For the last few days, Tywin Lannister had been ill. He knew not what was making him ill, only that he could not defecate, worst of all was the extreme pain when he was awake. His bowels seemed to be iron when he sat on the privy, and the sight of Tyrion and his crossbow did not loosen them at all.

For the first time in quite some time, Tywin felt surprise and shock as his son loosed a bolt into his gut. The bolt seemed to make his pain magnify tenfold, the iron and wood of the bolt seeming as if it were lead. Tywin could not move, everything felt too heavy ad the pain he felt was much worse.

Tywin knew this was likely his end, and of course Tyrion, the treacherous bastard, would be the one who dealt the final blow. Tywin wanted one last jab, a last question that Tyrion would get no answer to, he called him Dragon Spawn.

Tyrion turned to him, a look of confusion upon his face. "What did you say?".

With all of his might Tywin shifted up on the wall to look Tyrion dead in the eyes. To Tyrion's dismay no words came from his mouth, only a slight mocking smirk.

"What did you say!" Tyrion shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

It seemed that the commotion alerted someone as far away voices could be heard, as well as heavy boot steps and the slight shifting of plate armor. Guards were coming, and both Tyrion and Tywin knew this.

Tyrion bolted off in the opposite direction of Tywin, dropping the crossbow in front of him. The boot steps got closer and closer. Tywin could feel the edges of unconsciousness trying to drag him in, he tried to resist as no lion died without fighting, but the darkness took him.

Tywin's eyes bolted open. His eyes adjusted to the low torch light of a hallway he sat in. Was this the afterlife? Tywin had always been a cynical man, never truly believing in the gods, but he was somewhere.

He stood and suddenly it dawned on him, this was Casterly Rock, he had walked these halls many times before but this area that he stood in was one he hadn't been to in years. This was where Tywin had sat when his wife, Joanna, had died giving birth.

'Is this hell?' he found himself thinking. His thoughts were interrupted by a cry from Joanna's room. Tywin tried to open the door, but it was locked or jammed.

'Joanna!' the Lion of Casterly Rock roared in both rage and mourning. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them he was in her room. She lay upon the bed, barely moving and pale as milk. She gave him a weak smile that made his stone heart feel something other than pride, disappointment, or rage for the first time in years.

Tywin walked to her, his eyes scanned her and suddenly he saw him. A child smaller than any Tywin had ever seen lay upon her lap, and he knew that this was Tyrion. So this is what he had to live through...

Tywin knelt down beside the bed, Joanna looked him in the eyes. The trembling voice that had haunted Tywin for decades pierced his ears.

'Promise me Tywin, promise that you will care for him' Joanna gave the bundle that was Tyrion to him, and the moment Tywin looked down on the child he knew he was not his.

As if having a mind of its own Tywin's voice broke through the air, 'He isn't mine, is he?'

Tears spilled from Joanna's eyes, 'No.' she said. Tywin's heart shattered for the second time, he had already lived through this after all.

He could barely keep his simmering rage under control as he snarled, 'Who is the father?'

Joanna's sobs ripped through Tywin's heart like a second bolt from the crossbow.

'Tywin, he has the blood of a lion and a dragon. He is the heir if the king's children die.'

So the child was a Targaryen, and if Tywin had to guess he was the son of Aerys. The boy he held was the bastard son of a mad man.

He looked back to Joanna only to find that her eyes had gone cold. She was gone. Tywin stood and put the child on the bed. He walked his way to one of the stone walls of the castle and slammed his fist into it. Tywin ignored the pain and slid down the wall into a sitting position. he sat there a minute and stood again, walking over the the bed that held his dead wife and the newborn child.

Tywin knelt again, this time in front of the baby.

'Your name shall be Tyrion.' he said as he unsheathed his dagger.

Tywin held his dagger high above Tyrion, preparing to end the dragon spawn.

'Tyrion Hill, in the name of house Lannister, I sentence you to die.' he pulled his arms back to end the child when his eyes saw Joanna again. In his head her voice echoed in his head, Promise me you will care for him. Tywin sheathed the dagger and closed his eyes.

Back to the darkness he returned.