After the war council, the two commanders warmly invited William to join them for dinner.
"Gentlemen, you know Lady Margaery has been waiting for some time. The council has ended—if we don't go now, it might be a bit rude." William remained calm, smiling as he replied, "Once I've checked on Ser Garlan, I will certainly come and disturb you."
Some of the knights chuckled good-naturedly. Aegon and Osmund exchanged a glance, their expressions complex, but they could only nod and allow him to leave. William saluted the knights and left unhurriedly.
Inside Garlan's tent, a few candles had been lit, so it was not dark. Margaery sat by Garlan's bed, speaking quietly with the young ladies. The attending servant was nowhere to be seen. When William entered, the girls fell silent, smiling politely and bowing to bid him farewell.
William watched them leave with a look of thanks, then approached the bed and met Margaery's eyes. She did not rise, instead turning her head to look at Garlan.
William glanced at the sleeping Garlan and suddenly thought of a question: "When Garlan came looking for me, why did no one try to stop him?"
Margaery replied, slightly annoyed, "Are you stupid? Of course, we tried to stop him." She sighed. "But he said that if a knight from the Riverlands went to protect the people of Highgarden while he stood idle, there would be no honor left for anyone."
She recalled his final, resolute words: "If Ser William Whent must die in battle today, it must be accompanied by the blood of Highgarden's knights—and if any Highgarden knight's blood is to be shed, it must start with me."
Seeing Margaery fall silent, William said, "Oh—I thought he was doing it for our friendship."
Margaery shot him a look. "Hmph. I'd rather he didn't know you at all!"
William gazed at Garlan's handsome face, then smiled at Margaery. "Honestly, I didn't want to meet Garlan either. You don't know how painful it is to stand next to him."
Margaery looked at him curiously. William explained, "He's too handsome. He draws the attention of all the girls."
Margaery couldn't help but smile. "Loras is even more handsome than Garlan." Her gaze then sharpened, her tone taking on a dangerous edge. "Are you really that concerned with where the girls are looking?"
"C-c-certainly not," William stammered, avoiding her eyes. He quickly looked at Garlan instead, resting his chin in one hand as if in deep thought. "We need to treat Garlan as soon as possible."
Margaery let out a soft hum. "Why so urgent all of a sudden? You were calm just now."
"Ser Osmund said Maester Lomys is on his way and will arrive soon."
"That doesn't matter. If your magic doesn't work, Garlan will at least have Maester Lomys to treat him. He has served House Tyrell for years—much more reliable than some random magician!"
"And if the Maester diagnoses Garlan's injuries and we still miraculously heal him, guess what will happen? I'm already a magic knight anyway—I wouldn't mind having a magic princess as a companion," William said with a smile.
Margaery stood, walking a few steps in silence before stopping, turning her back to William as if finally making a decision. "This will be my last time using magic—only because of Garlan."
"Before Maester Lomys arrives, we'll treat Garlan. He will think the injuries were never serious, and no one will notice the magic," William said, moving to the other side of the bed. He extended his hands, palms up, the backs facing Garlan's chest. "It will be fine, Margaery. Come on, baby!"
Margaery turned around, expressionless. She strolled, almost pausing with each step, until she reached the bedside. She looked into William's eyes, seemingly devoid of emotion, and then gently placed her hands into his. As a smile crept across William's lips, Margaery felt a fleeting sense of dizziness.
She knew it had begun. This time, prepared mentally, she could experience it calmly. She felt as if she were a star traversing the night sky, wandering through the long, lonely silence of emptiness. Suddenly, she encountered a warm light that instantly melted the frost on her surface, softened her frozen shell, and, as the unspoken trust sank deep into her heart, she felt an invisible connection with him that allowed them to enter each other's innermost thoughts.
The feeling he gave her was much the same as before, seemingly unaffected by the recent bloodshed, and she felt a subtle sense of relief.
William sensed Margaery immediately and began silently chanting a spell. If he were alone, the spell would produce no magical fluctuations—but as he expected, within Margaery's mental world, his magic transformed into life energy. Yet he did not immediately begin healing Garlan.
Margaery felt the magical pulse emanating from his spirit, a warm energy rising from the depths of her soul, like rays of sunlight weaving through her heart. It carried the scent of life and the rhythm of vitality. She experienced it quietly, her mind at ease, almost losing herself in the sensation, as if it could last until the end of time.
She lost track of how long it lasted before she felt his hand, gently pressing down onto Garlan's chest. The energy, guided by his control, entered Garlan's body. In that instant, she seemed to see each of Garlan's wounds, rapidly healing under the flow of energy, like tender sprouts after rain, basking in the sunlight, growing joyfully.
William released his hand, and the vision gradually faded. After a moment, Margaery blinked, as if startled from a trance.
"So… it's done?"
"Yes. Healing magic isn't the kind that instantly removes injuries. For example, there's a spell that can rewind time, altering the past so the damage never happened. There's another spell that can transfer injuries to any other living being—well, that one's a bit evil. But such spells can produce immediate results. Healing magic simply uses life energy to accelerate Garlan's recovery and fight infection," William explained, never missing an opportunity to educate Margaery about magic.
"Whose life energy does it consume? Yours or mine?" Margaery seemed entirely uninterested in such marvelous spells.
"Life energy? Haha, Margaery, magic doesn't consume life energy—it consumes magical power, which, like air, pervades the world. It is inexhaustible, unlimited." William smirked, amused. "We're not like the Red God's magic—a strange mix of spell and divinity that requires burning someone first. Even then, it may not work, and using it doesn't guarantee correctness." Thinking of Lady Mace's string of hilarious blunders, he shook his head with a grin.
"What's the cost of using magical power then?" Margaery asked seriously, not amused.
William crossed his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Cost? What cost could there be? We bathe in sunlight, breathe air—what's the cost of that?"
"Is there truly anything in this world where you can enjoy the benefit without paying the price?"
"Ah, is that some saying left by Garth Greenhand?" William felt a twinge of panic. "But I've been using magic for years, and it seems… There are no side effects." As someone who cherished life, even if he believed magic was a blessing from his journey across worlds, he often meditated deeply within his soul to check carefully—so far, he had found nothing wrong.
"William, can you see the end of the thread of fate? You only see that there's no harm now, but you'll never know when the price will come due," she shook her head with a sigh. "You don't know anything, William."