Cersei put down her goblet as she regarded her second-born with one of her rare human-like smiles, "It's been too long Justin. You've grown faster since the last time I saw you." she said as she got up from her seat and approached her son who came closer as well before closing the distance between them in a hug.

Cersei felt like she was about to cry, no matter how many times she sees him, he was still the small boy that was taken from her arms, the same one who sang to her in an attempt to chase away her fears. Pulling away until he was at arms lengths, for a brief moment, she thought Justin was her Jaime from the past. The resemblance is just so striking, that it would only prove the rumors true. But she quickly shoved that thought into the back of her head, not wanting this moment with Justin to end so soon.

Justin smiled lovingly at his Mother, how she aged gracefully still baffled him. Then again, when you're part of a royal family, you're treated to the best. "You're looking well Mother, much lighter since we've seen each other. Have you been eating properly?" He asked, taking note how skinny she felt under the clothes.

Cersei smiled sadly at his concern, knowing what he meant by that, "Don't worry about me love. It's you I must worry about." she said, touching his hair, softer than Jaime's.

He shrugged as his Mother led him to sit in one of his reading chairs in front of the fire, "I have every right to worry, especially with a new king sitting on the throne." he said, lowering himself in his chair while Cersei sat in the other one.

Cersei caught the tone in his voice, hearing the disdain he holds for his maniacal half. Though not surprised, she knew that despite Justin's disinterest in power, Joffrey will still see him as a threat to his rule. "I heard about what happened in the throne room." she said, watching a ghost of a smile come onto her son's face, "Does that disappoint you, Mother?" he asked, uncaring if he angered his Mother with his display.

Cersei shook her head, "Not really, I'm actually quite surprised, which is something that doesn't happen very often. Going up against a trained knight like Meryn Trant and defeating him without a sword is truly an accomplishment. This also shows that your brother needs better men in the Kingsguard for protection."

Justin scoffed, "Meryn Trant is only capable of hurting people who are smaller than him...especially little girls. Is that really an example you're setting for Westeros, that the royal family uses their guards to beat defenceless children because it makes them feel safe? Yes, we're truly going down in history because of my dearest brother." he said, not hiding the disgust in his voice as the memory of what he witnessed in the throne room was still fresh in his mind. He can still remember Sansa's cries that begged someone to save her from her fate.

Cersei stayed silent through Justin's tirade, she could clearly see that Joffrey's mistreatment of Sansa angered him. Whenever Joffrey did something to anyone for personal enjoyment, Justin would step in to put a stop to it immediately, no other feelings involved aside from annoyance before returning to the Rock. But this time was different, this was the first time Justin ever expressed anger like this.

"It was poorly handled, I'll admit." Cersei said, taking a sip of her wine, "Sansa never deserved such punishment for her brother's actions." she added, earning a slight glare from her son who tapped his finger on the top of his cane.

"If you know how bad this makes our family, then why aren't you stopping him. You're the Queen Mother, you're supposed to have some control over his inhuman impulses." Justin said, being one of three people to point out Cersei's faults as the Queen.

Cersei felt stung by his words, the way he said it, as though he was blaming her for the chaos Joffrey brings...and it is her fault. Masking her hurt with a neutral expression, she admitted, "Your brother is harder to handle. I always hoped that he would grow out of that phase. I was wrong, obviously." she said taking another sip of wine.

Justin shook his head, "Joffrey is the Mad King incarnate, Mother." he paused as he stared at the fires burning within the hearth, as though he was seeing the Mad King himself, "And if there is a Mad King," he turned to face his Mother with an indescribable look, "how long until someone fills the role of 'Kingslayer'?" he said, watching Cersei's hand shake around her goblet, catching what he was implying.

"You needn't worry about me stabbing him in the back, Mother. Someone will do the job before any of us realize it, before the North realizes it." he said with a small smile, knowing that it was only a matter of time before someone brings the knife down on his evil half, "I won't kill him Mother, but I won't save him either. His actions determine his fate, one that none of us can change. So I prefer not to be caught in the crossfire when someone fires that shot." he added, finding the thought of someone killing Joffrey with a crossbow ironic considering it's the prick's favorite weapon.

"How long will you be staying in the Capitol?" Cersei asked, changing the subject because she didn't want to talk or even think about Joffrey's fate. No matter how much of a monster her firstborn is, she still loves him as any Mother should.

Justin knew that his Mother didn't want to face the fact that her first born son was going to die in his reign no matter what. He answered nonetheless, "A week at most, maybe a little longer." he said, his mind drifting to Sansa and the time they spent together. The smile the Northern princess wore in his presence was that of a person still holding onto hope for freedom.

"Is it because of Sansa?" Cersei asked, catching the far away expression on Justin's face. The same one she has whenever she thought of Jaime, her Jaime, the Father of all her children.

The corner of his mouth quirked up int a smile, "What if it was?"

Cersei leaned forward in her chair, "She is to be your brother's wife, the next queen once the war is over." she said, warning her second son not to provoke Joffrey's ire.

Justin snorted, "You think I don't know what he might do to me?" he rhetorically asked, "He's been wanting me dead since we came into this world. But he can't, because he doesn't even know how to really fight with a sword. All he knows how to do is scream and throw a tantrum. Face it Mother, the only way for him to really kill me is to send someone else to do his dirty work." he said, knowing all too well how his twin functions. As long as he was aware of where Joffrey is and what he does, he's able to plan ahead and keep Joffrey away from Sansa.

"Being with Sansa is risk, something you should not take for your own sake." Cersei said, her eyes begging him not to fight with Joffrey over Sansa.

Justin snorted, "The way you risked it with Father?" he said, pointing out her secret and hypocrisy as Cersei's eyes widened, "In case you've forgotten, Mother, I'm different from Joffrey, I'm more perceptive, smarter than him." he paused to lean forward, his eyes locking onto hers, "Targaryens wed brother and sister for hundreds of years to keep bloodlines pure. But it came at a terrible cost, from madness and sometime sickness." Justin whispered, "As evidence with your first set of twins, one has descended into madness, while the other is dying of his illness. I turned out lucky for the most part." he added, leaning back into his chair, his eyes not leaving his Mother, "I'll keep my mouth shut because I don't want Tommen and Myrcella to pay for yours and Jaime's crimes. Joffrey I don't much care about."

Cersei's eyes averted to to the hearth, "How long have you known?" she asked, her voice just barely above a whisper, too ashamed to look her angel son in the eyes.

"Since I was five." Cersei turned back to Justin, surprise clear on her face, not expecting her son to have known at such a young age.

Justin smiled tenderly before answering her unasked question, "The day before you told me I was leaving for the Rock, I was trying to find you, I wanted to show you a drawing I made of our sigil. It truly was awful now that I think about it." he said with a smile, remembering how young he was that day, "I approached your room and heard you and Uncle Jaime talking. You were crying, I hated the thought of someone hurting you. So I cracked open the door and peeked inside, I thought if I surprised you, I could make you happy." he shook his head, "You and Uncle sat on the bed next to each other, your backs were to me. You were against his chest crying, his arm was around you as whispered to you. I didn't think nothing of it at first, since you two were brother and sister. I stepped into the room, silent as a mouse, waiting for my turn to hug you and be your shoulder to cry on." he painted the picture, his eyes on his Mother's, watching the emotions that play out on her face, no doubt remembering that day as well, "Before I knew what happened, Uncle Jaime kissed you, not the innocent brotherly kiss meant to comfort his sister, the kind a husband gives to his wife in her troubled times. You responded in kind, while I stood there not knowing what to do. So I left, quietly, slowly, trying to erase myself out of existence. When I got back to my room, I was finally able to breathe again. I didn't know what to make of what I saw. It wasn't until after I left for the Rock that I was able to recover from what I saw that day, and pieced it together. When Myrcella and Tommen were born I finally accepted what you and your brother were doing." he paused to turn his eyes to the hearth, "I knew you were unhappy with the King, and I was alright with you having someone you love holding you in the shadows. The only good things that came out of that affair were my baby brother and sister." he finished, glad to have told his Mother what he knew at long last, feeling that weight being lifted off after eleven years.

"And you." Cersei added, "You're also the best thing that came out of our greatest sin." she said, making Justin look back at her and saw that those words were genuine despite the horrible things she's done. "Are you angry?" she asked, not sure if he was mad or disgusted at the prospect of being a child born of a brother and sister.

Justin was silent for a moment before he answered, "I was at first. For along time I wished I wasn't that oaf King's son...well I got my wish. Now I wish that you two were not brother and sister, maybe that way, things would've been different. Maybe we'd be happy and free." his eyes wandered, wishing for a different life where things were different and the world would accept his parents as they are, "I can tell the lengths you've go through in order to keep that love, in order to protect your children." he paused as he thought of his Uncle, his Father and sire, "But that came at a great cost with this war. The King in the North has my Father, and we have his sister."

"It is only temporary until Robb Stark bends the knee and swears fealty to the crown." Cersei said, as though she was trying to excuse herself of her mistakes.

Justin snorted, "That will not happen unless they received justice for what Joffrey did to their previous Warden of the North. You know the North will never forgive you or Joffrey for what you've done. I won't ask you to care about their forgiveness, but the least you could do is try saving Sansa from this disgusting union. You owe her Father that much. A Lannister always pays her debts. With how much shit my dear brother has put her through, it will be a very huge debt if Robb Stark finds out as he storms King's Landing and kills Joffrey where he sits." he said, reminding his Mother that while Robb is the Northern King, he will not let go of the suffering Joffrey has put his little sister through.

Cersei stared at Justin, knowing what he means by that. She remembers the terms she received before she ripped it up the way she did with Ned Stark's.

"Are you really staying?" Cersei asked, not wanting this to end in blood shed between her two children, no matter how monsterous one of them is.

"The only way for me to leave this wretched place is in the form of ashes. Either way, we're all stuck together because of the war, no doubt the roads are unsafe with all the thieves and rapists ready to take advantage of the weak noble." He said, having seen the reports regarding the banditry that has risen on the road to Casterly Rock.

"Is there nothing I can do to convince you to go back to safety?" Cersei asked, trying one more time, to save him from his brother.

Justin laughed through his nose, "Sansa is Joffrey's betrothed, is she not?" At Cersei's look, he knew that she knew what he meant, "There you have it." he said, leaning back and watching the flames, "May I please be left alone, Mother? I'm quite tired after today's excitement." he requested, wanting to have some time to himself to plan his next move in getting Sansa out of King's Landing.

Cersei nodded, "Of course." she said before she got up and walked over to Justin, "Goodnight love." she said as she kissed him on the head whilst giving him a hug, one he returned before releasing each other.

As soon as the Queen left the room, Justin sighed before going back to staring at the fires, the embers reminding him of a certain ginger, one he is determined to save from his brother. "Let the games begin."

As you've witnessed, Cersei and Justin have a tense and complicated relationship, but he's quite open and accepting towards her and Jamie. Tell me what you thought of this chapter and what you hope might happen next or in the future.