The lions of the Casterly Rock

A.N. Almost 200k view, thanks for the support.

Tyrion POV

Today was like any other day, doing my job as the Hand of the King, making sure that the Seven Kingdoms are prosperous and secured. Making alliances with Reach lords was only part of it, with the news of my marriage with Desmera Redwyne coming into fruition, other lords started to make offers to marry Myrcella to their sons, looking to make alliances with the royal family.

Taking a sip of a fine Arbor Gold, gift of the Redwynes, and finishing today's paperwork, I was interrupted by a servant from my father, telling me that my father had invited me to have dinner with him. Ending the day with dinner with my father is not something that I wanted or ever will want, I know that with the power the King has entrusted me, my father is not very happy, to be left behind.

Deciding that it wouldn't be wise to decline an invitation from my father, I took a good sip of my wine and went to my father. The tension between the King and my Tywin Lannister is not a secret in the Red Keep. Knowing that I am the reason for most of the tensions between them, fills me with guilt, but I won't let go of my right to Casterly Rock, no matter what. These were thoughts as I enter the dining room and seeing my father and brother waiting for me.

"You're have come, Tyrion," Jaime says after seeing me.

"Well, how could I refuse my father's summons?" I reply with a smile.

My father doesn't even look at me or say anything, even as food is delivered to the table, he just eats in silence, so as I and Jaime do too. After having our fill, and when servants clean the table, did my father look at us.

"Both of you have disappointed me." Were his first words.

"How could we disappoint you, I have become the Hand of the King, and Jaime fought in the Battle of the Blackwater bay, and his actions have secured us the victory." I defend us immediately.

"The battle that you have failed to foreseen, and prevent." He remarks. "Now the King demand me to forsake Casterly Rock to you, and my first son refuses to leave the Kingsguard to become the man he was mean to be."

"The oath to the order is for a lifetime, how could it be possible for me to leave? People will think that Lannisters words mean nothing, it would be disgraceful." Jaime replies.

"The lion does not concern himself with the opinions of the sheep." He tells Jaime with a low voice.

"It does when the sheep are the ones who feed the lion when they are the ones who give their wool to the lion, so he wouldn't freeze in the winter," I remark, once upon a time, I would never defy my father, but working with Lyonel for years now, I have seen a bigger world, a world where words mean nothing, where everyone can be bought, where it doesn't matter who you are, we all bleed. "If the King releases Jaime of its vow, it not only would disgrace the Lannisters name, but others would start to consider that the great stag is nothing but just a little cub."

"He had proven himself not to be a Lannister already, and if that is what you want, then I will name Kevan as my heir and Lancel after him." He informs us.

"Father don't be ridiculous, uncle Kevan is to serve as a regent in the Dragonstone and Lancel is foolish boy, you will only bring discord to the family." Jaime pleads, already fallen for my father's trap.

"Then come back to Casterly Rock and become my heir." He commands Jaime.

"What of Cercei and Myrcella? What are you going to do with them?" I ask instead, I know my father would never make Lancel his heir, but what of Cercei?

"Cercei will marry Edmure Tully, this way we have to forge ties with not only Riverlands but with North too." He answers, it would be a fine plan, if not for the suspicious movements of the Freys, and North isn't a big fan of the Lannisters. "Myrcella will marry Robert Arryn, once the mountain clans will be dealt with."

"The King should know about your decisions, he won't be happy you disturb his plans, and Myrcella isn't yours to marry off," I inform him, he is realizing that he is losing his power and making his moves to ensure that he has some say in the King's court.

"She is in my castle and the King owns me three million gold dragons, he will accept my proposal." He replies to me. "If both of you are not going to serve the house as a Lannisters, then leave."

Looking at each other in the eyes, Jaime and I both decide to leave, father had informed us of his plans it's now up to us to choose who we will support, the King or him.

Jaime POV

Thinking of what my father had said, I went back to the White Sword Tower, going to the common room. Lyonel won't be happy with the plans of my father, both of them have been at each other throats for a while now. With these thoughts running in my head I enter the common room of the White Sword Tower and I am surprised that Lyonel is waiting there.

"Your grace, how can I help you?" I greet him first.

"Ser Jaime, the Kingslayer." He says. "That what is written in the white book about you, not very much, isn't it?

"No, my grace," I answer not knowing where he is going with this.

"The Kingslayer, have you ever wondered what people would think if they knew the truth, that you saved them?" He asks me.

"How did you knew?" I ask wondering when he had found out.

"I know much, more than it should be possible and more than I want to, think Jaime, from where do you think I got the Wildfire for the battle against Stannis." He tells me.

"The lion doesn't concern about the sheep's opinion," I reply to him, even if I don't like to use those words.

"Does he now? Sometimes I think you should have let the Mad King burn the city." His words shook me to the core. "Seeing what the absolute power does to men, what destruction we are capable of, maybe the smallfolk would have risen against the power-hungry lords, thinking that only such a fate awaits them, maybe the lords of Westeros would have forsaken their useless pride and would instead try to reassure people that they are different, to keep Smallfolk from revolting."

"Your grace, we are talking about half a million men." I interrupt Lyonel.

"A price too much to ask for the better future? How many did Lord Tywin killed in the sack of the Kings Landing, how many will have die, because of his pride?" He asks a difficult question, indeed how much is my father ready to sacrifice for the Lannister name? "Do you know what is most important for the king? To be feared? To be loved? To be trusted?"

"All three, your grace, the King needs to be feared by his enemies, loved by his people, and trusted by his allies, to rule his Kingdom peacefully," I answer with what I believe is right.

"In a way you are right, but the most important thing for everyone is to be protected, most smallfolk won't even know who their lords are, but they will know when they are hungry, threatened, and cold." He tells me. "If I failed to protect them from those things, do you think they care that I am their King? No, they will follow whoever protects them, it doesn't matter if it's a stag, a lion, or a dragon."

"Why are you telling me this, your grace?" I ask after listening to him.

"Fear is what lord Tywin relies upon, and it seems to work, he has taken absolute power over the Westerlands, but you have seen what that kind of power does to men." He says. "Power corrupts you and absolute power corrupts you absolutely."

"You think that my father is too corrupt?" I ask and in a way it makes sense.

"I know lord Tywin has asked you to choose the side, between me and him." He tells me. "In the big picture, he is not that important, just an old Lion, who doesn't want to let others rule over him."

"I am a Kingsguard, I had vowed to serve for a lifetime, I will never betray you," I reply to him with all conviction I have in my voice.

"I know, it is not why I am here, I was looking at the records of the Kingsguard and noticed that your page is quite empty." He tells me. "it is time to fill it up, you will take the Lannister and Tyrell forces in the capital and sail to the Vale, to support lord Royce in his war against the mountain clans."

"As you wish, your grace." I accept his command without any thought, it is better this way, I won't have to stay here and listen to my father.

Lyonel POV

Tywin's moves made me angry, but it would be hard to just remove him from the power, so my only choice is to negotiate with him and give him what he wants. So this time I have come to him and not invited him to my solar. Walking to Tywin's room and knocking on the door I waited until I heard his voice to let me come in. Entering the room I see him working on the papers, so I just sit in front of him and wait until he is done with his power plays and starts to address me.

"You wanted to talk to me, have you reconsider and will do as I asked?" He asks me after few moments of silence.

"You are a very stubborn man, you know, but yes, it seems I have no other choice," I answer and take my finest bottle of wine. "How about a drink before we begin with our talks?"

"I won't drink it." He replies to me.

"You will because your king has offered you to," I tell him and take a couple of cups from the cabinet on the side of the room and fill them. "I got tired of your games, but you're right it is not wise to agonize you."

"It seems you're have started to see reason." He remarks.

"No, but I just stopped believing that you will see it," I reply to him, knowing well it will make him angry, anger is good it will cloud one's mind. "Your refusal to accept Tyrion as his heir is both irrational and foolish."

"You will not speak of this again." He says with a raised voice, thinking that I would listen to him.

"My father was Robert Baratheon, do you think I will be scared of you," I reply to him. "But fine I will drop it after this conversation, still I have to reward my hand something, so I decided to give him Castamere and you will help him to rebuilt it."

"And that imp had agreed to it, what about Jaime will you release him of his vows?" After my words, he started to calm down and started to ask questions.

"Tyrion will agree when I tell him, ser Jaime will be released from his vows, but not now," I answer him.

"Then when?" He asks.

"When there is a chance, I send him to the Vale with Reach forces and you give him your men to support him, once he accomplishes enough victories, I will spin a tale of how the Mad King was wrong in taking away the heir to the Casterly rock and his talents would be better used elsewhere," I tell him of the plan.

"Good, what to want in return?" He asks, knowing that I want something.

"You will hold on to my mother's marriage for now and will bring my sister back to the Kings Landing, I have plans for her," I answer him. "I will not ask you to remove the debt, but you will not bring it up anymore, I will pay it back once I can spare you the gold."

"Very well, your mother isn't getting younger, so it is better to marry her sooner than later." He tells me.

"There are suspicious movements in the Riverlands, there might not be Tully's heir for you to marry to," I reply to him, he probably too has seen the Frey's suspicious movements.

"Fine, I hold it until the mess in the vale is deal with." He agrees. "What have you planned to do Myrcella?"

"She will marry Edric Dayne, the heir to the house Dayne, he is squiring to one of the Stormlord's, lord Beric Dondarrion," I answer him.

"A good plan, but it would be better to have ties with the Arryns, the little lord is weak, with my teachings Myrcella will take control over him and the Vale in no time." He tells me like he has everything planned out and nothing would go wrong.

"After the war against mountain clans, the Arryns won't have much power left over the Vale, Robin will be married to one of lord Royce daughters to keep even a little of influence in the Vale, it is too risky of the plan, and we need a closer relation to the Stormlord's, and to the Dorne too," I explain to him. "The Daynes are well respected in the Dorne, and Dondarrion's marriage to Allyria Dayne will bind our families together."

"Fine, it seems we are done." After few moments of silence, he agrees with me.

"Let's us drink for our future," I say and take a big sip of the wine and he follows up. "I will be leaving for now."

…

"Are you really fine with this plan?" I ask Tyrion while we are sitting in my solar.

"My father would never willingly give me the Casterly Rock, and I am afraid he would have done something drastic if you pushed him too much." He answers me.

"I could take care of him," I reply to him.

"You know well enough, to understand that it would not be easy and it could bring discord in the Westerlands." He replies. "And with was is going on in the Westeros, we can't let it happen."

"Fine, it is your plan, to begin with, I will trust you," I tell him.

"Don't worry, I only need more time to secure my position among the Westerlords, once it is done, even my father won't be able to do anything about me." He says to me with a smile on his face. "Just play your part and I play my own, my father looks down on me too much, that will be his biggest mistake."

All along it was Tyrion's plan, to give up on the Casterly Rock, so Tywin would let his guard against us down, thinking that he has us under his control.