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From the Red Keep, Cersei could see the entirety of the city of King’s Landing, it seemed. The spaceport bustled with life, takeoffs and departures handled cleanly on the hour, a whole stream of people coming in and leaving. Their planet was of little consequence to the galaxy at large, though it remained the strongest and best represented in the Senate of all the various kingdoms in the system. That made Cersei a target, but she was a Lannister and had always been a target. That never stopped her before. And it wouldn’t now. Or ever. Not even with an unhappy meeting biting at her heels.And here, she thought, that dog came, right on time, the clip of her spiked boots on the stone floor giving her away. As always. The Lady of Crimson Dawn. Here again to take what was rightfully Cersei’s. What Cersei had bought with blood and treachery. Donning a perfect, blade-sharp smile, she turned away from the window and held out her hands to Qi’ra.She was so lovely. It was the only reason Cersei suffered her foolishness. “Lady Qi’ra,” she said, voice full of welcome that shaded toward displeasure, “it is so good to see you again. And so soon. You honor us too deeply.”She was smart, too, even if she was a fool. Her answering smile was sly and lazily amused. It said she’d played this game long and well. She would have had to in order to become the head of Crimson Dawn. It was even said that she’d bested a Sith Lord for the pleasure, but Cersei hadn’t seen fit to verify that tale for herself. It was enough that she come at all and ask for what she did. Each and every time it was the same. We should like privileged passage through your hyperlanes, she always said. We can pay for it. But Cersei did not want her credits or her sly smile. That she could get anywhere and from anyone. No, what she wanted was a great deal more complex than that and Qi’ra had yet to offer it.What Cersei wanted was power, dominion over those lesser planets in this system. She wanted Daenerys Stormborn reduced to nothing but the sand beneath her feet. And Yara Greyjoy of the Iron Isles, stupidly named because each island was as large as a continent and her people stretched across their breadth to a useless degree. She wanted the Dornish capital to pledge fealty to her. And most of all, she wanted Winterfell to bow to her and Queen Sansa kneeling in that hellish, snowy landscape she so loved. And that was to say nothing of Olenna Tyrell in that most radiant of places, Highgarden, a jewel amongst them all, declaimed as such by such authorities from the Core as Senator Organa himself.Qi’ra could give it to her if she so chose. But so far, she hesitated. And Cersei grew weary of her inability to commit. It was a tired, tired move in a tired, tired bit of business between them. So far, Cersei had stayed her hand. It served no good purpose to kill Qi’ra and wouldn’t even put anyone more pliable in place. Her lieutenants were every bit as smart as she and, more importantly, devotedly loyal. Cersei had no idea how she’d managed that, but this would’ve been over with a long time ago if Cersei were capable of buying them out from under her.“I apologize that I cannot bring myself to stay away,” Qi’ra replied, honeyed words from a honeyed mouth. Cersei would have been lying if she were to say she was unmoved, but even so she did not have to admit to it. Not to Qi’ra. Not to anyone.There were perks to being queen and keeping her business to herself was one of them.“I have always enjoyed my time in King’s Landing,” she finished, oh so pretty. Her bangs fell into her eyes and she brushed them away. She wore the clothing of a traveler, barely respectable save for the cape that hung around her shoulders. She took Cersei seriously, it all said, but not as seriously as she ought to. “It is so very quaint here. I find it quite restful. Perhaps one day you’ll even invite me to stay longer than the time it takes to complete our negotiations.”A smile twitched at the corner of Cersei’s mouth. They both knew how truly dangerous it was to come here and how much was at stake every time she risked it. And yet, she kept coming back, kept making offensive offers, and Cersei, Cersei allowed it because she always had half a mind to—Well.It probably wasn’t very proper, what she would have liked to do with Qi’ra despite all the ways Cersei probably should have hated her by now. Few people made Cersei feel the way Qi’ra did and fewer still did she allow in her presence at all despite them. It wasn’t safe. It made her have ideas she didn’t want to consider. And she always felt a little bit as though Qi’ra could read her mind and use that information against her. If she ever followed through on her desires, the game would be over and Qi’ra would be the winner.That was something Cersei could not allow.But she couldn’t quite bring herself to banish Qi’ra from the realm entirely. She really was useful. And it wasn’t that Cersei didn’t think her forces could defeat Qi’ra’s should a battle ensue, they could, but it was such a waste of resources. Better to field Qi’ra’s many and varied requests and then send her on her way. She always took no for an answer anyway. Mostly. She didn’t threaten Cersei the way others sometimes did. Of course, those who threatened Cersei faced a fate much worse than Qi’ra did on a regular basis, so she had apparently learned quickly and didn’t take it to heart when she went away empty handed.Usually not empty handed, now that Cersei thought about it, but a fair price was always exacted for what she wanted from Cersei. And usually it was exacted for less than what she asked.Just the way Cersei liked it.It was a wonder Qi’ra came back at all under the circumstances.Perhaps she found some satisfaction in their dealings that couldn’t be quantified. Cersei almost wanted it to be so, wished she could ask.Cersei inclined her head, brought her attention back to the conversation at hand. “Perhaps if you simply asked, I would be happy to accommodate you. It would be little trouble to arrange apartments for you.”She closed her mouth. That wasn’t exactly what she’d intended to offer, but now that the offer was out there, she didn’t want to take it back. It would look bad for one thing and for another she actually believed apartments would be nice. For Qi’ra. When she visited. She came so often that it would be easier on the staff as well. Even Qi’ra seemed surprised, one eyebrow arching high on her forehead.All Cersei could do was turn away, sharp, to hide the heat that flamed her face, no doubt turning it red with embarrassment. Now who was the foolish one? Cersei, certainly. She’d played a hand she didn’t even know she’d been dealt and Qi’ra would be able to use that against her. Her mind swirled as she considered the possibilities, the ways in which she might turn this back to her advantage. She couldn’t think of any way that she might turn this into something that could benefit her and she felt something akin to rage at her own stupidity, her own rashness. It wasn’t Qi’ra’s fault that she stepped into this trap. In fact, she didn’t even truly believe Qi’ra had set a trap this time.Not one she believed Cersei would walk into anyway.“That would be very kind of you, of course,” Qi’ra said, a bit warmer than she’d sounded before. Her boots rang out against the floor again. And though Cersei didn’t turn back around, she knew that Qi’ra had stepped closer to her, was within reach. Cersei could snatch her close and press the both of them together. A part of her wanted to do just that, take from Qi’ra whatever she was willing to give. But the rest of her wondered just how bad an idea that was. What exactly would Qi’ra do if she did that? Would she reciprocate? Would she find some way to use it to her advantage? Would, possibly, Cersei even let her? It was an untenable thought, but a possibility. She’d seen so many men and women swayed by lovers in her time with the court. Even her father might once have destroyed the world for their mother. And Qi’ra was a snake; there was so much she could do with her charms.Cersei was not scared. And yet, she trembled at the thought of taking Qi’ra to bed, giving her sanctuary here whenever she wanted it. It felt too much like giving in to something important, something powerful in a way that Cersei could not control.It was best to send Qi’ra away. Rescind the offer. There was little possibility of hurting Qi’ra’s feelings. After all, Qi’ra didn’t particularly have feelings. Not beyond adding to her own power and prestige, securing her position in the galaxy until she was safe. Oh, Cersei knew what motivated her and sentimentality was not it. Even if Cersei professed her love at this very moment, it would not sway Qi’ra if Qi’ra did not wish to be swayed.That was what truly drew Cersei to her. It was the same callousness that Cersei had nurtured in her own breast. They both knew the score and could have what they wanted without… without the fear of repercussions that others might have faced. It was an intoxicating thought. And without Jaime…She was as human as the rest of them, though her detractors often claimed otherwise, accused her of monstrosities as though they would not have done the same in her shoes. It was lonely in the Red Keep. And though Cersei did not love wide, she did love deep.What she felt for Qi’ra was different from what she felt for him, but it was no less real, no less deep. In so many ways it was harder to define and that frightened Cersei and in some ways, that was what drew them to one another.Qi’ra knew what it was like to be frightened. Cersei was sure of it. And that fear bound them together. Cersei was sure of that, too.The problem was that she wanted them to be bound together. And down that path laid heartache and pain and betrayal. That was the end result of all love, even familial love, even the love she felt for her children. Love saved nothing. Love protected nothing. No good came of it.She’d thought herself free. And though it wasn’t love exactly that she felt for Qi’ra, she thought it was close enough to it that she worried what would come of it if she allowed herself to have this. This whatever Qi’ra was to her.“Do you really want me here?” Qi’ra asked, porcelain brittle. The amusement in her voice seemed poised to crack into a thousand glinting pieces that were sharp enough to cut, to kill. “I had merely hoped a few days to enjoy King’s Landing without—”Without work to come between them, yes. Cersei sensed that was Qi’ra’s intent. What endgame she’d planned, though, Cersei couldn’t yet guess, didn’t dare hope. “I said it, did I not?” Cersei replied, imperious, feigning perfect certainty. If Qi’ra saw through it, she said nothing and for that Cersei was more grateful than she ever intended to admit. Even on pain of death would she keep that to herself. It was nothing Qi’ra needed to know. Qi’ra did not ask either, knowing better perhaps. “I’ll have them arranged. You may come and go as you please.” Finally, finally Cersei felt capable of turning back to face her. And found herself confronted with the riotous blush of Qi’ra’s own cheeks. She was beautiful, stunning even, and if Cersei were a softer woman, she might have gasped. As it was, she forced her gaze to harden. “Do not ask me stupid questions again, Lady Qi’ra. I always do as I say, do I not?”“If we are incomplete in our definitions, perhaps,” Qi’ra answered, light, perhaps to push boundaries or simply because she felt herself safe enough to say as much. And perhaps she was right to do so, because instead of upsetting Cersei, it merely amused her, irritated her in the same way Jaime used to irritate her, like he and Qi’ra knew that Cersei needed something to rally against. Qi’ra drew close enough that Cersei could smell the light, pleasant scent of her perfume, a perfume that was surprisingly delicate. It left little trace of itself behind her, like she was a ghost. “You do many things as well that you do not speak of. Often to deadly consequences for the person to whom you speak.” Her eyes raked up and down Cersei’s frame. “Is that to be my fate?”“I don’t intend to murder you in your bed,” Cersei answered. Qi’ra deserved a much grander fate than that if ever Cersei decided to move against her. “If that is what you’re asking.”“It is not.” Qi’ra examined her nails and then Cersei’s features. “But I do appreciate the confirmation.” She bowed her head with a chivalrous, forward sweep of her body, her hair cascading over her shoulders in a pleasant ringlet. It was not the fashion they enjoyed here in King’s Landing, but Cersei found it appealing all the same, wanted to wind her hand in the thick coil of her ponytail. “I accept your generous offer, Your Grace.”Her title sounded so pretty in Qi’ra’s mouth. She wanted to hear more of it, what Qi’ra sounded like when she said each and every title she carried, what Qi’ra sounded like when she said her name. Perhaps her desire was a sickness that she should have rooted out of her; it was dangerous to cavort with criminals even for common folk. For a queen, it was so much the worse.It didn’t stop Cersei though. Nothing could stop Cersei. Her desires consumed her. Her pursuit of them was complete and that would never change. It was how she’d won the throne. It was how she protected it every day.This would serve no purpose besides slaking her own needs and morbid curiosities.Qi’ra blinked at her, standing patiently, so close that only a hand would span the distance between them. It was as close, Cersei thought, as they had ever been and it was. It was.A revelation.“Come,” Cersei said, clipped, wicked perhaps, striking the tiniest bit of fear in Qi’ra if the widening of her eyes was anything to go by. “I’ll show you to your chambers myself and then we shall share a meal while my servants ensure it is fit for your stay.” Qi’ra’s eyes darkened then, like she understood exactly what Cersei intended to do and approved of it. Good. Qi’ra was no fool, not really, though it would be easier for Cersei if she were, even though she proclaimed Qi’ra as much. She didn’t object, which was all Cersei cared about in that moment.All she wanted was to touch and taste, learn what Qi’ra sounded like when she was on her back, pressed into a bed, at Cersei’s mercy. A simple thing really. The easiest thing in the world if Qi’ra’s willingness was anything to go by.“Perhaps we’ll even find a solution to this problem of never reaching a consensus about the use of your hyperspace lanes,” Qi’ra added, a smile curling the corner of her mouth, a flag waved for Cersei’s attention. And get it, it did. She finally, finally reached up and pressed her thumb to the corner of Qi’ra’s mouth.“Perhaps we can,” Cersei admitted, though she doubted it. Those hyperlanes were the only things that kept Qi’ra coming back. Cersei had no reason to concede them now. “Stranger things have happened.”Qi’ra’s lips parted, that smile growing larger as she turned her head and nipped at the pad of Cersei’s thumb. She had to know what Cersei was thinking. It was the only explanation. And it thrilled Cersei all the same. If nothing else, the negotiations would be fun.And Cersei looked forward to it. So very much so. “We’ll talk over dinner,” Cersei said, forceful. “Let us have a bit of time for ourselves.”If Qi’ra intended to take her down, it was quite all right with Cersei.It wasn’t as though Cersei didn’t plan the same in return.