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Face Claim for Queen Sanira: Caitlin Stasey.
Chapter Nineteen: Death and Negotiations.
Climbing out of the cart that had carried her through the streets of King's Landing, Cersei held her head high as she stared up at the Great Sept of Baelor. The streets were filled with people who had come to mourn the death of Tywin Lannister, everyone craning to see the Queen Mother as she moved to the top of the stairs. Her eyes sweeping over those that lined the stairs waiting for their chance to see her father, the man that had served as Hand of the King and the strong foundation of the throne laid to rest.
"Your Grace, we are honoured by your presence. The mourners are waiting," the priest greeted stepping forward to bow to Cersei when she reached the top of the steps where the Tyrells were gathered. Hatred filled her as her eyes swept over Margaery, she would not allow these people to sink their claws into her son; her last remaining child that she could hold onto. Joffrey was buried beside his father in the Sept, Myrcella was lost to her in Dorne with no news on when she would return as she was set to be married to one of the Dornish Princes.
"They will keep waiting. I want a moment alone with him," Cersei stated coolly, she cared not for any of the interlopers that had come to pay their respects to her father. She could already feel the vultures circling and she would not have them intrude before she needed to allow them to do so.
"But Your Grace, many of these lords and ladies have travelled day and night to be here from all seven kingdoms..." the priest stated wishing to explain that keeping all these people waiting was not an option. There were many that had come to pay their respects to Tywin Lannister, those who had come to see if the man truly was dead and those who had travelled far and wide just to be here today.
"They will wait," Cersei ordered not giving the priest another moment of her time, she pushed forward knowing that she held the power now. It was up to her to ensure the Lannister rule that her father had fought so hard to maintain over the years and she would not allow these vultures to steal that power from her. Inside the Great Sept of Baelor, Tywin's body rested in the centre of the room where not so many months earlier Joffrey had been laid.
His eyes were covered by hand-painted stones that Cersei had instructed done by one of her ladies, Jaime stood presiding over his body as Cersei made her way towards him and stopped next to him.
"He never wanted you to be a King's Guard, but here you are, protecting his dead body," Cersei mused bitterly, she felt angry that their father had been taken from them; they had enemies on all sides and their home lost to the Baratheon Barbarian that claimed her son's throne. They were surrounded and to make matters worse the creature that dare called itself her brother had gotten away after murdering her beloved boy and now their father.
"What he built. The towers. He built it for us. He meant it for us. They're going to try to take it away, all of it," Jaime stated calmly, trying the ease the guilt that he felt for his part in their father's death. He didn't have to guess why Tyrion had done what he had, the dead body that had been discretely disposed of that had been found in Tywin's bed had been a guess enough for him.
"They?" Cersei asked amused almost that Jaime seemed to care so much, afterall it was his actions that had lead to this moment; he had been the one to let the beast escape his punishment.
"All of them out there are enemies. They're waiting a night to make sure he's really dead and as soon as they see the stones on his eyes they'll set to work on tearing us apart," Jaime continued, the vultures were circling and they needed to be able to trust one another. There was no going back now, they needed to trust one another if they were going to survive if it wasn't the hoard outside then the fact that Stannis had taken their home from them.
"They had nothing to do with it. The man who murdered our father, he tore us apart, he's the enemy. I've been telling you for years, you've been defending him for years..." Cersei stated mournfully, everything had always come so easy to Jaime. He didn't see the danger that his actions had landed them in; if only he hadn't insisted on seeing good in the monster that had now murdered both of their parents.
"...and now our father is dead. And that little monster is out there somewhere drawing breath. Did you set him free?" Cersei asked turning away from the dead body of their father to stare at her twin almost daring him to lie to her. They both knew that there was only one way that Tyrion had escaped the capital and that was through Jaime's aid.
"Tyrion may be a monster but at least he killed our father on purpose. You killed him by mistake. With stupidity. You're a man of action, aren't you?" Cersei taunted him, his actions had lead to their current situation and there was nothing that could be done about it now. They had no way of knowing where Tyrion had fled to and Cersei had already ordered that a price be put on the little monster's head so that he might be captured and brought to justice for what he had done.
"When it occurs to you to do something you do it, never mind the consequences. Take a look. Look at the consequences. Here they are. He loved you more than anyone in this world," Cersei stated shaking her head. She had always been jealous of Jaime, the firstborn son that Tywin had always desired and loved; her life would have been so much easier if their roles had been reversed. It would have been her that was the heir to Casterly Rock, she would have been the son that the great Tywin Lannister could have been proud of.
Moving away from Jaime, she paid him no more mind as she pressed a kiss to the top of Tywin's head before she turned to make her exit. As always it was on her to clean up Jaime's messes, she would ensure their rule and she would be the one to get them out of the mess that Jaime had created when he had freed Tyrion. The little beast would be found, there was nowhere in Westeros that Tyrion could hide from her.
The sound of wailing made Cersei grimace and she dodged the arrival of Arlenna who pushed her way into the sept so that she might mourn her beloved older brother. Arlenna would be the first of her Lannister relatives that she would do away with when she had the chance, she had no patience for her aunt who brought nothing to support herself with when she'd arrived in King's Landing.
"My Lord Tyrion, welcome to Casterly Rock," Oberyn Martell greeted moving to approach the new arrival, the man looking a lot more worse for wear than the last time that the Dornish Prince had seen him last. It had been a long journey indeed to get him to the Westerlands without being detected by any Lannister spies, from what Oberyn had learned it had been a rather interesting send off for the youngest Lannister son. Tyrion eyed the man warily, this was not where he had expected to end up when Varys had gotten him out of King's Landing; he had expected the sunny shores of Braavos rather than his ancestral home.
"I am rather familiar with the place, although I do wonder why I have been brought here," Tyrion stated, he had hoped to find the nearest tavern to drink away his sorrows but that clearly wasn't the best idea. No doubt his father's death was news across Westeros now, there would be a price on his head no doubt in his mind that Cersei would hunt him down. He moved further into the room that he had been led to, exhausted from his travels and eager to rest; he eyed the walls that had once been so familiar to him.
"Because Lord Tyrion, we have an offer for you," Stannis Baratheon stated appearing from behind, he eyed the man that was currently being accused of murdering his own father. Of course, given the reports that he'd had from his men who had helped smuggle the disgraced Lannister across Westeros from King's Landing he wouldn't blame the man.
The news that despite being declared innocent after his trial by combat, Tyrion had found himself imprisoned in slightly better quarters than when he'd been in the dungeon under the Red Keep was not a surprise to Stannis. The Lannisters were desperate to pin the attack on Joffrey on anyone, to make it appear that they had brought the death of the King to justice; however, even Stannis knew that the only person who wanted to believe Tyrion was guilty was Cersei.
Her desperation to kill of her own brother was well worth noting especially when she had idiotically made the Mountain her champion. It was common knowledge to all that the Martells would seek to destroy the man for what he had done to Elia, the entire situation could have ended in disaster if Oberyn had been killed during his fight with the beast.
"Well I didn't expect this, are you going to execute me for what I did at the Battle of Blackwater?" Tyrion asked dryly, he was in no mood to meet with Stannis as he stared around the chambers that had once been his father's presence chamber. He didn't care what the man wanted, there was nothing that he could offer him that would be worth it after what he had done.
"Not at all, we have a proposition for you," Stannis replied simply, he moved to pour the man a drink knowing that it would make the situation run smoother. He couldn't imagine what it was like for your own family to accuse you of a murder that you did not commit, for all their faults Robert and Renly would never have turned on him in such a way. Of course, they'd had their disagreements and Stannis would never forgive Renly for his attempt to steal his throne from him but that was all in the past.
"We?" Tyrion noted taking the wine from Stannis and raising an eyebrow, he was not aware that Stannis had entered an alliance with anyone; least of all the fact that the Dornish Prince who was watching him with great interest. It had been a long trip and many weeks considering they'd avoid the main roads on their way here, he peered at Varys who gave nothing away as he moved to take a seat. Stannis nodded his head before stepping aside to reveal that he was not the only King in this room, he eyed Robb who was seated taking in the scene as it unfolded.
"Robb Stark, this I did not expect… considering the reports of your death," Tyrion stated, his eyebrow raised wondering how the self-proclaimed King of the North had escaped the fate that his own father had engineered for him. It surely must have been a great fete considering almost everyone in Westeros believed him dead after the slaughter that the Freys had caused at his Uncle Edmure's wedding.
"Greatly exaggerated I assure you," Robb replied plainly, he had no ill-will against the dwarf that had done nothing but treat his family with respect despite the hostilities that had built between their two families. Robb had received Sansa's reports of her time in King's Landing and she spoke kindly about how Tyrion had done his best to keep her from Joffrey's reach. He had refused to force himself on her despite the pressure from those around them who expected Tyrion to father a child that would secure the North for the Lannisters.
"That I can see…" Tyrion said trailing off as he thought about Sanira, one of his more favourite cousins despite her apparent dislike for the majority of her Lannister relatives. Of course, she'd have no reason to like them anymore now; not after everything that the Lannisters had done to her and her family. He opened his mouth to enquire about her but hesitated, wanting to know if like the reports of Robb's death that perhaps Sanira had escaped the death that had been reported for her by the Freys.
"My wife is well, she currently holds the North in my absence and is negotiating with the Vale," Robb said seeing the hesitation from Tyrion, there was only one person that he could think of that would cause such. His heart ached at the time spent away from Sanira and he longed to be reunited with her, they were on separate paths at this time and the news that the Golden Company had pledged themselves to her had been the boast that the army had needed.
There were lengthy talks happening with the Vale, Sanira had confirmed that it was likely that they would declare for them rather than Stannis owing to the fact that Robb was Robin's cousin and it was Sanira offering them support during this time. Tyrion thanked the Gods for such news, her death had caused him deep regret especially since her own mother did not seem to mourn her as expected.
"We have need of that mind of yours, Lord Tyrion," Stannis stated dispensing with the pleasantries, he saw no reason for them to drag this out especially as they were pretty secure in their hold of Casterly Rock. The small challenges that they'd received from Lannister forces were nothing compared to the might of their armies.
The Tyrells having backed down in their armed forces after the death of Joffrey, now they awaited the marriage of Margaery Tyrell to Tommen to unite the two houses again. Stannis would not deny that the man had a brilliant mind, it was through his actions that Stannis had lost the Battle of Blackwater and he had proved a competent Hand of the King during his time. Enough to cover the disaster that had been Joffrey on the Iron Throne and Cersei's inability to control him.
The whispers that Stannis had heard from his spies had not warmed his heart especially about the cruel treatment that Sansa Stark had endured during her time at King's Landing at the hands of Joffrey. There was no doubt in his mind what would have happened when Joffrey had no longer needed a regent, even Tywin would have struggled to conceal the monster that had been born to House Lannister when the time came.
"I am willing to allow you to name your price in aiding us remove the usurpers from my throne," Stannis offered knowing that to betray ones family was a great ask. There was no turning back for Tyrion now, a price was on his head after he had murdered Tywin and Cersei would be unwilling to let him slip through her fingers. There was already a number of dwarfs that had been killed in an effort to claim the reward that Cersei had offered for his head.
The woman was desperate and Stannis knew that she would find herself short of allies, she thought herself smarter than she was and already there was news that she had cast aside her own Tyrell match that had been made by Tywin. Not that Loras Tyrell would likely mourn the loss of his match to the much older Cersei, the youngest Tyrell boy was unlikely to care considering the rumours about the company that he kept. His grief over the death of Renly had been mentioned by many and Stannis was no fool, he knew who was more likely to hold his brother's attentions out of the Tyrell siblings and it was Margaery.
"I am not entirely sure what you want from me, I'm a wanted man afterall," Tyrion stated with a shrug, he didn't think that there was anything that he could say that would help their situation. He just wanted to disappear from Westeros, to never return to this accursed land after everything that had happened to him.
"We need someone who can tell us, how your sister is going to act moving forward… how to breach the Keep with minimal loss to the civilians, you defend it once," Stannis pointed out, if anyone knew how Cersei would act now then it would be the thorn in her side since the moment that he was born. Only Tyrion would be able to predict Cersei's actions, especially as she was now the head of House Lannister as far as she was concerned; she would not bow down to any man that told her otherwise.
"In return, you will be named to my small council. Master of Law. I will have you declared innocent of the act of murdering your father, the assassin that murdered Joffrey killed your father and you escaped with your life, false accused again of murder," Stannis stated dismissively. He was certain of his plans, there was no secret that the false trial that Tyrion had suffered would make him the best option to restructure the way that such matters were handled in the future.
He wouldn't name Tyrion, his hand as the position was obviously held by Ser Davos who had served him well in all that he had done so far. Varys had been employed as his Master of Whispers in recent times, the man having come aboard in recent months since his alliance with the Starks. His Master of Coin was Justin Massey and Master of Ships was Richard Horpe, he was certain of each of his decisions and would not be swayed from what he had already decided.
Stannis had no plans in ruling as his brother had, he would not be the lazy king who allowed others to rule in his name; he had many plans and he knew that preparing his daughter for her own rule was just as important. Shireen was his heir, he didn't care what anyone else thought and he had raged when Melisandre when she had suggested that perhaps he should remarry to obtain an healthy heir, blessed by the Lord of Light.
He had dismissed her from his sight at her words, ignoring the pleading from Selyse for his forgiveness on the matter complaining that she would understand if he set her aside. Tyrion was silent taking in Stannis, he pursed his lips in thought knowing that there was one thing that he had always wanted and had always been denied. Perhaps this would be his final revenge against the family that had shunned him for something that he had no control over.
"I wish to be named Lord of Casterly Rock," Tyrion said setting down the wine and looking between Robb and Stannis, he laid his terms on the table knowing that one way or another he'd get what his father denied him. He was certain that his father was rolling over in his grave at the mere idea that Tyrion would be Lord of Casterly Rock after he had died and Jaime was still sworn to the King's Guard.
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