KINGDOM FALL
— 14. Name Day Preparations

   The following day, Olenna sat across from Tywin in the chamber of the Hand. Tywin ended up bringing up matters regarding the fact that he wanted Annalys to be married off to Ser Loras, Olenna's grandson, which Olenna was anything but happy about it, "Impossible." She found herself replying in a calm tone.

While still standing, Tywin poured himself and Olenna a glass of wine, "Why?" He questioned, acting as if there weren't any cons to Ser Loras marrying Annalys.

"My grandson is the pride of Highgarden. The most desirable bachelor in all Seven Kingdoms," Olenna explained to Tywin, "Your granddaughter--"

"Is powerful in her own right, rich, and the most beautiful woman in all Seven Kingdoms. Not to mention, the elder sister of the king." Tywin explained to Olenna, handing her a glass of wine.

"Ruined," Olenna replied, causing Tywin to raise a brow at the word the woman chose to use to describe Annalys.

"Ruined?" Tywin questioned Olenna in confusion as he turned face her before sitting back down in his seat.

"Ruined," Olenna repeated her statement without a care in the world, "Her marriage to Robb Stark was legendary, even in the South. They'd fight in battle alongside each other and then spend the entire night after celebrating their victory in bed," She paused, noticing the way Tywin rolled his eyes, "I'm something of an expert on the subject. The ladies talk about it constantly in the Reach. I'll admit, I admire your granddaughter in a way. She's strong, powerful, beautiful, and one of the greatest warriors Westeros has seen in a very long time."

"Then, what's the problem?" He asked Olenna, a puzzled look on his face.

"I don't think it's fit for my grandson to wed a woman who can murder him in his sleep if he looks at her the wrong way," Olenna informed Tywin, who clearly didn't know what he meant, "We've heard all about how her other betrothals went over the years. Most ended up dead. I don't believe you have the stomach to hear the details of what happened to some of these men."

"I've heard the stories, actually, and my stomach remains quite strong," He paused, taking a large sip of his wine before looking back over at Olenna, "The only thing that might turn it are details of your grandson's nocturnal activities. Do you deny them?"

"Oh, not at all," Olenna truthfully confessed, shaking her head, "A sword swallower through and through."

"And a boy with his affliction should be grateful for the opportunity to marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdoms and remove the stain from his name." Tywin explained coldly, but Olenna didn't seem bothered in the slightest at how disgusted he sounded.

"Did you grow up with boy cousins, Lord Tywin? Sons of your father's bannermen, squires, stable boys?" Olenna curiously asked Tywin, who didn't know what she was getting at.

"Of course." Tywin replied without hesitation.

"And you never--" She began to ask, only to have Tywin quickly cut her off.

"No." Tywin quickly responded, realizing what she was getting at.

"Not once? Not in any way?" She asked him, her tone almost mocking.

"Never." Tywin coldly said, drinking from his wine.

"I congratulate you upon your restraint," Olenna commented, much to Tywin's dismay, "But it's a natural thing, two boys having a go at each other beneath the sheets," She paused, trying her hardest not to smile at Tywin, "I would be surprised if your own granddaughter didn't have a go with another woman in her time during the war."

"Perhaps Highgarden has a high tolerance for unnatural behavior, but my granddaughter--" Tywin began to snap at Olenna, only to have her cut him off.

"I wouldn't say that. True, we don't tie ourselves in knots over a discreet bit of buggery," She paused, inhaling sharply as she gave Tywin a stern look, "but brothers and sisters, where I come from, that stain would be very difficult to wash out."

Tywin glared at Olenna, clearly knowing what she was getting at, "I will not breathe further life into a malicious lie by discussing it." He snapped at her, feeling offended as he stood up. He walked over to another table, pouring himself more wine.

"Lie or not, you must admit many people find it quite convincing.  Convincing enough to put swords in their hands and send them off to kill Lannisters and Tyrells thanks to our new affiliation. I dare say your granddaughter is the exact reason for this certain stain." She explained, causing Tywin to stop what he was doing to look over at her.

"I don't quite know what you mean." Tywin responded, attempting to act dumb.

"Oh, you do," She argued, much to Tywin's dismay, "Your granddaughter Annalys is a spitting image of both your children. She looks exactly like Cersei, with her long golden hair, tan skin, lavish dresses, cunning personality, and her ruthlessness. But if you look closely, you can see a lot more of Jaime Lannister in her. She's a warrior, like him, and honorable when she wants to be. Your son was once known as the greatest swordsman in Westeros, second to the late Ser Arthur Dayne, of course. Annalys is said to be just as good, if not better than both of them. I don't think the trait would magically be given to Annalys just because Jaime was her mother's twin. Many people believe the same as I do, you must know."

"I don't care what people believe," Tywin argued as he tried to offer Olenna more wine, but she refused, "And neither do you."

"As an authority on myself, I must disagree." She pointed out in a calm tone.

"Now, if the rumors about my children were true, then Joffrey is no king at all and House Tyrell is throwing its prized flower into the dirt." He explained to Olenna.

"And if Loras ticks Annalys off and he ends up like the rest of her betroths, we're throwing another prized flower into the dirt. It is a chance we simply cannot take." Olenna retorted, much to Tywin's dismay.

"The uncertainty makes you uncomfortable. All right. I'll remove it for you." He responded, sitting back down in his seat, "If you refuse to marry Loras to Annalys, I will name him to the Kingsguard. I'm sure you're familiar with the Kingsguard vows. He will never marry. He will never have children."

"Oh," Olenna stated, scoffing as she shook her head.

"The Tyrell name will fade. And Highgarden will go to the children of Joffrey and Margaery," Tywin continued on.

"You would have your grandson protected by someone who disgusts you?" She asked Tywin, clearly skeptical.

"I would have my grandson protected by a skilled warrior who takes his vows seriously," He explained to Olenna without a care in the world, "So, shall I draw up the order? Or do you consent to this marriage?"

Tywin picked up a quill and prepared to write the letter. Before he could, Olenna stood up, taking the quill from Tywin's hand, "It's a rare enough thing...A man who lives up to his reputation." She remarked, snapping the quill in half before sitting back down in her seat, "I must say, you're very insistent on marrying your granddaughter off. Why is that?" She asked curiously.

Tywin slowly looked up at Olenna. His expression was unreadable. If people who knew Annalys well saw his expression, they'd know where Annalys got it from; The ability to conceal what they were truly feeling and thinking behind an unreadable expression. An expression that was practically emotionless.

"She is the main reason why tens of thousands of Lannister soldiers were killed. She cut down most of them herself, if I'm correct. She is the reason your eldest son was kidnapped and held prisoner for a year. If it weren't for her, he'd still have his right hand. There must be a reason you want her alive, Lord Tywin." She explained and despite knowing she was right, Tywin didn't say a single word, "But why?"

Tywin was silent for a long moment. He wondered whether of not telling her would cause a problem. In the end, he realized it wouldn't. After all, people would find out sooner or later, "My granddaughter has shown promising potential in both politics and warfare. Far better than any of my children, that's clear," He began to explain to Olenna in a calm tone, "If Loras and Annalys were to marry, I'd be sure to name the child heir to Casterly Rock. That would mean the child would be heir to the Westerlands and the Reach. Annalys was also unofficially named Queen in the North before she and the Young Wolf married, which means, if I wanted to, I could give the child the North as well. It would rid me of the Boltons being in power. The child would have power in three different kingdoms."

"Oh, do stop," Olenna coldly cut Tywin off, rolling her eyes in annoyance, "Now, you're just trying to convince me to agree. What's the truth? You want Annalys to have Casterly Rock, but why? She should be viewed as a traitor in your eyes. She fought against you in the last war."

"Annalys shows promising potential." He repeated himself, refusing to say anything else for the time being.

"So I've heard," She replied in annoyance.

Suddenly, Olenna stopped, realizing what was happening. Tywin had said just moments before Annalys had skills in both politics and warfare. Why would he include the fact about warfare if she was just going to be Lady of Casterly Rock?

"You don't just want her to rule Casterly Rock when you die, you want her to command the armies." She realized and by the look on Tywin's face, Olenna knew she was right.

"The Lannister army has always had a powerful man commanding them. Jaime was supposed to be that man, but proved himself unable to when he lost his hand and refused to leave the Kingsguard. Joffrey is king, he cannot rule properly in Casterly Rock if he's in King's Landing. Tommen is far too young to lead at twelve and there's no way I'm letting Casterly Rock be ruled by my whore-monger of a son." Tywin explained to Olenna truthfully, "There's a war coming. I can feel it. However, I don't believe I'll live long enough to see it happen. I will need someone who can lead the Lannister army as well as I did. Annalys is the only suitable person for that. The Lannisters have never been on the losing side of a war while I've been alive. I plan to keep it that way, even after I'm gone."

Olenna was silent for a moment. She found herself feeling impressed. Annalys must have been something special if the almighty Tywin Lannister seemed to admire her, despite being named a traitor to his house. But if Annalys was able to make Tywin, of all people, impressed, what else was she capable of?

"It would seem I'll have to meet your granddaughter myself," Olenna found herself saying, much to Tywin's relief.

___

It was nearly noon that same day when Tyrion arrived at Annalys' chambers to find her still half asleep. He had been told by her handmaiden, Jeyne, that Annalys refused to wake up and attempted to throw a book at her when she tried to wake her for breakfast.

At that moment, Tyrion knew that was enough. He had to wake her up before news of her refusal to get out of bed reached Cersei, who would make a big deal out of it, despite Annalys most likely not wanting to wake up since she went to bed late.

Tyrion walked into Annalys' room and the princess made no attempt to get up. Of course, she was awake and knew that it was Tyrion entering. She continued to close her eyes, however, and went back to sleep when she knew it was only Tyrion in her room.

She had learned to do since returning to King's Landing. There was no way someone could walk into her room while she was sleeping and her not wake up. Even the slightest creak of the floor woke her from her slumber. She was afraid of someone trying to kill her in her room and that was smart of her. Because of that, she also slept with her left hand under her pillow, tightly grasping her knife as she slept.

Much to Annalys' dismay, Tyrion walked over to the curtains of her room. They were considered blackout curtains, which Annalys had demanded to have since arriving.

As Tyrion pulled open the curtains, the bright light of the sun during midday beamed into Annalys' room. She groaned loudly, squinting as she was forced to open her eyes, "Seven hells!" She groggily exclaimed, placing an extra pillow over her face to save herself from the bright sun.

"Wake up," Tyrion demanded in a stern tone, walking over to the table where Annalys' breakfast was laid out for her hours before by servants, "I have a surprise for you."

"I hate surprises," She argued, trying her hardest to fall back asleep.

"Too bad," Tyrion retorted in an easy-going tone, "Your twentieth name day is coming up in less than a week. Your mother and grandfather are already planning it."

Annalys was silent for a moment, finding herself thinking about the fact that she was going to be twenty years old in just a few days. While with Robb, she never celebrated name days. She honestly didn't care for them. However, when she was with her family, the Lannisters always made each name days for the children one of the biggest celebrations of the year, especially Annalys' and Joffrey's.

"Joffrey won't like that," Annalys stated, her voice muffled since she had a pillow over her face, "I think I'll pass."

Tyrion sighed, in defeat. He remained silent for a moment, standing in place. He felt frustrated as moments passed and the sounds of Annalys' light snores began to fill the room. She really fell back asleep.

Tyrion sighed dramatically once more, picking up a glass filled with water before he made his way over to his niece. With his free hand, he removed the pillow from covering Annalys' face and before she could react, Tyrion poured the entire glass of water on Annalys' face.

Some of the water getting into her mother, Annalys jumped, coughing severely, "Uncle!" She complained loudly and knowing she'd tried to attack him because of her quick instincts, Tyrion jumped back, out of arm's reach, "Why'd you do that?"

"Now, the reason I'm here," Tyrion spoke up, clapping his hands together after he placed the empty glass of water down on her nightstand, "As Master of Coin, I am in charge of handling the expenses for your twentieth name day. Twenty is a very important age for a princess. This is going to be a celebration. One of the biggest of the year, most likely almost as big as your brother's upcoming wedding."

"I didn't know a twentieth name day was so important." Annalys sarcastically commented when she heard Tyrion saying it would be almost as big as her brother's wedding. She sighed, wiping the water from her face but made no motion to get out of bed, despite the bed now being soaked, her shift included.

"It is for you," Tyrion responded, causing Annalys to turn to her with a confused look, "We've missed seven of your names days. Your seventh, your eighth, your ninth, your tenth, and each of the ones that passed since you were sixteen. This name day celebration will make up for lost time, especially since my father has cleared your name. It'll be extravagant. The Martells are even arriving before they need to be here for Joffrey's wedding, just to attend it."

Annalys' eyes widened at the thought, "Myrcella?" She asked desperately, having hope that the Martells would bring her sister with them to the capital.

Tyrion remained silent, shaking his head. Annalys looked down in disappointment, clearly saddened that she wouldn't get to see her younger sister. She missed her dearly. She hadn't seen her since Winterfell and that had been nearly four years before.

Annalys had been so busy thinking about the fact that she missed Myrcella and her upcoming name day celebration that she had forgotten that the Martell's arrival would give her a chance to make the secret alliance with them. After all, she was only in King's Landing to make alliances and spy on her family. She seemed to have forgotten that frequently since arriving back. She enjoyed her time since reuniting with her family. She hated that she was only there to betray them, but she knew it was necessary. She needed to do it for Robb. She needed to do it for her unborn children.

"What do you have in mind?" Annalys managed to speak up as she looked her uncle in the eye once more.

"Your grandfather says it's your choice." Tyrion informed Annalys, much to her surprise.

"He's been awfully nice to me lately. It's quite odd," She quietly remarked, thinking for a moment what she wanted at her name day celebration. "Whatever. I'd like a tourney."

Tyrion was taken aback by Annalys' request, causing him to frown, "Are you sure? Usually princesses..." He trailed off uneasily, knowing Annalys would snap at him for continuing.

"I don't care if it's frowned upon. I want a tournament," She paused, thinking for a moment, "A Jousting one."

"What other activities?" Tyrion asked Annalys curiously, knowing there was more to it.

"A Melee. A duel. Between knights. I would like Ser Loras, Ser Meryn, and whichever skilled knights you can find."

"Specific," Tyrion muttered under his breath, taking note of everything she wanted in his mind.

"I'd like a competition of archery to start the Name Day celebration. Between myself and whoever would like to go against me," She instructed in a calm tone, "You can serve whatever at the feast, but there better be lamprey pie."

"I thought you hated lamprey pie." Tyrion stated, a puzzled look on his face at Annalys' request.

"Not anymore," She muttered under her breath, looking down at the ground as she spoke to her uncle.

"Pardon?" Tyrion questioned, causing Annalys to look up at him with wide eyes, "I didn't hear you."

"I said I've always liked them." Annalys responded without hesitation, not wanting to give herself away.

"Okay. Is that all?" Tyrion asked Annalys, who nodded her head in response, "Then I'll be on my way."

Tyrion gave Annalys a parting look before leaving. Once that she saw that Tyrion was gone, she stood up and walked toward her mirror. A small gasp escaped her lips as she looked down, finding herself showing more than ever. Her stomach was growing, she was nearing four months. Annalys took a deep breath, running her hand over her growing stomach with a saddened look on her face.

There was a knock on the door, causing Annalys to tense up, "Come in," She spoke up, just before she turned so that her back was facing them, "Yes?"

"The Lord Tywin has sent for you, Princess Annalys," Jeyne politely informed Annalys, "He'd like for you to meet him in the Hand's chambers."

"Tell him I'll be there shortly," Annalys responded quickly, "I'll dress on my own today. Thank you."

Jeyne was hesitant to leave Annalys to dress on her own. She knew there was something wrong when Annalys refused to turn to face her. She sighed in defeat, knowing there was no use. Annalys would snap at her if she asked what was wrong.

With that, she exited the room, closing the door on the way out. Once she was gone, Annalys felt a bit at ease. She looked at herself in the mirror once more. She knew she'd have to start wearing the dresses her mother used to wear. They were long dresses, with sleeve that went past arm length. If she walked around the Red Keep with her hands rested at her front instead of at her sides, she'd be able to hide her growing belly. It was her only chance of lasting the next few months.