Cersei's favor

Kai stored the Book back in his Inventory.

This was neither the place nor the time to test out the new tale. Using Blood Prophecy would drain his HP, and Kai had no intention of making himself vulnerable. 'All prophecies will have to wait,' Kai placated himself. 'The task at hand is paramount.'

Kai could feel a hint of steam coming out of the doors, giving a little damp touch to the wood. Kai ran his hands all over, feeling the weight, its hinges, and the creaks if any. After a moment, Kai nodded. He put his hands awkwardly on the doors (-one at the top, the other at the bottom left-) and pushed them inward.

Except for the splashes of water, no sound disturbed the eye-pleasing sight of the bathroom. Kai walked in, his feet almost gliding across the stony floor, and for a moment, he forgot to walk.

A few feet away, in a big tub of hot water, Cersei's back glistened with thousands of watery pearls. Steam surrounded her like a veil, behind which her hair brushed her back like many golden starry streams.

Gulp!

Many assortments were lying around her. Soaps, essential oils, brushes, and perfumes. Customary a maid should have been with her, Kai knew. But he could guess Cersei wasn't in the best of her moods to enjoy any lesser company. Kai could have never known these things, these thoughts, if not for the tale captured by the Book. The tale was incomplete and small, but peoples' personalities scarcely transformed without a drastic change in their lifestyle, Kai knew.

Kai noiselessly closed the doors as they were and neared the naked woman. The steam parted with his every step as if screaming, trying to warn Cersei of his presence. Alas, it had no voice either. Kai towered over her and took in all the beauty, piece by piece. The water was foamy, so Kai couldn't see her breasts, but even without them out, Cersei was an angel. The air smelled strongly of perfume, but even that couldn't overcome her natural fragrance.

Kai took a deep breath, taking in the scene, the smell, and the silence all in one.

Cersei gasped.

Water came roaring out in waves as she spun. The steam must have made her eyes blurry, for Cersei didn't wait to see what it was and opened her mouth wide. The shout had just come out when Kai's hand wrapped around her mouth, burying the scream in her throat.

"Your grace," said Kai, humbly. "Don't make any sound. I come as a friend."

Cersei's eyes were wide in shock. There was a little horror and fear mixed in that shock too. But the major part was occupied by anger. She flailed her hands, trying to grab Kai's face. But in a single motion, Kai pressed both of them against her chest, using his free hand.

They were very close now. Kai's chest was on her back. He could feel it getting wet, and his stomach roiled with a funny feeling. "Believe me, your grace," Kai urged, trying to control his arousal. "If I meant you harm, you wouldn't have been alive now."

That must have made sense to Cersei. But Kai could still feel her apprehension.

"If you still don't trust my intentions," Kai whispered in her ears, "then call the guards, your grace. I am taking my hand off you. But then you will lose a great opportunity."

Kai slowly let go of Cersei's hands, and then reluctantly took his hand from her wet lips. The moment Cersei found herself free, she turned back and flung her hand at Kai. Slap! The sound echoed in the small, damp room. Cersei backed away, both her hands over her breasts. The scalding hot water had already made her pale smooth skin a little pink. Her fuming expression reddened it even more.

"How dare you?!" Cersei snapped. "Who are you? Why are you here? How did you come unannounced to my chamber?"

Kai chuckled.

He stood up, the marks of the slap flashing red against his white skin. He picked the towel by his side and handed it over to Cersei, which she almost snatched from his hands. "Calm down, your grace," Kai earnestly said. "Look at me and you would know who I am and why I am here."

Cersei pressed her lips into a thin line. Her eyes were glaring murderously at Kai, but then she looked at him. Blue breeches, black doublet, and long and wet white hair. His skin seemed like milk floating amid steam. It was already a sight that could make any girl's heart flutter out of her chest. But when Cersei saw his eyes, she lost herself. They stared at each other; into each other. And with every passing second, Cersei became calmer.

Then she blushed.

"You are Arlen Stone," Cersei declared, a barely discernible gleam in her green eyes. "You are the one who has kidnapped Jon, aren't you?"

Kai nodded.

"What are you doing here, then?" Cersei asked, confusingly. "Every guard is looking for you. Some think you have already left the city. Some are just waiting for you to demand ransom. Yet here you are."

"Yet here I am," Kai said, repeating the words.

"Why?" she asked. "Why here though? You want to kidnap me too? Humph!"

Kai liked it. The way Cersei had sniggered made her look even more lovely than she already was. She had covered her bare skin with the towel, but somehow it had made her more alluring. Kai took in her sight in its entirety.

'She is the brightest color on canvas,' Kai thought. 'How can someone be so beautiful and cruel at the same time?' Kai only had to look in a mirror to find out. But only Cersei was in his mind right now. That, and the reason for which he had come here.

"Would that I could, your grace," Kai said. "But I am not here to kidnap you. Yes, it is true, I have kidnapped the Hand. But it was neither for ransom nor fame."

"You truly want me to believe that," said Cersei, amusingly. "Why did you kidnap him, then? Tell me the reason and I just might let you go with your head."

Kai smiled. He neared her, but Cersei didn't flinch this time. 'Yes, this is the Lioness of Casterly Rock,' Kai told himself. 'Ever overconfident, when it seems everything is in her control.'

Kai reached out in his pocket. "I have come with a gift, your grace," he said, presenting Jon Arryn's finger. The blood at its stump had almost dried, and the red ruby on the finger glistened dully under the light of the candles.

"This?" Cersei choked a scream.

"There was only one reason for me to kidnap the Hand," Kai lied, lifting Cersei's chin, and looking into her eyes. "It was to earn favor, your grace. The favor of Queen Cersei Lannister."