"Ahaaaa."
"Who sent you?"
"..."
"Ahhaaaaa."
"Who sent you?"
"..."
"Haaaaaa."
"Hufff hufff..."
I had to give it to him, this one was one tough son of a bitch. That was the third finger I cut, and yet he kept his mouth shut.
"You know what? I understand now. You do not value your own fingers as much as I thought you would. It's fine. There are other things in your body that I could cut." I smiled and used the same Valyrian steel dagger I got from the first assassin to cut open the pants of the second assassin I encountered.
The man seemed to understand my intentions and started to thrash around more. No good for him—I had him tied up well. One word to the king, and I got custody of the man who attacked me in the fighting ring.
I deliberately left two alive for later questioning. One man was more than enough for me to find out the culprit behind this.
"Hmm, I can't say I'm impressed. Oh well, this just means that you'll notice no difference once that's gone."
"No, wait... wait... I-I'll speak."
Finally, seeing the bloodied knife getting closer to his manhood, he couldn't take it any longer and spoke out. I didn't expect this level of tight-mouthedness from an assassin in King's Landing. Now I'm way more relaxed about killing the first one. If he was anything like this one, then chances are I wouldn't have gotten anything out of him anyway.
"A wise man you are. At the very least, better than not being a man at all, right?" I smiled and removed the blade digging at his balls before going back to sit down.
For hours I had been at this. I had no experience in torturing and wouldn't say I did any good job here. Even Thor had no experience in torturing in his memories. But I had to do it myself if I wanted to know who sent this one after me.
If my suspicions were right, then those interrogators in the castle wouldn't reveal the name behind this incident.
After having some drinks with Robert—which he practically dragged me to—I came directly here to gather some much-needed intel.
And it was a good thing I hurried because when I went to get to him, I found two guards inside his cell. Odin knows what they were doing there, but I had my suspicions. If I had been even a minute late, then this lead too would have been dead before I could even interrogate him.
And just as I thought, the name was indeed someone who would want me dead and would use this kind of underhanded tactic.
Alas, I just learned that this assassin didn't have the same patronage as the one I dealt with before.
"One enemy at a time. First, let's go and meet a gracious friend who sent me this beautiful dagger. It's finally time to return the favor for his generosity."
Grand Maester Pycelle entered the Queen's solar, his steps slow, though much of it was an act. In his wrinkled hands, which were trembling—again, an act—he held a sealed letter, freshly arrived from the Wall.
"A raven, Your Grace," he wheezed, bowing as he extended the parchment. "From your brother."
Cersei, seated by the window with a goblet of wine, snatched the letter from his hands with zeal, thinking that this was from Jaime. However…
"Tyrion?" she muttered with a scowl when she read the name on the letter. A deliberate little mischief done by the Imp to annoy his dear sister. Knowing that his name would sour her mood, he put his name on it while sending Jaime's letter. While he was going to deliver the one his brother had given him for their dear father himself when he went back to Casterly Rock, he put a raven on duty to deliver the letter meant for Cersei.
As for whether Cersei would even read the letter, mistaking it was from him, he wasn't worried. If anything, he was hoping that his dear sister would do just that and later regret not reading it. Alas, that was not his fortune.
Breaking the wax seal, Cersei's emerald eyes scanned the page, her expression shifting from curiosity to anger.
The goblet hit the floor with a loud clank, spilling red wine like blood across the stone.
"That fool!" she hissed, gripping the parchment so tightly it nearly tore.
Pycelle cleared his throat. "Your Grace… what news does the Imp bring?"
Cersei's fingers curled around the letter as if strangling it. "Out…"
"My Queen—"
"I said out, all of you." Cersei shouted, almost startling the Grand Maester and the other servants. Not willing to be the target of this thirsty lioness's anger, all of them rushed out of the chamber immediately.
Cersei's jaw clenched as she read the letter once again.
"What in the seven bloody hells was Jaime thinking, going beyond that bloody Wall?" she growled through clenched teeth. Besides the fact that she was genuinely worried about her brother now, there were two other emotions rampaging inside her.
First was, of course, anger, and the other was even more primal in nature. Her mind telling her that she wouldn't be satisfied for a long time. That she'd have to suffer this loneliness alone. That she'd have no one to share her bed with now.
All the mental defenses she had built up all this time to hold herself back until her brother came back shattered at this moment, and a wild, womanly urge started to cloud her mind.
"FUCK..."
Just as she was getting in the mood to destroy things around her to relieve her anger, a call came for her.
"Your Grace. Lord Hand is asking for you..." A servant announced. The poor girl didn't have it in her to even step inside the room while saying this. Who knew if she would survive if she did against this hungry lioness?
Hearing this name, her anger once again reached its zenith.
"My brother…" Cersei began, but Ned Stark cut her off.
"You mean your lover."
Cersei's green eyes flashed with anger, but she said nothing. Her silence was enough for Ned to know the answer.
Ned sighed, his expression grim. "I do not wish to hurt your children. They are innocent in this. But I will not keep this secret from Robert. He has a right to know the truth."
Cersei lifted her chin. "And what truth is that, Lord Stark?" she asked coldly.
"That Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella are not his children," Ned said firmly. "That they are Jaime's."
Cersei's lips curled into a mocking smile. "The Targaryens wed brother and sister for 300 years to keep their bloodline pure. Jaime and I are more than brother and sister; we share a womb, came into this world together, we belong together. Now you know the truth. What will you do with it?" she asked almost challengingly, the anger from the earlier letter influencing her.
Ned did not get impulsive at this response. He asked calmly, "Your firstborn… was that child Robert's?"
For the first time, Cersei's expression shifted at this sudden change in topic.
"Yes," she admitted.
Ned's brows furrowed. "What happened to him?"
"What about him?" Cersei's eyes narrowed. She didn't like what this man was insinuating.
"Did you kill him?" Ned asked bluntly.
The Queen shot to her feet, fury burning in her gaze. "How dare you?!" she spat. "I could have your head for this..."
Ned met her glare, unshaken. Not afraid at all.
After some time he finally gave up, whatever it was, he it didn't matter now.
"I am giving you a chance to leave," Ned said. "When the king return, I'll tell him the truth, you must be gone by then, you and your children. I'll not have their blood in my hands. Flee as far as you can and take as many men you can. Cause wherever you go, Robert's wrath will follow you."
Cersei laughed bitterly. "And what about my wrath Lord Stark." Cersei glare.
"You should have taken the throne for yourself when it was the chance. That was your biggest mistake."
Ned's replied to this again with calm indifference. "I have made many mistakes in my life, but that wasn't one of it."
"Oh but it was, in the games of thrones, either you win or you die." Cersei replied and turn around. No longer in the mood to talk with this man. There was nothing left to walk, only war.
She knew the game had begun.
xxx
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