The Right Choice
Chapter 2: An Angry Lion
(NdA:everything you reckognize belongs to GRRM)
"I asked you one and only one thing, Lord Baelysh!"
He was angry but reigned his fury in; emotions are weakness and he was not weak.
"Lord Tywin, I only need more time; I'm going to Highgarden where the Reach Host has retreated after Renly's death" said untuosly Littlefinger; "On the plus side Stannis fell ill after taking Storm's End; how unfortunate" he said sarcastically.
"What is really unfortunate is that his witch has managed to save him" Tywin said "He has been delayed, but he will strike soon" he added.
"Of course, maybe you will able to resolve this increscious situation with your home" Baelysh dropped it casually, sipping his wine. "I lost count, how many kings we have now? Six, including poor Renly? Or maybe Balon do not really count as his son has the majority of the ships and took the Rock, an impressive feat, outrageous as it is".
Tywin knuckles became white as he closed focefully his hands but he simply said "As Direwolves do not prosper south of the Neck, Krakens do not fare well far from the sea!"
"Of course, My Lord" replyed Littlefinger with the same annoyngly smile, which never reached the whoremonger's eyes.
At that point the cupbearer came in with more wine, and Petyr finally got a good look of her eyes and finally understood why she had tried to avoid him until now.
"My lord, while I cannot grant you a success with the Tyrell, I can at least grant you some more leverage on the Starks. " he said.
Tywin barely rose his eyebrows to show his interest. "You have my attention, don't waste my time, Lord Baelysh" he said.
Well, first of all, I would stop your cubearer from leaving the room" At that, Tywin look at the girl and saw her panicking while she tried a retreat; "Stop where you are" he ordered. Then he called his guatds in, and they apprehended the girl.
"Good my lord" said Baelysh with the same smirk. "We wouldn't want Arya Stark to go missing again, now would we?" He said.
Tywin look at the girl like he was seeing her for the first time cursing herself for not reckognizing those eyes. And then both Baelysh and Arya flinched when they saw Tywin on the verge of a smile.
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The news of his nephew's victory at Lannisport and the fall of Casterly Rock had made Edmure happy, but had also ehnanced his sense of failure; his nephew reaction at his "victory" at the Old Mill had been all but what he hoped for it to be.
His own uncle had berated him for not letting the Lannister pass throught. But now, Edmure had a chance of redeeming himself, as a mercenary company bought off by lord Bolton, the Brave Companions, had managed to capture the Mountain and his men. "Cauth'em off shleeping" had said the mercenary leader, Vargo Hoath, an umpleasant Qoorik riding a Zorse; "Been shimple ash shtealing from a baby".
Right now the Mountain was chained in a cage inside a cell in Riverrun's Dungeon; His uncle had recently taken the Kingslayer to another keep.
He had sent a raven to Robb, asking him to come and judge the man for his crimes against the riverlands or giving Edmure leave to put him on trial himself.
Right now he was giving a small feast to his more loyal bannermen and the mercenaries he was thinking about giving Hoath Oldstones and enought gold to rebuild it; With the bounty of Casterly Rock there was not going to be shortage of gold for him, as his Uncle had stated.
Cat had left theyr father's bed side and was playng host to the guest. At a certain point, amidst thr wine something changed; the musicians who were part of the mercenary company started to play a song no one requested.
"And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that Lord of Castamere, and now the rains weep over his hall and no one there to hear!"
At that words all hells set loose, and the Brave Companions started to kill his men; then Lannister men, leaded by the Mountain himself stormed the hall; he managed to find his wits, as a guard handled him a sword and a shield; He hacked and slashed, as the Mountain loomed over Cat;
Ryman and Black Walder Frey, after attempting unsuccessfully to slice the treacherous Hoat's throth, engaged the Mountain, allowing Edmure to reach Cat and take her out of the Great Hall throught a secret passage;
"You need to leave, Cat!" Said Edmure "No, Ed, WE need to leave" she replyed "I can't leave our home and father to the Lannister" he said "Father will die, no matter what we do!" she said "you can't let them take you!"
He hesitated, them as tide of the battle slowly but steadily went to the Lannister Edmure nodded, and lead his sister to the secret dock which allowed them to take a boat and escape in the night.
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Tywin Lannister entered the gates of Riverrun; he was not pleased about the fact that his son was still a prisoner and that Edmure and Catlyn Tully still were free. However he had caught several Riverlords prisoners and now he had partially returned the blow to his honour; Riverrun too had an history of impregnability; he walked to the lord bedroom where he was wellcomed by an inespected sight; Hoster Tully, the Lord of Riverrun, that was reportedly more dead then alive, was fully lucid, and dressed in his finest clothes.
His look belied his poor health, he was standing only with a huge amount of will and effort, swetdrops crowning his forhead; but his eyes still held the fire he remembered from the War of the nine-penny Kings.
"Tywin." he saluted him "Hoster." he answered. "You have taken my home." it was not a question.
"Your Grandson took mine" Hoster nodded, his voice straining thanks to the pain he was in "your grandson killed his father" Tywin nodded "the idiocy of youth". Hoster sighted,
"I will die tonight, Tywin; the Stranger was already at the head of my bed, bur the Gods gave me one more night just for one reason: stop this madness!" He talked with uncanny lucidity for a man in his condition. " I had a dream while I was delirious; I have seen death marching on the Wall! Stop now, or your life will end before your time, and by your own blood's hand!"
Tywin scoffed "You are still delirious old man!" he said "Your family has been attainted and a new lord will rule Riverrun and the Trident." for Tywin astonishment Hoster laughted then he coffed and said " who, Petyr Baelish? Yes I know who you promised my lands too; two Hands of the Kings entrusted him before; both died." then to Tywin further astonishment he draw a knife "you will die too, Tywin Lannister " He said, as, with impossible speed for a man in his condition HosterTully lounged at Tywin Lannister.
But Hoster was dead before he could even reach Tywin, his lifeless body impaling itself on the sword Tywin managed to draw.
Tywin look at the lifeless eyes of Lord Hoster Tully and his blood boiled as he saw derisionin those eyes. Unchartteristically, he screamed, hacking away Hoster's head.
He managed to regain his composure when his men entered the room and ordered them to prepare the body to be disposed of in the style of the Tully family, and tar the head and put it on a pyke.
He took over Riverrun's lords's solar, and started to send Ravens to various allies. He was of a mind of stripping the fortress of everything valuable and then burn it down, but he changed his idea; After all he had a claimant to that seat as his guest in that moment.
She was there looking at him with a mix of hate and respect. His former cupbear had admantly refused to be dressed as a lady, and he proposed her a pact: no attempts to ran, and no direct disobedience to him, and he would have her dressed as a page and even allow her to train with her "Needle".
He was increasingly fascinated with that girl; how that honorable fool of a Ned Stark and his bigot wife could have ever beget such an intelligent and spirited daughter he could not explaun to himself.
Marry her to Tyrion? He wondered. No, he doubted that his son would ever accept a child as a wife; Marry her himself? She could be his granddaughter, for heaven's sake he was no Walder bloody Frey; no he would make her a ward not of the crown but his personal. He would find her a loyal husband, maybe one weak enought for her to boss around.
His favourite sound, a laught he will never hear again if not in his dreams and in his memories, rang in his ear and his sweet Joanna wispered "My lord you have a soft spot for her".
A knock on the door woke him up ftom his daydreaming and he regained his composure before admitting Riverrun maester in his room.
"My lord this letter arrived to you, from Harrenhall." He took it, it was from Kevan. His brother inquired about his sons. "They are well, it is mine which is still a prisoner of the enemy" he murmured once he was alone.
Tywin was pondering about that when he heard a conundrum from the training yard; he look out from the window of an hallway and what he said made his blood froze; "CLEGANE" the angry Lion roared as he look down to the massive form of his attack dog in a small pool of blood ready to crash with his foot the limp body of Arya Stark.
(English is not my mother language, feedback is really wellcomed, no flames please.)