EDITED: 8th Jan 2022

276AC

Finally, seventeen years after the birth of Rhaegar, the king and queen had a child who lived longer than a year.

Prince Viserys was born in the early days 276AC. The child was perfectly healthy, but Aerys was hideously paranoid, and a Kingsguard knight was ordered to stand over the babe, day and night. No one, not even Rhaella, was allowed to be alone with the prince. Gifts for Viserys sent from all over the kingdom were piled up and burned in the courtyard, as the king feared they might be cursed, and most grotesque of all, Aerys made his own food taster suckle straight from the wet nurse, to ensure there was no poison.

Ten months later, when the prince was still alive, it seemed that these extreme methods had worked; or, more likely, that the child was simply healthier than the others. When Viserys had yet to show any sign of sickliness or frailty, Tya corresponded with Kevan to arrange for a tourney to be held at Lannisport in honour of the infant prince.

It wasn't an entirely selfless gesture, of course. No doubt to outsiders it would seem to be her offer of reconciliation to Aerys, but Tya viewed it as more of a bribe.

Since he came to her to ask about his mother, Prince Rhaegar had been visiting the Tower of the Hand more often since then. Not on a regular basis - the king might implode from paranoia - but every month or so she would receive a visit from the prince. Rhaegar would mostly ask her about matters of state, presumably to learn the things his father was incapable of teaching him, and Tya was not displeased with the prince, the more time she spent with him. Though the boy was neither shrewd nor particularly calculating, he was dutiful, listened well, and had a strong desire to be a good king, at least. That was something she could work with; she had worked with his unbearable father for years, after all.

On top of that, Rhaegar now trained daily in the yard - an area he had always been lacking in - claiming to have read something in a book that required him to learn the sword. The prince was decent with a sword considering he'd barely spent two years training; no great warrior, but he was still improving, particularly with the addition of Ser Arthur Dayne, Sword of the Morning, to the Kingsguard. The young knight and the heir to the throne had become close friends.

Surprisingly, the prince had found he had a remarkable talent for jousting, although - as Tya was often told by her eager sons - it was more about strong horsemanship than anything else.

She could tentatively say that Rhaegar would be a much better king than his father currently was. And if he continued seeking her advice now, then perhaps he would see she was valuable enough to keep her as Hand when he was crowned.

The point was, her rather favourable opinion of the prince had given Tya the seeds of an idea she wouldn't have considered before. Which then led to the tourney; get Aerys in a good enough mood that he would agree to betroth his heir to Cersei.

It wasn't a poor match by any means, though perhaps an unexpected one for a prince. If Rhaegar was to marry any Lannister, it should rightly be a daughter of the main branch; though Janei was the only option there, and the fact she was to be Lady of the Rock ruled her out. Cersei was to be the cousin of Lady Lannister - potentially goodsister as well if the plans she and Kevan had made were followed through - as well as daughter to the Hand. It wouldn't be the first time a Hand's daughter was made queen; the only example she could think of off the top of her head was again Alicent Hightower, perhaps not the best comparison.

Besides, Rhaegar seemed to like Cersei (no doubt in a friendly way seeing as the girl was only twelve). Her daughter was often present at Tya's side when he came to speak with her, and although she treated him with respect as a prince, Cersei was never one to keep her opinions to herself when she was around her mother (though she could smile sweetly through lots of other occasions) and ended up speaking to him much more normally than most would. He seemed to find her cutting criticism of many members of court amusing, along with her ferocity and keen mind. It helped that the girl was obviously going to grow up to be a stunning beauty.

Tya was rather cautious about offering Cersei's hand for the prince, as often any suggestion from her caused Aerys to do the exact opposite. This tourney would have to greatly flatter the king's ego, and - although it riled her to do so - show that she was fully on his side and willing to accommodate his wishes without argument.

She suspected that a lot of the issues they had were because she didn't show him proper respect as king; gone were the days when that was why he appreciated her. It seemed the fun for him had been awaiting the moment she finally broke her resolve and breathlessly confessed her undying love and admiration for him. Now he realised that was never going to happen - that she really was just a cold, proud woman who viewed him with disdain - it had soured his perception of her considerably.

Thankfully, for her pride's sake, asking Aerys about a betrothal between Cersei and Rhaegar wasn't Tya's only motivation for the tourney.

That became quite apparent with the unexpected arrival of the Starks to Lannisport; Lord Rickard, his eldest son Brandon, aged seven-and-ten, and only daughter Lyanna, who was a year older than Rohanne. The Warden of the North rarely ventured down south from Winterfell, so the presence of him and his children caused a bit of a stir, and plenty of rumours to fly around. So much so that no one was talking about the possibility of Cersei and Rhaegar, which suited Tya perfectly as she wanted no embarrassment on her behalf if Aerys rejected the match.

Lord Rickard met with her in Kevan's solar, which her brother had generously allowed her to use for this matter; if he thought it odd that it was her negotiating such things rather than her husband, he didn't mention it.

Tya had met the man once before, when he visited court over ten years ago - prompting Aerys'... ambitious suggestion of moving the Wall a hundred miles north - and since then his wife, Lady Lyarra, had died from falling off a horse. Stark had been gruff and stern before, but now seemed even colder and more calculating, intelligent grey eyes assessing her every move.

"I have always wanted Brandon to marry south," He said. "I've already received word from Hoster Tully about a potential match with his eldest girl. Though an alliance with the west - and Hand of the King - would be more beneficial," She rather liked the blunt way the Northerners bargained. "However Catelyn is three-and-ten. Your girl is only nine. The wedding would have to wait seven years rather than three, unless you'd be willing to offer your eldest instead,"

"Are you feeling particularly frail that your heir must be married with children of his own in the next four years?" Tya raised an eyebrow, and Stark let out a short laugh.

"Hardly,"

"There you are, then," She said, adopting his direct manner. "Besides, Cersei would not suit the North. Nor your son," Her eldest daughter would loathe being sent to live out her days in Winterfell as wife of the notoriously wild Brandon Stark. "I have other plans for her," It was obvious what she meant by that; Tya only mentioned it as it would sweeten the pot for Rohanne's hand, if she were the sister of a future queen.

Stark was silent for a moment, assessing her words.

"And Lady Rohanne would suit the North and my son?"

"Rohanne is clever and dutiful, but has no time for the courtly ideals and dainty courtesies that southron ladies must abide by. She would prefer a hunt to a masquerade," The girl was very good with her hands and sewed beautifully, the one ladylike pursuit she enjoyed; she also fired a bow with incredible skill for a child, and rode like she was half horse herself. She was often in trouble with her septa and tutors for her bluntness, despite her generally reserved nature; she told people exactly what she thought of them, not caring if they liked her or not, which hadn't earned her many friends amongst the other highborn girls. Jaime and Cersei had always been very amused by their sister.

It had been a matter of annoyance to Tya that Rohanne's only other friends were a group of unruly young squires whom seemed to be amused by teaching her how to use a sword and knife. She would put up with it whilst Rohanne was so young - at Jason's insistence - but not for much longer. It was a welcome sight to see her befriend Lyanna Stark almost immediately, even if the girl was brazen, bold and outspoken.

"The same courtly daintiness that you abide by?" Stark raised an amused, vaguely incredulous eyebrow.

Tya's lips twitched.

"I am Hand of the king - Rohanne has no such interest in government as her mother does, although she has a good enough head for numbers that she could run a household now, let alone in seven years,"

"I suppose Brandon would prefer to wait seven years to wed," The man seemed to have talked himself into agreeing. "He'd rather have a wife he could ride and hunt with than some delicate southron flower. Tully's offer was tempting - the food they could provide during the winter would have been beneficial - but with the gold of House Lannister behind Lady Rohanne, I'm sure a reasonable dowry could be discussed, Lady Hand?"

He smiled rather sharply, and Tya fought the urge to glare, though it was a reasonable question. And hardly impertinent given his status.

"Of course,"

*

During the tourney, the smallfolk cheered twice as loud for Tya as they did for Aerys, although the king of course thought the praise was for him. She supposed his delusion could only be to her benefit.

They all watched as the tourney commenced, the joust being narrowed down further and further. The standard was very high; even Tya, who knew little of such things, could tell that. Arthur Dayne unseated many a knight, including Prince Rhaegar, Tygett and Gerion - Jason didn't even enter the lists, though came second in the archery - and won, crowing his sister, the young Lady Ashara, as victor.

She kept a close eye on the Starks; Rohanne spent a lot of time with Lady Lyanna, which was good, as the girl was often around her brothers and it would give them time to form a favourable opinion of her. Tya's daughter was easy to pick out from her vivid red hair in the crowd of dark-haired Northerners.

From her observations, it was clear that Brandon had a wandering eye, as most men of seven-and-ten did, though he was not yet officially betrothed so it mattered little. Once the betrothal was announced, Tya would prefer he kept such dalliances discreet (it was foolish to expect that he stop altogether, seeing as his future bride was nine years old). Aside from that, however, she had little to complain about him as a husband for her daughter; the young man was a ferocious warrior and handsome, with a strong personality, charismatic in a somewhat sharper, wilder way than the charming Robert Baratheon.

The younger boy, Eddard - who had arrived with Jon Arryn and the delegation from the Vale, where he fostered with the Baratheon heir - was fourteen. Plainer and quieter than his brother and Robert, he still managed to carry the icy solemnity of the Starks even at that young age. Not that anything could be done about it, but Tya found herself thinking that he might be a better lord than Brandon; though less personable, he seemed just as strong-willed, more steadfast in temperament, and also took his duties much more seriously.

Rohanne and Lyanna seemed to be kindred spirits; although Lyanna was far more vocal and less blunt in her manner, they clearly shared the same reckless sense of fun. Tya had despaired at the sight of finding the two girls 'sparring' with two broomsticks in a courtyard, as Jaime, both Stark boys and Robert Baratheon watched, laughing.

"My lady," All four of the boys - young men, really - acknowledged her instantly when they saw her, even the wild Brandon. It was good to know that she still inspired fear, even with the king slighting her at every opportunity. Tya nodded back, about to intervene when the girls had yet to finish play-fighting, but Rohanne abruptly won before she could say anything, Lyanna's broomstick going flying.

"Mother," The girl said respectfully enough, though Tya caught her small triumphant smile at her victory. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jaime and Eddard Stark being discreetly passed several coins from the other two, no doubt winnings from a bet.

"Your father and I wish to speak to you," She told Rohanne. "In private,"

The girl clearly wanted to stay but knew better than to argue, setting down her broomstick.

"Yes, Mother," Her lips twitched as she glanced back to the others. "Brandon thinks he could beat Jaime with a sword,"

"How good could you possibly be, Lannister?" The older boy scoffed at her son. "You're not even three-and-ten, and your sister's taller than you are," Cersei was indeed an inch taller than Jaime, as girls tended to be at that age.

Robert Baratheon laughed. Tya raised an eyebrow, but as ever her son had a quick retort.

"Try me, Stark," He said with a sharp smile. "So far it seems that Lady Lyanna is the most fearsome of your family,"

"Come on," Tya murmured to her daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder and steering her away from the increasingly vocal bickering that would inevitably end a sparring match, which her son would win.

Jason was the one to tell her. Rohanne took the news about her soon-to-be-announced betrothal to Brandon with a shrug, though as predicted seemed glad to be marrying north rather than south.

"Brandon is fun," She said. "I like Ned more, though,"

"You're too honest," Jason said with a chuckle. "Are you sure you're a Lannister?"

Tya shot him a glare, but only because Aerys had made another choice comment about the parentage of her children the other week; this time about Rohanne's vivid red hair, and distinctly golden-haired parents, clearly choosing to forget that Tya's own mother was a redhead, as was their grandmother.

"If any of them isn't a Lannister, it's Damon," She said to her husband after their daughter had gone. "He's too soft-hearted,"

"He's five," Jason shook his head, with an annoyed look at her. "He's allowed to be. Besides, just because he's not running around with a sword and hitting things like Jaime did doesn't mean that he's soft,"

Damon was a sensitive boy in that he cared deeply about people and animals, having saved a litter of kittens from being drowned by the cook, cooing over them like a girl would, and crying when he saw the hunt come back with a dead deer. Despite that, he had got into several fights with other children for bullying, or being cruel to their pets, and had even told Cersei off for being rude to the servants once. And though all her children would lash out at any whisper of mockery towards their youngest brother, Damon spent the most time around him as they were so close in age and was always ready to leap in and defend him.

Tyrion knew that people laughed at him, even at the young age of four. For that reason, he was rather guarded and wary around strangers, though with his family became a bright and clever little boy, who could read fluently already.

"He does have a temper," Tya admitted. "That's something, I suppose,"

*

"Lady Tya," Despite her weakness in the birthing bed, Morya Brax was not a shy or retiring woman; she rather reminded Tya of Genna, only less persuasive (even now, Tya's sister was one of the few who could get away with going directly against her). "Cersei's actions were improper and dangerous. Four highborn girls gallivanting alone into the woods - it's asking for trouble, gods only know what could've happened. Let alone this nonsense about a witch,"

That day, Cersei had snuck away from the tourney to visit some fortune-telling old woman who lived outside Lannisport, along with her cousin Janei, who was seven, and two of Janei's companions, Melara Hetherspoon and Jeyne Farman. Tya had only found out when Janei, terrified from the encounter, had told her mother, who had marched to find her.

"My daughter knows what she did was foolish," Tya replied evenly. "Although from what I hear, it was only her and Lady Melara who wished to go - your Janei could have stayed with the Farman girl, if she truly wished it. And the countless Lannister guards assigned to her,"

Morya's lips pressed together.

"Janei is traumatised," She said. "She's a sensitive child - the old hag said something to her that she's too scared to repeat. Now she's insisting that she never wants to be Lady Lannister, and doesn't want to marry Jaime,"

The betrothal between the cousins had been announced earlier in the year, to prevent the bannermen from taking offence at their offers for Janei's hand being refused. Jaime was not best pleased, but accepted the news with a nod and a sardonic smile; age twelve, he was now squiring for Tygett, still at the Rock taking lessons from Kevan.

"A sensitive child," Tya's lips thinned. "Just what we need the Lady of Casterly Rock to be,"

"Which is why we're marrying her to your son, is it not?" Morya raised an impetuous eyebrow. "She has the claim, he has the authority," Her tone belied how displeased she was about that. No doubt she had wished to rule through her weak daughter. Instead, Tya would rule through her careless son. Assuming she outlived Kevan, of course, which wasn't a pleasant idea, or a likely one; she had more enemies than her brother ever would.

"Precisely," She replied rather coldly. There was an uncomfortable pause. "What is it exactly you want from me with regard to this situation? I will speak to Cersei - she did act foolishly - but if you're expecting anything more, don't," Her warning stare prevented the woman from protesting. This hardly warrants a beating. "In return, encourage your daughter to grow a spine. She'll need it in the future,"

*

There was a faint ringing in Tya's ears. She hadn't been this furious for a long while. Even her rage when confronted the rumours that Tyrion was Aerys' bastard was overshadowed by this.

"You and your husband are mere servants of the crown. No servant's daughter is fit to marry a prince of royal blood,"

The king's rudely-delivered rejection of the offer of Cersei's hand for Rhaegar echoed around her head. It came from his fear of her power and ambition, his suspicion of his eldest son, his paranoia that his Hand was out to get him. Keep this up and I soon will be.

At least it hadn't been public. She had taken the king aside when he had been in a rare good mood - he had seemed like his old self again, sociable and gregarious - and put the offer to him. Aerys' expression had immediately darkened and he said that great insult. Tya had been so angry that she had no reply for the king, who had smiled nastily in apparent triumph and left her stood there.

She would not forget that insult, not until the day she died. She had been called many things in her life, many of them true - ruthless, cold, murderer - many of them not - whore, witch, adulterer - but no one had ever dared to call her a servant. She was the daughter of the richest, proudest house in Westeros. Her family possessed the one castle that even the Targaryens may not have taken, mountains of gold lying underneath it. She was Hand of the King - the first woman to hold the position - and had run the realm as though she were king for her entire tenure. To suggest that her daughter was not worthy of the prince...

It was one thing to refuse the offer of a marriage alliance. It was quite another to insult her in such a way.

If it had been up to Tya, there would have been no feast to end the tourney. It wasn't, however, and Lady Morya - for all her faults - had arranged a magnificent occasion, with minstrels, dancers and a troupe of mummers to entertain. A shame her daughter Janei clung to her throughout, too timid to even socialise with the other children.

Kevan had made a speech at the start, making a toast to Prince Viserys and the king himself, before announcing - with a nod to a satisfied Lord Rickard - that he was delighted to announce the betrothal of his niece, Lady Rohanne Lannister, to Brandon Stark, heir to Winterfell. A ripple of shock went through the crowd, although they'd been whispering about a potential match since the arrival of the Starks.

At least that covered any rumours of her rather humiliatingly refused offer. Though if Aerys thought to tell anyone - she could just see him announcing it to the hall, to mock her - she may just run him through with her dagger.

Tya had eaten little during the meal, and remained in her seat at the high table whilst most others got up to dance. The expression on her face no doubt warned everyone off; even her brothers were giving her a wide berth. She had spoken with Jason - raged to him - right after her conversation with Aerys, and his eyes had darkened at the insult, though as ever was playing the king's friend that night. She knew he was right to do so, that at least one of them needed to be in favour, but no matter how fake she knew it was, it still rankled when she saw him laugh at Aerys' jokes, clap him on the back and clink their cups together before drinking.

It was odd, how Jason had always been in the king's favour, considering how Aerys had resented Tya for marrying someone who wasn't him. You'd think he would resent her husband too, yet it was always her to blame.

The servants had given her a delicate glass wine goblet that night, which was a mistake; she had to put it down, lest she squeeze the stem hard enough to break. She finished the wine first, in one gulp, uncharacteristic for her, normally preferring to keep her wits about her, never drinking more than one glass. She'd drunk three that night. Hardly a considerable amount, but more than she was used to. Not near enough for anyone to notice, though she wasn't sat straight upright in her chair as usual, but leaning back slightly, similar to the arrogant way Aerys often lounged on his throne (and inevitably cut himself).

Tya watched the hall. Jaime and Cersei were dancing together beautifully, golden mirrors of each other. Damon and Tyrion were of course in bed asleep at this late hour, but Rohanne was dancing with Lyanna Stark, before Brandon cut in with a grin.

She looked happy enough to dance with her betrothed, and he seemed happy to indulge her, although it was clear she treated him the same way she would treat Jaime or her Uncle Gerion, and he treated her as he would Lyanna. Tya suspected the boy really was just pleased to have another seven years of freedom before his bride-to-be came of age.

"My lady," Speak of the Stranger. Gerion had approached her with a wide grin, holding out his hand. "Would you honour me with a dance,"

Her youngest brother was one-and-twenty, and as of yet happily unmarried; his former betrothed, Elissa Serrett, had scandalously been found in bed with a household knight at the age of sixteen and quietly married off. No one had bothered to find Gerion another woman to marry. Tya certainly wasn't going to bother, not now the future of House Lannister involved her own son. Gerion clearly appreciated her uncharacteristic laxness on the matter either way.

"Haven't you got a horde of eager young women trailing after you?" Rather than your cold, stiff elder sister. Gerion had certainly grown up the most handsome of the five children of Tytos Lannister, and was also the only one left unmarried, making him more than eligible to any eager ladies.

"Alas, I feel like a partner who will grant me a break from giggling and insipid remarks," He said in good humour, eyes twinkling. "Unless you've drunk more wine than usual, I'm sure you're the best option, dear sister. And the most regal lady in the room - certainly the most exclusive. Everyone else is too scared to ask you for a dance,"

"As they should be," Tya didn't quite smile, but near enough. "You know you're ridiculous with all that flattery, don't you?" She got up nonetheless, despite her sharp tone.

"You looked like you could do with some," Her brother shrugged as they joined the dancing.

"Charming,"

He laughed. Gerion laughed a lot, and grinned a lot too. It often unnerved her - as anyone's laughter did - but he sounded so much like their father when he did so that it brought up unpleasant memories.

"Can you deny it?" He asked. "I've never seen you sit anything less than ramrod straight before. Nor drink more than one glass of wine at a feast,"

"I'm hardly stumbling over my feet,"

"I wouldn't blame you if you were," Her brother said. "After five-and-thirty years of sobriety, and five-and-ten of being Hand to - " He broke off with a sly smile at her warning look. "Well, you deserve to get outrageously drunk at any rate,"

"Absolutely not," She said flatly. "I would end up telling the king precisely what I think of him," Which was rather tempting, but would cause more trouble than it was worth.

"You make it very clear to everyone else what you think of them," Gerion grinned. "Why should he be any different?"

Tya just shook her head.

"If you can't see why, it's a good thing you'll never inherit the Rock,"

"You're probably right," It reassured her that he had no bitterness about that, his easy smile not even flickering. "Janei will certainly make a better lord than I - she's terrified of offending the king,"

"Janei's terrified of everyone," Tya grimaced. "I did mean to ask you - what do you think of Lady Alinor? Is she barren?" She could have asked Tygett - Alinor was his wife, after all - but Gerion was far easier to talk to. From what she had observed, the couple got along very well, seeming to be close friends - she made Tygett laugh a lot more than most others did - yet there was not even a hint of children after years of seemingly happy marriage.

"No," Gerion snorted. "Just prefers the company of her handmaids to any male attentions. You couldn't have made a better match for Tyg. He's happy, she's happy, the bannermen are happy and there is no danger of your darling Jaime being pushed any further back in succession,"

It took Tya a second to figure out what he meant by that.

"So long as it's kept discreet," She said carefully. "You're right. I couldn't have made a better match," She didn't care to know what her brother did or didn't do in his bedchamber, so long as nothing got out that could be made a mockery of.

"Now you just have to marry me off to a peasant girl and your way to the Rock will be clear,"

Her brother was joking, she knew, but she shot him a glare regardless. He just laughed, then laughed some more at how she tensed at the sound.

*

Is it just me that thinks Tya would get on a lot better with her siblings if she wasn't trying to force them into unwanted marriages and micromanaging their lives? Here, her ambition for Jaime to be Lord of Casterly Rock has won out over ensuring there's a lot of Lannisters in the next generation, and everyone seems to benefit.

What do you all think of the match between Rohanne and Brandon? Considering Jaime will marry Janei and essentially be Lord of Casterly Rock, she's as good as the main line of Lannisters, certainly the closest Rickard is likely to get seeing as Kevan would never let his heir marry another heir. Her mother being Hand certainly sweetens the deal, as well as the possibility of Cersei being married into the royal family (which he doesn't know fell through yet).

Thanks for reading and thanks so much for any votes/comments/reviews!