This is a sequel to Allies, Lovers, Friends and Siblings, you should probably read that first to avoid confusion.
This fic will have more action and intrigue than ALFS and will also include more characters and settings, but the main focus is still Jaime, Sansa, Tyrion and Margaery although as you can see from chapter one, we will have other PoVs this time. This fic will be longer and the updates will probably not be as frequent as ALFS but I'll try not to leave them too long : )
For any of you here for Jon and or Arya/Jon its tagged eventual for a reason: Jon won't be making an appearance until we're quite far into this story. I thought it was worth mentioning as I had few comments asking when he would appear in ALFS so don't want to get anyone's hopes up : )

I hope you enjoy this fic and would love to hear your thoughts on it : )

"Mother, Mother! It is your turn!"

The playful tones of her last living son broke Cersei's bitter train of thought and she fixed her eyes on him with a sugary smile. She rolled the dice distractedly and quickly moved her counter, not caring where the piece ended up. Tommen laughed.

"You have lost again! Uncle Tyrion is much better at this game than you, I hardly ever beat him."

It was all Cersei could do not to scowl at the mention of the murderous little monster. She gazed at Tommen feeling a mixture of frustration and tenderness. Her sweet, little boy was far too innocent to sit on the Iron Throne. He trusted everyone and was incapable of seeing the evil that surrounded him. Joff could see it. He would have crushed that Imp into the dirt if the creature and his whore had not taken his life first. She mustered a pleasant tone.

"Uncle Tyrion has more spare time for games, a Queen, or King, must put their people first."

"I wish we could have gone to his and Lady Margaery's wedding. Then we could have seen Uncle Jaime too. Do you think he will write to me soon, mother?"

Cersei reached a hand to his perfect golden hair; it felt so like Jaime's.

"I begged your Uncle Jaime to return from Casterly Rock, I told him you were desperate to have him at your side, how much it would have meant to you if he had been present for your coronation. He wrote back that it was difficult for him now that he has a wife. I think Sansa may be a little jealous of you, my darling boy."

She smiled at his troubled face; it hurt her to cause him pain but she had to make him understand that Sansa Stark was the enemy. After all who else could have persuaded Jaime to disregard her instructions to avenge Joffrey's murder? Cersei felt rage boil within her: Jaime had always been weak willed, easily coddled into almost any action by flattery and embraces. That Stark girl played the innocent but she was clearly following Cersei's advice on using the weapon between her legs. The blonde woman smirked, Sansa would learn the hard way what little value she truly had: once she had whelped a couple more brats Cersei would see her dead. She was sure her father would not impede her, Tywin Lannister had no interest in the girl beyond her ability to provide heirs and her claim to the North. If he did find out and tried to thwart his daughter or punish her afterwards, Cersei could threaten to make public the truth about her children. She knew her father was wary of this risk, it was why he let her remain at court and why no further betrothal had been foisted upon her. Sansa would get what she deserved in due time, for now there were more pressing concerns.

She looked up as the door opened, arranging her features into a sad smile as her Uncle Kevan entered. The Lannister knight bowed briefly.

"Your Grace, it is time for you to attend your lessons."

"Mother, do I have to?"

Again Cersei felt an exasperated tenderness; why was Tommen looking to her to fight his battles? He was a lion and a king, he should simple refuse to go if he did not wish to. Still, she had to acknowledge to herself that this display worked in her favour as far as Kevan was concerned.

"A king must be knowledgeable so he can rule his people wisely. Once you are finished, we can dine together, I will ensure there are honey cakes."

He beamed at her and exited the room without further complaint. Kevan raised his eyebrows.

"King Tommen is supposed to practice his swordplay with Ser Loras, after his lessons, Your Grace."

"And if the gods granted you another day with Martyn or Willem would you have them spend it anywhere but at your side, uncle?"

Cersei felt satisfaction as she saw her uncle's gaze drop. Tyrion had once commented that Kevan Lannister had never had a thought that Tywin Lannister did not have first. But Tywin Lannister had never lost a beloved child. Kevan had and so had his niece and Cersei had discovered that it was possible to use this to persuade him to grant her liberties which her father had denied her following Joffrey's demise. With this in mind she placed a hand on his arm.

"I would like to take a short walk along the cliffs. When Joff was tiny I often used to walk there with him; he loved to look at the ships dancing on the waves."

The Lannister knight looked at her with a conflicted expression on his face. After a moment he sighed.

"Very well but you will be accompanied by two of the guardsmen at all times."

"Of course, uncle, I thank you for your compassion."

He bowed his head and exited the room. Cersei followed, allowing a triumphant expression to creep onto her face. Her father may have done all her could to deprive her of liberty, but he had not taken measures to deprive her of wealth. Between this and her feminine wiles, she was confident that neither of the Kettleback brothers would report that she had spent the next hour doing anything other than gazing at the sea, grieving for her son.

Lord Baelish watched as the Queen approached, flanked by two knights. He been dismayed by how events in King's Landing had progressed following his departure to woo Lady Lysa. Sansa's marriage to Jaime Lannister stung; it reminded him too much of Cat and how she had been spirited away from him by a vain, posturing lordling. Had his scheme with the Tyrells gone as planned he would have ensured that Tyrion Lannister took the blame for the death of the king. The right people would easily have been able to convince the Imp his best chance of survival was to demand a trial by combat, naming Jaime as his champion. Such a scenario would have provided ample opportunities to sow the seeds of chaos. Evidently the Queen of Thorns had decided to pursue another avenue and had made it clear to him in their brief meeting she had no further use for him. It was irritating, but Baelish was a man capable of adapting to a situation. As Cersei moved closer to him he dropped a low, obsequious bow.

"Good afternoon, Your Grace, I am delighted you were able to find the time to see me today. It is fortunate I happened to be in the capital attending to business when you informed my associate you wished to meet with me. Allow me to say how grieved I am at the loss of King Joffrey, a terrible and tragic accident."

Baelish had used the last word very deliberately and noted the slight tensing in the Queen's jaw. He continued smoothly:

"It must be particularly trying to bear such loss without the succour of your family. Still, Lord Tyrion will be back in the capital before too long and he will bring you a new good sister, I'm sure, as a woman, Lady Margaery will offer you a great deal of companionship."

She stared at him with blazing eyes, her nostrils slightly flared. Cersei Lannister seemed far less in possession of herself than when he had seen her last and as she moved closer, he caught the unmistakable scent of wine on her breath.

"Lord Baelish, you are a man who has obtained much in the past few years, I am sure that such ambition is not easily sated, do you have any future plans?"

Littlefinger smiled deprecatingly.

"Simply to look after the interests of my lady wife and stepson as best I can, to be a good Lord of the Vale and Warden of the East."

"You speak of Lady Lysa and her son. Of course she is a Tully by birth, would she not like to see one of Tully blood rule Riverrun?"

"My Queen, I assure you no one in the Vale has any plans to support the traitorous siege at Riverrun. As a boy, the Blackfish was like an uncle to me, so it pains me to say this, but he is a broken, deluded old man."

Cersei smiled.

"You misunderstand me, my lord. I wondered if Lady Lysa would like to see her own son rule the castle of her birth, after all he has Tully blood."

"As does Lady Sansa Lannister, I do not think it likely your father would support my wife's claim to Riverrun above that of his own grandchild."

Cersei was visibly enraged by the use of Sansa's married name. Her jaw was now twitching and the smirk which twisted her lips held not a trace of sweetness.

"My father is an old man, I pray the gods will grant him a long life, but he cannot live forever. I can assure you that I have the ear of King Tommen and once he reaches his majority, I will see to it that those who have been loyal to me are not forgotten."

The Queen paused then continued in a lighter tone:

"You were Master of Coin before the position was given to my little brother. Prior to his departure from the capital, he frequently bemoaned the poor state of the royal finances."

"Wars are expensive, your Grace, the treasury was always replete under my watch."

"My brother seemed to disagree, he was rather fixated on the idea that you had been guilty of some kind of mismanagement. I have no doubt it was his way of covering for his own failings, but as I'm sure you appreciate, now he has the backing of Highgarden, it is not so easy to keep him in his place."

Littlefinger could have guessed at her rage about Tyrion's change in circumstances. He had rather been hoping that this was the purpose of their meeting.

"I thank you for the warning, your Grace, but there is little I can do if your brother seeks to slander me to cover his own inadequacies. I can hardly wage a war on the Reach!"

"You do not need to wage a war to rid yourself of one man, my lord."

Take Robert Baratheon for example. Littlefinger studied her, wondering how far he could go. She clearly wanted her brother dead. But Tyrion Lannister's death alone would hardly bring about the chaos he sought. Margaery would likely marry another Lannister, she may even wed King Tommen. He had to smash the Lannister-Tyrell alliance completely.

"I cannot remain in the capital much longer, your Grace, my place is with my wife."

"Such devotion, Lady Lysa is fortunate. I'm sure you have others who can act on your behalf though, my lord?"

Baelish smiled at her questioning glance.

"You are very sharp Queen Cersei! I can see which of Lord Tywin's children inherited his wits. I shall think about how best to solve our mutual problem. It may be that the Tyrells are keen to help us, depending on who could be offered to Lady Margaery as a suitable third husband."

If Baelish noticed the venomous look which passed over Cersei Lannister's face as she took in the implication of his words he did not show it. He took his leave and returned to his establishment on the Street of Silk. Business was as brisk as ever and he had been pleased to find that Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand were now frequent visitors to the premises. During his time in the capital, Littlefinger had gone out of his way to cultivate an acquaintance with the Dornish prince. Oberyn liked to talk and had been vocal regarding his hatred for the Lannisters and his desire to avenge Elia and her children. Littlefinger had listened sympathetically. The whores who worked in his brothels came from all over Westeros and so did the paying customers. Some were from the Westerlands and had told Baelish interesting stories about Tyrion Lannister's early life. He made sure to share his knowledge with Oberyn, as well as some of his own ideas about one particularly tragic tale. The Dornishman had passed no comment but Baelish had seen the words sink in, perhaps nothing would come of it, or perhaps something would.

As he entered his suite of rooms, a servant handed him a letter bearing the Arryn seal. His first reaction was one of irritation: can't the mad cow leave me alone for five minutes? However as he read the news Lysa had shared with him, a smile spread across his lips. This is an interesting development indeed. He threw the letter into the fire. He would have to conclude his business with Cersei Lannister and return to the Vale as quickly as possible.

Late the following night, when most of court was abed and her door was guarded by Osney Kettleback, Cersei met Baelish once more. His words about Margaery and the girl's next husband had filled her with rage and fear; that whore could not be allowed to get her claws into Cersei's last boy. As soon as the door closed behind Baelish she spoke:

"You talked yesterday of working with Tyrells, I hope you are not considering allying yourself to them, Lord Baelish, they are not to be trusted."

"Then perhaps it would be best if we thought about a way to… kill two birds with one stone, your Grace."

Cersei smiled.

"Were some harm to befall Lady Margaery and it could be proved that my brother was the cause of it, I do not think my father would make any great effort to assist him."

Baelish hesitated, seeming to ponder her words.

"Forgive me, your Grace, but I cannot help but wonder what motive your brother could be seen to have for killing his beautiful, young wife. He cannot claim Highgarden in the event of her dying childless."

He could see his words had enraged her. However, she could not contradict him on his logic. Baelish allowed her to stew for a moment or two then spoke as if thinking out loud:

"Of course, it is always possible a motive could appear. Lady Margaery is an attractive young woman… if she were to catch the eye of another and it seemed she reciprocated those affections… I have no doubt your brother could be a vengeful man, your Grace."

Cersei was practically grinning from ear to ear as she listened to him. This was better than she ever imagined; humiliate the little monster by having him shown to all to be cuckolded, kill the whore then have him completely disgraced by putting the blame for her death at his door.

"Do you have any idea how such a plan may come to fruition, Lord Baelish? The man who guards my door would be happy to carry out such an instruction at my behest."

Baelish suppressed a wince. Cersei Lannister was truly incapable of reading anyone if she thought the brutish Kettleback would ever be able to get close enough to Margaery Tyrell for a seduction to seem plausible. He smiled.

"I will send you a boy, I can think of a young lord who patronises my establishment. He does not have to actually seduce Lady Margaery, as long as it appears to the world outside that he may have. He is arrogant enough to believe that he could win her heart and foolish enough to try. When he comes to you, give him this"

He handed her a small bottle.

"It is a poison known as the Tears of Lys. When administered gradually it causes the victim to sicken and die. In an older person the symptoms could easily be confused with a natural demise. In a healthy, young woman I have no doubt suspicion could be aroused. When the boy comes to you, tell him it is a substance to prevent pregnancy, he has a vested interest in ensuring that Lady Margaery and your brother do not produce heirs. Suggest to him that he befriends one of her handmaidens, that should give him ample opportunities to administer the poison."

"Thank you for your help in this matter, my lord. It won't be forgotten."

"I am ever your loyal servant, my Queen."

He bowed and left, Cersei poured herself a glass of Dornish Red and drank deeply, a smile played on her lips. She would see that Joffrey was avenged: Tyrion's own words would come back to haunt him. His joy would turn to ashes in his mouth and he would know that the debt was paid.

I hope you're all suitably intrigued. In case anyone's confused by the timeline, this chapter takes places before the end of ALFS probably a week or so after Tyrion and Margaery's wedding.