The Red Keep was restless that night, its halls echoing with whispers of the king’s latest madness. Within her chambers, Princess Cersei sat draped in crimson and gold, the firelight dancing off her emerald eyes. Her husband, Prince Jaehaerys, quiet and dutiful as ever, lingered near the window, content with silence. She, however, was not.

"Why must you always sit so still, so small? Rhaegar would never waste his days like this. He reads, he sings, he shines. You… you are forever in his shadow, and mine with you. Could you not, just once, rise to be more than the king’s spare? More than my disappointment?"