-Chapter 85-
-1 week later-
-POV Cersei Lannister-
"So, have you received any news from my father?" I asked Qyburn as I noticed the letters he held, some of the seals already broken.
'He must have already read them, as he has been in charge of practically everything since father left,' I thought, too preoccupied with comforting Tommen and too affected by the loss of Ronnet, Rodrik, and Joanna to focus on managing the court's trivialities.
'I've lost half my family, and now I stand to lose what's left. And all for what?' I wondered bitterly.
Qyburn nodded, and I quickly asked, "What did he say? Did he manage to stop Ronnet?"
Qyburn hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "The news isn't good, Your Grace," he said.
'How bad could it be?' I thought, my brows furrowing as I braced myself for yet another piece of dreadful news.
Qyburn handed me the letters and added, "I regret being the one to inform you, but according to the letters I received this morning, we have undoubtedly lost all the territories north of the Reach up to Red Lake."
"What are you saying?" I asked, stunned, unable to take the letters from his hand, fearing what I might find in them.
"It seems that the army of your… your former husband, the usurper Ronnet Connington, has grown significantly since he left the capital. He has also deliberately played…"
"…with the information we already knew to manipulate our judgment and catch us off guard," I finished for him, cutting him off because I knew Ronnet all too well.
'He was my husband,' I reminded myself, adding silently, 'My partner and my best friend.'
Qyburn briefly masked his surprise, but years at court scrutinizing everyone had taught me to detect lies and facades.
He continued, "That's correct. He secretly trained tens of thousands of soldiers, divided them into four groups, and placed them under the command of…"
"Arion Grandison, Rodrik Buckler, Samuel Morrigen, and Victor Fell," I interrupted once again, as it seemed obvious to me.
'His four most loyal lieutenants, the only ones he ever ennobled,' I thought, finding his choice logical.
'He managed to expand his personal army with noble houses,' I reflected, impressed but not surprised, knowing it had been one of his plans. I hadn't thought he would achieve it so quickly.
I remained silent for a few moments, mentally assessing the damage we were enduring.
'We've lost the entire royal fleet, as well as the loyalty of nearly all the noble houses of the Crownlands, who are merely waiting to see who emerges victorious in this conflict,' I pondered.
'We've lost the Riverlands, the Stormlands, and a significant portion of the Reach. We are completely isolated in this wretched city, whose population cries out in hunger,' I thought grimly.
'We are on the brink of collapse. One wrong decision, and we will fall from the mountain we've painstakingly climbed,' I realized.
I let out a weary sigh and finally took the letters Qyburn was still holding out to me.
I skimmed through the one from the large flower, detailing how Ronnet had conquered over a third of the Reach in less than a week.
Then I focused on the letter from my father, instantly recognizing his personal seal.
---
Cersei,
I have arrived at Casterly Rock and am assembling a larger host to strike this traitor Connington from the rear.
I have learned of the difficulties you are facing, as well as your decision to remove Tyrion from his role as interim Hand during my absence.
Know that I do not share your opinion and would personally advise you to listen to him.
Despite appearances, not everything your brother says is completely foolish.
That is my advice, but I trust you to handle the situation as you see fit.
While I distract Ronnet in the south, I task you with quickly assembling a host of at least thirty thousand men.
Mind you, I do not want you to gather just soldiers but men.
As long as they know how to hold a damn spear, recruit them, promise them riches if they follow you, and begin training them. Half of them will die anyway.
We can pay the rest with the coffers of House Connington.
Ronnet Connington has likely left good garrisons in the Riverlands to continue his strategy of isolating us, but I am almost certain he has left no significant garrisons in the Stormlands.
He deployed all his units to the Golden Tooth and surprised us by conjuring forty thousand soldiers out of nowhere to attack the Tyrells with four armies, but I believe it's just smoke and mirrors.
My intuition is that he's betting everything, leaving his lands defenseless and short on supplies.
If I'm wrong, it won't change the final outcome, as we will lose regardless.
I imagine you must be surprised, but though I am a proud man, I am not foolish enough to ignore a defeat when it stares me in the face.
If we manage to take the Stormlands, our position will shift entirely. We will hold his sister, his children, the northern hostages, and we will recover Jaime, Kevan, and all the nobles of the Westerlands.
This is our last chance, Cersei, and everything depends on you. Do not disappoint me. So far, you are the only one who hasn't.
The future of our house rests on you.
Lord Tywin Lannister,
Hand of the King, Warden of the West.
---
'As if that's true,' I thought after finishing my father's letter.
The way he spoke of Rodrik and Joanna—my children, his own grandchildren—sent a chill down my spine.
I knew him well enough to realize that if he had them in his grasp, he wouldn't hesitate to use them as leverage against Ronnet.
'He nearly did it before, and even in his wording, he clearly places them on the same level as any other hostages we might gain,' I thought, hesitating to obey his orders.
"Cersei, your father manipulates you. He doesn't love you, doesn't respect you, and doesn't understand you. If you continue to follow him like a puppet, he will keep treating you as such."
As always since Ronnet's departure, a deep guilt and overwhelming regret washed over me.
'If only I had been more patient, perhaps…'
"Mother," Tommen called from the doorway, breaking my train of thought.
Seeing him, all my guilt evaporated. For a moment, I saw Joffrey's image overlap with Tommen's, though Tommen was already taller than his elder brother had been at his death.
'I have no regrets. Everything I've done is to ensure he doesn't end up like his brother, and I will continue to do so until my last breath,' I vowed, resolute in my determination to protect my sweet Tommen from every danger.
"I'll be there shortly. I have matters to discuss with the Hand. I'll join you later," I said, attempting a faint smile.
Tommen nodded and left, my smile fading as soon as he disappeared.
"Qyburn," I said firmly.
"Yes, my queen," he replied, straightening as he awaited my instructions.
"I want you to gather a crowd of young men quickly," I ordered.
"To what end?" he asked, likely more out of formality, as I was certain he had already read my father's letter.
"I'm going to form an army," I replied before adding, "As long as they express the desire to fight, enlist them."
"Very well," he said.
"I also want you to requisition all weapons and forges. Issue a royal decree that all blacksmiths return to their furnaces. The Crown, as well as House Lannister, will pay double for everything they produce once the war is over," I said.
I didn't need to specify that he should intimidate or make examples of any blacksmiths who opposed the royal decree, so I continued:
"Quickly gather mercenaries to serve as officers. Promise them knighthoods or even lordships at the end of the war for the most deserving among them. Many castles and lands will lack lords once this war ends, and there will be plenty of widows and young women available for marriage."
Qyburn, visibly shocked, responded, "You want to promise marriages and lordships to... mercenaries?"
"I don't want to; I have to. Dangle whatever they desire in front of them. Make any promises you need to as long as, within a week, you can muster an army ready to take up arms," I interrupted coldly.
'All means are justified as long as we win and my children survive this war,' I thought.
"As you wish," he said without enthusiasm.
He seemed somewhat skeptical of my methods, but he refrained from saying anything further. I concluded with my final order:
"Lastly, I want you to open the granaries."
"We don't…"
"We hardly have anything, but our vassals will help us because they'll have no choice. Once they learn that I'm feeding an army capable of razing their lands within a week, they'll all fall in line," I explained confidently.
'Appearances can be deceptive, but they still matter,' I thought.
"I understand," Qyburn said, now deep in thought.
"The faster you assemble an army, the faster my words will carry weight, and I'll be able to coerce them into helping us. Their granaries are well-stocked and prepared for years of famine. This will buy us time," I elaborated further to reinforce my plan.
"You seem to forget the Driftmark bastard. He's sided with the usurper. He won't stand idle; he'll most certainly attack," Qyburn warned.
I let out a joyless, mocking laugh, then replied while grabbing my goblet of wine:
"That would be even better. It would save me from facing the wrath of the starving masses."
"You would leave the capital defenseless. Your father hasn't…"
"I answer to no one. I am the Queen Regent, and no one surpasses this authority except the King, who is not yet in a position to lead," I declared, firmly asserting my dominance.
'The last thing I want is for anyone to start questioning my authority in favor of my father. If I must protect Rodrik and Joanna, I may have to face him myself,' I thought, solidifying my resolve.
"At your command, my queen," Qyburn said, bowing deeply before leaving my chambers after I dismissed him with a wave of my hand.
'Ronnet, you should have bent when you still had the chance. You wouldn't now be on the verge of losing this war and everything you've built,' I thought, hardening my heart and suppressing the conflicting emotions that relentlessly haunted me.
'For my children... all my children,' I vowed silently as I downed my wine in one go, desperately seeking to forget, if only for a moment, the weight of my choices.