Game of Thrones: Oath of Iron and Fire-Chapter 33: The Game of Thrones in Highgarden

The Reach, Highgarden. In the age of the Seven Kingdoms, this was the seat of House Gardener, who were displaced by House Tyrell after the Conquest.

Highgarden sits atop a hill, overlooking the Mander River below. The Coastal Road and the Rose Road converge here. The castle of Highgarden is made of white marble, and many consider it the most beautiful castle in all of Westeros, though the Vale folk would argue that the Eyrie holds that title.

Highgarden is a city of art and beauty, lush, wealthy, and prosperous. In the rose gardens of Highgarden Castle, flowers bloom everywhere, with gardens, fountains, and artificial waterfalls dotting the entire castle.

The castle is adorned with stone sculptures, fountains, and marble colonnades, with grapes and roses decorating the walls and sculptures. Ancient buildings are covered in ivy. From the towers of Highgarden, one can see all the surrounding manors and fields for miles around, with the countryside filled with flowers and golden roses.

In a white pavilion overlooking a fountain, several members of House Tyrell were chatting.

Outside the slender and elegant pavilion stood two guards, both wearing gilded half-helms and green cloaks trimmed with gold thread, with the golden rose of Highgarden embroidered on their chests. Both were seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and narrow waists, and muscles rippling beneath their armor.

Upon closer inspection, one would find it impossible to tell them apart. They had the same strong jaws, the same deep blue eyes, and the same thick red beards. These two were the twin guards of the Queen of Thorns.

"Did you know about the portrait of my granddaughter that Renly had made by a Myrish artist?" the Queen of Thorns asked.

"I did!" "It's a very fine piece! The Myrish style is quite lifelike!" Mace Tyrell, once a burly man, had grown somewhat portly with age but still had a handsome face. His curly brown hair was now flecked with gray at the temples, and his once-trim beard had grown a bit unruly.

"So you're aware of Renly's intentions as well!" Lady Olenna pressed her son. Lady Olenna was in her sixties, with silver hair and a small frame. Her hands were soft, her fingers thin; her voice had the sour tang of an old woman. Yet she still danced cautiously on the chessboard of power as the elder of House Tyrell.

Mace Tyrell spoke sheepishly. "Don't you wish for your sweet girl to become a queen? Not just Renly, but all of King's Landing knows the king doesn't love the queen. He still pines for that brown-haired girl from the North, whose shadow looms large."

"Is it the king?" Margaery was taken aback, weighing the pros and cons of this development. Margaery wore a green cloak embroidered with golden roses, which fluttered in the wind, revealing a green dress beneath that accentuated her beauty. She was in her teens, with brown hair, brown eyes, slender and lovely, possessing the eyes of a doe and a gentle gaze. Margaery hadn't anticipated her brother and Renly's bold scheming!

"Foolish! The situation in King's Landing is murky, and the Lannisters have a strong and intertwined presence there. Dear Renly, do you truly expect that jesting young man to succeed? At least Renly wasn't overly reckless; he chose to send my sweet girl as a replacement for the lioness rather than declaring himself king," the Queen of Thorns sighed. "No need to rush. We hold the granaries and the bread; whichever king sits on that cold iron chair won't dare to offend us too much."

"The king isn't a good match! I've said it before, it was Father and Renly who insisted on your opinion. You should have consulted with Grandmother and my sister!"

The heir of Highgarden, Willas, who sat in a wheelchair, interjected. "King Robert is fat and fond of drink, wasting his time in brothels and hunting. He's no longer the charming stag he once was. It's neither honorable nor safe for my sister to marry him. We could perhaps find a more advantageous match."

"I think Renly is quite good, brave, and gentle!" Mace said.

Lady Olenna sniffed dismissively, her small frame full of barbs. "I suspect he's a bit mad, perhaps from his bit of dragon blood. Being handsome and charming won't change his rebellious mind. His brother has children, and he has an elder brother. They once wanted me to marry into House Targaryen; I wouldn't stand for it."

"My grandson Willas is the clever one among us, which brings me some comfort. Tell Loras and Renly to stop their foolish games! Roses grow in the Reach; we don't till much soil in King's Landing! And the king can still control the situation; let's not add to the chaos in King's Landing."

"But Mother! This is a rare opportunity," Mace's face flushed. "For over a decade, the Small Council has rarely had a place for someone from the Reach, and our family has never won the honor of the crown! Even the Martells of Dorne have had a queen."

Mentioning the Martells made Mace restless, his neck reddening. The Reach and Dorne have never been on good terms, and the Martells were responsible for the disfigurement of the heir of Highgarden.

"I don't blame Prince Oberyn! The tourney is always like this; occasionally we even exchange recipes for horse cooking," Willas interjected.

Willas had a lame leg. The first time he participated in a tourney, his opponent was Prince Oberyn of Dorne. Oberyn unseated him. Unfortunately, the heir of Highgarden's foot got caught in the stirrup, and when he fell, he was crushed by his horse, shattering his knee and leaving him crippled.

"Well, at least my grandson is a smart man. Hatred and frivolity always lead to a loss of reason! Your father is beside himself with joy at the thought of his grandson on the throne, like a fish after a fantasy."

House Stark had been the kings for generations, as had House Arryn and House Lannister. Even House Baratheon, through the maternal line, could claim ancient royalty. Only House Tyrell had risen to prominence after King Aegon the Conqueror burned the legitimate King of the Reach in the "Field of Fire," previously holding only a steward's position.

But what did it matter?

"My son, we are thriving and have never been so strong! Both sides need us; we should wait, not be hasty!"

"Alright, there will still be opportunities! And those damn Florents, always preaching about our legitimate claim to power. I'll teach them a lesson sooner or later!" Mace said indignantly.

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"Now, Mace! Kings are not so easily made. Like Longthorn Leo, how many years did it take for our family to produce one?" the Queen of Thorns said.

"Longthorn" Leo was a renowned warrior and tourney enthusiast, respected and beloved. Even a hundred years later, Duke Leo was still considered the finest knight from House Tyrell. He was a master of the joust, and many believed he might be the greatest jousting champion of all time.

"By the way, Willas, do you have any interesting news to share with your old grandmother?" the Queen of Thorns asked.

"No other news, but there is an interesting piece from across the Narrow Sea. A new king has risen in the Disputed Lands, freeing slaves and raiding gunpowder grass manors, which has caused the price of gunpowder grass in Myr to soar. The slaves call him the Gunpowder King or the Iron King. He wears an iron mask, wields a war hammer, and dons iron armor, unstoppable on the battlefield."

"Gunpowder King! Sounds like a runaway slave."

"Not at all. He's the new commander of the Wolf Pack, a fierce and cunning warrior. He wields a war hammer, unmatched in combat, having killed many Meereenese and even Unsullied!" Willas said.

"Wolf Pack? The devil with the war hammer!" The Queen of Thorns was taken aback. "Descendants of the wild Northmen! I didn't expect them to still be active!"

"Yes! The Wolf Pack has become involved in the Myrish struggle and now stands as a faction of its own!"

"What's so interesting about the Gunpowder King? He's just a bandit from afar," Mace scoffed, though he had achieved little in his decades of military service.

"The price of gunpowder grass is skyrocketing; we need to make contact with this Gunpowder King. Also, he might launch an attack on the Stepstones, just like the Ninepenny Kings!"