80Part Two
Snafu's Notes: I am hereby issuing a challenge. This is called The Revenge of the Volanti Challenge. The challenge is as follows: The Red Wedding has all but destroyed the North's attempt at independence, and ended the Five Kings War in a Baratheon-Lannister victory. There's only one major problem in which Tywin did not consider, which is that Robb's Volanti in-laws are not very happy with their daughter being butchered along with her husband and their unborn child at the Red Wedding (they find out about Talisa's demise by the Blackfish). So much so that Talisa's father, a former Golden Company commander, calls in a favor to his buddies and the Golden Company sails for Westeros to avenge Talisa and her husband. Now Tywin has to fight a third war in which the enemy wants not only him and the conspirators dead, but their Houses as well. This time, the Lannisters will pay their debts in blood.
Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
DECLARATION OF THE NORTH
My father was an honorable man, a kind and courteous man. He was unjustly arrested on orders of the Queen Regent and the Bastard King which sits on the Iron Throne, my sisters held hostage. My father, Eddard Stark, had no designs on claiming the Iron Throne for himself, despite what Cersei and Joffrey had claimed.
My father was not executed. He was murdered, as was his predecessor, Jon Arryn, on the others of the boy king. Murdered all to protect a secret in regards to Cersei's children. It is true that King Robert had fathered many bastards, but Cersei herself is not blameless. Her children are not Robert's own children. Cersei had emulated the Targaryens and their penchant for dynastic incest, with the Kingslayer himself as their father. It was because of this secret, that Jamie tried to kill my brother during the King's visit to Winterfell all those months ago when he came across them in the throes of passion. Even Tywin Lannister does not know that his grandchildren are bastards, despite the proof staring him in the face.
For this, I denounce Petyr Baelish, Cersei Lannister, Jamie Lannister and Joffrey Lannister.
When my father was unjustly arrested and my sisters held hostage, I summoned my father's banners and marched them towards King's Landing. As my mother was of House Tully, my uncle and great-uncle rallied their bannermen and joined my efforts to free my family. Then I received word that my father was executed.
Now, I fight for one thing: revenge.
It is said that a Lannister always pay their debts, but we Northerners have a saying as well. We do not forget those who cross us, nor do we forgive those who betray us. Something that Walder Frey and Roose Bolton found out the hard way when they decided to betray the House of Stark and the House of Tully.
Tywin Lannister underestimated me on the battlefield, which resulted in the capture of Jamie Lannister. With my string of victories, Tywin decided to contact both Roose Bolton and Walder Frey. Seduced by the promise of power and wealth, both men and their houses became whores to the Lion, and plotted not only my doom, but that of my wife, my mother and my forces. So much so that Walder Frey violated the guest right and tried to kill me during the wedding of my Uncle Edmure.
Roose succeeded in murdering my mother. And I took his head. My forces slaughtered the Bolton's bannermen, and those of House Frey. It was by the grace of both the Old Gods and the Seven that I am still alive despite their betrayal. I had to show that treason should not be tolerated, so I looked to Tywin himself for inspiration. Winter had come for House Frey.
For that, I denounce Tywin Lannister, and damned both Roose Bolton and Walder Frey to the Seven Hells for their betrayal.
This is my declaration. If I can't win this war, then I'll be damn sure to bring down the House of Lannister with me when I die. We do not forget, nor do we forgive our enemies. Winter is coming for House Lannister for their offenses against House Stark.
Robb Stark of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.
In the days following the Red Wedding, the Declaration of the North was sent by courier to all of the major houses, with the exception of House Lannister and Harrenhal.
As expected, the highborn's opinion on Tywin Lannister and his offspring took a serious nosedive, while House Stark was redeemed in the eyes of the other noble houses. Frey and Bolton became synonymous with words like 'Oathbreaker,' and 'Backstabber.' Two of the main house's reactions stood out in particular.
In Highgarden, Olenna Tyrell was outright furious. Even she had seen several of Robert's bastards running around in Westeros, yet she did not put two and two together that Joffrey was not only a product of incest, but a bastard, one which was courting Margaery. Even more worse, was the fact that Tywin would resort to such tactics in order to win. Sure Stannis was no saint with the rumors surrounding his role in Renly's death, but at least he honored the guest right. Sure winning was all that matters, but even House Tyrell honored the ancient traditions of the guest right.
Better the devil which one knows, in this case.
This was an insult to her and to her family, as she had been playing the game of thrones for about as long as Tywin Lannister. The Queen of Thorns suspected that Robb Stark would soon appear on the doorsteps of the Red Keep, and was smart enough to remain silent. She did, however, made the trip to King's Landing not only to retrieve both Margaery and Loras Tyrell, but to formally terminate the engagement between her granddaughter and the bastard king.
Cersei and Joffrey demanded an explanation as to why the engagement was terminated. Olenna's response was that after careful consideration, her granddaughter's engagement to Cersei's son was not in House Tyrell's best interest. When both Cersei and Joffrey threatened bodily harm on Olenna, she showed the Queen Regent and the King why she was known as the Queen of Thorns, delivering a verbal barrage so vicious that caused both mother and son to retreat from the room.
Tywin, who was present, saw his late wife in Olenna, as she used to do the same to him. Which is why the Hand allowed her and her grandchildren to leave without further incident.
In Dorne, the Declaration found itself in the hands of Nymeria Sand, to which she delivered to both her uncle, Doran Martell and her father, Oberyn. Dorne had always kept a neutral position in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, but even the Red Viper and his brother were surprised as to the parentage of Joffrey and his siblings.
There was no love lost for the Lannisters, as it was on Tywin's orders that Elia Nymeros Martell and her children were murdered following the Sack of King's Landing. Oberyn had a mutual respect for Robb Stark, seeing as how it was by the Lannister's hands that they lost loved ones in their quest for power over the Seven Kingdoms. That respect multiplied sevenfold when a raven was sent from Riverrun several days later, the message brief.
Harrenhal has fallen. The Lion's forces have been slain. The Mountain has fallen. Elia Martell and her children have been avenged. Lord Robb Stark.
Oberyn drank a toast to the young wolf, and wished that he would be in King's Landing when he takes Tywin's head. Doran nodded in grim approval. It was time for the endgame.
King's Landing, one week and two days following the Red Wedding.
The Master of Whisperers sat inside his chambers, reading the Declaration of the North. One of his little birds in Highgarden had delivered it to him several hours earlier. Varys was impressed that Robb Stark managed to survive the Red Wedding. In some cases, he was a lot like his father, while at other times, not.
Varys knew that Tywin was a cunning and ruthless player in the game of thrones. He was in fact, the true power behind Cersei and Joffrey's less-than-stellar reign, and would do anything and everything to see that the Lion remained at the top. The Red Wedding was proof of that. Too bad that Robb Stark not only survived, despite losing his mother, but also wiped out House Frey in retaliation.
Another message had arrived for him earlier that Tywin's forces at Harrenhal had been wiped out, unknown to Tywin himself, with Sandor Cleagne taking his brother's head, and that Kevan Lannister was also killed in the attack launched by the Brotherhood. Varys could not help but to notice the irony in the situation. Tywin thinking that he had won, but in truth, he had lost the war, and yet, did not know it.
Varys then destroyed the Declaration and the message, and the Spider went on about his business for the day. Things were about to get very interesting once Robb Stark and Stannis Baratheon arrived in King's Landing.
Nighttime fell onto King's Landing. As the people of the city, young and old, rich and poor settled in for the night, the Wolf and the Stag silently entered King's Landing.
Clad in the crimson armor of the Lannisters, Robb Stark, Edmure Tully and Stannis Baratheon and three hundred of Robb's hand-picked swordsmen and archers entered the city. Stannis chose three hundred of his own men, under the joint command of Davos Seaworth and Brynden Tully to infiltrate the Red Keep via the secret passages in which Arya had told them about.
The three hundred men Robb had chosen were hard-hitting veterans from both the North and Riverrun. As a jape, Arya had called the three hundred men 'The Wolfpack.' Robb liked the name, as did the three hundred men.
First up on Robb's hit list was Petyr Baelish, the former Master of Coin. As Littlefinger was a creature of habit, he would be seen at one of his many brothels in Fleabottom. Ros was instrumental in luring Littlefinger out of the whorehouse and into the hands of Robb and Stannis. Like Walder Frey, Littlefinger had gotten a first-hand lesson in Northern justice as Robb took his head as payback for his betrayal of Ned Stark and backing Cersei Lannister.
With Littlefinger dead, the next target was the Red Keep itself. While Robb and Stannis dealt with the backstabbing former Master of Coin, the joint Baratheon-Stark forces infiltrated the Red Keep, led by Davos and the Blackfish, some walking through the front gates, while others through the secret passageways. It was just as Robb had predicted. The Lannister House Guards did not suspect a thing as Robb and Stannis passed through in full armor.
Stealth was the key. Once the joint forces were in their positions, the assault began.
While the Hand, the Queen Regent, the King and the Master of Coin slept, the Stag and the Wolf proceeded to wipe out the City Watch guards and the House Guards. Taking advantage of the Lannister soldiers as they slept inside their barracks, they were killed while they slept, the bodies disposed with the Wolfpack and Stannis' men taking their places. The Goldcloaks' commander, Janos Slynt, was slain by Robb himself for his role in Ned Stark's arrest.
Come the following day, when Tywin and his family woke up to face the day, the Red Keep would be under the control of the Wolf and the Stag.
The Red Keep, morning.
The summons came from his father by a member of the Kingsguard. A meeting inside the Tower of the Hand.
Tyrion Lannister waddled into the small meeting room. His father, Tywin Lannister was already there, as was the Queen Regent, Cersei Lannister. Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard stood guard. Lord Varys and Grand Maester Pycelle were also present, seated in their chairs.
Unfortunately, so was his nephew, Joffrey Baratheon.
He was not in his chair, but was pacing the floor, giddy with delight. Cersei had a smile on his face. "Killed a few puppies today," Tyrion snidely asked his nephew.
"Show him," commanded Joffrey.
Pycelle handed the Master of Coin the message sent by raven which had just arrived from the Twins. Or at least, tried to, as Pycelle dropped the parchment, which fell to the floor. Shooting the old man a nasty glare, Tyrion retrieved the message, ignoring the apologies sputtered by the old man.
Roslin caught a fine fat trout. Her brother gave her a pair of wolf pelts for her wedding. Walder Frey.
Tyrion read the message and frowned. "What is this supposed to be? Bad poetry?"
"Robb Stark is dead," gloated Joffrey. "And his bitch of a mother." He turned to Pycelle. "Send word to Lord Frey, and thank him for his service. I want Robb Stark's head so I can serve it to Sansa."
"Lady Sansa is your aunt by marriage," pointed out Varys.
"He did not mean it," interjected Cersei. "He was merely joking."
"I'm not joking. I want it served to Sansa," said Joffrey.
"No."
The King turned to Tyrion. "What?"
"Sansa is no longer yours to torment," the Imp said.
"I am King, and everyone is mine to torment. Do well to remember that, you little monster."
"Then you should speak softly then. Monsters are very dangerous. And Kings in this day and age are dying like flies."
Joffrey was fuming. "I can have your tongue ripped out for such insolence, Uncle."
"Leave him be, son," interjected Cersei. "Let him make his threats. He is nothing more than a bitter little man."
"You should apologize, Lord Tyion. That was in bad taste," Pycelle said.
"You should listen to Pycelle," snarled Joffrey. "I...am...the King. And I will punish you for your insolence."
"Anyone who says 'I am the King' is not a true King," Tywin said, breaking his silence. "Understand that, as it was I who won your war for you."
Before Joffrey could retort to that, the doors to the chambers opened and in walked Sandor Cleagne, followed by twenty Lannister guards, faces obscured by their helmets, two of them each carrying a satchel which was obviously stained with blood. Accompanying them were the other six members of the Kingsguard.
Joffrey did not waste any time. In a moment, he stood before the Hound. "So, Dog, come to beg for forgiveness after deserting me? You had better hope that the heads of that traitor and his bitch of a mother is in one of those bags, or else I'll have yours."
Sandor said nothing. The fist to Joffrey's head, however, spoke volumes. Joffrey was knocked to the floor, and pinned to the floor with one massive boot. Meryn Trant drew his steel, but was cut down by one of the false Lannister guards, blood splattering over Cersei's dress. Two of the Kingsguard moved just as quickly, swords drawn, finding the throats of Cersei and Pycelle. Only Tywin, Varys and Tyrion remained unharmed.
Tywin rose from his seat, but froze when the Kingsguard holding Cersei hostage turned his head towards him and said, "You move, your daughter and grandson die. No exceptions." To show that he was serious, a thin trail of blood began to appear on Cersei's neck. Slowly, Tywin sat back down as two of the false guards flanked him. Following a quick pat-down, Tywin was relieved of not only his Hand's Pin, but also the hunting knife concealed in his boot.
Tywin's eyes narrowed as he recognized the voice. "Brynden Tully..."
Sure enough, the false guard removed his helmet, revealing himself to be the master strategist of the Northern bannermen, the Blackfish himself. The Kingsguard who was holding Pycelle hostage turned out to be Edmure Tully once his own helmet was removed. The Kingsguard which had slew Meryn was Brienne of Tarth.
"You should be dead!" Cersei said, disbelief evident in her tone as she glared at Edmure.
"Hell of a way to almost go," Edmure replied. "My own wife tried to gut me in the wedding bed. It didn't end well for her. A widower in less than two hours."
Heavy footfalls echoed in the corridor. The disguised soldiers parted, allowing the man in question to enter the room. Tywin's eyes widened in shock, as did Tyrion's, while Cersei's eyes went wide in horror, as did Joffrey's own, as they recognized the man in question who was being accompanied by Sansa – who he had rescued moments earlier before coming to the Tower of the Hand – and his pet direwolf, the Stark family greatsword Ice being held by the Greatjon Umber.
Robb Stark.
A very angry Robb Stark, clad in Lannister armor, Littlefinger's head in his hand, having killed him shortly before infiltrating the Red Keep, as payback for his betrayal of his father.
He was not alone. Accompanying him was Stannis Baratheon and Davos Seaworth, both Stannis and Davos also clad in Lannister red. The men holding the bloodied satchels turned out to be Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr.
Robb's voice was grave, cold as the North he was raised in. He glared at Joffrey, still pinned to the floor by Sandor Cleagne, the boy king's expression changed to one of fury to that of fear. "You killed my father." Then he turned to Tywin and tossed Littlefinger's head onto the table, where it rolled to a stop...in Cersei's lap, causing her to shriek and toss the head onto the floor. "You killed my mother, and tried to kill my wife. I told you once, Lannister. Winter is coming for you. Never let it be known that I am not a man of my word."
"How...?" was all Cersei managed to say.
"Did I survive the ambush at the Twins?" Robb asked. "With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With the greatest of pleasure."
"Or how did we infiltrate the Red Keep under your noses?" Edmure said.
"There is that," Tyrion replied.
"The treachery of the Freys and of the Boltons came to me in a dream," Robb replied. "It appears that both the Old Gods and the Seven have found favor with me."
Beric then opened his satchel and pulled out a severed head, still identifiable, but was starting to putrefy. "Roose Bolton." He set the head on the table. The next couple of heads that he pulled out were those of the Freys and their conspirators. "Black Walder Frey. Walder Rivers. Lothar Frey. Stevron Frey. Roslin Frey. Rolph Spicer. Sybell Spicer. And the Late Walder Frey."
"The truth behind the Red Wedding has been sent to the other main houses in the realm," explained Davos, a huge smile on his face. "Everyone knows that you conspired with Walder Frey and Roose Bolton, even going as far as to violate the guest right."
Tywin's hand clenched into a fist. If what Davos said was true, then his House would lose face in the eyes of the people.
"You can say that in a way, you inspired me as to how to deal with traitors, Lannister," Robb noted. "House Frey has been completely annihilated – man, woman and child. The same with the turncloak Bolton and his House will soon join him in the Seven Hells."
"Who knows? They might make a song out of that," the Greatjon shouted, getting a good laugh out of that from the others.
"And sneaking into the Red Keep?" Tyrion asked, curious.
"I have my little sister to thank for that," replied Robb. "Arya managed to escape the Red Keep when your whore of a sister and her bastard son arrested my father and slaughtered his house guards by using the same hidden entrances that we used to infiltrate the Red Keep."
"Bit of a chore, knifing through the Lannister guards while they slept," Davos said. "Then again, you tried to violate the guest right by trying to kill Ned Stark's boy."
Despite his predicament, Tywin remained defiant. "If I want to butcher twelve people at the dinner table rather than twelve thousand soldiers on the battlefield, I will do so in order to protect my family."
"No," Robb replied. "You do this only for your own ego."
"What makes you different from me?" retorted Tywin. "You wiped out House Frey and your own bannermen just as I had wiped out Tarbeck and Reyne when they rebelled against my House."
"Tarbeck and Reyne did not try and kill my wife...who is pregnant with my child," replied Robb. "They did not violate the sacred guest right, nor did they killed my parents. The difference is that you wiped out Tarbeck and Reyne just to make an impression. My motive is justice."
"Justice? More like vengeance," Cersei shot back.
"Regardless, you still can't win," Tywin said. "Your house is that of traitors. The other House Lords will not stand for this. You kill Joffrey, the people will see you as a Kingslayer." He leaned back in his chair. "You think that you and Stannis have won this war? You haven't, boy. My host is still at Harrenhal, along with my brother and the Mountain. You will not make it back to the North alive." He leaned back in his chair. "Shame. You managed to deceive me not once, but twice. Had things been different, then you would have made a fine Lannister. No matter. I will put your house to the sword personally."
"Correction: they were," Thoros said, reaching into his own bag and pulling out three severed heads. "Kevan Lannister. Amory Lorch. Gregor Cleagne."
"Your men were drunk when we came to Harrenhal," Beric explained. "They thought that they had won the war. We just did to them what you tried to do with Robb Stark and his bannermen. Your army has been completely destroyed. As we speak, Lord Stannis' forces are marching and sailing to King's Landing."
The totality of what was being said finally hit Tywin and his offspring. Tywin's host had been wiped out. His brother, enforcer and top commanders were dead. Tywin Lannister had lost the war and everyone else in the Seven Kingdoms knew it, with the exception of him.
From his place on the floor, Joffrey's mind went back to the day of Ned Stark's execution, when he forced Sansa to look at the heads of her father and septa.
"After I've raised my armies and kill your traitor brother, I'm going to give you his head as well."
"Or maybe he'll give me yours."
His mother's screams of horror brought him back to reality. The reason being was that Thoros had pulled out the final head out of his satchel. Tywin's face went red with fury while Tyrion's had one of regret.
The head was that of the Kingslayer himself.
That unfamiliar sensation that Tywin was feeling in the back of his spine was a sensation that he had not felt in a long time. That sensation was fear.
"Sandor, release him," Sansa calmly ordered.
"As you command, little bird," Sandor replied, removing his foot off of Joffrey and taking several steps back. But before Joffrey could retreat, Sansa gave a second order, this time to Grey Wind.
Sansa pointed to Joffrey and said, "Grey Wind, attack."
With a snarl, Grey Wind pounced on Joffrey, knocking him back to the floor.
Tywin attempted to rise from his chair, but was forced back into it by Brienne. Joffrey was savaged by the massive direwolf, narrowly avoiding getting his throat ripped out.
"Stop! Stop it!" Cersei screamed, helpless from her place at the table. "Please! Stop it!"
Sansa was unmoved. "I said the same when your son ordered my father to be executed, and he did not stop."
"I'm sorry!" Cersei screamed as Grey Wind continued to maul Joffrey, whose screams got even louder as the massive direwolf's jaws clamped down on the boy king's hand. "I didn't know that Joffrey wanted to kill him! He was supposed to take the black instead!"
"Grey Wind, enough," ordered Robb.
The direwolf followed his master's order, and released Joffrey, who held his bloodied, mangled hand. Grey Wind had torn off three of his fingers and the other two were mangled beyond recognition. He retrieved a handkerchief and wrapped it around his injured hand, whimpering. The attack lasted for one full minute.
"I think I'd like to think I'd got off lucky," said the Greatjon, remembering how Grey Wind had torn off two of his own fingers.
Tyrion, in the meantime, poured himself a cup of wine and took a drink. "This cruelty...I can honestly say that I am surprised to see such ruthlessness in you, Lord Stark," the Imp said. "What brought about this change?"
"I was betrayed once before the incident at the Twins," replied Robb. "By a man I once called brother. The Red Wedding at the Twins was the last straw. I do not take betrayal very lightly, especially if you gave me an oath of loyalty. It's true that I broke the pact made with Walder Frey by marrying Talisa, that I admit. But it did not merit a death sentence for myself and my bannermen. I did the honorable thing. I can't say the same for both Jamie and Cersei, Tywin."
Tywin's eyes narrowed. Cersei's own eyes widened in horror as she realized what Robb was going to reveal.
"You mean...you didn't know?" Robb asked. "You didn't know that you've been fighting a war to keep your bastard grandson on the throne?"
Tyrion cocked an eyebrow. Just what the young wolf was getting at?
"You never got the full story as to why Jon Arryn and Ned Stark was killed, Lannister," Stannis continued. "The reason is simple. Joffrey and his siblings are not the trueborn children of my idiot brother. Granted that my brother drank and whored his way through his reign, he is not worse than Cersei. In short," concluded Stannis. "Jamie, not Robert, is the father to your grandchildren."
"You lie," Tywin hissed.
"No. It's the truth."
Tywin, Cersei, Pycelle and Tyrion turned to Varys. The Spider had kept his silence until this very moment. "What Lord Stark and Lord Baratheon says is true, Lord Lannister. My little birds tell me many things. But I witnessed this event myself. Honorable to a fault, was your father, Lord Stark. Sadly, it was that which had gotten him killed."
Varys then went on to recall the confrontation between the former Hand to the King and Cersei.
[Flashback]
From behind a pillar, Varys overheard the conversation between Ned and Cersei.
"I know the truth which Jon was killed for."
"Do you, Lord Stark? Is that why you called me here? To pose riddles?"
"Did Robert do that to you? Has he done this before?"
"Jamie would have killed him. He is worth a thousand of your friend."
"Brother? You mean lover."
"So you know. I won't deny it. The Targaryens had wedded brother to sister for three hundred years to keep their bloodline pure. Jamie and I are more than brother and sister. We shared out mother's womb together...came into this world together. We belong together."
"It wasn't Tyrion. Jamie pushed him out of the tower when he saw the both of you."
"Tell me, Lord Stark. Do you love your children?"
"I do. With all my heart."
"No more than I love mine."
"And Jamie is the father of all three."
"Ha! Thank the gods. In the rare event that Robert leaves his whores long enough to stumble drunken into my bed, I finish him off in other ways. The morning after, he does not remember."
"You hated him."
"Hated him?! You are mistaken, Lord Stark. I worshiped him! Every girl in the Seven Kingdoms dreamed of him. But by oath, he was mine. And when I finally saw him on our wedding day in the Sept of Baelor, lean, fierce and black-bearded, it was the happiest moment of my life. And that night, when he crawled on top of me, stinking of wine and did what he did...well, what little he could do...he whispered in my ear not my name, but that of your dead sister - 'Lyanna.' Your sister was a corpse, and I was a living girl. He loved her more than me!"
"When Robert returns from his hunt...I will tell him the truth. You and your children must be gone from King's Landing by then. I will not have their blood on my hands. Go to the safety of Casterly Rock, if you can, for Robert's wrath will follow you."
"You should be more worried of my wrath, Lord Stark. You could have been King. You had the chance to take the throne for yourself. Oh yes, Jamie told me about the day that the city had fallen. A sad mistake."
"I've made many mistakes in my life. That was not one of them."
"But it was. In the game of thrones, there is no middle ground. You do one of two things: win or die."
[End Flashback]
Tyrion was the first to speak after Varys finished his recollection. "Do you have any idea what you have done?!" the Imp shouted at his sister, furious.
Tyrion had seen several of Robert's bastards in the past, but even he did not see this coming. All of Robert's bastards had dark hair and blue eyes. Joffrey and his siblings did not share the same trait. No wonder Joffrey turned out the way he did.
Tywin looked as if he wanted to strangle Cersei himself. Even he knew that Varys was incapable of lying. The Spider took no sides in any conflict. His loyalty was to the realm.
"I did what I had to do in order to preserve our family," defended Cersei. "Robert would have killed me! He would have killed my children if Ned was allowed to tell him! I had Robert killed in order to protect my children!"
"So what they are saying is indeed true," Tywin grated. "My grandchildren...bastards. All of them." Tywin could see his ambitions and legacy crumbling down all around him. In a stroke of irony, it was not Tyrion who had brought about the downfall of his legacy, but that of his elder children and his grandson.
The Wolf and the Stag had won. There was no way out for him. His fate was sealed.
Stannis glared at Cersei. "Cersei Lannister, you are no longer Queen Regent. Your children will be stripped of the Baratheon name. For the crime of regicide and murder, you are sentenced to death." He turned to Tywin. "I told my brother that you should be tried and executed for the murders of Elia Martell and her children, but he was against it. Your judgment is long overdue. You will die not only for your role in not only the murder of the Martells, but also your role in the death of Catelyn Stark, and your head will be sent to Dorne along with that of Gregor Cleagne."
He looked at Joffrey. "Joffrey Baratheon...no,you are no longer a Baratheon. Never were. Joffrey Waters, for your murder of Eddard Stark of Winterfell, you are sentenced to death."
"Wait! Wait..." Joffrey pleaded as two of the guards hauled him to his feet. "I can fix this. My mother is a Lannister. Her family is rich. Every man has his price. Spare my life and I will see it paid! Please...don't kill me, Uncle!"
"I am not your uncle," grounded out Stannis. "You are no longer king."
In desperation, Joffrey turned to Sansa. "Milady...please," he begged. "If you have any love for me, don't let them kill me."
Sansa was unmoved. "I begged for my father's life, and you took his head. I asked for mercy and your response was that you gave my father a quick and clean death. You and your mother abused and ridiculed me at every turn and now you beg for mercy?"
"I'm sorry! Please don't let Stannis kill me!" Joffrey pleaded. "Sansa, please! I'll give you anything! Do you hear me?! Anything!"
"Can you bring back the dead?" Robb asked. "Our parents? Syrio Forel? Our septa? Then you have nothing to offer us."
"Wait. There is something," Sansa said.
Joffrey looked relieved, as he thought he had gotten through to his former betrothed.
Sansa turned to Robb. "We are from the North. And our way is the old way."
Robb understood what his sister was saying. It was a lesson which their father had taught him. It was what he had done to Walder Frey and Littlefinger. "The man who passes sentence must be the one to swing the sword."
Joffrey's eyes widened in horror as to what Sansa had planned.
Sansa then turned back towards Joffrey, her voice just as cold as her brother's as she gave her brother the same order which Joffrey gave to Ilyn Payne. "Remember that day when you executed my father, that I told you that my brother would be the one who would bring me your head?"
Joffrey was sobbing. "Milady...please...no..."
"'A Lannister always pays his debts.' That is the unofficial motto of your house. We have something similar in the North. We don't forget, nor do we forgive." Without breaking eye contact, Sansa addressed her brother. "Robb...bring me his head."
"NOOOO!" Joffrey screamed as he was dragged away from the small council chambers sobbing, followed by Cersei and Tywin, hands bound. Only Pycelle, Varys and Tyrion remained.
"I suppose there is a reason as to why I am still here?" Tyrion asked.
"Out of all the Lannisters," Robb replied, "You did no wrong in my eyes. You showed kindness to my brother following his injury and from what Sansa has told me, you treated her with respect. For that, your life is still yours."
"Good to hear," the Imp replied as he took a swig of wine. "I'm very much attached to my head. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry as to how things had turned out between our families."
Robb nodded, before then excused himself, the Greatjon and Sansa following him.
"By default, you are now Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock," Stannis decreed. "Take Tommen and Mycella with you and go home. They are banished from King's Landing. As they are bastard children, they have no claim to the throne, and are stripped of the Baratheon name. Unlike Cersei, I will not kill innocent children. Second, your marriage to Sansa Stark is hereby dissolved."
"I'll have them legitimatized," Tyrion said. "Bastards they may be, they are still Lannisters. Once everything is explained, House Lannister will swear fealty to you, Your Grace."
"Good." He turned to Pycelle. "You are stripped of your duties. Be thankful that I don't have you killed."
The execution of the Lannisters was a private affair, unlike Ned Stark's execution at the Sept of Baelor. Robb himself was the impromptu executioner.
Joffrey was the first to die. In a ironic contrast, it was Cersei who was begging for mercy for her son, much like Sansa when Joffrey ordered Ned's death. Tywin would be the last to die, after watching his daughter and grandson go first. An impromptu chopping block was brought out, a discarded stone pillar, and placed in front of Joffrey.
Joffrey had let out one final scream as Robb raised Ice over his head and brought it down. Thus, ended the life of the boy king. Cersei was catatonic as she was brought before the chopping block, watching as her son's head was taken to be placed on a pike. Her misery did not last for very long, as Robb ended her life as well.
Tywin was the last to die. The last thing that he heard before Ice sliced into bone and sinew was Robb reciting the final lines to The Rains of Castamere. "'Yes, now the rains weep o'er his hall, and not a soul to hear.'"
As it was Tywin who ordered the remains of his father to be returned to Winterfell for burial, Robb would extend the same courtesy to Tyrion, allowing him to take their headless corpses back to Casterly Rock for internment.
As the bodies of the three Lannisters were taken away, Edmure Tully took notice of something. "Heh. Looks like the jape was false."
"Oh? What about?" the Blackfish asked as the heads of Cersei, Joffrey and Tywin were placed on pikes.
"In the end," replied Edmure, "Tywin Lannister did not shit gold."
Thus, the War of the Five Kings ended in an upset. Tywin Lannister was dead, along with his two eldest children and his grandson. Stannis Baratheon had gained the Iron Throne and Robb Stark had avenged his parents' deaths, and his father's name was cleared. His vengeance complete, he and his men returned to Riverrun, then headed back North to tie up some loose ends, mainly Ramsay Snow and Theon Greyjoy.
By the time Robb Stark had returned North, word of his exploits had spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms. So much so that House Karstark, who had abandoned Robb following the execution of Rickard Stark, crushed the remaining Bolton bannermen at the Dreadfort and handed both Theon Greyjoy and Ramsay Snow over to Robb as a peace offering, fearing that he would exterminate the Karstarks the same way he had done to House Frey..
Robb wasted no time in executing both men...and pardoning House Karstark for their actions.
Then he, his sisters and Talisa returned to Winterfell, where they reunited with both Bran and Rickon Stark, the former having received visions of his own regarding his siblings' return from the South.
Robb Stark's war was finally over.
