Chapter 15: The woes of a Lannister

Tyrion didn't take his eyes away from the city of Mereen even as his ship steadily began to set some distance between him and the city.

"Is that regret I see on your face my friend?" asked Varys as he joined Tyrion at the aft observing the city in the distance.

"I will miss the pyramids." said Tyrion

"I thought we would be speaking honestly my friend." said Varys with a pointed look.

"Nothing gets past you does it?" Tyrion shook his head and let out a snort. "All my life I never thought I would amount to anything of worth in this world. Now, I served as Hand in King's Landing to a worthless King but I managed to defend the city against Stannis Baratheon. I travelled all across Essos and became an advisor to Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. I took control of the city and with some help managed to chart a new future for Mereen. I am the architect that designed the ruling structure of this city. I never thought I could accomplish all these things. It is almost surreal and now I am sailing away from the city that I helped develop. It gives me a strange feeling and a little disappointing at the same time."

"I am told that the new Chancellor has decided to build a statue of the Queen and yourself to honour you both. You should be proud of yourself my friend. I have told you this before and I will repeat it again." said Varys, appraising Tyrion with a strange look. "You have an uncanny ability to play the Game. You enjoy the Game and the power that it affords you but at the same time, you are compassionate when it is required. That is why out of all the progeny of great houses in Westeros I respect you the most. Someone like you is born only once in a generation."

Tyrion was more grateful to receive that compliment from the eunuch. It has been a long time since anyone truly complimented him like that. Come to think of it only his uncle Gerion had truly recognized his talents and nurtured them at the Rock.

"If you wanted to you could stay here in Mereen. I am sure the new Chancellor will be more than happy to name the man that counselled the 'Eternal Queen of Mereen'." suggested Varys, but Tyrion merely shook his head. He had made his choice to sail for Westeros else he would not have stepped into the ship.

"The Eternal Queen of Mereen." he quoted with a laugh. "Our dear Chancellor Cervon Varaxes Nas have a fetish for titles. At least, the man is politically astute to use the Queen's name and solidify his position to ride the goodwill that it generates in the city for the time being." Tyrion mused out loud as he thought of the new Chancellor's angle.

It was a brilliant move to declare Daenerys as the only Queen of Mereen thereby making himself as the obvious successor. Tyrion was sure that decision was partly influenced by the need to keep the other cities in line. With Mereen continuing to hail Daenerys as its queen the other Slave Cities will be afraid to start any hostilities. He likes the man well enough as he was going to be immortalised with a statue of his own inside the Great Pyramid. The Chancellor had also promised to build a statue of Drogon over the city wall and a statue of Daenerys above the Great Pyramid. Those were ambitious projects but he suspected Mereen can pull it off. If they can make huge pyramids then statues should be easy enough for them.

"I will surely miss Mereen but I do miss King's Landing as well. I don't know why but even if that city is a pile of stinking piss and shit I still miss it. It is after all the centre of power of a whole continent. Compared to that Mereen is merely a speck of stone." Tyrion admitted to Varys and himself at that moment. He followed power and there is nothing more powerful than the capital of Westeros. The fate of an entire continent hangs upon that city and that is power unlike anything else.

"Ah, yes. Power, the sweetest but most addictive of beverages the gods gifted us. Have one taste of it and the everlasting hunger for more begins."

Tyrion let out a snort in amusement. "Never took you for a poet but you have the gist of it." Tyrion admitted before looking at his bald companion more closely. "You want to discuss something."

"You are correct." admitted Varys, not at all surprised Tyrion managed to glean that out. By now the two of them were familiar enough to read each other.

"Let me guess. Daeron Targaryen?" Tyrion guessed.

"Indeed." Varys nodded with concern dripping in his posture.

"You came ill-prepared, my friend. I need wine for such a discussion."

"You insult my intelligence, my lord." Varys pouted before clapping his hands two times and a few servants carried an entire barrel of wine towards them. Tyrion whistled while happily waddling over to the barrel and promptly kissed it as if greeting a lover.

"Oh sweet wine how I have missed you and now you are here." said Tyrion quite happy and eagerly accepted the offered pitcher full of wine from a servant. The servant procured two goblets and Tyrion filled it to the brim with wine. One he handed to Varys while the other he drained it in one go before filling it up again.

"Now, what is it that you want to discuss?" asked Tyrion quite happy with the feeling of sweet wine trickling down his throat.

"As you may have already deduced I knew about Daeron Targaryen, not the name but I knew who he was. I couldn't get my little birds into that tower where Prince Rhaegar kept Lyanna Stark but I knew about the prince." Varys admitted.

"I suspected that much. You would be a poor Master of Whispers if you didn't and I know you are anything but that. So here we are." Tyrion raised his cup in a toast.

"I kept quiet so as to avoid a civil war and Robert would have marched his armies North to put the last living son of Rhaegar to death. There is also the difficult task of proving the prince's legitimacy. The Targaryen loyalists would have only just sat back and watched and I really doubted Ned Stark would raise his nephew's claim against Robert."

"If Robert was to declare war he would have failed spectacularly like all Andal kings at the Neck did in ages past and the Seven Kingdoms would have fallen into anarchy. You did the right thing but I am curious why you didn't subtly approach the Prince?" Tyrion prodded.

"Oh, I planned to but the Prince didn't know the truth of his heritage and then he chose the Wall." The last part was said with a derisive snort by Varys.

"You don't approve of his choice." Tyrion frowned at Varys before once again taking a mouthful of wine.

"What good does it do when good men waste away their lives at the edge of the world doing nothing? I had planned to coerce the prince to seek out his family in Essos if the boy had just waited a little longer." said Varys as he took a small sip from his cup.

"You lost your interest when he chose the Wall." Tyrion observed.

"Yes indeed and now everything rests on Daeron Targaryen the unknown player in the Great Game. I don't like it when unknown pieces become the centrepiece of the Game. They tend to bring great changes for ill or for good and we may never know until it is too late."

"I know Jon Snow or Daeron Targaryen I suppose. He is of a good sort and I am an excellent judge of character."

"Ah, my friend you knew him when he was at his best as Jon Snow. How many years has it been since you knew Jon Snow?" asked Varys with a grave tone which made Tyrion pause.

"Many years." Tyrion admitted slowly as he placed his cup on the barrel and gave his full attention to Varys.

"Yes, it has been many years and in those long years do you think the boy you knew is the same right now? Especially after his experiences at the Wall and the way in which his family has been slaughtered thanks to the Lannisters, Freys and Boltons. There is also Sansa Stark who have undoubtedly explained all that happened to her in the capital and then there is that nasty business involving your brother and Brandon Stark."

The last bit surprised Tyrion a lot.

"Oh don't look at me like that my friend. I do have eyes and ears in Winterfell and your brother and sister are so easy to be spied on especially in their misadventures." said Varys, tittering thinking about the misadventures of the Lannister twins.

"What are you implying?" asked Tyrion.

"You may want to prepare for the worst. In my experience, the Targaryens love fiercely but when they hate—it is terrible to behold my lord. The Queen is slowly climbing out of that phase thanks to the steady influence of Ser Barristan and your own sound counsel but Daeron Targaryen had none of these."

"You are saying that Prince Daeron would go after Jaime and Cersei." Tyrion stared at Varys with a troubled expression.

"I can't predict the future my lord but that seems most likely especially with Sansa Stark by his side. At least your good behaviour with Sansa may have saved your life."

"Daeron was raised by Ned Stark and I am sure he will be as honourable as his uncle." said Tyrion trying to assuage his own fears even though it felt hollow to his own ears. Jaime was the only one except for his uncle Gerion that loved him and he couldn't bear to see his brother hurt.

"Theon Greyjoy was also raised by Ned Stark. Look how well that turned out. Besides, I thought you had a falling out with your brother on that nasty business in Westerlands a few years back."

That caught Tyrion's interest and he knew Varys was just leading him on for a reason but he didn't care.

"What nasty business?" asked Tyrion moving closer to Varys as he had an uneasy feeling.

"Oh! Your brother didn't tell you? I thought that was the reason you killed your father as you were quite vocal about that incident when you were deep in your cups. In our journey from King's Landing, you mentioned that incident quite a few times."

"What incident?" Tyrion snarled

"Forgive me. I just assumed you were aware…"

"What incident?" Tyrion slammed his hand on the barrel in anger which shocked Varys.

"I need to know." Tyrion growled as he had a nasty feeling of what incident Varys was referring to.

"Your first wife Tysha was no whore my friend. Your brother lied under the orders of Lord Tywin." said Varys which made Tyrion reel back as if he got slapped on his face.

"Then she was…" Tyrion trailed off afraid to finish the thought.

"She was true in her affections towards you my friend. She loved you for what you are on the inside and not the outside. She was your one true wife." said Varys and he looked sadly at Tyrion in equal parts pity and for revealing this to him in the first place.

"I…how…where is she? Why would Jaime...? Why would he do this to me? To her? She did nothing to him or any of them. Why?" asked Tyrion in a broken voice with his eyes shining with tears at the guilt and horror coursing through his veins.

A shadow passed over Varys' face.

"You know why my lord. The lords of Westeros do not see the Smallfolk as people but as cattle. Why would they feel pity or kindness to cattle? The strong rule the weak and the lords of Westeros are among the strong. What other reasons should someone like Tywin Lannister or your brother for that matter need?" asked Varys rhetorically to a shattered Tyrion.

"I…I…" for once Tyrion's famed mind couldn't come up with an answer. His mind was completely blank and didn't know what to say or do.

Heedless of Tyrion's woes Varys continued with his explanation.

"My little birds reached out to her and offered to relocate her far away from Westerlands. I thought I could create a terrible enemy within House Lannister by using her and let's be honest she deserved a better place after what she suffered under Lord Tywin. Sadly, she turned me down but I kept my eyes on her. Lord Tywin arranged for her to be shipped off to Lys and she was picked up by a slave ship from Lannisport. I thought I could buy her freedom once she landed in Lys but when the ship made port she was nowhere to be seen. The poor woman had thrown herself out of the ship during the journey and according to the captain of the ship, she was pregnant. I do not know whether the child was yours or one of the other men that raped her that day."

For a long time, neither of them said anything and only the sound of the waves and the crew were prevalent in the open.

"You didn't fail lord Varys." said Tyrion all of a sudden staring off into the distance.

"Pardon me, my lord." Varys looked curiously at Tyrion.

"You didn't fail in your task lord Varys. You have succeeded in creating the most terrible enemy house Lannister would ever have. I will smash the legacy of Tywin Lannister to the ground. Brick by brick I will dismantle House Lannisters and watch in glee as his legacy burns to the ground in ashes never to rise again. So long as I breathe I will make this happen." said Tyrion with red puffy eyes tears streaming down his cheeks.

Varys watched with a stone face as Tyrion waddled away back to his cabin below deck.

"Bring me that barrel. I will have use of it and many more for the rest of my journey. I have many more sorrows to drown out."

Varys heard his friend say to the servants before his tiny frame disappeared below deck. Varys let out a sigh and turned back to stare into the ocean. It was a cruel thing to do but somewhat necessary. There was no more time for internal battles between allies. The battle lines must be clear and sides must be well defined. A quick war would be best for everyone involved. Tyrion will no longer have any reasons to hold back against his family in the coming conflict. He didn't even have to use any half-truths or lies to get the desired results. Sometimes truth alone can be a powerful weapon.

A small man Tyrion Lannister maybe but the shadow cast by that small man was more than enough to bolt out the sun of House Lannister.

'I win Tywin. I won and you lost. Now, I need to find another opponent in the Game. There was one in the Vale but as of late, no whispers have arrived of the Mockingbird. Where are you Lord Baelish? I am ready to play the Game.' thought Varys.

After casting one last look at the distant city he too decided to retire below deck.

****

Looking at the lion banners flapping in the wind Jaime thought this is where he belonged not at the Small council or Casterly Rock but here—in the field with men under his command. He was born for the battlefield and perhaps one day he would fall in one.

The last time he was in the Riverlands it didn't end well for him and the men that followed him. This time he intends to correct that mistake. Looking back to that time he reflects that he was very arrogant and full of shit but now he felt that he had settled.

'Father always said I was too arrogant and foolish for my own good. All it took to cure that was losing my sword arm.' Jaime thought looking sadly at his metal hand.

His cousin Daven Lannister the new Warden of the West galloped towards him on his horse.

"The scouts have returned Ser Jaime. The road to Harrenhall is clear. We are two days away from the castle. If we break camp now we can make it a little early." Dave reported.

"Give the order then cousin. We must strengthen Harrenhall as a fallback position just in case. The Brotherhood still lurks somewhere in these lands. With the Tullys and Blackwoods raising their banners in rebellion we can't take any chances."

"The Mountain's men hold it with prisoners of war."

"All the more reason for us to take command of the castle." Jaime commented, already dreading the state of Harrenhall.

He dismissed Daven and thought of the campaign that lay ahead. It was not going to be as easy as it looked like. The Blackfish was a dangerous enemy to have even with minimal support from other Riverlords. Lord Blackwood was also a dangerous opponent to face in the open field but Lord Bracken was keeping the lord of Raventree Hall engaged. Whatever obstacles that lay before him he vowed that he would break them all down and return to his King's side. Then, he could focus on destroying the Sparrow that has wound up his son and humiliated his Cersei. To that end, he would do anything—anything no matter how cruel or dishonourable it may seem. In the end, he was a Lannister just as his father always told him.