End of Youth / Tommen Baratheon (2.2)

18. Myrcella

"My sister said you... looked out for her." Rickon remarked. 

"I tried to." Cersei agreed. 

"Myrcella should be here soon." TOmmen remarked happily. "Do you remember Myrcella? It's been years since she was shipped off." 

"Not really." Rickon admitted. He glanced to Shaggy Dog and Avalon still running around chasing each other happily. "Hey Rie, is it true the capital has Balerion's skull still?"  Rieka's gave shifted over to Cersei. 

"It's hard to get to." Tommen offered. "BUt if you want to see something really cool, did Rieka show you the throne?" 

"No." RIckon countered excitedly. "Is it really made of a million swords?" 

"It seems like it when I sit up there." Tommen agreed. Rieka smiled her nails gently scratching down Tommen's back. "I could show you." Cersei liked that Tommen could get a friend out of this. Not just a wife but a real friend. 

"Cool." Rickon agreed jumping up. 

"Why dont you two go," Cersei offered. "I wanted a moment with Rieka." Rickon hesitated. 

"I will catch up with you." Rieka assured giving his shoulder a squeeze. "TOmmen will protect you if you run into trouble, right Tom?" 

"Yes my queen." Tommen agreed beaming back at her. Rieka waited until they were gone before looking back at Cersei. 

"Yes?" 

"Let them bond." Cersei countered taking a sip of wine. 

"It's nice to have a friend." Rieka agreed lifting her cup up to cheers with Cersei. 

"That is it." Cersei sighed leaning back in her chair. "What is with your family and dragons?" 

"Dragons are awesome." Rieka answered. 

"Not the ones coming after your throne." 

"Is it mine? I have never sat on it." Rieka mused. 

''Your Grace... I'm sorry to disturb you but a ship from Dorne has settled into the harbor.' A handmaiden told Cersei, and Rieka looked hopefully to her they rushed to the shore waiting for Jaime and Myrcella and Bronn to arrive.

'Myrcella.' Cersei said happily as they waited hand in hand for her at the shores. But as cersei looked inside she did not see her daughter she saw Jamie staring at her, a body covered up in the middle of the ship. Cersei stormed off, Jaime followed after her.

'what happened?' Rieka questioned as bronn approached her.

'well... nothing good.'' Bronn offered. Rieka looked over at myrcella's dead body, she had grown so much, changed so much... still so beautiful. 

''thank you for trying.'' Rieka offered. "Excuse me, I have to tell Tommen his sister is dead."

+

"Will you come with me?" Tommen questioned. Rieka nodded holding onto his hand, Tommen smiled as she interlocked their fingers together. He heard the bells and pulled RIeka to the window.

"Bells for Myrcella?" Rieka questioned. TOmmen nodded. Tommen took a moment to compose himself, before he headed in to say his goodbyes to his sister. 

"I'm sorry for your loss, Tommen... your grace." Rickon offered. 

"Thank you..." Tommen whispered. "We are family RIckon, you can call me Tommen." He added. Rickon offered him a small smile. Rieka wrapped her arms around Tommen from behind as they said their goodbyes to Myrcella, the stones on her eyes, her perfect face. 

"Where is my mother?" Tommen questioned looking around. 

"I can find her." Rieka offered as they headed back. "Avalon can stay with you, she is a fluffy antidepressant." Rieka added. Avalon licked at Tommen's hand. "Unless you want me to stay?"

"I do." Tommen agreed. "But I think my mother would rather talk to you then I about this." Tommen admitted. 

"I will check on her, let her know you are thinking about her." RIeka offered giving him a small kiss on the corner of his lips. He grabbed her hand keeping her close. 

"Rieka, if its a girl... can we name her after Myrcella?" Tommen questioned softly. 

"Thats a lovely idea." Rieka agreed. 

Rieka turned and looked back into Cerseis room hesitantly before entering. Rieka stopped at the door, she felt like she was about to intrude on a private moment but Cersei was her friend, Jaime was already in the room. 

" Do you remember the first time you saw a dead body?" Cersei questioned not looking at him.

"Mother." Jaime answered. Plenty of people that RIeka didnt know were dead, she wasnt a stranger to dead bodies, winters were harsh and people were not prepared but the only memorable death, one she saw with her own eyes was her father and yet Robb's death, a death she didnt see was engraved in her mind. Her mother, how they slit her throat to the bone, how they sewed Robb's head on his direwolf or maybe his wolf's head onto his body, RIeka pictured both and it made her sick. She put a hand to her stomach. If it was a boy she wanted to name him Robb Eddard Stark... Baratheon... Lannister?

"All I could think about when she died was what would happen to her now. Every day, every night, what does Mama look like now? Has she started to bloat? Has her skin turned black? Have her lips peeled back from her teeth?" Cersei whimpered tears pulling at her eyes.

" I think about locking Myrcella in a crypt." Cersei added through a choked breath. "I think about her beautiful little face starting to collapse."

"Shh, shh. Don't think about it." Jaime begged. Rieka wondered what happened to her mother and brother, knew that Robb requested their fathers bones returned, Rieka wondered if they ever did, Ned's head was taken down, the head wall was. That was Tommen's idea and Rieka was thankful. 

" I have to. I have to. It's not right she has to suffer alone." Cersei sobbed out.

"She's not suffering. She's gone. No one can hurt her anymore." Jaime corrected.

"She was good. From her first breath, she was so sweet. I don't know where she came from. She was nothing like me. No meanness, no jealous, just good." Cersei declared

"I know.' Jaime agreed softly. Cersei glared back at him. "I'm agreeing with you." Jaime remarked. Her gaze turned to Rieka and down to her stomach.

"I thought if I could make something so good, so pure...maybe I'm not a monster." Cersei murmured still staring at Rieka's stomach.

"Listen -- listen to me. She was my daughter and I failed her." Jaime reminded her.

"No, I knew this would happen. The witch told me years ago. She promised me three children. She promised me they'd die. And gold their shrouds." Cersei recalled. "Everything she said came true, Tommen will be next, I can feel it, Rieka have you to protect him before its too late... but I dont know that we can." Cersei admitted.  "It's prophecy. It's fate."

"We won't let them touch Tommen." Rieka assured grabbing Cersei's hand. 

"It is fate. I will lose him too." Cersei corrected. 

"You don't believe that." Jaime countered.

"Of course I do. You said we had to stay together. You said people would try to tear us apart, take what's ours. That was a prophecy, too. I didn't listen to you, and everything you said came true." Cersei spat.

"Fuck prophecy. Fuck fate. Fuck everyone who isn't us. And everything they've taken from us, we're going to take back and more." Jaime remarked hugging his twin. "We're going to take everything there is."

Rieka's lips suddenly went dry as she swallowed the lump in her throat, backing out of the room what if Tommen was in danger? What happened when this dragon queen made her way to the capital? Would she let Tommen live? Rieka live? WOuld she kill anyone and everyone that got in her way? Rieka hoped never to find out.