The Young Lioness

Lannister Always Pay Their Debts

The light was dim and it was cold in there. Joanna knew that she was in the dungeons of the city. She had been blindfolded all the way from the shores until the dungeons. She did not knew what was the point, because she had grown up in that city and she knew every passage. Apparently this Greyjoy is more stupid than I thought, Joanna had thought on the way. The only thing he had said to her, when they had trown her into the cell was, "I hope you enjoy this stay as much as your brother did. I'm sure your sister will come to see you. For now she'll have a meeting with the Dragon Queen. Guess you don't matter that much for them, uh? How does it feel?" Joanna had not replied, she just had looked at him with a deadly glare and had thought, If you think I'm alone and that I'm here because I was stupid enough to get captured, then you don't have a clue, as Pod would say... She missed him more than anything, she had missed him when she had gone to Dragonstone, however this time it was different. It was more real, she had really something to hold on to... it was not just an idea, it was not just a thought, it was reality, it would be their future. When I get back, we will have a future together, without war, without sorrow. We will have children and we will be happy. You and me and all of our friends, we will be one big family. Lannister, Payne, Tarth, Stark, Baratheon, Targaryen... Who would say? Families that have been at war for centuries, Joanna thought while she was sitting there alone. Because of the light and, perharps, the cold too, Joanna knew that it was almost night, by then. Suddenly, a person came in, it was her sister. "Sweet sister, it's so nice to see you again. It's a shame that it has to be under this circunstances." Cersei said sarcasticaly. "It's a shame indeed, dear sister." Joanna said also sarcasticaly. You wanna play, let's play, Joanna thought. "Tyrion was very concerned about you. I guess he always had a soft spot in what concerns you... From the moment you were born. Even Jaime has one. Of course that, in his case, it was more like pity, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that, it was a secret." Cersei said and lied at the end, bitterly. Joanna chuckled and said, "From what I've been told, it wasn't any of them from the three of you, who hold me the first time." Joanna said. She knew that her sister was lying, just to make her feel bad. It did not work or would ever work. "No? Then who was it?" Cersei asked, sounding as if she did not know. "I don't think you know her. She was kind and a great sister. I wonder where she is now." Joanna said. Cersei looked at her surprised and thought, What happened to her? She's not the same. "I guess you got a little rusty, sister. It's not like you to get captured so easely." Cersei said. "Perhaps." Joanna said. "Whatever you have in mind, it won't work." Cersei said at last. "You think you'll win?" Joanna asked bitterly. "I know it." Cersei said. "I don't see how. Perhaps you're even more crazy than I thought." Joanna said. "I'm going to win this war one way or another. And after, if you want to get out of here alive, you'll have to do as I say. You will have to be a lady and marry and all of that. Your life will be a living hell, I know you can't endure marriage." Cersei said. "If you win, which it's impossible, and, somehow, you are able to force me into marriage, your best chance is to kill me right away, here and now. No one ever has to know. Kill me, right here, because I will never marry, because I already did. So kill me. Oh, right, you can't. You can't kill me, isn't that right, sister?" Joanna said getting up. Cersei got closer to her and said, "You think you're smart, is that it? Well, we shall see." "You really can't do it, can you?" Joanna said. Then Cersei slapped her. Joanna chuckled and said, "How did you say? Soft spot." Cersei was going to slap her again, but Joanna was quicker and stopped her arm. "Careful. You only hit me the first time, because I let you." Joanna said and then let go of Cersei's arm and she went away.
Joanna sat again in the floor and thought, As if she could make me do anything. She doesn't have a clue of who I am.
Two days passed by and no one ever came, except for the food and water. Joanna ate it, because eventhough, she was locked up in there, there was no reason for her to starve, she felt she had to keep her strenght. On the third day, Cersei came to see her again. "Are you liking it here, Joanna?" Cersei asked sarcasticaly. "Care for another round, Cersei." Joanna said. "Well, I hope you aren't." Cersei said. "I imagine." Joanna said. "You still think they will come for you?" Cersei said. Joanna just looked at her without saying a word and raised a eyebrow. "Well, you were always stubborn." Cersei said. "You're not pregnant, are you?" Joanna asked, she found it weird that she kept saying that because the last meeting was almost three months ago and she did not show any signs of pregnancy. "What do you mean? I am." Cersei lied. "Well, it doesn't look like it, so how do you know?" Joanna asked. "I haven't bled in four months." Cersei answered, lying again. "Well, that's very-." Joanna said and then stopped abruptly. "What? Have you lost your tongue now?" Cersei said, but Joanna did not reply. "What the hell happen to you now?" Cersei asked again and Joanna remained quiet. Seeing that she would not answer to her, Cersei left anoyed.
Wait a minute. I haven't bled this month... It has already been three weeks. Can it be? It all points to that... it's the only explaination... Gods, I'm going to be a mother. And Pod's going to be a father. I can't believe I'm pregnant. I have to get out of here! Right now!, Joanna was thinking when she heard the door closing. She had not even noticed that Cersei was talking or that she had left, because the shock was so huge. And there's no fucking way that I will let her know I'm pregnant, Joanna thought. Then she took her hand to her belly and rubbed it a bit. I'm going to get us out of here, little one. I promise you, Joanna thought. There was no chance in the Seven Hells that she would let anything happen to her baby. No matter the odds, she was going to get out of that damn cell and she was going to make it back North, to Winterfell, to Podrick. You're going to meet your father, and your uncles and aunts, Joanna thought determined and trying to stay calm.
She got up and tried to look for a way out. However, there was none. Come on, come on, come on!, Joanna thought while looking for a way to escape, until she got to the conclusion that there was none and she sat down, leaning against the wall again and took her hands to her head. Joanna was starting to pannick, she did not want to and she knew that it would make things worse. Still, she could not help it. For once in her life, it was not just her in trouble. She had a person whose life depended on hers and that terrified her. She was on her own, locked up in a cell without proper conditions, without knowing anything from what was happening outside, and the only thing in her mind was, This is not good for the baby. I have to get out of here.
For the first time in her life, Joanna was really desesperate. She did not know if she wanted to cry or to scream. She just knew that she was angry at her sister, angry at herself for having this stupid idea in the first place. She felt that she was alone with the most innocent person in the middle of all of that mess, whose life depended on her. Her mind went blank, she did not know what to think or do, she had to find a way out of there, however how would she do that? There was no escape, she had no weapons. The only option she had was to wait. Maybe, when the men brought food, maybe she could escape, but then what? She could not leave the Keep without being seen. Cersei had guards everywhere. If she escaped, then they would certainly kill her, without hesitation. She could not take that chance, by then. Then suddenly she realized that she would do anything to protect her baby, she had expect the connection between mother and child to be something strong, however not as strong as it already was. This was what Cersei felt for her children... she would do anything for them, they were the only thing that mattered to her, it still does not explain all the things she did, but it eases them a bit. I can't imagine what she felt, Joanna thought. Also, Joanna realized that she had never been so afraid of loosing anything, as she was of loosing her baby. It was a mixture of coldness and anger and fear. It was like she was in a room made of ice and the walls were getting closer and closer. At that moment, she only wished that she was in Winterfell, in the Godswood, with Podrick. She wanted peace, she wanted someone to tell her everything would be allright, she wanted to feel that her and her baby were safe. She could not wait to tell him. She could not wait to tell everyone. Of course, that they would have to tell everyone that they were almost married. For them they were married without any doubts, however in the eyes of men they were not and that would be a problem. That was one of the reasons because of which she had to get to Winterfell fast.
Meanwhile, after a week, at the camp where the forces which plotted to overtrow Cersei were, Jaime arrived and went to talk to Jon and Daenerys. "What are you doing here?" Jon asked surprised. "Joanna. Do you know anything about her?" Jaime asked concerned. "No. Unfortunately, we don't. The only person who talked to Cersei was Tyrion, but he did not say a thing about her or about anything really, except for the fact that there was going to be a war and... he has her sword, Cersei trowed it to his feet." Daenerys said. "Where is he?" Jaime asked and then thought, Sharp Claw? This is not your fault, Tyrion. "In the tent." Daenerys said. "We can get her back, right?" Jon asked concerned, when he had heard about it, his reaction was shock and he felt utterly useless. "We have to." Daenerys said. "We will. Just let me and Tyrion deal with it. Please." Jaime said. "We will, just bring her home." Jon and Dany said at the same time. "We will." Jaime said seriously and then went inside the tent.
Once inside, he saw Tyrion. His brother was sad and concerned. "Tyrion." Jaime said and Tyrion turned and went to him, Jaime knelt and gave him a hug. "We will get her back." Jaime said. "What were we thinking?! We made a fucking oath and now look at us. We weren't there for them, Joanna is locked up in a cell somewhere and Cersei is mad. How do we get out of this one?" Tyrion said after the hug. "We will have to come up with a plan. I can get into the city and get Joanna out. But..." Jaime said. "We have to try to get Cersei out as well, we made an oath. I'm pretty sure Joanna did not get captured without a plan. I'm pretty sure it was because of the oath." Tyrion said. "I know that, but Cersei will not get out of there alive, Tyrion. You know that, I know that, Joanna knows that. We should be able to save her, but we aren't. They're going to kill her one way or another. But, maybe we can make it easier for her." Jaime said. "Allright, what's your plan?" Tyrion said. Then Jaime explained his plan and they put it into action.
A week had passed and Joanna still did not have any idea of how to get out of there. She was afraid and in despair, because she knew that, eventhough she had to get out of there, she could not work out a solution. She was resignated to leaning on her brothers and her friends for help. Don't worry, little one, we will get out of here, Joanna kept thinking over and over again.
Suddenly, in the morning of the first day of the following week, the door opened, Cersei came in and asked sarcasticaly, "Are you talking again?" "I don't see your point." Joanna said. She was never going to tell her. "I'm curious, why did you stop talking the other day?" Cersei asked. "It's simple, you were saying so much nonesense that I didn't think it was worth interupting you." Joanna lied, however Cersei did not see it. "You think you're funny?" Cersei asked. "I do my best." Joanna said. "Well, it won't last long. Later, you're going to see the city. I said I was going to win this war and I meant it." Cersei said and then left. She's going to use me to stop them from attacking the castle, Joanna realized. She hoped that Daenerys and Jon had a good plan.
In the afternoon, two guards came to fetch her. They led her outside and were taking her to her sister, when she heard the dragons. She's determined to win, she will do everything to win, even if it hurts us, Joanna thought and then decided that she was not risking the chance of something happening to her or to her baby, so she managed to knock down the guards and took their swords. It was a risk, but it would be worse if she had made it to Cersei. Then Joanna mooved carefully through the corridors, one sword in each hand, trying to escape. She wished that there was a way of getting Cersei to snap out of that madness and a way of keeping their oath, still there was none and she needed to get somewhere safe. She had to hide from the guards from time to time, suddenly she heard the dragons again, she knew the war had began and she knew that she had to get as far away from there as possible. She was walking silent and swiftly,  almost reaching the secret passages she knew when she ran into Jaime.
"Joanna?" Jaime asked surprised. Joanna just hugged him with relief and thought, There's still a chance. "Thank you." Joanna said. Jaime just hugged her back tightly, he was just relieved to see her. He knew that there was something more about her reaction, but they did not have time for that by then. After the hug, he just looked at her and saw that there were small tears in her eyes and then asked, "Are you allright?" Joanna nodded, she could not speak, the words were trapped in her troath, there was someone there with her and that meant that they would make it, they were safe. "Come on, we have to find sister. I have a plan, don't worry. Always and forever, right?" Jaime said. "Always and forever." Joanna said, nodding. "I believe this is yours." Jaime said handing her Sharp Claw. Joanna put it around her waist and said, "Much better." Then, despite all of Joanna's instincts telling her to run, they went to find Cersei, Jaime explaining the all plan in the way. They found her in the Maegor's Holdfast. She was in the middle of the map, just standing there in shock and almost crying. She knew that it was over and she knew that there was nothing more she could do to win. She had lost. When Cersei saw them, she broke down. Suddenly the realisation of all she had done those past years struk her as lightning and it was overwelming. She started to sob a bit, too ashamed to talk. Realising what had happened, they went to her and gave her a hug. "You came back." Cersei said, not believing her eyes. "We couldn't leave you." Joanna said. "You're our sister." Jaime said. "Always and forever..." Cersei said between sobs, remembering. "Always and forever." they said. "Come on, we have to go to the Dragons Skulls room." Jaime said and led the way, Joanna led Cersei. She's herself again, Joanna thought. When Joanna had learnt Jaime's and Tyrion's plan, she was a bit concerned, but she realized that it was the only way.
Outside, the city had already fallen and the Golden Company was already dealt with, so was Euron Greyjoy, who was burned alive by Drogon. Still, eventhough the city had fallen, there were no innocent lives lost, because the Lannister army surrendered. The only thing left was getting inside the Red Keep.
At last, they arrived at the Dragons Skull room and Tyrion was already there. As soon as he saw them, he went to them and Joanna hugged him with relief, so did Cersei afterwards. Then they all looked at each other. "Cersei. You know what is going to happen, right?" Jaime asked. "They're going to kill me." Cersei said. "We wished we could stop it, but we can't." Tyrion said. "Even if we run, there would be nowhere where we would be safe." Joanna said. "I know that. I should go up there and acept it." Cersei said. "Maybe there's another way. An easier way." Joanna said. Jaime took a vial with a liquid from his pocket and said, "This will make it painless. You can die here, in a painless way, with us. Or you can wait for them to come and die, gods know how." Jaime said. "It's up to you. But if it has to be this way, we would not like to see you die an horrible death." Tyrion said. Cersei took the vial to her hands and said, "Thank you, the three of you. I'm so sorry for the things I did to you. You didn't deserve any of it." "We forgive you. It wasn't you. Grief and loneliness turned you into a monster. You will always be our sister." Joanna said honestly. "You will be with your children now. You will be reunited with them." Tyrion said. Cersei drank the liquid in the vial and said, "Live your lives, without looking back. This is not your fault. It's mine. I'll always be there for you. I love you all." Jaime gave her a hug and said, "Give our kids a kiss from their father." "Go back to your girl. You deserve someone who can love you as much as you love her back." Cersei said and they separated from the hug. Then Cersei turned to Tyrion and knelt and gave him a hug. "Tell them their uncle misses them, all of them. I love you, sis. Even if we were always fighting." Tyrion said. "I will. I'm so sorry for accusing you of killing Joff. I should have known you would never do that. I love you too, little brother." Cersei said and then Cersei got up and turn to Joanna. Then suddenly, there was a loud bang and they jumped a bit. Joanna, instintively and without realizing it, took her hand instantly to her belly. Cersei noticed it and then all made sense, the fact that she had stopped talking so suddenly, the protection movement, all of it. She's pregnant, Cersei realized happily and proud. Then Joanna hugged her and said, "Tell them I will never forget them. I love you, sweet sister. Always and forever." "I love you too. You will be a wonderfull mother, Jo." Cersei wishpered to her ear. Joanna was surprised, but happy. She hugged thightly and whispered back, "Guess, I'll be a lady after all, like you thought me." After the hug, Cersei looked at all of them smiling again and then she went to one of the skulls and sat beside it, they followed her. Seconds later she closed her eyes and died.
The tears came almost like a flood. Jaime and Tyrion were shaken and sad and were almost crying. Joanna was all of that, but inside, she knew that she had to be strong for them. It still did not seem real... Joanna put one hand on Jaime's shoulder and the other on Tyrion's and made herself say, "She's in peace now. Come on, we have to go." Then Joanna led her brothers outside, forcing them to proceed through the secret passages.
They made it outside and, in the eyes of men, Queen Cersei had just commited suicide.