The flight of the Imp
is a A Song of Ice and Fire fanfic where Tyrion Lannister is killed while in the Vale and the resulting chaos that ensues.
Tropes that appear in this fanfic:
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Robb, thanks to losing his fighting skill bit by bit as he loses an eye, the use of his sword arm, and then Grey Wind.
- And This Is for...: Jaime says "For Tyrion" after executing Edmure.
- Ascended Extra: Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, Smalljon Umber, Steelshanks Walton, Yohn Royce, Varys, Littlefinger, Stannis Baratheon, The Hound, Loras Tyrell, and Olenna Tyrell are POV characters.
- Bait-and-Switch: It initially looks as if Jamie was killed after Grey Wind mauled him and ripped his arm off with the narration even saying that his last thoughts were of Cersei. A later chapter however reveals that he still lives and, much like in canon, has been captured by the Starks.
- Battle in the Rain: Victarion Greyjoy recalls that it was raining in the Battle off Fair Isle.
- Civil War: The Vale has a short one when the Lords Declarant led by Yohn Royce rebel to join the War of the Five Kings as a preemptive measure against Tywin Lannister.
- Dead Guy on Display: Ned Stark's head isn't just displayed on a spike, his body is split into seven pieces and each put at an entrance to King's Landing.
- Death by Adaptation:
- Tyrion is merely the first of several characters to bite the dust much earlier than in canon.
- Edmure Tully is captured and killed by Jaime Lannister.
- Hoster Tully dies by unknown means, since the Blackfish has to light his funeral boat along with Edmure's.
- Jaime Lannister kills Greatjon Umber.
- Grey Wind is killed by arrows shortly before the Battle of Oxcross.
- Rickard Karstark is killed at the Battle of Oxcross.
- Brienne of Tarth is stabbed by Loras Tyrell immediately after Renly's death.
- Nestor Royce was killed in the Vale's Civil War.
- Gregor Clegane is killed by the Knights of the Vale.
- Decomposite Character: Since Tyrion is killed in the Vale, his character is split as follows.
- Kevan is sent to King's Landing as acting Hand of the King.
- Lancel is betrothed to Sansa after her betrothal to Joffrey is annulled.
- Lord Lefford goes to Dorne to negotiate with Doran Martell.
- Lord Plumm meets with Olenna Tyrell to discuss a match between Margaery and Joffrey.
- Disabled in the Adaptation:
- Robb loses his left eye and the use of his right arm in the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
- Roose Bolton gets his leg broken in the Battle of the Green Fork.
- Disney Villain Death: Tyrion is killed when he misjudges a bush to find cover, realizes that it was hiding a precipice and falls to his death.
- Eye Scream: Robb loses his left eye in a duel with Jaime Lannister.
- For Want Of A Nail: The nail in this case is Catelyn Stark refusing to give Tyrion a weapon, forcing him to find cover. The tree he tries to hide behind turns out to be hiding a precipice, and Tyrion falls to his death. From there, things go From Bad to Worse.
- From Bad to Worse: This story is this comparative to canon, as named characters drop left and right much earlier than in canon, Civil War breaks out in the Vale, and Lord Plumm's negotiations with Dorne fail.
- Hope Spot: When Tyrion falls off the precipice, he hits a branch and his momentum is stopped for a couple seconds. Then the branch snaps and he falls the rest of the way off the mountain.
- In-Series Nickname: Instead of "the Young Wolf", Robb receives the nickname of "the One-Eyed Wolf".
- I Have No Son!: Balon Greyjoy denounces Theon as his son.
- In Spite of a Nail:
- Jaime loses his arm.
- Renly crowns himself king and is killed by a shadow.
- Bran and the Reeds sneak out of Winterfell and head north even though Theon doesn't seize Winterfell.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Jamie gets his even faster then in canon. Not a few moments after he permanently disables Robb's sword arm and destroys his eye he is tackled away by Grey Wind before he can finish the deed and has his arm ripped off by the angry Direwolf.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Catelyn recalls that her father would have had the same strategy that Lysa uses: just hunker down in a castle and wait for a problem to blow over.
- Off with His Head!: Edmure Tully is executed by Jaime as retribution for Tyrion’s death.
- Outliving One's Offspring:
- Tywin Lannister outlives his son Tyrion. It initially seems as if he also outlived Jamie as well but a later chapter revealed that he was still alive.
- Lord Selwyn Tarth loses his daughter Brienne.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Littlefinger flees the capital to the Vale.
- Secret-Keeper: The Blackfish is the only one who knows of Robb's connection to Grey Wind and how Grey Wind's death takes a physical toll on Robb.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Torrhen and Eddard Karstark survive the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
- Since Tyrion Lannister is killed before Catelyn's party reaches the Eyrie, Ser Vardis Egen survives into the early stages of the War of the Five Kings.
- Stevron Frey survives the Battle of Oxcross.
- Teaser-Only Character: Tyrion himself, as the prologue opens as he falls to his death off a mountain in the Vale.
- You Are in Command Now: Smalljon Umber and Eddard Karstark become heads of their respective houses when their fathers are killed in battle.
