Tyrion Lannister
They had fled King's Landing, once it had become clear that Stannis was going to win, they had fled King's Landing, all of them, fleeing in a mass exodus. The chaos of battle providing them the perfect cover with which to leave. They had run and run, or rather ridden as hard as they could, counting on the fact that many of the crownlords did not actually like Stannis to see them through. They had arrived at Harrenhal, and things had slowly gotten from bad to worse. Joffrey did not like the fact that he had had to flee, the boy was convinced he could ride into King's Landing and win, with what army Tyrion did not know, the Kingsguard was still intact, but it's morale was damaged. They were most definitely on their last legs, but no one but he could see it, or rather admit to it, and that was worrying.
His father looked as if he had aged a hundred fold in the intervening time since last he'd seen the man. His voice was still commanding, but it held a weariness that had not been there before. "We are approaching a diminishing return on our investment here. Soon enough we shall need to make a choice, do we move and destroy the enemy in the west, or face Stannis in the south."
It is an old query, one that has been brought up before, and one Tyrion knows the answer to, before his sister even speaks. When she does, he is not surprised. "We cannot let Stannis remain in King's Landing, father. The longer we sit here, the more time he has to accumulate followers, lickspittles who will serve him to simply advance themselves."
Tyrion speaks then. "And yet, we are running low on supplies, and morale, sweet sister. We are facing an army in the north that has the chance to regain lost territory and does not look as if it will give up any time soon. Furthermore, the knights of the Vale are supposed to be riding down south at any moment, we will be caught between a hammer and an anvil. The capital is important, but I do not think it is as important as ensuring our main base of support is free from northern barbarians."
"We would not be in this position at all, had you simply had the nerve to order the wildfire set off sooner, brother." His sister replies, her tongue poisonously sweet.
Tyrion bites his tongue, holding back a barbed, response, instead, he ignores his sister, and turns his full attention toward his father. "Stannis sits in King's Landing, but he does not have the love of the people, his red knights are seen as the scourge of the earth by them, and furthermore he is slipping in support amongst his own council. Perhaps a negotiation now could help bring an end to the fighting with the Riverlords and the northmen."
"You cannot be…" his sister begins.
"Be quiet Cersei." Their lord father snaps, holding up a hand for quiet. He looks at Tyrion and prompts. "Go on."
Tyrion flashes a sardonic smile at his sister, before continuing. "Benjen Stark sits on Stannis's council as master of whispers, but Stark does not like Stannis, nor does he want to remain part of the man's council for long. Should we propose a way for him to get out of there, he will be able to convince his nephews to sue for peace. They do not want to keep fighting in the West, not with their own home under attack."
He can tell his father is tempted by the idea, his voice is soft as he responds. "And you think this Stark man is different to his brother?"
Tyrion nods. "Oh I am certain of it. The man simply wants what's best for his family and if we can convince him that what's best for his family is for him to bend the knee to Joffrey and to get his nephews to do the same, then I am sure he will."
"And you think he will forget the fact that Joffrey was a fool and had his brother executed?" father asks, and Tyrion has to hide a grimace behind his cup.
He doesn't know where Lord Stark has gotten to, but he most certainly is not dead. And yet they cannot tell their father that now, not after all this. Reluctantly, he says. "I believe that might be one thing that would need to be sorted."
Cersei looks at him with her eyes narrow. "Sorted how?"
Tyrion braces himself for the explosion he knows that will come once he has suggested what needs to be done. "Joffrey has done a great many things to anger a great many people, but none more so than the Starks. A formal apology would go a long way to easing tensions."
As expected, his sister bursts out then. "Absolutely not. Joffrey is the King; King's do not apologise."
"If you want to make the northmen kneel again, he will need to do that." Tyrion states, holding firm. "They are one of the biggest of the seven kingdoms, their loss to another side would be a fatal blow to our cause. We cannot afford that."
"You make him apologise, he loses face with everyone. Every time he does something that someone gets offended at they will expect an apology. That is not what it is to be King." His sister replies.
"And if he does nothing, if we do nothing, then the north will keep fighting us at every turn. We do not have Renly Baratheon on our side anymore, the Tyrells will remain out of the fighting for as long as he tells them to. We need the north to back down, and we need them to do it now." Tyrion insists.
"Father, surely you do not agree with this madness?" Cersei asks desperately.
A silence follows this question, but eventually, their father speaks. "The boy will do what is necessary to get his throne back."