Disclaimer: All characters and settings in the below piece of fiction belongs to George RR Martin, and I am in no way profiting off of this

Warning: None

Authors Note: This idea came to me when I was sitting in class procrastinating. I know a lot of people have their 'version' of how Renly and Loras got together, but this is my own. It should be about seven chapters long, and each chapter will highlight a specific moment between in the Knight of Flowers and Rainbow King that furthered their relationship. I'd like to thank Cat for going through and a) stroking my ego and b) making sure I did not make any silly mistakes! Enjoy!

He arrived during the height of the long summer.

The air was crisp and fresh and the sun was lowering in the sky, coating the world in a waterfall of pinks and purples while a fiery core burned the horizon. The sea had begun to grow dark, the waves hitting the pitted rocks down below in a chant as old as time. The deep blue hues of the water reflected the glow of the sun, and what lay beneath the surface was a mystery; full of terrors and wonders; of new beginnings and grand adventures; of death and sorrow and life and happiness.

What lurked in the sea had always intrigued the young Lord. He used to make up stories about what lived below, grand adventures that mixed with the folklore he had been told as a child and the imagination he had coveted since he could walk. The ocean had been his friend and his enemy. It has given him companionship and a constant, but had stolen the love that he had needed. It replaced what it had taken.

Of course he was too old to think about such things. There was nothing more than rocks and creatures, some he had seen and others no one but perhaps the Greyjoys knew about. But Renly could not help but wonder, as he stood in the main chamber awaiting the anticipated guest, if his little squire from Highgarden would enjoy the ocean as much as he did.

The boy arrived as soon as the sun had set. The room was light using candles and torches, and Renly had been about to ask for more light when the doors opened and in strode the boy, purpose behind his gate as men with golden roses stitched upon their doublets followed suit. The proper protocol was immediately seen to, introductions made and formal courtesy displayed, and it was some time before the lord had time to look at his new squire.

He was small for his age—slight of build and small in stature, but he was still young, the pains of growing having not yet begun. Only one and ten he was still malleable, easily shaped and moulded into the perfect knight under the guidance of the perfect lord. He had come to Storm's End on high recommendation, and despite his size and the almost overbearing arrogance he seemed to exude, there was something there… something that kept Renly intrigued. Behind the mass of golden brown curls and wind kissed cheeks lay bright hazel eyes; eyes filled with intelligence, life and an eagerness to please. There was also a spark of mischief— of playfulness and a quick wit that was masked behind a well-bred disposition that had no doubt been instilled in him at a young age.

Renly could almost imagine the lecture the boy had received from his father before he arrived.

"He is certainly a delicate little thing…"

"…even lift a sword?"

"Did you see that look he gave me?"

"My word, he is a Tyrell, isn't he?"

"He seems well mannered enough, but I heard his father…"

Ignoring the incredulous looks and hushed judgements (gods knew he had heard enough gossip in the courts already to know how vapid most of the speakers were), he readied himself for the task at hand. Loras was small, arrogant, and stubborn, but he would be Renly's summer knight.

XX

"What do you think of the sea?"

He thought it was rather cold and smelt funny. "It's nice, I suppose."

He heard a snort beside him, and Loras knew it did not come from the horse. "You suppose?"

Turning his attention away from the sea down below, Loras raised a brow at his Lord and shrugged. "Well it is nice…" If Loras wanted to be completely truthful, he hated the sea. It was cold and loud, and the wind it picked up was unrelenting. There was no such thing as a calm breeze at Storm's End. And it had a queer smell, like rotting fish and salt. He missed the smell of the rose gardens back home… "Do you like the sea?"

"I grew up with it," Renly replied, pushing away some hair from his eyes. It was useless, though, and the wind ended up putting it right back where it was. "It's all I can really remember. I just thought that you would have become used to it… it is certainly impressive, no?"

Loras could hear in Renly's voice the need to be validated, but did not know how to go about replying. His mother told him to be courteous and amenable with his Lord, but Renly had told him to be truthful and upfront only days after he had arrived. It had been six months since he had come, and Loras was still adjusting to the new setting. He knew why he was sent and he knew above all else that he wanted to become a knight—it was the only thing he had really wanted and it was all he had thought about since he was given his first wooden sword as a small boy. To be able to ride chargers, wear beautiful suits of armour and fight those who wanted to harm others was all Loras thought and dreamed about.

But before he could become a knight, he had to train as a squire. A fact he had been told as a small boy, but one he never really thought about until his father told him on a warm summer's night that he'd be going to Storm's End at the end of the month. He had been nervous and unsure about it at first, and that nervousness had only increased when he was told how old his lord was. Renly was close enough to his age that Loras, for perhaps the first time in his life, was intimidated. What if Renly did not like him? What if he wasn't as good at sword practice as he had been lead to believe? What if he was made fun of for his size? Loras was not a fool and knew he matched his little sister in size and appearance more than his older brothers. They were tall and broad of chest, with arms that could wield a sword and skills with horses that went unmatched. But he was slight and petit, his fingers delicate and thin and his features as soft and fair as Margaery's. If he was made a fool of because of things he could not control, Loras was certain he would never return to Storm's End no matter what.

So when he arrived he acted as strong and as in control as he could. He thought of how Garlan would walk and talk, and kept it in his head that he was a Tyrell and they were to be respected. Of course his arrogance lasted until his Lord laughed at him when he ran into a door on the way to his room.

After that, Loras had been significantly humbled in Renly's (as well as three servants') presence. Although he still held his head high and acted in accordance to what he had been raised to do, he was beginning to grow more comfortable in Renly's presence. Something about him made Loras feel at ease. Perhaps it was because of how funny he was. Loras hadn't laughed so much in his entire life since he came to Storm's End and was introduced to what many called the 'Baratheon Wit'.

"Impressive is a good word," he replied, finally having decided on the best course of action. It was true, though. Despite it bringing in cold winds and strange smells, seeing so much water that stretched out further than the eye could see was 'impressive'.

Unfortunately, most of it was lost on Loras, who just wanted to ride back to the keep and practice archery.

Tugging his horse to the side, Renly lead them away from the ledge and put his horse into an easy trot, with Loras following suit on his smaller but plucky filly. "I've always wanted to visit the rose garden at Highgarden," Renly mused as soon as Loras had caught up. Brushing a lock of hair and tucking it behind his ear, Loras watched as Renly wrestled with his own unkempt hair, the wind having trussed it up to the point where it looked as if a raven had picked a fight with it and won. He had heard a few arguments take place between one of the servants at the keep who no doubt was in charge of Renly's grooming habits. He insisted that Renly cut it, but Renly seemed intent on growing it out past his jaw. Loras thought it suited him—the longer hair—but did not comment. Loras also thought it strange that the servants at the keep had so much… freedom to say what they wished, but then that was just something one had to accept when you visited Storm's End. Things were done differently under Renly's control.

"Will you show them to me sometime?" Renly's voice broke Loras away from his silent admiration of his older Lord's freedoms and independence, and he smiled back when Renly broke out into a large grin, his blue eyes shining with amusement. "What are you staring at?"

"N-Nothing …" he replied quickly as he looked away, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. He admired Renly a great deal, but did not want to admit it to him. It was embarrassing. "If you would like, I would enjoy showing you the gardens, my Lord. Have you never been to Highgarden?"

"Never," he said, slowing his cob down as they neared the keep. "Strange, isn't it? Being the lord of mine own keep I should have all the freedom to do what I want. But alas, for the first six years I was subject to the rules of the maester and other men and women who decided what I would do, where I would go—even what I would wear. It has only been the last few years in which I've received my own freedom, but—" Stopping his horse outside the gates, Renly slid off of his horse as the posterns were opened for their arrival, and gripped the bridle of the horse before leading him inside by foot, greeting the guards as if they were close friends. Loras followed suit (as he always did), and watched the feet of the horse before him as Renly continued to ramble (as he always did). "—so that was when I visited King's Landing once more, which is rather a long journey but it is through some beautiful countryside. I don't know why I even went there right away; it wasn't as if I had never seen it before—"

Entering the stables, they hitched their horses before Loras got to work on taking care of the two animals, his squire duties taking effect. He enjoyed the work, though—horses seemed to like him, and he liked them in return. Besides, the stables were one of the few places where the overwhelming smell of the sea did not reach.

"—she's a beautiful woman, I will grant you that, but she's terribly boring and I don't know if she is really that slim or if her handmaids to a good job of fitting her into her bodice—"

Running his hands along the supple leathers of the saddles, Loras unbuckled the straps and slid the saddle off of Renly's mare before doing the same for his filly. Putting them away he returned with a brush, and started to comb away the sweat and dirt from the white and dappled hairs.

"—I wasn't completely naïve to think that he would just let me walk back; he's my brother and if I said no he could most likely beat me like brothers do and then where would that get me? A black eye and a bruised ego, not to mention I might have bled. I hate the sight of blood. So instead I—"

Running the brush along the back of the mare, Loras admired the spotted patterns on its rump and haunches, nodding every so often as Renly continued to speak about whatever it was he was going on about. Loras had become accustomed to his Lords strolls through his mind that manifested itself through a verbal onslaught. Kneeling he went to work on the legs of the beast, but fell backwards as the horse shifted to the side, making him press his hands into the dirt and straw on the floor. Glaring, he looked up to see what had caused the horse to move, and saw a grinning face looking down at him while arms dangled down the side of the animal. "So that is why I've never been to Highgarden."

"Oh, I see," Loras replied. Picking himself up from the ground, he brushed his dirt covered hands against his riding pants before continuing his chore. "You should visit sometime, my Lord."

"I'll visit with you." Once again the horse shifted, this time away from Loras as Renly moved around the animal to stand beside him. Crouching down to his level, Renly pushed his hair out of his face and peered at Loras. "Do you miss home?"

Shrugging, Loras tried not to look at him, and instead turned his attention to a spot of dirt above the horses hoof. He did miss home—he missed it a lot. But he did not want to admit it. He was a grown man (or he liked to think of himself as that), and it was not fitting. Besides, Renly had just talked about how much traveling he had done, and he never sounded like he had been homesick. "I miss my little sister."

That was a more acceptable answer. Missing your younger sibling showed concern and maturity.

"Your sister… Margaery is her name, right?"

"Yes… she was crying when I left," he said, brushing the dirt away. "She used to follow me around all the time at home when she had the chance. I thought it was annoying when she did it, but now I miss it a bit…"

He missed it a lot.

"Do you not like it here, Loras?" The tone in which Renly asked it made Loras look up from his job, and he noticed that his Lord looked hesitant and a little worried, his dark brows pressed close together while the usual smile on his face was gone, instead replaced with a frown. He looked younger than his fifteen years.

"No, my Lord, I like it here well enough. I am grateful that you have taken me to be your squire, and… and I enjoy your company as well as your hospitality."

That made Renly smile, and suddenly Loras could breathe again. "You should stop pouting so much, then. Your bottom lip is always jutting out—just like that!"

Loras immediately sucked in his bottom lip and glared. "I do not pout."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I do not."

"You are doing it right now!"

"I am not pouting, I am glaring."

"You can do both at the same time you—Hey! Hey, you can't do that!" Picking the straw that had been thrown at him out of his hair, Renly gave Loras a shocked look, one that was mirrored exactly on Loras' own features. He had just thrown dirt and straw from a stables floor at his Lord. When his Grandmother told him not to do anything brash and moronic, he knew throwing dirt at the man who decided his future fit under the categories of 'brash and moronic'.

"I am so very sorry, my Lord—so sorry, I did not mean to—I mean, I did not want to. It wasn't something I had intended… Please, my Lord, I am sorry," Loras blurted out, eyes wide as he attempted to bow in the crouched position he was in. Images of Renly calling an executioner ran through his mind, and Loras began to panic thinking about how he'd be killed for throwing dirt and straw at his Lord.

He was about to get up and leave the immediate area, when a handful of straw and dirt hit him in the face, causing him to cough and splutter. Brushing the dry granules off of his cheeks and away from his eyes, Loras looked up to see Renly grinning triumphantly back at him, bits of straw hanging in his hair and dirt smudged against his cheek.

Loras could have left it alone—he had deserved it, and it was better to let Renly throw dirt at him rather than be executed—but Loras had a tendency to rush into things without thinking. He also had a tendency to let his pride get the better of him. No one threw dirt at a Tyrell.

Scooping up a handful from the floor, Loras chucked it at Renly before he had a chance to get away, and laughed when the dirt moved its way down the front of his Lord's shirt, causing him to make a decidedly feminine squawk as the cool earth slid down and tickled his skin.

Standing up, Loras made a break for it, knowing fully well there would be retribution, but didn't get far out of the stables before Renly was on him, his longer limbs carrying him further and faster than Loras was capable of. He heard a guard cry out in an attempt to get them to stop running, but all Loras saw was a startled looking servant girl before he was tackled down to the ground, a heavier body landing on top of his own. Letting out all the air in his lungs, Loras lay stunned on the ground, his entire body having almost collapsed under the weight of Renly. He was going to complain or yell, perhaps even fight back, but before he could do any of that Renly had gotten up and stuffed a handful of dead leaves, straw, dirt, and whatever else was on the courtyards floor down the back of his shirt, bursts of laughter coming out as he did so.

Loras couldn't help but laugh himself, but it came out as more of a chocked sob as the air that had left his lungs in a rather aggressive manner tried to make its way back in between the merriment. The sound he made must have frightened Renly, who immediately stopped laughing and was now busy rolling Loras over while calling for a guard.

"I-I'm fine," he gasped out, squinting up at a halo of straw and wild, tangled hair that floated above.

"Are you sure?" Renly asked, his features manifesting themselves in front of Loras. He looked so worried that he had damaged Loras, that Loras found himself suddenly embarrassed. He hadn't meant to worry Renly, even if the turn of events had been in part caused by him as well. The courtyard had also filled with onlookers—some of them guards, others servants, and a few who lived in the castle as guests. Loras suddenly felt very exposed as he lay in the middle of the circle, covered in dirt and gasping for air as his Lord fretted above him.

"Did you just tackle your little squire?" Loras recognized the voice as one of the women who worked in the upper floors cleaning the rooms. Renly had called her Naddy.

"I did not tackle him… I landed on him… on purpose," Renly replied, and Loras tried to get up only to have a hand push him down.

"Why are you two covered in mud and straw? You do realize I have to clean this out of your clothing," Naddy chided, and Loras looked over to see her standing over the two of them as the crowed that had gathered slowly dispersed. "When Lord Tyrell sent his son over here I doubt he wanted you to wrestle him and get him covered in mud."

"We were just having a bit of fun," Loras explained, finally able to speak. Now he had gotten Renly in trouble, all because he couldn't keep his manners in check. Throwing dirt at your older brother was acceptable, but not your Lord.

"Exactly—just a bit of fun. A run around, a bit of play fighting—it's what boys do, you know. You always tell me to act more like a man, and here I am, running around in mud and straw, ruining perfectly acceptable clothing. See, I think I've completely damaged this shirt beyond repair! You should be proud, Naddy." Renly flashed her a large grin as he helped Loras sit up, apparently satisfied that he hadn't broken him and he was capable of at least sitting upright.

Naddy looked less than impressed, and Loras had flashbacks to his mother's glare as she left them in a whirl of skirt and displeasure.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Renly asked, his hand grasping Loras' chin to make him look at him. Loras did not know what to say or do, and simply sat there as the guard Renly had called over stood over Renly's shoulder, seemingly feeling a little out of place.

"Yes, I am fine. I have taken worse," he recited, as if he had been in numerous battles and not just play-fought. "I am sorry if I scared you, my lord."

"Don't apologize!" Renly said, laughing as he got up and helped Loras stand. Sending the guard away, Renly thanked him for his quick response before returning his attention back to Loras. The two of them must have looked like quiet the pair. Dirt coated them, bits of straw sticking out of curls of light brown and tangles of jet black, and Loras noticed that Renly had, indeed, ripped the cuff of his shirt. "You apologize far too often, Loras. You should relax a little more; treat this keep as if it were Highgarden, and treat me like one of your brothers."

"Are you sure?" Loras asked, an eyebrow raised as he attempted to fix himself up to respectable order.

"Positive." Renly nodded in affirmation.

"Well then…" Loras began, before he kicked behind Renly's knees, using a technique Garlan had shown him before he left. It had the desired effect, and Renly's legs gave in from under him, sending him to the ground in a grand display.

Loras did not wait around this time, and went rushing down the courtyard, the sounds of laughter and hurried footsteps following not far behind.

And the chase was on once more.

Thanks for reading! The next chapter should be out in a week!