Chapter 151: Confronting Jamie
King's Landing
POV of Tyrion Lannister
The conversation with Stannis about the mining rights of the Dragonglass Mine went as any conversation with Stannis would.
Short and straight to the point.
When he asked the man for the mining rights to Dragonglass, he merely grunted and told him that the substance was useless to him, so allowed him to mine in Dragonstone at minimum tax rates.
That was half the battle won. Now he only needed to set up a mining operation in Dragonstone and…
His thoughts halted as soon as he went out the door and saw the grinning face of his brother Jamie in front of him.
"Hello, dear brother." Jamie said with his usual arrogant grin, "Meeting with the dour Lord Stannis instead of your brother after coming to King's Landing. Why? I almost thought that you forgot about me."
He didn't reply and continued to stare.
The confident smirk on Jamie's face didn't seem so endearing anymore.
Because every time he looked at it, he was reminded of how Jamie had smirked the same way when he told him about Tysha being a whore.
Of how Tysha was raped.
He shook his head to remove the painful memories and noticed that Jamie's confident smirk had fallen for a concerned look.
"Are you alright, Tyrion?" Jamie asked as he knelt in front of him, looking at him with concern.
He remembered Jamie kneeling to talk with him because he had always been so small. He remembered the same concern on Jamie's face whenever he cried because Cersie said something cruel to him or he overheard some maid whispering about how he was a punishment by the Seven to Lord Tywin.
He remembered Jamie kneeling in front of him the same way that day as well…
'Why Jamie? Why did you do it?' he thought, but couldn't bring himself to ask.
He stepped away from Jamie's grip and realized that tears had started flowing down his cheeks.
Jamie was still looking at him, but the concern had been replaced by worry now.
"Why did you lie to me?" The words came out before he could stop them.
Jamie's look of worry was replaced by confusion.
"Lie about what, brother?" Jamie asked in an oh so innocent voice, and he clenched his fists tightly.
"Why did you lie to me about Tysha?" he said. Jamie's eyes widened, and all the color drained away from his face.
"Why did you lie to me about her?" he asked, taking a step towards his brother. His voice was broken, and his face was torn between grief and rage.
"Why did you do it?" he asked. "She was the only girl who had ever loved me. The only one who sang to me. The only girl I ever loved. SHE WAS MY WIFE! Why Jamie? Why did you lie to me? Please… Tell me. Why?"
His words had taken a pleading tone by the end of his tirade, and his cheeks were stained with tears and snot.
Jamie just backed away from him, looking down at the floor in shame.
"Look at me, Jamie." He said with a snarl, and when his brother didn't comply, he shouted, "LOOK AT ME!!!"
Jamie did, and he glared at his brother in anger and betrayal. "Look at me now, like how you looked at me when you told me that Tysha was a whore that you hired. And tell me the truth this time."
Jamie opened his mouth, but no words came out. He no longer resembled the golden lion Tyrion knew anymore. He looked like a scared boy at the moment. A scared, stupid boy who knew that he was about to suffer the consequences of his actions.
"Tell me… the truth." He said.
Jamie opened his mouth once again, and some words came out as well: "Tysha… Father… I…"
"Louder, Jamie. I want to hear why you betrayed me. Loud. And. Clear."
"I… I lied to you… Tysha… she was not a whore. Just the innocent daughter of a crofter. The septon that married both of you went to our father and told him about the marriage the next day." Jamie said.
"Father remembered how his own father had a commoner mistress who used him for his money. He thought that the commoner you married did so for Lannister gold. He… That's why he did what he did."
"To protect the Lannister legacy." Tyrion let out a hoarse laugh that sounded alien to even his own ears. Then the rage returned full force as he snarled at Jamie, "But you… You knew the truth. So why JAMIE? WHY?"
Jamie did not answer him and hung his head instead. He doubted that Jamie had an answer, even if Tyrion knew what it was.
Jamie had always been afraid of his father and what he could do, which was one of the reasons why he was here in King's Landing working as a glorified door guard.
Another reason was to fuck their sweet sister.
Jamie mumbled something, and Tyrion looked at his bro… Jamie once again.
"What was that?" he asked, moving closer to listen to Jamie properly.
"I am… sorry," Jamie said, and he felt his anger rise once again before he noticed how pathetic Jamie looked, and the anger died away at once, leaving him with nothing but emptiness and a feeling of apathy.
"No, Jamie. You did what you did. No point in being sorry now." Because being sorry no longer mattered. After all that had happened, being sorry didn't matter anymore.
He turned away from the pathetic door guard he had once considered his brother and left.
"Brother…" Jamie called out to him, "Please… Just… Please."
"No." He said as he turned around to look at Jamie once again, "Don't you dare call me brother of you again."
"You're not my brother, Jamie." He said, "My brother is dead to me."
Then he turned around and walked away, not caring about the maids who had stopped to eavesdrop on them.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.152: Breaking the Chains
Ch.153: A Lannister Must Never Look Weak