I do not own game of thrones or the novels. Also, this story is not edited, please try to ignore all grammatical errors. Thank you.
Chapter 21
When Everra, Catelyn and Jon arrive in the Stormlands, Everra can not help but feel relieved. The tension and dislike between her two other companions is something that she had known of, but severely underestimated.
She never would have thought Catelyn Stark of being so cruel to a child. It made her bitterness grow twice the size it was originally, before they had ridden together for a few long weeks.
Some of the other soldiers looked at them warily, their eyes narrowing into glares and shouts erupted from the crowd as the small group moved forward, a group of soldiers leading the way.
They came into the sight of two knights fighting, a man rising from his chair to clap in encouragement, a golden crown placed on his head. A beautiful blonde haired woman was sitting next to him, her blue eyes watching the fight without enthusiasm and they widened slightly at the sight of them.
Margaery Tyrell, Everra notes. She was not to be underestimated.
The fight before them stopped, one of the warriors had managed to pin the other beneath them, pointing their sword at the others neck.
"Yield," the soldier pinned down exclaimed loudly, "I yield."
Everra observed Margaery's disappointed expression and came to the realisation of who the solider was.
"That is Loras Tyrell," she whispers to Jon, who looks at her from the corner of his eye, his brown eyes startled.
"Well fought," Renly announced, clapping his hands together.
The soldier lowered their sword and sheathed it, walking forward and kneeling in front of Renly.
"Rise," Renly says, "Remove your helmet."
The soldier removes their helmet and Everra is slightly surprised at the sight of a woman beneath the helmet.
Everra felt something very akin to respect as she looked at the woman, women who became soldiers, never mind good ones, were very hard to come by.
"Your what your father promised and more, my lady," Renly says, a smile appearing on his face, "I've seen Ser Loras bested at least once or twice, but never in that fashion."
Loras locked his jaw in frustration and annoyance and Margaery speaks as if on cue, "Now, now, my love, my brother fought valiantly for you."
"That he did, my queen," Renly agrees, looking at his wife, "but there can only be one champion. Brienne of Tarth, ask anything of me you desire, if it is within my power, it is yours."
Everra's suspicions about Renly Baratheon were confirmed, he was both arrogant and conceited. His charisma may be his only redeemable feature.
Brienne kneels once more in front of him and says in a loud, firm voice, "Your grace, I ask for a place in your Kingsguard."
The angered whispers are immediately heard from the crowd, some of them even gasping.
"I will be one of your seven," she continued, "pledge my life to yours and protect you from all harm."
Loras seemed to be trying to communicate with Renly, shaking his head slightly and mouthing the word no.
"Done," Renly announces, "Rise Brienne of the Kingsguard."
Margaery claps slowly, looking slightly displeased as she regards Brienne in front of her. She did not like her brother being humiliated but she would not show it.
The crowd begins to clap slowly, not very pleased with the turn of events. The Knight in front of them walks in front of Brienne and speaks loudly, "Your grace, I have the honour to present to you, Lady Catelyn Stark, and Lady Everra Legrath. Sent as envoys by Lady Catelyn's son, Robb, Lord Of Winterfell."
"Lord of Wintefell," Catelyn announces, "and King in the North."
The crown quiets down considerably and Everra can hear the whispers. She reaches upwards and removes the hood from her head, showing her face to Renly and Margaery.
"Lady Catelyn, pleased to see you," Renly says pleasantly and then shifts his eyes to Everra, "My, my the rumours of your beauty have been proved true my lady."
"Thank you, your grace," Everra acknowledges.
"May I present my wife, Margaery of House Tyrell," Renly gestures to Margaery, who nods.
She looks at Catelyn and says sincerely, "You are very welcome here, Lady Stark, Lady Legrath. Lady Stark, I am so sorry for your loss."
Everra notices how Catelyn's eyes flash with grief and pain for a brief moment, before it quickly disappears, "You are most kind," Catelyn says shakily.
"My lady," Renly says fiercely,"I swear to you, the Lannister's will pay for your husbands murder, when I take Kings Landing, I will bring you Joffrey's head."
The crowd cheered loudly and Everra felt tempted to roll her eyes in annoyance. This man's arrogance is what got him killed in the first place.
"How brave," Everra mutters under her breath.
Renly's smile disappears as he looks at her and says, "Are you doubting my chances of killing the Lannister's?"
"As long as justice is served, my lord," Catelyn juts in, sending Everra a reprimanding look.
"Your grace," a voice intervenes.
Everra and Catelyn turn to see Brienne looking at them stoically, "And you should kneel before the King."
"No need for that," Renly says warmly, "Lady Catelyn and Lady Everra are honoured guests."
"Has your son marched against Tywin Lannister yet?" A voice behind them demands.
Catelyn looks back briefly, as does Everra, and somehow she is not surprised to see a demanding looking Loras Tyrell staring at them.
"I do not sit on my sons war councils and if I did, I would not share his strategies with you," Catelyn replies coldly.
"Yeah but you do I'll bet," he says, gesturing to Everra.
Everra looks at him coldly for a moment, before turning to look at Renly once more.
"If Robb Stark wants a pact with us he should come himself, not hide behind a ladies skirt."
Everra suddenly severely regrets ever asking to create a marriage alliance with Loras Tyrell.
"My son is fighting a war," Catelyn snaps, "Not playing at one."
The insult is immediate and clear, the crowd around them erupts into angered whispers at once.
Really rises from his seat and looks at them, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, before smiling and walking down the stairs leading to them.
"Never mind my ladies," he says, grabbing onto Everra's hand, "Our war is just beginning."
Everra does not move when he begins to pull her with him, looking down at his hand in hers coldly, and raises an eyebrow at him when he turns around to look at her questioningly.
"Well, well, well,' Renly says, chuckling, removing his hand from hers, "It seems all the other rumours about you were true as well, my lady."
Everra can feel Jon stiffen from behind them, Ghost beginning to growl softly.
"I hope I live up to your expectations, your grace," she replies, trying to insert some form of warmness into her voice.
"I am more than certain you shall," Renly replies, smiling.
Something was not right.
Everra could feel it.
Not wrong. . . but different.
"There is someone very eager to meet the both of you," Renly says, leading them away from the crowd.
Everra and Catelyn glance at each other quickly, before Everra asks, "Who, might I ask, your grace?"
"Why Lady Olenna Tyrell, the queen of thorns," Renly muses.
Everra's heart dropped.
"Your grace," Lord Bolton says, "We are beginning to leave for the Westerlands."
Robb turned to look at him, his hands clasping together in front of him, "Thank you for your notice, Lord Bolton."
The decision to attack the Oxcross had been a unanimous one, but nevertheless, Robb could still hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest.
If he lost he would no doubt lose the faith of his men and fellow lords and of course, a certain lady.
The thought made his heart drop in his chest, and the fear in his chest intensify.
"You may go now, Lord Bolton," Robb says politely.
He wanted to be alone.
Lord Bolton nodded and bowed, leaving the room quickly, leaving Robb alone with only his thoughts for company.
Uncertainty was dangerous, confidence was the key, he knew that, but he had to be careful not to let confidence slip into arrogance and arrogance into ignorance.
He would not become like those he had vowed to destroy.
"Lady Olenna it is a pleasure to meet you," Everra said, her green eyes landing on the older woman in front of her.
Lady Olenna raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, and said, "Yes quite a pleasure it is, Lady Everra, I have heard much about you."
Everra nods at her and sat down in front of her, silence filling the air. Renly had wished to speak to Catelyn on his own and so Everra came to meet the 'Queen Of Thorns'. She may as well do this privately.
"What do you want?" The older woman asks bluntly.
"I'm afraid I don't quite know what you mean?" Everra asks innocently.
The older woman waves a hand at her and says, "Oh come of it, Lady Everra we both know you to be far more cunning and colder than that. After all, you are the girl who made a fool of The Lannister's and the King on the Iron Throne. You're smart, intelligent even, start acting like it."
"Very well," Everra says, her eyes snapping into their usual coldness, "I wish to marry your grandson in order to create an alliance between our two houses."
Silence.
The older woman regarded her with an air of peculiarity, as if sh was something she could not quite figure out.
"Why?" she asks finally, "Do you want gold? More power?"
They both regard each theory carefully, two hunters surrounding each other. Testing the other, to see what happens, how they react. What will break them.
"Everyone you've met over the past gods know how many years of your life have always had some secret motive, some other desire that they do not tell you about . After a while, you start to pride yourself on being able to sniff it out within moments of meeting them or hearing of them. I understand because I do it too. I want an alliance because our houses understand one another. Our ancestors may not have been close but that does not mean that we can not start anew."
"New beginnings," Lady Olenna scoffs loudly and then chuckles, "You never struck me as the type who believed in such things."
"I pride myself on always managing to change people's expectations of me," Everra says.
"The Starks have changed you," the older woman replies after a few moments.
Everra stiffens at her words and has this sudden urge to protest and has to quell it down with all her might.
"Done," the older woman says.
"You agree to the alliance between our two houses?" Everra asks.
Lady Olenna shrugs and replies, "Your beautiful, you and my grandson will have beautiful children. You are the leader of the third most wealthiest family in Westeros and you're not stupid," she pauses for a moment before saying, "my grandson could do a lot worse."
Everra lets out a small amused sound from her lips as she regards the older woman, "Thank you, my lady. I am sure our two kings will be most pleased with this sudden turn of events."
The older woman simply raises her eyebrows and says, "Oh I'm sure they will."
When Everra makes it back to the tent Renly presented her with, a rare nervousness has crept into her heart and when Jon walks into her tent she is pacing back and forth, her eyebrows drawn into a frown.
She wasn't there before, she wasn't there before, she kept muttering under her breath.
"My lady, is all well?" Jon asks from the entrance.
Everra keept on pacing back and forth and simply replied, "Yes, yes, Jon, everything is fine."
Everything was obviously not fine. She could only think of one thing.
If this had changed. . . . what else had?
The better question really was. . . . what else would change?
Dun dun dun. This is where I leave you guys, this chapter. It has been a while, and this is the first update of the new year! Thank you all for your response to last chapter, it means a lot to me. Again, another filler chapter, I planned to include more in this chapter but I was having a little bit of writers block. I will happily tell you however, that I have written some of the last chapters of this story. I am anxious for you guys to read it and well, anxious and sad for us to get there. Anyway, tell me your thoughts on this chapter? Do you like the interactions with Everra and Olenna? Do you want me to include something? Did I miss something? Is there something you think I should change? Tell me in your reviews and remember you can PM me if you have any questions. Happy new year! All of you are awesome.