Mad King Aerys - House Lannister

"Mad King Aerys - House Lannister" is the thirteenth short of the first season of Histories & Lore. It is the thirteenth short of the series overall. It was released on March 6, 2012 in Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season. It was narrated by Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister and written by Bryan Cogman.
==Premise==
==Narration==
Tywin Lannister: As Aerys Targaryen's behavior grew more and more erratic, the task of ruling the Seven Kingdoms fell to me, Tywin Lannister.
I had served Aerys for nearly twenty years and as a result, the realm had prospered. The royal coffers were full, the land was at peace.
But Aerys grew increasingly hostile, jealous of the success many credited to me. My power and influence unnerved him.
The captain of my personal guard, Ser Ilyn Payne, was once overheard making offhand comments regarding who was the true ruler of Westeros. When the king was given this information, he had llyn Payne's tongue ripped out with hot pincers.
It was my desire to unite the Houses of Lannister and Targaryen through marriage. My daughter, Cersei, would marry Aerys's eldest son, Prince Rhaegar. Such a union made perfect sense for all parties. However, Aerys's senses had begun to leave him quite sometime earlier.
Instead of uniting the royal family with its most loyal and powerful ally, Aerys chose instead to insult my family, indicating that such a match was beneath Rhaegar. Instead, he chose Elia Martell of Dorne to be Rhaegar's wife.
As if to rub salt in my wounds, Aerys appointed Jaime, my son, to the Kingsguard.
The Kingsguard may be an honor for lesser families than ours, but it is a lifetime appointment that forces him to renounce all family holdings. This creates a difficulty in naming an heir to Casterly Rock. But Aerys knew all that.
I had grown tired of the king's constant provocation. Thus I resigned my post as Aerys's Hand and returned to Casterly Rock with my considerable forces.
When Robert Baratheon rebelled against the throne, Aerys grew fearful that I would join with Robert's forces and rise against him. He thought himself clever and kept Jaime very close as if warning me.
He sunk deeper and deeper into delusion, paranoia, and violence.
I've heard it said he became obsessed with wildfire, a substance which, once lit, cannot be extinguished. Convinced he had enemies all around him, he wouldn't allow blades in his presence, save for those of his Kingsguard.
Alas, that proved to be his undoing.
==Appearances==
===Individuals===
*King Aerys II Targaryen
*Lord Tywin Lannister
*Ser Ilyn Payne
*Cersei Lannister
*Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
*Princess Elia Martell
*Ser Jaime Lannister
===Institutions===
*Kingsguard
===Houses===
*House Targaryen
*House Lannister
*House Martell
===Locations===
*King's Landing
**Red Keep
***Throne room
*Dorne (mentioned)
*Casterly Rock (mentioned)
===Miscellaneous===
*Wildfire (mentioned)
==Cast==
*Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
==Behind the scenes==
*This is the third of three shorts on Mad King Aerys.
*Tywin mentions the main insults he received from Aerys, except one - the Mad King's indecent behavior toward Tywin's wife, which is briefly mentioned by Barristan Selmy in the fifth novel, and expanded in The World of Ice & Fire (there were unverified rumors that Joanna was Aerys's mistress). This detail has never been mentioned in the TV show either.
==References==
Category:Shorts narrated by Tywin Lannister
 13
Lannister, House
3.06M
Category:Shorts written by Bryan Cogman
de:Der Irre König Aerys (Gesamtführer durch Westeros)
fr:Aerys le Roi Fou (Histoires & Traditions)
pt-br:Rei Louco Aerys (Guia Completo para Westeros)