#Catelyn's chapters are the best upon a second read

[256colorstoo]

I'm rereading(listening) to the song of ice and fire series again. And Catelyn's chapters really are some of the best grief content I've ever seen. Just finished the red wedding chapter and what a heartbreak of a scene for her. Like wow is so much of her character chapters are about exploring grief and how it is triggered by everything everywhere. Still some great writing and I'm glad I picked up this series again after like 10 years of not reading it.

Pain below and TW for grief and murder and anything Game of thrones should be known for

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"It hurts so much, she thought. Our children, Ned, all our sweet babes. Rickon, Bran, Arya, Sansa, Robb… Robb… please, Ned, please, make it stop, make it stop hurting…"

And my personal favorite (that hurt when I first read it and was struck with the same pain hearing it again)

"-a hand grabbed her scalp just as she’d done with Jinglebell, and she thought, No, don’t, don’t cut my hair, Ned loves my hair. Then the steel was at her throat, and its bite was red and cold."

[shining-m00nlight]

Brothers Pride

This is chapter Two of "It's tragedy that binds us". Ned thinks about how Brandon reacted to their father telling them that Ned would marry Catelyn. It's my dear Theas birthday and this is her gift!! Happy Birthday @ladycatofwinterfell !!!

Here is a link if you want to read the first chapter too.

"Brother!!!" Brandon Stark's voice boomed over the drawbridge of Riverrun. Obviously not caring for etiquette or courtesy, he crashed into Ned to

force him into a hug. Not having expected such an enthusiastic greeting from his brother Ned stumbled back, pulling Brandon with him. The pair of brothers had to try really hard to stay up right and not fall onto the ground in front of the whole staff of Riverrun and the small host of people the Starks had brought with them. If Ned was a person who would easily blush, he was sure he would have.

His brother's hug had surprised him a lot. He was sure Brandon would still be angry with him. He had been when their father had announced that Ned would marry Catleyn Tully instead of Brandon. 

--------------------------Flashback--------------------------

"What? No way am I allowing this!" Brandon yelled at their father after Rickard finished explaining to his sons what he and the new Lady Tully had agreed upon. 

"You will not have to allow anything! As I am your father and the Lord of Winterfell and as such I do not seek your approval but I am informing you about a decision I have made and you two will abide by. And you will do so in a manner fitting to

your station without bringing shame to the family

by yelling about a castel we are guests in!"

Brandon did not seem as if he wanted to heed

their fathers words.

"Well apparently Ned will not be a guest here for long. Rather he will be the Lady of this castel, spreading his legs to bear little trouts for the Riverlands." 

At that Rickard  Stark struck his son in the face. 

"You will not speak such crudness to me boy! You might think you're a man grown but don't you dare forget who I am and who we are! You will not speak about your family in this manner ever again! Not in front of me and not in front of anyone else. Am I understood?" 

Brandon still frowned at their father but nodded.

"This alliance is important for this family! I will not lose it because of your childish temperament or your hurt ego. Lady Tully's brother is dead, her sister not fit to be the Lady of Winterfell so Ned marrying her and staying at Riverrun is how we keep this ally!"

Rickard Stark ended his speech, looking more at Brandon, then at Ned. Brandon looked back at their father, pouting. The slap his father gave him obviously having bruised his ego more than his body. While it was clear he still wasn't agreeing with his father, he apparently had decided it was better to keep his thoughts to himself. Something that truly only their fathers authority could accomplish, Ned thought to himself. 

The Lord of Winterfell now turned to his second son. 

"You, Ned! You will marry the Tully girl and represent our house with pride here in the south! I know you haven't expected any of this but I am confident that you will be fine and make me proud son." 

Ned nodded: 

"I will do my best, father. I will marry Lady Tully as you command." 

"Good! I knew that I could trust you to do the right thing for our house. Lady Tully will be a good wife to you. I am sure of it. She is smart and capable. I l am almost disappointed that she won't be Brandon's wife but she does live by her house's words. "Family, Duty, Honor" and to her it's her duty to stay in Riverrun and to her it's what's best for her family. Which I have to agree with. 

You might not know much about your future bride, son but you know that she will be a good mother to your children and the rest you will learn in time" 

Ned nodded again. If he was being honest he hadn't really thought about his future wife all too much since his father told them the news an hour ago. He had been too distracted by Brandon glaring at him, as if he was personally responsible for the deaths of Edmure and Hoster Tully. 

All of Ned's thoughts were concentrated on Brandon and on trying to figure out what he would do l or say when their father wasn't with them anymore and how he should react. 

Ned was fairly certain that Brandon was not in love with the Lady Tully. The times Brandon and Ned had seen eachother in the years since Brandon and Catelyns betrothal Ned had never heard Brandon to declare deep love and devotion to the young maiden. He had talked about her beauty, that was for sure but he never talked of deeper, more meaningful things. 

On the contrary Brandon's words had often gotten more crude the more he drank and his descriptions became less and less fitting to be used for a lady of a great house. But of course Ned couldn't be completely certain, maybe l Brandon did love her. Which would mean that he would hate Ned forever. 

Ned was just about to direct his thoughts more towards the young women who would be his wife within the next few days when his father spoke again.

"I think everything has been said for now. I shall retire for the night. Tomorrow we will finalize the plans and the agreement and then everything will hopefully go on smoothly till we depart for Winterfell again. I expect of you to behave properly and go to your assigned chambers soon as well. And please remember that Riverrun and especially the Tully family is still grieving a great loss! So act accordingly. Good night boys" 

This time Rickard Stark didn't wait for the reactions of his sons but turned around immediately and left the study the Tullys had provided them with. 

Ned wanted to follow hoping he could give his brother some time and space to calm his nerves but Brandon had a different idea. When Ned tried to step out of the study the older Stark grabbed his arm and pulled him back in. 

"You can't honestly agree to this" 

He wasn't yelling. it was more of a growl. At least he was aware enough that their father was still so close that he would come running back should the shouts of his oldest reach his ear. Probably not hesitating to correct his behavior again in a less than gentle way. Ned tried to stay calm. 

"It is what father decided. There is nothing for me to agree or disagree with Brandon. Father and the Lady Tully made a decision and we must abide by it." 

Brandon grunted:

"The "Lady Tully" ,he said, his voice dripping with condensation, "the day before we arrived she was still Lady Catelyn or even the Tully girl and now she suddenly is "Lady Tully"

"Because she is Brandon. Because her father and her brother died! Or have you forgotten?" 

The look of guilt flashed over Brandons face but it only stayed for half a second then it turned back to spitefulness.

"Oh come on Neddy you can't tell me your honestly ok with Her and father deciding over your future without even consulting you!" 

It certainly wasn't Neds' favorite thing in the world, knowing that once again other people had made a decision affecting his life forever without as much as a word of warning. But he had the feeling Brandon meant that he would have a specific problem with the word "her" in his sentence which Ned couldn't confirm to him. 

Ned did not see what difference it would have made if instead of Lady Tully, one of fathers bannerman would have been the other party not consulting him on his future or wishes for it. The difference would have been his fathers words after making an agreement but the thing Ned would have liked to have been different, his involvement in the negotiations, wouldn't have changed. 

Not that Ned was ungrateful or didn't understand

his fathers decision. It was a good way to keep the alliance despite the tragedy that had occurred. He also wouldn't dare to complain about being married to the beautiful Lady of a great House but for once it would have been nice to at least been asked if he was fine and not just told he would be. 

He could not voice these thoughts to his hod headed brother though. Duty might have been one of the Tully words but Ned also understood its meaning.

"Again it is not my place to question father and it is my duty to marry for our house and listen to fathers commands." 

The small hope that those words would end their conversation died immediately when Brandon, now a bit closer to yelling and Ned's face, spit out. 

"Your duty is to fuck my girl then huh?!" 

Ned was uncertain what he could answer his brother and tried to think of a response. However Brandon didn't even give him the time to say one word before continuing to get in Ned face to complain some more. 

"It is your duty to get what I have been waiting for, l for so long? Oh I'm sure it was hard for you to take on such hard duty, getting to live a nice life here in the south with nothing to do as you have a wife that will be responsible for everything important in the castle and in the Riverlands. Being able to just relax and enjoy your life must have been such a hard thing to have to agree to."

Brandon didn't seem to see the irony in first accusing Ned in hiding his displeasure at the situation and changing it to accusing him of eagerly wanting it. He just continued ranting. Had Ned paid closer attention to his brother's face he might have noticed the change from anger to something a bit more calculated.

"Though now that I think about it little brother it might become a difficult duty to accomplish for you as I believe pleasing your Lady shall be part of it. From seeing how you interact with the fairer sex I am sure she will be disappointed outside but especially inside the bedroom. Considering she will compare you to me!" 

Ned stood there in silent shocked at his brother's words. Brandon had apparently decided that his words would end their talk as walked out of the room leaving Ned behind. 

Ned still tried to comprehend his brother's words. Did his brother just confess to taking Lady Tully's maidenhead? Surely he couldn't have been this stupid. If their father or worse, Hoster Tully would have found out, they would have had Brandons head. How could his brother have been so reckless?! 

Ned's head began to pain him the more he thought about not just Brandon's words but every word spoken in the last two hours. Slowly Ned's head started to swim and his thoughts overlapped and got out of control. 

In his probably last coherent thought of the day Ned decided it would be best for him to go to bed and deal with everything tomorrow as his father had said before. The next morning he hadn't been quite sure how he had found his chamber but he had been glad he did.

-----‐--‐------------------Flashback End-----------------------

After that day he and Brandon had barely talked. All of their interactions had been short and in the presents of others. The few exceptions were when Brandon would whisper crude japes in Ned's ear, most insinuating that Ned is displeasing to all women by simply standing near them.

Therefor Ned was understandably confused to be

greeted by his brother this way and so he only cautiously hugged him back to welcome him.

"Welcome to Riverrun, brother" 

Ned said as their hug entangled. Then he turned to his father. Though curious to find out what had changed his brother's attitude this drastically, surely time couldn't be the only factor, he could not forget to greet his family properly as was expected of him. He didn't want his wife to think he would scorn duty in the face of family and forget that he represented Riverrun when greeting guests. 

His wife, who had still been standing right next to him when Brandon had crashed into him, was already greeting Rickard Stark. The rest of his siblings standing right beside them. 

On her face a true smile that made her eyes sparkle and could only mean she was already reporting to them how little Robb was faring. Fitting to her eyes, her hair was shining thanks to the sun. 

She was a true beauty, his wife. Brandon had not exaggerated when speaking about it. But Ned had also come to learn that there was so much more about his wife. Things that Brandon either didn't know or didn't think were important enough to tell Ned about. 

Before Ned could further dwell on his wifes many qualities another of his siblings yelled his name and ran into his arms.

[elegantwoes]

Just read Ned's second chapter.

"Robert set the pace, driving his huge black destrier hard as Ned galloped along beside him, trying to keep up. He called out a question as they rode, but the wind blew his words away, and the king did not hear him."

This probably means nothing but to me it feels like this quote sets the tone for what's to come for Ned in this book. He either advises or asks something of Robert, but Robert disregards what he says and does whatever the hell he wants.

Ned did not feign surprise; Robert’s hatred of the Targaryens was a madness in him. He remembered the angry words they had exchanged when Tywin Lannister had presented Robert with the corpses of Rhaegar’s wife and children as a token of fealty. Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war. When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, “I see no babes. Only dragon spawn.”

Robert shows what a shitty person he is. God I hate him.  (* ￣︿￣)

It was said that Rhaegar’s little girl had cried as they dragged her from beneath her bed to face the swords. The boy had been no more than a babe in arms, yet Lord Tywin’s soldiers had torn him from his mother’s breast and dashed his head against a wall.

No matter how many times I read this part, it still hurts me so much. (┬┬﹏┬┬)

There are still those in the Seven Kingdoms who call me Usurper. Do you forget how many houses fought for Targaryen in the war? They bide their time for now, but give them half a chance, they will murder me in my bed, and my sons with me. If the beggar king crosses with a Dothraki horde at his back, the traitors will join him.”

We all know that Viserys will never achieve this, but Aegon (gaining the support of the houses who fought for the Targaryens in Robert's Rebellion) and Dany (getting a huge army of Dothraki to cross the narrow sea) will succeed where he failed.

For a moment Robert had the grace to look startled. Just as quickly, the look became annoyance. “What if I have?” “It’s Jaime Lannister, is it not?”

Perhaps the choice is so obvious, but nevertheless I am still impressed that Ned correctly guessed who Robert wanted to pick for the title Warden of the East.

“I was still mounted. I rode the length of the hall in silence, between the long rows of dragon skulls. It felt as though they were watching me, somehow. I stopped in front of the throne, looking up at him. His golden sword was across his legs, its edge red with a king’s blood. My men were filling the room behind me. Lannister’s men drew back. I never said a word. I looked at him seated there on the throne, and I waited. At last Jaime laughed and got up. He took off his helm, and he said to me, ‘Have no fear, Stark. I was only keeping it warm for our friend Robert. It’s not a very comfortable seat, I’m afraid.’”

Let's be honest here. This moment is funny. \^o^/

“Seven hells, someone had to kill Aerys!” Robert said, reining his mount to a sudden halt beside an ancient barrow. “If Jaime hadn’t done it, it would have been left for you or me.” 

“We were not Sworn Brothers of the Kingsguard,” Ned said.

Yet at the same time I get where Ned is coming from. While Jaime did the right thing by killing Aerys, he did, in a way, tarnish the name of the King's Guard. Ned probably thinks that Jaime loosened the moral code that a knight is supposed to follow. 

@branwendaughterofllyr thinks that Jaime's action might embolden other knights to do the same. Now there's always going to be the possibility of the King's Guard killing the king. Now, conceivably, any knight could take it upon himself to kill the liege lord he disagrees with. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, but it totally messes up the whole feudal contract, which is what their government/society is built on. And I fully agree with her. However, at the same time, the best way to curb future incidents like that from happening again there needs to be a complete overhaul of the Westerosi system (like restricting the power of monarchs and aristocrats to a certain extent) because for now Ned's argument only works in theory not in practicality.

Robert would do what he pleased, as he always had, and nothing Ned could say or do would change that. He belonged in Winterfell. He belonged with Catelyn in her grief, and with Bran.

Damn.. This line is making me so emotional. .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·. 

A man could not always be where he belonged, though. Resigned, Eddard Stark put his boots into his horse and set off after the king.

Ned's weariness in this scene is so relatable.

[dreamofasupernaturalchamber]

Dabb's Dream of a Red Chamber: Death's Library (Bo Ming Si) and Dean as Qin Keqing

I've seen a lot of SPN meta on this website, and in typical fashion, I'm YEARS late to the game. But I think there are some things that can only be understood in retrospect, and SPN's structure is one of them. What I'm trying to say is this: when Dabb took over, he turned Supernatural, a Western show about saving people and hunting things, into Dream of a Red Mansion, a Chinese literary classic about inter and intra family conflicts, class conflicts, political conflicts, and above all-- women.

Yes, I know how absurd this sounds. Why on earth would Dabb do that? My guess: because there is no surpassing Dream of a Red Chamber when it comes to metafiction-- the answer to the question "why metafiction?" will probably devolve into speculation about the network, so I won't get into it now.

What really tipped me off was that scene in 13x05, where Dean tries to commit suicide, but ends up Death's library instead. Some necessary background info: there is a scene in the first few chapters of Dream of the Red Chambers where Baoyu takes a nap in Qin Keqing's room (which is scandalous in its own right) and is transported to Taixu Huanjing, a dream world of goddesses in another dimension. The English translation? Taixu = The Void (note how this corresponds to the Empty, which makes its first appearance in 13x04), Huanjing = Dream World. Baoyu comes upon Jinghuan Xianzi, the goddess in charge of this world, who then takes him into a library called Bo Ming Si-- the Office of Unlucky Women-- and shows him books containing the fates of all the women in his family.

Does this sound familiar? Because it should. Here's a screenshot of Bo Ming Si from the 2010 adaptation:

A screenshot of Jinghuan Xianzi leading Baoyu through Bo Ming SI:

A screenshot of how the books are kept:

Now let's take a look at Death's library (pics from Superwiki):

Look at how the books are stacked in both shows. The reason they're stacked horizontally in Dream of a Red Chamber is that Chinese books tend to be very soft. The reason they're stacked horizontally in SPN is???

But that's just a coincidence, you might say. But Dabb doesn't just stop there. He borrows symbols, motifs, character relationships, family conflicts, and more from Dream of a Red Chamber-- he even borrows the structure. I'll talk about the structure and the motifs in another post-- today I'm here to talk about Dean.

Readers familiar with Dream of a Red Chamber might ask at this point-- is Dean Baoyu? No. (I'll talk about Cas, Jack, and Baoyu in a separate post.) So who is Dean?

Billie tells Dean that "every notebook on this particular shelf tells a version of how [he] die[s]." Let's see what Jinghuan Xianzi tells Baoyu-- he's shown three volumes titled "The Twelve Beauties of Jinling." The main volume records the ladies of his household, the second volume records the concubines, and the last volume records the maids.

Dean gets multiple notebooks because he's a combination of multiple characters from the first volume-- he starts off as Qin Keqing, who has multiple identities in the book, despite dying within the first thirteen chapters. Who is Qin Keqing? She is:

- the younger sister of Jinghuan Xianzi.

- the one who teaches Baoyu the matters of love in the dream world. She is his sexual awakening, and even though she doesn't do anything more scandalous than let Baoyu sleep on her bed in the human world, her brother is Baoyu's introduction to gay sex.

- the wife of the first and only son of the legal wife of the older branch of the Jia family. In other words, she's the wife of the future head of the household.

- there are theories that she may be the daughter of a prince who lost power, but I doubt those count for much here.

- she "dies from illness" but according to the "The Twelve Beauties of Jinling," she hangs herself after everyone learns that her father-in-law raped her.

- her death signals the beginning of the end of the four major families; her funeral is far too lavish, as is her coffin (it's made from wood that was originally reserved for a prince's funeral), and it's hinted that this is the beginning of the end of the Jia family, because they've reached above their station.

Now let's see how this matches up with Dean. We know that he:

- has played the reaper and has a special connection with Death.

- teaches Jack about romantic love in 14x06.

- is the head of the household.

- is possessed by Michael at the end of S13, an experience that's coded as rape, and is suicidal for most of S14 as a result. He then brings back a special coffin, which later causes Jack to lose control, which marks the beginning of the end for the Winchesters. Of course, the coffin scene references other media too. Angel comes to mind.

Now let's talk about Qin Keqing's best friend, Wang Xifeng. I'm not implying that Dean is anything like Wang Xifeng (although a case can be made that her panci might have influenced Dean and Cas's storyline, but that's a separate post). I bring up Wang Xifeng purely because I want to compare Dean to Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng's aunt and Baoyu's mother. If you're a Dean stan who's read Dream of the Red Chambers, you're probably livid right now. But think of it this way-- Lady Wang is a victim of patriarchal feudalism, and while Dean isn't a woman living under this sort of oppression, Dabb alludes to a similar power structure, and there's a reason why there are so many posts comparing Dean to the Eldest Daughter.

Late season SPN is where Dabb explores female-centric themes in a male centric show. Yes, I find this absurd too, but that's the choice he made. It's why Amara exists. It's why he brought back Mary. It's why S12-15 is extremely domestic. And it's why he covers a range of female experiences through Dean.

Let me go back to Qin Keqing. If she hadn't died, she would have been in charge of running the household, and she would have done an excellent job. But would she have been happy?

No.

The only other woman who matches Qin Keqing's talents is Wang Xifeng, and she dies relatively young. If she'd lived-- would she have turned into her aunt? Lady Wang is described as "wooden," but we know from Grandma Liu that before she married into the Jia family, she had a fiery personality, just like Wang Xifeng. Marriage turned her bitter. Indeed, Baoyu remarked that marriage turned women from pearls into dead fish eyes. And even though Dean isn't married, the role he plays in his family and his conflicts with Cas (and his resulting dislike of Jack) are very similar to the problems the legal wife of a wealthy man in ancient China would face. Or rather-- they're very similar to the problems the wife of a wealthy man/noblesman in a patriarchal feudalistic society would face. He probably would have identified with Catelyn Stark in GOT.

I'll probably write another post exploring how Red Chamber influenced the intra family conflicts in SPN, but before I do that, I want to talk about one more thing: Qin Keqing's nickname is Jian Mei, which means Both Beauties; she's considered to share both Daiyu and Baochai's beauty. Am I saying that there are shades of both Daiyu and Baochai in Dean's late season characterization? Yes. Dabb leans toward Daiyu = Dean and Baochai = Sam, although he plays with Baochai = Eileen too. Let me give you the shorthand for what these women stand for.

Daiyu = rebellious, bucks societal conventions, dies from a broken heart when Baoyu is tricked into marrying Baochai.

Baochai = obedient, adheres to societal conventions and thus the patriarchy, marries Baoyu but is then cast away because Baoyu decides to become a monk.

Tomorrow, I'll go into greater detail on how Baoyu, Daiyu, and Baochai appear through Cas, Dean, Sam, Jack, and Eileen, and how these choices tie into the finale.

[fallatyourfeet]

A Northern Light - Part 15

Summary: A multi-chapter GoT x Reader series.

Robb and (YN) make an important decision about their role in the war. And the whole Stark Army arrive at ‘The Twins, looking forward to the wedding of Lord Edmure Tully, giving them the chance for some much-needed respite.

Series Warning: the series will roughly follow the TV storyline, so it will not all be happy endings for Robb and the reader.  The reader may or may not be paired with another character, further down the line.

Word Count: 5433 This one’s a bit longer than most. (Of all chapters I had to drag out, it had to be this one, I’m sorry guys)

A/N: Okay, so the time has arrived for the dreaded Red Wedding, for all you Robb Stark faithful’s I completely understand if you want to walk away today and never return, you have my blessing. If you choose to read on, I’m sorry.

Chapter Warnings: So this is very angsty, descriptions of violence, death of a character (or two), emotional pain, grief. Its basically got the lot. Please read with caution.

You can find the other parts to this series, via the Masterlist in my bio

Tags are open

Hope you enjoy and please, feel free to drop me a message, feedback is always welcomed and encouraged.

Just as everyone had expected the Karstarks up and left the moment Robb took their Lord’s head and just as his wife predicted they left with all their vassal houses in tow, leaving the already outnumbered Stark army even further depleted. After some lengthy discussions with his remaining lords, Robb decided his best option was to gather a few more soldiers via brokering a new deal with the Frey’s, they were the only family who supported them that had a good number of fighting men left. And with Lord Frey growing dissatisfied with the current betrothal arrangements between House Stark and his own, Robb knew they ran the risk of losing the Frey soldiers that already currently fought for them. Lord Frey was known as a fickle man at best and if he deemed their current betrothal arrangements unsatisfactory then he was quite likely to switch sides and support the Lannisters instead. So after a meeting with Lord Frey’s grandson, Black Walder and corresponding messages between the two houses, a new arrangement was finally agreed upon. Just as planned, Robb and (YN)’s first born son and daughter would each marry a Frey of their choosing, but with the whereabouts of both Ayra and Rickon unknown, it was decided that Catelyn's brother, Lord Edmure of Riverrun, would marry one of Lord Frey’s daughters within the fortnight. Edmure had not been pleased by the arrangement at all, but after some not so subtle persuasion from ‘the Blackfish,’ he kindly agreed to do his part for the good of his family and the war. And with the new influx of fresh soldiers, Robb would be able to continue his fight against the crown, the first plan of attack being to hit the Lannister’s ancestral home, Casterly Rock. (YN) was rather disappointed by the decision hoping he would choose to return to Winterfell instead, where he could defend his home and the North, believing the Lannisters would pursue them to serve justice for defying the crown and to bring the North back within the fold of the seven kingdoms.

Normally, it wasn’t a long trip from Riverrun to the Twins, but the weather was horrendous, making the travel slow and rather unbearable. The roads were nothing but churned up clay, so soft and wet that the poor horse's hooves would sink to their ankles, leaving them weak and exhausted by the middle of the first day. And the wind blew so hard that the rain came in sideways, soaking every one through, making it virtually impossible to keep their eyes open. By the middle of the second day, they soon realised that the roads were so bad they would not arrive in time and so they sent Lord Frey a raven to inform him, knowing it would quite happily give him something else to complain about, yet there was nothing they could do. Thankfully, the day before they were due to arrive saw the wind settle and the rain cease completely, even the sun had decided to reappear and show it’s long forgotten face, bringing a lighter mood amongst the whole Stark party. Even though they were yet to lose a battle, they were still not winning the war and after months of nothing but bad news and setbacks, the men were looking forward to the wedding, giving them some much-needed respite, an opportunity to celebrate and a chance to forget about the war, if only for a few days.

When they stopped the garrison to rest for lunch, Robb and his queen took the opportunity to spend some time alone, knowing they would not see much time together once they arrived at the Twins. With a pile of furs on the ground and the guards out of earshot and view, they sat soaking up what little sun they could. Beside them ran a beautiful stream, filled to the brim and flowing quite fast after all the rainfall. The sound reminding (YN) of home, when the sun would finally shine upon the frozen streams and the snow from the surrounding mountain tops would melt and trickle down into the waterways so quickly that the banks would overflow. Sitting there, (YN) nuzzled her back into Robb’s chest with his knees cradling her sides and closed her eyes. Humming with contentment she could almost imagine herself back home at Mountainbreak sharing her childhood home with him. At her contented hum, Robb kissed the top of her head and squeezed his strong arms around her a little tighter, “You sound happy, my love.”

Resting her head on his shoulder, she found his lips trailing along her neck as she unconsciously leaned into the contact, “Mmmmm, I am. If I close my eyes the running water reminds me of home when the snow finally thaws and runs into the melting streams.” Reaching behind, she entangled her fingertips gently amongst the curls at the nape of his neck, “I’m imagining that I’m there with you, showing you all my favourite places.”

Leaning his chin upon her shoulder, he hummed into her ear, “I’d love to see where you grew up, maybe when all this is done you can take me.”

Turning her head towards him she reached up to invite his lips to hers, giving him a little kiss, her (EC) eyes sparkling. “Really?”

Robb gave a nod, his features full of endearment, “Of course. It sounds like such a beautiful place.” Then suddenly feeling a little playful he added with a cheeky grin, “The only problem is I’ve heard the young lady there... What’s her name?... Um... oh... I remember it’s Lady (YN), I’ve heard she’s the worst kind of person. Very nasty and unwelcoming and absolutely hideous to look at.”

Turning around between his knees, (YN)’s expression was playfully crushed, but she couldn’t hold back her giggle as she pushed him back on to the furs. Straddling herself across his hips she held his hands beside his head and spoke in a nonchalant tone, “Well, you needn’t worry, I doubt she would bother with the likes of you anyway.” Then leaning over the top of him, she bit the corner of her bottom lip and reached down hovering her lips above his, teasingly pulling away every time he reached up for a kiss. Slowly she grazed her lips along his jawline, coming to a stop at his ear, giving his lobe a little nibble before whispering seductively, “I’ve heard she’s quite beautiful... stunning actually... and especially generous and giving with the one she loves.” Then nibbling on his ear again, she took delight in the needy murmur that escaped his lips as she sat back up and ran her fingertips down the front of his tunic, conveniently stopping just a couple inches below his belly button. Robb looked up at her, his expression full of rapture, his hands wrapped firmly around her thighs, as she tilted her head to the side, losing all of her flirtatious manner. Raising her eyebrows, she dropped her hands to her sides and shook her head with playful pity, speaking once again in a nonchalant voice, “But I guess you’ll never know... it’s a shame really... because you’re not her type at all.”

Making a pitiful effort to escape his grip, Robb had her on the furs beneath him with one quick move, soaking up every second of her breathless laughter as she squirmed beneath him. With adoring eyes he placed a gentle hand to her cheek, feeling her body relax beneath him, her expression mirroring his, “God’s you really are stunning.” Leaning down he kissed her forehead, then her cheeks and nose before settling upon her lips. The kiss was deep and passionate, filled with so much devotion and love, that Robb could feel his wife's cheeks heat up under his fingertips. Stopping for air, he pulled back a little and gazed warmly into her eyes, realising there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. To him, she was perfect and she deserved the world... the stars, the sun, the moon... everything. Reaching down once more, he gave her another kiss before lying on his stomach beside her, his arm resting softly on her chest as his fingertips traced around the pendants at her collarbone. All the while, his mind ticking over with thought. Perhaps she was right, maybe they should go back to Winterfell, rebuild their home and defend the North from there. This war was going nowhere and even though they had won every battle, they were still somehow losing. There had been no mention of Ayra, which meant she was likely missing and Sansa was now married to the Imp. And if (YN) was right, which so far she had proven to be, Sansa would for the time being be safe under Tyrion's protection. Rolling over onto his back he pulled her close to his side and gazed up to the sky, clearly deep in thought.

Looking at him with inquisitive eyes, (YN) smiled and rolled over to lean against his chest, her fingers reaching up to brush through his beard, marvelling at how much thicker it had become since they married. “I know that look... What are you planning in that pretty head of yours?”

Robb sat up and offered her his hand, gently pulling her up beside him, there was an eagerness in his expression, a lightness which she had not seen in months, sending both excitement and nerves through her chest. “I think you’re right, we should not be marching south to Casterly Rock, we should head home and defend the North from Winterfell.”

(YN) could barely believe her ears and she was positive her face looked a little dumbfounded. A smile reached across her cheeks, “Really?”

The look on her face melted his heart, why had he not listened to her from the beginning? Her instincts so far had been spot on, she had shown a natural understanding and flare for battle strategies and her ability to read people’s motives and intentions was quite honestly, impressive. So with a nod of his head, he replied, “Aye, really. I’ve been thinking about it and it makes sense.” Then taking her hand in his Robb’s expression faltered, his bright eyes losing just a hint of their light, “With our parents gone, Arya missing and Sansa married to Tyrion, there no real reason to attack the Lannisters or Kings Landing.” Before he spoke again the light returned and his expression filled with purpose, “We can get our vengeance when they come for us at Winterfell, taking the North from them will be justice enough.”

Eagerly, (YN) brought their lips together in an impatient kiss. The long forgotten feeling of having something to look forward to flickering to life in her chest, almost feeling as if she was caught in a dream, “When will we leave?”

A small chuckle slipped from Robb’s mouth at his wife’s adorable impatience, “Straight after the wedding.” Then grabbing her firmly around the waist he flopped back down to the furs, bringing her to a rest on top of him, her ecstatic smile and pure look of joy creating indescribable feelings of bliss to course throughout his body. “And maybe then we can start work on that baby we keep talking about, the God’s know we’ve been practising long enough.” Rolling her around beneath him, he propped himself up on an elbow, reaching down to gently bite her bottom lip, his smile touching every inch of his face.

(YN) couldn’t help but giggle at his words, it was true, they had been practising a lot and it seemed as though he wanted to practice some more right now. Running feather-light fingers down the side of his face, she kissed him softly before resting her head back to the furs, her amusement giving way to sweet affection at the very idea of having his baby. With a little smile, she spoke in a quiet voice, “Yes, I think we should,” if it was even possible, Robb’s smile grew even bigger and the joy in his eyes was unmistakable, looking as if he’d just received the most cherished news imaginable. Reaching down to kiss her yet again, (YN) laughed as she placed a finger to his lips, laughing even more when his expression faltered, “I didn’t mean we should start right here at this very moment, I have a respectable reputation to uphold.”

Giving an exaggerated sigh, Robb rested his forehead gently upon hers, “Well, you’re no fun, are you?”

With a sigh of her own, she ran her fingers through his hair, lightly caressing the back of his neck with her fingernails, the sensation sending pleasing shivers down his back as she whispered against his ear. “Hmmm, I don’t know... maybe you should get back to me on that one after tonight.”

Just how she did it, he didn’t know, but he was like putty in her hands, an hour ago all he wanted was to enjoy the sun before it disappeared behind the clouds. Yet now all he wished for was to see it set beyond the horizon, leaving the sky dark and starless, just so he could set up camp and cosy up in the tent beside her. Lifting his head from hers, he kissed her lips, knowing he had made the right decision. It was right for (YN), it was right for him, but it was also right for his men and the war he was fighting. No longer would he chase vengeance, vengeance would come to him, the people of the North had declared him their King and it was time to go home and be ‘King in the North.’

Much to Edmure's relief, his young bride was both sweet and charming and quite a beauty, during the wedding and the following feast it was obvious to everyone just how smitten he was by her. Sitting beside (YN), Robb looked around the hall, his expression lively, never having expected Lord Frey to deliver such a memorable and enjoyable wedding. Everyone’s spirits were high. Music and banter flowed around the candlelit room as did plentiful food and wine. Turning to his wife Robb found himself gazing affectionately at the sight of her gorgeous smiling face, so happy with his decision to head home to Winterfell tomorrow. There would still be battles ahead and his childhood home to rebuild, but they would be home... finally able to get to work on providing her with the happy and steadfast life she deserves. Leaning over he rested his arm on the back of her chair, placing a kiss to her temple as he gestured towards his uncle. There he sat at the main table next to his new wife and father by law, completely captivated by her, “Just look at him, after all the fuss he made about marrying and now he can’t wipe the smile from his face.”

Leaning back against his arm (YN) rested her head upon his shoulder, “You see, maybe marrying a Frey girl wouldn’t have been so bad after all.” Looking across to Edmure she smiled, before nestling her head into the crook of his neck and leaning her body against his, neither of them concerned about showing their open affection, “She's a sweet beautiful girl, your uncle is blessed. Just think, if your parents had accepted Lord Frey's offer of betrothal a little while back, that could have been you up there.”

Robb smiled to himself, aye she was a lovely girl and his uncle is very lucky indeed, but Walder Frey’s daughter Roslin did not compare to his wife. Lifting her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he gazed lovingly into her eyes, tucking her wayward lock of hair behind her ear, “For me, my love... there is only you.”

Moving his arm from the chair he wrapped it snuggly around her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze and a kiss to the top of her head. Nesting her head back into the crook of his neck (YN) smiled, wondering how she managed to get so lucky. Lifting his hand from his knee she gave it a tender kiss, before resting it in her lap, unable to hide the emotion from her voice, “I love you so much, Robb Stark, more than I ever thought possible.”

(YN) was horrified, she had never seen a bedding ceremony before, finding it hard to believe that any man would allow this to happen to their bride. Of course, she had heard about them, but to see it was altogether different. Looking up to Robb she didn’t need to say a word, her thoughts were written all over her face and as the newlywed couple were carried out of the hall, she breathed a sigh of relief for poor Roslin. Taking her in his arms, Robb held her tight, “I was never going to allow that to happen to you.” (YN) was about to whisper a ‘Thank you’ against his ear, promising to show him her gratitude later in private, yet her words dried up in her mouth before she could even finish her first word, noticing something was amiss in the hall. Robb noticing her curious eyes asked, “What is it, my love?”

Shaking her head, she spoke, her voice sounding anxious, causing alarm in the pit of Robb's stomach, “I don’t know, but something isn’t right.” Robb asked again, but he was met with silence as her hesitant eyes travelled to Walder Frey, watching as he gave Black Walder some hushed instructions. Unsure as to why she was so worried, yet unwilling to brush away her concerns he too looked around the hall, finding his Northern Lords distracted by wine, ale and women as the Frey's moved around with quiet purpose.

Hearing (YN)’s nervous intake of air, Robb followed her line of sight to a dark corner of the hall, witnessing one of Walder’s grandsons peer nervously around the room before handing what looked like a crossbow covered in furs, to Black Walder. Robb's stomach dropped, realising Walder Frey had betrayed him, every Northerner in this room was unarmed and about to die. (YN) pulled on Robb’s tunic, “We have to get out of here... And we have to get out now.”

Robb's head was swimming with anger, disbelief and raw panic, trying to come up with some sort of plan, desperate to get his wife out of there and to safety. Looking across the room, he saw his mother sitting next to Roose, completely unaware of what was unfolding around her and again he felt his stomach drop.

Searching around the room he ignored the heavy beating of his heart, trying with great difficulty to appear calm and unconcerned as his eyes fell upon Angus watching his sister with concern. With a forced smile, he called for him to join them, reaching them Angus looked straight to (YN), “What’s going on?”

Unable to look into his eye's for fear she would start to panic, she instead stared at his tunic. With a shaky breath, she inhaled deeply, “I’m about to tell you something important but you need to remain calm... Lord Frey is about to betray us, we are going to be attacked before the night is through.”

Angus looked to Robb who was distracted by everything going on around him, realising they were running out of time. His men sat unarmed and drunk, easy targets who were unable to offer his wife or mother any kind of protection. Realising there was no time to waste he looked to Angus, his head consumed with one single thought, to get his wife to safety, he promised himself long ago to keep her safe until his dying day and he wasn’t about to break that promise. Looking to (YN) he spoke, his voice full of command, “You need to go with Angus now, ride North, don’t go to Winterfell, don’t go to Mountainbreak, go to Jon at Castle Black, I will come for you.” He could see her eyes well up and feel her hands tremble at his words, about to open her mouth in protest, but Robb pulled her tight to his chest, kissing the top of her head, “Please (YN), you have to go, you know where the horses are... take one and leave, I need to stay and help mother.” Just at that moment, the Rains of Castamere began to play up in the mezzanine and Robb knew they were out of time, watching with horror as two men made their way towards the large wooden doors of the hall, preparing to close them. Pushing (YN) and Angus towards the exist he yelled out, his voice desperate and pleading, “Run,” before looking to his mother, screaming at her to do the same.

At their Kings outburst, complete confusion broke out amongst the Northern Lords, as the Freys took charge and began attacking the unarmed men. Hearing the music stop, Robb looked up to see the band lay down their instruments and pick up crossbows, taking easy aim at his helpless men as Catelyn ran to his side, her face distraught begging him to leave. Grabbing her arm he pulled his mother towards the door, watching with frantic eyes as Angus swung his elbow with so much force into a man’s temple that he fell limp to the floor. Taking the man's dagger, Angus slit the throat of another man trying to close the door as (YN) pulled her own dagger from her thigh, piercing one through his side.

Pushing his sister through the opening, Angus fought to keep her from running back to Robb, her desperate words echoing through the foyer, “Hurry Robb... please... hurry.”

At the sound of her tormented pleas, Robb looked up to see her arms stretching towards him, his fingertips touching hers before he was ripped away from her touch, her eyes filled with so much despair. Slapping Angus’ arms away she almost broke free, before he secured a strong arm around her waist as Robb felt something hit the back of his shoulder. Staggering on his feet, he heard (YN)’s blood-curdling cry as his eyes meet with the arrow that had pierced through his shoulder. Pushing his mother towards the foyer, he saw Angus reach in taking her hand in his, yet her grip went slack as she fell to the floor, blood pouring from the deep gash inflicted across her throat. Robb let out a gut-wrenching sound at the sight of his mother lying limp at his feet, then he felt another arrow pierce his side and the unmistakable voice of Roose Bolton calling out as another heartbreaking cry escaped (YN)’s lips. Turning to Roose he was confused to see him yelling orders at the Frey's, “The queens escaping, get her before they close the doors.”

Anger burnt through Robb’s panicked and distraught thoughts, engulfed with rage that Roose was a part of this honourless betrayal. Lunging forward, he hit Roose so hard across his face with the back of his hand that he fell to the floor in a daze, rushing forward to close the doors, hoping to give his wife and her brother some sort of chance to escape. It was too late for his mother and it was too late for him, if he tried to escape with them everyone would pursue him, putting (YN) in danger and he just couldn’t cope with the thought, he wouldn’t allow it.

Somehow his bleeding body found the strength, barely reacting as another two arrows pierced his torso, reaching the heavy wooden doors as (YN) pleaded with him to take her hand. Shaking his head he crouched over, clutching at his bleeding stomach, before looking back up, “Remember what I told you... Where I told you to go?”

(YN) nodded her head unable to speak, her breathing fast and erratic as her body went numb, realising what her husband was about to do. Robb turned to Angus, his voice commanding, “Take her now, there’s no time, you have to get her to safety, she has to live.” Seeing Roose coming for him, dagger ready, he turned back shouting at them now, “Shut the doors and barricade them..... GO NOW... please.”

With his arm still around (YN)’s waist Angus yanked her away from the doors, helping Robb as he struggled to close them from the other side. Fighting with her as her body thrashed in a desperate attempt to get to her husband. Unable to close the doors before Roose reached Robb’s side, they both watched helplessly as he plunged a dagger into his chest, speaking with a cold hard voice, “The Lannisters send their regards.”

Just as the doors shut, (YN) screamed an absolutely horrifying sound at the vision of her beloved husband falling to the ground. So selflessly giving up his life to save hers and Angus would not let be in vain.

Trying to get her attention Angus grabbed her by the arms and shook her, “(YN), if we’re going to get out if here you need to calm down.” Still, she was inconsolable, looking as if she was about to collapse, “Please (YN), I have to get you to safety...” Again there was no change, “Please... you have to move... we can’t let Robb down.” Seeing her take a visible breath, her hysterics faded instantly, her expression washing over with a heavy calm, yet her eyes still spilled over with flowing tears and her body heaved with silent whimpers, waiting for her brother to take charge.

Taking her by the hand, Angus led her up the dark hallway. Deciding their best option was to leave all the commotion in the hall and the surrounding grounds behind them and take the long and deserted route around the outskirts of the Twins, arriving at the stables undetected. Yet, peering inside they found three Frey soldiers saddling up Stark horses, their voices amused as they spoke about the atrocities taking place in the hall and amongst the Stark garrison. Laughing, one of the men ran his hand along a magnificent chestnut mare, “They won’t be needing these beautiful horses now, might as well take our pick of the bunch while we can.” The other two joined in his laughter and (YN) felt an anger like now other erupt through her head. Burning through her chest and limbs, wishing she had a bow on her back just to bring an end to their disgusting, cruel and reproachable laughter and a final breath to their worthless, dishonourable lives.

Gaining her attention, Angus wrapped his hand around her forearm, barely speaking in a whisper, “We need those saddled horses and their weapons, which means your going to have to help me kill them.” (YN) only nodded her head as she wiped away the drying tears from her cheeks, with the taste of bitter vengeance still raw on her tongue she was more than willing to do her part and watch the light fade from their treasonous eyes.

(YN) knew what she had to do, after a few quiet words to her brother he snuck around to the other side of the stable as she walked in to face the men with her dagger behind her back, acting as if she were on a leisurely evening stroll. Unsure as to how she managed to appear so calm and even, she spoke in a sweet voice, taking all three men completely off guard. “Good evening men, thank you for readying my horse, I do love an evening ride.”

The men fell silent as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes searching behind her for any sign of guards, when they saw none one of them took a slow step towards her, his thirsty eyes lingering upon her chest, before looking in her eyes. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

Taking a careless breath she took a step towards him, watching as he licked his disgusting filthy lips, “Well, as you can see, I am alive and breathing and would be very grateful if you could give me my horse.... Thank you.”

The soldier laughed, a sick sounding laugh that made her contained anger ripple to life around her body. When he spoke, his words brought a muffled agreeance from the other two men, “I could get executed if I let you ride out of here.” Turning his head to the side, he gestured to the others before taking another step towards her, picking up a lock of her hair, before continuing, “We could help you, but it would have to be worth our while... my queen.”

Placing a hand to the side of his face, she looked into his greedy eyes, tangling her fingers amongst his greasy hair, her next movement coming so quickly that none of the men had any chance of reacting. Clenching her fist tight, she pulled his head down and swiped her dagger across his throat, so deep that he died almost instantly and before his body hit the ground Angus charged into the stable and attack the archer from behind. Reaching him before he even nocked an arrow, stabbing him in the side before he too sliced open the man’s throat. Grabbing the dead soldiers long sword that lay at her feet, (YN) threw in across the stable into Angus' waiting hands, where he wasted no time unsheathing it,  piercing the remaining soldier through his heart as he screamed out for help.

Scooping up the bow and quiver of arrows from the ground Angus rushed to his sister's side, placing them over her shoulder. Grabbing her head between his hands he quickly kissed her forehead, “Gods (YN) that was impressive, but there’s no time, you have to go.” Looking out the entrance he pointed to three more approaching soldiers and then gestured to a dead one on the floor, “They heard him scream for help.” Lifting her up he practically threw her on to the chestnut mare, “Go... do as Robb asked and head to Castle Black, I’ll follow.”

Shaking her head, (YN) felt her eyes begin to burn and her panic return, her voice breaking as she spoke, “No, come with me... I can’t lose you too.”

Angus shook his head, speaking urgently as he quickly adjusted the stirrups of her horse, “I need to stay behind and deal with these soldiers, otherwise they will alert everyone and send a whole party out for us.”

(YN) let out a shaky breath, her stomach churning at the thought of leaving another loved one behind, her brother was all she had now. Feeling her grief take hold once more her words came in a desperate plea, “Please Angus, let me help you... then we can leave together.”

Without faltering, Angus picked up the long sword and looked out at the fast approaching men, not even considering her words. If they couldn’t defeat these soldiers she was dead, if they attracted any more attention, she was dead, besides, she was a much better horseman than he would ever be and she would get much further out of harms way without him slowing her down. Looking up into her pleading eyes, he shook his head, his voice holding a gentle yet compelling tone, “No... you have a much better chance of getting away without me.” Cutting off her protests he pulled the horse out the back of the stable, giving it a hard wack on it’s hind with the hilt of the sword, sending the horse bolting, calling out to her as the horse fled away, “And don’t you dare come back for me little sister, just keep riding.”

When her brother turned on his heels, (YN) watched his shrinking form as the horse took her further and further away from the only family she had left. Watching as he stood with his sword ready, quickly disappearing from her sight, waiting for his next battle, a battle he would fight alone, a battle he would fight for her, not knowing if she would ever see him again.

Turning her head back around, she looked ahead feeling an all-consuming pain take hold of her body, yet her brother’s last words kept replaying in her head, ‘Just keep riding.’ And as the tears blurred her vision she kept riding, when her breath compounded in her chest she kept riding, when the monopolizing thoughts twisted in her head she kept riding and as her body finally went numb with anger and grief her lips continued to whimper and mumble the same words over and over again, “Just keep riding.”

@tessimagines @falling-stars-never-cry @maiabiovillage@majlin @givemeanorigami @badasseddy @sj-thefan@oliolioxiclean @xeniarocks @700teacups@disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @heyohheyitsgabi@olixerwxxd @thefanficfaerie @hufflepuff-always-and-forever@moli1497 @buckybarnesyard  @whothefuckisbellamyblake@nerdpeterparker @seriouslynogood @witch-of-letters@starkbelova @i-am-a-smol-sweet-potato @my-soul-is-the-moon @lady-of-the-golden-flower @jae-writes-fanfiction

[ao3feed-gendrya]

upon the highest bough

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2OzsLms

by bubblewrapstargirl

Robb Stark lives in a lively household, what with his lovely wife and their three rambunctious children, his melancholy sister Sansa (in mourning but kept merry by her sweet son), eccentric cousin Jon (who romps about in the attic talking to himself, while he tries to write a bestselling novel) and his best friend Theon (who has a home of his own, Gods be Blessed!! who doesn't even celebrate Yuletide but is forced to hang decorations anyway). Not forgetting frequent visitors, loud sister Arya and her husband Gendry, excited about their second baby, and the irascible Lady Olenna, who refuses to quit drinking all of Robb's best brandy.

(...full summary inside!)

Words: 3313, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English

Fandoms: Game of Thrones (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Theon Greyjoy, Domeric Bolton, Bran Stark, Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, Margaery Tyrell, Olenna Tyrell, Ghost (ASoIaF), Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Nymeria, Original House Bolton Character(s), Original House Stark Character(s)

Relationships: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark, Robb Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Ramsay Bolton/Sansa Stark (past), Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Samwell Tarly/Gilly Craster, Ghost/Nymeria (ASoIaF)

Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, Victorian Attitudes, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Modern Westeros, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Gendry Waters is a Baratheon, Theon Greyjoy is a Gift, Yuletide in Westeros, Jon Snow is a Westerosi Charles Dickens, Theon Greyjoy is a Westerosi Lord Byron, Robb Stark is a Westerosi Robert Owen, Ramsay Bolton is a Westerosi shithead as usual, Sansa Stark is Ramsay's Widow, Bran and Rickon are Robb's sons, Established Robbaery, Domeric Bolton is Sansa's son, Shameless Christmas fun!, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catelyn Tully Stark Doesn't Hate Jon Snow, R Plus L Equals J, Jealousy, no love triangles, Established Gendarya, Established Ghostymeria

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2OzsLms

[bunny-wan-kenobi]

Bunny’s GOT Top 10

So I’ve been re-watching old GOT episodes this week as a bit of a cleanse (believe me it’s been good for the soul) because while things soured in Season 8, when GOT has been good, it’s been AMAZING. And it’s been encouraging for me to revisit the episodes that struck a chord in me and stayed with me because as I said before, NO ONE can take that away from me. So here’s my personal favorite episodes: 

10. Kissed By Fire (3x5)

This episode lingers with me because it’s a character-driven one with a bittersweet quality to it that pulls you in. It’s an episode about choices and their consequences, and the choices alluded to and made here leave a significant mark on the characters’ lives. It’s also an episode that adeptly balances action, intrigue, and rich dialogue-heavy scenes. 

Highlights: Jon and Ygritte consummate their love, introduction of Davo’s first and always #1 adopted child Shireen, Beric vs The Hound, Robb makes the fatal error of executing Karstark (I love the score for that scene)

Favorite Scene: Jaime revealing why he killed Aerys to Brienne at Harrenhall. Both actors were captivating in the way they carried this profound moment, and it’s one of the best GOT monologues. 

9. Fire and Blood (1x12)

After the shocking and climatic death of Ned Stark, this episode manages to draw together all the characters’ threads into an emotionally compelling season finale. This is where all that time investing in these characters pays off as we see them both mourn their losses but prepare for their next move, perfectly setting the stage for Season 2.

Highlights: Robb crowned King in the North, Tyrion is made Hand to the King, Arya meets her new crew of Gendry, Hot Pie, and Lommy

Favorite Scene: Dany rising from the ashes with 3 dragons. It doesn’t get more hopeful and iconic than that.

8. Hardhome (5x8)

It was tough not ranking this one higher because it’s really an exceptional episode that hammered in just how much of a threat the White Walkers are to the rest of humanity. Not only that, but we get rewarded with some long-awaited character interactions, some painful to watch and others simply engrossing. 

Highlights: Dany and Tyrion’s first meeting (so GOOD seeing the interplay with these two), Jon slays his first White Walker, Sansa and Theon reunite, Karsi the Free Folk chieftainess 

Favorite Scene: The Night King raising the dead as Jon and the remaining Free Folk flee in diminished numbers. It’s a game-changing and tragic moment with a haunting final image, even as it spawned a slew of new memes.

7. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (8x2)

This one ranks higher because of the way it emotionally resonated with me, and it’s one that doesn’t lose its introspective power the more I re-watch it. It has a play-like elegance honed in on these intimate scenes between characters simply working through their tensions as well as reflecting upon their pasts. It truly is a love letter to these characters, honoring their journeys and their relationships as they quietly await the dreaded Long Night. 

Highlights: Jaime’s trial, Jaime and Tyrion’s conversations about family and “self-betterment,” Sam gives Jorah Heartsbane, Jon reveals his parentage to Dany, the “Fireside Club” (honorable mention to everyone’s reactions to Tormund’s ridiculous tale), the gorgeous marriage of melancholic imagery with Daniel Portman’s rendering of “Jenny of Oldstones” 

Favorite Scene: Brienne’s knighting by Jaime. One of the rare moments of pure light and joy on the show, and a beautiful tribute to Brienne’s idealism and honor as well as her transformative and magnetic relationship with Jaime. 

6. Rains of Castamere (3x9)

I remember how devastated I was when I first saw this episode. The set-up to it was so well laid out that it was inevitable, but the almost-Shakespearean sense of tragedy still hurts to this day. The performances here are raw and powerful, and from the moment the ominous strains of the Lannisters’ song begin, you can’t look away. 

Highlights: Jon leaves Ygritte and just misses a reunion with Bran and Rickon, Jorah’s epic team-up with Daario and Barristan Selmy in Yunkai, Bran and Rickon say goodbye 

Favorite Scene: The massacre at the Twins. I mean...what else could it be? This entire sequence is heartbreaking, from Arya realizing her family is being slaughtered to Greywind’s death to Catelyn’s final wail. 

5. The Watchers on the Wall (4x9)

This episode stands out to me as one that testifies most to Jon’s journey. It illuminates his strengths as a leader, the fire-forged loyalty of his friendships, and the poignancy of his first love: Ygritte. There are some spectacular action pieces here, and even the deaths of minor characters heft an emotional punch. It’s also one of the few episodes to be grounded in one location, and that adds to its depth.  

Highlights: Grenn’s last stand against the giant, Sam defeats a Thenn, Ygritte dies in Jon’s arms 

Favorite Scene: Jon taking command on the ground level. There’s an elemental ferocity and resolve in the way he carves his way through the battle, turning the tide in a way everyone bears witness to. 

4. Baelor (1x9)

The episode that changed everything. I wept when I read the chapter where Ned dies in the book, and I still wept here seeing it onscreen. His execution is so abrupt and unjust and horrific that the impact of this moment reverberates throughout the story forever after. There’s actually a LOT that happens in this episode, and it’s all riveting.

Highlights: Robb defeats and captures Jaime, Dany tragically loses her child to save Khal Drogo’s life (it’s weird calling this a highlight but it’s a deeply sorrowful and important moment), Jeor Mormont gives Jon Longclaw 

Favorite Scene: Ned’s death. It’s still hard to watch because it’s so painful.

3. Battle of the Bastards (6x9)

Brilliantly shot, edited, and acted, this episode is one of the most memorable of the GOT battles. It works because it doesn’t lose sight of the characters, conveying the horrors of warfare to a visceral degree. The ending is also one of the most satisfying in the show, cathartic even as the wounds of battle linger. 

Highlights: Dany’s triumph in the battle at Mereen, Sansa’s “Riders of Rohan” rescue with the Knights of the Vale, Dany meets Yara and Theon, Sansa ends Ramsay with his own hounds 

Favorite Scene: Jon draws out Longclaw to make a final stand as the calvary races towards him. It’s just one of those shots that becomes emblematic of the show and the character, and Djawadi scores it beautifully. 

2. Blackwater (2x9)

This episode is teeming with amazing character moments and splendid visuals. But I love it most because it’s the peak of Tyrion’s leadership arc within the first two seasons. He commands the troops and the screen, and it’s hard not to root for him as he amasses the full force of his cleverness and resilience to fight against looming odds. 

Highlights: Bronn lights it up with wildfire, Cersei and Sansa’s conversations (some great Lena Headey moments here), Cersei’s lion story to Tommen on the throne, the Hound leaves the battle and Kingsguard after seeing flames

Favorite Scene: Tyrion’s speech. It embodies the character so well: irreverent, pragmatic with a good dose of “to hell with it!” 

1. The Winds of Winter (6x10)

I have re-watched this episode so many times I’ve lost count. It contains all the best of what GOT represents to me: rich characterization, well-cultivated storytelling, and rewarding plot payoff against a backdrop of exceptional score and cinematography. More than that, it’s the kind of episode that I leave feeling like I’ve experienced something truly special, something ineffable. 

Highlights: Jon revealed as the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, Dany proclaims Tyrion Hand of the Queen, Arya gets revenge on Walder Frey, Davos confronts Melissandre about Shireen’s death, Jon made King in the North 

Favorite Scene: THE WHOLE EPISODE. Okay, I’ll just cheat and share just two scenes. The first is the entire Light of the Seven sequence because I just think it’s the perfect scene. It’s builds up its ominous tension so brilliantly and brings everything to such an explosive climax so incredibly supported by the music that it’s a work of art. The second is the ending, which I also think is perfect. It’s what so much of the story has been working towards: Dany sailing to Westeros, and every visual, from her standing proudly on the ship to the combined forces of several houses to her dragons soaring above her, culminates in this triumphant moment that is simply unmatched. 

[the-jade-cross]

The Lannister Wolf - Part 3 Chapter 2

Hey all! I'm back! Thank you so much for being so patient with me! Just FYI, this chapter features characters from my three other GOT fan fictions: Mayaka Tyrell, Nanteza Sand and Lillia Arryn. Their stories are below if you are interested:) I just started on the other three joint stories so they are not as far along as this one:)

ENJOY!

Mayaka Tyrell - Burning Water//Oberyn Martell

Nanteza Sand - Tracks in the Snow // Jon Snow

Lillia Arryn - Knight of the Forest // Loras Tyrell

It was a different day when Evelyn woke. It was different not because of what she was going to do with her day, but rather it was just a day made to be different in every aspect.

There were no birds singing to welcome Evelyn to the day. The sun was barely up but Zinzi and Lady had been awake already for a while. The sky was overcast, clouded and dreary but no rain fell. There was not a breath of air traveling through the forest that morning.

It was like the world was dead or just hanging in the stalemate before the clap of thunder that would announce the arrival of a storm. Evelyn rose to her feet and gathering her bow into her hands, she selected a single arrow from the quiver which she slipped into her belt.

“Stay away from the water,” Evelyn instructed Zinzi, “Get to lower ground, far from trees and the wind. Try to find cover.” The direwolf let out a whimper as if showing she understood before Evelyn turned and strode out of the camp.

Instead of just walking about a furlong, this particular morning Evelyn continued to walk up the high, partially steep incline that they had avoided the day before. Upon reaching the top, Evelyn found the trees quite thick but the tallest of them was about three feet, coming to Evelyn’s waist. These short saplings covered a good twenty-foot diameter clearing.

Evelyn knelt down and felt the leaves of the sapling closest to her. “This will do.” Just then, something about the saplings closest to her caught her attention and she examined the leaves, “Oak.” She muttered. “The representative of earth.” Standing up, she walked further into the cluster before she noticed that the saplings were different there…. even though she could have sworn they were all oak just a second ago.

She noticed right away that the trees grew in a circle and there were four different tree types, separated into four quarter circle shaped sections.

“The Pinnacle of Nature,” Evelyn whispered. “Just like Tyrion said that day…”

FLASHBACK

“Wait Maya,” Lillia whispered. “Are you sure we’re allowed in here!?” Mayaka Tyrell smiled over her shoulder at Evelyn’s cousin, Lillia Arryn before opening the door of the library just a smidge before poking her head inside. After a moment, she retracted her head.

“No one is inside.” The auburn-haired girl assured Evelyn and Lillia, “Besides, no one uses the library anyway.” “But your brother,” Lillia muttered. “Said that your father didn’t like anyone entering.” Evelyn took no notice of Lillia’s comment. Her cousin had been living with the Tyrell’s as Maya’s companion for about a year now since Lillia’s rambunctious energy was too much for Evelyn’s aunt to handle. However, Maya smirked knowingly at Lillia.

“Which of my brothers? Loras?” the girl teased.

Lillia turned so bright pink that her blond hair looked almost white in comparison. “NO!” She cried, quite flustered. “Garlan did!” Maya smirked while Evelyn looked between the girls, completely perplexed. While Maya kept giving Lillia knowing looks and the blond kept blushing each time, Evelyn approached the door of the library and peered inside.

A beautiful large library appeared in Evelyn’s vision and she felt her heart stop. She had seen many wonderous things before but in growing up in Winterfell, she had never seen a library like this before. Ned and Catelyn would often times give Evelyn a handful of books each week to read though they had soon learnt to limit how many books they gave her to just five a week for the girl could finish a book within a few hours, completely disregarding other hobbies and not carrying that her stitching didn’t match up with Sansa’s.

However, Ned was very weak to his daughter’s pleadings but in order for him to not get in trouble with Catelyn for letting their eldest daughter neglect her stitchery, he would have Robb or Jon give the books to Evelyn, the blame falling on them instead.

Evelyn slipped through the door, Maya and Lillia following close behind. Hugh square columns rose up on both sides of the large room, a winding staircase leading up to a balcony that went around each column. Opposite the door on the very opposite side of the room was a half circle column against the wall with two spiral staircases leading up to a high balcony. Everything seemed so high and every inch of wall was filled with books.

“I could get lost in here,” Evelyn whispered. “How do you know where to find the book you’re looking for?” Maya chuckled, “I still haven’t figured that out and I have lived here my whole life.” “Psst,” Lillia whispered, nudging Maya, “Isn’t that one of the Sand girls?”

The two girls looked over at where the blond was pointing to see that sure enough, there was someone else in the library. With short black hair that fell just below her chin, honey colored skin and deep grey eyes, she was incredibly beautiful for someone of her age… possibly around Lillia’s age.

“It’s Nanteza Sand,” Maya whispered. “Doran Martell’s daughter.”

Evelyn snapped out of her surprise first and slowly approached the Dorne girl. Nanteza lifted her eyes and noticing Evelyn, quickly kept her eyes down respectfully.

“I’m Evelyn,” the black-haired girl said, holding out her hand, “You are Nanteza right?” The girl seemed surprised that the girl from the North had done nothing unkind to her. Evelyn knew why. Needless to say, the Dornish people were not exactly on the best of terms with anyone in the North other than the Tyrell’s. Hesitantly, the petite girl reached out and shook Evelyn’s hand.

Evelyn smiled at the girl and the little Dornish girl smiled gently back. Evelyn couldn’t help but wonder why the girl didn’t smile more for it made her practically like an angel when she smiled. She was beautiful nonetheless but when she smiled, she seemed to glow.

“What are you reading?” Evelyn asked, her face showing evident interest.

Nanteza held out the book she was holding to show that it was a book of ancient myths and prophecies.

“I found this one the most interesting when I read that,” Maya said, walking over and pointing to one page.

Evelyn tilted her head to read the page, “The Prophecy of the Pinnacle of Life.”

Maya nodded, “Apparently the prophecy was made at the beginning of time but still has not come true! People have begun to think that it never will.”

“Because people have no patience,” a masculine voice said from nearby.

The four girls spun around to find that also in the library was none other than Tyrion Lannister. Seated in a large couch in the corner, he had a book propped in one hand, a glass of wine in the other. Placing the wine and book down, he walked over to the four girls and held out his hand to Nanteza. The girl carefully placed the book in his hand, and he turned the page to where it showed a strange painting. The painting was cut in fourths, each one seeming to represent something different.

“This is the Pinnacle of Life,” he explained. “The four great elements that makes the world what it is: earth, fire, water and air.” “But what is the prophecy?” Lillia chirped, peering around Evelyn to look at the book.

Tyrion smiled, turning a few pages till he stopped and began to read aloud, “At the Beginning of Time, Vulcan, master of fire, Poseidon, master of the sea, Demeter, mistress of the earth and Kysnareth, mistress of the air all vowed to leave a part of their being behind. Only those destined to become the next Masters of Nature can access their life: the pinnacle of life.” “That’s strange,” Maya muttered, turning to the next page and pointing to a drawing, “We have a window here that looks just like that picture.” The girls all crowded around to look and saw that the drawing appeared to be of four windows, each with a different design. However, on each window was a triangle…. But two of them were pointing upright and the other two were pointing down… and two of the four had lines across the center of them.

“Those are the windows of Time. The Masters and Mistresses of Nature left them as a sign of their promise.” Tyrion explained. “The triangles depict the element. The upright triangle with no line means fire. The upright one with a line means air. The downward one with a line is earth and the other downward is water.”

“Now that you mention it,” Lillia whispered. “This one…. With the earth triangle…. That one is in my home too…. Actually…. It’s the window in my bedroom!” Tyrion looked over at Nanteza who pointed to the one depicting air, “This one is in my uncle’s study back in Dorne.” Finally all eyes turned to Evelyn, but the girl was already reaching out. Her finger touched the last window drawing but just as her finger made contact with the page, a spark lit from the contact and she retracted her hand immediately.

“What….” Nanteza whispered.

“What was that!?” Lillia finished.

Tyrion turned to look at Maya, a knowing look on his face, “I think you know.” Maya nodded before extending one hand. When her finger touched the window of water, the page suddenly became damp as if her hand had been wet.

“This is normal for me though,” the girl explained.

She slowly drew her hand away from the page but as she did, she lifted her hand, so it hovered over the page and slowly the moisture from the page began to rise into the air as if on command, following the pattern of her hand.

“You….” Lillia whispered. “You can move water!? AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO TELL ME!?” “Only my family knows,” Maya explained. “And now you.”

The girls all looked at Tyrion who was smirking like he had just eaten all the desserts in the kitchen without anyone finding out.

“This window,” Lillia said, pointing to the water one. “Maya, you said it is here in this house….” Maya nodded before pointing to the other side of the library, “It’s over here.” She led the way across the library till the four girls and Tyrion found themselves staring up at a huge window. The glass of the window was all shades of blue, the design of water evident in the making and the depictions.

“Look!” Nanteza whisper yelled.

The light had begun to shine through the window and as it did, instead of casting a blue reflection onto the floor, a strange shape had begun to appear on the floor from the light…. A circle… the circle was separated into fourths but each fourth was blank.

“No way,” Lillia whispered.

The girl stepped forward and stepped onto one of the fourths of the circle and the moment her feet entered the circle, the pie shaped piece she was standing on turned a brilliant green!

Nanteza’s eyes widened and she too entered the ring, only for her fourth section to turn a lovely yellow. Maya followed and hers turned as blue as the window that the light was streaming from and finally Evelyn stepped into the ring… and her’s turned red.

“This is the Pinnacle of Life,” Tyrion whispered, even though the girls were too occupied staring at each other and the lights beneath them to really listen. “No matter where you are, the four elements can always communicate with each other for when there is one element missing, the other three shall fall apart. You depend on each other like the darkness depends on the light to make it dark. It will pull at each of you to a different point of the map, each to its own place.”

FLASHBACK ENDS

Evelyn opened her eyes, smiling at the fond memory. Sighing, she cracked her knuckles and examined the area.

“Alright…. let’s see if this works.” Standing up, she walked over to one section of the clearing and touched the short saplings. “Ash. The representation of Fire.” Stepping into the center of the clump of short ash saplings, Evelyn glanced at each of the other sections.

“Listen to my words,” Evelyn whispered. “If you can hear me, speak.” Before Evelyn even had time to close her eyes, she heard a faint whisper to her left. Turning, she saw what appeared to be the saplings opposite her, slowly begin to rise. That was when she remembered that those saplings were the oak…. Representing earth…

Evelyn

The girl stared in shock when she realized that the voice, she was hearing was coming from the oak saplings. When the saplings finished growing, Evelyn found herself looking across the clearing at what appeared to be a person made of trees! The features were not incredibly defined to the point where Evelyn could recognize the person, but the long curly hair and the gentle, sweet voice gave it away instantly.

“Lillia!?” The tree person nodded slowly.

It’s me Eve. You did it. You unlocked the Pinnacle of Life.

Evelyn frowned, “But I thought we all did it the day we were at the library together….” No Eve. That was the day we accessed the life of the Four Masters. Do you remember? Maya had already learnt how to control water before then. We were born with the life of the Master’s Eve. It just…. Needed to be realized.

“Is that why I keep having this pain?” Evelyn asked.

Tree Lillia shrugged. I do not know. I only know what Mayaka told me.

The two girls turned when they heard the sound of water. To Lillia’s left and Evelyn’s right, the moisture in the small saplings there: willow saplings, had begun to rise into the air until a person made of water stood before them. This person was different…. Long wavy hair, slightly taller than the petite Lillia and semi petite Evelyn.

“Maya,” Evelyn breathed. “Do you know? Why I am having the pain I am?”

That is a tough one Evelyn. Maya admitted. I never experienced the pain… but it might have something to do with the fact that you possess the life of the Master of Fire.

“What does that have to do with it?” Evelyn inquired.

Fire is the most uncontrolled of the elements. Its power is unparalleled and is dangerous. When I first discovered my ability to control water, I began to notice a sense of peace and calmness about me. But that is the nature of water. It is soothing and peaceful. Fire is violent, hot and oftentimes painful. You are feeling the effects of your element.

Evelyn peered around the clearing, only to notice that while she had been talking with Maya, a person made of air had formed to her left…. With short straight hair and full lips.

“Nanteza,” she said. “Have you awoken yet?” The girl shook her head. I am afraid not Lady Evelyn. So far, Maya was the first. Lillia has not awoken either and I have not even begun to feel anything out of the ordinary. For all we know, it could be years before Lillia, and I awaken.

Evelyn nodded, “Very well. I shall be patient.” Do you remember what Tyrion Lannister told us that day Eve? Lillia asked.

“Which part?”

The part about that we will be pulled. Each of us shall be pulled to different places of the map. I began from Highgarden and now I am heading toward King’s Landing. I am traveling east.

Nanteza nodded before she added. Until recently I was in the South in Dorne. Now, I am heading toward the North.

Evelyn turned to look at Lillia. I was born and raised in the Eyrie cousin. That is in the east. Mother sent me to Highgarden… that is the west.

“So, I must travel south?” Evelyn inquired.

The other three girls nodded.

Where are you now? Nanteza inquired.

“The Riverlands,” Evelyn replied. “Why?”

She looked over at Lillia. Well you did travel south in a sense. You traveled to Kings Landing… but I do not think that is what Tyrion Lannister meant. He meant that our duties and missions would depend on our traveling to the different corners of the world. Eve, I do not know if traveling to Kings Landing is the ‘West’ that was meant to change me, but I think that the answers you will find can be found in the South. Evelyn sighed and nodded, “Very well. Thank you for your help.”

The three girls each bowed in their different forms of farewell: Lillia curtsying prettily. Maya did a form of bow and curtsy that Evelyn did not recognize but she guessed it was something to do with her water dancing. Lastly, Nanteza looked steadily at Evelyn for a moment before bowing her head. Evelyn furrowed her brow…. Something in Nanteza’s eyes (even though she was made of air at present) told Evelyn that there was something Nanteza had not mentioned.

“You said you were traveling North…. Why?”

The Dornish girl lifted her head and smiled, I do not know, but I have been drawn here. As far as I can tell you: I somehow cannot help but feel that this is a calling.

Evelyn smiled and bowed respectfully before each of the girls disappeared, leaving Evelyn alone in the clearing. When she looked at each of the sections, she was not surprised to find that the willow saplings were almost drowning in puddles of water, the oak saplings were at least a foot taller than they had been before, the birch saplings where Nanteza had stood had no leaves left on them and were bent as if they had been windblown. Looking down, Evelyn stared in surprised when she saw that all the ash trees at her feet were burnt to a crisp.

The girl sighed before picking herself up and headed back down the hill to the camp. Now, she had a heading.

******

When they stopped for the night at the entrance of a small cave, Evelyn did not dismount from Chance like she usually did. Instead, she handed Calum down to Lady who took the child by the shirt before placing him between her legs so he wouldn’t wander off.

“I’m going to go scout around,” the girl told the two direwolves.

The girl whistled Ace down from the trees and the bird landed on her shoulder.

“I will send Ace back if anything happens,” she told them. “Keep Calum safe.” the two wolves grunted in response and gripping the reigns, Evelyn turned Chance around and rode off out of the camp.

She didn’t usually scout the area and most of the time, Ace or Zinzi (I cannot remember if I told ya’ll how Zinzi’s name is pronounced but if I didn’t, it’s pronounced: Sh-ih-n-zz-ee) did it while she made camp.

Today however was different. Evelyn knew that she didn’t have a sixth sense but something in the air…. The way the trees swayed… and the horrid stench that she smelt in the air with the occasional breeze made her skin crawl. Something or someone was near. She could feel it.

She did not have to journey far before the stench was so strong that Chance’s ears slanted back and Ace’s feathers were ruffled. It was a stench that was grossly familiar but foreign at the same time. The stench of sweat, bleeding wounds and unclean clothes and persons were the smells that Evelyn recognized.

In her years as a healer, the stench of open, bleeding wounds was a normal everyday smell for her. sweat and soiled clothes were scents that often radiated off her brothers at the end of the day. But that heavy, gross stench that almost seemed to drown out the other stenches was one that Evelyn couldn’t quite place.

It smelt like someone had found a dead carcass and coated it in spoilt eggs and rotting meat.

The light of a fire ahead caught the girl’s attention. She dismounted from Chance and pulled on her mask so no one could see her face, pulling her hood over her hair to hide the unique color of her eyes.

Leaning up, she whispered into Chance’s ear. “Do not show yourself till I give you the singla.” The horse bobbed his head in reply before backing away into the darkness. Ace perched himself upon Evelyn’s wrist, awaiting orders.

“Find out who they are,” the girl whispered.

The owl lifted into the air and Evelyn lost sight of him for a moment. While the bird was gone, she crept forward to get a better look at what they were up against. In a tiny clearing was a crudely made campfire, horses and supplies scatted around as if the occupants were too lazy to even unpack!

From what Evelyn could see, there were about ten grown men…. Soldiers it seemed and she realized that the unfamiliar scent was coming from them. In one corner of the camp, out of range of Evelyn’s sight, tied to a tree were two prisoners but Evelyn was too far away to even distinguish their gender.

The return of Ace caught her attention and the bird dropped something into her palm. The girl peered at it before she recognized it as a small dagger… the designs on the hilt giving away the owner.

“Bolton’s,” she hissed. “Now the smell makes senses. The walking carcasses.” Reaching to her back, she drew out her bow and loaded it. she was about to aim when one of the Bolton men spoke.

“Bring the woman over here!” he jeered.

Two Bolton soldiers approached the prisoners and untying one of them, dragged the person closer to the fire. Now Evelyn got a good look at the person who was apparently a woman. Very tall for a woman, her blond hair was short and face soiled.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t do anything,” the woman hissed angrily.

The soldiers laughed, “We told your companion that we wouldn’t rape ya, especially since he paid for it with his hand. But we didn’t say we wouldn’t touch ya. Bring the whips over here!” Evelyn felt her blood boil. These men were truly dogs. Just when she was about to intervene, a voice rang out that made her catch her breath.

“Leave her alone you vermin!” Ace could sense the anger and tension in his master’s body wash away and he could smell shock and horror coming from her body as a single word dropped from her lips.

“Jaime….”

***********

Jaime strained against his bonds but even with two hands it had been difficult. Now, with one hand and weak from loss of blood, it was useless.

He knew that while he had convinced them to leave Brienne unharmed last time, this time Locke would just completely ignore him…. A bleeding man with no right hand, covered in mud and his own blood, his severed hand tied around his neck.

“You really think that will sway me?” Locke inquired, crouching in front of Jaime in a teasing manner. “What will you offer this time? Your other hand?” Jaime could barely keep his head up, but he glared daggers at the man. “You’re testing your luck.” Locke hooted with laughter before standing up, “You’ve really fallen from your high and mighty position haven’t you Kingslayer? Last night you were so brave and full of witty comments. Would it be safe to assume that with the loss of a limp comes the loss of sarcasm?”

Jaime gritted his teeth, forcing himself to not say anything for he knew it would only make things worse. Locke opened his mouth to taunt Jaime further when something caught his attention. The light of the fire seemed to dim and when he looked at it, he saw that the flames had indeed gone down so that they barely gave any light.

“Relight the fire,” he ordered one of the men.

The man rushed over and seeing that there was still plenty of wood on the fire, was about to bring it up to Locke but thought better of it and threw another log onto the fire. For a split second it relit but then it went down again.

Locke snapped his head in the soldier’s direction, “Don’t use a wet log idiot!” The soldier shook his head, “The firewood is as dry as paper sir… it just… stopped burning.” Locke grunted in annoyance and grabbing a nearby log, approached the fire. He was just about to throw it in when he jumped back in shock for the log in his hands had suddenly burst into flames! “What is going on!?” one of the soldiers asked in horror.

All eyes landed back on the fire, only to see something that made their blood boil. A small lick of flame seemed to move itself out of the campfire before leaping across the soiled earth. It was not the fact that the flame was moving itself that surprised the men, nor the fact that the flame was still burning on soil where there was nothing to keep it burning…. But rather the shape that it began to take.

The lick of flame’s shape began to change and for a moment it looked like a dog of some sort with a longer tail…. Until it grew in length till it was about a foot long and spreading from its sides were what looked like a pair of wings…. a dragon!

The flaming dragon did not stop moving as it bounded around the clearing, purposely running along the edge of the clearing, lighting a long stripe of earth on fire so that the whole camp was surrounded by a ring of fire. The campfire was now blazing much stronger than it should have, and the small fire dragon had disappeared but none of the men really cared for their eyes had landed on the first human figure that had appeared that night.

The figure slowly strode toward the camp before walking clear through the ring of fire, not even registering the heat and the person’s clothes not catching on fire. No one present could really make out much of the person’s attire. The person was garbed all in black and while the cloak the person wore concealed a great deal of their outfit, those present could make out the slender legs, slim waist and shape of a woman’s bosom.

“Well, well,” Locke smirked, his confidence returning, “What do we have here? Let’s see, are you by any chance the giant woman’s little sister? Or better yet, the Kingslayer’s lover? Can’t quite decide since your face is all covered up.” Jaime and Brienne exchanged looks, knowing full well that the stranger wasn’t either, but they were just as clueless as the Boltons and Locke.

A soft rumbling chuckle erupted from the stranger’s chest before she spoke, her voice purposely toned deep so as to disguise her voice but even though it was a girl trying to sound like a man, her voice came out surprisingly venomous, rough and deep.

“I am neither,” she replied.

While she had been talking, Locke had given two of his men a look indicating that he wanted them to pounce on the stranger. However, Evelyn saw the look and smirked inwardly at Locke’s assumption that she wouldn’t notice it.

The two men came at Evelyn from the left and the right. the first man who was closest to her fell just when his hand was about to grab his sword. All eyes locked on the fallen man to see a long black arrow protruding from his chest. They all looked back at the girl to see that she had loaded an arrow onto her bow and drawn within a manner of a few seconds, so fast that they hadn’t seen it happen. Now, her bow was not loaded, and the second soldier was almost upon her.

Jaime bit his lip. The stranger was trying to help them but was going to end up getting killed in the process. However, Brienne noticed something that Jaime did not…. Something only a woman would recognize. It was harder for men to distinguish the build of a woman through a woman’s clothes because for men, if a man was muscular, it was quite obvious compared to a man who was not strongly built. For a woman though, a woman could be at the peak of her strength, very fit with iron muscles but a man couldn’t tell because women do not have the obvious muscle display that strong men do.

Brienne saw it though… the difference. As a woman, Brienne knew how her body was different compared to a woman like Margaery Tyrell who was not built strongly but rather delicate and elegantly. This stranger standing before them was petite for her age and from the size of her bosom, the length of her arms and legs and the shape of her hips and thighs, Brienne could easily tell that this woman was not a child but rather a petite woman in her early adulthood, no older than twenty-five. With that said, Brienne hadn’t failed to notice the way the stranger’s body moved or her muscles tensed when she drew back her bow and shot. It was very indistinct, but Brienne noticed it. This girl was not built like the delicate, elegant women that Brienne encountered all the time, nor was she strongly built in the same ways as Brienne… Brienne’s arms and legs were her strongest suit and while this stranger had obvious arm and leg strength, the main strength of her body was her core.

That was why Brienne saw what Jaime thought couldn’t happen…. The slight tweak of the stranger’s muscles as the girl prepared to bring her leg around. The Bolton soldier was not prepared when his legs suddenly shot out from underneath him but instead of just letting the man fall back onto the ground, the stranger moved.

As agile as a deer, the stranger did a somersault into the air, over the still falling body of the Bolton soldier and when she landed, she was right where his body was preparing to land on the ground. His head was inches from the ground when her hand reached down and cupping the nape of his neck in her hand, lifting his whole body back up with one hand before slamming him down face first onto the ground.

Brienne heard Jaime make an inhuman sound between a gasp and a snort of laughter and when she looked at him, she saw the slightest twitch of a smile… the first she had seen in days. The stranger evidently amused him.

After making sure that the Bolton soldier got the hint, Evelyn rose to her feet and as she did, Ace flew down from where he had been perched in the trees watching the show only to land on the girl’s shoulder.

“As the man said a moment ago,” she growled. “You are testing your luck.” Locke felt a shiver run down his spine. This woman was dangerous, but he wasn’t about to let his prisoners go.

“What do you want?” he hissed.

The girl tilted her head as if thinking but when she placed her hands on her hips, Locke knew that she was giving him the look of ‘you are really thick in the head’.

“You’re easier to read than a book,” the girl grunted in her fake deep voice. “You do not wish to give up your prisoners but that is not why I am here. I am here to make sure that you safely get these prisoners to Harrenhal…. In one piece.” “Too late,” Locke snickered. “One of them is in two pieces.” Evelyn’s eyes flitted over to Jaime whom she could now see clearly. Covered in mud, sweat and blood, he was almost unrecognizable, but Evelyn could see it…. his firm jaw…. Sharp lips…. Bright blue eyes…. it was the same Jaime who said goodbye to her in King’s Landing almost two years ago.

“I was not talking about the physical body idiot,” Evelyn pointed out.

Striding past Locke, Evelyn approached the two prisoners. The Boltons all looked at Locke, waiting for him to tell them to pounce on the girl while her back was to them, but the moment Locke even moved a finger, Ace turned his head 180 degrees to give the man a pointed look with his big owl eyes.

“You really don’t learn the first time,” Evelyn said, not looking back at him. “Do you really think I would walk into your camp alone without first thinking of my chances?” “How do you know your chances?” one of the soldiers sneered. “There are ten of us and one of you.” “Correction,” Evelyn said lazily. “The two motionless bodies by the campfire prove that there are only eight of you. But besides that, I rather like my chances.” Locke opened his mouth to speak but Evelyn looked at him over her shoulder. “And I’m not alone.” The Bolton soldiers did not know where it came from, but a deep guttural growl seemed to erupt from the girl’s throat and for a moment, they thought it was the sound of a bear…. But then it sounded like a cat almost…. And soon they found themselves thinking it was a reptile of some sort.

Before they could try to identify the growl further, a black shape appeared behind Evelyn and the men all took two steps back at the sight of the large horse.

“Chance,” Evelyn said calmly to the horse, “Keep an eye on them.” When the horse turned his piercing eyes on the Bolton’s, the men all shivered. Not once had they ever been afraid of a horse before, but this beast was menacing and the way he seemed to look at all of them even without meeting their gaze was like a thousand eyed serpent.

While Chance had the men under control, Evelyn approached the prisoners and crouched down. Cutting the bonds that held the woman to the tree, she helped the woman stand.

“Why aren’t you helping us escape?” the woman asked.

Evelyn took a quick glance at the woman and saw that if they were both standing, Evelyn wouldn’t even reach her shoulder.

“You both are food and sleep deprived. Not to mention your friend is seriously injured. If you two tried to escape and even if you had horses and a day’s head start, someone else would find you and let’s just say, you would be caught all over again.”

Brienne nodded, understanding the stranger’s logic. Evelyn turned to Jaime now and bit her lip to keep from crying at the state he was in. After cutting his bonds and helping him sit with his back against the tree, she cut the cord that held his severed hand around his neck. Reaching to her belt, she took out a cloth and wrapped the hand up in it so that Jaime didn’t have to look at it.

A thought came to the girl and standing up, she walked a ways off before turning to the owl on her shoulder. Ace listened to her whispered words intently before flying off into the night, a message from Evelyn to Zinzi, saying to keep Calum safe and hidden till she returned.

When Evelyn returned to Jaime and Brienne’s side, Brienne had managed to wrap a blanket around the shivering Kingslayer.

“Thank you for helping us,” Brienne said. “I don’t know what they would have done if you had not appeared.” Evelyn smiled but knew they couldn’t see it. “It is the least I could do. You will be safe in Harrenhal though and your wounds will be treated.” “Who are you anyway?” Brienne inquired.

Evelyn’s eyes flitted over to Jaime who was barely conscious but looking at her expectantly, also curious about her identity. The girl shook her head and shrugged.

“The Warlock.”

[jonsa-creatives]

Jonsa Author of the Week - Buttercup_Bee

@buttercup--bee

If you haven’t stumbled upon Buttercup_Bee yet during your Jonsa travels then boy are you in for a treat! Her descriptive prose are GORGEOUS, her time travel mutli-chapter WIP (Amidst the Fall; We Bleed The Same) is such a joy to read (as are her one shots)!

Do yourself a favour and devour her stuff here and make sure you leave loads of lovely comments and kudos!

Excerpts from Buttercup_Bee’s work below the cut...

Amidst the Fall; We Bleed The Same (Sansa is sent back in time when she fears all is lost against The Long Night. The below excerpt is from a scene where she sees pre canon Jon for the first time, Jon’s POV)

Before Robb can say much more Sansa leaves his grasp with a sweet gleam, practically floating towards Jon. He does not know what to do with himself. He can only stare as she brings him into her arms. The feel of her is soft and inviting, a warmth he never expected from her. Not when she hosted the North’s ice in her veins for moreover a fortnight.

Her arms are tight, nails pinching, as if she had waited for this moment. Jon suspects for someone who has lost so much time this is normal. To want to hold everything before her world returns to normal. It is not as if she is entirely avoidant in his presence. Jon is a constant despite lady Catelyn’s distaste for it.

Sansa merely lectures him and his place in the world. A reminder of sorts. Beyond this moment he suspects she will restore what she has known before all this. Bring Winterfell back to it’s feet with her dislike for anything unclean and unkept. To bear distance between herself and Jon, as to not anger her mother and upset the balance between class.

This is only an assumption. One a part of him hopes does not happen, for she is much too soft in his arms. Jon had not realized he wrapped his own around her. Not until now. Where she buries her head into the crook of his shoulder. In every possible right he has to believe this is real, even if it feels a dream.

He does not count the minutes it takes for them to pull apart, probably seconds if he is to be honest with himself, but when she does there are unshed tears in her eyes. They turn the blue into rivers, unlike the sky that has filled them for so long.

Furrowing her brows, as if lost in time, a slim finger draws down from his eyebrow to his cheek. Carving the fair flesh with the gentle touch. Jon’s heart jumps at the action. Unknowing of what to do he merely stands like a fool. What does he do? Sansa has never touched him like this before. He has no reply for her if that is what she is looking for.

Her eyes cage his own, searching for something, but she does not seem to find it. Before anything can be said she jerks away. Spinning on her heels as if what she had just done had gone unseen, unfelt, without mention. It does not appear Robb had witnessed it either. If he had he does not give any sign that he did.

Drunk n’ Jealous (Prompt fill one shot)

Jon slumps into his seat, bringing the leaden ale to his lips in a sigh. They’d finally celebrated his coronation, one he’d refused but Sansa had pushed. Like she always did. Not that he minded. She pushed him to do many things. A great deal of them good.

Fingers tapping on the mug he slants his head to the side, watching as she ate. Little Lyanna Mormont beside her, smiling as lord Cerwyn says something. Though it would appear Lyanna had only smiled because of Sansa, not the man.

Jon bristles at the sight, lifting a brow as Sansa buries her head into a small hand. Such a dainty thing, made of ivory and steel. And when the lord leans in, a glint in his hue, his body stills. He feels as if the chamber has grown quiet, even as the hiccuped laughter grows louder than thunder itself.

Sansa laughs again, or a giggle, it appears to be soft. Flirtatious even. A bashful simper playing her lips as the lord holds his hand out. As if to dance. She nods, taking his hand. Before he can lead her away Jon finds himself scrambling to sit up, marching towards the two in a drunken wobble. When his hand clasps around Sansa’s shoulder she spins to face him.

Her smile disappears, only the smile, the rest of the amusement still lying upon her features. Lord Cerwyn bows.

“My King.” He utters, nervously almost. And it isn’t until he feels the knit in his brow he knows he must look aggressive, angry, full of a troubled ire that refuses to leave him. And it confuses more than it should.

“I need to speak with lady Sansa.” He says, the slur light and he’s proud of himself. Without the slur she almost looked as if she took him seriously. Lord Cerwyn nods, leaving Sansa to Jon.

Sansa watches as the lord leaves, and Jon watches her, imprinting every feature she holds close to mind. As to keep her there forever. He does it many times. Out of fear of the unknown. Anything could happen. When she turns, her eyes landing on his, the query is there as well as mirth.

She gives a slight curtsy, before asking “What is it you need, your grace?” The tone is mocking almost, an enjoyment laced in between.

He doesn’t answer. Jon’s never been this drunk, but many had insisted he let go. Well, that many had been Tormund. Who’d kept serving him ale and mead, sometimes wine, forcing the new King in the North to get ‘drunk off his balls’, that’s what Tormund had said at least.

Sansa lifts a brow, questioning his odd attitude with one look. Jon sighs, a heavy breath as he pulls her out of the large chamber. Where Northern lords and the wild folk dance and drink. All of them getting along, much to Jon’s surprise. None of them were different from the other, that had been made obvious. One set of people just happened to be on the other side of the wall when it was built.

Sansa willingly follows, much to his relief, he didn’t want to worry her. Even in his drunken state he was concerned with his touch, how it affected her. After so much terror, horrid abuse she’s endured- he could only imagine. And he’s certain that cannot supplicate what she has gone through. The thought of Ramsay Bolton has his blood in a sated boil. He was dead but Jon still had the urge to beat him to death once more.

A grave urge. He found it best to direct it towards Littlefinger, as Sansa had pointed out. His hostility towards the old man had been nothing but honest and hateful. Everyone recognized the hatred he had towards lord Baelish. And Sansa hadn’t stopped it. It only lead him further to hating the man. Because she had allowed it. It let him know she thought he deserved it as well.

When they reach the hallway, dark shadows where the sconces have failed to light, he drags her to a specific patch of candle light, where her back sits in the warm shine and his in the cold moonlight.

He doesn’t say anything, in fact he’s forgotten what he had planned to say, if he had planned at all. All he know’s is he did not enjoy the sight before him and wanted her out.

How could the lord touch the lady of Winterfell so carelessly? She was his lady. Jon didn’t care if she had allowed it. A man so low should not be permitted to touch something so precious, beautiful, so caring and lovely. It wasn’t his right.

[ao3feed-theonsa]

upon the highest bough

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2D9Mfc8

by bubblewrapstargirl

Robb Stark lives in a lively household, what with his lovely wife and their three rambunctious children, his melancholy sister Sansa (in mourning but kept merry by her sweet son), eccentric cousin Jon (who romps about in the attic talking to himself, while he tries to write a bestselling novel) and his best friend Theon (who has a home of his own, Gods be Blessed!! who doesn't even celebrate Yuletide but is forced to hang decorations anyway). Not forgetting frequent visitors, loud sister Arya and her husband Gendry, excited about their second baby, and the irascible Lady Olenna, who refuses to quit drinking all of Robb's best brandy.

(...full summary inside!)

Words: 3339, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English

Fandoms: Game of Thrones (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Theon Greyjoy, Domeric Bolton, Bran Stark, Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, Margaery Tyrell, Olenna Tyrell, Ghost (ASoIaF), Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Nymeria, Original House Bolton Character(s), Original House Stark Character(s)

Relationships: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark, Robb Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Ramsay Bolton/Sansa Stark (past), Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Samwell Tarly/Gilly Craster, Ghost/Nymeria (ASoIaF)

Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, Victorian Attitudes, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Modern Westeros, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Gendry Waters is a Baratheon, Theon Greyjoy is a Gift, Yuletide in Westeros, Jon Snow is a Westerosi Charles Dickens, Theon Greyjoy is a Westerosi Lord Byron, Robb Stark is a Westerosi Robert Owen, Ramsay Bolton is a Westerosi shithead as usual, Sansa Stark is Ramsay's Widow, Bran and Rickon are Robb's sons, Established Robbaery, Domeric Bolton is Sansa's son, Shameless Christmas fun!, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catelyn Tully Stark Doesn't Hate Jon Snow, R Plus L Equals J, Jealousy, no love triangles, Established Gendarya, Established Ghostymeria

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2D9Mfc8