Simple Servant - Game of Thrones

Chapter Five

Highgarden.

Nolan.

Dawn was saddled and waiting just outside the walls.

When she caught his scent, the mare trumpeted and stomped her hooves. Nolan smiled thinly before pressing his forehead against Dawn's long snout, rubbing the mare's jaws to calm her—it didn't work. The horse huffed and stomped her hoof again. It seemed she was telling him to hurry up. Shaking his head, half-annoyed and half-amused, Nolan checked the saddlebag, ensuring everything was accounted for.

Tugging the saddle straps, the bastard turned and gaped at what he saw. "No," Nolan said as Elinor led Prancer towards him and Dawn. 'No, it's Margaery now...' "What do you think you're doing? You aren't coming with me."

She stopped Prancer just behind Dawn, adjusted the harness, patted the mare's neck, and turned to look up at Nolan from under her hood. "Yes, I am," she told him determinedly, her hand over his heart that belonged to her. "I already told you. My life has no meaning without you. Shut up. Don't make this difficult. I am coming with you, alright?"

Nolan closed his eyes, frowning, thinking. Nothing in this world terrified him more than being unable to protect the woman who held his heart so wholly in her hands. But he loathed the thought of living without her even more and cursed his selfishness. Nolan felt her fingers on his face, tracing his jawline, cheek, and lips, and he opened his eyes to see hers. Then she kissed him, and Nolan wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her flush against him.

After they'd parted, he touched their foreheads and whispered, "You'll be leaving everything you know behind." Nolan ran his tongue over his suddenly parched lips. "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to stay. I would never blame you—you know that, right?"

She smiled, "Where you go, I go."

Nolan put his tongue in his cheek, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into his chest. "I love you so much it isn't even funny," he whispered into her hair and kissed the crown of her head. "What if you got hurt because I couldn't keep you safe? I can't—"

She interrupted, "You'll always keep me safe."

He would die for her—that was true enough—but what would happen afterwards? If he did die, what would happen to her? Sighing, Nolan looked at Lord Willas Tyrell for rescue, but the older man only smiled as if he knew this would happen. He tapped his cane on the road thrice. "I may not know you, Nolan, but I know love when I see it," Willas explained. "And I've never seen it quite like yours. You will do right by my sister—I know you will."

Margaery moved out of his arm. "Willas..."

Whilst Margaery said her goodbyes to her eldest brother, old Ser Vortimer approached Nolan and grabbed his arm tightly. "You protect your lady, boy," he said. "You protect her body and soul, her honour and heart... You don't fail her like I failed mine. Hm? You don't want to turn into me, do you?" Nolan would be honoured to become half the man Vortimer Crane was.

Nolan smiled wanly. "A grumpy old sod?" He said. "No."

The old knight who had all but raised him from boyhood bit down on his grey beard to stop the tears from falling and gave Nolan a rare smile. It lit up his face and made him seem ten years younger. "Wouldn't want that," He said heavily, pulling Nolan into an embrace and patting his back. Returning the hug, Nolan clenched the collar of the knight's jerkin. "Die without a sword in your hand, and I'll drag you back from hell and beat you bloody."

"I do believe you mean it," Nolan said through his teeth, the words catching in his throat as he did. He had never had an elder before Vortimer found him fighting the other boy by the stables. "Thank you, Ser, for everything." They parted, and the knight patted Nolan's arms.