Of Lions, Wolves, and Dragons (Jon Snow)

16. Blackwater

Joellyn watched Tyrion preparing for the battle against Stannis, feeling her stomach tie itself into knots.  Tyrion should not be doing this.  He should not be fighting.  He was smart, cunning, and brave, but he was not a warrior.  His squire, Podrick, was putting his armour on him.  It was strange seeing Tyrion this way.  This was not what anyone in the world would have expected of him, but he was Hand of the King, so he was determined to be there to help defend the city.

The three of them were all surprised by a knock on the door.  Tyrion called for whoever was knocking to enter, and at least Joellyn was surprised that it was Lord Varys that came in.  Varys had told her himself a couple of times that he admired Tyrion.  She supposed now that he must have really been telling the truth about that.

Varys questioned, "Podrick, is it?"

She rolled her eyes and responded, "As if you don't know who he is.  You know who everyone is Lord Varys."

He smiled slightly, and turned to Tyrion asking, "Do you trust him?"

Tyrion nodded, seeming surprised as he said, "Oddly enough, I do."

Varys pulled out a map and told Tyrion about the tunnels that had been built underground by the Targaryens to provide escape for the royal family in times of trouble, but his eyes kept wandering to Joellyn's.  This made Joellyn feel as if Varys were speaking to her, not Tyrion.

This feeling was confirmed as Tyrion responded, "I'm not escaping.  Strange as it sounds, I'm the captain of this ship, and if the ship goes down, I go down with her."

Joellyn's stomach tied itself back in knots.  Jaime was still missing and Tyrion was speaking of his own potential death in battle as if it were something as casual as commenting on the weather.

Varys smiled again, "That is good to hear, though I'm sure many captains say the same while their ship is afloat.  You look well suited for battle."

Joellyn began to tune out their conversation.  All this talk of battle made her nervous.  Sure, she was more confident of her ability to defend herself should anything happen inside the Keep.  Bronn had done a great deal of work with her.  She was still not perfect with a bow and arrow, but she hit the target, even while distracted, the majority of the time, and she was even more accurate with daggers.  It still scared her that battle was something that could not be anticipated.  Tyrion seemed confident, but it could just be a mask that he was wearing to comfort her.  Joellyn did not want to be trapped in King's Landing without Tyrion for company.  He had to be safe.  He just had to.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Varys saying to her, "My lady, I would appreciate your company for a while before the battle begins.  I'm sure your brother has things to do to prepare for battle that will be done more efficiently without you here to worry about him."

Joellyn looked up to Varys, then turned to Tyrion for confirmation or denial.  He nodded his head saying, "Baby sister, I know you worry.  But being with you and seeing you worry is harder to deal with than being away from you knowing that you worry."

Joellyn turned to Varys and asked, "Would you give me just a few moments," and he nodded in reply by stepping into the hall and closing the door behind him.

She turned her attention back to Tyrion, "You are right, I do worry.  I've been worried about Jaime for months now, not knowing if he will ever return to us or not.  Now I have to worry about if you will survive the attack against the city."

She felt tears forming in her eyes as Tyrion took her hand and said, "Jo, I have the same fears.  Do not think that I want to leave you here without me, left to deal with our wretched sister and her horrible son all alone.  But I am Hand of the King.  I have planned the defense of the city.  I must take part in this battle."