#𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔞𝔨 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔢 - gysella + alara dayne

[morewoe]

closed for @steelfyre // gysella & alara

Gysella,  ever  curious,  had  heard  of  the  heir  of  Starfall,  the  mysteries  surrounding  her  fuel  for  gossip,  even  as  far  as  Casterly  Rock.  She  couldn't  say  she  wasn't  intrigued.  Bastards  were  not  so  uncommon,  but  the  mystery  of  the  father  was  what  inspired  her.  Was  the  worry  concern  for  the  fathers  reputation,  or  the  mothers?  All  this  and  more  rattled  in  Gysella's  mind  as  the  lady  in  question  was  only  feet  away.  There  was  little  chance  of  finding  out  anything  more  noteworthy,  but  the  urge  pushed  her  nonetheless.  "Lady  Alara.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  make  your  acquaintance."

[morewoe]

The  first  retort  that  comes  to  mind  is  that  she  does  not  care.  Not  one  bit.  She  was  loyal  to  herself,  above  all.  After  that,  her  husband,  only  for  the  vows  shared,  but  he  was  not  by  her  side  this  night.  His  family,  only  in  what  they  could  do  for  her,  how  they  could  further  her  own  ambitions.  If  they  had  not  the  sense  to  be  well  guarded  in  a  strangers  home,  then  that  was  their  own  poor  decision,  and  not  one  she  would  be  able  to  defend.  "Better  off  in  removing  the  threat  entirely,  if  you  ask  me.  Each  one  of  these  cowards  dead  is  better  defence  than  anything."  Her  silk  clung  to  her  as  the  blood  dried,  the  blade  in  her  hand  begged  for  more.  "I  assume  the  way  you've  come  from  is  free  from  attackers.  I  won't  waste  my  time  wandering  that  direction."

alara's  brow  furrowed.  her  own  mind couldn't cease thinking of those barricaded in their chambers. unlike a hunt, there was nothing thrilling about an attack that could tear those dear to her away. but casting judgement remained contained; whatever dyanmic consumed the halls of casterly rock was of no interest to her tonight.  ❝  even the sturdiest door is nothing more than wood. they will only remain sealed if they are well guarded. ❞   she'd wandered past many that'd been broken open, bodies fallen in a last, desperate defense - hadn't needed to step inside to know more death lay within.

[morewoe]

"They  certainly  could  have  been  worse."  She  could  have  found  herself  stuck  with  Dalton,  or  one  of  his  siblings.  In  truth,  beyond  that,  there  were  few  she  hated  so  deeply  as  to  not  be  able  to  tolerate  a  single  dance.  "What  of  you,  my  lady?  Anyone  on  that  card  that  you  will  be  avoiding?  Or  have  you  also  been  spared  the  insult  of  forced  proximity."  It  said  more  to  Gysella  who  one  did  not  like,  over  the  company  they  kept.  She  herself  found  herself  sometimes  surrounded  by  faces  with  little  idea  of  the  events  that  had  led  her  there,  but  knew  her  hatred  for  her  home  spoke  eloquently  of  who  she  was  as  a  person.  "Oh,  I  had  not  even  thought  of  that,  what  our  wonderful  hostess  might  think.  Fireworks  in  store  for  us,  surely."  She  looked  across  the  hall  with  a  newfound  fire  in  her  eyes.  "On  the  contrary,  I  think  this  may  be  understated.  I  mean,  how  are  we  supposed  to  know  what  keep  we  reside  in?"  She  pulled  a  flower  from  one  of  the  decorations,  purple  to  match  Dayne's  eyes,  handing  it  over  with  an  almost  demure  smile.

❝  a  good  way to  think  of it. i assume that means you aren't upset about the names on your card? ❞   there'd been one house name she'd scanned for upon hers, offering the gods a rare, silent thank you when it wasn't there. the dornish star chuckled.  ❝  i don't think so. perhaps someone causing a scene over being refused a dance? and if the nobles fail us, the lady tyrell surely won't. i doubt she will sit silently while many ignore her rules. ❞   and alara wouldn't hold much sympathy for most - exceptions made with a biased mind, saint she was not.  ❝  the tyrells are certainly skilled at crafting theirs. albeit a little obvious. ❞   she took a small sip of wine but eyes didn't stray from lady lannister.

[morewoe]

"The  distance  is  a  benefit,  yes."  And  yet  Gysella  was  relishing  in  being  up  close,  able  to  see  the  exact  moment  her  weapon  struck  true.  This  was  not  duty  to  the  Ironborn  but  sport,  she  wandered  halls  less  to  defend  self  and  more  to  reawaken  long  since  dormant  impulses.  "I  assume  the  same.  I  gave  a  cursory  look  as  I  walked  past,  but  did  not  enter."  She  did  not  want  to  be  halted,  should  anyone  have  a  different  idea  of  how  the  night  was  to  develop,  did  not  want  anyone  to  stand  in  her  way.  "People  behind  the  sturdy  doors  are  not  my  concern.  If  they  have  any  sense,  they  will  remain  behind  them."

❝  good.  ❞  heiress  only  lowered  her  own dagger when the other did. old habits memorized by her nerves after countless hours training under the dornish sun.  ❝  when numbers are as great as this mob's, being able to eliminate foes from a distance is a benefit. there's less risk of getting overrun - if one conserves their arrows. ❞   hence the addition of a dagger. quiver was lighter than it'd been when she'd first put it on but a fair amount remained.  ❝  he is. ❞   alara nodded.  ❝  i assume most of your lannister relatives are huddled in their chambers? ❞   words held no malice, only a small hint of amusement.

[morewoe]

"Some  thought  must  have  gone  into  them.  At  the  very  least,  I  am  glad  for  that."  Not  to  be  condemned  to  a  dance  with  someone  she  would  rather  see  trampled  than  have  to  be  in  proximity  with,  at  the  very  least  there  was  no  one  on  her  card  she  despised,  even  if  she  would  rather  pick  her  own  partners  for  the  night.  "I  am  hoping  for  at  least  one  thrown  drink.  Perhaps  a  lover  falling  into  jealous  rage,  too.  Not  too  much  to  ask,  is  it?"  She  gave  a  mischievous  smile,  one  that  mirrored  the  girlhood  she  felt  so  disconnected  from  now,  only  short  flashes  to  be  seen.  "Ah  yes,  image.  And  we  all  know  just  how  important  that  is."  She  idly  twisted  one  of  her  bracelets.  She,  just  like  the  castle,  was  simply  a  projected  image.

a  sparkle  entered dark  hues.  new side of the lioness revealed, and one the dayne embraced with a laugh.  ❝  a welcomed addition to the night, might i add. i wouldn't think it unlikely either when some have likely been condemned to dance with those they'd rather not. ❞   others, like herself, might care not for partner's identity but rather the fact that freedom of choice had been stolen. alara had worked hard to control temper but perhaps another would falter curbing theirs.  ❝  their orchards are plentiful. i would imagine their farms are further out in their lands so as not to alter the image of their castle. ❞

[morewoe]

"I  can  promise  you,  I  have."  She  gives  a  half-hearted  chuckle,  dagger  falling  to  her  side.  Pushing  wild  curls  back  with  one  blood  stained  hand,  she  took  in  the  heir  to  Starfall.  "And  to  think,  you  are  not  the  first  I  have  seen  wander  these  halls  with  an  arrow.  No  judgement,  of  course,  just...  Not  a  weapon  I  expected  to  see  much  of."  And  yet,  she  had  damn  near  been  unarmed,  if  not  for  the  blade  stolen  from  Dalton  an  age  ago.  "I  trust  your  son  is  somewhere  safe."  As  she  trusted  her  Lannister  in-laws  were.  She  knew  better  than  to  hope  the  same  of  her  siblings,  her  cousins,  sure  she  was  more  likely  to  find  them  walking  the  halls  than  heading  to  their  rooms.

huntress'  instinct  acted  before  her  mind consciously registered what was happening. her own dagger rose to meet the other, halting the blade in its tracks. other hand reached toward her quiver - an arrow needn't be loosed from a bow to pierce flesh so long as enough force was applied. the flesh surrounding the stomach or throat was fragile enough. but blind compulsion wasn't her master. full awareness caught up; the face in front of her registered.  ❝  you would be better served turning that dagger on an actual enemy, lady lannister. ❞   alara dropped the unused arrow back into the quiver.

[morewoe]

"Oh,  I  can  only  hope  that  they  do."  She  lowered  her  voice  to  barely  audible  over  the  din  of  the  night.  "The  joust  would  not  be  the  only  violent  entertainment  granted  to  us,  and  I  would  be  thankful  for  it."  She  laughed,  head  tipped  back  slightly,  enough  wine  clouding  judgement  to  make  her  a  little  looser  with  her  usually  tightly  controlled  expressions.  "So  many,  it  is  a  wonder  there  are  any  blooms  still  left  in  the  gardens.  It  does  make  you  wonder,  doesn't  it,  how  much  food  could  be  grown,  if  our  hosts  turned  their  flower  gardens  to  farms.  Summer  cannot  last  forever,  now,  can  it?"

❝  hopefully  the  nobles who  are  fated to dance with her this evening don't step on her toes or cause worse offense then. ❞   however, alara wouldn't really complain if some quarrel broke out. it'd be a better source of entertainment than being shuffled from one dance partner to the next. alara took a sip of wine, expression scrunching slightly at the drink's sweetness.  ❝ they've outdone themselves tonight. how many flowers do you wager are in the room? hundreds? thousands? i'm sure there'd be more if they didn't need to leave room for dancing. ❞

[morewoe]

"She's  been  a  terror  since  she  could  walk,  and  I  say  that  with  the  deepest  affection.  She  lures  men  like  a  siren,  but  she  is,  at  heart,  Iron  born,  and  she  makes  them  pay  the  iron  price."  In  a  way  Gysella  never  could,  she  took  the  world  by  the  throat  and  made  it  listen,  power  obvious,  instead  of  underhanded  like  older  sister  preferred.  It  made  it  easier  to  leave,  in  truth,  knowing  house  name  was  safe  in  El's  hands.  "Well,  that  would  come  as  a  shock  to  most,  I  daresay.  With  how  many  they  seem  to  fit  inside  these  walls,  there's  a  wonder  there's  room  for  anything  else."

a  breath  of laughter  escaped.   ❝  now i must insist that you tell me how she received that moniker. ❞   alara hoped in some corner of the realm a moniker with the same connotations lady harlaw's carried. far better to carry a reputation of ferocity than demureness.  ❝ i hope they do. new blood partaking will keep the others on their toes. a similar motivation might be what prompted the tyrells to alter the festival mood and show there is more to highgarden than flowers. ❞

[morewoe]

"Knowing  my  sister,  I  would  not  bet  against  her  in  any  sport  which  grants  her  a  weapon.  She  did  not  gain  the  moniker  "the  sea  bitch"  for  her  gentle  demeanour."  Gysella  chuckled,  in  a  way  she  only  could  thinking  of  the  short  list  of  people  she  held  genuine  affection  for,  as  twisted  and  strange  as  it  was.  "But  I  know  little  of  some  of  the  other  competitors,  especially  from  Essos.  Who  knows,  they  might  surprise  us  with  their  showing.  It  is  a  wonder  such  a  violent  sport  has  made  its  way  to  otherwise  rather  tame  festivities."

maturity  had  brought restrain  to  her temperament but hadn't eliminated it entirely. the same, burning rage did lurked beneath the surface, able to strike as suddenly as a sandstorm stirred in the desert. the terms agreed to, alara called for a servant and requested they bring one of the wine bottles from the dayne apartments. attention turned back to gysella when they departed.  ❝ has she jousted before? my brother has elected not to participate this time, ❞   a relief if she was honest,  ❝ so i must find someone else to place my bets on. ❞

[morewoe]

"As  is  the  correct  way  of  things."  Unfortunately,  Gysella  found  herself  less  intimidating  when  confined  as  had  she  had  been.  She  could  rage  and  seethe  and  strike  out  with  words,  but  if  door  was  closed  on  her,  there  was  little  she  could  do.  She  had  thought  there  might  be  some  pushback  to  her  desire  to  rejoin  court,  but  instead  it  had  been  encouraged.  "I  think  those  agreeable  terms.  My  own  sister  will  be  competing,  and  I  would  be  a  poor  older  sister  indeed  if  I  did  not  watch  her  win."  Lips  curled  into  a  smile,  as  though  the  outcome  was  already  predetermined.

❝  i  hope  he never  meets  starfall's maester then. i much prefer him being slightly frightened of me. ❞   she'd never been a good patient. illness and injury soured her mood and sparked her impatience.  ❝ but i'm glad you're recovered. ❞   enough death had been granted reign over the realm; all who'd perished, save the fallen beast, undeserved such an early end. alara chuckled and smiled in spite of the morose mood still trying to linger.  ❝ of course. so long as we can enjoy the wine away from the celebrations. i fear i'm only interested in watching the joust. ❞

[morewoe]

"I  will  always  take  advantage  of  other's  oversight.  Fool's  gold  is  called  such  for  a  reason,  a  glittering  distraction."  Gysella  shuffled  her  pieces  slightly,  though  little  changed  from  her  usual  defensive  arrangement.  She  hoarded  pieces,  much  like  the  dragon  on  the  board,  loathe  losing  them  in  risky  plays.  She  paused,  looking  down  at  her  board,  before  giving  it  a  curt  nod,  as  though  the  pieces  required  approval.  "You  likely  have  had  better  things  to  do  in  life  than  play  cyvasse,  my  lady.  I  will  not  hold  such  against  you,  nor  take  it  into  my  opinion."  She  smiled,  resting  chin  on  her  hands.  "A  harmless  game."

❝ that they  do, ❞  alara  hummed,  a sparkle of amusement in dayne's hues before they focused on her side of the board.  ❝ many fail to realize that, though i wouldn't necessarily call it a bad thing. ❞   a hammer could cause damage but they often stood out in the open. quiet daggers could slip in and out, unseen. picking up her pieces, she arranged them after only a moment of thought - a more offensive arrangement, possibilities for defense scattered throughout. quick, action feuled cyvasse games her preference.  ❝ if my former septa were here, she'd say in comparison to me you likely are. ❞   corners of her lips twitched upwards.

[morewoe]

"Much  recovered.  My  maester  is  a...  wilful  man,  and  ensured  I  spent  many  a  day  confined  to  bed.  And  stronger  than  any  knight,  for  he  had  to  listen  to  me,  day  in  and  day  out."  And  happier  still  for  her  travelling  to  Highgarden,  she  bet.  "I  dare  say  you  just  might.  I  have  atrophied,  in  the  months  since  we  last  spoke,  though  I  find  myself  growing  sharper  by  the  minute."  She  had  searched  all  available  information,  and  found  it  lacking  in  what  she  wanted  to  know,  but  that  was  not  a  new  occurrence.  "Does  that  offer  come  with  good  company?"  She  tilts  her  head  to  the  side,  lets  auburn  curls  fall  over  green  silk  with  a  genuine  smirk.  "For  I  have  missed  much."

❝  and  how  is your  health,  lady lannister? ❞   eyes had scanned the list of those lost and wounded in search of dornish names but gysella's had caught her attention. fire didn't care for allegiances - both friend and foe would burn if they were in its path. alara wondered how opinions beyond dorne might have shifted now.  ❝ so i might have a better chance at winning today, ❞   she jested before taking a seat opposite of gysella. hands rested on the table clasped together.  ❝ i wouldn't dare. if you are ever in search of some superior wine, my family brought a few bottles of dornish red with us. i'd be willing to share some. ❞

[morewoe]

"They  have  enough  friends  at  this  moment,  I  dare  say."  Gysella  picked  up  the  dragon,  tapping  a  well  manicured  fingernail  against  the  piece  as  she  inspected  it.  "And  sometimes,  it  is  not  always  the  most  ostentatious  of  pieces  that  are  the  most  important."  She  fixed  the  screen  between  the  two  sides  of  the  board,  starting  to  arrange  her  pieces.  She'd  oft  heard  people  say  that  much  could  be  understood  of  another  person  by  playing  cyvasse.  She  held  no  stock  in  such  ludicrous  thoughts,  but  it  was  as  good  a  way  to  foster  conversation  as  any.  "I  am  no  master  myself,  my  lady."

❝ not interested  in befriending  the  small council? ❞   a single brow arched ever so slightly. given how many she'd saw flocking around the council members alara had anticipated more would be chasing false honor than weren't. hues flickered over to the cyvasse board on the table, pieces ready for the next match but not put in place by the dayne.  ❝ so long as you don't mind an easy game. i've never had the patience for cyvasse. ❞   the game's strategies entered one ear and departed the other whenever tutors ahd tried teaching her them.

[morewoe]

"And  you,  my  lady.  I  am  glad  to  see  familiar  faces  in  this  unfamiliar  place."  She  smiles,  pulls  herself  back  into  the  present,  white  knuckled  and  fighting.  A  slip  she  cannot  allow  herself,  outside  of  the  privacy  of  her  room.  A  chink  in  armour,  an  achilles  heel  she  must  protect  at  all  costs.  She  crinkles  her  eyes  in  a  way  she  knows  makes  smiles  look  more  genuine,  easier  when  company  is  as  pleasant  as  the  heir  of  Starfall.  "I  would  ask  for  a  rematch  of  our  game,  but  I  fear  in  my  current  state  I  would  be  no  opponent  at  all."  She  taps  a  rounded  nail  on  the  table  just  before  the  goblet  with  a  wry  smile.  "I  prefer  Dornish  red  to  the  arbor.  But,  don't  tell  our  hosts."

she  had  watched dragonfire  rain  down around her that night but had escaped unharmed yet occasionally the memories danced in her dreams. a reminder how close the stranger had gotten. neither judgement or pity clouded dayne's eyes as she observed gysella.  ❝ i said it was good to see you again. ❞   alive and seemingly returned to good health. the mind, however, would evidently take longer to heal - made all the more difficult now that they'd been summoned to the new dragon nest. the flowers were beautiful, but alara swore there was knife hanging on a thread above them all.  ❝ the arbor red is terribly sweet, no? i don't know how those of the reach drink so much of it. ❞

[morewoe]

"I find myself... Less than mentally stimulated by present company." Her lip curls briefly, before the mask falls back into place, a gentle boredom, a creature too placid to bite. Not a lie, she felt as though she were in repose, nothing but her and her thoughts to consume her waking moments, dark things those were indeed. To talk to someone with substance to them is a boon. "A game of cyvasse? I am no master, but I have been known to play a good game." And a game would, at the very least, lead to some conversation, and fill her time.

heiress cared  little for  what  those north of dorne thought of her, but pride didn't blind her to the dangers of poking the dragon. her son, currently sleeping peacefully in the dayne apartments, would not be gawked at or used as fuel for whispers. star's maiden sat within reach of the sun's rays, savoring whatever warmth she could find as heart longed for home. eyes rose as unfamilar tone spoke her name. recognition followed yet didn't cause expression to soften or harden.  ❝ lady gysella. what may i do for you? ❞