Game of Thrones: Frozen Fire

Interlude I, King's Landing

There wasn't much love in him for the woman sat at his left. In all honesty, it was difficult for him to believe she had any kind of love for him despite being her brother but if life and love were simple, he wouldn't have been who he was. Most people were attracted to all things shiny and pretty – category in which his sister fell, sadly. He had morbid interest in all those dark secrets and ugly things that were hidden or broken – some people might say he was fond of those of his kind.

Never had he imagined himself in the position he was currently in. His father wasn't fond of him either but he respected blood ties and so he had given him a task he could only trust in the hands of his kin.

The only one in his family who ever showed some kind of affection to him was his brother – and he wasn't very good at it to begin with.

He grabbed the goblet with wine in front of him and then took a mouthful of the sweet liquor. He eyed his sister at his side and huffed. She was such an obstinate woman, one who only wanted power and her wishes made reality.

It seemed awful of him but a part of him believed she had been praying to the Gods for the death of her husband for years. It was as if she had been freed from a curse but during those long years she had become a bitter and conniving woman.

Cersei wasn't happy with his arrival; that was for certain. She didn't even have the decency to hide it, to pretend.

"If I were capable of tricking Father, I'd be Emperor of the world by now. You brought this on yourself." She had because she had lost control of her son, the new King of the Seven Kingdoms – a boy who had no respect for anyone and was amused by the heads of people rolling at his feet. A sadist and a coward – and he was saying it despite being family but he was allowed because there was no love or respect to reciprocate.

"I've done nothing!" she snapped at him.

"Quite right, you did nothing when your son called for Ned Stark's head! Now the entire North has risen up against us!"

The North. It was not an easy place to live in and he only was there for a few weeks. The weather created men who were hard and resilient, not like in the South and much less like his arrogant and pompous nephew.

He knew the chances of victory diminished with each enemy his dear nephew, Joffrey, made.

"I tried to stop it!" she said but her tone gave her away. She had no control over the situation and she probably did want to get rid of the last tie to her late husband.

"Did you? You failed. That bit of theatre will haunt our family for a generation."

"Robb Stark is a child," she spat like an insult, like she couldn't care less about what Robb Stark was doing with his army. But she should have been scared of that child because her oldest son wouldn't even wield a sword without his knees trembling.

He had already spoken to Lord Varys that morning. The damn Spider didn't even conceal his pleased smile when he mentioned the news he had heard – the rumors that were now running freely across Westeros. Perhaps if this had been known at the time, it would've cost Eddard Stark his head – or perhaps it would've been his way to get freedom.

"Who's won every battle he's fought! Do you understand we're losing the war?!" The imperious need of slapping her to force her to face reality invaded him.

"What do you know about warfare?" It was as if his height was an impediment for his wit in her eyes.

"Nothing," he replied. And it felt like he knew nothing. "But I know people, and I know that our enemies hate each other almost as much as they hate us." He looked at her in the eye and sighed heavily before adding the piece of information that was the most dangerous one so far. "But Robb Stark, the child," he emphasized to make fun of her ignorance and naivety. "He has one very important ally. Another child. A girl." Cersei's eyebrows knitted together in a silent question. "Daenerys Targaryen."