Willow // Tywin Lannister (1)

17. Wisdom

"I never understood the stones." Willow admitted. she felt very ignorant to the world outside of the twins. She was smarter and more adventures and outgoing then her siblings, she felt like she was someone important, stuck in an awful place but she knew things or at least pretended. But here in the capital, she felt lost and confused and useless. She knew nothing of the world.

"The stones represent that even when we close our eyes in this world, they are opened in the next." Tywin told her as she touched the stone on Joffreys eyes.

"What's next?"

"What do you mean?" Tywin questioned holding her to him.
"You said the eyes are opened in the next." Willow reminded him.

"The next life I suppose." Tywin admitted.

"Life after death? Reincarnation? Or like heaven and hell?" Willow questioned looking up at him.

"All of the above I suppose." Tywin admitted.

"Hello Tommen." Willow said softly as Cersei and Tommen approached. "Daughter." Willow added.

'Your brother is dead. Do you know what that means?' tywin questioned Tommen as they looked upon Joffreys corpse. 'I am not trying to trick you.'

"Sounds like a trick." Willow agreed running her hands through Tommen's hair, he smiled softly up at her.

'It means I'll become king.' Tommen answered.

'Yes you will become king. What kind of King do you think you'll be?'

'A good king?' tommen suggested.

"The best." Willow confirmed.

'I think so as well.' Tywin agreed 'you've got the right temperament for it. But what makes a good king? What's a good king single most important quality?'

'This is hardly the place or the time.' Cersei muttered, but Tommen answered.

'Holiness?'

'Baylor the blessed with holy and pious he built the sept he also named a six year old boy high Septon because he thought the boy could work miracles he ended up fasting himself into an early grave because food was of this world in this world with sinful.' Tywin told him, Willow didn't know, she didn't learn these things she never would. There was too much knowledge in the world and not enough hours in the day to learn it.

'Justice.' Tommen said

'A good king must be just ORYS the first was just everyone applauded his reforms nobles and commoners like but he wasn't just for long he was murdered in his sleep after less than a year by his own brother. Was that truly just of him? To abandon his subjects to an evil that he was too gullible to recognize?' tywin questioned.

'No'

'No' Tywin agreed. Wisdom, willow thought, knowing right from wrong and knowing when to ask for help when you know nothing of the world. She looked over at Tywin and he stepped forward running a hand along her spine.

'What about strength?'

'Yes strength King Robert was strong he won the rebellion and crush the Targaryen dynasty... And he attended three small council meetings in 17 years. He spent his time whoring and hunting and drinking until the last two killed him. So we have a man who starves himself to death a man who lets his own brother murder him and a man who thinks that winning and ruling are the same thing. What do they all lack?' tywin questioned.

'Wisdom'

'Yes.' Tywin agreed and Willow smiled to herself, she got it right.

'Wisdom this was makes a good king.'

'Yes. But what is wisdom? A house with great wealth and lands asks you for your protection against another house with a strong navy that could one day oppose you. How do you know which choice is wise and which isn't? You've any experience of treasuries or granaries or shipyards and soldiers?'

'No' Tommen admitted.

'No of course not.' Tywin told him 'a King knows what he knows and what he doesn't. You are young. a wise young king listens to his counselors and heads advice until he comes of age. And the wisest kings continue to listen to them long afterwards your brother was not a wise king. Your brother was not a good king. If he had been perhaps he'd still be alive now...' cersei glared over at her father, 'as the king you will have to marry. Do you understand why?' Tywin kept a hold of Willow's hand as they moved away from Joffrey's corpse.

'A king needs a queen' Tommen answered as tywin led him away.

'Yes but why?' tommen didn't answer. 'To further the family line do you know how that happens?'

'Yes' tommen said slowly.

'Yes but did anyone explain the details to you?' tywin questioned.

'I don't think so.'

'It's all relatively straightforward.' Tywin said thinking about Willow and all the things he would like to do with her, all the places he wished his lips to touch his hands to grab, he looked over at her and the smirk she gave him was as though she could read his mind.

''How are you?' Jamie questioned as they were leaving the sept

'I'm all right.' Tommen answered

'You are, you will be, I'll see to that,' Jamie encouraged