Dacey Held No Ill Will Towards Amir Manderly. He, And His Entire House, Was Trusted By Owen, And That

GENEVIEVE GAUNT on INSTAGRAM

the birthchart of dacey stark

sun sign : cancer

cancers are astrologically wired to channel their intense emotions to caring for others and expressing a unique understanding of the human condition and heart. compassionate, often sweet, always deeply feeling, you can rely on the cancers in your life to offer a shoulder to cry on. typical sun in cancer traits include being nurturing, sensitive, compassionate, self-protective, security-seeking, and loving. since the emotional, maternal moon influences cancer's personality so intensely, the water sign tends to prioritize — and occasionally twist themselves into knots — to make most people in their life feel even slightly more comfortable and secure. they'll pour their heart into caring for plants and pets just as much as they do loved ones. while they're loyal to the core and will always show up for their friends, family comes first. cancer's intense connection to their emotions doesn't come without its negative side, which is a tendency to be moody and snappy when rubbed the wrong way in a particularly sensitive, agitated state. whether they're worked up or drowning in their feelings, they'll be quick to retreat into their shell.

moon sign : aquarius

there may be something about an aquarius moon that somehow “separates” them from everybody else. a fixed sign, which gives qualities of focus, perseverance and endurance, when an aquarius moon individual has a clear idea, they are unlikely to easily change it. their position as someone already ‘on the outside’ gives them the ability to interpret the world around them from an often unique point of view. the placement of the moon in aquarius gives them incredible compassion. they are the person who will "take a bullet" for the one they love, and will be the first person to stand up for the rights of another. they can be very caring when they want to be, though it may not read that way to others at first, because you are also a quiet person who keeps their emotions to themselves. an aquarius moon knows what they want and believes in personal freedom and choices. they will uphold what you believe in, no matter how far-fetched others may find their decisions. in some ways, they prefer solitude as it makes them feel safe, and independence is their calling card. those around them will notice that they only march to your own drum, and they accept this about them. an aquarius moon is a deep thinker — so much so, that they tend to get lost in thought. people think of them as a worrywart, spending way too much time overthinking things until they make very little sense.

rising sign : pisces

pisces is a mutable water sign, and those with this rising sign appear deeply emotional and sensitive. the symbol for pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions, representing the duality and connection between the imaginary world and physical reality. they are masters of making the imaginary seem possible, but they also can succumb to melancholy and suffering. it’s in their nature to go with the flow, like swimming through the waves of the ocean. this can sometimes lead them to be overly trusting, and they might struggle with setting boundaries. pisces risings possess a natural ability to connect with the energies of others, giving them an emotional intelligence in new social situations. while they have a gentle demeanor, they can also be elusive, often escaping into their rich inner universe to find comfort. pisces ascendants might find solace in the arts or healing modalities—whether it’s through music, painting, or writing—as a means to channel their vivid inner world. they can gravitate toward spirituality, but they also should be aware of becoming lost in their own illusions. the rising sign strongly influences physical appearance. the pisces rising often has a dreamy and mysterious look about them, with features that appear delicate and otherworldly. their eyes, in particular, are known to appear captivating, soulful, and dreamy—often reflecting a depth of emotion. like their symbol, the fishes, a pisces is not in a rush. they uncover the mysteries and depth of emotion with ease. not one for conflict, they can bring serenity and soothe those around them. they are also highly in touch with their intuition, whether they are aware of it or not. they are dreamers, artists, and healers, who are here to create beauty, inspire others, and bring a sense of enchantment to the lives they touch.

tarot card pull

the past - the king of swords, reversed

appearance and symbolism

a king sits on his throne while holding a double-edged sword that points upwards in his right hand

the blue tunic that the king wears is a symbol of his spiritual understanding

the butterflies on the back of his throne are indicative of transformation

the king of swords radiates intellectual power, clear thinking, truth, and authority

card meaning

in reverse, the king of swords can show shows tyrannical, abusive and manipulative habits

it may indicate the misuse of one’s mental power, drive, and authority

if the king of swords appears reversed, he is encouraging you to challenge your assumptions and beliefs

the butterflies on his throne now appears at the base of the card, signifying the process of discarding outdated, self-limiting thinking

this card can also suggest that intelligence and discernment is not being used to their fullest potential and important information that could help overcome obstacles or move forward is missing

he challenges you to resist the temptation to fall back into old, rigid ways of thinking that limit growth and possibilities

the present - the knight of cups

appearance and symbolism

the card which depicts a young knight who is gloriously riding a white horse while at the same time holding a cup as if he is a messenger of a certain sort

he is moving slowly forward which provides the entire setting an overall impression of peace and calmness

the horse is known to represent one's drive, energy, and power

the horse's colour is white, which is a well-known symbol of spirituality, light, and purity

he wears the wings of hermes, the messenger god, on his helm and his feet, and fish decorate his tunic, symbolising his ability to communicate clearly about deep unconscious feelings that can be difficult for others to put into words.

card meaning

the knight of cups is the most feminine amongst all the knight cards in the tarot, but it's important to note though, that this doesn’t even slightly suggest that he is any less of a worthy knight, but implies that he is in proper touch with his emotions and his intuition, and that he uses them for his own well-being and during his romantic quests

when faced with a decision, the knight of cups is going to listen to his heart, regardless of whether this is actually a logical choice or not

he appears as a messenger – and with him, he carries an invitation or an arrival of something or someone which is going to have a certain emotional benefit

as a knight, he is also charged with taking the gifts of his suit, and bringing it outward into the world - therefore can also represent the undertaking of some project with significant emotional or creative value

the knight of cups is the tarot’s brave messenger of love, who can communicate his deepest feelings without fear or embarrassment

he represents all forms of love: romantic, passionate, platonic and familial, and reminds those who believe they are alone that they are connected, valuable, loved, and accepted

the knight of cups appears when it’s time to be emotionally courageous

he teaches that communication about feelings heals isolation and confusion - the more difficult the subject, the more healing to be gained from talking about it

the knight of cups is eternally optimistic that the future will be brighter than times before, and knows that the heart is not as fragile as it pretends to be

the future - the sun, reversed

appearance and symbolism

the sun is the source of all the life on our planet, and it represents life energy itself

there is a child depicted in the card, playing joyfully in the foreground - a symbol of our innocence, it represents the happiness that occurs when there is alignment with the true self

the child is naked, meaning that he has absolutely nothing to hide

the card also depicts the childhood innocence and absolute purity - emphasised through the white horse upon which the child is riding

the horse here is also a symbol of strength and nobility

the Sun is the most powerful card in the deck, representing triumph, positivity, and things generally falling into place as they should

card meaning

in the reversed position, the sun indicate significant difficulties finding positive aspects to certain situations, with clouds blocking out the warmth and light needed to progress

it may also indicated an unrealistic outlook, or overly optimistic perception of certain situations

however, it could possibly show that despite setbacks, things may be beginning to brighten

the horse on the card is a reminder that any assistance required to get to the next place in life is out there, and will arrive just when it is needed

even when the sun is hidden behind clouds, it always reappears, and even when darkness engulfs the world every night, the sun promises to return with the dawn - it is a universal truth that light will always resurface, even after the darkest moments

the northern court was no stranger to upheaval, usually riding on the back of tragedy. dacey had learned that nothing was permanent - but there were some things that she had never anticipated changing. brandon karstark’s position was one of those immutable things, so guaranteed that she had never thought of a world were he was not owen’s hand. but the old gods had shown her the folly of thinking in certainties, and caused yet another seismic shift that left the pair of them on shaky ground. 

she could not find it in her to throw up a wall between them, to act as though he was nothing to the starks but a bannerman of the north. he deserved better than that. but neither could she bring herself to acknowledge what he had been through. dacey was not a worldly woman. her life had been touched by loss, but not like this. she did not have the words to try and empathise or offer comfort, and she was cautious enough to recognise that even if she had, they may not be welcome from her. 

she was not owen stark, the similarities between she and her brother few and far between, but her loyalty to him was another of those certified facts that couldn’t be shaken. even when his actions did not align with what she would do, she trusted that he knew best. 

she could not say the words that darted around in her head, so she thought them, as though if she willed them into existence hard enough, the sentiment would somehow reach him, and brandon would know. thank you for my sister. i’m sorry this is how things ended up. i wish i could change it for you. you deserve better.

and then there was alys. another circumstance she couldn’t understand, but in this, dacey felt a little less helpless to act. she could not explain where her older sister was, did not know if her disappearance was connected to word from dorne, but there was something inside her that told her that she would not see alysanne stark again. what she could do was lessen the gap that she had left behind. for owen. for the north. 

“thank you,” her voice was little more than a whisper, the soft tones one might use to try and calm a snarling wolf. “i appreciate any help you can offer.” she would have understood if he refused her, but was endlessly glad that he had not. they still felt as though they were in unfamiliar territory with one another, but they could still hold eye contact over the chasm that stretched between stark and karstark. they were not lost to one another yet. 

“i’ve been trying to organise my sister’s things.” she did not feel the need to explain which sister, trusting that brandon could infer which stark princess she was talking about. “trying to… help, i suppose. be useful.” this was irrelevant to why she was here, a delayal of what she had come to speak about. 

she shifted on her feet, uncomfortable, hands tightening on the strap of the leather satchel she had brought with her. she didn’t know exactly what she was carrying, but there was an uneasy feeling that came when she looked at them, merely thought about them. she could have simply cast them aside, but something nagged at the back of her mind, telling her there was more to this than she could possibly know. 

“i came across some things i don’t really understand.” she admitted. “and i thought out of everyone, you might. understand, i mean.” she reached into the satchel, withdrawing from it a stack of papers neatly bound in twine, covered with alys’ own hand, and holding them out to brandon. there was more where that came from, books and items that made the back of her hair stand on end, but this was a start. 

“i don’t like the feeling i get when i look at them.”

♞

all knew that brandon karstark was no longer the hand of the winter king - and it did not require the extensive intelligence of a maester to grasp the reasons why. the murder of lady meera reed at the hands of jin renshu had spread around the northern court, and even beyond it, like wildfire: the same way the flames had spread through the ancient trees of the heart tree. somewhere, he had come to the deep acknowledgement that there would need to be a balance in the world following such an action - the gods would have cast their backs on him.

if that meant the princess cassana stark was freed of the ropes that bound her beneath it in the chaos, then surely it would be considered worth it? right?

there had been disappearances, two; seeming to have happened on the very same day. the world of ice and the world of the sun had each lost an important member of their court, if the reports from the dornish was to be considered true: and he could not help but feel his stomach drop at the idea that they could have somehow been linked. the princess had accompanied brandon karstark to yule within the land of rivers for the celebrations, though in their journey there he had found something out.

witnessed something about her choices, which she had remained firmly in favour of. something about the disappearance seemed to settle badly in his gut, the idea that it was beyond the actions of humans - who, even in themselves, remained wicked. he knew this went beyond it - meaning, he also knew there was little they could do to retrieve her. princess dacey of house stark had been told to step into the duties of her sister, as the world needed to continue to spin - and brandon found himself weary of speaking and involving himself in the family.

but how could he not, when they had grown together as kin? his recent fracture with the king did not mean all the starks would no longer trust him. there was no reason they should not trust him. "yer highness." brandon greeted, his hand resting on his chest in an action of humbleness; not on the council, but still a subject. "i will do all i can." were his words in response; different to what he once would say. brandon was very much aware that there was only two karstarks left in the world: the cold winter had taken the babies their mother had once birthed. sickness, disease.

"what worries you, princess?"

july 12th 115 ac - dacey stark is born

the fourth child of house stark was born two moons too early and far too small. as a baby, she barely cried, but was prone to illness, particularly of the lungs. it was not expected that she would be long for this world. infants with such weak constitution rarely do, but against the odds dacey grew. she remained a frail child, prone to sickness, and her childhood was mostly spent confined inside winterfell to preserve her health.

129 ac - the dance begins

as she approached adolescence, a question lingered over what to do with dacey stark. while her siblings began to be fostered or trained for their duties as a stark, dacey remained in winterfell, sheltered and protected in order to maintain her health. with the dance of the dragons breaking out during her teenage years, her opportunity to explore the world outside of the north was further stripped from her. she waits out the next ten years in the north, purposely kept as far away from any conflicts as possible.

140 ac - the dance ends

with the leaders of westeros proclaiming independence from the targaryens, dacey finds her position shifting. she is slow to adjust to the change, maintaining her reclusive lifestyle except when absolutely necessary. she does put her complete faith in her family, particularly owen, and trusts and supports his decisions without question. however, at her core she begins to develop idealistic morals of pacificism, which will begin to shape her personal views and how she reacts to things.

post-dance

dacey continues to rarely leave the north, notable exception being to the vale, where she meets and forms a friendship with guinevere lannister. when the kingdoms are gathered in the north, she is more visible than she normally would be, but still seen less often than her siblings and very quiet publicly. she is a soft-hearted person, however, and does offer support to people she recognises to be suffering, including seffora merryweather, and engages in plenty one-on-one conversations whilst fading into the background in group settings. she remains in complete support of the king's decisions.

northern wars

it is during the conflicts in the north that dacey truly develops her distaste for war and violence. however, she is not foolish enough to voice her pacifism out loud, though when asked, she will always answer as honestly as she can: she knows her ideas are idealistic at best, and unrealistic at worst, but she thinks there is a better path than violence, aggression and fighting. despite this, she still believes the king knows best, and does not ever argue with his decisions or contradict him, either publicly or to his face. she remains in winterfell for much of this time.

death of jon stark

the death of a brother marks the beginning of a shift in dacey. still reclusive by nature, she begins to make her presence more known within the north and quietly attempts to aid her brother the king as best she can. she doesn't quite fill the gap left by jon, but she does try and lessen it slightly. the starks meet to discuss retaliation, and dacey advocates for justice over vengeance.

the kidnap of cassana stark, the deaths of rosalyn arryn, and the disappearance of alysanne stark

when further tragedy hits her house in close succession, dacey becomes more present than ever in order to better support her brother and the rest of the family. she takes the initiative to push herself out of her comfort zone and become more involved as best as she knows how whilst handling her own feelings and anxieties privately.

recent events

dacey attends both king jahaerys' coronation in the crownlands, where she largely keeps to herself, stopping at her blackwood cousins' home in the riverlands on her way back to the north, and the celebration of prince arthur's birth in the westerlands.

closed starter for @feraylocke

dacey's return from the crownlands had been a slow, tedious progress, leading to her delayed arrival back in the north long after the rest of the stark's retinue had arrived home. she'd never travelled much before, and opted for a steady journey that could allow her to take breaks, should her health require it. that would prove to be a wise decision, for the princess had remained strong throughout the coronation and still fit and well now she had returned to her home.

but the feeling in winterfell was strange. the loss of the queen, coupled with the tension between the eldest stark siblings and all things relating to alysanne casting an odd sensation over familiar halls. dacey would do her best to see where she could help, how she could best support her elder brother, but not yet. first she had to clear her mind.

and so, it was to feray locke she had come. feray had long been a friend, the recipient of many letters from dacey over the years. the idea of seeing her in the flesh again was a welcome one.

"i apologise for the short notice, feray," an apologetic smile graced dacey's face as she greeted her. "i hope my visit isn't an inconvenience to you." she would be mortified if her visit had put feray out in any way, but such things couldn't be helped.

"how are you? did you enjoy the coronation?"

it was rare dacey had conversations like this with others, even with those she held dearest to her. those who she called friends knew of her enjoyment of weaving, of spinning stories from thread, but she had long since suspected beyond the appreciation of her handmade gifts of wall hangings and rugs, they cared little for the technicalities, the actual art of it all. not in the way the two of them were speaking now.

her eyes traced the graceful movement of malee's hands, listening intently to her thoughts. it struck a deeper chord in her than she cared to admit - the idea that peace was so fragile. it doesn't fight to stay. time and time again, that had proven to be true. no matter how they strove for it, how many wars were fought for it, how much blood was spilled to hold it for a moment, it was shattered all to easily.

"you're right." she admitted, carefully. "it doesn't fight to stay. but i think that makes it all the more important to hold on to." but if it did not fight for itself, then who would fight to preserve it, rather than just achieve it? "i think the artist was fighting for us not to forget it's value." her hands folded loosely in front of her, thumb idly rubbing circles against her own palm.

"does it hold a memory for you?" she asked. fields of gold were not a common sight in the north, but perhaps here, in the west, gold could be found above the ground rather than simply in the mines. she liked the idea that this might be so.

her gaze return to malee at her question, smile tugging at her lips. "it is," she confirmed. "I find peace in it. the weaving." there were nights where the creation of something became something close to prayer for dacey, peace to be found in every stitch. she was not a woman who found her words easily. it was in thread that she truly found her voice. "there is something special about seeing something come together that you created, with your own hand. do you weave yourself?"

the lady of the crag stood with a quiet grace, her posture poised yet natural, as though effortlessly balanced between decorum and ease. one hand rested lightly at her side, the other brushing the folds of her gown with deliberate care. “you put it beautifully,” she said, her voice low and melodic, carrying the weight of genuine understanding.

her free hand rose in a fluid motion, fingers tracing the air delicately as if painting the sentiment she sought to express. “peace doesn’t shout. it doesn’t demand. it’s quieter, subtler—much like this.” she turned slightly, her gesture extending toward the harvest scene, the golden threads shimmering faintly in the soft light.

a faint, thoughtful smile touched her lips as she studied the tapestry. “perhaps that’s why we forget it so easily,” she continued, her voice taking on a wistful tone. “it doesn’t fight to stay.” she let her hand drop slowly, her fingers brushing the edge of the display as though grounding herself in the moment.

“it’s strange, isn’t it?” she mused, her voice carrying a note of wistfulness. “how a thread can hold a story. a memory. sometimes i think we’re drawn to these because they don’t change. because they stay when so much else slips away.”

she turned her attention back to dacey, a thoughtful expression settling on her face as a flicker of genuine curiosity warmed her eyes. the conversation had settled into a more relaxed rhythm, the formal edge of her posture softening slightly as she allowed herself to settle into the moment. "you're quite knowledgeable of tapestries, your grace. is it a hobby you've taken up yourself?"

a small part of dacey hoped that brandon would confirm that he knew exactly where saoirse was. that this was all a big misunderstanding, and he would take her to her sister, and things would slowly begin to return to normal - or as normal as they could be, given everything else that had happened since their arrival. they would return home, and she would hold her sister close and repair the distance that had festered between them over the years. in their childhood, dacey and saoirse had been near inseparable. the younger sister's fostering in the riverlands had put an end to that, and now, she hated herself for not doing more. why hadn't she done more?

she took a shaky breath, an attempt to steady herself, return her voice to its usual cadence, but it had little effect. when she spoke again, her voice cracked, pitching unnaturally. "saoirse's rooms were empty this morning. it seems she is not in the tower." dacey had always been private with her emotions. she bore her grief and worry and melancholy quietly, away from prying eyes, but there was no hiding it now. later, perhaps, she would be embarrassed by herself, her lack of self-control. right now, though, her own shame was the furthest thing from her mind.

brandon's line of questioning was logical. "a hunting party?" she repeated, half a mutter, allowing herself a moment to ponder the thought. but then, surely her departure would have been seen? somebody would have noticed a princess of the north, would they not? "perhaps? i'm not sure. nobody has mentioned it to me, but perhaps lord manderly..." she broke off, for even in her distress, she was sensitive to the fact that this may be a sore subject for brandon.

her dark eyes met his, and she nodded her head a little. in a way, it was comforting to know that saoirse had been seen so recently. there was only a few hours between her disappearance and the search. "i could not remember the last time i saw her," she confessed, diverting her eyes to look at her ruined hands. she felt like she had failed her little sister. saoirse could be anywhere, dead, alive, in trouble, or simply exploring, unaware of the trouble she had caused. dacey didn't know, but she should.

there was another element to her guilt, one perhaps only brandon could understand. their last conversation hung heavily on her mind, though she had kept what they had discussed to herself. she believed that divulging what he had shared with her would only cause her family further heartache. now, she couldn't help but wonder if her two sister's disappearances were linked - and if they were, could she have prevented all of this? was it her fault?

"we don't know if it's connected to alysanne."

♞

the words that seemed to come tumbling from the lips of the princess who stood before him were words that caused his hands to fall on either side, almost as though there was a blow of defeat he were now dealing with at hearing such a thing: because it meant something was terribly wrong. alysanne's matter was on alysanne, and he thought it was supposed to be focused only on her - she who had taken part in such rituals and practices, and now faced the consequences of lore that ran too deep even for her to understand. but the other princess?

there was no reason for the other to be impacted and to have gone missing too, especially considering her hands had not touched such things?

or had they? was there something he was missing? had both sisters been involved in the matter. "...what?" brandon spoke, his voice ringing a sense of numbing shock that had not been heard since he had been told news of his wife's murder. of her butchering. this was not of his own, and yet, he began to feel as though something nefarious was happening. or, was it a guise of something entirely natural using the chaos of all that had happened to their advantage? there was a level of informality that came in his voice, a striking contrast to their last conversation where he had maintained such boundaries - as she had too. "what you mean?"

brandon knew what she meant, and yet, the thought in itself was enough to cause genuine discomfort to come over him. his grey orbs flickered over the various other northern faces in the hall, some of whom seemed as upset and disturbed as the princess, and others who appeared afraid, looking over their shoulder. "there was a hunting party that left this morning." and there were multiple people going missing from kings landing - from the dornish to the north. were they all connected? they could not have all been connected. unless there was something darker going on here. "are we sure she did not leave with them?"

they would need to leave, was his own take on the matter; gods knew he would tell aleksander he thought it best to return north. some would wish to remain to search, and yet, it was clear this was no place for them. what made him the most uneasy was the fact not once did thought of the dragon king cross his mind, not once did he put it down to him. he only thought of the sight of the woods that night, and the sounds of the chanting. he would need to speak to someone.

"i saw her yesterday during the feast." brandon offered words of attempted comfort; the night where the majority of the northern court gathered together in the great hall allocated to them within kings landing, the tensions and fractures obvious in the air. there was a lack of spirit, and of joy; the king was an increasing drunk, it appeared, and the manderlys found themselves stepping further and further into the light of power. "i don't remember how many times…did she not leave before us all?"

dacey did not answer the question immediately. it wasn't that she bristled at the question, did not take offence to the fact it had been asked. no, when the quiet stretched between them, it was because she was considering the answer she would give. the north had always been her home, a place she was sure she would never leave, she still felt that way. when she closed her eyes, she could not picture herself anywhere but winterfell, but she knew that would not always be so. once the matter of his own marriage was settled, owen would likely want to see her wed, too, and there was no telling where her groom to be would be from, and where that would see her living. the matter of leaving the north or not was not in her own hands.

"i don't know," she admitted at last, her voice quiet enough that it didn't carry beyond lillith. "the north is as much a part of me as the marrow in my bones. i shouldn't like to leave it, but none of us know what the future will bring."

and yet. her lips pressed together with the thoughts she would not speak aloud. for a long time, she had thought of winterfell as her sanctuary. as a sickly young girl, it was a place where the ills of the world could not touch her, and she had carried that thought process into her adulthood. now, though, she could not help but wonder if it was less a sanctuary, and more a cage she had constructed around herself. she took a breath to dispel the thought. there was little to be gained from dwelling upon it.

"ironoaks," she spoke softly, latching on to the offered distraction. there was something in the offer that tempted her, to her own surprise. she had always been more comfortable in what was familiar, but even in winterfell's halls, little felt familiar now. there was too much being whispered in the shadows, and the sinking anticipation of impending disaster she could not shake. the idea of an escape, however brief, was not unwelcome. "i would like to visit." she confirmed. "though we should both pray that i don't bring the cold with me when i do."

lillith stood beside dacey, her hands clasped loosely before her to keep them from fidgeting. the warmth of the hearth barely reached her, and she shifted slightly closer, her dark skirts brushing against the stone floor. the heat was a welcome reprieve from the biting chill of the north, though her mismatched eyes flickered toward dacey, noting the way her friend still seemed cold despite the fire’s proximity.

“the north doesn’t make it easy for visitors, does it?” she murmured, her voice light with an undertone of amusement. “i thought the cold might have mellowed since the last time i came here, but it appears as unyielding as ever. you must tell me, dacey—if you had the choice, would you ever leave it? or has it bound you too tightly, like frost creeping into stone?”

she glanced toward the bustling hall beyond, voices and laughter spilling into the quieter space they occupied. the firelight painted the edges of dacey’s gown in golden hues, and lillith’s gaze lingered there a moment before returning to her friend’s face. “you should come to the vale. ironoaks would welcome you, and it would do you good to escape this chaos, even for a little while. there are no hot springs to warm the walls, true, but the hearths burn just as brightly—and," as the thought formed a drunken clatter arose from a particularly rowdy group in the corner of the hall. "the company might be more agreeable.”

a faint smile tugged at her lips, softening her typically reserved expression. “though perhaps you’ll tell me you’re just as stubborn as your winters and wouldn’t leave even if the chance arose.”

the last thing that dacey had expected to find when glorie had wed her brother was a sister. the best she had hoped for was a friend, but glorie had become more than that to her. now, she was as much family as her own blood siblings, and for that, dacey was endlessly grateful. it would have been easy for the mistress of coin to ignore dacey, the direwolf who had never found her howl, but she hadn't. in their sisterhood, dacey found solace, and that was what she sought now, in her own way. the tea and offer of a sympathetic ear was for glorie, because it was in the act of giving that dacey took her comfort.

"it was nothing." it truly had not caused her any trouble - if anything, it was a welcome distraction for them both. a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "an excuse to come and badger you, in truth. i thought it might go over better if i didn't show up empty-handed." it was typical of dacey's sense of humour, a wry sort of self-deprecation. she moved a little further into the room, settling in an empty chair and glancing at the pile of work glorie still had to sift through, with only a small pang of guilt. "i hope you don't expect to be here too much longer?"

the question was a tricky one to answer. dacey's gaze dropped to her hands - still, for a change, but her fingers raw and painful from the toll that everything going on had taken on her over the last few weeks. "just grief and worry," she answered truthfully. "something we have seen more than enough of. nothing you'd be sorry to miss."

if ever there were time for glorie to listen to her body and take a slight reprieve, it was now. her exhausted frame begged to be released from its upright position at her workspace to lean against the comforting cushion lining her chair. she would have allowed slumber to whisk her sway right then and there if it weren't for the light suddenly cast from the firelit hallway. she half expected to see adam emerge from the other side, but he'd been distant as of late, and she was reluctant to interfere with the way grieving had seemingly overtaken him. instead she's greeted by a friendly and familiar face. one that earns a warm grin from the princess consort.

"you didn't have to do that," there's a certain appreciation in the way she spoke. she hadn't a thought of such things until they were presented to her, but the realization that she was, in fact, in dire need of both only makes her that much more grateful. "thank you, your highness." always such formalities. would she ever learn to lighten her essence when others were near? she couldn't seem to unwind no matter how comfortable her kinship with someone is.

"of course, please join me. it seems i haven't seen the spring sun rise or set as of late. is there anything special i've missed?" the company of her family and peers, perhaps.