While the army is on the move, Tyrion plans for new diplomatic moves.
TYRION XIV
"My lord, I fail to understand why we abandon the city."
"We're not abandoning the city, Ser Addam. We are abandoning the king."
"You are my liege lord, but we all swore fealty to the king. Abandoning him in such a crucial hour is nothing less than treason. Not to mention abandoning Ser Jaime and the queen."
The mention of Cersei and Jaime was not to make Tyrion more amiable with one of his generals.
"Jaime and Cersei chose to remain with the king. He is a kingsguard and she is his mother. I couldn't force them to abandon him." He could have, but he didn't want to. "The king tried to kill my wife. Would you continue to serve a king who tried to murder the Lady of Casterly Rock?"
That was the story Tyrion told the officers of his army before they left tonight. It wasn't far from the truth. Joffrey was modeled and raised by Cersei. She was the one who put him on the throne. Joffrey was as responsible for the attempt of murder on Margaery than Cersei was of Ned Stark's death. He was done with both of them, and for good.
"Of course not, my lord. I still think we shouldn't have left the city. We leave it open for Stannis and Robb Stark to take it."
"What would you have me do, Ser Addam? Imprison the king and my own sister? Overthrow the king like Ned Stark tried? Remember what happened to him. I don't intend to end the same way. Anyway, Joffrey is my nephew. I cannot kill him. I won't be branded a kinslayer."
Let Stannis do the job for us.
"I still believe it is a mistake to let Stannis seize the Iron Throne. To lose the capital is not good for the war."
"You're a man of war, Ser Addam. I am a man of peace, without meaning any offense. Stannis will seize King's Landing, it's true, and he will sit on the Iron Throne, it is true as well. But he will be alone. No one supports him. His only true ally is Robb Stark and his kingdom was invaded by the Greyjoys. Robb Stark won't stay in the south for long, and without him, Stannis can only expect support from the Riverlands, and their forces were deeply reduced at the Battle of the Golden Tooth. Against the Reach and the Westerlands, he won't stand a chance, especially if he must protect both the capital and the Stormlands."
"We are giving him the advantage of moving, my lord. He's the one who will choose the next battles.
"Believe me, he won't. You never get to choose your battles when you're alone and surrounded by enemies, unless you can turn some of your enemies into friends, something Stannis is incapable of."
"My lord..."
"I made my decision, ser. We cannot kill our king, but we're not going to fight for him. We will deal with Stannis when the time is right, and that time has not come yet. We're heading back to the Westerlands and we will prepare a new strategy with the Tyrells. They will fight with us now. You're dismissed."
As Addam Marbrand left Tyrion alone in the command tent, he thought of the consequences of the decisions he took in the last hours. He abandoned half of his family to their death. He knew it. They had no chance to survive Stannis's assault on the capital, not without his men.
Strategically speaking, it was indeed a terrible decision to abandon the city and let Stannis take the Iron Throne. However, Tyrion didn't see what else he could do. He couldn't kill members of his family. The only option for him was to leave. He owed it to Margaery.
It's probably the best decision you've made for the past year.
That was the last words she told him. When he went to her, after paying a visit to the Hound, then to his beloved brother while he fucked their sister, he told her they were leaving King's Landing, and that was all she said. Ever since, she didn't speak to him further.
Tyrion had tried to talk to her today, when the army stopped in the middle of the day. He only met a cold silence. He ended up holding a monologue about the orders he sent and what the Lannister army would do. He informed her of the raven he sent to Stafford who was still besieging Riverrun. Robb Stark was still heading in that direction, if he wasn't already there, fighting Tyrion's men. His men, who fought for Joffrey.
Tyrion had wanted Margaery to write to her father, but when he came to the moment to ask her, he couldn't. He didn't feel like he could ask her anything right now. He used her and her family. He used her to protect the very people who tried to kill her, who killed her brother, and who tried to have Tyrion himself murdered. Why did he place Cersei and Joffrey before his wife?
Because they are family.
It seemed so logical for an answer, and yet so absurd. Only Jaime was worth fighting for, and even then Tyrion couldn't find a way how he could justify his actions to his wife.
And here he was, in the command tent, while Margaery remained in her own pavilion, away from him. Their reunion after her mission in the Stormlands didn't turn like he thought it would, far from it.
Ty came in. "My lord, Ser Barristan Selmy wishes to speak with you."
Tyrion frowned. "Ser Barristan?"
"Yes, my lord, he's here with Ser Preston Greenfield."
How strange. Tyrion expected Cersei to send people after him, but Selmy and Greenfield? If she wanted someone to assassinate him, it was a very odd choice. Barristan Selmy would never murder a man, and Greenfield was in no way loyal to Cersei. His family was from the Westerlands, loyal to House Lannister, and the information Tyrion gathered showed he was in no way more loyal to Cersei than to him. Still, they didn't suspect Moore much either. Then why send Selmy with him? To reduce Tyrion's suspicions? To stab him in the back when he expected it the least? Or could Ser Barristan have changed overnight in such a way that he could condone the assassination of the Lord of Casterly Rock? And if Joffrey gave him the order to kill him, would the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard obey?
So many questions, and Tyrion couldn't answer them with certainty. He ordered Ty to bring them here, and to fetch its personal guard. When the two kingsguards came, Tyrion had twelve men all around the place.
Barristan Selmy looked all around the inside of the tent before he set his eyes on Tyrion. His gaze was severe. Preston Greenfield looked more uneasy.
"Lord Tyrion."
"Ser Barristan. Ser Preston."
"Your leaving surprised us all, my lord."
"You're the one who says it." Tyrion thought of the reaction Cersei and Joffrey must have had when they saw they had no army to protect them anymore. That was a small consolation to find in all this affair.
"King Joffrey is dead."
He felt nothing. Nothing at all. For a long moment, Tyrion just stood there, motionless, feeling nothing and doing nothing. It took him some time to realize how his men were reacting. Most exchanged gazes, but others whispered among themselves.
"Can you... repeat, Ser Barristan?" Tyrion needed to be sure that he didn't mishear.
"King Joffrey is dead." Before a thousand scenarios could run wild in his head about the circumstances of his nephew's death, Barristan Selmy enlightened him. "He was assassinated."
Silence lingered in the command tent. "Leave me alone with Ser Barristan."
It was a risk, but he had to take it. Soon, his men would start to suspect him. The king who dies the night his Hand resigns and leaves him. Few people would believe it was only a coincidence. The world might be a better place now that Joffrey was gone, but he didn't choose the best moment to die for Tyrion.
Tyrion found himself alone with the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, a Lord Commander who certainly believed he was the one behind the death of his king. He only had a dagger on him. Ser Barristan had a sword and was twice his height. He could kill Tyrion anytime. Tyrion could only count on the knight's honor to not execute him for a crime he didn't commit.
The old knight kept looking at him. His eyes showed suspicion, but also something else. Sadness? Disappointment? Regrets?
"Did you kill Joffrey?" he asked.
"No. Gods, no. I had no love for Joffrey and he had none for me. In fact, we despised each other, but he was of my blood. I would never kill someone of my family."
"Why did you really leave the capital?"
"Joffrey tried to have Lady Margaery killed. Ser Mandon Moore. He killed Ser Loras Tyrell and then tried to assassinate my wife. That's why I left. I couldn't continue to serve a king who tried to murder my wife, but I couldn't kill a member of my own family either. So I left."
Ser Barristan frowned and took a moment before he talked again. "According to what Ser Jaime told me, it was your sister who gave the order to Moore."
For a second time, Tyrion was taken by surprise tonight. "Jaime told you this?"
"Yes, and many other things."
Tyrion waved his hand to show it didn't matter. "Joffrey was raised by Cersei, and if Cersei did this, it was either with Joffrey's consent, or Joffrey didn't know but would have approved had Cersei told him. I don't see the difference. Anyway, do you think Joffrey would have done something about what Cersei did? She's his mother."
Tyrion didn't stop there. "Anyway, that's not the only reason. My wife met Catelyn Stark in the Stormlands and she found evidence that Joffrey sent an assassin to murder Brandon Stark while he visited Winterfell. This whole war is because of that cruel and stupid boy. I discovered it last night as well."
Ser Barristan seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Who found the assassin for Joffrey?"
"Sandor Clegane. See, two kingsguards involved in attempts of murder, one against my wife, the other one leading up to the actual war. All the more reason to leave the city."
Better to give him specific but well chosen information. Jaime told him about Mandon Moore, and about many other things, like the knight said. Better not to deceive Ser Barristan. Maybe Tyrion could turn him against Cersei. Maybe he already was against her, but it was better to be sure.
"Did you know that your sister killed Jon Arryn and King Robert?"
Jaime told him this as well? His brother had decided to say a lot of things to his Lord Commander after all. How much did he say? How did Jaime involve him in all this? Did he reveal how much Tyrion knew?
"I asked her if she killed Jon Arryn after Ned Stark's death. She swore it wasn't her doing. As for Robert, I raised the possibility that she could have something to do with it, but she claimed he died during the hunt because he drank too much."
He didn't lie. He didn't tell everything, but he didn't lie either.
The old knight sighed. "May I take the freedom to ask for a seat, my lord?"
"Take the one you want."
He let himself fall on the first chair he drew. He looked very tired and Tyrion suspected it was not only because of his age and the journey he made to reach them.
"I want to believe you, but I don't know who I can trust anymore."
"Then trust no one. I don't even trust myself." It might be unwise to say this, but it seemed appropriate on the moment.
"Your cousin, Ser Lancel Lannister, another of my sworn brothers, got Robert drunk so that he would die during the hunt. And your sister did kill Jon Arryn." Why didn't it surprise Tyrion? "How could I let that happen?"
"How do you think I feel? I allowed my own wife to travel with a man that my sister sent to assassinate her, and now her brother is dead."
Ser Barristan remained in his seat for some time, then he stood up and took a determined and solemn expression. "I'm here to serve and protect King Tommen, and so does Ser Preston Greenfield."
"It's appreciated."
"Just tell me you didn't know Joffrey was going to die."
"I didn't know he was going to die that night. I expected Stannis to take the city, and I didn't expect Joffrey to have the odds in his favor, but I didn't kill him, and I sent no one to kill him."
The old knight nodded. "It's in line with your brother's words."
He wanted to ask if Jaime said anything else, but he stopped himself before it was too late. It could give ideas to the knight, and Ser Barristan may be less willing to serve him if he suspected something else could be hidden, like the identity of Tommen's real father. He may already be aware of that, but Tyrion didn't want to feed any suspicion.
"May I ask why you brought the prince with you?"
"As I told you, I didn't have much hope for Joffrey when he would face Stannis. Joffrey may be a monster, but Tommen is not. I tried to save the people in my family who could be saved." He also brought Sansa with them. She was a valuable hostage. He didn't want to see her fall in the hands of Stannis. Or Joffrey to keep playing with her.
"Do you suspect I had something to do with the attempt of murder against Lady Lannister?"
There was no malice in the gaze of Ser Barristan. Tyrion concluded that the step of suspicion was over and that now Ser Barristan wanted to convince Tyrion he had no part in this. Tyrion had known Barristan Selmy for a long time, by reputation but also by seeing him regularly in King's Landing. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was too honorable. It couldn't be an act. Wasn't it?
Tyrion tried to reconsider his previous assessment of Ser Barristan and came to the conclusion that the knight probably couldn't change within one night to the point he could become a schemer.
"I learned in the previous night that a kingsguard tried to murder the woman I love and that another participated to an attempt of assassination on a boy of ten. Now you're telling me another kingsguard, my cousin furthermore, plotted to kill the king. I'm afraid it will take some time before I can trust someone with certainty."
"I understand." He truly believed what Tyrion was saying. He was on his side.
"Let the king sleep for tonight. We'll tell him the news tomorrow in the morning. I would like you to be present when I'll talk to him."
"Of course, my lord."
Tyrion called back all the officers of his army and told them what happened with the help of Barristan Selmy. The old knight was known for his virtue and his honor. To have him by his side while he announced the news that Tommen was their new king would reduce the suspicions his men might have that he killed Joffrey, and he could give more details about the circumstances of Joffrey's death than Tyrion could. The whole army would be informed tomorrow.
Tyrion spent some time writing messages to the most powerful houses in the Seven Kingdoms afterwards. The fact he was the one writing the letters might give the impression he was involved in Joffrey's death, but he couldn't let other people spread the news before him. His messages implicitly suggested Stannis had a hand in Joffrey's death and that Tommen would keep fighting the usurpers. Tyrion was very careful to not specify that Joffrey's enemies were fighting Joffrey. He needed to put some space between Joffrey and Tommen in people's minds. They were to understand that now they were not fighting Joffrey, the stupid Mad King, but Tommen, who was only a boy, but a boy with all the power of the Westerlands and the Reach behind him, along with the alliance of Dorne.
He then went to see someone. Someone he dreaded to visit.
He came upon Mira Forrester when he approached the tent and asked her to announce him to his wife. She looked uneasy when she told him she would. At the last minute, he added something.
"Tell her Joffrey is dead."
She had begun to walk towards the tent. The northern lady froze in movement and looked back at him. Tyrion made her understand with a simple gaze that he was serious. She recovered the best she could and entered Margaery's pavilion. He heard nothing of what was said inside. After a moment that looked like an eternity for him, she came back.
"She wants to see you."
He didn't need encouragements and walked in. She was turning her back to him, writing something at her desk. He stood there for a moment, waiting for her to look at him, or maybe he just didn't know what to say all of a sudden.
"Joffrey is dead." That was all he found to say in the end.
"I know." She didn't lift her eyes from the paper she was writing on. Was she using the method he inherited from his father: writing while talking to someone to make him feel he didn't care what that person was talking about? It such was her intent, it worked. Tyrion felt small before her, or behind her in this case, in all senses of the expression.
"We're going to hold a short ceremony tomorrow, some sort of coronation for Tommen. The army will recognize him as king." A silence followed. "Will you be there?" Another silence. "I need you."
"I'll be there," she said after a very long time.
"Thank you."
Once again, a long silence settled between them.
"What do you think of it? Of Joffrey's death?" he asked her.
"Good riddance."
"That's something we can agree on. I wonder who killed him. Probably Stannis. It wouldn't be the first time." He thought of the shadow Margaery told him about, the shadow who murdered Renly. They couldn't find Joffrey's murderer either. Was it possible that...? Then another idea crossed his mind. "You didn't do it?"
He regretted it the moment it came out. His wife stopped writing and turned to look at him. "Do you really think I could order this?"
"No, I was... I'm sorry."
They remained still, both of them. She stared at him, while Tyrion did everything he could to not meet her eyes. He forced himself to look at her.
"Tommen is not a monster. He's not Joffrey, and he's not like his mother."
If only he could explain to her. If only she could understand, but he couldn't blame her for not understanding. Her brother was dead, and he betrayed her. She had no idea how horrible he felt right now.
"I'll be there tomorrow. Leave me now."
He obeyed and walked away, feeling Margaery's gaze on his back.
He walked around the camp, two of his most trusted men following him. He couldn't take any risk, even less now that Joffrey was dead and Cersei certainly wanted him dead more than ever. He was an idiot if he believed there were no people in his army who would be willing to kill him to receive some favor from the queen.
Without realizing it, Tyrion ended before another tent, one he knew. There was a heavy guard all around it. These men were there to protect the occupant as much as to prevent her from escaping. He thought about it and made a decision. A handmaiden warned her of his presence.
Sansa Stark was waiting for him when he walked in.
"My lord."
"I hope I'm not disturbing you, my lady."
"No, my lord."
Tyrion found it strange that Sansa Stark was not dressed for the night. Maybe she had trouble sleeping.
"You should sit, Lady Sansa. I have... unsettling news for you." After the girl sat and that Tyrion did the same, he didn't lose time. "Joffrey is dead."
She barely winced at the news. Her eyes betrayed her emotions, but not much else. Tyrion had learned a long time ago that the eyes were the part of the body that were the most difficult to control. Even the most experienced players of the game of thrones gave away their true nature through them. Varys was among the very few people Tyrion met who could manage to not let his eyes betray anything. The Stark girl had learned well, but she was far from being as astute as the Spider. She couldn't either hide the shiver of her lips, the small jump she tried to conceal as redressing.
"My lord. I don't understand. How is that possible?" she stammered.
"Joffrey, the man you were supposed to marry, is dead. I suppose it is quite... unexpected for you."
"Yes, my lord. How did he die?"
"I don't have all the details, but it seems he was assassinated, in his sleep."
"It's a terrible day for the Realm." She didn't believe her own words. And her eyes betrayed her joy. Tyrion wasn't going to blame her. He himself felt some joy and a certain relief at the thought that Joffrey was gone. Margaery wasn't wrong. Good riddance.
"Yes, indeed, a terrible day, but we won't have much time to grieve. We're at war, and we have a new king now."
"Long may he reign."
"Yes, long may he reign." He meant it. For Tommen, he meant it. Seeing Joffrey dead left him indifferent somehow, but if Tommen was to die... No, Tyrion wouldn't allow it. "Do you want to go home, my lady?"
She was obviously taken aback by his proposition. "Home?"
"Yes, home. Well, right now it's being surrounded by the Ironborn, but once this conflict is over your family could get it back. I may not have phrased the question well enough. Do you want to go back to your family?"
"My family are traitors," she said with a voice that missed all emotion and color.
"Of course, they are, but do they need to be traitors? Is there a point to it anymore? Let's be serious, my lady. Joffrey killed your father. That's why your brother is fighting us. Joffrey is dead. Is there any reason left for fighting? Does your family have anything against Tommen? Any reason she would want him dead? He's the king now, not Joffrey."
"My family shouldn't fight you."
Tyrion grimaced. She wouldn't say anything that could compromise her. "Lady Sansa, after you left Winterfell, were you aware that someone tried to kill your brother Bran? The assassin was sent by Joffrey. It was the Hound who told me before we left. He hired the assassin for Joffrey. And my dear nephew sent someone to murder my wife as well, a someone who killed Loras Tyrell. We all suffered from Joffrey. Starks, Lannisters, Tyrells, we all suffered because of him. This war is not about my family and yours. It's about Joffrey, who killed your father, and who tried to kill his son. He started this war, and I protected him like a fool because he was my nephew. And because of that, we fought each other, all that for a spoiled boy who believed he could kill whoever he wanted because he had a crown on his head. Don't you think we should end this bloodshed before more people die?"
"I think I don't want anyone to die, and I don't want anyone to rebel against the king."
"Then we agree. So, I ask you again, do you want to go back to your family?"
"If that can help to persuade them to abandon the war, and to swear fealty to King Tommen, then yes, I want to be with them again."
He smiled. The Stark girl learned quickly. She might indeed survive them all.
"I will start negotiations with Robb Stark soon enough. If he can see reason and stop the fighting, I'll send you back to your family. Hopefully, it won't take long. In the meantime, you'll stay at Casterly Rock. I think you'll find the place more pleasant than King's Landing."
"I thank you, my lord. You're very kind."
Yes, he was the soul of kindness. She should ask her opinion to Margaery about it. She would tell her about his true nature.
"I wish you a good night, my lady."
Tyrion left Sansa Stark and went back to his personal pavilion. He didn't sleep of the night, still trying to see how he could use Joffrey's death in the best possible way. It opened an opportunity to cease hostilities with Robb Stark, but there was still Stannis to deal with. If Tyrion could manage to cut him from his allies, then Stannis wouldn't stand a chance against the Tyrells and the Lannisters. That was if the Tyrells remained at his side. Dorne would probably not step into the conflict. They would wait and see, like always. The Vale was still inactive, and although Lysa Arryn had no reason to fight for Tommen, she had no reason to fight for Stannis either. The Riverlands were weakened and would follow the Starks.
The Starks were the key piece on the board. Without them, Stannis couldn't win this war, at least not in the short term. Stannis was stubborn and determined enough to lead a war for years and years, for sure, and he was among the best military commanders of Westeros, but he could be defeated, even more so if he didn't have allies. Tyrion needed to get the Starks out of Stannis's supporters. and he had to keep the Tyrells among Tommen's supporters. He knew what that meant: keeping Margaery on his side. But this time, he wouldn't use her. He had a new king to defend, a king who deserved to be protected. and he also had a wife who deserved better than what he gave her these last months.
In the morning, she stood by his side while Tommen was presented to the troops. They had no crown, but it didn't matter. All recognized Tommen as their king, with Tyrion as Regent until he came of age and Ser Barristan Selmy as Lord Commander of his Kingsguard. Margaery voiced her fealty as well, though without enthusiasm. She didn't hold Tyrion's hand, but the fact she was present gave hope to Tyrion. All wasn't lost.
As you can see, Joffrey's death may have important consequences on the war, but not necessarily those Tyrion hopes for.
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