DAGGERS TO THE HEART Part 2 - CLASH OF THE KINGS

Jaime I

Jaime gazed down at the lifeless form of the King, cradled in his mother's embrace. The King he was sworn to safeguard, his flesh and blood, now gone, snuffed out by treachery. Yet Jaime couldn't feign astonishment. Joffrey's proclivity for cruelty and violence had garnered him no allies, only adversaries.

During the wedding, Jaime found himself relegated to the distant end of the throne room, a consequence of his refusal to relinquish his white cloak until after the ceremony—an act he now regretted, though it's doubtful he could have intervened. By the time he waded through the throngs of guests, his son lay lifeless in Cersei's arms. Joffrey's countenance, a ghastly hue of purple, his eyes haemorrhaging as they gazed vacantly at the heavens, while blood trickled from his nostrils.

"You're to blame for this!" Cersei's accusatory shriek pierced the chaos, her trembling finger aimed at Tyrion. "You! It's your doing! Seize him!"

At her command, Lannister guards seized hold of Tyrion, hauling him away, likely bound for a cell.

"Bar the gates of the city. Seize every ship in the harbour. No one leaves the capital! Not one!" roared their father, as the crowd surged out of the throne room, and the spectacle abruptly concluded.

Jaime surveyed the scene before him. Margaery's mournful cries echoed through the hall, her grief comforted by the Queen of Thorns, yet Jaime couldn't shake the notion that her tears were shed more for dashed ambitions than genuine sorrow. In truth, she had dodged a lethal fate. Joffrey's brief amusement with her would have soon soured, his cruelty an inevitable revelation.

Unlike Cersei, Jaime saw the truth of his son's monstrous nature. He harboured a familial love for Joffrey, but it paled compared to the genuine affection he held for Myrcella and Tommen, good children, clear now as they wept for their fallen brother despite his past cruelties.

As Cersei continued to cradle Joffrey's lifeless form, all eyes turned to Jaime, pleading for him to persuade her to release her grip. The silent sisters awaited to prepare the body, though Jaime harboured doubts that even their prayers could spare Joffrey from the depths of the Seven Hells.

Bowing his head, Jaime approached Cersei, his touch gentle as he rested his hands upon her trembling shoulders. "Cersei, you must let him go. The silent sisters..."

"I care not for them," she spat through tear-stricken sobs. "My son is lost to me." Jaime's heart ached as he watched her grief consume her, her anguish palpable as she cradled Joffrey's lifeless form.

"Ahem, Your Grace," Maester Pycelle's unexpected interruption drew Jaime's attention, though he harboured no illusions that Cersei would heed the Grandmaester's counsel. True to form, she brushed him off, but Pycelle persisted. "If we are to seek justice for our fallen King, it is imperative we discover the poison used in his demise. Permit me to examine him and obtain a blood sample. Through careful analysis, we may uncover the likely toxin."

To Jaime's astonishment, Cersei glanced up, acknowledging the suggestion with a nod—a rare moment of agreement with the Grandmaester. She then turned her gaze to their father.

"We must identify the poison responsible," Tywin concurred.

Taking charge, Jaime gently grasped Cersei's shoulders, assisting her to rise. However, once on her feet, she shook off his touch, casting him a cold, accusatory glare, as if he bore responsibility for their plight. Jaime resisted the urge to sigh or roll his eyes. He knew she would lay blame at his feet as well—for his delayed arrival, for his failure to safeguard the King as he should have.

Observing Cersei's reaction, their father stepped in to attend to his daughter, leaving Jaime to console his niece and nephew. Jaime wasn't renowned for his skill with children, but his love for his son and daughter compelled him to be there for them in their time of need. Thus, he took on the responsibility of returning them to their chambers in Maegor's Holdfast and putting them to bed.