Ser Tywin Lannister
Four years had passed since the ending of what the singers were calling the War of the Lions, where House Lannister of Lannisport, otherwise known as the green lions had rebelled against their overlords House Lannister of Casterly Rock. With them they had brought House Westerling of the Crag, House Kayce of Kenning, House Banefort and a score of lesser houses into their crime. The war had waged for some four or five moons and had wrought destruction across the Westerlands, the like of which had not been seen since the first Blackfyre Rebellion. Tywin Lannister, eldest son and heir of the Lord of the Rock Tytos Lannister had been depending on whom you asked taken on the leadership or had been tasked with leading the force that would crush the rebels. There had been three main battles, at the Pendric Hills, Oxcross and then within the walls of Lannisport itself, and at the end the Green Lions, House Banefort and House Kayce were no more, either their members had been killed in battle or had been put to the sword when Tywin Lannister had come knocking on their doors.
Only one person remained of House Westerling, the rebel lord's granddaughter Sylvia Westerling a girl of eleven, she had been betrothed to Tywin's youngest brother Gerion, and they were to be wed when both came of age in a year's time. House Farman had sided with the rebels as well, but after Oxcross its lord had surrendered and in order to avoid seeing his house completely wiped out had paid half of his gold to Casterly Rock in compensation and had promised to send his first born daughter to the Rock as a ward, or hostage. The rebellion had ended and House Lannister of the Rock was secure in its hold over the Westerlands, but there was still much that needed to be done to make sure that another future rebellion never happened.
As such, it had taken some two years of hard work and a lot of gold and labour before the Westerlands had been repaired to the a habitable and acceptable level. It would take another few years before they reached the level of prosperity that they had had before the rebellion, Tywin knew, though not too long, for trade was booming once again. It filled him with a sort of pride, knowing that he had played a key role in making sure the Westerlands remained safe and prosperous as well as making sure that his family remained the unquestioned rulers of the Westerlands as they had since the Age of Heroes.
Other things had happened as well after the rebellion. Lannisport was without a lord, and whilst some of his father's bannermen urged Tytos Lannister to simply snap up the land and make it part of the Rock as it had once been before the dragons came, there were risks to doing that as well. And so Tytos Lannister in a rare moment of smart thinking had decided to ask the king to grant the Lordship of Lannisport to Tywin's third brother Tygett, Tygett had proven himself a mighty warrior during the rebellion and a very capable commander, and as such Tywin thought the reward was well deserved and perhaps would go a ways to calming his brother's ferocious anger. King Brynden had agreed to the nomination as well as that of his brother Gerion being named Lord of the Crag, and so two cadet branches had arisen of the main line in the Westerlands. Tygett had also been wed to Princess Jaehara the King's youngest child, in a grand wedding in the Rock, that had seen people from the Westerlands and the north come in attendance.
There had also been the matter of his friend and the Prince of Dragonstone's knighthood. After the rebellion, which Aegyl had proven himself a more than capable warrior in he had returned to the Eyrie where his friend had continued his tutelage under Jon Arryn, Tywin kept in contact with his friend and so it was through him that he learnt of the tourney being held at the Eyrie to celebrate the birth of one Elbert Arryn. Tywin attended the tourney at the invitation of his old mentor and it was there that his friend after winning the tourney was knighted by their mentor. Aegyl had worn black as night armour during the jousting and the ceremony afterwards and had shone like the sun, it was only right he was a dragon after all.
Tywin's contact with his friend which had been somewhat muted after the ending of the rebellion was renewed once more when a raven came from King's Landing, bearing the king's own seal, inviting Tywin and his family to the capital for Aegyl's wedding. His friend had wed Alyssa Greyjoy daughter of Lord Quellon Greyjoy, and the elder sister of the current Lord Balon Greyjoy on the fourth day of the fifth moon of 264 A.L., in the Great Sept of Baelor, the streets had been teeming with people come to see their prince wed. His friend and his friend's wife had seemed like some sort of divine couple as they had walked from the doors of Baelor. Tywin could still feel the headaches he had had after his friend's wedding feast.
His friend was usually a quiet person when around others and not one for exuberant behaviour, but with the Ironborn being present in the capital for the wedding, things were bound to be interesting, and by gods they had been. There had been ribald songs, drinking, and much jesting and entertainment, and this too before the main course had even been served! Once the royal couple had been sent off for their bedding, the festivities had continued. Not one for over indulgence normally, Tywin found himself drinking more and more with each passing hour during the celebrations that went on well into the early hours of the morning, at one point Tywin had found himself speaking with the bride's brother Victarion Greyjoy, having an in depth conversation about something or the other, that he struggled to remember.
Needless to say his head had hurt like hell the next day, and he had had to make the trip back to the Rock straight after the wedding, not because he had wanted to but because his father had written to him requesting his presence. Tytos Lannister's whore of a mistress had been pregnant twice in the space of two years and had miscarried the first child, the second one, had been born deformed and had died soon after. His father though had been well into his cups when Tywin had arrived at the Rock to see him, and so at first had thought his father was not being serious when he had informed him that his wedding to Joanna would be taking place in two night's time.
It turned out Tytos Lannister had been deadly serious and so Tywin Lannister had wed Joanna Lannister, in the sept of the Rock and so far their marriage had been a happy one, and dare he say it a loving one. There was no one Tywin trusted or cared about more, he had found. Joanna was his everything, he did not know what he would do without her, he loved her so much it scared him, he who could not afford to have anything which his enemies could use against him, had fallen very, very badly for his wife and the whole world seemed to know it.
Still, for the good ideas Tytos Lannister had there were always a few bad ones, his father's health was worsening, and so it had fallen to Tywin to manage the day to day affairs of running the castle and the Westerlands, and that included dealing with his father's messes. "Lord Marbrand, you say that my father promised you another loan to pay for some restructuring on your castle, and yet these papers here do not point to anything of the sort being agreed. Now tell me, is what you say true or are you trying to swindle money from your liege lord?"
Lord Marbrand was stout man who had once been a good soldier, now he was simply a nervous wreck. "No my lord, I do not mean to cheat Lord Tytos out of anything. It was agreed upon by the both of us some four weeks ago, whilst you were still in King's Landing my lord."
Tywin is beginning to have a bad feeling about where this conversation is going. "Was it my father who was seated in attendance Lord Marbrand? Or was it maester Geribald?"
Lord Marbrand is silent for a moment before he speaks his voice soft. "No my lord it was not your father, nor was it maester Geribald. It was Lady Sharon."
Tywin feels the anger build up inside of him, his father's whore acting as the ruling lady of the Rock? No such a thing will not stand, and yet he cannot deny his bannerman something that has been sealed in the name of his father and lord. "May I see the paper with which the agreement was made?" Tywin asks, struggling to keep his voice calm.
Lord Marbrand nods, and hands Tywin the document, he looks at the seal and sees that it does indeed bear his father's seal, the golden lion of the Rock. He breaks the seal and reads the document, feeling his anger rise as he reads further down the page, and then he gets to the bottom and sees his father's signature on the page, writ in his father's own hand, and he feels his stomach drop. He looks up at Lord Marbrand who is looking at him intently, and sighs. "Very well my lord, Maester Geribald, see to it that Lord Marbrand leaves here with the amount of gold that is mentioned in this letter. We shall want the repayment in five moons time."
Lord Marbrand nods and then leaves the hall, and Maester Geribald calls and end to the attendance of the court for the time being. Tywin wants to hit something as he steps down from the high seat in the great hall where countless Lannisters have sat before him, before his thoughts can turn dark though, Joanna is there, glowing and shining her arm links with his and they are walking back to their shared rooms. "You did well there, dealing with Lord Marbrand Ty." Joanna says, and Tywin feels himself thrum with pride. "What was written in the letter was it quite bad?"
Tywin feels the anger rise up in him once more. Joanna he is sure can feel him stiffen but she says nothing waiting in silence before he speaks. "We, or more like my father has agreed to give Lord Marbrand some 200 dragons in order to help him pay for more bricks and mortar and men for rebuilding his castle."
Tywin hears Joanna's sharp intake of breath, before she says. "200 dragons?! But does Lord Marbrand already have a loan of some 300 dragons already from the Rock that he is yet to repay? How could you allow this loan to continue to stand Ty?"
"Because my father was the one who agreed to the damnable loan Joanna. I cannot overrule my father, I am the heir not the lord. Not yet anyway. Besides Marbrand will pay the loan back, both of them, otherwise he will face the same fate as Farman." Tywin says an edge to his voice.
Joanna rubs a soothing hand across his arm, and says. "Well then, we shall have to make sure that he gets the message loud and clear. But why would that whore sit in for your father instead of Maester Geribald or even Kevan?"
Tywin sighs once more. "Because Maester Geribald is a weakling and will bow to whatever my father says even if it is bad advice he sprouts. And Kevan was away at the Crag at the time that Lord Marbrand came. No I shall need to speak with my father about this, and more. That woman is getting ideas far above her station."
Joanna nods, and then opens the door to their rooms, but before Tywin can remove a piece of clothing, his wife pushes him into the chair by the desk and straddles him. "That can all be done later; I have news for you my lord husband."
"Ohh?" Tywin says feeling himself beginning to harden underneath his wife's ministrations.
"Yes," Joanna says kissing his mouth, his cheek , anything she can get to. "I am with child."
Tywin is stunned into silence then, his wife is pregnant? "How, how long?" he manages to sputter.
Joanna smiles down at him, and the smile is feline. "About two moons my love, I did not want to tell you before I was sure."
She kisses him again and when they break up for air, Tywin gasps. "You are sure now then?"
Joanna laughs. "Oh yes my lord. I have a little lion cub inside of me."
Tywin smiles and for the evening all worries about his father and his father's whore are forgotten. The next day though, the worries come rushing back when there is a sharp pounding on his door. He sleepily gets up and opens the door a fraction, to find his brother Kevan standing in the doorway fully dressed. "Father wishes to see you Tywin." His brother says.
Tywin nods, and gets dressed relatively quickly. He learnt the art of dressing quickly whilst in the Vale, one never knew when Jon Arryn would plan a trip into the Mountains of the Moon for a skirmish with the clansmen there. When he enters his father's solar, he sees his father sat in the lord's chair, looking pale and sickly. Around his father are his brothers Kevan and Tygett as well as the whore. "Ah Tywin, now that you are here we can begin. Please all of you sit down."
Tywin was grateful that the whore at least had the sense not to sit in the seat that his mother had once sat in; she instead remained standing her hand resting on his father's shoulder, a mockery of affection. "My love you had best tell them the news now before they hear it from someone else." The whore says to his father, and Tywin bristles at hearing her address his father so.
His father sighs, a weak sigh, the sign of man giving up. "I am not long for this world, as you all know. My health has been failing for some time now. However, that is not the reason for why you have all been summoned here. Sharon is with child once more, and this time we hope the pregnancy will be successful. Should I die before this child is born, I wish to state clearly now that the child is not to be fostered out anywhere, it will be a Lion of the Rock just as much as you all are. And I will be writing to the King asking for this child to be legitimized as soon as it is born."
Tywin nearly chokes on his own breath when hears his father's words, he looks round at his two brothers and sees the mixture of shock and anger he feels reflected on their own faces. "Father you cannot be serious." Tywin says.
"And why is that Tywin? Cannot my child be a Lannister just as you are?" the whore asks.
Tywin knows that perhaps he should hold his tongue, but after the fiasco with Marbrand he finds that his patience is at an end. "No they cannot be. You are a whore, that my father has unfortunately taken up as a mistress and has treated as a highborn woman. You are not of noble birth nor will your child be. I will not consent to have your child shaming the Lannister name."
His father speaks then, his voice meant to sound harsh but coming off as old and tired. "Tywin enough of this foolery. This child will be your brother or sister. And that is no way to speak to Lady Sharon, she shall be your mother soon enough."
Tywin is shocked that his father is still so blinded by his lust for the woman that he cannot see what she is trying to do. He looks at his brothers and sees that they are both as shocked as he is. "Father you cannot be serious!"Tywin exclaims. "You swore a holy oath never to remarry after mother died. We were all there for it, it is one thing to take up with another woman, but to wed her after swearing such an oath, as well as to ask for her child to be legitimized. Can you not see how that will look to your bannermen? It will make us a laughing stock once more."
The whore laughs then mockingly. "And here I thought that lions did not worry about the opinions of sheep. Is that not what you often say Tywin?"
Tywin feels his anger begin to rise at that, and he has a sharp response ready when there is a knock on the door. Maester Geribald enters, stooped and stammering apologies, he hands a letter to Tywin's father and then hurries out of the room. Tywin sees his father read the letter and then put it down. His father looks at him then and says. "It would appear that Princess Alyssa has given birth to a son, we have been summoned to King's Landing for a tourney to celebrate the birth of the heir's heir. This conversation is at an end, and what was discussed here shall go through whether you like it or not Tywin. I am the Lord of the Rock now until I die, and you would do well to remember that."
Tywin looks at the whore and sees her grinning like a fool behind his father, and his suspicions that the words his father spoke were actually his are increased further, as well as his fear over the safety of his wife and siblings. Something will need to be done about the whore and her child, and soon .