Chapter 16

  TYRION LANNISTER

  Tyrion was a Lannister. As much as his father may try to deny it, he was his son. Lannister blood coursed through his veins, and much like his ancestors, Tyrion believed that the Gods would give him nothing. They had cursed him with a misshapen face and body, and the only thing he would ever have would have to be cwed by him by himself.

  In many ways, that was the Lannister way. Their ancestor, Lann the Clever himself, had won them Casterly Rock from the Noble House of Casterly through his wits only, and Tyrion also had only his wits to rely on.

  Contrary to what others may think, he was not truly a guest in the city and had been a regur visitor to the capital over the st half decade, because of various reasons. He knew well the games and the plots being hatched, though until now he had never had the motivation or the opportunity to concern himself with them.

  But now, with a seat on the Council, things were different.

  Still, Tyrion had seldom been so filled with rage as he was currently as he walked towards his chambers after receiving an early message from his new Mistress. Shae’s body was like a drug, and he could not get quite enough of it, but as Master of Coin, he had his duties as well.

  So, he had divided up the days, so he would go to her every other day, and so he was rather surprised to find her in his chambers early in the morning, and the news she had brought had soured the mood that had otherwise been elevated at her sight.

  Unlike the rest of his siblings, Tyrion was not blind to the faults of Cersei’s eldest child. He had heard the rumors, but more than that, he had heard the truth out of his twin’s mouth.

  Steffon, for all his faults, was rather truthful and had never shied away from speaking the truth about his brother. And once Tyrion had begun looking for it himself, he saw the facade and the lies for himself, and it began to worry him.

  Joffrey may be Steffon’s twin, but the boy was a cruel and petunt child with absolute disregard for politics and consequences. He did not ever bother to contempte the consequences of his actions, and his cruelty reminded him of the tales of the Mad King himself.

  Aerys Targaryen had not always been the Mad King, but there had been signs. Signs that everyone had ignored until, he had burned the entire realm for it and destroyed a legacy of some three hundred years.

  Tyrion feared that Joffrey might just do the same, and it was one reason why he had made the suggestion to Steffon to take the throne for himself. He had called it treason, but the idea was not entirely unreasonable.

  Steffon was far more suited to the throne than his brother and would make a fine King. The two of them were twins, and while Joffrey may have been born a few minutes earlier, they did not have to make the entire realm suffer for those minutes.

  Though his nephew was dead set on making them all suffer for it, and as he entered his chambers, he found him there already, dutiful and early.

  “A letter arrived from the King,” Steffon began, as he showed him an unfurled missive.

  “He left Winterfell some ten days ago, and will soon be back,” and that would be good for the realm and himself.

  “We need to talk,” Tyrion cut in, and it would be much better for him to hear those words from him rather than someone else.

  Steffon must have realised that something was wrong, for his expression shifted as Tyrion came and walked up the steps that had been gifted to him by his nephew to help him sit on a chair more easily.

  “What happened?” Steffon asked as he sat down opposite him.

  “Shae came to see me early in the morning,” Steffon scoffed and shook his head.

  “I don’t need to hear about your escapades with your mistress,” he retorted quickly, and Tyrion smirked.

  “You wouldn’t be able to handle them anyway. Still, she came bearing some troubling news,” and now he had his interest.

  “What news?” and he was still quite uninterested.

  “The girl. The one you slept with,” and he believed it to be a feather in his cap that he had helped his nephew get id, yet he had never imagined that such a simple thing could lead to something like this.

  “What about her?”

  “She is dead,” and now Steffon’s head snapped towards him.

  “What?” and usually the death of a whore would never matter to him at all, yet her death was not so simple.

  “How?” Steffon questioned, and Steffon knew as well that Tyrion would not bring this up if there was not more to it.

  “They found her body in the Bckwater Bay yesterday. She had been cut up into pieces, and her mouth had been sewn shut,” and there were some other details that he had left unsaid, but the message was clear.

  “This was a message,” Steffon understood, and indeed it was.

  “Was it Littlefinger?” he asked, and Tyrion could only hope that it was so simple.

  “No. It was someone far closer to you,” and he knew that he would learn of it sooner or ter.

  “It was Joffrey,” and Steffon stilled for a second, as he reeled from the shock of his words.

  “Joffrey did this,” and he nodded.

  “The whores. They recognised the men that came to take her away, and most of them are loyal to your brother,” and while the crime itself was heinous enough, what enraged him more was the message behind it.

  “That fucking prick!” Steffon cursed, and just as his eyes gnced at the door, Tyrion cut in.

  “Sit down!” Tyrion had never really raised his voice at him, but this time he was left with no other choice.

  “He has to pay for this,” and Steffon was clearly furious. Tyrion would be as well, and the incident had lit a different sort of rage in him, as he was reminded of another girl, and another tragedy.

  “And he will, but going out there and beating him will solve nothing,” Tyrion answered, even though he was going to get his revenge.

  “Removing him as heir would,” Tyrion suggested, as Steffon stilled and met his gaze.

  “You are being serious?” he asked. He had noticed that back then, he had not taken his suggestion seriously, even though Tyrion was sincere, yet now he was even more firm and resolute in his decision.

  “Of course,” and it was a decision that he had made after years and years of observation.

  And Steffon did not answer immediately as his nostrils fred with rage.

  “But why would you even support such a thing? We are both your nephews,” and yet they were not equal.

  “Because, unlike most people in this city, I have picked up a book or two. I have heard tales about the Mad King and how he came to gain such a title. Joffrey is no different,” and this incident had all but confirmed his fears.

  “He is so vindictive when he holds no title except for the one of the Prince, and now I just wonder what he will do once he wears the Crown on his head?” and Steffon had long feared such a day.

  “Do you think you will be safe from him?” and he had already taken an ear from his brother, and go a little lower, and you kill your kin. Though that would not matter to that vicious boy.

  “It would be treason,” Steffon countered, and he had read on that as well.

  “Not really,” he pointed out.

  “You two are twins, and despite the common belief, Robert has never really specified the succession. We just need to remind him of this fact and make a compelling case that you are the more suitable option,” and even then, the succession could be altered by a King, and in the past, many a King had changed the line of succession for one reason or another.

  Even Aerys’s ascension was a result of such alterations.

  “If we are to do this, we must start acting now. We must consolidate power and gather allies,” and Steffon still did not seem convinced, as he continued to look at him.

  “Why?” he asked after some seconds of violence.

  “What, why?” Tyrion asked.

  “Why do you push me towards this path?” and Tyrion had a dozen answers for him, but the one came to mind at once,

  “Because you want the throne,” Tyrion answered, and he had spent some four years with the boy and had seen him grow up into a man from a boy. He had seen him toil and work hard. He had seen him practise and work where others would have long given up.

  He had seen him excel, and one did not push themselves so hard unless they sought greatness. Steffon Baratheon desired greatness.

  He may cim to desire a simple life, and yet he had been the first to see through the facade of his twin and knew very well what his ascension would mean for the throne. His words had been what had prompted Tyrion to take a closer look at his nephew and see the monster that y underneath that facade of pomp and smiles.

  “You may not utter it, but your actions say otherwise. You want that throne. You know that you are more suited to it than your brother, and yet no one has ever cared to see beyond the quiet, brilliant boy bound to his duty,” and Tyrion sympathised with him.

  “Joffrey could be controlled,” he countered, and Tyrion shrugged.

  “Only for a time. But even then, the biggest question is what will become of you when he does ascend the throne,” and the animosity between the twins was an open secret at this point, and this test action from Joffrey had just proven just how he was willing to go.

  “Are you selfless enough to sacrifice your life to your duty, Steffon Baratheon? I think not,” and Steffon did not look away, as he continued to stare into his mismatched eyes.

  “And I am to believe that this has nothing to do with the fact that Lord Tywin wishes to repce you with me as his heir,” and so the cat was out of the bag.

  Tyrion would be lying if he said that this was not a factor at all.

  “Two things can be true at once,” Tyrion refused to lie to him, for if they were to do this, then they had to be honest with one another.

  “But you didn’t answer my question,” Tyrion pointed out, and Steffon took a deep breath as he scoffed.

  “Of course I want the throne. And I don’t even want it for myself, but because I know exactly what will happen if my brother ascends to it,” and so did he.

  “War. Death. Joffrey is a fucking cunt who would have us at war within a year because of his stupid decisions,” and so the truth was out.

  “Initially, I had thought that I could control him through intimidation and fear,” and Tyrion did not know that.

  “Simir to what grandfather did for Aerys the Mad, but I forgot the fact that, unlike me and Joffrey, Aerys and lord Tywin were friends for decades before he became his hand, and in the initial years of his rule, Aerys put great trust in him,” and one could not have him and Joffrey in the same room for an hour.

  “Still, deposing him is easier said than done,” and few things were.

  “Well, you have already done the hard part,” Tyrion pointed out as he poured himself some wine.

  “What?”

  “You have an ally on the King’s Council,” and unlike before, they were not looking for an armed insurrection.

  No, what they desired was something different.

  “We don’t need to fight a war. We just need to be prepared for one while we make a case that you would be far more suited to be Robert’s heir,” and Steffon nodded.

  “It is treason nonetheless,” Steffon countered.

  “Your father won the throne because of treason, and yet none would dare call him a traitor,” and it was treason only if you lost.

  “What do we do then?” Steffon questioned after some seconds of silence.

  “We build an army....”

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