Loren caught himself as he fell forward, panting gently, and lowered himself to the bed gently so he didn't crush Alysanne. He knew he should get up, but as he rested in bed, with his forehead against Aly's chest, he didn't want to. And as she wrapped her arms around him, he wanted to even less.
"Shall we get up, my lord?" She asked him.
He sighed. "We should." He pushed himself up so he could look down at her. She smiled up at him and he reached up to cup her cheek and brush it with his thumb. "We need to wash," he said. He wouldn't do anything that would risk the reputation of the Lannisters on this day.
He got out of the bed and rubbed the remaining tiredness from his eyes. "Are you alright, my lord? It took you so long to get to sleep last night."
No, he was not alright. His dreams had been invaded by the dead, the soldiers from his wars with Stannis, flesh flayed from their bones under rusted and dented armour. Gerold, with a gaping hole in his stomach. They came for him. He ran but they came, dragging themselves towards him as he raced through the corridors of an unknown castle. When he was too tired to run, he fought, cutting down his own soldiers. He had woken violently when his father stormed in, his lips blue his eyes alight with fury. Alysanne had provided a little comfort, but this was not the first time they had come for him.
"It happens, I'll manage."
"Are you sure?" She sat up, pulling the covers up to her chest.
He nodded. "Come, my lady, neither of us will be okay if we are late to breakfast with the king on his wedding day."
"Then let's wash the sweat off us," she said, getting out of the bed. "Do you want the bath or the pool?"
"I'll use the pool." He said.
He regretted it as soon as he opened the door to the manse's garden. The rains were coming. It was a light rain, one that didn't make noise as it darkened the flagstones, but he hoped it would pass soon nonetheless. He quickly disrobed and slipped into the pool. Sighing, he angled his head up, letting the rain pepper his face, and watched the sky. The clouds swirled and gathered, spilling across the sky like bloodstains getting darker as he watched. He closed his eyes, but behind them, he still saw the blood. The dream wasn't that bad. Focus, Loren, it's an important day. He started scrubbing himself off with a wire brush until the skin on his arms and chest was red. It was going to be a long day. The ceremony itself would take place at midday in the Great Sept which would be filled with thousands to witness the event. Come evening there would be a great feast in the Red Keep, and as a councilor and the King's Uncle, he would be expected to sit through all seventy-seven courses with a thousand guests all the way through to the bedding ceremony. He was going to be clean for it.
When he was scrubbed raw, he climbed out and returned to the house to dress in his finest doublet, with a half cloak over his right shoulder, pinned with a lion broach. Alysanne was in a fine gown of blue and red and gold in a woven marriage of the colours of Lefford and Lannister.
"My husband looks very handsome," she said with a smile.
"And my wife will outshine me." A cough drew their attention to the stairs and Loren's eyes went wide. "And I think we've both been outshone," he added.
Lelia's dress was bright red and gold and beautiful. Her hair was curled and fell around her shoulders in a flaxen cascade, woven with emeralds in a hairnet. The red of her bodice left her shoulders and upper chest bare, but her modesty was covered by veil of golden lace, attached to a red choker studded with nuggets of gold. She span, allowing the skirts to flare out before falling back down to her heels. "How do I look?"
"I think you will put two queens to shame today," Alysanne replied.
"Speaking of queens, we should go and meet them."
They separated in the Red Keep. Lelia had been invited to join Margaery's party of women and would be with her until the feast that eve. Loren and Alysanne would be breaking their fast with Joffrey and Cersei and so they proceeded to the Queen's Ballroom in Maegor's Holdfast.
They enjoyed a light breakfast of peppered eggs and bacon, honeycakes with nuts and berries with jugs of fruit juices and dry wines. When Cersei was finished with her breakfast, she presented Joffrey with a great cloak. "Robert cloaked me with this cloak when he made me his queen, as my late father cloaked my mother. And now you shall do the same." As Joffrey graciously accepted the cloak, Loren noted the frayed hem. It was noticeably worn, but that was sweet in a way. Far better than spending coin they didn't have on a new one.
Loren only had one small bowl of breakfast, and Alysanne matched him. When the plates and bowls were cleared away, it was time for the gifts. From Randyll Tarly, Joffrey was gifted a great hunting bow and quiver of long arrows. Ser Kevan provided him a fine riding saddle, the dornishman, Prince Oberyn, whom Loren neither had nor wanted to speak to, gifted a fine red-gold broach in the shape of a scorpion. Silver riding spurs from Ser Addam, Lord Rowan brought a red silk tourney pavilion, and Lord Redwyne a scale model of a two hundred oar galley under construction at the Arbor. As Joffrey thanked Lord Redwyne and permitted the ship to bear his name, Loren could only note that they would need another hundred to contest the seas from the rebel fleet. Lord Farman, despite being the most powerful man in the room was dressed the most modestly and presented the king with a royal chain that would drape over the Joff's shoulders and looked heavy enough to carry him to the floor.
Tyrion presented his gift. A gorgeously illustrated copy of Grand Maester Kaeth's Lives of Four Kings. Illuminated by Kaeth himself, Tyrion had told Loren. "A fine book, one every king should read," Ser Kevan said.
"My father cared not for reading," Joffrey muttered, flipping through the pages without a care to read them.
"King Robert had his own strengths,but even he would have been well served to read this book," Loren said.
Thankfully other guests stepped forward to present their gifts. Prince Tristan, representing the North and Trident, stepped forward and presented Joffrey with a winter cloak, fur lined gloves and boots. "To warm his grace for all the winters to come."
"My thanks to King Robb for his generosity, I shall wear it gladly when the snows come south."
He felt Alysanne let out a sigh of relief that Joffrey hadn't caused an incident while their daughter was a hostage in Winterfell.
Lord Mace presented Joffrey with a great goblet with seven sides, each one embossed with a black stag of House Baratheon. "Margaery and I shall drink deeply from this cup at the feast," he assured the Lord of Highgarden.
Loren presented his gift. It was a greathelm, the airholes carved in the shape of a prancing stag on one cheek and a rampant lion on the other, around the rim of the helmet was carved a crown of steel, with jewels on each of the seven points. "The finest piece of an entire suit, your grace. The rest has been delivered to your armoury."
"A fine helm, uncle. I shall wear it when I lead the fleet to Dragonstone to slay my traitor cousin." The hall sang to cheers from several quarters. Loren hoped those cheering would be ready to don swords and mail and join the assault on Dragonstone.
"Now, to the sept, I have a beautiful lady to make my bride!"
They made their way down to the courtyard of the Red Keep. The plan was that they would walk out to the square outside in a grand procession, Joffrey first, with his mother and siblings and take carriages through the city to the Great Sept to perform the wedding. But that plan needed to change, for the speckles of rain that Loren had bathed in that morning had turned into a heavy downpour. It wouldn't do for Joffrey to be soaking wet when he got married so that had to make some quick readjustments. Ser Garlan's wife Lady Leonette served as the messenger from Margaery's party, since the Lady of Highgarden was not meant to be seen before the ceremony. But together, Lady Leonette and Sebaston were able to arrange the order in which the carriages were to come up to the steps of the Red Keep and collect their passengers from there.
They had to remove one of the carriages from the procession and send it on ahead with servants who would provide cover with umbrellas to ferry the dignitaries from the carriages to the sept itself. The intended for that carriage, at the back of the King's procession but before Margaery, Addam Marbrand, Daenerys Targaryen, Lord Florent, Lord Rosby and others were split up. He had asked Addam to accompany Daenerys on the journey, who had looked thoroughly miserable throughout the breakfast, huddling back in the company of the Starks. But as they were split up, he had offered Daenerys a seat in their wagon with Alysanne, Tyrion and Kevan and she had graciously accepted.
"Will we need to stop off at the manse on the way back?" Alysanne asked when they were safely in the carriage and finally heading for the sept.
"No, I had our changes of clothes brought up the Red Keep last night, we can change there.
"Thank the gods,"
As the carriage moved down the road, Daenerys, who was looking out of the carriage said softly "There aren't any people outside."
"The weather probably put them off," Tyrion said.
"It's enough to put anyone off," Loren said, but as he sat back in the carriage he stopped himself from frowning. He remembered Robert's coronation and wedding to his sister. The crowd that sunny summer day would have turned out in a thunderstorm. Now they were driven away by a light drizzle. He hoped Margaery would still be able to work her magic once she was queen and get the smallfolk to love them again.