All Men Must Die (Game of Thrones Fanfiction)

Chapter XVII

Nerillia sat excitedly next to her father's chair. Robert had gotten the crazy idea of jousting, although Nerillia was quite sure his armour wouldn't fit anymore. Visenya had stayed with Lady in her room, since most staff was terrified of the lion, it was not likely that they'd enter. Thankfully, Lady and Visenya got along well.

While Nerillia had meant well, she didn't plan through. Ned had lied about putting Lady down, while she was alive and well in Nerillia's room. The excuse of burying her in the North had been a good enough excuse as to why Cersei couldn't have the pelt, but now Nerillia had to come up with a plan where Cersei either never entered her room again, or taking Lady somewhere safe until she could be reunited with Sansa. Nerillia also knew she had to get Sansa away from King's Landing, but she still didn't know how. She just couldn't let her be tied to Joffrey, Nerillia couldn't fathom how miserable Sansa's life would be if they married, or anyone that married him, for that matter. For most of her life, Nerillia had loved Joffrey, he was her brother, after all, but as he got older, she saw him progressively change, get meaner, he enjoyed other's pain, and even more, he enjoyed inflicting pain. When he was seven, he caught one of the cats that lived in the Palace, and Nerillia saw as he tied its paws before cutting off its tail and taking off its claws, it horrified her, and she ran straight to Cersei, to tell her what Joffrey was doing; Cersei ordered a servant to put down the cat, throw it away, and clean the blood off the floor. Joffrey never received any punishment for his behaviour, which only encouraged him to keep doing it, he felt untouchable, and he was, as long as Cersei was Queen, he'd be.

"That stupid cousin of yours is nowhere to be seen" Robert said as he sat down next to Nerillia, "I sent him to fetch a breastplate stretcher, didn't think it'd take him this long to figure out"

"Lancel?" Nerillia asked, Cersei had insisted Robert to hire Lancel as his wine bearer, but he was not really bright. Robert huffed and nodded, "he's pretty dense, I wouldn't expect much of him" Robert roared a laugh and patted his daughter's back.

Joffrey watched Nerillia and Robert with certain jealousy. He had always had a great relationship with his mother, she would do anything for him, and she advised him on how things would be after his coronation, and he was grateful for her. However, Joffrey had always been resentful of the relationship his father and sister had. Robert would often ask Nerillia to join him at dinner, which he rarely did with his other children, he would take her hunting often, and was involved in the lessons she took as a child, something he never did with Joffrey, despite them being close in age. Joffrey could remember often seeing Nerillia sitting in Robert's knee as he was sitting in the Iron Throne, doing official business; Myrcella and Tommen had also been carried by their father when they were young, but never in the Iron Throne, but Joffrey couldn't remember one time in which his father was tender with him, not the way he was with Nerillia. This made Joffrey hate Robert, and it made him hate Nerillia, he felt as if she were mocking him. This strange dichotomy of loving his sister but hating her at the same time made him debate with himself often, and he had reached the conclusion that he needed to have control over Nerillia.

"That's your friend?" Robert asked Nerillia, pointing at Loras, who was mounting his beautiful white mare, holding two roses in his hand.

"Yes, that's Loras, Margaery's brother, remember?" Nerillia said as Loras gave one of the roses to Sansa, who was sitting next to her father.

Nerillia noted that while Loras gave the rose to Sansa, he was looking at Renly Baratheon, and Renly tried to make it as if he didn't notice. Loras then advanced to be in front of the King, and he stretched his arm with the second rose to Nerillia. She stood up from her place and walked forward to take it, he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I saw you eyeing my uncle" Nerillia muttered to him.

"Was it that obvious?" Loras raised his eyebrows with worry.

"No, don't worry, everyone was looking at Sansa, I just know you" she reassured him, "even if someone saw you, this is enough distraction" She said, pointing Loras's attention to the fact that he was still holding her hand, "good luck" Nerillia said before pulling her hand away and sitting back down.

"The Knight of the Flowers" Robert mentioned, Nerillia nodded, "you two would be a good match, he is not the heir of Highgarden, but your children would be beautiful"

"Me? Marrying Loras?" Nerillia asked.

"Well, your engagement to Robb Stark was a failure, and you at least have known this Knight of the Flowers since you were children, and you have never tried to murder him, which is a good sign"

"Yeah" Nerillia said nervously, playing with the hem of her dress, "look, it's starting" She directed their attention to the jousting.

Loras and The Mountain were ready. The Mountain's horse seemed anxious and uneasy, completely different from what they had seen days before. The first round, Loras won the point, gaining the applause of the public. The Mountain was being booed at, no one was fond of him, not after he had caused that young knight's death. The second round started, and as they collided, Loras and The Mountain both fell from their horses, over the wooden barrier between the lines. Nerillia stood up quickly, worried that Loras had suffered the same destiny Ser Hugh had. The Mountain was the first to get up, and asked for his sword. Nerillia watched as his squire hurried over with a sword as long as Nerillia was tall. The Mountain unsheathed his sword, and in one swift motion, cut off his black stallion's head off, several shrieks of terror were heard, Nerillia's included, even Joffrey found himself gasping in horror at Gregor Clegane's actions. The gigantic man walked towards Loras.

"Loras, get up!" Nerillia shierked. She instinctively put her hand on her sheathed dagger, but she wasn't stupid, the man had just taken a horse's head off, she would be no obstacle, there was only one person that could be a match for The Moutain, "Sandor!" She pleaded to the man next to her. The Hound saw the panic in the princess eyes, and rounded up the courage to go against the man that had disfigured him as a child.

"Leave him alone!" The Hound ordered his brother, as he took out his own sword and faced against the bigger and older man.

While they faced off, Nerillia got down form the platform where their seats were, and went to check on Loras. One of the swords made a small cut on her arm, but she still managed to get to Loras. She helped him up and checked on him, and found herself letting out a breath she didn't realise she was holding when she saw that he was virtually unharmed, perhaps a couple bruises and cuts but otherwise, okay.

"You scared me half to death!" Nerillia said and hugged her friend. He hugged her back tightly but never took his eyes off the duel in front of him. Loras was not stupid, he knew that he stood no chance against The Mountain if they were to duel with swords, he'd cut Loras in half easier than he had done with his horse.

"Stop this nonsense, in the name of your King!" Robert yelled, standing up from his chair. Sandor immediately kneeled, his brother's sword missed his face by an inch. The Mountain walked away, and while the Kingsguards were ready to detain him, Robert ordered them to let him go.

"You saved my life, Ser" Loras told The Hound.

"I'm no 'Ser'" The Hound told him, but Loras still grabbed one of his hands, and raised it in victory. Sandor Clegane received a standing ovation.

Back in Loras's tent, Nerillia and Margaery were talking about the brutality of The Mountain. Nerillia mentioned how Gregor Clegane had killed Aegon and Rhaenys Targaryen, and Elia Martell. It was hard for her to talk about it, it had never sat right with Nerillia how they were killed, but knowing they were her family just added more salt to the wound.

"It's horrific, I don't care who they were, Targaryen or not, he should have been punished for what he did" Margaery mentioned.

"The Martell's want his head, and my grandfather's too. It is said that my grandfather sent him to kill them, he always denies it, but it is something I think he could have easily ordered, he wanted revenge on Aerys, for not accepting his offer on marrying Prince Rhaegar to my mother, and then making my Uncle Jaime a Kingsguard, leaving Uncle Tyrion as the heir to Castelry Rock" Nerillia told them, "of course, nothing I just said is 'true', if you know what I mean"

"Oh, I understand" Margaey nodded.

"By the way, I think my father wants to marry me off" Nerillia mentioned as she poured herself some wine.

"Really? To whom?" Loras asked as he put on a white cotton shirt.

"To you" Nerillia said simply as she took as sip from her wine.