Chapter 25: The Great Cleansing

"Your grace."

The incessant calls by the servants made her eyes twitch in irritation. It has been going on for a while now and her frustration was mounting up.

Cersei looked at herself in the mirror, eyeing the small sprouts of golden hair on her head. Gold they remained but the vibrancy of her golden locks has disappeared in its entirety.

'It matters not at this juncture. My son needs my mind more than I need my beauty.' she thought

She did not forget the words of Maggy the Frog. Three children she would have, the witch had said and it came true. Gold will be their shrouds, the witch had said, and it has come true so far in the case of Joffrey and Myrcella. A queen more beautiful than any would come and Cersei thought of Margery. The one who was prophesized to replace her and take away her power.

Margery Tyrell has taken away her beauty and the hussy is now trying to take away her son.

'The Tyrell slut will not take away my son or my power.' she promised

She will save her son from the vile clutches of the Tyrell whore and her family of up-jumped servants.

"Your grace the Hand wishes…"

"The Hand can wait. Tell him the Queen is busy at the moment." she hissed and the servant babbled out a hasty apology before scurrying away.

She heard her chamber doors open once more and she was ready to order Ser Robert Strong to smash the servant's skull but she swallowed that order. Before her enraged eyes stood her Master of Whispers, Qyburn. A man whose loyalty she can be sure of and one who showed her proper respect in this nest of vipers.

"Your grace. There is an issue at hand that begs your attention."

Cersei let go of her temper and sighed.

"Speak Qyburn."

"A raven came from Riverrun."

"It's from Jaime, isn't it?" she asked as a smile blossomed over her face.

"Your grace, I'm not aware. The Grand Maester refused to share the contents of the message."

"That snivelling old man is becoming bold day by day." Cersei growled as she wrung her hands in anger.

"While I know not about Riverrun I have word about the Reach army. It seems Lord Tarly has suffered a setback in his campaign, your grace."

Cersei eyed Qyburn with interest.

"Tell me more…"

The more she heard the more concerned she became. The use of Wildfire made her worry. Qyburn had fortunately delivered on that question as well. Apparently, there were a few unaccounted Alchemists in the Alchemist Guild. It was entirely possible that these traitors had supplied the formula or the substance itself to her enemies.

At the same time, she couldn't help but celebrate a little at the toll exacted on the Reach army. It was to her advantage the Tyrells waste their strength on the enemies of her son. In time, she will have no use for the Tyrells and House Lannister will regain their strength.

But, that didn't matter for the time being. There were plans in place for dealing with the overreaching Tyrells directly. At the present, news from Riverrun was far more important.

To that end, she made long strides towards the tower of Hand closely followed by Qyburn and Ser Robert. Her fool of an uncle had forgotten that Lions do not share power with the sheep. A lesson she was not going to bother teaching her cowardly uncle. In time, all those who turned their back on her will suffer and she would not let her son be surrounded by manipulative old men.

The door to the Hand's chamber was guarded by two Red Cloaks. Seeing Cersei the two men immediately held the door open for her. Leaving Ser Robert outside with the two guards she entered with Qyburn in tow.

At the head of the table sat her uncle Kevan in a shining red doublet with the pin of office of the Hand shining on his chest. By his side sat Grand Maester Pycelle and Mace Tyrell.

"We have been waiting for quite a long time niece." said Kevan eyeing her coldly.

"There was a matter at hand that took my attention and do remember that I'm the Queen, uncle."

"Queen dowager." Pycelle corrected with a cough eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes. "I believe her grace, Margery Baratheon is Queen now as your son ascended the throne."

"Very true, Grand Maester." said Mace Tyrell beaming at the Grand Maester reminded that his daughter is the Queen of Westeros. But, that happiness drained away as quickly as it arrived and an uncharacteristic worry could be seen on the face of the Lord of Highgarden.

Cersei didn't deign the old man with a response and merely took a seat across from her uncle.

"You sought my presence, uncle. Well, here I am."

"We received a raven from Riverrun." said Kevan but paused struggling for words.

A twinge of worry settled in her mind.

"Has Jaime taken the castle?" she asked hopefully.

Her heartbeat picked up pace as she watched her uncle rub his face tiredly and passed a piece of parchment forward nodding at the Grand Maester.

"What's going on? What happened to Jaime?" she hissed

"We don't know what happened to Ser Jaime. But, you have to read this…" said Pycelle as he offered her a small scroll of parchment.

Qyburn quickly took the parchment from Pycelle and looked at her in askance.

"Read." she commanded

"Your armies lie in ashes outside the walls of Riverrun. The surviving lords and knights of Westerlands, Crownlands and Stormlands remain my prisoner. This will be my only offer for peace. Bring Cersei Lannister and Tommen Waters to Riverrun and surrender the Iron Throne to me. I shall expect a raven to this declaration of surrender within a week. Failure to comply means total war and the execution of every Lannister irrespective of their gender or status by Dragonfire. I shall start with Genna Lannister and her Frey sons. I shall exact my vengeance upon House Lannister and their allies wherever they reside. The time of Dragons has come again. The time for vengeance, justice… Fire and Blood!

-(signed)

Daeron III of House Targaryen, King of the Seven Kingdoms, Rider of Rhaegal"

Cersei frowned at Qyburn and took the parchment into her hands. Her eyes ran over the lines with an increasing amount of confusion.

"This has to be a joke. The only Targaryen we know of is Daenerys Targaryen. Don't tell me we have another pretender on our hands with far ridiculous claims than the one in Stormlands?" she said as she set the parchment down on the table.

"I wouldn't dismiss this, your grace. I received another raven from the Citadel. This Daeron Targaryen indeed rides a dragon." Pycelle warned in a grave tone.

The grim silence that gripped the chamber was stifling for Cersei.

Lord Tyrell was gaping at the Grand Maester like a fish. Her uncle was staring worryingly into his own hands.

"Surely you can't mean that Grand Maester. How can there be another Targaryen and one with a dragon no less?" spluttered Mace Tyrell with sweat rolling off his forehead in droves.

"The Citadel cannot be wrong, my lord Tyrell. The Maesters of White Harbour, Barrowton and the Rills all wrote to the Citadel. Eddard Stark's bastard son ride out from the Wall and took Winterfell back from the Boltons on dragonback. It seems Lord Stark kept many secrets, the most recent of which is starting in our face." said Pycelle whose hands were shaking. "Jon Snow is not a bastard son of Eddard Stark. He is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. This message is as genuine as the sun rising in the east."

"This is madness." Cersei glowered as she looked from Pycelle to her silent uncle. "You can't believe this bastard boy has a dragon under his command. Surely, this must be a trick by the Blackfish."

"If it is a trick then it's a clever trick masterfully done. But, I doubt this is a trick Cersei. If the Citadel itself supports this claim…" Kevan trailed off with a horrified look on his face.

Cersei felt her ire rising at such an open show of weakness.

"Don't tell me you are even thinking about surrendering on account of one piece of parchment." Cersei hissed as she reached across the table and swatted away the parchment.

"That one piece of parchment possibly hold a death sentence of my sister, your aunt, if it is taken lightly. Have you thought about what would happen when Lannister bannerman is also threatened like this? The Field of Fire might be a distant memory but trust me it is not that distant for many. By this time, I'm sure this Daeron has sent out ravens to Westerland houses. Lannister hold on Westerlands will be threatened." said Kevan

"What shall we do Lord Hand?" asked Mace Tyrell rubbing his sweaty palms.

Kevan rubbed his face tiredly before turning to Pycelle.

"Grand Maester."

"My lord Hand?"

"Send a raven to Harrenhall. We must know the enemy we are facing and ask the whereabouts of Jaime. Send another raven to Riverrun offering gold, silver and grain in Genna's and her children's weight if that's what it takes to free her."

"That's it?" Cersei shook with anger as she stood up kicking back the chair she sat on. "This is your plan? To go crawling to our enemies on the first chance."

"Enough! I asked you here because you would make a fuss about not informing you of matters pertaining to your son. Is it any wonder why I'm hesitant to involve you in the matters of the realm?" asked Kevan, letting out a long-suffering sigh.

"You have refused to act against the Martells who murdered my daughter. And now, you are going to treat with some bastard just because of a threat? You are no lion uncle." said Cersei

"You are right!" shouted Kevan as he too stood up from his seat. "I'm no lion. I'm the Hand of King Tommen Baratheon and brother to Genna Lannister. Informing you has been merely my courtesy. Now, you may take your leave."

Cersei glared at her uncle before storming out of the chamber followed by Qyburn. The moment she was inside the safety of her chambers she cursed her uncle and his cowardice.

"My uncle is not a lion. He is behaving like a cat in a rain. Had father been alive he would have littered the streets of this city with the blood of Sparrows and mounted the heads of these false dragons on a spike."

Cersei felt the sand beneath her feet was eroding away. She could not let that happen. She could not allow her uncle to disempower House Lannister like this. Something has to be done.

She sat down on a couch and began to look for alternative actions. She was now more than sure, her head would sit on a pike if her uncle had his way. That could not be allowed to happen.

Cersei glanced at Qyburn who stood silent but ready to have her orders carried out.

"Contact Harrenhall. Have them attack this pretender dragon. Also, order them to report back immediately about Jaime."

"As you will, your grace."

It was hard to find loyal men in this wretched city but she counted Qyburn loyal to her. He was the only one who prepared for her inevitable release from the clutches of the High Sparrow. Even now, the former Maester was instrumental in her plans to decimate her enemies in the city.

"What about the gift for the High Sparrow?" asked Cersei, leaning in curiously. She could see a hint of excitement in Qyburn's dark eyes.

"We are ready to 'enlighten' the High Sparrow to greater heights your grace."

She sat back on her seat with a satisfied smile.

'Revenge will be mine and I will watch as all those who laughed at my misfortune cry to the heavens.' Cersei thought

That thought sat well with her. Tywin Lannister may have died but his legacy will be upheld through her. It is time these peasants realize the price for challenging a lion.

"Send in Aurane Waters as well. My fool of an uncle may not know how to destroy our enemies but I certainly do. It is time the Velaryons proved their worth."

******

Brynden looked out from a window watching the men train in the training yard. The Tully men have been training diligently for the days that lie ahead. Riverlands had seen much war in the last three years but now they were at a precipice.

When his niece's son had liberated Riverlands and the lords declared Robb Stark the King in the North and the Trident, the same emotion could be found. It felt like a new beginning, one that offered a new existence far away from the shadow of the Iron Throne. A dream that remained a dream, far removed from reality, especially now.

If anything the past decade had shown, the Targaryens are a cornerstone by which the Seven Kingdoms function with the least amount of bloodshed. Robert's Rebellion for all its initial success and a due cause has left Westeros ravaged and opened up for so many wars. It is not to say there were no wars in the Targaryen era. There were quite a few but most of them had seen a speedy end. Only the Dance and Blackfyre rebellions had caused serious divisions among the kingdoms.

Brynden remembered Robert Baratheon. There was a Robert before the Rebellion and a Robert after the rebellion. The elder Baratheon was a gifted warrior and someone who earned respect from allies and enemies on the battlefield. It was their fault for thinking Robert could be a good king. More than a decade of peace was ushered under Robert Baratheon's rule with the exception of the Ironborn Rebellion.

While peace had indeed been ushered, no one had realised the damage Robert had ingrained into the kingdoms under willful ignorance and outright incompetence. Robert's disinterest in the governance of the kingdoms and his willful ignorance of the greedy encroaching Lannisters who devoured the power of Iron Throne bit by bit resulted in the most brutal wars Westeros has ever seen.

Much of Riverlands remains burnt under the orders of Tywin Lannister and his ill-born children. The smallfolk of most of the Riverlands were gutted like cattle. Castles were burnt and sometimes razed to the ground. Women were raped indiscriminately, even the highborn were not spared. Children had died of hunger and cold. The Riverlands as a force was spent. The North was similarly devastated and the less said about the Stormlands the better. The last he heard there were only little children left in the castles of Stormlands, as several older generations were cut down in all these recurring wars.

'If only Rhaegar Targaryen had survived at the Trident.' Brynden thought blandly.

The cause of the Rebellion would not have fallen with Rhaegar's victory. Taking the Iron Throne was not the true cause of the Rebellion. The true cause was casting down Aerys Targaryen. Even among the supporters of rebels, it was hoped Rhaegar Targaryen was not the culprit behind Lyanna Stark's kidnapping. The chances of victory for the rebels were slim and in the most likely event of defeat, they could still surrender to Rhaegar and enact the old plan of removing Aerys from the Throne.

There was already such a precedent with the Laughing Storm. Ser Duncan the Tall had resolved that issue amicably. Jon Arryn and Hoster had hoped to enact a similar deal rather with more forceful negotiations and concessions from the Crown.

Those plans were secret and remained strictly among Hoster, Jon Arryn, Yohn Royce and himself. Contrary to their expectations, the loyalist army committed the blunder of crossing the Trident. It was a unique opportunity that evened the odds in the rebel army's favour. Then Rhaegar ended up dead with Robert nearly dying on the battlefield. From there on, it became absolutely necessary to take the Iron Throne at any cost.

The Targaryen cause was dead with Rhaegar's fall and Aegon's ascension to the throne was absolutely unacceptable because of the very real chance of another Targaryen civil Not to mention, Robert's own popularity soaring amongst the rebellious lords. The Dornish, after all, could not be trusted to keep the peace and Viserys Targaryen was unfortunately much older than Aegon. It looked like another iteration of Blackfyre rebellions were in the making. It was then decided by Jon Arryn and Hoster to replace House Targaryen with House Baratheon. It was hoped Viserys could be sent to the Wall while Aegon could be sent to the Citadel when grown. Princess Rhaenys could have been betrothed to Benjen Stark.

It was hoped Robert could govern far better and unite the Seven Kingdoms with Jon Arryn's guidance. This thought was the pitfall that the rebels jumped into. It was a promising start as well with Ser Barristan Selmy standing by Robert when the rebel king took the Iron Throne. But, all of those plans went down the drain when Lannisters sacked the capital. With this singular event, Tywin remained a decisive power with a strong well-supplied army in the field. The uncertainty offered by the Reach and Dorne also played in the progress of an alliance with House Lannister.

They should have realised the folly of brokering a deal with the lions. By marrying Cersei Lannister, Robert had literally walked into the lion's maw. Throughout his reign, Robert's focus remained on revenge and his dead betrothed while the lions and courtiers drove the kingdoms onto ruinous debts. A decade and a half later, the consequences of those actions reverberate across the Seven Kingdoms.

'If only Rhaegar had not kidnapped Lyanna Stark. If only Rhaegar had been taken captive at the Trident. If only Jon Arryn and his brother never brokered an alliance with the Lannisters. If only Robert had ruled instead of whored and drank to his grave.' Brynden thought morosely.

He shook those thoughts away and chastised himself. Thinking about the past won't do him any good. He could wallow in despair and think about a thousand ways how things could've been different but none was going to change the present. His dear nieces, Catelyn and Lysa remained dead. Robb Stark would remain dead as will his wife and unborn child. As dead as Rhaegar Targaryen and his children.

'Not all his children.' Brynden corrected as he glanced at the dragon flying along the banks of Red Fork.

There remained one unexpected dragon in Westeros. A dragon born of Ice and Fire, he supposed. Looking at the two pieces of parchments in his hands he wondered which will triumph in King Daeron when reading these messages.

Many a raven had taken flight from Riverrun in the aftermath of what the men are calling the Great Cleansing. A term he was queasy to get behind as burning men and women alive is no way to conduct war. But, he kept those thoughts to himself. The conventional methods and honour in this war were thrown out the moment when the Red Wedding was concocted. The Riverland men were eager for revenge and they were more than willing to take it by any means.

Not a day goes by as lords demand the execution of all the Freys and Lannisters. Those demands don't stop there. It'd seem the men want all the Crownland, Stormland and Westerland highborn to be executed as well. A sentiment he feared the King was leaning towards, at least, in the case of Westerlands.

To that effect, the King had demanded an immediate unconditional surrender and gold in weight of captured highborn and knights from the lords of Westerlands. Those who would accede to these demands would get to keep their lands, castles and lives. Failure to comply with these demands and a failure to inform the King of willingness to surrender within two weeks time by a raven would be considered an act of treason, punishable at the King's discretion at a later time. This was the demand the King had issued to those of Westerland nobility.

A reasonable demand in Brynden's opinion.

The demand the King sent for the Iron Throne held a far more terrible tone. Brynden had warned the King, Kevan Lannister or Cersei would never agree to the terms stipulated. King Daeron seemed wholly unconcerned. Brynden got the feeling Daeron was merely sending the offer of peace out of propriety. The implications were dire if this is the case.

'Would Daeron go through with his threat to the Lannisters?'

Well, he'll know for sure whether that will happen soon. As soon as he finds where Daeron Targaryen has gone off, that is.

*******

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