Cersei

It was grime.

It was as disgusting as it sounded. Nothing could match the stench it gave out when Kai opened the vial's stopper. Horrible! A horrible putrid black-brown-yellow slime. One look and one could have retched there and then.

Kai was gratified. He put his nose at the brim of the vial and took several large whiffs. His HP was full, but the moment the filthy smell entered him, his MP regeneration rate rocketed. 'Almost by 15-20%,' Kai could tell. It seemed low, but it was enough when he was already pressed for time.

Plus, when in ample amounts, it was an inexhaustible source of energy to Kai. He hadn't forgotten the dangers he had faced last time. Too many times, he had been pressed for hours to wait for his wounds to heal. With these vials, he could almost function at his best all the time.

When his MP regenerated to 50% of its value, Kai put the vial back. He couldn't afford to let the nasty smell linger about him for long. Not now. He recalled the window of the king's chamber and walked towards it.

'Is she awake?' Kai asked himself, seeing the flickering light coming out from the shutters. 'Most of the guards are still searching for Jon Arryn outside. Is that what is keeping her awake?'

Kai's body was still pale red, steam puffing out of his pores, blurring him head to toe. His eyes narrowed. 'Let's do it!' Kai resolved himself, activating the Skill again. Slowly, steadily, Kai manipulated the lightness of his body and rose towards the top window. When he was a few feet below the window, Kai reached out, grabbed the windowsill, and canceled both his Skill and transformation.

Kai pulled himself up. Just a peek. And the noise hit him first.

"He abandoned you!" said a sweet voice sharply. "You should be putting heads on spikes, not turning the entire city upside down."

"Shut your mouth!" boomed a powerful voice. "Otherwise, it will be your head on a spike, woman. The guards at the city gates saw no one leaving. Both are here, I am telling you. Both Jon and that bloody bastard."

"That's what you do," whispered the sweet voice bitterly. "You drink, and you tell. But you do nothing. A mere boy kidnapped that old man under your very nose, they say. And here you are, as drunk as any whoremonger. There's something amiss here. Can't you see?"

"You…" bristled the manly voice. "Don't you dare take Lysa Arryn's name again? Are all you Lannister women so pitiful that you see petty schemes in everything? She is his bloody wife. Seven hells! You really think she has a hand in it?!"

"Blind, yes," the female voice hissed scornfully. "If there's someone blind, then it's you. Send that wretched woman to the dungeon, and the truth will come out before dawn."

No reply.

Kai brought his eyes up and saw the fattest man after coming to this world. He was red, fuming with rage. But there was a distinct kingly aura about him. With all his beard and clothing, Kai didn't take long to guess who he was.

'King Robert Baratheon!' Kai realized. The trembling came suddenly, then. His entire body shivered as if he was experiencing a severe bout of cold and hunger. The Tales of Beedle the Bard was sending bursts of intense vibrations. Kai struggled to not lose his grip when the king roared.

"That's it!" bellowed Robert. "Not a word from you."

"Go then!" snapped Cersei. "Go! Drown yourself in wine. Why not put a sword in my hands on the morrow and send me too for the search?"

The king didn't deign to answer. With long, powerful strides, he walked out of the chambers, slamming the doors shut. The book was still shuddering, hungry, thirsty, but it was enough to let Kai stabilize himself. When he looked back into the chamber, he couldn't see anyone. 'She's there,' Kai told himself. 'Alone, yes. But I can't see her.'

A maid walked in as Kai was contemplating whether to go in or not. "Is my bath ready?" asked Cersei in a queenly tone. "Check it and let the guards know no one is to disturb me after going out."

"Yes, your grace," replied the maid. Kai dangled from the window all the while. He saw the maid going in a small door accessible from within the chamber, and then coming out before finally leaving for good.

Then he saw her.

Curvaceous, blond, and beautiful. Slender and graceful above all. Kai was awestruck. He could only see her one side, and then her back as she entered the bathroom. But it was enough to make him understand what true beauty means. Kai's throat felt dry, and no amount of dry gulps seemed to make it stop pinching from within.

One quick pull and Kai found himself in the most luxurious room of the castle. Candles were burning hot in many candelabras. There was a thin scent of lavish perfumes and oils lingering in the room. The size of the bed was enough for over 10 people to lay side by side, and still have space left. Fruits and wines decorated small golden tables. And speaking of gold, it was everywhere.

'It's so easy to become rich like this,' Kai wondered. 'If it weren't for the mission, I could do anything I want in these worlds.'

Kai walked toward the bathroom doors. His steps were as noisy as the sigh of a summer breeze, his breathing hushed. Kai stood outside the doors, smelling the fragrance of roses and dozens more flowers. But he didn't go in.

Many things had brought Kai to Cersei Lannister.

Her beauty? Yes. Her power? Yes, that too.

But the paramount reason was something else. A reason he had just confirmed minutes before.

Kai flicked his hand. A black book appeared in his hands. There was a title engraved in runes over its front cover, and even if he couldn't see it, Kai could feel it convulsing. In sheer pleasure!

'It is finally the time,' Kai told himself, grinning ear to ear. 'Time to devour…'

… The tale of Cersei Lannister!