𝕀𝕥 was two long weeks until they let me see her. Two weeks of constant fear, of imagining the worst things they could be doing to her in the cells of the sept, of waking up every morning thinking it was all a dream and being crushed anew by the realization that I was alone in my bed. That was, if I slept at all. My anxiety kept me from finding rest as much as my desperate search for a solution, for some way to get her out. How could an upjumped band of fanatics be so impossible to overpower? My efforts yielded nothing to shorten the unbearable wait. But after two weeks, finally, my request to visit was granted. What I found when the door of the cell was opened for me broke my heart for good: Cersei, my golden lioness, covered in her own filth, pressed into a corner, whimpering, cowering from the woman in front of me. I pushed past the septa into the room. "Cersei", I said softly. Slowly, she lifted her head, tear-filled eyes looking up at me. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. As soon as the door fell shut behind me, I rushed to Cersei and flung my arms around her, holding her oh so close to me, never wanting to let her go again. "My love", I whispered. "What have they done to you?" "You need to get me out of here", she uttered, clutching my arms, her voice hoarse from disuse. "I will", I promised. "I am doing everything I can to break you out, everyone at the Red Keep is." Cersei shook her head in defeat. "The king can't do anything against the Sparrows. It's my fault, I gave them this power. Seven hells, why am I so stupid?", she yelled. "Softly now", I shushed her. "You don't want the septa to hear this." Cersei flinched at her mention and I hugged her again. "You will survive this, my sweet queen, you are stronger than them", I whispered. But I felt her trembling in my arms. She was so hurt, so broken. What on earth had they done to traumatize her like this in such a short time? "Trust me, love, I'll find a way to get you out of here, and if I have to personally kill every septon and septa in this godforsaken place to do it, don't doubt for a moment that I will." I kissed her quickly, pouring as much emotion and affection as I could into that short moment. "I'm here for you, and I am spending every waking second trying to think of a plan to free you. If these Sparrows can be given power, it can be taken from them again. How exactly did you-" I heard the steps of the septa nearing the door and let go of Cersei, rising to my feet quickly. "Please, if I could have a moment longer with the queen", I began, but the septa cut me off. "Oh, you will have plenty of time with her." I narrowed my eyes, not liking her tone one bit. "What do you mean?" "We have reason to believe that you, too, have broken the laws of the Seven." She tossed me a linen shift like the one Cersei was wearing. I let it drop to the floor, making no attempt to catch it. "For the time being, you will stay here. Perhaps your company will encourage the queen to confess to her sins, as you seem so taken with each other's well-being." She slammed the door shut before I could reach it. I turned back to Cersei who looked at me wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape. "I'm so sorry", she whispered. "Now you're stuck in here too because of me." "Arguably better than being apart from you", I tried to smile, mostly to encourage her, but it didn't quite reach my own eyes. I slowly sat back down beside her. "So tell me, what is it like, living in here? What do they do to...?" Cersei gave a bitter laugh. "What does it look like? I have been deprived, degraded and abused all the time I've been here. I don't imagine that will change anytime soon, it seems to be their norm of treatment." I nodded silently, not really having had any expectations to be confirmed or disproven to begin with. Then I had another thought. "Why did they lock me up with you? They don't honestly believe it will make you confess, do they? If anything, the presence of another person is known to strengthen a prisoner's resistance." "No. Didn't you listen to what Septa Unella said? They are suspicious of our relationship. They hope to catch us in the act so they have definite proof, which would spare them the trial and lead us straight to the sentence." "They won't have any luck with that", I said defiantly. "Do they honestly think we'll fuck in a place like this?" "We don't have to. A kiss, an inappropriate touch, the smallest gesture would be enough for them. Together with the evidence they have already gathered against me... we're as good as dead, Vallery."

The septa came again in the evening. "Put on the shift", Cersei said in a panicked voice. "Please, she'll punish you if you don't!" But I shook my head. "I won't. I won't let her control me." The door opened, and Unella looked down at me with a contemptous frown. "Dress off, now", she said, pointing at me with the spoon she was holding. I stared back at her unmoving. She whacked the wooden spoon across my cheek, making my head fly to the side. I turned back to face her slowly. "No", I said simply. "Take it off", she said again. I didn't. The spoon came down on my face again, and again, I turned back to her. "No", I repeated, pronouncing the single syllable with care. This time, the spoon hit me on the temple, making my head ring. Cersei gasped as blood ran down the side of my face, but still, I collected my breath and turned back around, slightly shaking now. The septa didn't even wait for my response before hitting me with the side of the spoon once more. I felt my skin burst this time, felt the trickle of blood joining the other, but I vowed not to bow to this hag. I had to make Cersei understand that they weren't untouchable, that she could still defy them. "Please, just do as she says", Cersei whispered, tears filling her eyes. "Pity for the sinner?", Septa Unella asked with a glance at her. Cersei said nothing in response, only glared at the woman in a mixture of hate and fear. "She's right, though", the septa said, focusing her attention on me again. A wild thought crossed my mind as I looked at the unguarded open door behind the septa's back. "Ozdākōs", I whispered to Cersei, not knowing if she would even make it far, but of course, the woman of the Faith knew the Valyrian tongue of the scholars and turned around quickly. "I don't think so", she said, slamming the door shut with one hand, even though Cersei hadn't even made a move to go - she was too scared of what would happen if she didn't make it. But it was distraction enough for me to wrench the spoon from the septa's grasp and strike her flat on the back of the head with it as hard as I could. She dropped to her knees, knocked unconscious by my blow. Although I didn't have the time nor nerve to ponder it that moment, subconsciously I was rather impressed with myself for managing to strike true on the first attempt. But the door was closed now, and the only way to get out would be to knock on it, pretending to be the septa returning, and then pray for speed to escape the ones opening the door. It was foolish, it would never work. But we didn't have to knock at all, the door opened already. "With me", a stranger septa said harshly and dragged me from the cell, ignoring her motionless sister on the ground. I threw one last desperate look at Cersei before the door closed between us. What would they do to me now? Would they kill me? 

But I was merely dragged into an open room with a bench and a table as its only furniture. The septas brought me before the High Sparrow. He looked me up and down before motioning to the women to leave us. They dropped me at his feet. "Lady Stark. You are aware of the charges against you?", he asked. "Not really", I growled, anger reigniting inside of me. "I wasn't given any justification as to why I was locked in on my visit here." "Your visit to the queen, yes. That is part of why you are here." "Is anyone who visits an accused sinner a criminal as well by principle?", I snapped. "Someone ought to have informed me of that before I came." "Visiting a sinner isn't a crime", the High Sparrow said, unmoved. "Lying with one, though..." He regarded me closely, watching for any reaction in my face. But I wasn't about to give that satisfaction to him. "What do you mean?", I asked. "I have never been married, my virtue remains unblemished." "Does it now? We have heard most terrible rumors..." "Rumors, nothing more", I interrupted. "Who is this man I allegedly lay with, anyway?" I deliberately played clueless, wanting to give him no further reason to believe the - very true - rumors he was referencing. "Not a man at all, I'm afraid", he said. "It is said that you engaged in intimate relations with the queen herself." "With the queen?", I forced myself to laugh. "My... how do I address you, Lord? High Holiness? Either way, I assure you, if the queen and I had ever done what you think we did, more than rumors would have come of it. Nothing remains unknown for long in the Red Keep." "That it doesn't", the old man agreed. "Only the gods can know for certain the truth of this charge, but if I may advise you: confess. It would be easier on you to atone instead of suffering through a trial that would lead up to the same thing." I knew he was right, but I couldn't confess, couldn't condemn Cersei with my words. "But wouldn't it be wrong to lie in front of the gods about a crime I didn't commit?", I said innocently. The High Sparrow sighed. "You seem intent on denial. I cannot force you to face your sins, but I can show you the gods' mercy and hope they will guide you on the right path. You will be allowed to return to your home and receive your trial in due time. See today as a warning. But you are forbidden from leaving the city, forbidden from visiting any person currently held under guard by the Faith and there will be a member of the Faith watching over you at all times when you leave the Red Keep." I let go of the breath I had been holding. "Thank you." I got up and walked out of the room, curious if anyone would stop me at the doors. They didn't.

Out on the street, I took a deep breath of the cool night air. It blew softly against the still drying blood on my face, reminding me of my wounds. I had only been incarcerated for a day, but it had felt like weeks. What must it have been like for Cersei to be stuck in that place for two whole weeks? Shivering, I made my way back to the Red Keep. A man of the City Watch recognized me and accompanied me to the gate. He didn't ask any questions, which I was glad of. I hadn't entirely processed what had happened yet myself, and didn't want to speak about what I had seen and experienced in those cells. My thoughts were occupied only by Cersei. More than ever, I had to get her out, I just had to! I could not bear the thought of her being stuck in there even a moment longer. She had been so fragile, so resigned to her fate. These fanatics had broken her, and I would make them pay bitterly for it. I would hurt them a thousand times over for every pain they had inflicted on my love. I would make them regret ever touching her. She was mine, and I had to protect her.