The Lannister House in Kings Landing

[Flex]

"If you say so," Aurane said with a nod. "Be careful though, father has been even... more severe of late. I don't know why but..." He stopped, not wanting to discuss this in front of the others. "I will be back soon." He said, before leaving for his room.

[Deleted]

"Suspicious... mysterious... probably nothing," Mychel commented to himself under his breath as he watched Aurane leave.

[Deleted]

"You're engaged?" Mychel asked, Aranya, clearly surprised. One thing about being mostly ignored was no one bothered to tell you anything. "Congratulations I suppose, I met some girl the other day who was in love with him."

[Deleted]

"You would think in ten years you might have told your brother then," Mychel replied cooly, tossing his long hair over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes, "Find out yourself, if you are so interested."

[Tynian Lannister]

Tynian smiled "No-one told me either, Mychel. I guess we have that much in common. Oswyn...yes, I think that is Quenton's older brother" he blinked "But that means he's...what...20 years older or something? You'll be feeding him his soup with a spoon before you're having his kids, sis" he teased.

[Deleted]

Mychel could think of several things to say, but the key to staying invisible when you wanted to be was the long forgotten art of biting your tongue, something most members of his house had a lacking skill in. "it can't be more than a few years until you are old enough. I hope you'll be very happy." His tone was still fairly cool, but more civil now.

[Tynian Lannister]

ooc: Just how did medieval folk gauge the time indoors? Marked candles? Water clocks? Didn't care? Seems a bit weird when I'm trying "not to be late" for something.

"Well..." he patted her on the shoulder "I hope you're happy together" he said, not at all certain that they would be. He glanced outside, trying to gauge the time and sighed. "I'd best go upstairs and meet with father" he grimaced. "Wish me luck..." he said with trepidation.

[Deleted]

"Good luck..." Mychel said, the you will need it was left unsaid, and he looked down to his book, "If you need anything when you are done and can't find Aurane, I guess I will be here, reading," he shrugged and also glanced through to where the stairs were.

[Tynian Lannister]

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Gerion's "study" was on the second floor, set back from the main foyer of the house, at the end of a long corridor, past all the family bedrooms and guest rooms. As a child, Tynian had been forbidden to enter and, on the rare occasions he forgot or felt brave enough to risk it, a beating was his usual reward. As he made his way through the silent corridor, his footfalls muffled by the thick carpeting, his palms became sweating with apprehension. Despite the brave face he had put on for his family, he had been dreading this day almost since he left with Lord Royce, as he knew that one day he'd have to return. He reached the thick mahogany door, with a golden lion's head handle and paused for a moment; taking a deep breath before entering.

As it opened with barely a whisper, he could see his lord father, Lord Gerion Lannister, sitting in a rich red leather armchair before the fireplace, a bearskin rug under his feet and a glass of strong Dornish wine in his hand as he leafed through some letters with a scowl, his lips forming the words as he read them. His hair was starting to streak with silver and thin in places and his body was beginning to fatten around the waist, but he was still a well muscled man, the years merely adding more cruelty to the greed, arrogance and avarice. He turned his head slightly to see who had entered and his eyes narrowed as he beheld his second son. His lips pursed together unhappily as he looked at the gangly & sallow-skinned young man his son had become in the intervening 10 years. 

"So", he grunted "You're back" he said tersely. "I wondered if you'd bother coming home" his lip curled as he took another sip of wine.

[Tynian Lannister]

Tynian bit back a response, his mouth working as he realised that the dreamed for reunion of two equals was unlikely to ever happen. "Yes" he replied, equally cold. "It seemed fair not to burden Lord Royce any further, once our time had come to an end" he continued caustically and entered the room, seating himself in a nearby chair facing his father once he realised he wasn't going to move. "You might have pretended to be glad to see me".

Gerion snorted "Glad? I should be glad that one of my boys turned out like you?" he shook his head in disgust "I said as much to your mother before you left. I thought sending you away with that crippled fool would ruin you and so it has. Look at you" he sneered "Even my grandson Damon could probably tear you to pieces in the yard and he's half your age and his mother's a dornish slut to boot!" he glared at Tynian. "I sent you away to become a warrior, a man, and you've come back as you left - a milksop boy. Look at you. You're pathetic. Even now you look near fit to burst into tears!"

Tears did fill the eyes of Tynian Lannister as he sat there, listening to his father's scorn, though he'd be damned to the Seven Hells if any were to escape onto his face in the presence of this braggard. "Lord Royce is a great man" he said quietly. "He can see the value of people, more than most can with two good eyes!" he said, his voice becoming louder and more animated. "He treated me better than you ever did, your own flesh and blood! His wife didn't crawl around the castle in fear and neither did his servants!" he said, openly yelling now as he rose to his feet. "He was a better father than you could EVER BE!" he yelled.

[Tynian Lannister]

Gerion's face contorted in rage and he rose from his chair bellowing, glass toppling from his hand and emptying onto the bearskin rug as he did so. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE...SHIT!" he shouted, backhanding Tynian across the face.

Tynian spun around a full circle, in a daze, but did not go down and managed to grab both his father's hands as they closed in for his throat. The two men were now locked together as they spun around the room, crashing into bookcases and tables. Gerion was far stronger and outweighed Tynian, who kept moving his feet, trying to overbalance the heavier man as they moved although all that advice from the Vale's master-at-arms seemed to be lost for the moment as sheer hatred and adrenaline surged through him as he struggled with his father, whose usual skill in wrestling seemed impaired with the amount of wine he had consumed.

For what seemed like minutes but was probably seconds, the two men hurled themselves into the walls and furnishings of the room. Tynian managed to free his left hand and tried to jab it in the face and eye of his father who snarled and ducked his head when he saw the move coming, breaking Tynian's thumb off the crown of his head. Tynian howled, more in rage than pain, but the momentum had turned and now it was Gerion's turn to pummel the body and arms of his son who had dared to resist his wrath. He felt a rib crack, then another under his blows and Tynian's hands finally slackened their hold on him as he tried to cover himself up from the onslaught.

[Tynian Lannister]

Gerion raised both fists above his head and brought them crashing down on the upraised arms of Tynian, throwing him to the floor with an animalistic roar of triumph. His own face and arms bore the scars of the confrontation, though Tynian was clearly coming off the worst of the two. He kicked viciously at the stomach of his son and was rewarded with a weak retching sound as Tynian coughed up a bloody phlegm. He weakly tried to shield his body as the blows rained in. 

"I raise you" kick " I feed you" punch "I sacrifice for you" kick "And this is the thanks I get!" Gerion snarled as he reached down with both hands on his battered offspring. His hands circled around his throat and he slowly began to squeeze, a sick smile forming on his face as his dominance and strength won the day once more. "You don't deserve a father like me!" he hissed angrily (Tynian would heartily agree, could he but speak) "And I will not suffer a son like you!" he snarled and began to tighten the grip further, Tynian's face purpling and his legs kicked weakly, as he fought for air. His right hand scrambled around desperately and grasped a poker, fallen from the fireplace in the mad scramble. With the last of his strength he swung his arm round in an arc, catching Gerion across the side of his face with a sizzling blow as the still hot metal collided with his face. 

Gerion screamed in pain and rage and stumbled backwards from Tynian who gasped for breath like a caught fish and tried vainly to regain his feet, knowing he had gone far too far now. Gerion withdrew his bloody hand from his face, a freshly made scar forming to the right of his face, just outside the cheekbone, missing his eye by scant inches. "That, boy, is the last mistake you'll ever make" he said, drawing the dagger from his waist and closing in towards his helpless child.

[Flex]

The door burst open and Aurane flung himself in, sword already drawn. He stopped, stared from his beaten brother to his father. His eyes narrow, becoming hard, a cold feeling sinking in.

"Get away from him, you prick," He hissed, very quietly, though loud enough for Gerion to hear.

[Tynian Lannister]

Gerion hissed in frustrated rage as his wife and son intervened. He glared at them both and then at the pathetic crumpled form of Tynian lying on the ground. He snorted, and shoved his dagger back into it's sheath.
"He's not worth my time" he sneered "Get him out of my sight" he gestured to his wife. He looked across to his firstborn, Aurane and his eyes narrowed at the sign of naked steel in his hand.
"You best put that away, son" he said dangerously softly. "You may be my heir, but you're not Lord yet and any man who draws steel on his liege lord will suffer a traitor's death" he showed his teeth in a humourless smile. 

[Deleted]

Mychel heard the Aurane's door opening from his own and sawhim rush into where their father was. He had heard some of the commotion, but had long learnt to block most of it out. He entered not long after Aurane with his book still in hand, the door already being opened, for he'd not under any circumstances enter without knocking, and surveyed the scene, eyes alight but with a somewhat indifferent expression. He placed the book down and went to crouch next to Tynian, putting a hand under his armpit to try and get him from the room.