#and what he tried to do for cersei and where it got him

[dragonseeds]

the thing about winter is coming/the north remembers, the magic of it all, and the starks being raised with this sense of duty to protect their people is that thinking of it always makes me think of lyanna and howland reed and the story that started with them at harrenhal and ended in a tower in the red mountains. she protected him—beat a bunch of squires off of him, cleaned his wounds, talked him into feasting with them without thinking for a second that he was beneath her (and she found clothes for him so he wouldn’t be out of place), disguised herself as a knight and risked her life and reputation to enter a tourney (though of course she must have thought it was a laugh since… yeah) to fight and actually beat the knights who taught their squires to behave so dishonorably when he couldn’t do it himself—because aside from being the right thing to do, it was her duty as a stark to do it. (why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves? / justice… that’s what kings are for) and it touched him so deeply that he went all the way to dorne for her, lied for her, protected her brother and her son, made her into a story he told his children. he remembers her.

[storiesforallfandoms]

littlest lion ~ oberyn martell;game of thrones

word count: 3182

request?: no

description: after witnessing the littlest lion sibling’s abuse at the hands of her queen sister, he decides that not all lannisters are as terrible as he once thought

pairing: oberyn martell x female!reader

warnings: swearing, verbal abuse (it’s cersei so...not surprisingly), much use of y/n, a little bit of a re-write on the canon of got to say that tywin had a second wife and another child so that it makes sense for the reader to be the youngest lannister

masterlist (one, two, three)

Everyone in all of Westeros knew the Lannister siblings to be cunning and pretentious. For the most part, those assumptions were right. Cersei and Jamie were definitely both of those things - Cersei more so than her twin brother - and Tyrion’s general distaste and apathy for everything could be misinterpreted as pretentious.

But then there was their youngest half sister, (YN).

Born to Tywin and his second wife after the death of his first, (Y/N) Lannister was the complete opposite to her older siblings. She was kind and shy, which often resulted in a verbal lashing from Cersei. Tyrion was indifferent to (Y/N), but treated her nice enough. Jamie just ignored her unless he was with Cersei. Cersei despised her sister with every fiber of her being. She never wasted a breath to inform (Y/N) that she wasn’t a real Lannister, despite her being a true born to Tywin.

She tried to pretend like Cersei’s words didn’t affect her. It would only result in more taunting if she did. But (Y/N) had spent countless nights in her chambers sobbing over whatever Cersei had said to her that day. She dreamed of the day she would be able to leave her sister’s kingdom (although technically it was her son, Joffrey’s, but everyone knew Cersei was the true leader), but it felt like that day would never come. (Y/N) was well into her adulthood with no prospects of getting married. It didn’t help that Tywin hadn’t arranged a suitor for her in her younger years, and now that Joffrey was king the task fell to him and Cersei, but Cersei would not approve of any suitors for her sister.

“She needs someone to bully,” Tyrion had told (Y/N) once. “The only way you will ever marry is if you manage to find someone who will take you away.”

(Y/N) hoped that Joffrey’s marriage would bring Cersei enough joy that she would not think to be cruel to her. (Y/N) made herself unseen to Cersei as much as possible while the wedding was happening, unless she was called upon.

Unfortunately for her, Cersei still found reason to call upon her.

(Y/N) entered the throne room where Cersei was speaking with Joffrey. She curtsied, waiting for the two to notice her. She was sure Cersei was intentionally keeping Joffrey’s attention when her legs began to shake, threatening to collapse from under her.

“You may rise, aunt,” Joffrey finally said.

(Y/N) stood straight. “Your grace, you summoned me?”

“Upon my mother’s request,” Joffrey confirmed. “She wishes to speak with you in regards to my wedding day.”

(Y/N) tried to keep her expression neutral as she turned to Cersei. “What can I do for you, sister?”

“Don’t call me that,” Cersei hissed.

“I apologize, my lady.”

“I called you here to ask what you intend to wear to the king’s wedding.”

(Y/N) blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“Have you become hard of hearing? What do you intend to wear to your king’s wedding?” She enunciated each word as if (Y/N) were a child. Joffrey was smirking from his throne. He reveled in his mother’s cruelty just as he reveled in his own.

“I...I suppose a gown from my wardrobe,” (Y/N) said.

Cersei scoffed. “Please, your wardrobe is so common. It would be humiliating for you to show up like that.”

A lump began to form in (Y/N)’s throat, but she tried to swallow it down. “I have no other options, though, and the wedding is in a matter of days.”

“I’ll have to get my seamstress to work on a more appropriate gown for you then,” Cersei sighed.

(Y/N) felt a heavy pit in her stomach. It was starting to make sense why Cersei had called her here. It wasn’t truly to figure out suitable wear for the wedding. It was so Cersei could once again humiliate (Y/N). She had no doubts that her sister would have her seamstress make the most hideous dress for (Y/N) to wear to the wedding. It would be an embarrassment for (Y/N), and it would mean it would be less likely for any potential suitors to show interest in her.

Tears were welling in her eyes. She was trying to fight them back, but it was a losing battle. “May I be excused, your grace?”

Joffrey glanced at his mother. She sighed and turned away, so he waved (Y/N) off. As she began to leave, she heard Cersei tell her son, “What a pathetic woman.”

(Y/N) all but ran from the throne room. She hurried out the doors of the castle into the palace’s garden as her tears finally began to fall. Her body was wracked with sobs as she fell onto the nearest bench. She felt so struck and so helpless. She would never get out of Cersei’s clutches as long as she lived, and there was no one in the world who could save her.

“I wonder what it is that causes a lion to cry.”

(Y/N) jumped at the sound of a voice. She looked up to see a handsome man in a yellow robe stood in front of her.

“Apologies,” she said, quickly wiping the tears from her face. “I was no aware that there was anyone else here.”

“No need for apologies. This is your home, you are allowed to cry anywhere you wish.” He sat next to her, looking at her as if studying her. “But the question still stands: what makes a lion cry?”

“You know who I am.”

It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyways, “Everyone in all of Westeros knows who the Lannisters are. Even if I didn’t, your golden hair would have been a clue.”

(Y/N) had to break their eye contact because this handsome man was intimidating her. Not in a bad way. His looks were just making her feel tongue tied.

“It was nothing,” she said. “I apologize for disturbing your peace.”

“The little lion is surprising,” he commented. “She cries, she apologies. Very un-Lannister.”

“I am no Lannister. At least, not to my own siblings.”

A look of realization passed his face. “I believe I am starting to understand.”

Tears were forming in her eyes again. She couldn’t cry in front of this stranger. Not again. It was bad enough that he had already caught her once. Cersei would have her head if she found out that (Y/N) was making the family name seem weak.

“Would you like to go for a walk, little lion?” he asked.

His voice was quiet and soothing. If she didn’t know any better, (Y/N) would’ve thought he was mocking her. But one look told her he was being genuine. A walk through the garden definitely sounded like a good idea.

He offered her his arm and she took it. As they stood, he told her, “My name is Oberyn Martell, brother of Doran Martell.”

“The Prince of Doran,” (Y/N) said.

Oberyn smiled. “You know of my family too, then.”

“One must know all the families of Westeros, as not to let down their guard,” (Y/N) recited. “Or to not make a fool.”

She could see Oberyn look at her, but she wouldn't dare look back at him. Instead, she changed the subject, “You must be here for my nephew’s wedding.”

“I am. My brother was invited, but he was very busy, so I am taking his lace.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay then.”

“I am already enjoying it.”

(Y/N) smiled, her face burning from the compliment.

She showed Oberyn around the garden, the two of them trading stories and getting to know each other. For a brief moment, (Y/N) was able to forget about everything. It was a brief moment of happiness and feeling like she was actually wanted.

They came to stand at a perch that overlooked the kingdom. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden he over everything. (Y/N) was acutely aware of Oberyn’s hand brushing against her own, but was trying not to focus too much on it. Oberyn’s presence was starting to make her feel dizzy, but not in a bad way. It was an intoxicating feeling. She never wanted it to end, but at the same time she was worried about making a fool of herself in front of him.

“This visit has already brought many surprises for me,” Oberyn said.

“How so?” (Y/N) asked.

“For one, I have found that not all Lannisters are as terrible as their reputation would have it. And two, I am finding myself enjoying time with a Lannister.”

He lifted her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles. She drew in a shakey breath at the action. Oberyn’s deep brown eyes were watching her again. She hoped her legs would not give out from underneath her as she felt them growing weak.

“I have been enjoying my time with you as well, my Lord,” she said.

“Please, call me Oberyn. I am but a second son, not a Lord. Besides, I do not intend for these formalities between us to last long.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You are ambitious.”

“I am a man who knows what he wants, and it is seldom that I do not get what it is that I want.”

Her heart was beating so fast she thought she may pass out, or that Oberyn may hear it. She had never had a man tell her that he wanted her, and she realized she had never wanted someone so much either. In just a short period of time, Oberyn had managed to completely steal her heart. There was nothing in the world that could ruin this moment, or this connection.

What she didn’t realize was that her sister was watching the two of them from inside the castle.

~~~~~~

The sun was nearly completely set when Oberyn and (Y/N) finally parted ways. He had kissed her hand once more and told her he would come looking for her the next day. (Y/N) was so lightheaded that she practically floated back to her room. She was just about to enter her chambers when a voice asked, “Did you have a good evening with the Dornish prince?”

She turned quickly to see Cersei stood at the end of the long hall. Suddenly, everything came crashing back down to Earth around her.

“He is very lovely,” she responded. “I apologize that he kept me for so long. I did not intend to miss out on dinner.”

“It was lovely without you.” 

(Y/N) winced. She put her hand back on her door, intending to escape into her room and hopefully salvage whatever good feelings she could from her time with Oberyn.

“I know you are not wise, (Y/N), but I truly hope you are not stupid enough to fall for Oberyn Martell.”

(Y/N) looked at her sister in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that he is not a man who settles for one woman. Everyone knows that he will fuck anything that walks - man or woman. He was already visiting the brothel here before his arrival.”

Her breathing began to increase. “I...I didn’t...”

“Oh my word,” Cersei breathed. “You have fallen for him, haven’t you?”

The tears were forming again. (Y/N) quickly blinked them away so that Cersei wouldn’t see. “He was treated me as if I was an actual person. That is more than I can say for anyone in this castle. I apologize if it makes me stupid because I was happy to feel wanted for once in my life.”

“He only made you feel that way so he could take your maidenhood,” Cersei retorted. “He will not make you a wife, he will make you a whore. And then he will return to Dorne while you are here, weeping over his departure even though you were the fool who fell for him. It will be left to me to pick up the pieces he left behind.”

Cersei was shaking her head as she turned to leave. (Y/N) was hoping that she could finally escape her sister’s cruelty for the night, but then Cersei paused to add, “I mean, really, (Y/N). Why would a prince of all people want to marry someone like you? The last born child, from a second marriage, who has not been wed by the time she reached her maturing age? You are pathetic.”

(Y/N) didn’t wait for Cersei to leave. She shoved into her room and slammed the door shut. Her tears began to fall before the door was fully closed. She didn’t even have the strength to make it to her bed this time. She collapsed into a heap against the door, burying her head in her skirts as she began to sob.

How could she be such a fool? How could she let herself believe that she had finally found someone who wanted her? That she might just escape from Cersei once and for all? What Cersei had said may have been cruel, but (Y/N) knew there must be some truth behind the words. There was nothing remarkable about (Y/N) that would draw in the attention of someone like Oberyn, unless he just wanted to try and get into her bed. He saw her at her weakest and he preyed on that, the same way that Cersei always had.

“Stupid,” (Y/N) whispered to herself through her tears. “You are stupid.”

A knock came at the door.

“Go away!” (Y/N) called through her tears. She wasn’t in the mood for anyone to see her like this, or to have to be humiliated further.

“It is me, little lion.”

She paused. How had he found her room? Why had he come for her? Surely he wasn’t about to try to get into her bed already.

Against her better judgement, she stood and opened the door. When he saw her tearstained face, Oberyn’s expression filled with sadness. He reached for her, and she allowed him to pull her into his embrace.

“I am so sorry you are treated this way,” he said.

“Did you hear?” she asked.

He nodded. “I will admit, I followed you once we had separated. I wanted to see if you would be intercepted by either of your siblings before you reached your room. I saw the Queen Regent approaching, so I kept a distance to hear what she would say to you.”

“Then you heard what she told me about you.”

(Y/N) pulled away from Oberyn. She knew she shouldn’t listen to anything Cersei said, but she couldn’t help that her sister’s words had once against gotten to her.

“I did,” Oberyn confirmed.

“And is it true?”

“It is true that I went to a brothel before I arrived at the castle. It is true that I enjoy intimacy from anyone who is willing to give it to me, regardless of gender. But it is not true that I was only kind to you to try and take your maidenhood. What I said in the garden, I meant it.”

“Why?” (Y/N) asked. “Why would you want me? Out of all the beautiful women that I am sure you have seen, both noble and not, why is it me that you desire for?”

He cupped her face. He wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumbs as he looked down at her. “Because I believe you to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

(Y/N) scoffed, but Oberyn said, “It is true. From the moment I saw you in the garden, weeping over what I am sure was another verbal lashing from your sister, I was taken by your beauty. You are a beautiful woman, both inside and out. I am completely taken by you, (Y/N), and it upsets me greatly that you are made to think that you do not deserve that kind of love.”

She wanted to be happy by what Oberyn was saying. She did believe him. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. But knowing that Oberyn was taken by her that much just made her heart ache more, because she knew that they would never be allowed to be together.

“Cersei will never approve,” she said. “She will not let me marry and escape this place. If you show any interest in me, or voice that you want me to be your wife, she will deny it.”

“Then I will take you away from here.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

Oberyn looked over his shoulder to be sure no one was around. (Y/N) stepped back into her room and motioned for him to follow. She closed her door, giving them some privacy to speak freely.

“She cannot stop me if I take you before she realizes you are gone,” he said. “We can leave after the king’s wedding and return to Dorne immediately. She cannot stop you once you’ve already gone, and if she tries then you will have an army of Dornish men waiting to defend you. Myself included.”

“How will we get my things out of here before she can stop us?” (Y/N) asked, glancing around her room.

“Pack what is essential,” Oberyn told her. “Just one bag of essential things. Whatever you cannot fit I will replace once we return to Dorne. We can put it in my carriage before the wedding, and once it all ends we will leave immediately. I did not intend to stay long after the ceremony anyways, so it will not seem suspicious if I take my leave so quickly.”

Tyrion’s words were playing in (Y/N)’s head. “The only way you will ever marry is if you manage to find someone who will take you away.” She had thought for so long that it was an unreachable desire to find someone who would want to take her away. She almost wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

“You would really do that for me?” she asked.

“Of course I would, my little lion,” he said. “You do not deserve the life that you are living here. Even if you do not want me, I will still take you away and let you live a happier life.”

“I want you,” she whispered, almost worried that saying it out loud would make everything fall apart.

But Oberyn heard her, and he smiled. “When we are in Dorne, I will court you as I should, then I will make you my wife.”

(Y/N) couldn’t find the words to say how much she wanted that. She just smiled, then leaned into Oberyn’s embrace. She mentally counted the days until she could be free from her prison, but then decided not to think of how long till it would happen. Instead, she focused on what she was going to have after she had finally gotten out of there.

Oberyn.

[chloe-skywalker]

Protection - Jaime Lannister

Jaime x fem!reader Stark

Warnings: GOT

Word count: 2,033

Summary: Reader is a Stark stuck in King's Landing after everything and including her fathers death. The only one that seems to care about her is shockingly Jaime Lannister.

Authors Note: I think after the changes Jaime’s character made from being held captive by the Stark’s and losing his hand plus his time with Brienne that he would be protective of the Stark girls. The oath he made to Catelyn he didn’t want to break, so I think that means something. Just like he couldn’t himself but he helped himself and Breinne by sending her to go look after and find Arya and Sansa. - I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be romantic or him protecting her because she resembled what he thought a daughter of his own would be like or if he was honoring his promise to Catelyn. I tried to leave it open.

Masterlist

Game Of Thrones Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Y/n didn’t understand what she had done in life to deserve this treatment. To have the recent events happen in her life. To watch her little brother almost die from a horrible fall, to then having to watch her father be executed, she didn’t know where her youngest sister was, she had to watch her other younger sister be tormented by a brat that was only going to become a awful king, and her older brother by a year had started a war to get them back with their mother by his side.

But how she had managed to have the Queen’s rath bestowed upon her in physical abuse. Y/n didn’t know how that happened and she knew for fact she hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

But Y/n had been in Kings Landing long enough to know that Cersei and Joffery didn’t need reasons to be cruel. It just seemed to be part of their personality.

Tyrion was the only kind one to Y/n and Sansa. Along with his friend Bronn and man servant Podrick. Y/n didn’t trust anyone else in the Red Keep.

Lately Y/n noticed Jaime, ever since he got back he had been trying to get close to her and Sansa. But neither Stark knew what to make of it. He really was trying to get closer to Y/n, but Y/n was worried that it was some kind of plan from Cersei.

It was a normal sunny day, Y/n actually thought it’d be a good day to go out and walk or ride but leaving her room? That didn’t feel like a good idea, given her appearance.

Suddenly in the incredibly quiet room there were sounds of knocking on her chamber doors. Y/n gave a soft ‘come in’, just loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

Upon seeing Jaime Lannister Y/n nervously started ringing her hands at what they might have planned for her now. “Ser Jaime. To what do I owe this visit to?”

Jaime shook his head. “I’m not here on any business.”

“Oh?” Y/n was curious but she still wanted to be cautious. So she kept her head down. For more than just that reason though.

Jaime noticed the way she was holding herself and it reminded him of a scared animal. So he raised his arms to show he didn’t mean her any harm. Her behavior made his eyes fill with concern. “Y/n, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Y/n realized that this could be very bad so she needed to back track. “Ser Jaime, I-I meant no o-offense.” She stuttered shaking her head but still keeping it down with her hair framing her face to cover her face from his view.

“You made none. No reason to apologize.” He quickly reassured.

As they stood there Jaime took more notice of things. Things that were making him more concerned by the second. So he took enough steps to be standing right in front of her.

“Y/n, look at me. Please.” Jaime asked, but when he noticed how she was so hesitant to do as he asked. Jaime slowly raised his hand to lift her chin, as gently as possible to not spook her. When she was finally looking him in the eye, face to face is when Jaime noticed. She has a bruised cheek bone which to him looked almost like it belonged to a fading black eye, and she had a cut on her eyebrow and her lip. No wonder she was hiding her face, he thought. “Who did this?”

“No one, Ser Jaime. I fell that’s all.” Y/n quickly tried to dismiss, hoping he’d let it go. If she said something and he was sent by Cersei, then it’d get worse. If he was genuinely concerned for her and she told him, he might not believe her. His twin sister did it after all.

“Please don’t lie to me, Lady Y/n.” He pleaded with her. His concern was growing more and more. But he also had his suspicions. “Who did this?”

Y/n cast her sight back down to the floor, not wanting to lie to his face. With how much genuine concern was in his eyes and actions, she felt bad lying to him. “No one, Ser.”

Jaime let out a sigh, he could clearly see she wasn’t going to verbalize her answer. Which inwardly gave him his answer anyway and he could feel anger bubbling up inside of him. He knew in his gut who did this, and he wasn’t going to let it go. “Can I see you later Milady?”

Y/n nodded, stepping back still not lifting her gaze. Of course she said he could. He seemed to be one of the only people who cared as of late, but also she didn’t really have a choice. Not in her situation. “If you so wish to, Ser Jaime.”

Her behavior honestly scared Jaime slightly. She didn’t seem like the same girl he met in Winterfell or the same one that was in Kings Landing when he lft and was captured.

Ever since that encounter Jaime had been visiting and spending a lot more time with Y/n Stark. No one would bother her with him at his side.

But Jaime had yet to have that talk with his sister. But today was the day, he had heard some concerning things from the handmaidens assigned to Y/n and he was fuming.

“Ah, brother. What is so urgent that you came barging into my chambers without knocking.” Cersei spoke sarcastically as he barged into her room.

“What did you do to Y/n Stark?” He asked, getting straight to the point, face red with anger.

“The little bitch. Well, what did she say?” Cersei scoffed at even turning to look at her brother.

“Nothing. She said nothing. I came here to you on my own.” Jaime wanted to yell, how could she be so cold.

“How do you know it was me? The girl is quite clumsy.” Cersei smirked, and Jaime wondered if Y/n’s excuse of falling was something she was told to say.

“Oh, I know your handy work when I see it.” He scoffed stating a fact that not even Cersei could argue with.

Cersei could tell he wasn’t gonna drop it once she looked at him, so she sighed and said. “I assure you she deserved it.”

“I can guarantee that she didn’t.” He countered. Jaime knew how petty his sister could be and revenge was something she enjoyed. She wasn’t going to fool him.

“You weren’t here.” She shook her head and growled out her words. Why was he even bringing this up?

“Doesn’t matter.” Jaime didn’t need to be there to know Y/n didn’t deserve his sister's warth.

“Why do you care for this girl?” Cersei asked with a furrowed brow.

“Cersei-”

“No. Why? Why do you care for her so much? After everything her family’s done to ours?!” She yelled at him getting up from her vanity table and stormed over to where he stood.

“She had no part in that!” He yelled back, done with trying to be social.

“Why do you protect her?!” Cersei spat with clear jealousy. Of course she noticed him protecting her but why was what she couldn’t figure out and that angered her more and more. Someone having her twin's attention other than her never sits well with the golden haired Queen.

“Don’t touch her again, Cersei. I mean it.” Jaime stated in a low voice. His expression and tone shocked Cersei. He’s never used either on her and deep down it did shake her a bit. He’s never been this mad at her, or this deeply apparently.

Jaime was going to make sure that Y/n was taken care of. No one would harm her ever again. That he’d promise her. Not even his sister. If Cersei did she’d regret it because he was done with her cruelness.

“And what will you do if I do decide to touch her again?” She questioned as he looked at her so seriously she honestly was starting to feel uncomfortable.

“You don’t want to find out.” He stated before turning to leave, as he opened the door Jaime felt pride in himself. He stood up to his sister for something he believed in.

“Is that a threat?” Cersei asked with narrowed eyes trained on her brother's back.

“Its a promise.” Jaime said before slamming her door behind him. He felt good and now he felt a weight lifted off of himself and Y/n. Sure he still had to watch their backs but Cersei wouldn’t do anything to go against him if she was as smart as she acts.

^     ^     ^

It had been a pretty normal day but Y/n just felt that they all blended together since so much had happened. Things had shockingly gotten better since Jaime and her had become close. But nothing good ever lasts is what she had learned being in King's Landing.

“Come in.” Y/n said upon hearing knocking at her room doors. She turned to face the door after hearing it open, seeing Jaime enter with caution. “Ser Jaime.”

“Lady Y/n.” He bowed his head with a soft smile on his lips, but as he looked around the room and noticed the uneaten food sitting on the table. Jaime’s concern came bubbling back up 10 fold. The handmaidens had told him she was skipping some meals and it worried him. But seeing it was worse. “The handmaidens said you haven’t eaten today.”

Y/n shrugged looking away from him. “Not very hungry.”

Jaime knew that part of it could be the stress of what's happened. It could also be her injuries that made it painful to chew, or it could be something Jaime really hoped it wasn’t. He didn’t even want to think about that idea.

Jaime stepped over to her, brushing her hair away from her face with his hand. Uncovering the still recovering injuries to her face. “Does it hurt?”

Of course it hurt still but he had been so kind to her she didn’t want to worry him. So she shook her head softly. “Not much anymore, Ser.”

“You don’t have to keep up the formalites with me, Y/n.” He smiled softly hoping to make her more comfortable around him. Show her he meant no harm.

“I shouldn’t-” She looked at him with wide scared eyes.

“I’m telling you you can. So you can.” Jaime stopped her calmly, looking her in the eyes. He could see how scared she was to do anything that might cause her to be harmed. Anything that might make it so she could be punished. “I won’t hurt you like my sister.”

“I-” Y/n’s eyes widened, just when he made her a little more comfortable again he say’s that. Y/n shook her head at him in fear. She didn’t tell him who did it so how did he know? Now that he knew what would happen to her? What would the Queen do to her now? Y/n was panicking on the inside.

“You didn’t have to tell me, and don’t worry I’ll protect you from Cersei.” Jaime told her, she had to know. But seeing her so panicked made his heart clench, so he started running his hand through her hair to comfort her and calm her nerves and mind. Jaime grimaced at her reaction for a second. This poor girl was terrified and it was all because of his family.

“How?” Y/n asked him while looking at him like he’s crazy. How could he, a knight, protect her from the Queen? Nobody could control Cersei.

“In any way I can, and I will. She will never harm you again. No one will. Not on my watch.” Jaime vowed to the poor girl that was stuck in this predicament. Not by her own choosing had any of this happened to her. And he was going to stop it and make her life better.

Taglist: @gruffle1 @padawancat97 @misspendragonsworld

@starkleila

[alicentofficial]

re: my last post about jaime and alicent being parallels, i got an anon claiming they couldn't be similar because jaime as a man is privileged in ways alicent isn't since westeros is a patriarchy. this fact is correct! however! characters can have shared experiences, internal conflicts and dare i say, even themes, despite the fact that they are in different situations. let me explain why jaime and (show)alicent are similar characters.

rape/sa mentions below the cut

(1) okay so fundamentally jaime's thing is that he views himself as being sworn to so many conflicting ideals that he will never be able to uphold all of them. he is essentially in debt to so many people that anything he does will make him an oathbreaker. i think alicent views herself in a kind of similar way, only its through loyalty rather than oaths. hence that "i have endeavoured to serve both my house and my country etc" line because alicent basically FEELS like she has sworn conflicting oaths to everyone and everything around her - her father, her children, viserys, rhaenyra, the gods, the ideals of house targaryen, the abstract concept of what it means to be a "good woman" in society, and the list goes on, they don't call her Alicent "Where is Duty Where is Sacrifice" Hightower for nothing! both alicent and jaime see themselves trapped in moral paralysis because they are so concerned with what they are or should be loyal to, and as a result they are both constantly being eaten alive by guilt and self-loathing.

(2) both became deeply entrenched with the royal family at young ages whilst simultaneously living under their extremely ambitious hand of the king fathers. both fathers basically do not care who their children turn out to be and are only concerned with them as far as they can aid in his own ambitions. in jaime's case this was lessened by the fact that it was essentially divided between him and cersei, but tywin aggressively only gives a fuck about jaime as being the heir to casterly rock (hence his underlying insistence that jaime will do this despite the fact that he has sworn an eternal oath preventing it) - jaime does everything else to become tywin's lion-of-lannister golden boy but he will still never truly have tywin's love or affection or approval because tywin is incapable of that. otto basically pimped out his teenage daughter to viserys, and then after she spent 20+ years doing whatever he wanted he STILL doesn't respect about her, firstly because shes a woman, and secondly because he doesn't view her as a person, he views her as a political tool. and both of them are intensely loyal to said fathers and compulsively seek the approval which they know (on some level) is never coming.

(3) both of them have extremely complicated relationships with parenthood - alicent because her children are all products of her sexually abusive marriage, because she essentially grew up alongside them, and because they too are viewed as political tools more so than as people. as a result she's pretty emotionally cut off from them (struggling to connect with helaena, the unhealthy dynamic with aemond etc) meanwhile jaime can't ever openly acknowledge his children or act like a father to them and sees them as an extension of his relationship with cersei. alicent's feelings about aegon (and to a lesser extent aemond) are this weird dynamic where she loves him a lot and wants to protect him but is also aware that he's an abusive monster. in asos there's a jaime chapter after joffrey dies where he has this moment of awareness that joffrey is his firstborn son, and he kind of wonders if he should feel anything, but he can't bring himself to, basically because joffrey is also an abusive monster. he kind of awkwardly tried to bond with tommen at one point and seems vaguely fond of myrcella but can't really get himself to properly contemplate his feelings towards them either. for both of them parenthood is so wrapped up in all these other layers of pain and guilt that they struggle to have healthy, loving relationships with any of their kids.

(4) they both use copes - alicent with religion and jaime with dissociation - to essentially avoid engaging with their inner conflicts. jaime started dissociating to avoid having to deal with any of the injustices he saw around him i.e. listening to aerys raping rhaella and deciding he could absolve himself of his bystander guilt by "going away inside". meanwhile alicent uses religion as an outlet for her rage because when she throws herself fully into religion and convinces herself that she hates things because they're sacrilegious she doesn't have to confront her own trauma and anger. like a big part of why she hates rhaenyra's children is because they're physical manifestations of the freedoms rhaenyra has which alicent doesn't, but she's not emotionally equipped to deal with that, so the only option is to really really REALLY convinces herself that they're abominations cursed by the gods and thus she is justified in how she feels.

(5) okay here's where you have to hear me out. i think, narratively, jaime sees cersei's role towards him in a similar way to how alicent views criston. cersei and jaime's relationship is obviously built on the recurring themes of lannister exceptionalism and pseudo-incest within their house, but i also think jaime holds on to cersei as this symbol of pre-kingslayer him. she is his other half so when he knows that he's failed and become a terrible person, he can just hardcore project all his hopes of what he could have been onto her and see her as this paragon of beauty and love and nobility. and because of this he spends a lot of the series wilfully blind to the fact that their codependent relationship has turned them both into extremely violent and unstable people. to a certain extent alicent also projects a lot of her own childhood idealism onto both criston and rhaenyra - rhaenyra is literally her childhood girlfriend companion and i think because she's so emotionally stunted she's still obsessed with their relationship as like, the simplicity and tenderness of childhood before her marriage. hence why she seems so in denial about the fact that the war is about more than just their their relationship - but more so i think her relationship with criston is similar to that of jaime and cersei. (up until recently lol) i think she also saw criston as this white knight tragic courtly love figure because theyre BOTH still obsessed with the ideals of chivalry and knighthood and can reflect it back onto one another, whilst at the same time continuing to practice their own hypocrisy. she is basically (in a very jaime fashion) sticking her fingers in her ears to the fact that criston is deeply unstable and and punches people to death when he gets angry. both cersei and jaime's relationship and alicent and criston's relationship are essentially echo chambers that make them both worse while allowing them to view themselves and each other as idealised figures of the white knight and the noblewoman.

[inkandarsenic]

these hollow empty spaces (1)

“do what is right, not what is easy.”

My first Game of Thrones fic! Notably, this is not the idea I sent in an ask to @dipperscavern, but rather one sort of inspired by a separate ask. I tried to link both asks, but tumblr won’t let me. Anyhoops.

Synopsis: The youngest daughter of Tywin Lannister refuses to stand idly by, and the currents of fate shift.

Pairing: Robb Stark x Lannister!OC

Tags: slow burn, enemies to lovers but like enemies more in the political sense

Pt. 1

masterlist | next

The North passed outside the window in an endless expanse of rolling moors and sprawling forests – nature at its finest. The air up here was clean and cold, almost sweet after the stink of King’s Landing. Maybe that’s why Eleyna couldn’t stop drawing back the heavy curtains that kept the cold out.

Cersei huffed. “Must you stare out the window? It’s not as if there is anything interesting out there.” She glared at Eleyna. “You’ll make the children sick, they aren’t used to this dreadful chill.”

The children in question were playing a game quietly in their corner of the wheelhouse, and looked rather warm, if Eleyna was being honest. The only one who could complain of being cold was Joffrey, riding outside with Jaime. Eleyna rolled her eyes at her sister and let the curtain drop. “You are the only one complaining, dear sister. Forgive me for wanting to enjoy the beauty of the North.”

“The beauty of a frozen, barren wasteland?” Cersei scoffed.

“You’ve been in the city too long, Cersei,” Eleyna sighed. “The North is not a wasteland.”

“No?” Cersei waved a hand at the window. “How many cities have we passed? How many keeps?” She shook her head disdainfully. “It has been days since we saw civilization, if that swamp can be called such. Barren wasteland.”

Eleyna sighed and leaned back in her seat. “That swamp is Moat Cailin. It is the first defense of the North against Southron invasions and it has never been taken precisely because of the swamp it sits on. You should know this, Cersei, don’t you ever listen to Father and Jaime?” She smirked faintly. “Or do you and Jaime not… talk about such things?”

Cersei scowled. Her voice was sharp when she spoke. “I have better things to worry about than Northern defenses.”

Eleyna shrugged and looked back out the window. “Let us all hope you never lead a war then.”

“Spending all those years with only Father and Tyrion for company has made you paranoid,” Cersei scoffed. “Do you expect us to be going to war with the North sometime soon, sister? Ned Stark is Robert’s loyal dog, you know that as well as I. I don’t worry about Northern defenses because there is no reason to. Lord Stark is loyal to Robert, and Robert plans to betroth the Stark girl to my Joffrey. We will have Northern loyalty for decades to come.”

“You sound so certain,” Eleyna mused. She certainly wouldn’t want to be Sansa Stark — Joffrey had become quite the mean-spirited boy in her years away from the Red Keep, and she often wondered what happened to the sweet little toddler he’d been when she left. Maybe he’d be kinder to his future wife.

****

There is a surprising amount of people in the courtyard of Winterfell when Eleyna follows Tyrion out of the wheelhouse ahead of Cersei and the children. The entire Stark household came out to meet the King, it seems. From the corner of her eye, Eleyna can see Joffrey preening, and she rolls her eyes at him, turning away before he can see.

The Stark family makes up the first line of welcoming party. A tall, serious-faced man near Robert’s age (wearing his years better, in Eleyna’s opinion) stands next to a pretty red-headed woman – Ned Stark and his Tully wife. She can hear her father in her head — “Honorable to a fault – where does honor get you in war?” — as she watches Lord Stark and his household kneel before Robert. The King waves them to their feet and regards Lord Stark solemnly.

“You got fat,” Robert says. Eleyna scoffs internally — Robert enjoyed his wine and feasting, and it showed — and she watches Ned Stark raise an eyebrow pointedly before both men start to laugh. She resists the urge to shake her head and moves her attention to the rest of the Starks.

Eleyna means to scan down the line of children — five of them, and all close in age, gods above Lord and Lady Stark had been busy — but her eyes land on the Heir of Winterfell and stop. Robb Stark’s coloring is all Tully, like his mother, all dark auburn curls and bright blue eyes. The expression he wears is all Lord Stark. She wonders idly what he’d look like wearing a smile — something tells her it would light his face up.

Tywin had brought Robb Stark up exactly once, when Eleyna had come of an age to betroth. Robert had wanted Tywin to arrange a marriage between the Stark heir and the Lannister heir. Tywin had read the letter to her and then promptly thrown it on the fire. He was adamant that his heir would not ever marry into the North. “You are a lioness, my daughter, and no child of mine will be a wolf if I can help it.”

“— and my goodsister, the Lady Eleyna Lannister.” Robert’s voice filtered in, and Eleyna blinked. She’d been staring at the Stark boy too long.

****

Robb stood solemnly by his father as they filled the courtyard. He could guess at some of them by reputation alone — the tall golden haired knight must be the Kingslayer, Ser Jaime Lannister, and the boy next to him was likely the Crown Prince, Joffrey. The king — a larger man than Robb had expected, a man who looked as though he enjoyed wine — stopped in front of Father, and the two men stared at each for a long tense moment.

Robb looked past them as the king spoke jovially to his father and greeted his mother. The queen’s wheelhouse had made it — barely — into the courtyard. First out was a short, little man who shared the Kingslayer’s blonde hair. “That’s the Imp!” Robb heard Arya whisper.

Robb’s eyes caught on the next person to exit, a golden-haired girl who looked close to his own age. He mentally ran through the members of the queen’s family — with that blonde hair, how could she be anything but Lannister? — and decided this had to be Eleyna Lannister, Tywin Lannister’s youngest daughter. He studied her delicate features, softer somehow than her elder sister’s. Robb would never say it — hadn’t Theon just said that morning that the queen was proud and vain? — but Eleyna Lannister was, in a word, beautiful, moreso than her sister in his opinion.

The instant the introductions and ceremony were finished, Father and the king disappeared down into the crypts, and the Lannisters were escorted off to the guest wing. Robb found his eyes following the Lady Eleyna as she passed by him, her arm around the shoulders of Prince Tommen.

Theon thumped him on the shoulders. “Aye, she’s a beauty, isn’t she?” He inhaled through his teeth as he watched the Lannister heiress walk away. “You know I heard they call her the Golden Rose of the Westerlands? Gods above, imagine being the man to get to marry that?”

Robb didn’t want to imagine it, not when he could feel Jaime Lannister’s glare boring into the side of his head. Rather, he felt like any perceived slight against the Kingslayer’s little sister would earn him a sword through the back. He swallowed, and dragged Theon off out of Lannister’s earshot before he could get himself in trouble.

****

“You’re walking with the Stark boy tonight,” Cersei said as she swept into the library. Eleyna looked up from her book with an eyebrow raised.

“Good afternoon to you, too, Cersei,” she snarked. “What are you on about now?”

“Myrcella is far too young to be considered for a betrothal,” Cersei snapped. She sat dramatically in a chair across the table — Eleyna oft thought Cersei would have done well in a theater troupe. “And I will be dead in the grave before I see my only daughter shipped off North.”

“I wasn’t aware Lord Stark was seeking a marriage for his heir,” Eleyna hummed. She closed the book and eyed her elder sister. “Are you not concerned with offending our hosts? Custom dictates that eldest available son and the eldest available daughter enter together.”

Cersei waved it away. “He isn’t, as far as I know. But you know Robert. He’ll take any opportunity to join our family with his precious Starks. Bad enough that he’s already promised Joff to the eldest Stark girl. No.” She shook her head. “To hell with custom. The Stark boy will have to content himself with you instead of my sweet Myrcella. I will not have my only daughter placed in the hands of a Northern brute.”

“Cersei.” Eleyna had long since mastered the exact tone of voice Tywin Lannister used to keep his children in line — perks of growing up at her father’s knee — and Cersei rolled her eyes, but stopped insulting the Starks, thank the gods.

It was a long moment before Eleyna spoke again. “I will walk with Robb Stark.” Cersei started to smirk and Eleyna resisted the urge to hit her sister — as usual, Cersei had gotten what she wanted. She gritted her teeth as she spoke. “You… are not entirely wrong. Myrcella is rather young. She’d be better suited with the younger Stark boy. Bran, I believe his name is.”

“I knew you’d see it my way.” Cersei patted Eleyna’s hand and swept out of the room as Tyrion entered.

“That’s not—” But Cersei was already gone. Eleyna rolled her eyes.

“Cersei in the library?” Tyrion said with an air of incredulity as he took Cersei’s seat. “Whatever is that about?”

“It seems I’m to be escorted by Robb Stark this evening. Cersei is convinced that if he takes Myrcella, Robert will betroth her to the man.” Eleyna eyed her brother over the table. “I don’t know how and I don’t know why. But somehow, this is your fault.”

Tyrion shrugged, tapping idly. “You wound me, sister. You truly believe me so scheming?”

“Yes,” Eleyna said flatly. She shook her head and reopened her book. “You know as well as I how protective Cersei is of her children.”

“Her one redeeming quality.”

Eleyna’s lips quirked. “You said something to her. Admit it.”

“It is hardly my fault if our dear elder sister takes a jest seriously,” Tyrion said casually. “No real harm done, though. In fact, I do believe you will make a fine couple with the young Stark, should a betrothal actually form from this single escort.”

Eleyna snorted in a rather unladylike manner. “Father would sooner see dragons return.”

Tyrion couldn’t really disagree with that, but he shrugged anyway. “Stranger things have happened.”

Eleyna didn’t dignify that with a response.

[loggiepj]

To Love A Lannister

chapter 2 | chapter 3

The crowd had gotten louder the moment you opened your eyes, squinting at first against the sun. You wanted to shield your sight but with your hands tied behind your back, all you could do was wiggle your head to the opposite direction. And when you looked to the sides, there Cersei stood, her lips curved into an evil smile, along side her son, King Joffrey. The sound of a man grunting beside you made you turn your head. A masked man was pulling some kind of rope beside you. Your eyes followed where it leads, ending on a machinery located on top of you. It only took you a second to figure out it was a guillotine.

Thwak!

You abruptly woke up, grasping your neck as if on instinct if it was still connected to your body. You weren't scared to die, not for now, anyway. But you'd have a far chance getting killed from drowning rather than execution.

It was only a harmless threat, you thought. Cersei was known for it. And even when you knew what you were getting to in the end, it couldn't hurt you a little less to try, that maybe the endless looks you get from Cersei during dinners and passing meant something other than distaste.

Sleep was hard to get by after that. With nothing else left to do, you decided to wake up for the day.

Oberyn and Ellaria were still fast asleep so you tried to find food for breakfast. And if luck permitted you, you might bumped into the Queen herself.

It was not the Queen you met by the courtyard near the Kitchen's Keep but Tommen, her youngest son. It appeared he was chasing something that scurried further away into the bushes.

When he didn't see you standing behind him, he bumped into your chest. "Apologies My Lady, I was just chasing my cat."

"No worries, My Prince," you greeted back as you bowed. "In fact, I saw him running towards those bushes. I'd help you, if you'd allow it."

"Please, I don't want to bother-"

"Nonsense," you said, then you and Tommen crouched unto the dirt and began looking for his cat. Fortunately, a sliver of gray caught your eye before it jumped to the nearby fence.

"Got you," you said as you caught the furry cat, brushing its fur as you returned it to a smiling Tommen.

"Thank you, My Lady," he said.

"Does it have a name?"

"Ser Pounce."

"An honorable name."

"Do you think so? Joffrey doesn't think so," he said sadly. "He always says he'd kill him and make me eat it."

"I'm sure he's only kidding, My Prince," you said, though you didn't doubt Joffrey wouldn't do it. "If you need any place for him to hide for the meantime, you can always ask me."

Tommen smiled from ear to ear. And that was when you finally noticed you two weren't alone.

"It's time for breakfast, Tommen," Cersei called, her hands tightly clutching against the post. The Queen possessed a kind of beauty no one could compare. And you were completely enamored.

"Your Grace," you greeted, bowing your head.

"Coming, Mother!" Tommen answered before turning back to you. "Would you like to join us for breakfast, My Lady?"

Before you could reply, Cersei added, "I'm sure Y/N has something else to tend to this morning-"

"Of course, I'd like to dine with you," you interrupted, chuckling softly. "I feel famished myself already. Tommen here can tell me more about Ser Pounce and how he became a knight."

Tommen laughed as you walked together towards the dining hall, ignoring Cersei's warning glare she was sending your way.

Luckily, Joffrey wasn't around to join. And that meant Tommen was free to discuss with you about his cat and about the cats in Dorne. You had shared with him how you used to have a pet cat who died due to old age. You mentioned it was your late cousin Elia's cat.

"That's terrible, I don't want that to happen to Ser Pounce," Tommen said as he brushed the furry cat on his lap.

"I'm sure he'll live a long life, My Prince," you assured him. "In fact, Myrcella has also gotten herself a cat in Dorne."

The mention of Cersei's daughter made the Queen drop her spoon.

"Really? I can't wait to meet them. Mother, can we go visit Myrcella in Dorne?" Tommen asked.

Cersei could only force a smile. You didn't mean to put the Queen on the spot so you eventually changed the topic.

When Tommen had excused himself to chase after Ser Pounce, who suddenly jumped from his lap to chase a mouse, the air in the room grew thick.

"You seem to have gotten close to my daughter," Cersei began, after sipping her wine. "I'm glad hospitality is still being practiced in Dorne nowadays."

You smiled at her. "Yes, Your Grace. Myrcella's a bright girl, kind and exceptional. I loved having her around when we're reading scrolls about the night sky and the history of Dorne."

"She doesn't need to know the history of Dorne, when she'll be back to the Capital once she's of age," Cersei said.

"Well, Myrcella always seems curious. And there's no harm seeking more wisdom when there's nothing left to lose."

There was utter silence as you both continued to eat.

"She misses you, Your Grace," you said sincerely. This softened the Queen's stature. It even brought a little smile on her face.

"Mm, we do send each other letters from time to time," Cersei answered.

"You know no words would be tantamount to physical presence-"

"Are you suggesting I should visit Dorne?" Cersei asked, chuckling.

"Why not, Your Grace? I, myself, could give you a tour."

Cersei laughed softly. And it was the kind of laugh that didn't sound evil. It was a genuine one. A soft one. One that's full of longing.

The conversation went on as you both talked about Dorne, about Myrcella, about Cersei's travels when she was young, how being a Queen caged her from exploring and how she once had a dream she had a boat of her own and she'd be the captain.

It only ended abruptly when Jaime arrived, setting his helmet on the dining table rather loud and harshly, as if he was intentionally interrupting your conversation.

~~~

Later that night, Tywin held a small dinner for the guests. You would have enjoyed it, however, the sight of Cersei and Jaime rather close together only made your stomach churn with spite.

And there was King Joffrey, boastfully showing off the wild boar he had caught earlier that morning. You knew he had ordered a servant to do that for him. You were about to counter his speech but decided against it, remembering how you had promised to control yourself around Cersei's first son.

The only time you couldn't pretend to be happy were the times Cersei was with Jaime. Jaime came back a week ago with a decapitated hand. You felt pity for the man who had suffered being a hostage by the Starks yet you couldn't help feeling bitter whenever he and Cersei had gotten close.

You knew the rumors. Drunk Tyrion even confirmed it one night you accompanied your cousin in certain brothels. That Cersei was truly involved with her twin brother Jaime. That the King was not the true heir. Even Myrcella. Or Tommen.

You decided to ignore them when you could still control yourself. One wrong comment from you would make your nightmare come true.

And then there was Ser Loras Tyrell from Highgarden, brother of the bride to be Lady Margaery, the one Cersei is arranged to be married.

This made you feel more hatred as if you had any right at all.

Cersei was staring outside the window alone with a glass of red wine in her hand when you noticed Loras approached her. She immediately dismissed him the soonest he opened his mouth to talk before she went to watch by the next window instead.

The disappointment on Loras' face brought comfort in yours.

This was the time you finally approached Cersei.

If she'd dismissed you like the way she did to the poor guy, it was probably a sign from the heavens to give up on pursuing after her.

"Your Grace," you greeted, bowing your head before standing beside her by the window. The celebration had spread outside the Red Keep, where you could see a couple of people drinking loudly and yelling outside their houses.

"Parties in Dorne are different," you commented. "It's lively and thrilling."

Cersei snorted before she sipped her wine, her eyes still on the horizon. "And what of the Capital?"

"It's dark and dull, the complete opposite to be honest, but I mean no offense, Your Grace," you replied.

"If it was such a bore to you, why bother come?"

You smiled. "And miss this chance to meet you, Your Grace? I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world."

Cersei's cheeks flushed but your eyes could only be imagining it for the torches inside the castle could be playing tricks on you.

She licked her lips before speaking, "What do you want?"

"What?"

"You've been certainly making it your priority to catch my attention," she went on with disdain in her voice. "Sparing with Joffrey, getting close with Tommen and Myrcella. Is it Tommen you want? I'm sure Dorne won't tolerate such a thing."

It made you laugh. "I believe you're right, Your Grace."

Cersei chuckled darkly. "I'd better be dead before I'd allow your marriage to my youngest boy."

You quickly shook your head, still laughing. "No, Your Grace. It was just to catch your attention."

"To what end?"

And you only stared at her as if you had nothing else to say.

She scoffed, suddenly realizing. "You must be out of your mind. In fact, I believe you want to get yourself killed."

"Dorne is amazing," you reasoned. "In fact, richer and more powerful than Highgarden. And we all know Ser Loras is a pillow biter. And. . . Myrcella already loves it there in Dorne-"

"I don't think you have noticed one wrong physical aspect. How would you even gift an heir to my father?"

You smiled. "Trust me, I have no problems with that, Your Grace. I'm sure the rumors about me have also spread upon my arrival."

Cersei only fell silent as her eyes quickly darted to your crotch back to your face before gazing out the horizon.

"If you think I'd entertain such a ludicrous idea then I suggest you guard your doors at night because I myself will slice off your tongue. You're not even a known Martell. What makes you think degrading myself to your level would even be a fair comparison as to marrying Loras?"

"Forgive me, Your Grace." You bowed, hurt upon the admission. "I didn't mean to offend-"

"Offend? You insulted my family name."

"Cersei, a word?"

Both of you turned to Tywin's voice.

"Apologies My lady Y/n, I have something to discuss with my daughter."

"Of course, Lord Tywin," you said, then you looked at Cersei, avoiding her eyes. "Your Grace."

[dreaminghelaena]

asoiaf characters as youtubers

cersei: she is the CRAZIEST mukbanger ever. always has some new drama to talk about and it’s very very interesting so she has millions of subscribers. you know that meme of azealia banks’ internet feuds list? yeah that’s cersei. she’s beefed with everyone on the platform and never makes any apology videos for it. she’s had the channel since before she gave birth to joffrey and it’s still going strong. she sometimes does sponsorships but only for wine companies

tyrion: he is the vsauce of asoiaf youtube. does a lot of videos about scientific theories and experiments that get a lot of views. sometimes has drama with people but it’s not very often. he did a face reveal once he got to 3 mil and people edited picsart flower crowns onto his head and made it their pfp, so his comments are just filled with those. sometimes does his own experiments but they always end up going wrong

margaery: she does a lot of makeup tutorials!! she makes sure to use easily accessible drugstore makeup products so people can follow along. she has a couple million subscribers and is renowned as the most non-toxic makeup youtuber of all time. tried to collab with cersei but cersei didn’t show up. she also used to be a nail tech so she has a master class on that

theon: OMGGG theon is THE internet gossip youtuber ever. he’ll literally be pumping out videos about feuds hours after they started. some call him shady cause of the types of videos he makes but he doesn’t care cause he’s having fun. he also has a twitch gaming streaming channel and he is the Jerma of his universe there. he sucks at the games and does not know anything about gaming consoles or the best mics/cameras etc so he has to get computer science™ major jon to help him

sansa: sansa is a fashion design major in nyc so of COURSE she is posting lifestyle vlogs. she started the whole channel because she was featured in a few of margaery’s videos and people kept asking for her to make her own. but she is also very careful with her privacy cause she’s scared of someone finding her. she also has a second channel where she posts sims 4 videos and it’s super chill and fun over there

arya: arya’s really into self defense so she mostly posts tutorials and videos about that. she’s super super helpful in the comments but will insult people brutally when provoked. her genre isn’t as popular as the others so she has a couple hundred thousand (very loyal) subscribers. she also has a secret second channel that only has around 10k subs and everyone there gatekeeps tf out of it. she posts roblox and fortnite videos with her siblings that are really funny and entertaining. all of the girls in the comments are thirsting for robb 😭

jon: jon doesn’t post very much but when he does post it’s minecraft videos. most of the time sam is in them and sometimes robb will make an appearance but he has no idea what is going on. jon posts minecraft builds and he has his own smp (is that what they call it????) he’ll occasionally post videos about playing choices matter games like detroit become human and until dawn. sometimes ppl go ??? because during his minecraft build videos he traumadumps in the background instead of just putting on music or smth. he doesn’t show his face tho cause he’s afraid of getting made fun of

myrcella and tommen: ok they have a super secret channel that only has around 1,000 subscribers where they post videos of their cat. that’s all. people in the comments are super sweet and myrcella and tommen make an effort to respond to all of them. their videos only get like 230 views each time they post but they don’t really care they’re having fun

renly and loras: they’re posting relationship vlogs and stuff but they don’t have a filter so sometimes they talk about really nsfw stuff and get in trouble for it. they’re mostly known for their travel vlogs but they also do videos about drama in their lives that is literally insane. like once renly casually brought up how his brother almost killed him during a ouija board game and loras is like “mhm mhm” but all of the comments are ???? margaery collabs with them all of the time too

bran: 3am challenges.

[laurellerual]

Arya and Sansa storyswap: an exercise in imagination

Premise: I tried to speculate what might happen if Sansa manages to escape King's Landing and Arya gets stuck in the capital. I collected my thoughts on this scenario trying to make logical, credible choices that respected the characterization of the characters and the timeline of the books (the wiki was very usefull for this). I discarded all the scenarios that end in "…and then she dies horribly" because they're boring. I write with assumption that they would still remain POV characters and therefore mantain a minimum of plot armor. Like everyone, I have my biases so it's not perfect, but I tried to put myself in the most neutral mindset possible. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Part 2, Part 3

Part 1/3: Sansa

A Game of Thrones 

I believe Sansa's story would remain mostly the same until the end of Sansa III (AGOT). The only thing I feel like adding is an exchange with Arya. During breakfast Sansa notices Arya's bruises and her sister tells her about the secret passage with dragon skulls that she found, and how she got out of the Red Keep. Sansa clearly doesn't believe her and she thinks it's just Arya being weird.

At the end of Sansa III they receive the news that they will be leaving King's Landing soon, and she runs away crying and barricades herself in her room. In Sansa IV she is locked in Maegor's Holdfast and we find out that she went to Cersei to tell her about Ned's plan to leave. There's a narrative hole between these two chapters that can be exploited to make little changes. What happened that night after Sansa locked herself in her room? It has to be something that makes her change her mind about going to the queen or at least something that stops her from doing so. Personally I choose septa Mordane, you could expand her character and make her a little more similar to how she is in the show where she is shown genuinely loyal to House Stark.

The septa is present when Sansa escapes to her room so it's not unrealistic that she would decide to follow her. Sansa has been behaving "almost as wicked as Arya" lately so Mordane decides to follow her to lecture her or console her. Maybe she reaches her before she can barricade the door and make her see reason. Or perhaps seeing the girl so out of it she goes to Lord Eddard to talk, and she persuades him to talk again to his daughter and help her to calm down. Here you could write a scene parallel to the one in which Ned talks to Arya about Needle.

Sansa is not happy with her father's plans, and she begs him to go to the queen, to discuss this further and find another solution, to make her stay. To reassure her, Ned tells her that he already intends to go to Cersei (as he will do in Eddard XII), but he does not reveal the real reason why he wants to talk to her.

However he fears that the girl might take the initiative and do it herself. To be safe he assigns her a guard and ask him and the septa to prevent his daughter from interacting with Cersei before the departure. (I would like the guard to be Alyn but at this point he has already left for the Riverlands).

Cersei has less informations and when the moment of Ned's arrest arrives, Sansa is with her protectors that have already been warned to keep the Lannisters away from her. When the Lannister men arrive for her, the Stark guard slows them down and septa Mordane drags her away. First the two try to look for Ned, but they soon realize that the Tower of the Hand is under attack. The septa drags Sansa into the servants' quarters (into the kitchens? in the pantry?) idk.

The Septa shoves her in a dark niche, under a cupboard, throws a tablecloth over her and tells her to stay hidden. Mordane tries to think of a plan, but the Lannister men burst in. They recognize her as one of the Stark servants but when she does not provide useful information on the Stark girls they kill her. Sansa remains there all night, lying in the dust. She tries not to make any noise, she is terrified, and from her hiding place she can see the septa's corpse lying on the ground.

The first light of dawn comes in through a little window. Sansa tries to gather courage, she has to leave before the servants start working. The idea disgusts her, but she sees only one way to go unnoticed: she undresses Mordane, covers the silk dress with the septa's habit and hides the face with her veil. Then she wraps the woman in the tablecloth, as if it were a shroud and hides her in that same niche. She tries not to attract attention and find a way out. Sansa doesn't fully understand what happened, she would like to go to the queen or her father, but she is too afraid of the Lannister men after seeing them kill Mordane.

She hasn't eaten in a whole day so before leaving the kitchens she steals some food, like she did with Jeyne. The thought saddens her, who knows where her friend is? She hasn't seen her since she had breakfast with her and Arya. 'Arya...' Sansa remembers the secret passage her sister told her about and decides to try to reach it. With a little luck she makes it, no one pays attention to an anonymous septa. Thanks to the tunnel she manages to reach Flea Bottom.

Here she lives for a few days, trying to listen conversations to find out something about her father. Obv Sansa doesn't try to kill pigeons, she has to stoop to pilfering some food, and even eat trash. She mostly frequents the surroundings of the The Great Sept of Baelor and prays. She sings religious hymns and people take her for a begging septa and throw her some crumbs. One day the sept square fills with people, they are here for the execution of the traitor Eddard Stark. Sansa tries to climb up to not be crushed by the crowd. She sees her beloved Joffrey give the order! She screams, but her voice is drowned out by the noise.

The show is over, the people disperse again. She looks around desperately searching for something, she hopes for a friendly face. it is then that she recognizes a man dressed in black: it's Yoren. Sansa had seen him a few days earlier in the throne room, while he was asking father for men to recruit in the Night's Watch (in Sansa III). He's going away, but Sansa follows him. Now it's clear to her that King's Landing is no longer a safe place and this may be her only chance to return in the North, to home, to safety.

Yoren realizes he's being followed and try to scare her away. Sansa lifts her veil to show herself, she reveals her identity, She begs him to take her out of the city with him, she try to appeal to the ancient friendship between the Starks and the Night's Watch. Yoren looks at her face and recognizes a certain resemblance to Catelyn Stark. He chooses to believe her, so he cuts her hair, dresses her up as a boy and throws her in with the other recruits.

A Clash of Kings

I find it very funny that Sansa's boy name could be Sandor. Anyway, she tries to act nice and compliant to not put herself at risk, but mostly gets people to walk all over her. The younger recruits bully her because she “looks like a female (derogatory)” and she's an easy target. On the other hand, she doesn't have a sword to steal so Hot Pie and Lommy don't try to rob her, they just think she's a loser. Sansa keeps to herself, she doesn't go near Jaqen's cage, she doesn't catch a rabbit to share with Gendry, she doesn't manage to establish a particular relationship with anyone in the group. The commonfolk sucks, Yoren is kind I guess but he stinks. It will take a long time before she can start thinking about social injustice, for now she's just shocked by their miserable living conditions.

The Golden cloaks come looking for Gendry, but Sansa stays hidden because she thinks they are looking for her. Why would the queen want that rude guy? For a moment she thinks that he vaguely resemble Lord Renly… but no, that's nonsense. And even if it was, he's still a bastard. Yoren tells them that if the golden cloaks return they must escape.

One night the group go to sleep, but soon they are attacked by Amory Lorch. Sansa doesn't want to fight, she tries to hide, but in the chaos she ends up showing a soldier down from the tower, killing a man for the first time. She does everything she can to reach the trapdoor and escape. There's no way she'll go back to free Jaqen, but she decides to grab Weasel in the escape.

The small group of survivors, led by Gendry, arrive near an abandoned village. The Bull decides to explore it and takes Hot Pie with him. Sansa doesn't know it, but Gendry wants to abandon her and the others because he thinks they are just slowing them down. He has decided to propose the escape to Hot Pie because he is the second "less useless" choice after Arya. As per canon, Gendry and Hot Pie are captured by the Mountain's men (and probably die in Harrenhal).

Now here is an important change. Arya was captured and taken to Harrenhal because she returned to the village and try to save Gendry, but I don't think Sansa would do the same so she would not be captured at this point in the story. When Sansa and Weasel hear the sound of men in armor approaching, they run away to hide and leaves Lommy there to his fate.

The two girls now find themselves in the forest alone and without supplies in a land of burned villages, they're severely malnourished. Sansa would definitely think about trying to reach Riverrun, but she has no way of orienting herself. If we want to give her any hope of survival I'd say the only solution is for the two of them to be lucky enough to walk in the right direction. In this way the two get closer to the territory frequented by the Brotherhood without Banners and with a bit of luck the outlaws finds them before they die of starvation.

A Storm of Swords

The Brotherhood takes the orphans with them and feeds them. Weasel is probably left at the first inn/orphanage (where she will live a long and happy life), while Sansa meets Harwin, she is recognized and taken hostage. She learns that Winterfell has been conquered by Theon and that Bran and Rickon are dead.

She stark using women's clothes again because she prefers them. And also because every day she manages to hide the fact that she is a girl less and less. She has no intention of cutting her hair a second time, and now that she started eating regularly again she got her first period too. Coarse as they are, it is a relief to be surrounded by people who recognize her as a noble lady. Lady Ravella is a breath of fresh air and Tom is an acceptable singer. She enjoys Edric Dayne's company and thinks he's cute, but she doesn't understand why he wants to talk about Jon Snow.

Sansa is taken to Lord Beric who promises to reunite her with her mother. The sight of the undead man repulses her, but his behavior is chivalrous enough. She certainly doesn't try to escape, she just hopes that he respects his oath.

One day a prisoner with a familiar and unmistakable face is brought to the Hollow Hill: it's the Hound.

[visenyaism]

Top 5 asoiaf historical characters or top 5 povs to read from ?

my favorite chapter of all time still goes to the tyrion boat school chapter in adwd but in terms of favorite POVs to read?

6. joncon- giving myself a bonus one to talk about how reading his chapters made me feel like i was dissolving like a powerpoint transition. there’s just so much grief and love and bitterness and doom packed into there it is unreal.

5. sam- gender. he is just so special i’ve never read a fantasy protag quite like samwell tarly and his quest to realize his compassion, empathy, and courage are his greatest strengths despite being discouraged by hypermasculine violent feudal society. he is the real protagonist of asoiaf to me.

4. jonsnow- i liked his pov’s in all the books, but ADWD where he is just trying as hard as possible not to be the protagonist after going though like 4 different genres (can u BELIEVE he started off as a boarding school protagonist) even though he literally has super strengthis so beloved to me. His ongoing crisis where he has to realize that despite everything everyone tries to impose on him he has only ever been just himself is so so real (just as real as him being king beyond the wall. btw) though getting immediately killed for it has to be a downer. MY son was turncloak of the month at castle black👍

3. Jaime- he’s funny. he’s cringe. he stares a lot for someone who can’t fight. he’s delusional. he can’t fit a whole knight in his head. he hasn’t emotionally matured past the age of seventeen. everything he says is insane and also heartbreaking. i love jaime POVs so much y’all don’t get it.

2. Cersei- reading cersei i for the first time last year rewired my brain and i was loud about it. Unlike cersei i was not raised by a fascist nightmare but as a nonbinary girltwin i can say that getting raised alongside a direct example of what your life would’ve been like without misogyny can be very hard, especially when you hit puberty and the “your brother is a person and you are the girl one” starts to get even louder. I was fucking alarmed how personally compelling her weird gender thoughts were given EVERYTHING else the Lannister twins have going on that is NOT personally relevant to me. Don’t know how george rr martin old cishet man that he is knew about any of that.

She’s completely delusional, and at times her mental gymnastics are so so fucking funny, but the like roiling layer of unspeakable (literally unspeakable she refuses to speak or acknowledge it) pain and fear underneath is what got me really. Watching her scheme out of arrogance and mortal terror really just to gain respect and bodily autonomy (though in the Tywin way where freedom from abuse and the “right” to abuse others are the same thing) and then just losing everything incredibly fucking hard was really compelling. i hope you win.

1. Melisandre- wait i said another chapter was my favorite of all time in this post? no i didn’t not when melisandre i is in the room. i have talked about this one extensively and probably will do so again. Finding out that r’hllor is literally her enslaved and her entire black and white apocalyptic worldview is her attempt to feel safe within that truth because she is still just a scared little girl at heart who needs what she’s saying to be true because if it’s not none of her suffering was worth it was the revelation of all time. That and the revelation that she actually does have a human attachment to Davos to the point that she’s watching over his son to spare him the grief. We WILL get melisandre ii in this lifetime and it will break my heart all over again because she is going to outlive stannis and have to survive the worldview shattering.

[raspberryfingers]

A Lion in the Garden -Tywin Lannister x Reader- (Part 17)

WARNING: Mentions of death, NSFW

————— Tywin was walking much faster than usual, a nervous feeling in his chest. Myrcella’s boat had been spotted, and now both he and Cersei were rushing for the shore all of you were pulling into. He hadn't seen you in a month and a half, and gods was he desperate to.

And deep down, he was terrified that he wouldn’t. When he got to the beach, Cersei had just arrived, and she was smiling brighter than the sun itself. 

“You’re excited to see her, aren’t you?” He asked softly, watching the boats approach. Cersei nodded, hands clasped together as she tried to contain her excitement. There were very few things that brought Cersei Lannister happiness, but her children always would no matter what they did. 

Tywin felt an odd warmth in his chest, and noted that Cersei looked just like Joanna when she was smiling. It was in those moments he seemed to remember she was his daughter, and that when she wasn’t angry or delusional, his favorite child. 

He—in a rare display of affection—let his arm wrap around her as he kissed her forehead, though his lips left her face just as fast as they’d been there. 

Cersei looked up at her father, and felt suddenly vulnerable. More than anything, she had craved her fathers approval and affection, and in the moments like these when she received it, it made her want to sob.

As the boat pulled ashore, the two broke apart and approached, watching Jaime get off with Myrcella right behind him. Cersei couldn’t stop smiling as she ran to her daughter, embracing her as tightly as she could. Myrcella was glad to see her mother, and was somewhat glad to be back here.

“Welcome home, Myrcella,” Tywin said softly, cupping her cheek and giving her a vague smile. She grinned at him.

“Thank you, grandfather.” 

Tywin noted the other boat reaching the shore as well, and watched Jaime make his way over to it, boarding and going inside the vessel. That was odd. 

“Prince Trystane has come with us, mother. We’re to be married,” Myrcella informed excitedly, though Cersei was cautious. 

“And you’ve spent time with him?” She questioned.

“Oh yes! I love him very much, mother. He's so kind, and handsome too,” Myrcella gushed. Cersei nodded, happy to know her daughter would not end up in a loveless marriage. 

Just then, Bronn and Prince Trystane made their way onto the beach and approached the group. Trystane and Myrcella hugged, after obviously being apart for a week at sea. 

“Mother, grandfather, this is Prince Trystane,” she introduced. Tywin shook the boy's hand, sensing he would be a good fit for his granddaughter. He then kissed Cersei’s hand, and she gave him a genuine smile. 

“Prince Trystane, thank you for joining us here.”

“Of course, Lady Cersei.”

As they began to converse, Tywin stepped aside and approached Bronn. 

“Where is Lady (Y/N)?” He whispered, making Bronn swallow. He did not want to bear the brunt of whatever anger would surely arise when he informed Tywin. 

“Ser Jaime is helping her from the ship, my lord,” he said simply, watching Tywin’s eyes avert and look the boat over. Why would you need help? 

Just then, he watched the door of the compartment open, and you stepped out with your arm around Jaime’s shoulders. 

Bronn took a step back, watching Tywin’s eyes widen and jaw set. Jaime saw his father too, and felt a sickness in his stomach. 

This was not going to go well.

—————

I was limping off the boat, and Jaime and I saw Tywin at the same time. He obviously understood that I’d been injured, and he did not look happy.

“He’s going to murder me,” Jaime muttered, to which I shook my head. 

“Let me handle it.”

Tywin was walking with an immense speed, and he made his way up onto the ramp before Jaime and I could reach it.

“Move, boy. Let me do it, since clearly you’re incapable of even the simplest things,” Tywin scowled, motioning for Jaime to move. I sighed, being transferred from Jaime’s arms to Tywin’s. To be clear, I was not angry at the development, more so just annoyed that Tywin was going to handle it this way.

“Are you alright? What happened?” Tywin whispered after a moment, panic and distress clear in his voice. My heart softened, and I wanted to kiss the man’s cheek. 

“Our effort to reach Myrcella before the Sand Snakes was quite narrow. I got her worse than this, though,” I said, feeling Tywin wrap one arm around my torso and help me walk a bit quicker as he supported my weight. It was like Blackwater all over again. 

Jaime was walking behind us, and Tywin looked over his shoulder with an unmatched fury.

“You had one job. I told you to keep her safe, was I not abundantly clear?” Tywin hissed, shaking his head and helping me step onto the stony beach. 

“It’s not Jaime’s fault, Tywin. I was egging the girl on, and either way he was fighting another one of them,” I explained, making him shake his head. 

“He failed to do the task I gave him.”

“I’m injured, not dead, Tywin. You know me, I can’t resist the urge to make stupid decisions,” I said, trying to diffuse his anger.

“Yes, that’s why I hoped two men would keep you in check,” he muttered, making me laugh softly. 

The group noticed us, and Cersei’s eyes went wide.

“What happened?” She asked, genuinely surprised. 

“Lady (Y/N) risked her life to protect me. She fought so bravely, mother, you should have seen it,” Myrcella remarked, watching Cersei process it.

“Thank you, Lady (Y/N), for bringing my daughter home despite the costs,” she said to me after a moment.

“You’re welcome, Cersei. I know your children mean everything to you, and I’d do anything I could to reunite a family. Plus, it’s not the worst I’ve ever had,” I said with a smile, and she nodded, giving me the faintest of smiles back. I hoped to improve my relationship with her, especially because It was inevitable that people would find out about Tywin and I eventually, and maybe she wouldn’t be so angry if she knew I wasn’t a horrible person. 

“I’m going to take her into the Red Keep so she can sit down and receive medical attention. Prince Trystane, would you and Myrcella join me for dinner tonight?” Tywin offered, making me smile to myself for a moment. 

“Certainly, Lord Tywin. In the Tower of the Hand?” Trystane questioned, smiling at Myrcella for a moment. 

“The king’s chambers will do, I’m certain your brother will be excited to see you home. All three of my children will come, too,” Tywin said to him. I was surprised that he’d invited practically the whole Lannister family, and I imagined it would be a rather interesting dinner. 

One I was quite grateful to not be attending. 

“Of course, Lord Tywin, we will all see you tonight,” Trystane said, nodding his head at Tywin, who did the same before adjusting his stance and helping me walk up to the steps. When we reached the steps, Tywin gave me a look.

“Can you make it up?” He asked softly, and I swallowed and nodded. Putting a bit more of my weight on him, he managed to help lift me up the steps I couldn’t make, and I felt awful when we got to the top. 

“I’m sorry, I know this is awfully tedious,” I apologized as we continued on. 

“Don’t be. I carried you across the battlefield at Blackwater, back when you detested me and thought I was an insufferable cunt. What makes you think I would mind doing it now, when I’m very much in love with you?” He said, whispering the last bit. I smiled, looking around and seeing that nobody was looking and there weren’t any guards nearby. 

Leaning in, I kissed his cheek and he kissed my forehead. It would have to do in public, for anything else would have been too risky. 

“I uh- I told Jaime. He’s promised he’s not going to tell other people, especially not Cersei, but I thought I should let you know that he’s aware of us,” I said after a moment, not wanting to keep that kind of secret from Tywin. His face was unreadable for a moment, but he nodded.

“And what did he say?”

“Nothing, really, we had to get moving before the sun got too high. But when he asked, he reasoned that he knew you’d loved Joanna, but everyone had said the best part of you died with her. It seemed- it seemed he was trying to convey that he wondered whether or not you were still capable of loving,” I said softly, watching Tywin glance about. 

“I’ve been trying more with all of them. They’re all incompetent, whining children who love to bring down the Lannister name, but at the end of the day I am still their father. I’ve been trying to remind myself of that. Trying to think of what Joanna would want,” he said, mumbling the last bit with a sigh. I rubbed his back as well as I could, and he looked down at me with one of those sweet looks he only gave me when nobody else was around. 

We reached another set of stairs, larger this time, and Tywin sighed. I felt awful, and mentally prepared myself for what was about to ensue. Suddenly, however, I felt Tywin reach down and completely pick me up, carrying me in his arms instead. 

I looked at him with quite a bit of shock, but he ignored me and started up the stairs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him, enjoying this somehow. I felt safe in his arms, I felt cared for. 

Though I expected him to put me down at the top, he did not. In fact, all the way back to my chambers he carried me, despite the looks all the nobles around us gave him. 

A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of the sheep.

When we reached my chambers, he finally set me down so I could hug Ser Elias, and I was grateful for that. 

“What happened?” He asked, clearly observing that I was hurt. 

“I got into a bit of a fight. Though, the one I left on her was worse,” I said with a grin, and he nodded. 

“Your sister is out with the king today, but she’s requested your presence for dinner tonight,” he informed, to which I nodded.

“That would be lovely, thank you, Ser Elias,” I nodded, and Tywin helped me into my chambers, closing the door behind us. 

Once it was closed, I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss him deeply. He, of course, reciprocated just as passionately, cupping my face and pulling me closer to him. 

“Gods, I missed you,” He muttered when I pulled away. I smiled and pressed my forehead to his.

“I was so desperate to get home you have no idea,” I whispered, kissing him softly this time. I’d missed his lips, and that was something I hadn’t expected to feel so empty without. 

“Here, come sit down,” he said, helping me over to the small sofa in my room. We both sat down, and I sighed out with a certain relief. 

“I ought to call for a maester, you need to-“

“Tywin, just call for Cerella. She helped me quite a bit with the last injury,” I told him, watching him rise from the couch and think. He nodded then, and went to the door to ask for her. 

When he came back, he appeared to be tired. 

“Are you alright?” I asked him, just now noticing how disheveled he looked in the proper lighting. 

“I haven’t been sleeping well. I’ve been worrying about you this whole time,” he admitted, making me go soft. I reached out my hand for him, and he took it within seconds. I’d missed the warmth of his hands, too. 

“Well, I’m alright now. I know I can’t exactly stay with you in the tower for a month or so, but at least you know I’m safe,” I tried to assure him, feeling horrible that I’d truly put him through so much stress. 

“I’ll stay with you in here for a while. Do you trust Ser Elias?” He asked, thumb brushing back and forth over my hand. I nodded.

“I do. You just need to be careful about what times you come and go. Other people might see,” I said with a sigh, wishing politics didn’t force us to be a secret at all. 

“Of course. I’ll be careful, my dear, don’t worry,” he assured me, sitting down beside me again and kissing my forehead.

I leaned into him, so grateful to be home. Dorne was beautiful, but I found it hard to enjoy a place when Tywin wasn’t with me. Everything beautiful I saw, I wished to share with him. 

“I wish you’d been there. I would’ve liked to see you in Dornish robes,” I said, leaning into his neck and biting his ear. He gave me a low growl, nipping at my neck. 

“Dornish fashion suits you. The only style I like seeing you in more is Lannister style,” he complimented, looking me up and down in the dress. There was little left to the imagination, and I felt quite confident he appreciated that.

“Well, I can’t betray my house. Though, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to acquire a few more red and gold designs,” I said with a smile, kissing his cheek now. 

“I don’t know why you bother, I intend to make them all end up on my floor,” he flirted, fingers coming to my chin as he smirked. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and I yelled out for Cerella to come in. When she did, I smiled. I’d missed seeing her everyday, if I was honest.

“I heard you got into some trouble on your mission, my lady,” she said, bowing her head at Tywin who moved away so she could sit beside me. 

“You could say that. It wouldn’t have been much fun if I hadn’t,” I remarked, to which Tywin merely shook his head. 

“Cerella, do you think she’ll listen to you? She certainly doesn’t listen to me when I tell her to behave and act smartly,” Tywin scoffed, pouring two cups of wine and bringing me one. 

“Respectfully, my lord, I don’t think she intends to listen to anyone,” Cerella replied, making all of us smile. I lifted my dress as she got out her medical supplies, knowing she’d want to see it. I’d already received stitches, but after a week or so it would be nice to hear that things were still in place and healing well. 

When the site was revealed, Tywin visibly looked concerned, and I reached for his hand to reassure him. 

“All seems to be going well. I’m going to put some ointment around it, and I expect you can have them removed before the week is over,” she said, reaching for a small tin. 

“How deep was it?” Tywin asked me, watching Cerella remove the lid and apply the ointment. 

“I stopped her before she could get her knife all the way in. I’d say about three to four inches, and I still need to tell you what happened to her,” I said, beginning to feel excited. I’d wanted to tell him the story since it happened.

“Go on then, what did you do?” He asked with a soft smile, looking down at me fondly as Cerella put the bandages over my thigh. 

“Well, I was egging her on, that’s principally why she got me. She had tried to stab me in the arm, but I caught her hand before she could. She then dropped the blade and caught it with her other hand, stabbing me then. Of course, as she did that, I was still holding her wrist, so I stabbed all the way through her forearm and held my blade to her other wrist so she couldn’t push her knife any further into me,” I explained, motioning with my hands to demonstrate what I’d done. Tywin nodded, imagining the scenario in his head. 

“I imagine she screamed quite loudly when you did that,” he remarked, eyebrows raised knowingly. I smiled and nodded.

“She certainly did, and she continued to when I began to twist the blade. I was quite lucky to have struck her where I did, otherwise I might’ve just hit a bone,” I said with a sigh, pushing my skirts back down when Cerella was done. 

“Well, I don’t pity her, she should’ve known better than to challenge you,” Tywin scoffed, knowing I had done much worse to those I’d killed in the past. 

“She was a good fighter, just too angry. People who fight with anger are the worst kind,” I sighed, handing Cerella a gold coin and thanking her as she left us. 

“Well, besides this girl, how was Dorne? I can’t assume anything noteworthy happened, Jaime’s always been fairly mellow,” he reasoned, taking a sip of his wine.

“He almost got bitten by a snake, though Bronn killed it and we ate it for breakfast. I don’t have any desire to eat a snake ever again,” I told, smiling as he laughed and sat down beside me again. 

“I can imagine. How was Jaime’s man? Bronn, as you said,” Tywin inquired, eyes fixed on a small bird that had decided to perch itself on my balcony. 

“He was rather enjoyable. He’s quite funny, and quite the flirt. Oddly enough, he was also very good at singing,” I said, watching the jealousy settle into his eyes. It was truly so easy to do. 

“Is that so? And how did you discover that?” He questioned, jaw setting the way it always did when he was frustrated. I began to laugh.

“We sang a duet of the Dornishman’s wife together. Don’t get jealous, Tywin, you know I’ve only ever cared for you,” I said as I watched him gaze about the room. He wanted to look anywhere but at me.

“I know you only care for me, that’s not what bothers me,” he revealed, surprising me slightly. Why else would he care? 

“Then what is it that does bother you?”

“That other men look at you, that they get to see you smile. I want to be the only one who sees you, the only one who makes you smile and laugh,” he mumbled, hand gently coming around my throat as he moved closer to me. 

“Other men look, Tywin, but only you see. All of those men amount to nothing, and you know that. There’s only one great lion, only one man in all seven kingdoms that I want. Plus, none of them have ever kissed me. None of them have ever seen me naked. They’ve never watched me cum on their cocks while I moan their name,” I whispered with a smile. I reached for Tywin’s collar, pulling him into me and moaning as he kissed me. Gods, he made me burn for him. If it wasn’t for my thigh, I already would’ve torn off all his clothes. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” he mumbled, fire in his eyes as he looked at me. He was trying to calm himself, and I appreciated that.

“I would have too, it seems things have been relatively uneventful,” I said, as I hadn’t heard any news of importance lately.

“I wouldn’t say that. Do you recall the group I was discussing with you, those sparrows?” He questioned.

“Of course, why?”

“They caught the high septon in a brothel and forced him to walk through the streets naked. I had them all arrested for this, of course. I won’t have any group causing further chaos than already exists here,” he informed, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise. I had not expected such a punishment from a religious group. 

“Are they going to be executed?”

“Of course.”

“That might not be smart, Tywin. There’s potential there to upset lots of people,” I warned, knowing that persecuting a religious group might have some rather harsh effects. 

“It might seem that way, but the people in this damned city just want heads on pikes, they don’t care whose. Groups like these are like infections, starting small until they become a large problem and end up killing you. I’m not going to let some religious fanatics exercise power over us, or the rest of King's Landing for that matter. It starts with the high septon, eventually it would spread to the brothels and the moment brothels aren’t running, well, that would cause a lot of other problems,” Tywin explained, getting up and pacing as he did so. I liked to see into his brain during moments like this. He was obviously far older than I was and had seen much more than I had. It was this wisdom that I found so attractive, so inspiring. The most powerful man in Westeros indeed. 

“You’re correct, the high septon would not be the last. Though, it may not be a bad thing. Parading me naked through the streets might increase public morale,” I joked, making Tywin laugh heartily. It had been quite some time since I’d heard him laugh that way. 

“Yes, I’m certain it would!” He chuckled, looking at me with a hint of mischief. 

“Well, besides the public shaming, any other news?” I inquired, hoping that perhaps that was as large as our problems were. Tywin nodded and finished his glass with a sigh.

“Quite a few things, though the only that actually happened in Kings Landing was Tyrion’s wedding. Walder Frey’s daughter actually ended up being quite pretty, much to his satisfaction. A sweet girl called Roslin. Though, I fear she’s a bit too sweet for him,” Tywin admitted, scanning my face for any reaction.

“Tyrion needs someone sweet, I feel. He’s a protective person by nature. Did she appear pleased by the match?” I questioned as Tywin poured more wine.

“She seemed content enough. She seemed to be laughing with him at the feast, and there was a bedding ceremony. I was told so anyways, I didn’t care to stay for very long.”

“Why not?”

“Social events like weddings have become intolerable without you.”

We both stared at each other for a moment, and an odd look flashed through his eyes. For a second, I could’ve sworn he almost looked nervous.

But no, the look passed and he continued to drink.

“What else has happened? Any news outside of Kings Landing?”

“Would you like the good or the bad first?”

“The bad, of course.”

“Stannis is at Castle Black right now. By all accounts, he intends to take the north soon,” Tywin revealed, making my eyebrows knit together.

“Jon Snow is allowing this?”

“Stannis saved them all from the Wildlings. I believe, due to that, Jon Snow is forced to stay out of it. Plus, it may grant him a good opportunity. There’s nobody for Robb Stark to fight if Stannis is dead,” Tywin explained, shrugging. 

“Stannis won’t settle. He’ll want his daughter on the throne. He genuinely believes the rumors,” I reminded, knowing how far men like him would go. It was respectable if nothing else.

“And only his most loyal supporters will care enough to try and get her there. Let the north deal with it for now.”

“Tywin, I know it is less of a concern for you, but I want all seven kingdoms in harmony. Should Stannis march with his entire army, I want to send at least a few hundred men. I know there’s still some bitterness, but it’s a start,” I suggested, knowing that if we did not heal relations with the North we’d be doomed forever. 

I watched Tywin contemplate, sitting down in one of the chairs by my table. 

“Who’s to say the Starks won’t side with Stannis? Ned Stark died for him, after all,” he proposed, making me scoff and shake my head. 

“The North is already beaten down and tired. They’ve all just returned home after years at war, do you imagine they’ll be jumping to fight over another man’s war? They followed Robb Stark because they believe in Robb Stark, not Stannis Baratheon. More than anything, I can’t imagine they’ll respond kindly to someone they already know intends to take the north,” I reasoned, knowing that often they were loyal to themselves and themselves only. 

“And what if Robb Stark decides to back Stannis?”

“He won’t. Robb Stark is perfectly content as King in the North, he’s not going to kneel before Stannis Baratheon. We let him call himself whatever he damn pleases, and in return we keep a delicate alliance between the seven kingdoms. Not to mention, his sister is married to my brother. Declaring for Stannis would certainly… complicate things for their family,” I convinced, watching Tywin nod and sigh in his seat. My seat, technically. 

“Very well. Should it come to that, I’ll permit some 500 men to go and fight. Stannis has about 6,000 men. The northerners and 500 men from us should be sufficient,” he granted, making me quite content. 

“What of Tyrell troops?”

“Robb Stark has already spoken with you, I don’t think he’ll be offended. Help from Lannister soldiers is what they need to ensure peace, and it will only take us longer to summon troops from Highgarden,” he reasoned. I nodded, knowing that he was right. We didn’t exactly need my own troops, and the distance from here to Winterfell was already far enough.

“Thank you, Tywin. I know I must always keep what is best for my house first, but when I don’t need to worry about that, I let myself do what’s best for the realm. A house prospers most in a peaceful kingdom, after all,” I noted.

“Certainly.”

“With that sorted out, what is the good news?” I asked, motioning for him to come back over to me. I felt like we were far apart despite being in the same room. He rose, joining me on the sofa again. I grabbed at his shoulders and pulled myself into his lap. 

“Rather adventurous, aren’t we?”

“How do you imagine I’ve acquired so many scars?”

Tywin merely smiled and gave me a gentle kiss. 

“Daenerys Targaryen is dead.”

My eyes instantly went wide, and I shifted to look at him more directly.

“What? How?”

“Murdered by a pathetic uprising of Merenese nobles upset about her ending slavery there. They snuck up on her in the fighting pits, the entire thing seems to have been quite the slaughter,” he said, making me take a deep breath as I processed it. 

It certainly seemed that one by one, our threats were dying out or retreating. Things, for the first time in years, looked quite bright for the Tyrells and the Lannisters. 

“What of her dragons?”

“As far as I’m concerned, one is still missing, and the other two remain locked up underneath the temples. I don’t think anyone is brave enough to free them,” he said, hands placed sweetly above my hips. I sighed.

“We ought to keep track of the free one. As for the other two, I’ll pray they burn down all of Mereen eventually. The city seems doomed to outright collapse now that Daenerys is dead,” I reasoned, knowing it was already fragile enough while she was alive. 

“Yes, I imagine it will. Breaker of chains,” Tywin mumbled, making me quietly laugh at the irony. 

“The Targaryen bloodline gone with her, what a thought,” I sighed, considering just how temporary everything was, even the houses and our names. 

“It’s becoming a bit more than a thought for the Lannisters,” Tywin grumbled, leaning his head back onto the sofa. It was undeniably true, if I was honest. Tommen and Myrcella bore both the name Baratheon, and neither Jaime nor Tyrion had any children. 

“Tyrion’s going to be married soon,” I pointed out, making him scoff.

“To a Frey girl.”

I merely shrugged, smiling as I leaned in to kiss his neck. I felt his hands grip me a bit more firmly.

“Perhaps, Tywin, you have another option,” I whispered, tugging at his collar a bit for more access.

“Which is what?” He muttered in reply, hands coming down to my ass now. 

“Produce another heir,” I suggested, grinding on his crotch slightly as he groaned.

“You ought to be careful, if you keep that up I’m going to want to fuck you, and if I do that your stitches are going to split,” he warned, one hand coming up to fondle my breasts.

“You don’t need to fuck me. I want to taste you,” I mumbled, kissing him. He showed a degree of surprise, especially as I reached down to start undoing his pants. 

“You don’t have to,” he whispered after a moment, cupping my face to show me he meant it. 

“I know I don’t. I want to. You told me you would teach me how to touch you, and that’s what I’d like,” I said with a smile, moving off of him to start taking his pants off. 

He kicked off his boots, looking at me thoughtfully and nodding. I took his pants off and undid his coat, not wanting anything to get in the way. 

He swallowed as I pressed my body against his, kissing his neck and slowly reaching into his underclothes. He was still relatively soft when I touched him, so I began to touch and rub, appreciating his sharp inhales as I did. 

“(Y/N), if you end up learning quickly, there’s something else we could try,” he said, bucking into my hand just the tiniest bit.

“And what is that?”

“It’s for you to find out, sweet girl.”

I smiled, noticing he’d taken to calling me that whenever he was aroused. And physically, he was also becoming aroused beneath my hand. He wasn’t all the way there yet, but he was hard enough that I began to pull down the rest of Tywin’s clothes and free him. 

I swallowed at the sight of his erection, not sure where to go from here. Tywin’s hand came to my back, and he smiled ever so softly at me.

“Do you want some help?”

I nodded, and he brought his hand to the back of my head instead, gently lowering it until I was close up. 

“Do what feels right, and I’ll tell you if there’s something else you ought to try. The only thing is to not use your teeth, thank you,” he said, making me look up at him and laugh. 

“If you start misbehaving, maybe I will.”

He chuckled at that, and I focused myself back on him, taking the base of him into my hand and carefully licking his tip. 

I felt him shiver, and it encouraged me to continue, slowly taking him in my mouth and letting my tongue move against him. 

He groaned now, taking some of my hair in his hands and gripping onto it as I lowered my head even further. I took his cock as deep into my mouth as I could, gagging when it hit the back of my throat. That made him moan even louder, though, and I made a mental note of it. 

I remembered what Cerella had told me too, and began to suck on him, which elicited quite the moan, followed by my name.

“(Y/N)… gods yes… keep doing that,” he whined, back arching into me as I continued to suck his tip and use my hand on the rest of him. Tywin was a pathetic, moaning mess, and I felt pride in knowing I’d make him like this. 

I felt him smack my ass, and I moaned out around him, which he seemingly liked, as he threw his head back and quivered. 

“(Y/N)… (Y/N) wait…” he mumbled, bringing my head up with his hands. I looked up at him curiously, but he merely reached over and grabbed me, standing up from the couch and carrying me over to the bed.

“We’re going to try something, hm? I want to make you feel good,” he said, sitting me on the bed and pulling my shoes off. After that, he removed my underclothes but not my dress. From there I watched him get onto the bed and lay down, removing his coat before motioning for me to come over. 

“(Y/N), what I want you to do is to straddle my chest, can you do that?” He questioned, to which I nodded and did so. He hummed contently and motioned for me to turn around. 

“Good, now take me in your mouth again,” he instructed, to which I eagerly bent down and did so. He moaned, and I felt him pushing my skirts up even more and letting them stay up on my back. I felt his hands at my hips, and after a moment I realized what he was going to do.

I moaned as I felt his tongue between my folds, back arching as he found my clit and lapped at it faithfully.

I couldn’t stop moaning around his cock, even as I continued to suck on him and rub him. That in turn made him moan, and it felt wonderful between my legs. I was glad more than anything that it wasn’t putting pressure on my stitches, and there was relatively little pain. 

More than anything, it was just overwhelming pleasure. 

I pushed my head down on his cock again, gagging and drooling on him in a way that felt oddly satisfying. His hips were bucking up, fucking my mouth as I moaned and sucked on him obediently. 

I felt his hands on my ass, spreading me even further apart as he began to suck on my clit, his nose bumping up against me as well. 

I was grateful to be riding something besides a horse for the first time in a month and a half. 

As I continued to suck and gag, I could tell that Tywin was getting close. His moans were becoming louder and higher pitched just as they had the last time we’d laid together. 

My own orgasm seemed to be coming as well, and as I felt Tywin’s tongue lick my clit directly I could no longer hold back. My legs were shaking and I moaned around him, whimpering as he held me down and continued to bury his face between my legs. 

Just then, I felt his own cum spurting into my mouth and Tywin also began to moan particularly loud. I swallowed all of it, removing myself from his cock and trying to catch my breath, my head resting on his hip. 

We both laid there, content and overwhelmed as we tried to catch our breaths. 

“Was that a satisfactory welcome home?” He asked, still panting. I laughed softly, letting my hands roam the warm skin of his hips and legs. 

“Yes, it was. Thank you, Tywin.”

“Of course, my dear.”

He gave my ass a gentle pat, squeezing as I began to lift myself up, lying down beside him and cuddling close as he cleaned himself up, adjusting his clothes as well.

“Did you swallow it all?” He questioned upon realizing there wasn’t a mess. I smiled and nodded, and there was a spark in his eyes that I enjoyed quite deeply. 

“Good girl,” he mumbled, kissing my forehead. We laid together like that for a bit, chatting lightly about random topics and teasing one another, just as we always did. 

It was reassuring to me that even as Stannis readied himself at Castle Black, and even as a full grown dragon roamed unattended, all would be well for us. It seemed that together, there was not a challenge Tywin and I could not face. Slowly, the realm was coming back together. At least Westeros was, anyways, and it was not Stannis Baratheon doing it, it was not the late Daenerys Targaryen, or even Tommen. 

It was us. 

TAGLIST:

@cheyxfu @lemonscoffee @groovy-lady

@ladysindar @vesta-ro @exo-nova @paola-carter

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[thebeesareback]

The big Robert Baratheon thoughts

There are several characters within the ASOIAF universe who could comfortably be the protagonist of their own book/series, and GRRM has spoken about how, when writing a character, he tries to see all the major events through their eyes and how it would have affected their lives. Dany and Oberyn are good examples of this, and a shorter book/series could comfortably have either one of them as the main character. If a fic writer is looking for any inspiration, I think a lot could be drawn from Dany in Vaes Toloro.

Another of them is a character who almost seems like a false protagonist in GOT: King Robert Baratheon. The people who don't know him think he's amazing, the people who do know him despise him. He has a fleshed-out backstory, character and the power to influence the plot in many different ways. Yet he's killed off quickly, and I think the fan community often overlooks him as a simple drunken idiot. So I'd like to dig a little deeper.

Robert's life can easily be sectioned into three parts: pre-rebellion era, the rebellion era and the post-rebellion era. Most of what we see comes from Ned Stark, and later we have flashbacks from Cersei which show a much darker and thoroughly rotten man.

To start: Robert is the first born son of House Baratheon, a clan with significant power and influence. He's exactly the kind of young man the Westerosi patriarchal "might makes right" system rewards -- the sort of son Randyl Tarly would love to have. He's an excellent fighter, charming, good looking ("muscled like a maiden's fantasy", oh Ned). There's also a kindness there. When he's fostered at the Eeire he sends for a gift of oranges for Jon Arryn, and although the fruit goes bad, he's not upset and instead plays with the other teenagers. It's silly and funny and the most childish we ever see him.

He isn't always lovely, of course. In Stannis' memory, Robert is unpleasant. He mocks Stannis' falcon and, therefore, Stannis himself. However, Stannis is a miserable shit, and this comment comes after they've spent years disliking each other, so there's obvious bias. Robert seemed to be happy to be away from his family, and so some alienation from his brothers does make sense. Robert and Stannis go through the ordeal of watching their parents die, and it's understandable that this would cause issues in their relationship. Perhaps that's why they pushed each other away. Having a walking, whining reminder of that trauma can't have been pleasant, and the desire to pretend that everything is ok and ignore problems gets more persistent as the years go on.

The third thing we hear about from Robert's pre-rebellion era is his relationship with Mya Stone. I'm not totally clear on the timeline, so I don't know if it's 1. parents' death > 2. Mya's birth > 3. the rebellion or if 1 and 2 are the other way around. Either way, Robert seems to adore his daughter. Ned thinks about how frequently they visited her, and how much Robert enjoyed spending time with her. In a kinder story, Robert would have always been close to Mya. Then the rebellion starts.

There are, of course, lots of things which lead to the rebellion. I don't think Tywin was going to put up with the Mad King for much longer, and Rhaegar felt the same way. Then you have the coalition between the Starks, Baratheons, Tullys and Arryns, and at some point Varys and "Young Griff" would have popped up. For Robert, though, things were straightforward: he wanted Lyanna, and Rhaegar took her away. He remarks to Ned that "Seven Kingdoms couldn't fill the whole she left". It's clear that he didn't actually know Lyanna that well, and it could easily be argued that the reason he worshipped her memory was a mix of affection for Ned and a desire to return to a time where he wasn't traumatised.

Obviously, war is traumatic. That's kind of the point of the series. Everyone who fought in Robert's Rebellion is changed in some way and the scars, literal and metaphorical, run deep. Stannis broods over his "rewards". Ned misses his sister, brother and father. Catelyn is aware of the loss of her betrothed, and Lady Dustin crystalises her rage. Jamie is ostracised and bitter. Jon Connington promises more violence. The list goes on. The things Robert sees during the campaign clearly change him, and this brings us back to Mya.

One of the key themes of the series, most prominently in the first book, is the idea that the innocent should not be sacrificed. That's why Ned works so hard to protect Jon and why he resigns his handship when Robert wants to kill Dany. Something happened to Robert during the rebellion, where his hatred of the Targaryens solidifies so much that it becomes the only thing he really wants. Other things, like his love of his daughter or the belief that children should be protected, all go and he's left with Tywin Lannister and the corpses of Rhaenys and Aegon.

Robert doesn't have to make peace with the Lannisters. In fact, lots of people (the Starks, the Dornish and the people of King's Landing) would be much happier if he didn't. Tywin ordered a horrific thing, and Robert rewarded him. For me, this is where Robert becomes the man we meet in Game of Thrones. He's so broken inside that he does nothing, and tries to pretend that he's still the person he was as a teenager.

After the rebellion, Robert goes on to have plenty more children. If he loved Mya and wanted to see her all the time, after the rebellion he forgets her. And she's the lucky one! Robert must know that Cersei has his twins drowned, he ignores Barra and Gendry, and he only acknowledges Edric Storm because he has to. Then there are the kids who are legally "his", even if biologically they're not. I don't think we ever see him interact with Tommen or Myrecella, and his relationship with Joffrey isn't good. Sure, Joffrey is a little shit, but you could argue that it's partially because of Robert's treatment. Stannis thinks, at one point, that Robert might have killed Joffrey because he hit him so hard.

Why does Robert detach? Well, there's the trauma, the general depression, the loneliness, the disconnect between *conceiving* children and *the actual children*. I think, as well, there's the knowledge that, by allowing Tywin to get away with the murder of the Targaryen children, he's set a precedent whereby the same thing could easily happen to his own kids. If someone needed to get rid of Robert -- and there are people who would like him gone -- they would come after Joffrey, Tommen and Myrecella, and perhaps his bastards, too. He can't protect them, and it shames his chivalric ideals, so he disconnects, doesn't care, and drinks excessively. It might be a way of dealing with guilt, or a way he protects himself from losing anyone else. Ultimately, Joffrey, Tommen and Myrecella are doomed; Edric only escaped sacrifice because of Pylos and Davos, and might well get mixed up in a Varys/"Young Griff" scheme; all of the bastards in King's Landing are killed; and if Gendry survives, it's because of plot armour. Nobody cares about Mya, really.

There's plenty to say about the Robert/Cersei match. Firstly, I'd like to mention how much I enjoy the show-only scene where the two discuss their marriage. It's heartbreaking, well written and beautifully acted, and gives some depth which makes the experience richer.

None of the Lannisters like Robert, with the exception of Tyrion. Tyrion likes Robert because Cersei doesn't, but their creepy and destructive bond is a whole other issue. Ned thinks that Robert was a man with "big appetites", and a clear desire to be loved. It probably means he wasn't ever going to be a good husband, which Lyanna points out (in a line which I cannot imagine a 14-year old ever saying, but I digress). Robert loved the thrill of the chase and the first few weeks of a relationship, but wasn't willing to really emotionally attach to anyone. Perhaps it's because, like with his children, he had to keep people away in case he lost them, like Lyanna.

Cersei is her own woman and, to be honest, not a very good wife. Robert thinks he would have been happy with Lyanna, Cersei thinks she would have been happy with Rhaegar: both are wrong. She starts her wedding day by having sex with her brother; she regularly cuckolds her husband, and then she finishes off by murdering her husband. You could argue that her behaviour is driven by Robert's physical and sexual abuse, and his emotional distance and obvious disdain. I don't think that's incorrect, per se, I just think there's a nasty mix with the two of them. They're bad alone and worse together. They're a toxic, unhappy, traumatised mix, and a solid argument for Westerosi divorce.

Finally, there's Robert's alcoholism and his love of food. There are a number of reasons for this -- the genre's enthusiasm for descriptions of feasts; parallels with Henry VIII of England; possibly GRRM simply likes adding his favourite meals, similar to how he created House Estermont so there could be turtles, because he had pet turtles. Obesity is the sort of thing that's pretty common in middle age men who used to be very physically active, because they had to eat lots to make up their calorie deficit, and when the exercise stopped, the food continued. As for alcohol, it gives Robert an opportunity to forget his (admittedly plentiful) responsibilities and woes, makes him feel like a hero, and gives him an excuse for his abuse of Cersei. He rapes her, and when she brings it up, he says "it was not me, but the wine", then REACHES FOR A BEER. I'm certainly not qualified to talk about addiction and trauma, so if anyone has thoughts on this, please add a comment.

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the eponymous character snatches the crown at his wife's goading, and then finds that things disintegrate around him. There's a scene in the play where two servants talk about what's going on in Scotland, and one says that two horses fought, and one ate the other. When a monarch is usurped, in literature, nature goes against itself. In real life, revolutions are messy and complicated and difficult. Robert Baratheon fought a rebellion to get his fiance back, whilst others used him and worked alongside him for their own reasons. He was left holding a rotten crown. Abused and abuser, surrounded by toxicity and exuding his own hatred, one could easily create a novel about his disillusionment.

[atopvisenyashill]

general thoughts

the way joffrey still refers to sansa as his lady….him being almost impressed with her supposed cruelty towards dontos…the fact that we literally don’t see dontos again………cregan 0.5 omg

i love how much myrcella loves her uncle tyrion tbh i do think they capture the very weird lannister dynamic of only cersei & tywin being hostile to tyrion quite well hu giving him scenes where he’s just chillin w the little ones

i love this first convo between cersei & tyrion. tyrion is like, Almost trying to do a “it’s us against your problems cersei don’t you see i’m trying to help” but as always he is too sharp & sets her on edge & makes her fearful she’s about to be made powerless again when she just rid herself of robert. he tries to put her at ease, and you see her relax just slightly. also love how peter has clearly started getting a handle on the accent lmao the way he quickly drawls out “you love your children, it’s your one redeeming quality THAT AND YOUR CHEEKBONES” hilarious. love how tyrion can’t help but call cersei beautiful even when he’s annoyed with her.

BRAN LEARNING HOW TO RULE SCENE.

we really got two sex scenes back to back omg. this scene with ros was so stupid. i hate sexposition i think it’s so fucking lazy.

I LOVE THE RIVERLANDS KIDS I LOVE A GAGGLE OF RASCALS I LOVE ARYA SETTING UP HOT PIE FOR GENDRY AND GENDRY GOING FOR THE KILL SEAMLESSLY I LOVE THAT HOT PIE AND LOMMY LEAVE ALL HUFFY I LOVE ARYA FOLLOWING GENDRY AROUND AND BADGERING HIM AND HIS GIGGLE WHEN SHE PUSHES HIM I AM A GENDRYA TRUTHER they really did their big one casting the kids

can i say something about yara……i think gemma whalen was really miscast for this part

“You want me to have a god? Fine. King Stanis is my God. He raised me up I’m blessed me with his trust. He gave you a future I could never have imagined.  You know how to read. You’ll be at knight one day.  You think a fire god commanded all that? No, it was Stannis. Only Stannis.” <- WAIT WAIT WAIT. DAVOS KILLING STANNIS HIS GOD FOR BURNING SHIREEN CONFIRMED❓

changes i noticed

the way they only gave rakharo some characterization so dany could cry more about his murder is absolutely goddamn nauseating. they had the perfect opportunity to really dig into dany’s feelings in her khalasar and bloodriders specifically here and passed it up for cheap shock value murder. i’ve always found rakharo fascinating because of his devotion to dany - it goes so against the culture of the dothraki to be not just so dedicated to a woman but willingly subservient, and rakharo is not only fond of dany from the jump, he’s the only bloodrider who attempts to comfort her when she proclaims herself leader of the khalasar. i’ve always felt that like arys oakheart, he likely was raised with a mother who had some semblance of control & power and it made him predisposed to respect the backbone he sees in dany, to feel sorrow for her frustration at being forced to the dosh khaleen, and giving him that “you’ve never failed me before” “now would be a bad time to start” COULD have been something interesting wrt the dothraki and specifically irri & rakharo helping her release drogon in astapor and sack the city, and rule meereen but they waste it and elyes gabel’s amazing face and acting chops. annoying.

“i haven’t seen a girl in six months” once again. why must we make sam this horny.

and then following it up with my favorite sam line & the funniest delivery kit ever does aksjdj the way he goes “hello gilly. what are you doing sam” always kills me, and then following it up with “i can’t steal her she’s a person not a goat” that’s my baby!!! it’s so annoying that they adapt sam so badly but they get the sam/gilly dynamic down okay. he’s just like. the perfect person to be there for gilly, the perfect person to never give up in just trying to help her however he could.

theon is so pathetic lmao. i get some of the changes - big cast and all that - but i think cutting down theon’s journey on pike so he’s not dealing with the botleys & doesn’t get wex pyke makes the iron islands feel so much less real & lived in.

I know everyone hates on the change with joffrey ordering the killing of the bastards and not cersei BUT i think it’s fine, i get it even. they’re using it to show joffrey is escalating, not even cersei can control him, AND cersei will cover for him always. she looks unsettled when tyrion brings it up but she rationalizes it away and then turns the conversation back on tyrion. also-

THEY DESERVED AN EGOT FOR THESE ROLES!!!!!! GIVE THEM A PULITZER!!!!!

[drymushroomfics]

Fraye Hill of House Lannister

Next

Chapter One

   Fraye Hill was basically the ward of Jamie Lannister. On a trip, Jamie had found her as a baby on the side of a gravel road. He could've killed her but something inside of him couldn't do it. He brung her to Casterly Rock before his sister had married King Robert. They all urged him against it but he fought to have her raised with the Lannisters. She remained at Casterly Rock until Joffrey was king.

            She stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the Lannisters; all golden blonde while her hair was black as night. She was raised with privilage even though she was not a Lannister. She loved to read and Tyrion Lannister read to her a lot as a child. They got along well and she knew she could always count on him. Tywin Lannister, on the other hand was a a bit harder to get a long with. Even though he scolded her, he knew how smart she was. She took to any task he put in front of her. She read a lot about war and battle. She was great at battle tactics. She had asked if she could assist in army affairs but he refused. He had stated that ladys do not concern themselves with swords and battle. He had even tried to marry her off when had turned 16 but she refused. He was angry for a while but told her that she had until the age of 19. If she had not married by then, he would see to it that she had to do as he choosed. She had agreed reluctantly. It angered Cersei Lannister. She hated being forced into marriage and she hated even more that Tywin didn't force you right away. Cersei didn't love Robert but she loved her children.  Fraye wasn't liked by Joffrey either. He had always hated her. He called her a rat and said she belonged in the trenches. She never liked him either. He was a spoiled brat who didn't understand who lucky he was. Now that he was king and her 19th name day was approaching, Joffrey would force the worst person upon her. He knew of her agreement to Tywin and the fact that he had promised a celebration for her name day, she knew nothing good would come of it.

             Fraye was known to be devilishly beautiful and had many marriage offers but she refused all. She refused to marry anyone she didn't feel something for. Now that her name day was approaching, she'd have to choose fast. That's where Kingslanding's Guard dog came in. She had seen him as soon as she arrived. He was standing beside Joffrey's throne. They had looked at each other. Something about him intruiged her right away. She wanted to know his story and she was going to find it out.

a/n: This is my first Sandor Clegane fic. I'm using an original female character. There will be themes of rape/non-consent and violence at times. I'm open to suggestions and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy!

[atomic--peach]

Her Grace's Handmaiden Pt 14

(Cersei Lannister x Fem Reader x Sandor Clegane: Light Smut)

(As promised, here is the link to the version of the story https://archiveofourown.org/works/48276340 It varies slightly in that it is an OC fic instead of a reader insert)

News of Lord Tyrion's kidnapping found your ear by accident. You were sure the queen had not let the information slip purposefully, letting her tongue slip in agitation.

The days after the tourney were particularly quiet, in the same way the world is quiet before a crack of lightning cuts through the sky. There was some talk of Lord Stark retracing Jon Arryn's last steps before his death, news that you relayed to Cersei casually.

"How do you know that?" The queen, leaned up from the mattress, staring at you with inquisitive eyes.

You only shrugged.

"Walls have ears, My Queen. I've learned to be a very good listener"

"What do you know?"

You adjusted on the Queen's bed. The two of you had been taking an afternoon rest, allowing the royal chambers to entomb you from the rest of the world and their prying eyes.

"I know he borrowed the book Jon Arryn had from Pycelle, I know he's been going into the city almost every day, though I don't know where exactly. And I know he had a keen interest in Jon Arryn's last words."

"His last words?" Cersei's attention was piqued. "Do you know what they were?" "The Seed Is Strong," you said slowly, watching her face for a reaction. Cersei's brow knitted together in what could have been confusion as much as it could have been concern.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since the Tourney, I think."

It was only a few weeks after that the twins were informed their brother had been kidnapped off the King's Road by Catelyn Stark. You were stunned. What could have possibly gotten into Lady Stark that she would kidnap a man who was a guest in her home a little over a month ago?

If the Stark sisters knew anything about it, they didn't show it. Not Sansa anyway. After the drama of the tourney, Sansa started sticking closer to you. You walked through the Gods Wood in the mornings, lounged in the shaded balconies and pavilions during the heat of the afternoon, and in the evenings, Sansa seemed reluctant to part.

One day, you just couldn't help but ask. "My Lady? Not that I mind at all." you began, "But I've noticed during our visits, you have always seemed to have a question on the tip of your tongue. May I ask what it is?"

Sansa blanched as if she had been trying to keep her intentions secret.

"I-" she began, a thick blush filling her pale little face. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry, it's just-" The two of you settle on a stone bench in the garden, shaded by a flowering bush from the growing intensity of the sun. "I was hoping that you could help me with the prince."

"I can certainly try" you tried not to laugh, "But I think there is little I can do."

"It's just, you and Ser Clegane seem to mesh so naturally" Sansa's face looked pitifully forlorn. "And I was hoping it would be the same for Prince Joffrey and me, but ever since the King's Road it's like he can't stand to be around me." You listened sympathetically, suddenly remembering what it was like to be a love-struck teenager. "How did you do it?"

"Oh, my love" you sighed, touching Sansa's hand gently, "This is a problem that has plagued women for generations. It always seems that the one you want doesn't want anything to do with you, and the one you don't want won't get out from under your feet."

Sansa nodded at this as if you were speaking wisdom new to her ears.

"In perfect truth," you confided, "Sandor couldn't stand me when we first met."

"Really?" Sansa gawked, "But the way he looks at you!"

"A very recent development." you laughed, "When we first met, he thought I was a fool and a pest, but when we were out on the road…I don't know I just felt safe around him. Somehow I knew that if I was around him, nothing bad could happen to me."

"What changed?"

"We got married." you looked sheepish, suddenly remembering the story you were to stick to, "He asked, and it seemed to be out of the blue at the time, but afterward we just sort of settled into each other. We took care of each other."

"Did your father…" Sansa began to ask before wondering if she was stepping too far, "Did your father like him? Did he approve?"

You thought on this. you wondered what your real father would think of all this, but you never knew him so it was impossible to say.

"Every father has a hard time accepting their eldest daughter is leaving them" you finally said. "I was old enough that I think he thought I would stick around forever to take care of him. But, in the end, he knew that this was the best thing for me, so he accepted it. What else could he do, really?"

Sansa thought on this very seriously for a moment, a look that didn't fit her youthful features. She had a face for laughing and smiling, not brooding.

It was soon after your meeting in the Gods Wood that Sansa's father was attacked.

The actual story was muddied.

When in Cersei's bed, the queen insisted to her that Ned Stark attacked Jaime in a drunken rage. But, of the little you had seen of the Hand, you had not once seen him drink. All the same, you took Jaime's side. As did Sandor, though silently and more out of duty than anything else.

After the brawl, Ser Jaime fled the city and your husband could not help but joke while the two of you managed to steal a private moment in one of the Keep's many staircases.

"At least I won't have to worry about his pulling you into his lap anymore."

"Sandor!" You laughed and smacked his chest lightly, "He never actually had me on his lap, you know." "No, he just had you on his-" You reached up to cover his mouth before the next world could spill out. "Will you be quiet?" you hissed, "Father be Good, the man's not even in city limits and you're still seething in jealousy."

"Am not."

"No?" you grinned, stopping to make sure you were still alone, "I bet if I even said his name, you'd have me against this wall in a heartbeat."

Sandor paused, turning before climbing the steps back to you, getting intimately close. "Want to try it and find out?"

you bit your lip, leaning away from him before grinning mischievously. "Jai-"

The name wasn't even out of your mouth before your breath was whisked out of your lungs. Suddenly much higher than you had been, Sandor had you flush against the wall, pulling your legs around his hips so the only thing keeping you from falling was him and the brick you were pressed against.

"Sa-" "No, no, no" Sandor corrected you, glowering with a face that you couldn't resist teasing. "Say his name. I want to hear you say it one last time before I fuck it from your memory"

You hummed mockingly for a moment as if trying to remember what name you were about to say. "Let me think….you know? I've completely forgotten what we were talking about."

"Hm, is that so?" Sandor pressed, a smile playing across his lips.

"Completely forgotten, honest." you insisted with a laugh. "I have, I swear."

"How convenient for you." You lazily draped your arms over your husband's shoulders as he kissed you, pressing you to the wall firmly. One hand crept up your leg and moved to cup your ass firmly before exploring further up to your waist, then to the fullness of your breasts where it squeezed and groped. You breathed through the kiss as his thumb found your nipple and began to rub in circles through the fabric.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull up that pretty dress of yours and fuck you against this wall," Sandor growled and you felt yourself melt into him.

"I don't have one." You confessed with an eager smile, "Maybe you should go for it."

"Hm." He chuckled into the kiss before pulling away. "I have one."

"What?" Your heart sank as he dropped you back to the ground. "What, why?" "Because, my love." He kissed the top of your head with a knowing smile, "You don't deserve it."

"What?!"

"Have a good night, I have the night watch."

"Sandor!" You called after him, the ache he had created in your core lingering as you watched him go.

You pouted alone in the torchlight before biting your lip. It's fine, you thought, I have other options.

Cersei laughed as she and her lover fumbled through her bedroom door. You had been extra attentive all day in the hopes of an invitation and just as you hoped, Cersei's hands began to wandering around dinner time.

By dessert, Cersei had excused herself and cued you to meet her at the doors of the Royal Quarters.

"Darling." Cersei breathed between kisses. "Yes, my queen."

"Help me with this here?" Your fingers quickly worked any clasp or tie on the Queen's dress, working on muscle memory as your lips found the lioness's collarbone and peppered it with kisses.

"Good Girl" Cersei sighed, starting to work on your clothing as well.

Since Ser Jaime had left the city, something in your dynamic had changed. Cersei was now more willing to receive pleasure as opposed to only giving. She no longer tutted with disapproval when your hands instinctively went to touch her. Instead, she welcomed her lover's embrace.

Once you were both undressed, Cersei pushed you back onto the bed and watched as you spread your thighs eagerly. Cersei's clever mouth kissed up your legs, lingering at the most sensitive spots that made you jump and giggle before crawling between your legs.

You didn't remember the last time Cersei was so attentive, lavishing your cunt with careful licks and gentle thrusts of her fingers. It was so good and yet not enough.

"Please" you whimpered, bucking your hips with Cersei's hand, "harder."

But Cersei ignored you, continuing at her slow, even tempo. Once in a while, she would curl her fingers up, pressing on the rough tissue that made your mouth fall open with a moan only to return to the same steady rhythm.

You began to grow impatient, trying to speed up the pace only to be punished with a swift smack to the thigh.

"My Queen," You begged, "Please. I need more."

"So greedy." Cersei purred, not bothering to indulge your pleading. "But unfortunately for you, a little hound told me you've been very bad."

Your blood ran cold.

"I- no!" Another smack came down like lightning, leaving a handprint on the softness of your thigh.

"Now, now, now, it's not polite to lie Sweetling" Cersei curled her fingers again, playing at your g-spot only to stop as the moans began to roll from your throat.

"I'm sorry." you whimpered contritely, whining as Cercei withdrew her hand and crawled up the bed towards your face.

"I'm sure you're very sorry now, aren't you." The queen teased, rolling your breasts in her hands, "You thought you could come to me and I'd give you what he forbade. Why, I almost feel taken advantage of."

"No." Your eyes widened and you pouted so well it almost coaxed some leniency from the queen, "I'm sorry, My Queen. It was wrong of me, I know that. Please."

"So sweet, but it's not just my forgiveness you need.' Cersei reminded you, "Teasing poor Sandor after all he's done."

You sat up and whined, "I can't see him tonight, he's on night duty."

"Well then, I guess you're just going to have to wait, sweetling." Cersei snickered. "When he's forgiven you, then I will."

Frustrated with this newfound solidarity between your husband and your lover, You redressed and moved to go to your own bed. It's not like you didn't know how to take care of yourself.

Snug under the covers of the large bed, You let your hand drift between your legs. You realized you hadn't touched yourself without an audience for months, but the moves came back quite naturally.

It wasn't the same. Not as good as real sex. But it did the job quicker, and you found that after 3 or 4 rounds you was quite content.

"Ha" You taunted out into the darkness, knowing that neither of them could hear you. "We'll see who outlasts who."

With that, you rolled slightly onto your husband's side, which carried his comfortable scent of smoke and leather and lulled you into sleep.

[agentrouka-blog]

I just remembered that people on various platforms keep blaming sansa for her father’s beheading. She only addressed cersei out of pure courtesy. She was her son’s fiancée, of course, his mother needed an explanation, a simple “hello, my father and I are leaving. I will miss the south and its tournaments, goodbye!” she was just being a lady, which was expected of her. If her father hadn’t been so careless and tried to explain what was going on, she would never have gone to the queen. But let’s blame the 11 year old girl that all she got going south was the death of her wolf and the destruction of her dreams in a couple of days!

Sansa was shrieking, “No, no, stop it, stop it, both of you, you’re spoiling it,” [...] Sansa didn’t know what to do. She watched helplessly, almost blind from her tears. SANSA I AGOT.

Just a little girl. I hate people.

Hi anon!

To preface, there is an excellent breakdown of the timeline of the events around Ned's arrest by @istumpysk that makes it absolutely clear that Sansa had zero (none, not one single bit) influence over Ned's arrest or death. I highly encourage anyone to read it who may be fuzzy on the details. She is not a factor in it. If she had stayed in her room, nothing would have changed.

That said, she very much did absolutely not just go to Cersei out of courtesy.

She was the good girl, the obedient girl, but she had felt as wicked as Arya that morning, sneaking away from Septa Mordane, defying her lord father. She had never done anything so willful before, and she would never have done it then if she hadn't loved Joffrey as much as she did. "[...] The king had been her last hope. The king could command Father to let her stay in King's Landing and marry Prince Joffrey, Sansa knew he could, but the king had always frightened her. He was loud and rough-voiced and drunk as often as not, and he would probably have just sent her back to Lord Eddard, if they even let her see him. So she went to the queen instead, and poured out her heart, and Cersei had listened and thanked her sweetly … only then Ser Arys had escorted her to the high room in Maegor's Holdfast and posted guards, and a few hours later, the fighting had begun outside.  (AGOT, Sansa IV)

She was done being an object in Ned's hands. Ned, unintentionally, pushed her further into the lie that it was about about loving Joffrey. Joffrey is her only excuse for staying in King's Landing, where the courtly culture and glamor had been her only consolation after the events of the Trident and the aftermath that alienated her from her own family. Ned has made it clear in Sansa's eyes that he doesn't care about anything that she wants, and he offers no explanations, so she tries to exercise some agency and fight for the thing she wants herself - couching it in the excuse of love for Joffrey because agency is scary and because she knows no one cares about what she wants for herself alone.

She's 12. She's can't parse all of her feelings, so she lies to herself. But it's pretty clear that she just wants to take control over something about her own life for once. And it's an exercise in utter futility because the information she is acting on is so woefully incomplete because [redacted rant of violent rage against Ned for never once bothering to actually talk to Sansa].

Just a little girl. I hate people.

Same, anon, same.

[horizon-verizon]

I liked the fight itself, but I was like: girly what’s the plan tho?????

Jace is politically astute and a great diplomat but he’s still a teenager, Rhaenys is going to die...The funny thing is even after saying that she cannot trust him he’s still going to raise an army and take Harrenhal for her. Has she forgotten he was going to stay in Pentos forever until she BEGGED him to stay because she needed him to fight a war for her ?

In F&B, Daemon kills Vhagar and eliminates the Green’s blockage in the Riverlands. The Winter Wolves and the knights of the Vale came down to aid the Blacks in the Riverlands. Reaching King’s Landing, making the Greens panic, poison their own king, and crown Rhaenyra’s son. Daemon’s efforts might not have saved Rhanerya in time but they did aid their son and his daughters’ safety.

I believe the sort of "trust" Sara Hess was trying to define and reveal in this scene is the faith that Daemon would not use his proximity and relationship to her to do stuff that she cannot fix or direct the effect on herself. But she makes it focus more on Daemon trying to rule through her and not him deciding things on his own/perhaps failing to do as he actually wishes which is to protect his family....as was canon and already hashed out even in this show's universe/writing.

Rhaenyra's reasoning is being put to question--for how she'd think to allow Daemon to be around her first 3 kids if she actually didn't trust his ambitions comes into question, and no Rhaenyra was not utterly stupid in canon. She marries the man knowing that he would support her and only her claim as well as be non-murderous or threatening to her and their eventual kids. The true story is that Daemon is a principal element to how Rhaenyra was able to garner support and in good time in critical spots of the realm--he was a good political partner as well and she espied that. So them being together at all or why she chose him (as the character she is now) is also called into question, just as Rhaenys and Corlys do not make sense together in the show.

The other issue is that even with Jaehaerys being a child, this isn't a world/society that will consider a child's death as reason enough for them to pull back support, or it's not an unconditional deal breaker. They may have some personal qualms, but many would see this as "blood for blood" for the death of Lucerys AND/OR keeping their oaths to Rhaenyra/Viserys. And especially what voluntary designation of heirs vs traditions over their ability to name an heir and that heir being able to keep their seats they way those lords intended. As rhaenin-time pointed out once, it's pretty dangerous to set the precedent that anyone could just accuse the heir of things and then carve out their way towards the seat not assigned to them. All this would rather motivate the lords over a child's death, esp when Aegon has another son to be his heir. Does that make them cruel and amoral, duh. But Hess and Condal are not actually being that true to the story/setting we got. They're acting like everyone is in this tightly interconnected, very tiny bubble of a community where the relationships between houses across the entire realm are very very personal and that their ethic system is similarly human-prioritized based as we try to make our own and it disrupts the logic of the story.

*EDIT* [7/13/24] This is not to say that child killing is wrong, I'm trying to point out that in the context of political support and Rhaenyra's ability to gather her own loyal vassals, that this wouldn't be the biggest turning factor for her to lose followers and potential ones, so the argument had to be about something else, which is was. *EDIT END*

It also contradicts how Ned rationalizes his treatment towards Cersei ("honor" over actual safety of vulnerable people) in the canon world, and don't get me started on how we make a double standard, as a fandom and reader, in how we praise Ned for how he tries to follow the line of honor or save his family by what he intended to allow to happen with Cersei--or risk happen--but suddenly Rhaenyra can't be the type of protagonist who marries Daemon for her own interests, love, to protect her family, etc.

Them and the rest do not really understand Daemon's character in relation to Rhaenyra nor the weight of all those social elements I described bc they didn't really bother to ponder over all these rules implications...they didn't even bother to really consider the effect of Aemond's kinslaying and the taboo around that (or some are just making this as immediately understandable to a 2024 audience, idk). Sure the court may not shame Aemond but there's the factor of them being in close proximity and immediate danger. And it still is in the back of their minds that this dude is too "crazy" to really follow sincerely....at least some of them. Which could affect the entire greens' standing and image.

Thus, while I do think that there's always a chance bk!Rhaenyra didn't trust Daemon to not mess up her own image in his own impulsivity (having some internal conflict of her own bc I don't think she'd be angry at the act to get blood for blood and still resent him for the outcome), show!Rhaenyra questions his hold on his ambitions instead of what he desires. We already went over his ambitions back in season 1 and he already proved that he wasn't with her or made a family with her to rule anything through her (so yes, his scene with Rhaenys in the first epi didn't make sense esp with how dumb it is to make him try to go to KL to kill Aemond...there's a reason why he sends B&C in canon instead!!!). The show should have really made Rhaenyra question his present desires and not past ambitions. Which is what Branwynwith of Twitter speaks to in their review of the episode.

But now, the team didn't think about how this would look to multiple different groups of people, thus, you know.

*7/14/24* I forgot to include that Daemon actually leaving for Harrenhal before getting their particulars and priorities in order, making any sort of plan as to how he's going to "make it up" or fulfill...not even him yelling out something along the lines of "watch me" concerning Harrenhal and his intent is insane even for him, this version. Again, does the show expect me to think Rhaenyra often has to plan around these events he causes whenever they fight and he crashes out?