A/N: Sorry, for the late update, but lack of inspiration is killing me.
Cersei POV
The procession stops at the base of the steps that lead to the Great Sept of Baelor. Joffrey's funeral viewing is being held today. Today will not be a good day to me or my family. No mother should have to bury her child. Jaime opens the door for me, as he is my Kingsguard escort.
I exit my litter just to see the sides of the stairs to be lined with people. They have come from all parts of the Seven Kingdoms. They have all come to pay their respect. Oh, how I loathe their faces full of pity. Their eyes never leave me. It's not surprising though, as I am the first royal family member to show. Now I must stand here and wait for the rest of my family, and Robert, to join me at the base of steps.
The next member of my family to show up is Myrcella, followed immediately by Tommen. They each have a Kingsguard member protecting them; Cella has Meryn Trant, while Tommen has Arys Oakheart. They are both in black, like myself and everyone else included. The both of them have puffy red eyes, but I believe they are sad over the fact that Draedon is upset more than Joffrey's death.
My eldest cub has been extremely heartbroken over it. He has been absent and impossible to find for the last week. He blames himself for Joff's death. Those damned wolves payed for what they did. I now sleep with their furs on my bed. My only wish was that the Stark girls didn't get punished for their idiocy. But Robert was adamant to keep his bond with Stark close, so no Stark so much as got yelled at. Except by me and Draedon.
Robert is finally seen riding atop a stallion, poor creature. He is also dressed in black, aside from his golden crown. The rest of the Kingsguard follow him. Barristan appears to have a crestfallen facial appearance. Excellent, he should feel horrible. He failed in his duty of protecting the Prince. I wanted to have him executed but Robert wouldn't allow it.
Robert dismounts from the horse with help from two young squires. Both of which are my cousins, Lancel and Tyrek. I had to fight him for them to become his squires. He was completely against, as he likes to say, "there are already too many Lannisters here." Well he is not wrong. I needed to have men loyal to me and my family in case something happened. Robert approaches me and the children before he spots something amiss.
"Where is Draedon?" He asks to nobody in particular. Everybody shrugs or just doesn't answer. That is until Tommen points something out to us all.
"Well Sandor is here." He points to the top of the stairs and sure enough, Draedon's dog is standing there stoically.
"Well that means that he is already here then." Myrcella says excitedly. Her voice not showing a hint of sadness. How shocking. We make our way up to the top of the stairs and before we pass, the High Septon stops us.
"Your Grace, I should warn you that the young Prince has been inside for the past few hours. He denied entry for anyone else." He speaks with some cowardice in his voice.
"What do you mean he denied entry?" The fat man swallowed loudly and began to wring his hands together.
"He left his sworn sword here to enforce his threat that if anyone should attempt to enter, they will not make it past the third step." He nods towards the Hound, who is staring blankly back. The religious man doesn't meet the the Hound's eyes. The tension is thick between them. Tommen walks up to the dog.
"Can I go through Sandor? I really want to see Draedon." He pushes his lower lip out and begins to pout. The dog cocks an eyebrow at my little cub before he moves to the side. Tommen smiles a bright toothy smile and runs towards the Sept. Myrcella follows almost immediately after, but at a ladylike pace.
When the rest of us begin to pass though, Clegane draws his sword to the Kingsguard. Specifically, the five members that aren't named Lannister or Selmy.
"You five don't enter." The scarred man gruffly says. His voice left little room to argue with. The White Cloaks seem to have taken offense to that. Meryn Trant is the one to answer for the group.
"We are sworn to protect the King and his family, to follow him to the edge of the world and back. Stand down before we cut you down, dog." The smaller man spits out. The five men put their hands on their swords, ready to draw them if Clegane denies them once more. Clegane stares straight into Trant's eyes and the droopy eyed man cowers a bit before he speaks again. "It's five to one, are you really that confident in your abilities?" The burned man stares for a but before he flashes a condescending sneer at the Knight.
"I am confident that I could cut through you five by myself. But I am more confident in my Prince leaving me with more than competent reinforcement." The scarred whistles quite loudly. He is answered with a light growl, that just so happens to be coming from behind us. All of the color begins to drain from Trant's face, the same with the other White Cloaks. Myself, Jaime, Barristan, and Robert turn around only to stare at Draedon's bloodthirsty beast.
It stalks by us without so much a glance, as if it knows it won't be attacked. Neither Knight attempts to draw their sword when it comes near. It makes its way to Clegane's side. I see the giant man stiffen before he relaxes. I notice he doesn't relax the entire way though. The White Cloaks begin to draw their swords only to be stopped by Robert.
"You five stand down and stay here. Clegane make sure that beast doesn't rip somebody's throat out." Horrible choice of words, the fat whoremonger. He apparently notices what he says and looks at me apologeticly. I ignore him and walk up the steps to the Sept. I don't concern myself with what Robert does as I walk away. Jaime is right on my heels as I enter this holy place.
As I look upon the scene in front of me, some things catch my eye. The first thing I notice is Joffrey laying upon an altar. He is dressed in a crimson and gold doublet and black breeches. One final honor to his 'parents'. The next thing I see is Myrcella kneeling in front of the Mother. While Tommen is standing behind her, but is staring sadly at the other lone figure in the room.
Draedon is standing by Joffrey's altar, staring despairingly at his younger brother. His once magnificent dark hair now was disheveled and limp from lack of care. A stubble beard mars his clean shaven face. But his eyes are what have changed the most. What was once enticing and mirthful, is now lifeless and haunting. They are bloodshot and shrunken in from lack of sleep and weeping. They contain unshed tears at this moment. No warm smile plastered upon his face. He appears to be simply broken and that is worse than death itself.
He doesn't look up at me when I approach the altar. I see that Robert goes over to where Tommen and Myrcella are. I turn back to my eldest two children. Joffrey looks peaceful. Something I haven't seen that in years, as he usually wore a sneer on his face. I turn my attention to Draedon though. He never looks up to meet my eyes. He never even looks away from Joffrey's face. Except for when he bends down to kiss Joff's forehead.
"I'm sorry I failed you, little brother." His voice is raspy and barely above a whisper. Once again standing straight, he abruptly turns and walks out of the Sept. Robert calls out to him and is ignored. Barristan attempts to speak to him and is ignored. Draedon leaves without taking his eyes off of the ground.
I sigh heavily as I turn to my little cubs. They have heartbroken expressions upon their faces. It is hurting them to see their elder brother, their idol, so devastated. I have to fix this. Somehow, I have to. If not for Draedon's sake, then for Tommen and Myrcella's.
Sansa POV
Joffrey is no longer pretty to me. Not just because of his pale appearance now as he lies upon this altar. Not because of the bandages wrapped around his sewn up throat. Not because his once of his once proud emerald eyes that are now lifeless and shut forever. But because I saw him for the first time. The true monster behind his pretty facade.
I saw the true him at Darry, but I believed that it wasn't the truth. That maybe it was just his emotions about the situation getting the better of him. That maybe he would be putting on an act. That he would be a good and loving husband. But not too soon after father spoke to him about our marriage cancellation, I finally saw the real Joffrey. The monster.
-Flashback-
"May I ask what your business is here, my Lady?" The kind old Knight asks me when I approach Prince Joffrey's room. He was protecting him earlier today as well when father cancelled our marriage. I can't believe he would do such a thing. It is obvious that Joffrey and I love each other and were meant to be.
"Prince Joffrey asked me to supp with him and gave me this time to show up." I say cheerfully and flash the Knight a bright smile. He smiles back.
"Very well, but what about your wolf? Prince Joffrey is still a bit-" He was cut off as the Prince's door swung open. The Prince himself standing in the opening.
"Barristan, do not fret over the wolf. I have a cage for it inside." My smile falters but I pull it back up. The elder man nods his head and goes back to guarding the door. I enter with Lady in tow.
The Prince immediately shuffles me towards the cage he has set up for Lady. She whines lightly but enters it none the less. I lock it to make sure she doesn't get out and scare my should be future husband. Once it is secure, I turn to face the Prince. I see him already sitting at a table set for two.
The table is littered with food; venison pies that are chunky with carrots, bacon, and mushrooms, also there are sweet biscuits and apricot tarts with blackberry preserves. But the main dish that catches my eye are the lemon cakes. It is not long before I join him at the table. The dishes were already cut and ready to serve.
The night was good. We were talking and laughing. We were having fun and I thought that maybe there might be a chance I could sway father back to Joffrey. Everything was good...
Until it wasn't.
It happened so fast that I couldn't react. His hand flew across the table to backhand me in the face. I didn't scream out in pain due to the sheer shock of the situation. I began to crawl away from him, only for him to turn me back towards him. I saw he had a knife in his grip. I knew that this was the end of me considering that nobody was coming to rescue me.
That is until Lady broke out of small cage and crossed the room faster than I could blink. She jumped directly on Joffrey and knocked him to his back. He was terrified when she growled loudly at him, I know that because I could see his terror leaking out of his breeches. Even if I wanted to call her off, which I didn't, she sunk her teeth into his throat and ripped it out.
Ser Barristan came in and saw what was occurring, he was so shocked that he didn't know what to do. He drew his sword only for Lady to run to me and begin to guard me. The old Knight runs to Joffrey and sees that he is dead. He turns to me with dread filled eyes.
"What in the Seven Hells happened?" I told him the story and he told me to go to my father and tell him the story.
-Flashback End-
Lady is now dead because of this monster. She's dead because she protected me, it was Darry all over again. Only this time, I had no Prince to stand for me. The Crown Prince still will not even look at me. The fairytale Prince hates me. He hates me and my family. Father tried to have a contract drew up for me and Draedon but the Queen denied it horribly. And now I lost the closest companion to me and possibly the only marriage I could live with happily.
Arya lost Nymeria as well. The Queen stated that she didn't feel safe with one still alive, so Arya now hates the South even more than before. She wants to return home, and I do not blame her. Luckily for her though, she has her dancing lessons to distract her from the pain. Jeyne tries to help but she just doesn't understand.
Aside from the King himself, the Royal Family avoids us like we're a plague. That's an understatement for the Queen and Crown Prince. At least Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen smile politely at me and my family when we see each other. But not Draedon and the Queen. Should one of the Northerners be unlucky enough to meet their eyes, all they will see is pure, unbridled hatred.
The South has not lived up to my expectations. Maybe things will change soon, perhaps once the Royal Family grieves and mourns for the fallen monster. I don't know how long that will take but it will most likely be soon. They have had to known what kind of person the fallen Prince was.
Draedon POV
I hate crying. Whether it is myself doing it or another, I hate it. I used to do everything in my power to make sure that my siblings did not cry. Myrcella figured out that I would do anything to stop the tears early in her life, so she used that to her advantage. She would make me believe she was going to cry if I didn't read to her, or if she didn't get a sweet before dinner. She was always smart like that. I always let her have her way and I always gave her attention. She became so used to my attention and so dependant upon it, that if the day ever came that I ignored her, she would not be able to handle it.
Which is exactly what's happening now. Since Joffrey's death, I have kept myself locked into my room. Never leaving it, ignoring every soul outside of my twin doors. No one has been allowed entry. Not my father, not Alyssa, not Myrcella, not even mother.
She was the hardest one to ignore. There is something inside of you that breaks when you hear your mother's voice crack and she begins to choke up while simultaneously trying not to cry. Father just banged on the door for a few minutes before leaving, but mother stayed for close to an hour. Hearing the strongest person I know break down outside my door hurt almost as bad as failing Joffrey did.
Until the person I love the most in the world decides to do it.
It was just after dinner that she came to my room. She banged on my door and asked to enter. I ignored her like usual, then she began to cry. And now she's been doing it for close to twenty minutes and I'm breaking even more. I thought I was strong, I really did. But Joffrey's death showed me just how weak I really am. And hearing my mother cry and now Myrcella; I know that I have to get stronger. I can not allow events, no matter the significance, to alter my mood so drastically. I can't shut the world away when I am King, I have to be the one that carries the saddened country on my back.
I finally have enough of her weeping and break. I open the door to find Myrcella sitting on the ground with her back against the wall. She looks up at the sudden opening and I see the one thing I hate to see more than anything. Her eyes are red and puffy. Her cheeks are stained by her fallen tears. Her lips are quivering and her body is shaking from the sobs that continue to wrack her body. Exhaustion is the expression that mars her typically beautiful features.
Her red eyes meet my blue ones. Hope fills her emerald orbs when she sees me. I don't understand why she has that feeling though; I know my appearance is rough. I haven't exactly groomed myself to the best of my ability lately. She holds her arms out in the air like she used to do as a young child when she wished to be carried. I smile slightly before I bend down to pick her up. Her arms lock around my neck while my arms go beneath her back and the back of her legs. She nuzzles into me while I carry her down the hall to her room.
The trip was made in silence aside from Myrcella's light whimpers. I enter her room and make it to her four-poster bed. I set her down on it and attempt to stand up. I fail at this because Myrcella refuses to release my neck. I force her grip to loosen, only for her whimpers to become harder. I run my fingers through her hair to calm her, and it works for the most part. She grabs ahold of my hand with both of her own.
"Please don't leave. Just stay with me until I fall asleep. Please." She pleads with me. My heart breaks even more hearing her be so vulnerable.
I just nod my head and I try to soothe her by running my fingers through her hair once again. She smiles gently and closes her eyes. She leans into my hand when I stroke her cheek to wipe the remaining tears away. A soft smile graces her features as sleep takes her. As I brush some hair behind her ear, her door opens. I turn to look directly into another set of emerald eyes.
"Can you come put me to sleep too?" He speaks in the sweetest voice he can. I smile at him slightly and nod to him. The smile he gives me in return may be the brightest he has ever given me before.
I cross the room to him and pick him up and put him on my shoulders. He giggles loudly and I know that my mood has changed in the right direction. As I walk with Tommen on my shoulder down the hall, I spot mother coming our way. She sees us and displays a bright smile. The first I have seen on her face since Joffrey died. At least not the times that I saw her.
She follows us to his room and waits on the outside of his door. I set little Tommen down on his bed and tuck him in. I ruffle his hair and begin to leave when he speaks.
"Can you read me a story before you go?" His bright eyes are pleading with me. I ruffle his hair and smile down at him.
"What story do you wish to hear, little brother?" My voice is raspy and gruff, but he doesn't care though. He shows off a large toothy smile before he answers.
"The one about the Dragonknight. It's my favorite." It has been his favorite since he was four years old. I can only smile when I grab it off the shelf in his room.
It's not long into the book that Tommen is asleep soundly. I set the book down on his bedside table and run my hand through his shaggy golden hair one last time. As I exit the room, my mother opens her mouth to speak. I silence her with a finger. I gesture her to follow me to my room. She nods in agreement and follows. Sandor is by my doors, guarding it. He raises his brow as he sees me. It appears he didn't know I wasn't in my room. I can only smirk at that. I gesture for him to walk away a little. He nods and leaves his post by my doors.
Upon entering, mother instantly pours herself a goblet of wine. Arbor Gold filled to the brim. I smile at that and we sit at the table. We just stare at each other expectantly. One of us will either speak or break contact first. She cocks her head to the side slightly, unwilling to break first. So I do. I look to my hands that are resting upon my lap. She smirks victoriously. I can't see it but I know that it on her face.
"I'm sorry." My raspy voice is barely above a whisper. She doesn't respond, instead she waits for me to elaborate more. I can't meet her eyes as I continue. "I'm sorry that I failed you. I'm sorry I didn't protect Joffrey good enough. I'm sorry I went against you at Darry. I-I... I am just sorry I am weak."
She sets her wine down and moves over to me. She gently embraces me as lovingly as ever. I latch on like a terrified child who awoke in the dead of night after a horrific dream. That just makes her hold me tighter. Tears begin to burn my eyes as I refuse to shed them. She must have noticed because runs her fingers through my hair.
That action makes me think back to when Joffrey and I were children playing knights. I ended up falling down a set of stairs. Joffrey had to go get mother while I laid at the bottom of those horrible stairs in complete agony. Hours went by and still I laid there. I say hours, but it was most likely only five minutes before someone came. It was mother and she latched on to me like I was dying and she wished to say goodbye the proper way. I relished her hugs. I nuzzled into her as much as I could. Her smell always just enveloped me and made me feel so safe.
It still does. She smells of jasmine and vanilla. It's comforting and relaxing. Her scent surrounding me, along with her embrace, I find myself feeling like a small child again. The tears stop after a while and she leans back to look me in the eyes.
"You are not weak, Draedon. You lost your brother and did not wish to see anybody. That is perfectly acceptable." I move to speak, only to be silenced by her finger. "You did not fail anyone. Nothing you could have done would have stopped that beast from doing that to Joff. And as far as going against the family, you were forgiven less than an hour after it happened. You wished to be the Prince that stories and songs were made for, and you were. No, you are that Prince. You are the best Prince that Westeros has seen in decades." She caresses both my cheeks with her hands. "But you did learn some valuable lessons in all of this." I look up at her puzzled. "First one is simple: never go against your family. No matter how trivial." I nod in understanding. "But it's the second you should already know." I look into her eyes and she smiles her perfect smile at me.
"Your mother knows best. And I will always be there to guide you onto the right path." I can only nod at her in thankfulness. I'm glad that she will help me when I take the throne, I will need it.
Eddard POV
"The whore is pregnant." The King's fist slams down onto the council table loud as a thunderclap. "I warned you this would happen, Ned. Back in the North, but you did not wish to hear it. Well, you'll hear it now. I want them dead, mother and child both, and that fool Viserys as well. Is that plain enough for you? I want them dead."
The rest of the councillors were doing their best job pretending to be somewhere else. Nobody was looking at myself or the King. Even the Crown Prince hasn't looked at anyone aside from Ser Barristan. He has been depressed since the death of his brother, not that any can blame him. Although Joffrey deserved it, he was still a brother and a son.
"You would dishonor yourself if you do this." I have to reason with him and show him the right thing to do.
"I have seven kingdoms to rule. One King. Seven Kingdoms. Do you think that it's honor that keeps them in line. It doesn't, fear does. Fear and blood."
"Then we're no better than the Mad King." Robert narrows his eyes at the comparison. His face begins to turn purple.
"Careful Ned, careful." His face continues to darken.
"Your Grace, we're not even sure if the rumor is true. So please, just think rationally about this." I pray that the rumor is just that; a rumor. Varys finally speaks up.
"My lord, you wrong me. Would I bring lies to the king and council?" I look at the eunuch coldly.
"You would bring us the whisperings of a traitor half a world away, my lord. Perhaps Mormont is lying."
"Ser Jorah dares not to deceive me." He wears a sly smile. "Believe it, my lord, the princess is with child."
"So you say. If it is just a rumor, we need not worry. If the girl miscarries, we need not worry. If it is born a girl, we need not worry. If the babe dies in infancy, we need not worry." Robert continues to just stare unflinchingly at me.
"And if it is a boy? If it lives?" The king insists. None other than myself is defending the innocent girl.
"The Narrow Sea would still lie between us. I shall fear the Dothraki the day they teach their horses run on water." Robert took a swallow of wine and glowered at me across the council table.
"So you would counsel me to do nothing until the dragons pawn has landed his army on my shores, is that it?"
"By the time he had an army, it would be my shores, not yours father." The Prince speaks for the first time. "Lord Stark is right. There is a lot of different problems that could arise so we should just wait the girl's pregnancy out." I nod in approval.
"Exactly, your Grace. Besides, this 'dragonspawn' is in his mother's belly. Even Aegon did no conquering until after he was weaned." I spoke my words coolly.
"Gods! You two need to stop being so stubborn." The king looks around to the rest of his council members. "Have the rest of you mislaid your tongues? Will no one speak sense to this frozen-faced fool?" Varys takes this opportunity to voice his opinion.
"I understand your qualms, Lord Eddard, truly I do. It gave me no joy to bring this grievous news to the council. It's a terrible thing we contemplate, a vile thing. Yet we who presumes to rule must do vile things for the good of the realm, however much it pains us." He lays a soft hand on my sleeve. The ancient Maester clears his throat to speak, which is a prices that seems to take several minutes to complete.
"My order serves the realm, not the ruler. Once I advised king Arryn as loyally as I counsel King Robert now, so I bear this girl no ill will, my lord, but what happens if the Dothraki do invade? Whether it is now or two decades from now. How many soldiers will die? How many towns will burn? How many children will be ripped from their mothers to perish on the end of a spear?" He stroked his luxuriant white beard, infinitely weary. "Is it not wiser, even kinder, that this lone girl should die now so that tens of thousands might live?" He speaks slowly and somberly. Renly is the next to argue. He shrugs his shoulders as if it were a trivial problem.
"The matter send simple enough to me. We should have had Viserys and his sister killed years ago, but His Grace made the mistake of listening to Jon Arryn."
"Mercy is never a mistake, Lord Renly. Just ask Ser Barristan, on the Trident, he cut down a dozen good men, Robert's friends and mine. Yet here he sits, alive and giving good council. He has been loyal since he swore his oaths a second time. Mayhaps you want to kill him as well." Barristan stared hard at Renly, silently challenging the young Lord.
"There is honor in facing an enemy on the battlefield, but none in killing him in his mother's womb. Forgive me, your Grace, but I must stand with the Prince and Lord Stark." Ser Barristan says as his pale blue eyes switches from myself to Renly to Robert. I gesture my thanks to him. He nods in recognition. Littlefinger was the last. As I looked to him, he has to stifle a yawn.
"When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, it's best to just close your eyes and get it over with. Waiting won't make the maid any prettier." The Prince snorts a laugh. "Slit her throat and be done with it." Robert slams his fist down on to the table another time.
"There, it's been decided. Now the question remains as to how it should be done." He finishes off what wine was left in his goblet before he refills it once more.
"Mormont craves a royal pardon." Renly decides to remind us.
"Desperately," Varys says, "but he craves life even more. The horde is nearing Vaes Dothrak, where it is death to draw a blade. If I told you what the Dothraki would do to a poor man who used one on a khaleesi, none of you would be able to sleep tonight." He stroked a powder cheek. "Now poison, Tears of Lys in particular would work well."
"Poison is a coward's weapon." Robert complains. I have had enough.
"You wish to send hired swords to kill an innocent girl and still quibble about honor?" I push my chair back and stand. "Donut yourself, Robert. The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. See her tears and hear her cries. You owe her that much."
"Gods," Robert bellows the word out in barely contained fury. "You mean it, damn you." The king reaches for the flagon of wine at his elbow, found it empty, and flings it away to shatter against the wall. "I am out of wine and patience. Just have it done."
"I will not be part of a murder, Robert. Do as you will but do not ask for my seal for it." Confusion is littered across his face. Defiance is not a dish he is used to. Comprehension finally shines in his eyes.
"You are the King's Hand, Lord Stark. You will do as commanded or I will find a Hand who will." Purple returns to his face as anger is coursing through his body.
"Then I wish him every success." I unfasten the heavy clasp from my cloak. I lay it on the table that the council sits at. "I thought you a better man than this, Robert. I thought we had a nobler King. Mayhaps you need to step down and let the Prince rule, he has the honor you had once." The Prince nods in appreciation, I nod back silently.
"Out," Robert croaks, choking on his rage. "Out, damn you, I'm done with you. What are you waiting for? Go, run back to Winterfell. Make certain that I never see your face again, or I swear, I'll have your head on a spike!"
I bow and make a hasty exit. I see the Kingsguard member by the door, Blount I believe, he says nothing as I pass. I need to get my daughters and my men and leave this horrible place. Starks should never go to the South. That fact has been proven many times in the past.