𝕀𝕥 was the day of Margaery's release from the cells of the sept, planned to be complete with a Walk of Atonement just like Cersei's. But we relied on the Tyrells' support more than ever, and so, grudgingly as it may have been, Cersei had agreed with Olenna that they could not let the public humiliation of yet another queen happen. "How did it go?", Cersei asked from her place at the table when Jaime finally returned, contempt lighting up in her eyes for the easy way the girl had gotten off. "I didn't hear anyone in the streets." Jaime's face was none too promising, though. "We stopped the Walk as planned. But-" He trailed off, obviously contemplating how best to word this. "But what?", I asked impatiently. Jaime looked us both in the eyes in turn, stopping on Cersei's. "But Tommen had arrived before us", he said. "After we had successfully confronted the High Sparrow, he walked out to stand by Margaery and announced that the Crown and the Faith would be united under his rule - 'the twin pillars upon which this world rests'." Cersei ground her teeth at her own words being spun into a snare for her naive son. He had no idea what a cult he was empowering, blinded by love for his young queen. "It was as if the old man had expected us to show up, as if he had planned it." "My thoughts exactly", Cersei replied heatedly. "They set us up for a performance, and we walked right into it like court fools. But Tommen... my own son... how could he not have told me? Does he have so little trust in me?" I placed my hand on hers. "He's young, love." Jaime didn't appear bothered by the term of endearment. Perhaps he was finally conceding. "Right now, he is head over heels for his bride, and whatever she tells him, he believes. She no doubt claimed it would be best not to trouble you with such matters after all your recent turmoil, and he followed her lead. But you are his mother, he knows he can always trust you. Speak to him, let him know what concerns you have about this new alliance. He will listen, have no fear." Cersei squeezed my hand thankfully. "You always find the right words, Vallery." "Although the Tyrells are currently occupied with their own problems, other matters require our attention", Jaime cut in. Cersei and I both looked up at him with a frown, wondering what else there could be. "The Freys have proven incapable of holding a castle that isn't their own. The Blackfish has taken up residence there again and, to no one's suprise and everyone's annoyance, they need our help to take it back." "The Blackfish?", I asked, getting up from my seat. "Brynden Tully?" Jaime confirmed with a nod. "Let me come with you. He's my great-uncle, perhaps he'll listen to me and surrender peacefully." Seeming to consider this, Jaime inclined his head. "I'd be happy to avoid bloodshed if I can. But... aren't you confined to the Keep? You can't leave." I snorted, a rather undignified sound for a lady like me. "Please. Those dirty zealots want to keep me locked up in here like a disobedient little dog, they can bloody well try. I am a direwolf of the North, and I will not be chained at some scrubby bird's command." "Very well, then", Jaime replied, "come along. Let's hope the old Tully lives by his House words and puts family before honor."

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It had been an easy thing to take command over the Freys. A few had been stubborn, but at the end of the day, no one wanted to mess with Ser Jaime Lannister. Now, however, the siege's proceedings depended on me. I hovered at the edge of the moat, watching as a drawbridge was lowered to allow my passage. Archers stood at the ready atop the allure, all of their crossbows pointed at me. Not the familiar welcome I had hoped for, so far. When the bridge had locked into place, it revealed Brynden and about a dozen of his men waiting for me. He beckoned me in, and I tried not to let my nervousness show as I entered. This was my first time away from the capital in over five years, and I realized the length of that duration with a sudden shock. It felt absurd that so much time should have passed since I had first met Cersei and my life had changed completely. Five years of loving in secret, five years of leading a double life, five years that had gone by in a blur. Was this what it felt like to spend your life with someone you loved, barely taking note of the passage of time because everything was perfect as long as you two were just together? The Blackfish led me to a walkway looking out on the siege troops below. "So, my dear grand-niece, how have you planned to convince me to surrender my ancestral castle?" His voice was dripping with cynicism. "I know we have never met", I began, "but you are my mother's uncle. For the love you bore her, I beg you, take my word for the Lannisters' kindness toward my family and give Riverrun to them peacefully. None of your men need to die. Ser Jaime will let you live out the rest of your life in a good home-" "Kindness toward your family, eh?", he sneered. "Tell me, child, how kind were they when they took your father's head? When they gave your sister first to that young maniac, and then to his lustful uncle? How kind were they when they ordered your mother and brother slaughtered at my nephew's wedding?" I balled my fists. "I'm not a child", I growled quietly. "And those things were Joffrey and Tywin's doing, both of whom are dead now." "Fine. How did Cersei treat your sister? What did the honorable Ser Jaime ever do to stop Joffrey's violent outbursts? How well is King Tommen able to control anything in his city?" He shook his head. "They may have been kind to you, child, but not to your family." Pausing, he surveyed the siege lines. "Where did you leave your direwolf, hm? Surely you took her with you in case it comes to battle. Didn't want to bring her in so you'd seem more Tully?" I didn't answer, because he was speaking true. "Well, you're not. I'd say you're a Stark, but I'm not sure you are even that anymore. Yes, they've done a marvellous job molding you into a Lannister, another soldier in their army of entitlement." The words stung, but not as much as I expected them to. I supposed he was right in a way - I did already count myself as one of them. But I was also still a Stark, I would always be. And when Starks fought, they intended to win. "It seems there is nothing left for us to discuss here", I replied coldly when I finally found my voice again. "Perhaps you will regret your insistence come the morrow."

Without waiting for his permission, I strode back down the stairs and out the gate. Darkness was already falling when I returned to the camp. Jaime looked at me expectantly, but his face quickly fell as he saw my expression. "No luck?" I shook my head. "A shame", Jaime mused, "I had hoped he wouldn't throw his life away so vainly." He turned to his soldiers. "Prepare Lord Edmure. We'll have to pursue our second plan." I raised an eyebrow in question while his men left, but he waved me off. "Can you fight?", he asked. "Not me personally", I replied with a slight smirk, "but I'll still participate." A short whistle brought Rhaenys running to my heel. "She'll do the killing, and I'll make sure it's only the enemies she kills. Is there some place I can lie down?" Jaime looked beyond confused, but pointed me to a tent nonetheless. "In there. What...?" "Don't worry about it", I smiled, motioned for Rhaenys to stay with him and made for the tent. Inside, I lay down on the cot, closed my eyes and reached out for that invisible thread connecting my wolf and me. It was easier than the first time, and a moment later I felt myself slipping my body and was suddenly looking up at Jaime again, from a considerably lower height than before. His face shifted to amazement as he noticed the change in the direwolf. The memory must have clicked into place for him now, stories told to him by his wet nurse of the old wargs of the North. I trotted forward a few steps and looked back at him to signal that I was ready. Jaime mounted his horse, assembled his army's formation and waited side by side with me - with Rhaenys, I reminded myself, I mustn't lose myself in my wolf's mind - as Edmure approached the drawbridge like I had earlier and demanded entry. He was let in, and not long after, the gate opened again. The Lannister soldiers began marching and Jaime and I set off, too. Not many soldiers resisted, most had already resigned themselves to defeat. But the ones who did were shown no mercy by neither Jaime's sword nor my teeth. "Find the Blackfish", Jaime barked at a group of soldiers before we were separated. The throng led me down a flight of stairs, from which I heard the sounds of fighting before I could see what was going on. There stood Brynden Tully, slicing through the soldiers coming at him as if they were no more than wooden cut-outs. I felt torn for a moment: this man was my family, but to stand aside meant to let all these other men die one by one until he tired. By the time the Blackfish cut down another soldier, I had made my choice. With a growl, I leapt past the next challenger and lodged my teeth around my - my human's, Rhaenys' consciousness chimed in as it mingled with mine - great-uncle's throat. An instant of resistance, a sickening crunch, and he crumpled to the floor amidst the corpses of his fallen foes. He had fought valiantly, but he couldn't have upheld this forever. Better to end it now before more lives went to waste. The siege thus successfully completed, I made my way back out of the castle to return to my real body. I had retained more of my own thoughts this time, but it was better not to tempt my fate. As soon as I laid eyes upon my sleeping human shape, I was pulled back into it and sat up gasping, the weaker body feeling unfamiliar for a few seconds. I didn't think one could ever get fully used to switching between bodies. Jaime entered the tent soon after. He had to already have been told of what had transpired downstairs, because he approvingly said, "You did well out there. Shame it had to end this way. But you did the right thing, the gods know how many of our men he would have killed before going down." Rhaenys came up beside him and he bent down to scratch her head. "Yes, you too." It was strange to see Jaime this friendly. All our encounters so far had been filled with snide remarks and mutual enmity. Maybe he really had moved on. It would be for the better for all of us. "So", I said, "shall we go home and report our victory?"

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Days had gone by since I had snuck back into the city unnoticed. I was glad to be back with Cersei; although I hadn't been away for long, I was not at all used to being separated from her anymore. We had celebrated our victory with a long night containing little sleep and less quiet. Now, I was walking around the castle looking for Cersei, wanting to ask her about a dress she had commissioned on my behalf. Hearing her voice from a hallway, I turned right. I found her standing across from Olenna, who was sitting at a table looking gloriously unbothered, while Cersei seemed to struggle to control her anger. "...you're going to kill them all by yourself?", Olenna was saying. "You've lost, Cersei. It's the only joy I can find in all this misery." Cersei stared at her for a moment longer, seething, before she turned to leave. Seeing me, though, she stopped by my side. "We can talk later", I said quickly, not wanting to make her stay here any longer. She nodded and let her hand brush mine as she walked away. I looked after her, then turned my eyes to Olenna. "What was that about?", I asked, keeping my tone neutral yet inquisitive. The old woman put down her pen and met my gaze. "She asked for my support. I refused." I gave a nod. "I suppose I can understand that." In truth, my sympathy for the Tyrells was very limited, but I did not have the freedom that came with a rank like Cersei's to speak to her as I liked. In name, I was a lady just like her, but the Queen of Thorns had far more influence than me. Olenna inclined her head toward the direction in which Cersei had left. "You seem quite fond of her", she said in a probing tone. I lifted my chin. "She has proven herself a trustworthy friend", I said. Olenna scoffed. "Cersei, trustworthy? Oh, come now, child, you're not fooling anyone. She's got a pretty body and a way with words, that's the sum of it." I wasn't sure what to say. Had she figured out that there was more between us that easily? From one touch? "What's the matter, dear, cat got your tongue?", Olenna prompted, and I furrowed my brow, still not replying. "Do you think I'm a stranger to desires such as yours? It's entirely natural, I hold you no dislike for loving another woman. It's only your choice of woman that I despise." I had two choices here: deny everything, or embrace it with confidence. And I was too piqued for the former. "And why is that? Why do you think you know her well enough to judge her?" "She put my grandchildren in prison, a fanatic in control of this city and countless innocents, highborn and low, to the sword", Olenna replied drily. "That wasn't her, that was Joffrey", I instinctively pressed out. It seemed to me that lately, all I did was argue, but I could not help it, not when it was Cersei who was being talked bad about. "And it's not like she hasn't been hurt either, is it? First Robert, then the loss of two of her children, then that horrific punishment by the Sparrows..." "Save your breath", Olenna interrupted and got up from her seat, gathering her papers, "I don't want to hear it. It's tragic to behold, the way she has you in her grip. You wouldn't believe the truth if it kicked you in the face." I took a step toward her. "I already know the truth. And if you bothered to look far enough beyond the roses in front of your own nose that make the world smell oh so sweet to you, so would you." She regarded me for a moment longer. "You're lucky I was just leaving and didn't hear that", she said warningly before walking past me and out the door.

Cersei was back in her chambers as expected, sitting in a chair with her back turned to the room. "What a bitch", I said by way of greeting as I entered and closed the door. "I'll drink to that", Cersei murmured without turning around and actually lifted a glass of wine. Her tone of voice concerned me, however. "What's wrong?", I asked, walking over to her and slipping my arms around her shoulders from behind. She still didn't look at me. "Tommen just made another announcement. Trial by combat has been forbidden as means of being judged." I didn't bother to hide my shock. "What? But- Cersei, what will we do?" Finally, she turned her head to meet my eyes, inches away. "I have an idea", she said almost absent-mindedly. "It might solve all our problems." "What's the idea?" She smiled, but it felt forced somehow. "You'll see. Come on, I want to get ready for bed. It's been a long day." With an unsteady smile of my own, I placed a kiss on her cheek, straightened up and went to undo my hair. If Cersei didn't want to tell me what she was planning, she most likely thought I wouldn't approve. I was about as tolerant of her aberrant methods as it got, though, so this... could not mean anything good.