[open]

[tyrellrose]

Who: Margaery Tyrell, open
When: December 21
Where: Outside the new arrivals apartments
Format: Paragraph
What: Girl in a wedding dress chilling outside the apartments.
Warnings: None. Well, ASoS spoilers.

Comments

[therainbowking]

One of those passers-by just so happened to be one Renly Baratheon, who stopped and stared at the very familiar young lady in front of him. It had to be Margaery, but how long had she been wandering about covered in a blanket? He took a careful step closer, not wanting to startle her -- though of course he would, it is not every day one sees their husband back from the dead, after all, but that is beside the point for now.

"Margaery? Is it truly you, or have I been gone mad from living with my brothers too long?"

[tyrellrose]

The sight of Renly Baratheon still made Margaery's heart flutter as it had when she had been fourteen years old. He looked hale and healthy and alive --

Then reality slammed down like a hammer. She simply stared at her husband for a few long moments. Renly Baratheon was dead. She had seen his corpse. That meant she was dead, then. She couldn't be dead. Had someone poisoned her without her realising it? If she was dead, the Tyrell-Lannister alliance would be for naught. She didn't feel dead, but what living person knew what death was like? The spectre spoke of his brothers. Robert was dead, but had Stannis died too? Gods, that left Joffrey as the only contender for the throne

[therainbowking]

"Renly Baratheon, my lady, though I can see why you would not believe it." He gave her a slightly cheeky grin, and shrugged off his coat, offering it in place of the blanket.

"Come, let's get out of this cold and I shall explain. As much as I can, anyway, which is not terribly much at all. I was dead, yes, and I do remember it, and then I arrived here. Much as you did, I would assume."

[tyrellrose]

Supposedly-Renly-Baratheon's coat was warm, although Margaery still looked at the man suspiciously. Renly Baratheon's ghost at the Blackwater had been Garlan, but this man claimed to be Renly himself. His smile was Renly's smile, all charm and mischief. She wanted his words to be true, but people did not come back from the dead. "Prove to me that you are he," she stated.

And if he were truly whom he claimed to be, why would he be hiding here and breaking poor Loras's heart?

[therainbowking]

"Very well, how shall I prove myself?" He cast a quizzical look at her, crossing his arms across his chest. He had been slightly used to the cold here in Anatole, but lack of a coat made him remember the warmth of King's Landing all the more, unfortunately. It would hardly do for Margaery to stand there freezing in her wedding dress, though, so some concessions must be made for chivalry.

"Ask me anything you wish, my lady, or if you prefer other proof, both Stannis and Robert are here. If they cannot vouch for me, then I hardly know who can."

[tyrellrose]

[ ooc; sorry renly you are never getting your coat back. girlfriend's right of jacket-stealing, except she's your wife so it applies even more. :D ]

His words were making her head spin. Stannis was in the North, but Robert had died so long ago. The sheer absurdity of the situation almost made her believe it to be true. His expression -- his expression was so much like him, and she wanted to believe him so badly.

"What did you tell me the last time I saw you -- alive?" she asked, willing her voice to stay level. They had been in Bitterbridge, newly wed and the deception running strong. In Bitterbridge, seeing the stars of Renly's campfires, she had truly believed that he could win, before all the walls came crashing down.

[therainbowking]

[ooc: But it's such a pretty jacket. ;; At least we can be assured she will look damn pretty in it.]

"Well, a number of things." But he told her, after a moment or two of thought. "Lady Stark was there as well, if you recall." He settled back on his heels, then nodded towards the apartments.

"Shall we go inside? It is much warmer there." There was a slight pause, and he made a slight face. "Stannis and Robert will undoubtedly be there, but that can hardly be helped. Unless Robert is off with Lord Stark."

[tyrellrose]

Her breath caught in her throat. One long moment passed, and then another, as she simply looked at him, waiting for something to break the illusion --

And the dam broke, and she found herself in Renly's arms before she had noticed herself taking the steps to get there. This was Renly Baratheon with all his charm and warmth and vivacity, and so gloriously here and alive. "I've missed you," she mumbled against his chest. Soon she would have to remember that she was still trapped in this foreign place, but for that moment, she could pretend that things were still beautiful, that they could win the war and set the Seven Kingdoms right. For that moment, Renly was here, and nothing else mattered.

[therainbowking]

He couldn't help but hold her close, smiling. They could not be lovers, for obvious reasons, but Margaery was a friend, and a good one, ever since he had first met her. "And I have missed you, my dear," he answered, and gave her another quick squeeze. "I hardly knew what to do with myself, without you and Loras here." His tone was playful, but he meant the words in all seriousness. It never was quite the same when they were gone, even though he and Margaery had been wed not long before his death.

[tyrellrose]

"You must have fallen to great depths to be living with your brothers," she pointed out. "Don't worry, my lord. I'll rescue you." She knew her brother well enough to know that he would be of a like mind in this matter. "You have seen Loras already, then," she continued. She had seen Loras's despair upon Renly's death; she could imagine his unparalleled joy at a reunion.

The words he had left unsaid gave her pause, however. He had spoken of permanent accommodations in this place, mentioning nothing of a way home. Garlan, Willas, her grandmother and parents and cousins -- though Renly had been returned to her, she feared that they would be lost in his place.

[therainbowking]

"I did not arrive in the best circumstances, my lady, and there is, unfortunately, the matter of money to deal with, here." There was a grin, though. "Will you? I always thought it was the other way around, in stories." He had spent most of his money on clothes, predictably enough, but he was working on finding proper employment. "He was rather hard to miss, yes." He could not help but light up a little at the mention of Loras, smiling quietly to himself.

"In any case, I suppose I should give you a proper welcome to Anatole." He nodded around at their surroundings. "I am still finding out much about it myself, I have only been here a month or so."

[tyrellrose]

She listened intently as Renly explained about Anatole, though he could not answer all of her questions. She had begun to express incredulity at some of his words, but the fact that he was alive made all of her objections trivial. Somewhere in the middle, he had asked her about something called a Forge, and when she mentioned she had nothing of the sort, they had retraced her steps to the room in which she had awoken. Apparently the chirping brass annoyance in the corner she had ignored was this Forge, and it was of paramount importance in the city. A short lesson on how to use it had her head spinning, as unfamiliar terms bombarded her at every step.

Eventually they found their way to the small apartment Renly was sharing with his brothers, although thankfully the other two Baratheons were not present. Seeing the place only hardened Margaery's resolve to ensure that Renly found a more pleasant place. I am thinking as though I've already accepted this fate. "We shall have some money to start with, at least," she said, pointing

[therainbowking]

"Yes, and I have some as well, but not much." He gestured to his clothes. "I rather needed some clothes without, ah, blood on them." There was a slight pause, but then he barreled through the awkwardness of that last comment.

"Yes, Stannis had mentioned something of the sort. My poor dear, set to marry Joff of all people. I am sorry," Renly continued, giving her a fond smile. "Though I do suppose you have your choice of husbands, now, since we are both here. Of course you are welcome to stay here, if you wish to."

[tyrellrose]

"Joff's here," she said flatly. Today seemed fated to be a day of elation and dread entwined. "I cannot escape him, even here. I haven't married him yet. I won't marry him." Joffrey could be charming when he wanted, but she had hated every moment of the past month that she had smiled and fawned over the boy king. For a brief moment, she regretted that she did not have the black amethyst with her here, surprising herself with her own blood thirst. He does me no harm here, she reminded herself. She was not a killer.

[therainbowking]

"Well then, I suppose we are still married." He took the opportunity to give her another fond hug. "There are -- all sorts from home here, actually. Only three Lannisters, thank goodness, but the Targaryen girl is about somewhere, I've heard. I have not had the opportunity to speak to her yet." A pause. "Though that is quite probably a good thing."

[tyrellrose]

He looked happy, and she was glad for that. He had been happy too when they had feasted at Bitterbridge, but she hoped that this story would have a happier ending. "Our marriage dissolved upon your death, Lord Renly," she said. She placed further emphasis on her next words, trusting he would understand her meaning. "It was never consummated, as you left for war too soon."

He would always love her brother first. She had accepted that long ago. She would never be Joffrey's wife, but she would not be Renly's wife here either, the one he professed to love before the eyes of the Seven. They had been so young, then, and all three of them had agreed upon this sham and willingly made their sacrifices. She did not want to make those sacrifices now.

She laid a hand gently on his. "But in its stead, I would be happy to continue this alliance between Highgarden and Storm's End."