I woke up before Margery, slipped silently out of her arms and legs, went to the table, and poured some wine. Ser Josib had tasted it yesterday—I remembered that very clearly. And if something had happened to the cupbearer, the castle would not be so quiet and peaceful. Moreover, the royal taster's condition is monitored by the guards.
Sipping wine, I sat down on a chair and stared at my wife's naked body for a long time. Now her face was calm and peaceful, and her perfect features resembled the paintings of Renaissance masters.
A ray of sunlight, as if alive, slowly crept across the floor.
Various thoughts swirled in my mind. I had survived the first day, and that was great. But everything had gone differently than I had expected — I even felt a slight sense of disappointment that no one had tried to kill me — although, on reflection, that must sound like complete nonsense.
Still, I had expected that the poisoning would take place and that someone would suffer. This, in turn, would allow me to obtain at least some minimal information — who was poisoned, with what poison, and at what moment. All of this would allow me to begin an investigation, take action, and create a kind of smokescreen behind which I could partially hide how much King Joffrey had changed.
Now it was necessary to be cautious and wait for the enemies to finally reveal themselves.
The second day of the wedding, as ser Ashley had previously informed me, included a breakfast, at which the guests would give Margery and me joint gifts as husband and wife. Also, after lunch, there was to be a large jousting tournament and archery competition.
The maids entered the chambers and took Margaery first to the bath, and then, behind very beautiful carved screens, which had not been there yesterday, they began to dress her.
Interestingly, our bloodstained sheet was hung outside the window. Such is the custom—in Westeros, a girl's innocence and purity were actually highly valued. This was a way of showing that the bride was pure and that the groom had performed his duties neatly and with skill.
I was surprised that the moment the sheet was hung out, I heard numerous claps from below. It seemed that quite a few people had gathered there and were waiting for just that.
Taking advantage of the fact that I had time, I summoned Jacob Liddon — the guy was older than Robert and a little smarter — and gave him the task of finding out everything possible about the knight Herald Orm.
The guy nodded, and I crossed my fingers for luck — I really need loyal people. The main thing is that Orm turns out to be a normal person and someone who suits me.
Holding hands, Margery and I went to breakfast. Truth was already in the hall, she went to her grandmother and talked to her for a while. She was probably telling her how everything had gone.
After a while, I caught the old woman's slightly surprised gaze as she focused her attention on me.
The second day was fun and more natural, I guess. Margery and I had gotten to know each other quite well over the past night, and now we clearly felt like close friends and family. At least, that's how I perceived this wonderful girl.
I even mentally thanked the Mother — after all, she was the one who had told me about the gifts I might encounter on my journey.
For a moment, I was even confident that everything would continue to go well. The main thing was not to relax. And not to let the Kingsguards who were protecting me and ser Josib relax. However, the fat man had already sobered up and was at his post — that is, at the table.
Looking at my cupbearer, I thought to myself... The thing is, such a person was quite good at protecting me from poisons that took effect almost immediately after ingestion. But what about those that take three or four hours to manifest? Yes, I urgently need someone who can teach me about various poisons, how to detect them, and how to counteract them. And, remembering the canon, I even realized who I should turn to.
"Maybe we should go back to the bedroom?" I leaned over to my wife.
Margery looked at me in surprise for a second, then snorted into her fist.
People, as on the first day, came up and gave gifts. There was everything imaginable—paintings, jewelry, clothing, hunting falcons, horse tack, a plant pot of some rare and fragrant tree from the Summer Islands, a lute, an ivory harp for Margery, and many other expensive and even amazing things.
In general, I already wanted to take a break from the feast and do something useful and necessary. But I restrained myself—it would be ridiculous for a young man on such a day, next to his beautiful wife, to do something else. So I had to continue playing this role.
At noon, the tournament began. As I understood from the conversations of my stewards, it was generally reminiscent of the tournament of the Hand, held in honor of Ned Stark's appointment.
The current tournament has already been dubbed the tournament of Joffrey and Margaery.
However, unlike the tournament of the Hand, which took place in peacetime, we are now at war. Therefore, we did not see many famous knights. But I gained a lot of new and useful impressions.
A huge crowd gathered around the tournament field. Carpenters had built several grandstands. The central one, for the king and the most influential lords, was richly draped with fabric, carpets, garlands, and various pennants. They even brought in furniture for comfort.
Looking around the entire tournament ground, the stands, and the sand-covered field, I couldn't help but think that the whole complex looked rather primitive. And considering that everything has to be renewed for each new tournament, such extravagance seems downright ridiculous.