A/N: Don't fret over the fact that you've began to ship them too since reading this story. Beware, sexy times for this chapter again.
Reviews are very much appreciated.
Chapter Five: In Pieces
Streaks of orange and pink etched the afternoon sky with the kind of beauty that slightly made Bronn pause for contemplation. He had lain with Margaery Tyrell for the second time today since the throne room. They're now locked in one of the obscure chambers in the castle where they're certain no one will interrupt their untimely fornication. It was a dreary room with gray walls and has only one window where Bronn is intently gazing out. He was still lying on the ground with Margaery with their clothes underneath them for warmth. Her head rested on his chest as she softly snored.
He pushed her away as gently as he could so he could sit up. He pulled up his breeches and knotted them. He went for his boots next.
The queen regent stirred awake. "Is it time for you to leave?" she rubbed a hand on her eyes and yawned. She began to sit up as well but didn't bother to get dressed.
"Thousands leagues to Highgarden," he answered, "and with treacherous pathways."
"I'll pray to the gods of old and new that you return safely with my child-king," she reached for the front of his breeches and lazily rubbed him there.
"I'll keep Tommen Baratheon alive long enough for you to fuck."
Margaery Tyrell smiled her sweetest smiles and pecked his cheek. "I will bear him as many children required but know for certain that everything else I am belongs to you."
Bronn snorted a laugh and cupped one of her breasts. They were not as lumpy as his wife Lollys' but he appreciated the modest weight in his hand. "Don't limit yourself, girl. You are free to spread your legs for any dashing knight and lord in all of seven kingdoms."
If the comment wounded her pride or honor, she did not show it. "I only want you," she whispered into his lips before she kissed him again. The tenderness of the kiss irritated Bronn so he grabbed her by the back of her head and shoved his tongue in.
Margaery squirmed in his grasp which he thoroughly enjoyed more than anything. Her infatuation with him appealed to his vanity but other than the attention, he realized he cared little about her person. She's a pretty wench but she was no Cersei Lannister.
He pushed Margaery back into the ground and pulled her legs to his shoulders so he could fuck her while his mind raced with thoughts about having Cersei someday. He didn't just want Cersei's body—he wanted to imprison her mind and toy with her spirit, knowing that she will only bend to his will but never break, knowing that she will challenge him and will try to destroy him. He can only enjoy the prospects that come with her hatred of him.
"My knight of Blackwater," Beneath him, Margaery Tyrell struggled to breathe and speak at the same time as he pounded away inside her. "My brave lord of Stokeworth…"
He squeezed her teats as he renewed the speed of his thrusts. She whimpered like a dying kitten and her moist eyes met his with a measured lust that transcended her age.
"Swear you will love and obey me," she spoke up, wheezing.
When Bronn said nothing, she sat up and surprisingly managed to push him on the ground as she climbed on top, taking control of their entangled bodies this time. He allowed her, grinning at the confidence that oozed from her as she twisted and rolled her hips. He was groaning from her movements before he could even help himself. "Swear it, my black-hearted knight, my duplicitous lord of shit!" she pressed on.
Bronn let out a breathless chuckle but still didn't give in to her command. And then Margaery Tyrell pulled his cock out of her and squeezed it around her fist. Bronn grabbed her wrist but she didn't wrench her hand away. "Swear to love and obey me!"
"You're fucking mad, Maggie," he spat out and grinned at her determination.
She smiled as well and it was a smile that reminded him that she was a thorny, conniving she-monster like the rest of her clan is and she has his manhood in her hand.
"I do not love," Bronn responded at last. "And my obedience is bought."
Margaery Tyrell watched him with razor-sharp intensity.
"But you already know that," he went on. "If I was any other boring knight or lord of some lowly house, you wouldn't be sitting on top of me and threatening to rip my cock out."
She loosened her grip on his manhood and smiled the girlish smile he recognized. "I will make you love me, Lord Bronn. You'll see."
Bronn pried her hand away and carried her off as he stood up. He slammed her against the wall and buried his cock inside her once more. She gasped out and shut her eyes tightly, her fingernails digging into his collarbone. He thrust with an agonizing speed and harshness, suddenly aware that he is paying a higher bargain than he thought. "I do not love," he slowed down his thrusts and whispered into her ear. "But if you name a price I cannot resist then perhaps I just might."
"My knight of Blackwater," Margaery responded, embracing him like it was the last thing she will ever do. She met his unflinching gaze. "Lord of Stokeworth and bearer of my heart, you are a fool. Don't you see that I am the very price you can never resist?"
Cersei knew the kind of influence she has on men. She might have loved only Jamie (and almost loved Robert) but she has also learned that she can use her beauty as a weapon and the disillusion of love from her is quite the poison. Weaker men have fallen on their knees just to have her and this worked to her advantage before the Tyrell women put a stop to it. They dispatched her personal guards, the Kettleback brothers, and were merciful enough to spare Lancel (whom they've suspected was her bedmate and did not care). As much as Cersei can weave men under a spell, her charms do not work on women who are like her in so many ways. The Queen of Thorns and that insipid granddaughter of hers tend to dismiss her like she was a common whore they find amusing to keep around.
But not Lady Alerie.
Cersei had long sensed that the woman does not concern herself with the workings of the palace, nor has she ever expressed any political motivations. She kept to herself like an impenetrable fortress of silence beside Lady Olenna and Margaery, and only meets Cersei's gaze when she has something to say—if she has anything to say at all.
Perhaps she could appeal to the woman's maternal instinct? Cersei was only half-certain that she could persuade Lady Alerie. She had never been alone with her before but now she found the perfect opportunity because Lady Olenna is holding a small council meeting today and Margaery seemed to be locked in her chamber. By Cersei's order, Lancel asked for Lady Alerie to meet her in the gardens outside Red Keep.
The afternoon sun was unkind but Cersei still waited, hoping her invitation would not be revoked. As she stood there in her plainest gown, she found herself looking at the flowers in the garden and realized that they have been taken well care of more than she remembered. She smirked, realizing that it is only proper for the Tyrells to have a bountiful garden, considering a flower is the sigil of their house. Cersei found the most alluring set of white roses in the corner and was almost tempted to reach for one and put it in her hair. Utter nonsense, of course. A woman her age should not indulge such childish longings.
"I hope this isn't a trickery of yours, my lady Cersei."
She turned around and met Lady Alerie's eyes. There is softness in them that contradicted her Tyrell nature. It somehow made Cersei more comfortable to talk.
"No tricks," Cersei clarified. She approached just near enough but kept her distance. "I'm pleased you came. I…I have always wondered how you feel about me."
Lady Alerie simply stared, her hands clasped together in a relaxed manner.
"May I be frank, my lady?"
"I don't expect you to hold your tongue now."
Cersei allowed herself a smile. "I knew that whatever kindness your family has demonstrated is nothing more but part of another elaborate scheme. The Tyrells are cunning and have every right to enjoy the spoils of the war. It does not, however, tarnish my own family's legacy. My father and brothers may have gone but I lingered."
"Your brother Jamie did not leave," Lady Alerie pointed out. "He still serves the Kingsguard ever so faithfully. The difference now is that he only left your side to serve my daughter's." She still held Cersei's gaze gently but the weight of her words is unmistakable.
"Yes," Cersei did not show how much that affected her. "He and I have not spoken since then. I do not hold that against your daughter."
"Is this you being frank?" Lady Alerie regarded her curiously. She unclasped her hands and brushed a strand of ashen brown hair from her forehead where the humid wind blew it. "You have been seething for so long, my lady. I do not hold that against you."
"Then you can understand," Cersei risked a step closer.
Lady Alerie never once stopped looking into her eyes. "You are the last of your kind, my dear Cersei, and I regret that you are one of the spoils of war we are feasting on."
"I am not the last," Cersei answered more truthfully now.
"Ah yes," Lady Alerie closed her eyes and then opened them again. "The children."
"I want to come with Lord Bronn," Cersei didn't see any reason not to open with this now. "I seek your help to bring this proposition to your mother. I would beg on my knees and kiss her feet if I have to—if that is what it takes to see my son safe."
"You do not trust Lord Bronn?"
The question shook Cersei to her core and it almost slipped in her expression. She kept it in and replied. "I do not and will never have a reason to."
"Yet you gave him lordship."
"A bargaining chip, nothing more."
"So he could betray your brother Tyrion?"
"His services are for sale," Cersei sounded defensive. "There was no intimate relationship or love between Bronn and Tyrion and therefore it is not a betrayal."
"You ought to stay here," the other woman interjected. "My mother wishes to have you marry my other son, Willas. We do intend to extend you another kindness."
Cersei shook her head without even realizing it. "What I want now is to see Tommen."
Lady Alerie looked off for a while as she said. "You seek to move me with a mother's sentimentality, Cersei, but I have never seen you vulnerable even in this captivity. An admirable trait, but it will not inspire sympathy from me or the rest of my family."
Cersei wished the other woman will look at her again. "Do you want tears, my lady?"
"No," Lady Alerie slowly turned her eyes back to her. The softness in that empty gaze left Cersei with an awful dread at the pit of her stomach.
"Then what else is there?" Cersei's throat felt dry.
"You asked me earlier about how I feel about you."
Cersei risked another step. She doesn't know if she wants the answer or not.
"I want you to surrender," Lady Alerie said. "You still wish to defy my mother and you do not have the spirit or the resources to do so anymore. Perhaps in another lifetime when you were happier, younger and have plenty of supporters, you could've overthrown the Tyrells. But in your father's death, the Lannister name is almost ready to be put in a grave."
Cersei would not hear the rest of this yet she has to stand here and take it as it is.
Lady Alerie went on. "I speak these truths because I want you to understand that this is a battle you've lost before it's even fought. I feel sorry for you, Cersei. You are a unique woman but you have shed the last of your petals and your roots no longer have a rich soil to take its strength from."
"I have the children," Cersei whispered, almost to herself. I don't care about the throne anymore. I don't care about the Lannister blood still screaming in my veins. I just want to see Tommen, hold him for a moment, have him love me before you enslave him and turn him against me one day. "Please, my lady, I beseech you."
She tried to take the edge out of her voice, to swallow down the pride until she could feel it ramming against her chest. "Pay Bronn with lots of gold and lands and women and he will make sure that I will not escape with my son once I leave King's Landing. You may even order him to kill me. He will do whatever you wish for the most handsome price. He will cut my throat if that pleases you." Cersei felt the tears coming and she held them back.
The sun above them was boiling and Cersei felt it sting her eyes. Lady Alerie watched her the whole time as she spoke and her expression never changed. She is soft like water, Cersei thought, but she can crash against a rock and never get wounded.
"Leave now," Lady Alerie began.
"My lady?"
"Pack your clothes and leave with Lord Bronn now." Lady Alerie turned away from her. "I shall inform my mother. She will be more inclined to agree now that you have left."
"But she might think that I—"
"I shall tell her otherwise," Lady Alerie insisted. "Quickly, now."
Cersei stood there for a few more seconds, hoping Lady Alerie will face her but when she didn't, she decided to walk the other way as she was told to. She paused to pluck a white rose from the corner, clutching it between her fingers as she trudged away.
She could feel every part of her body tingling as she hurried with her steps. She wanted to comprehend what just happened and about to happen but all she could focus on is to see Bronn, the despicable parasite who holds her key to freedom.
Lancel was waiting near the throne room and she asked him to fetch Bronn and tell the parasite to meet her in her chambers. Once she was alone in her room, Cersei sorted out her most practical gowns and threw them into the luggage. Without thinking it, she even grabbed the dagger Jamie had gifted her on her wedding day. It was a magnificent instrument with the lion's head on its tilt. The shape of it against her palm calmed her. When she was done packing, she stripped off to wear something lighter. It was while she was tying on her faded gray boots that Bronn appeared in her doorway. She didn't acknowledge him until she asked him to carry her luggage for her. For a while Bronn didn't approach her. She snapped her head at him. "We have no time to lose."
"The thorny bitch let you come? How did you manage that?"
"It was Lady Alerie," Cersei answered and remembered the woman's eyes.
Bronn was grinning as he took the luggage on the bed. "You just couldn't stay away from me, can you?" His free hand touched her on the nape.
Cersei didn't slap him away and Bronn took this as further invitation so he lowered his hand to her chest, cupping her right breast. When he leaned down for a kiss, she stopped him with a glare. "We have no time to waste," she repeated and pushed his hand off. "I am going for my son's and not to be with you."
The words didn't sound convincing to her ears and she could see Bronn agreed.
"Yet you're going to have me anyway," he replied, still grinning like a wolf. "What is that in your hand?" He was talking about the rose.
Cersei brushed him off and went for the door but then Bronn grabbed her wrist. She managed to slam the door close just in time when he took her in his arms and clamped their mouths together. She steadied in his grip and fought for control. When they disentangled, they both struggled to breathe.
Bronn's devastating eyes remained on hers as he swooped the rose from her hand and placed it on her hair with an uncharacteristic tenderness that left her even more speechless. In that moment, she forgot who he was and what she's supposed to do.
He wasn't as affected by this ridiculously amorous moment as she was, and it occurred to her that he has no idea how dangerously irresistible he could be without even so much effort, and she will not let him know this hidden skill.
I'm the one who wants to toy with his emotions, she thought, yet here I am being toyed with by a man who doesn't even understand the way the game is played.
Cersei opened the door and waited for him to come outside first with her luggage. Once they were both in the hallway, she locked her chambers and kept the keys inside the pockets of her clothing. She became aware that the fabric and cut was unflattering. She wore this when she pretended to be a peasant girl during her clandestine meetings with Jamie outside the castle. She knew that these clothes will make her unrecognizable.
Bronn must have been reading her thoughts (how does he do that?) because he was telling her, "Nothing can ever conceal your pretty hair and lovely face, not even those ugly rags." He whispered. "I would still tremble in your presence." The last remark dripped with sarcasm she is still getting accustomed to.
"I have no time to spare for your insolence."
"You should do so because we will spend weeks together from now on."
The idea appealed to her in a murderous sort of way. Cersei was glad she brought the dagger along with her. If Bronn crosses a line, she will stab him with it.
They walked to the stables and Cersei was surprised to find that Bronn had already prepared two horses. She wasted no time on getting on the horse but forgot that it has been a while since she rode and so Bronn had to help her up as she climbed. When he did, he brushed his hands on her arse and she kicked him underneath but unfortunately missed.
Bronn put her luggage on his horse. He climbed on the saddle and grinned at her. Cersei knew she hated this man and perhaps even greater than she hated Tyrion. Yet it does not stop me from wanting him. It doesn't stop me from longing for his cock
…and ripping it out of him.
The dusk has spread around them while the stale air threatened to chill the rest, and Cersei wished that she had her twin by her side. She sat there on the horse, hoping that the news of her departure had reached him by now. Somehow she hoped that Lady Olenna or Margaery or anyone else will come to the stables and stop her. She has fully made up her mind to leave but for the tiniest bit of consolation, she wished that someone still wants her here, whoever that may be—but she truly wanted it to be Jamie.
Bronn didn't say anything as they remained sitting there with their horses side-by-side. She could feel the weight of his stare but she never returned it.
A few more minutes passed and her prayer was answered. The Queen of Thorns emerged with Lady Alerie, Margaery and Lancel trailing behind. The old woman had a confident gait that contradicted the smallness of her stature. She had both hands on her hips as she looked at Cersei from the horse. There were two Kingsguards who appeared as well, but neither of them were Jamie. When was the day he stopped loving me? She thought bitterly, desperate to understand how it could have ever been real between them after all.
"Cersei," the Queen of Thorns spoke, her voice had an odd edge to it. "I do not want you harmed in any capacity but I can see that you have made your grave and more than ready to lie on it. My only hope now is that Lord Bronn will keep you alive long enough to give your sweet boy away." She narrowed her eyes and then broke into the most frigid smile Cersei had ever seen in anyone. "I trust you at least want to see him sitting on the throne."
"This is not a suicide mission," she answered. "I have every intention to live."
Margaery came closer to her horse and Cersei noticed something different about the way she moved. "I beg you to reconsider, my lady."
"I think not," Cersei replied, keeping her eyes locked on the queen regent. "Tell me, Your Grace, do you trust Lord Bronn?"
Margaery blinked and turned her attention to the man in question. It was a passing glance but something about it made Cersei shiver slightly. "He will not fail me, that I know."
"Then I aspire to inherit the same belief for our Lord of Stokeworth."
Where is Jamie? How will I ever be complete again?
"I do not wasn't to waste energy dissuading you," Lady Olenna spoke up again. She crossed her arms before her and added. "You could be marrying Willas now but instead you have the gull to pursue a more dangerous road. I pray to old gods and new that we would not lose you, Cersei. You are important to me, more than you could ever hope for."
She did not like what that statement entailed but Cersei managed a nod. "When we bring Tommen back, we shall have two weddings then for I accept my betrothal to Willas."
"She accepts..." Lady Olenna chuckled. "That is the very first smart thing you did for a long time, child." She turned to Bronn and pointed a finger at him. "Listen here, brave knight of the Blackwater. You are to do everything to ensure the safety of my wards. I do not care for the costs or the nature of such lengths as long as they arrive in King's Landing without even a single bruise. I make myself clear to you now and if you succeed, you can have any number of lands and more possessions besides gold than you never even dreamed of."
This time Cersei risked a glance at her travelling companion. The darkness in his black eyes is hypnotic to look at even in this proximity.
"I have very modest desires but I suppose my ambition exceeds them," he remarked with a smirk. When Cersei glanced back at the Tyrell women, she saw Lady Alerie's soft expression once more and the unmistakable smile of something unnamed from Margaery's face. She looked back at Bronn and saw that he was holding the young regent's gaze. A secret is brewing between them, she thought. How could I expect anything else?
The Queen of Thorns must've noticed the exchange between the sellsword-turned-lord and her granddaughter but she did not care to address it. "Travel with a clear head, my lady." She reached a hand to touch Cersei on the ankle. "You are most my most prized."
Jamie, please come soon and say goodbye to me.
Lady Alerie approached now and offered a square package towards Cersei. She took it and wondered what it's supposed to be when the woman spoke. "It gives one something to look forward to. Take heart in it." Cersei quickly nodded and placed the package into one of the large pockets of her raggedy garments.
Jamie, please...
The two Kingsguards escorted their horses until they reached the main gates.
Now, sweet brother…
Bronn reached for the rope in Cersei's hand to keep her horse steady as they began to leave Red Keep. She bowed her head low and hid her face in view of the peasants they passed by. Why, Jamie…?
The parasite moved close to her so he could whisper. "We are taking a slightly longer way. The Roseroad is preferable but very tempestuous at this hour. In three days hence we will reach Highgarden. We could just stay in the woods in the night but ride in the morns. There are small cottages on the road to stay in." He paused. "I must warn you that traveling will bring out the worst in you if you're not able to bear the perilous conditions it offers."
Cersei looked at him at last. "I am my best when tested by the worst."
"We ride until nightfall but it will be a while when we find a cozy inn," he remarked. "So we're going to have to settle in the woods. You've never been, have you?"
It annoyed her that he would ask now that he knew the answer. "I was raised at a castle and was never allowed to join my father and brother when they hunt in the forest."
Smirking, his hand slipped from the rope and on top of her hand. "But you wanted to come, didn't you?" His fingers circled on the flesh of her hand as their horses trudged along.
"I was not allowed."
"Did that ever stop you?"
Cersei shot him a look but ended up meeting his tempting gaze and it lingered there. "Never. I find ways to sneak out and follow them anyway. They never even knew."
He leaned in and murmured. "If I was one of the hill tribes in those lands, I would steal you away and savage you like no other beast has ever done."
"Haven't you tried that already?" she mocked him.
The parasite chuckled under his breath and pulled on the rope so her horse could keep up with his. "I could always let my fingers and cock do all the talking if you challenge me to prove it to you." He offered his insolent grin. "I'll be getting the chances soon enough."
"As long as there's still sleep in it for me," she replied, careful not to rouse him.
"You'll surely need it when I'm through."
She wanted to shut him up with a kiss that will make his teeth bleed but all she did was grab the rope from his hand and moved her horse a yard further away from him. Bronn snorted a laugh but did not try to catch up with her speed. He lurked like a shadow in his horse, watching her intently at her back and it sent prickling sensations in her spine.
Cold winds kept rising as the dark finally caught up with them.
Bronn let Cersei lead ahead because it makes it easier for him to scout any possible ambush if he stayed right behind her. He knew he should be focusing on where they are going but he couldn't keep himself from letting his thoughts drift away here and there especially with the queerness of their circumstances.
He had been in this road before many times and came out stronger in the end. His natural instinct about the smallest things has kept him alive for so long yet this time it seems tougher to peg what is going to happen next and what moves he should be making. He considered himself fairly calculating though most of his movements are visceral. He is always more inclined to form a defense from a measured distance than to engage in an open attack. That has always been his way of doing things. But for the past weeks since women of noble birth have entered the picture, his judgment has slightly suffered. And now he is alone with the most coveted woman in Westeros and he had no idea why that's twisting his edges when he knew that whatever kind of desire he shares with her is nothing more than a fleeting affliction. Bronn is now forced to look at the mistakes he's made since he fucked Margaery Tyrell—no, since he danced with Cersei Lannister that night.
He shouldn't have lingered around these women too much and pandered for their affections. He raised the stakes too highly when he didn't even like to play the game at all. What even made it worse is the aftermath he's undergoing now. He was never swayed by his carnal yearnings this easily but now it's getting harder to ignore. So he made a decision then; that if he does bugger himself by this lust, he should at least play it smart.
His sessions with Margaery Tyrell earlier were unable to satiate Bronn. He wanted Cersei Lannister and the pangs of hunger for her flesh have dulled his views for a moment. But he knew he had to be more alert this time. She should be the first to succumb to him and not the other way around. Bronn had been around enough women to know that they're always so ruthless especially when you attempt to bed them. What even makes this lioness exceptional is she will kill and eat him and then maybe fuck him. It admittedly excited Bronn.
Almost thirty miles in Roseroad, Cersei had begun to show signs of fatigue but she held out on her own quite well, which was better than Bronn expected. She never complained as they rode, never asked for a piece of bread or wine. She soldiered on like she was raised for this. It was the most amusing thing to watch. He didn't know she had so much in her and that will fortunately make his job easier to keep her pretty head on her shoulders. It would irritate Bronn if she is completely incapable for damsels in distress are not worth fighting for. This is Cersei Lannister after all and she may have reached her prime but it surely doesn't mean she could never cope with that harsh truth.
For days since he began to long for her, he can see the struggle she faced and how hard she is forcing her way through the self-doubt and rage she guarded so vigilantly inside.
Bronn also knew why she waited at the stables. It wasn't because of the Tyrells. It was because of that brother of hers she used to fuck. The Kingslayer did not even spare her time to come down his chambers and see her leave. He did find that unsettling. How could a man who has been ensnared all his life by a beautiful woman ever set himself free? Bronn himself would like to ask Jamie Lannister about that someday.
And then he might ask Cersei one day: how can any man ever stop wanting you?
They were riding for almost four hours now and the lioness still kept her mouth shut all the way through. Once in while she will look behind her to see if he is still following but she would not try to catch his gaze or engage him in any kind of small talk. He didn't care. All they have between them is time and they will not reach Highgarden until the week is out. It might even be another few days, going by his earlier expedition in this road before. Bronn's earlier three-day estimation is too optimistic for he knew the Roseroad isn't a walk in the park and there can be unexpected twists and turns in the forests ahead them. On the morrow they may get to cross Bitterbridge but that is if the rain won't catch up with them.
He has not told Cersei yet but Bronn never planned to follow the Roseroad until it reaches the Tyrell House. From Bitterbridge, he knew it's wise to cut to Longtable and then enter Cider Hall but that would entail them to ride forth with a few camping privileges. His goal is to reach Cockleswent where he has two or three friends who can assist him with a more concealed passage to Highgarden. The Queen of Thorns was clear on her terms after all. She wanted him to travel like a shadow from one place to another to avoid the spies from Stannis Baratheon and the Martells. He intends to do just that but the only thing he isn't sure of is Cersei's involvement. A woman of her distinction is bound to draw out scum.
She wore peasant clothes now and her hair is tied in a plain bun but this only accentuated the beauty in her face—the unblemished skin so definitive of noble birth. How could he hope to elude people when Cersei Lannister stands out naturally?
I should ugly her up a bit, Bronn considered. But would she go for that?
He also knew that his biggest obstacle is riding back to King's Landing with both mother and child and without taking the easier route which is the Kingsroad. That journey will take a month to accomplish. On the bright side, he gets to spend as much time as he can with Cersei and who's to say she won't spread her legs for him in one of those nights?
"Isn't it time to rest?" her voice broke through his chain of thoughts. She glanced his way and added. "It's hard to see now and I think it's wise that we should be making camp."
Bronn rode his horse next to her and said. "Then we should. Besides, it's a long way to travel on the morrow and you need to be getting your beauty sleep, Your Grace."
She gave him one of her glacial glares and then she looked across the wooden vastness before them and remarked. "There under those huge trees. That would acceptable. We can stay hidden from sight of whatever or whoever might dare to harm us."
"I still cannot imagine you lying on the mud, getting your pretty hair tangled."
"I do not have to," Cersei willed her horse to move to the direction she chose. "You will give me your cloak and I shall lie in it."
"With me still wearing it, I hope," he countered, "There's no point in not sharing."
Cersei glared again but she didn't seem to disagree with the notion. Bronn broke into a grin when he realized that this rare opportunity he has in his hands must be taken advantage of. With both confidence and caution, he moved his horse and followed her.
She rode her horse through the ensemble of thick, large trunks. There was an open space in the middle and a canopy of branches rested above it with its long stretch shielding the sky in view. That should be enough to keep them safe for tonight, she thought.
Cersei didn't wait for Bronn to help her get down from her horse. She tested the ground with her boots and savored the sound of things crushing underneath them. The scent of dead leaves and earth was uniquely comforting but it did little to appease her growing fears. More than anything, the darkness that encompassed this unfamiliar place frightens her. She has always been surrounded by castle walls all her life. Love makes you brave and headstrong, she told herself, and it can take you to the most ruthless lengths.
She watched as Bronn tied their horses securely on a nearby tree. He took her luggage and his bag and walked to her direction. The very scarce streaks of light made his gaunt, pale face even more ghoulish. He was never handsome but his bone-hard and haunting features cut through this perception somehow that she finds herself unable to look away; not when those dark eyes keep reeling her in. She surmised that his effect on women in general is this grating and memorable. It sickens her that she has fallen prey.
But I will destroy him, she thought. When I get my power back, I will take away his.
He still grinned insolently as he approached. "You can use this as your pillow." He casually tossed her luggage and she caught it, her annoyance written all over her face.
With their eyes still locked together, he took off his cloak slowly like he was putting on a show. Cersei had to turn away in disgust. He was walking close by now and when he reached her, he wrapped the cloak around her shoulders. This uncharacteristic gesture of whatever possessed affection is too much for Cersei and she felt like she's going to puke. Bronn was clearly enjoying her fast descent to demise. He rubbed his palms on her shoulders with the purpose of giving her warmth but it chilled her nonetheless. She gave every ounce of repulsion in her glare but he smirked at her this time, his black eyes glinting like a blade cutting through her as she looked on.
His hands went lower just as expected and she didn't give him time to touch her breasts again as she shoved him away from her. She dropped the cloak and luggage as she quickly turned away and walked to a tree, gathering her breath back. She feels incredibly torn between stabbing him with the dagger or ripping her clothes off and fucking him. The confusion took a hold of her that it almost suffocated her. She had never felt this stupid and impulsive and it angered her that she should feel this towards a low-born scum parasite like Bronn. This was a mistake, she thought in horrible agony, I don't know myself around him.
When she turned around again, she saw that he has already lain the cloak in the grass with her luggage and his bag beside each other.
"You're tense and wound up," he remarked. "Perhaps you should let me soothe you."
"Move away," she commanded, unable to conceal the brewing fury inside her.
"Do you always have to prolong your suffering by denying and fighting what is inevitable, Your Grace?" The parasite's words are making it harder to stay in control.
"You are to take me to my son and get us back to King's Landing," her voice trembled but she steadied her temper. "You were purchased to protect me—especially from yourself."
"You want to do this the hard way then," he said as he came closer again.
Cersei's eyes burned with rage. "If you lay your despicable hands on me—"
"Like I had the last time you willingly surrendered yourself to me?" She saw that he was also getting angry now and this shocked her. "You get on that high horse all you like, Your Grace, but don't blame me when you fall down hard. I caught you in your last fall and so I can do whatever I please with you from now on." He didn't take another step but Cersei couldn't take a step back either. They watched each other for a while.
"Don't you…dare touch me...again—" she can feel her will breaking as she said it.
He didn't smile anymore.
She backed away now, her arms wrapped around herself.
For a while, they stood there with the silence going back and forth between their eyes. Finally, he scoffed under his breath and began to walk away. He picked up his bag and walked away for another yard until he dropped it next to a huge rock.
"I'm staying the fuck away from you as you commanded, Your Grace." He announced. "Now get your rest and we leave at dawn. We won't stop riding until we cross Bitterbridge. I shall guard Your Grace in your slumber so you are free to bugger off now."
He sat on the rock and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. He no longer faced her but instead watched the dreary scenery before them. Meanwhile, Cersei was loss for words. She has never seen him lose his temper before and it made her…ashamed? She just stood there, biting her lower lip and gripping at the side of her arms with her nails digging slightly on the flesh. Unable to stand his cold treatment, she found her voice. "Lord Bronn?"
He didn't even blink.
Cersei wanted to scream and claw her eyes out. She couldn't understand a single thing anymore and the rest of her body is conspiring against her as she marched to his direction. Her resolve has cracked and she found herself facing him, hopelessly idiotic.
She offered him no apology but instead took his hand from the hilt of his sword but he snatched it away from hers and never looked at her in the eye. Feeling utterly in pieces now, she sought for his hand again and before he could react, she placed it between her legs. There was no comprehension in her actions and she rather not think as this is happening. The parasite finally looked at her but his eyes still remained frigid as ever. His hand was not moving underneath her so Cersei took it out so she could kneel down before him. The position was so massively degrading that she forced herself to experience the rest of this like a stranger looking from the outside. Her mind was a separate entity now as she began to unlace his breeches. When she pulled his cock out, she immediately got her hand working around it as she dipped her tongue on its head.
There were no fake protestations from him and she didn't bother looking at his face to see if he was enjoying this. The evidence was in her hand and mouth after all. Yet he never made a sound and it was as if he was also as detached as she is. She didn't try to discern his taste in her tongue as she took him inside her. She tried not to inhale him as she moved mechanically underneath him.
Even when he gripped her by the back of her head, she did not dare to think about anything. She just did what she had to do, all her responses now automatic.
Before she could finish him, he pulled her away from his lap and somehow wrapped his arms around her back as he pushed her to the ground. Uncomprehending, she opened her mouth against his. She clutched him by the waist and rubbed her own hips against his body in a rhythmic motion. He kissed her on her neck and then her chest with his hands heavy on her breasts. Cersei kept her eyes shut the whole time and saw Jamie's face as it blended into Robert's and then back to Jamie's again. When he kissed her back on her mouth, she saw Tyrion and that's when she ended up biting him hard on his lower lip.
"Fuck!" he flinched away. She opened her eyes and saw that she made him bleed.
The parasite chuckled, wiping the blood that dripped to his chin. He sat up and still chuckled as he fixed his gaze on her. "There is nothing tender about you, isn't there?"
Freed from the stupefying lust, Cersei found herself again. She bolted up and grimaced with what has happened. She quickly stood up and wobbled when she did.
The parasite still looked at her, his amusement seemingly unending.
She said nothing as she walked back to where her luggage was. Cersei opened it and saw the dagger wrapped around her clothes and safely tucked in. She smirked as she let her gaze linger at it for a moment before she zipped the luggage and used it to lay her head on. She pulled the cloak close to her and faced the other way so she didn't have to see him first when she wakes up on the morrow.
"Dream of me, Your Grace…" he called out.
She closed her eyes. And there I shall send you to your death.
He only got little sleep before he woke up with his head filled with thoughts of the lioness prowling on him like she had done earlier, catching him off-guard.
Bronn should start expecting the worst from her now especially with how amusingly duplicitous she can be. One moment she is cursing him to the gods and the next she's putting him in her mouth like she has done it a million times before.
Women of noble birth are at war with their inner whores, he thought, smiling as he lay there on the rock, his eyes fixed on the leafy sight of the sky above him. He risked a glanced at Cersei Lannister sleeping a yard away, bundled up in his cloak.
He never thought he would ever enjoy such a ridiculous torment but he is. He'd rather have her fighting him with tooth and nail as long as she gives in between breaks of her almighty rage. Bronn is reaching a point where he's certain he can read her without that much strain anymore. She's a tricky puzzle to unravel but he is getting closer…
Restless, he sat up and pulled out his sword from its sheath. He caught a glimpse of his reflection on its surface as he sharpened it with his small blade.
It was the unmistakable look of impending victory.