Chapter 2: The Storm's Rise

Loras Tyrell I

The tournament held in the King's name was largely a success, despite the brutality of Ser Gregor Clegane and the Mountain's effort in slaying him in front of the nobles and common folk alike. Playing to the crowd's horror of the Mountain's efforts, Loras Tryell willingly seceded his victory to the other Clegane, the Hound who had saved him from what could have been a final blow. His action earned him a deafening roar of cheers and applause from everyone, even the King himself. However, for the Knight of Flowers, a term coined affectionately by his lover and liege lord, none pleased him as much as the sight of a young, dark-haired man standing up, a large grin brightening the already proud and happy face.

Adrenaline sang in his blood and he vowed to reward his Lord of Storm's End most generously later that night.

King Robert held another feast and Loras, had he not been knighted, would have been banned from Lord Renly's side. As it were and thanks to his Lord's quick thinking in knighting him as soon as possible, Ser Loras found himself sitting much further down the table of the feast. Despite his rise in rank, the third son of House Tyrell was still not of royal blood. It irked him to be so far down from his liege lord but he had expected it. Laughter could be heard from where his own parents conversed with Lord Renly and King Robert.

"Brother, scowling does not suit you," a low voice murmured quietly next to him and Loras took another small sip of Dornish wine. It was sweet, perhaps too sweet for his liking, but it helped clear his head.

"I know, Garlan," Loras replied and his right hand fingered the silver goblet restlessly.

"Besides, Renly appears happier but not because of where he is right now."

The cryptic phrase startled Loras and the youngest son of the Tyrells regarded the speaker warily, as if the brother was speaking of treason.

"Do not worry, Loras," Garlan smiled at him before returning his attention to the lovely wife sitting next to him. "Just enjoy this day, for Lord Renly's sake."

Loras Tyrell, assured by his older brother's words, did enjoy the rest of the day and he helped a somewhat drunken Renly back to his private quarters in the Red Keep. With his Lord's security in mind, he ordered two guards from his own House to stand sentinel outside the room. Ser Ergas and his own brother Palir obeyed his commands most eagerly and Loras marveled at how much loyalty his liege lord could inspire in those who served him.

Having served with the House Tyrell for several generations and under Lord Renly for half of that, the two guards learned quickly how to be deaf, blind, and dumb.

The Knight of Flowers closed the heavy wooden door and checked on a slumbering Renly who lay sprawled out on the bed, still clothed in his green finery. Loras sighed heavily for he knew that somehow he had to get Renly out of those fine silks lest they be ruined. He can already imagine the rantings and ravings of Renly at the sight of spoiled clothes. Loras knew that his Lord puts on an act to fool the scheming nobles into greatly underestimating him but sometimes he can truly act childishly so. As do we all.

Still feeling exhilarated from his victory and then passing it to Ser Sandor Clegane, the handsome Knight had hoped to ravish his liege. From the way Renly was snoring, on the other hand, Loras doubted he would get far and he settled for curling next to his dark-haired lover.

The next day, Loras finally had an opportunity to reap his reward and the hot bath did a wonderful job in relieving the stress from Renly's shoulders. Of course, him massaging them helped as well and Renly groaned when he loosened a knot at the top of his right shoulder, close to his neck. The deep sound caused a spike of arousal to jolt through his body and Renly must have felt it for the Lord of Storm's End grinned at him before pressing their lips together.

A muscled forearm wrapped around his lower torso and their bodies became flushed together, letting his growing erection rub against Renly's flat and hairless torso. As Renly's hands skillfully roamed over his body, Loras kissed and rutted against him until he almost came. A tight ring of fingers formed around the base of him and Loras moaned out of frustration.

"Sshh," Renly whispered against his throat, his breath warm and comforting to his already hot skin. Loras let a hiss escape from his clenched teeth at the feel of something hard pressing insistently against his entrance. The Knight of Flowers loved how his Lord always prepared him before with fingers and tongue but today, today, he wanted it slightly rougher than normal. Thus, with the first inch of his Lord inside him, Loras prepared himself for the delicious burn that would come afterwards and impaled himself quickly.

Renly let out a shout of both concern and rapture, his face contorted in his throes of ecstasy.

"Oh, Loras, why..." Renly's moan reverberated throughout his body and only heightened his every increasing pleasure.

"Because..." He gasped out, shivering as Renly finally hit that one spot deep inside him. "You're taking too long..."

"Am I? Hmm, next time we'll remedy that," Renly's voice became strained to his ears and for a moment, Loras wondered if his Lord was injured somehow and he had missed it in his eagerness to bed Renly after his Tourney victory. The sharp thrusts soon melted whatever witty comment he had to say to Renly and, having become so familiar with his Renly, came at the same time as his lover.

His climax always left him boneless and as weak as a newborn foal. Collapsing against that hairy chest, he panted heavily and nuzzled the thick stubble that covered his lover's jaw and upper part of his neck.

"You know, you're kind of getting hairy again," Loras managed to say and he earned a quiet chuckle from Renly, the sound rumbling deep in his lover's chest and throat. "I would like to shave you, if you please."

"How about now?" Renly asked and Loras couldn't feel any happier. Shaving Renly was just another excuse to be close to him, to touch his skin with reverence and care as his lover deserves.

After spending the next hour or so struggling to get out of bath and teasing each other again, Loras finally knelt on the cushion beside Renly, who sat comfortably in his chair. He listened attentively to Renly's concerns about matters of the court, of the issue of Daenerys Targaryen with child and her possible assassination, and finally his brother's boorish hunt.

"I love my dearest brother," Renly continued as he carefully shaved off the hairs on his lover's chest. "But he really does hate the Targaryens with a passion. I suggested to him that perhaps we should split the kingdom in half and you know what he says to me?"

"What? That did sound like treason, Renly," Loras commented and he almost nicked off a nipple when Renly's chest heaved unexpectedly so to reply hotly,

"'Be glad that you're my favorite brother or I would skewer you where you stand!'" Loras had to stifle a laugh at Renly's poor imitation of his brother. It was quite comical actually, with the way his nostrils flared out and how his eyes brightened a clear blue. If anything, his Lord looked more like a jester failing at his tricks in court. "Robert does love his killing, I suppose."

Then Loras suggested something that Renly hadn't dared to say in public in fear of appraisal from the only brother that ever loved him.

Of all the looks Renly gave him, it had to be that one: the look of incredulous disbelief with wide eyes and a gaping mouth before turning into the rolling of his eyes and a snort, a wholly undignified sound in Loras' opinion.

"I can't even stand the sight of blood," he exclaimed a little bit too dramatically for Loras' taste and the Knight of Flowers felt that Renly was just making an excuse to not be King. However, Loras knew that if anyone could be King, it would be Renly. Not because of his dashing good looks and his charm to woo both the common folk and the military, but Renly's willingness to do what needed to be done far outmatched any other characteristic that Loras could find in a good King. Furthermore, unlike the Kings of old or even their closest allies, his handsome Lord spent more time agonizing over the consequences than celebrating his accomplishments that may have delivered violence and suffering to his friends and enemies.

As he continued assuring his lover that he would be a wonderful King, the blonde couldn't help but notice how avidly Renly looked to him, how so very trusting and believing in his word that Loras' heart raced even faster. Feelings of arousal came back to him and it strengthened tenfold upon the loosening of his lord's britches, on the way those blue eyes fixed hotly on his own. Before he could stop himself, not that he didn't want to, he found himself on his knees and gazing at Renly's face before swallowing him whole. Soon, the rest of the evening was spent in pleasurable moments, in each other instead of helping his Renly prepare for the impending hunt.

-o0o-

The hunt did not go as smoothly as Loras hoped and with the first sighting of a guard who had been part of King Robert's hunting entourage, his heart jumped out of fear that something untoward might have happened to his lover. He hastily ordered his own pageboy to ready their things in case of an emergency and marched into the Antechamber of the main castle at King's Landing, only to disrupt a conversation between the Hand of the King and that same guard last seen running as if the Ghost of Harrenhal was after him.

"...Milord...he has asked for you specifically...Lord Renly..." The guard's voice was terse and anxious but still respectful towards his superior.

As if afraid of being overheard of by spies, the guard's voice lowered even more until all Loras could do was read the man's lips, a skill that he began to develop as a young boy scouting his father's holding but never reached its full potential. Thus, Loras couldn't help but imagine the worst, whether it be Lord Renly being injured or...or...No, don't think of that. The gods themselves favored his lover all these years with a peaceful and just reign over Storm's End. They couldn't possibly abandon him now.

The Hand of the King leaned on his cane even more and Loras thought that the man was going to fall over. He was just about to walk over there and aid him but the Hand suddenly straightened up and walked, as fast as his maimed leg could allow him, to a hallway located further down the Antechamber. A hallway that led to King Robert's own chamber, Loras realized with a start, and the fear that had been quelled before soon stirred in his heart again.

Not wanting to act impatiently, especially without knowing the details of what happened during the hunt, Loras directed his anxiety towards cleaning his weapons and armor, an old habit of his that he developed in the younger days of his service to Lord Renly. He reached out for a small dagger, an ornamental piece of metal that was deadlier than it appeared to be, and tucked it into the crevice between his armor and linen shirt. Usually he depended on his sword to protect what was his but something told him subtelty would be needed today.

A shout outside his own quarter drew his attention away from his possessions and his hand clenched around the hilt of his dagger when footsteps thundered near his room before a hard knock banged against his door. He gave his permission for the visitor to enter and golden eyes widened at the sight of a guard all dressed in armor and weapon.

"Ser Loras! The King requests your presence, at once!" The visitor exclaimed, a gleam of excitement twinkling in those brown eyes. Sweat glued the thick strands of hair to that broad forehead and the armor bore dents and tears that could only be wrought by sword strikes. The sight of it immediately put Loras on guard and he wondered if the visitor was an assassin instead, using this as a cover for his foul deed. Instead of going for a weapon, however, the guard just stared at him, as if the other man was unsure if he had heard him or not.

The guard's genuine hesitation finally convinced Loras to release his hold on the dagger and he took after the guard, not fully trusting the man just yet to be at his back.

As the pair quickly strolled through long hallways and convoluted stairways, Loras espied hasty movements out of the corner of their eyes. Other guards were marching and tension thickened all around him. He could see the way the Queen glared at him angrily and how close she stood to her brother. She whispered something he couldn't hear and the tall, handsome Kingslayer scowled at him. Whatever it was, Loras did not have time to deal with this new threat for the pair disappeared behind another wall of stone as the guard led him to a room.

"In here, Ser Loras," the guard whispered almost conspiratorially and Loras entered the room only to see three men sitting in a variety of positions.

Lord Renly, his clothes dirtied and bloodied, appeared paler than normal and Ser Loras almost forget himself when he instinctively reached out to his lover out of concern and worry. Renly, sensing his worry, grasped his shoulder with a strong grip and bestowed a small, secret smile at him.

"My Lords, is all well?" Loras managed to speak, his heart relieved at finding that the worst hadn't happened to Renly.

"You're looking at the new King," someone else spoke out, voice gruff and hoarse. Loras' mouth opened and he quickly closed it, not wanting to look like a fool in front of his liege lord and the second man sitting next to the bed, leaning wearily on the cane.

It was the Hand of the King and the Stark's face, weathered and tired from the day's event, looked somewhat relieved, as if he wanted Renly to be King and not the monstrous child of Queen Cersei. However, even in his exhausted state, the Hand's head bowed in reverence to the newly anointed King of the Seven Kingdoms.

"But what of your brother, your grace?"

"He's resting for now but I fear the worst." Renly's eyes cast downward and when they met his eyes again, the blue depths were wet with unshed tears.

"This does not bode well for the Lannisters," Loras murmured quietly, hands itching to reach out and take Renly into his arms.

"No, it doesn't and as such we need to hasten his coronation," Ned Stark, ever the honourable man, interrupted and he carefully rose from his chair. A broad hand gripped at the top of the cane tightly, as if Lord Stark was putting all his weight unto that tiny area of wood.

Remembering what he had seen of the Lannister twins, Loras frowned for a second before asking the Hand of what they could do to prevent needless bloodshed.

"Robert knew the children weren't his," Ned replied in a slow, tempered tone. "And that's when he stopped loving them."

"So, Stannis had told him?" Renly asked, blue eyes darkening at the way Ned shook his head. "So how did he find out? A few months ago, he was quite taken with them, especially Myrcella."

"Would you believe that he's smart enough to realize that blonde hairs don't run in our family?" Ned said and the noble man chuckled at the idea of this large man rifling through the books of their lineage, of reading the descriptions of all their children. "He fooled us all with his acting. But now, we mustact lest the Lannisters realize they've fallen from grace."

"I think they already know," Loras pointed out and, when the two men looked startled at this revelation, the Knight of Flowers relayed what he had seen in the hallways. Renly paled so much at the end of his story that he gripped his King's shoulder to steady him. Ned, on the other hand, pursed his lips and the thick brows furrowed, the man clearly in deep thought at what to do next.

"Robert did say the Lannisters have spies everywhere and a bloodshed cannot be avoided. Even the children..." The Hand of the King's other hand clenched into a fist and the man drew in a shaky breath before continuing, "must be slain."

"No," Renly said and Ned Stark looked shocked at his King's refusal to slay the children of the Lannister twins. "I will not start my reign with the blood of children. Robert had always regretted that moment, even to this day."

"You Grace, Joffrey will surely try to reclaim the throne," Ned said and Loras agreed with the Hand.

"We will hold Joffrey prisoner, to ensure the Lannisters will restrain their sanguine ideas. Myrcella and Tommen will live in the castle as my wards."

"Cersei will not entertain such an idea."

"And she'll do whatever it takes to prevent the children from falling under my influence, right? That is exactly what I'm depending on," Renly said and in this moment of seeing how Renly flashed his white teeth, it was hard for Loras to imagine that this same man not long ago had vomited at the sight of a young boy's eye hanging out of its socket. You would be a wonderful King...Loras smiled at the thought and he suddenly bent to one knee, swearing his oath of fealty to Renly. I'll protect you with my very soul. The promise was said in between the silence and Loras swore that he heard Renly whisper back to him, And I'll be the King that is needed, for you, for the realm of Westeros.

-TBC-

A/N: I forgot to put a warning that King Robert is OOC but that is necessary for my story. I live for reviews so please feel more than welcomed to leave suggestions, criticisms etc. I will personally pm any who left a review behind. Thanks and have a great weekend! :D