Seeing the two people talking and laughing in front of her, Margaery could only stand aside "alone".💙♞ . cOpaw 🐙☟
Margaery wore a gentle smile on her small face, but she couldn't blend in.
After chatting for a while, Lord Mace stroked his beard and sighed, "I can only say... Lord Tywin isn't what he used to be."
Gryn nodded slightly and said, "I heard that after Robb Stark defeated and captured Jaime Lannister, Seagard and the Twins have declared their support for... Stark."
Lord Mace murmured gravely, " The Stark have essentially gained the allegiance of all the great lords of the Riverlands..."
He then asked, " Gryn, what are your thoughts on the Lannister campaign in the Riverlands?"
Gryn pondered, " The Lannister Lion also have claws; I think there's a high chance they'll both be severely injured."
He sighed softly and continued, "But if the Lannister army in the Riverlands cannot come to King's Landing in time, Stannis Baratheon will sit on the Iron Throne."
Lord Mace stroked his beard and murmured, " Baratheon..."
Gryn nodded and said, " Lord Mace, I once served as the commander-in-chief of the City Watch of King's Landing, a force of several thousand Gold Cloaks... I can only say that we cannot place our hopes on them."
He paused, then continued, "Besides, Stannis is leading tens of thousands of elite troops; King's Landing can't withstand them unless the dragons rise again."
A flash of anger crossed Lord Mace's eyes as he muttered, "Tens of thousands... tens of thousands..."
The Lord Mace paused in his beard stroking, then asked with a hint of doubt, " Gryn, didn't the King and the Small Council request the troops from Crackclaw Point to support King's Landing?"
Gryn hesitated for a moment before speaking, " Lord Mace, if the King and the Small Council order it, I will follow the tradition of the Crackclaw Point and mobilize tens of thousands of troops to fight for the Iron Throne, but..."
He sighed softly, "Given the current situation, they won't do that..."
Under Lord Mace's questioning gaze, Gryn spoke up, " Lord Mace, the Mad King opened the gates of King's Landing to Tywin Lannister's army more than a decade ago. So, at least in the current situation, they won't do that."
During the later stages of the War of the Usurper, the Mad King Aerys, heeding the advice of Pycelle Grand Maester, allowed Lord Tywin Lannister's army to enter King's King's Landing, which directly led to the destruction of the Targaryen Dynasty.
Stannis's army is about to besiege the city, House Lannister absolutely does not want the same scene from the past to repeat itself.
After a pause, Lord Mace reached out and patted Gryn on the shoulder, saying, " Gryn, I don't like Stannis of House Baratheon, but I don't have a good impression of House Lannister either."
In the last Tournament, his beloved youngest son was killed by the Mountain of House Lannister, and his second son also lost an arm in the process. ✌👣 💛🍭
The Lannister always pay their debts, but they still owe the Golden Rose a debt that has been incurred in blood.
Thinking of his son, the Lord Mace couldn't help but sigh.
Gryn raised an eyebrow slightly. What is most important to the nobles of Westeros? The interests of the family come first.
Beneath the Lord Mace's genuine emotions lay something even more important: bringing up those matters... was to give the Golden Rose more leverage in the upcoming negotiations.
To be honest, Lord Gryn doesn't really care about these things.
Gryn's tone carried a hint of reassurance. " Lord Mace, Lady Margaery, I come here on behalf of the King and the Small Council, or more precisely, on behalf of the Lannister."
Margaery gently took Lord Mace ' arm and comforted him, "Father, the Gods will protect my brothers."
Lord Mace gently patted Little Rose's hand and said, "My Margaery, I'm alright."
Margaery nodded slightly and said, "My father, your vassals are all watching you. Stannis not only invaded the Reach, but also murdered Earl Randyll House Tarly."
Gryn chimed in, " Lord Mace, you are the supreme leader of Hewan, and we share a common enemy."
Margaery smiled radiantly, "Father, Lord Gryn, please take a seat."
Lord Mace stroked his beard and said, " Gryn, please sit down. You must be very hungry. I remember when I was young..."
The three began their "dinner," with the Lord Mace seated at the head of the long table, Margaery to his right, and Gryn to his left.
The clear sound of bells rang out, and waiters and maids brought out the food in an orderly fashion.
First came pears cooked in strong wine, followed by delicious small fish deep-fried in salt until crispy, and a rooster stuffed with onions and Mushroom.
Then came large chunks of toasted, brown bread, turnips, sweet corn and peas, fine ham and roast goose, and wild venison stewed with beer and barley.
Desserts include: rose-shaped lemon cake, spiced honey cookies, blackberry pie, apple crumble, butter cheese, and more.
Gryn raised his glass and took a sip of the golden wine from Arbor. He could "read" the passion and formidable power of the House Golden Rose from the sumptuous food.
Is tonight considered the first round of negotiations?!
Lord Gryn smiled and raised his glass in a gesture of respect... He was pondering how to make the negotiation process more "difficult," how to highlight his enormous contribution without making it more challenging, sigh!
With Stannis's powerful army about to advance, and given the situation in the Riverlands, the Red Keep and the Lannister are certainly eager to forge an alliance with the Golden Rose.
On the other hand, the Golden Rose family seems to be calm, but aren't they anxious? They are more worried about Stannis sitting on the Iron Throne, which is definitely not a good thing for the Reach.👊♘ paw 🐝🎄
From the family's perspective, the personal feud between Golden Rose and Golden Lion can be set aside for the time being.
Well... he himself was quite anxious. He was eager to return to Gulltown to prepare for battle, as it concerned Crabb's future.
In short, everyone is eager to forge this alliance.
So... he decided to be a little less hasty... after all, the negotiations needed to be considered from all angles, especially since Lord Gryn was an envoy on whom the Red Keep placed high hopes.
Gryn smiled, and when he felt Little Rose's gaze shift towards him, he tilted his head slightly and smiled.
Little Rose returned his charming smile, but her fingers twitched slightly under the table. The expression on the other person's face instantly heightened her vigilance.
She had "competed" with him many times and was very familiar with this feeling.
Margaery Tyrell's brown eyes flickered slightly as she glanced at her smiling father with a hint of unease.
She immediately sent Gryn Crabb's account to the Highgarden via ravens. Such an important matter was inseparable from her grandmother's wisdom, and she herself hoped that her grandmother would personally oversee this "deal."
But Grandmother refused outright, saying that the old woman couldn't ride a horse and she was worried that by the time she finally arrived at the Longtable Hall, Stannis would already be hosting a banquet on the Iron Throne.
She knew that this time her grandmother had entrusted the future of Golden Rose entirely to her father... and to her.
It's reasonable that Little Rose and Old Rose have different understandings of the Game of Thrones.
Margaery raised her glass to Gryn from under the table, her slender hand clenching into a fist.
Gryn was pondering the "malicious intent" in Margaery's gaze, Lord Mace's cheerful voice rang out. " Gryn, come, for King Joffrey's health."
Setting down his wine glass, Lord Mace continued, "I've heard that you were once King Joffrey's swordsmanship instructor?"
Gryn nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Lord Mace."
Lord Mace stroked his beard and asked, " Gryn, do you think Joffrey is a good king?"
Gryn replied, " Lord Mace, my knowledge is limited; all I can say is that he will be a decisive king."
After pondering Gryn's words for a moment, the Lord Mace glanced at his daughter and said, " Gryn, my good girl, I hope you can be honest with me: will Joffrey be a good husband?"
"Father..." Margaery's eyes reddened slightly.
Lord Mace stared at Gryn and said seriously, "This is important."
Gryn's gaze lingered on Little Rose for a moment before meeting her eyes, which were filled with fatherly love.
After a moment's hesitation, Gryn slowly said, " Lord Mace, Joffrey Baratheon is still a little boy."
That night, in a dormitory room in the Longtable Hall.
Knock, knock, knock. After receiving a response from Gryn, Brienne pushed the door open and entered.
"Lord Gryn, we have a guest. She says her name is Elinor Tyrell."
Gryn's eyes flickered slightly. He ruffled his dark hair and said, " Brienne, thank you for your trouble. Please escort her to the small hall."
Not long after Gryn arrived in the small hall, he saw Elinor Tyrell, who looked haggard.
Gryn greeted her politely, "Good night, Miss Tyrell."
After exchanging greetings, Elo accepted Gryn's invitation and sat down on the wooden chair by the fireplace.
Seeing that Elo seemed hesitant about how to speak, Gryn smiled and said, "Miss Tyrell, if you need any help, I'd be happy to lend a hand."
Elinor Tyrell has long, almost black, brown hair and a pair of bright, expressive eyes.
She was slender, but she seemed to have grown taller and more mature since the last time I saw her.
In Gryn's memory, she was a sweet-looking and lively little girl.
Please forgive my intrusion...
Elinor Tyrell raised her chin and said, " Earl Lord, I love you, I'm fascinated by your tongue... of course, that's only one aspect."
Gryn thought to himself: That's pretty brave.
He replied directly, "Lady Tyrell, I already have a fiancée."
Elinor Tyrell nodded slightly and said, "I heard about this from Miss Margaery..."
She paused, her large eyes fixed on Gryn, and continued, "I apologize for my intrusion tonight, I simply... simply..."
Gryn replied gently, "You want to confirm again, right?"
He poured her a glass of wine, handed it to her, and said, "It's absolutely true, Miss Tyrell, I swear if necessary."
Upon hearing Gryn's reply, Elinor Tyrell's body trembled slightly, and she took a sip of her wine with a somber expression.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly walked up to Gryn, lightly tapped Gryn cheek, and said, " Gryn Crabb, a girl named Elinor Tyrell once loved you."
She then said her goodbye, Gryn politely stood up to see her off.
As he reached the door, he noticed the young girl's face had become even more haggard. Gryn sighed inwardly and said, "Miss Tyrell, you are a noble member of the Golden Rose, and my lands are filled with Wildling. My wife will be called the Chieftain's Wife by them, so this is a good thing. I hope you can cheer up."
Elinor Tyrell paused, then said, " Lord Crabb, you may call me Elo. And I am but a rose on a low branch."
After saying that, she turned and left without looking back.
The second round of negotiations began the following day.
Gryn, representing the King and the Small Council, consulted with the Lord Mace and Miss Margaery for an entire morning, but failed to reach an agreement on many conditions for an alliance.
For example, the scale of the Golden Rose uprising and the issue of command over the allied forces.
For example, the issue of the number of seats in the Small Council.
For example, the issue of food and fodder supply.
For example, the issues with Stormlands and Dragonstone.
For example, the issue of the Royal Fleet.
For example... the Golden Rose also made a marriage proposal to the Lannister, hoping that the House Lannister would choose one person to marry into Highgarden in order to strengthen the alliance between the two families.
The result of the serious negotiations on the second day was almost identical to that of the previous day.
On the third day, the events repeated themselves, except that before parting, Lord Mace subtly mentioned Princess Myrcella.
On the night of the fourth day, according to a report from an informant planted near Gryn's residence, Lord Mace and Miss Margaery received intelligence that several of Crabb's Blue Cloaks were secretly inquiring about a shortcut to Dorne.
On the fifth day, the atmosphere at the negotiating table became tense.
On the sixth day, the two sides at the negotiating table got heated and the talks ended badly.
On the seventh day, taking a day off, Gryn met with several horse merchants.
On the eighth day, Gryn requested to continue resting, citing illness. That night, he and Miss Margaery discussed the situation in the Vale in a pleasant atmosphere.
On the ninth day, Gryn continued to recuperate.
On the tenth day, in less than half a day, the two sides agreed on the terms of the alliance. They signed and sealed the agreement, thus forming an alliance between the Red Keep and House Tyrell.
They agreed that Earl Mathis Rowan of the Reach would lead 20,000 troops to support the Lannister army in the Riverlands, with command of the allied forces falling to Lord Tywin Lannister.
They agreed that Duke Mace Tyrell would gather at least 50,000 troops in the Longtable Hall, with the Golden Rose leading the army alone.
They agreed that after defeating Stannis's army, Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell would become engaged within a month and marry within six months of the engagement.
They agreed that once Stannis's army was defeated, the Lannister and Tyrell would decide within a month which Lannister would marry into the Highgarden alliance.
They agreed that the House Tyrell would have two seats in the Small Council.
They agreed that for a period of time (without setting a specific deadline), House Tyrell would provide King's Landing with the food it needed free of charge.
Although the Lord Mace earnestly tried to persuade him to stay, Lord Gryn left the Longtable Hall on the very night the alliance was signed, so as not to delay the war.