Bride To Be // Sandor Clegane

13. Sister

'Sister,' Lysa said vindictively. 'what brings you all the way to the veil?'

'I have come to request your judgement on this criminal.' A guard pushed Tyrion forward.

'Who do you bring forth to the lady of the veil?' the woman sat with a boy clung to her tit like a lifeline. 'what has he done?' she spat.

'He tried to have my son Brandon killed!' Catelyn screamed.

'That is entirely false I assure you.' Tyrion began.

''Enough!' Lysa snapped, removing the boy from her tit. 'so you do not plead guilty for the crimes you have committed?'

'I have committed many a crimes, none of which involved any of the starks." But after today he was sure to kill Catelyn if he survived.

"How do you plead?' Lysa questioned

'Innocent.' Tyrion said. 'I am innocent." Tyrion informed her. 'it is in your best interest to let me go or not only will you face the wrath of the red coats but the kings guard.'

'so be it.' Lysa spat. 'send him to a sky cell. See if that won't change his answer.'

++

'My lady?' Gendry said walking up to them.

'The handsome smith.' Thea recalled. He passed off the brace.

"Perfect timing.' Willas said handing him over a pouch of coin.

'oh this is too much-' Gendry told them.

"Nonsense, you worked fast and my brother was in desperate need.' Thea told him as Gendry offered to help him try it out. It fit perfectly.

'How does it feel?" Thea questioned as gendry took a step back and Thea helped Willas stand up.

'Like a got a new leg,' Willas remarked. 'thank you Gendry.'

'Glad to help.' Gendry said looking back to thea but she was easily distracted she saw sandor walking past but he didn't look her way.

'Thank you Gendry!" Thea called over her shoulder as she lead Willas away. 'The queen's brother stabbed the Hand.' Thea whispered to Willas. 'This place... this place.' She muttered.

'Grandmother requested I go home.' Willas told her softly not wanting to say the words aloud.

"We are leaving? Thank the Gods!' Thea declared.

'Just me Thea.' Willas told her.

'What?' Thea stopped walking and turned to him utterly confused. 'tyrion is going to die, the hand might just die, there is no point in me being here surrounded by all this death.' Thea told him softly as she gripped her brothers hand.

'Thea grandmother says that you are to stay since Tyrion is not dead. She wants me home though.' Willas said awkwardly.

'Why? What aren't you telling me?' Thea questioned.

'she said the union with the lannisters needs to happen, she has suitors for me waiting at high garden.' Willas told her.

'Oh... suitors. Plural. You get to pick, of course you do.' Thea said stiffly.

"No one is going to want me.' Willas reminded her. 'I'm a cripple.'

'and I wasn't given a choice of who I'm going to be stuck with.' Thea retorted. 'I would rather be crippled with a choice than a broodmare.' Thea told him, a tear slipping down her cheek she wiped it away.

'Thea,' he coed hugging her tight. 'I'm so sorry sweetie... I'm so sorry.'

++

'We need to make Tyrion Lannister is pay for what they did! we need justice!' Robb was telling Theon as bran road around and a horse with a new saddle that Tyrion had designed for him. But he knew that the Lannisters were behind the attack, they needed to pay for trying to hurt Bran.

'Only the Lord of Winterfell can call the Bannerman and raise an army,' Robb remarked.

'The king slayer drove a spear through your father's leg the king slayer rides for Castlery rock where no one can touch him.' Theon told him.

'Do you want me to march on Castlery rock?'

'You're not a boy anymore.' Theon told him 'they attacked your father they have already started the war it's your duty to represent your house when your father dies.'

+++++

Lannister red tents filled the camp, lion banners blowing in the wind.

'Gregor Clegane, the mountain will ride within a fortnight or be branded an enemy of the crown,' Jaime said 'Ned stark... brave man terrible judgment.'

'Attacking him was stupid,' Tywin said 'Lannister's don't act like fools' he went on as he gutted the beast in front of him. 'You're going to say something clever?' Tywin questioned his son, 'go on say something clever.'

'Catelyn Stark took my brother.' Jaime informed him.

'Why is he still alive?' Tywin asked

'Tyrion?'

'Ned stark.' Tywin corrected

'One of our men interfered speared him through the leg before I could finish him,' Jaime informed him.

'Why is he still alive?' he questioned again

'It wouldn't have been clean.' Jaime told him

'You spend too much time worrying about what other people think of you.' Tywin muttered.

'I could care less what anyone else thinks of me.' Jaime assured him

'No that's what you want people to think,' Tywin told him.

'That's the truth' Jaime protested.

'When you hear them whispering king slayer behind your back, that doesn't bother you?' Tywin questioned

'Of course it bothers me,' Jaime told him

'But a Lion doesn't concern yourself with the opinions of sheep,' Tywin told him 'I suppose I should be grateful that your vanity got in the way of your recklessness. I'm giving you half of our forces you will bring Catelyn Starks girls home and you will remind her that Lannister's pay their debts.' Tywin said through clenched teeth.

'I didn't realize you based such high value on my brothers life.' Jaimie said

'He's a Lannister, might be the lowest of the lowest but he is one of us and every day that he remains a prisoner the less our name demands respect.' Tywin told him.

'So the lion does concern himself with the opinions of-' Jaime began.

'It's not an opinion, it's a fact.' Tywin corrected. 'If another house can seize one of our own and hold him captive we are no longer a house to be feared.' Tywin informed him. 'Your mother is dead before long I will be dead and then you and your brother and your sister and all of her children all of us dead all of us rotting in the ground, it's the family name that lives on, it's the war that lives on not your personal glory, not your family, but your name. Do you understand?' Tywin questioned Jaime.

'You are blessed with skills that few men possess you are blessed to belong to one of the most powerful families in the kingdoms and you're still blessed with youth and what have you done with these blessings? Do you have served as a glorified bodyguard for two kings one a madman and one a drunk,' Tywin reminded him, 'The future of our family will be determined within the next few months what we do now will either last us 4000 years or will crumble us to nothing. I need you to become the man you were always meant to be.' He said turning his attention back to his son. 'Not next year, not tomorrow, now.' Tywin told Jaime.