I am still not very well. And I know all about the tense inconsistencies, and so just excuse those as well. I am not editing it deeply.

Jaime III

Tyrion was smart. When Jaime handed him the dragon illustration with a lot of, and he meant a lot of caveats and warnings about their father not finding out about it, he had smiled a semi-toothless grin with a wicked gleam in his eyes. It should not have been possible for a boy this young.

It was like Jaime and Tyrion adventuring stealthily in their home, doing things behind their father's back.

It was not like they went overboard in being rebellious, but Jaime was certain that his father would not approve of both of them scribbling away on parchments, or doodling dragons, or looking up more and more things in the library.

It was all harmless, but it was time spent with Tyrion. His father did not take kindly to that.

That said, it did not deter Jaime. His brother was the person he loved and adored the most.

It would have been Cersei's name on his mind, but things had changed. Surprisingly, Tyrion understood his ache for Cersei more than most people. He did not bite back her name in conversations and nor pretended that it was not difficult for Jaime.

It was not so difficult anymore. Jaime spent hours with Tyrion, practicing letters, reading, and listening to stories. He spent much time in the training ground, developing an almost friendly banter with squires and knights there. He spent time with Uncle Gerion and Aunt Genna.

He had never had that earlier. Cersei was possessive. Any time not spent with her, or for her was… Jaime himself had never cared for anything besides it after a while. It was learned.

What was the use of speaking to others? They were Lions. They only ever needed each other.

His lessons with his father were less ghastly than before. Jaime learned some things. The things he did not learn, he asked his uncle and Tyrion about.

In fact, they all stumbled on one strategy question his father had posed. Uncle Gerion, a little in his cups, had yelled, "No one can solve this. Ask the King and Queen, they are smart right? They won't be able to solve it either!"

Uncle Gerion was an interesting character. He did not get along with his father and disapproved of his cold, hard ways. It was not surprising that he was not pleased to not be able to answer a challenge (albeit, it was a strategy question, but it was one his father had asked) issued by Tywin Lannister.

Jaime had laughed it off. From what the ravens and his father told him; the Queen was in the middle of nowhere in a battle camp.

There had been so many shifts. His father had left for Crakehall after a long-scale arson and when he came back, the strife against Robert's Rebellion had morphed completely. His father had updated the entire clan on the dinner table.

Most importantly, the Queen was in the war camps now. Jon Arryn was back in the capital, ruling in the King's stead.

"Strange choice, Arryn knows Robert!" Uncle Tytos had remarked snidely.

"Robert also knows Arryn," Aunt Genna pointed out.

There had been a mild verbal squabble, and his father had quietly watched, sipping his wine with a sharp eye and ear on the words.

His Uncle Gerion had shrugged eventually when words were spent and done with, "She is a good fighter from what I reckon, but everyone gives her too much credit. What is she going to do alone? Her bloody dragon is still at the capital!" He chugged his wine.

"Quite a lot," His father finally spoke and Uncle Gerion choked on his wine.

"The Queen has a better mind for strategy than most people on the King's war table currently. You would be surprised what a sound strategist can do to outcomes of wars," His father left it that before sipping his wine again.

Uncle Gerion had developed a little bit of a grudge against the Queen since then. Jaime had told him about her, but father's praise was rarer than a comet. In his Uncle's head, anyone whom his father liked could not be redeemable.

"Why don't you ask the Queen?" was a common barb from him, so obviously Jaime did not take it seriously.

Tyrion disagreed. He got this wicked gleam in his eyes and stubbornly begged Jaime to write to her.

"She is in a war! She does not have time to help me with my lessons." Jaime shot back.

Uncle Gerion was now drooling on his loveseat, passed out from all the wine he consumed in his belligerent frustration.

"She sends scrolls every few days!" Tyrion argued

"That is for Father and the war," Jaime barbed back.

"You want to write to her," Tyrion barked.

"How does that make any difference?" Jaime hissed back. Tyrion looked smug, that impish little shit.

"When I am surrounded by stupid people all day, I still enjoy your dumb stories, Jaime," Tyrion shrugged. For an eight-year-old, he was much too sharp-witted.

But Jaime was not dumb enough to not get Tyrion's message, the Queen was surrounded by sycophants. Besides her husband, and the Kingsguard, and…

She might not mind his letter if he asked for advice.

He got the maester to send the scroll early at dawn.

Father had ridden out again for a meeting with Westerland lords. There had been more small skirmishes.

Jaime was sure the queen would reply. Eventually.

The Maester handed him a scroll two days later, right after breakfast.

Jaime did not run to his chambers and unraveled it. He merely walked very quickly.

To Ser Jaime Lannister,

Heir of the Casterly Rock,

I forget what the last scroll we exchanged was about. There has been an abundance of raven scrolls in my periphery, the ones I write and the ones I have to read. Whatever else I say about battle camps, it is hard to organize correspondence properly.

That is an interesting thought exercise you sent me. My thoughts are attached in the scroll after this…

Jaime did not really care about the solution of the exercise. He had wanted an excuse to send a letter. So, he read on because there was more.

I regretted hearing about Crakehall Keep, I know you spent some time there squiring. Hopefully, we can prevent fires in the future instead of having to douse them.

It feels anticlimactic to call this war. It was a nuisance, sure. It was not big enough to be a war, nor small enough to be set aside. Now, it is different. More players enter the arena each day. The rebellion is stronger. The alliance against it is strong. As I communicated to your Lord Father in my last missive, I do not think we will get through this with strength. We need stealth. Men often do not know much of it. We exchanged some thoughts on the matter.

I am spending quite a bit of time with Lord Reed. Cronnagmen's entire livelihood is built around it. While I do have ideas, my knowledge of the setting we are in is bookish, and not quite at the level to implement stealthy ideas. Often Lived Experience and Tomes are not interchangeable. Soak everything you can, from anyone or any text you find.

I do miss Viserys. He was the light of my life while I managed things from the capital. I am grateful to have Rhaegar around once again. I realized much of my patience in anything can be attributed to his calming demeanor.

Summer is receding. Slowly. It is much more palpable here, near the neck. It is good to hear that you have rebuilt the rhythms of your life. Your age makes you equally vulnerable and resilient. Brace yourselves, changes are afoot.

You can write any further scrolls to the same rookery. They will find their way to me within a sennight even if I leave the command center.

Azalea Sage,

Queen Consort of the Seven Kingdoms,

Lady of the House of Serpens, Gwenyth, Peverall and Targaryen

P.S. I liked the sound of those desiccated, pickled fish crumbs. You must get them for me when we are due to meet.

She was not annoyed. She wrote back, and not just with the solution to the exercise.

He turned over the scroll to look at the solution. It was not there.
Okay, it was not there in the traditional sense, instead, there was a commentary on how to go about thinking about it. And then there was a thought exercise that he was supposed to ask the steward and take the help of Tyrion. That would help him solve the exercise.

Tyrion and he solved it together after obliging the steward. Tyrion was very excited about the hunt.

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