Never would have he thought that his first ever trip to Volantis would be a diplomatically one. Or that Stannis Baratheon would be the second person who would join him in this endeavor.
'Clever, father.' Tyrion thought realizing why his father had sent him here too. Despite the lack of love between the two of them, even the Old Lion could see that his dwarf of a son was smarter than both of his two other children combined, and with the Stone like Stag going on a diplomatic mission, his father decided to send his son and even the ground, after all too much in the stags' hand would be dangerous for the Old Lion.
Looking at the oldest city still standing, Tyrion had to admit that he was impressed, though sadly for him, he would not be able to enjoy all the wonders of this old and wonderful city, now free of the horror known to man as slavery.
However, other than whores, there was another pair he was dying to meet today. One of them was his cousin, Tyrek, whom he had not seen since he had been sent away by his father years ago, while the other was the son of the current hand of the king, Konrad Arryn, a boy whom, from what Tyrion had heard looked like an abomination coming from the seven hells.
As if a boy who had destroyed the shackles of slavery could be anything but a saint…
Nevertheless, his father was clear about their position on this talk. Under no circumstances should he allow Stannis to gain the boy military power or worse to offer the crown support, but at the same time if the time is right, Tyrion should try gaining some power over the boy, hopefully using his cousin who the boy sees as family.
Yet despite his father wishes, Tyrion would never use a boy, no older than nine name days for the benefit of his father.
Just as Tyrion was about to take another sip of his wine, the docks of Volantis came into view. To his and Tyrion had to say, Stannis surprise, what awaited them on the docks were nothing like what either one of two would have ever expected.
Rows and rows of hundreds of men in white and black armors stood on either side of the docks, but what made Tyrion surprised the most was the figure standing in front of this impressive formation. A boy, most likely the famous demon of the Hand. The boy too wore the same kind of armor like the rest of those soldiers, but there was another detail that both Stannis and Tyrion noticed as soon as they were close enough. The flags that were being held by the standard bearers looked nothing like those of House Arryn.
Rather than seeing the familiar sky-blue field with a white crescent moon and a white falcon soaring upwards, Tyrion and Stannis saw a white field with a black cross with a strange and unfamiliar coat of arms in the middle of the cross. Truth be told that coat of arms it did shown a falcon or eagle of sorts, but it wasn't like any other coats of arms they had seen before. Thought Tyrion had to admit that it was somewhat beautiful and much better than what the current House Arryn was using. As for the coats of arms itself, it shows a black eagle with a red beak and claws on a golden field.
By the time their ship docked properly, Tyrion finally broke out of his shocked state and quickly followed the King's younger brother down onto the docks.
Tyrion and Stannis were followed closely from behind by a large enough group of both Baratheon and Lannister guards to keep both of them safe from any harm. Tyrion knew that his father had instructed the men to watch over Stannis as well as himself, in case the king's brother tried to do something rash or foolish. At the same time, Tyrion also suspected that Stannis had his own men keeping an eye on him, for he did not trust the Lannisters any more than they trusted him. It was a delicate balance of power and mistrust, and Tyrion hoped that it would not tip over into violence, at least not when he was being involved.
As they approached the young heir, Tyrion noticed that the boy had his entire body covered by his armor, while on his face, a silver mask rested with the only holes being those for the eyes. Seeing that, made Tyrion wonder if the boy chose to hide his condition out of fear of being called various names by them, or if he was simply following some custom of his new house.
Like many a noble, Tyrion had heard rumors of the boy's deformity, how his entire body was pale, how his hair was white as snow, how his eyes were a deep blood red which made the dwarf feel sympathetic after all, he too had been called various names all of his life.
The boy stood still and silent, as if waiting for them to make the first move, but unlike Stannis who was looking down at the young boy, Tyrion saw his cousin Tyrek standing next to Konrad, with a surprisingly calm look on his face. Unlike the last time he saw him, his cousin was now standing as tall if not slightly taller than Jaime having the same good looks at him.
Thankfully Stannis decided that it was the time he introduces himself to the young boy.
"I am Stannis Baratheon, the Lord of Dragonstone. You are Konrad Arryn, the son of Jon Arryn, and the heir of the Eyrie. Is that correct?"
The boy nodded slightly, but did not say a word. His eyes, which were the only visible part of his face, seemed to be studying Stannis, something that both the Stag and the lion noticed.
"This is Tyrion Lannister, heir to the Casterly Rock." That almost made the little lion to laugh, if only his father could hear those words.
"Thank you for introducing myself, Lord Stannis, but I'm more than able to do that myself." Tyrion said with a small smile, earning himself a glare from the stag.
Ignoring the glace, Tyrion turned his attention back towards the young heir of the Eyrie. "I am surprised, my lord. After all, we all heard that you have been betrothed to a lovely young lady, however I don't seem to see her here."
To his surprise, Tyrion saw his older cousin smirk at him, and a second later, they heard the young lord\s voice.
"Welcome to Volantis, my lords. As you already know, my name is Konrad Arryn, son of Jon Arryn. And to answer you question Lord Tyrion, my betrothed is not here for a good reason. Despite this being a formal and diplomatically meeting, you, my lords are not the only ones who had come to Volantis today to improve their relations with the city and its ruler."
Konrad's words, made both men stare at him in shock, clearly not expecting such a thing to happen. However, Tyrion had to admit that the boy had played his cards to perfection. He was polite, but at the same there was something his father lacked, and that was the courage to play a dangerous political move.
"Now my lords, if it is alright with you, please follow me to a more proper place to discuss."
The boy was not what either one of the expected, but Tyrion had admitted he was quite curious about the young lord and what he had managed to create here. Even a blind man could see the respect his men were feeling for him, which was strange considering the boy was only nine name days.
As they followed the young lord and his men deeper into the city, Tyrion couldn't help but wonder about the banners he had seen, and so like a curious he was, he decided to ask the young lord about it, after all what worst could happen?
"Forgive me for asking this, my lord, but may I ask about the banners we had seen?"
Once again, Tyrion was surprised to hear a giggle coming from the boy. "I was wondering my lord when either one of you were going to ask about this matter. And to answer your question, what you have seen my lords, is the flag and coats of arms that House Arryn would adopt once I become Lord Paramount. It would show both my duty as and Arryn and as the Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order."
"Teutonic Order?" This time it was Stannis who decided to inquire more about this.
"Aye my lord. A brotherhood of knights loyal to me and to our faith with the sole purpose of defending the small folk from any and all dangers. Help, Defend, Heal those are the words of the Order."
Tyrion did not expect this to happen. He had thought that the boy would be a puppet of his father-in-law, or a weak and timid lord who would bend to their demands. He had not anticipated that the boy would have his own agenda, his own allies, and his own ambitions. Tyrion felt a small part of him was happy that his father's plans were falling apart at a rapid pace, and considering everything else, he was more than sure that the same thing was happening to Stannis. The boy had played his cards right when he needed to, making sure that neither he nor Stannis would be able to complain or threaten him. Tyrion had to admit that the boy had a cunning mind and a bold spirit, something that he could respect and admire.
And so, the Imp decided to play along and see what the boy had to offer. He knew that Stannis would not be easily swayed by the boy's words, but he also knew that younger brother of the king was pragmatic and rational. If the boy could prove his worth, then perhaps the Iron Throne might gain another ally. Tyrion hoped that the boy would not disappoint him, for he was intrigued by his vision and his order. At the same he had sensed that there was more to this story than what the boy had revealed, and he was eager to find out.
"Well, my lord, you have certainly piqued our interest. We are honored to be your guests, and we look forward to hearing more about your plans and your order. Lead the way, if you please."
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