Chapter 182: Moment of Survival (Part I)
Fine wooden flooring lay beneath their feet, the four walls were draped with golden lion banners representing the family, and the room was filled with gold or gilded furnishings... In the center of this luxuriously decorated, magnificent hall, a group of elegantly dressed individuals sat around a table, deliberating on a strategy to counter the greatest crisis in the history of their House.
Tywin Lannister, holding the dual titles of Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, sat at the head of the table. He was tall and robust; though in his fifties, he remained as healthy as a young man. Always a man of decisive action, ever since his hair began to thin, he had ordered his barber to shave his head bald, even cleaning away the whiskers on his lips and chin, leaving only mutton-chop whiskers—two thick tufts of golden hair covering from his ears to his jaw.
His expression was habitually stern, but today, a nearly imperceptible trace of anxiety had been added to it.
...
"The ultimatum from King's Landing." Kevan Lannister, the second-in-command of House Lannister, pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the table. "Robert orders you to immediately return Jaime and Cersei to face trial and punishment, and to come in person to explain their crimes. If you do not arrive within ten days, it will be considered an admission of treason, and the Iron Throne will launch a campaign with the full might of the realm... Given that it takes at least three days to travel from Casterly Rock to King's Landing, you have five days left to consider."
"Robert didn't write this." Tywin didn't even look at the letter on the table. "He would only call for his warhammer, don his armor, and march to the foot of Casterly Rock himself."
"The Hand is entitled to speak for the King." Kevan was both balding and stout, appearing far less intimidating than his brother, yet no one ever dared question his insight or judgment. He glanced at his silent nephew and niece as if looking at dead men. Once upon a time, people called Jaime and Cersei the 'Golden Twins'... who could have imagined that these two, once the pride of the family, would now bring total ruin upon the Lannisters? "Whether Eddard or Robert authorized this letter isn't the point. It currently represents the demand of the Iron Throne. You only need to consider now: will you do as the letter asks?"
"Your opinion?" Tywin didn't answer directly but looked at Kevan, asking with an expressionless face.
Kevan likewise didn't answer directly. It wasn't to be cryptic, but rather, as an uncle, he found the answer difficult to voice. "Most families in the six kingdoms have begun to re-summon their armies. The last war has just finished, so this step will be completed quickly. Margaery Tyrell is on the verge of becoming Queen. With a war initiated by the Iron Throne, funded by the Reach's gold and grain, and fought with the men and might of the other five kingdoms, we haven't half a chance of winning."
"There are no outsiders here; you can speak your mind directly." Tywin's expression remained unchanged. "I should cut off my own limbs to survive—personally send Jaime and Cersei back to King's Landing to be beheaded, then take the initiative to announce the cancellation of the Iron Throne's debts to House Lannister in exchange for forgiveness and the right to return safely to Casterly Rock, correct?"
Kevan held his head high, neither confirming nor denying—he didn't want to speak those words himself but was content to let someone else do it for him. This was indeed his opinion, and he did not fear the gazes of his nephew and niece.
"And our allies? We scattered so much gold in times of peace to make friends with various Houses. Now that we're in trouble, not one stands up to help?" Hearing her father and uncle discuss sending her to the block, Cersei couldn't hide her panic and blurted out, "Is this Westeros filled with nothing but ungrateful wretches?"
"Allies? At a critical moment like this, they dare to secretly send us news that their liege lords are gathering troops for war—that is already more than enough. What more do you want?" Tywin rebuked her unceremoniously. "Do you think everyone in the Seven Kingdoms is a fool like you!"
The Queen... more accurately, the former Queen, was utterly powerless before her father. The formidable image of the patriarch Tywin Lannister had built since her childhood could not be erased by any amount of time. Cersei lowered her head, murmuring, "What about our gold? Is it impossible to buy off some Houses regardless of the cost?"
"Who would risk their lives for gold that is already about to belong to them? As long as they gather under the banner of the Iron Throne and invade the West to destroy House Lannister, any amount of gold—even the gold mines—will be theirs. Between standing on the winning side waiting to share the spoils, or taking some money first and then waiting to be buried with us, which would you choose?" Tywin glanced at his daughter with annoyance. "If you have nothing to say, no one will think you're a mute! I want to ask you now, what exactly was in your head that day to admit the rumors were true in front of Robert? And even shouting for Jaime to kill the King?"
Jaime, who had been silent, finally spoke: "Father, there is no hope of winning a war. Please turn me and Cersei over to preserve the family. This matter started because of us; please let the two of us bear the consequences."
...
"You think saying that makes you great, selfless, and you're even moved by your own words, aren't you?" Tywin stared coldly at Jaime, showing no mercy even though his son was still wrapped in bandages. "Do you still naively think this is just a matter of your life and your sister's?"
"If your father truly handed over his children, the prestige of House Lannister that he spent decades rebuilding would vanish. People would say contemptuously: 'Hmph, Tywin Lannister is just a bully who fears the strong; he's ruthless when slaughtering his own vassals, but when he hits the Iron Throne, doesn't he just kneel without hesitation?'" Kevan spoke for his brother. "Over the past decade or so, House Lannister has lent Robert three million gold dragons, hoping to use that wealth to stabilize your sister's position as Queen and ensure the future King has our blood in his veins... and incidentally to bring you back to Casterly Rock to inherit the lordship. If we soften now..."
Tywin picked up his brother's thread: "I would lose a son, a daughter, a debt of three million gold dragons, the title of Warden of the West, and the image and prestige I've built over a long time. At that point, with both people and money gone and our power plummeted, House Lannister would irreversibly decline, eventually to be replaced by some Western House that rose because of a warehouse full of gold. At that time, do you think we could keep Lannisport and Casterly Rock, peacefully demote ourselves to Earls of Casterly Rock, swear fealty to a new Warden of the West, and continue living by digging gold mines?"
"No. From the moment you ordered House Reyne to be wiped from the world and composed 'The Rains of Castamere,' House Lannister has had no retreat. We can only remain strong forever. No one had ever treated disrespectful vassals like that; once the bloody example of extermination was set, the entire West regarded you with nothing but awe and respect. But peel back that layer of awe, and underneath is fear... and people always desire to destroy the things they fear as quickly as possible." Kevan analyzed as if no one else was present. "Once we show even half a sign of weakness, countless families will be rubbing their hands, waiting to play that tune in the halls of Casterly Rock, then—just as was done to House Targaryen back then—slaughter the Lannisters down to the last man... just to let the world know the price of leaving no room for mercy."
"Meaning, whether we accept the Iron Throne's order or not, the downfall of House Lannister is certain?" Jaime gripped the dull ache of the wound on his abdomen, realizing for the first time how serious a mess he had made. "Is there truly no other way out?"
"There is. Win this war, beat the other six kingdoms into submission, and the crisis will naturally be resolved. But can we do it?" Tywin stared expressionlessly at his son. "Do you know where you went wrong?"
"I... and Cersei..."
"Nothing happened between you and Cersei; it was a rumor! I will not say it a third time!" Tywin slammed the table, roaring as he interrupted Jaime. "Your greatest mistake was that since you made a move, you didn't kill Robert! You didn't even bring back the Prince who could be used as a bargaining chip! With the King dead, Eddard would help Stannis succeed. Given the rigidity of that Baratheon's character, his throne would certainly be unstable. His brother Renly would definitely marry into the Reach and then raise troops to fight for the crown... The North, the Riverlands, and the Vale would form an alliance to help Stannis hold the throne. No matter which side Dorne took, this war would be worth fighting. In that situation, we could name Joffrey Baratheon as King and announce the Stag Dynasty was moving its capital to the West. No matter the final result, our position in the West would be unshakeable!"
Tywin spoke through gritted teeth: "But you, you stabbed him but didn't finish him. Mercy to an enemy is cruelty to yourself. Robert won't be grateful for your restraint!"
The door slammed open. Under the gaze of the four core members of House Lannister, a dwarf walked in.
"Uncle," Tyrion bowed, "Father, and my dear brother and sister. It's good to see you all alive again."
Tywin did not stand. He only studied his dwarf son meaningfully for a moment. "It seems the news of your escape from King's Landing was true."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Father," Tyrion said, walking straight to the conference table. "Don't jump up to hug me; I wouldn't want you to strain your back." He climbed onto a chair and poured himself a drink from his father's bottle. "I'm just curious, why did you send troops to retrieve my brother and sister, but wouldn't let them search a bit more along the way to bring me back too? Making me spend several more days taking backroads home... I feel like I've never walked so much in my life; my legs have run even shorter."
"I didn't know you had escaped King's Landing when I sent the troops," Tywin replied coldly, ignoring his quip. "Since you've returned safely, stop with the cynical nonsense. The family is facing a crisis of survival. You've always claimed to be clever; come up with an idea. Where were we?"
"This is the Iron Throne's ultimatum to us." Tyrion's relationship with his uncle was relatively harmonious; Kevan handed him the slip of paper. "We were discussing whether or not to do as it asks."
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