The Rise Of A Dragon - Chapter 2: Lord Lannister

One Year Later  

Tywin glowered as he walked into his solar, he had been woken up in the middle of the night when a servant burst into the Tower of the Hand, claiming that he had an urgent raven to deliver from his wife, Joanna.

So, he sat in the chair of his desk and opened the letter, wanting to know what news was so urgent that his wife had sent word to him so quickly and read its contents in his head.

Dearest husband, I hope this letter reaches you as quickly as possible.

I have terrible news to deliver, it is about your father.

Lord Tytos Lannister is dead. His heart burst while trying to climb the stairs.

As of this morrow, you Tywin, are the new Lord of Casterly Rock.

I and the rest of our family await your swift return.

Your loving wife, Joanna Lannister

Tywin placed the parchment down on the table and stared out the nearby window.

My father is dead… I am now Warden of the West… Lord of Casterly Rock...

Any other man would shed a tear at the loss of their father, but Tywin did no such thing. Even as he thought about it, Tywin could not muster much emotion about his father.

Tywin had never truly respected his father, and much of the love he had for the man died when Tytos forced his only sister, Genna, to marry Emmon Frey, the second son of Lord Walder Frey just to appease the Lord of the Crossing.

Seeing his father make such an uneven match for his beloved sister, his disregard during the Reyne-Tarback Revolt, and the many women he slept snd disrespected the memory of his mother, Jeyne Marbrand with, ruined the man in his eyes.

Tytos Lannister was a pathetic joke of a man, a third son who only obtained the title of Warden due to his older and more capable brothers predeceasing their father, Gerold.

At least now with him gone, the West and House Lannister will be able the thrive now that it is completely under my direct leadership. Tywin thought.

Tywin swore that he would never allow the Lannisters of Casterly Rock to ever be made into a jape again, the opinions and actions of sheep would never again threaten them.

~X~

“Why can I not take my daughter with me to Casterly Rock?” Aerys demanded to know the reason his Grand Maester had disagreed with his idea.

Pycelle visibly gulped, sweat falling down his face as he wilted under the King's glare. “Prin-Princess Aerea is still very y-young, Your Grace. H-Her body may not be able to han-handle such an arduous journey.”

Aerys gritted his teeth and fumed, he had wanted to take Aerea with him as he and the royal court made the journey to Casterly Rock. They were to attend Lord Tytos Lannister’s funeral and then hold court there for the rest of the year while Tywin got used to his new role as a ruling Lord.

“Fine, I suppose you are right, the last thing we need is for Aerea to fall ill with a Westerman's disease.” Aerys lamented.

It now looked like Aerys would be travelling by himself; Rhaella had recently fallen pregnant again and no one wanted to risk the baby’s health with a long trip.

Aerys was more than happy to be apart from his wife for such a prolonged period of time, to not have to stare at her face, especially now that it was bloated and depressed from pregnancy.

And Rhaegar had just recently recovered from a terrible cough he had weeks earlier. The Grand Maester said he was healed but that his body would be temporarily weakened from the ordeal.

I will soon be entering the Lion's Den, the last thing I need is to be caught unaware. Aerys thought.

Aerys held his head high, he may have been going to another kingdom, but he was the King of the entire continent, he would not allow himself to not be the most important person in the room.

A few days later, Aerys stood in front of his family as he and the rest of the court prepared for their journey to Casterly Rock.

Rhaegar stood straight with his hands crossed behind his back, next to the young prince was his mother holding his sister in her arms. For him it would be the second time that his father would journey away from King’s Landing. The first being when Rhaegar was only a babe and Aerys fought in the Stepstones during the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

“I am trusting you to be responsible and keep up with your studies whilst I am gone, Rhaegar.” Aerys told his son.

“I will, father.” Rhaegar immediately answered.

“You are a prince of the realm, and must carry yourself as such, do not disappoint me.” Aerys added on.

Rhaegar stood straighter, “I will make you proud, father.”

Aerys nodded and turned his gaze to his sister-wife, “The babe should be born before I return. I have ordered the servants and Grand Maester to make you as comfortable as possible during this time and during your labors.”

Rhaella blinked, surprised by the kindness as Aerys never cared for her before when she was pregnant, only for the resulting child. “Thank you, husband.”

“Papa! Papa!” Aerea giggled, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

Aerys smiled, laying a kiss on her forehead. “I will see you soon, Aerea.”

Aerea whimpered at this, “Papa going? Rea comes too!”

“Aye, not yet. Not until you’re older.” Aerys replied.

Aerea whined and turned away from the man, burying her head in Rhaella's neck.

With that Aerys turned away, knowing that if he did not, he would ignore the advice of the Grand Maester and take his children with him.

Aerys soon mounted his horse and rode away, three of the Kingsguard following in suit. This in turn led to the rest of the party quickly taking off, trying to keep pace with the King.

~X~

One Moon Later

Joanna Lannister, the new Lady of the Rock stood gracefully in front of the castle at the head of the Lannister party, the large group walked out in the yard once they received word that the royal party was nearby.

Joanna was a vision as she stood in a form fitting red dress, her long golden hair was left to run down her back, the light from the sun made her appear ethereal, like a beacon drawing everything around her to her side.

A sense of trepidation touched Joanna’s heart, cold and fleeting, but she brushed it aside as quickly as it came, even if the reason for that brief feeling of trepidation was a king, the arrival of Aerys Targaryen stirring a strange mixture of feelings for the Lady of Casterly Rock. She knew him before he was a King, when he was a prince during their time in King's Landing, where she had found him charming and handsome.

She would be lying if she said she never entertained the notion of Aerys as a husband. What woman would not want the title of Queen? It was one of the few roles where a woman held some semblance of power, but despite Aerys' protests about his betrothed, and his desire for Joanna, he followed through with his parents' wishes and married Rhaella, and when they said their vows, Joanna crushed any further interest in him.

She refused sully herself as a mistress, as some woman who he kept her around in the Red Keep till he grew bored with her and to lose her value as just a means to entertain Aerys until he moved on to the next woman.

Besides, it was not Aerys, King of the Seven Kingdoms who captured her heart, but Tywin Lannister, her golden lion and new Lord of Casterly Rock. Tywin, cunning and ambitious, was a far better match for her, the two were of the same mind, cut from the same cloth.

The sounds of hundreds of hooves and the rustling of carriages pulled Joanna out of her thoughts, and the woman watched as her husband and the King riding by side followed by a large congregation of knights and various other members of the court.

The second Aerys dismounted his horse and walked towards them, Joanna, her relatives, and the other houses of the West bowed.

“Casterly Rock is yours, Your Grace.” Joanna said softly.

Aerys waved this off with a large smile, not bothering to hide the way his eyes trailed down the woman’s form. “There is no need to refer to me so formally, Joanna. We are more than King and Lady; we are old friends.”

“You humble me, with your kindness.” Joanna replied.

Tywin soon caught up with Aerys, standing in front of his wife. “Joanna.”

“Husband.” Joanna said playfully, her eyes shining with a mischievous light.

“So where are they? The twins?” Aerys asked, ending the looks the married couple were giving each other.

“They are here, Your Grace.” Joanna said, waving her hand at her children’s wet nurse, the woman walked forward, showing the two infants she was holding in her arms.

The infants both had tuffs of golden hair on top of their heads, striking emerald green eyes, and fair skin. One was dressed in red while the other in golden, but even then, it was almost impossible for the men to tell them apart.

Tywin then moved and took the twin in gold into his arms, “Is this our son?”

Joanna laughed, “Our daughter. It is fine, I have had a challenging time telling them apart myself nowadays. I have taken to having Jaime dressed in red and Cersei in gold.”

“They grow more beautiful each time that I see them.” Tywin said, staring at Cersei, who looked at him before reaching her hand up and trying to touch his hair.

Tywin having flashbacks to holding Aerea, quickly stretched his arms out, Cersei let out a small whine at being rejected by soon quieted.

“I assume you have gotten my gift, Joanna?” Aerys asked, a weak smile graced his face as he looked at the happy family in front of him.

“Their weight in gold is more than we could ask for, it was a most generous gift.” Joanna thanked.

“It was nothing.” Aerys remarked, puffing out his chest in pride, “Now, I would love a tour of the famous Rock. You would do me the honor of escorting me, my lady?”

Joanna looked at Tywin briefly, seeing the annoyed expression at Aerys’ attempt to be alone with her. Tywin then turned to his wife and they both had a silent conversation with their eyes, “I would love to show you around the castle.”

Joanna then took Aerys’ arm and the two entered the castle, the Kingsguard immediately followed the pair along with three Lannister Knights.

Tywin took a deep breath and handed his daughter back to the wet nurse, the woman bowing to him before returning inside. The Hand then turned his gaze to his siblings, the four were already lined up and waiting for him.

“It is good to see you again, brother.” Kevan was the first to respond, the rest of their siblings following suit with their own greetings. Genna’s was full of warmth, Tygett was colder and slightly angered, and Gerion's was nervous.

“Let us go to the solar, we have things we need to discuss.” Tywin said, walking past his brothers and sister and into the castle, his younger siblings immediately followed him, keeping pace with their brother.

“So, how did he die?” Tywin asked once Tygett closed the solar doors, and he took his seat at his new desk.

“Did Joanna not mention it in her letter?” Kevan replied, confused because he was sure that Joanna would have told Tywin how their father had died.

“She said that he died climbing up the stairs, his heart had burst. I wanted to be sure if that was all it was.” Tywin explained.

“He was on his way to see his whore. You know large father had become over the years; his body could no longer handle the strain.” Genna said plainly.

“Genna!” Tygett yelled, outraged by the way she spoke of their father. He may not have been the most capable Lord, but he was their father, the man who raised them, who loved them.

Genna was unapologetic, “It's the truth, Tygett. Why sugarcoat it?”

“What happened to the woman?” Tywin asked, not caring for how Genna or Tygett felt about their father.

A sneer formed on Tygett’s face, “Once the maester proclaimed father dead, she tried to run off with the jewels she stole from mother. Joanna had the guards apprehend her, then she had the nerve to demand we release her and bring up being father’s lover as a defense.”

The room fell into silence for a few moments, Tywin stared blankly at his siblings before speaking again. “Is she still in our custody?”

“I had her sent to the dungeons. I figured we should wait until you arrived, so you could decide what would be done with her.” Kevan said.

“Good, I will not allow a whore to think she is above us, that she can she steal from us and suffer no consequences.” Tywin remarked, standing from his chair, and making his way to the door.

“What is going to happen to her?” Gerion asked, stopping Tywin in his tracks.

Tywin’s head turned slightly, and he stared at Gerion from the corner of his eye. Kevin, Genna, and Tygett each froze at this, wondering what their older brother would say.

“Do not concern yourself with adult matters, Gerion.” That was all Tywin said and he turned to leave again.

Gerion was about to speak again, annoyed that he was being treated like a child, but was stopped when Genna placed her hand on his shoulder. Genna wordless told her brother to hold his tongue with just a look, knowing that what Tywin hated most was to be spoken back to.

Gerion turned his glare to the floor, he thought things were bad when Tywin left for the capital, but the young boy was starting to realize that with Tytos gone, there would be no one to keep Tywin in check.

While he did not like the woman Tytos had chosen as his second mistress, he loved the first, his former wet nurse. Gerion loved his wet nurse, to him she was the mother he never had, the one who was able to hold the place of Jeyne Marbrand, the mother who died a moon after his birth.

Gerion remembered how Tytos eventually grew bored of the woman and had her sent away before deciding to spend time in the whorehouses of Lannisport. He can also remember what Tywin did to her once she no longer had their father’s love and protection.

While he felt no love lost for the thief currently in their dungeons, Gerion still felt bad for the terrible fate Tywin was bound to bestow upon her.

~X~

Aerys could not stop the laughter that left his mouth as he watched the scene in front of him.

A few days after they arrived at Casterly Rock, Tywin had summoned the court and had them watched as Tytos Lannister’s mistress was dragged out in into the streets of Lannisport in chains.

Tywin then ordered the woman to strip herself of all her clothes, the woman fell to her knees and began to weep and beg for Tywin’s mercy. Of course, the Hand had none and soon ordered his guards to forcibly strip her.

The woman was desperate in her futile attempt to keep her garments and after a few minutes, she desperately tried to cover her breasts and sex with her hands.

Tywin’s blank expression remained unchanged as he then had her walk through the streets naked, ordering her confess to every man she meets that she was a thief and a harlot and that she must endeavor in this punishment every day for the next fortnight or be killed by the knights ordered to watch her.

Now, half of the first day of her punishment had passed and the woman was currently standing in front of a group of men.

She had told them she was a thief and a harlot as ordered and the men laughed, the leader of the group then grabbed her breast and begun to grope them, the other men following suit.

The mistress begged them to stop and when her pleas were ignored, she turned to the knights only a few paces behind her. Aerys laughed harder when he saw the hope in her eyes die when it became clear that the knights would not come to her rescue, neither man moving an inch.

The pair had only intervened when it became clear that the group wanted to do more than just grope her, unsheathing their blades and steeping forward, causing the men to back away, the group walking into a nearby bar, still laughing at the woman.

The knights then dragged her further down the road, looking for the next person that she would need to repent to.

Aerys was a little upset that he did not get to see the woman being raped by the group, wanting to see if it were possible for her spirit to be broken even further, but moved on, knowing that the worst had yet to come.

“HAHA! Now, I’m reminded of why I made you my Hand, Tywin.” Aerys exclaimed when he saw Tywin approaching from the corner of his eye.

“I am only doing what must be done, that whore is criminal and must be punished for the sinful crimes she committed against my house.” Tywin retorted.

“That is what I mean; that ruthlessness within you, that desire to make an example out of all who dare cross you! It's what any great King needs in their hand.” Aerys said, his voice taking on a higher tone as he continued to watch the ill begotten woman.

Tywin did not reply, he already knew that this characteristic about himself was one of the main reasons Aerys asked him to be his Hand. After news had traveled about how he stomped out the Reynes and Tarbacks, Tywin was sent a raven by Aerys the next year immediately after Jaehaerys’ death, ordering him to come to King’s Landing to take his place at his side.

Tywin was more than aware that most were terrified and disgusted by his apparent cruelty, except for his siblings and wife who saw it a necessity for a strong ruler to have and Aerys who delighted in the lengths that his friend could go, satisfying the King’s perverse enjoyment in the suffering of others.

Although Tywin could not deny that watching his father’s whore get what was coming to her after believing that a candlemaker's daughter could rise above her obscurity and act as if she were the ruler of Casterly Rock in Tytos’ absence, was not an immense pleasure, he was not like Aerys who enjoyed watching everyone around him suffer, physically and emotionally, but Tywin did love showing his enemies what happens when they anger a lion.

Years ago, it would not have bothered him to share similarities with the King, but now after a few years of ruling by his side and having their friendship weaken as a result, Tywin could not help the disgust that curled in his gut.

I am not Aerys; I am a strong leader and man with no need to have someone hold my hand through everything. I will never be like him...

~X~

Late 267 AC

Aerys raged, destroying everything he could in his rooms, having spent the last few hours cursing everything and everyone he could.

Earlier he had received a raven from Grand Maester Pycelle, in the letter the man revealed that Rhaella had given birth to a stillborn daughter that she had named Shaena. And so, Aerys immediately dropped the letter and began to tear apart his room in Casterly Rock.

Finally, Aerys grew tired and fell to his knees, the King could feel tears stinging his eyes as he held himself back from crying.

Why? Why is this happening to me? Why is it my children that keep dying? It's not fair! Aerys thought to himself.

He was supposed to have a boundless number of heirs and spares, to ensure that House Targaryen continued to survive. With just himself, Rhaella, Rhaegar, and Aerea, their family was in danger of extinction, at risk of being eaten alive by the other houses waiting for their downfall.

Now all he could hear was sounds of his parents, he could feel Jaehaerys and Shaera judging him for his failure, for putting the prophecy of the prince who was promised in jeopardy, of their family’s second rise.

It angered him that this responsibility was placed on his shoulders, that his happiness and desires were sacrificed by his parents on the altar of dreams and prophecies. But he did so righteously so why were the Gods forsaking him?!

It is fine, I have already lived through the deaths of other children, I can handle this one. Rhaella still has many child barring years left, more children will come, and they will live. I will ensure that they do, no more leaving while Rhaella is pregnant, I must ensure that my dream comes true!

Aerys thought back to the dream he had two years ago, shortly after Aerea's birth.

He had gone to bed still raging over Aerea's condition, he originally did not know he was dreaming as he had found himself sitting on the Iron Throne, but the hall was empty until suddenly a woman started approaching him.

She was tall, standing with just a hair shorter than himself, her long dark silver hair fell over her shoulders in a tight and intricate braid. She wore black chainmail armor with a red cloak covering her shoulders.

She was also young, she looked to be younger than twenty summers, a young woman who had just come of age.

On the waist of her belt, held a sheathed hand and a half long sword, the top of its pummel had a red ruby, and its hilt was craved into the heads of two dragons.

But what drew Aerys in the most was the woman's eyes; they were not the usual purple, but a shade that appeared as blue as the sky in certain lights.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the young woman finally reached the base of throne.

“Father…” She said, her voice strong as her eyes stared into his soul.

It was then that a loud and terrible roar ripped through the throne room causing Aerys jumped, but the woman did not move a muscle as if she did not hear the sound. Aerys thought that this roar must have been the roar of a dragon. It was nothing like the way Jaehaerys used to describe it when he told him stories of dragons as a child.

It was then that Aerys awoke from his dream, sweating and panting as he took in what he had just experienced. Aerys did not waste a moment, quickly running to the nursery and taking the newborn into his arms and naming her. His opinion on his daughter changing after his dream and when it became clear to him as she grew, and her appearance solidified that Aerea had to be the young woman he saw.

Aerea had something to do with dragons, and in his heart, Aerys hoped it would be about their return and as her father, it was up to Aerys to lead Aerea on this path. Aerys foresaw himself bringing dragons back to the earth, with Aerea leading the charge.

House Targaryen would rise to prominence once again, no longer being beholden to the whims of the Westerosi. The house of the dragon would never again bow down to lesser men.

And Aerys Targaryen II would do everything in his power to ensure his dream and his family’s prophecies came to pass.