Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Secrets
> Dear Miss Margaery,
I apologize for troubling you again, but I have to admit… I'm out of funds once more.
This time, I assure you it wasn't due to frivolous spending. I'm sure you're aware that I am not my father's favored son. He provided me with nothing but a sword and a warhorse—aside from that, I have nothing of value. With the Red Mountains looming ahead, I felt it necessary to acquire better equipment to handle any battles we may face. As a knight, after all, I can hardly face the world without a suit of armor. Without it, people might even think House Tyrell is stingy with its vassals!
Fortunately, near Highgarden, we came across a Hightower merchant caravan that happened to have what I needed, so I spent what was necessary. And of course, recalling your last advice, I refrained from purchasing a more costly suit of plate armor and opted for a more economical chainmail instead.
Additionally, I purchased leather armor for each of my new soldiers. I know you may feel this decision was excessive, but these brave men have journeyed great distances to follow me into the Red Mountains. I couldn't possibly send them into battle so poorly equipped.
I trust that someone as beautiful and kind-hearted as you, Miss Margaery, would certainly understand my reasoning.
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"Humph!" The beautiful and kind-hearted Margaery crumpled the letter in her hands, her teeth gritting with annoyance.
But a moment later, she softened, a smile breaking out as if she suddenly recalled something amusing.
"What is it?" Lady Olenna asked, watching her granddaughter shift from anger to laughter with curiosity.
"It's that Samwell again. He actually sent another letter asking me for money!"
"Then give it to him."
Margaery's eyes went wide at Olenna's casual reply. "But, Grandmother, this is the second time he's asked! I think he's spending it on purpose. If we send him more, he'll probably burn through it just as quickly!"
"Are we short on funds?" Olenna interrupted with a smile.
Margaery shook her head but remained indignant. "True, but that doesn't mean he can simply take advantage. I feel like he's extorting us!"
"Then refuse him and instruct Todder to bring our soldiers back."
"What?" Margaery's anger faltered, and she hesitated. "But… if we do that, will Samwell still be able to carry out his mission? Besides, didn't you say you wanted to use him to deal with Dorne? It would be a shame to give up so soon."
Olenna chuckled, "Now you see why he's been so bold in his demands."
Margaery sighed, sidling up to Olenna and hugging her arm. "Grandmother, please teach me—what should I do in a situation like this?"
Lady Olenna lovingly patted her granddaughter's hand and, instead of answering directly, asked, "What's your impression of Samwell Tarly?"
"He's different from the rumors, I think… except for being quite fat, of course. They say he's cowardly, but I think he's surprisingly bold—he dares to extort from House Tyrell!"
"Oh, he's more than just bold enough to extort—he even had Todder Flowers' attendant killed."
"What?" Margaery exclaimed.
"That's right," Lady Olenna explained. "I just received a letter from Todder himself, informing me that Samwell killed Carter on the grounds of 'threatening a noble with a sword.'"
"He… he dared to kill Carter? And Todder didn't intervene? Isn't he afraid that the soldiers will resent him?"
Olenna took a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Margaery. "Here's Todder's account—read it for yourself."
As Margaery scanned the letter, her surprise deepened. "This man is quite cunning, and decisively so. I suppose the rumors weren't very accurate after all."
Olenna's gaze turned pensive. "What surprised me the most was Samwell's knack for training soldiers."
"Yes! In just a little over a month, he's managed to turn dockworkers into disciplined soldiers. It's almost unbelievable."
"Randall Tarly certainly trained him well." Olenna mused, though a slight frown tugged at her brow. "Bold, decisive, shrewd, and skilled in military matters—Samwell has all the qualities of a worthy heir. So why would Randall be so dissatisfied with such a son that he's set on stripping him of his inheritance?"
"Maybe he just thinks Samwell is too fat."
"Your father is quite the 'inflated fish,' yet it hasn't stopped him from becoming the Lord of Highgarden."
"That's different," Margaery said, though a bit awkwardly as her grandmother's barb landed close to home. "House Tarly's motto is 'First in Battle,' so perhaps Lord Randall simply insists on an heir who can lead from the frontlines."
"Ah. So you think Randall is just a brute with no brains?"
"Of course not. Lord Randall is one of the finest generals in the Reach—hardly a man without brains. It's just that he seems to prefer the battlefield to scheming in the shadows."
"You still think of Randall as nothing but a brute." Olenna didn't hold back as she punctured her granddaughter's polite phrasing. "Randall not a schemer? Please. During Robert's Rebellion, Robert Baratheon rose up against the Targaryens, winning battle after battle and claiming three victories in a single day at Summerhall. But then he ran into Randall Tarly at Ashford and suffered a crushing defeat, forced to flee north. Afterward, the Reach army advanced into the Stormlands, laying siege to Storm's End. Do you recall how long that siege lasted?"
"I believe it was over a year."
"Yes, over a year! And yet they still failed to capture it." Olenna observed her granddaughter's widening brown eyes with a smile. "And do you remember what ultimately allowed the Stormlanders to break the siege?"
"Yes," Margaery said slowly. "It was Davos Seaworth who broke the blockade by smuggling a shipload of onions into Storm's End, alleviating the city's food crisis just in time for Lord Eddard's arrival. That's why Stannis knighted him as the 'Onion Knight.'"
Olenna's expression turned sardonic. "Have you ever wondered how Davos managed to slip his ship past the blockade? At the time, two hundred ships from the Hightower fleet were blocking every approach to Storm's End's port. Could Davos' little ship fly?"
Margaery's brows knit together, realization dawning.
Lady Olenna continued, her tone secretive, "Let me share a little secret. During the siege, Randall Tarly once wrote to me, stating that Storm's End had run out of food."
Margaery blinked, surprised. Her grandmother hadn't been present on the battlefield, so why would Randall bother to send such a message to her, far away in Highgarden? But, recalling the Onion Knight's exploits, she began to understand.
Seeing her reaction, Olenna's expression softened, and she gave a pleased smile.
"Exactly. After receiving Randall's letter, I sent one of my own to Paxter Redwyne."
(Chapter End)