•𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖚𝖘𝖙 • Jaime Lannister OC

✹eleven✹

Cersei's eyes hardened when she was joined by Lyanna Stark and the rest of Rhena's ladies outside of the princess's door. The tradition still stood with the princess and every female relative of either family was to help her on her wedding day. Just as all the male Targaryens and Lannisters would be helping Jaime.

Jaime and Rhena's wedding. Cersei scoffed and swallowed back the sour taste that the words brought to her mouth. Jaime had always been hers. They had come into the world together and they would leave it together. But now he belonged to the dragon bitch and she could do nothing to stop it.

The rest of the ladies around Cersei put an end to the silly conversations and waited for the Lannister to open the door. As was tradition, it was the lady of the other house to wake the bride, as Rhena woke Elia.

Cersei took a deep breath and opened the door, not bothering to be quiet about it; the princess would be awake soon anyways. She stopped short however, when she came upon the princess and the queen awake already. Rhaella was behind Rhena, threading white flowers into her braids and brushing powders onto her face. Cersei thought in her opinion that powders made the face look chalky, but did not voice this to the princess. It didn't matter anyways, Rhena looked radiant even with it on.

The room smelled of lavender. Rhena's signature scent, one that Jaime had most likely been bathed in this morning. (a romantic gesture from the groom.) Cersei had been in the princess's rooms before, but never had they ever been this barren before. The huge bookshelf which her little monster of a brother would borrow books from was emptied of all its belongings, and the hundreds of gowns in her closet were already moved. Everything was already in Jaime and Rhena's new rooms.

The thought made Cersei gag. The thought of her pure precious brother sharing the bed of some dragon princess, of her giving him heirs, and them happy in Casterly Rock weighed her down more than her heaviest dress and jewels.

When Rhena caught Cersei's eye in the mirror, her smile brightened and she stood, breaking from her mother's reach.

"Cersei, Lyanna." Rhena brought the two of them into a hug, squeezing them softly. Cersei tried to discreetly move away and Lyanna melted. "So sorry that we started without you ladies," She started looking back to her mother who looked a vision in the morning light. "We just rose early and couldn't wait."

Lyanna smiled cheerfully as did Cersei, though one was more fake than the other. "That's alright." The northerner chirped. "I'm sure that the nerves of the day have been too much for you to sleep about." Rhena smiled at the girl's comment and pulled her to the large vanity. Her red and golden wedding dress hung loosely around her shoulders, not yet laced.

"Come girls." Rhaella ushered forwards and Cersei felt that little stab of jealousy. When the time came and she herself was married to a lord with a large keep and land, her mother would not be able to help her prepare for the wedding. Cersei would not feel her calming fingers at her temple or in her hair. She would not have Joanna's comforting words nor advise long lost.

The girl shook away her sadness and busied herself with arranging Rhena's simple jewelry that had been laid out. The dress was already hung with gold and gems so any flashy necklaces would get in the way.

Cersei's fingers faltered when she saw her mother's necklace on the vanity and her grandmother's ring next to it. These were her heirlooms. These things should have gone to her. But instead, Rhena Targaryen had taken them away. Was Jaime not enough? Was Casterly Rock not enough? These were just two more things that the Lannisters would lose to the Targaryen name.

Her hands pulled away as if they had been burnt and thankfully none of the other women in the room noticed. Cersei folded her hands over her abdomen just as a good lady should and waited for when her assistance would be needed.

Rhena Targaryen would grieve over the day that she unknowingly crossed Cersei Lannister, she would make sure of that.

The ride to the Sept was full of silence, much like that of Elia's wedding. Rhena sat across from the ever-stoic Cersei. The Lannister girl had not spoken one word since they entered the carriage and Rhena instead busied herself with waving to her people and accepting flowers and notes. At one point, almost half way to their destination, Rhena had enough.

"I have heard whispers from my Spider that there is talk of a union with you and Stannis Baratheon?" Rhena inquired. Her Spider was of course Varys. The two had a close friendship and Rhena could trust him, though she knew that his allegiances could change should it be in the best interest of the realm, as he had warned her many times over the years. Rhena did not care, he fed her information of those in court and she in turn did the same.

Cersei hummed in distaste. "Yes it's been on my father's mind. He's wanted me in a marriage since I was of birthing age, as has yours. Stannis is just the current in a long line of betrothals." She said it so dully that Rhena would have thought the proposition of marriage would have meant nothing. But there was a slight upturn of the woman's mouth that could almost be counted as a sneer that Rhena caught on to.

No matter how hard Tywin tried, Rhena doubted that Cersei would ever marry the middle child of the family. Robert would always come before Stannis and Cersei having to come second too, was almost unheard of in the eyes of the court. If Tywin wanted a relationship with the north so bad, perhaps he could make Cersei a Stark. They were an honorable family, one that wasn't eager to bow down and Cersei would fit right with them.

"I hear he's quite serious." Rhena ventured, trying to make some sort of conversation.

"Too much serious can be hard to control." Cersei fired back. So that was her approach. Not love not respect, but control. If Cersei were to be able to control her husband, she could control everything. "Though I am not looking for feelings." The cheering from outside was muffled but still drowned out their words, so much so that Rhena could barely catch the last part.

"My septa always told me that the best weapon that us women could ever have was between our legs." Rhena said, recalling the conversation that she had shared with the old bat. "Is that what you wish to use Lady Cersei? In your marriage, I mean."

"Your septa sounds like a very crude woman." Cersei told the princess with a frown. "Though her advice is valid. If you rule your husband in bed, you rule his mind. Lose that foothold, and lose any power in your relationship." Rhena took in the woman's words and nodded.

"I suppose you're right." she agreed after a few beats.

Cersei continued to look out the window at the smiling people with blazing green eyes. "Though you shouldn't have to worry about Jaime. He's like a puppy, he'll love you forever if you give him the chance." Rhena frowned at the crude comparison to Jaime but didn't comment. It shouldn't bother her anyways, it was her wedding day.

Before either of them could say anything more, the carriage stopped and the door was opened. Rhena looked past the head of her brother to the glittering top of Baelor. This was it.