A.C 257
"How many thousands of years of knowledge..I wonder." Prince Valarr asked astride black destrier that was a hand and a half taller than lord Tywin's. At four and ten, the youth was only a year the Lannister lord's junior, but he possessed discerning eyes that would usually be ascribed to someone who'd seen ten more name days than that. He's still too kind, mayhap Steffon and I can cure him of that. It was an odd thing, Lord Lannister thought. To have friends that wanted nothing from you save your company. And Valarr Blackfyre, son of Prince Daemon Blackfyre wanted for nothing, houses Targaryen, Blackfyre, Velaryon and Aetheryon were said to have extracted so much plunder Tyrosh forty years ago that even with the subsequent wars by Volantis and Lys that their treasuries were still overflowing. But that wasn't entirely true, his craven father had issued enough loans to the royal treasury for the construction of more roads and a failed attempt to bridge the neck with a canal that the crown came calling at the least. The Narrow Sea paramountcy was a different matter, created when Daemon the true informed on his treacherous brother Aegor Rivers it ruled everything from the mouth of the blackwater to Tyrosh.
A fair trade, Tywin thought. Daemon Blackfyre knelt a knightly hero and great bastard but rose a Prince, like the insipid Dornish. Now their wealth rivaled that of his house and its cadet branch in Lannisport. That was why he found himself making friends with the son of the Master of Ships, or so Tywin told himself. It wasn't just because he enjoyed the younger boy's company as much as he enjoyed Aerys and Steffon's. Steffon Baratheon, who laughed uproariously in that booming voice of his that echoed down the cobbled stones of Oldtown's most formidable streets. "If they wanted to keep their books, they shouldn't have committed treason."
"A treason, the nature of which my royal grandfather has been quite silent on. He'll only say that Lord Aenar and Lord Edwyle submitted compelling proof" Aerys shrugged, the prince and heir apparent of the heir apparent. His friend, his best asset and the eternal thorn in his side for that grandiose fool's incessant attempts to make him laugh. He was on a chestnut-colored horse, in contrast to the blood red armor that Tywin wore and the dark black of Prince Valarr, the future King of the seven Kingdoms wore a silver set of armor that shimmered in the torch light. The three headed Dragon of his house was set with rubies, and he wore a crimson cloak with black edges and a long black horse tail plume over his armor. Aerys was a talented rider and a master with the lance but his skill with a sword was middling at best, though he had flashes of greatness that his often-unfocused mind could ocassionally tap. Aerys was in one of his more flippant moods today, questioning the King even in front of one's closest confidants on the eve of an unprecedented raid into the Citadel was dangerous even if no one else was around to hear it.
A year ago, Aerys, Valarr and Steffon snuck out of the Red Keep and set out for the wall. It was pure folly and utter stupidity, as if the heir of the future king could simply vanish without a stir. Yet somehow, they'd succeeded, and his grace King Aegon had charged Tywin with the duty of ascertaining their location and retrieving them. Tywin was livid, that was an embarrassment towards themselves on par with anything his father had done. But on some level, he admired Aerys for his ability to convince those around him to embark on absurd ventures or perform feats of daring that made them better men. There was a cruel streak to him, one only need look at the youngster of three and ten and how he treated Princess Rhaella, mocking her betrothal to the much older Rickard Stark (Though never to the lord's face and he suspected there was some jealously there.) yet he had the makings of a truly great King, one that swore would rule the realm with Tywin by his side as Lord Hand.
The treatment of Rhaella reminded him of Ellyn Reyne and that sat ill with him. He still remembered the first japes, Aerys smugly remarking that he'd been gifted a far "prettier bride" in the form of Princess Rohanne Blackfyre. with her turquoise eyes and black streaks in her silver hair. It was pure folly and utterly preposterous. Some heretical, albino dwarf having issued a prophecy that it would be through the line of Jaeharys 'eldest and a Blackfyre of northern blood would yield the prince that was promised.
That had been one of the court secrets that the King allowed him to be present for what Tywin wished he had remained ignorant of. The Targaryens forged the Seven Kingdoms an empire in all but name, vested with the immense and almost boundless power of the Iron Throne, checked only but obligations and the feudal contract yet they put stock in such nonsense? An impractical waste. Yet for all the ways he reminded Tywin of that harlot, he made up with his sister and showed her a level of deference since that implied, he saw reason and sense. It was easy to msilike Aerys, but it was hard to hate him, and it was harder still to mislike him for very long.
"Ours is but to obey." Steffon said, pulling a wineskin from his saddle bag and drinking greedily. And before Tywin's incredulous glare could affix the lord of Storm's End Steffon raised a hand and waved it pleadingly. "In times such as these."
"A lord Paramount is still owed an explanation." Tywin remarked in a cold voice. Under the reign of Aegon Targaryen, the Lords Paramount gained a great deal of centralized authority within their domains but then that power was placed at the Crown's feet. So far, the arrangement hadn't led to the dissolution of the feudal pact, but in a century? A lord had to consider such things. Below them, on the streets leading to the Citadel, Lords Hightower and Stark were yelling, issuing orders to the ten-thousand-man army that had been brought to bear to bolster the City Watch and the host of the Crownlands.
"And my grandsire shall surely give us one." Aerys answered, a smirk trespassing along the right side of his face, reminding Tywin of the sort of lilted smiles he'd seen in jackals. "It shall probably involve magic."
Tywin Lannister's jaw set. "Your infatuation with chaos shall unmake us all one day if you aren't careful my prince." Magic, he spent his whole life dismissing it as nonsense until he encountered Eddard Snow, Lord Aenar's sworn sword and bastard half brother of Lord Rickard. He'd spoken at length with him one night, curious how he achieved it. And came away with the conclusion that magic was a resource much in the same way led and that liquid metal that Maesters used in research on gauging temperature were. It had it's uses but an abundance of it drove you mad and poisoned your body. Like the bittercane that brought so much profit to the North yet did such great damage to the flesh if abused. There was no point in resources that if even slightly misused resulted in excesses that were lethal. He witnessed enough of its wasteful qualities when he disembarked on the frozen shores of the lands beyond the wall and lead a royal host through the snow to rescue Prince Aerys, Prince Valarr, Steffon Baratheon and an irate Rickard Stark, who despite being several years older than even Tywin was always dragged into Aerys schemes.
"Mayhap! Maaayhap there will come a day!" Aerys spurred his horse and began riding around them. Tywin wanted to roll his eyes, but he controlled himself. Reciting the speech King Mern the last in the one of the strongholds of Reach where Aegon was crowned was a level of affrontery only Aerys Targaryen would commit to and why Tywin Lannister enjoyed him. "A day when fell sorcery and dragon fire descends upon our green lands! When spears shatter and armor melts, when bones and ash litter our wheat fields! When the strength of the blood of Garth Greenhand fails! When our castles crumble and the last rose of Highgarden sheds it's last petal! But it is not this day! For I look in your eyes and see the same fear that would take the heart of me!" he roared as he positioned his horse before the trio. "But I go willingly and go forward! To face the dragon and his meager host! With my brothers and my sons and grandsons! My line will stand with me and the seven-pointed star and the green hand doth guide me! So, Stand! MEN OF THE SOUTH!"
Aerys backed his stallion "It is not this day! But ten days from now when Rhaenys, Visenya and Aegon the conqueror will roast my boney ass in my armor and turn me into a lump of slag a local blacksmith no doubt made a rather fetching set of horseshoes from!"
The absurdity of that, at that moment. Delivered in such a light voice with his sword drawn, poised like a hero of old, armor glimmering in the light. Made the corner of Tywin's lips twitch slightly.
Below them the King gave an order. Ser Duncan the tall shouted, his voice like the roar of a storm and Rickard Stark advanced.
The hallowed halls of the Citadel ran red with blood.