date 11.12.266 AC
A mighty, majestic castle towered over the vast expanses of the sea. And although he sprawled freely under the very heavens, at the same time he seemed to come from the underworld, which froze above the sea, having not yet had time to really shake off the turf. Built on a huge seaside cliff and towering a good six hundred meters high, it was awe-inspiring and admired by everyone who had ever seen it. Unless the Arryn Eagle's Nest boasts a much bigger… Height.
This was and is Casterly Rock, the legendary stronghold of the Lannisters. A strong and influential family of golden-haired ambitious lions and beautiful lionesses. A golden Lion on a red field is an emblem that is recognizable, it would seem, everywhere. There were various legends about the legendary wealth of this family... the Lannisters could "lose ground" politically, they could experience the decline of the army, the confidence of the lords and ordinary people. But we were never poor. The famous phrase "Lannisters always pay their debts" has become more famous than the motto of this noble house — "Hear my roar!".
Serving the Lannisters is a ticket to paradise. Even if the clan was in decline up to a certain point. By the way, soon the song "Reyna from Castamere" will add to the reputation of the lions. Crailen, a maester from the Citadel, was considered a great success to get a position at the Lannister court. He did not go to a small and weak house, or to the same Starks, to the North, like his comrade Luwin. To freeze his ass in the "Biggest and poorest and most barbaric Kingdom"... fortunately, he was sent to the Lannisters, shortly after the end of the battle between the Rhine and the Lannisters. Their previous Maester died of natural causes shortly before the split between the Guardians of the West and the second most powerful house.
He only managed to settle into this Impressive castle. Underground caves, galleries, rooms and corridors… They were filled with mysterious antiquity, and despite the fact that many people were used to holding prisoners underground, these rooms were not for them, no matter how strange it may sound. The richness of the interior of these rooms could be the envy of the most influential masters of the Free Cities. The castle itself had three conventional parts, Kreilen explained for himself. The first one rises above the cliff and has only a superstructure in the form of several tall towers, where the most prominent members of the Lion Family live. For example, Titos Lannister's son is the next Lord, Tywin Lannister, along with his beautiful cousin Joanna and two twins— Jaime and Cersei.
He actually occupied the highest level in the central tower — the fifth floor. In the next tower, one could find Lord Titos' mistress and, more recently, himself. The laughing Lion poured out his grief from "the loss of the second most important house in the Western Lands, as well as the cruelty of his son" in the arms of the candlemaster's daughter and wine. One floor below Ser Tywin's family, Ser Kevan Lannister is housed in his tower. The golden-haired tall man, just like his older brother, had recently become a father. Unlike the strong—willed and cruel Tywin, Kevan, according to the maester's observations, was just malleable and soft, more a shadow of his brother Tywin. There were two more brothers. Tigett Lannister was an outstanding fighter, an honest knight, and... disliked Tywin because of his cruelty and unscrupulousness. Kreilen had only seen the next Lord a couple of times, but he had already drawn certain conclusions.
Well, and the last brother of the four Lannisters, namely brothers, because there is also a sister who married Freya. Geryon. He was only eleven, but he was already showing remarkable charisma and a cheerful personality. By the way, about the brothers, or rather about one of the four…
Ser Kevan Lannister recently blessed his father, Titos, with a new grandson. More precisely, Kevan's wife Dorna Swift, now a Lannister, made him happy. The boy Sirion Lannister was born on the tenth of the tenth month… Two months later than their peers from the family of Ser Tywin, Jaime and Cersei. Kreilen remembered the twins. The birth of Lady Joanna was difficult, but the golden-haired beauty did not show any signs. But children will undoubtedly become beautiful when they grow up. The true Lannisters…
The Maester lived in the tower closest to the sea, such was the whole tower of the Maester in Casterly Rock. The sunsets at Casterly Rock are the most beautiful thing in this world. Sitting at his desk and looking through the event notes, Kreilen looked out the open window. Being a meister is a heavy burden. The Maester's room was richly furnished. The only window looked out onto the Sunset Sea, and he had a table.… Sometimes the wind could blow away a piece of paper. Although now Kreilen could afford to enjoy the fresh air and at the same time work. After all, he's currently checking out a fairly voluminous book that not every wind will pick up. Perhaps there will be something similar in the Stormlands. The book contained the dates of birth of the children of Casterly Rock, as well as observations of them: illnesses, learning ability, contacts. There was a bookcase against one wall, its shelves crammed with books. And it was his collection, the most valuable books were in the Castle library, by the way, he was also its caretaker. The cabinet contained treatises on medicine, fairy tales and legends, information on economics and blacksmithing. Everything a maester should have at hand. And the closet is opposite… A maester's most dangerous weapon is not just knowledge. This is the knowledge of the most dangerous and terrible poisons that aristocrats are able to poison their competitors with. It doesn't matter how honest the lord is. There are different situations, Kreilen knew that very well.
Kreilen also had two more rooms. The first was the workshop where he conducted experiments. It was not for nothing that he chose the richest Western Lands for ores. After all, his passion was blacksmithing and alchemy. If not to the Lannisters, then at least to someone, but to the West. And the third room of the Maester was his bedroom. The Lannisters were kind to those who stayed with them. And to those who serve them… His room was as rich as the monthly treasury of some Lords.
Kevan Lannister… Maester Kreilen was waiting for him to share his observations with him. Ser Kevan entered his office without knocking, he was wearing a scarlet doublet and matching trousers. Typical Lannister appearance…
—Ser Kevan,— Kreilen stood up, turning to greet his guest.
—Maester Kreilen,— the corners of Kevan's mouth barely twitched.
The man has been on edge lately. As soon as they moved away from the suppression of the Rhine and Tarbeck, his wife Dorna gave birth. The child, according to Kreilen's own observations, was weak. Although he was able to survive later. Sirion Lannister is exactly the name the newborn received. The boy was weird. Very strange… He hardly cried, his baby face was always frowning, and his eyes sparkled with an understanding unusual for children his age.
"What's wrong with my son, Maester Kreilen?" Ser Kevan asked.
"I've done additional research, and..." the Meister began, as if preparing for a long jump. "Your son is physically healthy, Sire, but mentally…
Kevan squinted at the Maester. Sire's left hand rested on the rich hilt of the sword, which the knight wielded at a decent level.
"There are two options, Sire. He's either stupid from birth, so he's not capable of the usual reactions for children, or he's too smart," Kreilen literally felt Kevan tense up even more. — Unfortunately, there are more first cases in history and almost no second ones.
— Do you know how to fix it? Kevan Lannister asked. "There must be something."…
And Sire can be understood. This is his child and not just a child, but the firstborn, the first son is always important for a man. And, actually, it doesn't matter if the son was born the very first, or after a dozen daughters. This is not Dorne, and Viserys I Targaryen is not in front of him, who appointed his own daughter as heir, which, by the way, then backfired in Westeros in the form of a Dance of Dragons, followed by the extermination of mythical creatures.
—Alas, Ser Kevan,— the Maester shook his head penitently. — Unfortunately, the Citadel does not know how to fix this ailment.… And it doesn't really look like a disease, and so far we don't know what exactly is wrong with your child. The only option is to wait.
— And how long to wait? Kevan asked.
"You should show it to me once a month, maybe more often. Please let me know about any oddities— the Maester knew that one should always be polite when dealing with an armed man, and even more so when dealing with an armed knight. — The more time passes, the clearer the reason for your son's behavior will become.
Kreilen himself can only pray to the mercy of the Seven that everything is fine with the child. Neither underdevelopment nor early death suited him. The Lannisters always remembered the good, but they were even better at repaying the evil. If he is blamed for the condition or death of baby Sirion… His stay at Casterly Rock will not be the easiest. Ser Kevan grimaced... the conversation with Kreilen had clearly not improved his mood.
—Ser Kevan,— Kreilen called to the man as he was about to leave. "I suppose it's hard for you." I can advise you to take poppy seed milk in small doses to calm down. But just a little bit. The brother of the heir of Casterly Rock must not feel unwell.…
"Thank you, Maester Kreilen, for your advice and honesty."… But I'll only get better when my son gets better," the knight said coldly, and Kevan's gaze made Kreilen uneasy. "And it depends on you, Maester Kreilen.
"I'll see what I can do," Kreilen said firmly. — Perhaps in your family library, which traces its history back to the Casterleys themselves, who lived in the "Age of Heroes", there should have been knowledge about this.
—Do whatever you deem necessary for my son's health," Kivan summarized, leaving the office.
"Whatever I see fit," Kreilen grumbled. — And why did it sound like "do what you have to do, otherwise it will be bad... for you"? The Maester sighed heavily and returned to his book.…
"Sirion Lannister. Was born on 10.10.266 from AC. at Casterly Rock at sunset. Father is Kevan Lannister. Mother is Dorna Lannister. Recognized. There is a lack of normal childhood reactions. The child hardly cries and actively tries to explore the environment.… The condition needs to be clarified."
"Then you will know death..." the enemy's quiet voice hissed.
The pain was indeed... the pain of the cold steel of the blade piercing through the skin and piercing into the heart… I still felt the desire to live, felt the warm trickles of blood that began to flow down. All that was in front of my eyes was a man who pierced my heart, and then everything blurred. Darkness flooded my mind... I couldn't see anything.… I can't hear anything…
"What happened? Where am I? What's wrong with me?"
—Sergei Lisin, me?" I asked myself.
"It's interesting, so after death we don't see anything, we don't feel anything… Why was I able to ask myself the question then? What's wrong with me? Who will answer me… God... Or The Devil? Rather, the Devil, though… I'm not a believer.… The cost of parenting."
I turned around... or shouldn't I turn around? Anyway, I just can't figure out what's going on. Why is this happening… So many questions, no answers. A dank, all-consuming darkness, that's all… Whoever created it is quite capable of defending a dissertation on the method of driving a person crazy. Or... after I died, I stopped being human? And why have I been attracted to philosophy lately?
"Think about your mistakes before you die," this quiet and at the same time threatening voice flashed through your head, "think about it and decide whether you have lived your life correctly. You should not take the dogmas of various religions personally. Only the person himself is able to understand whether he has lived his life the way he should or not."
"Damn bastard!" Yes, when will you shut up! — I broke into a "scream". — I don't care about your moralizing, I'm already dead.… Why am I still able to make sense of myself? Think? Think? Where is my fucking end? If I have any regrets, I don't care anymore, I can't fix them anyway.…
What kind of regrets did I have? They were mostly about family... yes, my main frustrations were about family. My parents wanted to raise me to be a "Soviet man." To become a true American, according to some supporters of the "American dream," you should buy a two-story cottage, get an office, and drive a cheap Ford. Oh, and marry a woman. A "Soviet man" is a proper lamb in every sense. A highly moral man who has A's in all subjects, who served in the army, graduated from university/college, works for the good of the Fatherland and has a family. He's not being rowdy… And everything would be fine if it weren't for the fact that the generation rotted in its own way. It is not necessary to go into the reasons of who is responsible for the rotting of everything around: the party, the people inside the country… A fact is a fact. The idea of communism was too beautiful. People by their nature are not capable of such beauty, and therefore they will always be oppressed. This is how any human society works, alas… I realized this too early and quarreled with my father, and then with my mother. Did I regret it? Perhaps... I was too hot-headed, I didn't try to tell my father my point of view, but only scolded him for his beliefs.
Sorry. My father, despite his excesses, was a relatively intelligent man. All my regrets are related to the damn family! I still don't understand her, Ira.… I tried to reconcile with my father and mother when I invited them to meet Ira. I thought we'd make up... but in the end I fell out again. Only worse. And they immediately recognized Irka's fucking nature. Yet like a father, so is a son. My father told me everything right away. But I didn't accept it.… How the fuck, because "Ira is perfect"... I wish I could spit it out, but alas. The only thing she had that was perfect was proportions close to the "90-60-90" formula, and everything else was rot. And Vadim… Vadim... my mistake again. I didn't pay attention to him, and what did I get? It's all my fault. Yes, I became a "successful businessman" and achieved a lot. And the price was the absence of a normal family.… What did I do when I returned home, when Vadim had already decided to live alone? He hired a prostitute or drank. Nothing else…
— I've already felt sorry for myself, can I die already? I asked the darkness. "Valhalla?" Hell? Heaven? Yes, where will I be assigned?
The darkness is silent… She was driving me crazy with her silence... am I really going to spend all my time here until the end of time?
"So it's hell after all?"…
I suddenly felt a twinge of pain… I had no idea that I was capable of feeling pain. An incredible pain... like nothing I've ever felt before… I didn't have a body, I was just throwing up. I prayed and cried that this pain would stop, that it would go away. But she didn't back down.…
I didn't even realize—I was already dead. Blood was slowly flowing down the dagger that had been stabbed into my heart... yes, I couldn't even feel that! And at the same time, I clearly felt the pain! It hurt like never before. My whole being, all my feelings, whatever they were, were subjected to terrible torture. The darkness began to fade. It's a strange word for total darkness, but that's what came into my mind. The darkness was replaced by light... and I dissolved. I literally felt like someone or something was pulling me somewhere. It was unclear what it was.… But it didn't feel like any familiar sensation.
The pain tore through his chest along with the scream that escaped.
It's a strange feeling, as if it's been felt before, and at the same time it's not. The pain receded and I gradually stopped screaming. There was no darkness in front of my eyes, but my vision was in no hurry to recover — it was somehow blurry, unfocused.… A strange noise, like the surf, was beating in my ears. Different colors flashed by, although mostly a whitish yellow dominated.
—Boy,— I heard on the periphery of my hearing.
A strange, rather young voice... hearing has not yet fully returned, but the thought flew through my head that someone had said "boy" in English… I tried to turn around to where the source of the voice seemed to be, but a new voice immediately caught my attention. A woman? She was breathing heavily, and even her half-recovered hearing could detect it.… The echoes of pain reverberated in my chest less and less... my chest? My vision somehow focused. The outlines formed into a murky cacophony of gray colors and shapes.… I was looking, apparently, at a heavily breathing, naked woman. But that's not accurate.… The silhouette also looked like an overgrown alien amoeba. Wait a minute… What are they doing to me?
—Cyrion,— the woman said with a sigh.
And they brought me up to her body and... put me against her heaving chest... what? Before I could think, my lips were cupping her nipple. What the hell? Is it milk? Maternal instinct? Why am I doing this at all? Yes, this is the first time I've seen this woman in my life! And in my heart, I can't imagine who I am for her to do such a thing. Okay, Sergey, don't be dumb, calm down. As always, as I'm used to, there must be a logical explanation. The unpleasant smell of a sweaty body hit my nose, although I tried to abstract myself into my thoughts. Add up... chest pain, screaming… Blurred vision, poor functioning, barely audible hearing, and breast-feeding. And at the level of "I don't want to, but the body does." It looks like… For... childbirth? What about? How is this possible? Or rather, not even "how", but "why?" What happened to me that I didn't just end up somewhere, but, as I realized, in the body of a baby, in front of a woman who had just given birth! And, apparently… Is that Mom? My mom…
The word "mom" immediately echoed warmly in my thoughts, evoking my memories. Despite her strict father, her mother was kind in her own way. She taught me English, helped me in any way she could after a quarrel with my father. But it can't be! It's a natural second life! Why me? Or is it not just me, but everyone? But... my logic, if it hasn't already shattered into fragments, like a glass that fell to the floor, says that this is at least impossible! Not real! I refuse.… I am not a paragon of virtue. What did I do to deserve this? How did I do it? But even if such a thing is possible, why did I save the memory? What happened to me, and how did it happen? Transmigration of souls?
But that wasn't the only thing that worried me. The child's body… Surrounding world. Where the hell am I? And in such a chaotic and meaningless speculation, I did not even notice how my consciousness was falling into darkness? This body is just something…
***
Maester Kreilen stared at the sleeping child. Sirion Lannister was born healthy, as were the twins of Lady Joanna, Ser Tywin's wife. But unlike the twins, who screamed and cried at the top of their lungs after birth, Sirion turned out to be strange. As soon as he got the chance, he quieted down and…
Have you made any attempts to look around? What does it mean? Children are too weak to actively use their heads in all directions. As the one who forged the silver link, he remembered this detail perfectly. But at the same time, Sirion Lannister was showing strange signs of activity. The boy was born green-eyed and is likely to inherit his father's appearance.… The Lannister blood is too strong in the Western Lands. It was rare for her to retreat, even the blood of the already deceased Reines did not change the circumstances. The Lannisters still had green-eyed and golden-haired children from Casterly Rock.
Lady Dorna survived the birth better than Lady Joanna. Still, there's only one child. The height is standard for children. The weight is the same. The mother herself actively breastfed the newborn Sirion. The oddities started later. When the servants caring for the child and, most importantly, the mother, and then the father, began to notice Sirion Lannister's behavior.
"He doesn't act like a child."
At first, the boy looked at one specific point, reacting only to attempts to feed. But the most amazing thing is that he tried to restrain his natural need! The boy seemed to be offended by his worthlessness and almost never walked under himself, as all children do and, frankly, some adults do. Then his behavior began to change in a completely opposite direction. Since New Year's Eve, he hadn't so much been staring at one point as studying and seemingly analyzing the people walking next to him. Maester Kreilen was ready to swear by all the Gods, both the Old Ones and the Seven, even by the Lion of the Night and Others from the North! In the green eyes of another Lannister, he saw understanding and acceptance of the environment. But not the way children are used to seeing everything — with curiosity and thirst to explore the world around them. He saw the understanding that young Sirion had in common with adults.
"There are no abnormalities," Kreilen informed Ser Kivan when he was finally sure of the child's health, as well as that his aloofness was only a consequence of his abnormally rapidly developing intelligence.
The boy will grow into an intelligent man ... Unless, of course, epidemics or other factors affect his life expectancy... In 7.9.267 from AC, Lord Titos Lannister, according to the conclusions of Kreilen himself and not only him, rendered a "lion's favor to the lion family", dying of a heart attack. Lord Tywin returned to Casterly Rock to rule from there as the Hand of King Aerys II.
"The situation is cruel," Lord Tywin returned and quickly put those who were not there in their place. Except that he only communicated with his wife with amazing meekness. Yes, Ser was now the Lord of Casterly Rock, the Guardian of the West, the Shield of Lannisport. And it's also worth considering that he's the Hand of the King. Quite a successful Hand of King Aerys, who also arrived with Lord Tywin, however, he did not come to help the Hand in ruling, but to admire Lady Joanna, the beautiful Lady of Casterly Rock.
Lord Titos died climbing the steep stairs, of which there were many in Casterly Rock, to his mistress, Mirella, the daughter of a candlemaster. And until the Lord arrived, it was a mess, held back only by the Lannister brothers. The candlemaster's daughter seriously wanted to marry her younger brother, Geryon, by poisoning Kevan, who was present in the Cliff, and then Lord Tywin and Tigett! But Lord Tywin had arrived too quickly, and she hadn't had the slightest chance: the castle servants themselves wouldn't have forgiven her for such an elevation. As a result, Lord Tywin stripped his mother's jewelry from an arrogant commoner and forced her to walk through Lannisport, naked, approaching everyone and telling them that she was a whore.…
Here's what's happened lately at Casterly Rock.
10.10.267 from AC
Three hundred and sixty-five… I've been living in this strange world for three hundred and sixty-five days now. And it took a lot of time to figure out what happened, and most importantly, where I was. To begin with, as the investigator told me during the interrogation in the distant, already very distant, nineties: first name, last name, age. After that, the address of registration and further questions.…
You'll have to introduce yourself again. With a new name. After all, I've already realized, no matter how much I resent the situation, no matter how much I hate the fact itself! I was reborn… Whether I wanted to or not, it doesn't matter. Now I'm going to live a new life, and it's going to be at least well-off, but at most... if I can use my life experience properly.…
So… Sirion Lannister. The son of the younger brother of the High Lord of the Western Lands, Lord of Casterly Rock, Guardian of the West, Shield of Lannisport, Lord Hand of the King of the Rhoynar, Andal, and the First Men of Aerys, the second of that name, from House Targaryen... you can get lost in the abundance of titles… The older brother is Tywin Lannister, he is the Hand of the King, something like the prime minister under the president or the chancellor under the monarch, and before that, the Lord of Casterly Rock, the West and Lannisport, which, as I understand it, is something like a city, the Lords live in castles, and this one It also possesses a city. Not surprisingly, the "Western Lands" are most likely a huge territory. I am the son of the humble and second oldest of the four brothers, Kevan Lannister. Correction, Ser Kevan Lannister.
How could a one-year-old child know all this? It's simple: they speak English here, and the purest English I've ever heard in London itself. And since I know English perfectly well (although I don't have a paper on philological education), I perfectly understood everything that was being talked about here. The information was given to me by servants who believed that if a child was less than four years old, then everything could be told in front of him, including who killed Kennedy, where Hitler fled to, and who benefited from the defeat of the Russian Empire in World War I. Well, if not at all jokingly, then I listened to the servants' whispers and stories about The "inner political kitchen" of Casterly Rock. Later, a rather strange character joined them. He is called the Maester of Casterly Rock—Kreilen. Under the protests of my mother, Dorna Lannister, but under the tacit approval of my father, Kevan, a tall, golden-haired man who wore a scarlet doublet, the Maester began to enlighten me (!) a one-year-old child (!). Although I realized that the most dangerous person here is precisely Maester Kreilen, because the man is more medically savvy than any of the servants, knights, garrison, two Ladies, and my father and his brother Geryon combined. Kreilen immediately saw through Stirlitz, that is, me, or rather, realized that, even though I was a baby, I was more aware of my actions than the briefly seen Jaime, the son of Lord Tywin, who managed to ruin the maidservants' dresses twice in five minutes (first he shit himself, and then he vomited). What can I complain about — children are the flowers of life, as well as unwitting distributors of "shit and vomit" in the first years of their very lives.
In general, Maester Kreilen, who wears rather simple clothes compared to my father, turned out to be a local scientist for all occasions. Maester Kreilen wore coarse brown clothes, somewhat resembling a hoodie. But the discord was caused by a shoulder chain made of links of different metals. Offhand, I identified: bronze, iron, gold, silver, copper, and two links of ferrous metal that look similar. At first, the meister introduced himself, looking into my eyes, either afraid or wanting to communicate, and then, under the supervision of his mother and father, he began to speak. I was silent because of the child's body, sometimes not controlling my "farts" and "burps" during a serious conversation. However, there was a frown on his face, which for some reason kept the Meister next to my cradle. The chain and links determine in which fields of science the Master has achieved significant results. That is, I received a higher education by the standards of the Middle Ages, in which I was reborn. Maester Kreilen has the appropriate knowledge... Bronze (astronomy), gold (economics), iron (war), I wouldn't say, he just memorized all the treatises about the major skirmishes that took place, I don't think he understands the army as a structure... Yes, I don't think there is such a thing here at all. He recruited peasants and went to tell his neighbor the facts. If you have money, I also hired mercenaries). Silver is medicine. He was the one who delivered my mother and Joanna Lannister, Tywin Lannister's wife and the mother of the twins, Jaime and Cersei. Copper — history…
Dim Iron — blacksmithing and pig iron — crows… In the sense of crows? Do they revere them here, as Londoners do in the Tower? Or like the Romans of geese? Unfortunately, I wasn't used to a child's body at that moment, and instead of a meaningful question, I heard an awkward "agha-agha".
Later, he went so far as to explain about the mail carried by crows. It's a strange world.… Then he would come and tell me about everything else. Strange changes of seasons, it is not known what they are connected with. Tales of the Targaryen Dragons… But what kind of fairy tales? Dragons are a universally recognized fact, and I was put in front of it! It's not that I'm questioning it, although no one could have interpreted my skeptical opinion in any other way.
And now… I'm lying in my crib, hearing a noise behind the wall. By the way, they put me in a room on about the second floor of one of the towers. Two people entered the room this time. And I was about to ask Maester Kreilen with a glance to begin the story... although lately he has begun to pay attention to anything but my enlightenment. According to the rumors that I got through the servants, my mother, being overprotective, gave him a dressing down. They say the child will learn later…
The father I was used to was standing to the right of a tall, slender man dressed in rich clothes. The scarlet doublet was lined with gold, and a red cloak was visible over her shoulders. The Lannister coat of arms is a golden lion on a scarlet field. I can guess what is posted there.… The man, whom I had never seen before, was serious and gloomy, outwardly resembling my father, but clearly not in character. A seemingly indifferent expression was frozen on the young face. He was squinting slightly at me.… My bed was away from the window, and I was already showing my physical interest in the exterior, wanting to see what was outside.
Apparently, they are brothers.… Not twins, but a strange man looks older... and... more severe.… Lord Tywin? Literally everything around the new man showed that he was used to ruling and subjugating himself. He is tall and confident, with his chin slightly tilted up, giving him a haughty look, and his golden hair is neatly combed. The green eyes seemed to burn right through... yes, it was Lord Tywin. I did not break eye contact with this person.… We looked into each other's eyes. Definitely, there may be no science on how to suppress an interlocutor in theory, but this does not prevent some people from gaining practical experience in this discipline.
— Well, what did I say? — there was a question from the father. — He looks like you in his behavior. He rarely smiles, he is always serious. Yes, what can I say! Maester Kreilen thinks he's a genius!
"He's a Lannister," Lord Tywin's voice was soft and commanding. The Lord of Casterly Rock nodded. — It couldn't be any other way. You've given birth to a worthy firstborn, Kivan. He probably unconsciously wants to rule.
My father smiled at my brother's praise. Obviously, for him, his brother was an indisputable, or close to it, authority.
"A worthy successor, I will raise a worthy man from him to replace myself, so that when Jaime grows up, he will have reliable help," I saw Lord Tywin for the first time, but I managed to create a first impression of him from the gossip of the servants and the stories, so far one—sided, of Maester Kreilen.
He is cruel, cynical and charismatic. Smart and cunning, crafty and arrogant and blah blah blah… In short, the ultimate dream of an ideal ruler for the Middle Ages. This is in the twenty—first century - the dominance of soft-hearted humanists, good riddance to Titos Lannister, the grandfather I met a couple of times. Apparently Tywin is doing well here… Unlike him, my current father is a family man and kind. He truly loves me and his wife. Such people are more driven than leading. Unlike Lord Tywin… And now, as I understand it, my father did not say this phrase for form's sake, that I would be Jaime's support. He really hopes that I will become his right-hand man and help him in everything, as Tywin's successor. Am I satisfied with this? During Tywin's lifetime, I would prefer not to think about a possible promotion to the status of "Heir to Tywin Lannister" at all. This man is most likely used to uprooting problems and drowning them in the underwater caves of Casterly Rock.… If not in the sewers of the same castle. After that, you can watch it. A lot depends on who Jaime grows up to be. If he becomes a copy of Tywin, I'm unlikely to be able to displace him. And it will become soft, I'll just push it aside, you don't even have to kill, although we'll see…
A prop, right? To be honest, I can become one, both for Jaime and for the Lannister family. Having nothing better to do, I began to remember… How you can make a lot of money. What did I do after the "dashing nineties"? He opened casinos and strip bars. And if there are strip bars, surely there will be some in the form of brothels here. A casino with gambling games is unlikely. Poker, roulette, and an elementary fool! People get excited easily, any kind of people. Especially the poorly educated. And you can play on it.… Again, you should plan everything correctly. Select the appropriate specialists in the retinue. I don't need future sycophants and loafers.
—Okay,— Tywin nodded. "I'm going to see Joanna." And you grow up, young lion cub.
Actually, they call me "the gloomy lion cub" in the castle, but the young one is also nothing. Hello, Uncle Tywin.… Or would Uncle Lord Tywin be correct?… Or Lord Uncle Tywin? I'll have to ask Maester Kreilen later, when I can finally give out something other than "agu". …
Lord Tywin left the nursery, leaving me alone with my father, who radiated warmth. Kivan came over to my cradle and started "trying" to play with me, playing with his fingers in front of my eyes. Today seems to be the year since I was born into this world, and in the morning, although I was born at sunset, the family celebrated… By the way, I also saw Lady Joanna: compared to her, my mother looks like a cook... although my father fell in love with my mother's character rather than her appearance.
—A gloomy lion cub,— his father sighed. — Why aren't you so active…
You just wait until I grow up. Then you'll see right away how active I am. I will expand my activities so that you will ask: why am I not passive?
—And I have to go,— he said, lightly pricking his stubble and kissing me on the forehead.
The sun was setting… All my activity during the day was crawling under the strict supervision of the Maester in a fenced area, sometimes I was taken to a group with Cersei and Jaime. They are twins, but of different genders. And I look like them... the Lannister genes are strong, that's a fact.… Jaime was a bit of a busybody and was actually inseparable from his older sister, Cersei, who immediately tried to gain the upper hand in our trio, defining herself as the leading one.… I was playing along with her, I've had enough attention.
Infancy… I waited for this tormenting time to end.…