« You shall transmit my terms to your son, Lady Stark. »

Stannis was sitting in the great hall of Storm's End, facing Catelyn, his jaw clenched. He did not forgive her for taking Renly's side when it was her husband, Eddard, who warned him about his "nephews and niece" being bastards. Catelyn, down the few steps that led to him, tried to plead her cause:

"Lord Stannis, I don't think…"

"I am no Lord, I am your king, Lady Stark. You should not forget your place", he gritted his teeth.

She stared at him and slightly nodded, her pale blue eyes locking his. Stannis said again:

"Your son will be Governor of the North, as his father was before him. But he will abandon this title of "King in the North". The Seven Kingdoms have only one king. Me. The North has a special place in the realm, I know it very well. But I will not give him more than that. I propose him that Shireen would marry Rickon, when the two of them will be old enough. When I'll take the Iron Throne, that your daughters will be safe, Renly shall marry Sansa."

Catelyn startled slightly:

"They're almost ten years apart", she protested.

Stannis glared at her and she remained silent, though furious. As if nothing happened, Stannis said again:

"If we manage to ally Dorne, Arya could marry prince Trystane. Robb shall swear me allegiance and will fight the Lannisters by my side. Those are my terms. He is free to accept them or not. You are a clever woman, Lady Stark. You do know your son needs allies in this war. He has sent Theon Greyjoy to Pikes. Very well. But you know it has been a long time since Theon is not considered a Greyjoy anymore. And you do know the Greyjoys are too stubborn, or too stupid, as you wish, to ally with anyone. Balon Greyjoy thinks he can win this war by himself. I don't. Now, I'm gonna give you a small escort to join your son."

Catelyn had not looked down the whole time he was speaking. She remembered how Ned talked about Stannis: he praised his military talent, his honesty and honor. Ned was also talking about how stubborn he was, how hard he could be with the others, especially the closest people from him. She slightly shakes her head:

"Thank you, your Grace, but my own escort is enough for me"

"That was not a question", he retorted.

Catelyn stood speechless and bowed slightly. Stannis told her she could leave and so she did. She prepared to get back to Robb, and Brienne, Renly's kingsguard, was supposed to go with her. Lady Stark was allowed a beautiful room in the castle, and Shireen had immediately been really nice to her. She was more defiant of Margaery: the young girl was beautiful, and she knew it. Her ambition seemed limitless and Catelyn thought she could grow to be a very dangerous woman. On many points, she made her think of Cersei Lannister. Except she looked truly fond of Stannis, unlike Cersei with Robert. She sat by the window and sighed softly: she missed her son. She missed her daughters, back there in King's Landing. Sansa, Arya… Only Stannis could free them now. She thought about Rickon and Bran, alone in Winterfell. Her boys were so little… They probably hated her now for abandoning them. And Ned… How she missed Ned. How she wished none of that happened. She closed her eyes and pressed her brow against the cold glass of the window. She was close to drift off to sleep when she heard a knock on her door. For a second, she was tempted to pretend she was really asleep but it could be important.

"Come in", she wearily said.

Margaery opened the door and stepped in with a smile. Catelyn stood up and bowed:

"Your Grace"

"Please, sit down."

She had brought a pitcher:

"Would you like some wine, Lady Stark?" she asked.

"No, thank you."

Margaery put the pitcher on the table and walked closer to Catelyn. She sat by her side and just stared at her for a minute. Catelyn was ill at ease: she would have wanted to know why she was here.

"How were the first times of your marriage?" she suddenly asked, before blushing intently. "Pardon me if I sound indiscreet."

Catelyn couldn't help but smiling: Margaery reminded her of Sansa, somehow. Pale and delicate like a rose, but someone wise would be careful. Roses had thorns. She tilted her head:

"Is everything alright between you and your husband?"

Margaery nodded slowly:

"It's just… I am not sure of loving him. And I am not sure he does either."

"Oh, sweet girl… Love can come in very different forms. I barely knew Eddard when I married him. I was promised to his brother Brandon. I have fallen in love with him, with time. It was not on the spot."

Margaery looked reassured by Catelyn's answer. It showed on her flawless face.

"I heard that Cersei Lannister was very unhappy with Robert", she whispered, bending on her.

Catelyn half smiled:

"Robert was promised to Ned's sister. But Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped her and she died."

"Hence King Robert's hatred for the Targaryens?" the young girl asked.

Catelyn approved and smiled at her. She was really beautiful, a sweeter beauty than Cersei Lannister, and almost as striking. Lady Stark had observed the young queen : her gentleness with Shireen, with Stannis, with everyone around her, even the servants, had made her appreciate her. She hoped for her that Stannis was different in private than in public. He was so cold; he looked like he did not even know the word "feelings". Though, he had spared Renly. Catelyn had been surprised, but she knew his words were sincere: Renly better be a loyal man. Otherwise, Stannis would not hesitate mounting his head on a pike, brother or not.

"Have you heard about Daenerys?" Margaery asked again, her eyes sparkling this time.

"Not really. I heard she was very beautiful. Robert wanted to assassinate her. This Targaryen's hatred", Catelyn almost excused him.

"She is just a child", Margaery gaped with a horrified look.

"I know. Eddard thought the same. When the Kingslayer injured him, Robert changed his mind. But I heard the orders had already been given. Daenerys might be dead now. We cannot know."

Margaery listened, nodding slowly.

"If she lives, she will want the throne, will she?"

"Yes. Robert was a usurper in her mind, and so is your husband", Catelyn said.

Margaery sighed:

"It sounds like this war is far from ending"

"Indeed", Catelyn nodded in approval.

Days and weeks passed: Catelyn had left to find Robb, Davos was still seeking for alliances. He sent messages to Dorne, but an agreement with them was highly unsure. Stannis counted more on their hate for the Lannisters than on their love for the Targaryens. After several messages, he decided to send Davos there, to negotiate face to face with their Lord. The King was awake since a few minutes but he did not want to leave his bed. His wife was asleep, huddled up against him. The rays of sunshine were giving her hair luminous shine. She looked peaceful and contented, her small hand on his chest. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He laid a gentle kiss on the scented skin, and moved slowly the sheets to observe her naked body. His eyes wandered on her shoulders, the hollow between her ribs and her hips, her breasts resting against his side, her hair half covering them. He softly moved her hair away to watch his heart's content. She moved slightly and her leg came on his crotch.

"Do you like what you see?"

He turned to her with a smile. She was smirking, her eyes half opened, looking still in a sleepy mood.

"Go back to sleep", Stannis ordered. "It's early."

She nodded but didn't close her eyes.

"Today, it has been a month…"

"I know", he softly said.

A month ago, they made the vow to stay together until they died. Margaery grinned:

"I thought I could celebrate today with something special for you"

Stannis frowned:

"Like… a gift."

She nodded:

"A gift you'll love."

"What is it?" he asked, half smiling.

She raised a knowing eyebrow and started kissing his neck. He closed his eyes and stroked her back. Her lips were running on his neck, the tip of her tongue stroked his Adam's apple. Soon, she kissed her way down his body, laying kisses, there gentle, there more passionate, on his chest, his belly. When she reached his navel, he whispered her name. Taking that as an encouragement, she kept going down. "No", she heard. She looked up and Stannis sat up to move away from her. He hid his crotch under the sheets. She joined him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"I want to please you, my King."

"I am not Robert, and you are not a whore", he groaned, pushing her away.

She gasped slightly, scared. She wrapped the sheets around her and curled up. He scowled at her, but he saw she was on the verge of tears, and he felt guilty. He was too brusque with her, he knew it but he could not help it. She was too young, too fragile. Her youth stroke him, as he was looking at her, naked, curled up, swinging softly, as a terrified child. That's what she was: a child. He was sleeping with a child. Trying to get a grip on himself, he raised a hand to stroke her hair, but she recoiled violently.

"Leave me alone", she spat.

His eyes turned dark suddenly: leave me alone? How dare she talk like that to her King? She stood up and looked for her clothes on the floor. Stannis could not believe it:

"Where are you going?"

"Outside", she spat again.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm down when he already felt furious.

"Come back here", he groaned. "I did not allow you to leave."

She snorted. She snorted.

"I am not your slave. I am the Queen. I do what I want."

She put on her dress again and walked to the door. In an instant, Stannis had joined her, completely naked. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the door.

"You are my wife, and you will obey me."

She stared at him and suddenly kissed him. He kissed back gently, but she was not in the mood for softness. She bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and he stifled a yell. He stepped back, stared at her speechless. She grinned, joined him and licked the blood off his lips. Excited, he pinned her against the door again and ripped her dress apart. Before she could do anything, he left her legs and she wrapped them around his waist. She internally hoped he would be less fast than the other times. She knew he could be great, but he looked like he did not care about her pleasure, and just about the fact that they needed to do that to have heirs. She sighed his name, and cried out when he got in her, because he was brutal, thrusting hard and fast in her. She begged him to go easy but he did not listen and soon, it was over. She moaned with disappointment as he was groaning with ecstasy. Margaery remembered what he said earlier and wanted to show him she was not a child, not anymore. Maybe if she was making love to him, and not the contrary, it would be better. Stannis pulled away and turned to go but she grabbed his wrist. He gave her an inquiring look and she kissed him again, passionately. He was such a good kisser. He followed her rhythm: obey him? What a joke… She bossed him around in bed. Bed was the most important place between a wife and a husband. She grabbed his hips, dug her nails in his skin and pushed him on the bed. Before he could say anything, she sat astride him, guided his sex in her, and started wriggling violently. Stannis stifled a moan and stared at her: no, she did not look like a child now. Her breasts were bouncing violently with her rhythm, and he raised his arms to stroke them but she pinned him against the mattress. She was noisy, it turned him on. He loved how she could control her inner body. She was contracting around him, more or less hard, making him blow his mind. He did not have to help her or anything: he could be totally passive, she was wonderful. Her moans were so exciting he was soon close to come. He gritted his teeth and held it back but Margaery threw her head back, her moans turned into shouts and she suddenly stared at him, entangled her fingers with his and moved harder than ever. "Give me a son", she shouted. "Give me a son!" And then Stannis Baratheon, the less pious man in the Seven Kingdoms, prayed. He prayed, indeed, and he did not pray R'Hllor. He prayed the Seven. He prayed as hard as he could, he begged them to give them a son. Margaery felt how close she was and beamed. She kept moving, and he let the climax he was holding back for so long overwhelming him. He sat up, wrapped his arms around Margaery and held her tight, his face on her breasts. Margaery didn't say anything, but hardly held back her tears, and Stannis's body was jolting with the violence of pleasure he was feeling. They did not speak: they were panting, breathing heavily, in a sweat. Margaery was the first to move: her hands gently stroked his short hair, ran to his cheeks and she made him looking at her. "I love you", she whispered. Even though their experiences in bed were awful, yes, she loved him.