Royal Apartments, Maegor's Holdfast:
"Your grace, Ser Meryn Trant, is requesting to present himself." A young maid spoke as she bowed without meeting my eyes. The maid's family had been working in the castle for a long time, and she had learned how to deal with royalty. She never tried to win their favour. Royal favour is a fickle thing. It can give you riches or bury you six feet down. So she never tried to curry favour, and that is the reason I made her my maid. That, and she never tried to sleep with my royal husband. That bastard willingly had maids in his lap despite the three stones of weight and drunken stupor. And that reminded me of the whore from a brothel. I heard she had a daughter with dark hair and blue eyes. I should have her taken care of, lest someone like Eddard go poking around.
I will do anything to keep my son safe and on the throne.
Joff has changed since his 'father's' death. He became quiet and withdrawn. He should have been angry when the Stark denied his claim, but he laughed sardonically before commanding the Kingsguard to arrest him. His laugh and his gaze held so much sadness. I did not know that Joff loved that man so much. I tried to talk to him, but he avoided me and locked himself in his room after leaving the throne room. But, as his mother, I know how to lift his spirits. When Joff was down, I used to give him whatever he asked, and this time he asked for the Stark girl and her dancing master, so she will give him that. Maybe he will feel better when he gets what he asked for.
The creaking of the door brought me out of my thoughts. The door opened, and a fully armoured man in white, chased with gold, let himself in. He kneeled before her and removed his tall helm with a golden sunburst, showing a middle-aged man with droopy eyes and a red beard. Ser Meryn Trant had been an invaluable ally. Though the man was a stormlander, he was wise enough to understand who he should serve. Out of the useless Kingsguard, she considers him the most useful. That is the reason she sent him along with a couple of red cloaks to apprehend the Stark girl and her dancing master.
I was eagerly waiting for him to deliver the young Stark girl.
"Your grace, I apologise." Ser Meryn started in a low voice. I know that voice. "The guards tried to arrest them as you ordered, but the dancing master fought back and killed the guards before I arrived. The girl fled while I had to kill the master."
No sooner had the knight finished, I threw the goblet in my hand at him. He evaded, and the goblet broke against the chamber's wall. I wanted to strangle the man if I could.
"You'll have me believe a dancing master killed four Lannister guardsmen?" I said, trying to hold back my anger. "Don't deny your incompetence by weaving fanciful tales, Ser."
"No, your grace, I swear by the seven; I do not know what happened, but when I reached, there were bodies of guardsmen, and the dancing master stood with a sword. I asked him to surrender, but he refused and came at me. I had to kill him when I noticed the Stark girl slipping by. I followed the girl as she ran into the kitchens and buttery. I saw her reach the turret bridge. I sent some of the guards after her, as I could not catch up with her in my armor, and they lost her."
I paused at his explanation. He was a sly one, and he might have mixed in some lies, trying to put all the blame on the guards while absolving himself of any. But it must be true that the dancing master killed the guards. How incompetent are those guards to die to a fucking dancing master? I was about to give him a piece of my mind while contemplating disposing of him when the guard outside her door announced a steward.
The steward, whom I remembered assigning to Joffrey, bowed perfectly before me.
" Your grace, his grace King Joffrey called on the small council to the tower of hand and invited you."
Why would Joff call on the council in the hand's tower so late?
"I see; I will attend the meeting." I said, dismissing the steward. "By your leave," he said, bowing once again and leaving the chambers.
I turned to see that the Trant was still in my chambers. I decided to deal with his incompetence later.
" Ser Meryn, You can go and guard Sansa. Don't let her out, and if another Stark girl escapes under your watch, you might lose your head." I warned
The king's guard bowed once again before leaving the room.
I ordered the guards to send maids to clean the goblet and help her dress up for the council meeting.
Four old maids bowed before me and, upon my nod, moved on to different tasks.
I had ladies in waiting once, but Robert's advances led me to remove them. I had to replace them with married maids and mothers with children. They are often loyal and did not seduce Robert. The oldest of them moved towards me, holding a couple of gowns. They are both black, with one having rubies embroidered and the other having golden accents. I chose the later, as it had a golden lion outlined in red. I need to show the small council and the stewards the power and riches my name holds.
"Senelle, Bring me that emerald necklace and the matching tiara." I said to the youngest of them.
Senelle is the daughter of one of my old nursemaids. She was born here in Red Keep but took her mother's life. She was raised as a maid from birth, but the other maids spoiled her.
Her head is always up in the clouds, and it falls on me to discipline her. She carefully brought out the emerald necklace and the matching tiara, keeping her head bowed. I wore the ring while one of the old maids put on the tiara for me.
Another maid brought out a silver-looking glass.
I gazed upon my reflection, noting the wrinkles forming at the corners of my eyes. I frowned at this.
"Until a younger and more beautiful queen would cast you down and take all that you hold dear."
A maid opened the door of her chambers, and Cersei was met with the sight of a king's guard waiting at the entrance to her chambers. Upon close inspection, she noticed the golden leaf that clasped his cloak. She reckoned he must be the one who replaced Ser Alton. Ser Arys Oakheart is the youngest son of Lady Arwyn Oakheart of Old Oak. I remember he was appointed at the suggestion of Renly.
He removed his helm, revealing a rather comely face with wavy brown hair.
" Your grace." He greeted her with a bow, holding his helm under his left shoulder, his right arm upon his heart, and a slight bend of the knees. With his immaculate posture and silky white cloak upon white enamelled scale armour, he gave off the aura of a young and dashing knight.
" Ser Arys, it's a delight to see a dashing knight such as you waiting for me at chambers." Cersei said, with a pleasant smile and a light husk in her tone. The young knight couldn't stop a hint of red in his cheeks. She noted this and noted that he was still green and weak to compliments. He wouldn't have been a Kingsguard if that sword swallower hadn't interfered. He seems weak to womanly charms; maybe he could be made into a useful tool.
"His grace, King Joffrey, has dispatched me to accompany your grace to the council chambers." He said it courteously, composing himself
"Aww! My sweet Joff was so thoughtful to send a fine knight like you to protect me in the midst of the chaos." Cersei responded with a genuine, if slight, smile.
"It appears so, your grace," the knight replied.
She laughed and told him to lead her to the chambers.
Ser Arys walked in front, a hand on his sword, keeping a sharp eye out for any turns or shadows. Cersei walked slowly behind him, close enough for him to smell her scent but far enough away not to run into him. He is a vigilant knight, as she noted.
Cersei mused at the elder Stark girl as their footsteps echoed down the corridor leading to the council chamber.
"Do you know how the Stark girl is doing in her room, Ser Arys?" The poor girl must be confused about the whole affair. I will call on her later to explain everything to her."
"Young Sansa kept asking to meet you and his grace. She began to cry after a while. I came across one of her companions and sent her to the room to keep the young lady company."
"A companion, you say?" Cersei inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity.
" Yes, your grace, some girl called Poole or something. She claimed her father was Lord Stark's steward, and I have seen her with Sansa on occasion. Lady Sansa then stopped crying and remained silent."
Cersei narrowed her eyes. Sansa is to be kept alone. She cannot let her know anything about what happened with Starks. My words should tell her everything. It will be much easier to manipulate her this way. I need to take care of this right away.
"Ser Arys, I cannot have Sansa fretting needlessly; the gods only know what sort of tales this girl has been filling Sansa's head with." Cersei said.
" Send this Poole girl to Littlefinger; he will take care of her." She ordered Ser Arys after thinking about it for a while. Ser Arys nodded as they approached the chambers. A couple of Lannister men at arms stood guard at the entrance. They all bowed when they saw me, and one of them opened the door for me. As I walked into the chambers, I nodded to them.
Council Chambers:
The chamber doors opened, and Cersei appeared in her regal robes. She quickly glanced around the chambers. Varys appeared bored as the grandmaster dozed off. Littlefinger is the only one who seems interested in the upcoming meeting. She motioned for the stewards in the corner to move the chair to the right of the main seat so she could sit in it. The position of the King's hand. The only response this elicits is a slight raising of the brows, but they held their tongues.
The distance between you and the seat of power represents your own power. It demonstrates your proximity to the person in power. Cersei understood this, and as the king's mother, she is the person closest to him. The councilors were aware of this and wisely chose to remain silent. One of her stewards poured the queen a decanter of wine. Cersei accepted it and drank the fine Arbor Red. She peered over the rim of the goblet at the other councilors.
Pycelle bowed his head slightly, expressing his devotion to the Lannister name. Varys caught her eye. She had the impression that the eunuch was close to the Stark. She did, however, agree that the eunuch was skilled in his position. Other than her intuition, she found no evidence for this. And she knew better than to act solely on instincts in politics. The Master of Whispers knew a lot and was far too valuable an ally to throw away on a whim.
She turned her attention to Littlefinger. A lord of nothing more than a hovel on the outskirts of Vale rose to the rank of Master of Coin. She remembered how he helped turn Eddard Stark's plan against him. She was grateful for that, as the city watch had outnumbered her men in the throne room. But she can never trust the man who callously turned on another for his own benefit. However, he poses no threat to her authority. She set the goblet on the table and looked around for her beloved Joff.
She had barely finished when the council doors opened, allowing Joffrey to enter. He wore a black shirt with red rubies inlaid. He wore the same cloak as he had in the throne room.
King Joffrey's eyes were red, and his runny nose showed that he had been crying. His downcast eyes and the frown on his full lips gave him the appearance of a sad hero who had lost all.
He went ahead and took the main seat. He took a glance around the councilors before pausing at the empty chair at the end.
"Your grace, Ser Barristan, stands vigil in the Sept of Baelor for his grace, King Robert." Varys spoke. Joffrey made a small frown but ignored it.
"My lords," he began, his voice low. "With the untimely death of my father, King Robert, the realm requires a new ruler. I would normally require a regent because I have not yet reached the age of majority. Since the last regent, Lord Eddard, whom my father chose, had become drunk on power and plotted treason, I have thought of doing away with it. " He paused, surveying the room's occupants. Varys' eyebrows raised, and his smile faded. Cersei frowned as Littlefinger assumed a serious expression. There was a subtle change in her son's manner of speech. Nevertheless, his portrayal of Eddard as a power-hungry man will make it easier for the nobles to be convinced.
Pycelle had woken from his half slumber and his face showed surprise. He moved to say something, but Joffrey cut him off.
"However, after careful consideration, I have decided to name my mother the Queen Regent. Cersei smiled at this. She intended to declare herself Queen Regent by persuading the council at this meeting, but her son saved her the trouble.
"Thank you, son; I appreciate your trust in me," she said, expressing gratitude. Her son nodded and continued with a determined expression.
Baelish cleared his throat and began after a brief period of silence following her son's announcement.
"Your grace, I pledge my loyalty and vow to serve you faithfully if you will include me on your council." From her vantage point, she could see Joffrey frown slightly at his declaration. It quickly faded away, and a smile replaced it.
"I accept it, Lord Baelish. You proved to be quite valuable when my father needed coin, and your service to the crown is greatly appreciated." Baelish bowed and appeared pleased. Cersei wondered if Littlefinger understood the hidden meaning, implying his active role in Robert's extravagant spending.
Varys continued shortly after. He rose from his seat and bowed, folding his hands beneath the long sleeves of his robe. "My birds and I are always prepared to bring realm matters to his grace and the queen regent. I will make sure the enemies of the realm and traitors are brought to your attention."
Cersei felt a smile form unintentionally as the spider pledged his loyalty to her, alongside her son.
The grandmaster was the last, as the old man tried but failed to stand up. He bowed his head while seated. "This frail old man will faithfully and competently guide your grace with my knowledge and suggestions. I am at the service of the royal family."
Joffrey promptly nodded. "Despite your age, you have served under four kings, and your experience will be extremely valuable to a young king like me." Cersei could tell the grandmaster was pleased with that.
"I am aware that I am young and therefore inexperienced in ruling. It is also well known that my father rarely attended council meetings, but I intend to meet with them on a regular basis to learn about running the seven kingdoms." He paused and gave the council some time to mull over his declaration. It is a good thing Joff is not following in the footsteps of her idiot husband. Her father always reminded her that a lord must always supervise his subordinates. And these regular meetings will help her keep track of everyone on the council.
Joffrey's expression turned serious and he said, " I thank you all for your service and loyalty to my family and I hope you remain loyal and competent. "
'And if you don't' is left unsaid, as the fate of the previous hand is a good example. His sudden maturity and cunningness are a welcome surprise for her. He needs to be decisive to fight against his uncles. Cersei had no doubt that Stannis, who was brooding on his deary island, would oppose her rule. It is also concerning that the youngest Baratheon brother quietly escaped the city instead of helping Eddard.