"Renly has more soldiers, more supplies and more knights", Tyrion complained to Beric Storm as they made their way down one of the streets of the capital, evaluating the walls to see if any areas needed repair work before Renly's arrival. "He is moving near the Kingswood so will have lumber to make siege engines and plenty of them, he will have men who are ready to fight, what will we have?"

"Well", Ser Beric replied, "you talk about your brilliant mind more that most Targaryens did about their dragons, even Aerion Brightflame."

"Yes well I can't kill people with my mind can I", Tyrion replied angrily, he needed answers, not jokes. Aerion Brightflame was a Targaryen who drank wildfire because he believed it would turn him into a dragon.

"A pity that, if you could Jasper would be on the throne and our problems would be solved."

"To a degree", Tyrion agreed, wondering just how much easier things would be if his sister had just let Robert put Jasper in her before she fucked Jaime, then this whole war wouldn't have started for Jasper would not have been such an idiot to execute Ned Stark and the Reachmen would not rebel against a well deserving ruler like Jasper.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of a nearby preacher.

"Rotten", he cried to the almost baying crowd. "We are swollen, bloated, foul. Brother fornicates with sister in the bed of kings, and we are surprised that the fruit of their incest is rotten?!" The crowd cheered at that, and Tyrion's stunted view of the preacher was blocked by waving fists. "Yes a rotten king, standing in the way of the true king and prancing down the halls to the tune of a twisted demon monkey!" Tyrion could not suppress a slight laugh at that last one.

"You must admire his imagination", he looked up at Beric who was looking down at him, past his flowing brown hair.

"You do know he is talking about you, don't you?"

"What?!" Tyrion said, looking back at the preacher, who was now listing off the seven gods and saying how each of them in turn was punishing them for the queen's crime of incest. "Me? Demon Monkey?"

"People think you are manipulating the king, that and your sister's supposed incest and you are being blamed for most of the problems."

Tyrion then turned to Beric, realising something. If the knight believed what the preacher was saying then Jasper might try to take the throne, which could not happen, a usurper at this time would bring ruin to the city. "Where did these rumours begin?"

Beric shrugged, "does it matter, when people are hungry they look for someone to blame, and who better than the king himself?"

"Maybe the lord of the Reach who has cut off the food to the city?" He commented.

"Do you think they know who that is?" Beric asked.

"That was a rhetorical question Beric."

They moved on, continuing to inspect the walls. I do hope that Joffrey doesn't hear those rumours, he would throw Jasper out of the court and our best chance of defeating Renly with him, Tyrion thought as they went by the north wall. But all along their journey, there was nothing to suggest that the wall was particularly weaker in one spot than another, which Tyrion was thankful for, since it meant that he would not have to divert precious dwindling resources from somewhere else to the wall.

After the wall, Tyrion and Beric moved on to the alchemists, who were making Wildfire for use in the siege. Beric getting increasingly disgruntled about being away from his charge for more and more time, and Tyrion was thankful that his favourite nephew had such a loyal companion. However, with Cersei keeping tight rein on the Lannister guardsmen, and the goldcloaks in training across the city, Tyrion had no one else for protection, and Jasper refused to let him walk the city alone, so had asked Beric to go with him, for which Tyrion was very grateful, especially now he had found out that the city was getting angrier with him by the day.

At the alchemists guild headquarters, beneath Rhaenys' Hill, Wisdom Hallyne, the man that Cersei had commissioned to oversee the creation of the Wildfire, greeted them and led them deeper into the guild, to where they were storing the Wildfire.

"The substance is fire given form", the alchemist explained to them, Beric looking decidedly unenthusiastic about using the Wildfire. "Loaded into catapults, the jars are flung at the enemy."

"And if we were using real soldiers", Beric said in a stony reply, "then we may even hit the enemy, but we don't have any, they are all fighting in the war."

"The Stormlanders aren't", Tyrion commented, although he understood Jasper's reason for not including them in his plans, they had been Renly's bannermen until recently, he could not risk them joining him. He turned back to the Wisdom, "how much do you have?"

The Wisdom opened a door and a huge cavern, filled with Wildfire jars was revealed. "Over seven thousand jars my lord", the Wisdom replied, rubbing his hands with glee, "we cannot fathom why, but Wildfire production has increased markedly, not since the days when Dragons ruled the skies, has it been so fast, so efficient", Tyrion ignored the rest of this drone, it mattered not why the Wildfire was being made, only that it was. "But rest assured my lord", the pyromancer finished, "we have more than enough to destroy Renly Baratheon's army."

"Or the entire city if there is one mistake in the battle", Beric commented before looking down at Tyrion, "you cannot be planning on using this from catapults can you, if so then the preachers were right, and you have doomed this city."

Tyrion nodded, the consequences of dropping one barrel of Wildfire were too extreme to be risked. "I must agree with the good knight, Wisdom Hallyne, the contents of this room could lay King's Landing low, you will not be making Wildfire for my sister any more, you'll be making it for me."

"How is the training of the new guards going?" Tyrion asked Jasper when they returned to the guarded map room. "Well I hope, we will need them."

"Better than can be expected", Jasper replied, he was running his right index finger in circles across the table as he stared vacantly at it, clearly thinking about something, "but not well enough."

Tyrion was not surprised about that, "will they be ready?"

"That rather depends on Renly", Jasper replied, "if he continues his march at his current rate with his current troop numbers then there is a good chance I can get them ready in time, if he awaits the forces of Lord Tarly, then it does not matter how long I have, they will not be ready."

Tyrion could not help but smile. Balon Greyjoy, although he had declared his independence, was busy attacking the Reach and had caused Renly to send 40,000 men back to defeat them under the command of his best battle commander, Randyll Tarly. When he heard of the surprise attack that Victarion Greyjoy had led against the Shield Islands of the Reach, he could not help but think back to the start of the Greyjoy rebellion, the first time Balon crowned himself, bells had rung across from the Rock in Lannisport and then those of Casterly Rock. Everyone rushed to the battlements and gazed across to the city of the Lannisters to see the thirty ships of the Lannister fleet up in flames, including his father's flagship. Tyrion had not seen his father in that moment, but had often wondered whether or not his father gave any expression at the sight of his rather expensive ships in flames. "Speaking of which, how is the Ironborn attack on the reach proceeding?" Tyrion asked.

"Not much major has happened", Jasper said, "Three Towers and Black Crown have fallen, they are bannermen to the Hightowers, which means that the Ironborn are probably targeting Oldtown, or will be before long. Paxter Redwyne has launched his fleet against the Iron Fleet, however, they suffered early losses from the Iron Fleet, but no major sea battles between the two have occured. There are also many Greyjoy ships are also raiding up the Mander, they could possibly threaten Highgarden from there, it is no wonder that Renly sent such a large host back to halt them."

"And a good thing for us, hopefully Lord Tarly can defeat the Ironborn comprehensively, at the same time, we take Renly's crown and force him into submission, two birds, one stone."

"Aye", said ser Beric, "that would save time and loyal men."

"Jasper", someone called out, bursting through the doors of the room. It was Jasper's squire, Devan Baratheon. He was out of breath, clearly having run a fair distance. "His grace is demanding that you present yourself before him in the throne room, he is saying that he will cut Sansa's throat if you not", Jasper raced from the room without a backwards glance.

Tyrion followed as fast as his own legs would carry him. He heard the two siblings shouting at each other before he got there, and the sight that reached his eyes was not good. Jasper and Beric had their swords out, as did the Kingsguard and Ser Meryn held Sansa with his sword at her throat, it looked to be a standoff. This was however, a situation that Tyrion could turn to his advantage. "What is going on here?" He marched up to them, Lannister swords behind him, giving his some authority. "You two are siblings, brothers in arms in a time of war, explain why you stand opposing each other, now!"

"My brother is objecting to my methods", Joffrey said, "I am the king, he does not do wrong."

Jasper bit his lip, clearly eager to retort, but slightly panicked looks he shot at Sansa told Tyrion that he was not going to act for fear of harm coming to Sansa, for which Tyrion was grateful, were she to be harmed, Jaime would be as well.

"Enough!" Tyrion called out. "Men, take the lady Sansa back to her chambers, any of you touch her and your heads will replace those of the Stark household. Understood?"

"Yes my lord", his guard commander said, before escorting Sansa from the room. However, they paused as Jasper gave her his cloak so she could cover her ruined dress.

"Now, is this over, or do you still need to sort out this pettiness?"

Jasper sheathed his sword, "we are done."

"No we are not", Joffrey replied, glaring daggers at his brother. "I have heard things from the streets brother, you have been stirring the people against me."

Jasper's face leapt in alarm, and Tyrion could tell that it was not faked. "Where did you hear that? I tell you it is a false accusation."

"Is it", Joffrey said, leering. "So you have nothing to do with the preachers calling me a bastard and naming you king."

"Nothing at all", Jasper replied, he was looking worried now, "I swear it Joffrey, by the-"

"I do not believe you", Joffrey replied. "But I have deemed that you are not allowed in my city any longer, you are henceforth banished from King's Landing, never to return."

Tyrion watched in horror as the Kingsguard made to take Jasper by force, Joffrey could not be so stupid, and Tyrion's father was relying on him to stop such actions. "Joffrey, let us put more resources to finding out the truth behind these rumours before we act."

"No, I know it is him, the King cannot be wrong", Joffrey declared, glaring at Tyrion now. "Mind your place imp, you are hand of the king, not the king", he turned back to Jasper once more, "You have until sunrise tomorrow to gather your things, then you must be gone."

Tyrion could only watch in horror as the best defence the city and king had, turned and walked back through the door, pausing once to look back at Joffrey, gloating on his throne.