At this moment, Cersei sat in the throne room.
Before her stood Qyburn.
"Your Majesty, I have just received a report from a raven... from Casterly Rock."
Cersei, whose mental state oscillated from complete madness to restrained paranoia, inquired,
"What do they write there?"
Her speech was steady, devoid of any mixed emotions. But such manner of speech was unnatural for Cersei, and when she spoke like that, Qyburn knew she was about to execute someone...
Over the past couple of weeks, Cersei had been selling peasants from the territory into slavery to repay debts, and anyone who spoke anything unfavorable about the queen was executed.
The most unfortunate were the fanatics of the Seven Gods. Cersei sought them throughout the city, anyone seen praying on the streets had their hands cut off so they could no longer fold them in supplication to the gods.
Recently, Lannister soldiers found an underground church in the flea bottom district.
Within an hour, that place turned into a mere gathering of corpses.
Cersei ordered the execution of all 115 worshippers spotted by the scout in the church that day.
Some escaped, but over a hundred people were chopped into small pieces and scattered across the nearby streets.
The most horrifying part was that no one removed the bodies, and they began to decompose...
Qyburn tried to warn Cersei about this, but she didn't listen. Now, disease is spreading throughout the city, with a large number of peasants dying like flies every day.
Qyburn's reflections were interrupted by Cersei's repeated question,
"Qyburn, I like you, but don't make me repeat it for the third time. What about Casterly Rock?"
Qyburn looked into Cersei's eyes, in those eyes he saw no emotions of happiness, anticipation, or anything positive. He saw only hatred, hatred for the world, hatred for people as such.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, I got distracted... Casterly Rock... has fallen."
Cersei's eyes flashed.
"What do you mean it has fallen? Have enemies taken it?"
"No, my queen... Enemies did not seize Casterly Rock..."
"Then what does 'fallen' mean?"
This time Cersei spoke with a clear note of dissatisfaction in her voice.
"All the troops at Casterly Rock were annihilated. Out of a garrison of ten thousand, fewer than a hundred remain alive...
The enemy completely collapsed the northern part of the rock, and a third of the city is submerged underwater...
But after such a victory, the enemy did not seize the rock. They simply moved forward."
"....."
Cersei was silent, she simply couldn't understand what force could destroy the rock. Why did these dreadful people choose that dragon whore? Why was she, Cersei Lannister, not the one they helped!?
Qyburn saw Cersei's lips moving strangely but she didn't speak, and he tried to remain unnoticed until a knock sounded on the door of the throne room.
Qyburn immediately reacted, "The Queen is occupied! Do not di..."
But Cersei interrupted him, "Come in."
Qyburn turned around and saw Cersei, who looked coldly at him as if to say, 'Do you doubt me? I can decide when I am occupied and when I am not!'
At that moment, the door opened, and a breathless soldier entered with a letter in hand.
"Your Majesty, Lord Qyburn! Four armies are moving towards the royal harbor!"
Qyburn was the first to react; he rushed to the soldier and took the letter from his hand.
"An armada of ships passed by Sharp Point, heading towards Duskendale. The Dornishmen have captured Grandview Castle and are advancing towards the royal harbor. The Stormlands army passed through undefended riverlands and entered Sow's Horn Castle. They are now gathering forces and heading towards the royal harbor. The army that previously broke Casterly Rock is now rapidly approaching Harrenhal..."
With each sentence of this report, Qyburn became more and more convinced that there was no salvation. Either Cersei would surrender, or the four armies would bring her head on a spike, a gift for Daenerys Targaryen.
"Your Majesty, we..."
Once again, Cersei interrupted him.
"Messenger, you may leave."
The soldier nodded and quickly left the hall.
As the man closed the door behind him, Qyburn wanted to speak, but he saw Cersei beginning to laugh.
"Haha, ha-ha-ha, HA-HA-HA-HA!!!"
The laughter, which at first sounded sarcastic, ended up sounding like the hysteria of a madwoman.
Cersei suddenly lifted her head and looked at Qyburn.
"If they want the king's landing, they'll have to pay for it dearly! Qyburn, prepare to set all the ships ablaze! This city will either be mine or it won't exist at all!"
With that, Cersei swept her dress and exited the hall in the company of Gregor Clegane.
Qyburn looked at the door closed by Gregor.
"..."
He stood in place for several seconds, but decided to carry out this final task. After he finished, he would sail away from the royal harbor... Though he was a loyal man, he saw no point in serving someone who had completely lost touch with reality, unable to distinguish meaningful actions from senseless ones.
He would have followed Cersei if she had started preparing to depart or escape from the royal harbor with certain savings, but Cersei believes it is better to die in flames along with her enemies. Qyburn does not understand such a choice, and all he can say is that Cersei is completely broken; she no longer cares about the child she is pregnant with, she is only consumed by hatred.
______________________________
Meanwhile, Qyburn carefully threaded the fuses to the central hall, preparing for the final act in Cersei Lannister's story.
On the bow of the ship sailing through the Gullet Strait stood Jon Snow.
He gazed into the distance, trying to spot the royal harbor.
On the ship were Daenerys, Jon, Varys, Tyrion, Davos, Missandei, Grey Worm, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and various sailors running back and forth.
Seeing Davos approaching him, Jon said, "Is taking the royal harbor really that simple?"
"Your Majesty, if you think four armies converging from all sides is little, then I don't know what will surprise you..."
"Well, I mean, Daenerys isn't even planning to fight... They're just going to siege the city, even though the country can't resist anymore. Why not just take it by storming the gates? Daenerys's approach will only lead to more losses..."
"Your Majesty Snow, I understand you have a good heart and don't want peasants to suffer, but think for yourself. Why would someone send their troops into battle when they know the enemy will have nothing to eat in a couple of months."
"I understand that... It's just that compared to the war in the North, this war seems... Senseless."
At that moment, Dumbledore approached from behind.
"Any war is senseless, Jon Snow. Everything that can be achieved through war can also be achieved through negotiations, but war is faster, easier, and more profitable. That's why when it's time to get your hands dirty, you do it. Blood cannot be washed away, but it can be masked. No one forgets a person's bad deeds, but good deeds are also remembered. Sometimes people have to do bad things, but that doesn't mean they are bad; it's just that to achieve their goal, they have to make an effort."
Than, Grindelwald joined the conversation.
"Actually, why did you come with us? We're not even planning to fight; we're just going to build a wall. Shouldn't you be on the ship to the North?"
"Lord Grindelwald, thank you for your concern, but Her Majesty Daenerys and I have decided to go to the North together after she finishes her business here. I have already informed my people at the Black Castle; they are preparing to receive Daenerys Targaryen's troops and wizards."
"As you wish."
At that moment, everyone turned as they saw Varys gesturing to them.
All the important people on the ship gradually gathered in the captain's cabin, where a map of the royal lands lay on the table.
"Now that everyone is here, let's go over the plan we're following.
First, the Dothraki cavalry will sweep the areas around the royal harbor, and all villages that Cersei hasn't managed to sell into slavery must be evacuated. I've given clear instructions to the Dothraki - do not harm civilians. They will clear the territory within a 5-kilometer radius with the Red Keep at the center. Those peasants who are resettled, if any, will receive compensation from me of 50 gold per person."
Upon hearing Daenerys's words, everyone nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing that everyone agreed with her approach, she continued,
"As for those who have not been fortunate enough to be inside the royal harbor during the siege, so be it their fate.
After the clearing, 8,000 wizards who flew with us will start building the walls, to the south of the Red Keep, and begin extending them around the entire castle.
Lord Morningstar will arrive the day after tomorrow, and his people will also join us in the construction process."
"As for the duration of the siege, we estimate two, maybe three months. But knowing the situation in the North, we naturally don't intend to spend so much time here.
To reduce the strength of the royal harbor to a minimum, Lord Salazar changed a few things in the mind of the leader of the religious fanatics of the Seven Gods a long time ago.
When the time comes, these two groups of people will destroy themselves."