Jacqueline felt nothing but guilt as she was forced from her brother's room where his now lifeless body slept in the bed. Ser Antario stood obediently at her side, ready to protect her from any threat. But he couldn't protect her from her emotions, from her guilt. While her brother and king lay dying, she was lying with Ser Jaime, losing her honor and breaking his vows. Jacqueline was barely aware of the knight leading her back to her room. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Her eyes were clouded by fresh tears that had yet to fall. He sat her gently on her bed and left the room to guard her door.
She sat there, letting the tears fall and waiting on Renly. Renly was now the only family she had left in the capitol. Surely he would come to her. Or should she go to him? Jacqueline looked down at her clothes, which she had been wearing since she departed the Lannister camp. The golden dress was wrinkled, muddied and the smell of death clung to it just as it had clung to Robert. Pulling herself from the bed, she sent for her handmaidens and a bath before pulling the ruined dress off.
She was quiet as the handmaidens washed her tangled hair. She didn't look at anyone either, afraid that she would begin to cry again. Renly still had not come by the time they helped Jacqueline step into a clean shift so she sent Ser Antario to look for him. Perhaps they were having a small council meeting. The king may have died but the realm still needed ruling. And Joffrey is king now. The thought brought another wave of sorrow.
The knight returned just as a handmaiden finished lacing up the back of a black grown made of silk with dragged sleeves and a high neckline. A mourning dress. "I could not find Lord Renly, my lady. They say he left for Highgarden with Ser Loras soon after King Robert died." Antario said, giving her a sympathetic look. "Should I ready the horses for Highgarden also?" Why would Renly go to Highgarden? His brother has just died, why would he leave? And why did he leave without even seeing me? I am his sister! Jacqueline felt another puddle of tears swell in her eyes. She shook her head at Antario's request. Her brother clearly did not want her.
Before they could start on her hair, Jacqueline sent her handmaidens away, wanting to be alone. The grief of Robert's death mixed with the anger of Renly abandonment but the tears that fell down her face were full of fear. She was alone. Stannis was away, Robert was dead and Renly was gone. She wasn't a Lannister or a Stark. Her niece and nephews were Baratheons, but they had always been Cersei's children not Robert's. There was no sentimental bond there, only blood.
Jacqueline was unsure of what do to. All she knew that she didn't want to stay in King's Landing without her family. She could go to Storm's End when Robert's body was sent to its final resting place in the tombs of the castle, but that idea only made her sadder. It had been years since she had been to the Stormlands and she would be just as alone there as she was in the capitol. Following Renly to Highgarden wasn't an option either. That left Stannis and Dragonstone. The island itself was damp and dreary but Stannis was there. And Jacqueline couldn't remember the last time she had seen her niece Shireen.
Jacqueline spent the time it took her handmaiden to do her hair to make her decision. She would have to wait until after Joffrey's official coronation or her departure could be seen as an insult to the new king. It wouldn't take long to get to Dragonstone. With a ship it would take less than a week. Joffrey's coronation would happen soon, possibly even today. In less than a week she could be reunited with her brother and no longer surrounded by Lannisters. When her dark hair was neatly pinned up in a simple bun, Jacqueline excused the young handmaiden before finding a piece of parchment and ink.
Stannis, I do not know when or if this letter will reach you, but I feel the need to inform you that Robert has died. Some kind of hunting accident. And Renly has left for Highgarden with Ser Loras, to what ends, I do not know. They are preparing for Prince King Joffrey's coronation as I write this. I am alone and deeply wish to join you at Dragonstone when these formalities are over. I have grown weary of the capitol. With love, your sister Jacqueline
Jacqueline rolled the piece of parchment up before meeting Ser Antario in the corridor. "See to it that this is sent to my brother at Dragonstone immediately. And send the raven yourself. Don't let Maester Pycelle or anyone else do it."
"Yes, my lady." The knight said before heading off in the direction of the rookery. Jacqueline headed down the hallway in the other direction, not quite sure where she was going. She had never been in this position before and she wasn't sure what was expected of her. Suddenly, a page boy turned the corner and stopped in front of her with a small bow.
"Lady Jacqueline, King Joffrey and the Queen Regent request your presence in the throne room." The boy said quickly. Jacqueline simply nodded and followed the boy through the Red Keep towards the throne room.
The first thing she noticed was the amount of armed men present in the room. The gold cloaks of the City Watched lined the walls while Kingsguard stood directly in front of the throne and Lannister guards draped in red stood behind it. Cersei Lannister, wearing an unusual shade of green that matched her eyes, sat directly to the right of the Iron Throne. Sitting the Iron Throne, where her brother had sat for nearly fifteen years, was Joffrey, wearing Lannister red but no crown.
The room was quiet when she walked in from one of the side entrances and the sound of her shoes atop the stone floor drew everyone's eyes to her. But before she could give a greeting, the large door to the throne room opened and Eddard Stark entered.