Chapter 29
Jon Snow paced the floor of his chambers as he waited for Sam. He had just been named the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and he needed to send out ravens. He also needed a proper Maester at The Wall. He sighed deeply as he realized what he needed to do...this would be a difficult thing for Sam.
Sam came in, panting softly. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Jon. I was in the library-"
Jon held up his hand to stop Sam in the middle of his excuses. "It's all right Sam. I have letters that need to be sent to all the Lords of the great houses, along with the King. I also have orders for you personally."
Sam nodded as he held his hands out for the letters, but seemed confused at the last bit. "Orders?"
Jon nodded as he handed Sam his orders, sealed in wax by the seal of the Lord Commander. "I want you to go to the Citadel. We have need of a Maester and you are the best I have for the job. Take Gilly with you, she will be far safer in Oldtown than she is here." Jon would have a hard enough time keeping the likes of Allister Thorne in line without having to worry about what might happen to the girl Sam had brought back holding a baby in her arms. With the passing of Maester Aemon, the Watch needed a new Maester and Sam truly was the best option.
Sam seemed completely flabbergasted at the orders. "Jon…it will take years to train at Oldtown..."
Jon nodded. "I know that Sam. You will leave at dawn tomorrow. Go to Eastwatch and board a ship that is waiting to take the three of you down." He left no room for argument.
Sam looked sad, but nodded. He turned to leave before stopping and looking sheepishly at Jon. "I…should have told you sooner but with all that's happened there hardly seemed time. But I…I met your brother Bran. He was traveling with three others, they demanded I let them through The Wall." Sam looked down to the floor as his nerves took over.
Jon stared at Sam in shock. "Bran? You didn't take them through did you?!"
Sam shrunk a bit at the question before shyly looking up at Jon and giving a single nod of his head.
Jon sighed and swallowed his anger. He went to Sam and patted him on the shoulder. "It's all right Sam. Nothing to be done for it now, and I know you wouldn't have let them through unless they had a good reason."
Sam let out the breath he had been holding and gave a nod of his head. He took both his orders and the letters that needed to go out by raven as he left Jon's chambers.
Jon sighed heavily, he could only hope and pray Bran was safe. He took a deep breath before stepping out to find Tormund to plan how to rescue the Wildlings at Hardhome.
...
Hannibal returned to the Dreadfort right at dusk after his successful hunt, when he was told to return. He had killed a massive black bear that could feed the whole of the Dreadfort alone, along with a large buck with an impressive set of antlers he fully intended to mount upon the wall. He had cleaned his kills before returning to the castle. He had sent the prepared meat directly to the kitchens upon his return.
He smirked as he jumped off of his horse to look upon his wife with pride as the bear pelt and antler trophies were presented to her. "Did I return at the correct time? I believe the pelt alone will cover our entire bed." He said with a smirk.
Margaery smiled her biggest smile when he arrived. "You've come at the perfect time. The pelt is lovely! Of course you did a wonderful job of it, my brilliant hunter." She approached him before looking up into his eyes and kissing along his jaw. "I've a gift for you as well my darling."
Hannibal smiled as he held her close. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air. "It smells as if a feast has been prepared. Quite ambitious to plan a celebration prior to knowing if my hunt was successful."
Margaery pressed in tight to him. "Yes, the feast is special indeed my darling. It's a celebration, but not of your successful hunt." She tilted her chin up to look him in the face. "It is in celebration of the future. Of House Bolton and its alliance with House Tyrell. Forged in marriage and made steadfast by blood."
She took his hand and rested it over her belly. Then Margaery grinned up at Hannibal.
"I am with child – your son rides in my belly."
Hannibal was entirely focused upon Margaery as she spoke. His eyes lit with excitement as his hand was placed on her belly and she told him her news. A grin crossed his face as he scooped her up into his arms and spun her around in his excitement. Margaery grinned at his reaction. When Hannibal spun her about, she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He set her back down on her feet before holding her close and looking deep into her eyes.
"How do you know it is a son?" He asked. His eyes were dancing with light as he held her close. "Nevermind, it does not matter. I am beyond pleased that you are carrying our child." He said as he brought his hands down to gently caress her stomach. He knelt down slowly to tenderly kiss over her stomach.
Once he set her back down, Margaery smiled up at him. "I know not for certain, but with the gods' blessings we will have a son to continue the Bolton name." She replied. When he knelt down she smiled and ran her fingers through his thick hair. "You're happy with this news then, my dearest husband?"
Hannibal grinned widely up to her as he continued to kiss over her stomach. "Indeed I am. Grow strong, my little one. Your mother will keep you quite safe. I look forward to meeting you soon." He spoke lowly to her stomach before kissing it again and standing slowly.
Margaery smiled down at Hannibal as he kissed over her belly and spoke to their child. She looped her arms around him as he stood.
Hannibal chuckled as he pulled her close and looked deep within her eyes. "I promise you this now…a healthy child of ours, son or daughter, will bring me equal amounts of pride." He was not so old fashioned as to desire only a son, or that his first child had to be a son.
Quietly Margaery listened as he spoke to her. A slow smile crept across her face as she kissed him softly. "Then we shall see what the gods have in store for us."
Hannibal nodded in agreement. "Indeed…you mentioned a feast earlier. I certainly hope it will not be too long. I do want to celebrate this happy news in private afterwards."
Margaery chuckled as she shifted to loop her arm through his and began walking towards the main dining hall. "It shan't be long, dearest. Just long enough to celebrate our good news and enjoy a fine meal. There is already a bit of roast lamb and the cooks will be finishing the meat you provided soon as well."
Hannibal smiled as he walked with her towards the dining hall. "That sounds delectable my dear. I look forward to celebrating. Did you invite Lady Sansa up from Winterfell to join in our festivities?"
"I did not." Margaery admitted. "She's only just getting settled into Winterfell again, I did not want her to make the trek back so soon and make her feel like a nomad." Once they were at the doors a mischievous grin crossed her face. "Although...I did invite a few guests."
The guards opened the doors and a great cheer rang through the hall. Mace and Olenna held up cups of wine and cheered for the pair as they entered.
Hannibal chuckled as he looked to Margaery with a teasing look in his eyes. "I was not the first to be told?" He leaned in to kiss her temple and rumble lowly into her ear. "I might have to punish you for not telling me first, my dear." He was just teasing her, curious if she would be aroused by the game or not.
Margaery laughed and leaned into him when he whispered into her ear. "In my defense lover, grandmother guessed and then took it upon herself to spread the news." She dropped her voice and her eyes flashed in their own mischievous arousal. "But you are welcome to punish me, My Lord, so long as you take care not to hurt our growing child.
Hannibal chuckled at that. "With how many beds we ruined in Highgarden, they likely would have guessed this news at the first raven from us." He teased her back. He had something special in mind that would not put their growing child at risk.
Olenna approached and pulled Margaery into a hug. "Well done, my sweet child! Gods be praised, the mattresses of Westeros are saved!"
Hannibal smirked as he picked up a goblet of wine. "You now have plenty of time to create that storehouse you mentioned during our last visit."
Olenna rolled her eyes at him before they all moved to take their seats to begin the feast and celebration.
...
Cersei crumpled the message from the Tyrells. Apparently Margaery was pregnant and Olenna was bragging about this news to the whole of Westeros. Something about this angered Cersei greatly. She never liked Margaery Tyrell and finding out this news just upset her.
She hoped that little upstart would have a difficult pregnancy…or even better, would die in the process. That would show that pompous old bitch. Cersei smirked over the rim of her wine glass at the pretty picture that filled her mind.
She had sent word to Jaime that the King ordered Lord Bolton back to King's Landing immediately. She was curious to see how this new Lord Bolton would try to wiggle his way out of his duty this time. She would love to have an excuse to label him as a traitor and eliminate them entirely. She didn't trust the Boltons nor the Tyrells…she wanted to wipe all of them away. They could not be trusted.
Anyone who was not a Lannister could not be trusted…
...
Sansa had gotten settled in Winterfell nicely. Littlefinger had to return to the Eyrie on 'urgent business' and he had seemed quite cross to leave her alone. She was actually a bit relieved. Hannibal's Captain was kinder than she had expected and more obedient than she had truly thought he would be. She was pleased to see that the castle seemed to be in good condition and it was quite clean.
She supposed she had Margaery to thank for that.
Chapter 30
Jaime had just returned to his tent. They had discovered that the Blackfish was indeed in the area and working to retake Riverrun after gaining enough soldiers. The Blackfish was able to remain one step ahead of them as he moved from cave to cave, hideout to hideout. It was absolutely infuriating that he was able to stay ahead of them so easily. Jaime was beginning to wonder if there was a spy in his camp that was leading them away from the Blackfish rather than towards where he was hiding - or even giving a warning to the Blackfish so that he could swim away more easily.
Bronn stepped into the tent a few moments after Jaime. "Well, this is a fine fuckin' mess you have us in. Why are we even chasing after this old bastard? Let him come back home and then cut him down."
Jaime gave him a glare. "If he gets back to Riverrun it could take months to flush him out again. That would keep us out here even longer."
Bronn rolled his eyes as he settled into a seat and kicked his feet up. "Then at least find us some fuckin' entertainment! I know you have your…preferred company, but I need more attention than that or my cock might just fall off!"
Jaime pinched the bridge of his nose and ignored Bronn's complaint. "There are plenty of women nearby if you need your satisfaction. Just don't get killed while you are gone." He said with irritation in his voice.
A messenger came in with a raven bearing the seven-pointed star as the seal. Jaime reached over to open it, and after reading it he tossed the message to the ground. "It seems my sister has decided to re-arm the faith militant."
Bronn raised an eyebrow at that. "Why?"
Jamie shook his head. "I'm not sure, but there is a reason the faith militant was banned."
Bronn shrugged his shoulders. "If they close my favorite brothel, I'll cut off your other hand."
Jaime ignored Bronn as he focused on the maps to work out the next plan to try and find the Blackfish. He did not like this, Cersei was getting carried away with this false sense of power. She needed to watch her step or she'd end up getting them all killed.
...
Sansa was very happy to be home. She had taken the time to meet with a few of the Lords in the area who were happy to pledge allegiance to her and swore to follow her through any endeavors. She had accepted them and began to rebuild her house in absolute secret. Sansa was relieved that Littlefinger was kept busy in the Eyrie. It felt liberating to enjoy the freedom she was feeling once again without him hovering over her shoulder.
The raven that arrived just days after she had settled was met with surprise. However, Sansa smiled when she saw it was from Margaery. She laughed when she read the note and summoned the Captain. She wanted to send a gift in celebration, but wanted it to seem like it was from him - in case the gift was picked up by someone else.
The Captain, Thomas, was very brave and very kind. She found herself watching him training new men more and more every day. It reminded her of a simpler time when she would watch her brothers learn how to fight with her father. Thomas seemed like a good man, Sansa wondered why he was in the Bolton army. She would try and talk to him about why he had gotten involved with the Boltons...someday.
...
Cersei was smirking quietly to herself. She had solved two problems with one stone. Those filthy little servants of the High Sparrow were now re-armed as a military unit. Whenever that prim little rose and her husband arrived to swear their fealty…she would make an accusation and get that little bitch thrown into prison at the Sept of Baelor and get a bit of revenge on her.
Cersei still did not like that little whore being so close with her eldest son who had been so ruthlessly murdered. She had no doubt that the bitch Sansa had killed her sweet boy, but everything that little whore Margaery did still irritated Cersei enough that she wanted her to suffer.
Cersei was walking around the Red Keep when she was approached by Lancel who had joined those begging Sparrows. He had a few of the newly-armed Warrior's Sons with him. She found their attire to be quite amusing, but didn't seem the least bit concerned by them.
Lancel did not look happy. He gave a nod of his head. "The High Sparrow wishes to speak with you at the Sept. Would you come with us?"
Cersei hesitated at the words. Something seemed off about the request. "What does it concern?"
"Your accusation."
Cersei chuckled to hide any fear she might have shown these filthy beggars. "I have not yet made my accusation, but if the High Sparrow would like to discuss some of the details beforehand I will not argue." She consented and followed them to the Sept.
Once they arrived, Lancel led her to an audience chamber. There were many septas gathered along with the High Sparrow. Cersei found it odd for there to be so many people gathered. She raised an eyebrow as she looked to the High Sparrow. "Why so many people?"
Lancel allowed Cersei to step forward and he blocked her escape through the doorway. "You were mistaken, your majesty. An accusation has been made against you."
Cersei felt rage bubble up within her as her path was blocked and Lancel revealed his lie. "An accusation?! I am the Queen Mother! Who is it that accuses me?"
Lancel looked into her eyes. "I accuse you."
Fear began to creep into Cersei's heart as her mind began to race with the many things Lancel could accuse her of with enough proof for these filthy sparrows to do serious damage to her.
Lancel had confessed his many sins when he joined the sparrows and he had been beaten to repent fully from his sins. He had willingly accepted his punishments and had emerged fully atoned. His confessions brought about questions of Cersei…questions she would answer to now.
...
Daenerys was relieved to finally be entering Mereen. The siege of this city had taken longer than originally anticipated. Daenerys was still able to ride on horseback, but her belly was beginning to swell and she would not be able to ride for much longer. She refused to enter the city any way other than on horseback…she was a Khaleesi. What good was a Khaleesi who could not ride into the city she had just conquered?
Jorah rode just behind Daenerys and kept an eye out for any attacks by some who might still be trying to fight. He had been on edge since she told him of her condition. He was pleased, but also concerned. He did not know if she would continue to claim the child after it was born or not. The politics involved with legitimate and illegitimate heirs had him very concerned over what would happen. Something he intended to speak with her about this evening…if he could keep his courage up.
Daenerys was in a long procession of her top generals and advisors as they slowly moved through the city and towards the great pyramid. She was happy to have made it, but even happier to dismount from her fine horse. She wanted to sit down in a chair and rest for a bit, the heat outside was suffocating.
They were able to settle into the pyramid quickly and Jorah finally joined Daenerys in her chambers after ensuring that her dragons were housed properly and the pyramid was indeed secure. He knew that the long ride had caused her great discomfort and he worked on massaging her back.
Daenerys was grateful for how caring Jorah was with her. She found herself growing very fond of his massages. However, she had noticed that he had seemed more distracted than usual. When he was nearly done massaging her back, she turned to him with a stern look upon her face. "Jorah, something troubles you. Tell me what it is."
Jorah saw the stern look and sighed softly. "It is a delicate subject my Queen. One that I have had a difficult time trying to find the words to say to you."
Daenerys felt worry grip her heart when he spoke like that. She began to fear that he was going to leave her. Daenerys steeled her nerves and spoke with a queen's conviction. "Then say it and be done with it."
He paused as he shifted in front of her. He knelt down and tenderly touched over her belly before leaning in to kiss it tenderly. His gaze shifted up to meet her eyes. "Daenerys,I love you. With all of my heart. I want to be by your side officially…if you would have me. Not as your Hand nor royal guard, but as your king consort...as your husband." His eyes were locked on hers as he waited for her answer.
Daenerys was surprised by his words. He had not tipped her off, because he knelt down upon his knees many times before her to speak to their child when they were in private. Her fingers held his on instinct. She looked into his eyes, her own glassy with tears. Slowly she nodded her head.
"Yes…yes!" She said before throwing her arms around him and kissing his forehead. He was the father of her child…she would make certain this was done right so that her line could continue through their child.
Jorah felt himself breathe deeply when she answered. His lungs burned as he realized that he had been holding his breath. He held Daenerys close and smiled widely as her answer fully sunk in. He knew many would hate this…but he honestly didn't care. He would do whatever it took to make Daenerys happy and to help her secure her reign.
Chapter 31
The months for Margaery seemed to pass slowly. She still remained afflicted with both sickness and headaches even after many months of being pregnant. She had a very limited diet since the second month and it grew smaller with each passing month. The Maester continued to assure her that things were progressing smoothly and that the baby was healthy. Although, Margaery's belly was particularly large and round by now, a fact that was growing more irritating to her with each passing day.
Hannibal had been by Margaery's side the entire time. He was determined to keep her active once her belly began to swell and never fought back whenever she snapped at him. He always found a way to soothe her anger, most often with a massage to help relieve some of Margaery's discomfort.
Margaery sat on a fainting couch in the sunroom with Olenna and glowered almost resentfully to her belly. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her feet. "You ought to be ashamed you know…torturing you mother like this." She told her unborn baby.
"You were stubborn too, child." Olenna pointed out, sipping her tea. "You made your mother wait a good few days before you finally decided to come out of hiding."
"But I didn't make her swell this much and I didn't make her wait a whole extra week!" Margaery protested.
"I'll give you that – you have indeed grown particularly round." Olenna replied, again sipping her tea.
"…thank you, grandmother." Margaery snapped.
Hannibal and Mace entered then. Hannibal had a cup of Margaery's favorite tea that she was able to keep down. He kissed her temple tenderly as he passed her the tea. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he settled in behind her.
It was Olenna who answered. "She's perfectly miserable."
Margaery glared at her grandmother, but didn't disagree. "Well you would be too if you had a child occupying your belly for too damn long!" The pregnancy had loosened her tongue quite a bit.
Hannibal slipped his hand behind Margaery and began to massage her lower back.
"Fine way to speak to your grandmother!" Olenna laughed. "But if you're that upset, there's a perfectly good solution that might get that baby out."
Margaery nearly dropped her cup of tea. "…you've had a solution this whole time? Why haven't you said so sooner?"
"You didn't ask." Olenna responded as she sipped her tea.
Hannibal flashed amusement in his eyes at Olenna's comments, but made that disappear when Margaery began to turn her head. The look in Margaery's eyes was one that said she was about to strangle her grandmother, if she could waddle over there.
Hannibal tilted his head to Olenna. "What is this solution of yours?"
Olenna took a long sip of her tea to keep the pair in suspense. Margaery was not amused. She glared and her cheeks began to turn red in anger.
Olenna spied this and set her tea down. "Well you two seem familiar with the act and subject. I'm surprised you haven't thought of it yourselves! You go back where you conceived the child and repeat the same process! That should clear the path for him."
Margaery was shaking in anger at the suspense, but then grinned at Olenna. "But grandmother, it's a long way to the Highgarden orchards. We may as well just repeat the process right here." She rapped her fingers on the table before her, chuckling at her own insinuation.
Olenna chuckled and sipped her tea once again. Mace shook his head at the two women. All of their brazen banter was enough to make him blush. All he could do was pat Hannibal's shoulder and shake his head. "Best of luck to you." He sighed as he moved to sit down beside his mother.
Hannibal smirked at her answer and he leaned in to kiss over Margaery's ear. "If this method has a high success rate, then we should go to the birthing room immediately, My Lady." He said. He was more than willing, if Margaery was. He had not used more than his fingers and mouth to satisfy her for the last three months of her pregnancy and he desired more.
Margaery chuckled at Hannibal's words and rubbed over her very full belly. She looked up at her grandmother and turned serious. "Does it truly work grandmother?"
"Worked for your father and here we are." Olenna replied.
Mace coughed and stammered before tilting his head back and groaning loudly. Details he didn't need.
Margaery looked up to Hannibal and held out her hand. "Well then husband. Would you be so kind as to help your Lady up?" In her state it was impossible for Margaery to get up on her own.
Hannibal shifted and moved to pull her into his arms as he lifted her and simply carried her. He walked straight to the birthing room and ordered the servants to wait outside with the necessary supplies until they were summoned. They were told to fetch the Maester so that he was prepared for Hannibal's call. He closed the door behind them with his foot. He laid Margaery down in the center of the bed with the mountain of pillows behind her back for support. He shifted her skirts up and kissed her deeply.
"Are you ready?"
Margaery nodded and leaned up to kiss him deeply. She wanted to see her feet again.
...
Cersei was shivering as she held back tears once again. She would not cry in front of these filthy savages. The longer they kept her in here and away from her sweet son…the slower and more painfully she desired to kill each and every one of them who dared to raise a hand against her.
Lancel would die the most cruelly for this. As soon as she got word, she would send for Jaime to come and get her out of here. He was needed here to protect the King and to slaughter these filthy beggars for putting her in this horrid tower.
They would all pay dearly for her misery.
...
Bran came back to reality with a loud gasp. The three-eyed raven continued to show him glimpses of the past to help him understand the truth that had been lost over time. Truths that he would need to share with those in power…to save them all from the Night King who ruled the White Walkers.
His vision had taken him back to the Tower of Joy. He saw his father once again racing inside the tower. He had seen this before, but he had not seen much after. He had pieced together that his brother Jon was not actually his brother. But he still did not know if Prince Rhaegar was Jon's father or not. He went back further to see what connection his Aunt Lyanna had with the young Prince. He discovered that Jon was not a bastard at all, but a trueborn son...and a Prince. He then saw the prophecy once again about the three heads of the dragon as he looked upon the faces of Daenerys and Jon and a third figure that was blurred.
Bran was panting as he came out of the memory and looked to the three-eyed raven. "Who is the third? I cannot unite them if I do not know who the third is!"
The three-eyed raven slowly shook his head. "In time. That is enough for today. Do not get lost in the past, stay here in the present as well."
Bran frowned, but nodded slowly. He waved to Hodor to pick him up and move him to a more comfortable spot in the cave where he usually slept.
Chapter 32
Margaery couldn't believe how easy it had been once Hannibal had assisted her in starting the birthing process. Gods it had felt good to feel him inside her once again…right until the pain of labor seized her belly.
But now it was all over.
Margaery smiled down as she looked at what she held in her arms. She could not believe their good fortune. The gods had blessed them with not one, but two sweet babies. The boy had come first, followed by the girl.
Hannibal had been thrilled to help Margaery finally give birth. He stayed by her side and encouraged her through the process. Once it was over, he had shifted to lie down next to Margaery on the bed and put his arm around her shoulders. He was immensely proud and relieved to have two children. He had been concerned of the health of their child with how large Margaery had grown, it was a relief to see that it was two children causing her to be so large. They were both perfect in his eyes and he smiled brightly to them.
The servants had cleaned up Lady Bolton and the bed as best they could before fresh blankets were brought in to cover her so that the visitors could come in and see the new additions to the Bolton house.
Hannibal chuckled as he reached out to hold their son and the servants began to leave the room. "Look at us, we've ruined another mattress." He said with a wink.
Margaery rocked their daughter in her arms and kissed Hannibal when he leaned in. "So we have, but it was indeed well worth it." The little girl gave a sharp cry. Margaery looked down and nuzzled the baby girl. "Oh hush now darling. There's no need to cry, your Mama, Papa, and brother are here now."
There came a great knocking at the door, but Olenna hardly waited for an invitation. She burst into the room and rushed to the bed. "All this yelling and carrying on!" Then she saw the two newborns being held by the young couple. Olenna was caught off guard, but grinned all the same. "Well, that explains why you were so fat!"
She came up to get a better look and smiled at her great-grandchildren. "Well then, out with it now, what are they?"
"A boy and a girl." Margaery replied.
Hannibal had found Olenna's entrance and reaction to be quite entertaining. He spotted Mace standing just inside the door and smiling at his first grandchildren.
"The sweet little things!" Olenna cooed. "What will you name them?"
Margaery looked to Hannibal with curiosity in her eyes. "We hadn't settled on that yet."
Hannibal smiled as he kissed her forehead tenderly. "They are Rhys and Reina." He said. Out of the list of names they had discussed, those were the most fitting for twins in his opinion.
Margaery smiled and nodded in agreement to Hannibal's answer. She kissed each child on the head as she said their names softly.
Olenna smiled and patted over the babies' heads. "Good, strong names. They likely need feeding." She turned to wave Maace off. "Go on then, off with you." She said as she shooed him off and followed him out of the room to leave the new family a few moments of privacy.
Margaery chose to feed Reina first since Hannibal was holding Rhys. The little girl ate eagerly, with no fuss.
Hannibal smiled as he held Rhys. He saw Reina feeding from Margaery and chuckled at her eagerness. "You would not be so hungry if you had come out sooner Reina." He said before turning to look at Rhys.
"My brave son. Boldly going first to be certain the way was safe for your sister. You show your mother's bravery." He said. Reina had shown the Bolton caution by waiting for her brother to go first to be sure it was safe.
Margaery smiled as she watched Hannibal speak to their young son. When Reina finished, she switched children with Hannibal. Rhys took to the other breast and began to eat rather quickly as well. "They certainly are hungry."
Hannibal happily switched children so that their son could eat as well. He chuckled when Reina seemed to be upset by her brother getting his turn to eat. "It seems our daughter has inherited my temperament concerning your lovely breasts." He said before tenderly resting his forehead against Reina's. "I agree they are quite delicious, but you must share them with your brother."
"And your father apparently." Margaery added. She smiled and shook her head at Hannibal playfully. Once Rhys had his fill, she cradled him and looked down to fully appreciate him. So much he looked like his father. "The gods have blessed us indeed – many couples are unable to produce even one child, but here we've managed twins on our first try."
Hannibal chuckled at her tease. He continued to rock Reina in his arms. He nodded in agreement to Margaery. "Indeed we are blessed. Perhaps I should be more careful next time...lest I plant two in you again."
Margaery smirked and continued rocking their son as Rhys fell asleep. "Is that your way of saying you want to slow down my love? Don't tell me your stamina is dwindling now that you've become a father."
Hannibal smirked to Margaery. "Fear not, I will continue to bed you at our prior pace my dear. I did not think you would desire another child so soon." He teased as he was finally able to rock young Reina to sleep as well.
...
Jaime had stopped his men near the Twins. He had just met with Lord Frey and reminded him to make sure he maintained control over Riverrun. Multiple ravens were delivered to him as soon as he returned to his tent. The first was to inform him that the High Sparrow wished to speak with him immediately upon his return to King's Landing. This 'High Sparrow" certainly thought he held power to send a message this bold to him.
The next piece of news was far more disturbing. Apparently his cousin Lancel had joined this new church military. Lancel had sent his own message explaining why he had joined and what he had confessed. The confessions made Jaime's blood boil in anger and disgust.
The final piece of news was a report from a scout that Lord Bolton had recently become a father. Jaime had decided to go with some of his men and Bronn to congratulate Lord Bolton on the happy occasion and to remind him of his promise to go to King's Landing with his wife to swear his fealty to the King.
...
Jon Snow waited on the north side of The Wall, just in front of the gate that led to Castle Black. After the battle at Hardhome had ended, there were not nearly as many Wildlings as he had hoped to save with him. They would all be on the side of The Wall opposite of the White Walkers, which was the most important detail of this deal.
Jon was waiting for Alliser Thorne to open the gate so that they could cross. It was taking longer than he had hoped, but he breathed in relief when the gate began to open.
He knew that the men under his command had mixed feelings about this plan, but he knew this was the right thing to do and it needed to be done now. He did not want to give the army of the dead another battalion of soldiers.