Old Friends (Hallie)
May 28, 2012 18:29:23 GMT
Post by Halaevia Baratheon on May 28, 2012 18:29:23 GMT
'His daughter?' Halaevia was taken aback by the notion. She had anticipated demands from Mace, even unreasonable ones if Adelaide's judgement rang true - and there was no indication that it didn't - but what the lord of House Tyrell had asked for struck her as somewhat bizarre. 'You are sure it was his daughter, Margaery? Not a grandchild? Because that - it would be cruel to both of them. She is already a woman grown, and by the time any son of yours - or a son of Stannis - came to manhood, Margaery Tyrell would be long past her most fruitful years. A father would not choose that for his daughter.'
It seemed far more likely to her that neither Adelaide nor Stannis would have another child in the foreseeable future, but that would have been an unkind thing to say, and so she kept it to herself. In a way, it would even upset her own plans if either of them had a son. Halaevia held to a secret hope that one day her Eliedt would marry Princess Shireen. It would be a strengthening of the Baratheon bloodline and the claim, yet they were not close enough kin that anyone might object to the match. Were that not enough, Halaevia was fond of the little princess, and wanted to ensure she had a good, kind husband someday. Eliedt would grow up to be that sort of man, she was sure of it.
'If that is all he is asking,' she went on to tell Adelaide, 'then I think you did the right thing in accepting. It was a mistake for him to put so much faith in hypotheticals. Think on it,' she said, with a small, encouraging smile, 'you and Duncan might have only daughters, for all he knows.' From another this remark might have sounded flippant, but Halaevia who had lost her own firstborn was gentle with it. 'He cannot pressure you, because you will not let him. He knew the situation when he asked for those terms, he has no right to pry into the business of your marriage. Losing a child is the greatest anguish, and no-one has the right to fault you for what you decide after.'
'As for the rest,' she continued, not wanting to linger too long on the topic lest even its mention cause Adelaide further hurt, 'Stannis is not easily swayed by the demands of others. It may be we have to give way a little, until the throne is his. No king, however rightful, can take his place without the right backing. Yet once he is there? I trust him to deal with the Tyrells and their ilk fairly, but not indulgently. They might ask too much, but I do not think Stannis will give it to them.'
It seemed far more likely to her that neither Adelaide nor Stannis would have another child in the foreseeable future, but that would have been an unkind thing to say, and so she kept it to herself. In a way, it would even upset her own plans if either of them had a son. Halaevia held to a secret hope that one day her Eliedt would marry Princess Shireen. It would be a strengthening of the Baratheon bloodline and the claim, yet they were not close enough kin that anyone might object to the match. Were that not enough, Halaevia was fond of the little princess, and wanted to ensure she had a good, kind husband someday. Eliedt would grow up to be that sort of man, she was sure of it.
'If that is all he is asking,' she went on to tell Adelaide, 'then I think you did the right thing in accepting. It was a mistake for him to put so much faith in hypotheticals. Think on it,' she said, with a small, encouraging smile, 'you and Duncan might have only daughters, for all he knows.' From another this remark might have sounded flippant, but Halaevia who had lost her own firstborn was gentle with it. 'He cannot pressure you, because you will not let him. He knew the situation when he asked for those terms, he has no right to pry into the business of your marriage. Losing a child is the greatest anguish, and no-one has the right to fault you for what you decide after.'
'As for the rest,' she continued, not wanting to linger too long on the topic lest even its mention cause Adelaide further hurt, 'Stannis is not easily swayed by the demands of others. It may be we have to give way a little, until the throne is his. No king, however rightful, can take his place without the right backing. Yet once he is there? I trust him to deal with the Tyrells and their ilk fairly, but not indulgently. They might ask too much, but I do not think Stannis will give it to them.'