Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 66-

I raised my eyebrows calmly and then asked:

"So what you are accusing me of is a hypothetical betrayal?"

Tyrion was about to respond, but it was Cersei who said:

"No, what I am accusing you of is not being loyal to your king."

"I could have killed all of you a long time ago. If I wanted the throne so badly, why haven't I taken it yet?"

"Because that's how you operate, it's your signature method, you pit the houses against each other and let them fight to weaken them while keeping your own forces intact."

I nodded and then said: "Very well, I understand you don't trust me, so I will leave—I will return to Griffin Roost and never come back."

"That's not enough assurance," Tywin said, speaking for the first time.

"What kind of assurance would satisfy you?" I asked in a conciliatory tone.

"I've already taken sufficient measures on my own," he said.

"Measures that could stop me from tearing your head off?" I asked in a slightly teasing tone.

As soon as I finished speaking, the hundreds of Gold Cloaks present in the throne room drew their swords from their scabbards while holding a small vial in their other hand, which I recognized immediately.

I smiled, shaking my head in disappointment, and said:

"You dared to share it with them?"

It wasn't a question, just a statement spoken with disappointment.

"My daughter finds it hard to believe that you could be defeated by 400 soldiers trained according to the standards of your army, which is among the elite troops of Westeros. I don't believe it either, but thanks to her, we managed to get hold of this mixture."

'400 soldiers with enhanced strength—it's no easy task, but I can handle it,' I thought, glancing at the fools who believed they had a chance to defeat me.

'They must have been promised great rewards—titles, lands, and gold,' I thought, looking at all the traitors.

"I admire this confidence you Lannisters have, the belief that everything you undertake will surely succeed. One might think it's due to your wealth, or your strength, or even your connections to the crown, but I've spent enough time to know that all Lannisters are entirely and solely loyal to one person," I said quietly as I began to walk in circles.

"I made a mistake, a capital mistake that will cost me almost everything I've worked to build, and that mistake was trusting a Lannister who is loyal to you, Tywin—a Lannister who is your daughter and who fears disappointing you more than betraying her own husband."

I shook my head and said: "Even that little dwarf bastard is so afraid while desperately wanting to make you proud that he is completely submissive to you, dear father-in-law."

I was about to continue but stopped and asked: "I imagine the measures include the capture of my loved ones?"

"Not just that," Tywin replied.

I raised an eyebrow, and he added: "Your family is being placed under close guard until we all reach an agreement that suits us, while the army you sent is being annihilated."

"My brother?" I asked.

"I've given the order to bring him back alive," Tywin said.

"But..." I said, knowing he was trying to hide something from me.

"But we still haven't received any news from the battlefield," Tyrion said instead of his father.

"That's not all, I imagine?" I asked, waiting for him to explain the whole plan they had devised to tie me down like a common dog.

"The Baratheon-Lannister-Connington-Tyrell alliance must be more equitable. The Tyrells will not be left defenseless. My father's army has left for Highgarden, and the Lannister fleet will soon sail for Highgarden once the exchange with Euron Greyjoy takes place."

"So you plan to trap the Iron Fleet in a pincer movement?" I asked.

Cersei and Tyrion furrowed their brows in surprise, while Tywin showed no expression.

"Judging by your surprised expressions, you haven't thought of this, but your father has. However, if you didn't consider it, then it's not part of the plan, which means you need the Redwyne fleet elsewhere... in the Stepstones," I said.

"It's sad you weren't born one of my sons," Tywin said, acknowledging my quick thinking.

I shook my head and then said: "You've destroyed my army, you're trying to destroy my fleet, you're capturing my loved ones—all this for what? The power of Tommen, a weak and frail king?"

"He won't be weak if you accept the terms of surrender I'm proposing."

"In exchange for your freedom, your children must remain in the capital as wards of the crown. You must agree not to exceed the formation of 10,000 soldiers in your private army, and you must regularly provide your blood for the crown."

"Those are the only conditions you'll accept, aren't they?"

Tywin nodded and then said: "If you attempt to get through the hundreds of guards here and succeed, all the members of your family will be executed—even the children you had with Cersei."

"Excuse me?" Cersei said, surprised and angry.

Tywin Lannister gave his daughter a cold, silent look, ordering her to be quiet, which she did almost automatically, and then he waited to see my reaction.

I raised my eyebrows, smiling, and then said:

"Very well, you've won, I accept your conditions, but I want you to accept one of mine."

"What condit—" Tywin didn't finish his sentence because he saw that I had drawn Griffin Heart.

All the guards uncorked their vials, and I said:

"No griffon falls without a fight. All the soldiers who have died for House Connington did so because they know I would die for them too."

"You insist on choosing death rather than giving your blood to Tommen?"

"I would give my blood to a pig before giving it to a Lannister, let alone a Lannister bastard," I said.

The flame in Cersei's eyes, as I reminded her of the indelible stain on her life, burned brightly, especially since I was saying it in front of her father and her son.

"Kill him," Tywin said in a reluctant yet icy tone.