Cersei Lannister POV
"I'm fine, mother. I don't want to eat anymore." Joff said with mild discomfort as she tried to feed him yet another spoonful of broth.
In the last two weeks, he had made a decent recovery and gradually began to venture out of his room more often. However, he still had to regain some of his lost muscle strength before resuming his sword training.
It was regrettable that Joff did not inherit the same talent for swordsmanship as her brother. But he was the crown prince and destined to inherit the throne after her oaf of a husband passed away. He would have the entire Kingsguard and additional protectors to ensure his safety.
"Just a bit more," she insisted as she lifted a spoon to his mouth. He resisted for a few moments before finally relenting with a grimace and swallowing the spoonful of broth.
"Good job, dear. The more you eat, the stronger you'll become." she praised.
"The more I eat, the fatter I'll become." Joff replied with a hint of irritation.
She was about to respond when the door to the room swung open, and Jaime sauntered in, clad in his white armour. He was followed by the hasty footsteps of the maid whom she had sent to summon him.
"Joffrey," Jaime greeted their son with a feigned expression of concern. "How have you been recovering, nephew?"
Joff let out a dissatisfied grunt and pushed his dish away. "I'm doing fine, but mother keeps overfeeding me," he complained.
"That's because she cares about you. It's her way of expressing love," Jaime explained, but Joff's scowl only deepened in response.
"I'm tired. Go away and let me sleep." Joff said as he rolled over in the bed pulled his blanket over himself.
She noticed Jaime's expression shift into one of irritation before he turned to her and whispered, "Did you want to talk about something?"
She nodded and handed the dish to the maid before leading Jaime into a nearby empty room and shutting the door behind them.
Jaime took this as a chance to get close to her as he embraced her from behind and planted a few kisses on her neck.
She let him indulge in her body for a brief moment. But when he attempted to hike up her dress, she finally pushed him away from herself. She just... wasn't interested these days.
"Did you hear about Baelish?" She asked him before he could show his displeasure at being denied once again.
"The entire castle has heard about him, and his cronies." Jaime remarked as he tried to move closer to her, but she shoved him away again, this time with greater force to make it clear that she was serious.
Jaime gave her an annoyed look but pursed his lips and gestured for her to speak.
"Do you know why that boy arrested him?"
"I've only heard rumours. About Baelish stealing from the crown, and about the boy getting permission from your husband to deal with him however he likes." Jaime said.
The mention of her husband reignited a wave of fury within her. How dare that whoremonger sell her daughter to that monster of a boy.
Initially, a part of her had contemplated killing Robert as soon as she learned of the betrothal. However, Myrcella was still young, and she was confident that she would be able to find a way to annul the betrothal before her daughter grows up.
In the meantime, she'll keep her daughter close to her, and teach her why men like Stephen are never to be trusted.
"I need you to do me a favour Jaime." She said and Jaime frowned.
"Oh, you want me to do you a favour do you?" Jaime asked in growl. "But when I want to be with you, you are too busy, or not in the mood, or-."
"Oh, will you stop your whining already. This is serious." She told him with a glare. "I want you to apprehend Baelish and bring him into our custody. Take as many Red Cloaks as you'll need, but I want Baelish under our control, and not the boy."
"Why do you want to take Baelish from the boy? Why?" Jaime asked, and she scowled.
"Does it truly matter?" she snapped, her irritation mounting.
"Yes, it matters. If you want me to carry out your request, then at least tell me why I should do it." he replied firmly.
She tapped her finger in irritation but nodded. "Fine. I want Baelish brought to me so that I can interrogate him myself and find out all the gold that he has stolen from the crown."
Jaime gave her an unimpressed look. "And why do you want to interrogate him yourself?"
"Because if the boy leads this investigation and finds out where Baelish has hidden all the gold, then who is to say that he won't take a good portion of it for himself."
Jaime crossed his arms and gave her an incredulous look. "And since when did you start caring about the finances of the realm?"
"It's not about the gold. But about not letting your enemy have any more advantages." She told him.
Furthermore, she believed that if she could capture Baelish, she would be able to bring the monstrous boy to the bargaining table and negotiate the custody of Baelish in exchange for being freed from the curse that had been placed upon her.
"And since when did the boy become our enemy?" Jaime asked, seemingly unconcerned.
"Since the boy cursed Joff with that disease," she told him, feeling her irritation spike as Jaime simply rolled his eyes at her.
"This again? Do you have any proof of this, or are you just saying it because you hate the boy for whatever reason?" Jaime asked, his skepticism evident.
"Does it matter?" she hissed at him. She wanted to argue with Jaime, to make him understand just how dangerous that boy was. But she was already feeling too tired to continue the conversation, so she decided to wrap it up quickly. "Are you going to get Baelish or not?"
"The King has granted the boy permission to deal with Baelish however he wants." Jaime told her. As if she needed to be reminded about something like that.
"And you're so very loyal to the King, aren't you," she said derisively. "Don't give me excuses, Jaime. Are you going to do this or not?"
Jaime opened his mouth to speak but then he paused and closed his mouth. Then he stared at her for a long moment before he shook his head. "No."
She frowned at his words, a dangerous glint entering her eyes. "What?" She asked softly.
"I said no," Jaime repeated firmly. "I'm not going to do your dirty work, Cersei."
Her scowl deepened as she grabbed his arms, digging her fingernails into his flesh and eliciting a wince from him. "Is it because I'm not sleeping with you?" she asked, her voice dripping with venom. "Is that it?"
Jaime's eyes hardened. "That's one of the reasons but...I'm just tired of you ignoring me. Treating me like I'm some kind of stray dog that you can kick away and then bring back to yourself with a few sweet words. I'm tired of being treated like this," he said, his voice tinged with frustration.
After glaring at him for a few moments, her anger escalating, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm herself down.
In another time, if she had the motivation, she could have easily seduced Jaime with her charm. She could have told him how much she loved him, wrapped him around her fingers with sweet words, and maybe even given him a blowjob. Jaime had always been too easy to please.
But now... now, she was just so exhausted. So tired of everything.
So instead, she nodded. "Very well then. Leave. Go and run away, like the coward you are, instead of protecting your family. Go. Show yourself to be the disappointment father always knew you were."
Jaime appeared hurt by her words, but he eventually nodded and walked away from her.
As he opened the door and prepared to leave, he stopped and glanced back at her. "Unless you've decided to apologise, don't come to me for anything," he said firmly before striding out of the room.
She watched his departure for a moment before collapsing against the wall and sliding down to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
—
Stephen Baratheon POV
He touched Baelish shoulder and caused his nerves to flare out in excruciating pain once again.
Baelish let out another harrowing scream that reverberated through the entire dungeon as he felt the pain of being burned alive.
He let that pain continue for a moment before he stopped Baelish's nerves from acting out.
Baelish stopped screaming at once, tears and snot streaming down his face as the man gave him a terrified look.
"Baelish, Baelish, Baelish," he repeated, shaking his head in disappointment. "I warned you not to lie to me, yet here you are doing it once again," he remarked, flashing a smile as he patted Baelish's cheeks. "You ought to have learned by now that it's not wise to do so."
Baelish let out a shuddering sob and attempted to pull away from his touch, but the chains kept him firmly in place. "I... I didn't lie," he stammered. "Please, Your Grace, I'll do anything you ask of me."
"Then tell me where the last of the gold is."
"I already told you!" Baelish cried out, more tears streaming down his face and onto the floor. "I told you everything."
He frowned as Shaper informed him that Baelish was lying to him once again. He touched Baelish's hand and subjected him to another round of excruciating torture, causing him to feel as though his skin was being flayed and then salt rubbed into the wound.
The chamber was filled with the echoes of Baelish's screams as he writhed in the chains that suspended him. After a moment, he ceased his thrashing and let out a groan of agony.
He hung limply like a broken marionette before eventually breaking down in tears once again.
He exchanged a glance with Qyburn and the man seemed amused by Baelish' suffering. And more than a bit fascinated by the ease with which he was able to cause pain.
One strategy that crossed his mind was to intoxicate Baelish and extract his secrets while he was in that vulnerable state. However, he had had never tortured a man before, and was uncertain if that tactic would prove effective.
"You should already realise, Baelish, that you won't make it out of this situation alive," he declared, placing a hand on the man's head and employing Shaper to alleviate Baelish's sore throat. "So why don't you simply tell me everything. Lessen some of the pain you'll feel."
Baelish remained silent for the next few moments until he grabbed the man's hair and raised his head so that they were eye to eye.
"Or do you want to feel more pain?" He asked softly and Baelish quickly shook his head.
"No more. No more… please. Please." The man sobbed. "I'll tell you…"
"Well then. Tell me where you've hidden the rest of the gold?" He asked and gestured to Qyburn to note it down as Baelish started to confess once again.
—
He pushed open the doors to the Small Council Chambers and entered, carrying a pile of papers in his arms. Qyburn followed, dragging a trolley stacked with Baelish's ledgers and account books.
His father and Lord Arryn, who had been bickering with the Master of Laws and Master of Whispers moments before, ceased their argument and turned to face him.
"Good afternoon everyone." He said as he looked around the room, using Observe to note down every hidden entrance and possible spying location.
He could sense the presence of a young child hidden in a tunnel above the chamber, listening in on the discussions and noting it down on a paper. However, since all the "little birds" were already under Lynalle's command, he didn't need to worry about the boy.
"You are late." Jon Arryn told him what a hint of chastisement and he merely smiled at the old man whose wife he had been fucking these past few days.
"Apologies. But Baelish was being… uncooperative. It took a while to get him to start singing."
"And…" His father said from the side, giving him a stern look. "Did he confess to stealing from the crown?"
"He did. And I have both good news and bad news."
The men exchanged looks with one another before Lord Arryn spoke up. "We'll hear the bad news first."
"Well, the bad news is that Baelish spent a lot of the stolen wealth on bribes, acquiring new connections, failed investments, and other ventures. This means that we won't be able to recover all of the gold he took from the crown."
"How much gold are we talking about, Prince Stephen?" Ser Rolland Darklyn, the new Master of Whispers asked.
"I'm not sure about the exact numbers. But my current estimate is in the ballpark of about 500,000 gold dragons."
A grim look settled upon the Council member's faces as they heard the number.
His father gritted his teeth as he asked. "And that's gold that we'll never get back?"
He shrugged. "I suppose we could ask the men who have been bribed by Baelish to return the 'gifts' he gave them over the years, but such a method could raise many problems. Moreover, it's unlikely that we'll get even a fraction of that wealth back."
The council members absorbed his words in silence before Lord Arryn asked. "And what is the good news."
He smiled at this, "The good news is that if we successfully recover all the wealth that Baelish has stolen from the Crown over the years, the wealth not given away to others, then we'll be able to pay off all the Crown's debt."
"For… Forgive me… your grace *huff* but… the crown is… 2.6 million in debt." Old Pycelle wheezed out and he nodded.
"I'm aware of that. In the event that we are able to retrieve all of Baelish's riches that are stored in his bank accounts, concealed in various locations, invested in real estate and enterprises, and lent to other nobles and merchants, we can expect to acquire around 2.8 million gold dragons. This amount should be sufficient to settle all of our outstanding debts."
Ser Rolland Darklyn looked at the other Council members in disbelief and exclaimed, "Seven hells! When did that man manage to pilfer such a vast amount of gold from the Crown?" However, nobody seemed to have any answers.
"He stole over 1 million gold dragons during the last Greyjoy war alone, and even more in the aftermath." He revealed. "And as for the rest, he has been stealing a great deal of gold every time his grace held his exorbitant tourneys. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, really."
"What did he even do with all this gold?" Lord Penrose, the Master of Law, asked. The man was getting old as well and would probably retire within a few moons, leaving his seat open for Renly.
"By his own admission, his brothels in Kings Landing, and the… ladies within them, are worth over 200,000 gold dragons. And the brothels that he has in the other cities and in Essos are worth over 400,000 gold dragons, if not more."
"Just how many brothels does that man hold?" Lord Penrose asked, looking bewildered.
"Too many." He said. "Lord Baelish described them as clever investments. Though, I suspect that one of the reasons he acquired such a vast number of brothels was to establish a network of spies that extended to every significant city and town in both Westeros and Essos."
"I… always said… so. Baelish… was an untrustworthy man." Grandmaester Pycelle said and he almost rolled his eyes.
Talk about pot calling kettle black.
"He also has holdings in various enterprises and properties situated in King's Landing, Gulltown, and other significant cities, which are valued at over 800,000 gold dragons," he disclosed. "Furthermore, he has stashed away more than 500,000 gold dragons in four distinct accounts at the Iron Bank, in addition to 200,000 more in several banks located in Myr and Lys."
"That still only accounts to 2.1 million gold dragons. What about the rest of the gold?" His father asked.
"Baelish used the money to purchase various other items, such as mansions, loan agreements, mining rights, valuable treasures, and a plethora of other trinkets. I have compiled a list of them, in case you're interested in perusing it," he stated, extending one of the pages to his father, who declined with a shake of his head.
"I'll read it after this meeting." His father said. "For now, we need to discuss what we to do with Lord Petyr Baelish."
"What is there to discuss?" Lord Penrose asked. "This is treason, clear as day. Baelish needs to be executed for stealing from the crown."
"I agree." Grandmaester Pycelle wheezed out with some difficulty. The man was an A-class actor, if nothing else.
"So do I." Ser Rolland Darklyn said. "The man has committed the highest treason against the Crown. We cannot let him walk away freely after this."
"Even the worst criminals get the choice to join the Nights Watch." his father reminded everyone, likely playing devil's advocate due to his sense of duty.
"I agree. Executing a Small Council member can set a dangerous precedent." Lord Arryn said with a grim look, causing a grim silence to fall over in the Small Council chambers.
"As much as I would love to agree with my father and Lord Arryn, I think I need to inform you of one crucial piece of information before you make any such decision." He said and all of them turned to look him.
"And what information is that, Prince Stephen?" Ser Rolland Darklyn asked.
"Merely that Lord Baelish has used his spy network to gather information on various lords and ladies of the realm. If we allowed him to live, and he decided to divulge these secrets to the public, then he can cause a great deal of damage to the realm."
"What sort of information are we talking about?" His father asked him and he scratched his head.
"The bad kind. I would rather not share it with anyone."
"You may tell us that this information is. And we'll decide for ourselves if that information is bad or not." Lord Arryn pressed but he shook his head.
"I think all of you are forgetting that his grace, King Robert Baratheon, has given me free rein to deal with Baelish however I wish. The only reason I even informed you about all this is due to the respect I hold for all of you." He told them, but specially Jon Arryn who was getting a bit too uppity for his liking. "Please keep that in mind."
There was silence the chambers for the next few moments before his father spoke up once again. "And how do you want to deal with Lord Baelish then?"
"It's simple. He'll be interrogated until he has divulged all the information about the gold he has hidden away, and then he'll be executed. Simple as that."
"I don't like this." Lord Arryn said and he nodded.
"That's quite understandable, Lord Arryn. Considering Lord Baelish is a close friend of your spouse, and your personal bannerman." He said. "But we must do what is best for the realm."
Lord Arryn grimaced but said nothing after that.
"Well… if Baelish is going to be executed then who'll become the next Master of Coin?" Ser Rolland Darklyn asked, trying to break away from the previous topic.
"I… would suggest… giving the position… to Ser Kevin Lannister." Grand Maester Pycelle voiced out, prompting an audible scoff from his father before the council members began deliberating on who should take up the role of the Master of Coins.
…he'll have to later talk with his father about making Lord Wyman Manderly the next Master of Coin.
If all goes well, then the old man will bring his two granddaughters along with him, giving him the chance to seduce them and get 1 points for their capture, each.
He might even impregnate them and get a child out of them. A boy that he'll later legitimise and turn into the next lord of White Harbour.
White Harbor may be the smallest of the five cities in Westeros, but was linked to the North. And while the Kingdom itself may not be wealthy and prosperous, it produces a significant amount of raw resources.
So getting the key to White Harbour would only serve him well in the future.
Just a thought.