Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Tywin Lannister was mad.
He was so mad.
And for good reason.
Jaimie, the apple of his eye…
Cersei, the daughter meant to bring the Lannister name to glory…
How could they?
More so, how dare they?
He expected something like that from Tyrion. After all, that damn dwarf wasn’t his Bane for nothing. And for good reason too, because the moment he looked away, that Imp dared to marry some commoner whore!
But no matter. That entire disaster had swiftly been dealt with before it could explode in his face and tarnish the Lannister name.
However, his relief was premature.
Had he known.
Had he known…
Had he known, he would have stood sentinel and made certain that his foolish daughter did her wifely duties. Properly. And not with her own brother too…
But now, he has three ‘pure’ Lannister grandchildren without a single drop of Dragon Blood in their veins. And that was a road paved to disaster. Because putting that Baratheon oaf on the throne? Instead of crowning someone competent? Like himself? It wasn’t accidental. It was very much intentional.
Because he had no choice really.
And yes, some fools spout garbage tales of how the ‘Quiet Wolf’ had near became King. But those were the thoughts of ignorant idiots.
Because a Wolf couldn’t unite Seven Kingdoms.
Neither could a Stag or Lion.
They just wouldn’t be accepted.
At least not without a drop of Dragon Blood in their veins.
Dragon Blood Robert Baratheon loathed.
Hated.
Envied.
And got from his very-much Targaryen grandmother.
A grandmother, the existence of which he chose to forget, grouping her with the so-called Dragonspawn.
But in the end, the only thing Robert Baratheon inherited from the Dragons was his madness. And his lustful escapades. To the point where the only King Robert would ever be compared to would be Aegon the Unworthy.
Tywin had already heard the whispers.
That even the Mad King was better…
And he may even agree. But only when no one could hear him. Because the Mad King? For all that he spited the Lannister name, for all that conducted ‘burnings’ that only triggered a rebellion when he started burning nobles, he died leaving a full Treasury. And now?
It sat empty.
And the Crown is in debt.
To the Lannisters.
To the Maesters.
And most importantly, to the Iron Bank. An Iron Bank, that would never ‘forgive and forget’ a debt.
And Tywin Lannister, for the first time in a very long time didn’t know what to do. Because he was happy when the Royal debt grew. It only meant that the Lannister influence on the Iron Throne would be immeasurable for the next generations. Perhaps even allowing for multiple Lannister Queens. He cared little that the next Royal to be in debt would be his own grandson. Especially when looking at Joffrey.
Especially knowing what he knew now.
But for that very reason, he couldn’t just arrange an ‘accident’ for the three bastards to save face. Because not only would the next contender for the Iron Throne, whether Stannnis or Renly would never allow his to rise to power once more, one due to his ‘principles’, in reality meaning a metaphorical stick up his arse and the other being a sword-swallower that would always favour the Tyrells for obvious reasons. Due to grievances between their families and the ‘questionable’ manner of Robert’s death, a Baratheon on the Throne would mean that not a single stag of the Crown’s debt would ever reach the Lannisters.
And that was something he, Tywin Lannister, could not stand for. Especially now, when the Lannister mines have run dry. He wasn’t his foolish oaf of a father for Seven’s sake. And although he quite literally ‘killed the messenger’ as well as all those made aware, until new deposits were found or the mines of Castamere were drained, their position was the most precarious than it had been in thousands of years.
So he has no choice but to pretend the accusations are false. Even if the entirety of Westeros knows otherwise.
There is also the matter of Joffrey’s upcoming marriage. Which isn’t going to happen. At least not to Sansa Stark. Because what benefits would the Wolven bitch bring to the Crown? Other than her pretty face, that is?
Absolutely none.
And most definitely not the loyalty of the Northern barbarians. Not after the execution of Eddard Stark, that is.
Resources?
From a barren wasteland?
Unlikely.
So Joffrey needs a proper wife. One well connected. One whose family would be able to help shut the mouths of most ill-speakers in Westeros as to not cast a shadow onto their daughter about a marriage to a bastard.
Margery Tyrell would have been ideal.
But unlike with the rebellion, her family have taken a side early in the game. Although the girl’s marriage to Renly Baratheon is most amusing. Did she have to share her husband with her own brother since her wedding night or has her marriage bed sat empty ever since?
However it was, the family life of the Baratheons holds little weight to him.
Then there is Daenerys Targaryen, the only daughter of the Mad King.
A marriage to her would definitely appease those who want Dragon Blood on the Throne. But the girl holds not a single stag to her name. There is little to no benefits from such a marriage. At least not beyond placing a thin veil of legitimacy over the whole bastard-on-the-throne matter. And marrying a Pauper Princess? Especially after she had lain with a Horse Lord?
He could very well imagine what Joffrey would have to say to that…
Regardless, he will send agents out to find the girl who disappeared after the death of her so-called husband. But he wouldn’t put much hope or value into those attempts.
Maybe he would even send Tyrion. His Bane. Because should that disgusting Imp perish somewhere in Essos during his fool’s errand?
He, Tywin Lannister, certainly wouldn’t shed a single tear.