Lion's Game

CH 12

(Late 279 A.C Kings Landing)

Amara dreaded being back at court again, but alas they had little choice in the matter. Her husband had been right, Aerys had been furious to learn they had left their island home not to present their son but rather to see her family.

He had written shortly before the birth of their second son that they would present themselves at court or suffer consequences. Neither Amara nor Rhaegar were eager to see what those consequences would be. It was fortunate then that Amara's recovery took only three months, though she prayed it would be longer. She was nervous to take her young boys to court for the first time, they had no idea how dangerous their grandfather was

"Everything will be alright, my father will control himself," Rhaegar muttered to his wife. Amara wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself. Her stomach filled with dread as they wait for King Aerys to summon them. She could put on a calm face all she wanted but the truth of the matter was all too real, King Aerys terrified her.

"For how long?" Was Amara's only response before the doors of the Great Hall open. Amara instinctively held her baby a little bit tighter causing the little boy to squeak. Before she was wed she had little to fear if she disappointed the king. But now she was responsible for the two little lives she had brought into the world.

"Finally! The prodigal son returns! See how long it takes him to bring his children to meet their grandsires!" The king's sickeningly gravel-like voice calls out to them. Rhaegar takes his wife's hand in his as they make their way towards the Iron Throne.

"Your Grace, may I present your grandsons, Rhaegal and Aerion Targaryen." King Aerys only return a small smile as Amara brought the boys closer. Queen Rhaella looked absolutely delighted, she stood from her chair at her husband's side and stepped down to take a closer look.

Amara gladly passes her infant son over to his grandmother who gazes at her grandson in awe. It was Rhaella she trusted with the boy's life, but as she gazed up to stare at her son's grandfather a feeling of dread washed over her.

"He's beautiful." Rhaella smiled brightly at Amara who nodded at the compliment. She and the queen had exchanged a great many letters with the queen while they had been away on Dragonstone. She had been so excited to learn that she had not one but two grandsons, although she had said she would pray for a granddaughter to spoil. Amara knew she would happily give her husband have a hundred sons if it meant she was granted a daughter.

"His eyes are rather...green for a Targaryen princeling. I thought my son would produce true Targaryens." Her blood ran cold as she realized his meaning. Her eyes widen as she held her breath to keep herself from speaking out of turn. How dare he imply she cuckold her husband?!

"I assure Your Grace he is as handsome a Targaryen and his father and grandsire." The sickeningly sweet words were easy lies for the king to swallow. His vanity appeased, Aerys motioned for his wife to return Aerion to Amara. The queen sent her good daughter a fleeting look of sympathy as she returned to her husband's side.

"Go, I will speak with you later."

"How dare he?! How dare he suggest I was unfaithful to you?!" Amara's blood was finally allowed to boil over as the door to their chambers shut.

"My father was out of line but I will deal with him." Rhaegar's calm nature only served to anger her further. Aerys may be the king but her husband had the opportunity to defend his wife and he did nothing.

"Deal with him?! Rhaegar he is mad!" Amara knew her voice was too loud but she didn't care. If her husband was so set on creating and summoning a Great Council he needed to do it sooner rather than later. If their chance was coming she prayed it was coming soon, she wanted the bastard dead.

He would not get away with such an insult to her family.

Rhaegar grabbed her wrist, anger or rather a fear burning in his eyes she had not yet seen in him before.

"Calm yourself, Amara, our time is coming. We need to have patience and be clever. Believe me, his insults anger me as well but I will not act until the time is right."

Amara wrenched her wrist from her husband's grasp. "Let us hope when the time comes you decide to act at all."

"I am surprised to see you still here at court father. One would think after the insult he laid upon your daughter this morning you would resign." Her father's study was usually closed off to her unless she was summoned but she decided against waiting. She stood in the doorway as she watched her father sort through his papers.

"One would also think you would have learned to wait." Amara held back an eye roll, she should have expected as much from her father. But at least she knew he wouldn't be pleased the king had called his daughter a whore.

"There are times to listen and there are times to act. What would you have me do?" For once she wasn't concerned with being the perfectly obedient daughter, she would defend her boys.

"Grin and bear it, like your predecessors before you. We have other business to attend to." Amara reluctantly nodded, she welcomed a distraction from the morning's events.

"What is it you wish to speak about?" She sat across from her father and smoothed out her skirts.

"Your sister, it would seem she's finally gotten herself with child." Amara had to admit she was surprised. It had been months since the sisters had spoken, but she didn't need to communicate with her in order to know what was happening. The rumors in the Seven Kingdoms fly very quickly, especially when one is royalty. Cersei had suffered at least one miscarriage since her marriage to Robert Baratheon. Both her old friend and her sister were virtually miserable in their marriage. Robert had given up a betrothal to Lyanna Stark the daughter of the Warden of the North to marry her sister as she had asked, she had felt guilty ever since.

"I would think this a good thing father, Cersei is finally living up to at least some of the potential you saw in her." Her father finally glanced up from his papers.

"She writes to me endlessly complaining about her husband's infidelity. I told her the same thing I am telling you." Amara quietly nodded her head. What was the point of her father telling her this? Did he wish for her to write to Cersei too?

"What is it you need me to do?" Tywin Lannister stared down at his eldest daughter for a brief moment before he spoke.

"I need you, your sister, and your brothers to prepare yourselves. The time will come when House Lannister will seize its golden opportunity. Love your husband and bear his children, it will be your boy on the Iron Throne one day. Our family will have its glory day, I have seen it." Her father had never been one to believe in prophecy, he would dismiss it as the dreams of fools and the words of idiots. But if something had the mighty Tywin Lannister of all people believing in a brighter future for his family, Amara had to have hope for the future.

After all, everyone could hear the roar of a Lannister.

WRITTEN: December 31, 2017

EDITED: August 3, 2021