King Karl made no attempt to conceal what had happened at Crakehall.
Instead, he ordered the castle's maester to send ravens throughout the Seven Kingdoms, detailing every event exactly as it had occurred. There were no embellishments, no exaggerations, and no attempts to manipulate the story.
Everything was reported truthfully.
That included Margaery Tyrell's involvement and the secret dealings between House Tyrell and House Crakehall.
Now all that remained was to wait.
Wait for the reaction of the Seven Kingdoms.
Wait for his enemies to reveal their next move.
And wait for his own preparations to be completed.
The recent conflict had left his forces exhausted. Supplies needed to be gathered, defenses strengthened, and the soldiers of House Crakehall integrated into his growing army.
War was coming.
Everyone could feel it.
Yet during those few days of waiting, King Karl remained as busy as ever.
Scouts were dispatched daily toward Old Oak, gathering information on any military movements.
The reports they brought back were exactly what Karl had expected.
Highgarden had already acted.
An army of nearly three thousand men was stationed at Old Oak, including more than a thousand cavalry. And that number didn't even include the local forces of House Oakheart.
The commander of this host was none other than Ser Garlan Tyrell.
Known throughout the Reach as "Garlan the Gallant," he was the second son of Lord Mace Tyrell and Lady Alerie Hightower, as well as Margaery Tyrell's older brother.
Inside the great hall serving as his temporary court, Karl rested his chin on one hand while listening to the scout's report.
Once the knight finished, Karl dismissed him with a wave.
"So it's Garlan Tyrell leading the army."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I wonder whether Renly Baratheon intends to follow him to Old Oak."
The appearance of the Tyrell army surprised him slightly, though it remained within his expectations.
After all, if House Tyrell had truly intended to negotiate with him in secret, Renly could never have been the one to come personally.
Now that Karl had publicly revealed the truth of what happened at Crakehall, neither Renly nor House Tyrell could afford to remain passive.
As for Garlan Tyrell...
He was exactly the sort of opponent Karl had anticipated facing.
After a moment of thought, Karl turned toward the woman seated beside him.
Margaery Tyrell sat comfortably at his side, almost like the lady of the castle rather than a political hostage.
Karl raised an eyebrow.
"I'm curious, Lady Margaery."
"How exactly did you manage to stop Renly from coming here himself?"
"Would you care to enlighten me?"
At those words, the two Kingsguard standing nearby exchanged strange looks.
Ser Arys Oakheart and Ser Balon Swann had witnessed enough over the past few days to become thoroughly confused.
Karl had publicly exposed House Tyrell's schemes.
He had effectively taken Margaery captive.
And yet...
The way they interacted made them seem less like enemies and more like a married couple.
It was difficult to determine whether Margaery was a prisoner, an ally, or something else entirely.
Since the night House Crakehall's rebellion had been crushed, the relationship between the two had become increasingly unusual.
Every morning, Margaery calmly sat beside Karl while he handled state affairs.
She listened to reports.
Read letters.
Offered occasional advice.
And somehow, neither of them seemed bothered by the arrangement.
Faced with Karl's question, a complicated expression flashed across Margaery's face.
"I honestly don't know, Your Grace."
Her answer revealed nothing.
Karl merely smiled.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair.
Then he asked another question.
"If I defeat Renly on the battlefield, will you beg me to spare his life?"
The question was blunt.
Far too blunt.
Yet Margaery's expression remained perfectly calm.
She met Karl's gaze without hesitation.
"And what if he defeats you?"
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Then I will beg him to spare your life, my husband."
The hall instantly became silent.
Ser Arys Oakheart and Ser Balon Swann immediately focused on the opposite wall, pretending they had heard absolutely nothing.
Years of Kingsguard service had taught them many important lessons.
One of the most important was knowing when not to react.
Karl stared at Margaery for several seconds.
Then he burst into laughter.
A loud, genuine laugh.
He even slapped his thigh.
"Wonderful!"
"I like that answer."
His eyes sparkled with amusement.
"In that case, I've decided something."
"If I defeat Renly, I'll spare his life."
Margaery blinked.
Karl leaned back comfortably.
"And Lady Margaery..."
"You're remarkably clever."
His compliment was sincere.
Her answer had accomplished several things at once.
She had protected Renly without openly pleading for him.
She had avoided appearing weak.
And she had escaped every trap hidden within Karl's question.
Very few people could have managed that.
Karl laughed again before finally rising from his seat.
Looking toward the window, he stretched slightly.
"Hmm..."
"I think it's time."
He turned back toward everyone.
"We leave tomorrow."
Then another thought occurred to him.
"Also, I should probably recruit additional members for my Kingsguard."
He glanced toward Ser Arys and Ser Balon.
"Protecting both Lady Margaery and me must be exhausting."
"Your Grace!" Ser Arys immediately protested.
"We are not tired."
"It is an honor to protect you."
Karl chuckled.
Without replying, he patted the knight's shoulder and headed toward the door.
Unfortunately, he didn't get far.
The elderly maester of Crakehall hurried toward him carrying several letters.
Two guards followed closely behind, watching the old man carefully.
"Your Grace."
The maester bowed respectfully.
"There are letters requiring your attention."
Karl sighed dramatically.
The burdens of kingship never ended.
"Where are they from?"
The maester quickly sorted through the stack.
"A reply from Lord Tyrion Lannister at Casterly Rock."
"A letter from Highgarden."
"Another from Old Oak."
"And finally..."
His expression became slightly strange.
"A letter from King's Landing."
That immediately caught Karl's attention.
The letters from Casterly Rock, Highgarden, and Old Oak were expected.
The one from King's Landing was not.
The timing seemed odd.
It couldn't possibly be a response to the events at Crakehall.
Curious, Karl accepted the letters.
The seals remained unbroken.
The maester had clearly not read them.
Karl opened Tyrion's letter first.
As expected, most of it consisted of complaints.
Tyrion reported that several minor noble houses had offered their support, but none of the major Westerlands families had made any commitments.
Their hesitation was obvious.
Every line practically radiated frustration.
Karl couldn't help laughing.
Tyrion's irritation practically seeped through the parchment itself.
Yet beneath the complaints was genuine concern.
Tyrion worried that Karl's actions at Crakehall might frighten undecided nobles.
Legally, Karl had done nothing wrong.
Morally and politically, however, the situation was far more complicated.
Many lords would see his actions as ruthless.
And frightened lords often became rebellious lords.
Karl understood the concern.
Fortunately, that was a problem for another day.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)