"We can try," Tyrion scratched his chin uncertainly. I understood him well — he never liked hard work. And now he was facing the prospect of diving headfirst into all these numbers! Few people would rejoice at that.
But I needed to figure it all out, and I truly needed Tyrion's sharp mind. And for that, I also needed to build some semblance of a normal relationship with him.
"Of course you don't believe me, but listen to what I have to say anyway," I asked my uncle.
By then, night had already fallen over the room where we were buried in documents, and Pod had lit several candles. The tongues of flame cast bizarre, crooked shadows along the walls. It was warm and quiet. Only the crackling of hot wicks and the soft rustle of turning pages broke the silence.
"Consider me intrigued," Tyrion grinned, wryly and uniquely — only he could smile like that. He sat down again, pushed aside the stack of papers he'd been scrawling numbers on, and prepared to listen.
"This is about your girlfriend Shae."
"Really?" I saw Tyrion tense at once. His eyes narrowed in warning; his face went a shade paler. It seems for a moment he seriously believed I had finally dropped my mask and was about to threaten or taunt him.
"Yeah," I replied serenely, biting the tip of a goose quill.
"The thing is, both my mother and Lord Tywin know all about her. They don't like that you didn't send her somewhere far away as they demanded, but instead placed her with Sansa. And for some reason, it seems to me that they're both about to figure out where best to strike you — through this girl."
We fell silent for a while. Somewhere outside, muffled by distance and stone, came the neigh of a horse — it seemed one or more riders had passed under the windows.
"How do you know all this?" Tyrion finally asked after a long pause. His voice held disbelief — and the expectation of a trap. But there was also weariness there. I suppose this whole situation with the concubine had clearly exhausted him. Now, for a moment, his true appearance was revealed to me. And like every person, he had his breaking point.
"I'm just not as dumb as you think I am," I answered frankly, and Tyrion let out an involuntary laugh. "And sometimes I can still see something and learn something."
Still, it was pleasant to know what would happen in the future. And by warning Tyrion about the danger looming over him and Shae, I was pursuing my own selfish goal — strengthening our newfound, more normal relationship.
"Who else knows about this?"
"Don't worry — it won't go any further than me. But I can't speak for my mother and grandfather… Just think about what can be done here. And how this might affect not only you, but also your wife. Why do we need new scandals?"
"All right, I'll think about it," Tyrion agreed reluctantly. "But let me ask you one question — what's in it for you?"
"I'd like to improve our relationship," I admitted, revealing a little bit of my hand.
"Why?"
"Because you're my uncle. And I like talking to you about different things."
He continued to study my face, and I realised I had to add something more serious, something he would believe: "And I still need to sit on this bloody throne."
Tyrion looked into my eyes for a long, thoughtful moment…
"All right, I'll try to sort out all this shit," he said at last, gesturing toward Littlefinger's documents. "But on one condition — you owe me a favor."
"Uh… Well, okay."
***
Sansa
After some time, Sansa realized with surprise that she was now not only a lady, but also a very experienced actress. When you are constantly surrounded by people who hate you and your entire family, you learn to be two-faced and deceitful, whether you want to or not — especially when your own life depends on such skills.
Once — Old Gods, how long ago it seems now — she met Prince Joffrey Baratheon and fell in love with him with all her heart. Back then she dreamt of a beautiful wedding and a wonderful love, just like in chivalric romance.
Soon enough, Joffrey showed his true nature. Not only was he unworthy of her hand and heart, he was an outright sadist — a cruel, hollow monster. He forced his own guards to beat and humiliate her, mocked her constantly, reminding her of her family, and promising that sooner or later he would execute them all — just as he had executed Ned Stark.
So love gave way to hatred. And fear. Fear of what his twisted mind might do.
At first she was immensely relieved to hear the news she was being married off to Tyrion. In that moment, she didn't think much about how ugly her husband-to-be was. She was simply glad that Joffrey would finally leave her be.
Unfortunately, she had been wrong. Joffrey did not forget her. It seemed there was nothing better for him to do in the whole world than threatening or mocking his former fiancée. Sansa spent many nights crying instead of sleeping.
Her husband, Tyrion Lannister, turned out to be a strange man — ugly on the outside, intelligent within; sharp-tongued before others, and unexpectedly kind in private. He constantly stood up for her before Joffrey, and Sansa saw clearly where this would lead. The relationship between the king and his uncle deteriorated more with each passing day.
But she did not mind. In fact, she was pleased. A desire for revenge had unexpectedly awakened in her soul, and now she eagerly awaited the next scandal, hiding her true feelings behind polite, meaningless phrases and empty smiles.
More than that — a couple of times she had even managed to discreetly provoke new conflicts, all while staying in the shadows. She began to enjoy this secret power, the ability to act on the sly and set these golden-haired beasts against one another.