Silver Stag

Prologue

Cersei Lannister knew it was her destiny to become Queen Of the Seven Kingdoms. 

She came from a powerful house and her father served as Hand to King Aerys II. Many would agree she was a suitable bride.

From the time she was a young girl, Cersei, along with many other maidens, aspired to capture the eye of the handsome young prince, Rhaegar Targaryen.

Tales of his beauty and charm had spread throughout all the kingdoms, and to wed a prince was a high honour.

Cersei had been told many times she was the most beautiful woman in all of Westeros. Not that it mattered much.

She had failed to snag the prince. Instead he had been wed to a Dornish princess, Elia Martell.

But that would not be the end of Cersei's story. She remembered when she was a girl, she along with a compinion, Melara Hetherspoon, had visited a witch in the woods.

After giving her a taste of her blood, the witch told Cersei she would marry the king, not the prince. Which meant Cersei still had a chance at becoming Queen.

But the current king was married to his sister, as was the tradition of house Targaryen, wedding sibling to sibling, aunt to nephew, niece to uncle and so on.

The queen had given birth to three sons, but it was well known the king wished for a daughter to wed to his younger son and usher in a new line of pure Targaryen's.

Was this prophecy a foreboding of what was to come?

Apparently so, as years later, the first act that would lead to the fall of House Targaryen took place.

It began at Harrenhal, once the seat of House Strong, it had been burned during the conquest of Aegon I.

It was year 281 after the conquest.

A tourney was held by Lord Walter Whent, to celebrate the name day of his maiden daughter.

Many challengers arrived at the tourney, in hopes of claiming the large prizes that had been offered.

It was also during the opening ceremonies that Jaime Lannister, Cersei's younger twin brother would be inducted to the Kingsguard, a decision that still did not sit well with Cersei nor her father.

But the big shock would come at the conclusion of the tourney. After he had been declared champion, Prince Rhaegar was gifted a crown of winter roses to bestow upon his decided Queen of Love and Beauty.

Many assumed he would choose his wife, Princess Elia.

What happened next would be the first stoke in the downfall of House Targaryen.

Prince Rhaegar rode past his wife and stopped before Lyanna Stark, the only daughter of Lord Rickon Stark. She was also the betrothed of Rhaegar's second cousin, Robert Baratheon.

Naturally, this upset many, including Houses Martell and Baratheon.

But more was to follow.

Mere days before the planned wedding of Brandon Stark and Catelyn Tully, in 282 AC, Prince Rhaegar, alongside six companions, reportedly abducting the Lady Lyanna.

This would lead to what became known as Robert's Rebellion.

When the war was finally over, it had resulted in the deaths of King Aerys, Prince Rhaegar and his wife and children.

Prince Viserys and his mother Rhaella had fled to Dragonstone, House Targaryen ancestral seat shortly after learning about the death of Prince Rhaegar. Unfortunately, Queen Rhaella would die of children fever after giving birth to her long awaited daughter, Daenerys Stormborn.

This would force the last two Targaryen children into exile. The whereabouts of her son Daemon, unknown.

With the King and Prince dead, and the remaining Targaryen's in exile, the crown would pass to Robert Baratheon, due to his Targaryen ancestry through his grandmother, a fact he'd much like to forget.

With news of Lyanna's death, the king would need to find a Queen.

This would be where Cersei came in.

Their marriage was arranged and they wed in 284.

They would have a son, an heir, but as fate would have it, he would pass soon after of a fever.

Unlike other parents, they weren't give much time to mourn. The pressure to produce an heir resulted in a second pregnancy. Only this child was a girl.

"Push, Your Grace! I can see the head!"

With a few more grunts and pushes, Cersei felt a weight leave her.

But unlike most babies, this one wasn't crying or making any noise.

Not again, Cersei thought to herself. I cannot lose another child.

Forcing herself to sit up, Cersei could see the midwives crowded around what she assumed was her newborn child.

"What's wrong? Why isn't my baby crying? Is it dead?"

The head midwife turned around, a small bundle, now wrapped in a Lannister cloth, in her arms.

"No, Your Grace. It seems you have a quiet babe."

"Give him to me."

"Her, Your Grace. You have a daughter."

But I am expected to give him a son.

She could see them continuously looking at the babe's head.

"What is it?"

"It would seem the child took after her father's grandmother. "

"Give her to me."

The babe was carefully placed into her arms, where it remained content, eyes closed.

Pulling the blanket back slightly, Cersei saw strands of silver atop her child's head.

Robert hates the Targaryen's. What would he do now that he has a child that looks like them?

At that moment, the child finally decided to open their eyes. Purple, with specks of blue.

A true Targaryen, Cersei thought to herself.

Cersei made a promise to protect her child no matter what, even if it meant protecting her from her own father.