I have to admit I am very impressed. 264 of you favorited and 343 followed this story. Only after 10 chapters! My other Game of Thrones fanfiction is approaching 100 chapters and has less favorites and followers. I thank you all very much, everyone who follows, favorited, reviewed or simply read this fic. You keep me motivated to write.

I'm sorry, everyone, for taking so much time to update, but studies in Economics are demanding. This chapter is short, but the next ones will be longer. Mostly, this chapter is there to see the thoughts of Margaery after her wedding night. I'm eager to publish the next chapters. We will see more in details the marriage of Margaery and Tyrion, their dynamic, how their relationship evolves, and the consequences it will have on the politics of the Seven Kingdoms.


MARGAERY V

Margaery took the stalk of the flower and brought it to her nose. It was a white rose she knew to have a sweet smell like honey. She was rewarded when her nostrils caught the beautiful scent. She smiled. It wasn't at all the same, but it made her think about the scent of her husband's hair when she had buried her head in it during the night. Her body shivered at the thought of last night and she sighed as she revived a part of what had happened. Margaery had the impression to be walking into a dream ever since she left the Golden Tower like they called it.

That wasn't as if it was the first time. She was no shy maid, far from it, even though she was still a maid. Well, she was a maid according to the definition. No man had ever penetrated her, and her maidenhead had never been taken. However, there were ways to lie with other people and to have sexual experiences without going that far. Margaery had experienced some of these at home. She knew how her body reacted. She knew what it was. At least, she thought she knew what it was until last night.

Her husband had been good to her. Very good, truth be told. The tales were true about his experience. He was good at kissing, and with his fingers and his tongue too. Margaery saw again in her head a few of the things they made that night. She hadn't expected this. He had made love to her, passionately, but also gently. They had made it twice during the night, and a third time in the morning. If she had known that her wedding night would be like this, she would have begged her parents to organize the wedding as quickly as possible. When she thought that right now she could be betrothed or married to Renly Baratheon if they hadn't ignored the king's offer… They did the right thing to ignore it.

Tyrion had made some of the things Margaery had experienced in Highgarden, but he had done it even better. And of course, they had become one. It hadn't been painful. It was uncomfortable in some small way, but only the first time. Her husband had made his best to make it enjoyable for her. When Margaery thought about it, she hadn't even bled. The night had been perfect. Tyrion had managed to make her scream in pleasure. If their nights and their mornings were to be like that, Margaery was eager for the day to end. She smiled wickedly towards the rose as she thought about the things her husband might try the next time.

Margaery looked at the position of the sun. They were already about midday, and she just left their chamber. She and Tyrion had spent some time in bed together after they had awoken, and Margaery wouldn't have minded if they had remained longer in it, even for the whole day. However, she had things to do. She had to speak to Loras, to her grandmother, to her parents, and to all her family. They had to know she was alright. If she didn't see them, Loras might believe she was chained somewhere at best, and that she was dead in the worst case.

Margaery walked along one of the many trails of the wide garden that led to the place where her family would take the meal of midday. Many people crossed her path on her way. They all bowed or curtsied before her, and she talked with a few of them. Many of them were lords or ladies of the Westerlands or the Reach. Casterly Rock had become the greatest gathering of powerful lords since Robert Baratheon's wedding. Almost all the nobility of the west was here. As she approached the central place where her family was supposed to be, she met her cousin Elinor. She almost jumped on Margaery as soon as she saw her. Soon, Alla and Megga joined her. The three were very happy to see her, and looked quite relieved as well. Margaery knew that her cousins were very uncertain about her husband. She would tell them later about her wedding night. Instead, she listened to her cousin's stories about the events that followed at the feast after she left.

She arrived at the square where her family was waiting for her. Garlan hugged her warmly, welcoming their married Margaery, like he said it. Willas apologized for not standing up because his leg was too painful today. She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him all the same. As for her father, his smile was wide like the entire Reach when he welcomed her.

"So, here you are, my dear daughter. The Lady of Casterly Rock." He was proud like he rarely was, and that said a lot.

"How are you, my dear," asked her mother, pushing her father aside and taking hold of her arms. "Are you alright?" She was distressed, and Margaery knew why. She put an appeasing hand on Lady Alerie's left arm.

"I'm alright, Mother. In fact, I'm very well."

Relief and confusion were fighting for the place on Lady Alerie's face. Margaery's grandmother intervened at this moment. "Leave her alone, Alerie. She's alive. If you managed to survive your wedding night with Mace, then I don't understand why you believed Margaery couldn't survive her own with the Imp."

Garlan, Willas, Elinor, Megga and Alla could barely hold their laughs, and Margaery couldn't hold it at all. Loras had remained behind, so Margaery went to him and hugged him as well. He didn't seem to have recovered entirely from his drunkenness of the last night. He only murmured he was glad to see her. They sat and began to eat. Mostly, Lady Olenna and Margaery's cousins were the ones to give life to the discussion, her mother and Loras remaining silent for most of the time. People were talking about yesterday's festivities, and Margaery took part to the conversation with pleasure, though she was eager to talk about her wedding night with her grandmother, Elinor, Megga and Alla. But she wouldn't talk about it with all the others who were present.

"Willas, why is your leg painful today?" Margaery asked. "Did you make a wrong move this morning?"

Sometimes, if he put too much weight on his bad leg, Willas could go as far as to stay in bed for an entire day. Most of the people at the table laughed behind their hand or their handkerchief. Willas flushed and stuttered when he answered. "I… I did make a bad move. I tried to dance."

"What? You tried to dance!?"

"I did. After you left the feast with Lord Tyrion." He sighed. "And of course it didn't end well. I fell on the floor and became the laughingstock of the whole ceremony."

"No one talked about anything else after that," added Lady Olenna. "You did well, Willas. Thanks to you, no one thought anymore about the bedding. I never thought that a wedding where the Imp was the groom would end without bedding ceremony."

"Don't worry, Grandmother. We didn't need the bedding ceremony to perform the actual bedding," said Margaery.

"I shall hope so. Or else my great-grandchildren will never be lords of Casterly Rock."

"Mother!" shouted Margaery's own mother.

"Don't call me that, Alerie, I didn't give birth to you. And don't shout like this. We all know this is Margaery's duty, and in our interest, for her to have children as quickly as possible. A marriage makes an alliance stronger, but once there are children from this marriage it is unbreakable. And anyway, don't you want grandchildren?"

"Of course, I want grandchildren, but…"

"Then the matter is settled. There's no reason to talk about it any further."

"Yes, there is." Loras almost spoke for the first time since they started to eat. "Lord Tyrion is a dwarf. Do we want Margaery to have children like him?"

A heavy silence followed that declaration. Willas stepped in. "Well, in this case Loras, I suppose you don't want a cripple as your cousin."

"That's entirely different."

"That's not entirely different," stated Willas. "I may not have short legs like him, but I have one that will remain useless for the rest of my life. Lord Tyrion can walk without the help of a stick at least. And anyway, Loras, the fact that Tyrion Lannister is a dwarf is no indication about how Margaery's children will be. There are many cases of dwarves who had very normal children, as much as there are many cases of two normal people having dwarves. There are even cases of two dwarves having children of normal height and size."

"How do you know that?"

"Contrarily to you, Loras, I do not only look at the pictures in the books. I read what's written under the pictures as well. Maybe that sounds boring, but it's also very useful."

"Who did you dance with?" Margaery asked to Willas, trying to turn the conversation into another direction before it became too serious. Loras wasn't drunk like yesterday, but he wasn't in a good mood either and it may not be a good idea to provoke him.

Willas smiled shyly. "Lady Mira. I was the one to ask her. That wasn't her idea. I'm the only one to blame for my humiliation."

They both laughed, joined by many other people, and Loras didn't seem to wish to continue their previous discussion. The ambiance was good for the rest of the meal. Even Margaery's mother seemed to recover some spirit and talked. However, at the end, when they all left the table, Margaery took her brother apart. They needed a few words together.

"Loras, I know what you did at the feast. What was your idea to threaten Lord Tyrion?"

"I was only trying to protect you," he answered.

"Protect me! By telling him that you would slice him in two?"

"What did you want me to do? To tell him that I would shout at him if he touched you?"

"We are married now, Lord Tyrion and I. I am his wife. Do you think it will be possible for us to have children without touching me?"

"Do you hear what you're saying, Margaery? You really want to have children with the Imp?"

"My children will rule the Westerlands one day. My son will be Lord of Casterly Rock. Sons learn from their mothers. I plan to teach mine a great deal. And to have sons, I must share my bed with the Imp."

Loras was angry. "I won't…"

"It's too late, Loras. It's over. We consummated our marriage last night. There is no way to break it now. Even the king can do nothing. So don't think about writing to Renly to intercede in your favor." Loras was agape. Margaery and her grandmother weren't sure, but they thought the king's proposal could find its origins with Loras. It seemed they were right. Loras had almost ruined the best marriage Margaery could hope for. "I know you didn't want me to marry Lord Tyrion, but now it's done, and there's nothing you can do about it. Learn to live with it, Loras. I don't want you to cause any trouble. If you ever try something again, I'll have no choice but to have you confined until you leave for Highgarden."

Loras's eyes widened in shock, and he didn't seem able to speak for a moment. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would," replied Margaery, determined. "My marriage allowed our family to become allies with the Lannisters. I will never harm you, little brother, but I won't let you sabotage our new alliance. Whether you stay quiet voluntarily and have freedom to go wherever you want, or I force you to stay quiet in the rooms you were given when you arrived. You will be provided with everything you need, but you won't be allowed to walk freely while you stay here if you want to cause problems. Do you understand?"

"I can't believe you take the defense of this man." Loras was incredulous.

"This man is your brother-in-law. Maybe not the one you wanted, but it's not because you don't want him in your bed that you can kill him."

Loras seemed furious. He walked away. Her brother was acting like a child right now. Their family would gain much more with Margaery's actual marriage than with the one he planned. She saw Garlan follow her brother. It would be better if her brother was watched by someone. Margaery led all the Tyrell women to another part of the garden where they could discuss in private. There, she gave to Elinor, Megga and Alla all the details about her wedding night. Her grandmother listened with great interest, but Margaery's mother looked about to throw herself from the top of the Hightower. After they were done with the little talk and that she tried to reassure her mother after everything she heard, Margaery found herself walking alone with her grandmother.

"Your wedding night was much more interesting than my own. Especially for the bride," the Queen of Thorns declared. Margaery thought she perceived some envy in her voice.

"Let's hope Mother will recover," Margaery replied playfully.

"Just give her some time. She'll get used to it. But tell me, Margaery, was your wedding night really so perfect?"

"After we took off our clothes, yes," answered Margaery with a mischievous smile.

"I was a little worried after he refused the bedding ceremony, and what he said concerning Loras. We'll have to keep an eye on your brother."

"I agree. I already talked to him, but we need someone to watch him all the time while he's here. Lord Tyrion told me Loras threatened to cut him in half. We are lucky Loras was drunk when he told him so."

"Of course. We cannot threaten a lord under his roof. It would be in his rights to arrest Loras, even execute him."

"He won't," Margaery denied without hesitation.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I am. He will not execute Loras. He knows that killing Loras would break our alliance. Anyway, I will make sure he doesn't. But we must make sure Loras causes no more trouble."

Olenna Tyrell nodded. "So, you are capable of influencing him?"

"I think I am, though… That will be difficult. Much more difficult than I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"He knows that I'm pulling an act very often. He could see through it. He talked to me about this before we went to bed last night. He said he wanted us to be honest with each other."

"Were you?" Her grandmother looked concerned.

"I was. I told him things that were true, but not the entire truth."

"You did well." Lady Olenna seemed relieved.

"I'm not entirely sure, Grandmother. I mean… I think he wants me to love him, but I cannot feign that. When I told him I didn't love him, he looked deceived, very sad. I cannot act on things like this, or else he would realize it, and that wouldn't help us."

"No, indeed." Her grandmother sat on a bench and Margaery imitated her. "If he can see through your act, you must be very careful. Handle him cautiously. You must get him to trust you, to make him lower his guard. It will be long work, but that's the only way."

"Well, we are married now. I suppose I will have a lot of time for this."

"Of course, but don't start late. This business at the wedding will not go unnoticed. All our bannermen were present, and you know how difficult they can be. The Lannisters ensured their bannermen's loyalty when Tywin Lannister dealt with the Reynes and the Tarbecks. I asked around and no lord in the Westerlands is thinking about rebellion right now. The memory of Tywin Lannister is still too fresh in people's mind. The Lannisters have a better hold on their bannermen than we have on ours. We must make our minor lords see that we can count on the support of House Lannister if the Florents or anyone else tries to usurp our place. The events of yesterday will make them doubt about it."

Margaery's grandmother was right. There were still many houses in the Reach who saw the Tyrells as upjumped stewards that Aegon the Conqueror made Lords of Highgarden only because they didn't fight against him. The Oakhearts, the Rowans, the Peakes, the Redwynes, even the Hightowers, and of course the Florents, were older houses and had closer blood ties with the Gardeners. Marriages (Lady Olenna was a Redwyne and Lady Alerie was a Hightower), wards, spy networks and their allegiance to the Targaryens had ensured the loyalty of their bannermen to the Tyrells. The wars against Dorne also allowed to divert their attention to another enemy, and many of these houses no longer seriously thought about taking the place of Margaery's family. However, the Florents persisted in their ambitions. The wars with Dorne were over when it joined the Realm, so they had no common enemy to fight anymore, and the Targaryens were gone as well. The Battle of Ahsford hadn't helped during the Rebellion. Everyone knew Randyll Tarly was the one who won the battle, despite her father's boasting. The failure of their army to take Storm's End had made it plain to everyone in the Reach and the Seven Kingdoms that the Tyrells had failed to achieve anything during the war, and in the end, they bent the knee to Robert Baratheon.

Their position wasn't desperate at all, but they had to be careful. House Tyrell had lost their allies on the Iron Throne. They had been without help from the outside after King Robert seized the Throne and could only rely on themselves. Their alliances with the Redwynes and the Hightowers made their position very strong, but still, if the Florents ever rebelled because they felt a weakness, their position could be in grave danger. Margaery's marriage was crucial to have the support of House Lannister, and they had to show the two families were like one, or else the Florents would immediately think about an uprising.

"I can get Lord Tyrion to trust me. I'm sure," Margaery declared.

"I don't doubt it," her grandmother replied, taking her hand. "You are even better than me. This dwarf won't stand a chance against you."

They both chuckled. "There's something else. He told me something last night. Did you know he was married before?"

Her grandmother looked more than taken aback by this. "Married? And I thought nothing could be more surprising than the cancelling of the bedding ceremony."

"Yes, that's what he said. He said it by accident. I don't think he wanted me to know. Have you ever heard about something like this?"

"No. It's quite strange. If Tywin Lannister's son had been married, the news should have reached us. Did he tell you who he was married to?"

"No. Only that his wife died two weeks after their wedding. I didn't ask him more about it. He didn't seem eager to talk about it, and it was our wedding night too."

"You did well. That wasn't the time to press the matter." It was true, but there was another reason why Margaery hadn't wanted to talk about it furthermore. Her grandmother looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, if he was married only for a short span of time, it might explain why the marriage went unnoticed. Though the wedding had to be quite discreet and unannounced for no one to know about it. How strange. I'll try to learn more about it. Did he tell you when it took place?"

"He said he was sixteen when it happened."

"Hmm. I'll dig into this. In the meantime, focus on gaining his trust. That's what you're best at."

They resumed to walk, but Margaery left her grandmother after some time and went to sit on a bench under an apple tree. She thought again about her wedding night. It had been so beautiful. She knew her husband wanted her. It was quite obvious, but at the same time he had been hesitant to consummate their marriage. He had even suggested they could wait if she wanted to. That was so strange, and unusual. Why offer her to not consummate their marriage immediately when he obviously wanted to consummate it? His eagerness after they began to kiss in bed was proof enough of that.

Maybe because he doesn't want to marry an unwilling bride. Words that Mira told her a long time ago came back to her mind. For now, it seemed Mira's supposition could be right. However, this was only the first day of her marriage and Margaery couldn't let her guard down. Still, she couldn't bring herself to see Tyrion Lannister like the possible monster some people described. Not after the letter, the week she spent here and their wedding night. His behaviour on that night hadn't been the one of a man who wanted to claim his wife. It was the one of a man who almost seemed like he didn't dare to claim the woman he married as his.

Margaery remembered how he looked when he talked about his first wife. She had seen him before with a grim expression, but never like that. It seemed very painful for him to speak about her. Did he love her? That wouldn't surprise her. Or did it have something to do with the way she died? Did Tyrion have something to do with it? Margaery didn't really see how he could have. At her third day here, she had heard that her husband had forbidden every man in Casterly Rock to force a servant to lie with him. Soldiers had been whipped publicly for that repeatedly. There was also this young girl, Jeyne Westerling, who came to thank Tyrion yesterday. He seemed reluctant, even horrified, before the possibility of girls being mistreated. That wasn't something Margaery hated. If you were to marry a powerful man, better to marry a kind one.

Margaery left her corner and went back to the Golden Tower. She had received a new gown this morning as a wedding present, and she wanted to wear it for tonight's dinner. She would try it with her handmaidens' help. As she walked, she thought again about the sadness on Tyrion's face for the short time he had talked about his wife. Maybe she could help him. She felt she should help him. She was his wife after all. That was probably the least she could do for him. If she was to influence her husband, why not make him happier at the same time. And she wanted to help him. She really wanted to help him.


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