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Ser Ilyn raises the head of Ned Stark for all to see. The crowd of people cheers that the traitor is dead. Jarred Longwaters is still in the crowd, with his eyes widened and jaw dropped as he looks in horror at what he just witnessed. Eddard Stark has been executed. He looks on to see his mother, with the small council members, with her hand on her head and the other covering her mouth as she tries to comprehend what happened. Jarred then sees Cassana holding Sansa Stark, who collapses on the floor as the princess ensures the young lady doesn't hit her head.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Jarred remembers Arya Stark and looks around to see a man taking her away. Without wasting time, he pushes through the crowd to reach her. After a while, he catches up with them in an alley, where he sees the man cutting off Arya's long hair.
"Keep your mouth shut, boy," the man said as he cut off the last bit of long hair.
"I'm not a boy," Arya exclaimed as she was pinned to the wall.
"You're not a smart boy, is that what you're trying to say," the man asked, "Do you want to live, boy?!"
Once hearing this, Jarred raises his slender sword from his scabbard, revealing himself by pointing it at the man. "Let her go."
Seeing the young man, the older man gets in front of Arya in a protective stance. "This is none of your concern, boy."
"Jarred," Arya exclaims before looking at the older man, "He's my teacher."
"Arya, come with me now," Jarred tells her, still pointing his sword at the older man.
"They're going to kill me," Arya tells him, not leaving the man's side.
Seeing the girl's fear, Jarred looked at the man, "Who are you?"
The man says nothing until Arya says, "This is Yoren. A recruiter of the Night's Watch. He knew my father."
"So, you're a friend," Jarred concluded, "What are you going to do with her?" Yoren didn't answer as he kept staring at him. "My family are friends of the Starks."
"Who stood by for Lord Stark's head to get cut off," Yoren guessed, "I know you're a Longwater."
"And a Baratheon," Jarred clarifies, "by blood. My uncle was Robert Baratheon. A close friend to Ned. I just want her safe."
Jarred then lowers his sword to show he's not a threat. Seeing this, Yoren said, "North, boy, we're going north."
"To Winterfell," Jarred asked.
"She'll be safe there," Yoren assures him.
Jarred didn't know what to do. He needs to get Arya back to the Red Keep, but then he looks at the little girl and sees how terrified she is. No doubt she isn't safe in the Red Keep or King's Landing. "Take her to her family. Make sure she's safe."
"I swear it," Yoren swore as Arya's eyes widened.
"Go," Jarred said as Yoren took Arya and started running off as Jarred watched them. He sheathed his sword and put his hood back on when they were gone before returning to the crowd. He worries for Arya, but he hopes he made the right decision.
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After Sansa collapsed from her father's execution, she was taken to Cassana's room on the bed while the princess and her friends were waiting for her to wake up. As Cass was on the bed, close to Sansa, her ladies were speaking to each other quietly about what they just heard.
"So, he's dead," Ema asked in shock, "Ned Stark is dead?"
"Yes," Cass said softly, "They took his head."
"How could Joffrey be so stupid," Lenora sighed with stress as she ran her hands through her hair, "Does he not know what this will do?"
"What's going to happen," Jocelyn asked, since she's the youngest and naïve in the situation, "The Starks are going to be mad?"
"Worse than that," Ceryse said, "They're going to wage a full-on war with the Iron Throne. They're not going to stop until Joffrey is dead."
"And knowing my father," Lenora inserted herself, "He's going to show no mercy to his enemies because of that. Joffrey just started a war where either he or Robb Stark can live, but not both."
"Is there any way for this to end peacefully," Ema asked, hoping it wouldn't come to that.
Lenore shakes her head as she leaves the room in a hurry, "The only way for that to happen was to show mercy to Ned Stark. Now, the only way this will end is in blood. Just like Robert's Rebellion."
"Where are you going," Cass asked.
"To speak with my sister," Lenora said as she left the room.
Before Cass could say anything, the girls began to hear Sansa stir as she began to come to. She fluttered her eyes open a bit before realizing where she was.
"Cass," Sansa said as she got up from the bed. Then, she remembers what she witnessed. Her father's execution. Although she hoped it was a dream since she just woke up, "My father? Where is he? I had a dream that…"
"Sansa," Cass tries to calm her down.
"Is he alight," Sansa begins to beg, "Isn't he? Take me to him."
She begins to leave the bed as Cass and Ema try to stop her.
"Sansa, you need to stay here," Ema tries to calm her down.
"No, my father is in prison," Sansa denied, "He needs me. I-I-I dreamt he-he was killed."
"Sansa. Stop," Cass took her by the shoulders, "It wasn't a dream…and you know that."
Sansa looks at Cass momentarily, then shakes her head, "N-n-no. He's not dead. Joffrey said he will be merciful. He-he said he would show mercy if father…"
"Sansa, he's gone," Cass tells her, "He's gone."
Sansa kept shaking her head, not wanting it to be true. She kept denying it over and over until she began to cry again. Soon, she begins to collapse on the floor. She didn't pass out again but cried loudly as Cass pulled her close. The other girls come to her to comfort her as she has lost her father.
"You said it would be alright," Sansa laments to Cass, "You promised he would be okay. You promised."
She kept saying it over and over, causing Cass to feel guilty. She promised Sansa everything would be okay, but now nothing is OK.
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Cersei was in her bed chambers, sitting on her desk, still trying to comprehend what had happened hours ago. Her son executed Ned Stark. She still doesn't understand how this happened, but the Dowager Queen blames it all on the dead Stark. She still remembers when he confronted her about her children, on how Cassana is her only child by Robert while Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were all Jaime's, her twin brother. No one knows the truth about her and Jaime, and she made sure no one ever did. The only way Ned found out was by looking at Cass and then the other children. The eldest princess was the only one with dark hair and blue eyes, while the other children were golden-haired with green eyes. If anyone found out, no doubt it would mean execution for her and her children, although she couldn't be so sure about Cass since she is the only legitimate one of her children. She couldn't take that risk, so she had to get rid of Stark, but she knew the consequences of him being dead.
Cersei's thoughts were interrupted when her door opened as her half-sister bore an angry look before slamming the door shut.
"How is it that a full-grown woman like you can't stop her son from doing the most stupid thing imaginable? How," Lenora questioned angrily as she marched to the desk.
Cersei, not wanting to deal with her, asked, "What are you raving about?"
"Right now, Cassana and the others are with Sansa Stark, who, by the way, is still passed out on the bed after collapsing hours ago, probably going to wake up in maddening grief because…her father was executed," Lenora summed up while putting her fists on the desk, "Her Lord father. Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. So, tell me, how exactly did this happen."
"I tried to stop it," Cersei defends herself, leaving her desk for the jug of wine at a nearby table.
"That's it," Lenora asks, "'I tried to stop it.' That's all you have to say?"
"What else is there to say," Cersei waves off while pouring wine into her cup, then starts drinking it, "He committed treason against the crown."
"And the whole North rose against us when you arrested him," Lenora said. But seeing Cersei's back was still turned to her, Lenora grabs Cersei's cup out of her hands and slams it on the table, "The whole plan was to have Ned Stark confess treason and send him North of the Wall. But now, because of Joffrey, the Northerners will not stop until every last one of our heads is on a pike. With Robb Stark leading them."
"A child," Cersei waves off.
"Who has powerful Northern lords to advise him," Lenora argues, "Lords with experience in warfare, especially veterans from Robert's Rebellion. Your son just started a war that won't end until he's dead."
"Father is out marching in the Riverlands," Cersei said, "He will know what to do. In the meantime, Lenora, you should be careful with your tone."
"My tone," Lenora repeats, "My tone? My tone! Your son just got the entire North marching down for our deaths, and you're worried about my tone!"
"And I am your Queen," Cersei tells her sternly, "So, I would stop yelling if you don't want to be in the black cells where we had Stark."
Seeing there was no talking to her, Lenora shook her head before leaving the room, "I have to send a letter to father before anyone else does."
"Why," Cersei questions, "Pycelle is more than capable of that."
"Because I don't trust that old craven to do it. And no doubt you would try to write it in a way that would make Joffrey's actions more reasonable," Lenora said as she got to the door, "I don't trust anyone, especially you, to tell father about the mess your son made."
And with that, Lenora slammed the door shut, rushed to her chambers, and quickly wrote a letter to send to her father. If anyone in the small council or the capital would send the message of Lord Stark's execution, no doubt they would try to lie about it. For what reasons, she can't think of right now, but she knows her father would want to know everything, so she acted quickly and wrote the letter to send to the Riverlands, where her father reportedly fights with the Stark army. She hopes it will get there in time.
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Lady Hellen opens the door of her bed chambers, closing it quickly, before leaning back on it as she begins to hyperventilate. She tries to calm herself down but to no avail from what she has witnessed. Ned Stark, her old friend, has been executed. Seeing she couldn't stand any longer, Hellen quickly went to her couch and sat on it as she began to cry. She had known Ned since she was a girl, remembering when he and her brother, Robert, would visit at Storms End and how kind he was to her. Their families had been close friends for decades, and now he's dead. Executed for treason. What is she going to do? Her eldest brother is dead, her other two brothers are gone and left her alone at court, and her husband is currently at Dawn Isle, unable to be with her in her time of need. She felt like she was drowning and couldn't swim.
Suddenly, she heard her door open, causing her to look back to see it was her eldest son, who looked in disbelief, walking up to her slowly, "What did Joffrey do?"
"You heard," Hellen wipes the tears from her eyes.
Jarred sits on the couch beside her, "I was in the crowd when it happened."
"You saw it happened," Hellen asked.
"I was in the crowd looking for Arya," Jarred said, remembering that he had let Arya go with Yoren.
"Did you find her yet," Hellen asked, knowing that finding Arya was more critical than ever.
Jarred sees his mother's apprehensive look, knowing he is charged with finding the young Stark girl. He was going to take her back to the Red Keep, but after seeing Ned Stark's execution, he doesn't believe she was safe from Joffrey. Her father was executed for treason, so who's to say that Arya was next, especially with the Kings Road incident months ago? "No, I didn't find her yet."
Hellen sighs in grief as she rests her head on her hand. Jarred can tell how much his mother was grieving. She and Ned were old friends, so to see this happen must have been devastating, so he hugged her tightly, "What's going to happen now?"
Hellen took a deep breath as she cleaned her eyes from her tears, "War."
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When Sansa calmed down or cried out, she went back to sleep, allowing Cassana to go to Joffrey. She was marching to his bed chambers in a fury from what he had just done. Joffrey was supposed to provide mercy to Ned Stark, but instead, he gave him death; she couldn't fathom it.
Once the angry princess came upon the king's bed chambers, she flung the doors open, where she saw Joffrey sitting on his couch with Sandor Clegane. Once inside, she demands the Hound, "leave us. Now!"
The Hound looked to the King, who gave him a nod, letting the warrior leave the room so the royal siblings could be alone.
Once they were alone, as Sandor closed the door, Joffrey looked as if he was unbothered by her, "What do you want?"
"What do I want," Cass seethes in rage as she goes up to him.
In a bored tone, Joffrey asked, "Yes, what do you want? I'm tired."
"You killed Ned Stark," Cass says, "Killing your betroth father and a close ally to House Baratheon."
"He was being punished for treason," Joffrey stated with a smile, "I'd say he got what he deserved."
"Got what he deserved," Cass repeats, "All you did was plunge this whole realm into a war where the North will come after us until we're all dead. That Robb Stark won't stop until he kills you himself. You put all of us in danger!"
"Then I will kill him for treason," Joffrey tells her.
"Kill him," Cass questions as if he is mad, "That's your plan? So, you plan to kill the entire North because that's how much we face. And for what? To prove you are king."
"I am the King," Joffrey reminds her as he stands up from his couch, "And you should be careful with what you say."
"King," Cass scoffs, "If you were half a king you think you are, you wouldn't do something this stupid,"
"I AM THE KING! I WEAR THE CROWN! I DECIDE WHAT I WANT!" Joffrey shouts out of nowhere at her face, "I am King; I decide whether you live and die, including you! So be silent before I have your tongue ripped out for it!"
Cass could only stand still as her brother's outburst took her aback. However, it wasn't just his outburst but the look in his eyes. Her brother was gone, and some savage beast replaced him. It was like there was nothing inside those eyes. Empty and blank. She couldn't help but feel a bit scared from it. So, not wanting to make it worse, Cassana decides to stop speaking and slowly walk a few steps back from Joffrey.
"Now go," Joffrey seethes at her, causing a chill down her spine.
Not wanting to make him mad again, Cass obeys as she quickly leaves the room before Joffrey does anything to her. Never in their whole lives has Cassana been afraid of her brother. He had a bad temper and was prone to do odd things, but she never saw that side of him and wondered where it came from.
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Jarred walks out of his mother's room, contemplating what happened earlier that day. He can't get the image of Ned Stark's head being raised for the crowd out of his mind. He had known Ned Stark since childhood and remembers how kind he was to him. His thoughts then turn to Ned's daughter, Arya. He was supposed to bring her back to the Red Keep, but now he has let her go with Yoren. He hopes she will safely return to the North, but he's still determining. He knows Yoren was loyal to Ned Stark, but he wonders if it was the right decision. What if people find out? What will Joffrey do to him? He beheaded Ned Stark, so what's to stop him from doing the same to Jarred? Jarred wonders if he made the right choice. The Longwater boy is plagued by uncertainty as his thoughts then drift to Sansa, who is now all alone and at the mercy of Joffrey. Jarred wonders if she will be safe and what the future holds.
As he was walking, he saw Cass walking down the corridor with a shaken look on her face. Wanting to know if she's ok, Jarred comes up to her, "Cass. Are you ok?"
When he gets her attention, Cass mutters, "I…I don't know. I just came to speak with Joffrey, but…"
"Did you talk to him about," Jarred trails off, "Lord Stark?"
"Yes," Cass said softly.
"And," Jarred asked, "Did he say why?"
"Just that…he's the king, and he does what he wants," Cass said, shaken by Joffrey's outburst.
"That's all," Jarred's brows furrow, "That's all he said?"
"Well, more like he yelled that at me," Cass clarifies, "But basically."
Jarred slightly nods his head, although still dumbfounded by this. However, he could see Cass was a bit shaken, no doubt by what had happened, "How's Sansa?"
"Crying," Cass admits as Sansa's words rang in her head. 'you said it was going to be alright. You promised.' It made her guilt even more heavy. Her voice begins to shake, "She…she keeps…" She stopped herself and covered her eyes as she began to cry.
Surprised by this, Jarred takes hold of her, trying to calm her down. Then he saw a bench on the wall and proceeded to take her there, sitting her down and trying to calm her.
"I promised her that everything was going to be okay," Cass cries, "I told her that her father would be okay. And…and…now."
"You didn't know what was going to happen," Jarred said. Seeing she wasn't paying attention, he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him, "No one knew what Joffrey was going to do. My mother said the plan was to get him to confess to treason in exchange for mercy. We all thought that was going to happen."
"B-but…I," Cass stutters, still feeling guilty.
"This isn't your fault, Cass," Jarred tells her, "There was nothing you could do. All you can do is be there for Sansa now. Because she is going to need someone to be there for her."
Cass takes a deep breath as she buries her face in Jarred's chest as he wraps her arms to comfort her. Cass became calmer a few minutes later, wiping her tears away as Jarred asked, "Are you okay now?"
Cass nods slightly in response to Jarred's words but freezes momentarily when she looks at him. Without warning, she leans in and gives him a soft kiss, to which he immediately pulls back with a surprised look. Seeing his reaction, Cass quickly apologizes and then rushes to her room, leaving Jarred to try to process what happened.
As he sits there, watching her go, Jarred can feel his heart racing. They hadn't kissed like that in over a year, not since their affair had ended. But it still feels the same for him even after all this time. He can't let himself think about it, though. He's her sworn shield now and intends to be a knight of the Kingsguard. Cass is most likely emotionally vulnerable right now, so he needs to be there for her without letting personal feelings get in the way. Although he lingers his hand over his lips for a moment, still feeling the ghost of Cass's kiss on them.
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It has been days since the execution of Ned Stark. Everyone at court was still reeling on it. Especially considering the North was still marching south for his freedom, there is no doubt that war would follow soon, and no one dreaded it more than Lady Hellen Longwaters. Not only because a war will be fought but because of her house's closeness with House Stark. Baratheon and Stark were close allies before and after Robert's Rebellion. She had known Ned very well since they were young, and seeing his head cut off from his body haunted her. She tried hard to help him escape the capital, but it all went to waste because Joffrey wanted his head. And for what?
As Hellen loses herself in thought, her son stays close to Cass and her ladies - Ceryse, Ema, Jocelyn, and Sansa. Days have passed since Cass kissed Jarred, but they have not addressed the elephant in the room. Meanwhile, Sansa remains in a catatonic state, still grieving over her father's execution. Cass and the other girls try to console her, but her eyes remain red with tears. Sansa longs to retreat to her room, but Joffrey insists she stay. They all stand in the gallery of the throne room as Joffrey sits atop the Iron Throne, adorned with his crown, and Cersei, the Queen Regent, sits in a chair next to him. A singer serenades the court with a song about the late King Robert, although it insults the dead King's memory and Queen Cersei. Then again, Robert most likely would've laughed at it.
"The boar's great tusks, they boded ill, For good King Robert's health, And the beast was every bit as fat, As Robert was himself, But our brave king cried, 'Do your worst! I'll have your ugly head! You're nowhere near as murderous as the lion in my bed.' King Robert lost his battle and failed his final test; the lion ripped his balls off, And the boar did all the rest."
"Very amusing," Joffrey stated as he sat on his throne wearing his crown, "isn't it a funny song? Thank you for your rendition. I imagine it was even better received at that tavern."
"I'm so sorry, Your Grace," the singer lowly bowed, "I'll never sing it again, I swear."
Joffrey asked, "Tell me, which do you favor - your fingers or tongue?"
The singer looks up with fear, "Your Grace?"
"Fingers or your tongue," Joffrey asked again, "If you got to keep one, which would it be? Or I could just cut your throat."
Realizing what the king was planning on doing, the singer trembles, "Every man needs hands, Your Grace."
"Good. Tongue it is," Joffrey concluded.
The Kingsguard Knights went to the singer who begged for mercy, "Your Grace, please. I won't sing, Your Grace."
However, Joffrey ignored this: "Ser Ilyn, who better than you to carry out the sentence?"
The singer begs for mercy but gets none as Ser Ilyn comes forward to place some pincers on a nearby pot carrying a burning fire. When the pincers were hot enough, Ser Ilyn took them to the singer, who was still screaming, and then cut off his tongue for the whole court to see.
The singer screams and moans in pain as the guards take him away. Jarred and Cass stand by, still reeling from what they just witnessed. Cass looks at Joffrey with a sense of unease. She knew Joffrey was different, but now he's acting like a madman and king.
"Now let us move on to more important matters, Your Grace," Cersei advises her son.
"Yes, yes," Joffrey says tiredly, "Ser Jarred and Lady Hellen, come forward."
Jarred and Hellen look at each other, confused as to why the king would summon them, but they obey, approaching the throne.
"Your Grace," Jarred bows.
"Your Grace," Hellen bows as well.
"Have you found Arya Stark yet, cousin?" Joffrey asks in a bored tone.
Jarred shifts a bit, knowing he has lied about Arya. "No, not yet, Your Grace. But we're still looking."
"It's been three months since the arrest of the traitor Ned Stark," Joffrey says, "Three months since Arya Stark went missing. One would wonder if you're even trying at all."
Jarred and Hellen furrow their brows in confusion and feel slightly insulted by this insinuation.
"King's Landing is a big city, Your Grace," Hellen sharply reminds the King, "Surely you understand it would take time to scour through every inch of the city."
"Which is why we have given soldiers of the City Watch to aid you son however they can," Joffrey argues mockingly, "And yet, there are no results."
"They still have duties to protect the city from criminals, Your Grace," Jarred explains, "But we're doing our best to find her."
"I'm sure you are," Cersei interjects, "However, there is another matter. Your father." Jarred and Hellen are now even more confused. "He's still at Dawn Isle, is he not?"
"He is Your Grace," Jarred said with a confused tone.
"And yet he hasn't come to court to swear fealty to my son," Cersei said, "It has been months since the King's coronation. Loyal subjects from across the realm had sworn fealty despite the rebellious lords of the North. Although some noble Houses in the realm have been silent, Dawn Isle is one of them despite their presence in the royal court. Why is that?"
Jarred needs to figure out where they're going with this. His father is always a loyal servant to the realm. Especially when he brought the Longwater fleet to fight in the Greyjoy Rebellion, he looks to his mother, who immediately becomes tense.
"My husband is simply enjoying the comforts of home," Hellen tries to excuse.
"Is that so," Cersei questions with a smug look, "Because rumors have recently been circulating that he's ill. Dying even."
Hellen stays quiet momentarily, which Jarred notices, but she regains her composure, "I assure you those are rumors and nothing more."
"Then why has he not come to swear fealty to me," Joffrey asks, "Or send word of House Longwater's loyalty to the crown?"
"We assume that since I am a member of the Small Council as your Mistress of Trade, our loyalties go unquestioned," Hellen says.
"Yes, one would think that," Cersei says, "However, one would also have that thought about your dear brothers, Lord Stannis and Lord Renly. And yet, Renly left the capital with Ser Loras and many retainers with them currently in the Reach. And Stannis is currently in Dragonstone, building ships and hiring sellswords. For what reason?"
Hellen stays quiet momentarily as all eyes fall on her, "I'm afraid I cannot speak to what my brothers do or the decisions they make."
"Now, you can't," Cersei says, "But you can for your husband. As his wife, you may know what his wishes are."
"And I have done just that," Hellen repeats, unsure why they are going in circles.
"True, but unfortunately," Cersei states, "We must take every precaution to ensure that House Longwaters remains a loyal servant to the crown."
Hellen eyes Cersei, sensing a condescending tone in the Queen Regent's voice. Seeing her situation, Hellen says, "I will send a message to Dawn Isle and inform my husband of your request, Your Grace."
"That won't be necessary," Cersei says, "Your son can go himself."
Surprised by this, Jarred stammers, "F-forgive me, Your Grace, but..."
"I'm sure your father would be more than cooperative when you arrive to explain the circumstances, nephew," Cersei says.
"I could go myself, Your Grace," Hellen offers, "Especially since my son is Princess Cassana's sworn shield."
"It won't be a long journey, good sister," Cersei says as two members of the Kingsguard make their way to Hellen, "Besides, you are needed here. Although I hope you can forgive us for the measures we must take to ensure Lord Jonathor's loyalty."
"Measures?" Hellen repeats, seeing the Kingsguard beside her.
"Renly and Stannis are potential traitors to the realm," Joffrey says arrogantly, "Who's to say their sister is not the same?"
This accusation causes the entire court to mutter with surprise and suspicion, but no one is more shocked than Jarred and Hellen—especially Princess Cassana.
"Your Grace," Hellen gasps, pleading to Joffrey, "I have been a loyal servant to your father and the realm for years since before you were born."
"Yes, but you were loyal to the Targaryens before," Joffrey says, "Were you not a lady in waiting to Queen Rhaella Targaryen?"
"Before her passing, yes, but," Hellen tries to explain before Joffrey interrupts her.
"And was your husband not the Master of Trade to King Aerys II Targaryen?" Joffrey asks again, "Or that the Longwaters were close to the Targaryens since the founder of House Longwaters was a Targaryen bastard many years ago."
"Your Grace, I assure you," Hellen tries to say before getting interrupted again, but this time by her son.
"What measures are you talking about, Your Grace?" Jarred asks, wanting to get to the point as
Hellen glares at her son for openly questioning the king and queen regent.
"I'm afraid, dear nephew," Cersei begins to say, "Your mother must stay in the Red Keep until the Longwaters have made their loyalties known to the realm."
Mother and son's eyes widen when they realize what the Queen Regent means.
"You mean to imprison her," Jarred accuses.
"She will be comfortably confined in her bedchambers until this matter is settled," Cersei tells him.
"I am the king," Joffrey says, "I mustn't take any chances. And it will motivate your father to come to court himself."
Hellen can't believe what she is hearing. She's now a prisoner in the Red Keep. Again. First, for the Mad King during Robert's Rebellion and now again under Joffrey. Seeing that there is no way out of this, she decides to relent, although her son feels otherwise.
"This is absurd," Jarred begins to yell, much to his mother's dismay, "House Longwaters has been loyal to King Robert since his ascent to the throne."
Hellen gives her son a stern glare. She understands his anger, but this isn't how to address the King and Queen Regent, regardless of her feelings towards them, "Jarred, that's enough."
"No, not only do we swear loyalty, but we proved it during the Greyjoy Rebellion," Jarred continues, "when my father gave our ships for your aid. And now, suddenly, you question our loyalty?"
"Jarred," Hellen takes her son's arm, glaring at him to stop, which he didn't.
"The fact that you would question our house is foolish," Jarred exclaims angrily.
"Careful of your tone, cousin," Joffrey threatens, "We wouldn't want to lose another tongue, would we?"
Jarred is about to say something else, but his mother firmly tugs his arm, stopping him from saying any more. She then looks to the King and Queen Regent, "We understand, Your Grace. I apologize for my son's outburst. It is not our intention to insult the crown," Jarred gives her a look of disbelief when she says this, but Hellen continues, "I assure you that my husband will show that House Longwaters is a loyal ally to the crown and its kin."
Cersei gives Hellen a suspicious look, not expecting her to be this cooperative, but Joffrey waves it off, "Good. You shall wait in your chambers until your lord husband comes to swear obedience to the crown. And any duties you must attend to as Mistress of Trade will be taken there."
Joffrey waves his hands as two Kingsguard Knights begin to escort Hellen to her bedchambers. Jarred wants to do something, but Hellen gives him a look, telling him not to. So, he relents as he watches his mother leave the Throne Room before looking back at the King and his mother.
"You must hurry, Ser Jarred," Joffrey says mockingly, "I'm sure you and your father would want this to be resolved as soon as possible."
Jarred looks at the Queen with contempt, but knowing he can't do anything, he turns away. But not before asking, "What about Arya Stark?"
"We will have more efficient men to find her," Cersei says, "We thank you for the efforts you have put in so far, but it is time to give the task to someone else who can find more success."
Jarred ponders the words the Queen Regent says. Efficient. More success. This means that Cersei calls him a failure for not finding Arya Stark. Then again, Jarred let Arya go with Yoren, but it's still embarrassing for the Queen Regent to say that. Seeing nothing else he can do, Jarred bows his head and leaves the throne room in a quiet fury. In the gallery area, watching it all unfold, Cass can only watch as her aunt is practically taken prisoner and her cousin leaves the throne room, still trying to contemplate what is happening. As she stays silent, Joffrey approaches her and her ladies and tells Sansa to come with him as he brushes past them. Sansa doesn't want to go, but since he is the King and two other Kingsguard Knights are following him, the Stark girl has no choice but to obey. So, she reluctantly follows Joffrey while Cass and her ladies watch her go, dreading what Joffrey will do next.
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When escorted to her bed chambers, Hellen sat on her couch, thinking about what to do. She is now a prisoner in the Red Keep, her bed chambers. She could only wait for Jonathor to come to court and swear allegiance to the new King. No doubt he would be furious at this, but she knew her husband would have this resolved as calmly as possible since he is not impulsive or reckless in politics, unlike their son, who just made a spectacle in front of the King,
Her door opens, revealing it to be one of the Kingsguard Knights, Ser Mandon Morre, telling her that she so wishes to see her. Hellen nods as Ser Mandon allows her son to enter the room.
Once he was inside, the door closed as the young man came in, "'Not our intention to insult you?' We've been insulted."
"Jarred," Hellen tries to explain calmly.
'They accused us of treason and have two Kingsguard knights guarding your door," Jarred growled.
"It's only temporary," Hellen tells him, "They just want to know where our loyalties are."
Jarred remains unmoved, "You've been serving the realm for years on the small council, and they do this?"
"Regardless, we can't go around spewing anger to the King and Regent," Hellen begins to lecture.
"Spewing," Jarred repeats, confused by what she meant.
Hellen took a deep breath before telling her son, "I understand your anger at this, but you can't lose your temper in front of everyone like that. Especially to the King."
"They're painting you as a traitor," Jarred exclaims as his temper rises, "They're painting father as a traitor. The whole of House Longwaters. All by that insufferable cunt!"
"Joffrey is King now and the sovereign to us," Hellen raised her voice a little as she and her son began to argue, "You can't speak about him that way. Not in public."
"He also insulted me for not finding Arya when I have been spending months running around the city like a madman," Jarred kept going as he and his mother were now yelling at each other.
After screaming a few words to each other, the mother and son stopped so one could hear what the other said.
"By howling at the King publicly, it makes you look foolish in front of everyone," Hellen tries to teach her son how politics work, "Not to mention questioning his authority will be seen as treason. Especially with what happened to Ned Stark."
"What? They're going to cut my head off next," Jarred speculates.
"Maybe," Hellen exclaims, "They were close to ripping your tongue out just like he did to the singer moments before."
"But he," Jarred tries to say before his mother grabs his hands.
"Please, just listen," Hellen begs her son to calm down, which he does, "Right now, we are in a precarious position. My brothers are suspects of treason, and Cersei is the power behind Joffrey, who wants to kill whoever questions his authority. We need to do this right. We need to do this smart and carefully, and you can do that by going to Dawn Isle, telling your father what is happening, and bringing him here to sort everything out. Can you do that?"
Jarred was about to say something, but after hearing his mother's words, he slightly nodded and relented, "I'll try to be as quick as possible."
Hellen nods as she kisses her son's cheek and hugs him back. After exchanging a few more words, Jarred leaves the room and sees that Lady Hellen's door is guarded by Ser Mandon Moore and Ser Boros Blount, making him even more furious. He goes to his room, slams the door shut, unbuckles his sword belt, throws it onto the bed, and then takes off his tunic, still wearing his undershirt. He hopes his father will resolve this matter quickly, but Jarred is still angry. First, his old mentor, Ser Barristan Selmy, is dishonorably dismissed. He is then called insufficient for not finding Arya Stark, and now his mother is accused of treason and made a prisoner. He can only imagine his father's wrath upon hearing all this.
Suddenly, he hears his door open and close, causing him to turn and see it was Cassana, "Cass."
"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Cass said softly as she closed the door behind her.
Jarred placed his arms on his hips, "My mother is a hostage in the Red Keep. What do you think?"
"I'm sorry," Cass said, "I don't know what's going on with Joffrey. It's like he's a different person now."
"Well, since he has a crown on his head, he thinks he gets to do whatever he wants," Jarred said as he walked to the couch in front of the fireplace.
"It's more than that," Cass points out as she follows suit, "Before Lord Stark's execution, I was talking to him about how he was going to show mercy and…. he had this…look on his face."
"What look," Jarred asked, confused by this.
"I don't know," Cass said as she went to sit on the bed, "It's just…after I confronted them after the execution days ago, he had the same look in his eye, and it scared me. I tried talking to Mother about it, but she said he's the King, and we shouldn't question him."
"Is that so," Jarred said, seeing her in distress, "Then I suppose we can't question him, or he might kill us too."
"Maybe," Cass guessed, "I can't believe he did this. And your mother won't do anything about it, and now he's doing this to you and your mother. I wonder what your father will do when you get to him."
"We'll find out soon," Jarred tells her. Seeing that Cass is still uneasy, Jarred remembers that there is a jug of wine and some cups on the bedside table; he goes to get them and brings them back, giving a cup to Cass, "I figure we might want to unwind a bit."
Thinking about it, Cass relents and holds out her cup while Jarred pours into it. The hours went by as they began to talk about much and more. There were also talks about House Stark, their childhood memories, time together, and their families, but they tried to avoid topics related to present events. Soon, they begin to laugh at small memories together while sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, leaning back on the couch with an almost empty jug of wine.
"I still remember when you and Joffrey got into such a fight," Jarred chuckles, "You threw him in some mud."
"And then he went crying to mother," Cass laughs at the memory, "You can imagine the lecture I got from her."
"And your father," Jarred asked as he drained his cup dry.
Cass giggles, "Saying that I was a Baratheon, through and through."
"He wasn't wrong," Jarred jests, causing them to laugh again. "More wine?"
"Shouldn't be a question," Cass tells him, holding out her cup as he fills it up with what's left.
"It seems we're all out," Jarred notices as he places it on the floor.
"Hm. Ever saw me not emptying a jug of wine," Cass jokes.
"No," Jarred said, "Always was your go-to drink."
Cass giggles, "You remember the first time I drank wine?"
"Yes. I thought your mother was going to rip my head off," Jarred chuckles, "Then again, you were thirteen at the time."
"Well, I was going to drink sooner or later," Cass drinks her cup in full swing, "Now I know how to drink. Something you need at the moment."
Jarred hums in agreement as he trails down to his almost empty cup, thinking about his family's situation. Seeing his look of worry, Cass slides closer to him, "What do you think your father will do?"
"I don't know," Jarred admits, "I just hope he'll know what to do."
Cass then looks to Jarred, "I'm just…so sorry that it's happening this way."
"It's not your fault," Jarred tells her as he looks at her.
"I know, but," Cass trails off as she and Jarred stare at each other. They both stayed silent for a moment before slowly getting close to each other. Maybe it was because they were a little drunk? Perhaps they were feeling vulnerable? They couldn't explain it, but it was the same feeling they felt long ago when they first laid together. Before they knew it, their lips touched together as they kissed. It lasted about a minute before breaking apart, and they stared at each other with wide eyes, realizing what they had just done. Suddenly, Jarred gently caresses her face as he kisses her again, and she kisses him back. Then, slowly, Cass begins to climb on top of him as the two start to lay on the floor, still kissing. Jarred then goes to kiss her neck while rubbing his hands under her skirt, rubbing her right leg as she digs her hand under his undershirt to take it off so she can caress his muscular body as they slowly undress each other.
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