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

The Mercurial Prince

EDITED: 7th Jan 2022

There had been a punishment, of sorts, for the way Tya had stood up to her father and humiliated him in front of all his bannermen (not that he needed any help with that), and the rude way she spoke to Lord Walder and his son afterwards.

Well... Either Lord Tytos truly thought it a punishment for her to be sent away from home to King's Landing to be a cupbearer to King Aegon and companion to Princess Rhaella, or perhaps he just wanted her out of sight, out of mind, in order to assuage his guilt at betrothing her to a Frey. The latter seemed more likely, Tya thought scornfully. He didn't have the stomach to truly punish her for anything.

She did miss Casterly Rock a little, though she'd never admit it. She missed Mother, Kevan, Genna, even baby Tyg. She missed everyone knowing who she was and obeying without question. She missed the vast grandness of the castle and knowing it all belonged to her family, missed the sunset over the sea to the west. She even missed arguing and fighting with her awful cousin Jason, though she still loathed his irritating quips and how he went out of his way to anger her.

She did not miss Father. Not one bit.

But the Red Keep was hardly a punishment. King's Landing was the best place she could've been sent. Tya would've had to leave home at some point anyway, to marry that wretched Frey boy. Her lip curled at the thought; people here had learned quickly not to mention her betrothed anywhere she could hear.

She normally disliked girls her own age, though the only ones Tya had spent any time with were the daughters of lords of the Westerlands, sent to Casterly Rock by their fathers to be her companion, generally in the hope that one of them would catch Kevan's eye and become the next Lady Lannister. A bunch of silly hens, all of them, twittering about dolls and dresses and planning their future weddings. But they tended to obey her without question, either out of admiration (or rather - trying to lick the boots of the eldest Lannister daughter) or fear.

She could not order around the princess, however, she knew that well enough. Tya was used to being the most important person in the room when among anyone her own age, but here that was Rhaella Targaryen.

The princess was a shy and quiet girl, two years younger than she was, but did not seem entirely stupid. She liked to read, liked to watch plays and did not like her brother (which was unfortunate, seeing as they were likely to marry). Rhaella wasn't insufferable like the others, and though she was not nearly as bold as Tya was, she did tend to feel a similar way about the foolishness of most of the people around them, chuckling quietly when Tya made sharp remarks and never even trying to order her around.

Though rather reserved at first, Rhaella also did not seem intimidated by her, which was remarkable in itself. Most of the others either fawned over her like fools or shrank away from her every word, both of which managed to come across as pathetic. Rhaella was not like that at all - she was instead quiet, calm and measured - which was perhaps why they got along.

Her brother Aerys was the same age as Tya, and couldn't have been more different to his sister. Within ten minutes of meeting the boy, she had him summed up in her head; charming, charismatic and generous but not all that bright and very vain. He was rather changeable too, quick to laugh but equally quick to anger. Where Rhaella liked to read quietly, sew and even draw sketches with her graphite pen, Aerys liked large groups of people, dancing and music.

The young prince, who would one day be king, disdained his sister for this reason, claiming she was dull and boring. Rhaella clearly preferred it that way, as it meant he left her alone and didn't disturb her peace and quiet. This meant that Tya did not have a proper conversation with the prince for some time, only brief greetings; he mostly disdained Rhaella's friends, which irked her somewhat, not used to be treated as such.