AN :
Next goal for another extra chapter is 700 power stones.
In the Game of Stones, you either win or you wait. The more Power Stones you offer, the faster the chapters come.
...
( Cersei Lannister POV )
Nothing to be found there, only more toys Callum was making. Her panic only grew as she looked elsewhere for a sign, anything to tell her where her brother was. She could not let it end like this! She could not let it end in failure with Callum still afraid of her!
...
She pulled back the doors of the wardrobe and rifled through the clothes, but there was nothing out of the ordinary! Nothing to suggest where her brother might be! She popped open the trunk and began to pull out its contents, possessed by a spirit of desperation and urgency-
Until her hands settled on fine velvet, buried at the bottom of the chest, and an entirely different set of emotions ran through her brain as she pulled it out.
'This is a dress isn't it?' Cersei's desperation was smothered by surprise, holding the fine thing up. It was slender at the top, but long and flowing below, with fine fabric cut in many luxurious layers that would hang down over the legs, edged with lace, and sewn with such precision that Cersei couldn't spot a single stitch out of place. Cersei wasn't sure that even she had a dress this nice, though Aunt Genna had one like it. It was far too small for her though, no, this wasn't even big enough to fit Cersei, but it might be able to fit…
'Why does Callum have this?' Cersei moved her hand to cover her gaping mouth, almost reflexively as thoughts raced through her brain. This dress was sized perfectly to fit him too- it wasn't like there was some girl who he might have gotten it from.
'Has he worn it?' she wondered, her mind racing having shifted tracks entirely- Did Callum go around wearing a dress? Did he enjoy wearing them? He was blessed by the maiden after all, but it would be bad if anyone knew wouldn't it? Cersei knew that King Loreon V Lannister had worn his wife's dresses and gone about Lannisport in them, disguised as a whore.
That's why people had called him Queen Loreon. Was Callum doing that? No, he'd never do it in public- but perhaps Loreon had been like him, a boy with a girl's heart? Did it run in the Lannister blood? No-wait that wasn't the point that she needed to be thinking about right now. She needed to figure out where-
The creak of the door opening behind her set the hairs on the back of Cersei's neck on end, as light filled the room, and she whirled, still clutching Callum's dress.
Callum had walked into the room, dressed in a nightgown and holding a small oil lamp with a light flickering at its tip. He looked tired, his hair was wet, and as she turned the smell of rose water hit her nose, so he must have just come from the bath. He shuffled into the room a bit before noticing her. Turning to her with wide eyes.
"Eh… Cersei-what-" he started to say, before he saw what she'd been doing, his eyes tracing over the piles of his clothes haphazardly strewn across the floor around his trunk, Cersei clutching his fine dress. The oil lamp dropped from his hand with a clatter and everything fell into darkness as the light sputtered out, both of them standing there not saying a thing for a long moment, as both of their minds raced to find an answer to the situation they found themselves in.
Callum thought first, and turned towards the door, trying to run.
Cersei saw that, and on instinct shot forward, casting the dress aside she tackled her brother to the floor before he could reach the door. She was taller, stronger, and a better grappler besides, she pinned down his arms to his sides as he panicked beneath her.
"Cersei-Cersei whatever you're doing you need to stop- I don't want this! I don't want this!" Callum started, but Cersei just blinked, a bit confused by his words.
"Calm down Callum, I'm not going to hurt you!" Cersei ordered, her blood thundering in her ears. She couldn't let him get away, she needed to talk to him. She needed to find out why he was scared of her. "I just want to talk, just listen to me!"
She could see the panic in Callum's eyes there in the moonlight beneath her, his chest rising and falling like a forge bellows beneath her as she looked straight down into his eyes, his struggles slightly easing, but never stopping. "T-talk? You snuck into my room-pilfered through my things!" Callum said. "And now you're on top of me!"
"Well, I couldn't let you run!" Cersei protested, "And I didn't mean to go through your things! I just wanted to know where you went!" She said they were both quite loud though their faces were only a few inches apart. "I need to ask you something!"
Callum stared up at her, his face tightening, but still clearly terrified. It felt like knives on Cersei's heart, seeing him look at her that way. "Then let me up first." He said, glancing towards the door, she saw it too.
"I can't do that if you're just going to run away again!" Cersei said firmly, pressing him down. "Promise me you won't!"
"I… fine," Callum replied. "I'll hear your question, I won't promise anything except that."
"Alright…" Cersei nodded, kicking out with her foot to shut the door, making Callum wince as it slammed closed. She gradually got up off of Callum, before tugging him up to his feet with her.
Callum was frowning deeply as he got to his feet, looking at her with eyes of green still on edge. He backed away from her two steps, but he didn't run for the door. That was good. She would have had to tackle him again if she did. He looked at her and nodded, the frown on his face deep in a way that hurt to see. "Go on then Cersei, ask away."
Cersei felt like she had made a mistake somewhere. He wasn't supposed to be angry and scared of her even before she asked the question! But she forced herself anyway, swallowing to clear her throat before she finally spoke. "Callum, I want to know why you're afraid of me."
Callum paused, then looked across the room. "Cersei, you just snuck into my room and ransacked it at night- should I not be?"
"No!" Cersei protested loudly. "No I mean- not tonight, I understand I was uh-overaggressive in my search for you, but I only came tonight to ask you why- I mean why have you been scared before now? I would never hurt you, Callum! But you're always shying away when I hug you, or squirming or acting like I will!" Cersei tried to explain herself but the words weren't quite right. "I'm your big sister! So why do you act like I'll hurt you? Who lied to you and said I would?! I wouldn't hurt you! I would kill to protect you even!"
In the darkness, Callum blinked, then shifted on his feet. "You snuck in… pilfered through my things just to ask me that Cersei?" He asked, sounding more confused than anything. "You could have just asked me in my study if you were wondering- wait…" Callum stared at her intensely, his eyes glinting in the dark.
"Um…" Cersei wasn't quite sure what to make of this new look from Callum, his gaze scrutinizing her thoroughly. "I guess I could have…" Cersei scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed now. "It's just… I couldn't get it off my mind tonight you know. I couldn't get to sleep, what with you leaving tomorrow. I don't… I don't want you to be scared of me." She felt tears start to form in the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry if I made a mess of that."
Callum sighed, walking over and sitting down on his bed. "I'm… Cersei- no, don't cry." He stepped forward. "This is my fault in part as well. I just- no I should have had this conversation with you sooner, but it's a hard one." Callum said. "It's not that-well it's not that I've ever been scared you were going to hurt me." The boy's voice cracked slightly. "It's more… God this is awkward." Callum cringed.
"You mean it?" Cersei asked, feeling her heart pound in her chest. "You're not scared of me after all!?!" She asked eagerly, rushing over to him.
"Wait no-I mean… I'm not scared of you that way Cersei, it's just that you're a bit… well you're very physical with me." Callum explained. "I'm not comfortable with it, you know, all the mothering you do."
Cersei blinked, her thoughts screeching to a halt. "Huh?" Wasn't that what she was supposed to be doing? "But I'm the eldest-and with mother gone… well that's my role is it not?" Her thoughts were racing. Was that what Callum was actually worried about? The mothering? The idea seemed absurd, who was scared of their mother?
"I'd… well I'd prefer if you took a different role with me. A more equal one Cersei. You're only two years older, I don't need to be constantly comforted like a baby. If anyone needs that it's poor Tyrion." Callum spoke softly. "I just… well I'm not sure what that role should be, but I would much prefer if you treated me normally as your brother than trying to be my mother."
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