-Chapter 109-
-POV Cersei Lannister-
Drenched in sweat, I nestled into King Aegon's arms and said, "I need to keep Casterly Rock."
He sighed in annoyance, and I turned to him saying, "I beg you."
He rolled his eyes and then pondered. I kissed his chest, and then he said, "I will not yield Casterly Rock to Joffrey. He can keep Castamere, but I am willing to grant it to Tommen. Unlike his brother, he is a good boy."
I smiled, and then he said, "Do not smile like that. Even though you will be the regent until your son is old enough to take the reins himself, you will have to support all my decisions. If I ever sense a…"
I interrupted him with a burning kiss and then said, "I am entirely yours."
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-POV MC-
I rolled my eyes internally but said nothing to avoid upsetting her, then said, "Go get ready. There is a banquet we are expected at."
"I could accompany you," Cersei said with a teasing air.
"Do not overdo it," I said, knowing she was just trying to mark her territory in front of all the nobility and prove, by the same occasion, that House Lannister was still in the game.
She rolled her eyes before pulling the sheet around her and pretending to leave. I grabbed her arm and said, "What are you doing? People might see you."
She said with a smirk, "Everyone already knows what happened, and it was you who tore my dress."
'Damn, that'll teach me to think with my dick,' I thought as she walked through the doors of my room to return to her quarters.
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-POV Jaime Lannister-
Seeing Cersei leave the king's chamber, I won't say I felt nothing, but it indeed closed our story for good. It was a silent declaration that whatever happened, nothing would return to what we were, and honestly, I didn't care.
For once in my damn life, I was going to serve a king who deserved my service, a great king who would finally unite this continent divided as much by the nobles as by their cultures.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer Jaime Lannister but simply Jaime, the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, for better or worse.
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-POV Arianne Martell-
"Your Highness, the banquet is about to start," a servant told me from the other side of the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I was so deep in them that I hadn't realized night was falling. Aegon's words truly frightened me because with each passing day, he became more powerful than the last.
The fact that Cersei Lannister chose to attack while I could no longer satisfy my husband's insatiable appetite showed how fragile my position still was. He was so unpredictable that he could decide to simply take multiple wives like his ancestors or even repudiate me.
To think that at the beginning of this year, he didn't have enough soldiers to take care of the Crownlands' security, and now not only did he have enough soldiers to control the Stormlands, the Riverlands, and the Crownlands, but he also had two fleets of 30,000 sailors each that would control the Stepstones, the Narrow Sea, the Iron Islands, and the Sunset Sea.
What could Dorne do against him?
50,000 peasant levies could do nothing against Aegon's army of 100,000 professional legionnaires.
Not to mention the fact that he would soon have 2 dragons capable of fighting.
How foolish I was to believe that I could position myself as his equal. I was just a distraction so he could further strengthen his power base.
I caressed my belly and bitterly smiled, saying, "It's only you who can save me, my little dragon."
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-POV Olenna Tyrell-
"Paxter, my dear nephew, I was very surprised to learn that you had mobilized your fleet without a direct order from my son, your liege," I said, finally facing my disobedient nephew.
He nodded without any remorse and said, "I know, but the king ordered me directly, it was an urgent situation, I simply ensured his will was done correctly."
"Your loyalty to your king honors you," I said, not wanting one of the little spy brothers' pets to report everything back to their masters.
He bowed his head and then said, "I know I've broken the chain of vassalage, and the king is aware of it too."
I raised an eyebrow, surprised he had really become his 'emissary', and then he said, "The king seeks to make the Iron Islands a hub for trade to the North."
"He would be depriving himself of profits," I said, because the taxeshe collected on goods passing through his routes were colossal.
"The king is aware, but the taxes are not as important to him as they are to us. He has embarked on numerous lucrative trades that fill his coffers at an astonishing rate. What he wants is to regain the trust and love of the Northerners by providing them with what they need to prepare for the coming winter."
I nodded and said, "Hmm, it's clear that he is not as well-regarded in the North as he was at the beginning."
"Yes, but it's nothing irreparable. He hasn't attacked anyone; he is the first victim and saved the North by attacking the Iron Islands," he said, defending the king with suspicious vigor.
I frowned and said, "You defend him with such fervor. What has he promised you in exchange for such loyalty, my dear nephew?"
"Nothing at all, my dear aunt. He has only entrusted me with the task of Grand Admiral of the Sunset Sea," he said, puffing up his chest in immense pride.
I smiled and then said, "Not bad."
He lowered his head, and then I said, "I agree to make a gesture. All our goods will be transported aboard your ships and will pass through the Sunset Sea, but the taxes on all our goods will be lowered to 10%."
"No, 15% is the maximum that..." I began, but my aunt interrupted me.
"And our annual taxes..."
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the decision-making power on such matters," Paxter interjected before I could finish laying out my conditions.
I frowned but nodded and then said, "Very well, then I will discuss this with the king."
He frowned, displeased, but eventually said, "Very well."