Ravellaarryns​:

E R R O L D   S T A R K

“Theon was right, Errold was smarter than everyone else around him. It was a fact he enjoyed, it was after all his sword and his shield. ”

penned by devin

@erroldstark

t r u t h  s e r u m

rosa | ophelia | morra | cassana | harlon | theo | mellara | axell | ellie

starkwhitewolf​:

torrhen paced the halls, wincing with every cry of pain his wife made as his good friends tried to comfort him. he was eternally grateful for rhydian and brandon in that moment. despite tradition or formalities, he was desperate to be with rosa, but he knew his presence was best outside, surely there were better hands and minds within the room, one more would only distract from focus and he wanted everyone’s attention on his wife and child. suddenly, as if by magic, a babe’s cry filled the halls of winterfell, and torrhen’s heart. he waited what seemed like hours, but finally a midwife gave the welcome, and he walked faster than he had in his life.

the king of winter entered with a bright smile and went to lay beside his wife, admiring the little babe in her arms. gods he was so small. smaller than he ever imagined. it had been long since he had seen a baby, perhaps even since his own younger brothers and sisters had been born. he remembered hearing mothers’ laboring echoing in the halls, their first cries. he had been worried then, of course, although not quite understanding the severity of the situation. with his own wife, however, it was the equivalent of torture. had he been able to take aware a fraction of her pain, taken on a bit of the risk she had to, he would.

yet they were here, frozen in time, in this moment. he would recall this for the rest of his life. “he’s perfect, rosa.” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple, reaching a gentle finger to stroke the little one’s cheek. “i did not imagine a baby to be as peaceful as he.” he jested with a soft chuckle, ice blue orbs turning to his queen. “i know some might think of this as duty, but you have given me the world, i am eternally grateful to you.”

.

after everything they had gone through together, he was here. all the worry and doubt of what was going to happen. cursed words thrown at her by pirates and threats. but their son was here and not born under a blood moon but a perfectly clear night sky. suddenly in a moment all that worry and stress and fear was gone as she held him in her arms. he was safe now in her arms. she knew she would never let anything bad happen to him and torrhen would never let anything happen to any of them.

what a blessing it was to have them both here with her now.

“he is absolutely perfect.” she smiled, getting to see the look on torrhen’s face as he saw his son for the first time. the king of the north and the future king swadded in her arms.

torrhen said she had given him the world but rosa knew in her heart that she would have given anything to him in that moment. anything he could ask for. “and you have given me the world too, a new world in my arms. a new home, a new life. i could never thank you enough for everything you have given me. i love you more than i can put into words this moment.”

despite still being sore, she adjusted herself up in the bed, holding out their son for torrhen to take. “you should hold him.” she said.

@lorczamartell​

wandering around dragonstone with her interprator rosa spotted the martell princess for a distance. kindly, she asked the other woman to give her a few minutes alone before walking over towards where the martell was standing. “good day to you. i hope i have not interrupted you too much your grace. i had heard of your arrival and have not had the chance of meeting your acquaintance.” rosalyn said. “i am princess rosalyn arryn of the vale. it really is lovely to meet you.”

edricxstark​:

“Do… Do you believe that if it came down to it, Torrhen would truly let me decide the fate of my own life?” Edric asked her earnestly, sitting down. “Did he tell you of the change in plans with the Targaryen princess? I dodged this one, unfortunately for Adam. But I’m just… concerned I suppose.” He felt as if he could be honest with his sister in law. She had always been nothing but kind to him. “Thankfully she hated me as much as I despised her, so she was able to work to dissolve our agreement. We would have destroyed each other otherwise… Anyways, has he mentioned anything to you?” 

.

listening carefully to what her brother in law said she thought carefully of what to respond with. “i think torrhen is doing his best to look out for not just his family but the entire north. there are things that have to be decided for us in that regards.” perhaps it was growing up as a woman, she knew there were always going to be things in her life hat would not be up to her to decide. there was more freedoms as a man in this world. maybe edric was facing what she and so many other women had grown up knowing.

 “edric, we have been blessed with new station of life. kings, queens, princes and princesses….there are always going to be some things that her cannot control anymore. but maybe there are some things in our fate we cannot decide but it is what we do with those things that help us take control of our fate. there is much more you can do edric…maybe you can show torrhen you are able to take those choices into your hands. show him he can trust you with those tough choices.” she told him. “i have no doubt you will do great things with whatever is given to you edric.”

wyattgrafton​:

⋅ ◆ ⋆

with fire kissed hair and blue eyes to match, rosa arryn stood out among her siblings whose dark hair matched their often austere moods. despite recent events and although wyatt caught a flash of apprehension across the woman’s face, the youngest arryn daughter was of a much more sunny disposition. for one her curiosity seemed genuine and unmotivated by hidden motives. a far cry from the conversation he had entertained with rhys arryn a few weeks ago, which had been filled with silences and double meanings. wyatt didn’t know rosa well and with the two of them now residing in completely different parts of the kingdom opportunities to get to know the newly anointed queen of the north would be few and far between.

he’d admired rosa’s resilience over the years as she hadn’t been dealt with all the blessings some of her siblings had been but she had made a place for herself in the world despite her struggles and he had no doubts even the harshness of the north was no match for her strength. he did wonder if the northern men and women were truly treating her as one of their own even as he saw heavily armed guards flanked at her side. the vale and the north differed in traditions as they did in many other things and surely adapting must not have been the easiest thing. now that she was with child however he assumed must of the pressure that rested on her shoulders must have lessened somewhat.

he shrugged at her comment regarding his prayers. “i appreciate the sentiment but in truth i was starting to feel a bit tired of kneeling. besides there’s only so many prayers i know by heart.” he could count them on one hand and even those he was ashamed to say he didn’t fully recall. if anything he’d become most familiar with prayers to the drowned god during his travel at sea. he’d even prayed to them once during a particularly memorable storm. “i’ll be joining them, yes. i assume you’ll stay in winterfell considering your condition. your brother has many skilled advisors with him, i wouldn’t worry too much. if you need anything, know that you can always write to me. i’ll do my best to be of assistance.”

.

“would you give me a moment good sirs?” the queen said giving a small glance over her shoulder to the guards flanking her. hesitant for just a moment they back up enough to give the two of them a little privacy however there was no way she doubted they would be leaving her sight. a light dusting of snow had begun to fall from the hair, clinging to whatever it touched. a small halo of white begun to appear around wyatt’s dark hair as it fell. her own sprinkled with the same soft snowflakes.

there was not much she knew about wyatt himself and yet so much she was learning about his family. and then of course there was so much she was learning about him from ravella, although given her attitude about him she did not think that was the most accurate portrait of him. rowan seemed to have a good view of him however, and it was a rare time that she disagreed with her brother’s visions of things.

“my condition?” something about it struck her as odd. but the soft smile of rosalyn stark did not leave her face. “thank you lord grafton for your kind thoughts but i can assure you i will be traveling with barrowtown with both of my families. my husband and i both believe it is for the best right now.” stepping around him, she carefully bent down to leave the flowers for daemon. he didn’t need his prayers here, she had given enough of them on her own. rising back to her feet with her center of gravity off center with her stomach was a little more tricky as the days went on. “my brother surrounds himself with smart men and women, he always has. i think he has a knack of seeing things in people that other’s do not see. i have no doubt he is in good hands. but it is good to know you can also be of assistance.” the red head turned to look back over at the grafton lord. “i too am of service if you need anything. despite my condition, i can assure you i am very capable still. you are new to the court of the mountain. it can be different but a good place but it can take time to find ones place, however.”

L U C R E Z I A   R E D W Y N E 

“Because the woman spent her life caught between different roles, roles that clashed and caused mayhem and chaos and tears to her personal life, a clash that came more into play than it did for her male counterparts. ”

penned by bambi

@lucreziasredwyne

location: in the great hall of winterfell after one of the nights of the northern games

@anya-snow

the northern games had cast a spell of joy across the castle that seemed to have been in hibernation. laughter echoed in the corridors, people recounting the day's events or enjoying catching up with people. for a land that had weathered the storm of a war, the northern folk deserved the pleasure of celebration, a collective exhale after being ensnared by a man's unwarranted quest for power.

as the sun dipped below the horizon, various houses and families gathered in the great hall for an evening feast. the air was full of merriment, the spirits of the north rekindled by a shared joy. rosa, the queen, found delight in conversing with lords and ladies, the hall alive with the burgeoning cheer of a people reclaiming their right to happiness.

amidst the revelry, rosa spotted anya across the hall and beckoned her lady in waiting to join at the table. with a server gracefully pouring glasses for each, the queen inquired, "are you enjoying the games, anya?" her words carried genuine interest as they settled into the lively mood of the feast.

"i wanted to speak with you, to get your thoughts on some matters," rosa continued, her demeanor earnest. "as a representative for the merchants guild, and with the wars now hopefully behind us, i believe it's time to look to the future of our trade. i know you've discussed matters with his grace before, but i was hoping to hear directly from you." she offered anya a reassuring smile, her intentions clear.

"i think you should consider reaching out to other merchant guild representatives from different kingdoms as one of our ambassadors. alternatively, if you're willing, you could venture to yi-ti. i recall your desire to visit. you would be going as our representative, ensuring northern support accompanies you." rosa spoke with both warmth and wisdom she had recently begun to embrace, delicately addressing a desire she had sensed in anya during their late-evening conversations in the court. she aimed not to pressure but to guide—a gentle nudge towards a decision anya may have yearned for but hesitated to embrace.

there was no doubt in rosalyn's mind that her husband wouldn't take this seriously. when they had discussed the new laws of the north they had done so together. she never felt pushed aside or made to feel less than. the laws of the north were an effort for both the king and the queen. after all it was both of their duties to look after the people within their kingdom. men and women alike. "i can get you her name and the husbands name. i don't think she knew of the law that was passed, she seemed surprised that i mentioned it. the sister did not seem to know either. i doubt she wanted to sleep with the lord before her own husband." she said, recounting the look of shock on her face when rosalyn had mentioned about the banning of the practice "from what she knew there was at least five wives that had to follow this rule. and those are just the ones she knew about. gods only know how many there actually is."

rosa hated the thought of what these poor women had to go through because of one narcissistic man. did that mean there were other laws that were not known? most of these people could not read themselves. how else were they supposed to find out about these laws if their lord did not tell them "perhaps we need to find a way to ensure these new laws are reaching everyone. i don't want to think about what other laws this man might have not told his people…"

And he looks to her as he starts eating a heel of bread, cutting off a slice of cheese and putting it with the almost burnt bacon. he only paused in his eating when she began to sigh before sharing her words. then the end of this lady's sisters tragedy.

"I will have the name of her sisters husband and the village he looks over. We must have reports of the ladies in the area."

And he took a large bite of the food then took a drink of the black northern beer. His mind wandering as he considered how many agreed to his laws and disregarded them. Criminals would always exist but there was crime and then there was...savagery. The behavior of wildlings.

"We had the strip the Umber lord for the same reasons. One of the few great houses denied dukedom."

ravellaarryns​:

who: @rosaaaryn where: the great hall, the eyrie, the vale of arryn when: the wedding feast of queen ravella arryn and lord graham royce

The sound of a baby crying won’t leave the very fringe of her mind, as though she could just about hear it over the sounds of talking and the lute, the sounds of footsteps hitting the floor, the sounds of bodies hitting the floor. The ruling Queen of the Vale of Arryn appeared as distant and untouchable as the most holy of stars as she remained sat upon the Weirwood throne, which so many Arryns had sat upon in the centuries, decades, years and even weeks leading up to this very moment; finally the Gods had played their dominion over her in a way she had always suspected they would, and bound the houses together. 

Those houses that were always supposed to be bound, with the two same souls as it were in the very beginning. What had all of this been for, if not to start again in the very beginning? How much of a say did any of them have, over any of it? 

What the fuck was that sound? Who was crying? Her hand clenched around around the weirwood, looking down upon it; was it not a very twisted symbol of that Andal conquering over the First Men, chopping down those trees that held some sense of meaning only to sit upon it. Her hand was a fist upon the edges, her knuckles white as her jaw stiffened; those who had been in the far North had already seen a vision of those icy, dead orbs that now fixed upon the King Consort in his negotiations with the Braavosi dignitary. Why did she feel so, so far away?

 The Queen barely noticed her sister approaching her, the glow of motherhood remaining upon her porcelain features, with hair that had been kissed by fire; the only two Arryns seemingly left in the world, from what felt like  a dynasty in the very beginning. How it had all had fallen down from such dizzying heights, and how she would ensure to fix it, dragging it up if she needed to; the Arryns needed to be untouchable once again. It was the only way. 

She did not react as her sister spoke to her, though there was no doubt the women were entirely opposing figures in what their wedding day had looked like; Rosalyn the blushing bride of the Mountain, and Ravella had not cracked a smile once. That was hardly out of the ordinary though. She looked upon her sister in silence for a few moments, realising she would need to put herself through the same torture she seemed to love putting herself through. She would need to now. There was no other choice.

Oh well. 

.

the music swirled around the halls of eyrie like it had done so many times before and would continue over and over again. although to rosa is was barely audible to her, enough for her to hear what was happening and for her to enjoy the melodic tunes. when she was little, she hated being sent away from parties by her father since if she ventured too far from the room the music would be lost to her. all of the party would be lost to her the moment she was out of the doors, while her siblings could at least enjoy the sounds of it through the halls. ravella was always there for her, ready to interrupt something for her or steer their father’s anger away from her. there was a bond of sisterhood that not even their father could sever from them.

it was strange they were the last two arryns left standing. how their father must be rolling in the crypt to think his daughters would be who would carry on his legacy. it was frightening to think how large and strong their brothers were growing up and to think where they fell to. 

no. she could not think of such things at her own sister’s wedding. this was a time for celebration and happiness. the vale would be in good hands with ravella and graham. both of them cared for the future of the vale, they always had been. they needed that now, they needed people who could carry the burden of ruling.

the music reached its end and everyone in the hall gave polite applause for the dance. rosalyn had thanked her dance partner, a vale lord who said it was an honor to be dancing with one of the arryn queens. and the younger queen searched for where her sister was. and unsurprisingly , she was in the same spot atop her throne. but as she approached her sister, there was no recognition on her face. 

rosalyn knew what this marbled silence from her sister could possibly mean. it was like her sister was staring into another world. one that she could not fathom to understand. while rosalyn loved her sister so very dearly, feeling as if she was part of her own heart, she knew of the walls that ravella had built up. of the cold exterior that must be maintained for some reason. had it always been like this? or lately had the marble become more and more frequent? it was hard to say as her time was spent in her new home.

 “sister are you alright?” she asked, her voice quiet so none other would hear. but she got no response, just a silent look from here sister. oh gods she really was in that other world today. the winter queen took a seat down next to her sister, turning to face her. her hand rested gently on her sister’s hand that gripped the throne so harshly. “come back to me for a moment.” she spoke softly. “something is wrong. what is troubling you? this is your wedding day you should be dancing with the rest of us yet you sit up here all alone.” she said, her hands signing along with her words as they often did when speaking with her family. “i know you now have this new weight upon your shoulders that was not supposed to be yours…but bearing it alone is not something you must do.” she told her. “what is troubling you?” she asked again.