Chapter Ten

A/N: Thank you to Sonic Key, magnus374 and EndlessReign for reviewing the last chapter.

The sound of the heavy wood crashing against the crimson walls echoed so loudly, Lady Joanna supposed it might have been heard in Flea Bottom, and yet Lord Tywin did not move an inch. His quill continued to scratch against the parchment, each looping word sealing the fate of yet another unfortunate. With a final flourish, he signed his name, then looked up at his wife.

"Joanna, what is the matter?" he asked, as if she had merely looked a little down. His arrogance made the woman seethe.

"You know very well what is the matter." Joanna replied, her voice laced with venom. She had rarely spoken to her husband in such tones, only when the fury bubbling too fierce in her veins to be silenced. The man replaced the quill on his desk.

"I thought you would be pleased." he stated, with not a hint of irony in his tone. "The Tyrells are a great family, one of the greatest in the realm."

"Pleased?" Joanna scoffed the word. It was such folly that it ought to have been spoken by young Tyrion, not his father. "The Tyrells are a great family, indeed, and the most loyal supporters the Crown has ever known. The only reason they would accept a ward of this stature is if Aerys commanded it of them."

"It is the king's prerogative to organise his subjects as he sees fit." Tywin continued, boredom evident in his dry words.

"As you see fit, more like." the woman bit back. Tywin's brow furrowed in frustration. His mask was beginning to slip. "Aerys would never have commanded such a thing, had you not given him the idea. He believes you to be the most loyal man in the Seven Kingdoms, he would have no need to control your children."

"Is this what irks you?" Tywin asked, a sharp edge to his voice. "That I should have consulted with the king on a matter you brought to me?"

It was rather strange for Joanna, to hang on her husband's every word for the sole purpose of catching his betrayals. She had always trusted the man implicitly, and yet now she expected him to lie to her. "How much did you tell him? What does he know?"

"He knows only that you wish the twins to be fostered apart." The man explained, as simply as if he were addressing one of the children. "I did not tell him the reasons why, Joanna. Do you think me mad? That I would divulge such a sin when it may not be the case?"

Joanna bit her tongue on the matter. Though she had seen in his expression that he believed her observations, he would never admit such a thing aloud. The walls had ears in the capital, after all, ears that belonged to a great many enemies of the Hand.

"Might I remind you, this is what you wanted?" Tywin prompted, his voice monotonous, as if he could not quite decide whether comfort or quarrel was right. "You wanted the twins apart, that was why you came to me last night."

"I wanted them apart, yes," she conceded. "But that necessitated only one of them to be taken away from me. Now Jaime is to go to Crakehall, Cersei to Highgarden. I'll not see my son for moons on end, I'll be lucky to see my daughter before she is grown. I cannot stand the thought of it, Tywin, them both being so far from my arms, with no one to comfort or care for them."

"I am certain they will be well looked after." Tywin reasoned. It was logic above emotion for the man, as it always was; to ill-treat the child of a noble family was to invite war. Still, Joanna, ruled by heart, shook her head.

"But they will not be loved." Joanna could not keep her voice from cracking at the thought. It rebelled against each bone in her body, to picture her children alone and afraid, then still allow it to go on. And yet she had no choice.

It seemed her welling emotions were enough to turn Tywin from lord to husband. He stood from his chair, crossing the room in two great strides and laying two steadying hands on her arms. "You will love them. Even if they cannot see it themselves, they will feel it in their hearts. I am sure of it."

Joanna cursed her feeble heart, as she relaxed under his touch. How was it that, no matter how furious she was, he could make her forget it all with the simplest of words?

"When will they leave?" she asked, the words painful in her throat.

Tywin briefly consulted a sheet of parchment lying on his desk. "Jaime shall accompany us back to the Rock in a fortnight; he will journey to Crakehall from there."

"And Cersei?" Joanna pressed. It was not her son she worried for. Crakehall was a weak man, but loyal.

Her husband broke from her gaze to consult the parchment again, but she was not so foolish as to believe the act. Once an intricate plan was formed, Tywin would not rely on a piece of paper for the details; he would have memorised them within the hour.

"The king commanded Luthor Tyrell to send a ship as soon as the plans were made." Tywin's voice was low and quiet, uncharacteristically so for him. "It should arrive midday tomorrow."

Joanna did not scream or cry, as she had somewhat expected herself to do. Instead she nodded gently, just once to acknowledge her husband's words.

"Very well then." she sighed, her voice even quieter than his. "If that is all, my lord, I will take my leave. I want to spend what little time I have with my daughter."

Tywin opened his mouth to argue, but his wife had already gone, rushing from the room in a flurry of skirts and golden hair. With the slightest shake of his head, the man sat at his desk once more, retrieving another piece of parchment and dipping his quill in the inkwell.

All the decisions he had ever made, Tywin had made for the good of the family. But this was the first when he wondered if he had done them wrong.

A/N: As you probably expected, there will be a time jump coming in the next couple of chapters. Hope you enjoyed guys, please review!