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Face Claim for Queen Sanira: Caitlin Stasey.
Chapter Eighteen: A Lannister Always Pays His Debts.
Tyrion wasn't entirely sure if he preferred this room to the damp cell that he'd spent the last few weeks calling home. It didn't matter if he was innocent it seemed, he was still regarded as a prisoner even now and it was more than clear that neither Tywin nor Cersei were really to see him walk free. Tyrion could only imagine what they were going to do with him, perhaps he was to meet with an accident or they'd have him murdered in his sleep. The door to his prison and Tyrion wasn't sure why he should have been surprised when Jaime stepped into the room; if there was anyone that would come to see him then it was his brother.
"Oh, get on with it you son of a whore," Tyrion stated from his place leaning against the wall, he watched his brother enter the room that he had been locked in since the announcement that he was an innocent man. There was no news on what would happen to him now, he wasn't entirely sure that he was safer alive than if he had lost the trial by combat.
"Is that any way to speak about our mother?" Jaime mused stepping further into the room, he closed the door behind him peering awkwardly back at the guards outside of the room that had been posted there by their father. He was no fool, he knew exactly what would happen to his brother if he remained here; as much as the idea hurt him, there would never be any freedom for Tyrion after everything that had happened.
"What're you doing?" Tyrion asked tiredly, he wasn't in the mood to deal with his brother after everything that had happened; he had always known that Jaime would always have his back. The one member of his family that had never despised him for coming into the world, he didn't know what he had done to deserve such loyalty from Jaime.
"What do you think I'm doing? The galley's waiting in the bay bound for the Free Cities," Jaime explained quietly, he moved closer to his brother knowing that if all went as he had planned then this would be the last time that he would see him. Cersei wanted Tyrion dead, she had proven that she would stop at nothing to see that happen and Jaime knew that remaining in King's Landing was never going to be safe for Tyrion. Tyrion stared at Jaime, a sad look upon his face as he regarded his big brother who had always seen the best in him even when he had been his worst.
This truly was goodbye then, he hated to think that this is where it would end for them after everything that they had been through. It didn't seem fair that he had to lose the only family member that had ever truly cared for him and treated him like a person while Cersei got to keep everything that she cared for. Slowly turning away from Tyrion, Jaime peered out into the hallway and nodded to the guards that he had paid off before opening the door and signalling for Tyrion to follow him.
It was late, there wasn't much time and Jaime had no intentions of letting this one chance for Tyrion to escape with his life slip through his fingers. Cersei had made her intentions clear to him, she'd trashed her chambers in fury when Tyrion had been declared innocent and her trusted weapon now lay dead in one of the Maester's chambers. Tyrion stared after Jaime for a moment before making his way after him, not entirely sure what he was expecting; he left behind all his belongs, doubting that he would have much need for them where he was going.
"Who's helping you?" Tyrion asked quietly, he didn't understand who'd have anything to gain from helping Jaime plan all this out; he loved his brother but escape plans weren't exactly his greatest asset. He would have needed help especially when it came to getting a ship planned for the Free Cities, it would take a lot more than Lannister Gold to dig him out of the hell he had found himself in.
"Varys," Jaime replied with a smile, he had been rather surprised with the Master of Whispers had approached him with such a plan; he had never considered that the man would have an interest in helping him free his brother. He hadn't explained it when he had approached Jaime, saying that his only interest was the realm and protecting it and for some reason that included Tyrion. Not that Jaime was concerned, he was grateful for the help and he would do anything to save his brother from the death that Cersei had been concocting when he had spoken to her after the trial by combat.
"Varys?" Tyrion asked pausing for a moment, he stared after his brother not sure if he had heard him right; he wouldn't have thought that the Master of Whispers would have turned on those who were the reason that he was currently in power. Varys would do anything to maintain his own position rather than risk his life saving someone who seemed destined to die at the hands of the Lannisters.
"You have more friends than you thought," Jaime informed him, the two of them moving through the darkened corridors that lead down into the depths of the keep; it was late and they moved swiftly to avoid detection. Jaime didn't trust his father to keep his word that Tyrion was a free man, he was innocent of the accusations that Cersei had lay at his feet even if Cersei still raged that he was guilty. Finally they reached the end of the underground tunnel, the two of them slowly came to a stop as Jaime looked towards the stairs that lead up and out of the dark tunnel that he had been directed to take Tyrion through.
"There's a locked door at the top of the stairs. Knock on it twice, and then twice again. Varys will open," Jaime instructed wishing that this wasn't the end. He hoped that he would see his brother again, he didn't want this to be how it all ended for them; he wanted nothing more than to see him safe, even if that meant that he couldn't see him again.
"I suppose this is goodbye, then," Tyrion stated sadly, if there was one member of his family that he had loved it was Jaime; he was always kind to him and didn't treat him like the monster that everyone else claimed him to be. The two Lannister brothers hugged, neither of them knowing when they would see each other again; they had always had each other's backs no matter what came their way.
"Farewell, little brother," Jaime whispered smiling down at the man that he was proud to call his brother, he wished he could have been half the man that Tyrion was. Perhaps then he wouldn't feel so lost now that he had lost his hand at the hands of one of Boltons men, he would be more use than he was now and would have been able to keep his eldest son alive.
"Jaime, thank you. For my life," Tyrion said not knowing how else to express his gratitude for what Jaime had done for him, he had likely saved him from suffering a fate as Joffrey had or worse at the hands of their demented sister. Saying thank you just didn't seem enough, it was a chance to start over again that he had never considered and Tyrion hated that he would never be able to repay this debt.
"Quickly now," Jaime instructed knowing that sooner or later his actions would be discovered, he knew that their father would be displeased to learn that Jaime had broken Tyrion out even if he wasn't officially a prisoner anymore. Jaime wouldn't have been surprised if he had pushed to have Tyrion discretely dealt with, whether it was poison that would be blamed on Joffrey's assassin or having him suffer an accident.
Tyrion took the torch that Jaime offered him and watched his brother leave before he made towards the door that he had been directed to before he paused knowing that there was something that he needed to do. He walked back the way that he had come moving carefully in the shadows before he reached a familiar door and pushed it open quietly and stepped inside. There sleeping on a double bed, there was a sleeping naked woman; the room decorated resplendent Lannister colours and looked finer than any room that Tyrion had ever seen.
"Tywin... my lion..." the woman moaned as she slowly moved about on the bed, her voice making Tyrion's blood run cold as she slowly sat up and turned to see him standing there. His heart shattered as his eyes met with Shae, the woman that he had loved and done everything to protect; the woman that had stood before the court and accused him of murdering Joffrey with a spiteful look upon her face as she did it.
Shae stared at her former lover for a moment before she reached for the knife on the bedside table; a look on her face that Tyrion couldn't read. It all seemed like a blare for him, the two of them starting to struggle before he eventually strangled her with the bedclothes; tears running down his face as he sat on the floor while Shae lay slumped on the bed.
Her head hanging over the edge of the bed next to him as he whispered apologises to her, his heart breaking that it had come to this; he had only ever wanted her safe from his sister who would have killed her to get at him. Shae had always believed that she'd be able to handle his family and she'd still ended up dead.
He sat there for what felt like hours before he pulled himself to his feet, he wiped his tears from his face with his sleeve before he moved towards the crossbow on the wall and took it down. His hands felt like they were shaking as he slowly loaded the crossbow, his heart heavy as he left Shae on the bed and headed for the privy knowing who would be in there. This might not have been what his brother intended but Tyrion wasn't about to let this chance slip away when he knew this would be his only chance. Pushing open the door to the privy, Tyrion stepped inside to the sight of Tywin Lannister looking rather vexed at the sight of his youngest son.
"Tyrion! Put down the crossbow. Who released you? Ah, your brother ,I expect. He always had a soft spot for you. Come, we'll go and talk in my chambers. Is this how you want to speak to me? Shaming your father has always given you pleasure..." Tywin said with a shake of his head. He didn't know why he was surprised that this was how his son choose to confront him, he should have known that this was coming and Jaime would be the one to mess this all up.
"All my life, you've wanted me dead," Tyrion stated sadly, it was the hard truth that he had always lived with that he had been hated so much by those who should have cared for him. It had been hard growing up knowing that not only that you were different to the rest of your family, but that most of them wanted you dead for something you had no control over.
"Yes. But you refused to die. I respect that, even admire it. You fight for what's yours. I'd never let them execute you; is that what you fear? I'd never let Illyn Payne take your head. You're a Lannister. You're my son," Tywin stated, he was bored of this already and he wanted nothing more than to not deal with it now. He'd been having issues with his stomach all day, he wasn't sure that he'd eaten something that could have upset it and now he was struggling to do his business. Tyrion's hold tightened on the crossbow, he glared at his father not caring how he would have killed him; it was always coming for him no matter what Tywin said.
"I loved her," Tyrion stated unable to say her name, the last image that he would ever have of her was the one that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Her body laying in the bedroom of his own father, the man that had always hated Tyrion's actions and his time wasted with whores.
Tywin raised an eyebrow like he had no idea who Tyrion was talking about, he shifted slightly as brought his handkerchief to his face and wiped away the sweat that was gathering on his brow; his face looking ashy as he looked back at Tyrion.
"Shae," Tyrion snapped unable to believe that his own father didn't know who he was referring to, there was only one woman that he had cared about in years and that wasn't the wife that he had been forced to marry. He prayed that Sansa was safe wherever she had ended up, he knew that Cersei's rage would not be contained forever and then she would seek to hunt down Sansa for what she believed had happened to Joffrey and who had killed him.
"Bah, Tyrion. Put down that crossbow," Tywin instructed firmly, he was tired of this and it was late; he didn't want to discuss some whore that was laying in his bed when she was of little consequence to him. He didn't know why Tyrion always chose women that were beneath him, it was never easy to find a match for him but he threw himself at any woman who paid him the littlest bit of attention.
"I murdered her. With my own hands," Tyrion whispered unable to believe that he had actually killed her, he had murdered the woman that he thought that he loved. He wanted nothing more than to wipe the last hour from his mind, after everything that he had been through it was one of the worst nights of his life.
"It doesn't matter," Tywin dismissed with a wave of his hand, they could deal with one whores body; it was of no inconvenience to them when she could be dumped in the streets. It wasn't like anyone would come looking for her, she wasn't anyone important.
"It doesn't matter?" Tyrion stated with a shake of his head, it was as if her own life had been worth less just because she wasn't born a Lannister. If only he'd been able to protect her better, to make her understand who the real monsters of House Lannister were then perhaps she would be safe as he had arranged for her rather than dead in his father's bed. The walls of the Hand of the King had likely seen many things but this night would be one to be remembered.
"She was a whore!" Tywin scoffed with a shake of his head, she was nothing to him and even the gold chain that had been around her neck had been the price that he had paid for her to warm his bed. This was not the first whore that his son had decided was the love of his life, he had thought that Tyrion had learned his lesson after how he had dealt with the last whore that had thought she was worthy of a Lannister.
"Say that word again," Tyrion spat shifting his hold on the crossbow, he would do whatever he had to; he was tired of all of this and he felt an anger rising in him as thought of all the mistreatment that he had suffered for years.
"And what? You'll kill your own father in the privy? No. You're my son. Enough of this nonsense..." Tywin scoffed, he didn't believe for a moment that his own son would murder him. He had done nothing but his duty, a duty that would always come first; surely if no one else would understand then Tyrion would, he was the brighter one of his children.
"I am your son, and you were going to sentence me to die. You knew I didn't poison Joffrey, but you would sentence me all the same. Why?" Tyrion demanded wanting to know just what he had done that deserved how he had been treated by his own father. He had always tried to do what Tywin asked of him, all he had ever wanted was for his father to give him what he deserved; afterall, he was his heir even if Tywin refused to admit it.
"Enough. We'll go back to my chambers and speak with some dignity," Tywin dismissed not wishing to continue this conversation, clearly whatever had upset his stomach could wait; the sweat on his brow gathering more as he shifted uncomfortably. He dismissed the stomach ache as eating something bad during dinner, he had died with Tommen and Cersei who was clinging to her younger son with everything that she had. Cersei refused the match that had been set up for her, Loras had his issues but she refused to marry him and sprouted some nonsense that his legacy was nothing but a lie and her children were a product of her affair with her own twin brother.
"I can't go back there. She's in there," Tyrion whispered with a shake of his head, he didn't want to see Shae again; he didn't want to face what he had done to someone that he had claimed to love. A lump formed in his throat and he wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or throw up at the thought of Shae, she had deserved better than the mess that knowing him had brought her and the misfortune that had come with it.
"What, are you afraid of a dead whore?" Tywin scoffed rather amused that he was frightened to face what he had done, his hands resting on his knees as he prepared to get to his feet. However he was not expecting Tyrion to actually fire the crossbow at him, the bolt slamming into his chest as he stared at his son. Anger etched across his face, he had never thought that Tyrion would have the guts to go through with this; all his hard work could not be for nothing, he had so much left to do.
"You shot me. You're no son of mine," Tywin spat furiously, his hand moving to rest on the bolt that was imbedded in his chest; he knew that Tyrion would not be able to get away with this. There was no way that this was how it would end for him, Tommen was in need of much guidance and he still had to deal with Stannis before anything else; the realm would fall and the Lannisters destroyed if not for him.
"I am your son. I have always been your son," Tyrion replied with a sad shake of his head, even now Tywin couldn't see that all that he had ever wanted was his approval. He had done everything that he could to be the son that his father had wanted, he had been denied all his life because of his disfigurement and he hated that even his own family had judged him for something he had no control over.
Slowly backing away from the body of his father, Tyrion rested the crossbow by the door as he made his way out of the privy; it all seemed to pass him by in a daze as he moved towards the door. He felt dizzy and he couldn't bring himself to look at Shae as he stumbled towards the door out of the Tower, his stomach twisted and turned as he continued on out of the room. Opening the door to the chamber, Tyrion stopped as Varys came into view with a look of horror on his face as he stared passed him and into the room where Shae lay on the bed.
"What have you done?" Varys asked in horror as he stared down at Tyrion, this was certainly not part of the plan; he had grown worried when Tyrion hadn't shown up at the meeting place and had come looking for him.
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