All trademarked items in this fanfiction is owned by their respective copyright holders (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio by Ark Performance). The ones owned by me are future OCs, plot, and author's thoughts. This fanfiction is made solely for entertainment purposes and not intended for any material gain.
An Arpeggio of Ice on Fire
Chapter 6
"Do you require my presence, brother?" Gerion said as he entered the study of his eldest brother, his name just announced by the guard posted.
"Yes, Gerion. Have a seat," Tywin gestured to a nearby chair. "I would like to know more about the members of this so-called House Kirino of The Smoking Sea."
"For the betrothal contract, I imagine," Gerion replied.
"I'm at my wit's end about that imp of my son. So many lords have the gall to scoff at the proposals," the partriarch grumbled. "And to make it worse, not a single day he spent away from those brothels. Disgraceful."
"My nephew is a lively fellow who knows how to have fun, I see," Gerion said.
"We are getting distracted, Gerion," Tywin said. "House Kirino."
"Ah yes, House Kirino. Their partriarch had died recently, the last one of their older generation. Fourteen core members in three branches of the family remain, all of them ladies between the ages of five-and-ten to seven-and-twenty," Gerion explained. "The current ruling matriarch's name is Lady Yamato Kirino, and she has a twin sister named Lady Amaha Kirino who functions a little like the Hand of The King. They're co-rulers really."
"That sounds convenient," the partriarch said, rubbling his chin. "Are they the eldest ones?"
"You'd never know what happened in that Seven-damned fog," Gerion retorted. "Anyways, Lady Yamato and Lady Amaha are three-and-twenty years old, not the oldest among the siblings. The oldest is their cousin Lady Hyuuga Kirino, the woman who forged your sword. She functions as the maester of the house, alongside her sisters Lady Akashi, Lady Shiomaru, and Lady Shioni. Marvelous craftsmen all."
"My sword was forged by a woman? Interesting," Tywin remarked. "There are others beside them, I presume?"
"Yes. Lady Hamakaze is the ruling twins' younger sister, and she is ten-and-six years of age," Gerion said. "Lady Suzutsuki, who belongs to the second branch, is the member of their navigators. Beside her, her sister Fuyutsuki and their cousins Shinano and Yukikaze also counts themselves as members of the navigators. Swordheart belongs to the last cadet branch, and she has three sisters, Kasumi, Owari, and Hatsushimo."
"That leaves us with… many options, actually. Who are their youngest?" Tywin asked.
"Fuyutsuki, Yukikaze, and Hatsushimo are all five-and-ten old," Gerion answered. "Inseparable friends. I think Akashi is a little younger, but only by a few months. No more than a year."
"They are unlikely to enter the equation, then," Tywin remarked. "That still leaves us with eleven prospective brides."
"It's more likely for them to limit our options," Gerion said. "They might put forward some of their older ladies' name to us."
"Do you think Lady Yamato would nominate herself?" the eldest brother said as he leaned back to his chair.
"There's a possibility, but I think it's more likely for her to nominate her twin sister," the youngest countered. "If I were her, I'd gun for the heir of another Lord Paramount to spread the influence."
"Audacious, but likely," Tywin agreed. "Willas Tyrell, perhaps? Renly Baratheon is also possible, if Stannis would keep his wife."
"We could provide avenues for that," Gerion replied.
"A good course for us to follow, but there's still too many things unaccounted for," Tywin said, his eyes drifting to his paperworks again. "Brief him of this, Gerion."
"You should do that, I think,"Gerion replied, a slight note of annoyance in his voice. "After all, I'm just an uncle."
"I have neither the time, disposition, nor patience for it," Tywin countered. "Besides, you have the advantage of firsthand information."
"You're right," Gerion grunted as he stood. "Well, I suppose this night is as good as any."
…
Tyrion sat on his bed, his lamp providing meager lighting for him to read Deeds of The Kingsguard. The author Maester Simeon was a skeptic investigator, leading him to propose many unpopular theories about some of the more ridiculous tales ascribed to the Kingsguard.
He has been doing this for quite some time. Sleep doesn't come easily to Tyrion Lannister, and most nights he uses drinks and whores to alleviate the problem.
"Enter," the half-man said after a patterned rap sounded on his door. He hasn't heard this way of knocking in a few years.
"Hello, nephew," Gerion Lannister said as he opened the door to Tyrion's room. "Your room is bookish like always I see."
"The chairs in the library isn't comfortable for a halfman like me," the halfman said, gesturing his uncle to sit. "Besides, maester Creylen would forbade food and drinks in there. Something about inks and stains I think."
"Ahahaha, just as I thought!" Gerion said, his merry laughter soft.
"Help yourself with the wine, Uncle," Tyrion said. "Particularly good Arbor vintage, that."
"It smells wonderful," the older man said, helping himself to a cup. "Oh yes, this is the stuff."
"Brewed and stored just before you left for Valyria, I think," Tyrion said.
"A little on the fruity side," the older man said. "Quite different from what they have in the Smoking Sea."
"Oh? they drink too?" Tyrion asked, his tone curious. "What manner of liquor do they have there?"
"Mainly two kinds, sowchoo and sakee," Gerion said, pouring himself another round. "The sakee they made from grains, but they make showchuu from roots, Tyrion. How about that for weird drinks, hahaha!"
"Roots? You mean carrot and the likes?" Tyrion pressed his inquiry, Deeds of The Kingsguard laying forgotten beside him.
"Mm, they're a good deal more starchy compared to carrots," Gerion said before taking a sip. "They name the root 'sweet potato'. I asked if there's a bitter potato somewhere, and they said the name is 'manioku'."
"They sound like an interesting bunch," Tyrion idly noted.
"Oh, they are," Gerion said. "I ate raw fish with them. One of the best dishes I ever tasted."
"And exactly how are you still living, Uncle?" Tyrion said before letting out a laugh. "You should be shitting worms!"
"I don't know! The fish bit my face on the way up, and I gave it payback! Lannisters and debts, I say!" Gerion replied, laughing all the same.
"Poor, poor fish," Tyrion said in mock sadness. "At least it served a purpose!"
"Oh… I really missed you, nephew," Gerion said as he poured himself another glass. "Thank you for looking out for Joy. Sweet sweet child…"
"It's the least I can do after Briony departed a year ago, Uncle," Tyrion said, drinking deep from his own goblet. "Wanda from the kitchens is a good mother, and she knows Briony too. Joy is in good hands."
"So I heard… and you, Tyrion. You'll be married soon, to a House from abroad, none the less!" Gerion said, his cup empty.
"Yeah, no matter I like it or not," Tyrion groused, his good mood receding.
"You'll like them, I guarantee it! Intelligence is highly valued there," Gerion said, evidently rather tipsy. "The maester of them, Lady Hyuuga… oh my nephew, it's like she has three heads!"
"I… don't follow, uncle. Is she… that intelligent or something?" Tyrion asked, slightly puzzled.
"Her tits, Tyrion, by The Seven! It's surely almost as big as her actual head!" Gerion managed to blurt out before laughing uproariously. Evidently, the laugh is highly contagious as both men laughed uncontrollably for a good while.
"So… what of other notable ladies, Uncle?" the short man said as laughter subsided.
"There's the ruling twins," Gerion said after a sip to steady his laugh-shaken nerves. "Yamato Kirino and Amaha Kirino. Both has regal bearings, slightly taller than lady Hyuuga and with intelligence to match. Pretty much indistinguishable outside the fact that Lady Yamato's hair is deep black while Lady Amaha is light brown. Oh and their legs, Tyrion. You can bridge Dragonstone and Driftmark with them, they're that long."
"I wouldn't dream of marrying them, I guess. I'd look even shorter than I am now," Tyrion let out a self-deprecating jape.
"Swordheart aren't that tall, though. She's a farther cousin to the twins," Gerion said.
"Oh Seven Hells, no," Tyrion gasped in mock-scandalized tone. "She'll sunder my cock once I so much smell like the scent of brothels."
"Don't forget, she did slay a kraken with a single blow," Gerion said. "We ate that accursed thing for damn near a month."
"Woe if we did marry and ever have a household dispute," Tyrion groused.
"Lady Hamakaze is quite the catch though," Gerion said after a sip. "She's still young, but has the makings of a great noble lady. Not so tall, too. Also a very good amount of tits for her age."
"I've sat with her when Father held court a few days ago. A bit pensive, but that cunning twinkle in her eyes is unmistakable," Tyrion said, pensive. "I might just go for her."
"It's a flower island out there, Tyrion," Gerion said. "Fifteen of them, beautiful ladies all. You know what? I might as well get one of them. One of the older ones maybe."
"Better you than me, I guess," Tyrion mumbled. A belly full of wine is no good friend of wakefulness.
"But still, after you," the uncle said as he got up. "I think I had enough for tonight. Night, Tyrion."
"Goodnight, Uncle," Tyrion replied. Sleep would claim him mere minutes after.
…
"The dice has been rolled, eh," Shinano commented as she waved the light-panel of the recording off her sight. "How did they call it? Area… jacta esu?"
"This much is expected, really," Yamato said neutrally. "How about our combat readiness?"
"Our fleet is fully operational, stocked fitted and awaiting further orders," Shinano replied. "The hulls of Yahagi and Hamakaze lies dormant on the Gulf of Caster awaiting reactivation, maintained by I-402 in place of 400."
"How long until Suzutsuki comes with our ransom?" the fleet flagship asked.
"Sometime next morning. Would you want a meeting to convene?" Shinano replied.
"That'll be preferable, yes. We need to decide what we will do with the gold the Lannisters' gave us~" Yamato replied in a sing-song voice.
A/N:
- Regarding Sers and Dames pointed out by an anonymous guest in a review, I feel that calling a warrior lady 'Ser' wouldn't be all that far-fetched. One, there hasn't been any precedent of a Westerosi woman actually considered a knight (neither can a woman be samurai, but Yamato improvised), but woman warriors aren't exactly nonexistent either (I think the canon example for the time period would be Maege Mormont; this is before Brienne and Dacey become well-known). Plus, Suzutsuki did call Yahagi 'Sir Swordbrain' in chapter 4 in front of Tyrion, Sandor, and Sarsfield so I guess they all sort of followed suit.
- Have I described Shinano's Mental Model? Like Yamato, she has two (a Yamato-class hull justifies this). I'll edit this space as needed.
Thanks for your support!
