A/N: I'm baack! Life happened (I mean, a lot of life), and the writer's block following the previous chapter was awful to write from. Thankfully, I've kind of got the law school struggle somewhat routined out, and like I promised, this fic is not dead! I'll try my best to release 2-3 chapters in short succession to make up for it.

Responses varied, from "wow that chapter was badly thought" to "wow this was emotionally scarring". My response? Both are fair takes, but I lean on the side of "ehh that was kind of too close to the stations of canon and therefore somewhat badly thought", but thankfully, after this bit, the stations of canon are firmly derailed, so you won't have to deal with this issue again.

This chapter is a light one after the emotional scarring fun I got you through, aimed at moving the plot forward to end the war once and for all. Hope you like it!

WILLAS

The silence that falls after an act of war is discomforting, Willas thought to himself.

But what could he think or feel, after the tragedy that had befallen the halls of Bitterbridge, the one the singers called "The Bloody Meeting"? Nobody could have predicted the tragic dissolution of guest right that would occur that fateful night, and the effects it would have on everyone, but most of all, the Tyrell siblings.

The victory that had been achieved was hollow, as even though the battlefield had been cleared of enemies, no executions could be done, as it was difficult to ascertain who was responsible. Not only that, with an active war going on, the arrangement of funeral preparations for so many was a difficult task indeed, requiring all of the Tyrell siblings, alongside many other lords, to lend a hand.

Between the murder of their grandmother, their mother, and many of their aunts and uncles - Tyrell, Hightower, and Redwyne, had been devastated by the Bloody Meeting. Of the main Tyrell branch, only their father was left. Of the main line Hightower branch, many Hightower sons had perished, leaving only their Grandfather Leyton, and uncle Humphrey were left, out of the older generation, and with Uncle Humphrey's lack of marriage, the Hightower name was hanging by a slim thread. Of the main line Redwyne branch, Horas and Hobber, thankfully, were spared, and all four Tyrell siblings were alive, which meant that the futures of Houses Tyrell and Redwyne were secured, but if something were to happen, House Hightower could go to a daughter's line.

Yet the reactions of his siblings had been almost more frightening. Garlan's cold, almost-desperate determination to see the war finished, borne from the loss of his right eye, was a startling departure from the jovial, friendly brother he had left behind when he had arrived in Dorne. Loras's grief was immense, and he had temporarily paused his ever-growing quest to become the strongest knight in the Seven Kingdoms, but so long as he had Renly, Willas knew that he would be fine. And Margaery….well, his little Queen acted normally, but he could see the hardened demeanor and sly ruthlessness in her eyes, behind her too-sweet smiles and too-cheerful disposition, that plotted revenge to this day.

"Willas," Margaery said excitedly, as she walked into the room. "I think we've made a breakthrough."

"On the perpetrators?"

"Yes. We know of House Peake, whom Garlan assures will fall in the course of a moon. House Caswell is unaccounted for, but between Lord Caswell's passing and the connection of all four of his daughters to the Red Apple Fossoways, the Meadows, the Footlys, and the Oakhearts, they and the four houses connected to them are a possibility in this investigation."

"With the chain that links them all to the plot as marriage?"

"Precisely. The Red-Apple Fossoways were insulted over Garlan's dismissal of Leonette, and are likely to be involved in the plot. Houses Meadows has also recently expressed discontent in the Grassy Vale, and Oakheart's youngest son is a Kingsguard knight primarily for Myrcella Waters, which makes them a possibility."

"Something isn't adding up, though." Willas pointed out. "Surely, they were unhappy, but would they really betray us in such an obvious manner, even with the backing of Tywin Lannister?"

"You're right, they probably wouldn't have, if not for the Peakes boldly taking credit. Besides, the plot aimed for my death and the deaths of most of the major players in the Stark-Tully-Tyrell-Targaryen-Martell alliance. A failed attempt by Tywin Lannister at a, well, what he hoped to be a masterstroke to get them out of the bad position they were in, into a better one."

Margaery sighed. "Admittedly, my death would have destabilized the alliance. Robb's marriage to me tied the Stark/Tully alliance with the Tyrell/Martell alliance, and Tywin knew that the Targaryen cause was barely held together before Sansa's betrothal to Aegon. If Unwin Peake hadn't been cocky enough to play the Rains of Castamere as we were drinking the wine, almost all of us, truthfully, would have died, which would have crippled the ruling houses of the Reach into a war, along with the entire war effort."

"But, guest right, Margaery?!" Willas emphasized, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. "Breaking guest right reviles your house for the rest of time! What kind of idiotic lord would risk that sort of thing?"

"The Peakes, apparently - not that their houses needed any further loss of reputation. But the other houses are circumstantially connected at best and had the plot gone as planned, nobody would even know. Caswell could just round up the Peakes and kill them, satisfying the plot for 'revenge' with no aspersions cast on him. The ensuing chaos that would follow would instigate a civil war in the Reach that would allow Tywin to sweep the Reach, add to his alliance, and keep Joffrey Waters on the Iron Throne."

"All saved by the stupidity of Unwin Peake, then," Willas mused. "So now what?"

"We round up the perpetrating lords, re-establish the strength of the long-held Tyrell-Hightower-Redwyne alliance, add the Tarly forces into the mix by finally getting Garlan married to his blushing bride, and proceed to stomp the armies into pieces with the giant alliance against the Lannisters?" Margaery responded, cheekily. "That's all we can do right now, dear brother."

The wrongness in the sickly sweet tone of voice Margaery had affected made him shudder. Wrong! Something is wrong! He thought to himself, but he didn't say a word, knowing that it would only make it worse.

"And what," Willas asked, "Is to be my role, in all this?"

"Dorne needs an heir," Margaery said bluntly. "I think that—"

Willas's memory flashed back to the week before the Great Council, in Sunspear. Of Arianne's joyous shriek, after consultation with the Maester, and her smile as she bounded him in a hug he could not fully return, and the joy that swept through both of their faces. Finally, finally, the heir to Dorne had been conceived. He had wanted to tell everyone, but too much had happened, and after the Meeting, too much had happened still, for him to divulge the news to Robb and Margaery, the late-comers to the Great Council.

"-but the heir to Dorne is there," Willas stammered, taken aback by the memories. "In Arianne. Her belly, I mean."

Margaery's fake smile transformed into a real one.

"Truly?" she said in a soft voice. The same one, Willas remembered, that she had, every time she was overwhelmed by emotion but was barely holding it in.

He nodded.

"Truly," Willas confirmed, a real smile blooming across his face, as he allowed Margaery to enfold him into a hug. "I had wanted to say something earlier, but…so much has happened I scarcely knew when to reveal it to you. But Mother knew, for a brief time, and so did Grandmother."

"Does Garlan know?"

"Does Garlan know what?" Garlan muttered grumpily as he entered the room, flanked by Loras. They exchanged a look at Willas and Margaery when they entered, but Loras shrugged his shoulders and they both returned their glances at their other siblings.

"Willas," Margaery said as she waved her arms wildly, in a very exaggerated tone of voice, "has been holding out on us!"

"Oh?" Loras responded, a conspiratorial smirk on his face. "Do tell."

"Willas is—"

"Honestly Margaery, let me say my own news," Willas complained good-naturedly. "I'm to be a father. By Arianne, I mean."

"Knew you'd get there eventually," Garlan responded, his one eye crinkling in delight. "It was only a matter of time."

"So we're to have a nephew or niece?" Loras asked.

"Yes, Loras, they're having a baby," Garlan responded, sarcastically. "You know, when a lord and a lady love one another very much, and they're a little too excited, they—"

"Don't finish that!" Loras stopped him hastily.

"Gar, stop teasing my favorite brother," Margaery groused. "He's just a little slow on the uptake, that's all."

"Renly finally buggered all the brains out of him, then?" Garlan snickered, causing Loras's face to inflame a nice, cherry red.

"Gar!" Loras whined, causing all four of the Tyrell siblings to howl in laughter. After war, and tragedy, and grief, the laughter seemed to unlock something in each and every Tyrell, as their fears and doubts faded away for a singular moment.

"Well, I am positively famished," Loras announced, not-so-subtly. "Shall we break our fast?"

"Well…" Margaery voiced out in contemplation.

"Marge? Willas?" Loras cajoled. "Gar?"

Willas sighed. "Margaery, I think you and Garlan should. You've been so stressed out by all of this business that you two, as important political figures, need a break before you exhaust yourselves."

"...fine," Margaery acquiesced, grumbling. "There better be a plate of cheesecake, though."

"Talla will be with is to break our fast!" Loras added, singsong.

"...I suppose it can't hurt," Garlan answered. "But what about you, Willas?"

Willas smiled, a gleam in his eye.

"I guess I can take care of you and Margaery's business for today," he said.

ROBB IX

"Everyone is here, correct?" King Aegon asked. Seeing nods from everyone in the room, he gestured at the guards to close the doors.

The call for a sudden meeting had taken Robb by surprise. With his wife out with her siblings planning something or another, he had no time to fetch her as he headed towards what he knew to be King Aegon's personal rooms.

"I suppose I'll start, then," Aegon said, sheepishly, when the doors were shut. "I apologize if I caused any alarm, but this gathering isn't meant to be a formal meeting, but rather, a discussion amongst family regarding what actions we should take next."

"My love, I think we are missing the Tyrells," Sansa pointed out. "Should we not postpone this meeting, so they can contribute their input?"

"No need," Willas announced, as he entered the room, and sat next to Robb. "Loras and I are enforcing a day for Garlan and Margaery to destress. My younger siblings will be unavailable, while I handle their business for the day. After all, I have all the training they have, no?"

Thank goodness. Margaery has been stressing herself out even more than usual lately. She is, of course, more than capable, but with the babe, she will need more breaks.

"Then the meeting shall commence," Jon Connington's gravelly voice declared. "King Robb, King Aegon, we must defer to you. How do you both intend to conduct the war effort?"

"Our armies are solid," Aegon noted, "Between Dorne, the Golden Company, the Reach, the North, the Riverlands, and even some parts of the Stormlands, our armies should be sufficient to destroy the Lannisters on the field. With Stannis Baratheon's cause gone, we should have the means to push towards King's Landing and oust the ill-born bastard from his throne ourselves."

"And what about Tywin Lannister, in the West?" Robb pointed out. "I don't doubt that we will succeed in putting you on the throne, King Aegon, but with a force as large as our combined alliance, we will have to divert the forces to destroy the two-front Lannister cause of Tywin Lannister's army, in the west, and Joffrey Water's cause, in King's Landing. We must tackle their armies simultaneously, or else we risk both fronts meeting and bleeding us dry in the process."

"And what of news in the Vale?" Jon Connington, the newly-declared Hand of the King, asked him."Will Lysa Arryn support the Stark-Targaryen cause? We had assumed she would have joined her armies to yours by now…"

"There's been no word, Lord Hand," Jon, now-Aemon, responded. "Lady Lysa has rejected all of our ravens, and with the betrothal between Robin Arryn and Myrcella Waters, there is a worrisome possibility that she has, perhaps, joined the Lannister cause."

"Lysa Arryn has gone mad in her castle, if she really plans to join the Lannisters," Theon added. "And with my—"

Theon took a notable pause.

"-my uncle on the Iron Islands," Theon finished. "We are still in a battle on multiple fronts."

"Your uncle?" Willas asked. "The Greyjoys have done nothing in this war thus far!"

Theon grimaced. "I received word from Asha regarding my father's death, which occurred a moon or so ago, but with all the travel, it finally reached me yesterday."

"That's—" Robb said, "Isn't that good, though?"

"Robb!" Sansa hissed.

A bitter smile crossed Theon's face. "No, Sansa, Robb has the right of it. Had my father lived, he would have likely declared war and taken his forces north, as revenge for the defeat that your father inflicted on him."

"And your life would have been forfeit," Aemon added softly. "But what of your uncle, then?"

Theon shrugged uneasily.

"I had assumed that Paxter Redwyne and I would liberate the Iron Islands, based on the betrothal between Desmera and I, but with Paxter Redwyne dead, I suppose any Redwyne force would work" Theon stated. "What say you, Your Graces?"

King Aegon put a hand under his chin thoughtfully.

To think that Theon had worried about that…oh, Theon.

"You should know that I never would have executed you for your father's crimes," he said, anguished. "That being said, I am not your King, so I have no real say other than that."

"Would your lord Uncle be a threat?" King Aegon asked.

"Well, Father always thought Uncle Euron to be too ambitious, and he was exiled for it," Theon said. "I don't think he would necessarily side with the Lannisters, Your Grace, but I think he would try to declare himself King and create his own side, so to speak."

"What does your sister think of him, Lord Greyjoy" Jon Connington asked.

"Asha wishes to be Queen in her own right," Theon replied. "She will not ally with him, but I think she will be more amenable to my offer of alliance."

"I think, Lord Greyjoy, that we will need you on hand in the Westerlands alongside the Redwyne fleet, to counter any of your uncle's machinations." King Aegon declared. "So long as you work in my interest, I will have you declared Lord of the Iron Islands, if that works for you?"

"Yes, Your Grace, I had every intention of that," Theon answered. "I will talk to my future good-father about that and install myself on the ship."

"Aegon, it would not be a bad idea to have him stationed outside Lannisport," Aemon pointed out. "It would be a vulnerable position for sure, and Theon, you would be risking attack on both sides, but it stops Tywin Lannister from escaping by sea should we box him in, and allows us to respond, should Euron Greyjoy attack."

"It's not a bad idea," Theon noted. "I should be relatively safe, but would still contribute to the war effort. And if Uncle Euron attacked, I would be in a good position to repel parts of it, because it would be unlikely for Tywin Lannister to team up with my uncle. If King Aegon agrees, I would do it."

"Good point, brother," King Aegon said cheerfully. "I like it. Lord Greyjoy, see to that, after this meeting."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"And on the subject of the war effort," Robb began, "I would propose a two-part split, to streamline leadership and accomplish our goals in the most efficient way."

"How so?" King Aegon asked.

"I will take my army back towards the Riverlands and push westward, forcing Tywin Lannister back into Casterly Rock, with the combined strength of my good-father's army and my uncle's army added to mine. With Theon positioned over Lannisport, we will entrap the Lannister army, allowing us to maximally siege Casterly Rock." Robb explained.

Aegon nodded thoughtfully, and allowed Robb to continue.

"Meanwhile, you should take your current armies and give Lord Tarly command of the current portion of the Reach army, and move up the Roseroad to siege King's Landing." Robb said. "So long as there is threat of the Stormlords to the east, the Dornish to the south, and my army, up north, the other portion of the Lannister army is trapped in King's Landing, with the loyalty of the Crownlands split between yourself and Joffrey Waters."

"Which would allow me to siege King's Landing successfully, in an all out push, and ensures that our armies do not need to deal with new leadership on all sides, making for an army as efficient as possible." Aegon finished. "Lord Tyrell, would your brother agree to this?"

Willas nodded. "Absolutely. Garlan should join Robb to coordinate his forces with our Lord Father's, but Lord Tarly is immensely trusted, as Garlan's future good-father. He is a commander without peer, and he will be useful in leading your forces to victory, as he did with the Usurper."

"Make the plans, then," Aegon replied. "I would request that Aemon join my forces, to help coordinate whatever plans between our two fronts."

"Granted," Robb replied. "Jon, are you alright with that?"

Aemon nodded emphatically. "I need to make sure Sansa marries the King, after all," he joked.

"Right, then," Aegon said. "Now, the only things left is to solidify our alliance with marriage, and to keep the women and children safe."

"My love," Sansa began, taking Aegon's hand lightly, "I believe the best time for us to be wed would be after you take King's Landing in the Sept of Baelor. It would do the smallfolk some good to see our wedding as a sign of unity, rather than to hastily rush our wedding. Queen Cersei failed to care for the people, and I would see this through."

"You do not wish to wed by a Godswood, in the traditions of your people?" Aegon asked. "I wish to see you happy, and I would forego the Sept if that pleases you."

Sansa blushed prettily.

"I had thought that our ceremony would be twofold, at the Godswood and at the Sept of Baelor." she replied gently. "The Faith will require a wedding in the Sept, as we are to rule the Seven Kingdoms as King and Queen, but the Old Gods will not care overmuch, so long as we include them within our celebrations. But that can only be achieved after the war, and I do not mind waiting to see it done."

King Aegon kissed her hand lightly, causing Robb and Aemon to give him warning looks. "It will be done, my heart."

"Sansa, where will you stay, as the battles rage on?" Aemon asked. "We've thought of everything, but not of where you, and for that matter, Margaery, would be as the war rages on."

"Highgarden is the safest place for Lady Sansa and my sweet sister to be at this moment," Willas commented. "Especially with Margaery's pregnancy, it will not be safe for her to stay close to the battlefield. I myself will be there, along with Arianne, once she makes her way there from Sunspear."

"I would rather that my lady wife and Sansa be protected," Robb admitted, "And Highgarden is Margaery's stronghold, not to mention, your own. I think it's a good idea, but Margaery…"

"I made mention of it to Loras and Garlan before I left, so they are convincing her now." Willas noted. "Are we agreed?"

Sansa nodded. "I will watch over Margaery for you, Robb."

"Then all is cleared," Aegon said, "and I declare this meeting adjourned."

Robb clasped hands with Aegon, as the meeting ended, and began the trek to his room.

Well, that meeting went smoothly. But with the war ahead, all I can do now is to relax with my lady wife until the war parts us.

Robb walked through the camps quickly, filled with thoughts of spending time with his wife after the 'informal' meeting. But as Robb entered the room, confusion filled his features as he entered to his wife talking to another woman, holding a…candle made of glass?

"Robb, this is—" Margaery rushed to say, as she saw Robb's presence, but she was interrupted.

"Young Wolf," a silver-haired lady with an odd gleam and her eyes said. "Your lady wife's magical training is…horribly lacking. As her dear aunt, I will need to fix that over the coming moons in the safety of Highgarden."

Ending A/N: Three guesses on who the mysterious silver-haired lady is and the first two don't count.

As for next time: three POVS as the wars sets up to its close, but chief of them, a Golden Princess who is Not Happy at her grandfather, her father(s), her wine-obsessed mother, and her betrothed, who keeps trying to throw people out of mountains to their death.