Loki: Storm of Swords

Chapter 95 - A Mercy Given

Tywin looked out into the darkness before him and wondered how much time had passed since Ragna had visited him. He was supposed to have been rescued, but nobody came. He had heard noises through the network of catacombs that made up the pits beneath the Red Keep, but nobody came. Tywin came to the conclusion that the forces of the Lord of Light had been stopped and he would remain a hostage till the end of his days. And his days were probably numbered. It was a sudden flash of green sparks right before his face that startled Tywin Lannister. The sparks withdrew before coming back to life in the palm of a pale, long fingered hand. Tywin looked up and saw Loki Frostborn and Tyrion Lannister. Tywin grinned as he bowed his head, closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. "I was wondering when your queen would grow tired of occasionally feeding me slop. I guess the time has finally come," the old lion commented.

"It has, Tywin," Loki answered. He glanced down at Tyrion and the dwarf sat cross legged before his father, the two men studying each other. Loki made a move to walk away and give them some privacy, but Tyrion shook his head and Loki remained where he was.

"Too afraid to speak to me in private before you kill me?" Tywin queried. Tyrion shook his head.

"Nay, it's nothing to do with that. I figured Loki earned the right to be present for this. Don't you think?" Tyrion posed in return. Tywin snorted before he glanced up at Loki.

"Your little shit of a daughter paid me a visit not too long ago. Our conversation was... interesting, I'm not going to lie. How old is she?"

"She's six. Soon to be seven. I plan on allowing her to travel the countries and study all types of fighting styles," Loki answered. Tyrion tilted his head back and made a face, as if to ask, Does Sansa know about this? Loki own eyelids flickered minutely and Tyrion got the gist of it. He turned back to his father.

"Ha! You'll turn her into a boy! No man will want her!" Tywin said with surety and Loki shrugged his shoulders, the flames flickering in the palm of his hand.

"I wouldn't say that. Most men will want her just because of her name, which by the way, got more prestigious." Tywin got a confused expression on his face and Loki snickered. "Didn't you hear? My mother was Rhaella Targaryen." Tywin's visage went from confused to shocked. "My family has ties to the Iron Throne. Both my children, and the one on the way could be heirs some day."

"Now, isn't that enticing for you? Surprised you resisted this long," Tywin pointed out.

"He's resisted because he put my wife there and now either our daughter or son will sit on the Iron Throne. Just as one of Loki's children will become their Hand. You see, Father, I've become the most successful of all your offspring. Yes, Cersei may have become Queen of Westeros, but she never held any real power. And, even though it pains me to say this, my brother had no power either because our sister held his balls on a leash. I've married the new ruler of Westeros and I have a say alongside her as to how we run the country. I have complete control of Lannisport and any children of ours who want to keep my name can, as long as they give up the throne. That way, House Lannister doesn't die out. Unlike House Baratheon and House Bolton," Tyrion said.

"I thought you assimilated my grandson into your house as a ward, Ser Loki," Tywin pointed out.

"I did. But, Tommen understands he's not really a Baratheon; given his parentage. He's a smart young man and figured it out. As such, he's gone to the name Lannister, but is not Tyrion's heir for Casterly Rock. That will fall to any child of Tyrion's with Daenerys, who chooses to keep the Lannister name. Shireen is no longer called Baratheon as she is my ward. I am searching for a suitable marriage for her, so that her future may be secure. Therefore, House Baratheon no longer exists. And, eh, eh! We all know what happened to House Bolton," Loki reminded, hinting to the Red Wedding and the eventual downfall of Ramsay Bolton. Tywin winced as he straightened up against the wall and fixed Tyrion with his steely gaze.

"What is all this? Are you still trying to get my approval, even when you're about to kill me?!" he hissed.

"No, Father. This has nothing to do with getting your approval. I'm just proving you wrong," the dwarf answered.

"The one son you thought wouldn't amount to much has amounted to everything," Loki pointed out with a grin. Tywin chuckled a little before he coughed a dry cough. He placed a hand across his mouth and doubled over. Tyrion and Loki just watched, their faces neutral. Finally, Tywin stopped and just looked up at them. 

"You betrayed your own family. I know you," Tywin said, pointing at Loki, "were involved in the death of my son, my grandson, and my daughter. And you," pointing at Tyrion, "are a disgrace to the name of Lannister. All your offspring with the dragon bitch will be tainted blood, and will never be worthy of Casterly Rock, just as you are not-"

"Are you done?" Tyrion asked after he yawned. Loki snickered as he made the flame dim a little. He crouched down and held the light a little closer to Tyrion's face, giving him the appearance of having harsh edges in the shadows. "You should be thanking me. I'm about to give you the ultimate release from your greatest embarrassment: your defeat at the hands of your dwarf son. My wife showed pity on you by locking up down here to be forgotten. But, I never forgot. I remembered that you were down here, lurking like a malevolent spectre. What did you say the mortals of Midgard have, Loki? Pandora's Box? A box that contains all the evil in the world, and a little idiot called Pandora opened it. The War of Five Kings was that Pandora's Box, and we shut you back in it. Tonight, I'm going to let you out just so I can kill you," Tyrion said. Tywin smiled.

"You get to finish your task then of destroying our family. You started with your mother," the old lion said. Tyrion's hand went out and slapped Tywin's cheek. Loki was not surprised by this. Tyrion hated it when people said he killed his mother. 

"You can't blame a person who has no control of the situation for an accident. I was an infant! Do you honestly think I wanted to kill my mother?! You f—king twat!" Tyrion shouted before Loki placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Now, now. No need to get angry at the poor condemned man. He's not long for this world anyway," Loki reminded as he stood up, withdrawing the light a little. Tyrion nodded as he also rose. 

"You've blamed me for that offense my entire life, but it ends now," Tyrion informed Tywin as he reached his hand out. Tywin was not sure what type of weapon would be used to execute him, but he figured that Tyrion was not silently asking for a sword to decapitate him with. Instead, Loki conjured up a crossbow with a single dart. Tyrion took it and made sure that it was locked into place before he stepped back. 

"Going to make it official?" Tywin posed as he rested his head against the wall.

"That bullshit only applies for an 'official' execution. This is as unofficial as it gets," Tyrion answered as he lifted the crossbow. Tywin just glanced up to Loki for an instant before he turned back to his son. "Goodbye, Tywin," Tyrion said.

"Can't even call me-" Tywin started to say before he got a bolt in the chest. He stared down at it in shock before raising his eyes to look at Tyrion. The dwarf lowered the crossbow and it vanished in a burst of green sparks. Loki and Tyrion stepped back and watched as Tywin Lannister began to convulse. Loki flicked his fingers and the bolt vanished.

"The rats will cover it up soon enough. With all the hubbub going on upstairs, the pits and their prisoners will more than likely be forgotten for a couple of days. By the time they remember, Tywin Lannister will be shredded meat," Loki said. He placed a hand on Tyrion's shoulder and pulled him away. "Come on, Tyrion. It's time for you to sleep." Tyrion sagged in Loki's arms and he picked the dwarf up. With that, Loki walked away from the still warm corpse of Tywin of House Lannister.