[King's Landing - Red Keep Courtyard]

Cersei paced across a sprawling mural of Westeros laid out on the floor. The painter, finishing his work, stepped back as Jaime entered. Jaime glanced at the mural, nodded at the painter, who then set down his brush and left.

"What is this?" Jaime asked.

"It's what we've been waiting for our whole lives. What Father trained us for, whether he knew it or not."

"He knew it. Made me memorize every damn city, town, lake, forest, and mountain."

"It's ours now. We just have to take it." Cersei turned to face him. "You've been quiet since you came home. Are you angry with me?"

"No, not angry."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Should I be?"

"Daenerys Targaryen has chosen Tyrion to be her Hand. Right now, they're sailing across the Narrow Sea, hoping to take back her father's throne. Our little brother, the one you love so much, the one you set free, the one who murdered our father and our first-born son, now he stands beside our enemies and gives them counsel. He's out there somewhere at the head of an armada. Where will they land?"

"Dragonstone." Jaime moved to the part of the mural showing Dragonstone and stood over it. "They have deep-water ports for the ships. Stannis left the castle unoccupied, and that's where she was born. Rhaegar's daughter took it before we could."

"Enemies to the east." Cersei walked toward Dorne on the mural. "Enemies to the south—Doran Martell, Ellaria Sand, and her brood of bitches."

She moved to Highgarden. "Enemies to the west—Olenna, the old cunt. Another traitor."

Then she stepped toward the North. "Enemies to the north. Ned Stark's eldest son is alive, and his bastard brother has been named King in the North. That murdering whore Sansa stands beside him. Enemies everywhere. We're surrounded by traitors. You're in command of the Lannister army now. How do we proceed?"

"Winter is here. We can't win a war if we can't feed our men and our horses. The Tyrells have the grain. The Tyrells have the livestock."

"Will the Tyrell bannermen stand alongside a Dothraki horde and Unsullied slave soldiers?"

"If they think Daenerys will win. No one wants to fight on the losing side. Right now, we look like the losing side."

"I'm the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

"Three kingdoms, at best. I'm not sure you understand how much danger we're in."

"I understand we're in a war for survival. I understand whoever loses dies. I understand whoever wins could launch a dynasty that lasts a thousand years."

"A dynasty for whom? Our sons are dead. Our daughter is in that Southern wasteland where she might be dead as well. We're the last of us."

"A dynasty for us, then."

"We never talked about Tommen." Cersei turned and walked to a nearby table, pouring herself a glass of wine.

"There's nothing to say."

"Our baby boy killed himself."

"He betrayed me. He betrayed us both. Should we spend our days mourning the dead—mother, father, and our children?"

"Cersei—"

"I loved them. I did. But they're ashes now, and we're still flesh and blood. We're the last Lannisters, the last ones who count."

"Even Lannisters can't survive without allies. Where are our allies now? You saw what happened to Walder Frey and his family."

"I heard. How could we ever trust a man like that?"

"We couldn't. He was a useless, old coward, but the Freys supported us. Now they're all dead. Whoever killed them is no friend of ours. We need allies. Stronger, better allies. We can't win this war alone."

"You think I listened to Father for forty years and learned nothing?"

[King's Landing - Blackwater Bay]

Ships with the kraken sigil of House Greyjoy sailed into the port. Cersei and Jaime stood on the shore, watching. Gregor Clegane and a group of guards stood nearby.

"The Greyjoys? You invited the Greyjoys to King's Landing?"

"Not all of them."

"Well, it looks like all of them."

"I invited Euron Greyjoy, the new King of the Iron Islands. You said we needed stronger allies. There you are."

Jaime wasn't convinced. "How are they better allies? How are they different from the Freys? Both broke promises. Both killed their friends when it suited them."

Cersei shrugged. "Everyone does that when it suits them. The Greyjoys have ships. And they're good at killing."

"They're not good at anything. I know the Ironborn. They're bitter. Angry. All they do is steal what they can't build or grow."

"Euron Greyjoy didn't come here for that."

"Then why did he come?"

"A queen."

Cersei walked away. Gregor and the guards followed.

[King's Landing - Red Keep, Throne Room]

Cersei sat on the Iron Throne. Jaime and Gregor stood beside her. Euron Greyjoy stood at the base of the throne. Guards lined the hall.

Euron spoke first. "The moment I became King of the Iron Islands, my own family turned on me. My own kin. They stole my best ships and fled. They sailed across the world and handed those ships to the Dragon Queen. Now she's bringing her armies here to attack you." He pointed at Cersei.

"It's nothing compared to the betrayal you've faced from your own family, from what I hear. But it still bothers me. Killing them would make me feel better. And since all our traitorous relatives are fighting for the same side, I thought we—the rightful rulers—could deal with them together."

Euron began walking up the steps toward the throne. Gregor stepped forward, blocking him. Euron stopped and looked up at the towering figure.

"You're not a rightful ruler, though, are you?" Jaime said.

Euron smirked and stepped back down. Gregor returned to his place.

"The Greyjoys rebelled against the throne to claim kingship," Jaime continued. "But you lost. And if I recall, you started that rebellion by attacking Casterly Rock and burning the Lannister fleet. Clever move. But we still made it to the Iron Islands. I was there."

Euron's smile widened. "I remember. I saw you. I heard the stories. 'The best in the world. No one can stop him.' I didn't believe it. But when you charged through the breach, cutting people down... it was like a dance."

"The people I was cutting down were your own family," Jaime said.

"The place was crowded. I enjoyed watching it. Truly."

"And I enjoyed killing Greyjoys."

"Good for me," Euron said. "If you hadn't crushed us, I wouldn't have gone into exile. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the greatest captain on the seas."

"If not the most humble," Cersei added.

Euron turned to her. "You're not humble either. You're the queen of a great nation. The Iron Islands? Just rocks, bird droppings, and ugly people. But the Iron Fleet? That's something else. It's the greatest armada Westeros has ever seen. With it, you control the seas. You can crush the invaders from the east and the pretenders from the north and south."

"What do you want in return?" Cersei asked.

"Since I was a boy, I dreamed of marrying the most beautiful woman in the world. So here I am. A thousand ships. Two good hands." He raised his arms. Jaime's face tightened.

"I decline your proposal," Cersei said.

"Why?"

"You're not trustworthy. You've broken promises to allies before. You murdered your own brother."

"You should try it. Feels wonderful," Euron said with a laugh.

"I don't expect you to trust me right away," he continued. "You need proof. In my experience, the best way to a woman's heart is with a gift. A priceless one. And I have something you might find interesting."

He gestured to his men. They brought forward a large object covered by a sheet. Jaime and Gregor tensed. Euron pulled off the sheet, revealing a massive horn.

"A horn?" Cersei said, unimpressed.

"Not just any horn," Euron corrected. "A dragonhorn. From Old Valyria."

The crowd murmured.

"They say whoever blows this horn can control dragons."

"If you blow it, you'll control the Targaryen girl's dragons?" Cersei asked.

"And whose will would the dragons follow?"

"Mine, of course. But they'd serve you, Your Grace."

Cersei leaned back on the throne. "Very well. I'll consider your proposal."

Jaime looked shocked. Euron bowed, turned, and left the Great Hall.