Three fortnights passed far more quickly than I thought they would. We remained for forty-five days at Casterly Rock waiting for the raven from King's Landing that would announce the start of the series as we know and love it, well, knew and loved it. It is incredibly surprising how even a mildly competent Joffrey changes so much in the story.

My days were busy, far busier than I would have imagined. Between sparring with Jaime, learning politics under the tutelage of the Old Lion and spending my evenings reading, talking and drinking with Tyrion, I was barely able to steal eight hours of sleep, much less enough time to do all that I wanted to. Excursions to Lannisport were few and far between - most days I didn't even leave the few floors at the top of the Rock which served as the living quarters for House Lannister. Not that there was any need to, of course, but there had been days where I wasn't even able to see the sunset from my room's balcony, loath as I was to miss it. It truly was beautiful, to watch the layers of bright colour hugging the horizon above the sea which took its name from the time of the day. I had spent many a night after returning, somewhere between sober and drunk, from Tyrion's quarters looking at the night's sky, dark as midnight during the hour of the wolf, stars piercing it like spears, allowing light to shine from the heavens above.

I found the Westerlands far more agreeable than those under the direct control of the Crown. Though the Rock was closed, the air sometimes stuffy and would certainly have brought deep discomfort to any claustrophobes, I rather preferred it to the Keep, finding that the idea of living inside a veritable mountain held more interest than as a passing fancy. Of course, it helped that it didn't stink of corpses, bodily effluents and waste poorly masked behind flowers and perfume, as well as that the views were drop-dead gorgeous, both of the sea as well as of the mainland. I found myself agreeing more and more with Cersei, that I had half a mind to bring the capital to the Rock and rule out of Lannisport, allow that city to wallow and fall into disrepair without the monolith that was the governance of the Seven Kingdoms to hold it together and make it even remotely economical.

We had left King's Landing for two months, or moons as they call it here, by the time the raven arrived from King's Landing bearing the message I had been eagerly awaiting and dreading in equal measure. Eagerly awaited because if Jon Arryn didn't die I was doomed as he knew the secret and the secret would have made my ribs the next resting place for Robert's Warhammer, and dreaded because it would mean the beginning of the series and the game in actuality, which would prove to be very difficult, especially as I was still a minor and about four years from reaching the age of majority. The Maester didn't come to me, obviously, so I was informed of this by a page running up to my room and giving me the good news.

"Your presence has been requested in the War Room, Your Grace." he said, a pimple-covered boy of five-and-ten with his voice just there in the process of breaking to make it as annoying as possible. Instead of strangling him with my own two hands, which is something that I vividly imagined doing and found to my horror that I enjoyed thinking about it, I followed him, hands behind my back, to this room.

A creation of Tywin Lannister once he inherited the Rock, it was inspired by the room with the painted table in Dragonstone, a place which he spent a significant amount of time in his late childhood and teen years when he was still friends with Aerys and Steffon. Unfortunately, he didn't copy it. I doubted I would get to go to Dragonstone, but the painted table was one of the things that I really wanted to see, but a copy would have sufficed. It was, instead, a heptagonal table in white marble, with lions standing on their hind legs holding it up with their forefeet, either wrought or simply plated in gold, with rubies for eyes. Seven chairs were on each of the seven sides, one noticeably larger than the other, which was occupied by none other than Tywin Lannister himself. Of the remaining six seats - all identical - only three were occupied by his children, the remaining were empty. I took a seat between Jaime and Tyrion - Cersei was sat next to her brother and lover on the other side - and was handed a letter, the Baratheon Stag still visible, though broken, in yellow wax. It read:

To Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West,

His Grace Robert Baratheon, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, is saddened to inform you that Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East and Hand of the King has passed away after a sudden illness.

He also requests the return of Her Grace the Queen, the Crown Prince Joffrey, the Prince Tommen, the Princess Myrcella and Ser Jaime of the Kingsguard, to King's Landing forthwith.

Grand Maester Pycelle

"It seems that you were right." Tywin said, breaking the silence. Cersei looked triumphant, and Tyrion slightly confused.

"Wait, you knew this would happen?" Tyrion asked.

"Yes, uncle." I responded

"How?" he pressed

"Let's leave this matter for another time, Tyrion." Cersei said, her voice filled with pride and victory.

"Very well." he conceded, grunting.

"The plan is simple." I continued and all eyes turned to me. "Grandfather, you will offer to take the young Robert Arryn as your ward. I am confident that father will agree, but Lysa will certainly not, and will try to flee. She will doubtless be aided in this by Petyr Baelish, her childhood friend and lover, though he doesn't seem to enjoy either part."

"I'd heard that he took her maidenhead and it was only desperation that drove Jon Arryn to marry her, but I thought that the affair ended soon after. Continue." Tywin said, his gaze less sharp than normal.

"That relationship makes it difficult. If Lysa goes back to the Eyrie she will take over the role as Robert's regent, making Littlefinger Lord of the Vale in all but name. It is in his express interest for such to happen, and he will therefore do everything in his power to do so. The Gold Cloaks are loyal to whoever pays them, the Master of Coin, who unfortunately just happens to be our Mockingbird." I turned to Cersei. "How much gold do you have access to in King's Landing, mother?"

"Enough to bribe Janos Slynt, though not much more." she admitted.

"Very well. You will do so and we will bring more to replenish it and strengthen our reserves." I turned to Tywin. "That is if you have no opposition, my Lord."

His gaze narrowed, but he eventually conceded. "Very well."

"Excellent. Janos Slynt shall be bribed to make sure he does not allow Lysa to leave King's Landing with young Robert. She may leave without him, but she won't. We shall bring an increased party of guards so the Lord of the Eyrie may be escorted back to Casterly Rock without his mother." Tyrion raised an eyebrow at that.

"I hear the boy hasn't even been weaned. I doubt his mother will allow him from her sight." he argued.

"Whether she allows it or not is irrelevant." Tywin said, ending that particular argument. "If my grandson is correct, which I have no reason to suspect he is not, the King will accept. She will be unable to do anything but flee, which bribing Janos Slynt would prevent." My heart fluttered at the praise. The eyes of the crowd soon returned to me.

"My father will choose his old friend Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, as his Hand." I saw Jaime try to hide discomfort at the mention of the Quiet Wolf. "He will travel north, because any request sent by raven will be rejected. I will be betrothed to Sansa Stark, to fulfil the betrothal that indirectly led to his sitting the Iron Throne and to join the two houses."

"A poor choice, but I do not see how that is relevant to the conversation at hand." Tywin said.

"Stark considered Jon Arryn a second father, and he will certainly investigate his death. Such investigation may lead to some… unsavoury conclusions." I explained. Cersei and Jaime's eyes opened in shock, while Tyrion and Tywin barely reacted.

"Stark is an honourable fool, but he isn't a halfwit. He won't make unfounded accusations, and there will be no evidence to be found." Tywin declared and none dared to refuse him.

An awkward silence fell upon the room, cut short after the Old Lion rose from his seat, all of us following soon after, taking the movement as a dismissal. I had learnt that nobody left his presence without his permission, no matter that he never had anything physically blocking people from doing so.

We all filed out of the room through the door we came in through, all but the Lord of the Castle we stood in. After some time, I passed by a dead end and was yanked back into it, finding Cersei Lannister looking at me. Even in the poor, gloomy lighting in this specific nook of the notoriously dark Casterly Rock, she was breathtakingly beautiful. I had to once again remind myself that this person I was looking at was my mother.

"I don't approve of how much time you're spending with Tyrion." she said, her face showing faint disapproval and disappointment.

"He's interesting." I said, shrugging.

"He's dangerous." she insisted.

"I'm twice his height, mother, and far more skilled with a blade. Besides, I have Sandor next to me at all times. That's what you told him to do, isn't it?" I tried to comfort her in vain.

"He might poison you." she suggested and I had to struggle not to wince.

"He's not such an idiot to do it, not in Casterly Rock, not with you next to him, even if he wanted to. I have it on good authority that he doesn't. The only Lannisters that he hates are you and Grandfather." I argued, continuing my pointless quest to make Cersei not be completely illogical when it came to the Imp.

"He'd do it to hurt me." she said dismissively.

"There are ways to hurt you that don't involve committing treason or kinslaying." I said "Tyrion won't harm me because he likes living and to do so would be to forfeit that which he holds most dear."

"I sincerely hope you're right, dearest." she said, hugging me. "I do."

— — — —

Thanks for reading!

Reviews make me write faster. Feel free to give any plot points, as I'm not totally set on where the story will go. I'm still debating Stark finding out about the incest, for example.

Cersei is a narcissistic sociopath in the book, yes, but she is incredibly charismatic when she wants to. She almost tricks Tyrion of all people right before presenting Alayaya, so she'd definitely be able to trick our SI, ASOIAF isn't ASOIAF without unreliable narrators.

Sorry for the bad formatting earlier.