The Unyielding Stag (Game of Thrones AU/Invincible)
Chapter 40: Meeting the Candidates

A/N: Axel's first meetings with his prospective Queens~

-x-X-x-

If nothing else, Sansa Stark is very beautiful. As he sits down with her and her mother, Axel tries not to stare too much at his prospective bride to be. Instead, he looks to her chaperone first and smiles.

"Lady Stark. I see where your daughter gets her beauty from."

The older woman blushes a little and inclines her head.

"Your Grace. I can already tell that you've inherited your father's charisma."

Smiling slightly, Axel turns his attention back to Sansa. It's actually been a few days since she and her mother had arrived in the city. Long enough time for them to get situated and make themselves comfortable in the Red Keep, as well as be announced at court.

But this was the first time that they were sitting down and actually talking to one another face to face without there being an entire throne room packed with nobility standing between them.

Arianne Martell of Dorne had also arrived at this point and they'd done a similar song and dance. Axel was set to meet with her as well later today for the first time, but for now he focuses on the matter at hand. It's not too difficult despite the Dornish Princess' immense… appeal. Sansa has her own comeliness to her, after all.

"Lady Sansa. I thought it important for us to meet and discuss things as swiftly as possible, but I wanted to give you and your mother a chance to rest up from your travels first. I hope the Kingsroad was not too rough and that King's Landing has been too your liking so far."

There, that was a good opener, right? Sansa seems to think so based on her answering smile. However, even as the younger red head opens her mouth to speak…

"We appreciate you giving us that opportunity, Your Grace. The Kingsroad was long but relatively peaceful, and the city has been… kind enough. Our stay in the Red Keep has been satisfactory."

Axel's eyes shift back over to the Lady of Winterfell. Lord Stark's wife is… well, she seems a fine enough woman, though unlike Cersei Lannister, Axel would not say that her beauty has held up quite as well from both age and repeated childbirth.

That isn't a slight against the woman of course, Cersei was an outlier to be sure, and she also hadn't suffered in the harsh conditions of the frozen North either. Still… he finds himself wondering if Catelyn Stark was really intending to do all the talking here.

"I'm glad to hear it, Lady Stark."

Then, he pointedly looks back over to Sansa.

"Now, Lady Sansa, I'm well aware that this is not how things are done conventionally, so thank you for coming all the way down from Winterfell anyways. I wish to make it clear that there are no obligations between us at this time. You are not obligated to become my Queen unless you find yourself truly excited by the idea. Instead, I hope for us to get to know each other for a time and see if we are compatible with one another."

Again, Sansa opens her mouth to reply. Again, she's cut off before she can do so.

"Hm… and yet you also court a Dornish Princess at the same time, Your Grace. We didn't expect Arianne Martell to take up residence in the Red Keep only a day after our arrival."

… He's starting to wonder if he should have brought Jon along for this meeting. Axel was King of the Seven Kingdoms, and he honestly hadn't felt like he needed either a chaperone or backup when meeting with one of the two women he was considering for the position of Queen. However, Lady Stark was rapidly testing that belief, he had to admit.

Smiling a bit more thinly, Axel inclines his head in acknowledgment of her words. Then, he does his best to put all of the diplomacy lessons that Jon has been cramming into his head recently to work.

"Yes, as Lord Arryn told your husband, we sent an invitation to Princess Arianne as well. While we weren't expecting Dorne to be interested, the Princess' arrival speaks well of their desire for closer ties with the Realm if nothing else."

There, that was plenty diplomatic, right? It certainly seems to put Catelyn Stark on the backfoot for a moment. In fact, before the older woman can muster up a response to his words, Sansa surprises both of them by reaching out and putting a hand on Catelyn's arm.

"Mother, I'd like to speak with the King alone, please."

Axel blinks, even as Catelyn frowns.

"What? Sansa, that would not be appropriate…"

But far from backing down, Sansa just smiles icily, narrowing her eyes at her mother.

"We won't be truly alone anyways, mother. There is a member of the Kingsguard right at the door. And if I am to be His Grace's Queen, then we will have to be able to talk privately sooner or later. I prefer sooner. Please mother, leave us."

Axel finds his irritation fleeing in the face of the amusement that the Lady of Winterfell's shocked expression brings him. In the end, Sansa's audacity seems to work wonders because she's able to help her mother to her feet and point her towards the door.

Beyond casting one look back at them, Lord Stark's wife doesn't say another word or voice another complaint as she leaves the room behind. And just like that, they're alone together. Axel has to admit to some surprise… he wasn't expecting Sansa Stark to be one to stand up for herself to her mother, at least from what rumors he'd heard. And yet…

"My apologies, Your Grace. My mother means well but she can be a bit much at times. As you were saying, this is no normal betrothal nor courtship. You said that you wished to find out if we were compatible with one another, no?"

Relaxing a bit, Axel slowly nods.

"That's correct, my lady. It is my hope that we might visit with one another over the next few weeks, getting to know each other and seeing if we make for a good match."

Nodding sharply in return, Sansa's eyes turn a little sharp.

"And at the same time, you will be doing the same with the Princess from Dorne, I imagine?"

No point in hiding it. Axel grunts.

"Aye."

Unlike her mother, Sansa doesn't seem upset by this.

"This is acceptable to me. In fact, it takes a weight off my shoulders knowing that I am not your only option. I don't mind sharing your attention, Your Grace. And I'm more than happy to let my merits shine through of their own accord."

Well now. Axel smiles back, growing more pleased (as well as intrigued) by the second.

"I'm happy to hear that, Lady Sansa. I must admit, you are not how I expected you to be."

At those words, Sansa flashes him a hint of tooth as she smirks.

"I imagine I wouldn't be, Your Grace. We do things differently in the North out of necessity. My mother… for all that she has lived in the North for many years, she's still a Southern Woman at heart. But I… I am not. I hope that will be acceptable to Your Grace, but even if it isn't… that's alright too."

That felt like a good place to end things for now. Axel rises to his feet and Sansa does the same, giving him a respectful curtesy.

"I look forward to seeing you again soon, my Lady."

Without her mother, goes unspoken… and yet, not unheard given the knowing glint in Sansa's eyes.

"And I you, Your Grace."

With that, Sansa leaves and Axel finds himself pondering the meeting as well as his first impressions. At the same time… he can't help but wonder how Arianne Martell will measure up.

-x-X-x-

"I've heard you're quite pious, Your Grace. So is my handmaiden here, so I thought to introduce the two of you. This is Tyene Sand, my best friend and closest confidante. We share everything, Your Grace. Everything."

… The contrast between Sansa Stark and Arianne Martell could not be starker, Axel has to admit. For one, the Princess from Dorne hadn't brought a chaperone like Lady Stark did. Unless one counted the three 'Sand Snakes' that had come with her, which Axel did not.

For two, she was sin in a dress and she clearly knew it. Rather than sitting at a table across from him, Arianne Martell was lounging on a couch when he entered the room. The pose she'd taken up allowed the beautiful Dornish Woman to show off her ample assets and bodacious figure and Axel had to admit… she looked downright ravishing.

Meanwhile, the companion that she's chosen to bring to this meeting is quite the beauty herself… in a completely different way.

Where Arianne is dark of skin, full of life, and quite buxom, Tyene Sand is light skinned, golden haired, and has deep blue eyes. She's also not nearly as well-endowed as the Princess, and yet she wears her own sort of beauty, even as she gazes at him for half a moment before dipping her head in a graceful bow.

"Your Grace. I am honored to meet you."

Tyene's voice is gentle and sweet… but Axel isn't fooled for a moment. Maybe he would have been before Cersei. Or maybe not, given he'd seen right through the Dowager Queen's manipulations and machinations. Either way, he can immediately tell that something isn't quite… right about Tyene.

"My handmaiden's mother was actually a Septa, Your Grace. That's why I thought you might like to meet her. She too closely follows the Faith of the Seven… as do we all, of course."

… Yes, between Arianne sprawled out as though in offering and Tyene looking like she might just 'innocently' kneel down between his legs and worship his cock if either he or her Princess asked for it, the contrast between the Princess and Lady Sansa was quite massive.

Axel doesn't quite know where to begin, but he does know he's not about to be unmanned by a pair of seductresses. He hadn't let Cersei Lannister or Margaery Tyrell get the better of him, after all. Chuckling softly, he takes a seat for himself, giving Tyene a nod.

"A pleasure."

Then, he turns his attention towards Arianne. Not quite dismissing her handmaiden but rather making it clear that his focus is on the woman that came to King's Landing to potentially wed him, not her 'closest confidante'.

"I spoke with Lady Sansa a few hours ago. I'm glad to get the chance to speak with you now as well, Princess."

Arianne's mouth twitches and her brow raises.

"Hm. A lesser woman might take that as a slight, Your Grace, meeting with her competition first."

Axel smirks, seeing an easy opening to return her jab with a counter of his own.

"Then I shall be glad you are not a lesser woman, Princess."

No slight was intended, of course. Sansa had arrived in the city first and Arianne had arrived second. It had seemed like the fairest method to stick to that, in the end. But Axel isn't about to explain himself to the Dornish Princess. He's the king after all. He technically isn't supposed to explain himself to anyone.

Arianne, far from being irritated by his verbal jousting, actually looks pleased instead. Her dark eyes glitter even as her mouth curls into a wide, wicked grin.

"I think I like you already, Your Grace. Do you like me?"

She makes sure to arch her back as she asks that question, giving Axel quite the view of her ample bosom. Truly, if he decided right now that he wanted to have his way with the Princess of Dorne, the King is confident she would happily let it happen.

… But probably best to avoid such things on first meetings like this. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression of him. He was a man who loved his women, but he was still trying not to be as bad as his father had been. And more than that, he wasn't planning on making a choice quite so quickly. It would be unfair to make it seem like he had by giving in to Arianne's seduction attempts on their very first conversation.

"I barely know you as of yet, Princess. From what I've seen and heard so far… I do think I like you. But I also like what I've seen and heard of Lady Sansa so far as well."

Before Arianne can offer a response to that, Axel plows onward.

"Of course, it's not just about what I like, now is it?"

That brings the woman up short and even causes her dangerous, innocent-looking handmaiden to blink in surprise. Axel just keeps on smiling.

"I asked both you and Lady Sansa here for the same reason. Not to try and vie for my attention or favor. Nor to compete against one another for my affection. No, I want the three of us to take this seriously, to actually step back and try to figure out if we are meant for one another."

As Arianne and Tyene both watch him with more cautious, considering eyes, Axel chuckles.

"It is entirely possible that once you get to know me, you will find that you do not like me. If this turns out to be the case, I will not mind. I am not a king that demands to be liked or loved. If at the end of these next few months, you decide that you would rather return home to Dorne, then I will be happy to let you go. The same is true for Lady Sansa and the North."

There's a pause before Arianne finally finds her voice.

"… And I suppose if you decide you don't like I or the Lady Stark, then you will be sending us home as well… is that it?"

Axel's smile becomes a bit more fixed even as he nods.

"Aye. I will not have an unhappy marriage, Princess. I will not abide by an unhappy Queen, nor a woman who makes me unhappy in turn."

Arianne hums for a moment, tracing a finger along the arm of the couch she's lounging on.

"… Marrying for love. Not exactly the proper way of doing things for people of our… lineage, now is it?"

Funnily enough, the word 'proper' has Axel flashing back to another conversation he'd had some time ago, with a woman who he'd shared many intimate moments with… before she'd ultimately tried to kill him first with a dagger and then with her bare hands.

Far from finding the remembrance to be upsetting, Axel actually smiles fondly, even as he shakes his head and looks Arianne Martell in the eye.

"I am the King, Your Highness. I decide what is and isn't proper."

Arianne blinks and exchanges a glance with her handmaiden before looking back to him with a wide grin.

"Mm… now I know I like you already, my King. I suppose it will be my duty to make sure you like me as well."

Axel snorts dryly… and rises to his feet, deciding that if he lingers much longer, he might very well end up being propositioned by either the Princess or her handmaiden before this encounter is over. And he's not sure he'd say no either.

"This has been an enlightening conversation, Princess. I look forward to speaking with you again soon."

"… You as well, Your Grace. Ah, and if it pleases you… Tyene's sisters are more martially minded. May they have leave to use your training yard to keep their skills sharpened? And perhaps even test your own skills in a spar from time to time?"

Axel, having heard of the prowess of some of these 'Sand Snakes', grins wickedly at that.

"I am quite happy granting that request. I look forward to seeing them in action."

As he's leaving, the Princess' last words just barely reach his ears before the door to the chamber shuts behind him.

"And I you, Your Grace!"

… Yes, there was a distinct contrast between Lady Sansa Stark of Winterfell and Princess Arianne Martell of Sunspear. A distinct contrast indeed…

-x-X-x-

A/N: With this, Axel has met both Sansa and Arianne. But Arianne has help in the form of Tyene! That hardly seems fair to poor Sansa…

(The base price of my Patreon also increases from $3 to $5 at the end of July but if you get in now you keep the $3 price as long as you want, so now is a great time to sign up!)