The Dread Lord of Essos (Ch. 47)

The Dread Lord of Essos

Chapter 47

Scene cut due to Patreon

The Dread Lord of Essos

“Leave them on the bed and get out!” Cersei snarled at the young girls who arrived in her room to drop off her freshly laundered dresses. The girls didn’t verbally respond in any way. They simply curtsied and quickly left the room. When the door shut with an audible click, Cersei walked over to the bed and picked up the first dress from the pile.

She remembered this dress perfectly. She had gotten it made only months before her trip to Essos. This was before her nephew had come back into her life. She had been having a particularly bad day. She woke up with a headache and almost immediately stubbed her toe as she clumsily got out of bed. At breakfast, she was informed that the kitchens had run out of the tangy lemon spread that she heavily smeared on her toast almost every day. Then, of course, she had to deal with one of Joffrey’s tantrums. By midday, she had had enough. She called in her private tailor and had this dress made. Cersei held it up near the window. The sunlight shined in and illuminated the red velvet. Immediately, her eyes zeroed in on a spot in the front where the velvet had worn away. The snow white trimming was discolored so much that it was now more of an eggshell color. Disgusted, she tossed it on the floor before picking up the next dress.

This one was a green dress that she used to receive so many compliments on. It used to fit her figure so snugly and perfectly, she thought morosely. She remembered feeling very sexy when wearing this dress. Now the stitching was coming loose in some parts, making it seem baggy and ill-fitting. She flung it aside and picked up another. Stained … It joined the others. Grabbing another, she saw that the hem was completely stained brown from being dragged across the dirty floor. She let out an angry wail and pulled her hands apart, tearing the dress right down one of the loose seams. She threw the ruined dress across the room where it piled against the wall. Cersei stood there breathing heavily until finally, she was able to get her temper under control. Walking over to her trunk, she ran her soft fingers over the silky-smooth blackwood. The trunk had been just one of several hundred luxury items that she had specially made while back in Seven Swords. The wood was dark and soft to the touch. The hardware was made out of pure silver, and the material making up the inner lining was the finest silk anyone had ever seen. She opened the large trunk and gently lifted out one of her dresses.

A beautiful, white dress hung before her. The silk was flawless, and there was not a stain to be found. She remembered this dress fondly. She had it made in the King’s Garden. Just thinking about that area of the city brought back some very good memories. Only the most wealthy and affluent members of Essosi society were even allowed to set foot on that perfect street. ‘And I was Queen of it all,’ she told herself. Oh, how she missed the way the shop owners treated her. As such, she was treated better than royalty. She had been treated like a goddess. Whatever she wanted was hers, no matter the price. Of course, she never saw the bills. They were sent directly to the royal treasury to be paid. She had heard rumors that some of the shopkeepers had actually fought over the right to serve her. Actual fist fights, she thought with great pleasure.

There were so many things that she missed. One thing that she especially missed was the food. Cersei actually smiled as she stood there, thinking back to when she would spend the whole morning shopping before sitting at what her nephew called a “cafe”. The little shop had tables situated outside where she could eat a lovely, little meal while feeling the cool, salty breeze caressing her skin and making her long, golden locks flutter. The wealthy wives and mistresses of the elite Essosi merchants would walk by with their helpers carrying wrapped packages and just stare at her. Cersei would smirk, knowing that even with all that they had, they still wished that they were her.

When the little, white dress had finally been delivered to her, she tried it on. It was styled like most dresses that were made in the city. It was luxurious but very sensual and revealing. Her breasts popped out of the top, and the bottom featured dual slits that exposed every inch of her long, smooth legs. When she had tried it on and showed her nephew, he threw her over his shoulder and carried her to bed. She didn’t leave the bed for the rest of the day. Cersei’s cheeks suddenly felt hot when she remembered how many orgasms she had that day. She dropped the dress back into the trunk and closed it. The dress was of no use here, she thought. The one time she wore a dress that she had brought back from the White City, her father had taken one look at her and slapped her across the face.

“Go change that dress!” he hissed in anger. “I will not have my daughter prancing around like some diseased whore!” His eyes had burned with rage. Cersei had wanted nothing better than to tell him to go fuck himself, but in the end, she thought better of it. Cersei sat down on the top of her trunk and placed her head in her hands. She groaned while massaging her eyes with the heels of her hands. When she decided to come back to King’s Landing, she never thought that this was how it would end up.

In her mind, she saw herself being the true power behind the crown. Her son, Tommen, would be the rightful King, but in the shadows, Cersei would rule. Using all the insights that she gained from living in such a successful city, Cersei planned to turn King’s Landing into a city that her family could be proud of. Seven Swords was the White Pearl of Essos, and King’s Landing would be the Golden Paradise. All would praise her just as the people praised her nephew. Sadly, things hadn’t yet turned out that way. What she didn’t count on was her father butting in and taking control of the Crownlands. The old man was constantly hovering around Tommen, making sure that his opinions were the only ones heard. Any time she got close, he would shoot her a small sneer and send her off to do “women’s things”. That phrase instantly raised her hackles. He thought her some stupid woman that offered nothing beyond her looks. It did bring a smile to her face when she saw the condition in which the city was. In short, the city was a festering shithole. If not for the food that her nephew was constantly supplying them with, the whole damn city would have starved. It made her happy knowing that all the blame was landing where it belonged … square in the lap of her father. The city was under siege, and very little was coming in or going out. The first things to run out were the luxuries. Cersei’s days of having custom dresses made were over, at least for the time being. Bolts of silks, satins, and velvets were no longer being sent. King’s Landing was now only receiving the bare minimum, and almost all of that was coming from Harold.

While the smallfolk didn’t appear to be on the verge of rebelling, there was a very thick tension hanging in the air. That, however, may very well change in the coming weeks or months, she thought. Not long ago, the first snow of winter had arrived. Soon, the peasants would be getting sick from a lack of medicines and firewood to keep themselves warm. No doubt the sicknesses and diseases would quickly spread through the densely packed slums, and it wouldn’t take much to set off their bubbling tempers.

Cersei wanted nothing to do with any of this. If she couldn’t be the power behind the crown, then why was she even here? Tommen certainly didn’t need her. The young King seemed to enjoy learning at the hand of her father. Cersei took this as a slap in the face. Did the boy not know how much she had given up for him? Even having Jaime at her side again didn’t quell her foul moods. As much as she disliked saying it, Jaime couldn’t hold a candle to his son. Every night Cersei closed her eyes and wished that she was back home in that beautiful, sparkling white castle that burned red during those seaside sunsets. She wished that she was walking through King’s Garden again, ordering the latest fashions while sniffing snootily at the passersby.

It annoyed her when she realized that Myrcella may have taken her place. She could imagine her beautiful daughter walking around the city in her revealing dresses, showing off her young, taut body. She could imagine all the men’s eyes feasting on her form just as they had done with her when she was still there. Myrcella would have no one there to guide her or continue teaching her. She hadn’t even heard from her daughter since her return to King’s Landing.

Cersei suddenly stood up with a manic expression across her pretty face. There was a look of greed and determination in her lovely, green eyes.

‘Why sit here and wish for it when I can make it happen? I’m nothing if not clever and resourceful,’ she told herself. She had to be careful though. Cersei had a feeling that her father was attempting to marry her off for political and military assistance. ‘He has another thing coming,’ she thought. It would take careful planning because if he found out, he would put an immediate stop to it. Thankfully, she was a brilliant strategist and would come up with a foolproof plan that had no chance of going wrong. With a newfound vigor and zest for life, she smiled and got to work.