Beautiful as a rose • OPEN

Madeline was walking in the garden, admiring the results of her hard work. Not only she took care of her private garden, but Madeline took care of all the others plants and flowers of Casterly Rock. A job that she preferred to make alone, without the help of servants or family members; it helped her to distract her mind and mostly important it helped her to think. Think at what happened at her, at what she saw or did, at everything actually.

She stopped in front of a rose bush: red roses, her favorites. Maddie smiled and carefully she plucked one, wondering if Rose would have liked it as a gift. She was indeed beautiful like a rose, so why not pay homage to her with such a beautiful flower?
"She'll love it!" she giggled as she carefully held the rose in her hands without noticing that she had been observed by someone.

As he was reading some reports about the new merchandises who arrived at the Lannisport this morning, any servants of the House could tell that the frowning air on their Master's face wasn't a good sign. Probably some illegal chargements.

He closed the account book with a slight growl, almost regretting the sarcastic help of his deceased uncle. Looking almost absently at the luxuriouse garden, he suddenly caught sight of his second daughter, Madeline. A fond smile appeared on his lips as he watched her picking a beautiful rose. Probably for her older daughter.

Walking slowly toward his daughter, he watched her smile at the rose, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Gently putting back a lock of her hair behind her ear, he let escape a warm chuckle as she looked at him, surprised to see him here. "I'm sorry to startle you, my little Madeline, it wasn't my intention." He touched gently one petal of the flower, appreciating the delicate texture of it. "Are you going to offer this rose for your sister ?"

Madeline was admiring her rose when she felt someone touching her hair. She immediately turned her head to see her father right next to her.
"Father!" Maddie smiled, she actually didn't expect to see him around Casterly Rock, but she was always happy to spend time with him.
"Yes, of course!" Madeline smiled looking at the rose and then at her father "It's the most beautiful rose of the garden!" she said, proud of her work in the garden.

"Indeed I must say that it's true." He looked around him, admiring how the different flowers bushes has grown since Madeline was taking care of the garden. "You've made an excellent work with all this flowers, Madeline... They're all beautiful, even if for me, my daughters are more magnificent than any flower on this earth..."

He took a white lily, admiring the purity of its petals, before placing it in the hair of his daughter before smiling at her. "Now, you're even more adorable than before..." He laughed playfully as she hit softly his arm, pouting as when she was younger. He patted softly her head, wondering if she'll always be like she was now : adorable, clumsy... His sweet little Madeline."Now, young Lady, I've heard that you went to a certain party after the Coronation ?" He looked at her, a serious expression replacing his usual cheerful one. "Tell more about it..."

Madeline smiled, she loved when people complimented her hard work: it felt so satisfactory.
"You always say it..." she blushed sightly looking down; but immediately raised her look as he placed a flower in her hair. "Nooo... you're gonna ruin my garden!" she giggled jokingly and gave him a soft punch. She wasn't a baby anymore, but her father continued to treat her like one. Didn't he see that she was a woman now?!

When his tone changed Madeline took a deep breath, how did he find out?
"A p-party?" she repeated, trying to look innocent "Where did you hear it?"

He almost smiled at her tentative to be innocent. He had been young too, and he knew exactly how young people have their own way of celebrating after official ceremonies. "I have ears and eyes everywhere young Lady." He crossed his strong arms on his chest, his look becoming more piercing.

He looked very intimidating, and that's probably the reason why the servants were avoiding the garden and prefered to take the corridors. Staring right in the eyes of his daughter, he let his voice full of authority came out of his throat. "Some friends of mine saw you after the ceremony... Now could you give me the truth ?"

Phoebus hated it when he needed to be the strict father with his daughters, especially when it was to reproach them their behaviour. But he knew who had been at this famous party, and he only hoped that Madeline hadn't caught the attention of the famous Martell siblings.

Rose had a hangover like no other for most of the morning, it was finally starting to fade after all of the water she'd been drinking; and when she found herself able to stand the sunlight she'd decided to take a walk around the grounds. When she came across her favorite place, the rose garden, and she saw her little sister about to get in trouble for being...well, disobedient, she couldn't resist immediately jumping in.

"Oh father, you can't blame Mads for her behavior. I was the one who told her to attend." Rose began, interlocking her fingers with her father's and uses her other hand to hold his arm. She smiles innocently up at him."Uncharacteristic of I, I'm aware. But Madeline is of marrying age. What better place for her to find a husband of prestige than at a gathering noblemen of every land will be in attendance?"

Rose gave him a quick nod. A good lie she was sure. It sounds believable. And she was actually quite proud of her handiwork. She looks from her father to her younger sister, still smiling sweetly, "It isn't her fault if her beauty stuns the men. I was keeping watch over her, so nothing too drastic could happen." Rose insists.

(Squeezes into topic XD )

Madeline looked away, it was impossible to keep lying when her father was becoming so intimidating. He scared even the servants, a thing that Maddie always found funny, but not in that moment.
She bit her lips, trying to find the right words to explain her behavior when Rose arrived to her rescue. Who else if not her sister could save her? Rose was awesome.

Thanks the gods... she immediately thought raising her look to meet hers.
She nodded at every word Rose spoke "Yes! With Rose with me nothing could have happen."

Rose's arrival in the conversation didn't even surprised him. After all, hasn't he told his daughters that they should support each other no matter what ? But now, he almost started to regret the day he said those words.

He listened to Rose's lie, because of course, it was a lie. A believable one, but still, he wasn't blind. He could see the looks that his daughters were exchanging. A imperceptible smile appeared on his lips as he looked right in Rose's eyes.

"If I wasn't your father, I must admit that I will have believed you Rose." His face relaxed a little, letting a fond look slowly appear in his eyes. "But I know you far too well dear daughter, and you seems to ignore that I have been young and that I've lied for the same reasons." He looked at Madeline, now amused by the tentative of his daughters to distract him from the truth.

"Even if I wasn't near you, I know where each of you were during this night of festivities. Now, could you inform me of your evening this day ?" He smiled gently at his little Madeline, wondering if he was even ready to let go of his two oldest daughters. No man was good enough for them as far as he knows.

Rose sighs. She had been defeated. She almost couldn't believe that her father didn't buy it this time. There were so many instances where she and Madeline had managed to get things over their father's head that this time she was taken aback a moment; trying to figure out if this was real life or not.

"I was not forgetting that you were once young father, because I find that it has nothing to do with the matter. Everyone has been young before, and whether or not they've disobeyed their parents at one point is completely unrelated to this situation," Rose began, continuing on. "What is] important right now is that I do not need you to keep watch on my whereabouts every hour. I can take care of myself!" She insists.

Being that Rose was older and less reckless, she felt that she should be treated as a woman now and not like any of the younger siblings. She would be married sooner than later; and she would very much appreciate it if her father didn't still treat her like a child.

Maddie listened silently as Phoebus spoke; Rose's lie didn't fool him that time. He surely learnt how to 'read' his own daughters.
Madeline sighed, she knew that their father was right to be angry with her for going at that after-party, but in the end nothing happened and she came home safe. "Nothing happened..." she raised her hands "Really!"

Madeline moved her look to Rose, she was right: she wasn't a kid anymore, she was a woman! Not like Madeline or Olena. Rose had the right to do what she wanted.

He repressed a laugh, knowing that Rose wouldn't take it too well. Sometimes, he wondered from who she gets this temperament, but then he always himself remembered that he wasn't a saint either. His wraths were known as terrible and almost dangerous for those who had provoked them.

Of course, he could understand that his daughter wanted to be treated as a woman, but for him, she'll always be his little girl. "Peace, dear daughter, peace. I've never doubted of your capacities to take care of yourself... The same goes for you, Madeline. I trust you with all my heart. It's just..." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, looking at one particular bush of lily.

Some memories appeared on his mind, causing him to speak again, his voice almost melancholic. "When you care about someone, sometimes, you had the need to over-protect them... Even if you know that it wouldn't last forever..." He smiled a little sadly at his daughters. "You will understand one day, once you will have children on your own..."

Coming back to the reality, he looked at Rose, a smile of excuse on his lips. "You had proved that you were a grown woman. A beautiful and clever lady, I must say... It's just a little hard for your father to watch his daughters grow."

Rose sighs heavily, a weight being lifted off of her chest. She releases her father's arm before she runs a hand through her hair before flipping it out of her way. When her father spoke with such kindness she found it practically impossible to stay mad at him. Or any of her family for that matter.

"I'm peaceful father, I'm peaceful." Rose insists. "I appreciate your concern for m father, I do. But have a little faith in me sometimes. Even if it is not a lot. Just a bit will do." She smiles at her father before placing her hands on her hips.

Rose looks to her sister who seems to be watching her with encouragement and anxiety. "Father, she really was behaving herself. I personally do not believe that punishment should be in order, but I do think that she's been spooked enough not to do it again...at least not without consulting you first."

Rose did mean what she said. And even if their father did end up keeping Madeline from leaving Casterly Rock Rose would help her out. Like she had done once or twice before. In hindsight however, Madeline was too young; but she couldn't change it now, and Madeline is older and more mature now.

Madeline smiled and nodded time to time at their words. She knew how much Phoebus loved her and her sisters, much more since mother was gone. Protect them was vital for him and she was glad that he had been there all the times they needed him.

"I won't do it again. At least not without your consent." Madeline turned his head to Rose then to her father I promise. she smiled and came closer to Phoebus, giving him a soft kiss on his cheek.