A Champion of Light and Lions (Cersei Lannister x OC)

10 - Ghosts Of The Past

The weeks flew by in a blur as affection became a habit between us. All the time now, Cersei and I would kiss each other on the cheek in passing, hold hands when we were alone and sit together by the fireplace in her chambers late into the night, snuggled up with wine and our supper while we told each other jokes and chatted about the latest court gossip.

This night, she was telling me about a rather grim event.

"Come here", she said, patting the empty seat next to her on the plush bench. I grabbed my glass and sat down, leaning into her immediately as she wrapped her arm around me. "Did you hear about the raven that arrived from the Twins today?"

I shook my head. "No. What did it say?"

"Walder Frey is the new Lord of the Riverlands."

"What about the Tullys?", I asked. "Aren't they in charge there, or am I getting them confused with someone else?" I still wasn't a hundred percent familiar with all the great and small Houses of Westeros, but I could have sworn the Tullys had held the Riverlands, not the Freys.

"They were", Cersei confirmed. "Until Walder killed Robb and Catelyn Stark at Edmure Tully's wedding to one of his daughters and took him captive. The only one left who would have a claim to Riverrun and the accompanying titles is the Blackfish, but no one knows where he is, and since he hasn't shown up to challenge Walder's declaration, no one really cares, either."

"Wait... so you're saying Robb Stark is dead?" I couldn't care less which lord held some castle by a river, but the King in the North... "Joffrey must be overjoyed. One less contender for him and your family to deal with."

Cersei nodded. "Which is why my family had his death arranged - Tywin, more specifically; he didn't even tell us about it until this morning." Her tone told me she was slightly offended her father hadn't shared his plans with her or her son. As much as she admired his strategic mind, she didn't like how much he ruled over their heads. She sighed. "I just hope Jaime got out alright. I doubt the Freys would have risked hurting him when all their new power hinges on our alliance, but anything can happen in battle. I hear it was quite the bloodbath. There's been no word about him, and I don't know if that is a good sign or a bad one."

I felt a twinge of jealousy in my gut. Would she go back to loving him when he returned? But this wasn't the time to ask, not when she was so clearly worried. I stroked her hand. "I'm sure he's fine. If he had been hurt, surely they would have mentioned it. It's much more likely he just escaped during the carnage and they didn't see him."

"But wouldn't he have gone with them if he escaped?", she asked, concern still lacing her voice.

"Not if he didn't know the Freys had made a pact with your father", I replied. "Think about it: the army of your captors' current host attacks them during a union between their Houses. That doesn't look like an orchestrated scheme if you don't know any better, it just looks like a personal feud. I'd flee from that too, given the chance, before anyone notices I'm gone. I'm sure he's alright and on his way back here as we speak."

Cersei smiled at me. "Thank you. There's probably nothing to worry about, you're right. And for what it's worth, you're right about another thing, too: Joffrey is in higher spirits than I've seen him in since he first met that Tyrell bitch. With both Renly and Robb dead, and Stannis suffering a major defeat at our hands recently, he's confident he is practically untouchable."

"But you're not?"

She shook her head. "Only a fool would believe himself to be untouchable. The moment we stop taking our enemies seriously is the moment they destroy us. Robb may have been the biggest threat by far, but not all his bannermen are dead. They may flock to Stannis, especially given that Robb's own father supported him before his death. And then, before we know it, we find ourselves facing the collective army of Stannis, Renly and Robb. Not even Joffrey can stand against that."