( ACT 1 : chapter 1 )
𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴
a 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 chapter

"Come, child, let me tell you a story." The woman sitting upon the wooden chair was small, practically of a child's stature, with white hair and soft, spotted hands and gaunt, thin fingers. Still, despite her advanced age, her regal bearing made her more akin to a queenly matriarch than the old, wrinkling woman she was.

The child sitting at her feet was no more than a handful of years old, with compelling blue eyes the color of the morning sky on a foggy winter morning and luscious locks of brown hair that House Tyrell prided themselves upon having in their family branches. The young girl was the second daughter of Olenna Tyrell's son Mace, and his wife Alerie and very likely the last of the Tyrell grandchildren after her sister Margaery and her brothers Willas, Garlan, and Loras. She was a timid girl and preferred to spend most of her days hiding from her tutors in the rose gardens unlike her sister, who loved to sit in court at Highgarden and enjoyed the amounts of political intrigues that took place there.

"Child." Olenna Tyrell's granddaughter had not obeyed her grandmother's request, instead seemed perfectly content with lying on the carpet in the woman's chambers, tracing the patterned roses on the fabric with a small finger.

"Lady Alysanne, you will get up and come to your grandmother's side at once." The woman said sternly. "I do not make a habit of asking more than once."

When the Lady Alysanne did not enact the woman's wishes, her lady-in-waiting, who'd been dutifully sitting in a corner of the room in order to let the elderly matriarch of House Tyrell and her grandchild bask in their alone time away from court, cast her needlework aside and stood up to pull the child off the carpet forcefully.

Though her action was quickly shut down by the elderly woman. "Young girl, you will go back to your seat at once. It is bad enough that my daughter-in-law has you chasing that poor child throughout the castle every day, I will not have you chase her through my quarters as well."

The woman seemed taken aback by the harsh words and nodded quickly, albeit embarrassed. She had rarely spent time with the woman they called the Queen of Thorns, usually spending most of her days trailing after her grandchild as she went from one hiding place to the next. In fact, the only time she wasn't left alone with the young girl was when her mother, Lady Alerie, was around. When that was the case, Lady Alerie encouraged, not commanded her, to discipline the young girl if it meant she would obey her mother's wishes. It seemed that was not the case with Lady Olenna.

"You may take your leave." Olenna Tyrell ordered before the lady's behind could even touch the chair again.

Alysanne's lady-in-waiting looked embarrassed. "I was given strict instructions to never let the girl out of my sight."

The elderly woman sighed. "Well, I have new instructions for you. Leave these chambers and stand outside the door while I have a private moment with my grandchild. Is your feeble mind well equipped to see these orders through or do I have to write them down?"

"I-", The woman seemed at a loss for words. "Yes."

"Good, now get out at once, girl." The lady nodded and inclined her head quickly before furtively scurrying towards the door.

Once the door had closed behind her, Olenna turned to shoot a pointed look at the girl still splayed out on the carpet. She was smiling softly to herself. "Wipe that smile off your face, young lady." Her grandmother chastised, though the woman had a small smirk pulling at the corners of her lips that had wrinkled and thinned with time and years of politics.

"Now, child. I've gotten rid of that insufferable girl for you, so you better tell me now what ails you, because I won't ask again."

There was a beat of silence, during which the index finger that had been tracing the rose pattern on the carpet stilled slowly as Alysanne retracted her hand and turned to face her grandmother. "They're talking of sending me away, at court." Her voice was soft, but such was fit for a five-year-old child who spent her days hiding in rose bushes. "They want me to marry someone in the North."

Olenna smiled sadly. "And here I had reason to believe you did not dabble in the politics they talk of at court."

The girl did not reply, only she cast a defeated look at the carpet and returned to lying on the carpet, propped up on her forearms, tracing the patterned gold roses.

Olenna has not always been good at being maternal. She had made herself into a mistress of court politics, plotting and intrigue par excellence throughout her life, and made sure people remembered her for her wits and sarcasm, hence how she had earned the nickname Queen of Thorns, in reference to the Tyrell sigil - a rose - and her cutting, barbed comments. Unfortunately, that training and shaping herself throughout her life had made it hard for her to be a warm mother, who could offer comfort with just three simple words. That wasn't who she was.

"I hear the boy they've chosen is nice. Strong, healthy, has never been ill. He'll be able to produce fine heirs."

"I don't care." She had not turned to look at her grandmother this time. "I want to stay here with you and Margaery."

Olenna scoffed. "You and I both know that is impossible, child. We must all do what is right for this family, even if it means sacrificing a little of our happiness."

"Well," The girl pronounced stubbornly. "I think that's stupid."

The matriarch of House Tyrell did not say anything for a moment, sensing that nothing she could say could console the young girl. Of course, her opinion was not the final say in her son's court, but a part of her agreed that an arranged marriage for a girl as young as little Alysanne was a little cruel. She knew that this idea was Lady Alerie's doing, her daughter-in-law who put her sons and heirs above all else, of course, this woman would convince her husband to trade her infant daughter for a political alliance that would benefit her sons once they took their father's place above all else. She suspected the only reason Lady Alerie wasn't sending her firstborn daughter instead of little Alysanne was due to the political advantage Margaery held over her head due to spending her days in court. The ten-year-old would not go through with it without a good fight, while little Alysanne would allow herself to be molded by the Starks into the perfect wife for Robb Stark.

There was a long silence, during which both grandmother and granddaughter did not say anything. Finally, after a silence that must have stretched on for five or so minutes, Olenna spoke up. "Do you know why our family crest is a golden rose, child?"

"Because it is beautiful," Alysanne answered quickly.

Olenna stood up, sensing that their time away from court and their duties would be over in mere minutes. "Because the rose's beauty often conceals the fact that it has sharp thorns."

Just then, the door opened, and the lady in waiting she'd rebuffed a moment ago walked in with Alysanne's mother and her tutor. "Lady Alysanne, your lessons for the day must begin shortly."

Lady Alerie, originally Lady Alerie Hightower, was a cold and stern woman. Just like she was doing to her daughter, she'd been sent to House Tyrell at the age of seven to marry Mace Tyrell. Focused on giving him male heirs, she'd discarded her two daughters to love her three precious sons, the lights of her life. Everything she did, she did intend to have them at a political advantage at all times, despite none of them being implicated at Highgarden's court whatsoever. Whatever was left for her daughters, she invested in ladies-in-waiting, tutors, and endless lessons to make sure they were kept occupied and busy, away from her.

Lady Alerie glared at Olenna, "That child is supposed to be attending her lessons, not listening to fairytales come from your mouth, Lady Olenna."

Olenna smirked. "Is it because of my advanced age that you think me only capable of being confined to a rocking chair, spewing prophecies and stories of dragons and wizards to young children all day, Lady Alerie?"

"You are well aware that I was not implying this," Alerie said, waving at the lady-in-waiting to take Alysanne away.

"You would do well to remember your place, Lady Alerie. My son could find another wife with way more ease than he could find another mother and right hand."

Before another word could escape her daughter-in-law's mouth, Olenna brushed past her and out the door, Lady Alerie's ladies-in-waiting parting for her as they would for the King as she made her exit.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Will you write to me in Winterfell?" The jarring question asked by her younger sister caught a ten year old Margaery off guard. Her hand stopped fluffing the pillows and she turned to look at Alysanne, who'd been dutifully sitting in the corner of the bed, leaning against one of the pillars of the four poster bed.

She went very still. "How do you know about Winterfell?"

Alysanne shrugged meekly, staring at her sister with compelling eyes that looked brown in the golden candlelight illuminating Margaery's chambers. "Will you? When they send me away."

Margaery smiled softly at the only sister she had. Sure, she had brothers, but three boys that only laughed when they were swinging swords all day and playing pirates made for a far less enjoyable company than her mischievous, quiet sister, even though they were five years apart in age. "Of course I'll write to you, everyday. And when you are married, and the Lady of Winterfell, you will come visit me, as I will come visit you."

"Do you swear?"

Margaery nodded, her reddish brown hair swayed back and forth as she did. "By the old gods and the new. Now come to bed."

Alysanne hesitated. "Won't mother be mad that I am not in my chambers?"

Margaery ushered her sister into her bed and got in after, pulling the covers up to both their chins. "She will not care. Besides, her and father can allow for me to spend time with my sister before you move up North."

"What do you know about him?" Alysanne asked just as her sister was about to blow out the candles in the room. "About my future husband?"

Margaery seemed to think for a moment. "Robb Stark is said to be kind, fair and intelligent. He is only two years older than you but there is no reason to believe you will be unhappy over in Winterfell. You will continue your teachings there, where you will learn how to be a proper Lady of Winterfell and a good wife to him."

"And what of you?"

"Father seeks to have me make a more prominent marriage with a House of the South. Perhaps it is important to him that his firstborn should marry within our region." Her sister answered, finally blowing out the candles and quickly slipping under the covers next to Alysanne.

It was left unsaid by Margaery, but even at her young age, Alysanne understood that the reason she was being sent North instead of her older, more experienced sister, was because unlike her, Margaery was interested in far more than she ever could be, and Alysanne knew that their grandmother saw it. And whether or not their mother had planted the idea in her husband's head or not was irrelevant, because they both knew that Olenna was always three steps ahead of their mother and would ensure Margaery would be kept at Highgarden until she had mentored her in the skills of court intrigue. Both girls knew it and would not say it aloud, but House Tyrell had ambitions beyond a simple marriage to a Stark or one of their Vassals.

House Tyrell would one day surely sit on the throne and govern the Seven Kingdoms if they had the aspiration for it, and while their father certainly did not, their grandmother surely did. By keeping her oldest and more beautiful granddaughter by her side, Olenna made sure all her political playing fields were wide open for their house in order to play the game of thrones from the high ground.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I have no idea how to write prologues lmao but I hope this lived it to what it should be :) Also I hope I captured Olenna's manerisms and personality right because these kinds of characters are so hard to write.