I'd like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed and all, as per usual. It truly means a lot! And I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.


MARGAERY II

Important letters not being delivered in time. Problematic handmaidens. Lannisters. All of these were things that had greatly bothered Margaery in the past. And they probably would have stayed at the top of that list of things, if it weren't for the religious fanatics who were keeping her brother imprisoned because of being himself over evidence about as strong as the good in Joffrey had been when he was alive. These men and women had quickly made themselves a privileged spot on the list of things she loathed the most.

They had kept Loras in filthy cells scarcely suitable for a Tyrell of Highgarden, they had tortured him, they had forced him to feel ashamed of what he was and they had broken his will. That was just what she had noticed during the few times that the High Sparrow let her visit her brother. Who knew what else they had done to him? After all, they had had him in their power for many moon turns now, giving them the chance to do whatever they pleased to him. Margaery's blood boiled when she tried to guess what else Loras had to live through during his time. However, she tried not to think about it for too long, otherwise she would go mad with anger.

All of her actions during the entire time that Loras had been kept prisoner were focused on freeing him from that place, and scarcely any of the thoughts running through her mind were much different. Their grandmother had stayed in King's Landing with her so they could both work together and come up with a plan to help him. Lady Olenna's first instinct was to have a private meeting with the High Sparrow, where, according to her, she had to resort to bribery and threatening after her attempt at diplomacy proved to be unsuccessful. But not even that seemed to work, the old man was firm in his belief that Loras was guilty and should be kept in those terrible cells. As such, the Tyrell women were forced to create another plan, one that didn't involve having to persuade the High Sparrow. Margaery still remembered how that last conversation had been like:

The Queen walked through the gardens of King's Landing almost all on her own, with only a few guards walking at a safe distance from her. No matter how much she had insisted that she could be alone, the knights refused to let her go by herself, and she had no choice but to let them accompany her, but never standing by her side. They would be able to hear things then, and perhaps those things would reach the wrong ears. It just wasn't a clever move to have them stand by her side. After a while of walking on her own, her arm was gently taken by that of her grandmother, who had refused to leave the city until she was sure that Loras was safe. It was her idea to have this conversation by walking through the gardens. The walls had ears, she had said, it was much safer to talk while taking a stroll. Margaery had assumed the very same thing, so she had no complaints in taking this small walk. As always, it was just impossible for the both of them to disagree with each other.

"Grandmother," she nodded and smiled at the older woman. "I assume you didn't come here all by yourself? You know you ought to have company at all times." These were just things she was saying off the top of her head in case there was someone listening, in hopes that it would dissuade them from continuing to spy on them.

"My dear, I may be old and frail, but I can still very much take care of myself. Now shush and let me speak." Delightful as always, Grandmother, she thought with a small smirk showing in her lips. Her grandmother's tone dropped until she was only whispering, almost to the point where not even Margaery could hear her. "No one will be listening to us, do not worry, you can talk freely."

"Very well then," the Queen said, dropping her voice as low as the elder had. "I have been thinking, and I doubt that a direct confrontation with the Faith would do any good for us, and certainly not for Loras." At best, it would look like House Tyrell was attacking the center of religion to get their heir back, and that would be it. But at worst, and more likely, the High Sparrow would find a way to punish them for their actions. Cersei had given him too much power, and now not even she could take it away from him. Such a foolish woman.

"Unless we want to get killed, no, we shan't do that," the lady Olenna shook her head. "We should take a more subtle approach to this particular issue." The gleam in her eyes revealed that she had already thought of that 'more subtle approach' that they would use. Margaery didn't know for sure what it was, but she did think that her own solution could be the same, or at least similar to the one her grandmother had thought of.

"Loras should leave quietly, at an hour where no one will be around to see if he's still there." They needed to get several men who were willing to infiltrate the Sept of Baelor, free Loras from his cell, and get him back to the Red Keep. Men who were willing to lie in case they were caught, and never reveal that the Queen and her grandmother had anything to do with this. The older woman nodded in agreement, which prompted Margaery to continue speaking. "We must find some loyal men to do this. Not ones who we have to hire, obviously. Their loyalty is fickle, and can vanish in any given moment. Also, we need to do this quickly. Cersei is full of grief now, I even visited her in her chambers to make sure. She just ordered me to leave. She is not as focused on my actions as before, which means that there is no danger of her discovering our plot and destroying our chances of succeeding, the way she did when Loras was supposed to wed Sansa Stark. At least not if we do this while she is still distracted." As much as Margaery wanted to feel bad for her husband's mother, she just wasn't able to feel anything for that woman except hatred. She did feel bad for Myrcella, though. That girl was a pure soul, certainly not deserving of passing away so soon in her life.

"You are right, dear," said her grandmother with a soft smile on her lips. She had already thought of all of this, hadn't she? She's just telling me that to make me feel good. It was obvious. The way she was smiling and looking at her was just her way of showing how proud she was of Margaery for getting to the same answer she had, even if it had taken her slightly longer to do so. "I assume you already have these loyal men you are speak of?"

"I don't, Grandmother," the younger shook her head, a tad ashamed of herself. "But I will find them right after we finish this stroll."

"No need for that," lady Olenna smirked at her granddaughter with that smirk that she had whenever she had already taken care of most things, if not everything. "I have selected a few myself, and I was hoping that you could help me choose which ones to send for Loras. They are all knights of Highgarden, and you know them all, fortunately."

"Of course I can." So that was all her grandmother wanted from her: See if Margaery thought of the same thing and then ask her to help which choosing the men who would free Loras from his cell. The woman acted quickly, there was no doubt, and it made the Queen happy to know that her grandmother actually cared about including her in the plan somehow.

"Marvelous! Now, I'm going to return to Highgarden in a few days, and soon after that will a certain sword swallower whom we like to call family do the very same thing." It was the obvious thing to do, after all. Loras couldn't stay in King's Landing. That was just asking for him to get caught by the Faith again.

"Grandmother!" Margaery scolded her, the tone in her voice raising ever so slightly. It wasn't a harsh scolding, however, it was merely playful. "You can't call him that, I've told you so before."

"Why not?" Lady Olenna retorted. "It is what he is, isn't it? I'm not insulting him, or trying to shame him, I am only describing him. You know I'm supportive of his nocturnal activities." Her grandmother's bluntness and the way she talked about things made it difficult not to laugh. Margaery tried her best, but in the end, a small giggle came from her lips.

"You are a wicked woman, Grandmother."

"Oh, I know," an amused grin appeared on the elder's face. "It's what's kept me alive all these years." More laughter came from Margaery, who looked at her grandmother with admiration for a few seconds. She slowed down their pace until they had stopped altogether, and placed both of her hands on her grandmother's arms, glancing back at the guards so they stayed at the adequate distance from the women and then turning her gaze back to where it was before.

"I do have a question."

"Well, ask away now, it's not like I'm young and have much time left."

"Grandmother! You have quite some time left," Margaery told her, smiling. Lady Olenna was always talking about how little time she had left, but there she was still, very much alive and always active. "Is there any chance that these men can bring Loras to the Red Keep? I want to go to Highgarden with him and make sure he's well."

"And I can't make sure he's well when he arrives on his own?"

"Of course you can, but…" The Queen's gaze wandered around the gardens for a few seconds, the woman herself trying to find the right words to use. "I haven't seen him in a while. I want to be there for him and at least help him begin to heal. Loras isn't the same man he was before his imprisonment, I noticed that the last time the High Sparrow allowed me to see him. I'm sure it would do wonders for him if I joined him during his way back home."

Her grandmother stared back into her eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "I can arrange that. You will announce that you must travel out of the city, and no one has to know that your brother is with you."

Margaery hurried to wrap her arms around her grandmother. "Thank you!" She hugged the older woman tightly and let her go when she deemed it necessary. "But Tommen will want to go with me, he would never want me to leave him alone."

"Of course he does not want that. You are much, much smarter than him and his tart mother. He needs you to help him rule the Seven Kingdoms." This time, Margaery didn't even bother trying to scold her grandmother. It was just impossible for her not to say what was on her mind.

"So, he can go? There is no problem with that?" She asked.

"As long as he doesn't tell anyone about your brother, no."

"Don't you worry about it, Grandmother. I have my ways of achieving that." She offered her grandmother a mischievous grin. There was not much to talk about after that, and they finally went their separate ways. People would be wondering where the Queen was by that moment, and she could not have people wondering where she was. That only opened the door for trouble. Curious people were dangerous, especially in King's Landing.

That had been days prior, though, and now, she was in her chambers, eagerly waiting for her brother's arrival. It was very late at night, at an hour in which Margaery would have been normally sleeping, but the sheer excitement of seeing her brother again had kept her awake, not to mention the small fear that he wouldn't get rescued. It was one of the most excruciating nights of her life, that was for sure. Every second passed was another second when the rescue mission could have gone wrong for any number of reasons. Don't think about that, Margaery. Think positive. Yes, positive. That was how she needed to think. It was useless to think about the possibility of failure, it would only add to her already massive worry.

So, to keep her mind entertained, she tried to think about the plan she had to follow once Loras arrived. He would obviously stay in her chambers for the rest of the night, and when the sun rose high up in the air, they would enter the carriage which would take them out of the city and to Highgarden. Tommen, who, as predicted, insisted on going to Highgarden with Margaery, would not see his brother in law until he got on the carriage himself. Margaery had kept the entire plot hidden from him, it was the best way to avoid him accidentally telling anyone. She would only reveal her plans to him at the latest moment possible, which was when they were all on the carriage together, safely away from any other ears.

And finally, after endless hours of sitting around and waiting, there was a small knock on her door. The person knocked twice quickly, and then two more times, albeit at a slower rate. It was the code she had agreed on with the knights so she knew who to open the door for that night. With a broad smile on her lips, Margaery ran to the door and gently opened it. "Loras?" But upon setting her eyes on the men who stood before her while carrying her brother, her smile vanished in an instant.


And as always, if you did enjoy the chapter, you are more than welcome to leave a review. Hope you all did, and see you on the next chapter!