Silence.
Robert sat in a high chair at one end of the room, while the queen and the three royal children sat on a lower chair opposite him. Cersei held Myrcella and Tommen to her left and right, respectively, and Joffrey, as the eldest, nearly grown, could no longer hide in his mother's arms. He could only sit beside his younger siblings.
The room was silent, but the atmosphere pressed down like a mountain. Robert stared silently at his lawful wife, who shared his bed yet dreamed a different dream. Cersei glared back without the slightest hint of weakness. Even Tommen and Myrcella, though unaware of what was happening, sensed something was wrong. Frightened by the tension, they dared not speak.
"What are you doing here?" the woman asked coldly, glancing at the warhammer the man had placed on the low table beside him. If she remembered correctly, Robert had used that very weapon to bludgeon Rhaegar to death on the banks of the Trident. He never should have won. "Still carrying a weapon?"
Robert snorted with a chuckle. "I was headed to the training yard for a bit of warm-up, but halfway there, I thought I'd come see my children. So I brought them here. Is that a problem?"
This was the royal children's residence. Cersei had been living here ever since Robert returned from the Vale campaign. If Robert had summoned her, she would surely have refused on the pretext of illness. But today, the king came straight to her door and barged in. She had no way to avoid him.
Outside, the five Kingsguard knights, excluding Jaime and Barristan, stood fully armed alongside dozens of Red Keep guards loyal to the king. They faced off, tense and watchful, against the hundreds of Lannister red-cloaked guards.
The red-cloaked guards were paid by the Lannisters. Their families all lived in the Westerlands under Tywin's rule. If anyone threatened their sons and daughters, they would surely resist. But the situation changed when Robert came in person. The king was lord of the Red Keep and head of the royal family. He came to see his wife and children. Who would dare stop him? Who had the right to?
Besides, they hadn't received any order to attack the king. Even if they had, with Robert personally leading most of the Kingsguard and bolstered by his fearsome reputation, Cersei's red-cloaked troops would struggle to gain the upper hand.
...
...
Cersei frowned. "Don't be sarcastic. Just say what you came here to say."
"I'm being sarcastic?" Robert's eyes flared with anger. His tone turned sharp. "Shouldn't you be the one telling me something? While you were away, rumors of your affair with Jaime were everywhere. Yet since my return, you haven't come to explain. You've just hidden yourself away with the children... waiting for me to drink myself stupid and forget about it?"
"Explain? What do you want me to explain?" Cersei snapped. "Your Master of Coin, who murdered the Hand and then fled, spread some stale old gossip out of spite. Then the idle rabble in the streets spiced it up and spread it like wildfire. You want an explanation? How about you first explain the dozens of bastards you've left outside the Red Keep?"
"Not that many!" Robert's face flushed, suddenly realizing he'd spoken too openly. "I have bastards, yes, but I've never brought any of them into the Red Keep!"
"What's your point? If your half-brother, the Hand, were in charge, he'd say he already caught those who spread the rumors! You have no proof. You didn't catch Jaime and me in bed, yet you storm in here demanding answers? How do I prove I didn't do something?"
Robert stared at Cersei in silence. He had come here today to confront her, a personal move outside his agreement with Eddard. It was a test. If Cersei admitted anything, Eddard's plan would be useless. But now that she denied everything, it didn't matter. They would proceed with the plan.
After all, he had no real evidence.
"What, nothing to say?" Cersei sneered. "Then why are you still here? Shall I ask you to leave?"
"This is my home. Why would I leave?"
If he had leapt up in rage and struck her, it would have been expected. But instead, the drunken king sat calmly, and that unsettled Cersei more than anything. She clutched Myrcella and Tommen tighter, eyes wary. "What are you planning?"
"Not much," Robert said flatly. "I've simply realized there are too many Lannisters in the Red Keep. It's time to reduce the number."
"Reduce?" Cersei was stunned. Then she scoffed. "Keep dreaming. You won't move a single one of them without my consent!"
"Which law," Robert said coldly, "says the king needs a woman's consent to change the staff or guards in his own castle?"
Cersei had no response. Just as she'd said before, if she didn't admit to the rumors, Robert would be helpless. Even if he owed her father a mountain of debt, even if the realm's stability depended on Lannister gold... but if Robert truly intended to make changes to the Red Keep's staff, she, as queen, had no right to stop him.
After all, he was the King of Westeros, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and the head of the royal house.
She clenched her fists, trying one last feeble protest. "I told you I didn't have enough servants, and you told me to handle it myself."
"I did. I'll make it up to you. From now on, you can have as many as you want. If you like, you can fill every room."
Robert's calm terrified Cersei. This wasn't like the drunken fool she knew. Eddard must have told him to say this. She instantly saw the truth. She had no cards left. If she backed down now, she would lose everything. So she stood her ground. "No one from House Lannister will leave until I say so."
"Really? Then a garrison twice their number will come and 'invite' them. Whether they walk out or are carried out is up to them."
Garrison? Cersei narrowed her eyes. Robert, do you still think they're your men?
"You look very pleased with yourself. Think you've won, do you?" Robert chuckled, shattering her illusion. "Don't get clever. This morning, the commander of the city watch was replaced. It's Ned's guard captain, Jory Cassel, now. Oh, and even if he hadn't been replaced, Janos Slynt wouldn't have helped you. Yesterday, he personally sent a letter exposing your entire plan."
Damn Janos Slynt! Cersei's back was soaked in cold sweat. But she couldn't show guilt now. "What plan? I don't know what you're talking about. That fool must have been desperate and tried to take down others with him, just like Littlefinger... Are you drunk? Do you believe everything you're told?"
"All right, I've wronged you. Let's not argue any further. Just sit and wait for the garrison to arrive."
The room returned to silence, but Cersei's mood never recovered.
She had lost. After a long pause, she realized something with despair. When Robert arrived, she hadn't ordered the red-cloaked guards to attack. She'd let him walk in carrying a warhammer. That moment had been her last chance. She should have struck before the garrison arrived, while her guards still had the numbers, killed Robert, seized the castle, and put Joffrey on the throne. But now, it was just Robert and the children here. If she acted rashly, that warhammer that had slain Rhaegar might land on her own head.
"What do you want?" She suppressed the storm in her heart. "My life? I don't think you have the guts."
"It's simple. I want to prove your innocence," Robert said. "You'll be surrounded by my people. You won't be able to meet with any man, especially your brother. If I get another child from you, and the child's hair is blonde, then it was all just a misunderstanding. But if the hair is black…"
"You want to keep me under house arrest and force me to bear your child like a breeding sow?" Cersei's voice rose. "Forget it. I'd rather die!"
"That's a strange way to put it. As a husband asking his lawful wife to bear a child, what gives you the right to refuse, let alone threaten me?" Robert's face twisted from calm to fury. "You can refuse. But then confess your crimes publicly. Admit your affair with Jaime. Have your father cancel the crown's debts and pay a hefty ransom... four or five million gold dragons should do. If you can afford that, you can take your brother back to Casterly Rock and do whatever you want. If not, give me a child!"
All House Lannister had was Tywin's cunning and Casterly Rock's wealth. But with all her children in the king's hands, even Tywin couldn't fight the whole of Westeros. Robert's plan was airtight.
There was no way a drunkard had thought this up. Cersei was drenched in cold sweat. She'd ignored the rumors, stayed in King's Landing, gambling that she could kill Robert. But she had lost the gamble. No one could defy a living king in the capital. When the whispers began, she should've fled to Casterly Rock. Her hands, still wrapped around Tommen and Myrcella, trembled. Then she realized something critical. "Where is Jaime? What have you done with him?"
"What do you think?"
"You've arrested him!"
Cersei released the children and lunged at Robert, clawing at his neck. "If you harm my brother, I'll never forgive you! I'll hide a knife in the bed and stab you in the gut!"
"Then I'll tie you down while I fuck you!" Robert hadn't made a move first, but she dared to provoke him. His long-suppressed rage exploded. He grabbed Cersei by the hair and slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground. "Don't think I care about what's between your legs! Even if every man in the Seven Kingdoms wanted you, I wouldn't be one of them! If it weren't for Eddard Stark's advice, your heads would already be on spikes outside the Red Keep. And you dare act so arrogantly here!"
The King of the Seven Kingdoms in a rage was terrifying. Joffrey shrank, not daring to speak. Tommen was frozen in fear. Only Myrcella rushed forward crying, hugging Robert's leg.
"Father! Don't be angry. Mother didn't mean it. She always says things like that when she's angry, you know!"
Robert stood there, breathing heavily, and reached out to stroke Myrcella's hair. Of the three children, he loved this daughter most. She was kinder and more polite than Joffrey, braver and stronger than Tommen, and had inherited her mother's beauty without her madness. If she weren't a girl, he might've wanted her as his heir. But seeing her golden hair, knowing she might not be his, broke his heart.
"All right. I know." Robert trembled with pain and gently pushed Myrcella aside. "Just sit down and wait for the garrison. This mess is almost over..."
There was shouting outside, followed by a crash as the door was kicked open. Jaime Lannister burst in, eyes red with fury. He saw Cersei kneeling on the ground, covering her face, and Myrcella crying and trying to stop Robert.
(To be continued.)
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