Margaery reclined against the cushions inside the carriage.
The wheels rolled over the dirt road, their rumble keeping a steady rhythm.
After leaving the Arbor, she had visited House Peake at Starpike, House Florent at Brightwater Keep, and several other noble houses of the Reach.
The result had been the same every time.
Either she was turned away, with a steward politely explaining that the earl was away and had yet to return, or she received a chilly reception, with the countess hosting a private dinner and discussing trivial domestic matters without a word about politics.
She had not met a single earl.
Margaery lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.
Outside, Oldtown's silhouette had appeared on the horizon, the beacon atop the Hightower still burning.
This was the final stop on her journey.
The carriage passed through Oldtown's gates, guarded by soldiers of House Hightower, and Margaery soon noticed something amiss.
The streets were far more crowded than usual. Everywhere, septons in threadbare robes gathered in small groups, talking in street corners and squares.
Their expressions were fervent, their voices raised, utterly at odds with Oldtown's usual atmosphere of peace and order.
The carriage traveled a little farther, and a clamor rose from the square ahead.
Margaery lifted the curtain and looked out. On a hastily erected platform stood a septon with a shaved head and a Seven-Pointed Star deeply carved into his forehead. His arms were raised as he preached to the crowd in a hoarse voice.
"That heretic destroyed the Great Sept of Baelor! It was a holy sanctuary of the Seven! He razed the sept and built a temple to an evil god on its ruins!"
Angry cries of agreement erupted from the crowd.
**"The High Sparrow led the faithful to petition that heretic, begging him