The Hand and the Lady

Part Eight

"Pardon me, Lady, but the Hand of the King has asked for your presence," said Mea hurriedly, bursting in on her mistress without knocking.

The Lady frowned and glanced at the sunlight streaming through her window.

Something's wrong.

"Thank you, Mea."

The Lady rose and moved swiftly across her room, out a side door, down a tunnel, around a corner and along another tunnel before opening the door to the chamber she and Lord Tywin shared.

Lord Tywin was pacing agitatedly, a caged lion, but stopped when she entered.

"My Lord, to what do I owe the…" began the Lady, smiling curiously but Lord Tywin interrupted her.

"I am leaving the capitol," he said abruptly.

It was only then that she realized he wasn't wearing his golden pin of office.

"Leaving?" she repeated, rather stupidly.

"I've resigned my duties as Hand and am returning to Casterly Rock," proclaimed Lord Tywin Lannister.

"What happened? Are you in danger?" asked the Lady, thousands of questions filling her head.

The lion scoffed.

"No. I've endured the last insult I can bear from the King. I'm leaving within the hour."

Whatever the Lady had been expecting from this extraordinary summons, this hadn't been it.

She dropped her eyes to the cold stones to collect her thoughts and then met his gaze.

"I am sorry to see you go," was the truth.

"I want you to come with me."

The Lady's stomach twisted.

"To Casterly Rock?" she whispered.

"To Lannisport. I will have you installed in a lavish suite of rooms near the castle," explained Lord Tywin, moving toward her.

But the Lady backed away and walked over to the unlit hearth to brace herself.

"I assume it will not take you long to pack your things. A steward will meet you in an hour an escort you…" but Lord Tywin got no further.

"No," she heard herself say.

The Lord of Casterly Rock paused and then repeated, "No?" in a way that turned her spine to water.

The Lady was struggling. She knew she had to look at him as she spoke but she could already feel the heat of his gaze boring into the back of her head. Part of her wanted to go with him; leave everything and ride proudly beside him on horseback all the way to his castle. But that realization alone only confirmed her growing fear. Her desire was getting the better of her, she was bending her principles for this man and after the hard lessons of her youth, she knew what she had to do. The Lady drew herself up and turned to face him.

"I thank you for personally making the trip to tell me of your departure and while I have enjoyed our time together, I regret to say I cannot come with you," said the Lady in a voice she hoped sounded more firm aloud than it did in her head.

"What the devil to do you mean you can't come with me?" demanded Lord Tywin advancing on her, his countenance growing thunderous.

"I decide where and I when I go, remember?" she said softly.

"Are you deliberately being difficult?" growled the lion.

"No, my lord. I am respectfully reminding you that I control my movements, not you. You must have foreseen that I would not just leave everything behind at a word from you. I think you know me better than that," insisted the Lady, standing her ground. The snakes writhing in her stomach were threatening to crawl up through her throat.

"Don't misconstrue independence for stubborn disobedience…"

"Don't insult me any more than you already have done, my lord. I am aware of your removal to Casterly Rock and your wish to have me follow you. If I do so, it will be when I choose and because I choose to do so – not on your orders," decreed the Lady adamantly, growing surer of herself.

Lord Tywin was baring his teeth in anger. Suddenly, he reached out and gripped her upper arms bringing her closer to him.

"How dare you…" he breathed.

"Unless you wish to risk your life by attempting to kidnap me, my lord, you will remove your hands," commanded the Lady icily fixing him with the indifferent stare that had so taken him aback more than a week ago.

A tense moment passed and then, very slowly, one finger at a time, Lord Tywin removed his hands from her arms.

"As you wish, Lady. If your whims take you to Lannisport within the next month, I suggest you keep your whereabouts private or I'll have your fickle head," snapped Lord Tywin before turning on his heel and stalking quickly from the room.

When the door slammed behind him, the Lady gasped out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and feebly cried "guards!" in High Valyrian.

Instantly, five heavily armed, well muscled men appeared in the room and surrounded her. Mea ran in as well and went to her mistress who had sunk to her knees.

"We are leaving, Mea. Quickly. This place is no longer safe for us. Find Madam and pay her; then send for Shiri. We have a boat to catch," ordered the Lady, her aching heart heavy within her.

Two hours later, cloaked in rags, the Lady watched the crimson blot of the Red Keep and King's Landing slowly fade into the distance.

"Where are we going?" whispered Mea quietly at her side.

"Braavos, dear. I have some banking to do," answered the Lady in a confident voice with cracks around the edges.

"Will we come back to Westeros? I liked it here," asked Mea hopefully.

"Someday…perhaps…"

The Lady turned her head in the direction of Lannisport to weigh her options but also to hide her silent tears.