12/26/271 from Z.E.
Many adults say that they would like to become children again. Eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. Sometimes playing... is better than just working. And you guys don't understand how difficult it is for an intellectually advanced adult to be a child. And it's not just that my adult mind defined the child's existence as a burden rather than a new chance. Of course, because of this, I was extremely stingy with emotions, which caused well-founded concerns from my new mother, father, and a local scientist. That's not the point.… The whole problem is the motherfucking baby's body! When there is a child's intelligence in a child's body, everything is not so bad. But in my case, an adult was trapped in the child's body! And that's where it's all bad. I hate this baby body so much! No matter how hard I tried to restrain myself, I periodically walked under myself, which is the most humiliating thing. I breastfed for the first few months, which didn't add to my pride either. No, like any healthy man, I like women's breasts. But specifically in the case of feeding, I perceived it as humiliation. So when I got the chance, I immediately switched to "normal food." Infant formulas did not exist in the Middle Ages, but there were a variety of porridges, which were recommended by the Master to be taken as food for children.
I tried meat for the first time when I was three years old.… However, all this is corruption. My position is many times better than any peasant family. I was born a Lannister. Some whore's official, unfunny father. Although, considering how my father looks at Dorna Lannister, his wife, even if not as beautiful as Joanna, Tywin's wife, I understand that the option in which my father would go "to the side" is not physically realistic. The Lannisters are actually the richest family in Westeros, and maybe not only that. In general, this world is quite strange, but more on that later. Living in this family, I felt... yes, I was born into the richest family in Westeros, they feed, clothe and educate me. And Sergey Lisin, more precisely, Sirion Lannister is not used to being a freeloader and always responds to kindness with kindness. I have accumulated so many debts to the Lannisters since I was born. You don't have to be a historian to know how things are going in ordinary medieval families. The same peasants or townspeople of nearby Lannisport. Children die in childbirth, and women can die too. But not only that. Many families don't even have the minimum income to provide for another child. And that's the cruel truth.… If I hadn't been born a Lannister, it would have been much worse. And it's not like I chose…
Whether I wanted a new life or not, the fact is that I was born. Fact number two is that I was born into a wealthy family. Many roads are open to me. While I was helpless and physically weak, I thought about a lot of things. Who will I grow up to be? Kevan, my father, sees Sirion, that is, me, as the assistant and support of Jaime Lannister, the son and heir of Lord Tywin Lannister. And I can totally help Jaime, but... maybe it's because I'm too ambitious or cynical, but I didn't want to be sidelined. I'm capable of retreating when I realize I'm outmatched... but Jaime, really? He's not an adult in a child's body, and I have no idea who he's going to grow up to be. And if he grows up to be mediocre, should I put up with him over me? There are many ways to push a person aside, not just by killing. And it won't be difficult for me to take his place. I know how to bring the Lannisters to dawn. And since I've decided that I owe my position to this house, I have to act accordingly. Gambling, entertainment and, in general, the service sector, industry (I don't know much, but you can try to build a primitive moonshine distiller). The Western Lands, the Lannister fiefdom of Casterly Rock, are rich in ores, mostly gold and silver. But I am well aware that the sources may run out. And what should House Lannister do in this case?
The accumulated wealth of the Lannisters is enough for a couple of generations. But then the family will start to get poor. The Cliff's aristocrats will begin to lose influence, leading to the decline of the Great House. So far, I believe that the mines produce enough gold. So it's not that bad. And here, for sure, my family was lucky because I was a businessman, that is, a capitalist. I see the salvation of financial well-being, including the influence of the family, in capitalist development. Historically, the aristocrats of the West in my world have moved away from aristocracy in favor of capitalism... some managed to move away, some did not. But it is capital that plays a major role in the development of the world from which I came to this one. And why not lead the "capitalist perestroika"... well, or something like that. Moreover, my experience will give me the opportunity not only to bring something new, but to receive phenomenal benefits from it. Of course, I'm not a Wall Street financier, I was an "ordinary" middle-class businessman. But it's this experience that will help me, plus the experience of gang warfare in the nineties. Still, I survived then, and I will survive now.… My signature approach, which softened slightly after I "got back on my feet," consists of the simple dictum "all people are scum." Of course, there will be those to whom you can entrust your life, but as my accountant used to say: "Against the background of the general population, or, more precisely, on average ...". I need to choose the right people for my team. First of all… Who I have at the moment. All Lannisters should be considered in terms of skills and possible development.
The disadvantage is that I can only choose from my younger generation. The other Lannisters are under Tywin's thumb, and he won't give me anyone. So far, I've only seen Jaime and Cersei from the younger generation. We were both children, and I wasn't an educator, teacher, or parent with the experience to figure out which of them would grow up now. Yes, they are only five years old, so it's too early to draw conclusions. Although Cersei has a certain desire for power, because she has already tried to take unspoken patronage over me and Jaime. Jaime... to be honest, compared to his sister, he's kind of failing. Depending on who he grows up to be, he will either become my companion or I will become his mainstay. In any case, I will have to repay my debt to the Lannister family, because I don't like being due. A possible dynastic marriage is also a problem. My dynastic marriage. Lord Tywin doesn't care about most people and their opinions, which is what makes him so powerful, or rather, he's powerful enough for everyone to listen to him.
If the Lannisters benefit, I will be married to a noble lady from any of the Seven Kingdoms. And they might not even ask my opinion... I won't hesitate to get rid of an unnecessary burden, especially if it's some old lady who's the heiress of a nice castle. Then I can take this castle for myself. It's probably going to sound stupid and selfish, but I want to get involved with a woman I like. Although I'm not sure that a monster like me is capable of loving someone in terms of character. After all, I was thinking of "replacing" Jaime as heir to Casterly Rock and the Western Lands. These are the fox pies…
Five years have passed since I appeared in this world. I've already gotten used to my name. I'm used to my surroundings… They even started whispering about me. Learned to walk before Cersei and Jaime, learned to read before Cersei and Jaime. In general, both of them are poorly able to read, more precisely, Cersei is just beginning to master normal reading, moving from reading syllables and letters to reading words, and Jaime, judging by the whims, is not able to read at all. At least he gets dizzy all the time. Lord Tywin ordered the three of us to start teaching, despite the fact that the Maester asked us to start studying at the age of five: we started at three and have been studying for two years... the Head of the House believes that we should start being smart much earlier than at the age of five. As a result, the Meister brought three "textbooks" written in large letters for the three of us. And in front of each one, he began to try to teach us on the first floor, in a kind of children's playroom. In addition to the Maester, Tywin was sometimes present in class when he was free from the problems of the Realms; Kevan when his brother was not issuing several orders.; Dorna… My mother loves me more than life, it seems, and always tries to provide me with everything... because Lannisters are entitled to a certain allowance per month. And Lord Titos, no matter how stupid he was, left his children and their wives a certain inheritance. And I have money too, and he left ten thousand gold dragons to each of his grandchildren.… Just like that, he took and gave such money to children, babies! I guess I still wish he'd lived longer. Then I would be able to get much more from him than just ten thousand golden dragons. Well, and the woman who took my breath away, the only fact is that my body is a child's and a man's instrument at that age is physically unable to stand (approx. The author — unless, of course, the author is a schoolboy writing about a harem. Their characters "have it" even in infancy) — Joanna Lannister. Unlike my "average mom," Joanna is Mrs. Universe. Slender and graceful, beautiful, green-eyed and golden-haired aristocrat. She is a recognized beauty of the Seven Kingdoms, not inferior in beauty to Raila Targaryen and other ladies, "for whom it is not a shame to start a war" ... What nonsense, how can you start a war for one person?
Looking at Joanna and, as a man, comparing her to my mother, I was sincerely glad that the genes of the Lannister family were stronger than others, because I was a copy of my father in appearance. According to the confessions of many whom I managed to eavesdrop on, I got almost nothing from Dorna. Although that didn't stop her from loving me.
Cersei and Jaime. Each of them has their own glimpses that are already being overlooked. Both will be a product of their medieval era. Jaime listened with his mouth open to the stories of Tigett Lannister, my uncle, one of my father's three brothers. Ser Tigett is a warrior through and through. He is considered one of the best swordsmen in Westeros. And Cersei likes the stories about princes, kings and... queens more and more. Even now, I understand perfectly well what this beautiful little girl will dream of in the future, without a doubt — a beautiful girl and a woman, considering who her mother is.
My social circle was limited to Maester Kreilen, and even though I'm not a scientist, I'm already smarter than many in this world in terms of knowledge. And this is a fact: what is a person of the twenty-first century, even with a secondary education (although I also studied self-education afterwards and even received a law degree in absentia) and what is an intelligent person of the fourteenth century (approximate century, where did development stop here?). There is a huge difference, a gap between the two of them. I also loved listening to Uncle Tigett, after all, I'm a man and I'm used to killing and fighting for my happiness. I'll have to fight in this world, and then I'll have to think about my physical development. I do basic exercises, or rather, I try to do as much as my puny body can afford, I even started asking for fish as a meal, mostly it contains a lot of useful things. I was really interested in Lord Tywin Lannister. He rarely came, trying to play with either Cersei or Jaime. Until they grew up, he couldn't tell the twins apart at all, which made his wife smile and feel embarrassed.… Lord Tywin made you smile… Perhaps Lady Joanna is the only person in the world who is able to laugh at Lord Tywin in the presence of Tywin himself, and yet he will never kill her.
The "game" room was empty this time. Only Maester Kreilen was curiously watching the three children, that is, me, Cersei, and Jaime. By the way, there will be more children, because Lord Tywin decided to take pupils from some of the Lords of the Western Lands — Marbrands, Craikehalls, Farmans and so on. But it's still a long time before that, because up to the age of ten, the children of aristocrats are not transported anywhere and rarely shown, for fear of epidemics or murderers. Even the same Lannisters... Cersei sat at a small table with an important look and read aloud the letters of another life story of one of the Targaryen princes for the umpteenth time under the smile of Maester Kreilen. Cersei sat between Jaime and me, considering herself the eldest, and therefore the main one among our three, although Jaime himself is younger than her by a couple of moments. I'm younger than both of them, so Cersei treated me a little condescendingly, which didn't really annoy me. Here's another one! Am I an adult in a child's body and will I be offended by a child?
"Life, dear cousin, will put everything in its place. Do you consider yourself older and smarter than me? Also, I'm going to take a little girl's conceit seriously. I'll completely stop respecting myself then!" flashed through my mind as I looked at Cersei, who was always looking at me and Jaime with a mentor's gaze. Although there was a disadvantage in this: I kind of didn't care and I played along with Cersei, but Jaime was not an adult in the body of a child and took my behavior for granted towards Cersei, also accepting her supremacy.
"You're doing a good job of reading, Lady Cersei," Kreilen praised Cersei, sounding pleased. "As for my Lord Sirion and Jaime..." he looked at me questioningly.
During Cersei's reading of the passage, I calmly adjusted my clothes, consisting of trousers and a simple sweatshirt. I dressed in mostly black fabrics, with a golden lion on a scarlet shield, the symbol of the Lannisters, embroidered on the left breast. Cersei was wearing a light scarlet dress embroidered with gold thread, Jaime was actually wearing the same color clothes.
"My turn?" I asked the Maester.
—No, you're the youngest," Cersei told me, "which means you're the latest." It's Jaime's turn now.
I just shrugged and stared at my cousin expectantly. It's useless though. As far as I remember, he has dysgraphia, which seems to be the name of this problem in the world where I came from. Jaime confuses the letters, he is able to read them, but very slowly and sometimes incorrectly.
—P-r-i-n-c E-y-g-o-n," Jaime began to read slowly about Aegon V the Incredible.
Yes... princes and Kings. The world is not just of aristocrats, but of nobles. Classical nobles. At least on the mainland, where I currently live, there is a monarchical form of government. The Meister has a chatty tongue, and he gives me books regularly, so I've read a lot. The most important one in the Westeros region is the King, from the Targaryen dynasty. He is followed by the rulers of the regions, they are also the Supreme Lords. The continent is divided into several regions. The first was the Western Lands, and I was starting to count down from my new Homeland. The Western Lands are fertile and rich in iron ores, they are not large in terms of territory compared to all others, although they are larger than some. But that doesn't stop them from being the richest on the continent. They are ruled by the Lannisters of Casterly Rock, the High Lords of these lands. I belong to this family too. The Lannisters trace their lineage back to Lann the Clever, an adventurer of the Age of Heroes who was able to capture Casterly Rock by cunning. Alas, it is no longer known how he was able to expel the Casterly family from the Cliff, but the fact is that one day the Lannisters appeared in the most impregnable fortress in Westeros and the Casterleys disappeared forever.
The next ones worth mentioning in the outline of the High Lords are the Tyrells. Unlike the Lannisters, the Tyrells are not an ancient family. They rose to prominence after Aegon I Targaryen, nicknamed "The Conqueror," captured Highgarden, their current stronghold. The previous owners of the castle died at the Field of Flames, a battle where the Lannister and Gardner armies were defeated by the Targaryens, which brought three dragons to battle. And the Tyrells surrendered the castle to them, in connection with which — Aegon made them, to spite the Tarly, Hightowers, Florents — the High Lords of the Expanse. The coat of arms is a golden rose on a green fienext ones worth mentioning in the outline of the High Lords are the Tyrells. Unlike the Lannisters, the Tyrells are not an ancient family. They rose to prominence after Aegon I Targaryen, nicknamed "The Conqueror," captured Highgarden, their current stronghold. The previous owners of the castle died at the Field of Flames, a battle where the Lannister and Gardner armies were defeated by the Targaryens, which brought three dragons to battle. And the Tyrells surrendered the castle to them, in connection with which — Aegon made them, to spite the Tarly, Hightowers, Florents — the High Lords of the Expanse. The coat of arms is a golden rose on a green field. The most populous place in Westeros and the second richest, after the Western Lands of the Lannisters.
Dorne is considered to be the most independent region. They even have royal titles. Dorne is ruled by Dornish Princes and Princesses. Yes, they inherit by birthright, regardless of gender. The family that rules Dorne, the Martells, have a coat of arms in the form of a red Sun pierced by a golden spear. It's a kingdom of sand and a pretty barren land. Nevertheless, this is exactly what helped them defeat the invaders, because the Dornishmen, like the Belarusian partisans, are well—versed in their kingdom.
Who else is there? The Baratheons? It is also a fairly young family, founded by Aegon's brother, Orys Baratheon. Aegon's brother was a bastard, but he married the daughter of the Durandon Storm King. As a result, his family rules the Stormy Lands, where, to match the name, bad weather reigns. Although not the same as in winter in the North. The coat of arms of the Baratheons is a deer on a golden field.
There is also such a thing as a Royal Domain nearby. I don't remember anyone telling us that he was rich in anything. In general, I got the impression that thee is also such a thing as a Royal Domain nearby. I don't remember anyone telling us th he was rich in anything. In general, I got the impression that the Targaryens, before the extinction of their an
To the north of the Royal Domain are the lands of Tully. Riverlands, in a different way. In general, these lands used to be ruled by the Hoare family, the Ironborn pirates who came from the islands of the same name located northwest of the Western Lands. But again, everything changed with the arrival of the Targaryens. Aegon the Conqueror burned Harren the Black in Harrenhal, one of the most impregnable castles in Westeros. According to the books, even the stone was melted by Balerion's flame.… What kind of brat was that? It's just as well it's dead. And, as in the case of the Tyrells, the Tullys were the first to come to bow to the Targaryens, for which they became the High Lords of the Riverlands. The tallies from Riverrun have a coat of arms in the form of a silver trout on a background of red and blue waves.
To the East lies the Valley of Arryn. According to the books, it's a mountainous area, with numerous knights and branded Valley Cavalry. The Arryns rule there from another rather impregnable fortress. The Eagle's Nest… The Arryn coat of arms also matches the name — a white falcon on a blue background.
There are pirates in the Northwest… Who were recognized as Lords. They even have their own banners. The Ironborn are, in fact, simple thugs who have been doing this for so many hundreds of years that they can no longer be changed. Many here in the West agree that they should all be cut down at the root. They would have done so, but the Royal World is in the way. And Tywin won't want to fight with his friend the King over a bunch of rabble. The Ironborn are ruled by Greyjoys, who have a golden kraken coat of arms on a black background.…
Well, and the North. The Northernmost High Lordship. The Starks of Winterfell rule there. The coat of arms of which is a Direwolf on a white background. Direwolves, based on what I read afterwards, are a special breed of wolves. More precisely, a special kind? By the way, the North is the poorest of the Great Lordships.… But also the most huge. North of the North, it sounds silly, are the lands of the Wildlings that have not bowed to any king. Ironically, they have their own leaders, so the question of worship is considered open. Separating the North from the Wildlings is the great Wall, which is built from west to east, in the Northernmost Lordship.…
This is in short… Of course, every High Lord has many Bannerman Lords who have their own bannermen. Well, there's also a bunch of knights in the retinue, and the more important a Lord is, the more knights he has. It's such a strange world. It is somewhat similar to Earth. But in some ways it is not…
Meanwhile, Jaime was able to squeeze out an excerpt about Aegon, or rather, his ascension to the throne, and a little bit about why he was considered incredible and the most. In the end, Kreilen stopped Jaime himself and asked me to continue... oh, right. The Targaryens. Once the Draconian lords of Westeros, a house from the Valyrian Freehold, and a country from the eastern continent of Essos. Now they don't have their dragons, and they themselves are only the first among equals. Destroying them, with proper support, seems to me a rather trivial task. Of course, if everything is properly organized. There are at least three Kingdoms that are held together by a reliable Alliance, and the Iron Throne, the symbol of Kings, will change hands. Although we need a reason why such an uprising would begin. After all, High Lords, Lords, and even knights, want to grab maximum benefits for themselves and will not always want to unite. And is it necessary?
I'm thinking about my primary goal: elevating the Lannisters above others. The simplest mathematics. They feel good, I feel good. But how can this be achieved? We can capture King's Landing for our house and give birth to a new Royal Family. That's just going to start a not very pleasant era of uprisings. We don't have dragons, we are technologically on par with everyone else, and I am not a great engineer, my knowledge, alas, is meager. There's not much I can learn. Another option is to provoke a war in the Kingdom, ideally a riot in the Open or River Lands, so that later the King would allow them to cut off the buns. The problem is that this used to be practiced, but it is not practiced now. And it's dreary, such plans are incredibly difficult and can misfire due to any flaw. I think the best option is to use an economic warfare model. I am a Lannister from the house of the richest High Lordship in Westeros, and possibly in the world! Therefore, it is necessary to use money to assert the hegemony of the Family. How is this done? Banks, various businesses, goods… We need the people of all lands of Westeros to be dependent on us.… It is in this direction that it is worth working in the first place. The main thing is not to overdo it, or it won't be long before they force you to suddenly pass away. Financial organizations. I'm unlikely to create a bank, if only because there is a recognized hegemon in this field — the Iron Bank. And then there's the Old Town Bank (approx. The author is actually in the canon). There was also the Rogare Bank, but it went bankrupt. The Old Town Bank itself is limited to Old Town and a couple of cities in Westeros, while most use the services of the Iron Bank.… I know for sure how to solve problems — once I lay the first brick of the Lannister Bank building in Lannisport, there will be one less Lannister in a couple of months. Just like that, without the power, they won't let me get into a gold mine.
At this time, power decides everything, right? So I need my own army.… Okay, I've already bent that. A squad that will be exceptionally loyal to me is enough. And it would be good to organize it quickly.… But it's too early. After all, if I spend all my money on a squad now, I can easily put together a great squad, with excellent weapons and training, but then what? My money is Titos Lannister's will. I get paid a certain amount per year, about a thousand gold dragons each. But that's not enough. No, I can't organize my own squad yet. Yes, and they can throw. So I have to focus my first money on making sure that they organize a permanent income for me. And even then, from this income… I rolled my eyes dreamily, completely lost in my own thoughts, which caused me to make a small mistake after listening to the maester's first response.
— Hmm, hmm! That's enough," Kreilen said sheepishly, apparently unaccustomed to seeing "kids who are passionate about reading," but still, it's worth slowing down your "evil genius" a little, I won't notice a log in my eye for an hour. "My Lord Sirion, your turn."
I lazily looked at the book where the text was located. Hmmm… I've already read it, at least they don't ask me to retell it. I have much more important things to do than memorize excerpts about the next ordinary, but seemingly legendary, Targaryens, although Aegon the Incredible was not like that. He was the "Incredible" and legendary Targaryen. Perhaps, with him, this country would have had a chance to come to some kind of capitalist system. But, like all legendary people, he was ahead of his time. Even now, they will only call him "Incredible" openly, while hating him in their thoughts. Most of the aristocrats would have hated him, because his laws were directed against aristocratic freedom and permissiveness. And he would have achieved success if he hadn't died in the Summer Castle, during a fire. Some time later, Tywin Lannister became the Hand of the King, under King Aerys II. And, as expected, my uncle abolished all the laws of Aegon the Incredible.… And it serves you right, it's too early to pass such laws. At the very least, I would prefer to form the basis of the Lannister wealth so that when we move to some kind of capitalism, we don't lose, but others, for example, become dependent on us. It seems like the right decision to me, and that's why it's fantastic at the moment.… The only problem is that you need to do everything right. Tywin Lannister obviously won't appreciate "haggling," as I thought. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this indirectly, that is, to find an intelligent person-a financier. And I need to start looking now, it's stupid to expect that the right person will fall from the sky to me. We also need to take care of getting information, for now in Westeros, and later in Essos. I'm especially worried about the Iron Bank. This organization is pretty murky, just because I haven't seen any outright competitors from other Banks. And I want to know why and what is the reason. The Old Town Bank doesn't count, but it's not a competitor either.
"Prince Aegon Targaryen should not have become King of the Seven Kingdoms," I calmly and without hesitation read the biography of the great King.… At least, compared to his namesake, nicknamed "Unworthy," the fifth Aegon was not just a man with brains, but he knew how to use them. "Prince Aegon traveled with Ser Duncan the Tall for a long time, they say, he was an incredibly tall and strong man, although, as I heard the servants talking, the Clegane family, whose castle is near Casterly Rock, had a giant child, Grigor, they say, he is only five, and he fights with ten—year—olds on equal terms. — One of the legendary knights of the Royal Guard, disguised as Egg, Ser Duncan's squire.
Cersei snorted at my side, and our eyes locked on the pouting girl.…
"Is something wrong, My Lady Cersei?" Maester Kreilen asked.
— Why does he, the son not of a Lord, but of his younger brother— read so well? Cersei asked the Maester in a slightly contemptuous tone, and I almost dropped my jaw, although I quickly remembered that the question was asked by a five—year—old girl who was and still is an ordinary child, even if she was born to aristocrats.
"These are the laws of nature, My Lady Cersei, although the Septons believe that only the Gods give or take away at birth. My Lord Sirion was born talented in this field, it is quite possible that my Lord Jaime will be talented in another one," aha, he got it, he's trying to stop Cersei by whispering something in her ear. —My Lord Sirion will become the pillar of my Lord Jaime in the future, who will become the High Lord of Casterly Rock and the Western Lands, the Shield of Lannisport and the Guardian of the West," Kreilen continued earnestly, already looking more at me than at Cersei, "and the pillar should be able to do a lot, because if the future High Lord surrounds himself with incompetents, then he will become Even worse than Aegon the Unworthy!
"Support?" — the girl clung to the word. "Is it like a servant?" — by God, only the age of five and childish naivety saves this little fool from taking this Talmud, weighing a good brick, and smashing it over her head. And, well, the inevitability of punishment also saves the threat of loss of reputation.
—Sirion cannot be a servant,— came the categorical reply from Jaime. "He's my cousin, almost my brother!" If he's going to help me, then let him do it not as a servant, but as... as…
The word is on the tip of my tongue.…
"Like a relative loyal to his House,— Kreilen interjected.
"Here,— Jaime nodded.
That's who, and Jaime can grow up to be adequate if he doesn't communicate with Cersei, unfortunately, it's not in my power. The twins are virtually inseparable. Jaime follows Cersei everywhere, and she drags Jaime around like a dog. Unfortunately, Jaime isn't interested in my interests, and I'm just physically incapable of spending time on his games. I need to understand my surroundings better.
"That's a wonderful idea, my Lord Jaime,— Maester Kreilen nodded affirmatively, wriggled out... though… I looked into Cersei's eyes, which were shooting lightning.
— How can you treat someone who is born below you as an equal? Cersei asked. "Isn't Sirion younger than me and Jaime?" Doesn't he come from a side branch?
Hmmm… She's copying Tywin's behavior. He is always lofty and demanding of everyone. Moreover, I'm not sure that in all of Westeros you can find someone who, just like Tywin, presses with authority and his whole appearance.
"We'll leave the topic of side branches for another time," Kreilen sighed heavily. —However, my lady, the secondary branches of the Lannisters are the Lannets, the Lantels, the Lannisters of Lannisport, but not the true Lannisters. My Lord Sirion was given the surname of House Lannister from birth, just like you. He is the son of his father and the grandson of his grandfather, the former High Lord of the Western Lands. Your father," oh, heavy artillery, Cersei shuddered, according to my observations, she is afraid to disappoint her father, "she will be extremely disappointed with this attitude towards Lannister,"the campaign was penetrated, it's a pity I can't do explanatory work to consolidate it. No matter how much she cries at "my methods," which resemble Lord Tywin's methods in their radicalism.
Oh, and why didn't I start using them back then, on my only son? You see, and you would have grown up to be a normal person, and not that carrion. Cersei's ardor finally faded, and the Maester allowed me to continue.
The class ended with me reading the inventory of Aegon's "fascinating" life in a bored tone.
"Classes are over for today, my lords, my lady,— the Maester smiled, dismissing us.
Jaime was the first to jump out of the makeshift desk. — Let's go to the wall!
Cersei looked at me strangely, in general, my cousin, as I understand it, is a little jealous of me. She's older, but I'm better at everything.… What am I thinking about? An adult man compares himself to a little, five-year-old girl! It would be better to pretend to be stupid.… And she will never give up this stupid idea that she is better than me. At least, I can already see that thought gnawing at her from the inside, hurting her mind. No, we need to come up with something urgently. Strife within the family may not lead to the best consequences. You should take a look at the Targaryens. How many of them intentionally bled their own. For the hell of it. Why share if the family already has? But no, the throne is tight, there is not enough power, and even for the sake of a sisterly "hand and heart" they cut. Sick bastards.
—I don't mind," Jaime and I headed out of the room, and Cersei immediately caught up with us.
— I'm with you too.…
Wall… My favorite place in Casterly Rock, apart from my own room in the tower. By the way, each of us had our own rooms. They are quite huge, heated, and luxurious. The Lannisters, having just been born, live better than many Kings. There was a huge bed with delicate sheets in my room. A luxurious Mirian carpet lay on the floor… An artfully carved table stood by the window like a work of art, and inside the drawers of it I kept notes in my native Russian, where I wrote down thoughts about what I could do specifically and marked the points that I could do right now. It's easier to get busy when you have a detailed plan.
As soon as the Lannisters left the "game room", the Scarlet Cloaks, like shadows reflected by the Sun, followed us. They accompanied the Lannister children, that is, us, everywhere, keeping an eye out for the slightest threats. It didn't cause me any discomfort, I had a lot more security at the time. Right now, each of us has two Scarlet Cloaks.
The Scarlet Cloaks are the Lannister Guard, in fact, the standing army that Tywin Lannister created. His army is divided into three parts. The first is the infantry of the Scarlet Cloaks, the vast majority of them, but they are not just peasants armed with spears. They are trained and disciplined warriors. They are also well equipped. They wear chain mail and armor made of boiled leather, and are armed with spears and swords. The Scarlet Cloaks also have archer squads that focus on shooting. And the third, most elite unit, the Knights of the Western Lands, are essentially shock cavalry. Even I, who am not particularly knowledgeable in history, have heard about how such a cavalry decided in its golden time. And now she decides, because Lord Tywin does not spare money for the army of his lands. And rightly so, those who do not want to feed their army will soon start feeding someone else's.
By the way, not only ordinary residents were accepted into the Scarlet Cloaks, but even impoverished knights were accepted into the infantry units, more precisely, they were accepted for the sole purpose that the knights should protect the Lannister children. At least, I had two knights on guard, without their squires. Ser Earl Locke and Ser Raymond Hill. Both are young and have not managed to gain any fame. They got into the Lannister Knight's cavalry, but then they were confronted with the fact that they would protect and whom they would protect, just like the guards of Cersei and Jaime were confronted with the same fact. And now six Knights, albeit in the form of Scarlet Cloaks, followed us, climbing the steps of Casterly Rock, climbing the Western Wall.
—Ahhh! — together we breathed in the fresh street air.
The Sunset Sea lapped below. White seagulls circled the sky. A little to the south, multiple dots of ships could be seen heading straight towards Lannisport. Some of the ships, by the way, went to the harbor of Casterly Rock, located directly under the Cliff itself. The Cliff Harbor could accommodate a much smaller number of ships, and by itself, it was closed most of the time.
To enjoy the beautiful view like this... if this place ever enters the process of industrialization in my presence, I promise myself not to let this particular place smoke out. We went to the battlements of the walls and looked down slightly. The guards were standing nearby with some kind of special tension, ready to rush in and save us at any moment.…
— Are you enjoying yourself, nieces? — a loud, deep voice was heard from behind.
The only person who doesn't recognize Geryon Lannister is someone who hasn't heard him before. Because just once you hear his loud voice, anyone will remember him. Fifteen-year-old Geryon was a tall, muscular youth. Always cheerful and smiling, he always joked and made Jaime and Cersei laugh. Even I used to smile at his jokes. He doted on his brothers' children, me, Jaime, and Cersei. And we reciprocated his feelings.… As I remember now, I was called the "gloomy lion cub" until I was three years old when I talked, or rather, thirteen-year-old Geryon talked to me. He came with Kivan and played with me, joking and laughing. As a result, I was struck by a weak laugh... he is an entertaining man, charismatic, people are attracted to such people. Dressed in the scarlet doublet of the Lannisters, he appears to have just returned from his brother Tigett Lannister's Swordsmanship training.
—Uncle Geryon! Cersei and Jaime exclaimed in unison.
— I hope the lessons of the Master were successful for you? Geryon asked.
Jaime pouted, and Cersei squinted at him. That's right, Jaime was the laggard among us in reading class today... I was able to determine that he had a form of dysgraphia quickly. Jaime didn't ask his sister, but he asked me why he couldn't see letters the way we did, and when I asked him to draw them (spelling lessons had already started), he wrote his name in inverted letters, and it took him ten minutes.
—Uncle Geryon,— he said to Geryon. "I want to talk to you about something."…
Jaime, Cersei, me... come to think of it, of all the adult Lannisters, we trusted Geryon the most. He was the one who was closest to us. By age, by spirit... the children of the servants could tell everything to their parents, while the rest were "too old." Only Geryon played with us like children and himself like a child. This made him our beloved uncle... although I was much more serious, as many people noticed, but I decided to trust Geryon as the closest to us. Well, in order not to get burned, children seem to be attracted to people like Geryon. When I become an adult, I will stop hiding my character.
— I do not know why, but the letters… I can't read them," Jaime sobbed.
The heir is the heir, but he's just a five-year-old kid. The guards won't say anything, Tywin won't let anyone know that his son is crying. So with the Scarlet Cloaks, we were relatively free.
Geryon's eyes shone with understanding and kindness… And he himself... no, why is there a strange, green color coming from him. The world was transformed into colors. More precisely, it became darker, darker, and around me I saw transformed people. There were different colors coming from them. Jaime and Geryon are green. Cersei is blue, my guards are green, and Jaime and Cersei's guards are blue.… What's wrong with me?
My head was spinning…
—...he's..." I heard Geryon's green voice. —Is... that... okay?" Siri... him! — some of the words were distorted, and I couldn't hear them.
What's happening to me…
—...come here!" Geryon's green—colored voice yelled. "He's having a seizure!"
The world was plunged into darkness…