A/N: Please forgive me for this delay. I'm not going to make a million excuses, but I sincerely thank everyone who has reviewed the past few months. Your responses and encouragement has helped me so much. Please enjoy-hopefully I can get out the next chapter a little faster!
As Tyrion wandered away from the king's chambers, his mind whirled at the devastation Cersei had almost brought about. She had always been cruel and stupid, even when they had been children, but now...now it was something else...something altogether more dangerous and unpredictable. Her mind was slipping into madness. And while he would have loved to blame it on Joffrey's poisoning, he could not deny that the warning signs had been there before. She was becoming a liability and soon she would have to be controlled- before she ruined them all.
Not quite ready to face anyone yet-not even his pretty, sweet wife- he found himself meandering around the keep aimlessly. After about an hour of processing, he headed to the kitchen to steal away some necessary fortifiers and then made his way to his brother's chamber. He hesitated at the wooden door for just a moment before raising a hand and knocking.
His brother opened the door, red-eyed and ready to snarl at whoever had dared bother him, but paused when he realized it was Tyrion.
But it seemed as if Jaime was uninterested in seeing any of his family members. "Go away," he murmured weakly and tried to close the door in Tyrion's face, but only haphazardly as the dwarf easily pushed it back open.
"Come now, you can't mean to send me away!" Tyrion infused his voice with a jovial attitude as he strode into Jamie's presence chamber ignoring his brother's glare. "I may be Lannister, but I look nothing like our sweet sister or our formidable patriarch! As they never fail to remind me! Surely my presence will do nothing to remind you of our vicious family." He could see a smirk tugging at Jaime's lips despite himself and quickly poured them both a goblet of the bitter red wine from the stolen jug. He offered one up to his brother who took it with a withering look before draining it quickly. Tyrion slowly sipped from his own cup as he thought over what he could say to his suffering brother. Jaime sunk into a chair, his head practically between his knees. The men sat in silence. His brother looked utterly defeated, gazing stonily at the empty cup in his hands, seeing nothing. Just when Tyrion was growing uncomfortable with the silence, Jaime let out a sigh, sitting back and meeting his brothers gaze.
"You've always known." It wasn't a question, but Tyrion nodded anyway. "Has she always been so..." Jaime trailed off, but his tone was laced with embarrassment and shame.
"I loved her once, you know." Tyrion started, remembering the days when he was a child and had not been quite so aware of her disdain for him. Back when she was his golden, beautiful sister and even when she had become queen. He had been so proud to have her as a sister. She had never been kind to him, but it was only as he grew that he had accepted that she actually, truly, hated him. It had been a bitter realization. He wondered how their relationship would have been if their mother had lived... But he might as well wish for a dragon of his own for all the good it would do him. No...he had murdered Cersei's mother and for that she would never forgive him. But still, Jaime was his brother- the only one he could always count on. And he had truly loved her. Or at least loved the woman he thought she was. "She's gotten worse, Jaime. After Robert...after this trouble with Joffrey... She's not in her right mind." They had all suffered greatly over the years and that had not excused any of their actions, but Jaime did not have to hear that. Tyrion could tell just by looking at his brother that the man was broken. First he had lost his hand, now his lover. The two things that made Jaime whole were pulled from him, leaving him an empty shell. He did not doubt that Jaime could get through this, but it would be hard. And he would need love and support. Perhaps he could travel with he and Sansa to The Rock once all these insanity had passed.
"She told Father...He knows..."Jaime struggled to speak and Tyrion saw how his knuckle went white where it gripped the goblet.
Tyrion hesitated a heartbeat before shaking his head. "She did not get a chance, Jaime. Not to say the words. And that's enough doubt for him. He will not know because he does not wish to know." If Tyrion was sure of anything, it was that their father would not accept the truth that was shoved in front of him. Tywin Lannister was many things, but he could not handle this obvious destruction of his ideals. And so he would not see it, just as he had not ever seen it before.
But Cersei had signed her fate now. While Tyrion was sure it was originally Tywin's plan to keep her in King's Landing, even if only for a few years as they solidified Tommen's rule, now he was sure to send her off somewhere as soon as possible. She was a wild card and Tywin would not suffer the threat she posed.
He could send her to the seven hells, for all that Tyrion cared- but it was likely he'd send Jaime away as well. There was no way that their legacy-obsessed father would allow another grandson's rule to be tainted by any scandal. And keeping either of the twins here was begging for disaster. It would also leave Tywin uncontested for influence over the new king. Tommen was a sweet boy and would undoubtedly be a better king, but he was still just a boy. Tywin would be regent, hand, and Grandfather to their child ruler-effectively taking control of the seven kingdoms.
The brothers were silent for a moment, weighed down by the reality of how far they had all fallen. Finally Jaime spoke again, interrupting Tyrion's thoughts.
"You've always known..." he all but whispered, glancing up at his brother. Tyrion could see his eyes swimming with emotion.
Pain. Vulnerability. Humiliation. Disgust. Shame. All swirling in those emerald chips and it broke his heart.
"I've always known that you deserve more. More than to just be another tool for her to use as she will. You deserve a woman who will cherish you for who you are. One that will not just take and take without a care to your wellbeing. You know father will seek a bride for you now-especially with her...outburst."
Jaime glanced away, sniffing loudly and clearing his throat before turning back to his brother with drier eyes and a ghost of his normal scornful smirk.
"A woman who will care for me, eh? Care for the kingslayer? For the cripple I have become?"
Tyrion chuckled before his thoughts went someone infinitely more peaceful. Long copper curls and dazzling blue eyes filled his mind and he couldn't help the grin that came over his features. "If the demon monkey could find such a gentle creature, so then could his handsome brother-sword hand or no."
Now the smirk was back in full force. "Well aren't you a lucky man" he drawled.
"Oh, but I am, brother. And aren't you happy for me?" Jaime smiled wickedly before raising his glass in a toast and taking a sip. "I seem to remember my beautiful wife has a sister...perhaps you would like a Stark bride of your own?" Tyrion teased and full on laughed when his comment had Jaime coughing up his wine.