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Game of Thrones: The Rains of Castamere
*****
How had it come to this?
Eldest son of Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord Commander of the Kings Guard, Brother to the Queen, Heir to Casterly Rock, one of the greatest swordsmen in all realm...
...and now reduced down to this... a mutilated husk.
Jaime stood at the top of the stone staircase, bitterly staring down at the gold-plated appendage that hung where his sword hand once was. A delicately crafted, beautifully detailed replacement for his missing hand. A heavy, cumbersome reminder of his downturn in fortune over the past few months...
...The most feared sword hand in the entire seven kingdoms, stolen from him by a northern dog.
...His beloved son, King of the seven kingdoms, viciously poisoned on his wedding day by evil forces unknown.
...His stern yet admirable Father, Lord of the great house Lannister, murdered on the privy by his devilish brother, Tyrion.
...His perfect and innocent daughter, Myrcella, poisoned by the Dornish sand snake witch Ellaria Sand.
Their youngest child, Tommen, still living and well by the grace of the gods, was to be the new ruler of the seven kingdoms. All this misery would not defeat the might house Lannister and all they had strived towards.
It had been 3 days since Jaime and Bronn returned from their ill-fated attempt to rescue Princess Marcella from the Dornish hostiles and his dear sister Cersei had not left her chamber since hearing the news of her daughter's untimely murder.
Jaime stood at the landing outside of her chamber door, eager to console his beloved sister, to hold her, calm her, assure her that he is there to protect their family.
But he could not bring himself to enter. What could he say to the mother of his children, his sister, his lover, his lifelong partner to ease her anguish and suffering?
"Father grant me strength, Mother grant me love, Crone grant me wisdom..." Jaime began to desperately pray to gods he barely believed in.
"Oh just come in!" Snapped an angry and slightly slurred voice from inside the chamber.
Jaime slowly pushed the wooden door with his remaining hand to reveal the dimly lit room beyond.
Candles were flickering around the room, bouncing gentle light off the red velvet banners and drapes surrounding the walls and arches. Empty jugs of wine and glasses lay scattered amongst the furniture.
His beloved sister was laid on a decorative chaise longue in front a slowly dying fire, the embers gently sizzling in the grate, wrapped in a large dark bear skin blanket. Jaime could see the blonde glow of her characteristic Lannister hair as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room, cut much shorter now after her imprisonment by the so called 'high sparrow'.
As he approached, Cersei took a large swig from a wine glass by her side and stared menacingly into the dying flames, her face stern and resolute, her heart filled with vengeance and anger.
"Enemies to the east... Enemies to the south... Ellaria Sand and her brood of bitches," Cersei hissed with the venom of a viper, "Enemies to the west... Olenna, the old cunt. Another traitor. Enemies to the north. Ned Stark's bastard has been named King in the North and that murdering whore Sansa stands beside him. Enemies everywhere. We're surrounded by traitors." She finished incredulously, not breaking her eyes away from the roasting embers.
"We are house Lannister of Casterly Rock! Lords of the Westerlands! And now rulers of the entire seven kingdoms!" Jaime proclaimed defiantly, not sure where his confidence had come from, "Others may covet our power and riches but they can never destroy the dynasty that we have built. That our father has built. It is our duty to carry on the legacy he started and resist all these treacherous invaders."
"And what legacy might that be? A murdered father, daughter and son? You...a cripple? And me...the disgraced queen regent?" Cersei retorted viciously.