Silver Stag

In The Capital

[King's Landing - Red Keep Courtyard]

Cersei walked atop a mural of Westeros painted on the floor as the painter was completing it.

Jaime entered and walked towards his twin, then looked at the mural and nodded at the painter, who put down his brush. exiting.

"What is this?" He asked.

"It's what we've been waiting for our whole lives. It's what Father trained us for, whether he knew it or not."

"He knew it. Made me memorize every damn city, town, lake, forest, and mountain."

"It's ours now, we just have to take it." Cersei turned to face him. "You've been quiet since you came home. Are you angry with me?"

"No, not angry."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Should I be?"

"Daenerys Targaryen has chosen Tyrion to be her Hand. Right now, they're sailing across the Narrow Sea, hoping to take back her father's throne. Our little brother, the one you love so much, the one you set free, the one who murdered our father and our first-born son, now he stands beside our enemies and gives them counsel. He's out there somewhere at the head of an armada. Where will they land?"

"Dragonstone." Jaime approached the depiction of Dragonstone on the mural and stood over it. "They have deep-water ports for the ships. Stannis left the castle unoccupied, and that's where she was born."

"Enemies to the east." She walked towards Dorne on the mural. "Enemies to the south-Ellaria Sand, Oberyn and their brood of bitches. They have our only daughter." She walked towards Highgarden on the mural. "Enemies to the west-Olenna, the old cunt. Another traitor." She walked towards the North on the mural. "Enemies to the north. Ned Stark's bastard and that murdering whore Sansa stands rule Winterfell. Enemies everywhere. We're surrounded by traitors. You're in command of the Lannister army now. How do we proceed?"

"Winter is here. We can't win a war if we can't feed our men and our horses. The Tyrells have the grain, the Tyrells have the livestock.

"Will the Tyrell bannermen stand alongside a Dothraki horde and Unsullied slave soldiers?"

"If they think Daenerys will win. No one wants to fight on the losing side. Right now, we look like the losing side. Aelinor's son remains the heir to Highgarden after his family's death by your hand."

"I'm the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

"Three kingdoms, at best. I'm not sure you understand how much danger we're in."

"I understand we're in a war for survival. I understand whoever loses dies. I understand whoever wins could launch a dynasty that lasts a thousand years."

"A dynasty for whom? Our sons are dead, our daughter wll have children named Martell. We're the last of us."

"A dynasty for us, then."

"We nevr talked about Tommen."

Cersei turned and walked to a nearby table, pouring herself a glass of wine. "There's nothing to say."

"Our baby boy killed himself."

"He betrayed me. He betrayed us both. Should we spend our dais mourning the dead-mother, father, and our sons?"

"Cersei-"

"I loved them. I did. But they're ashes now and we're still flesh and blood. We're the last Lannisters, the last ones that count."

"Even Lannisters can't survive without allies. Where are our allies now? You saw what happened to Walder Frey and his family."

News of the slaughter of the Freys quickly spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms of how a young girl wearing the face of Walder Frey poisoned all of his sons and grandsons. Winter had come for House Frey.

Even before that, after Jaime arrived back from Riverrun, he had received word that numerous Frey men had continued to be found murdered.

"I heard. How could we ever trust a man like that?"

"We couldn't. He was a useless, old coward, but the Freys supported us. Now they're all dead. Whoever killed them is no friend of ours. We need allies. Stronger, better allies. We can't win this war alone."

"You think I listened to father for forty years and learned nothing?"

[King's Landing - Blackwater Bay]

Ships bearing the kraken sigil of House Greyjoy were sailing into port. Cersei and Jaime watched the boats from the shore, escorted by Gregor Clegane and several other guards.

"The Greyjoys? You invited the Greyjoys to King's Landing?" Jaime asked, incredously.

"Not all of them."

"Well, it looks like all of them."

"I invited Euron Greyjoy, the new King of the Iron Islands. You said yourself we needed stronger, better allies. There you are."

"How are they better allies? How are they different from the Freys? They both broke their promises and murdered their former friends as soon as it suited them."

"So does everyone when it suits them. Unlike the Freys, they have ships. And they're good at killing."

"They're not good at anything. I know the Ironborn. They're bitter, angry little people. All they know how to do is steal things they can't build or grow themselves."

"Euron Greyjoy didn't come here for that."

"Oh, what did he come here for, then?"

"A queen." She exited, followed by Gregor and the guards.

[King's Landing - Red Keep, Throne Room]

Cersei sat on the Iron Throne, flanked by Jaime and Gregor. Euron Greyjoy stood at the foot of the throne. Guards lined the hall.

"The moment I was chosen Lord of the Iron Islands, she turned on me. Her own uncle. Stole my best ships and ran. Sailed the right across the world and gave them to the Dragon Queen so she could bring her armies here to attack you."

Euron pointed at Cersei. "It's nothing compares to the treason you suffered at the hands of a family members, from what I hear. But still, it bothers me. Murdering them would make me feel a lot better. And since it appears that all our treasonous family members are fighting for the same side, I thought we rightful monarchs could murder them together."

Euron started walking up towards the throne. Gregor took a step towards him, causing Euron to stop walking and look up at him.

"You're not a rightful monarch, though, are you?" Jaime asked.

Euron smiled and walked backwards off the steps, Gregor returning to his previous position.

"The Greyjoys rebelled against the throne for the right to be monarchs, but as I recall, you were soundly defeated. Come to mention it, weren't you the one who started that rebellion by sailing to Casterly Rock and burning the Lannister fleet? You certainly caught us there. Very smart move on your part. Of course, we all made it to the Iron Islands anyway. I was there." Jaime continued.

"I remember very well. I saw you. I heard so much talk. The best in the world. No one can stop him. I didn't believe it, to be honesty. But I must say, when you rushed through the breach and started cutting people down...it was glorious. Like a dance."

"The people I was cutting down were your own kin."

"The place was getting crowded. I enjoyed watching it. I truly did."

"And I enjoyed killing Greyjoys."

"A good thing for me. If you hadn't crushed us, I wouldn't have gone into exile. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the greatest captain on the fourteen seas."

"If not the most humble." Cersei interjected.

"You're not humble. You're the queen of a great nation. You don't care about the Iron Islands. They're nothing but rocks and bird shit and-and a lot of very unattractive people. The Iron Fleet, on the other hand, that's something else entirely. It's the greatest armada Westeros has ever seen. With the Iron Fleet, you own the seas. You can defeat the invaders of the east and the pretenders of the north and south." Euron told her.

"What do you want in return?"

"Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to grow up and mary the most beautiful woman in the world. So here I am, with a thousand ships and two good hands." Euron raised his hands, causing Jaime's face to twist.

"I decline your proposal." Cersei answered.

"Why?"

"You're not trustworthy. You've broken promises to allies before and murdered them at the nearest opportunity. You murdered your own brother."

"You should try it. Feels wonderful." Euron chuckled.

Jaime looked at his twin.

"I don't expect you to trust me outright. You need proof of my honest intentions. In my experience, the surest way to a woman's heart is with a gift. A priceless gift. I won't return to King's Landing until I have that for you." Euron turned and exited the Great Hall.