Boys Like You / Tyrion Lannister

46. Legacy

'Your grace.' Oberyn stood up as cersei and Rieka approached. Rieka's hand fisted her stomach nervously. She couldnt lose Tyrion too. Cersei was a good distraction, Oberyn was a good distraction. 

''My Prince...' Cersei said glancing to his parchment. ''who are you writing to?'

'A poem actually.' Oberyn corrected.

"A poet, how lovely." Rieka remarked. "We need more poets, men dont know how to be romantic." Oberyn chuckled nodding. 

"very true my lady." Oberyn agreed. 

'May I show you the gardens?' Cersei questioned. 

''well I couldn't really refuse a royal escort now could I...' Oberyn mused

'No you couldn't.' Cersei agreed 'I did not realize you were a poet.'

''I'm not a very good one.''

''For your wife or for your Paramore...' Cersei said sweetly.

"Ellaria, she was lovely, I met her-" Rieka stopped herself at Cersei's side eyed stared. Cersei held onto Rieka's arm for stability and comfort. 

''for one of my daughters.' Oberyn told them. 

''Do you have several don't you?' cersei recalled

'8'' Oberyn agreed. 

"Eight!" Rieka declared nearly choking on the word. "Your poor paramour." She couldnt imagine pushing out one child let a lone 8 children. 

'8? Eight daughters.' Cersei said amazed.

"Different woman for a few of them." Oberyn offered with a shrug. 

"Poor Ellaria's cunt if it wasnt more than just her." Rieka agreed, Oberyn chuckled before letting out a deep sigh. 

''The fifth is difficult.' oberyn admitted 'I named her after my sister.' he clarified. 'But I cannot say her name without sounding sad and after being sad I grow angry.' Oberyn remarked.

'Perhaps that's why she's difficult.' Cersei told him. 'Gods love their stupid jokes don't they?"?

'Which joke is that?' Oberyn questioned. Cersei leaned heavily into Rieka gripping her arm tight. 

''You are the prince of dorne legendary fighter and a great man feared throughout Westeros but you could not save your sister. I am a Lannister queen for 19 years and daughter of the most powerful man alive but I could not save my son... what good is power if you cannot protect the ones you love?' 

What was Rieka? She pondered as they wandered. She was the disgraced daughter of Ned Stark, she was married to a man that was consider an traitor of the crown, her best friend had imprisoned her for moons, her family was dead or missing, the little boy that was no older than Bran was to be king and RIeka still felt like she was a kid, like this was all a dream and she just had to wake up and Bran and Rickon would be jumping on her bed laughing out. She closed her eyes leaning into Cersei. Rieka couldnt protect her family. COuldnt protect her husband, couldnt do anything right it seemed. 

'We can avenge them.' Oberyn told her

'Yes.' she agreed 'we can avenge them.'' 

Avenge. That word stuck with Rieka, if she was wanted to avenge them, she would killed the lannisters, every last one but she didnt want to do that. Because Cersei and Jaime were her friends, Tyrion was her husband, TOmmen was a sweet boy, she felt like she gained a little brother in the past few moons. 

'You really believe Tyrion murdered your son?' Oberyn questioned

'I know he did.' Cersei sneered.

"I know he didnt." Rieka whispered and Oberyn nodded slowly. He looked to Cersei's pinched face vs Rieka's lips, she bit down on her lip to keep it from quivering. 

''He will have a trial and we will find the truth.' Oberyn said simply.

'I have not seen my daughter in over a year.' Cersei countered looking over the water.

'Last time I saw her she was fine, with two of my girls in the water gardens.' Oberyn admitted 'laughing in the sun.''

''I want to believe that I want to believe she's happy.''

''You have my word we do not hurt little girls in Dorne.'' Oberyn told her.

''everywhere in the world they hurt little girls.' Cersei countered. 'Would you bring her gift for me? I wasn't there for her name day and I want to give her some thing.'' Rieka ran her nailed gently down Cersei's back and she felt like a child, her mother used to do that to soothe her, Rieka always seemed to know what she needed before she did. 

''Anything at all.' Oberyn agreed.

''The best shipwrights in Kings Landing have been working on it for months.' she pointed at a sailing boat 'Myrcella loves the water.''

"beautiful." RIeka agreed. 

''We will have it sailed down to Sun spear for her.'' Oberyn told Cersei confidently. 

''Please tell her... Her mother misses her very much.' Cersei added sadly. 

"Maybe she comes home... with her betrothed." Rieka added. "A girl needs her mother." 

+

''We have been over this the matter is closed.''

''Well I am opening it.' Cersei demanded. 

''No.' Tywin answered 'you are to be married to Loras Tyrell, we are still betrothed to Loras Tyrell and you will marry Loras Tyrell as soon as Tommen married margaery.'

'Father!' cersei pleaded

'I already decided that. it is agreed upon.' Tywin told her.

'not by me! I will not.' Cersei shouted.

'Jaime cannot marry or inherit land, tyrion's sentence will be carried out tomorrow- Rieka didnt pop out a son within the two moons of marriage so-" Tywin huffed a breath. "You have on several occasions made great claims about your commitment to this family's future your role in this future is more vital than it ever was.' Tywin reminded her.

'I will stay In Kings Landing with my son where I belong.'

'When you were nine years old I was called to the capital I decide to take your brother with me not you that you would not be left at Castlery rock under any circumstances if you recall.'' Tywin began.

'I do not want to hear another one of your smug stories about the time you won.' Cersei told him 'this is not going to be one of those times.''

''Do you think you are the first person that will be pushed into a sept to be married against her will?' tywin questioned with a chuckle.

'When you burst into the throne room to tell me you won the battle of the black water, did you remember I was sitting on the iron throne with Tommen... I was about to give him an essence of nightshade that's how far I was willing to go so those awful men would not take my son away someone awful is coming to take him away.' Cersei sneered.

''no.'' tywin told her sternly.

'Joffrey is dead.' Cersei went on 'Myrcella has been sold like livestock and now you want to ship me off to high garden and separate me from my boy my last boy... Margaery will dig her claws into him and you will dig your claws into him until you rip him apart like a beast you are I will burn our house to the ground before I let that happen.' Cersei warned him.

'And I will give you that...''

''I will tell everyone the truth.' cersei told him, her last defense.

''And what truth with that be?' Tywin questioned ignorantly.

''you don't know do you? You never believed it how is that possible?' He waited silently 'of course it's possible how can someone so consumed by the idea of his family have any conception about what his family was doing... We were right there in front of you and you didn't see us once... look in the past 20 years you wouldn't even looked at your own children and you would've known.'' Cersei told him softly.

''Know what?' tywin questioned.

''Everything they say is true about Jamie and me your legacy is a lie.''

''I don't believe you.' Tywin corrected. 

"Yes you do.''