Just as a reminder, I have decided to slightly change the relationship between Stannis and Margaery. If you don't understand the change, I'm totally available in PM so I can explain you what I meant with this change. Still hope you'll enjoy! Some smut in that chapter. Just warning you. Please R&R!
Snow has not stopped falling since a few days. Stannis, from the window of his room, watches, smiling, Sansa and Margaery who are having a snowball fight. Their youth strike him suddenly. He watches Shireen joining them; he listens to their laughs, ringing out in Winterfell. A few days ago, he has received a note from Davos. He has not told the Starks, but their brother has been found. One of them at least. He intends to tell them tonight, during dinner. With a slight sigh, he turns to the table, covered with a map and the armies of Westeros represented by wooden figurines. Even a child would realize how many men are with him, and how lonely are the Lannisters now. He sits on a chair and drinks in a cup: life is pretty good lately. Margaery's pregnancy is going alright, the Starks are almost reunited and the threat of Melisandre is gone. He remembers how she whispered in his ear that she'll never abandon him. And now… The door opens suddenly and Margaery rushes in laughing. Her cheeks are red with the cold and the fight, her hair is a mess, and a smile is locked on her face.
"I need a hot bath", she giggles.
Stannis smiles and takes her hands in his:
"You're frozen. You should not do that kind of things, it could be dangerous for the child."
"Relax…"
She grins wider and her hands go on his breeches, starts unlacing them.
"Margaery", he sighs, taking her hands off.
She kisses him, a short but very demanding kiss, playing with his lips.
"I want you", she whispers, taking her dress off. A single glance at her small baby bump makes him get as cold as ice. He walks away, lacing his breeches up. Stannis walks to the door but she blocks it. She has not even dressed up.
"You are gonna get a cold. Go have a bath", Stannis orders.
"Not before I have an explanation. Why did you spurn me?" she snaps.
"You are expecting a child. We should not have sex together. It is dangerous. I don't wanna lose my son."
"What about my needs?" Margaery asks again.
Stannis gives her a black look.
"Are your needs more important than your son's health?" he severely asks, and suddenly feels as if he was his father. How weird does it feel…
Margaery pouts like a little girl and, suddenly, her eyes light up:
"Foreplays? That won't hurt the baby in any ways!"
Stannis hardly holds back his smile and nods. Margaery jumps for joy, grabs his hand and leads him to the table.
"Now, every time you will discuss about war, you will think about me", she grins, lying naked on the table.
I always think about you. He does not say it: it is still complicated for him to talk about his feelings, whether it's her or Shireen for example. But he loves them, he loves Margaery. He feels it, from his toes to his hair, every time he sees her, the belly pangs that knot his stomach, how he could spend hours listening to her or watching her sewing. Her sweetness, her love for him is more important to him than anything of what Selyse or Melisandre did was. Her arms wrap around his waist and he bends down to kiss her gently. Her skin is really cold, that worries him.
"Would you like a blanket?" he asks her but she shakes her head.
"I just want you", she replies grinning.
He holds back a flattered chuckle and grabs a chair to sit in front of her. But first, he kisses her neck gently, enjoying her scent, a mix between rose and fresh snow. His hands run on her body, grabbing her breasts, playing with her nipples. He sighs as he feel them hardening against his fingers. Margaery arches her back, sighing softly. Stannis slowly kisses his way down to her breasts, sucking gently on her nipples. Her eyes closed, she keeps moaning softly. He does that for a moment, but she soon begs for more and he sits on the chair, avoiding kissing or stroking her belly. She spreads her legs and he stares at her sex for a moment, one finger stroking it. He likes to see how her body reacts to his, to what he does to her. Margaery moves closer from him and he decides to get a move on. He gently blows on her sex, which makes her laugh. Laugh that turns into a loud moan when his tongue starts stroking her. She is so cold he feels like he is sucking ice. His tongue is so warm it warms her up immediately. She moans his name, starts stroking his hair following his pace. Still licking her, he unlaces his breeches and frees his hard shaft, starts jerking off. Margaery sighs softly: she doesn't know why but she doesn't feel anything, or so. Is it because of the pregnancy? Or is Stannis so awful? She can hear him stroking himself and she feels he's so selfish. He's gonna come, again, when she will remain frustrated and unsatisfied. Margaery tries to guide him, to lean on his head, but he doesn't seem to care and just keeps doing what he wants. She doesn't even try to fake ecstasy, she just lets him do, being honestly disgusted with the noises his tongue makes on her pussy. Margaery stares at the ceiling, her arms laying on the table. She just wants it to stop, to finish. She loves Stannis, with all her heart, but, that, is so disappointing, so frustrating. She feels tears in her eyes when she thinks she's going to live that til she dies. Desire for him is not enough, it has never been, it will never be. He moans a bit louder, still licking her and suddenly stops. There it is, he has come. Margaery stands up, gets down from the table and puts her frozen dress back on. She shivers violently. When she turns to Stannis, he has dressed up too:
"You really should have a hot bath. I will tell the servants to prepare one for you", he tells her.
She simply nods and walks to the door but he grabs her wrist to hold her back:
"You really don't feel any pleasure with me, right?"
She shakes her head:
"I feel pleasure. I just never… well you know."
"I should have told you I was terrible in bed", he says with an apologetic smile.
She stares at him, she wants to yell at him that he could be awesome if he was not so damn selfish but she just fakely smiles:
"It is fine. Do not bother yourself with this."
She slightly pecks his lips and leaves to her chamber, where she has a hot and pleasant bath. When her servants leave, she slips her hand between her thighs and strokes herself, still thinking about Stannis though. She is not even really mad at him, why would she? She knows how men are raised in her world, she knows few of them really care about their wives's sexual pleasure. Women are born to get pregnant and have children. Their pleasure does not count. Their pleasure is not useful to get pregnant. She comes quickly, a satisfying climax and she falls asleep. When she wakes up, the water is almost cold and she sighs before getting out of the bathtub. She watches herself in the mirror, strokes her belly, wondering how it is going to be in a few months. After all, sex is not that important. What is important is the little being growing up every day in her belly. The future of her house, the future of Stannis's house, the future of the realm. The future king.
The night after, Margaery and Stannis are laid in their bed, staring at the wall in front of them. Stannis's jaw is clenched; Margaery has her arms crossed on her chest. Leaning on the pillows, their bed is shaken by tremors. Stannis sighs loudly as they hear loud moans coming from the room next to them, Renly's room. He ends up turning around and violently punching the wall, shouting his brother's name. For a moment, the noises and the tremors stop. Margaery raises her eyebrows:
"Lucky her", she sighs.
Stannis scowls at her:
"What does that mean?"
She shrugs:
"Well, she looks like she enjoys it."
"Don't you?" Stannis asks again.
Margaery, not willing to cause a fuss, slightly shrugs her shoulders one more time. The King turns to her:
"I'm not into it. I've never been, you knew that."
She narrows her eyes:
"Though you look like you enjoy sleeping with me. A lot."
Stannis reddens and looks away: Margaery says again:
"So, basically, you can enjoy it but I cannot?"
"You are a woman", he states.
His wife gives him an incredulous look:
"And?"
He doesn't answer and she huffs:
"I should have married Renly", she grumbles.
"Renly will never be king", he snaps.
She snorts:
"At least he looks to know how to make love. You think women care about what you are? They care about WHO men are."
It's Stannis's turn to snort:
"You would have been so happy with Robert. He was a great lover, as I heard, and he would have treated you like scum. Though, he was always surrounded by women."
"I don't care about Robert. You are my husband, my King. You are someone honest, just and good. But you look like you don't care about me, about what I feel. You act like you don't care."
"What do you mean?" the king asks gentler.
Margaery slightly hesitates before saying:
"You are too fast. I never have time to climax. And you are really good, except that, I am sure that I would come if you could hold it back a little longer."
Stannis frowns slightly:
"And can't you come faster? Sex is a waste of time. I do it because I have to so I don't want to spend hours doing it. I'm not my brothers."
"But you enjoy yourself and I don't! So, from now on, you are going to think a little less about yourself, and a little more about me! Otherwise I will find a man who will know how to satisfy me!" Margaery shouts angrily.
"You love me. You are not going to cheat on me. And lower your voice. The whole castle does not need to hear you", Stannis calmly says.
"Why can't you make an effort?!" she whimpers.
"Margaery, stop it. Don't you think there are most important things occurring right now? The White walkers, the Lannisters, Daenerys Targaryen! I'm surrounded by enemies and all you think about is yourself!"
Margaery purses her lips and stands up from the bed. Stannis sighs:
"Where are you going now?"
"I need to be away from you", she says, her voice breaking with anger and sadness.
She leaves slamming the door behind her and immediately goes seek comfort in Sansa's room. The young Stark is not asleep; she has still difficulties to cope with everything that happened to her and to relax at home. She stands up when she sees Margaery coming in and gives her an inquiring look. Margaery just breaks down and hugs her tight. Sansa makes her sit on the bed and Margaery, sobbing, tells her about everything. The two young women have been like sisters since they have met: of course the Stark girl misses her real sister Arya but, as much as she hopes she's still alive, she knows she would never share her passions and her hobbies. Margaery loves the same things than her: horseriding, sewing, eating pastries, talking about boys… When she sees her so down, like now, it really breaks her heart. She lets her speak and tell about what happened with Stannis, Sansa listens to her, holding her hands in hers, smiling comfortingly. She always feels slightly embarrassed because, even though she had been married to the Imp, they never had sex together, and she does not really know what to answer to Margaery when she asks her why does Stannis act this way. She ends up suggesting that they try again, when the baby will be born and that they just stop talking about that waiting for Margaery to deliver. No need to cause fuss just for the pleasure.
"You need to calm down, and think about your baby first, because this is the most important thing", she calmly tells Margaery, still holding her hands. "Your husband loves you but it is true he is stubborn. Maybe he could talk about that with his brother… Men barely discuss these…problems."
Margaery nods sniffling:
"I am sorry to bother you in the middle of the night. You must be exhausted", she smiles slightly.
"Do not worry for me, your Grace", Sansa smiles back.
"Come on… Margaery. Not your Grace. You are my best friend, the sister I never had", Margaery whispers before getting white realizing what she just said. Sansa has a real sister; she should have never said that. She softly shakes her head and smiles at Sansa, frowning with the Queen's reactions.
"I am going to bed. Goodnight lady Sansa and thanks for listening to me."
Sansa nods smiling:
"I will always be there for you. I owe you so much. Goodnight."
Margaery stands up from the bed, walks to the door and gently smiles and waves at Sansa before closing the door behind her.