Carliene Stark

Chapter 76

Jamie

I stood on the balcony, staring out at the large column of smoke standing over Visenya's Hill, feeling the weight of my breastplate dig into my shoulders. There was still Riverrun mud on my boots, but I had more pressing matters than my appearance at the moment. 

Finally the doors opened and Cersei entered her chambers, followed by that beast she now kept on her side at all time. She headed straight for the wine on the small table, only scoffing when she noticed my presence.

"Did you take Riverrun?" She demanded coldly, as if we had nothing better to talk about. 

"As I stated in my letter" I studied her, the thin crown on her brow leaving a sour taste in my mouth. "I suppose gratulations are in order" I suggested unamused, stepping further into the room as she poured herself some wine and raised the glass to her lips.

She grimaced at that, clearly unimpressed. 

"Cersei what did you do?" I demanded, finally getting to the point. 

She turned to me angrily. "What do you mean what did I do?" She spat as she stepped past me so that she was able to glance at the smoking ruin in the distance. "I did what's best for our family as I have always done" she spat. "They were tearing us apart, they were all tearing us apart" she stated almost hysterically.

Kevan was our family too, I wanted to tell her, but I knew that she would have no ear for it. Then there was the matter of Tommen. I had not yet come to understand what exactly had happened to him, but by the slim crow on his mother's head I came to understand that I would never see him again. Initially I had believed that he had burned in the sept along with half the royalty of King's Landing, but no matter what atrocities my sister was cable off, she would never hurt her own children. Especially not when Tommen was all we had left. I wanted to ask her, I really did, but all I could do was stare at Clegane and those dead eyes, barely visible beneath his golden helmet. 

She must have noticed my stare because she gave him a wave, causing the monster of a man to turn and step out of the chambers on heavy feet. 

I knew I should have said something. Voiced some sort of disagreement or even appall for her actions, but I had no great love for monuments or ancient buildings and the dead would not be revived by angry words.

"Are you angry with me?" She demanded, still staring at the smoking ruin in the distance as she traced a finger along the edge of her wine goblet. 

I studied her for a moment. A smarter man should be. "No" I stated with a dry throat.

It did not spark any emotions in her as she seemed lost in thoughts. 

I clenched my good hand up in a fist, causing the leather of my glove to make a small noise. "You have just made yourself a lot of enemies" I pointed out already growing tired just thinking about the many obstacles we would now have to face. 

Her head turned to me and she gave me a serious look. "I have just destroyed my enemies" she snapped, pushing past me to pour herself another drink.

I gave a silent sigh. "What about their families?" I objected. "You have just blown up the queen and her brother and father, how do you think Olenna Tyrell will react to that?" I demanded as I stepped up to her pointing out at the balcony.

She didn't look at me, but I could see her yaws clench with slight frustration.

"They were supplying grain to the city, what do you think will happen once those supplied stop coming?" 

"Then we will take them by force" she stated simply finally turning to me and giving me a look that almost seemed to want to scold me for my narrow mindedness.