read my new story : American Fast & Furious NSFW
The silence of the garden acted like an invisible wall, completely cutting off the music and noise from the banquet. Left behind were not just the roaring crowds, but the exhausting hypocrisy, calculations, and endless probing.
The two walked on opposite sides of the gray-white path, keeping a distance of at least three or four feet between them. This meant that whenever a branch stretched across the path, they had to duck or brush it aside.
The path ahead wound deeper into the darkness, giving no hint as to where it might lead.
Jon looked at the girl beside him, knowing he had to break the deadlock.
"Ahem." Jon cleared his throat to get her attention. "Lady Margaery, I have a question for you."
"Please, speak your mind, Lord Stark."
"Would you be willing to marry someone like me?"
Margaery paused for a moment, clearly not expecting Jon to be so direct. Her eyes darted to Jon, then to the path beneath her feet, then to the sky and the surrounding greenery.
"Is this a proposal, Lord Stark?" Margaery asked, a hint of playfulness in her tone.
"Yes, and no." Jon slowed his pace and turned to face her. "His Grace, King Stannis, hopes for our union. That way, Highgarden will commit more resources to help me take the Westerlands. In doing so, the King can eliminate a traitor, weaken Highgarden's influence by spending your resources, reward his subject, and punish House Tyrell for its previous opportunism. It kills many birds with one stone."
"So, this union is entirely the King's idea?" Margaery's voice turned cold.
"It would be hypocritical of me to say that. If I marry you, I stand to gain a great deal. Besides, you are very beautiful. I have no reason to refuse."
"You are certainly honest, Lord Duke." Margaery smiled, though her voice was as cool as the tea left out in the evening breeze. "Then what are you waiting for?"
"What?"
Margaery let out a very faint, scoffing laugh. "Force yourself on me. Right here. Wouldn't that leave my father with no choice?" Her famous brown eyes burned in the twilight, like two clusters of cold fire. "Just like how you clamped onto Lia and dragged her into the banquet."
Jon looked at Margaery's serious expression and realized he had underestimated her. But at the same time, a thrill ran through him—only someone like this was worthy of being his partner.
And yet you dared to follow me out here? Jon retorted in his mind. Out loud, he explained, "I don't want to do that. I'm a greedy man. I want your person, but I also want to conquer your heart. That is why I asked if you were willing to marry me."
Jon's answer seemed to surprise Margaery.
"And what if I say no?" she pressed.
"Then I will conquer the Westerlands on my own capability. It will just take a few more battles and a few more deaths."
"Meaning that with Tyrell help, you would take the Westerlands and Casterly Rock faster?"
"Exactly," Jon admitted frankly. With Highgarden's help, he wouldn't have to worry about logistics, and with the Tyrell army distracting the south, he could find an opportunity for a decisive battle much sooner.
"But Casterly Rock has never fallen," Margaery pointed out, raising a very practical and objective issue.
"The strongest fortresses are usually breached from within." Jon's answer was crisp and decisive, radiating immense confidence.
Margaery fell silent. They continued walking, but now they had both stepped onto the cobblestone path, closing the distance between them.
After a long while, Margaery asked, "Lord Stark, what do you think is the most important thing in a marriage?"
Jon pondered for a moment before speaking. "Bards and singers love to preach about love. But from what I've observed, for the common folk, bread, coin, fields, and a roof over their heads are what matter most. However, for people like you and me... I believe mutual elevation is the most important thing."
"Mutual elevation," Margaery repeated softly, as if weighing the significance of those two words. The scrutiny in her eyes melted away like ice, replaced by a clear, sharp look of recognition. "I believe you are right, Lord Stark."
A night breeze swept through the courtyard, stirring the curls on Margaery's forehead. They both fell silent for a moment, the only sounds being their breathing and the faint music from the distance.
That invisible three-foot barrier between them quietly dissolved in the silence. They still stood on opposite sides of the path, but a solid wall had been broken down.
They moved slightly closer as they reached the depths of the garden. Here, the sounds of the party were gone, replaced by the chirping of crickets in the flowerbeds.
Seeing that Margaery agreed with his values, Jon subconsciously began to paint a picture of the future for her. "If you are willing to marry me, then—"
"Lord Stark," Margaery interrupted him, a rare occurrence. "You don't need to promise anything. Promises made by others don't count; only what you fight for yourself truly belongs to you. That is the lesson my grandmother taught me."
"Lady Olenna is a wise woman," Jon nodded.
"Actually, the fact that I was willing to come out here with you is also likely my grandmother's intent. Lord Renly and Joffrey are dead, and Tommen's parentage has been exposed as shameful. She is allowing me to choose my own future."
As they talked and walked, they unknowingly passed through a low archway. The view suddenly opened up—they had stepped onto a section of the Red Keep's ramparts.
The entire city of King's Landing sprawled out beneath their feet. The lights of ten thousand homes looked like scattered stars, the darkness of Flea Bottom and the brilliance of the Red Keep weaving together into a massive, real-life tapestry.
They stood side by side, looking down at the city where they were about to stir up the winds of change. In this moment, there was no more probing. A solid, brand-new alliance, based on understanding and realistic interests, was quietly forged in the silence.
Just then, Jon caught a glimpse of movement in the shadows at the corner of the wall.
Soon, he sensed people approaching them.
"Your family is coming for you."
"Hmm?" Margaery looked around in confusion, seeing no one.
But soon, she heard the familiar calls. "Lady Margaery!"
"Lady Margaery, where are you?"
"Lady Margaery—"
Jon and Margaery's first date didn't get to end naturally.
Just as Margaery wanted to ask about the Wall, Garlan suddenly appeared with a search party. Using the excuse that Olenna wasn't feeling well, he whisked her away.
moments after Margaery and Garlan left, Davos found Jon and asked how the "battle" went.
Jon naturally couldn't reveal the true content of their conversation. He just gave a shy smile and said to Davos, "Ser, you know me. I... well, actually, this is the first time I've ever spoken to a girl alone. I've never been around women before."
Davos patted Jon on the shoulder, expressing his understanding. "Jon, it's not an easy task. But even if you don't end up marrying Margaery, His Grace will fight to get you a hefty dowry regardless."
"Mm. Please thank His Grace for me."
Seeing Jon agree, Davos still felt the need to offer some reassurance. "Jon, when I was young, I had no contact with nobles. I rose out of Flea Bottom. Thanks to the guidance of the gods, I am able to serve His Grace. Although you grew up in Winterfell, the gap caused by your bastard status must have been painful. The fact that we are here today is all due to His Grace's benevolence. His trust is our greatest honor."
"I understand what you mean, Ser Davos."
Jon knew Davos was worried. Now that Jon had the Stark name and a Dukedom, his horizons and threshold for desire had raised significantly. Davos feared he might develop... other ideas.
However, Jon didn't entirely agree with Davos.
Although his long-range raid to take King's Landing was partly to use Stannis's claim to achieve his own goals, Stannis was the biggest beneficiary of Jon's conquest. Fundamentally, Jon didn't owe him anything.
Right now, Stannis held the Crownlands and the Stormlands. In another timeline, he would be fleeing north in panic with a ragtag crew.
For a while now, Jon had been playing the role of a younger Ned Stark. Now, he had everything he wanted—the claim to the Westerlands and the marriage alliance with the Tyrells.
It was time to leave this castle and go conquer wider lands.
---
When Margaery returned to Olenna and Mace, Mace checked his daughter from head to toe, letting out a sigh of relief only after confirming not a single hair on her head was harmed.
"Father, I'm not hurt. Jon didn't do anything inappropriate," Margaery reassured Mace, while also putting her grandmother and brother at ease.
"Hmm, at least the boy has some rules," Olenna said, relaxing, though she sensed something else in her granddaughter's tone.
"Margaery, tell me. What did you talk about?"
Margaery looked into her grandmother's wise eyes, knowing she couldn't hide anything. She chose her words carefully. "This Jon is definitely not who he appears to be on the surface. He is an ambitious man. He told me his aspirations plainly."
Margaery's answer piqued the Queen of Thorns' interest, and she pressed for details.
Upon learning that Jon had so nakedly expressed his ambitions during their conversation, Olenna's evaluation of him rose significantly.
"So, he's made up his mind to attack the Westerlands?" Olenna asked.
Mace, however, offered a dissenting opinion. "The boy is all talk. If he wants the West, he has to take Casterly Rock. To take Casterly Rock, he has to get past the Golden Tooth. Tywin has probably fortified the Golden Tooth's defenses to be impenetrable by now. It would be a miracle if he could take it!"
Mace refused to believe Jon could take the Westerlands, let alone Casterly Rock.
The saying "Casterly Rock never falls" wasn't just empty words.
Not satisfied with just that, Mace continued, "Margaery, don't let that boy fool you. I promise I will find you a better husband in the future!"
Mace was still holding a grudge over the insults Jon had hurled at him from the city walls that day.
"Better? Can you name a better one? Whatever else he is, the boy is a Duke!" Olenna reminded him.
"But Harrenhal is a cursed place!"
"Then we'll pay to build him another one!" Olenna waved her hand as if rebuilding a castle was as easy as potting a plant.
"But the boy insulted me! He insulted me, and now he wants to marry my daughter? Where is the justice in that?!"
Mace finally voiced the part he couldn't accept.
Olenna wanted to argue, but putting herself in his shoes, she realized this really was a sticking point for Mace.
He wasn't just her son; he was Margaery's father, the Lord of Highgarden, and the Warden of the South!
So, Olenna softened her tone. "Mace, the child was just trying to survive. If you never see him again, you'll never have the chance to collect that debt."
Olenna knew her son; sometimes you had to stroke his ego. Sure enough, after his mother's comfort, Mace's anger dissipated considerably.
"Besides, if this Jon conquers the Westerlands... with all those gold and silver mines, do you think House Tyrell will lose out?" A shrewd light sparkled in Olenna's eyes.
"That—well, alright. But if he wants to marry Margaery, he must take Casterly Rock. If he can take Casterly Rock, then I have no objections." Mace stated his final condition with a touch of smugness.
"That is a bit excessive. How about this," Olenna thought for a moment before speaking. "If Jon takes Casterly Rock, the wedding will be held at Casterly Rock. If he fails to take the Rock, the wedding must be held at Highgarden!"
In Olenna's view, the worst-case scenario was Jon taking half the Westerlands. But for the Tyrells, that was actually the best outcome.
Stannis might want to use Highgarden's power to attack the West, but could he control how much effort Highgarden actually put in?
If Jon only took half the West, he would constantly rely on Highgarden's support to fight the Lannisters. The Tyrells could then use food and wealth to bring Jon under their thumb, turning him into a perfect tool for siphoning the West's gold mines.
Mace thought about it and agreed. However, he didn't think as far ahead as Olenna.
He just thought that if Jon wanted to marry Margaery, he had to come to Highgarden. And once he was at Highgarden, Mace would make that brat see exactly what House Tyrell was, and show him the majesty of the premier noble house of the South!