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….”

K H A L   N A H A J O

“No stars shone across the night sky. Not here, so far away from the grasslands. ”

penned by maddie

@nightstallions

location: white harbor, the north

it had not been that long since she had seen her family last, only a few months. but to her it felt like forever. over the past ten years of the war she barely had ever left the vale, for safety sake. and during that time she had her family by her side. and most of that time was spent with her sister as their brothers left to fight in their own ways. 

first arriving in the north she felt lost without having them by her side. rodrik was there for her, along with the other stark siblings but it took some time to adjust. and even still there were times she doubted herself and her place in the north.

 rosa had asked that the moment word came that the party from the vale had arrived that she be notified. her heart fluttered every time someone walked down the halls, expecting news to arrive. the moment the fresh-faced maid stuck her head into the room to give her the news, rosa had tossed her book aside and hurried out the door.

 "your majesty, please be careful!" her maid called after her. all of the staff were more cautious around her the past few weeks now that her stomach had begun to swell. the bump just barely visible under the dark navy dress she wore and the large cloak to keep her warm.

 racing down the white stone halls of new castle, she turned the corner into the main entrance. there she could spot the familiar raven-colored hair of her sister. "ravella!" she called out over the crowd, a smile on the young queen's face. she felt giddy, like a child once more as she bounded her way across the hall towards her. she gave little care to who else was there or watching as she threw her arms around her sister. "you made it here safe. i am so happy to see you."

@ravellaarryns

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

wyattgrafton​:

⋅ ◆ ⋆

with fire kissed hair and blue eyes to match, rosa arryn stood out among her siblings whose dark hair matched their often austere moods. despite recent events and although wyatt caught a flash of apprehension across the woman’s face, the youngest arryn daughter was of a much more sunny disposition. for one her curiosity seemed genuine and unmotivated by hidden motives. a far cry from the conversation he had entertained with rhys arryn a few weeks ago, which had been filled with silences and double meanings. wyatt didn’t know rosa well and with the two of them now residing in completely different parts of the kingdom opportunities to get to know the newly anointed queen of the north would be few and far between.

he’d admired rosa’s resilience over the years as she hadn’t been dealt with all the blessings some of her siblings had been but she had made a place for herself in the world despite her struggles and he had no doubts even the harshness of the north was no match for her strength. he did wonder if the northern men and women were truly treating her as one of their own even as he saw heavily armed guards flanked at her side. the vale and the north differed in traditions as they did in many other things and surely adapting must not have been the easiest thing. now that she was with child however he assumed must of the pressure that rested on her shoulders must have lessened somewhat.

he shrugged at her comment regarding his prayers. “i appreciate the sentiment but in truth i was starting to feel a bit tired of kneeling. besides there’s only so many prayers i know by heart.” he could count them on one hand and even those he was ashamed to say he didn’t fully recall. if anything he’d become most familiar with prayers to the drowned god during his travel at sea. he’d even prayed to them once during a particularly memorable storm. “i’ll be joining them, yes. i assume you’ll stay in winterfell considering your condition. your brother has many skilled advisors with him, i wouldn’t worry too much. if you need anything, know that you can always write to me. i’ll do my best to be of assistance.”

.

“would you give me a moment good sirs?” the queen said giving a small glance over her shoulder to the guards flanking her. hesitant for just a moment they back up enough to give the two of them a little privacy however there was no way she doubted they would be leaving her sight. a light dusting of snow had begun to fall from the hair, clinging to whatever it touched. a small halo of white begun to appear around wyatt’s dark hair as it fell. her own sprinkled with the same soft snowflakes.

there was not much she knew about wyatt himself and yet so much she was learning about his family. and then of course there was so much she was learning about him from ravella, although given her attitude about him she did not think that was the most accurate portrait of him. rowan seemed to have a good view of him however, and it was a rare time that she disagreed with her brother’s visions of things.

“my condition?” something about it struck her as odd. but the soft smile of rosalyn stark did not leave her face. “thank you lord grafton for your kind thoughts but i can assure you i will be traveling with barrowtown with both of my families. my husband and i both believe it is for the best right now.” stepping around him, she carefully bent down to leave the flowers for daemon. he didn’t need his prayers here, she had given enough of them on her own. rising back to her feet with her center of gravity off center with her stomach was a little more tricky as the days went on. “my brother surrounds himself with smart men and women, he always has. i think he has a knack of seeing things in people that other’s do not see. i have no doubt he is in good hands. but it is good to know you can also be of assistance.” the red head turned to look back over at the grafton lord. “i too am of service if you need anything. despite my condition, i can assure you i am very capable still. you are new to the court of the mountain. it can be different but a good place but it can take time to find ones place, however.”

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.

rvrprnc​:

open starter.

days spent in solitude. constrained to his chambers. his only company a crow that would check in on him, perch atop the inner casement … waiting. waiting for something. waiting for him? oh, and the targaryen guards. though, he could easily admit he preferred the crow. no matter it’s mirthless forewarning. 

at the opening of the doors, the thought vanished. maybe he could admit, but he would not. the guards entered for other than to deliver one of the three unloving meals of the morning, day, night. now they were to take him for a walk? brynden rolled his eyes in response. strike one. two more, no walk. “ ugh … ” he ran a hand through his lengthened locks. “ very well. ” he then followed. two led before him, two behind. he wondered if he should try to sneak off, but even he was not dimwitted enough to realize they were on an island and unfortunately now, the trout, even if it could swim in salt waters, was only his houses sigil. 

.

the day had a slight chill to the air, enough to nip at the skin but still it was one of the rare days it still felt wonderful outside. pulling her cloak tighter around her, she was happy to get away from some of the bustle of the castle. a nice quiet walk, she was expecting. but up ahead on the pathway rosa was able to catch a glimpse at him. brynden. he looked so different from when she saw him last. the night of the ball he was dressed up, like they all were. ready to have a fun night. but all of that was turned upside down and it seemed even more so for all of the tullys. part of rosa knew she should just keep walking but before she could stop herself her feet were carrying her closer and closer. "brynden!" she called out, forgetting proper etticute for the moment but she hoped he would forgive her.

after a moment she was able to catch up to him. "you're outside. i....i am so glad to see you." it was the truth. she had been so worried for her friend since news of his imprisonment had reached her. her gut had told her that there was no way he could be part of this. seeing him now he looked different, and not just the long hair. there was something else. "are you alright?"

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.

Lucrezia Borgias rose dress in The Borgias 1x03

 rosa would be lying to say she wasn't the slightest bit nervous for the dinner about to take place. it was the first real time all of them were going to be able to get together as one. soon enough both of their families would be joined together and all the princess wanted was for them all to get along. her siblings meant the world to her, and rodrik was soon to be her husband, she needed them to get along. but rosa came from a family of people all with very strong personalities and ideas. she loved them for it but she hoped that it wouldn't clash with the starks. but perhaps with the threat of war looming over them all, a night of a joyful celebration was what they all needed. 

the red head looked around at all the people gathered in the room. letting out a sigh of relief, she smiled. at least so far so good.

@kingarryn @ravellaarryns @robinofthevale @rodrikofwinter @harrionstark​