When Joanna woke up no one had to tell her that her brother was dead. She could remember everything that had happened at the wedding and she knew from what she had seen of Joffrey's face that there was no way he survived whatever had happened to them.

The tears began to fall immediately and not even the milk of the poppy could ease the pain of her heart breaking. Her tears soon became hoarse, painful screams as her anguish burnt her raw throat. Nothing could stop the terrible noises emerging from her chambers and soon even the servants had to be forced to go anywhere near her.

The rest of Kings Landing had done their grieving already, yet the three months she had spent in her coma had seemed like mere moments to her. Cersei would spend hours a a time with her, holding and comforting her in her grief. It didn't seem fair how her other half had gone whilst she remained. It was as if she had lost half her soul and nothing could repair it, not even the knowledge of her pregnancy.

No one seemed to know of her condition, her lack of moons blood had been attributed to her sickness and grief. Joanna had no idea how she would explain how she was with child despite being invalid before the marriage could be consummated.

One day, a few weeks after her awakening she was visited by Loras for the first time. It was a well known fact within the castle that her husband had all but ignored the fact that he had a distraught wife.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier." He said calmly, his tone genuinely upset.

She merely nodded in acknowledgement, not even glancing up.

Loras was surprised by the girl he saw. Gone was the fiery lioness that he had married and now all her spirit had left her. She had lost even more weight than before, except round her stomach, he noticed.

He walked to her bedside and sat on the edge, next to her estranged wife. She sat up in the bed, her knees tucked under her chin with her hair hanging over her face.

"Are you okay?"

Her head popped up, and a deadly look appeared in her eyes. Perhaps the old Joanna wasn't completely gone after all.

"Do you think I'm okay?" Her raspy, strained voice questioned. She was in visible pain speaking.

"I know you're grieving but you need to start eating properly. It's not healthy."

"What's the point anymore?" Joanna rasped. "I have no reason to live."

Loras never imagined that he would actually miss her old personality but he found himself wishing that she would start shouting at him and threaten him. There was something so depressing about seeing someone who was usually so confident so broken.

"You have your family to live for. Tommen has been missing you terribly and your mother and... uncle have been worried sick."

"I hear my grandfather was killed, is it true?"

Loras nodded and returned the conversation to more pressing matters. "I've heard you haven't been having your moons blood?"

A red tinge appeared on her cheeks as she replied. "The maester said it was because I was so sick."

Loras decided to confront her directly, realising that she may not even be aware of her condition.

"You are with child."

She didn't react at all and Loras realised that she already knew.

He knew that they would have to address the situation alone rather than later as people would begin to wonder how she became with child.

"It isn't yours." She mumbled halfheartedly.

"Of course not," he scoffed. "But I'm not going to go and announce that my wife is expecting her brothers child. I would never be respected ever again and your child will be treated like a monster."

His reaction seemed to shock Joanna and she looked him in the eye for the first time. "You won't tell anyone?"

"You are a Tyrell now and your child will be a Tyrell."

"You would raise another mans child?" She was extremely confused. She couldn't imagine anyone ever doing that. However Robert Baratheon had managed to raise 4 children that weren't his and it had taken years for anyone to even suspect that something was wrong.

"You are my wife and I will not let your child, no matter who the father is be raised a bastard. I will say that we couldn't wait until the wedding and lay together the night before. I will be this child's father."

Joanna couldn't help the tears running down her face and she threw her arms around Loras. She wouldn't stop whispering "thank you" into his shoulder as she shook.

Loras realised how much this child meant to her and it was then that he knew that whilst he would never love her as he should he could care for her.

"Have you thought of any names?" He asked her, pulling her away.

She snorted as she used her sleeve to wipe away the tears. "I would like to give the child a Lannister name... If you let me."

Loras nodded. "He will be a Lannister by blood, it's only right."

"He?"

"Or she."

Joanna smiled at the thought of a little blonde baby with golden curls and green eyes. "I was thinking Lann for a boy and Cersei for a girl."

"You would name the baby Cersei?" He queried, surprised.

"My mother has been there no matter what for me and she has had to go through things I couldn't even imagine. I will be honouring the most admirable woman I know."

Loras couldn't complain considering the serious tone she had and he accepted her decision.

"Lann or Cersei Tyrell. My grandmother would love that." He laughed sarcastically and he saw her smile slightly.

"She'll get over it."

"Who else knows?"

"No one," she shook her head. "Only you and me."

He frowned. "He have to tell someone at some point. You can't just give birth suddenly."

"Not yet, I want to try and return to some sort of normality first."