Feast 3, eBooki

Feast 3

Indeks Finanse, Finanse(1), Filozofos, Fesenjan, Fenix,

Odnośniki

Feast 3, eBooki

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CERSEIThe day had been cold and grey and wet. It had poured all morning, and even whenthe rain stopped that afternoon the clouds refused to part. They never saw the sun.Such wretched weather was enough to discourage even the little queen. Instead ofriding with her hens and their retinue of guardsmen and admirers, she spent all day inthe Maidenvault with her hens, listening to the Blue Bard sing.Cersei’s own day was little better, till evenfall. As the grey sky began to fade to black,they told her that the Sweet Cersei had come in on the evening tide, and that AuraneWaters was without, begging audience.The queen sent for him at once. As soon as he strode into her solar, she knew histidings were good. “Your Grace,” he said with a broad smile, “Dragonstone is yours.”“How splendid.” She took his hands and kissed him on the cheeks. “I know Tommenwill be pleased as well. This will mean that we can release Lord Redwyne’s fleet, anddrive the ironmen from the Shields.” The news from the Reach seemed to grow moredire with every raven. The ironmen had not been content with their new rocks, itseemed. They were raiding up the Mander in strength, and had gone so far as to attackthe Arbor and the smaller islands that surrounded it. The Redwynes had kept no morethan a dozen warships in their home waters, and all those had been overwhelmed,taken, or sunk. And now there were reports that this madman who called himselfEuron Crow’s Eye was even sending longships up Whispering Sound toward Oldtown.“Lord Paxter was taking on provisions for the voyage home when Sweet Cersei raisedsail,” Lord Waters reported. “I would imagine that by now his main fleet has put tosea.”“Let us hope they enjoy a swift voyage, and better weather than today.” The queendrew Waters down into the window seat beside her. “Do we have Ser Loras to thankfor this triumph?”His smile vanished. “Some will say so, Your Grace.”“Some?” She gave him a quizzical look. “Not you?”“I never saw a braver knight,” Waters said, “but he turned what could have been abloodless victory into a slaughter. A thousand men are dead, or near enough to makeno matter. Most of them our own. And not just common men, Your Grace, but knightsand young lords, the best and the bravest.”“And Ser Loras himself?”“He will make a thousand and one. They carried him inside the castle after the battle,but his wounds are grievous. He has lost so much blood that the maesters will not evenleech him.”“Oh, how sad. Tommen will be heartbroken. He did so admire our gallant Knight ofFlowers.”“The smallfolk too,” her admiral said. “We’ll have maidens weeping into their wine allacross the realm when Loras dies.”He was not wrong, the queen knew. Three thousand smallfolk had crowded throughthe Mud Gate to see Ser Loras off the day he sailed, and three of every four werewomen. The sight had only served to fill her with contempt. She had wanted to screamat them that they were sheep, to tell them that all that they could ever hope to get fromLoras Tyrell was a smile and a flower. Instead she had proclaimed him the boldestknight in the Seven Kingdoms, and smiled as Tommen presented him with a jeweledsword to carry into battle. The king had given him a hug as well, which had not beenpart of Cersei’s plans, but it made no matter now. She could afford to be generous.Loras Tyrell was dying.“Tell me,” Cersei commanded. “I want to know all of it, from the beginning to theend.”The room had grown dark by the time that he was done. The queen lit some candlesand sent Dorcas to the kitchens to bring them up some bread and cheese and a bit ofboiled beef with horseradish. As they supped, she bid Aurane to tell the tale again, soshe would remember all the details correctly. “I do not want our precious Margaery tohear these tidings from a stranger, after all,” she said. “I will tell her myself.”“Your Grace is kind,” said Waters with a smile. A wicked smile, the queen thought.Aurane did not resemble Prince Rhaegar as much as she had thought. He has the hair,but so do half the whores in Lys, if the tales are true. Rhaegar was a man. This is a slyboy, no more. Useful in his way, though.Margaery was in the Maidenvault, sipping wine and trying to puzzle out some newgame from Volantis with her three cousins. Though the hour was late, the guardsadmitted Cersei at once. “Your Grace,” she began, “it is best you hear the news fromme. Aurane is back from Dragonstone. Your brother is a hero.”“I always knew he was.” Margaery did not seem surprised. Why should she? Sheexpected this, from the moment Loras begged for the command. Yet by the time Cerseihad finished with her tale, tears glistened on the cheeks of the younger queen.“Redwyne had miners working to drive a tunnel underneath the castle walls, but thatwas too slow for the Knight of Flowers. No doubt he was thinking of your lord father’speople suffering on the Shields. Lord Waters says he ordered the assault not half a dayafter taking command, after Lord Stannis’s castellan refused his offer to settle the siegebetween them in single combat. Loras was the first one through the breach when theram broke the castle gates. He rode straight into the dragon’s mouth, they say, all inwhite and swinging his morningstar about his head, slaying left and right.”Megga Tyrell was sobbing openly by then. “How did he die?” she asked. “Who killedhim?”“No one man has that honor,” said Cersei. “Ser Loras took a quarrel through the thighand another through the shoulder, but he fought on gallantly, though the blood wasstreaming from him. Later he suffered a mace blow that broke some ribs. After that . . .but no, I would spare you the worst of it.”“Tell me,” said Margaery. “I command it.”Command it? Cersei paused a moment, then decided she would let that pass. “Thedefenders fell back to an inner keep once the curtain wall was taken. Loras led theattack there as well. He was doused with boiling oil.”Lady Alla turned white as chalk, and ran from the room.“The maesters are doing all they can, Lord Waters assures me, but I fear your brotheris too badly burned.” Cersei took Margaery in her arms to comfort her. “He saved therealm.” When she kissed the little queen upon the cheek, she could taste the salt of hertears. “Jaime will enter all his deeds in the White Book, and the singers will sing ofhim for a thousand years.”Margaery wrenched free of her embrace, so violently that Cersei almost fell. “Dying isnot dead,” she said.“No, but the maesters say—”“Dying is not dead!”“I only want to spare you—”“I know what you want. Get out.”Now you know how I felt, the night my Joffrey died. She bowed, her face a mask ofcool courtesy. “Sweet daughter. I am so sad for you. I will leave you with your grief.”Lady Merryweather did not appear that night, and Cersei found herself too restless tosleep. If Lord Tywin could see me now, he would know he had his heir, an heir worthyof the Rock, she thought as she lay abed with Jocelyn Swyft snoring softly into theother pillow. Margaery would soon be weeping the bitter tears she should have weptfor Joffrey. Mace Tyrell might weep as well, but she had given him no cause to breakwith her. What had she done, after all, but honor Loras with her trust? He hadrequested the command on bended knee whilst half her court looked on.When he dies I must raise a statue of him somewhere, and give him a funeral such asKing’s Landing has never seen. The smallfolk would like that. So would Tommen.Mace may even thank me, poor man. As for his lady mother, if the gods are good thisnews will kill her.The sunrise was the prettiest that Cersei had seen in years. Taena appeared soonthereafter, and confessed to having spent the night consoling Margaery and her ladies,drinking wine and crying and telling tales of Loras. “Margaery is still convinced hewill not die,” she reported, as the queen was dressed for court. “She plans to send herown maester to look after him. The cousins are praying for the Mother’s mercy.”“I shall pray as well. On the morrow, come with me to Baelor’s Sept, and we will lighta hundred candles for our gallant Knight of Flowers.” She turned to her handmaid.“Dorcas, bring my crown. The new one, if you please.” It was lighter than the old, palespun gold set with emeralds that sparkled when she turned her head.“There are four come about the Imp this morning,” Ser Osmund said, when Jocelynadmitted him.“Four?” The queen was pleasantly surprised. A steady stream of informers had beenmaking their way to the Red Keep, claiming knowledge of Tyrion, but four in one daywas unusual.“Aye,” said Osmund. “One brought a head for you.”“I will see him first. Bring him to my solar.” This time, let there be no mistakes. Let mebe avenged at long last, so Joff can rest in peace. The septons said that the numberseven was sacred to the gods. If so, perhaps this seventh head would bring her the balmher soul desired.The man proved to be Tyroshi; short and stout and sweaty, with an unctuous smile thatreminded her of Varys and a forked beard dyed green and pink. Cersei misliked him onsight, but was willing to overlook his flaws if he actually had Tyrion’s head inside thechest he carried. It was cedar, inlaid with ivory in a pattern of vines and flowers, withhinges and clasps of white gold. A lovely thing, but the queen’s only interest lay inwhat might be within. It is big enough, at least. Tyrion had a grotesquely large head,for one so small and stunted.“Your Grace,” the Tyroshi murmured, bowing low, “I see you are as lovely as thetales. Even beyond the narrow sea we have heard of your great beauty, ... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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