She had seen the thing far more often than she had any desire to. Sat in his shadow as the drunkard slurred through another courtly session as fast as possible to get back to his amusements. She had spend a few terrifying moments next to it, as Eddard Stark was threatening to take all she had and trample it under his feet. But now, it was her taking the steps upwards. Dodging blades still sharp after centuries and making sure he skirt caught nowhere. It was almost funny. Her entire life, she had looked at the thing. Had to crane her neck to speak with people sitting on it. And now it would be her turn. She would be one sitting above all others, even if only while her son was away. It should have been a joyous moment, exalting even, and yet it was not. It was a strange feeling.
I'm noticing a re-occurring theme of Cersei getting stuff she's always really wanted but discovering it to be rather underwhelming. Same thing with Robert's death; there wasn't even any morbid satisfaction at successfully assassinating a head of state.
As a little girl, her father had shown her the throne room while court was not being held. Cersei did not remember what he said that day. Probably something about duty, respect and House Lannister. Her father had little else to say to any of his children.
Cersei's also not really a fan of her father. Canonically, she seemed to flip between near-worship and deep-seated resentment with bipolar glee. More than anything, she wanted to
be her father, and her style of rulership was largely defined by attempting to replicate his methods. It didn't go very well, naturally, although a lot of her more famous screw-ups occurred later one after Joffrey and Tywin had been murdered, and she'd entered an alcoholic spiral. Our quest version of Cersei obviously hasn't gone through all of that, but also seems to hold her father in much less rose-tinted lenses.
Tapestry and banners adorned the walls and the summer sun was shining through the clear windows. She could still feel the shiver going down her spine as the presence of the room sunk in. How she stood straight as an arrow, heels together, just as her mother and the septa always told her to, but for once without them needing to scold her first.
Another part of Cersei's issues was the early death of Joanna. Tywin wasn't a great single dad, as you might imagine, and it left her without a real maternal figure in her life. It's more subtle than the other stuff, but still present in her behavior.
The next time she came to throne room, it reeked of acrid smoke and burning flesh. Not a a sound could be heard from anyone in the room, even the wildfire itself seeming quiet, as if all made room for the one sound that permeated the entire hall. The Mad King was laughing. A deep, guffawing belly laugh as the green flames consumed whatever poor fool had offended him that day. While all eyes in the room were either morbidly watching the flames or staring at the floor, Cersei looked at him. He was squirming on the throne, his unkempt hair tangling with the blades around him. Like a worm. Or maybe a fish. It was no wonder he constantly cut himself on the throne.
This whole part is even more disturbing if you buy into the theory Aerys is her actual father, and it's plenty disturbing already. It's hard to imagine a death more viscerally horrific than by fire, and the Mad King could only get hard after watching someone be turned to ash in the most agonizing way possible. What a nightmare.
She could still smell it. Even now. Even as it was her who sat on the throne. It would not go away. Maybe it had sunk into the masonry and no amount of airing would ever truly rid the place of it. There was still a patch of marble on the ground that was slightly brighter than the rest, where the masons had torn out the damaged stone and patched over the past. But she could still see the seams. No matter what anyone did, this was still the throne room of Aerys II, even if Robert had all the banners and dragon skulls thrown out and replaced them with hunting trophies and tapestries. Maybe it was time to bury some more of Roberts legacy and throw out the next set of tapestries. And maybe buy a Myrish carpet to hide the seams in the marble.
There's something to be said for properly changing things up. For all Robert loathed the Targaryens, he never properly managed to distinguish his reign from theirs, reliant as it was on a blood claim for legitimacy. A future ambition might be to more dramatically transform the Iron Throne with a properly post-Targ transition, relying on a close working relationship with the Faith to maintain a continental empire like Charlemagne did instead of the fading memory of dragonfire. At the very least, airing out Aerys' ghosts would do the ambiance some good.
It was for another day though as while Cersei was still reminiscing about a girl she had long left behind, the mummery was about to begin. With Joffrey in the Riverlands, someone had to hold court now and then so that the household felt the crowns presence.
I do think making Edmure the Hand is a good call, but it'll be nice to have the full Small Council assembled. The lack of hands on deck has been a difficult theme for the quest thus far.
For the most part, the young king had done a decent enough job of that, hearing concerns of minor nobles and speaking judgments for criminals. While Cersei never found the time to attend the lengthy affairs in person, she had heard that Joffrey was a bit fickle in his acts, either rewarding people very generously or punishing them harshly. She was sure he would find a good balance in time.
It seems our based version of Joffrey isn't quite totally separated from his canonical counterpart - a much less toxic introduction to kinghood can only do so much. Cersei's probably right about time eventually cooling Joff's passions and giving him a more coherent sense of justice, though. At the end of the day, he's a 14-year-old kid who just lost his father. Some leniency should be extended.
Her own session would be much more scripted. It had been a favorite tactic of Jon Arryn to manage Robert. Most things were hashed out in the Small Council chamber and then just repeated in the throne room where the king could publicly look bored and wave the old falcons proposals through. To Cersei, it really highlighted who was the true power behind the crown, though the courtiers never minded. As long as they had some public event to waste some time on and gossip about, they were content with things. Having the Hand and the King put on a show for them still satisfied their self-importance and that was what mattered more than the substance of the things said and done.
Arryn must've really trusted the Vale to run itself in his absence. This quest makes it seem less like Robert left the boring duties of kingship to him than Jon basically
was the king in all the ways that matter.
The first act doubled as an introduction. Lord Renfred Rykker was not a known quantity at court and since his appointment was a quiet affair, this was the first time he would fill his role of Master of Ships in public. So, they started with the song and dance of thanks and promises getting traded for expectations and orders. Then it went on to the reports, with the court reacting with all the right gasps and shock as Rykker spun a tale of dangerous pirates roaming the Narrow Sea while the Royal Fleet is under the command of a madman and usurper. The topic then went on to how Stannis ships might be countered or their blockade evaded. Unlike Robert, Cersei gave her best to not let shine through that she had heard it all before. The orders, of course, had also been given already.
Glad to see Cercei's got a good idea of how to handle Court.
[] [Fleet] A war fleet for the high seas to counter Stannis.
+ powerful navy
+ new galleasses will improve thrones prestige
- construction will be slow
- expensive
This is gonna be a long-standing investment, but Stannis alone demands a proper naval response, and we also have this bevvy of Essosi pretenders to handle as well. Simply put, the Iron Throne needs a bluewater navy, and there's no easy, cheap way to replace the one Stannis stole. Best get started on building now - and hell, it'll make for some decent pork for the Crownlands, I'm sure Rykker has plenty of captains and ship-builders from Duskendale who've suddenly gotten very good news.
[] [Fleet] River boats for trade and to patrol the waterways.
+ fast to build
+ cheaper
+ can be used to aid food situation
- outmatched in open waters
- might be seen as ceding the seas to Stannis
River boats can be useful, and I'd be more enthusiastic about it if Westeros had a big chain of connected navigable rivers. As it stands, a riverine navy is a good investment for Lords Paramount but a poor one for the Iron Throne - the Narrow Sea keeps our domain knit, and it demands a proper fleet.
After that came another new appointment, though the face was already decently well known at court. Ser Jacelyn Bywater had been serving as a captain of the Gold Cloaks for years, though Slynt had been trying to sideline him for a while. Baelish little pet really disliked him for some reason, though Cersei had never found out why before Slynts tragic accident. She had no illusion that Varys had his own reasons to suggest the one-handed knight for the position.
Bywater is certainly a considerable improvement from Slynt, even without meta-knowledge. He may be under the influence of Varys, but so long as he can also lead the Goldcloaks into battle without pissing himself in fear, I'm satisfied.
So far he had at least done well what was asked of him. The recruitment was in full swing, weapons and armor still plenty in the armories and soon there would be around 5,000 Gold Cloaks patrolling the streets. Rabble still, people picked from Fleabottom for the most part, but if they could carry a spear, they would be useful in the fights to come.
We're not exactly bring out the Varangian Guard here - but as Cersei notes, more guys is more guys. The Gold Cloaks are especially useful for garrisoning King's Landing, so their expansion makes me far more confident in venturing out to halt Cearn's invasion in it's tracks.
The iteniary grew much less weighty from then on. The High Septon was named an advisor on the Small Council to a few approving murmurs of the court, though the man himself had to excuse himself and one of his underlings received the news in his stead. Something about a festival in Oldtown being organised because of a Septa. It was as good as any excuse to have him travel there to ensure the Most Devout were properly aligned with the throne, even if it meant he had to leave in a hurry. Once the Septon had said his thanks and made his promises, Cersei just halfheartedly gave her expectations and orders in return. It was just even more pointless when you did not even speak to the right person.
The High Septon is off to the Reach, which unfortunately means we're missing yet another ally in KL. That being said, it's good he'll be bringing the heart of the Faith in line with it's head, and this whole thing should help make the Reach second-guess about siding with Renly.
Lords and Ladies of the Crownlands were next on the docket, though the worried looks they shot each other as they stepped forth promised nothing good. Gyles Rosby, an old and sickly man, stepped out of the gaggle and before the throne. "Your majesty," he began with a shallow bow. "News from the Pointsmen has reached me. Fishers in the Bay of Crabs saw a Braavosi fleet near the whispers and some riders I've sent to verify the rumors have returned to Rosby and sent message to me. One of the pretenders, the one claiming to be Caern Targaryen, has landed in the Crownlands. The Houses Staunton, Brune and Celtigar have raised their banners along his and he is marching with about 8,000 foot and 2,000 riders towards Rooks Rest."
I'm really glad we decided to work on the Crownlander loyalty right off the bat. There's been a ton of indications things would be a lot more difficult if they weren't largely cooperating with us, and the potential confrontation being centered around Duskendale is just the cherry on top. I wonder if that's where Cearn would have landed if we hadn't intervened?
What now?
[] [War] Do nothing and wait for word from the Riverlands. Hasty action will just worry the smallfolk.
[] [War] Prepare the city for a siege and keep all troops here. This leaves the northern Crownlands and it's vital farmland exposed, but the capital has the best defenses.
[] [War] Send some troops to Duskendale to organize a defense there. The northern Crownlands must remain under your control. (Write-In how many to send)
[] [War] Something else: (Write-In)
I've laid out my arguments. I strongly believe that surrendering the northern Crownlands is a foolish idea, that we ought to commit more than just the Crownland levy to the battle, and that having Cersei come along would work out fine.
