Lady Tysha's Solar

"And mine for yours, Lady Lannister," he replied, twisting his hand to bring her fingers to his lips, kissing her hand gently. "Your lord father was a good man, and a leal servant of the throne; it was a shame to lose him so ingloriously. I am sure he rests easily though, in the knowledge that he has left Casterly Rock in your capable hands," he added flatteringly.

"I am sure he has been; it often through the strength of family that we are able to survive such trying times," Maekar replied, not missing her barbed comment about the King's death. "It cannot be easy for a woman to rule alone without a man's guiding hand to maintain stability. Some say that women are naturally disposed against the qualities it takes to rule effectively, but I suspect much of the difficulty women face in such roles is created by men, rather than from any inherent weakness."

"I wonder, now that you rule Casterly Rock in your own right, if you have thought of your future, and that of your young son whose name, if you will forgive me, I have forgotten," he said, knowing full well that she likely thought of little else.

"Lyonel, indeed," Maekar replied. "I am sure that he will do so ably, and with skill, with such teachers such as Ser Jayson and yourself. However I rather meant the nearer future, which will include trying days for all of us I do not doubt. His grace the King never meant my younger brother Aegon to sit the throne after him, as I imagine his Will shall reveal when its contents are announced. Before I departed the capital on his business, he showed me a writ naming me the Prince of Dragonstone, and removing the taint of bastardy from my birth, awaiting only his seal upon my return. Somehow, however, I suspect that the Queen and Aegon will have few regards for the wishes of a dead King."

"Aegon is a good man, I would never seek to deny that. But the King long suspected his divided loyalties, and saw his... excessive sympathies toward the enemies of the crown," Maekar replied carefully. "I would not see my father's lifetime of work dismantled within a year of his death. Still, it will be as you say. I assume you have not yet renewed House Lannister's oaths of fealty and homage to the throne, since your lord father's passing; I am sure that the Queen will be eager to receive them, when you arrive in the capital."

Maekar nodded respectfully. He was still confused about the reports of the King's death, and would have expected something more definitive and believably from a raven that arrived at a place like Casterly Rock. "Your concern for his grace does you great credit, my lady, and I am certain that he would be honored by it," he said, knowing that no such thing was true.

When he spoke again, his voice was strong, and he met Lady Lannister's green eyes calmly with his one. "Though I am even more certain of one thing, and that is the fact that his grace the King would hold in far greater priority the stability of the realm than the mourning period for his own death. I should think that you might sympathize with that sentiment, given that you acted so quickly and ably to secure your son's inheritance and your own seat, after the loss of your lord father. More than a few of your bannermen surely balked at serving a woman, and some cannot but have thought to take advantage of the turmoil of succession to advance their own interests at your expense. It will be so, tenfold, for the crown, and only a strong hand will keep chaos from this Kingdom."

A small smile touched Maekar's lips; she was shrewd, and intelligent besides. "The King is dead, and every Inquisitor's authority evaporated when his body was given to the flames. I am no Inquisitor, my lady, merely the King's eldest son," he replied, not breaking his gaze with the Lady of the West.

"Perhaps you will do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to King's Landing," he added charmingly. "I doubt you have ever seen anything quite like the capital from the sky. I am certain that the West will be remain safe and secure in Ser Jayson's capable hands."

"Organize your party to depart today, and I will escort you for the first two days before I must fly onward, loathe as I am to leave your company," Maekar replied. "That is, if you will agree to fly with me for one of them," he added, his tone mildly challenging, as if he were offering more of a dare than anything else. "I doubt if any Lannister can say that they have seen the world from the sky before."

"I would not put you in danger like that fool child did with Lord Tonye, my lady. Such an offer is entirely dependent on Cyrax's ascent, though I do not doubt for a moment that his will shall bend to mine. The choice is yours, however. It can be an intimidating thing to imagine, seeing the world from such heights, but I assure you there is nothing else like it," Maekar replied smoothly, with his most charming smile.

If Maekar was disappointed, it did not show on his face. "It would be my honor to dine with you in the evenings, until I must press on ahead. Perhaps you can regale me with tales of your lord father and his knights, in their valiant defense of your homeland against the Faith Militant. I regretted that none of your kinsmen joined us in the Oldtown campaign, but I certainly cannot begrudge Lord Loren for using his men to put the West to rights, after the ordeal you were all put through."

"Cyrax and I are ready to depart when you are, my lady, when ver you give the word."

"It would be my pleasure, my lady," Maekar replied. "If it is not such an imposition on your hospitality, might I request a bath and guest apartments for the night? It would be rather nice to sleep in a bed, after two weeks on the road," he added, smiling lightly.