Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter Princess Rosalind of Underland, jacobssibling, shalomdebbie, and angelsinstead.
""Over an hour later.." Damn that took a long time, poor Cersei had to endure that woman and Jaime talking about those portraits for an hour hah"
Lol, yeah. She told him everything about the ancestors she knew and even what she heard about the ones she didn't know.
"I'm not most men, aye, I'm sure." It's giving "there are no men like me, only me." from the series haha. But it's true he's one of a kind. Besides he's seen her give birth 3 times already, 4 if you count the dark haired baby she had in the show before Joffrey. He can handle it just fine.
Ty, I was thinking of that line when I wrote that. I love that line.
"Is he really wrong or was Qyburn wrong? Guess we won't find out for a little while."
It will be quite a while before it's revealed, sorry!
"To detect a pregnancy that early is not possible." Suppose it depends on how he detected it. Maybe he used some sort of potion that works like a modern pregnancy test? Then I suppose it's possible to know 2-3 weeks after conception."
A missed period can be a sign, but due to Cersei's age this healer doesn't consider it a reliable one.
"Love that she's defending Qyburn's skills tho, very sweet."
Thank you. I always headcanon Qyburn as being like a father figure to Cersei so I figure she would defend him.
"So petty that she just wants to leave without paying this guy haha"
lol yup. I couldn't see her wanting to pay after how it went. But of course, Jaime's honor won't let him leave the guy without payment.
Jaime looked he dead in the eye "I'm not so sure that he is wrong." Oh no.. he seems mad. WAIT.. if she's only four months along does that mean the baby isn't Jaime's!? Not Euron, please noooo. This is gonna turn into a huge fight isn't it?
Perhaps, eventually. Or Cersei will avoid the topic and they both will give each other the silent treatment and act passive-aggressively for a while till they talk.
I'm just catching up with this one. I remembered it pretty well as I was skimming through-got to the last chapter and remembered Cersei not being used to peeling her own fruit. This chapter is good because of the whole baby drama. The relief that the baby is ok, but damn, how long has she been pregnant. And how much does it matter to Jaime? It's a test of their relationship. I love how when they walk out the door, Cersei is already trying to out Jaime down by making him look like a bad negotiator of funds if he paid the healer in full, how the salve won't do anything, and how completely wrong the healer is about how far along she is in her pregnancy.
Glad to have you come back to this...it makes me really happy that you remember stuff that happened in it! :) As for how much it matters to Jaime, well I think he'll stay with her either way, but it certainly will take longer for them to reconcile if it's Eurons.
Hello! I read what you have so far and I am enjoying the story so much! I love how descriptive you are throughout and how you paint the scene for the reader. The monkeys were amusing. It's good that Cersei and Jaime are hashing everything out, so that hopefully they can come to some compromise or resolution for their ongoing issues. I haven't seen season 8 yet of GOT, so I don't know if part of the story may be what actually happens or if you decided to spin things for this story. I guess I will find out. I wonder why the healer thinks that Cersei may be only 4 months pregnant when she's certain she's 6. I have some theories on that. I was kind of hoping they might have twins after it was brought up in the final chapter you wrote, but we'll have to see. I can't wait to see where Cersei and Jaime go next in their travels. I hope they eventually settle down and try to live comfortably, but for now, I am along for the wild ride. Hope you can update soon!
Hi! I'm so glad to know I have another reader. Glad you found the monkeys funny, that was one of my favorite things to write about. Would love to know your theories on why the healer thinks that. As for twins, we will see! And not to spoil, but Cersei and Jaime are gonna see a lot more of Pentos before they leave it behind. But there will be plenty of traveling too! I have a chapter planned too where they ride a shared wagon with other passengers. Can't recall what that's called right now.
Cersei stopped midstep and glared at him. "What do you mean that you are not so sure that he is wrong?! Of course, he is wrong!"
Jaime halted, and they stood in the street, glaring at each other. "Is he really?" He asked, eyeing her with doubt.
"Of course, he is. I had missed my moonblood, and Qyburn told me I was pregnant half a year ago."
"I don't wish to discuss this here. We'll talk when we get to an inn," replied Jaime dismissively as he started walking again.
"Don't you walk away from me! There is nothing to discuss. I am six months pregnant, not nearly four!" she said loudly, following after him.
Jaime slowed to a steady pace and sighed, "It's going to get dark soon. Let's get a room at the inn, and we can discuss matters there."
"Let's stay at a different inn. One with a tub in the room and a maid that will bring us fruits," she suggested.
"Do you know where such a place is? Because I do not."
"Of course not. But we could walk around. I'm sure we can find another."
"I suppose so. Perhaps we should turn on this street then?"
"Alright," she said.
They turned on the street and walked for a bit, the silence in the air tense and uncomfortable, the mood vastly different from earlier.
Soon they came into view of a large stone building, with several tall windows, each adorned with its own red curtain. A fancy banner hung to the side of the door that said "Pento's Best Inn." It looked far more impressive than the plain timber-built inn they had stayed at.
"This looks like an inn that would have everything fit for those of our station!" She exclaimed triumphantly. Jaime smiled back despite the situation, probably relieved that at least for some brief time they would live closer to royalty than peasants.
She opened the large red door as excited as the hound chomping down on a piece of chicken.
They now stood on a Myrish carpet with a purple and red pattern. Those same purples and reds were found on the cushions of delicately carved chairs placed in front of the small red tables in the room. Those seats were empty, presumably because people had retired for the night.
In front of the room was a desk where the innkeeper was sitting. On the wall behind him hung a portrait of some man who was nobody in Westeros but clearly somebody significant in Pentos.
To the right, the sounds of a fire crackling could be heard. The mantel hung above it held two fancy-looking candles on each end and small decorative statues of various animals between them.
To the left of the room hung various stag heads. Cersei chose to take the sights of dead stags as a good omen. This inn would surely be wonderful to stay at, and it was as beautiful inside as it was on the outside.
"Umm Cersei?" Jaime whispered to her.
"What?" She asked in a low voice.
He subtly nudged her and gestured to under one of the tables. A bunch of ants were feasting on some food that had dropped under one of the nearby tables.
"Well, maybe somebody spilled something. I've seen worse in the Red Keep," she whispered, unconcerned.
"Maybe. Shall we go pay then?"
"Of course. Ants aside, this place is quite splendid."
"Maybe too splendid. We can't really afford this," Jaime said.
"Nonsense. We still have many coins left on us, and we haven't even sold the rest of the jewels yet," she replied, walking to the innkeeper.
Jaime followed, just as she expected he would, and she waited for him to ask for a room.
"How much for..." Jaime trailed off before turning to her, "How long are we going to stay here?"
"Just a night," she replied.
"A night only? Are you-?"
She started to feel the sensation of something foreign under her dress and shrieked.
"Saerlena? Are you alright?" Jaime asked, concerned.
She reached down, under her dress, and grabbed a disgusting little bug.
She held it up so both the innkeeper and Jaime could see. "This. Was crawling on me!" she exclaimed before crushing it in her hand. "Now get me some soap and water to wash this disgusting thing off!" She demanded of the innkeeper.
"Vermin? You brought vermin in here? I'm going to have to ask you both to leave," the innkeeper said.
"You fool! It was not me they came from! Your place is infested with roaches, ants, and who knows what else!" She exploded.
"Leave now," the man commanded again.
"We don't wish to stay in this vermin-infested hellhole anyway!" She stated before storming off.
"That is no way to treat a lady," Jaime said to the innkeeper before hurrying after her.
"I cannot believe we almost slept in that filthy place!" She exclaimed as soon as they were outside.
Jaime stood in the street across from her, both with disgusted looks on their faces. He nodded his agreement. "I did not even come across roaches in any of the inns on my travels to get back to you. Thank goodness we saw the filth before we gave them any coin."
"Yes well, that filth is now all over my hand. What am I to do?" she said.
"You should have let me take care of it for you," replied Jaime.
"I am not some helpless woman who waits for a man to kill a stupid little bug! It was bad enough I shrieked."
"Let's just go back to the inn we've been staying at. We at least know it's clean if nothing else," said Jaime, turning to head in that direction.
She fell into step beside him. "If I did not have a dead bug all over my hand, I would argue. But tomorrow morning we head east. Perhaps to Qohor, or maybe south to Myr."
"Leave Pentos?! We have barely any clothes, nor supplies, or even a wagon!" protested Jaime. The streets were noisy with chatter, so they could talk about such things without anybody hearing or paying any mind to it.
"We'll get a wagon first, of course. The rest we can get on the way. I don't feel safe here," she said.
"You worry too much. Nobody will find out who we are."
"And you never worry at all. You even told that storekeeper that we were from Westeros! With your missing hand, he'll probably figure out who we are, if he hasn't already. They could be coming for us now!"
"I did not tell him. He surmised that we fled King's Landing. Apparently, due to my sword looking so extraordinary, he assumed we came from a house with money. And I doubt word of my... my unfortunate injury has even reached Essos."
"Why would he assume we fled King's Landing?" She asked worriedly.
"He's apparently seen a lot of refugees from there. People are fleeing after what-"
She cut him off, panic in her voice, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! We could be recognized. We must leave immediately. Tonight."
"I don't expect we will be recognized. People think we're dead. Besides, whose to say the other cities aren't having their own swarm of refugees?"
"Pentos is the closest city, so we are the least safe here. Let's just go east," she argued.
"I am not leaving Pentos until my ankle is healed!" he informed her sternly.
"Do you want us to get caught?!"
"Of course not. But we need to prepare, and perhaps disguise ourselves before we leave. Not to mention, we are better hiding than out traveling while my ankle is like this."
Cersei had to admit, Jaime did have a point. Her short hair and his missing hand were identifying features. Those needed to be dealt with before they left. Tomorrow she would buy a suitable wig, and somehow, they would figure out what to do about Jaime's hand. After that? Would Jaime abandon her a few days down the road? She hoped not, but the worry of it wouldn't leave her mind.
They had their late lunch barely three hours earlier, yet Cersei was hungry again. She was none too eager to head back to the inn either, so when they passed in front of a pub, she suggested they go inside.
"You can't be that worried if you're willing to go into yet another tavern," was Jaime's response.
"What am I to do for food, then? Neither of us can cook, and fruit is hardly enough to sustain me."
"We'll have to learn one day soon," he said.
Cersei frowned in reply. For the first time ever, she wished that she had been taught such things as a girl. When she was a child, their father had come to agree that cooking was beneath her station. That remained the one womanly pursuit that he hadn't forced upon her.
"A girl of your station need not cook. There are servants for such things," he had said.
If her incident with the fruit hadn't yet made her feel incompetent, having to learn to cook at her age certainly would. Not to mention how beneath her she felt such a thing was.
"Well, be that as it may, today is not that day. Besides, I see a tavern right there. I'm eager to get this disgusting mess off my hands." she replied.
Once they were settled in the diner, Cersei had some water brought to her and cleaned her hand as best she could, and they waited for their meals to arrive. It was then that Jaime broached the subject of the babe again, but she was having none of it.
"There is nothing to discuss. According to Qyburn, the baby is due in three months, not five. That doctor was little more than a fool to say otherwise," she insisted.
"I don't believe it."
"It's the truth, whether you believe it—"
"When did you first fuck Euron?" He interrupted.
"When did you first fuck Brienne?" She countered.
"Are we really going to do this here?" He asked.
She shrugged, "You're the one who brought it up. With all the chatter around us, it's not as though anyone can overhear us."
"I just want to know..." he trailed off, clearly hoping for some reassurance and receiving none. He sighed, "Let us enjoy our meal when it comes. We will talk more at the inn."
They ate their meals in stony, uncomfortable silence.
Jaime fidgeted with his food the whole time, clearly upset. Cersei's anger simmered. How he dared to believe some nobody from Pentos over Qyburn's expert advice. By the time he'd finally finished his chicken, she had already finished her dessert.
It was dark out as they left, and if the healer hadn't given them such news, they surely would have held hands as they had earlier in the day. Instead, as they walked back, their bodies only touched due to having to walk in such close proximity to each other. Cersei wondered if the streets were always this crowded. She would have asked Jaime his opinion on the matter, but she did not want to give him the satisfaction of her being the first to break the silence. New worries mixed in with her worries about the baby and Jaime's loyalty. How many of these people were refugees from King's Landing? How many of them could or even would recognize her or Jaime?
I know this chapter didn't move the story along too much, so I'll try to have another chapter out next week or at least not take as long as I did to post this one!