Welcome to the sequel to my story Eyes Like The Sea! It's not necessary to read that one first but certain things will make more sense. This story picks up about a year after Eyes Like The Sea ends.
"Tide's Turn"
Chapter One
The heavy rains in the Stormlands hindered the travels of the party from Storm's End and already it seemed that their arrival at King's Landing would be delayed. Traveling in this weather was a dreadful experience, with the high waters and sucking mud slowing the horses and carts while the rain damped the clothes and spirits of everyone involved. Pouring torrents of rain soaked them to the bone all through the day, and as night fell the rain only picked up stronger.
But though the heavy rain continued to beat down outside, it was warm and dry in the inn their party had stopped at for the night. A hot meal and a hot bath did wonders for forgetting the miseries of the day. The thunder still rolled but a fire crackled merrily in the hearth, and Renly had even found a cyvasse board that now sat on the bed between them. He let out a defeated sigh as Loras' Dragon took his King, again.
"Why was it that you taught me to play this game again?" Loras goaded.
"You know why," Renly grumbled.
"Oh, I do. I just want to hear you say it."
"'To teach you how to lose gracefully'," Renly admitted, and Loras laughed. Despite his lack of experience, Loras had not yet lost a game, and he took great pleasure in rubbing it in Renly's face. Renly would play along, putting on an act of exasperation even though he cared little whether he won or lost, and they'd have great fun bickering and teasing each other over it.
Today it was not so. Renly did not carry on the playful banter, nor did he start rearranging the pieces so they could play another game. Instead he settled back against the pillows as if he was ready to turn in for the night.
"Do you want to play another game?" Loras asked him. It was not terribly late and Renly never refused a game of cyvasse, but he only shrugged.
"Not now," he answered.
He gazed out the dark window, watching the firelight play on the raindrops running down the panes. Loras did not like seeing such a far off, almost sad look on his face. It was not like Renly to be so down. "What's wrong?" Loras asked as he stretched out on the bed beside Renly.
Renly continued watching the glittering raindrops for a few moments, contemplating something, before he turned to Loras.
"It's only the rain," he said. "We're already behind in travelling. We might miss the first day of Robert's name day tournament."
Loras sighed, though by now he knew he should have not expected a straightforward answer from Renly about this. As of late he'd noticed that his lord was uncharacteristically morose, often fretting to himself or sitting alone with a brooding look, but every time Loras asked, Renly said it was nothing or gave some trivial reason, like the rain.
Renly put on a more cheerful smile, evidently looking to change to subject. "Will Garlan be coming to the tourney this year?" he asked.
Loras scoffed as he remembered the last letter Margaery had sent, detailing Garlan's ridiculous mooning behaviour as of late. "Garlan is in love. He doesn't care about being in a tournament if she's not there to show off to, so he won't be leaving Highgarden until she does."
Renly laughed. "Who's this lucky girl?"
"A daughter of one of our bannermen, so perhaps they'll be married." Loras smirked at the thought. Trust Garlan to fall in love with such a proper match. Loras could not recall having met the girl, but he could easily imagine a proper little lady who was a perfect complement to Garlan's good courtesy.
"And what of Willas? Is he not married yet?"
Loras shook his head. "Willas has the same problem that you do with marriage."
A startled look came to Renly's face and he laughed nervously. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Loras looked at him curiously for a moment. "Willas is the heir to Highgarden. He holds too high of a seat to marry for anything other than an alliance."
"Ah, that's true," Renly agreed, sounding oddly relieved for such a grim prospect. But then the weight of it caught up to him, and his shoulders seemed to sag. For this Loras could not blame him. Women fawned over Renly's good looks and charm, but with the prospect of none of that having any importance in finding a wife, Loras could see why the thought of marriage seemed unappealing.
"I don't want to get married," Renly confided eventually.
"I wouldn't either," Loras agreed.
"Do you, though? Do you want to have your own little Lady Tyrell?"
"No."
"No?"
Loras shook his head. "I'm joining the Kingsguard."
"That's not what I asked," Renly said, smirking.
"I'm joining the Kingsguard eventually," Loras tried again.
It was still not true answer but it seemed to please Renly, and he grinned at Loras. "So you say, but for now you're still here with me!" Somehow the simple conversation had cheered him up considerably, and he shifted the cyvasse board to start rearranging the pieces again. "How about another game before bed?"