The Kraken and the Lion, Chapter 14

A Song of Ice and Fire fanfiction

by Technomad

Asha Lannister

Asha rolled out of bed, feeling wonderful. Beside her, Tyrion was sprawled out, sleeping very soundly. She grinned to herself. Last night's exertions would have been enough to put any man out, she thought. She, herself, was hungry and ready to face her first day as a married woman. From the angle of the shadows, it was mid-morning. Slipping quietly into some clothes, she pulled the bell-pull to summon a servant. When the maid came in, she blushed and grinned to see the evidence of last night's activities all over the place. "Good morning, my lady. How can I serve you?"

"Some breakfast. An omelet, with ham, cheese, sausage and spices, and some of those neat little sausages they have here. To drink, small-beer." Asha was careful with alcohol, since, as a woman, she didn't have the head for the stuff that many men had. It wasn't her fault, but she just didn't have the body mass to absorb it. The girl bowed and left, and soon Asha was gloating over a table full of good things to eat.

The smell awoke Tyrion, and he rolled over in bed, watching his wife with amusement. "Fortifying yourself, my love?"

"We used up a lot of energy last night. Or did you have too much to drink to remember it all?" Asha grinned as she speared a sausage on the end of her knife. "Come on; there's plenty for two. Tuck on in. We've got much to do today."

Clearly nothing loath, Tyrion scrambled into a robe and came over. Soon they were sitting companionably, eating their way through the delicious breakfast and speaking of inconsequentials. Finally, they were sipping at the small-beer, and Tyrion brought up a subject that clearly had been troubling him.

"Asha, I know my father very well, and he's got something or other planned for us. I don't know what it would be, but I think we'd best be thinking about forestalling him. How does a nice long honeymoon at Lannisport and Casterly Rock sound?"

Asha smiled. "Like something even your father couldn't really find any reasons to object to. After all, as the newest member of the family, shouldn't I get to know those places?" A thought occurred to her. "Come to it…won't you be inheriting those, one day?"

A shadow passed across Tyrion's face. "Father has said that I'll never get the Rock. I rather imagine that when he dies, it'll go to my Uncle Kevan. Jaime's in the Kingsguard and can't inherit, and my sister is…Well, let's just say that sweet Cersei would manage to manage the place into the ground, and while he's never said so, I'm sure Father knows it perfectly well."

Asha was rather startled. For a father to disinherit his acknowledged, legitimate son was very rare. "Drowned God! What ever did you do to deserve that?"

Tyrion's smile was bitter. "Oh, being born the way I was, 'causing my mother's death,' at least in Father's mind…that's to start with. Being brighter than he liked didn't help. He's commented to me that had I been born a peasant, I'd have likely been left in the woods to die. But, alas," he said, stretching out his arms in a huge yawn, "I was born a Lannister of Casterly Rock, and things are expected of me."

Asha narrowed her eyes. "I wonder just who's in charge there now. When we get there, I think a long, long look at the account books would be in order."

Tyrion looked at his new wife in surprise. "You have unexpected depths, Asha. I tend to think that everybody's so in awe of Father that they wouldn't dare steal from him. He inherited from his father, who was a soft touch that everybody took advantage of, and set right out to show that there was a new Lannister in Casterly Rock. He made terrible examples of the Reynes of Castamere when they defied him. There's a song about it."

"I've heard it. They played it last night, didn't they?"

"Yes." Tyrion sighed. "As a Lannister, you're going to be shadowed all your life by that bloody song. Personally, my own tastes run more to the one about the bear, but that's just me."

Asha gave Tyrion a roguish wink, and launched into: "A bear there was, a bear, a bear! All black and brown, and covered with hair!" Soon Tyrion was singing along with her, and the song's lyrics proved to be inspirational; before the end, they were kissing more than singing, and then they tumbled back into bed.

When they finally emerged, tousled and rumpled, they found Varys waiting for them. "Good forenoon, my lord, my lady," the eunuch said. "I am glad that your wedding night went so well. My lord the Hand is awaiting you in the royal solar."

"We shall, of course, head right there, my lord," Tyrion answered. As they went on down the hall, Tyrion muttered: "Knowing him and his 'little birds,' I wouldn't be surprised if he knows exactly what we did last night, down to which positions we found we preferred!"

Asha scowled. She was no prude, but to her own surprise, she found that making love to her husband was different; she did not care to have what went on in their bedchamber known to anybody but them. If she found out for sure that Varys was spying…she smiled grimly to herself. Varys had remarked that "no one sings songs for spiders," and she rather imagined that if he had a nasty, fatal accident, it wouldn't be inquired into too closely. And the Red Keep had lots and lots of precipitous stairs…

They found Lord Tywin in the royal solar, talking with Petyr Baelish. "Ah, there you are," said Lord Tywin. "Good morning, Tyrion, Lady Asha." He kissed Asha on the cheek gently. "Welcome to our family."

"Thank you, my lord," Asha answered, slightly nonplussed by this. She had expected Lord Tywin to be cold to her, and having him being welcoming was a development she hadn't expected.

Lord Tywin raised one blond eyebrow. "My lady, I should point out that my daughter and grandson are not at all representative of our family. I look forward to getting to know you better, and to welcoming the children you bear into our line."

"Speaking of that," Asha said, seeing an opening, "I was talking with my husband, and we both think that a honeymoon at Casterly Rock and Lannisport would be a wonderful idea." She made herself blush. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, and the hospitality I've experienced here is wonderful…but I feel as though I'm on display at all times."

To her amusement, Lord Tywin blushed slightly. "You have a good point, my lady. I had plans to appoint Tyrion as Master of Coin, in place of Lord Petyr, but your idea's not a bad one at all."

"I am not at all sure that I could do nearly as good a job as Lord Petyr," Tyrion said. "Isn't there a maester about that has training in financial matters?" He cocked his head to one side. "And does this mean that we're going to lose the pleasure of Lord Petyr's company here in Kings Landing?"

"You were at the ceremony when I appointed him Lord of Harrenhall," Lord Tywin pointed out. "He needs to go and put Harrenhall to rights."

Tyrion whistled softly. "That's a job that'll take him a long time! Even so, though, I don't believe I am qualified to be Master of Coin. And I do find that I am homesick." He paused, looking narrowly at his father. It would also be well for one of the immediate family to be in Lannisport, to see that things are going well there. You, yourself, always said that the best manure was the lord's footprints. Lannisport needs a Lannister in residence. All that wealth…it'd tempt almost anybody."

Lord Tywin looked very thoughtful. "Excellent thinking. I have had harsh things to say about you in the past, but one thing I have never doubted is your fundamental loyalty to our House. Having you there will keep our castellans from getting ideas above their station about who rightfully owns all that gold."

"How will you get to Lannisport, my lord, my lady?" asked Petyr, his expression full of curiosity. "The roads are dangerous; although we won a mighty victory…with your heroic help…there are still all sorts of dangers on them. The realm is by no means at peace."

"Roads?" Asha lifted a disdainful eyebrow. "Who said one word about roads, my lords?" She walked over to a map and pointed. "Anywhere in reach of navigable water is open to my people, and my ship, the Black Wind, is in the harbor and ready to sail!" She snorted. "Roads, indeed! I'd never hear the end of it in the Iron Islands, if they found that I'd gone by land to some point I could reach by sea!"

Lord Tywin and Lord Petyr both looked slightly taken aback; Asha was quite amused at their expressions. "Your pardon, my lady. We're all mainly 'land' people here, and don't think in terms of going by sea, as a rule. You're perfectly right, the Black Wind can easily get you to Lannisport in a few days, and probably much more comfortably than going by land."

"Maybe we can stop off at Dorne," Tyrion mused. "I'd like to see Myrcella again, and see how she's getting on. As her uncle, I feel responsible for her."

"You're full of good ideas, Tyrion," Lord Tywin said approvingly. "You've never been to Dorne, have you? Either of you?"

Both Tyrion and Asha shook their heads. "I've sailed past, but never went to Sunspear myself, my lord," Asha answered. "I'm told it's very different from the rest of Westeros."

"It is," Lord Petyr assured her. "It stayed separate from the rest of the kingdoms, even after the Targaryen conquest. Their dragons couldn't make up for the deserts shielding Dorne, and when they did manage to get as far as Sunspear, their triumph was evanescent. Dorne finally joined up through marriage, not war."

Asha nodded, thinking hard. Dorne sounded very interesting indeed, and she was looking forward to seeing the place. From his expression, Tyrion was, as well.

Just then, who should appear at the doorway but the King? "Good morning, Grandfather, Uncle, Lord Petyr," Joffrey said, his voice belying the respectful words. "Now that the festivities are over, I suppose we can get on with our lives?" To hear him, the wedding feast had been a boring chore that had been forced on him.

Lord Tywin regarded his grandson narrowly. "Your Majesty has forgotten one person in this room. Please greet your Aunt Asha."

Joffrey looked Asha up and down, stripping her with his eyes. "Hullo, Asha," he drawled. "Welcome to the family. If you want to get to know me better, you know how to find me." His insinuating tone made his meaning quite clear.

Asha restrained herself from saying something to the effect that if she wanted to find Joffrey, she'd start by looking under every flat rock in the vicinity. Much as she had come to detest the miserable brat, he was still King, and even as a Lannister, she was his subject.

Lord Tywin stared at his grandson. "Your Majesty, you have forgotten your courtesies. The Lady Asha is a noblewoman and now your close kin. Please apologize to her for your behavior."

"Why should I?" Joffrey sneered. "Mother says she's a jumped-up barbarian who should be on her knees scrubbing the floor in this castle, not strutting about as though she was a person of importance!"

Tyrion stepped forward, his eyes hard as flint, but stopped at a gesture from his father. "Your Majesty, your mother is under some misapprehensions. I shall have to correct her at my earliest opportunity. In the meantime, I believe it is time for your lessons. Please run along to your tutors."

"I am King, and Kings do as they please!" Joffrey proclaimed, striking what he probably thought was an impressive pose. Asha privately thought that he looked utterly ridiculous.

"You may be King, but Kings are not all-powerful. Your tutors should have covered the events leading up to your father's assumption of the throne more closely. Aerys the Mad thought he could do as he pleased. Pity about that streak of insanity the Targaryens always had," Petyr Baelish drawled.

Lord Tywin stepped forward, looming over his grandson. "Maybe when you've blooded your sword in a few battles, and have shown that you have at least some talent for rulership, you'll be King in more than name. I regret your father's passing more than I can say; for all his faults, the man did let those of us who know what we're doing get on with doing it! Now get to your lessons, or you'll get a lesson from me that you'll remember for a long time!"

Joffrey visibly wilted under his grandfather's gaze. Without another word, he turned and left. Lord Tywin wiped his brow, and turned to face Asha. "Forgive him, my lady. He is young and inexperienced, and being crowned has been a heady experience for him."

"I have noticed that," Asha said, quirking a sardonic smile. "And him being here is one good reason for me and my husband to be elsewhere, I think. I have no desire to watch Aerys coming back. Even on the Islands, we heard about him."

"I wouldn't put it past him to assault my wife," Tyrion said. "I'd prefer for our children to be mine." At this, Tywin's eyes went very wide. "You did hear what he said at the wedding feast, after all."

"I shall speak to my grandson. And my daughter," Lord Tywin promised, looking very grim. "As a matter of fact, I think it's time and past time for my sweet daughter to be married again. If nothing else, that would put an end to this filthy talk of incest, once and for all."

Asha, Tyrion and Petyr all exchanged glances behind Lord Tywin's back. Asha decided quickly that if Lord Tywin refused to see, or honestly didn't notice, that of all the children that Robert Baratheon had sired, only the ones by his Lannister wife were other than dark-haired, she was not going to be the one to enlighten him.

"I'd also prefer to be out of here before things come to a head between me and the Queen," Asha said. "She despises me…you heard what the King said…and I'm not sure just how much more of her insults I can tolerate. Back home, we'd have already had it out between us."

Surprisingly, Lord Tywin grinned. "My lady, if it comes to that, you have my full permission to teach my daughter a lesson in courtesy. I shall alert the Kingsguard to not interfere if you find it necessary to resort to fisticuffs." He looked thoughtful. "She was always a wilful, arrogant girl."

Asha and Tyrion grinned fiercely at each other. Before they left, Asha promised herself, she was going to give Cersei the bruising she'd been begging for ever since they'd met!

END Chapter 14