The reunion of the two brothers was not a conversation suitable for others to overhear, especially under the current circumstances where the entire city was under the control of House Lannister.
Janos Slynt, the commander of the City Watch, respectfully excused himself from the room.
Tyrion watched Janos leave, gently swirling the red wine in his glass. The crystal-clear liquid exuded a rich aroma of alcohol. He then raised his head and drained the glass, before remarking, "He's a good dog."
"Is that so, Jaime?"
The knight in white heard Tyrion's words and glanced towards the door, then silently nodded in agreement.
"Yes."
Janos Slynt was a man of insatiable greed, who had turned the City Watch into a cesspool of corruption. But he had one redeeming quality: obedience. It was this quality that allowed him to retain his position and be put to good use.
"But even the most loyal dog will bite its master when it's starving."
Tyrion chuckled coldly, his words seemingly hinting at something.
"What?"
Jaime Lannister furrowed his brows at his brother's insinuation. He wasn't a fool and could tell that Tyrion was hinting at something.
With the Targaryen army at the city gates, even with the temporary recruitment of mercenaries and hedge knights to help defend the city, and the conscription of able-bodied men to bolster their forces, it was still far from enough.
They were up against a dragon.
The girl who had once narrowly escaped from King's Landing now rode a bronze dragon, leading an army that surrounded King's Landing from land, sea, and air. Jaime Lannister had seen the dragon himself when he had climbed the city walls.
"Tyrion, you mean..."
The handsome golden-haired knight tilted his head slightly, asking in a doubtful tone. However, he was cut off by Tyrion.
"Enough of that, Jaime."
"Let's talk about something more important."
Tyrion avoided discussing Janos Slynt's situation and changed the topic to recent events.
When the topic came up, Tyrion refilled his glass with wine, drained it in one gulp, and smacked his lips.
He then recounted his story of following their father to the battlefront at Crackclaw Point, only to be abandoned. He spoke of his narrow escape from the wildfire explosion, his aimless wandering in the North, and his eventual rescue by a group of soldiers who had been separated during the Battle of Winterfell, including Benjen Stark.
They had been entrusted by a mysterious individual who claimed to be a 'Greenseer' to find Viserys. This individual seemed to want to meet Viserys but was unable to do so for some reason...
Tyrion had followed this group from the frozen wasteland of the North to a few small boats. Due to a lack of information, they had sailed towards Dragonstone.
But Viserys was not there. They were captured as spies by the soldiers of the Golden Company and brought before Princess Rhaenys.
In order to survive, Tyrion had knelt before Rhaenys and pledged his allegiance to House Targaryen, promising to deliver King's Landing to her.
Tyrion then followed the Targaryen army to King's Landing. He was captured by the gold cloaks when he tried to sneak into the city through the Mud Gate, leading to the reunion with his brother.
Jaime was somewhat dumbfounded after hearing Tyrion's thrilling tale. Tyrion's life during this period was even more exciting than a story.
"How could this be..."
He couldn't believe that their father had tried to kill his own son.
What he found even harder to believe was that Tyrion had openly told him that he had pledged his allegiance to Princess Rhaenys and was planning to help her take King's Landing.
"I know, you made that promise out of desperation to survive."
The handsome golden-haired knight was silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"No."
However, Tyrion shook his head and spoke in a low voice, once again raising his wine glass and taking a sip.
Jaime's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at Tyrion with disbelief. He couldn't help but ask, "Why, Tyrion?"
"Weren't you forced to make that promise to survive? Such a promise doesn't count."
"Do you think you can hold King's Landing?"
Tyrion suddenly interrupted his brother, put down his wine glass, and asked.
Jaime was taken aback, then opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.
Tyrion, with a piercing gaze, looked at Jaime, who was suddenly at a loss for words. He paused for a moment, then continued to ask, repeating his previous question.
"Do you think you can hold King's Landing, Jaime?"
"Under the dragon's flame..."
"I may not have witnessed how Viserys defeated the White Walkers, but I have seen how the White Walkers destroy humanity."
"The burning flames were extinguished, the muddy swamps became flat land, all thanks to the Night King, who was more terrifying than any god I could imagine. People were killed by the White Walkers and then rose again, in an endless cycle."
Tyrion's low voice echoed in the room, but Jaime, who had been silent for a while, suddenly interrupted his brother, his tone slightly raised.
"But I will die!"
Jaime Lannister looked at Tyrion, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his fingers slightly white.
"And Cersei... Cersei might meet the same fate."
Tyrion, hearing this, was silent for a while before sighing and shaking his head.
"That's what you wanted to say, isn't it, Jaime?"
"You care about Cersei more than you care about yourself."
The knight in white was silent, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his fingers slightly white.
Jaime didn't say anything more, but stood up from his chair, pushing the table away.
"In that case, Tyrion, you'll stay here for now."
"I've already asked for help from Balon Greyjoy at Pyke. The reinforcements from the Stormlands are on their way. Whether it's the dragon, the barbarians, or... that little devil, I'll prove to you that I can defeat them."
When he mentioned Viserys, Jaime couldn't help but think of the young prince he had escorted out of King's Landing more than a decade ago.
At that time, he had personally put the boy in the carriage and escorted the convoy out of King's Landing before returning.
Viserys's eyes were filled with 'he knew what had happened', he knew everything.
But he didn't cry or make a fuss like a seven-year-old child would. Instead, he tried to control his emotions, making him seem calm, but occasionally he couldn't hide his panic.
It was for this reason that Jaime had a deep impression of Viserys at that time.
But he never thought that after more than a decade, the boy he had personally sent away would come back and want to take his life.
Jaime's hand was on the hilt of his sword. After saying these words, he turned to leave.
He wanted to make his departure look confident, as if he had everything under control, like that young boy back then.
But he didn't expect the leg of the chair to get in his way.
Thud—
Jaime stumbled, almost falling, looking somewhat embarrassed, but he left without looking back.
Tyrion, however, was silent, not saying a word. He picked up his wine glass from the table and watched his brother leave.
It seemed that he had already anticipated this outcome. Jaime was not one to surrender easily.