Love and Control - A Game of Thrones Fan Fiction

Chapter XXII - Arienne

There'll be an epilogue for you to enjoy! So thank you so much for the support, you're all awesome!

Oh, and Happy Halloween for Wednesday!

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7 months later

I'm 7 months into my new life.

7 months, 30 weeks, 213 days, 5113 hours. When you look at those figures, it looks like it would have taken forever to pass. but in fact those 7 months flew past in the blink of an eye. I've adjusted to my role as Queen like a duck to water as Joffrey says. I've won the love of the people just as I did with Joffrey.

But I'm not safe yet.

Now more than ever I see the whispers of people on corners. I'm petrified of what they might be saying. Will it just be gossip? Or could they be plotting my death?

The danger increased drastically when the news of my pregnancy was announced. That dangers has been multiplied by 3 when everyone learnt that it was in fact triplets. These three children almost definitely secure Joffrey's line of succession. When they are born, if there is at least one son, Joffrey will be untouchable.

It's my duty therefore to deliver these children safely. Any mistake and the whole future of Joffrey and I could be thrown into jeopardy. I doubt that Joffrey would forgive even me if he was to lose these three children who he has already come to love despite the fact that they are not yet born. He calls them by the names I heard in my dream and speaks to them at night. He thinks that I'm sleeping, but I hear him whispering to our children. Promises of eternal love and devotion. It makes my heart swell with happiness.

As queen, I am finally getting used to being called 'Queen Arienne' or 'Your Grace.' It's strange having an army of people to deal with my every wish. At first, I tried to tell them all to just call me Arienne. Cersei disapproved immensely.

After today, I'll go into isolation in order to rest and await the delivery of my children. I'm 9 months pregnant, my stomach has ballooned to three times the size of a normal woman during a pregnancy with only one child. I've been wearing loose dresses made of light fabric, as carrying triplets puts amongst other things an incredibly strain on the bladder, meaning that the stiff fabrics that the Kings Landing fashions usually support at too slow to remove for me to relieve myself in time.

Today however, is the trial of my former mistress and Joffrey's ex-fiancee, Margaery Tyrell.

They found out that it was in fact her who had hired the assassin all of those months ago, and she's been locked up in the highest room in the highest tower of the Red Keep for 6 months. I havn't seen her once, though Joffrey himself has visited her on a few occasions.

I already know what the verdict will be. Margaery will be found guilty and sentenced to death. There is too much evidence for anything else to happen. I should be glad to hear this, the woman tried to kill me and my children. But I'm not happy. Margaery showed me kindness once, nearly a year ago when I first arrived in the mysterious place that is Kings Landing. I was injured, and she made sure that I was healed. Whatever she has done, however much she has wished me harm, I owe her.

I bear this in mind as Dafina - Lady Dafina as she is now known - helps me into one of the flowing dresses. The babies are due any day now, I really shouldn't be straining myself by attending Margaery's trial today. But I know that if I don't go and try to save her, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.

Sansa glides into the room carrying a change of bedding, looking as healthy as I have ever seen her. As soon as I became Queen, I begged Joffrey to free Sansa and allow her to serve me as a Lady. My excuse was that Sansa was no use to anyone locked up inside her room. Besides, I could punish her as much as I - or Joffrey - wanted, using the excuse that it was because she had done something wrong. Queens regularly punish their ladies for the smallest mistakes. So after a lot of bargaining, Joffrey had agreed on a compromise. Sansa would become a maid - not a lady - and would do everything that I asked with no complaints. She was still denied the courtesy that my other ladies received of sitting with me whilst I spoke with guests and was to remain out of sight to visitors at all times. This, I quickly learnt, was exactly how she wished to remain. Hiding behind closed doors and silently carrying out work meant that she was invisible, and with my protection, she was safer than she'd been since her father had  first made those hateful accusations towards Joffrey.