"Did it have to be like this?" Samwell Tarly asked. The living had won over the dead, but at such cost.
"Our fathers would probably figure that we won, and just go on from there," Tyrion Lannister replied.
"Mine would as well," Jon said.
"Which one?" Tyrion asked, with an irreverent look.
"The one who raised me," Jon Snow said. "We can't change the past. We can't undo the mistakes of our fathers."
"True," Samwell said. "But I will always wonder."
Fate is a fickle thing. In this case, it was one of the Old Gods who thought it over. Yes, those three had been heroes, but the cost had been so high. Perhaps…
Yes, touch their fathers with a bit more wisdom…
Tywin Lannister
266-279 AC
His beloved Joanna was dead. The birth of his third child – and second son – had been too much. A part of him raged at fate – and even wanted to rage at the Seven themselves. Joanna, though, had seen this as a gift, and begged him to love the child.
If it was a gift, it was hard to see it. The baby was malformed. Cersei had even imagined he would die soon.
No… he'd lost his love. He would not lose another member of his family. Not if he could help it.
Over the eight years since, it was soon obvious that while Tyrion did not have the blessing of looks, his mind was impressive. At dinners, he could recite the sixteen wonders described by Lomas Longstrider – at a very young age.
Tywin's duty as Hand of the King had him away from Casterly Rock for long periods of time. He did ask for constant reports – and in some ways they troubled him.
Tyrion was lonely. He was bored. He had learned tumbling – which was more for the smallfolk, but Tywin paused. Tyrion's physical limitations in a battle were obvious to anyone with the eyes to see, and there were enemies of the family. Perhaps the tumbling could be something to encourage to an extent. Perhaps a Bravosi water dancer would be a good instructor for swordsmanship.
The fact was, he felt torn. It was obvious that King Aerys was becoming mad, and that had escalated since the Defiance at Duskendale. It was getting worse in some cases.
Cersei was smart, but she also was capable of cruelty and manipulation. In the short term, she could make gains, but eventually it would all catch up to her. Jamie, on the other hand, was more interested in being a knight.
The two were close… perhaps too close. Tywin had always wondered why Joanna had placed their bedchambers on opposite sides of the castle… unless.
It was unthinkable. But then again, so were other things. Like Tytos Lannister becoming the Lord of Casterly Rock. But the third son of Gerold the Golden had become the heir when his two older brothers had died in battle. Tywin had felt the need to be hard – to regain what his father had squandered. Wiping out the Reynes and Tarbecks had ended open rebellion, but had he gone too far? Furthermore, had he missed a looming doom – one caused by the stupidity of his own children?
He missed Joanna. She might have given some advice. Good advice.
Well, in any case, with Jamie becoming a Kingsguard, there was little to keep him here in King's Landing. It had been something Jamie wanted, though. Perhaps it would be for the best. Then again, with the way Aerys was becoming more paranoid.
He would head back to Casterly Rock. Tyrion had been left there – King's Landing was no place for a boy of… two and ten.
So, now, he had a decision to make. Like it or not, Tyrion was his heir. He would need to make sure he would be ready to take over as Lord Paramount in the West. He certainly had the intelligence.
His Golden Twins would need to be separated as well. It was time to think on this one. Perhaps it would be a good idea to cement an alliance with the Reach. The Tyrells would be a good choice, binding two of the wealthiest kingdoms together.
Cersei was smart, but she thought she was smarter than she was. Olenna Tyrell would quickly disabuse her of that arrogance. Once the arrogance was broken… he had to admit he could not be sure about what would happen after that. She could become much more deadly in her intrigues… but how would they be directed?
That was really the problem, wasn't it? Cersei was very dangerous. She was cruel, and she thought that gained respect. Well, she was only following his example. It had been a huge mistake… and now, it was almost too late to rein that cruelty in. Or was it?
In any case, he would talk with both his twins before he left.