The Last War

Chapter 7 : Truth

Tyrion could not have explained the intense sense of relief that overcomes him when he sees his brother in the doorway frame of the Great Hall at Winterfell, followed by the generals of the Lannister armies, Sercilia, his dæmon, at his side.

Jaime looked tired, exhausted. A shaggy beard, which he had not bothered to shave, now covered half of his face, which, combined with his graying hair, easily made him ten to twenty years older.

Cersei had kept her word. Cersei had sent her armies to them.

He didn't miss Daenerys' disappointed look. She thought that if Cersei had betrayed her promise, she would have lost credibility. But the generals of her armies had just arrived.

Daenerys had therefore just lost potential support in her conquest of the Iron Throne.

Tyrion leaned over to look at Sansa, to the left of Jon.

She looked relieved, too, and he suspected that her expression was a reflection of his own.

But he was forced to look away from them when Daenerys, who had soon come to her senses, called:

"Ser Jaime Lannister?''

His brother stepped forward.

''You say you are here in the name of your sister, Cersei Lannister. But she is not here.''

Jaime felt himself becoming livid.

''No, indeed.''

''May I ask why?''

Approving murmurs began to be heard throughout the room.

He dreaded the question.

What could he answer?

They had thought about it at first. They had thought that it might be better for Cersei to accompany them north, to show that she was truly involved and that she cared about the security of her kingdom.

But her current state had quickly put an end to this idea. It was out of the question for Jaime to let Cersei make the long trip to Winterfell in the middle of winter when she was pregnant, even though she had insisted at first, not wanting to let him go alone.

It was absolutely out of the question for him to reveal that the reason for Cersei's absence was her pregnancy.

Daenerys was not to know that Cersei was pregnant.

Fortunately, Tyrion flew to his rescue:

''Your Grace, our sister has promised to send her armies to help us during the Long Night. She never promised to come to Winterfell herself.''

Daenerys looked at him with an evil eye, visibly unhappy that he was answering in his brother's place, while she was obviously trying to put him in trouble.

''All good war leaders accompany their armies wherever they go. I'm beginning to wonder if it might not rather be proof that you have come, training your sister's armies, but without her permission.''

At these words, Jaime smiles.

Cersei had felt the blow coming, and they had anticipated the problem.

He took out a scroll of parchment with a golden wax seal representing the Lannister lion and handed it to Sansa.

She took it, showed it to everyone in the room, and announced in a loud voice:

''The seal of Queen Cersei, intact.''

She unsealed the message, and read it aloud:

''I, the undersigned Cersei of the House of Lannister, Queen of the Andals and the First Men and Protector of the Realm, declare that I delegate to my brother Ser Jaime of the House of Lannister the command of all my armed forces to lead them north and fight in the war against the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead alongside the forces already there.''