Chapter 5
I was deep in the bowels of the rock now in sections where nobility rarely showed their faces, and still on the hunt for anything new and particularly shiny. Hazarding a guess, I must have been in the lower third portions of the Rock itself and apparently, I had grossly misjudged the upper layers if I thought those layers were busy.
Guess the nobles wanted to keep the rabble and noise away from where they lived because down here, there were always people shuffling about on some menial task or another. We probably weren't terribly far from the Golden Gate which contributed to the noise with its constant stream of both humanity and goods flowing both ways.
If I wasn't an earthbender, I would have found this entire section of the Rock dark, dank, depressing, and utterly claustrophobic. No doubt the further down I went, the worse the conditions would become.
I considered it a nightmare as humans weren't meant to live in tunnels with their only source of light being fire.
And if that wasn't bad enough, there still wasn't even anything interesting to find down here!
This place was covered with tunnels but they were all defensive with arrow slits and murder holes galore. Some tunnels were even rigged to collapse and others could be flooded with water. Fucking hell, I was pretty sure that one of the tunnels I explored could be flooded by the sewers instead.
It was utterly gross, and the point. I wondered if this counted as biological warfare. Perhaps psychological? Or both most likely. Either or, I'm sure it was a war crime somewhere.
A hostile army would have been bled dearly to take the Golden Gate, but in these tunnels, they would only find death. Even to my amateur eye, it looked to be near impossible to take by storm.
But just that, near impossible. No fortification was truly impregnable. The Reach could likely take Casterly Rock if they went to full muster and had the will to see it through. The Redwyne fleet could block off our sea access and the mass of humanity the Reach could call to arms would likely be enough to take Casterly Rock by storm with truly horrific losses. It would be a vicious knife-fighting slog of a battle and likely require tens of thousands of deaths but it was theoretically possible.
Or a single earthbender could do it. Thinking about that fact, well it was a bit terrifying.
Nice tunnels nerd, why don't I just bypass the lot of it and create new ones behind your defensive emplacements? Or I could collapse their tunnels. Heck, one day I could probably even collapse the entirety of the Rock one day if I wished to.
ROB above, I was only now realizing the fact that I was utterly overpowered. Castles are made of nothing but stone which was mine to control. A single bender in this time period was a pretty large force multiplier. Any bender could conceivably tear a hole in the front ranks of an army but Earthbenders' utlility extended beyond that, they could also stop a cavalry charge at full tilt dead or rapidly build up fortifications or destroy them rapidly in turn.
Guess there was a reason why the Earth Kingdom ruled the largest landmass in the world of Avatar compared to the the rest of the world. I wouldn't have been surprised if the bending demographics were freely mixed in the past but the flexibility of Earthbending pushed benders of other kinds to the fringes. Waterbenders to the poles where their elements were abundant, firebenders off the mainland to their volcanic islands where the heat of the area might have given them an edge against others, and airbenders to their difficult-to-reach mountain temples.
It was a sobering reminder of my power.
With great power, comes great responsibility.
Pfffffffffffffffffffffft.
Too bad I've always been irresponsible as fuck.
Most Avatars had a reverence for their position and the sacredness of their duty to the world itself. Their personal power was nothing but another tool in their arsenal to continue their works and the works of the Avatars before them.
Me on the other hand?
I reveled in my newfound abilities. To me, they were the world itself. I would never lose the wonder of bending. The show tried to emphasize that bending isn't magic, but it totally was just another system of it.
It was magic and it was mine to do as I wished.
I also probably spent way too much time meme-ing about to ever be a good Avatar but oh well, this was my life and it was my choice. I wanted to enjoy this new life with all the perks and power I had available to me.
"Cersei?" A questioning voice startled me out of my wandering thoughts as few people were of high enough station to call out to me in these lower levels. Even fewer dared to do so by just my first name.
Turning around brought me to face a young man with hair the color of spun gold shared by most of our family.
"Uncle Gerion!" I called out eagerly before rushing over to hug him around the waist. He was only ten a five, a bit of a lanky teenager but he still towered over little me.
"I wasn't sure if it was you, niece," Gerion admitted while patting me on the back. "What brings you down here to the bowels of Casterly Rock?"
"I'm off looking for treasure, Uncle! Dragon eggs!" I told him cheerfully. I hadn't given up on my dream of flying since my airbending still wasn't on the table.
Dragons were my alternative since I how no fucking clue how to make an airbending glider. I wasn't sure if it was even possible with the whole laws of physics. Those pesky little things.
He guffawed at that. Gosh, it was often slightly offputting to see him laugh. Physically, Gerion looked a lot like Tywin if younger, but their attitudes were completely different. Even though Tywin wasn't as harsh as he was in the books after the death of Joanna and the birth of Tyrion, he truly was a man who detested laughter.
I don't think I had ever heard the man laugh once. Not even a chuckle. Smiles yes, but never a laugh. The closest I think I've gotten might have been a harsh bark filled with mockery. Gerion was a different man, a man opposite of Tywin who was free with his smiles and the sound of his laughter. It was not a surprise he did not get along with his eldest brother. His very existence seemed like a mockery to Tywin at times.
"Dragon eggs?" He choked out, trying to hold back his laughter. "In Casterly Rock?"
I puffed up my cheeks in mock defiance before retorting. "I asked Maester Creylen and he said Casterly Rock has played host to dragons before! King Jaehaerys visited us several times over the course of his life during his multiple Royal Progresses." I hit him with the facts and logic.
"Why yes, we have, but did you think dragon eggs would be misplaced here as if they were a common brooch?" Gerion replied, turning my facts and logic back against me.
He was completely right of course, it did make absolutely no sense but I couldn't exactly say I was hoping ROB would tilt the world in my favor.
"... Maybe a stableboy got daring and stole one?" I retorted weakly.
"A stable boy," he began slowly, "who managed to elude the guards watching over the dragon to sneak into the roost of a nursing dragon and walk out with one of their eggs?" Gerion stated, each sentence raising his brow and amusement higher and higher.
"Rhaena Targaryen came here with dragon eg–" I began but Gerion cut me off.
"The Targaryen princess arrived with three eggs and left with three eggs."
"What if someone stole an egg, and replaced it with a lookalike!"
Gerion looked amused at that. "A rather fanciful tale."
"Aha! But it is possible!" I crowed in victory.
"Mayhaps," Gerion let me have my victory in with an amused smile. "Though I daresay, the only eggs you'll be finding here are chicken eggs."
"We shall see," I nodded my head in what I hoped was a sage manner. "We shall see indeed." Come on ROB, do me a solid here.
"Where is your little blonde shadow?" Gerion suddenly asked.
"Jaime? He doesn't want to treasure hunt with me anymore." I pouted. Canon Cersei did say something about young Jaime only being into dogs, horses, swords, and her but I honestly wasn't sure about that. While my twin and I were close, I didn't think we were as close as we were canonically.
Well, there was no funny business going on in our shared bed so that very much explained it.
Hmm. Now that I thought about it…
Though I had no exact date, I was relatively confident Mama Jo was meant to pass in the next few years and she was the one informed about Jaime and Cersei's icky little nighttime activities.
Which meant they were hella young when they started doing their thing. The lack of anything going on currently meant it happened later on which was plausible though I kind of doubted it since Jaime seemed every bit the normal child but I was now realizing the more likely scenario was it was Cersei who initiated the whole thing, wasn't it?
That psycho bitch.
No, that was an unfair assessment but it did make me wonder… Cersei and Jaime were young children when they did what they did so was there some kind of developmental issue with me? I felt like I had all my mental faculties in tow but I wasn't exactly the most unbiased source.
Regardless, this in general was probably good news for Jaime.
Be free my little lion! Be the man you were meant to be, not the man canon Cersei wanted you to be! His little redemption arc in the later series implied Jaime was good at heart so perhaps that heart of his would shine true in this timeline.
Of course, that was just what the internet said as I never finished the last three novels.
"Cersei?" Oops, I got lost in my mental rambling.
"Jaime found the training yard," I said hurriedly, trying to cover my sudden silence. "He's been too busy since."
Gerion chuckled at that and his eyes shone with an understanding mirth. "Well, he is at that age. Perchance I'll visit and show him a thing or two."
"He would love to see you." I nodded, knowing he liked Gerion as much as I did. "What brings you down here Uncle Gerion? If you're looking for treasure, I've already laid claim to all of it down here," I said as imperiously as I could but my giggle gave it away.
The mirth in his eyes suddenly intensified. "Of course Lady Cersei, all the chicken eggs of Casterly Rock are yours, and about why I'm down here." He trailed off before with a surprising movement, I found myself abruptly picked up and in his arms. "Why don't I show you?"
Gerion only laughed at my sudden girlish shriek when I lost my grounding with the earth. I still had my eyes but I was so accustomed to my seismic sense I couldn't help but feel partially blinded.
"Where are we going?" I asked while squirming about.
"You'll see. You'll see." He replied with a coy smile.
Lower and lower we went. Past places I haven't even explored yet. It was only when things started to get wetter and a vague sense of water intensified around me that it finally clicked.
"Are we going to the docks?" I voiced my suspicions.
He turned to me which was a bit awkward as he held my legs while I held his neck in turn. "We are. Have you gone this way before?"
"Nope! But everything is wet here." I hadn't visited the port of Casterly Rock yet. I knew I would make my way down there eventually in my search so I left it for that.
"What a clever little child you are," I couldn't help but preen at the praise.
Yessss, fluff up my ego more! Now is the time to build it up before reality punctures it.
Eventually, we arrived.
Wow.
"Welcome to Casterport," Gerion exclaimed while sweeping one of his arms out, the other still holding me tight to him.
When I imagined the docks underneath Casterly Rock, I was imagining a small thing. Maybe a basic dock that let a few ships drop off their stuff before rowing back out but my expectation was too tempered by reason. This was a fantasy world after all so why bother thinking reasonable?
There was a service yard where I could see ships being worked over by workmen. A drydock where ships had been careened to present one side of the hull into the air where dozens of men with iron scrapers attempted to remove the marine life clinging to it.
The sharp clanging sound of the hammering of blacksmiths working their craft to produce whatever was needed cut through the cacophony of sound that filled the air. The docks themselves were large enough to easily accompany two dozen ships.
To the side, there was even a dedicated shipyard down here. A far cry from the famed Arsenal of Braavos or even the shipyards of Lannisport, but I could see three ships being built, all at various stages of their completion.
It was there that Uncle Gerion was carrying me over too.
Some noticed our approach, or perhaps Gerion's specifically, and walked over to meet us.
"Lord Gerion," a man with a wide-open smile bellowed boisterously before doing a small bow. Tanned skin that had clearly been sun-beaten, a weathered appearance with lines etched onto his face, calloused hands from what I could see, salt-stained clothes, and a pervading scent of salt and sea. If this man before me wasn't a sailor, I'd wear my shoes. "Come to see your ship?"
I could see his eyes turn to me assessingly before shifting back to Gerion's, his question unasked.
"Yes, Master Arnol. Me and my niece both. This is Cersei Lannister," Gerion returned a friendly greeting before he slowly set me down back on the earth.
It was nice to root myself again but a tiny pet peeve I had was stepping in wet things barefooted such as the stone beneath me. The water also absorbed vibrations, dampening my seismic sense.
Acknowledgment shone in his eyes before he gave me a properly deep bow. "Lord Tywin's own daughter come to grace us. An honor m'lady."
Boo.
It was all deference and properness. Bring back the salty and friendly jolly ol' sailor.
"A pleasure, Master Arnol," I replied as disarmingly as I could while giving him a friendly wave. "Now what is this about your new ship Uncle Gerion?"
Gerion grinned widely and spoke with excitement tingeing his voice. "By this time next year, I'll be six and ten, a man grown. As custom, I'll be going on a coming-of-age tour."
"And you're getting a ship because of that?" What is this rich kid shit?! It's like a parent getting their child a freakin' BMW or Mercedes when they get their driver's license. Wait a moment. I'm a rich kid now! "Does that mean I get a ship when I'm a woman-grown and get to go on a coming-of-age tour?"
Gerion laughed at my serious question. So did Arnol actually. "Unfortunately not, Cersei. Ladies don't get to go on coming-of-age tours."
"That's not fair!" I cried out at the unjustness of the world. I'm the Avatar, and Avatars do a lot of traveling, don't they? I did want to see the world a bit but as I had no flying bison, a ship was the next best thing.
"Sorry Cersei, but ours is a world full of dangers… Though if you wanted a ship, you could just ask Tywin for one." Barbies and bikes? Nah, get that outta here. Give me an entire wooden ship.
Ha!
I did want to try to see if I could propel one faster with waterbending. I wasn't even totally sure how to go about doing it but I sure wanted to try.
"Did you ask father for this ship?" I suddenly inquired, remembering Gerion's relationship with my father was rather rocky.
"I did and he's paying for most of it." He affirmed. "Legacy and image is everything to my brother. Even if he and I don't exactly see eye to eye on most matters, he isn't willing to snub family if it weakens the Lannister image."
I sniffed and demanded haughtily, "You'll teach me of course?" He only laughed harder.
"It is doubtful you'll need any of my aid, I'll teach you what I know."
"How are you paying the rest of it." I couldn't help but ask. As a fourth son, Gerion wasn't exactly wealthy.
His smile faded slightly. "My father, Tytos, your grandfather, left me a generous inheritance when he passed."
Oops. I didn't mean to bring up such an awkward topic.
"It is why I'll be naming this ship after him. The Laughing Lion shall be its name." He finished with a tone of sadness. Something about the name tickled my memory but materialized forward so I brushed it off.
"It's a fitting name, for both him and as your ship," I offered up before trying to quickly shift the conversation tone When in doubt, rope someone else in. "Master Arnol, be you the shipwright?"
He was surprised when I suddenly pulled him back into the conversation but he replied quickly enough. "Aye little lady. Tha' be me. Been serving your family since I was as tall as you be now though I was a wee cabin boy then."
"Why don't you tell me about the ship?" The knowing glint in his eyes told me he knew exactly what I was trying to distract Gerion from and he made sure to fill the air with details.
Most of it went over my head but I ooh'ed and aah'ed when it was appropriate.
The few details I understood were the ship was a carrack, allowing it to traverse the open seas more easily. It could be both sail-powered or by oarsmen. It had the cargo capacity to allow for extended trips or it could in turn be converted to living space for more fighters to see off pirates. It had a decent speed, generally being faster than a trading cog but slower than Ironborn longships but it all depended on various circumstances.
"When will it be completed?" I asked, looking over it. The frame was complete but the planking over of the hull still looked to be in progress.
"With hope and enough work, just before Lord Gerion's name day. We'll still need to see if it floats properly before doing sea trials." I nodded along. "After which, its bottom will need to be scraped again before tallowing to ensure she's as smooth as the thighs of any pleasure woman of Lys."
Gerion abruptly shot him a look and he clammed up all of a sudden. To his relief, I pretended I didn't understand what that was supposed to mean by continuing to nod absentmindedly and because I was curious about something else he said. "Why tallow and not a copper sheath?"
"What?" Both Uncle Gerion and Arnol were looking at me weirdly.
Oh, wait a moment. Copper sheathing wasn't ever mentioned in the books. I vaguely even remembered a discussion on Forums of Ice and Fire about it and it just kind of slipped out.
"Uhhh, never mind my words. I defer to your wisdom Master Arnol." I also vaguely remembered the process wasn't as simple as just nailing copper sheets onto a hull. Something about a reaction between the copper and iron.
I watched Gerion turn his attention to Arnol but his eyes were unfocused, lost in thought.
"Ahem," I called out. "Where will you be going for your tour, Uncle Gerion?"
Gerion shared a final look with Arnol who matched it. I mean it would be cool if they figured it out. My little uplift contribution to the world.
"I'll be charting the same path as Tygette. The nine Free Cities of Essos."
I had met Tygette briefly. While kind, I didn't have much of an opinion of him but Jaime did. Uncle Tygette was a damn good fighter, enough such that Father had desired to name him master-at-arms for the Red Keep until King Aerys chose Willem Darry instead. Jaime got wind of the news and instead of focusing on the minor slight against our family, he honed in on our uncle's prowess and had been following him about lately hoping for any kind of instruction.
Then I realized what he said.
"All nine? That'll take years!" I said, aghast at the idea of Gerion being gone that long.
"Likely only the cities along the Narrow Sea. Braavos, Pentos, Tyrosh, Myr," he hesitated, "and Lys."
Arnol gave a hearty chuckle at that final city. I knew why of course, though I sure as shit wasn't supposed to.
I turned to Gerion who shifted his attention to me at my gesture. Channeling as much childlike innocence as I possibly could. "Uncle Gerion," I tilted my head at him, "are you going to visit the pleasure woman Master Arnol spoke of?"
Arnol's hearty chuckle died with a strangled gasp and the sound Gerion made wasn't far behind.
"I… Uhh. No. Of course not." Gerion awkwardly tried to defend himself. He was totes lying.
I was desperately trying to hold back the bubbling manic cackling that wanted to escape my throat but I managed to utter the next words without a trace of inner turmoil. "Uncle Gerion, who is a pleasure woman?"
The look on his face.
It took every bit of noble decorum I had to not laugh in his face. It was the equivalent of a young child asking an awkward teenage boy how babies were made.
"A woman who brings pleasure to people?" He replied in a questioning tone, clearly unsure if that was the right thing to say.
It wasn't. And he was making it too easy for me.
"I wanna be a pleasure woman!" I exclaimed, loudly too, in the manner a young child would claim they wanted to be an astronaut or a firefighter when they grew up.
"No, absolutely not. Worry not about it. You'll learn when you're a woman grown." He said hastily. I could feel the desperation for the end of this topic, his awkwardness and embarrassment in the air so I was just going to let it go.
Not without a final parting shot of course.
"Of course Uncle Gerion." His shoulders slumped the slightest in relief. "I'll ask Mama later."
His reaction broke my composure I burst into laughter.
Gosh. I would miss Gerion when he left.
Now how the fuck was I suppose to keep this man from sailing off to his death in Valyria?
