At present, the two most reviled houses in Westeros were the so-called royal House Baratheon and House Lannister.
There was no need to explain Robert. His excessive taxation and exploitation had left the people destitute.
The population of the Crownlands had even fallen by a tenth.
Aerys, of course, had plenty of faults himself—cruelty, arbitrary executions, arrogance, and delusions of grandeur.
But he had one redeeming quality: he did not torment the common people.
The maesters under Viserys's rule had even polished his reputation. His imprisonment at Duskendale had been rebranded as:
"The king wished to avoid bloodshed and personally risked himself, only for the local lords to betray all honor and imprison their sovereign."
Surprisingly, that version of events had gained considerable traction.
For a king, not tormenting the smallfolk was an enormous virtue.
It was the political equivalent of one redeeming trait overshadowing a hundred flaws.
As a result, the people throughout the Crownlands increasingly looked back on Targaryen rule with nostalgia.
In contrast, Robert's years of harsh taxation and mismanagement had made life miserable.
Despite the fact that crops could be harvested twice or even three times a year during the long summers, the Crownlands' population had still declined.
Compared to Robert, Aerys was beginning to look like a saint.
The title of "Mad King" was gradually fading from common use.
Now, whenever people spoke of him, they often referred to him as "the Benevolent Late King."
As for House Baratheon, their two rebellions had left them deeply unpopular and, in a strange way, further highlighted the Targaryens' supposed mercy.
And Viserys certainly had not spared House Lannister, the Baratheons' chief accomplices.
According to the scholars of Gohor, the legendary founder of House Lannister, Lann the Clever, had become a scheming villain who stole another man's inheritance through deception.
Tywin's reputation had been ruined by The Rains of Castamere, his conspiracy with Grand Maester Pycelle against the royal family, and his sack of King's Landing.
Then there was his son, the Kingslayer.
In short, under the cultural dominance of the Targaryens, both families had become utterly infamous.
The reason Aemon had been able to identify Tyrion at a glance on the street was not only because Tyrion had terrible luck.
It was also because Aemon had read countless stories and illustrated pamphlets mocking the Lannisters.
As a result, he had become highly suspicious of all dwarfs.
Still, he hadn't considered Tyrion particularly important. In Aemon's eyes, a dwarf could hardly cause much trouble.
Most people shared the same opinion.
Perhaps Tyrion's greatest value was simply serving as a target for vengeance before being executed.
Viserys, however, did not underestimate him.
He knew exactly how much influence could emerge from that small body.
"A Lannister always pays his debts."
"We'll start with him."
Tyrion himself couldn't understand how his luck had become so terrible. Nor could he figure out how he had been exposed by a Targaryen bastard.
Although Viserys had allowed Aemon to bear the Targaryen surname, most people still viewed him as a bastard.
Well, a dwarf being caught by a bastard.
In a way, it seemed fitting.
With that thought, Tyrion lay calmly upon the straw in his cell.
Compared to him, the other golden-haired Lannisters imprisoned alongside him were far less composed.
They were all still young.
They all wanted to live.
Given House Lannister's betrayal of the Targaryens, they themselves did not believe Viserys would ever spare them.
"Stop looking so miserable."
"Lancel, do you still have anything valuable left? Maybe we can trade it for some wine."
"What valuable things could I possibly have left?"
Lancel replied bitterly.
The moment they had been arrested, every ring, jewel, and trinket on their persons had been stripped away as easily as grapes plucked from a vine.
The instant Tyrion was captured, he knew he had reached a dead end.
Viserys would never let him go.
His only hope was that, if fortune smiled upon him, he might at least meet the young king before dying.
Any pleasure enjoyed before execution was still pleasure.
With that almost reckless mindset, Tyrion found himself surprisingly relaxed.
Then he noticed unusual activity among the prison guards. The entire dungeon seemed to be stirring.
Someone important was coming.
"It's over," Lancel said despairingly. "Viserys is here to kill us."
But Tyrion had a different thought.
Perhaps Viserys intended to see him personally. Then again, why would a king bother visiting a prison?
As it turned out, he was right.
The guards opened the cell door and immediately grabbed Tyrion by the hair, dragging him out.
"Ow! Easy! Easy!"
Tyrion winced.
"I understand you're trying to impress your king, but don't you think this is rather uncivilized?
Would the mighty Dragon Kings truly stoop to such crude methods to humiliate their enemies?
Do you really think this will earn His Majesty's approval?"
His silver tongue worked its usual magic.
The guard released his hair and instead seized him by the back of the collar.
"Well," Tyrion sighed, "at least that doesn't hurt."
Soon he was dragged out of the dark prison.
The sunlight was so bright that he could barely keep his eyes open. The guards gave him no time to adjust.
Moments later, he found himself standing before Viserys.
Viserys examined the dwarf before him.
Tyrion's head seemed almost too large for his body.
Behind the king stood Aemon, chest out and shoulders squared, looking down upon him.
Tyrion, meanwhile, studied Viserys carefully.
He had to admit that the Targaryens had never lacked beauty. Viserys was tall and handsome.
A confident kingly aura radiated from him.
Tyrion had met Rhaegar before. Rhaegar had never possessed this sort of presence.
Under the sunlight, Viserys's silver hair seemed to glow. Even the gold embroidery on his black robes appeared to shimmer.
Standing before him, Tyrion couldn't help feeling somewhat inferior.
Then again, he had never dreamed of possessing Viserys's appearance. Having the body of an ordinary man would have been enough.
After gathering his thoughts, Tyrion forced a smile and spoke. "Your Majesty, mighty Dragon King, I bring greetings from King Robert."
Viserys ignored the greeting.
Instead, he detected something else beneath Tyrion's words.
A desire to survive.
"Tyrion... Do you wish to continue living?"
"Of course." Tyrion's eyes lit up. "There is still wine and women's breasts waiting for me in this world."
Aemon glanced at Viserys.
He naturally did not believe his uncle intended to release Tyrion so easily.
Viserys continued calmly.
"I will provide you with a stage in one of Gohor's theaters.
Upon that stage, you will tell everyone how Cersei continued her affair with the Kingslayer even after marrying Robert.
You are quite eloquent.
If you are willing to tell that story every day for a month, I will spare your life.
What do you think?"
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