Bethanystark​:

kingarryn​:​

.

the falcon king was an utter mess. it felt as if his whole world was crumbling before him. the loss of his closest friend, his wife’s public banishment by her brothers, the antcipation of what the consequences of their marriage would mean for his kingdom… it was all too much for rowan arryn. the image of tyland lannister holding a knife to his sister’s throat was also still burned in his mind. he stomach turned into knots at the thought of the trauma his loved ones would be forced to carry from this night for the rest of their lives. he was to overwhelmed by his own grief and emotions that he wasn’t able to go to his youngest sister right away. it wasn’t until much later into the night did he find himself calm enough to make his way to her chambers.

he knocked softly on her door, knowing she would not be aware of the knocking unless she had a servant in the room to notify her. “thank you.” he said softly to the queen’s servants, nodding his head at them. waiting for them to leave the room, he made his way to where rosa sat. he bent down to on one knee, taking her hands into his own. “i’m sorry i did not tell you everything sooner.” he stated tenderly, “how do you fare?” 

.

“i knew. i knew the first day you all arrived here at the north. ravella told me so. i was just waiting for you to share it with me.” rosalyn never wished to be angry at any of her siblings. especially not now, not when she hadn’t seen them all for so long. all of them were important, all of them being pulled in hundreds of different directions with different duties and responsibilities to maintain. still, she had missed her eldest brother dearly and it felt like she had yet to see him. maybe he was avoiding her, avoiding telling her the news or avoiding disappointment. 

the new northern queen didn’t know what it was. whatever the reason was rosa was sure to forgive him. they all needed to be strong now. “i am shaken up. seeing daemon like that….the chaos of everything. the sword…” she paused, knowing she didn’t need to say more. everything happened in the blink of an eye. she had tried to take control of everything but there was too much happening. a small seed of disappointment was left inside of her that she could not help better. maybe she could have helped her brother and his new wife now. who’s to know?  “and you rowan. how are you faring?”

standing up from her seat, the queen moved to the spot next to her husband and reached out to take his hand. a gentle touch but one to let him know she was there, to help calm him as she could see the tension building within him. even if she could just help to take away some of the stress from him she would. she wished to take all of it from him.

"it seemed that she did not know. i am sorry i had to bring you this news so early in the morning. but i knew you'd find it just as important as i did." she frowned. "i think the criers may be needed. at least in the lands we cannot fully trust their petty lords."

she squeezed his hand as she spoke, understanding his worry. a feeling growing up in the vale she was very accusumed to. "no i do not think they disobey you. i have seen the way your lords look to you. they respect you as a man and a king. i do not think many disobey you. especially after you lead them to a victory in battle with you by their side. they would foolish to do so. this petty lord is foolish to think no one would find out about this."

rosaaaryn​:

there was no doubt in rosalyn’s mind that her husband wouldn’t take this seriously. when they had discussed the new laws of the north they had done so together. she never felt pushed aside or made to feel less than. the laws of the north were an effort for both the king and the queen. after all it was both of their duties to look after the people within their kingdom. men and women alike. “i can get you her name and the husbands name. i don’t think she knew of the law that was passed, she seemed surprised that i mentioned it. the sister did not seem to know either. i doubt she wanted to sleep with the lord before her own husband.” she said, recounting the look of shock on her face when rosalyn had mentioned about the banning of the practice “from what she knew there was at least five wives that had to follow this rule. and those are just the ones she knew about. gods only know how many there actually is.”

rosa hated the thought of what these poor women had to go through because of one narcissistic man. did that mean there were other laws that were not known? most of these people could not read themselves. how else were they supposed to find out about these laws if their lord did not tell them “perhaps we need to find a way to ensure these new laws are reaching everyone. i don’t want to think about what other laws this man might have not told his people…”

o.

“She didn't know? I expressed that it should be announced and now this petty lord must be stripped of lands and titles. Lest he makes me look a fool among my own people and courts. What sort of King cannot handle his own people?” 

And he didn't show much of his anger to her but there is a tension in his shoulders and it's obvious what choice he will make. It was time for examples to be made and when a King stepped in to punish petty lords it bruised the egos of their ruling Lords. It showed a lack of trust from the King to his Lords, a lack of trust the didn’t have when he denied their lords the title of Duke.

“We must send out criers as were used in the old days. The smallfolk can't read. They must know what their lords and knights don't tell them.” Owen felt a brief worry creep into his shoulders, “Do you think they disobey me far and wide?”

location: winterfell, a week after the fighting in the broke started

@bethanystark​

there hadn’t been many times when rosa was left alone in winterfel. from the start of their marriage they had been by each other’s side. she found herself comforted by his presence, even if he was in another place in the castle. and the times he was gone she was at peace with the knowledge he would be home again soon. but this was much different, more unpleasant than she was expecting it to be. anxiety curled in her stomach like a knot, waiting to see what would come next.

war was not safe for anyone. not even a king. not even the wolf king.

as the days went by she found herself out by the weirwood trees more and more, praying to safe return of all her family. may they come back victorious and unharmed.

that early morning her stomach still felt like it was twisting and turning, but she assumed it was the nerves getting to her once again. luckily enough she was going to get to spend most of the day by her goodsister’s side.

“good morning bethany.” rosa greeted as she walked into the council room. one of the handmaidens came to her side to give her something warm to drink to try to fight off the early morning chill in the air. “have we gotten any news back from anyone? do we know if they have arrived yet?”

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.

it had been a night of complete hell. each moment getting worse and worse than the last. anxiety gripped her heart tightly not wanting to let go. every time she paused she felt the world crashing down on her shoulders. she saw the face of the sailor threatening her unborn child. she felt the cold steel of tyland’s blade against her neck. her mind barely had a moment to think about the reveals that had been made about her brother and his new wife. 

gods her brother. what secrets he kept from all of them. something as big as this was not something that was ever going to come out well. even still the explosion of emotions that came out that night was far beyond what she thought would happen.

her mind wandered thinking about everything. her hands tracing her stomach, hoping that all these troubles would be solved before she brought this child into the world. she barely heard the knock at the door as she was too focused on her thoughts.

one of her ladies in waiting opened the door. a young woman who had followed her over from the vale. they gave a deep curtsy seeing the king of the mountain there himself. “your grace.” she greeted him. “she seems a bit…fragile tonight, your grace.” the lady said softly before leaving them to their privacy.

@kingarryn​

ravellaarryns​:

ravella silently wrapped her arms around her little sister’s more petite frame, rubbing her back comfortingly; whilst rosa was the sun and she the moon, she couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief to see rosa able to still walk unassisted, and talk. pulling away from the embrace after giving rosa’s hand a soft squeeze, ravella motioned for her to sit before her mirror, beginning to loosen the fiery red braid that hung over her shoulder. "the king can’t get rid of me that easily.” ravella mused quietly, gently bringing a brush through rosa’s unruly curls. in truth, ravella had ensured no drama would reach any of her siblings by raven, laying low for weeks - making it easier to slip away when need be. “i’ve had your maids run you a bath.” ravella paused, biting her tongue; there was no need to get into the details of last night yet. “go on.”

.

rosa could stay like this for hours. her siblings always made her feel safe. and with everything that happened during this visit she needed any comfort she could get. and with the surprise visit of her sister, rosa felt like a small kid once more seeking the comfort of her big sister. settling down at her mirror like they had done hundreds of times before as her sister tried to tame her curls. "thank you." she said, happy to relax back into the water. "when did you get here? how?" she asked, having a hundred more questions but holding herself back. stepping behind the partition she undressed before she stepped into to the water. "this is exactly what I needed "she said moving the divider so she could at least see her sister. "i missed you sister."

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

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?"

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