Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun.
Book 2
Chapter One-Hundred and Thirty-Four
Ruling was such a tiring thing.
Cersei sighed and reached out for her goblet and took a sip from it, it was still as thin and sour as it had been the first time she had tasted it but it was better than nothing, even if she still longed for an entire cask of arbor gold.
The numbers on the pages seemed to blur into one another and Cersei took that as a sign she had done more than enough for one day and so she she closed the heavy ledger and reached for her nearly empty glass, swallowed the dregs, and refilled it.
Outside she could hear the sound of cheering, it seemed that Daenerys's black dragon had finally grown large enough for her to ride it and the silver-haired queen was soaring through the air for the entertainment of her court, Cersei wondered if one day her own son would take a dragon for his own mount. It was his right as her king, and a dragon needed a rider.
When she was a little girl Cersei had used to dream of riding a dragon, she had drawn pictures of herself soaring through the air with Prince Rhaegar on a dragon of their own and she had to lie to Jaime that it was King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne in order to stop him from growing jealous.
But then she had grown older, and dragons and perfect princes were things that only existed in songs. Well, only perfect princes at least.
It was a good thing, they were one step closer to finally getting home. They would land their armies on the shore of Westeros, all the lords and ladies of the great houses and the smallfolk would flock to their banners.
And those that did not would get a taste of dragonflame.
But there would be no chance to kneel for Eddard Stark, or Elia Martell. Cersei remembered the tale of how Rhaenyra Targaryen had been burned and eaten by her dragon in front of her son, who was powerless to do anything.
Cersei would have the usurper's children fed to a dragon in front of them as they were powerless to do anything about it, helpless to watch as their line came to an end and then she would see that they died slowly, screaming for a reprieve.
"Oh, don't look at me like that." Cersei muttered to Jaime as he stared at her, as silent as ever.
He had come back to her after he had been devoured piece by piece by the Queen's dragons, he never said anything to her and simply looked at her like he was so sad. The first time she saw him, she thought it was a dream but he was there plan as day and yet none could see him besides her and she could not touch him, no matter how much she longed to do so.
"They are traitors, and so were you," Cersei muttered as she took another sip of her wine, the bitter taste was better than meeting the shade of her twin's eyes. "You tried to kill me, coming in like a thief in the night, you got what you deserved."
Jaime said nothing, as always, he just kept looking at her.
Cersei sighed and shook her head, she wouldn't play this petty game with him. She had important things to attend too, she was the Hand of the Queen.
She left the private quarters that had been given to her after her appointment to her new office, they had used to belong to a meereenese man by the name of Reznak mo Reznak, who had been one of the Queen's loyal councillors until she had some sort of fit and screamed at him about his perfume and had him thrown from the balcony of her pyramid.
The sun was baking the city of bricks as Cersei stepped out into the high walled courtyard in front of the pyramid, Daenerys's court was gathered and all were cooing and awing at the sight of a woman soaring through the air on the back of a dragon.
Cersei would not deny it, it was a great sight. But she wanted more than flight when she saw a dragon, she wanted fire and blood. A terror for enemies that could not be matched, she wanted that and she wanted to be the one to bring it to them.
Her son was there watching his queen, Ser Loras only a half step behind him. His hair was growing back just as hers was after they had shaved it to better hide their identities, though he had told her during their last meal together that he might keep it shorter from now on.
He looks like a king, Cersei thought wistfully as she stared at her son, her second born and her first boy. He was tall and broad of shoulder, she used to think that Aemon looked just like his father but Rhaegar had been more slender, the only thing he had given Aemon was his colouring.
No, her son looked like all the drawings Cersei had ever seen of Aegon the Conquerer and Cersei could so easily see him atop the iron throne, while all the lords and ladies and knights pleaded for his favour.
By right it should be his, he was the son of the heir to the throne and Daenerys was just his aunt but Cersei needed her to win the throne back, they needed her armies and they needed her dragons.
Cersei watched as Daenerys brought her dragon down from the sky and then watched as she dismounted, atop a dragon she was all but invulnerable but after the war was won and she was on the ground, well, she was just another woman then.
There would need to be a feast, to celebrate their victory and their return to their homeland. They would be singers and mummers, fire-breathers and dancing bears, lamprey pie and honeys cakes.
And wine.
And Cersei meant to make sure that Daenerys Targaryen drank deep from her cup.
"My queen is as brave as any man," Aemon said as Daenerys walked closer to him, with her eyes shinning and a smile on her lips you could almost forget that she was a one-armed mad woman. "I can only hope to be half so brave in my own trials."
"I would not wed a craven," Daenerys said as she reached up with her hand and cupped Aemon's face, leaning into kiss him deeply. "On the morrow you must ride with me, you have not seen a city until you have seen it sprawled out before you."
"I am sure my son would enjoy that your Grace," Cersei said as she approached from the side. "But once your other dragons are grown enough he must try and bond with one of them, dragons are wonders to be sure but they are only useful for war if they have riders."
Daenerys frowned, but her eyes were not alit with madness so Cersei felt safe enough. "Viserion and Rhaegal do not grow as fast as Drogon, there will be time enough for that later, my good lady hand."
"I am your Grace's humble servant," Cersei said with a nod of her head, those were the words that her own lord father had used whenever he had to save Aerys from one disaster or the next and she found the words suited her as well.
The only difference was she fully intended to rid herself of this dragon queen the moment she no longer had need of her, father should have killed Aerys the second he had the chance. He should have forbidden Ser Barristan to rescue him from Duskendale, if he had then Rhaegar would have been king and so much could have been avoided. She could have been Queen.
But she supposed he still would have stolen away with Lyanna Stark, he had done that because of some prophecy about ice and fire. Even though Cersei had done everything right, she had been a loyal and loving wife and she had given him trueborn children and still he had betrayed her.
She had waited so long for her vengeance, her justice. She could wait a bit longer that get what she deserved.
Daenerys nodded in return and with that the court made it's way back inside the pyramid and began the long climb back to the hall where court would be held and the petitioners would come to beg the favour of their queen.
It was a long and tedious affair and Cersei often found that she was in danger of falling asleep, and she did not even have the luxury of a chair as it was the custom of this strange city that the lord be seated while their consort and advisors stayed standing while they held court.
There was a long line today and it was mostly former slaves who came before the queen, their former owners had learned the hard way not to expect much in the way of justice from her and now they simply hide in their own pyramids, hoping to escape her notice.
Cersei wondered what they thought of the sight of their conqueror on dragonback, the horror it must have put into their hearts.
The petitioners wanted the same things they always wanted, justice for their mothers and sisters and fathers and brothers and lovers who had died or been broken by their lives as slaves. They wanted gold and they wanted blood, they wanted fire and they wanted steel. They wanted like a horde of locusts.
Cersei would have sent them all away if she could, Daenerys Targaryen had already given them their freedom and yet they still wanted more. It was their lives, what responsibility did any of them have to continue to provide for them?
But the dragon queen was deaf to good sense and had a heart that was soft, at least for them. She agreed to most every request that was put to her, only the most extreme did she deny and even then only after a great deal of thought.
It was when the sun was setting that the commotion began, a loud voice from the hall began to shriek as the Queen's was listening to an old couple who had come to beg the right for justice against the son of a meereense noble who had taken their son as a pleasure slave and then strangled him in a fit of pique, and two guards rushed out to see what was causing it.
Moments later a highborn man with skin as pale as cream and an overly large nose studded with jewels was dragged in, the rage he was in was clear to see for all who looked at him.
And yet, when his eyes landed on Daenerys sat on her bench he did his best to hide it. "Daenerys, Queen of my heart and my sweet delight. Is this how you would open our talks, force me to walk to petition you like I am a stranger and not one of your truest friends, not someone who loves you deeply?"
Daenerys narrowed her eyes at the man. "Xaro," she began. "I believe I made it clear when you sent your last messenger to me, I have no interest or desire for any sort of peace with you or with Qarth or with any of the free cities that still support the slave trade, and you may threaten me however you wish and I will not change my mind. I am not interested in peace, I hunger for justice."
Xaro sighed, like he was dealing with a petulant child who did not understand why they needed to go to bed earlier than anyone else. "Daenerys, wonder of my world, you do not understand. You are young with a gentle heart and head full of gallant notions about the world, you preach justice and freedom and yet what are the seeds you have sown? I name them fear, disorder and misrule. Your people will suffering in the long-run for it."
"My people will be free, and the only ones who need fear me are my enemies." Daenerys retorted. "I have made it clear that I do not want you hear, you have chosen to come to me of your own free will and uninvited at that."
"I have come to petition the queen of Meereen!"
"And as the Queen of Meereen I have heard your petition, and I do not consent to it." Danerys rose to her feet, a small girl made smaller by the lack of an arm and yet she stood far above the man beneath her. "Leave my city at once, fly back to your masters and tell them that I am unbroken and if any army marchs on my walls I shall give them a taste of dragonflame."
"Your grace," Cersei said, stepping forward. "Might I speak with the noble Xaro in my own chambers, over supper perhaps, it is possible that I can make him understand what you are trying to do here. Your grace says you are not interested in peace, but what if that peace brings you closer to freeing all the slaves in Essos, it might be quicker than a war and it allows you to save your strength for the war for Westeros."
Daenerys was silent for a moment as she considered, and then nodded. "Please escort Xaro Xhoan Daxos to the hand's chambers, I will be eager to hear your report."
"And I shall be eagar to give it to you, your Grace." Cersei said as she left the hall, and made her way back to her chambers.
Xaro was sat at the table in her chamber and Cersei turned to the serving girl. "Bring wine and food, no dog." she commanded before she sat down across from the man. "Forgive the queen, she is young and brash."
"She is mad and a monster, and you serve her." Xaro said with a glare that would be intimidating if Cersei was not so distracted by his nose. "None shall agree to freeing their slaves."
"And I do not ask you too, the Queen shall not be your friend in this matter," Cersei smiled and reached out to lay her hand on Xaro Xhoan Daxos's wrist. "But, your journey need not all be for nothing. I could be your friend."
Xaro Xhoan Daxos stared down at her hand and then looked up at her, and after a moment a smile slowly formed on his face.
And over his shoulder, Jaime still kept staring at her.
End of Chapter One-Hundred and Thirty-Four