Kevan Lannister sighed exhausted and leaned back into the comfortable Chair and looked to Genna and Tygett. Both his siblings were staring back at him, Genna calculating and Tygett full of neverending anger and energy.
For a short time the room stayed silent though, as each of the siblings still had to work through the informations that they had gained from the letter which the bloodheaded Raven had brought to Casterly Rock.
Just in the moment when the oldest Lannister in the Room opened his mouth and wanted to speak, a knocking was to hear from outside of the Door to the Lord's Solar and Ser Kevan called the person to enter. It was a Captain of the Household Guards who came inside and he brought news of a hundred men from King's Landing having just arrived at the Rock.
A hundred men and a Kingsguard and Ser Jon Connington, all had just arrived at the Rock with orders from the new King.
Ser Kevan and his sister nodded to each other in grim understanding while Tygett slowly tugged out his sword from the scabbard. He then looked to both of his older siblings and nodded before he left with the Captain.
They were not allowed to enter Casterly Rock with all their men and thus only Ser Jonothor and ten of the royal Guards accompanied him when they were led to the currently ruling Lannister's Solar. Jon clenched his teeth in anger about that but he and the Kingsguard Knight were given no other Choice. It was either agreeing to that stipulation or to not enter the damned Lion's den at all, this was the answer given to them when they protested the Lannister's orders.
Jon twisted his head lightly and looked to Ser Jonothor who was walking on his left side. The White Knight was surely as angry as Jon himself felt about the Situation but the older man was also self assured enough and Kingsguard for a long enough time to not show any emotion to the onlookers. Jon hoped that he himself managed to do so when he and Ser Darry would stand before the Lions, he hoped desperately that he would be able to held his temper in check and to not jeopardize Rhaegar's plans. His mind went briefly back to his King and the last Conversation they had with each other before Rhaegar sent him away with Ser Jonothor and the hundred Guards.
How beautiful his King looked, how gentle but firm his words were when he instructed him of what to do if all would go well and what to do if something would go wrong. Jon smiled lightly when he remembered how glorious his dear beloved friend looked, truly a magnificent King already, young and tall and silvery glowing with sparkling gemstone eyes.
The young Ser had to stop his reminiscing when he and his companions were made to stop in front of a large and richly decorated door. The Lannister Courtier who had led them there, alongside with a couple of Red cloaked Guardsmen of course, stepped now to the door and knocked three times. From inside of the Room they all could hear a loud command to enter and after hearing that, the nearest standing Redcloak opened the door and Ser Jonothor and Jon himself entered. None of their Guardsmen were given the Chance to follow them though, for immediately after Jon stepped inside the room, the door was shut behind him.
The Kingsguard and the young Lord turned around and looked to the door in astonished irritation. A loud female voice made them turn away from the door and back to finally acknowledge the persons in the room.
"Sers, when good mannered and well-bred Knights enter a room, especially one in which their betters reside in and even more especially if one of their betters happens to be a Lady, it is a normal behavior for said Knights to offer their betters their respect. Knights do normally so by not showing their backs to their welcoming hosts immediately after entering said hosts Solar."
Ser Jonothor and Jon looked to the woman who had just spoken these rather biting words to them and Jon knew from these words that Casterly Rock would not be friendly territory to them.
The woman who had spoken to them was of course Lady Genna, who was married to the second son of Lord Frey but still resided inside of Casterly Rock and behaved and spoke in the same arrogant and condescending manner as her oldest brother. Jon longed to see her brought down to the same sorry way in which Tywin Lannister had found himself in after he had murdered Rhaegar's father. Patience he told himself, patience and all would be going to be like his beloved King had planned it for in the future.
Sitting in the large and golden wrought Chair of the Warden of the West was Ser Kevan Lannister, who looked with an wry expression to his sister who was sitting in a way less ornate chair by his left side. Ser Kevan gestured to Jon and Ser Darry and bid them to come forward and since both of them had been given a mission by their King, they stepped closer to the Lion siblings and forced themselves to show no worries for doing so without any Guards of their own securing their backs.
The Lannister regent looked to Ser Jonothor first and nodded his head respectfully to the Kingsguard and the White Knight greeted the current most powerful man of the Rock in the same respectful manner. Ser Darry then bowed with clearly to be seen less sincere respect to the Lady Genna, while she herself nodded her greetings tothe Kingsguard with a near malicious smile on her lips.
Jon then forced himself to offer his own respectful nod to the Regent of Casterly Rock, only to receive none such a gesture back from the Lion. The young Ser swallowed this deliberate disrespect shown by the other man and then forced himself to show his respect to the sole woman in the room. Jon bowed as respectful to Lady Genna as Ser Jonothor had done before him to the Lady and received an even more mocking smirk from her back for his gesture.
Before either of the King 's men could then open their mouth to speak though, the door opened behind them and while both men forced themselves to not turn around and look, they could see in the faces of both Lion siblings that whoever entered was not one of their hundred Guardsmen. Both Lannisters in front of them smiled and then Ser Kevan fixed his eyes again on Ser Jonothor and Jon. The young Connington felt a shiver running down his spine for the Regents mien looked like a Lion on the Hunt. Jon looked to Ser Jonothor and saw that the White Knight was slowly touching his scabbard...
Tygett had entered the room again and was accompanied by two of their most trustworthy Guard Captains. All three now stood behind the two King's men and watched their every move.
While his face gave nothing away, the Kingsguard was carefully touching his scabbard, his swordhand quite visibly all to ready to grip the pommel and to unsheat his sword if he would find himself in the need to do so. The younger man beside him though, still nearly a boy, was yet lacking this deeply ingrained knightly reflex but instead scowled openly towards Kevan and herself.
Genna slowly let her eyes glide from both of their Visitors back to her older brother and forced herself not to chuckle upon his predatory expression. Even she had never thought after all that dear and reliable Kevan could look so much like Tywin in his most voracious moments. She felt so satisfied with the knowledge about that.
Her eyes left her older brother and went back to their younger brother. Tygett stood there, flanked by both Guardsmen, back to the door and eyes to their visitors, ready to spill their blood if they both would even do one wrong move.
She decided to lean back and watch the reactions of their unwelcome visitors after Kevan harrumphed loudly and then finally started to speak.
"Ser Jonothor, your companion was named by our Courtier who told us of your arrival, as Ser Jon Connington. Now, the only Jon Connington which I knew of, is just about fourteen namedays old and thus too young to be named a Knight and thus should not be introduced as Ser Jon, or should he?" Kevan asked instead of a welcome.
The White Knight looked startled about her brother's question but Genna was more interested in the young Connington's reaction and she looked with real satisfaction that the young ones face first turned pale as milk under all his freckles and mop of red hair and that then two blood red spots showed up on his smooth cheeks. His breathing grew quicker and his hand gripped his pommel and already unsheathed the sword halfway out of its scabbard before he was quickly stopped by Tygett's fast rush forwards. The young Griffin could clearly be quickly goaded to loose his temperament and thus to make easy mistakes. All the better for her brothers and herself to gain the upper hand.
She looked over the young ones shoulder and her eyes met those of her younger brother who was now standing directly behind the younger visitor and who used his greater strength to press down the swordhand of Jon Connington with his own one and thus to resheat the Griffin's sword. Tygett looked to her with a mix of barely concealed amusement about the pure stupidity of the younger man and with also barely constraint anger about the pure audacity of the young one to even try such an act.
Her gaze left her brother and she then looked to the White Knight again, whose hand was also still on his own sword but who made not the mistake to tug it out. Instead Ser Jonothor was taking deep and steady breaths and his eyes never left Kevan's face, as if to make sure that her dear older brother would not give any order of attack against the visitors.
Genna kept quiet herself and thus for few moments the only noise in the Grand Solar were the different sounds of breathing by the six people inside. It was actually quite interesting how different breathing sounds could be.
It lasted not for long though, Kevan had opened the letter which they had received from the King many days ago and read aloud from it, then he did the same to the nearly identical sounding letter of Gerion, which had reached them with the same Raven.
kaiidth said: To the Lord Regent of House LannisterMost honored Ser Kevan Lannister, with great sorrow in my heart i write you this letter. My honored and beloved Father, King Aerys the second of his name has lost his live in a tragic accident and after the honors of our ancient ways were given to him and he will be entombed at the New Moon, we all will have to find the new Will to go own with this life and do our duty. It is in this same accident, that the Lord Hand and your most honorable Brother, Lord Tywin Lannister was hurt quite badly. Lord Tywin is currently unable to write but your brother Ser Gerion wrote for him of what has happened. As Ser Gerion surely wrote, it is Lord Tywins great wish that his oldest two children should be sent to him here in Kings Landing. I already sent Ser Jonothor Darry of my Kingsguard and my good friend the Squire Jon Connington along with a hundred riders as Honor Guard, to meet you on your way. I would like to invite you thus and of course the whole of your most prestigious family and most honorable Lords, to come to King's Landing and to be guests to the ceremony of my coronation to which i hope that Lord Tywin will be then strong enough again to attend dearest Mother would welcome Lord Tywin's daughter as one of her Ladies with a sad but loving heart and such a young and kind Lady would surely help her greatly to ease her pain about her husbands death. Lord Tywin's son though shall be my Cupbearer, as it is his honorable father's wish. In the spirit of deep friendship that our Houses share...
My dearest Mother and i have lost the head of our House and all of the Seven Kingdoms have lost one of their most promising Kings ever.
Rhaegar Targaryen, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms
After Kevan had finished with both letters, he laid them aside and stood up. He stepped towards the Kingsguard, stopped barely a handspan away from him and looked him directly into the eyes.
"These were the only news which we had received, none before these for many a days and none after these since then. I had sent back the Raven to the new King with a letter asking for more information, just a day after i had received these letters. I am still waiting for any answers about our brothers from King's Landing.
And then you and this boy who is named as Squire in the letter arrive here and he is introduced as a Knight without further explanation. It makes me wonder what other things are different than as they had been written in the King's letter.
We had received no news from any of our brothers, we had received no information about any of our tradesmen and merchants for way more than a fortnight, nearly twenty days now to be true, no other Ravens arrived here either during these times but the one carrying the two letters of Prince Rhaegar, who is now suddenly King and our youngest Brother Gerion, who was the last time when i had heard from him, still in the free Cities." Kevan ended with a harsh Voice.
She looked to both of the King's men for any reaction but her brother was not even in the mind to allow any other words but his own in the moment, or so it seemed, for already he started to speak again.
"You see, Ser Jonothor of the Kingsguard, it is highly unusual when a boy who is even mentioned as a Squire in the new King's letter, arrives here barely a few weeks later as Knight. Had young Connington managed to do such a marvelous deed during the last couple of days, that he became already a Knight with barely fourteen namedays or was it a misinformation of your King, a mistake maybe or was it a favor from one Squire to another. One Squire who now seems to be our new King and who gifted his friend a Knighthood, was it that?" Kevan asked nearly aggressively.
Genna could nearly taste the humiliation of the young Griffin when Ser Jonothor reluctantly told them that the last thing was really the reason for the sudden Knighthood of the youngest man in the room. She watched as Tygett scoffed behind the juvenile red-haired Knight, her dear brothers mien clearly showed his contempt.
Kevan started to speak again and she forced her eyes back to the Kingsguard, who clearly disliked that he was under such a scrutiny by her and her brothers. She watched as the Riverlander Knight started to become uncomfortable when Kevan asked then the really important questions.
"Now, as you can imagine Ser Jonothor, not one of us really cared that young Connington was knighted by you just because the King ordered you to do it. It just proved to me and my siblings that the letters are not entirely true or that they missed quite a lot of information.
Now, what would really be of interest to us Lannisters is where our Lord is and where our youngest brother is and why we had not heard again from them.
What would really be of interest for House Lannister, is what kind of injuries the head of our House has and how well he is now but we received no further information from King's Landing.
If the Head of our House would have really sent for his children to be brought to him, if Tywin would have agreed to that,he surely would be well enough to write himself, surely we would have by now received more information from King's Landing, maybe even another letter by our youngest brother, wouldn't we?"
She felt never so proud of Kevan before as she did now. He was ...intimidating, nearly as good as Tywin was when he was really angry. Genna forced herself to not start laughing out of sheer malicious glee when she watched how both King's men tried to swallow down their beginning panic and not to show their clear helplessness during Kevan's verbal attack.
While Kevan sat back down into the Lord's Chair and both the unwelcome visitors started to sweat, the Griffin of course way more than the Kingsguard, Genna thought back to the letter which the Lannister siblings had received the last night, brought to them by a Raven with headfeathers streaked with dried letter which Kevan of course had not mentioned to Rhaegar's men. The letter that told them more than they had even feared for.
To the siblings of Tywin Lannister. Maester H. To show you that I am truly your brother, I ask you to remember the words I told you when I had my tenth nameday.
If you have received news from Rhaegar Targaryen, now King of Westeros, know that you should not believe anything he or others write you but this what now follows.
Tywin Lannister was tortured by a mad King Aerys who had already tortured the Grandmaester to death. Why the torture happened is not important, know only that it happened out of madness of the King. Aerys was killed by Lord Tywin, who in his great pain was desperate and fought for his life and managed to rip out the old Kings Throat with just his teeth and with pure desperation.
Instead of giving Lord Tywin the Chance to heal enough so that he could prove himself in a trial by combat, or giving him the Chance to name a Champion for himself, the new King decided to use this Chance to rid himself of Tywin Lannister for good and to force him to fight for himself before he is healthy enough to do so. Ser Hightower, who had sworn to end the Live of Lord Tywin was only too happy to weaken my patient even more by breaking Lord Tywin's jaw and a couple of ribs, barely a week after your brother had received many lacerations on his chest and uncountable and deep lacerations on his back, some of them bonedeep.
I managed to keep Lord Tywin alive after all of this, also through the later damaging done by Ser Gerold and I will try my best to leave this City with my Patient.
"For I swear to you brother, these days will not last forever, these days of them...,this I swear true as a true Lion of the West."
Remember these words Kevan and you know that I am truly,
Tywin Lannister and that this letter is the only truth which comes out of the Capitol.
Your brother is still weak but I have my ways. You will receive news from me and your brother as soon as possible. We have heard nothing about your youngest brother after he was forced away from Lord Tywin. He might be dead. Let the Raven fly but do not try to give him any message, he distrusts all but me and a few others. a last word.. Maester H.
The old King had ordered all Ravens entering and leaving the City to be shot and the order might be still standing under the new King. The same might be true for any people who carry informations in and out, at least quite a lot went missing before I was brought into the Red Keep to care for Lord Tywin.
Genna still felt the anger after reading this letter and while she and Tygett had grown hot with anger, Kevan had become silent after rereading the words a couple of times, absolutely silent, completely still and chalkwhite. She and Tygett had already feared that he had becoming catatonic, when just then he had raged with a Volume that she never thought possible of dear Kevan. He raged and screamed for a long time until he finally became calm again. His green eyes glittered like wildfyre though and he clenched his teeth in a nearly jawbreaking way.
It was then when all three siblings made their plans about the future behavior towards the Targaryens. And they were not friendly plans.
Her mind left the last night and she forced herself to concentrate on their opponents now, live and in flesh. These lackeys of the lying Boyking had stepped into the Lion's den and now they were prey. Genna's eyes searched for her younger brother and after she had seen that the two Guardsmen had now stepped to his sides and all three were standing directly behind the
King's men, she turned her eyes to Kevan.
Her dearest brother had the same cold mien that Tywin had had many years ago when he had planned the destiny of the House Reyne.
...