War for the North

Chapter Twenty: Death and Negotiations

Climbing out of the cart that had carried her through the streets of King's Landing, Cersei held her head high as she stared up at the Great Sept of Baelor.

The streets were filled with people who had come to mourn the death of Tywin Lannister, everyone craning to see the Queen Mother as she moved to the top of the stairs.

Her eyes sweeping over those that lined the stairs waiting for their chance to see her father, the man that had served as Hand of the King and the strong foundation of the throne laid to rest.

"Your Grace, we are honoured by your presence. The mourners are waiting," the priest greeted stepping forward to bow to Cersei when she reached the top of the steps where the Tyrells were gathered.

Hatred filled her as her eyes swept over Margaery, she would not allow these people to sink their claws into her son; her last remaining child that she could hold onto.

Joffrey was buried beside his father in the Sept, Myrcella was lost to her in Dorne with no news on when she would return as she was set to be married to one of the Dornish Princes.

"They will keep waiting. I want a moment alone with him," Cersei stated coolly, she cared not for any of the interlopers that had come to pay their respects to her father.

She could already feel the vultures circling and she would not have them intrude before she needed to allow them to do so.

"But Your Grace, many of these lords and ladies have travelled day and night to be here from all seven kingdoms..." the priest stated wishing to explain that keeping all these people waiting was not an option.

There were many that had come to pay their respects to Tywin Lannister, those who had come to see if the man truly was dead and those who had travelled far and wide just to be here today.

"They will wait," Cersei ordered not giving the priest another moment of her time, she pushed forward knowing that she held the power now.

It was up to her to ensure the Lannister rule that her father had fought so hard to maintain over the years and she would not allow these vultures to steal that power from her.

Inside the Great Sept of Baelor, Tywin's body rested in the centre of the room where not so many months earlier Joffrey had been laid.

His eyes were covered by hand-painted stones that Cersei had instructed done by one of her ladies, Jaime stood presiding over his body as Cersei made her way towards him and stopped next to him.

"He never wanted you to be a King's Guard, but here you are, protecting his dead body," Cersei mused bitterly, she felt angry that their father had been taken from them; they had enemies on all sides and their home lost to the Baratheon Barbarian that claimed her son's throne.

They were surrounded and to make matters worse the creature that dare called itself her brother had gotten away after murdering her beloved boy and now their father.

"What he built. The towers. He built it for us. He meant it for us. They're going to try to take it away, all of it," Jaime stated calmly, trying the ease the guilt that he felt for his part in their father's death.

He didn't have to guess why Tyrion had done what he had, the dead body that had been discretely disposed of that had been found in Tywin's bed had been a guess enough for him.

"They?" Cersei asked amused almost that Jaime seemed to care so much, afterall it was his actions that had lead to this moment; he had been the one to let the beast escape his punishment.

"All of them out there are enemies. They're waiting a night to make sure he's really dead and as soon as they see the stones on his eyes they'll set to work on tearing us apart," Jaime continued, the vultures were circling and they needed to be able to trust one another.