Hello again. I hope you like the chapter :-) I always found it extremely disappointing to read fanfiction about Tywin, because his character is so hard to get right. Prideful yet logical. Practical yet cruel. Of course also fiercely intelligent and resourceful. It is very difficult to find the right balance. I tried my best to stay true to his real character in the face of overwhelming power, but let me know if you didn't like it and why. As for future parings. I am not sure, that will depend on how the story progresses.

Chapter 5 - The lion bows

"Things seems to be going as expected" I told Ragni as we were flying over the two armies in the field. "He did well don't you think?" I asked Ragni out of boredom.

Indifference.

Was the response I got. "Haha I figured".

An important detail to note about dragons was that they had very little emotion towards other creatures. This is a fact that puzzled the scholars of Valyria for many years, because once a dragon was bound to a master, it would suddenly develop intense emotions of affection towards its master. Through contract magic they were compelled to obey, but for some reason feelings they were not supposed to posses would suddenly develop.

This seems to be very unnatural behavior since no contracted creature elsewhere behaves in a similar way when bound. That might suggest that dragons were created rather than evolved, but we didn't know for sure for we hardly possessed any information of their origin.

Although dragons thrive in volcanic landscapes, even we couldn't be certain of where they initially came from, but most Valyrians suspect that they originated from the shadowlands.

This theory is supported by some of the bolder dragon riders of the past because they reported that on their journeys to the cursed lands, they saw fresh traces of dragon fire. This proves nothing of course as all manner of demonic beings roam that forsaken place, but it was a strong indicator.

I have personally seen many of the grotesque and twisted creatures from that land, captured by its borders in order to be used for various experiments.

On dragon back, the outer borders of the shadowlands were perfectly safe, but as soon as riders travelled further inland, thing started getting strange. Either they would return, having not seen anything other than more of the dark landscape, or they would disappear without a trace.

It was my fathers belief, that a great empire once ruled the shadowlands and that in a different era, they created the dragon race. He said that they opened a gate to another world which caused it to pour into ours, cursing the land for all eternity.

Others thought that those lands where the resting place of a fallen dark god and that his corps remains to this day, poisoning the land and spawning demons from his ancient flesh.

Either theory was supported by the ancient ruins build by oily black stone, which seems to be an abandoned empire. The numerous and great ruins suggest that the land was not always cursed, and that it underwent some sort of cataclysm, probably much similar to the one of my homeland.

This was all speculation and no concrete evidence favoring a single theory had ever been presented.

It was a certainty though, that dragons are the absolute apex predators of the known world. Dragons hold no fear towards any creatures other than their own kind and they do not possess any feelings of pity or sympathy.

This changes when a dragon binds with a rider. Intense feelings can develop, not just towards the rider but also to an extent, towards the people close to their riders. Ragni would give his life for mine in a heartbeat and he would also risk his own safety for my parents.

Though, when it came to the average human, he could burn them by the thousands without the slightest feelings of apprehension or remorse. To him, the normal man was simply another animal to be preyed upon. The only reason for restraint would be my influence.

So naturally he cared very little about the test of leadership I had given the boy below, but I thought it impressive. Without ever disclosing the reason why, he had managed to make 20.000 men walk to certain death. Not a single deserter. Not a single act of rebellion. It was even more impressive taking his age into consideration.

I decided at that moment, my plans for the boy after I had conquered Westeros.

As afternoon drew closer, the army in red started marching forward.

"When they start releasing arrows we will descend" I told Ragni as I strapped myself well into the saddle.

Exited.

But as the armies came within bow distance neither side reacted.

I laughed "Haha! I really did underestimate that boy. And that other commander too."

It was a marvel to see. I was certain that every instinct of the famed Tywin Lannister, screaming at him that something is wrong, but he couldn't figure out what.

"It dawns on me how narrow minded I am." I thought to myself, as I considered how much I had disregarded, what I considered savages in the past. But now was not the time for self-reflection.

The armies continued drawing closer and before long I judged it to be the optimal time. I gave the command: "Time to go Ragni. Let them hear you first" I yelled as I directed him to start diving.

A roar worthy of a dragon of the an absolute peak bloodline sounded and we went into a straight dive through the clouds. The army beneath became visible to the naked eye as Ragni pierced through the cloud cover. He let out another deafening roar, and barreled towards the soldiers beneath.

I sent him a mental message "Only burn the red soldiers. The others are friendly"

Undestand.

Was the response and just before we were directly above the Lannister army I gave the command; "Fire." (It is implied that they are speaking Valyrian, so what he is actually saying is "Dracarys").

Ragni let loose his might upon the ground. Hundreds were swallowed up by the flames. It was an overwhelmingly magnificent and cruel scene to spectate. The army beneath was completely helpless.

They obviously had no dragons of their own, but neither did they have any defenses against an air born attack. Well. It is not as if it would have mattered. Ragni had a hide almost as strong as spellforged steel. Only a heavily enchanted weapon could hope to even scratch him and he was well trained in protecting his rider from projectiles.

Ragni was still letting out a pillar of flames when I spotted, what had to be the commander of the army, riding away from his troops. I don't know whether or not Tywin was amongst them but I deemed it likely.

Many would say it was cowardice to abandon the army like that, but there was nothing they could do. At the very least, they signaled for retreat before they left, but that was unnecessary, because the soldiers were retreating all on their own.

I sent a message to Ragni, as the sound of his fire would surely drown out my yelling;

"Hey! I think they have had enough. See those people over there? Fly over and land in front of them." I pointed to the delegation of commanders whom were still galloping towards the edge of the field.

Ragni seized his fire breathing abruptly and then flapped his wings and flew towards the escaping party. The ground shook and the horses went wild as Ragni crashed down in front of them. A few of the men were thrown of their horses, but most of them managed to get their horses to stop.

He then lowered his neck to the ground so I could jump of. I considered the men in front of me, still struggling with their mounts. I picked out who I thought was the commander, based oh his attire, but more so because everyone kept looking to him for instructions at what to do.

With Ragni at my back starring down at the officers, I walked towards them. During this time most of them had managed to get of their horses, and they formed a group behind the elderly, bald man with a blond beard.

I thought he was handling things remarkably well. Even as the "brave" officers behind him where shacking and wailing, he didn't show even the slightest change in expression other than a cold and stoic look. He even started walking towards me having to turn to his men several times because they were reluctant to follow.

Soon we stood face to face. I was significantly taller than him, but that didn't seem to deter him either. A nostalgic feeling came to me because he reminded me of my uncle. Proud, strong and fiercely intelligent, though with an almost sadistic streak to him. To him, cruelty was a useful tool to be used to further the families interests. Arguably, he was the most capable man in the family, which was why he was in charge of our slaves, whilst also being an archmage.

"My name is Tywin Lannister. I am the warden of the west and hand of the king." Said the bald man as he met my gaze.

"I know" I said, wanting to see what he would do next.

He did not disappoint. A few seconds passed, and then without a word he drew his sword. I instinctively placed my hand on my sword hilt but to my surprise, instead of using it, he got down on one knee and laid it at my feet. Immediately the men behind him followed his action. With theirs heads looking down and their swords on the ground in front of them, Tywin spoke:

"Would you give me the honor of allowing me to swear an oath of loyalty to you and proclaim you my king."

With a hint of amusement in my voice I answered "You are quick to understand the situation, Lord Tywin."

The older man didn't flinch at the disrespectful tone, he just waited silently, completely avoiding glancing at the dragon at my back.

I kept the slight smile on my face and retorted: "Alright, fine. If you and your men swear an oath of servitude, I shall let you retain your titles and land, granted you obey me as king."

Without hesitation Tywin began swearing what I assumed was the Lannister oath of fealty. The men behind him then mimicked his chant. After they were done they remained in a kneeling position. I realized I had to give them leave so I motioned them to rise with my hand.

Now standing face to face with me, Tywin opened his mouth to speak but I interrupted him. I decided to test him a little.

"I am touched by your loyalty Lord Tywin, but I must confess that thoughts of worry plague me. For you so easily cast aside your own king for another, your own grandson even. A paranoid man might even consider the possibility, that should my circumstances change in the future, then you would simply cast me aside for whomever it would suit you best to serve." I said with obvious fake sincerity.

Tywin didn't change his expression even for a moment but he did stiffen a bit. He was not used to be in a position, where people would mock him. The men behind him, despite their still lingering fear of the beast behind me, visibly flinched at my provocation. It was almost amusing to see them squirming in dilemma. They were used to the iron rule of Tywin but they also knew that should he provoke me now, it might mean death for all of them.

Tywin cleared his throat and with firm lecturing voice he said: "Your grace. Forgive me for asking this, but are you aware of the history of the seven kingdoms. How the seven kingdoms where united under one royal crown?"

I nodded my head slightly in response before he continued:

"Then you know of my family history. The Lannisters were once the kings of the Westerlands but my ancestor, Loren Lannister, lay his crown at the feet of the Aegon Targaryen at the field of fire. And since that day, for almost 300 years the Lannisters have served the Targaryen rule, loyally." He stopped to collect himself, but I spoke first:

"Yes I know of your history of loyalty. I know how "loyally" you served the last Targaryen king, especially your eldest sons loyalty was truly worthy of praise" I said as my tone was getting more serious.

I was no spoiled and naïve rich noble... well maybe spoiled, but I knew whatever the noble Lord Tywin was about to say, would be hollow words. If the stakes were high enough then he would always choose the strategy with the best chance of a successful outcome. That meant he would betray me in a heartbeat if he had too, no matter how well I had treated him.

What I was trying to ascertain was, whether or not he would actively work against me to further his own interests. In my time at the citadel I had learned how he build his house back up from the brink of ruin. He was a very capable man that much was a certainty, but would he use that capability for, or against would certainly do anything in his power to gain influence over me, but that was entirely acceptable. So long as he didn't actively sabotage me in secret. In other words, I was deciding whether I could use him directly or not.

My uncle had taught me a simple yet very effective strategy for learning of a persons true opinion. Simply provoke them into a slight anger, by criticizing them unfairly in some way. No matter which position you were in, people would always have a great urge to speak out in their own defense, and even sometimes return the criticism. How they defended themselves could tell you a lot about the true feelings they held towards you, and could even provoke them to reveal previously unknown information.

This time he answered immediately, completely unprovoked.

"Yes it is true, I did betray my last king. However, as I am sure you know, he was ill with madness. And yet I served him well as his hand for more than 20 years. I swear to you, should you consult any and all with knowledge of the inner court workings at that time, they would tell you that I wielded the true power in Westeros for all those years. Yet, I did not betray him. I watched in silence as he burned men, women and children alive whilst laughing all the while, yet I never rebelled, for he was the king. It was only when his madness grew to the point where even I could not contain it, that I was forced to act against him."

He stopped to gaze my reaction and I nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"And after a mad king came a drunken king. The once great warrior had no interest in ruling and as I am sure you will come to understand soon, he left the kingdom in financial ruin. Even so, whenever he would ask, I would give him from my own family fortune, knowing I would never be repaid." He finished.

He was a competent negotiator and he hadn't responded to my provocation at all. I suspected he might have used it in the past himself. It was obvious he was leading the conversation, but since he didn't take the bait, I decided to play along with it for now.

"I am sure the kings of your past were touched by your loyalty, but this doesn't change the fact you are still betraying your own blood as we speak" I retorted in a bored, overly monotone voice, to point out to him that I was very aware, that this is what he wanted me to ask.

"Yes, my grandson. The king. A boy who prefers to torture animals to leading his people. Yet again, I find myself with the responsibility of curving the mad impulses of a demented mind. And yet again, it is I who is the true ruler of Westeros. It is I, that must sacrifice my men and wealth to fight for the king in his stead, because of a war he started with his cruelty and stupidity. I will not pretend that the reason I proclaim you king is not because I want to save the life of my men and my own. It also true however, that I am sincerely thanking the gods, that a man like you have appeared to put back together this broken realm." With that, he took a step back and indicated that he was finished.

I acknowledged his ability to twist the facts to his advantage. Even if I did not know of the previous power struggles of the inner royal courts, I could see some of his deception. He didn't lend his money to the kingdom out of generosity, he did it to keep the crown on a leash. He absolutely did not keep his grandson on the throne out of loyalty. It was simply easier to manipulate him rather than the alternative, because even if he had all the "true" power in Westeros, taking the throne without a claim was another matter entirely.

It meant little though. I was convinced that the realm and his own interests were largely aligned, so in a sense he had passed the test. There was still the question of exactly what to do with him once the iron throne was mine, but that was a headache for the future. I was lost in thought when I realized they were staring at me in anticipation of my response. I told them:

"Alright Lord Tywin, I accept your loyalty as sincere. We will meet again 2 days from now in this very spot. For now on, I imagine you have important matters to see to" as I directed their gaze to the insane panic stricken horde of men that was their army.

Lord Tywin gave a courtly bow like it was as natural to him as breathing and with the remark "your grace", he started giving out commands.

I got back on Ragni and urged him to fly towards the northern host. Ragni quickly approached the northerners and I could see Robb and the other lords yelling for their men to stay calm. He had not been idle, for there was scattered Lannister bodies all over the field around his army.

I landed Ragni in front of them. Just as I had gotten of my dragon, the boy had already run up to me.

"Your grace. We followed the plan and attacked after your opening attack. Seeing that the Lannister army formation and morale is shattered we hesitated to charge in, but we will do so at your word." He said with a nervous tone.

I answered with a commanding tone "No. It is quite alright. I have had a meeting with Lord Tywin and he has sworn his loyalty to me. In two days we will convey on this very field to discuss future plans. I trust you have no objections to this."

It was clear that the boy was less than pleased to have to unite with the Lannisters, but he gave a deep bow and I granted him leave.

I gave the battlefield one last look before I took off. The Lannister camp had managed to somewhat organize a march towards their camp. Various teams were rearing in the thousands of stragglers wondering the field and surrounding forest in panic and confusion. Already teams of riders with water were returning from a local creek to quench the still remaining fires and to treat the burn victims best they could. Lucky for them, the weather here was damp so the fires weren't spreading and slowly dying out.

I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction and said "Ragni! It seems and exiting time awaits us here." And I was in the air.