My pride and my grief: For my sister...A Jaime Lannister Story

Ch-10

Sorry for the delay, everyone! :( School's started, so I didn't get much time....

Tywin entered the Sept. It was his turn to stand vigil for his father. He felt, not surprisingly, sad, yes, on the death of his father, but also felt quite relieved, for this left him with ample opportunity to deal with his father's unruly bannermen. Lord Tytos was not a strong man, and House Lannister had rather lost its prestige under his inept administration.

He came back to his senses when he saw that the Sept was beginning to fill up. His father had died seven days ago, and the funeral was today.It was Westerosi tradition that the eldest son stand vigil during the funeral, and Tywin was trying to ignore the smell of decay which hung around the corpse. Joanna was looking at him, a bit bemused. He realized that face must be looking strange, so he turned away.

After the funeral, Tywin and Joanna were mobbed by many people, all offering meaningless platitudes. Joanna, being the lady she was, accepted them gracefully, but it was beyond Tywin's capabilities. He led her away discreetly, trusting Kevan to look after the self-proclaimed grieving masses.

'Tywin!' exclaimed Joanna chidingly. 'It is not proper to leave guests unattended at such a solemn occasion!' 'Tywin ignored her sermon. 'Is the castle prepared for the King?' he asked, trying to distract her. 'Yes, it is but-' Joanna was cut off by Tywin embracing her. 'You are my life, Joanna.' he declared. 'In their nursery, Tywin.' I would like to see them.'

Joanna led the way to the nursery, where Cersei was fast asleep, and her brother was trying to free himself from her embrace. Joanna stepped into his field of vision, and instantly, he extricated himself with a surge of effort. Seeing Joanna, he tried to reach up, in vain. Joanna picked him up. 'There you go, darling boy.' she soothed. 'Don't coddle him. He is a Lannister.' admonished Tywin. 'He is my son. He is a babe, Tywin.' retorted Joanna, hugging the boy. Tywin sighed and nodded.

Joanna was surprised. Her husband was behaving strangely, to say the least. He looked relieved during the funeral. He had led her out of the Sept before it was over. Joanna was grateful for it, to be honest. It had been fraying her nerves to be a gracious hostess, but, it still wasn't proper. Then, unexpectedly, he had bared his feelings to her. She had been aware that Tywin was fond of her, but he had never been vocal about his emotions.

She thought about this for a long time. Finally, she understood, and was filled with fear. Tywin was again hatching a grand plan for his legacy, she thought. She prayed fervently to the Seven, hoping this was not true.

Notes: I'm not sure if it is indeed Westerosi tradition that the eldest son stands vigil for the funerals of his parents. It just seemed appropriate, so I put it in... :) Also, if Tywin seems a bit Out of Character, it is because I think that his nature with Joanna is a bit playful, more like Jaime's in books...