Relena was well versed on the matters of the heart, why should she? Until the moment she was pushed onto the throne she had been of little interest to anyone and after that no man could approach and court her the way he would court any other lady, but she knew politics, and she knew that even if this courtship had not been successful she would have had no choice but accept the proposal, after all one dragon would always beat a hundred armies, therefore she should be happy that apparently it was a success. With a little smile upon her lips she held out her hand. “But I hope you are aware that there are a lot of things that still have to be negotiated before we come out with this to the public, until that is done, just our council should know about this.”
Viserys slowly and gingerly took her hand in his and slipped the ring on, holding his breath for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn’t believe this was happening, he never thought he’d marry the daughter of his enemy, nor hold love in his heart for her. Once he thought it to be just political and now it had turned to more for him. “Of course, many things are to be settled and agreed upon.” He echoed as he stood up, knees weak still as he gazed at her. It seemed more real now, seeing the ring on her hand.
“Just our council. Shall we tell them now?” He asked her, tilting his head to one side just a bit. His mind was going off in so many directions. How long would they wait to tell the public? How long until he could call her his wife? The wedding! Viserys reminded himself that it would all come with time and to relax, and so he took a deep breath and relaxed. “I-uh, I just want to say that you-you make me happy, Relena.” He was truly at a loss for words.
“Please tell me you are joking.”, the queen said, as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking at the silver haired man with a disapproving look. “After all we are two grown adult, we should be able to find things out on our own.”, Relena pointed out, for it would be quite humiliating if they had to constantly ask Lord Stark what they were supposed to do now, especially considering that she was his queen and not just some foolish lady, but perhaps all this would have been much simpler if she had been just a girl and Viserys had been just a boy.
He gave a bashful look as she looked at him. “Okay…you’re right.” She was right of course, she was a Queen and they both couldn’t continue to run and ask other adults on how to run their lives or a country. Why would they be in charge and not the person giving advice?
Viserys had an idea suddenly, motioning her to wait while he retrieved something from his room and came back, item in hand and got down on one knee to present it to her. The same ring from before, and cleared his throat, his nerves that had been building as he went to get the ring subsided as he looked up at her and he spoke with confidence, a true smile spread across his face, one of the few real happy smiles he had had since being in his exile. “Will you, Relena Baratheon take this ring? Be my wife and I your husband?” He asked as he had no other idea of what to do besides asking Eddard.
“Well…”, she mumbled once more, her gaze roaming through the room. “What do we do now?”, she wondered out loud, uncertain eyes trying to find his. This was clearly a strange situation, for neither of them had any experience with these matters, they had come so far to confess that much.
Viserys stayed silent, unsure of what to make of the situation either. “I don’t know” He admitted as he took a small step away from the wall, finally feeling like he didn’t need the wall’s support anymore as his body had stopped shaking. “We could consult Lord Stark?” His mind immediately thinking of them as children having to go ask their father what to do next after they had completed a task asked of them.
For the briefest of moments the composure, to which Relena always held onto so carefully, slipped from her face, revealing true surprise. The young queen took a deep breath, trying to regain her serenity before speaking. “Well…”, she mumbled, her gaze lowering for a moment “… then I believe this courtship can be considered successful…”
He was expecting her to lose it, to say something along the lines of how she couldn’t believe him. But no. Instead she mumbled and kept her compose only letting bits and pieces of her full emotion through, which, Visery’s hadn’t noticed. He himself was too shocked and stunned by his own confession.
“Yes- was all he managed to get out, like he was out of breath now and he leaned his back against the stone wall. Relieved he had spoken aloud how he felt for her. He glanced up at the ceiling before looking back at her and then at his feet. “-It can.”
“Relena…” Viserys started his voice going soft until he got frustrated by her words. The words he wanted to say got stuck, unable to com fourth and he found himself staring at her for a moment until he tossed what words he wanted to say out the window. “What would you have me do? Or say? Shall I never speak a word to you so you can be content on a grand marriage? One that’s deprived of lies and promises? They are and can be different if they come from a person who means what they say!”
“I do not know what I wish for you to say, but I do know that there are far more pleasant things than to hear someone say that all promises are always broken, especially when you and that someone are trying to work towards the promise of marriage! What would you think these words mean had I said them to you? I now have to doubt everything I have heard! I mean, take this courtship as an example, it started on the promise of an armistice, now how am I supposed to understand your words? That any moment your army could march towards the capitol?”
Viserys was shaking. His eyes blazed. He’d always been brought up with lies based on promises. Promises that were broken. But he knew when promises should try to be upheld and made right. Not turn into a lie. What would he have thought had she said his own words to him? Viserys knew he would have been put aback by them and wondering what was the idea behind this marriage and if it were worth it.
“Because I love you!”
He shouted the four words he never thought he’d utter, his voice cracked as he tried to hold back his emotions that were now brought to the surface. “I wouldn’t march my army towards the capitol because until you say so, it is our army. I want to make promises to you, for you, for us but how can I when you fear I shall become like your father and break his vows and promises to your mother?!” He went on, his whole being quivered now.
“I also know that I cannot depend on a single promise you give me, which, in my limited experience, is not the best thing to start a marriage upon.” Relena raised an eyebrow, as she listened to Visery’s words. “And here I thought I had a talent for painting grim pictures.”
“Relena…” Viserys started his voice going soft until he got frustrated by her words. The words he wanted to say got stuck, unable to com fourth and he found himself staring at her for a moment until he tossed what words he wanted to say out the window. “What would you have me do? Or say? Shall I never speak a word to you so you can be content on a grand marriage? One that’s deprived of lies and promises? They are and can be different if they come from a person who means what they say!”
“I doubt either of those options will lead to a happy and content marriage, isn’t there are middle ground? But then again, after your previous statement it will become quite hard to believe a single word you say.”
“At least with one you will never be worried about what i’m doing or who I am.” He pointed out. “Promises can only lead to so much, it’s your actions that prove the words correct or not. Wouldn’t you agree? For instance; You promise people things and you give it to them and thus are loved, if you do not, they will hate you and will rise against you.”
“Well, last time I was called away during a conversation, it because of grain and when I returned to members of court, half the ladies thought I was about to start a war with the Reach and the other half was muttering and affair with Margaery Tyrell, I mean, her brother I would have understood, but her?”, Relena joked as she reached for the arm he had offered her. When she heard Viserys talk about her father, the young queen could not help but lagh, quickly covering her lips with her hand.
“Oh no, my father would certainly not be proud of what I just did.”, she disagreed. Robert was a fierce and ill-tempered man, after all he was a true Baratheon and their words were, ours is the fury, and her father lived by these words. “He would have probably beaten the man half to death until he told him everything he knew, and then he would have ridden out to the Storm Lands with an army.”
His face fell at the idea of her and Margaery. “Wow. Well then…” He shook his head, laughing at the very idea of her having an affair with the Highgarden woman. He than made a face at her comment on her father and what exactly he would have done had Robert been in his daughters position. “That’s horrible…” Viserys tried to imagine what his own father would have done and he huffed. “It’s slightly better then what mine would have done.”
Viserys noticed quite a few woman already gossiping and a few Lords engaged with talk as well, glancing at the Queen and Targayren as they walked together. “Shall I take my leave?” He asked as they kept walking, almost wanting to slip his arm away from hers. The silver-haired man caught his sister’s attention, and could see the relief on his sister’s face, but caught a hint of worry which he’d have to smooth over in due time, but she turned to talk to Margaery Tyrell.
“Whatever my queen wishes of me to do.” Viserys told Relena as he saw the ladies she’d been talking to earlier, only getting snippets of random whispers and rumors were flying all over the place. From Viserys plotting to hurt his sister to Joffrey…Then there were more scandalous rumors about the two of them being together among other rumors and he was left with the most bewildered expression on his face. “Seven Hells” He muttered under his breath. Still unable to believe how many stories and versions of these stories were going around.
For moment the queen kept staring down at the man, listening to him confessing his crimes, before her eyes turned towards one of her knights. “Take off his chains.”, she commanded. “And bring him parchment and a feather.”, she added. “If you serve me well, your head will not meed the blade.”, Relena promised him, her voice solemn. “And the first thing you will do for me is to write to Lord Wylde, tell him that you have not gotten the chance to follow his orders yet, though you are certain that an opportunity will arise soon, furthermore you will warn him of Joffrey unpopularity at court and that it seems doubtful that he can claim the throne without nobles at court that support him, after you are done writing you will be escorted to the Black Cells, where you are to remain until Lord Wylde was brought to justice.” Once she was done instructing the man, Relena turned her attention to the Lord Hand. “You will oversee this and read every word he wrote before having the letter send away and in a few days time, you will send an invitation to Lord Wylde and other lords to join us here, I am confident that he will use this opportunity to pave the way for Joffrey at court, that way we will not have to ride out with an army to get him.”
The raven haired queen cleared her throat and straightened out the fabric of her dress, as she turned back towards Viserys, with an almost delighted smile upon her soft pink lips.
“Shall we return to the others, now that this is taken care of?”, she asked, her voice soft and polite now, as if she just had the most pleasent of conversations. “I am positive the ladies’ imaginations have run wilde, and we will be able to overhear the most amusing of theories now.”
Once the man was taken care off, Eddard had taken the man and done as Relena asked, the man was grateful and promised to do as he was asked. Viserys couldn’t help but give a grin at hearing her words, she was well taught in how to deal with these kinds of things, it was clear.
Viserys stood as she turned and placed the sword back where it belonged and gave a smile back to her, raising his eyebrows slightly, before giving a chuckle. “Yes. I would enjoy that very much” He replied as he smoothed out his hair that was surely a mess from the recent events. “I do wonder what they think happened?” Viserys offered her his arm as they begun to walk out of the room, just a habit from his time courting her. He didn’t expect her to take it but if she did, she did. “You handled that very well, Relena. Your father would have been proud.” He commented in a low tone as they exited the room and ventured into the corridor that would lead them out to where the other court members were at.
“We are talking about a man who was stupid enough to speak of an attempt on my life at my court, while I was surrounded by courtiers and the guard, I don’t think we need a dragon to outwit this.”, Relena pointed out, she didn’t sound worried, rather insulted that this man actually believed it would be so easy to harm her.
“
Good, because this needs to be handled with our minds, not our swords.”, the young queen said, as she watched Viserys calm down. When she heard him talk about his worry, his fear for her life, Relena didn’t know what to say. This was not the right moment for feeling, a situation like this needed to be handled proper and an anger tantrum or foolish behaviour would only make it all worse, therefore she took a deep breath and, for the moment, ignored his sentiment. First and foremost she was a queen and in moments like these, a queen had to function, not feel.
“I thank you Viserys, but there is no need for such formalities. This isn’t an official procedure, this is more of a… conversation.”, the queen said, making a few steps to approach the man. “A conversation between a man, who has committed treason, for which the punishment is death, and, to his luck, a woman that is very fond of the mother’s mercy.” This man had acted more than just incompetent, he had acted like a fool, which lead Relena to believe that he was just a puppet, while the master hid in the shadows. She could just kill the man, according to law, but that would only lead to more snakes slithering towards her, no she need the one who send the snakes in the first place. “But, as we all know, the mother is only willing to bestow her mercy upon those that atone for their sins.”, she added, staring down on the man. “So be honest with me, this was not your idea, was it? Someone sent you, perhaps they promised your gold, or a better life for you and your family, but if I was you, I would ask myself this, on who should I depend, the queen, who can give me all that was promised as well and my life or the man that send me to a certain death, probably already expecting that he will never have to pay?”
No need for…she was going to have a conversation with this man?! Viserys watched as Relena walked towards the man and was amazed at how she was handling this situation. He was starting to come to the conclusion that he wasn’t the only one involved in this attempt at an overthrow and he watched as the man tried to back up from the woman and Viserys leaned forward, waiting to see how this was going to unfold.
“No, it wasn’t.” the man replied shakily. “He said he’d pay me…my wife-she…” His head hung down low as the reality of her words sunk in. “His name is Killian. Lord Killian Wylde” He confessed. “He and others believe that you shouldn’t sit on the throne. That your brother Joffrey should rule instead. Least of all we have the Begger King and his sister on the throne.” He shot Viserys a glare and his eyes softened when he looked back at Relena. ‘Please…Queen Relena….have mercy on me” The man begged. “I was only in on this for the gold”
Viserys leaned back as the man spoke and his words echoed. He truly was unwanted here wasn’t he? Viserys the would and should have been King was not welcomed by many of his ‘subjects’. Viserys glanced at Relena wondering what she would do.
“I can give you all of the information you need, please just let me live.” The man begged once more his eyes flickering to the guards all around him, wondering if he was going to die at any point in time.
Goldnwulf 