"What do you think of the prince?" Tywin Lannister asked his eldest son.
When Jaime was released from his vows and restored as heir to the Rock, Tywin allowed himself a smile, though only his wife witnessed it.
"He's strong," said the heir with a distant look. "He's ambitious and dangerous if you're his enemy," he added.
"Only if you're his enemy?" asked the Lion, his green eyes seeming to peer into his son's mind.
"Yes. He has no interest in the throne," he said, pouring himself a glass of wine as he listened to his father.
"And yet there are half a million golden dragons less in our coffers," his voice was scathing.
"I had to correct Cersei's mistakes," he said, unmoved by his anger. "My daughter will be queen, and I will make sure that no one threatens her place. Even if that threat is my sister," he said finally with anger.
"Good," his father looked at him with a stony face. "Maintaining and securing your legacy is the most important thing," he didn't show it in his tone, but he was proud of his son. "You said he has no interest in the throne. What about the game?"
"He does," Jaime admitted. "He wants to make Harrenhal into something extraordinary. A center of commerce," he added, remembering their conversations.
"And he has a handful of men who can cause trouble," said his father.
"I don't see him causing trouble," he said. "He's a proud young man. He asked me how to get the tallest tower. He told me there were two ways." His father looked at him, asking him to continue.
"One is to build it directly. It's simple, but the hardest of all. The other is to build a tower not taller than the others. And knock down all the others that exist," he savored the wine. "He said: The first shows strength, the second weakness."
"A fool, then. He won't get far without cutting off a few heads. Harrenhal itself is a curse. The gold your sister gave him will keep him afloat for a few years."
"He's the smartest person I've ever met," Jaime said. "I wouldn't dismiss him so easily."
"Neither would I. But he's someone who only defends himself and doesn't attack, at least from our few interactions," Tywin said.
"Have you met him?" he asked, frowning.
"Do you know why I asked for him to marry Princess Daenerys?" his father asked, ignoring his question.
"No. I only know that you want to keep him without allies through marriage, although I don't know why him and not Viserys or Daemon," Jaime said.
"I considered him a threat to Aegon's throne. The greatest threat within the Targaryens," his father said. "Viserys is an idiot. Daemon is, albeit a better one, but still an idiot. He knows little beyond swinging his sword."
"The prestige of being a warrior will make people want to follow him. Remember Robert."
"I defeated Robert," his father declared.
"He's still alive. A shadow in the east," Jaime said.
"A horse lord. By now, he should be afraid of the sea," his father dismissed him. He was not an immediate danger; his men kept him informed of his movements.
"Yes... I can understand why you fear him—"
"I did not fear him. I respect him," his father admitted. Jaime's eyes widened. "He has business in Essos, did you know that? No. No one in the capital knows, not even Varys. Somehow, he evaded his little birds. I discovered it by chance. He hides well. When I found out he was selling goods, I tried to buy his business. It's no big deal, I just wanted to test his character." Tywin himself was now drinking wine from a golden cup. He was a man of few words, but in front of his son and heir, he could afford to be more open.
"You decided just to be mean?" Jaime had become bolder over the years. In the past, he would not have dared to speak to him in that manner. Tywin was torn between pride and annoyance.
"You should know all the players. I could have them embroider it on your cloak," he reminded him sharply. Jaime remained silent. "He refused. I insisted, I even attacked a few caravans."
"Aren't you afraid of the royal family?"
"They didn't know anything about that business. And if they found out, what would they do to me?" he asked and answered himself.
"I suppose you couldn't get your hands on it?" Jaime was a little amused.
"No. Rumors even began to spread that the mines were running out of gold." His father looked him in the eyes. "He knew it was me who attacked his property, and he counterattacked cleanly and effectively. Do you think Viserys or Daemon could have done that?"
"No. But even then, it's just a small business. Is it worth depriving Daemon of his allies?"
"It's in those small acts that you can see how dangerous the players are."
"Anyone could spread a rumor," Jaime remembered that rumor, but considered it ridiculous.
"We've been mining less and less gold. The mines are drying up, Jaime. He was even able to calculate how long we could continue mining gold," his father said.
"You're joking." his father's face remained stony.
"It's not a concern. More mines remain unexploited. But it's the mere fact that he knows that fact that tells me he's not just any player," his father looked at him directly.
"How do you plan to deal with him?" he asked cautiously.
"It would have been best to marry him to Joanna, your daughter," said Tywin. "But that would deprive us of a possible alliance in case of war. Another Lannister would have served."
Jaime felt insulted that his daughter's hand was considered necessary only as a means of alliance. If it were up to him, he would see her married to the eldest son of the Tyrells, Willas. But he knew his father could sell her even to someone like Walder Frey. He thought of Jaehaerys, to whom he would have offered his daughter as a wife if he had known him earlier. It was a pity that the third prince had only his name and a few men.
"That's not possible. Rhaella would not have accepted the hand of another Lannister of lower rank, no matter the dowry. Perhaps Cersei's daughter, but I can't see my sister wanting to marry off her daughter." his sister seemed to want her children to remain unmarried. And her husband didn't care.
'But Cersei lost her daughter, too.'
"That's why Daenerys was the best choice."
"He just defends himself, you said. Did you want to take away his potential allies so you could attack him?" His father's face told him everything. "That leaves Daemon's hand free," Jaime added when he saw that his father wouldn't say a word.
"His birth makes many think of him as a bastard. Westeros remembers BlackFire," said his father.
The first Blackfyre was a better swordsman than all the rest, but he died in a rain of arrows.
Jaime didn't object. However, he believed that Daemon was a greater danger than Jaehaerys. Not because the latter was weak—Darkstar and Daemon could attest to the contrary. No, it was because Jaehaerys longed to create. Not that Jaime believed he was harmless in war, but he wouldn't strike a blow without need. As long as the prince of scrolls wasn't bothered, he wasn't a problem.
Daemon, on the other hand, was more volatile and aggressive. He didn't get along well or badly with Aegon, but with the right whispers, he could be made to believe that he was destined for the crown.
Jaime hoped the prince wouldn't find a Bittersteel at his side. After all, this Daemon had also had his Daenerys taken from him.
"Your mother has arranged a banquet for your arrival," said Lord Tywin, rising to his full height.
His mother, Joanna. She had barely survived Tyrion's birth. She was the only person who could soften the stone heart of the Mighty Tywin. She was the one who convinced Tywin to go to the Trident to fight against Robert.
It was thanks to her that his daughter would be queen. Rhaella and Joanna discussed the marriage in letters, behind the Mad King's back. His father and Rhaegar ultimately overthrew Aerys and exiled him to the Wall.
"Don't attack Jaehaerys," he advised. "We are not his enemies."
"When the chance arrive, you have to take it."
"He will have children, Father. He may not be able to forge alliances now, but he can promise the hands of his children." This time, his father remained silent. "Besides, Serena is with him." He still didn't know how he had managed to convince Cersei to give up her daughter.
His father gritted his teeth, knowing that his granddaughter was in the house of a potential enemy, and it did not sit well with him. Jaime thought that maybe that was what bothered his father most about the prince.
"I taught you well," he nodded. Then he left with loud, heavy footsteps.
Despite his words, Jaime noticed that his father did not pay much attention to him. He could only sigh and prepare to cover up any possible damage.
'Jaehaerys liked gold, right? I'll start shitting in his latrine,' he joked to himself.