Winter's Fire → Game of Thrones

li. Convincing

Tyrion's trial was infuriating to have to watch. I nearly snapped before Tyrion did, but thankfully he beat me to it.

Tyrion's lover, Shae, had decided to testify and lie that Tyrion and Sansa had plotted Joffrey's death together. She made it seem like it was all Sansa's idea because she wanted vengeance for our family. She did want vengeance, but Shae, Tyrion and I all knew that this was not my sister's doing.

I was shocked when he admitted he was guilty though. He did not admit to being guilty of killing Joffrey. He admitted to being guilty of being a dwarf and a disappointment to his father. He said he wished he had killed Joffrey himself, that he wanted everyone in the hall to die of poison and that he wished he had let Stannis Baratheon take King's Landing.

Then he demanded a trial by combat. Under the rules of the Faith of the Seven, it has to be granted. So now Tyrion was looking for someone to fight for him and I suspected that is why he asked me to see him in the cells.

Jaime Lannister and Bronn, Tyrion's sellsword, had already been asked to fight for him. I knew Jaime Lannister would not be strong enough to go up against the Mountain without his right hand. And I knew a sellsword would not take such a dangerous job when he was offered a wife and a castle instead.

It was a tough position for Tyrion to be in. If it were anyone else, many would agree to fight. It is just that the Mountain is, well, a mountain of a man. He stands well over seven feet, was muscle all over and was known for his brutality. The man did not care about others and even took joy in brutally murdering enemy soldiers and innocent people alike. It did not help that he was freakishly fast for a man that size.

As I entered the cells, two guards just stepped aside and pointed me in a general direction instead of guiding me where to go. I did not blame them. The whole are smelt of piss and shit and despite not many people be down in the cells, they were oddly loud. It was probably because the ones making noise were either crying or begging to be released.

When I reached Tyrion's cell I found him sitting on a pile of hay. The cell was surprisingly well-lit and had a window. I thought that Tywin and Cersei would have personally made sure that Tyrion was in the worst cell possible. I assumed he would be in one of the ones my father was kept in, which was dark and dank and rarely had any light.

"I was starting to believe you would not come," Tyrion said, barely glancing at me.

"Well, I was starting to believe that perhaps I should not," I admitted. "I want to know what you want from me. So let us not dance around the topic and get straight to it."

A dry laugh escaped Tyrion's lips. I almost asked what was so funny, but decided better. He was probably just so bored that he found something I said funny. Or perhaps he was already starting to lose his mind down here.

"I want you to fight for me in my trial by combat," Tyrion told me. "I am afraid no one else wants to."

"Can you blame them?" I asked. "Your brother lost his sword hand and your sellsword has sold out. That, and they would have to fight The Mountain. Only a fool or his brother would want to fight him."

"I am not asking you to want to fight him-"

"No, but you are still asking me to fight him."

I looked at Tyrion with cold eyes. He looked back at me with desperation all over his face.

Part of me felt bad. I knew it was not Tyrion who killed Joffrey. I even knew who did it.

But that did not mean I was going to consider losing my life to try to prove his innocence. The Mountain just happened to be the one person I was not confident I could beat in a battle. Not even with all of my weapons at my disposal. With only one in a trial by combat, I was sure to lose. And if I did beat him somehow, we would both die.