Cersei

"Thank you, my lord," she said to Janos Slynt after he had finished bringing Lord Eddard to her. She sat with the Lord of Winterfell alone once more this time in a private audience chamber, once Slynt and his two gold cloaks had left.

"My lord?" He asked curiously. It took a second for her to realize he was speaking of how she had address Slynt, rather than speaking to her.

"Oh, I suppose you did not hear in the Black Cells. Lord Janos was risen to be Lord of Harrenhal," Cersei said, watching the disbelief on his face. He disapproved of the choice, that much was clear, though didn't think to speak against it. She disliked the choice as well, but it had been necessary. There hadn't been a choice, and she had been forced to move quickly.

"You brought me here… Why?" He asked bluntly.

"You forget your courtesies my lord," she responded, looking over him. The Lord of Winterfell had been bathed and washed before he was brought to her, though he was noticeably thinner. He still looked like the same man that Robert had named Hand. "You know why you are here though."

"You wish me to confess my treason, and proclaim your son, Joffrey, to be the rightful king," Lord Eddard said flatly. The notion did not please him clearly.

"Yes. And I presume you have made your choice," Cersei responded.

"Aye," he told her.

Very good, Cersei thought to herself. Lord Eddard may be a fool with no regard for his own head, but at least the threat to the life of his wife and daughters worked. Would that he thought with the thing between his legs and this would've been so much easier.

"You will then?" She asked, wanting to make him say the words.

"Yes," he told her with a pained look on his face as he did it.

She nodded, feeling a little satisfied. "There is more we ought to discuss though my lord."

"What would you have-" he started to say, before Cersei cut him off.

"-My daughter back for a start," she answered.

"Robb… He wouldn't…" Lord Eddard said, fumbling on his words a little. She knew what he meant to say, that his son would not part with Myrcella.

"I know that. I would name your Robb to the Small Council, to serve as Master of Law, in place of Lord Renly, with him bringing Myrcella south," she told him. Myrcella was with child, so Cersei wondered how soon it would be before she would be able to join her husband in King's Landing. It would be good to see her first grandchild though, she decided.

Cersei could see Myrcella as she was the day that they had parted ways at Winterfell. She'd been dressed in red wool, the colors of House Lannister, her eyes looking their pretty shade of emerald green, and her hair shining like gold. She tried to imagine how Myrcella would look when she finally returned to King's Landing. She looked so much like Cersei did, as did Marla and Lanna, and for that she was grateful.

He nodded, knowing it was needed. Cersei wondered how well the son would do in King's Landing compared to his father. With Myrcella by his side, surely she would be able to keep his head on his shoulders.

Myrcella had been a darling of the court when she was a girl, and no doubt now with her Young Wolf as she heard they had taken to calling Stark's heir, she would shine.

"You will return to Winterfell with your wife and daughters, to take your place there as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, and continue to be one of Joff's faithful subjects. Once you have proclaimed him to be the true king, you will be welcomed back into the King's Peace," Cersei said. Varys had suggested that Lord Eddard be sent to the Wall for his crimes, but she decided to keep him at Winterfell. He would remain true if his son were in King's Landing to be a hostage all the same. Stark would not fight for Stannis at that cost, while with his heir she was not so certain. If he would wage war even with his father, mother and sisters as captives Cersei didn't doubt he would risk his own life then.

"Sansa… She is betrothed to your son," he said. Cersei took note that he still referred to Joffrey as her son, and Joffrey, rather than Prince or King. His mouth betrays him, she noted.

"Sansa is still betrothed to Joffrey," she affirmed. Sansa was a pretty girl, though not so pretty as her own daughters.

He shook his head. "I will not have Sansa married to a bastard."

"That will be the last time you call Joffrey a bastard, though we are in agreement that she will not wed him. She will still be wed to a Lannister, but she will certainly not be marrying Joff. The High Septon shall see to it that the betrothal is broken before long." I have one daughter wed to a Stark already, I don't need one of my sons to marry one as well. Uncle Kevan and Uncle Tyrek had sons who would make a suitable match though, and no doubt the girl would still be overjoyed at the prospect of at least marrying a Lannister. It would not be proper for Joffrey to marry a traitor's daughter though. And Sansa had flowered while he was in a cell too, she could wed soon enough.

Lord Stark did not seem pleased that Sansa was still to marry a Lannister, though he did not raise any protests against it.

For a moment she thought about who else there was for Joffrey to marry in Sansa's place. Lady Lenora Peake seemed a fitting option perhaps, though she seemed to have been taken by the Manderly boy. Some option or another would present itself, or father would think of someone. Lord Stannis had not crowned himself yet, and perhaps he would remain true if that daughter of his was married to Joffrey, but Cersei did not think it likely. Such a man was simply biding his time.

"My household?" He asked her quietly.

Cersei tried to recall what they had done with all of it. The men at arms had all been slain, as had most of the servants, though some had been spared and taken prisoner. Would that the Manderly boy and Aunt Margot's daughter remained in King's Landing too, that would've made life so much easier. But Cersei would make do with what she had.

"What remains of it? They'll go North with you to Winterfell, and I'll leave it to you to decide what to do with them from there my lord, though see to it that they do not partake in any treasons of their own," she responded. It was the kindest fate she could offer them. They ought to have all been slain when Lord Eddard tried to usurp Joffrey, along with Lord Eddard, and his wife and daughters, but she had them spared knowing that they needed peace.

"In the Black Cells, I… I was told that Robb had been leading men to war against Lord Tywin…" Lord Eddard said, his voice nervous as well.

"He is marching down the Kingsroad marching with a host against my father," Cersei told him. For just a moment she saw fear in his eyes, before he looked away. Even he trembles before the name of Lord Tywin, she noted.

"There need not be a war my lord. Should you order your son to disband his host, my father will end his campaign in the Riverlands, and turn his attention elsewhere to deal with Renly and Stannis. No doubt he will look to have the heads of the men who killed my brother, but he will leave your son be."

He was not too pleased she saw, but he nodded.

"And my son Bran?" He asked.

"The Spider has heard nothing of your son since he left the capitol with Lord Caron. Lord Bryce himself has not returned to swear fealty to Joffrey as commanded," Cersei said. In Lord Eddard's grey eyes she could see more fear and sadness. He would betray that drunken oaf and his honor for his children, that much was plain.

He nodded grimly. She was curious why he had bothered to send his son away while leaving his wife and daughters in the city. Men often favored their sons to their daughters, certainly, but she didn't sense that to be so with Lord Eddard, and even if he valued the boy more he still valued his daughters.

"I told you my lord… There need not be a war between us… This was your folly, not mine," she said. I ought to send his family all away and keep him here for myself, mayhaps even force him to take me as a second wife as the Conqueror once did with his sister-queens Visenya and Rhaenys. That would keep him loyal to be sure. Jaime would hate it, to be sure, but so would Lord Eddard.

"Walk with me my lord," she bid, rising as she did.

Lord Eddard did as he was told thankfully, and rose as she commanded. He walked, though with the aid of a kane, which made him slow. She offered her other arm to him as they walked, which he took to her surprise.

They left the private audience chamber that was behind the throne room, exiting to the gardens that lay behind it. The flowers made this smell better than most of the rest of the city.

When she found a bench amidst the gardens, she guided Lord Eddard towards it, where they sat down together.

"Do you know where we are?" She asked him, looking around.

"Is this some trick? We're in the gardens," he said.

"Not just any gardens my lord. These are Myrcella's gardens that your dear Robert had built for her when she was young," Cersei told him.

He nodded. "What of it?"

"You are bound to me, whether you like it or not. From this day forward, you will answer my summons, when I summon you to court, bend the knee to Joff like anyone else and pay your dues to the throne," she said. "If you do not… Well I vowed that if your son should hurt Myrcella he would pay for it…"

"Robb… You will not harm my son…" Lord Eddard said, a sad look flickering across his face. Cersei knew that she had more threats against him too, like Varys's tale of where Stark's bastards had truly come from. The boy had been sent to join the Night's Watch, which would make him less suitable for such a plan, but the girl…

It would mean Myrcella's children would not be able to inherit though, which made her cautious to use such a tale against Lord Eddard.

"See to it that you do not give me cause to then, and pray he does the same," said Cersei. "Act against me… Act against Myrcella… And you harm your son."

He nodded meekly, and Cersei rose, leaving him behind in Myrcella's gardens.

She felt tired, though it was just past midday, no doubt because of the babe in her belly. This would be her last, she thought to herself, since she had no wish to remarry, and she would not be able to pass another child of her's off for Robert's. If even this one wasn't his.

Seven children for seven gods, she thought, wondering when she had become so pious.

Today she wore proper mourning clothes, a black silk gown that had dark red rubies interlaced into it, covering her bodice, each looking like a teardrop or blood. She didn't mourn Robert truly, but it was expected of her as his widow.

Myrcella would be coming home soon, she thought to herself, which would mean she was safe. So long as that happened, nothing else mattered, Cersei decided. She wanted her daughters back more than anything, even more than Jaime.

After dealing with Lord Eddard though, she would have both she knew, which made her feel better, as she began to look for the rest of her children.

Author Notes:

One small thing here is that Sansa is about 6 months older than in canon, and yes, as Cersei notes flowered not long after Ned was arrested.

I'm fairly excited because I have just four chapters left to write with this first book in the series (there will be multiple), and while I still have eighteen to post, of them, fourteen are written.

Unfortunately, there's no more Cersei chapters, which is a little disappointing.

Thank you so much for reading, and as always, I do not own ASOIAF.