Edricxstark​:

wintervsuns​:

♞

the eldest son of rolan karstark rose from his knee before the furs and skirts of she who was the queen of winter; and though their interaction and communication had only been in the most recent of times, she was the other half to he who brandon trusted with his entire being. at her words, at her composure, at her grace, brandon knew the north needed not a queen of winter; but perhaps a queen of spring that would bring some sense of warmth to the frozen wilderness. whilst her understanding was genuine, his own oath was sacred to her new gods, and his old. whether he uttered them in a sept or a godswood was irrelevant; he swore that no harm would come to the queen in his presence again - there was a time where he found duty burdensome, and yet in this, he would live by it completely. 

the man held her work close to him, his appreciation showing in his very body language, dipping into a low bow and thanking her sincerely for her efforts. “there was no need to go to such lengths, your grace.” he assured, and yet he suspected that she always would; for it seemed as though that was her nature. “i thank you still - it will be of great help to all those who wish to venture further north.” 

he had little words to her reassurance of considering him distant kin; aside from being quietly numb to the human element that seemed to come from the woman that should see him as a subject. even if the north were rougher around the edges than the stuffiness of the south, there were principles that still remained; and yet the way in which rosalyn addressed him was though she saw him as an equal rather than a subject. going out of her way help in his search party, to personally dot and cross each location according to registered taxes; gods, he knew that volume enough by the times he would need to look over it to settle conflicts between tenants upon his own lands - it was tedious, lengthy, and time-consuming. he looked upon her for a moment, before respectfully lowering his gaze. “take care of yourself, your grace.” he spoke, expecting dismissal. “is there any other matter you would ask of me?” 

.

rosa was hopefully her work would be in help to them. although it was not for any sort of reason of ego that she had helped. she could care less if anyone knew the work had come from her or not. she cared that it would aid those looking. keep them safer and in return bring back the missing faster that way. brandon was not only an incredibly kind man but a smart one as well. she was thankful both her husband and her had him by their side. if anyone could make sense of the scattered markings on that map it would be him.

“you too, my lord…please. i only ask that you and the others return safely. we will share a toast in your honor when you do so.” that’s all she could ask of any of them who were leaving on such a noble task. danger lurked for them around every tree in those woods. none of them knowing where the pirates were going to strike next or what they were going to do. staying safe would be hard enough. 

rosa gave him a small curtsey back as the karstark lord left with her work. part of this would be left to the fate of the gods. the new stark queen had left from the library to first visit the small sept. spending some time to pray for the safety of all those leaving from the north and from the vale. for the protections of her niece and sarra karstark. after that she left to visit the weirwood tree, to speak with the old gods. to ask them for to watch out for her loved ones. wondering if they would listen to her.

-end-

@kingarryn​

“huh?” rosalyn asked, peeking her head up from her book, she clearly must have been intently engrossed into. she wasn’t sure if her brother had been speaking to her for awhile or just walked in. “i’m sorry, what did you say again?” she smiled.

throughout most of her life, rosalyn had been led to believe that her destiny lay within the north. her father, in those rare moments of interaction with his youngest daughter, would tell her over and over to prepare for the north. there she would be away from the vale, from his sight and someone else’s issue to deal with. after all, her sister ravella would be sealing an alliance with a powerful vale lord, making her a valuable asset for the kingdom closer to their own. in this intricate dance of politics and marriage, his other daughter could be used to help the kingdom close by them. thereby securing alliances and ensuring prosperity. but the tapestry of fate often weaved intricate patterns, and the eventual upheavals of war and death transformed their predestined lives.

and yet, here she stood once more, poised for betrothal, this time not to a stark lord but to a stark king—a union that would elevate her status to that of a queen.

upon the first engagement announcement, rosalyn had delved into a tome detailing the teachings of the old gods. recognizing that her children would grow up worshipping these ancient deities, she diligently pored over the book's pages, seeking to imbibe the knowledge. yet, as the days elapsed, the book eventually returned to its place on the shelf, its purpose temporarily fulfilled. now, however, she found herself pulling it down again, gently wiping away the dust that had gathered, ready to plunge into its wisdom again.

outwardly, she adhered to the tenets of the faith of the seven, a virtuous woman of the vale, as expected. but always, there lingered that fractional part within her—a questioning spark. it was not solely due to the old gods book she had perused; rather, it was a lingering sense of unease that never seemed to abate. how could she reconcile the cruelty of her father, who wielded his power like a merciless blade, with the reverence he received within the sept? the hypocrisy of it all gnawed at her. in a realm where faithful followers constantly bickered, killing one another, how could these acts be deemed righteous? for years, she had sat in the sept asking the gods to reveal answers, but none came. a veil of guilt shrouded her thoughts for entertaining such heretical notions, leaving her to ponder whether her father's maltreatment was somehow justifiable. her uncertainty deepened, threading uncertainty into the future she envisaged for her children, whom she hoped to raise in the worship of the old gods.

the eyrie's godswood provided the setting for the newly engaged first real meeting—an apt fusion of the old and new, a bridge between two belief systems that had yet to fully intertwine. a strange kinship settled within her as the ancient trees that should be watching over them, sharing her sense of a divided spirit.

"many attribute the statue to alyssa," she shared, a soft, knowing smile gracing her lips. "my mother was among those who believed it. strangely cruel, isn't it? to cast a statue of her weeping while she ceaselessly sheds tears over the giant's lance.you know the one name my father forbid my mother to name any of us was alyssa. he thought it would bring bad luck down upon them." a faint laugh colored her voice, but it was a laughter born of contemplation as the thought of her father caring for his own daughters. at least he didn’t curse them with bad luck.

as the topic shifted to the godswood's trees, rosalyn's gaze turned towards where the tree should be. "attempts have been made to transplant the heart tree here, but the very rocks seem to thwart the endeavor. an unfortunate pity, for i can only imagine the beauty it would bring to this sacred space," she mused, a yearning note in her tone. “i have read of the weiwood heart tree in the north many times in my books but have never seen one in person before. i am looking forward to seeing the one in winterfell.” 

his next question, led to the briefest of pauses in her response. as she fashioned her reply, it could have been perceived as her merely searching for the right words or perhaps due to the intricacies of her needing to lipread. but deep within, she battled the impulse to reveal her innermost thoughts. yet, in this initial meeting as fiancés, restraint triumphed. "yes, i have been raised within the faith of the seven from infancy. within the vale, there are not many who veer from this path," she replied, maintaining her calm facade. her eyes met his gaze, a subtle challenge in her demeanor. "and you, i imagine you are a practitioner of the old gods. i've delved into texts, but true understanding often evades the confines of mere pages."

| a starter for @rosaaaryn​ | | time: flashback, year 2 | | setting: the day before their wedding, king owen stark and princess rosa arryn speak in the godswood of the eyrie |

They were betrothed once before. Back in a time before the dance. His father thought it would be a great way to unite their houses and their regions, before the dance. Before the war that came and dissolved most unions in favor of others or security. His father talked about it so often that when they weren’t fighting, he tried to avoid the man’s gruff words. And now he would do anything to hear those words again. Sons were meant to bury their fathers, didn’t make it hurt any less. He missed the man now, not half as much as he missed his mother, but he was close to his father. They spent so much of their time together that he often still found himself entering what was once his father’s office and sitting at the table instead of the desk only for Jon to tell him to move.

The godswood of the Eyrie wasn’t a godswood at all. The godswood contained no heart tree. Owen thought it more of a garden than a godswood and he looked forward to the day he would go home again. There was something more important than being homesick and it was securing his family, the royal line, and making alliances. Military and trade alliances and it was best to start close to home. They were once betrothed, years ago. They were quite different now, at least he felt different. Ten years on, war changed him and the crown he wore felt quite heavy.

“Princess Arryn, they say this statue is Alyssa Arryn.” Owen spoke as he walked up to the marble statue of the legendary woman. The crypts of Winterfell were filled with statues of Starks and their direwolves. The godswood of Winterfell didn’t hold any great statues or fountains, only the many trees, the small and cold pool at the ancient weirwood heart tree. “Our learned men say weirwoods can’t grow up here…” Owen didn’t know why he was speaking of the Gods. It seemed a good place to start.

“And you, you follow the way of the seven?”

M O R S   M A R T E L L

“the only one able to handle this flame and perhaps calm it would be his wife, for who else could burn this bright as well? who could withstand his fire except someone made of it too. ”

penned by jd

@morsmartelll

anya-snow​:

Location: The North, Winterfell Closed starter for @rosaaaryn​

After the meeting, Anya remained within the chambers of the council to discuss some matters regarding the trading alliance with Yi Ti. King Theon and his trusted knight, Ren, went over some of the details of beginning to send Northern soldiers to the regions of Wan and Shizi as had been agreed. In turn, the blacksmith turned representative for the merchant’s guild and liaison to the free regions of the Golden Empire had informed them both of the upcoming visit from her father and her uncle. Jinhai in particular was someone she knew the Winter King might wish to meet, as her dear uncle was the current head of one of the richest, most influential guilds in Wan. A powerful man in Yi Ti as a whole.

Exiting the council chambers, Anya was greeted by familiar wintry air. Over her warm coat, the raven-haired woman wore a jade green cloak with embroidery of golden thread made from one of the rolls of silk her uncle gifted her on his last visit. Dahlia had sewn it for her a while back but now that the king had legitimized her in Westeros, it felt right to finally wear it. Let there be no doubt that she was proud of her ancestry and the links that tied her to her father’s family.

She walked across the courtyard of Winterfell and stopped to look over her shoulder when her name was called. “Your grace,” the blacksmith said, seeing the Queen in the North. There was evident respect in her tone and as Anya approached the redheaded queen, she also offered a polite bow of her head. “How may I help you?”.

.

a sense of calm had rested over winterfell since everyone had returned from the fighting. it felt like all of them could breath once more. there was no more waiting for a messenger to bring the starks terrible news of a loss of one of their own. it felt like now they could start again to focus on what was most important, which was building up the north to be the best it could be.

there were many tasks of being a queen that rosa had found herself settling into rather well. but the biggest piece of advice that had been given to her was to surround herself with friends in her court. ladies who were smart, and clever, and represented all sides of what being a northern woman could be. there was one woman who had impressed the queen at every opportunity presented to her.

“anya!” rosalyn called out to the blacksmith as she spotted her heading out of the meeting. “i hope i have not caught you at a bad time. i was hoping you could come for a little walk with me, i wanted to ask you something.” she smiled. “although it should be inside or else i think the wisdoms will throw a fit given, well…” she said motioning to her stomach which was growing more and more each day. 

heading back into the relative warmth of the castle, she waited for the other to join her. “how are you enjoying your new position so far? i know everyone is excited to see what new opportunities are ahead of us now with bringing in new ties to the north.” the queen said. “i believe the king and i share a vision for what new people could be brought into the north and find their home here. there are opportunities for people to move beyond where they have begun….i believe that is important”

Eleanor Tomlinson for Schon! Magazine (2021) ♥

O M E R   F L O R E N T

“his pride let him tell people they were fine because he wouldn’t shrink away. and she saved him. she always saved him. always.”

penned by quen

 @omerflorent​

ravellaarryns​:

.

pulling away from the queen in the north’s seemingly ample amount of furs; she took a moment to cup her porcelain hands on her sister’s rosy cheeks, before placing a swift kiss on her cheek. the arryn sisters had known much of sacrifice over the long ten years they had spent within the clouds; ten years in which the vale had uncharacteristically involved itself in the wars of others. thankfully her family had all returned in one piece, without a major loss; though she briefly wondered how long the gods intended on extending that blessing for. 

the north became rosalyn, in a strange way; almost as though they both offered one another something that was previously missing. she brought a sense of beauty and softness to her new kingdom, whilst they graced her with a sense of steel she perhaps was growing accustomed to. at her sister’s signing, ravella admittedly did not know as much as their eldest brother, though she would rather of anything than him as of this current moment; how she had spent most of the journey up north to white harbor quietly seething, often ignoring his presence utterly unless there were lords present. “thank you.” she whispered, her face brightening as she pulled away from her. 

for the first time in a long time, it felt the way it had when it was just the two of them, high atop the rest of the world. they knew there was a war raging beyond the giant’s lance, and yet all they saw from beyond their window was cloud. it was difficult to grasp the true severity of the world wrapped so high above it all; only taking short trips to runestone to pass on official messages to lord royce on behalf of their own lord father. she had chosen loyalty to her family during those days; remaining in the eyrie to ensure her sister was not left alone with their father, rather than settling with the happiness she knew she would find with the eldest son of lord royce. 

it had costed her that connection with him; though she would do it again, for it was duty to not only the eyrie, but her little sister. though perhaps she was only more bitter to know not all within her family prioritised duty as her and her own sister did. “you’ve just missed rhys; i believe he went ahead to meet with the baratheons. and the other one…” she trailed off, her voice sour; king? he did not act like one. brother? barely. “he’s somewhere.” 

.

“i have much to catch you up on. and even more to show you if we end up going to winterfell. i think you secretly might like it there. it can be rather peaceful at times.” rosalyn happily looped her arm with her sister and began the walk towards the rooms she had set up for them. “but what about you? i wish to hear everything about you.” rosa had been hoping for good news to arrive with her siblings but with the tone her sister spoke of rowan she knew something was wrong.

 it was clear as day there was some tension going on between the siblings. rosa had feared that when she had left for the north. she had always tried to play peacekeeper between her siblings most of her life and mostly between rowan and ravella. they loved one another sure but they always seemed to be butting heads. each of her siblings had a unique strong personality. each one of them able to hold their own in a fight or conversation. that lead to strong thoughts, strong options and lots of arguments. without her there she feared there was no one to try and calm things down. 

 however much she wanted to ask her more about it she knew it would be best until they were alone. a few halls and turns later and they arrived at the rooms set for the arryns. opening the room to the meeting hall she had arranged for them, she waited until her sister was there and close the doors behind them. the large room was heated by a hearth that already was blazing for them. a stained glass window illuminated the rooms in various colors as the sun had finally begun to peak through the clouds. here they could be alone. no guards and no listening ears. “what has happened? is everyone alright? are you alright?” the red head asked, taking her sister’s hand in hers. “you did not send me a raven about it. is it bad?” rosa’s mind said quickly jumping to some horrible conclusion.

t r u t h  s e r u m

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

A E G O N    T A R G A R Y E N

“the fire had been put out, ten years had passed in a flash, and aegon was only ‘home’ for a few days, before he was to sail back to braavos. ”

penned by L

@facelesstargaryen