He understands now that the provided privacy has been for the benefit of him. A sense of dread, the same as a heavy stone, settles deep at the bottom of his stomach.

"Nor Aerys has come to see me." She tries to swallow the lump in her throat, but he sees she is struggling to hold back more tears of sorrow.

"So I must have mistaken what she had said."

He is not mistaken and shall keep that in mind. Joanna lied to him, her husband, why or for what is another matter.

"Where were you Joanna?"

Now that he thinks about it, he remembers that fateful night. How he could forget that for the days following after was not very easy to be around Aerys. He belittled him at every chance he got, whether by disrespecting Joanna before him or doing the opposite of what he would suggest at the Small Council.

That night for the most part, Joanna was absent to care for Rhaella according to her own words. It seems she had not been by the Queen's side and has lied to him, but where she had been is a mystery to him, unless the King's absence is related, but no. What does Joanna want to do with the man she declared hates the most? And more importantly, she would never betray him.

He pays attention to Rhaella, despite wanting to get back to see Joanna, his Joanna, to make sure she has not changed.

"How are you, your Grace?" he moves his hand as if wanting to reach out to her, but puts it back onto his lap.

"Losing my hope. Aerys wants a daughter, a bride for Rhaegar, but … but I failed him. Is it horrible of me to not mourn the loss of the baby, but mourning the loss of being free for a few months?"

He knows by free means of not being in Aerys's clutches. Never was he gentle with Rhaella, as if he was unleashing all his anger for not choosing the wife he had wanted onto his younger sister-wife.

"No, not horrible, you are just tired."

Their eyes met, understanding each other. The last time Rhaella told him, she was tired, and not just after birthing another stillborn. He did not appreciate what she was indicating, so he with a meaningless excuse cutted short their meeting, despite knowing she had wanted to talk also about another matter.

He had not understood her thoroughly, back then when he was working with a vigour to better the future of House of Lannister, in his opinion, it was the complaint of a Queen who did not understand legacy or responsibility, but now …

Now he understands for he is as tired as her, for he is hopeless, and yet the gods have given him a second chance when he is at his lowest moment.

"Yes, I'm tired. So tired." And she breaks, the tears are now coming freely down her face. The sound of Rhaella breaks the chain of his thoughts.

"I shall speak with Aerys, mayhap he will give you enough time to heal." It is a familiar promise. At the earlier times of their friendship, he had been somehow the go-between of Rhaella and Aerys, but then Aerys resented him and not any words of him could placate the hatred and hostility of the jealous king.

"Please do not trouble yourself on my behalf, he is already not on good terms with you after …"

She leaves out "your Commendation ceremony", but he knows it, as if Aerys saw for the first time how every man in Westerland is fearing and respecting Tywin at the same time, and the ugly head of jealousy resurfaces from the depth of his heart.

He nods for she is right and the rift shall be worse.

"I take my leave, your Grace, you need your rest."

"Alright." Even she is accustomed to Lord Tywin's commanding words and voice.

He bows and walks to the door.

"Lord Tywin."

He pauses and looks over his shoulder at her.

"Thank you," says she with a watery smile on her face.

He nods for the last time and leaves the lonely Queen.

On his way back to the Tower of Hands, he looks around the castle, absorbing every detail and comparing it with the future, or is it past now? He shall think about it when he is feeling less disoriented, but that is not now, for he has the desire of seeing his lady wife.

He enters into the bedchamber and his breath catches upon seeing Joanna lying on the bed. She is breathtaking and more beautiful than his imagination with her golden hair making a halo around her head.

He can not believe the gods have blessed him with living again his life with his wife. The only wish he had, has come true and to think he never prays to gods, but being blessed with their kindness, is unimaginable, yet real.

"Tywin!"

"Joanna." His voice is hoarse, too many emotions, at once, overwhelming him. He leaps to her side and kisses her on the lips. Her lips are as soft and plump as ever. For a moment he can only hold and kiss her, breathe her scent and run his hands through her golden tresses.

"Are you alright now?"

"Yes, sorry for the earlier." Feeling ashamed for treating Joanna so badly.

"I don't know what it got to you. No matter. You are already forgiven."

"You are too good to me." His sweet innocent Joanna, always ready to forgive, her golden heart is as light as his is dark.

He takes her hands to bestow kisses upon the palms, catching the already forming bruises about her wrists, kissing the tender skin.

"Forgive me, my lady. Does it hurt?" Shame floods his veins.

"Yes."

"I shall call Maester."

She holds his hands, not letting him sit up.

"Later, Where have you gone?"

"Visiting Queen Rhaella"

She looks at him as if not expecting that.

"Hadn't I told you, don't go near her? What if the King sees it as an insult to his person?"

"My existence irks him no matter what," he says, hating to sound bitter, even to his own ears.

She still looks reproachful, but lets it pass. "Nevermind, Whatever for the abrupt visit?"

"You told me she gave birth to another stillborn. She deserves kindness and no mother has to go through that pain without any consolation."

"True, what else have you talked about?"

Does he sense she is nervous? What for? He chooses to speak not of his wife's falsehood. The first omission in the entire of his life with Joanna. Never had he hidden anything from her.

He shrugs and says, "nothing special, except that Aerys hasn't visited her yet."

"Just that?"

Yes, he sensed it right. She is pressing to know if he knows of the falsity of her words or not.

"Just that. You know I don't have much in common with Rhaella. Why do you even care, my dear?"

"Oh, nothing, Tywin." She waves her hand dismissively. "You must talk with Aerys to be patient with Rhaella and give her some time."

She changes so swiftly the subject of her own curiosity that hadn't he known the trust of why she cares, he would not notice how smoothly his wife sidestepped the question.

"I'll see." Not giving her any promise, for remembering Rhaella's plea.

She smiles, gets near to him, sensing her intention, standing up before she could kiss him.

It is not that he does not want the touch of Joanna, far from it. He leads a life of celibacy after her death, and she is now within his reach. He is not sure why, but maybe he is used to being alone and it is making him uncomfortable to be in the presence of another person in his bedchamber even if the said person is his own wife and love.

And there is also the overwhelming feeling of strangely being in the past, and added to that the fact that finding his wife has lied to him, for the first time, in all, makes him reluctant to act on his desires.

He walks to the adjacent room that he is sure his twins are there, trying to distance and busy himself with something other than Joanna. They are in their crib, holding each other tightly. He caresses faces of both and marvelling at how the sins of the world have not touched their innocence yet. They should not have lived that life, full of sin and more importantly full of fear and bitterness.

For the first time in his life, he wants to keep his children the way they are, innocent and all that.

They roll to hug more tightly as if that is possible. He frowns, thinking about the nature of their relationship, in the future. When had they started? Anyway, he shan't allow it to happen. This time he shall make sure Joanna stays by his side till his death and with the help of her the twins shan't go astray. He shall make sure of that.

For a moment he feels guilty thinking of never letting Tyrion come to existence, but the imp killed him. After everything that happens, he reaches the conclusion that he had not been dreaming a nightmare. He has been killed by the hand of his son and now here he is..

One question is nagging his mind. Why was there Tyrion's whore in his bedchamber? Most likely, someone had setupped the whole scene so Tyrion thinks his father is fucking his whore and has been lying all the years of not sleeping around. Someone must have nudged his son in the direction of killing him.

His wife, Sansa? Maybe. Tyrells? More plausible, they have more motive for gaining more power. Roses, roses and roses. Well, at least here he is safe from the thorns of them, for the time being. He is more in the danger of turning to ash by Aerys's anger.

A little noise from Jaime distracts him from overthinking much.

He is feeling the tension is already leaving his body by watching these little innocents.

His son needs to know as soon as possible that there is no glory in being a Kingsguard, it is more a lifetime of servitude to a King's whims, a mad one at that. He better knows being his own lord makes him freer to do what he deems as good.

His eyes fall onto his daughter, but is it not better to leave the Rock to his daughter, what she desired the most, to be the Lady of Casterly Rock? The seven hells shall be frozen the day Joanna lets that happen for she always desires for their son to be the next Lord of Casterly Rock which by the law of Andals is his right.

There is a first for everything after all. Then what about Jaime? Shan't he be resentful if his sister gets what all the Westeros, minus Dorne see as his right?

He sighs. Maybe if he lives a silent life in Westerland and leaves the game to others, it shall be better for the future of his House. Because what has he gained from pursuing a royal marriage the last time? All the power and gold of his House was used for nothing, nothing was left for his legacy, no respect, no great name, nothing. Their house was not more powerful than others, worse it had been tainted with the incest relationships of his children and the fruits of their liaison.

Who is he fooling? No matter what he wants, other Houses won't let them be. First of them is Aerys himself.

The first rays of the sun are crawling through the gaps between draperies, marking a new day has been started. He kisses Jaime and Cersei's heads and gets back to his bedchamber seeing Joanna asleep.

He stands motionless, watching the even breathing of her. He craves to reach out to her, to keep her in his arms, but as if an outside force is keeping him from his Joanna. He fists his hands, and brings them back at his sides, not noticing they had been outstretched towards the golden sun in the bed.

He turns around abruptly and goes to the desk. gathers up the papers and parchments and walks out of the room to go straight to the Solar. He needs to gather as much information as he can to not let himself lapse or give away something is wrong with him.

This time around, he shan't fail his family, his House.

Hey!

Okay, if you're not noticing by now the year's 268.

At first, I mucked up the timeline :

So for the sake of this story, I've changed a few little things that won't change the entirety of asoiaf timeline. Daeron in this story was born stillborn in 268. (In canon he was born in 269 and lived half a year.)

Still on the same night! lol, a bit slow?

Thank you for your feedback and everything else.