Money, Power, Glory
In the last few months, Lyarra began to consider Casterly Rock her home. Though it was difficult, she forced herself to come to terms with the harsh truth that she would never return to Winterfell, no matter how the war ended. House Lannister was too powerful for Robb to defeat. Despite his prowess in battle, the only way Robb would get something out of this rebellion was if he negotiated with Lord Tywin. And even then, Lyarra would never visit Winterfell again because of the tension that would no doubt remain between Houses Lannister and Stark.
So she forced herself to accept her reality. It wasn't so bad, really. Lyarra had Jon. She had Rhea and Genna. She got along well enough with Casterly Rock's household. Though she may have missed her family dearly, Lyarra was by no means miserable.
The gardens of Casterly Rock were spacious and beautiful, adorned with rose bushes and fountains and large fields of grass. Lyarra often brought Jon to the gardens and allowed him to crawl around and pick daisies. It did him no good to be cooped inside all day. Winter was coming – he wouldn't get much more of a chance to go outside once winter hit.
"You're good at that," Rhea commented, nodding to the chain of daisies Lyarra was creating. "I didn't know daisies grew in the north."
"They don't. I'm a fast learner," Lyarra replied. She gave Rhea a cheeky grin and placed the daisy chain around her neck. "Jon, do you like my new necklace?" she asked her son, turning around to show him the daisies around her neck.
Jon giggled at his mother's necklace of daisies and started crawling towards her, a huge smile on his face. Lyarra stretched out her arms to him, waiting for him to crawl into her arms, but then Jon did the unexpected. He used his hands to prop himself up into a standing position and clumsily walked towards Lyarra. His steps were unsteady, but he was most certainly walking. Lyarra squealed and grinned at Jon as he walked towards her and fell into her arms.
"Did you see that?" she asked Rhea, still in shock. Rhea nodded excitedly, a smile on her lips. She pulled Jon away from the embrace and grinned at him. "My brilliant little boy!"
"Soon there will be no stopping him. He'll be running around the gardens so fast that we won't be able to catch him!" Rhea gushed, pinching Jon's cheek and making the little lord giggle.
"This calls for celebration," Lyarra declared. "I'll have the cooks make you lemoncakes for after dinner. How does that sound?" Jon nodded excitedly and gave a little squeak in response. Lyarra laughed, pressing her forehead to his. "Oh, I am so proud of you, my love. Let's get you inside, hmm?"
She picked up Jon and carried him inside the keep. It was times like these, when Jon reached certain milestones, that Lyarra wished Jaime was with her. It wasn't easy raising a child on her own, even if she had Genna and Rhea to help. Little boys needed their fathers as much as they needed their mothers. Lyarra sighed as she set Jon on the end of her bed. He was the image of her father, yet there were times he reminded her of Jaime as well.
That evening, she refused any help from her servants and spent the evening alone with Jon and Fang. Her son and her wolf had an odd sort of bond. Jon would pull at Fang's fur and, surprisingly for such a wild, violent animal, Fang never even growled at Jon. She even let Jon climb on top of her back. Direwolves were strange creatures, staunchly loyal to their masters and, it seemed, their master's family.
When it was time for dinner, Lyarra readied Jon herself and carried him to the Great Hall. As she sat down at her place at the table with Jon on her lap, she felt Genna's disapproving gaze upon her. Genna believed that she was mollycoddling Jon. Lyarra had to admit, there were times that she spoiled Jon and let him away with things that she shouldn't have, but he was her only child. He was all the family she had.
"I have great news," Lyarra told Genna, a large smile on her lips as she pressed her cheek against the crown of her son's head. "Jon took his first steps today!" Her smile grew even wider at the memory.
"Oh, that is great news indeed," Genna replied, offering Lyarra a small, half-hearted smile. Lyarra couldn't help but feel confused. Usually Genna would be ecstatic when Jon did something even remotely impressive that showed he was progressing. "I will tell Tywin in my next letter to him that his grandson is walking now. He will glad to know Jon is so robust." She paused for a moment to take another bite of venison. "But I fear we have matters of more importance to discuss. Lord Lefford refuses to pay tax."
Lyarra sighed. She couldn't just have one evening to gush over her son like a normal mother. Lyarra put her resentment aside and focused on what Genna had just told her. "Why?"
"Because of your display with his sister." Seeing Lyarra's confused expression, Genna huffed and explained snappishly. "The dispute over the succession of Silverhill, when you practically called his sister a whore in front of the most important nobles of the Westerlands."
"I did not call her a whore," Lyarra replied, scoffing.
"You might as well have," Genna responded. "You've managed to alienate one of the most powerful men in the Westerlands. He is refusing to pay tax and I must say, he has just cause."
"His wounded pride is not a good enough excuse to shirk his duties as a bannerman of House Lannister. He must answer for his disobedience."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Genna asked. Lyarra noticed the sharpness in her tone. Of late, Aunt Genna was often short with her. Lyarra was no longer allowed to exercise the power she once did and most of the decisions were made by Genna. She made a mistake by naming Damon Hill the Lord of Silverhill. She knew that now. Yet the mess was already made, and it was her responsibility to clean it up.
"Force," she suggested. Genna immediately scoffed at the idea.
"All of our men are at war," Genna stated. She let out a frustrated huff. "A matter of this significance should only be resolved by Tywin. We will do nothing. Tywin will sort this mess out when he returns from King's Landing."
"No." Lyarra shook her head. She would not allow Lord Tywin to think her incapable. She didn't want anyone to think of her as just a silly, naive little girl who was only good for bearing children. "Lord Tywin put me in charge. I made a great mistake. I will correct that mistake."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Genna questioned, her scepticism evident in her tone.
"I don't know yet," Lyarra said, rising to her feet. She readjusted Jon's position on her hip. "But I will figure something out."
After two days of riding, Lyarra could finally see Lord Lefford's keep. It was larger than the keeps of her father's northern bannermen, yet not as large as Casterly Rock or Winterfell. The keep boasted of House Lefford's wealth and was made from fine stone. Its windows were adorned with beautiful painted glass. Lyarra took a moment to admire Lefford's keep. Even if she despised him, she had to admit that he had a beautiful home. Perhaps this is the source of his vanity, Lyarra mused, coming from such a wealthy family and a beautiful keep wouldn't have done much to humble him.
Lyarra sighed and urged her horse forward. She was flanked by a dozen guards who barely spoke with her. However, one of her guards – a friendly man called Ser Gerrard – never stopped talking. Lyarra welcomed his chattiness. When she was left to think, she became anxious.
"Who goes there?" one of Lefford's soldiers called down from the battlements.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A dozen Lannister guards dressed in red and gold stood behind her, yet this red-headed fool had to ask her who she was. "Lyarra of House Lannister," she announced. "I'm here to see Lord Lefford."
The foolish guard shared a look with one of his fellow men before the other man ran off, no doubt to fetch Lefford. Lyarra frowned, her steely gaze not leaving the red-headed guard. He shifted uncomfortably beneath her stare.
After waiting for quite some time, Lord Lefford stormed across the battlements, red-faced and enraged, and glowered down at Lyarra. "Why are you here?"
"You forget yourself, my lord," Lyarra replied coolly. If there was one thing she learned from her mother, it was how to be polite to undeserving men. "I am the good-daughter of your liege lord, Tywin Lannister, and you have neglected to pay your taxes. I'm here to negotiate."
"Negotiate?" Lefford scoffed. "If you want to negotiate, send Lord Tywin. I do not negotiate with silly little girls."
Lefford turned around and was about to stomp away when Lyarra called after him. She was unable to hide the rage in her voice. "Perhaps I will send Lord Tywin to you. He will not be at war forever, my lord. When he returns and learns that one of his bannermen has refused to pay his taxes, I don't think he will be very pleased." Lord Lefford stopped in his tracks. Lyarra smirked, seeing how his shoulders tensed. "Or, you and I could negotiate and come to a mutually beneficial agreement. What say you, my lord?"
When Lefford turned around to look at her, his eyes were filled with so much rage that they made Lyarra flinch. She had to grow tougher skin if she wanted to be respected, she knew that, but Lyarra was never good at dealing with hostility. Lefford nodded to his guard, not even sparing Lyarra another glance. "Let her in."
With that, Lord Lefford walked away, his shoulders squared and anger radiating from him. The guards lowered the portcullis and Lyarra urged her horse to walk across it, dismounting in the courtyard.
"Only two of you may come with me," she said to the guards, nodding to Gerrard and another strong-looking man. "We don't want Lefford to think we're raiding his keep."
She was led into the library by one of Lefford's servants, a small woman with mousy blonde hair. Her guards stood outside the door as she waited for Lord Lefford to arrive. Lyarra lost track of how long she was waiting. Lefford meant to insult her by keeping her waiting, no doubt. Lyarra balled her fists, her knuckles turning white as she tried to contain her anger.
The door opened again. Expecting Lord Lefford, Lyarra was surprised to see a young woman, not much older than Lyarra, join her in the library. The woman curtsied to Lyarra while the young Lady Lannister tried to figure out where she recognised the woman from.
Then it clicked. Her nameday feast! This woman was Lord Lefford's young wife that he liked to lavish with gifts. "Lady Alys, isn't it?" Lyarra said, giving Lady Lefford a friendly smile. Even though she despised Lord Lefford, Lyarra refused to become instant enemies with his wife who seemed pleasant enough.
"Yes, Lady Lannister," Alys replied. "Would you like some wine?"
"No thank you," Lyarra answered.
Alys smiled awkwardly at Lyarra. "Please, sit," she said, gesturing towards the chairs by the fire. Lyarra smiled at Alys and took a seat in the chair opposite her. "I'm sorry you've been kept waiting for so long."
"Your husband must be rather busy," she stated. She sounded bitter, but Lyarra found that she didn't care as much as she should. Surely Lady Lefford knew that her husband and Lyarra did not get along.
"Yes. He is." Lady Alys went pale and quiet. Lyarra felt bad immediately. Lady Alys was not the one refusing to pay her taxes. If anything, the poor girl deserved to be pitied. Even though Lyarra had been married to man much older than her, Lady Alys had it far worse than her. She was married to a fat, repugnant, fifty year old man with no concern for anyone but himself. The thought of having to bed such a man made Lyarra feel sick.
"There's a chill in the air today," Lyarra said to break the silence.
Alys' eyes widened a little at the odd topic of conversation. Lyarra smiled in response. In the North, when a conversation died down they often brought up the weather to liven it again. Northerners liked to talk about the weather. Lyarra supposed that southerners did not, given how the weather was almost always warm.
"I suppose there is," Alys replied, a small smile crossing her lips.
Lyarra shared her smile. Just then, the door was opened again and Lord Lefford joined them. He grinned when he saw his wife, completely ignoring Lyarra. Lyarra clenched her jaw and said nothing. "My love," he greeted his young wife, "how good of you to entertain our guest."
"Yes, it was very good of her. It's always nice to see that some people still exercise good manners," Lyarra responded, giving Lord Lefford a cheeky smile. She silently chided herself for that after the words left her mouth. She didn't want to rile Lefford up. If his pride was wounded, he'd be less likely to negotiate with her.
Wide-eyed, Alys resembled a doe as she stood up abruptly. "I will leave you two to chat." Just as she was about to walk passed her husband, Lefford grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. Reluctantly, Alys pressed a kiss to her husband's lips that Lord Lefford deepened. He tangled his hand in her hair and devoured his wife's mouth. Lyarra looked away, unable to hide her disgusted expression. Lefford continued to kiss his wife for quite some time before he pulled away from her. Alys bowed her head, ashamed, and curtsied to Lyarra. "My lady."
Lyarra gave her a pleasant smile and inclined her head towards Lady Lefford before moving her stare to Lord Lefford, who was smirking at Lyarra. "Now that display is over, I would like to proceed with the matter at hand," Lyarra said as Lefford sat in the chair his wife had previously occupied. "You haven't paid tax for the last four months."
"No, I have not," Lefford replied simply.
"Why?"
"Why? Because you humiliated by sister in front of two dozen noblemen and women. Because you showed outright disrespect towards House Lefford on numerous occasions," Lord Lefford explained. "I will pay tax to House Lannister when I decide you deserve it."
"That decision does not fall to you, Lord Lefford," Lyarra snapped. "You are a bannerman of House Lannister. All bannermen must pay taxes to their liege lords or risk being named oathbreakers. You could be hanged, my lord."
"You do not frighten me," Lefford replied, wearing an arrogant smirk on his lips.
"Does Lord Tywin not frighten you?"
"Lord Tywin is at war. He doesn't have the time or the resources to come back to the Westerlands and storm my keep. By the time he does, I'm sure many other lords will have followed my lead." Lord Lefford's smirk widened. "Nobody wants to be ruled by a prideful, arrogant little girl who has no idea what she's doing."
"Nobody will follow your lead because by the time I leave this keep, you will have paid the sum of money required of you. You will swear to never disrespect House Lannister ever again and you will keep your oath to your liege lord," Lyarra stated.
"And why would I do that?" Lord Lefford asked, his fat face red with anger.
"You don't have to pay tax," Lyarra said. "The Golden Tooth will become independent. House Lannister will have no further involvement in your affairs or your lands. There will be no consequence for your disobedience."
Lord Lefford narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not making sense," he replied.
"I'm making perfect sense." She was the one smirking now while Lefford listened to her proposal, confusion etched on his face. "The Golden Tooth will be the only region in the Westerlands that is free from Lannister influence. No taxes. No answering to House Lannister." She paused and waited for Lefford to interject. When he did not, Lyarra continued. "However, House Lannister will no longer in your mines, your villages, your roads. We will no longer invest in your lands at all. House Lefford will be left to fend for itself."
Lyarra prayed that he did not call her bluff. She did her research, it would be stupid of Lefford to deny Lannister investment, but he was a prideful man and proud men were difficult to predict. While researching the accounts, Lyarra found that investing in Lefford's mines left House Lannister short of money for one year, but with an increase in profits the next. If Lord Lefford agreed to Lyarra's proposal, House Lannister would suffer too much of a loss. However, it would send a message to the other houses that House Lannister tolerated disobedience.
Lefford glared at her. "You think you're so clever," he said. "What if I agree? House Lannister loses a vassal."
"And gains financially," Lyarra replied. That was a lie. It would make no difference. "While you would lose investment. Your mines, your villages and towns would fall apart without Lannister investment and you know that. You won't survive without us. But by all means, agree to my proposal. Listen to your pride ahead of sense."
For a while, Lefford was silent as he thought over Lyarra's proposal. Lyarra watched him anxiously while trying to hide her worry. If Lefford agreed to her proposal, Lord Tywin would never forgive her. He would never trust her with the Westerlands ever again. Lyarra pursed her lips together and impatiently waited for his reply, her leg bouncing uncontrollably beneath her skirts.
"Fine," he said gruffly, glowering at Lyarra. "I'll pay."
Lyarra smiled and let out a shaky breath. She cursed herself afterwards for showing how relieved she was. This could have went so wrong. "Good," she replied. "You made the right choice, my lord."
"Leave," he commanded, almost growling at her. He had a short temper and could easily change his mind within a second, so Lyarra decided not to argue with him.
She rose to her feet and inclined her head respectfully towards him, a pleased smile on her lips that only served to infuriate Lefford further. "Very well, my lord," she said. "I expect to receive a payment from you within the next week. Two, at the very most. Good day."
Without sparing Lefford so much as another glance, Lyarra walked out of the library and into the courtyard. She threw her head back and laughed, having never felt so relieved. She had almost bargained away part of Lord Tywin's land. Thank the gods Lord Lefford decided to be sensible today.
"All went well, I take it?" Gerrard asked.
Lyarra nodded, another large smile crossing her face. "Very well," she replied. "Come on. Let's get back to Casterly Rock. We ought to have a feast tonight to celebrate!"
The men cheered at that. As Lyarra urged her horse across the drawbridge, a grin on her lips and flanked by a dozen men, Lyarra realised that she had never experienced such a thrill before.
Author's Note: To be honest I'm not too happy with this chapter. There's only so much that can happen in Casterly Rock. The next few chapters will be a lot more exciting I think! There was a mixed response about Damon Hill. Just to clarify, Damon wasn't sent by Cersei, but it was interesting to hear your theories! Damon will probably be making another appearance but I won't say in what manner! Again, thanks for all of the reviews! They really do mean a lot and it's great to hear what you think! Hopefully I'll have time to get the next chapter up by next week.