Edricxstark​:

edricxstark​:

Who: @rosaaaryn​  Where: Barrowtown “Rosa, do you have a moment?” Edric had few people that he trusted with his true inner thoughts. His sister in law was one of those few- well rather, two people. “I… Well I could actually use some advice. And from someone who isn’t going to answer with political agendas in mind.” He knew he could trust her to speak truth to him.

.

glancing up from the small needlepoint she was working on, the new queen of the north gave a smile to her good brother. “of course i do. although my needlepoint is very important but i believe it can wait.” she said placing the embroidery hoop down on the table next to her. she gave a signal for edric to come sit next to her by the fire. she had hardly moved from the spot all day as the winter storm still continued to rage outside. 

with everything that had happened recently she had agreed with torrhen it was best for her to stay within the stark’s buildings unless it was completely necessary. thought she did find it nice getting to spend more time with her brothers and sisters in law. it did seem like something was troubling edric however and it was not just the words he said. his demeanor did not seem exactly like him. “what’s going on? i am always here to listen.”

❝How much have you had to drink?❞

“i....believe only two glasses...wait maybe more.” rosalyn giggled as she placed down her now empty cup. she was not used to drinking this much but it was a celebration for many reasons. “oh no.” she hiccuped. “can you tell?”

rosa knew her husband was busy and this would be just another thing to add to his growing list of tasks but it was important to stop this in its tracks. "i was getting ready for the wedding with my ladies in waiting and we were discussing the upcoming wedding. young lady mara mentioned how lucky this new queen would be that the first man she got to be with on her wedding night was her husband...." rosa took in a deep breath to continue the story, unhappy with the news she had to present. "after some questions it seems that mara's sister was made to sleep with the lesser lord who looked after her village. and she had no idea that the first night had been banned by law."

Owen wasn't prepared for his morning to go one way or another. He had the routine of his meals and meetings and sparring and sketching and circling back to meals through various points. And honestly, he let his council run meetings without him. And the wedding season seems even busier than most of those seasons.

"Of course, my wife. What's on your mind? Has something happened?" Owen asked as he began to pile food on his plate.

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-

two figures sat on a large, smooth stone way. red and dark brown hair contrasting against the marble they sat upon. hours ticked by and the two of them still sat there, waiting. rosa had promised that she would take madelena down to meet her father as he arrived back home. of course there was no telling exactly when he would be back, but by her best estimates, she would assume sometime in the afternoon. yet the little girl could hardly wait, she couldn't sit still. rosalyn couldn't blame her. she felt the same tickling nerves in her stomach of excitement that her family was finally going to be home. they could finally be safe as soon as they were within eyesight of her.

after much persuading, rosalyn agreed to taken madelena down early if she promised to bring the needlepoint they were working on together. rosalyn doubted she was going to get the young princess to do much else. "come now maddie, only a little bit more work until it is done. and then you can give it to your father as a gift." that seemed enough of an incentive to get her to sit down next to her aunt to finish the piece filled with soaring falcons in the sky.

time ticked slowly forward and forward as the two waited for the arrival of the soldiers.

and then they both heard it, the sound of horses drawing closer and their heads looking up in unison. before she could stop her maddie jumped down from the wall and started running towards the sound, her new gift clutched in her small hand rosa hurrying after her, both of them scanning the faces of the men until finally they both saw him, rowan. the king had finally returned back home.

@kingarryn​

wyattgrafton​:

who: @rosaaaryn​

where: white harbor, godswood in the wolf’s den

heavy feet hit the pavement made clumsy by fatigue. an effort had been made in the first weeks of his stay in the city to familiarize himself with whatever culture and entertainment white harbor had to offer but somehow his troubles followed him everywhere, plaguing his thought and even alcohol in excess did nothing to drive them away. he’d even visited the famed godswood in the wolf’s den but in his troubled state even spirituality was no fit remedy. the gods in all their magnanimity and wiseness had been no match for all the questions he had. questions only he could answer. and yet in the grand scheme of things the pride of one wyatt grafton nor the fate of house grafton weren’t of great importance. not in light of recent developments. not when westeros was facing more threats than ever before. still how was he meant to fill the role his king had entrusted him with when he was so aimless, so lost as to where to even begin to rebuild both himself and his house. 

and so here he was on his knees, hands joined in prayer, searching for the words. there had been prayers on the kingfisher, only far less solemn ones. the men in his employ would often make some up to gods he’d never even heard of, gods he suspected were for a good half at least partly invented. he hadn’t prayed for much over the years. when he was a child he had made a habit of praying for strength and courage. two qualities his father insisted he lacked. and when the strength and the courage he found all on his own proved to be no match for his father fury, he’d stopped praying. there was no use in sending wishes up to the heavens, hoping against all hope that one day he’d be what waleran grafton expected of him or even more grotesque a wish that he would be himself and that would be enough. the gods couldn’t change him any more than they could transform his father. so he’d ran and turned his back on the gods and now here he was, hands shaking and joined and praying anyway. standing up and dusting snow off of his dark coat he made to leave but stopped in his haste as he heard distant footsteps, reflexively looking for a place to hide but finding to his dismay that he was exposed for all eyes to see, with nowhere to hide. catching a flash of red hair he immediately bowed his head in reverence. whether they belonged to a tully or an arryn he was no doubt in the presence of royalty. the face that came into his view still managed to surprise him though and he stuttered an incredulous “Your Grace. What a surprise! Should I leave? I wouldn’t want to intrude between you and them.” He let out, looking up at the sky with his finger pointed to the clouds, with a wink.

.

it had only been a month since everyone had arrived up in her new kingdom. just a few weeks and yet it felt like they had been living through all of this for a year now. each new arrival of news ready to seed the next roots of worry and paranoia within all of them. what else could happen next? the question itself had struck fear into so many of their hearts. and now all of them needed to move somewhere safer. somewhere they could be together and still keep their distance. the close quarters halls of new castle felt like a chessboard to maneuver through. part of her was almost thankful to leave.

however there was something she wished to do before she left.

heavily guard, rosalyn stark walked through the streets of white harbor towards where daemon targaryen had met his final moments. she had wished she did not see what had become of him. she wished she could keep the memories of him in the vale instead. all of them so young then, so unaware of everything to come their way.

the guards around her, stayed close as they neared the weirwood tree. not only were they protecting their queen but the child she was carrying. now five months along in her journey, there was no hiding her stomach. clutched in her hand was a beautiful bunch of winter flowers. walking into the garden that held the tree she paused when she noticed another man there. her heart beat raced until she realized who it was. an unusual relationship the two of them found themselves in. "please lord grafton, no need to hurry away on my account. i only came to leave these behind." she said motioning towards the flowers. "i hear from my family that the vale is leaving soon for barrowtown? are you joining them?"

mereyagrafton​:

Who: @rosaaaryn​  Where: Barrowtown 

“Your grace, how are you? I had wanted to have a chance to speak to you earlier but I presumed you might be overwhelmed with all that has taken place as of recent.” Mereya approached the redheaded queen of the North. She felt it important to show her kindness to more of the noble ladies surrounding her in Barrowtown, especially with her sister seemingly being a traitor. She wanted to show she was anything but. 

.

there were few places that rosa had gone to beyond the stark’s housing since the storm hit. given she seemed to be growing bigger and bigger each day and safety was of torrhen’s utmost concern at the moment. but a quick trip to barrowhall was all she needed to make, and her guards were sure to stay close by her side throughout the entire journey.

rosa was preparing to leave soon when she heard a voice call over towards her. mereya grafton. not much about her had come her way since the arrival of her brother and her. she knew all about her family though. she may be queen of the north now but she was still very protective of the eyrie and her family. it seemed however for now mereya was on the side of the arryns….for now. “lady grafton. i am doing well, thank you for asking. unfortunately, it seems that life is busy for most of us. however, with the safe return of everyone, we can all hope that things are getting better. i was going to go for a short walk in the halls, stretch my legs a bit. the maesters say it’s good for the baby and also helps from going a bit stir crazy with the storm.” she said with a slight laugh. “how have you been?”

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.

TRUTH SERUM

feel free to ask anything, in character or anonymously, and my character will be forced to answer truthfully.

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

starkwhitewolf​:

.

deep in thought as he was, it took him a moment to process that rosa was right there. rosa arryn. she was a natural beauty. the match had been made to connect their two kingdoms, but torrhen never had any objections. for one, he was an honorable man bound by duty, and to the north. he knew his marriage needed to be incredibly beneficial for his kingdom, and it was. he would be lying if he said it was a love match, it was simply an arrangement, a convenience for both of them, but he’d also be lying if he said that loving rosa arryn didn’t come easily for him. she was beautiful, kind, smart, and she brought out the best things in him. while it seemed he learned something knew about his wife every day, there were times where it simply felt they knew each others own thoughts.

he stood up, looking at her a moment before walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her. it seemed day after day they were bombarded with new stressors, he wanted a moment to simply be with his wife. he was not very open with his emotions, especially in the company of others. torrhen preferred to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself unless it was necessary. feelings only overshadowed good judgement, in his opinion. there may be times that would prove important, but he believed those times were rare. “rosa.” he replied, firmly, but voice low an gentle, for him. “how do you fare? and the child?” as he spoke, he signed as he kept his voice low. he knew what was said to her. the king in the north was privy to all that was happening around these parts, except for the mysterious signs being left, of course.

.

‘you will marry a great man one day my daughter’ her mother had said that to her hundreds of times. rosa still could remember the time her father scoffed as her mother told her that. it seemed to only encourage her mother to tell her it more and more. letting her know that she was worthy. rosa knew her father never thought she would be able to marry. who could look past her faults? there was no hiding how he felt about her. part of her wondered what her father thought of her now if he could see her. married to a king. his own daughter a queen of an entire kingdom. his daughter who he assumed would be nothing but a burden to the family. 

and yet here she was. married. a queen. and soon to be bringing in the heir to the north into the world. rosa had known her marriage was to help both the vale and north. but torrhen was a good man. there was no denying that. neither of them expected the feelings to rush to them so quickly. it was like the books she read growing up, stories of love and the ends people would go to for it. she always knew she would marry a great man. but torrhen was more than just a great man. he was strong and capable and so very very smart. and deep down he was caring, affectionate. he wrapped his arms around her then and she felt completely safe. like nothing outside their walls could touch them if he stayed by her side. the queen watched carefully as her new husband signed out his words to her. here in this room with torrhen she felt safe. and yet the man’s words still rung out in her ears. his threats. “i would be lying if i were to say i didn’t feel scared.” she said, her hand clutching her stomach. “what if his words are true. what if what he said….” she shook her head, not wanting to think on such a thing.