Two Figures Sat On A Large, Smooth Stone Way. Red And Dark Brown Hair Contrasting Against The Marble

location: winterfell, during the break

@starkwhitewolf​

a strange quiet had filled her bedroom. the midwives had all gone for the night, giving the new mother some time to rest. her dear sister had left to get some much needed sleep after being by rosa’s side from the start of all of this. she couldn’t thank her enough for everything she had done for her that night. she had been afraid she nearly broke her sister’s hand from how tightly she had squeezed it at times. but all of it was worth it for the little sleeping bundle in her arms.

for the first time, she was alone with her son. the small babe swaddled and sleeping soundly in her arms. he was perfect. more than perfect if that was even possible to be.  gods knew she could sit here for hours just staring at him sleeping, wondering how all of this was real. wondering if she had gotten so lucky to have brought such a wonderful boy into this world. 

she recognized the sounds of her husband’s footsteps approaching down the halls, and the soft creaking of the door. looking up at him, she couldn’t help but smile. she knew he was going to be a great father as much as he was a great husband, and a great king. “gods, i am so lucky.” she said softly thinking about all she had been blessed with. “he is asleep.” she said, rocking their son gently.

Eleanor Tomlinson for Schon! Magazine (2021) ♥

rodrikofwinter​:

@rosaaaryn​

though many in the north would consider him to be jovial, a man who will share a drink and a laugh with his men, in the south rodrik has long been thought of as the dark wolf, a man who has made decisions others would often revile. his expression was solemn in the south, made even more so by the dour walls of dragonstone. the harsh neutrality of the grey bricks juxtaposed against the sea so turbulent the water was little more than droplets and cresting waves that crashed against the shore, both reminded him of home and made him wish that he was still in the north.

his crown, hammered bronze with spikes of black iron, was heavy on his head, though he did not wear it outside of his official duties.

( his bearing, his countenance, the way he spoke so confidently made it clear, rodrik thought, that he was the king of winter. anything more was an ostentatious showing he did not believe in )

rodrik had sparred in the training yard with a couple of his men and as he walked back into dragonstone itself, he kept from wiping beads of sweat percolating on his forehead. as he neared the hallway toward his chambers, however, he saw a familiar face though it was not one he knew well. the arryn princess his father had wanted him to wed stood just ahead and though negotiations between the families had not begun again, he felt it impolite to simply ignore her.

“good afternoon,” he said, the small talk sounding strange even to his own ears. “it has certainly been some time since we’ve last met.”

.

the days at dragonstone were coming to an end. and honestly, rosa was thankful for that fact. after everything that happened on this island, the arryn princess was ready to make her way back home. when they were first leaving to come to dragonstone rosa was overjoyed at the thought of getting to leave the vale for awhile. all throughout the war she had been stuck in the vale and honestly mostly in the eyrie to keep her safe. so getting travel somewhere was exciting for her. but now she wondered why she had left the vale at all.

but rosa couldn't let these thing bring her down. to break her. no she needed to stay strong for herself and for her family. so despite how much anxiety it might bring her she decided to go for a nice walk today. her guards following behind her to at least bring some comfort.

"king rodrik." surprise laced in her melodic voice. rosa had seen the other king during the time on the island but had never a real chance to speak with him. plus with the rumored talked of their father's arrangement she thought it might be inappropriate for her to reach out to him without knowing where people stood. but now with the two of them in the hall together there was no leaving a perfectly polite conversation. "it certainly has been a long time and much has changed. is your family well? i haven't had much of a chance to speak with either of your sisters here yet." she smiled. "and you! i hope you have been good as well with all the new pressures of kinghood."

@ravellaarryns

… a most beloved sister.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005) dir. Joe Wright

in the embrace of the hearth, amidst the flickering flames, her father's scornful words echoed like a haunting melody—etched into her mind like a searing brand. 

“warm his bed, have his children and stay silent. that is all that is needed from you in your marriage, rosalyn. anything more than that and you may risk embarrassing us all again.”

rosalyn, burdened by the fear that these words would never truly vanish, knew her role well as a wife in this land of nobility. yet, her life had taken a different course than the prescribed fate. her husband, a man unlike any she had known before, saw beyond those confines, yearning for her voice, thoughts, and emotions.

the weight of responsibility now rested upon her shoulders, and she felt a mix of trepidation and determination as she prepared to lead the kingdom alone, without a fellow stark by her side. only a month after the birthing bed, she was called upon to assume this new mantle of authority. yet, her husband's unwavering faith in her, the trust he placed in his wife—an arryn, an outsider— or had it become she was an outsider to the lands of the vale. perhaps the snow and ice had hardened her skin.

"it is an honor to be the stark in winterfell," she declared, absorbing the magnitude of her new station. "i won’t let you down; i vow to prove myself worthy. when we return to winterfell, i will ensure there is ample space for those seeking refuge."

with their child in his tender embrace, she found solace and strength, witnessing his loving care for brandon, as well as his affectionate she had seen for edric and ravella. his kindness extended beyond his own family to encompass her as well, granting her a profound sense of gratitude and awe. the blessings she had received exceeded her wildest expectations.

"thank you, owen," she murmured with sincerity,. "thank you for entrusting me with our home. i will strive to be the leader our people deserve."

| a starter for @rosaaaryn​ | | setting: in highgarden before leaving for war |

“You will be the Stark in Winterfell. Edric will be with you and so will our Wisdom. He will guide you in matters of state and decision making. You are the queen of the North and it’s time for all to see you as such. Since the Dance, it was a responsibility to fall on Alys’ shoulders as my twin sister and the eldest girl here it was only fit. This time, you have given birth to Bran and Ravella. It is time. Of course, you will be tired as you recover and that’s where the wisdom will come in. I’ve need for Alys that will keep her far too busy for this.” 

Owen smiled at her, settling comfortably with Brandon in his arms. Another boy. Ravella was sleep and little Bran seemed to always be awake, always looking around. Owen promised he wouldn’t keep waking them so whenever they both were sleep he only woke one which was keeping his promise and on this day, Ravella would sleep. “I’ll leave soon and you’ll heal here with Ravella. Much of our court will return North, some prefer Winterfell, but those who will have need of you will be here until it’s safe for you to come home. At the very least, the neck. Greywater Watch is quite secure as is Moat Cailin.” 

Already planning. Always planning. Rebel. False King and his master. He kissed Bran’s forehead. 

“What say you, my lady wife?” 

rosaaaryn​:

t r u t h  s e r u m

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

gcuienveres​:​

.

she held her breath as her corset strings were tied by some of the pale faced serving girls she seemed to have been allocated since her transition to the vale, and gods know they bored her; nothing of excitement, no small hints of mischief, no interesting or passionate conversations. just voices that sounded like mouses, overly timid and sickeningly sweet. did she even want to attend this small lunch her good sister had welcomed her to? definitely not this morning; it would be more entertaining to watch paint dry. the last she had spoken to the woman had been some days before her wedding; in which she had spent most of the event outside with a certain arryn king. 

she found the queen of winter was essentially, unremarkable; as plain faced and timid as the mice now forced within her service, and gods knew she forced a smile to cross her features, though it did not meet her eyes. looking over the small set up, including tea, guinevere found herself incredibly underwhelmed. “how very sweet, your grace.” she spoke, her eyes looking over her surroundings, judgement clear in them. “you tried your best, at least. even if it looks as though it were done for my fifteenth nameday.” 

she remained silent as the woman spoke of sentiments that guinevere realised she cared nothing for, she was not joining the arryn family for her husband was not an arryn - and all of  a sudden the entire thing seemed entirely pointless, causing a trickster-like smirk to play upon the woman’s lips and glden features. feigning fake interest in the objects rosalyn showed her regarding the eyrie and the vale, guinevere looked at her, disengaged. “well considering winterfell is now your home, it is only natural you would want to bring all you can. lest you choose to take comfort in dog furs.” 

‘nothing else, thank you. i am watching my waist.” she spoke, her orbs looking upon rosalyn’s pregnant belly. she had no comprehension of how scalding or how subtle her digs were; slipping from her lips as she took a cup of tea from the serving girl without even the slightest hints of meeting the girl’s eye, let alone a thank you. “yes, the night your incompetency nearly lost us both our lives.” at mention of the secret she had managed to keep buried for months being exposed that night in white harbor, guinevere’s face dropped; no longer even faking a smile, keeping unnaturally uncaring eyes upon the woman who was her good sister. 

.

rosa felt her cheeks burn bright at her words. “i wish i could do more however since neither of us are at our home i fear i lack the supplies to make a proper welcoming tea like i would wish. but i didn’t want to do nothing at all for you, that would feel even worse. perhaps when things are normal once again we will be able to do a welcoming properly.” something was different now though, she could feel it in the air. she could see it in the words she spoke to her. the comfort of dogs? it was a terrible thing to say.

memories  started to flood back to her in that moment. times back in the eyrie court when she was still so young. completely unsure about herself and lacking all self-confidence at all. there had been other young ladies of the court who would fake their smiles and compliments towards her. then behind her back laugh and say absolutely terrible things. things they whispered to each other knowing she could not hear it. but she could see them, she could lipread what they were saying. it was worse knowing that. that was the thing about lacking hearing, you learned how to read people’s faces easily. she could not relay on the inflection of people’s voices to understand the meaning behind the words. but it was their face that rosa would read. the young lady’s words were full of kindness but their faces told her another story. it was fake. the looks on guinevere’s face felt the same. the same fakeness she had grown up dreading to see. she felt like she was looking into a mirror in that moment. that she was just the young lady too afraid to stand up for herself against them.

the look in gwen’s eyes felt like it was stabbing at her gut. but rosa had practice with women like this. she had learned how to hold in anything she was feeling, wait until she was alone to let it out. it had been years since she last had to do this. she hated being back here. “of course… we can just enjoy the tea then.” habit took over and rosa felt herself rubbing her stomach. of course, she was going to look bigger, she was six months pregnant at this point. but the midwives had all told her she was looking well for how far along she was. maybe she wasn’t? maybe she was looking bigger than…no no. she would not let herself go back into old habits of letting the words of court women get to her. 

together they could still salvage this small welcoming party. perhaps it was just nerves that was getting the best of her good sister. certainly, there had been some kindness within her when she came to bring her flowers at the news of her engagement to the king of winter. they had a wonderful conversation then. there was kindness when rosa had caught her speaking with her brother during her wedding. they had both been smiling, they looked happy. there was kindness within guinevere, she knew that, right?

but one insult after another insult was being thrown in her face. the last one felt like she had been slapped. the queen of the north paused, unsure what to even say back to her. “my incompetence?” she repeated, stunned that she had seen the words correctly. the fake smile now gone from her face. maybe she was seeing the real guinevere now, what was lying beneath it all. did her brother know? or had she tricked him? “in the chaos of everything that had happened i was trying to control what i could. i was trying to help your family before that choice was taken away from me. i don’t believe any of us acted perfectly that night, nor would i expect any of us to given what happened. how does one have a clear mind after seeing a friend butchered in front of them…” rosa frowned, she did not need to defend herself. especially not after a blade was put to her throat that night. 

the queen sat up straighter in her seat. she could take control of this back, she could try. “do you really wish to discuss such unpleasant things right now?” she asked her, pouring herself another cup of tea. “i invited you here to welcome you and to get to know you better. we are family and i wish to start things off on the best foot we can. can we do that?”

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

falcxnprince​:

my sister the queen ;; rhys & @rosaaaryn​

The north was not unknown to the youngest Arryn, and yet the white landscape before him still took time to sink in. The powdery ground beneath his feet felt like mush with every step. He wondered how his sister liked it here, how different this trade city was from Winterfell. It reminded him of Gulltown, and that was perhaps not in the best way. He decided he would keep that thought to himself. This entire journey and meeting was quite important for the Arryn family, and he was not going to be the one to squander whatever important business lied before them before it began.

Within the halls of White Harbor, nobles bustled, making niceties with one another, it bored him. He grew tired of all the small talk, the manners, when so much of it was a false front. He preferred the company of those who could be honest, wouldn’t bite their tongues. How their titles were held in such how regard, for people to only show one half of themselves to one another, was almost offensive. Amongst everyone, however, he finally spotted his sister, Rosa. A smile came over his face as he walked a straight line towards her. Giving a dramatic bow. He announced, “The Queen in the North.” Rhys stood up once again, opening his arms for a hug. “Sister, you look radiant. It’s been too long.”

.

rosa had been counting down the minutes until she would get to see her siblings once more. luck had given her the chance to see ravella so early in the day when she first arrived into white harbor, but her brothers she had yet to see. he was not in his rooms when she tried to visit him earlier, so she set her mind to walk until she could find him. and after some time he stood before her giving her an over dramatic bow.

“rhys!”

reaching out to him she flung her arms around him, holding him tightly. closing her eyes for a moment she felt like she was back in the eyrie. she was waiting for rhys to come home from whatever new trip he was taking for information or for fun. but like she would do when any of her siblings were gone she would wait at the entrance gates for them. and then the moment she saw them once more she could pull them into her arm knowing they were safe home. and maybe they were not home but at least in this moment she could know rhys was safe. 

hugging him for a few moments longer she finally pulled away. “i have missed you so much. we have so much to catch up on.” of course there was the ever lingering issue their sister had brought to her attention but that could wait. for right now she was just happy to have her family back. “have you found your rooms already? is everything alright? was the trip safe? have you eaten anything? i can get something for you if you need?” the slew of questions pouring out of her as she wanted to be sure he was content.

t r u t h  s e r u m

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