It was dawn, and time for his trial to begin.

Ser Addam Marbrand had been the one who had led him to the Throne room alongside a dozen guards. His father had said that it would be improper for the Kingsguard to escort him as most of them were witnesses. He marched down the throne room as a hundred people watched on. He spied Queen Margaery clad in black in mourning. Her mother stood tall to one side of her, her grandmother small on the other, with her ladies in waiting and her father's household knights packing the rest of the gallery.

He then heard the door open again and then entered his wife with a giant of a woman. Lady Sansa of House Stark who by the looks of her had far better cells than him. She was dressed in a blue silk dress as she approached the Iron Throne and the large blonde woman whispered in her ear. She stood beside him. As husband and wife.

On the Iron Throne sat his nephew who looked unrecognizable. He had apparently braided his golden hair and wore a yellow cloak and a black "doublet" underneath or whatever that was. He looked like a king. As much as a boy can look like a king anyways. He had changed in the way he stood, in the way he talked and in general. It unnerved him greatly how similar he looked to Lord Tywin. The boy had changed greatly since he had donned the crown.

Tommen got up, "I, Tommen of the House Baratheon, First of my Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, will sit as judge on this trial. And with me Tywin of the House Lannister, Hand of the King, Protector of the Realm and Prince Oberyn of the House Martell. And if found guilty may the gods punish the accused."

When Tyrion looked at his father, he was fuming. He wanted to laugh right there but he knew better. Tommen probably knew it was folly to ask Lord Tywin to be a judge so he declared that he was a judge in front of everyone. Lord Tywin couldn't refuse the king in front of the court. His odds were in his favor for once. Tommen didn't believe he killed Joffrey or so he told him.

The High Septon began with a prayer, asking the Father Above to guide them to justice. When he was done his nephew asked, "Tyrion, did you kill King Joffrey?"

He would not waste a heartbeat. "No."

"Well, that's a relief," said Oberyn Martell dryly.

"Sansa, did you do it, then?" Lord Tywin demanded.

"No." She answered quietly. She wasn't scared surprisingly. It's like she knew something he didn't.

"The gods killed Joffrey. He choked on his pigeon pie." Tyrion said in jest.

Lord Tywin stared at him. "You would blame the bakers?"

"Them, or the pigeons. Just leave us out of it." Tyrion heard nervous laughter, and knew he'd made a mistake. But the king's green eyes held amusement.

"There are witnesses against you," Lord Tywin said. "We shall hear them first. Then you may present your own witnesses. You are to speak only with our leave."

"But before the trial begins I have an announcement." King Tommen said. "Any witness who commits perjury on this trial shall be executed."

The court start to murmur as soon as the king finished. This was in his interest. Cersei's witnesses could not lie. But still how could King Tommen tell a lie? There was naught that Tyrion and his wife could do but nod.

The first man ushered in was Ser Balon Swann of the Kingsguard. "Your Grace," he began, after the High Septon had sworn him to speak only truth, "I had the honor to fight beside your uncle on the bridge of ships. He is a brave man for all his size, and I will not believe he did this thing. I also don't think an innocent girl like Lady Sansa could so such a thing."

A murmur went through the hall, and Tyrion wondered what mad game Cersei was playing. Why offer a witness that believes me innocent? He soon learned. Ser Balon spoke reluctantly of how he had pulled Tyrion away from Joffrey on the day of the riot. "He did strike His Grace, that's so. It was a fit of wroth, no more. A summer storm. The mob near killed us all." He did not speak of Sansa's abuse. Suppose Cersei didn't want to show what cunt Joffrey was.

"In the days of the Targaryens, a man who struck one of the blood royal would lose the hand he struck him with," observed the Red Viper of Dorne. "Did the dwarf regrow his little hand, or did you White Swords forget your duty?"

"We are not Targaryens, Prince Oberyn. We do not cripple an uncle for simply educating his nephew." The King said as he stared at the Viper.

Ser Meryn Trant was pleased to expand on Ser Balon's account, when he took his place as witness. "He knocked the king to the ground and began kicking him. He shouted that it was unjust that His Grace had escaped unharmed from the mobs." That was a blatant lie but the king didn't execute Ser Meryn Trant.

Ser Meryn went on to relate how Tyrion had stopped Joffrey's chastisement of Sansa Stark. "The dwarf asked His Grace if he knew what had happened to Aerys Targaryen. When Ser Boros spoke up in defense of the king, the Imp threatened to have him killed. Sansa also looked at the king threateningly."

King Tommen laughed, "If I'm to find Joffrey's murderer by the people who looked at him threateningly then everyone would have joined my uncle and his wife."

Blount himself came next, to echo that sorry tale. Whatever mislike Ser Boros might harbor toward Cersei for dismissing him from the Kingsguard, he said the words she wanted all the same.

Tyrion could no longer hold his tongue. "Tell the judges what Joffrey was doing, why don't you?"

The big jowly man glared at him. "You told your savages to kill me if I opened my mouth, that's what I'll tell them."

"Tyrion," Lord Tywin said. "You are to speak only when we call upon you. Take this for a warning."

"Tyrion, you may speak." King Tommen said. I've been called upon father.

"The king was making the Kingsguard beat my lady wife in front of the whole court." Tyrion said and the hall was filled with gasps and soon filled with whispers.

"That's not what happ-"

Ser Boros tried to say before the king yelled with a booming voice that seemed to sound just like Robert's. "Silence!" The hall went dead silent and no one spoke. "Lady Sansa, did any of the kingsguard hit you because they were ordered by King Joffrey?"

Sansa nodded her head but Boros kept his lying head. What game are you playing nephew?

The Kettleblacks came next, all three of them in turn. Osney and Osfryd told the tale of his supper with Cersei before the Battle of the Blackwater, and of the threats he'd made.

"He told Her Grace that he meant to do her harm," said Ser Osfryd. "To hurt her." His brother Osney elaborated. "He said he would wait for a day when she was happy, and make her joy turn to ashes in her mouth." Neither mentioned Alayaya.

Ser Osmund Kettleblack, a vision of chivalry in immaculate scale armor and white wool cloak, swore that King Joffrey had long known that his uncle Tyrion meant to murder him. "It was the day they gave me the white cloak, my lords," he told the judges. "That brave boy said to me, 'Good Ser Osmund, guard me well, for my uncle loves me not. He means to be king in my place.'"

That was more than Tyrion could stomach. "Liar!" He took two steps forward before the gold cloaks dragged him back.

Lord Tywin frowned. "Must we have you chained hand and foot like a common brigand?"

Tyrion gnashed his teeth. A second mistake, fool, fool, fool of a dwarf. Keep your calm or you're doomed. "No. I beg your pardons, my lords. His lies angered me."

"His truths, you mean," said Cersei as she looked at her son. "Your Grace, I beg you to put him in fetters, for your own protection. You see how he is."

"My uncle would never kill me." King Tommen declared in front of the whole court. "He would probably wanted to kill Joffrey but I believe everyone in King's Landing wanted him dead." The crowd started whispering. "It grows late. We shall resume the trial on the morrow."


At his nightly visits, Ser Kevan gave him a letter. "The king asked me to give you this letter."

Tyrion started to read the letter and his hope was rising as he continued to read the letter.

Call these people as a witness:

Podrick Payne

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater

Ser Garlan Tyrell

Ser Loras Tyrell

Queen Margaery Tyrell

Lady Olenna Tyrell

Ser Jaime Lannister

Lord Varys

Tyrion gave the letter back to his nuncle and told him to read it. "Those are my witnesses, nuncle."

"You believe all these people will stand in your defense?"

"No," Tyrion replied, "the king believes so."

Maesters Ballabar and Frenken opened the second day of trial. They had opened King Joffrey's noble corpse as well, they swore, and found no morsel of pigeon pie nor any other food lodged in the royal throat. "It was poison that killed him, Your Grace," said Ballabar, as Frenken nodded gravely.

Then they brought forth Grand Maester Pycelle, leaning heavily on a twisted cane and shaking as he walked, a few white hairs sprouting from his long chicken's neck. He had grown too frail to stand, so the judges permitted a chair to be brought in for him, and a table as well. On the table were laid a number of small jars. Pycelle was pleased to put a name to each.

"Greycap," he said in a quavery voice, "from the toadstool. Nightshade, sweetsleep, demon's dance. This is blindeye. Widow's blood, this one is called, for the color. A cruel potion. It shuts down a man's bladder and bowels, until he drowns in his own poisons. This wolfsbane, here basilisk venom, and this one the tears of Lys. Yes. I know them all. The Imp Tyrion Lannister stole them from my chambers, when he had me falsely imprisoned."

"Pycelle," Tyrion called out, risking his father's wrath, "could any of these poisons choke off a man's breath?"

"No. For that, you must turn to a rarer poison. When I was a boy at the Citadel, my teachers named it simply the strangler."

"But this rare poison was not found, was it?"

"No, my lord." Pycelle blinked at him. "Your wife gave it to you and you used it all to kill the noblest child the gods ever put on this good earth."

His wife was not afraid or angered but Tyrion's anger overwhelmed his sense. "Joffrey was cruel and stupid, but I did not kill him. Have my head off if you like, I had no hand in my nephew's death and neither did my wife."

"Tyrion, this is the last time I tell you. If you want to speak you may raise your hand and I will give you leave but if you speak without permission I'll have you gagged." King Tommen said.

After Pycelle came the procession, endless and wearisome. Lords and ladies and noble knights, highborn and humble alike, they had all been present at the wedding feast, had all seen Joffrey choke, his face turning purple. Lord Redwyne, Lord Celtigar, and Ser Flement Brax had heard Tyrion threaten the king; two serving men, a juggler, Lord Gyles, Ser Hobber Redwyne, and Ser Philip Foote had observed him fill the wedding chalice and Lady Sansa try to leave; Lady Merryweather swore that she had seen the dwarf drop something into the king's wine while Joff and Margaery were cutting the pie and seen Sansa give him something; the singer Galyeon of Cuy, and the squires Morros and Jothos Slynt told how Tyrion had picked up the chalice as Joff was dying and poured out the last of the poisoned wine onto the floor. Half of them were lying but the king did naught.


The third day and his first witness came.

"Lord Varys," the herald said, "master of whisperers."

Powdered, primped, and smelling of rosewater, the Spider rubbed his hands one over the other all the time he spoke. He was my friend?, Tyrion asked in thought, as he listened to the eunuch's mournful account of how Tyrion had always wanted to help Joffrey even though he called him a vicious cunt. Varys had documents; parchments painstakingly filled with notes, details, dates, whole conversations. So much material that its recitation took all day, and so much of it damning. Varys confirmed Tyrion's midnight visit to Grand Maester Pycelle's chambers but he also told that the theft of his poisons and potions was not done by Tyrion, confirmed the threat he'd made to Cersei the night of their supper but added what Cersei did, did everything to claim that Tyrion was an innocent man. He also added the horrible things King Joffrey did do Sansa and how she had multiple chances to kill him but didn't. When Prince Oberyn asked him how he could possibly know all this, not having been present at any of these events, the eunuch only giggled and said, "My little birds told me. Knowing is their purpose, and mine."

The trial turned around his and his wife's favor that day and it would continue to do so the next day.


"Podrick," the herald said, "of House Payne."

The court laughed at the boy as he came strotting down. Podrick told the judges of how Tyrion had never spoken of killing Joffrey but only talked about Tyrion's valor in the Battle of the Blackwater and how he got a scar for his king.

"Ser Bronn," the herald said, "of the Blackwater."

The court murmured as Bronn came walking down in leather instead of the expensive clothes he wore. He didn't want to witness before what made him do that now. Bronn recalled that Tyrion probably wanted to kill the king but so did everyone else in King's Landing. He didn't know what convinced Bronn to help him. He had refused before and chose Lollys before his friend.

"Ser Garlan," the herald said, "of House Tyrell."

The court murmurs were fading as the only man who knew what he had done for King's Landing came forth to explain how he had been near Tyrion the whole time and could not see any poison that he could have held.

"Ser Loras," the herald said, "of House Tyrell."

The court grew silent as the Kingsguard recalled how Tyrion had never threatened King Joffrey while he was in Joffrey's presence.

"Lady Olenna," the herald said, "of House Tyrell."

The court was silent now and only some faint whispers could be heard. The Queen of Thorns claimed that the Imp was too smart to poison his king while he was holding the chalice in his hand and no one was that stupid. She also spoke of Sansa and how she was too innocent to even think about killing Joffrey.

"Queen Margaery." the herald said as he himself was dumbfounded by the next witness.

The court was so silent that only the footsteps of the twice-widowed Queen Margaery could be heard. Queen Margaery went to explain that Joffrey was not scared of his uncle at all and didn't believe that Tyrion would kill him. She also explained how Sansa loved Joffrey and how sad she was when she was replaced by Margaery.

"Ser Jaime," the herald said, "of House Lannister."

The court was silent but there were a few "Kingslayer" whispers which would echo each step Jaime made. His brother told the entire court that there was no way that his brother killed their nephew. Tyrion was most surprised by Jaime being a witness as he would have thought that Cersei would have had her fangs in him by now. Tyrion could see Cersei and she was seething as she watched Jaime talk.

Cersei then asked for her own final witness. A group of gold cloaks led in Shae.

"They plotted it together," she said, this girl he'd loved. "The Imp and Lady Sansa plotted it after the Young Wolf died. Sansa wanted revenge for her brother and Tyrion meant to have the throne. He was going to kill his sister next, and then his own lord father, so he could be Hand for King Tommen. But after a year or so, before Tommen got too old, he would have killed him too, so as to take the crown for his own head."

"How could you know all this?" demanded Prince Oberyn. "Why would the Imp divulge such plans to his wife's maid?"

"I overheard some, m'lord," said Shae, "and m'lady let things slip too. But most I had from his own lips. I wasn't only Lady Sansa's maid. I was his whore, all the time he was here in King's Landing. On the morning of the wedding, he dragged me down where they keep the dragon skulls and fucked me there with the monsters all around. And when I cried, he said I ought to be more grateful, that it wasn't every girl who got to be the king's whore. That was when he told me how he meant to be king. He said that poor boy Joffrey would never know his bride the way he was knowing me." She started sobbing then. "I never meant to be a whore, m'lords. I was to be married. A squire, he was, and a good brave boy, gentle born. But the Imp saw me at the Green Fork and put the boy I meant to marry in the front rank of the van, and after he was killed he sent his wildlings to bring me to his tent. Shagga, the big one, and Timett with the burned eye. He said if I didn't pleasure him, he'd give me to them, so I did. Then he brought me to the city, so I'd be close when he wanted me. He made me do such shameful things…"

Sansa was surprised when she learned her handmaiden was his whore. The court send pitying looks at her but Prince Oberyn looked curious. "What sorts of things?"

"Unspeakable things." As the tears rolled slowly down that pretty face, no doubt every man in the hall wanted to take Shae in his arms and comfort her. "With my mouth and… other parts, m'lord. All my parts. He used me every way there was, and… he used to make me tell him how big he was. My giant, I had to call him, my giant of Lannister."

Oswald Kettleblack was the first to laugh. Boros and Meryn joined in, then Cersei, Ser Loras, and more lords and ladies than he could count. The sudden gale of mirth made the rafters ring and shook the Iron Throne. "It's true," Shae protested. "My giant of Lannister." The laughter swelled twice as loud. Their mouths were twisted in merriment, their bellies shook. Some laughed so hard that snot flew from their nostrils.

I saved you all, Tyrion thought. I saved this vile city and all your worthless lives. There were hundreds in the throne room, every one of them laughing but his father and nephew. Or so it seemed. Even the Red Viper chortled, and Mace Tyrell looked like to bust a gut, but Lord Tywin Lannister sat between them as if made of stone, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. King Tommen was not even looking at Shae he appeared to be reading a letter in his hand. He was wrote on that letter the whole day. Tommen then looked down and glared at the whole room and everyone started to quiet down.

"It is time for the verdict. The verdict for Sansa Lannister. Lord Tywin?"

"Innocent."

"Prince Oberyn?"

"Innocent."

At least Sansa is safe. She didn't kill Joffrey he was sure of it. "Innocent. The verdict for Tyrion Lannister. Lord Tywin?"

"Guilty." He always wanted him dead and he has a chance.

"Prince Oberyn?"

"Innocent." Tyrion thought that Oberyn wanted every Lannister dead. I guess he did it to spite his father.

The court grew so silent he could hear his own heartbeat. But then came shouts of "Innocent" which were matched by the "Guilty" shouts. Tyrion remembered his nephew's words 'You didn't.' "Innocent."

The room shook with cheers and boos as the king said those words. Tyrion laughed in joy as he looked at his sister and father, one's face was red with fury as she shouted at Tommen while his father looked at him in cold rage. He looked at his wife who hugged him in her own joy for their shared verdict.

"Silence in the name of your king!" King Tommen yelled again as the hall quieted down but not entirely. King Tommen pinched his nose before he said the most chilling words the hall would hear this entire trial, "It is time for the executions."

The throne room immediately went quiet and so did everyone else. Him. Lord Tywin. Cersei. Jaime. Prince Oberyn. Everyone. "I call forth to be executed: Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Boros Blount, Ser Osmund Kettleback, Ser Osney Kettleback, Ser Osfryd Kettleback, Grand Maester Pycelle, Taena Merryweather, Galyeon of Cuy, Morros Slynt, Jothos Slynt, Shae."

That had shocked the whole room and the soon to be executed yelled of their innocence claiming that Tyrion did those things. He was glad that every each one of them would be killed by Ser Ilyn. Even that whore he had loved. Was this how Joff felt when he saw Ser Ilyn take Ned Stark's head? Because it felt like the sweetest thing in the world. The Kettleback brothers and Cersei's corrupt Kingsguard but were put to silence immediately when the City Watch raised their spears.

Soon all of them were carried outside the Red Keep and the court followed along dazely. King Tommen was walking forward as his mother yelled at him. "These people didn't lie, Tommen! The Imp killed your brother!" His nephew didn't seem to listen or care as he walked towards Ser Ilyn who had tied all of the 10 dead men's hands who were talking about their truthfulness. Although he could spot a woman, Talia Merryweather. He didn't know what he did to inquire Lady Merryweather to lie but he didn't feel anything for her dying. But Shae that hurt the most. He loved her. He loved a whore. He almost paid for it.

"Lord Commander," King Tommen called out to Ser Jaime who looked to taken back by what was happening to immediately respond to his son. "Give me my sword."

What? His nephew was going to kill twelve people. His nephew was going to be a murderer. He couldn't let this happen. Cersei now wasn't even trying to make her son not execute these men, she now was concentrating for Tommen not to execute these people with his own hands. "No, no, no! You don't have to execute them with your own hands! That's why Kings have a King's Justice! Please, my sweet Tommen! Please!"

"Your Grace, the king has no reason to partake in this execution. Ser Ilyn Payne can do it just as well as you can. He can also give them a swift death with one stroke of the sword." Even Lord Tywin was against this.

Tyrion approached the king who took Widow's Wail from Jaime's hands who gave reluctantly, "You don't have to do this, Your Grace. You don't need to become a murderer."

"No, uncle. The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die." King Tommen said as he walked towards Ser Meryn Trant who was forced on his knees. "If you have any last words, now is the time."

"The Imp wanted your brother dead, Your Grace!" Ser Meryn yelled.

"I, Tommen of the House Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, I do sentence Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Boros Blount, Ser Osmund Kettleback, Ser Osney Kettleback, Ser Osfryd Kettleback, Grand Maester Pycelle, Taena Merryweather, Galyeon of Cuy, Morros Slynt and Jothos Slynt to die." Tommen declared before he raised his sword and swung. Ser Meryn's head went off with one stroke.

"I didn't lie the Imp did it! He killed your brother!" Ser Boros yelled. Tommen swung hard and true and Ser Meryn's sworn brother's head joined him.

"I'm of the Kingsguard, Your Grace! I have taken an oath to protect you all my life!" Osmund yelled as he was forced on his knees.

"Yes, until your death." Tommen swung again and that made three Kingsguard heads.

"Bastard." Ser Osney said and Tommen looked like he found this beheading the easiest.

Ser Osfryd had the stones to spit at the king but the king dodged the spits and made sure that it took more than one stroke to kill Osfyrd.

"Your Grace, I have served House Lannister faithfully for years!" Grand Maester Pycelle said in a voice that wasn't as frail as normal. One stroke.

"I'm a Baratheon, Pycelle." Tommen swung his sword and the king needed a new Grand Maester.

"Your Grace, I only said what I saw. I might have been mistaken." Lady Merryweather said as in a seductive voice or so it seemed. Did she want to seduce the king? But then she straightened noticing that it was all for naught. "Very well, Your Grace. I ask of you to give my son a good life after I leave this world." Tommen decapitated the woman and sobs were heard behind him. Margaery Tyrell and her entourage, Tyrion thought.

"The Imp lied!" "He wants to kill you just like he wanted to kill your brother!" The king was over and done with the Slynt brothers quickly.

Tommen turned to the women Tyrion loved. She looked at Tyrion begging. "Tyrion, please save me!" No, I won't save you, whore. Tommen raised Widow's Wail above his head and took of Shae's head with one stroke.

He looked at Shae and thought of his first whore, Tysha. Father was always right in the end. Tommen turned to Ser Ilyn and told him, "Burn the bodies." Tommen's emerald eyes seemed to turn like ice at that moment. Tyrion was terrified by Tommen then. As the king stepped down, Tyrion's eyes fell on the crowd. They were fearful. Lord Tywin looked like a stone statue while Cersei had tears in her emerald eyes. She didn't cry for them, she cried for the murder of her little boy. Now only a man was left. When he looked at Jaime, his eyes were afraid of what had become of sweet little Tommen. Tyrion was scared as Jaime probably even more.

"He didn't enjoy it," his wife interrupted his thoughts who had a gleam in her blue eyes, "Father always said to my brothers that the man who passes the sentence must swing the sword. Father didn't enjoy killing and every time he did kill he looked like Tommen."

Tyrion nodded in thanks. But then he remember something. "My lady, you didn't seem scared at the trial."

Sansa's blue eyes moved from Tommen's golden braided hair to Tyrion's mismatched eyes. "Brienne of Tarth came by the second day of my night in the tower cells. She told me that the king would not let me die and he would reach an innocent verdict. If he didn't, she told me that he would me escape King's Landing."

"What about dear old me?" Tyrion asked amused.

"She told me that Ser Jaime had a plan." I couldn't have asked for a better brother.

"I think we had enough for the day, Lady Sansa. Let's resume to our chambers." Tyrion said as she offered his hand to her. She took it and they went to have a good night's sleep although not secretly as everyone could notice the giant of a woman that followed them like a shadow.