Cersei looked into his slitted cat-like eyes without fear. Eyes that Maggy was said to have, but didn't. It only fuelled her interest. "Correct, I have searched for you." she lied. After all it wouldn't do for her to admit to her previous weakness. She went near his form, inspecting his strong and still uncovered torso with her eyes.
He simply raised a brow with what could count amusement in them, though his eyes weren't like normal ones, so she couldn't be sure. "Truly, and for what purpose, if I may ask?"
"To bless you with my company, of course!" she exclaimed as if it was obvious, a ready smile on her luscious red lips, invading his personal space and taking his right arm into the embrace of her own. Unaware that her actions and boldness to use her female charm on him were better received than using the demure woman strategy most Westerosi men preferred. Something she couldn't pull off perfectly if her life depended on it.
Harry laughed at that, not in an condescending way, but a warm and inviting laugh. 'She certainly doesn't lacks confidence.' he thought, looking the girl up and down. She had the same purely emerald green eyes he used to have before the House of the Undying. Her curled hair was the colour of spun gold, made in a complicated southron style. She had fair skin, a slender and graceful figure for her age, approximately fifteen and was a head shorter than him. He didn't protest when she took his right arm and instead began to lead her along for a small walk along the lake.
"Though, who in this day and age can claim to have talked with an actual magician." Cersei continued, tracing small circles with her fingers on the palm of his much larger and calloused hand. Her own soft and sensitive skin appreciated the sensations it provided her.
At the word magician Harry frowned briefly, but conceded that she couldn't know the meaning of it. "Please don't use that word to describe me or my wives in the future. It is an insult to us." he said softly, but firmly.
More curious than cautious Cersei queried with a hint of a demand in her voice, typical for people used to have things go their way. "I apologise, however isn't that what you are?" thinking about the blue floating flames, the healing of the princess, no matter how much it irked her, and their performance before her mind's eye.
Harry just shook his head in the negative. "A magician is not a true practitioner of the magical arts. Instead, he or she uses tricks, smoke, distractions and deception to fool people that it is real what happens, when in reality it is not." Harry explained to Cersei. "My wives and I are Witches and Wizards, wielding true magic to bend the world to our will." to demonstrate he levitated a sphere of water out of the lake, froze it in mid-air. Afterwards he transfigured the globe of ice into an exact replica of Cersei and animated it shortly after.
Cersei watched the display before her eyes in awe. There, before her mimicking her every move like a mirror, was an icy copy of herself. She tried touching it and felt the cold and hard ice beneath her palm. She frowned it seemed wrong for her to be depicted through frozen water. "Can you make it out of fire?" she inquired with a certain gleam in her eyes. She remembered the colourful display of beauty from their performance. Much more beautiful than this block of ice before her.
"Of course." Harry asked, glad that he found at least one Westerosi not afraid of him to some degree. With one spell the ice was transfigured into fire, replacing the icy Cersei with a flaming one. Though, he dispelled the fiery figure after Cersei wondered at it some more, an odd gleam in her eyes as emerald flames seemed to dance in them, reflecting the flames of the figure in them.
She smiled a predatory smile, having not let go of his arm the whole time and let slip. "You're definitely much more impressive than the other magical practitioner I've met."
Harry retorted intrigued. "You've met other wizards and witches then?" his interest concealed by the casual way he said it. He was very much interested to learn more about the magic of Westeros.
Cersei scoffed and snorted derisively. "I wouldn't call her a witch, even though people said she was one." thinking of the ugly old crone Maggy the Frog brought back unwelcome memories. "Maggy the Frog," the name was spat out with venom. "people called her, saying she could wield powers like yours." the rumours were what intrigued her, causing Cersei to seek out the yellow-eyed bitch. Wanting to know if magical powers truly existed and if she could have it for her own. "The old crone just took some of my blood and sprouted of some drivel about my future." Cersei said dismissively
It was easy to dismiss the things stated in the prophecy. She obviously did not marry the prince and wouldn't marry the king either. If that wasn't true then the amount of children wasn't either. How could the king have so much more children than her if they were married? Three for her and countless for him It didn't make any sense.
The only true thing was that Tyrion, the little monster, would most likely do his best to kill her. 'Just like he killed mother.' she thought with rage, but her train of thought was halted as Harry stopped suddenly.
Harry, at first, thought Cersei's encounter with this so called witch as nothing important. Any idiot could sprout some nonsense about another's future. What was concerning, however was the part with the blood. Blood magic may be considered dark, but it was indeed the most powerful form of magic. His mother proved that as she sacrificed herself for him to imbue his blood with protection, the protection of her love. Lightbringer stood as a result of that for the whole world to see.
"Have you given her your blood willingly?" Harry asked with a little urgency in his voice. It could be that the the aforementioned witch was a charlatan or she was the real deal. Harry had learned to be cautious and assumed the latter was the case.
A bit puzzled by his question Cersei shrugged her shoulders. "What does it matter?" she asked flippantly, unconcerned about it as can be.
Harry frowned at her attitude, but held his tongue. The girl did not know any better, not knowing anything of magic in any way shape or form. "It matters a great deal. Blood taken unwillingly has a few purposes in some obscure rituals," like the resurrection ritual Voldemort had wanted to use at the end of fourth year. "but willingly given blood has a much larger range of applications."
A bit of apprehension climbed up Cersei's spine. She wanted to call him a liar, but how could she if he clearly and evidently knew more about the matter than she. "Like what?" Besides what reason did he have to lie? He did not know her and had no grudge against her or her family as far as she knew.
The memory of her throwing some potion in the crone's eye, which caused the old woman to curse her came back to her, making her nearly physically ill. She had assumed the woman to be a fraud, but now with magic before her, how could she be sure?
"Well, she could use it to craft a doll in your likeliness and then create a bond with it through your blood. Everything that happens to the doll happens to you. A pinprick on the doll will be felt by you just as much as when she rips an arm off." seeing that his companion grew pale in the face he soothed her worries. "The ingredients to make such a doll are rare and most aren't native to this land, making it quite impossible for her to craft such a thing." a voodoo doll wasn't just made out of some straw or other mundane things, but out of highly magical ingredients, together with powerful spells woven into it. "Besides I doubt the witch you mentioned could do so anyway, but I hope it served to clarify what could be done."
Cersei shakily nodded and responded. "I have given her my blood willingly." the colour of her face had drained leaving her with a ghostly complexion instead of a fair one. "She used it to tell me my future, can you do that?" she asked, if so then she didn't know how to feel. On one hand she would be queen on the other hand her fate wasn't good.
There were so many ways to tell the future, reliable or not, Harry didn't rule it out, despite having never paid much attention to Divination in general. He didn't dismiss it as a part of magic, mainly because medical scanning spells and even the Human-Presence-Revealing spell were part of Divination, but he also did not like it due to the prophecy made he was subject to. "Possibly, what did she say and I mean the exact words you and her used?" even a slight change in wording can have a big impact on something like Divination.
With some reluctance Cersei told him truthfully. Normally she wouldn't do so, but her life was on the line here. "I asked her when I will marry the prince. She told me that I wouldn't, instead I would wed the king. She then added that I would be queen in all but name once I asked for confirmation that I will be queen." which was confusing, since once she was married to a king she was queen in name.
'So far so good.' Harry thought somewhat relieved. It appeared as if the so called witch just told her what she wanted to hear, namely to marry into royalty. Of course, no fortune teller worth their salt would leave out a prediction of misfortune or at least a hint at it, that much he had learned from Trelawney. He spoke from experience. Before he could tell her to not worry Cersei continued.
"After that I asked if I and the king will have children." a bit more incredulity entered her voice here. "she told me that the king would have three from me, while he would also have countless from others." she shook her head. "She then told me that once my sun drowns in the sea of stars my ash will join the one of the Phoenix" she left out the prophecy made for Melara and the valonqar part of her own. One had nothing to do with her and the other was too intimate knowledge.
Harry let it go, it wasn't as if he knew that prophecy to be true or not. Most prophecies are self-fulfilling when people try to prevent them. Voldemort fulfilled the one concerning him trying to prevent it and so did pretty much everyone in history as well. Many Greek stories involved oracles and prophecies and all time they are fulfilled despite the best efforts to prevent them. He told her as much. "Prophecies only come true when you believe in them. Most people trying to prevent them fulfilled them instead, bringing about what they wanted to prevent in the first place. The future isn't set in stone it is changeable like molten metal, everyone has to forge his own destiny."
Frustrated with his answer Cersei tried to get back on track, demanding. "Forget about that! What can we do to prevent that old crone from messing with my blood?"
"Think about where Maggy lives and I will take us there." Sighing, Harry said it with a look that broke no argument. He briefly looked into Cersei's mind, careful not to touch anything else but the memory he needed. His question enough to make her pull up the image he desired. Harry then flamed both of them near Maggy's hut in the woods near Casterly Rock. Apparition was possible too, but flaming was more gentle and didn't force Cersei to possibly puke.
A blink later they stood in mud between trees. A ramshackle hut made out of wood twenty metres before them.
"Is this the place?" the last Potter asked, taking a quick look around to look for danger. He briefly felt for people or animals in the vicinity through the super-sensory spell. A few small animals like rabbits fled the scene, leaving only one person inside the hut.
"Yes." Cersei confirmed too stunned to say anything else but that. "How did you do that?" Lady Lannister asked once she got her bearings, briefly forgetting the situation she was in. To travel from one place to another in an instant was incredible. The freedom it would bring couldn't be put into words for her.
Harry just chuckled, enjoying her reaction of awe. It was much better than the one of fear. Even though both were warranted when magic is concerned. "Well, the simple one is magic." he teased her, finding the glare she sent him more adorable than menacing. "The correct one is that I transported us from one destination to another by opening up a minuscule connection between them, allowing us to bypass all obstacles in-between." it was much more complicated than that, but Harry had no intention to explain to a muggle the intricacies of magical travel.
Harry began to walk towards the hut, but stopped again when Cersei held him back, gripping his arm, but was prevented from doing more by someone calling out of the hut, presumably Maggy.
"Who's there?" a voice called out from behind the curtains made of what seemed to be dried grass woven together. The person who stepped outside the hut wasn't an ugly old crone like Cersei described. Instead she looked like a Dothraki with olive skin, brown eyes and black hair. Though her body wasn't as slim and more on the plump side.
Deciding to let the impulsive and rather hot-headed female speak was a recipe for disaster, Harry took it upon himself to do so. "We are in search for Maggy the Frog. Do you know where we can find her?" The last Potter had his suspicions. Namely that the woman was Maggy, feeling the magic the woman possessed. Small it may be, but it was bigger than Marwyn's.
The woman looked upon him and something akin to fear entered her eyes, mixed with another emotion that warred for dominance. Desire. Strangely enough Harry didn't think it was sexual in nature, but more along the lines of a tasty meal for a starving person. "Who wants to know?" she said with neutrality in her voice.
Acting on a hunch Harry changed from the Common Tongue to Dothraki. "I do, Harry Black, at your service"
The woman responded in the same tongue, deciding that the silly little girl didn't need to know what was said. "I am the one the people here call Maggy" disdain colouring her voice, even more obvious due to the harsh language she used.
"I take it your name is not Maggy?" he half stated and half asked. Someone that was obviously an Essosi did not have such a name.
Surprised but pleased the copper-skinned woman answered back "No, it is the name people gave me, a bastardization from Maegi. My real name is Killiki."
"Then what is a Dothraki doing so far from the Dothraki Sea?" Harry asked in the guttural sounding words of the horse lords.
A laugh escaped the woman, a bitter sound. "Ha, I was cast out of the horde for being what I am and took up with a merchant from this land who had a liking for the exotic. He took me with him and I followed, having nowhere to go with nothing of mine own. Though now that his son rose up to be Lord Spicer he couldn't be seen in the company of a foreigner even if I was his wife and mother to his child. It would reflect badly on him and his son and grandsons" The last words were spat out with venom. The words she used also told quite effectively how she viewed her son as mostly the son of his father. Only some of her female relatives visited from time to time and that was only for potions that prevented pregnancy. "And why is a sorcerer of your calibre here?"
"I came because I was curious as to what magic wielding people Westeros produces, though I suppose it was in vain." it was a shame too. He only came on the vain hope to see a Westerosi using magic. Only to get an Essosi in the end.
Killiki laughed again, more condescending this time. "You won't find any people using magic here." she began to explain. "This land is barren when it comes to the mystical arts. Most of these Woods Witches and Hedge Wizards are nothing but charlatans who name themselves such, but couldn't produce a spell if their life depended on it. The general ignorance of the populace and the idiocy of Maesters does not help matters." she then looked behind him and spotted the a girl that looked like the little cunt who threw a potions vial in her face. "What is that bitch doing here?"
Harry couldn't resist a chuckle escaping him. "I came with her on the claim that you took some blood from her, until I explained to her the dangers of such an action."
The grin appearing on Killiki's face was disturbing to behold. "Indeed, she is pretty stupid in her ignorance. One of the advantages of the ignorant people of this land not believing in magic is that they are more vulnerable to it as well."
Not liking her expression Harry demanded. "What did you do?" at the same time he spread his senses once more into the earth. Deeper into the surface and more thoroughly. He found many irregularities in the earth that weren't roots. The feeling he got was that it were bodies.
"I haven't done anything with her blood, yet." Killiki countered. "Besides does the self-entitled idiot not deserves it? After all, she gave me her blood quite willingly."
Harry scowled. "I did not come her to harm you, but I will if I have to. You know I am stronger than you!"
The witch countered with a scoff "Of course I do. I'd be as much of a lackwit as your companion if I didn't. However, this isn't your fight and you are in my home. Leave and I won't harm you." Spoken as a suggestion at possible preparations she had done to her home like any magical worth their salt.
The Head of House Black considered these words, but the fact that the woman before him was responsible for the death of more than a hundred people, who were all buried here, didn't let him step aside. "I can't do that!" his voice hardened as he prepared himself to summon Lightbringer to his hand.
"Then you will share the fate of the people before you!" Killiki said just as resolutely, promptly letting lose the spell she had weaved during the conversation. No one had noticed, but the birds and insects had stopped singing together with the rest of the animal world. At once dead people rose from the earth, grabbing at anything in their reach. They were no skeletons or Inferi, no, they looked mummified, like all their blood had been taken and left them dried out husks. Most of them had the stature of children not older than their teens.
"Shite!" Harry cursed and reacted fast. "Ebublio." he incanted, followed by a hover charm, causing Cersei to be encased into a bubble, floating above the ground and away from danger. The bubble couldn't be popped by physical force. Harry chose to ignore her indignant shouting, which thankfully was muted due to the bubble.
The next moment Lightbringer appeared shrouded in flames that writhed around the sword, embracing it the hot greeting of lovers. Harry sprinted towards Killiki, intent to end her life and with it her undead thralls. Harry weaved through the undead masses like a dancer, slashing through the enemy and immediately turning the ones to ash that fell by his blade. Shrieks of unholy agony escaped the mummies as they ran towards Harry with gaping maws and outstretched hands.
Harry briefly contemplated to fly up towards the bubble and burn the undead to ash with a powerful fire spell, but decided against it. The leaves on the ground were dry and a forest fire was inevitable should he do so. And the spell to let corpses explode was only usable when they were made with ones own magic.
Instead he carved a path out of the undead throwing themselves in his way, trying to protect their mistress by being shields. "Expulso!" Harry cried out, letting the spell hit the undead in front of the hut, in which Killiki vanished as soon as her minions rose, blasting them and all flammable leaves and sticks away from around the building. The ramshackle hut nearly keeled over from the force of his spell, but held just so.
Harry followed the woman inside, casting a firewall before the entrance and preventing the mummies to follow. "You know you can't escape. Please surrender and it will be quick." Harry spoke, seeing the woman standing near a bubbling cauldron with a small jar full of blood in her hands.
"Why are you fighting for her? She hasn't done anything for me and I bet she did nothing for you!" she countered confused and perplexed. Killiki couldn't understand why someone with so much power could help such an inferior being that thought itself so important. It was beyond her understanding.
The wizard shook his head. "This isn't about her." he denied. "This is about the crimes your committed. Killing these people, draining their blood all so you could have your youth back." Harry believed Cersei when she said that the woman had been an old crone during their meeting. The girl had no reason to lie about such a thing. He doubted she had a philosopher's stone and that left dark magic or more specifically blood magic as a reason as to why she now looked so young. "You used the blood of young people to restore your youth from time to time, probably the ones that visited you. Obviously your youth does not last long or there wouldn't be so many corpses outside." unlike Melisandre who transferred her soul to a soulless body, Killiki made her body younger. Even if it did not last long.
Killiki nodded not trying to hide what she done. Not that she could at this point. "I did. These people weren't a great loss to the world!" a manic glint entered her eyes, the fear gone and replaced with madness. All the humiliation endured throughout her life would be repaid in due time. Magic was returning, otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for her to get back her youth. Sure, it took about one stupid idiot per moon, but it was worth it. "One step closer and that Lannister girl will be cursed for the rest of her life!" the Dothraki woman threatened, holding the jar over the cauldron. "Maybe I should make her useless to any man. A barren woman hasn't much use, except as a whore." the madness intensified as she cackled. "Now there is a thought..."
The Maegi did not get any further as her head was impaled by an earthen spike from behind. Not having noticed Harry transfigure it in her madness induced rant. Quick as lightning Harry levitated the jar full of blood up and away from the cauldron, the contents of which he then vanished. He took a better look around, seeing some cages with rats and other small animals in them and dried herbs hung from the roof. A few things of interest were there, not much that was better than what he already had.
Business done Harry left the hut. Outside the mummies had collapsed, with their creator dead nothing kept them going. Like all magic it dissipated once the caster dies, only staying if it was an enchantment, transmutation or made permanent with runes.
Standing under the bubble containing the noblewoman Harry lowered it to the ground and dispelled the protective sphere. "I apologize for the somewhat rough treatment, but it was necessary."
Despite locking like she wanted to chew him out Cersei held her tongue, seeing the many mummies lying around and knowing she would've been overwhelmed by them. Instead, she asked demandingly. "What happened, who was that woman and why did you speak to her in that other tongue?" that bronze-skinned woman couldn't have been Maggy, much too young to be the case.
"That was Maggy." ignoring the disbelief clear on Cersei's face he elaborated. "Apparently she was busy since your encounter with her, using the people coming to her as sacrifices to restore her youth for a short time. As to the language I was speaking, it was the tongue of the Dothraki, the people Maggy belonged to."
Face pale and hands shaking Cersei couldn't believe how close she came to death that night a few years ago. She had even seen Melara down there as a mummy, recognizing her because of the clothing she wore that fateful night. Her body unrecognisable. "Why didn't she use me as a sacrifice then?" one part of her was outraged at the perceived slight of not being good enough as a sacrifice, even when she was clearly superior in any way. Not that she wanted to be sacrificed, but it was the principle of the thing.
Shrugging Harry responded. "I don't know, but my guess is that she wasn't keen on pulling the attention of your father to her." even with a few hundred mummies Killiki could've still been killed by soldiers with superior numbers. That the Maegi only was capable of creating undead and so on in the last few years with the re-emergence of magic was left out by Harry. "I prevented her from using your blood to curse you and killed her." he then handed her the jar full of the red liquid.
That seemed to reignite a fire of vengeance within Cersei, who smashed the bottle into a small nearby brook. "Can I see her?" she even appeared curious despite the many corpses lying around. The last Potter simply nodded and led them inside. The moment Cersei looked upon the dead form of Killiki she spat upon the corpse and kicked it a few times for good measure, taking pleasure in letting her anger out on the corpse.
"Satisfied?" he asked somewhat amused with this whole bizarre situation. He had expected to find a Westerosi magical and found a bitter Essosi Maegi with undead under her command. It couldn't have been a simple fraud out to steal from the simple-minded or easily impressed masses. No, it had to be a real magic user.
Another kick later Cersei nodded, straightened up, saying. "Yes," the next part seemed to cost her a good amount of willpower to grind out, but it was no less genuine. "thank you for your help." it's the least she could say. Cersei didn't fancy to be ripped apart by an undead mob and made into one herself. She liked her beauty far too much.
"My pleasure." Harry replied with a nod. "Now lets gets these corpses on a pile to burn them." pointing outside the hut and into forest to all the dried out husks lying around. He walked outside, picked one up and threw him into the hut. One look of him got Cersei moving, if out of fear or respect was something Harry didn't bother to find out.
It took twenty minutes but the mummies were easy to carry with no internal organs or much flesh on their bones. Only the necromantic magics kept them strong in such a state. As soon as all of the corpses were loaded into the hut Harry lit it on fire, controlling it to burn hotter and not go out of control, leaving behind nothing but ash to be carried away by the winds.
A moment later Harry transported both of them back to Harrenhal, where Cersei separated from him to go to her brothers wedding. Something she had forgot about in the excitement of the last hour. She had to hurry or be late for it and anger her father even more.
After she bid Harry farewell Cersei made her way towards the now restored sept of Harrenhal, all the while thinking about Harry and his power. Her plan to use her feminine charms on him had been forgotten due to the situation taking an unexpected turn. Now Cersei couldn't stop thinking about what she could accomplish with someone like that at her side. Rhaegar didn't come to her mind and the fact that Jaime got married didn't bother her as much as before. Only that she didn't have any control over him in the future.
On the way she made a stop at another tent with a yellow banner with three black dogs on it flying over the tent before resumed her walk towards the sept.
Luckily she was already dressed in appropriate clothing for a wedding. Cersei didn't enter the sept, instead her destination was a tent in the vicinity. Where she would find the rest of her immediate family. Everyone else was already present with only Jaime in the sept, waiting for his future bride. There was her uncle Kevan with his chinless, chicken-legged and flat-chested wife Dorna Swyft. That pathetic woman wasn't worthy of the Lannister name in Cersei's mind. Then came her other uncle Tygett with his wife Jeyne Marbrand, followed by Gerion and her aunt Genna with her useless husband Emmon Frey.
Next came small Daven Lannister, squire for Tygett and Damion Lannister together with his wife Shiera Crakehall, who made the boar of her family's sigil every honour.
Of course she couldn't forget her father, not that he would let himself ever be forgotten. As if to prove her right he turned his unimpassioned eyes to Cersei.
"You're late." came the cold voice of her father once Cersei was inside. A disapproving frown on his face showing his displeasure at her perceived laziness. He wanted to get to the bedding as soon as possible and get that whole thing over with.
Cersei simply apologised without any emotion behind it. "Forgive me, father. I was simply so overwhelmed at the fact that my dearest brother's marriage is at hand so soon. I was overcome by my feminine weakness." she did not look him in the eyes, so he wouldn't see it for the lie it was and neither see the defiance in her eyes.
Tywin simply nodded, satisfied with what he saw. The inflection in his voice of what he said next made it clear that he was dissatisfied, his face unchangeable as a glacier. "Your brother apparently seems to be suffering from the same affliction, refusing to let things proceed until he spoke to you." the irritation clear as crystal. "Go talk some sense to him and be quick about it." The stupid boy even refused to see Gerion, his favourite uncle. He didn't know why Jaime insisted on this foolishness, but when it got this whole mess over with faster, so be it.
Cersei agreed. "Yes, father." wondering why her brother wanted to see her at such a time. Avoiding the many glances of her family, Cersei left the tent with her head held high, walking towards the sept. The building was nothing against the Sept of Baelor, but she supposed with what she saw of the relationship between the king and her father, that she couldn't hope to marry there.
She entered the sept and saw Jaime standing between the small statues of the Father and Mother, looking directly at her. Not knowing that Jaime imagined her to be his bride walking towards him in a dress of white. Delusions of a young lovesick mind.
"Father said you wanted to speak with me?" she stated, closing the door behind her, looking around the small sept and spotting a small door leading to the only other room available. Most likely a private chamber for the septon stationed in this sept.
Jaime immediately invaded her personal space, taking her hands in his. "Yes," desperation in his voice and eyes. "I want us to leave together, leave for Essos, the Free Cities, somewhere else. I don't want to marry Lysa, I want to marry you!"
Totally gobsmacked Cersei was overwhelmed, eyes wide. 'Does he really expect me to leave all of my life behind? All of my power?' she thought incredulously. Not wanting to believe that her brother could be so selfish. Trying to persuade him she countered. "What would we do and where would we go? Without money, servants or anything at all?" she couldn't imagine a life without such.
"We'd be having each other. That's enough for me!" he responded strongly and passionate, noticing too late the volume with which it was said, looking around for anyone listening in. Luckily, no one was.
Cersei nearly blurted out. 'But it is not enough for me.' instead she tried to change his mind. "Jaime, think for a moment" she urged her hands still in his. "Do you really think we will be able to hide from father and the many people that will be after us?" Cersei doubted very much that her father would let his prized heir slip through his fingers. "Not to mention the rumours that would start about us." Cersei valued her image far too much to throw it away for an asinine plan doomed to fail.
Jaime remained stubborn, shaking his head. "I don't care! We love each other! Please, don't you love me?" insecurity filling him now at her apparent dislike of his admittedly bad plan. He just did not want to marry Lysa Tully with any fibre of his being. The girl was too shy and had no fire.
"I do love you." she said but added in her thoughts 'like a brother.' now knowing that what she felt for him wasn't nearly as intense as the smallclothes soaking feelings Harry Black induced with his power, voice and presence alone. Even Rhaegar couldn't compare. The danger and power he represented too intoxicating for Cersei to resist. Her attempt to begin seducing him had turned into something else, namely he rescuing her from a horrible fate like one of the maidens in the songs was always rescued by a knight. He wasn't a knight, but that was unimportant anyway, because she was no maiden.
Of course his wives had to go, but she could arrange that and had even a plan for it. Gregor Clegane should disfigure their bodies during the melee, leaving them ugly and obviously causing Harry to throw them away. Once these were gone she could console him and make him fall in love with her and widening the influence of House Lannister to the east.
"Then prove it." Jaime interrupted her inner thoughts, causing Cersei to blink owlishly, she having nearly forgotten he was there at all.
An eyebrow raised Cersei replied. "How? We are in the middle of a sept, surrounded by our family." a sigh escaped her, moving her right hand to his face, stroking his cheek. "Listen, Jaime. You have to marry Lysa." she put a finger on his lips to keep him from interrupting her, accompanied by a displeased look. "You will then go to the Rock as its lord with that fish as your lady and I go with you."
Confused Jaime said. "But that doesn't change anything."
Cersei just so avoided rolling her eyes. Her brother really should use his head a few more times instead of just his arms. "Father won't be Hand for much longer." not after so many insults, he should hit the end of his patience soon Cersei presumed. "Afterwards he will return with you to the Westerlands to teach you how to rule, taking me with him. Once there we can continue as we do, you just have to give the fish a child or two. We won't be separated."
Jaime relaxed a bit, knowing and trusting her to be right. Cersei always had a plan, he shouldn't have worried, but couldn't help it anyway. "What when father marries you to another and you have to leave me?"
The lioness of Casterly Rock waved off his concern. "You know he won't marry me to anyone other than the king's family." Hopefully king Harry's family. She let Jaime make his own assumptions as to her statement.
Her words calmed Jaime considerably. He knew that Rhaegar was married and annulment or divorce was out of the question as long as he wasn't king. Even then it carried risk to alienate Dorne with such a serious slight. Viserys was much too young and from what he had seen at the dinner Aerys wouldn't agree to such an union right now. They had years to think of something. "You're right, I'm sorry."
"Of course, I am correct." she said pompously, a grin on her face. Yet, she couldn't get out of his grasp. Cersei nearly sighed in annoyance as she looked into her brother's puppy like expression, knowing what he wanted. Debating briefly if she should grant his wish, with a sigh the daughter of Tywin Lannister decided to do so. Even if it didn't give her the same amount of thrill as when she was in total control. She leaned in for a kiss.
Cersei did not truly love Jaime, even if she had thought such in the past. She did love that he was convenient and easy to manipulate with her feminine charms. Just like most men in the capital or in general. Giving her the one thing Cersei wanted more than anything, which was attention, attention and love. She got these easiest through her looks.
So, what if the attention she got was only superficial or that the love she got was in truth only lust? Or that deep down Cersei knew that she couldn't get the attention of her father no matter what she did, causing her to resort to such things to at least get some semblance of it.
Jaime got everything, including martial training. Something she wanted, too, but wasn't allowed to because of her gender. Cersei had fooled the master-at-arms of Casterly Rock by impersonating Jaime in their youth and hadn't been worse than him, possessing the same amount of natural skill he did. Of course, she wasn't nearly as good as her brother, but who could be with so little training? At first she did so in an attempt to prove herself to Tywin, proving that she had as much a right to his attention as Jaime. Then she came to like the training, only to have it again taken away once she grew to be a woman.
She didn't hate being a woman, but resented what it restricted her to. It didn't get better by being surrounded by men who had the privileges she desired. Her father, her uncles, brothers and other extended family with only Genna to act as a feminine influence and a weak one at that with how little time she could actually spent with Cersei. The other wives of Lannisters were all demure weaklings in Cersei's eyes.
All these men got to fight, to lead and to learn from Maesters, while she was stuck with a septa. Sure, she got to learn her numbers and how to read and write from the Maester, but for the rest she wasn't allowed to join. It didn't help that most Maesters only saw boys as good students, with them being all male themselves. All that caused Cersei to simply learn by observing her father, though she tended to only pay attention to the more violent lessons his actions conveyed.
The only way for her to get even a bit of it was by pumping Jaime for information. Not that much came of it with him having trouble reading and also having no interest in politics or ruling in general.
All in all she wanted to have everything Jaime had. The attention of her father, the permission to fight, rule and lead, together with the power it would bring. Somehow that translated in her mind that as long as she had Jaime under her control she did possess these things. At least as good as one in her position could. The sense of power she felt by manipulating her twin wasn't bad either.
As she lost herself in the kiss Cersei wasn't aware that she would get one of her wishes come true. Only not how she imagined it to become real. Before she knew it Jaime had her dress ripped of her body, but he couldn't go further and do the same to his clothing. Instead she was picked up by her twin and put on the altar as he pulled out his cock.
Jaime's desperation to escape this marriage, his arrogance due to his superior skill and his inability to resist Cersei together with his passion for her caused him to to forget the location of their coupling. This time the moment he sheathed himself into his sister's pussy was the most terrifying experience in his entire life.
It was terrifying because at that exact moment the door sprung open, revealing Tywin with their family and the septon to marry Lysa and Jaime in tow, accompanied by a few Septas. All stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them.
Only Jaime saw them from his angle as his sister looked in the opposite direction.
Total silence reigned, except Cersei's small moans, until Tywin's face contorted into a grimace of pure unadulterated fury. The coldness in his eyes seemed to be consumed by an unholy fire of rage, igniting cold flames in his emerald orbs. A snarl of rage formed on his usually stoic face as the scene before him registered fully. Possibilities flew through his head. He couldn't kill the Septon and Septas, not because he was squeamish, but because Hoster arranged for them, who also was nearby coming into the sept. He had to act fast.
At the sound of Tywin Jaime pulled out and hastily put his cock back in his pants, leaving Cersei lying nearly naked on the altar. She recovered her bearings and got a ghostly complexion as she saw what Jaime saw before. She'd have spoken up, but there really wasn't much she could say to defend herself.
"Genna, get my daughter" the word daughter was spat out like a vile and foul disease, causing Cersei to flinch and shrink on herself "out of here and don't let her out of your sight for a single moment! Otherwise you'll share her punishment!" the command was barked out with all the considerable authority he could muster. His sister moved at the speed of a race horse, dragging the stunned and nearly naked Cersei out of the sept, but not before throwing a cloak around the girl.
"Gerion, Kevan, see to it that House Tully is delayed! I don't care how you accomplish it." came the second order, followed by the next, caused by the Septon ranting about incest being a vile sin. "Tygett, get him to shut up." his younger brother scowled briefly at being commanded about like a commoner by his not so loved brother, but did as asked. The situation was bad enough as it is.
While saying all that Tywin's eyes didn't leave Jaime for even a second. 'What did I do to deserve such incompetent and foolish children? One a disgusting dwarf killing his mother, another a bloody fool, refusing to take his place and the last a insubordinate daughter who can't resist messing things up and destroying the reputation of House Lannister along the way!' it seemed he was cursed by the gods. No matter how hard he tried something always seemed to go wrong, threatening to throw House Lannister back to the times where his father Tytos ruled the Westerlands.
He walked towards Jaime like a lion on a hunt, grasping the shoulder of his son in a painfully tight vice-grip with his right hand. "Listen and listen well for I won't explain this to you again!" Tywin growled in his anger "You will marry Lysa Tully and consummate this marriage and forget this travesty ever happened!" completely talking over Jaime and giving him no chance to speak. "I'll be a witness for it." he said letting Jaime go even more white, if possible. Tywin didn't care. It may not be done very often these days, however his son had proven to be incapable to follow simple instructions and if it was necessary to sit in the same room as he got it on with his new bride to prove the marriage valid, so be it! He'd invite the High Septon to it if necessary.
Then Jaime asked in a whisper. "What about Cersei?" he never knew that something could go to hell in a hand-basket so fast. The moment the door opened he felt as if his stomach dropped out of his body and an icy feeling came down his spine.
Tywin's nostrils flared at Jaime's audacity, daring to ask this now of all times. "Sacrifices have to be made." was all he said, dragging Jaime between the figure of the Father and Mother. Nothing would stand in the way of him furthering House Lannisters power, not even his daughter. Right now she was soiled goods, useless, a burden even and her actions couldn't even be covered up, due to the witnesses in form of the Septon and Septas. The worst witnesses for this kind of thing.
He needed to convince the Septon to go through with this ceremony and for that to succeed he needed a scapegoat. Frankly, Cersei fit the bill. She was worth less than Jaime to the family and now that this came out together with her state of undress she was the one to take the fall. Some story about her seducing her brother or some other nonsense would hopefully suffice as an explanation.
Of course, Tywin didn't believe that such would satisfy these religious idiots. However, these had considerable influence and they weren't something he could afford to fight against as well. Therefore there was still the matter of a punishment for Cersei to secure the honour of House Lannister. Never in a hundred years would he have thought that his daughter was forced to do so, but she left him little choice.
Cersei doing a Walk of Atonement was necessary even if it caused bile to rise in Tywin's throat at the thought of what Aerys was going to say about that.
Completely unaware of the drama unfolding Harry returned to his group's tent after clothing himself fully again. From there they travelled to the area prepared for the melee.
The melee was organised in such a way that each region fought amongst each other so long until only one team remained, which would then go to the finale. First were the Crownlands, followed by Dorne, the Iron Islands, the North, Reach, Riverlands, Stormlands, Vale of Arryn, the Westerlands and lastly the rabble of sellswords and others trying their luck.
From what the heralds explained the melee was organised in teams of seven, but many more than just seven teams of seven against each other. Another rule was that each team was to choose one of them that was serve as a target, which had to be captured by enemy teams. Once all fighters of a team were eliminated plus the target captured they lost. The team with the most captured targets wins. Obviously, teams could form alliances, steal already captured targets from one another or make each others life difficult.
The finale was all ten winning teams against each other.
"Where is that sellsword of yours?" Harry asked, looking around the grounds at all the participants. Much more than for the first few events.
Marcella surveyed the masses as well. "Well, he should be here already and we aren't exactly easy to overlook."
While they waited Gabrielle pondered. "We really need some kind of banner or coat of arms!" it certainly would befit someone of their station to have such. "Would make it much easier to be recognized as well." motioning to the other people around who had banners identifying them.
Kinvara chimed in giddily, still cheerful from her morning's activities with Harry. "Oh, House Words as well!" she had Harry's left arm nestled between her bosom, rubbing herself against him, while staring at him in adoration
That started a discussion what they should choose as their banner. Ranging from the one of the House of Black, which was their temporary coat of arms right now, to Peverell, Potter, Slytherin, Gryffindor and even a completely new one, which won out in the end.
For House Words there were many they could choose from. Under them Always Pure, Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon, Fortune Favours The Bold and many more, all from the Houses from home. Just like the banner it was decided to make a new one in the end, to represent a new start for themselves.
Otherwise they would've many banners and House words, with how many Houses went extinct and were taken up by Harry as the last far removed blood-relative to carry on. It were many more than just the ones of Black, Peverell and Potter, though these had had the most influence. A new name for their House was also discussed briefly, mostly because to cut ties with their past. Besides the last name of Black-Potter-Peverell-Delacour-Weasley and so on was much too ridiculous and long.
"Ah, there he is." Marcella said, interrupted before they could come to a finale decision, pointing towards a young man in his late teens, approximately seventeen years of age. He had a lean, wolfish appearance, dark hair and eyes together with a little stubble for a beard. A sword and dagger at his belt together with a worn-out hauberk thrown over leather. From the posture alone Harry saw a warrior and someone who survived harsh conditions in him.
"Good choice." he commented, walking towards the man and greeting him once near him. "Good day, I believe you are the sellsword my wife hired?"
"Aye, I am." he looked Harry over appraisingly, assessing him as to how big of a threat he was. The conclusion was that he wouldn't like to double-cross the man in front of him. "The name's Bronn. She said you'd pay me the half upfront." at the same time looking at the women behind Harry. He knew from what she said that they were going to fight as well. It didn't bother him in the least, only the money was important. Besides, when the man in front of Bronn wanted to lose so badly then it was his choice.
Witches they may be but this was a melee with no hocus-pocus allowed. In his experience women were physically weaker than men by far.
Harry picked out half of the agreed sum and gave it to the man. "Here, two golden dragons. I hope we can work well together." it probably wouldn't even matter if Bronn decided to do nothing. They just needed a seventh man. Melisandre, Kinvara and Narcissa not participating in the melee. Bronn simply nodded.
"Why don't you join us, it should be a while until it's our turn." Harry proposed. He truly loved his wives, but from time to time he really needed some men around himself. It didn't help that he was surrounded by women at home. Which was also a reason he hoped Davos would accept to come with them, despite it not being Harry's idea and also not wanting to pressure the man. Still, if Harry needed to invite strangers to get some conversation with someone not female he'd do so.
Casting a distrustful look their way Bronn said snarky. "I'm not you're toady and I'm not your friend! Your gold is all I want." from his experience most nobles would rather ignore him than acknowledge his existence. A sellsword was honourless after all. They would sooner throw him in a dungeon than hire him. He didn't know what that guy was playing at but Bronn wasn't born yesterday.
With these parting words he took his leave, leaving behind a slightly bewildered Harry and eight pissed off women. "How dare that mongrel refuse your offer?!" Bellatrix hissed outraged that anyone could be so blatantly dismissive of Harry. She'd like nothing more than to teach him some manners, but controlled herself for the moment. Mostly due to the mental message from Marcella that told her they needed the man to participate. All others were already assigned to teams. Didn't mean she couldn't do so after it was all over.
Nonetheless her feelings were mirrored by the rest of her sister-wives.
In a foul mood the group was about to join the stands, when a boy appeared panting from exertion. "Lord Whent sent me to extend an invitation for you to join him and his family for the beginning of the melee, my lord."
Souring their mood even further Melisandre growled out. "He is not a lord, but a king!" how often did they have to repeat themselves?
The boy obviously didn't know what to do, be frightened or aroused by the beautiful women. It didn't matter, he stammered anyway. "P-Pardon, my lady, but..."
Ignoring the attempts at communication Narcissa replied icily. "Are you a lackwit, or do you have just bad luck when thinking? He is a king that means we are queens!" her sharp words only increased his pathetic stammering, finally reducing him to just opening and closing his mouth. "Cease your useless imitation of a fish and lead us to Lord Whent!"
The boy simply squeaked out an affirmative response and pretty much sprinted away towards his lord, followed by Harry's group.