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[TYRION'S CHAMBERS, EVENING]
[CERSEI enters from the garden. PODRICK stands and exits at CERSEI's orders. CERSEI pours herself some wine.]
"Enjoying married life? An unhappy wife is a wine merchant's best friend."
"She doesn't deserve this."
"At least he's decent enough to admit it" Arya muttered.
"He's different from the rest, we know that much" Sansa pointed out.
"And? Are you going to marry him then?"
Sansa made a face and Arya snorted. Answer received.
"Deserve? Be careful with that. Start trying to work out who deserves what and before long you'll spend the rest of your days weeping for each and every person in the world."
"There's nothing worse than a late-blooming philosopher. Will you be facing your marriage to Ser Loras with the same philosophical spirit?"
"I won't be marrying Ser Loras."
"Good luck telling father that" Tyrion snorted. There was no way to change Tywin Lannister's mind once he had a decision.
"I seem to remember saying something similar about my own marriage."
"You're not me."
Tyrion and Jaime rolled their eyes, one out of annoyance and the other out of fondness. One despised this attitude of Cersei's, the other absolutely adored it.
"You want to make things better for Sansa? Give her a child.''
"I don't want a child from him" Sansa muttered softly. She wanted children, just... not from a Lannister.
"So you can tell Father it was you who finally talked me into it?"
"So she can have some happiness in her life."
"You have children. How happy would you say you are?"
"Not very. But if it weren't for my children, I'd have thrown myself from the highest window in the Red Keep. They're the reason I'm alive."
Sansa sobered up and sighed. She understood what Cersei was saying and why she was saying it... but not from Tyrion Lannister. No, she would not have it.
"Even Joffrey. He was all I had once. Before Myrcella was born. I used to spend hours looking at him. His wisps of hair. His tiny little hands and feet."
The mothers in the chambers could relate to this, even some of the fathers who spent a lot of their time with their children. Babies were... something else. Able to change moods and change lives.
Lyanna was bitter that she had missed out on this with Jon.
"He was such a jolly little fellow. You always hear the terrible ones were terrible babies. 'We should have known. Even then we should have known.' It's nonsense. Whenever he was with me, he was happy. And no one can take that away from me, not even Joffrey-how it feels to have someone. Someone of your own."
"We don't usually see Cersei this... emotional" Renly muttered softly.
Robert hummed, internally feeling the slightest bit of guilt that he made this woman's life as it was, that without her children she would have killed herself.
But that bit was quickly buried away by the fact that she had done what she'd done. She could have had those children with him, yet she did not do so. There would be no guilt for what he would do to her.
Joanna listened to her daughter with sadness. Who could she blame for this? Robert Baratheon, who was a lousy abusive husband? Or Tywin for throwing her at Robert? Or would she blame Cersei for she was in no way a helpless maiden either? So many people to blame, yet all she could do was feel sad for her daughter.
[RIVERLANDS, WOODS]
[THE HOUND and ARYA ride past four laughing Frey soldiers.]
"I'm telling you, that's what she did. Sounded like a cow in heat."
The mood in the hall shifted once more, especially from a specific section of the place. None of them had to guess who the men in the vision were talking about.
"I'll tell you what, though. The hardest thing was getting that wolf's head to stay on the body."
Robb stiffened, hand clenched into a fist. How dare they disrespect Grey Wind like that?!
"You sewed it on?"
"I did."
"I bet there were a thousand men claiming they were the one."
"It was me. And Malcolm and Talbott. Well, the thing was so heavy, it fell off the first time. Took the skin right with it. What we ended up having to do was hook the needle right under the collarbone. Give it a nice firm mooring and-"
Catelyn gripped her husband's hand tightly. Even imagining that, Robb's skin slid off his head... gods she couldn't even finish the thought! She felt sick even thinking about it.
[ARYA comes up behind the men. They notice her.]
"Run away child" Rickard hissed. If they recognised her, as unlikely as it was, she would be next.
"Mind if I keep warm?"
"Fuck off."
"But I'm hungry."
"Don't antagonize them" Jon hissed in fear.
"Does fuck off mean something different where you're from?"
"I've got money. It's worth a lot."
[ARYA produces the silver Braavosi coin from her belt. She drops the coin in front of the FREY SOLDIER. The FREY SOLDIER reaches down for the coin. ARYA pushes him down by the neck and stabs the FREY SOLDIER repeatedly.]
The Starks hissed in shock and some anger.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Ned roared in anger, making Arya shrink into herself. "What if you stumbled?! You'd have died!"
"Actually," Oberyn spoke, loud and clear for all to hear. "She distracted the man nicely, diverted his attention and pushed him down from a place where he would be stunned long enough for your daughter to finish him. She's a natural, if you were to categorize her you should encourage it rather than push it back with fear and anger" the Prince of Dorne said with a smirk.
Ned bristled.
"Things are different in the North compared to Dorne" Ned said harshly. "I do not need advice on how to raise my children. I have been doing it fine for years/"
"Oh yes, you have done such a good job" Oberyn drawled sarcastically. The jab was not hidden nor was it missed.
Ned glared at Oberyn but Oberyn smirked at Ned.
"Enough" Doran hissed to his brother, fixing him with a withering look. "Behave, Oberyn."
"I said nothing wrong" The younger Prince shrugged and looked away.
Ned looked away as well, stiff and angry. Catelyn rubbed his back to comfort him.
[The other three soldiers rise to attack, but THE HOUND appears to shield her. The Frey soldiers attack THE HOUND. He punches one in the face and slices another across the gut. He dodges a blow and disarms the third. He then dispatches the two soldiers who remain standing. ARYA watches, awestruck. She stands up as THE HOUND deals a final blow.]
"Where did you get the knife?"
"From you."
Oberyn snorted. The girl was a natural. A shame she was born a Stark.
[DRAGONSTONE, WAR ROOM]
[MELISANDRE picks up some pieces from the war map. KING STANNIS BARATHEON is hunched over the table, holding a single scroll. MELISANDRE starts to drop the pieces in the fire, one by one. DAVOS enters.]
"The usurper Robb Stark is dead. Betrayed by his bannerman."
Robb grunted in displeasure. Stannis Baratheon was not the worst man he knew... or at least the one sitting in the Hall with him wasn't. The one in the visions... Robb would like to put a sword through his face.
"Your Grace, the world has got so far bent. I've seen things crawl out of nightmares, but my eyes were open. I don't know if Robb Stark died because of the Red Woman's sorcery or because at war men die all the time, but I do know that uniting the Seven Kingdoms with blood magic is wrong. It is evil. And you are not an evil man."
"Do you know who had this table carved and painted, Ser Davos?"
"Aegon Targaryen."
"And do you know how Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros?"
"On the back of his dragon, Balerion the Dread."
"Not by blood magic I can assure you" Rhaegar said coldly.
"Dragons are creatures of magic" reasoned Stannis.
"As are the Children of The Forest. Are you going to call them evil too?" Rhaegar snapped back. "Do not sully my family name and history to justify your shameful actions.''
"Coming from the man that got his children killed" Stannis scoffed to himself.
"My enemies have made my kingdom bleed. I will not forget that. I will not forgive that. I will punish them with any arms at my disposal."
"You do not need to burn the boy. If what you say is true, a drop of his blood killed Robb Stark-"
"And our king is still no closer to the Iron Throne. A great gift requires a great sacrifice."
"Someone needs to shut this whore up" Robb snarled in anger.
Nobody corrected him, since they all agreed with his words.
However, he did earn reproachful looks because of his language.
"His name is Gendry. He's a good lad. A poor lad from Flea Bottom who happens to be your nephew."
"I'm a bastard. No highborn will ever accept me as a nephew" Gendry scoffed. He felt heartened at Ser Davos trying to save him, but he knew a lost cause when he saw it.