"Loyalty is no loyalty when it wavers."
- Lady Alerie of Houses Tyrell and Hightower.
The Tyrells have always been deceitful, even their spouses.
Lady Alerie of Houses Tyrell and Hightower has her alliances elsewhere..
By the Targaryens, and her d...
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THEY returned to the Red Keep, leaving Oberyn and Ellaria in the brothel. They would arrive 20 minutes after them, to raise no suspision.
"Go to our chambers, darling," Alerie tells the young princess, handing her her own travelling cloak. "And lay these, brushed off and folded, somewhere by our other cloaks."
"As you wish, my Lady," Laeherys replies, pulling off the hood of her own cloak. The girl throws the cloak over one of her arms and lifts her skirts as she runs to their rooms.
Lady Alerie smiles at her little girl, realising how much time has passed since she brought her from Dragonstone to Highgarden. She has grown so much, she thinks with pain in her heart.
The lady decides to take a stroll through the flower gardens and she was walking for a short time when two of the Lannister guards walk up to her. "Lady Tyrell?"
"Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you," Alerie asks, feeling anxious at seeing these two speak so openly to her. Something has happened during their absence, she was sure.
"King Tommen requests the Tyrell family in the throne room. We searched for you, but couldn't find you earlier." Alerie frowns at them. "That can be true, I was not present in the Red Keep earlier today. Why does King Tommen need me and my family," she asks cheekily. Unfortunately, the guards did not fall for her faked innocence.
"We do not know, milady. Now follow us," they order. One of them stands before her while the other one moves to stand behind her. It was as if she was a prisoner, Lady Tyrell thinks as they 'escort' her to the throne room.
The men open the two heavy doors to the throne room, leaving Alerie to wall down the line and join her family. She did not like this setting at all, she thinks as she silently walks her way between the lords and ladies of the court.
Lady Tyrell joins her husband's side and whispers to him. "What is going on here?" He leans to her ear to whisper back. "We don't know. The King just wanted to see our family."
Alerie and Mace stand down next to each other in silence with their two children and Mace's mother Olenna. King Tommen sits up straight in the Iron Throne, his grandfather Tywin at his side as the Hand. He also had his mother by his side. Jaime Lannister was not present and Tyrion was still in prison.
"Lord Tyrell, step forward with your family please," the 'King' orders. Alerie grabs her husband's hand and they walk to the middle of the room with their children, bowing down before the throne of their King.
"Your daughter Margaery was bethroted to my brother, now unfortunately deceased, to strenghten our Houses and bind us together in marital union. It is expected of me to marry Lady Margaery now-"
There is a silence in the room, everyone waiting to hear what their King would say. The boy sighs.
"My deepest apologies, Lord Tyrell, but I can not marry your daughter," the King says, shocking all of court. Including his own Hand. "Tommen, we need this alliance-" "Please wait a moment, grandfather. I am not yet done.."
The King looks at the Tyrells again, smiling slightly. He has a glint in his eyes that looks like guilt, but with a huge wave of excitement with it.
"I have decided on not marrying your daughter, knowing I can not make her happy as she deserves to be.. because my heart lies elsewhere. It lies with a more simple woman, close to a commoner. Guards, please bring her in."
The doors open again and two Lannister guards walk in, each holding one arm of a struggling Laeherys. Alerie's heart stops for a moment and ice fills her whole body. The poor girl was trashing in their grips, pleading them to relieve her.
"No... no," Lady Tyrell mutters as she sees how the guards pull her in. Tommen smiles kindly at her and waves his hand, an order to let go of Laeherys once she stands before his throne. She huffs and pulls on the sleeves of her dress that had rode up during the 'manhandling'.
"My heart lies with this beautiful woman before me, who I have angered and upset and I hope would forgive me. I shall marry no other than her and make no other my Queen than her," Tommen announces. Alerie was getting angry, and even more when she hears ladies sigh dreamily at his declaration of love.
This was not how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to marry Margaery, giving her family the power they need. They would send Laeherys to Sunspear when the time came for Viserys to take the Iron Throne.
"Tommen, please, this is madness," Laeherys pleads, "Marry Margaery and forget about what you might feel. Politics isn't feeling, it's logic." "Listen to the girl, Tommen, this will cause problems," his grandfather cuts in.
But Tommen was not convincable. He shakes his head, almost losing his crown during the process. "No, grandfather. I will not live for the rest of my life, knowing I could have had my love by my side. Laella, you shall be my wife, my Queen and my children's mother."
His attention redirects to the Tyrells. "That is where my plan comes in. You can choose. My love was Lady Tyrell's handmaiden, she is almost part of your family. You give her hand to me and be connected to the Crown through my marriage with her. Otherwise, I shall still marry Laella but without any ties to your House. Choose wisely," he says.
The young King smiles at Laeherys, who looks mortified. Lady Tyrell want to walk to her, but the guards shield her away. "You will not touch the King's bethroted," the tallest of them snarls.
"I am her Lady and I ask you to step aside," Alerie snaps back. On command of Tommen they let her pass and she hugs Laeherys.
The young girl bursts into tears as they latch onto each other. "I don't want to marry, Lady Tyrell. Please, are you able to do anything?" Alerie sighs, feeling utterly defeated. There was nothing she could do without openly defying the King, which is a wish for death.
"No, my darling. I think.. I think Tommen has you where he wants you to be." At that Laeherys' cries worsen to sobbing. Lady Tyrell runs her hand over the girl's back while listening to Lord Tywin and Cersei trying to convince Tommen otherwise.
"I won't listen, no matter how hard you try mother," Tommen snarls and he turns to Mace. "What is your decision, Lord Tyrell? Join our Houses or not?"
Alerie looks at her husband, who stares back. She reads his decision before he spoke it out. He needed this alliance, no matter over which back it will be.
"Your Grace, we, as House Tyrell, give you the hand of Laella, handmaiden of Lady Tyrell, in marriage in the hope to unite our Houses. May she grant you many children for the realm," Lord Mace says through gritted teeth.
"I accept the hand of maiden Laella as my wife and Queen. From this day until my last day," Tommen promises. He stares at Laeherys with a giant smile, though there was not much to smile about for the Targaryen girl, as her fate was now sealed with the families that murdered hers.
