While the meeting of the small council was being convened inside the hall, five people had departed from there.
Joffrey had stormed off without saying a word to anyone.
The others were Lucas and the three Tyrells. Olenna Tyrell, Margaery Tyrell, and Loras Tyrell. Gary and a few Tyrell guards followed at a close distance behind them.
"I have heard you are quite the knight yourself, Ser Lucas," Loras began. "Once I am knighted by Lord Renly Baratheon, I hope we can have a friendly spar. I am very much interested in crossing blades with the rising star from Westerlands."
"I will look forward to it," Lucas replied. Loras struck him as a pretty straightforward young man.
Loras gave Lucas and the two ladies a polite nod before briskly walking off.
As Renly Baratheon's squire, he had quite a few duties to attend to. And though his status as a Tyrell gave him some leeway, he still had to complete the major tasks expected of him.
"Meeting you was truly a refreshing experience, Ser Lucas," Olenna Tyrell remarked once her grandson was gone. She was walking side by side of Lucas while Margaery was on her side.
"It has been a very, very long time since I've met such a remarkable young man," she said.
"You flatter me too much, Lady Tyrell," Lucas replied. "I am not worthy of such high praise."
Olenna merely smiled in response.
"Although I should not interfere in your affairs," Olenna said, "I must say, it was quite courageous of you to place such audacious demands before the king."
"Courageous?" Lucas mused. "That I am, no doubt.
But were my conditions really so outrageous? I do not think so. If they were truly unreasonable, I doubt they would even be under consideration."
"It was the king who requested my services," he continued. "And what I asked was a fair price. I do not want my any stain on anything I do just because I could not place my demands before the king. And all those are very reasonable demands for the successful completion of the project."
Olenna did not respond to that. With more experience than anyone else who had been present at the meeting, Robert's reaction had already told her he was not opposed to the proposal.
And though Robert was a foolish, reckless king, once he had made up his mind, he was difficult to dissuade. He certainly did not concern himself over consequences or matters like losing face.
"Then perhaps I should congratulate you in advance," Olenna said. "I have no qualms in admitting that with your skills, there is little doubt about your success."
"And more importantly, this shit hole could finally look like the capital of the realm."
Lucas gave a nod. "It sure will look like the capital of the realm."
But who would rule over it? It was hard to say. Was it?
"Ser Lucas," Margaery chimed in, "the wine we were able to enjoy, thanks to you, was truly wonderful."
"I wonder if we will be getting more of it?" she asked sweetly. "When will it be available for sale in King's Landing?"
Margaery was, in Lucas's eyes, a complex character. She was undeniably beautiful. Lucas was not sure if she was truly the most beautiful woman in all of Westeros, but she was certainly among the very top. The Rose of Highgarden.
With her brown hair, large brown eyes, and smooth, flawless skin, she was captivating.
But her nature was far more intricate. She was no doubt heavily influenced by her grandmother, who had been trying to train her in the art of politics from a very young age.
And while Margaery had certainly shown flashes of political skill, Lucas suspected it was not quite enough.
In the end, after all, Cersei had managed to blow her up with wildfire, along with her father and brother inside the Great Sept.
That had not exactly been politics in the proper sense on Cersei's part, but it was still the game of power, and Margaery had ultimately lost her life to it.
She had not been able to judge the depths Cersei would have been willing to fall to retain her hold over throne.
"Yes, Lady Tyrell," Lucas replied, unabashedly staring at her face. "It will be available very soon."
"But if you truly liked it," he continued, "I will have some more delivered to you today itself."
"But did you not claim you only had a single barrel meant for the king?" she asked in a teasing voice.
"I did," he said with a faint smirk. "And I only have a single barrel as a gift for the king. That does not mean I only have a single barrel in total."
Margaery giggled. "Then I must thank Ser Lucas in advance."
"It is my pleasure to serve such a beautiful lady as yourself," Lucas added.
"You are truly a miracle, Ser Lucas," Margaery added. "First those fine metals and then the wine."
The duo engaged in the conversation and Lucas was too 'falling' for her. Unless, he felt for her, how could he lower their guard. And too be honest, Margaery was too beautiful to give up without even trying to know her.
Meanwhile, Olenna had taken a discreet step back, allowing Lucas and Margaery to walk side by side. She was quite relieved and genuinely pleased seeing her granddaughter and Lucas getting along so well.
Though it had only been a couple of days since her arrival, she had already resolved that Joffrey would not be marrying Margaery, even if he was the king.
All the rumours and reports she had gathered from her servants and spies had proven true. Joffrey possessed a cruel streak, an arrogant nature with no sense of understanding.
Olenna was certain that even if became a king and managed to sit on the throne, keeping it would prove difficult. He had no qualities of king.
She doubted if that arrogant prick could even run a small household of his own let alone an entire kingdom.
Lucas Lannister, on the other hand, was a rising star. If Robert accepted his terms, Lucas would suddenly command significant power. As Lord Commander of the City Watch, who would be answerable only to the king, he would for all practical purposes hold a seat on the small council.
Had it been anyone else, she might have been wary. Rising in power in King's Landing was not exactly a good thing unless you had the stomach to digest it.
But Lucas was no fool. He had all the abilities to digest it. He seemed well-versed in politics and enjoyed a powerful background.
The only contender she could see was Renly Baratheon. Though she had yet to find any serious flaws in Renly, all her experience told her that Lucas was a far, far better match for her beloved granddaughter.
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