The child Queen wasn't what Jon expected. Perhaps, he was expecting a woman who was Cersei Lannister reincarnated, and not a cherubic little girl who smiled sweetly at the Kingslayer as he held out his good hand to help her up the stairs. Cersei was already sitting on the dais sneering, but he ignored her and focused on the child. If he had been anyone else, he may have looked upon her with wonder for he was in the presence of Westeros' first recognized queen.
Queen Joanna of the House Baratheon was wearing a black fur lined gown, delicately embroidered with shimmering silver lions that danced around the skirts and bodice. Her fur cloak was fastened with silver lion shaped clasps, and she was wearing the same golden lion pendant that Cersei Lannister had worn throughout her stay at Winterfell. From far away, the child's hair looked silver as well. However, it must have been a trick of the light, since her curls practically gleamed as a sliver of sunlight peaked out through the billowing clouds. The girl was undeniably a Lannister through and through.
The Queen sat in the middle of the dais, between Cersei and the Kingslayer. Jon could tell that he was whispering something in the child's ear, and she seemed too giddy for his liking. He saw the golden Hand pin proudly fastened over Jaime Lannister's heart, a stark contrast to his black jerkin. It didn't seem right, for he looked nothing like the golden knight he had met in Winterfell. Both the Lannister twins lost the regal beauty he remembered. The Kingslayer looked worse for wear, and Cersei Lannister was more formidable than beautiful.
Cersei glared at the child, and her smile fell. Instead the girl gazed at him, perhaps scrutinizing him as he had done to her. He had never met her, as she had been just a babe who was hastily taken inside the castle upon their arrival and wasn't brought to any feast. He wondered what tales she had heard of the King in the North, that he was a vicious barbarian perhaps. When their eyes met, she didn't look away until he did. He wondered if they would have to face negotiating with another Lyanna Mormont instead of a clueless child like Tyrion had insisted was the case. However, Tyrion had been underestimating his family as of late, and the longing look in his eyes made Jon wonder if he would have greeted the little Queen if his siblings weren't on either side of her.
He heard Tyrion tell Daenerys that he would have done anything to go back in time to prevent Myrcella from ever going to Dorne, and that Ellaria Sand deserved his sister's wrath for killing his innocent niece. But no matter how innocent Joanna Baratheon seemed, she was their enemy. Even though Tyrion had good intentions, playing both sides would only lead to more misery down the road.
Cersei clenched her teeth impatiently, but the little Queen seemed content as her eyes lingered on the Dothraki and their other company. They were unlike any people she had ever seen; men typically did not parade around half naked nor let their hair grow out longer than a woman's. There was also a kindly looking woman with hair that seemed to extend outwards instead of laying flat. Joanna even smiled a little when she met Tyrion's eyes. However, she quickly looked up as the sound of flapping could be heard in the sky, and the wind started picking up. When the dragon roars could be heard everyone started standing up, hoping to catch their first glimpse of one or out of respect for their Queen. Cersei held Joanna's arm down to discourage her from standing as she looked up with fake disinterest. However, the little Queen's jaw dropped in amazement as the two dragons danced in the sky.
The larger black dragon landed on the edge of the pit ruins and roared twice before Daenerys gracefully jumped down. She looked up at the dais as she walked to take her seat. The child Queen continued to stare at Drogon with a smile of wonder, and she had to hide her grin. How easy it would be to only negotiate with the false child Queen, Daenerys thought as Cersei Lannister glared down at her.
"We've been here for some time," Joanna's voice rang out once Daenerys was seated. The girl had fashioned her lips in a frown, but she didn't truly look irritated. Her eyes still twinkled with childish fascination; however, her mother was seething.
Daenerys raised her eyebrow surprised at the child's boldness, whether it was rehearsed or not. "My apologies," she responded as the child looked overly pleased with herself as she glanced at Cersei for some sort of approval. The Queen Regent didn't give her daughter any sort of recognition, but Daenerys noticed that the Kingslayer touched the girl's arm ever so lightly that she would have missed it if she had blinked.
Tyrion had begun to speak when Euron Greyjoy cut him off to taunt Theon. Daenerys ignored them and instead focused on the man who killed her father. There was no man in the Seven Kingdoms who could be compared to Jaime Lannister. He murdered his king and served four monarchs after, fathering two kings and the first queen. From golden knight to soiled knight to Hand of the Queen, he was perhaps the greatest man in Westeros despite his terrible deeds. Drogon should have burned him alive by all accounts, but here he was in the flesh. However, Cersei told Euron to sit down, and Daenerys snapped out of her thoughts to focus on the Baratheon Queen covered in Lannister lions.
"We are a group of people who do not like one another, as this recent demonstration has shown. Perhaps some more than others," Tyrion spoke again looking directly at his niece. Out of everyone at the gathering, Joanna was the person he cared for the most, yet he had chosen a different Queen. He sighed for a moment and looked at his sister. "We have suffered and lost people at each other's hands."
"Do you suggest we should settle our differences and live together in harmony?" Joanna questioned her uncle. She hoped that he would say yes, that Daenerys and the northern bastard would be content with ruling the North, while she could keep the South. Her mother always complained about the North anyway. However, it would never happen, and everyone knew it.
"This isn't about living in harmony. It's just about living," Jon Snow said stepping next to Tyrion. "The same thing is coming for us all; an army that doesn't leave corpses on the battlefield. The Lannister influence will not be able to protect you, no more than your gaudy lions can make you one. The army of the dead is coming."
"Nor do the direwolves make you a real Stark. I think this is a bad joke, Lord Snow," Joanna responded icily. An awkward silence broke out, as no one knew what to say. Jon Snow only said it to confuse the child and take a small jab at the Lannister twins.
"It's my father's house, your grace," Jon said.
"So it is," Joanna smirked as she touched the pendant around her neck. She had always felt special wearing the Lannister colors and sigil, and she had thought that it was because the Lannisters always seemed far superior to anyone else. Perhaps, subconsciously she had always known that was her father's house, too. "My Uncle Jaime and my Mother informed me that you want a truce? How am I to know if you are planning to expand your armies and march on King's Landing, while I have mine pulled back?"
"I can promise you that your capital will be safe until the northern threat is dealt with," Daenerys told the child. Cersei didn't look content with that answer, and Jon Snow thought Joanna was as insufferable as Lyanna Mormont for sure, but he respected her for it. She didn't once look to Cersei or the Kingslayer for help, even though it looked like they both wanted to be the ones negotiating.
"We have something to show you," Tyrion said signaling the Hound to bring the box containing the Wight up the stairs. He could see the apprehension in his niece's emerald eyes. "No one will let it hurt you, but it may be frightening to you all the same."
Joanna's eyes narrowed as she turned to look at her mother. While Cersei was suspicious she nodded her head in approval as Joffrey's former dog grunted as he dropped the heavy box on the ground. The young girl held her breath as he undid the heavy chains and pulled out the metal rod that secured the lid shut. Euron Greyjoy squirmed in his chair as the Hound walked around the chest, and it made her uneasy for he had boasted that he was fearless. Cersei looked at Jaime while he rolled his eyes at the situation. It seemed as if she was the only one who was truly terrified of whatever was in that box.
He flung the lid off and looked into it, grimacing for a moment before he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Jon Snow and Tyrion both turned to look her, and her mother rolled her eyes, seeming to think the demonstration was a waste of their time. Sighing for a moment, the Hound stepped back and kicked the box over.
Somehow, time suddenly stood still as everything went to chaos.
The Wight tumbled out of its enclosure, and its shriek was drowned out by Joanna's scream. The little Queen's face turned a shade of ghostly white as she leaned back into her chair when the rotting corpse began to run towards her. Jaime put his arm over her chest trying to hold her back, as he pulled out his sword, ready to kill the abomination that was coming for his daughter.
It screeched and snapped its teeth at her. Sandor Clegane pulled the chain back before the Wight could touch the girl, as a dragon roar suddenly masked her scream. It flapped its wings looking murderously at the corpse, while Daenerys muttered something to keep him still. Jaime stood up as the Wight fell to the ground and went for the Hound instead.
The younger Clegane brother cleaved it in half with his sword, and smirked when its top half clawed the ground, trying to move itself toward him. He swung at it again, sending it's rotting hand into the air. Jaime's eyes were narrowed in gross fascination when Qyburn picked up the wriggling appendage, while Cersei clutched her stomach with one hand and Joanna's in the other. He handed it to Jon, who promptly burned it with a torch given to him by Davos.
"We can destroy them by burning them, and by dragon glass," He said stabbing the Wight's screaming top half. At last, the creature was finally destroyed. "This is the fate of every man, woman, and child in the Seven Kingdoms if we don't win this fight."
Joanna forgot what she was supposed to say. She had to keep a tight grip on her mother's hand in order to stop herself from shaking with fright.
"I didn't believe it until I saw them," Daenerys said breaking the thick silence. It was evident that the child was terrified, if her screams weren't already an indication. Cersei Lannister seemed at a loss for words as well, and if the Night King hadn't killed one of her children, she would have smiled smugly at the woman's newfound concern. "I saw them all."
Jaime truly looked at Daenerys for the first time, and it was like he was taken to the past. She resembled Rhaella enough to make him remember how terrible the Mad King was, and how he would never apologize for stabbing him in the back. In another life, he would have been sworn to protect her, and perhaps Cersei would have been her mother figure. Had Cersei married Rhaegar, Daenerys was likely to be promised to one of their sons. When he looked into her violet eyes, he almost pitied her, but then he remembered that Cersei would have loved her husband, and he would have been cast aside. "How many?"
"A hundred thousand at least," she said. Perhaps there were millions, and they were doomed no matter what.
Euron Greyjoy decided to jump ship after he had learned that the undead army couldn't swim. He patted the little Queen on the head before jumping off the platform, stalking off. The Kingslayer was seething, and it wasn't because Euron decided to leave.
"I accept your truce," Joanna blurted out. If the usurpers were telling the truth, she was supposed to lead them on for a bit before accepting. She couldn't remember the monologue, and it was pointless anyway. "But when this is over, Lord Stark will remain neutral and will not take up arms against the Lannisters and I. I will expect Ned Stark's son to be true to his word." Jon looked as if he was about to protest, but she kept going. She looked straight at Daenerys, "Your army will also vacate Casterly Rock immediately. The West is mine."
Tyrion had hoped that Daenerys would gift him Casterly Rock in the end, but he hadn't ever stood a chance to inherit it, so he could live without it. Right as he was about to accept, Jon said that he had already pledged himself to Daenerys Targaryen, and all was lost.
...
"My brave girl," Cersei said when they were finally in the privacy of her solar. The only illumination came from a window high above, but it didn't bother her. They both needed some time to rest.
Even though she did not shed a single tear, Joanna didn't feel brave. She saw the way Jon Snow looked at Daenerys and knew he wouldn't remain neutral. If she had been brave, she would have helped regardless of his decision. Instead, she had done what her mother wanted in hopes that she would get something in return. She hid a rolled piece of parchment in her sleeve the entire time, waiting for the perfect time to present it to Cersei.
Cersei ran her fingers through Joanna's hair. She would burn the world down for her children if that's what it took. She would ship Joanna across the Narrow Sea if the dead prevailed.
"Mother?" Joanna spoke quietly, pulling out the scroll. "I need you to sign this."
Cersei took it from her daughter wondering what it was. Since Joanna had been Queen, she never proposed any royal decrees or propositions. She read Joanna's elegant script, better than Joffrey's even, and looked up into her giant emerald eyes when she got to the end.
"Please, Mother. It's all I ever wanted," Joanna pleaded. She hoped it was what her mother always wanted, too. Without a word, Cersei took it to her desk and sat down. She dipped her quill in an inkpot and signed her name. Joanna was in shock that it was that easy; she had expected that she would have been warned not to speak of it ever again before it was torn up.
"Joanna-" Cersei began with her hands clasped in front of her.
"You don't have to explain," she said cutting her mother off with a hug. Cersei's hand had found her hair again, and she smiled, "I think a part of me has always known, and it's okay."
...
Tyrion was lead into Cersei's solar by the Mountain, who was watching his every move. He had to squint to adjust for the minimal light, as his sister had always been one for the dramatics. Cersei was sitting at her desk, completely ignoring his arrival, and Joanna was sitting on a chaise lounge eating something that looked like lemon cakes while being watched by two servant girls. One of them was no doubt a Lannister cousin from somewhere down the line.
"They told me the Queen was busy, and that I could only speak to the Regent," Tyrion said smiling at his niece, who noticed his arrival after she had stuffed one of them in her mouth. "You've gotten taller."
"You've grown a beard," she said, after swallowing. He chuckled. "And I can't negotiate with you this late in the afternoon."
"A pity," he said thinking of his sister, "I would much rather talk to you." He smiled and took a step closer. The Mountain unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Tyrion, who put his hands up in defeat. Both servant girls narrowed their eyes.
"That's close enough," the woman said. She was much older than his younger blonde cousin, and no doubt loyal to Cersei. She turned to Joanna, who looked at him with sympathy. "Come, your grace, you can finish in your chambers. I'll draw you a bath after."
"Go, sweetling." Cersei said breaking her silence, with a voice sweeter than syrup. Tyrion had almost forgotten she was scrutinizing his every move as she glared at him. She didn't want Joanna anywhere near her murderous dwarf of a brother. However, he had no intention of ever hurting Joanna.
The Lannister cousin took Joanna's hand. She didn't protest, only sighed as she stood up while the servant bent down and fixed her skirt. "Good bye Uncle Tyrion," she said longing to hug him. Instead, she turned to the other servant, "Tell Jaime that I need to speak with him."
"Of course your grace," the servant nodded and quickly left the room.
"When you get to Winterfell, tell Lady Sansa that I was most upset with her inability to visit me." Joanna said quickly turning back as she was being corralled out of Cersei's solar. "Tell her that I miss her."
She waved a final goodbye, as Tyrion marveled at her innocence. Lady Sansa had been kind to her, despite her misfortune at court. If only he could convince everyone that they could all live in harmony.
As Joanna left the room, he felt uneasy. Now he had to face his sister.
Author's Note: I'm kind of conflicted on which way I want to take this story. I could wait to see what happens with Cersei's pregnancy on the show, but I probably won't like what happens. Would you prefer it to be mostly happy or sad? I'm open to suggestions! On another note only 9 days until Game of Thrones!