conclave.
Lady Margaery Tyrell had been conceived in wartime and birthed at the apex of its bloodshed and chaos. (Hers was not a conception made from necessary alliance, as it was for many of her contemporaries, but instead the fourth in a well-loved marriage.) Her father sometimes liked to say that she came into the world the very hour King Robert delivered his fatal blow to Prince Rhaegar, and that she very well may have screamed louder than the Dragon Prince.
Despite such bloody beginnings, the peaceful life she’d led -- reared in the midst of a fruitful and long summer -- had led her to believe that her life would be unblemished with the chaos seen by her ancestors. In hindsight, it had been a foolish thought to have ever had in the first place; and her eldest brother would have chastised her for thinking it at all. When she closed her eyes, she could see Willas in his solar at Highgarden, and his bemused smile as he shook his head at her. Silly optimism, he would have said, you should reread your histories, Margaery. If she thought longer, she could see her Grandmother’s regal stance as she held court in the castle gardens, her expression unmistakably displeased. She could hear her barbs; harshly delivered but undeniably true. You’re much too bright to act like such a fool.
When her eyes opened once more, it was apparent that she was not in the comfort of Highgarden -- but instead approaching the small holdfast of Riverrun.
-- -- -- -- --
After the melee at Bitterbridge, Renly and his host -- save the infantry, which remained behind at the southron keep -- departed along with the envoy Lady Stark to Storm’s End, where Stannis Baratheon had begun his siege. The events which transpired after this had been explained sparingly to Margaery, and it seemed to her that it was done in such a way simply because no one knew the truth of what had occurred. Some said Brienne of Tarth had killed the King, while others claimed it had been Ser Cuy and Ser Royce; whom Loras had slain in his grief. Still, others insisted it was not done by man but instead by dark magic -- the work of the Red Woman said to serve as advisor to Stannis Baratheon.
After having seen the way the Tarth maid mooned after Renly, Margaery counted her out of the running. Ser Cuy and Ser Royce had lacked the motivation, too. It left one alternative, though the Highgarden Lady was reluctant to embrace it: she did not much believe in magic, and did not like the unfair odds it posed.
Regardless of how it had been done, the truth remained the same: Renly Baratheon was dead, the bulk of the Storm Lords had gone turncoat to support Stannis’ claim, and the Reachmen were without a King to back. Margaery’s time as Queen had been suddenly undone, and she was suddenly left a widow -- yet mercifully a maiden. While she waited for Loras and Garlan to return south with Reachmen forces and the remaining Storm Lords, the seclusion allotted by grieving allowed her time to think. Few options remained for the Tyrells, who could not choose to withdraw all forces and simply sit out -- the blockades along the Rose Road were effectively starving King’s Landing, and their support of a Baratheon claimant had all but asserted their belief to the realm that Cersei Lannister’s children were illegitimate. Furthermore, Joffrey Baratheon had declared Loras a traitor to the crown -- and by extension, House Tyrell. They would be forced to return to Highgarden to plot their next move, but the options had dwindled considerably. They could flock to Stannis’ side, but it was questionable as to whether or not he would accept the aid of House Tyrell or burn them as heretics -- as it was rumored he’d done to Storm Lords.
Before her brothers had returned from the Stormlands, letters arrived which allotted their remaining choices. One came from Lord Petyr Baelish, requesting an audience with Loras Tyrell to discuss the future of Westeros. Another arrived from Catelyn Stark, said to still be in the area, claiming innocence in Renly’s demise and requesting the opportunity to treat with the children of House Tyrell. Margaery did nothing with the letters until her brothers had arrived, and only when they had did she begin to plot the issue of their response.
– – – – –
With trepidation marking their every move, the Tyrells had ultimately decided to play the field, and to see what options remained to them. It was decided that Loras would remain behind at Bitterbridge with their host to meet with Littlefinger, while Margaery and Garlan would follow Lady Stark’s request that they join her in traveling to Riverrun, where the Young Wolf was said to be idling while plotting his next move. They treated with her first at the Grassy Vale, where she asked for a final opportunity to appeal for an alliance between House Tyrell and House Stark. Once suggesting that the finer details of an alliance be made in the presence of the King in the North, she swore on her honor as both Tully and Stark that no harm would come to the Tyrell siblings should they deny the offer made to them.
Before accepting, Garlan had asked Margaery privarely what she’d thought. She’d told him as much: the Starks are true to their word to the fault of Ned Stark’s head. I trust the Lady.
Without their infantry, Garlan and Margaery rode hard upon horseback alongside Catelyn and Brienne of Tarth into the southern tip of the Riverlands. The journey took near a fortnight, and the rest afforded was sparing. They did their best to avoid the main roads as they traveled, for fear of word reaching the capital that the Tyrells had been spotted with the Stark Lady. Loras was to tell Littlefinger that Margery and Garlan had already left for Highgarden when he arrived at Bitterbridge, and they did not want their illusion prematurely ruined when they did not yet know which side of the war they would fall upon.
When they at last made it to Riverrun, the Tyrell siblings were silent as they took in the sight of the combined forces of the Riverlands and North present in the area. When Lady Stark asked Margaery how she thought the men looked, her answer was thoughtful: hungry.
Despite the uncertainty that marked their future, Margaery and Garlan were dignified as they descended their horses and entered the keep. The trip had been hard, and both demanded the opportunity to wash before an audience with the King. They were nothing short of resplendent when they were at last brought to the great hall: Garlan was clad in glittering golden armor embellished with roses made of emeralds, and Margaery wore a pale green samite gown which she’d donned during one of Renly’s numerous tourneys. The bodice of the gown was tight-laced and bared the tops of her shoulders, which were otherwise covered by her unbound hair. Though they did not possess the likeness she shared with Loras, they were nonetheless unmistakably siblings -- and unmistakably southron as they stood out amongst the black-and-grey wears of the Northmen.
Catelyn Stark, who’d taken a seat at the high table alongside her son, stood as they entered.
“Ser Garlan; Lady Margaery. Thank you for joining us.”
