'You can't do this, Anthea!' Cersei protested. 'You can't marry that awful man! I won't let you! No daughter of mine is getting married to that foul creature! Not on my watch!'

Anthea sighed. 'We don't have a choice, mother. We can't afford a war and lord Baelish can. That's it. Strategies, mother. Only good strategies can save us now. We may live in Kingslanding, the heart of Westeros, we don't own the strongest army anymore. My father made sure of that.' Jamie quickly looked away at the word 'father'. 'He gambled away all of our money and spent it on whores and wine.'

Everyone gasped in shock. 'Your Grace, that is an inappropriate thing to say,' Gabe said. His hand clutched at his chest.

Anthea raised her brows. 'Maybe, but that doesn't mean I am not right. We need the money. We can't stay in a natural position. We are surrounded by armies. If we don't join the Boltons, they will attack us. If we remain natural, everyone will attack us. If we join the Starks, the Boltons will still attack us. In short, everyone will attack us no matter what we do. Our job is to protect our family and our city. To protect Westeros. The Starks have gathered a large army. They have the Wall including their wildlings and there are still a lot of houses who will join them. But the Boltons are in favor. They have gathered an awful lot of houses in the North. We join them, not the Starks,' Anthea stated calmly.

Jamie nodded. 'Not to forget that we have a fair chance of winning this war if we join the Boltons. They promised us Casterly Rock. That seems like a fair reward.'

Cersei growled. 'I hate this. We used to be the once handing out rewards. Now look at us. No money and no way out but to join a war. Maybe the greatest war yet to come and we are joining the Boltons! Not the other way around! I remember the time they feared us and our words. Not to mention the fact that I need to give away my only living daughter to that horrible Petyr Baelish.'

Everyone stayed silent, because what she said was more than true. They had no choice and no gold anymore.

Sir Jamie was the first one to speak again. 'So... we agree to lord Baelish demands?' he asked, a little unsure.

Cersei scoffed. 'What do we even get from this war? Casterly Rock, yes, but that belonged to us in the first place! We grew up there before the Starks took it! How did they even manage to take it? Who let them become this strong?' She looked around as if there was someone to blame.

Anthea tried to calm her mother. 'Mother, please don't get upset.'

'Upset?! I am not upset! I am angry! I am the queen and I won't tolerate this lousy behaviour! I will tell the Kingsguard to put an end to this nonsense!'

'I am the queen, mother, not you. You might as well remember your position as I am your queen. Not just your daughter.'

Everyone slightly nodded in agreement. Cersei often forgot she was no longer the queen. It bothered Anthea. Her mother never seemed to give up her place on the Iron Throne.

Cersei looked like she just got caught on stealing a Valerian sword. She muttered a quick 'sorry'.

Anthea turned to her small council again. 'Killian, can you provide us with a dozen of war ships?' she asked him. Killian bowed his head in response. 'I can, as long as lord Baelish is willing to pay for it. It takes a lot of good men to prepare the fleet.'

'Oh he will pay,' the queen responded. 'When I marry him he will definitely pay for whatever it is you need.'