riverrcns:
though the bulk of his waking hours had been spent within the mines of dragonmont, rubbing soot - covered elbows with the common folk that laboured for a light purse of silver dragons and warm broth to fill their bellies, edmure had some insight on the current shift for power in the vale ─ both due to his close relationship with the hardyng champion and by his relations to the current ruling lord of the vale. if he had been slightly bitter at the lack of assistance from the valemen to their riverland neighbours, no one would know any better. ( the upwards curl of his mouth grew ever - so - slightly in an effort to conceal the harsh grimace that would have otherwise found home upon his features. it was still strange to speak of sweetrobin and lysa in a detached manner though he would strive to seem as unaffected by lost as lord garlan seemed to be. ) ❝ i will be sure to do so, when we travel up north. i do not doubt we will be here for much longer and the vale is within the path to winterfell. i can only hope that the lords of the vale with rally to this great cause, if not for anything else. ❞
there was a cleverness to the tyrell lord that made edmure feel quite foolish in comparison ─ as though garlan tyrell was privy to a secret that no one else knew, as though he was laughing at the tully lord beneath a guise of politeness. perhaps it was his own discomfort, his own insignificant feelings when compared to his royal nephew that left him in such a position with suspicion upon his mind. he would not think unkindly of lady margaery’s brothers, especially not if they were still expressing civil courtesies. ❝ the misfortune that has befallen lady margaery is a terrible thing indeed … i have only known your sister for a mere few weeks but she deserves a gentle match. ❞ after such horrendous husbands ─ though that, he wisely keeps unsaid. one was a king of frivolous desires and the other was rumoured to be a beast alongside being a bastard. if the tyrells were looking for another king, surely robb would outrank both renly and joffrey baratheon.
❝ ah, well. i did say that i am biased. ❞ a burst of controlled laughter, as though he means to give the impression of a composure he did not possess. ❝ though a man of the sword may not call this a fault … my nephew has had prospects for marriage before. ❞ the dreadful outcome of such arrangements with the freys were better left unsaid. ❝ he has declined all of them in favor of focusing on the battlefield. i suspect he would never cease to fight for the north till freedom is obtained and while admirable, it would not make for an attentive husband. ❞ to even speak of it seemed wrong and edmure shifted from one foot to the other in minor discomfort. ❝ the northern part of the realm is rather … harsh and singularly minded. it is both a blessing and a flaw. ❞
The sooner that the Vale was out of the clutches of Littlefinger, the better off all of them would be. That, Garlan was certain of. Yet he could not bring himself to care in a personal manner. There was little lost in the Vale and his family had given the Royces enough of their gold for Loras’ follies. But speaking of family matters was none of his business and the custody of Lord Arryn would fall under family matters even if it was also of a political curiosity. “Has a new Lord Protector been named?” he asked, curious as to who held the power. It would make sense if Robert Arryn’s guardian were such, though he could not imagine the lords of the Vale allowing an outsider to wield such influence. He shook his head. “The men of the Vale are men of honor. They might have been influenced by others in rallying to your nephew’s cause, but hopefully that hindrance no longer exists. They will rally to the cause in the North; their honor will demand it.”
If Edmure thought Garlan was clever, it was only because Garlan felt as if he had the upper hand in their conversation. He enjoyed a nice jape, though this one was going on longer than he’d thought. Perhaps Lord Tully would be an acceptable match, he thought to himself as they continued to converse. “That she does,” he said politely, his eyes narrowing upon the other man’s expression. “She has seen much more than most people her age.” Garlan sniffed. “And has unfortunately been matched to those who are less than worthy.” Lips thinned. “But now that the decision is left to Willas, that mistake will not be made again.”
Edmure’s laugh elicited a smile from Garlan and he shook his head in amusement, acknowledging Lord Tully’s words for what they were. “That you did,” he drawled, knowing he’d been warned early on regarding the other man’s bias. Lips flickered in a smirk, though there was little amusement in it. How could anyone show amusement toward the Red Wedding? In a way he supposed he could not blame the Freys for feeling slighted, though of course the actions of such emotions were of the most horrific he’d heard of in his entire life. Garlan threw the thoughts from his mind as he listened to Edmure, nodding his head. “Aye, I can see where that is problematic,” he agreed. “I would not wish for my sister to be an amusement or always second-best. She is the jewel of our house; Willas and I would have her appreciated for her mind more than her political power.” He shook his head again. “It is that. It is rather insular, I’ve heard.”
Garlan wondered, as they spoke, if Lord Tully had any idea of how much he was having him on. Honestly, the idea of Margaery marrying the North? Such a thought was beyond his comprehension.















