Chapter 3
Tyrion
"Wake up, sleepyhead!"
Tyrion Lannister slowly opened his eyes and gazed right in the face of his brother Jaime.
"Father wants to speak with us."
"What time is it?" the Imp mumbled.
"Time for you to get your little ass moving. You've been sleeping through midday. Now get up and make your way to Father's tent. He told me it's kind of an urgent matter."
Tyrion yawned as he sat on the edge of the bed, his feet hovering in midair. He jumped down and walked towards the only chair in his room on which he had left his clothes. His bedroom inside a tent in the Lannister camp was a simple one, yet it was a lot better than the sky cell of the Eyrie.
"Well well, I wouldn't dare to disobey father. After all, I'd never want to disappoint the man", he said somewhat grudgingly as he put his head through his shirt.
Jamie could not suppress a smile. "All your adventures haven't change you the slightest bit."
Tyrion paused for a moment. "Well they did, at least somewhat. Now I know that I am really scared of heights. I like my bedroom to be surrounded by four walls at least. Those sky cells kind of startle you; I could not even get a nice sleep. And I also learned that sell-swords can be trusted as long as you promise them enough money. The same goes for hill tribes. They are kind of different, but so am I."
"Lucky for you, you usually keep low. Now hurry up, see you in ten minutes."
Tyrion put on his boots. It was nice that he finally could put on some clean and fresh clothes. A few months ago he would not have believed what he had gone through and where he was now. It had all started with his journey with the royal party to Winterfell. From there he had made it to the Wall and he had even peed off it. He had shared some interesting conversations with Ned Stark's bastard son, Jon Snow. The boy was a nice guy and a skilled fighter, but still so naïve Tyrion thought. He even believed the Night's Watch were some kind of noble knighthood, since he had only known his uncle Benjen Stark before he decided to take the black. Soon he had learned the truth about it. On his way back to King's Landing together with the Night's Watch company, Tyrion's journey had taken an unexpected turn at the Crosswood Inn. It was there where Catelyn Stark who had accused him of trying to murder her son, Bran Stark, who had tragically fallen from a tower during the royal visit to Winterfell. It had turned him into a crippled boy. However, his mother had been damned convinced that Tyrion had been involved in an assassination attempt on her son. She had claimed that his dagger had been involved, but why would someone use his dagger and say it belonged to him? He still could not believe that Lady Stark was really thinking that he would be stupid enough the give his own knife to the assassin, assuming that he would have done it. It appeared to him that someone had convinced her that he was involved in it. Probably someone in King's Landing, and one day he would find out whom it was. He hoped he or she would hang for it. It could also be Cersei after all, in fact he could not think of someone else who wanted him dead except for his father. But his father started this war to get him free and had started raiding the Riverlands, therefore it would not make sense that he was involved in it this time. Yet the thought did not leave his mind; he definitely wanted to find out the truth one day. Someone wanted to get rid of him, but he had decided to stay around a little longer.
The trial by combat at the Vale had saved his life. Oh, how he detested Lady Arryn and her breast-sucking son. The only things he had in common with that boy was that they were both small and they both had a love for titties, but luckily his love was not the same kind Robin's was. The little brat became even more annoying when Tyrion realized that all that that spoiled kid wanted, was to see him flying through the Moon Door. The problem was that he was also his judge, would you believe it? No, he would have never got justice there, therefore he let the gods decide his fate. And they had decided to let him live, so that meant that life had some more interesting twists for him to come. They had even send an angel and he called himself Bronn. The guy was ridiculously unmannerly and blunt, but he somehow liked his style. What you saw was what you got and he got his life back thanks to this sell-sword. As long as Bronn's loyalty was still with the promise that he would get his money, he would better make the best of this bodyguard being around. After all, everyone could be an enemy to him.
He walked outside his tent, looked around and noticed that it was indeed past midday already. The soldiers were doing their usual routines; some were practicing their fighting skills, while others were patrolling or having their lunch. For a moment he wondered where Bronn was. However, he did not bother about it, as he knew that Bronn would go where the money was and it was still with him. He almost fell when his foot slipped into a pool of mud. Cursing to himself he hoped that all of this would be over soon. He didn't like war, as things suddenly would become so serious then. He just wanted to enjoy life, do his drinking and whoring around and be a nuisance to everyone. He was not made to fight, so he was not made to live in times of war he had concluded long ago. Luckily, he knew everything would be over soon as he was home and Father did not want to cause to much trouble which would only destabilize the realm. Having conflicts with the Starks and Tully's was not beneficial to him, as it would probably fuel more tension between Cersei and the King. No, the alliance between Robert Baratheon and House Lannister was quite a comfortable one: his father could almost do whatever he wanted and he paid the king well for it, so well that the realm had become dependable of him. This made Tywin Lannister de facto one of the most powerful men in Westeros.
As he entered his father's tent, he immediately felt something was wrong. His father stood on the other side of the room with his back turned towards him, seemingly he was in deep though with himself. Jaime was sitting at the large table and he also looked sort of concerned. What was going on? He had looked forward of the war being over soon, yet it appeared some more trouble was to come.
"You called for me, Father?"
He took his seat directly in front of Jaime. His father did not say a word. Suddenly he turned around and Tyrion noticed the distressed look on his face. He had a scroll in his hand which he threw on the table.
"Read this", he commanded, "he has my daughter."
Tyrion could not believe what his father just said. He took the scroll which had the King's seal on it. The handwriting was not Robert's, but it had been signed with his name and seal. Apparently Cersei had been captured for her role in an assassination attempt of the king.
"Why would she?" Tyrion asked, "and who told you this?"
"Your cousin Lancel told me. She had ordered him to serve the king too much of his strongest wine during a hunt so he would be killed or fatally wounded. He found out and blamed her for it. She is somewhere in the Black Cells now."
"Has she gone completely nuts?!" Tyrion was furious, "what the hell is she thinking to do such a stupid thing? Of course the king would find out. Call him a drunkard, but as a lover of wine myself, even I know that Robert would surely recognize his own wine. And it's even more foolish to give a coward like Lancel such a tricky task."
"Shut up."
His father's cold eyes stared at him for a few nerving moments.
"There is something else", he said.
At that moment Jaime gave him another scroll, also signed by the king. It was probably Ned Stark who had written this scrolls, Tyrion thought to himself. Anyway, that did not matter for now.
"Jaime Lannister is summoned to King's Landing to answer for his crimes. He has to arrive within the fourth night after the signing of this message or he and his family will be considered as traitors and enemies of the crown. Besides that, he is stripped from all his ranks and titles and dismissed from the Kingsguard from now on till the end of his days. Signed, Robert Baratheon, First of His Name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men and Protector of the Realm... what's this all about?!"
"That is something I want to know as well. Jaime, tell me what is this all about? Have you two been secretly plotting behind my back?"
"No", Jaime answered firmly, "but I have to admit something that could explain this message."
Tyrion gazed in big surprise to his brother. He tried to make eye contact with him, but Jaime seemed to avoid his look. What was he talking about? He wouldn't dare to tell Father about their secret? And how could that be related to Cersei's actions? Don't tell him he wanted to say, but he knew that would be a stupid move. He simply said nothing. The whole situation did not make sense to him, after all.
"Go on Jaime", Tywin said.
"Back in Winterfell, I... I was there when Bran fell out of that tower."
"How?"
"Well I... I was on my own looking for a moment to relax myself. You know, after all those weeks constantly traveling with the same group, it is nice to have a little time for yourself. So I found this tower and it was perfect. No one would come looking for me there. As I almost fell asleep the boy startled me terribly. I walked towards him and grabbed him, asking what the hell he was thinking to sneak on me like that. It was stupid of me and it became even more stupid when he fell. He just fell and I could not grab him anymore as I had really not expected it and was too late. At that moment I already knew I had done a terrible thing and I could only hope the boy would live. Luckily he did."
"Luckily?" Tyrion answered, "that lucky that you sent an assassin to his bed a few weeks later with my blade?"
"That wasn't me", Jaime responded, "I have no part in that. Why would you think I would do such a thing?"
His feigned ignorance deeply annoyed Tyrion.
"Well dear brother, I do not know whether you have noticed it, but apparently someone convinced Catelyn Stark that I had tried to murder her son. You may have heard that I slept in a sky cell for that, you know by now how much I hate heights, and hadn't my ass been saved by Bronn I would have flown straight through the Moon Door. It would have been a relief to so many people to know that I am no longer around to make them feel dis-comfortable."
"Not for me Tyrion, and you know that."
"Well..."
"Cut it off", Tywin commanded, "we have important matters to discuss. Tyrion, you were right about Cersei. I do not see any sensible reason why she would do such a stupid thing. Nevertheless, we have to save our face and family. Throwing my daughter into the black cells cannot go unpunished. So my question is: what do we do now?"
"Well, we could send Jaime to kill the king. He has some experience with the matter already, so that definitely makes things easier."
His brother and father clearly did not appreciate his joke. Tywin grabbed a jug of wine and filled his cup before passing it to Jaime to refill his as well.
"If you think I have started this war to have you pour this nonsense over me, you're wrong", Tywin commented, "you claim to be smart so show me and I might see some more use in you." Tywin took a zip of his wine as he sat down.
Wel well, his father was truly flattering him. How he was happy to could be of any use to his father. Cut off the sarcasm Tyrion, he thought.
"What if we let Jaime go to King's Landing?" he asked.
"And let him join Cersei in some dark dungeon? Unacceptable." his father firmly held his lips together and stared at his cup for a moment.
"Well, actually we don't know that. We could also wait and ask Robert for an explanation."
"Do nothing, while my daughter is imprisoned? I am not the king's servant, pleading for my daughter's life. We're Lannisters, we have to act instead of react."
"You're right father", Jaime added, "if I take a large part of your army, I should be able to besiege King's Landing within four days. We will take them by surprise. As a member of the Kingsguard I..."
"Former member", Tyrion corrected.
"... I know they are not prepared for an attack. The city is undermanned and the defenses are weaker than ever."
"Wait, are you just telling us you want to throw us in another war?" Tyrion asked.
"You call it war, I'd call it... vengeance", Jaime answered smiling.
"No we won't", Tyrion responded, "it's too dangerous and it would be a disastrous political move. We have no allies and the Baratheons have just too many. The Tullys and Arryns will surely back them and so will the Starks. We will be outnumbered and defeated."
"Who is talking about politics here, dear brother? We Lannisters are the richest family of Westeros and even the king is dependent of our money. That means he better listens to our will. Besides that, I am not so sure about the Arryns backing the Baratheons. After all, you also know by now that Lysa Arryn is kind of... different. And I am not afraid of the Stark boy and his Northern armies at all, by the time he would reach us we will be hiding behind the comfortable fortification called King's Landing."
Tyrion had to agree on Lysa Arryn. Nevertheless, he still strongly disagreed with his brother.
"Still, I don't like to be bitten in the throat by the wolf, nor the stag or whatever animal. I say we use the diplomatic ways. Robert is not totally stupid, nor is he cruel or totally unreasonable. Make him clear we demand Cersei's release or we will stop our foundation of the crown. Even Robert knows what it means to have the Iron Bank turn against him. He will listen, as he is not totally mad to just chop of Cersei's head. That's why we have him on the throne, instead of the Mad King."
"And what do we do with Cersei then?" his father asked.
"Well, we wait for Robert's answer", he answered.
"Wait? That's no option. Tyrion, I told you that already. Anyway, I always thought you were an useless cunt and though I still think you are a cunt, at least most of the time, I also see now that you are not totally useless."
"I am not worth the honor, dear father."
"You're right that a war is too costly and too risky. We will talk with Robert, but we will also get Cersei back as soon as possible. We will teach him a lesson what happens when he puts his hands on one of my family. If I start a war for you, I cannot lean back for my daughter who also happens to be still Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."
"So, what is you plan then, father?" Jaime asked.
"Jaime, you will take a few of my elite troops to King's Landing. Not to besiege the city or to have an open battle, but to release Cersei from her cell. You know your way around there so it should be relatively easy to find for you. Be aware that you have to travel in secret, so that means no banners or other signs for you and your soldiers. Reach King's Landing in the night if possible and release my daughter, bring her back over here and we will teach the king a lesson. We won't start a war, neither would Robert."
Jaime nodded affirmatively. He would probably still prefer an open war, Tyrion thought, but at least this plan would bring back Cersei soon, if everything would go according to plan. Also for him the plan did sound alright. It was still a compromise, but it appeared to be a nice one.
"I can be there in four days", he answered sarcastically.
"And what's my role in this, father?" Tyrion asked.
"You stay here to advise me. You might give me some more nice ideas", Tywin said grudgingly, "now leave me alone so I can give it some more thought myself."
Tyrion got up and walked out, followed by Jaime. He noticed his brother's face, which did not betray any emotion. However, he could sense something was not right. Something that his brother was withholding from him.
"Did you speak the truth about you and Bran Stark?" he asked.
"No. I pushed him deliberately."
"Why?"
"Don't ask me that. All you have to know is that I was not involved in the assassination attempt and that I did not try to blackmail you. At least I was honest in that part."
"Good", Tyrion answered, "it has something to do with you and Cersei, hasn't it? That is why the king summoned you. He probably found out about your little secret."
"Could be. How do you know?" Jaime asked.
"I do not."
"Fine. Why didn't you tell Father of your suspicion?"
"Well, in case another war is coming, I personally think we need fewer enemies instead of more. We better keep our lines closed dear brother, so that is why I do not want to upset Father. I wish you would do the same."
Jaime shook his head. "You don't know."
"Of course not, I wouldn't dare to think of you doing something inappropriate. Yet, you and your girlfriend will drag us in a war that might cost us our heads."
"She is NOT my girlfriend."
"Yes, she is not. That would have made things a little easier, wouldn't you agree? But now you are going to march to King's Landing and save our beloved sister. How romantic."
Jaime cursed something indistinctly as he walked away. Tyrion smiled, while thinking about how little he really cared about the legacy of House Lannister, which has been his father's obsession. However, he knew that as long as there are people who want all Lannisters dead, his life was not safe either. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knew whom he was and what he looked like. A war would reduce his survival chances terribly, so therefore he would gladly help to prevent it. He really hoped that negotiating with Robert would settle the tensions, though he somehow doubted its chances of success. After all, Robert could be unpredictable as well and if he had really found out about the twincest, his wrath would be beyond any reason. So in case it could not be avoided, which Great Houses would be willing to support their cause? The Baratheons would be supported by at least House Stark and House Tully and maybe House Arryn. The Greyjoys were untrustworthy partners and only cared about their drowned god. House Martell is not that fond of Lannisters, since Gregor Clegane slayed Elia Martell and her Targaryen children during the Sack of King's Landing. It seemed that House Lannister would be on their own, unless the neutral forces of House Tyrell would decide to choose their sides.
House Tyrell... they could be the key to his family's survival. He should not forget about that, Tyrion thought. War may be coming.