A/N: Sorry for the delay. Been busy and my writing was messed up again (you know, when you have routines, if it is disrupted, everything else goes out of order).
But also, got my second dose of the vaccine. Hope everyone else gets it soon.
Argella
Argella was present when her dragon relatives were making the final decision regarding the last of the Gardener household, which included the Tyrell stewards. Even though she did not like how her father died, it was… something that she wished she wished he was still alive for. For centuries, the Durrandons and the Gardeners had clashed with each other, with Garse Gardener dying at her father's hands. And now, even though the Durrandons were not in charge of Storm's End anymore, the Gardeners were defeated, and she was there to see the last of the Gardener kings fall.
It made her also look forward to seeing her husband, for he took part in making it all happen. Hearing of his exploits outside of Goldengrove, where he played a central part in crushing the enemy army, made Argella feel confident in making their marriage a real affair. She was not going to hold back her feelings any longer, for while she could never forget that it was Orys who killed her father, Orys had achieved everything that her father would have wished and combined with how he treated her ever since their wedding, the good definitely outweighed the bad.
Curiously, Jaenyx's cousin Taygor Leniar was also present. Even though he was not a soldier, no one could deny that he had a lot of influence with his Belaerys relative and the larger family of dragonriders.
"We cannot trust the Tyrell steward. He might have surrendered without a fight, but we have seen that some of them disobeyed his orders," Valaena rightly said. "That means that he clearly cannot control the Reach all by himself."
"And if we empower him, we will send a very bad message," Orys added. "We cannot have Lord Harlan remain in the Reach, not if we want to invite strife in the ranks."
"And there is the question of Gyles Gardener. He might be past his prime, but it is not unheard of for men who have seen over fifty years to father children. If he manages to father male Gardeners, we will invite rebellion so soon after we have taken this castle," Jaenyx said.
Brandon Snow was also in attendance, as Torrhen Stark was put in charge of the advance towards the Honeywine. "Well, we could always put him on the Wall, make him take the vows of the Night's Watch."
Argella, like everyone in the room, knew what was required of those that became members of the Night's Watch.
"Will his death not achieve the same purpose?" Jaenyx asked.
"Prince Jaenyx, we have wiped out every male Gardener from the direct royal line, all except a man nearing his old age," Brandon Snow said. "However, if we kill him, it will be seen as unnecessary bloodshed on our part and we cannot have that, not while we have to move on Oldtown and fight against the Hightowers."
Argella shook her head at what was happening in Oldtown. With the death of King Mern and his family, the Hightowers had refused to submit to the dragons and therefore reclaimed their ancient kingly titles before they submitted to the rule of the Gardeners. Consequently, the dragons decided that no quarter will be shown to the Hightowers, especially Addam Hightower.
"All right," Aegon nodded his head. "We will have Gyles Gardener go to the Wall under heavy guard and report to Castle Black, where he will take his oaths. The same could be done with Harlan Tyrell, even though I doubt he will last long in his old age."
"What about Theo Tyrell?" Visenya inquired.
"For now, he will be retained as the Steward of Highgarden, for he did nothing wrong. We will also give him a grant of land that he can use to maintain Highgarden, but nothing more," Rhaenys answered. "We shall also consent to him marrying Vevienne Gardener, so as to avoid anyone else trying to use her to usurp the Reach. But we will not give them anything else, not until they prove their loyalty to us."
"Which brings us to you, Jae." Aegon unrolled a scroll. "You are a prince, and therefore, you should have your own lands that should match your position and allow you and Vis to maintain your royal dignities. Therefore, as king of Westeros, I will make you the Lord Paramount of the Reach and grant you the castles of Dunstonbury, Whitegrove, and Appleton, along with other lands that will surround Highgarden."
Jaenyx was taken aback, as was Visenya. "Egg, what about Sphinx's Rest?"
"You defending your castle at Sphinx's Rest will be part of your duties, for you will also be Warden of the South," Aegon added. "You will have the same responsibilities as Torrhen Stark will possess as Warden of the North."
Jaenyx and Visenya looked at each other before Jaenyx nodded. "Thank you, Egg."
"That is not all, Jae. As for you, Lord Taygor." Rhaenys turned to Jaenyx's cousin. "It is only right that you are granted lands and titles, proper ones. How does… Lord of Oldtown sound to you?"
Taygor Leniar looked at Rhaenys with surprise. "I am honored that you think me worthy, but I am not sure if I want to be lord of the center of the very religion that declared war on us."
"That is why we will give it to you. As the new Lord of Oldtown, it will be your responsibility to turn that place into one where we can convert into a new center for the Valyrian religion," Aegon stated.
Taygor Leniar dipped his head. "Thank you, King Aegon."
"Egg, as the new Warden of the South, I must also point out a very alarming threat." Jaenyx went straight to business. "South of the Red Mountains lies Dorne, and they have been very quiet throughout this whole war. We have to know where exactly they stand on us ruling Westeros, all of it."
Argella knew that was true, and the Dornishmen not doing much activities during this war was something to be worried about.
"Indeed. But Egg, I would also advise caution. The Yellow Toad is not someone to be trifled with, from what I have been told," Aerion said. "We have to approach the Dornishmen carefully, for who knows what they will do once they see that every part of Westeros north of the Red Mountains have submitted to us."
"Not every part," Orys corrected his father. "We still have the ironborn and the Lord of Castamere still dealing with the Lords of the Rock."
"The priority is securing Oldtown," Aegon reminded him. "Once Oldtown is taken, we can begin to clean up every pocket of resistance. The Tullys, the Hoares, and everyone else that have not bent the knee to us will suffer the consequences for their obstinance."
"Aye," Brandon Snow agreed. "But Prince Jaenyx speaks true. We have to know the position of the Dornishmen, particularly the Martells. We should not fight a war in the desert, not while we have to secure all of the six of the seven kingdoms. At the same time, in case the Martells decide to fight us, we have to be prepared."
"That means sending a representative down to Sunspear and figuring out their intentions," Rhaenys caught on.
"I will go, in that case," Aerion volunteered himself. "I have always wanted to visit Dorne and what better way to show the unity of our family if the father came to treat with the Yellow Toad?"
"Are you sure you are up to the task, kepa?" Visenya was worried, as were everyone else.
"Vis, I have been dealing with sorts like the Yellow Toad long before you were born. While I am confident that you will be able to scare the Dornishmen, I am of the opinion that the Dornishmen are not as impressed with displays of strength as others. Otherwise, why did they spend many centuries fighting both the stormlords and the Reachmen even though they were outnumbered?"
Argella was also impressed with Dornish tenacity, something that her own father had to deal with during his days as Storm King.
"Then you have my leave, kepa," Aegon consented. "Just try not to hurt yourself."
"Worry about the kingdoms, son. I will worry about the threats coming from the sand."
Once the decisions have been made, Argella watched as Gyles Gardener and Harlan Tyrell were both ordered to sail to Eastwatch and make their way to Castle Black to take their vows. Seeing the look of anguish on the faces of Theo Tyrell and Vevienne and Victaria Gardener was oddly satisfying for her, for she saw one more example of the Durrandons' traditional rivals in the Gardeners being humbled and their power destroyed.
As dragons still flew above Highgarden and the rest of the army had camped outside of the walls, there was nothing that they could do to refuse. Once Brandon Snow sent a letter to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, both Gyles Gardener and Harlan Tyrell were escorted by a combined two hundred men, all of them from Houses Umber and Glover, as they would also be the first to return home. Gyles and Harlan both said their goodbyes before they made the long journey north.
Also, a man sent by Lord Kenzou Haru arrived and told them all that the Reynes were making good progress, but they needed reinforcements, for Lannisport and Crakehall required resources that the Lord of Castamere did not have. Aegon told Lord Reyne to not make any further advances, for they needed to focus on Oldtown and the erasure of House Hightower before they could do anything else.
Finally, the dragons summoned Victaria, Vevienne, and Theo.
"Out of respect for your former status as a queen, you will be allowed to keep your jewels and your crowns while you will receive a pension worthy of your royal status, but you will be known as Lady Victaria Gardener," Rhaenys said to her.
Victaria remained silent, as she accepted her new station in life.
"For you, Lady Vevienne, the same terms will apply, in that you will keep your valuables and your jewels, while you will also receive a pension and a grant of lands just around Highgarden. Also, we will consent to your marriage to Theo Tyrell, who will be retained as the Steward of Highgarden," Rhaenys continued.
They received a mixed reaction from the former Gardener princess. While she was able to marry someone she loved, all of her family besides her mother were dead.
"As for you, Lord Theo, you will report to me in all matters of the Reach," Jaenyx stepped forward. "Your position is conditional upon you swearing eternal fealty to the dragons and for renouncing the Faith of the Seven. Once you do so, you will be accepted into the peace."
Theo did not hesitate, for he bent his knee and lowered his head. "I swear so, Prince Jaenyx."
Visenya bid him to stand up. "Because of that, you will also receive a pension and a grant of lands outside of Highgarden, while your counsel will be welcomed by both myself and my husband."
"I shall do my best, Your Grace."
"Good. Now," Aegon raised his wine glass. "Let us drink to what we are now, friends."
The celebratory feasts that came with the new transition of power within the Reach was rather uneventful, for it was nothing new for Argella. For her, she only felt something… intense for her husband at the moment. All of the events that came prior to their triumph at Highgarden made her feel that she could not wait for Orys anymore. He had treated with patience and kindness, and now she felt that it was time for her to repay the favor.
The feasts came by quickly and everyone quickly retired, drunk and their bellies filled with hot food. Fortunately, Orys still had his faculties, which was what she needed.
As she stood there in her dress, waiting for Orys to enter the room as carefully as he could. With the door still open, Argella could see that he was struck, not just at her form but with her eyes. Argella wanted him to see her determination.
He stood there contemplating for what felt like forever until he ever so calmly closed the doore behind him. He seemed confident when he strode over to her and pulled at the back of her calves putting her on her back making our hips meet while pulling her somewhat of the bed. Making her feel like she was in a vulnerable position until he kissed her without any words.
She became calm and reassured when he continues to kiss her as he pinned her hands above her head on the bed. She pulled her hands out of his grasp and push him off of her. He jumps back with a bit fright as she sat up scooting back to the head of the bed board her back against the pillows. He watched after his fear passed and she pulled the front of her dress from under her and untied the string upon her back keeping it firm on her torso. She was nervous that she fiddled with it until it was loose.
She looked deep into his eye's and once again kissed him making butterflies erupt as they always did. She pulled back ever so gently and looked down blushing as she realized what was about to happen. Their marriage was about to consummated at last.
Argella then pulled the string loose and ever so slowly peeled the dress off her shoulders and down her form. She was no longer worried, for the look on Orys' face was worth it.
He looked. And looked standing as still as a silent day on the sea scanning his eyes over her body. She felt like what she did was wrong for a little moment, but all of her nervouse feelings were swept away.
The floor was unexpectedly cold within the halls of Highgarden, despite the hearts warming up their rooms, which made her realize once again that she was nearly fully exposed to him. Goosebumps rose up in her arms and legs as Orys lifted her chin up to meet the her serious stark gaze.
"You are mine tonight," he finally decided. Just as quickly, he lifted her up by her thighs making her wrap around him as he steadily walked to the bed laying her down ever so gently. "I will try to take it slow."
Attacking her neck as if there were something sweet upon her skin. Then to her lips as hungry as ever. Flashes of lightning were all Argella could see before he had her on her back kissing her like it was the last night together, ever. It was her turn to feel dominant. She took charge and turned him over flat on his back sunk in the feather pillows.
Orys looked beyond raged for, but a second until she kissed him. He opened his mouth and she made their tongues dance together in a deep kiss.
Before he could respond, Argella went low and her hips met his. His hardness radiated with warmth as she guided his shaft into her. She sat slowly as he yelled out a groan. She could not realize how large it actually was, but she felt her tight walls become looser by the moment. She went back up and he looked relieved for a moment until she went back down. It was a little painful, more than Argella had expected. Until Orys did something she never thought he would do. He bounced his hips up, thrusting up into her.
"Mmmhh!" Argella moaned. She was so embarrassed at how prudish she was actually being despite expecting this.
She felt the color of her checks turn red as she looked down on him.
With a free hand, he pulled her face closer as he retook dominance of the kiss. The other one he wrapped around her waist using it the pull her up only to push her back down thrusting yet again.
"Stop. Wait." He looked at her, his deep black eyes looking into her blue one, slowly kissing her and savoring the moment. Suddenly, he shifted under her. She stopped and looked at him.
He then thrusted deep into her. He was gifted down south so a small thrust was still a big one. A gasps could be heard loudly along with a moan.
"Orys!" Argella yelled as she clawed his back. Her yells did not alarm him one bit. Roughly he kept going, in and out. In. Argella was not prepared at how big he was and no matter how many times he took her, it was still much for her to handle at one time.
"Relax, love. Always so tense," Orys asked.
Argella relaxed her walls around him and helped him thrust. She felt warmness and tingles that were different. It felt good to her. She felt selfish as she pushed her hips to his meeting his thrust with her own.
Argella stopped. For the first time in what felt like a long time, she stopped him and he did not finish. He looked mad. She sat up and left a peck on his lips before she turned around, leaving him on his knees behind her. Faster than he can comprehend, she knelt in front as he faced her back and she spread her legs lining him up at her entrance. Slowly and steadily she leaned back as his long thick shaft filled her.
He must not have understood what she did because she slowly went back and forth, concerned with her own pleasure as her moans made her silent for but a few times. He grabbed her hips and rocked his hips with hers until he got really rough. He must not have liked what she did.
His roughness concerned her not one bit while she grabbed a pillow biting on it, muffling her moans so no one could hear them.
That was the night he took her for the first time. He would not let her leave after, nor did she intend to leave him. He made her stay till midday where they slept to catch up on what they could have had so many moons ago.
A/N: This was a short chapter, but I felt that it was better to get the points across. Argella finally consummated her marriage to Orys, so no more barriers between them.
Jaenyx being the Lord Paramount is fitting, but mind you all, only temporary until he can find his own conquests.
Gyles and Harlan both going to the wall seemed fitting.
Next, the Yellow Toad.