Because I feel like putting Willas through some canon points as I re-read SoS

[willas_tyrell]

[He nearly spits out the wine he's sipping]

Cersei Lannister? They offered Cersei Lannister? That's ... surprising to say the least. Although I'm glad father turned down the offer.

[o_rly.jpg]

Stop that. Yes, the Queen Regent is a beautiful woman, but she unnerves me. Perhaps it is because I see how she holds herself, like a lion among sheep. Perhaps it is because of these rumors, or maybe it is just an instinct, but nonetheless I admit I am relieved.

[He finds the news of Sansa Stark's marriage to Tyrion Lannister much more telling.]

Comments

[queenofdenile]

Do all beautiful women unnerve you?

[willas_tyrell]

No, not at all. This one in particular is ... dangerous.

[queenofdenile]

Anyone can be dangerous with power...and intelligence. (She stretches like a cat.)

[willas_tyrell]

Wise words. However, it takes a certain amount of vicious ambition, and the willingness to do whatever it takes, no matter how immoral, to achieve your own ends to be truly dangerous.

[queenofdenile]

You make it sound like a bad thing.

[willas_tyrell]

It can be, and I believe that in her case it is.

[queenofdenile]

Spoken like a man. Why must you control everything? Why must every woman comply to your wishes?

A woman who is wild and free is far more beautiful.

[willas_tyrell]

You judge me harshly, my lady. I do not want to control everything. I'm quite content with my books and my beasts.

[queenofdenile]

I judge all men harshly. (It's true. She only likes the ones that play along.) And can you gain any pleasure from your books and your beasts?

[willas_tyrell]

I find it's the simpler things in life that bring me the most joy.

[queenofdenile]

I wasn't talking about joy. (INSERT INNUENDOES APLENTY HERE.) You'll never find a simple woman.

[willas_tyrell]

Ah. That kind of pleasure.[There's an amused smirk on the young man's face.] Even if I could find a simple woman, I don't think I'd want her. I'd much rather be with an intelligent woman, one who shares my passions, maybe has an adventurous streak.

[queenofdenile]

There might be hope for you yet. (His smirk is matched with a mischievous one of her own.) I am Queen Cleopatra the VII of Egypt.

[willas_tyrell]

A queen? Well, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Willas, of House Tyrell, Heir to the Highgarden.

[queenofdenile]

Every inch of me is royal. (She frowns. Uh oh. Another odd location.) What does that make you, Willas?

[willas_tyrell]

While I'm not a king, I am a lord, and heir to one of the Great Houses of Westeros. [He's not arrogant about it, but merely stating the facts.] The Highgarden is my family's ancestral home.

[queenofdenile]

Where is it located? It must be in the north. (And here she thought she knew her geography fairly well.) Without this community, we would have probably never met.

What a shame.

[willas_tyrell]

Our lands are in the southeast corner of Westeros, and unfortunately I'm not certain where that is in relation to Egypt. I've not heard of your kingdom before. [He's apologetic about that. He considers himself a well learned individual]

It is a shame. And yet, here we are.

[queenofdenile]

Likewise. (Which is why she thought he would be from the north. Europe is mostly a mystery to her.)

Do you consider it a shame that you met me? (Because she had meant the opposite.)

[willas_tyrell]

Quite the opposite, in fact.

[queenofdenile]

I don't terrify you?

[willas_tyrell]

No, in fact I quite enjoy your company. It's not often I meet someone who I can have intelligent conversation with, or who isn't trying to kiss up to me for a favor. It's even rarer that they happen to be as fair as yourself.

[She seems of a breed similar, yet very different to Cersei. He can tell she has the same drive, but not the black heart.]

[queenofdenile]

I've never kissed up to anyone. (Because she's a little spoiled. Okay a lot spoiled.) I was born a Princess of Egypt. My brother was foolish and unable to properly run the country, so I took over for him. (That's putting it incredibly lightly, but why muddy the waters?) I share my power with Caesar, the ruler of Rome, in order to unite our countries and make them more powerful.

(Even sharing power with Caesar doesn't stop her from getting her way, however.)

You're charming.

[willas_tyrell]

[He gets the sense that take over involved a civil war or the like, a regrettably common occurrence with royal families. He hopes it was for a reason more than "I can do better"]

So I've been told. [By the few potential matches his family set up that were willing to look past the fact that he was crippled]

Rome ... yet another country I've never heard of.

[queenofdenile]

(Why? Is that not a good reason?)

I get the feeling we will be foreign to one another no matter what lands we name.

(She crosses her legs and examines her fingernails.)

But that needn't be a weakness.

[willas_tyrell]

[It depends on how poor the previous ruler's job was.]

Quite probably.

[He raises an intrigued eyebrow at that last comment.]

Oh?

[queenofdenile]

(Extremely poor.)

I am myself and I assume you are yourself. Whatever our differences, we can overcome them and enjoy one another's company.

[willas_tyrell]

[As in people starving and dying in the streets poor?]

The last time I checked. [He replied with a grin] I can agree with that sentiment.

[queenofdenile]

(Not quite, but it's not like the land was prospering. Besides, her brother wasn't actually doing any ruling. His retainers and advisors were doing all the work.)

So... What do you like to do with your free time? (Her grin takes on a feral edge.)

[willas_tyrell]

[It would have to be pretty bad for Willas to believe Civil War or assassination to be the right move.]

I enjoy reading, hawking, going for a ride ... And yourself?

[queenofdenile]

(One meeting with Ptolemy would have decided him. He is tiny, spoiled and way too young to be a King. Oh and he tried to assassinate her.)

Tell me more about hawking. I do think I would have a talent for hunting.

(She smiles slowly.)

I find games very entertaining.

[willas_tyrell]

[Believe it or not, these circumstances are not entirely unknown to him. At least the spoiled, young king.]

It's quite simple really. You go with the bird of your choice, find the quarry, and release your bird.

[He returns the smile]

I could show you, if you'd prefer.

[queenofdenile]

I would like that. (She likes the idea of choosing a bird.) Do you have a favorite bird?

[willas_tyrell]

I do happen to have a favorite. You see, I've taken up breeding the birds as part of the hobby.

[He tells a servant to fetch his bird]

Among the birds I've bred, I take a great deal of pride in the descendants of the first bird I ever had, a Golden Eagle.

[The servant returns, and on a gloved arm sits an eagle of great size, with rich brown feathers and tawny down just visible underneath. It's the sort of bird one does not see in Egypt.]

I had a bit of a preoccupation with dragons in my youth, and I've gotten in to the habit of naming this particular line after dragons. This --[He explains as the servant passes him one of the padded leather gloves, which he puts on, and the eagle promptly shifts to it's master's arm for a perch] is Urrax.