#eira ft alson

[rxdianced]

A letter for Alson Snow @trcshcans, sticking out just a bit from the pages of the white book in their chambers:

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My Dearest Alson,

As I sit to write this letter, my heart swells with pride and affection for you. Though the Seven Kingdoms seem to teeter on the brink of chaos, I find a sense of peace in reflecting on the honor you have brought not only to the Starks, but to me as your sister. You have achieved so much, and I hope you know how deeply I admire the strength and grace with which you carry yourself.

From the moment you were recognized as Father’s child, I have watched you navigate a world that can be unkind to those it deems outsiders. Our bond grew stronger when you left for training and I for Storm’s End upon my marriage to Tobas. In those years, our letters became a lifeline, carrying words of encouragement, care, and affection that bridged the miles between us. I know how hard it must have been, growing up with the name Snow and bearing the weight of others’ prejudices. Yet you never let their whispers define you. Instead, you forged your own path, earning respect and proving to all that your worth lies far beyond any title. That determination is a testament to your spirit, and it is something I have always cherished about you.

Now, as the Lord Commander of the Queensguard, you stand as a symbol of loyalty and strength. You have proven that no matter your beginnings, you are as noble and steadfast as any Stark born to Winterfell’s halls. The honor you bring to our name is immeasurable, but what moves me most is the pride you bring to me personally. To see you rise above every challenge and embody the values we hold dear is nothing short of inspiring.

I know that your journey has not been without hardship, and I wish I could have shielded you more from the pain of feeling like an outsider. But Alson, let me tell you this: you have never been an outsider to me. From the moment I first held your hand and called you sister, you have been a part of my heart, and no one could take that away. You are as much a Stark as any of us, and more than that, you are a light in my life.

I think often of your strength, your courage, and your unwavering sense of duty. These qualities are the mark of a true knight and a true Stark. Never let anyone make you doubt your place in this family or the legacy you are building. I see you, not just for the honor you bring to the family, but for the person you are: honest, brave, kind, and determined.

Though we stand on uncertain ground and the path ahead may be fraught with peril, I cannot help but feel an ache of fear at what this war may bring. The thought of my siblings meeting on the battlefield chills me to my core. I dread the day when loyalties might pit us against one another, and it is my deepest hope that such a day never comes. Know that you will always have my love and support, even amidst the storm. I believe in you, Alson, and I am endlessly proud of the person you have become. The world may see you as a Queensguard, a Snow, or a warrior, but to me, you will always be my cherished sister.

May your shield stay strong, and may your heart never waver. Please write to me when we're apart and speak to me without hesitation when we are together; I long to hear your thoughts and your heart amidst these troubled times.

Forever proud of you, Eira

[rxdianced]

eira hummed in affirmation and nodded her head. "we starks are born with wolf teeth. even drenched in rain and a continent away from home, i am and always will be a northerner first. it's not a coat easily shed. it makes it difficult at times, as i know it does for you, but our family has survived countless winters and wars for us to be standing here right now. and look at us." she grinned and nudged her sibling with her elbow. "we are stronger than ever."

her eyebrows raise at alson's admission of her relationship with the targaryens. to be expected, of course. she would be concerned if the queensguard didn't have some relationship and fondness for the royal family. but it was still impressive nonetheless. "i'm honored in the thought alone you consider me worth introducing," she said. "i look forward to these weeks with you. have you spoken to anybody else from winterfell yet? or am i the first to arrive?"

alson smiled softly at eira's kind words. she was a little worried about seeing her half siblings again after so many years apart but seeing eira again has warmed her heart. perhaps her relationships with the other starks would be better off since she wasn't around to be a reminder of their father's infidelity. "perhaps you are right," she says softly. it was hard to remember at times that she can be both, the kid from winterfell and a knight of the queensguard. sometimes it felt as if she was just one or the other. "do you feel like that all the way at storm's end? still a child of the north?"

she let out a laugh and nodded to eira. "yes, perhaps more than just a cup. of course, we shall find time to catch up and give you a tour. perhaps i can introduce you to the princes and princesses as well, i have become quite close to the targaryens in my years here."

[rxdianced]

Status: Closed ft. Alson @trcshcans & Eira Location: The Red Keep hallway, the morning after the ball

Eira was leaving a meeting with the guards she'd brought from Storm's End for the trip regarding the safety of her family during the remainder of their time in King's Landing. She was on edge, as was everybody else that wasn't too hungover to care. In her hands was a small ream of paper so she could get some correspondence on the road immediately. While as neat and composed as ever, she knew her eyes were puffy from mourning and her face was pale and tired. She wasn't at her best. She was just approaching the library she she caught sight of a white cape turning the next corner at the same time. She found herself face-to-face with Alson. "Good morning," she said quietly, managing a smile for her sibling. "I was hoping to run into you today."

[rxdianced]

status: closed ft erren @ironlamb, alson @trcshcans, & eira location: the red keep, the godswood

footsteps rustled the grass behind her, but eira kept her eyes shut and her head down as she finished her prayer. she'd spent the prior hour before the weirwood tree, contemplating what the present and the future held for herself and her family. she had nothing worth sacrificing with her at the red keep and she had doubts she would be able to complete the intimate ceremony without interruption, but she hoped the old gods heard her nonetheless.

once she was completely finished she let out a soft sigh and opened her eyes, gazing at the ancient tree for a second more before turning to acknowledge her brother.

"erren," she greeted quietly, fatigue clear on her face. "thank you for meeting me. i know things are moving quickly and you're still grieving. alson should be here soon too. i would just feel better if we were all able to speak before the war drums get too loud."

[rxdianced]

eira let her expression soften and she turned to alson again, gently squeezing their arm.

"you are that little kid from the north," she said. "that's you as much as the queensguard that walks beside me now. as unpleasant as it may be to consider, that kid got you here. they worked and fought and defeated all obstacles and even when they felt small, they kept at it and proved everybody wrong. our past doesn't leave us when we leave it. but, in my estimations, it makes you all the more impressive."

she let out a gentle sigh and let her gaze once more get snatched on a particularly fine tapestry.

"a cup of dornish red - i do hope you have at least a couple bottles. i think it will take more time than a cup would allow. i have so many questions... and i do hope you will find time to give me a brief introduction to the keep. i've heard so many stories and i fear i'll get lost when left on my own."

it was strange how such a small gesture as taking her hand could ease so much anxiety that was building inside alson. when the queen's festivities were announced, she knew that the starks would come south to attend. it would be rude to ignore the royal invitation. but knowing that had made alson feel like a child again. seeing the family she had left many years ago, the family she was pushed in the middle of by a mother who was not lady stark. knowing that eira did not hold it against her was enough for her.

"children do love the adventures of travel, don't they? i will be glad to finally meet them," she says with a smile. as eira takes her arm, alson gives her a nod and starts walking them down the hall towards the gardens. "of course, i have come to know this castle like the back of mine own hand."

their face flushed with heat as their sister complimented them. something they would cherish and hold dear when the self hatred that plagues her mind comes upon her. "thank you, dear sister," she says through a tight throat, letting the title slip out. "i fear, for as much as i have grown down here, at times, i still feel like that little kid from the north." the bastard of the north. "but i am very glad to see you again as well." the two were so different, taking such opposite paths in life, and yet, eira was the siblings she was closest to after all these years. "we must share a cup of dornish red when i am relieved of my duty and catch up on all the things that did not make it in letters."

[rxdianced]

eira chuckled and when alson stepped closer, she reached out to grab her hand and give it a tight, affectionate squeeze with both of her own.

"your niece and nephews were invigorated by the travels, perhaps a little too much, but beyond them it was peaceful." eira released alson's hand to instead rest her hand in the crook of their arm. "come. i've been separated from my party. i'll require an escort to guide me to the reception and i'll have nobody but you."

the smile, though lessened, wouldn't leave her face, her heart feeling full, and she took a second to look her sibling up and down once more before they began walking. "you know, i've envisioned in my mind how i thought you'd look after all this time, after everything you've experienced and gained." eira shook her head, eyes traveling along the walls and people they passed as they walked. "and yet you stand even taller and stronger than i imagined. i'm proud of you, alson. i'm glad to see you again."

once she was finished with the man, assuring him that there would be help for him with whatever he may need, alson turned to see eira. it was hard to fight the smile that formed just from seeing her half sister. though growing up, alson felt distant from the true born starks, over the years apart, she has come to form a great friendship with the lady through the help of ravens. the distance from their father's dishonor seemed to help the two of them.

"of course, it is truly my fault alone who has taken all of the help from the castle and not the other dozen lords and ladies arriving." her stone, knightly facade slipping away as she makes the jest. "i am sure he will be telling anyone who listens of the treason i have committed."

alson stepped closer to their sister, arms loose at her side. has the years apart earned her a hug? she wasn't sure of that. "it is good to see you again, my lady. how was the journey from storms end?"

[rxdianced]

while the red keep was filled with enemies and unknown agents, it was also filled with friends and family that eira was more than eager to see again. towards the top of the list was her sibling, and the second she saw alson standing proud and tall in their queensguard armor, her heart swelled with pride and she cut through the crowd to approach them.

she made herself busy, smiling and nodding at people passing by until the elderly noble alson had approached was finished complaining about the lack of servants outside the doors and had wandered off to make someone else as miserable as himself.

it was only when alson turned around and their eyes met that eira stepped towards her again, grin growing from ear to ear.

"you know, it's truly shameful that you, personally, removed all the servants from outside of the doors in order to inconvenience wealthy old men who hardly know how to lift their own arms over their heads. you really must strive to do better, ser."

open starter where: the halls of the red keep, day one

as the guests begin to arrive for the queens festivities, alson has been appointed to help those who have come to visit. the guard was in full force as the castle fills with those from all over the seven kingdoms, friends and foes a like. clothed in her white cloak and queensguard armor, alson walked through the halls, making sure everything was okay. with this many people coming to the castle, there was bound to be some issue, big or small and it was her job to help. spotting someone coming into the keep, she nods a curious hello. "good morrow, the welcome feast should begin shortly. do you need help with your things? i can call someone to help."

[rxdianced]

eira listened to alson intently, gazing at their face as they spoke with tired earnestness. her dreams had been plaguing her again - stress or something more significant, she didn't know. but it had stolen her sleep from her and made traversing the politics and puzzles of the red keep that much more difficult.

but alson wouldn't lie to her. why would they? they were a snow by name, sure, but they were ultimately a stark as they all were. starks were loyal.

when alson finished speaking eira sat back in her chair a little more and closed her eyes, head thudding.

"i appreciate the effort that you, the queensguard, and the city watch all put in to keep the red keep safe. but this is a shocking lapse in knowledge for a building that seems to have eyes in the walls." she paused and thought for a second, eyebrows furrowing.

"i've already provided three of the men i brought with me to aid the city watch in the search for answers. but this isn't going to bode well the longer time passes without answers, alson. i'm sure you've heard the whispers about corwyn velaryon."

family matters. alson could only assume what that could mean. it was so strange to be around her family have to years apart and now it seems as if they were falling apart once again. with the death of xaerys, erren was broken and tension was pressing against the crown, and in turn alson. she hated to think of the role she played in everything and the fact that she couldn't speak to anyone about it.

"of course," she noded lightly as she walked with eira to a more private area of the library. they took a chair and sat across from eira, hands clasped tight as if that would help hold herself together as she braced for what eira wanted to talk about.

the knot that has been in their stomach for days seemed to tighten with her question. "yes, erren and xaerys were quite close. it breaks my heart that our brother has lost such a good friend." her words were fully honest. her heart broke when she had to tell him of the news and watch has his world seemed to crumble. "sadly, i don't know much of the events that happened, only what can be pieced together from the city watch. though, i can say that his cousins are quite heart broken and i have been personally searching for whoever has done this. not just for the families, but for erren's sake, to have answers."

[rxdianced]

eira considers her words before she speaks them, briefly glancing around them to see if there were any others that might overhear their conversation. there are many.

she lets out a soft sigh and then motions to her sibling to enter the library. "i promise the conversation won't take long. family matters."

family matters indeed.

the two of them make their way to the far back of the room to a window overlooking the godswood below. eira settles on a chaise, resting one hand in her lap and one on the small wooden table beside her.

"you are family," she finally begins. "and i trust you explicitly." her eyes seek alson's. "xaerys was a friend to the starks and a brother to erren. you know this to be true. do you know how the events of the past days have come to be?"

everything of the past days, or perhaps the past month, has taken a toll of alson. she was unable to find sleep after the queen's feast, her mind racing with too many things. between vaelora's marriage and the death of xaerys, she couldn't find a moment of peace. she had half a mind to call for the maester to bring her milk of the poppy but she never liked the way it made her feel and did not want to risk something happening when she was abed.

today, she was on edge, waiting for something to happen. she could feel it, it was in the air. nothing has actually happened yet, but she knew it was to come. as eira comes into view, alson pauses her rounds of the keep to stop to talk to her sister. "good morning," she greets, though she's not so sure it is good. "of course, what can i do for you?"

[rxdianced]

( @trcshcans & @ironlamb )

when erren turns to eira for support, she feels her heart shatter into pieces she is positive will never fit together properly again. she finds herself back home in winterfell, erren a small child that found endless satisfaction bringing her back packaged memories in the form of little stones and large pinecones while she fought an endless fever stuck in bed. the big, brown eyes seeking validation hadn't changed over the years outside of the new sheen of desperation that hovered just beneath the surface.

"erren," she murmurs, her voice shaking but blessedly refusing to crack. "i loved xaerys too. his passing... it wasn't right. we don't have answers yet. but answers take time." she shakes off her doubts as she says this, forcing herself back into the mold of the lady of storm's end. "i have five of my own men out day and night trying to figure it out." she swallows hard and presses a palm firmly to her stomach as her chest tightens and her head spins a little bit. this feeling, these words. they're familiar. she's already experienced this once, years ago. but as she always does, she pushes the unease aside.

"to tear the seven kingdoms apart at the onset of famine and at the heel of a brutal winter... i understand the velaryons. i feel their grief. i know there have been injuries they haven't been able to heal over years. but it isn't right for my people to follow them to driftmark right now. and i think once we do learn what happened to xaerys, when the velaryons and targaryens can address the ills as family and spare the people of westeros for the misgivings, you will come to agree with me. so i ask beg of you, as your sister, to reconsider your position. please." she looks to alson for help, her typically stoic features bereft with grief and the slow rise of panic.

alson listened as her siblings discussed what was to be done with eira's children. the children's safety was the most important thing as tensions rise. alson did not want to see any harm done to them. it would be a good idea to send enrick to the north. she may not like their father, but he was a good man to the true-born children.

when eira turns to her, alson nods to her words. while alson would stand by the crown no matter what, she was not happy with queen visenya's oversight of the smallfolk. for her sister to think of such and wish to help them spoke volumes to her person. "you are quite generous sister, with the help of storm's end, i believe the smallfolk with be grateful," she says at first. "i promise you, i would never want anything to threaten you, either of you," she looks to erren for a moment before looking back at eira. "we are entering harsh times and i only wish to see you safe. i may not share your name, but i share your blood. your faith is well placed, i swear to you." her thoughts go back to the night xaerys for just a moment and how what she helped to do was not faithful, but she quickly pushes that thought away. "as long as you are both in this city, i will do whatever it takes to protect you and keep you safe." @ironlamb

[rxdianced]

( @trcshcans & @ironlamb )

eira's chest tightens imagining her little one running amongst the trees, tongue stuck out to collect the snow. the north will be good for him in more ways than one, and erren's teasing prod only threatens to pull tears to her eyes. she'd never been away from any of her children for an extended period, and if conditions worsened she didn't know if she or her other children would see enrick again.

but it was for the best.

so she smiles at erren and nods her head gratefully instead of giving way to the grief building in her heart and then turns to alson.

"i will temporarily be returning to storm's end. we have supplies we can send to try and ease some of the suffering of the smallfolk here. it's the moral thing to do and, furthermore, if the people are angry they will be fast to revolt. things are unstable enough without that. while i'm gone, you're the one i trust to be my eyes and my ears. if something happens that could threaten myself or my people, please let me know immediately. i support the heir vaelora and i will do what needs to be done to assist them in stabilizing westeros, but to do so i need to know i'm being told the truth and you're the only one i have complete faith will do so."

( @ironlamb & @trcshcans )

eira managed a smile in alson's direction, but it didn't last long. as they stood there, she was reminded of those brief years of childhood they had together between when alson was brought to winterfell, and when they left. she was once more struck by the feeling of time moving forward without her.

but that wasn't the purpose of the meeting.

"i won't take up too much of your time. i know we all have urgent responsibilities to handle." she paused for a second, looking between her siblings, memorizing their faces, their hair, their clothes in that moment.

then she turned to erren.

"i'll start by making a request. i fear if the political landscape continues to decompose the way it currently is that the stormlands won't be safe. orys is the baratheon heir and thus must stay with me, and selyse is still at storm's end. but enrick... i know this is a lot to ask. could i leave enrick in your care upon your return north? the peace of mind would mean so much to me, even if it's only one child."

[rxdianced]

( @ironlamb & @trcshcans )

eira managed a smile in alson's direction, but it didn't last long. as they stood there, she was reminded of those brief years of childhood they had together between when alson was brought to winterfell, and when they left. she was once more struck by the feeling of time moving forward without her.

but that wasn't the purpose of the meeting.

"i won't take up too much of your time. i know we all have urgent responsibilities to handle." she paused for a second, looking between her siblings, memorizing their faces, their hair, their clothes in that moment.

then she turned to erren.

"i'll start by making a request. i fear if the political landscape continues to decompose the way it currently is that the stormlands won't be safe. orys is the baratheon heir and thus must stay with me, and selyse is still at storm's end. but enrick... i know this is a lot to ask. could i leave enrick in your care upon your return north? the peace of mind would mean so much to me, even if it's only one child."

REPLY FOR : alson ( @trcshcans ) & eira !

ERREN WATCHES HIS SISTER PRAY WITHOUT A WORD . he finds he has little to say in the first place . even still he stands behind her , his eyes on the heart tree , on the face carved into it . some part of him feels the need to ask it why it took xaerys away in this first place . why any of this had to happen . the questions weigh heavy on his tongue . and yet none of them are voiced . by the time eira turns around his eyes shift to her tiredly . " there is no need to thank me , eira ." erren's voice is gentle if tired . he allows himself to sigh with it . " i know you are grieving as well ." his gaze falls then towards the grass beneath his feet as he adds , " we all are , perhaps ." but it is with a furrow of his brow that his head lifts again , that he moves to meet her eyes with a curious . " but what do you wish to speak about ? with alson and i , nonetheless ?"