#✿. SHE WEARS A CROWN OF NETTLE.

[hedgehog-moss]

I finally planted my garden last week! We had a couple of days of sun which gave me hope, but it's once again raining every day. Thoughts and prayers for my tomato plants, but I couldn't keep everyone in the greenhouse forever, I had to make room for other plants.

(In the fourth picture above you can see what's inside the hügelkultur mound—it's a pile of branches + llama manure + compost + potting soil. One thing I find great about it is how well it retains moisture! Well it's not a problem this year so far but during heat waves I water these plants a lot less than non-mound plants.)

In the greenhouse my seedlings have been struggling due to lack of sun. Impossible to get courgette plants so I had to buy a few from the young couple in town who recently started a plant nursery—they didn't have many either, and I had to share with the mayor who also came looking for courgette plants because slugs devoured all of his.

He must have seen on my face that I thought my plants didn't stand a chance if slugs don't even respect municipal authority, because he kindly advised me to place crowns of bedstraw (see above) around my plants to protect them. I didn't dare to ask "If it works so well why do you have no courgette plants left?" I just said thank you, and then spent an entire evening last week weaving this sticky weed into crowns and whatsapping photos of my art to the mayor, who always replied "More! More! It needs to be thicker! Like a doughnut!"

Meanwhile 1 leek in the greenhouse suddenly grew a lot thicker while the other 3 remained skinny and fearful-looking and I'm not sure why. They share a pot, so maybe it's like vanishing twin syndrome. My bell pepper seeds had the same asynchronous development issue—one pot is just now starting to have timid seedlings while the other (right next to it) already contains a grown-up plant with baby peppers:

By far my happiest greenhouse plants are the potatoes and lettuce. They shot up so fast! I've been eating a lot of lettuce lately but I can't keep up with how quickly they grow in this cold, rainy spring. And I haven't had any slug raids in the greenhouse so that's great.

My greenhouse squash, onions and pickles are still tiny and not worth a photo (harsh, but this post already has too many photos). My strawberries in the aquaponic towers are beautiful despite the lack of sun and I've been getting mini-harvests of 2-3 strawberries a day for two weeks! They're done now, but I started more seeds so maybe I can get a second round at the end of the month.

Three more things:

1. Morille helped a lot as I was planting the garden. She kept an eye on my gardening tools so no one would steal them, and sometimes used them as cheek-scratchers. At one point I put one of my beautiful bedstraw crowns around her neck so she looked like Philip III of Spain in that painting where he wears a big ruff, but tragically she ran away in outrage before I could take a picture, and when she returned she'd got rid of her collar.

2. At the cow parade the other day there was a lady at the market who sold jars of homemade pesto sauce made from all kinds of different plants, and it opened up my mind to entirely new pesto horizons!! I always make the traditional kind with basil, but I have plants that grow much faster than basil, like my rocket, so I tried making pesto with 1/3 basil 2/3 rocket (plus garlic, olive oil, parmesan, cashews) and it was so good! I have to explore all of her recipes now, like plantain or nettle or sage pesto...

3. There's a monster in the greenhouse. It appeared practically overnight and is quickly claiming more and more territory. Unlike last year it's not a parsley monster—it's my lemon balm. One day it was growing in its vertical tower, luxuriant but tidy, like a normal plant, and the next it had quintupled in volume and was threatening to swallow the nearest planter. Look at the tiny tomato plants, they look terrified of it!

I urgently need to fight back against this giant mélisse (as we call lemon balm) but I've been really busy and I keep putting it off, and then remembering anxiously at 11pm that I still have this creature to take care of, which is ironic seeing as lemon balm is supposed to relieve stress and anxiety. This is the exact opposite of why I planted you. Anyway if you never hear from me again after this post it's because I finally engaged in battle against this year's vegetal menace, and lost.

[bodhrancomedy]

Names in order:

Captain Emmett Askren

Keziah Bianca “Kizzy” Nunn/Dion Askren

Gideon Laurence “Six” Sixsmith

Talas Katsaros

Maia Katsaros

Elizabeth Scarlett (false name)

Octavia Simran Starling

Arban Altantsetseg “Altan” Ace

Pleasant Nettles (real name. Yes, really.)

[jacaela]

Haters open the book only when it comes for Eustace's nonsense. He is the one who crowned Aegon, he is a green supporter, he writes how Rhaenyra cut herself on the iron throne while wearing armor. Rhaenyra loved Valyria, her favourite Targaryen was Visenya who was associated with magic and she accused Nettles with it, hinting that magic is bad? Are you able to see to see here inconsistency?

[ladystarksneedle]

I am completely thrown off track because of the hurricane that came yesterday. I gotta finish my data analysis before the deadline and I have a headache today, but I still can't stop watching the teaser and the youtube videos analysing it. On the other hand, it felt anticlimactic and like a massive drop in Dopamine for me? like yeah, its over. Whats next?

You already know my favorite two scenes from the teaser: Daemon at Godswood and Aemond's walk towards the throne (Obviously in Michael Gavey's voice). What about yours?

Also, I wish they showed a teeny-tiny, blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse of Alys Rivers. Hoping for another teaser soon, but I reckon they won't feed us until March. Our gluttony has no bounds.

Aah Uz took the words right out of my mouth! I think I was so looking forward to it and now that it's here and I've seen it, I feel a little meh.

I hope your headache subsides soon and you meet your deadline on time, I know you will though and then we can talk and fangirl more❤️

I think the trailer was.. definitely not what I was expecting. For one the vibes are definitely a bit darker, but in a way I didn't anticipate. I'll start with the costumes since I love talking about those

I loved some of the costumes. Alicent is slaying as usual, I loved all her fits, the green dress, the teal, the veils and another crown finally!

Even loved the red dress and dragon rider fit Rhaenyra has with the red and black and her black council outfit with the golden dragon motifs for syrax on her shoulder. It looks like she's wearing a braid in one scene so they're going with the book description of her trying to channel Queen Visenya's whole image of the warrior queen

I think Aegon's could have been done way way better. He's grown his hair and some people commented this is him finally embracing the Targaryen aspect of power. I loved the golden dragon embroidery on his tunic but it seems way similar to his coronation fit and frankly I expected something grander given that he's king now.

Aemond also is in those same black leathers, not really complaining because he's him obviously but I wish they'd done more for him.

He's also not wearing armour while riding Vhagar which has me questioning things.

A couple of people said they're saving it for a big reveal sort of thing and this was just the first look but I'm still a bit bummed as we did see Daemon in armour so that was.. interesting.

As for the plot

Really confused as to the Laenor-Addam thing and syrax vs the grey dragon showdown scene, I wonder what they're going to do about Seasmoke now and I think that's him in the picture.

Also alicent infront of a lake? Super confused about this

I think my favourites would be Aemond and Aegon's strut towards the throne, Helaena's brief appearance and her looking up at Jaehaerys' funeral which has me sad and on the edge of my seat. I'm looking forward to more scenes of her.

Criston executing someone who looks like a black loyalist and Alicent and Otto's conversation.

Things I'm salty about: No mention of Daeron , Alys and nettles. At all. I hope the next trailer gives an inclination of sorts which like you said would probably be around March.

[genz420]

The Fire That Burns With Us - Chapter 96: The Dance of Dragons.

Master List

Previous Part

138 -  Harrenhal

The news had not yet reached Harrenhal.  

The news that the Reds had taken the capital.  

That his innocent sister Helaena had thrown herself out her window in her grief.  

That the mighty dragon that is Morghon had been killed by Vermithor and the dragonseed Hugh Hammer.  

That the Blackwood knight had disappeared after the revelation of the death of Queen Helaena.  

That the all dragons in the dragonpit and the young prince Maelor had been killed.  

Or of what Aegon had done on Dragonstone.

Aemond had yet to know that the Velaryon fleet led by Corlys and Laenor was searching Blackwater Bay for any sign of Visenya.   But the mangled pieces of Silverwing, Vermithor, and Morghon had been littered on the water's surface. 

Aemond had returned to Harrenhal after receiving a letter from their forces that the rogue prince and the blood wyvern were approaching.   He was accompanied by a dragonseed Nettles and her dragon Sheepstealer, who seemed to be flying towards the Vale.  

The one-eyed prince would not allow his uncle to seize Harrenhal while they took the capital away from the greens.  Aemond was fully ready to embrace his name as Kinslayer.   To end the life of the mighty prince Daemon and his deformed dragon.  

He plans to remove Dark Sister from Daemon's soon-to-be-burned corpse and give it to Visenya, for she should wield the sword while he takes Blackfyre and the conqueror's crown.   A fantasy that the prince holds onto like a fool.  

Aemond hadn’t missed Harrenhal.  The only thing bringing him back was the thought that Daemon would try to have his children harmed and that he could end the Rogue's life.  But deep feelings in his stomach warned him that death would come, maybe not for him.  

The cold and bitter weather of the Riverlands was like a warning that he chose to ignore.  As the mighty prince dismounts his dragon, the feeling of impending death does not leave him.  That feeling only rises in his chest as he watches Daemon dismount Caraxes.  

The two dragons had both lived a long and eventful life.  Bringing greatness to House Targaryen and being blessed with some of the best riders the house has ever seen.  Vhagar is a seasoned war criminal who helped shape House Targaryen from a minor Valyrian house to one of the strongest Houses Westorest has ever seen.  Caraxes has bonded with Aemon and Daemon, fighting in the step stones and the Fourth Dourinsh War.  But most importantly, the two dragons have bonded throughout the years, flying together with Alyssa, Baelon, and Aemon and then Daemon and Laena.  But not the bond and feelings the Dragons had once shared are erased with the hate their current riders feel for one another. 

The older of the two was wearing his dragon armour, Dark Sister at his hip.  Daemon, too, was in the dark about the events happening in the East.  Caraxes lets out a whistling whine of disconnect as Daemon leaves his side.  Unlike his rider, Caraxes knew what was to come.  

The two self-proclaimed Prince Constorts did not waste any more time; the air was thick and foggy as the two left the safety of their dragon's side and met each other in the middle.  Both knew the fight would not start on land but in the air, another beautiful but tragic dance between dragons.   Unlike Daemon, Aemond was not clad head to toe in armour, the simple chestplate that Rob had gifted him.  

As the two reach each other, the tension rises with each moment they watch each other. Not long ago, each one of them held respect for one another and almost cared about the other.  Perhaps they would have been closer if things were different, if the Greens had never schemed for the throne, and Daemon had never left for Pentos.  For Aemond is Viserys son, yet he took after Daemon more than his own father.  

“You were a fool to come alone,” Aemond is the first to break the tension, his voice deep, commanding yet soft as velvet.  His tone is that of a man who knows the weight of his words but, yet Daemon can not help but think he sounds like a boy trying to command authority and power.  

Aemonds grip is like a viper on the hilt of his sword.  He was weighing the choice of drawing his sword and trying to end his uncle where they stood, but he did not have a valyrian steel sword like Daemon.  He wasn’t wearing armour to protect himself.  But surely he could be fast enough to draw his sword and drive it through Daemon.  He has the advantage of youth and possibly more rage.  Yet his body remains unmoving, and he almost looks like a beautifully carved statue as he glares at Daemon.  The eyepatch burning against his skin, the sapphire underneath forever cold, like it held the souls of those claimed in this war, for that fateful night on Driftmark was the reason this war had advanced so fast. 

Daemon shifts his weight onto one of his feet, his hands resting on the hilt of Dark Sister.  His hand wrapping itself around the pommel, he has killed hundreds of men with the sword and no doubt the next victim would be the boy in front of him.   A son for a son was not enough; he should avenge Lucerys by spilling the blood of his murderer. 

“Were I not alone, you would not have come,” Daemon retorts, far more relaxed than the younger Targaryen.  His shoulders were not tensed like Aemond's, and he could be mistaken for having a civil conversation with his nephew if it wasn’t for the matching grips on their sword. 

Daemon knew that he could unsheathe Dark Sister now, drive it through the younger's stomach, and be done with it. Vhagar might burn him to death, but Ceraxes would be safe.  Ceraxes would be available for his sweet Rhaena to claim.  

Aemond would have come even if Daemon was not by himself, and he knows that Daemon would have never tried to approach Harrenhal again if Visenya had not gone to King’s Landing.  A father is scared of his own daughter and what punishments he might face for daring to enter the Riverlands again.  

Aemond brings his lips together in a tight line.  Perhaps Daemon was right, but what could he have brought to make him waver in this fight?  The dragonseed he had formed a relationship with?  The Black Queen on his spoiled dragon?  Daemon had no more allies that would make Aemond nervous about killing.  No, he was the one with the allies.  He could have stayed in King’s Landing, told Visenya about his plan, and asked her to occupy him.  Brought Morghon and the Cannibal with them.  But he refuses to make his wife a kinslayer like himself.  

Both of them knew that going against one another was the only way they had a chance of killing each other.

“Yet you are, and I am,” Aemond tells Daemon, grip leaving the hilt of his sword as his arms apart and almost daring Daemon to unsheathe Dark Sister to kill him.  Aemond doesn’t allow his feelings to affect his voice, the slight nerves he feels for the battle to come.  Instead, he relaxes his shoulders to mirror Daemon and lets out a soft hum as a smirk creeps onto his face.  “You have lived too long, uncle,” 

Daemon puffs his chest out, eyes narrowing at Aemond as he speaks before slowly nodding, agreeing with him about the statement.  Daemon has lived out many people dear to him.  His mother, father, brother, grandmother, Aemna, Laena, his Strong Boys, and now his two daughters sired by Rhaenyra. 

Daemon had lived on borrowed time since he fought in the step stones.  

“On that much, we agree,” Daemon tells Aemond, giving him one final nod before turning his back towards Aemond, not fearing that Aemond might stab him.  Aemond spares his uncle one last look before he does the same. 

Both princes return to their dragons, praying to their gods for safety.  

Daemon prays that he will be able to return to Dragonstone to give his wife the good news of Aemond's death.  To see his daughters, all of them, once again.  To be able to watch his sons grow.  To bring justice to his son's death, to give justice to Lucerys.  

Aemond prays to also return to his wife to give her the news of the death of Daemon and Caraxes.   To remove the last power of the blacks.  To be able to watch his children grow up in the red keep.  To see his wife on the iron throne.  To send his brother to the wall and allow his sweet sister to finally be happy and safe.  To wear the conquered crown.  To mend the realm and prove himself worthy of the name Targaryen.   

But neither would have their prey answered.  It is as if the gods had finally punished them for the peace and happiness they had lived in and punished them for their sins.   

Because neither could return to their wives, the two Queens are now dead.  

Rhaenyra burned by her usurper brother and his half-dying dragon.  Aegon, the younger, forced to watch as his mother became ash and dragonfood.  Only leaving a few charred pieces of her left.

Visenya having a dragonriders death.  Killing the dragonseeds, Hugh Hammer, Ulf the white, and the two dragons Vermithor and Silverwing.  But also, in the process, ending her own life, along with one of her dragons, Morghon.  Both of their remains sinking to the bottom of Blackwater Bay, allowing Visenya to rest in the same waters as the rest of the Valeryons, just as she wanted.  The cannibal flew East after circling the bay for two straight days. 

Neither of them would see their children again. To watch their sons and daughters grow.  

Aegon, the younger, now traumatized after witnessing his mother's death.  Viserys is thought dead now in the lands of Lys.   Baela is scarred from her battle with Aegon.  Rhaena is safe and with her new hatchling.  

Laenor, Daenys, and Aenar are being held within the ruins of Harrnehal, which is within his eyesight.  If only Aemond had shared the gift of foresight, he might have climbed on his dragon, flown to Harrenhal, and brought his children to the now-claimed King’s Landing.  

On that day, the 22nd day of the 5th moon of 138 AC.  Aemond and Daemon, along with Vhagar and Caraxes, lost their lives.  The two sets fall into the god's eye once Daemon leaped from Caraxes and plunged Dark Sister in Aemond’s one good eye.  

The battle above the god's eyes would be the last battle of the Dance of Dragons.  The Blacks dissolved quickly into the Reds.  The Greens followed suit after the death of Aegon, the usurper on Dragonstone.  The red held the capital but without a queen, leaving the succession of the Spiky Chair up for debate to the three small councils. 

Once the arrival of the winter wolves and the Black Aly arrived in the shambles of King’s Landing, they made quick work of breaking the betrothal with Daenys and Rickon and instead betrothing Daenys with Aegon the Younger and Laenor to their daughter, Sarra.  

Daenys becomes the “first” legitimate queen of the Seven Kingdoms with her consort Aegon II.  A marriage that was closer to a friendship rather than a marriage.  Yet both still did their duties to the realm.  

Robert Tully denied the position of Daenys hand, instead returning to Riverrun to see his wife give birth to a daughter.  She was quickly betrothed to Aenar, who later became lord of Riverrun, with his wife, Catelyn Tully, taking most of the title's responsibilities—a match made by the gods.

Benjicot took the role of the hand of the queen instead, along with taking on the responsibilities of raising the three children, not allowing anyone to hold or be near them for close to three years after the war, fearing that something might happen to the last connection he had to Visenya and Aemond.  The Blackwood knight also protected the little Princess Jaehaera until she married Bloody Ben in secret one faithful day, becoming the lady of Raventree Hall. 

The dance of the dragons was the true downfall of the house, Targeryn, for even years after the war in peaceful times.  No house looked at the house the same; the death of the dragons allowed the once perfect marble of the house to crack and slowly, through the years, fall apart. 

-- --

Last chapter. I loved writing this story in the beginning as it was just a little daydream that my friend told me to write. I never thought that it would get this far, ever. I know that this story is cheesy, badly written, and probably full of plot holes I don't see. But I am dyslexic, and I never thought people would read this. Thank you all who have commented and read this far along. Truly the comments are the only reason why I didn't just give up on this story and delete it; they mean more to me than you could know.

-- --

Taglist: 

@tempt-ress @kassies-take

[bohemian-nights]

I think daemyras' worst headcanon/disillusionment about Daemon is that he loves Rhaenyra's bastards as if they were his own (I get chills when I see them putting Daemon as their big daddy) whilebin the show what is shown he is indifferent to them at the very least and at most he feels irritated that Weak boy #1 wants to boss him around, what makes it worse is that they saw him being an absent father to the twins, but suddenly, he's an excellent stepfather to the bastards just because they are the children of his "soulmate" and he loves everything connected to her 🥴I always had the impression that Daemon wanted a boy so much since he was still married to Laena because he knew that Weak boys were bastards and that that would be enough to take her away of the succession and he needed a male heir to be able to challenge his nephews with the power of House velaryon behind him after all, it is not said that House Velaryon could challenge both the Green and Blacks when did Daemon marry Laena? I'm not saying that he didn't love her and wasn't happy with her, because I believe that he really liked her and her free spirit, but that the marriage did have political reasons behind it and there is nothing wrong with that, by the great council of 101 daemon had a claim too, which was certainly more legitimate than rhaenyra's after she committed high treason

I think their most delusional take is that Missy Anne was his soulmate(we all want our soulmate to abandon us when we've lost our marbles for another woman and chokegate), but that kinda ties into this take.

The fact of the matter is if Daemon really truly viewed those boys as his sons(and if he loved everything about Miss Maegor) this would've never happened:

Imagine getting your a** handed to you as a child(in a 4 on 1 fight) to where you need your younger brother to come save you and yet you still haven't learned how to fight six years later. I almost feel bad for laughing, but this is downright comical🤣

Anyone who thinks the Rogue Prince Daemon freaking Targaryen would let his sons go around not knowing how to at least protect themselves is a moron.

I'm not going to comment on it further cause what more needs to be said🤷🏽‍♀️

Show!Daemon really is a father to no one. Book!Daemon is a little better(hey at least he's not a misogynist towards his daughters), but ultimately he leaves his children to fend for themselves* after falling into a depression cause in order to save Nettles he had to let her go. He's not winning Father of the Year anytime soon.

*If he actually wanted to save them he would’ve gone back to Kings Landing like Missy Anne wanted him to, in order to sort things out and get back-up to help him defeat Aemond/Vhagar. Does he do that? Only in a Dumbnyra fanfic ☕️

Moving on, I do believe Daemon found Laena to be very alluring I think it's pretty obvious he loved her, but yeah their marriage was politically motivated.

He knew what he was doing when he married her(especially given how her parents were butthurt over being snubbed twice over). He probably was very likely to stake his own claim to the throne(although that would've involved usurping Aegon, but I don't think he'd have a problem with that). There's no way Daemon doesn't at least try to ensure his own flesh and blood wears the crown.

This is why Nettles was Daemon’s purest love/relationship. She offered nothing and I do mean absolutely nothing to him, not titles, not blood, not a crown, not armies and yet homeboy was ready to end it all cause of her. He abandoned his queen for her. He was going to give up his life for hers. He might've even lived and crawled back to her(queue Hozier Work Song🎵). That's his soulmate right there🫀

Is it perfect, no. Daemon is a piece of sh*t, he's old as hell and he keeps getting with girls/women half his age. He murdered children. The man straight-up abandoned his family. I mean I love him as much as GRRM does, but he's the worst(well second worst cause of Gollum who should've been thrown in the fire), but he did love Nettles and he saved her(she’s my fave so I won’t hate)☺️

[brownie-gives-cats]

Hello, how are you doing?

I would like a cat, please. I just started a ClanGen blog [it's currently at @risingclan-clangen but it's going to change soon- turns out RisingClan was already a thing...] so maybe I could code them in?

How about I do ya one better and code one in for you (; I'll DM you the code for her (though you'll have to assign her a new ID yourself).

Shadedfern (she/her) is a long-furred chocolate-and-black rosetted tabby tortie with pale blue eyes. She has a white bib around her neck, short white boots on her front paws, and longer white socks on her hind paws. Her stomach is white. Most of her pelt is chestnut brown, with chocolate rosettes marking her flanks and tabby stripes down her legs. Her tail and the left side of her face are black, as well as some black dapples on her hindquarters and spine. Her black-colored coat is extremely fluffy, more so than the chocolate parts. Her eyes are a pale blue, with sparkling flecks in the irises. She wears a string of nettles and vines in a lopsided crown around her left ear.

A competitive cat, Shadedfern doesn't let anything go uncontested. It can be hard for her to make friends with any cat that isn't as driven as she is, as she can come off as intense, even intimidating. She can't help but compare herself to others. Shadedfern isn't very large, but she is fast. Running is in her blood. She doesn't like wasting time and so is constantly zipping around, minimizing travel time with her speed. She has an odd connection with StarClan. She was once a warrior of another Clan, but swears that she was guided here by starry pawprints, and that it is her destiny to become a warrior of this new Clan instead.

[blue-mint-winter]

Musings about the timeline of deaths and speed of the travelling news (in F&B)

After the betrayal of Hugh Hammer and Ulf the White in Tumbleton, the events of the Dance of the Dragons seem to follow in quick succession. However, it was surprising to learn that 5 months passed between Daemon's death on 22nd May and Rhaenyra's death on 22nd October 130 AC.

I'll try to put the events in order:

The First Battle of Tumbleton and the Betrayal.

Rhaenyra orders Addam's arrest and Nettles' execution, Addam escapes, Corlys is imprisoned, grandmaester Gerardys is sent to Dragonstone.

Lord Mooton receives his orders, maester Norren tells Daemon, next morning Daemon goes to Harrenhal, 14 days later fights with Aemond in the battle of the God's Eye and dies on 22nd May - that means Rhaenyra's orders arrived in Maidenpool on 7th May.

Attempt to rescue Corlys, hanging of the 2 rescuers, on the same day after sunset Helaena dies after half a year of captivity - so it's at least in June? The six months could be a maester's exaggeration.

The rumour about Helaena's murder causes a riot so it must be within a few days of her death if not the very next day.

Next day after riots Rhaenyra learns about Maidenpool disobeying her, Nettles escaping and Daemon's "betrayal", then storming of the Dragonpit happens on that night.

Rhaenyra leaves King's Landing at dawn, ser Perkin installs king Trystane, the beginning of the Moon of 3 Kings, Larys is back in court, Orwyle and Corlys are freed.

News about unrest in King's Landing reach Tumbleton.

Belated news about Aemond's death reach Tumbleton, Hugh Hammer wants to be a king.

Next day: Hugh wears a crown, kills Roger Corne, the Caltrops plot in the night to kill Hugh and Ulf.

2 days later, in the night - Second Battle of Tumbleton, Addam Velaryon attacks with a Riverlands army that he gathered.

Next morning after battle Ulf declares that he'll be king.

Next day Hobert Hightower poisons Ulf and himself.

Rhaenyra is on the road for unspecified amount of time, but she's turned away at Rosby, stays for one night at Stokeworth.

Rhaenyra stays in Duskendale for unspecified amount of time, on the condition that it won't be long, manages to send 3 ravens to Dragonstone but gets no reply from Gerardys, because Aegon II took over there - it's safe to assume that only happened after she left King's Landing. During her stay in Duskendale Rhaenyra sends ravens to Cregan Stark and Jeyne Arryn and gets their replies, then lady Darklyn asks her to leave because she overstayed her welcome.

Rhaenyra goes to Dragonstone and dies on 22nd October, Aegon II sends ravens to lords.

Sunfyre dies on 9th December, Aegon II almost executes Baela.

Borros Baratheon takes King's Landing after hearing about Rhaenyra's death, ending the Moon of 3 Kings.

Aegon II returns to King's Landing in the last days of the year (around 22nd December).

The fact that Rhaenyra on the Last Day in King's Landing received news about Daemon's "betrayal" but not about his death makes me think that this was still before the Battle of God's Eye. Obviously lord Mooton wouldn't inform her that he turned cloak, so someone else on her side had to uncover this. Too bad that it's not said if Rhaenyra got the information from one of her loyal lords by raven or if an informant travelled all the way to King's Landing to tell her what happened. It's likely that one of Black loyalists in Maidenpool, who didn't know why lord Mooton turned cloak, went to inform Rhaenyra.

Even looking at the map and how roads are laid out, if the courier is sent from Maidenpool, he has 2 options - turn west and go by Kingsroad or turn east towards Duskendale and take the road from there. Information between Tumbleton and King's Landing probably also goes by road, because Greens aren't sending ravens.

Map from Atlas of Ice and Fire

The thing is that Greens in Tumbleton got news about battle of the God's Eye after they heard about riots in King's Landing. Tumbleton is southwest of King's Landing and further away from Harrenhal than the capital. It would make sense for Rhaenyra to get the news about Daemon's death before the Greens, but she didn't. It must be because she'd left the city before the news came.

The news about the battle of the God's Eye must have reached King's Landing first before it belatedly reached Tumbleton. Harrenhal doesn't have a maester to send a raven and Alys wasn't in a hurry to tell anyone what happened, also Riverlanders hate Aemond so there's no one who would rush to inform the Greens about his death. That's why the information spread more slowly and the news from Harrenhal came so late to Tumbleton. It's possible that it first came late to King's Landing and then Larys and/or Orwyle sent a quick message to Tumbleton. Or they got the information in a normal time then kept it from Tumbleton and the ambitious Betrayers. They could have wanted to stall to give time to Aegon II and Sunfyre to recover to a fighting condition.

It is rather frustrating that it's unknown how much time passed between Tumbleton learning about the riots and about Aemond's death. The book gives the impression that it wasn't that long.

As word of the unrest at King’s Landing reached Prince Daeron’s host, many younger lords grew anxious to advance upon the city at once. Chief amongst them were Ser Jon Roxton, Ser Roger Corne, and Lord Unwin Peake…but Ser Hobert Hightower counseled caution, and the Two Betrayers refused to join any attack unless their own demands were met. Ulf White, it will be recalled, wished to be granted the great castle of Highgarden with all its lands and incomes, whilst Hard Hugh Hammer desired nothing less than a crown for himself. These conflicts came to a boil when Tumbleton learned belatedly of Aemond Targaryen’s death at Harrenhal. 

Hugh openly wanted the crown even when he thought Aemond was still alive? Lol. One thing is for sure, the news of Aemond and Daemon killing each other must have been like an early Christmas present for him. He became the one with the largest dragon.

The Green army could have gone to King's Landing even without Hugh and Ulf. There were no dragons defending the city and they had Daeron's Tessarion. I guess Hobert was cautious because to his knowledge Daemon was still at large and he could take down Tessarion, so the Greens still needed to keep Hugh and Ulf around to fight him. But even with that, if the other lords were so impatient to march, Hobert couldn't hold them back for very long. After the news about Aemond's death, the events started moving very quickly. The Second Battle of Tumbleton happened only 3 days later.

Theories about symbolic timing of deaths

I was thinking if it was possible for Rhaenyra to die on the same day as Daemon. It would have been immensely tragic - Daemon sacrificing himself to kill Aemond, thinking this will protect Rhaenyra, unaware that at the same time she's killed by Aegon on Dragonstone while she's thinking that Daemon betrayed her for Nettles. That's incredibly tragic and angsty.

However, looking at the timeline, it's impossible for them to die on the same day because of Rhaenyra exchanging messages with the North and the Vale when she's in Duskendale. Ravens aren't that fast, so I'd give it a month for her to send letters and receive replies.

Also, Addam Velaryon needed time to gather Riverlands army and go with it to Tumbleton. It had to be after Aemond's death, because otherwise Aemond would have stopped the army.

It could be interesting and more plausible if Daemon's death and the storming of Dragonpit happened on the same day. Last day of Rhaenyra's reign in capital is the same day her husband and protector dies. It's possible as it gives 14 days for the news about Daemon and Nettles to travel from Maidenpool to King's Landing. That should be enough time. I just think that waiting until June would have been too suspicious. Lord Mooton received Rhaenyra's orders on 7th May, there is a time limit of how long Rhaenyra can wait for his reply as Maidenpool isn't that far away. Especially damning should be that Daemon didn't return on dragonback within a day or two.

Knowing just how honorable lord Mooton was, I doubt he sent a false message to Rhaenyra after he openly turned cloak and changed his banners. I think he just went radio silent and didn't send anything. The longer Daemon didn't come back and there were no ravens from Maidenpool, the more suspicious it must have looked to Rhaenyra. If it went on too long, it would look like a confirmation of betrayal. Not to mention she could send ravens to Rook's Rest or someone else closer to Maidenpool to ask them to check what's going on there and why they aren't replying. She couldn't rule out Aemond killing Daemon and burning the city.

Helaena dying after half a year in captivity which kickstarts the riots would place her death sometime in June, probably the second half. Could Rhaenyra really wait over a month for information about Maidenpool without suspecting anything? She reacted with rage to the news, so she wasn't expecting the betrayal. That leads me to believe that not enough time passed to make the lack of contact suspicious to her.

This makes the timing of Helaena's death slightly off. I think it was earlier than June and she wasn't a captive for full 6 months. I could accept if it was around 1st June, because then if she killed herself because Mysaria told her about Maelor's death, it would be on Children's Day and that makes it even more cruel and tragic.

Unspecified time in Duskendale

One thing I'm rather annoyed with is that the Moon of 3 Kings lasts around 3-4 months. Another is Rhaenyra staying so long in Duskendale. Even if travelling there took longer than usual, it's just not that far from the capital, so I'd give it maximum 2 weeks on the road. That would mean that she were in Duskendale for months, which was a time she could have used to travel to the Riverlands or the Vale and her more accommodating allies. As I said, communicating by raven with the North and the Vale could take her around a month, so after that why would she stay even longer in Duskendale doing nothing before she takes a ship to Dragonstone?

Rhaenyra stayed in limbo because the author arbitrarily decided that Aegon can retake the throne only in the end of the year. I'd say moving those events earlier seems better in this case. Tumbleton could happen soon after the riots in June, then Rhaenyra dies in July and Aegon II comes back to King's Landing in August. It doesn't collide with anything else and eliminates the awkward sitting around in Duskendale for months.

.

Thanks for reading, as always I'm open to more discussions. Timelines are rather fuzzy in ASOIAF, so it can be a source of endless speculation :)

Next post will be about Mysaria and Nettles situation.

[arabellasleopardcoat]

My thoughts on Episode 7 SPOILERS AHEAD

I am guessing this will be a heavily Black episode on account of the dragonseeds. Edit: I was right!!!

SYRAX AND SEASMOKE MEET AGAIN! Addam is very brave and he seens very taken with Rhaenyra. He really likes her or believes in her. Good god, he has the medieval man ™ ego. Leave fame and memory indeed. Do great things, a calling. She is so pleased. 

Ugh. Alicent this season has gotten on my nerves. From patriarchy victim, to patriarchy ally, now she thinks herself a victim again. But she is the female influence in the raging misogynists she raised (Aegon and Aemond I am looking at you) Why did she expect to be loved by the commonfolk if she did nothing for them? Neither did Rhaenyra, really, but at least she wasn’t firing and giving an abortive to the victims of her rapist son. 

Larys is so wrong about the mystery rider. Aemond is sending men from the revolt to the wall

Jace. His face as he hears the news about Addam is a poem. Trouble there. Corlys’ face? Also a poem. I bet he thinks it’s Alyn. 

Mysaria, as always the voice of reason. Pure blood… Rhaenyra girlie, come on. She hesitates on using the commonfolk as dragonriders. Army of bastards, she calls them. 

Corlys and Addam! Addam has won me over already, he remains humble. Corlys is such an awkward father. 

The Tullys! And the horrors! Baby Oscar Tully setting Daemon right. He is so brave. I love him. If he had inherited sooner, Daemon would have been whipped into shape much sooner. King consort. I am laughing so hard, he is getting roasted by a child. So now they are allies, and the kid carries a sword bigger than himself. He is very regal. Daemon keeps interrupting him and making things worse. He is very smart and has guts. I like him. Daemon looks about to pounce on the poor boy. 

I agree with his punishment. Raping and looting as a war tactic is not right, and the Blackwood ruined plenty of lives. All in all, nicely handled. He will be a great player, one day. Family, duty, honor suit him well. I have to confess he changed my opinion on the Tullys (Who I despised in Got)

And Daemon hesitates. Killing his ally seems to traumatize him, which shows a hint of humanity in the man that gave orders again to pillage and rape. 

Viserys again. Crown hallucination + wise advice about wanting the throne and the crushing weight of it on the one who wears it.

Aegon y sus tres pelos tratando de recuperarse, me da demasiada risa. Larys appears. Cheers on him, a mix of praise and tough love. 

Alyn and Corlys, he is giving him more important tasks. Huh. So that explains the mystery about Celtigars, Velaryons aren’t dragonlords either. Interesting about their mother. Corlys guesses she is the one with Valyrian descent. I wonder how beautiful she must have been.  

Rhaena watches the babies leave and doesn’t go. Fabulous costume worn by Lady Arryn. We track a dragon. 

Poor Alicent’s Kingsguard, forced into a camping trip from hell. 

Ohhh, Jace upset about mixed blood claiming dragons. Insecure because the dragonseeds might look more Valyrian than him. Jace worries about when Rhaenyra dies, worried the lords will not follow him because his hair us dark. Ohhh, he throws Harwin in her face. His argument to succeed was having a dragon and now she takes it from him.  She is set on it, it could give them the edge they need. Suddenly, Addam is a sign of the will of the gods. I see how it is. 

Mysaria sends notice to the dragonseeds in King’s Landing, along with the boats Alyn organized. Ulf is going, it seems. So is Hugh, who is Saera's. I fucking hate Targaryen men, so many abandoned children. Assholes. Poor couple, they lost their little girl.

It’s mentioned some women are going too, and it makes me a bit angry knowing they scrapped Nettles because no successful dragonseed will be a woman. 

Alicent cut off the self pity. Drowning is not even such an efficient method, but it appears she was just swimming and not trying to die. A dragon? passing interrupts her.

Ah, now the dragonkeepers rebel too. Dragons are too sacred, the last of old Valyria to give like toys. They quit. Their order won’t partake. I love Rhaenyra’s motivational speech after they get yelled at in a language they do not know. Lovely. Also, her dress is gorgeous. She still wears the necklace Daemon gave her.

We start with Vermithor, who has a dramatic entrance fit for him. I love Emma’s acting. Their Rhaenyra truly acts and feels like a Queen. Subdued Vermithor and gave a smug grin, even (So hot!!)

First to try, and everyone royal + Addam leaves??? Feels so feudal. They truly see them as less, as more expendable. They watch on a little platform, increasing the otherness. Whoops. There they go, up in flames. 

I loved the claiming of Silverwing and Vermithor. Has to be my favorite scene this season. It was brilliant, from the twist of the script to the way the camera moves following them. You feel as if you are the one being chased and tumbling down. Hugh was especially compelling to me, trying to help a stranger and distract the dragon and instead ending up claiming him. I doubt anything they do can top this scene from me. The last focus being Rhaenyra’s smiling face with teary eyes is so strong. She knows she sacrificed so many lives in a matter of minutes, but she now has Vermithor so it’s worth it. She looks both haunted and pleased, give Emma their Emmy now!! As for Ulf, I liked how Silverwing chose him after giving him a good sniff. She keeps grumbling at him as in disbelief by how dumb he is, that he doesn’t pet her. But Vermithor is the one I loved the most.  

Green council. Daeron is name dropped and he now has a big enough dragon. But interrupting the news is Silverwing (I think?) Aemond is on a horse to get to Vhagar and face him, which will never be not terrifying. She has taken down two dragons now, but they flee. 

Haunting shot of Rhaenyra surrounded by all her new dragons. The stakes are higher than ever before. Perfect last scene. 

[lemonadecroc]

LEMONS FIRST OPEN ASK! CHOOSE THE FATE OF THE GYARU GATOR!

The Croc walked in and looked around seeing the lone chair "Hey everyone! okay so i got a call to just come over here, and just wait here, and i would be given some kind of treat!" the gators eyes sparkled, then a smug cat like 3 mouth appeared "There so dumb, there gonna come in and im gonna get like so much more than what they ask, im good at negotiating, They also told me something like, put my arms behind here, weird request but whatever"

Over time, the croc waited, two people came in with a coil of rope, The croc still entirely oblivious, still not realizing the trouble shes in, as she was now there captive, being bound up rather tightly, removing the rag on her, just enough to still speak enough, entirely rambling on about what prize she'll be getting "What kind of treat you think ill be getting?, im hoping its donuts, cuz i love them there so cute!, you think there gonna feed me? cuz i mean naturally i am a princess, A QUEEN AFTERALL, its why i wear the crown afterall, it must have fallen as i sat down" just rambling on and on, still not seeing the danger shes in lmao, The Blonde would then continue to talk about everythng and nothing at the same time. Now the question is, What will happen to our Croc? what would you want to happen to her? (Send in asks to choose the next part of the story!, this was originally recorded as a meme for @pinkdocs, but i liked it enough to make a full open starter for it, and also because Nettles Mun, likes to be mean and give me requests like this lmao, so should we save her guys? or just let her figure it out?)

[thebowynntradition]

Bowynn Gods: Kalma

Kalma (right) sitting in Daunnat with her beloved Chumash

Kalma  (Kal-mah)  Queen of the Daunnat, divination and oracles. She is the consort of Chumash, the king of the dead. Unlike many faiths of the ancients, Daunnat is not a place of damnation or fear. It is a most blessed place. And it was Kalma who made it as such. By her will she let the great fields grow green and orchards filled with eternal and ever plentiful foods and valleys carpeted with wildflowers. Kalma is the daughter of Phoenix and Sumon and the sister to Rhya and Kauldra.

     Amongst Kalma's duties as queen of the land beyond is that of calming the soul and spirit, showing there is no need for fear death nor the beyond. Her very name means 'Calm'.

     Kalma and sisters were charmed by the three kings of the immortals and in particular it was Chumash that wished Kalma to marry her. But Kalma refused his hand unless Chumash proved his love. Of all the gifts Chumash bestowed on her, its was acrown of nettles that Kalma loved the most. She finally accepted his hand only after Chumash promised her equality as Queen of Duannat.

     Kalma is seen as a mother-like goddess in appearance; she is elegantly dress and wears a crown of nettles made of gold on her head. Other times, it is a plain crown, like that if her sisters. Being a queen, she is seen most wise, bearing a small scepter in her hand. Kalma very rarely leaves the comforts of Daunnat. Yet when she does, she will often appear as a cat, her totem animal. Sacred gifts offered to Kalma are that of flowers, incense and votive images of cats.

[princesssszzzz]

Why are your predictions so funny lmao. Why would Daemon kill Rhaenys or Jace tho😅 Rhaenys will be killed by either Aegon or Aemond and people will hate them sm

😂😂 I was so serious about my theories your the third person who said that. I have a long answer to the Daemon theory because it includes Daemon’s end, the Targ dynasty, and some other characters. Condal wants villian Daemon so I’m leaning towards him killing Jace unless the writers change Daemon last minute then everything I’m saying makes no sense. Killing Rheanys is less likely but if she wants to make big moves with Baela and Rhaena (taking them somewhere to be safe and away from drama) and he doesn’t I can see a fight between them. I don’t think him and Corlys agree about the names vs blood thing when they interact in S2 and Daemon’s real feelings start coming out more bc so far he’s been standing back and observing mostly. In my opinion he’s waiting for an opportunity. Condal implied in some interviews Daemon’s outrage is about Viserys. So it’s emotional need to fight them and losing access to the throne to Alicent’s line that doesn’t use the Targaryen sigil and they’re a detached branch from House Targaryen with Andal blood. If we’re getting book!Daemon who’s more Rouge Prince, his goal for the throne comes first but now the crown’s being controlled by Otto/Alicent and taken from House Targaryen. Plus like the Hightower faction, Jace only has one parent with Valyrian blood. My S3/4 predictions is that Daemon tries to marry Baela or Rhaena to Aegon iii and the irony of his death would be him dying before he gets to see his son as king.

It’s completely in character for him to want his own children ruling, not Strong/Hightowers. One of the big parts with Daemon’s Targ supremacy is the difference between Rhaena and Nettles. Rhaena to Daemon should be peak Targ, she wears black/red (Laena and Daemon’s daughters are like 80-90 something % pure blooded with their parents and Rhaenys’ Baratheon blood) and Laena rode the biggest dragon so I do understand why they wrote him neglecting her for not having a dragon despite complaints. He’s in Pentos reading and obsessing over Valyrian history and their ancestors. Legacy is important to him and he refused to even consummate a marriage with an Andal woman. So unlike Rhaena, Nettles who I personally believe has no Targaryen blood, claiming a wild dragon would be a big deal for Daemon. I think Nettles’ heritage is some non-Valyrian from Essos. One role Nettles would play is changing his views about Targaryens, purity, dragon riders and he finally changes his outlook but dies right after when he sends Nettles away and fights Aemond. This probably won’t be added to the show but it would make sense for him to want to kill Aemond and the Hightower bloodline, but not Vhagar. Dragons dying off weakens the house and I don’t think Daemon wants to do that, but he has to fight them and kill dragons in the process. His obsession with blood and dynasty would effect his decision making during the war so since his kids have the most Targ blood I’m sure he’ll be in his Otto era and want to marry a teen to a baby so he has control over the future of the house. He could be given some Tywin traits where he wants to win by any means necessary and in the process his kids are traumatized by all the loss and stress they endured. Of course if he killed Jace, Baela wouldn’t know but one of his kids could have some suspicions 👀 If they really want to show his seriousness over wanting to win for Team Targaryen instead of Team Black him being willing to kill Jace who he’s already butting heads with is so perfect. Jace is protective over Baela and Rhaena like if Daemon is #teamdoingtoomuch and putting his daughters in danger it’s just another thing they would fight over. Daemon doesn’t have to kill Jace, but if he does it out of tunnel vision during the war and desperation, it says a lot about his character. He could honestly send Jace to the wall to get him out of the way but Jace has to die.

Some Targs in Westeros generally have had understandable god complexes because of the power dragons give them. Daemon is the perfect Targaryen to focus on that complex when they’re losing dragons and dealing with Jace. He could kill Jace and grow to regret it before he dies, and I think that would make sense for Daemon and be an actual arc. After everything that happens Daemon gets what he wanted; Rhaena is finally a dragonrider with Morning, Baela chills with the smallfolk and goldcloaks, Viserys is doing whatever he’s up to lmfao that kid is my Rickon. Aegon iii is paralleled heavy with him only having kids and being happy when he’s with Daenaera, a Velaryon and the Targaryen bloodline continues with pure Valyrian blood. For Daemon, his punishment is that he never gets to see any of this come to fruition. Long story short it makes sense for Daemon to kill Jace or have him killed because Daemon’s storyline should be “I won but at what cost” and feeling guilty about Jace, alienating Rhaena, and the dangerous situation his children have to live in now.

•Side comment for the Rhaenys/Aegon fight I hope in their attempt to make Aegon redeemable they don’t demonize Rhaenys and make it seem like she deserves to be killed by Aegon or make it seem like she attacks them and they have to defend themselves. Aemond fought little kids and told Rhaena to ride a pig lmfao the general public already doesn’t like him they really don’t need to do anything extra on that part plus Vhagar is kind of a cheat code I kinda want Meleys v Sunfyre

[lya-dustin]

All is bliss

Chapter 40

Cw: mentions of family deaths, depression and a blood oath

Gif by @asongoficeandfiresource

Taglist @mercedesdecorazon @darylandbethfanforever9 @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @alexandria-millie @ewanmitchellcrumbs

Driftmark and Dragonstone had fallen once more and what was left of the loyalists scattered making the Battle of the Gullet a victory for them but comes at a great price.

Only a third of the fleet was able to survive and no one is surprised that it was Lys’ part that was left untouched.

The Lyseni Admiral brought gifts and two dragonseeds who turned cloaks seeing the battle lost.

Hugh Hammer and Ulf White would be given lands in the Reach if they managed to quell the rebellious lords.

Addam of Hull and Nettles had regrouped in Celtigar Isle before joining Daemon in the Riverlands, but not after ordering the dragons in the Dragonmont be unchained.

Perhaps having Silverwing here will aid Aemma’s spirits now that Jacaerys is dead.

Baela would likely escape and avenge her betrothed, but Dreamfyre would return to Helaena and provide some safety for the city when Aemond leaves it unguarded.

“Oh, good, I need your advice, little brother.” Aegon acts as if this were any nameday and not less than a day after his wife’s younger brothers were killed in his name.

“What do you think of this crown for Aemma. I know hers matches mine perfectly, but I want something she can wear with colors besides red.” Aegon shows him the gold diadem with seven jewels laid in seven-pointed stars and its matching jewelry.

It was a lovely thing; she’d like it well enough, and he says so.

Of course, material things don’t hold much meaning to her because when you grow with all the wealth and luxury at your fingertips it stops being special.

Fuck, Aemond’s lost count how many times mother has given him seven-pointed star pendants.

The way to Aemma’s heart was through meaningful gifts, something Aegon thought a waste of time because they weren’t spectacular enough for him.

“What did you get her?” his brother asked knowing he can mock it all he wants because it is always something simple and understated.

“A book of poetry.” With red carnations pressed on a poem about forbidden love.

Red carnations signified love and passion, and he was counting on Aemee knowing that.

She’d only see it in private where she’d be free to bite her lip at the romantic meaning of it.

“You are so boring sometimes; I don’t see what she sees in you.” Aegon smiled with pride thinking he had the best gift.

“A functioning cock, perhaps.” The prince regent said with a casual shrug.

This brought out the darkness in Aegon. “How did you know?”

“Jena, she warned me that my services are far from over.” The One-Eye answered unafraid of the bitter edge in his words.

Gods, he hated serving as Aemma’s concubine.

He enjoyed being her lover, but utterly loathed he was must toil for another man to reap the rewards.

Vhagar’s eggs had been plenty, varying from Silverwing’s silver white to the Cannibal’s pitch black.

The greatest of these was the great black one with dark green webbing.

Balerion reborn.

Aegon will want it, Aemond will be forced to offer it to him.

But he wants it for his son.

He had hoped he’d been wed to Aemma by now and if that had occurred, the egg would he placed in the cradle with their son as is custom.

Perhaps he can offer the golden egg Vhagar got from coiling with Syrax, after all Sunfyre and Syrax had been clutchmates even if the latter had hatched four and ten years before the former.

Aemond knows which one Aemma would choose for Aenys: the blood red one that may be Meleys’.

“The Gods give, and the Gods take. If I had known this was going to happen, I would’ve taken Sunfyre and left instead of hiding in the Sept.” his brother spoke with regret and did his best to shove it away the moment his sunken eyes threatened to mist. “But mother and grandfather never cared to listen to us, so why mourn what could have been, eh?”

Aemma’s hair is arranged like a veil made of two braids divided in seven ways and the rest is gathered up in a bun, Aegon’s gift fits her perfectly and yet the seven gemstones are as lifeless as hers.

There had not been a peep about Luke, Arrax had been shot down, but its rider remained a mystery.

There was hope yet.

“You can’t let yourself leave like that again. Do you hear me? You. Cannot. Give. Up.” Baela shook her by the shoulders when the nagging pit in her stomach told her Luke was dead as well.

“If not for us, for your babe.” Baela held back her tears as bravely as she could, but in the end both girls stand there on her rug clutching to each other as the grief overtakes them. They sit in front of the fireplace where just seconds ago burned offerings to their dead.

Baela in her rage and grief had cut her hair up to her chin, burning her silver mane as they prayed in High Valyrian for a peaceful afterlife for their dead.

She loved Jace, they were set to wed on her six and tenth nameday because Jace wanted her to be sure and have the power to refuse if she didn’t wish to marry him.

Their dragons had chosen each other as mates and Vermax was supposed to bring forth a clutch of eggs on the next moon.

Now all those hopes and dreams Jace and Baela had for their future had died with him.

Eventually, Baela would be made to wed a man loyal to Aegon because she is a ward of the crown. Perhaps this husband will be a good man and deserving of her, but Aemma doesn’t think it likely.

All is bliss in the court of Aemma the Great, Alys Rivers’ words become more ironic and crueler with each passing day.

“I won’t, I promise.” The young queen nods in understanding and pulls herself together.

“Then prove it to me.” The girl said pulling out a hidden dagger and cutting her palm. “Let us swear a blood oath: we will avenge them, and we will take what they have stolen from us. With Fire and blood.”

Aemma takes the bloody knife and repeats the oath as she bites back the pain as they bind their hands with the ribbon Jace gave Baela, “We will avenge our dead and take what is ours with fire and blood.”

When Sharako Lohar enters the Throne Room as a hero, Aemma knows Baela’s knife won’t be the only thing to kill him the moment he is alone.

[talesofmetalandmagic]

Three Crowns

Azir wears three crowns during his second life.

One is his imperial crown, the one that symbolizes a power that wasn’t earned and that he squandered once already. It’s gold and thick and heavy, ostentatious to a fault.

One is the crown of nettles Xerath imposes upon him. It’s a source of torment and a mockery of his old self.

The third is Taliyah’s coronet.

She weaves him as a surprise, based upon his own tastes. It’s fine, artisanal; but not royalty. Yet it fits him and it’s lightweight. Each gem represents one of his friends or lost family, their supports look like small sun discs and it shimmers in the light.

It’s perfect.

Azir has other garments he puts on his head – two main ones for each phase to be exact.

In the imperial phase there was his golden helm, the one in the shape of a falcon head, and the bejeweled headband he had when he came back to life. All symbols of status and royalty – only the latter being authentic to Azir’s true self. Hence him wearing it in his first act of kindness.

The humiliation phase has the cowl of his tunic and the leather falconry hood. All garments that dehumanize him and exist to reduce his power. He didn’t choose any of them and only appreciates when they him avoid heatstroke or feel safe and alone.

The atonement phase has his half-helm, mostly used for battle, and a white silk shawl lined with pearls. It’s delicate and fine, but practical as well. Expensive, but not imperial. Sometimes used as an ornament to embellish his look, sometimes as a veil to conceal himself, since it’s mostly sheer, as the trauma never truly left.

And crucially used to wrap and shield others too.

[obstinatecondolement]

Spinning a little again after a long hiatus has reawakened my desire to do my plan for an extremely laborous cosplay of the prince from The Wild Swans who only partially transformed back into a human.

The story is basically that a king had a daughter and several (the number varies) sons and his evil new wife who learned witchcraft from her mother gets jealous of them and turns the princes into swans (you know how stepmothers are) and banishes the princess after making her Unrecognisable by ripping her dress and dirtying her face and hair.

The princess finds her brothers (and sometimes some fairies) and learns that she can turn them back into humans if she had makes them shirts that are knit from yarn that she spins out out of stinging nettles (sometimes within a time frame of a certain number of years). One of the conditions of this magic is that she has to remain under a vow of silence or her brothers will die(/remain swans forever).

At some point she gets married to a king from Some Other Kingdom who takes a fancy to her, whose own evil mother (who is sometimes an archbishop, presumably to switch up the evil mothers theme a bit) tries to have her burned as a witch (her husband goes along with this because the queen hides each of her children after she gives birth and claims that she commited infanticide in some versions, but in others he's just kind of a pushover) because she doesn't talk and keeps going into the graveyard at night to get nettles. The princess keeps knitting as long as she can and then her brothers come to rescue her as she's on the pyre and she throws the shirts over them and they turn back into humans. The youngest prince still has a wing for an arm though, because she hadn't finished the last sleeve.

So my very good plan, which is not at all overambitious to the point of stupidity, is to spin ramie (nettle fibre) into yarn and design and knit a one-armed sweater (possibly with a lace feather pattern on parts of it?) and make a single wing After Some Fashion (but probably modeled closely on this tutorial and... idk. Wear some poofy trousers and a crown. I haven't thought the non-sweater and wing elements out very fully.

The ramie top I have is bleached, so I want to dye it green. I think I will probably dye the fibre or yarn and almost certainly not piece or garment dye it, because if I spun all the yarn and knit the whole thing and then ruined it that would be Rather Sad. I kinda do want to naturally dye it, but natural dyeing can be a little unpredictable and apparently green can be a little tricky to do anyway and cellulose fibres are harder to dye than protein fibre, so I may just use a fibre reactive dye like Dylon and use less of it than they recommend for the amount of fibre, so that I don't get the full depth of shade and it's a bit faded and more... idk "natural" looking.

Re: dyeing though, I want to imitate the colour of nettles, even though a completely "accurate" version of what a shirt that the princess in the story would have knit would look like would probably be a sort of brown, because her yarn was undyed nettle fibre. Also, I do not think she was messing around with lace patterns, given that she was on the clock on this. Of course, maybe she too overcomplicated things and was merrily designing lace patterns for the first four years and then got a bit crunched for time towards the end. Explains why she had to keep going back to the graveyard for nettles too: she didn't process enough nettles into fibre at the start of the project and then she kept losing yarn chicken as she was knitting and had to go back to step one. These princesses, they can be a little inefficient! But in her defense, she was under a lot of stress.

Also, having now written this out, this is all kind of Gender (nettle shirt as transition metaphor) and I am simultaneously the prince with the wing and the princess who is trying to save him. Somehow after having had this vague plan for a cosplay for... maybe ten years, I think that this is the first time I am coming to this realisation.

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

Now I may speak. I am innocent

╰     cis female , she/her☆𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 …   we’re introduced to ELORA GEDIA , the 25 years old SEAMSTRESS at A DREAM STITCH AWAY from enchanted falls who bears a striking resemblance to DOMINIQUE DEVENPORT. the whispers in the wind tells us of their LOYAL and STUBBORN reputation, that’s why the townsfolk often are reminded of fairy lights strung all over, always finding the silver lining, flower crowns, wishing on every first star you see.  they are often haunted by dreams of a life lived as ELISA ( THE WILD SWANS ) .

Once Upon A Time

There once was a King, whose Queen started many rumours in their kingdom. Many claimed that her beauty and her kindness were unmatched, that goodness seemed to radiate from her. Yet she never spoke a word. Not with the King found her living in a cave, not when they were wed, and not even when she gave birth to their daughter. Not a word came out of her lips.

Then the other rumours started. The ones claiming she was a witch who had the King under her spell. They claimed she danced in graveyards with ghouls all around her, and took nettles and created clothing with it. The rumours became so bad that eventually the King had her arrested, and still she didn't explain what she was doing. She was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Even as she was pulled onto the stand, she still worked on the mysterious clothing. As they tried to pull it from her hands, eleven swans descended and she threw the clothing onto them, turning them into eleven men. Finally, she broke her silence screaming that she was innocent.

As she collapsed into one of the men's arms, they revealed that she was a princess, and their younger sister. Their wicked step-mother had cursed them into being swans by day and human at night. The only way to break the curse was for Elisa to make coats out of nettles for them to wear, but if she spoke during her task then they would all be killed instantly. Before there was even a chance to try and revive her, a new curse washed through.

The present

Elora was still a baby when her mother died and her father remarried. Her step-mother publicly loathed her step-children, and her father barely looked at her as she looked too much like her mother. Despite that, it was a happy childhood, with her brothers filling in the gaps for her. And then she feel pregnant. Her daughter is everything to her, and with a job she loves, she is perfectly content with her life.

She was a quiet girl, but she always tried to be kind no matter what the situation was. Kindness was free, and she was always willing to be an ear for someone who needed to talk.

Dreams

At night, her dreams are full of swans, and stinging nettles. Other nights she dreams of her death