CrazyCaz: If I remember correctly, I think Catelyn makes a comment about how it would have been better for Robb to fall in bed with Margaery Tyrell rather than Jeyne Westerling in the books (though that may just be a fanfic creation), which may have caused a lot of it. In general, I think ASOIF/GOT are interesting fan-fic fandoms in that way because pairings (especially with Robb) are not based on character interactions in the show/books, but more so in the potential of that alliance, so anything can work. I'm really glad you enjoy the fic though and thanks for the review!
RHatch89: Thanks! I didn't really know how I felt about that update, as I had been stuck on it for so long, but I am glad you liked it!
Fapman: Thanks for the check on it. I'm not going to mess with it, because as far as canonical errors go, I'm not really concerned about things like that and that's a pretty constant thing in fan fiction, so I'm just gonna leave it be. Thanks for the review! Right now, with the story, I am stuck between wanting to get to where the relationship starts to spice up and wanting to cover parts of the story that I feel Margaery and Jon being present in could spice up, so I am somewhat taking a middle-road and trying to do both. Its coming soon though, so don't worry.
Nerdwarf: Thanks! I'm assuming you are referring to the letter from Olenna. I really enjoy Myrcella Baratheon's character and had a really big idea for her, so I wanted to work her in. Frankly, this mostly happened because of DizzyDG's "Wolf Pact", which is my favorite work of fan-fiction ever and everyone should read. Not only is that story great, but the writing in all his/her stories is brilliant (which many of you probably already know) and his/her technical skill is really something I look up to as a writer. It basically made me ship Robbcella (though this story is still Robbaery, no worries).
GamerGirl010: Thanks for the review as always!
Spectre4hire: Thanks for the reviews on the last few chapters! I'm not going to specifically respond, because they were about old ones, but I do appreciate it!
A/N: Hey guys, its Robbaery week, so I thought I'd do my part! So I would like your input on something. I feel that looking back, my quality of writing was somehow way better in the first couple chapters than it is now. Not necessarily in content (though that may be the case), but in the technicalities of it. Is that something anyone else has noticed? Anyways, thanks as always for the reviews, the favorites, and the follows!. Just a warning that there was a time jump here of skipping some Game of Thrones content. I felt that rehashing Game of Thrones material and just throwing Margaery in is not the point of fan fiction, so I chose to skip the scene with Robb killing the Wildlings and the banners being called. On to the chapter though, I tried to combine two main scenes here into one chapter, so as to speed up the story a bit. This chapter also got super long, which I wasn't ready for. Let me know what you think and as always I own nothing!
Side Note: For anyone who read my One-Shot "A Princess' Anger". It will no longer be a One-Shot! I'm thinking about adding a chapter or two to it, spread more Robbcella in the world.
Chapter 9: Margaery Tyrell- Over a month Later
If someone had told Margaery that she would somehow become even more upset in the time after learning the man she loved was going to war, she would have called them a liar. If someone had then told her that she would become impossibly angry at that man right before she was going to war, then she would have called them a fool. Yet, as always, if someone had told her that man was Robb Stark, she would have immediately known it to be the truth. Again, Robb Stark defied all expectations and managed to enrage her to a point she had never thought possible. Palms nearly shaking with anger, she looked down to her hand and again read the note she had just been given by a maid.
Margaery,
You will be staying in Winterfell when I march. I will be sure to bid you farewell in person before then.
Robb.
Margaery had not even finished reading the note before she stormed from her chambers, ready to rip his lordly face off. It was bad enough that Robb believed he could give her orders or that he thought she would not be accompanying him south, neither of which were happening, but the nerve of his arrogant arse to send a note telling her so? If he was too cowardly to command her in person, then Lord Umber had certainly been right when he called him a boy so green he could piss grass. Every army in all of Westeros would crush Robb's army, if he could not even muster the courage to confront some Tyrell girl with his decision. Margaery was sure that if his mother wasn't galivanting in the Vale with that damned dwarf, he would be hiding behind her skirts as always and sending her as his messenger.
Margaery had not been there when Robb had first heard news of his mother's capturing of the dwarf, nor when he received word of Lord Stark's arrest. Not that she particularly needed to be; she had many other duties to attend to and Robb had made the correct decision in both cases, even with Theon whispering in his ear to do otherwise. Only the gods know why Robb respects the kraken boy's advice so much; he's a fool and the son of a traitor, but at least Robb still had Jon and Luwin to rely upon, they wouldn't steer him wrong. As always, Robb had spoken to her about what to do in both cases and she had given her advice as readily as always, first to do nothing and then to call the banners when Lord Stark was declared traitor. They were the correct choices.
That is not to say that Margaery was not troubled by the decision to go to war. She will probably always question whether they should have done so, but it had become inevitable when that murderous bastard Joffrey was demanding Robb's presence in King's Landing. If Robb were to bend the knee, it would be both he and Lord Eddard to lose their heads. Anyone who thought otherwise had clearly never met the annoying, little bastard. As soon as she had learned of Lord Stark's arrest, she knew that the north would be marching to war… rightfully so.
Yet, she still worried. For Lord Stark obviously. The man had basically been the only father she had ever known and he had saved her life when she was but a babe at the breast. Margaery even worried for Bran and Rickon, who would be left all alone in Winterfell to rule in Robb's stead with only Maester Luwin to guide them. Mostly though, Margaery worried for Robb. As much as he denied it, Robb was far too young to be going to war. He continued to argue that he is of a similar age to what Lord Eddard was when he marched to war, but that still did not change the fact that he had only killed his first man some weeks ago and would now be leading an army of 20,000 northerners. Even though he was talented in the tiltyard, Robb was not a killer, he didn't relish in fighting. He was kind, caring, and sweet under his lordly mask; someone who would rather live out his days with his family then ever see the rest of the world or the field of battle. Robb just was not ready to go to war, if he ever really would be.
Thinking back, Margaery realized that these were near the same words many of Robb's bannermen had been shouting when they had first gathered. Margaery didn't know why, but Robb had insisted on her presence during the meeting, something which she had begrudgingly accepted at the time, but was now glad of.
Margaery had met most of the northern lords and she had never really had a problem with them in the past, but now that they were all together she wasn't as certain about her feelings in regards to them. Looking around the hall, she realized the lords were a bit too aggressive and angry for Margaery's taste, especially when it came to Robb. While the northern people were warm and welcoming, the lords seemed completely incapable of accepting Robb as their liege, likely because of his Tully coloring and little else. The only Lord who seemed calm and controlled at the moment was Lord Bolton, who was the furthest person from what Margaery would describe as an ideal lord. Even his eyes alone were disconcerting.
She couldn't help but think that her presence at Robb's side was hurting her rapport with the harsh northerners. Margaery was glad Robb valued her input enough to keep her at his side, but she was doing him no favors in convincing the northerners he was worthy of leading them; even the ever-faithful Mormont she-bears seemed weary of her presence. Though she doubted Robb meant anything of it, Margaery knew her position suggested that Robb wanted her as Lady of Winterfell to the northern lords, all of whom clearly desired their own daughters to attain that spot. It's ironic, Margaery thought, that they would so blatantly disrespect Robb in his own hall when they coveted him so obviously for their precious daughters.
All of this paled in comparison to how embarrassed she was to be sat before the lords as a ruined woman. Many of the lords had seen Margaery before and even commented upon her beauty. While Margaery had always known they were only being polite or flattering, she knew she would no longer be getting any such comments. She was scarred and ugly, why did Robb insist on parading her before the lords of the north? The lords were already mad enough and placing a hideous beast before them would certainly garner him no favor.
Lord Umber especially seemed peeved at the situation after Robb had so clearly dismissed his own daughter. Margaery was somewhat surprised Erika Umber hadn't been brought back to Winterfell to be placed in Robb's lap again, but the Great Jon likely didn't want to risk his whore of a daughter being near so many young lordlings, her 'maidenhood,' if it even existed, likely wouldn't have survived.
Margaery was brought out of her thoughts when the very man she had been contemplating yelled something from across the table. "And what is she doing here Lord Robb?!" The giant exclaimed, clearly speaking of Margaery as he looked her dead in the eyes.
"To whom would you be referring Lord Umber?" Robb replied coldly, his eyes not leaving the Umber man's.
"You know exactly of whom I speak boy! That Tyrell at your side!" The Great Jon yelled back, clearly angered at Robb's lack of response. Margaery could see Robb immediately tense at the use of 'boy', but he seemed to still be maintaining control of his emotions. She was ready to intervene if need be as she knew she could calm Robb quite easily. Though, frankly, she doubted a show of her influence over Robb would do him any favors, so she would have to restrain herself for the time being.
"She is a Lady of the North just as much as your daughter and any of your daughters." Robb spoke, looking between the different lords around him. "Lady Margaery has lived her entire life in Winterfell and has grown up at my side. She is just as much of the north as I am." He finished challengingly, likely he knew his Tully look did him no favors with the Lords of Winter, but Robb seemed to be wagering that the Lords wouldn't question this aloud; any suggestion otherwise would be a great slight against Lady Stark. Margaery smirked, slightly impressed with Robb's words; the Great Jon would have a difficult time countering that.
"Lady of the North!" Lord Umber exclaimed exasperatedly. "Look at Her! She is dressed like a southern flower because she IS a southern flower!" Margaery subconsciously glanced down at her dress, which was in the same southern style she had been wearing since her discussion with her Grandmother. If Margaery had put more thought into it, she likely would have worn a dress in the northern style on this night, but she had thought nothing of it much to her own disappointment. She had promised herself that she would protect Robb and here she was worsening his position with his strongest bannerman.
"I was not aware it was a crime to wear dresses of a more southern nature Lord Umber." Robb replied still surprisingly easily. "If I remember correctly, your daughter seemed to prefer clothing of a similar cut in her time here." He finished with a single brown raised.
The Great Jon sputtered, before recovering and returning his ire to Margaery's direction. "My daughter has never left the north! Your Tyrell has no place amongst us and no place at your side!"
"Look upon her cheek and tell me she is no northerner Lord Umber." Robb began, causing Margaery to gasp slightly. Why would he ever bring that up? He knew how worried Margaery was about standing before the lords as a marked woman. He continued on, as if his words hadn't torn her apart. "That is proof that she has fought for the north; she is of the north. My Tyrell as you call her is at my side because I asked her to stay at my side and she will remain there until I decide otherwise. I value her input and in my experience we northerners do not doubt the abilities of women like they do in the north." Robb continued with a look to Lady Mormont and her daughter, both of whom only nodded in response. "Do any of the other Lords here have any objection to Lady Tyrell's presence here?"
Margaery looked around and was shocked to see the other Lords shaking their heads to his question. She had assumed the other lords had shared in Lord Umber's distrust of her, though she was now pleasantly surprised to see that may not be the case. The Great Jon too seemed to recognize this and sat back down in defeat, grumbling quietly as he did so.
"Now that we have taken care of that." Robb began after a moment, his annoyance still abundantly clear. "I have decided that Galbart Glover will lead the vanguard in our first battles with the Lannisters. I believe no other man is more equipped for such a task." Margaery turned and saw Lord Glover was nearly giddy with excitement at the prospect of such an honor, but nearly groaned when she saw Lord Umber bristle with even more anger. Why couldn't Robb have just chosen the Great Jon? Margaery thought to herself, the giant of a man was already angry with Robb and it would do no good to anger him even further.
Though, Lord Glover was at least a far better choice than Robb's original idea. He had been insistent that his brother Jon lead the vanguard, saying that a Stark should lead the men of the north. Margaery decided not to remind Robb that Jon was no Stark, as it would do no one any good and she cared little about his bastard status, and instead had joined Jon in informing Robb of how awful an idea that was. Giving the honor of leading the vanguard to someone, who many viewed as a boy, especially a bastard, would be seen as an insult to many of the northern lords. After some coaxing from Jon and herself, Margaery had finally convinced him otherwise, suggesting Lord Glover, but now it seemed she was even regretting that.
Surprisingly, Lord Umber only smiled grimly and spoke with obvious humor. "For 30 years I've been making corpses out of men, boy. I'm the man you want leading the vanguard." As much as Margaery didn't like the man… and his daughter, she quite agreed with him on that. Lord Umber and his berserkers would create quite a bit of chaos in the Lannister lines, though Margaery knew Robb would not back from his decision now.
"Galbart Glover will lead the van." Robb replied humorlessly. Margaery quietly cursed Robb for his stubbornness, though she understood why he refused to budge. If Robb had bowed to Lord Umber's demand, then there was no chance of the northern lords ever respecting him, especially with a southern lady at his side during all his war meetings. Frankly, Margaery was again questioning why Robb had asked for he presence today; she hadn't really said anything to Robb or the lords.
"The bloody wall will melt before an Umber marches behind a Glover!" Lord Umber exclaimed still in seemingly good humor, until his face darkened and he leaned forward. "I will lead the van or I will take my men and march them home."
Margaery immediately turned to Robb at these words and saw his own face darken. She began to reach for his shoulder, but decided against it. Lord Umber was clearly pushing the limits to see what the next Lord of Winterfell would allow from his bannermen. Robb needed to establish himself without the appearance of her being a constant presence over his shoulder.
"You are welcome to do so, Lord Umber." Robb said coldly, nodding his head as he began to rise to his feet. "And when I am done with the Lannisters, I will march back north, root you out of your home, and hang you for an oathbreaker." Margaery cringed at his words and looked to the Great Jon, just as every other set of eyes at the table did. She had never been both more proud and afraid of Robb than in that moment, he was not the young man she loved so much now, he was Lord Robb Stark in all his terrible glory.
The only man who appeared to match Robb's anger was Lord Umber, who knocked his cutlery to the side and jumped to his feet. "Oathbreaker is it?!" The man bellowed. "I'll not sit here and swallow insults from a boy so green he pisses grass!" Margaery only turned to face Robb and saw him begin to take a step forward with his hand grasping down towards the hilt of his sword. Deciding that Robb was likely about to lose his calm, Margaery grabbed him firmly by the shoulder and pulled him slightly back. His eyes met hers, boiling with anger, and she only shook her head quickly before seeing Greywind jump in the corner of her vision towards the Great Jon.
Margaery was shocked to see the young pup, who had always been so gentle with her, lunge at Lord Umber and attack without hesitation. To her side, even Robb seemed surprised and concerned at his direwolf's actions. Although the Great Jon had been blatantly flippant, he was still one of Robb's principal bannermen and it would do him no good to lose the Umber men.
Thankfully, Greywind let up on his attack and leapt away from the Great Jon. There was a moment of tense silence before Robb began speaking coldly as Lord Umber slowly rose. "My Lord father taught me it was death to bare steel against your liege lord. But doubtless the Great Jon only meant to cut my meat for me."
Margaery couldn't help but take a step away from the table after Robb's words. The Great Jon had just been humiliated by Greywind and now Robb was mocking him? She cursed him silently knowing that Robb had likely just permanently angered one of his principle bannermen.
Unsurprisingly, the Great Jon kicked his stool across the room and stood up angrily. Margaery was waiting for him to storm out, damn Robb's threats, but instead he started speaking angrily.
"Your meat-" He began before looking around and smiling, holding up his bloody stumps where his fingers once were. "is bloody tough." Margaery was shocked and looked around the room before turning to Robb. The Lords, led by Jon Umber, began laughing loudly, while Robb only grinned before joining in what Margaery thought may have been the fakest laugh she had ever witnessed from him. This was his lordly laugh clearly, and Margaery hated it, but he had dodged a dangerous situation with his lords, despite what Margaery had thought she knew about the customs of northern lords.
Again, much to Margaery's surprise, the Great Jon suddenly became Robb's staunchest supporter and even began looking upon herself with a brighter look. It was eventually decided that Lord Glover would indeed lead the van, though more importantly to Margaery it was decided that both she and Jon would be joining them in the south.
Apparently, Robb had forgotten those plans. Margaery was not about to let that continue. He should have known better than to think that she would simply follow his command without complaint, especially when that command was delivered to her by a maid on a slip of parchment. She'd sooner roll over dead then allow him to order her around like that, even more so about an issue that they had already discussed amongst the presence of his bannermen.
As Margaery made her way through the keep, she was greeted by a number of northmen, all of whom greeted her politely before scurrying away in the face of her icy glare. She would have to return to apologize later, but at the moment she was too angry with Robb to act any differently. His men would simply have to forgive her lack of courtesy for the time.
When she finally arrived at his solar, she didn't bother alerting him of her presence and opened the door without declaration. She entered to find him in discussion with the Great Jon and Lord Bolton, one of whom grinned at her rude entrance while the other only stared blankly.
"Aye!" Lord Umber called. "She truly is a woman of the north, Lord Robb!"
Robb looked up at her startled and narrowed his eyes. "Margaery you should not enter my study without-"
Margaery interrupted him quickly and narrowed her own eyes in return, before looking around to the men before her. "Lord Umber, Lord Bolton, if you would not mind, I would like a moment with Lord Stark. It is of the utmost importance."
To Margaery's surprise, Lord Bolton nodded his head slowly, without the slightest hesitance, while the Great Jon let out a booming laugh. Robb looked towards his bannermen and spoke, apology evident in his tone. "That won't be necessary Lord Umber, Lord Bolton." He then turned back towards Margaery and continued "We can speak later Margaery."
Again, to Margaery's shock, the Great Jon clapped Robb on the back, continuing to laugh and said "No, my boy! You've brought this on yourself. A true northwoman she is and you best listen to a woman of the north!" Before he looked to Lord Bolton, as both of them made their way out of the room, with a grin from the first and only another slight nod from the second.
"Margaery, That-" Robb began angrily, before Margaery interrupted again.
"How dare you send-" Margaery began to say enraged, before she was stopped by Robb's movement towards her.
"No." Robb commanded, using the lordly voice she had so rarely heard from him.
"Robb, I-" Margaery tried, her voice a little weaker.
"No." He spoke again, his face growing less angry, though the discontent still obvious in his voice. "Margaery. You will not do that in front of my bannermen again."
"Robb! I was-" Margaery returned, annoyed. Who was he to say what she could and could not speak in the presence of his bannermen? He had brought her along for many of the meetings with his lords, so didn't that mean he valued her input?
"You will not do that, Margaery!" Robb exclaimed, his voice a little louder. "How am I expected to be the leader of these men, when you do things like this? I have allowed you all the freedom I could, but you are endangering our family here!"
Margaery was taken aback by his words and responded without thought. "How am I endangering out family? You command me to stay at-"
"I know exactly why you are here and we will speak about that in a moment when we are finished." Robb silenced her dismissively. He had never spoken to her like this before and Margaery didn't like it.
She wanted to argue back, but instead only nodded. Clearly, this bickering would only serve to enrage them both.
Robb sighed and leaned back again his desk, before speaking again. "Margaery. I know this hasn't been easy on either of us, but you would say I have included you in my decisions, aye?"
Margaery nodded before trying to speak again. "Yes, but-"
Robb raised his hand to silence her before continuing. "And I have brought you before my lords quite often, even sat you at my side, aye?"
Margaery nodded again, not bothering to even attempt an interruption.
"And do you think me a fool?" Robb asked.
"Of course not!" Margaery exclaimed, somewhat confused by his line of questioning.
"Well then you must know that I am completely aware of what that suggests to my bannermen? What potential harm there is in my doing so?"
Margaery looked down at her hands, beginning to realize what he was arguing. "Aye."
"Then you must know that no matter what the Great Jon may say, if I allow you, a southern lady who is not my wife, to barge into my study when I am meeting with my two most important lords, to interrupt that meeting, and to dismiss them after I argued against you, what that suggests to my bannermen?"
Margaery only nodded her head, too ashamed to look him in the eyes.
"I want you to tell me what you think it means, Margaery." Robb challenged, obviously trying to further scold Margaery.
"Weakness." Maragery said, still not meeting his gaze. "That you will do anything a young, southern flower asks of you. That you cannot be respected or trusted as their liegelord."
Robb walked his way towards Margaery and raised her chin with a single finger, forcing her to look upon him. "Then you understand why I am angry?"
Margaery again only nodded her head. Even if she was angry with him, Margaery knew she had not acted appropriately. She needed to think about her actions more; it was unwise to act on such emotion without thinking through her decisions. She had promised herself that she would never endanger Robb and now she had gone and done exactly that again. After a moment, she finally worked up the courage to ask the question she had been wondering throughout Robb's scolding. "Why?"
A look of confusion crossed Robb's face. "What do you mean why?"
"Why.." Margaery hesitated before continuing. "Why do you even seat me at your side? If you know the risk, then why… why would you put a r-ruined woman before your bannermen?" She finished, choking on her last words.
She immediately felt herself be pulled into a hug and her anger at Robb was momentarily forgotten. "Margaery, I never want to hear you say that again." He said, pulling back and looking her in the eyes. "You are just as beautiful as you ever were." He whispered quietly, causing Margaery to suck in a breath. "And why? Because I need you with me. Because even if you may have been wrong in dismissing my bannermen today, in almost every other instance you are quite right. Why do I risk the trust and respect of my bannermen just to have you around? Because your input is worth the risk."
Margaery pulled herself back towards Robb and nodded her head against his chest. "I'm sorry. Truly. I should not have acted in such a way." Margaery apologized truthfully.
"Aye. You shouldn't have." Robb said with a chuckle.
After a moment of easy silence, Margaery pulled herself back away from him. "I'm still angry with you." She asserted.
"Aye. I know." Robb conceded, not trying to argue against her.
"I will not be commanded around like some common-woman and certainly not by a note sent by some maid." She warned.
"I should have spoken with you directly." Robb admitted, though not elaborating any further.
Margaery waited a moment and continued glaring directly at him. To her surprise, he continued meeting her gaze. In the past, even a hint of her glare would break his will, but it seemed today would not be like the others. "And I will be accompanying you to the south… as we already discussed." Margaery finished, leaving no room for argument.
"Margaery, you should stay in Winterfell." Robb tried, his voice steadfast.
"I do not care what you think I should or should not do. I will be accompanying you to the south." She repeated, meeting his steadfast tone.
"I need you to watch over Winterfell for me. Rule it in my stead. Bran and Rickon both need you. They can't rule without your guidance." He began, knowingly pulling at her heart. "I will have Jon with me and I need someone here I trust to hold the north. I need you to stay here."
Margaery felt her resolve waiver for a moment. Should she stay? She couldn't bare to leave little Rickon or even poor Bran; they had already lost so much and were about to lose their brother. But… If Margaery didn't go and… the gods forbid, something were to happen to Robb, then it would all be for naught.
"No." Margaery stated clearly, causing Robb to visibly reveal his shock.
"No? But we need you in Winterfell! Bran and Rickon need you!" Robb tried to argue, his voice exasperated.
"You just said it yourself Robb. You need me. Bran and Rickon will have Maester Luwin to help them lead. While they may not be a family member, I would not be able to replace you or your mother. Besides, your mother will be returning to Winterfell after the situation with the Imp has sorted itself out. They will survive without me and Winterfell will stand as it always has." Margaery finished, knowingly challenging him to counter her arguments.
"Margaery… I only think-" Robb said, his voice just a hint weaker.
"And, as we discussed with the lords, my presence can help ensure the support of the Reach. 100,000 swords at your side Robb; or at the very least not on the side of your enemies." She speculated. "I need to be with you, if we are to win this war."
Robb said nothing for several moments. Margaery readied herself to argue further, but instead he let out a deep sigh. "Aye. Aye, you are right… I wanted to make sure you were safe…I couldn't bare it if you were hurt again."
Margaery grabbed his hand gently and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Nothing will happen. I will certainly not be entering any battlefield; I will leave that to you." She japed, trying to lighten the mood.
"Aye. I won't let it." Robb stated, no doubt evident in his words. He sighed deeply again and looked directly at her with such emotion that Margaery almost turned away. After a moment, he cleared his throat and took a step back. "We leave on the morrow Margaery. You best prepare your things, though I am guessing you were already in the process of doing so." He finished with a smile, clearly dismissing her.
She nodded her head and smiled. Margaery lingered a for a small time, before turning around and beginning to leave the room.
"Send in the Great Jon and Lord Bolton, will you Margaery!?" Robb called out over her shoulder.
She didn't respond, but she knew she would do so. She should likely apologize as well, though perhaps just this once she would allow herself a mistake and leave her courtesies imperfect; she certainly believed she had earned one and she would not be able to do so for some time if things continued like they were.
This chapter was written while listening to Amy Shark, a great indie rock/pop singer from Australia (Her song Adore is one of my top 5).