Master of Dragons God: Can she not do both?

DannyMcDingles: I'm interested as to what Bruce's super villain name would be. Golden Eye? Dr von Stag Killer?

EroSlackerMicha: What is a bad decision?

big allen: Don't worry. He'll accidentally choke on his pigeon pie soon

Saint River:Or unless he's married by then

greenstripe: Well I imagine most people would like to lead Bruce by he dick if they could

naleight: The only way he'd be able to know if she was alive for certain was if she got captured, and since she hasn't she's still on the 'is she dead or isn't she' list.

Margaery

Lord Mace Tyrell and his entourage had been housed behind the royal sept, in the long slate-roofed keep that had been called the Maidenvault since King Baelor the Blessed had confined his sisters therein, so the sight of them might not tempt him into carnal thoughts. Outside its tall carved doors paced Lord Mace's only daughter, Margaery.

The Flower of Highgarden was thinking hard on a number of things, chiefly the events of the morning. Margaery had gone to the King's Gate to welcome her grandmother to the city. With her went her betrothed, King Joffery. The two rode side by side through cheering crowds, Joff glittering in gilded armor and she in splendid green with a cloakflowers blowing from her shoulders. The people called out her name as she passed, held up their children for her blessing, and scattered flowers under the hooves of her horse. Her mother and grandmother followed close behind, riding in a tall wheelhouse whose sides were carved into the shape of a hundred twining roses, every one gilded and shining. The smallfolk cheered them as well.

The king had put on a good enough show to be certain, he was calm and courteous, holding the reins of her horse while she descended from it's back. But there were rumours about the king, that he was not all a kind comely as he appeared, rumours which compared him more to the Mad King than the gallant Prince Rhaegar apperance he seemed to enjoy having.

Margaery thought back to what Bruce had told her of his brother during their days together in Highgarden. She told him how his sworn-shield, Sandor Clegane butchered a girl Bruce had take a liking to, how he had opened the belly of a pregnant cat to see the kittens inside and how he laughed when he presented the gift to his little brother and mother. It all put on for a pretty bleak picture of the good this reason Margaery's grandmother, Lady Olenna, had invited the two who would know best the truth of the king; the king's ex-betrothed, Sansa Stark, and his brother, Crown Prince Bruce.

Bruce smiled at the thought of the prince. She remembered the way he had so comfortably laid kisses on her neck last night. In truth, Margaery had expected a more subtled and awkward feel to their reunion but the wine she had tasted on his lips proved he had taken a bit of extra courage to face her. She had not expected him to want to continue their relations but he seemed most determined for it to continue. Indeed she was wary of the risks but the prince was no fool, he knew this castle as well as she knew Highgarden and they had never been caught then.

Thought the prince was now far different from how he had been back then. He was no longer the timid foster fresh from the hard years of tutleage of Tywin Lannister. He now towered a full head above her and the way his long raven hair fell down the sides of his face and met the long hairs that brushed out from along his jaw and cheeks gave him the look similar to that of a lion.

She rembered when she had visited his chambers while he was still floating on the brink. The way the bandages that lined his face made him look so vulnerable she had wanted to cry and once she had gone back to her chambers she had, both for him and her brother. Whispers had reached her ears that it had been Loras that had taken the prince's eye away. If this was true then it was a certainty that the young Lion would be aiming to settle the score, exactly to what extent he would take it Margaery dared not to imagine.

So now she paced outside the doors of the Maidenvault waiting for the first of her invitations to arrive. Standing vigil beside the doors were her grandmother's guards. The twins stood in gilded halfhelms and green cloaks edged in gold satin, the golden rose of Highgarden sewn on their breasts. Both were seven-footers, wide of shoulder and narrow of waist, magnificently muscled.

It was then Lady Margaery saw her brother, Garlan with Lady Stark trailing on his arm as they came about the corner. Margaery swept toward the Stark girl and her brother. "Lady Sansa," she called, "I'm so pleased you came. Welcome to our humble home in the capital." Sansa knelt at the feet of her future queen. "You do me great honor, Your Grace." Margaery smiled at the 'Your Grace.'

"Won't you call me Margaery? Please, rise. Garlan, help the Lady Sansa to her feet. Might I call you Sansa?" Garlan helped the girl up. "If it pleases you." She permitted Margaery. Margaery dismissed her brother with a sisterly kiss, and took Sansa by the hand. "Come, my grandmother awaits, and she is not the most patient of ladies."

"The Queen of Thorns, she's called. Isn't that right?" Margaery gave a warm laugh. "It is. You'd best not use that name in her presence, though, or you're like to get pricked." Margaery led the Stark girl throgh the Maidenvault and into the gardens behind it where her grandmother lay in wait. Their feet crunched under the gravel path as they walked down to where the Lady's of the Tyrell household had gathered.

Margaery pointed out her lady mother tall, dignified, Lady Alerie, her cousins Megga and Alla and Elinor, Lady Fossoway, her brother's wife, and the dozen others in their various gagles that surrounded their cheif. Last of all, Margaery brought her before the wizened, white-haired, woman who stood watching over them all. "I am honored to present my grandmother the Lady Olenna, of House Tyrell."

"Kiss me, child," Lady Olenna said, presenting Sansa with a soft spotted hand. "It is so kind of you to sup with me and my foolish flock of hens." Dutifully, th Stark girl kissed the old woman on her out-stretched hand. "It is kind of you to have me, my lady." Margaery's grandmother smiled at the girl, "I knew your grandfather, Lord Rickard." Sansa seemed to be taken by surprised by that, "He died before I was born."

"Indeed he did, child. I am told your mother's father is dying too. He is old though not so old as me. Still the Stranger comes for us all in the end. You would know that more than most, poor child. We are sorry for your losses." Sansa cast a glance over at Margaery, "I was saddened when I heard of Lord Renly's death, Your Grace. He was very gallant." Margaery gave her a tight smile, "You are kind to say so."

Her grandmother snorted. "Gallant, yes, and charming, and very clean. He knew how to dress and he knew how to smile and he knew how to bathe, and somehow he got the notion that this made him fit to be king. The Baratheons have always had some queer notions. It comes from their Targaryen blood, I should imagine." She sniffed. "They tried to marry me to a Targaryen once, but I soon put an end to that."

"Renly was brave and gentle, Grandmother," said Margaery, respectfully. "Father liked him as well, and so did Loras." Olenna snorted again, "Loras is young," Lady Olenna said crisply, "and very good at knocking men off horses with a stick. That does not make him wise. He took the Lannister prince's eye and made for the hills with his tail between his legs before making sure the job was done." The pit of Margaery's stomach tightened at the thought of the job being done. "He should have remembered Lord Tywin's favourite words. As to your oaf father, someone should have beaten some sense into his fat head."

"Grandmother," Margaery said feinting shock at her words, "mind your words, or what will Sansa think of us?" Her grand mother smiled at her, "She might think we have some wits about us." The old woman turned back to Sansa. "It's treason, I warned them, Robert has three sons, and Renly has an older brother. How can he possibly have any claim to that ugly iron chair? Another one of these queer notions all Baratheons seem to have."

"Surely not all Baratheons, Lady Olenna." said a voice from behind Margaery. The three of them looked to see who had spoken and they saw the Crown Prince approaching them. The prince was wearing the colours of his father's house on a tunic, with the his lion skin cloak drooped over his shoulders. A ruby studded circlet adorned the top of his head and across his eye the red and gold eye patch Margaery had given him. All in all he certainly looked rather more impressive than he had last night, much to the delight of the younger girls in the garden who swooned over the dashing prince.

Bruce bowed to them and they all returned the curtsy. Margaery's grandmother was quick to retort to the prince's question, "Despite your looks you are far from a Baratheon, are you not?" Bruce flashed her a smile, "I do," He confessed, "Though it is only fitting that the future Lord of Casterly Rock to act as his predecessor." The lips of Margaery's grandmother tightened, "Especially when that predecessor is Tywin Lannister." Bruce gave an honest shrug.

"Come," Said Lady Olenna, turning from them and toward a pavillion, inside of which was a long table with four chairs around it, "Shall we have some lemon cakes?" Margaery saw a small smile appear on Sansa's face, "Lemon cakes are my favorite," She admitted. "So we have been told," declared Lady Olenna.

"Sit with me, Sansa." Said the Queen of Thorns as she sat down in one of the chairs around the table. "Do you know my son, Sansa? The Lord of Highgarden?" Sansa shook her head, "I've heard he is a great lord." she answered politely. "A great oaf," said the Queen of Thorns. "His father was an oaf as well. My husband, the late Lord Luthor. A kind man, and not unskilled in the bedchamber, but an appalling oaf all the same. He managed to ride off a cliff whilst hawking. They say he was looking up at the sky and paying no mind to where his horse was taking him."

Margaery sat down opposite Sansa and Bruce next to Margaery. She gave him a sly look and if she didn't know any better he had given her a wink, though with only one eye it could have been just an innocent blink.

Her grandmother continued her rant to the Stark girl, "And now my oaf son is doing the same, only he's riding a lion instead and that's no easy feat as I'm sure you know." The way Lady Olenna flicked her eyes toward her made Margaery think that the last part was directed at her. "Now," said Lady Olenna, leaning toward Sansa, "I want you both to tell me the truth about this royal boy, this Joffrey."

The Stark girl stiffened up at the words and Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I... I... I..." Stammered out the Stark girl fixing quick, sharp, glances between the other three. "You, You, You." Parroted Lady Olenna, "Who would know better? We have heard some troubling tales. Is there any truth to them? Has this boy mistreated you?" Sansa glanced about nervously toward the prince and her gazed stayed there for a while.

"Joff... King Joffrey, he's... His Grace is very fair and handsome, and... and as brave as a lion." Margaaey's grandmother was less than impressed with the girl's answer. "Yes, all the Lannisters are lions, and when a Tyrell empties their bowels the leavings smell just like a rose. Come now, child. Tell us the truth." Margaery could tell by the way she kept looking toward Bruce that it was him stopping her from doing just that.

She leaned back toward the prince and whispered into his ear, "She's terrified of you, reasure her that you won't hurt her for what she says." Bruce looked to her with a frown but relented with a roll of his eye. "Sansa," He said to her, "You remember back on the Trident with your sister and Joffery." The girl nodded, "And you remember in the Throne Room with Ser Meryn and Boros." She nodded again, "Then you know that so long as I can help it no harm will come to you for telling the truth about Joffery."

The girl seemed to take comfort from the prince's words, but then she looked saddened, "My father always told the truth." Lady Olenna nodded at the Stark girl, "Lord Eddard, yes, he had that reputation, but they named him traitor and took his head off even so." "Joffery." Insisted the Stark girl, "Joffery did that. He cut my father's head off and called it mercy. Then... Then he took me up to the walls and made me look at." The girl began to sob now and Margaery shared a look with her grandmother as the girl wept out between tears,

"He had his guards beat me once. Afterwards I asked him why. He said 'You are a traitor. Your father was a traitor. You have traitor's blood.' Once... Once I saw him go out of the g... gates of the Red Keep and shot a woman who had come to the Keep begging for food... Just a normal woman... he didn't even no her name... and he put a bolt through her neck with his crossbow... I know now... Now that he no longer has to wed me... One day he will shoot me too..."

"He won't shoot you." Said Bruce darkly. When Margaery looked to him she was frightened by the look on his face. He didn't look angry or shocked by the revelation, just a quiet look of knowing of the horrors of which the Stark girl had faced. "He won't kill you because he enjoys you too much. He enjoys you so much he'll never let you wear the scars he gives you. He murdered the woman at the gate because she was nothing to him, just another ant beneath his boot. But when he sees you, he sees the chance to prove to everyone that he is the most powerful man in the room, and because you're a traitor he knows that no one can stop him from doing as he pleases. He wants everyone to see what he can do and why he is the most powerful man in all Seven Kingdoms. And so long as there is nobody to protect you he will keep going on with the torment until either you die or he dose."

Margaery exchanged looks with her grandmother, "What a pity." she tutted. "Please," blurted out the Stark girl, "don't stop the wedding!" Lady Olenna shook her head at the notion, "Have no fear, Lord Oaf is determined that Margaery shall be queen. Though, we thank you for the truth, child."

A servant approached the table and laid a plate of cakes on the table in front of Margaey, he then turned and addressed the prince, "My Lord, a man from the City Watch has asked for your presence at the River Gate. He says the issue is of paramount importance." Bruce held his dark look for a moment after the messenger had left before he rose, "Apologies, Your Grace, My Ladies. I fear I shall not be able to sup with you." Margaery rose along with him, "I will escort you out." she declared ignoring the raised eye brow her grandmother gave he as she spoke.

Margaery linked her arm with Bruce's as they walked away from her grandmother's pavillion. "What are you planning to do with her? asked Bruce once they were out of earshot of Lady Olenna. "Who?" questioned Margaery, hoping to leave the topic alone. "Don't play me for a fool." Warned the prince as they walked, "If you wanted to know what Joffery was really like you would have either just sent for me or asked a nearby servant." Margaery was quick to defend the presence of the Stark girl. "Sansa was to be his wife-"

"And I am his brother. Which is more likely to be a more reliable source?" She sighed. There was little point in lying any more. "Sansa is an inoscent girl. My grandmother only wishes to see her out of harms way." Bruce snorted as they entered the Maidenvault, "And I suppose in her mind out of harms way would be in Highgarden." Margaery's eyes narrowed at the side of the prince's head, he had gotten smarter as well as taller. "You won't give us away, will you?" she pleaded. "No." He answered, "As you said, she's an innocent girl. She needs to be free of Joffery."

They approached the doors the prince craned his head toward and whispered, "When might I visit you? Tonight?" A small smile graced the tips of her face as they exited the Maidenvault. "Tonight." she confirmed removing her arm from his. He held onto her hand and brought it to his face and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Your Gace." He said with a low bow and departed. Her hand tingled where he had placed his lips and light blush began to form across her cheeks as she thought to how much she would enjoy tonight.