Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun.
Book 2
Chapter One-Hundred and Twelve
As the early morning sun rose, Cersei watched as the ants scurried down in the courtyard from her window in her private apartments above the kitchen hall of the Red Keep, it made her feel better to be so high above them all that they could not see her but she could see all of them and considering the life that she had led for the past near two decades she needed as much comfort as she could get.
Men in doublets of green and brown and orange and crimson and a thousand other colours with beasts and plants and statues and warriors and giants pinned over their breasts scurried here and there across the courtyard, carrying out a thousand little tasks that needed to be done before the feast tonight could go ahead. Casks of ale and wine were being carried into the Throne Room and crates of fruits, heads of cattle, flocks of sheep and clay pots filled with spice were being carried into the kitchens beneath her feet.
Cersei had hoped that she would be able to be left alone but apparently the Dornish bitch that had stolen her crown from her had insisted that she be present for this feast, there had been a feast every night since, it seemed, that every great house, as well as any house that could be considered to be of any sort of import, sent members to celebrate three hundred years being unified under the Iron Throne.
Even her Father could not ignore it; he had not come himself, which she was grateful for as she knew that he was still enraged with her for her trying to defend her daughter's rights. Instead, Aunt Genna and a few lesser cousins whose names she could not be bothered to remember the names of had been sent to represent House Lannister as well as a few of their bannermen. Enough to give the impression at least that their house was content to suffer under the rule of a northern savage and a Dornish slut.
Aunt Genna had not come to see her either, once upon a time that might have stung her but she had suffered enough indignities over the past two decades, what was another? If her aunt did not wish to be on her side then fair enough. She could survive without her. She could survive without anyone.
Cersei pushed herself up from her window seat and walked over to the table in the centre of her room and waited, it was still early but she had nothing else to do and she could not go back to sleep as she was not tired in the slightest. She tapped her fingers against the table, again and again so the clicking sound filled her mind to try and pass the time faster.
It felt like an eternity had passed before she heard the knock at the door, which was both a relief and frustration as it meant that this day would be more of the same for her. "Come in." She called before she heard the sound of a key being slid into a lock and being turned and one of her maids coming in with a tray in her arms.
Cersei called them her maids but in truth, every single one of them answered to Elia, Cersei knew that they told her everything she did during her day and Cersei did not bother to write letters anymore as she knew that every single one of the treacherous little bitches took the letters to Elia to be read.
She didn't even have a chance of turning one of them to her side as all of them were Dornish and every seven days the maids were swapped out, halfway up the stairs between the kitchens and her apartments was a small room that one of the maids claimed for those seven days before passing it over to whoever was next in line for the duty.
It was another humiliation, she was the eldest daughter of a great lord and a princess and the mother of three royal children who in a fairer and just world would be the heirs to the throne. The Dornish whores should have been falling over themselves for the honour of serving her and instead, they acted like she was something to be suffered and she hated them all for it.
"Good morning princess." The vapid fool chirped at her as she walked over to her and placed the tray down on the table with food to break her fast, that was one of the few small pleasures in her life as being on top of the largest kitchens in the Red Keep meant her food was always hot from the ovens and it was fine food for the most part. "Did you sleep well?"
Cersei hummed and reached for a slice of bacon from her plate, she bit into it and chewed for a few moments before swallowing and reached out for the goblet of the tray and took a sip and she frowned when she tasted that it was a cup of grapefruit juice. She wished that it was wine.
"That's good." The girl chirped again and hummed before sitting down in the seat on the other side of the table, Cersei couldn't remember the girl's name but she had copper curls that spilt over her shoulders that seemed strange against her brown skin. "Shall we go for a walk, today princess? Adera told me that, aside from when Prince Torrhen came back from Dragonstone, you haven't been out of these apartments since then."
She was fairly sure that Adera was the name of another of her maids; it sounded vaguely familiar at least. She hated that they were commenting on her behaviour or what she choose to do, what right did they have to have an opinion on her and Cersei wanted to use her goblet to smash the younger woman's teeth in but, as much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Elia Martell was her only defence against her Father and she could not afford to lose her.
Not yet, at least.
"Fine," Cersei responded and rose to her feet and walked over to her bed and sat down, waiting for the other woman to pull out her clothes from her trunk, She no longer had any access to the gold of the Rock since her Father had abandoned her here and so the clothes she had available to her were clothes that she had remade from her old clothes and clothes that Elia had bought for her, which was just another humiliation to endure.
The dornish girl laid out further up the bed a green gown with golden thread embellishments on the sleeves and Cersei recognised it as one of the dresses that she had remade from an old one; none of her dresses from when she was younger had fit her anymore and so she had remade them and it seemed that she needed to let them out at the sides more and more with each year that passed.
It was humiliating, but she would take that humiliation over wearing any of the clothes that the bitch provided for her and it was good that this girl understood that as she had not had to be told to not put out any of those dresses for her and she helped Cersei to change into the dress with, thankfully, a minimum of conversation.
"I wish to see my children," Cersei spoke as the girl finished tying the last threads at the back of her bodice, it had been too long since she had seen them as she knew that the bitch kept her children away from her because Cersei was the only one who told them anything close to the truth and neither Ned Stark nor Elia Martell could stand that, they were trying to make them weak. To make them not fight for their rights.
Cersei would fight for them then.
"Very well princess," The girl had been quiet for a moment too long for Cersei's liking, she knew that the girl would tell Elia about this despite the fact that Cersei was meant to be allowed to see her children.
Oh, how many people heaped praise on her for that, the good queen with the gentle heart that had let the ruined Lannister remain within her castle and kept her children alive and be taught and raised alongside her own children. None of them saw the chains that chaffed at her neck and her wrists, none of them saw the blades that hovered near their throats.
They both left her apartments and the guard on her door followed silently behind them, he was Dornish as well. Elia Martell had a thousand eyes on her, always. It was difficult to endure but it did please her a small bit that it was clear that the bitch who had stolen her crown from her was frightened her, as she should be.
The three of them walked across the courtyard and made their way to the royal sept, the doors creaked open and Cersei step towards the altar where the statues of the seven gods cast shadows over the two white-clad figures that knelt before them.
"I beg your pardon Princess, Princess Cersei wished to see her daughter." The maid spoke and one of the figures turned her head and Cersei felt her blood burning in her veins at the sight of the face of one of the usurpers who had stolen her children's rights from them.
The little bitch had the nerve to smile at her and rose from her feet. "It's quite alright Nerra, it's wonderful to see you, Princess Cersei." The other figure rose to her feet and turned to face her.
Oh, her precious little princess. She was so beautiful, her golden curls resting under her white hood and her violet eyes shining in the light of the candles. "Mother!" Rhaenys said with a smile as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around her and Cersei held her as close as she could and she never wanted to let her go again, she'd kill anyone who tried to separate them.
"Mother, you're crushing me." Her daughter whined and Cersei huffed as she let her arms fall away and stepped away from her but still held on to her arms. "I am so glad to see you, have you come to pray with us?"
"No my darling, I just wanted to come and see you." She brought a hand up to cup one of her cheeks, brushing her thumb down the fullness of it. "I've missed you so much you know. You must come and visit me more often, you know."
"I'm sorry you've been lonely, Mother," Rhaenys spoke, and her eyes were filled with sadness. "But it's been hectic within the city; I had to bless over a dozen marriages over the past week alone and speak prayers for five men and two women as they passed over into the next world. Plus, with my work with the poor in Flea Bottom, I barely have time to sleep and eat."
"She is an excellent Septa princess." The usurper spoke as if Cersei cared what she thought about anything, and she certainly did not care what her opinion on her daughter was. "It was because of her that I choose to speak my own vows, I can only hope to one day be as good as her."
"Yes, well, one can only hope." Cersei hummed at her before turning her attention fully back on to her daughter. "Have you seen either of your brothers darling?"
"Well, at this time in the morning I have to assume that Tygett would be in the library chamber within Maegor's." Her daughter spoke and then frowned slightly. "As for Aemon, if he's not in the courtyard sparing at this time then he's probably still in bed recovering from the night before."
"The night before?"
"It's not the sort of thing I would like to speak of in the sept Mother, nor is it something I would like to dwell on as his sister." Rhaenys glanced to the side. "I'm sorry Mother, I have to prepare for today's service and I know that Lyarra has work to be done in Flea Bottom today but I promise that I will come and speak with you in the morning, perhaps we could break our fast together?"
"I would enjoy that darling." Cersei leaned in close to her and pressed a kiss to Rhaenys's cheek before turning on her feet and hurrying out of the sept, her maid and the guard following behind her like dogs begging at her heels for a scrap of meat.
"Princess," The maid, Nerra, spoke. "I don't wish to upset you but I don't think you were very respectful to princess Lyarra; she is the King's daughter after all and a septa as well! The Queen won't be happy if she hears about this."
It took all Cersei had not to stop and turn around to slap the mouthy little bitch. "When I want your opinion, I will ask for it. Until then, keep your mouth shut and your eyes closed; I am a Lannister of Casterly Rock and a princess of the realm and the mother of the true heirs to the throne, you are a member of some desert house that no one of any import has heard of and it is not for you to have opinions on my conversations or how I choose to address people, do you understand me?."
"Yes, Princess." Cersei did not turn to look at her but the girl at least sounded abashed and she did not try to speak to her again at the very least, she did hear the sound of the guard muttering something to her as they walked and Cersei had to assume he was trying to comfort the little fool but she didn't care enough to verify that or to try and stop him.
Maegor's drawbridge had been lowered across the moat already and Cersei crossed it as quickly as she could, she wanted to find her eldest son as quickly as possible and she didn't want to get bogged down with pointless and mindless conversation with any of the sheep that had invaded the Red Keep.
Thankfully, it seemed that most everyone who wasn't a servant was still abed and the servants would not dare come up and speak to her and so soon enough Cersei was outside the door that lead into the library chamber. "You will both wait for me out here," Cersei ordered her dogs and then walked through the door.
She was met by the sound of snoring, the old man who must have been the king's keeper of books was snoring away soundly in a padded chair and honestly, that was all for the better as Cersei did not want to deal with a lot of foolish questions and so she walked further into the chamber and smiled when she saw a head of familiar golden curls bent over with his nose buried in the book. "Good morning Tygett."
The boy jumped hearing her voice and his shoulder knocked over the inkpot and the ink stained the sleeve of his cotton shirt and her son let out a curse and looked up at her. "Good morning Mother." Tygett huffed at her and closed his green eyes. "It's been a while since you've come to see me, what is it that you want?"
"I am your Mother, must I want something. I've missed you and I wanted to see you, is that some crime now?"
"No, of course not. I just wished that you hadn't surprised me, some of these books here are very rare, some of the only copies of a few are here in this very room and if I stained them I would never be forgiven, I would never forgive myself!" Honestly, for all their son looked like his Father it seemed that was where the similarities ended as Jaime was never so bookish and he had never placed so much value in books, he certainly wouldn't care if he got one dirty.
"Well you shouldn't be so jumpy Tygett, your Uncle Jaime was a knight by the time he was your age and he had killed his first man as well." Honestly, the boy was so meek that it worried her at times, she sometimes wasn't sure how he could be her and Jaime's son when he was so timid. "You are not still spending time with that Tarley boy, are you?"
Tygett at least had the sense to look abashed, she had told him that she did not wish for him to spend any more time in the fat fool's company. "He's the heir to Horn Hill Mother, and I like him. Princess Rohanne likes him as well, and she's the king's eldest daughter and if she wants to spend time with him then surely it's all right for me to spend time with him as well."
"The boy is a craven Tygett, if you spend time with him then men around you will think that you are a carven as well, it is not natural for a man to be interested in books. Did you ask your Uncle Jaime to train you to wield a sword as I asked you to?"
Her son looked down at his feet and Cersei wanted to scold him for being so meek. "No Mother, I-I forget and Uncle Jaime is very busy guarding the Queen and her children, I didn't really have an opportunity to ask him and I doubt that he would have the time to do so anyway."
"He is your Uncle darling, he will find the time." Cersei stepped closer and placed her hand under his chin and tilted it up so she could look into his deep green eyes. "I love you very much darling, you know that don't you?"
"Yes Mother, I love you as well."
"Good, now, what are you reading?"
That seemed to brighten her son somewhat and he turned back to look at the book he had been pouring over. "It's Archmaester Elbon's treatise on illness and infection, it's an utterly fascinating read. I think that when I finally do go to the citadel and start to forge my chain I will start to study medicine first, I might be to become an Archmaester myself one day! Maybe even Grand Maester when I am old enough."
Cersei frowned and she could not even try to hide it even if she had wished to, her son was a prince and he should not have been forced off to become a Maester, that was something for a fourth son. He was her second, he could have been a lord of a holdfast or he could have been Hand of the King but just like his sister the dornish bitch had poured her poison in his ear and he had been cowed as to think that a life of service to others was the best that he could hope for, that being forced to put a chain around his neck was something generous.
But this was not a fight for today, and so she nodded. "Well, that's lovely darling and I am certain that you could be the greatest Maester that the citadel would ever produce, but I want you to promise me that you will speak to your Uncle and ask him to train you, in the world that we live in knowing how to use a blade is important." She had always wanted to know how to use one herself, but no one had ever let her try.
If they ever had, she could have been a better blade than any of them.
"I will Mother, I promise."
"Good boy." She embraced him and pressed a kiss to his cheek and left him to his books and then made her way out to the courtyard where her firstborn son and the true heir to the throne if anyone asked her opinion, was out and sparing with a dulled blade with another man.
"Mother!" Aemon cried happily and caught the other man on the shoulder, he let out a cry and fell to his knees but Aemon had already dropped his sword and was walking over to embrace her. "This is a surprise, how are you this morning?"
"Well enough." Cersei pulled back and looked him over, of all of her children Aemon was the one who looked the most like Rhaegar, his indigo eyes were bright and his long silver hair was tied back and up into a knot. However, for all he looked like the prince that had betrayed her he acted more like Jaime to her mind, he smiled easily and laughed loudly and he always had a spark in his eyes. "And you? Your sister mentioned that you might be unwell this morning."
As soon as she said that it caused a frown to spread across his face and he pulled away and marched over to pick up the sword he had dropped and then grabbed a fistful of his fallen foe's shirt and hauled him up to his feet. "Again!" He barked roughly and the air was filled with the sound of clanging again. "Rhaenys worries too much about things she doesn't know anything about, I went down into the city last night and I had a few drinks with some friends, that's all."
"I am certain that she is simply worried about you, she's your older sister after all." Cersei hummed as she watched the fight and her heart was filled with pride at how strong her son was, the other man didn't have a chance against him and that was just how it should be. He might have looked like a dragon but it was clear that at his heart he was all a lion. "Who are these friends?"
"Some men from the Reach, one of them is Mace Tyrell's third son. The Knight of the Flowers, we struck up a friendship during the last tourney and we kept writing to one another when he went back to Highgarden." Ah, well now she understood why Rhaenys was worried. Loras Tyrell was known to be a pillow biter and the fact that her son was choosing to spend time with him...No, it simply wouldn't do.
"Well, I am certain that Ser Loras is very diverting company but you have to remember that we are judged by the company that we keep Aemon, I think it would be better if that was a friendship that was not kept up." Aemon let out a roar then and swung his sword down and the man he spared with fell to the ground with a cry and started to wait about his arm being broken.
"Fuck! If you don't shut the fuck up then it's going to be your neck that will wind up broken!" Aemon then spun to face her and glared at her. "And thank you for your opinion on my friends' Mother, but I don't recall asking for your opinion on the matter and nor do I want it!" And with that, her son reached down and picked the man up by his shirt again and dragged him inside Maegor's.
As Cersei stood there, blinking in shock, her cheeks started to burn as she heard the rest of the people in the courtyard whispering to one another, whispering about her. She hated all of them so much and she stormed back towards the kitchen keep and then up to her apartments, picking up her plate that had not been cleared away yet and flung it towards the wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Will you be needing anything else, Princess?" Neera asked and Cersei almost jumped, she had forgotten that the girl was there and when Cersei turned to look at her she was certain that the woman was laughing at her behind her eyes, Cersei wanted to stab them out. Her eyes were so dark, they might be the eyes that the witch had warned her about so long ago.
"Get out!" The girl did not need to be told twice as she fled the chambers, closing the door as she left and the sound of it being locked filled her ears like the sound of a war drum and Cersei was left alone with nothing but her rage to keep her company and to stew in.
The sky had darkened and the moon was just starting to peek through the clouds when there was the sound of the key being slid into the lock, at least they had stopped pretending that she had any actual choice when it came to if they could actually come into her chambers. She didn't turn to face whichever maid it was who came in. "I am not going, tell your Queen if she doesn't like it she can fling herself off the Tower of the Hand."
"Oh, that is not a song that I should like to bring to the Queen, oh dear not at all." Cersei turned to face the man who had spoken, though it turned out that man was the wrong word as standing there, dressed like a baker with rough stubble on his chubby face was Varys. "She is not pleased with you as it is my princess, Lady Neera has told her of your behaviour and your sons have spoken to her as well, no, she is very unhappy with you."
"I don't care one whit what she thinks of me, what is she to do? Shall I be scolded in front of the court at the feast, truly I am shaking in fear." Cersei rolled her eyes and stared out the window as she watched people slowly start to walk into the throne room, the sound of laughter, music and singing drifting out from inside as well as tasty scents.
"I am afraid that will not be happy, your invitation has been rescinded." Cersei laughed, the stupid woman honestly thought that would upset her. How such a fool could still be Queen was hard to believe. "Which means that you will not be hearing their graces happy announcements, that the Queen is with child once again. Another anchor for their lineage."
Cersei's breath froze in her lungs, of course. Of course, that was why she insisted that she be there, the bitch wanted to laugh at her, to mock her. Cersei hated her so much, she wanted to murder her, she was going to murder her.
But not yet, she needed to wait. To bide her time just a little longer and so she took in a deep breath and rose and turned to face Varys, the only true friend that she had at this court. "And what songs do you have for me?"
The eunuch smiled his pleasant smile that had been given her so much comfort over the years and spoke. "Oh, the sweetest Princess."
End of Chapter One Hundred and Twelve.
Another chapter published and Cersei remains one of my favourite characters to write for, I hope that comes across and Varys is up to no good as always.
As for the next chapter, well, we catch up with the young man who, in another world, would be known as Jon Snow.
With warmest regards,
DiscordantSymphony