Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or anything related. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the creator of this wonderful universe and David Benioff and D. B. Weiss who created the show.

Face Claim for Queen Sanira: Caitlin Stasey.


Chapter Twenty-Five: Fractured.

Sitting inside the office that had once been her father's when he had served as Hand of the King, it felt fitting in Cersei's mind that she now used it as her own while she conducted her plotting against her enemies. Today had brought the Lady Olenna Tyrell to her door, the old woman looking rather displeased with the recent revelations that had taken place. Cersei stared down at the parchment before her, her eyes cast down as she worked on scribing on the parchment as if her very life depended on it.

"Your Grace, I have travelled a long way," Olenna stated fed up already with this act, she had retired to High Garden to check on her eldest grandson who was running the family home in the absence of his father. Willas was being supported by Garlan, both of them settling into their roles and Olenna couldn't have been more proud of the two of them for handling things with most of the family in the capital. It was there that she had received the news of what Cersei had done, she had rushed back here to confront the fool of a woman that was trying to bring down everything that they had built.

"You must be exhausted," Cersei noted not looking up, she was far from interested in what the old woman had to say to her; she knew exactly why she was here and she enjoyed the fact that nothing could be done about it. Loras and Margaery were imprisoned right now, they would remain that way while the Faith Militant dealt with them however they saw fit.

"Put the pen down, dear, we all know you aren't writing anything," Olenna stated wondering how Cersei thought she was portraying herself right now, she clearly thought that she could copy her father. Tywin Lannister had been a formidable man and one that could be reconned with, he didn't need to pretend to be anything; he was who he was and he didn't have to mess around to make people fear him.

"Ah, yes, the famously tart-tongued queen of thorns," Cersei mused with a smirk, she honestly didn't know who Olenna thought she was but her attitude was not one that Cersei was willing to put up with. She saw how the old woman looked down her nose at Cersei, as if she was built of better things than her and was a Queen in any shape or form.

"And the famous tart Queen Cersei," Olenna replied back looking far from impressed, she raised an eyebrow at Cersei when the woman finally looked at her rather taken back that Olenna would indeed go there. There was no ignoring the whispers about the company that Cersei kept in her chambers, the city was full of tales of lovers for the Queen.

"I know you're behind this absurd incarceration of my grandson," Olenna stated not beating around the bush, she had rushed back here when she had heard and she didn't believe for a moment that Cersei wasn't behind all this. There had been enough reports about her hovering around this High Sparrow fellow, it was her that had armed the fanatics that now seemed everywhere in the city.

"If you apologize for that comment perhaps..." Cersei started setting down the pen that she had been writing with, a look of displeasure on her face as she stared at Olenna. However, Cersei didn't get much further into her response when Olenna interrupted her again.

"You'll get your apology when I get Loras," Olenna interjected as she clasped her hands, she raised an eyebrow at Cersei as if daring her to deny that this wasn't her fault. There was no way that this wasn't her doing, she had her finger prints all over this; she knew that Cersei had been displeased when the marriage alliance had been announced. She was lucky that they weren't pressing for the match with Loras to go through, they had let it go once Margaery had married Tommen; but it wasn't hard to forget that part of the alliance hadn't been honoured.

"I was as shocked as anyone when The Faith arrested Ser Loras. I have no love for these fanatics. But what can the queen mother do?" Cersei stated with a shake of her head as if she hadn't set those fanatics in their position of power. It had been her that had brought the allegations of Loras' behaviour to the High Sparrow, she had been the one to set all this in motion to remove the Tyrells from power. It would be her that would make a mark on history, she would be the one to save the Lannister name.

"Has the crown suddenly stopped needing the troops, gold, and wheat my house supplies?" Olenna asked reminding Cersei just how much House Tyrell was doing for the crown right now, it wasn't wise what she was doing right now. If it wasn't for House Tyrell then King's Landing would have fallen to Stannis when he had attacked, with most of the Lannister forces dealing with the Stark boy at the time.

"I assure you our alliance with House Tyrell remains..." Cersei said leaning forward, she tried to act like she sympathised about what they were going through; the fact that House Lannister owed them anything was unsettling to her. House Lannister had been the power behind the throne for many years, they'd never needed anything from anyone and they would be fine without the Tyrells.

"Do you expect the alliance to continue after you've thrown our future into prison?" Olenna stated with a shake of her head, Willas and Garlan would not come to the Capital and she knew that Margaery would need support one way or another here from one of her brothers. Loras had always been a great support to his sister, he would have been given a position on the Small Council in the future; he was the future for the Tyrells here in King's Landing.

"As I said, I didn't imprison anyone. As for your veiled threats..." Cersei dismissed knowing that she would not be bulldozed by Olenna, there was nothing that she could say or do that would change the course that Cersei was on. House Lannister would always be the power behind the throne, nothing was ever going to change that; it would be because of her that her house survived the treachery of her brother.

"What veil?" Olenna snipped knowing that she would happily go through with stopping all aid to King's Landing, her buffoon of a son was away dealing with the Iron Bank. No doubt as part of the plan Cersei had to drive a wedge into the alliance with the Tyrells, she had made sure that no one was here to stop her doing something incredibly stupid like giving power to the Sparrows.

"The Lannister-Tyrell alliance brought peace to a war-torn country. Do you really want to see the Seven Kingdoms slide back into warfare?" Cersei said shaking her head as if they didn't still have to deal with Stannis, the man that still held Casterly Rock although he was making no moves to march on King's Landing.

"I didn't trust your father. I didn't particularly like him. But I respected him. He was no fool. He understood that sometimes we must work with our rivals rather than destroy them," Olenna explained with a shake of her head. Cersei would never match her father, he was a smart man and Olenna had respected him for what he was able to do; she and him had understood that to survive you sometimes had to work with people you didn't like. Cersei didn't seem to get that, she seemed contented to destroy anyone that she deemed a threat to herself and her family; she was undermining all that her father had worked hard to build.

"House Lannister has no rival," Cersei stated arrogantly, no one could ever compare to House Lannister and no one would ever be greater than them. It was like she had told Joffrey all those years ago, anyone who wasn't them were the enemy and Lannister had no one that would ever compare to them; they defeated their enemies and left them in the dust.

"The High Septon has called for an inquest, not a trial. Just a small hearing to determine whether the charges against Loras have merit, which I'm sure they don't. Loras will be freed, our happy alliance will continue, and we'll forget this unfortunate conversation ever happened. Good day, Lady Olenna," Cersei dismissed her.

The room was silent as she returned to pretending that she was writing, Olenna stared at her for a moment longer before she stood and made her way to the door. There was not a word that came out of Cersei's mouth that Olenna believed for a second, she had messed with the wrong family and Olenna knew what she would do to keep her beloved grandchildren safe.

Making her way out of the room, Olenna knew that if Cersei was willing to throw her grandson to the wolves like this then she had to make plans of her own in the anticipation that things went south. Cersei was a fool to make a deal with the fanatics and she didn't know who she was messing with and Olenna knew that there were other options if she wanted to protect her family. Margaery and Loras would be safe here, Olenna would make sure of it or she would turn to the one person that could rip Cersei from the throne.


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