ROSE ━━ game of thrones. ✓

( 01. ━ INTO THE LION'S DEN. )

rose.
a short story.
the beginning.
part one  ━  into the lion's den.

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❛ on the first day, cersei did not know.
she would not know for a while.
if she had, she would have held rose tight
and never let go her go away. ❜

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CASTERLY ROCK.

     CERSEI WANTS THEM ALL TO GO AWAY. Her father's brother and his wife and their child ━ she wants them all to leave. She doesn't care where they go. Back to their keep or off the edge of a bloody cliff. She thinks that perhaps, if she wills it hard enough, they'll all disappear. She wants to spend this time with her brother and they are ruining it.

     Tywin is not even there. He remains in King's Landing because he is Hand of the King, but she has returned specifically to visit her brother and she is annoyed because her Uncle Kevan's unexpected arrival has thrown her plans into absolute chaos. She and Jaime must greet them as if they are the Lord and Lady of Casterly Rock, and that is the only aspect she enjoys. She is thirteen years old and already knows she will never be Lady of Casterly Rock, so she'll enjoy it while it lasts.

     She does not, however, enjoy the thought of meeting Rose.

     Jaime is smiling as they stand upon the steps, watching the carriage roll to a stop. Cersei knows he has been so excited, and it is no wonder; Uncle Kevan is a knight  (  a household knight, but a knight nonetheless  ) and that is everything Jaime wants to be. A knight who serves his country, his King, with pride in his heart. He'll be Lord of Casterly Rock, someday, but for now, he can have his dreams.

     He is even seems to be a little excited to meet Rose, and that infuriates Cersei. He talked all over dinner the night before, wondering why they had never met their cousin before, and if they would all get along. He hopes so.

     As their family disembark one-by-one from the carriage, Cersei cannot help but think that Rose is a silly name. She and Jaime have such beautiful names; they are regal names, fit for kings and queens, and she does expect to be a queen someday. Her father will not settle for anything less. 

     Rose is dull and boring, and Cersei is expecting a dull and boring girl to emerge from that carriage. She thinks that all Rose will want to talk about is the handsome and gallant Prince Rhaegar, and that she will be no more interesting than Cersei's other ladies. Rose will be a thorn in her side until the day she leaves, and Cersei cannot wait for that day.

     Kevan steps down from the carriage first, followed by his wife. Lady Dorna Swyft is a skinny, unflattering, unremarkable woman, and Cersei briefly wonders exactly what Lady Swyft could have done to make Uncle Kevan fall in love with her. Finally, he cousin emerges daintily from the carriage, helped down by her father who offers her a smile.

     The day is sweltering hot. The sun beats down on them with relentless force, but Rose appears almost untouched by the heat. Jaime's eyes light up upon seeing her, this twelve-year-old girl whom they are supposed to befriend. Later in life, Cersei will think of this as the moment Jaime fell in love with Rose. He, the twin who believes in good things and miracles. The idealist. Jaime has always been far more willing to leap into things than she.

     Cersei will only remember feeling jealous. She'll sit in her solar, watching her children play. Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but with nothing in the world but her children to love her. Queen of everything, but trapped in a cold, loveless marriage. She'll sit there and she'll watch these children that might've been Rose's children, too, and she'll hate that she was jealous. She'll hate that she wasted so much time.

     Rose is the epitome of Lannister looks, and Cersei cannot blame Jaime for being awestruck. She cannot tear her eyes away from Rose, either. The Lannister twins are famous for their beauty, but it is Rose that the bards will sing songs about, one day. Golden locks shine under the midday sun, and as Jaime steps forward to kiss her hand, her cheeks turn rosy. She has never had a boy behave like a gentleman towards her. No one has ever kissed her hand.

     Cersei thinks Rose looks ethereal. She looks as if she has been hand-crafted by the Gods themselves and sent as a gift to bless them all, and all Cersei can feel is jealousy.

     HOW FOOLISH OF ME. How much time did she waste on disliking Rose? How much time did she waste staring at her cousin, envy clawing at her heart like the lion claims to be? She will think of all the things she never got to say or do, and she will feel hate.

     But it will not be for Rose. It will be for herself.

     For now, she scowls as Jaime offers his arm to Rose. She glares at the girl she hardly knows as her brother leads their family into the keep, and she follows behind.

     She doesn't know that she will smile soon, too.

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A/N: ahem some stuff was added to this chapter upon editing, not a lot but like..... i weep over rose and cersei and jaime okay I WEEP.