command [joffrey baratheon]

[5] promises to the people

"Margaery!", Olenna admonished my sister after she had hit me my face. "Behave yourself, child."

Margaery gave me the evil eye and turned around, followed by walking away.

Loras looked at me and I could tell he was struggling with thinking about the whole situation. Grandmother smiled at me, at least kind of but she looked visibly worried as well.

"I can be a good queen, too.", I said, slightly disappointed that they didn't support me as much as they would support Margaery.

"Well, it is expected from you now, isn't it.", Olenna replied.

"We can still try to change Joffrey's decision again. We could arrange another meeting with Margaery. She can be very convincing. We just need time, he didn't officially announce the changes yet.", Loras objected, ignoring my words.

"Why won't you even let me try to be a good queen? I've had the same teachers as Margaery in Highgarden. I maybe wasn't married yet, but she didn't even manage having a baby with Renly Baratheon before he died. And remember that Renly died, so that went well, right? So, I am younger, yes, but I believe I can do it. Have faith in me!"

"You are right, child. Loras, ... Seven hells, Tyrells should never insult other Tyrells. We're not at home here, if not on ourselves, who else can we count on?", grandma always said what she thought and this time I was especially thankful for that.
Loras didn't say another word that evening, I thanked Olenna and then I went to bed.

The next morning was rather cold for King's Landing's conditions. The beautiful dress I had worn last evening was laying over a chair. I got up from my bed and closed the window on the other side of the room.

Kenly, my handmaiden, served me fresh fruits and warm bread, which was brought directly from, Kenly told me so, the best bakery in King's Landing.

"Kenly?", I asked her and she winced when she heard her own name.

"Your grace?", she asked back.

"There is no need to call me grace, I am not the queen yet. Kenly, pardon my nosiness but you look so skinny. How much do you get to eat every day here? Does the royal family care for their servants?", I asked her and took her hand.

"The...the Lannisters are very fair and we are all lucky to work for them, we don't earn a lot, but we love our humble tasks. Oh, please, please, lady Tyrell, don't dismiss me. I will work harder and longer, if you want me to, I-", she started to get nervous, because she thought I would dismiss her, but I only wanted her to trust me. It was always an advantage to have people to count on.

"Shh. Don't be afraid. I only want to know how they're treating you and the other handmaidens. When I'll be the queen, I will try to improve the situation in King's Landing. For all of us. Please be honest with me.", I influenced her with a kind voice and after breathing out her tension, she started talking.

"We're starving. The peasants got it worse, but we're forced to throw the food away or have to give it to the animals. I cannot complain, we get enough, but it's not a lot. But as I said, we are lucky to be serving the richest house.", Kenly explained.

"Thank you for telling me. I will talk to the king. My sister's going to distribute toys to the children in the city today. We care for you. All of you.", I promised her and smiled. "And now I want you to share the fruit and bread with me. There is way too much for one alone."

"I feel honoured, my lady, but I shouldn't be eating with y-"

"No. I want it. If you don't feel right doing it, I am commanding it. Now you officially have to eat with me.", I interrupted my handmaiden.

She smiled shyly and nodded thankfully before she sat down next to me and shyly longed for a pear.

Later that day I strolled around the castle. I saw Sansa Stark watching the waves crash on the castle cliffs.

"Hello. You're Sansa, aren't you?", I asked her carefully.

"Yes? I mean, yes. I am.", Sansa said and looked at me.

"I am Lyra Tyrell, the sister of Margaery. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"The king has chosen to marry your beautiful sister. I'm not good enough for him anyway.", Sansa's face had lost every emotion and it sounded like the learned that sentence by heart.

She still thought my sister was marrying Joffrey.

"No, I meant ... your father.", I told her, and she glazed towards the sea again.

"My father was a traitor..."

"He was your father.", I went "Do you think he would want his oldest daughter to think of him like that?"

"King Joffrey did the right thing. Your Grace is smart and good-looking and he is always right.", Sansa disclaimed.

"Sansa. I heard about all the terrible things that happened to you. If you need something, you can talk to me. I can speak with the Lannisters, so you don't have to. I know we just met, but I don't like to see people suffer and I know of things..."

"Thank you. But I am fine.", Sansa denied and blinked her tears away.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't want to , ...I-", I tried to apologize, but I only made it worse.

"Excuse me, Lord Baelish wanted to see me, I really got to go.", Sansa excused herself and walked away.

If Margaery had talked to her, I bet she would have left the conversation smiling...Margaery knew how to manipulate others. Maybe the worries of my family towards the Lannisters weren't unfounded after all.

But maybe I was just about to test how I could get what I wanted. I wasn't Margaery, but I had other qualities.

I was going to show them the strength of the new queen.