The Lion And The Dragon

All Hail Queen Cersei Lannister - Cersei POV

"Queen Cersei of the house Lannister, the First of her name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the Realm is entering the throne room." The guard announced the arrival of the hated by many, loved by some, Queen.

The lords stood up, one by one, as the heavily pregnant Cersei I. walked to the Iron Throne. I had desired it all my life, but the cost was too great. The deaths of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen had haunted me. I saw them in my dreams, golden hair, golden shrouds. I loved my children. But only them. The love I felt for Jaime once was gone, never forgiving him for the betrayal and fleeing to the North, but I still lay with him out of lust. The child I have in my womb had moved. As I was walking, I grabbed my stomach and wondered... Was it Jaime's, or Euron's? Euron is passed now, slayed by Ser Jaime, making Her Grace a widow once more. I sat on the Iron Throne, and all the great lords and ladies had bowed. As I wanted it.

"I have called a great council today, in the third moon of 303 AC, in case of my death and my child's during childbirth. I have several candidates for you. Further candidates may be proposed, but they need to be approved by Her Majesty the Queen." Cersei said, with a stern look on my face and a deepness in my voice. I didn't want to do this. I'm a lioness, and a lioness doesn't just die in childbirth. I'll show Maggy the Frog she was wrong. I'll have a beautiful boy, with hair golden and eyes green, and I'll name him Jaime, after his much beloved.. uncle? Or father?

"My candidates are as follows: Lord Gerion Lannister, hand of the Queen, Ser Jaime Lannister, who was relieved of his kingsguard duty, rightful heir to the Iron Throne, the remaining relatives of my deceased husband, King Consort Euron Greyjoy, Victarion Greyjoy or Aemon "Damphair", and.. Gendry Baratheon or Edric Storm, bastards of my deceased husband, Robert Baratheon." I hated that I had to nominate those bastards from the whores who bore them. Whores! Edric Storm... High birth, sure, but a bastard nonetheless. If he hadn't been in Stannis' protection, I'd had killed him with the rest! Then he fled to Lys... That little... And Gendry. Pch! Blacksmith, nothing more. A bastard worse than Edric. Not even high birth, just a pure lowborn, who could never be kin to such a high lady as myself.

The whispers of the lords grew louder and louder, until they stopped. Robin Arryn, now of age, had his own proposal.
"My Queen, forgive me if this is indecent, but I'd like to propose another candidate."
"Go on." I said, with considerable disgust. Who does he think he is? Are they not enough?!
"There is a man in Essos claiming to be Aegon Targaryen, Rhaegar's son. By all accounts, if your line were to end, he'd be the rightful heir to the throne."
"Treason! How dare you even propose such blasphemy! The cursed line of the dragon kings had ended when my brother so valiantly killed the Mad King Aerys." But then... Rhaegar's son? My prince. I had always adored him, dreamt of him, wanted to be his bride. When Robert, that drunken fool of Storm's End had slayed him, I wept. But... The Mountain had killed both Aegon and his sister, didn't he? He raped Elia of Dorne, killed her daughter and bashed her son's head on a wall. How could one survive such thing?
"I name him pretender, Lord Arryn. He is no more dragon than I am. I would even say, that I'm more of a dragon, as unlike this pretender of Essos, I have a Targaryen ancestor. Aegon is dead, and the inbred line of Valyria died with Daenerys and Jon. This man is a traitor to the realm, and should he set foot on Westeros, he shall be killed."

Some lords were pleased with this, some less. Lord Arryn the least. He had no great love for the Targaryens as far as I was aware, his father and mother both were their enemies, but.. did he hate us, Lannisters, more?

After hours of debate, it was finally time to vote. Every lord of Westeros who survived both the Long Night and the War of Targaryen Restoration cast a vote into a booth. I had hoped Jaime would win. I harboured no great love for him anymore, but he was my brother.. and my lover. We were born together, we belong together. Yet it's now lust that drives me, not love. He was a traitor that I pardoned. A traitor who killed his king. A traitor who fled North after I forbade it. A traitor who attempted to fight with Jon 'Snow', the bastard of Winterfell. He had betrayed me and left me alone to weep. But I'm her Highness, a lioness, a Lannister, a survivor. I do not need him. Do I want him? Yes. Do I need him? No. At least that's what I'll tell myself. A voice had disturbed me.

"My Queen, you seem to be in a lot of thought," said Lord Tarth, named by me the new Lord Paramount of Storm's End. Him again? He's been courting me for weeks. Not interested, sorry. I've made way too many enemies, however. I must tread carefully.
"I am, dear Lord. It seems this Great Council isn't going the way I intended." I feigned a sigh to seem more sympathetic.
"What ever goes the way men intend?"
"I am no man."
"That isn't my point. The Gods run this world. The only thing that's sure, is the Seven Pointed Star."
Not this religious stuff again... I had dealt with it last time by blowing up the greatest sept the world has ever seen. I will gladly burn Storm's End to the ground as well, if he tests me. I am lord Tywin with teats, after all. He must be so proud of me, wherever he is. I got rid of the Imp to finish his legacy. Yet.. where's the Imp's body? We buried a casket only.

"I, Queen Cersei Lannister, now proclaim the heir to the Iron Throne." I said, with a great deal of anticipation, after the votes had been cast.
"Until a birth of a trueborn child of mine, the heir to the Iron Throne shall be.. Lord Gerion Lannister. Lords of Westeros, swear oaths of fealty to the new heir!"
Should I feel relief? It should've been Jaime. Yet it's still a Lannister, that's what matters. Yet I think.. that the war isn't over yet.