TRUTH SERUM: Are You Disappointed With Rodrik's Fury Stick? He Sure Wears A Lot Furs. Is It To Hide Something?

letter sent to @ravellaarryns after a few weeks after fighting breaks out

dear sister,

i have missed you terribly since my visit back home to the eyire. it warmed my heart to see you once again and i hope i will be able to visit you again soon. please give my love to graham as well, it was wonderful to see him and i am so happy for the two of you. i know i said it about a dozen times when i saw you in person but i know in my heart you will be an amazing queen. i am so proud of you.

there is some slight unfortunate news upon returning back to the north. it seems not even us could escape the trouble in the iron islands. some of the escaped men have found their way into our woods and have joined forces with the thenns. theon and the others have left to deal with the issue. 

however with bad news come some good news. a week after theon left to fight i discovered i may be with child. the midwives here have confirmed it and they believe it may be more than one. but it is still too early to tell for sure. i have yet to tell my husband yet as i am afraid it may be a distraction while he is fighting. but i am in good hands and being well protected and taken care of. i wanted you to know as quickly as i could tell you.

i love you so much. and eddie says the same.

your loving sister,

rosa

tears flowed down the cheeks of the queen of winter. this couldn’t be. this simply could not be. there was always hope that one day their niece would be returned home safe. that one day soon she would be found amongst the mountain clans that took her and she would be returned back home to them. reading the letter her sister had given her broke her heart over and over again with each new word she read.

why would her sister allow her to read such a thing without warning? why not tell her herself to soften such a blow. perhaps she thought this would be easier…it was strange. but grief made everyone act strange. rosalyn’s hand clutched at her swelling stomach as she tried to process the news. 

“rowan made me promise i would look after her.” she remembered back to the time when their family was whole. rowan holding his young daughter and making her swear to look after his daughter if anything happened to him. and now she had let him down. at least the guards who allowed it would also be punished. how they could lack in their duty to protect someone so innocent, so young. they needed to be punished. 

“sister please,”rosalyn said looking over towards ravella who’s eyes had barely moved away from the window. “please sit with me, i need you.” she said reaching out her hand for her sister. gods only knew how different they were from one another, they always had been since they were little. but that never stopped the deep connection of love between them. rosalyn doubted very little could ever stop her from loving her sister.

who: @rosaaaryn​  where: the queens of winter and the mountains of the moon sit together within the private bedchambers of ravella within highgarden, upon the news of their niece’s murder being broken to the queen in the north. a corpse had been found, and identified as the late daughter of rowan arryn.

and the sound of the crying that seemed to come from the lips of her sister at the news was a sound that would once have caused something within her to stir, the way it did upon hearing the way rosalyn’s voice would break whilst having conversation within their father. never once had his favouritism of his eldest daughter gotten in the way of the sisterhood they shared. one that was not filled with affection from the queen of winter, but a level of tolerance that could only equate love.

“cry. you need cry. you can cry.”

and yet now, there was nothing as she stood by the window; she had not spoken the words directly to her sister, instead allowing her to read the letter that had been received to the queen directly. the small council had already been gathered, and she attempted to ignore the ways in which lord stone’s dark gaze looked upon her. somewhere along the way, it was decided that sacrifices would be needed to make the mountain stronger. the mountain needed to be fed, and falcons had lived in delusion for long enough. they were not untouchable. the mountain needed to be fed.

“the guards who allowed it were put to death by the lord commander.”

how was it people reacted to news of such grief? did they sob and sound like a wounded animal, pouring their hearts out into the void amidst the wracking of shoulders? no, that would be entirely undignified. but rosalyn would react in that way, considering she was entirely fond of the girl. the daughter of rowan arryn. weakness ran in blood, and thus so did the undoing of their realm. sacrifices needed to be made to make matters stronger again. sacrifices needed to be made to ensure there was no threat to her own legitimacy, apart from what lay between her legs.

t r u t h  s e r u m

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

the floating sound of laughter and giggling filled the hallways near the arryn princess' room. inside young ladies scampered and bounded around as they all gossip and chatted about the latest news to come out. the engagement of rosalyn arryn to the king of winter. some of them ladies of the vale, others some of her ladies in waiting but all of them there to share in the exciting news and congratulate the princess.

a smile seemed stuck on the red-headed princess as she talked with the other ladies about it all. when would it be? would they travel to winterfell? would it be here? what would she wear? comments on how handsome her husband to be was. questioning if it meant she would be a queen. rosalyn didn't mind the questioning, in fact it was nice to be /excited/ for something for a change. for some happy news to be present in her mind and not all the tragic things that had befallen her recently.

a knock at the door pulled rosalyn's focus away from the ladies as one of the guards came in to announcement the arrival of her sister. excusing herself from the still mirthful ladies, she moved over into the other room to find her sister waiting. "ravella!" she smiled, hurrying over to her sister to hug her. "i am so glad you are here. i was going to come and see you later but this is much better."

@ravellaarryns​

ravellaarryns​:

.

         “I CAN IMAGINE IT WOULD BE PEACEFUL AMONGST THE DEAD.”  her comment was casual; a sly indication to her dark sense of humour, referencing to the barren lands surrounding the harsh, ancient beauty of winterfell. it was a quiet place, away from the bustling of a city and much further north than most southerners would visit lest on route to castle black at the wall. there was beauty in isolation; whether it were atop the highest mountain within the mountains of the moon, or within the cold white landscape of the rugged north. ravella of house arryn found the most peace in order and routine; in knowing what to expect and remaining steadfast to the traditions the arryns had followed for thousands of years. 

after all; the andals invasion of westeros had started with the vale of arryn; her own bloodline tracing back to the andals rather than the wilderness of the first men. she thought the reason the arryns had held onto their grip on power for so long was their understanding of their people, their landscape, and their traditions; there was safety in sticking to what one knows. and for the vale, it was military warfare and knighthood being used solely within the vale of arryn; historically at least. since the dance of dragons, her family had spilled vale blood for outsiders; just as most of westeros had done - and yet it were the first in a long history for the vale of arryn.

there had always been something different about rowan; his mindset, his opinions, his view that differed greatly from the way alfrid arryn had taught the rest of his children. it was something she resigned herself to ignoring; for she knew him to be steadfast in his pursuit of fulfilling duty, as they all were. he was her brother, he was her king; she would never dare to question him before their subjects, for then she would be questioning her blood and her own line. and now? there was different, and then there was being poles apart from what she thought she knew of rowan arryn. even rhys admitting his secret was less of a shock than what had been brought upon the family; a shadow, and a lion’s roar.

“i couldn’t send a raven - for fear of it being read by the wrong eyes. it stays between us, rosalyn. not even your husband can know yet, as he hasn’t informed any of our allies.” would they have allies after this move? how could they consider them allies, when their own king married into the enemy? “it seems the king decided to gift us a lannister queen; for love, as he supposedly says. he eloped.”

.

this moment felt familiar to the new northern queen. the two sisters huddled together in secret. during the war it felt like the two of them worked quietly behind the scenes to ensure everything was going to be alright. secrets whispered between them of everything they knew or what they had found out from their brothers. in that time it felt like all she could trust was her family. even to this day some of the secrets shared in that room had stayed between the two of them. only to be uttered to themselves. this would be a new secret to add to it all. but now it felt strange to have to keep it from her new growing family. rodrik would understand though, she hoped he would.

ravella’s words struck rosa harder than she expected it to. part of her knew that if ravella couldn’t send a raven then it must be important. but she never expected this.

a lannister queen? how could that even be possible? a flicker of a memory came back to her in that moment. her wedding. the night was so full of laughter and happiness that the small memory had been buried somewhere within her mind. but she remember it now. the small fleeting moment between her brother and gwen. it was only a small moment she caught before she was pulled away. but it was a look. had she missed those moments all along? were they right in front of them all but they were too busy to see it. and did that make her a bad sister for not seeing something that could make her own brother so happy? “they must really love one another” her voice quiet. “why else would he do something like this? risk so much if it wasn’t for love.” like a story in one of her books. “how could he not tell us of his plans though….”

starkwhitewolf​:

closed starter for @rosaaaryn​

rough hands gripped the ledge of a balcony and the wolf king looked out at the landscape below. strangers flocked by the hundreds to his homeland, and as much as he would hide it, it truly made him uneasy. he knew not everyone who might claim to come to their aid had the best intentions, and he certainly could think of a southern ruler or two who merely came to see the north fall, but that would not be that day. winter was coming, and if it didn’t stop before winterfell, it would overtake them too, eventually. whether they could convince others for their aid, however, was still up for debate, and torrhen was still unsure as to why he thought it a good idea to even put that kind of faith in those he was not well acquainted with.

to top off the tension that loomed around them constantly, a mad man attacked another regions princess and lady, and threatened his own wife. what he meant by his words, torrhen was unsure. truly, though, he believed they were merely that: words. but how rosa felt, he believed would be different. she was kind, empathetic, and likely would feel haunted by it. he would do his best to minimize this, especially now that she was carrying his child. he turned back to enter their chambers, and closed the balcony door behind him. as much as he savored the cold, northern air, the dropping temperatures were becoming less tolerable, even for him, some time by the fire would be best. he took a seat in one of the chairs placed in front of it, poured himself a cup of ale, and waited for his wife to return.

.

worry had been plaguing her all afternoon. as much as she tried to distract her brain it just jumped right back to what that man said. but surely he was just trying to scare her. what could he possibly know about her and her child? he was not the man he called “the shadow” he was not some god. he was just a violent criminal. she had to believe that for her sake. but what if he was right? what if her poor child was to be born under a blood moon. 

her hand traced her stomach as she lost herself in thought once more. fresh air would do her well. that was what her handmaidens told her as they encouraged her to get out of her room and hopefully shake whatever worries she had. all she wanted now was to see her husband. 

reaching the large wooden door of their chambers, she dismissed her handmaidens for the night. but she made sure to thank each of them for the company and support they have given to her that day. truly it had meant more than she could say in that moment. her breathing shook as she stepped inside of the chambers, shedding off her fur cloak once inside. would he be upset with her perhaps? maybe she had done something wrong and that was why that sailor had threatened her. had she not done her best to fit in with the people of the north? 

maybe her fears could melted away like the snow near the fire’s edge as she saw him sitting waiting for her. but still her worry for what the man said stood strong within her. “torrhen.” she said softly, trying to remain strong. she was a queen now. but even a queen could feel fear.

gcuienveres​:

closed starter for // @rosaaaryn​

.

golden skirts swishing around her ankles as the sound of her footsteps bounced off the marble walls, guinevere held the grand, admittedly heavy, bouquet of ornate roses close to her chest as she made her way through this specific wing of the eyrie, a part of the castle she had never yet explored before. the two woman had never spoken much in all the time they had been in the vale and back in dragonstone, aside for when their ladies would cross paths on their daily duties and they would engage in civil small talk for the sake of politeness. her first impression of the youngest arryn princess was one of fragility; almost reminding her of the sunflower fields back in the rolling hills of the westerlands, vibrant, but delicate, and needed to be cared for properly. 

the lannister woman knew how a lady of her rank was supposed to behave; hiding true feelings and thoughts behind a facade of sweetness and kindness, whilst silently observing the situation around them and supporting their own causes privately. and in the years a woman spent learning to be quiet but observant, one would pick up the ability to be a decent judge of character; the woman had learned to listen to her senses, her gut, the tone of one’s voice and the warmth in their eyes. and guinevere, from a quiet distance, had begun to think that rosalyn was good; truly good, in the purest way. and so when her engagement to rodrik stark became the court’s main source of gossip for the week, guinevere done what she had aways been taught to do; play the part. 

congratulating a princess hosting you in her home for news of her engagement wouldn’t be considered brazen, or bold; but rather women being women, fawning over foolish notions of romance and chivalry, and finding anything excuse to gossip. guinevere did not intend on even knocking on the door of the chambers and alerting the flame haired woman of her presence, motioning to the guards on either side of her door to leave the bouquet at her door, accompanied with a small note expressing simple congratulations for the engagement on behalf of the house lannister. with that, the woman had ushered toward her own lannister guards to turn as they began to make their way back up the corridor, only to hear the chamber door open before she could leave the doorway. “apologies; i did not wish to interrupt. a small gift, for your good news.” 

.

the last thing she expected to see as she stepped out of her room was the sigh of the lannister princess, and a small gift that was sat at her doorstep. a smile spread across the young arryn's face as she realized what gwen had done.

"you brought me a gift?" rosalyn said, pure surprise in her voice. how incredibly thoughtful that was of her to do. with the last-minute nature of her wedding, she figured it would not be such a big deal to other houses. it was nice to see someone congratulating her like this. someone thinking of her.

"thank you so much for these. they are truly so lovely." she smiled once again. "please, your highness i would love for you to join me for some tea if you have the time. as a thank you for such a thoughtful gift." bending down she picked up the bouquet of flowers that had been left for her. how beautiful they were. and the thoughtfulness behind them made them even more beautiful.

it would be nice to get her mind off the planning of the wedding for a few moments. and getting to spend time with gwen who she had barely gotten a chance to see since they had arrived back in the vale. everyone seemed so busy that it was hard to stop to enjoy simple pleasantries.

stepping aside to allow guinevere inside, she took a quick moment to sign to her handmaiden asking her to grab some tea and other small goodies for them. placing the bouquet on one of the large windowsills she turned to look back at her new companion.

"you know, it seems a little silly but ever since i was a little girl i have collected pressed flowers. if you look through my books now i'm sure you will find a dozen of them tucked in between the pages." she laughed. "they are like little memories hidden away. i've started a collection of flowers that have to do with the wedding. when the time comes i will be adding these to it, so i can remember."

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.

starkwhitewolf​:

torrhen sighed, she was so young and innocent. he admired the strength of her kindness and generosity, for that was something that was more powerful than the strength of a thousand men. to have a good heart, and good judgement, made for a much better leader. at least, that was his opinion. sure, there were those who believed otherwise, but he did not care to hear those opinions, anyways. “rosa, it’s not that simple.” he replied, trying to keep his voice gentle to not cause her any pain. “of course i want that too, but strength is not always something to show those around us, we have to be strong for our child and make those difficult choices for his sake, no matter what others may think of it.”

although he could not feel his child on the outside yet, he was certain the baby was growing strong. he had the strongest mother he could think of. he was surprised by how quickly his feelings for rosa had grown, and while it was just the way of his family and a northern trait to be incredibly protective of one another, he could not afford for the enemy to see her as his ultimate weakness. even if she hated him for it, if it came down to her going south was the safest thing, that’s what would happen. “i will not do anything unless absolutely necessary, but you should know that is an option on the table as of now.” he sighed, slowly removing his hand and pacing over towards the fire. “we still don’t know what we are up against.”

.

however neither of them liked the idea she knew he was right. there was more than just strength to show others she could stay here. it would be stubbornness then. something that had been the downfall of hundreds of kings and queens and would the the cause of more. letting pride get in the way of what was the best choice. how blessed she was to have a man who did not put his pride above his family. someone who truly cared. a wolf looking over his pack, ensuring they were all safe. “i understand. i pray that it will not come to it but if it does i will not fight your decision.” it would be hard enough to leave his side, they did not need to leave in anger. simply she would count down the days until they were reunited once more. but for now she had him here, they had each other. she would hold onto that tightly.

“i don’t think any of us know what we are up against. every day it seems to be growing bigger. if it didn’t happen here it was bond to explode out somewhere else.” rosa said following him over to the fire, taking a seat to soak in the warmth. and to get off her feet for just a moment. “torrhen, we will find those people and each day we can discover new clues that will lead us to the source of what is truly happening. but i believe we should expect the unexpected when it comes to these men.” she said, her eyes watching the fire dance.

 “i have heard of people whispering about the dead rising. old stories of the north, but could it be real? could someone be trying to harness a power we don’t know? there are things we cannot explain...your own sibling has a gift, does she not?” there was much she did not know of the north and the ancient stories but she wanted to help in whatever way she could. at least let her husband know he was not alone in his thoughts.