"Always expect betrayal from the one you least expect, believe me, it will make the pain less painful." Advice from an old woman, Olenna of House Tyrell.
-------------
The Reach - High Garden.
Margaery stood in a corner, watching her parents, siblings and grandmother arguing with heated and somewhat rude words, mainly from her grandmother, Olenna. The girl could feel the tense atmosphere in the air.
Mace Tyrell, Lord of High Garden, Lord Paramount of the Mander, Defender of the Marches, High Marshal of the Reach, Warden of the South and head of House Tyrell, looked at his mother and asked with a slightly apprehensive tone:
"What are we going to do, Mother?"
Olenna looked at her cowardly son and was still amazed that such a stupid creature had come out of her womb. Letting out a weary sigh, she stared at him with a touch of coldness that made the Guardian of the South wince.
"Stop acting like a child. You're the fucking Guardian of the South, act like it, you big stupid green pig."
Mace just ducked his head and cringed like a little boy at his mother's words, something his wife, Alerie Hightower, found amusing. She laughed and held her husband's arm, gently comforting him.
"A raven has arrived from King's Landing. The king has invited House Tyrell to a tournament to commemorate Prince Joffrey's Name Day." With his wife's help, Mace spoke in an excited tone. In his eyes, this was House Tyrell's chance to get engaged to the crown prince of the Iron Throne.
Looking at the growing ambition in her son's eyes, Olenna let out another weary, helpless sigh.
"You stupid son, have you forgotten the news we received a week ago? How can you even consider going to King's Landing right now?" She spoke with a scolding tone, her face showing irritation at her son's thoughts. She couldn't understand why he had such great ambition while being mediocre in every sense of the word.
"But they're just rumors." Mace retorted, dissatisfied with his mother's hesitation.
His reply was met with Olenna's cane striking his body repeatedly. The old woman was livid with rage at that moment.
"Rumors? You say that hundreds of the same rumors are just damn rumors!" Olenna shouted, enraged. She really wanted to die at that moment so that she wouldn't have to stress about every silly thing her son said. Unfortunately, she had to stay alive, or her stupid son would destroy House Tyrell in less than ten years.
"Sorry, Mother!!! I'm not going to answer you anymore, just stop hitting me." Mace begged as he shielded his face with his fat arms.
Stopping beating her son when she heard his pleas, Olenna turned her gaze to her eldest grandson, Willas, and asked in a gentle tone:
"What do you think, Willas?"
"Reinforcing the border in the West and preparing for war." Willas didn't hesitate to answer.
His words brought a smile to Olenna's flabby lips. If Mace had at least 10% of his grandson's intelligence and wit, she wouldn't be so worried.
"Why?" she continued.
"Because with the news of Prince Targaryen and his dragon, along with his army of fanatics, it's only a matter of time before they come to Westeros. Anyone with a modicum of discernment knows that alliances must be formed now to resist the reconquest of the Targaryen dynasty." Willas replied calmly and gently.
"Tywin Lannister is a cruel and merciless man. Anyone who doesn't side with him will be exterminated." Finished the High Garden heir.
Turning to Mace, Olenna couldn't help but speak sarcastically:
"If you had 10% of Willas' intelligence, I could die in peace, knowing that House Tyrell would survive longer."
Mace bowed his head like a scolded child, which, strange as it was, eased the tension in the hall a little.
"You're right, Willas. The Old Lion is merciless. He'll slit our necks the moment we turn our backs on him." Olenna spoke calmly, before continuing:
"Unlike other Great Houses, we fought for House Targaryen in the rebellion twelve years ago. If Prince Targaryen is at all intelligent, he will know that an alliance with House Tyrell is more profitable and reliable than with other Great Houses."
She concluded firmly:
"We just need to wait and prepare to bend the knee at the right moment. We will remain the Guardians of the South. High Garden will not become another Harrenhal while I am alive."
"Can we trust this Prince Targaryen, Mother? Wouldn't it be better to marry Margaery off to Prince Joffrey?" Mace questioned, feeling that, as Lord of High Garden, he had the right to have his say.
"You fool." Olenna sighed, exasperated.
"House Baratheon looks strong, but it's not. It's in debt, practically bankrupt, owing millions to the Iron Bank and to us. Dorne will attack the Lannisters at the slightest opportunity. The Vale is powerful, but sparsely populated. House Tully is unable to control its vassals and is weakened. The North is strong, but difficult to rally quickly."
"My spies in King's Landing have already told me that Joffrey is madder than Aerys and crueler than Maegor. Tommen is a naïve child and too young to rule anything. Stannis is the heir presumptive, but nobody likes him."
"Renly is even worse. A pillow-biter can't be king. Five options for the Iron Throne, and all are unfit. That means that if a certain mad prince dies, House Baratheon will go to war for the succession."
"Westeros needs just one spark for the flames of war to consume the continent once again. And that spark is Aenar Targaryen and his dragon, who burned forty thousand men alive in less than fifteen bloody minutes." Olenna concluded, sitting back in her chair with a serene expression.
Olenna's words made Willas's eyes widen. For him, his grandmother's words meant only one thing: Prince Joffrey would die at any moment.
"Who will kill Prince Baratheon?" Willas asked in disbelief. Although, as his mother had said, House Baratheon was not at its peak, it was still the royal house of Westeros. Many respected it and had heeded Robert Baratheon's call.
Olenna rolled her eyes, her lips curving into a mischievous smile.
"I'm not saying that the little lion will die... But his death could be very convenient for many ambitious people."
Her smile sent a shiver through everyone in the room, including Margaery. No one doubted what would happen. The woman in front of them had earned the title of Queen of Thorns not only for her sharp tongue, but also for her ruthless intelligence.
"What are we going to do, Mother? What if Robert calls up his banners and marches into the Reach?" Mace asked cautiously. Even if Reach had vast resources and a large army, Robert was still king. He could summon hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
"If they attack, burn all the crops and let the pigs devour each other." Olenna said, cold and indifferent to the death of millions with her words.
The Reach was the granary of the Seven Kingdoms. They sold food at low prices to all the other territories. If the crops were burned, famine would spread across Westeros at alarming levels. Only those with fertile land could survive.
The North, for example, would be one of the worst affected. Even with Reach's help, they were already struggling to feed their population. Without this help, the situation would become untenable.
Olenna's strategy was clear: a cruel sacrifice to further weaken her enemies. She was willing to lose an arm if it meant cutting off both of her opponent's arms and legs.
Willas looked at his grandmother with admiration. Perhaps because he was young, he didn't yet have the same determination to make such a drastic decision. He could follow this strategy, but he would hesitate. He would never have the same coolness as Olenna.
Mace, on the other hand, shook his head repeatedly in denial. He couldn't even conceive of such a proposal. How much gold would House Tyrell lose by burning its crops? The number of Golden Dragons that would no longer enter their coffers was something he didn't even want to think about.
Watching her son shake his head and mutter to himself, Olenna didn't need to be a seer to understand his thoughts.
It left her speechless.
Was Mace really her son? Perhaps she had drunk too much and slept with her sister's husband... wait, she really had stolen her sister's husband and married him.
Putting these thoughts aside, Olenna smiled mischievously and muttered to herself:
"I'm really curious to see what happens to King's Landing if we stop supplying the city with food. Will they devour each other like starving pigs behind the walls?"
--------
Read more than advanced chapters in my Patre on!
Read more than 40 chapters ahead on Patreon. Two chapters are updated every day except Sunday.
P-atreon.com/GOTSW
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)