Tommen spent the next several days going through any book on the North that Grand Maester Pycelle recommended. And when he saw the size of some of them, he knew reading through each one was going to be a hindrance. He was able to eliminate a few straight away. Several fantasy stories about Bran the Builder and the brave Starks from the Age of Heroes were of no use to him now. He needed something a bit more real. Something that could help send Sansa home and stop the North from rebelling, and he wasn't going to find that in books meant for children.

That left him with several more tomes on northern trade, houses, and previous Kings in the North. Not quite the exciting reading of the heroic tales but it did help paint a better picture for the North as a whole and how it's army worked. The more he learned, the more Tommen realized just how difficult of a problem his grandfather was facing.

The North was very isolated so that meant marching an army up to it would difficult, and even if Tywin could, it wouldn't last long with a lack of food or resources. To have a steady foothold in the region, they'd have to conquer the city of Whiteharbour and ship food and supplies up that way. That might be and if his grandfather was right, all were now united by the idea of independence. A unified kingdom led by a talented commander who had yet to lose a battle was a dangerous foe.

"Ser Balon?" Tommen asked.

"Yes, your grace?"

"Do you know anything about the North?"

"Not a great deal, your grace," Balon admitted. "I've spent my life in the Stormlands and the Crownlands. Any opinions I have on the North come from lord Eddard Stark and the soldiers that came with him."

Eddard Stark. Tommen tried to picture the man in his mind. What he looked like, how he acted. Searching for any clue that could give him insight into his son. "And what are those opinions?" Tommen asked.

"The soldiers were loyal to their leader," Balon said. "More so than I expected them to be."

"Why were you surprised," Tommen asked.

"The Northmen were very opinionated, your grace." Ser Balon said. "And their opinions often went against their lord's own. There was this one soldier, Jory, I think. He thought coming down to Kings Landing was a horrible idea. And made no secret of it to the rest of the Northmen."

Tommen raised his eyebrows. "And Lord Stark didn't punish him for his words?"

Balon shook his head. "There was no need. Because there wasn't a more loyal soldier in his entire guard."

"What about Ned Stark, himself?" Tommen asked. "Did you meet him?"

"No more than a passing glance, your grace," Balon said. "But I respected him. I'd heard stories of his honorable nature and when I saw the man in person, they seemed to be true. At least until he tried to dethrone your brother."

Tommen frowned, thinking back to that terrible ordeal. The cries Sansa had let out trying to save him were said to have been heard across the entire city. "Do you think he deserved to die?" Tommen asked. "You may speak freely."

"The King's justice seemed harsh to my eye, your grace." Ser Balon admitted. "For certain, a punishment was required for taking up arms against the king. But to execute a man in front of his pleading daughter..." Ser Balon sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter now."

"I'm not so certain," Tommen said. The boy gave one last look through his book before closing it. "I need to know everything I can about Eddard Stark if I want to have any idea how Robb thinks."

"The Young Wolf?" Ser Balon asked. "Why do you want to know about him?"

"As I said, my grandfather gave me a job," Tommen replied, "And I need to find out as much as I can about Robb if I'm going to complete it.

After his sister had been "kind enough" to visit him, Tyrion was certain that no one else would be knocking at his new chambers unless whoever tried to have him killed back in the Bay wanted to finish the job. With Bronn and Podrick out in the city taking note of the damages done to during the invasion, his door had been locked tight and he was settling back into his habit of drinking wine as he waited. He wondered about asking Shae to pay a visit but with his father here, they couldn't afford to be as open as they were before. Any meetings between them would have to be planned for now.

That left him alone in his room save for a pitcher full of wine and a desperate need to forget about no longer being Hand. Which he would've gladly started on had he not heard the voice that came with the knocking. "Uncle?"

As the voice promised, Tyrion met his youngest nephew right at the door with Ser Balon right by his side. "Tommen. I'm surprised to see you here."

His nephew inspected his face. "Joffrey thought you lost a nose."

"I'm sure he hoped I did," Tyrion replied. He ran a finger across his new scar before continuing. "Kind of you to come and see me Tommen. I'd have thought you'd be..."

"In my room, trying to act like the city hadn't been invaded?" Tommen asked back.

"Preoccupied, was the word I was going for," Tyrion said. The tone in his nephew's struck him as odd. "In any case, what do you want? If you're looking for a playmate..."

Tommen entered Tyrion's chambers with a frown. "Mother, Joffrey, and grandfather have all made the same comment so I'd appreciate it if you didn't."

Tyrion grew a smirk at the remark and closed the door. Something had indeed changed in his nephew. "Very well then. What do you want with me?"

"I'm hoping you can help me with Sansa."

"Sansa?" Tyrion asked. He beckoned his nephew over to his table and they sat down. "What's your interest in her?"

"I want to find a way to help her get home and stop the war with her family," Tommen said.

Tyrion raised an eyebrow as he poured himself a cup of wine. "Ah, an easy challenge, I'm sure."

"Well, it doesn't feel like it." Tommen sighed in his chair. "I've been going over every book on the North I can find, and I'm coming up empty."

One surprise after another it seemed. First, his nephew comes to see him, then tells him he's trying to find a way to end the war with the Starks, and then it appears he's taking the task seriously. Tyrion's smirk grew into a smile. "I'm not sure a book is going to help you in this matter. Unless Eddard Stark wrote one and it gave detailed accounts of everyone in his family."

"You think he did?" Tommen asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Tyrion said. "And you'd be wasting time trying to look for one."

"I asked Grandfather about trading Sansa back to her family in return for their surrender. But he doesn't think it will work with Robb Stark wanting independence." Tommen said.

The idea of Tommen discussing anything with Tywin was such a strange image. "He's right," Tyrion said. "Independence is too big a cause for a king to throw away, quickly. Especially, when such a king has yet to lose a battle."

Tommen's eyes lit up at the word. "Quickly?"

Tyrion smirked. "A man can give up any cause if it's made to look impossible to achieve. And if he can't, the men who follow him can."

Tommen blinked and locked his fingers together. "So, I need to make it look like independence can't be achieved."

"That's one possible solution," Tyrion said. "But there are several others, as well. There's the outcome of achieving what you want only to find out you can't keep it."

"What do you mean?" Tommen asked.

"Let's say, Robb Stark continues to win battles and somehow Joffrey allows the North's independence. A fantasy of course, but that part matters little. Now Robb Stark has achieved his desired goal. What does he do next?"

Tommen paused for a moment as he thought. "...He'd still be king so he'd be ruling."

"Correct," Tyrion said. "But now he must face problems that he could've ignored before. Winter is on the way so food must be systematically gathered. With the North now independent, they'll need to write down and negotiate entire new trade deals with either the Throne or Essos to make sure trade continues to flow. If it stops, a good many Northmen will die when Winter truly comes."

Tommen nodded at his uncle's words and thought back to his family's journey to the North. He couldn't recall much of it, but he had been reading that farming in the North was incredibly limited. Especially when compared to the likes of the Reach, they simply didn't have the means to supply a good amount of food. "I can't remember much from Robb Stark when we were at Winterfell," Tommen said. "Did he seem like a man who could sit down and write out trade deals?"

Tyrion let out a chuckle. "The boy has surprised us plenty, so I wouldn't be shocked if he did. But getting back to the point, he'd have to do all of this himself. The North would be on its own and have to survive without the food or protection of the Crown."

Tommen frowned at the statement. "When was the last time, the Crown protected the North?"

Tyrion blinked for a moment before shaking his head. "A fair point." He poured another cup of wine before asking the question his father did. "Why such an interest in Sansa? You never seemed to pay her much mind before."

Tommen sighed as he looked down at his feet. "I don't think I've been a good friend. Or a good prince. While you and grandfather were out trying to save us, I was hiding away pretending nothing was happening. While my brother was tormenting my friend, I stayed in my room and didn't do anything to help."

The guilt in his voice worried Tyrion. "You're a child. It's no crime to act like one."

"I don't want to act like a child," Tommen said. "Not...Not anymore." He looked back up to his uncle with a new fire in his eyes. "I want to help. I want to help my family and my friends. I want to stop this war, and I don't want to be afraid again."

Tyrion couldn't hide a smile at the boy's resolve. Whether it was sincere or not would be proved in time, but one little detail lingered in his mind. "Afraid?" Tyrion asked.

Tommen frowned at the word but nodded. "Before Grandfather came for us, Mother and I were waiting in the throne room. She seemed so scared and I was too. I thought I was going to die like Eddard Stark. I don't want to feel that way again."

Tyrion was silent for a moment as he considered his nephew's words. In short, they were astonishing. The goodness in the boy was still there but something had shifted inside. It seemed he wanted to take a more active roll in things, and in doing so, actually help the people close to him. A rare quality in any family. Let alone the Lannisters.

He took another sip of wine and wondered where Tommen might've gotten in from. Certainly not Cersei or Tywin. Jamie, perhaps? Maybe... A portrait of a woman came to his mind. A woman he had killed the day he was born. If anything good was in their family, it had to come from her.

"Uncle?" Tommen asked, worried about the far-away look in his eyes.

Tyrion shook his and refocused. "Apologies nephew, my mind got away from me." He tapped his fingers together as he pondered the situation. "It's difficult to win this war and keep Sansa's family alive. Especially while Joffrey is on the throne."

"But not impossible?" Tommen asked.

Tyrion nodded. "Certainly not. As I said, all we need is for Robb Stark and his men to realize that independence is unachievable or not worth having. Especially with the Greyjoys running wild."

Tommen felt his mind slow at the word. Greyjoys?

Tyrion smiled at the face of realization his nephew had made. "You hadn't considered the Ironborn?" He asked.

Tommen shook his head. "I was so focused on the Starks and the North, I didn't think... He smiled at his uncle. "What has the Ironborn done to the North?"

Tyrion thought back to the letters he'd gotten while as Hand. "What they usually do. Raid and destroy anything they can get their hands on. While Robb Stark has been fighting us, they've been running wild through the North."

"But I thought Robb Stark and Theon Greyjoy were friends," Tommen said.

Tyrion frowned at the sentence. "Perhaps they were, perhaps they weren't. Either way, the Greyjoy boy has sided with his own family in this matter. He even managed to steal Winterfell out from under Robb's nose.

Tommen didn't try to hide his astonishment. Taking Winterfell away from the Starks must've been a huge blow to Robb's pride.

"And..." Tyrion paused, silently debating with himself on whether to reveal this information to his nephew. Tommen tapped his finger as he waited before Tyrion continued. "...It's rumored that he murdered Bran and Rickon Stark."

Tommen's eyes dimmed at the words. He thought back to Winterfell and the boy who always seemed to be climbing around. He had taken a bad fall before they left the castle but Tommen had hoped that maybe he would get better. As far as he knew, he never did. And even if he had, he and his baby brother were now dead. "That's sad." The prince said.

Tyrion nodded. "It is. Bran was a tough boy. I met him on my way back from the Wall." He remembered the stubborn boy's eyes light up when he saw Tyrion's designs for a saddle. He sighed. "A betrayal such as that would haunt anyone. Especially a Stark, I'd imagine."

Tommen looked at the pitcher of wine his uncle was drinking from and ran through all the information he had now had. The Starks wanted independence, but perhaps that want could be mitigated with the right pressure. The Starks didn't have Winterfell, Theon had betrayed them and killed Robb's brothers. And the Ironborn were running wild through the North, raiding or killing anything they came across.

Slowly, pieces began to fall into place. Even if Robb hated Tommen's family for the death of his father, he'd have to hate the Greyjoys just as much if not more so. The same could be said for the Northmen. They'd been fighting Lannister soldiers, but Lannister soldiers weren't the ones ransacking their homes like the Ironborn were. Wouldn't that be a better enemy to fight?

Tyrion watched in fascination as his nephew's mind turned. He wondered what Cersei would say if he saw a child of hers think about problems instead of acting like a cruel little fool.

"Does Grandfather know about this?" Tommen asked.

"I'd imagine there's little Tywin Lannister doesn't know about," Tyrion replied. "Nevertheless, I think he will be interested to hear what you have to say. It would please him to see that one of his grandsons take ruling seriously."

Tommen nodded at his uncle and took in a breath. "He's kind of scary, Grandfather."

Tyrion nearly choked on his wine. "That-That he is." Tyrion made out through chuckling. "The man is probably the most dangerous Lannister out of all of us. And I'm including your brother and mother."

Tommen's lips curled. "I'm glad we have him here with us, but what are you going to do now?"

Tyrion shrugged. "I'm sure he'll have a job or two for me. Despite our relationship, things are still expected from a Lannister." He smiled at his nephew. "And despite the Baratheon name, you are still a Lannister in his eyes. He'll have expectations for you too."

Tommen nodded. "Thank you, uncle. Would you mind if I came to talk to you more?"

"Not at all," Tyrion replied as his nephew stood up. "I'm thankful for a voice that doesn't drink my wine or kill my attackers."

"Attackers?" Tommen asked.

"At the Blackwater, a Kingsguard gave me this," Tyrion said, running a finger across his scar. "My squire, Podrick Payne saved my life by ending his."

Tommen left his uncle's chambers feeling more confident and more worried. His uncle was a great help when it came to forming a plan for the Starks but the last bit of information he revealed made Tommen nervous. A Kingsguard tried to kill him? During the battle? That didn't make any sense. Tyrion was out fighting off Stannis' forces. He was trying to save their family. What sense did it make for someone to try and kill him then?

"Ser Balon, did you know the Kingsguard who tried to kill uncle Tyrion?"

Ser Balon shook his head. "Ser Mandon Moore was a quiet man, your grace. Kept mostly to himself. As far as I know, he was just as loyal to the Crown as any other Kingsguard."

"Loyal to the Crown..." Tommen repeated the words as they walked out into the gardens. The answer was obvious now. His uncle had probably figured it out days before Tommen even came to him. "I know my brother doesn't like my uncle but trying to have him killed was stupid."

Ser Balon remained silent as Tommen turned back to face him. "If...If Joffrey wanted to hurt someone else, would you stop him if I told you too?"

"I'm a Kingsguard, your grace." Ser Balon reminded him. "I'm sworn to obey his commands. Whether I like them or not."

"So if he told you to hurt uncle Tyrion, Sansa, or..." Tommen swallowed as a horrible thought ran through his head. "or me, you would?"

Ser Balon frowned but didn't try to lie to the prince. He gave a swift nod. "I pray to the gods it never comes to that."

Tommen felt a chill run up his spine as he realized he was just as defenseless now as he was with his mother during the battle. That needed to change. He thought back to the stories about his late father. The mighty Robert Baratheon and his skill with a Warhammer. He hadn't needed guards when he fought Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident. He had done it himself.

Tommen looked at the sword on his guard's side. "Ser Balon, what can I order you to do?"

Ser Balon noticed the glance."Anything that doesn't directly go against the king, your grace."

Tommen smiled at his words. "I want to learn how to use a sword."

After a brief discussion, the two went back to the prince's chambers and remained there until late in the day. By the time the moon had risen, Tommen stood at his window looking out into the night. The night wind was pleasant to the touch and the young prince always liked looking out towards the ocean. It never ceased to bring a feeling of calm to him, even on the day Myrcella left the city.

He felt his chest tighten at the thought of his sister. Was she okay? What was she doing now? Did she know about the battle? He'd been so caught up with everything in the last few days he had almost forgotten about her. He wondered if it was possible to see her, either to go visit her in Dorne or bring her back to King's Landing. He missed her voice and smile and sent a quiet prayer to the Seven that she was happy and safe.

When they did meet again, she wouldn't see a crying boy watching helplessly as she sailed away. She'd see a prince of the Seven Kingdoms. A Lion that was willing and able to protect everyone close to him.

A/N: There's another one. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'm sorry about the wait. Life just gets in the way of these things and if its not that it's school getting in the way.

See ya next chapter.