10.The Forsaken

Tyland Lannister POV

I could not sleep. For the last month I had been haunted by my mother's scorn. She would come into my dreams to blame me for her death. I knew that she would never do it but that did not stop the nightmares. I had thrown myself into my training to get my mind off things yet it yielded little result.

Today Lady Genna would arrive to help take care of the children. She was quite close to my mother and was the wife of Uncle Kevan.

I had always thought that the Gods had sent me here for a purpose that I was somehow special. Yet I had forgotten that the gods were well gods, they didn't care about us. How could I be different, was I built ant different from a child on the streets. NO, I was just like them but privileged and just like everyone else in the world they had long forsaken me long ago. I served no purpose, the most I could be was a mistake, an answer to a prayer or a source of amusement.

I had in my delusion forgot that men weren't given wings, we had to run to take flight. Everything man achieved was through his own efforts, I had been betrayed once now I would be in control.

————————-

Lady Genna Lannister POV

I was on my way towards Casterly rock. The funeral had already been done. The king had come and mocked Tywin calling the young Tyrion Tywin's bane. Tywin's friend Lord Steffon had also come along with his wife. Tywin didn't like the young child, born a dwarf, yet couldn't do anything to it as it also had a piece of his now dead wife.

From the letter I had received, the condition of Tyland was also precarious. He was said to be having continuous nightmares. Everyone knew that he and Joanna were very close to each other, losing his mother in such a way would have devastated anyone let alone such a bright and complicated child. She had predicted such a thing, and had written a letter to me a month before her death. No one knew of the letter. She had asked me to take care of Tyland, saying that he would, once fine, take care of his siblings.

The doors to the castle opened and I entered the halls. The castle that was once lively and vibrant had become dreary and monotone. Kevan came to welcome me, "You are finally here. How was the journey?" he asked with concern.

"The journey was fine though the castle looks dead." I replied with a sad voice.

I moved to the yard where I could hear some knights practicing, there I saw my nephew taking on 2 squires almost twice his age. The amount of sweat indicated that he had been at it for quite some time. His eyes hard and pained, the same eyes that once shone bright enough to light up the entire castle were now filled with pain, betrayal, anger and grief. He may have grown but he could never hide such things from her. She had seen Joanna raise him and as she would occasionally say 'his eyes are the most honest thing about him'. He saw me and stopped the spar and greeted me his expression becoming impassive, probably trying to hide all those feelings.

At this I remembered her final letter and her parting request. I knew that I had to fulfill it. She may have gone but her protection would remain with him for as long as she was alive.

"Greetings My Lord, you seem to have worked up quite a sweat. What about joining me for the meal." I said in a authoritative voice.

He looked a bit perplexed but joined me nonetheless. I would help him become the man that Joanna wished for him to become. I could never take her place in this castle but I would do my best to always be a reminder that just because she was not among us, didn't mean we had to forget about her. We could honour her by living up to her image of us, he could honour her by becoming the kind of man she wished for him to become.