Flashes of two souls flicker throughout her eyes.
She sees the life of an ordinary girl, with wide gray-green eyes and metal braces. She watches as her lanky form becomes an athlete's physique as she becomes a track star, eventually getting enough recognition to be able to qualify for the chance to compete in the Olympics. Only for a car crash to paralyze her from the waist down.
She lost herself for some time, before she met a marvelous man, who didn't see her as a burden.
She remembers his warm hands and misty brown eyes as he held her hand for the final time as she was hospitalized after a severe reaction to her medication she had been taking.
Then she is a Lady, not just any Lady,
The Lady. The Lady of Casterly Rock, wife of Tywin, mother of two, with one coming to the world.
She watches as her stern husband's eyes warm as he turns his gaze upon her. Her heart flutters when he whispers how much he loves her.
She flinches when the cackle of Aerys verberates throughout her mind, and the feeling of his dirty hands reaching for her. With great clarity she can remember his vile breath on her neck as he whispers how much he would love to dishonor her.
She remembers barely getting out of his grasp before he could get the chance to make good on his threat.
She remembers her husband's icy rage when he found the bruises from the attempt.
How safe she felt with his strong body curled around her, Her mighty Lion.
She remembers.
Her body aches and burns as Joanna's exhausted mind comes to the realm of the living. She slowly blinks open her eyes, letting out a moan of pain as the sunlight invades her senses, quickly pulling her hand over her eyes and she relaxes as the pain recedes.
Distantly Joanna can hear commotion at the sound of her pained moan, the frantic words of nursemaids and a wrinkled hand gently guiding her hand away to press a cold rag against her head covering her eyes, his voice frail with age, "My Lady, thank the God's, I was not certain you would wake, you went through a lot dear one." She can hear the grandfatherly concern in his tone as he prodes her.
"I-" she tries but her throat seems to be deprived of moisture for she starts to hack, the rag falling off as she leans up, mentally screaming as stitches pull on her lower abdomen. Her mind clears as she desperately drinks the offered glass of water, not caring how unladylike she is right now.
"Thank you Maester…?" She genuinely doesn't recognize the old Maester.
The man with a rainbow of links, though the dark valyrian steel of the mystic arts catches her attention, as he answers, "forgive me, My Lady." He bows as much as his old body lets him as he raises she starts to see just who he is "For I am Maester Marwym," this makes her eyes widen slightly, she remembers reading of a Maester of the same name in another life. It's all so confusing, but she's not the Lady lion for nothing.
She catches his words just in time,"I had the privilege to be in the area and was able to save you and your child my Lady." At those words she watches as a nursemaid walks up to her.
She turns her focus on the babe being lowered in front of her, she can see the malformation of dwarfism as he's placed on her lap, but to her all she cares about is he's alive.
"Tyrion," she whispers, her eyes full of love as she gazes into his mismatched eyes, her hand cupping and caressing his the black and light blond locks, that faintly stipples throughout his head.
"I can't thank you enough Archmaester." She whispers not looking up, but she can hear the thick necked man let out a laugh, warm and carefree.
"Aye, it's been a minute since I've been addressed with that title my Lady, I almost forgot I had it." The knowing tone in his voice makes her look up, but no fear, as the man wouldn't go through all this trouble for nothing.
she asks quietly "Are you saying that you are the one who blessed me with this knowledge."
'If you can call it knowledge.' She thinks to herself, having the life of two women in her soul is a strange feeling, especially when one has a fictional retailing of her other life, no matter how little she was mentioned.
"I'll admit I don't know what it was I did," he says coming towards her sitting on the chair next to her. Joanna doesn't worry for the nursemaid as anyone in casterly rock would be foolish to even think about betraying the Lannisters, with Tywin at his peak.
Before she can inquire any further the sound of her door being thrown open followed by the sound of small feet.
Joanna waves for her nursemaid to take Tyrion just in time for two small forms of her precious twins scramble up on the bed, she quickly engulfs them not caring about her stitches at the moment, for all that matters is comforting her distraught children, "shh, my loves," she murmured into their crowns inhaling their sent still reeling on the events of today and it's only been an hour, if she is correct on her calculations.
"I'm alright." She continues to whisper comforting words to them.
Not knowing how much time passed before starting when two large hands cradle her face, tilting her head up. The intensity of her dear husband's invades her.
"Tywin." She breathes, reaching to cup one of his hands while keeping her arms around her twins.
She takes in his powerful form, seeing the stress slowly fading as he surveys every speck of her, like a starved man in the dornish desert heat stumbling upon fresh water, "I'm alright." She whispers. "Of course you are," he says softly, "you're a Lannister." He says with ferocity, but she can hear relief in his soul as he turns to the Maester.
"Thank you Maester, ask for it and if it's in my power I'll grant it, a Lanniste-"
"Yes, yes, a Lannister always pays his debt, I swear it should be your house words." Joanna can help the giggle that she lets out, not catching the way Tywin snaps to attention at the sound or the way his ire fades as he stares at her shoulders.
Letting her chuckle fade she looks up at Tywin asking, "Can we keep him? I wish more were like him, all these brown nosers tend to be dull." The mirth in her eyes only intensifies when her husband simply stares before sighing.
"What is it you want?" The maester's eyes are full of mirth as he simply folds his hands on his sleeves only to pull out a flask, "it's simple, I'll swear my service to you and only you if you sponsor me in my studies." His thick neck bobs as he tilts a flask back, the Maester chains tinkling as he drinks.
Joanna smiles in amusement as her husband huffs at the uncouthness, she looks down to see her twins have fallen asleep, "Mya would you hand me Tyrion, now that my two hellions are calm?" She asks the nursemaid, who flushes at the attention, swiftly giving her her youngest before bowing, and departing with a soft click of the door.
"Tyrion?" Her husband inquires with indifference, she mentally sighs at her husband but will allow him to filter his emotions for now. Joanna looks up from her tiny boy to her husband, vowing to not allow them to end as they had, she doesn't care if she has to cut out tongues to see her baby happy.
She simply raises her brow watching with satisfaction as her fiercsome husband raises his hands in mock surrender before leaning to press a kiss to her temple, "be at peace my beloved, I am just in shock." He reassures, she smiles at her compartmentalizing love.
"I know, my love, but remember he didn't ask for this just as much as you didn't." She allows running her hand across his beard. He looks to her from Tyrion before returning her gaze, "you're right as always. " he says with a soft voice.
Leaning forward again he pressed his lips against hers, his hand cradling the back of her head as he pressed his forehead against hers, "thank you." He whispers before pulling back.
"Maester if you'd follow me it would seem we have much to discuss and I think my wife and children are tired." Her husband demands much to her amusement, any warmth leaving as he becomes all business. As they both leave she looks back to her three children, amazed that she's gained so much, and lost so much the same.
She swears to herself that her children won't experience the horrors they endured, not while she is living.
Her sweet brave Jaime, so strong and loyal to a fault.
Her ferocious Cersei, claws as sharp as her fathers.
Her clever Tyrion, able to spin everything to his advantage, just like her Tywin.
She wants them to use their strengths to protect each other, and she'll make sure that they at least understand Lannisters before anyone.
For a Lion depends on none, but themselves.
She'll show Westeros why her house words are.
Hear me Roar.