A week later I am called to Cersei's chambers. Sansa is already there waiting.
"Sansa is everything alright?" I say going up to her, she's been crying.
"Your mother might have prepared you. You flowered, my dear. No more." Cersei says, comforting her.
"My mother told me, but I thought it would be different." She says looking up.
"In what way?" I say looking at her, the poor girl, she knows what this means.
"I thought it would be less messy." She says smiling at me weakly.
"Wait until you birth a child." Cersei says and I laugh.
"You're a woman now. Do you have any idea what that means?" Cersei says pouring a drink.
"I'm fit to bear children." She says dejectedly.
"A prospect that once delighted you, bringing little Lords and ladies into the world, the greatest honor for a woman" Cersei says,
"Your grace she is still young." I say realising what she is trying to say.
"Joffrey has always been difficult. Even his birth, I labored a day and a half to bring him into this world. You cannot imagine the pain. I screamed so loudly, I was sure Robert would hear me in the Kingswood." She says smiling, I wondered who she was trying to tell, me or Sansa
"His Grace was not with you?" Sansa questions, rubbing her eyes
"Robert was hunting. That was his custom. Whenever my time was near, my royal husband would flee to the trees with his huntsmen and his hounds. And when he returned, he would present me with some pelts or a stag's head, and I would present him with a baby. Not that I wanted him there, mind you. I had Grand Maester Pycelle, an army of midwives, and I had my brother. When they told Jaime he wasn't allowed in the birthing room, he smiled and asked which one of them proposed to keep him out. Joffrey will show you no such devotion." She says turning to me.
"Your brother Tyrion has already vouched to attend my birthing." I say and Cersei looks annoyed.
"Sansa, how would you feel about marrying?" Cersei says, trying to change the subject.
"I wouldn't mind it, I just hope it isn't an old man." She whispers and I sit next to her.
"That's so very touching to hear. Permit me to share some womanly wisdom with you on this very special day. The more people you love, the weaker you are. You'll do things for them that you know you shouldn't do. You'll act the fool to make them happy, to keep them safe. Love no one but your children. On that front, a mother has no choice." Cersei says, still wondering if she's talking to me or Sansa.
"Your grace, Ser Jamie has escaped!" A guard says entering the room, I shoot up.
"Thank you Ser Haynes." Cersei says before dismissing us both."My lady." Joffrey says as I drop Sansa off to her chambers.
"My king." I reply, walking next to him.
"How many months is our child now?" He asks putting his hand to my stomach.
"Six months." I say putting my hand on top of his.
"I have been thinking of names, Prince Asher Baratheon has a nice ring. Princess Alicent is a name fit for a princess." He says and I smile.
"I like the name Alicent, but I am not to keen on Asher, may I suggest a name?" I ask and he nods.
"Prince Jasper, Prince Robb, Prince Daemon, Prince
Eddard." I say and Joffrey stops me.
"We are not naming our child after your traitor uncle!" He exclaims.
"Eddard is a name in my family, it isn't just about him." I lie, it was always about him.
"Prince Jasper is nice, as is Prince Daemon, but Prince Asher is still my pick." He says before kissing my hand and walking away.A week later Jamie was found, but my aunt had let him go, I'm exchange for us. She was aware of my Pregnancy, she wanted Jamie for me, my child, Sansa and Arya. Arya still hasn't been found. She's presumed dead. I have nothing else to occupy my time these days, 6 months pregnant is hard. I sit in Tyrion's chambers with him and Bronn, there entertaining. Well, Bronn is. Tyrion sits there reading a book while Bronn picks dirt out of his nails using his dagger. I sit there awkwardly, looking out of the window.
"Do you have to do that here?" Tyrion says and Bronn looks up.
"I like to keep me hands clean." He replies, looking at me and raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but do you have to do it here?" Tyrion says looking at me too.
"See what I have to put up with!" He says and I laugh. Bronn looks at Tyrion, then throws the dagger down on the desk in front of him.
"You should start wearing the gold cloak." Tyrion says and I laugh, Bronn wouldn't do that if you paid him.
"I don't want to wear a gold cloak." He says and Tyrion sighs.
"You're commander of the City Watch. You shouldn't be dressed like a common" Tyrion says.
"Oh come on he knows what he's doing." I say and Tyrion told his eyes.
"A cloak slows you down in a fight. Makes it hard to move quietly. And the gold catches the light, so you're nice and easy to spot at night." Bronn says.
"Well, you're not sneaking through alleyways any longer. You're supposed to stand out." Tyrion says and I roll my eyes.
"We had a deal and wearing a gold cloak wasn't part of it." Bronn says sternly
"Fine, fine. No gold cloak." Tyrion says defeatedly, going back to his work. Bronn looks at me and gives me a wink before drumming his fingers on the table, staring at Tyrion.
"What?" Tyrion says,clearly frustrated.
"What?" Bronn says looking at me, I have to fight the laughter.
"What? What? Why are you staring at me?" Tyrion says turning to me, causing me to laugh.
"Don't you start, I shall kick you out." He says to me and I laugh harder.
"You don't want me cleaning me nails. You don't want me looking your way. Why am I here?" Bronn says scoffing.
"To help me plan the defense of King's Landing." He says and Bronn laughs, before pacing around.
"Stannis will be here any day." Tyrion says and I grab one of his books.
"And one of these explains how to beat him?" I say laughing. Tyrion gestures to the volume that he is reading.
"An History of the Great Sieges of Westeros. " By Archmaester Shevelathin. Shevelatesh." He says and Bronn interrupts. "Chevalteesh. I'd swap all your books for a few good archers." He says correcting his pronunciation of Chevalteesh, before we can continue, Lord Varys enters.
"My Lord Hand My lady. Commander. I must compliment you on the gold cloaks' performance these last few weeks. Did you know there has been a marked drop in thievery?" He says sitting down.
"I did not know. And how did you accomplish this marked drop in thievery?" He says turning to Bronn.
"Me and the lads rounded up all the known thieves." He says and my eyes widen.
"For questioning?" Tyrion says, clearly knowing the answer anyways.
"No. It's just the unknown thieves we need to worry about now." He says and I laugh uneasily.
"We talked about this." Tyrion says, like he is scolding a child.
"Aye, we talked about it. Have you ever been in a city under siege? Maybe this part's not in your books. See, it's not the fighting that kills most people. It's the starving. Food's worth more than gold. Noble ladies sell their diamonds for a sack of potatoes. Things get bad enough, the poor start eating each other." Bronn says sitting next to me.
"The thieves, they love a siege. Soon as the gates are sealed, they steal all the food. By the time it's all over, they're the richest men in town." He says and I feel a pain in my stomach but decide to brush it off.
"Given the circumstances, my lord, I believe extreme measures are warranted." Varys said and Bronn nods
"Ah. "The Great Sieges of Westeros." Thrilling subject. Shame Archmaester Ch'Vyalthan wasn't a better writer." Varys says looking at Tyrions books, he grabs parchment and unrolls it
"Stannis knows King's Landing. He knows where the walls are strongest, and he knows which gates are weakest. The Mud Gate. A good ram will batter it down in minutes, and it's only 50 yards from the water. That's where he'll land." Tyrion says pulling up a map.
"And if Stannis does attack the Mud Gate, what is our plan?" Varys says.
"We could throw books at his men." I say laughing, the pain getting worse.
"We don't have that many books." Varys says, laughing slightly.
"We don't have that many men, either." Bronn says and i fall to the ground.
"Take me to the Maester! Something is wrong." I yell before being carried to my chambers.
YOU ARE READING
Fire and Blood
FantasyRoslyn Arryn was taken in by her Aunt Catelyn stark at a young age. She had always been facinated by their Bastard son, Jon snow. They had been lifelong sweethearts. What happens when the king appoints Ned stark as hand of the king and Roslyn is for...