In Westeros, it was known that when Winter came, the Others would roam the night and the undead would return to haunt the living.

But Winter was not just a season for ominous signs and dark forebodings. I was also the time for cheer, generosity and family togetherness- not that you would know it from the grim frown on the face of Lord Tywin Lannister as he sat in his threadbare study tallying his gold by the meagre light of a single candle.

As Tywin looked over his account books, a knock interrupted his concentration. He opened the door to find a small group of Lannister bannermen.

"What is it?" Tywin scowled. "You had better have a good excuse for bothering me at this time of evening!"

"Winter is coming, my lord," said the oldest of the bannermen, "and we were wondering if we might get some time off to say goodbye to our wives and children before the Long Night descends from the North."

"Time off?" scoffed Tywin. "Certainly not! If you ask for time off this winter, you'll want even more time off next winter!"

"But you see, Lord Tywin, we're not really sure if there will be a next winter…" another bannerman said timidly.

"Ha! Do you think I care! A Lannister always pays his debts and how do you expect me to pay my debts if I also have to pay for vacation time! Your request is denied and you are dismissed."

"But, my lord-" the bannerman stammered.

"DISMISSED!" yelled Tywin, knocking his fists against his desk.

As the evening chill descended, Tywin clutched his robe tightly around himself. The candle at his desk flickered as he heard another knock at the door.

"Who's there?" grumbled Tywin.

"It's your son, Tyrion," said Tyrion Lannister, opening the door to let himself in.

"Bah! You're no son of mine!"

"Well, then, since I'm not your son," said Tyrion, "I was wondering…do I still have to go to the yearly Lannister House Council? Can't I just spend the holidays at Casterly Rock, reading by a fire? I think that would be much less of a waste of both of our time."

The Lannister Family Council was an annual meeting that Tywin Lannister held at Lannisport, during which Tywin broke down his ten-year plan for House Lannister to achieve complete domination over Westeros.

"Impudent Imp!" said Tywin, standing up from his seat. "Of course you have to go to the Lannister House Council! It is a family requirement!"

"But you just said I'm not part of the family..."

"Don't you take that tone with me, Tyrion! Get out of my sight! But I BETTER see you at the Council, if you know what's best for you!"

Tyrion sighed exasperatedly as he waddled out of his father's study.

Tywin returned to meticulously tallying his figures. He was in the middle of calculating how much it would cost to bribe the bannermen of the other Houses to betray their lords and whether that expense would be worth the long-term gain of vanquishing his foes when he heard another knock.

"WHAT IS IT?" roared Tywin.

"Dad, it's me," said Cersei as she stepped into her father's study.

"Can't you see I'm working?!"

"I needed to ask you something. Now that we've slain the Targaryens…do I really have to marry Robert Baratheon? I know you promised me to him, but he's not really my type. We hardly have anything in common."

"Of course we're going through with the betrothal! A Lannister always pays their debts! It's written on all our sigils, Cersei! Are you too dumb to read?"

"But dad…"

"No buts! You should be thanking me for putting your worthless ass in sitting distance of the Iron Throne!"

Cersei blushed with shame and fury. She bowed her head and smirked resentfully. "As you say, father…"

"That's right! And you better be at that Family Council too!" admonished Lord Tywin, as the heavy iron door closed behind his daughter.

Tywin barely had time to sharpen his quill before another knock interrupted him.

"WHAT IS IT? THIS BETTER BE IMPORTANT!" bellowed the lord.

"Dad, it's me, Jaime." Tywin's eldest son walked in, his shining helmet in his hands.

"Oh, good to see you, Jaime. How goes it in King's Landing?"

"It's okay..." said Jaime Lannister. "Actually…I've been thinking about something. I realized I'm not sure I want to stay on the Kingsguard. I don't really like slaying people. I thought maybe I could become a minstrel or a maester or maybe like a sober companion for the rest of the family…"

"A minstrel?! Like that cockless fool Eddard Sheeran?"

"I don't know…" Jaime said shyly. "It doesn't have to be singing, just something that doesn't involve so much killing people I've sworn oaths of loyalty to."

"No son of mine is going to stop killing people he's sworn oaths of loyalty to!"

"Also…" Jaime said, "um, dad, are you really going to marry Cersei off to Robert Baratheon? And couldn't you just leave Tyrion alone for once and let him spend the holidays with his whores at Casterly Rock instead of going to the Lannister Family Council?"

"WHORES? There are going to be WHORES? Now he most definitely must attend the Family Council! I won't have any dwarf not-son of mine embarrassing me right under my nose! "

"Dammit, I shouldn't have said anything!" thought Jaime, mentally hitting himself on the forehead. "Tyrion made me promise not to tell dad about his plan for celebrating the holidays! Great, now I broke another oath I wasn't even meaning to break!"

Before he could say any more, Jaime walked off.

Finally, as the night descended, Tywin sighed with relief. I seemed there was no one left to bother him, make demands of his time or ask him for favors. He didn't care if the rest of the nobles of Kings Landing were out celebrating, drinking and feasting while he sat alone in freezing darkness. He knew that he was richer, more powerful and more cunning than any of them.

However, just as he was having that self-satisfied thought, an immense gust of wind swirled through his study. The winds of winter twisted the plush red curtains and riled all the banners with the House Lannister sigil.

A sound of shuddering of wings resounded through the stony room. A spirit appeared, glowing and immaterial. It took the shape of a young man with pale skin, dark hair and milky white eyes. The spirit spoke in a low voice as from the depths of the seven hells.

"TYYYWIIIIIIIIIIN…..LAAAANIIIIISTER…TYYYYYYYYYWIIIIIIIIN LAAAAANIIIISTER!"

"Get out of here!" said Tywin. "Shoo! This is my castle!"

"TYYYYYYYYWIN LAAAAAANNISTER!" said the spirit. "I am the Three Eyed Raven! My three eyes see the past, the present and the future! I am here to teach you the true meaning of the winter holidays!"

Tywin grumbled. "No way, there's no such thing as a three eyed raven. You must be a hallucination. I knew those mushrooms in my stew tasted funny."

"I am no hallucination," said the Three Eyed Raven. "I am here tonight to warn you that you have a chance of escaping a horrible fate, but only if you learn from the winters of your past, present and future..."


Tywin screamed as the spirit took the lord's hand and flung him backwards through time. Tywin Lannister found himself soaring through a vast abyss, as time flowed along the wings of the Three Eyed Raven.

When the rush of time slowed and darkness around him cleared, he saw a scene out of his long-ago memories.

It was the evening of the Winter Festival at Casterly Rock. The castle was covered in a light sheet of snow.

A tall blonde woman with a bump at her waist was gathering a pile of presents before a fire. She turned and he caught sight of her beautiful face.

"Joanna!" exclaimed Tywin at the vision. "Joanna, it's me!" A smile lit up Tywin Lannister's face as he recognized his lost love.

"She can't hear you," said the Three Eyed Raven. "In this realm we are but apparitions of the future..."

Tywin reached out to take Joanna's hand but his hand passed through hers like a shadow. Tywin frowned again when she did not notice him.

Jaime and Cersei were also gathered before the fire. They ran around playing games with each other, full of childlike joy. Tywin's younger self sat with the proud bearing of a noble but his face possessed fewer wrinkles and frown-lines than it would eventually bear.

"Who wants presents?" said Joanna cheerfully.

"I do! I do!" cried the twins.

"This is for you, of course, Jaime," said Tywin as he presented an ornately decorated sword.

"It's Valerian steel," said Tywin. "See how finely made the serrated edge is?"

"Oh, ok, cool dad," said Jaime. "Can I open mom's gift now?

Joanna brought to Jaime a huge box wrapped in a red bow. Jaime squealed when he unwrapped an enormous stuffed bear.

"Aw, she's so cute! I'm going to name her Princess Snuggles!" Jaime hugged the stuffed bear as large as himself.

"My oldest Jaime was always a sissie," said Tywin-from-the-future to the Three Eyed Raven. "That's why I needed to tough him up."

"I don't know. He seems happy with his bear," said the Three Eyed Raven

"This gift is for you Cersei," said Tywin to his daughter as he presented her with a silvery headpiece.

"A hairnet?"

"Yes, all young ladies wear them. You don't want men seeing too much of your loose hair or they'll think you're a whore."

"Tywin!" Joanna admonished her husband with a chastising look as she squeezed him lightly on the knee.

"I mean..." said Tywin, struggling to find less offensive words, "look how all the sapphires compliment your eyes..."

"Did you always speak to your daughter like that?" asked the Three Eyes Raven.

"What?" said Tywin-from-the-Future. "Those sapphires were expensive!"

"I also have a gift for you, sweetheart," said Joanna, as she brought forth a box for her daughter.

Cersei ripped eagerly through the packaging and gasped at series of decanters, powders and instruction manuals.

"A brew your own poisons and explosives starter kit!" Cersei exclaimed. "It's just what I wanted! I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetie," said Joanna as she wrapped Cersei in a hug.

Tywin and Joanna sent the two children to bed, promising to take them to see the festival in the morning.

As they sat together by the fire, Twyin gently touched the bump at Joanna's waist.

"By this time next year, we'll have another little lion cub in our den," said Joanna.

"I'm already so proud." Tywin beamed. "What should we name him? How about Tywin the Second, after his old man?"

"Him?" Joanna's eyes twinkled humorously. "What if the baby is a girl?"

"Boy or girl, I'm sure our baby will be brave, sweet and fair as any in the Seven Kingdoms. How could it be otherwise with a woman like you for its mother?"

"Oh, you soft-hearted, silly old lion…" said Joanna. She leaned in and they kissed passionately, giggling as they did.

"That's enough! I've seen enough!" said Tywin-from-the-Future.

"It was mid-winter when she died, wasn't it?" asked the Three-Eyed-Raven. "Was it that loss which made you begin to loathe the winter holidays?"

"No, that's not it at all! I hate the winter because winter is the season of those imbecilic Starks and their mongrel direwolves! They're always going on and on about how 'Winter is Coming.' It's so blasted annoying."

"Sure, if you say so…" said the Three Eyed Raven.


"Now," said the Three Eyed Raven, "It's time for us to take our travel forward to the present. Let's see how your family is celebrating the holidays, shall we?"

Time whirled around them again, flowing in the opposite direction. When Tywin Lannister landed on his feet he found that he was standing outside of a tavern in King's Landing.

Tyrion was sitting at a tavern, drinking wine out of a large mug that was surrounded by other emptied cups. It was a ramshackle tavern frequented by soldiers, whores and smallfolk.

Tyrion stood on the bar and began to do a comedic impression of Lord Tywin. He mimicked his father's stern expressions and clichéd Lannister sayings as he improvised a ridiculous rant about raising taxes, sending soldiers off to pointless wars and refusing to listen to the problems of the common people. The people at in the tavern cracked up in laughter at the ribald performance.

"So that's how your son sees you," noted the Three Eyed Raven, "as a fool and a tyrant. It seems that the smallfolk agree."

"Bah!" Tywin said. "I don't look like that at all! I'm much taller!"

The Three Eyed Raven rolled each of its three eyes.

Then, the Raven transported Tywin to another scene. They watched through the window of a tower of the Red Keep.

Cersei greeted Jaime in her chambers with a glass of wine. She helped Jaime out of his armor and mail as the two of them spoke.

"Well it's nice to see that some of my children know their place belongs with their equals," said Tywin.

The Raven raised its eyebrows.

Cersei untied the ties of her dress and threw it over her head. She unbuttoned until she was down to her smallclothes. She ran her fingers through Jaime's blonde hair and the two began to amorously embrace.

"What in the seven hells?!" Lord Tywin's face flushed dark red.

"Funny," the Three Eyed Raven observed. "The entire Seven Kingdoms knows what your older children have been up to, while you remained unaware. Do you think that maybe you've been spending too much time focused on work and not enough time focused on your family?"

Lord Tywin provided no verbal answer; he only shook his his head as he pursed his lips.

"Now, let's see how the Starks celebrate the holidays, shall we? Maybe you can learn a thing or two from my…I mean from their family…"

Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard sitting at the head of a huge oak table, hosting a winter feast. The other northern lords and their bannermen were there too, sharing in the food and drink. A few of the noblewomen were passing around the baby Rob Stark and commenting on his cute fleece booties while little Jon Snow was kept in a basket at the end of the table.

The hall was decorated with evergreen sprigs and silvery candles. The table was full of bread, ale, meats and puddings. All around, the guests were talking loudly, telling boastful stories and laughing heartily.

"Bunch of babies," said Tywin. "They aren't scheming to crush their rivals or testing each other's endurance of manipulative brutality at all. No wonder all they have is a single kingdom in the shittiest part of Westeros."

"I don't know," said the Three Eyed Raven. "It looks like they're having fun. Perhaps that's because instead of trying to conquer more kingdoms they're grateful for the kingdom that they do have."

Following the second course, a minstrel came out to sing 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair' while everyone clapped along.

When the singing died down, Eddard spoke to his wife. "You know, I really wish we could invite Tywin over for a feast. With winter here, it's not good for all the lords of Westeros to isolate from each other. Maybe it's time we called a truce"

Catelyn shook her head. "Oh, you honorable fool, Eddard! You know we can't trust Tywin Lannister. He's like all the Lannisters- cold-hearted, ruthless, no appreciation for the holiday season. He'd have all our heads on pikes before the first serving of roast beef."

Tywin stuck up his nose. "I wouldn't even want to be at their foolish holiday feast! I can't wait to set the claws of the lion on their precious Winterfell!"

"That seems a bit hasty," said the Three Eyed Raven. "I imagine if Winterfell were to fall, there would be no one left to cook Lady Catelyn's delicious-smelling sweet cake pudding."

"It's not that delicious-smelling," said Tywin, hypocritically whiffing deeply the scent from the kitchen.

But when Tywin reached to try a taste of the pudding, it faded from reach. The cozy and noisy dining hall vanished before his eyes and he was left again to the solitude of his freezing study.


As the vision of Winterfell vanished, the Three Eyed Raven looked upon Lord Tywin with a much more frightful and punitive expression. It was as if the Raven's recriminating white eyes could pierce through Tywin's very soul.

"I have shown you the past and the present," said the Three Eyed Raven, "Now it is time for you to see your future, should you persist in your path."

The world around Tywin spun forward again. When he landed in the future, the scenery was familiar and yet utterly changed.

In the Red Keep all of the House Lannister and House Baratheon banners had been replaced by banners bearing the three dragons of House Targaryen combined with the wolf's head of House Stark.

A young woman with pale silvery hair and violet eyes sat next to a young man bearing a resemblance to Eddard Stark. They each wore a golden crown and sat on two equally sized thrones. Between them, dressed in Stark and Targaryen colors and wearing a Hand pin, stood Tyrion Lannister.

Surrounding Tyrion, Daenerys and Jon were warriors, lords, ladies and common folk from many foreign lands and from regions across the Seven Kingdoms.

"A toast!" proclaimed Tyrion to the crowd surrounding the monarchs, "To a new dawn for Westeros! To King Jon Snow and to Queen Daenerys Targaryen! Long may they reign!"

"Long may they reign!" cried crowds of people, all waving banners of red and gray.

"What is the meaning of all this?" said Tywin furiously.

"After all those years you treated your son Tyrion as if he was not one of the family, he joined with the Dragon Queen across the Sea and used his tactical brilliance and inside knowledge of House Lannister to help her secure the throne. She joined her leadership with Jon Snow, King of the North, another potential ally you alienated by focusing only on yourself and not on the good of the kingdom."

"This cannot be!" said Tywin, "Surely Jaime and his armies would have stopped them!"

"Your son Jaime was killed fighting in the Great War against the Others. Maybe you shouldn't have pressured him so much to become a warrior."

"But what about my legacy? Robert and Cersei must have had children! Why didn't my grandchildren defend House Lannister's position and honor?"

The Raven smirked. "Oh no, Robert and Cersei had no children. But Jaime and Cersei had three children together- each killed by the enemies of House Lannister and by the negligence of your children."

"But how could I let any of this happen? Why didn't I do anything to stop it?

The Three Eyed Raven led Tywin up a flight of stars, down a hall and to a room with a book laid on a table. The Raven pointed at a book, which was laid open.

Sensing something upsetting would confront him in the pages of the book, Tywin stepped forward cautiously. He peered at the open pages, his heart pounding in his chest.

The historical chronicle explained how Lord Tywin Lannister had been killed while sitting on the privy when his son, Tyrion, loosed an arrow to his father's bowels. The book included the chronicler's artistic rendition of this historically pivotal scene.

"Nooooooooooo!" Tywin fell to his knees in horror.

"Let this stand as a lesson to you, Lord Tywin, that even the richest man in the end only shits shit and not gold! And that if you treat your child like shit, maybe he'll murder you while you're shitting!"

"How can I undo this horrible fate? Please Three Eyed Raven, tell me! There has to be something that can be done! If only I could get another chance, I'd never be cold-hearted again! I'd spend all the winter treasuring my family! I'll help the Starks prepare to fight the true enemy, which I now realize is not each other but the icy inhumanity of living death!"

But the Three Eyed Raven said nothing as he turned his back to Tywin Lannister. The Three Eyed Raven silently vanished, leaving Tywin all alone in his despair.

Somewhere in the distance, bells began to toll.


Tywin Lannister jolted awake at the sound of the bells from the Sept of Baelor. He looked frantically around his room to find that the Three Eyed Raven was gone and all of the banners of House Stark and Targaryen had change back to the banners of House Lannister and House Baratheon. Outside, snow was falling while the light of a new morning shone.

Tywin pinched himself to make sure he was awake. He hobbled out of his study and greeted the first servant he passed. "Please, Ser, what year is it?"

"It's 283, my Lord," the servant answered cautiously.

Tywin gave his servant a hug, picking him up and spinning him around. "Thank you, thank you, Ser! Oh thank the Seven, there's still time to change the future!"

Skipping along, Tywin hurried to his youngest son's chamber.

"What's going on?" said Tyrion.

"I've had a change of heart!" Tywin exclaimed, "I've decided it's fine if you want to spend the holidays at Casterly Rock with your whores and your books! The hells if I care! It's a holiday, do what you want!"

"What's happened to you?" said Tyrion, wondering if he was still drunk or dreaming or both. "Wait- are you one of the Faceless Men? Are you here to murder me? Because whoever you are I swear I didn't mean to insult you, I was just drunk and your terrible jokes made you seem like an easy target."

"I'm not a Faceles Man, Tyrion. I really am Tywin Lannister, your father."

"My...father?" Tyrion's eyes widened.

"Yes, Tyrion. And I've decided from now on to stop treating you like shit because...well, it's a long story...really not worth repeating..."

Tywin patted Tyrion on the shoulder. Tyrion watched stunned as his father skipped off in the opposite direction.

Next, Tywin found his daughter in her solar. "Cersei, about what you asked yesterday…after a long night's sleep I've realized that it's better if you marry whoever you want…well, as long as it's not your brother. Also, I bought you this present for the holidays."

Tywin pulled a gift from a red velvet bag.

"A long-range crossbow?" said Cersei she caressed the sleek frame of the weapon.

"Yes, see how the spring trap gives the bow the perfect propulsion for shooting at dragons? Or uh, at birds or other airborne targets?"

"Dad, what's gotten into you?"

'Oh, one could just say the spirit of the holidays!"

Tywin found Jaime in the stables, readying his horse for the jousting tournament.

"Jaime, my boy!" said Tywin. "I wanted to let you know I've changed my mind. It's okay with me if you want to quit the Kingsguard."

"But I made a vow to serve the Kingsguard until the day I died."

"Vows, smows! Your mom always said you would be better off doing something else, something you loved," Tywin slung his arm around Jaime's shoulder. "Which, speaking of your mom, I found this in the dungeons…."

As Tywin opened the red bag, Jaime's face lit up with amazement.

"PRINCESS SNUGGLES!"

Jaime clutched the stuffed bear in his arms.

"I also had an idea for this year," said Tywin. "What if we cancelled the Lannister Family Council and joined the Starks at their annual feast instead?"

"That sounds like a great idea, dad!"

So Lord Tywin and his bannermen rode up North. They arrived at the gates of Winterfell and were met by Eddard Stark.

"Lord Eddard!" said Tywin cheerfully. "I hope you got my raven! I was wondering if me and my men might stay with you for the night and join in your feast!"

"Of course!" said Ned Stark. "You know there's always room for more guests at a Stark family celebration!"

Tywin Lannister enjoyed all the smells and tastes of the Winterfell feast. He chowed on the roast beef, imbibed the ale and finished second helpings of the sweet bread pudding. He complimented Lady Catelyn on her decorating, clapped along with the minstrel's singing and laughed as the northern lords joked about their shared victory over the Targaryens.

As dinner died down, Tywin went to look at little Jon Snow in his baby basket.

"He's so precious," said Tywin. "Could I hold him?"

"I don't see why not," said Ned Stark.

Tywin Lannister cradled the baby in his arms before dropping little Jon Snow out of the nearest window.

This tale was brought to you by HBO.