Margaery raised an eyebrow, a knowing spark in her eyes. "Oh. I see. Did he keep you both awake?"
"At the same time," Roslin squeaked from the corner, burying her face in her hands.
Sansa's cheeks turned crimson. "It wasn't planned," she said quickly, her proper Northern upbringing fighting a losing battle against the memory of last night. "I thought she was asleep. But then she woke up, and he just... pulled her in. And we didn't stop him." She swallowed hard, looking down at her hands. "It's just incredibly awkward..."
Margaery just laughed. It was a light, easy sound that made both girls look up in surprise.
"Awkward?" Margaery asked, shaking her head. A wicked, delighted smile spread across her face. "I think it sounds very much thrilling."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the heavy wooden table, her brown eyes dancing with amusement. "In fact, I'm a little insulted I was left out."
Sansa choked on her own breath. "What?"
Margaery reached out and picked up her quill, twirling it casually between her fingers. "I spent the whole afternoon with him by the waterfall. If I had known he still had that much energy left for the night, I would have skipped this boring logistics meeting entirely and stayed in the tent."
She looked back and forth between the two shocked girls.
"Next time," Margaery said, her voice dropping into a smooth, teasing whisper, "don't forget to invite me in. Let's be honest... taking him on all by yourself is exhausting. His stamina is completely unnatural. It is much smarter for us to just share the work."
Roslin let out a tiny, overwhelmed squeak and hid her face again behind a stack of parchment. Sansa just stared at the Tyrell Queen, completely speechless, her face now as red as her own hair.
Roslin let out a tiny, overwhelmed squeak and hid her face again. Sansa just stared at her, completely speechless, her face now as red as her hair.
Margaery laughed again, highly amused by their reactions, and went right back to checking her grain manifest as if nothing had happened.
The pavilion settled back into a somewhat normal rhythm. Margaery scratched out another line on her manifest, letting the comfortable silence stretch for a few minutes while Sansa and Roslin cooled down.
Then, she set her quill down again.
"Speaking of sharing the work," Margaery said, her tone shifting from playful to entirely practical. "I made a suggestion to Alaric yesterday. About Cersei's daughter, Myrcella."
Sansa looked up, her brow furrowing slightly at the mention of a Lannister. "What about her?"
"I told him to take her," Margaery said casually, folding her hands on the table. "As someone to warm his bed."
Roslin peeked over her ledger, her eyes going wide again. "The Lannister princess? As a bedwarmer?"
"Exactly," Margaery nodded, completely unfazed. "Think about it logically. Alaric is very active, and he literally doesn't tire. It won't be long before one of us becomes pregnant. In fact, given how much time he spends with all of us, it is very likely we might all end up heavy with child at the exact same time."
Sansa's cheeks pinked slightly again, but she didn't argue. It was the truth.
"When that happens," Margaery continued, her voice completely serious, "we won't be able to keep his bed warm. And I refuse to see my King seeking out any women who is not in my knowledge or whores to satisfy himself just because his wives are heavy with child. It looks bad, and it invites spies. If he is going to have another woman, it needs to be someone we know about."
Margaery tilted her head, looking at the two of them. "Myrcella fits perfectly. Taking her breaks Tywin Lannister's pride, and it keeps Alaric completely satisfied at home."
Sansa sat back in her chair. She looked down at the troop reports, thinking about the golden-haired girl who used to sit at the high table in the Red Keep.
"It isn't a bad idea," Sansa said slowly.
Margaery watched her closely. "You don't mind? I know what her family did to yours."
"I mind Cersei. I mind Joffrey," Sansa corrected, her voice steady. "But Myrcella isn't like them. When I was trapped in that castle, she was actually kind to me. She has a sweet attitude. She is innocent, and she is very beautiful. She doesn't have the Lannister cruelty in her."
Roslin nodded quickly from the corner of the table. "If Sansa says she is a good girl, then it makes sense. A man has needs. It is much better to have someone safe in the tent..."
Margaery smiled, pleased that they both saw the logic in it.
While the girls planned in the pavilion, Alaric walked across the busy camp toward the base of Aegon's High Hill.
Beneath the smooth, melted green glass of the crater, a few of the deepest, oldest cellars had survived the explosion. They were damp, freezing, and completely cut off from the sunlight.
Two towering Blood Knights stood guard before a heavy oak door built directly into the side of the hill. When they saw Alaric approaching, they didn't speak. One of them simply stepped aside and pulled the heavy door open. The rusted hinges scraped loudly in the quiet tunnel.
Alaric grabbed a heavy wooden chair that was sitting in the corridor. He dragged it inside the cell and set it down on the damp stone floor.
The air inside smelled of wet earth and smoke. Cersei Lannister sat on a small stone bench in the corner. Her torn crimson dress was completely black with soot. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was a tangled mess. Tommen was asleep, his head resting in her lap. Myrcella sat on the cold floor right next to them, leaning against her mother's leg.
Alaric sat down in the wooden chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked at them.
Cersei didn't glare at him. She just pulled Tommen a little closer to her chest.
"Take them to the next cell," Alaric said, looking over his shoulder at the Blood Knight standing in the doorway. "Leave us alone."