A/N: Yes, yes, this is a fragment and I'm sorry that its short. I'm still terribly tentative about getting back into Game of Thrones...
...But the House of the Dragon trailer is almost starting to give me hope...
...don't do that. Don't give me hope. I'm not sure I have any more...
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes.
Well... Here goes nothing.
*braces for hate*
"What did you expect? Whatever you are now, you were no friend to the people of King's Landing.
You were a vicious idiot before. Whatever -whoever- you are now, that will never change.
You see, that is the cost of dignity. You turn the other cheek...
~Tyrion.
The Cost of Dignity (Fragment)
"You want to send a missive to that blasted Targaryen?"
I tried not to quail under Tywin's glower. Really, I did. Easier said than done, that.
...I do, grandfather." It took more effort to force the words out than I would've liked. "Is that a problem?"
"Not so much a problem as a curiosity." he tapped his quill against a piece of vellum. "I'm curious as to your reasoning.
.
..
...man was too clever by half. I forgot that sometimes.
And it wasn't so much want, as need. Did I need to live? Yes! Did I want to be roasted alive by three gigantic dragons? No! No, I did not!
That said, Joffrey's body or no, I didn't exactly want to confront Tywin on this. Ever stare down Tywin fookin' Lannister? No? I have. Its terrifying. Like staring death in the face. Charles Dance doesn't get nearly enough credit for his role. Still, dragons were slightly scarier than a bloody legend, and the threat of imminent immolation was one I very much intended to avoid.
Hence why I'd trekked all the way to the Tower of the Hand for this so-called "missive" my supposed grandfather was on about.
Ideally, I'd like to send Tyrion with it, but I knew that would be impossible. I knew Tywin and Cersei would be more than happy to see him vanish across the Narrow Sea. The problem would be getting him back. Tywin was cross enough with me for releasing his son from the dungeons. Best not push the envelope too far, as it were. I'd explained my logic and reasoning to a fault, but he still wasn't best pleased with me.
Tywin would always hate Tyrion. There was nothing I could do about that. But this had to happen.
Because if Tyrion wasn't headed to Slaver's Bay, if Daenerys wasn't tempered by the time she arrived here...if she went mad...
Fire and Blood.
A shiver passed through me, only narrowly repressed.
Strange as it might sound, I was rather fond of being alive! No second death for me, thank-you-very-much!
Tywin mistook my shiver for something else and shook his head. "You do realize she's likely to tear it apart rather than look at it."
'Alright,' Marshaling my thoughts was a struggle beneath that glare, but I rallied, somehow. 'You're not Joffrey, but you're still the king. Stand your ground!'
"Nevertheless," I planed my feet and clased both hands behind my back. "This needs to be done."
His keen gaze met mine. I bit down on my tongue, choking back anything. Too bloody scary by half. It wasn't so much that I feared him, as I feared that he'd see through my ruse. Sending a letter to Daenerys wasn't the have-all-be-all solution. It was merely the first step in the greater part of a larger plan; one that might backfire on me if I wasn't careful. If the ruse fell. If everyone realized I wasn't Joffrey. If. So many ifs...
...very well." Much to my relief, Tywin relented at the last. "What do you wish to say?"
I said my peace slowly, and at length. The old lion's brow rose.
"Clever of you. You've been listening to your lessons."
I took the blunt compliment for what it was.
And if I preened a little? What of it?
"I had a good teacher."
A spark of grandfather pride broke through his facade.
"So you do...
A/N: And there we have it!
Lets see if this fragment reinvigorates interest in the genre like "I Am Not A Dragon" and "Son of the Stag" did.
Sooo In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
No previews...not this time.
Got surprises coming.
R&R~! =D