Chapter Text
Lannisport, Spring of 1956
Let no one say Tywin Lannister doesn’t do his research.
She came from an upstanding family – old name, old money. A line known for producing good stock. Strong boys with generally level heads. Pretty girls, with just the right amount of moxie for a changing world.
But the family had fallen on hard times. Rather, the entire nation of Westeros had fallen on hard times. They called it the Great Depression. The lower and middle classes had it the worst, of course. Tywin was a savvy businessman, who’d invested in precious metals, real estate, and other stable stores of value when he saw the writing on the wall, so he actually came out of the Depression wealthier than he went in.
Ned Stark, for as well-respected in society as he was, was not the savviest businessman. Rumor has it he burned through most of his assets while trying to keep afloat the various companies he owned so he wouldn’t need to make cuts. He kept food on the tables of his loyal employees while his own family’s fortune withered to almost nothing. A dowry from Mr. Manderly for his daughter, wed to Ned’s eldest son, helped with a modest influx of cash. Unfortunately for Ned, his next oldest children were girls. One beautiful enough that many bridegrooms would waive the dowry, the other a free spirit who had left home at eighteen to explore the largely uncharted continent of Sothoryos.
The elder girl had been married at twenty, just as the Depression was finally fading to a more tolerable recession. Her husband was twice her age and, like Tywin, had profited when others faltered. Gambling rooms, brothels, opium and cocaine trade – the man knew the vices of the desperate and had made savvy even if not ethical investments when he saw the writing on the wall.
Four months later the marriage was quietly annulled. Society snobs, being what they were, viewed it as a stain on the girl’s character. Men were expected to be flawed, but women were expected to hide their imperfections behind layers of makeup and courtesy. They were also expected to bear any hardship with quiet dignity, which the girl clearly hadn't.
But one man's loss is another man's gain. Upon learning of the girl, Tywin found himself unable to take his sights off her. She was perfect for a unique opportunity, not just because she was a princess going for pauper prices, but because she had a certain, distinguished talent.