A/N: Alright, fun chapter today. I get to write from Cersei's perspective, which is always fun. Also MORE DRAMA! Hope everyone enjoyed the break in that :) Enjoy!

Chapter 25: The Scapegoat

Cersei's mind was threatening to unravel. She could feel it fraying at the edges. If someone merely found the right piece to pull, she would lose all semblance of her fragile control.

This was a day that mothers were supposed to smile. To see their son married to a girl from a good family. But the girl was a manipulative little witch with her claws already deep inside Tommen. Her son was too young and kind to truly understand the weight of that crown. And this wedding came too soon after a funeral.

It felt, sometimes, as if she was the only one who remembered Joffrey's death. The realm was eager to forget it. But she remembered how he felt, writhing in her arms, the life leaving him in painful gasps. She would remember that day for the rest of her life, as clear as the day of his birth.

She had spent all day in the sept mourning, after the silent sisters prepared Joffrey's body. She cried until her tears had run dry and then she just stared into space. Quiet. Bitterly numb. No one else cared for Joffrey enough to mourn him. Not like her.

And then, in the midst of her grief, her father had to tell her the awful truth. That Joffrey had tried to kill him. Worse still, he had tried to kill Tommen. Cersei had always known Joffrey was a monster who she was cursed to love absolutely. But she never expected his viciousness to extend to his sweet brother.

It was too much to mourn. Too much to take in. Too much to just sweep under the rug.

Yet at the wedding, everyone else was happy to forget about their last king.

It was suffocating for Cersei. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She wanted to strangle every man, woman and child who laughed. She wanted to rip through the whole of the proceedings until only she and Tommen were left.

She had to escape the party or she might lose her control. So she found the hedge maze, Tommen's favorite place, the spot where he had almost died.

Gold will be their crowns and gold their shrouds.

How the words of that witch cursed her. All of her life she had feared for her children, knowing they would die. She tried to tell herself that the prophesy was nonsense. But what if. What if.

It's not poison, sweet sister.

What if Tyrion was just as wretched as the prophesy said? She could believe it. He was such a spiteful, ill made creature who ripped his way out of her mother at birth. He would kill them all if he could. It was his fate.

"Cersei."

Cersei's shoulders hitched as she heard Jaime behind her. "You should be protecting the king."

"He has two kingsguard standing at his side. They will defend him. And if they can't, a one handed knight wouldn't make a difference," Jaime rested his hand on her shoulder. "I need to protect you too."

"Protect me," Cersei laughed. "Can you protect me from fate?"

"Fate?" Jaime's brow furrowed.

"Never mind. You wouldn't understand," Cersei tried to pull away from him. His grip stayed firm.

"Help me to then," Jaime said. "I know you're hurting. You're trying to hide it, like you always do. But I can see through the cracks." When Cersei didn't respond he turned her around. "Cersei. Please."

His left hand was warm as he rested it on her cheek. It reminded Cersei how much she had missed him. Fierce, beautiful Jaime, soft only with her. She always wanted Joffrey to grow up to be just like Jaime. A strong warrior. A noble knight.

But Joffrey was in the ground, and in life he had never been noble.

"He was our boy," she mumbled as her tears started again. "Our first son. And he's gone."

Jaime pulled her to his chest, holding her tight. "I know."

"He died in my arms. He was in so much pain, Jaime. He looked to me to help him but I...I couldn't."

"No one could have. Not even you," Jaime said. "But we'll find who did it, Cersei. We'll be sure that Tommen does not meet with the same fate."

"Will we? Can we?"

"Yes." Jaime pulled back to look at her, brushing her hair from her face. "I promise we will."

Jaime made an awful lot of promises, and he didn't keep all of them. Sometimes his vows contradicted each other and he had to choose. But he meant them all in the moment. She leaned up, risking a kiss there in the midst of the maze. He kissed her back like a man dying of thirst.

Jaime was so easily plied by physical affection. He was weak to it like many men. He would do anything for her if she simply gave him a kiss or something more.

And she needed her brother. From a young age they had given him a sword and her a dress. She needed him for his sword. As long as she could use that, she would keep him happy.

When Jaime went after Cersei, Arya did not know what compelled her to follow. Partially, it was worry for Tyrion. What if Cersei blamed him for Joffrey's death? Arya certainly did not want Tyrion to take the fall for her.

He won't, she reminded herself. Lord Tywin knows the truth. He can control Cersei.

But still she feared for Tyrion. He was one of her favorite people in this place, and one of the few who she could trust.

She followed Jaime at a distance until he disappeared into the maze. Then she crept up along the hedges to listen.

She did not intend to hear what she did. Whispered words meant only between brother and sister. But the nature of those words...

He was our boy. Our first son. Now he's gone.

Our boy. Our. Arya had always been aware of the rumors. People talked and enemies of the crown liked to suggest that Joffrey was born of incest. This confirmed that he was.

Our first son.

First meant that Tommen must be theirs as well. Arya assumed Myrcella also had that distinction. They did all look alike. They had the same blonde hair.

It made Arya's head spin. Did Tyrion know? Did Lord Tywin? There was no way on earth that he could...

Arya felt a bit dizzy as she took a step back. Then a second step. When she was far enough away, she turned and hurried away as fast as her feet would carry her. She ducked back into the party, circling around the edges-and in her haste almost ran over Tyrion.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm sorry."

"No harm done," Tyrion said. "You didn't spill any of my wine."

"You're drinking more?" Arya asked.

"Yes. I'm very good at drinking." Tyrion smiled. "And what about you? You look pale, my lady."

"I just...it's nothing..."

Tyrion pointed a finger at her. "That is a lie. I can tell, even when I'm drunk. Something as startled you." His brow furrowed. "Didn't you go wandering after my brother?"

"No. I mean I did but...it has nothing to do with..." Arya shook her head. "Sorry, I should go."

She tried to move past by Tyrion caught her wrist. "Stop. My lady." His voice was suddenly more serious. "Did you find him with Cersei?"

There was a note of understanding in his voice. Arya swallowed hard.

"I see," Tyrion said. "Come with me. Let's go somewhere...quieter."

"How long have you known," Arya asked Tyrion when they found a quieter place in the garden.

"Quite a long time," Tyrion said. "They've been at it for as long as I can remember. It was a rather well-kept secret until someone suggested the truth to Stannis Baratheon. Then he spread it to everyone who could read."

"That would mean that...the true king..."

"I would not even speak those words if I were you," Tyrion said. "But yes. The true king is dead. Every Baratheon heir as well. Including the bastards." He sighed. "And now that you know, what are you thinking of doing?"

Arya didn't reply.

"I suggest doing nothing," Tyrion said. "You see...Lady Arya...I think that your father found out the truth too. That's why he tried to defy Joffrey when he rose to the throne. And that's why Cersei and Joffrey forced him to confess at the sept that Joffrey was the one true king."

"He did confess," Arya murmured. She remembered that day clearer than any other memory. He had confessed in the sight of gods and men. Her father never lied but on that day. "They forced him to lie."

"He likely did it for your sister's sake," Tyrion said. "And yours."

"He died for it. For that truth," Arya said.

"Yes," Tyrion said. "And for that reason, you should not do anything about it. For your own safety, Lady Arya. Cersei would kill you if you jeopardized Tommen's rule."

Yes, she probably would. Cersei was a woman willing to do anything for her children. "Does...does your father know?"

"No," Tyrion said. "Even if he suspects in the back of his mind...he'll never let himself believe it. I don't suggest telling him."

"Why would you care if I did?" Arya asked. "Cersei hates you. Why protect her?"

"Oh, I'm not protecting her. Just Jaime," Tyrion said. "We're all terrible disappointments to my father, you know. Cersei is drunk and unstable. Jaime rejects ambition and has lost a hand. And I'm me. Why add to the list?"

"Even if they weren't twins..." Arya said. "Cersei seems so awful to him. Your brother. Every time I've seen them talk, she's insulting him."

"It's not what you would call a healthy relationship," Tyrion said. "Jaime's feelings are true and often blind. I'm not sure Cersei's feelings are. She loves her children. No one else. But she needs Jaime sometimes, so she found a way to use him properly."

"Does he understand that?" Arya asked.

"He's starting to. I think his time as a prisoner in the north helped sober him. She's only growing more wild and vicious with time." Tyrion finished the rest of his cup. "I'm terribly sorry about this. You're a ward of the Lannister house but I'm sure you didn't expect to be pulled into the family scandal."

"No," Arya said. "There's truly never a dull day in this place."

Tyrion laughed once. "You'll grow used to it."

Cersei spent the night with Jaime in her quarters. But after their passions ended, her dreams were cursed with dark visions.

All over again, she dreamed of Joffrey dying in her arms. Of him writhing and bleeding. He cried out in a voice like a baby's cry and she tried desperately to soothe him.

Hush my boy. Hush. It's going to be alright.

In the crypt she saw his golden shroud and recalled again the woman's words.

Gold will be their crowns and gold their shrouds.

There were two bodies on either side of him, shrouded as well. Cersei did not need to look to see that they were Myrcella and Tommen. Dead as Joffrey and she could not save them.

Behind her, she heard cackling. Tyrion stood on the stairs, his eyes practically glowing in the darkness, like some foul demon.

"You did this," she screeched at him. "You killed them all. You're a monster."

"Yes," he hissed. Then he rushed forward quicker than she thought possible, grasping her throat in his hands. "And you should have killed me sooner."

Cersei gasped for breath as he began to squeeze. He squeezed as hard as he could, wringing the life from her. She tried to beat at his wrists but it was no good. His hands were hard and cold. Golden.

Cersei.

Golden hands.

Cersei!

Cersei woke with a start and found Jaime kneeling at her bedside, his face concerned.

"You were having a nightmare," he said.

I'm living a nightmare, Cersei thought. She jumped from her bed and began to dress at once. And it will keep being a nightmare unless I stop it.

"What are you doing?" Jaime asked. "It's the middle of the night."

"I have matters to attend to," Cersei said. "And you should return to your room."

She had to deal with Tyrion. Now, before it was too late. She knew he killed Joff. Knew it in her heart. If she could not find the evidence, she would make it.

She would destroy that treacherous creature before he took everything else she loved.

Tywin always knew when Cersei was lying. But when she came to his office three days after the wedding with a mass of evidence against Tyrion, he had to admit she was getting better at it. She showed him records of the poison bought. She gave him witness testimony. Every damaging thing under the sun. The kind of case that could convict Tyrion in an afternoon.

If he did not know the truth, he might have believed her.

But it was too convenient. Only an idiot would have left such a trail and Tyrion, for all his other faults, was not an idiot.

"You've certainly acquired this evidence very quickly," Tywin said. "How did you manage it?"

"I've worked day and night," Cersei said. "I won't have the same thing happen to Tommen."

"You think Tyrion has designs on Tommen's life?"

"He has designs on all of our lives."

That I doubt, Tywin thought. "It all seems a bit too easy. Catching an assassin usually isn't."

"Then I suppose we are fortunate," Cersei said. "I don't care how convenient it seems. Tomorrow, I'm going to have him arrested. I thought you should know so that you can prepare. But we must have justice for Joffrey."

"Cersei..."

"If you have a different culprit then I would be glad to hear it," Cersei muttered.

Tywin did not reply. He did have a culprit. A person he knew, with absolute certainty, was behind Joffrey's death. But he would not give her name to Cersei.

Cersei looked triumphant at this. "You've always hated him, father. Just think of this as your chance. A chance to let him die without guilt. You've wanted that for a long time."

Tywin's expression hardened. "Don't presume to tell me what I've wanted. And don't presume that guilt has ever kept me from doing what is necessary. He is the lowest of the Lannisters but he's still a Lannister. That is why he's still alive."

"He killed your grandson," Cersei said. "You preach so often about legacy. Tyrion set that legacy on fire. This is what he deserves."

Joffrey wasn't my legacy, Tywin thought. That mad boy was a plague on my legacy.

"You have a right to ask for a trial," Tywin said. "You have a right to build a case and call witnesses. But if you came here asking for my blessing to cause chaos in our family, you don't have it."

Cersei's face faltered for a moment. She liked to pretend that she was untouchable, but the child in her had always sought Tywin's approval. For a moment, she seemed to stumble for a retort before she lifted her chin. "I don't need your blessing. I need justice."

With that, she took her evidence and stalked from the room.

Tywin sat back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his face. In truth, a trial for regicide was an ideal way to rid himself of Tyrion. If he was convicted and executed... people would see that as justice.

But Tywin had already made his decision about Tyrion's life a long time ago. When he held his twisted form, staring out over the rocky beaches of Casterly Rock, and thought of placing him at the mercy of the ocean. He thought of letting the tide wash the mistake that killed his wife away.

But he didn't. He brought him up all the same, though he hated him. He let him live. And though Tyrion disgraced the Lannister name with his whoring and drinking and jokes, he was not without his worth. He had controlled Joffrey better than his mother as had. And he had helped bring Lord Baelish's treachery into the light.

He was still a Lannister. And Tywin's son. And if he did not kill him on that wretched night so many years ago, he did not intend to let Cersei kill him now.

But he could use this situation to his advantage...

It was never good news when Tyrion's father called him to the Tower of the Hand, but this late at night made Tyrion especially nervous. Perhaps his father had finally decided to kill him.

No, Tyrion thought. I've done nothing recently to provoke him. There must be something else.

But what required discussion so late at night?

For once Tywin was not sitting at his desk when Tyrion arrived, nor was he writing letters. He was standing by the window, staring out into the black of the night. His face was more serious than usual.

"You called me here?" Tyrion asked cautiously.

"Yes," Tywin said. "Your sister...is building a very strong case against you. She plans to blame you for Joffrey's murder."

His father was always so blunt. He never danced around the subject in the least. "Well," Tyrion swallowed hard. "I can't say I'm surprised. Do you think it will move her if I say 'I didn't do it'?"

Tywin glanced at him. "Her evidence is convincing. It would leave you soundly guilty if she put you on trial."

"How much did she pay for this imaginary evidence, I wonder?" Tyrion asked. "It must cost quite a lot to create something from nothing."

"Tyrion. This isn't a time to be glib," Tywin looked at him. "She's going to arrest you in the morning. And I won't stand in her way."

Tyrion's jaw clenched. "So...why am I here? You're warning me? Depriving me of a peaceful sleep?"

"No. I'm giving you a chance to leave."

The words stunned Tyrion. His father never gave him anything, much less chances. What was this exactly? What was his game?

"There's a ship in the harbor," Tywin continued. "If you sail to Essos, no one will follow you. I guarantee it. So long as you do not return, you will be safe." He tossed a small pouch onto the desk. It clinked when it landed. "You'll be able to live comfortably enough. But not with the Lannister name."

"Ah. I see. You're taking this opportunity to get rid of me," Tyrion said. "Very resourceful of your father. But really, why not just let Cersei have me. If she kills me then you won't have to deal with me anymore. Why even bother with a ship?"

His father did not look at him. His whole body was rigid as he stared out the window. "You played a part in bring Lord Baelish to justice. I acknowledge that. So I'm giving you this chance."

"That's kind of you father. But if you think I did it, wouldn't you be in your rights to throw me to the lions?" Tyrion asked. "If I killed the king, that's regicide. All debts would be cleared. If you think I did it..." He paused. "Oh. I see. You know I'm innocent."

"I suspect you are," Tywin said.

"You know." Tyrion shook his head. "But you won't vouch for me. You're incapable of that. I'm surprised you could give any credit to me regarding Lord Baelish. Why not give all the credit to..."

He trailed off as it dawned on him. Yes, his father knew that Tyrion hadn't killed Joffrey. But he couldn't reliably stand for him unless he knew the true culprit. But the true culprit...

"Arya," Tyrion said. "She's the one behind it, isn't she?"

Tywin looked down at him disdainfully. It was all the answer Tyrion needed.

"Of course. Cersei has built a convincing case. If you called her a liar you would have to offer up the true culprit. And you would never do that to the Stark girl. No. You like her too much for that. If you let Cersei think I did it...she is safe." Tyrion laughed. "This is hilarious."

"I don't think you quite understand the situation," Tywin said.

"Oh no, I understand. The realms need a scapegoat and I'm the perfect shape for one," Tyrion spit out.

"Are you going to accept or not?"

Tyrion gritted his teeth together, feeling a wave of anger and grief rise up in him all at once. Part of him wanted to spit in his father's face. Put me on trial, he wanted to say. I'm not afraid.

But he knew Cersei would build a good case against him. No one would protect him from the executioner's block, least of all his father. This was Tywin Lannister's last act of mercy.

Tyrion swiped the bag of gold off of the table. His father looked away from him again, as if he had already dismissed him in his mind.

"I suppose this is goodbye," Tyrion said, backing up toward the door. The gold clinked in his bag. It was only a small piece of what his father was paying him to leave. He would get what he wanted now. He would never have to look at Tyrion again. A wonder he didn't let Cersei kill him. "I can't say I'll miss you very much."

Tywin didn't reply. He seemed to be glaring at the window instead. Perhaps the glass had displeased him as well.

Tyrion sighed and pocketed the money. "You've placed so much on the Stark girl now." He looked up at him with a mirthless smile. "I do hope she doesn't disappoint you like the rest of us."

His father looked at him then. And Tyrion could see, in a moment of satisfaction, that he had caught the immovable Lord of Casterly Rock off guard. He gave a little bow and left before he could respond.

He would not give Tywin Lannister the last word. Not this time.

A/N: This is the choice I feel like I have to justify the most. In the show, I don't really think Tywin wanted Tyrion dead just...gone and not interfering with his life. If Tywin wanted Tyrion dead, he would have been dead a long time ago. He hoped to send Tyrion to the wall so that he never had to deal with him again. And the only reason Tyrion got so close to death was because of the trial by combat thing which was NOT in Tywin's plan.

So yes. Tywin give Tyrion a chance to leave here, mostly so he can use it to manipulate the situation to his advantage. He doesn't want the chaos in his family right after he managed to get everything managed again.

Twas a fun conversation to write though. Cause Tyrion sees right through him lol. Hope you enjoyed and REVIEW!