A/N: in regard to Renly's eyes, I wrote them as green because in Renly's first appearance in the series Sansa says he has 'laughing green eyes to match his armor' (GOT page 138) yet Brienne describes his eyes as being 'deep blue' (AFFC page 623). So I'm sorry for any confusion but I tried my best, guys! Anyway, enjoy regardless of the eyes discrepancy;)

A/N #2: Any GOT / ASOIAF characters are George RR Martins. Lady Amber is mine and a few select others who are basically extras. The rating will probably go up from T to M as the themes change, but that will be somewhere around ch20-ish.

Review please?:) xoxo

A Rose by Any Other Name

He didn't even want to go in the first place. Of all the places his father could have picked for him to go to squire, he chose Storm's End. Loras Tyrell had questioned him about this many times but only got the answer that it would be good for him. Nothing more. His brothers knew even less. All Loras knew was that going to squire for Lord Renly Baratheon could not be as good for him as his father thought. Could Lord Renly even hold a sword? Loras had heard no stories of bravery concerning the king's youngest brother. Even going to squire for Stannis would be preferable in comparison. At least Stannis had earned some kind of prowess on a battlefield. What did Lord Renly do? Other than sit in court, laugh and look pretty? Loras was still questioning it all even when he stood in the back of Lord Renly's court at Storm's End, waiting to be introduced to his new lord.

Storm's End was a beautiful place, of course, but Loras knew that nothing could compare to Highgarden. He'd already resigned himself to that fact before he'd set eyes on Storm's End. But it was a nice enough place to be forced to live. There were worse places. He could have gone to Winterfell, he reminded himself. He could be stuck in the cold and the snow, shivering to death. At least Storm's End was warm.

He'd arrived with a small host of escorts who would stay in Storm's End with him until the morning and then ride back to Highgarden. He envied them.

And there sat Renly Baratheon, on his tall seat at the top of the hall, on stairs risen above the floor. A girl sat to his right. Without the need to ask, Loras knew she was a Lannister, that shock of blonde hair gave her away on sight.

'Who is the girl?' He asked one of his host. The knight looked back at him with a smirk.

'Lady Amber Lannister.' He told him. 'Betrothed to Lord Renly's cousin.' Loras watched Lady Amber as she sat in her seat, still as a statue, watching the talk going on below her on the floor. She didn't even turn back to look when Lord Renly spoke. Her eyes were just focussed on the ground, unmoving. She had that typical look of a Lannister who presumed they were better than everyone else. Loras turned his attention to Lord Renly as he spoke to some townsfolk. He said everything with a smile on his face, made jokes when normally it would not be appropriate and spoke in a manner that would usually be unacceptable for someone of his standing. Loras silently wondered if King Robert knew this was how his brother ran Storm's End or simply didn't care. He presumed Lady Amber would be reporting everything back to Queen Cersei – he knew the Lannisters were a close House. Maybe she was only a distant Lannister… no, she was a lady, she was important enough to be significant. Then finally he heard his own name as he was announced to Lord Renly. This was the only point he noticed Lady Amber actually look up from the floor. Her eyes met his and he felt a shiver down his spine, her gaze was so cold.

Loras did as he was told and walked to the front of the hall, then knelt in front of his lord, as did the rest of his party.

'Oh, get up.' Lord Renly said with a laugh. 'Rise.' Loras did as he was told and got up, staring up at Lord Renly and desperately trying to avoid Lady Amber's gaze. Loras had a feeling that Lord Renly would take a lot of getting used to, he did not behave in the way a lord should. The lines Loras had rehearsed would be of no use to him here.

'Court is dismissed.' Lord Renly decided, as some of his advisors gave him disgruntled looks and muttered angrily amongst themselves. Gradually people started to leave the hall. Lord Renly ordered some of his serving girls to show Loras' party to their quarters, while he himself strolled down the stairs to meet Loras on the ground. Lady Amber followed him, slightly unwillingly. Her blonde hair was completely straight, falling down her back.

'Loras!' Lord Renly greeted him again, this time more like a long lost friend, even though Loras had never met him before in his life. He tried to smile but wasn't sure what he actually did. Whatever it was, it seemed to please Lord Renly, while Lady Amber still looked unimpressed. 'How was the trip from Highgarden?'

'Pleasant, my lord.' Loras answered him politely, but Lord Renly looked like he was still waiting for an answer. When nothing else was said he simply led Loras out of the hall.

'I'll show you around some of the grounds.' Lord Renly told him. At this point Lady Amber stopped walking with them, as Lord Renly turned to look at her.

'I don't feel like the walk.' She told him, her tone still frosty. Loras found himself thinking of Winterfell again. 'I'll be in my chambers when you have finished.' And with that she turned on her heels and marched off into another door in the castle. Lord Renly just grinned at Loras.

'She can be a little… temperamental.' He explained, leading Loras through a maze of yards, past different turrets of the castle. 'But we love her anyway.'

'My lord, I don't…' Loras didn't know how to explain to his lord that he had no real clue who Lady Amber was.

'Oh!' Lord Renly seemed to catch on before Loras had even finished his sentence. He brushed his black hair off his face before he answered, the winds starting to pick up as they got nearer the coast. 'Lady Amber is betrothed to my cousin.'

'Then why does she sit next to you in court, my lord?' Loras asked, feeling a little more comfortable around his lord to ask a question.

'My cousin was lost in battle, his body was never recovered.' Lord Renly still said it with a smile on his face, though. Loras thought that it would appear nothing could wipe the smile of his Lord's face. 'So she can't go home because they are still betrothed until they can prove he's dead.' Lord Renly shrugged. 'I think they hope that eventually I will marry her instead. She is a Lannister, after all.'

'She's very beautiful, my lord.' Loras said the only thing he could think to say after Lord Renly made a statement like that. Lord Renly nodded but Loras could tell he didn't seem to care.

'She is.' He agreed. 'Maybe you will marry her!' He said with an idiot's grin. Loras swallowed and said nothing. He'd been in Storm's End for little under a few hours and already Lord Renly was trying to marry him off. He didn't know what to think, or indeed, what to say. But his lord didn't seem offended by the lack of response.

'Of course, I have a great deal of respect for Lady Amber and we have become good friends over time,' he continued, as they reached the end of the castle walls and found a cliff that overlooked a beach. A stormy beach and rough sea. Loras didn't like it too much, but Lord Renly sighed like he'd missed it. 'But I can't see myself marrying her. After all, my cousin may not be dead!' He laughed to himself over that. Loras could only watch him. He knew his lord was trying to make a joke, but his stormy green eyes said otherwise. Deep down, Loras knew he was worried that one day he'd have to marry Lady Amber anyway. Loras didn't want to judge her before meeting her, but she was truly very beautiful. If Loras had been forced to marry her, he wouldn't put up too much of a protest. Maybe Lord Renly was right, maybe he should marry Lady Amber. But no, he'd been sent here to make a link with the Baratheons, not the Lannisters. But why couldn't he do both? Squire for Lord Renly and marry Lady Amber? He shook the thoughts from his head.

Lord Renly had been talking the whole time he'd been lost in his thoughts. Loras had no idea what he was saying but Lord Renly had been satisfied with his lack of response so far.

'Anyway, we should be getting to dinner.' He said eventually. Loras just nodded and let his lord lead him back to the castle. As it would happen, Lord Renly had barely showed him any other parts of Storm's End besides the sea and Loras wasn't too keen on that anyway. He could only hope that Lord Renly would remember to get someone to show him to his chambers. And maybe not Lady Amber.

He sat on Lord Renly's left hand side over dinner, with Lady Amber on his right. Loras still couldn't figure out how it could be possibly for Lady Amber to be betrothed to someone else and still sit to Renly's right for meals. It was… it wasn't right! But, as he'd observed before, Storm's End was a strange place. Lady Amber sat in silence, only speaking when Lord Renly addressed her in conversation. She had a sweeter voice than Loras expected her to.

'I've always been envious of those who get to spend time in Highgarden.' Lord Renly said, though Loras was not sure who he was addressing, as Lady Amber was still watching him as he'd barely ended their conversation, yet Highgarden was Loras' home. 'You have all your flowers and sunshine… it sounds blissful.' Lord Renly said, turning to Loras.

'It's lovely, my lord.' He answered truthfully. 'It's a beautiful place.'

'Ah, but is it as beautiful as Lady Amber?' Lord Renly asked him with a smirk. Lady Amber was completely unmoved by the statement, any other lady would have blushed.

'Lady Amber is very beautiful.' Loras said, more to his dinner plate than anyone else. He heard Lord Renly laugh but was too embarrassed to look up.

'There you have it, Lady Amber!' Lord Renly told her. 'You don't need to marry my cousin, you can marry Loras!'

'So it would seem.' She said stiffly, taking a long drink from her cup. Loras had wondered why she'd been named Amber, it seemed a strange name for a Lannister, but when he looked into her eyes he could instantly tell why, they were the colour of molten amber.

'You'll want to watch your drink, my lady.' Lord Renly told her, chuckling as she preceded to have the cup filled once more. She raised it to him in a mock toast before taking another drink, earning herself another laugh from her lord. Loras could have sworn he saw her smile behind her cup. Maybe she truly did want to marry Lord Renly.

'Lady Amber likes to pretend she doesn't like me.' Lord Renly said to Loras, that slick smile still playing on his lips. 'But she finds me amusing, even if she tries to hide it.'

Lady Amber put down her cup and threw a cold stare in her lord's direction. 'Sometimes I pretend so well, you might even think it was true.' And with that she drained what was left of the wine in her cup and turned back to her lord. 'If my lord will excuse me?' But she didn't seem to want to wait for an answer.

'Of course.' He answered her anyway, even though she'd already stood up to leave. Renly laughed and clasped his squire on the back. Loras really wasn't altogether too comfortable with his lord's lack of respect for personal space. 'She's quite a character, isn't she?'

'That, she is, my lord.' Loras answered him, still watching Lady Amber leave the dining hall.

Lord Renly continued chatting to Loras throughout the meal, telling him stories of King Robert and Lord Stannis, though Loras wasn't particularly interested. He nodded along and muttered a few responses but all he really wanted to do was go to his chambers so he could just be alone for a while. He liked his new lord as well as he ought to but trying to listen to all his rambling was tiresome, especially after a long day travelling.

'Come, I'll show you to your chambers.' Lord Renly told him eventually, after half the hall had cleared out and retired. He could only accept his lord's offer, feeling too tired to do anything else. And yet, Renly insisted on making talk all the way there. 'Lady Amber seems to like you.' He said, amongst so many other things.

'Lady Amber? Really, my lord?' Loras had to ask about this one. He'd been given the impression that if there was anything Lady Amber hated most in this world, he could have been it. The idea of marrying him seemed to have repulsed her.

'Oh, yes. She normally just ignores people.' He answered with a grin. 'And, please, you can call me Renly, you know.'

'I'll keep that in mind, my lord.' Loras answered sleepily, not really understanding what he was agreeing to. Renly laughed though, throwing his arm around his squire.

'Come on, we're alone, no one's going to mind! I don't think they'd really mind in public, to be perfectly honest with you, Loras.' Renly told him with a grin. Loras just nodded, too tired to try and shrink away from his lord's grasp. Renly released him eventually, leading him up a winding set of stone steps and stopping at the first door. 'This is yours.' He said, gesturing towards the door.

'Thank you, my lord.'

'Renly.'

'Fine.' Loras mumbled. 'Thank you, Renly.'

'Excellent!' He clasped him on the back once more. 'Sleep well, Loras!' He barely had the energy to mutter 'and you' before he shut the door behind him and collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep practically straight away.