Fire and Blood

Chapter 42

They all expected that I would stay, they didn't even try and fight for me. I at least expected a fight. The twins are happier here, Jamie has been teaching Robb how to sword fight. Alicent has also started to join, no woman should be told they can't have the option to learn to swordfight, Arya was told that and she's amazing at it. Alicent can be whatever she wants to be in this world. We sit in most meetings with the small council, I think it helps educate them, there getting older. I sit in the courtyard one afternoon with Jamie and the twins, he is talking to a guard as Cersei watches from above, i pretend not to notice.
"Our men in King's Landing will march north in three days' time." He says to the guard, who I suspect is in the king's guard, correction, queen's guard now.
"It'll take us a fortnight just to gather supplies for the train." The man says, Jamie looks annoyed.
"We don't have a fortnight. If the North falls, we fall. Three days. The remaining forces in the Westerlands will take the river road east. We'll meet at Lord Harroway's Town and march together to Winterfell." Jamie says, he's clearly thinking through this a lot, I don't want to March to Winterfell. I'm scared, scared for my children's life, scared for my life. The white walkers are terrifying, i don't want that to come near me, not ever.
"Ser Jaime." Cersei says entering our part of the courtyard, I was so caught up in my own thoughts I didn't notice her come down the stairs.
"Your Grace." He says and everyone bows, I get up quickly to bow, a motion I never wanted to ever do, not to her.
"My lords, I need a moment with my brother." Cersei says, they all leave. I wasn't sure if I should too.
"Your Grace." The guards say before leaving. I go to leave, Jamie stops me.
"What are you doing?" Cersei says, clearly annoyed.
"She can stay." He says, Cersei rolls her eyes.
"Not with her! With the men!" She says, clearly annoyed.
"Preparing the expedition north." He says, why is she so surprised?
"Expedition north? I always knew you were the stupidest Lannister. The Starks and Targaryens have united against us, and you want to fight alongside them? Are you a traitor or an idiot?" Cersei says laughing at him, i should have expected it, she would never help them. She's safe here.
"You pledged our forces to fight our common enemy." Jamie says, he isn't getting it yet.
"I'll say whatever I need to say to ensure the survival of our house. You expect me to trust the man who murdered our father? ? You expect me to command our troops to fight beside foreign scum, to fight for the Dragon Queen?" Cersei says, I agree, I wouldn't want to do it either.
"You saw it with your own eyes. You saw a dead man trying to kill us." Cersei says, I can sense the fear on her.
"And I saw it burn. If dragons can't stop them, if Dothraki and Unsullied and Northmen can't stop them, how will our armies make a difference?" Cersei yells. The twins look like there enjoying the conversation, they don't understand the severity of this.
"This isn't about noble houses, this is about the living and the dead!" Jamie yells back, the twins blink at me.
"And I intend to stay amongst the living. Let the Stark boy and his new queen defend the North. We stay here where we've always been." Cersei says.
"I made a promise." Jamie replies, aggravated to the core.
"Our child will rule Westeros." Cersei says, the twins gasp.
"Your child will never be born if the dead come south." Jamie says looking at the twins, emphasis on the your.
"The monsters are real. The white walkers, the dragons, the Dothraki screamers all the frightening stories we heard when we were young, they're all real. So be it. Let the monsters kill each other. And while they battle in the North, we take back the lands that belong to us." Cersei says, trying to ignore the whole conversation.
"And then what?" Jamie says, the twins aren't as interested anymore.
"And then we rule." Cersei replies.
"Mummy, if daddy rules, does that mean I'm a Princess?" Alicent whispers into my ear, I didn't know how to respond.
"Yeah, you will be a princess, princess Alicent." I whisper back, she's beaming.
"When the fighting in the North is over, someone wins. You understand that, don't you? If the dead win, they march south and kill us all. If the living win, and we've betrayed them, they march south and kill us all!"
"The Targaryens and the Starks already want to kill us all. Most of them will die in the North." Cersei says, she's aggravated now.
"I faced them in the field. We can't beat them. We can't beat their dragons." Jamie says, the dragons are terrifying, I've seen Jon riding it, i dont know how he does it.
"How many dragons did you see at the pit?" Cersei says, Jamie looks at me.
"Two." I reply for him.
"What happened to the third?" Cersei says, I completely forgot about that.
"For all we know, it's guarding her fleet!" Jamie yells.
"She came here with her dragons and her Dothraki and her Unsullied. She came here to show us all her power. No, something happened.The dragons are vulnerable." Cersei says, before looking at me.
"I was asking her." She says.
"Killed, the white walkers got it. We don't know what happened, it's most likely in possession of the king of the white walkers, it's on their side." I say, they don't know how to respond.
"We can't beat the Dothraki. We don't have the numbers. We don't have the support of the other houses!" Jamie says, trying to ignore my last comment, it killed the mood.
"No, we have something better. We have the Iron Bank. You should've listened more when Father spoke about the importance of gold. Oh, I know it's boring for you. You just wanted to hunt and ride and fight. But I listened, I learned. Highgarden bought us the most powerful army in Essos, the Golden Company. Twenty thousand men, horses, elephants, I believe." Cersei says, I'm impressed.
"The Golden Company is not here. They're in Essos. How is a mercenary company in Essos going to help us?"
"Do you really think Euron Greyjoy turned tail and sailed back to the Iron Islands? Do you think he abandoned the chance to marry the queen? No one walks away from me. He's sailing with his fleet to Essos, he's going to ferry the Golden Company back here to help us win the war for Westeros." Smart.
"You plotted with Euron Greyjoy without telling me, the commander of your armies?"
"And you conspired with Tyrion, the man who murdered our father without telling me, your queen." I forgot about that too.
"I didn't conspire with him." Jamie says, annoyed.
"You met with him in secret without my consent. You planned to promote my enemies' interests. That is the definition of conspiracy." Cersei says.
"I pledged to ride north. I intend to honor that pledge." Jamie says, I stare at him.
"Jamie-" I start before I'm cut off by Cersei.
"And that will be treason." She yells back at him.
"Treason?" He's almost laughing.
"Disobeying your queen's command, fighting with her enemies, what would you call it?" Cersei says and he looks highly annoyed.
"Doesn't matter what I'd call it." He says grabbing the twins and heading to the door, the mountain blocks his way.
"I told you no one walks away from me." Cersei says, she won't do it. She doesn't have the heart.
"Are you going to order him to kill me? I'm the only one you have left. Our children are gone, our father is gone. It's just me and you now." Jamie says, he's almost humouring her.
"There's one more yet to come." She says cradling her stomach again, the child who isn't even his.
"Give the order, then." Jamie says dropping the twins, they look terrified. The mountain stares at Cersei, who nods and he draws his sword, i grab the twins and cover their eyes, I didn't think she would do it.
"I don't believe you." Jamie says before grabbbing the twins from my arms and walking past the mountain. Cersei just watches.
"Isn't he going to come after us?" I ask and he shakes his head.
"He takes orders, she won't do it," Jamie says as we get to our room.
"Pack." He says, i nod, I'm already packed, I never unpacked.
"Ok you two go get your toys from the septa!" I yell and they run out of the room, bickering over their toys. I rush to Jamie as soon as they leave.
"I thought she was going to kill you." I say kissing him passionately, I thought I was going to lose him.
"I thought so too, only for a moment." He says kissing me back softly.
"Please, take us to Casterly rock. Let us be happy. We will die in Winterfell, we will die in King's landing. Please." I say and he cups my face in his hands, his golden hand is cold on my skin.
"I made a promise. This is all to protect, to protect you. To protect Robb, Alicent. It's for us. As soon as the dead are well, dead. I shall take you to Casterly rock, I shall make you my wife once and for all. I shall do anything to protect you, to protect us, all of us. All I ask, is that I have one last battle, one last chance to do something good, something right. To prove myself one last time." He says and i nod, that's all I can do, all I want to do. It's enough, he is willing to do anything for us. Let him have his last laugh