Аннотация: Lord Tywin Lanister's morning meditation on the Lanisters and Joffrey.
Chapter 1.2 Tywin Lannister
The day began like a normal day of the right hand. Lord Tywin probably got up earlier than all the other noble lords and knights, drank a glass of wine, ate a piece of peppery cheese, threw a light robe over his nightgown, sat down at the table and began sorting through papers.
Many cases required his attention, approval, or prohibition. The war in the Riverlands was progressing successfully. Ser Gregor Clegane repeatedly defeated the minor lords and their troops, and his cousin Daven the Noisy led the army that besieged Riverrun. The Freys and their men helped him in this. And, although the siege threatened to drag on, everything went according to plan.
The Brotherhood without Banners was a significant problem in the Riverlands. Lord Dondarrion and his men have somehow imperceptibly become a minor but unpleasant and annoying pain in the ass.
Another problem was old Lord Frey, who was getting arrogant day by day and wanted more than he deserved. Over time, he needs to be put in his place, but right now he is still needed and it is not worth offending the old man ahead of time.
Lord Tywin finished writing the letter, sprinkled sand on it, sealed it with the seal of the right hand, and leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully biting his pen.
He assessed all the problems of the outside world, family enemies, allies, and those who could become the first or second without unnecessary emotions and treated them as inevitable evil. Lord Tywin was well aware that the world did not revolve around him and his ambitions. But he did his best to make other people think that way.
Over the years, he had gotten used to such tasks and such a state of affairs. It became a part of his life and did not cause unnecessary emotions. But what was upsetting, not surprisingly, was in his own home, in his children and grandchildren.
Tywin Lannister did not suffer from excessive modesty and was well aware that Westeros does not often give birth to people like him. He was good in many ways- as a commander, as the hand of the king, as the head of the house. In addition, he possessed the gift of intrigue, was well-read, knew several languages and, most importantly, was able to separate thoughts from feelings, important from secondary. The Lord understood what was achievable and what was not.
His father, Titos, also read a lot and was a hospitable and cheerful lord. It didn't do him any good. The standard-bearers and vassals openly laughed at him, while behind his back they jeered and ignored his orders.
Tywin was molded from a different mold. In the short time after his father's death, he instilled unconditional respect for House Lannister among his people, and then throughout Westeros. Someone felt his rage in full. Then it was the turn to propel Casterly Rock to true greatness.
It's hard to carry such a burden alone. Assistants are needed in every case. And the more serious and global the tasks, the more competent people should surround you.
He used to rely on his children, hoping that they would inherit not only his ambitions, but also his abilities.
But the children failed... Jaime, the one he had hoped for in the first place, turned down the role of Lord of the Cliff, and it seems he never grew up, never got enough of playing soldiers. He only wanted to be the lord commander of King's Landing and lead the troops on campaigns.
Cersei is not stupid, but she lacked grace and caution. And she is used to solving all issues only with the help of money or force. In addition, she began to change a lot - and not for the better. Under King Robert, she was still quite sane, but now, having become Queen Regent, she began to annoy more and more with her complacency and political shortsightedness. Lately, Lord Tywin had been seriously considering sending her to Casterly Rock so she wouldn't get in the way.
And another headache is that Cersei is sleeping with Jaime. Tywin was never naive. He found out long ago and with absolute accuracy that all these rumors are true. But until his children crossed a certain threshold, until this story came out, this state of affairs was tolerable. And the rumors? They are always there. They are inevitable. And you can benefit from everything.
Joffrey was not Robert's son, but he bore his name and was technically Baratheon. And Tommen is also a Baratheon. This means that if Stannis and his daughter die, then there will be no other Baratheons except his grandchildren.
People will always believe the one with the power. The Lannisters have the power. Therefore, he can make people believe that Tommen is Baratheon again, and give his grandson Storm's End. This state of affairs offered dazzling prospects - he could unite Casterly Rock, Storm's End and the Royal Lands into one inheritance and create the foundation of the Lannister kingdom, which would stretch from the east coast to the west, and which could stand for centuries. He already had a long-term plan for this. The main thing is that your own children and grandchildren do not interfere with its implementation. And he can handle all the others. And let the Seven not be bloodthirsty and give him another ten years of life - he doesn't ask for more.
Lord Tywin couldn't help but chuckle when he thought of the gossip surrounding his grandson. Gossip, even if it is true, is a terrible weapon. If you follow them, they can lead to very unpleasant places and lead to terrible consequences.
Stannis and Renly Baratheon believed these rumors and declared that Joffrey was not Robert's legitimate son, and therefore could not be king.
Where are they now? Renly was dead. Soon, Stannis will follow his brother. There will be nothing left of House Baratheon, and the Lannisters will get rid of one of their competitors. That's what believing in rumors leads to, if a fool believes them!
Well, there's nothing to say about the youngest son, Tyrion. Lord Tywin has recently begun to realize that it was he who turned out to be the smartest, most insidious and cunning. Yes, but his appearance negated literally everything, and moreover, made him grumble at the gods that it was he who received the abilities that Lord Tywin so wanted to see in his other children. And this is not to mention the fact that Tyrion killed his own mother, Lady Joanna, at birth. Tywin loved his wife more than life, and since then an unhealed wound appeared in his soul - time could not heal it, and his father never forgave his son... And his many adventures with whores are a completely separate conversation. It feels like Tyrion is doing everything on purpose, to spite his father. He clearly doesn't want to pay attention to how it affects the prestige of the house.
His children, so different, but at the same time very similar, did not want to understand one simple thing - everything he does, he will leave it to them and his grandchildren. He was building the foundation of Lannister greatness for decades to come-and they didn't want to or couldn't see it. With their annoying arrogance, and even stupidity, their unwillingness to sacrifice anything for a common goal, their vanity and ridiculous, far-fetched insults, they greatly complicated the life and plans of the old lord.
So the grandson, Joffrey, who became king thanks to Robert's early death, did not grow up to be the one he would like to see as a continuation of his own business.
He knew that Geoff was far from being a fool, he understood and remembered many things easily. But he didn't want to know anything superfluous, didn't want to understand something and do something really important.
Tywin admitted that people liked his eldest grandson. And that he can achieve a lot.... Or rather, he could have if he had become a completely different person, and if his parents had seriously engaged in his upbringing. Geoff grew up moody and spoiled. And his age and the way Cersei acted on him, the status of the young king, money and obsequious, flattering servants did not allow him to expect that he would start to get smart and get smart.
So it turned out that of all the relatives and friends, only the younger brother Kivan sincerely wanted to help and really helped in his difficult plans. That's good, but supporting your own children and grandchildren would be much more enjoyable.
However, in the last year, after the death of Stafford Lannister, his son Daven showed himself well as a commander. He was loud, funny, loud, and out of control, but he took command of one of the troops on his shoulders, thereby reducing the burden of responsibility on Tywin's shoulders. The old lord was grateful to him for that. Besides, he understood that it is advisable to use people according to their abilities. Everyone is good in their place.
The lord got up, went to the window and opened the shutters. The peculiar aroma of King's Landing burst into the room - the stink of a huge city, mixed with notes of cooking food and the smell of the sea.
Lord Tywin did not like King's Landing. He also couldn't stand the smell of her. There were a lot of things that annoyed him here. Perhaps, of all the things in which you can find at least some beauty is the sea.
Yes, the sea. But here it is eastern, unlike the much-loved Casterly Rock, where the sea is sunset. There, the retiring sun gave incredible beauty to sunsets, dolphins danced in the water, and a light breeze set them up in the most peaceful way. I just wanted to live there and raise my grandchildren. And the smells there are much better.
He looked up at the rising sun and rubbed the gray stubble on his chin-it looked like it was going to be a hot and troublesome day. It's his grandson's wedding day. Everyone will drink, eat and have fun.