[Chapter Size: 3300 Words.]
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Pessoa Thrid POV
Westeros, 295 AC.
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With Jon heading to the training yard, Seryna and Arya accompanied Lady Margaery, who walked gracefully with her dress swaying as they were joined by Tyrell and Artican guards. In the midst of silence, Lady Margaery addressed Seryna, "I hope you are enjoying your stay at Highgarden." She commented, hoping the place was to her liking.
Seryna stared at her for a second... "It's a beautiful place... the most beautiful we've been in Westeros, but the people here aren't very nice." She spoke sincerely, after all, Jon had killed that arrogant man, but in short, he lost his life over greed.
"I heard about what happened..." Margaery commented, "...heard that Jon Artica fought bravely in a fair combat and won with honor." She spoke with a noble tone,
"Jon didn't even play with him..." Arya responded from the side, after all, it couldn't even be considered a fight.
Margaery was surprised by this and began to laugh. "You are as they say, Lady Stark," She commented.
"What do you mean?" Arya raised an eyebrow at that.
"Everyone is talking about your enchanting beauty, but there are also rumors about you being a wolf, some have said they saw you training among the men, which is quite different from what we are used to when it comes to a woman of high nobility, especially someone who possesses your beauty," Margaery laughed at this.
"I like to be this way, I prefer wearing armor to a dress." She didn't hesitate to comment as they were entering a well-maintained garden.
"That's wonderful, I would love if we could go riding later," Margaery commented with a small smile.
Arya seemed surprised by this. "You ride?" She looked strangely at a southern noblewoman engaging in such an activity.
"Why the surprise...?" Margaery gave a small smile to Arya.
Arya spoke sincerely with this question. "It's just hard to believe that a southern lady would ride a horse..." She commented curiously, looking at the woman a few years older than herself. "Sansa always said that was for knights and men, since a lady's place is always being a good wife to her husband, doing activities like sewing, dancing, singing, among other things," She spoke, looking at Margaery with some intensity, thinking she was more different than she imagined.
Margaery laughed at that. "Well, there's nothing stopping me from riding a horse, even though I am accustomed to my dresses..." She smiled at this comment and shifted her gaze to a melancholic one. "My older brother taught me to ride when he could, and my twin Loras and I continue to do it together, riding through the pastures of Highgarden. It's very pleasant. Hence, I would like to invite you both later for it," she said, referring to both Arya and Seryna.
"That's fine, we can do that after my training..." Arya said with a proud tone and Margaery raised an eyebrow at that. She was about to ask, but Seryna was quicker in explaining.
"Our little Arya hopes to enter the archery competition at the tournament, that's why she's training in the camp every day..." She commented calmly, but keeping a small smile for the young girl.
"In the archery competition?" Margaery seemed quite surprised by that, after all, there were no women competing, there were all kinds of people in the competition, though not by any means the premier event of the tournament... still, there were as many nobles as common folk who paid their entrance hoping to win the tournament or to stand out to some knight, mainly the youths hoping to become squires.
"She hopes to enter the event.... Jon says he'll see about that later talking with his brother, or rather... with his grandmother," Seryna said with a peculiar look at Margaery, after all, Jon had already talked and it was quite clear that Olenna was the one who called the shots in the Tyrell family.
"Well, you'll have an opportunity to talk to her soon," Margaery commented as they continued walking. A garden began to appear around them as they approached the castle, entering from the side, not the main entrance, but rather a place exclusive for the plantation that the family liked to take care of personally, and Margaery had a great touch in the area.
"This is our garden," she commented as various flowers began to appear around them. "I love taking care of this place, my grandmother doesn't look after it anymore, but my mother and I are here every possible day..." she said with satisfaction.
"How interesting, it is really beautiful and well-maintained," Seryna had to admit. "We also have a small garden at our home, not this size, but one that I tend near the Woods trees," she mentioned, after all, it was an activity she picked up in the first weeks of her pregnancy.
"You have Weirwoods?" she couldn't help but be surprised by that, after all, Margaery heard the word in plural and sacred trees were quite rare, so it was natural for her to be quite curious.
"Yes, we have an entire grove of them, there must be at least a thousand," Seryna said, causing Margaery to look at her quite shocked and incredulous. Jon had never told his wife how many trees he and the children of the forest had planted, but to cover the entire great Weirwood, she believed this was the approximate number.
"1000?" She couldn't help but exclaim and continued. "We only have one in Highgarden... but I doubt there are more than 200 below the North... If we gather all that are still remnants from the old era," she commented, referring to the history of Westeros, where the first men, who fought against the children of the forest, began to cut them down.
"Yes, Artica is a special place, there's no place in the world that has such a large amount of sacred trees for our gods..." Seryna commented with some pride.
"Don't forget about the Grand Weirwood..." Arya spoke from the side.
"What is that?" Margaery looked at the young girl.
"The largest Weirwood in the world, so big that we live inside it..." Arya laughed at her own comment.
"Hm?! You're saying you live in a tree?" The noble Tyrell couldn't help but exclaim.
"The tree is over 100 meters at this time! So yes." She spoke, and Seryna gave her a somewhat cautious look. After all, she couldn't easily pass on information about the kingdom, but as expected, the young Tyrell seemed not to believe it.
After all, who would believe there would be a tree so large it would surpass all the castles of Westeros, even Harrenhal which was 90 meters tall... it was hard to believe such words. Arya noticed Seryna's look and immediately fell silent, while Margaery seemed oblivious to this, thinking Arya was just making a joke.
Seryna then continued talking, but regarding the grove. "We have so many trees because we managed to plant many saplings we found..." She spoke but did not add more details, like children of the forest, something that the woman in front of them clearly wouldn't believe if she heard something like that.
Margaery disregarded Arya's words and looked at Seryna, "There were rumors that your husband could create trees from the ground like my ancestor, Garth Greenhand, they say he was the first king of this kingdom and had magical powers... Incredible, isn't it?" She spoke with some pride.
"I don't know... I met Jon a little after that farm..." Seryna spoke.
"Really? How did you meet?" Margaery asked, stopping in front of a garden while all her guards kept a distance, not interfering in the conversation.
"It's a long story... But when I met him, I knew I would love that man..." She admitted, sparing the detail that she was a giant at that time.
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"Jon said you hugged him so tightly he thought he would die..." Arya commented laughing, after all, the first words from Jon about Seryna when he sent a letter to Winterfell were almost a plea for help.
"I didn't know you were with him before the Wall..." Margaery commented. "Anyway, I'd like to see if he can make trees grow from the ground as I've heard in the rumors..." She remarked.
"That you'll have to ask him..." Arya murmured, not wanting to talk about her brother's magic.
Seryna just nodded and looked at the garden in front of them, noticing a section with small saplings. "I see you've already planted the flowers Jon gifted you..." she spoke.
"Yes, they are beautiful specimens. We've never had these in our garden; it was the best gift I've received in years..." she admitted, looking at her garden with pride, for she worked on it as soon as her grandmother finished meeting with the Artican company. "They're so beautiful and will give a new aspect to the garden... there are flowers here that I've never seen with this type of coloration; it was truly a great gift from the Artican King." Margaery had to admit with satisfaction.
Seryna could see an oddly interested tone in her husband, thinking this woman spoke of him with more admiration than usual, but she kept these thoughts to herself.
Margaery didn't waste time and continued speaking. "And speaking of him, I'd like to know more about Artica... you have such a large sacred grove... it must be a fantastic place, Artica," she commented, wanting to learn more.
"You could say it's a special place, in the middle of the snowy north," Seryna spoke mysteriously, after all, she wasn't going to give away more important information about Artica than Arya had already mentioned, and continued. "We are still a closed country, but we are taking our first step, starting with this trade, which is the goal of this trip. Perhaps in the future, we can welcome people to our lands," Seryna spoke of Jon's plans but without giving too many details.
"This place sounds so mysterious, and how you brought so many things, even plants, from something we imagined to be just snow... I am increasingly curious to learn about it, I hope one day to visit this kingdom," Margaery spoke sincerely.
"Yes... that is possible in the future." She spoke and turned her attention back to the garden. "I hope our plants enhance the beauty of this place." Seryna commented.
"Yes... they definitely will..." Margaery commented and looked at Seryna with a calculating gaze.
"The second queen of Artica... Ygritte is her name, isn't it?" Margaery asked curiously, her grandmother had also asked her to inquire beyond the information they got from the spies while Seryna nodded at the name.
"So she returned to Artica with that fleet? I assume it must be due to her pregnancy, right?" She asked, after all, Ygritte should be here if she was with the fleet.
"Yes, my husband thought it would be better for her and safe for the girl inside her." Seryna spoke.
"I see... I hope she has a safe journey to the North." She spoke and looked at Arya. "Speaking of the north, Winterfell is another place I'd like to visit... maybe one day I can accompany you." Margaery spoke once again sincerely, after all, Winterfell being one of the oldest castles in Westeros, was famous in any part of the continent.
"It's very beautiful... But I prefer Artica." Arya said without caring to be impolite, earning a look from Seryna.
Margaery started to laugh, "I like your honesty, Lady Arya..." She spoke with a small smile. "Anyway, let's stop looking at the growing saplings and have some tea, there are many ladies who would like to meet you." Margaery commented as she started walking and Seryna and Arya followed her with their guards not taking their eyes off her.
"You have a female guard..." Margaery couldn't help but comment, looking at the armor made of eldenmetal with a breastplate shaped for a woman's breasts.
"Yes, her name is Karmen, she's an excellent Artican warrior!" Arya responded proudly.
"We do have some women among the royal guards, it's not uncommon for a woman to wield a weapon in Artica, although most prefer to take care of children and the husband at home, many enter the Artican military." Seryna commented.
"That is quite unusual... but there was also a woman in melee combat... she was mocked quite a bit, but she was among the top ten... Her name is Brienne of Tarth..." Margaery commented. Still remembering the woman defeating some knights, despite becoming a mockery among the nobles, she was just a young woman, but tall enough to be a challenge for most men.
"If she participated in the tournament, then I can too!" Arya declared that with some hope.
"We will have to see about that, Lady Arya." Margaery commented with a sweet tone. "Anyway, let's introduce you to my colleagues." Margaery led them to the center of the garden where there were some flowers, but the place was more decorated with manicured greens, there were some large structures in the middle to provide shade.
These structures were called Gazebos. The Gazebos were used for social gatherings or even to enjoy an afternoon with tea outdoors, which seemed quite pleasant and refreshing. In one of the Gazebos, the largest, there was a group of women sitting while Margaery led them, approaching the group.
The women quickly noticed their approach and stood up to greet them. "Lady Margaery! I see you've brought Lady Stark, the queen of Artica!" one of the women spoke with an interested look at both Articans.
Margaery approached with a smile and an elegant stride, "My Ladies, let me introduce our special guests, Queen Seryna of Artica and Lady Arya Stark," she presented them in front of the women with a gesture of her hands, making the introduction as formal as possible, while the women seemed quite interested in them.
All the women were young, and it could be seen that they were single sharing the same age as Margaery, one of them with curly hair and the symbol of her house, looked at Margaery and approached. "That's a beautiful dress," she simply became mesmerized by the woman's black dress and touched the fabric, feeling its incredible quality. "So, do you sell dresses like this? I would definitely like to buy some tailor-made!" she said with admiration and even determination, not caring about what the price would be, her father would pay.
"Queen Seryna! We met earlier at your camp with my father negotiating with King Jon..." A plump woman spoke, this would be Lady Redwyne according to Seryna's recollections.
"Lady Stark, you look so beautiful! I didn't know the north could produce such beauty," another woman approached Arya, who was a bit surprised by the compliments she was receiving, but Arya was notable because she really was a beautiful woman and would become even more beautiful in the future, so there was much admiration and even a bit of envy in the eyes of those ladies.
"Let's have a nice tea, I would love to talk about this kingdom you come from... you all seem so rich and beautiful!" another girl spoke, hoping to have gossip to discuss.
"I also want to talk about the giants and those little men!" another woman suggested.
Margaery sighed and had to intervene before they practically tried to drain all the energy from the Artican ladies with their chatter.
"My ladies, let's let them breathe first. Let me introduce you to them, as this is very inappropriate!" Margaery raised her voice, calling all the women there, but maintaining a smile, looking at her friends with a hint of mischief. There were at least 8 women there, and Margaery began to introduce them one by one:
The guards from all the houses present were at a distance, merely watching the women gathered in the Gazebos, but not hearing whatever they were discussing.
Already at the location, Lady Margaery commented, "Lady Arya, Queen Seryna, allow me to introduce you to some of the most notable ladies of the Reach," Margaery said, keeping her voice proud and warm.
"This is Lady Alyce Hightower," she began, indicating a woman of stately bearing and piercing eyes. "Being the daughter of the lord of the citadel and one of the oldest houses in Westeros full of history, Lady Alyce is as cultured as she is beautiful." She commented.
Turning to a young woman with a radiant smile, she continued, "Next to her is Lady Leonette Fossoway. Her family is famous for their orchards, and she has inherited both the sweetness and resilience of her house's apples."
Margaery gestured towards a woman with a cunning expression. "Lady Desmera Redwyne, as you seem to already know, from one of our richest wine-producing houses. Her business acumen is as appreciated as the wine her family produces. My grandmother has Redwyne blood in her veins, having come from the family before marrying my grandfather." Margaery explained and Seryna nodded, looking at the woman who had tried to seduce her husband earlier in a meeting with glances.
She then approached a young woman with a confident posture. "Here we have Lady Delena Florent, whose mind is so sharp it rivals the blade of any knight." She introduced with a big smile.
"Further on, we have..." Margaery continued, indicating a woman who exuded an air of bravery and a friendly smile, "Lady Meredyth Oakheart, as brave as any man in her home at Old Oak, and a master in the art of horse riding. I'm sure she will love to ride with us later." She said, and Arya was surprised by another woman involved in horse riding.
The introduction moved on to a sturdy young woman with a determined expression. "And this is Lady Talla Tarly, she may not be as tough as her father, but she has a sharp mind despite being very sweet," Margaery commented.
With a bright smile, Margaery introduced the next young lady. "Lady Mina Tyrell, my cousin, a star at our social events and always an example of grace and elegance." She said, with her cousin becoming a bit shy from the compliments.
Finally, she pointed to a woman whose demeanor was sweet. "And Lady Elinor Beesbury, whose kindness and diplomatic skills are as renowned as the honey of her family. Her father often stops her to participate in important business meetings."
She smiled at all of them and continued. "With this, I hope we can become great friends, so let's sit down and chat a bit while we enjoy some of the finest teas our kingdom has to offer!" She commented with an excited tone and all the ladies began to sit down in their chairs, with Margaery, Seryna, and Arya following suit.
These ladies would have much to discuss, while Arya and Seryna, despite being heavily involved in the politics of Artica, were not accustomed to meetings among single women from the south, and could not imagine how this meeting would end.
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I dedicated this chapter to try to delve deeper into the girls and their interactions, the first chapter I write not focusing on Jon... I think...
Should I write more about their interactions in this meeting?
Olenna has not yet appeared, but she will be here soon.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
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