Hating Her (Cersei x Daenerys)

Cersei

"You can't decide this for me", Cersei had declared, her voice rash with hurt pride. "Nothing will get me into one room with that dragon bitch unless it is to kill her." Yet here she sat, across from her supposed bride-to-be, at a supper table decked with the greatest treats the chefs of the Red Keep had been able to muster. There was an icy silence about the room, neither of the families and friends wanting to interrupt a potential conversation and neither of the spouses having anything to say to each other apart from spiteful words better left unsaid at table.

Despite her sulking, Cersei had bothered to put on one of her finer dresses, a plum silk gown slashed with grey and decorated with small teardrops of dragonglass at the collar. The young woman opposite her was more simply garbed, wearing a light blue dress that fell straight down, with no accentuation of her curves - if she even had any underneath. Cersei dared to doubt it, the girl was still half a child after all. Yes, she was of age, but compared to her that did not make up for much. It almost made her feel a little threatened that a young self-proclaimed queen should dine at her table, in her castle, in such contrast to herself. Subconsciously, she remembered the witch's words: "...then will come another. Younger, more beautiful." As much as she detested her already, Cersei could not deny that Daenerys Targaryen was beautiful. The silver hair flowing over her shoulders in shiny waves, the doe-like eyes that had not yet lost their shimmer to life's cruelty... The fortune teller's maniacal laughter still rang in her ears dully when she realized she had been asked a question. Almost paranoid, she jerked her head towards the serving girl that had addressed her, breaking away from the woman.

"I asked if you wanted more wine, your Grace", the girl said shyly. Cersei nodded absently and turned her attention to her guests again. The silence having been broken now, hesitant conversations started rising throughout the hall. Apparently, Daenerys had had enough of staring at her plate as well. "It's a beautiful castle", she said, with no hint of emotion in her voice. Cersei just nodded again and said nothing, so her betrothed followed up with a question. "Do you plan to keep it as a family seat?" Cool as ice, Cersei responded without so much as looking at her: "The Red Keep houses whoever sits on the Iron Throne, and I intend to keep ruling, so yes." The threat was hidden, but unmistakable. Don't make any claim on my throne, I am still the queen, married or not, she had signaled. But the woman did not seem to be as clueless in the arts of aristocracy as she seemed. "Certainly. Our families shall defend the title well." It was a direct challenge. Cersei decided to take part. "So", she said with over-acted friendliness. "I hear you have dragons, huh? That is quite the miraculous pet, I should love to see them if you'll let me." "They're not pets", Daenerys declared firmly but kindly. "They're my children. And of course you can see them, you will be part of my family after all - they're your children too now." She smiled sweetly, but Cersei could read her hidden meanings like a book. She had children too, children that would one day sit the throne, and Daenerys was suggesting that she would have a say in that from now on.

Between all the threats and messages they kept innocently dropping to each other, Cersei found that Daenerys had one quality she genuinely liked and feared at the same time: she was a fiercely loving mother. Cersei could relate to this very well, but because of this she also knew all too well that this woman would stop at nothing when it came to her dragons, her children. She would have to be careful if she wanted to keep her own brood safe. Dinner continued like this, the two of them icily chatting while maintaining all manners of courtesy, and Cersei plotting how she would ensure her sovereignity in this arrangement. What she could say for certain was that there could have been worse partners chosen for her. As threatening as this young Valyrian was, she was interesting, and Cersei loved an interesting person. She was someone to study, to trick and to undermine, and she posed a great challenge at that. Cersei was intrigued by this chance of keeping her enemy close and learning everything about her, the better to neutralize her.

After they had finished eating, the two of then went together to go visit the dragon, as Daenerys had promised. Cersei found herself genuinely excited to see it as much as she hoped to assess her rival's strength, her original intent. No matter what House they belonged to, dragons always had been and always would remain a mesmerizing sight for anyone, a true miracle of nature. Of course, Cersei had seen the dragon bones in and under the Red Keep half a thousand times, but it did not compare in the slightest to the real thing. Only Drogon was present in King's Landing, Rhaegal was left at Dragonstone in Aemon's care. But even without his brother the massive head of Drogon emerging from the darkness was by far enough to take her breath away. She had imagined him to be large and impressive, but the sight of him was not something she could have envisioned. It was one thing to hear tales of great winged beasts torching cities and eating children, and wholly another to stand right in front of the creature, it looking at you with eyes that seemed to burn through your soul. It might as well have been Balerion the Black Dread himself staring her in the face. "Can I touch him?", she asked. Daenerys shrugged. "If he lets you." Cersei carefully extended her hand, but pulled it back quickly when a puff of smoke rose from the dragon's nostrils. "I don't think he likes me", she said, uncertainty swinging in her voice. All spiteful distance was forgotten in the presence of this living mountain that could roast you alive or bite you in half with the twitch of a muscle. Daenerys however remained as calm as she had been at table.  "Maybe he doesn't. They do have an excellent judge of character, so that tells me a thing or two about you." In secret, Cersei cursed herself. She had meant to get leverage out of this meeting, not the other way around! To her surprise, the dragon queen showed sympathy. "Or he just has to get used to you - you never know, sometimes people aren't at all what you thought them to be like."