A Lioness Still Has Claws | Female Tywin Lannister | ASOIAF/GOT

The Covetous King

EDITED: 7th Jan 2022

263 AC

Tya would admit that her wedding day - her real wedding day, to Jason rather than that weaselly Frey - was one of the happiest days of her life. The only one that could compete was the day Aerys made her Hand.

It had been a long betrothal. She had wanted to prove that she could govern as Hand effectively on her own, and it wasn't just her husband telling her what to do. That had probably been for the best, however. In that time, she had gone from feeling a strange attraction to her soon-to-be husband and disliking him a lot of the time, to actually admitting that she enjoyed his company.

Of course, Jason still infuriated her often, as she infuriated him. They were not completely different people, so of course that hadn't changed. But they had learned to present a united front before an audience and keep their sniping and arguments to private locations, and actually found they complimented each other rather well.

The courtier who said that Jason was like the silk glove to Tya's iron gauntlet had meant it as a mockery - an insult to her cousin's manliness - though she found the description rather apt. He could be charming and diplomatic when he put his mind to it, an ability that she definitely lacked, though equally he had a knack for getting under people's skin. Hers in particular.

Though he deferred to her in public - as everyone had to, she was Hand of the King, although it rankled more when it was a man deferring to his future wife - in private it was a different story. Jason had never been shy with his opinion of her, and she had never intimidated him like she intimidated most other men.

He also threw her off slightly with how easily he touched her. They would be arguing and he would grab her arm, or shoulder, or waist, not afraid to push her as much as she pushed him, or look at her with that dark look in his eyes. There was a reason he did it too - it worked - and they both knew it.

"Why is it you would so easily accept a wife who would outrank you?" She had asked him once in the middle of such an argument, just to irritate him further. "Don't you care how people mock you for being less of a man for of it?"

He had laughed derisively at that, eyes flashing in anger.

"I may bow down to you in public, Tya, but when in our lives have I ever let you walk all over me in private? I care little for what others think, only what I know to be true. Out there you are Hand of the King but behind closed doors, you will be my wife,"

"So you wish for me to spend my days ruling the kingdoms, to come back to my husband and beg and scrape like some meek, subserviant woman?" She said scornfully.

"A little begging and scraping would do you some good," He said darkly. "And you shouldn't spit the word woman with such resentment, seeing as you are one. But no, of course that's not what I meant. I meant that I will not expect you to defer to me as my wife, but in turn you will not expect me to defer to you as Hand,"

Tya was silent, spending a good few seconds deciding whether it was worth continuing to argue when he'd actually said something quite reasonable.

"Fine," She ground out eventually, hating how often she found herself agreeing with him in matters like this. "That still doesn't answer why you'd put up with the mockery,"

"Being married to the Hand is something many women have desired for centuries," His lips twisted wryly. "Power and influence is a factor. As for the rest, if you don't know already then I'm hardly going to tell you,"

No amount of sharp words or glares could get it out of him.

*

They wed in King's Landing. Casterly Rock would've been more fitting perhaps, but Tya could not spend too long away from the city. She may have been Hand for a year now, proving herself a hundred times over, but there were still those who claimed a woman was too weak for such a high position, too easily distracted. But the Great Sept of Baelor was hardly a poor substitute.