[Phase 2.5] Distasteful, even for Balon. [Balon, closed]

Delia is her usual self, wryly lamenting why she couldn't have thought of this plot to remove Tanda from the equation. She seems quite convinced that someone had set it all up to make Eldon hate Starpike, although planning for this outcome seemed a little bit far fetched, only herself and Lady Amerei would find it appealing, Delia thinks, and Delia didn't do it and Amerei is too spoiled to have the imagination to put it together or the diligence to put in the work. How come Balon is the one trying to make the final part of the scheme or fallout, most likely just the fallout, come together? Did the Blackfyre cause run out of people who can string together a convincing argument?

Or maybe Balon is the villain that is willing to ambush Lady Amerei and do to her what someone did to Lady Blackbar? What's one more prominent house having cause to see him hanged? Shouldn't make much of a difference, right? It would give Tanda something pleasant to think of. Lie back and think of Starpike doesn't quite work so well when those folks sold you off as pigfeed. Actually, don't go there, as much as she jokes about it, and as much as Balon dragging Titus and Vortimer down into the mud of hate deserves no happy life, she prefers her brothers to have long lives. To her though, convincing Tanda to do the duty she herself refused appears like a mix of intriguing challenge and acceptable collateral damage, nothing foul or sinister. Though that might just be her trying to get under Balon's skin as per usual. Lord Eldon hating Starpike would be bad for every member of House Peake, including those with a Blackbriar for a father.

Lady Tanda doesn't appear to be in a good mood as they approach her, her courtesies are there of course, but few people Balon knows can hold their nose so high with trained ease as she does. In Lady Tanda's world, Balon and Delia are Blackbriars, and not even the Lord's children.

Delia thinks the most likely out of those alternatives that someone just wanted pork sausage on a silver platter, maybe smacking two birds with the same stone by making Eldon blame Starpike for it, maybe not? Lysette Starling perhaps? Delia can't really say she'd blame her after what the hulking mass of lard did to her handmaid, childhood friend, too. At Balon's admonishment she shrugs and claims that she owes it to Lady Rhonda to pretend that she's well behaved.

Balon hadn't really managed to finish his sentence to Tanda before feeling the sting of his sister's finger pressing into the small of his back. Tanda sours even more, she knows that Balon knows what troubles her. What's Balon going to offer, she sniffs, talk Gormon out of his notion to sell her to the highest bidder like a Lyseni bedslave? Delia instructing her in how to best bring down Lord Eldon's rage upon her house for her own selfish reasons? Apparently, Delia is at fault, too, a sacrificial little half-Peake refusing to serve her betters. That part Tanda doesn't mention, but it is easy enough to infer. To her credit, Delia pretends not to notice, even Balon can't see any signs of it on her face, but she surely would have loved sticking her tongue out right now.

"If you promised to murder the monster before the marriage. Surely my father would manage to make Longtable honor the pact between our two houses, and I shall gladly marry Lord Godric" A lie, relief, yes, but not glad. Tanda might have been a good liar once, but her arrogance gets the better of her. Godric is but a boy and thus unworthy of her in Tanda's eyes, but when the alternative is the uncle, he is palatable. It is not difficult to see the problems of that plan, if it was easy to murder Eldon, someone would have done it already. And if the Peake's were exposed as trying, especially if they failed, Lord Eldon, or whoever succeeded him as Godric's regent, had considerable resources with which to retaliate. Although a regent might be more pragmatic about it. "And I want the bitch that did this to me to suffer for what's she's done.

---

You probably don't want to offer those favors to her.

"He'll grow into it, and I would be my lord husband's regent." And power behind the seat, though that she doesn't add. That both Kyra Orme and the boy's mother who was born a Tyrell might have quite different ideas she seems not to consider seriously. "Much better than to suffer a year with the pig" She scowls. "Myster agent? You mean Lord Hastwyck and her whore of a daughter? I'm sure she slept with him and lied about it after. But they are just the tools in this grand scheme, undoubtedly it's the work of the harlot of Highgarden to deny me the only husband worthy of a Peake with the blood of old Valyria."

"No longer than it takes to prepare the celebrations" Tanda sniffs. Eldon was likely not going to risk a repeat of his experience with Alicent and allow the bride to be the time to get cold feet. "And who else could it be? She remains a Tyrell, all it takes is someone resourceful to sell her the idea and she can richly reward them for a job well done." She doesn't ponder the alternatives for long. "No matter, even if that bitch had no part in this, she still deserves to suffer to her last breath for the other things she has done to me"

---

At that age, delays would be needing a good reason. Hastwycks's aren't dead yet at this juncture.

"I want her to be raped every day." discussions about Amerei seems to only make her seethe with anger. "That's what you want for me because of her, so it is only proper she suffers just as much" Then a wicked smile forms on her face. "Or, if you are feeling merciful, you could just kill her, that works, too.

Tanda sighs in agreement, sort of, but that brings her back to her part in all of this, which she sees no upside in. As far she sees it, it would be better to deal with an angry Eldon than to be married to him. Why should she suffer for the schemes of others with nothing in return?

At this, Delia suggests that perhaps Tanda could take vows? Cousin Joanna would surely not object to take her place. A cruelty, and Delia knows it, cousin Joanna have ever been terrified of men seeking her hand, knowing what the duties of a wife involves, the trauma of her mother dying in childbirth having locked itself tightly around the throats of her thoughts, if Lord Gormon had been compassionate, he would have allowed her to take a septa's vows, this he angrily forbade when septon Pate suggested as much, and timid Joanna obeyed, however much the idea appealed to her.

Though this, Tanda considers as much a surrender to the bitch herself, and Delia's next suggestion is suited to make her father turn just as violently in his grave as anything Balon ever did, out of shock over how much his little darling truly was capable of conceiving. His expectations of Balon would already having taken a plunge after the Black Tourney. Marry Eldon, she suggests, then manipulate him into visiting horrors upon Lady Amerei, and of course, make sure that Lord Tyrell finds out. Everyone wins.

Tanda, however, remains unconvinced still. Couldn't they maybe spread a rumor that she might be barren? Some sort of childhood disease? Lord Eldon would surely want an heir? That way, Joanna could take her place, and Tanda might eventually marry another, they just need to confide to the Oakhearts that they made it all up to scuttle the marriage. Delia thinks that might work, her big brother being known for doing stupid things, he might do one worse by spilling such secrets in his cups. What she doesn't mention is that letting the Oakhearts in on the lie was not her intent, and she remains utterly unconcerned with the rage that Gormon would have for Balon. It seems odd of her not to comment on the risk that Eldon is not fooled, surely Gormon would not simply let that lie spread unopposed, as if she mostly cares about removing Tanda from the equation leading her to become the future Lady Oakheart, consequences for House Peake being of far less importance.

Of course, none of these seems like good options, surely there must be something better?