"My soul is among Lions...."
Previously named: A Lannister Lion
~A Tywin Lannister Short Story~
They had called her many names. Witch. Sorceress. Enchantress.
And those had been the nicer names. There had been others.
Heathen. Harpy. She-devil. Wh...
"... As I was saying, My Lord, there have been increasing attacks on the trading caravans heading towards Kings Landing" one of Tywin Lannister's advisors said with a serious expression on his face.
It was an official gathering in one of the richly decorated meeting rooms within the walls of Casterly Rock. Rich tapestry hung from the walls, depicting battle scenes from battles as well as stories and legends of Westeros, a hearth roaring merrily on the far side of the room, a large conference table of heavy oak wood stretching across the room, easily seating 25 men. About a dozen men were seated along two sides of the table, where a large map of the Seven Kingdoms was stretched out, towns and castles and landmarks easily identified upon the parchment in coloured ink.
From where she was standing, Asriel could see Casterly Rock, Lannisport, Clegane Keep and the ruins of Castamere drawn out in detail. She was in the corner of the room, a carafe of wine standing on a narrow table placed against the wall, next to the bottle of wine in question and another carafe of water as well as several cups to serve and water down the wine if necessary.
At the head of the table was Lord Tywin, looking every inch the Warden of the West in his richly decorated overcoat in a deep scarlet, with golden embroidery depicting his house sigil, the roaring lion, entwined with a leaf pattern. Underneath that was a white linnen shirt and dark breeches, tucked into black leather boots. He looked tired, although no one else would see that in his stony expression, one hand under his chin as he listened to his advisors and generals.
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It had been a year since she'd entered Lord Tywin's service as his cupbearer. And a long year at that. For someone who spent her life living in the woods, adjusting to life at Casterly Rock had been quite the challenge.
In that time she'd learned the ins and out of the castle's life. She had learned never to look the Lords and Ladies in the eyes, for more often than not this meant they'd either get angry at her at the supposed disrespect, or it'd raise questions about the colour of her eyes and her employment at Casterly Rock.
She had learned the way around the castle, with its long hallways and winding stairs and Maze-like construction, all in order to navigate it quietly and without being seen. She now knew the castle like the palm of her hand, it's secret passages and dark corners, the quiet gardens and hidden niches, the spacious halls and empty corridors, all the galleries and towers alike.
One of the first lessons she'd learned was that a good help was neither seen nor heard, and not putting that to practice often resulted in punishment in the form of tedious chores or an earful delivered by someone higher up the pecking order than herself.
Tywin nodded for his advisor to continue, sitting up straighter and reaching for his cup, which was empty. Holding it out behind him, Asriel was quick to step forward and take the cup from him silently. By now she'd learned to recognize the different wines that were kept in the cellar, and which ones Tywin preferred. She was also mindful, however, that this was his fourth cup already, so she took caution to water it down so it wouldn't be as strong. It wouldn't be right for Tywin to loose focus at this point during the meeting by drinking too much wine.
