Chapter 1: The Fall

Have you ever heard the Seven? Having their voices in your brain, telling you truths you don't want to know?

I have. It was... back when I was a child, proud and mighty, innocent yet cruel in a childish way.

I was with my brother. Back then, I was always with him. We did everything together... we're partners, and I believed we would always be.

Until that day... when they started to talk to me.

"Don't play with him." They ordered. Their voice, all overlapped with each other, shocked me into covering my ears.

"Who is that? Come out!" I shouted. I felt that my brother was beside me, asking me what's wrong, but I didn't have the energy to talk to him then.

"If you don't listen to me, then he'll kill you one day." Cold, condemning voices told me with a sneer.

"...Huh?" I stepped back and stared at Jaime. He stared back at me, worry evident on his face.

He... he's going to kill me?

"Yes, in a distant future, when he finally sees who you really are." They said.

"Cersei? Are you alright?" My brother extended a hand...

He's going to kill you.

"Don't come any closer!" I pushed his hand away, and he stood there, eyes widened with hurt. Before I could do anything, he ran out of the room.

It's just me... and them.

"What are you?" I asked in my head.

The answer was instant. "We're... gods."

"The Seven-who-are-one?"

They seemed amused. "...Aye."

I... wasn't sure what to believe. "Why did you choose me?"

"Only you can hear us," Their voices sounded a bit irritated, "We won't be talking to you if any of them can."

My brain was a mess, but there's one thing clear in my mind. "I'm special. Chosen. I know it."

"Haha, especially evil maybe." The voices cracked.

"I'm not evil." Did I say it out loud?

"You can deny it however you want, but it's the truth. You're a child-murderer, a brother-fucker, a usurper, and a treasonous bitch."

"I'm not!"

"But you're. You're. You're."

They repeated the words like a chant. Even when I screamed and rolled on the floor in pain, I still heard them. They didn't stop until I was carried to my own bed, drugged with the milk of poppy.

Since then... they never left me.

"This's the punishment you deserve."

—-

The days after that, I hid it in my own room as much as possible. Mother had got the Maester to check on me, but he couldn't find anything wrong.

Quite a few times I wanted to tell her what I have heard, but the words never reached my lips.

"She won't believe you even if you tell her, anyway." They said coldly.

That's what they told me, but for my part, I found myself scared. What if she did believe me? Believe what they said about me?

I... I already lost my brother. My other half. I didn't want to lose mother too.

Jaime came to see me a few times, but every time I shut him away. I knew it's the right thing to do... it's the only way I could be safe.

That's what I thought, at that time.

I never knew what exactly mother wrote to father, but he went back home from the capital within a few weeks. He must be worried even if he's not showing it.

"You're just his pawn to sell to the highest bidder." They happily supplied.

"..." I stared at father blankly. He stared back at me. "Cersei, your mother told me you refused to leave your own chambers."

I didn't answer. His expression darkened, "You need to stop this nonsense right now. Do you know how worried your mother and brother are? How can I marry you to the prince if you - "

"Am I... really just a pawn for you to marry out?" I asked.

"Of course, you're! Only your brother is worthy to continue his legacy!" They're laughing, but I wanted to hear father's answer.

He grabbed my shoulders. "Who told you that?"

"...No one."

He tried to read the truth from my face, but I had forgotten the use of most of my facial muscles at that time. All he saw was my blank expression. "Listen. I want you to marry Rhaegar because - "

" - Because he wants a grandson on the Iron Throne."

" - Because you'll enjoy being a queen. You deserve to be a queen - "

" - And once your husband is dead, he'll marry you to yet another bidder. Got to squeeze all those remaining values out your body, you see."

" - And if you straighten up yourself, you could be the best queen ever."

"You'll never marry the prince anyway. Only the king."

"The... king?" I didn't say it out loud this time. For father, all he saw was that I was staring at him, my mouth half opened like a lackwit.

"The black-haired king. But maybe it won't happen this time - oh."

They paused as father pulled me out of bed forcefully. I grit in pain - not much because of father, but they were laughing so hard that it hurt my ears.

"Hahaha! Now that Tywin sees you, he won't be able to marry you out - we've saved Westeros!"

"Stop it! You're too loud! Please!" I started screaming before I knew it.

"Snap out of it, Cersei!" Father shouted.

It's not until that they put me on the milk of poppy again... that I stopped hearing their laughter.

But they were always there. Watching me.

"We're not going to let you off the hook that easily."

—-

Time past differently after that. Day or night, I'm constantly drugged on the milk of poppy. Whenever I was awake, I would hear them.

They're no longer laughing, however. I heard them cursing me, blaming me on... some sort of misfortune.

Sometimes, I even heard them arguing among themselves.

"It's not enough! We need to get her to be functional, to go and kill - "

"Do we even know for sure that we can leave?"

"What else could we do? We need to try everything!"

"If I'm gonna be stuck in here for an eternity, I'm not gonna let her live well - "

I... had no idea what they're saying at that time. After a while, I learned to stop trying to understand. All I needed to know was that... this a never-ending nightmare. The punishment I deserve.

The only salvation was the time I spent with my mother. Mother... not even them had bad things to say about her.

After father's visit, mother had stopped to ask me to tell her what happened, stopped telling me to be strong. She even forbid Jaime from visiting me again, seeing how I shivered in fear every time I heard his voice.

One day, mother told me, "Cersei, you're going to have a new brother or sister."

I widened my eyes - not because of mother said, but they had suspiciously gone silent, then...

"Is that... is that who I think it's?"

"Oh yes, it's him!"

For a moment their sounds of celebration made my head hurt again, but I managed to say, "Congrats, mother. The child is surely... blessed."

They love him, after all. If I'm cursed, then him...

Why's a babe not yet born get to be loved?

"He's the best. You're the worst. You'll never understand." They responded immediately.

...So this's how it's.

Mother saw my expression and smiled. "I know you'll be happy for me. You don't want to see Jaime, but you'll come and greet your new sibling later, right?"

"...Aye, of course." I forced out a smile.

After she left, I heard them discussing among themselves. Though this time, their voices were... fuzzy. Muffled. As if they're talking in the next room.

As if they didn't want me to hear them.

I tried my best to concentrate - it might be the first time I actively tried to listen to them since I had heard them. Why would there be anything they need to hide?

" - Will die, though."

" - Happen... there's nothing we - "

" - Here to change things."

" - Too late, unless she - but then he won't be born."

"He's much more - the third head - "

"Oh come on, he isn't a secret - "

"Shh! Be careful, if Cersei hears us - "

Then I couldn't hear anything. The silence should be a blessing, but I just felt my heartbeat increasing, my thoughts in a whirl.

Die... who'll die?

"He won't be born", they said, that must be my new brother...

"Unless she", she what? Who're they talking about? Me... or my mother?

But they referred to me by my name later. Then it's probably mother.

Someone will die. It isn't the baby since they said he's "much more" -

Once I had reached the conclusion, I stood up. It's not the time to waste my life on a bed.

Mother... she would die if the baby was born.

Then I -

Two things occurred immediately once I left my chambers.

"What're you trying to pull here?"

Their voices attacked me, making my view blackened for a second. I tripped and my face was about to crush on the floor.

"Cersei!" At the same time, I heard my brother's voice.

He held me by my arms and straightened me up. Even then, I still couldn't see anything, and they're raging at me.

"You cannot do this, bitch! You cannot kill him!"

"He's one of the saviors of this world! You'll destroy everything!"

Their words were buzzing in my brain. But I ignored them all and tried to search that one voice.

The voice... that just called my name.

"Cersei! Can you hear me? Guards! Someone, help!" Jaime cried.

I... I pushed him away, didn't I?

Why's he just outside my chambers? Is he waiting for a chance to kill me?

But he sounded genuinely worried about me. Even now he's trying to reach me...

I want to believe him... more than the Voices in my head.

"I can hear you, Jaime!" I said.

It's then that my vision returned, even if they're still raging at me.

I saw my other half the first time in many months. There're tears dropping from the corners of his eyes. He's no longer my mirror image; during our time apart, I have pulled out most of my hair, I knew how horrible I looked then.

But he's still on my side.

"Don't cry now, I need your help."

He blinked and nodded, really to take on any task I was going to give him.

That's the Jaime I love.

"Oh no don't you dare," They said, "Don't involve him in this."

My head was still aching, but I ignored them. "Mother... she'll die if her baby is born. We can't let that happen."

He stared at me, his mouth half opened - he must want to ask how could know this. But then what he said was, "What can we do?"

I froze. I might have run out of the room, determined to save mother, but I hadn't come up with any plan yet.

I heard they're laughing again - just then they're desperately trying to stop me, now that they knew I didn't know how to process, they must be relieved.

...Wait, was there something wrong with my statement?

Just when I thought of that, I saw mother running up the stairs.

"Cersei... and Jaime? You two are together? Oh, you've finally recovered!"

She pulled both of us into a hug. Behind her, I saw the stairs she just came up from.

At that time, I thought -

Would she lose the baby if she fell down from the stairs?

"Don't! Stop!" They shouted -

No, I -

Gods or no, I have to save her!

Foolishly, I pushed with all my strength.

Mother fell backwards, her eyes full of surprise.

"Mother!" Jaime screamed -

He stepped forward to catch her, but that only caused him to lose his balance too.

And they both fell, fell... to the bottom of the stairs.