KINGDOM FALL
— 22. Olenna Tyrell

That same day, Annalys was able to order Lady Jeyne to stay in her room with Podrick while she was off to meet with Olenna. Of course, on the way there, Loras Tyrell insisted on escorting Annalys, despite Bronn being forced to follow close behind her as her sworn shield.

Annalys had a fake smile on her face as she and Loras locked arms while walking through the gardens. She found it amusing that he hadn't even realized that she was using him. Bronn followed behind them, looking to be feeling just as annoyed as Annalys was to be there. Annalys just did a better job at hiding it.

"I believe you grow more beautiful every day, Princess Annalys," Loras complimented Annalys, who gave him a tight lipped smiled.

"You are too kind, Ser Loras," She replied, rolling her eyes when he wasn't looking, which caused Bronn to smirk in amusement when he saw it, "But fake indeed. Who told you to try and woo me? Your father? My grandmother?"

Loras sighed in defeat, his smile immediately fading, "Both." He confessed, knowing there was no use in lying to her now.

"Well, enough of that. There's no need. For the sake of us both, I'll make sure this betrothal ends very soon." She explained to him coldly, causing Loras to frown in confusion.

He attempted to open his mouth to speak, but before he could, Margaery walked closer to the duo, "You're such a dear." She told her brother, complimenting him for kindly escorting Annalys over.

"I'll take my leave," He told his sister before turning to Annalys and bowing to her, "Princess Annalys."

"Thank you, Ser Loras," She kindly told the man, despite it being fake, "We'll finish our conversation later?"

Loras nodded, "Most definitely." He replied, turning on his heel and leaving.

Once he was gone, Annalys turned to Bronn, giving him the look that told him to get lost. He sighed in defeat, rolling his eyes before walking away.

  Once he was gone, Margaery locked arms with Annalys, a smile on her face. She led her to a patio in the gardens that was filled with maids. "Come," She told Annalys, stopping when they reached where Olenna sat on the patio, "Princess Annalys, it is my honor to present my grandmother the Lady Olenna of House Tyrell."

"It's so good of you to visit me and my foolish flock of hens. We're very sorry for your losses, especially your husband." Olenna explained to Annalys, who continued look calm and content.

"And I was sorry when I heard of Renly's death, Lady Margaery. He was my favorite of the Baratheon brothers," She paused, a smile forming on her lips, "I dare say I liked him more than Robert himself. Renly was very..." She trailed off, trying to find the right word, "Gallant."

"Gallant, yes. And charming and very clean," Olenna explained to Annalys, "He knew how to dress and smile and somehow this gave him the notion he was fit to be king."

Annalys wanted to laugh at how right Olenna was, but decided against it, "Tell me about it," She muttered under her breath, much to Olenna's amusement, "It seems any man these days thinks he has what it takes to be king."

"I think I'm actually starting to like you," Olenna commented, enjoying how honest Annalys was, "Finally, someone who is truthful and isn't trying to kiss my ass. Someone who finally agrees with me about Renly, too."

"Renly was brave and gentle, Grandmother," Margaery spoke up politely when she heard the way she spoke of her former husband, "Father liked him and so did Loras."

"Loras is young and very good at knocking men off horses with a stick," Olenna argued, causing Annalys to quietly laugh, "That does not make him wise. As to your fathead father--"

"Grandmother!" Margaery scolded Olenna, clearly worried that she would be giving Annalys the wrong impression when in truth, it was quite the opposite, "What will the princess think of us?"

"What I think is you lot have some wits about you," Annalys finally spoke up, causing Olenna to smile slightly, "Which is a relief. You're honest, which is very much needed in a city filled with liars. Robert Baratheon had two 'sons' and Renly had an older brother. He barely had any claim to that stupid iron chair."

Annalys gave Olenna a tight-lipped smile, knowing for a fact that Tommen and Joffrey weren't his.

"You're right and if it were up to me, my family should have stayed well out of all of it," Olenna confessed, clearly annoyed about the whole Renly-Margaery ordeal, "But once the cow's been milked, there's no squirting the cream back up her udders. So here we are to see things through. What do you say to that, Annalys? Would you like some wine? It's fresh from my homeland at the Arbor. Arbor golden."

Annalys' eyes widened at the offer. Arbor Golden was the best wine in the Seven Kingdoms, and also Annalys' second favorite. Her most favorite was Dornish wine.

  "Wine's my favorite," She informed Olenna, only to sigh in defeat when she recalled what she and Jeyne read in the Maester's book about drinking wine while pregnant had the chance of being harmful if you drank too much, "But I'll have to decline, My Lady."

"What about Lamprey Pie?" Olenna asked Annalys curiously, "I'm told they're your favorite since you've returned to the capital."

Annalys smiled at Olenna politely, "I'd love some Lamprey Pie," She responded without hesitation.

Growing impatient, Olenna turned to the servant, annoyed, "Are you going to bring the food or do you mean to starve us to death?" She asked with an attitude, "Here, Annalys, come sit with me. I'm much less boring than these others."

"I can see that and I am glad, my lady," Annalys smiled at the elder woman as they both moved to a table away from the maids.

"Do you know my son? The Lord of Highgarden?" Olenna questioned Annalys curiously.

"I haven't had the pleasure." Annalys admitted, shaking her head.

"No great pleasure, believe me. A ponderous oaf. His father was an oaf as well. My husband, the late Lord Luthor. He managed to ride off a cliff whilst hawking. They say he was looking up at the sky and paying no mind to where his horse was taking him. And now my son is doing the same, only this time he's riding a lion instead of a horse." She explained to Annalys, who was slightly taken aback by her words,"Now I want you to tell me the truth about our king, this Joffrey."

Annalys' eyes widened, beginning to put on a show with her playing the 'victim', "I--I--" Annalys forced herself to stammer, but Olenna was quick to cut her off.

"Enough of that," Olenna interrupted her in annoyance and Annalys tried her hardest not to smirk, "Who else would know him better than his elder sister? We've heard some troubling tales. Is there any truth to them? Has this boy mistreated you?"

Annalys remained silent, looking down in shame as she continued to play like she was a victim, "Has he ripped out your tongue?" She asked Annalys, who quickly shook her head as she forced tears to form in her eyes on purpose, "How kind is he? How clever? Has he a good heart, a gentle hand?"

"I'm to be his wife in a few days time," Margaery added in to the conversation, causing Annalys to quickly glance at her, "I only want to truly know what that means."

The conversation was cut for a moment as a servant arrived with their food, "Bring me some cheese," Olenna ordered and the servant frowned in confusion.

"The cheese will be served after the cakes, my lady." The servant informed Olenna in a calm tone.

"The cheese will be served when I want it served. And I want it served now." Olenna demanded in a stern tone and Annalys tried her best to continue looking sad as the servant scurried off to fetch Olenna her cheese.

Once the servant was gone, Olenna turned toward Annalys, who now had tears rushing down her face, all of which happened to actually been forced, "Are you frightened, child?" She questioned Annalys, who finally looked her in the eye, "No need for that. We're only women here. Tell us the truth. No harm will come to you."

Knowing she couldn't start her plan with Margaery there, Annalys slowly turned to the woman who was going to be her sister in law soon enough, either through Annalys' brother or by Annalys marrying Loras, "I wish to speak to Lady Olenna alone. If that's alright with you."

Margaery frowned, looking hesitant to leave. She slowly turned to look toward Olenna, who gestured for her to leave. The Tyrell girl sighed in defeat, turning on her heel before leaving. Annalys watched her leave and once she was far enough away that she couldn't hear what she said, Annalys turned back to face Olenna.

With that, Annalys lifted her hands, wiping the tears from her face. Once doing so, she looked directly at Olenna, any sign of sadness or innocence now gone from the princess' face as if she had never been crying,

"Good. Now, we can speak freely." She spoke up, causing Olenna to be taken aback by Annalys' change in mood.

A slightly impressed grew on Olenna's face, realizing that Annalys had staged the entire thing, "There's more than what meets the eye, isn't there?" She commented and Annalys nodded her head in response.

"Very much so," Annalys took a bite of her pie, just before she looked back over at Olenna, "My brother Joffrey is a monster. To the people around him, he may seem to be charismatic and alluring, but he is a spoiled brat who will ruin the Seven Kingdoms the first chance he gets. He's the reason the last war started in the first place," She paused, beginning to explain everything there was that needed to be known about Joffrey, "When he was younger, I watched as he killed small animals for fun. But now, as he's become king, I've heard whisperings that he killed two whores in his bedroom with his crossbow for the fun of it." She informed Olenna, who was clearly taken aback by the revelation, "Joffrey cannot remain on the throne for much longer. He will destroy the Seven Kingdoms as we know it. I refuse to stand back and watch that happen."

"What do you expect us to do about it? Put you on the throne?" Olenna asked, letting out a large scoff, "We can't. You still have a brother. Tommen."

"I don't want the throne." Annalys argued, shaking her head.

"Then, what do you want?" Olenna questioned, knowing by the look on Annalys' face that there was at least one thing Annalys wanted.

"I want to see my mad little brother die a slow and painful death," Annalys told Olenna without hesitation, "If he dies, Tommen will become king and that is what we all need."

"He is but a boy." Olenna argued, disagreeing with Annalys, "He's no more than twelve."

"Aye, a boy that everyone around will try to control. I mean to get there first," She responded to Olenna, who was slightly shocked by the revelation, "I am his sister. He will listen to me. I will make sure he does what is right during his reign."

Olenna scoffed, clearly skeptical of Annalys' plan, but that was only because she didn't know the entirety of it, "Do you truly believe that will work with Tywin Lannister as his Hand?" She complained, "With him at your brother's side, there's no way you'll be able to get near him."

"Who said Tywin Lannister would remain as Hand of the King?" Annalys suddenly asked, much to Olenna's shock.

The Tyrell woman remained silent for a long moment, stunned speechless by the girl's words, "I'm impressed," She complimented Annalys after a moment of silence, "It seems you have it all figured out. How long did it take you to make up this plan?"

"As long as it took me to take my morning piss," Annalys remarked and despite it being far too descriptive for Olenna, she was shocked by the short time span, "Now, do we have a deal?"

"How do you expect us to get rid of Joffrey?" Olenna asked Annalys skeptically, "My granddaughter is due to marry him in a few days."

Annalys remained silent for a long moment as she took off her necklace. She dangled it from her fingers in front of Olenna, which showed Olenna that small purple jewels hanging from it, "With this."

"And what is a purple gemstone necklace going to do?" Olenna questioned with an attitude, "Flatter him to death?"

"It's poison," Annalys snapped at Olenna, clearly shocking the woman yet again, "Your granddaughter will marry my brother. But during the celebration, you're going to take one of the gems from my necklace and slip it into Joffrey's wine. The two of us will stand there, watching as Joffrey begins to choke. He'll begin to claw at his neck, foam and bile spilling from his mouth. His eyes will turn red and his skin purple. His death will be painful, but it will be a pretty sight to watch."

"You're just as ruthless and wicked as your mother, aren't you?" Olenna found herself asking Annalys, who remained silent and didn't answer her, "I was told you were nothing like her and that the only thing you shared with her was your looks. But as you stand here now, I see that you're just like her. You just do a better job hiding it. It seems that is the main reason many people underestimate you."

Annalys shifted uncomfortably in her seat, knowing it wasn't a good thing for someone to compare her to her mother. It was far from it, "Do we have a deal or not?" She retorted, growing impatient, which was a first for Annalys.

"We do," She replied, much to Annalys' relief, "I'll meet you again before the wedding. We'll discuss the rest then."

_____

Days later, it was finally time for Joffrey's wedding and Annalys couldn't have been happier. It meant he was finally going to die. Podrick had been sent off by Annalys to go spend time with Bronn, who was with Tyrion while Annalys was getting dressed for the wedding.

Annalys stood in the middle of her room while Jeyne knelt in front of her, helping her with her corset, "Where did you even get this...object?" She awkwardly asked Jeyne, "I've never heard of a maternity corset before."

"I bought it from a man from Volantis," Jeyne informed Annalys in a calm tone, "He was here selling some new products he invented. I saw the maternity corset and I thought it would be great for you. It laces in the front instead of the back and it also helps conceal your growing belly." She paused, standing up to meet Annalys at eye view once she finished lacing the corset, "Let's hope your husband arrives before you truly start to show."

Annalys' eyes widened in alarm, taken aback by Jeyne's statement, "How did you--" She began to say, only to have Jeyne cut her off.

"I am your handmaiden. I know more of your secrets than the rest of this castle does," Jeyne vaguely informed Annalys, a small smiling forming on her lips, "And it's not like it isn't obvious. Why else would you return while pregnant? You must know that he's coming for you. But is it before or after you kill your brother and the Mountain?" She questioned Annalys, who found herself not bothered by what Jeyne asked.

If Jeyne wasn't someone Annalys could trust, she would have already told people about what she had learned. And out of the three people she was forced to spend most of her days with, Annalys enjoyed Jeyne's company the most. Podrick was too formal and polite while Bronn wasn't as fun as he would be if Annalys could get truly drunk with him.

Jeyne picked up Annalys' dress, already beginning to help the princess place it on, "My brother dies today," She suddenly informed Jeyne, who froze for a moment in shock, "Are you upset?"

"Why would I be upset?" Jeyne complained, letting out a loud scoff, "Your brother is a monster. It would do the people of Westeros some good to watch him die."

Annalys found herself smiling slightly, glad that Jeyne agreed with her. The handmaiden began to smooth out Annalys' sleeves, making sure they were loose and long enough for the Lannister woman to hang at her front to hide her stomach, "What about the Mountain?" Jeyne found herself asking quietly.

"He'll die a fortnight later once I have Loras Tyrell wrapped around my little finger," She responded, causing Jeyne to give her a confused look, "I plan to use him as a distraction while I kill the Mountain from behind," She paused, watching as Jeyne nodded her head in understanding, "Anything else you'd like to ask? Because we won't get another moment like this alone after my brother dies. My brother Tommen will become king and that'll make me heir to the Iron Throne because he's far too young to have kids anytime soon."

Jeyne was silent for a moment, hesitant to ask her question. She sighed in defeat and then finally decided to speak up, "There are rumors spreading around, that Stannis Baratheon plans to attack King's Landing in due time. They say he has far more men than he did before, but no one can understand how," She explained, a sad look growing on Annalys' face, "Has your husband sided with him?"

"It's my fault," Annalys confessed, tears forming in her eyes, "I found out the Red Wedding was going to happen several days before it actually occurred. I gained supporters from the Brotherhood Without Banners and Stannis. When my husband and I were on the verge of dying, Stannis came with his men, along with the Brotherhood. I pledged to him in order for it to happen. I promised him that I'd come to King's Landing and work from the inside while he and my husband prepped for a siege. I came here to kill Joffrey, so that I may gain Olenna Tyrell's support. I plan to kill the Mountain, to gain Oberyn Martell's support in order for him to keep my sister safe in Dorne. I plan to kill Tywin Lannister, to gain everyone's support."

Jeyne frowned in concern, noticing the saddened look on Annalys' face, "You don't seem happy about killing your grandfather." She realized and Annalys nodded her head in agreement.

"At first, I wanted nothing more than to see him dead, but now I've gained his favor and I feel proud to be a Lannister. He wants me to be Lady of Casterly Rock and to lead his armies. Do you know how good it feels to have Tywin Lannister, of all people, impressed by you?" Annalys confessed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "And now that I'm back with my family, I feel as though I can't betray them. Not even Tywin. If I can't save them, Jaime and Tommen will be the first to die. Jaime used to be their prisoner and the North still wants his head on a spike. And Tommen..." She trailed off, a single tear falling down her cheek, "Tommen will be king when Stannis arrives and there's a chance he'll want to kill him, but I won't let that happen. I won't let any of them die."

"But you can't betray Robb either," Jeyne responded, realizing what was happening, "Because you're carrying his children."

Annalys silently cried, nodding her head, "I have no clue what I'm going to do to, Jeyne. Stannis will take the Iron Throne, but what of my family? What of the rest of the people of King's Landing?" She asked desperately, "What about you?"

"It'll be exactly what Queen Cersei said during the Battle of Blackwater," Jeyne informed Annalys, who nearly forgot that Jeyne had been there, "The women will be locked in the crypts with a few guards. But if Stannis gets through, many of them will be raped. Your family will be slaughtered and most of the men fighting for us will die as well."

  A sad look grew on Annalys' face at the thought, "The Northmen wouldn't do that," She argued, shaking her head frantically, "I ruled over them alongside Robb. They wouldn't rape the women. Robb wouldn't let them do that."

"Will your husband be watching over his men to see what they do?" Jeyne asked with an attitude, "No, he will be looking for you and nothing else. He's doing this for you. What his men and Stannis' men do means nothing to him."

"You sound as though you know him," Annalys confessed, her voice just above a whisper.

"I know that a man who loves his wife as much as Robb is said to love you would do just that," Jeyne pointed out to Annalys in a soft tone, "Hopefully, you'll be able to get to Robb in time to have him call his men off before they have time to harm the ladies of the court."

   A sad look grew on her face when she saw the tears forming in Jeyne's eyes as she looked over Annalys' dress to make sure it was presentable. She was scared, Annalys could see that.

  "Hey," Annalys spoke up, grabbing Jeyne by the hand, which forced her to look upon the princess, "I won't let them harm you. I promise you that. My Grandfather will have me leading the Lannister armies alongside him. Tommen will be there as well because he will be king. If they get through, I'll take Tommen and then I will come to get you and my mother."

"What about your husband?" Jeyne asked Annalys in confusion, "Don't you want to reunite with him? You haven't seen him in months."

"My family matters more," Annalys replied without hesitation and Jeyne was taken aback by the princess considering her family, "I will make sure you get out safely. If Tywin's dead, I'll be lady of Casterly Rock. I will take you all there myself if I have to," She paused, a saddened look on her face, "Robb won't be able to control me. He rules the North, not the Westerlands and I am no longer his wife or his queen. My children will be born bastards," She explained, sighing in defeat, "But that isn't what matters at the moment. All that matters to me is keeping my family safe."

There was a knock at the door, causing Annalys and Jeyne's conversation to be cut short, "I'll see you at the wedding," Jeyne told Annalys, a small smile on her face, "Good look at the royal breakfast."

Annalys chuckled softly, "I will need it," She responded, just before she walked toward the door.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Damn! Now you know how Annalys feels about the upcoming battle.

She plans to help her family escape. She plans to protect them with the power she'll soon have over the Westerlands.

What do you guys think will happen?