Thread: Rise to Power

It had all been so sudden that Druscilla was still half expecting to wake up any minute now, even though a fortnight had already gone by since her Lord father's death. He'd choked on a broken piece of bone from a chicken wing, of all things. The great Lord of Morrow with a terrifying skull on his banner, slain by a shard of bone the irony did not amuse her. And then her two brothers had both perished while sailing back from Anchorstone in a a storm that would be remembered as one of the most violent in recent history. And just like that, four were cut down to two, though not even the ambitious Druscilla could take pleasure from learning about the deaths of her two younger brothers. Still, it would probably be the only opportunity to claim what she believed to be her birthright that she was ever likely to get. That wasn't something that was easily passed on. There was only her youngest brother left to contend with. Luckily for her, the little twerp had been visiting Windshear hundreds of leagues away from King's Landing and the Iron Throne when everything had happened. That had given his older sister a fortnight to entrench herself into the position of Queen Regent as well as make preparations to ensure that the power to command the Seven Kingdoms remained entirely in her slender, perfectly manicured hands. It had been easy enough, really. For years while her fool brothers spent their days hunting and jousting and chasing after skirts, Druscilla had been the one learning how to play the court. She happened to have gotten quite good at it. She'd promised great lands and lordships to every one of the Hand's eight sons and used her femininity to seduce most of the small council. For those who were too honorable or pious to be enticed by Dru's charms, she'd befriended their wives instead, knowing that she'd be able to influence them through their women. They would all consent to extending her period of regency until her brother came of age. That left her a couple of years to convince the High Septon to abolish the law that prevented women from inheriting, after which it would all belong to her. The land, the throne, the power. The legacy. Druscilla wasn't done trying to make a mockery out of her little brother, either. The more foolish and feeble she made him look, the more it cemented her position. She'd made plans for a huge crowd of thousands to gather behind the gates and along the main road of the city to welcome the young king home, wanting as many eyes as possible to witness what came next. She'd had the alchemists prepare some special sort of colorful explosives that they called 'fireworks' for the occasion...which she commanded to have placed at a very strategic point along the path that her brother would take. The explosives went off with a deafening blast right as Dru's brother rode by, causing his horse to scream and rear wildly in fear. The King was thrown out of his saddle harshly before landing face first in the mud with the eyes of the whole city drinking in his shame. His horse's hooves stomped down mere inches from his head, splashing even more mud into his face just a little bit more to the side and his face would have been squashed like a ripe watermelon. The only thing that could have made it better was if the boy would have pissed himself. After that, Druscilla had returned to sit on the Iron Throne while her unfortunate brother licked his wounds and cleaned the mud out of his nose, ears and mouth. Normally the Regent was not supposed to sit on the Throne itself, but nobody dared to voice a complaint. It's better to get them used to the sight now so that they accept me more easily once the time comes. It was hard to keep herself from smiling and giggling constantly, even during the tedious task of listening to petitioners and having to content with their issues. It was their lucky day, since Dru's good mood after watching her plan come together so flawlessly was making her feel more generous than usual. She could hardly wait to see the stupid look on her brother's face when he walked into the throne room and saw her sitting in his chair... And when he reads the document naming me Queen Regent until such time as he comes of age, it will be even sweeter. I should have commissioned a painter to immortalize the scene upon a canvas.