The Unyielding Stag (Game of Thrones AU/Invincible)
Chapter 25: Valyrian Steel

A/N: The day before the Trial, Renly has a gift for Loras while Margaery watches on.

-x-X-x-

"Are you truly not even a little bit worried?"

Loras looks over at her from where he's making sure his gear is ready, preparing both his armor and weapon for the Trial by the Seven happening tomorrow at midday.

"Should I be? We already know from our spies just who the bastard intends to bring with him to the Trial. None of them are a match for me. Sure, I doubt we'll win without casualties… but I don't think for a second that they have a chance of victory."

Margaery wasn't so sure. In fact, she was more than a little afraid for her brother, especially since she'd been doing some digging of her own ever since Renly accepted the challenge.

"What about Axel himself though?"

Furrowing his brow, Loras sets down his breastplate and gives Margaery his full attention.

"… Have you been chasing rumors, sister?"

Flushing just a tad, Margaery huffs and rolls her eyes in response.

"I've simply been doing my own research, brother."

With a scoff, Loras waves a hand dismissively as he returns to his work.

"I'm sure you've heard the same thing that everyone else has. That the bastard's prowess in the training yard is second to none and he's been tearing through his sparring partners at an insane rate. They even say he routinely has three to five knights challenge him, only to beat them all without suffering a single scratch."

Loras turns and spits on the ground, making it clear what he thinks of all of that. It's a bit of a crude thing for the Knight of Flowers to do, but they're alone right now and for all that her brother is a very beautiful man, he can be a bit crasser than most think of him as.

"Hogwash, all of it. They're letting him win, Margaery. There isn't a man alive who can take on five fully armored knights and come out the victor without at least taking a few bruises here and there. It's all part of the myth that Jon Arryn is trying to build around his puppet, see? Don't let yourself fall for it."

But Margaery isn't convinced.

"That's all well and good, but what about the reports from our own men?"

Loras furrows his brow in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

Really? Was he just playing dumb or… no, he wasn't playing dumb. He'd probably just completely forgotten about it. Typical of her brother. His head could be so empty sometimes. Huffing, Margaery throws her hands into the air.

"The survivors from the ambush on the Kingsroad, Loras! Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think Grandmother wouldn't hear about it and warn me?"

Her brother's face goes pale and he opens and closes his mouth for a moment before hissing and shaking his head.

"Don't talk about that, Margaery. And honestly, those men were craven… nothing that came from their lips can be trusted."

She wasn't so sure about that.

"They're the only ones on our side who have seen Robert's bastard fight for real though, Loras! They had twice the numbers and still lost somehow. Doesn't that lend some credence to their words? Sure, it's hard to believe that he moved like a demon and slaughtered half of them faster than they could blink, but its equally hard to believe they lost with such an overwhelming advantage!"

Loras rolls his eyes and fully turns to her, placing his hands on his knees as he looks her straight on.

"Sister, you will never understand battle the way I do. You're simply not built for it. Those knights… its obvious that they gave the game away somehow. For instance, perhaps Ser Emmon Cuy considered the idea of an ambush dishonorable so he initiated a disastrous charge the moment that they came into sight of Lord Arryn and his forces. Whatever tactics they employed were clearly such a failure that they felt the need to make up a fanciful story about one man managing to turn the tide and force them into retreat."

Sneering, the Knight of Flowers grits his teeth.

"Frankly, they're lucky that Renly showed them any mercy at all after their failure. The only reason I didn't counsel him to take each and every one of their heads was because their cowardice is the only reason he was able to escape King's Landing unscathed."

Shaking his head, Loras' tone gains a distinct note of finality.

"Their words, beyond the part where they confessed that they failed, were nothing but gibbering panicked nonsense. Neither Renly nor I have given them any weight and you shouldn't either, dear sister. Axel Stone is only a man… and after tomorrow, he'll either be a dead man or bound for the Wall. There is no other possibility."

"Well said, Loras! Well said!"

Margaery flinches and Loras straightens up as Renly suddenly steps into the tent, a jovial smile on his face. She definitely hadn't intended to voice her concerns anywhere where Renly could hear them, despite technically being his Queen. But admittedly, Loras would probably have just told him anyways over pillow talk later on.

Looking between the two of them, Renly just grins.

"Not to worry. I share your concerns about the battle tomorrow, my Queen."

Blinking in surprise, Margaery sits up a little straighter.

"Y-You do?"

Nodding, Renly lifts up what he's brought with him… a long package that even Margaery can tell is clearly a sword wrapped in cloth.

"Indeed. That's why I come bearing gifts. Something that will make sure the tides of battle tomorrow turn decisively in our favor. For you, my loyal Lord Commander."

Loras flushes as Renly gives him a wide grin and a wink, striding over and holding out the package across his palms. Rising to his feet, Loras steps forward and takes the wrapped sword from Renly, furrowing his brow in curiosity and intrigue.

Renly steps back as Loras begins to unwrap the thing, quickly doing away with the cloth and rope to reveal that it is indeed a sheathed sword. A beautiful, sheathed sword by Margaery's estimation. The pommel is unadorned but nevertheless gorgeously crafted, and the sheath has stags running through flowery meadows all along its length.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't get the pommel itself finished before tomorrow, but the sheath is a rush order. I hope you like it."

"I love it. It's beautiful, Renly."

Margaery watches Renly grin as he in turn watches Loras look over the sheath, running his fingers along the designs covering the leather.

"And what do you think of the blade itself?"

Humming, Loras carefully pulls the sword a few inches free of the sheath… only to freeze in place, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping open in disbelief. Margaery furrows her brow at that reaction, craning her neck to see what he's reacting to.

Interestingly, the sword itself looks strange. It's hard to tell from where she's sitting, but she thinks she sees rippling patterns in the metal. What did that mean?

"Renly this is…"

"Valyrian Steel, yes. Only the best for my Lord Commander."

Wait, what?! Now it's Margaery's turn to be shocked, her jaw dropping open as she jumps from her seat and all but rushes over to see the sword Loras is holding more closely. Her brother pulls back at her approach.

"Whoa there, sister. This isn't the kind of sword to pull out too close to a lady. I'm going to have to ask you to step back so I can fully unsheathe this beauty."

His teasing tone and the dancing amusement in his eyes make it clear he's at least partially having a laugh at her expense. At the same time though, he makes it clear he's serious when he beckons for her to back up a few steps. Gritting her teeth, Margaery does as she's told by whirling around and advancing on Renly.

"It can't possibly be real Valyrian Steel, can it? Where would you even get something like that?"

The sound of a sword being drawn from it sheath causes Margaery to turn back before Renly can answer, her eyes beholding the incredibly beautiful sword with its distinctive ripples all along every inch of its surface. Renly chuckles from behind her.

"It's very real, I assure you. It had better be, given what it cost me."

That… this was insane. Margaery may not be a knight or anything like that, but even she knew the value of Valyrian Steel. Especially a full Valyrian Steel Sword. They were said to be lighter, stronger, harder, and sharper than even the best Castle Forged Steel. They never dulled either, with people claiming that Valyrian Steel Swords hundreds of years old were as sharp as the day they were forged.

They were also ludicrously, prohibitively expensive given that the place where they'd originally been forged hadn't existed for hundreds of years. It was in the name. Valyrian Steel came from Old Valyria, which had fallen long ago to the Doom. These days, as far as Margaery was aware, there was nobody left who knew how to forge more of the stuff. Instead, there were just a handful of blacksmiths in the whole world who even knew how to rework Valyrian Steel.

To put it into perspective, the only Great House in all of Westeros that had a Valyrian Steel Sword was House Stark up in the North. Even Margaery had heard about Ice, the ancestral two-handed greatsword of the Dire Wolves. Just as she also knew about Tywin Lannister's obsession with obtaining a Valyrian Steel Sword for his own House.

The Lord of House Lannister was said to have offered amounts of coin to smaller houses that would damn near beggar even most of his peers, but to no avail. People weren't selling and while one might assume that a Great House would just be able to take one of their vassals' Valyrian Steel Swords if they wanted one, it wasn't quite that simple. In the end, there was such a stigma of dishonor around the concept that even the greedy Lord Tywin hadn't gone that far yet.

All of this was to say… where the fuck had Renly gotten a Valyrian Steel Sword? And what exactly had he paid for it?

His words about what it had 'cost him' hang in the air and even Loras, for all that her brother's head can be so empty at times, pauses and tears his eyes away from the sword he's holding to give Renly a look.

"… What did this cost you, Renly?"

Raising an eyebrow, Renly lets out a bark of laughter.

"Oh? How quickly the gratitude fades!"

Loras flushes at that, looking ashamed of himself and ducking his head.

"Apologies my King, I… I am extremely grateful for this gift. I don't know how I can possibly repay you."

Renly just scoffs, waving a hand through the air.

"Repay me? You are my Lord Commander, Loras. You are sworn to protect my personhood until the day you die. Shall I ask my crown to repay me as it sits upon my brow? Shall I ask my clothes to repay me as they rest upon my body? You are as much a part of me as anything else. All I've done is make you more useful."

Margaery tries not to wrinkle her nose at Renly's words. She supposed they were supposed to be romantic, and given the way Loras is now making eyes at Renly, it seems that they might even have landed with her martially inclined brother.

Still, she doesn't think she would be nearly as enthused about being compared to garments of all things. And… even if Loras wasn't going to press the issue, Margaery felt like someone had to.

"This is truly a Kingly gift, Your Majesty. Fit for the Lord Commander of your Rainbow Guard. And as his sister, I fully believe that Loras is worthy of this trust…"

Loras puffs up at her words, even as Renly lifts a single brow and smirks, waiting for the 'but' to drop.

"… However, I do have to ask where this sword came from. On such short notice too…"

After all, it's obvious that Renly had gotten Loras this sword for the Trial by the Seven. How though? How had he managed to source Valyrian Steel in such a short amount of time when neither House Baratheon nor House Tyrell had had an Ancestral Valyrian Steel Sword between them for ages at this point.

Not to toot her House's own horn too much or anything, but House Tyrell was easily one of the wealthiest, most powerful Houses in the Realm. Sure, the Lannisters were said to shit gold, but when winter came and bellies growled, it was the Reach that supplied food, and that could be worth far more than gold.

Meanwhile, House Baratheon had been ascendant since the Conquest, having long had connections to House Targaryen that saw them elevated even above the other Lord Paramounts from time to time. And yet, the Baratheons also could not claim to have an Ancestral Valyrian Steel Blade.

Renly's smile becomes a little bit fixed as he shakes his head.

"Ah, that is where your confusion stems from, my Queen. You see, it was not on short notice that I procured this blade for your brother. No, I've been working on this for quite some time. As for the cost… do not worry too much about it. I will tell you both more once we win tomorrow. Until then, it is best that we focus on the Trial ahead. And, of course… naming this fine blade."

Loras' eyes widen all over again as he looks down at the Valyrian Steel Sword in his hands.

"It doesn't have a name yet?"

Grinning, Renly shakes his head.

"Not one that matters, no. I leave it's naming up to you, Loras. You are it's wielder, after all."

Wielder… not owner. Margaery catches it, even if Loras doesn't. Perhaps Renly thinks that the sword will one day revert back to House Baratheon but doesn't want to say as much right now. Her lips purse, but she's not about to ruin the moment by accusing him of such a thing.

Loras hesitates for a long moment, staring down at the nameless blade reverently. Finally…

"Rosethorn. It will be called… Rosethorn."

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Shall we go see what it can do, hm? I'm sure we have some surplus or already damaged armor lying around to outfit a wooden post with so you can give it a few swings before tomorrow!"

With that, Margaery watches as Renly leads Loras out of the tent. She bites her lower lip as the two men depart. Truthfully, she's been left with more questions than answers… and was more uneasy now than ever before. For Renly to deflect not once but twice… just how much had that Valyrian Steel Sword cost?

Or rather, how much would it cost them down the road once the throne was secured? Because Margaery wasn't stupid. She knew full well that Renly didn't have access to the coin needed to buy such a thing. So what exactly had he offered instead?

And… even if Loras said it was all just cowardice and lies, Margaery can't help but wonder about Axel Baratheon and what he's truly capable of. One way or another, they'll all find out tomorrow… but that doesn't exactly give Margaery any peace of mind.

She could only hope everything would work out tomorrow. It had to, or they were all ruined.

-x-X-x-

A/N: It seems like Margaery is the only smart one in the enemy camp. But what DID Renly promise for that sword? And to who? Hmmm…

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