"You know, when I was your age, I had this dream. I wore the best armor in the known world, made entirely out of gold and in my hand, our ancestral sword, Brightroar. Then, I realized what my calling in life will be: to recover it. To bring it back home, here, where it belongs!"

Gerion Lannister, the youngest brother of Lord Tywin, the Warden of the West stood on a chair with his young bastard daughter, Joy Hill, in his arms and his nephew Tyrion on another chair, near him. Gerion was Tyrion's favorite uncle, without any shadow of a doubt. It must not be mistaken, is not like he didn't like his other uncles, Kevan and Tygett, but with Gerion he always had a special relationship. Kevan was always in the shadow of Tywin and while he had always been kind with Tyrion, he could never show it in front of his older brother. Tygett was a warrior at heart. He never judged nor insulted Tyrion but in his soul was only anger and jealousy which darkened his otherwise good heart. However, Gerion was always there for Tyrion, lifting his spirit and enabling him to create his own path in the world by learning. He would always defend his nephew from his brother's hatred, no matter what. As for his aunt, Genna, Tyrion has only respect for her, not only for loving him but for managing to obtain the maximum from the unhappy life she has alongside her husband, Emmon Frey.

"And how do you propose to do it? It's not like you possess the same fleet Tommen Lannister had when he disappeared with the sword. And who in his right mind will sail to Valyria?"

"So, you think I can't do it?"

"No, I think you can do it. But father would never let you go to such a journey. And who will sail with you to Valyria?"

Gerion caressed her daughter's cheek. Her blond hair, exactly like his, was so beautiful in the light of the morning. Four years ago, a commoner named Briony came to Casterly Rock to serve as a washerwoman. The moment he saw her, with her black hair and blue eyes and her innocent smile, he knew he wanted her more than anything else in the world. Gerion seduced her, lying to her that he will marry her and their children will be lords and ladies and the envy of the Seven Kingdoms. She fell for his enticing words and one night, after he gave his word that he will marry her, Gerion also gave her his seed which bore fruit and nine months later, a daughter was born. He named her Joy, as her birth was his moment of greatest joy, while also acknowledging her as his bastard daughter. Briony was shocked that Gerion wouldn't marry her. You kept me as your whore, as your plaything, as your toy, to fulfill your sinful needs. What about me? What about my soul? What about my daughter? Her words ringed in his ears even now, years after she committed suicide by hanging herself, out of grief. Gerion realized that she loved him sincerely and that she really wanted to spend her life alongside him. But the past is the past. The present matters, and the future.

"Don't worry, nephew. Even if I have to go with ironborn sailors over there, I will go, no matter what!"

That evening, at dinner, Tywin spoke in his pretentious voice:

"Gerion, how old are you?"

"Thirty-six, but you should have known. Aren't you Lord Tywin, the one who knows everything?"

"Your pathetic sarcasm will not work. I'm asking you because I want you to marry!"

Tyrion giggled, under his father's cold eyes while Gerion outright started to laugh:

"And who do you propose I should marry? I warn you: my standards are pretty high!"

"Let me remind you that you lived with a whore right here, in my castle and the proof is right over there. So there are your standards: washerwomen, common filth, whores!"

He pointed towards Joy who started to cry, being afraid of her uncle's outburst:

"You will marry Lord Lefford's daughter in a fortnight. You will send Joy to be fostered in Lannisport because I don't want your new wife to feel… insulted by her presence. You will have sons and daughters named Lannister!"

Gerion was infuriated. He rose from his chair and after musing for a bit, he uttered only two words:

"Fuck you!"

Everybody at the table was in shock. Kevan's face was white while his wife, Dorna, almost fainted. She was a pious woman, unaccustomed with this kind of language. Tyrion however would have laughed but seeing his father's livid face, he preferred not to.

"What did you say to me?"

"Fuck you! This is what I said. Or you prefer to suck my cock? Your choice!"

"Gerion… I will let this slide because you are of my blood but next time you will have this kind of an outburst in my presence, I will…"

"Spare me, Tywin. There won't be a next time! I will leave Casterly Rock!"

Everybody gasped.

"Didn't you hear what I said? You will marry Lord Lefford's daughter…"

"No, I will leave for Valyria!"

Tyrion wasn't surprised as his uncle always spoke about leaving to find Brightroar but Tywin wasn't impressed:

"Again with this madness? You will find no sailors to come with you, brother. Your expedition is doomed before it even started."

"Not if I pay them… let's say… 50,000 gold dragons a man. More than enough! For this amount of gold, brother, they will go with me to the Saffron Straits and back."

Kevan spoke, in a soft voice, almost as he was afraid he would bother Tywin if he would speak louder:

"Gery, whoever leaves for Valyria never comes back. Tygett's death was enough, I can't lose another brother again!"

"Someone like you, Kevan, who lived his entire existence as a lapdog will never understand! I am not you, nor I am Tygett. I will bring glory to our House by doing something nobody ever dared to do!"

"Gery, unlike you, I know my lot in life! I am content to be a good husband to my wife and a good brother to Tywin, who is the Lord of Casterly Rock and the Warden of the West."

"Because you never dared to think otherwise. Because you never dared to think! I am not you, brother, and clearly I am not Tywin's puppet. I will never cast away my daughter just because of her birth, like other are doing!"

Gerion's words were like knives for Tywin, who himself hated his son, Tyrion, for having being born the way he was born and even more so, by causing Joanna's death.

"If you decide to leave, Gerion, I will not impede you. But you will pay your men from your own coin. And you are forbidden to ever return to Casterly Rock without the sword, if you are so obsessed to find it. When do you want to leave?"

"In a week!"

Tyrion was unhappy. Without his uncle Gerion, nobody would protect him from Tywin's wrath.

"Fine."

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Gerion was in his room, packing his belongings and also, polishing his suit of armor with his daughter, Joy.

"I am sorry I have to leave you, kitten, but I need to find my place in this world, a better place for you and me, far from Tywin's tyranny. I swear I will return and not only that, but I will bring you a dragon egg, if I would find one. How would you name your dragon?"

"Kitt'n"

"Very scary, indeed! The dragon Kitten!"

He then tickled Joy, who started to laugh. Tyrion knocked on the door:

"Come in!"

The imp entered his uncle's room and after kissing Joy on the cheek, he addressed Gerion with pleading eyes:

"Uncle, take me with you to Valyria!"

"I don't know… I would take you with me, of course, but I don't think Tywin will let you."

"Fuck him, I want to leave with you. While this journey is a chance for you to come back here a hero, is also a chance for me to know the world. Besides, here I would be the whip boy of Tywin Lannister's anger."

"I know, nephew. But what we could possibly do about it?"

"Well, you know aunt Genna will visit Casterly Rock in a few days with Emmon and their sons. Let's make her convince him to let me go with you!"

Genna Lannister had always a soft spot in her heart for Tyrion. She admired his intellect and his desire to rise above his station, but also his kind heart, despite his status as a dwarf and the black lion of the family.

"Heh… You plan on manipulate my sister to make Tywin accept… You will do well in this game we play, child, very well."