Tyrion II
"This is a real villainy!" declared Cersei furious. "Not only does he betray the kingdom by declaring war on his own nephew, as does his traitorous brother, but he even dares to say such things about us. I'm sure it occurred to his bitch of a wife, or the fucking Red Viper."
Tyrion took the letters his sister had brought, put them together and compared them. They were identical, even if the calligraphy was different the content was exactly the same, word for word.
"Master Frenken received the first letter at Stokeworth Castle. The second copy came through Lord Gyles Rosby," Pycelle explained.
"If Stannis has bothered to send them to those two, surely the rest of the lords of Westeros have also received a copy," Jaime said pensively from his seat as Hand of the King.
Cersei had not taken their arrival very well instead of their father's, although in a way Tyrion noticed that she had been a little happy to see Jaime safe and sound. The same could not be said for him. On the same day they arrived in the capital, Cersei would have kicked him out of the Small Council and sent him to the dungeons with Lord Eddard if Jaime hadn't stopped her. As a result, he was now seated in the former post of Lord Renly, as a Master of Laws, although he was in fact a kind of assistant to Jaime in his new position as Hand of the King.
"I want you to burn those letters, from the first to the last," demanded Cersei. "Neither my son nor my father must hear the slightest rumor about them."
"It seems to me that that will be more complicated than it may seem, Your Grace," said Littlefinger scratching his beard. "The whores in one of my brothels have told me a similar story. Apparently, some sailors were telling that tale in the harbor a few days ago. By now, most of the city will have already learned of it one way or another."
"And I'm sure Stannis also bothered to send one crow to Harrenhal and another to Casterly Rock," Tyrion added with a dry tone. "It won't do any good to burn the cards, let alone if the people have already found out. It's not as troubling as it might seem, my dear sister."
"Have you lost your mind?" Cersei nailed his green eyes full of rage into him. "Haven't you read what he says? He has the audacity to accuse us of incest, adultery and betrayal!"
Just because it's true. It's amazing how angry she can be about accusations that are true.
"I have been called perjured, kingslayer and traitor for years," his brother said, downplaying the matter. "Adding incestuous to the list doesn't seem so serious to me either." If looks could kill, Ser Barristan's face would have torn Jaime to pieces from the other side of the table.
"It's easy for you to say, but I'm the queen and Joffrey, the king. He cannot be stained throughout his reign as the fruit of false adultery, and incestuous on top of that. I won't tolerate it being said that I'm a whore!"
"Stannis needs a pretext to justify his rebellion," Tyrion said when his sister finished with her rumblings. "What did you want him to say? That Joffrey is the rightful heir, but he still wants to steal the throne from him?"
"Renly doesn't seem to have needed one to rebel against us," retorted his sister.
"It may be as you say... but with this letter Stannis seems to have won the support of the northern lords and the riverlords, unlike Renly. Is it true what he says about Lord Stark?" asked Tyrion.
"He never said anything while serving as Hand of the King, though it is true that he spent a lot of time with Stannis and his wife," Jaime said.
Could Stannis have been planning this for a long time? Tyrion wondered. If so, he has not been very skillful, or maybe he didn't count with the ambition of his younger brother. Anyway, Tyrion was surprised that Stannis knew his sister's incest for so long and didn't said anything to Robert, unless he was waiting for his brother to die to reveal Cersei's secret. No, Stannis would never betray his older brother, he's always been too loyal for his own good...
"Perhaps we could convince the honorable Lord Eddard to deny Stannis claims. Let him abjure Stannis in public and declare himself loyal to Joffrey, dismissing Joffrey's stories as false and only the fruit of Stannis' personal ambition. That would leave Stannis a liar and a traitor and maybe get the northerners to sign peace with us and turn their backs on Stannis. After all, Eddard Stark is still the Warden of the North, and not his son," Lord Varys suggested.
"Yes, yes, it's worth a try... But in the meantime, we have to stop these rumors from spreading further. Tyrion, as a Master of Laws, I demand that you enact a new edict. Anyone who says that Joff is a bastard will get his tongue cut off," his impatient sister said. Ser Barristan was stunned at this sudden proclamation.
"My queen," said the old knight. "Surely there must be another course of action, that measure would be…"
"A very prudent measure," nodded the Grand Maester, interrupting Ser Barristan, as the chains he wore hung around his neck tingled.
"It's foolish. If we do that, the people will think Stannis's fable is true," Tyrion said.
"By trying to silence the rumors, we will only be able to reinforce them. Let them talk and whisper Cersei, they'll get tired of it given time," his brother sighed. "For once, it looked like Ser Barristan and his brother Jaime would be in accord with something today.
"In the meantime, I think there are more troubling issues than Stannis Baratheon's lies," Varys said. "Mace Tyrell has cut the Roseroad, and with the Riverlands on fire the city is starving. It's not as serious as it could be, since ships can still enter and exit from Blackwater Bay, but with Stannis in possession of most of the Royal fleet, I'm afraid that could change at any moment. And with so many people seeking refuge in the city, the gold cloaks don't seem to be capable of maintaining order anymore. Yesterday there were riots in the Flea Bottom and I'm afraid they could soon spread throughout the rest of the city."
"And what is Janos Slynt doing while this happens? It's supposed to be their duty to maintain order in this wretched city," Cersei said angrily.
"I'm afraid the gold cloaks are no longer what they were. Their numbers have been reducing in recent years and I regret that they are not enough to maintain order," Littlefinger said.
"And whose fault is it? Enlist more men. We won't just need them for the riots. When Renly gets to our doors, we'll need every possible soldier if we want to have any hope of defending the city," Jaime said angrily to the Master of Coin.
"And how will we pay them? The little gold we have left is being used to pay your mercenaries, Ser Jaime."
"Pay them with food," suggested Tyrion. "I will issue a law that says the city's watch and our soldiers will be the first to receive rations every time food enters the city. All those starving people will run to enlist in our ranks. That's how we'll alleviate the riots, at least for a while."
"In addition to the riot issue, my little birds have told me that Renly Baratheon is on the march and has left Highgarden. He advances through the Roseroad, along with his entire army."
"He can get here on the next moon," said his sister really concerned.
"Not at such a leisurely pace," said the eunuch. "Every night he celebrates a feast in a different castle and gathers the court at every crossroads he passes through. Moreover, organizing an army of a hundred thousand men is no easy task."
"You must send a raven to our father immediately, Jaime! Tell him to come from Harrenhal with his entire army."
"Father will not move from Harrenhal unless the threat to the city is imminent or when the young Stark is no longer a threat," Tyrion said. "Why do you think that Jaime and I are here?"
"Certainly, you are not being very helpful. Well, if there's nothing else..." Cersei said as she got up.
"In fact, there's a matter I'd like to deal with," his brother cut her off. "The Kngsguard has been with one less member for weeks, after his Grace decided to relieve Sir Boros Blount from duty. I'd like if we can decide once and for all his replacement."
"Joffrey is the one who has to decide," Cersei said annoyedly. You mean it's you who has to decide. Tyrion still couldn't believe how Cersei had dared to kick a member of the Kingsguard out without even finding him a replacement. Ser Barristan and Jaime had been outraged when they received the news but for his part, he believed that this could be a perfect opportunity to lower Cersei's influence within the Kingsguard and to appoint a more capable knight to protect his nephew.
"I believe that the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, as well as the Hand of the King, should have something to say in this matter," his brother replied. Since returning to the capital, the relationship between Jaime and Cersei had cooled considerably. Tyrion believed it was because his brother took more account of his advice than those of his sister and lover, which, coupled with Cersei's obsession with control and power, was straining their relationship day by day.
"The king believed that Sandor Clegane would have been a suitable replacement, but he departed with Lord Eddard to the Riverlands and never returned," Cersei said as she sat down again.
"Well, it's not like we could wait for him to come back. As far as I'm concerned, the Hound is dead, and if he is not, then he fights on the side of one of our enemies."
"Do you have anyone in mind, brother?" asked Tyrion.
"To many, but practically most of them have sworn allegiance to one of our enemies or are not in the city right now. Ser Balon Swann is the best option I can think of at the moment."
"I agree with my fellow brother in this matter," added Ser Barristan. "Ser Balon is a very capable fighter. Nonetheless, I think we should also consider the readmission…"
"His brother has declared allegiance to Renly, " intervened Cersei.
"A traitor's brother doesn't seem to me the best choice to wear a white cloak" nodded the Grand Maester. "Surely there must be better candidates."
Incompetent flatterer. Jaime had told him during the trip to King's Landing that Pycelle had been serving the interests of the Lannisters for years, even since the time of the Mad King. However, it was very different to serve the Lannister house than to serve Cersei Lannister, which was precisely what Pycelle was doing. Every time the queen said something, the Grand Maester nodded and flattered her wisdom. Tyrion would have liked to replace him, but he doubted that Jaime would agree to do so, at least for the moment.
"His father, Lord Gullian, has claimed illness, staying in his castle and not taking sides with any of the throne contenders," Tyrion reminded them. "Perhaps if his second son were to get the honor of being part of the Kingsguard, we could convince him to support us. After all, the Lords of the Marches are powerful, and their help may help us slow down Stannis and Renly."
In truth, Tyrion had no hope that that would happen. He had the suspicion that the Swanns intended to survive this war, no matter which side won. Undoubtedly, if Lord Gullian had had a third child, he would have been with Stannis Baratheon in Sunspear. Still, the young Sir Balon was skilled with weapons and was brave and honorable, much more than could be said of the current members of the Kingsguard with the exception of his brother.
"I'll talk to Joffrey and tell him to name Ser Balon as the new brother of the Kingsguard," Cersei said, nailing her green eyes full of contempt to Tyrion. It was the second time that he spoke against her opinions that day, and if the meeting lasted longer, it certainly won't be the last. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to inspect our walls' defenses. I don't want our soldiers to think that we all consider the defense of the city as trivial as you do." Cersei left the room escorted by Sir Boros Blunt of the Kingsguard and half a dozen other Lannister guards and Tyrion could see her figure getting lost in the distance.
The rest of the counselors followed his sister's example and did the same. Tyrion, however, delayed himself a little longer until in the room only he and Littlefinger remained.
"Lord Baelish, can you give me a moment before you leave with your affairs?" asked Tyrion with all the education he could muster.
"Of course. It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Lord Tyrion," Baelish said with a mocking smile.
"My lord, I understand that while you were a ward of Lord Hoster, you had a very close relationship with the Tullys."
"You could say that, yes. Especially with Lord Hoster's daughters."
"How close?"
"I deflowered them, the two of them."
Tyrion knew it was a lie, but he let it go so naturally and spread out that anyone would have believed it. Although perhaps it was Lady Catelyn who lied about how she lost her virginity, lies always used to have some truth at heart.
"The Tully sisters don't seem to feel much affection for me. I doubt they'll listen to any proposal I put forward to them, no matter how sincere that might be. Instead, if those same words came from you, then things would certainly change," Tyrion said.
"That would depend on the proposal. It doesn't look like the Stark boy is very willing to negotiate a truce. You may have his father and one of his sisters, but Princess Arianne has the other. If he signs the peace with us, Stannis will not hesitate for even a second to execute his other sister."
"I have other ideas to try to come to an agreement with the Stark boy, don't worry about it. The one I hope you can bring to our side to is Lady Lysa. For her I have an offer that she will not be able to refuse."
"Lysa has always appreciated me very much, and she has always been much more cowardly than her older sister, but I understand she hates you."
"While I was her guest at the Eyrie, she insisted that I had killed her dear husband and may have tried to make me fly, albeit unsuccessfully." Mother, can I make him fly? I want to see him fly, whispered a voice in his head. Tyrion was not particularly excited to have to plead Lysa Arryn for help, but the Vale was along with the Iron Islands the only one of the kingdoms who had not yet chosen a side in this war.
"How do you intend to convince her then? Do you think Lysa will declare war on the Starks and the Tullys?" Littlefinger shook his head. "She may be a bit crazy, but she won't send her knights against Riverrun."
"I didn't mean to ask her to do that. We have other enemies. I intend to use her forces against Lord Renly or Lord Stannis, if he dares to cross the Red Mountains. In return she will have justice for Jon Arryn and her son will be appointed Warden of the East, as his late father was. Besides, I'm going to give her my niece." For the first time since arriving in the capital he could see surprise in Petyr Baelish's eyes.
"¿Myrcella?"
"When she flowers, she will marry the little Lord Robert, and in the meantime, she will be a pupil of Lady Lysa in the Eyrie." The gods know that she will be safer there than in the Red Keep.
"Yes... I could sing that little song to Lysa." A sly smile appeared on Littlefinger's face. "If I wanted to. Tell me, what do I get in return?"
"Harrenhal. And you will also be named Lord Paramount of the Trident. When this war is over, the lords of the Riverlands will have to kneel to you."
The castle had been uninhabited after Lady Whent's death at the beginning of the war, so it was fairly easy to give it to anyone. Littlefinger put on his cloak and stayed silent for a moment as he meditated his answer, but Tyrion had already been able to see a flash of greed in those cunning eyes. He knew he had him.
"Even the Tullys?" asked Baelish.
"If any are left alive when this is over..."
"In one fell swoop you would make me one of the most powerful lords in Westeros. I'm not ungrateful, but I can't help wondering why."
Tyrion shrugged. "I need you to convince Lady Lysa to accept this proposal. Besides, I'd rather give you Harrenhal than give Renly the Iron Throne."
Littlefinger touched his fingertips together and warmed his gaze on Tyrion. "All right, give me a fortnight and I'll sail to Gulltown."
"I'll give you a week. I need you to hurry, who knows how long it can take for Lord Renly to appear before our walls? By the way, I don't think I need to remind you that you must act with the utmost discretion."
"Of course. It's been a very nice and fruitful meeting for the both of us." He bowed slightly and left the room at full speed.
The truth was, Tyrion didn't trust Littlefinger the slightest, but dealing with him was his only option to convince the Arryns to join their side. From what he was able to observe during his captivity in the Eyrie, the relationship between Lysa Arryn and the rest of her family had deteriorated considerably, a fact that was confirmed when the Vale did not rise up in arms against the Lannisters when his father invaded the Riverlands and laid siege to Riverrun, where Lady Lysa had grown up all her childhood. Moreover, the wife of the late Hand of the King did not seem to be in her right mind from a long time. He would have been willing to grant ten Harrenhals if the devious Master of the Coin agreed to convince her to have her knights march against Renly and Stannis allowing him to keep his head in place for a while longer.
In the end it came out pretty cheap.