Hecklers, if you don't like, don't read.

Highgarden

Willas Tyrell sat in his seat in his carriage as he heard the near insane tale his little brother Garlan told him. Less than a week ago is looked like they would be the new powerhouse in the entirety of Westeros. Margarey was going to marry Joffrey Baratheon and become the queen of the seven kingdoms. With the power of the throne, the Lannister's gold, and the Reach's food production it seemed that not even the military might and strategic genius of the Young Wolf would be able to stop them. Willas was sure that soon the Starks would've been crushed, along with the Ironborn and Stannis Baratheon. House Tyrell would even be able to take influence from the Lannisters and be the true rulers of Westeros in truth.

But it all came to an end, due to the tale Garlan said. A dragon, a secret Targaryen! Both on the side of the North! In one move, Robb Stark had taken momentum in this war and all but assured his victory.

"So" he said. "What are father and grandmother going to do?"

"They already did what they planned to do. They got themselves, Margarey and Loras out of the capital. Our forces are returning to Highgarden."

"The Lannisters just let them walk away?"

"Father and grandmother got them all out first. Then they gave the order to withdraw. By the time the Lannisters knew the alliance was over, it was too late for them to take any hostages."

"So what do they intend to do now? Betroth Margarey to this new dragon king?"

"I don't know Willas. What I do know is they won't stand on the side that opposes a dragon. Our house has not forgotten the lesson of the extinction of House Gardener."

Willas was glad to hear that. Their family was ambitious, in part because they did not have the blood of former kings flowing it the veins of its members. There were many houses who kept scheming to steal what was rightly theirs: leadership of the Reach. But survival took precedence over ambition.

Pyke

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'FULL RETREAT?!'"

Balon Greyjoy was not pleased with the latest report from the North. His forces, the infamous ironborn, were fleeing like they were cowards!

"I mean full retreat" the messenger said. "The dragon that wiped out the boltons drove the men away from our conquests. By now, the army will have completely abandoned the north."

"DID I HAVE COWARDS?! WHAT IRONBORN ABANDON THEIR CONQUESTS?!"

"Apparently the kind with good memories" Yara said. "One didn't need to see what happened at the twins to remember the fall of Harrenhall. Father, we've lost. There is nothing we can do."

"WORTHLESS! THE LOT OF YOU! FOR THE SECOND TIME, I AM ROBBED! HOUSE GREYJOY WILL BE A LAUGHING STOCK!"

"FATHER" Yara shouted over her father's ravings. "It's done! The North has a dragon! The dragon has a rider who is loyal to the Starks! They are essentially the new rulers of the continent!"

All present heard the *smack* no matter how far they were from the scene. Yara fell to the ground, holding a hand to where her father had slapped her across the face. Balon towered over his daughter.

"You wound me the most" he said. "Since your elder brothers died and Theon was lost to me, I raised you to be my heir. Now the last family I have deserts me! BE GONE! ALL OF YOU!"

Even Yara left the room, though with an angry expression. The other lords and messenger got out first. Though many stopped and turned to look back in the throne room. Balon sat on the salt throne with a maddened expression. It was clear to them that he planned to still fight against the Starks and their new ally.

It was also clear to them that Balon was no longer fit to rule the Iron Islands. If he intended to order them to go and fight a dragon, he had lost what was left of his sanity.

The Red Keep

Tywin slammed the door to his room. His situation was rapidly getting worse! The Tyrells had deserted. All he got was a letter that said the plan to wed Joffrey to Margarey was no longer going to happen. The Tyrells had seen fit to remove themselves from the city before any hint of their plans was noticed. By the time he realized it, his allies were no longer his allies. The Reach was withdrawing. House Lannister stood alone now.

Tywin never thought his life's work could come undone so quickly. House Stark had destroyed much of his army without a dragon. The Reach had been his guarantee he could still wage war on those wretched dogs. Now he was back to his depleted forces! Then his idiot grandson, the one who caused this war, had yelled for him to do something to punish the Starks for sheltering the son of his father's enemy. He had been so demanding and arrogant Tywin had broken his nose to discipline him for speaking to his elder like that. Cersei had spoiled the boy so much he was now worthless to Tywin's goal of solidifying his power.

The door to his room flew open. Inside stormed his daughter.

"Father" Cersei yelled. "What is wrong with you?! What makes you think you can beat Joffrey in the manner you did?!"

"He was forgetting his place!"

"HIS place?! He is the king!"

"Your son is king ONLY in name! In case you forgot as well, I'm the reason his arse remains on that blasted throne!"

"I will not tolerate..."

Cersei was cut off by her father's hands closing around her neck, who began to shake her like a rag doll as he roared in maddening fury.

"YOU WILL TOLERATE ANYTHING I TELL YOU TO! YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR PLACE! YOU ARE A WOMAN! YOUR ONLY PURPOSE IS TO STAY IN BED AND PRODUCE USEFUL HEIRS! SOMETHING YOU FAILED TO DO WITH YOUR SON! ASIDE FROM THAT, YOU ARE WORTHLESS!"

After he finished ranting, Tywin opened the door and threw his daughter into the corridor.

"You know, if you followed my advice, you would not be in this situation."

Tywin whirled around and saw his father Tytos in the chair near his desk. His father was smiling mockingly.

"You never could see how the compassion I had displayed to my bannermen and allies was far better than ruling them through fear."

"You were a laughingstock. All our men laughed at us. I made them respect us!"

"All you did was make them fear you. A true ruler needs both. You never understood that. For that, you are losing all you built."

"Shut up! Shut up and go back to where you..."

"Now you see consequences of terror Tywin. One of your victims has struck back. Lord Stark laughs at you. His son and nephew laugh at you. They no longer fear you. You have nothing."

Tywin grabbed a glass from the nearby table.

"BE GONE!"

Throwing the glass, he watched as his father disappeared as it passed through him and shattered upon hitting the wall. He was left alone, seething in fury.

Jaeheron is having a great impact on Westeros, isn't he? Lol.

I'm basing Tywin's madness on how gul dukat went mad in ds9. For anyone unfamiliar, he was a tyrant who went insane when an enemy snatched what he assumed was an assured victory from him (honestly, that was one of the few cases where what seemed like divine intervention was used in Star Trek).

This chapter will be continued next time.