Under Riverrun

Beneath Riverrun

"What do you mean, the time is not yet right?"

The High Sparrow let out a long sigh. "My answer concerns Your Grace's misunderstanding of the sparrows. Queen Regent, septs throughout the realm have been looted and burned, even the Silent Sisters have been **. They are all weeping... yet the king and his knights cannot provide the protection they deserve. For the sake of our suffering brothers and sisters... as High Septon, I can only proceed cautiously."

Cersei's tone was impatient. "Bestow your blessing upon my son, and I guarantee Tommen will put an immediate end to these atrocities."

The High Sparrow shook his head slightly. "How would he stop them? Would he send knights to personally guard every brother and sister on the roads? Would he send soldiers to protect our septs from being burned?"

"The realm is at war. His Grace needs men to suppress the rebellion; he cannot spare so many knights and soldiers for the moment." The Lioness's foremost enemy was the roses. Cersei had never considered wasting troops to protect those useless people.

The sparrows would do best to take up clubs and axes and perish alongside the bandits looting the septs. That way... her son's realm would know peace.

Cersei's clear green eyes shifted as she continued, "Don't your sparrows have clubs and axes? They can defend themselves for now. The war will end soon."

"That is precisely what I wished to tell Your Grace. The poor sparrows were forced to take up weapons to defend themselves."

As he spoke, the High Sparrow sighed again. "The laws of Maegor the First prohibit them from violence. Queen Regent, you should know well that the decree of pardon back then disbanded the Faith's armed forces."

Cersei's eyes suddenly stirred. Perhaps she could bring