iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 392 Mermaid Harbor
"The Queen, Queen Cersei!"

It was Ser Osfried's voice. Cersei gathered up her disheveled hair and climbed out of bed. Lady Tanya helped her put on a white silk nightgown.

"Queen Mother, Queen Mother, Queen Mother!"

Not long after, Osfried's voice and the knock on the door were heard again, this time more urgently.

Cersei frowned in displeasure, straightened her dress, and responded, "Come in."

The door was immediately opened, and Sir Osfryd entered first with an oil lamp, followed by his brother and... She saw a figure in a white robe.

James? She immediately denied it. It couldn't be him.

"Your Majesty." Sir Manden stepped forward and saluted.

"It's you... it's you who's looking for me?"

As she spoke, Lady Tanya draped a burgundy velvet robe over Cersei.

Sir Mandon looked up and replied, "Her Majesty the King sent me here. She asks you to return to the Red Keep immediately. There... the King has been assassinated."

Assassination? !
Who would dare to kill Joffrey... Stannis? Stark? Martell? Tyrell?
She asked anxiously, "How is my son?"

"His Majesty the King was not injured. He said he personally executed the assassin, and the identity of the assassin was..."

Ser Mandon seemed to be telling a normal story: "Tywin Lannister."

Joffrey killed... my father by my son... it's impossible, she didn't believe it!

The night wind hit the narrow window, making a creaking sound.

"Your Majesty, I checked before leaving the throne room, and Lord Tywin is dead."

The Myrish woman beside her was trembling like a leaf, Ser Osfryd and Ser Mandon loomed before her with expressionless faces, and Ser Osney was still stealing glances at her body.

Cersei saw the shadow of fluttering wings. A moth had spotted the oil lamp that Osfried was holding and was buzzing against the glass, seeking light.

She murmured, "Joffrey loves his grandfather, and my father has red robes guarding him day and night."

Ser Osfried glanced at Cersei, who was a little unsteady on her feet, and said calmly: "Your Majesty, the red robes may be loyal to their duties, but they cannot stop the king's sword."

The captain of the guard's warning suddenly gripped Cersei with fear, like a sudden storm.

Cersei's eyes instantly turned red: "No, Joffrey, you can't do that..."

After a pause, Sir Manden reminded: "Your Majesty, the King is still in danger and he needs your protection."

Cersei's green eyes trembled. The nightmare that she could not remember no matter what finally became clear.

In the dream...she was sitting on the Iron Throne, overlooking everyone.

Arrogant lords and proud ladies knelt before her, and brave young knights laid their swords at her feet and begged for her favor.

She responded to each of them with a smile.

Everything was wonderful, but suddenly the princes and ladies pointed at her and giggled, hiding their smiles with the backs of their hands.

She found that she was not wearing any clothes. She tried to cover herself with her hands in panic to maintain her woman's modesty.

As a result, the tip of the sword on the Iron Throne cut her tender and smooth skin, and blood flowed down her thigh.

She tried to stand up, but her feet were stuck in the gap of twisted metal and she couldn't get free. The more she struggled, the more ruthlessly the Iron Throne swallowed her up.

Amidst the shrill laughter, the Iron Throne had turned into a hunchbacked monster, ruthlessly tearing apart her flesh and blood until her entire body was covered in blood and she was able to escape from there.

Cersei looked down at her hands, making sure every finger was there. She touched her body again, and found goose bumps all over her skin, but no scratches or cuts. There were no scars on her legs, no wounds on the soles of her feet.

Dream, nightmare, does it predict the bad news of tonight?

prophecy………

Damn the prophecy, when dawn comes, she should be the one who has the last laugh!
If Tywin Lannister were truly dead, neither she nor her children would be safe... especially Joffrey.

When the lion falls, all the beasts will rise up, and jackals, tigers and leopards will take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in.

So she had to act decisively and immediately, just like when Robert died.

The lioness's breasts rose and fell slowly. She raised her chin and said in a cold voice, "I will dress immediately. Sir Osney, wake up all the guards. We will set off later."

…………

Walking out of the Great Sept of Baelor, Cersei jumped onto the horse with the help of Ser Osney. She looked up at the night sky, where the stars were shining.

The brightest and most dazzling star in the West has sunk, and the road ahead will be even darker.

No, no one can frighten her, she is the daughter of Casterly Rock, the daughter of the Lion!

If her father passed away, Casterly Rock would be hers, and the power of the Lannister family would also be hers. Even if Joffrey no longer needed a regent queen mother in the future, as the master of the West, she would still be able to control the Red Castle.

When Queen Cersei arrived at the door of the throne room, there were a large number of Lannister guards wearing lion helmets at the door, and the golden lions on the top of the helmets were faintly reflecting.

She could sense that they were all afraid, and they had right to be afraid. If it were the father... the lioness would never let the old lion die alone!
"No one may enter or leave the throne room without my permission."

Everything was quiet inside, and Cersei could only hear the scrape of heels on stone.

Moonlight streamed in through the narrow window, and the Iron Throne loomed high above. Cersei paused for a moment as she stared at it, then she came to stand before the body of the old lion.

Is he really dead?

He was her father, should she scream and cry? She wanted to ask her father and let him tell her the answer.

The lioness's gaze shifted back to the man lying on the steps like a clown. Was he really her father, the old lion with an iron will...

She dug her nails into her palms unconsciously. "My father should not be lying in a place like this. Send for Pycelle, and have him tend Lord Tywin and cover my father in ermine, gold, and scarlet silk."

Her voice rose. "My father was Hand to three kings, one of the greatest leaders the Seven Kingdoms ever knew. Let the bells ring as they did when Robert died."

Cersei paced and calmly gave various orders. The thick smoke from the torches around her hurt her eyes, but the lioness would not shed tears, just as her father would not.

Qyburn walked slowly to Cersei's front and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, perhaps you should go up and take a look."

For some reason, Cersei's heart suddenly began to flutter in her chest. She stopped pacing. "Joffrey looking for me?"

Coben looked at her, sighed slightly, and said sadly: "He is still waiting for you." Seeing this, the lioness stopped talking. She lifted her skirt and walked quickly towards the corridor behind the Iron Throne.

The king's chamber.

Cersei stared blankly at Joffrey, who was lying in the bathtub with his eyes open: "Who...who...who is it..."

Cersei's legs were as soft as water. Ser Osney reached out to help her, but she dodged.

She stumbled back, unable to accept the death of her son. Cersei finally collapsed beside Joffrey's bed, crying silently.

When the sky turned into a deep cobalt blue, the lioness with red and swollen eyes silently watched the Silent Sisters carry the king away, while Qyburn stood respectfully by their side.

After a while, the Kateblack brothers came in together, their hands and clothes stained with a lot of bright red.

"My Queen, please accept my condolences."

Cersei stared at the bathtub in the corner of the room and asked in a hoarse voice, "What did he say?"

Ser Osney stepped forward and replied, "Ser Boros said he was guarding the door the entire time, and the only people who entered and left the bedroom were the two maids who served the king."

"...Where are the two maids?"

"The two of them must have escaped. I have arranged for someone to track them down, Your Majesty."

"…………ran away. Two women in skirts left the Red Keep in the middle of the night. Whose people are they?"

"From what I understand, the two of them have been in the Red Keep for more than three years. They have been serving in the King's bathhouse."

"…………I'm asking who these two people belong to?"

"Please give us a little more time."

“…………Check it out immediately.”

After the Kettleblack brothers hurriedly left the room, they paused, and Qyburn's gentle voice rang out: "Your Majesty, King Joffrey likes the coin of the Reach?"

The Reach? Cersei's eyes finally moved, and she looked at Qyburn.

Qyburn carefully pulled a gold coin from his sleeve and showed Cersei the portrait of the King of the Reach on the front and the arms of House Gardener (the former ruling family of the Reach) on the back.

"Your Majesty, its name is the 'Golden Hand', and it has become rare since Aegon I conquered Westeros."

Cersei stared at the golden hand coin: "…………Where did you find this?"

"I found it in an inconspicuous place under the bathtub. There were many people around and I was worried that the information would be leaked, so I hid it when no one was paying attention."

The lioness held the golden hand coin tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force. She gritted her teeth and said, "Ti,li,er."

…………

…………

Mermaid Harbour, the white marble terrace of the City Hall.

Green and Kevan Lannister each sat on a wooden chair, while the little lady and Myrcella were fiddling with the flowers in the vase a little further behind them, occasionally glancing uneasily at the two people who were not in a good mood.

Count Kevan exhaled slowly: "Duke Green, your behavior makes me feel very unfriendly. You are imprisoning us."

Lord Green paid no attention to the threat in Kevan's words. He just smiled and said, "Lord Kevan, taking her daughter away without her mother's permission... This behavior is truly unfriendly, or even impolite."

Lord Kevan clenched his fist and said, "I want to remind you that Myrcella is not only Cersei's daughter, she is also a princess of the kingdom. She has her own responsibilities and obligations."

Green asked him in return: "Lord Kevan, is this how you convinced Princess Myrcella to go with you?"

Lord Kevan said nothing, but just stared at Green.

After a pause, Green continued, "Did you let Myrcella leave her mother without saying goodbye because you knew that this argument would not work on Queen Cersei?"

He continued, "If you could convince Queen Cersei, I don't think you would choose this way, would you?"

Lord Kevan exhaled slowly again and said, "Lord Crabbe, you and Lord Tywin promised that you would no longer interfere in the private affairs of the Lannister family."

Green rubbed his head as if he had a headache, looked at Kevan, and said, "I have to remind you that we are discussing the princess of the kingdom. Well, you just reminded me of this."

Kevan: “…………”

After a pause, he rubbed his brows and said with a bit of helplessness: "Duke Green, I think we can say goodbye to word games for the time being."

He leaned forward in the direction of Green. "If you insist on stopping Myrcella from going to Dorne with me, then... please give me a satisfactory 'excuse', otherwise it will affect the friendship between Lannister and Crabbe. I hope my words don't sound threatening."

Green's brown eyes moved slightly, and he looked directly at Kevan: "It's already a threat. Perhaps... the True History will record it this way. The Lannisters chose to go to war because Crabbe prevented the princess from being sent to Dorne. The reason is... Lannisters must pay their debts?"

Lord Kevan's eyes grew darker. "You are humiliating the Lannisters, Green Crabbe."

Green leaned forward towards Kevan, his gentle eyes gradually turned cold, and he slowly said: "I can get you bread and salt, Lannister."

The two of them stared at each other motionlessly, and the atmosphere was very solemn.

At this time, Mircella came over with two wine glasses, and her clear and childish voice rang out: "Uncle Grandfather, Duke Green."

She handed the glass to Kevan first, then paused, looked deeply at Green, and said kindly to Myrcella, "Thank you, child."

Then it was Green's turn. He took the glass, smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you."

Mircella smiled, then she bowed to the two of them and said, "I'm sorry, I overheard your conversation. I should have stayed away from you. Please forgive me for my intrusion."

Green smiled, raised his glass to Kevan, and said, "Princess Myrcella has nothing to do with you. It's the reason why Lord Kevan didn't lower his voice. Neither did I."

Princess Myrcella put her hands behind her back and said, "Duke Green, please forgive my intrusion again. Not only my uncle, but I am also very curious about why you kindly invited us to stay as your guests. Um... Also, your Mermaid Harbor is as beautiful as I imagined."

Green shook his glass and said, "I can be honest with you..."

After a pause, he continued, "If I tell a lie, it's because I'm worried that once the Lannisters have no external enemies, they will start to push Crab out of the center of the Seven Kingdoms, which will make it very difficult for me."

Kevan's gaze also shifted over. Green glanced at him and continued, "The truth is that the intolerable lioness asked me to lead the troops to break through Yangji City and bring back her daughter."

After hearing this, Myrcella blinked and then turned her gaze to her uncle.

Looking at the little princess's clear eyes, Lord Kevan sighed secretly and said, "Myrcella, thank you for your kindness, my good child. Go and have a rest."

(End of this chapter)