Secret Flames (Sandor Clegane)

Chapter 41

"They're here! They're at my gates and what plan do we have? I let you into my city, through my walls, and now you have brought this upon us!" Cersei hissed at Tallulah, as the news of Daenerys arrival on the outskirts of the city was read out to the war council.

"We knew this day was coming," Tallulah reminded her carefully.

"And you promised me a plan!"

"And I am yet to break a promise. Sansa?" Tallulah smiled and turned behind to the young lady. "Has my guests have safely as planned?"

"Davos has informed me that they are making port at this every minute," she smiled back.

"Who! What guests?" Cersei demanded as she eyed each person in the room.

Tallulah didn't have to answer as at exact moment the doors to the war room slammed open and in walked Ellaria Sand.

"You!" Cersei hissed in disgust and then looked over at Tallulah with pure anger. "You bring this bastard, this murderer to my city!"

"Not just her, I brought Dorne and its entire army to your city," she replied calmly.

"Cersei, let us speak, woman to woman. You were once a mother, just as I was. We have both lost children. There is no love shared between us, and I know we have both planned assassinations of one another. We have both been blind though, you to tour hatred of me and many others, and I, to the revenge for my children and Oberyn. We have lost so much, and for what? We have both been played, by others and our own emotions, but for what? I am here to help finely bring peace, but that will not happen whilst the dragon Queen spars above us with a hunger for death. Tallulah is the last true princess of Dorne, the daughter of the once sweet Elia Martell. My loyalty and that of our kingdom therefore lays with her, and if she had chosen to fight with you, for the seven kingdoms, then so shall we. Put aside your history, your hatred, we both share one common enemy now."

The entire room was silent as Cersei studied the womn face, drinking in her words to see if she could believe them. "You once swore loyalty to the dragon Queen, you fought at her side on the waters. Why such a change? How could I trust someone who is so capable of switching sides."

Ellaria sighed gently, "As I said, I was blinded by my hatred and lust for revenge. I could not know of the true enemies which faced the kingdoms. I paid heavily for these sins though, I lost my daughters in her battle for power. I recieved no mercy or empathy for my lose. No help when i needed it most. I see now, what she has brought upon us all, the darkness that comes from the wings of her dragons."

"We cannot fight this alone Cersei. We are weak, our walls crumbling, ours numbers few from the dead. We must put history aside. Let us not make the same mistakes as our ancestors. We are women, we are smarter than that."

Silence fell over the room again, but after a few minutes, Cersei finally nodded her head and granted the Dornish forces entry into the city. Tallulah felt like a sudden weight had been lifted and smiled back to Arya and Sansa, but something seemed to be off their smile back.

"What is troubling?" She asked the girls as they left the war room.

Arya sighed heavily as Sansa chewed on her bottom lip.

"Gods, come out with it," Tallulah spoke in exhaustion.

"Its just, we understand why you are doing this, bringing the everyone together to fight Daenarys, but Tallulah, she, Cersei. She is bad, we cant honestly trust her. I know you said we must put history aside, but nothing will ever remove the stench of blood and despair she has brought to so many houses," Arya began.

"She raised Joffrey and allowed his madness, her family almost wiped out our house completely. She had Euron slay most of the Greyjoys and she completely finished off the Tyrell house," Sansa added with a slight panic to her voice.