Clandestine. 》 Tyrion Lannister 《

Valediction

Galena stood on the very balcony her father and uncle stood on so many years ago, and her husband stood beside her as they admired their children from above.

"Father! Mother! Did you see me?" their daughter boasted. "I won! This is the first time I've beaten Benjen!"

"Bravo, Tilly!" Tyrion clapped. "I always knew you had it in you. You grow more and more like your mother every day!"

"Hmmph!" came a disgruntled huff from their son. "It's not fair! Sapphire tripped me! Her stupid direwolf got in my way!" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"If there's ever a time when you will actually need to fight, Gods forbid, you've got to keep an eye on everyone and everything around you, Benjen," Galena pointed out as gently as she could. "You wouldn't have found it very unfair if it was Onyx who tripped her, would you?"

Little Benjen bowed his head and mumbled, "No, ma'am."

"Ben," Tyrion chimed in. "Chin up. She is learning so much from you, and won because you are a wonderful teacher. And besides, I believe you won last week, didn't you? And many weeks prior. You can do it again. Now," he said, having seen enough of their weekly battle for dominance, "go tend to your pups. Dinner will be served shortly."

Benjen smiled up at them and nodded. "Yes, Father." He reached for his little sister's hand and led her inside. "l'll see you in a few minutes, Matilda. The direwolves will want some dinner as well."

The couple laughed as the door swung open only seconds after Benjen had shut it. Tilly was always one step behind her big brother, and this moment was no different. She ran as fast as she could in order to catch up to him, and even though he was often very good about it, they could both tell that it was becoming tiresome. Especially since in less than a year he would be ten years old, and he claimed he was almost an adult. He insisted he should have some privacy, but even when they agreed with their son, he hardly ever left his sister far behind. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Matilda was his best friend.

"She reminds me of the way I was with Jon when I was a kid," Galena snickered. "I was always bothering him. Poor Ben must be so irritated with her."

"Nonsense," Tyrion assured. "He adores her!"

"For now." She crossed her arms over her chest, just as her son had done moments ago, causing Tyrion to smirk. "There was one day where I pestered him relentlessly...for hours, and he finally had enough and screamed at me. I cried so hard. We didn't speak for two weeks after that."

Tyrion rubbed her forearm. "Lena, just because that happened to you doesn't mean it will happen to them."

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "I know. I just don't want to see her little heart broken. I don't want to see either of them in that state."

"Galena," he said as he took her hand, "they're kids. They get upset if someone takes their seat. Why are you going on?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "We no longer have war, so I guess I just need something to fret over."

Tyrion nodded knowingly. Benjen, their first born, was brought into a world raging with destruction, fire, and war. And while it was a fairly short one in the terms of wars, it did a number on his wife.

Despite the fact that she wanted to fight along side her cousin and his army, she refused to leave her newborn son's side. So much so, that she barely put him down. The only sleep she ever got was when Tyrion practically pried the little boy from her arms. She would protest, but when he would promise not to put him down, she would fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow. He, of course, would put the babe in his own bed when he was sure she was in a dead sleep, but was quick to hold him again when she started to stir.