Ever since the Old Tyrell Matriarch had heard from her eldest about his speculations on Jon's parentage through the exchange of letters between Oberyn and him, Olenna hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep.
She had spent days and weeks ruminating about this secret, considering all the pros and cons of how this could benefit her family the most.
And finally, after much thought, she decided to change the whole strategy that her family had been working towards for the past half a decade.
In the end, the choice had been simple for her when she had clearly listed the two options placed before her family.
One choice would lead the Kingdom to continue to be run by that fat, drunkard who was working himself hard to head towards an early grave, not to mention that there was already a great house married in who had a tight grip on every aspect of power, leaving little meat for them to nibble on, even if they forced themselves in.
While the second choice brought in a youthful, fresh face who had intelligence, composure, and experience of a man thrice his age, and in addition to that, he had already been tested in the cruel battlefield of Essos, where he not only survived but thrived.
And on this side, there are very few backers except for the boy's Uncle and his family, so they would have the advantage of being early investors, making it very much worth their while, even if there was a massive risk involved.
Plus, she had also heard that the boy was very close to Oberyn during his Essosi trip, so the risk in the end may not even be as much as she was thinking at the moment, if all the pieces fell into their places at just the right time.
"I... understand, Grandmother," Margery replied with a helpless look on her face as she realised that this was the only answer she would get from her at the moment.
But it didn't matter too much, as she had always been ready to be sacrificed for the greater good of her family, and this choice was indeed much better than the other one, regarding whom she had already heard plenty of bad rumours.
"Grandmother!" A deep voice called from outside the carriage, interrupting their private conversation, and Margery immediately stood up to open the door to the carriage and peeked out, only to find that the sun had gone down to almost the horizon while they were deep in discussion, and standing out there was her brother, Loras Tyrell.
"Grandmother! Margery!" he said, nodding to both of them with a small smile, "Mother told me to call both of you. The food is almost ready."
"I understand," Margery slowly nodded while looking at her brother with a somewhat lamentable look on her face.
If someone who had not seen her brother over the last year were to see him at this moment, then 7 times out of 10, they would surely not be able to recognise him, so drastic was the change in him.
The young Tyrell had not only grown a beard, but his flamboyant hair that he always kept so meticulously groomed and well maintained, had now been tamed into a sombre cut that made him look like a proper warrior that even the strictest Knight would approve of.
And the surprising reason behind this huge change was a girl...
A girl from the North.
Ever since that fated day when her brother had lost so thoroughly in his fight with Dacey Mormont, the boy had been like a completely different person.
He had lost most of his arrogance and became almost obsessed with training, spending nearly all his day inside the grounds, working himself hard so that he could eventually defeat that bear lady fairly and regain his honour.
But the girl he had made his goal was not an idle woman but a fierce warrior who rarely stayed in one place at a time.
She was a captain who was in almost complete control of a large fleet of ships that was constantly on the move between North and most of the port cities located on this side of Westeros, and she did not have, as she put it, 'Time to indulge a pretty boy every few weeks when it fancied him.'
But Loras was very stubborn about it and decided that since she wouldn't come to Reach, then he would go to her in the North and join her ship as a warrior.
Of course, his Father and Mother were horrified at the very thought of their precious boy travelling on a ship, and going to that dangerous frozen wasteland of the North, and immediately forbade him.
But unfortunately for them, someone higher up the food chain decided that Loras's idea was brilliant and decided to override their decision with a wave of her hand, giving him permission to fulfil his wish.
Olenna had always been a bit dissatisfied with her Grandson's flowery ways, so she was more than happy to see him be so interested in a girl, even if it was for her martial skill, and be willing to brave the cold to travel to the North, so she very much encouraged his wish, hoping that the Frozen water in the North would toughen up her Grandson and give him some of the wisdom that Jon Snow had acquired.
And in the end, her gamble worked even better than she had assumed, as the North, and more importantly, Dacey's fleet, gave the talented young Tyrell the one thing that he was desperately in need of...
Life and Death battles.
While working for the fleet, he fought against all kinds of savages, Iron Born pirates, and even the occasional slavers from Essos, and this changed something fundamental in the boy, as he finally learned what it meant to take a life, what those skills that he had trained so religiously for his whole life were useful for.
And while all this made him more serious, responsible, and worldwise, it also took the innocent pride and smile that the boy always used to carry on his face, and sometimes Margery missed her previous dazzling brother who while a little arrogant, was far less jaded person who expressed himself fully, unlike this rugged version of him that looked less like a princely knight and more like a deadly fighter.
Alas, this new version of him brought him far more respect from the soldiers and other older knights in their family's employ, so she couldn't complain too much.
Most importantly, her Grandmother was very much impressed with this change and even praised him in front of the whole family more than once, which the woman hadn't even done for her eldest son in more than a decade.
"Ah, finally," Olenna groaned as she stood up and exited the carriage with her grandson's help, "I had almost assumed that those lazy cooks were taking a break today. Come, girl, let's see what abomination your mother has decided to feed me today."
Margery rolled her eyes but didn't want to encourage her Grandmother by defending her mother, so she turned to Loras and asked, "How long until we reach King's Landing, brother?"
"I think about two more weeks," Loras answered with a thoughtful look on his face, "That is if we keep moving at this slow pace," he muttered while glancing at his Grandmother's carriage, which was the most responsible for their convoy's less-than-desired speed.
"Don't you dare look at it like that," Olenna snapped as her eyes narrowed in displeasure, "You don't know how much these old bones would have suffered if not for the comfort of this carriage. You would have been better off bringing my ashes along if you wanted to gallop all the way on your fast horses..."
Her Grandmother started complaining as usual, acting out the part of a scatter-brained old woman, which she sometimes did when it struck her fancy, but the two grandchildren had gotten used to it over the years, so they just exchanged weak smiles with each other and silently listened to her thousand grievances.
....
"Welcome, Father," Jaime Lannister greeted with a smile as he watched the Old Lion dismount his horse outside the Lion Gate, where most of the smallfolks had already been cleared by the Gold Cloaks beforehand in anticipation of the arrival of the Lannister patriarch.
Tywin simply nodded his head at his son's greeting, his eyes roving over the idiotic white armour his eldest wore so proudly with naked distaste that the Kingsguard effortlessly ignored with the experience of a veteran.
"Jaime! My dear brother!!" a jovial voice shouted as he looked past his father to see his little brother stumbling out of a carriage, and then slowly made his way over with his arms wide open and a wide smile on his face, "It is good to finally see you after so long,"
"If you can call the few months since you were here last 'long'," Jaime replied sarcastically, but the warmth on his face as he lowered himself to hug him gave away his delight at seeing his second favourite sibling.
"Ah! You wouldn't understand, brother. Time moves a lot slower for us little people, so for me it has indeed been very long." Tyrion shook his head sadly as if disappointed in his brother's lack of thought, "Speaking of slow. How come our dear sister didn't come here to welcome Father," he asked with a curious tilt of his tilt before letting out a dramatic gasp, "Don't tell me, is the Queen too busy with affairs of the kingdom to meet her old Father," he whispered loudly, as if talking about something scandalous.
"You jest brother," Jaime rolled his eyes at his brother's acting, before explaining for the sake of his Father who was now looking at him with a raised eyebrow, "Cersei was bringing Tommen and Myrcella along in a carriage right behind me, but Kingslanding is so overpopluated at the moment, because of this stupid Tourney," he said with a curl of his lips, "That they got stuck mid-way, so it will probably take them another hour before they reach here,"
"Oh, poor Cersei, so unfortunate for a queen like her to suffer because of some hideous commoners," Tyrion said with a lamenting look on his face, but the dwarf couldn't stop his lips from quirkking up, showing that he was more amused by the situation than anything, "But if we are to wait for them, then I should we get some jerkys, and a jug of ale becuase—"
"We won't wait." Tywin announced succinctly, and then, without waiting for their input, he turned around to order, "Bring back my horse."
Tyrion scowled, but didn't have much of a choice in front of his Father, so he turned and asked his retainer to bring him his pony, and then helped himself up on it, knowing well that the sight of him would bring quite the amusement to children along the way.
So the three of them, along with a dozen Lannister guards, took off into the Capital on their horses, leaving the rest of their party along with their carriages and their luggage in the capable hands of Kevan Lannister.
"You were not jesting about the crowd, brother," Tyrion mused a few minutes later as his different coloured eyes moved over the congested crowd, taking in the various Smallfolks, Merchants, and Labourers walking down the street, wearing all kinds of thin and thick clothes, and speaking in accents from all over the Seven kingdoms, bar perhaps the Iron Islands.
From rich Merchants wearing silk clothes to poor homeless children begging on the sides, everyone seemed to have enthusiasm and a kind of vibrancy in their eyes that Tyrion had never seen before in the Capital, "I don't think I have ever seen this many people in the Capital, even during the coronation of the King."
"They are all just stupid sheep following after the crowd, trying to make a few pennies from the excitement, with most of them probably not even knowing what the Tourney is being held for," Jaime murmured with a scoff, disdain dripping in his voice, "But what confuses me is why you felt the need to attend, Father?"
Jaime hadn't initially believed when he learned that his Father, who wouldn't move from his seat of power unless it was for something very important, was also slated to attend, "Don't tell me, you are also here tp see that Northerner brat?" he asked with a derisive chuckle.
Tywin turned around at that and silently looked at his son with a somewhat curious look on his face, as if trying to read his mind, making the Kingsguard feel very uncomfortable as if he was a boy once again.
"Oh, my! Is that perhaps jealousy I hear in your voice, brother?" Tyrion's amazed voice suddenly interrupting their silent conversation, and asked the very question that Tywin had been trying to find the answer to from his son's face, "Are you perhaps of the mind that the boy is undeserving of this Tourney?" The dwarf asked with a teasing look in his eyes, as if delighted by the uneasiness on his brother's face.
"Ah, but that makes sense," Tyrion continued with a nod, as he answered his own question, "After all, the boy is about to break your famous record of being the youngest knight in the last century, and that too by accomplishing a feat that was even grander than yours."
"Don't be absurd," Jaime finally replied with a scoff as he looked away, "Why would I be jealous of a little brat whose only achievement is having a father who is the friend of the King."
"Oh..." Tyrion looked taken aback for a few moments, "I don't know what your source of information is, brother, but as far as I know, King Robert had no hand in helping him with anything in Essos."
"I am not saying about that, I am just saying that he wouldn't be getting knighted with so much fanfare if his father wasn't Eddard Stark,"
Tyrion simply shrugged at that, unable to deny that there was some truth to it, as the only reason King Robert even knew the boy's name was probably because of his father.
But that didn't mean that all his achievements were because of his parentage, as in the dwarf's opinion, his birth must have hindered him as much as helped him, being a bastard.
"And even if he did all this without anyone's help, as everyone keeps on harping about," he said with a faint sneer, "That doesn't mean he is anything more than an above average fighter who has some good men under his command, becuase please don't tell me you really believe all this horse shit about him commanding a handful of ships filled with some random mercenaries, and then defeating a Pirate king with decade long reign in Essos in his first battle as a green boy?"
"Even if I didn't, which I mostly do, everyone else already seems to have believed it to be the truth," Tyrion replied with a shrug.
"Everyone who?"
"Everyone who is attending, The Tyrells, The Dornish, King Robert," Tyrion counted off on his fingers one by one, "And of course, our own father Lord Tywin Lannister," he said the last one with a amused smile on his face, and didn't flinch at all when his father turned back to stare him with scorn in his ice-cold eyes.
"The only reason I bothered to come here was to keep an eye on the families you just mentioned, some who hadn't been seen around these parts in a decade, so that they don't form an alliance that can become a hindrance to the Lannisters," he explained in a no-nonsense tone, "After all, I can't very well leave the family in the hands of the two of you— a drunken leecher and a glorified guard." he finished his piece and then after sending another imperious glare at the two, he took off on his horse from their side, as if getting tired of their chattering.
"You really can't stop yourself from poking at our father, can you?" Jaime said with a sigh, as the two of them somehow ended up trailing at the very end of their group, "Now, because of your brother, he is cross with me too."
"Oh, don't worry too much, brother. I know my limits." Tyrion said with a dismissive look on his face, "Besides, this way he will leave us alone to our devices for a few days to have fun," he said with a sneaky smile in his eyes, "So take me to the brothels, and let us see if the Merchants of the Seven kingdoms have only brought their goods to sell or if they have brought their whores along too,"
///
Now that you are here, in Part 2, you'd better not forget to subscribe, add to library, favourite, or whatever it is that this site lets you do, so that you can get updates on time and not be waiting.
PS:— You know where to go to read ahead, right?