Margaery had been in a good mood these past few days, so much so that even being ignored by Aegor didn't upset her.
Because she had a premonition—the Tyrell family's three hundred years of frustration were finally coming to an end.
In Westeros, there's a pseudo "obscure fact" that is rarely spoken aloud, yet known to all: the current rulers of the Reach, House Tyrell, were originally stewards to the "King of the Reach," House Gardener, who were burned to ash by Aegon the Conqueror's dragons.
Did the Conqueror raise such a lowborn house to become the Wardens of the South and rulers of the Reach simply because, as the background suggests, the Tyrells opened the gates and surrendered Highgarden after the Field of Fire?
Of course not.
Logically, even the phrase "the Tyrells surrendered Highgarden" doesn't hold water. Even if all male members of House Gardener were reduced to cinders in the flames of war, Highgarden, by rights of inheritance, should have gone to some Riverlands noble with the closest blood tie to the Gardeners. According to proper succession laws, the name "Tyrell" wouldn't have appeared even a thousand spots down the line.
They wouldn't have even qualified to be contenders, let alone candidates.
Since the castle didn't belong to House Tyrell, how could they have "surrendered" it?
But Aegon insisted on making them lords.
This move was not only an insult to the defeated Riverlands lords, it also served a deeper purpose: to establish balance by having an undeserving family suppress a group of proud Reach lords who considered themselves "descendants of Garth Greenhand."
Naturally, those ancient noble families, much higher in the line of succession, resented the Tyrells' rise. But with the Targaryens backing the Tyrells, they had no choice but to bow their heads. All of House Tyrell's authority and power came from Targaryen support, so they clung tightly to the dragon family's coattails, not daring to entertain any ambitions.
As a result, despite the Reach having the largest population and strongest overall strength among the Seven Kingdoms, it was perpetually trapped in internal strife, never able to shake the Targaryens' grip. Though Tyrell lords held the highest title in the South, they remained loyal hounds to House Targaryen for generations, unable to rise for a thousand years.
Just like the world Aegor came from, where the British Empire and later the United States both employed offshore balancing strategies on the Eurasian and African continents to maintain dominance—this method is simple, obvious, and brutally effective, impossible to break. A true open conspiracy.
The Conqueror's descendants, successive Targaryen kings, understood this principle and established a fundamental policy: never allow House Tyrell into the core of power. This is how they ruled securely for three hundred years.
It's no coincidence that the Tyrells have never produced a queen or a Hand of the King.
Respectable people don't sleep with dogs.
But even the most obedient dog will develop ambitions after a century. Generations of Tyrells worked tirelessly to loosen the iron collar around their necks, but under the Targaryens' scrutiny, they didn't dare be too bold. Instead, they quietly tried to circumvent those restrictions, aiming to save themselves through subtle means.
That story is a long and complicated history in itself.
The Tyrell family's rise can be roughly divided into three stages.
First, enduring humiliation and biding their time.
Obediently following the Targaryens' orders and playing the loyal dog, the first few generations of Tyrell leaders endured the disdain of the Seven Kingdoms' nobility, shamelessly marrying off their daughters and paying a price to marry into other families. By employing the same overt strategy—continually intermarrying with powerful families in the other six kingdoms—they gradually shed the stigma of being "stewards," gained a firm foothold in the Reach, and extended their influence beyond Highgarden, until no one dared to openly oppose them.
Second, management and luck, widening the gap.
After securing their position, the Tyrells relied on intelligence and sharp political insight. Using their official status as Wardens of the South, they began accumulating all the wealth and connections they could.
They stayed attuned to every change in the realm, to even the smallest technological innovation, keeping pace with the times. While collecting grain and taxes as expected, they also took part in trade and industry, regardless of noble pride. Slowly, they transformed from a small, hollow family into a powerhouse of wealth and influence, rivaling the Hightowers of Oldtown, the Redwynes of the Arbor, and the Florents of Brightwater Keep. At last, they stood on equal footing with the top families in every arena, no longer needing to hide behind the Targaryens.
Then, by "wisely" choosing neutrality during the Dance of the Dragons (likely out of cowardice, but fortune favors fools), House Tyrell preserved their strength while other houses were depleted by war. In the end, they outmatched any one family in the South and secured their position as regional overlords.
Third, gathering strength and preparing to take the stage.
After lying low for more than two hundred years, by the time of the current lord—Mace Tyrell's father, the one who raised the Queen of Thorns—the family felt it had finally matured. The consensus within the house was clear: it was time to fight their way into the center of power.
In the family's own words: "No matter how slow the wheel turns, it's the Tyrell family's turn now."
This was the shortest of the three stages, but also the most difficult—a history filled with hardship and tears.
The Targaryens, upon sensing their "dog" growing restless, immediately tightened the leash and began suppressing them by all means. Margaery's grandparents didn't dare defy them and never found a real opportunity.
Then came Robert's Rebellion. When Mace Tyrell led his army from the Riverlands to Storm's End, he believed he had finally found his chance. He amassed a huge army outside the city to besiege Stannis, making a show of strength while deliberately dragging his feet. His true goal was to let the royalists and the rebels exhaust each other. He hoped that when the Mad King and Prince Rhaegar had no choice but to beg him to lead his troops north, he could make outrageous demands in return. Even if he couldn't secure the position of Queen or Hand of the King, he could at least gain a seat on the Small Council—whether as Master of Coin or Master of Ships, it would be a historic breakthrough.
But as the saying goes, man proposes, the gods dispose. Rhaegar was killed at the Trident, and King's Landing was betrayed by Tywin Lannister. The Targaryens were destroyed overnight. The old master's fall should have been good news, but Robert, newly crowned and seemingly foolish yet shrewd, immediately took hold of the Tyrells' leash and firmly bound the Reach to his rule.
After enduring until Cersei's scandals were exposed and the queen's seat became vacant, even the beautiful and talented Margaery repeatedly ran into walls when offering herself. Later, she inexplicably became the jinx who caused the deaths of Robert and Renly, the one who poisoned Eddard Stark, and the thorn Stannis wanted to pull out. It was a truly disgraceful and miserable time.
When Aegon Targaryen landed in the Stormlands and raised the Targaryen banner once more, the Tyrells thought their moment had finally arrived.
But upon sending envoys to negotiate, they discovered Aegon's dream queen was his aunt Daenerys, and the position of Hand of the King had already been promised to Jon Connington, his loyal subject.
The Tyrells, though wealthy and powerful, were denied the true positions of power. Aegon, confident in his alliance with Daenerys, was unwilling to fully court them. The alliance negotiations stalled, which is the real reason the Reach only nominally supported Aegon and did not camp alongside the Golden Company.
When that little prince finally got the chance to meet Daenerys and acknowledge their kinship, the news came that not only did she refuse to recognize him, but he was also frightened by her dragon... To outsiders like Nina, it was a pity. But to Margaery, it was a delight!
Those damned incestuous perverts!
Serves them right!
If Daenerys refused to acknowledge Aegon Targaryen, the so-called "dragon marriage" was off the table. The current situation was this: Stannis's defeat was inevitable, both Targaryens were short of critical figures—Aegon lacked a queen, Daenerys had just lost her Hand. Whoever the Reach backed would undoubtedly win. After more than three hundred years of setbacks, House Tyrell had finally waited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The wheel of history had finally turned to their rose-emblazoned slice of the circle.
(To be continued.)
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