Tywin

Tywin looked down Tommen, who was seated at the desk that would be his solar. The Old Lion had instructed the servants to clear the entire damn thing out, to bring everything they found to him so he might go through it carefully. Joffrey hadn't ever bothered to use the solar, finding it a boring place, and thus everything within had belonged to Robert. Tywin knew that Robert wasn't one to use the solar often, unless it was to sneak away and drink with whatever Lord had come to grovel for his favor, but he had still sat the Iron Throne for over a decade and a half and thus the room had accumulated enough things to make it 'his'.

And that was why Tywin had wanted to carefully go through everything: to ensure that Tommen didn't see anything he shouldn't.

Gone went the copy of A Wanton's Tale, with its wine stained pages and other… fluids… that honestly made Tywin not feel guilty at all about chucking it into the fireplace. And then ordering the fireplace be scrubbed clean. So too had he tossed away the little wooden statue of a woman sitting spread legged who, when one pressed on her head, would squirt out whatever liquid was poured inside from her nethers. Half filled wine bottles had been just tossed as had the scribbles on parchments made because he was bored and been caught by Pycelle or someone else.

Other things he had kept, much to Cersei's annoyance. Several warhammers were displayed, as were the banners of House Baratheon. Of course Tywin was contributing matching items from House Lannister (such as the sword that Joffrey had scoffed at; Tommen had thanked him and asked him if he could learn to wield it and Tywin had assured him he would) but he kept the Baratheon items.

"Robert was his father," Tywin had said, the warning and threat clear for even Cersei to understand.

There would be many years for Tommen to make the solar his own but at least there was no worry about the boy finding Robert's filth within it as he went over his lessons.

"I don't understand… why do I need to learn the Language of the First Men? We don't use it anymore. So why do I need to learn it?"

Had any of his children asked him that Tywin would have snapped at them for being petulant little dogs. He could hear Cersei scoffed dismissal, Jaime's whining, Tyrion's sarcasm. Had Joffrey said those words he would have been tempted to clap him on the ear. But Tommen asked not because he didn't want to learn it but because he wanted to understand WHY.

'And that is important,' Tywin thought to himself. 'He wants to understand the reasoning behind the knowledge. Why something is important.' Too many people saw knowledge as something to barely tolerate or to horde. There were lords who could barely read and write and who thought that any attempts to learn more were merely wastes of time and energy. Just as there were Maesters who tried to learn everything and then bored the world to tears with useless trivia. Tommen was willing to learn but wanted a reason for it.

Tywin forced himself not to sigh.

'What would the world be like if Tommen had been the elder?'

He knew that many saw his grandson as soft and weak. Honestly he had thought the same thing himself at first. Tommen seemed slow and far too obsessed with his 'kitties'. A meek plump little thing. But time spent with the boy had shown that wasn't his fault… it was his parents. Robert didn't care and Cersei saw him as a little doll she could play with if she couldn't be with Joffrey. Tommen was smart. He was hungry to learn. According to Sam he was making great strides in the yard. And he knew how to make friends. No one in court could say he was foul. Many had come to him in recent days and stated they were impressed with how he was handling himself.

'If Tommen had ruled Stark wouldn't have moved to remove him,' Tywin thought. 'Someone in Court put it into his head that Joffrey wasn't Robert's son and thanks to him leaning heavily on the Lannister side combined with his dismal actions so Eddard believed them. But Tommen? The boy has Cersei's coloring but I can see Robert in his build. He will be a strong man, if trained to rid himself of the baby fat. And he is kind… Stark would have liked that.'

It would have meant having to work with Stark, as even Cersei had admitted that in Robert's will that Stark had provided had named him as Joffrey's regent. It made the entire mess all the more foolish and he'd raged when he'd learned that; instead of dismissing Stark she should have placated him until Tywin could arrive and find out just WHO had filled the Northman's head full of lies. Because Ned Stark wasn't clever enough to come up with such a lie, or plan such a coup, not on his own. No… someone else had done it and Stark had been their pawn… and now they were at war.

"Grandfather?" Tommen asked. "Lord Eddard and… Joffrey?"

He looked down and shook his head, realizing he'd been mumbling those thoughts aloud. "Apologizes, your grace," he said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "While it is true that we do not use the Language of the First Men ourselves it is still part of the cornerstones of Westeros. Tell me… what was King Jaehaerys the Wise's greatest accomplishment?"

"He ruled over the most stable time period in Westeros history."

Tywin let out a little huff at that. "Yes… yes he did. But that wasn't his greatest and do you know why?" Tommen shook his head. "Peace doesn't last. It is gone with every passing of the sun. No one can now point to something and go "Oh, there is Jaehaerys' peace."."

Tommen frowned, mulling that over. "He made the Kingsroad."

"True," Tywin stated. "He did do that. And we can point to that, yes. But there were roads before." Tommen rubbed his quill with his thumb and index finger. "Jaehaerys organized the laws of the Seven Kingdoms."

The little king looked at him, considering that for a moment before nodding quickly. "Oh yes! I remember Maester Pycelle telling me that."

'Hmmm… I wonder if Pycelle is actually trying to educate Tommen… or if he simply is seeking out a way to have power over him.' That was the frustrating thing about having people in your employ who broke their own vows: you could never tell if they were going to keep the vows they had sworn to you. "Do you know why that is the most important thing he did?"

Tommen considered that. "How can a king be a king if every kingdom has its own rules?"

Tywin nodded, quite pleased. "Yes. Yes! That is exactly right." The boy beamed at him and unlike so many other smiles that set him on edge he did not mind Tommen smiling at him. He could tell the boy wasn't doing it to taunt him or mock him. He actually meant the smile. As so startling as that was for Tywin. "A king's power is that all see him as their ruler. But if every land as their own laws that might supersede his own then how can he be king?"

"Super… sede?"

"It means that they overrule his own." Once more he credited the boy; he admitted when he didn't know something rather than pretend that he knew and later be revealed to be foolish. "Can you think of an example of that?"

Tommen considered that for a long moment, Tywin allowing the boy to puzzle things out. He found it so odd; Tywin admitted that many times he was impatient with others when he knew the answer to something and he had to wait for them to puzzle it out. But there was a pleasure in seeing Tommen think things out as he could tell the boy was truly thinking. And he was getting quicker-

"If mother told me to eat lettuce but you told me that I didn't have to it would supersede her."

"Correct," Tywin said. "Now, before the Old King made all the laws in the Seven Kingdoms uniform it was quite hard for those traveling to know what they could and couldn't do. There were some lords who stated, for example, that the punishment for theft was 10 years in prison. Others stated that the thief would lose their hand but serve no time. And others still would allow the thief to simply pay a fine. A traveler might believe that they have the right to sample an apple from the side of the road, because in their home the trees belong to all if they are a certain closeness to the road. But in another kingdom that would, as I said, cost them a hand or 10 years of their life because it was theft because the lands belonged to the owner right up to the road."

"That sounds… really confusing."

"It was," Tywin whispered. "Which is why it was so important that King Jaehaerys ensured that all the laws of the Seven Kingdoms matched one another. He did this by going over all the laws that had been recorded by the Citadel, as well as requesting the law books of all the major houses, and finding as much common ground as he could. In some cases, however, when faced with conflicting laws, he would weigh the oldest as the ones that should remain."

"Oh!" Tommen said suddenly. "And since the First Men were here before the Andals then many of the old laws were written in the Tongue of the First Men!"

"Correct," Tywin assured him.

Tommen nodded and bent down to begin reading again only to pause. "Can I be excused from eating with you and mother tonight?" He shifted slightly. "Jon Stark invited me to dine with him tonight."

"You may," Tywin said, pleased that his work to get Tommen to grow closer with Rhaegar's son were working. It would do well when he proposed marrying Jon's daughter to Tommen's heir. "I know there are some that say Jon Stark is a traitor-"

"They are silly," Tommen said as he began to practice writing out some words in the Tongues of the First Men. "We aren't like our fathers. Everyone tells me I'm not like my father and you aren't-" He suddenly caught himself, head pressing down onto his shoulders.

"You can say it," Tywin said. "I am not like my father. I don't want to be like him. I have worked all my life to not be like him. Just as I imagine Jon Stark has worked to not be like his father. He has never dishonored his wife… something you would be wise to remember."

"Of course, Grandfather!" Tommen said earnestly. "I wouldn't want to upset Lady Margaery!"

"Which is good. And it's good that your are forging friendships with the likes of Jon Stark."

"King Jaehaerys was told by his advisors to kill those that had supported Maegor," Tommen stated, never looking up. "But he chose to forgive them so he could unite the realm."

"…yes," Tywin told his softly. "It will be your duty to unite the Seven Kingdoms when this winter is over with. That will be your great work, Tommen. And learning how to forge friendships and alliances as you are with Jon Stark will go a long way to accomplishing that."

Tywin Lannister didn't smile. He had on the rare occasion, in his youth, and now he would in the privacy of his own chambers, but it was still a rare thing. Besides he had found other ways to express his pleasure beyond flashing his teeth constantly.

Thus he reached down and gave Tommen's shoulder a comforting squeeze, letting him know how truly proud he was of the boy.

'How odd it is to think that in this child, whose own mother has ignored him, I find the makings of my legacy.'

~MC~MC~MC~

"The Kingsguard needs to be filled," Cersei said as she cut into her chicken.

Tywin didn't say a word, choosing instead to merely look down at his plate, selecting a chunk of meat and swirling it in the sauce that had been drizzled onto his plate. He couldn't quite place the spices and it was bothering him that he had yet to determine just what they were. It didn't actually matter in the larger scheme of things but it was still something that pestered him, like an annoying insect.

"Tommen needs proper knights to protect him," Cersei said again. "Ones that are chosen because of their strength and skill, not because of who their families are."

"I suppose you wish to remove all those that are like that from the Kingsguard, then?"

"Yes," Cersei said firmly. "We must make the Kingsguard worthy of their titles once more."

"I agree," Tywin said, finally raising his fork to his mouth. He chewed on the piece of chicken but even as his tongue danced along its surface he couldn't figure out what sauce coated it.

Cersei smiled at that. "I am glad we can see eye to eye on this." She reached out and took her wine glass with her good hand; she hadn't accidently reached for something with her false hand in quite some time. "I do not like it when we feud about things."

'You mean you don't like it when I don't agree with you,' Tywin thought. 'Once you had the wisdom to see when it was right to keep your beliefs and when the change them. Now any who don't bow to your so called wisdom is a fool.'

Taking his silence to mean he agreed with her she continued on, feeling more bold now that he supported her suggestions. "We have made mistakes but there is a chance to correct them. I know you don't agree with Joffrey dismissing Ser Barristan-"

"It was a foolish choice," Tywin stated. "Ser Barristan… he was the Iron Throne, the sword Blackfyre, and the Crown of Aegon in mortal form. Robert understood that… Joffrey should have as well. We are only blessed that he did not go to Stannis, Renly, or Gods forbid Stark. Had he chosen any of them it is likely the Smallfolk would have pulled us all out of the Red Keep before any of them arrived at our gates." He shook his head. "Joffrey's first acts as King were to dismiss Ser Barristan the Bold and try and coat the steps of the Sept of Baelor with Ned Stark's blood. Tommen will need to do far better to erase the stains Joffrey let with his foolishness."

He saw his daughter struggling to hold back her whining. She hated it when he insulted Joffrey… that was why he did so. She had raised a stupid boy and all of Westeros would remember that. Did she think Tommen would show love and respect for Joffrey's memory? No… no, Tywin would have to plan it carefully but in a few years Tommen would begin to mention the mistakes of his brother, to let the Noble Houses know that he saw what a failure his brother had been as king. So they knew that he would not make those same mistakes.

Instead of defending Joffrey though Cersei swallowed her comments and instead stated, "But we can agree that the choices he made afterwards were… not the best."

'Impressive,' Tywin thought to himself. 'She almost was able to admit that her precious son was a fool.' Out loud Tywin stated, "Agreed."

Cersei lifted her glass to her lips, a smile forming as she prepared to take a sip. "I am glad we are in agreement."

"We are," Tywin said. "It will be hard to fill all seven positions but we will manage."

She paused at that and Tywin wasn't for sure if he was glad and disappointed that she hadn't taken a sip when he'd said those words. It was a mummur's farce to spray one's wine out when given bad news yet he thought he'd have rather enjoyed seeing her do just that. It would have allowed him another reason to scold her for her drinking.

"Seven?" she asked.

"Aerys was the last king who selected a man of the Kingsguard because of just their skill and not because of their family name or the power their fathers wielded."

"I… I don't…" Cersei said.

Tywin scoffed. "Your own brother only got his white cloak because Aerys wanted to steal my heir from me. Robert selected men from families that he either needed the support from or he needed to pay back. I am willing to bet at least one got their white sword because he was caught fornicating with their sister." He shot her a scathing look. "You were hoping I'd rid you of Ser Loras? At least he can actually swing a sword and ride in the lists. The Kingsguard has been about securing the realm for decades, going on a century. We did just that with Ser Loras and if you are still so foolish as to not see that then leave me to my meal… the chicken has more brains than you and its head was removed this morning."

Cersei merely sat there for a long moment before returning to her meal.

All the pity.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Leave us, Clegane," Tywin said as he entered his rooms. "We will not need you for the rest of the night."

The Hound nodded before exiting the room, leaving Tywin alone with his dear Joanna.

"You are late," she said with a soft smile, setting down her hairbrush. "I was beginning to think that you didn't want to be with me. That you preferred those dusty scrolls and pesky petitioners over me."

"Never," he assured her, leaning down and giving her a soft kiss. "I am sorry but the realm-"

"I know, I know," his dear wife assured him. "There is much to do. And Winter is coming." She chuckled at that.

"What?" he asked, confused by her mirth.

"Nothing," she assured him. "Just… thinking on some minor things. Nothing to trouble yourself with." She moved to the table and poured them some wine, brining his cup to him before she walked over and sat down on their marital bed, watching as he began to undress. "What did you do today, husband?"

"Dealt with our family," Tywin stated simply as he removed his jacket, running his hands along the fabric to make sure that there were no wrinkles. One of the servants would be collecting it in the morning for cleaning, along with everything else, but that didn't mean he couldn't ensure that it looked presentable.

"Depending on the person then you either had a very good or very poor day." She smiled at that and patted the bed. "Sit."

He did as she commanded and she raised her hands up, pressing them along his lower back, kneading his muscles. He had forgotten how wonderful it felt to allow Joanna to do that after a long day. "Damn Aerys and his wandering eyes," he muttered.

"Pardon?"

Tywin sighed, leaning forward to allow her better access to his sore muscles. "If only he had kept his gaze on his wife you could have been with me at the Red Keep. There are many days where I wish you'd been there, waiting for me, to do this." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "There are many things I regret, I won't deny that like some men, but not spending every second with you is one of the great ones."

Joanna merely smiled at that. "We are together now," she said as she began to pull his shirt up so she could press her palms to his skin. "Now, what did you discuss in your Small Council meetings."

"The War, as always," Tywin said. "We-" He let out a hiss.

"Tywin?"

"Your hands are cold," he said.

Joanna sighed in frustration. "Yes. For all I've done to claim the Stark Girl's body that is one thing I can not fix. It's like the very North runs through her veins… everyone complains I am cold to the touch."

Of course the only people that interacted with her were Tywin's most trusted servants who knew how to hold their tongues lest they, and their entire families, lose them.

"Its fine," he assured her, not wanting to upset her, "I was only startled." He braced himself as she placed her hands on his skin, forcing himself not to wince. After a few moments he grew used to her cold fingers and didn't have the tense in preparation anymore. "People won't notice as much soon… you are right, Winter will be arriving soon."

"Yes," Joanna said softly. "Yes it will."

"We have been discussing the preparations for that. The Tyrells are making demands, of course, and they are in a strong position to do so. The Westerlands aren't known for their crop yields and the Crownlands and what Stormlands we still hold have been affected greatly by the War. I am loathed to consider how much Mace would be demanding if we hadn't married his daughter off to Tommen."

"All the Kingdoms must be suffering though," Joanna stated.

"They are but not as greatly as I'd have hoped," he admitted. "The Vale is simply mismanaged from the top… Lysa Arryn is too busy coddling her child and fawning over suitors. Many of the smallfolk have taken it upon themselves to prepare for winter though Pycelle believes that the Mountain Clans will be especially brutal this Winter. We have not secured them but we also haven't made them our enemy… the Vale is waiting, seeing who comes out the victor." And the Winter was going to put hold to his plans to kill off Lysa Arryn. She had imprisoned Tyrion and nearly thrown him from the Moon Door… had she done that, even to his least favored child, he would have hammered down upon the Vale until was made smooth like the great Reach plains. As it was the Vale would survive but their actions in imprisoning Tyrion, along with their refusal to choose a side, meant that there would be a reckoning soon enough. Lysa Arryn would die and very likely, if the stories he'd heard of Robert Arryn's time in the Red Keep where true, her son would die as well. He needed to find someone to marry off the Harry the Heir. Not a Lannister, much to his own annoyance, as that would be too obvious. But there were several bannermen who he could trust. Westerling had a daughter…

'But that is for after the Winter,' he thought to himself. 'It will be too late to arrange for a marriage... or a murder.' His thoughts whirled in his head like wagon wheels. 'Though the winter might just do the job for me when it comes to the latter. The snows grow high enough and Lysa Arryn continues throwing her lavish parties and its possible that she will become trapped in her castle, forced to starve.' The more he considered that the more he liked the idea. No one could blame him for the weather… a sickness? An accident? People would wag their tongues. But should an avalanche occur? Well… the gods worked in their own ways.

He would need to speak to Pycelle about the nature of blizzards and blocked paths.

"The Dornish will fair the best but they always do in Winter," Tywin admitted. "They will be able to farm and the southern seas will remain clear of ice. According to records from the last five winters the fishing becomes greater as those that can not handle colder waters will make for their shores."

"It is good then that Myrcella is marrying into the Martell family."

"Yes, despite how Cersei sees it. She won't forget about us. And with Jon and Natasha Stark here they will be able to speak with Oberyn and through him his brother."

Joanna moved up to his shoulders. "If he believes that it is a blow against you he will help."

"…yes," Tywin admitted. He didn't want to humble himself like that but if he were able to do so in a proper way… "The Riverlands should have been the worst hit by this Winter. Much of the fighting happened there, after all. But Ned Stark… he knows Winter. Robert's Rebellion occurred at the end of the last Winter, that is true, but for the North the struggles against ice and snow occur even in good summers. He made sure to create pockets of protected farm land and rotated his men in and out of battle so they might return to their fields. Varys states that fishing has been heavy along the Northern shores. They have prepared and will continue to prepare… the Winter will not soften them as it would an army from the Stormlands or the Reach."

"But it still might… if it is long." Joanna allowed her hands to move away from his back and along his sides.

"Yes," Tywin admitted. "And it will be a long one. Very long. Many will die before it is done."

At once Joanna spun him around, grabbing onto his arms and kissing him hard.

She had clearly tired of such talk.

~MC~MC~MC~

Tywin sat at his desk, looking over the paperwork he'd received from the Citadel.

It had taken many threats, bribes, and promises to get the documents he needed but in the end it had been done. Thankfully only two Maesters even knew of the documents and only one had read them… and the man, Maester Stolwick, was a Baratheon loyalist. His father had been cousin to Lord Steffon Baratheon and he knew the knowledge that there was a child of Rhaegar and Lyanna out there would doom Robert and his children. He had come to King's Landing himself and, much to Tywin's surprise, even offered his life if Tywin would see the secret die. The man couldn't destroy the documents himself, not without risk of the Citadel learning what he had done, so he had been thankful that Tywin had asked for them.

Tywin had done much research via his own spies and learned the man was true to his word. If he were lying then he was the greatest turncoat he'd ever encountered.

So he'd assured the Maester that he trusted him and asked him to name a family member whom he respected and cared for. While Maesters were supposed to give up their family names and all loyalties to them blood was thicker than water and thus Maester Stolwick had, after a time, named his nephew.

The boy would at once be made a lord and be given lands and coin.

'And should he lie to me I will be able to destroy the boy as well,' Tywin thought to himself… though he doubted it. 'And Stolwick is a good piece to have on the board.' He had informed the Maester of his plan to marry Rhaegar's son to Tommen's daughter, to unite their houses and seal forever Tommen's reign. Stolwick would be leaving in two days time, with the documents proving Rhaegar had wed Lyanna…

…and with the falsified documents that Tywin currently held in his hands.

'The Tyrells would break from us if they learned of Jon,' he thought to himself. 'The Dornish are known for being open with their marriages and the Targaryens have had multiple wives… it would be easy for them to slay Tommen and marry Margaery to Jon. Natasha as his Visenya and Margaery as his Rhaenys.' He shook his head. 'No… no, that won't due.'

The documents he had created with his own hand would protect his family's interest. Gone was the proof of the marriage, so there would always be a question if the child was a bastard. And a sworn statement given by the White Bull himself, made to appear that it had been written just before Stark had arrived, stated that the boy heavily favored his father in looks, with light purple eyes and silver hair. No one would realize that it was a fake… Tywin had spent so much time with the Commander of the Kingsguard when he'd been Hand of the King that he knew how to mimic not just his handwriting but his stiff, to the point style of style that all would believe it to be true.

'I will just need to find a boy from Essos who matches the description,' Tywin thought to himself. 'That shouldn't be too difficult. The dragonlords spread their seed greatly… and in Lys there are many who claim they can trace themselves to Princess Saera, the Dragon Whore. Find a boy of the right coloring and present his body to the world and the smallfolk will be quite happy to believe that Rhaegar's issues are all gone.'

He paused, looking over the documents again.

'Until the time is right.'

There were still complications that would need to be dealt with. When he'd believed that Jon was the child of Rhaegar and Elia it had been the Dornish he had been concerned with, which was why he had allowed Oberyn Martell so much leeway. But with Jon being the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna… and a trueborn son at that… matters changed greatly.

'Ned Stark must know,' Tywin though. 'Though does he realize the boy is trueborn?' He considered that before shaking his head. 'No… perhaps at the beginning he hid Jon because of his love of Robert but as he saw what a terrible king he was even Stark would have considered it a better move to place his blood on the throne. The only reason he would not is if he had no way to prove the boy was the true born son of Rhaegar. Perhaps that is what inspired the mad delusions about Jaime and Cersei,' Tywin thought to himself before glancing out the window, seeing the sky beginning to turn a soft orange. The sun would be rising in an hour but Tywin had been up for hours already, leaving Joanna in their warm bed after their lovemaking before he had made his way towards his solar near the base of the tower, only 5 stories up.

He knew where everyone was in that moment. He had heard the sounds of huffing and puffing and looked out to see Tommen in the yard, one of the Kingsguard (he couldn't determine quite who) keeping watch as Jon and Sam prepared for their morning sparing. Also with them were Petyr Parker, Miles, and Gwen; the latter was chatting with Jon's wife.

Tywin had been pleased to see Tommen dedicated to his lessons and had even considered going to join them in the yard. It had been a long time since he'd clashed blunted steel against another man and he wondered how he would do against Rhaegar's son and the Summer Islander. But the duties of the kingdom had kept him from that though Tywin mentally promised that the next day he would join them.

'How good that would be…' he thought to himself. 'Tommen and I… his son's future goodfather… the future of the Seven Kingdoms together…'

There was a sudden gust of wind, fleeting and quick, and Tywin frowned in confusion as the parchments on his desk rustled… and the false document concerning the child of Rhaegar disappeared from his hand.

"Well well well," Ser Loras said, causing Tywin to snap around and stare in shock at the Knight of the Flowers as he looked over the parchment, "what have we here? Hiding a Targaryen child? That's very treasonous of you, Lord Hand." He chuckled, reading over the words Tywin had written. "By the hand of Gerold Hightower… you know, I was always told by my father that you like to take risks… that you had seen to the elevation of House Lannister through gambles… but forging this and sending it to the fortress made by the Hightowers themselves? Now that is bold."

He pushed down his shock at the appearance of the Tyrell boy and instead quickly marshaled himself and his feelings. Things had suddenly gotten far more complicated but he could still manage to make things fall into his favor if he was careful.

"The Targaryen child is no threat to the crown," Tywin stated. "Do you think I would allow Tommen to have his reign ended by a Dragon Child? I have already ensured that they will cause no harm and stake out no claim… I see no reason for them to be dragged to King's Landing in chains to be mocked and jeered by the masses before Tommen is forced to call for their head."

That only made Ser Loras laugh all the more though. "Tywin Lannister actually caring about other people. That will startle father, to be sure."

"Stop teasing him, dear brother," Margaery Tyrell stated from the doorway, Tywin turning to stare at the new Queen of the Seven Kingdoms as she walked towards him. Tywin moved to speak but Margaery suddenly flung out her hand…

…and Tywin stiffened, unable to move as red crackling energy wrapped around him like chains.

"Oh… he's confused," Margaery taunted. "A secret that Tywin Lannister never learned. That Varys wasn't able to ferret out. That Littlefinger was clueless of."

"To be far Littlefinger is quite dead," Ser Loras said, suddenly appearing next to Margaery. The Rose of Highgarden wiggled the fingers of her left hand, causing more red energy to suddenly shoot from them and go to the door. The heavy wood quickly swung close but was utterly silent, not making a sound. "We saw to that."

Tywin stared at the twin. "You-" he began only for Margaery to lift up her right hand, causing his feet to come off the ground. He struggled but found himself locked completely in place, everything below his neck refusing to respond to him.

"You truly don't know," Margaery stated. "We wondered when you sought out an alliance with House Tyrell. Father thought you might have figured out our scheme and wanted in on it. That was why we delayed answering you, of course. Loras had to go to father… after the debacle with Renly-"

"Which I've apologized for many times," Loras said, coming behind Margaery and laying his head on her shoulder.

"-we wanted to make sure we got this one right. He said for us to go and feel you out. To see what you knew. But when you didn't nothing… well, it was a boon for all of us. I was to be Queen, Loras placed to protect Joffrey… and Mace Tyrell would get his seat of power and our foster brother Willas would be close to the throne."

"F…foster?" Tywin got out, hating how stupid he sounded.

Loras grinned at that. "We're going to tell him, aren't we? Oh, please let us tell him!"

"We will," Margaery decided. "But let go backwards, shall we? I think it will be more… pleasurable."

"And you so do love pleasure," Loras teased and then he was across the room, pouring himself a glass of wine. Margaery followed after at a much more leisurely pace, dragging Tywin along as he hung in the air. "I suppose the most important thing is that we killed Joffrey."

"You?" Tywin said. But after a moment he narrowed his eyes. "You are moving about the room… too quick for me to see…"

Loras pointed at him and then he was reclining in a chair, feet up on a table. "Good, you're catching up. I'm glad… I hate it when people are slow and can't keep up. Yes, I killed Joffrey. It was easy… we'd debated how I would do it and who we'd pin it on. I honestly considered slitting his throat when you went to greet him but then he made the mistake of hitting my dear sister-" And for a moment Loras' jovial attitude was gone, leaving only dark rage. But it was a passing moment, like the blinking of an eye, and he was back to being all smiles. "And the storm sealed the deal. It was easy enough to snatch Littlefinger's dagger, plunge it into the bastard, and then wrap Baelish's fingers around the hilt. I had time to get myself some chicken from the kitchen and return to my spot before the flash was even over."

Tywin frowned at that. "Why? Why kill him? Your sister was queen but there was no promise that we'd hold to the deal with Joffrey dead."

"You'd have held to the deal," Margaery stated. "You had to. You needed the Tyrells. They are powerful… its why our father sought them out."

"You're getting ahead of yourself, sister," Loras said.

Margaery smiled at that. "Yes… you are right." She looked at Tywin. "We've been busy though. Some plots you have no idea about… nothing really came from them, to be honest. Whispering in certain ears, stirring up pots. At one point we wanted to try and get you to slay Jon Stark and his lady wife so that you would bring about the wrath of Lord Oberyn. But after the battle at that whore house we put that aside. It might be useful to have a Stark and a Martel that we can make friends with. And there is the promise owed to their house from ours: the Princess that was Promised."

She poured herself a glass of wine and walked towards Tywin, flicking her fingers so that he rotated until he was looking down at her as he hung in the air, nearly at a 45 degree angle.

"Let me tell you a story," she said. "Many years ago Olenna Redwyne was pledged to Prince Daeron Targaryen. Now, history claims that it was Prince Daeron who abandoned Olenna. She claims that it was her who convinced him to let her go. But the reason…" she tapped a finger against her chin, "…the reason is always… muddled. Olenna says that she wanted Luthor Tyrell. She gives many reasons when pressed: the Targaryen oddness, wanting to be the wife of a Lord Paramount instead of the bride of third in line to the throne, Daeron's desires only for men-"

"Which is short sighted!" Loras called out before appearing right beside Tywin. "Why split your options?" And then he was back at the table once more.

"But the real reason… the one she doesn't talk about… is a chance encounter with man she felt deserved the throne far more than any Targaryen. And… had claim."

"The Blackfyres," Tywin whispered.

"Erik Blackfyre," Margaery stated. "Our father. Olenna saw what others did not: Aegon the Unlikely was an outlier. There would be less Jaehaeryses and more Maegors. Even Aegon the Unworthy saw that… which is why he favored our family over his own so often. The deal was struck: when Erik found a bride and fathered a child they would be sent across the Narrow Sea back to Westeros, raised in the security of Highgarden. A lesser son or daughter but one perfectly in place to become familiar with Westeros… and for Westeros to be familiar with.

"Our father understands that he will be an outsider when he takes the throne. The people will not trust him. But a child that was born and raised in the Reach? That is more… acceptable." She paused. "When our mother birthed twins it was even better. The King and the Queen would be raised as one of you."

And with that Ser Loras appeared behind Margaery, the girl leaning against him as he began to fondle one of her breasts.

Tywin's face twisted in derision.

"The Blackfyres have tried time and time again to rule… they have always failed." And yet as he said those words… he wondered. Margaery was right: the problem with the Blackfyres after the first of their rebellions was they were seen as more Essosi than Westerosi. And after Aegon the Unworthy the blood of Essos was not to be trusted. But to have two well known to the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, with the backing of House Tyrell? That… that might actually work.

"Our father will not," Margaery told him, pulling away from her brother/lover and move across the room, Tywin being pushed back. "He is preparing to take the Iron Throne. We are preparing it for him. Soon we shall strike from opposite sides and Westeros will find itself trapped before it can even raise its head. Our father will claim the throne and when he dies Loras and I will rule together."

She paused.

"It is too bad that some sloppy assassin staged your suicide and prevented you from witnessing it."

There was a sudden rush of air.

The shattering of glass.

The sensation of his stomach twirling end over end.

And the sight of the unforgiving ground below just before he-