284 AC The Riverlands Tywin Lannister V
"I would strongly suggest that you accompany Lord Stark Cersei" he said through slightly gritted teeth, as his daughter pouted at him. When she was angry she reminded him so much of Joanna, the same fire and passion. Except Cersei was just a spoilt, childish brat he had come to realise. Spending the last month in close proximity to his daughter had taught him some interesting lessons, mainly ones of regret. He should have spent more time with both Jamie and Cersei, preparing them for adulthood. In Jamie's case he was more fortunate, he now had, if he was lucky, at least a decade and a half to mould Jamie into the future Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock, imparting his knowledge and wisdom and easing Jamie into the role of a Lord Paramount.
Cersei on the other hand, well soon she would be off his hands as it where, married to Lord Stark and hopefully soon to have her belly swelling with a new Stark inside her. Motherhood would be good for Cersei; it would finally make her give up all those foolish notions in her head, and would hopefully make her finally grow up and stop being a child.
He wondered how Lord Stark would treat his daughter once they were wed? Would he indulge and spoil Cersei like she was used to, or would the dour northerner just treat her as a brood mare to carry his pups and ignore the rest of her antics? Or would he impose his will on her and force her to cease her seemingly constant craving of attention and validation? The more he saw of Cersei the more he realised that if she did not quickly behave herself she would certainly draw the ire of the big, taciturn northerner. Many moons ago Jamie had once asked him if he had every hit mother, and his response had been "she never gave me cause to", Cersei on the other hand, he was not sure she would not give Lord Stark cause, and on more than one occasion. Once they were wed and bedded it would thankfully be no more concern of his, but he would not be lapse in reminding Cersei where her true loyalties lay. Even if by a miracle his daughter actually fell in love with Ned Stark and became all besotted by him Tywin was confident that Cersei would always be a Lannister first and a Stark second.
Given her disgraceful lack of tack and awareness he could see problems ahead for Lord Stark as Cersei was bound to insult and annoy his banner men in very short order. Mayhaps this was not too bad a thing, Lord Stark had great plans for the North, plans which he was mainly financing, and which if came to pass would transform the North into a powerhouse of Westeros. And if said plans did not come to pass because Cersei in her ignorance upset the delicate balance between Lord and Bannermen? Well that would leave the North in debt to the Westerlands and also with no competition to him implementing many of the plans and ideas that Lord Stark had been so free in sharing with him.
He smiled to himself, the more he thought on it, the more he came to realise that betrothing Cersei to Ned Stark had been a stroke of genius, and even the expensive bargain that he had struck with Ned Stark had started to look less and less expensive with every passing day. But in truth he believed that Lord Stark had known from the beginning of their negotiations that his offer was the only one, the money of the Westerland's was what Lord Stark needed, and its strategic position to bolster his plans for developing the North. The icing on the cake as it where was the most beautiful and eligible maiden in Westeros, and in spite of everything Tywin knew he owed Lord Stark a debt for his son, a debt that would be paid when Ned Stark threw his cloak over Cersei's shoulders, as it where.
"Huh! It's a wild goose chase, you heard what the Vance's had to say, it's a legend! House Vance is descended from Armistead Vance, the greatest of the Andal conquerors, who was not shy about burning down weirwoods!"
"And, so what if it is? It is a chance for you to accompany your husband to be, you have spent far too little time with Lord Stark so far, from now on you must spend more of your days with Lord Stark, as your father I command it!"
"So I am to ride beside him in a set of leathers, like some, some….lowborn? All the while listening to him prattle on about crops and roads and dyes and beets!" Cersei rolling her eyes to the heavens as she spoke.
"You could at least pretend to be interested, could you not? And my word is final, go with Lord Stark to find this hidden weirwood, it will be good for you to get out and get some air after being cooped up in that wheelhouse for so long, you look pale Cersei, the ride will do you good. In Winterfell you will be wed before a weirwood after all."
"Ah yes, I'm to be 'wed' in a pagan, heathen, ceremony, not even to have the comfort of being wed properly in a Sept! I barely even consider this a true wedding father, I…."
Cersei never finished the sentence as he took two steps forwards and grabbed Cersei by her chin, squeezing his fingers over the cheeks.
"You will listen to me daughter of mine and hear what I have to say. Your marriage in the Godswood of Winterfell will be a proper marriage and you had better dissuade yourself of any silly notions otherwise immediately! Do you understand?"
His daughter nodded her head in agreement, anger blazing in her eyes, but also pain, he was holding her face in a tight grip.
"Good! Now go and change into something better suited for riding and be off with you…."
He removed his hand and Cersei mumbled a "Yes father" before leaving his tent.
They were camped alongside the Kingsroad, which was badly rutted and in need of serious repairs, around them the land was rather empty, poor heath and bogs mostly, with scattered forests and some small villages, mostly devoted to sheep farming. To the east loomed a forbidding looking forest, oak and ash and as it climbed into the lower foothills of the Mountains of the Vale, Spruce and Pine. Somewhere in its bulk was rumoured to be the secret weirwood that the Vance's had alluded to and which Lord Stark was eager to find.
Though how is future goodson proposed to find a place that had alluded determined attempts to find and destroy it for millennia eluded him.
Eventually Cersei and a rather small party of guards set off with Lord Stark, Tywin was not happy at all about the size of the guard party and had said so, Lord Stark dismissing his concerns.
But as the day had worn on Tywin had become increasingly worried until shortly after they had lunched he had ordered the Red Cloaks to prepare to set off after the Stark and his daughter. Just as he was about to depart a party of riders approached, flying the banners of House Vance of Atranta and some of their vassals. Their horses seemed whipped to within an inch of their lives, the unfortunate creatures hides lathered in sweat and they were panting, winded and blown.
Ser Ronald Vance and his sons Hugo and Ellery were leading the party; they dismounted and hurried over to Tywin.
"My Lord, has Lord Stark went in search of the weirwood?" gasped out Ser Ronald.
"He has Ser Ronald" replied Tywin, his eyes narrowing at the fearful glances that the Vance's exchanged.
"My Lord, my Lord, I'm, I'm afraid that shortly after you left Atranta word reached us of a large group of bandits and cut throats infesting the parts hereabouts. And even worse we have had it confirmed that they make this wood here their home!"
Tywin's demeanour went rigid and cold; Ser Ronald Vance gulped and went pale at the glare Tywin was giving him. He waved a hand in the air towards the Red Cloaks "Captain Colrin!"
"Yes my Lord!" replied the captain of the Red Cloaks.
"It appears that we may run into trouble on our search for Lord Stark and my daughter, have the men prepared, this will not a leisurely stroll of an afternoon!"
"Yes my Lord!" barked the man in return, whirling away on his horse to muster the Red Cloaks with shouted commands.
Tywin had never took his eyes off Roland Vance the whole time, after the silence between them stretched out for a minute he spoke "You had better pray to all the Seven Ser Vance, yes even the Stranger, that my daughter and Lord Stark are unmolested by these bandits, for if not, the Westerland's and the North will have a serious debt to be levelled against you and your house!"
With that he turned away and strode over to his horse being held by a page and he mounted up, galloping off with the thunderous mass of Red Cloaks, never giving the suddenly very afraid Vance's a rearwards glance.