LIMERENCE. | M. TYRELL

Elinor.

"And she's right," Loras says, "The most beautiful flower in all the realm."

"Even more beautifuler than Aunt Margaery?" Mariah asks.

"Now let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Margaery says as she joins them in the hallway. She looks over at Elinor with a smile on her lips, "Good morning."

"Morning," Elinor greets with a small smile. 

Margaery looks back at Mariah, "With that bow in your head I fear you are even more beautifuler than me."

Mariah smiles, "I'm more beautifuler than Aunt Margaery!"

"Mariah you musn't tell everyone," Margaery insists as she pokes Mariah, making the young girl giggle.

"Willas and his travel party are at the gate," Loras informs Elinor, and Mariah's face lights up at the words.

"Papa?"

"Yes," Elinor says, "Papa's here."

"Then we must go!" Mariah exclaims.

Loras looks at Mariah with a smile, "As my lady commands!"

Loras takes off down the hall with Mariah in his arms and Margaery and Elinor laugh as they watch them head off. Left alone, Margaery and Elinor face one another.

"Your husband comes to reclaim you," Margaery says, and Elinor rolls her eyes as she looks at Margaery.

"You cannot say things like that," Elinor says as she looks around.

"What? It isn't untrue," Margaery says, "I hear they aren't even preparing another bed chamber."

"Because Willas is my husband. He's the father of my children and it would be weird if we were sleeping in other rooms," Elinor reasons, "Besides Cersei is already searching for a reason to ruin us. Let's not give her one."

Margaery stares at Elinor before quickly dropping her gaze to the ground and nodding her head. She looks back up at Elinor, blue eyes burning as she looks at Elinor, "So much for having nothing to fear."

"Margaery," Elinor pleads as Margaery begins to walk off. Elinor follows after her, "Margaery."

Margaery stops walking and shakes her head as she looks at Elinor, "No."

"You are misunderstanding what I'm saying," Elinor insists, "I love you and only you. But Willas is my husband and Mariah is asking questions. I – I have a duty to fulfill as a mother and a wife. A role to play. But that doesn't mean that I love Willas more than you. You are the one that I love."

"I don't want to share you," Margaery says shaking her head, "It hurts to share you."

"Circumstance requires that you do. As I will have to when you marry," Elinor says softly.

Margaery doesn't address the words that Elinor's just spoken, instead she says, "you should go greet your husband at the gates. I'm sure Cersei will be watching."

Margaery walks off and Elinor sighs as she watches her retreating figure.

She does make her way to the King Landing gates where the Tyrell party was arriving in its entirety. Margaery's cousins and former ladies were amongst them, and they could all be seen doting on Mariah who was eating up the attention.

Elinor looked around for her husband and finally, she settles her eyes on Willas. In one hand he held his cane. In the other, he held a much smaller hand and a soft gasp escaped Elinor as she set her eyes on her son for the first time in several months. Gone was her baby boy, he was bigger and standing.