"You know what? It wasn't the Frey who trampled guest rights; the one who trampled guest rights was Robb Stark." Inside a tavern, someone said to those around him, as he listened to a bard singing a song about The Twins.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Someone immediately looked at the speaker with disdain.
That person said mysteriously, "Think about it, Robb Stark looked down on the Frey from the bottom of his heart. That's why he was willing to break his oath and hastily marry a woman from a fallen noble house, rather than marry a Frey woman. How could he possibly ally with the Frey again?"
"You're mistaken, aren't you? I remember it was Edmure Tully of the Tully who allied with the Frey?" someone corrected.
"Edmure Tully? You don't understand. It was actually Robb Stark." That person, looking as if he knew everything, glanced at the people around him and said, "Robb Stark's excuse to the Frey was that he wanted to marry two wives, like Aegon the Conqueror. That way, he wouldn't be an oathbreaker, and he could uphold his previous promise to the Frey. In reality, he never intended to keep his oath or marry a Frey woman. He just used this method to lower the Frey's guard, then kill the Frey and occupy The Twins at the feast. The Northmen constantly deal with Beyond the Wall Wildlings; they have no honor whatsoever. Even their women are incredibly cruel. Just look at what Roose Bolton and the Bloody Bear Woman did, and you'll know how savage Northmen are."
"Exactly! Northmen are just that savage." The people in the tavern nodded in agreement.
Someone asked, puzzled, "But why did Robb Stark die at the feast instead?"
Before the previous person could answer, someone else explained for him, "Think about Walder Frey, that old weasel, who has lived so long and seen everything. He must have seen through Robb Stark's plan beforehand and then waited at the feast for Robb Stark and those Northmen savages to jump into his trap. If you ask me, those Northmen deserved to die. They ruined the Riverlands so badly; they should have died long ago!"
"Yes, those guys should have died long ago. If they hadn't dug up the Trident River and flooded my farmland, I would be home by now, not suffering here," a Riverlands man also cursed.
Similar remarks were not only in this tavern but spreading in almost every tavern in the Riverlands, Vale, and Westerlands. The Frey, who had trampled guest rights, became the victims, while Robb Stark and other Northmen nobles, who should have been the victims, became insidious villains.
In the Prime Ministers Tower in King's Landing, Tywin sat in his familiar chair, looking at the newly arrived intelligence. Beside him, Jaime Lannister, with a prosthetic hand, sat quietly. The Kingslayer, having lost a hand, looked vastly different from before. The most obvious change was that he appeared much calmer, though this calm demeanor might also be related to his greying temples.
"Hmph! My useless brother-in-law still hasn't given up his delusions!" Tywin sneered, tossing the intelligence aside.
Jaime picked up the intelligence and looked at it, frowning, "Will people believe such a distortion of truth?"
"Don't overestimate the minds of commoners," Tywin said calmly, "You look closely at where these rumors originated."
"Riverlands?" Jaime quickly answered, "They are exploiting the Riverlands' hatred for Roose Bolton."
Tywin nodded, then said rather cuttingly, "You may have lost a hand, but you gained a brain."
"I'd rather exchange my brain for my hand," Jaime said, looking at his severed hand, "At least I wouldn't have to think so clearly." Then, he suddenly looked at Tywin and asked, "Are you really going to send Cersei to the Redemption Sanctuary in Summerhall?"
Hearing Jaime's question, Tywin couldn't help but feel a headache. No matter how much he disliked his dissolute daughter, he didn't want to send her to the Sept to become a nun. But now, it wasn't a question of whether he wanted to, but whether he had to.
Not to mention, he had already sent out announcement letters to all the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, and even Linde Terra had agreed to be the notary for his promise. This meant that if he went back on his word now, Linde Terra would act as the notary, and by then, not only Cersei but he himself would also be punished as an oathbreaker. Clearly, Garlan had considered the possibility of him breaking his oath when he proposed the conditions.
Therefore, to avoid any mishaps, the first thing he did upon returning to King's Landing was to confine Cersei, not allowing her to leave on her own, to prevent her from escaping.
"You shouldn't ask me; you should ask your friend, Linde Terra," Tywin said deeply, "He is the notary. Let alone if I go back on my word, even if House Tyrell goes back on theirs, it will be useless. He will still ensure the promise is carried out. That is his authority as a notary."
"Find Lynd?" Jaime pondered for a moment.
Tywin said in a deep voice, "Joffrey and that girl from House Tyrell named Allerie are about to get married. I have already sent an invitation to Summerhall. Prince Linde, as the notary, will certainly attend Joffrey's wedding. You can try to persuade him then. If you fail to persuade him, he will take Cersei back to Summerhall when he leaves."
Jaime's face was solemn as he fell into thought.
Looking at Jaime like this, Tywin couldn't help but sigh in his heart, but his tone remained cold, saying, "Actually, even if she goes to Redemption Town, it doesn't matter. As long as Cersei enters the Redemption Sanctuary, my promise will have been fulfilled. Then, we can find a way to get Cersei out of the Redemption Sanctuary and send her to live in Braavos or the Summer Isles."
Hearing this plan, Jaime also nodded, thinking it was a feasible solution.
Tywin then said in a deep voice, "After you attend the royal wedding, I will have Joffrey announce your dismissal from the Kingsguard…"
"No! I won't…" Jaime immediately objected.
"Shut up, listen to me!" Tywin looked at Jaime sternly and said, "Your sordid affairs with Cersei, I don't care to manage, nor do I want to, as long as your mess doesn't affect the Westerlands, doesn't affect Casterly Rock. But now your affairs have led to this war that should not have happened, and even your uncle Kevan died in this war. Do you want to uphold your ridiculous white cloak? Look closely, what you are wearing is not a white cloak, but a blood cloak, a blood cloak stained red with the blood of your kin."
Jaime lowered his head, not looking at Tywin, but his mouth remained stubborn, saying, "If you force me to take off my white cloak, I would rather die."
Tywin's eyes widened upon hearing this. He then stood up, walked to Jaime's side, lowered his head slightly, and said word by word, "If you dare to do that, after you die, I will send Joffrey and Tommen to your side, and Cersei too."
Jaime stared at Tywin with wide eyes, as if meeting Tywin for the first time. After a long while, he said, "They are your grandchildren, your daughter, how can you…"
"You are still my son!" Tywin coldly interrupted Jaime.
Jaime desperately wanted to see some hesitation in Tywin's eyes, but he saw none. He knew his father was telling the truth; if he truly committed suicide over leaving the Kingsguard, Tywin would absolutely kill Joffrey and Tommen. He could no longer see any emotion in his father's eyes.
"Is it because of Uncle Kevan?" Jaime looked at Tywin, his voice deep, "Is it Uncle Kevan's death that made you so cold and ruthless?"
Tywin did not answer, but it was a tacit acknowledgment. Kevan's death had struck him too hard; his last bit of human nature had been worn away with Kevan's passing. Now, all he cared about was the inheritance and development of Casterly Rock.
"You made me Lord of Casterly Rock, what about Tyrion?" Jaime asked again, "This time, with so few men, he managed to hold Stannis's army in King's Landing for nearly a month. He can be said to be the greatest contributor to Stannis's defeat. Yet, you came back and immediately relieved him of his duties, confining him to his residence. What you're doing is too unfair."
"Unfair?" Tywin looked at Jaime with displeasure and said, "Do you know what fairness is? What you call fairness is watching Tyrion die. Allowing Tyrion to live freely in King's Landing, in the Red Keep, would only give those who hate him a chance to assassinate him. Now, the entire King's Landing, from the nobles in the Red Keep to the common people, all hate him to the bone. Everyone is waiting for an opportunity to kill him. I am saving him by locking him up and surrounding his mansion with troops."
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