Cersei was as unpalatable as Joffrey, Clarie realized, and such stress made her lose count of the days. Cersei threatened her, and it hurt her, and everything had worsened when Tyrion had sent Princess Myrcella to her new bridegroom. Clarie could clearly remember each time Cersei will hurt her.
"Get lost bastard!" Cersei shouted, clenching her cheek violently, and sliding her fingers brutally down the girl's light tan face. She could not stand Cersei, and Cersei could not stand her. It was a reminder that Joffrey was not the legitimate king, but at least Cersei did not seriously hurt her, as Joffrey wished, and even in public he humiliated her. It was only the hidden ones, and this irritated her more. She was tired, exhausted, unhappy.
Joffrey had already pointed out beasts to her and laid aside his principle that a king did not strike a lady. He had created a new game for himself. No less, he threw things at the young woman. He had a needle that would nudge her over and over again, and what she hated most was that her leg was mapped by a metal spit which Joffrey had warmed to burn.
"Hey, you look pretty today! "Joffrey smiled wickedly, watching her as he approached him and Tyrion. She just turned to him, as she always did, and Joffrey approached, and for a few seconds, she did not understand what was was just fun for Joffrey, but the spit was so hot it burned his clothes, and reached his skin. It was a terrible pain she, unimaginable. It was terrible, agonizing. It was the first time he had seen Tyrion physically defray anyone. He shoved Joffrey with all the strength his arms could muster, and Joffrey fell to the ground while he prevented the guard from approaching, as if he could finish the greatest one right there. Tyrion pulled her away from the angry king, while Sandor held him with one hand, preventing him from advancing on Tyrion and Clarie.
It was the morning of last day when Tyrion despatched Shae at his expense, trying to be cold, but the truth and that he felt his heart ache horribly over there. He filled with drink effortlessly, without remorse for getting drunk to the point of almost forgetting what he said.
And Clarie, she could remember in detail how much Cersei was hateful, how much Cersei competed bravely with Joffrey. She could remember hating all the Lannisters, but she could not hate Tyrion, and she could not be sure about James, the brother Tyrion so venerated.
That night, Clarie was grateful that Joffrey and Cersei did not meet, and Jaime did not appear to be present, and Erica, despite Lannister, refused to come to dinner, preferring to sit alone. Tyrion and Clarie were alone at the table. Even Bronn or Sandor was present, and this allowed them to drink and talk. Claire could not take Cersei and Joffrey any longer and drank to forget them, and Tyrion only swallowed the wine, while the conversation flowed very well despite the reasons why they drank.
"Joffrey is spending absurd money on this useless tournament."He said, taking another sip. " Did I hurt you? " Tyrion asked, pointing to Clarie's face, which had a deep scratch of a long fingernail, and Clarie, taking a long sip, shook her head affirmatively. Tyrion was already altered, and Clarie gave only a signal. They could not tell how many glasses they had drunk. "I can not stand that woman." The words were a little flushed, but Tyrion knew what he was saying, though he was visibly altered.
"You, me, and ..." She frowned and shook her head as if to say it was over, or maybe the wine was getting more intense. She just took another long sip and laughed. "How does he stand?" "She drank some more. "All? I'm a little late, and I can not stand them anymore ... And if it were not for Sandor not to report me, Joffrey would have raped me ... They want ..."
"Cersei wanted to kill me since I was just a baby." He said, taking another swallow in the wine. "And in this world, there are few people who are more hated or more humiliated than the Demon Monkey. He said, watching her fill her cup without shame, and take a long sip. "I survived for being a Lannister, but sometimes I believe that because I am a Lannister, I am humiliated ..." He sobbed as he ran his finger wrapped around the edge of the glass.
"Where is Sandor?" She asked, and definitely, the wine had an effect on her cheeks and her speech.
"Perhaps in a bar, a brothel, or the door to his chambers." He lifted his glass and laughed. "Let's see him. Divide the wine. " Tyrion said. Getting to his feet.
"I do not think that's a good idea. " Clarie drank some more, and looked at Tyrion, smiling. She did not even know why she smiled, but she could not help but smile at the dwarf.
"For now, let's go." Tyrion was completely drunk, and that point softened the pain in his chest. "I want to tell him how I got into an embarrassment where we ended up having a conversation about him." Tyrion laughed and shook his head. "Bring the books ... and the wine."
"I do not think he'll like it." She laughed, getting up. She was clearly drunk but sane enough to reason. Sandor would be as arrogant as he could, but he had drunk enough not to stop him.
"Sandor is not this one " Tyrion concluded, looking at the empty chair. "To a bar, then." He said, turning around and starting to crouch his steps, sliding his hand across the wall.
"Why do not we stay here, my lord? Would not it be wise to leave the castle?" She asked, opening the door. He felt that the wine would slip from his hands if he stayed there longer. She entered the room, feeling her legs wobbly, and left the wine on the table, and looked at the door. Tyrion was standing outside holding his glass and watching her. "Come in, my Lord. I'm sure you will not rape me." She teased at the fact that Joffrey had attacked her, and Tyrion curled into the room and closed the door without locking her. He walked over to the chair, and she sat on the edge of the bed, still with a glass of wine in her hand.
"You are a man with a complex black mood." She said, sipping the wine, and Tyrion gave a muffled laugh without looking at her, and Clarie watched the man's smile, which was perfectly homogeneous to the man.
"I try to make people laugh at my jokes to try to stop being the cause of their jokes." He grinned, still smiling, and then looked up at her, watching her features.
"Do they bother you a lot because of your height? " She dared to ask, and Tyrion just took another long sip of wine.
"The truth is yes, but I learned to ignore them and their jokers. " He said, watching the wine roll in his glass as he swayed it.
"I've been reflecting on." Said adjusting her dress as she bent her knees, and Tyrion looked up at her. He was drunk, but just like her, he had a certain awareness of what he was saying, what he was hearing.
"Share your reflection with me, my lady." Tyrion already had in mind what she would say. Something inconvenient, a mockery, as people always did, consciously or unconsciously.
"People who mock a dwarf believe they are the first people to mock a dwarf for his height. She said and took a long sip of her wine, and Tyrion lifted his head, staring at her with his lips parted. Her not expect this. He shook his head affirmatively, giving a shy, domed smile.
"Yes, they think they are the first, but they are not, and not the last ones as well." Tyrion put his glass on the table and looked at it. "And they think they're powerful." He was still watching her drink from her wine. "I'm not enough for them, for everyone." Said, still looking at her.
"And, excuse the question, where it comes written that we should be enough for someone? " She asked. "We must be enough for ourselves." She sipped some wine, looking into her own hands. "If they do not see the best of you, My Lord, they do not deserve you to look at them, who will say that you care what these madmen say about you. " She whispered now. "They do not deserve you, then. If no one sees in you how clever, kind, how funny and how much you do for them, even with what they do, then no one is worthy enough of your person." She swallowed the wine and looked at it. Tyrion stared at her, mouth half open, and looked down, leaning back against the couch.
.
The sun beat on Clarie's face, and she woke up, rolling over the bed, hugging her covers, feeling warm. His head throbbed angrily, but it was nothing he could not stand. She closed her eyes in an attempt to fall asleep again, but the sun prevented her. She rubbed her eyes, breathing deeply, and rising from the bed. He let out a sharp cry, muffled by his own hands as he saw Tyrion lying on his couch with one of his legs down, and the other on the couch, and his face was lying on the table, very awkward and uncomfortable, more than usual, considering its size.
"Milord". She called low, getting up, rubbing the front of her head. "Milord." She stood up, clutching her feet, and walked over to him, giving a muffled chuckle as she shook the dwarf's shoulder, which opened her eyes, bouncing back, banging her head on the table.
"Oh, For seven, Lady Clarie! What makes us ... "He looked around, startled, and remembered last night. "In your chambers, what did I do." He asked, and looked at her as she chuckled, but she was startled to hear the door open.
Aia gave a frightened growl at the sight of them completely disarranged, their faces marked by night sleep, their hair completely messed up, and their clothes crushed. If they loudly denounced that they had spent the night there. Sandor went to the side of the aia, looking at the scene, and closed his face, murmuring something as he made heavy steps to be closer to the aia, visibly grumpy, and pulled her away. Aia came back quickly, not knowing what to do, and disappeared. Clarie burst out laughing, putting her hand on the still aching head and straightening her hair, and Tyrion shook his head, laughing at her.
" My head will explode ... I should not have drunk so much. "He said still looking at her, laughing. "How much do you laugh, Lady Clarie?" Tyrion asked if he sat properly while rubbing his face and still processing the situation, looking at Sandor who stood the door, looking at them irritably.
"Gods, what a crazy situation. " She laughed a little more and took a deep breath. "What will they say? Oh, heavens, the king will kill me."
The laughed a little more, and Tyrion shook his head.
"He will probably kill us," Tyrion said, but just like her, she was not afraid. "He wanted you just for him, and Aia would probably say he saw us naked, kissing us. I can see him throwing me from the highest tower ..."
"Never let me drink again to sleep like this. " She asked, and Tyrion asked him the same. "The preparations for the tournament? Are not they today?" She asked, still laughing a little.
"I'll think I'll go now." He got up, going to the door still staggering a little. "My head is killing me." He stopped and looked at her with a smile.
"Gods, I think I had the most surreal dream of my life. I was getting married!" She laughs. "And I do not remember anything else ... These drinks are really dangerous." "Tyrion would say a few things, but he shook his head, laughing, and passed Sandor, still with his hands on his head, and did not greet him, or said good-bye to Clarie, just walked out into the hall, leaving her there with Sandor.
She looked at the man, and he had laughed at her, but he was frightened, breaking his smile. Sandor stepped abruptly toward her and took her by the hand, and she caught her breath, staring at the man's breastplate.
"Have a good night's sleep yestoday, little bird?" He growled, but he smiled dejectedly, as always amused by the situation. "Good moments, Half-man, you and your bed? " He said, and a loud crack echoed through the room. Claire had marked her fingers on the face of Sandor, who turned his face to receive the blow,
"I have not slept with Lord Tyrion, I have nothing to do with him. I'm not a whore. You are a hateful man." She said, and Sandor looked at her, and all her courage left. Her legs faltered. She would fall to the ground if the man did not hold her by the arm. She closed her eyes tightly, fearing Dog, who was breathing heavily, staring at her for a long time.
"Lord Tyrion will bring you serious trouble with the king, little bird." He growled, and she still stood only by the force that Sandor did on her arm, and her eyes remained closed and she trembled slightly, just feeling the hot breath of wine coming from Dog slam into her face, and felt her legs wobble more. "Joffrey had not forgiven him, even though he knew he did not take her as his. Joffrey will hurt you for it." He said, and she opened her eyes, without looking at him, and still not steadying her legs. She took a deep breath, still shaking, and without looking at him, tried to speak.
"A Dog will die for you. "She said very low, still feeling the warmth of Sandor's body that reached her. "A Dog can protect a bird from a deer. She said in a trembling voice, and the Hound shifted, being silent for a few seconds.
"A Dog can save her, but this Dog cannot save her whenever she is reckless." He said in his usual tone. "A dog would die for a bird if it were not the King's Dog." He dropped it, and she dropped to the floor, kneeling, watching Sandor walk away with heavy steps, and went out into the corridors, giving up her watch, and she felt bad for it. She wanted to call him, did not want to be left at the mercy of Joffrey, or his vassals, who could go to his quarters during the night.
.
They were following behind Joffrey, a little farther off, and by this time Tyrion had given up trying to control his nephew's spending, and let Petyr try it, failing miserably.
"Lady Clarie." Jaime greeted her as she passed them, the most beautiful smile Clarie had ever seen. "Good night, today? "He laughed, and Clarie put her hands to her face, smiling and shaking her head negatively as she stared at the man between her fingers.
She ran her fingers down his face, looking at the Lannister's hand. "We'll forget this, there was nothing much. " Tyrion agreed, smiling a little embarrassed. Jaime was aware of what Tyrion had said, but he knew the information had not yet come to Joffrey. "And are you training with Bronn?" She asked.
"Clearly. And a discreet man, truly, is very good, by the way. "He says and watches Cersei call him, and he looks at them. " If you'll excuse me." He approached Cersei, leaving them behind, and Clarie glanced at Sandor.
"Dog, come!" Joffrey called him as he called an animal, just as he always called him, and then she looked at the man as if she felt sorry for him, and he looked at her as if he had only hatred of everything.
"Explain to me, My Lord." She asked, looking at the little Lord. "Because of your devotion to Jaime. "She asked. He knew Jaime was not a monster like Joffrey or Cersei, but Tyrion looked at him as if not only his hand was gold, but all of it.
"Jaime and the only one who does not judge me just by my height." He said, walking beside her, while Bronn chattered beside Podrick, and Clarie avoided looking forward, where he could see Dog next to Joffrey and Cersei. She felt ashamed. "Since we were kids, Jaime and I used to play. He was the only child who came near me, and more than that, he defended me against the other boys. He supported me and showed love. He was and is the brother I could want, and ask, in case he was not. "He said. Tyrion still felt headache, she knew, and said under each word, trying to concentrate.
"And, yes, I must understand. "She said. "But Jaime is not the only one. She said, looking down at the floor. "There's Sir Bronn, me and Podrick." She laughed a little. "Even if we take into account that he pays Sir Bronn, he is the only one who does not attack me, and that Podrick and his squire." She said, and Tyrion gave a short laugh.
"Milady, let me work." Petyr's voice was heard, and one could see an irritated Erica standing next to the man, murmuring in his ear.
" Littlefinger, listen to me!" She said a little louder and irritated with that. "Varys has already confirmed." She said, and Petyr only scribbled down her notes about the tournament.
" You have a notion of what you ask me? No." he said, walking a little faster, leaving her behind, rolling her eyes and stopping walking, turning and walking away in anger.
