Silver Stag

Surprise After Surprise

[King's Landing - Red Keep, Tywin's Chambers]

In the aftermath of the trial by combat, it later became known neither combatant had died.

The Mountain had been exposed to Manticore venom, believed to be from Oberyn's spear. He was on death's door, ready to go in the blink of an eye.

Whereas, the Dornish Prince was believed to have collapsed due to the intense pressure his opponent had applied to his skull. His body was allowing him to rest as it repaired itself.

None of this changed Tywin's mind. Both men had fallen in the combat circle, so Tyrion would be judged guilty. It was a sign from the Gods.

Now he stood arguing with his only daughter.

"Not another word. We've been over this, the matter's closed." He said.

"I'm opening it again."

"You are betrothed to Baelor Hightower. Still betrothed to Baelor Hightower and you will marry Baelor Hightower as soon as Tommen marries Margaery."

"I will not."

"Jaime cannot marry or inherit lands. Tyrion's sentence will be carried out tomorrow. You have, on several occasions, made great claims about your commitment to this family's futurr. Your role in that futur is more vital now than it ever was."

"I don't care. I will stay in King's Landing where I belong with my son, the king."

"When you were nine years old, I was called to the capital. I decided to take your brother with me and not you. You insisted that you would not be left at Casterly Rock under any circumstances and if you recall-"

"I'm not interested in hearing another one of your smug stories about the time you won. This isn't going to be one of those times."

"Do you think you'll be the first person dragged into a sept to be married against her will?"

"When you mqrched into the throne room to tell me we'd won  the Battle of the Blackwater, do you remember? I was sitting on the throne with Tommen, Aelinor nearby. I was about to give him essence of nightshade. Then I would have given it to Aelinor too. That's how far I was willing to go when I thought someone awful had come to take my children away. Someone awful is coming to take them away."

"No."

"Joffrey is dead. Aelinor is married to that sword-swallowing husband of hers. Myrcella's been sold like livestock. And now you want to ship me off to Oldtown and steal my boy, my last boy. Margaery will dig her claws in and you will dig your claws in and you will fight over him like beasts until you rip him apart. I will burn our house to the ground before I let that happen."

"And how will you do that?"

"I'll tell everyone the truth."

"And what truth would that be?"

Cersei stared at her father. "You don't know, do you? You nevr believed it. How is that possible?" She let out a sarcastic chuckle. "What am I saying? Of course it's possible. How can someone so consumed by the idea of his family have any conception of what his actual family was doing? We were right there in front of you and you didn't see us. One look in the past twenty years, one real look, and you would have known."

"Known what?"

"Everything they say is true. About Jaime and me."

"No, no, no, no, no."

"Your legacy is a lie."

"I don't believe you."

"Yes you do."