Morganna wanted to kill the king.

She had first hated Joffrey after hearing her brother talk of the spoilt prince when he visited home from King's Landing as a boy. Seeing it for herself, when the King came to Winterfell and Joffrey provoked Edrick into attacking him after insulting their mother, only solidified her poor view of him. Then when the prince's lies and cruelty had resulted in her own face being bruised and the direwolves all being sent back to Winterfell, she had hated him more than she'd ever hated anyone before.

All of that seemed so pathetic now. It had seemed real, at the time, but now she could admit she had known nothing of true hate. The kind of hate that had her mother glowering at the very mention of the name Targaryen. Morganna knew it now, after Joffrey had murdered her uncle, his wormy lips curl into a satisfied smile at Sansa's anguished screaming.

She did not regret punching him, as Lord Stark's head was raised above the cheering, baying crowd. Even though she had been paying for it ever since.

The consequences had been less dire than she expected, in truth. Part of her, once she thought for a second about what she had done, wondered if she would be killed herself. Joffrey no doubt wanted her head on a spike beside her uncle's, for daring to lay a hand on the King, and humiliate him in front of half of the city. Cersei would surely be out for her blood too; surely she would be left to rot in the Black Cells, at the very least.

As it was, Morganna had been thrown into a tower cell the morning after the execution. The room was bare and bland, and she was all alone with little to amuse herself with, aside from the few times a week that Sansa was allowed to visit. Whilst not quite languishing in a dungeon, it was maddening nonetheless. A year ago, she would've thought that the worst kind of torture, but now she knew better.

Her fist in his face had done little to curb Joffrey's evil nature.

"Gods," Morganna was on her feet when her cousin slipped into her cell, concerned at once. "What happened?"

Sansa was ashy pale and shaking like a leaf. "His Grace - he - he - "

"What did Joffrey do?" Morganna grabbed her cousin and led her to sit down on the narrow bed. "You don't have to pretend in here, Sansa,"

"They listen," The girl whispered, with a fearful glance at the closed door. "The walls listen, here,"

"Talk quietly, then," She lowered her own voice. "What did that nasty little shitstain do?"

Sansa let out a strangled laugh, though any amusement fast faded. "He took me - took me to the walls," She struggled to get the words out, her shaking getting worse. "He made me look - look at - " The wall she had used to hold back her grief in front of everyone broke, and great sobs wracked her body. " - Father,"

Morganna was confused for a moment, then realised the horrible truth of what her cousin was saying. She had no words to reply with, and her hand on Sansa's shoulder felt woefully inadequate. She barely noticed the silent tears falling from her own eyes.

"It's almost easier, in front of them," Sansa said, once her crying had abating slightly. "I can pretend it's happening to someone else, and hide behind my manners,"

"You're stronger than I am," Morganna managed to say.

"No I'm not," Her cousin scoffed slightly. "You're so brave. You punched Joffrey in the face in front of the whole city," She laughed, a little hysterical. "I wanted to push him, earlier. There was no barrier up on the walls. I could have pushed him, it would've been easy, and I didn't care that I might go over with him. I didn't, though,"

"As much as I would love to see him as a bloody smear on the ground, they'd have killed you," Morganna was a little in awe. "And what would I do, without you here?" Sansa was in control of herself in a way that she could never be, if she tried for a hundred years. Without a doubt, Morganna would have pushed him.

She had never been close with Sansa. The only times they got along were when they talked about handsome boys and pretty dresses, because there were no other girls Morganna knew who were interested in such things. Generally, she just enjoyed getting under Sansa's skin - she was easy to irritate, and rather gullible - which meant they didn't have the best relationship.

Now, however, Morganna found she looked forward to her cousin's visits more than anything, because she saw no other people in this wretched place. She had no idea what was happening outside her cell, aside from what Sansa could tell her, in a hushed voice so the guard outside wouldn't hear. She tried asking her cousin to bring Princess Myrcella up here, but Sansa had fretfully refused, saying the Queen would be most displeased. She hadn't pushed the matter.

The monotony was killing her, and she had only been locked away for a week. Morganna had searched the room all over, there was no way out, not even in the fireplace; she had scraped her hands raw trying to find another tunnel. She suspected that they shut her away in the hope Joffrey would forget about her; the moment their gracious King saw her face, he would scream for her head.

For now, no matter how much Cersei hated her, she could not kill her. All doubt about that had been removed when the Kingslayer became a captive of the Starks. How Morganna had laughed when she heard the news of the Lannister's defeat in the Whispering Wood. Up until Sansa came into her rooms several days later, and she had noticed the bruises on her cousin's chest and wrists, peeking out of her gown.

"Who did this?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Robb won a battle," Sansa said blankly. "Joffrey told Ser Boros to beat me,"

Upon further questions, there were vivid bruises all up her cousin's arms and legs, ribs and back, deep purple, black and green. It was a wonder she hadn't broken anything.

"I'll kill him,"

Morganna was halfway to the door, not caring that the guards outside would hardly let her pass, when her cousin grabbed her arm.

"You mustn't," She implored. "You've caused enough trouble. Joffrey's nose is healing crooked and he's furious, even the Queen won't be able to stop him if you do anything else," Morganna had to grin at that, and despite herself, Sansa managed a small smile, which quickly faded. "Morganna, I'm so glad you're here. I don't know what I'd do if I had to pretend to... to love him in front of everyone here,"

"Like I said, you're stronger and smarter than I am. I'd say something awful just so I didn't burst into tears. I dream about killing him every night,"

"You shouldn't say such things," Her cousin glanced around nervously, even though they were speaking quietly, and hesitated before continuing. "I've been having the most dreadful dreams. I asked Grand Maester Pycelle for a sleeping draught, and I though slept for a long time, I still had them anyway,"

"What kind of dreams?"

"Most of the time I'm chasing some poor sheep or deer, and end up eating it raw,"

Well that wasn't what she'd been expecting. Morganna gave her cousin an odd look, as Sansa tried to explain further.

"It's like - like I am a wolf. I see Nymeria and Grey Wind and Crow there with me, hunting,"

"And you're Lady?" She tilted her head, intrigued.

Her cousin nodded. "That's not the worst of it," She gave a small shudder. "The other night I dreamt of battles and blood and screaming. Robb was there one minute, and cousin Renan the next, both fighting and killing. And I was killing too, tearing terrified men to pieces. And I enjoyed it. I could've sworn Nymeria looked at me with Arya's eyes. Then I wake up with the taste of blood in my mouth,"

A pause.

"Robb won a battle the other night," The two girls shared an unnerved look, then Morganna grinned, breaking the silence. "You must be a warg,"

"No," Sansa gave a small laugh, shaking her head. "Don't be silly,"

Despite Sansa's visits, Morganna spent her days bored out of her mind. Bored enough to spend more time scrubbing about in the fireplace, trying to locate a passageway. It was only after she gave the hearth a good kick in a fit of frustration that, instead of breaking her toe, something shifted in the brick. Something was there, some kind of panel, so worn down after years of disuse as to be invisible.

It took another hour, ruining her fingers and the handle of the spoon she'd been given at breakfast that morning, but eventually she was able to prise open a panel in the side of the fireplace. Behind it, a tiny hole, leading into black nothingness. It looked barely big enough for her to squeeze through.

Of course, she didn't hesitate before doing exactly that.

The tunnel didn't open up at all, nor did it have a ladder right away. She had to edge her way sideways through dust and cobwebs, stone scraping at her from either side. She could hear the guards outside her room talking, could hear someone coming up the stairs, though she couldn't see a thing in the gloom. A good thing she wasn't afraid of small spaces.

After coming across a ladder by nearly falling down the shaft, Morganna had to acknowledge that even she was not prepared to go down that dark hole, relying on an ancient ladder, without any light. Besides, it was near midday; someone would be up with her meal soon, and it wouldn't pay for them to find her missing.

That night, however, she lit a candle and went exploring. Exploring the passages soon became how she spent most of her nights, and increasingly her days too, though she had to be careful that no one found her gone from her cell, and that she managed to scrub all the ash and dirt from herself after.

She also had to be careful not to get lost. The passages in the walls were a maze, and more than once Morganna had gone too far and started to worry that she wouldn't be able to find her way out. It was not the kind of place she wanted to be lost in. Sometimes it felt like she wasn't alone in the tunnels, hearing the shuffling of feet, or breathing that wasn't her own. But when she swung her candle round to see, there was never another soul.

As disconcerting as this was, boredom never failed to drive her back to her exploring. Whilst Morganna had yet to find a passage out of the castle, she had found the way to Myrcella's chambers. Her friend had been asleep the first time she crept out of the fireplace, but quickly awoke, startled to see the skinny, tangle-haired, grime-covered figure at the foot of her bed. Morganna was more than grateful she hadn't screamed, giving her time to explain. Once she had, the princess was more than delighted, wrapping her arms tightly around her, despite her filthy state.

"I'm so sorry," Myrcella had said honestly, drawing back from the hug. "For everything that happened. And for Joffrey,"

"It wasn't your fault," Morganna looked away for a moment, before grinning and changing the subject. "Now tell me everything you know about what's been happening,"

It was those nights with Myrcella that kept her sane, or else she would have been stuck in that cell for months without leaving. They would talk for an hour or two, then sleep side by side in the princess' bed, and Morganna would steal away as the sun rose so as not to be caught.

"Why won't your mother let you visit me?" She asked idly one evening, knowing the answer but wishing it wasn't true anyway.

"Because you punched her son in front of half the city,"

"Perhaps," Morganna laughed. "Oh, I didn't tell you..." She told Myrcella of her strange conversation with Cersei on the day Uncle Ned was killed.

"So we are cousins?" The girl looked delighted. "It makes sense, now I think of it - we do look very similar, and I look a lot like mother, who looks a lot like Uncle Jaime," She frowned. "If you were family, would Mother not be kinder to you? And your mother is her friend, besides,"

"She called my mother a lying whore for 'sneaking around with her brother', so I don't think they're friends any more,"

"Oh," Myrcella said. "Maybe - maybe the letters were right, then,"

"Letters? What letters?"

"Uncle Stannis sent letters to all the houses in the realm, claiming that Joff and Tommen and I aren't King Robert's children. Everyone tries to hide it from us, but it's hard to ignore. I'm sure Mother doesn't know I've heard the whispers,"

"And whose children are you supposed to be?" Morganna said, confused. "It's not like the Queen can be entertaining any handsome guests, with the Kingsguard outside her door day and night. Unless he's claiming she got with child from Meryn Trant or Barristan the Bold,"

She laughed, but Myrcella didn't.

"That is what they're claiming,"

"Well that's just ridiculous. You're too pretty to be Meryn Trant's daughter, and at his age, Ser Barristan would struggle to father one child, let alone three,"

"You think that's ridiculous?" Myrcella smiled weakly. "Stannis claims that Uncle Jaime is our father, not King Robert,"

Morganna pulled a disgusted face, but with a sinking feeling, remembered Cersei's reaction. No one got that upset about their brother. Her uncle had been right - Joffrey was not the true King - and he had died for it.

"Loreon looks a lot like King Robert did, and he's your cousin," She said, hesitant.

"I know," Myrcella tugged one of her golden curls with a melancholy smile. "It should have been obvious, really. I suppose there's nothing much to be done now. I should have said we are sisters, not cousins,"

"I suppose it makes sense for a creature like Joffrey to be the child of two siblings," Morganna said. "He's as mad as any Targaryen," She hastily added, "You obviously got all the good, and he got all the bad,"

That won a small laugh from her friend. "That is kind of you to say,"

*

Morganna thought that it would be Sansa coming to visit her, and was more than surprised to see none other than Tyrion Lannister stood in her doorway.

"May I come in, Lady Morganna?" The dwarf asked politely.

It seemed like years ago, when she had walked into Winterfell's great hall for the feast beside him. He was her mother's friend, she remembered, though so was Cersei and that had counted for nothing.

"If you must," She said, feigning lazy detachment and not even bothering to sit up from where she lounged against her pillows, reading.

Tyrion chuckled, shutting the door behind him and taking a seat on the rickety chair. "You know, however much you loathe my family, you do act very much like a Lannister at times,"

She sat up at once, shutting the book with a snap and glaring at him. "Hardly - I've not yet felt the urge to lay with either of my brothers,"

"Ah, and there's Rosennis Stark," The man did not sound put off at all, more amused. "I assure you, it was only ever the one brother for Cersei. I'm glad that particular family trait was not passed on to you, at any rate,"

"Does everyone know?" Morganna could not help but ask. "About my mother?"

"No. Cersei did not want that particular piece of information known any more than the parentage of her own children,"

She considered that for a moment.

"Why are you here?"

"Curiosity. And Jaime was always kind to me, your mother too - I owe them this much. I thought you would be mad with boredom,"

"I am,"

"I've brought some books for you. You can read, can't you? I don't think Jaime could until he was ten,"

"I'm twelve. And of course I can read!" She paused. "What books? Not boring ones, I hope,"

"I asked Myrcella to help me choose from the library. They are all tales of adventure and romance, I assure you. No natural history or military tomes to be found,"

"Good," Morganna smiled then. "I suppose not all Lannisters are as hateful as Joffrey and your sister. Speaking of - how is His Grace's nose?"

He snorted with laughter. "I would pay all the gold in Casterly Rock to have seen you strike him like that. From what I gather, it was healing crooked and Grand Maester Pycelle tried to set the bone straight. Our brave King refused to let him near him after screaming through the first attempt, so crooked it remains,"

Morganna cackled. "Good thing I'm locked away up here - I'd laugh myself silly,"

Tyrion's eyes shone with mirth. "Cersei is furious - I tried telling her it makes him look more intimidating, like he can actually fight instead of flail around with a sword, but she threw a cup of wine at me and said that the whole city saw him punched by a girl. For once, I agree with her - no one will forget that,"

*

Her visitors from then on included both Sansa and Tyrion Lannister. The dwarf - her uncle - seemed to come when he needed a break from politics and scheming, of which he told her no more than the vaguest details. Along with her new books, and her secret visits to Myrcella, captivity was not as bleak as it had been.

Then came the night when the princess greeted her with a sad smile, the bearer of bad news.

"No," Morganna felt her own eyes widen at her words. "No, you can't go, you can't!" Her heart was sinking, panic building up inside her. One of my only friends in this place, my sister, half of Westeros away.

"I don't get a choice," Myrcella's face was weary in the candlelight, her golden hair glinting against the pillows they both leant on. "I'm to leave for Sunspear in two weeks. Uncle Tyrion has already arranged it,"

"Of course he has," She scoffed. "Selling you to some Martell prince, not even heir to anything, in exchange for swords that will never come because Dorne hates your family,"

"I have to go," Her friend said quietly, no traces of her usual boldness and charm on her face. "I'm a princess. It's expected," And Myrcella was always the perfect princess; charming, bold, intelligent and most of all, dutiful.

"Joffrey hardly acts like a King is expected to," Morganna sat back against the pillows, scowling. "Why should you have to do your duty?"

"If everyone used my dear twin as a standard to hold themselves to, the kingdom would fall apart within days,"

Despite her mood, Morganna had to smile. "I'll give you that. How's his nose?"

"Awful," Myrcella's lips twitched. "Mother can't stand it. I think she's considering drugging him and getting Pycelle to set it straight again. Either that or having someone hold him down to do it,"

"I hope it really hurts," She said pettily.

Her friend laughed. "I'll miss you," Myrcella's voice was tremulous, a tone she would never use where anyone else could hear, holding out her arms for a hug.

"I'll miss you too," Morganna wrapped her arms around her friend.

She really would. Myrcella was not like the friends she had had before; young ladies who amused and entertained her with their company, but who she ultimately didn't care much for, and didn't mind leaving behind in the North. Myrcella felt like... her other half. Someone she had been missing her whole life. And without her, this place would be an awful lot darker.

*

In the coming days, she heard of the death of Lord Renly - King Renly, according to some - which didn't particularly interest her, until she heard that her mother had been present in the tent he had died, and some suspected she had a hand in his death, despite it being announced as a mysterious assassin that fled. Morganna wouldn't put it past her, honestly, and according to Myrcella it had resulted in more troops from the Reach and Stormlands going to Stannis and Robb's side.

Not good for the Lannisters, certainly, but for the Starks... She had been in a good mood that night, until she remembered who Joffrey would be taking his losses out on. The next time she saw Sansa, the bruises on the girl's skin made her blood boil.

To her great surprise, Morganna was allowed out for the first time in months, to see the Princess off from the docks. Perhaps they had to parade her around in public every once in a while, so her family wouldn't think they'd killed her in secret and start chopping bits off the Kingslayer. She wasn't going to complain. Being outside in daylight was a beautiful thing and despite her sadness at Myrcella leaving, she couldn't help but grin all the way down to the docks.

She had said her goodbyes to her friend the night before, of course, seeing as the Princess was riding with her family some distance ahead, Sansa close behind them. They were still keeping Morganna out of Joffrey's sight as much as possible. She was happy to stay near the back of the procession, wearing a muted blue-grey gown, drawing as little attention to herself as possible.

It was impossible not to notice the unrest of the crowds lining the streets they passed on the way to the docks. She was not feeling particularly charitable towards the population of King's Landing, given they had roared and cheered at the spectacle of her uncle's death, but even Morganna felt pity for the stick-thin children minded by hollow-cheeked mothers, gaunt fathers and grandparents that looked like a sharp gust of wind would blow them away. The city was starving due to the Tyrells blocking all food coming down the Roseroad, and here they all were from the castle, parading in finery and riches. It was a slap in the face to those who couldn't afford to feed their children.

Myrcella set sail for Dorne without a tear, having hugged Prince Tommen, who looked like he wanted to cry but managed not to. Her friend waved at the docks as her ship began to move. Morganna waved back, but the Princess likely couldn't see her in the crowd of nobles.

Then it was time to make their way back to the keep. Morganna didn't think the unrest of the smallfolk would go any further than the few heckles, glaring and dissatisfied muttering that they'd experienced on the way down. Unpleasant, but mostly harmless. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Whilst she couldn't see quite what was happening up ahead when the procession stopped, she did hear shouting, and saw the various items being thrown in Joffrey's direction. Her first reaction was to laugh, until the crowds to the side of them got the idea as well, and began throwing things too, rocks and rotten vegetables and what she hoped but doubted was mud. Joffrey was screaming something, setting the Hound on the people of the city, but the crowd was screaming back, and all hell broke loose.

Morganna, towards the back of the party, found herself in the middle of a full blown riot, grubby hands tearing at her gown as the guards around her swore and drew their swords. They'd given her some prancing, skittish excuse for a horse to ride, bred for prettiness rather than fighting through hordes of angry people. It was all she could do to keep the terrified creature heading in the right direction, until one of the guards grabbed the bridle.

The other guards hacked away at the crowd, and by some miracle both she and the man holding her horse made it to the Red Keep in one piece, although both of them were battered and bleeding. She couldn't see the other guards that had ridden with them. Morganna's plain dress was in tatters, a cut above her eye was bleeding and livid bruises would certainly be blooming all over her skin within the hour, but she barely paid attention to that, scanning the yard with increasing panic as she realised someone was missing.

"Where's Sansa?!"

Tyrion Lannister had realised the same thing and was currently screaming at Joffrey for refusing to send men after her, even slapping him in the face, a sight that would usually have had her laughing if she wasn't so worried. Her cousin had never been much of a horsewoman, she would never survive in a crowd like that, and the King wasn't listening to his dwarf uncle, too busy threatening the mob.

Morganna had never felt relief like it when the Hound elbowed his way through the gates, covered in the blood of other men, with a sobbing Sansa slung over his shoulder. No one was going to stop her kicking her horse at a canter towards her cousin, dismounting whilst the animal was still moving and hurrying to her side as Sandor Clegane set her down none too gently on wobbly legs.

"Thank the Gods, here, I've got you," She flung her arms around Sansa, who clung to her, sobbing.

Tyrion hurried over. "Get inside, quickly," He snapped at her. "Joffrey's just seen you, and he's hardly in the best of moods. I can't dissuade him easily if he decides to cause trouble,"

"Joffrey knows where my cell is," She said with a wide, fake smile, annoyed at the interruption when her cousin was so distressed. There was no chance she was leaving Sansa's side now. "He can have me killed any time he wants. Not that you'll let him, this time at least. Losing another Stark hostage would hardly be good for your brother. Besides, he's distracted by trying to kill his own smallfolk,"

"Morganna," Sansa's tone urged her to be quiet.

Her cousin had kept up her lady's courtesies the entire time they'd been held captive, meekly admitting that her family were traitors and feigning regret for the capture of Jaime Lannister. Morganna admired her on some level, but could never force the same lies through her own teeth.

"You just escaped being torn apart by an angry mob, I'm not leaving you alone with them," She waved a hand scornfully at the surrounding people and Lannisters, turning to Tyrion. "Let Joffrey set his Kingsguard on me, I won't hold it against you. Those brave knights aren't used to beating little girls who hit them back,"

She smiled sharply at the man, who did a small double take, before shaking his head.

"That will only get you beaten to a bloody pulp, you fool,"

"Then I'm a fool," She shrugged, turning back to Sansa. "Are you hurt? Did they get to you at all?"

"One man tried to tear me off my horse," The girl was still somewhat shaky. "But - but the Hound cut his arm off," A pause. Morganna tried not to look too impressed. "What about you? You were right at the back. How did you make it through?"

"Lots of hacking and slashing," She said. "And of course I'm alright! Now you're safe, that was the most exciting thing that's happened in weeks," Her cousin gaped at her, and she grinned. "And it's not every day you see Joffrey get hit in the face with a handful of shit,"

Sansa let out a little choked giggle, and the Hound snorted darkly.

"As much as I may agree, Lady Morganna," Tyrion said, amused. "Do keep your voice down,"

*

After the riots, though Morganna wasn't given complete freedom of the castle, she was allowed to go outside once a day, supposedly as a reward for good behaviour. So long as she was escorted by a guard and stayed out of Joffrey's sight, she could go wherever she liked for an hour or so. She suspected Cersei hadn't had anything to do with that; more likely it was Tyrion.

She seemed to be the only one in the castle who was in a relatively good mood, due to the fast approaching threat of Stannis and Loreon Storm from the south, who had been named Lord of Storm's End by his uncle. Every night she lay in her small bed, eagerly awaiting the day the Baratheon forces stormed the Red Keep, laying the heads of Joffrey and Cersei at her feet and bringing with them her mother.

Everyone was wondering where Lord Tywin was with the Lannister army to defend the city, and though Cersei and Tyrion were no doubt trying to keep it quiet, soon there was were whispers everywhere that Robb Stark had tricked the Old Lion. They had luring him into the west by capturing a few minor castles, then made a hasty retreat, trapping the Lannister army in a stalemate and taking Lord Tywin's daughter Giana with them, along with her eldest son. If that was true, no doubt the whole kingdom would be laughing at the lions before long. Her brother's name came up often too; Lord Stark's bastard cousin was said to be more vicious, more daring and less honourable. He had been the one to mastermind the kidnap of Lady Giana.

Whilst Cersei didn't seem to be bothered by the news of her sister's abduction, Tyrion was most definitely concerned.

"My brother won't hurt her," Morganna smiled when she heard the news. "Much,"

"You should take a leaf out of Lady Sansa's book and start chirping some pretty courtesies," He said, unbothered. "Everyone underestimates Giana. She seems empty-headed and naive, but my sister can charm even Lord Tywin. She will have wormed her way into luxury chambers, fine clothes and dining at Lord Stark's own table by now,"

"Then shouldn't Sansa and I be granted the same treatment?"

"Sansa does eat at the King's table. You do not, because you are a spiteful little beast with no survival instinct. The worst combination of your parents,"

She just laughed at that, not denying it, and Tyrion looked amused.

*

Morganna watched the ships and troops on the horizon from the battlements, and smiled. She knew little of war and strategy, but it wouldn't have taken even a third of what was coming to take this wreck of a city. The Red Keep would be harder, of course, but it would fall in the end. Mother's with Stannis. That alone spelled Cersei and Joffrey's death sentence.

Morganna was made to sit in the castle sept during the siege, with all the other twittering southron ladies and, even worse, Cersei. Having already been forced to sit through Joffrey making Sansa kiss his sword, she was already wishing she was in the middle of the battlefield if only to be away from here, a mood that only intensified as Cersei drank more and more wine.

Sansa bore the brunt of the Queen's awful conversation, about a woman's weapon being between their legs and other such nonsense, but Morganna knew she wouldn't be able to keep herself quiet much longer. Despite herself, Tyrion was out there and she feared for him, having become rather fond of her dwarf uncle. As wildfire from the river turned the room light green, she made to get up, planning on heading for the highest window she could to observe the battle.

"Lady Bolton," Cersei hand closed like a vice on her wrist, and Morganna turned to her wearing a sweet smile as convincing as that of a cat cornering a small bird. "Wherever are you going?"

"I want to see what's happening," She said honestly. "I can't stand sitting still in here," I can't stand you.

"Of course," The woman still did not let go of her wrist.

Morganna eyed her warily, considering the last time she'd been in the presence of the Queen for any length of time, Cersei had ended up throwing crockery at the wall.

"Can I go, your Grace?"

"No, you may not," Cersei's grip tightened. "Sit,"

Reluctantly, Morganna sat again, noticing the bleary look in the Queen's eyes. Cersei was drunk now, and she did not know if that would be good or bad for her.

There was a pause before the woman spoke again. "You talk like him, sometimes," She said. "My brother. Bold, reckless and stupid. No wonder your mother never brought you south with her. I'm surprised she let you within a mile of this place," Her nails dug in enough to hurt. "I'd kill you for it, if they didn't have my foolish siblings captive. Why my sweet Jaime would deign to pay a plain, cold creature like Rosennis Stark any attention is beyond me. She must truly be a whore in the bedchamber to keep such attention,"

Speaking from experience, Your Grace? Even Morganna knew that would be a monumentally stupid thing to say. She bit her lip, and Cersei noticed, her nails digging in further.

"Something funny, girl?"

She met the woman's green eyes. Ren's eyes. "You,"

"Morganna!" A wide-eyed, frightened Sansa admonished.

Cersei's face narrowed in pure spite. "I don't know why you look so pleased with yourself. You see Ilyn Payne, standing in the corner? He isn't here to protect us. If Stannis wins, I will have him slaughter the both of you, before he kills me. No one will have any satisfaction from Stannis' win,"

*

Edited November 2024

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/commented on this story, as well as all readers, you're all appreciated!