Tywin looked over his daughter, grown and proud. She was too much like him, but her heart was like her mother's. It was a thorn in his side. He sometimes wished that she was that smiling little girl again with wild blonde curls.
Tywin would never admit it aloud, but he liked the way his daughter used to stare up at him with her big emerald eyes. She looked too much like her mother and perhaps that was the reason why Tywin had protected his daughter more than the rest of his children after all these years.
"I think it's a girl," Joanna said to her children, Jaime and Cersei as they huddled around her, touching her large stomach.
"How do you know?" Jaime asked as his eyes were focused on his mother's stomach.
"There's this calm feeling inside of me, the sun makes me happy."
"A boy could give you those same feelings," Cersei said softly, gently poking her side.
She smiled at them and pushed Cersei's golden hair behind her shoulders. "She's going to be your little sister. You need to protect her, Cersei."
Cersei nodded passionately. "She and I are going to the best of friends. Nothing can tear us apart, mother."
"Sisters fight, but don't let it get the best of you, darling," she reminded her. "Love her always."
Joanna's brow furrowed as she felt something splash the ground. Her eyes widened as she turned to Jaime and said to him, "Call the midwives and Maester Crygon. Hurry! It's time for your sister."
After hours in childbirth, Joanna has birthed a daughter named Satine Lannister. The bells rung all over Lannisport and the sound of laughter filled her with happiness.
Her daughter never cried and always giggled at the silly faces she made at her.
Joanna tickled her daughter's sides as she ignored what Maester Crygon was telling her. "My lady, please listen to reason. Your body cannot give you another child. If you do then you will die. Your daughter already pushed your body to the limit it can take, but I'm afraid you are too weak to have another.
Joanna ignored him as always and commanded him never to tell Tywin of what the maester had told her that day. She dismissed him from their house when she found herself to be with child again.
Joanna was worried about what would happen to her, but then she looked towards Tywin as he slept with their children all around him in their bed. He protested when they climbed into bed and began to play with their sister, dressing her up in her jewels.
Joanna wanted this again. She wanted this life, she wanted another child. She wanted Tywin to smile as he did with her and their children.
She didn't care then for the consequences of having another child. She wrapped her arms around her small stomach and smiled widely before getting into bed with her family.
Satine yawned and began to cry until Joanna hugged her to her chest, shushing her gently. "It's okay. I'm here, Sunny."
"Sunny?" Tywin groaned in questioned as he began to awake. "I don't like it."
"Well, that's tough, husband because I do very much like it. It makes her smile when I call her that. Besides, does she not resemble the sun. Bright and golden."
Tywin sighed and then whispered, "They can't sleep with us, Joanna-"
"I know, but just this one night...I want to spend it here with them and you. Only us and them in this world together. Jaime will be a Knight, Cersei a Queen, and Satine will be the most beautiful lady in all of the Seven Kingdoms. She will be the wife of a great house and there will be songs of her for other generations to hear about."
"I will never let our house be forgotten."
"I know you won't."
Tywin stared at his daughter who sat across from him. He saw Joanna in her still to this day even after her death. He could barely look at her because of her mother.
"Are your words true?"
"I would never lie to you about this. I will marry him if Tyrion is freed and you let him live." Satine told him. "I love my brother and I would do anything for him. He's had a life of misery and I don't plan to stand here and do nothing like before."
"Misery?" Tywin repeated then scoffed. "You call this misery?"
"Money isn't the answer to any problem. It was you who made life miserable for him, Cersei played a hand in it too," Satine told him. "I will marry Ser Loras only if you make sure Tyrion is found not guilty of his crimes."
"That is impossible."
"So was the siege of King's Landing, but you managed to make it happen." Satine reminded him. "They also said that the Targaryens would never be overthrown...yet here we are, father."
"Once you marry Ser Loras then and only then will I let Tyrion be pardoned."
"I want it in writing," she suddenly blurted out. "I need it in writing in case you go back on your word."
"I am a man of my word or have you forgotten who your father is…"
She scoffed and smiled sweetly. "I know exactly who my father is which is why I am asking this of you. I want every loose end tied up. I want only one thing and that is for Tyrion to be happy and alive."
Tywin stood up and looked out into the distance of the Narrow Sea with his hands behind his back. "I shall have someone draw up the agreement before your wedding day which I've decided will be a week from now."
Satine nodded. "The sooner the better, father."
"I want you to give him an heir to Highgarden. A son. Once you have then you will not have to do it again," Tywin said impassively. "You may leave."
Satine winced as her hair was tied nicely into a Southern hairstyle. She knew that if they pulled her hair more that her hair would fall right off her head.
Her father was holding a tourney in honor of her wedding. Her father put three guards in front of her chambers because he thought she might try to escape, but he should know her better than that. She would keep her word to him, she would finally be married off to a great house just like he wanted.
Satine ran her fingers over her red dress with gold embroidered in the hems of her dress. Her dress bared her shoulders and her sleeves were long enough to hide a dagger in them. Her hair was twisted into braids around her head, almost like a crown. They put a red metal choker around her neck with a golden lion proudly roaring the middle of it.
When Satine looked at herself in the mirror, she saw how much she looked like her older sister.
"You look very beautiful, my lady," one of her handmaidens said happily.
Satine didn't say a word and turned away from the sight of her in the mirror. She didn't smile as she walked out of her chambers followed by four guards. Satine kept her head high and her hands placed in front of her, remembering her lessons from her septa.
She heard their whispers as she came to the tourney grounds, she saw Ser Loras walking towards her. In the corner of her eye, she saw Oberyn then she saw Jaime. She purposely looked away from them and to Ser Loras.
"Leave us," she commanded them. "I need to speak to my betrothed."
When they left, Ser Loras gave her a kind smile. "I know why you're doing this...you must love your brother very much."
"I love my brother just as you love your sister," she corrected. "I am not like my older siblings."
He nodded. "I heard you were just as cruel as them."
"I am cruel to those who have done wrong, Ser Loras."
"I believe in the same." He agreed and gave her a dazzling smile. "We are to be married soon. I don't want our marriage to be cold, my lady."
"Neither do I," she admitted. "I apologize if I forced you into this. I would do anything for my brother and I know he is innocent. I am sorry if I'm disrespecting your sister and family, but I know that in my heart, the king was killed by another."
"If your brother was poisoned, would you not accuse the king of doing such an act since you know that he shared no love for him?"
"You're right, I would accuse him first then I would realize he was just a boy. Then I would look to my sister or my father who've hated him all his life," she said. "Let's be honest. House Tyrell and House Lannister share no love, but we don't have to be like our families. I don't want to start our marriage to each other with lies and deceit. I want us to trust each other and have one another's back."
Loras nodded. "I agree."
"I don't care that you desire men," she told him and Loras's widened as he glanced around quickly. "I'm not trying to blackmail you, Loras. I want you to know that I know and I am not bothered by it. I won't tell anyone or talk about it again unless mentioned by you."
Loras eyed her strangely for a moment before giving her a worried smile. "I know that you and Prince Oberyn are together."
She shook her head. "We weren't exactly together. I can't share someone I love with another so I ended things between us before the trial."
"I'm sorry, it sounds like you cared for him."
"I do, but I have to move on now," she told him.
"What about Ser Jaime?" Loras questioned softly. "You need to trust me."
Satine gulped nervously. "We need to be somewhere in private for that discussion and married first."
"You can tell me anything."
"My family is...they aren't good people because of this place. It's one of the reasons why I ran away," she explained.
Loras looked behind them and saw that their families were waiting for them. "I think we are needed, my lady."
She nodded. "I think we are."
Loras took her hand in the crook of his arm as they walked to where their families were. All she could think about was Tyrion. She wanted to see him, she wanted to talk to her brother. Although she was older than him by eleven months, she still felt like the younger one. He always knew what to say to her.
"Father," she greeted and curtsied. "Lord Tyrell and Lady Olenna. Hello, sister and Queen Margaery."
"Bright day it is," Mace Tyrell said. "Perfect week to be married. The gods have shined bright on us."
"It appears they have."
"Come with me, Lady Satine," Olenna said curtly as she started to walk away from Margaery beside her.
Loras smiled down at her and whispered, "I would say don't be scared of my grandmother, but I've heard too many stories of you to be concerned on whether or not if you can protect yourself."
"I might be better than you."
"Someday I may hold you to it."
Satine smiled for the first time since the day Tyrion was arrested. She followed Olenna and Margaery towards a private seating area surrounded by servants. As they seated, Olenna poured herself a drink.
"We all know why you are marrying my grandson."
"I made it no secret," she said blankly. "I already told Ser Loras that I expect nothing from this marriage. I want peace. I want my brother alive because I know that he is innocent."
"And how do you know that? Did you see someone else kill him? Someone else hand me the cup then?"
"Was it not Joffrey who asked him for it? How could my brother have known that he wanted a drink? He doesn't drink often. Also, how did he know that it was going to be in that pitcher and not his wife's? I could argue my brother's defense for days so let's not start it now before my wedding."
Olenna gave a light scoff at her as Margaery said, "Your nephew was murdered. Do you not care?"
"He's not what he was and I'm sure you knew that already, my queen. Look what he did to that poor girl...Sansa didn't deserve what happened to her."
"Then you agree that she killed him?"
"No. She's not that bright...yet. Give her time and maybe I'll consider it."
Olenna chuckled. "You are your father's daughter. You look like your mother."
"You knew my mother?"
Olenna shook her head. "I saw her once before at King Aerys' tenth year celebration for being on the throne. She was the brightest thing there."
"My father doesn't speak of her so I never knew her or what she looked like," Satine explained. "She seemed lovely."
"She knew how to put Lord Tywin in his place."
"So I've been told," she whispered. "I will marry into your family and bring an heir to Highgarden. That is the agreement I made with my father and Ser Loras in exchange for Tyrion alive."
"Clever girl you've become," Olenna said as she gave her a wrinkled smile. "You know how to play your father."
"He's made it no secret what he wants and Ser Loras and I have agreed that our marriage is not to be one made of lies. I will not lie to you both either."
Olenna smirked. "A marriage made of lies? Where did you get that one?"
"My sister." Satine responded coldly. "I never liked Robert and what he did to her. He always made a fool of her in front of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Why did you leave Westeros when you were a girl? It must've been terribly frightening out there all by yourself."
"It was at first until I got away from the Dothraki. Their khal enslaved me, but I killed him and got away." Satine smiled at them. "I will not lie to you."
"That is a foolish thing to do," Olenna replied.
"Just as foolish as stating your opinion no matter the company."
Olenna smiled again. "Welcome to the family, Lady Satine though I wouldn't get too excited about this lot."
TBC…
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! So here is the last of the updates, but don't worry it's all still going in order of how I will update. I hoped you liked this chapter.
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