Chapter Eight

A/N: Thank you to magnus374 and Guest for reviewing.

Cersei ran her hand over the gown, feeling the soft fabric run through her fingers. She had received no end of compliments after the news was announced, many praising the choice of red silk for the feast. The colours of both old House and new. It seemed she would be robed in red for a long time to come.

A gentle knock sounded at the door, and Cersei did not have to turn to know who it was. Only one person knocked with such respect, yet without fear.

"What do you want, Jaime?" she asked of her brother. The boy blinked, taken aback by her directness.

"I wanted to speak with you." he answered, as if it were obvious. Mayhaps a few days ago it would have been, but everything had changed since then. "I need to hear it from your lips. Will you truly go to King's Landing now?"

"Of course I will." Cersei answered, trying to keep the frustration from her tone. Jaime was never the brightest flame, but oftentimes there were only embers. "I must be with my husband. I can hardly give him an heir if I am hundreds of miles away."

Jaime paled, his eyes falling to the carpet at his feet. Cersei had not seen him so pained since the day of their mother's wake. "But what about me? Father would never let me go to the capital with you. It'll break us apart."

"You can still come to visit." the girl reasoned, but her brother just shook his head. Her words were not enough for him. "And I'll return to the Rock when I can. I'm sure the people of Lannisport would be glad to see their queen."

And yet still Jaime did not smile, her offers not enough to soothe the emotions swirling in his stomach. Cersei sighed. She was swiftly tiring of her brother's foolishness.

"Jaime, what would you have me do?" Her tone was biting, as close to cruel as she could ever be to her twin. Cersei had never been one to allow weakness, especially not from her other half; it was far too close to allowing weakness from herself. "Would you have me remain at the Rock for the rest of my days, a withered old maid, while you rule over it all? I will be a princess, Jaime; one day, I will be queen. I will not let my chance pass by for the sake of pleasing anyone, not even you."

Jaime stumbled backwards, as if his sister had struck him. Feeling the guilt rise in her heart, Cersei wondered if that would have been better. A bruise would have been so much simpler to heal.

The young girl had never been so grateful for the knock on her door, much stronger than her brother's had been. She turned away from Jaime and opened her mouth to call entrance, but the gesture was futile. Tywin Lannister waited for no one.

"Cersei." It was more a statement than a greeting, but Cersei did not show her displeasure. Instead, she bobbed a curtsy, her head remaining bowed as her father approached. "I have just returned from speaking with the king and Prince Rhaegar, regarding your move to the capital."

"Am I to accompany the court when they ride for King's Landing?" she asked, instantly regretting the yield to her curiosity. Lord Tywin raised an eyebrow, but made no comment.

"It seems not." he answered, after a great pause. It almost seemed like he was trying to punish her, enunciating each syllable to ensure he spoke as slowly as possible. "Prince Rhaegar argued against it. He has requested that your engagement not come to fruition until you turn six and ten."

Cersei had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. The prince had promised to give her more freedom before they were wed, but she had never imagined he could find her four years.

"Of course, the king and I both believe this is ludicrous." Cersei was sure to keep her face blank, not wanting to irritate the man further. Jaime, it seemed, had no such worries; his smile was close to beaming. "There is no obstacle to your marriage once you begin your bleeding, but the prince will not listen to reason. It will take a while longer to bend him to our will, and for that time, you shall remain here at the Rock."

"Yes, Father." Cersei sighed, but the man had already swept from the room. He never liked to waste more time with his children than was necessary; it would not do for the great Tywin Lannister to become sentimental.

No sooner had the door clicked shut than Jaime threw himself into his sister's arms, clinging to the girl as if she might disappear into the ether. For the first time, Cersei did not return her twin's embrace.

"Is this not better, Cersei?" Jaime prompted, desperate for her to share his joy; they had always shared emotions in the past, just as they shared everything. "You can stay here for a few more years. With me. We can be together, just like we always wanted."

But as much as it pained her to think the words, Cersei could not stop them from slipping past her lips. His happiness was far too grating, far too simple. Jaime never saw the wider picture. "I don't want to be live out the rest of my days at the Rock, Jaime, even if that means living them with you. Mayhaps when I was a child, but not now. The world is far greater than the Westerlands, dear brother, and King's Landing is the greatest city of all. Yes, I will have to wait to marry, but that does not mean I must wait to leave the Rock. I've a few more years of freedom in me yet."

"What are you saying?" Jaime's face had crumpled, as if she had torn his heart right out of his chest and crushed it beneath her boots.

"If Father is so keen to have me wed, I am sure I can convince him to let me accompany him to King's Landing. I can spend time with the prince, charm the queen and integrate myself into the court." Cersei could feel tears prickling, unbidden, at the corner of her eyes. She forced them back, raising her chin. Lionesses did not cry. "Besides, Jaime, if we are to spend the rest of our lives apart, we may as well get used to the idea."

There were precious few occasions she was thankful for her brother's quick temper, but this was one, for he stormed out of the door before the first tear fell. 'This is what you want, foolish girl, what you have always wanted. You will be in the capital, the city of lights and dancing, long before you have to be wed.'

In all the years her father had asked patience, telling her the dream she clung to would not be long in coming, he had never told her that a heart's desire could leave a heart broken.

A/N: True Cersei; she gets what she wants, but she's still not happy. I think it's only just dawning on her that she'll lose Jaime if she goes to King's Landing, but instead of confronting the problem and risking looking weak, she's going to go ahead and do it anyway! Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!