Wolf of Númenor

Chapter 55: Of Rings and Black Dragons

Essos sailing at sea (6 months ago before the taking of Storm's End)

Although the pole boats that ply the rivers of Dorne are often brightly painted and exquisitely carved, the Shy Maid is not. Her paintwork is a muddy greyish brown, mottled and flaking; her big curved tiller, plain and unadorned.

She has a broad beam, and her draft is so shallow she can work her way up even the smallest of the river's vassal streams, negotiating sandbars that would strand larger vessels, yet with her sail raised and a current under her, she can make good speed - which can mean life and death on the upper reaches of the Rhoyne according to their captain.

In a cabin below deck was Tyrion Lannister, a man who had unusual luck and a curious gift to survive his assassination attempts.

First, in the Vale at the hands of that crazed bitch Lysa Arryn when her son tried to make him "fly" through the Moon Door and was only spared thanks to his resourcefulness and Bronn's greed or as in the Battle Blackwater Ser Mandon Moore tried to kill him on the orders of his sister Cersei.

"And then his father and sister conspired to execute him for the murder of Joffrey while the little cunt had deserved it. Tyrion was disappointed it hadn't been him, he cared little for that monster, but Tywin knew how to rile the masses and saw it as a sensible way to dispose of the debauched little creature who had bled his beloved Joanna to death when he came into this world." As if I wished her death." Tyrion thought with some rage

Alas, his thoughts turned to Tysha, oh Tysha, his precious ruby.

Tyrion still wept for her, the only woman who had truly loved him for who he was and who he was ... And his father made him believe that she was a whore ... He didn't know that it hurt more to have believed him or to remember Tysha begging for mercy as she was defiled by the Lannister soldiers.

Just remembering that made him clench his fists in anger and made him reaffirm his resolve to take revenge on his dead father by destroying everything that was his legacy, Tyrion will begin by claiming what is his by right ... Casterly Rock.

After his escape, Varys took him to Braavos with a "friend" of his a Cheesemaker named Illyrio Mopatis, with whom he had an interesting conversation ... For the record, at first, Tyrion hoped to travel to Dorne and crown his nice Myrcella as Queen, something that would arouse the ire of his sister, and Tyrion knew the Dornishmen would be quite amiable to the suggestion.

The death of Prince Oberyn in that trial by combat would have been a terrible blow to his father's attempts to unify the seven kingdoms, something for which Tyrion was partially responsible since he had confirmed to Prince Oberyn that Gregor Clegane had been the murderer of his sister Elia. Still, Prince Oberyn, despite his skill at arms, grew wrathful and allowed the Mountain to outwit him and smash his skull.

And now House Lannister had earned the eternal hatred of Dorne and several other Houses when Gregor had admitted before the whole of Kingslanding that he had raped and murdered Elia, Tyrion howled with laughter, imagining the headache his family would face for their treachery.

But no matter how much he hated Cersei and his father, Tyrion deeply loved his nephews Tommen and Myrcella since, unlike their monstrous older brother, they were kind and gentle; they did not deserve to be used as pawns in those games ... Where one would end up killing the other.

Tyrion wasn't Cersei ... At least he hoped he never would be.

So when fleeing King's Landing with the help of his brother Jaime and meeting that fat Cheesemaker, Tyrion decided to go to Lys and hopefully drink himself to death; however, the Cheesemaker's words stirred his curiosity.