Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 62-

-POV Tywin Lannister-

"Explain yourself," I said, sensing Cersei's solemn tone of acceptance.

"You're wrong about everything. It's not a medicine that transformed me and gave this strength to Ronnet or his son; it's his blood," Cersei said.

"You drink his blood?" Tyrion asked, mimicking a disgusted expression.

"Shut up," I said, and he immediately ceased his antics as I focused my attention back on my eldest daughter, who continued, "Ronnet invented a way to transfer part of his blood into our bodies, which gives us these advantages."

"Why did you argue?" I asked, though I already had an idea.

"Because I wanted him to give some of his blood to Tommen. When I learned he was going to do it for his… son, I wanted the same for Tommen so that he would be protected from our enemies," she said, lowering her eyes.

"But he didn't want to make his liege lord as strong as himself," Tyrion remarked.

"No," Cersei replied, casting a dark look at her brother.

"I understand," I said. Cersei looked up, both curious and angry, and I continued, "I would never have given that to Robert if he were still alive, no matter our emotional ties. But even if I understand his decision, our House, House Lannister, cannot allow a house of upstarts to snatch the crown from us. We must start taking action, or Tommen will be dethroned, and for that to happen, Ronnet would have to go back on his word in front of the entire kingdom and call him a bastard."

"He wouldn't do that. We have children together; he proved it by choosing to marry me and not Myrcella, who would have offered him a stronger legitimacy than a sham of a Great Council," Cersei said.

"You don't have a choice anymore," I said.

"It would be more accurate to say you already made your choice the moment you gave Ronnet's blood to Tommen," added Tyrion.

"You don't trust him, or else you wouldn't have told us about it, would you?" I asked my daughter.

Cersei lifted her head, closing her eyes as she faced the ceiling, and finally said:

"What do you propose to do?"

---

-11th day of the 7th moon of the year 300 AC-

-POV Tyrion Lannister-

"What's on the agenda for today, gentlemen?" Ronnet asked as he sat in the king's seat, as was his habit ever since Tommen's lessons had been, conveniently, scheduled at the same time as the Small Council meetings.

"First, we've received word that the Iron Fleet, or what remains of it, finally reached Pyke nearly a moon ago," Grand Maester Pycelle said.

"Why did it take us so long to establish contact?" my uncle Kevan asked.

"Because the Iron Islands and their leadership have changed significantly since the death of the King of the Iron Islands," the Grand Maester said.

"The usurper," Ronnet interrupted, cutting off the Grand Maester, who continued, "The usurper Balon Greyjoy seems to have succumbed during the crossing, and upon the arrival of the Iron Fleet, Asha Greyjoy and her brother faced opposition from the lords of the Iron Islands, who deemed them too inexperienced to rule."

"Who now leads the Ironborn and rules Pyke?" Father asked.

"We don't know yet, but we will soon. We've set a date for the prisoner exchange."

"When?" the Lord of House Connington inquired.

"In a moon's time, at Lannisport," the Grand Maester replied.

I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that after more than a year in captivity, Jaime would finally be freed.

"Very well, now let's move on to the subject of the Riverlands. We've delayed long enough, but with the dropping temperatures, we must take swift action to conquer the Riverlands, or we will lose our advantage," Ronnet said.

Father nodded, revealing nothing, and calmly stated:

"I will send 35,000 soldiers to take the Riverlands. Ser Gregor and my brother will lead them."

Ronnet nodded, then added, "As for me, I will send 500 knights, 2,500 cavalry, and 5,000 infantry soldiers from my personal army."

Father nodded again, and inwardly I breathed a small sigh of relief. What we wanted was to weaken him, to make him compliant, not to destroy him.

"The commander-in-chief of this army will be Raymund," Ronnet added, which made my eyes widen.

I forced myself not to look at my father, but I accidentally met Cersei's gaze, and she was just as shocked as I was.

"May I ask why your brother would be on the battlefield when his rank as Commander of the Gold Cloaks obliges him to remain with his army?" Father asked, trying to refuse Raymund's appointment.

Ronnet frowned and said, "He will command a detachment of 5,000 Gold Cloaks in the name of the king so that everyone can appreciate His Majesty's strength, unless you have another reason for not wanting him to lead this army."

The two stared at each other intensely for a few moments before my father finally nodded, giving in to Ronnet.

'Even with 13,000 soldiers, victory will still be ours. But how do we ensure the survival of Ronnet's brother?'

Once the most important points were all decided, the invisible pressure that had enveloped the Council Chamber instantly dissipated.

'Let's hope everything goes well.'