and the little girl in her arms, that she forced herself to stay awake.
I need to see them safe.
Rhaegal landed in the castle's northern courtyard with a definitive crash, the poor dragon as exhausted and woozy from the smoke as Selene.
Selene slid off her mount, her legs buckling beneath her.
"Selene!" Amyra cried, climbing down the dragon with a bit more grace. The girl nestled under her arm, trying to push her up.
Selene's vision was swimming with spots. She was bleary-eyed with grief and smoke, fire in her lungs. She went to stand, but her legs would not obey. She could hardly look up. When she did, she didn't understand what she saw.
Why was her sister crying? Why was Jaime cradling her mother? Why was his hand wrapped around her throat? Why was…why…
Selene heard her name called from miles away, and rapid footsteps, but she only pitched forward, more than ready to surrender to the blackness.
Author's Note:
Whew! That was a big one. Thank you all for your views and reviews. Please leave a review if you can!
See you next time.
Vcg: Thanks for your review!
vyoom: Correct about time, but yes it will be brought up again. Glad you liked the plan! Thanks for your review.
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Hitman: Bingo! Thanks for your review.
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A Simple Cactus: Uh oh! Thanks for your review!
recey2010: Me neither, but all things must come to an end. I have a few more surprises in store. ?
DarkFriday1408: Hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you think, and thanks for your review!
GreenEyedTrickster: Agreed, ouch! Me neither, though I am excited to have a completed fic out there. Thanks for your kind review!
Svenion: Thank you for your review!
ZabuzasGirl: Not exactly the direction you had in mind, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Desert: That is a lot to unpack. Thank you very much for your kind review. I hope you liked this one!
DarcyBennet: First of all, great user name. Second, thank you for your kind review! I agree, I'll miss it to, but glad to have a completed story.
EyeMouthEye: Thank you! I think I'm going to try some original work after this, but thanks for the suggestion, and for your review.
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