You knew I wasn't going to die"
Cersei turned in her seat to see her little brother pouting at her, though she could see in his eyes he wasn't really annoyed.
"You seemed so certain of it" Cersei said "I hope you're not too disappointed to still have your head"
"I suppose not. Even after all that time I spent with Pod choosing a nice outfit for the seven hells"
"I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Perhaps I underestimated him"
Her brother's eyes widened in surprise "You mean Pod knew?"
"Everyone knew – except you of course"
"But-How... you mean those guards knew too?" sputtered Tyrion, lost for words
"Are you going to sit down for dinner or stand there pouting?"
Tyrion shot Cersei another scandalised look before taking the seat to Cersei's right at the small table. The Queen regent had arranged for a family dinner in her chambers to celebrate Tommen's coronation and Tyrion's appointment as Hand. Her little brother had been the first to arrive and Cersei was satisfied to see the new Hand of the King badge pinned to his tunic.
"Did you really think I'd let them take your head?" she asked, watching Tyrion's face closely
"Well..." he started, dropping his gaze "you've expressed a desire for it before"
"I have" she agreed "but not anymore"
"My head would have looked good on a spike as well" Tyrion mused
"I'm sure. Now I have an empty spike"
"This is Kings Landing, I'm sure there are many worthy heads for you to choose from"
Tyrion gave her a tentative smile and Cersei returned it with a smile of her own. It was nice to make jokes with her brother that weren't laced with poison or contempt. The sound of feet in the corridor pulled both of their attention when her guard opened the chamber door and her children burst in.
"Hello Mother!" called Tommen as he rushed past her and eagerly thrust a squirming ball of fluff towards Tyrion
"Uncle, meet my new cat" insisted the King, practically bouncing on the spot
"and mine" added Myrcella, shoving another ball of fluff towards Tyrion
"You have new cats?" Tyrion enthused, as the children rushed to show him the kittens
"Mother got them for us" explained Myrcella stroking her white and gold kitten as Tommen launched into an intense discussion on possible names with Tyrion
Cersei smiled as her children fussed over their new pets. It had been a difficult time for them and she still felt horribly guilty for what happened to Tommen's last cat. Getting each of them a kitten seemed to bring them joy and that was all she could hope for.
Servants brought a large spread of food as the four of them settled around the table - Tytos sleeping softly in his cradle. Myrcella busied herself fussing over her injured Uncle, much to his amusement, as he struggled to hold the cutlery. Cersei had already foreseen the problem however and ordered the kitchen to pre-cut her brother's food so he could enjoy the meal without embarrassment. Even his wine was in a thin, light cup that would be easier to hold. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful as the children eagerly told Tyrion what they'd been doing while he was recovering. Cersei let herself listen to the conversation as it flowed around her. It felt good. It was almost perfect - if only Jamie was here. Cersei pushed the thought from her mind, determined to enjoy the family that were surrounding her now.
"Are you happy being my Hand, Uncle?" asked Tommen between mouthfuls of food
"Certainly, your Grace. It is a great honour" replied Tyrion, smiling at his nephew
"You can call me Tommen. I don't like being called 'your Grace' it sounds so weird"
"As you wish" replied Tyrion with a laugh "though in court you'll have to get used to it"
"The badge suits you" agreed Myrcella, glancing at the new Hand of the King pin that gleamed on Tyrion's tunic
"Thank you, my dear" said Tyrion, raising his wine glass for a drink
"It does" agreed Tommen "I was going to knight you, but Mother said you'd prefer being Hand of the King"
Tyrion almost choked on his wine "Knight me?"
"I was going to make you a Kingsguard" nodded Tommen, excitement sparking in his eyes at what could have been "then you could spend all day with me and battle the bad guys and you'd get a white cloak"
Cersei couldn't hide her amusement at the look of shock and horror on Tyrion's face. Even Myrcella giggled slightly at the thought of her dwarf uncle standing as a knight with a white cloak.
"That's very thoughtful of you Tommen" said Tyrion grinning "but I think it's best to leave the fighting to your Uncle Jamie"
"I thought you wanted to be a Knight?" said Tommen pouting slightly
"I did when I was a boy" agreed Tyrion "My father forbid me from going near the practice yard though, lest I embarrass the family further"
Cersei saw the old hurt flicker over Tyrion's face briefly at the thought of his childhood dreams. She knew her brother had longed to be a Knight like Jamie when he was a child, but everyone would have ridiculed Tyrion if Tommen had done it. He would have never been taken seriously as a Knight and Cersei had suggested he be appointed Hand of the King instead. It might not be his childhood dream, but Cersei knew he loved the role and the power it gave him - it was the least she could do for him.
"You don't embarrass the family" Myrcella said, a frown crossing her face "What did you do?"
"I read books instead" said Tyrion, the smile returning to his face "my mind is my weapon. It takes great skill to wield a sword, but to use your mind effectively is every bit as difficult"
The children continued chatting happily with Tyrion while dinner finished, as Cersei enjoyed listening to them share stories and tell jokes. Tommen was currently explaining his ideas for a law to protect cats from cruelty to Tyrion, when a tugging on Cersei's sleeve drew her attention.
"Mother, are you ok? You're awfully quiet" asked Myrcella, green eyes shining with concern
"I'm fine, my sweet. I'm just happy we're all together" said Cersei smiling fondly at her daughter
The hours flew by as the children pulled Tyrion over to visit Tytos with them after they were finished eating and then settled on the floor near the cradle playing with their kittens. Cersei watched their antics with joy and pride until Tyrion managed to extract himself from the game and slumped into a chair next to hers beside the fire. This was his first day out of bed and Cersei could see him slowing down as the evening wore on. Now the exhaustion was written all over his face as she handed him a cup of wine.
"You need to rest, you're still recovering"
"You're probably right" he agreed
"I am, and until you're fully recovered you'll stay in the Red Keep where I can keep an eye on you"
Tyrion eyed her warily before relenting "If you wish"
Cersei sighed and reclined in the soft chair "It wouldn't do to send you back to the Tower of the Hand and let you work yourself to death"
"Yet, there's so much work to do"
Silence lapsed between them as they watched the children at play. Both were lost in thought as they sipped their wine, yet the ice between them had thawed considerably. Cersei was not content with the uneasy truce that had appeared between them though. There was much that still needed to be said and she knew it was up to her to reach out and fix things once and for all.
"The job is yours. You know that don't you?" she started, causing Tyrion to look at her "Tommen named you Hand of the King. No-one will take it away from you"
"Oh" started Tyrion, fiddling with his cup "I did wonder why you gave the job to me rather than Father"
"Because I trust you, little brother" Cersei said, watching the surprise on his face
"Thank you…but won't Father be furious? He only sent me here because there was no-one else"
"I don't care what Father thinks or wants. I imagine he's got the letter I sent him by now"
"What letter?" asked Tyrion, and Cersei pulled out a copy of the letter she'd sent their father.
She would not tell Tyrion about the letter that Tywin had written to him - Cersei would protect her little brother from that. However, she had every intention of telling him what their Father had written to her and the response she had sent.
"Father wrote to me when you didn't respond to his letter about my pregnancy" she said "He knew about Tytos; knew he was a dwarf despite my efforts to hide him. He'd heard you and Joffrey hadn't been seen for a couple of days and assumed the worst of you"
"I imagine he wasn't pleased with any of that"
"He wanted me to kill Tytos" she whispered
Shock and hurt fought for control of Tyrion's face "He would kill his own grandson?"
"He didn't say it in as many words, but the message was clear. My baby boy was to die"
"I'm not sure why I'm surprised. Father hates me for what I am as much as he hates me for killing Mother"
"That's his fault, not yours" Cersei said, leaning over to Tyrion and handing him the letter "Here is a copy of the response I sent him yesterday"
Her little brother carefully opened the letter, and Cersei waited nervously as he read the letter.
Lord Tywin Lannister,
I will not kill my son because he is a dwarf. I will not belittle him, hate him or scorn him. In other words, I will not become you. My son is Prince Tytos of house Baratheon and he is my baby boy. He will know nothing but love from his family and I will be his fiercest protector.
You mistreated Tyrion his whole life. You made him an outcast from his own family and I happily followed your lead. In your last letter you had heard reports Joffrey and Tyrion had not been seen for days and I will tell you why. Joffrey is mad. He is cruel, and I was blind to it. Joffrey tried to kill Tytos, and Tyrion killed a Kingsguard to protect my baby even though he was brutally beaten for it. So Father; that is where your youngest son was. He was lying in a bed - broken and battered while you assumed the worst of him. He was a true lion defending his family, not like you or Joffrey. My eldest son was in the black cells, where he will remain for the foreseeable future. It broke my heart to do that to Joffrey but I must protect my family. Joffrey is a monster, and the more I think about it you and I are monsters too. My precious baby boy deserves better from his mother; and Tyrion deserves better from you. I will do my best from now on to be a better mother and sister.
By the time you read this there will have been several changes in Kings Landing you should be aware of. Joffrey has been removed from power and Tommen has been crowned King. New members of the small council and Kingsguard that I can trust have also been put in place. You were appointed Hand of the King under Joffrey, but that position has now been given permanently to Tyrion. I hope it pleases you, that your youngest son now effectively rules the seven kingdoms. I'm sure you're as proud of him as I am. I intend to spend my time raising my children to be better than us, and I will make amends with Tyrion whatever it takes.
Just so we're clear, you are hereby banned from Kings Landing for threats against the Prince. Unless you are truly sorry for treating Tytos and Tyrion with such callousness I have given orders that you are forbidden to enter Kings Landing. I doubt you will ever be sorry for your actions, but I am sorry for mine and I will make up for them. Goodbye, Father. I do not wish to hear from you again unless it is a grovelling letter of apology.
Regards
Queen (Regent) Cersei Lannister
Cersei could see Tyrion had finished reading but he said nothing and was sat staring at the letter. A flutter of panic made its way through Cersei. Why wasn't he saying anything?
"Tyrion I-" she started
"Do you mean it?" he asked quietly, raising his head to look at her and Cersei could see tears running freely down his face
"I meant every word" Cersei said, swallowing hard
Tyrion looked lost as he glanced between Cersei and the letter "Why?"
"You're my brother" she said, moving from her chair and kneeling down besides Tyrion's chair "I should have acted like a sister to you - should have protected you. I've treated you like a monster your whole life, and it turns out I was wrong. I was the monster. Father and Joffrey are monsters - but not you. Not Tytos, Tommen, Myrcella or Jamie - only us"
Cersei could see a lingering doubt in Tyrion's eyes and she wanted so much for him to believe this wasn't a trick. She knew she was asking a lot though - asking him to look past a lifetime of scorn and spite. Without giving herself time to think about it, Cersei reached forwards and pulled Tyrion into a hug. He stiffened in surprise but Cersei only pulled him closer.
"I'm so sorry, little brother" she whispered in his ear "Tytos opened my eyes to so many things, and I was ashamed of how I treated you. I promise I'll do better, if you let me. Can you forgive me?"
A few moments passed in tense silence before Cersei felt short arms wrap around her as Tyrion returned the hug "Of course I forgive you" he mumbled into her shoulder
They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, before Cersei felt her own tears dry up and she pulled back to see Tyrion's face. Her little brother was smiling at her as he had when he was a child - before he learnt the world was a cruel place.
"Thank you" Cersei said, a feeling of peace spreading through her. Her children's laughter echoed around the room and she had the chance to start again with Tyrion. If Jamie was here, her world would be perfect.
"I won't let you down Cersei" said Tyrion, determination burning in his eyes "I'll do everything I can to help Tommen rule. I know you miss Jamie, I do too. We'll get him back, but I can help you with the children if you want. You're not alone"
"I would like that" Cersei said with a laugh "I'm sure Tytos will need your help as he grows up"
"Yes, there are many things I can teach him" said Tyrion, mischief sparkling in his green eyes
Cersei laughed, moving to stand up. She felt lighter than she had in years.
"You're still an imp" she said flicking him playfully on the head "but you're my imp"