After the banquet concluded, the guests dispersed to their quarters. However, Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord Mathis Rowan, Ser Alekyne Florent, and Samwell retreated to a smaller, private chamber.
A maid brought in tea and then quickly left, shutting the door behind her.
This was a private meeting, an important one at that.
Gathered here, under the leadership of Lord Randyll, were representatives of the Reach who were discontent with House Lannister's dominance. Their decisions tonight could very well shape the future of the Seven Kingdoms.
Though Samwell tried to maintain a calm exterior, he couldn't suppress a feeling of exhilaration. While this group was likely motivated more by the question of where the Reach would align in the upcoming political storm, he couldn't deny that their support would also help his cause of marrying Margaery.
He took a sip of tea, savoring the moment, and waited for the lords to start the discussion.
"Samwell, is Margaery pregnant?" Lord Randyll's opening question nearly caused him to choke.
The other two lords looked unfazed, as though Lord Randyll's question was completely appropriate.
"Not yet," Samwell replied after calming himself. He had just begun to feel like he was finally playing the game as an active participant—now he felt more like a breeding stallion.
"Make it happen as soon as possible," Randyll urged.
"It would certainly be helpful if she were carrying his child," Lord Mathis Rowan added with a chuckle. "But we shouldn't rely on that alone. Knowing Lady Olenna, if she truly opposes the match, she won't hesitate to send Margaery a pot of moon tea."
Samwell understood: moon tea was a concoction used for both contraception and abortion. Lady Olenna Tyrell was ruthless enough to take such measures if it suited her.
"What stance has Lady Olenna taken on this?" Samwell redirected the conversation. He wasn't exactly comfortable with the three older men discussing his personal life.
"Hard to say," Lord Mathis mused, gently swirling his tea as he thought. "'The Queen of Thorns' is hard to predict. But one thing is certain—she will make whatever choice best serves Highgarden, even if it hurts her own granddaughter or damages the interests of other noble houses in the Reach."
"Which is why we cannot leave this decision solely in the hands of House Tyrell," said Ser Alekyne Florent, his tone resolute.
As the Florent family's heir, Ser Alekyne had the strongest reasons to oppose a Lannister alliance with the Reach. After all, House Florent had heavily invested in Stannis Baratheon. If Stannis claimed the Iron Throne, they would have a queen from their own family.
"We need to ensure that Lord Mace Tyrell sees that enough houses in the Reach oppose bending to the Lannisters," Lord Randyll agreed.
"Precisely," Lord Mathis chimed in.
"The key is to determine which other houses we can sway to our side," said Ser Alekyne, with a sense of urgency.
"What about House Peake?" Lord Mathis suggested. "They've never been particularly loyal."
House Peake, ruling from Starpike just east of Horn Hill, had a reputation for rebellion. Indeed, during the era of the Gardeners, House Peake had been among the most powerful families in the Reach, and their ambitions for supremacy had caused a long and bloody conflict with House Manderly. In the end, the Manderlys were defeated and forced to flee the Reach, eventually establishing White Harbor in the North under House Stark's protection.
During the Targaryen reign, House Peake was also a significant supporter of the Blackfyre Rebellions and had suffered greatly as a result. Since then, they had kept a lower profile.
When he mentioned House Peake, Lord Mathis gave Samwell a pointed look.
Samwell understood—House Peake had a long history of supporting the Blackfyres, so they might be inclined to back him, a man who had hatched a dragon, and whom they might suspect to be connected to the Blackfyre line.
However, Lord Randyll's expression soured at the mention of House Peake.
As his father, Randyll was sure Samwell was his trueborn son and not a Blackfyre pretender. But Samwell's ability to hatch a dragon had raised troubling questions that Randyll preferred to ignore.
"I doubt House Peake will join us," Lord Randyll said icily. "Remember, they're related to the Lannisters by marriage."
At first, Samwell thought his father's objection was out of pride, but then he recalled that Lord Titus Peake had indeed married a Lannister.
"Lady Margaery is only distantly related to the Lannisters," said Lord Mathis. "Hardly an alliance of consequence. I think we could still persuade Lord Peake to our side."
"Perhaps," Samwell said. "Remember, when the Iron Throne crushed the Peake Rebellion, it was the forces of the Westerlands that led the charge. We don't know what Lord Peake truly thinks of the Lannisters."
Moreover, Samwell knew that three members of House Peake were serving in the Golden Company across the Narrow Sea—a mercenary group dedicated to restoring the Targaryens. This, to him, confirmed that House Peake's loyalty to the Blackfyres was unshakable.
"Alright, we can try," Lord Randyll relented. "Any other houses we might persuade?"
"House Oakheart seems unlikely," Lord Mathis said, glancing at Samwell with a faint smile.
Samwell awkwardly took another sip of tea.
House Oakheart of Old Oak was one of the most powerful families in the Reach. However, their knight, Ser Arys Oakheart, had been one of the Kingsguard Samwell had slain at Skyreach.
So… their alliance was not exactly in the cards.
"I think we might have some luck with House Hightower," Samwell suggested, hoping to move on from the "unfortunate incident" with Ser Arys.
"The Hightowers?"
The three men exchanged skeptical looks.
House Hightower of Oldtown was, of course, one of the oldest and most powerful families in the Reach, but they were closely tied to House Tyrell. After all, Lord Mace Tyrell's wife was the daughter of Lord Leyton Hightower.
The notion of convincing the Hightowers to oppose the Tyrells sounded far-fetched.
Samwell explained, "While I was traveling here, Lord Leyton Hightower had his bannerman, Lord Martin Mullendore, extend an invitation for me to visit Oldtown, saying he wished to see the dragon."
"Under no circumstances should you go," Lord Randyll said sharply. "The Citadel despises dragons and magic, and House Hightower is—at best—ambivalent. You should exercise extreme caution."
"I have no intention of going to Oldtown," Samwell replied. "But I thought perhaps I could invite Lord Leyton to Highgarden to see the dragon. We could gauge his stance that way. If he's truly as fascinated by dragons as he seems, he might be open to our alliance."
"I think it's worth a try," said Lord Mathis. "If we can secure House Hightower's support, then even if Lord Mace insists on siding with the Lannisters, he'll be hard-pressed to ignore us. The support of lesser houses will matter little after that."
"Agreed," said Lord Randyll. "Draft a letter tonight, and I'll have Maester Addam send it by raven to Oldtown."
"Understood."
The men continued discussing which other Reach houses might be persuaded, though everyone knew that securing House Hightower was the real goal. If Lord Leyton could be swayed, the outcome would shift dramatically in their favor.
After the meeting, Samwell wrote his letter to Lord Leyton Hightower, then handed it off to the maester. With that task done, he went to check on his younger brother, Dickon.
Lady Melessa, their mother, was also by Dickon's side.
"How's the recovery coming along?" Samwell asked as he took a seat beside his brother's bed.
"The wound is healing well," said Lady Melessa. "Maester Addam says he'll make a full recovery within two months. It's just…" She frowned. "It's just that Dickon seems to have forgotten quite a lot."
Samwell's suspicions solidified.
"Don't worry. He'll remember in time."
"It's mostly memories from a while ago that seem fuzzy," Dickon admitted, frustrated. "But I remember clearly the recent campaign with you in Dorne. I remember us charging across the sands, breaking through the Qorgyle family's defenses, fighting in the flames of the Sept…"
"Wait!" Samwell interrupted his brother. "You remember fighting with me in the flames of the Sept?"
"Of course," Dickon replied. "I was right beside you, singing the Hymn of the Seven as we fought to the very end."
Samwell frowned.
Dickon had, in reality, escaped the burning Sept on horseback. How could he possibly recall fighting beside him in the blaze?
Moreover, that fire had been so intense it had consumed the entire Sept. Only Samwell, as "The Unburnt," had emerged unscathed.
Was his brother's memory distorted?
A side effect of the resurrection spell?
Or something even more sinister from the Lord of Light?
Trying to conceal his concerns, Samwell asked Dickon more questions to gauge his state of mind. Dickon's personality and emotions seemed much the same as before, yet he indeed couldn't remember a lot of things, and even stuttered about the names of his three sisters.
However, the look he gave Samwell was particularly hot. If his brother's original feeling towards him was admiration, now it seemed a bit fanatical.
As if he couldn't wait to continue fighting with Samwell.
Samwell didn't know whether to say this change was good or bad. Maybe he could ask that charlatan Melisandre when he returned.
"Sam, are you going to Highgarden?" asked Lady Melessa.
"Yes, mother," Samwell replied, "We're planning to leave next week."
Madam Melissa smiled kindly, "You must marry Lady Margery."
Samwell laughed, with a strong confidence in his eyes:
"Don't worry, mother. She is destined to marry your son."
(End of Chapter)