Cersei was walking slowly through the corridors of the Red Keep, her mind churning with a lot of thoughts. Thoughts that she had no idea how to make sense of. And at the centre of that chaos was none other than her cousin, Lucas Lannister.
She was returning to her chambers from the just concluded small council meeting. As she passed through the wide and opulent corridors of the Red Keep, her steps were slow and deliberate as her thoughts raced.
Robert had almost made it clear that all of Lucas's conditions would be accepted, and she could not think of a single reason, anyone in the small council could offer to change his mind. And that made her deeply uncomfortable.
It had been her idea to persuade Robert to summon Lucas to fix the problem of stench and sewage in King's Landing.
She had visited Casterly Rock a couple of years ago. At the time, many of the projects there had still been in their early stages, but even then, what she saw had shocked her. The planned amenities, the organized sewage systems, everything had been far ahead of what existed in King's Landing. Water in your room whenever you wished, those massive bathtubs in which you could relax, those unique taps which released water as if it was raining, which Lucas called showers. It all had been too fascinating for Cersei and she wanted the same to be replicated in King's Landing.
Tired of the city's unbearable stench, and when she had a solution right in front of her eyes, she had finally decided to take matters into her own hands and push for Lucas's involvement.
Unexpectedly, she had received support from Petyr Baelish in this quest, and the rest of the council had not opposed the idea either.
But after that? Everything had begun to unravel, going downhill for her. She had expected to meet Lucas today. It should have been a normal incident, but the incident with Joffrey had made the encounter awkward.
In a single moment, the already fragile relationship between Lucas and Joffrey had been shattered. She hated to admit it, but if Joffrey's ascension to the throne was to be smooth, if his reign was to be stable, the support of the Lannister family was essential.
As long as her father held Casterly Rock, that support was secured. But what after him? What if Lucas became the next Lord of Casterly Rock?
Even if he did not inherit the title, Lucas, through his control over metal production and fine weapons made of it, was already a political heavyweight. His support was crucial.
And Lucas was not a gullible person. The audacity he had displayed by placing a sword on Joffrey's neck right in the Red Keep showed his character. It made it clear that he was not the one to bow to anyone. He was not frightened by the crown and did not have greed for wealth or influence which he himself had in enormous.
She would either have to repair the relationship between him and Joffrey or remove Lucas from the game entirely. And both the tasks were difficult.
But that incident had not been the end. Then came the real blow.
She had expected Lucas to take charge of the sewage and sanitation issues, name his price, and then return to his stronghold.
But instead, he had flipped the board completely. He had placed outrageous demands, conditions which, if accepted, would give him immense power in King's Landing. For a long time.
And he had another advantage. Using her position as queen, Cersei had filled key positions in the royal court and the City Watch with Lannister men. Men who were more loyal to her than to the crown.
If Lucas suddenly rose to prominence in the city, it was inevitable that many of those men would shift their loyalties to him. Most of the people saw him as the future lord of Casterly Rock. She would be the one losing her power base.
But maybe, just maybe, this would give her an advantage too. If Lucas remained in King's Landing, maybe she could just pull some strings to control him.
Lost in thought, Cersei finally reached her chambers, only to find an unexpected visitor already there, sitting casually on her bed.
"Your Grace," she murmured, surprise evident in her voice.
"Surprised to see me here?" Robert grunted. "It took you long enough to arrive from the hall."
That he did not like or care for her was no secret. That she did not like him much either was also well known. Neither of them bothered to maintain a false facade anymore. They only put in enough effort to keep up appearances in public.
Cersei did not answer his question. She simply gave him a stiff smile.
"I came here to clarify a few things," Robert said. "What exactly happened between Joffrey and Lucas? Why did Lucas place a sword to Joffrey's neck?"
"I could have asked Jon Arryn," he continued, "but given the way he reacted to Lucas's demands, I figured he might give me a biased answer against Lucas. So, I thought I would start with someone who is biased in favour of our son but the other person in the conflict is also a family. A Lannister."
"After this, I will speak to Jon," Robert added. "Speak. Truth. Only truth."
Apart from a few servants, not many had been present in the hall at the time. Robert had only two real sources for answers. Jon Arryn and Cersei.
The question put Cersei in an awkward position. She had assumed Robert had let the incident go, that he would not meddle further. Clearly, he had not forgotten.
If it had been anyone else, she would have lashed out immediately. But this was about Lucas and after everything she had already considered, Cersei knew she would have to tread carefully.
She could neither appease him too much nor alienate him too much. A balance was needed. At least till she was able to come up with another solution.
Thus, Cersei went with the truth. She did not manipulate any event and narrated the whole incident as it had happened.
"I see," Robert mumbled. He could sense that Cersei was being completely honest and this was a bit surprising for him. She had played the biggest role in spoiling Joffrey so rotten.
"No doubt, Joffrey was in the wrong," Robert mumbled. "But Lucas also crossed his line."
"He should not have placed a sword on Joffrey's neck. Joffrey is the prince of the realm after all. And Lucas is not even a lord."
Robert did not say anything more. He got up to leave when Cersei interrupted.
"What do you plan to do?" Cersei asked.
"Do you have any suggestions?" He asked, not answering the question.
Cersei shook her head. "Not really. But I think that you should not blow this matter out of proportion. It could be considered a childish conflict between two children."
Robert gave her a thoughtful look and sighed.
"I can do this. But both of them need to reign in themselves. Joffrey is getting more unhinged day by day and even Lucas should know his limits."
He did not clearly say what he would do and even Cersei did not press the issue further. With one final look, Robert briskly walked from the chamber.
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