The Shadow Queen of Tywin Lannister

CXXVI. Temporary Truce, part 3

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Dragon Pits...

Tyrion had withdrawn from the others to get some fresh air and to also escape the look his father was giving him. He had tried his best to ignore it and he did but he had also come to understand just how badly that bridge was burnt that night with the crossbow.

He was quite alone where he had chosen to go, keeping his distance from any Lannister soldier who would most likely have his head presented to his father. It was not unknown to him that Visenya was quite loved between them and Tyrion had been the man to shoot her, according to the rumours the power couple had allowed to spread to increase the bounty on his head.

"Thinking of sneaking away to one of the Brothels?" a familiar voice reached him.

He turned to face the source, only to see his two brothers walking his way. They did not smile truly but they did not seem to glare at him either. Yet, Jaime's attempt at a joke was not that good or perhaps his conflicted feelings did not allow him to execute it right.

Yet, Tyrion chose to entertain while testing the waters. "Partially, although I am afraid with the bounty on my head; even the whores will try to give me away" he confessed.

The two brothers came to a halt in front of him, keeping two feet of distance and allowing him to look at them without craning and injuring his neck.

At least they were decent enough to do that, he thought.

Trystan folded his hands in front of his chest. "That bounty would not exist in the first place if you had not tried to kill Father, let alone result in getting our mother wounded" he said, clearly not happy about the events of that night but he did not seem boiling with rage either.

"Will it do any justice if I say that I was actually taunted? And that it was not fully my mistake of her getting the arrow instead?" he asked but by the looks his brothers gave him, he already got his answer. He let out a sigh. "I guess that is a No, then" he concluded. "Just go ahead and tell me how much you hate me for what I did, go on"

The two brothers exchanged a look with one another before looking down at him once again.

"We do not hate you" Jaime started, leaving out a small sigh as he could no longer hold that 'I am pissed at you' facade.

"But if you were not our brother, you would not be alive by now" Trystan added right after, making it clear where they stood on the subject. Tyrion glanced to the ground for a moment, until his younger brother spoke again. "But we are glad that you are alive and unharmed"

This made him look up at them again, seeing their small smirks and he could not help but scoff in amusement at their cruel joke. "Well, more than once I almost wasn't. I guess one can say I am rather tough to kill"

His comment amused his siblings, especially Jaime. He had personally missed hearing Tyrion's voice, his sarcasm and bad timing jokes that he often threw here and there.

"And rather hard to find from the looks of it. Essos didn't have any razors for you?"

Tyrion smirked. "Oh they did but I thought to update my look. I see you are following a similar approach" he commented, pointing out the facial hair Jaime had slowly started to grow but kept rather neat. He then turned to Trystan. "And you...do you really shave that well or does your Targaryen lineage keep you from having any facial hair? Honestly, I think they would suit you quite well"

Trystan rolled his eyes but chuckled, having also missed his brother and his humour. "Unlike some, I do find the need for facial hair unnecessary" he corrected him.