( Margaery POV )
"Remind me of your issue, Lady Valena?" Margaery asked with a calm tone.
The red-haired woman repressed a frown. She no doubt once saw herself occupying the chair Margaery currently sat in.
"We have had water shortages in our olive plantations, Princess." Valena Toland seemed to choke up these words. "The smallfolk think that the harvest will not be as good as the previous years."
"And how is the irrigation campaign going?" Margaery asked once again.
Valena Toland stopped. Margaery knew that the Tolands had put off the irrigation works because they wished to focus on the more profitable soaps and perfume production. Now, though, it had come to bite them.
"We have asked for help…" Valena Toland started, before Margaery interrupted her.
"You have indeed. A month past, and House Martell has sent you skilled workers. Now, I ask you again, how are these works going?"
Valena Toland recoiled.
"We…we put these workers to other tasks."
Margaery sighed, looking at the belittled Toland.
"And you come here to ask for what? Help that we gave you a month past? These workers have been contracted to you for a duration of four months, no more, no less. What you do with them is entirely up to you, but why not put them up to these irrigation tasks that Lady Nymella asked for…about three months past?" Margaery asked.
Valena Toland bit her lip.
"We have determined that House Martell did not send enough to complete the works in time."
Margaery raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" she beamed. "Lady Jennelyn will check her books, but I believe that we have sent you no less than five hundred workers over the past year. Such a number seems reasonable enough. We already lack skilled workers for projects everywhere. The Prince will be wondering why there is no progress from Ghost Hill while The Tor works twice as fast with twice as less."
Valena Toland went red.
"I…I will ensure that we get the irrigation works underway. But we will still need more help."
Margaery turned to the blonde-haired woman sitting at the side.
"Lady Jennelyn, how many can we spare?"
"Sixty are already pledged for the Dalts, fifty for the Allyrions and fifty for the Daynes, Princess. I can…release forty from the contract of the extension of the menagerie…"
"Prince Quentyn will not agree." Margaery shook her head.
"Erm…thirty from the new docks…"
Margaery scratched her head.
"And twenty from the construction of the irrigation canals in the back country."
Margaery shook her head. These canals were too vital in order for previously desertic areas to be turned into arable farmland.
"Spare twenty from the new docks, and double the rations of all the workers on that project. Make it clear to them that House Toland will be paying."
"What?" Valena Toland's eyes went wide. "You cannot be serious!"
"Your delays have cost us time and coin already, Lady Valena. The least you could do is compensate for the delays incurred, or do you not wish the workforce to be transferred to you?" Margaery asked. "Say the word, and these twenty men will stay at their work in Sunspear."
Valena Toland was trapped. Either she accepted the help and paid for the delays the new docks would accumulate because of her, or refuse and delay the irrigation works of the Ghost Hill olive plantations, and lose income from the harvests.
"We will pay for the delays incurred to the new docks," Valena Toland finally agreed, resigned.
"Good. Lady Jennelyn, please immediately transfer twenty men from these works to Ghost Hill, under contract for the irrigation works, and these only."
Jennelyn Fowler smiled at her and noted it in her books. Margaery had to admit it, the girl was quite good with her numbers, and a welcome help.
"Is that it for the day, Jennelyn?" Margaery asked, seeing Lady Toland walk out of Sunspear's hall.
"I believe it is, Princess." The Fowler girl smiled. "You are free for the day."
"Good. You are dismissed, then."
"Enjoy your day with the Prince."
Margaery smiled slightly.
Indeed, today was "her" day, if one could speak of it like that.
Margaery's married life was…interesting. She would rule by Quentyn's side, be his wife, attend major events at his side, but almost never share his bed.
Not that she'd minded that much. After all, whenever she needed her desires filled, all she had to do was ask and pray that Quentyn's cousin was in a mood to acquiesce to it. Though, it was certainly not something she got used to.
After Elia's birth, Margaery and Quentyn agreed that there was no use to give him more children. They had four, all healthy, ready to take over the succession. And with that, Quentyn released Margaery to get her own paramour.
She had chosen a Dalt cousin, tall, well-built, who did sleep with her and keep her desires fulfilled…if one put it that way at least.
It wasn't long till she discovered that her paramour was with her more for the thrill of fucking the Princess of Dorne than any kind of romantic affection for her.
At least, with Quentyn, if there was little love, there was a massive amount of trust and respect, which allowed her to rule as Princess of Dorne when Quentyn was absent.
And he was absent a lot!
Between having to move to Essos to mediate with the Iron Throne's expansion, trips to Oldtown, Lannisport, the Stormlands or beyond, and, more recently, the Summer Isles, three times, Quentyn was only in Sunspear six months a year. And someone had to rule in his stead.
Margaery thus quickly found herself thrust in the middle of Dornish politics, and she found it no different from Reacher politics. As such, she excelled and revelled in it. Especially since people underestimated her at first, thinking they could easily take advantage of her naivety.
When that didn't work, they tried to put pressure on the fact that she was born a Tyrell, and that she was on a tight leash to the Crown. Some were even so bold as to threaten her with sending letters to the Iron Throne if they did not get the lion's share of Quentyn's inventions.
Needless to say, some of them never made it out of Sunspear, or suffered unfortunate accidents. Some lived, some didn't. Not like it mattered much.
In two years, Margaery had stamped her authority on Dorne, being recognized as much a snake as Prince Oberyn's own daughters, and as someone not to tread lightly upon.
Today, though, was Lady Jennelyn's nameday.
And, as such, this meant that Jennelyn would spend the day with Lady Nym…which meant that Margaery had the day alone with Quentyn.
Yes, there was no love between the two.
But that did not mean that Margaery did not enjoy the moments spent with him.
He had never treated her with anything but dignity, and, as such, was deserving of Margaery's trust.
After all, it was he who discussed with Willas the terms of family reunions, far away from the Reach. Once for Prince Rickon's wedding, once for a tourney at Riverrun celebrating the end of Lord Edmure's tenure as Hand…there was no shortage of ideas for Quentyn to warrant a trip elsewhere, and so that Margaery could meet Willas, her cousins, nephews and nieces, all under the unamused eyes of the Targaryens…well, those of King's Landing, anyways.
As she stepped into their large, supposedly shared, rooms, Quentyn was waiting for her, with an amused look on his face.
"I hope the Dornish ladies did not trouble you too much today." Quentyn smiled.
"Not at all. I felt like this morning needed a bit of kick," Margaery answered back.
"I'm glad to hear it. Though, I feel like the coming days will be busier," Quentyn said, unrolling a scroll.
"What is it?" she asked, suddenly worried.
"The Targaryens of Summerhall are visiting at the end of the moon," Quentyn explained simply.
"Again?" Margaery asked.
It was no secret that Prince Daeron and Princess Arianne loved to spend their days in Sunspear or the Water Gardens, thus avoiding the capital. And, after all, they were always welcomed with sincerity and open arms, which is not what King's Landing could boast about.
"Yes, again." Quentyn sighed. "I think it has to do with the announcement of the betrothal. Even Summerhall may become unbreathable for them, and they'd like to come take a break."
"Mayhaps we should let Lord Dayne and your brother know?" she suggested.
"They'll be stopping at Starpike and Starfall first," Quentyn replied. "But I'll extend the invitation nonetheless. I'll also extend it to Lord Silverwaters, Lady Toland and Lord Gargalen, since they plan to be in the city as well."
"You know, at this point, we may well offer to foster Princess Alyssa or Prince Aelyx. It would do well for them to stay in the Gardens or at Sunspear rather than at Summerhall," Margaery proposed.
Quentyn shot her an amused look.
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