The Crossed Rose - GoT - R.S.

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"Now, now, my love..." Margaery cooed when Loras practically pouted at the comment and, once again, Dahlia felt her skin crawl at the familiarity of it all. "My brother fought valiantly for you."

"That he did, my Queen." Renly nodded, agreeing with his wife's words, but keeping his eyes on Loras instead. "But there can only be one champion. Brienne of Tarth, you may ask anything of me you desire. If it is within my power, it is yours."

There was barely a moment of consideration from the Lady Brienne's part before she was speaking finally.

"Your Grace, I ask the honour of a place in your Kingsguard." She said, as most men around Dahlia either gasped or snickered, Loras Tyrell included.

"What?" He asked, almost outraged, but Lady Brienne continued, unbothered.

"I will be one of your seven, pledge my life to yours, and keep you safe from all harm." She said, and Renly smirked again.

"Done." He decided, after a moment of hesitation as he his eyes traveled from Brienne to Loras. Dahlia raised a rather surprised eyebrow. "Rise, Brienne of the Kingsguard."

No one clapped or cheered or did much at all after that, but before the situation could get anymore awkward, Dahlia urged Perwyn forward with a tap to his back and the man wasted no time in stepping out of the crown to stand before Renly and Margaery with a bow of his head.

"Your Grace." He announced, standing up straighter again to look at the couple. "I have the honour to bring you the Lady Catelyn Stark and the Queen Dahlia Stark, sent as envoies by King Robb, Lord of Winterfell and King in the North."

And, just then, Dahlia and Catelyn stepped out of the crowd as well, both of them standing on either side of Perwyn and merely a step behind him. Two other of the soldiers Robb had insisted they brought along stood just behind them as well, ready to fight, if needed be, but keeping their hands away from their swords and in plain sight as if to show they meant no harm.

"Lady Catelyn." Renly addressed the older woman first, probably in respect of her and their fleeting story together in the past. The last time they had met, Renly was still a boy, that much was true, but they had met and, therefore, pleasantries were expected. "I'm pleased to see you. May I present my wife, Margaery of House Tyrell?"

Finally, Dahlia allowed her eyes to fall on Margaery properly. There she sat, beside her King husband, looking as regal as she always did, her brown hair, a few shades lighter than Dahlia's, was curled to perfection, as usual. Her dress was stunning, drowned in the usual green and golden of House Tyrell in spite of the fact that she was now a Baratheon by marriage. Her smile was gentle and sweet, but her eyes... Oh, her eyes told a different story altogether.

To anyone else, it might have seemed Margaery was almost unbothered by the presence of her Father's old ward that now presented herself as Queen, but Dahlia knew better. It had taken a while, it was true, for Dahlia to learn and read Margaery Tyrell's expressions. Since she was a child she had always been a master at hiding her emotions and, considering she had been older than Dahlia by two years when she had arrived at Highgarden, it had been easy for her to only show the small Frey babe what she had wanted her to see. But they had grown together and they had grown close - more than most people knew of and much more than anyone but themselves would ever know - and that meant, eventually, Dahlia had learned to see right through the Lady Margaery's facade. And, right now, as she stood in front of her, as regal as her, with a crown of her own and, for the first time in an equal position to hers, Dahlia could see. The same emotions she had bubbling up inside of her, flashing all at once behind Margaery's brown eyes. She was happy to see her, there was no denying, but underneath it, there was something else. Fear, envy, anger... Possibly a bit of it all. After all, if Margaery was Queen and Dahlia as well, it meant they met as foes.