𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 | Lions and Thorns

{ Lyra }

✧✦✧

𝕿he last of those to arrive, before the bride, to the Sept of Baelor, were Joffrey and Lyra as they were the two most senior members of court. Joffrey smiled at his wife, who was smoothing her dress out, as he held her crown in her hands.

"Are you almost done?" Lyra shot him a look through narrowed eyes, huffing in annoyance. "What's the matter?"

"I look fat,"

"You look beautiful," Joffrey tilted her head up, placing the crown onto her head. "Come on. We need to go in."

"I want to see Margaery before we do," Lyra replied. "I'm going to wish her luck, but you can go in."

"Knowing you, you'd fall down the stairs if I let you go in alone,"

"I'm not clumsy,"

"I was actually thinking that my mother would probably push you," Lyra nodded in agreement, stifling a chuckle, as Joffrey motioned for the stewards to hold off announcing them as they waited for Margaery. It took a few more minutes, before Margaery appeared, looking flustered and slightly panicked. "I'll wait here."

Lyra beamed, before waddling to Margaery's side and embracing her.

"You'll do great. Just don't trip down the stairs," Margaery chuckled, clutching onto Lyra. "This'll be fine. I'll be standing in the front row all the time so just look there if you need support."

"Thank you,"

"I'll see you in there," Lyra pressed a swift kiss to Margaery's cheek, before retreating to Joffrey's side as the steward announced them.

"Introducing, King Joffrey Baratheon, first of his name, and his wife, Queen Lyra Baratheon," The doors creaked open, as Joffrey lead Lyra down into the Sept, taking the stairs slowly as to not aggravate Lyra's swollen ankles. They reached the bottom, walking through the aisle until they stood below Tommen in the centre of the Sept. 

He looked just as nervous as Margaery, his hands trembling as he fiddled with the bottom of his sash.

A few minutes passed, before the doors opened once more and Mace Tyrell lead Margaery into the room. Lyra smiled, wincing as the babe kicked her hard in the stomach. Joffrey rested a hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles as he watched Margaery reach Tommen and the High Septon.

Most of the ceremony continued in a blur of words, as the room grew increasingly hot and Lyra spent most of her time leaning on her husband as her feet started to ache. She blew the air from her mouth, hoping that she did not look like a sweaty mess, as Margaery and Tommen finally kissed.

"Thank the gods," She muttered, as Joffrey nodded, clapping politely as Margaery and Tommen walked out of the hall. "My ankles are killing me."

"Do you think that you will be alright for the festivities, or do you wish to go and lie down?" Joffrey asked, leading her out of the hall.

"I wish to stay, but..."

"But, it's painful," Joffrey nodded again, pressing a kiss to her head. "Margaery and Tommen will not mind at all, my Love."

"Fine, bed rest it is," She huffed.

✧✦✧

{ Joffrey }

The day after the wedding, Joffrey was called away from his work and his now bed ridden wife to walk on the battlements of the Red Keep with his mother and Tommen. Cersei was prattling, and had been for the past thirty minutes, about the fact that her sons were now married and that they had wives to take care of and not her.

He'd heard it all before, as she had said the same thing to him after his wedding, though she hid her hatred for Lyra far less well than she hid her disdain for Margaery.

"Do you ever miss Casterly Rock?" Tommen cut in, causing Joffrey to tune back into the conversation. He cocked an eyebrow, watching his younger brother with sharp eyes, wondering where this train of thought was going.

"There's nothing for me in Casterly Rock," Cersei stuttered out, laughing in between her words, before turning back to her eldest son and pausing at the sight of his contemplative face.

"That's where you grew up," The trio stopped walking, the gravity of the words weighing on their shoulders. Tommen caught Joffrey's eyes, licking his lips as he waited for Joffrey to agree or disagree. He would need the King's support to remove Cersei from King's Landing. "You always told me that you liked the people there better. You said that King's Landing smelled of horse dung and sour milk."

Cersei laughed nervously once more, catching onto Tommen's plan to push her from the Capital. She had no doubt that it was something to do with Margaery and Lyra, manipulating her boys against her.

"Why are we speaking of Casterly Rock?"

"The way that you talked about it, I always thought that you missed it. That you...that it was your real home," Tommen was becoming nervous, but Joffrey nodded in support, providing him with a boost of confidence as they all stood together. 

"This is my real home now," Joffrey thought over his words in his head, trying to work out a way to say what he thought without aggravating her. "Where my family lives."

"You are not happy here though, Mother," Joffrey spoke softly, tilting his head as he waited for her to disagree with him. "Far more of your family is at Casterly Rock and I wonder whether it would be nice to be home, where you grew up."

"I am happy, my sweet boys," Cersei reached for them, but Joffrey stepped away, his eyes turning cold as he glared at her. She was trying to sink her claws in to change their minds and make them doubt their thoughts, but Joffrey wouldn't allow her to do that to Tommen, or him. All thought of not aggravating her left his mind as his glare grew dark.

"But, wouldn't you be happier in Casterly Rock? You would be less stressed," Joffrey's lips flickered into a cruel smirk, as he shot a barbed insult at the woman. "I'm sure that both of our wives are more than capable of taking over your duties here. That is their job, after all, as Queen and Princess."

Cersei struggled to form words, before excusing herself and walking off to the castle. Joffrey watched her go, before turning to look at his brother from the corner of his eyes. Tommen looked pale, hands tremoring, before he huffed and turned to his brother. For the first time in a long while, Joffrey saw a glint in his eyes that he hadn't seen since they were far younger.

"That was brave," Joffrey muttered, sending Tommen a half-smile. Tommen's face lit up, a broad smile growing on his face as he looked up to his older brother. 

Ever since they were children, all Tommen had wanted to do was impress the older boy, who had always been in and out of king training and sword fighting. Tommen had never been good at any of those things, and had felt that Joffrey disliked him for not being as cold and collected as he was, but he was slowly starting to see emotions through his brother's mask.

"Thank you," Joffrey let out a little huff of laughter, slapping his brother on the back lightly as they continued along the battlements. "How's Lyra?"

"Annoyed to be on bed rest," Tommen giggled, knowing that his sister was used to always being on the move and the lack of it whilst pregnant had been near unbearable for her. "But she's excited, slightly sad that she has no one from home to support her, but excited all the same."

"That must be hard," 

"I guess so," Joffrey shrugged, before nudging Tommen. "But I've got you, haven't I?"

"I'm so ready to meet them," Tommen beamed once more. "I can not wait to be an uncle and maybe soon be a father."

"You'll be a great father, Tommen," Joffrey's smile turned more muted as he thought on it. Tommen was far more emotionally vulnerable than he could ever hope to be and would be a much better father. "Far better than I could ever be."

"That's not true," Tommen pushed Joffrey back, causing the king to stumble lightly and chuckle.

"Is that how you want to play it?"

"What are you going to do about it?" Tommen teased, both of the brothers shoving one another in a good natured way, laughing about it. "No, wait, Joffrey, no. I'm gonna fall."

"I'm the winner then," Joffrey smoothed out his jacket, ruffling his hair as Tommen stopped laughing. "That'll teach you to mess with your older brother."

"Your Grace," Joffrey stopped chuckling, his face falling back into it's usual mask as he turned to Rolan. "There's been an emergency Small Council meeting called. The High Septon is demanding to speak with you."

"Why?"

"He's not said,"

"I see. Thank you, Rolan," The man nodded, bowing his head again and disappearing as Joffrey turned to his brother. "Sorry, Tommen. We can have a walk again soon, or something."

"Yeah," Tommen grinned, watching Joffrey storm back into the Red Keep, before going to find his wife.

Rolan appeared by his side, crown in hand, and Joffrey pulled it on, before heading for the Small Council chambers.

"Please, sit," Joffrey nodded, taking his seat at the head of the table, as he waited for the High Maester to being to talk.

"Your Grace, Your Grace, Grand Maester," The High Septon began, bowing his head to each person in the room as he talked. It was almost comical. "Lord Tyrell, uh..."

He trailed off at the sight of Qyburn, who shook his head and motioned for the man to sit down. But the High Septon did not, pacing around the room with a crazed look in his eye and Joffrey furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't truly like the High Septon, for one reason or another, but as the king it was his job to listen to the man's grievances and do what he thought best.

He truly wished that Lyra was beside him, instead of on bed rest, but he was more concerned for the well being of his child.

"As the High Septon of the Faith of the Seven, I give voice to the will of the Gods and I am their foremost servant in this world. An insult to me is an insult to the Gods. An assault on my person, is an assault on our very religion," Joffrey took a moment to process the words, before a frown grew on his face. He had expected this to be about the church not having enough funding, not that the High Septon was attacked.

"You were assaulted?" Only a fool would try and assault the High Septon. Whilst he wasn't one of the most powerful people in the country, he still held a lot of control over the public's general opinions and an insult to him was an insult to the church and the crown.

"I was, by those fanatics who call themselves 'sparrows'. They humiliated me, they they beat me, they left me naked and bleeding on the cobblestones. I am lucky to be alive," Joffrey wasn't sure whether or not that was an exaggeration, but one could never be too careful.

"I heard this all began in Littlefinger's brothel," Qyburn commented, and Joffrey shook his head slightly, not surprised that it was at Littlefinger's brothel of all places. Littlefinger always seemed to be at the centre of most controversies.

"High Septon, this is a rather shocking thing to hear," Mace Tyrell shook his head, as Joffrey went over the options in his head. He needed to work out what he was going to do with this.

"Justice!" The High Septon shouted, causing Joffrey to snap out of his thought and listen back into the man's ravings. "I ask that you protect our Faith by arresting these criminals and throwing them in the black cells. I ask that you execute their leader, this so called High Sparrow. He's a threat to everything we hold sacred. If he goes unpunished..."

"And where do I find this man? This High Sparrow?" Joffrey asked, cutting the man's ramblings off, standing up and smoothing out his jacket. "I will have a talk with him."

✧✦✧

The streets of Kings Landing were busy with people, rushing to and from their homes and jobs to market squares or the sea to buy food. Joffrey paused, allowing a group of kids to run in front of him, chasing each other and laughing loudly. It brought him joy that his city was happy and far better off than it had been during Robert or the Mad King's reign.

"Up here, Your Grace," One of the Lannister soldiers nodded to an open aired dining area, lined with tables and benches.

"Wait here. This shouldn't be long," His guards nodded, allowing Joffrey to pad up the stairs and into the room without anyone around him. An old man stood in the centre of it all, and Joffrey walked over, watching everything with slight interest.

"Someone said that I might be able to find the High Sparrow here. Is he here?" Joffrey raised an eyebrow at the man, waiting for him to say something. "I would like to speak with him."

The man looked up and if he was surprised to see the king standing in front of him, he didn't show it. Joffrey's eyes narrowed when the man didn't bow, as was customary.

"High Sparrow? Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Like Lord Duckling, or King Turtle," Joffrey was simply not in the mood for this. He wanted to get this over and done with so that he could go back to his wife's side. He moved out of the way so that the rest of the line could continue forward. "So it's meant to. The notion that we are all equal in the eyes of Seven doesn't sit well with some, so they belittle me."

"Seven blessings to you," The woman took the soup and bowed in the direction of the two men. 

"Seven blessings to you, my dear," He turned back to look at Joffrey with a smile. "It's only a name, quite an easy burden to wear. Far easier than hers."

"Why no shoes?" Joffrey stepped behind the soup counter, surveying the gathered members of the High Sparrows group.

"Because I gave them away to someone who needed them more. We all do that. It stops us from forgetting what we really are," Joffrey wasn't sure whether there was a jab hidden in the man's words.

"Is that why you came to King's Landing? To remind everyone?" The High Sparrow froze for a moment, before turning to look at the king.

"Everyone? I have a hard enough job reminding myself. Oh, I tell them no one's special. And they think I'm special for telling them so," 

"I see,"

"It would be comforting to believe that, wouldn't it?" The man turned back to his work as Joffrey continued to listen in. "I had assumed you'd only come here to arrest me. For that incident with the High Septon."

"Understand, High Sparrow, that he is the High Septon. Whilst he is not the most dedicated to his faith, he is one of the most respected people in the kingdom," Joffrey turned back to the man, his eyes narrowed. "If something like this happens again, I will be arresting you and all of your sparrows who were responsible and I am not a lenient man. You can have one warning, and that is all."

Hiya,

High Septon has been introduced and now we get things moving. Joff being spiteful with Cersei brings me joy.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx