Leonette Tyrell felt a faint paul of dread where she stood as she saw the brown eyes of the Goddess Quake fixed on her as the Goddess strode into the garden that luncheon was being served in. She'd felt a change in the past few days in how the Goddess' attention weighed on her. The way the Goddess had sought out herself and her husband Garlan could have been innocent. But the way the Goddess' eyes found her instantly, the considering expression on her face…that meant something.
She sipped at the wine that tasted sour on her tongue. Because the truth was her marriage, her wants, would matter less than nothing if the Goddess had decided she wanted her. It was already near a miracle the Goddess had asked for so little since she'd arrived. Some men might keep to a single mistress, even the most powerful. Leonette and her husband had prayed that was the case with the Goddess. Had prayed for it desperately as she sought them out more and more.
It wasn't that the Goddess wasn't pleasant company, or that she was hideous or odious in some way. Seven Hells, almost every man, and woman in Highgarden would stab her just to have the gaze of the Goddess drawn to them instead. Why couldn't it have been one of them? Why her? She'd not wished for it, and yet she knew as the Goddess easily slipped to her side that it would not be put off much longer. The Goddess had decided.
Leonette curtsied. "Holiness."
"Nothing but berries?" The Goddess' tone was amused, a lopsided smile on her face, and her eyes smiled as well.
She straightened. "The perils of being mortal, occasionally our stomachs rebel." And hopefully, the mention of an upset stomach would see the inevitable delayed.
Goddess Quake offered her arm. "Well, if you're not planning on eating, could we talk somewhere a bit more private?"
Well…that was that then. Leonette swallowed down her feelings on the matter. She knew her duty. So she set her near-empty plate and cup aside. And then she slid her arm through the offered crook of the Goddess' arm. "Of course your Holiness."
"It's nothing bad." Daisy laughed, her voice kind. It was infuriating and comforting all at once.
Leonette refused to show her feelings on the matter, they were irrelevant. She cast her eyes to the side meeting her husband's stricken face as he seemed to realize exactly what was happening. It took more strength than she knew she had to give the best smile she could to him. They'd spoken of it. Had known it might happen. Of course, they'd been unsure which of them, or possibly both, that had the Goddess' attention. But it seemed it was her. And her darling Garlan could do nothing, even if he knew her grief at this, he could do nothing. So there was no point in facing it with anything but bravery and a smile that felt too brittle on her face.
She wasn't sure how she kept her voice even. "I believe I will need several lifetimes before your presence does not cause nerves, Holiness." Her humor was forced. Whether she'd hidden the depth of her unease, or whether the Goddess was pretending to be deceived she did not know.
"The curse of powers, nobody ever really forgets you have them." The smile wasn't really in her eyes any longer.
Leonette swallowed, the Goddess' good humor fading was something she could ill afford. It was unlikely to spare her, and better a pleasant divine being. "I can understand the desire to be seen for oneself and not your position. Sometimes it can be quite restricting."
"Sansa thinks I get twitchy about it because I'm not used to the worship or reverence thing. Kind of a weird thing to complain about. It's not even bad, just…weird cause it's not bad?" Goddess Quake brushed her blue lock of hair behind one ear.
Which, Leonette saw a possible option for escape in the Goddess' words. "Her Grace sounds like a remarkable woman."
"She is." And oh, Goddess Quake's face was desperately fond in a way that Leonette wasn't even sure the Goddess was aware of. "I hear people talk about her here and it's like they're talking about a completely different person."
Leonette was curious, knew it was valuable information, and knew it was the best option for distracting the Goddess for at least one more day. "What is she like then? I never met her when she was in King's Landing."
"Sansa is fierce in everything she does. And you can see it in her face, it'll be smooth as anything but you know she's seeing more than anyone else in the room. And she loves like that too. The Starks are more like those wolves of theirs than you'd think." Goddess Quake's left thumb rubbed absently at the direwolf ring on her finger. "Also I'm pretty sure she treated me like a spooked direwolf when we first met."
She let out something like a giggle at that. It was ridiculous, but well, she could see the reason behind it. "A direwolf, really?"
"Hey, I think it worked in my favor actually." Goddess Quake grinned, and oh it was so painfully clear she loved her Northern Queen.
Leonette swallowed at that. If only love of one meant lust for one as well. "Are the wolves truly the size of horses?"
"More like pony sized." Goddess Quake lowered her voice slightly. "Sansa spoils them rotten. Ghost has been sleeping in her room and usually in her bed since Jon left. And I know she sneaks them bites of things from her plate. Any wolf that's been with her in her rooms has a distinctly brushed-looking coat." Goddess Quake slowed as they reached the fountain. Ah, the sound from the water would keep their voices unheard. They were still quite visible to the party, but separate enough to give some illusion of privacy.
Leonette steeled herself, it would seem words of the Goddess' love had not been enough. "Holiness?" Perhaps it was petty, but she would have the Goddess ask it. Not that she could say no, but she would not offer herself up unasked.
"Are you ok?" Goddess Quake shifted as Leonette's arm slid out from the crook of her own. "Here, sit down before you keel over." Her hand gently caught her upper arm.
And well, Leonette let her gently guide her into sitting on the edge of the fountain. "My apologies, I don't know what came over me."
"Hey, nothing to be sorry about." Goddess Quake was so unbearably nice about it.
And it wouldn't be that bad. Leonette met the concerned eyes of the Goddess. "If I may, what is it you wished to speak to me about?"
She blinked but then nodded, reached out, and took her hand, squeezing it warmly. "Right, so um…I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but you're pregnant. Or with child, or however you guys say it."
Leonette stilled utterly.
What?
That…with child? One hand suddenly pressed to her flat stomach.
The Goddess kept speaking into the silence, maybe just to fill it. "I can feel heartbeats, and wasn't sure at first just cause it's very soft and kinda fluttery? But since I've been using you and Garlan as meatshields from some of your relatives, which you both have been very nice about letting me do that, I kinda got used to your vibrations so I noticed the change. I thought you'd want to know as soon as possible?"
Meatshields.
Leonette couldn't help the half-strangled laugh that burst from her lips. Oh gods, it'd never been lust. She and Garlan had been so caught up in their fears…they were so stupid.
And pregnant.
All her hopes and dreams she'd begun to suspect would never be, suddenly were.
Leonette was aware when the tears began to run down her face. Only one moment she was sitting on the edge of the fountain staring at the face of an alarmed looking Goddess, and the next she'd half slid to the ground, only to be caught in strong arms, as she sobbed in sheer relief into the fine wool of the Goddess' Northern styled jerkin. She'd not been so glad since her marriage to a man she loved.
She wasn't barren.
And she sobbed.
"Please Holiness, she's my wife." Garlan's voice was suddenly there, near vibrating with desperation.
Leonette reached out blindly, catching his calloused hand, and then she was in his arms. Her words spilled out. "A baby! We're to have a baby!"
He stiffened from where he had wrapped her in his arms like that would have protected her from any insult possibly given. His voice trembled. "You're with child?"
Leonette couldn't get more words out, her joy near choked her.
"I can feel the heartbeat." Goddess Quake's voice was quiet.
Garlan swung her in a circle, words of love and thanks on his lips. And who gave a fig for the scene they were no doubt causing? She was with child!
/
Arya poked Baelish in the back.
He made a delightful sound of alarm, twisting around towards her. His face looked pained as he straightened his ugly black surcoat. "Your Highness."
"My sister wants something done." Gods, it was pathetic how quickly that had his attention. "I'd rather not spend hours whispering here and there to get it done."
Baelish's narrow mustache twitched faintly with that stupid smug, condescending expression he thought no one could see through. "I see, and what is this thing you wish me to do for you?"
"Our cousin, Robyn Arryn is of age with Lord Glover's daughter." Arya arched a brow, "You understand?"
"I thought our fair Queen intended to hand the Vale to the Targaryen Queen in exchange for armies and dragons against the Dead?" He was clearly putting pieces together of what Sansa wanted him to see.
Arya drew her new serrated dagger, spinning it between her fingers. "For now." She kept her words specific and light as if they didn't paint a very specific picture that Sansa wanted to be painted. Which, these new games of Sansa's were far better than Sansa's ones with dolls from when they were girls. Arya liked these games. "We need dragons, peace on our borders, trade, alliances. But once the Dead are gone…" She trailed off pointedly as she gave a particularly fancy twist of the dagger. "Well, even dragons can be killed."
She could see him putting together the pieces in a fraction of a second. No Dead, and come spring the North would be stable again. Trade and alliances with the Reach, marriages and trade with the Vale, a Targaryen dynasty of one. One death and the Kingdoms would cry out for Sansa to take the Iron Throne. Of course, it was stupid, Sansa would never take the damned thing. But, well, it was temptingly plausible.
"Food for thought." Baelish tipped his head to her.
With a quick movement, she sheathed her dagger. "Great, I have a baby brother to hunt down." She spun on her heel and left without a backward glance. It was delicious knowing how much that had to irritate a proud man like Baelish. Her sister might be good at being kinda evil, but Arya liked to think she was the expert at being a dick.
She headed for the gods' wood. Rickon had the wolves in there. He'd been taking his job of helping train Joramun very seriously. It was delightful how much that was not going to go well considering Rickon and Shaggydog were, well, they were Rickon and Shaggydog.
/
Garlan felt buoyed up with effervescent joy. His Leonette was with child. An answer to their prayers. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face, and wouldn't have tried even if he could. Instead, he just drank from the wine Willas had ordered brought out to celebrate.
"You're sure her Holiness wasn't insulted?" Grandmother asked, though even she sounded pleased despite that at the news of her first great-grandchild.
Garlan laughed breathlessly. "No, no she wasn't insulted."
"My handsome boy." His mother Alerie patted his cheek. "You're going to be a father."
His chest puffed with pride and excitement.
Willas laughed from where he'd been trapped on a settee with his leg raised. "When she is further along we will throw a feast to celebrate." He raised his hand. "But she's well?"
"Just tired from the day." Garlan had seen the exhaustion on her face and insisted she go to bed early. He'd join her later. The change from resigned, helpless grief to sheer joy had been sharp and left him breathless and wrung out. He'd have to have a servant sent to the town to fetch the blackberry tarts Leonette adored from the baker just off the Rose Road.
It was good as a family to have this moment together to celebrate. So it really shouldn't have been surprising for a knock on the door, and then Arryk, one of Grandmother's giants of a guardsman cleared his throat. "Her Holiness, the Goddess Quake."
And sure enough, as all of them in the room stood, or attempted and then stopped suddenly like Willas, Goddess Quake walked in.
"Your Holiness, you are most welcome." Willas offered, his face warm and fairly frustrated.
Goddess Quake looked at Willas with something like amusement. "If you want to injure yourself from standing too soon feel free, but don't do it for me."
"I'll make a note of it." He replied, with surprisingly good humor. It was rather shocking, Willas hated when people assumed he couldn't do something. "How can we be of service this evening?"
She huffed lightly before the humor faded from her face. And then she was serious in a way she rarely was. "I'm not from your world, and I've clearly misread the situation here." Goddess Quake's eyes flicked across them, though they returned to Willas. "I didn't see the harm in it and thought it was kinda funny. But I was wrong, I owe you an apology for that."
"Your Holiness? What…-" Willas started to speak before cutting off suddenly at the flick of her hand requesting silence.
She continued as if she wasn't speaking near heresy to imply she owed them anything at all. "I'm not going to fuck anyone here." Her voice was clear and certain. "I am not and never have, or will fuck Jon. And I'm kinda horrified everyone constantly is expecting me to. Your various cousins and relatives flirting or whatever wasn't something that was more than kinda exasperating. Even kinda funny sometimes. But I missed the expectations everyone clearly had when I didn't stop it. I should have known better, fuck I know how 'gods' treat humans. So I'm going to be real clear. Even if I was interested in someone, and I'm not, even then I wouldn't touch them sexually, let alone fuck them. You probably wouldn't see it that way, but to me it would be rape. And I might be a monster, but I'm not that."
The sheer, utter sincerity was practically radiating from every fiber of the Goddess's being as she stood there. She kept speaking as if her words were not confounding. "Also, your castle is very nice, your things are nice, it's all very nice. It doesn't matter to me. Not because I have some fabulous divine whatever that makes your home look quaint. It doesn't matter because I don't care about wealth or luxury or the rest of it. If I wanted those things in my world I could have them, it wouldn't be hard. But I never did because it seemed kinda pointless. I like you all, you don't need to keep trying. And I know I got named the Destroyer of Worlds, but I'm not going to hurt any of you. I mean short of someone trying to stab me or Jon or whatever I'm not going to hurt someone. And even then I'd only hurt the idiot who did the stabbing." She waved at the wall.
"Every single one of your Lords out there could insult me and I wouldn't be mad at you." She shrugged. "I mean if you told them to I'd be upset. But I don't like hurting people. So just to be real fucking clear, you can tell me 'no.' You can ask me shit and even if I'm not ok with it that's fine, you can still ask."
There was a ringing silence.
Garlan swallowed as her brown eyes turned on him. He barely kept from dropping to his knees. Garlan had never been a man who worshiped the gods as more than habit or convenience. But he felt it, the reverence. He'd been wrong. He'd been so caught up in petty human concerns… "Holiness."
"Right, I understand if you never want to speak with me again Garlan." And she looked…ashamed. "But if you want, I'd like to talk to you."
He stepped forward. "Of course." Garlan hesitated at the doubt that flickered across her face. She doubted his sincerity. "Please?"
Garlan wasn't sure what to say as they walked on the walls of Highgarden. They'd said nothing as they'd walked here. He felt compelled to speak. "I seem to have misjudged you at every turn."
"I used you and Leonette to avoid people when it got frustrating." Goddess Quake sighed. "I didn't realize what you thought was happening till she broke down. It wasn't…people are scared of me. Ignoring that is the only way I talk to almost anyone. I shouldn't have."
His tongue felt heavy in his mouth. "We assumed without question. It…it'd have been your right to take either of us."
"No." She stopped, turning to face him. "It wouldn't be my right. No one has that right. Ever."
The breath in his lungs stilled. "You…deserve far kinder names than you have been given." Because he could feel it in his bones. They'd been blinded by her names and powers. "What would you wish to be called?"
She hesitated. "Well, already told your brother to call me Daisy."
"Then thank you for the news and kindness you showed my wife and I this day, Daisy." He said, nearly twitching at the use of her name.
She smiled faintly before falling serious once more. "I'm sorry, just so sorry, that I ever gave you reason to think I'd ever have hurt either of you. I can't make it better."
Garlan frowned slightly. He didn't know how to explain she owed no apologies. Even if she would have considered it a crime to have taken either himself or Leonette, she'd never done such a thing. Looking back, what had they built their fears on? That she spoke with them often? That a woman who they'd all noticed was free with touch was just that? Brief nudges or brushing. She'd never even touched either of them as much as a single dance might require outside of the dance floor.
It was…she'd never done a thing beyond show simple friendship, and they'd built their own conclusions off of it. He wanted to apologize for the arrogance of it but he doubted the Goddess would listen to it. A Goddess who had called herself a monster…and who had insisted they could ask things of her. "If you wish, I believe our score at cyvass is still two to four?"
"You want to play a game?" She asked carefully.
He tipped his head in deference. "You didn't do it for me, but you saved my life. My wife's life. My entire family's lives. You've given us more than even Grandmother could have imagined asking in her wildest, and most selfish dreams. And you asked for nothing in return."
"I asked for the North in return." She arched a brow staring at him dryly.
Garlan shook his head. "Daenerys paid for a siege broken. You saved us all. I have been…an idiot. I think we all have been. We've been trying to find some way to pay you back, to find what you might wish from us and I believe we failed to notice the obvious." Gods they really had been fools. She'd stood there in Willas's solar and spoken with more moral fortitude and conviction than any mortal he'd imagined could exist. No wonder she liked the Starks, they might be the only House honorable enough to be worth her notice. "You are good."
"I slaughtered an army. In front of you. I've stolen, killed, kinslayed, broken guest rite, spied, assassinated…I try to do good, but Garlan, Yelshire wasn't totally wrong. Mostly, but he wasn't just blowing smoke."
If he didn't feel unworthy of even breathing the same air as her, he'd have reached out then. He even thought she might permit it. But he couldn't bring himself to risk that. "If I asked, would every one of those crimes have been done for a just cause?"
Her mouth opened and then closed.
Garlan felt a triumphant thrill at that. "You've said this is not your world many times." He gave a nod as he settled on what he wished to say. "If you do not understand this one, ask. I will endeavor to answer anything you might wish, whenever you might think it."
"Ok." She pulled a letter out of the inside of her surcoat and held it out. "For Leonette, it's just what I've already said. I'd tell her myself but…I think it should be her choice if she ever even sees me again."
He accepted the letter. "You have given us more joy and hope this day than we have had since we first said our vows. If she had not been beyond words in the garden she would have told you herself."
"Well, she can tell me herself, for real, if she wants. Or she can avoid me like the plague. It's her choice." Goddess Quake…Daisy was firm in her words. "And both of you can change your minds, like…that's something you can do."
Garlan dropped to his knees then, looking up at her startled face. "I will not forget this, Daisy."
