King's Landing, CrownLands
At last, after days of travelling; Visenya and the rest of the Royal Family, including her own, had returned to King's Landing. The wedding had been a success and their time there was well spent.
She had gotten to know Willas better, creating a nice friendship with the young Lord and promised to keep in touch. Trystan seemed to have come closer to Loras and Visenya hoped that to be the case.
Partnerships and friendships could come a long way in the future, especially when they started young. Both boys would rise to positions of power and both would be those to ensure the two families remained allies.
By having a good relationship between them, bad blood could be avoided and peace could be promised in the near future.
Cersei was the only one bitter, having not even said her goodbyes on the day of their departure. It did not help Trystan and Visenya from feeling guilty but there was not much they could do. Even Tommen was affected by the sudden coldness of his mother, but Margaery remained by his side at all times.
Visenya had received a few letters from Tywin, speaking of some minor unsettling within King's Landing but assuring her things were being handled. He had not given her details, wishing her to focus on the wedding and ensure Cersei would not mess it up.
So, when the Dragoness returned to King's Landing, she was surprised by the hostility they received.
The path remained unblocked but many common folk had appeared and stood in alleys or at the sides, some just staring from their balconies or behind their windows. Cold stares, filled with hatred were directed at them; none were happy to see them.
Whatever love they once had for Tommen and Margaery seemed to have disappeared. They did not make any moves against them, but their glares had started to make everyone feel uncomfortable.
Visenya led her horse further forward to the captain of the Lannister guards and some of the Kingsguard that had joined them for this trip.
"I want all men to remain close to the carriage. Under no circumstances are weapons to be drawn unless I give a direct order," she said, her voice serious and commanding, suspecting that such looks might eventually draw a negative response from one of the soldiers.
"Yes, Lady Lannister," was the reply she got and she watched as the soldiers moved as she instructed.
They pressed themselves and their horses closer to the royal carriage, just in case they needed to protect their King and Queen, but none dared to make a move. Some did feel uneasy but they did not break the order by drawing their swords or acting out of line.
They were disciplined but also respected and slightly feared the mighty Dragoness upon her black horse. They knew better than to upset her or go against one of her orders, so they did not.
"Mother?" Trystan questioned as she let her horse fall back and be closer to the carriage. "What is going on?"
"Is everything alright out there, Grandmother?" Tommen asked while his head was barely visible from the small barred window of the carriage.
"Please remain seated, Your Grace. Do not say anything and do not exit the carriage until we arrive at the Red Keep," she said, riding her horse with only one hand as the other rested on her sword strapped by her waist.
"What is going on?" she heard Margaery ask Tommen but received no reply.
Trystan moved his brown horse close to hers, having also noticed the very unwelcoming aura that existed and the hostile eyes of the common folk.
"What is going on with them? Why do I have the feeling that they... want to attack us?" he asked, feeling the hair on his arms stand on end beneath his clothing.
"I don't know. It is wiser not to provoke them in any way and better to just keep going," she advised, eyes looking left and right in alert.
Even their horses seemed to sense the uneasiness and the tension existing around them. The trip from the gates to the Red Keep was supposed to be short but all of this made it feel so much longer before they were all safe behind the closed red gates.
The Hand's Study, Tower of the Hand, Red Keep — King's Landing, Crownlands — Sometime Later
Visenya sat across from Tywin in the Study of the Hand, once more as usual with the desk separating them.
They had arrived at the Red Keep not so long ago and she had gone straight to find her husband, to discuss what she had witnessed in the streets of King's Landing.
To her surprise, she was met with far more than she expected.
Tywin hid no details of the incidents that had taken place, Olenna's and Jaime's failed attempts to fix things that had only ended up making everything worse.
The new chaos that she now had to deal with made her empty her wine goblet three times by the time Tywin finished explaining everything. Of course, he did include all the troubles with the neighbouring kingdoms, but it was clear the Dragoness was more concerned with the internal troubles.
"This is not good, Tywin," she said as he refilled her goblet.
A migraine was quickly forming and she was not sure if it was from the information that had been thrown at her and momentarily overloaded her mind, or the fact that they had fanatics right outside their doors.
"I am aware," Tywin replied to her and handed her the goblet.
"Are you?" she asked, not wishing to sound mean to him but things were a big mess at the moment. She took the goblet from him. "I am sorry but you do not understand where this could lead. The Faith has been a thorn in my family's side for almost two centuries and this is how it started last time and it ended up with the Faith Militant. They are fanatics and they will have all of our heads before we can even imagine it."
If the Old Lion was insulted by her words, he did not say it. He sat down in his chair, clearly tired from everything that was going on and hearing her quoting history to him was not helping.
"I know," he said, his tone showing that his temper was flaring and she should tread carefully. "I know what happened last time and I know that despite the law, another Faith Militant uprising could take place," he said, taking a deep breath to ease his temper. "However, the High Sparrow is not the idiot you might think he is. He is smart with his words. He only gives speeches but he hasn't done anything for us to arrest him. If we do try to capture him—"
"We will turn the whole of King's Landing against us," Visenya finished for him, emptying her goblet in one go. "What do we do then? We cannot focus on the wars around us without risking leaving ourselves exposed to this internal threat."
To her surprise, even Tywin did not seem to have an answer for this problem. He grabbed his goblet and took a few sips, not directly answering her, but she could see in his eyes that he was on the same page as she was.
"For now, wait. Try to see how everything will evolve and slowly start building back our military," he suggested. "We will let the High Sparrow make a mistake and we will catch him when he does."
The Dragoness did not seem that confident in this plan, but neither was he. Yet, their hands were tied to this issue, to most of them if one were to be honest. Just like in war, it was time to just lay low and wait until the opportunities for them would arise.
In war, this was easier because the enemy usually was a certain distance away and you had time. This enemy, though, was right outside their doorsteps. The last time the Faith went against the Crown, fanatics had climbed the walls and tried to murder King Aenys and his family.
The problems across Westeros kept happening, others were dealt with and new ones made an appearance rather soon. The Small Council tried their best to keep track of everything, but they soon came to realize just how big of a threat the High Sparrow was becoming.
He continued with his speeches and now, he had even more followers. Many wished to become "sparrows." They atoned for their sins, wore plain brown robes and gave all their possessions away. Their hair was cut short and the star of the Seven was carved on their foreheads.
Before, the speeches were about unity and faith, but slowly they had changed in topic. Now, the High Sparrow talked of justice and atonement of sins. Many common folk came to him and obeyed him in order to purify themselves and come closer to the Seven.
However, those residing within the Red Keep did not seem to follow their example. They thought of it as ridicule and no one made an appearance; a grave mistake. It was not long before the High Sparrow started to openly address their sins, letting the crowd demand atonement as well.
His previous words about equality and his current ones about giving away material possessions because they were not needed, were drilled deeper and deeper into the minds of people. Many believed and followed the example of the sparrows, but soon they came to realize certain individuals did not.
Hearing the arguments and the demands of the people, the High Sparrow finally stepped on the grounds of the Red Keep and he was not alone. Some of his most faithful sparrows were with him, amongst them a forgotten Lion; Lancel.
The boy had been injured during one of the riots and would have been killed by the common folk if he had not been saved by the sparrows, who persuaded the people to let him live.
After that, Lancel returned to the High Sparrow since his life was spared and eventually also came to believe the words of this mysterious man.
Now, he was one of his most trustworthy and loyal followers; a true shame in the eyes of Tywin.
Yet no one knew the troubles the forgotten boy would bring since no one knew of the sins he had committed. Not until the High Sparrow brought them to attention and dared to make the most outrageous demand.
The Red Gate, Red Keep — King's Landing, Crownlands - Day
The High Sparrow walked through the Red Gates with Lancel and some of the Sparrows following right behind him. Dressed in their plain white robes, they stood out against the soldiers that stood guard.
They had made it known that they wished to see the King but before they could even step through the big doors and into the famous Red Keep, someone met them halfway through.
Visenya blocked their way, climbing down the stairs and standing like a rock in their path; four Lannister Guards right behind her. She kept her chin high and stared into the eyes of the man, who had become a true thorn in her side.
"High Sparrow," she greeted, her hands hanging by her side as she stood out with her bloody red dress and jewels.
"Lady Lannister," the man greeted as he came to a halt two feet away from her. "We are here to see King Tommen, to bring forth some of the people's demands," he continued, realizing that the woman in front of him was purposely blocking his way.
"The King is busy with his council at the moment, discussing ongoing issues across the realms. You can make me aware of what you wish to speak with the King and I will let him know."
They stared back at one another.
Visenya's amber eyes almost glowed with warning as she eyed the High Sparrow carefully. She was pale and foreign while he seemed native to the Crownlands with the accent of common folk from the capital; while hers was far richer with a bigger vocabulary from her years as royalty.
Yet, the humble man did not seem intimidated by her gaze but was not truly one to fight her directly. Instead, he chose to play her game and give in to her demands.
"We would like the King to summon back Cersei Lannister to face trial for her sins and beg the gods for forgiveness," he said, taking notice of the slow breath intake coming from her.
"Trial?" she repeated, keeping her composure. "On what grounds? What are those sins you speak of and openly accuse that the mother of our King has?" she asked, although a part of her knew and feared the answer.
She did not let him get away with it though. She was not going to give away her stepdaughter to a man such as him, no matter her previous actions and her "sins."
The High Sparrow looked behind him and motioned for Lancel to come closer.
The boy had grown since Visenya last saw him and she could see some of Kevan's features, although it was hard with the huge mark of the Seven on his forehead.
She had never been too close with the boy, having been sent to King's Landing when he was fairly young, but that did not mean she took it kindly upon seeing him in such condition. He was skinnier, paler and that fresh bloody carving on his forehead spoke only of the works of fanatics and cruelty.
She did not react, although she felt she should. She had heard that Lancel had joined willingly and she could not do something to change that or truly accuse the High Sparrow of manipulating the boy; when the very same boy was far beyond the age of 7 & 10
"This holy boy," the High Sparrow started, "has come to me for guidance, opening his mind and his heart to the Seven. He confessed his sins and atoned for them after his own trial. He confessed that Cersei Lannister had been sleeping with him while her husband was alive, thus breaking the sacred vows taken in front of the Seven. There is also word of the King's mother sleeping with her own brother and that the King himself is a product of incest."
Visenya knew of the rumours and had her theories that they were not entirely wrong, thus she was not surprised by them. When the High Sparrow brought up the fact that Lancel was sleeping with Cersei... was the one thing she did not expect.
She let nothing show on her face but internally one could feel the rage growing within her like the flames produced in the belly of a dragon and held back until their release. Now, was her rage because of the presence of the High Sparrow?
Not exactly.
She was enraged by the audacity of the man, to come forward and demand such things; justifying it to the "will of the people." She knew clearly that he had put the very same "will" into their minds with his speeches.
To come to the King with such words, such accusations... it would be a disaster. The boy was young, easily influenced and the last thing he needed was to deal with such rumours; rumours that affected him directly.
Now, was she furious at Cersei for most likely creating yet another problem while she was not even present? That was a possibility and she knew Tywin would smash yet another goblet if he were to find out, which he would eventually.
The only good thing that one could say existed was the fact that Cersei was far away in Highgarden. She could not make things worse and she was also safe from her father's rage, which would have been unleashed upon her like the volcanoes unleashed lava on Old Valyria.
"The parenthood of the King is not to be questioned and neither is the loyalty of his Queen Mother to her marriage. All those things are based upon rumours spread by the rebel Stannis Baratheon in an attempt to weaken the claims of King Robert's children to the Iron Throne," she started, effectively shutting each one of his accusations down. "The former Queen Regent is currently in Highgarden, married to Loras Tyrell under the eye of the Seven and there is where she will remain. She will not be summoned upon fake accusations that do not have any solid proof other than the words of a single man."
"There is proof and so are the boy's words," the High Sparrow argued. "He swore not to lie in front of the Seven and under the same Gods you married Cersei Lannister, he confessed of his beddings with her."
The Dragoness, however, was not going to give in and neither was she going to stand there and continue this discussion for much longer.
Cersei was her stepdaughter and someone she would defend until her last breath. Even if she were guilty of all those charges, Visenya would die first before she would allow anyone to touch her; let alone hand her to those hypocrites.
Thus, she quickly chose her words carefully in her mind, to effectively finish this conversation in the most civilized way. As much as she wished to use fear or violence, she knew that it would not help; not in that situation.
The High Sparrow took pride in his words that won crowds; well she had her own arsenal and skills of a similar game. If he wished to try and excuse his actions behind fancy words, she would defeat him in his own game by showing him how the veterans played.
"His words are not solid proof for Cersei Lannister to be summoned away from her current husband for accusations that do not stand." She repeated, making it clear by the tone of her voice that she was done discussing it. "The King is too busy with the safety of the realm at this moment. Inform the common folk that we have heard their concerns have been heard but there will be no outcome of it, other than the truth; Former Queen Regent Cersei Lannister is innocent of all such accusations and she shall remain by the side of her new husband."
Before the High Sparrow could say anything else, she had turned her back on him. Her red dress swirled faintly around her from her sharp move and she wasted no time to head towards the Red Keep and officially give the signal that this "meeting" was over and he was dismissed.
The soldiers gave a warning look at the sparrows and their leader before following her suit, while the two soldiers standing guard by the gates marched their way to escort them out. Their Lady had made it clear that they were not welcome and it was their time to leave.
Yet, as the doors closed and the two sides were once again separated; the beginning of an internal war would officially start.
Central Square, King's Landing, Crownlands
The High Sparrow was neither a man to be intimidated nor one to give up when the first obstacle would arise. He had managed to pass over all those things that originally blocked his way and dealt with others in similar matters.
He knew alone could not change the facts nor could persuade those in the Red Keep to obey... but the crowd could.
If Lady Visenya Lannister wished to defend Cersei and not hear the wants of her people from their messenger, then she would simply have to hear it from them directly.
Once again, his followers had appeared in the Central Square; to listen to him. Every day more and more would join him, new faces would be seen during those speeches and every day new names were added to the speech.
"...we went there as fellow civilians to demand an audience with the King, to voice our concerns as we always wished. Instead, we were met with resistance and accusations. Visenya Lannister rushed to defend against our concerns, refused to bring Cersei Lannister for trial and did not allow us to continue any further..." the High Sparrow explained.
Many in the crowd seemed displeased by the treatment of their Holy messenger, many making it known by their loud vocal exclamations and comments. Yet, all fell silent once the man opened his mouth again and continued speaking.
"...One must not forget that before Lady Visenya became a Lannister, she was a Targaryen... The cursed family where incest was practiced constantly. One cannot blame her for choosing to defend another act of incest, of relatives bedding one another when she was the product of one such occasion..."
The crowd once again let their thoughts be known, let their mouths speak without thinking. In this small chaos, one could easily hear how the world agreed with him and could already see his point; if they had not already rushed to accusations.
The High Sparrow either had already prepared the next part of his speech or heard the crowd as someone brought up Wildfire, the ultimate wildcard in this game of pointing fingers.
"...No one has forgotten my brothers and sisters, of that dark era where innocents burnt for speaking their minds... of the times when her Mad brother ruled us and went against the Faith as he judged people with fire, never giving them a fair trial... one cannot forget of the bright green flames that he so much favoured or the fact that she was the one to create it in the first place..."
Whether this mysterious High Sparrow had been present during the ruling of Aerys or not, one could not tell. He had the knowledge of things as if he had been present or as someone who had done their research on the enemy they were facing.
Yet, none of the common folk seemed to question that or suspect how an outsider seemed to know so much. In their eyes, he was their equal, their messenger, their saviour and their leader. In their eyes, his words were truths and no one could question them.
And this time, his words managed to rile up the crowd that had overflowed the square with their presence.
"She is an abomination!"
"She is guilty!"
"She must face trial for her sins!"
"Bring them both for confession!"
The crowd had spoken and their loud demands would eventually reach the ears of everyone in the Red Keep.
Amongst them, it was Visenya, who seemed to have learnt it first and had come quickly to realize that the situation was getting out of hand. One way or another, they would come for every one of them with some accusation or sin; some more biased than others.
She knew this could not be continued for long and so, a plan had started to form in her mind; one that would ensure this new problem would be handled once and for all.
Small Council Chambers, Tower of the Hand, Red Keep — King's Landing, Crownlands - The Following Day
Every small council member present knew by now that when a meeting would start, Tywin would not be happy. The past few weeks, the Old Lion seemed only to become grumpier by each day; if not angrier.
One might even wonder how long this would last before the fates of the Reynes and the Tarbecks would be repeated but upon the people of King's Landing.
"With the latest rumours and accusations about Tywin's wife and daughter, one would bet that the rage of the Lion would be unleashed rather soon."
"This is utterly ridiculous," he commented, trying his best to keep his voice calm but one could see the storm raging within his green eyes; wishing to be unleashed.
"He is a desperate man," Visenya reminded him, looking at him with mild concern. She knew all this stress and anger was not good for anyone, whether that be his mind, his health or the fate of the people. "He knows I stand an obstacle and he tried to attack me, hoping to find some dirt on me but he cannot."
Her words drew the attention of Lord Mace, who focused on her. "You sound awfully certain of that, my Lady considering that the Targaryens did practise incest," he pointed out, not having the courage to directly bring up her parents or her siblings as primary examples.
Visenya, either way, understood what he was trying to say and thus chose to shed some more light on things not everyone seemed to know about.
"He cannot accuse me or my family of any incest, let alone my parentage because of The Doctrine of Exceptionalism," she reminded the people sitting across from her. "He tries to rile up the crowd against me but there is solid proof of the agreement, signed between the former Faith Militant and King Jaehaerys I that the Targaryens have been given permission for blood mixing among relatives."
Yet, it was Olenna, who seemed to see the fault in her way of thinking.
"That Doctrine keeps you safe but it doesn't protect Cersei or King Tommen," she pointed out. "We must also not forget that he accuses you directly of the wildfire burnings caused by the Mad King."
"Which I did not have any hand in them and there is proof by my presence in the War against the Rebels," the Dragoness argued back.
"Come, you are smarter than that," Olenna said, making Visenya arch an eyebrow. "You think this will stop him? You created that damn thing and the people are crazy enough to burn you using it if he continues the way he does."
Jaime quickly rushed to defend her, being the only one sitting by her side and also from her side of the table. "Can they really come after her for that?" he asked, finding it quite extreme as an idea and rather hard to imagine.
He looked at his good-mother, who had closed her eyes for a second and let out a heavy sigh. "Cursed be whoever exposed that thing all those years ago," she commented, mostly to herself and opened her eyes. "Either way, we cannot act now of all times."
"I think we have waited long enough. First, it was Cersei and King Tommen, and then it was you. One of those following days the next name he will use will be one of us," Olenna argued.
The Dragoness knew the Queen of Thorns was right. She knew that it was a matter of time before the people grew tired of just vocally demanding trials and would soon use force to get them.
However, she could not let the small council vote any action against the High Sparrow; not now. She had a plan but for this to work, she needed everyone to stay away from this problem or else it would never work.
Her mind quickly thought of a way to persuade them not to act without exposing herself.
"If we act now with violence and retaliate against his words, we will only prove him right. If we do not react to his accusations, we show him that we do not fear his words because there is no truth behind it," she said and looked at each small council member.
She could see them all in thought, debating in their minds but one could see from their looks that they were agreeing with her. Jaime and Olenna were the least willing to comply and they did not hide it, but they could see they were outnumbered.
"That is if what he says has no truth behind it," the Queen of Thorns commented, choosing to use her chance to throw some salt on the fresh wounds.
She might work with them, they might be allies but she was not stupid. She knew certain individuals caused this and she was not going to forget it anytime soon. Not when their actions have led to this mess with all their lives on the line.
They all looked at Tywin, who sat at the head of the table. Tommen was absent due to the sensitivity of the issue and they did not wish him to be present. He was more than happy to obey and spend time with Margaery, who Olenna had instructed to keep him busy and ignorant of what was happening with the High Sparrow; for now.
The Old Lion was hearing their arguments in silence, his golden-flecked green eyes were glaring at almost everyone but the annoyance and anger behind them were caused by all the piled-up problems; not just them bickering like old married couples.
He heard what Visenya said and could see her points but Olenna was insightful on some matters too, which complicated the issue. When Visenya suggested they do nothing; he wanted to argue but then took a moment to reconsider.
By the time everyone looked at him, he had made up his mind. "Visenya is right. We cannot act now and give them more things to try and use against us," he said but one could see he was not fully confident in that plan. Yet again, what more could they do without risking it all? "Our priority now should be the Ironborn and the latest interest in the shores of the Reach."
And so, the topic of discussion changed from faith fanatics to savage islanders with an inner need for raiding, kidnapping, enslaving, raping and generally terrorizing their neighbours. As the Small Council discussed the issue and how Tyrell men should move but not leave the capital fully undefended, Visenya remained oddly quiet for the majority of it.
Her mind was busy thinking of the next steps of her plan and all the things she would have to organize correctly, for it to work. As she did that, she glanced at the people around her a few times and she knew some of them might never forgive her for what she would do but she was ready to face the consequences if it meant saving her family from doom.
.