randomosity | [For Hannibal] Alliance of Fire

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[For Hannibal] Alliance of Fire

Renly Baratheon was dead, leaving his claim to the throne empty and his wife Margaery Tyrell a widow. Roose Bolton, of course, could spy an opportunity a mile away. He sent a raven to Highgarden, to Lord Mace Tyrell. Roose proposed that his youngest son and only legitimate heir be married to Margaery. Mace agreed, rather quickly as well - likely out of fear for the Bolton name.

But of course, Olenna Tyrell wasn't about to let that agreement happen. At least not on any terms but her own. So the agreement was made, but a time for delivering her to Winterfell had not been determined, and Olenna was not about to agree to one.

Ramsay Snow, wanting to be useful to his father and acknowledged as a true Bolton, decided to take action on his own. He took a small band of Bolton men and rode to Highgarden - he knew Margaery was there, after her day-long marriage to the late King Joffrey had ended. He kidnapped the Tyrell heiress and rode back to Winterfell. When he arrived, he dragged Margaery in with no amount of mercy or delicacy. He found his half-brother and father in a sitting room going over charts and battle strategies. Margaery, clad in a light dress with a keyhole opening at the front showing her cleavage and wrapping around her lower back, showing off the curves of her back and the lean muscle beneath her skin. Her skin was cold and covered in goosebumps, her lips slightly dark and a light shade of blue. But all the fire and anger was in Margaery's eyes. She wrenched herself free of Ramsay's grip and pulled her lips back to bare her teeth.

"Unhand me, mongrel!" she hissed.

"Dear father, brother - see what I've brought? We'll not have the Tyrells welching on their agreement any longer," Ramsay grinned. "The flower is a little frosty, but only because she did not appreciate my generosity of allowing her to ride in the carriage."

"What I did not appreciate was a bastard snatching me from my ancestral home and dragging me with no proper clothes into the North," Margaery snapped.

She so badly wanted to shift towards the fire, but she was bound and determined to stand tall and tough. Ramsay obviously thought her weak, she would prove him wrong.

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Rhys and Reina were jubilant at having answered the question correctly. They scrambled to collect leaves and covered the trap.

"Move mama!" Rhys said to Margaery when they were finished. "Downwind, don't want the rabbits to find us."

Margaery smiled and tugged the reins to move her horse downwind.

Hannibal nodded in approval at their cover. He helped them up onto their ponies and jumped upon his horse before riding with them downwind of the trap. He waited with them and smiled proudly. "Well done, how long do you think it will be before your trap has a rabbit in it?" He asked.

A stray breeze came up and Hannibal noted some very light hair in Reina's quickly growing locks. He rode towards her slowly. "Did you get a leaf in your hair my little Princess?"

Margaery settled in the saddle and shushed Aenar when he began to fuss. Carefully she pulled out a breast and allowed him to feed. She looked up when Hannibal addressed the twins.

"Soon, Papa!" Reina chirped.

"Really, really soon!" Rhys grinned.

"Shhh, loves, remember the rules," Margaery shushed them softly.

Reina glanced up when Hannibal addressed her. She reached up and felt her hair for a phantom leaf, but found nothing. Reina smiled and laughed at Hannibal. "No! Silly Papa..."

Hannibal was watching carefully before he reached down to lift her up into the saddle with him. "Papa may be silly, but let me check again." He said as he brushed her hair back. He had Reina angled so that Margaery could see what he did...a small streak of silver hair. Hannibal tilted his head to her. "How long have you had these pretty light hairs?" He asked her.

Reina laughed as Hannibal lifted her into his saddle. She liked being on Papa's bigger horse, it made her feel grown up. Reina smiled as Hannibal brushed his fingers through her dark locks. So much like her mother's save for that lock of silver.

Margaery stared in shock. She looked up to Hannibal in surprise.

"Always, Papa!" Reina grinned. "Pretty, Papa? Pretty like Mama?" She pulled the lock from the rest of her hair and smiled up at him.

Hannibal smiled and nodded his head. "Pretty just like Mama." He affirmed before kissing her forehead and setting her back on her pony.

Rhys spoke up, "I have light hairs Papa!" He said before turning his head and pointing to a small streak that was on the underside of his hair too.

Margaery looked up when Rhys announced that he too had light hairs. She looked between Hannibal and Rhys, shocked at the development. How had this gone so long unnoticed?

"How handsome you look, little love!" Margaery smiled, disguising her shock.

Hannibal was equally surprised, but he hid it to smile proudly. "Very handsome indeed. Have you both always had these light hairs?" He asked them. He shifted to look at young Aenar. All three of their children were showing the recently discovered lineage. He would need to send a raven to Mereen sooner than he thought.

Reina and Rhys both nodded enthusiastically. They were proud of this unique trait, especially given that their hair was naturally very dark. Margaery looked a little unsettled, but her stomach dropped when she heard rustling leaves and the sound of a rabbit being caught in the snare. One hand came to her mouth, she didn't have the stomach for this.

Rhys and Reina, however, were jubilant.

Hannibal would speak with her about it later. He noted how unsettled she was when the creature was caught. He leaned over to kiss her temple tenderly. "Come, let us collect your rabbit." He said as he led his horse back towards the snare.

Rhys and Reina both cried out in triumph and hurried back to their snares. Margaery was not as enthusiastic. The kiss had calmed her somewhat, and she sighed with Aenar in her arms.

When the children were far enough ahead, Margaery looked to Hannibal. "What do you make of this?"

Hannibal knew she was still hesitant to kill natural prey. Once they were just beyond earshot he looked into her eyes. "I take it as another sign to confirm my lineage. Now, try to not show your discomfort quite so much when they return with their catch. I want to give them their first flaying lesson with the creature." He said.

Margaery gave a slight groan and looked distressed. "Must I really watch such a display?"

Apparently so, for the children returned with a fat rabbit in tow.

"Look Mama!" Rhys proclaimed proudly.

Margaery forced a smile. "That's wonderful, darling!" The things a mother did for her children.

Hannibal chuckled at her response and smiled proudly to his children. "Well done! Now, let us return to the castle to prepare it for dinner." He said.

Rhys and Reina both cheered in delight and victory. They turned their ponies and practically sprinted them back towards the castle. Margaery turned her horse and started after them. She knew that they would have to discuss the twins' hair and Aenar's eyes and what that meant for their future. Their future, and Daenerys' involvement in it.

Thinking on the dragon queen made Margaery nervous. Would Hannibal feel familial loyalty to her? Would she feel the same with him? Margaery was suspicious - as her grandmother had raised her to be. She trusted no one outside her clan, and as far as she was concerned, Daenerys Targaryen was not family. She was a threat.

Rhys and Reina bounced anxiously in their saddles as their parents approached. Margaery smiled and reached down to tussle Reina's hair. "We should show off these pretty light hairs, would you like Mama to braid your hair? Papa could wash it, if you like."

"Yaaaaaay!!" Reina threw her arms in the air in celebration. She loved when her Papa washed her hair, and the idea that her mother would braid her hair once it was dry again made her happier still.

Hannibal smiled with pride when they both raced towards the red keep with confidence. He was very proud for them to not be afraid to take such risks on horseback. He chuckled as he looked to his wife. "They will be racing their dragons soon enough." He said to both tease and warn her.

"Race!" Rhys echoed his father.

"Race dragons!" Reina added and bounced in the saddle.

Margaery looked to the twins and then to Hannibal in warning to mind his words around their children. But her attention focused on the twins with a smile. "In time darlings, in time. For now, mind your father's lesson."

The servants came for the horses, and Margaery looked to Hannibal to take Aenar so that she could dismount.

Hannibal smirked as his children picked up what he said. Once they arrived, he did indeed take Aenar from her arms so that she could dismount. He passed their youngest son back to her and led his children to a butchering block. "Now it is time to watch and be strong like Papa and Mama." He said.

He first instructed them that prey that was worthy of mercy was to be killed quickly and honorably. For a creature small enough like the rabbit, breaking its neck. For something larger like a predator, a knife straight through the heart. He then picked up the rabbit and twisted its neck until it cracked loudly and the rabbit died immediately.

Margaery dismounted and took their youngest in her arms again as she followed to the butcher block. She turned and tried to block out the sound of Hannibal snapping the rabbit's neck. Both children watched their father carefully and absorbed every single move he made. Margaery was happy that their children were so obedient and attentive.

Hannibal was proud that his children watched without flinching. "Now, first we must skin the rabbit to get to the tasty meat we can use to make dinner." He said. "The first rule is that knives are not to be played with. Always treat them with reverence and respect. You use them to honor something that died honorably to feed you, or to teach an enemy a lesson in respect or fear." He explain with a very grave tone in his voice. He did not want them to think of any weapon as a toy like his half brother did.

Margaery overheard the lesson and smiled when the first rule Hannibal taught them was not to play with knives. That they were tools only. She smiled and hugged their youngest close to her chest.

"And for now, you may only use them when Mama or Papa are around to supervise," Margaery added.

"Yes Papa," Reina nodded. "Yes Mama."

"We'll be careful," Rhys added. "Promise."

Hannibal nodded when they seemed to understand this first (and most important lesson). "Now, to skin the creature, you begin by choosing the correct blade. This is delicate work and you must use a thin blade to accomplish your task. You begin by making a long slice from directly under the chin all the way down to the tip of it's tail. This way once we are ready to peel the skin off, we will have one nice piece that we can use to make something useful like a hat or gloves." He explained.

The twins nodded in understanding, listening carefully to their father's instructions.

"Gloves!" Rhys proclaimed. "Gloves for mama!"

Reina echoed his proclamation. Margaery laughed softly and patted them each on the head. "So generous my darlings. Thank you for thinking of me."

Hannibal smiled as he heard their comment. "Very good, now. I want you to watch carefully as I remove the skin. Next time it will be your turn to try. His time you will watch and learn." He said. He then pressed the knife into the fur right at the lower jaw. He then sliced very slowly and methodically as he began to peel the fur off of the rabbit and show them the process. He went very slow and explained each of his cuts to them so that they could learn and understand.

The fact that the twins would be watching gave Margaery comfort. Rhys and Reina both watched and got a bit closer to watch their father's precise movements. Margaery had to admit that they would need these flaying skills if they were to be proper Bolton heirs.

When Hannibal had finished, the twins nodded but looked bored. Margaery grew stern with them.

"Rhys, Reina, pay attention, this is important," she lightly scolded them. "What is the motto of House Bolton?"

"Our blades are sharp," they both recited in unison.

"That's right, you must know these things your Papa teaches you so that you can handle those sharp blades, understand?" Margaery looked to both children.

"Yes Mama," they both replied.

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