𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕔𝕦𝕓𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕠𝕠 ; (ℂ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕚 𝕩 𝕆ℂ🐺🦁)

𝟞 - ℍ𝕪𝕕𝕣𝕒'𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕

𝕎𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 up in Cersei's arms was the sweetest thing I had ever felt. She had held me close all night, it would seem, or else awoken and rearranged her position. With my first conscious breath of the morning I took in her lavender scent, mixed with her own personal note of Cersei that filled me with ecstasy. I buried my face in her soft golden hair that lay spread out around her head like a crown of sunshine. "Good morning", I heard her murmur sleepily next to me. I looked up at her and smiled at the sight of her green eyes meeting mine. "Good morning, lovely." She exhaled in amuse and kissed my forehead. "Lovely, is it?" "You are", I insisted. "Well, thank you, little cub. You look quite stunning yourself." My smile widened and I sat up, keeping my hand on Cersei's side. "I had best get you back to your chambers", she said with a glance at the sun outside the window. "Your father and sisters will be looking for you by now." Rising from the bed naked as her name day, Cersei walked over to her massive oak wardrobe while I sat gaping at her body despite having had all of last night to admire it. She pulled out a gown and turned back to give it to me. "Here, take this. Until your other dress is... unstained again." I grinned and put on the dress. It fit perfectly, save that the skirt was a little too long - I was a few inches shorter than the queen, after all. But it wasn't too noticeable, since all ladies' gowns were customarily floor-length anyways, a bit of excess fabric was nothing to be called out. Clad in Lannister red, I returned to my family's apartments, entering the room where we broke our fast together each morning. "Vallery", my father called out when he saw me. "There you are. Were you out this early?" "Yes, I was out in the gardens, by the fountain. It was such a beautiful sunrise", I lied. It had been a different sort of sun I had seen this morning. "Where'd you get that dress?", Sansa asked while I sat down beside her and filled my plate. "The queen gave it to me", I replied shyly. Arya snorted. "What business have you got with the queen?" I didn't know what to answer, but thankfully Sansa relieved me. "Don't be rude, Arya. She probably gave it to her as a replacement for all those warm winter dresses we had." I nodded quickly and started eating my porridge.

Around noon, though, news arrived that shocked us all: King Robert had been injured on a hunting trip and it was said that he was going to die. I tried to feel sorry for my father losing his friend, but given what I had heard about the man from Cersei, I didn't find much pity for him in me. Father went to visit his friend while I remained alone in my chambers, waiting for Cersei's crisis meeting with the Baratheon brothers and the other people present at the hunt to end so I could meet with her. I wondered what would happen when Robert died. Joffrey was of age, he would be the rightful heir. But rightful wasn't righteous, and I could imagine many a better king than him. Or queen... what if Cersei tried to claim the throne? Could she succeed? The lords of the realm would be sure to put up some resistance, but her son surely wouldn't defy his own mother, would he? But then again, would she want to seize he throne from her son? Finally, I watched Renly Baratheon stride away across the courtyard, which told me the meeting was over. I found Cersei outside the king's chambers, pacing about nervously. "Is my father in there?", I asked her. She stopped walking, caught in surprise, and turned to face me. "Yes", she said, giving me a curious look. "Why are you so upset?", I posed, reaching out to touch her arm. "My husband is dying, why wouldn't I be upset?", she snapped. "Oh, bugger that", I sneered. "I know how much you care for your beloved Robert's well-being. That's not why you're upset." "It's just... something your father said to me. It doesn't matter", she said quietly, still searching my face for something I didn't know. "Are you sure? You seem pretty unnerved by it." "It's fine", she replied, harder again. "Let's go somewhere else. No use waiting around here like the carrion crows, he'll be dead soon enough." I could tell there was more to it than what she was showing, but knew better than to ask. We went to my chambers, where we were sure to be alone for a while. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?", I asked hesitantly, one hand on her back. She said nothing. "Well, then I've got something else I wanted to talk to you about. Robert's succession-" Her head shot around and she fixed her gaze on me intently, eyes wide. "Why would you say that?", she asked, voice cold with suspicion. I was taken aback. "Well, I just thought- you would want to remain queen, and if Joffrey marries Sansa, she'll be queen, but if you were to lay claim to it..." "Yes, well, but my son is the rightful king after Robert. I am not about to take that from him." "Of course. I'm sorry, it was only a suggestion." I had expected her to refuse, but I couldn't understand her hostility.  "If I said something wrong..." She sighed. "No, I'm sorry. You couldn't have known. It's just that the matter of succession is a sensitive topic for me right now." "Why? Are you scared Joffrey won't heed your counsel, or that my sister will try to take your place? If that is it, don't worry. She respects you, my love." Cersei nodded and leaned in to kiss me, signaling to me to speak no more of the matter. Her kisses still felt unfamiliar to me, an explosion of emotions blooming on my lips whenever they were touched by hers. I let my hand wander up her back to pull her into an embrace, savoring the feel of her body against mine, her breath, her heartbeat, the movement of her ribs when she turned, each individual sensation setting off a firework in my stomach. We stayed there cuddling and kissing for hours, until suddenly our tranquility was broken by the deafening cry of the bells, ringing without pause: the king was dead.