Cold comfort

Summary:

She needed comfort, but not his comfort, not from this man. … Tywin Lannister has a master plan to control all of Westeros, but he needs Catelyn Stark to get control of the North and the Riverlands. She is spared at the Red Wedding and forced to marry Tywin Lannister. Will Tywin succeed in his plans? Will Catelyn get to see her family again?

Note 1: A I watched the series, I had always thought that killing Catelyn at the Red Wedding made no sense from a strategic point of view. A man like Tywin would have made better plans. She could have made a very valuable hostage. And indeed, in the books he does mention this to Tyrion. As I read the book afterwards, it was a bit creepy to find out that my strategy was akin to Tywin's ...

Note 2: Killing Catelyn was also a mistake from a literary point of view since it implies that we lose the voice of the North. She was the only narrator from that side of the war, the only character point of view we had of the North and the Riverlands.

Note 3: Reading the books, I would never pair Catelyn and Tywin. They never see each other and are never together in the story. Yet, watching the TV show, I can definitely see these two wonderful actors sharing a scene. Together with Tyrion and Davos they are the best and most sensible minds in Westeros.

Hope you like my story.

Thanks.

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1) Tywin I:

He did not considered himself old by any means, nor was he planning on dying anytime soon. But what kind of visionary pragmatic great Lord would he be if he did not make provisions for the great legacy he was planning on leaving his heirs. The question was: which heirs? So he started to ponder …

Cersei, Queen Cersei, Queen Regent actually … Mother to three bastards, one of whom is the monster king. Rumours started to spread about the incestuous relationship between Jamie and Cersei long before the little shit Joffrey decided to behead Ned Stark, thus giving his supporters more reason to believe the rumours. I cannot believe the monster he has turned out to be, what he has put that poor Stark girl through – with the tacit approval of his mother. The boy hasn't got long. Somebody is bound to kill him sooner or later, the Gods know many people have reasons to do so. Am I such a bad grandfather I feel no remorse thinking like this about my own grandson? He is not what the realm needs. Forget the realm, he is not what our family needs. He's a black stain on our lineage. I wanted a dynasty and I get a daughter who fucks her own twin to beget a monster. After Joffrey's gone, hopefully sooner than later, Tommen will be King. He looks like a decent kid. Yet, if he becomes King he will not inherit Casterly Rock. And with Myrcella having been shipped to Dorne to marry into the Martells I need to look elsewhere to bequeath my Rock.

Jaime … oh Jamie, I had great hopes for you. What a disappointment you turned out to be! Sleeping with your own sister! You had the looks, the brain and the strength to get any woman you wanted, and it is your own sister you desire. You've become useless now. Captured by the young pup, used by the northern trout and then maimed by the goat. One-handed, you're no longer Kingsguard material. And you cannot inherit Casterly Rock precisely because you took that oath.

So that leaves Tyrion. Imp, deformed, dwarf, abnormal, monster, creature, abomination.Odd as it sounds, you might as well end up being my only hope. I can't say I have forgiven you for killing your mother. I know, it was not your intention, but you did it nonetheless. Oh my Joanna! I've never found anyone like her, and I don't think I ever will. … Yet, you may still prove valuable to the family. By marrying you to the Stark girl we may be able to secure the North. You just have to put a baby in her. I cannot claim to know what goes on in your bedchambers, but if I am to go by the rumours I hear, we'll never get Winterfell. I may have to resort to doing the deed myself. Come on Tyrion, just stick it into the girl so I can ship you off to Winterfell to claim the North for the family. I have no wish to go there myself, that barren piece of cold hell. But if you claim it for the Lannisters you would have accomplished your greatest contribution to the family.

So, back to the issue of my legacy … That Stark woman, the mother. If everything goes according to plan, Lord Edmure will spend the rest of his days in a Twins dungeon. The titles of Riverrun could pass on to her. If I get her, I can get Riverrun, as well, not just by conquest, but by title. I get her to produce heirs, something she's apparently very good at having had five children, and get control of half of Westeros: Joffrey as King with Tommen waiting in line should something happen to him, Myrcella in the South (I will need to exert my influence over her somehow), Tyrion in the North, and I myself controlling not just Lannisport, but the Riverlands as well.

Not bad, not bad at all … I need to start making arrangements. Let's start by changing things with Lord Frey.

So, he grabbed a quill and penned a message to be sent to the Twins right away.

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Lord Walder Frey,

As per arranged, you can go hunting for wolves and you can keep the fish you want. But leave the Northern trout to me. She is to be sent to Casterly Rock.

Lord Tywin Lannister

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TBC