Bruce: Chapter 13

"Lord Wayne, I think it is time we held a grand feast. One to celebrate how well my men along with the city guard have cleaned the streets of your city," Lord Tywin said as he cut into the slab of cooked beef on his plate. This was the fourth time Tywin and Bruce had had supped together since the lord and his men arrived nearly a month ago. Every time was just as unpleasant as the last. Lord Tywin was not arrogant like his son Jaime, or as devious as Tyrion, but he was cunning, and very confident in himself.

Crime had gone down some degree since he arrived. Murders were now only half as prevalent as they had been, rapes a third, thieving was barely noticeable in its change but that was because thieves were rather crafty deviants to begin with. Twenty four men laid handless and seven women, thirty seven men were gelded, and fifty three men laid dead. Bruce had counted and would remember every last one.

"A feast my lord? If your men are feasting who would be watching over the city, Ha!" Bruce jested. Lord Tywin's face remained solemn as always, Bruce enjoyed taunting the old lord. Tywin never replied with any humor, or so much as a smirk, but Bruce always found pleasure in making the old man feel irritated with his relaxed, flippant demeanor.

"It would be for your city folk my lord. A fort night from tonight. We shall hold it on the field where I gave my speech since this feasting hall is nowhere near large enough. If we were in Casterly Rock, we could feed half of your people under my roof and the other half could feast in the gardens and squares surrounding my keep." Oh how he does love to boast about his size, but size and strength means so little when compared to efficiency and speed.

"Aye my lord, then perhaps we should move all of Gotham to Casterly Rock so you can feed them there as you so graciously put it," Bruce replied with a smile. He could tell he was getting under the old lion's skin.

"You remind me of my son Lord Wayne, in more ways than one," Tywin stated plainly, glaring up from his plate.

"Ha! Well I always was told that I was rather handsome, and I suppose wielding a sword is similar to wielding a cane. Although I've never killed a king before," Bruce said, ever smiling.

That one hurt close to the heart for Tywin. His momentary hesitation in responding and blinking thrice in a second showed it. Bruce had caught him off guard.

"I was referring to my half of a son, the one that takes nothing in his life seriously. Focusing instead on follies such as whoring and drinking, making him shame the name of his family."

Bruce could tell the man was trying to return the wounded favor, but he saw through the old lord's words as if they were air. Lord Tywin may have the city convinced, but Bruce knew exactly why the lion lord was here, and that humiliating Bruce in whichever way possible made him feel all that much closer to achieving it. Bruce shook his head in feigned disbelief, "Oh my lord how you hurt me with such cruel words. Just because I am a cripple does not make me as low of a man as a dwarf, for my legs are still their normal length despite not standing as strong as they once were."

Bruce enjoyed this verbal dueling the two lords had, but eventually Tywin would grow tired of it and return to his men's camps. "Well my lord, I've had my fill for tonight, only so much unnecessary taste one can handle. There is far too much seasoning in this meat. I shall go see my men before retiring for the evening." The old lord rose from his chair and locked eyes with Bruce.

Bruce cut another piece of his beef and quickly shoved it in his mouth. He began to speak with his mouth half full of meat. "Well my lord, I suppose some things in life are acquired tastes. Some men prefer meat in their mouths, some men prefer meat elsewhere. I do hope you enjoy the joys of the city my lord. I hear it can grow quite dull and lonely out on the road with nothing but soldiers to entertain you."

Lord Tywin turned without another word and quickly removed himself from the hall. Bruce finished his supper and retired to his father's study. Lucius was there peering over pieces of parchment with drawings and plans sketched on them. He looked up when he heard the doors close and lock. Bruce walked over to his father's chair and sat down, looking into the fire dancing within the hearth.

"So how was our esteemed guest?" Lucius asked as he walked over and sat in the chair beside Bruce.

"Solemn and irritable as usual. Tonight I jested that his son was not a true man for being an imp and that he beds his soldiers," Bruce said as a smile cracked across his lips.

Lucius laughed, "Ha! Well that's right and good Master Wayne. You're sure to convince him to leave Gotham that way. But I would urge you to take care, I'm sure you have heard of that old phrase about pulling a lion's tale. How have your nights been?"

Bruce's smile left his face, "Irritating. I strike when and where I can, taking care never to be sighted or stay in one place for long. But I do not leave them bound for the guards to find, for I know they would only be maimed or killed. So I catch them, beat them, see what information I can get out of them and let them go. I would rather set criminals free than leave them to Lord Tywin's judgment. I know I must wait, but I'm still uncertain as for what. The city has turned against Batman, so publicly appearing in the night would do nothing but help Tywin win more than he already has. I need to wait for something to go wrong…I'm just not certain if it will. He has renown, a small army, wealth…I don't see criminals getting the upper hand in this fight."

Lucius smiled. "Men in power always have something wrong happen when they least expect or want it to. Just give it time Bruce. Any word of this Joker Gordon told you about?"

Bruce thought of the night when he spoke with Ser Gordon last. "No, none of the thieves or whores I've overheard in my time disguised as a beggar has even mentioned him. Nor the men I've questioned as Batman. One thug said they saw him kill a man, but he knew nothing more. Ha, Bruce Wayne is confined by his cane, and Batman by a lion's roar. But disguised, I am free to roam about the city as I care to."

"He must have something planned in that oddly colored head of his, gods help us when we find out what," Lucius stated looking concerned for the first time in a long time.

"He wants a feast to be held. He wants it to be held two weeks from now on the fields where he gave his awe-inspiring speech to help save the city. Do you find it to be a good idea?"

Lucius thought for a moment. "Well either way, he'll get a feast if he wants one. We could spin it in our favor however…" Lucius' famous smile returned to his lips.

Bruce smiled, "What did you have in mind ser?"

Selina: Chapter 11

Luckily, Selina had enough gold to get by comfortably without having to return to her life as a whore for at least a year. With Tywin Lannister's new rules, thieves lost their hands should they be caught, and Selina thought she had enough gold for the risk to be not worth the reward. Although, the safety made her daily life incredibly dull. She spent all day tending to her cats, or wandering around the city streets to hear the latest gossip and tales the ladies of Gotham had to offer.

Yesterday she even spied Ser Gordon and Lannister's cohort Ser Borsan wandering the streets. Gordon looked rather cheery for a man whose wife had just left him over a month ago. Selina couldn't say how Ser Borsan was for he always seemed to be wearing his lion sculpted helm, as most Lannister soldiers did when patrolling. He was a gaunt little man, but rather tall, taller than even Gordon by a few inches. How does a stick like that become the great Lord Tywin's right hand man?

The rest of Lord Tywin's men had taken the north-most keep along with the keep directly outside the Narrows as their own. The main keep of the City Watch was shared between the guards and Lannister soldiers along with the one nearest the city's main square. The Lannister men seemed like typical soldiers, drunk by night in brothels and alehouses, and trudging around the city like they owned it by day. They bored Selina incredibly.

Some nights Selina came close to taking to the rooftops as Catwoman simply out of pure boredom. One night she had gone so far as to get dressed in the black leather outfit with her mask half on her head before realizing it was too dangerous of a folly. The streets were not safe for a criminal, even a simple thief. Selina had never smuggled, only killed one man who refused to let her be and would have killed her after forcing himself on her. She only did what she needed to get by. Why was that a crime?

There had been no word of Batman for weeks, but she knew he was still out there. He's planning something…but what? Selina did not know how Batman planned to counter Lord Tywin's well thought out campaign against him. Bruce Wayne stayed in his castle as always, avoiding Tywin's onslaught by hiding. Well Batman certainly had the right of him.

Selina wasn't sure how Lord Tywin's war on crime in Gotham would end, or even why he felt it was his to fight. She did know however, that it would not end well for anyone even associated with crime in this city. Luckily, everyone else thought her but a dumb whore, only Batman knew she was Catwoman. Suppose I should be grateful he doesn't talk much.

Isis and her newest kitten Meelo mewed from behind her. She turned and scooped each up in an arm and went to sit down in her crimson leather chair in the corner of her room. "Ohh hello my little sweetlings, oh Isis how big you've gotten! My strong little soldier. And Meelo you are simply precious!"

Meelo was the direct opposite of Isis' color, with a coat as white as snow and light blue pearls for eyes. His nose was pink, and he had bushier fur than Isis as well. His mews were lighter in tone but happened much more frequently since he was still so young. Isis had already grown considerably since Selina had found him. He was big enough to stalk the mice coming through the hole in the corner of the room now.

She heard a cry outside, and jumped from her chair to beside the window. Holly was down in the street trying to sweeten a man but some smugglers had interrupted. They had her by the neck, the man she was talking to before was already running down the street terrified.

Selina leapt from the window, and reached her arms out to grab a flag pole jutting out from the building next to the Lion's Den. She swung and released in an instant and rolled to the ground below. She turned to face the smugglers, there were three of them. Selina ran at them and took the middle sized one from behind unawares. She drew her knife from her belt and jabbed it into the man's side making him cry out in agony. She spun around him and took another one out with a stab to his groin.

She caught her momentum forward and slowed, and turned back to the thug with a knife to Holly's throat. How in the name of the Seven did Batman do this? She dared not throw her blade, knowing she lacked the accuracy Batman had when he rescued her in a similar situation. Her best option was enticing him to lower his defenses.

She put her finger to her lips and a hand to her hip. "Well now ser, you seem to be the biggest man I've laid eyes on in a while. For you, I could lower the price to five copper pieces for a night you shall not forget in this life…"

The man smiled, "Sorry bitch, I don't have time for the likes of you. I just wanted some quick pussy before we set sail tonight, but seeing as how you've gone and ruined that for us."

The man drew his blade across Holly's throat, blood spurting out in a mist of crimson. Selina's eyes opened wide in disbelief, her pupils contracted in sorrow, and white hot rage burned through her mind like wildfire. She did not remember the rest of what transpired, it was a foggy blur in her mind. She remembered sprinting at Holly's murderer, stabbing him repeatedly in the face and throat, making it unrecognizable after the fifteenth wound. It didn't even look human after the fortieth. She stabbed each of the other two smugglers multiple times as well, but those were concentrated in the groin and chests. Her face, body, and arms were covered in the men's blood. She remembered laying in the pool of collected blood, Holly's body lying in her arms. Then the guards came, standing aghast at the scene for a few moments before Ser Borsan arrived and reminded them of their duties.

Now she sat in a cell, light coming in through a small barred window in the wall that Selina sat against. It didn't illuminate the dark stoned cell by much, but Selina didn't care. She felt numb, and cold. She was bathed and forced to change into a plain wool tunic and breeches, just so the other prisoners wouldn't rouse at the sight of so much blood. And this is how the cat's lives run out.

Richard: Chapter 10

Dick had never spoken to Lord Tywin, nor been in his presence aside from the first night he had arrived. Bruce said Dick need not go to their suppers, so Dick would eat in his room or in the side feasting hall with Alfred. He never spoke more than a few words for he still did not trust the servant like he had when he first arrived. He still didn't trust Bruce either, but he had barely seen him since the Lannister forces arrived.

Dick climbed down from the roof as night began to fall across the sky, and stood on the balcony to watch the ocean darken from a light shade of blue to an opaque black. He walked inside, Nightwing perched on his shoulder as he always was. His wing had healed, but he still could not seem to fly. Alfred said it was probably because the bird was afraid, of falling or being struck down again, he did not know. Dick understood the fear of falling, it kept him from trying to fly as well.

He rounded the corner hurriedly lost in thought and collided head first with dark crimson metal. Dick fell to the ground landing on his rear while Nightwing leapt from Dick's shoulders to a nearby chair before the boy hit the floor. Dick looked up from Nightwing staring at him to the man he had run into. Tywin Lannister's face looked even more solemn in the torchlight, and certainly more menacing.

Dick brought himself to his feet and bowed, "I'm sorry m'lord, I should have been more careful. I pray for your forgiveness if it please you."

Tywin's face remained unchanged. "You are the circus boy that Wayne took in when your parents died, yes?"

Dick blinked, he had not been expecting the great Lord Tywin to ask him a question so personal. He nodded, "Yes my lord."

Tywin turned and began walking down the hall with his hands locked at the wrist behind his back. "Walk with me boy."

Dick let Nightwing jump to his shoulder and quickstepped until he was at Lord Tywin's side as they walked down the hall. Torches dotted the walls as they went. The lion's side whiskers shimmered silver in the light each time they passed a torch. His gait was determined and powerful, much as the man was himself. His head hung forward as if to permanently glare, and he never looked away from the hallway before him.

"So tell me boy, how is it being the mysterious Lord Wayne's ward?"

Dick thought a moment. "It is fine m'lord, he treats me well and feeds me. Lets me keep Nightwing so long as I take care of it."

"Ah yes, I heard of your bird. It's a lovely creature, good coloration, strong looking, loyal to be sure," the old lion replied. Dick wondered how Lord Tywin had gathered all of that from one quick glance. Lord Tywin continued, "What's wrong with his wing?"

Dick stroked a finger under Nightwing's neck caressing the soft white feathers that covered his belly. "He was attacked by a larger hawk, when we found him his wing was bloodied and torn. Alfred helped sew him up, but now whether he wants to fly or not is up to him I suppose."

Lord Tywin looked down at Dick and his bird. His eyes were dark green forests that looked as if they were burning as the torchlight reflected off of them. "You should have left it to die, a bird that cannot fly is nothing more than a dead one. You can't make the thing find courage, if something lives with fear it will never be able to shed it. There are always bigger predators out there stalking us from the shadows. The ones that are most dangerous, as your hawk learned, are the ones of our own kind."

Dick was not sure he fully understood what Lord Tywin meant, but he guessed, "Is that why you are hunting Batman my lord? Because you think he may be one of these predators from the shadows?"

Lord Tywin's lips changed from a frown to a thin line, as near to a smile as the Lion Lord could manage most likely. "You are a smart lad aren't you? Can you read boy?"

Dick looked down to the stones beneath his feet as they approached the staircase leading down to the two floors below. "I can read some m'lord but not very well. A few of the jugglers from the circus taught me, and now Alfred teaches me." Dick remembered the long nights where the two or three jugglers huddled around Dick as he tried reading simple messages and passages by candlelight. Sometimes he did miss the circus more than he would like to admit to himself.

"Hm, well what are you good at boy?"

Dick thought for a moment. "I can climb m'lord, like a squirrel my father told me, I'm fast too. I was told in the circus that I learn quickly, whether it was rope-dancing or fire-breathing or elephant riding. I even taught myself how to juggle m'lord. I started out with wooden pins but by the end I was using daggers."

Lord Tywin brushed his hand down Nightwing's head and back. "A smart boy of many talents with a quick eye for learning…that is a useful lad indeed. I'll tell you this boy, if you ever grow tired of living under Lord Wayne's desolate roof, you are welcome to join me when I return to Casterly Rock. I could have great use of a boy as quick in mind and body as you say yourself to be. The lions have sat on that rock for centuries, and will continue to do so long after the last bat loses its wings in this miserable city. Good evening boy."

Lord Tywin took a swift right once they reached the bottom of the staircase and headed off towards his guest chambers. Dick returned to his room, and let Nightwing jump to the roof of his metal wired cage. Dick stripped of his garb and changed into his silk bed clothes and sprawled himself out over his bed. He laid there for quite a while thinking over Lord Tywin's offer, wondering what he should do, if Bruce would miss him, and what dark secret they were hiding from him. Dick's eyes closed, heavy as iron, and he slipped into an undisturbed sleep.