KINGDOM FALL
— 96. Coronation
Later on that day, in the Great Hall, the High Septon led Annalys' coronation. The High Septon held a crown just above Annalys' head as he stood behind her.
The crown was designed Annalys had made herself. It was a Lannister gold crown that would have been expected to be worn by a king. The points of each crown was forged into a lion's head with red ruby eyes.
She had one made for Robb that was similar and equal in elegancy. Instead of the points being forged into lions, however, they were wolfs with sapphire eyes.
Banners consisting of a joint Lannister and Stark sigil were hung all around the throne room, and the rest of the castle. Not to mention, the rest of the capital.
The entire Great Hall was filled with people from all across Westeros; The Starks, the Tyrells, Oberyn Martell, the Tullys, the Tarlys, and people from other houses. There was one person Annalys really hoped to be there and they weren't. Myrcella. All the Lannisters were there, but not Myrcella.
Ser Edric and Jaime patrolled in the back with Ser Edmyn Hightower, Ser Rickard Royce, and Ser Steffon Oakheart, all of which were now members of her Queensguard. She made an attempt to get a man from each of the seven kingdoms. She was missing one from the Stormlands and Riverlands, though.
She planned to name Loras Tyrell to the queensguard, to keep ahold of the the Tyrells so that they'd never rebel. She had a feeling they were the only Great House who ever had a chance of rebelling. She also planned to have Tommen marry Margaery. She wouldn't get to marry a king, but at least she'd get to marry the next best thing. A prince.
Robb stood in the front row alongside Torra, Olyvar, Lyanna, and Eddard, who awkwardly stood in place and watched as their mother was named queen.
"Why isn't father up there?" Lyanna questioned Torra, who ended up shushing her.
"Shut up and watch," Torra snapped at the girl in a hushed tone, causing Robb to quietly chuckle.
It was quite amusing to watch Torra take on a sort of eldest sibling role. It reminded him of himself when he was younger. Of course, Torra got more frustrated with the children, but not in a particularly bad way. She was just not used to being around other children.
"May the Warrior grant her courage and protect her in these perilous times. May the Smith grant her strength that she might bear this heavy burden. And may the Crone, she that knows the fate of all men, show her the path she must walk and guide her through the dark places that lie ahead," The high Septon announced loudly, "In the light of the Seven, I now proclaim Annalys of the House Lannister, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Free Folk, and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm." He paused, finally placing the crown upon Annalys' head, "Long may she reign!"
"Long may she reign!" Everyone shouted out, many who knew Annalys personally smiling as they watched her take a seat on the throne for the first time as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Of course, it wasn't her first time ever sitting on it. She sat it on the day Stannis and Robb attacked King's Landing, it was the night before she gave birth to children.
Annalys wanted to laugh at the oddness of it all. The first time she sat on it was the night before she had her twin children. Now, the second time sat on it was the day before she was due to give birth to her son.
Cersei stood close to Annalys as she sat on the Iron Throne, smiling at the sight. She was proud, that was for sure. But she also knew Annalys was planning to send her away. Cersei could understand why, though. She fucked up and the worst part was, she was caught.
The crowd cheered and Annalys smiled, looking toward Robb. She sent him a smile and Robb bowed his head slightly. She looked down at all four of her children. Torra. Lyanna. Eddard. And Olyvar.
She smiled at them softly, waving at all four of them.
Several moments passed and Annalys continued to sit on the iron throne, numerous men and women walking up to greet her. Ser Davos stood at her side as her Hand, which many people were clearly unhappy about.
Annalys glanced around at her surroundings, people conversing amongst themselves. Lyanna and Olyvar were standing with Arya and Catelyn while Eddard was with Robb, speaking with his Uncle Edmure.
Annalys rolled her eyes at the sight of Edmure. "Your Grace," A voice suddenly spoke up, causing Annalys to turn her head to find Margaery Tyrell standing before her.
Margaery smiled slightly, bowing to her new queen, "Lady Margaery," Annalys greeted woman politely, sending her a large, yet fake smile, "Welcome back to the capital."
"It does me a great pleasure to be invited back to court by Her Grace," Margaery responded in a calm tone, "I must ask, though. What is the reason for this summon?"
"You broke a solemn vow, Lady Margaery. You were promised to be married to my brother Prince Tommen and yet, I'm told by my husband that you were promised to him as well." Annalys explained, causing the majority of the room to fall silent, many people listening in on the conversation.
Robb turned as well, a concerned look on his face. He had no clue what Annalys was about to do.
A concerned look on her face, Margaery opened her mouth to apologize, only to have Annalys cut her off before she even had time to speak, "But I can be forgiving, if you agree to marry my brother. It may not be as good as marrying the king, but you'll be marrying the prince of the Seven Kingdoms. The queen's only brother. Storm's End and Dragonstone are vacant castles now that House Baratheon has been destroyed. If you marry my brother, you may be their lady, Lady Margaery. Would you like that, Lady Margaery?"
Margaery tried her hardest not to give away how satisfied she was. Annalys was trying to play her, but she was giving her exactly what she wanted. Power.
Margaery knew that Annalys planned to name her brother Loras to the Queenguard. It meant Margaery would become Lady of Highgarden when her father died. If she was to marry Tommen, who would be becoming Lord of Storm's End, Margaery would have two different kingdoms. Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to ever think of trying to overthrow Annalys. That was a death wish, indeed.
"With all my heart, Your Grace," Margaery responded politely, forcing herself to smile at her new queen, "It would bring me great joy to be married to the prince and bear him sons and daughters who will be cousins to many great kings and queens."
"How about a seat on the Small Council?" Annalys suddenly asked, much to everyone's shock, "Would that bring you joy?"
"I would be delighted to have such an honor," Margaery continued to kiss up to Annalys, despite them both knowing what Annalys was doing.
She was purposely trying to keep the woman as close as possible so that she may keep an eye on her.
Annalys was about to speak up to dismiss Margaery when she felt the inside of her dress dampen. Her eyes widened, slowly looking down to see her crimson red dress now stained with water. She couldn't believe it. Of all places, on the iron throne and in front of thousands of subjects.
Margaery frowned in genuine concern, noticing the horrified look on Annalys face. "Your Grace? Is something the matter?"
Annalys scrunched up her nose in disgust, but tried to keep a straight face as many people turned to look at her in pain. She tried not to cry out, beginning to feel the contractions. "Annalys?" Cersei called out, moving closer to Annalys when she noticed the weird look on her face.
She walked up the steps of the Iron Throne, only to sigh in annoyance when she saw why Annalys was refusing to move a muscle. "Lovely," She muttered under breath in a sarcastic tone, "The day of your coronation, on the Iron Throne."
Annalys looked up at her mother, giving her a look of disbelief. That was what she cared about? She was about to give birth!
"Just get the people's attention elsewhere so I can stand up without them seeing my dress soaked in water," Annalys growled at her mother, who rolled her eyes.
"Just give me your hand," Cersei demanded in a stern tone, holding her out to Annalys.
Annalys sighed, quickly taking her mother's hand. Cersei helped her stand up, just before leading her out the king's door behind the Iron Throne. Before leaving, she ordered Ser Davos to get Robb and Jeyne, the only people she wanted in the room with her when she gave birth.
Hours later, Annalys laid in bed, screaming in agony due to her labor pains as the midwives tended to her. It made her anxious and frustrated due to how many people were in the damn room. When she gave birth to the twins, all she had was Jeyne, Catelyn, and Qyburn.
Now, there were more midwives than she could count, Robb, Jeyne, and a maester she did not know. She honestly wanted Qyburn as her maester, even though she hadn't seen the man in years. He had been loyal to her and only got sent away from Casterly Rock because of her mother. His ways were unethical, but he was loyal and smarter politically than others.
Robb held one of her hands while Jeyne held the other, assisting her during the birth. It was easier than the last time since she wasn't fighting it, but it still hurt like hell. She pushed and pushed and after only an hour of doing so, she gave birth to her child. A baby boy.
The midwives took the baby away and brought him to another side of the room to be cleaned off. Robb stayed at Annalys' side, not leaving her. He smiled, he and Annalys happy to see their third child.
Annalys frowned, realizing something was wrong when she felt as though she was still in labor, "Seven hells!" She exclaimed, crying out as she let go of Robb's hand to place her own on her belly.
"What's wrong?" Robb asked in concern, only to notice as the midwives placed the sheet over Annalys' legs once more, "Twins?" He questioned, his eyes lighting up at the thought.
He definitely jinxed it for a second time.
Annalys spent only twenty minutes birthing her next child and the baby was born to be revealed to be a baby girl. A twin sister and brother, once again.
After being cleaned off, both children were brought to her and placed in her arms. Robb and Annalys doted on their children, being left with them alone after Annalys commanded everyone else to leave.
They smiled as they looked down at their two newborn children, who were wrapped up in small blankets. They had Robb's lighter skin tone with Annalys' golden blonde hair. "They look like you," Robb commented softly, pressing a kiss to both of his children's heads before kissing Annalys on the cheek, "What shall we name them?"
"Torrhen and Joanna," Annalys replied without hesitation, thinking the same exact names Robb was thinking, "In honor of our time in the Riverlands."
"Joanna and Torrhen Stark," Robb repeated after Annalys, a large smile forming on his lips, "Prince and Princess of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Don't joke about twins anymore, alright?" Annalys jokingly remarked, earning a playful eye roll from Robb, "Every time you say that and I claim that I'm not having twins, I end up having twins. I think two sets of twins is enough."
Robb chuckled, the two of them spending the next few hours with their second son and daughter.
Hours later, Robb sat at Annalys' bedside. He held Joanna in his arms while Annalys held Torrhen. They smiled, admiring the sleeping children they held in their arms.
"They look so peaceful," Robb admitted softly, causing Annalys to smile as she turned to look at him.
Just then, before they could react, the twins waltzed in alongside Torra and Olyvar. "Twins?!" Torra exclaimed, her eyes wide as both Robb and Annalys chuckled, "You mean to say I have to deal with another set of twins?"
"Why does everyone else get to have a twin!" Olyvar complained as he followed Lyanna and Eddard over to where Robb was holding the twins in his arms.
Robb's eyes widened slightly at what he had said, but didn't answer his question. While he looked uneasy, Annalys smiled and shook her head.
"Are they boys or girls?" Eddard questioned curiously, being the first one to climb onto the bed to get a better look at the children.
"A boy and a girl," Robb informed his eldest son, smiling at him.
"Are you sure?" Eddard questioned in concern, "They both look like girls."
"I'm glad you're not dead, Mama," Lyanna bluntly commented, causing Annalys' eyes to widen in shock, "Grandmother Cersei says many Mothers die when being forced to give birth to a second set of twins."
Robb looked angered by the mention of Cersei, causing Annalys to sigh in defeat. She gave him a warning look before looking back over at Lyanna. "I look fine, don't I?" She pointed out to Lyanna, who smiled mischievously.
Lyanna opened her mouth, clearly intending to say something blunt and rude. Before she could, Torra covered the girl's mouth with her hands. "You look radiant..." She trailed off awkwardly, noticing the odd look she was getting from both Robb and Annalys at her use of such a large word, "Ser Davos has me taking lessons with a Septa, to be a proper lady in the capital."
"You're not a lady," Eddard argued, adding into the conversation, "You're a wildling. Grandmother Catelyn says wildlings are barbarian."
"Your mothers have serious issues," Torra suddenly spoke up, giving both Robb and Annalys an annoyed look, "They've turned Lyanna and Eddard against you. That is why..." He trailed off, smiling as she lifted up Olyvar, "He is my favorite."
Olyvar giggled, tightly wrapping his arms around Torra. While still holding Olyvar, Torra turned toward the door to leave. The four children bowed, just before leaving the room together.
Annalys smiled, watching as the children left. However, the moment they were out of sight, she turned to Robb, her smile immediately disappearing, "We must get rid of my mother," She suddenly told him, much to Robb's shock.
_____
The following morning, Annalys found herself out of bed, depsite being told to stay on bedrest for at least three days.
She stood in her chambers, waiting for her mother to arrive. Soon enough, she did. She entered, entering the room without saying a single word.
"You should bow," Annalys suddenly spoke up, causing Cersei to give her a puzzled look.
Annalys continued to stare at Cersei, as if she were waiting for her to bow. Cersei sighed in annoyance, rolling her eyes as she bowed to her own daughter. "Your Grace," She greeted Annalys formally, but didn't understand why the younger woman wanted to be formal all of a sudden when people weren't even around, "What is the reason for you sending me to your room?"
"I'd like to ask you about Lyanna and Eddard," Annalys informed Cersei, who visibly tensed up, "Is it true? Are you truly filling my children's minds with these poisonous thoughts?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Annalys," Cersei argued, shaking her head in response.
"You're lying," Annalys snapped at her mother coldly, glaring at her, "I've always known when you're lying and you're doing it right now. Tell me, why? Why would you do something like this? And to Lyanna! I purposely changed the line of sucession in order to avoid another repeat of what happened to Joffrey. And here you are, turning Lyanna into something that is worse than Joffrey! Worse, Mother! Worse!"
"That isn't what I intended," Cersei tried to convince Annalys, who loudly scoffed.
"You're lying again," She pointed out, trying her hardest to contain her tears, "You're doing everything you can to ruin my chances of staying in power. Yes, I'll admit, most of the bad things that have happened to me have been caused by myself, but other things were caused by you and you alone. Daenerys is after me because of you, my children are out of control because of you. I nearly lost Jaime because of you, too!"
"What do you know of losing Jaime?" Cersei snapped at Annalys, scoffing loudly, "Jaime, the man I love, cut all ties with me for you, Annalys. He broke his vows during the reigns of three kings in order to be with me, but not anymore. All because of you. He chose serving you over being with me. I've lost everything because of you. My eldest son, my freedom, Jaime, everything!"
"You chose to lose everything!" Annalys shouted at her mother, "You lost all of that the moment you fucked your own twin b--"
Before Annalys could finish her sentence, the palm of her mother's hand collided with her cheek. Annalys barely flinched however, much to Cersei's shock.
Angry tears filled Annalys' eyes as she stared at her mother. Before Cersei could react, Annalys slapped her back, harder. Cersei gasped in pain, clutching the side of her face as she felt a bruise already beginning to form. She stared at her daughter in disbelief, stunned speechless by her actions. She just slapped her own mother.
Annalys glared hatefully at her mother, tears in her eyes, "Striking your queen is an act of treason," She reminded her in a low, threatening tone and Cersei found no trace of the daughter she used to love more than anything in the world, "Even if you are my mother."
Cersei laughed humorlessly, beginning to smile threateningly at Annalys, despite feeling hurt after what happened, "I shall wear this like a badge of honor."
"Good, and you will wear that badge in silence, or I'll be more than willing to honor you again," Annalys snapped at Cersei, who tensed at the familiarity of her words.
She recalled Robert Baratheon saying the same to her, years before. "You know, I trusted you, Mother. I risked everything in saving you and Jaime. Now, that I look back at it, I lost everything in doing so and what do I get in return? Someone who continously betrays me and conspires behind my back," She explained, beginning to cry, "I loved you, Mother, I defended you time and time again. I asked you to do one thing in return. To believe in me. To choose my side, to choose me, your daughter, your firstborn. Jaime did that, but you couldn't. It made me realize that you never cared about me. You only care about yourself. You only liked the idea of how I looked exactly like you and acted like Jaime."
Holding back the rest of her tears, Annalys began to walk toward her mother, who cautiously stepped back. "Now, I was able to look past all of this, until I heard about you involving my children in your conspiring. That is something I will not stand for."
"What do you planning on doing with me, huh?" Cersei questioned, scoffing loudly, "Imprison me? You'd never do that. I am your mother."
"Perhaps, but it doesn't mean I won't marry you off to Euron Greyjoy," She replied, causing Cersei's eyes to widen in shock.
"You wouldn't." She argued as she shook her head.
Annalys smiled, nodding in response, "Oh, I would."
"I will not marry Euron Greyjoy," Cersei argued with her daughter, clenching her jaw in anger.
"A marriage between you and Euron will secure his alliance with me and make sure he remains loyal," Annalys informed her mother, who looked as though she was on the verge of crying, clearly feeling betrayed by her daughter, "You will marry him, whether you want to or not. Euron Greyjoy will have a seat on my small council as Master of Ships, meaning you will stay in King's Landing, where I may keep a close watch on you."
"I am Queen Mother, not some broodmare!" Cersei shouted at Annalys, glaring at her hatefully.
"You are my subject!" Annalys screamed at Cersei, looking so infuriated that even Cersei cowered back slightly as she felt fearful of what her daughter may do, "You are not Queen Mother, not any longer. After Stannis became king, you relinquished that title. Now, you will do what I command and marry Euron Greyjoy when the time comes." She explained and Cersei continued to shake her head in disapproval, "And you will stay away from Jaime from now on."
"I won't--" Cersei began to argue, only to have Annalys cut her off.
"You will," Annalys argued in a low and threatening tone, "And if I see you even in the same room as Jaime, I will make sure you regret it."
"Annalys, please," Cersei pleaded, genuine tears beginning to form in her eyes, "Please don't make me do this. Not after Robert. You saw what happened--"
"I don't care," Annalys responded, trying her hardest not to cry in front of her mother and speak in a stern tone.
She didn't want to do this to her mother, but she knew she had to. It pained her to do so, but it had to be done.
Annalys stepped closer to Cersei, giving her a threatening look, "You put this upon yourself, Mother," She told her in a calm tone, "I was able to endure much of your undermining and everything in between, but involving Lyanna...Now, that is something I will not stand for. I will not stand back and let her become another Joffrey. From now on, you will stay away from Jaime and you will stay away from my children, which includes Olyvar and Torra."
Cersei scoffed loudly at Annalys after hearing her consider Torra and Olyvar her children. Annalys glared at her mother for a moment. "I've let this slide for far too long. I am done." She told her mother, just before gesturing toward the door, "You're dismissed."
Cersei gave her daughter a cold look, just before leaving the room as she was ordered to.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
So Annalys had another set of twins!
What do you think of the whole Annalys and Cersei scene? Did you expect it?