'Judging from your stunned state, my granddaughter has captured you with her beauty, like in those knight stories. It's a pity I won't trade a rose for a leg, and she has already been sought after by the lords of other great houses.' I smile at that, tearing my eyes away from the now-seated young dy, who was silently working to keep my attention on her via posture and a flirtatious smile.

  'Ah yes, that's actually part of what I would like to offer my future wife, out of my own kindness and not Britannian interest.

  You see, Britannia is well-versed in deviation magic. Would you like to see your life with the others courting you, and the fate of the Tyrell family?' I said with a bright smile as I pulled out a shiny gss device from my pocket and pced it on the central table. It shone with light, starting to project very quickly recreations of Renly's death, Joffrey's death, and wildfire consuming the Tyrell all with excellent sound and visual effects before shutting down.

  With the initiative back in my hands, I pushed on. 'Of course, I don't expect you to believe in prophecy or magic. Simply know that when you py the game of thrones, you win or you die; there is no middle ground. And despite the Reach's vast influence and power, you still ck the ability to cement authority over the Iron Throne. Without dragons, all the Reach will truly gain is more influence and decent benefits with massive risks.'

  I turned to Margaery and spoke in a soft voice. 'You won't be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms because Cersei Lannister is Queen of five kingdoms. The Iron Isnds and Dorne simply pay lip service to the crown. That's not including the amount of chaos and wars that will happen once someone eventually kills that fat oaf of a king. At most, you will be queen of three kingdoms, with knives at your throats from friends and foes.'

  Both dies had returned to composure now that the initial shock of the projection was gone. The mask of the kind grandmother and perfect princess hid anything else, but I knew I had struck a lethal blow. Olenna took the lead again.

  'I'm sure you're aware that the Seven Kingdoms view magic with suspicion and fear, with most outright denying its power as nothing more than cheap tricks to fool commoners. As such, we can't take this at face value.'

  'I thought you might say that. Perhaps I could offer an alternative. I have no need for a queen right away, and Britannia's traditions are very rigid in who becomes queen, especially for foreigners. I propose our lovely rose lives in Britannia for three months so you can get a good grasp of what a marriage alliance with myself represents, and I will even heal Wils's leg as a bonus.'

  Margaery looked a bit tempted, but Olenna, the old thorny woman, simply scoffed under her breath.

  'I can't let my one and only granddaughter run off so far over the ocean based on words alone. It's true that Britannian fleets have been trading massive quantities of goods, but the Redwyne fleet hasn't been able to get much from Britannia as the harbors are too heavily controlled against imaginary spies.

  Perhaps if you opened up the harbors improving trade with the Reach and gave us an easy way to meet with Margaery in Britannia, like the sky ship you arrived in...' Olenna smiled like a concerned grandmother as she tried to get more advantages out of me.

  'My dear dies, have you noticed there isn't a cloud in the sky anymore?' Margaery and Olenna frowned at my words, not understanding my meaning.

  'If there are no clouds, why is all of Highgarden enveloped in shadow?' Margaery stood up and looked over the castle, noticing there was indeed a long hammer-shaped shadow covering all of Highgarden, but when looking up, all she found was a clear blue sky and the midday sun. She went quite pale at the implied meaning.

  'Did you know that strength speaks more than words or actions? In truth, I have been negotiating with you out of my own kindness, whereas my advisors would rather massacre what they deem little more than barbarians.'

  And take what they want from the weak, much like the dragon lords of old; after all, who could stop flying dragons the size of castles? Our sky ships have much the same effect on primitive peoples.

  At my words, all of Highgarden began to slightly shake; bricks cracked and the silver and gold cutlery rattled on the table. As the hum of space engines was heard throughout the castle, of course, it sounded more like the hum of an ancient god to the local residents. Who started to panic and scream as horses and domestic animals started to run wild in fear.

  Soon, though, the noise and shaking lessened as Margaery watched the massive shadow slowly move west until disappearing altogether. She was quite quick to recover, taking the initiative.

  "Your words are truly eye-opening. I would like to accept your offer of visiting Britannia, but I will need a few days to convince my father and prepare a retinue for my stay. Should I travel by ship, or will you send transport?" She gave a sunny smile that could capture any man's heart as she sat down again. Unfortunately, her shaking hand and pale face still showed her shock. With that, the finer details were worked out with her and Olenna before we returned to the puddle jumper. I made certain to cloak in full view of our guests before leaving.