Bride To Be // Sandor Clegane

61. Ray

Margaery spent a lot of her time reading. Planning, debating what she was going to do and how she was going to get her revenge and get her family back together.

'Your Grace what are we reading today?' Your Grace Margaery thought bitterly, she made sure she was seen by the sparrow at the sept. But instead of her rags she wore her fine dresses and a crown adorned on her head. She was playing a new kind of game now a new set of lies but her life depended on it this time.

'The book of the mother your Holiness chapter 3 verse 12.'

'As water around the stones smooth.' he began

'Smooth and what was jagged.' Margaery added 'so does a woman's love, man's brute nature wife sells her husband's work Wounds and a mother sings her son to sleep.' she said turning to him her hands clasped in front of her as she said the verse by memory

'You learn quickly. There are some who know every verse of the sacred text and don't have a drop of the mother's mercy and their are blood and savages who can't read it at all yet understand the father's wisdom,' the sparrow told her

'For years I pretended to love the poor the afflicted I had pity for them but... I never loved them,' she admitted 'they disgusted me.'

'They are hard to love.' he admitted 'the poor disgust us because they are us as, strip off our illusions they show us what we look like without our fine clothes what we would smell like without perfume.' He sat down looking up to her. 'Can I ask you about a personal matter?"

'Of course.' she answered sitting down next to him

'The King mentioned that since your reunion you haven't joined me in the marriage bed.'

'No.' she admitted

'You have a duty your Grace to your husband your king your country to the gods themselves.' He reminded her

'It's just... The desires that once drove me no longer do,' she told him

'Congress does not require desire on a woman's part only patience.' the sparrow told her 'the king must have an heir if we are to continue our good work.' she nodded understanding

'Forgive me sometimes the true path is hard to find.'

'Hard to find and harder still to walk.' he told her 'but you've made great progress. I only pray your grandmother follow your lead.'

'My grandmother...'

'she has to confess.' He told her as he walked away. 'yes the queen of thorns is remarkable woman a strong woman and unrepentant sinner you must teach her the new way as she taught you the old or I fear for her safety. Body and soul.'

++

'Does it move or talk?' Olena sneered up at the septa as she stared down at them 'I want to speak with you alone.'

'Septa Unela has been my true friend and counselor.' Margaery told her grandmother

'This is madness.' she said standing up from the table pulling her granddaughter way the septa followed 'you are not in your sanctuary now my dear all I have to do is whistle in my men were strolling here and bash your-'

'Grandmother!' Margaery declared

'-head in until I tell them to stop.' she went on 'if I tell them to stop.' she corrected 'you could use a good bashing.'

'Grandmother please.'

'What have they done to you?' She questioned sitting down across from her

'You marched against the high sparrow against the faith.'