♛ I Will Not Die ♛

Chapter 23- Family is Everything

I sit at the side of the table with my hands in my lap. The silence in the hands chamber was deafening. I could hear every scratch Tywin Lannister's quill made on the parchment. Every kick of Tyrion's leg as he nervously wiggled in his chair. For once I was the calmest one in the room. My grandfather's anger was radiating and I wasn't prepared for the outcome.

"The badge looks good on you. Almost as good as it looked on me." He lets out a long sigh as he watches his father work. "Are you enjoying your new position?"

"Am I enjoying it?" He says in a slow and boring tone.

"I was very happy as Hand of the King." Tyrion fires back.

"Yes." He says with a chuckle. "I heard how happy you were. You brought a whore into my bed."

"It wasn't your bed at the time." Tywin hands me the letter and I seal it as I open my ears to listen to them speak. I stand and take the letter over where he always puts the finished ones. I pick up the ink and left over parchment and return them to their place. He was a neat man. Not a hair out of place. My time at Casterly Rock taught me that.

"I sent you here to advise the king. I gave you real power and authority. You chose to spend your days as you always have, bedding harlots and drinking with thieves." He mutters a thanks to me and turns to his son. I take back my seat with my eyes to my feet.

"Occasionally I drank with the harlots."

"What do you want, Tyrion?"

"Why does everyone assume I want something? Can't I simply visit with my beloved father? My beloved father who somehow forgot to visit his wounded son after he fell on the battlefield." Tywin motions and I grab a goblet of wine, pouring one for him. When I move to pour one for Tyrion he gives me a knowing look and I set the goblet down.

"Maester Pycelle assured me your wounds were not fatal. I had Aella come and check on you plenty of times. I knew your health."

"I organized the defense of this city while you held court in the ruins of Harrenhal. I led the foray when the enemies were at the gate while your grandson, the king, quivered in fear behind the walls. I bled in the mud for our family. And as my reward, I was trundled off to some dark little cell. But what do I want? A little bloody gratitude would be a start. All I got was a few visits from your maid." I scowl at him and bite the insides of my cheeks to not fire back.

"Jugglers and singers require applause. You are a Lannister. Do you think I demanded a garland of roses every time I suffered a wound on a battlefield? Hmm? Now, I have seven kingdoms to look after and three of them are in open rebellion. So tell me what you want."

"I want what is mine by right." Not this again. "Jaime is your eldest son, heir to your lands and titles. But he is a Kingsguard, forbidden from marriage or inheritance. The day Jaime put on the white cloak, he gave up his claim to Casterly Rock. I am your son and lawful heir."

"You want Casterly Rock?"

"It is mine by right."

"We'll find you accommodations more suited to your name and as a reward for your accomplishments during the battle of Blackwater Bay. And when the time is right, you will be given a position fit for your talents so that you can serve your family and protect our legacy. And if you serve faithfully, you will be rewarded with a suitable wife. And I would let myself be consumed by maggots before mocking the family name and making you heir to Casterly Rock."

"Why?" I kick Tyrion lightly under the table. Did he really want an answer to that question?

"Why? You ask that? You, who killed your mother to come into the world? You are an ill-made, spiteful little creature full of envy, lust, and low cunning. Men's laws give you the right to bear my name and display my colors since I cannot prove that you are not mine. And to teach me humility, the gods have condemned me to watch you waddle about wearing that proud lion that was my father's sigil and his father's before him. But neither gods nor men will ever compel me to let you turn Casterly Rock into your whorehouse. Go, now. Speak no more of your rights to Casterly Rock. Go." Tyrion gets up, dejected, and starts to leave. "Oh, one more thing. The next whore I catch in your bed I'll hang."

Tyrion exits briskly in anger. I turn to my grandfather who stops seething as soon as his youngest child is gone with a slammed door. "Was that necessary?" I ask as politely as I can.

"Aella. I know you have sympathy for that little beast but in time you'll learn my best interests are in family." I nod along to his words. Its all he's ever concerned about. Little does he know his family isn't as perfect as he tries to make it. "Keep your chin up girl. There will be many more tough decisions before this kingdom gets something remotely close to fixed."

"I just hope you think of your whole family. Not just the side you like."

"You're one to speak. When's the last time you did much for your family besides me or your uncle."

"I'm not the one praising the idea of family to the whole seven kingdoms. I serve the ones who will provide me with the protection I need. You could call it selfish. I call it surviving." He chuckles a little at this and I share pour myself a drink.

"You drive a hard bargain. Unfortunately, you are your father's daughter." I take a long sip before standing.

"So I've been told."