'Gold shall be their crowns,' The whispers, the unfulfilled prophecy of the witch repeated in her head. With her first son she labored for a day, she thought she would die. 'An unfulfilled prophecy,' she thought. It was said that she would die at the hands of her last child and that her children would tear the realm apart. Then she had her daughter a year later, an easy labor compared to Joffrey. She was such a sweet and calm child, my favorite… she knew. Then there was her last child, her last labor. Tommen was a hard thing to push out.
Cersei wondered if it was her fate, her last child being her death in the birthing bed. Robert was called from his hunt, his goddamn hunts! He took Jaime with him of course, she wept knowing that she may never see him again.
They had managed to get the child out of her, but it was clear that her life was leaving her. She named him Tommen, there was a quiet kindness in his blue eyes. Cersei worried he would be a dwarf… like Tyrion. But looking upon his now clean face washed of blood and sweat. His head was not overtly big like her brothers. For which she thanked the gods, she didn't hate him. How could she? It was her last child, this death somehow reassured her. She thought her children would hate her, torment her… kill her.
'You shall have three children. Each of them with Golden hair. You shall never see them grow old. Gold shall be their crowns… Your last child will be the end of you and because of it the realm will tear itself apart…' A prophecy for her death. For the destruction of the realm. But she didn't care about the realm she only cared about her children. Her brother, her lover. She cared for her father and the peace and Westerlander's dominance that he had managed to build for the realm that would soon pull itself apart.
One part of the prophecy she knew hadn't come about yet, 'Your children will hate one another. They shall all be named stags but they will truly be animals of a different sort. A wolf… A lion… and a rose.'
"Cersei! Cersei!" It was her brother, he came running into the birthing room. He slowed down when he saw her holding the baby that would be the end of her. He was in his Kingsguard armor but his helm was off. He had a dagger at his side. He slowly unsheathed it as if asking for permission.
"Don't," Cersei simply said. Jaime's eyes fell to the ground while he put his dagger away. Cersei knew he didn't have the heart to kill a child. "Doesn't this whole situation remind you of mother?" Cersei calmly asked. Jaime stuttered, "I-I uh-"
"It does," Cersei said while still looking at her child's blue eyes. She then looked at Jaime her eyes beginning to water, "Don't let them hate him, make them love him. I want you to love him…like-like… like you did Tyrion." Jaime's eyes began to water but he dared not let the tears fall, Jaime came forward and kneeled. He put his gloved hand on her bare one. Loud footsteps were heard down the corridor. It was Robert, she knew. She saw his face, he seemed a bit panicked at first. As he saw the blood and sweat that decorated the bed. Jaime backed away from Cersei and moved to stand at the corner of the room. "I guess this is goodbye, Robert." She said as he closed the distance to her, "I guess so." Robert said with as much sentimentality as he could muster. She looked into Robert's blue eyes, she hated him, but there was a softness there. "What'd you name him?" He asked.
Robert wasn't one for caring about names or much of anything for that matter. "Tommen…" she said simply. "Can you bring me Joff and Cella?" She asked no one in particular. Jaime bowed his head and then swiftly left. A silence engulfed the room, Tommen did not sleep or cry. He only cooed every so often as his little hands wrapped around her doting finger. Robert looked at the child, there was no anger there. No hatred. It didn't surprise her, he didn't care for much after his precious Lyanna died. Why should he care if the wife he didn't love died? "What are you going to do with them?" Cersei asked a small amount of worry in her voice.
"I think I'll make the children wards, wards of Casterly Rock, and Winterfell." Cersei looked at him a curious look in her eye. "I'll send Joffrey and Tommen up north. Then I'll send Myrcella to Casterly Rock to satisfy your father."
Cersei glared up at him, "The North is no place for a newborn or even a toddler for that matter, you know that. Joffrey might survive but Tommen never would. They are the children of summer."
Robert looked at her, clearly disagreeing, but he didn't get mad like he usually did. "What should I do then? Send them all to Casterly Rock?"
"No, not Tommen. I don't want him to grow up in a place that hates him."
"Joffrey goes North," Robert said in a final tone, Cersei wasn't in the mood to argue so she relented. "What would you have me do with Tommen?" Robert asked.
"I don't know," Cersei said honestly, "Could you keep him here for a time?"
Robert ignored her suggestion, "I'll convene with the Small Council tomorrow. I'll press your concerns then we'll decide what to do with him."
Cersei heard footfalls down the corridor and happy wailing. It was Joffrey who emerged through the door, three namedays old and adorable as ever. "Mother!" he shouted gleefully. Looking at her face he surmised something was wrong. "Mother, what's wrong?" His eyes turned to Robert and fear lit up on his face. He had always been terrified of Robert. He began backing away when Cersei called him, "Nothing is wrong Joffrey, come." She said. Joffrey slowly approached as Jaime entered the room with Cella in his arms.
"This is Tommen," She said "He is your brother." Joffrey now looked down at Tommen after Robert picked him up. Tommen hadn't slept much, he stared Joffrey in the eyes, a warm smile on his face. Jaime now stood by Robert holding up Cella as she slept.
Cersei comforted Joffrey and Tommen, she died soon after. Her last thoughts were of the prophecy that hanged over her three children. 'You shall have three children. Each of them with Golden hair. You shall never see them grow old. Gold shall be their crowns… your last child will be the end of you and because of it the realm will tear itself apart…Your children will hate one another. They shall all be named stags, but they will truly be animals of a different sort. A wolf… A lion… and a rose.'
The bells rang in the city sounding for several minutes. The Queen was dead, the Small Council and the King convened. "We are sorry for your loss your Grace." The eunuch said as Robert approached. Robert attempted to look sad. Each of the Small Council members said their condolences then they began to speak of what to do with the children.
"You don't want to keep the children my king?" Varys asked. "No, I don't… I spoke with my wife before she died. Myrcella shall be raised in Casterly Rock. Joffrey shall be heading off to Winterfell. We didn't decide what to do with Tommen though." Robert said then drank deeply into his cup.
"May I ask why you haven't decided what to do with the prince?" Jon Arryn asked. Robert responded once he swallowed the remnants of wine, "The north is too cold for a newborn child of summer. And I don't imagine Tywin Lannister would be too inclined to ward the child that killed his daughter so Cersei said sending him to the Rock wasn't an option."
The chambers grew silent for a moment then Petyr Baelish spoke "If I may my Lords, my King?" Once he received a nod from the King he continued. "We are as in debt to Highgarden as we are to Casterly Rock, perhaps sending Prince Tommen to Highgarden will sate relations for now."
Stannis clearly wasn't happy with the idea, but Robert ignored him. "Well, Jon?" Robert asked. "I think it's a good idea, my King," Jon responded hesitantly.
"Then it's settled," Robert said hastily. "Send the Ravens Grandmaester… and start preparations for the funeral," he said.
