A/N: Standard disclaimer here. I don't own ASOIAF and only write for fun.
Tales of the North were hard to come by. Let the realm tell it, and they would sing songs people who were devoted and loyal to their liege, a man who had brought riches and prosperity from the neck to the wall. The only reason her grandmother had the slightest idea of what actually was happening up there was due to the trade deal that Lord Stark struck with her father all those years ago.
With her grandmother's approval of course.
Other than that, information about the North was hard to come by. The wind didn't whisper about the North. There were no tales about a King who wanted a wolf as a good daughter, an ailing fish, or a sickly falcon babe whose legitimacy was in question. Instead the winds were quiet and cold. Almost as quiet and cold as Lord Stark himself, his face long and grim.
"I haven't seen those banners fly together since the siege of Storm's End," her father spoke the first day they had come riding into Highgarden, fear etched into his voice like paint on a canvas. Surprisingly her grandmother agreed.
"He has sunk his fangs into Lord Renly," her grandmother told her, "It will take time and effort on your part to loosen them. Lord Stark could present some problems, especially if he convinces Lord Renly that she should marry his own daughter."
Her grandmother was a wise woman, and after a few weeks into the negotiations, it had become very apparent that she was right.
"I agree that Renly should marry your daughter Mace," he said, only his dark grey eyes, hard as stone, were not looking at her father, but past him and at her grandmother, "but it should not be here, and it should not be now. Remember the last time a war was waged. At the end Robert married Cersei and that wedding was the pillar of peace that these lands stood upon all these years. Your daughter's marriage to Lord Renly in the Sept of Baelor would have the same effect."
It was funny because she had just heard Lord Stark tell the Greyjoy boy that everything before the word but didn't count. She hard time believing that the words he spoke afterword meant anything either but he was unyielding. Lord Stark had proven to be a thorn in the side of her grandmother's plans and Renly seemed to agree with every word he said. What was worst was that Loras, blinded by his love for Renly seemed to agree. The only Tyrell that could get close enough to try to change his mind refused.
"I trust Lord Stark," Renly spoke. "My brother told stories about his leadership. He often said that if it wasn't for Ned Stark, that they would have lost the Battle of the Trident. He knows that Stannis would be a terrible King, and has agreed help make sure that I am King with the beautiful Queen Margaery at my side."
"That does not mean we wouldn't celebrate," Lord Stark quickly added. "I suggest that we hold a tourney at Bitterbridge to celebrate the betrothal of Lord Renly and Lady Margaery. That way, the Lords from the Reach and Stormlands can all gather at one place not only to celebrate their future King and King and Queen, but so they can prepare for war."
"What of the North," her grandmother spoke, "What of the Riverlands and the Vale."
"The Vale is lost for now," Lord Stark responded. "I'm afraid my good sister has lost her wits after the tragic loss of her husband. She only worries for the safety of my nephew and nothing else. The Riverlands are tricky. Even now reports come in that Jamie Lannister is marching near twenty-thousand men toward the Golden Gate, meanwhile Lord Tywin has another host just a big ready to march as well. The Riverlands will need to be freed before they could help us do anything."
"You expect us to help you free the Riverlands and then march to King's Landing to take the city? We have enough men to march straight to King's Landing and take the city without the Riverlord," her father spoke.
"No," Ned responded simply. "While you may have the numbers Lord Tyrell, those numbers will take a long time to gather. By the time we could gather your men, the Riverlands would fall. Your part in this war will not be to free the Riverlands. This war started when my wife took Tyrion Lannister as hostage. It is only right that my people finish it. My sons will free the Riverlands and take the west. When they do, we will walk into King's Landing unopposed and crown Renly King."
"You place that much faith in green boys?" her father scoffed.
Lord Stark smirked and his words turned as hard as his eyes. "They will sing songs about my sons. Even here in this castle maids will sing about the boys who ride direwolves into battle to slay their enemies. They will tell horror stories to their children so that they will obey them about how those boys turned into direwolves themselves and destroyed the west with their bare hands and teeth. Winter comes for House Lannister Lord Tyrell, and make no mistake about it, in the North we don't play at war, we actually do it."
Her father didn't realize he was being insulted, but the sour look on Garlan's face told her that her brother understood exactly what Lord Stark had just said. Willas nor her grandmother looked very pleased either.
Lord Renly reached his hand out and grabbed Lord Stark's shoulder, pulling him back a little.
"I digress," Lord Stark said, clearing his voice, "either way, the best path forward is to win this war, and then worry about the marriage, or do you worry that Lord Renly is not a man of his word?"
"We will discuss it," her grandmother spoke up before her father could speak. Later that night, her grandmother gave Margaery her orders. Loosen the fangs. It proved to be impossible. Lord Stark did not let Renly go anywhere alone. It was like he was his personal guard, who was flanked by his own personal guard. Speaking to Renly alone so that she could try to charm him was impossible.
She tried to do it again, when she broke her fast that morning, but again Lord Stark was stuck to his side, almost like he knew the danger of him being alone. She decided that she take a walk in the gardens to relax her mind.
She didn't expect Lord Stark to be there, waiting for her. He smiled at her warmly, gone was the cold face of the north and the malice that he spoke to her father with. Instead his voice was soft, " I didn't expect you to be here, but I am glad that you are."
She didn't know what to expect from Lord Stark but this wasn't it. The court of King's Landing told stories of a man who didn't enjoy playing what he called southern games with words. They said he perferred to be straight forward and to the point. Yer here they were, and he was not only playing the game, he was doing it quite well.
"It is a pleasure to see you as well Lord Stark," she responded.
"May I escort you through the garden? I'm sure your father wouldn't like it if he knew you were out here alone."
"Do you allow your daughters to walk freely in Winterfell?" she asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
He smiled widely at her, "Winterfell is not Highgarden."
"Yes your people would never dare to hurt your daughters, but you suspect my people would dare to hurt me?"
His smile turned into a frown, "forgive me Lady Margaery for that is not what I meant. It's just my daughters have direwolves to protect them. Direwolves are of the North. That is all."
"So you truly believe that maids will sing songs about your sons riding their wolves into battle," she asked another question.
"I don't think Ghost nor Greywind would enjoy that," he laughed, his smile returning, "but yes they will. Whether the small folk believe it or not is up to them, but give it time Lady Margaery, and you yourself will hear those songs."
"I admire the confidence you have in your children," she responded truthfully. "I would love to have that same trust in my own children one day."
"Is that why you rush to marry Renly?" Lord Stark asked, "to have children of your own?"
"I do want a large family," she responded easily, "but no that is not the only reason."
"Aye," he responded his northern accent highlighted by his choice of words. "Marriage is a funny thing. Let me tell you a story about marriage. I once almost married Ashra Dayne. We were in love at Harrenhall, and I wanted to take her to the godswood and marry her immediately. She refused."
"If you were in love, why did she say no?"
"She wouldn't do it without her father's blessing, not that it matters now…. But imagine if she said yes? Imagine if she would have married me, that night in the godswood? What could have happened?"
Margaery had never felt so lost in her life. She had the slightest clue where he was going with the tale he was spinning. "I'm not sure Lord Stark."
"What do you know about Robert's Rebellion?" Lord Stark asked.
"Only what the Maester has taught me," she responded and Lord Stark nodded, telling her to continue. "He said that Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped your sister, and that your brother rode into King's Landing to duel him for it, that your father chased his son and that they were killed for it. Afterwards, King Aerys called for your and Roberts heads, but instead Jon Aaryn raised his banners against him, and the rest is history."
"That's not a bad retelling, but between you and me, I'm not sure Rhaegar kidnapped anything. If you would of known my sister, you would have known that one could not just kidnap Lyanna Stark," he laughed sadly, his face twisted into a frown, "but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Brandon believed she was kidnapped, father believed it, and so did I."
He paused a moment. "The important part to note however, is that Brandon was betrothed. He was to marry Catelyn Tully, and after the Mad King killed him that responsibility fell to me. The Riverlands wouldn't have fought for us without that marriage."
"Oh," she said. She finally knew where he was going with this.
"Now imagine if I would have married Ashra," Ned said. "There was no way that Hoster Tully would have fought for us. He might have even demanded me to set her aside and marry his daughter instead. My honor wouldn't have allowed me to do it. We would have lost the Riverlands and history might have changed. Hells, instead of talking about marrying Renly, you could have been in discussions to marry Aegon right now."
"Aegon Targaryen?" she questioned and he nodded.
"You never know. Maybe something terrible would have happened to Aegon, they say that Elia Martell wasn't a picture of perfect health, maybe her son Aegon was the same, maybe you would have ended up marrying his brother instead, just like my own wife."
"Aegon didn't have a brother Lord Stark," she responded.
"My apologies," he responded again, his smile returning. "History wasn't really something I paid attention to with my own Maester. I'm so forgetful sometimes. My Old Nan, she often told so many tales of giant ice spiders and white walkers that it was hard to separate fiction from reality as a child."
By then, they had reached the castle doors that led to the garden. "It was nice walking with you Lady Margaery," Lord Stark said as he bowed to her. "I must find Lord Renly, I'm sure he grows tired of Theon and Jory. Tell your grandmother something for me will you?"
"Of course," she responded.
"The North remembers….. and we will remember how much the trade with the Reach has helped us prepare for Winter for it is coming."
She had the slightest of clue what that could have meant or what Lord Stark was talking about, but one thing was certain, she had to speak with her grandmother and fast. Lord Stark was not the person they thought he was.
A/N: No excuses guys, I'll try to upload faster and stick to an actual schedule. I wanted to take a break from Winterfell with this one and I hope I have portrayed Margaery well. Next is obviously back to Wintefell with a Sansa chapter, although I am toying with the possibility of going with multiple povs in the next chapter, and future chapters to follow.
Until then, once again thanks to all the reviews, favorites and likes. I really appreciate it.