#𝘽. 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙐𝙏 : dialogue

[patriciers]

belthasar  has been conditioned to  only  be willing  to  make  purchases  under scant few circumstances — when  something  of  his  needs  to  be  replaced  ,  when something is a  matter  of  survival  , and , since jory was born , when it's something his son wants .  it's  a  value  he  hopes  to  pass  down  to  the boy  ,  though  based  on  his  penchant  for  exploring  bustling  marketplaces  ,  that  particular  lesson  doesn't  seem  to  have  sunk  in  just  yet  .  which  he's  fine  to  indulge  for  now  ,  keeping  an  eye  on  jory  at  a  distance  as  usual  to  give  the  illusion  of  independence  —  at  least  until  the  boy  found  something  that  caught  his  eye  .  tucked  into  a  quieter  place  between  stalls  ,  the  lord  commander's  attention  is  momentarily  drawn  by  movement  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye  .  indigo  hues  slide  over  to  @reignrbs  ,  instinctively  stepping  to  the  side  to  make  more  room  for  them  to  ,  presumably  ,  browse  the  wares  .  "  do  let  me  know  if  i  am  still in  your  way  at all .  "  he  says  with  a  nod  and  slight  ,  personable  smile  .  "  i  am  but  a  coin - purse  today  .  "  he  clarifies  after  a  beat  ,  a  hint  of  levity  in  his  tone  ;  despite  his  generally  stony  countenance  ,  it's  a  role  he  accepts  without  complaint  .

[patriciers]

with  few  answers  to  be  found  through  more direct  means  ,  belthasar  had  taken  to  quiet  observation  .  though  it  is  more  difficult  compared  to  his  days  as  a  castle  guard  ,  being  stopped  by  other  northerners  with  questions  throughout  the  day  ,  and  possessing  far  more  responsibility  weighing  down  on  his  shoulders  .  but  the  training  grounds  are  ideal  ;  a  place  where  he  blends  in  better  ,  able  to  survey  with  far  less  distraction  .  which  is  the  reason  that  though  he  had  noticed  the  northern  prince  earlier  ,  he  had  given  him  a  fairly  wide  berth  —  only  approaching  once  addressed  ,  more  or  less  ,  “  it  is  never  out  of  the  realm  of  possibility  .  dexterity  has  its  advantages  ,  ”  he  replies  ,  standing  at  ease  with  his  wrist  resting  on  the  pommel  of  his  sword  .  “  there  may  be  something  to  be  gained  from  understanding  their  technique  anyway .  ”  even  if  the  dornish  guard  had  been  looked  down  upon  in  recent  days  ,  it  could  still be  a  learning  opportunity  .

Unlike the majority of the people of the North, Edric found that he didn't quite mind the heat of the south. Many of the members of the congregation that had traveled with the northern royal family complained about the sun and the sweltering heat, but not Edric. While it was something he wasn't used to, he didn't mind the fact that he could give his shoulders a break from wearing layers of furs. And if he did find himself getting too warm, there was always the water one could jump into to cool down.

Though Edric knew that as much as he might want to, stripping down to nothing but his breeches wasn't the smartest thing to do. Not after so much animosity has been brewing, the treaty between the kingdoms on shaky foundation as lives have been lost on all sides. And while Edric was not King, he had a duty to his family, to his brother, to ensure that House Stark would survive this.

That is why, despite the heat and the sun bearing down upon him, he was still wearing his armor - thick and heavy and hot as it was - as he observed a few of the Dornish men sparring in the training yard.

"I see now why the Dornish fight as they do," he said to no one in particular, noting that the Dornish fought with a swiftness that one couldn't see a lot in the North. "They aren't weighed down by armor like the rest of us, allows them to be quicker..." There was a strategy to be said about it, that was for sure - strike first and strike true - but he wondered what happened if that first strike didn't incapacitate their opponent and their opponent allowed them to strike back.

"I'm curious... do you think they'd be able to strike me down? "

[patriciers]

@wnterreign sent a raven : sender barges into receiver’s home unannounced .

from  the  moment  he  senses  the  door  swinging  open  —  whether  by  sight  or  sound  he  can’t  be  certain  —  belthasar  reaches  for  the  dagger  always  concealed  on  his  person  ,  preparing  to  spring  to  action  if  necessary  .  he  doesn’t  relax  ,  exactly  ,  upon  recognizing  the  figure  in  the  doorway  ,  but  stows  the  knife  away  ,  sculpting  his  expression  back  into  its  usual  steely  ,  calm  mien  .  even if he is curious as to why his nephew has decided to make an appearance , he refuses to allow any of his curiosity show , “  i  thought  you  were  not  speaking  to  me  .  ”  he  says  slowly  (  or  drawls  ,  one  could  say  ,  if  bel  were  petty  enough  for  that  sort  of  thing  )  as  he  returns  his  attention  to  his  reading  materials  .  “  or  was  that  a  condition  of  your  imprisonment  ?  ”

[patriciers]

belthasar  wordlessly  takes  in  the  scene  before  him  ;  to  say  the  image  of  @wnterreign​  imprisoned  after  the  inquisition  hadn’t  crossed  his  mind  would  be  a  lie  .  still  ,  that  did  nothing  to  prevent  the  surge  of  emotion  within  him  when  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  nephew’s  name  on  the  list  of  those  taken  to  the  dungeons  .  any  surface  anger  had  dissipated  by  this  point  ,  though  if  he  could  reach  through  the  bars  and  grab  kieran  by  the  collar  ,  knowing  for  certain  it  would  be  without  consequence  ,  he  would  do  so  .  instead  ,  it  was  lukewarm  displeasure  that  radiates  from  his  inky  blue  hues  ,  an  annoyance  that  he  must  be  here  for  anything  but  official  business  .  only  after  feeling  he  has  sufficiently  stared  the  younger  man  down  does  he  break  the  silence  .  “  …  is  it  truly  so  difficult  ,  to  behave  yourself  for  ten  minutes  ?  ”

[patriciers]

the  click  of  familiar  footsteps  prompts  a  sigh  to  leak  from  belthasar’s  lips  .  anger  and  disappointment  still  simmer  below  the  surface  ,  no  less  reassured  after  seeing  kieran  for  himself  earlier  .  for  that  reason  he  knew  a  conversation  with  @silverflcmes​  would  be  necessary  ,  and  he  had  mulled  over  how  to  approach  it  for  no  insignificant  amount  of  time  ,  between  discussing  what  to  do  moving  forward  with  the  small  council  .  as  he  turns  to  face  his  niece  ,  he  steels  himself  ,  a  greater  endeavor  than  he  likes  to  admit  ,  “  there  is  nothing  i  can  do  .  ”  his  tone  is  firm  ,  leaving  no  room  for  argument  ,  though  he  knows  valeria  of  all  people  might  push  regardless  .

[patriciers]

wandering had always been belthasar's solution whenever sleep evades him . it's a method that not only proves effective most of the time , but doubles as a means to learn a castle's layout . he'd done so at barrow hall , when he'd first been summoned to winterfell , and now at highgarden . his familiarity with the former two is undeniable , but the latter still has an air of mystery to it , leading him to tread previously - explored ground so as not to find himself lost . noting the flickering light from just outside the entrance , he steps in , despite conversation being low on his list of wants at the moment . internally , he releases a sigh of relief ; though he would have preferred to cross paths with a member of the kitchen staff , a fellow council member is hardly excruciating . " that is fine . i seek nothing specific , " he replies . " my curiosity got the better of me . " he elaborates after a beat , nodding to a nearby light source .

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 : open ( @reignrbs )

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : the kitchens

eirelia  had  befriended  the  kitchen  staff  fairly  soon  on  ,  and  found  herself  soon  with  permission  to  use  their  space  so  long  as  she  cleaned  up  after  herself.  it's  why  she  has  no  qualms  slipping  in  after  most  have  gone  to  bed  ,  and  begins  to  brew  her  own  tea  with  herbs  she'd  purchased  from  the  markets.  steps  of  another  draw  the  mistress's  eyes  upward  ,  "  i'm  afraid  the  staff  have  retired  for  the  night  ,  unless  you  are  in  search  of  a  simple  floral  tea.  "  she  didn't  normally  share  ,  but  didn't  wish  to  be  rude  either.

[patriciers]

“    i  fear  i  have  little  to  report  since  we  last  spoke  ,  @gcldenhawk​  .  ”  thus  far  ,  his  communication  with  the  small  council  members  of  the  other  realms  had  been  slow  .  he  suspects  balancing  that  with  bolstering  the  number  of  guards  around  the  northern  royals  likely  didn’t  help  ,  “  at  this  rate  ,  i  may  have  to  open  my  own  investigation  .  ”  he  adds  with  a  grimace  .  while  belthasar  understands  that  the  dornish  council  likely  feels  it  is  their  responsibility  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  what  happened  ,  he  does  wonder  whether  the  lack  of  information  is  because  of  limited  resources  ,  or  the  council  holding  their  cards  close  to  their  chests  .

[patriciers]

"  you  could  at  least  pretend  not  to  enjoy  this  so  much  ,  "  belthasar  says  to  @wnterreign  ,  just  loud  enough  for  the bolton  to  hear  .  but  he  doesn't  really  mean  it  ,  grateful  that  kieran  isn't  acting  out  unnecessarily  .  observing  others  scramble  ,  trying  to  bargain  with  the  troops  that  had  descended  upon  the  ballroom  ,  he  finds  no  amusement  in  the  situation  personally  ,  though  not  out  of  sympathy  .  no  ,  his  concern  focuses  squarely  on  whether  or  not  jory  is  still  where  he  left  him  last  .  as  much  as  belthasar  wishes  he  could  confirm  the  boy's  whereabouts  ,  he  can't  be  certain  whether  he'd  prefer  jory  were  with  him  now  or  not  .  "  you  are  not  superior  for  knowing  something  like  this  would  come  to  pass  ,  "  he  continues  .

[patriciers]

with  all  prisoners  released  from  the  spear  tower  ,  belthasar  is  no  longer  spread  quite  so  thin  .  while  their  freedom  does  (  hopefully  )  signal  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  nobles  accosting  him  with  questions  ,  he’s  most  thankful  for  the  opportunity  to  spend  more  time  with  his  son  ,  rather  than  having  to  leave  him  with  his  tutor  or  septa  .  although  lately  ,  the  boy  had  taken  to  hanging  around  belthasar’s  temporary  office  after  his  lessons  ,  or  trailing  him  about  the  palace  as  the  temperature  begins  to  cool  in  the  afternoon  ,  listlessness  ever-growing  the  longer  he  remains  in  dorne  .  he  ruffles  the  jory’s  hair  as  they  make their way down the hallway  ,  chuckling  as  a  string  of  complaints  falls  from  the  boy’s  lips  .  the  playful  moment  is  short-lived  ,  however  ,  when  @ruinovs  walking  opposite  them  draws  his  eye  .  belthasa  nods  in  acknowledgement  ,  composing himself , gently  placing  a  hand  on  either of jory’s  shoulders  ,  the  boy  adopts  a  similarly  solemn  demeanor  .  or , at least , his best approximation of one , “  excuse  us  .  we  were  on  our  way  to  the  kitchens  .  ”

[patriciers]

"  his  grace  had  his  direwolf  with  him  ,  "  his  tone  is  free  of  any  particular  affect  ,  leaving  no  sign  as  to  whether  he  agreed  with  the  move  or  not  .  and  truthfully  ,  belthasar  can't  say  for  certain  what  he  thinks  ;  as  someone  whose  sole  duty  is  to  ensure  the  king's  safety  ,  however  ,  he  fervently  disapproved  ,  sending  a  retinue  with  him  regardless  .  though  whether  or  not  they  remained  with  the  king  now  ,  belthasar  had  no  control  over  it  .  "  i  am  sorry  ,  lord  tully  ,  but  i  cannot  say  anything  for  certain  .  we  went  our  separate  ways  after  our  last  meeting  .  "  during  which  nothing  pointed  to  a  demonstration  such  as  this  ,  even  if  the  lord  commander  had  thought  it  inevitable  .  "  not  even  the  tyrells  ,  "  he  agrees  .  during  his  cursory  search  of  the  ballroom  for  familiar  faces  ,  before  making  a  (  futile  )  attempt  to  ask  what  was  going  on  himself ,  he'd  heard  a  few  invocations  of  the  ruling  house  of  the  reach  ,  even  from  the  family  itself  . 

closed starter for belthasar stout / @patriciers

a quick walk around the ballroom and brynden does not see any of his siblings, leaving the lord more on edge than he had been. the weight of worries not yet known were already on his mind, now slightly more as he paces. however, his face holds the same stoicism as it usually does, giving no indication of the many swirling thoughts on his mind. the sight of the north's lord commander brings little ease, wishing he might be somewhere his family was. ❝ do you know who might be with the king?, ❞ he asks of their king while approaching, ❝ and the rest of the council? –– they will tell no one anything. ❞

[patriciers]

the  creak  of  the  office  door  breaks  belthasar  from  his  concentration  ,  attention  snapping  to  the  source  .  expecting  jory  and  his  tutor  returning  from  his  lessons  ,  as  part  of  the  routine  bel  had  established  since  they  left  the  north  ,  the  surprise  upon  seeing  @ladiesncght  in  the  boy’s  place  is  a  mere  flash  across  his  countenance  before  his  expression  falls  into  its  default  of  calm  .  hers  is  a  presence  belthasar  is  accustomed  to  after  so many years  residing  in  winterfell  ,  leaving  her  ( and her siblings ) in  a  neutral  area  —  tied  to  the  starks  through  the  late  queen  ,  though  not  necessarily  with  the  northern  royal  family  in  his  rancor  ,  the  tullys  are  a  house  he  must  show  reverence  to  ,  though  not  necessarily  a  false  one  .  meghan  doesn’t  normally  approach  him  ,  instead seeking out her cousins , or the hand , and  so  he  raises  a  brow  , reading materials cast aside .  “  is  there  something  i  may  assist  you  with  ,  lady  tully  ?  ”

[patriciers]

belthasar’s  job  ,  on  paper  ,  is  to  defend  the  sovereign  of the  north  —  yet  the  two  kings  he  had  served  thus  far insisted  on  his  protection  extending  to  their  entire  house  . it’s  a  duty  he  would  never  outwardly  protest  against  ,  as being  abrasive  to  the  king  has  never  been  part  of  his  plans ,  though  it  does  mean  checking  on  his  charges  takes  much longer  ,  even  more  so  with  how  events  continue  to  unfold  in sunspear  .  alexia  is  last  on  his  list  ,  if  only  because  she  has  a  guard  of  her  own  ,  one  who  has  shown  himself  to  be capable  in  his  responsibilities  .  he  knocks  on  the  door  to her  chambers  to  alert  her  of  his  presence  first  ,  waiting  in  the  doorway  .  he  can  make  no  assumptions  ,  especially  when there  were  rumblings  about  a  shift  in  the  princess’  mood  as of  late  ,  “  @stxrfclls​  ,  ”  the  lord  commander  begins  in  a  gentle  tone  .  “  i  heard  you  have  thought  about  starting  some  training  .  ”

[patriciers]

belthasar  hadn’t  been  in  or  around  his  offices  as  he  should  ,  partially  because  he  had  been  constantly  on  the  move  (  especially  recently  )  ,  but  also  because  of  the  temperature  —  he  knows  the  desert  climate  doesn’t  suit  him  ,  nor  would  it  ever  ,  no  matter  how  long  he  must  remain  .  his  temporary  offices  also  seem  the  only  room  that  would  not  cool  down  ,  keeping  the  door  open  and  allowing  the  breeze  to  circulate  through  the  room  the  only  strategy  to  make  time  spent  there  bearable  .  the  price  of  that  relative  comfort  is  that  the  open  door  seems  to  also  be  seen  as  an  invitation  ;  people  file  in  and  out  ,  for  various  reasons  ,  much  more  frequently  than  he  is  accustomed  to  as  he  looks  over  letters  and  reports  .  a  noise  in  the  entryway’s  general  direction  draws  his  attention  ,  gaze  trailing  over  for  what  feels  like  the  hundredth  time  ,  “  lady  ryswell  .  ”  he  greets  @vencmovs​  upon  recognizing  her  ,  following  with  a  nod  of  acknowledgement  .  “  is  there  something  i  can  do  to  assist  you  ?  ”  he  continues  after  a  beat  ,  question  posed  out  of  courtesy  rather  than  genuine  interest  .

[patriciers]

"  it  is  marginally  easier  ,  once  they  are  able  to  communicate  their  wishes  .  "  though  any  authority  he  has  on  the  subject  is  because  of  jory  and  jory  alone  .  his  interactions  with  his  nieces  and  nephews  lives  ,  even  to  this  day  ,  is  limited  ,  a  fact  even  more  veracious  when  they  had  been  his  son's  age  .  "  she  may  be  so  outspoken  that  there  will  be  no  room  for  uncertainty  ,  "  belthasar  suggests  ,  with  a  similarly  light  tone  ,  though  it's  impossible  to  say  if  his  suggestion  is  good  or  bad  from  the  lord's  perspective  .  even  with  the  karstarks  having  a  presence  in  winterfell  at  one  point  ,  the  lord  commander  can't  say  he  knows  anyone  from  the  family  well  . 

rickard offers a thoughtful nod in return , grateful for the validation that belthasar's fatherly perspective gives his own . navigating fatherhood for what should be the second time , but was only the first , rickard finds himself questioning his every thought . was it truly just behaviour typical of a babe , or was he somehow interacting with maika in a way that wasn't to her interests ? " i have a sneaking suspicion that shopping will always remain difficult , regardless of her age . " his tone is joking , though the worry is real . " i hope you're right , lord commander . " rickard rakes his eyes over the goods on offer , all whilst thinking that he would rather not spend further hours perusing the wares of the reach .

[patriciers]

even  on  vastly  different  ground  ,  belthasar  still  recognizes  the  sound  of  @silverflcmes'  footsteps  behind  him  ,  as  soon  as  they  register  .  but  he  remains  kneeled  before  the  heart  tree  ,  eyes  closed  ,  refusing  to  acknowledge  her  until  he  finishes  his  prayer  to  the  gods  .  "  it  is  not  the  same  .  "  he  finally  announces  ,  lifting  his  head  from  its  bowed  position  ,  gaze  drifting  to  his  side  to  look  at  her  .  in  spite  of  his  complaint  ,  he  still  appreciates  the  heart  tree's  presence  in  highgarden  ,  for  it  is  a  reminder  of  his  kingdom  ,  even  if  it  is  in  an  immensely different  form  . 

[patriciers]

ever  vigilant  ,  he  is  quick  to  catch  the  sound  of  footsteps  approaching  him  before  the  stark  apartments  ,  as  well  as  the  person  those  footsteps  belong  to  —  though  he  is  more  familiar  with  another  member  of  her  house  ,  “  if  you  are  looking  for  the  lord  hand  ,  @vencmovs​  ,  i  have  not  seen  him  since  this  morning  .  ”  an  assumption  ,  on  his  part  .  leonna  ryswell  had  always  been  marginally  of  interest  to  him  .  the  hand  of  the  king  seemed  to  have  every  confidence  in  her  ability  to  rule  the  rills  in  his  stead  ,  but  belthasar  had  seen  little  that  suggested  he  would  agree  ;  the  lady  is  far  too  carefree  and  naïve  ,  in  his  eyes  .  but  ,  of  course  ,  he  would  never  say  that  aloud  .  “  i  hope  you  and  your  family  are  well  ,  my  lady  .  ”