Chapter 35
The Rose of Highgarden
Ok, I admit defeat. This isn't the last chapter either. FUCK. I have things going on in my life I need to deal with and I can't because I'm spending 20 hours a week writing this. However, I owe to myself and to you faithful readers who have stuck with me for 300,000+ words (FUCK ME!) to finish this well and I'm just going to have to accept it's gonna take as long as it takes.
It doesn't help that this has been Arya x Gendry week. (I'm not really sure what that is, but I've seen the effects all over Fanfic). I also saw the prompts and wrote a one shot for the drug prompt that I can't post until tomorrow apparently. So you can look out for that if you're not totally sick of me yet. OMFG those Sansa fans are gonna kill me if you lot don't. I've been promising them for months I'll finish my Sansa story immediately I finish Wolf's Helmet and here I go…off on another tangent again.
WTF. It's only Fanfic (& I like it).
Also…Renly's funeral should have been in the last chapter, but I never got it written before my deadline. So we're jumping back in time a bit here to begin with. The funeral takes place before Edric, Jon and Arya awake.
Loras had sent a helicopter to bring him home to Storm's End as quickly as possible. Gendry wanted to be away from Arya for as little time as he had to.
There was a helipad on the roof of Maester's Hospital, but not at Storm's End. They had to land on the sea grass outside his castle's walls. Storm's End had been his before, but with Renly gone, he felt the burden of ownership weigh more heavily on his shoulders. It made him think again of Robb and Winterfell.
Loras was waiting for him, standing beside Renly's black Bentley. The helicopter's rotor blades were still spinning, whipping up the sandy soil, when Gendry jumped out and ran in a crouch towards Loras. His Head of Security stood stock still, aviator sunglass on, arms crossed, leaning on Renly's car. Loras looked exactly the same as he had the first day Gendry ever laid eyes upon him, but everything else had changed since then.
As he reached Loras, Gendry slowed, unsure of what to do. Did you hug Loras Tyrell? Jon would, but Gendry had never had that close a relationship with Loras. So he stopped a few feet away and yelled 'Hi'.
Loras motioned for him to get in the car, as he walked around to the driver's side. Gendry was painfully aware he was sitting in Renly's seat. Loras always drove, with Renly invariably on his phone or his laptop beside him. Big shoes to fill.
He was in the car before he noticed Penrose sitting in the back. So they were going straight to scatter the ashes. Loras hadn't been kidding when he'd said it wouldn't take long.
Penrose looked as if he'd aged 20 years.
"How are you doing?" Gendry asked. It was such a pointless thing to say. Gendry already knew the answer. Penrose would be utterly devastated, perhaps more so even than Loras. Renly had been like a son to him.
The old man shrugged his shoulders helplessly as he sighed
"A man shouldn't have to bury his son," confirming what Gendry already knew.
"I'm sorry." Again, it was a pointless statement, but it was all he had.
Penrose gave him a weak, half smile.
Loras got into the car without a word. Gendry didn't say anything either, so the three of them proceeded in silence.
Loras had told him there was a monument to Renly's parents, lost at sea when Renly was still a child. It had been Renly, rather than Robert or Stannis, who had erected the monument out on the headland at Rain House, directly across the bay from Storm's End. That was typical of Renly; no detail ever forgotten. If the monument was where Loras had decided Renly's ashes should be scattered, Gendry wasn't going to argue.
They followed the road around the bay, the road he had taken with Loras and Jon the week before. They'd taken the bikes out…taken the bikes and bloody Margaery. His heart sank whenever he thought of her. He had tried to mention it once or twice to Loras, who had made it clear he wasn't interested in discussing it. Gendry wasn't going to push, but without Loras' help, he was at a loss as to how to deal with Margaery. However, he was going to have to come up with something soon.
"Looks like Edric's going to make a full recovery." Gendry said, wanting to break the oppressive silence between them.
"So I hear." Loras muttered.
Gendry didn't try again.
They drove past the view point where they had stopped with the bikes. The 'road' disappeared and they were following a dirt track that the huge Bentley wobbled over like a big, wet sponge. It was clear the track hadn't been used often as branches struck the car roof, breaking the silence as they brushed past.
They didn't travel too far before they reached a heavy gate, barring their way. Parked beside the gate was a white Toyota Prius. It looked like a toy compared to Renly's huge Bentley and quite incongruous sitting at the end of an otherwise deserted, dirt track.
"That's my brother – Willas. I asked him to bring something from Highgarden for Renly."
Gendry thought about asking what, or why, but Loras clearly wasn't in the mood to talk and no doubt all would be revealed shortly. Gendry was surprised that the Lord of the fabulously wealth Highgarden Estates drove a Prius. Gendry assumed he must be one of those tree hugging types.
As Loras pulled up, the driver's door of the Prius opened and a pair of legs swung out, followed by a stick. Loras hadn't ever spoken to Gendry about his family. Gendry only realised now that Loras had never really spoken to him much at all, except about Baratheon related business or to take the piss out of him. Whatever Gendry had imagined Loras' eldest brother to be, this wasn't it.
Willas pulled himself out of the car using the stick and the driver's door for support. He looked like an older, feebler Loras, with longer hair. Willas' hair sat on his shoulders in a mass of blond curls. Imagining Loras with hair like that brought a smile to Gendry's face. Loras looking like a surfer dude - now that was a mental image to savour.
As he got out of the car, Gendry looked across as Loras with his close cropped, military style hair and wondered if that was one of the reasons he kept it so short. A mop of shaggy, blonde curls hardly fitted in with the severe image the Head of Baratheon Security liked to project.
The brother's greeted each other warmly, obviously sharing a great affection for each other. Gendry supposed he had Edric now, but imagined how great it must have been to grow up with a brother, or even better, a couple of brothers. That's what he wanted for his sons. However he didn't have time to start daydreaming about getting Arya pregnant again as Loras was introducing him to Willas.
They shook hands and Willas greeted him with a warm, ready smile and twinkling, green eyes. Gendry noticed the laughter lines around Willas' eyes and mouth. Gendry took an instant liking to Loras' brother; a man who laughed that much couldn't be too bad, despite his ridiculous choice of car.
Loras was opening the boot of the Prius. Gendry was surprised to see him lift out a young rose bush, covered in a mass of small, pale pink, blooms.
"The hardiest one we grow, tolerant of salt air and I though Renly would like the colour." " Willas explained gently.
For the first time since Renly's death, Gendry saw raw emotion on Loras' face. For an instant Gendry thought he was about to break down, but the flicker of grief was gone in an instant and the mask was back in place.
"Gendry, the spade and water please." Gendry lifted those two things from the Prius' boot.
Loras then retrieved a plain, square, unmarked wooden box from the boot of the Bentley. Gendry felt a lump form in his own throat. He remembered his mother's ashes being handed to him in an identical box.
The four of them walked in slow procession, to allow for Willas' leg and Penrose's age towards the gate. Loras had a key for the padlock, but wouldn't put the rose bush down to leave both hands free and wouldn't accept help from either Gendry or Willas. They had only just closed the gate behind them when Gendry caught an unpleasant, unwelcome scent on the air. Targaryen - and both of them, by the smell of it. Loras caught it to. Gendry bit his tongue. Loras had invited Rhaegar after all.
"If we walk slowly they'll catch us up." Loras muttered, as if there was any prospect of Penrose and Willas walking in any other way.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the Targaryens to catch up. Their smell grew stronger and soon Gendry could hear their laboured breath as they hurried, on foot along the track.
"The Ferrari wouldn't make it down the here. Not enough ground clearance." Rhaegar explained when they'd caught up.
When Gendry looked at Griff, he had to try really, really hard not to imagine Griff fucking Arya; her naked and panting under him, back arched with pleasure, long nails raking the white skin of Griff's back, his stupid, blue hair falling over her face, her eyes closed, face suffused with lust as she took his cock. Fuck! Get a grip. Stop torturing yourself. She'd chosen him, not Griff. Gendry found it simpler to avoid looking at the Targaryen.
Another round of introductions followed. Willas seemed intrigued by Rhaegar. From their conversation, Gendry gathered that Willas had been a fan, or at least interested in his music. Gendry was more than happy to have the two of them take up the rear. Gendry offered his arm to Penrose, who clung onto it gratefully as the ground became rockier and the old man grew weary. Loras and Griff, or Aegon, as he'd been introduced to Penrose and Willas, marched up ahead. Gendry only caught snippets of their conversation as they pulled away from the rest of the group. The wind was blowing from the land behind, out to the sea, carrying their words away. Griff seemed to be boring Loras with details of his impending tour.
The day was drawing to a close and Gendry suspected he was going to have to carry Penrose back, to hell with the indignity. There was no way the old butler was going to be able to negotiate this rutted path in the dark. Loras had specifically wanted whatever he had planned to take place at twilight. If they didn't make better time, Gendry suspected it would be dark before they even got there.
However, it wasn't as far as he'd feared. Suddenly they broke through the trees, onto cleared land at the cliff top. The same scrubby, salt grass that grew around Storm's end, covered the top of the cliff here. In front of them, silhouetted against the evening sky, was a prancing Baratheon stag, standing atop a five foot high, black granite plinth. The Stag was made of the same black granite, but polished to perfection and it seemed to glitter and gleam as it was struck by the last rays of the sun. Not a gold stag, but impressive none the less.
Loras and Griff were already waiting and Gendry was surprised to see Tyrion Lannister with them.
More introductions. Tyrion explained he wasn't familiar with the Storm Lands and had decided to make of day of it and hike from the bus stop at Griffin's Roost. It would have taken Gendry a couple of hours, at most, to walk to their current location, but he supposed, with Tyrion's little bowed legs, a day's walk wasn't too bad.
Rhaegar recognised Tyrion, but the Lannister had no idea he had met Rhaegar before. It was hardly surprising, seeing as Rhaegar had been transformed into an albino wolf when they first met.
When Rhaegar expressed surprise that Tyrion had taken a bus and, what's more walked for so long after, Tyrion explained that there was no better way to get a feel for a place and its people, than to travel on their public transport with them and walk amongst them (although he did hope to catch a lift back with someone). Gendry was impressed, once again, by Tyrion's astuteness and resolved to try the public transport thing himself one day.
So the little group; two Tyrells, two Baratheons (if you counted Penrose as a Baratheon, which Gendry did), two Targaryens and a Lannister gathered to pay their last respects to Renly Baratheon.
Loras instructed Gendry to dig a hole at the base of the plinth, where the rose would grow and, as Willas explained, in a few years would cover the plinth in pink roses that would bloom from early summer until the first snows of winter.
While Gendry dug the hole, under Willas' watchful eyes, Loras opened the box to reveal what was left of Renly Baratheon. Renly had been a giant amongst men, a captain of industry, a multi-millionaire patron of the arts, a Werewolf and a Gentleman who put his family above all else and still it came to this; a pile of dust in a plain wooden box.
Loras invited them all to take a handful to place in the ground, where the rose would grow. Gendry was pleased to note that Griff hung back and didn't take part in their farewell.
"The son I never had." Penrose said, his voice cracking with emotion as he dropped his handful of ash into the ground.
"Brother." Rhaegar added his handful.
"Family." Willas whispered, as he cast his dust into the hole.
"I was proud to call you my friend." Tyrion said solemnly, crouching down and placing his little handful gently in the ground.
"We never had long enough Renly, but I'll never forget you. Thank you for everything." Gendry uttered his words slowly, holding his fist over the hole and letting the dust run through his fingers as he spoke.
Finally Loras came forward with the box and squatted down in front of the plinth.
"Goodbye my love." He said simply as he emptied almost all of the contents of the box into the ground. Then he placed the rose bush in the hole, before pushing the spare, dry earth around its roots and flattening it down with his hands. Gendry handed him the bottle of water.
"Grow Strong" he murmured as he poured the water around the base of the rose.
Loras took the last handful of ash from the box and strode over to the cliff's edge. He paused for a moment, his head hanging; arms limp by his side, silhouetted against the horizon as the sun disappeared into the sea. The red horizon slowly became deep purple where it bled into the darkening night sky. High above them, the first stars were already visible. The Moon hovered, waiting as expectantly as the six men behind Loras.
"You were the best of us all."
Loras raised his right fist and threw the final handful of dust out across Stormbreaker bay. In the twilight Gendry could see some of the dust immediately fall to the sea below and more carried away on the breeze, out into the bay.
"Find peace with Steffon and Cassandra."
No-one moved, no-one spoke. Gendry could hear Penrose sobbing quietly. He placed his arm around Penrose's shockingly thin shoulders. There was no point in Penrose staying out here, in the rapidly cooling night air. Gendry gently turned him around to face the forest again.
"It's so unfair. Why him? Why not me?" Penrose moaned softly as he leant on Gendry.
Gendry had no answer for him. The two of them began to walk back the way they had come. Soon the others followed, all except Loras.
Day, night, it was all the same to the wolves, but Penrose, Griff, Tyrion and Willas had to be helped back. Tyrion had the foresight to bring a torch and he walked ahead, providing a small circle of light for the others. Rhaegar linked arms with Griff and Willas, who managed between them to make good progress. After a few minutes of Penrose slowly stumbling over the uneven ground, grasping at Gendry's arm with both hands, Gendry murmured 'Let me help you' and, without waiting for Penrose's stubborn objections, scooped him up in his arms as he would a child. Gendry felt Penrose's wet tears against his chest, the old man seeming as old and fragile as a piece of parchment as Gendry carried him back.
They were only half way when it came. Loras howled, stopping the others dead in their tracks with his mournful, achingly lonely wail. Rhaegar and Gendry didn't add their voices. This was Loras' final goodbye. After a moment, they continued on as Loras howled his lament behind them.
When they reached the gate, Gendry set Penrose on his feet and watched the old man hobble away to the waiting Bentley.
"So who's got room in their car for a half?" Tyrion asked "I don't fancy the walk back tonight."
Of course everyone offered; Willas to take him anywhere on the Rose road, Gendry had the helicopter waiting to go back to London. Even Rhaegar offered to let him sit on his lap in the Ferrari. Unsurprisingly the helicopter seemed to be the most attractive option. While they were discussing their plans, Griff drew Gendry aside.
"My father told me about Arya. He warned me you could be lying, as Robert lied to him, but I've known you while Gendry and I never had you down as a liar. So I'm going to ask you once and I want you to answer me honestly – did Arya beg you to bite her?"
Gendry replied with a terse "yes".
"And did it work?"
Gendry hadn't expected him to ask that. Then he realised the guy was desperate, clutching at straws. Gendry almost felt sorry for him…almost, but not quite.
"Yeah."
Griff sagged, any last vestige of hope apparently gone.
"My dad tells me that means she's part of your pack now."
Gendry was glad it was dark as he couldn't keep the smirk off his face.
"Yeah."
Griff pulled himself together again. "You'd better take care of her Bull. If I ever find out you've hurt her or let her down…"
Gendry grinned. Fucking blue haired cunt. Who did he think he was talking to? Gendry was tempted to come out with some smart arsed comment like 'You and whose army?' but that would be excessively childish. He'd won and he would be magnanimous in victory.
"Don't worry your pretty little head. Now I've got her, I'm going to take good care of her." Gendry growled, slapping Griff on the back. Hard. Only Rhaegar's presence prevented him from doing it harder. "And you'll be pleased to hear I've released you from your contracts with your record label. You'll get all future royalties from any rights we held…I should say, any rights I held." He couldn't help himself clarifying that. Griff was contracted to him and he wanted to make it clear it was his generosity setting Griff free and making him a multi-millionaire, probably 5 years earlier than anticipated.
Griff seemed to have no idea who was at then end of the corporate trail of his recording contract, holding the reins, pulling the strings. He looked stunned by the news - or maybe it was the slap on the back that had stunned him.
Gendry didn't have time to ponder upon it, as Willas was suddenly at his elbow.
"Lord Baratheon, can I have a word before we both go our separate ways?"
Willas was more formal than he had been all night and this was what Gendry had waited for. Griff was a mere inconvenience now compared to this cluster fuck up.
"Ah yes…about Margaery I presume" Gendry replied smoothly, although his heart was racing. Renly would have been proud of him.
Willas nodded and took a few steps away from the circle of light now cast by the Bentley's headlights, so the two of them were in the dark. Of course that made no difference to Gendry. He wondered if Willas knew that.
"Margaery tells me that you two had…a fling…and she thinks she's carrying your child."
It took every ounce of self control Gendry possessed not to grab Willas by the lapels of his jacket and scream in his face that his sister was a lying, cheating whore.
Instead he replied calmly. "We did fuck…once… a few days ago and I can assure it was for the first and last time. I doubt she can know if she's pregnant already…at least not with my child." He allowed himself a tight smile, as Willas' eyes widened in surprise.
That took the wind out of Willas' sails; no doubt he had heard a quite different version of events from his dear sister. Gendry wished, not for the first time, that Loras was here to help him, but there was still no sign of Willas' young brother.
"Once was enough to take my sister's virginity…"
Gendry was blindsided by that! Margaery was a virgin? He sincerely doubted it, but he'd been too drunk, too high on the impending Full Moon and too affected by the Wolfsbane to even notice he was fucking the wrong girl. But surely he would have noticed if she was a virgin?
He cast his mind back to that awful night. He'd followed who he thought was Arya down into the cellars, where she'd been waiting, ready for him, her huge fucking dress up around her ears already. He remembered stumbling, feeling strange. At the time he'd put it down to the drink and the pre-Full Moon jitters, but with the wonder of hindsight, he knew it was Wolfsbane. He distinctly remembered seeing Arya's Agent Provocateur thong from a few hours before, vaguely thought it was strange she was still wearing it as the thong had been sodden before and although he loved that, she didn't. However, he'd had that thong pulled aside and was in there, quick as you like. Renly had started calling him from upstairs before he'd even cum and, if Gendry remembered correctly, he'd not exchanged even one word with Margaery/Arya. He'd cum in jig time, pulled out, slapped her arse and run back up the stairs to Renly, happy as a clam. Oh how he regretted that now.
He was pretty sure Margaery was no virgin, but how the hell did he prove that? It was her word against his and who was Willas going to believe?
"I would expect an honourable man, such as yourself Lord Baratheon, to stand by my sister, who's virginity you seem to have taken so callously." Willas was angry now, defending his sister's honour.
"If she's pregnant I'll stand by the child."
"And my sister? That child should be your heir…unless there any others you're hiding already."
Gendry had to fight for self control again. "I can assure you Lord Tyrell…" he hissed through gritted teeth "…there are no bastards fathered knowingly by me."
"Don't let my sister's be the first! House Tyrell expects…no demands…that you legitimise the child by marrying the mother. I will not have my niece or nephew denied their rights and titles to Storm's End. Do I make myself clear Lord Baratheon?"
"You do Sir and I would repeat, we fucked once…in a cellar, when I was drunk and tricked by your sweet sister into believing she was my fiancé."
Willas looked shocked.
"Your fiancé…?" He repeated, obviously having never heard this before from Margaery. A hint of doubt had crept into his voice. It would take a hell of a lot more for him to believe Gendry over his sister though.
"I have been engaged to Arya Stark, of House Stark for some time now and your sister has lied and schemed and tricked me Sir. I have reason to believe Lady Redwyne is also involved in the deceit."
That was obviously a step too far for Willas. If he was having any doubts about Margaery, they were cast aside at the mention of his Grandmother's involvement.
"You retract that statement now Gendry! I will not have you slander Lady Redwyne!"
"I would remind you Sir that it's only slander if the allegation is false. I have told you the truth."
"Which I do not accept, having been told the truth by my sister who I have known for all of her life, as opposed to you Sir, who have been known to me for all of an hour!"
"Ask Loras." Gendry snarled. "Let him tell you your sister is a liar!"
Willas opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of it and turned on his heel and limped back to his bloody electric car.
Gendry was left fuming with impotent rage. What a fuck up.
Loras had left the keys in the Bentley and Gendry had to do something. He wasn't going to stand around waiting on bloody Loras, keeping Penrose waiting any longer. He knew Loras could get back to Storm's End just as quickly as they could; probably quicker, as he didn't have to follow the winding road and could run across country as fast as four legs could carry him.
Once or twice en-route, Gendry thought he glimpsed the silver disks of eyes, moving beside them, reflecting the headlights of the Ferrari or the Bentley, but it was so fleeting a glimpse he couldn't be sure. However, when they arrived back in the courtyard of Storm's End, Loras was already waiting for them, wearing different clothes, no longer calm but sweating and agitated.
He paced back and forwards as he waited for them all to get out of the cars, Penrose was last, helped by Gendry.
They formed a raggle-taggle line, waiting expectantly for Loras as he paced back and forth in front of him. It occurred to Gendry that Loras must have done this same thing, many times before, only this time his soldiers were somebody's idea of a bad joke; an old man, a dwarf, two Werewolves and a blue-haired rock star.
Loras stopped suddenly, hands clasped behind him, back ramrod straight and began…
"I've decide to get away for a while. I'm taking Aegon up on his offer of a month in America."
Gendry was shocked. He thought even Griff looked surprised by this announcement.
"A working holiday is just what I need – a change of scene, a distraction to keep my mind off him. I can't believe you intended to rely on agency security Aegon – particularly in the States. Those guys are all trigger happy. Reliance on guns makes them complacent, but I'll take care of you, no worries there." Loras grinned, took a step forward and clasped Griff's shoulder.
Although Loras seemed almost manic, it was the first time Gendry had seen him smile since Renly died. A 'working holiday' was probably exactly what Loras needed. He wasn't the type to sit on a beach working on his tan. It was just a pity it had to be with the blue haired fucker.
Griff smiled uncertainly, looking along the line and explaining to everyone else, "I had a spare first class ticket as my…um… friend changed her mind at the last minute…" Gendry realised, to his great annoyance, the 'friend' Griff was referring to was Arya, but he kept quiet and let the fucker continue "…and Loras mentioned he and Renly had been planning a holiday, so I invited him along. I never thought he'd…ah…take such an interest in my security arrangements."
"But it's what I do!" Loras chuckled, clasping Griff's shoulder again, "And Gendry's got Jon to look after him now, don't you Waters?"
Gendry smiled tightly and nodded. He wondered if Loras was expecting him to click his heels together, salute and bark "Yes Sir!" He was beginning to wonder if Loras was on something, so extreme was the change in his behaviour.
"Well, we leave tomorrow," Griff said brightly "and we'll see you all in a month!"
Everyone else proceeded to wish the two of them luck and a happy trip. Gendry didn't know what the hell to say. He waited until he could pull Loras aside and hissed,
"Really? You're leaving tomorrow? Before Jon and Edric have even woken up? And what am I supposed to do about Margaery and Willas?"
"Whatever the fuck you want." Loras scoffed. "I've had it…don't you see? I can't stay here when everything reminds me of him. You've no idea do you? Every inch of the castle has memories only the two of us shared. What do you expect me to do now anyway? Stay here and baby sit you?"
"At least tell Willas what you know before you leave." Gendry pleaded.
"I'll phone him in the morning." Loras reluctantly agreed.
"Thanks and I'm sure you and Griff will have a great time together." Gendry snorted sarcastically.
"Oh we will and I'll drop in on the way back. Keep that Bentley for me and don't touch anything of Renly's – it's mine!"
"Whatever you say, Sir." Gendry muttered sourly.
-o-
The helicopter was ready and waiting for them.
"I hope you've got room for an extra small one?" Tyrion asked the pilot with a wink.
"Just get in." Gendry snarled. "I'm paying by the hour, not by the foot."
Once they were in the air, Tyrion turned to him.
"You have my sympathy regarding your…ah…women troubles. I've been there myself."
"Oh yeah?" Gendry snapped. "You've been tricked into getting a scheming bitch pregnant have you?"
"Well, no…but I have been tricked by my scheming bitch of a father."
"And look how that turned out!"
"Precisely! So I've been thinking about a solution to your problem."
Gendry was interested now and gave Tyrion his full attention.
"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Willas."
Gendry cocked an eyebrow. 'Overheard?' He suspected Tyrion had been paying very close attention to everything that had been said tonight.
"And I share your doubts about Margaery Tyrell's virginity."
"I suppose you've been there too?" Gendry wondered bitterly.
"Hardly, but my nephew Joffrey certainly has. I recall the night very clearly as I barely got a wink of sleep. It was one of those charity balls – I forget which one, but I had the misfortune of having the hotel room next to Joffrey's that night. Margaery was there and, God only knows why, she decided she was having my nephew. I suspect the girl's standards aren't too high…"
Gendry let the implied insult pass unchallenged. He was too interested in hearing about Tyrion's solution to his Margaery problem.
"…and I can tell you she was no virgin then."
"How?"
"Oh come on Gendry! Fuck me harder, fuck me faster, stick your finger up my arse – all demands commonly made at high volume by every virgin…all night." Tyrion chuckled sarcastically. "And I can get Joffrey to confirm it to anyone you want, for instance Willas Tyrell."
"He'd do that for me?"
"Don't be stupid! He'll do it for me. My nephew knows which side his bread is buttered and besides, judging by the grin on his face at breakfast the next morning, he was rather pleased with his performance."
"Ok, so we…you…Joffrey…can prove she wasn't a virgin, but I still fucked her and she's telling Willas she's pregnant" Gendry groaned miserably.
"When did you fuck her?"
"Four days ago."
"ellaOne."
"Pardon?"
"ellaOne, it's a morning after contraceptive pill. Works up to 5 days after sex, but you've not got much time left. Slip her a Mickey Finn containing the pill."
The thought had occurred to Gendry, but he thought it was too late. Margaery had hightailed it out of Storm's End with her wicked old granny immediately after they'd done the dirty deed and had remained at Highgarden ever since. In the immediate aftermath of the event, he'd been rather too preoccupied with chasing Lannisters, biting Arya and of course Renly's death, to go chasing off to Highgarden. He also didn't know 5 days after was still within the realms of possibility. Tyrion obviously knew. Gendry was beginning to wonder if there was anything Tyrion didn't know.
"Sounds good - How?"
"You're a smart man Gendry". He wasn't sure if Tyrion was being sarcastic or not. "You'll figure out something, sweet talk her, offer her your manly body again, whatever it takes – but do it soon. After that….I have a plan." Tyrion chuckled, rubbing his hands together with glee. "I see a way to deal with Margaery that'll suit everyone – well everyone except Margaery of course! But you can't please all of the people all of the time!"
"I'm all ears!" Gendry said, feeling hopeful for the first time that there might be a solution to his problem.
"My nephew is now a very rich young man. It was no surprise to me that I was cut out of my father's will and as Cersi left everything to Joffrey, that spoiled brat is already a multimillionaire. Baratheon Enterprises suddenly deciding to offload 20% of their net worth onto us only increases his wealth."
Gendry groaned. He was responsible for giving that little prick some more millions. However it couldn't be helped, it had to be done.
"And it gets worse!" Tyrion continued. "Although I'll make damn sure he gets nothing from me, Joffrey stands to inherit most of what Jaime has some day, including Casterly Rock. The boy was indulged in every way by my sweet, sweet sister and is already a twisted, greedy, self serving, little prick. Imagine how much worse he'll be when he's the richest man in Westeros!"
"I'd rather not." Gendry confessed.
"But here's the good part! He needs a wife. She has to be from one of the best families of course, be smart enough to handle him, greedy enough to marry for money…remind you of anyone?"
"Of course, but Margaery's not that stupid!...Is she?"
"Well, we know she's already fucked him, for God knows what reason, and you can bet the Tyrells would be willing. They want the best possible match for the only daughter of Highgarden and the pool of eligible young men from the right families, of the right age and with the right sexual orientation is surprisingly small, hence Margaery's interest in you."
"Thanks." Gendry muttered sarcastically. He'd never seen himself as a kind of mail order husband who happened to tick all the right boxes before, but he supposed Tyrion was right again.
Tyrion leaned forward, resting one hand on Gendry's arm as he confided "I'm surprised Renly didn't push for a match between Margaery and yourself, in order to officially join the houses of Baratheon and Tyrell in a way he couldn't with Loras."
Tyrion arched one eyebrow knowingly.
Gendry decided this imp was far too clever by half. He gave Tyrion a non-committal shrug. Gendry wasn't going to besmirch Renly's memory by confirming to Tyrion he suspected his uncle had schemed with Margaery to do exactly that.
Sensing he wasn't going to get a definite confirmation from Gendry, Tyrion continued,
"And of course, we Lannisters want the same thing for our dear Joffrey. I'll speak to Jaime. He won't disagree; Jaime will be relieved to offload the little shit on a wife, as will I." Tyrion clapped his stubby little hands together with delight.
When the helicopter landed back on the helipad at Maester's Hospital and Gendry had helped Tyrion down, the dwarf shooed Gendry away.
"Off you go then! Go and get one of those pills from those Doctors you pay so handsomely. No time to waste!"
As soon as Gendry was in the relative quiet of the hospital, he called Margaery. He still had her number.
She picked up on the second ring. "Hello LB. I was beginning to think you'd never call." Her voice was thick with sleep.
He hadn't thought about the time. He checked his watch; just past midnight.
"I'm so sorry about Renly." She whispered "I can't believe he's gone. Makes you think about your own mortality doesn't it?"
"Yeah it certainly does. Look, I spoke to Willas tonight and he's made me think about us. I've been so stupid Margaery. I need to see you." He cajoled.
"Oh, you don't know how I've longed for you to say that LB." She sounded like she really meant it, but he she had manipulated him before. "I want you to make love to me again." She purred sleepily.
So she acknowledged they'd fucked, that she'd tricked him. The pretence had been dropped, but did she seriously think he was just going to fuck her again so she could make sure she was pregnant? To get to her, to somehow slip her the pill, he had to play her at her own game. He tried to sound as eager as he could, but it wasn't easy when all he wanted to do was throttle her.
"I can't wait. I need to see you tonight." He begged.
"Ohh, I like the sound of that." She giggled huskily.
"I've got a helicopter waiting. I can be there in an hour."
This time there was a pause before she replied.
"Not tonight. How about Friday? We could make a long weekend of it, go away somewhere private, talk about Renly. I could make you happy LB."
Was she serious?! Friday was much too late. Was she deliberately delaying? Did she suspect why he suddenly needed to see her so desperately? He cursed himself for not doing this earlier.
"Don't make me wait. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you" – at least that was true.
"I can't until Friday."
"I can't wait until Friday. I'm getting in that helicopter now." He growled, when he was really walking through empty hospital corridors on his way to find one of the Doctors on the Baratheon payroll. "I need you now, tonight. Just you and me Margaery. I could make you happy too." The lies were just rolling off his tongue now; he'd learned that art from Renly.
Again she paused. He sensed she was uncertain. This was his opportunity to close the deal.
"Come on, I've got you a present," he lied. Of course he hadn't, unless you counted a morning after a contraceptive pill, but surely she couldn't resist the promise of a present?
"Oh? What have you got me?" she asked excitedly, sounding very awake now.
Shit! He hesitated, trying to think of something he could take to her. What could he get out of a 24 hour supermarket that would impress her? They didn't even sell champagne after 10pm. He was still desperately thinking when she said accusingly,
"You haven't got me anything have you? This is just a trick!"
"What are you talking about…?"
But she hung up on him before he managed to finish.
Damn. Why hadn't he said the present was his big, fat cock? It was no use thinking of that after the event.
He hit redial, but she didn't pick up this time. It rung until the answering machine kicked in - Margaery giggling in a breathless voice, "So talk to me…"
"Hey babe. Why'd you hang up? I was just thinking of words to describe this big cock I've got here for you. That's my present. Come on Margaery, pick up" he pleaded.
She didn't.
He waited another few minutes, gave her time to listen to his message and then hit re-dial again. Still she didn't pick up. All he got was 'So talk to me…' again. He hung up without leaving another message.
Fuck. He'd blown his chance.
-o-
Arya had been so wrapped up in their wedding plans he'd hardly seen her. They'd slept together every night in Storm's End or The Dorchester. They'd made love morning and night with a desperation he didn't know he was capable of, but they hadn't talked.
To a certain extent it had suited him – he was paralysed with dread whenever he thought about Margaery had so much pressing Baratheon Enterprises business to attend to he wouldn't have had much time to spend with Arya anyway.
Tonight he'd deliberately booked a private dinning room at the Dorchester and asked her to be there at 7pm so they could talk. He couldn't put the Margaery discussion off any longer. Arya seemed to have forgotten about it in the excitement of the wedding, but he sure as hell hadn't.
He'd sent Margaery a dozen red roses, left another voice message, sent a couple of texts apologising, even suggesting they meet up in a hotel (the same one he'd met Cersi Lannister in – that seemed fitting somehow). It was obvious he was desperate, but everything had gone unanswered. Until he got the call he was dreading.
"Congratulations LB. You're going to be a daddy."
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
So tonight Gendry had made an effort. He'd shaved for the second time that day and was wearing one of the suits Renly had picked for him, one of the more flamboyant ones he'd never worn before. He couldn't help but think of Renly as he sat waiting on Arya. She was late. He was getting drunk.
At 7.55 she flew in the door, a whirlwind of shopping bags and newly styled hair. She dropped the bags and jumped into his lap. His anger and frustration began to dissipate as soon as he had her in his arms, breathing in her scent, feeling her warmth against him. He could never be with Margaery even if it made his child a bastard. This was where he belonged. So Margaery was pregnant. He'd just have to deal with it. Perhaps he could raise the child at Storm's End as Jon had been at Winterfell and take comfort from the knowledge that Arya would be a much better mother to his child than Catelyn had ever been to Jon.
He listened to Arya chatter about dresses and seating plans and wedding gifts, letting it all wash over him in a soothing, whisky soaked haze of love and belonging.
When she eventually stopped for breath, he insisted she order some food. He told the waiter to bring two of whatever Arya ordered and then, before she could begin again, he took her hands in his and began his confession.
"There's something I need to tell you…" there was no easy way to say it, so he simply came out with it, "Margaery is pregnant."
She grinned and kissed him lightly, shocking him into silence.
"Oh, she told Sansa last week and then everyone else. I think everyone knew before you babe."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing and his anger flared again. Before he could speak, she silenced him with a finger pressed to his lips and a soft "Shhhhhh."
"We girls have got a plan…"
-o-
Nobody believed Margaery could be pregnant.
Sansa, always the one to see only the best in people, was adamant her friend Margaery would never trick Arya's fiancé like that. Sansa had convinced herself that it was all some big misunderstanding. Perhaps Gendry had been mistaken and Arya hadn't seen what she thought she did.
Poor Jeyne refused to believe that Margaery could be pregnant as she'd been a virgin before and only having sex once, the time you lost your virginity wasn't enough to get you pregnant - was it?
Danni and Jon thought Margaery was simply lying.
Arya knew how to find out once and for all.
Loras and Gendry had known Danni was pregnant before she even knew herself. They didn't know exactly when it was possibly to smell the change in hormones, or whatever it was that screamed 'Protect and Defend' (as Gendry had so eloquently put it), but they knew it could be detected from around the time of Danni's first missed period. As almost two weeks had passed since Renly's Charity Ball, Arya was confident that, with her heightened sense of smell, she would be able to tell if Margaery was pregnant or not. But Arya still had to get close enough to Margaery to pick up her scent.
When Arya caught Danni's scent, it didn't scream to her 'Protect and Defend' the way it did to Gendry and Jon. Instead, she felt an entirely new urge to nest and nurture.
Whenever she was with Danni and for long after, she found herself wanting to hold a baby in her arms. She decided it must be a pack thing. They were all interdependent on each other and their deepest instinct was to act in the way that was best for The Pack. For the boys this was to protect and defend and she was sure it explained Gendry's overwhelming desire to have a family of his own, an intense need that she was surprised (and delighted) to find that she now shared. She wanted her own baby to hold. She believed Jaqen has shown her that it would happen and she couldn't wait.
If she was honest with herself, in the rare quiet moments when she was able to take a step back from the frantic wedding arrangements, she knew the wedding itself meant very little to her. What she was truly, madly, deeply, excited about was the baby that would complete her bond with Gendry and ensure their Pack flourished.
She had forgiven Gendry and accepted he'd been tricked. He was her wolf mate and the link between then was bordering on the telepathic. She understood now there had been no intent on his part to deceive her.
However, Margaery was a different proposition altogether. The fury and need for revenge that she'd felt, that had driven her into Griff's bed, was still there but now all directed towards Margaery, hidden away in Highgarden. The scheming bitch had tried to come between Arya and her mate. That could not go unpunished.
But Arya's anger didn't extend towards Margaery's baby (if there really was a baby). Since her bite, her instinct to nurture overwhelmed any negative emotions she had felt towards Margaery's child. If there was one, he or she was still Gendry's and therefore part of The Pack. The feeling, the knowledge, the instinct, was impossible to explain – that was just the way it was, the way it had to be.
Even Danni, who was part of The Pack, but still unbitten, didn't immediately understand how Arya could be so willing to accept another woman's child. Arya used Jon as an example, explaining how the pack instinct would have ensured he wasn't denied the love and comfort of a mother. Knowing how deeply Jon had been affected by his exclusion from the Stark 'pack' by Lady Catelyn, Danni reluctantly said she understood, but Arya knew her friend would never truly understand until she too had Wolf running through her veins.
Unsurprisingly, this new found pack instinct also had the effect of shattering Arya's uneasy acceptance of her mother's behaviour towards Jon.
Before she had The Pack, Arya hadn't liked that her mother had excluded Jon at every opportunity, but she had accepted it. None of the Stark children had ever openly criticised their mother for her treatment of Jon because that was the way it had always been. The difference and the distance had been established in earliest childhood, before Arya was even born. It was engrained on them all - Jon wasn't the same as them, was less than them, was The Bastard and it took a shift of seismic proportions to change that attitude, to break that mould.
Becoming part of The Pack had irrevocably changed Arya's perspective. Now she couldn't think of Lady Catelyn Stark and Jon without feeling that pack urge to protect and defend her pack brother Jon. Her own mother had acted and continued to act against The Pack and Arya couldn't tolerate that.
So with no animosity towards the baby, but with a righteous fury against Margaery, Arya plotted her revenge. Sansa was vital to her plan.
Two days after Arya's dinner with Gendry, Jeyne Poole arrived at Arya's flat, believing she was meeting Sansa before the two of them headed to Highgarden for their first lunch with Margaery since she'd gone into hiding. Margaery had invited her two closest friends, desperate for some company and gossip, claiming to be suffering from such sever morning sickness, she was unable to leave Highgarden.
Jeyne was late as usual and rang the door bell impatiently, eager to leave as soon as possible.
Danni answered the door and shouted for Sansa. "I'll just finishing my make up!" Sansa yelled back.
"Have fun girls!" Danni giggled as she watched the two of them leave.
They had arranged to drive to Highgarden in Sansa's Mercedes. Jeyne apologised for being late and showed Sansa her new handbag, which Sansa loved as they walked towards the Mercedes.
"Oh My God, you're wearing flat shoes! Have you hurt your ankle or something?" Jeyne enquired anxiously.
"I just fancied a change" Sansa replied innocently.
They had been driving for a few minutes, before Jeyne asked "Have you done something different to your hair? Coloured it or something?"
"No. Why?"
"It just looks different that's all, maybe it's because you've brushed it over your face."
It was only when Sansa didn't appear to have a clue about the latest trashy reality show that Jeyne finally realised there was something very unusual about her friend today.
"Are you ok? I mean, the flat shoes and you didn't watch the soaps. I'm seriously worried about you Sansa." Jeyne said anxiously.
Only then did 'Sansa' burst out laughing.
"I can't believe you didn't realise it's me!" Arya squealed with delight.
Jeyne hadn't a clue what was going on until Arya pulled down the neck of Sansa's favourite dress to show Jeyne all the padding in her bra and explained she was Arya, dressed up as Sansa.
"Oh. My. God!" Jeyne shrieked. "I can't believe you fooled me! I never thought you two were alike at all!"
"We're not, that's why I've got the wig, the huge sunglasses, the padding in my bra and you should see the padding in my knickers!" Arya squealed.
"I should have known Sansa would never wear flat shoes!" Jeyne cried.
"Well my height is the one thing we couldn't change, but didn't Danni and Sansa do a good job with the rest?"
"They certainly did. But why?"
"Because I need to see Margaery and she's not likely to want to see me, is she?"
"Oh dear. I don't like the sound of this." Jeyne replied.
Arya got her to phone Sansa, who pleaded with Jeyne to help Arya as much as she could until Jeyne reluctantly agreed. "But I'm going to pretend I didn't know when Margaery finds out!"
"Suits me perfectly!" Arya laughed.
They spent the rest of the journey to Highgarden with Jeyne giving Arya useful tips about how to act like Sansa, for instance, Arya hadn't said "Ya!" nearly enough.
-o-
Arya had never been to Highgarden before, but she didn't think she had ever seen any place more beautiful. It lacked the wild majesty of Winterfell and the imposing presence of Storm's End, but it looked like a little girl's dream of a fairytale castle, with fountains and flowers everywhere.
It was just as well Danni has never been to Highgarden either, Arya though wryly, or she'd demand to get married here.
A man with a walking stick was tending to the roses that framed the open door Jeyne led them to.
"Hello Willas!" Jeyne greeted the man Arya had presumed to be the gardener. "Your roses are more beautiful than ever."
Arya finally realised this was Willas Tyrell, lord of Highgarden and Loras' big brother. As he turned around, his profile reminded her instantly of Loras and she had a sudden urge to see her gorgeous friend again.
"Jeyne, Sansa! Great to see you!" Willas smiled. "I hope you are here to cheer Margaery up. She's been very down since Renly died and I wish she could enjoy her pregnancy, but I suppose the circumstances are…rather unfortunate."
Arya, or Sansa, as she was pretending to be, had to force herself to smile.
"We'll do our best" Jeyne promised as Willas kissed first her and then 'Sansa' on the cheek.
To her horror, Arya noticed Willas looking at her rather strangely after he'd pecked her cheek.
She had to make this work, so she did her best impersonation of Sansa's airhead giggle and said "Are you ok Willas? You look like you've seen a ghost."
He laughed and shook his head. Arya allowed herself to relax slightly.
"Not a ghost." He chuckled, "It's just I thought for an instant that you smelled like…no it's too silly."
"Go on, tell me," 'Sansa' urged.
"…smelled like my brother Loras. Sorry if I've offended you Sansa! I didn't mean to. My nose must be playing tricks on me as you obviously don't smell like a man!"
'Sansa' giggled and Arya had trouble keeping a straight face. She knew exactly what Loras was referring to. He could smell 'wolf'. She had smelled it off Loras, as had Jon. Arya was sure it meant Willas also had the DNA for it – that predisposition to accept the bite.
"Maybe we use the same scent. It's called 'wild' – one of those new unisex ones." She said as casually as she could.
Willas smiled vaguely, before picking up his walking stick that had been resting against the wall.
"Let's go and see the mum-to-be…"
Ok you guys. This can go one of two ways. After all these weeks, I'm still can't make up my mind and I'm exhausted. So I've decided NOT to make a decision and leave it up to you. The option with the most mentions in reviews (or PM's I suppose) gets written next week.
I can either write the bitch fight you all THINK you want
OR
I can make Margaery pregnant. Margaery hands the baby over to Gendry to be brought up at Storm's End, agreeing to give up all rights and access to the child on condition he is named as Gendry's heir. They call the boy Renly.
Either way Margaery has to marry Joffrey. That's her Karma payback for tricking Gendry.
Don't make a snap decision, but don't wait too long either as I'll be starting to write the next (the last?) chapter on Monday.