"But now Jaime is gone, and that Targaryen remnant keeps closing in." The look Tyrion knew so well rekindled in Cersei's emerald eyes. "Tell me, Tyrion, can we really survive this crisis?"
Tyrion looked at Cersei, a tangle of emotions rising within him. He hated his sister, hated her cruelty, hated her stupidity, and hated all the humiliation she had inflicted on him over the years.
Yet now, seeing her vulnerability with all her masks stripped away, he could not quite harden his heart and abandon her.
Tyrion even suddenly felt that she had only ever been a pitiful woman, abandoned by her father and by fate. Now, at least, they ought to be in the same boat, both struggling to survive.
"Sister," Tyrion began, his voice low but utterly firm. "A Lannister always pays his debts, and a Lannister does not fall easily, either. As long as we work together now, we can hold King's Landing. Once Father's army returns to our aid, everything will get better."
He deliberately stressed "work together," hoping to awaken some trace of reason in Cersei.
Cersei gave a cold laugh, seemingly scornful of his words, but Tyrion could see in her eyes that she had regained some of her composure.
She steadied herself and said to Tyrion, "Together? When have we ever been united, Tyrion? You hate me, and I hate you."
"Of course I know that," Tyrion admitted readily. "But now we have a common enemy and a common goal. For Joffrey, for Tommen and Myrcella, and for House Lannister, we must put our grievances aside."
He paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening as he stared at Cersei. "And you had better pray I succeed, because if King's Landing falls, you, I, and your precious son will all die without so much as