Viserys watched Tyrion sitting in a daze, then walked to the tent flap, lifted a corner, and said a few words to the guards outside. Then he returned and sat down again.
"But before I kill you, there's something I think you should know." Viserys looked at Tyrion with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Do you know why your father, Tywin, hates you so much?"
Tyrion froze for a moment, not understanding why Viserys had suddenly asked this.
"Because my father, Aerys II-the man you call the Mad King-slept with your mother, Joanna Lannister." Viserys spoke each word deliberately. "And you are of Targaryen blood, Tyrion. The same blood that flows through me flows through you."
Those words struck Tyrion like a bolt of lightning. His entire body went rigid, his mismatched eyes widened, and his mouth hung open, yet no sound came out.
"No... that's impossible..." In the end, he could only mutter those words.
"You should know perfectly well whether it's possible."
Viserys gave a cold laugh. "Back then, your father-and by that, I mean Aerys, not Tywin-had a very strong interest in your mother, Joanna. While Tywin was still serving as Hand of the King in King's Landing, he found the right opportunity to travel to the Westerlands. He stayed at Casterly Rock, and then he got what he wanted. You were the result."
"Why do you think Tywin hates you so much? Why does he consider you a disgrace to House Lannister? Just because you're a dwarf?"
Viserys continued, "No. It's because he knows you aren't his son. You're my father's bastard, carrying the Targaryen blood he despises most. Letting you live was already an act of mercy."
Tyrion's mind went blank. He remembered the icy look in his father's eyes whenever he looked