LIMERENCE | XVII.
MARGAERY TYRELL
King's Landing | 300 a.c.
MARGAERY HATED KING'S LANDING. The city was pretty enough, nothing in comparison to Highgarden, however, it wasn't the city that she hated, it was everything else. Unlike with Renly, Margaery couldn't be herself. She had to mold herself to fit what Joffrey wanted.
For the first time in a while, she had a moment to herself. She sat with her grandmother in the Red Keep gardens. They didn't compare to the ones in Highgarden and probably didn't compare to the ones in Dorne either.
Margaery sighed loudly as Elinor had managed to sneak her way into her thoughts, yet she couldn't help herself. She wondered if Elinor had heard the news if she was worried about her-
"Where's your head?" her grandmother's voice cut through Margaery's thoughts. She looked up at her grandmother and shook her head before glancing away shyly.
"Nothing," Margaery answered.
"You can lie to everyone else, but you cannot lie to me," Olenna says, her lips pursed in a thin line, "In fact, I think I know exactly where your head is. Dorne."
Margaery keeps her eyes on the Lannister guards in the garden. She knows that they're placed there by the Queen regent. Cersei did not trust them, and she didn't trust Cersei. It made her miss Renly's camp when they were at liberty to do and say whatever they wanted.
"Don't think you can tune me out," Olenna says, interrupting Margaery's thoughts again.
"Yes grandmother, my thoughts are constantly in Dorne. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Margaery asks.
"Frankly it was not the answer that I wanted, but it is the answer that I expected," Olenna tells her, shoving a cube of cheese into her mouth.
"I'm sorry," Margaery apologizes, finally brave enough to look her grandmother, "If I could stop thinking about her I would."
"Yet you cannot," Olenna states, "A shame really, I cannot see what you or Willas see in that girl."
Margaery rolls her eyes at the comment. She wouldn't expect her grandmother to see Elinor as anything more than a quiet girl that had managed to cause problems within her family.
"That's because you haven't gotten to know her," Margaery states firmly, "In fact, you've never given her a chance."
"I've given the girl plenty of chances and she's failed to impress me each time," Olenna says, "Besides my great-grandchildren. They happen to be her only accomplishment."
Margaery stands, her chair scraping loudly against the pavement, "I will not sit here and listen to you talk about her like that."
Olenna's thin eyebrows raise at her, "All this attitude for a girl that will never return your feelings?"
"Does it matter?" Margaery asks, "I'm going to marry Joffrey. I'm going to be Queen."
"You don't seem happy about that," Olenna observes and Margaery hands clench tightly. There was no pleasing her grandmother at the moment. Either she wasn't speaking the truth about Elinor or she wasn't speaking the truth about her feelings to be queen. What did she want from her?
"I'm going to take a walk," Margaery said, unclenching her fists, "I haven't had a moment alone with my thoughts since we arrived here."
Olenna chuckles softly to herself, "Don't let me interrupt your daydreaming."
Margaery shook her head as she turned and walked away from the table. She made her way through the gardens, counting each of the Lannister guards she passed by to keep her mind occupied. She lost count after seven, which felt a little excessive for the castle gardens.
She was going to be queen. Of course, it meant marrying Joffrey Baratheon, who certainly wasn't known for his kindness. He had managed to kill one of the most powerful men in all of Westeros without the bat of an eyelash.
"Lady Margaery."
She looked up to see Sansa Stark standing there, alone.
"Lady Sansa," Margaery greets, a smile making its way onto her face, "I'm sorry I didn't see you there, I was trapped in my thoughts."
"Oh it's quite alright," Sansa tells her shyly, "Please don't allow me to disturb you."
"Actually, would you like to keep me company?" Margaery asks, "I wanted to ask you a few questions if you didn't mind."
"I don't mind at all," Sansa answered eagerly, and Margaery's heart ached for Sansa. She wonders how long the other girl had longed for someone with good intentions to spend time with her. Margaery wished her intentions had been better than they were.
The two of them begin walking through the gardens, "I just wanted to ask about Joffrey."
Sansa's smile disappeared at the mention of the king, "Oh. His Grace is very kind."
"I'm sure he is," Margaery agrees, "But honestly Sansa, should I be concerned?"
Sansa is quiet and unwilling to look at Margaery. She wants to tell the truth, Margaery can see it, but the girl has been broken by her life in King's Landing. She's scared to speak her mind and Margaery wishes that she could offer her some solace.
"Never mind," Margaery says shaking her head, "You don't have to answer that."
"I'm sorry," Sansa apologizes.
Margaery directs a smile at her, "Never apologize for doing something you aren't comfortable with."
Sansa nods at her as though she's been taught an important lesson and Margaery can't help but laugh. Sansa blushes nervously and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
"At midday, my cousins and I like to have tea and sometimes we do other stuff. Would you like to join us?"
"Really?" Sansa asks, blue eyes lighting up. Margaery felt like she was staring at a hopeful little ocean.
"Of course," Margaery's smile falters a little, "I know it's hard to know who you can trust in King's Landing. I too share that feeling. I hope that one day we can trust each other."
Sansa looks like she may cry, biting on her bottom lip to prevent from smiling too widely. The way she's looking at Margaery is as though she's saved her from some horrible fate, and perhaps she has saved her from the unfortunate fate of being alone.
"Thank you," Sansa tells her.
Margaery glances at the rose bush next to them and grabs a yellow rose from the bush. She turns and extends it to Sansa. She glances at it, almost hesitating before she accepts the flower.
"A yellow rose symbolizes friendship," Margaery tells her, lips turning up in a small smile, "I do hope that we can be really good friends."
Sansa looks at the rose and then back at Margaery, "That would make me very happy."
/***\
Margaery sits at the table, shoving her food around her plate. There was chatter surrounding her everywhere, but Margaery was not involved in a single conversation. She was glad that dinner was just her family and Sansa, she couldn't imagine dealing with Cersei or Joffrey in the moment.
Sansa seemed to enjoy eating with them, she smiled more than Margaery had seen her smile since she had arrived in King's Landing. She figures that Sansa simply wanted a family to belong to and the Tyrells were happy to be that surrogate.
"I wonder what Willas is up to?" Loras asks from beside her.
"Willas is my father's heir, he's married to Elinor Martell," Margaery whispers to Sansa who nods her head, showing that she was absorbing the information.
"He's probably crying over the absence of his wife and children," Garlan suggests, taking a sip of wine.
"Elinor and Willas have two kids, Mariah is the oldest, she's four. And William who just turned one," Margaery whispers to Sansa who nods again, a smile on her face this time, happy to be kept in the conversation.
"He's probably happy to have the castle to himself," Alla joins in on the teasing, causing the rest of her cousins to laugh.
Loras chuckles, "He can finally catch up on his reading."
Margaery shakes her head as Alerie fixes her son with a glare, "You all should speak about Willas with more respect. He will be your Lord someday."
"I'm sorry, Mother," Garlan apologizes.
"I am as well, Aunt Alerie," Alla follows in suit.
"I'm not," Loras says, "Let's be honest, what is Willas doing now that we're all away? I mean it's not like there's much for him to do."
"Loras," Margaery cuts in, trying to stop him before he says something he might regret. He had been drinking a lot more wine than usual so Margaery wouldn't be surprised if her brother was drunk.
"What? You know we're all thinking it," Loras says, his words slurring slightly.
Alerie and Mace share a glance. Garlan's the one who places his napkin on the table and stands from his seat, ready to do damage control on Loras.
"Come on," Garlan says helping Loras up from his seat, "Let's get you to bed."
All eyes watch as Garlan helps Loras out of the room. Margaery peers over at Sansa who silently looks down at her plate. With a sigh, she looks up at her mother and father, "May Sansa and I be excused?"
Mace nods and Margaery looks at Sansa who follows her, standing up instantly they leave the room.
Margaery smiles as they walk outside under the glow of the moon. She looks back at Sansa, "Sorry about that."
"It's fine, my siblings and I used to argue all the time," Sansa tells her with a shrug, "I'm kind of used to it."
"Good, I'd hate to frighten you away," Margaery says with a small smile, "As you know I was married to Renly prior to his death. He and my brother were really good friends. He's been taking the death kind of hard. That's why he was drunk tonight."
"Oh," Sansa claims, "I never offered you my condolences, Lord Renly was always kind to me."
"He was kind," Margaery says, "And I'm sorry about your father as well."
"Thank you," Sansa says, slightly surprised. Margaery realizes that no one had probably apologized to Sansa for the loss of her father since they all thought he was a traitor. Margaery decides to change the subject.
"I know you're probably wondering about Willas," Margaery says, as she continues walking, enjoying the gentle breeze coming from the coast of King's Landing.
"You don't have to tell me anything," Sansa says kindly, but Margaery knows that Sansa would love nothing more than to be clued in.
"It's fine," Margaery says, "Willas was in a jousting match against Oberyn Martell a couple of years ago. He hurt his leg so he uses a cane now."
"Wait, but isn't Oberyn Martell Elinor's father?" Sansa asks and Margaery nods.
"Yes," Margaery said with a laugh, "Their marriage ended the feuding between our two families and made us allies. For the first time in history, there is peace between House Martell and House Tyrell."
"And do you like Elinor?" Sansa asks.
Margaery glances at the Blackwater which was reflecting the moon, "I do. She's my closest friend."
Sansa comes beside her and smiles, "Can I meet her?"
"When she comes to King's Landing, I'll be sure to introduce the two," Margaery tells her, "Perhaps by then you'll have two friends rather than one."
Margaery escorts Sansa to her room before heading back to her own. She prepares herself for bed and is about to climb in when she eyes the stationary on the desk. Certainly, Elinor was no longer awaiting a letter from her. It'd be pointless now.
She climbs into bed and for once, she doesn't dream of Elinor.
The next morning there's a light knock at her door. Too soft to be that of her brothers or the Kingsguard, Margaery approaches the door curiously. She peers through the peephole to see nothing. Her eyebrows knit together as she steps away from the door.
Then there's another knock.
Margaery opens the door and sees no one standing there. She nearly jumps out of her skin when she feels a set of tiny arms wrapping around her. She looks down to see a familiar head of brown hair.
"Aunt Margaery!" Mariah exclaims.
"Mariah!" Margaery exclaims with a wide grin as she lifts the girl into her arms. Her niece buries her face into Margaery's neck as she giggles. She presses a kiss to her forehead.
"Did you just say my whole name?" she asks before the realization hits her.
She looks in the doorway and her breath catches instantly as she notices Elinor standing there. There's a smile on her lips as she raises a hand in greeting.
"Hi."
"Hi," Margaery says breathlessly.
Elinor takes a step into the room, "Mariah wanted to surprise you. She's been practicing."
"I can see that," Margaery says, poking Mariah in the side, making her laugh. She looks up at Elinor, "When did you get here?"
"This morning," Elinor answers with a smile.
"Why are you here?" Margaery asks. She doesn't intend for the question to come off as rude, but it does. However, Elinor doesn't seem to bat an eyelash.
"Your grandmother demanded that I come, and my uncle told me to take his seat on the small council," Elinor informs her.
Margaery's heart nearly beats out of her chest. That meant that Elinor was staying in the capital. That meant no more distance. Elinor had suddenly become her biggest temptation again.
"Mariah, why don't you go find Uncle Arthur and Aunt Nymeria? They'll take you to see Uncle Garlan and Loras," Elinor suggests, and Mariah lights up at the mention of her uncles. Mariah gives her one last hug before scrambling out of her arms out the door.
Finally alone, the air thickens between Margaery and Elinor. Margaery observes Elinor, noticing a few differences. Elinor's hair was in a tight braid and it seemed longer. She also seemed tanner than she had when she left Highgarden.
"You stopped writing," Elinor says, closing the door and leaning her back against it. Margaery watches as she does so. She found the action to be oddly confident.
"I didn't have anything to say," Margaery replies, but as soon as the words leave her tongue, she doesn't believe them, and she knows that Elinor doesn't either.
"Really? Because you had so much to say before," Elinor says, "You don't just stop having things to say."
"Where's William?" Margaery asks, attempting to divert the conversation.
"He's with my father. He's going to take him back to Highgarden before he sets out for the wedding," Elinor says.
"Why didn't you leave Mariah? You've brought your daughter to the most dangerous place in Westeros!" Margaery points out, suddenly growing frustrated. The excitement of seeing Mariah and Elinor was beginning to wear off as reality was setting in.
"You think I don't know that?" Elinor says, "I was terrified to come here, but I came because it was my duty. Because both of our families demanded it."
"You shouldn't have," Margaery says, fear seeping into her bones, "I can't protect you here."
Elinor scoffs, "It isn't your job to protect me. That's what my brother and sister are for. You know, I thought you'd be happy to see me."
Margaery sighs, running a hand through her hair. She probably looked a mess right now, especially since she had just woken up, "I am, it's just things are different now."
Elinor takes a step forward, "I know that-"
"No, you don't," Margaery says quickly, taking a step back, "This isn't like Renly. He was our friend, but the Lannisters are not. Joffrey has broken a girl to the point that she fears to speak her mind. Cersei wants me gone more than anything."
The room falls silent as the two women stare at each other.
"So, where does that leave us?" Elinor asks, staring at her with brown eyes that have haunted Margaery. She can't hold her gaze.
"Nowhere," Margaery says, "What ever we were or weren't. It's over now."
Elinor blinks at her showing a fracture in her mask before she gathers herself. A soft laugh escapes her as she smiles at Margaery, "How can you end something that never truly began?"
Margaery's heart breaks more in her chest. She knows that Elinor is just trying to hurt her now, the same way that she was hurting, but it didn't lessen the pain in any way.
"I guess I'll see you around, Your Grace," Elinor says opening the door. Margaery tries to swallow as Elinor leaves, but it feels like her throat is constricting itself. She feels like she's making a terrible mistake.
"Elinor," Margaery calls after her. Elinor stops halfway out the door, "Please."
She doesn't know what she's pleading for exactly. Perhaps it's for Elinor to understand their new situation. Or maybe she just wants her to look back at her. To show her that there was still a chance for them to fix this. Margaery wants her to look back. She needs it.
But Elinor doesn't.
She takes her own advice and doesn't spare Margaery a second glance.