Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 88 - Thorns & Roses

Sansa came to an executive decision one day and brought it to Loki's attention as he was getting ready to leave the portis satis tuto. "I want to come with you to this meeting," she said. Loki stopped folding over the collar of the jacket she had made for him and frowned.

"You want to come with me to this meeting," he repeated. Sansa glanced around the room and a smirk pulled at her lips as she looked back at him.

"Was there an echo?" she queried. Loki rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No there wasn't, but I'm not sure about taking you outside the domus is such a good idea," Loki responded. Sansa gave him an undignified snort and drew her skirt up. Loki's eyebrows quirked as he got a good view of her shapely, pale leg. But more importantly, what was strapped to it: a thigh sheath with a dagger.

"I probably won't need to use it anyway. We're only going to talk," Sansa said. Loki saw the fire in her eyes and knew that nothing he said would convince her to remain behind.

"Alright. And I can trust your input in the conversation that's about to take place?" Loki asked. Sansa felt her heart soar at that request. He was entrusting her to support him against whoever they were speaking with that day. She gave him a mock bow before taking his extended arm. "Don't worry about anybody seeing us. I will cover us with a glamor. The people we are seeing will observe us for who we really are, while everyone else will see the disguises I have fashioned for us," Loki told her.

"What do I look like?" Sansa queried, genuinely excited about what she looked like in her disguise. Loki tilted his head as he admired the disguise he had given her. She had short, curly red hair, full lips, a slightly turned up nose, and piercing blue eyes. Meanwhile, he looked like he had short cropped blond hair and blue eyes, and a square jaw.

"You look like a spider I used to know," Loki answered, and Sansa frowned as she knew who he was talking about.

"The mewling quim who tricked you?" she asked with a hint of indignation in her voice. Loki shrugged his one shoulder slightly in response.

"Hey, I never said she wasn't beautiful," he said.

"Oh, she's beautiful is she?" Sansa posed, pinching him real good in the side. Loki winced as he opened the door and they stepped into the royal gardens of the Red Keep. People walked around them, minding their own business and seemingly ignoring them. "At least they don't stand out," Sansa added and Loki had to snort. Sansa was cruel when she wanted to be. He maintained his hold on her arm as they weaved their way through the gravel paths, admiring the flowers and the fountains. Sansa forgot how pretty the gardens were, but that was when she remembered who owned these gardens. And that their hearts were hard and cold. They wanted Loki and Sansa dead. So, Sansa knew they had to kill them first. That was when she noticed a bower at the end of the path. The green vines and red roses grew up all around it, and women were flittering in and out of it like birds. Loki waved his hand, sending a spell that made all the women scurry for the hills.

"I prefer privacy for this conversation," Loki said right before they entered. Sansa saw two women sitting at a round table overlooking the view of the Blackwater Bay. One was a young woman with light brown hair and pale blue eyes. She was wearing a light blue dress with a low cut collar, and no midsection. She straightened up when she saw them, and that was when Sansa's eyes shifted over to the other woman. She was definitely older, wearing a headdress, and an overcoat covered in stitchery of flowers and vines. She was carrying a lot of weight, but not so much that it would be impossible for her to move around comfortably.

"Who are you?" the older woman asked as she leaned forward slightly in her chair.

"I think you know who I am," Loki stated and the older woman started to smile. Meanwhile, Sansa and the other young woman were staring at each other, trying to gauge each other's personalities and intelligence level by just looking at one another. Loki finally noticed and his brow furrowed slightly. "Unless you want to kill one another, I suggest you stop eyeing each other like enemy combatants," Loki scolded. Sansa looked irritated by his statement, whereas the other woman looked slightly perturbed. The older woman started laughing.

"Indeed! I know you are, ser! Only one man in Westeros is described as you appear: black hair, pale skin, and piercing green eyes. You are Ser Loki Frostborn!" the older woman said. She was exclaiming, but her voice was still hushed enough that nobody else heard. "And I know who you are, my dear," the older woman said, turning to Sansa. "You're Sansa Stark. With hair like that? You would have to be an idiot not to recognize you." She glanced around before she looked back at them. "Which means everyone milling about is an idiot." Sansa smiled before Loki pushed up a seat behind her and made her sit down.

"Sansa, allow me to introduce Olenna Tyrell, grandmother of Ser Loras Tyrell and Margaery Tyrell, the young lady you were glaring at," Loki said, and Sansa tilted her head in acknowledgement to both.

"And the only reason you know that is because you are a god," Olenna Tyrell said and Sansa glanced at Loki. He was walking around the table, sometimes changing directions midway, but he was not sitting down.

"Grandmother! You really believe that?" Margaery asked, looking Loki up and down as if she expected him to give her a sign of his divinity.

"I believe what I've heard. Especially since he's standing before us now, and not a single guard has come to claim his head. Which could only mean magic," Olenna Tyrell said. Loki gave her a polite bow before he put his hands behind his back and continued his pacing. "So, what is it you desire from me?" she asked.

"It's what I desire from you. It's what I desire to do with you," Loki corrected and Olenna Tyrell raised her eyebrow. "I have learned that you plan on marrying Margaery here to Joffrey," Loki said, and Sansa started coughing, having been in the dark on that score. When her fit was over, Loki looked back at Margaery Tyrell.

"I am engaged to marry his majesty. I assume that you desire to warn us about him?" she queried. Loki nodded and rested his hands on the table.

"Joffrey Lannister is not husband material. In my mind he's not even human material, but that's beside the point," Loki said and Sansa had to keep her mouth from twitching. "The fact of the matter is: he's a cruel, witless, and oafish boy. I'm not going to call him a man because that would be an insult to men in general. And I can't believe that the revered and feared Queen of Thorns, would marry her Pale Rose to an inbred ass," Loki asserted. Olenna Tyrell leaned back in her chair and eyed her granddaughter.

"You believe this match to be entirely in Joffrey's favor?" Olenna asked and Loki nodded.

"He gets all the pros and none of the cons. Example: he marries a beautiful woman. That's one. Two: he now has even greater access to your crops. Three: the Tyrell army is at his beck and call. Cons...? I'm going to go with zero," Loki said. He sounded like he was exaggerating, but Loki was being brutally honest. "The pros to Margaery's marrying him," Loki continued.

"I become queen," Margaery said, "and I wrap him around my little finger." Sansa had to admire how openly mercenary she was, but she could tell that Loki was not impressed. His expression dropped and he was giving her a 'seriously?' look.

"Uh... no. You would have him wrapped around your finger for all of five minutes," Loki said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Margaery frowned, but Olenna shook her head and she became silent. "Joffrey plays people. For a little while. Eventually, his psychopathic tendencies take over and he reveals his true colors. He will eventually beat you, rape you, and drive you mad," Loki said, painting a sad picture for Margaery. She had paled and stiffened briefly, before rising from her chair and leaving the bower. Sansa looked at Loki and he nodded his head. Sansa got up and followed Margaery to make sure she was alright. That left Loki alone to discuss real business matters with Olenna Tyrell.

"You believe the boy is that brutish?" Olenna asked. Loki snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I had the misfortune of spending time with him when I worked for his 'father' as a sells-sword," Loki explained. "He tried to get me in trouble every step of the way. Of course, I said the boy was wicked, not smart. I'm still here."

"Indeed you are. Although, the official standing is that you are deceased. Dead by the hand of Ser Gregor Clegane," Olenna added.

"The Mole Hill? Hmm... I wonder how long I'll keep Westeros officially in the dark?" Loki pondered aloud, and Olenna had to smile slightly as his mischievous quip.

"So, it is true what they say about you," Olenna Tyrell hinted, and Loki raised his eyebrow. "You are mischief incarnate." The smirk that spread across his face was sure proof of that.

"Oh, yes! And now, Queen of Thorns, I have a proposition for you..."