Title: A House of Dreams and Hopes

Author: Ailendolin

Rating: T (PG-13) … just to be sure.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story. The setting and characters in this story belong to George R.R. Martin and I do not make any profit with this and mean no disrespect.

Summary: Spoilers and AU for ACoK: There are many different realities. In this one, Loras has the chance to change his fate and built a future with Renly. RenlyxLoras

Word Count: 3280

Total Word Count: 17,146

Warning: Spoilers for ACoK, AU

Author's Notes: Here it is: the final chapter. I'd like to thank everyone who's read and reviewed this story and put it in their favourites or alerts. I'm very glad some people enjoyed it because I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you'll enjoy the last chapter just as much. Like I've said before, it contains a lot of fluff (I feel like that should be a warning, since this chapter is so full of it *lol*) and Loras and Renly finally talk things out. So, this is basically the comfort chapter to all the hurt that was before. This story is finished with this chapter and so far I don't intend to write a sequel. I may, however, at some point when university life isn't so hectic write another Loras/Renly story. There's a plot bunny in my head about a crossover with Once Upon A Time that's stubbornly persistent. So, you may hear of me again ^^ Now, all that's left for me to say is: enjoy this chapter, and enjoy the second season of GoT!

A House of Dreams and Hopes

The Keeper of Hearts and Roses

For a while, all Renly could do was stare at Loras's restless form underneath the blanket. It was easy to see that Loras was not sleeping peacefully and Renly's heart ached with the knowledge that he was the cause for his lover's distress. Yet it took Renly a moment to find the strength and courage to walk over to Loras, now that he was alone with him. His mind was a jumbled mess, reflecting on his own actions and Garlan's words. Renly knew that Garlan was right: he had a tendency to not discuss personal matters, feelings and emotions, and instead ignored and buried them until the problem solved itself, no matter how long that took. This time, however, his reluctance to deal with matters of the heart was the cause of his problems, and Loras was the one who paid the price.

He carefully sat down next to Loras on the ground and gently carded his hand through brown locks and curls damp from rain and sweat. Loras's body stilled, as if sensing that his lover was now there to take care of him, and his face turned towards the warm and familiar touch. Renly smiled at that, but his smile turned sad when he realized how much Loras trusted him, even unconsciously and in his sleep. Before today, he had thought that trust between them was a given, something that came naturally with their relationship. Now it seemed like a precious thing, something that should be carefully handled and kept safe. For the first time since he became king Renly understood that Loras trusted him not only enough to lead all the people in Westeros, but that he trusted him to make the right decisions for their relationship, to know the difference between Loras, the Knight of Flowers and the Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard. And today, Renly had managed to betray that trust by using Loras's position against him and getting their private lives tangled up in all of this.

Renly sighed. He wondered why it had taken Brienne and Garlan to make him see how much he was hurting Loras. He used to be able to tell when something was bothering his lover, when he had said something that Loras did not like. Loras had been an open book to him, even when he had first appeared in front of Renly to become his new squire. But then, Renly thought, I was only Lord of Storm's End then and not a king yet. Everything had changed the moment he became king. His duties had to always come first and Loras and their relationship had to take a step back and make room for Margaery at Renly's side and in their life. Renly wiped a tired hand across his face. If he could he would give up his claim and just go back to the way things were before all this had happened. In the end, the Seven Kingdoms were not worth it.

When he looked down he found Loras staring back at him with green eyes bright with fever, looking younger and more open than Renly had ever seen him. For the first time since he had known him Loras looked vulnerable, as if he was awaiting his final judgment. Something clenched painfully in Renly's chest, knowing that he had put that look there.

Renly forced a smile on his lips, knowing that this was the moment, the only chance he had to save their relationship. He was scared of screwing it up just like he had screwed up everything that really mattered since that crown was put on his head. "Hey," he greeted quietly.

"Hey," Loras said back, voice hoarse. He then seemed to remember what had happened, for his whole posture went rigid and tense and he tried to sit up. "I – I mean, Your Grace." He lowered his eyes in submission.

Renly bit his lip and willed the tears that gathered in his eyes to vanish. "No, Loras. Look at me." Obediently, Loras raised his eyes and Renly could have cursed himself for making his request sound like an order. He shook his head. "I seem to be doing everything wrong these days."

Loras looked at him in confusion, not knowing what to do with this statement. Finally he said, "No, Your Grace, you are a good king."

Renly laughed hollowly at that. "A good king I may be, but I'm a horrible friend and lover, don't you think so?" Loras looked taken aback. His arms were trembling with the effort to hold himself upright. "Come, let me help you." Once Loras was sitting up properly Renly unclasped the rose brooch on his chest and once more took off Loras's cloak from beneath his own. "I never thanked you for keeping me warm and dry today," he said and draped the cloak around Loras's shoulders. Next, he took off his own cloak and clasped the stag-shaped brooch beneath Loras's chin. "And I never thanked you for saving my life." He looked deeply into the eyes of his lover. "Thank you, Loras."

Loras stared at the cloaks for a moment before he wrapped Renly's tight around himself. "There's no need to thank me, Your Grace."

Renly took Loras's icy hand in his and held it close. "There is every need. You calling me by that title is proof of that. Call me Renly again, Loras. Please."

"Renly," Loras whispered, and Renly's heart soared with joy upon hearing his name from his lover's lips. He smiled warmly at Loras. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Loras smiled back tentatively, but then a coughing fit took hold of him and left him doubled over in pain.

"I'm sorry," Renly said, putting an arm around Loras and giving him something to hold on to during the worst of it. "I'm so very sorry for the way I treated you today, Loras. You're sick because of me."

"Not your fault," Loras whispered hoarsely.

Renly wondered what he had done to deserve someone like Loras in his life. He leaned his forehead against Loras's temple and closed his eyes. "Yes, it is. It is my fault that you're miserable, and have been for quite some time. I am sorry for that and I hope you can forgive me."

He felt Loras lean into the touch and curl up against his chest. "I'm just happy that you're here."

Renly lost the fight against his tears when he heard those soft words being spoken so honestly and truthfully. Because this was all that Loras had ever wanted: having Renly near, having him close, simply having him. It was such a simple wish and even that was denied him and Loras knew it. He was always waiting for Renly to take the first step and never asked him to come to him or stay with him. No, instead he even persuaded Renly to spend time with Margaery, because Margaery was his wife and his queen and that was how things were supposed to be. Realizing how grateful Loras was for every minute Renly spent with him only made the tears fall faster.

"I'll always be here," Renly swore. His voice was choked and his vision blurry. "I will always be there for you, and I will always be with you, Loras. Do not ever doubt that."

Loras opened his eyes and gazed sadly at his hands. "Don't say that. You have Margaery to think about."

Renly shook his head. "No, Loras. All I have to think about is you. All I ever think about is you. You're the love of my life, not your sister. She could never hope to be you. And do you want to know why?" Loras turned to look at him and nodded. Renly cupped his head between his hands and gently stroked his feverish cheeks with his thumbs. "Because you're you, Loras. You're unique, and special. To me, you're the most beautiful rose out of all the flowers of Highgarden. I fell in love with you because of your strengths and your weaknesses, because of your temper, your nightmares and because of your will to fight for what you believe is right." He placed a gentle kiss upon Loras's lips. "You are brilliant, Loras. Simply, wonderfully brilliant."

He watched the blush rose on Loras's cheeks, discernible even under the flush of fever, and knew that in the past he had not nearly often enough let Loras see the extent of his feelings for him. Renly vowed to change that. He knew that people told Loras all the time how handsome and talented he was, but no one knew him like Renly did; no one knew him inside out and loved him not despite his faults but because of them.

"I thought you were breaking up with me," Loras admitted in a choked voice. "Margaery is perfect for you. And then today happened, and –"

Renly silenced him with a slow kiss. When he drew back he pulled Loras into his arms. "I don't want perfect, Loras," Renly said and Loras leaned deeper into the embrace. "Your sister is beautiful, of course, but you of all people should know that I'd rather go for handsome knights than beautiful maidens."

Loras chuckled softly into Renly's chest and Renly rested his head on top of Loras's now almost dry curls. "I won't lie to you," he began, and tightened his arms reassuringly around Loras when his lover began to tense. "Margaery is my wife and we will have to act the part in public. And sooner or later an heir will be required of us. But," he said and pried Loras's clenched fists from his tunic and looked deeply into his eyes, willing his lover to see the honesty there, "I will never love her. There is only one Tyrell who holds my heart, and that is and always will be you. You are the most precious thing in the world to me, Loras. I don't want to win the Iron Throne if it means I will lose you in the end. Losing you, having you miserable is not a prize I am willing to pay."

Loras looked down on their clasped hands. His voice was scratchy when he tried to speak, and he had to clear his throat before trying a second time. "I don't know if I can stand in her shadow forever, Renly. I don't want to. I – I …"

When Loras trailed off Renly urged him to go on. "Say it, Loras. It's okay to want things for yourself."

Swallowing once, Loras closed his eyes and the tears spilled over. "I want to be with you, Renly," he whispered. "I don't want to stand aside, watching her live my life. I want you to hold me every night as we fall asleep together and I want to be there in the morning to watch you open your eyes. I want us to grow old together, in a little house somewhere in the Stormlands or in the Reach, with a garden and close to the woods." He squeezed Renly's hands tightly. "I don't want to feel lonely anymore."

Renly's heart broke watching Loras so desperately try to hold it together while baring his innermost wishes and dreams to him. "Come here," he said gently and Loras melted into his arms, head buried into his chest, trying to hide his tears. "Things will change," Renly promised. "I don't know if we will ever have that little house and grow old together, because not everyone gets the happy ending they wish for, but I know that I will do anything in my power to make you happy." He placed a soft kiss into Loras's dark locks. "You deserve that, and so much more."

"You do, too," Loras mumbled and Renly smiled fondly at his lover.

"You are what makes me happy," Renly said. "We will find a way to be happy together, despite the war, despite Margaery, despite me being king and despite Stannis and his witch with her shadows. And do you know where we'll start?"

Loras looked up at him with wide damp eyes, a tentatively hopeful smile on his lips, and shook his head. "No. Where will we start?"

Renly placed a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. "We will start right here tonight with you falling asleep safe and warm in my arms and waking up tomorrow with me at your side."

Loras's brow furrowed. "What about the rest of the camp? Surly they will notice. Brienne will, at the very least."

Renly kissed the other corner of Loras's mouth. "Then let them notice. I don't care. You're more important than any rumor they could spread."

"You really mean that," Loras said, baffled.

Renly smiled and nodded. "I do. And I did mean it when I said things would change. Unnecessary courtesies to Margaery will stop. There will be no more sneaking around in the middle of the night. I don't want you to have to leave my bed for your own in fear of oversleeping in the morning and someone seeing you." He gently stroked Loras's temple and watched his lover's eyes fall close under the soft caress. "I can't change the fact that my days now belong to Margaery and this whole charade. But I promise you right now, right here that the nights and mornings will belong to us again."

"I'd like that," Loras whispered, a faint smile on his lips. "It's more than I'd ever dared hope for."

"But it's still less than you deserve," Renly said regretfully, "and I am sorry for that. Maybe, in some years, when my line of succession is guaranteed, we can arrange for an accident to happen to me, leaving Margaery as Queen Regent and giving her a chance at her own happiness. We will vanish to our little house at the edge of a forest, far away from prying eyes and live happily ever after."

Loras smiled at him brilliantly, his whole face lighting up. "I'd like that even more." He closed the distance between himself and Renly. "I love you."

"I know," Renly nodded, smiling fondly. "I love you too, so much."

Loras leaned back against Renly's chest and let his head rest on his shoulder. They sat like that for a while, soaking up each other's warmth and smell and touch. Relief washed over Renly when he realized that for the first time in weeks he had done something right. Now that he had Loras once more in his arms, with all the time in the world, he became aware that Loras had not been the only one feeling lonely lately. He had missed these moments of quietness.

"I would marry you if I could, you know?" he whispered into Loras's hair.

Loras's breathing stopped for a moment. He pressed a lingering kiss into Renly's shoulder. "You would?"

Renly smiled into the brown curls. "In a heartbeat."

"Me too," Loras replied, wistfully.

Renly thought about this for a moment before he made a decision. He took off one of his rings, an heirloom of House Baratheon that once belonged to his mother. It was golden with antlers encircling a shimmering emerald, and Loras had admired it on more than one occasion.

"Will you marry me?" Renly asked and held the ring out to Loras.

Loras looked torn between shock and amusement. "What?"

"Marry me," Renly repeated with a wide smile.

"We can't really marry, Renly, you know that," Loras reminded him, but Renly could see that he was trying not to grin himself. He felt like a young boy again.

"Then think of this as a promise. A promise for a better future, for a future together, and a reminder of what led us there. With this I promise to always love you, Loras, no matter what happens."

Loras held out a trembling hand to him. "And I promise to always love you, until the day I die."

Renly slipped the ring onto Loras's finger and kissed his hand softly. "This means more than any vows in front of any gods," he told him, lips only millimeters away from Loras's mouth. "And you know why? Because marriage is not about rites and septons. It's about loving someone even in the darkest times and always being there for each other. That's what truly matters, and I'll never forget that again." He kissed Loras then, savoring the taste of his lover and just enjoying the moment. When they parted Loras gazed at him with such wonder and amazement that Renly fell in love with him all over again and kissed him once more.

"Are you happy?" Renly asked him and Loras nodded.

"I am," he said with a wide smile. "I can't remember the last time I've been this happy and content with my –" He sneezed. "-life."

Renly chuckled. "Now all we have to do is get you well again. What do you think about lying down? It's been a long day."

Loras nodded and together they lay down on Garlan's bedroll. When Loras was snuggled deep into Renly's cloak Renly pulled the blanket over them and pulled Loras close. His arm sneaked around Loras's waist and reached for his lover's hand, holding it tightly once he found it. His breath stirred Loras's hair and without seeing it he knew that Loras was smiling. It was something Loras had done far too little in the last few weeks.

"This is perfect," Loras mumbled sleepily in his arms.

"Yes, it is," Renly agreed. He buried his head in Loras's hair and breathed in deeply the scent of rain and roses.

"I've missed this," Loras admitted after a moment. "The little things, I mean, like cuddling or just holding hands. Being together, without it all being about a quick tumble in the dark." He seemed to realize what he just said, because he hurriedly added, "Not that the sex isn't great, because it is and I love it, but it's not what makes a relationship, is it? This, right here, this is what matters. These are the moments I really treasure."

Renly held him tighter and pressed a gentle kiss just behind Loras's ear. "And you will have many more moments like this."

"I'm looking forward to each and every one of them." Renly could hear the smile in Loras's voice. He felt Loras squeeze his hand.

"Now close your eyes," he murmured softly into Loras's ears. "Relax, and go to sleep."

Loras settled down in his arms, but after a moment Renly felt him tense once more. "You'll stay?" he heard Loras ask and Renly knew then that it would take time to convince Loras of his place in Renly's heart and life.

"I will be here, love," Renly promised and wrapped his arm tighter around Loras. "I'll stay with you tonight and every night to come. You won't have to wake up alone anymore."

He felt Loras relax back into the embrace. "Love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight, Loras. Sweet dreams."

It did not take long for Loras's exhausted body to give into sleep and Renly finally allowed himself to close his eyes. This was the start of their future together, and he would do anything within his power to make that future come true, to give Loras that house full of dreams and hopes close to the woods he longed for, because more than anything Loras deserved to have Renly's full attention night and day at one point in their lives and Renly wanted nothing more than to see Loras smile until the end of their days.

The End