Chapter I: The Death of a King
Background
After the death of Aerys the II, the Mad King as he had become known, many assumed that the new Baratheon dynasty would not last long. For certain the new king had many strong allies among the Lords Paramount, having secured the strong backing the Starks, Arryns, Tullys and Lannisters, but with the uncertain loyalty of the Tyrrells and Martells as well as the survival of Viserys and Daenerys it seemed thew new dynasty would be plagued by weakness. One should also not forget the Blackfyre remnants as well as the, unknown at the time, the survival of Aegon Targaryen carefully protected by the Spider.
The coffers of the royal treasury which had overflowed thanks to the careful rule of Tywin Lannister under Aerys began to deplete as the cost of the war was felt across the realm, even in the parts where none of the fighting had taken place, furthermore Hand of the King Jon Arryn was forced to cut rates across the realm to either reward stalwart allies or the placate the many enemies Robert Baratheron still had, chief among them the Dornish.
This all changed in 289 when Balon Greyjoy rebelled against the Iron Throne, wrongly deducing that the new Baratheon dynasty would not be able to challenge his hold on the Iron Island. He, along with many others, was proven quite wrong in his beliefs as the massed naval might House Redwyne and the Royal Fleet decisively defeat the Iron Fleet off the coast of Fair Isle. The Reach had made it's choice in it's monarch and would stand by Robert Baratheon.
The victory at sea and then on land provided the new dynasty with the much needed legitimacy that it required. The only thing it lacked was a monarch willing to lead.
Robert Baratheon was not such a man. In war and battle few could match him. His understanding of strategy and tactics was almost unparalleled and his ability to fight and inspire those around him has been seen in few leaders in history. He was also quite capable in turning foes into friends which allowed his House to take the throne and hold until his death, but he was not at all interested in the art of ruling.
Some argue it was his unhappy marriage with Cersei Lannister after the death of Lyanna Stark at the Tower of Joy, others point to the fact that Robert had long been recognized as a superb fighter but had been found lacking in his duties even as the Lord of Storm's End.
Whatever the case, the King had secured a realm which would experience a period of peace and prosperity, thanks in part to the Long Summer, but his failure to rule, to take into account the finances or the political scheming in his own court would lead to disaster.
His infidelity would drive his Queen Cersei Lannister to respond in kind by engaging in an incestuous relationship with her own brother, Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer with disastrous effects.
The Mockingbird Strikes, the Spider waits.
Through their coupling and a deliberate effort on her part with only perhaps the partial knowledge of her brother Cersei Lannister ensured that all the royal children would be only of Lannister Blood. The children however showed signs of their origins for they all had strong Lannister features and none of the Baratheon ones.
This alone would not have been cause for concern, indeed in a famous example Ned Stark's children looked almost exactly like their mother, but the Royal Court was not without it's spies and intrigue.
The power plays by Cersei Lannister had created significant friction with all the members of House Baratheon and the Hand of the King. The massive debts owed to Casterly Rock further increased those tensions and finally the spies of Varys and Littlefinger played their role.
It is unclear how the discovery was initially was made or by whom. Was it a servant intruding on the twins in their act or perhaps having an ear on otherwise private conversations, did little birds pay attention to the moon tea the Kingslayer procured for his sister in extreme secrecy or did rummage through the Grand Maester's journal on the the royal children.
Nothing can be said for certain except that by 297 both the Spider and Mockingbird knew, and with such knowledge they acted in their own way to bring the end of the Baratheon Dynasty. In particular the Mockingbird through his connection to Lysa Arryn was able to make certain the information would reach the Hand, who then with the aid of Stannis Baratheon, Master of Ships, conducted his own investigation.
What role if any the Spider and Mockingbird played in that investigation we do not know, but what is clear is that by 298 both the Hand and Master of Ships were convinced that the children were born of incest and not Robert's trueborn heirs, and they planned to act on this information.
However in a foolish move Jon Arryn revealed to his wife all that he planned, and she then informed her supposed lover Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, the Mockingbird, who had other ideas. Convincing Lysa to poison her husband he then waited for the chaos that would ensue.
It was quite fortunate for Baelish that the Grand Maester, acting on the belief the death of the Hand would be a boon for his Lannister masters, allowed Jon Arryn to die. Fortunate for Littlefinger and a disaster for the realm.
During this time the Spider did not intervene in these events, perhaps he might have had he not been bogged down in a war in the shadows against his arch-rival, but with limited information he waited and bid his time for events to turn in his favor, wait until he could bring about the end of the Baratheons and bring back Rhaegar's child to the throne.
Such a time would never come to pass, for in the west an Old Lion stirred.
A Divine Play
From the death of his wife Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, had been consumed by bitterness. Bitterness at the gods for having stolen his beloved from the realm of the living, at this children for their perceived failures and finally at his best friend Aerys who turned out to be a maniac that undid all the good work he had done as Hand of the King.
He allowed it to consume him so that although the Westerlands were ruled ably the glory days of Tywin's youth had long since passed. The realm which he had devoted his life to was ruled by a lecher who had no respect for all the hard work it had taken to piece it back together after the tragedy of Summerhall.
This changed in 298 with the arrival a new soul to Westeros. Through divine power this soul joined together with Tywin. They did not merge together but rather two separate people lived in the same body, could each take turns in controlling it while sharing space inside of the mind. The description was like sitting in a room and taking turns at the ship's wheel according to them both.
The new soul called itself Richard, from a place it named Earth. He brought with him a wealth of knowledge to Westeros, including not only things that could be quickly put to use such as the printing press, seed drill but also more longer term such as gunpowder, ship designs, electricity, the telegraph and many wonders that would change our world forever.
Crucially Richard also brought knowledge of future events in Westeros and Essos. Tywin was not quick to trust in this being that shared a body with him, but when Jon Arryn died as predicted he listened, he listened to the plot hatched by Varys to seat Aegon on the throne, of Ned Stark protecting the only trueborn child of Rhaegar and Lyanna, of Littlefinger and his schemes.
He listened when Richard revealed the greatest threat to House Lannister, that Cersei's children were all bastards born of incest. How the king would die and leave the realm in chaos, how Stannis and Renly would rise to claim their brother's throne, how Joffrey would execute Ned Stark and lead to the crowing of Robb Stark, how the young wolf would win every battle he personally fought in but lose the war to treachery and how this all would bring disaster to the the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms when the dead would march south.
Tywin Lannister listened to all that Richard knew, demanding every piece of knowledge that the new soul in his mind has access to, then the Lion made his plans. It took days during which to the outside world he barely spoke or ate, only writing down a vast amount of information that would ever see let understand.
Then on the seventh day the Lion roared like none had ever heard him before. Orders went across the Westerlands to trusted nobles for a mobilization at a specific time and place. Pyromancers and Maesters of no importance to their orders were secreted to Casterly Rock to work on projects that in time would change the face of Westeros. Craftsmen of all kinds were commissioned to work on tools, weapons and armor.
The Lannisters prepared for the war that would come. In the meantime the Old Lion assembled a few hundred of his most trusted red cloaks and rode hard east, not to prevent the disaster but to control it to his liking.
The Proud Stag's End
"One may inquire as to why, with all the knowledge I had at my fingertips, I did not seek to save the king and prevent the calamity to come. Surely one could say that peace in the realm could only serve us better against the coming storm of Ice and Fire. That the kings ability in war was almost unmatched and that if there were any to face the coming foe it was him.
To which I argue that for all the king's abilities in war I had no desire to bow and scrape before him. I had done so for too long for the Dragon and it had gained me and my house nothing. That I should bend before a drunken lecherous fool that had almost led his realm to breaking through his idiocy was lunacy.
Cersei had done great harm herself to the realm, but that I should feel some obligation to make up for that is foolishness. She paid her debt alone in full.
Richard had told me much, shown me even more of the world he had come from. I had allowed by bitterness to cloud my judgement for too long, prevented from seeing things I should have long ago. I would not save this fool's life. Let him die and be remembered by history for what he was: A drunk, an adulterer and a fool. A man to be mocked and condemned by the gods.
Because by what right does the Stag rule the Lion?" - From Tywin Lannister to the Citadel.
Tywin Lannister rode east to the Crossroads Inn, to observe and intervene in certain events. He prevented the loss of the direwolves Nymeria and Lady and hinted to Ned Stark that he knew of a certain letter and that House Lannister had not been involved. The Wolf did not believe the Lion, but it made him doubt.
He could have done more based on what he knew, he choose not to. Cersei could not understand her father's actions but Tywin allowed himself to show little, barely managing to keep his fury in check at his daughter's actions. After seeing Joffrey himself at his worst he had made a clear decision: He would not follow the sloth that sat on the throne, nor would he crown Aerys the Third.
He separated back west soon after to wait for events to unfold. Tyrion was taken and the Westerlands marshaled for war. He held Gregor Clegane in check and forced his dog to march under no banner to burn the Riverlands, but not under any circumstance to rape or kill. The Lion would be suspected all the same, but it would be deniable.
The Trout was hesitant in responding and begged for the King's aid. The Wolf sent a force that was not only defeated but captured at the Mummer's Ford: There would be no Brotherhood but Thoros of Myr would prove his power when he revived Beric Dondarrion before the eyes of the Lion and his army.
This act that shocked many among the Lannister host gave Tywin and opportunity that he desired. Conversing in private with the priest and the Lightining Lord an agreement was reached after much wrangling.
It is to this day unclear what was said and how but Thoros and Lord Dondarrion joined the Lannister Host as guests, they would not fight but nor would they raise their arms against the Lion, the role they would play in future events would be significant. The rest of the force they had once led was sent to the Rock to live in comfortable captivity until the war's end.
Soon after Robbert Baratheon died at Cersei's hand, Ned Stark, betrayed by Littlefinger and captured, led the young wolf Robb Stark to march south with a massive host of 24.000 northmen to save his family. The Riverlands fell under the might of the Lannister hosts numbering some 26.000 under Tywin and 18.000 under Jaime. The many months of secret preparation having borne some fruit. Within a moon all save for Seagard, Maidenpool and the Twins fell before the Lion.
The war had truly begun.
- Archmaester Perestan, Wars of 298-304 AC
A/N: Not your usually story, but to be fair I am not a terribly good writer due to the language barrier I have to work with and lacking in the patience to do so. I decided to write in a similar format to what you might see on a wiki.
It's also different then most SIs as in Tywin is still around but he's sharing a body with another soul that can and does control it at times.
I will try and be fair to the characters, but I do wish to make it clear I do not hold Bobby B in any high regard and nor will Richard/Tywin. If we are to condemn Cersei, and rightly so, how can we not condemn this drunken idiot who committed adultery and is just as if not more so responsible for the state of the realm?
