Lone Wolf || Tyrion Lannister

Chapter Twenty

Mercifully, Anari and Tyrion slept through the night. Neither one of them had any nightmares nor thoughts that kept them awake. It was nice, for once, to get a good night's rest. However, the two were awoken by the sound of the door swinging open with a loud bang.

It was Tyrion who opened his eyes first. As he did, he saw that Shae had entered the room without so much as a knock to announce her entry. "You really ought to knock," he muttered as he sat up. Shae merely glared in his direction as she set the small tray of fruit on one of the tables.

As unhappy as Shae was with the situation, she knew better than to let Anari catch on to her feelings. So, Shae remembered to bring in a small tray of fruit, cheese, and bread as the girl wasn't quite hungry enough for a full-on meal in the mornings, but did enjoy some fruit or something simple. The handmaiden quickly hid her ire the moment she noticed Anari sitting up as well.

However, Shae couldn't help but pause as Tyrion got off of the bed. His more relaxed garb only made her more upset; however, she knew she couldn't express how she was truly feeling in Anari's presence. As much as Shae liked the young woman, she wasn't sure if she could trust her with this. Perhaps before the wedding, Shae may have considered it, but now that the two were married, she wasn't going to let the girl know a thing.

"I brought you breakfast," Shae said as she walked over to where Anari's robe sat. Grabbing the pale grey garment, she quickly made her way over to Anari's side and helped the girl cover herself. While she was good at hiding her reactions and Tyrion's back was to her, Anari knew more than they thought she did.

Anari wasn't fully aware of the situation; however, she knew something was wrong. There was a shift in the air, and Shae's voice sounded different than it usually did. She was smart, however, and continued to let them believe she was none the wiser to whatever was going on.

Once Anari was covered with her robe, she walked over to the tray. With a silent sigh, Shae pulled back the covers to change the sheets but paused when she saw that in place of expected bloodstains, were pristine white linens.

Turning her head, Shae saw that Tyrion was already looking at her. He had a knowing glint in his eyes, and Shae couldn't help the faint smile that crossed her lips as she returned to her task. This proved one thing; that he respected both women.

He didn't betray Shae by bedding Anari, and he didn't force his wife into anything she didn't want to do. It showed he was capable of sharing a bed with a woman and not touching her.

"Is there anything, in particular, we should do, moving forward?" Anari questioned. "I'm sure everyone will be watching us both closely," she continued as she ate a piece of bread. "Do you think we should go on as if nothing happened or?" She trailed off.

Tyrion was impressed once more with Anari's tenacity. It showed she was smart enough to know that they were expected to have done at least something or other with one another. Anari smiled at his almost pleased expression.

"Personally," she said as she sat down on the settee in the room. "I think we should continue the little game we started last night." Anari felt comfortable with Tyrion, so much so that she willingly let her guard down around him. With them being friends and knowing that Tyrion was on her side, Anari felt it would be alright to openly strategize with her husband.

"I wouldn't have taken you for the scheming sort," Tyrion mused with a smirk.

"Well, it appears I'm full of surprises," Anari teased back gently. "What do you think?" She questioned.

"I think that is a splendid idea," Tyrion replied. "Though, I think I can do you one better." He smirked wider as an idea formed. Shae watched quietly as the two conspired with one another, easy smiles plainly on their faces as they ignored her completely.