Sansa's Case Gets A Bare Save, Margaery Does Well For Herself Without Much Failure

Aegon Had Been Keeping A Close Watch On Sansa's Progress, The Girl Was Utterly In Need Of Support So He Sent Blackfish To Get Her Mother To Help Her, Or Rather, He Sent Varys To Blackfish To Go To Catelyn. The Young Rhaenyra Was Quite Lively, Especially For One At Her Age, Barely Able To Think and Already Quite The Handful. Aegon Himself Did Not Attend The Feast Sansa Had Thrown, Having A More Pressing Matter Of Seing To The Growing Attention Required For Nymeria and Myrcella, As Both Were Quite Pregnant and In Need Of Tender Care. He Wasn't Even Certain How Long They'd Been Pregnant, Since Every Day He Felt He Recognised Himself and The World He Lived In Less and Less. Aegon Honestly Found Little Interest In Much Beyond His Daughter, Tyene, and A Few Other Individuals. He Found Himself Growing Ever More Attracted To Melisandre, Having To Shift His Posture To Hide His Growing Arousal In Her Presence, and For Her Part Either Did Not Mind Or Did Not Notice. Aegon Was Less Than Satisfied With Sansa's Performance, But Her Performance Was Saved By Her Mother's Intervention. Though This Dimmed Her Chances Of A Queen's Crown, It Did Have The Opportunity To Take Notice Of Her Strengths and Weaknesses.

Sansa Was Kind and Naive, She Was Clearly A Slow Learner, and Needed Correction Lest She Be Taken Advantage Of. To That End, He Had Her Summoned To His Chambers, With Her Mother and Elder Brother. "Your Grace, I'm Sorry About The Feast...I Don't Know What Went Wrong." Says Sansa. "The Truth Of The Matter Is I Sabotaged It...." Says Aegon Pausing For Dramatic Effect. "Why Would Sabotage Your Own Feast?" Asks Robb. "To See How We'd React and Respond To It, Very Clever Your Grace, You Are Your Father's Son." Says Catelyn. "Thank You For The Compliment, But I Must Admit, Doomed As It Was, You Did A Lot Of Things On Point, The Seating Arrangements Were Well-Done, The Meals Were Fairly Decent, and From What Varys Informs Me, You Did Everything As Efficiently As You Could, Only Going To Your Mother's Side For Help When I Had Varys Send Your Great Uncle To Her To Help You." Says Aegon. "Does That Mean...?" Sansa Asks Getting Shy. "No, This Was Test Was Meant To Gauge Your Reaction To Failure, In This Case You Answered Honestly and Performed Better Than Varys Had Expected. So While The Feast Was A Disaster, You Did Well Nevertheless. Lord Tyrion, Please Tell The Lady Her Next Task To Complete Before We Make Our Decision." Says Aegon. "Right, One Of The Queen's Duties Is To Tend To The Daily Affairs Of The Royal Household, That's To Say She Decides How Things Are Done and By Whom, At Your Discretion You Should Confer With Your Aunt and The King's Mother, They Will Provide You With The Relevant Details. They Will Also Present You With Opportunities To Hinder Or Sabotage Lady Margaery's Own Tasks, Whether You Take Them Up Is Your Choice, But How You Respond To Them Is Very Important When The Time Comes." Says Tyrion.

With A Wave Of His Hand, Aegon Dismisses Sansa and Her Mother and Brother. "What Of Lady Margaery? How Has She Done?" Asks Aegon. "From What We've Gathered It Seems She's Begun Donating Food and Coin To Local Orphanages and The Children Of Brothels. She's Asked Her Father To Fund The Reconstruction Of The Cities Sewers and The Cleansing Of The General Gutters and Cisterns. She's Quickly Endeared Herself To The Smallfolk, and It Seems Several Lords Have Already Voiced Their Approval Of Her Efforts To Improve The City." Says Tyrion. "Who Specifically?" Asks Aegon, Turning To Lord Varys. "Celtigar, Velaryon, Hightower, Redwyne, Merryweather, and Tarly. I've Heard Whispers That If You Don't Take Margaery For Your Queen Lord's Velaryon, Hightower, Merryweather, and Tarly Plan To Ask Lord Mace For Her Hand For The Son's. "Your Grace, Lady Margaery Awaits You At Your Pleasure." Says Ser Barristan. "Send Her In Barristan." Says Aegon As Barristan Bows and Sends In Lady Margaery.

"Lady Margaery Your Efforts Have Impressed Me, As Have Your Methods, Therefore, I Must Confess That You Are Presently Ahead Of Lady Sansa In The Race For The Empty Crown. However, There Is One Test You Must Pass Before We Can Be Certain Of Your Suitability. Lord Varys?" Aegon Asks His Master Of Whispers. "There's A Particular Vintage Of Wine His Grace Has Been Searching For, But The Bottle Has Eluded Him, and He Has Decided That You Must Find It For Him, He Does Not Expect Success, and Hopes You Prove Him Wrong." Says Varys. "What's The Vintage?" Asks Margaery. "126 AC Dornish Red, From The Vineyards Once Used By House Jordayne. "The Bottle Went Missing Several Decades Ago From The Royal Cellars, and My Little Birds Have Learned It Has Recently Been Put Up For Sale In The City. You Must Find This Bottle and Prove Yourself In How You Do It, Remember, My Little Birds See All." Says Varys. "And What They Don't, My Hounds Will Uncover Without Failure, You Have Until Dusk." Says Aegon, Dismissing Margaery With A Wave. "She's Gone Your Grace." Says Barristan. "How Long Before She Figure's It Out?" Asks Aegon. "Who Knows? The Girl's As Canny As Her Grandmother and As Smart As Her Father Is Stupid." Says Oberyn From His Corner, Handing Aegon The Very Bottle Margaery Was Sent To Find. "Much As I'd Love To Crack It Open Now, I Think It'd Be Best Served If We Open It When She Returns." Says Aegon.

Aegon, Oberyn, Tyrion, Varys, and Barristan Sat At A Table, A Single Bottle Of Wine Before Them, While Six Goblets Sat Before Them. Margaery Entered With A Bottle and Presented To Aegon. "Is This The True Vintage? Or Is It This One?" Aegon Asks Lining The Bottles Up. "I Don't Know Your Grace, I'm Not Very Good At Determining A Wine's Age." Says Margaery. "Lord Tyrion, If You'd Be So Kind?" Oberyn Asks, and Tyrion Reaches Over For Margaery's Bottle, Before Exclaiming Refuse and Handing It To Aegon. "Very Nice, But Unfortunately A Fake." Says Aegon Throwing It Out The Nearby Window. "This My Lady Is The Real Vintage. I Had It All Along, Set Up The Sale As A Means To Determine Whether You'd Present Me With What You Thought Was The True Bottle, and Answer Honestly, You Did, Therefore, You Get To Partake In Our Drink, Uncle, Open The Bottle." Says Aegon Sliding The Bottle Over To His Uncle Who Pries The Cork and Pours Everyone A Drink, and Aegon Hands Margaery A Goblet. "To Margaery's Gambit!" Says Oberyn.

Sansa and Margaery Both Stood Before The Small Council. Aegon Had Came To A Decision. "I've Mad My Choice, Each Of You Will Reign As My Queen. I Tested You Both, and Found Myself Unable To Decide On A Clear Winner, Therefore You Will Both Become Queen's Of Westeros and House Targaryen. However, Until Princess Rhaenyra Has Had Her First Name Day, There Will Be No Wedding To Either Of You. Now Then, I Must Tend To Nym and Myrcella, Undoubtedly They'll Be In Labour Any Time Now, Come Uncle, It's Your First Grandchild After All." Says Aegon As He Leads His Uncle Away.

Aegon, Oberyn, and Ser Barristan Sat In The Room, Drinking. "Well, We're Well and Truly Fucked." Says Aegon. "Aren't You Proud Of Your Girls Nephew?" Asks Oberyn. "It's Not That, It's Just, Not Even A Post-Marital Relation Has Given Me A Son. Now I've Three Daughters, Two Trueborn and One Baseborn." Says Aegon Referring To The Fact He Has Yet To Have A Son. "Don't Be So Hard On Yourself Your Grace, Only The Gods Can Decide Who Is Born As What." Says Ser Barristan. "I Know, But White Walker Piss How Am I Supposed To Get My Vassals To Swear Fealty To No Son? And Don't You Start Uncle!" Says Aegon As Oberyn Opens His Mouth. "To Princesses Visenya and Cassandra!" Says Oberyn, Raising His Glass To Aegon and Nym's Daughter Visenya and Aegon and Myrcella's Daughter Cassandra.

(Time-Skip: Three Months, One Week, and Three Days Later)

It Had Been Little Over Three Months Since The Birth's Of Princesses Visenya and Cassandra, and Two Months Since The Stillbirth Of Aegon's First Son, Prince Jacaerys Waters, Aegon's Bastard By Tyene, Who Gave Birth A Few Months Too Early. Grief Stricken Over The Loss Of Their First Son, Tyene Was Inconsolable To Any But Aegon, Who Chose To Prioritise Tyene's Happiness Above Anything Else Until She Was Her Usual Bubbly Self. She Had Come Night After Night, Begging Aegon To Sleep With and Impregnate Her, Promising Another Son, Each Time Aegon Took Her Head In His Hands, Kissed Her Gently, and Spoke Kindly, Telling Her It Was Not Her Fault Jacaerys Died Before He Could Live, and That Someday She'd Give Him Son's, But Only When She Was Ready To Accept It Was Not Her Fault. Aegon Had Always Had A Soft Spot For Tyene, He'd Loved Her Strongest Out Of Arianne, Rhaenys, Nym, and Herself, and The Loss Of Their Son Drove Them Even Closer Together. Every Day, Aegon Kept A Close Watch On Tyene, Taking Her With Him Everywhere, Letting Her Sit In His Lap As She Wept In His Arms During Lunch, Letting Her Hold Onto Him For Comfort During The Small Council Sessions and Even Turning Down Nym, Alys, Dacey, Wylla, and Others Sexual Propositions In Order To Care For Tyene, Something She Appreciated.

One The Fourth Day Of The First Week Of The Third Month, Aegon Held Tyene In His Arms, Cradling Her Gently, Breathing In Her Scent, and Whispering Sweet Nothings Into Her Ear. "Egg! Promise Me, Promise You'll Sleep With Me Tonight?" Tyene Asks Him. "No, Your Almost There My Sweet Tyene, But I Can't Impregnate You Again Just Yet." Says Aegon. "Then, You Have My Permission To Sleep With Someone Else Tonight. Look, Don't Pretend How Hard It's Been For You Turning Down Every Woman To Lift Her Dress Up To You, I'll Even Make It Easy, I'll Watch." Says Tyene. "Fine, But You Have To Promise Me You Won't Take Advantage Of The Situation To Fuck Me." Says Aegon. "I Promise." Says Tyene. "Now We Just Have To Decide Who We're Gonna Fuck." Says Aegon.