Cersei lifted her upset child from the cradle and held him closer than she had for the four days of his life. The baby squirmed slightly and bright green eyes looked cheerfully into her own. Securing the baby in her arms she turned to where her brother lay on the ground as her room began to fill with trusted Lannister guards, Maester Creylen and her hand maids. The captain of her personal guard, Ser Harwinn entered and began barking orders to the other guards as he assessed the scene. Cersei forced herself to look at Tyrion who was lying still as a corpse with blood covering most of his face - his shallow, wheezing breath was the only sign he still lived.
"Seven hells" exclaimed the Maester seeing the mess of blood that covered the floor. Guards pulled the body of Ser Meryn away from her brother as Creylen crouched to examine Tyrion.
"You shouldn't see this, your Grace" Maester Creylen said gravely
"I don't care what I see. Will he live?" Cersei asked watching the Maester check his injuries
"It's hard to say" he replied "Lord Tyrion appears to have been badly beaten"
There was a silent question in there that Cersei knew would need to be answered eventually, but right now there were other issues to deal with.
"I shall have him moved to his own chambers your Grace, and I will do what I can for him" Creylen said, standing to make the arrangements
"No you won't" she snapped "there's a bed in this room. You will fix him here while I sort out this mess"
The Maester eyed her warily "Your Grace, I fear your brother has rather a few broken bones. Setting them will be a painful, unpleasant process"
"I am no stranger to unpleasantness, Maester" Cersei muttered as he made his preparations
The baby in her arms gave a sudden lurch and Cersei looked down to see him stretching a short arm out towards his uncle lying prone on the floor.
"He can't hold you now my sweet. This isn't something you should see" Cersei soothed, turning away from the sight
Her hand maids were hovering in the room and Cersei knew she couldn't waste time. Word of the Kings imprisonment would spread quickly and no doubt Joffrey would try to bribe anyone he thought could help him. Firstly, she had to make sure her children were safe.
"You will both take the baby and go to Tommen and Myrcella. Tell them nothing that has happened here. Tell them only that I thought they would like to see their brother. Do not leave them" Cersei instructed her hand maids, handing over the child as the women nodded
Having come so close to losing him, Cersei could barely stand to send the babe away from her, but the carnage of the room was no place for a child and there were too many things she had to deal with.
Turning her attention to Ser Harwinn, Cersei continued "I want your best men outside their room. Do not alert the children. No-one but me is allowed to enter or leave. Understood?"
"Certainly, your Grace" the Knight nodded, making the arrangements
Cersei saw a guard lifting her brother from the floor and carrying him towards the bed, while the Maester readied his medical supplies. The body of Ser Meryn was lying in a pool of blood in front of the cradle, and Cersei felt her blood boil at the sight.
"Get him out of here, and put his head on a spike" said Cersei, gesturing to the fallen Kingsguard
The activity in her chambers was finally dying down, as two soldiers dragged the body of Ser Meryn from the room. Aside from herself and Tyrion, only Ser Harwinn and Maester Creylen remained.
"Your Grace, what happened here?" asked the Knight, eyeing the blood covering the floor
"I finally saw things for what they were" Cersei answered "Joffrey must not be allowed to leave the black cells and I expect Lannister guards outside my room and my children's rooms day and night. No-one is to leave the Red Keep or send any ravens. Tell Varys I need to speak to him and will expect him later tonight"
"At once" Ser Harwinn replied, bowing
Before the Knight could leave, Cersei added in a whisper "The King and Ser Meryn tried to kill my son"
At that Ser Harwinn turned, and his face showed no surprise.
"You don't seem surprised Ser Harwinn" Cersei laughed without humour "Was I the only one blind to what Joffrey had become?"
The Knight shifted uncomfortably "You are a mother, your Grace. It is only natural to see the best in your children"
"I stood there while my eldest son gave the order to kill my youngest son, and I did nothing" Cersei gestured towards her bed where Tyrion now lay "If my brother had not intervened my baby would be dead"
"I beg your forgiveness, your Grace. I should have been here to defend you and the Prince" the Knight replied, dropping to one knee
"Stand Ser Harwinn. I do not tell you this to blame you; I tell you this to warn you. Joffrey and those loyal to him are dangerous" Cersei replied, gesturing to where Tyrion now lay on the bed as Creylen worked on him "My little brother stopped Meryn Trant from killing the baby. A dwarf against a member of the Kingsguard and look what they did to him. He was already beaten and they tortured him anyway. Joffrey enjoyed it"
The Knight had risen to his feet, and gave a small bow in the direction of the bed, new found respect in his eyes "Lord Tyrion fought with honour, your Grace. I will ensure Joffrey cannot harm your family, you have my word"
"I believe you Ser Harwinn. Things are going to become very dangerous, and I need people I can trust by my side"
The Knight nodded his understanding before making his way to the corridor. As the door closed behind him, Cersei was relieved to hear him relaying her commands to the guards on the door. She was in the middle of a dangerous game now and Cersei could take no chances with her family's lives. A pained grunt pulled her attention to the bed where Maester Creylen had removed her little brother's tunic and was now removing his shirt. Silently, she approached the bed noting the blood soaked cloths in a heap on the floor.
Every touch of the Maester seemed to bring Tyrion pain, until his shirt was finally free and Cersei saw the full damage that had been done. Bile burned the back of her throat at what she saw. The blood had been cleaned from his face, and there were now stitches holding together the gash above his left eye and the line Joffrey had carved from his temple to the side of his right eye. His face was bruised, mostly around his left eye where Meryn Trant struck him. Her eyes continued to trail down his body even as her stomach heaved. Angry red bruises covered most of his chest and torso, caused no doubt by Ser Meryns repeated assault. His left arm was clearly broken and his left shoulder seemed to be hanging limply at his side as if it was no longer connected. Cersei's gaze wandered to Creylen who was now stitching a long gash across Tyrion's right palm.
"This was deliberate" the Maester said, gesturing to the wound he was sewing
Cersei wanted to be sick. She had never considered herself squeamish but knowing who had done this was enough to break the fierce image she projected. Joffrey's face flashed in her mind and any doubt about what she had done was gone. All the love she'd ever felt for her eldest son was replaced with revulsion for the monster that could cause such damage. The Queen Regent watched her little brother writhe in pain as Maester Creylen began to poke and prod his torso, examining his ribs. Though his eyes remained closed, Tyrion winced and groaned at every touch which Cersei was finding increasingly difficult to watch.
'This could have been the baby' Cersei thought 'It could have been Tommen or Myrcella'
The thought of her children lying in Tyrion's place was enough to make Cersei's heart stop and a small sob escaped her throat before she could stop it.
"He will live, your Grace" the Maester reassured, flicking his eyes to meet hers. Creylen's words brought her little comfort though as her mind dragged up horrible visions of her precious children at Joffrey's mercy.
"Why haven't you given him milk of the poppy?" Cersei asked, hearing Tyrion's pitiful moan as Creylen pressed on his rib cage
"It would spare him from the pain" Creylen agreed "but with injuries like these I need to see his response to locate the breaks. I do no wish to cause him more pain but it's the only way to heal him"
Although the Maester was undoubtedly right, Cersei only felt guiltier as she watched the proceedings. She had birthed Joffrey. She had raised him, practically by herself and he had turned into a monster. Her mind swam to the small incidents over the years she had dismissed as mischief. If the Septas or guards raised concerns over his behaviour, she dismissed them as liars. Even poor Tommen who had cried and begged for justice over his dead cat had found little sympathy. If she had corrected him, if she'd been a better mother perhaps he wouldn't have grown into a monster. Deep in her mind a voice whispered she shouldn't have slept with Jamie - that her relationship with her twin had caused his madness. She tried to banish those thoughts. She could never imagine Tommen or Myrcella doing the things Joffrey had done.
Cersei was roused from her thoughts when the Maester stood from his place by the bed. Thick linen now wound its way around her brothers chest, but she noticed his arm and shoulder were still mangled.
"Where are you going?" she asked
"Lord Tyrion's arm is broken and needs resetting, his dislocated shoulder must also be put back into place and I will need someone to hold him down while I do it, your Grace. I was going to ask one of your guards"
"Don't bother, I'll do it"
The Maester shifted uncomfortably "This will hurt him a great deal - it will be painful to watch"
"More painful than your eldest son ordering the execution of your baby boy?"
The Maester merely nodded his acceptance and Cersei moved to Tyrion's side. She had to see this. She deserved to see it. This could so easily be one of her children lying in agony because of her blindness. The closer she got to her brother, the worse he looked. He was shivering yet sweating and jerked away from her touch.
"It is shock, your Grace" Creylen explained seeing her discomfort "He's suffered traumatic injuries and his body is attempting to cope with it"
The Maester instructed her on how to hold him and Cersei leaned over Tyrion pinning his right arm to the bed with her body and pushing his head back to the pillow with her right hand. Her left hand found his undamaged shoulder and pushed him into the bed. It wasn't ideal, but Creylen said several ribs were cracked and they must avoid putting pressure on his torso.
"It's ok" she found herself saying as he squirmed beneath her. Cersei didn't know if it was guilt or shame that drove her to try and comfort him, but she continued trying to soothe her little brother as Creylen took hold of the broken limb.
The crack that seemed to echo through the chamber was matched only by Tyrion's cry of pain as his small body tried to jerk free.
"It's alright" Cersei soothed watching his face contort in agony. Unfocused green eyes flickered open beneath her before sliding shut once more. Absently, she realised this was the closest she'd probably ever gotten to Tyrion. Even as a small child she'd pushed him away if he got too close. Cersei didn't know if he would want her comfort now she finally offered him some, but she owed him a debt now - and Lannister's pay their debts.
As Cersei watched her little brothers face, it seemed to morph into Tommen, Myrcella and then the baby sending a chill colder than winter through her body. The events of the afternoon had seemed to last a lifetime, but Cersei realised it had probably taken less than 20 minutes from Joffrey giving the order to kill the baby and Ser Meryn's death. How could such a small amount of time change so many things at once?
Leaning closer to her brothers' face as she saw the Maester preparing to fix his shoulder, Cersei whispered the two words she never thought she would say to Tyrion.
"Thank you"