Title: Oath Keeper

Author: Darth Wannabe

Disclaimer: All of the following characters belong to George R.R. Martin. I am receiving no profit from any of this. This is just for people's enjoyment.

Summary: Tywin Lannister chooses to marry Sansa to his son, Jaime.

Note: The first few chapters have parts of the books interwoven into them. Beyond this, Jaime and Sansa's stories will stray farther from the books, although the overall story arc beyond them will remain relatively the same.

Rating: M

Chapter 1: Tyrion

(The beginning of this chapter is from A Storm of Swords)

"Lord Petyr continues to demonstrate his loyalty," Ser Kevan said at his brother's nod. "Only yesterday he brought word of a Tyrell plot to spirit Sansa Stark off to Highgarden for a 'visit,' and there marry her to Lord Mace's eldest son, Willas."

"Littlefinger brought you word?" Tyrion leaned against the table. "Not our master of whisperers? How interesting."

Cersei looked at their uncle in disbelief. "Sansa is my hostage. She goes nowhere without my leave."

"Leave you must perforce grant, should Lord Tyrell ask," their father pointed out. "To refuse him would be tantamount to declaring that we did not trust him. He would take offense."

"Let him. What do we care?"

Bloody fool, thought Tyrion. "Sweet sister," he explained patiently, "offend Tyrell and you offend Redwyne, Tarly, Rowan, and Hightower as well, and perhaps start them wondering whether Robb Stark might not be more accommodating of their desires."

"I will not have the rose and the direwolf in bed together," declared Lord Tywin. "We must forestall him."

"How?" asked Cersei.

"By marriage. Yours, to begin with."

It came so suddenly that Cersei could only stare for a moment. Then her cheeks reddened as if she had been slapped. "No. Not again. I will not."

"Your Grace," said Ser Kevan, courteously, "you are a young woman, still fair and fertile. Surely you cannot wish to spend the rest of your days alone? And a new marriage would put to rest this talk of incest for good and all."

"So long as you remain unwed, you allow Stannis to spread his disgusting slander," Lord Tywin told his daughter. "You must have a new husband in your bed, to father children on you."

"Three children is quite sufficient. I am Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, not a brood mare! The Queen Regent!"

"You are my daughter and will do as I command."

She stood. "I will not sit here and listen to this-"

"You will if you wish to have any voice in the choice of your next husband," Lord Tywin said calmly.

When she hesitated, then sat, Tyrion knew she was lost, despite her loud declaration of, "I will not marry again!"

"You will marry and you will breed. Every child you birth makes Stannis more a liar." Their father's eyes seemed to pin her to her chair. "Mace Tyrell, Paxter Redwyne, and Doran Martell are wed to younger women likely to outlive them. Balon Greyjoy's wife is elderly and failing, but such a match would commit us to an alliance with the Iron Islands, and I am still uncertain whether that would be our wisest course."

"No," Cersei said from between white lips. "No, no, no."

Tyrion could not quite suppress the grin that came to his lips at the thought of packing his sister off to Pyke. Just when I was about to give up praying, some sweet god gives me this.

Lord Tywin went on. "Oberyn Martell might suit, but the Tyrells would take that very ill. So we must look to the sons. I assume you do not object to wedding a man younger than yourself?"

"I object to wedding any-"

"I have considered the Redwyne twins, Theon Greyjoy, Quentyn Martell, and a number of others. But our alliance with Highgarden was the sword that broke Stannis. It should be tempered and made stronger. Ser Loras has taken the white and Ser Garlan is wed to one of the Fossoways, but there remains the eldest son, the boy they scheme to wed to Sansa Stark."

Willas Tyrell. Tyrion was taking a wicked pleasure in Cersei's helpless fury. "That would be the cripple," he said.

Their father chilled him with a look. "Willas is heir to Highgarden, and by all reports a mild and courtly young man, fond of reading books and looking at the stars. He has a passion for breeding animals as well, and owns the finest hounds, hawks, and horses in the Seven Kingdoms."

A perfect match, mused Tyrion. Cersei also has a passion for breeding. He pitied poor Willas Tyrell, and did not know whether he wanted to laugh at his sister or weep for her.

"The Tyrell heir would be my choice," Lord Tywin concluded, "but if you would prefer another, I will hear your reasons."

"That is so very kind of you, Father," Cersei said with icy courtesy. "It is such a difficult choice you give me. Who would I sooner take to bed, the old squid or the crippled dog boy? I shall need a few days to consider. Do I have your leave to go?"

You are the queen, Tyrion wanted to tell her. He ought to be begging leave of you.

"Go," their father said. "We shall talk again after you have composed yourself. Remember your duty."

Cersei swept swiftly from the room, her rage plain to see. Yet in the end she will do as Father bid. She had proved that with Robert. Though there is Jaime to consider. Their brother had been much younger when Cersei wed the first time; he might not acquiesce to a second marriage quite so easily. The unfortunate Willas Tyrell was like to contract a sudden fatal case of sword-through-bowels, which could rather sour the alliance between Highgarden and Casterly Rock. I should say something, but what? Pardon me, Father, but it's our brother she wants to marry?

"Even if Lord Tyrell agrees to a match between Cersei and his son, there is still the matter of Sansa Stark," he said instead. "Marry her to another and Highgarden shall consider it an affront."

"Lord Tyrell will not broach the matter of the Stark girl until after Joffrey's wedding. If Sansa is wed before that, how can he take offense, when he gave us no hint of his intentions?"

Tyrion rubbed at the raw stub of his nose. The scar tissue itched abominably sometimes. "And who shall the girl marry? A Lannister, I presume." And not me, he thought. The northern lords would never accept him.

"It is time that your brother wed," his father said, "and fulfilled his duty to House Lannister."

Tyrion's mouth twisted into a grimace. "Perhaps you've forgotten, Father, but Jaime is a member of the Kingsguard. They are sworn to never marry or so I've heard."

"Precedent was set once your sister dismissed Selmy. A suitable gift to the Faith should persuade the High Septon to release Jaime from his vows."

"And convince him to wed Sansa Stark to an absent groom?"

"There is precedent for that as well," his father stated. "I had hoped for your brother's return, but it is too dangerous to wait as this business with the Tyrells should attest."

Sansa and Jaime, Tyrion mused. Soft-spoken sweet-smelling Sansa, who loved silks, songs, chivalry, and tall gallant knights with handsome faces. She could love his brother in time. The Tully words are Family, Duty, Honor, and Sansa is more Tully than Stark, he thought. Jaime, on the other hand, will be furious when he returns. "A marriage that is not consummated can be set aside," he reminded his father and uncle, "and Jaime has shown little interest in either castles or young girls."

Candlelight gleamed from the gold flecks in Lord Tywin's eyes. "Then you must convince him of the necessity."

At Tyrion's disbelieving look, Ser Kevan added, "Jaime loves you. When he heard that you had been taken by Catelyn Stark, he attacked Eddard Stark and slew three of his men. He will listen to you."

Jaime would listen to his words, laugh, and then tell him that wars were better won with swords. His brother cared little for the realm and even less for Casterly Rock. Almost everything he did was for Cersei. If I told him that Cersei was a faithless whore…Such a comment would only enrage his brother further and accomplish nothing, he decided. Jaime would despise knowing that their sister had shared another man's bed.

Tyrion perched straighter in his chair at the thought. "Jaime has likely not heard about these rumors of incest. He will seek to disprove these lies, and how better than to give Sansa Stark trueborn sons?" His father nodded for him to continue. "With Jaime wed, these traitorous claims against Joffrey will seem foolish, and my sweet sister, who still mourns for Robert, will need not marry again so soon."

"I agree," Ser Kevan stated before Lord Tywin could respond. "None would expect Her Grace to marry so soon after her husband's death. And while such a marriage will strengthen our bonds to Highgarden, it might weaken the rest."

Tyrion suspected that this concern had been discussed before. His father seemed to have no objection to either his or his uncle's words. Perhaps my uncle is not the simpleton that he has always appeared to be.

"Very well, I shall consider this," his father finally said. "What else must be discussed, Kevan?"

"We must name a new Kingsguard and Lord Commander."

"Not Ser Meryn," Tyrion said at once.

"Ser Meryn is more experienced than his brothers," his uncle responded.

"More cruel, you mean." A bitter edge laced his tone.

"And who would you name?" his father asked curiously. "Your sister claims that Ser Boros is a craven. And the other four are young and newly sworn."

"I admit that Cersei's knowledge of the Kingsguard far surpasses my own. Perhaps you should follow her counsel then." Although she will likely base her judgment on which one has most recently shared her bed. "Do I have your leave to go, Father?" The meeting had wearied him, and he had more important matters to think on.

"We will speak of this again."

Tyrion's mind had already turned elsewhere. As he walked to his chambers, his thoughts shifted between his two siblings. His brother would never agree to marry unless Cersei entreated him to do so. He would need to speak to his sister and soon.