Lord Tywin spoke slowly, "Lord Auren, how many soldiers does your city guard have?"
Lord Auren was momentarily taken aback.
Tywin clearly already knew the strength of Auren's city guard, why ask again?
But since the Lord asked, Auren answered honestly.
"Two thousand guards, My Lord."
"And the navy?"
"Two thousand sailors."
"In wartime? If war breaks out, how many troops can you muster?"
"Four thousand guards and four thousand sailors."
"Oh? And how many troops does Ser Gregor have?"
Auren was stunned once more before replying, "Eighty-six cavalrymen, My lord."
"In wartime, how many can Ser Gregor muster?"
"...Eighty-six cavalrymen... my lord..."
"Lord Auren, how many households are there in your lands, inside and outside the city?"
"Eleven thousand households, my lord."
"And how many households in Ser Gregor's lands?"
"...Thirty households... my lord..." Cold sweat began soaking Auren's back.
"Lord Auren, if anyone deserves concern, it seems it should be you."
Auren was left speechless.
He never expected the Lord to say such a thing.
Just moments ago, the Lord had praised his concerns about Gregor, but now the tone had shifted sharply. What could it mean?
"Lord Auren, what is your family name?"
"Lannister, my lord."
"And mine?"
"Also Lannister, my lord." Auren quickly stood, no longer sitting calmly. Respectful, but his face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead.
"How long has the lord-vassal relationship between the Lannisters of Lannisport and those of Casterly Rock lasted?"
"A thousand years, my lord."
"Yes, over a thousand years. So what is there to worry about? We've always been one family, blood of the same house. I doubt anyone in the Westerlands would question Lord Auren's loyalty because we are all Lannisters."
Auren's panic was strongly soothed once more.
He forced a sheepish smile, but his heart finally settled back into place.
Indeed, a thousand years of lord-vassal ties between Lannisters is more than loyalty, it is a blood bond that needs no proof or doubt. So Lord Tywin's earlier words, "If I were to worry, I should worry more about you." were just a jest.
Auren chastised himself for overthinking.
Across the entire Westerlands, there was no stronger blood tie than that between the Lannisters of Lannisport and Casterly Rock. Blood is thicker than water, and a millennium of lordship needs no other proof.
"Gentlemen, Ser Gregor's eighty-six cavalry and thirty households are hardly cause for concern. And maesters, compared to the thousands of maesters and the countless inventions and discoveries from the Citadel, Gregor's few inventions amount to little. I do not want suspicion of Gregor to undermine his loyalty. Regarding Gregor, I have my measure, there is caution, analysis, and judgment."
The three maesters and two lords listened respectfully to Lord Tywin.
Ser Kevan, himself a talented man, willingly accepted his role as Tywin's shadow and second fiddle, inspired by Tywin's ruthless brilliance. Any thorny problem or complex political situation in Tywin's hands became clear and simple.
At twenty, Tywin was appointed Hand of the King by King Aerys Targaryen. For twenty years, he was the uncrowned king, recognized by all seven kingdoms as the true power behind the throne. If King Aerys didn't anger him, Tywin wouldn't resign. If the king didn't humiliate him, Tywin wouldn't stand aside while royalist and rebel armies slaughtered each other. Ultimately, Tywin betrayed the crown, seized King's Landing, and ruthlessly ended the Targaryen dynasty.
Kevan admired his older brother Tywin wholeheartedly, surrendering himself like a fanatic to the shadow of his genius. He understood his brother's intentions as if by instinct. The meaning behind Tywin's gaze chilled him deeply, revealing a crisis in the Westerlands he had never before imagined. The realization brought him shame, and a shivering cold.
But there was a second layer of meaning in that look, a reproach of Kevan's narrow vision and limited ambition. Even if granted a fief, Kevan could only ever be a knight, not a Lord managing great noble houses, no better than Auren Lannister.
That stung Kevan like a sharp slap from Lord Tywin.
Tywin slowly stood up. "Lord Auren, your loyalty to Casterly Rock has always been clear to me."
"Thank you, my lord." Auren quickly replied with gratitude.
Tywin's gaze then lingered meaningfully on Kevan for a long moment. When Kevan understood the depth behind the look, Tywin withdrew his eyes without greeting the knights or maesters and walked away.
Maester Pycelle hurried to follow.
Since Tywin was seventeen, Kevan had wholeheartedly followed him. He understood his brother's thoughts as if gifted from birth. Yet the meaning of that gaze left Kevan feeling both cold dread and profound shame.
...
"Everything we said today must not leave this room. Under no circumstances may Gregor hear a single word. The benefits he can bring to the Westerlands I want in full. But if today's discussion leaks, it will dampen his inventiveness and loyalty to Casterly Rock."
Tywin's eyes swept the two lords and three maesters. All quickly nodded, promising strict secrecy.
Auren himself wouldn't dare spread word.
If Gregor found out, breaking his legs would be the mildest punishment.
Because of that fear, Auren chose to meet inside Ser Kevan's keep to ensure absolute safety.
"Even the worst dog is still a dog, and a bad dog needs meat and bones, not a stick with nails. If Gregor learns of our suspicions, that would be a nailed stick. Whoever leaks this conversation will regret ever being born."
The two lords and three maesters shivered.
Tywin finally said, "Lord Auren, your loyalty to Casterly Rock has never been in doubt."
"Thank you, my lord."
⚔────────
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