The King & Lady Lannister

The King received them in his solar, which was empty but for them. "Welcome to the capital, my lady, Ser Jayson. Much has happened since we spoke last at Casterly Rock," he said, watching Lady Lannister with a tiny smile in the corner of his mouth.

"Considering I flew to King's Landing on a dragon, and am not known as a man who likes to waste time, I cannot share your surprise," the King replied. "I have taken the throne as King Maegor always intended. Injustice has been averted and my royal father's true killer is known, if not yet caught; The King was murdered by his vile eastern sorceress and an accomplice. The Queen discovered his death and concealed it for two days before framing the murder on Lady Vira, who has now been freed as she deserves. Order is being restored to this corrupt city, and this land will heal when my brother Aegon is dealt with."

The King shifted gingerly in his seat, and Lady Lannister could see the edges of white bandages covering his chest beneath the edge of his loose collar of his tunic, and though his wits were clearly as sharp as ever, he moved with the care of a man trying not to break open a healing wound.

"That is unfortunate, my lady, for I would have you remain at least until my coronation, which will be held the day after tomorrow," Maekar replied, matching her dry tone. "It could hardly be called an event if the Lady of Casterly Rock were not present, and the public fealty of the lords of the West is a thing that I... desire," Maekar replied. Lady Tysha got the impression that he had been going to say 'require' but thought better of it.

"I would not ask you to dirty your skirts on the ground, and would be happy to accept your homage and fealty through Ser Jayson as a proxy so long as you publicly declared to the same effect," the King replied sardonically. "However, when two men fight for their rights, neither of them will have the inclination to look kindly on those who chose no side, instead waiting for the winner to be decided before declaring allegiance."

"Surely your duty to your liegemen must come before the risk of dirtying your skirts, must it not? You have much to gain, my lady, by casting your support to my crown, and very little to lose," he added. "The West, and your House in particular, suffered greatly in the last war, and it need not be so again."

The King nodded sagely. "There is little risk, in taking no side at all, but there is no reward whatsoever in doing so. Although, 'ruination' is putting it rather strongly as well, I should think," he replied. "When I am victorious, I will have a much higher opinion of those who cast their weight behind Aegon and served him honorably until his defeat, than those who betray him at the eleventh hour, or those who remain on the sidelines."

Maekar's expressionless mask did not reveal anything about his emotions as he continued. "I need you, Lady Tysha. I need the swords and horses and gold of the West, but most importantly I need the strength and history of House Lannister beneath my banner. There is risk, but you stand to gain as much again, many times over."

"The blood of the Dragon," the King replied. "If you wed a dragon rider each of your children by him will be given an egg as infants, to hatch or not as fate decides, just as are given to the children of the King. Additionally, should my lady wife give birth to a son, I will give you his wardship, that he might grow up alongside your sons, as friend and cousins; bonds of friendship forged in youth are often those that last the longest."

"I am aware of what I have, and what I do not, and I know what it is I offer," the King replied gravely. "I am offering you the future, if you wish to take it. Dragons are our future, my lady, and you mistake for a lack of confidence what is in truth a calculated investment. I too pay my debts, Lady Tysha, and the Kingdom I intend to forge will be far greater than anything even my lord father dreamed of."

"It will be fifty years any dragon that hatches for a Lannister will be even half the size that Cyrax is now. I have plans for the long term, and if your sons and daughters prove worthy of the blood of the Dragon, my heirs will know their worth," Maekar said. He paused, and his king's mask slipped for a moment, though whether it was intentional or not, Lady Lannister could not say [it was]. She saw confidence, and passion, and the impression his tone gave was that he had a great vision that he wanted to fulfill.

"What could you accomplish, if you never again had to worry about the loyalty of your bannermen?" he asked, rhetorically, knowing that there was nothing most lords dreamed of more than complete obedience from their vassals. "Besides, Lord Stark was rather intrigued by a similar offer I made him," he added, leaving the implications of her northern neighbor potentially controlling a dragon wide open as the inscrutable mask reappeared on his face.

Maekar did not stop a frown from crossing his face, though it disappeared after a few moment, and he considered Lady Lannister for a long time. He studied her face intently before speaking. "If I have your sworn word that you'll raise no arms against me, nor give any support or aid to my enemies, I will make the same offer again in six months, for you to accept or decline as you choose. After that, I will not offer the same terms for Casterly Rock's allegiance, though I will have conquered Aegon by that time and I am confident that you will accept," he said, with a polite smile. "On your honor as a Lannister?"

Maekar studied her for a long moment, trying to determine if he was being played. Finally, he took her hand to seal the agreement. He didn't say anything else, but the Lady of the Rock saw apprehension in his eyes, as if he wanted to believe she'd keep her word, but did not truly think that she would. "I wish you a safe journey home, then, my lady," he said slowly. His expression hardened as he mentioned her home, and by his inflection of the words, though they did not contain any overt threat, it was clear that he would respond to a breach of this deal as he would to a betrayal.

Maekar stared at her for a moment, and then laughed deeply. "You are right about that, surely, my lady," he said between chuckles, flippancy being the last thing he'd expected. "I have smiled little, and laughed less since I put on the crown," he admitted.

"I suspect, however, wrinkles shall be the least of my concerns. I shall offer you and your party apartments in the Red Keep for the evening, my lady; if you will accept my hospitality I should be quite pleased of it," he added courteously.