Tyrion and Margaery are back. See how they fare as Lord and Lady of Casterly Rock together.
MARGAERY VI
The golden rose slowly took form. The thread was coming in and out of the linen, taking the shape of her family sigil. Margaery wasn't the best at needlework, but she could do one without problem. All girls from noble families were trained to do so by their septas, and Margaery was no exception to the rule.
The rose was precise, distinct on the tissue like it was in Margaery's heart. After two months married into House Lannister, she still felt every bit like a Tyrell. She was a Tyrell, and would always be a Tyrell. No matter who she was married with, where she lived or the name she bore, she had been born a Tyrell, and she would die a Tyrell. She kept her focus on the rose.
Her family had left last month, and Margaery missed them. She was relieved that the threat of Loras cutting Tyrion in half was removed, but she missed her brother all the same. She also missed Willas, Garlan, Mother, Father, her grandmother with her sharp comments and Leonette, Garlan's wife. She still had her cousins Alla, Megga and Elinor, and her friends Mira and Sera with her, but they couldn't entirely replace her family. Margaery hoped it wouldn't be too long before they could go to Highgarden, even if she knew it wouldn't be before a year if she was lucky enough.
She was well settled in her new place. She had quickly become friends with most of the ladies at Casterly Rock. There was only Genna Lannister she was still unsure of. Margaery had taken the habit to think about her as Genna Lannister instead of Genna Frey. Sera had made the mistake to call her Lady Frey one day, and her friend never received a colder look. Since then she received the same stare each time she was in presence of Lady Genna. Margaery limited the most she could the contacts between her aunt-in-law and Sera from this time on. She only brought Mira with her when she went to see Genna, and Mira was very careful to call her Lady Genna, without her family name.
Despite her coldness and her sharpness, Genna Lannister had been a great help for Margaery. She initiated her to her duties as Lady of Casterly Rock. Since Lord Tywin's wife had died, she had been the one to act unofficially as lady of the castle, running Casterly Rock, managing its household, supervising the feasts, name days and other ceremonies, advising the other ladies of the family, receiving guests, overlooking the education of all the young Lannister girls. Now all these were Margaery's duties, and Genna made sure the transition went well. She would always help Margaery when she asked for.
However, Margaery had to fulfill other duties as well, that were more in link with her new title of Lady of the Westerlands. She had to intercede for House Lannister with the ladies of the other houses, sat besides her husband when he held court and took decisions with him, and took part in the ruling of the Westerlands. Tyrion was a very active lord. He woke up early in the morning and worked almost until dusk. He made sure the taxes were levied, that his bannermen paid their due, solved quarrels between the people on the lands of the Lannisters and between the minor lords in the whole Westerlands, gave justice, ensured that enough gold was dug from the mines in the depths of Casterly Rock, and much more. His days were quite filled. But he always had time for her. He never rebuked her when she had to speak with him, and always managed to dine with her in the evening. Most of the time, he broke his fast with her as well, unless he had very important matters to attend. And of course, he spent all his nights with her. There were also other times within the day they would spend time together. When they held court, when Tyrion made her visit the castle (even after two months here, Margaery hadn't seen everything of Casterly Rock), or when they would simply decide to spend a morning, an afternoon or an evening together.
Margaery enjoyed the moments she spent with Tyrion. She spent time with her friends from Highgarden and the other girls from Casterly Rock and loved these moments, but she had to admit she had come to love those with Tyrion even more. He had a way to make everything funny and to make her laugh in all circumstances. Some of his jokes could be of doubtful taste for some people, but Margaery didn't mind. They were part of her husband, and she liked this aspect of his personality. There was also the way Tyrion behaved with her, showing her respect and consideration in every circumstance. He asked for her advice on several matters, involving her in his duties of lord. He wasn't waiting for all solutions to come from her, but he wanted to know her opinion and took it into consideration. He didn't see her only like a jewel or an ornament to be shown to the Westerlands and to parade before the smallfolk. Or like a baby workshop to make him sons to be his heirs and daughters to marry to powerful lords. She was a person in his eyes, and showed her the same respect than to the other members of his family, if not more.
Tyrion's behavior towards her was no different during the night. Margaery could see without difficulty that Tyrion wanted her. With the number of whores he visited before their marriage, she wasn't surprised to have such an eager husband when it came to make children. However, he didn't only take her. He made sure she enjoyed their time together at night. Margaery liked what he did to her, and she returned it to him in the same way… or in different ways, depending of the night. Margaery knew that he loved her, and it touched her. She had developed ways to verify if Tyrion spent time with any other woman since they were wed, and she had found out that he had been entirely faithful. Coming from a man who used to visit three brothels at night, she felt proud that she was capable of turning him away from whores, and she felt touched by the fidelity of her husband so far. Maybe it wouldn't last, after all they had only been married for two months, but still she appreciated Tyrion's effort, and she liked to think it wasn't only temporary. Ever since I became Lord of Casterly Rock, I've done my best to relent my flaws. I also stopped to visit brothels. He had stopped before they were married, so he could be really serious about being faithful to her. The only thing that made her keep some doubts were some rumors about a scullion who would have been seen a few times entering and leaving Tyrion's chambers in the night before she came here.
Tyrion was trying the best he could to make her happy, and Margaery didn't complain about the intention. She could ask everything she wanted, and since House Lannister was the richest family in Westeros, there were almost no limits to what she could ask. Right now, she was making plans to have a maze, similar to the one in Highgarden, built on the northern hill of the Rock. Genna had been against it when she spoke about the idea, and Ser Kevan as well, but Tyrion had waved their objections and allowed her to go forward with it. He said he wouldn't stop his wife from feeling at home here, and the maze would remember her of Highgarden. Margaery could only agree with him.
Still, there were certain things about her husband that made Margaery uncertain, even anxious from time to time. First, there was the matter of the wife he had before. Margaery had been unable to grab any information about it. Her grandmother hadn't been able to find anything while she was here. Margaery hadn't succeeded either in the month that followed her departure. She had even involved Mira, and her northern friend had failed to find anything consistent. One day, Margaery had directly asked Genna about it.
"How do you know Tyrion was married? Did he tell you?" Genna had asked.
"Yes, on our wedding night," Margaery had answered.
"What did he say?"
"Not much. That their marriage had only lasted a fortnight and that she died."
Genna had nodded, looking thoughtful. "Well, there isn't much more to know, or to say." Her voice had let no place to discussion, but Margaery had tried to know more all the same.
"But what happened? How does it come she died only two weeks after their wedding?"
"It's not to me to tell you about it, my dear. If Tyrion isn't ready to tell you, then I can't tell you neither. Only know this. Tyrion loved his wife, and not long after they were wed, something terrible happened to her. Tyrion had always been lonely and recluse because he was a dwarf. He spent his time with Creylen studying the history of the Seven Kingdoms, learning about religion, politics, geography, even medicine. He read while the other boys were sparring in the courtyard with the master-at-arms. He thought about becoming a maester or a septon, even Grand Maester or High Septon. He could have been. But one day he married, and he fell in love with his wife. When he lost her, he was destroyed. He began to drink and to visit brothels afterwards. I would suggest you to not bring up the topic again, especially not before him. Sometimes, it's better to let things buried."
This had only made Margaery more curious and afraid about it. What could have happened for no one wanted to talk about it? Something terrible, according to Genna, but what was that terrible thing? She had to find out what it was, but she doubted she would get any answer from Tyrion. She still remembered his expression when he had talked about his first wife on their wedding night. It would do no good to ask from him.
However, this matter wasn't the only one that preoccupied Margaery, far from it. Two months after her marriage, she had to admit that she had failed to gain any significant influence on her husband. He was listening to her and involved her in the affairs of the Westerlands, but he didn't let her guide him. Many times, when Margaery had tried to convince him to do something in her family's interest, he had found a way to refuse. He never refused inconveniently. He always gave good reasons to not do something or another, but what bothered her the most was the way he looked at her in these moments. It was as if he could read her like he read books. He could sense she was trying to influence him. Not always, but most of the time he seemed to know what she was doing. No matter how she tried, he seemed capable of uncovering her.
Margaery had decided that it was time to change her strategy. Tyrion could see easily through her play, just like he told her on their wedding night. Her only option was to not act at all, or at least to put as few acting she could in her behaviour. She couldn't use Tyrion the way she thought. She had to try another approach.
Margaery kept embroidering the golden flower, the shape getting more precise every minute. It was morning, and they weren't far from midday. She and Tyrion would hold court this afternoon in the Great Hall. Margaery would have to change her clothes for it, but for the time being she wore a green dress with golden symbols of trees and leaves. It was one of the many dresses she brought with her from Highgarden.
Tyrion entered their apartments. The Lord of Casterly Rock was richly dressed like always, though more covered than his wife. He looked at her with a smile when he came in. Still after two months together, she knew her husband was looking at the regions her clothes weren't hiding.
"My lady," he greeted her.
"My lord," she replied.
"What are you doing?" She showed him her work. "Growing strong," he said with a smile.
"Hear me roar," replied Margaery, imitating the roaring of a lion at the same time.
They both laughed and Tyrion went to pour himself some wine like he did very often. "That sounds like some of the noises you made last night," he quipped.
Margaery smiled at the memory, but she decided to go to serious matters. "Is there anything to expect from the court today?"
"Not much. Only Lord Westerling who's present."
"Lord Westerling? What is he doing here?"
"I suppose we'll learn soon. He will present his request first. This is his right as one of our bannermen."
Her husband took a long gulp of wine. Although Margaery was trying to temperate his drinking, he still drank a lot. Strangely, to the opposite of her father and her uncle Garth, wine didn't seem to reduce Tyrion's wits. Sometimes she even thought it had the opposite effect. She decided to try her new strategy now.
"Tyrion, I've been thinking about something you told me the other day."
"What was it?" he asked.
"It was…" She didn't have the time to answer. Mira and Sera had come inside with the food for midday.
"Ah. Lady Mira, Lady Sera. You're welcome," Tyrion said.
Margaery put aside her embroidery to join her husband at the table, but when they had laid the plates, she asked her friends to leave them alone.
"Well, your handmaidens are gone. So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" her husband asked.
"You told me you wanted to increase trade between the Reach and the Westerlands some time ago," she began.
"Yes, I did. I even tried to talk about it with your father before he left, but he didn't seem very interested."
"You said there would be a problem to convince the Hightowers and the Redwynes to get involved."
"Yes, indeed. These two families get most of their revenues from taxes on goods that come into their harbors. They won't accept to lower the duties they take on it easily. In the Westerlands, this is not very difficult. The main harbor is Lannisport, and the Lannisters of Lannisport are almost servants of Casterly Rock. I already discussed with Lord Reginald and he's quite open to lowering the duties on imported goods, as long as I divert some the ships that come into the Rock to the harbor of Lannisport and lend him money to expand the docks in the city. But I'm afraid your father would find it more difficult."
"What are you really thinking about, my lord? I would like to understand your intent."
Tyrion started to explain. "When my father was Hand of the King, he managed to make the Seven Kingdoms prosper. He lowered the excise duties on traded goods all over the Realm and encouraged trade with the Free Cities and the Summer Islands. It worked out quite well, but for that he needed to lower these duties. I'm thinking about repeating the experiment, but this time with the Reach and the Westerlands only. Imported goods that travel by sea are taxed by the Crown, the paramount lord and the family ruling the harbor. We cannot force Robert and Jon Arryn to lower their own duties. Our king spends too much and he will never allow these taxes to decrease. We can lower and even abolish the duties collected by our two families very easily, if your father agrees, but to have a real impact we must convince the local lords to lower them as well. This means mostly the Lannisters of Lannisport and the Farmans of Fair Isle in the Westerlands, and the Hightowers of Oldtown and the Redwynes from the Arbor in the Reach."
"Will the Farmans agree?"
"I don't think they will oppose. I will probably send them a bard like my father did thirty years ago," Tyrion said with a grin. "The problem would come mostly from Oldtown and the Arbor. It would be to ask them to renounce some of their main source of income."
Margaery had her answer ready. "My mother is a Hightower, and my grandmother is a Redwyne. They can pull some strings in their families to make it work."
Tyrion didn't seem convinced. "The queen is my sister. It doesn't mean Robert Baratheon listens to me when I make requests of this type. We're not talking about a possible marriage with no obligation in the immediate time. We're talking of persuading powerful families to renounce some of their wealth."
"This is worth a try all the same," Margaery argued.
Tyrion nodded. "Yes, it is. It would probably be for the best to begin small all the same. We could start by eliminating the duties our two families are collecting on the trade between the Reach and the Westerlands. If this proves to be a success, the Hightowers and the Redwynes will be more receptive to the idea. Your mother and your grandmother may start to talk about this with their families, but for now I would mostly need you to persuade your father."
"That won't be a problem. My father will listen to me," she assured.
"Ask your grandmother too. We both know she is the real power in Highgarden."
Margaery smiled. "You're right." He was. "I'll write to them this evening."
"Thank you." He smiled at her. "What have you done of your morning?"
"I've been discussing with brothers to open soup kitchens in Lannisport. That's horrible to see people begging in the streets for a few coins to eat."
"It is," Tyrion agreed. "but I don't know if this will really help them."
"What do you mean?" she asked, uncertain.
"Well, if you open such places, you can be sure people who don't need free food will come. And sometimes giving food to the poor only takes this food away from other people, or worse the poor ask for even more afterwards."
"We cannot let them starve in the streets, Tyrion."
"I know very well. All I mean is that it might not have the effect we want. Some people will start leaving the countryside for the food they are being given in the town. Less people will work on the lands, there will be less food produced, and in the end things might be even worse than before. We may only end up taking food that would have been bought and giving it freely. In this case, people won't starve less."
"We have a plentiful summer, Tyrion. I don't think food supplies are a problem. Anyway, I can make more food come from the Reach if we lack some here in the Westerlands. We are married. My father is not going to abandon an ally."
Tyrion seemed skeptical about what she just said, but he said nothing about it. He talked about something else. "We had a long summer, it's true. And Creylen is telling it won't end soon, but this means the next winter will probably be very long. We have to prepare for this eventuality. I'm already filling the larders of the Rock to have enough food when winter comes, and I'm encouraging the other lords to do the same. I don't want the people to get a big belly now only for them to starve during winter."
Margaery had some doubts. She had seen Tyrion acting very kindly towards orphans, cripples, blinds, beggars and even the servants here at the Rock. "Do you disagree with the work I do?" she asked.
Tyrion's face showed stupor. Then he shook his head and smiled sadly. "No, not at all. Quite the opposite, I admire what you're doing. I'm just asking you to be careful. We want the poor to be fed, not the ones who already eat to not pay for their food."
Margaery was relieved. That was the Tyrion she knew. "I will need some money to build or repair buildings for this."
Tyrion waved his hand in the air. "Take what you need. The vaults of Casterly Rock are full of gold thanks to my father. I think it's time the people benefit from it."
They spent the rest of the meal discussing about her charity works. Tyrion also told her about the discovery he made recently that the Leffords and their bannermen had been hiding some of their revenues, not paying their taxes to Casterly Rock. They would have to deal with Lord Lefford soon.
They ate honey cakes with strawberries on them and impregnated with wine of the Arbor for dessert. They came from the Reach. Margaery had discovered not long ago that her husband had given the order to have something from the Reach to eat every day. Something else to please her. After the meal was done, Margaery went to her dressing room where Mira and Sera prepared her for the court.
In normal circumstances, Margaery wore clothes from her home. Light clothes of bright colors, often displaying her shoulders, a part of her back or her hips, with flowers, branches, leaves or trees depicted on them. Casterly Rock had become a world where the style of the Reach coexisted with the style of the Westerlands. Cerenna and Myrielle Lannister were already asking for gowns like those Margaery wore, but their mother had forbidden it. Margaery wondered for how long Lady Myranda would hold against the complaints and demands of her daughters.
Margaery dressed like she did in Highgarden whenever she visited Lannisport and her works there. However, when it came to hold court and to receive bannermen of her husband's family, she changed into proper clothes for the Lady of the Westerlands. She had to show she was the Lady of Casterly Rock, and not a girl from the Reach who knew nothing of the lands she was supposed to rule. She showed the girl from the Reach to the smallfolk, but she showed the powerful Lady Lannister to the bannermen.
When her handmaidens were done with her, she wore a heavy red gown trimmed with gold and silver. She had five rings of gold, silver or diamond at each hand, and a costly gold hairnet with rubies. Around her neck was a beautiful flowered pendant with a sapphire in the middle, hanging from a silver chain. It had belonged to Tyrion's mother, Lord Tywin's late wife, Joanna Lannister. Tyrion never spoke about her when she thought of it, but she supposed there wasn't much to tell about your mother when she died not long after you were born. He didn't talk often about his father either.
Margaery left her room to join Tyrion. He wore a black and red doublet that made him look taller than usual. They walked together to the Great Hall, followed on their heels by Tyrion's squire, Ty Frey, and by Margaery's handmaidens. They also had guards with them. Half of them wore green armor, the other half red armor. They did some small talk on the way with their servants. Margaery noticed that in the dark tunnels of the castle, with the torches lit on the walls all over the corridors, her husband's shadow grew very large.
They arrived to the Great Hall and entered through a door dissimulated behind a column in the back of the Hall. The petitioners would come in through the main doors. Ser Kevan, Ser Damion and Lady Genna were already there, sitting on the dais but on a lower level than the one where Margaery and Tyrion sat. Two thrones entirely made of gold were waiting for them and they took place, Tyrion to her right. Margaery remembered that the first time she sat down in this throne, when the people had come to address requests to her and her husband, she had felt like a queen. And when she looked at the way she was dressed, all covered in gold, jewels, silver and silk, she had to admit she looked every inch like a queen. She had the same feeling every time they held court. The people would only need to call her Your Grace, and she would be a queen. Better to be a queen if you couldn't be the queen.
The doors of the Hall opened and people poured in, kept away from the dais by both Lannister and Tyrell guards. Margaery displayed her benevolent smile while keeping a dignified attitude, her chin high. As for Tyrion, he sat in a less appropriate position, leaning on his left side, his left arm resting on the throne's golden arm, his fingers tapping on it. However, Margaery knew the people shouldn't rely on appearances. Tyrion's gaze was attentive to what was going on in the Great Hall, and nothing escaped his attention. He had a serious, even a threatening face right now. He was the Lord of Casterly Rock and the people who ignored he was the master here would learn it to their expense very soon.
The herald hit the floor with his golden stick. "You all stand before Tyrion of House Lannister, son of Tywin, Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, Lord of the Westerlands and Warden of the West. And before Margaery Lannister of House Tyrell, Lady of Casterly Rock and Lady of the Westerlands."
In Highgarden, Margaery had thought it would be funny to hear it and that her name sounded good with Lannister after her first name, but she had to admit she was still unused to being called this way and that it felt strange to be called Margaery Lannister. But she showed nothing of this. Lord Gawen Westerling, Lord of the Crag, came forward to present his case.
"My lord, my lady, I come here to seek your help about a great injustice that has befallen to my house. Our lands have been seized by an unscrupulous merchant who claims we failed to pay a debt we owed him," explained the Lord of the Crag.
"Your lands were seized," said Tyrion, a skeptical look on his face, but a little exaggerated or so Margaery thought. "Who seized them? The merchant?"
"Yes, my lord."
"How could a merchant seize your lands? You have guards and knights at your service. Couldn't they defend your lands?"
Lord Gawen Westerling turned red. "He… He hired sellswords. Criminals, outlaws, and ordered them to occupy our lands until we paid the debt back."
"And you were unable to turn these outlaws and criminals, like you call them, out of your lands? You were unable to keep peace on your own lands?"
People laughed in the Great Hall and Lord Westerling grew redder from humiliation. "They… There are too many of them. My lord, I'm asking for your help as your loyal bannerman."
"What kind of help do you want, Lord Westerling? Do you want me to drive these men out of your lands? Or do you want me to repay the debt you contracted?" Silence followed. The Lord of the Crag didn't seem to know what to answer. Margaery decided to intervene.
"Lord Westerling, perhaps you should tell us the whole story from the beginning. First, are you in debt to this merchant, whoever he is?"
"He is," shouted someone. A fat man with brown hair and richer clothes than the Lord of the Crag came out of the crowd and stood before Tyrion and Margaery, right next to Lord Gawen. "My name is Roan Hyser. Citizen of Lannisport and owner to several trading ventures, including one with the wine sellers from the Arbor." He bowed deeply to Margaery as he mentioned this. He seemed to hope this would make her sympathetic to him. "I lent money to Lord Westerling two years ago through an arrangement I made with his castellan. He failed to pay back the loan, so I seized his lands as a compensation."
"These lands belonged to my father and his father before him. They are the lands of House Westerling. You have no right to occupy them," shouted the Lord of the Crag.
"The law allows a creditor to seize any propriety of his debtor if he fails to pay back the loan in time, if the value of the seized proprieties is equal or less than the value of the debt owed. Your lands are worth much less than the money I lent you."
"Roan Hyser, perhaps it would make things more clear if you gave us the contract. Surely Lord Westerling and you made one when he borrowed your money," interrupted Ser Kevan.
"We did," confirmed the merchant.
"Then could you give it to us?"
Roan Hyser seemed to hesitate a moment, but he gave it nonetheless when Ty came to take it. Tyrion's squire brought it to him. Tyrion looked at it, then handed it to her so she could have a look as well.
"What do you think of it?" he asked, leaning on his left to whisper in her ear so no one else could hear them.
"Everything seems in order," she told him after she had read it. The merchant was telling the truth. The castellan of the Crag, Rolph Spicer, had borrowed for about ten thousand golden dragons to Roan Hyser of Lannisport two years ago. The term to repay the debt was last week.
"Is there nothing you noticed?" asked Tyrion, still murmuring.
"No. He really made an arrangement with the castellan of the Crag."
"Yes, he did. Rolph Spicer is Lord Gawen's brother-in-law, his wife's brother. He signed the contract, and after his signature we can see his title, castellan of the Crag, but if we read the contract well, we can see there is no mention of House Westerling or Lord Gawen anywhere, and that the Crag is only mentioned in the signature."
It dawned on Margaery. "The debt was not contracted by House Westerling."
"No. It is a personal debt contracted by Rolph Spicer himself. But because he wrote that he was castellan of the Crag at the end, the merchant considered it was in his rights to seize the lands of his brother-in-law as a repayment. The Westerlings are poor and don't have enough men to defend their lands against a whole company of sellswords."
"But the debt is not owed by the Westerlings. We should put an end to this, Tyrion. This affair concerns Rolph Spicer, not the Westerlings."
"Indeed, but you see, I met Lady Westerling, and I have the impression she has a lot of power in the Crag. Maybe more than her husband. The Westerlings are an impoverished house, and it is very possible that Sybell Spicer brought more money in the marriage. She's not going to abandon her brother, and maybe Lord Westerling doesn't want to abandon him either. Hence his presence here. Or else he would have thrown Rolph Spicer to the merchant and there would be no problem at all."
Margaery saw what Tyrion meant. And this posed a problem. The Westerlings may be poor, but they were their bannermen all the same. They couldn't allow a simple merchant from Lannisport to take the lands of a noble family like that, or sellswords and outlaws to terrorize the people living there.
"Couldn't we say that Lord Gawen owes nothing to Roan Hyser and that the debt is owed entirely by Rolph Spicer? The merchant has no right to hold these lands. Maybe Lord Westerling ignored about this debt until recently," Margaery suggested.
"That wouldn't surprise me, but I have the impression Lord Gawen won't let down his castellan, even though he should. He's proud, and he won't let the others know that his castellan was incompetent, even less when he is his brother-in-law."
"But we cannot allow merchants to seize lands of our bannermen."
"Of course, we can't. The contracts must be respected. Most of the wealth of Lannisport comes from trade, and merchants do the trade. But Lord and Lady Westerling will protect their castellan. He is family for them. And we can't allow a conflict to escalate between a merchant with a sellsword company and a minor lord."
"Then we must pay back the debt," said Margaery. There was no other way out. "We have no choice."
"Maybe not," her husband conceded. He looked deep in his thoughts. "But if we pay back the loan, it will be at our conditions."
Tyrion looked at the lord and the merchant standing before them and spoke loudly. "Lord Westerling, Roan Hyser, Lady Margaery and I have agreed on a solution to your dispute. You recognize, don't you, Lord Westerling, that your house owes ten thousand golden dragons plus the interests to Roan Hyser?"
"I do," said Lord Westerling, though reluctantly. Tyrion was right. He was protecting his wife's brother.
"Then in this case, House Lannister will pay the ten thousand you borrowed. You will only have to pay for the interests. I do hope you are still capable of paying them." Some people scoffed in the crowd. The poverty of House Westerling was well known.
"We are, my lord. I thank you," said the Lord of the Crag.
"Hyser," resumed Margaery's husband, "you will order the men you hired to disband and to leave the lands of the Crag immediately. I will dispatch a company of soldiers led by my cousin, Ser Daven Lannister, to the Crag tomorrow on the morning. They will make sure that your men left. If they ever find that your sellswords mistreated the people living there before they left, or if they find them still here, you will be held accountable for it. Any theft, any murder, any rape done by your men will be considered as if it was done by you, and you will receive the same sentence as if you had done it yourself."
"Yes, my lord." The merchant had gone blank all of a sudden and left immediately after bowing deeply before Tyrion ad Margaery. Surely he was going to write immediately to his men to leave the lands of the Crag without causing trouble.
"Thank you, my lord. Thank you very much. My house is forever in your debt. We won't forget about it," babbled the Lord of the Crag who Tyrion just saved.
"Ser Daven," called Tyrion. His cousin stepped forward and knelt, waiting for orders. "I give you the command of a hundred men of Casterly Rock to make sure that peace is being kept at the Crag. You will leave tomorrow with Lord Westerling. When you come back, I'm counting on you to ensure the safety of Ser Raynald and Lady Jeyne on their way here."
Silence fell in he Great Hall. Margaery herself was silent, but she understood more quickly than the others what it meant. Tyrion wouldn't let the Westerlings get out of it without payment.
"My lord…" began Lord Westerling. "I… I do not understand. What… What… What do you… you…"
"You must understand, Lord Westerling, that the ten thousand golden dragons we gave to Roan Hyser is now a debt you have towards Casterly Rock and House Lannister. We will give you time to pay this debt. You can take all the time you want. All your life, if this pleases you. But as long as you will remain in debt to House Lannister, your eldest children will remain here, as wards."
Lord Westerling was agape. Margaery decided it was time to say something. "Your children will be our honored guests, Lord Westerling. It is a great honor for a lord to see his children accepted as wards of a great family like House Lannister. Surely you won't complain about it. For myself, I'm very eager to see your daughter, Lady Jeyne, again. She seemed a sweet girl when I met her two months ago."
There was nothing the Lord of the Crag could reply to this. He was still searching for his words, and Tyrion spoke again before his silence. "Lord Westerling, we came to your help this time, but the next time you fail to pay a debt, whatever it is, House Lannister will not come to rescue you. I would advise you to make sure your wife and her brother understands that when you see them. The next time, if sellswords ravage your lands, it will be your duty to deal with them. I think that if this time ever comes, you'll find great solace in knowing that your heir and your eldest daughter are safe and sound at Casterly Rock. And I think some distance with their mother and their uncle would do them some good."
Tyrion pulled on a smug smile, the one he used to make the others know that they had lost and that made them so uneasy when it came to his lips. He displayed it a few times for her as well, though in a kinder way, but still Margaery didn't like it when it was meant for her.
The Lord of the Crag could only accept their conditions in the end. He left, escorted by Tyrion's cousin. Margaery noticed that Tyrion looked at his uncle who tilted the head in approval. He always seemed to approve her husband's decisions. The rest of the court passed very quickly. For every matter, it was always the same. Tyrion did the unyielding lord who never allowed any failure, and Margaery played the caring lady. The truth was different. Margaery knew they had to be firm with their bannermen and criminals, though she preferred to rule by convincing people she loved them and would care for them. Tyrion was better for looking decisive, and she left him this role with pleasure, while she played the good role. However, Tyrion was far from being ruthless or cruel. He could seem so to some people, but his jokes made the atmosphere in the Great Hall more pleasant and, truth be told, he was quite generous. He had just helped the Westerlings, but warned them strongly about the consequences of a future failure, and made sure they would have great interest in paying back their debts. A mix of kindness, rudeness, gentleness, firmness, generosity, ruthlessness and pragmatism. That was her husband. Tyrion came up with the decisions requiring a strong arm while Margaery came with those requiring a soft touch.
Later that night, Margaery was lying on her left side, looking outside through the open window. Fresh air from the sea caressed her skin and she shivered. Her Tyrell blood may run warm, but sometimes it only made her feel the cold more strongly. She brought the sheet up to cover her breasts, still looking at the moon. She heard Tyrion grumbling behind her. He was asleep. It was probably the first time he slept while she was awake. Normally, it was the other way around.
Margaery reflected about the result of her new strategy. She had written to her parents and her grandmother after they left court. She thought it could be worth it. After all, she had to get the best from this alliance. Like her grandmother told her, they had to show that House Tyrell and House Lannister were united as one, to keep their bannermen at bay. Margaery already displayed their unity in public, whether while visiting an orphanage, buying a necklace in the markets of Lannisport or holding court like today. The alliance between their houses was strong in everyone's eyes… except it wasn't. So much still separated her family and Tyrion's family. Their alliance was made for mutual interests, and both hoped to get as much they could from it. Only the problem was that Margaery couldn't get much of it so far. Her attempts to influence Tyrion had failed because he saw it when she tried to use him. She had to try another approach. In public, they were allies, working together. Why couldn't they do it in private as well? Work for the interest of both their houses, instead of competing for their respective family to take as much as they could from the other? She didn't think Tyrion opposed the idea. He was obviously in love with her, but he wasn't blinded by this love. She had to convince him that she was on his side, but the only way to convince him, as far as she could tell, was to be on his side.
She didn't hate Tyrion. She loved to laugh, talk and eat with him, she enjoyed the time they spent exploring Casterly Rock together, he made ruling something they could laugh of, and he was very attentive to her. He did everything for her to be happy, and truth be told, Margaery liked Casterly Rock up to now. As for making heirs… Well, that wasn't a hard task. Margaery had her last moonblood two weeks ago, so she was certainly not with child, but with the way they did it, she would be the mother of the future Lord of the Westerlands before long.
Tyrion stirred on the other side and grumbled something. Margaery turned to look at him. His head went from one side to the other for a few times and he breathed more quickly, but he went back to calm after a few seconds. Probably only a nightmare. His breathe steadied and he remained unmoving, still sleeping. Margaery laid her head on the pillow and looked again at the moon through the window. Slowly, she drifted into sleep, but thought she heard her husband whispering something before she fell asleep. Something like Tysha.
For a mention, the flowered pendant that Margaery wears here is the same that Tyrion gave to his wife in another fic, "Wolf in the Lion's Den". A fic I enjoyed very much to read.
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The next two chapters will be aired together about New Year. One will be from Tyrion's POV, and the other from Margaery's.
