Trouble // Loras Tyrell / Renly Baratheon / Rieka Stark

24. Shadow

"You want to make things better for Sansa? Give her a child like loras has, heavens loras gave Rieka a child before you gave your wife one."

" So you can tell Father it was you who finally talked me into it?" Tyrion chuckled.

"So she can have some happiness in her life." Cersei corrected.

" You have children. How happy would you say you are?"

" Not very. But if it weren't for my children, I'd have thrown myself from the highest window in the Red Keep. They're the reason I'm alive."

"Even Joffrey?"

" Even Joffrey. He was all I had once. Before Myrcella was born. I used to spend hours looking at him. His wisps of hair. His tiny little hands and feet. He was such a jolly little fellow. You always hear the terrible ones were terrible babies. 'We should have known. Even then we should have known.' It's nonsense. Whenever he was with me, he was happy. And no one can take that away from me, not even Joffrey- how it feels to have someone. Someone of your own."

"You really did pop." Cersei remarked.

"Yeah well..." Rieka mumbled, she had been pregnant for moons more than she let on. She could call it weight gain at first but now it was clear. She was planning on telling her sister, telling cersei even because cersei was her friend, despite Rieka wanting to murder joffrey.

"Cersei?" Jaime appeared in the doorway and Rieka's jaw dropped. What happened to prince charming Lannister? Sexy man with a cocky smile, she saw a broken man with-

"Where is your hand?" Rieka demanded.

"Rieka." Jaime answered. "Can we have a moment... you are pregnant."

"Your hand!" Rieka shouted.

"He's back and I'm conflicted." Rieka remarked. "Part of me wants to kill him, part of me feels sorry for him but that might just be the hormones." Rieka admitted. Loras chuckled running a hand over her back. " at first when I thought I might be..." she touched her stomach " It seemed like time moved so slowly. Coming to the capital however I feel like the moons just passed too quickly."

" do you want to talk about high garden now? "

" I would like To have this baby somewhere, I feel safe."

" my eldest brother has a wife who is struggling to conceive she will be a great help when this child comes." Loras offered.

" and then there's a problem with my sister."

" I'm assuming the problem is you want her to come and you don't like her at the same time."

" I can't leave her here. She's been a mess since the news."

" I keep waiting for you to snap again." he admitted. "Robb was your twin brother."

" And crying any longer about him I feel would kill me." she admitted. " I can't keep wallowing. I need to live. He would want me to keep going.... I just try not to think about him as much...." Rieka offered.  At night when she couldn't sleep however, her mind drifted to the awful scenes She imagined happening at a wedding of all places.

" you don't sleep."

" I didn't realize I was being watched." Rieka countered

" I'm your husband. I just want to help...." Loras reminded her.

" and I love your distractions." She assured kissing him.

" it's like losing him all over again." Loras pondered. 

"Worse. And besides losing my father that had been the worst pain of my life. I'm getting a lot of those now. Worst pains..." rieka remarked.

" You look peckish, darling. Take a seat." Olenna remarked. " how's the baby?"

" pushing on all my organs." Rieka offered.

" well I'm glad you could take time out of what I'm sure it's a lot of bathroom breaks to join us." Olenna agreed. 

" you married Loras how many moons ago?" Margaery questioned

" seems like an eternity." Rieka answered.

XXX

"No. No. You're a queen, not an ox." Olenna countered she picked up one of the necklaces, sentimentally. "Your grandfather gave me a necklace just like this one for my 51st nameday." she tossed it aside with flare.

"The wedding is in a fortnight, Grandmother. You can't say no to everything." margaery countered.

"SUre she can, my mother used to." Rieka countered fingering the necklace. 

"Nonsense." Olenna turned to her girls. " My little dears. Go and speak to the jewelers of King's Landing. Tell them who you are, tell them who sent you. The one who brings me the best necklace will get to keep the next best." the maids ran off. "The Margaery Tyrell who walks into the sept a fortnight from now will inspire 1,000 songs. Now, how sad it will be if she's wearing rubbish like that." Olenna reminded her.

"Perhaps I should just let Joffrey choose it for me. End up with a string of dead sparrow heads around my neck." Margaery grumbled.

"You watch that. Even here, even with me." Olenna corrected as she heard footsteps. "My word." Rieka turned her head seeing Brienne. 

"My lady. My lady. My queen." Brienne looked to RIeka. She wasnt a queen. "Please pardon me for interrupting. My name is Brienne of Tarth."

"We know who you are. We've heard all about you. But hearing is one thing. Aren't you just marvelous? Absolutely singular." Olenna agreed. Brienne looked down embarrassed " I hear you knocked my grandson into the dirt like the silly little boy he is."

"Thats my husband you speak of." Rieka warned, Olenna waved a dismissive hand. 

" My lady, I know this is a very busy time for you all, but if I could just have a moment with Lady Rieka."

" You dare not refuse." Olenna agreed turning to Rieka. But Rieka couldnt move. 

"Please." Brienne begged, Olenna shoved her up to her feet. 

"I know you didnt kill him." Rieka said when they were alone. "Loras knows it too." She added. 

"Thank you, I didnt." Brienne confirmed. "I... I'm so sorry." 

"It's not your fault-"

"I couldnt save him it was my job, my duty and I failed him." Brienne corrected. "But i couldnt fight a shadow." 

"A shadow?" 

"A shadow with the face of Stannis Baratheon. I swear to you by all the gods it was Stannis. He plunged his sword through Renly's heart and disappeared. One day, my lady, I will avenge our king."

"Thank you." Rieka agreed. "Thank you."