-Chapter 100-
-Three days later-
-9th day of the 3rd moon of the year 301 AC-
-POV Ronnet Connington-
I fastened the last plate of my armor while my new squire, Luthor Tyrell, a young squire about the same age as my son, handed me my helmet.
I stared at this helmet for a few moments, almost hypnotized, as I would soon trade it for a crown.
'It's finally over' I thought, relieved, yet at the same time a little nervous, because all these machinations had pushed me onto a throne I had never truly wanted to sit on.
'King of an entire continent' I thought, already feeling the weight and expectations of everyone crushing down on my shoulders.
Though they were strong, that was not the kind of strength I would need to bring peace to the souls of forty million people.
'To protect them from war' I told myself, thinking back to all the known and unknown threats I would inevitably have to face, sooner or later, with no possibility of retreat or withdrawal.
'From disease' I thought, knowing that war often brought epidemics caused by sieges, but also by all sorts of other factors. 'Let's hope no city is struck by the plague.'
'From poverty' I told myself, knowing full well that war had brought most of the kingdom's commerce to a halt.
'From injustice' I thought, because, whether I liked it or not, everyone would turn to me to solve their problems, the nobles first and foremost.
'From the cold' I told myself as I felt a light winter breeze, even here, in Highgarden, in the land of eternal spring.
'From hunger' I thought, because with winter came also...
'And even from those fucking White Walkers' I thought as well, not forgetting that, in the North, the threat continued to creep forward little by little and that under no circumstances could we afford to relax.
Knock… Knock… Knock…
My thoughts shattered at the sound of a fist hitting the door. I spoke as I finally put on my helmet:
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Come in," I said, immediately recognizing the voice of my right hand and comrade-in-arms.
As soon as he entered, I saw that he had a grim expression. So I asked:
"What's wrong?"
He said nothing and handed me a letter.
'Fuck' I thought as I saw the seal used.
I took a few moments to prepare myself before reading the contents of this letter, as I could already feel it wouldn't be an easy read.
'There's nothing good in it for me. Either she'll pour out all the venom in her, or she'll scream all the sorrow she feels' I thought as I silently stared at the letter.
I opened the letter, ready to endure whatever it contained, but my heart stopped beating for a second before slamming violently in my chest at the first line of her message.
---
To the love of my life, who destroyed it without hesitation,
If you are reading these lines, then I am dead.
I thought long and hard before writing this letter, because I could no longer think clearly, and I do not believe I can now.
I am about to end my life to reunite with my children in death.
I can no longer live with this gaping hole in my chest.
A hole that I acknowledge having dug myself, but through which you and yours ripped my heart out and crushed it without the slightest pity.
Tommen was your son too, and you swore to me. You swore you would protect him…
I will never be able to express how powerless, sad, and furious you made me feel.
So I will simply show you, because I know that even if you hate me for conspiring with my father to secure Tommen's throne, you still love me.
I know this because all the hatred I feel toward you is proportional to the love I once had for you.
I wish I had never met you.
Everything happened because of you.
The person responsible for my death is also the one who killed my little lion. Keep that in mind.
If only you had been able to control that pride and ambition that consume you… that consume us all…
I hate you.
Cersei Connington.
---
"Leave," I said softly.
Rodrik nodded and motioned for the squire to follow him, but the boy protested:
"But I haven't finished…"
"OUT!" I shouted, unable to contain the storm of emotions that was literally burning my insides.
Rodrik quickly ushered the squire out, realizing that something was very wrong.
Once I heard the door slam shut, I leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor, stunned by what I had just read.
No matter how many times I read and re-read the letter, I couldn't process it… the fact that she was dead.
'Fucking hell' I thought, continuing to read over and over again, trapped in obsession.
---
-10th day of the 3rd moon of the year 301 AC-
-POV Olenna Tyrell-
As I watched everyone eat their breakfast in silence, as if nothing unusual had happened, a sense of irritation grew within me.
But what enraged me the most was seeing Mace stuffing his face joyfully while chatting with Randyll Tarly, as if nothing had changed.
'He is probably the happiest of us all, because he has lost nothing, unlike us' I thought.
"Young Luthor nearly got his head chopped off by the madman who just cut half the Reach from under us, and all you can think about is gorging yourself?" I said disdainfully, staring at my son.
Everyone froze at my words, and the once lively room fell into silence.
I was about to add something, but Margaery suddenly interrupted me, giving me a sharp look as she said:
"Grandmother, that's enough. We've already discussed this."
'Who does she think she is?' I thought.
"Do not call me that. If you had listened to me, we wouldn't have to obey the orders of a…"
"A what…?" said a cold voice that I recognized instantly and that was far too close to me.
I felt hands grip the top of my chair, and the voice came closer to say:
'I imagine the word you were looking for was 'king,' wasn't it?'
I remained silent, because I could tell from his tone that I had crossed a line and was inches away from being hanged without trial.
"Your Majesty, my mother can be impolite at times, but it's…"
Ronnet walked past me, and I observed how he silenced my son with a mere raise of his hand.
It made me grit my teeth, but it also reminded me that this was my doing.
'This situation is because I acted behind my family's back. No wonder they did the same when they thought they could save us' I thought.
"I sincerely apologize," I said, my previous anger now completely subdued by a cold fear that consumed me.
Not fear of dying—no, fear of watching them die, I thought, as I looked at my family members.
"I've changed my mind on certain matters," Ronnet said, seemingly letting go of my offense before continuing: "We're going to speed things up."
"In what way?" Margaery asked.
"The Westerlands, the Stormlands, the Riverlands, and even the part of the Reach I took from you will all be integrated into the Crownlands, starting today," Ronnet replied flatly.
I raised my eyebrows at this sudden announcement, not understanding how such a decision had come out of nowhere.
But I said nothing, knowing I had already pushed my luck far enough.
'At least we will live, and we will still have some status, and Margaery will be queen' I thought, lowering my gaze, too tired to keep fighting.