The halls of Casterly Rock are vast, but not vast enough to hide from Tywin. You knew this the moment you left his chambers, your heart pounding like a war drum as you fled through the corridors, your cloak barely fastened, your breath sharp and ragged. You had planned for this—wait until he was occupied, slip away unnoticed, vanish into the night. And yet, deep down, you knew escape was nothing more than a desperate fantasy.

The moment the guards seized you at the gates, you knew it was over.

Now, you stand in his solar, the heavy doors locked behind you, your wrists still warm from the grip of his men. The room is dimly lit, the fire crackling in the hearth, casting golden light against the polished lion’s head sigil on the walls. Tywin stands before you.

“You disappoint me,” he says at last, his voice cold, devoid of fury—but you know better. A lion does not need to roar before it strikes.

You lift your chin. “I had to try.”

Tywin takes a slow step forward, his presence alone enough to suffocate you. He is a man who commands armies, who bends kings to his will, and you? You are just a foolish creature who thought you could defy him.

“You had to try?” His voice is deceptively soft as he reaches for you. A gloved hand cups your jaw, fingers pressing just enough to make you gasp. “And if you had succeeded? Where would you have gone? Who would have protected you from the consequences?”

“I would have been free.”

Tywin laughs—a low, humorless sound. His thumb traces over your lower lip, lingering there. “There is no freedom from me.”

You flinch, but he does not release you. Instead, he steps closer, until the heat of him seeps into your skin. “Did you truly believe I would allow you to slip through my fingers? You belong to me.”

“You have no right—”

He silences you with a firm grip on your chin, tilting your face up to meet his gaze. “No right?” he repeats, his voice quieter now, more dangerous. “I have given you everything—a place at my side, protection, power. And this is how you repay me?”