Crown Prince Rhaegar, though concerned, respected his brother's choice to travel. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't ensure his safety. King Aegon V had Ser Duncan by his side when he was young; Viserys was not going to travel alone. He immediately ordered an investigation into Viserys's whereabouts. Soon, a report from his men, who had delivered a formal birthday gift to Winterfell, confirmed that the young prince had departed with Ned, the second son of the Stark. They were reportedly heading to The Westerlands first.
Rhaegar remembered meeting Ned at Riverrun. He had a long face and gray eyes. Everyone said he wasn't as handsome or valiant as his elder brother, Brandon, but he was kind and gentle. Even Robert, who had been humiliated by a rejected proposal, had become his friend.
Indeed, Robert Baratheon's situation had become a hot topic in King's Landing and even across The Seven Kingdoms. He had been scolded by his mother, the Duchess, and returned to his lands in disgrace. Although he had defiantly declared that he would propose again and would not marry anyone but Lyanna, he had become synonymous with a playboy and the father of many bastards. The taverns in Eel Alley and Riverside Street had even started singing the merry song "Robert and His Thirty-Five Children," and "Robert's Proposal" had become a farcical street play. It wasn't unusual for nobles to have bastards, but when things got so ugly, the great noble houses wouldn't consider marrying into his family anymore. The heir to the Stormlands' marriage prospects were bleak.
Rhaegar knew very well that his brother must have played a part in Robert's embarrassment. Viserys would never bully someone for no reason—so Robert must have been in the wrong, hurting his brother. Rhaegar thought that this Northerner named Ned probably wouldn't bully Viserys like that.
Rhaegar would never let anyone harm his beloved brother. Gregor Clegane was a prime example. Rhaegar refused to link the deaths of Gregor and his three attendants in a fire to Viserys. No one pursued the matter. Tywin corresponded with the Tullys, and the lord ruled that Gregor deserved to die, offering ten gold dragons in compensation to the tavern owner and his daughter. The Clegane family's title was passed on to Gregor's younger brother.
Viserys's travel plans were clear, heading straight for the Lannister's lands. Rhaegar had been there once, participating in a tournament hosted by Tywin and winning his first jousting championship. He recalled The Westerlands's prosperity, its lush green forests, and its azure coastline. Casterly Rock was situated above Lannisport, a large coastal city, with expansive and beautiful views from every room. Currently, only the youngest son, Tyrion, was in charge of the family. No wonder, Rhaegar thought. Viserys was probably going to visit his good friend.
The Crown Prince paused in the corridor leading to the Hand's Tower, gazing at the embedded mirror reflecting the glorious color of the King's Hand's scarlet and gold-threaded outer robe. Tywin approached from the council chamber. Rhaegar informed him of his brother's itinerary and asked him to send messages to his vassals, requesting them to take extra care. His polite attitude caused the Duke, who had been subjected to Aerys's outbursts, to think, "It would be wonderful to have a different king."
"Your brother will have a memorable and wonderful time in The Westerlands," Tywin promised. "He will arrive safely, and I will also send reliable people to attend to the young prince."
Crown Prince Rhaegar inclined his head slightly, thanking the Hand. Tywin watched the prince's departing figure, thinking that in terms of appearance, temperament, and bearing, he was a thousand times better than his father at the same age. He had truly believed that young Aerys would be a great king… but in reality, he was frivolous, ambitious, jealous, and now increasingly mad and irrational.
Tywin wished he were dead already; it might be for the best. He still retained a faint memory of their happy times and friendship. Then, the Duke's thoughts drifted from the heir to the throne to other matters. He still remembered the young prince saying he wanted to build a golden house for Cersei to live in. Now, the prince's first choice for a visit was Casterly Rock. Was he perhaps hoping to witness the Lannister family's wealth firsthand? Tywin judged that if the young prince could weigh the pros and cons, he would understand how much a marriage alliance with the Westerlands would benefit him.
Of course, Tywin's first choice for a son-in-law was still Rhaegar. He was truly perfect and already over twenty, the best match for Cersei. The Queen had not been pregnant again, and Aerys was becoming increasingly anxious. Everyone understood that his plan to marry a Targaryen princess to a Targaryen prince was no longer realistic. Crown Prince Rhaegar would have his marriage decided by the King within a few years.
The weak Dornish princess was out of the running. Of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, only the North and the Riverlands had daughters, and there were no decent, noble girls to compete with Cersei! Although the marriage between Robert Baratheon of the Stormlands and Lyanna Stark of the North had fallen through, and in a very embarrassing way, he didn't even take that girl into consideration…
"My child," he said to Cersei, playing the role of a loving father back in the Hand's Tower, "No matter what schemes the King comes up with, he must face reality. I won't bring up your betrothal to avoid provoking him. But among the Seven Kingdoms, there is no girl as beautiful and highborn as you. The girl from the North is a wildling, and the little daughter of the Riverlands loves someone of low status. They cannot be chosen, my child, you know what that means."
Cersei smiled. She returned to her room, dressed up, and admired her beauty. Her golden hair shone even brighter than newly minted golden dragons in the candlelight, her skin was whiter and more delicate than milk, and she had a pair of emerald eyes. She picked up a pair of ruby earrings, considered them, then put them down, choosing instead a verdant emerald pendant and forehead ornament that would make her eyes appear even greener and more alluring. Crown Prince Rhaegar, the most handsome man in the world, she would marry him!
Cersei couldn't help but draw her imagined married life with Rhaegar. She would wear the crown, tightly embracing her husband's chest… She would bear him the most beautiful children, a whole crowd of them!
At this moment, Jaime walked in and saw the drawing at a glance, "What is this?"
Cersei quickly lied, "It's a painting of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne that I did, dear Jaime. Perhaps it could be given as a gift to... to His Grace the King."
Blond-haired Jaime took off his helmet. He had just returned from the jousting field, and he stood in the candlelight, handsome and dashing, making Cersei feel intoxicated. She even secretly thought of the intimate games she and her brother had played when they were children... imitating a mother cat and a tomcat, nothing more.
Jaime looked at the starry sky outside the window and sighed that summer nights were here again. Their family had been in King's Landing for several years without realizing it – except for Tyrion. Their father had sent him back to Casterly Rock, but he missed his brother very much.
Cersei pursed her lips and told Jaime mysteriously, "Don't mention that dwarf. He made a big mistake in Casterly Rock. Father already knows! I peeked at the letter from Uncle Varys. That fool, he actually got involved with a lowly, common woman and said he wanted to marry her! Father will punish him!"
###
Far away in Casterly Rock, Tyrion was pacing in his room – he vaguely sensed danger. Previously, when his uncle went out to patrol the city and caught him and Tysha intimately kissing near the fence of their private residence, his uncle didn't say anything, but his expression... was full of disdain and disgust.
His gaze towards Tysha was as if he was looking at a cheap prostitute. Tyrion knew that he would definitely write a letter to his father, and his father's blue eyes were exactly the same as his uncle's, even colder.
After all, the song "The Rains of Castamere" praised his father's great achievements – the Imp knew how his father would deal with those who disobeyed and provoked him.
He loved Tysha, and he wanted to protect her! Six months ago, while he and Sandor were wandering the lands outside the castle, they stumbled upon a group of bandits in the woods! They were dragging a girl away by her hair. Sandor killed the men, and he, Tyrion, gave the terrified girl his clothes and sent her home. It was a knight's duty, wasn't it?
In the simple, dilapidated farmhouse, the girl had an old father who was sick in bed. Tyrion remembered that the house was very tidy. The patient was eating a piece of black bread while the girl was only eating wild vegetables she had foraged – that's why she went to the forest where the bandits were.
The girl, like a little bird, knelt down in fear, begging for forgiveness – all the fruits and trees in the forest actually belonged to the Lannister family, and the commoners were not allowed to touch them.
Tyrion left her money, telling the girl, Tysha, to buy some "real food," and sent Sandor to Lannisport to find a healer to see her father. After that, he left. A few days later, Sandor told him that the girl's father was very ill and had passed away.
"Poor thing, she'll be alone now." Tyrion thought of the girls on the Silk Street in King's Landing, and the sores and putrid smells they eventually succumbed to. He frowned, deciding to prevent one if he could. He visited the farmhouse again, wanting to give her some money to help her through her hardship.
Many years later, the Hand of the King still remembered how he fell in love with his wife. That day, Tysha had red, swollen eyes and was wearing a rough, patched mourning dress. She sat at the door, washing a pile of clothes taller than herself. While wiping away tears of mourning for her father, she worked diligently. Seeing him come, she quickly wiped her eyes, "My lord! Please, sit down—"
She took out two silk handkerchiefs from her bosom, which had been mended and washed very clean. The original damage was carefully embroidered with a thistle. Tysha lowered her head, not daring to look at him, "My lord, I don't know how to express my gratitude... These were discarded by a kind innkeeper in Lannisport who hired me. They're all silk, good material, and I wanted... to mend and wash them, so they wouldn't... be unworthy of you and that lord's status, right?"
Sandor refused to accept them.
Silly girl, Tyrion thought, remembering the brocade velvet silk dress his sister had worn once and then discarded, thinking she was truly a silly girl. But Tyrion took the handkerchief and tucked it into his pocket. "Thank you! When I become a knight and compete in a joust, I'll definitely tie it to my lance."
The girl's tears turned to a smile, and then she fearfully explained that she wasn't mocking him.
"It's alright! It's funny to imagine myself, too, because I'd have to ride a newborn pony, unsteady on its feet, and be crushed by my armor."
The girl couldn't help but laugh again. But she wiped her eyes and bravely said, "My lord... I've heard the villagers tell stories of Aegon and Ser Duncan... Ser Duncan and Aegon braved danger to save the puppeteer... You and Ser Sandor have also saved me... so you are both great knights."
Sandor turned his head coldly, and Tysha became frightened again. Tyrion comforted her, and wanted to leave her some money again—but Tysha refused.
"My lord, look! I get ten copper pennies every day after I wash these clothes! It's enough for me to live on!"
Somehow, that day, Tyrion also sat down, and helped her wash. Sandor stood to the side, sneering, thinking he had gone mad.
How did it start? Perhaps it was seeing Tysha's flushed face after her hard work? Or perhaps it was the girl's timid words, that he and Sandor possessed the character of legendary knights, that she didn't care that he was a dwarf. Or maybe it was simply the silk handkerchief, the best gift she could imagine, that she had mended to repay him. It was a thousand times more precious than the gold chain that Cersei had given him for his birthday, according to family custom, a chain long enough to drag on the ground and mock him.
Tyrion just kept showing up at the farmhouse. He watched Tysha as she did the laundry, and ate the meals she cooked – of course, he brought the ingredients: bread, butter, corn, potatoes, onions, rabbit, and venison. Tysha would hollow out the bread, eating the inside herself, and give him the stew, packed with ingredients. How delicious it was, each spoonful warming him from the inside out. Tyrion also shared the soup with Tysha, and her cheeks slowly filled out, no longer sunken. Tyrion realized, she was actually extremely beautiful!
Following Tyrion's orders, people came to repair the farmhouse. The roof was fixed, the fence was secured, and a pigsty was built, with two pigs inside. Tysha's clothes also changed from patched-up rags to new fabric – not the silk Tyrion had brought, but the cloth the girl had finally bought with the money she earned each day. She even made a set for Tyrion.
"Marry me!" The Imp blurted out without thinking after putting on the rough but well-fitting shirt. "You, you should love me, right?"
Tysha blushed and nodded. "You are the best!"
At this point in his memories, Tyrion sighed deeply. He remembered the little prince's advice when he left King's Landing… Protect the one you love.
I must protect Tysha. He thought, I have to send her to a safe place, where Father can't find her. Not the Westerlands, and not King's Landing.
While he was pondering, a castle servant announced that Prince Viserys and Ned Stark of the North had arrived outside Casterly Rock.
"Wonderful!" Tyrion was very happy. He hurried to the city gate on his short legs, and saw his old friend, who had grown a lot! His long legs easily stepped into the stirrups! What hadn't changed was that he was still wearing the precious tasseled scarf that his brother Rhaegar had given him, and was smiling at him!
"My friend! I've come to visit!"
Tyrion said with a smile, walking forward. He sized up the tall man leading the group of rustic individuals surrounding him. This Northerner, the best-dressed of the bunch, had a long face, brown hair, and gray eyes, appearing steady and reliable.
Viserys dismounted his chestnut pony, and the two enthusiastically high-fived. Viserys then introduced Ned Stark and his party. Tyrion, as the host, warmly welcomed them into the city.
Later, the young prince found a chance to pull him aside, whispering in his ear, "Hey! I'm going to sneak off to Essos. Don't you want to sail? I came specifically to find you; let's elope!"
The Imp was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly had a new idea.
....
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(End Chapter)