[KING'S LANDING]
[Close-up on Cersei drinking wine while Loras talks in the background. Tommen is talking to Margaery and smiling.]
"It was such a deep, deep shock to us all. Your father was a force to be reckoned with. He truly was. I wouldn't presume to claim to have known him as such…"
"The boy needs to work on his condolences" Olenna tutted.
"Loras knows well enough how to pass his condolences, grandmother… when he means it" Margaerys said with a smile.
Olenna snorted.
"It's also a shame that your father or your other two brothers have yet to convey their condolences."
"I'm sure they'll send a letter from Highgarden" Margaery reasoned.
"Perhaps… Or they could have stuck behind to see the end of the trial, like your father had."
"Stuck behind- you saw them?"
"Briefly. They sat behind your father during your wedding to Joffrey" Olenna eyed her closely. "You should sharpen your gaze, my dear. It'll come in handy in the future."
"Yes grandmother" Margaery responded with her head lowered. So her brothers were still alive… that was good.
"But just being in his presence was enough to make it so clear just how formidable a person you were dealing with. What a… what a force to be reckoned with."
[CERSEI sighs]
"Thank you so much for your kind words."
[CERSEI walks away and heads down the stairs. She ignores PYCELLE'S words and walks away from him. A barefooted man in a robe walks up to CERSEI. CERSEI inspects him for a moment.]
"Cousin Lancel. I hardly recognized you."
"Cousin Lancel?" Tyrion raised a brow. "What the fuck happened to him? Walking like some commoner…"
"I apologize for my son's appearance."
"Uncle, it's quite all right."
[LANCEL walks away.]
"They call themselves sparrows. Bloody fanatics. Religion has its place, of course, but at a certain point… They never would have come to the capital when Tywin was alive."
"The vultures have begun circling the prey" Jaime said in a hard whisper, his eyes hardened. Nothing about fanatics was ever a good thing.
"I'm sure he'll grow out of it. Whatever it is. Excuse me."
[CERSEI walks away, grabs a glass of wine, and heads to a room alone. LANCEL greets her after some time.]
"Your wounds from the Blackwater seem to have healed."
"It wasn't my wounds that needed healing."
"He's starting to talk weirdly as well" Tyrion frowned. How deep into religion had Cousin delved into?
"What can I do for you?"
"You can forgive me."
"What could you possibly have done to warrant my forgiveness?"
"I led you into the darkness."
"I doubt you've ever led anyone anywhere."
"I tempted you into our unnatural relations. And, of course, there was the king. His boar hunt. His wine."
"Hardly his fault. Cersei is not the kind of woman to be led anywhere. She's the one leading people into things" Jaime whispered.
"Our sister is a born leader… just not the good kind" Tyrion added with a frown.
"I'm a different person now. I found peace in the light of the Seven. You can too. They watch over all of us, ready to dole out mercy… or justice. Their world is at hand. I will pray for your father's soul."
"The day Tywin Lannister's soul needs your help…"
[CERSEI laughs, takes a sip of wine and LANCEL walks away.]
"I don't like this" Jon Arryn frowned.
"The boy's found religion, Jon. Hardly a thing to take issue with" Robert replied.
But Jon saw more to it than that, and he feared what the outcome could be. He feared, that with such a close connection to the royal family, certain influences may rise again, either through manipulations of young Tommen… or through vengeful Cersei.
[PENTOS]
[TYRION is standing on a balcony with a glass of wine. VARYS approaches him.]
"Eunuch, the spider, the master of whisperers."
"You're drunk," Varys said unpleasantly.
"I would assume that being a fugitive makes one thirsty" Tyrion drawled
"Then drink water."
"Wine works better, and is cleaner" The imp lifted his cup to Varys.
The spider rolled his eyes.
"You never told me why you set me free."
"Your brother asked me to."
"You could have said no."
"Refuse the Kingslayer? A dangerous proposition."
Jaime smirked.
"Not as dangerous as releasing me. You risked your life, your position, everything. Why? You're not family, you owe me nothing."
"I didn't do it for you. I did it for the Seven Kingdoms."
"A drunken dwarf will never be the saviour of the Seven Kingdoms."
"I don't believe in saviours. I believe men of talent have a role to play in the war to come."
"You're trying to recruit him for Daenerys" Rhaegar turned to the eunuch.
"Tyrion Lannister has proven himself to be a man of certain talents that I feel will come in handy in helping Daenerys… Or so I assume. I sadly lack the ability to perceive into the future and understand my motives and motivations" Varys finished with a smile.
"You have many admirable qualities, self-pity is not one of them. Any fool with a bit of luck can find himself born into power. But earning it for yourself takes work."
"I'm not well-suited for work."
"You had done well as interim Hand of the King," Joanna said with a hum, "even with your insistence on thwarting your sister, you hadn't done too bad. You've led men to battle, strategised and held off an attack from a larger enemy long enough to give Tywin the time to swoop in. I wouldn't sell myself short if I were you, son."
"A man of my stature? Selling short is all I can do, mother."
Joanna rolled her eyes at the grin on her son's face.
"I think you are. You have your father's instinct for politics, and you have compassion."
"Compassion? Yes. I killed my lover with my bare hands. I shot my own father with a crossbow."
"Some would say you did so to show compassion for your enemies" Jaime teased.
Tyrion was the one to roll his eyes this time.
"I never said you were perfect."
"What is it you want exactly?"
"Peace. Prosperity. A land where the powerful do not prey on the powerless."
"Good luck with that" Gendry muttered darkly. Such a thing was never possible. He may not be as worse off as the slaves from Essos, but that didn't mean he didn't have problems.
"Where the castles are made of gingerbread and the moats are filled with blackberry wine. The powerful have always preyed on the powerless, that's how they became powerful in the first place."
"Perhaps. And perhaps we've grown so used to horror that we assume there's no other way. If you sat on the Iron Throne, would you spread misery throughout the land?"
"I will never sit on the Iron Throne."
"No, you won't. But you could help another climb those steps and take that seat. The Seven Kingdoms need someone stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis. A monarch who can intimidate the high lord and inspire the people. A ruler loved by millions with a powerful army and the right family name. You have a choice, my friend. You can stay here at Ilyrio's palace and drink yourself to death, or you can ride with me to Mereen, meet Daenerys Targaryen, and decide if the world is worth fighting for."
Tyrion was a proven tactician, as brief as it was. But Daenerys felt uneasy about it for some reason. Like things would go sour for her with Tyrion at her side.
[MEEREEN - GREAT PYRAMID]
"The mission to Yunkai was a resounding success. The Wise Masters of Yunkai have agreed to cede power to a council of elders, made up of both the freedmen and the former slaveholders. All matters of consequence will be brought to you for review."
"A victory… finally" Daenerys muttered softly.
"They did ask for some concessions."
"Concessions?"
"Politics is the art of compromise, your grace."
"I'm not a politician. I'm a queen."
"And a queen must understand the art of politics if she wishes to rule true and proper and keep her people in line. You can't win all the battles with just your dragons. Politics will bring you just as many victories if done right, and with fewer men lost" Jon Arryn explained.
He was a Hand to a King. Daenerys nodded and kept his advice tucked in close. She would use it, she made that promise to herself.
"Forgive me. You're right, of course. Still, it's easier to rule happy subjects than angry ones."
"I don't expect the Wise Masters to be happy. Slavery made them rich, I ended slavery."
"They do not ask for the return of slavery. They ask for the re-opening of the fighting pits."
"Fighting Pits?" Daenerys asked.
"They are arenas in the Slave Cities of Astapor, Meereen and Yunkai. Within the pits, beasts are pitted against beasts, pit fighters against fellow fighters, beasts against fighters, and even beasts against slave children, dwarfs, or crones, all for the entertainment of onlookers, which includes nobility and the general populace" Varys explained.
"Of course, they'd want this thing back" Jon muttered in disgust.
Daenerys did not look too pleased either.
"The pitfighters that you liberated plead for this opportunity. Bring some here and ask them yourself."
"That is because that is all they know" Varys sighed. "As I mentioned, children fight as well. Some of these pit fighters have been doing it since they were children, it is all they know."
"Opening them would show the people of Yunkai and Meereen that you respect their traditions."
"I do not respect the tradition of human cockfighting."
"As it should be," Sansa said hotly. What was there to respect in such traditions and customs? Where people were reduced to such levels for entertainment and nothing more?"
[GREAT PYRAMID – BEDROOM]
"Whatever he wants from me he's not going to get it. If he really believes I'm going to reopen the fighting pits…"
"You should reopen the fighting pits."
Many were surprised by the response.
"My mother was a whore, I told you that. She liked to drink pear brandy. The older she got, the less she made selling her body, the more she wanted to drink. So one day when I was 12, she sold me to a slaver she fucked the night before. I was a bad child. I wasn't big, but I was quick. And I loved to fight. So they sold me to a man in Tolos who trained fighters for the pits. I had my first match when I was 16.
"You were sold into slavery, forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the masters, and you're defending the fighting pits?"
"It doesn't make sense" Shireen frowned.
"I'm only here because of those pits. I learned to fight like a Dothraki screamer, a Norvoshi priest, and a Westerosi knight. Soon I was famous. 10,000 men and women screamed my name when I stepped into the pit. I made so much money for my master he set me free when he died. I joined the Second Sons, and then I met you."
"I still see no reason here" Myrcella muttered.
"You're the queen. Everyone's too afraid of you to speak the truth. Everyone but me. You've made thousands of enemies all across the world. As soon as they see weakness, they'll attack. Show your strength here, now."
"That's why I have the Unsullied patrolling the streets."
[DAARIO scoffs]
"Anyone with a chest full of gold can buy an army of Unsullied. You're not the Mother of Unsullied. You're the Mother of Dragons."
"I don't want another child's bones dropped at my feet. No one's seen Drogon in weeks. For all I know he's flown halfway across the world. I can't control them anymore."
"Don't give up on them" Rhaegar sighed. "You're the one that hatched them, you're connected to them in a way no other would ever be. Reach out to them, reach out and they'll reach back."
"How do I reach out?" Daenerys asked.
"That… I'm unsure. I was never a Dragonrider, and the Dragonriders just knew how to reach out. They never explained…"
"Of course… why make it easier for me…" Daenerys huffed.
"A dragon queen with no dragons is not a queen."
Daenerys flinched at the harshness of the words. But they were not wrong. What was she without her dragons?
[DRAGON PIT]
[DAENERYS walks into the room where the dragons are being held. She hears chains rattling.]
"Viserion? Rhaegal?"
[The two fully grown dragons start snapping, screaming, and breathing fire at her.]
"Easy. Easy. Easy."
[They keep breathing fire and roaring so she leaves the room, terrified.]
"I've lost them," Daenerys said sadly.
"You've hurt them" Rhaegar corrected. "You hatched them, they trust you more than they trust anyone else. And you chained them."
"Drogon killed a child."
"Drogon needs to be trained. For all intents and purposes, he's a wild dragon and nothing more. You must be brave and train him, not lock him up, lock any of them up. Dragons are creatures of the sky, they love freedom more than anything else. They grow best when freed and they hunt like any animal. You must train them to not overpower their nature but to tilt it slightly so they're looking where you want them to look. You must connect with them, lead them, and make them understand right from wrong."
Daenerys looked away. How would she do all that? She had nothing to help her, no one to help her. How was she going to be a Dragon Queen if she never understood her Dragons?
[CASTLE BLACK – MANCE'S CELL]
[JON SNOW enters the room.]
"When we first met you were my prisoner. And now, for our last meeting…"
"This doesn't have to be our last meeting."
"No, but it will be."
"You know what Stannis wants?"
"He wants me to bend the knee. And he wants the free folk to fight for him. I'll give him this much: he's bold."
"Shouldn't a king be bold?"
"Oh, aye. I respect him. If he gets what he wants, I expect he'll be a better ruler than the fools sitting on the Iron Throne the last hundred years."
Stannis lowered his head to hide his smile. People still believed in him… even if he didn't believe much in himself.
"But I'll never serve him."
"You told me you weren't here to conquer. You told me your people have bled enough."
"That's right. But I don't want them bleeding for Stannis Baratheon either."
"You spent your life convincing 90 clans to come together for the first time in history. Thenns and Hornfoots, the ice-river clans, even the giants. A life's work uniting them. You didn't do it for power. You didn't do it for glory. You brought them together to save them because none of them will survive the winter, not if they're north of the wall. Isn't their survival more important than your pride?"
"Pride? Fuck my pride. This isn't about that. They followed me because they respected me. Because they believed in me. The moment I kneel for a Southern king that's all gone."
"Would they all abandon him if he bends the knee? Or is it something he thinks?" Bran asked.
"The Free Folk are proud people, with their beliefs and customs" Ned explained. "Mance has the right of it, if he kneels then none of them will follow him."
Which meant Ned's initial plans were for nought. Now, he must think from scratch.
"How will they do it? Beheading? Hanging?"
"They'll burn you alive."
"Bad way to go. I'll be honest with you, I don't want to die. And burnt to death, I don't want people to remember me like that. Scorched and screaming. But it's better than betraying everything I believe."
"And what happens to your people? You preserve your dignity and die standing, and they'll sing songs about you. "You'd rather burn than kneel. The great hero." Until winter comes, and the white walkers come for us all, and there's no one left to sing."
"You're a good lad. Truly, you are. But if you can't understand why I won't enlist my people in a foreigner's war, there's no point explaining."
"The Free Folk are people who pride themselves in being free from all reigns and rules of those they do not deem to be a good fit to lead them. They would never bend, bow or break for anyone" Oberyn spoke, his voice hoarse and his tone lacking the usual amusement. "They are like Dorne in that regard, I suppose."
"Unbent, unbowed, unbroken" Jon muttered. How do you bring such people into the fold?
[CASTLE BLACK – NIGHT]
[Members of the Night's Watch escort MANCE to STANNIS.]
"Mance Rayder, you've been called the King Beyond the Wall. Westeros only has one king."
"Aegon the Conqueror never brought the lands beyond the Wall under his reign… would they be part of the King's domain still?" Shireen whispered. It was a little presumptuous to assume it was.
"Bend the knee, I promise you mercy."
[MANCE looks at the Free Folk, including TORMUND, the Night's Watch have chained up. Then he looks at JON SNOW.]
"Kneel and live."
"This was my home for many years. I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."
[STANNIS nods. His men take MANCE onto the burning funeral pyre and tie him to it. MELISANDRE walks to the front of the pyre and picks up a torch. She lights the pyre. MANCE starts panicking as the fire reaches his legs. JON SNOW walks up to a high point and shoots MANCE in the heart with an arrow, killing him.]
An act of mercy, no doubt. But how will it be perceived by all that were present?