Chambers of Visenya & Tywin, Tower of the Hand - Red Keep, King's Landing - Nightfall
At long last, Visenya and the others returned to King's Landing. They had their fun; they learnt interesting things and almost everyone knew...
What happens in Dome, Stays in Dorne
It was late evening when the ship dropped anchor by Blackwater Bay and the Royal family was allowed to disembark. As per usual, an escort of soldiers was waiting for them and then a proper reunion took place amongst some of the members.
Visenya had met with Tywin by the docks and then after supper, they moved to their chambers. The trip had been tiring for her and while the events of the Dance were still heavy in her mind, she found a smile forming on her lips by being once again in his presence.
Of course, when they arrived at the chambers; Tywin took notice of the extra chest she had with her; dresses and Dornish clothes given to her as a gift by Ellaria. The Old Lion, though, was conflicted about such gifts; considering what Ellaria herself wore in both weddings that took place in King's Landing.
To reassure him, Visenya offered to wear one and show him that they were not that extreme.
The one she chose was in the colours of bronze with two layers by the skirt that flowed nicely around her legs. It allowed her quick movements and was rather light, perfect for far warmer days.
It had no back or sleeves for that matter, as the bodice consisted of covering her chest and then narrowing towards her neck. Thus, it left her back and arms fully exposed, with only a silk collar around her neck to hold the material.
Visenya enjoyed that dress, although she did think it would be even better if she had been a few years younger. However, she did like how light it was and the exotic style it was made in.
Doreah would have a field day with this one, she thought as she walked behind the changing screen.
Tywin was leaning on one of the armchairs, waiting for her all this time. Once she was out in the open, his eyes scanned her up and down silently before he moved one finger in a circular direction; a subtle motion for her to twirl.
She obeyed and did a spin around herself, already feeling how his gaze became more intense upon seeing how open the back was. Once she was done, she took notice that he had already walked towards her and was almost fully standing in front of her.
She craned her neck to see him better, a small smile on her lips and a hidden smirk behind them as she saw the reaction in his eyes.
Yet, she still wished to ask.
"What do you think?"
His one hand moved around her waist, pulling her a tad closer and the other moved around her body; cold fingers slowly trailing lines on her exposed back.
"It is a good dress but it is not one to be worn outside our chambers," he said, his face serious and his eyes slightly darker both with jealousy but also lust. "Especially without me present," he continued, his voice lower and heavier in tone.
His words did not match his feelings, though, upon seeing her in that beautiful and revealing dress.
He could enjoy looking at her with that tempting exposed back and bodice, with her neck in full view as her hair was pulled up. He could not fully say it but somehow, he knew it was evident on his face; after all, she was the only one who could read him that well.
His words seemed to amuse her as she placed one hand on his chest, close to his collarbone; eyes never leaving his.
"Are you scared that men will look at me all the time?" she asked, trying not to shiver by the way his cold fingers went high and low upon her back in a rather sensual way.
He lowered his head faintly, staring her down.
"Yes," he answered in a much darker tone, his fingers on her waist subconsciously increasing due to his jealousy and possessiveness.
She did not mind and instead moved her hand slowly towards his collarbone.
"You should not worry. They know better than to chase their luck against you," she reassured him, her tempting lips coming closer to his.
His eyes went to them, observing how they moved as she spoke before his lips formed a smirk.
"Do you know that as well?" he asked, passively hinting at the fiasco with Oberyn.
At that moment, Visenya should know better and simply answer him the correct thing.
However, one might say all that freedom in Dorne had come with her; at least a part of it.
The smirk upon her lips remained.
"I mayhap do or I mayhap do not know that," she said and she could see the change in his golden-flecked green eyes.
Before she could fully process it, he pulled her towards him and sealed his lips with hers. The hand on her waist pressed her so close to the point she had to arch her back but his other hand had moved and was resting within her white hair; keeping her head in place.
She kissed back, one hand moving to wrap around his neck and keep him close as she savoured his lips while the other held the front of his tunic.
The kiss was broken momentarily for a second; a quick breath intake was all they did before they kissed again; repeating the pattern a few times. Both had missed one another, both were hungry for one another and both were just weak in the presence of one another.
Eventually, they pulled away and she could not help but chuckle at his reaction.
"I do know and I know it very well," she said, changing her answer to a far proper one and one that would also ease his mind.
She tilted her head faintly to the side and looked at him as if he was the only thing that truly mattered to her in this world, and in a way he was.
She had her fun in Dorne but she had truly missed him. She had missed being in his presence, taking in his scent and feeling his strong arms around hers.
She had missed the sound of his voice or the looks he gave her with those enchanting golden-flecked green eyes of his. She had missed him whole and completely, mind, body and soul.
He seemed amused by her reaction, a more natural small smile appearing on his face. He gently removed his hand from her hair and then sweetly kissed her forehead.
"Good, now we ought to sleep. You had a long travel," he said.
He was more than happy to have her back and he was not going to lie, he did desire her as well. He wouldn't mind if the two of them had a go and he knew, she would not say no.
However, he also knew that she was trapped in a boat for 10 days.
She deserved some proper rest and they would have their chances again in the following days, more than enough to make up for the time she was away.
Small Council Chambers, Tower of the Hand, Red Keep - King's Landing, Crownlands - Days Later
After they arrived from Dorne, things were rather calm and peaceful for a while. It allowed everyone to settle in and return to their usual routines, without much trouble. Then, all the news came together and none were truly happy; Tywin especially.
One letter talked of Stannis being found dead and could be considered the only good news they would get that day. The other talked of the reclaiming of Winterfell by Sansa with soldiers from the Vale and Jon Snow, the bastard of Eddard Stark, now known as the new King in the North.
Of course, one could say that this was too far away and not their immediate threat. The Iron Born had been pushed back, handled by the Boltons; and ironically they got handled by the Starks.
Their biggest threat was residing in Dragonstone.
Daenerys had brought her dragons, the remnants of her army and placed them all on Dragonstone. If that was not all, the news said that Tyrion was with her and was even considered the Hand of the Queen.
"Well... at least now we know where two of our three most wanted criminals are," Olenna commented, breaking the uneasy silence that existed between them.
Tywin sent her a glare, already displeased with the news about Tyrion and her comments were far from helping. Of course, she did not mind and instead took pleasure in making him tick.
Visenya cleared her throat, earning the attention on her and preventing a civil war from taking place between the members of the Small Council.
"What is of importance is to plan carefully on what to do next. Dragonstone is a few days away with a ship and far less on dragonback," she said, trying to remain the calm one.
However, inside she was unsettled. Daenerys had come to Westeros too fast and Visenya was not even sure how she would manage to talk with her, and try to change her mind. Deep down, she still hoped she could prevent unnecessary bloodshed and keep everyone safe; although slowly life seemed willing to try and prove her wrong.
"We can gather our fleet, arm our soldiers and head straight for an attack," Lord Mace commented, earning an eye roll from his mother.
Jaime chose to be the one to argue.
"The men are tired from fighting the Iron Born and travelling back. Let us not forget that Dragonstone is surrounded by rocks and an uneasy sea. Stannis' army was destroyed during a storm all those years ago," he said, bringing up how that storm stopped Stannis from finding Daenerys and Viserys on time; the day those two escaped and hid in Essos. "Plus, fleet or not; we will all be at the mercy of three dragons."
Tywin, who had been listening but also thinking; hummed in agreement.
"Her numbers have been reduced, her army a mix of savages and soldiers. In an open field we can win but the problem remains her dragons. If we can take them down, we can handle the rest," he said, clenching and unclenching his fist slowly.
"And how can we take down three large dragons?" Olenna asked the real question.
To the surprise of many, the quietest person in the Small Council seemed to have the answer.
"There is a way," Qyburn said, earning the attention of everyone.
Sometimes the Grand Maester was so quiet; that one could easily forget that he was present.
"When I was at the Citadel, I read about a weapon that could take down dragons. Like a smaller ballista, one bolt could be lethal if aimed properly."
Only one person seemed familiar with the weapon, except for him.
"Scorpions," Visenya commented, not hiding her disbelief at having forgotten that weapon.
"What?" Jaime asked her, while everyone was looking at her confused.
"Scorpions," she repeated, looking at them. "They were used by the Dornish during the First Dornish War. Queen Rhaenys and her dragon, Meraxes, were shot from the sky because of them. With the right aim and some luck... that bolt can pierce the skull of a dragon with ease," she explained, remembering her history lessons as a child.
However, while she spoke; she also dreaded the worst-case scenario.
She did not wish to shoot down those animals, for dragons were part of her family once upon a time. So many noble creatures had disappeared ever since the Andals came and she did not wish to make dragons extinct once more.
Worse though, were her fears of where that could lead. Even if they had to take down the dragons, Daenerys could be taken down as well.
Rhaenys had perished when the bolt killed Meraxes and she fell to her death along with him.
She did not know if Daenerys was riding her dragons but if she did and a scorpion found its target... she suppressed a shiver, not able to imagine the sight.
She remained quiet after her explanation but could see that everyone was thinking about it. Such a weapon offered hope that they could still fight against the latest invader, that they could turn the odds in their favour.
"Qyburn," Tywin said, looking at the Grand Maester. "Find the plans for such a weapon and bring them to me. We are to start making them as soon as possible," he ordered.
"We better pray then that the Targaryen girl will not attack us until those weapons are ready, whenever that may be," Olenna commented.
"She won't," Visenya argued. "It is clear that she wishes to rule and she wants to gather supporters. She knows that burning down full cities and innocents will not get her there," she explained, basing her theory on how Daenerys had handled things in Essos. "We must also not forget that she has Ser Barristan, Jorah Mormont and Tyrion to advise her. None will tell her to go and unleash the might of her dragons upon the cities; especially in King's Landing."
"Either way," Tywin interrupted. "We will start preparing the fleets, gather provisions and ensure our walls are ready for a siege," he turned to Mace. "We need our soldiers to return to King's Landing. We will need all the manpower we can have if all those theories are proven wrong and she attempts to take King's Landing; one way or another."
No one said anything and Lord Mace just nodded. They all knew he was simply preparing them for the worst case that could take place, a scenario that none truly wished to imagine.
The Stranger was practically outside their door and it was a matter of time before they would meet him. They simply hoped it would be far longer before they would meet, although a pessimist might not be able to see it that way.
Small Council Chamber, Dragonstone, Westeros
Daenerys had been occupying the island for quite a while now. Her dragons kept growing, and her army had recovered but there was still this uneasiness within her. She had wished to head straight for Westeros but her loyal council had advised her to wait for now, which she did.
That waiting eventually left her with a lot of free time to explore the castle that once stood tall and prideful, the main seat of her ancestors before they even settled in Westeros for good.
During her trips, she had found some old parchments, notes and other things that talked about Targaryen history and dragons.
She, surprisingly, found things that seemed to belong to Visenya; something Barristan confirmed. They seemed to be written notes amongst those things, written in Common and High Valyrian.
Thankfully Missandei helped her translate.
While Daenerys was busy trying to find out more about her aunt and her family, she was visited by Jon Snow. His talk of the impending threat coming from beyond the Wall, of undead men made of snow that threatened anything alive... was not that persuasive at first.
In the end, he bent the knee to earn her favour and her help.
This is how she ended up sending some of her men like Jorah with him beyond the Wall to bring proof. Because they all had agreed that to unite the realms and ask for their help, one needed more than simple stories of a Black Watch deserter.
With Jorah gone, Daenerys had been uneasy the past few days. She feared the worst, believing more and more those tales of this Night King and his undead army. She tried to occupy herself with small council meetings, deciding to plan on how they could approach their enemy and ask for a truce; to fight this big enemy.
"The main problem here is to persuade my father," Tyrion said as he sat on the oddly shaped dark table, looking at Daenerys, Barristan, Missandei and Grey Worm. "He is not what one might say... the biggest believer in anything that has no logic behind it."
"We will have proof, once Jon brings back a White Walker," Daenerys reminded him.
"Yes, Your Grace, but when you write that letter; you think he will believe you?" he asked her, trying to help the relatively young Targaryen that had barely reached her 18th nameday.
"Then the letter will be addressed to my aunt. I am sure she will believe me and she will persuade the King to meet with us and show him the proof," she argued and looked at Ser Barristan, since he knew Visenya better than anyone.
The older knight nodded his head.
"She is a smart woman and she knew how to make your father listen. She can try and help us, to at least earn a meeting," he agreed. "She always had the best of the realm in mind and if she hears of some big threat, she will be willing to help us."
His words made Tyrion laugh in mockery, something he did not do often. He grabbed his goblet and swirled the red wine within, trying to regain his composure. However, hearing how easily the knight was praising her and painting her as a saint... was ridiculous to him.
Sure, she had some good traits and she did think of the generic population when she made decisions but she was far from being that kind-hearted, fully innocent woman that the knight thinks she is.
Perhaps when she was younger, she had the potential and might even have been such a woman but the years had long changed her. Father has changed her, he corrected in his mind.
"Something funny?" Barristan asked, clearly not happy with how he reacted.
"Oh, nothing... just the way you speak of my good-mother," Tyrion replied, drinking some wine.
"I am speaking only of the truth."
"Mmm," he exclaimed and pulled his goblet away from his lips. "Perhaps that was the truth when you were serving her but I assure you, she has long changed. One might even say she is more of a Lion than a Dragon now."
Yet, Ser Barristan did not seem to be willing to listen to him. Visenya had been like a daughter to him and he had seen her grow, fight and do the best for the Kingdoms and the family.
"You speak as if she committed horrific crimes when I last checked, it was your father that had that reputation."
Tyrion weighed options in his mind and finally turned to look at them, specifically at Daenerys.
"Have I ever told you that I was married, Your Grace?" he asked, earning a confused look from her.
"I don't see how this is of importance," she commented.
"Oh, but it is. It is a rather sad and short story, perfect to spend our time while we wait for Jon Snow to return with proof," he said and when no one argued, Tyrion got it as a message for him to continue. "I was married when I was young. I was barely 3 & 10 to a girl that was barely a year older than me... Her name was Tysha, and my brother Jaime chased some thieves, who had tried to rape her, away and I stayed with her. We got drunk, we kissed, and we got married and even fucked... she had a very sweet voice and loved to sing about me."
His mismatched eyes went to the goblet in his hand, getting a glimpse of his reflection in the dark red liquid that he had been consuming for the majority of his life.
That red liquid reminded him of the blood that dropped from her thighs that day as she tried to walk after the men were done with her... and the blood of his father that he wished he had spilt that night with the crossbow.
"I thought she loved me but then my brother Jaime told me she was a paid prostitute and had been paid to sleep with me because no other woman would," he continued, glancing occasionally at the people listening to him. "Of course, that was all a lie. My father forced my brother to lie because he found out about my marriage and he was furious. One day, I was out of his feet and was genuinely happy and the next I am summoned back to Casterly Rock. My father could have locked me somewhere, he could have punished me but what he did... he simply had to feed his sadistic tendencies that day."
Another glance to his listeners, seeing everyone focused on the story.
Daenerys was the most intrigued and so was Missandei, who was whispering the translation to Grey Worm in High Valyrian.
Even Barristan seemed interested in the story; although one could see that there was this resistance in his blue eyes. He was not sure how that story justified the imp's opinion of Visenya but he was about to find out.
"He brought Tysha to Casterly Rock and gave her to his men. He made me watch as every single soldier of his took turns raping the girl. Each one that was done, gave her a silver coin... paying her for her service," he spat and saw the red liquid in his goblet having faint ripples from the small shaking coming from his hand. "In the end, he also had me rape her but I had to pay her a golden coin because a Lannister always was worth more... now, back then I didn't know Tysha was a victim but my good-mother did."
He turned to fully look at Ser Barristan.
"She knew the truth and guess what she did..." he waited for a moment, for someone to comment but no one said anything. "Exactly, she did nothing. She watched from a balcony as the men raped that innocent young girl and when she grew bored of the sight, she merely... walked back inside... no one knows what happened to that poor girl, no one bothered; especially your saint Princess."
Silence enveloped the room as the horrific tale came to an end and everyone had to process it. The ones most shocked about it, as expected, were Ser Barristan and Daenerys. Those two that truly thought Visenya was some good-hearted family loyal woman, now saw a different side of hers.
A part of Tyrion should feel guilty, for talking that way of his good-mother; for painting her as such a ruthless and cold woman. She had some soft moments, she had chances to show goodness and she did.
Visenya was not his father, not yet at least. She was not a terrible person and she had done kind things in her life. But at that moment, Tyrion could not stand and hear how they portrayed her.
How they talked as if she had no flaws, as if she had made no mistakes... as if she was the victim.
Perhaps she is the victim of my father's abuse but she is not exactly in desperate need to be saved, he thought.
Tyrion could have stopped there, he could have let them all think of this tale next time they would bring up Visenya... but he couldn't. There was one more thing he needed to say, to confess to be more precise.
Perhaps the Gods would eventually smite him for his ways and his petty nature but if they had not taken down his father yet; they were not caring enough to interfere.
"That was mere practice for her, of course," he said, breaking the silence. "I would say her lowest point was with the Red Wedding. Have you heard about it, Your Grace?"
Daenerys, who was morally and mentally conflicted by the story; nodded her head faintly. She had been told about it eventually but she never truly cared, for the War of the Five Kings simply benefited her.
After all, all the houses were the same in her eyes; a threat or an ally.
Being weakened before her arrival meant her return would be easier and she wouldn't have to truly unleash the power of her children upon them.
"You know... everyone thinks it was my father behind it... at least those that eventually learnt how the Red Wedding came to be... but you see, this is too sneaky to be his style. Such pettiness can only come from a woman... and my good-mother has proven that she can be the mastermind behind such plans."
"How do you know all of this? Have you asked her?" Ser Barristan asked, a part of him hoping that Tyrion was simply lying to put Daenerys against her aunt.
"I did, actually. She confessed to me about Tysha and the Red Wedding," he answered and he could see the old knight slowly losing his fight.
He was so keen on defending her, so fast to paint her as some sort of saint that he now could not process the truth. The Visenya he knew perhaps was of such noble character but she had long been changed, to become something else; something worse.
"Perhaps she was once the woman you knew, noble and kind... but not anymore. She is a Lion, all in all, ruthless and unforgiving," he continued. "If I were you, I would not put a lot of faith in her."
He emptied his goblet in one go, choosing to let everyone think clearly.