"Really father, Ned Stark, that northern boy?" Cersei asked condescendingly at her father's command.
"Yes, Cersei, Ned Stark. He is Guardian of the North and Lord of Winterfell now, with the King married to Catelyn Tully, there are only a limited number of matches of the right position that can be considered for you, and it really comes down to Lord Eddard or Lord Stannis. I won't marry you to any Lannister standards; you are too valuable to House Lannister for that."
"You make me sound like a mare to be changed with a righteous father!" Cersei pouted "Ned Stark is a pagan barbarian and Stannis is as severe as water from a ditch, I..."
"I don't care what you think Cersei; I brought you here in the hope that you could marry King Robert, but that option is no longer open to us. So now you must get the attention of any of those gentlemen, because you will marry one or the other of them! Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully outplayed us by Robert Baratheon; The only way to compensate for our loss is to marry the UN scam Lord
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...'"Cersei,tries My Girl patience, Rhaegar this dead, cut in two, by Ned Stark in the battle of the bloody Ford, Robert Baratheon is married to Catelyn Tully, there are no other options available. Their job is to secure a compromise with one or the other of the two Lord Paramount available. Like your father and as the head of House Lannister, I command him! "
"I've met Stannis, he seems stern and disinterested in conversations of any kind, Ned Stark I haven't met him, but he's a northerner, and a wild pagan to begin with." Cersei replied, shaking her golden mane in annoyance even at the thought of having to associate with people like Ned Stark. Tywin didn't let his exasperation be shown by his daughter's childish antics, he had too much to do and arrange in the coming days to secure a marriage commitment for the girl. Lord Stannis, though willing to accept the party, seemed to be quite cautious about committing to anything, preferring to keep his options open. Lord Stark, on the other hand, well, it was now a completely different fish pot. The young Lord of the North had a detailed list of negotiating points along with, how he called them again, oh yes, "matters of mutual interest" which he wanted to discuss with Lord Tywin.
Tywin looked forward to see how good a negotiator the young Stark was; he admitted that he knew very little about the man until he met during the takeover of Kings Landing, before he had only heard rumors and what his spies had discovered.
In person, the young Stark was as terrifying as his reputation on the battlefield, where he had earned the nickname 'The Black Wolf', a title he seemed to be proud of. During a simple youth of tender years he seemed to dominate any space he occupied, with a forceful personality to match. Lord Stark attended the meetings of the Little Council, as did Tywin. Apparently, Lord Stark had suggested to King Robert that any Lord Paramount who was 'in town' should be extended the right to attend the Small Council, but in order to prevent people like Mace Tyrrell or Hoster Tully from living in Kings Landing, they would not be granted any royal rights. power to vote or act as "agents of the King," as permanent members might.
The Starks seemed to be more strenuous to get the Seven Kingdoms back to as stable a peace base as possible. Robert's heart was broken when Ned returned from Dorne with Lyanna's bones and a story about the abduction, rape and death of three of the members of the Royal Guard. Legend has it that the two childhood friends had locked themselves in a suite of rooms and had gotten drunk to oblivion for several days, both men emerged with a rather deteriorated appearance and with King Robert sporting numerous bruises, which he insisted is due to him. being 'drunk and falling a lot'.
Robert had married Catelyn Tully soon after, much to Hoster Tully's delight and disgust, Cersei still made her way to Kings Landing when the wedding was held.
His spies had reported that at the beginning of the Rebellion, Ned Stark had refused to honor his dead brother's marriage engagement to Catelyn Tully, even though Hoster Tully and Jon Arryn pressured him to do so. The young Stark had apparently already 'married' Ashara Dayne in a pagan ceremony in front of the Weirwood in Harrenhal during the infamous tournament that seemed to have been the beginning of all the troubles that led to what everyone called 'Roberts' Rebellion'. Lord Stark had clung to his convictions that he was already married and therefore could not marry Catelyn Tully, and almost broke the young alliance against the Iron Throne at birth. But his success on the battlefield as the leader of the war, coupled with Robert's equal success, soon softened the rowdy feathers.
Lord Stark had gone south immediately after the capture of Kings Landing, and Jon Arryn had rejected any plea from him about the status of King Roberts' hand in marriage until Lord Stark returned to Kings Landing. But Ned had only discovered his sister dead during childbirth, the baby also apparently dead. Lord Stark had sent a crow to Kings Landing from a small shelter abandoned by the gods in Dorne with this news and Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully had pounced, Lady Catelyn Tully had been moved to a castle near Kings Landing and quickly took her to the capital and Robert was persuaded in his grief over the death of Lyanna Stark to marry Catelyn Tully.
He had been overtaken in this matter by that pair of old foxes, but the Trout and the Falcon will not stand in his way to fix his twins' betrothal. And in many ways he favored Ned Stark, the young man had given his son back after all, and a Lannister always pays his debts.
"You are the most beautiful and eligible woman in all the Seven Kingdoms, with a dowry to match, I'm sure you could see any of her eyes if you wanted to." Tywin asked, quietly surprised that he had to tell his daughter the obvious.
"Where I would express a favourite would be for Lord Stark, because he gave us back your brother, but in the end I will decide who you marry Cersei, and I will decide for the sake of House Lannister. And you will obey me as a daughter must."