Chapter 21 - The Faith Militant
Harry was sitting in a robe on the balcony, looking over the lake and valley outside of Peverell Manor. Sipping on tea, he took another glance inside the room where two forms lay cuddled up, silver hair cascading out from both of them, contrasting against his dark sheets. As he put his teacup back on the table, the smiling form of his mother appeared, her eyes as black as the darkest night.
"My champion... You have progressed so well without my support recently."
Harry sighed, but his lingering smile from the night before wouldn't fade. "Things are progressing," He agreed.
She was once again standing, despite the several open seats. Death didn't understand or care about the whims of humans, even her champion. It was inconsequential to the being. "When are you going to go back into Valyria?"
He took another sip before answering, "Soon, I'd imagine. I want to see how well that Weirwood Tree does in the magic there. I think with the right ritual, I could have it begin to act as a sort of filter. Though I am not sure of what we will find there."
Death's smile seemed to grow as she nodded, "Do you still plan to take the Stark boy and his friends there?"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You care?"
"Shiera would make a good teacher for them."
That idea hadn't crossed his mind. Bran and Jojen both have the Green Sight, while Bran is also a Warg. "You think I should create a school for them or something?"
She shrugged, if one could call it that, "They could do well under her tutelage...until you give her children of your own."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Have you been talking to my mother?"
Death didn't respond. Didn't move at all for that matter.
Harry sighed and went back to the previous question, "As far as handing them over to Shiera, I think she did ask about them at some point. I'll bring it up again, maybe we can set them up in the Citadel or something..."
"Fate was pleased with your actions with the Lannister boy."
"Oh? Leaving it up to him as to whether or not he makes the right choice?"
"Indeed. The choice to follow one's Fate cannot be forced."
Harry nodded, "Even if it doesn't feel that way."
"It often feels right to go with Fate, like there is only one path one can follow. It isn't wrong to step off the path or to stop walking it. There are even ways to find a new path to discover new things. It is still a choice, regardless." Death paused, but spoke again. The close nature of the two topics made Harry instinctively look for a connection.
"What are your intentions with the Free Cities?" Death asked, changing the topic.
"Braavos, Lorath, Lys, Myr, Norvos, Pentos, Qohor, Tyrosh, and Volantis." Harry rattled off the nine city-states. "Braavos, Lorath, Myr, Pentos, and Qohor have sent envoys and diplomats to discuss relations. I am open to them from Braavos on account of the anti-slavery policies. Braavos is the most powerful of the nine cities."
"However?" Death asked, her smile growing.
"Volantis and quite a few of the other city-states still practice slavery...which will have to be solved. The Frost and Gold Legions march to Volantis as we speak and should be there soon. Taking Volantis will be a message to the other city states that the Dragon Empire can take them as we please."
"Not all of them will fall like Mantarys, Volos, and Elyria. Some are well defended, even Qohor is guarded by many Unsullied."
"How many?"
Death smiled at him, not answering.
"We will see their reactions when Volantis falls. The Triarchs of Volantis, as they call themselves, will soon be removed from their leadership positions, and the massive slave markets will be shut down."
"You should speak with the Red Priests."
"Oh? Followers of R'hllor? Lord of Light or whatever?"
"Indeed."
"I spoke to Stannis' Red Priest...but that old hag was terrified of me and didn't want to reveal much."
Death laughed, "As she should be."
"Right, so speak to whoever their high priest is?"
"There are two in Volantis, Benerro and Kinvara, though Kinvara is abroad for now. They have been trying to find Azor Ahai through...less effective means than necessary."
"I guess they support slavery, though?"
Death smiled at him.
"That's what I thought."
Harry looked up and watched Shimmer flying around in the dawn light. The sunrise made her silver feathers glint in the beautiful yellow morning light. She could probably feel Death's presence and was waiting to land until after she left. Shimmer was a being that was inherently opposed to Death, so it wasn't surprising that she didn't enjoy the being's presence. It was remarkable that she could even withstand being bound to him and his magic.
"What are your thoughts about creating another army?"
Harry looked at Death like she had grown a second head, "I...don't even know where to begin with that. I mean, right now, I know Danny and Shiera were working on something involving the Dothraki. You mentioned that there is also the huge force of the Unsullied in Qohor that could be acquired when we eventually reach that city. Shiera also said something about a Shadow army in Asshai that we could look into. What are you talking about?"
Death laughed at Harry's astonishment, "The Red Priests are already working on one...they need resources, however."
Harry sighed, "Weapons, supplies, armor, and more, I take it?"
Death laughed again.
"Will they stand in our way of taking the cities?"
"Not if you speak with the priests first."
It was then that the two women in his room began to stir, and Harry felt Death leave. Seconds later, Shimmer landed on her stand near the table, just in time for her favorite meal to appear courtesy of Chancey and the other House Elves.
"Good morning, Shim, how are you?"
"Much better now...you and your mates were up much too late, and were much too loud..." Shimmer complained, even her complaining voice sounded incredible in Enochian.
Harry laughed, "I suppose we were."
"Will it be like this every night? I will have to sleep somewhere else if that is the case!" Shimmer said, barely taking a break from eating as she ranted.
"Who can say?" Harry said with a laugh.
His attention was drawn back inside the room as two lithe bodies began to dress. Shiera winked at him as she let him see her before she closed the front of her robe. Harry did his best, but that was truly a divine sight; he flushed at her antics. Finally, Daenerys left the room and came out onto the balcony, kissing Harry as she sat down.
"Hungry?" Harry asked.
"Famished."
Meals appeared in front of them as Shiera also had a seat. A filling breakfast that consisting of eggs sunny side up, cubed and baked rosemary potatoes, slices of ham and bacon, baked beans, as well as fresh orange juice and ice cold water. It was a huge and hearty meal that each of them dug into like they had been starved after a long night of work.
Harry watched as the two women and his phoenix ate a meal together. It reminded him of what Death first said just before he came to this world. He asked her if it was a new adventure for him, and she replied that it was a new life.
As of this moment right now, he officially felt like he had obtained a true home here. Not just the Peverell Manor, the Dragon Citadel, or even the Dragon Empire. It was the people he had bonded with, the creatures...this was his new life.
~~o0o~~
Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand finally walked off their ship in Volantis. Things had been going so well since he had his revenge on the Mountain, and he had returned home to Dorne as a hero, his reputation rising even further. The Viper that took down a Mountain. It wasn't quite everything that he had wanted, but ever since Hadrian Peverell had allowed him one final goodbye with Elia, dealing with the rest of the Lannisters felt trivial.
Lord Hadrian had also provided a cure to the gout that had viciously attacked his brother, the ruling prince and head of House Martell. Doran Martell had turned over a new leaf after he drank the potion, the pain leaving him immediately. Oberyn watched as the gout that had plagued him washed away like dirt in the rain, and the man stood up on weak legs that had regained a bit of strength after all that time dealing with the pain.
Oberyn and Ellaria then set out once again, headed across the narrow sea and east with the goal of finding the Dragon Empire. They had brought along three of their daughters, the Sand Snakes, who called themselves such because they were the daughters of the Red Viper. The sisters remained on the ship while they stopped in Volantis for a night, restocking on supplies for the final few weeks of travel to the Dragon Kingdom. They would sail right into the heart of the Kingdom, hoping to dock in Meereen, the jewel city itself.
As they entered a prominent brothel on the Long Bridge connecting the Eastern and Western parts of the city, Oberyn noticed a familiar face.
"Sir Bronn of the Blackwater, was it?" Oberyn said.
Bronn looked up, his attention leaving the beautiful woman on his lap, "Well, fuck me, if it isn't the destroyer of Mountains come to Volantis."
Oberyn smiled widely and proudly, as did Ellaria, "What brings you all the way here? Was your career not to your liking?"
"Well...that is sort of difficult to explain."
"Nonsense, speak your mind, friend."
Just then, a disheveled Tyrion Lannister walked from another room, "Ah, Prince Oberyn?"
The Viper smirked, "And here I thought you were married."
Tyrion sighed, holding back his first response, "Things change."
The Viper nodded in agreement, a gesture that made him look wise beyond his years, "Too true. What are you doing in Volantis?"
"He shot the shit out of his dad with that crossbow there. While he was shitting, no less," Bronn said. "Had to make cleaning up that much easier, I suppose."
Tyrion scowled, "We are heading to Meereen, in hopes of seeing what kind of person the Mother of Dragons is. However, it seems as though very few ships are heading there on account of the ban on slavery."
"And the fact that they are planning to invade Volantis soon doesn't help," Bronn added.
Oberyn's curiosity was piqued, "Invade the Free Cities?"
Tyrion poured himself a glass of wine as he sat at the table, "It seems as though the Emperor left a message the other day."
"More like declared it across the whole fucking city while flying on his fucking dragon," Bronn corrected.
Tyrion sighed, "Yes, he apparently somehow spoke clearly to every man, woman, and child as if he were standing next to them. He spoke in a language that no one knew, yet everyone understood."
"What was this message?"
"He said that Volantis shall no longer be allowed to call itself a Free City until it has freed every slave. Then he promised to bring his legions down upon them, along with dragon fire, should they not free them."
Oberyn laughed, "A man of his word, do you think?"
"He gave them one month, and it has been two weeks. Then he went off and got married," Bronn said.
"That is why the city is so nervous, the threat of dragonfire is potent, is it not?"
Tyrion nodded, "Apparently the new 'Dragon Empire' took down three cities to the east of here...Mantarys, Tolos, Elyria. All three fell within a single day. Armies appeared from huge gates that spanned across the Bay of Dragons, somehow."
Oberyn smiled, "Fascinating. You know, when I was in King's Landing, the Emperor himself appeared in my chamber one night. A man as handsome as any I have ever seen, unfortunately, he was not there to join us in the bedroom, but rather, to gift me with the spear that I used to save your life."
Tyrion's jaw dropped. "He was in King's Landing?"
Oberyn nodded, "I asked him, why don't you take the Lannister's down now, it's his goal to rule the Seven Kingdoms's I thought. But he smiled and said that Fate has other plans. Fate has plans for the Lannisters that he did not want to interfere with. You see, taking down a city, a kingdom, an empire is nothing to this man. He did several times just to entice the Dragon Queen to marry him, so I believe at least. I, too, am heading to Meereen, because he spoke of the future of the world, and how the petty squabbles between kingdoms are just fools yelling at each other until the dragon and the master come to sort them out."
Oberyn's tone was calm and steady, speaking of things that no normal man, no average human, could even fathom. Things that drew people from across the world to see.
Bronn spoke up, "That sounds like a man I don't want to fuck with."
The Viper laughed again, "Exactly the type of man who can change the world, though, you think?"
Bronn shrugged and looked to Tyrion. The dwarf spoke up, "You know I did hear a few stories of him, this man Lord Hadrian Peverell, his name is. They say that a man once insulted his now wife by comparing her to a whore who wore a wig with Targaryen coloring. It was popular for a while, whores across Essos would dress up in the likeness of the Dragon Queen, so men could fuck them relentlessly and pretend, if just for one night, that they were worthy enough to bed a queen. They made piles of coin, until one day a man said that he fucked a whore dressed like her to her face."
Everyone was listening as he continued, "They say that this Lord Hadrian spoke two words, and a dozen sword cuts appeared across his body before the mage appeared behind him and took his head. If that were all, then the story would be just another tale of a better swordsman defeating a fool with a mouth. Of course, that wasn't all that happened, was it?" He took a sip of wine. "Lord Hadrian pulled the man's soul from his body like snatching a bottle of wine from a rack. The ethereal scream echoed across the city as Lord Hadrian closed his fist around it, stopping the screaming soul from ever joining the afterlife."
Oberyn finally pulled up a chair and sat down, Ellaria taking his lap as her seat.
"Ever since then, not a single whore in all of Essos dared to wear the wig, as if every one of them had the Stranger himself warning them of their impending doom if they should do such a thing."
Oberyn laughed, "Master of Death they call him. Perhaps it is the Stranger that works for him."
~~o0o~~
"Harry?" Shiera asked.
"Yes?" He said as he walked over to her. Daenerys, Shiera, and Harry had been practicing, casting, or reading about magic within the shared quarters of the Citadel, the pocket dimension within the Pyramid of Meereen.
He leaned over Shiera's scrying bowl that he had helped create and watched the scene unfold.
The crystalline water within the bowl clouded over, and an image of a decadent room appeared. A boy sat alone at a table, though clearly a noble of some sort due to his clothes and jewelry, as he ate fine foods. The architecture of the room appeared to be that of the Red Keep within King's Landing, beige stone with dark wood and crimson silks.
The doors burst open, revealing a beautiful young woman with a furious scowl on her face. "Why is my brother in a cell?"
Harry realized that this must be the new Queen, Margaery Tyrell, making the young boy Tommen Baratheon.
"I don't know. I didn't order it."
"We both know who did," Margaery said, looking deep into the boy's eyes. It was clear she had him wrapped around her finger. "You told me she was returning to Casterly Rock." She walked over to the window, allowing the afternoon light to shroud her in a cloak of light.
"Are you saying my mother's behind this?"
"She's jealous you're not her's anymore. Arresting my brother is her revenge."
Tommen looked utterly baffled. "Aren't you and Mother getting along?"
Margaery sat down on the bench against the window, "Sweet King...do you have any affection for me at all?"
He rushed to her, grabbing her hand, "Of course I do, you're my queen."
She averted her gaze and softened her tone, her voice reminiscent of the sweet thing she uttered in his ear while in bed together, "I can't bear to think of my brother locked away in some grimy cell."
Tommen knew he would do everything in his power to change that expression of pain on her face. "I'll set him free for you!"
She looked up and into his eyes, making hers into huge pools of love and emotion that he could not look away from. The hope she held in her eyes would be enough to turn the tides of war or change the hearts of men. But Tommen was just a boy, and he was entirely enraptured by her.
"Do you promise?" Margaery asked, the manipulation fully in place.
"Of course!" He wasted no time, leaving his queen and his untouched meal all the same, marching to his mother's room.
Cersei was staring out the window that looked away from the sun, the light only an echo of the sun outside, casting her in shadows.
"Hello, my son," Cersei said, knowing that his entrance signaled a change in his demeanor.
"I demand that Ser Loras be freed now!"
Cersei was too good at this, too skilled in the art of word play for her poor young son, "Did I arrest him?"
That stopped the boy in his tracks. "Well, no. B-but you armed the Faith Militant. You gave the High Sparrow an army!"
"I did." She stepped closer to him, "And your wife has every right to criticize me. We can't allow the fanatics to arrest the Queen's brother, no matter his perversions."
Tommen was no longer King; he was once again a boy asking for his mother's permission, "Then, can I tell Margaery you'll have Ser Loras released?"
Cersei sat at her desk and smiled at her son, "I told you, I'm not holding Ser Loras." She gave him permission to be the king again, empowering him with the very same tone that broke him, "You're the king. I'm sure if you speak to the High Sparrow, he'll release the poor boy."
Tommen nodded as if he was only trying to agree to the terms presented, yet he had no clue what to do.
The scene swirled away.
"Now that is interesting," Harry said.
"Cersei empowered the Faith Militant, yet they are probing into the people within the keep. There is no way they don't find dirt on half of the people within there, Cersei included," Shiera said. She looked at the bowl curiously, "Hmm, I think there is more."
Daenerys finally walked over, putting her arm around Harry's waist. "You found something interesting?"
Harry brought her closer, "Oh, you know, just a foolish Queen setting up her own demise, I'd wager."
The image cleared once again. Ser Loras was sitting on a chair while the High Sparrow, who was wearing naught but rags, questioned him. Tommen and Margaery, as well as Olenna Tyrell and Cersei Lannister, watched impassively, their masks fully in place.
"You were said to be despondent when he died. Witnesses said that you refused to leave his side even as Stannis' forces moved in," The High Sparrow said.
"He was my friend, my King."
"Wasn't Joffrey your King? He was anointed by the Seven, not Renly."
"I was wrong to support Renly's claim. I know that, but I was forgiven by Joffrey. I fought for him at the battle of Blackwater."
"Wearing Renly's armor."
"Why does it matter what armor I wore?"
The High Sparrow already won, but continued to allow the rope to gather so that Loras may hang himself with his words, "Do you deny all the charges? Fornication, buggery, blasphemy?"
"Of course I deny them."
"You never lay with Renly Baratheon?"
"Never."
"Nor any other man?"
"Never!"
The High Sparrow stared at him, measuring each detail and reaction his face failed to conceal, "That will be all, Ser Loras."
Loras quickly vacated the questioning seat, sitting down next to Olenna.
Olenna let him sit down before standing on her own, "Well, I think that's quite enough of that."
"The Faith calls Queen Margaery forward."
"You call me forward?" The queen asked, surprised.
"Yes."
"I am the Queen."
"And according to the law of the Seven, neither Kings nor Queens are exempt from testimony at a holy inquest."
Margaery looked to Tommen but found no support. She quickly turned to Olenna, but she just shrugged as if to say 'You might as well.'
After sitting down, the High Sparrow asked, "How do you respond to these charges against your brother?"
"They are lies."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"Queen Margaery, in the presence of the Gods, do you swear that your brother is innocent of these charges against him? To the best of your knowledge?"
"Yes, I swear it," She replied with no hesitation, a perfect lie.
As she sat back down, another door opened, revealing a handsome young man who made eye contact with Loras. Ser Loras was immediately shocked. Olenna took note of it and sighed, but it was silent and unnoticed.
"Do you know this man?"
"Yes, very well. He is Ser Loras Tyrell, heir to High Garden."
"How did you come to meet?"
"I squired for him. He took a liking to me, summoned me to his chamber the first day we met."
"And what occurred in his chamber?"
"We...engaged in intimate relations."
"You lay with him."
"That night and many others."
"Liar!" Loras growled. "He's a liar!"
The High Sparrow asked, "Is there anyone else who can support your claim?"
"Yes. Yes, Queen Margaery, she walked in on us once, she didn't seem surprised."
"This testimony is an insult to a Great House. Why should the Faith or anyone else take the word of a Squire over the word of the heir to Highgarden?" Queen Cersei said, but her words came out fake, like she was happy to see this happen.
The squire spoke again, "He has a birthmark, Your Grace. Quite high on his thigh, wine colored and roughly the shape of Dorne."
Ser Loras charged forward at him, but men in black robes with chains and weapons grabbed him before he could reach the squire.
More of them walked up to the Queen with intentions.
"What is the meaning of this?" Olenna asked. "Let us pass!"
"The Faith is satisfied that there is enough evidence to bring about a formal trial. Against Ser Loras...and Queen Margaery," The High Sparrow declared, the satisfaction barely hidden behind his zealous gaze.
"What!?" Olenna cried out.
"Bearing false witness before the Gods is a grave a sin as any, my lady. Take her."
The King's Guard looked ready to do battle, but there were many Faith Militant in the room, and Tommen had given no orders as they took Margaery.
"You can't do this, I am the Queen! Tommen! Tommen!" Margaery screamed, but when she looked back, she saw nothing but a scared boy. She turned her attention away from him, "How dare you touch me! I am your Queen!"
The image clouded over once again.
"Holy shit...things are really hitting the fan over there in King's Landing, aren't they?" Harry asked.
Daenerys stared at the clear water, curiosity at what had just taken place showing on her face. "And you say that Cersei was the one who gave that man power?"
Harry nodded.
"That seems like an easy way to acquire High Garden under our banner, doesn't it?" Shiera asked.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Highgarden is ruled by whom right now? Daenerys asked.
Shiera looked through a notebook, "I believe Lady Olenna Tyrell's son, Lord Mace Tyrell, but he is sort of a buffoon, a blubbering idiot. It is Olenna who truly rules the place. Ser Loras is technically the heir."
"And all of them are in King's Landing?" Daenerys asked. "Who is actually ruling if no one is there?"
"A good question," Harry said.
Shiera shrugged, "I haven't seen Highgarden, so I doubt any events are taking place there, but it is one of the seven kingdoms. How many are on our side so far?"
"Well, really just Dorne, as they are the only ones to verbally agree...or at least Prince Oberyn promised his kingdom's support, but I haven't followed through with securing an agreement just yet. I helped heal Prince Doran, the leader of Dorne, of gout with just a simple potion.
"As far as the North goes, I haven't implicitly implied that we will be taking over just yet, but I saved their King several times as well as had them move to the Wall to replace the Night's Watch. They are preparing to fight against the Night King, and so are not a threat to the rest of Westeros. As far as House Baratheon goes...well, Stannis is sort of being led around by the cock by some Red Priestess. They intend to help fight against the White Walkers right now, though, and their full army is along the Wall, a formal and temporary truce in place to keep the peace," Harry explained.
"Are the White Walkers truly that great of a threat?" Daenerys asked.
Harry nodded, "Every man, beast, and corpse in general that has died beyond the Wall will soon stand against the forces of the living. As they head south, so will the great winter that has been threatening to show for so long."
Shiera picked up from there, "I have seen events in the Vale where someone named Little Finger has taken over through marriage. I have no idea what is truly going on there, but that man doesn't have a pure thought coursing through his beady eyes."
Daenerys spoke up, "Leaving the Iron Islands and the Kingdom of the Rock."
"The Kingdom of the Rock?"
"Lannister lands."
"Ah..."
"Well, I agree with Shiera, this seems like an opportunity for you to work your magic," Daenerys said, looking up into Harry's eyes with love and a smile.
Harry nodded, "I do think I could probably help there."
Shiera pushed more magic into the bowl. "Let's see if we can learn any more about it."
Darkness removed the clarity the water held, and another image formed. A tiny prison cell appeared, revealing a much dirtier and miserable Queen Margaery Tyrell. She was wearing rags and looked like she had been rotting away for quite a while.
"This is horrible, unacceptable. We did everything we could from the moment they took your brother," The image panned, revealing Cersei, who looked as put together as a queen.
"I know you did this," Margaery's dry voice rasped.
"We are making every effort on your behalf."
"Lies come easily to you. Everyone knows that."
Cersei looked pleased, allowing her mask of regality and false concern to slip.
"But innocence, decency, concern...you're not very good at those, I'm afraid. Perhaps that's why your son was so eager to cast you aside for me."
A smile was quickly smothered on Cersei's face. "You're upset. You're not thinking clearly. I'll visit again when you've had a chance to calm down."
"I don't want to see you again."
"I do hope you change your mind about that. I've been told men often go mad in the black cells beneath the Red Keep. Though I suppose your isolation will end when your trial begins."
"Leave," Margaery nearly snarled.
"Yes...I'm afraid I must. My son needs me now more than ever."
Margaery threw the gruel that counted as soup at Cersei, "Get out, you hateful bitch!"
Cersei was finally given the small and petty revenge as she smiled down at Margaery. The current Queen looked away, her fierceness doing everything it could to hide her vulnerability.
"Sleep well, sister." Cersei left the room.
Harry's eyes narrowed at the scene, "Perhaps my services are in order then. Just to put that queen in her place."
Daenerys and Shiera nodded.
The scene changed again.
"You there! Where would I find the High Sparrow, or High Septon, or whatever bloody name he's got?"
"It's not as good a name as Queen of Thorns, I'll grant you that."
"You, should have the decency to stand before a lady," Olenna said.
The High Sparrow was on the ground cleaning something out of sight.
"You should have the decency to kneel before the gods."
"Don't spar with me, little fellow."
He grunted as he stood up, "For me... It's the knees. You?"
Olenna granted him that, "Hips."
"Huh." He acknowledged.
"A man of the people? Is that your game? It's an old game. The man of the people who does Cersei's dirty work for her?"
"The people always do the dirty work."
"Spare me the homilies, I can smell a fraud from a mile away."
"Useful talent."
"I'm here for my grandson and granddaughter."
"Your grandson and granddaughter swore sacred vows and lied. The Father judges us all. Sons of High lords, sons of fishermen. If you break his laws, you will be punished."
"Don't walk away from me."
"You don't give commands here, Lady Olenna."
"What is it you want? Gold? I'll make you the richest Septon who ever lived."
He laughed.
"What then?"
He looked at her fully, "I imagine this is strange for you. When everyone you meet has a hidden motive, and you pride yourself on sniffing it out. But I am telling you a simple truth. I serve the gods, and the gods demand justice."
"How do they communicate their demands? By raven or horse?"
"By the holy text, the Seven Pointed Star. If you don't have one in your library, I would be happy to-"
"I've read the Seven Pointed Star."
"Then you remember the passages concerning buggery and perjury. Your grandchildren will be punished in the same manner as anyone who breaks the sacred laws."
"Half of the men and women in this city break the sacred laws. You live among murderers, thieves, and rapists. And yet you punish Loras for shagging some perfumed ponce and Margaery for defending her brother?"
"Yes. The gods' laws must be applied to all equally."
"If it's equality you want, then so be it. I will make sure House Tyrell stops sending our crops to the Capital, and I'll make sure the hungry know who is to blame. Everyone here will starve."
The High Sparrow chuckled and set down his wash bucket, walking forward on the old leather soles of his bare feet.
"Have you ever sewn the field, Lady Olenna? Have you ever reaped the grain? Has anyone in House Tyrell? A lifetime of money has left you blind in one eye. You are the few, we are the many. And, when the many stop fearing the few..."
He walked away, leaving Olenna alone in the hallway.
"Power," Harry said as the image darkened. "That man wants nothing but power. Obvious as it is, he uses those rags as a shield to take down others. Very effective."
"Indeed, religious zealots are the worst of them," Shiera said, her gaze distant.
Harry exchanged glances with Daenerys and put a hand on her shoulder. Shiera turned to them with a smile, "One more time."
The scene within the bowl shifted again, revealing an old stone room with little light. "Did you know this chapel is one of the oldest structures in King's Landing?"
"I think I may have heard at one point," Cersei looked annoyed to be there.
"Baylor built his sept around it, but men worshipped here long before him. Who carved this altar? Do you know?"
"I'm afraid I don't," Cersei replied.
"No one does. There's no name on it, nor anywhere else in the chapel." The High Sparrow ran his old fingers along the stone altar as if he could feel the history that had taken place around it. "Whoever built this place didn't inflict their vanity on those who came after them the way Baelor did with that great gilded monstrosity up there. Their faith was clean. Strip away the gold, the ornaments. Knock down the statues and the pillars...and this is what remains. Something simple...Solid and true."
He turned to her and smiled, "The Tyrell's finery will be stripped away. Their lies knocked down. Their true hearts laid bare for all to see. And so it will be for all of us. High and low alike."
He paused and stepped closer towards Cersei, not enough to be a threat, but his grandfatherly smile did not contain comfort. "What will we find when we strip away your finery?"
The false smile stayed glued to Cersei's face, but her heart surely dropped.
"A young man came to us not long ago. Broken in body and spirit. He had so much to strip away. So much weighing him down. But piece by piece, he unburdened himself. Let go of his vanity, pride, and sin. Now his soul light, he will float through the seven heavens like a bird."
The smile on the High Sparrow's face fell away, leaving nothing but cold and predatory eyes. "And he has much to say about you."
Cersei's smile began to slip as a door opened, and Lancel Lannister walked into he room. He was wearing black robes with chains, and the seven-pointed star was burned into his forehead.
Cersei turned and walked to the exit, only for the door to open, revealing a huge female septon. She stared back at the queen with no fear.
"Move," Cersei commanded.
Cersei tried to walk past her, "Let me go immediately." Her cold voice that usually put the fear of death into anyone who heard it fell on uncaring and unscared ears. Ears that knew they had the power of the gods behind them. The septon grabbed the queen as she screamed, "YOU WILL ORDER HER TO LET ME GO! I am the queen! Have you lost your mind!?"
The last thing Cersei saw was the High Sparrow and Lancel Lannister staring at her coldly. Unmoved by her threats, she was ushered away.
The door shut, and the High Sparrow barely let his mask slip. Power truly feels good.
~~o0o~~
Lady Olenna sat in the gardens in one of the courtyards within the walls of the Red Keep. Servants brought her food that tasted like ash in her mouth as her precious granddaughter sat in a cell. When she first arrived in King's Landing, her family and hopes of taking the crown came with her, and now that she had returned to free her grandchildren, it was only full of urgency and worry. Cersei had created a military for the Faith of all things, which immediately turned on her. A fool to the bone that one.
She just left the small council meeting, and the best thing that they could come up with between Maester Pycelle, Jaime Lannister, and her oaf of a son was to charge in with swords drawn and bows bent, with only a force of under five thousand against who knows how many of the Faith Militant. She knew how that would go; the High Sparrow was counting on something like that, something that would only work if it happened immediately, but they had given him too much time to plot.
She closed her eyes for just a second, letting her mind run with strategies and ideas, hoping for the solution to manifest in front of her when he spoke.
"You know, I should be celebrating my wedding still..."
Her eyes shot open, and her heart nearly stopped. Two piercing green eyes stared at her over a cup of tea. A matching cup had appeared in front of her as well, yet there hadn't been a sound.
She felt true fear for a moment; the Queen of Thorns was not so easily distraught, but it wasn't every day that a man could so easily sneak up on her.
"But my wife asked me to come offer my help."
"You're him, then."
"Hadrian Peverell, in the flesh," Harry said, smiling at her. "Have some tea, it is quite otherworldly."
"Poison is an old trick."
He laughed, "You think I am trying to poison you?"
She stared at him and sighed, taking a drink. It surprised her, a flavor she had never tasted before, "This is good."
"Indeed, it is."
"Why are you here, Lord Peverell?"
Harry shrugged, "Why do you think I am here?"
She gathered her thoughts, "From what I have heard, you are quite the magician. Appearing in places, causing havoc, and doing the impossible. Why would you be here when I need someone like that so badly right now?" She asked the last bit rhetorically, correctly guessing his reason for being there.
"Not quite a deal with the devil, but you're not wrong."
"I see. And you can acquire my grandchildren?"
"I can...quite easily, in fact. But there will be some stipulations, of course."
She sighed again, "You know I came here because I saw a chance to have a future generation on that black monstrosity in the throne room, yet every day takes me further from it."
"I am sure you did. Quite the prospect, ruling this shitty city. Or the seven kingdoms in general. Such a prestigious title, isn't it? King or Queen of the Andals and all that."
"And Emperor isn't? What was the other one? Master of Death?"
"Fair enough, but I earned that last one," Harry replied.
Olenna took another sip and stared at Harry, trying to figure him out. How does one earn the title Master of Death? She was going to speak, to ask that very question, but something had her waiting to see what he would say next.
"My side of this potential deal is quite simple: save your family, ensure the Tyrells' continued survival for many generations, but I am afraid the terms will last quite long. As long as Highgarden exists in fact."
"But I have already achieved having an heir sit on the throne, have I not?"
"Have you? Cause it looks like she is sitting in a cell to me. Not only that, the Lannisters and the entire seven kingdoms, for that matter, pose no threat to me. Like I said, I am only doing this because adding the Tyrells to my side makes the inevitable switch back to Targaryen power that much easier. Even if we will be more of an empire than a monarchy."
"What is it then? What are you in it for? Gold? Women?"
"That's twice that you guessed gold for people in power. The High Sparrow...what he wants should be more obvious to someone like you, Queen of Thorns."
She was still off her game, feeling like a fool for the first time in years, it brought out her frustration and she spoke with a sharp tongue, "Well, don't keep me waiting, I don't have all the time in the world, what is it?"
"It's power," Harry shrugged. "The man wants power. He wears his shitty clothes, preaches about being poor, and absolutely loves every second of it, stripping high lords and ladies from their finery and putting them in equally disgusting rags like what he wears. It's exactly what he wants; the man gets off on it."
"I guess I assumed that power was inherent...I didn't realize that it was the goal."
Harry nodded, "And I can literally create gold from nothing. I have known power...that is raw magical power for much of my life, though I have lived without it as well. No, what I want is to bring up all of society across this shitty planet to a new age."
"Is it really just to change things?"
"Just?" Harry shook his head. "You know, my wife wanted me to come here and save your granddaughter, regardless of whether we could convince you to join us. I told her I wouldn't do it without you signing one of my contracts, ensuring loyalty and eventually support when it's time for us to change Westeros. She wasn't alright with that. A rival queen, one that directly challenges her rule here in Westeros, and she insisted that I save her." He shook his head, "Few people actually give a shit, but Margaery strikes me as one who does, just like my wife."
Olenna smiled and sighed, "She really is too soft for a queen sometimes."
"You know, when we watched Cersei walk into her cell and smugly tell her how hard they were working on getting her released, only to smile deviously as she left the cell. Well, we all wanted to come here and smack the shit out of her, but Fate has plans for that woman...ones that will not be pleasant to live through. It was quite satisfying watching Cersei get arrested by the Faith that she herself empowered."
"What a fool she is."
Harry nodded, "She really is."
They sat for a few seconds, allowing the breeze and a few sips of tea to fill the silence. Olenna broke it to make her guess as to what Harry's true motivation was, "Is legacy part of it?"
"Not as such. You see, Daenerys and I, as well as Shiera, our third rider, will live for a very, very long time. Beyond the next several generations of nobles within Westeros, courtesy of our magic. We will live long enough that we can pick and choose who we want to survive with us, to lift the world up together. I have been watching you and your son, as well as Margaery and Loras."
"And?"
"Well, Margaery is impressive, has your mind in her, I would say, but no thorns. Really, she was the only one who actually impressed us, to be honest. She's not a fool nor a babbling idiot like Ser Loras and Lord Mace Tyrell, no offense, of course," Harry said.
Olenna sighed, "You're not wrong. Loras is young and good at knocking men off horses and getting caught lying with perfumed ponces. My son is a fool and always has been; nothing will change that."
Harry smiled at that, "Indeed, but I will save the lad all the same, and soon before we have to deal with whatever bullshit the Faith comes up with."
"I would appreciate that, but you still haven't told me the price of your deal."
He nodded, "First, about legacy. You have been working for generations to get to the throne, but I can just reach out and take it should I wish. It is not about legacy for me, though creating a family is very much part of it. I will have quite the family one day, you see, but before that happens, I will absolutely be changing this world."
"That would be something to see, though I hope you aren't just some fool who is playing at changing things only to get stabbed in the back as he does something people don't like."
"Good for me that being stabbed to death won't kill me, I guess."
"How is that possible?"
"It doesn't matter for now, but as far as you seeing far into the future, I might be able to make something like that come true...of course, you would have to prove yourself that you are truly on our side before that...but it isn't off the table. You see, giving people their youth back is something I have done for several people so far. But I digress, as far as your other question, about what to expect from your part of the initial contract...You, your family, and your soldiers will leave the capital. Queen Margaery included. You can't come back here until the Lannisters are no longer in power."
"She's the Queen..."
"Queen of what? 2 dying kingdoms? She can call herself queen all she likes, but her power will not extend beyond the Reach, and even then, you are truly in charge of Highgarden, are you not?"
Olenna scoffed, "It's Mace, as far as anyone asking. But yes, I make decisions. What of King Tommen then?"
"What of him? He isn't quite the little shit Joffrey was, but he has no clue how to be a ruler. Eventually, he will be removed from the throne, though I am not sure when or even if it requires violence."
"Talk of treason so close to the keep, I wonder what the guard would say?" Olenna joked.
Harry just laughed, not taking the bait. "Along with leaving King's Landing-"
"Mace will not leave, no matter what I say," Olenna said.
"How many troops are loyal to him?"
"A thousand at most, around 3 thousand total."
"And how many do you have in Highgarden?"
"Another 50 thousand standing in Highgarden, with around 10 thousand stationed all over the Reach," Olenna said, watching his reaction carefully. So what if the numbers she gave were slightly lower than they had?
Harry let out a low whistle, "Not bad at all. So, here is what I want you to do, and you will have my help, of course. You and your men will head back to Highgarden after I rescue your grandchildren, of course. You will sign a contract on behalf of your kingdom that ensures that the Empire has your loyalty for the future indefinitely. I will say now that this is a magically binding contract, which means you tell every single person in charge of your kingdom in perpetuity that if they go against that, there will be consequences, including curses to some degree based on the severity of the crimes."
"I promise that Mace will go against it; he wants only to have more power and prestige, which he thinks he will get from the Lannisters."
"Understood. Then you will have to declare him no longer fit to lead Highgarden and take the role of leader until Margaery is able to."
"You want me to disown my son."
Harry shrugged, "The contract will kill him otherwise, it is not even an option. As soon as you accept that, I can tell you what to expect after."
Olenna was frustrated, not just at the young Emperor across from her, but also at her lack of choices. Or rather, her unwillingness to deal with the consequences of not making those choices.
"Alright, I will take over as leader of the Reach until Loras or Margaery is ready," Olenna said. "But-"
"Loras? You think he will do anything to help the kingdom? Find someone for Margaery that isn't a child and have her wrap him around her finger so that she may lead the Reach onto better things."
"What of Loras then?"
"I don't know, give him some other keep and a woman that doesn't care if he sleeps around with other men," Harry shrugged.
"What else then?"
"Just the basics, keep food flowing into King's Landing for now, but the moment that they try and turn on you, be ready to fight. The Lannister army is around here, isn't it?"
"It is camped outside of the city, yes."
Harry nodded, "I will give you the means to contact me. If the Lannisters decide to move against you, I will bring the Golden Legion and at least one dragon, and we will take them down together. Then Casterly Rock..."
He was looking into the distance as if working out a plan for the future, taking into account the possibility that Highgarden joins them.
"Is that it, or are you going to sit here all day thinking?"
Harry laughed, "Here."
He waved his hand, and a contract appeared, floating on a writing surface with a quill sitting there. Olenna's eyes widened for a moment, "So you really can just wave your hand and do things. No wonder the Dragon Queen fell for you. I imagined it's what you did with your tongue that drew her interest to start with."
Laughing again, Harry said, "Something like that, I'm sure."
Olenna grabbed the quill and looked to Harry expectantly, "No ink? Or do you want me to poke myself and use blood to sign it?"
"It's much less intrusive than that, though it does take your blood. Don't worry, though, it's only a drop and you won't feel a thing."
She couldn't tell if he was lying or not, so she just signed the contract after giving it a good read. It was harsh and required much from her family. Not only that, but her fool of a son would fight against it without a doubt in her mind, but even then, she had been given until the end of the day to try to convince him to leave King's Landing, a temporary period of stay before the contract would take effect against him. That being said, it requires loyalty more than anything else.
Along with saving her grandchildren, the continued help and support of the Dragon Empire, should things turn for the worst, would just be a quick message away. She wasn't sure how that worked, but assumed magic was a part of it. She finally signed the document, and the signature did come out in a deep crimson.
Harry nodded and made a copy of the document while rolling up the original and storing it in his moleskin pouch. "Here is your copy, it's fine if you lose it, or whatever, the original is the magically active one. Right, then you have what...2 hours to get your men out of town? Is that enough?"
"That should be fine. I will head out now and get your grandchildren out of here. Meet you outside the city?"
Olenna sighed, "I suppose so."
~~o0o~~
Harry appeared in a tiny cell. It was late in the afternoon, and yet there was very little light. He quickly summoned a chair and had a seat, casting a Lumos within the room. He also cast a few charms so that no one could hear what was being said within the cell.
"Greetings, Your Grace," Harry said, a slight amount of mocking at the title.
Margaery had been crying, and he immediately felt like a dick. He cast a Scourgify to clean her up and handed her a fresh glass of cold water.
"I am Hadrian Peverell, and I made a deal with your grandmother to get you and your brother out of this place."
Her voice was raspy, and she wiped her eyes to better focus on him in the light. "My grandmother?"
"Yes."
She drank deeply from the fresh water, and he refilled it immediately. After another deep drink, she looked at him, nearly broken as a person.
"I am sorry that I couldn't make it here sooner, but we only found out about your imprisonment today. My wife insisted that I make haste to save you," Harry explained, his voice soft in the small chamber.
"You are the Emperor?"
"I am."
She swallowed and spoke again, "Why are you helping me? Aren't we enemies?"
"Don't worry about it for now...but things have changed," Harry said. A quick burst of flame, and Shimmer appeared on her shoulder. "It's okay! That is Shimmer, she means no harm."
Shimmer chirped quickly and nuzzled her head. Margaery felt peace and warmth from the beautiful bird on her shoulder. Her weight was so light that it didn't hurt to hold her at all.
Then she started to sing.
The song pierced right through Margaery's heart, sounding so pure and so beautiful that tears immediately flowed from her eyes. It soothed her soul, but she had so much stress and fear over the last week of imprisonment that it piled heavily on her. She cried again. This time, the tears of someone feeling hope once again.
When Shimmer finally finished her song, even Harry felt better. "Take her to Shiera and Danny, alright, Shimmer?"
The bird nodded, and they both disappeared in a burst of silver and black flames.
Harry sighed and sent a magical locking spell on the door just to mess with the fools of the Faith. He then disappeared and reappeared within Loras' Cell.
The young man was lying in a fetal position, shivering on the stone floor. "Alright, lad, time to go."
Loras looked up in fear, knowing the door didn't open. It might be sexist of Harry, but he didn't have it in him to show as much compassion. "This might be a bit of a bump, alright?"
Harry lifted him to his feet and apparated outside the city. He then created a port key and appeared within Peverell Manor, where he had Milly and Tilly, his medi-elves, give him some potions. "Take care of him, I'll be back in a bit. Don't worry, lad. Your sister is also safe."
Loras was confused and stumbling, but had enough wit about him to nod while he gathered himself, "Thanks."
Harry was curious as to how he would react when he realized he was being treated by little elves, but they could protect themselves quite easily should he get hostile. He checked the time, thinking another hour or so would give Olenna the time to exit King's Landing, so he decided to go have a drink.
Instead of heading to the balcony, something drew him to his room. Specifically, the study also had a few chairs next to an ever-burning fire. Harry poured himself a finger of Ogden's finest and had a sip. He let himself relax, his mind sorting events that had taken place recently, allowing them to file into his memory in clean folders. A sort of practice that enabled him to control his memories, allowing him to see things he might have missed.
It was while this occlumency practice happened that he felt something. Something that shouldn't have been possible while within the dimensional pocket of the Peverell Manor.
Someone was watching him.
~~o0o~~
"We have started to train men, Flame of Truth, as ordered." A huge man with a lion's mane of white hair, contrasting with his jet black skin, spoke with a deep voice. He had red and orange flame tattoos across his cheeks and forehead, along with a black iron dragon-staff in his right hand.
"As the Lord of Light Wills it," Another man said. He was standing in front of a brazier with a bonfire-sized flame burning bright. The bald, lipless man turned to face the other, his face covered with red-flame-like tattoos that signified his rank as High Priest. "Well done, Moqorro. We shall continue to build our army until Azor Ahai calls for it."
"The problem is that we don't have weapons or armor...I fear it will be impossible to arm everyone while the city faces threats from this Dragon Empire."
Benerro nodded, knowing that the city was under threat. Many to the east had fallen with too much ease, armies appearing from nothing to sack long-lived cities. Benerro thought for a while and couldn't think of much. Pressing the Triarchs of Volantis was an option, but the rulers of the city wouldn't be able to offer much while under siege. The army he wanted to create wasn't for the petty disputes of mortal men. It was for the greatest threat to them all, the eternal war of light and darkness. Fire and ice.
"What else would you have us do, High Priest?" Moqorro asked Benerro, the High Priest and First Servant of the Lord of Light in Volantis.
Benerro was pulled from his thoughts: "I shall gaze into the flames."
Moqorro nodded and bowed, but didn't leave. The five soldiers behind him, also wearing the red robes of priests of R'hllor, kneeled in reverence before the High Priest.
Benerro turned and stood straight, and with a furious zeal, he spread his arms wide, opening himself to the heat of the bonfire before him. As usual, the metal frame was too close to the fire, close enough to burn. It was only right that he feel the touch of flame in the face of his god. With his arms opened wide, two flames appeared above his palms, and he began to trace a rune in High Valyrian. The flames hung in the air as they were written.
Benerro finished the rune and pushed it forward into the blazing bonfire in front of him. The rune for 'Vision' entered the flame, and Benerro stared deeply into the fire.
The flames showed a man with glowing green eyes sitting in a well-decorated room while sipping from a cup. Benerro watched through the flames, wondering where this man was, or perhaps who he was. This was one of the clearest visions he had ever seen, the stark clarity pulling him fully into it. He had to resist wanting to step any closer into the fire as he watched.
The man sipped and seemed to notice something. He looked around, his glowing green eyes contrasting against his dark robes and hair like vibrant beacons in the dark room. He kept looking around until the hair on the back of Benerro's neck stood up. He looked around for a second, but then, like a window into the room, the man looked right back into Benerro's eyes.
"Well, what do we have here?"
~~o0o~~
Harry quickly pushed his magic into the flames, looking directly into the red eyes of the stumbling priest. It seems the man had somehow divined his location, Harry immediately suspected the help of one or more forces or deities. It wasn't easy to bypass wards, even through some elemental connection like these flames. Unfortunately for the priest, Harry could feel the connection and therefore access it with his own magical application.
Harry reached out to Shimmer, and she quickly appeared on his shoulder, peering deep into the flames. He felt Shimmer grasp the flames, and they turned from a reddish orange to black flames with silvery edges, like the fire had blades about it. Harry and Shimmer walked through them, stepping into the depths of the Temple of R'hllor within Volantis.
A group of men with weapons stood as if to defend the room from Harry, but a quick glance at them, and he dismissed them as a threat.
"How curious," Harry said. He quickly scanned the minds of those in the room. Benerro, the Head Priest, was the most obvious. "It seems a conversation I had was overheard."
Death laughed in his ear, and he rolled his head around to hide the chills. When Death recommended that he offer to help make an army for the Azor Ahai, apparently, Death had either allowed R'hllor the knowledge, or Fate did something to stir it up. Either way, he was surprised at how fast it manifested.
"You are the Dragon Emperor," A deep voice came from the man whose mind was a steel trap. He still received the name from one of his men, Moqorro.
"That I am, Moqorro," Harry said, pronouncing it correctly. Behind him, the black and silver flame dimmed back down to a standard yellow. He turned his attention back to the High Priest, "Now then, you are searching for something, are you not?"
The man frowned at him, so Harry elaborated.
"Your sight within the flames has led you to me. While I plan on taking this city, I also intend to fight enemies of your god. You know of whom I speak, do you not?"
"The White Walkers."
Harry nodded, "Indeed. I will take your city here, and I will free the slaves. But you need a force that can be ready to fight at a moment's notice...some time in the near future, I'd expect. I have already begun to reinforce the Wall, but we have much work to do if you are serious about it."
"The Lord of Light has guided you to us," The High Priest said, his eyes shining with zeal.
Harry sighed, "I guess he did. Tell me, what is it you need to start creating this force?"
Benerro turned to Moqorro, who still held a straight face regardless of a man walking through the flames, "We need weapons and armor. The training is something we can handle."
Harry nodded, "Provisions? Food? Water? Things like that?"
Moqorro shrugged, "Our temple is capable of providing what is needed."
"And when I take the city?"
"Then we will need the same amount of crops and livestock that the Triarchs provide," Moqorro amended.
Harry nodded, "I have a few stipulations, of course. But this is all something I can make happen. You are right to prepare for the White Walkers, they are the greatest threat humanity has faced so far."
Benerro nodded as if hearing pure wisdom, "Indeed, great Emperor of the Dragon Empire! There is much that must be done!"
"I will be back when I have made progress on this task," Harry said, letting Shimmer's flames slowly cover him as he disappeared.
The looks of shock and awe amongst the Red Priests nearly had them calling for Azor Ahai right then and there.
~~o0o~~
Olenna moved on painful hips from her palanquin over to her carriage as they exited the Red Keep. Much of her guard stayed within the keep, yet the bulk of her forces were camped outside of King's Landing. The King's Gate to the South West wall of the city would set them on he course along the edge of Blackwater Bay and south into the Kingswood, where the road to High Garden continued south.
She watched out of the window along the River Row, getting occasional glances at the Great Sept of Baelor, wondering if her grandchildren had been saved already. That disgusting place, empowered by a foolish queen...how she hated it so. They were so close! So close to gaining power over the seven kingdoms, taking the throne as their own.
They were just as close to ruination and humiliation at the hands of the Faith Militant. She could only hope that the enigmatic Emperor had followed through with his side of the deal.
Olenna closed her eyes for a second, taking the time to breathe deeply. She wasn't sure if she felt the wind displacement or heard it, but when she opened her eyes, Emperor Hadrian sat across from her, that ridiculous smile plastered on his face.
"Is this how it's going to be? I close my eyes for a moment's rest, and you just pop up like some unwanted cock in the middle of the night?"
Harry burst out laughing, "I do enjoy appearing randomly, but that time was just a coincidence. Your grandchildren are being well taken care of. Would you like to come have dinner in Meereen? They will be joining us if you are interested."
Olenna looked at him like he was a madman, "You wish to... take me along with you for that nonsense?"
"It is quite smooth when Shimmer here takes us. Easier than stepping out of the carriage, I promise you that."
Olenna looked at the impressive bird with black and silver feathers that sat regally on its shoulder. She really didn't feel like asking.
Olenna sighed and opened the door to yell at people, "I am not to be disturbed for any reason until we reach High Garden, am I understood?"
"Aye, my lady," One of her guards called back.
She closed the door once again and raised an eyebrow at Harry. He smiled and gestured to Shimmer. The bird let out a quick chirp that left chills running through Olenna, and then the carriage was filled with fire, yet it didn't hurt. It didn't even feel like there was heat behind it.
When the flames cleared, she sat in a comfortable study with immaculate brickwork. Beautiful crimson furniture contrasted with dark brown wood. The room smelled like some kind of pleasant herbs she didn't recognize and leather. Bookshelves lined the walls with paintings that gave her a strange feeling, like they were watching her.
Harry stood and offered a hand to help her up, which she accepted promptly.
"They should be getting ready for dinner in a few minutes. Would you like a room to freshen up while we wait?"
Olenna shook her head, "I am fine, just let me sit at the table and relax...it has been a trying day."
"Did Lord Mace..."
"He refused to leave," Olenna said. "Sometimes I hate being right."
"Ah, I am sorry about that."
She grunted as Harry offered her an arm to walk through the corridors. Eventually, they came to a set of stairs, and Shimmer engulfed them in flames so that they didn't have to walk down the many flights. Eventually, a set of nearly 15 feet tall doors opened as if servants were controlling them, but none were.
Olenna then got her first look at the great beauty known as Daenerys Targaryen, and felt that perhaps the rumors hadn't been generous enough. She had silver hair that flowed into a graceful braid down her back, beautiful, glowing purple eyes, and a sort of casual regality about her. Something just screamed that she was a queen and would accept no less.
Olenna smiled as she made eye contact with her Granddaughter, her own beauty not diminished in the presence of two beautiful women as Harry made introductions. It was probably a good thing that Loras wasn't straight, as having him ogle the women here would be a death sentence.
"Allow me to introduce my wife, Daenerys Stormborn, Empress of the Dragon Empire," Harry said.
Daenerys shook Olenna's hand with grace, "It is an honor to meet you. I hear they call you the Queen of Thorns."
"Only because of my sharp tongue, I assure you," Olenna said, drawing a smile from Daenerys.
Harry continued, "This is Shiera Seastar, our Mistress of Divination. She is the one who found out about the whole Faith Militant situation."
Shiera had a black dress that contrasted with her pale skin. Her silver hair was perfectly straight, and it framed her beautiful face like it was designed by the gods. Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with amusement and hidden knowledge.
Olenna shook her hand as well, but looked back and forth between Daenerys and Shiera, "Mistress indeed. There is no straight man alive who wouldn't be pining to be between either of your legs, am I right, dear?"
Shiera laughed, but she wasn't one to be intimidated by such words, "Oh, we have all shared a bed if that is what you are asking."
Olenna laughed at that but wasn't surprised.
While Shiera seemed indifferent about that, Daenerys felt her cheeks ignite. She looked to Harry for support, but only found him grinning like a fool at her. She scowled at him, but just shook her head.
Margaery walked over and gave Olenna a huge hug, holding back tears. She had a beautiful teal dress that matched her eyes, and her hair had been done into a beautiful braid. Loras stood and bowed to Olenna, but she just rolled her eyes at the foolish lad.
Harry spoke up before things kept going down that road, "Well then, I believe dinner is almost ready, let's all have a seat."
They did just that, and appetizers appeared on the table as if summoned from nothing. A small bowl of shrimp and clam chowder appeared, a basil garnish in the center.
"This is one of my favorites, a New England Clam and Shrimp Chowder. Take the small oyster crackers on the side there and dump them in, and it's quite delicious," Harry said.
"Chowder? I have never heard of it.
As they dug into the appetizers, Harry went over the changes that would be taking place with the Tyrell family and their place in the capital.
Margaery put her spoon down and looked at Olenna. The older woman was watching her granddaughter with a sad smile, "It was what had to be done, my dear."
Before she could speak, a clean and handsome young man entered the room.
"Ah, Gendry, come have a seat, lad," Harry invited, gesturing to a chair a spot down from Margaery.
"Thank you, Lord Hadrian. It seems there are some guests, greetings everyone," Gendry bowed with surprising grace for a blacksmith and took the seat gratefully.
"This is one of Robert's Bastards and has been working with me to create armor and weapons for the new royal guards. He has learned the techniques required to work with Valyrian Steel," Harry explained.
Margaery, Loras, and Olenna did a double-take and truly inspected the lad. Shiera was the only one to notice just how curious Margaery was as she looked at him. With the contract between Harry and Olenna, Margaery was no longer allowed to see her current husband. They would be essentially ending the marriage on all but paper.
"You are able to work with Valyrian Steel? That is a remarkable achievement," Margaery said.
Gendry blushed, "I thank you for saying so, my lady, but it was only due to Lord Hadrian that I was able to learn such a craft. We have been mixing metals and creating alloys for quite a while now. It has been fantastic." He nodded over to what seemed like a displayed suit of armor. "What do you think of the first set that Ser Barristan is wearing just there?"
Shock was palpable in the air as they looked to the fully armored man. Daenerys waved him over, and he moved for the first time since he took his place.
Bowing gracefully in the clean armor, he spoke up, "It is indeed a fine set of armor. Along with the blade that Lord Hadrian created for me, I am capable of protecting my lady from nearly any threat."
Olenna and Margaery stared once again, surprised and shocked to find someone they knew. Ser Barristan removed his helmet, revealing a young face that was all too recognizable to Olenna.
Ser Barristan smiled.
"Hah, if there wasn't any proof that Cersei is a fool, then it surely is you. Though I remember you having a bit more white hair than before," Olenna said.
"A gift from Lord Hadrian," Ser Barristan said.
Olenna looked to Harry, who shrugged, "I told you that we pick and choose who comes with us. Obtaining your youth isn't out of the question, as I said."
Margaery looked across the table to where Olenna sat with hope, "Is it true?"
Olenna sighed, "I did sign the agreement, though I am afraid your father will not be joining us..."
"What?" Loras asked, as if finally drawn away from staring
"I did my best to convince him to leave, but he refused. And the contract goes into effect soon," She looked to Harry.
Harry smiled sadly, "Unfortunately, a deal is a deal, and I won't have anyone on my side who isn't loyal."
His deathly green gaze landed on Margaery, "When the contract activates, he will die. A fate that will happen to any Tyrell as long as the Lannisters are in power."
"But I am Queen and I am married to a Baratheon."
Harry grimaced, "Unfortunately, blood is what matters. And you are not married to a Baratheon."
Margaery looked to Olenna, who was frowning, but she didn't have an answer.
It was Shiera who spoke up, "Forgive me, Margaery, but your husband seems to be the son of one Cersei Lannister, and one Jaime Lannister."
Margaery sat back in her chair like she had been slapped. An intense web of emotions and thoughts ran through her mind, but nothing could gain enough traction for her to follow. Her despair was clear, though.
An unexpected source laid a hand on her shoulder, "It will be alright, my lady. The people in this room have done remarkable things that I have never dreamed were possible. If anyone can help you, it will be them."
Daenerys smiled, "He is right, you no longer have to deal with the Lannisters and their lies."
Margaery didn't know what to say, so she kept quiet for a time, lost in thought.
The meal continued, Beef Wellington with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. The meal was accompanied by a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied red wine with good acidity to complement the richness of the beef with its flaky pastry exterior. The deliciousness of the extravagant meal sent everyone at the table into a blissful state. For those unused to Earth-level meals, it was clear that they had never experienced something like this before.