Casterly Rock, Jaime Lannister (281 AC) (+10 Days)

"Hah!" I thrust my sword forward, and steel met steel. Ser Benedict Broom, my opponent, diverted the blow with a deft hand and quickly struck back. Luckily, I hadn't overextended, so I could parry his blow in turn.

The clashing of swords rang across the rocky pavilion. Unlike most castles in the Seven Kingdoms, Casterly Rock does not have a regular training yard. Here, men are trained in either cavern-like rooms carved into the rock or open courtyards built into the side of the mountain. So here I was in the latter, sparring with the master of arms several hundred feet above the ground.

A well-executed feint by my opponent put me on the back foot, desperately blocking and parrying a series of blows as my opponent took advantage of my predicament. Needing to regain the tempo, I deflected the man's sword right and spun left, throwing out a wide and powerful cutting slash. It was unconventional and probably wouldn't work again, but the move caught the older man off guard, and while he managed to block the blow, it managed to stagger him.

We both took a few steps back, resetting the flow of battle.

"Impressive, my lord. It seems your time away from my tutelage has done you well." He seemed to be running that last exchange through his head. "Do my eyes deceive me, or do I detect a hint of Braavosi water dancing in that previous exchange?"

"They are not Ser Benedict. Oldtown is one of the most diverse ports in the Seven Kingdoms, and Ser Baelor enjoyed challenging opponents passing through the city." Dragging me along with him. "Though I am impressed you were able to recognize the style. Have you ever fought a water dancer before?"

Before he could respond, I dashed forward, aiming to strike the man's offhand. My attempt was blocked rather like Benedict had anticipated it was coming.

"I can not say I have." I smiled sheepishly at the look of disapproval the knight was giving me. "But I have watched a few bouts in Lannisport. Coincidentally, many young knights were defeated in a move quite similar to the one you just pulled."

With those words, the fight was back on. With strength I did not yet possess, Ser Benedict leaned into his blade, and I was forced to give ground. I tried to use the man's momentum to provide an opening, but his footing remained solid, and he recovered quickly. I was forced to fall back, giving ground instead of constantly trying to deflect his strikes.

I had forgotten just how good Ser Benedict was with a sword. While I wouldn't say he was better than Ser Baelor, they were very similar in skill, if not style. Compared to Baelor, Benedict was much more controlled. There wasn't anything particularly dangerous about any single strike or block the man performed. Still, each one opened no holes in his defense.

Eventually, I found myself forced up against the ledge of the training ground. There was a shoulder-height wall, but just the thought of the drop made me nervous. With no more ground to give, I tried to maneuver my way around the knight, but while I was slightly faster, I could find no gap.

Unfortunately, I was so focused on the man in front of me that I misjudged my distance from the wall. I felt the consequences of that mistake when my sword scraped against the wall with a grating noise. It was a minor distraction, but it stopped my blade long enough for me to find a blunt sword at my neck.

"Well fought, but you must keep in mind your surroundings. Not just to avoid hitting something with your sword, but also to not be put into that situation in the first place."

I accepted his advice and got back to work.

Most of my morning was spent trading wins and losses to the master at arms. While I was quite proud of my sword fighting skill, I received worse than I gave. I was exceptionally good for my age, but the man was more than fifteen years my senior while also having a few inches on me.

His constant comparisons to myself as a ten-year-old almost made me want to challenge him to an archery contest. Just to see how he would fare in my preferred method of fighting. Unfortunately, this morning, I would be eating with my family, so no time to waste.

After putting away the training sword and armor, I went to my private quarters to wash down and gather some things. Eventually, I would need to move into Tywin's old quarters, but I was putting that off till after the funeral.

With everything ready I had Vylarr, my personal guard, escort me to the dining room we would be using. Meals like this were relatively rare. Over the past few days, I mainly had taken meals with my uncle in the solar.

The halls of Casterly Rock are long and richly decorated. In the more important sections of the castle, you couldn't even tell these halls used to be long mineshafts cut into rock to look for the abundant gold we Lannisters are known for. Mining is still regularly practiced in the castle. Luckily, it has moved further from the living spaces over the centuries.

I entered the dining hall and quickly realized I was the last to get there. Sheepishly, I greeted my family and made to sit down.

"Jaime!" A squeaky voice called out excitedly, and I watched as my little brother climbed down his high chair and waddled over to greet me. Tyrion was eight, and I was somewhat surprised he remembered me so well after being mostly gone for almost half his life. I had tried to spend as much time with him as possible over the past few months, but my efforts were stymied by being inordinately busy.

"Hello, my favorite little brother." I reached down and ruffled his wispy blond hair. "How have your tumbling lessons been going?" Years ago, Tywin had forbidden them, but with him gone, Gerion had started them up again.

Whatever complaints I had about Uncle Gerion's work ethic, at least he loved Tyrion like an uncle should.

"Amazing!" the boy's heterochromatic blue-green eyes seemed to light up. "I can do a cartwheel all by myself now. Do you want to see?"

*Ahem*

I looked over to the table to see Kevan and Selira, Tyrion's minder, staring at me rather pointedly. Sighing, I told my brother I could watch some time later today and escorted the disappointed boy back to his chair. One of the most annoying parts of being a Lannister was the strict social courtesies we had to obey in public. And while this wasn't precisely in public, the many servants and guards around would almost certainly talk.

After sitting down, I greeted everyone properly while looking around the table. Kevan and his wife, Dorna Swyft, sat together; while I thought the woman was too meek, I was happy they seemed to love each other. Gerion sat near Tyrion and was already trying to cheer the boy up, much to the displeasure of Selira.

I greeted my aunt Genna particularly warmly. While I wouldn't consider the woman a mother, she was the closest thing I had to one in this world. The few years after I had arrived in this world were not particularly conducive to seeing Joanna in the same light. Genna was easy to let in because she was just another fun aunt. Though I didn't see her husband at the table, she had always looked down on the poor man.

Not that I liked him, either. I try to keep an open mind, but I have a bias against the Freys.

After greetings were done (Tygett was still away, though he should be returning soon), the servants brought in food, and we all started to eat. The conversation was somewhat stilted as it had always been when we were together. Though now it was due to Tywin's absence instead of his presence. Genna and Kevan had taken his death rather hard, at least compared to the rest of the family.

"So, I was wondering if we could have a short strategy meeting after the meal is done?" Well, work was always something to fall back on… I was terrible at socializing. "I just wanted to go over some plans I had in private if you have the time." I looked over to Vylarr, and he nodded before going to make the preparations.

"I believe we can both spare some time before hearing petitions." He gave me a look. Do all Lannisters have such intimidating stares? "You were planning on attending today, I presume. Especially after what happened yesterday?"

Ughh, "Of course I will be present to hear petitions today, uncle. I just had important business to attend to yesterday." Namely, I visited Lannisport to meet with some shipwrights. I felt getting what few plans I would allow myself up and running before the King got here to be more important than hearing petitions Kevan could deal with.

He seemed to see through my tone, and I was forced to listen to another one of his lectures about the importance of lordly duties and all that. I made a note to create some judicial system separate from me, just passing down judgments.

Maybe some sort of simple legal code that would serve as a lower court of sorts with myself hearing the more important cases. Though I would have to be careful of who would judge these matters, how they could be checked, how this would impact my reputation with other lords, and if any of it was even legal according to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms…

Maybe I'll put that on the back burner for now.

Eventually, Kevan was finished, and I acknowledged the importance of doing these duties even if I wouldn't be required to do them for some moons. After that, the conversation was a bit more varied. Genna had decided to take over most of the preparations to receive the King and his court and regaled us with the many troubles she experienced trying to cater to the nobles' sensibilities.

Kevan affected polite interest while Tyrion regaled us with more stories about his tumbling. While I didn't think the man hated Tyrion, he definitely disapproved of my disregarding Tywin's previous orders. Apparently, the boy was now doing cartwheels around the halls, which was unacceptable for a noble son. When the meal was almost over, Gerion asked if I had decided where to go on my coming-of-age tour. Unfortunately, I had decided to postpone the trip because of everything that was and could be happening in the near future.

Once the meal was finished, the servants collected our plates and cleaned off the table. Selira took Tyrion away, and I was surprised to see Gerion leave alongside them. Not one to get involved in the running of the castle, Dorna left as well, though Genna decided to stay. With them gone, I turned to Vylar, who pulled the privacy screen across the door to hopefully discourage any listeners.

"I still don't see why we must employ all this caution." Genna gestured around the room. "It's not like we're discussing a war council here."

I shared a look with Kevan before answering. "It's important specifically because this is not a war council. Suppose we take extra precautions only when talking about important things. In that case, it lets people know when we talk about important things. Which is information in and of itself."

My aunt muttered something to herself before nodding, and we started the meeting.

"Before we start, uncle, I was wondering if our sources in King's Landing have anything for us on why the King decided to come." Fortunately, Kevan knew where Tywin kept the records of his more secret activities. So, with him back, we had access to more information channels. More specifically, a way to discreetly contact Pycelle for information about the King.

"I spoke to Maester Creylen this morning, and we did receive a raven." Kevan reached into his pocket and handed me a rolled-up piece of paper. "Apparently, Varys advised King Aerys that his son, Prince Rhaegar, would be attending our event." I finished reading through the paper to confirm the information before handing it to Genna.

"Any word on if the prince still intends to come?" I asked Kevan before Genna finished reading.

"Nothing certain. It wasn't even announced that he would be coming before Varys knew. But it would be a great slight against us, not even to mention what the King would think if he went back on his decision to attend."

We were all silent as we considered this information. I had ensured everyone important was briefed on what we knew about the King and his state of mind. And if what Pycelle told us was true, then I could at least guess why the King had decided to attend.

"I guess I'll make sure another royal room is prepared." My aunt's voice cut into the silence between us. I smiled at her and nodded in thanks.

"I don't think I need to tell you this, Jaime, but make sure to not be seen taking any particular interest in the prince." Kevan grimaced. "You should also review your courtesies with a tutor before any lords arrive."

Reluctantly, I agreed. Considering what Tywin had to deal with, I would need to know how to appropriately respond to insults, both from those below and above me. Many lords would be attending this event not only to pay respects to Tywin but also to get to know their new lord. Right now, it would be beneficial for me to remind the lords of the great lion of the rock, not the laughing lion.

Maybe I should work on my poker face?

…

Maybe I should invent poker?

Forgetting those thoughts for a moment, I tuned back into the conversation. Kevan and Genna were talking about which Westerland noble they thought would give us the most problems. My aunt thought house Farman would be trouble, but my uncle thought they could be pacified by a proper show of Lannister unity.

That seemed like a good enough segue into what I wanted to discuss. "Speaking of house Farman, I wanted to talk about what I was doing in Lannisport yesterday."

That got both of their attention. "I wanted to start by telling you that I wrote to Quellon Greyjoy inviting him specifically to attend."

"What?" Kevan looked surprised. "I thought we were trying to improve your reputation with the Western lords, not sink it into the harbor."

I grabbed a small folder from within my red jacket. "I think my proposal will satisfy both the lords and the Greyjoys." I put the folder on the table before answering their unasked questions. "It's a combined trade, development, and defense proposal. I want to increase our imports of iron and exports of finished goods."

Kevan looked at the stack of papers in the folder before picking up the first page and turning back to me. "Well, at least you've improved your handwriting and organization after training with the Maesters."

I chuckled, remembering the atrocious handwriting and disorganized papers Tywin had forced Uncle Kevan to read. When I was young, before I learned how things worked, I had written page after page of things I thought could be improved. To the man's credit, Tywin at least had someone read the papers.

Unfortunately, most of said ideas worked off vague knowledge that I couldn't properly explain, things so ambitious they were almost certainly impossible, or things that had a definite chance to improve our house. Unfortunately, most of those ideas would require more trust than I had as a nine-year-old.

Genna cleared her throat. "I will certainly take a look at this later, but maybe you could give us a summary, especially on how and why you intend to work with the Greyjoys."

I nodded and started to explain. "While visiting Lannisport, I talked with some information brokers." I had learned about them in Oldtown. They primarily dealt with the wealthier merchants who needed to know when and where they should bring their goods. "You already know that lord Quellon has been trying to establish better relationships with the mainland."

"I know that's what he says." Genna interrupted me. "I wouldn't trust the man. His 'desire' didn't stop him from sacking Faircastle."

That would be one obstacle I would need to address. "I realize that. But it can't be ignored that Reaving has gone down significantly in his tenure as lord of the Iron Islands. He has freed many thralls, and I believe his desire to be at least partially sincere." I also had the help of some meta-knowledge. "But I learned these reforms have left him in a difficult situation with the other ironborn."

"The islands alone can not sustain their population. Food and finished goods especially were either stolen or traded for, and with Westeros being in the middle of winter, many brokers have been telling merchants it might be worth braving the danger to sell to the ironborn."

"You mean for us to buy their iron? We already get sufficient amounts from our more northern regions. If you start favoring the ironborn over your own lords, I'm not sure Tywin's reputation could protect us," Kevan argued.

That was true. The Westerlands had plentiful mines. And while we might be well known for gold, other metals were some of our most important exports.

"Sufficient for our current production, yes, but I don't intend to reduce the amount of iron we buy from our lords. I talked about this with you earlier, but I've been talking with ironmongers and smelters since I returned to the rock. If we expand to them the same guild charter the goldsmiths receive, many have agreed to take out a loan to increase their production capabilities."

Gold is valuable and essential to the West. Still, if I could bring the same renown to our iron and steel industries, we could force the merchants to come to the other side of Westeros and grow Lannisport.

Genna looked to Kevan in surprise, everyone knew about Tywin's opinions about loans. "You did tentatively convince me that giving out loans to increase production instead of for political capital has merits. But I would still have to counsel against going through with this plan. Too many things would have to go right for this to work, not even considering how the lords would feel about both proposals."

And you just activated my trap card. "Am I correct that the lords would think I was weakening our position against the ironborn?"

"Among other things, I think that would be the main concern."

"Well, I believe that would be addressed by the defense aspect of the proposal. In addition to these steps, we would also sponsor the construction of a larger western navy. For too long, the Westerlands have been vulnerable to piracy and attack by the sea. I intend to change that."

"Even I know the cost of such an endeavor," Genna replied.

"Which I know our reserves can easily endure, especially with increased production and exports. I also wanted to discuss a sort of hybrid fleet that would loan ships to the merchants of Lannisport but also allow us to use them if the Ironborn threaten our shores."

Our gold would be used to increase production, and that increased production would be ferried by our new fleet, also allowing us to buy and sell more from our neighbors. If everything went well, it would be perfect, and if some part failed, then I would still be accomplishing something, just with more expenses to the Lannister treasury.

"I'll read it over," Kevan said hesitantly. "But we need the favor of our lords now more than ever. Even with the larger navy, I can't see many lords agreeing with this. Lord Farman, especially, was kept in line by your father's reputation. But if a different Lannister starts to talk about trade with the Ironborn…"

I knew it would be a hard sell. I had hoped to convince him here so I had a better position later, but it would seem I have no choice. "If I could get lord Farman to agree with the proposal, would you support it?" If I wanted to get anything substantial done in the next few moons, I would need Kevan's support.

He considered that. "His support would go a long way to reduce any negative effects this could have. If everything I read checks out and you manage to get the man's support, I think I could get behind this proposal."

I barely suppressed the urge to celebrate. He probably thought it impossible, but I had a chance. And a plan I believe would convince the truculent lord of Fair Isle.

A/N: Aloha! This one took a while to write but I hope it turned out okay. The next chapters will be negotiating and the start of Tywin's funeral. They're up for free on my Patreon, Tempest2077, if you want to check them out. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and have a great day.