The Prince of Thorns

🛡Trust in Friends🗡

Tyrion walks through a room and into a hallway, whistling. As he opens the door to his room, Shae laughs, and he stops whistling. Shae and Alester are sitting at a table. Alester stands up, and Tyrion looks at Shae, and closes the door.

ALESTER: "Tyrion."

SHAE: "You make me wait a long time, but your friend keeps me company."

ALESTER: "We were just speaking of your bravery in battle."

TYRION: "The northerners are quite vicious."

Tyrion walks over to the window to get some wine.

ALESTER: "I meant your battle in the small council with the Queen."

The two men began to laugh.

SHAE: "And I tell him the story of how we meet."

ALESTER:" A truly lucky man you are Tyrion."

TYRION: "Strange things do happen."

ALESTER: "Best be mindful no one finds out her being here."

TYRION: "Believe me friend I know how to hide secrets." 

ALESTER: "Unfortunately that's all anyone knows in this city."

TYRION: "Eyeing to return to Highgarden with my niece are you."

ALESTER: [Sarcastically] "Once our gracious King allows the wedding to happen, yes."

TYRION: "Perhaps I can convince him."

ALESTER: "Gods no. Don't try it. He hates you more than anybody here."

TYRION: [Smiling} "Very true."

ALESTER: "Well I'll let you two rest."

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PODRICK: More wine?

Podrick pours Janos a glass of wine. He then spills, and we see Tyrion, Alester and Janos sitting at a table.

JANOS: "Damn it, boy!"

PODRICK: "Apologies, my lord."

TYRION: "Leave us, Podrick. I believe we know how to pour our own wine."

JANOS: (Podrick leaves). "Is that your new squire? Could have found you a proper lad."

TYRION: "Myself, I prefer the improper ones."

ALESTER: "More loyal they often are."

JANOS: "Hmm, that's a good red. Dornish?"

TYRION: "You know your wines, my lord."

JANOS: "That I do. A fine dinner, my lords."

TYRION: "Call us Tyrion and Alester, please. I'm sure you're getting used to fine dinners, now that you're a lord."

JANOS: "Maybe I'll hire this cook of yours."

TYRION: "Wars have been started for less."

The three laugh. Janos sips his wine.

TYRION: "We heard there was some trouble in Littlefinger's brothel the other night."

JANOS: "Nasty business that was."

TYRION: "Yes, of course. City Watch must keep the peace. Only, I hadn't realized peace depended on killing babies."

JANOS: "Orders are orders."

ALESTER: "Quite right. Especially the queen's orders."

JANOS: "I never said they were the queen's orders."

ALESTER: "No, but who else would want to murder King Robert's bastards? She's always been a jealous woman."

JANOS: [Towards Tyrion] "You know your sister better than I do."

TYRION: "You've heard the awful rumors about my brother and sister."

JANOS: "I don't listen to filth."

TYRION: "That's good of you, but you have heard them. I suppose people who do believe that filth, consider Robert's bastards to be better claimants to the throne than Cersei's children."

JANOS: "Joffrey is my king, the rest doesn't interest me."

TYRION: "I appreciate your loyalty. Tell me. When your men slaughtered Ned Stark's men in the throne room, did you give the order?"

JANOS: "I did. And I would again. The man was a traitor. He tried to buy my loyalty."

TYRION: "The fool! He had no idea you were already bought."

JANOS: "Are you drunk? I'll not have my honor questioned by an Imp."

ALESTER: "Firstly my friend has a name so continue to use it you bald fuck. Secondly any man who kills children no matter where the order came from has no honor."

TYRION: "We're not questioning your honor, Lord Janos. We're denying its existence."

JANOS: "You think I'll stand here and take this from you, dwarf."

TYRION: "Dwarf? You should have stopped at imp. And yes, you will stand here and take it from me, unless you'd like to take it from my friend here."

Tyrion gestures towards Bronn, who has appeared in the room.

ALESTER: "Or perhaps You'd rather a lord help you."

TYRION: "I intend to serve as Hand of the King until my father returns from the war, and seeing as you betrayed the last Hand of the King, well, I just wouldn't feel safe with you lurking about."

JANOS: "What are you ta- My friends at court will not allow this. The queen herself -"

TYRION: "The queen regent. And you're a fool to believe she's your friend."

JANOS: "We shall hear what Joffrey has to say about this."

ALESTER: "No, we shan't."

Tyrion nods at Bronn, who gestures for some armed men to enter the room.

TYRION: "There's a ship leaving for East Watch by the sea tonight. From there, I'm afraid it's rather a long walk to Castle Black. I hope you enjoy the Wall. I found it surprisingly beautiful, in a brutal, horribly uncomfortable sort of way."

BRONN: "The lads will escort you. The streets aren't safe at night, my lord."

JANOS: "These men are under my command. (Bronn laughs). I command you to arrest this cutthroat."

TYRION:" His name is Bronn... and he is the new commander of the City Watch."

BRONN: "Boys?"

The gold cloaks in the room escort Janos out. Janos begins shouting as they take him.

JANOS: "I have friends at court! Powerful friends! The king himself made me a lord!"

Janos is escorted out of view. Bronn sits down, and Tyrion pours him a cup of wine.

TYRION: "To the new Commander."

Tyrion, Alester and Bronn clink their glasses together.

TYRION: "If I told you to murder, an infant girl say, still at her mother's breast, would you do it without question?"

BRONN: "Without question? No. I'd ask how much."

---------------------------------------------------

Tyrion sits at a table with a cup of wine. Alester sits with his arms crossed. Cersei paces in front of them.

CERSEI: "Lord Janos Slynt was Commander of the City Watch. You had no right to exile him."

TYRION: "I have every right. I am the King's Hand."

CERSEI: "You're serving as the King's Hand until father gets here. I am Queen Regent."

TYRION: "Listen to me, Queen Regent, you're losing the people. Do you hear me?"

CERSEI: "Ha, the people. You think I care?"

TYRION: "You might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead. Half the city will starve when winter comes. The other half will plot to overthrow you. And your gold-plated thugs just gave them the rallying cry, "The Queen slaughters babies." You don't even have the decency to deny it."

ALESTER: "You brother is right your Grace. I know you can see that."

Cersei looks down and walks toward the window. Tyrion looks down, and then up at her.

TYRION: "It wasn't you who gave the order, was it? Joffrey didn't even tell you. Or did he tell you? I imagine that would be even worse."

CERSEI: "He did what needed to be done. You want to be the Hand of the King? You want to rule? This is what ruling is! Lying on a bed of weeds, ripping them out by the root one by one before they strangle you in your sleep."

TYRION: "I'm no king, but I think there's more to ruling that that."

CERSEI: "I don't care what you think! You've never taken it seriously. You haven't, Jaime hasn't. It's all fallen on me."

TYRION: (Tries not to laugh). "As has Jaime repeatedly, according to Stannis Baratheon."

CERSEI: "You're funny. (Laughs). You've always been funny. But none of your jokes will ever match the first one, will they? You remember... back when you ripped my mother open on your way out of her and she bled to death."

TYRION: "She was my mother too."

CERSEI: "Now they're gone, for the sake of you. There's no bigger joke in the world than that." (Storms out).

ALESTER: "She wields words as sharp as daggers."

TYRION: "In that case she's stabbed me many times."

ALESTER: "Regardless there as to be some direct intervention in order to save Westeros."

TYRION: "More like divine intervention."

ALESTER: "The gods must be truly sadistic in order for that boy to sit upon a Throne."

TYRION: "Perhaps its karma. A mad king for a mad king."

ALESTER: "The times of Jaehaerys the wise and Daeron the good are over I'm afraid."

TYRION: "Then maybe what the world needs is Tyrion the true and Alester the just."