Game of Thrones/ASOIAF: The Prince of Scrolls

"I heard that last night they tried to assassinate Rhaella's youngest son," said Tyrion the Imp as he cut a sausage. "Then they tried to kidnap his fiancée." He chewed his food as he looked at his brothers with his mismatched eyes—one black and the other green.

Cersei drank a glass of wine, swirling it gently. Her full, pink lips glistened.

"A pity," she said without looking at anyone. 'A pity they didn't succeed.'

Cersei wore a revealing dress. Her skin was lightly tanned from the scorching Dornish sun. She had embraced the culture of her late husband, Oberyn Martell. Their union was a way for Tywin to further secure his hold on the throne. His granddaughter would be queen, and marrying Cersei to Elia's favorite brother was a way to solidify his position. The numerous trade agreements between Dorne and the West also contributed to this.

"A pity?" Tyrion said after swallowing the sausage. "I hear that Meryn Trant is in the black cells right now. He's the prime suspect in the kidnapping attempt. I wonder what he'll have to say." His sister seemed indifferent.

"Cersei?" Jaime said to her. Then he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

Jaime was dressed in elegant clothes befitting his position as heir to Casterly Rock. In another life, he would have worn a white cloak until his death. But in this life, he had been released from his vows after the loyalists won and Rhaegar replaced his father, Aerys, as king.

Jaime was the father of the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. His wife was Lysa Tully. She wasn't the prettiest or smartest, nor the best mother or wife, but... she was the one his father had chosen for him.

They rarely saw each other. Cersei was in Dorne, and Jaime was on the Rock, learning from his father.

"He won't talk," she said confidently. Although she still felt uneasy.

"Are you still upset because the princess rejected Joffrey?" Tyrion asked. "The boy enjoys whores as much as his father. I recall that he attempted to take the princess to his bed a few moons ago. He ended up with a broken lip. The girl has fire," he said between bites.

"That little minx doesn't deserve my son. But a Lannister always pays his debts."

Her father would have liked to see her married to a Lord Paramount, but there were none eligible at the time of her marriage. The only worthy candidate was Edmure Tully, who was now betrothed to a Frey. Given his young age and that the Lannisters were already married to a Tully, Tywin preferred to marry her to the prince Martell, with whom she had two children, Joffrey and Serena. Her mother intervened, wanting to unite her blood with that of her friend, Princess Deria Nymeros Martell, mother of Oberyn.

"And how do you plan to pay the debt now?" Jaime asked, not looking as amused as Tyrion or as indifferent as Cersei. "Must I remind you that my daughter will be queen, and I must ensure that she is? You cannot act as if you were on the Rock, doing as you please."

"Trant will die in his cell before he speaks," Cersei replied, her nostrils flaring.

"It would be wise to consider how much gold you are willing to give," said Tyrion. "There are rumors that the boy will have a castle. Knowing the king, he won't give him anything important—probably an abandoned one. One that requires a lot of gold to rebuild." He smiled as he watched Cersei's rosy cheeks flush. "We Lannisters shit gold. I'm sure you can fill a cart with our shit," he said sarcastically.

"Disgusting," Cersei said, wrinkling her nose.

"And true," said Jaime. He was no longer the boy who dreamed of being a knight. He was a father now and the son of the most powerful lord in the kingdom. His father continued to educate him, even now in his adulthood. "I'll talk to Jaehaerys. I'll negotiate a price."

"That would be admitting we did it."

"You did," Tyrion corrected. "And the boy already knows it. In case you didn't realize, all that talk about the code was a trap. A good one," he said admiringly.

"You seem to like the boy. Is there anything you can tell me about him?" Jaime asked. Knowing the players was important; it was a lesson he had learned from his father.

"He's quite intelligent. More than me, I'd say," The Imp replied. Cersei snorted at his words but didn't intervene. "We had a little academic chat. There are a few things I enjoy more than good wine and a whore between my legs," he said unabashedly. It was just the three of them; the children were outside.

"Did you enjoy chatting with him so much?" Jaime asked, ignoring his sister's grimace.

"No," Tyrion replied, using a napkin to wipe his mouth. "But maybe three or four chats would even it out," he said, laughing softly.

"I'm not interested in the pleasure the boy gives you. Tell us what we can use against him," Cersei said. She didn't find the comparison so amusing.

"I thought years of spreading your legs for the Dornishmen would relax you," Tyrion sighed sadly.

"Watch your tongue, Imp," Cersei said, blushing as she looked at Jaime.

One of her husband's good qualities was his skill in bed, and the fact that he didn't care how many men came to her bed. Even a bastard would not be a reason for separation.

Oberyn had only warned her that, should she have a bastard, he would not give the child the Martell surname, just as he had not given it to any of his daughters. She had been tempted to return to Dorne pregnant. That was why she was concerned about Jaime's opinion. The blond man didn't even look at her as he laughed with Tyrion, which infuriated her.

"The boy is smart. Very smart. At least, academically speaking. From the way he managed to turn this situation to his advantage, he knows how to play the game," he said, washing down her food with sips of wine. "He'll probably ask for gold. But he may also ask for other things, such as craftsmen or carpenters to help him rebuild the castle." He paused. "I doubt he'll make it difficult for you or seek revenge. He's quite pragmatic."

"I know there's no love between him and Daenerys, but his wife was in danger last night," Jaime said.

"She wasn't. Not for a moment. The prince's men are seasoned warriors. Ser Barristan praised them. He singled out two of them, saying that he'd have trouble beating them: They have the skill of a Kingsguard. And the boy has his absolute loyalty." Ser Jaime's eyes widened. Although his priorities were no longer tournaments or fights, he was still passionate about them. He would never feel as good as he did with a sword in his hand.

"No loyalty is absolute," Cersei said.

"That's the wisest thing you've said all day, sister," the dwarf said mockingly. "Although I hope you're not planning to seduce one of them to make him your man," he continued, watching her face flush.

"I wouldn't do that, dwarf," the lioness denied angrily. Although the idea had crossed her mind.

"We don't want any more trouble, Cersei." Said Jaime, he glanced at his younger brother. He seemed to understand and left, leaving them alone. "I can't clean up your mess forever," Jaime said. He sounded like Tywin Lannister. At least he had the decency not to scold her in front of Tyrion. "Listen. I don't care if your son was rejected. Believe me, if he asked for Joanna's hand, I'd refuse him, too." Joanna was her second daughter with Lysa, a beautiful girl with red hair and green eyes. "You have to control yourself. Trying to hurt a princess was stupid. What were you thinking?" His voice was a whisper.

"They were only supposed to scare her, nothing more," she said, her voice sounding hurt. In reality, she had asked them to rape and abandon her in Flea Bottom.

"I don't care. It won't happen again. You're not a child anymore. Have you thought about what they would do to your children if they found out about your involvement?" The woman's lips pressed into a thin line.

She felt the same way she did when her father called her out.

"Jaime," she said, her voice vulnerable and beautiful. "Please, you know I didn't mean to—"

"Take your hand away, Cersei. I decided long ago never to cross that line again," he said, pushing away her hand that was reaching for his crotch. "We're twins. I know exactly what you meant. Our father made a mistake teaching you how to be cruel, but not when to be cruel. Your stupidity will cost us gold, but it could have cost my daughter the crown if you had succeeded. I thank the gods you don't have the intelligence to achieve it." He was angry. Her attempt to seduce him to calm him down only annoyed him more. "I'll give him gold in the hope of appeasing him. But if I have to choose between my daughter and you..." He left the words hanging in the air.

'Damn coward,' she thought. 'I would have been a better choice for our father's heir,' she thought, but she didn't dare say those words.

"It won't happen again," Cersei said as she stood up. "Lord Lannister," she added, curtsying before leaving.