LION AMONG WOLVES
— 31. Sisters
At Tommen's coronation, instead of standing with Loras like she was expected to since they were arranged to be married, Annalys stood in the wings, overlooking the ceremony. The High Septon of Kings Landing was leading the coronation and Jaime stood in the back, patrolling.
Feeling eyes on her, Annalys glanced around, only to find that it was Jaime, who she was still mad at. Annalys rolled her eyes, giving the man a glare before she looked away and over at her brother, "May the Warrior grant him courage and protect him in these perilous times. May the Smith grant him strength that he might bear this heavy burden. And may the Crone, she that knows the fate of all men, show him the path he must walk and guide him through the dark places that lie ahead. In the light of the Seven, I now proclaim Tommen of the House Baratheon First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Long may he reign!"
"Long may he reign!" The rest of the crowd cheered, but Annalys remained silent.
Tommen bowed and Annalys watched as he and Margaery exchanged a look with each other.
She watched Tommen take a seat on the Iron Throne, with Tywin beside him, which caused her to look angry. A reception line moved towards him, including Pycelle and Varys as the celebration began.
She watched as Tommen and Margaery exchanged nods and smiled each other, causing her to roll her eyes. Just then, as Annalys turned on her heel, Cersei appeared in front of her, causing the girl to sigh in defeat. She had been trying her best to ignore her mother. So much for that.
Cersei walked closer to Annalys, standing beside each other as they watched Tommen sit on his throne, "He sits on the throne as though he was born to," Cersei commented and Annalys smiled.
"Yes, but he wasn't, though, was he?" She responded and unbeknownst to Cersei, Annaly referred to the fact that he was a bastard, not the fact that he was the second born son.
"You know, since the moment you and your siblings were born, I've fought so hard to keep our family in power. When rumors were spread about the four of you not being Robert's, I fought with everything in me to make sure people didn't believe that lie." Cersei explained, causing Annalys to quietly laugh.
Cersei turned to Annalys, raising a brow at her daughter, "Don't play stupid with me, Mother. I'm not Joffrey nor am I Tommen. You can't trick me into believing that Robert was my father. Jaime is." She explained to Cersei, whose eyes widen in alarm.
Cersei glanced around, making sure no one was listening in to their conversation before she began to speak to Annalys in a hushed tone, "How?" She asked her daughter, furrowing her eyebrows, "How do you know?"
"Let's just say I've seen things growing up," Annalys vaguely responded, earning a frown from her mother, "Things that helped me piece everything together."
"Does Jaime know that you know of this?" Cersei questioned Annalys in concern, "Is that why the two of you have gone back to the way things were before as if nothing happened?"
Annalys remained silent for a long moment, shaking her head in response. She didn't want to betray Jaime by telling Cersei the truth. She may have been mad at him, but she wasn't going to let her mother know that Jaime had kept the fact that their daughter knew the entire time to himself without telling her.
"You know of this, but you haven't told anyone. Why?" Cersei asked Annalys confused, "If you were to tell everyone, you would be freed from Kings Landing. No one would be able to stop you."
"Because no matter what happens between us or how much I try to deny it, the Lannisters are my family. My blood," Annalys told her mother without hesitation, which caused Cersei to look a bit taken aback, "The war I started with Robb against the crown was against Joffrey and Tywin, not the rest of you. You, Jaime, Tommen, Myrcella, none of you have ever been my enemy. I've claimed it, but it's never been true," She paused, letting out a sigh as she gave Cersei a look of disbelief, "Do you really believe I would out that secret to everyone, telling them that it's true? Tommen would be ripped off the throne and would most likely be executed. Jaime would be killed in the worst way possible. And you, you would be branded a whore and no one in this family would be able stop you from being executed for your crimes. Oh, and do not get me started on Myrcella. That poor, innocent girl would be harmed in ways that I refuse to think about. Now, Mother, do you still believe I would out something like that when it would harm my family?"
Cersei opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable to, "I'm sorry." She finally apologized, not knowing what else to say, "I'm sorry, Annalys. For everything that I've done to wrong you. I haven't the slightest clue on how to make up for what I did to ruin your life, but I'm willing to try. I may not be able to let you go free, but I can make sure your stay here is better. I..." she trailed off, trying to think of something to give Annalys, "I can convince your grandfather to rethink this marriage alliance with the Tyrells. If I really have to, I will marry him myself."
Annalys frowned at her mother's words, "Tywin is forcing me to marry Loras Tyrell because you refused to. Why would you allow yourself to marry him when you went through all this trouble to stop it from happening?"
"Because you're my daughter!" Cersei blurted out loudly before becoming quieter, tears welled in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to hide it from Annalys, "I hate to see the way you've been suffering, Annalys. You have no idea how much it has pained me. I would do anything for you, you must know that. Anything to keep you from harm and this unhappiness you've been feeling. I would burn cities to the ground, kill anyone, just to protect you. You are the only thing that truly matters to me in this world."
Annalys remained silent as she stood in front of her mother. There were tears welled in her eyes as she stood in front of Cersei. She wanted to be mad at her. She needed to be mad at her. But in the end, she found herself unable to. Cersei loved her more than anything. And she would continue to love her, no matter Annalys did.
As much as she convinced herself that she would choose Jaime instead of her mother if it came down to it, Annalys wondered if Jaime would ever do the same for her.
As she began to think about it, she was convinced Jaime would choose Cersei over her if it came down to it, but Annalys knew for a fact that Cersei would choose her over Jaime without hesitation, no matter what the girl did to wrong her. Cersei loved her children more than anything in the world. She would kill, even die, for her children. They meant the world to her. Nothing else mattered.
Annalys opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't form the right words. She stepped forward, tightly hugging her mother since she didn't know what to say. Cersei immediately hugged Annalys back, placing a kiss to the top of her daughter's head as a single tear trailed down her cheek.
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In the castle, Cersei, Jaime, and Tywin were walking together, talking about the problems at hand when they turned their heads to see Annalys and Loras walking together. Once Annalys saw them looking at her and Loras, she whispered something to him before they began to laugh.
Loras turned to face Annalys fully, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand before Annalys leaned forward and kissed him
The three Lannisters watched the couple's 'intimate' moment from their spot and both Jaime and Cersei found themselves rolling their eyes, "Well, Annalys seems to be happy." Tywin remarked while Cersei continued to glare at Loras walking with Annalys down the hall.
"It's an act." Cersei commented, causing both Tywin and Jaime to turn to her with confused looks, "She truly loved that Stark boy, I've learned that lately. I know my daughter better than she thinks I do. Trust me when I say she's playing us. I'd just like to know why the Tyrell boy is agreeing to it." She explained, nearly glaring at Tywin before walking away, the two men following soon after.
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After separating from Loras and heading back into the Castle, Annalys was walking down a set of steps when she saw Margaery Tyrell walking up to her from the corner of her eyes. She had a smile on her face, unlike Annalys, who seemed to always look pissed when in the castle walls.
"You look beautiful, Princess Annalys," Margaery kindly spoke to Annalys, "As always."
Annalys continued to not smile as she stopped walking, turning to look at Margaery, "I don't believe 'always' being beautiful is possible, My Lady. We've all had our fair share of being ugly in our lives. Whether it be our appearance or our personalities."
Margaery slowly nodded her head and smiled, not knowing how to respond to Annalys' comment. She giggled, suddenly locking arms with Annalys as they both walked down the staircase together, "We are to be sisters soon, Annalys," She whispered into the woman's ear happily, "We should also be friends."
"Friends, you say?" Annalys questioned Margaery, who continued to smile fakely at her, which Annalys didn't quite like. It made her attempts at wooing Annalys and gaining her trust even worse. Annalys could see right through her and there was no way she was going to let Margaery believe that she was winning her over.
"You know, I had a friend once. I was still married to Robb Stark at the time. Her name was Talisa. She died protecting my cousins. Their names were Martyn and Willem Lannister. They were kidnapped because of the war that your husband started when he beheaded Ned Stark, a man I once looked up while spending a few years living in Winterfell as a child." Annalys explained, smiling slightly as they continued to walk, "You must know, I don't get along with other girls. Supposedly, I'm 'too careless and boyish' to be friends with them, as they put it. Not to mention, they believe I'm a whore all because of Joffrey, who as I've said, was your husband. You stood by and watched as he put me through hell these past months. You had that madman wrapped around your little finger, I saw it with my own eyes. Now, I see that you're attempting to do the same with Tommen, my youngest brother. I'm not blind, Margaery. You'll do anything to become queen. Joffrey died at the hands of someone close to you. You and I both know that. Now, do you truly believe that I'll stand by and watch as the same happens to Tommen?"
Annalys angrily glared at Margaery, roughly tugging her arm out of the woman's grip. Margaery stared at Annalys with wide eyes, clearly taken aback by the way she was speaking to her, "I don't like you, Margaery. I never will. I may have been willing to watch you manipulate Joffrey, but over my dead body will I let you do the same to Tommen. We are not friends and we are most definitely not sisters," She paused, glaring at Margaery as she leaned closer to her, "You ever call me either of those things again and I'll slit your throat in your sleep. Don't tempt me. You have no idea what I'm capable of. Nobody in this city does."
Annalys sent Margaery cold look, just before turning on her heel and leaving. Margaery continued to stand there, beyond shocked. She always believed Annalys was the nicest of the Lannisters, the one who didn't take after either of her parents. That may have been true in some aspects, but when it came to her family, Annalys was just as ruthless as her mother was.
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As nightfall arrived, Annalys found herself sneaking off to Tommen's room, wanting to speak to him in private. She hadn't had a single conversation with him since arriving back at Kings Landing and it had been several months, a year at that. Of course, growing up, Annalys had gotten along more with adults than the children, but she was still close with Myrcella and Tommen. The two of them were far different than she ever was, but Annalys still loved them more than anything. And even though she was planning to leave soon, she wasn't going to allow herself to leave without giving Tommen some advise on how not to fuck up at being king like Joffrey did.
Tommen was laying in his bed, finding himself unable to fall asleep. He heard footsteps nearby, causing him to become concerned. He sat up, only to watch as his eldest sister, holding a lit candle in her hand.
"How did you get past the guards?" Tommen asked her with wide eyes, only to notice the mischievous look on her face, "Of course, they didn't notice. You've always been able to sneak past them. Even when were children."
"That I have," Annalys replied jokingly, walking over to where Tommen sat on his bed.
"I don't think you're supposed to be here, Annalys. Mother wouldn't be happy. She doesn't allow us to have visitors at night, remember?" Tommen reminded Annalys, looking worried.
Annalys quietly laughed at Tommen's good nature. She slightly felt bad. He was too good. It wasn't going to end well for him, she could already sense it. No one that innocent ever lasted as king and there wasn't anything anyone, including Annalys, could do to stop it.
Annalys placed her candlestick down on the small table at Tommen's bedside. She took a seat next to Tommen, smiling at him, "Now, when have I ever listened to Mother's orders?" She pointed out to him, causing Tommen to genuinely laugh, "I wanted to speak to you. Alone."
"What is it?" Tommen asked, a concerned look on his face.
"You know I would never hurt you, right?" Annalys questioned Tommen, looking almost saddened as she spoke to him, "And I would die before I let someone hurt you either. You may believe that I'm your enemy after I chose the opposing side during the war, but I promise you, I am not your enemy. You're my brother, Tommen. And I love you. I would do anything to protect you because you're my family. My blood. Unlike most of us, you're truly a good person. I can't say I've ever met someone as good and innocent as you are, brother. And if I'm going to be honest, I'm scared."
"Scared of what?" Tommen questioned, frowning in concern.
"I scared for your wellbeing, brother," Annalys confessed, causing Tommen's eyes to widen, "People like you never last as a ruler. They end up dead for being too merciful. I'm not saying you should be like Joffrey, but I'd advise that you do not let your emotions get the best of you. It's a good thing to not be the type of king to slaughter people for no apparent reason, but you need to be willing to kill when necessary. And unlike Joffrey, you need to listen to your small council. I want you to know, I am on your side. No matter what. You may not believe that, but I am. The people around you, they plan to use you, no matter how much it may seem like they're just advising you. Your good heart will help you be loved by the people of Kings Landing, but there will be times when you need to have them fear you. You must let them know that you are not someone that will be intimated by them. Be a good king, but don't be weak. If they think you're weak, they'll try to take the throne from you."
Tommen remained silent, clearly thinking hard on her advise. She was right. He knew it. She was wise, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Tywin had said that any good ruler needed to be wise. Tommen wasn't wise, but Annalys was. It was just tragic that she wasn't the one who was ruler of the seven kingdoms. She would have been the perfect fit.
"I missed you, little brother. You must know that." Annalys confessed, smiling down at her youngest brother.
Tommen couldn't help but smile. He leaned closer to Annalys, wrapping his arms around her. Annalys smiled even wider, hugging Tommen back, "I missed you too, Annalys," He responded quietly, his voice just above a whisper.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
There hasn't been a single scene of Annalys with Tommen since the beginning of the book so here's this😂
Prepare yourselves, next chapter is a bit...odd.