[66] A Dragon’s Hoarding

Chapter 66: A Dragon’s Hoarding

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I leaned against the windowsill, letting the night breeze cool the sweat on my bare chest. The wine burned sweet down my throat as I studied the sprawl of torchlit streets below, watching the flickering lights dance like fallen stars across the city.

Each sip of the Dornish red reminded me of warmer days when such luxuries had been commonplace rather than carefully rationed treasures. Well, not that I ever got to drink wine when I was a kid, but yes.

"Quite the view," I mused to no one in particular, tracing the Red Keep's jagged shadow across the city. "Outrageous that Stannis wants his hands on this."

A rustle of silk drew my attention next. Turning, I found Cersei lying splayed across the bed like a butchered stag, limbs tethered to the bedposts with shreds of her own gown. Her usually immaculate golden hair was a tangled mess against her naked body as she was sprawled on the crimson sheets. I couldn't help but appreciate its poetry.

The proud lioness brought low, bound by the very trappings of her own luxury. The irony wasn't lost on me; how many others had she left similarly helpless in her ruthless climb and stay to power? I liked seeing her so ragged, so defeated.

The Lannisters. They were the ones who betrayed my family Dynasty, and I relished ruining their Queen. “Argh… you…” Cersei said. Her gag hung askew; she must've worked it loose during our earlier… negotiations. Those lioness eyes tracked me with pure venom as consciousness fully reclaimed her. It made me smile.

"Good morning, sweetheart." I raised my chalice in a mocking salute. "Sleep well?"

Her chest heaved against the restraints. "You vile, inbred bastard! I'll see your cock fed to dogs before-"

"Ah, ah." I clicked my tongue several times, crossing the room in three strides. The dagger materialized from my inventory, and its edge kissed her pulse. "Screaming's poor manners after I've been so... accommodating. Also, ‘inbred’ is a crazy insult coming from you.”

My parents were siblings, and I was born, I had no control over that scenario. But Cersei fucked her brother out of her own choice and gave birth to three inbred children. Wasn’t she worse in that scenario?

She froze, rage trembling through her like wildfire held in a glass vial. Smart girl. I could feel her pulse racing beneath my blade, and each beat was a desperate rhythm against cold steel. Her self-preservation finally seemed to outweigh her fury.

A knock shattered the tension. "Your Grace?" The handmaiden's voice wavered through oak. "I've brought supper..." The timing couldn't have been worse, or perhaps better, depending on how one looked at it. The interruption forced both our hands.

I arched a brow, studying her face with predatory focus. Cersei's throat bobbed against cold steel, the blade catching lamplight with each nervous swallow. For a heartbeat, I thought she'd gamble and throw herself on the blade just to see me gutted by her guards.

The wild look in those emerald eyes promised she'd considered it, perhaps even welcomed the mutual destruction. Then the fire banked, replaced by that familiar Lannister calculation I'd come to expect from her family. Death wasn’t worth it.

"Not… hungry," she rasped, never breaking our stare. Her fingers twitched at her sides, but she kept them still—allowing me another small victory of control.

"But the Lord Hand insisted-" The maid's voice cracked with confusion.

"Are you deaf, girl?" The knife pressed deeper, drawing a ruby bead that traced a delicate crimson path down pale skin. "Take your slop to the dogs. Go. Your Queen is busy taking a good cock," I injected enough venom into the words to send any servant scurrying.

Silence stretched like pulled taffy. Then retreating footsteps, growing fainter until they vanished entirely down the corridor.

I sheathed the blade with a chuckle. "See? Cooperation suits you." My thumb smeared the blood across her collarbone. "Now. Where's the Red Priestess and the Sand girls?"

Her lips twisted. "Rotting in the black cells where traitors-"

My hand jerked, and wine hit her face like a slap, dark rivulets streaming down her features and staining her pristine white collar. She gasped, red droplets clinging to her lashes like morning dew as I upended the ornate silver chalice. The sharp scent of Dornish red filled the air between us. "Let's try that again. Where. Are. They."

Each word fell like a hammer blow in the tense chamber, and I ensured she understood what’d happen if she kept playing.

"Guarded by fifty men in the Tower of the Hand!" She spat through the dripping vintage, defiance burning in her eyes despite her trembling shoulders. Her fingers clutched at her sodden dress. "You'll never reach them alive, you treasonous-"

I caught her jaw, forcing eye contact. "Fifty men?" My laugh echoed off the vaulted ceiling. "I ate fifty men for breakfast. Also, you’re aware that your daughter is in Dorne…? Why did you capture Oberyn Martell’s daughters? Stupid bitch.”

“....”

My free hand trailed lower, her breath hitching as I palmed the bruise I'd left on her thigh. "You'll order their release at dawn. Quietly. Or every lord in the realm will learn how the Lion Queen squeals when mounted proper."

“I-”

“I don’t think you quite understand the situation, Cersei,” I called her by her name for once, which made her spine straighten. “I can kill you, your imp of a brother, and your son right here, right now, and leave this castle unscratched. Did you not get the report about how many soldiers I killed during the riot?”

She fell silent. I watched as understanding finally dawned in Cersei's eyes. Her shoulders slumped slightly, the fight draining from her posture.

"Fine," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I'll have them released at dawn. Quietly. As you asked."

"Smart girl." I smiled, patting her cheek and watching her grumble. The wine still stained her skin, making her look almost feverish in the dim light. "See how much easier things are when you cooperate? Be an obedient bitch, and your family line won’t end overnight."

Her jaw clenched, but she gave a tight nod. My smile widened into a grin at that. The mighty lioness was reduced to submission by a cock. It was a beautiful sight.

I stepped back, my hands moving to my belt. "Now then, since you've been so reasonable..." The leather slid free with a soft hiss. "I think you deserve a reward."

Her eyes widened as I approached the bed again, but she didn't protest. She knew better now… and she was starting to be honest with herself. The candles guttered in their holders, casting dancing shadows across the walls as I moved closer.

****

Dawn crept through the open balcony doors, painting stripes across tangled sheets and golden skin. I traced the bruise blooming along Cersei's shoulder—a souvenir from last night's negotiations. Her breath hitched when my thumb dug into the mark, though she kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling above us.

The silk sheets smelled of sex and fear and Dornish red, an intoxicating blend that made my mouth curl at the edges.

The door creaked open without ceremony.

Meryn Trant's boots froze halfway across the threshold. I watched the realization hit him like a crossbow bolt—the Queen's bare shoulder peeking above linens, my hand resting there like a king claiming conquered land. His eyes darted between Cersei's blank stare and my grin, and his fingers twitched toward his sword hilt.

"Close your mouth, Trant," I drawled, giving Cersei's shoulder a squeeze, moving my hand within the blanket covering us and squeezing her breasts underneath. "You'll catch flies."

The knight's jaw snapped shut, face flushing the same ugly puce as a corpse left too long in the sun. It made up for how he was urging me through the streets, this bastard. Cersei's body tensed beneath my palm, her trapped breath trembling like a plucked lute string. For a heartbeat, I thought she might scream. Might try to leap from the bed and scream like she wanted to claw my eyes out. Might beg her loyal dog to strike me down.

“You’re late, Trant…” Instead, she spoke in that cold, clipped tone that made lesser men piss themselves. "Release the Red Priestess. And the Dornish girls. See them beyond the Mud Gate with coin and mounts."

Meryn's gaze flicked to the wine-stained sheets. "Your Grace...?"

"Do it." The command cracked through the chamber like a whip. "They're innocent. This... man proved as much." Her throat bobbed on the lie, fingers digging into the mattress. “Be respectful to them when leading them outside.”

I laughed. A low, rich sound made Meryn's hand leap back to his sword. "Hmm? Relax, dog. Your mistress isn't in danger." My thumb stroked the hollow of Cersei's throat. "Don’t let these bruises fool you. She loves being hit, you see. Right, sweetheart?"

Her pulse thrummed against my palm. "...Yes. I love being hit by you"

Meryn's lips peeled back in a silent snarl. For half a breath, I almost wished he'd charge for whatever reason—a final excuse to paint these walls with Lannister blood. But duty strangled courage, as it always did with these golden-cloaked puppets.

“As you wish, Your Grace.” The knight spun on his heel, armor clanking as he stormed from the chamber. The door slammed hard enough to rouse half the keep.

Cersei flinched.

I dropped the act and swung my legs over the bed's edge, letting the sheet pool around my waist. Morning light gilded the scars mapping my back, and if not for the System having long healed me, there would have been scars of Dothraki whips and desert knives.

"Dress up,” I ordered, stretching a little as I locked eyes with her. “And fetch me something black. Dragons look best against shadow."

She stared at me in silence before nodding. Cersei moved like a woman sleepwalking, fingers fumbling at the lacings of a burgundy gown left draped over a chair.

I leaned against the bedpost, admiring the play of muscles beneath pale skin as she bent to retrieve my boots. The silk clung to her thighs where I'd split the seams last night. I enjoyed my view for the next few minutes.

"Ah, not that," I said when she reached for her jewel chest. "Leave the rubies. Crowns weigh heavy on running whores."

Her hands trembled as she fastened a plain wool cloak around her shoulders instead. I shrugged into the black doublet she offered—boring Lannister crimson lining—and buckled my sword across my back. The fine steel whispered as it settled between my shoulder blades, a growing friend eager for blood.

"Boots," I reminded her. Cersei stared at the footwear near my feet like they were scorpions. “What, you thought you could just bring them near me and be done? Slut. Crouch down and put them on my feet.”

"You imbecile. My son—"

"Will piss himself when he finds your bed cold, smelling like sex," I said, jerking her close by the braid I'd woven around her throat last night. "Don’t waste my time, and we might outpace the rumors."

“....”

A few minutes later, after we were done getting ready, it was time to leave. "Come here," I ordered. She stepped closer, and I grabbed her waist. She stumbled against my chest, her eyes wide with confusion. Before she could protest, I scooped her into my arms.

Her mouth opened in shock. "What are you-"

I strode toward the balcony, boots crunching over scattered glass from last night's wine. The dawn air rushed through my hair as I stepped onto the stone railing, the city sprawling beneath us like a merchant's carpet.

“Wait, wait-! What is going on?!” Cersei's scream pierced the dawn as I leaped. I’d chosen the side facing the sea so that people didn’t notice us. Her nails dug into my shoulders through the black doublet while we plummeted from her tower. The wind whipped her golden hair into my face as she thrashed in panic.

I clamped my hand over her mouth, muffling her terrified shriek. The ground rushed up to meet us, the stony shore growing larger with each heartbeat.

Then came the familiar burn between my shoulder blades. My wings burst through the fabric of my doublet, unfurling like dark sails against the morning sky. The sudden uplift jerked us skyward, transforming our deadly fall into a graceful glide.

Cersei's eyes bulged as she stared at my draconic appendages, her scream dying in her throat. We soared away from the Red Keep's walls, taking a detour through the sky to avoid being seen.

The wind carried us higher, and dawn's light painted the city gold beneath our shadow. “Be grateful,” I said, “Rhaegar Targaryen could have never shown you this.”

Cersei trembled in my arms, her face buried against my chest, as we flew away from King's Landing. A grin split my face as I enjoyed the morning breeze. I don’t like being exposed, but all of this turned out great. It was one thing for a dragon to kidnap princesses, but a whole other to steal queens instead. This was a lot of fun.

But now, I had to decide where to take my base for the short time until Stannis’ attack.

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