Chapter 1

"She has his eyes," Jaime frowned.

It was only the three of them in the room. The Queen, her brother and Cersei's second-born child, Myrcella Baratheon. The Maester and the serving maids had all departed at her command. Her husband was still out hunting.

"She's yours; he hasn't spilled his revolting seed in me in years."

Jaime didn't look convinced but shrugged. Cersei loved her twin, her other half, but like many men he cared little for very young children. She considered it for the best as it meant he did not dote on his offspring and draw suspicion on them.

Truth be told it could have been Robert's, she was careful and the lech so terribly drunk he rarely recalled how Cersei emptied him but sometimes the brute just took her. Those rare occurrences she when that occurred, she took Moon Tea. She would not bear her husband a true born child.

The babe had certainly wailed more than her first child but she was small and already had a mop of blond hair. No, she had been careful, it couldn't be Robert's. It couldn't be, regardless of her eyes.

"And how are you feeling?" Her lover asked.

"Exhausted but glad it is done. She will be my little lioness."

Chapter 1

Being X had screwed me once again, I just didn't know how yet. This life was simply too good to be true. Sure, I was once again in the body of a girl, but not an orphan this time; in fact I was royalty! There was no hardship or depravation. Why was I here? I had been certain some terrible fate or oblivion would be what I had to look forward to upon my death.

Dying had been unpleasant enough and I had thought it but a prelude to what would occur next. Speaking of my death, it was a rather cruel irony.

I had no reason at all to fight so hard to protect the person I had been ordered to assassinate. The death of General Rudersdorf had been the entire purpose of me being with the convey. It soured my stomach as I remember how desperate I had been to make the defense look believable. The company I led had used our protective shells to literally body block the explosive formula and shots fire on the plane. I had underestimated how many Albion elites had been part of the assault and the wave of fire had torn apart my defenses. Had I been using my normal stratagems I would have dodged. I should have dodged. But I didn't, instead I let fear of my duplicitous mission being found out cause me to take a poor risk.

Occasionally I wonder if my heroics saved the very person I had been sent to kill. There was no way of knowing, as this was clearly a completely different world.

A world where I was a princess in the lap of luxury. The daughter of King Robert Baratheon the First of his Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm. Not to say that it was all good. I was clearly in a very technologically backward world. This version of reality didn't even have proper seasons! To say nothing of other joys of modern comfort. Toiletries, central air, and proper healthcare which were all beyond the grasp of this medieval society.

At least I was safe for the time being. My earliest years I had little memory of, I suspect it was all in jumbles fitting two lifetimes of memories into a tiny undeveloped brain. By three everything I knew had returned to me. Boredom was my biggest foe but soon was I was able to prove my precociousness and my education was accelerated. This new world was not completely unlike my first world's history. Similarities with medieval Europe were found all around. I did not stint in my studies. It's a virtue to learn whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The Seven Kingdoms, though really it was nine distinct realms and not seven, were under a relatively new dynasty. My father had overthrown the old mad King and the Targaryen family with it. During the rebellion said mad King was slain by uncle Jaime, earning him the moniker "Kingslayer." People looked down on him for this but he did what needed to be done. Just like I had originally been prepared to do what needed to be done about Rudersdorf. Much of the former royal family was slain including his son and two grandchildren. That was likely my deepest worry, if the Baratheon's were overthrown like the Targaryen's that would likely be my fate. What could a child, or even an adult woman do if confronted by men with blades and armor?

Very little. I could do more in a situation like that than most but wining such a conflict would be beyond me. I had two factors in my favor. One, is I am no stranger to war. I had no hesitancy to kill and that would likely surprise any would be assailant. I carried a small knife hidden on my person and knew exactly where to strike to end an attacker's life.

The second advantage was my abilities. Which were sadly quite pathetic compared to the power I wielded in my second life. I could still do some magic, this body had magic circuits and I could to a small extent replicate what I could do with a computation orb. Before their invention there had been those rare few who had the ability to manipulate reality around themselves without the aid of technology but it was so rare most thought it even a myth or an exaggerated story. There was as reason why the young were tested for magical ability, instead of just knowing they had it, it was because utilizing said ability was nearly impossible. Nearly. But not fully impossible and that is what I studied and tried to perfect.

Sadly, only to limited utility. The computation orb actualized phenomena by applying the appropriate amount of stimulus to the right location. It automatically calculated the appropriate amounts of mana needed with analog arithmetic and theoretically whatever it could do could be replicated by applying said formulas yourself. So much easier said than done.

To put it simply you would need to be an idiot savant or some type of super genius to reliably use formulas on the fly without an orb. But that wasn't the only problem. Either this body had very little mana available to it or something about this world resisted the use of magic. I theorized it was likely the latter as my body didn't feel much different than my second one. Which of course begged the question why I literally looked almost exactly like Tanya Degurechaff. It wasn't exact, likely due to enjoying all the food that I desired, but my facial features were alike. My eye color down to the exact shade of my second body. My hair the exact coloring. I mostly took after my mother but my eyes came from my father, the king. And yet the coincidence here didn't make sense. I just happened to be born into a family that could give me the features that I had in my past life? Ridiculous, I was being toyed with somehow and I couldn't understand the angle that Devil was playing.

Returning to the subject of the difficulties I faced with magic. I could mimic some of what a computation orb could do but only the most simple of feats. The first I tested was the typically passive protective film used in personal defense on the battlefield. It wasn't the more active defense shell which could stop high caliber rounds but I had hoped it would at least do something. And technically it did but the efficacy was laughable. It couldn't stop a fork using only slight pressure. Absurdly useless against an attack, wearing an extra layer of silk would do as much against a sword. Yet even using it exhausted me after only a short time.

I moved on from personal defense to other ideas. Explosive formulas were not something I wanted to experiment with but optical formulas might have some merit. They didn't. After days of trial and error I finally mastered being able to use it mentally. Again, to not much benefit. I couldn't do it fast which likely killed most of its utility then and there and secondly it had no punch. A normal optical formula was effectively a heat beam. The Republican mages were experts with it but even they likely couldn't make it work in the land of Westeros. I couldn't even heat water with it. If someone stood perfectly still and let me use it on them for a few minutes they might break out into a sweat. Maybe, if I had the energy to even keep it up that long, which I didn't.

I had initially been hesitant to attempt formulas that effected my brain but when I saw how much mana it took for even minimal modifications to reality I went ahead. Doping myself still worked, I could improve my reaction time and give myself intracerebral narcotics. It wasn't as effective as what I had used as Tanya but it did make a difference. My balance and reflexes were all heightened. With it I could juggle cutlery or throw a knife with great accuracy. I could even do gymnastic tricks without falling flat on my face. It did still exhaust me and it took a few moments to cast but I would take what I could get.

The other useful ability was to apply force on my own body in a direction. Flight was definitely out but I could jump higher than what was physically possible. I could also move sideways or slow my descent. This could help me get me away from an attacker or even turn the tables on them.

I of course told no one of what I could do. A trick up your sleeve isn't any good if everyone knows about it. Also, there were other considerations such as the church viewing magic as an abomination. Organized religion would always be something I would be wary of and I didn't want their attention and target on my back even if I had the protection of the crown.

Fortunately, the odds of me having to defend myself physically were low at the moment. The Seven Kingdoms is the strongest nation state in the world. Internally there was little love between various houses but none could challenge Robert. The man who raised him was his Hand and represented house Arryn of the Vale. His wife was Queen Cersei Lannister, daughter of the richest Lord and Warden of the West. He was good friends with the Lord of House Stark and ties of marriage bound the Tully's to Arryn and Stark. He himself was the initial Lord of the Storm Lands who were now ruled by my uncle Lord Renly. The only real enemies were House Greyjoy who had recently been crushed after their attempt at rebellion. Dorne and the Reach had sided with the Targaryen family and so could be sources of discontent but against the rest of the realm it was not feasible for them to rebel. Besides, the Martells and the Tyrells did not like each other as there was bad blood between their two lands throughout history.

The political situation was well in hand despite the fact my father is a drunken oaf who has no business running a department let alone a nation. As best I can tell, the only reason the realm had not significantly suffered under his rule is due to him not ruling. He left most of that up to his Small Council and the Hand Jon Arryn who was a capable manager. The Hand was very similar to that of a CEO selected by the Board of Directors, only in this case simply selected by the King. It was said that what the king dreams, the Hand of the King builds.

However, knew that wasn't the true secret to the realm's success. What truly kept the court running was my mother, Cersei Lannister. Most would not think so because they only saw the façade of the proud and beautiful queen. Likely that was precisely the way she wanted it. It even took me, someone with two lifetimes of experience and knowledge of the cutthroat world of corporate HR and the political machinations of the Empire's military system some time to piece things together.

My first clue was how my mother quickly sensed I did not like being mothered. Most would have taken it as an affront or sought to cling harder or maybe even begin to hate their child but not Cersei. She clearly saw that a typical overtly motherly love was not something I desired. Instead, she devoted her attentions to her first born and heir to the Seven Kingdoms. Such insight could only mean she had Emotional Intelligence far beyond the norm.

Early on in life I made it a habit to learn the names of my maids, servants, and guards. I would thank them and grace them with a smile. Remembering people's names is critical to professional success in leading others. By recalling people's names, it shows that you are interested in them and causes them to feel valued. It is a simple thing but one that can pay dividends in the future in loyalty.

The family, which meant my two siblings, my mother and uncle Jaime had sat down for a meal. A servant presented a dish and I thanked her. Cersei looked down the table at me with a fierce expression.

"Child, why do you bother addressing the servants so?"

At first, I thought I was being chastised for some social faux pas. My etiquette lessons with the Septa had not advised me that thanking servant was a social taboo. While others did not regularly do so it did seem to be wrong.

"I appreciate their hard work and diligence. Their efficiency is praiseworthy."

"It is not praiseworthy it is the bare minimum. Had they done any less they would be punished or cast out of our service." She countered.

This was shortsighted! While I agree that Machiavelli had some excellent points about it being better to be feared than loved this really didn't apply to menial roles. Before I could speak up in defense, I figured it out. Cersei, the master manipulator, and skilled political savant that she was could not possibly care how I treated the help. What she was doing was highlighting what I was doing. Now every servant in the room could see my actions and if I continued to do it later without my mother present it would be so much more meaningful to them! My stature and reputation among the serving class could only be enhanced by her calling out the behavior.

I inclined my head. "Forgive me mother, you are quite right. I see now."

Obviously, I saw through her subterfuge and she saw that I saw. That is why she graced me with a faint smile. Joffrey, my foolish brother, had snickered as if I was somehow in trouble or had lost face. No quite the opposite in fact. From that day on I continued to recognize the 'small folk' as it were and called them by name when I wasn't around the Queen. And they loved me even more for it.

With my family having things well in hand I wasn't terribly worried but I could not escape the paranoia that it would all come crashing down due to the vile machinations of Being X. He would fuck with me and turn the life of luxury into a charnel house. I just knew it. I had to be prepared. I would be prepared.