Chapter 152: Breaking the Chains
King's Landing
POV of Tyrion Lannister
"You stand before Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of his Name. King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the…"
"Oh, enough of it…" King Robert said, stopping Pycelle in mid-sentence, "Get started with the damn thing already. Tyrion, come forward."
Tyrion did as he was asked and moved forward. Not looking at his now dead-to-him brother, who was looking at him in apprehension and worry.
"What do you want, Tyrion?" The king asked. Probably so that he could finish with this tirade already and go back to his drinking and fucking.
"I want…" he spoke, his voice unnaturally loud in the silent courtroom. After all, it was a rare day when King Robert bothered to get off his fat ass and sit on the Iron Throne. This time the King had done so especially at his request "...a great many things, your grace. I want my father to burn in the seven hells for all eternity. I want my sister to choke on the poison she loves to spew and do the world a favor by getting rid of herself. I want to have a mother who loves me and did not die giving birth to me. I no longer want to be a dwarf. I want a great many things, your grace. But I don't think that you will be able to give me any of those. So, I'll ask for a simpler thing."
The King remained silent and gestured for him to continue.
"I want… to give up my title as the heir of House Lannister and all claims to Casterly Rock. I want to give up my name as a Lannister. And I want to stop being known as the son of the hideous monster known as Tywin Lannister."
The volume of chattering in the courtroom rose at once at his announcement, and out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed his dead-to-him brother looked at him in shock.
His sister recovered first, "Kingsguard. Arrest this man at once. He dares stand there and slander me and my father in an open court like this."
Ser Boros Blount and Ser Meryn Trant moved on toward him, and he felt a little fear at their arrival before King Robert stood up from the throne. "Stand down, both of you."
"But he dares slander your queen. How could you…"
"You shut your damn mouth, woman. I've heard enough from you." Robert said, and Cersei fumed in anger, but looked down and glared venomously at anyone who dared to stare at her.
"You want to give up your Lannister name and all that comes with it." Robert said as he sat down on his throne, "Are you sure about that, Tyrion?"
"I am your grace."
Robert remained silent and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze for a long moment before he asked, "Why? Gods know you're the only Lannister I can tolerate around here. Why do you want this, Tyrion?"
Tyrion opened his mouth to speak, but found the words caught in his throat. He cleared his throat and said, "I don't suppose you would know of it. But I was once married to a commoner girl…"
Then he started to explain what had happened to his marriage.
By the time he was done with the story, the whole courtroom was silent. Even Robert Baratheon sat with his back straight and a solemn expression on his face.
"…A few days ago, I found out from my brother that Tysha was not a whore. Just an innocent crofter's daughter who truly loved me. He told me that my father did what he did to protect the Lannister Legacy." He scoffed, "Now, I hear the word Lannister, and I feel nothing but disgust at it. I hear of Tywin Lannister and all I see is but a hideous monster who would butcher and eat babies with his own hands if it meant furthering the reputation of his house…"
"I cannot live with the Lannister name anymore, your grace. Please, free me of my name so that I may live the rest of my life without this curse."
The king continued to stare at him for a long moment with an unreadable expression before he finally opened his mouth.
"Your request is granted, Tyrion. I, Robert Baratheon, first of his Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, the First Men and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, hereby strip you of your name, your titles, and your lands."
Then the king sat back down on his throne, looking more tired than before. "Is there anything you want to request of the crown, Tyrion?"
"Not a request. But a suggestion, your grace." He said softly. "Speak then." The king said.
"I would suggest that the crown stop taking loans from Lord Tywin Lannister." He said, and the court fell into frenzy once again, only calming down when King Robert told them to be silent.
Robert looked at him with a frown and asked, "Why is that, Tyrion?"
He took a deep breath and continued, "Because after being in continuous use for all these centuries, the gold mines of Casterly Rock have finally run dry." The court exploded at once, and even Queen Cersei stood up and called him a liar, but just smiled and added, "It won't be proper to turn your father-in-law into a pauper, your grace."
With that, he turned around and left. The queen was screaming for the Kingsguard to take his head while Robert told her to shut the fuck up.
Despite everything, he finally felt a sense of relief. The memories he'd buried and clung to had finally surfaced, and soon the entire realm would hear of them.
He'd finally broken free of the Lannister name that had clung to him like a curse, and he'd also managed to anger Cersei and put wildfire on his beloved father's table that would plague him for a long time to come.
Despite everything, this was a good and memorable day for Tyrion.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.153: A Lannister Must Never Look Weak
Ch.154: Another Expedition