King Renly Baratheon's camp was a hive of activity as his troops prepared for the coming battle with Stannis. The camp was beset by strong winds.
Lois met with Renly in his command tent. Hayley stood guard nearby.
"So, you swear that your son Chris has no interest in challenging me for the Iron Throne?" said Renly.
"Right. He just wants to be king in the North."
Renly drank from a goblet thoughtfully. "In that case, I see no reason for hostility between us. Chris can retain his title, and control of all lands north of Moat Cailin, but he must swear fealty to me, as Peter did to Robert."
"What will you give him in return for his loyalty?" Lois asked.
"After we destroy Stannis's army, Griffin and Baratheon will fight their common enemy together as they have done many times in the past. Acting together, we could end the war in a fortnight."
"Sounds good," Lois said as they shook hands. But then a Shadow Monster came into the tent! And it had Stannis's face!
"Go away!" Renly screamed at the Shadow Monster. But it stabbed him through the chest and he died. The Shadow Monster dissipated. Hayley wailed and caught him as he slid to the ground.
Roger came in. "Your grace, we need more pecan sandies… Hayley! Did you just kill Renly?"
"No," she said.
"Did Lady Griffin kill him?"
"No, a Shadow Monster did it."
"Oh, sure," Roger said sarcastically. "Shadow Monsters kill people all the time. Where's this monster now?"
"It disappeared," Hayley said, voice quivering.
"Well, I'm not buying it. I think you killed him yourself. And I'm gonna tell! I'm gonna…"
Hayley kicked him in the leg and he went down hard. "Come on," she said to Lois. "We've gotta get out of here. Otherwise they'll hang us."
The two women rushed out of the tent and ran off into the darkness. Roger started yelling his head off.
Margaery came running to Renly's tent, along with her brother Loras and Stan Smith. "What happened here?" she demanded.
"Hayley killed Renly!" Roger accused. He groaned and rubbed his leg, but not the same leg that got bumped. "And she kicked me. I think she damaged my femoral artery!"
"Why would she do that when she wanted so bad to be one of his knights?" Stan wondered.
Loras clenched his fists. "I knew she was bad news!"
Then Quagmire appeared. "Get out of here!" Loras ordered.
"Stannis is an hour away from here," Quagmire warned, "and when he arrives, Renly's bannermen will join his cause. Your companions will fight for the privilege of selling you to Stannis."
Loras drew his sword. "Is that why you're here?"
Quagmire held up his hands. "Hey, take it easy. I came to warn you. You've gotta hightail it back to Highgarden!"
"Margaery can go back to Highgarden, but I'm staying," Loras said stubbornly. "I will not run from Stannis."
"If you want justice for Renly, you've gotta be smart," Quagmire said. "If you stay here, you'll never have a chance to get revenge on Stannis."
"It wasn't Stannis who killed Renly," said Margaery. "It was Hayley Smith."
"Come on, you're smarter than that," said Quagmire. "Hayley wouldn't benefit from Renly's death. Stannis is the one who benefits the most."
"You might be right, but what can we do?" said Margaery.
"You should go to King's Landing and join forces with the Lannisters," said Quagmire. "With Renly out of the way, Stannis will attack them next. I'm sure they'd be grateful for your support… your grace."
"There's no need to call me your grace," said Margaery. "I'm not a queen anymore, if I ever was. Renly didn't win his claim."
"Would you like to be a queen?" Quagmire asked.
She shook her head. "I don't want to be a queen. I want to be THE queen."
