Chapter Text
It was several days before the Tyrells, and Jon would have to set off to the capital. Most were slowly preparing themselves for the journey while Loras, Garlan, and Jon were practicing jousting against one another. On one side stood Loras in his shining green and gold armor while Jon stood on the opposite side wearing the black and gray armor of house Stark, Garlan watched the two from the side, being beaten by both moments earlier. Loras rode his yellow stallion while Jon rode on top of a large black horse. They looked at each other through their helms as their squires gave them their lances. Each took him, and for a moment, they stared at each other until Loras decided to be the first to charge immediately after Jon did as well. They lined up their lances aiming at the other's shield, sigils of their houses on them.
The first strike went to Loras, hitting Jon straight in his shield's center, but the wolf did not fall. They were given new lances, and they charged again; this time, Jon was hitting the target, and Lora's strike only missing for a few centimeters. But the Tyrell did not fall. Once again, they took their lances, staring at each other with determination. This time Jon was the one who charged the first determent to beat Loras this time. The horses ran towards each other, their riders aiming their weapons at one another. As Jon's lance hit the target, he felt Lora's lance hit him as well; for a moment, he felt weightless as he traveled through the air and then falling on the ground hard. For a moment, he did not move, still trying to figure out what happened. Then he saw Loras riding towards him and stopping next to his head. He dismounted and knelt beside his friend and took off his helm.
"I hope you through a better fight when we get to the capital; I would hate to see people have their opinions of the great Wolf of the south crushed once they see me defeating you this easily." Said Loras with a satisfied grin on his face.
Jon growled in pain for a few seconds before answering, "Shot up and help me up." Loras laughed and gave his friend a hand and pulled him up. Jon took off his helm and looked at his foster brother.
"What?" asked Loras.
"I'm going to beat you, just you wait."
"Ha, like that's ever going to happen, might as well give me the sword now." It was then when Garlan joined the two.
"I hate to agree with him, Jon, but my brother is right. You are good with a sword, but when it comes to a lance, Loras is better." Loras instantly turned to his brother.
"Hey, I'm just as good with a sword as he is, maybe even better," said Loras.
"Sure, you are," Garlan said sarcastically. "You might be able to keep up with Jon when you spar, but if you were in a real fight, Jon would win."
"And how do you know that?"
"You show off too much; I used to do that as well until I learned my lesson. Jon fights how a knight should fight, not showing off and using every opening that presents itself. That showing off yours could be just the opening your opponent needs."
Loras laughed. "As if anyone could defeat me." Jon loved Loras like he would his own brother, but sometimes he knew to be a real arrogant fool.
"Last time I checked, I defeated you in the melee in the Oldtown tourney three moons ago, and before that at Ashford."
Loras's smile faded. "You were lucky; I lost my balance at Oldtown."
"Luck had nothing to do with it, pretty boy it was all skill," said Jon with a smug grin.
Annoyed, Loras grabbed Jon by the arm and started messing with his hair. "Skill ha." Garlan watched them and laughed at the two grown men acting like ten name day children. "These two will never change." thought Garlan. He was first surprised when their father decided to bring Jon to Highgarden. At first, he detested the thought of a bastard growing up in their home, but he grew to like Jon over time. He did not see him as a bastard anymore; he was just Jon. His relationship with Jon wasn't as strong as the one with Loras, those two being practically inseparable since Jon arrived, but they were close, and he would happily call Jon a friend.
"You two make such a cute couple," said Margaery as the three men turned their gaze to her.
"Really?" asked Loras as he stopped messing with Jon.
"Indeed, one of you would fit perfectly in a wedding dress," said Margaery as she looks at Loras.
"Why me?"
"Let me see, "Margaery pretended to think for a moment. "Well, Loras would look far better in a dress than Jon; he does not have the grace to pull it off." Garlan tried to hold on to a laugh as Margaery gave her brother a smirk.
"I'm hurt, my lady," said Jon with an over-exaggerated tone.
"It's true." the four laughed for a moment. "Now come on, father wants to see you three. Better not keep him waiting." As the followed Margaery, she turned and gave Jon a lovely smile, and he returned it.
The Tyrells were prepared for their journey to the capital. Mace was his typical self, boasting to people around him how his son will win the tourney before it even begins, and lady Olenna who did want to go to the capital, mostly to personally get the measure of the new hand and to see if he would present an optical or an ally but she hated the thought of the arduous journey that will take. Jon and Loras were doing last-minute preparations while Margaery was ready to go. Jon was going around his room, tossing things around, trying to find something. All his thinks had been ready except one. He was starting to be frustrated by the fact he could not find it. He continued to look when he heard someone's voice coming for the door.
"Looking for something?" asked Margaery.
"Aye, my helm. I can't seem to find it anywhere," said Jon without looking at her, just continuing looking around.
"The black one with green vizier?"
"Yes, that one."
"You mean this one." Jon turned to see Margaery holding his helm in her hands. She gave him a mischievous smile.
"You took it?"
"Not really; you left it in my room yesterday." Jon approached her with a smile on his lips also.
"What would I do without you?"
"Get lost somewhere or forget something more important." Jon started reaching out for the helm, but she moved it out of the way.
"I thought you came here to give it back."
"I am, but it's going to cost you." Jon leaned in and gave a soft kiss.
"Is that enough?"
"You can do better than that." Once more, their lips touched; this kiss was more prolonged and passionate.
"Was that better?" said Jon as he looked into her eyes. His dark purple meeting her brown ones.
"It was." Said Margaery as she gave Jon his helm back, a satisfied expression on her face.
Lady Olenna, Margaery, Mace, and Alerie traveled inside a lavish carriage while Loras, Garlan, and Jon rode in front of them. The oldest Tyrell brother Willas decided to stay home and watch over the Reach while his family was gone. The rest of the retinue consisted of household guards and servants. The journey was long, but for Loras, Margaery, and Jon, there never seemed to be a dull moment. The group made stops in whatever castle they could. When they could not, large tents would be raised. On one such occasion, they stopped on the border between the Crownlands at the Reach. Loras and Jon were sitting in Lora's tent drinking wine and remembering all the crazy shenanigans they used to get up to when they were boys.
"Remember that time when..." said Loras
"When you somehow accidentally managed to get 6 horses inside the garden." Both Jon and Loras laughed. "It was a good thing that the stable hand found them, or they would have eaten the whole garden.
"Well, no, but if I remember correctly, that wasn't just me," Loras smirked. "I was thinking about the time when we snuck out of the castle and came back two days later."
"Your father sent out a search party to try and find us."
"Yes, but we came back. Shame about ser Arlan; I heard that he still believes he saw ghosts in the forest that night." Both men laughed. Jon stopped laughing and looked at his cup, his mind lost in his own thought for a moment. Loras gave his friend a concerned look; he knew something was bugging him. During this entire trip, his friend has been having these episodes of not quite being there with them.
"Alright, spit it out Jon, you been having something on your mind the entire trip; I can feel it, so tell me what it is?"
Jon shook his cup slightly, the wine moving around as he did. "You know me too well. M-My father will be there."
"I know, he is the lord hand," said Loras, slightly confused.
Jon sighed, "That's the thing, Loras, he will be there. I have not seen him in almost ten years. Yes, we do correspond through ravens, but this will be the first time we meet in a long time. What is he going to think about me?" For a moment, Loras looked at his friend before grabbing his shoulder.
"Listen, you don't need to worry yourself about that; he is your father. He will be proud of you," said Loras, his voice sincere.
"How do you know that?"
"You are his son; trust me when I say it will be fine."
"Margaery said the same thing."
Loras smirked, "Well, if my sister said it, then it must be true. She is never wrong, after all." They chuckled. "Don't worry about your father; you should worry more about that sword which I will take when I beat you," said Loras with a smug smile.
"The wall will melt before that happens. Besides, I got an advantage over you."
"And what would that be?" Loras said as he raised an eyebrow.
"I don't show off as much."
"We will see Snow, we will see." the men continued laughing.
In the next tent, Lady Olenna set with Margaery and Alerie, the loud laughter was heard as if it were coming from their tent. Margaery and Alerie were pleased to listen to the two having a good time, while lady Olenna not so much. She disliked how her stupid son brought this bastard into their family, and she disliked the fact that everyone seemed to adore him. Mace saw him as a fourth son, Loras as a brother, and Margaery was seemingly in love with him. She knew about it for a long time; as children, they were fond of each other, and a few years ago, it got even more severe. The boy was handsome and well mannered, she will give him that, but he is still a bastard. Margaery was to be queen one day; she can't let a bastard ruin that. With little luck, his father will send him back to the North with the rest of the Starks where he belongs; until then, she will remain patient. Olenna snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her granddaughter.
"Remember dear, when we arrive in the capital, make sure to spend time with the prince." Olenna knew about Roberts's obsession with having a Stark bride in his family. She found out that he intends to arrange the marriage between lord Eddard's daughter and his son, but that will not happen. She will make sure that the prince picks Margaery.
Margaery smiled softly at her grandmother, "I will, grandmother, don't worry."
"Get to know him, make sure you leave an impression."
"I will, grandmother." Margaery knew that her grandmother always wanted her to be queen and that she will do whatever it takes to accomplish that. She, too, wanted to be queen one day, but she also wanted Jon. Jon was different from other songs on noble lords not just because he was a bastard, he was right, he was kind, he made her laugh, he wasn't stuck up like most other lordlings, and he loved her for who she really is, not for what she represents. To him, she was not Margaery Tyrell, the golden rose of Highgarden; she was simply Margaery, and to her, he was not a bastard; he was Jon. She knew her grandmother disapproved of their relationship, but she had put up with it for years now, never saying a word, pretending to not know about it, but she did. That gave her hope; maybe she will find a way to get both things one day. Then a third voice was heard laughing along with the two others; it was Mace.
"Great, now he has joined them," said Olenna, annoyance clear in her voice.
"Let the men have their fun," said Alice. Laughing echoed through the night.
Days passed, and they finally arrived at the capital, the greatest city in Westeros, Kings landing. As they approached the city's entrance, they could see the tourney ground where the tournament will be held. Both Jon and Loras watched the place intensely; this will be the place of their greatest triumph. The entourage entered the city through the King's gate. Seeing all the people and the things that they were doing amazed Margaery. She always liked seeing what ordinary everyday people were like, and she was ready to help them in any way she can. The city itself seemed a lot bigger than she remembered, the last time she visited, she was still a little girl. Lady Olenna and Mace expected to be greeted by the King and queen, but to their surprise and lady Olenna's disappointment, they were met by just Lord Eddard. She did want to find out what lord Eddard was doing, but she also expected personages of their status to be met by the royal family, not just the hand. Lord Eddard stood there with his household guard. The Tyrell procession stopped and out of the carriage came out, lord Mace, his wife lady Alerie and his mother, Olenna.
"Lady Olenna, Lord Mace, Lady Alerie, the king welcomes you to the capital," said Eddard while doing s slight bow.
"And yet the king is nowhere to be seen, my lord," Olenna said. The hand lifted his head to look at the queen of thorns.
"The king had some other matters he had to attend to; he sends his sincerest apologies."
"I sure he does." the sarcasm was evident to all present. It was well known to everyone that Robert did little to no actual ruling since the rebellion. It was Jon Arryn who ruled the land while Robert drank and whored himself. Now it was Ned Starks's job to rule, and Olenna knew that the King will still be doing the same things as he always does, even when he should at least do something as simple as meet her and her family.
After a few more pleasantries were exchanged between the lord hand and lord Mace and Lady Alerie, Ned asked: "Is Jon with you?"
"I'm here, father," said Jon as he approached the group, Loras, Garlan, and Margaery beside him. The two men stared at each other for a long moment. Ten years had passed since they last saw each other. Eddard could barely believe the sight in front of him. The boy he remembered was now a man with long black hair and striking violet eyes. He looked so much like his mother, but he did not know that. "He must not know that," thought Ned.
"Jon," said Eddard as he walked towards the lad. "You are a lot taller than I remember." said the lord with a smile.
"And you a lot shorter than I remember." Both men chuckled. Then Jon turned and pointed towards Loras, Garlan, and Margaery, who stood next to him. "Father, these are Ser Garlan, Loras, and lady Margaery."
"It's a pleasure to meet Jon's father," said Margaery with a soft smile on her lips.
"It's an honor, my lord," said Loras. He was excited to finally with Eddard Stark the Silent Wolf, the man who defeated ser Arthur Dane. Over the years, they grew a fascination with the man from the stories Jon had told him. He still adored men like ser Barristan Selmy, but the Silent Wolf was something else. An aura of mystery surrounded the man. Here in the south, most people knew how good each knight was, the tourneys were continuously held, and there was always someone who was well known for their abilities, but no one knew about lord Eddard's skill, how good he truly was. Obviously, he was good enough to beat the Sword of the morning.
"I welcome you to the capital lady Margaery and ser Loras, lord Garlan," said Eddard. Before anyone could say anything more, lady Olenna's voice was heard.
"Lord Stark, could you please escort us to where we will be staying? My old bones won't last much longer standing here like this."
"As you wish, my lady. Follow me."