#and then brienne the reconstruction

[ilynpilled]

I think it is quite funny that Jaime becomes disillusioned with chivalric *violence* because of his dealings with Aerys and the whole system around him, so throws himself into a chivalric *love* with Cersei to cope (ie. He is forced to love her from a distance, being the Lancelot to her Guinevere.)

In AFFC, his faith in chivalric love *also* collapses, when he is forced to reckon with the fact that the type of chivalric love he has been indulging in leaves him alienated and distant from his beloved, and it means he doesn’t really know her in any meaningful way. Idolising “the lady” is just projection, not genuine love.

Enter Brienne. His dealings with her allow him to reframe both violence and love, because she embodies both the ideals of a genuine knightly protector and a lover who he can know completely, inside and out. I’m very interested to see where GRRM takes this in TWOW (if he ever does, of course).

yeah heavily idealistic chivalric values/codes clashing with the actual reality of chivalric violence/chivalric love/chivalry and gender and misogyny specifically and just knighthood as an institution in general is such a key tension in the text and i am also excited to see how it will continue to develop with him and brienne (the female true knight). i just love how knighthood is deconstructed and then reconstructed and how the two of them are at the center of the theme ig

[greenbloods]

arthur dayne-jaime-brienne as the setup-deconstruction-reconstruction of knighthood. the thesis-antithesis-synthesis, the mario-wario-waluigi of it all

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

Others: the gentle giant (Hodor), Frankenstein and his monster (Qyburn and Robert Strong), the mentor/father must die (Ned Stark)

Put anything else in tags :)

[hamliet]

Question. Is there anything the show added that isn't in the books that you actually like? Is there anything in the show you prefer to the books? Or do you think the A Song of Fire and Ice is superior to a Game of Thrones in every way?

Yes, in every way. :P No, but in all seriousness, all the positives of the show can't outweigh the utter desecration of the characters, themes, and message. It became a cynical farce that mocked fantasy rather than something that deconstructed and reconstructed it out of love.

That said, I think the casting was pretty much perfect for every single role. The actors/actresses were fabulous, and grew with their roles. I wouldn't swap a single actor. I get chills watching Oberyn telling Tyrion he would be his champion even now. Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke should have won Emmies--even though I'd give Emilia the Emmy for the atrocious Season 8. She put her whole being into that role despite clearly hating that they were assassinating her character.

(This is why, even if the book series by some miracle ends up finished someday, I will still never get over the show's tanking. You wasted the literal perfect cast!)

Also, earlier on, the show added scenes that I think really did help the story flow. Cersei and Robert's discussion about their marriage in Season 1. Brienne and Catelyn's conversation about Jon Snow. Cersei and Littlefinger's conversation about power. These took the basic ideas of the story and fed them to us in scenes that wasn't necessarily for a written medium, but very much was for a visual one.

I also think the general consolidation of scenes, conversations, and characters was often quite good insofar as adapting for the TV medium. Mmaking Robb have an actual romance was also a pretty good idea, even if I think they could have kept the basic ideas of the books (the love at first sight deconstruction) in their adaptation, or at least kept her Jeyne Westerling.

[pngjpeg]

theres so many good deconstructions and reconstructions of knights and protectors and shit in this i love every version of a teenage girl going through it and a person in armor entrusted with their protection go brienne go sandor go jorah go go go go

and theon even! rip in fucking pieces jeyne poole though

unfortunately i still love this old fucker

[kellyvela]

Honestly I love the sense of denial that S@ns@n shippers have . Even the most hardcore amongst them couldn't ship it in the show because of age difference between Sophie and Rory while forgetting that GRRM was the one to cast Rory purposefully and vouched for him after going through a series of unexamined audition tapes . I think this hardwork was basically his answer to the shippers' constant pestering in his inbox about casting someone hot prior to the premiere of the show .

Also leaving biology and genetic aside, if one thinks Sandor Clegane is some sort of narrative descendant of Dunk then they are giving a character like the Hound who exists as a plot device in Sansa and Arya's arc way too narrative significance when there is already Brienne of Tarth . Grrm loves to explore the themes of chivalry and knighthood and the deconstruction and reconstruction of the said themes should have attracted him enough to explore S@ndor Clegane as a POV but guess what he doesn't and maybe that could be because the author doesn't give him that narrative weight as shippers do . Again this is the same fandom who in 2021 is still measuring the narrative significance of 20 + POV character who has appeared in 4 books since the first one while at the same time giving way too much weight to characters like Stannis, S@ndor, Barbrey , Rickon etc .

Oh Anon, but I still see pic edits with the GOT actors despite the huge age difference...

I still see fanart where Sansa is depicted as a really little girl in romantic and sexual situations with and adult old enough to be her grandpa...

That "narrative" that they only ship them when she is a consenting adult is some post-truth made up bs...

About the second part of your ask, I agree. I've seen people comparing that character to byronic heroes (protagonists by definition), to Lord Byron himself and even to King Arthur, Quite Island being his Avalon or something... Imagine that.

[agentrouka-blog]

I agree that Ned treated his daughters as more "child like" than his sons. Even then he had a scene with Arya, where he warned her of the danger they were in, winter is coming and the pack survives, all that. He bonded with Arya better than with Sansa. Among all his children, Sansa was the most sheltered one. No wonder, she was so naive!

One of my side-theories is that Sansa’s insistent preoccupation with love and songs, her escapism into fiction and her desire to trust in ideals, is related to Ned’s “bastard” son. 

She is naturally romantically inclined, and she grew up witnessing her parents sharing a loving relationship. And at some point this happened:

He missed the girls too, even Sansa, who never called him anything but "my half brother" since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant. (AGOT, Jon III)

So Sansa, somewhat sheltered, learned about the meaning of bastard in a way that may have been similarly traumatizing to her as it was to Jon. 

That morning he called it first. "I'm Lord of Winterfell!" he cried, as he had a hundred times before. Only this time, this time, Robb had answered, "You can't be Lord of Winterfell, you're bastard-born. My lady mother says you can't ever be the Lord of Winterfell."

I thought I had forgotten that. Jon could taste blood in his mouth, from the blow he'd taken. (ASOS, Jon XII)

Not on the same scale and not for the same reasons, of course.

But the realization that there was a chink in that love, and a very vicious power imbalance between her parents, would have been traumatizing for a Girl who knows her Destiny is to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

THIS is the mindset Cat grew up with:

Many men fathered bastards. Catelyn had grown up with that knowledge. It came as no surprise to her, in the first year of her marriage, to learn that Ned had fathered a child on some girl chance met on campaign. He had a man's needs, after all, and they had spent that year apart, Ned off at war in the south while she remained safe in her father's castle at Riverrun. Her thoughts were more of Robb, the infant at her breast, than of the husband she scarcely knew. He was welcome to whatever solace he might find between battles. And if his seed quickened, she expected he would see to the child's needs. (…) She had come to love her husband with all her heart, but she had never found it in her to love Jon. She might have overlooked a dozen bastards for Ned's sake, so long as they were out of sight. (AGOT, Catelyn II)

The mindset of duty, of sexism, of pragmatism. It is an ugly mindset for romance. There is a contradiction there that cannot be resolved between them because Ned never gives Catelyn a resolution on Jon. He refuses to share information and he refuses to spare her the sight of the son of the “woman he loved” and apparently cannot let go of. So his mother remains and shadow and Jon remains a thorn in her side. Catelyn can not do anything about it. Ned has all the power. This power Imbalance, and Ned’s willingness to take Advantage of it, is anathema to romance. Cat blocks it out, most of the time, because it is how she was taught to live.

But the expectation of infidelity and pragmatism is not the marriage Sansa and Arya witness, the idea of marriage they are shown by their parents. 

He looked at her uncomfortably. “My aunt Allyria says Lady Ashara and your Father fell in love at Harrenhal—” “That’s not so. He loved my lady mother.” “I’m sure he did, my lady, but—” “She was the only one he loved.” “He must have found that bastard under a cabbage leaf, then,” Gendry said behind them. Arya wished she had another crabapple to bounce off his face. “My father had honor,” she said angrily. “And we weren’t talking to you anyway. Why don’t you go back to Stoney Sept and ring that girl’s stupid bells?” (ASOS, Arya VIII)

Arya deflects, she cannot resolve the contradiction there, either. Because it shadowed the marriage of their parents. 

So, Sansa - and this is another beautifully wrought example of trauma shared in the family and wreaking havoc on everyone - grows up with the necessity of accepting and blocking out contradictions. Her father is a good man, so his absolute power and his use of it cannot a bad thing. But Jon clearly causes her mother emotional pain, so this contradiction must be blocked out. Arya does the same, never ever having dwelled on where Jon came from, while still deeply aware of how bastardy is a bad thing.

When Arya had been little, she had been afraid that meant that she was a bastard too. It had been Jon she had gone to in her fear, and Jon who had reassured her.  (AGOT, Arya I)

“Half-brother”, Sansa will always insist on calling Jon, never bastard and never full brother, a compromise, but that is the extent of what we see on that subject. There is zero textual evidence of any animosity between them.

And yet we have Sansa dreaming of romance, of Jonquil and Florian, of Aemon and Naerys, of knightly valor, of true knights. 

She pulled a chair close to the hearth, took down one of her favorite books, and lost herself in the stories of Florian and Jonquil, of Lady Shella and the Rainbow Knight, of valiant Prince Aemon and his doomed love for his brother's queen.  (AGOT, Sansa IV)

This is her coping mechanism with trauma.

Learning about the power imbalance between men and women, between her parents, about her potential future of having to bear humiliations and infidelity from her husband with no recourse, that may well be one of the roots of her “head in the clouds” insistence on romance and songs. It may be one of the roots of her somewhat distant relationship with Ned, too. 

If her life is a song, then her future husband will be a source of truth and of love without abusing the power he is legally bestowed on her.

Of course, starting in his first chapter, Ned proceeds to arrange the opposite for her:

"Gods, Catelyn, Sansa is only eleven," Ned said. "And Joffrey … Joffrey is …"  (…) "Sansa must wed Joffrey, that is clear now, we must give them no grounds to suspect our devotion.” (AGOT, Catelyn II)

He outright hands her over to a family he distrusts, to a future husband he knows is not kind, for pragmatic reasons. He uses his absolute power over her in a very careless way.

I think it is pretty reasonable to assume that Arya’s rejection of the entire Concept may be rooted in the exact same traumatic realization. Unlike Sansa, her Coping mechanism is to back away from the female social role altogether. Ned is equally unhelpful with that until he at last grants her lessons with Syrio Forel. He never has the Chance to make up for his mistakes with Sansa.

Ned and Cat’s marriage, and Sansa and Arya’s reaction to the visible power imbalance is such a big aspect of GRRM’s feminist message in the books. Jon unlearning at least parts of his sexism, his relationship with Arya, his respect for different facets of feminine power, his appreciation of soft power and his failure as an “absolute monarch” when he “kills the boy” as Lord Commander at the Watch, as well as Sansa’s journey examining the feminine social role and power abuse in general, all of that is a dismantling of the Hero and the Lady in oldschool romances. Deconstructing and reconstructing.

They are all being reforged, like Ice, pared down. Oathkeeper goes to Brienne, the true Knight. Widow’s Wail stays behind. 

[alliluyevas]

continuing to think.

thinking about Jaime + Robert narrative parallels.

[wackygoofball]

Chapters: 10/? Fandom: Game of Thrones (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth Characters: Jaime Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Tyrion Lannister, Davos Seaworth, Brandon Stark, Podrick Payne, Gendry Waters, Samwell Tarly, Gilly (ASoIaF) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Ending, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, king jaime, Love, Love Confessions, Second Chances, Falling In Love, Again, Pining, Mutual Pining, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Regret, Trauma, Reconstruction Period, Drama, Drama & Romance, Romance, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Build, even though we were there already, but i mean, they have some shit to work through yo, Longing Stares, HEARTEYES MOTHERFUCKER, one character is NOT dead while the rest is still totally dead, sorry - Freeform, i don't make the rules, ok, I Do, but still, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, there apparently is a tag for that thank God, Kings & Queens, Alternate Universe - Post-War, So many tags

Summary:

Jaime Lannister, against the odds of his injuries, survives the Red Keep's collapse.

This leaves not only him but many other people to deal with the aftermath of two queens fighting for the Iron Throne and so many losing because of it.

Foremost, it leaves Jaime to deal with his future, a future he thought he wouldn't ever have after what Brandon Stark said to him at Winterfell. And his future may come to affect those of many more people than he ever would have dared to believe. Yet, it leaves him to deal with his past, too. Because he left something behind at Winterfell, something very dear to him, and now that he survived, Jaime has to come to terms with the consequences of his choices.

And a whole nation has to decide on its own future, too.

Chapter summary:

Brienne receives an unexpected visitor.

Podrick receives an unexpected mission.

Davos finds himself in an unexpected position.

And the King readies himself to meet the expectations placed on his shoulders.

[ajoblotofjunk]

I had to check three times it was actually Wednesday today. This is from a WIP I’m working on when I’m procrastinating edits on my exchange fic.

Brienne Tarth was six years old when her father was summoned from across the sea to design the historical reconstruction of the Red Keep. She went with him, because it was summer and she loved to run around ruins and there was no one else left alive in their house to take care of her anyway.

The first day of their two week introductory trip was all travel: a short puddle jumper from Tarth to the mainland, then a slightly bigger commuter jet to King's Landing. Brienne had never been to the city before and she'd been all not-yet-broken nose and already-too-large hands pressed against the window of the private car that whisked them to their fancy hotel. The Targaryens had put them up near the ruins, sparing no expense, denying them nothing they asked for. The following year was to be the five hundredth anniversary of the Rebellious Traitors' destruction of King's Landing and the Targaryens wanted to memorialize Aerys and the innocent citizens' sacrifice with a display. At the time, Brienne had been too young to understand any of that, or that her father, Selwyn Tarth, was the premiere historical reconstructor of the Age of Heroes, which is why the Targaryen's had paid so much for his services.

Or that Aerys Targaryen had not been the betrayed protector that history claimed he was.

[ilynpilled]

Beauty and the Beast

[firesign23]

Six Sentence Sunday

Completely implausible armory sex. I don’t even know WTF this is going to end up being, because there is literally no reason to post smut for smut’s sake. Apparently I’m dealing with the depressing elements of the Brienne/Addam universe by having Brienne and Jaime fuck constantly in the better world where he doesn’t die.

The week after the battle, it is all either of them can do to get through meetings and reconstruction shifts and then collapse into their now-shared bed at night, and it is a toss-up whether sleep or sex finds them first. Jaime wishes there was more energy, or a chance to stay abed for hours so he could learn every single way to bring her apart, but there’s something welcoming in this too, the gentle coming together and the exploration of how to share a bed when neither of them are accustomed to it.  

He’s still relieved when, on their morning of rest, she drags him from beneath the furs for training in the yards. He grumbles about it, lacing their conversation with all the things he’d rather be doing and delighting when a particular suggestion turns her cheeks scarlet, but the truth of it is that it is good to have a sword in his hand once more. Particularly like this, in the early morning light with a worthy opponent and the only stakes a matter of pride. 

Quite frankly, he’d happily surrender all pride the moment Brienne begins to fight.

[aviss]

I didn't know you were taking the Arcana prompts, too! Oops/ Would you consider the Moon, please?

Thanks so much for the prompt! Hope you don’t mind some fix-it of the very bad scene in 8.04

The Moon: domesticity, the wilderness, howling, illusion, insecurity

Brienne woke up slowly, by stages, not the abrupt snap into consciousness of a seasoned soldier in the middle of a war, but the luxurious stretch of limbs she had become accustomed to in the past moon, the burrowing into the warm blankets and the warmer body pressed against hers. Except, when she went to hold Jaime’s body against her, she only touched air. 

The sheets were still warm and the fire was burning merrily in the hearth, she yawned and lifted her head. Jaime was standing by the heard, his back to her, head hanging. 

He was fully dressed.

“Jaime,” Brienne rasped, suddenly gripped by a terrible fear. “Come back to bed.”

He didn’t move, though his back hunched further, shoulders coming up, tense. “I’m sorry,” he said, barely a whisper. Brienne wouldn’t have heard it if there had been any other noise in the castle, if it hadn’t been the darkest hour where everyone slept. 

She had seen him like this, staring into the fire lost inside his own mind several times in the past moon since they started sharing her chambers. It usually happened when he’d had troubled sleep, or if he’d been with his brother. Brienne wasn’t an idiot, she knew he was thinking about his sister, back in King’s Landing, and that part of him probably wanted to be with her.

It was the part of him that usually took over during the night, when fears and demons spoke the loudest. 

She hadn’t seen the shadow of Cersei during their waking hours, hadn’t had to contend with her during their lovemaking, when Jaime only had eyes for her and gave his entire being to her. She wasn’t there during their meals or their training. She wasn’t there when Jaime sparred with Pod, nor when they were discussing the reconstruction of Winterfell and assigning jobs to the people. And she wasn’t inside their chambers when they lay entwined with each other talking about their past, and the years separation, their bodies still cooling after their previous exertions. 

At night, when they slept, was a different matter. Brienne had heard him muttering her name, and had seen him get up and go stare into the fire until he was shivering, arms crossed over his own torso. He always came back to bed and warmed against her body, pressing fevered kisses to her naked skin and calling her name like a benediction. 

Brienne had feared one day he wouldn’t come back to bed. 

“Jaime,” she repeated. “Please.”

He flinched as if hit, but didn’t turn back. “Go back to sleep, Brienne.”

She got out of the bed instead and walked to him, the coldness of the stone on her bare feel making her shiver. She had known, somehow, today would be the day Cersei’s shadow would take him from her, had known it since Sansa had received the raven.

“Go back to bed, Brienne, you’ll freeze,” he said, still not looking at her, his voice flat and lifeless.

“You’re leaving me,” she said, the words hanging in the air between them. 

“I’m sorry.”

“They’re going to destroy that city, this time there is no sacrifice for you to make that will stop them.”

“I know that,” some bite had returned to his voice, a spark of life.

She blinked rapidly against the sting in her eyes, she knew what he meant to do if not saving the city. “You can stay here, with me, and live.”

“I don’t deserve that, I don’t deserve you. She wouldn’t have done half of the things she’s done without me. She’s going to die for all her crimes, but she couldn’t have done it without me.”

Brienne’s heart clenched, half in sorrow and half in rage. “Fine,” she said, the word dragged out of her. She turned and went to her clothes, and started putting her underwear on, then her undershirt and breeches. Jaime turned at the noise, an alarmed look on his face when she saw her getting dressed.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you.”

She was almost gratified at the panic on his face before he smoothed it out, his jaw set. “Absolutely not. You just said it, they’re going to destroy the city.”

“I know that,” she mimicked him. 

Jaime narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re not coming, you’ll die.”

She mirrored his expression. “And how do you propose to stop me?” She looked at Widow’s wail strapped to his waist and lifted her eyebrows in challenge. 

Jaime flinched as if struck, deflating. “Please. You don’t deserve to die there, you belong here where people respect you. You’re a Knight, you’re Sansa’s trusted commander.”

She approached him, fully dressed and grabbed Oathkeeper from the peg where it hung, strapping it to her own waist. “You said you deserved to die because your sister wouldn’t have held onto power without you,” she said, playing her last card. “You wouldn’t have been in a position to help her were it not for me. I got you back to her.”

Jaime shook his head. “No.”

“If her crimes are yours, then your crimes are mine. We can all die together in King’s Landing.” She headed to the door. “Come, we have to ride hard to get there in time to die with Cersei.”

He grabbed her shoulder and made her turn. “What are you doing? Why are you doing this?” She saw the anguish and desperation on his face. “You have to stay here. I can ride south and face my sins if I know you are here.”

“They are my sins too,” she said, softly.

“No they’re not, you stupid, stubborn wench!” he spat, pushing her against the door and closing the space between their bodies, caging her there. “I have to go to her, we were born together and we’re meant to die the same way. But you have to live. I can’t bear the idea of you dying with me, don’t you see?”

“And what makes you think I can bear it if it’s you?” She put her hands on her face. “You do love me, that is the reason you want me to live. I love you, and I’ll try to keep you here even if you hate me for it.”

“I could never hate you,” Jaime whispered, horrified by the prospect. 

“If your sister loved you, she’d want you to stay here, as far from King’s Landing as possible. If she wants you there so you can die with her, she doesn’t love you.”

She saw the moment she got through to him, the fight gone out of him. He sagged against her, his head dropping to her shoulder. Brienne encircled his back with her arms while he shook against her, not caring that her jerkin was getting wet or that her back was getting stiff. They stayed like that for an eternity, until Brienne moved them back inside the room and started the process of undressing them both. 

Jaime let her, and let her put him to bed again, curling immediately against her body. 

There would be no more sleep for either of them, but it was fine, they were together and alive. They would stay that way, the shadow of Cersei finally gone.

[avatarsarny]

Post S8 Arya/Gendry? With a cherry on top?

Well, anon, since you asked so nicely. Just in time, bc I really needed to get this out of my system. This is for @gendrie, @gendryadempsie, and @starrynightshade, whose blogs and fics have kept me sane over the past few weeks of D&D’s clownery. Thank you guys for feeding us with that sweet sweet Gendrya content throughout :)

For context: In my head, everything ended similarly to D&D’s bad fanfic version with some notable adjustments: Jon is not exiled to the (nonexistent) Night’s Watch; he decides against being king and goes to bring the Wildlings back down to the North with Tormund (bc the lands beyond the wall are a barren wasteland wtf) and thereafter settles at Winterfell to be Hand to Queen Sansa. Bran is made King of the 6 kingdoms as he was in the show, with Tyrion as his Hand and ruling with his council. Jaime did not turn on Brienne in the last moment, didn’t erase years of character development, and instead left to kill Cersei himself, finally realizing the disease she really was, and became Queenslayer for the good of the realm. He survives Daenerys’ attack on KL and is serving Bran in the new Kingsguard, under Brienne the Commander. 

Finally, Arya does not randomly decide to become Christopher Columbarya and sail the ocean blue, erasing years of her own journey to finally be home with her family again, no sirs, she finds Gendry after the sack of KL, after she realizes what Sandor was trying to tell her to do, to choose life, and tells him to ask her again. You can guess the rest from what you read below :)

And in keeping with the pack survives narrative (bc that’s what good writing is about!! Consistency!!) the Starks remain closer than ever, visit each other often, and don’t end up alone and separated! Hope yall enjoy!

P.S… Okoye. You’ll see why soon. definitely not taken straight outta black panther Ahem. Continue.

“And reinforcements from the Stormlands will arrive tomorrow, Your Grace, if I’m not mistaken. Lord Buckler of Bronzegate sent me a raven saying twenty ships worth of food and supplies will be here just after sunrise.”

Bran nods in approval and looks up at the sunlight streaming in through the windows of the newly - reconstructed King’s solar. Daenerys’ rampage had left little of the Red Keep standing, but some of the personal chambers had remained mostly intact, so the new King and his council lived in close quarters for the past three months while they supervised the city’s recovery. There were still many injured and many more starving, so Bran called upon every Lord and leader in Westeros, high and low, to contribute whatever they could to the city’s smallfolk; who had suffered the most.

Bran glances over at the man across him. His blue eyes are bright with belonging and purpose, his dark hair is gradually breaking free of the short crop he had sported when Bran had first met him, and he wears fine leathers in same way his father and uncles had, only this time adorned with clawlike marks on the shoulders of his tunic.

The young King smiles at this observation. Stags don’t have claws. But he can think of another animal that does. 

Gendry catches his King’s gaze. “What is it, Your Grace?”

Bran’s smile grows ever so slightly. “When is my sister returning, my Lord? It’s been a fortnight since her last raven.”

Gendry sighs and looks out a window, where the city gates rise from the sea of ruined buildings far out in the distance on one end, and the azure waters of Blackwater Bay lay calm and still. “I’m not sure. She said she wouldn’t leave Queen Sansa at Winterfell until she’s made sure she’ll be well protected.”

“Won’t Jon be there soon?”

Gendry blinks. “Yes - er - I didn’t know that until this morning - got a raven from Tormund. How’d you find out?”

Bran throws him an unimpressed glance. “Well I am the three eyed raven. I flew over Jon and Tormund’s group last night. They’ve settled the Wildlings in some unoccupied lands about a day’s ride from Winterfell. Sansa wants Jon to be her Hand, and it looks like Jon’s agreed to it.”

Gendry nods slowly, trying to process the King’s extraordinary statement in a way he can understand. “I’ve heard of your abilities, Your Grace, but forgive me, I’m not sure how one flies when they can’t even walk. But if what you say is true, then you can see where your sisters are, too, can’t you?” He grins then, and maybe in front of a different King he’d be punished for his audacity, but Bran is no ordinary King. And Gendry has never been one to worship the ground at a highborn’s feet. 

But he’ll fight for any one of the Starks. Arya and her family time and again showed kindness and mercy to the common folk, and beneath their ferocious direwolf fangs they shared a gentleness for the innocent that Gendry had rarely seen among the rich and powerful. Even Sansa, the Red Wolf of the North, held a great tenderness concealed beneath her icy, calculating exterior, and people everywhere adored her for it.

Bran’s smile widens into a true grin, then. A feat so rare Gendry thinks he should get Grand Maester Samwell to check on their King’s health. 

“Yes, I can see everything. Anything, anywhere, at any point in time. But sometimes it’s nice to put it all away for a while, and be a normal man. Or at least act like it,” he replies. “I did see Arya, by the way. It appears she’ll be staying in Winterfell for a few more weeks before she starts her journey back here.”

Gendry’s face falls, but he catches himself and hopes the King doesn’t notice. The least she could do is send a raven, but she’s been oddly silent since her last message to him, and he’s getting worried. If she doesn’t send more word soon, he’ll go off to Winterfell himself.

Bran quirks a brow at him. “Storm’s End needs someone like you, someone who will take care of the people. Your uncles left the Stormlands in such disarray, but the Stormlords are willing to follow your command. Don’t worry about my sister, she can handle herself.” He smiles serenely at the former blacksmith.

 But what about me? Gendry thinks. Does she not understand that every day we’re separated feels like an eternity to me?

None of it will mean anything, if you aren’t with me, so be with me…

It will be nearly four months since Arya left to help Sansa settle into her role as Queen in the North. Four months since he last held her in his arms, since he tasted her on his lips and felt the warmth of her smile, since he saw the heat and tenderness in her gaze she reserved only for him. 

She had sought him out after the Dragon Queen had stormed King’s Landing, after Jon drove a dagger through his aunt’s heart and liberated all who would come under her tyranny. She had been covered in ash and blood and he’d never felt more fear in his entire life, that he would have to watch her die like this, but she was mostly unhurt, the blood had not been hers, not all of it.

“Ask me again,” She’d rasped, coughing out grey soot and clutching at him for dear life. “I thought I wouldn’t come back from Kings Landing. I was going to die there, and I couldn’t do that to you, I had to refuse,” She whispered, tears falling from her eyes and down her grimy face. “I couldn’t hurt you.”

And oh, she had never looked more beautiful, he had never loved her more fiercely than he did in that moment, not even on that night they thought would be their last, when she had kissed him down in the Winterfell stores and made breathless, frantic love to him. “You could never hurt me, love,” he’d said, wiping her tears away and crushing her to his chest. “I know you don’t want to be a Lady, I’ve always known. We can go wherever you like. Do whatever you want. I’ll follow you anywhere you go, till the end of my days,” he promised, and released her so he could kneel before her in the ash and dust. “My life means nothing without my family. Please be my wife. Please be my family, Arya of House Stark.”

And with that, she’d tackled him into the rubble with all the strength she could muster, and kissed him senseless. “I love you,” She’d breathed against his lips, “I will be your family. Your - your wife,” she broke off in a quiet moan, as he moved to press searing kisses down her throat. She held his face in her hands, stilling his sweet movements to look earnestly up at him. “And I will lead by your side, Gendry of House Baratheon.”

He stared at her in shock, his hands coming up to bracket her own. “You - you want to rule the Stormlands with me?”

Arya smiled at him, even though it hurt to do so and her face was bleeding. “I want to be here for the people who can’t protect themselves. I want to make our world a better place than the one we grew up in…I couldn’t save them in King’s Landing,” she’d paused as more tears trailed down her cheeks, and he dutifully brushed them away with the pads of his calloused fingers. She would tell him about the girl and her mother, later. The little family that had saved her from the stampede, only to end up burnt beyond recognition in the end. “I have to make sure this never happens again.”

Gendry kissed her forehead, the bit of it that wasn’t cut open. “As m’lady commands,” he’d murmured, threading their fingers together. “Now let’s get you a maester.”

“I also need to teach you how to use a fork, none of those idiot lords will respect you otherwise.”

He laughed and scooped her up into his arms. “I’ll need all the help I can get. I don’t know any other rich girls willing to teach me.”

Part 2 coming soon :)

[fakexface]

Post Season 8

•As the weeks pass, construction is underway to rebuild the damaged parts of the city. Cersei is kept in her newly appointed chambers; Qyburn is kept in the cells along with Euron Greyjoy. During these weeks, the Lords and Ladies of Westeros are brought in.

•Rhaegar discovered a very nearly dead Ellaria within the cells; he ordered her to be taken for immediate attention and to be nursed back to health. By the time of Rhaegar’s coronation, she is able to hold herself upright and feed herself, though she is still too weak to walk on her own. Whenever she sees Trystane and her daughters, she breaks down in sobs. She can be seen sitting beside Trystane in a wheeled chair, with her daughters standing behind her.

•Lady Sansa and Bran had made their way to King’s Landing in lieu of the battle, as well as: Robin Arryn, current Lord Paramount of the Vale: Gendry Baratheon, the new Lord Paramount of the Stormlands: Tyrion Lannister, current Lord Paramount of the Westerlands: Edmure Tully, current Lord Paramount of the Riverlands: Lord Bronn of the Blackwater, current Lord Paramount of the Reach: Tristan Martell, the Prince of Dorne: and Yara Greyjoy, Queen of the Iron Islands. Each house is present for the coronation ceremony, as well as all of King’s Landing. Sansa, Bran, Arya, and Jon stand to the side closest to the dais upon which the Iron Throne sat. Daenerys stands to Rhaegar’s right, dressed in a gown of rich ruby and black, the Targaryen colors; a circlet of silver sits upon her brow daintily, and a cloak of black trails from her shoulders with the Targaryen house sigil upon it.

•Samwell Tarly begins the coronation, seeing as how there is no longer a high septon. Rhaegar kneels before Sam and swears his oaths: to lead Westeros into an era of peace, to rule justly. He wears no armor, but rather, a high collared black tunic, black trousers, and a ruby red cloak that falls from his shoulders. Sam places the crown of silver and ruby upon his brow, speaking his title loud and clear: Rhaegar of House Targaryen, First of his Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. The crowd erupts into cheers, and the sound of the dragons bellowing can be hear above it all as they fly over the coronation.

•Afterward, he calls a meeting with the Lord and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms. Here, he explains his plans: they would each choose one person to represent their kingdom, and that person will remain within King’s Landing, forming a Great Council of the Seven Kingdoms. This is met with surprise and confusion- what was the need for a great council? Rhaegar states that having one man rule over the seven kingdoms does not bode well with him- that the winds have changed, and a new era is upon them. He wishes to open up trade once more to allow the Seven Kingdoms to flourish as they once had, as well as open up pathways for growth. He now has many connections within Essos; Ser Barristan Selmy was currently on his way back to Meereen to check in on Daario Naharis and how the situation bodes there.

•He makes it clear that he does not want an answer right at that very moment- a celebration was underway, and he wished to be with the people. But it was something that they need to think on; he would want an answer by the end of the week. He leaves the lords and ladies to talk amongst themselves. Sansa follows after him, calling out to him. She states that the North wishes to be independent. Rhaegar nods in understanding, and agrees that the North should be independent- it has practically been so since it’s creation. He will leave the details for her to discuss with her siblings, and to bring him their final decision whenever they make it.

•Rhaegar can then be seen doing what he once loved to do- be among the people. He stopped and talked, sharing stories and laughs. The people accept him quickly, as stories of his generosity had never died out. 

•Later, he can be seen standing before the Iron Throne. Jaime Lannister approaches him and asks when he will be knighted once more, to which Rhaegar replies with a simple “now”. He turns, drawing his blade. For a moment, Jaime thinks that Rhaegar means to strike him down, but instead, Rhaegar gestures for him to kneel without a word. He kneels, and it brings him back to the day he was first knighted at fifteen, with Rhaegar watching him. Now, so many years later, Rhaegar is the one holding the blade and repeating the oath. “In the name of the warrior, I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the Innocent. Arise, Ser Jaime Lannister, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

•Jaime rises, and Rhaegar nods- once- before Jaime turns to leave, his head held high, shoulders squared. A knight once more.

•It is night when Daenerys finds Rhaegar sitting alone before the large painted Map of Westeros. The siblings sit in silence for a while before she speaks up, asking him what he intends to do. When he asks for clarification, she gives him a look- a knowing look. He responds that he will not choose an heir right now- there is too much happening, too much to be done. He leaves her to retire to his chambers for the night. Before he can leave, however, she asks him if it hurts to be here. He replies that it does- that he can still see Elia and Aegon and Rhaenys playing in the courtyard.•Come morning, the trials begin. The first one on the stand is Qyburn, who is found guilty on multiple accounts of manslaughter, of human testing, of abuse of power. He is sentenced to live out his days in the cells; Jaime adds that perhaps he should pray to his god for mercy. The next trial takes significantly longer, for it is Euron Greyjoy- who looks worse for wear, bruised and cut up. He is found guilty of kinslaughter, of piracy, of plotting against the rightful heir to the iron throne, of attempted murder, among other charges. He is sentenced to return to the Iron Islands with Yara and Theon; they will be the ones to determine what should become of him, whether he lives or dies.

•The final trial is Cersei Lannister. Jaime and Tyrion are both present for her trial. Cersei, smug, expects for her brothers to testify in her defense. Instead, neither do. They testify against her, much to her growing horror. She pleads with Jaime to not do this, but Jaime responds that this is the right thing to do- that what she has done can not be overlooked. It is a tearful betrayal for the twins. Rhaegar, aware of Cersei’s pregnancy, is hesitant to sentence her to death. Jaime asks that her sentencing be put off until she is able to give birth. Rhaegar agrees, and rather than sentence Cersei to death right then and there, sentences her instead to be sequestered in King’s Landing in a secret location that only a select few would know of. She would be watched day and night until she has given birth, after which her sentence shall be carried out: death. She asks if he will burn her in this very hall like his father liked to do. Rhaegar does not respond at first, drawing out the silence as the masses gathered strain to hear. He responds that dragonfire would be too merciful a death for her, and orders for her to be taken away.

•Later, after the trials have finished, Rhaegar meets with the Lords and Ladies of Westeros. They have come to an agreement- that yes, a Great Council would be the best decision. However, Sansa rises, stating that the North wishes to be independent. This causes an uproar, which Rhaegar quickly silences by agreeing with Sansa, explaining that the North has been practically independent since it’s beginning. No one is able to argue with this. Rhaeagar asks if they will still send a representative- Bran speaks up and states that that is the very reason he has come this far. Trystane Martell states that Obera Sand will remain in King’s Landing to represent Dorne. The other houses have not decided on who will be their representatives just yet. Rhaegar is pleased, and adjourns the meeting.

•The next manner of business is his Small Council; Daenerys remains as his hand, with Ser Davos Seaworthy becoming his Master of Ships, Tyrion becoming Master of Coin, Samwell Tarly becoming his Maester, Varys remaining his Master of Whispers. When asked who will be the Master-at-Arms and Master of War, Rhaegar replies that he has yet to talk to either person on this subject, and will speak with them shortly.

•He can then be seen approaching Brienne of Tarth, who is surprised to see Rhaegar. The two stand in comfortable silence, watching the reconstruction of portions of the Red Keep’s roof before Rhaegar asks Brienne to be his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, surprising her. She responds that there could surely be someone better for the position. He counters by asking if Sansa had released her, to which she replies with yes. He then gives her a smile and states that someone who had defeated The Hound in combat, who had spent years protecting Sansa Stark, who fought and survived the Battle of Winterfell, and was knighted by Jaime Lannister is more than deserving of the role of Lord Commander. She accepts with a barely-hidden smile, which makes Rhaegar chuckle as he clasps her shoulder.

��He makes his way to visit with Jaime Lannister next, and does not allow for him to even think on taking up the role of Master-at-Arms. Rhaegar explains that he knows Jaime is a damned good fighter, having trained him himself when they were younger, and seeing him fight in the war against the dead solidified that. Jaime, surprised but honored, accepts the position. Rhaegar informs him that his duties begin immediately, and when Jaime does not move, Rhaegar leans close and whispers that immediately means now. 

•Jon is summoned by Rhaegar that night; he wonders if he has done something wrong. Rhaegar greets him warmly, asking for him to take a seat, for there are matters that need to be discussed. Jon becomes worried that Rhaegar is going to send him away, and before Rhaegar can begin, asks if Rhaegar wants him to stay. Rhaeagar, surprised, replies that of course he wants him to stay- he is his son, after all, and he would like to get to know him- if he wishes to stay, that is. Jon takes a moment to respond before replying that he would like to stay. Rhaegar then asks him how he would feel about being his heir. Jon replies simply that he’s a bastard, and has not earned the Targaryen name. This baffles Rhaegar, who argues that he’s more than earned it, but seeing Jon uncomfortable with the mere thought has him second guessing himself. Jon admits that he thought Daenerys would be his heir.

•Rhaegar replies that, if Jon truly does not wish to be the heir to the Iron Throne- then he will give the position to Daenerys. Jon replies that he never wanted any throne, to be any sort of king or lord. That isn’t who he is. Rhaegar agrees after a moment, before asking one more question: if not a king or a lord, what about a Master of War? To which Jon, surprised but pleased, agrees- and for the first time, Rhaegar sees his son smile.

•Rhaegar approaches Daenerys in the morning, requesting that she join him for a walk through King’s Landing. The siblings take a leisurely stroll, accompanied by only two guards. The people respond better to Rhaegar than they did Cersei or Joffrey; Rhaegar pauses often to lend a hand. When a group of children run up to him, he kneels down, Daenerys following suit, and gives the children a few gold coins to go spend on sweets. They run off, and Rhaegar rises to his feet slowly. Daenerys finally asks him what this was about, to which he responds that he has chosen her to be his heir.

•She stills in place, looking at him as if he’s completely lost his mind, and asks him if this is some sort of joke, to which he replies that it isn’t. He’d spoken with Jon, who refused the throne. He then tells her that he had always planned on naming her his heir, seeing as how it is more than likely that he will not have any more children. She asks if the Hand can also be the Heir- Rhaegar replies that he isn’t sure, but he makes the rules now. She grins and agrees. He then begins to pry into her personal life with Jon Snow, to which she actively avoids and attempts to change the subject, drawing forth a laugh from the king.

•Months pass; King’s Landing is flourishing, with efforts being made to create a system to filter in clean water and filter out waste; Flea Bottom is currently being renovated and rebuilt. Trade routes have been reopened, and peace has finally come to the Six Kingdoms. The dragons have taken to staying in the Dragon Pits; Rhaegar finds himself wandering there often. Jon and Daenerys find him here, where he sits with Rhaenyx, the dragon sound asleep as Rhaegar plays a soft tune on a silver stringed lap harp. Rhaegar greets them by putting a finger to lips, a cue for them to be quiet. He rises, slowly, and motions for them to follow. He leads them into the tunnels beneath the Dragon Pits, and to Daenerys and Jon’s surprise, he leads them to a clutch of dragon eggs- four, to be exact. He isn’t sure who laid them, but they are here and very much alive.

•Daenerys becomes distracted by the eggs, which allows Jon to take Rhaegar aside and quietly asks Rhaegar’s permission to take Daenerys as his wife. Rhaegar, unsurprised, tells Jon that he was fairly certain he’d given him his blessing by not having him killing on the spot for taking his sister to bed on the boat. Jon flushes and becomes embarrassed. Rhaegar laughs, and the trio make their way to the surface. Jon and Daenerys leave Rhaegar, who stands amongst the three dragons, and for the first time in a very long time, finds himself at peace. He climbs atop Rhaenyx, who is now awake, and takes to the skies over King’s Landing, soaring over Jon kneeling before Daenerys, over Brienne of Tarth training new knights, over Jaime Lannister holding his newborn daughter and watching Brienne, over Bran sitting alone in a garden, over Obera Sand sparring with Arya Stark, who is visiting, and out over the harbor. Rhaenyx releases a loud cry as they circle back around, Vhagon and Meraxal having come to join them in the air.

[agentrouka-blog]

Kind of an awkward question but does Jonsa make you emotional ?

Not as such. I find them to be a very relaxing, peaceful OTP because I think they are uniquely suited to making each other happy. This might change, depending on how GRRM goes about it. 

I get emotional about other things in the book series. Brienne's journey is extremely evocative, and the different ways traumatized characters look for peace makes me weepy, specially those who kow they are irrevocably compromised like Theon. The way GRRM paints hidden pain seeping out at the seams gets to me. That's a Sansa and Arya special. 

The entire book series has a theme of coming out on the other side of immense trauma and deciding what that means and who you want to be in the process of reconstruction. GRRM combines that with the restorative power of storytelling. And that is the reason I am so obsessed with all of it.