Gossip Circle
Danystrolls elegantly throughout the crowded open corridors, making her way boldly to the Viaduct Courtyard. Her brilliant red cape flows gracefully behind her, stitched with the gold embroidered letters, TARGARYEN and below it, the number 1.
It’s been about four days since her and Jon’s discovery of the Room of Requirement and she was eager to finally let her mind think about something normal for a change.
And of course, some heads did turn fast in a double-take, but not for the usual reason of being a sight of unexpected beauty (though she disagreed with that consensus, it was however, what she was constantly told), but upon noticing her newest addition to the garment. Embroidered and in neatly stitched letters, spelled out across the bottom of her cape in silver letters, the title, CAPTAIN.
Clutching onto her broomstick with her fingerless leather gloves, Captain Daenerys struts over to the girls; Arya, Sansa, Missandei, Margaery, Gilly, and Meera.
They were all engrossed in a riveting conversation, standing and sitting around a greystone bench in the middle of the courtyard, Margaery, signaling Dany over to them swiftly from afar.
"Greyworm... said that to you? What do you mean, they have a secret plan?" A similarly uniformed Arya, was blatantly interrogating a halfly amused Missandei.
The relaxed Ravenclaw feigns naive confusion, "Uhm, I don't know. I forget what he called it, a plan? A play, maybe? Is that what it's called? He says it's very tricky," she smirks coyly.
"You can't tell her anything about Hufflepuff's strategies?" Sansa interrupts in warning. Her long, dark red hair flew up in the wind, tousling back down over her smooth Slytherin robes, as she teasingly sticks her tongue out at Arya, then remarks, "That would be cheating."
Arya mocks back a face-of-disgust in her direction, but then drops it, as Dany steps up, entering into their little circle of gossip.
"Dany!" they all exclaim.
She grins at them happily, but then her smile fades, as they stare back at her with curiously awaiting expressions.
"So?" Sansa presses her. She smugly holds in a grin.
"What?" Dany plays coyly.
"Oh, come on, Dany, aren't you excited? Today's the big day! First match of the year as Captain!" Meera cheers, shaking her arm enthusiastically. Margaery adds on with a knowing smirk, "Oh. Yes.Captain versus Captain." She wiggles her perfectly shaped eyebrows at her scandalously.
"Oh, don't start with that again," Dany scoffs. "How many times do I need to say this? Drogo and I are just friends— and have been, just friends, for three years, now. It's honestly revolting to think of him like that anymore."
Sansa sighs unconvinced, folding her arms gently, "But it doesexplain how you haven'tliked a boy... since him, though?" Arya scoffs at that, glancing at Dany with an unreadable expression.
Why was she looking at her like that?
Dany discreetly flashes Arya her expressed confusion. Arya merely bit back a smug grin, as Sansa rambled on.
“So...” Sansa gestures on, "That means you probably still like Drogo deep down, if you haven't liked anyone else since."
Dany rolls her eyes at Sansa's logic, now tired, "No. That means I learned my lesson the first time. And until I've found someone, that I'm truly certain about, then dating someone— just todate them, feels honestly like a waste of my time."
"But why weren't you certain about Drogo?" Sansa almost whines, "I mean, he's the Bulgarian youngest seeker in the world!"
“And he’s Bulgarian.” Margaery wiggles her eyebrows flirtatiously.
Dany gives her a exhausted look, then shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, "There's more to attraction than just status and looks, you know? Drogo and I didn't exactly match... intellectually."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gilly questions her flatly. “Sam is like a thousand times smarter than I am.”
Dany squints away, "No— not like that. I just meant that our relationship was more... purely physical, than anything else—"
Sansa spits a puff of air, giggling, "Physical?" The rest of the girls chuckling heartily along with her.
"Ugh no, not like that either," she hides her embarrassment, sliding a hand over her eye in frustration. "Just physical, in the sense that he mainly just watched me study... We never talked about anything I thought was important. In fact, we didn't talk very much at all, really."
"Mhmm hmm..." Margaery huffs cheekily. Then directing a sly grin over at Sansa, she perks up again, asking Dany, "Actually though, Sansa and I were kinda wondering about this... Jon Snow? You know, since more and more people are saying he’s not really a murderer."
She scrutinizes Dany's suddenly shocked expression, "Do you know if he's currently taken? Could you introduce us—“
Arya suddenly exhales loudly in hot frustration, "Oh, don't you two everrest? I mean, doesn't it get old, after a while? Constantly trying to impress boys." Catching her breath, she flinches back for a moment, scanning all of their newly speechless expressions.
"What?" Margaery frowns.
Arya glances around. "Oh, come on. You were all thinking it,” she declares defensively.
Then, after another awkwardly silent moment she finally sputters out, "Oh my god, everyone... relax, I'm only kidding."
She turns around awkwardly to leave, "Damn, why are you all so uptight?" she continues walking backwards, "Okay, well... I need to go to library before the match. I'll see you all later."
Sansa definitely was not buying that.
“Arya? What—”
“...To study?” Margaery questions.
Why did she look like she were about to cry?
After a long second of realization, Gilly nods along plainly. "I'll come with you."
Still gaping at her outburst, Sansa echoes her, whispering skeptically, "Study... Since when do you study?"
Arya simply rolls her big, dark eyes at her, shooting back a subtle death glare, and then walks away with Gilly, her cape blowing gently behind her.
•
"What was her problem?" Margaery wonders coolly.
Meera bites her lip, as Sansa finally leans in mumbling over to her cautiously, "I told you this? Arya's had a secret crush on Gendry, for like three years now. She's annoyed with you."
Margaery narrows her sharp eyes in recollecting thought, "What? No... You've never told me that before? Arya likes him? She likes boys? You never told me she liked Gendry." Her eyes sparkle with the excited hint of a scandal.
Sansa squints back at her, confused, "What? Yes I did? At least I thought that I did."
Margaery shakes her head innocently, tossing her strawberry blonde waves softly over her shoulder, "No? I mean... I wouldn't have askedhimout, if you did? I just wanted to piss Joffrey off." She sighs at her, frowning, "I honestly didn't know."
"Yeah, well. Neither does Gendry," Meera huffs shortly, raising her eyebrows.
Sansa’s expression cools stoically. “It’s true.” She frowns knowingly, “It’s sad, really.”
"No, it's more funny than sad.” Meera smirks, “Because as much of a ladies man that he says he is..." she trails off, "when it comes to her he's about as dim as they come," she stifles another laugh, motioning with her hand, "...It all goes out the window."
They all laugh with her, nodding in agreement, and then Margaery's hazel eyes suddenly light up, "Wait. I know," she glances darkly over at Sansa, "I have an idea."
"No—" Sansa tries to cut her off, but Margaery bubbles over her, "I will play match maker. My favorite game," she pretend-claps.
Sansa shakes her head strictly. "No, no you will definitely not. If Arya finds out I told you..." she peers up at all four of them now with dread, "told any of you about this... She'll kill me. She'd never speak to me again."
"Hm, I'd honestly rather her kill me.” Margaery shrugs, “Arya's cold shoulder is just about the absolute worst thing in the world."
Meera and Dany knowingly glance at each other, smirking wisely. "Sansa we already knew. We always knew. It's okay."
Margaery smiles pompously, "Right, then. So I can fix this, then?" She slides her slender hands together mischievously, "This will be fun."
Sansa frowns, playing with a sharp lock of red hair around her finger, "No it won’t. You should just let things happen, let it all fall into place. I mean, it will happen eventually on its own if it was meant to."
Margaery's mouth twitches, curving upwards deviantly, "Exactly. That's why they are going to think, that it was their idea... Not mine."
Sansa blinks, shortly shaking her head— “That’s not what I said at all.”
Margaery suddenly spins off on her toes when Sansa groans, escaping away fast with a bright grin, "All right then, its settled." She shouts back to Meera and Dany, "Oh— and good luck today girls! Go Gryffindor!" Sansa skips awkwardly after her, hushing her sharply, "Margaery, I said no!"
•
After Sansa and Margaery leave the Courtyard, Meera tells Dany and Missandei, that she's meeting Bran before the game, to hangout with him in the hospital wing...
"All right? So I will see you later at the game?" Meera calls, while striding away. Missandei and Dany wave her off, nodding with a supportive grin, trying to mask their sad eyes.
They then sit down on the bench with an exhausted sigh. "I can't believe he's still there. I mean it's been about four weeks. Why can't they figure out what's wrong with him?" Missandei asks solemnly.
Dany folds her arms into her waist, "I don't know." She frowns, now watching the other students, as they run around launching snow balls, relaxing on benches and chatting around the Courtyard. She can't help but imagine Bran, now unable to do so many of the things he used to love to do.
"They are going to put him in a wheelchair soon. Since they still can't figure out a potion to make him walk again," she murmurs flatly.
"Atleast he's alive, Dany. That's what really matters. And it's because of you," she reminds her sincerely.
Dany sighs softly, her eyes glinting a hint of a grateful smile, "I know, you're right. It's just strange honestly, because most paralyzed children always recover with magic. At least that's what Jon said, that Professor Stark, said."
Missandei twists her mouth into a perplexed pout— then somewhat lightening her expression again, she bugs her teasingly, "Oh, Jon said that, did he?"
Dany smacks her arm lightly, as the smirking Ravenclaw adds lowly, "Do the girls know, by the way— about you secretly hanging out with him all week?"
Dany snaps a hand down on her lap feigning coldness, "No? Missandei. I told you that in confidence. You and Tyrion. You are the only ones who know— what we've been doing... And we’re just preparing. And I definitely do not view him in that way."
”All right... if you say so,” Missandei drifts her eyes out into the courtyard. “Regardless of that, I just hope no one finds out.”
“Nobody will.” Dany peers away, thinking out loud softly, “Or we’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”