At that stage, it felt as if time itself had begun to move faster, without waiting for anyone. This time, because of Tommen's death and the absence of any legitimate alternative to Joffrey, what was meant to happen in another path did not occur. The king was not poisoned at his wedding. Instead, everything went perfectly, and King's Landing was filled with celebrations, banners, and joyful voices announcing the union of the Iron Throne with House Tyrell.
However, the joy was only a thin surface hiding a dark political reality.
With each passing day, messages poured into the Red Keep from spies spread across all the kingdoms. Reports spoke of lords making plans, houses moving in secret, and ambitious men who saw the Iron Throne as a prize worth risking everything for.
Notably, the name of Robb Stark, or any member of House Stark, did not appear among these forces this time. The North remained united behind the Starks, but its eyes were not turned toward the capital.
Yet the news did not stop.
The death of Renly Baratheon came first, followed by reports of Stannis Baratheon attempting to form an alliance with Ned Stark. The attempt did not end with a handshake or an agreement, but with a bloody battle between the two sides. With all the northern lords standing behind House Stark, Stannis's army was unable to withstand them.
Even sacrifice did not save him.
He sacrificed his daughter, then his wife took her own life, yet the outcome did not change. Defeat reached him, followed by death, and his name was erased from the list of contenders.
In addition to this, troubling reports about Balon Greyjoy's suspicious movements continued to arrive... unfinished pieces of information, but enough to ignite concern. All these developments forced Tywin Lannister to work for long hours without rest, weaving complex plans to take advantage of this general chaos for the benefit of House Lannister.
On one of those days, while Tywin was holding a smaller council meeting with several commanders and lords to discuss the current situation, the doors to the chamber suddenly opened.
Joffrey, or Louis , entered with his usual presence, Tyrion Lannister at his side.
Tywin lifted his gaze and gave the king a cold look before speaking in a calm but firm voice, "It seems His Grace has an urgent matter. You are all dismissed."
The lords and commanders exchanged brief looks in silence, then began to leave one by one, until the doors closed and only the three of them remained.
Only then did Tywin speak, "Sit."
Louis showed no objection to the cold tone. He stepped forward and sat in the chair opposite Tywin, facing him directly without lowering his gaze. Tywin then looked at Tyrion, who seemed to understand something and quietly took a seat nearby.
In this path, Tyrion was not a murderer on the run. Louis had long worked to make him his deputy, the one who would represent him in council meetings. With the king's recognition and trust, Tyrion could not betray that trust, despite all the insults he continued to receive from Tywin and Cersei.
Tywin broke the silence, "So, why have you come at this particular time?"
Louis smiled faintly. "And is there a better time? I've tried to meet you for days, but you always hide behind work."
"That is not an excuse," Tywin replied coldly. "It is the truth. I do not abandon the affairs of the realm for games and pleasure."
"Aren't you the one who said you would handle matters from now on?" Louis said with a mocking smile.
Tywin's face hardened. "Enough. I have no time to waste. Say what you came to say."
Louis nodded. "It's simple. I came to present my plan… and my abilities."
Tywin let out a short, humorless laugh. "Abilities? And what abilities do you think you possess?"
Louis calmly rose from his chair. With a simple motion of his arm, six dragon eggs appeared on the table, as if they had come from nothing.
Tywin's eyes widened for a moment. He recognized them immediately. These were the same eggs he himself had once sent to Joffrey. He had examined them personally and memorized their shapes. But to appear like this…
Before he could speak, Louis waved his hand again, and the eggs vanished completely.
Tywin looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
Louis said simply, "Magic."
"Magic?" Tywin repeated slowly.
"Yes. When I was… wandering around the castle," Louis said, correcting himself with a sarcastic tone, "I found an old book about magic. Out of curiosity, I learned a little."
"A book of magic?" Tywin said with clear doubt.
Louis knew words would not be enough. With another wave of his hand, an ancient scroll appeared, floating in the air before him, surrounded by a faint glow.
Tyrion knew what it was; Louis had already explained his plan to him. Tywin, however, stared without understanding.
Louis tapped the floating scroll, sending it toward Tywin. "Open it."
Tywin opened it and found a blank white page. "What is this?" he asked with restrained anger.
Tyrion smiled mockingly. "Don't be angry. I felt the same way at first."
Tywin glanced at him, then returned his gaze to Louis.
"Try writing something," Louis said.
Ignoring their smiles, Tywin dipped the quill into ink and wrote a few meaningless words. But as soon as he finished the first word, it vanished from the page.
He tried again. The result was the same.
Then Louis said, "This is a magical contract."
"A magical contract?"
"Yes. When the terms are written with the consent of two parties and sealed with their blood, the contract becomes binding. Neither party can betray its terms, or the fate will be… the destruction of the soul."
Louis snapped his fingers, and the scroll vanished from Tywin's hands, returning to his system's storage.
"I found this contract inside that book. To activate it, both parties must place a drop of their blood on it first, then agree on the terms."
He then looked directly at Tywin with a confident smile. "Now… are you interested in hearing my plan?"
Faced with Louis's confident smile and the strange abilities displayed before his eyes, Tywin found no words to say. All he did was nod his head slowly.
In the heavy silence of the hall, after the echo of the strange powers had faded, Louis took control of the conversation again. His voice was more serious this time, as if the game was over and the real war had begun.
He looked directly at Tywin and said,
"Alright… the main threat is the daughter of House Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen, who seeks to reclaim the throne."
He paused for a moment, then continued,
"You must have received reports about dragon sightings in Essos, haven't you?"
Tywin nodded slowly.
"I have. Some sailors claimed they saw real dragons in the sky during their voyages… and it seems she has gathered a great army and is preparing to invade."
Louis smiled faintly.
"That is why the first step is clear. You must make a deal with Balon Greyjoy."
Tywin raised an eyebrow, but Louis did not give him time to interrupt.
"Tell him that you will return his son, Theon, and grant him independence as King of the Iron Islands, in exchange for helping us resist Daenerys's army."
A short silence followed. The proposal was bold, almost provocative. Tywin carefully considered the words, but Louis continued in a calm voice filled with cold cruelty:
"And after the crisis is over… we get rid of him. We place his son Theon in his position and take back full control of the Iron Islands."
Tywin finally spoke after thinking for a moment.
"Not bad."
Louis then continued,
"Second… my uncle Tyrion will join Daenerys's side as a spy."
Tywin's eyes widened, and his gaze immediately moved to Tyrion, then back to Louis.
"What?"
Tyrion himself froze in place. Tywin's next words were sharp:
"Are you certain this plan will succeed?"
There was clear doubt in his tone, like a nail driven straight into Tyrion's heart. But Louis reacted quickly and stopped the doubt before it could grow.
"I explained the plan in detail to my uncle Tyrion, and I trust him."
Tyrion looked at Louis. This was not the Joffrey everyone knew. He was calmer, more aware, and more confident than ever before. In that moment, Tyrion made a silent decision: he would not betray the trust of the only person who had trusted him, even if it cost him his life.
Tywin ignored his son's feelings and focused on the practical issue.
"Even if you trust his loyalty, you know how much that girl hates House Lannister. Do you really think she will trust him easily?"
Louis smiled.
"It is simpler than you think. Everyone knows how bad the relationship is between my uncle Tyrion and the rest of House Lannister, don't they?"
Then he said in a calculated tone,
"We will spread rumors that Tyrion assassinated Jaime Lannister because of their hostility, before fleeing."
Tywin's eyes widened, but Louis continued without hesitation.
"At the same time, to avoid any unnecessary problems, you must secretly send my mother Cersei and Jaime back to Casterly Rock and place guards to watch them… so they do not do anything reckless."
Tywin looked at Louis differently this time. He no longer saw an eccentric young king, but a mind weaving dangerous threads with frightening precision. He began to seriously consider the plan.
But Louis was not finished.
"As for the next step… it will come from the North."
Tywin frowned.
"From the North?"
Louis added, "Specifically… from beyond the Ice Wall."
At that point, a mysterious smile appeared on Louis's face.
"There is no need to worry. Soon, we will receive a message asking for support from House Stark."
Then he said with cold confidence,
"And according to my calculations… I expect Daenerys Targaryen to become involved with the North as well."
Silence filled the room once again. But this time, it was not the silence of confusion—
It was the silence of realization that the chessboard had grown far larger, and that the king sitting before them could see much farther than they ever expected.