Joffrey
Joffrey stood still stone-faced in front of the mirror as his servants dressed him. He was supposed to look dignified today, like a real warrior. He was put on gilded armor that covered his young body. The Lannister crest was engraved on the armor because Joff had always identified more with his mother's family than his father's.
-Faster, you idiots. I have to get out of here now - he shouted at the servants, hurriedly looking at the mirror. He looked carefully at himself. He thought he looked like a real lion, the most handsome man in the kingdom.
Honestly, Joffrey felt a bit strange in the armor that had been put on him. He didn't have much experience with swords and had never been in battle. As a child and teenager, he practiced fencing many times, but it never became his great passion. He believed that he should be responsible for the main command and management of the kingdom, and not play knight like Uncle Jaimie. He quickly left his chambers with his guard, heading for the walls. He knew well how people reacted to his attitude as king, so he had to first present himself as brave. He had known for several weeks that Stannis would attack, but when it happened he felt that it happened too quickly and although the kingdom was well prepared, he had some doubts, which he tried to kill now and then, thinking about his victory. He had constant visions of himself as the great savior of realms, the great King Joffrey, who would be as famous as Aegon the Conqueror, and whose deeds would be praised thousands of years from now. Once he wins the battle and his plan to kill Stannis succeeds, no one in the kingdom will be able to tarnish his name anymore. If only his father would rise from the grave, he would immediately apologize to him for any doubts he had. Besides, was Robert Baratheon worth it? Of course not, he was just an old fool despised even by his brothers. Joffrey wasn't going to let up and he knew that Stannis had to die at all costs. Although the chances of winning the battle were not that low, the most important thing was to finally get rid of Stannis and show the enemies how completely his fame would be destroyed. When he went to the courtyard he saw that Ser Clegane, who was his devoted hound, was not with them.
"It's strange, maybe the dog escaped," thought the curious king. Despite everything, he didn't care and went without him, but it wasn't in Hound's nature, who obediently follow all his orders. It wasn't time to think too much, but the young king seemed genuinely surprised. Well, if the dog deserted for fear of war and might get stabbed somewhere, that's none of Joffrey's business. Joffrey knew he had no friends and honestly, things like that didn't bother him at all.
When they reached the walls, Tyrion Lannister was already waiting for him with his mocking face.
-So there's our savior- he said sarcastically.
-How are you going to save the kingdom, my king? - he added stupidly and then looked at Lancel Lannister, who was standing next to them in specially fastened armor because he had lost a lot of weight recently. Joffrey was about to answer his uncle when he saw Lancel smiling slightly at the sight of him. Joffrey wasn't going to try to be polite this time.
-If I win this battle, I'll give you as a gift to some fat old men who want fuck you in bed, then my mother will finally stop fucking you, you little cunt - he shouted. Lancel was outraged.
-Your Grace- he tried to explain.
Joffrey didn't answer him, he had long known about his cousin's sexual relationship with his mother, and although he was no saint himself, he found it repulsive. He gave Lancel a disdainful look.
-So it begins... Here they are- added Tyrion Lannister, pointing to Stannis' ships.
Joffrey saw the two armies clashing and seeming to merge into one great sea of blood, screams, and dust. Fear filled the streets and people began to scream before Stannis even reached the city. Unfortunately, it was true that his uncle was a really good warrior, but this was not to be his time of glory. Joffrey fell into a slight state of daze as he watched the armies clash, waiting for a long time for his messenger who would bring him information about Stannis. There was chaos around and some of the soldiers deserted when the guards reported this to him, Joffrey became furious and shouted
-Catch these traitors and nail them to a cross on the main road to the castle! Let everyone know the consequences of leaving his king.
-I wish Stannis would nail us to a cross instead of putting our heads on stakes- Tyrion pretended to be amused. Joffrey shouted to his army to defend the city at all costs. One great storm broke out and from the walls, the armies looked like biting flies. Even though Joffrey hated people, or to be more precise, he didn't care about them at all, he had to play the good king so that the city wouldn't rebel against him and there wouldn't be a situation like the one with the wheat from a few weeks ago. He hated it. The vision of being king never meant the vision of being an absolute ruler. Stupid insignificant people, however, were an important point on the chessboard that could be used by his hidden enemies. When the fighting started in full swing, suddenly there was a loud bang and screams from a distance.
-Stannis Baratheon is dead!-Joffrey heard clearly.
So that's it. He didn't expect this, it honestly took so long that he thought the mission would fail. However, the death of the leader of the enemy army did not cause his uncle's army to surrender, on the contrary, it began to fight harder and harder, almost breaking down the city walls.
-Strengthen security-Tyrion shouted.
Suddenly, a short and emaciated man in disguise stood in front of the walls.
-This man claims to have a message for the king- commented one of his guards.
-What news is that? - asked Joffrey, who recognized him as the assassin of Stannis whom he had sent to the enemy camp a few days ago. Joffrey wasn't going to repay the man now that the job was done, he wasn't going to be interested in him now, he probably wasn't coming back for the reward, he should be happy that he stayed alive. At that moment, the city's defense collapsed and Stannis' soldiers began to enter. Fortunately, they did not enjoy their success for long. Right behind them, a large and powerful Lannister army entered the city and began to crush the enemies like dust. Joffrey noticed Tywin Lannister's unfavorable gaze from a distance but decided to look at him with pride because he stood on the walls and commanded the city, even though he had no experience. He wasn't going to get cornered by his grandfather, after all, Tywin wasn't the king.
Even though Tywin believed himself to be better than him, in the end, he cunningly killed Stannis, thus destroying his legend forever. Now he was going to send soldiers to his camp and show Stannis' head to his people. He knew that the bloody massacre was about to begin when he will order his most important people to be nailed to crosses, but that would scare away most of his enemies, such as the brother of the cursed redhead Sansa-Robb. While Tywin was dealing with the last of the enemy forces, his guard approached Joffrey with a letter in his hand.
-What is that?-Joffrey asked furiously, thinking only that after everything that had happened, someone was bothering him with some stupid things.
-Apparently, it can't wait- the guard added.
-Give it to me,-he said, taking a piece of paper in his hand. Joffrey noticed that the letter was divided into two parts. The same man who killed Stannis on his orders was looking at him from below as if he was expecting something, but after a while, he was captured by the king's soldiers. The screams of people being killed could be heard in the distance, but the battle was already coming to an end in favor of the Lannisters. Most of the alive soldiers on horseback had golden helmets on their heads. The kingdom will be saved, and Joffrey will soon be proclaimed a hero. He smiled once again as the soldiers saluted upon seeing him and the Lannister army advanced towards the city, crushing the enemy. People saw him on the walls and probably admired him twice as much as Tywin Lannister, and Stannis' head had not yet been served to them. This was the glory of Joffrey, the great leader and slayer of the impudent usurper.
Joffrey lowered his head to read the letters. The guards protected him from behind just in case someone decided to shoot at him. Joffrey read the first few letters of the text dismissively when suddenly his eyes widened in surprise.
"I, Stannis Baratheon, brother of the deceased rightful king of Westeros, Robert Baratheon, have irrefutable proof that the bastard son of Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime, born of incest, sits on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms. Apart from his appearance, which differs significantly from the appearance of Baratheon inherited for generations, I also have a letter from his mother to her brother. It is a call to the war. I must regain the throne of which I am the rightful heir." Joffrey was furious when he read the whole thing, having the absolute conviction that it was usually nonsense and slander, but his surprise was even greater when he saw what he most didn't want to see. "Jaime, come to the capital. Our son is in danger. Lord Eddard Stark has been arrested." Joffrey almost spat out of surprise and outrage. He always knew that his mother made stupid choices but at that moment he wanted to exile her or even do something more extreme. She was an egoistic and stupid idiot who always thought she could outsmart others. She will pay him dearly for this.
He hoped it was all some sick plot, but he couldn't deny that he had heard such rumors for a long time. Honestly, he didn't care whose son he was. As a great king, he despised both Robert and Jaime, but still decided it was better to believe it was a lie. However, it wasn't the credibility of this that was causing his fury now, but what his mother had done, so he quickly called his guards and had them drag the man he had sent to Stannis. He was red with anger and felt that Stannis' head would not be the only one he would impale.
At the Tyrells Manor
The Tyrells were one of the wealthiest families in the Seven Kingdoms. They lived in Highgarden, where their large castle was located, surrounded by beautiful exotic gardens and a small lake. Many people were happy under their rule because they took great care of the poor. They had many shares in the Iron Bank and even owned estates in Essos. The eldest of the family was Olenna Tyrell, who, despite her old age, was known for her cunning and wisdom. Her son, Mace, lost his wife after several years of marriage. However, from this union, he had two children, Loras and Margaery, who were his pride. You could say they were in a winning position if it weren't for the fact that they decided to support Renly. Now that Stannis had been defeated, Renly's position was much weaker.
Margaery, from House Tyrell, was a beautiful 20-year-old woman of truly exceptional beauty. Shapely, slender with long wavy hair and a very feminine figure, she attracted men's attention from an early age. Margaery, however, was not a doe who ran away to the other side of the world after these glances, but she smiled coquettishly and politely greeted these men. Although Margaery's mother died when she was only a few years old, her grandmother Olenna was constantly present in her upbringing. The women had a very good relationship, and although Margaery saw her grandmother as her idol, she had only followed her own path since childhood. She was passionate and loved musical instruments and flowers. From childhood, her father taught her that she would be a queen, and that's how she was raised. An impeccable lady, educated, sophisticated, and very polite, she lacked neither intellect nor beauty, but who she was married to strongly determined her happiness. Margaery was full of hope when she married Renly Baratheon, because he was the king's brother, but it quickly turned out that neither her beauty nor personality attracted him and he constantly refused to visit her in bed. At first, Margaery blamed herself, but then she quickly realized that after their dinners together, Renly ended up in bed with her brother Loras. She felt humiliated and quickly mentioned it to her family, but they quickly reminded her of her place and tried to encourage her to try to seduce Renly.
-The Lannisters will be here. Renly has no chance anymore, the Crown will have him executed unless he bows down - said Margaery.
-I'm sorry, child,-Olenna said.
-Remember, I will do everything to ensure that you are always in a good position, leave it to me - her grandmother smiled at her.
-Grandma, what can you do now? - Margaery raised an eyebrow in surprise.
-We need to work something out with your father- Olenna said proudly.
Margaery looked at her with love and replied, taking the locket in her hand. It was her mother's necklace.
-I'm still a virgin from a rich family, I can still marry well- she said bravely, with a hint of dishonesty in her voice.
-Who do you want to be, Margaery?- asked Olenna, proudly looking at her granddaughter.
-And who did my father raise me to be?- she asked rhetorically. Margaery knew one thing now: somehow her marriage to Renly would be dissolved, or she would never be a significant player in her own life. She had high ambitions and even though fate presented her with difficulties, she wanted to climb them proudly to the very top.