"Calm yourself," I said, pointing a finger straight at her. "And I strongly advise you to do as the king commands. If tomorrow after midday you are still in the Red Keep, then I swear by the Seven, I will lock you in the very tower you wished to set ablaze. And you will become a queen-under-guard."
As I spoke, I had in mind the historical precedents from long before the Targaryens came to Westeros. In the books I had found mentions that sometimes, when a king's father died and his mother ruled as regent until he came of age, the young king would sooner or later begin to struggle with her for power. Most often, such conflicts ended with an honorable exile to one of the castles—or, when the situation was truly hopeless, those queens were confined to a tower, where they spent the rest of their days. How well I understood my predecessors at that moment!
"You would not dare treat queen—and your own mother—so!" Cersei shot back. "And Jaime would never allow it, you ungrateful beast! Do you have any idea how much I have done for you?"
My words had not frightened Cersei in the slightest. If anything, matters had only grown worse.
Had I not been so certain of Jaime's support—along with Kevan, Tyrion, the Tyrells, and the rest—I would never have dared take such a step.
From the folds of her gown Cersei snatched a dagger and, shouting, "You are not my son!" lunged toward me. Unable to think of anything better, I retreated, maneuvering so that the large, heavy table stood between us.
Surely Cersei did not truly wish to kill me—her once-beloved son—but she certainly meant to frighten me, to put me back in my place. And in a state of fury verging on madness, most people lose full control over their actions and often find themselves unable to stop. She howled and snarled like a true lioness. Coarse, gutter-born curses poured incessantly from her beautiful lips.
At some point her strength began to wane, and I, striving to preserve the remnants of my dignity, withdrew toward the door.
"Until tomorrow morning, you are forbidden to leave your chambers. My men will see to it and will guard you from the outside. I advise you not to attempt any further foolishness. Accept my offer, and at the Rock you will want for nothing. Refuse, and the Tower of the Hand will become your home."
"Go to hell!" she spat, exhausted but unyielding. Her magnificent coiffure had come undone, and a golden strand clung to her sweat-dampened brow. Her chest rose and fell rapidly in the deep neckline of her gown.
Yes, in theory I could have used force and entered her chambers accompanied by guards. My men would have subdued her in an instant. But I did not wish to air our family's dirty laundry so openly. It was enough that the entire castle had surely heard us already, and by tonight the rumors would begin spreading through the capital.
Besides, such family matters should be resolved within a narrow circle. What kind of king would I be if I could not subdue a single woman—even if that woman was Cersei? Though, looked at another way, subduing such a woman might prove harder than winning certain battles.
"Jaime will visit you this evening," I said as I closed the door.
"May you rot," she hurled after me.
After ordering three men of the Holy Hundred to stand watch until evening—to admit no one except Jaime Lannister and to let the queen out under no circumstances, even if force proved necessary—I made my way back to my own chambers.
The warriors looked uneasy. Small wonder—they had been given such a delicate command. If anything went wrong, Cersei would never forgive them. Still, I was certain they would carry out their orders faithfully and diligently—after all, Ser Hasty had assured me these were his most reliable and devoted men.
I do not know whether I had been cruel to the queen. From the standpoint of an ordinary man—and considering the ties of blood—I had certainly gone too far. But if one speaks of the good of the realm, or rather of how I see that good, then everything had been done correctly. Give Cersei free rein and she would become utterly unmanageable, alienate all our friends and allies, breed a host of new enemies, and plunge the country into yet another crisis. In essence, she would tear to shreds all that her own father had worked so tirelessly to achieve—and that I was striving with all my strength to preserve.
The remainder of the day proved extremely tense. I spoke with Jaime, with Kevan, with Tyrion, with Genna, and with Tommen and Myrcella. Some understood nothing and, if one can put it that way in relation to a king, demanded explanations.
Those who were aware of the coming developments clearly approved of my actions, and once again I realized that Cersei had no true friends here.
Fate works in strange ways—I haven't been here all that long, yet even in this short time I've managed to gain a certain popularity. Perhaps it was my calm manner of dealing with those around me. Or maybe it had something to do with the conquest of Riverrun, the forging of ties with the Tyrells and the Reach, and the cancellation of part of the royal debt…
(End of Chapter)
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