Stepping down from Rhaegal's back, Rhaena left her hand to rest against him as he crooned and turned his neck in order to lower his head towards her, looking to her before then stretching his wings so that they created a bronze and green canopy over her head, shielding her from the falling snow. His tenderness softened her further. Back on Dragonstone, Rhaena took several deep breaths as she looked towards the keep, knowing that in one of those towers Cersei was imprisoned. Considering her condition, it would not have been right to leave her in the dungeons, though in truth Rhaena would have been more than content to leave her to rot there. For the sake of the child, however, Rhaena had permitted Cersei to be enclosed in one of the guest rooms at Maester Pylos's suggestion. Now that her time was nearing, Rhaena had flown from King's Landing in order to pay the former queen a visit and assess her condition for herself. There was no need to feel so apprehensive. Cersei was her prisoner now. The tables had turned completely and now Rhaena was the one with the power and control over her. She wanted to see for herself what several months of imprisonment had done to Cersei.
Drawing a few more moments of comfort from Rhaegal, Rhaena then pulled away and started from the cliffs to make her way to the keep of Dragonstone where the Unsullied guarded and her people came to greet her. The servants and Maester Pylos bowed as they flanked the walkway that led to the main entryway of the castle, however Rhaena called to them to raise their heads and return to their duties, thanking them for their greeting and hinting that a ship would be arriving in a day or so with fresh supplies, as well as portions of honey cakes and wine which were to be shared amongst the servants. They disappeared with excited whispers, allowing Rhaena to walk beside Pylos and speak in private. "How is her condition?" She began simply, entering her castle and allowed herself to be led to where Cersei was kept under lock and key.
"The lady is a little advanced in her years to be childbearing, the prime of her life is behind her but she is strong and healthy. The child does well, as far as I can tell. There have been no signs of complications in regards to the carrying itself, however Lady Cersei has made a significant effort to be difficult." Pylos began his report, walking beside the princess as she listened intently. "Just recently the lady attempted to refuse to eat with the intention of starving herself, insisting that she would not eat until we met with her demands. They were the same as always. She wanted her brother, Ser Jaime, as well as better accommodation, fur lined gowns, wine, and of course, for you to be brought to her." Curling her lip in distaste, Rhaena huffed quietly as she began to ascend the winding stairs which would take her to the highest guestroom of the castle.
"Well, at least she will get one thing she wants. Have you managed to force food down her throat since she began this futile tantrum?"
"As best as we were able without risking harm to the child. The two septas who accompany her, Septa Sera and Septa Halla, ensure that she does not make any attempts upon her own life. We have barred the windows as you ordered and she does not spend a single waking moment without one of the septas to watch her. She has attacked them multiple times, but they are strong women and are able to subdue her. She has been quieter of late, but I suspect it is because of the child fatiguing her rather than anything else." Nodding in agreement, Rhaena doubted that Cersei would submit after only a mere few months locked in a room. She was far too proud and obstinate for that. No doubt she still retained the illusion that one day her brother would come riding to her rescue and whisk her away to safety where she could plot to take back that which she had lost. Rhaena was almost tempted by the notion. Cast her out onto the waves and send her to Essos. Let her become the beggar queen and see how far her charms and the slit between her legs will take her. Rhaena dared her to return from such humiliation with an army, a navy fleet and three dragons as her sister had. She would be lucky if she got as far as begging some bread before she was forced upon by every man with a willing prick to stick her with. "You should know, princess, that the lady has also made attempts to seduce me. Often she asks me for favours, promising me anything I desired should I help her escape. In one of the first days of her imprisonment, she had even disrobed herself and tried to take me to her bed. She offered herself to me quite liberally, inviting me to comfort her in her grief." Amused, Rhaena arched an eyebrow at the maester as she paused upon the stairs, made curious by his blunted honesty.
"Did you?" Pausing himself, a wry grin suddenly appeared on his comely face. It still seemed strange to Rhaena to see such a young maester. She expected she would grow old with him remaining in her service. In thirty or forty years she expected he would have the signature wispy white beard of an old maester then.
"No. Putting it delicately, Lady Cersei's bloom of youth has long since passed. Her body is beginning to enter the later stages of development and hardship has dulled the beauty she had once possessed. I am a man half her age…any appeal she might have once held for me no longer exists." To this Rhaena laughed, thoroughly enjoying the tirade of insults Cersei was suffering whilst being utterly ignorant of them. She laughed until her eyes glistened from tears, leaning against the wall of the staircase until she could recover herself. Dabbing at her face with her sleeves, Rhaena beamed at Pylos, deciding that she thoroughly liked the man before inviting him to tell her everything else that he had yet to report. "As per your instructions, the Unsullied have taken up the task of guarding Dragonstone, as well as the sea lanes for passing ships. In alliance with The Whispers and Sharp Point, patrols often go to sea. It is good for the men, I think. More often than not, they will find pirates sailing along the coast searching for easy vessels to capture and steal. The Unsullied are beginning to make a name for themselves and their name is feared amongst pirates and brigands alike. The pass has never been safer, and when they are able to capture the pirates, they bring back their stolen treasures here for you to decide what to do with. Dallan has kept a careful count of everything, the books are ready for you to view at your leisure."
"Thank you, Pylos. I shall certainly view them later this evening. I am only sorry that Dragonstone is not more entertaining." Pausing for a moment, Rhaena considered some things. "Perhaps I shall build a port and a town here. Dragonstone is a little over halfway between Pentos and King's Landing, it might prove fruitful to have a place for wayward or weary sailors to have a place to weigh anchor. Then again, Rhaegal's presence would most like deter anyone from docking unless no other choice remained to them, and I would not wish to disturb his peace…it something to consider, at the very least." Agreeing that it most certainly was, Pylos continued leading the way to where Cersei was kept, producing a key and presenting it to Rhaena so that she could allow herself inside. A door was all that stood between her and her bitterest enemy and rival. Not wishing to seem hesitant, Rhaena smoothly slid the key into the lock and twisted it, opening the door in order to stride inside. The room was decently sized, though perhaps far too small for someone of Cersei's taste. There were sparse furnishings, a simple bed with coverings, a hearth which flickered warmly with a fire, a bearskin rug upon the floor and a chair in which Cersei herself sat. The two septas were perched upon stools, humble and meek as they bowed to Rhaena, closing their copies of the Seven Pointed Star from which they had been reading aloud, though no doubt Cersei wanted nothing more than to stuff the pages down their throats. "Thank you for your diligence, septas. If you would be so kind, I wish to be alone with the prisoner." All three left the room promptly, closing the door behind them without bothering to lock it. Cersei was not going anywhere, and she had even less a chance getting past Rhaena in her condition than she did the Unsullied. Looking at one another, Cersei's eyes shone like acrid green poison.
"Where is Jaime?" Instead of answering immediately, Rhaena allowed her eyes to drop to the enormous swell of Cersei's stomach. It seemed strange to see Cersei in this condition whilst wearing a plain grey dress of roughspun wool, her hair loose and slightly ragged from lack of care as it dangled past her ears and brushed against her shoulders. In the past, when Rhaena had seen Cersei heavy with child, she was clad in the finest silks and velvets, decked in numerous jewels glinting as her glorious cascade of golden curls tumbled down her back, her every desire granted as she reclined like a purring cat stroking her swollen belly. When she had carried, it was the only time Rhaena recalled Robert showing any degree of affection towards Cersei. Of course, he believed the children were all his, and so had been gentle and kind towards Cersei, giving her gifts and hunting whatever meat she wanted. All of that was now gone, more than a lifetime in the past, and now Cersei could not have looked less like a queen.
"He did not wish to come." Her lips twisted into a snarl.
"You lie. You kept him from coming to me. I know what game you are playing. You intend to twist your claws into my brother as you have Tyrion and have them both for yourself. Tell me, have you seduced Jaime yet? Or are you content only fucking the Imp?" Seeing as Cersei's insults had long since lost their potency upon Rhaena, she merely ignored her feeble attempts to raise her anger. They were desperate and rather pathetic. Rhaena enjoyed hearing them now more than ever. "Bring him to me. Let him see me. He deserves to at least know that his child is growing well."
"I shall be certain to tell him myself, but make no mistake Cersei, Jaime no longer wants anything to do with you. I asked if he wished to see you, but he refused. He said that you and he were done." Slackening her jaw in order to gape at Rhaena, Cersei's eyes began to grow bright and misty from tears.
"No. No you lie. You are a liar. A dirty, beastly, whoring liar!" She made to fling herself from her chair to pounce upon Rhaena so that she might claw her face, but the child was too heavy inside her and she too weak to so much as stand. Defeated, she miserably sank back into her chair. "I know you must be enjoying this. Standing there, all innocence and grandeur. I know better. I know that you are nothing but a fallen princess as I am a fallen queen. You have no home, no place, no people. What is your life worth, but that of a rat in the gutter?"
"My value is of no concern of yours, and you will find that I have more than enough to remain content. Since it has escaped your notice, I shall remind you that you are in fact residing in my home as we speak. Dragonstone is mine, as it will be until I die, and if I leave an heir, it will be theirs thereafter." Walking about the room in order to run her fingers over each surface, Rhaena was pleased to see that the place was completely free of dust. Let it never be said that Rhaena kept her prisoners in a dusty prison. "I am the Princess of Dragonstone and the Crown Lands, Lady Protector of the Blackwater and the Narrow Sea." Allowing a quiet smirk to sit upon her lips, Rhaena continued with her leisurely inspection. "And if I am a rat as you say, then what does that make you, Cersei, when you are my prisoner?" Unable to answer this, Cersei fell into a sullen silence. "You might be pleased to know that Tyrion is the King's Hand once again, and Jaime seems quite content with his position as my sworn knight. Rest assured, I shall endeavour to make his life exceedingly comfortable, and shall comfort him whenever he needs." With every passing word, Cersei's lips trembled more and more as her hands closed into fists. "Food and livestock are being shipped to our shores even as we speak, the royal treasury now practically bursting at the seams from where we have filled it despite yours and your husband's best efforts to beggar the realm. In truth I certainly had my doubts, but Bronn has proven himself to be quite frugal when it comes to managing the kingdom's economy. The city is being rebuilt, the people are gradually returning to their homes from where they fled, and there is peace. So you see, we have begun to sweep aside everything that you have ever done, and Bran, a broken boy who cannot even walk, has already proven himself a far greater leader than you could ever hope to be." Continuing in her taunting, Rhaena finally brought herself to a stop in front of Cersei, once more looking her over from head to toe and marvelling at how their places had changed. So sweet was the irony.
"What does it matter? You can parade your achievements before me all you like, but you do not have power. You gave it away when it was within your grasp, but you had a taste of it," Cersei whispered quietly, gradually raising her head as Rhaena felt a flicker of doubt within herself at Cersei's words, who if nothing else, could claim one thing. She always knew how to use her words to tear someone apart. "Three is no going back once you've had that taste. Soon enough, you'll want to crave it. You'll believe that you know what is best better than anyone else. You will take a little more control, and it will be intoxicating. Next you will insist that the others follow your lead, that you know what the realm needs and how best to provide for those who are in need. They will argue. Their rebuttals will anger you. What right do they have to contradict you? You who know better than anyone how to rule, and how to do it better than any man. They will start to look down on you. They will push you aside, and before long you will find your place has been taken by another man just as feeble and pathetic as the rest of them. When that happens, then you will break." Staring at her stoically, Rhaena fought to keep her emotions in check. No. Cersei lies. It is what she does. She lies and she manipulates. Tyrion would never allow such a thing to happen to her. He would not push her away. Not after all they had endured together.
"What good is a crown and a throne if one cannot hold it? You lost yours before your name could even be written in the line of succession. If you only wanted the power and not the responsibility, then perhaps you should have simply called yourself the Queen of Whores and be done with it. You would have been just as satisfied, and the realm better for it." Forcing herself to appear relaxed, Rhaena chuckled to herself. "Perhaps I will ask the archmaester to bestow you that tittle when he writes your brief history. A few lines should suffice. They will read something along the lines of…'Cersei of House Lannister, Queen Consort of Robert Baratheon, Queen Mother of Joffrey the Vicious, Queen Mother of Tommen…self appointed Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, breaker of her word to defend her people against the undead, lost her throne to the Dragon Queen and a rat who once lived in her keep.' I think this just about surmises your total failures, Cersei Lannister." Giving a mocking curtsey, Rhaena decided that she had now had enough. "You shall receive another visitor tomorrow. Myrcella has requested leave to see you. I have allowed it, but only because it was Myrcella who asked. She and Tommen were perhaps the only good things you ever created. Your greed led to one ending himself. I shall not allow the same fate to befall Myrcella, so take care with your words. Child or no child, I will not hesitate to throw you into the sea." Before Cersei could react in any way, Rhaena turned on her heel and left, locking the door behind her.
Striding to her own chambers and solar, Rhaena all but flung herself inside in order to finally allow herself to tremble and shake. A ragged cry arose from her, but she stifled it as in her head, thoughts began to hum and flutter like the sound of a thousand birds twittering incessantly. What if Cersei's words were true? What if she did begin to desire power and try to take it away from Bran? No, Cersei lies. Cersei lies. She was a liar, and all her words were poison. All she had said was solely to corrupt Rhaena's thoughts, to distract and confuse her. She would not allow it to work, and so she desperately sought to find a means to take her mind away from Cersei and focus upon something else. The books. Pylos had said that the account books were ready to be reviewed. Yes, it was perfect. It could be hours before Rhaena would finish reading over the accounts and reports from her Unsullied captains and took care of any administrative needs. Work. She had to work. The more she worked the less she needed to think and the less she felt her mind pull apart at its own seams. So work she did, burning candles late into the night whilst pouring over the pages, not stirring even when dawn brushed its fingertips at her window. Upon realising the time, Rhaena allowed herself to rest for a moment. At least she was calmer, which meant her ploy would work. She did not need power, she already had everything she could ever desire, and the means to take whatever she wanted. If she wanted to conquer Essos, all it would take was a word to her Unsullied and her upon Rhaegal's back. She did not need it, however, so instead Rhaena closed her eyes for a little rest, listening to the wakening birds and the cries of gulls and ravens as dawn continued to reach delicately into her room, seemingly stroking her with tender fingers of light as she rested and dreamed.