#i imagine she had little to no connection to westeros and her father's family

[mariedemedicis]

Ladies of House Baratheon:

Fiera*, daughter of Orryn

*This is the daughter of Orryn Baratheon and the unnamed daughter of the Archon of Tyrosh. We don’t know her name so I’ve given her the name Fiera. We also don't know her age relative to her cousin Jocelyn but I find it plausible that she's a bit younger.

[srim01997]

In the Garden of the Red Keep (Gwayne H. x OC)

Paring: Gwayne Hightower x OC (OC is Targaryen Princess)

Summary: Alyssan Targaryen, The daughter of King Viserys I and Queen Alicent Hightower, The twin of Aegon II wants to know about how men please women, and her uncle gladly shows her.

Warning: NSFW, Unsafe Sex, Porn without plot(?), Losing Virginity, Underage Sex with consent, Oral Sex, Dirty Talk, semi-public Sex, Older man/Younger Woman, Uncle-Niece Incest, Incest

Note

In Wikia did not tell about Gwayne's age or description, I made him age in his late 20s- early 30s and have dark brown hair like in some book Gwayne fanart

What if! Alyssan existed in the Fire and Blood book; she loved to tease her uncle and she was 16-17 y/o

This is only fiction. If you are disgusted with incest that means you are the normal person in Westeros and believe in Faith of Seven.

I found this book Gwayne Fanart >> This  << But you can imagine him with Freddie Fox with dark hair

This is the first time I have posted this work in English. Sorry about my grammar!! I recheck with Grammarly.

I already up in AO3 too >> Click <<

Gwayne always reminded himself that Alyssan Targaryen was his niece, the daughter of the queen of the Seven Kingdoms, and his older sister, Alicent Hightower. However, he found it difficult to resist her when she tried to seduce him with her charm. Sometimes, she wore a finely crafted dress that revealed a hint of her cleavage.

If you ask why he can't run away from his niece, the answer lies in his responsibility. He was tasked with protecting her at the request of the King's Hand, Otto Hightower, his father. Unlike her siblings, Alyssan has dark brown hair, reminiscent of a Hightower, and striking purple eyes like those of ancient Valyrian lineage. The little princess is intelligent and cunning beyond her years, but for him, the situation is quite different.

As she grows older, the girl seems to become increasingly closer to him. Alicent appears to be more focused on preparing Aegon for his role as king than on finding a fiancé for her eldest daughter. Although Alyssan and Aegon are twins, Alicent seems to prioritize Aegon over Alyssan. It’s not surprising that the little princess feels closer to her brother than to her mother, but it seems that this connection may evolve into something more in his eyes.

The young Hightower knight can only surmise that his sister loves her children in unique ways and that her care for them is different. The queen arranged for Aegon to marry Helena, despite her reservations about the Targaryen marriage tradition, as he had heard his father mention that it was part of the Greens’ plans.

What plans do they have for Alyssan? Are they considering marrying her off to a son of another noble family to strengthen alliances with the Greens? If you were to ask Gwayne, he would likely say that he would prefer to marry his niece instead of sending her off to live in another town, as he has concerns about her safety. After all, who knows if she might be targeted or if she's the one who fed her husband to the dragon?

Gwayne didn’t try to escape from his pretty niece. Instead, he worked hard to avoid offending hers. The young Hightower knight wanted to resist the urge to take her into his room and do something that could affect his future. He realized he might be sent to the wall or even face execution for tainted Princess Alyssan. But he couldn't help but think of the moment the little princess in her thin pajamas bounced on his lap. What will her face be like when he's finished inside her—he should stop thinking about something lewd of his niece!!

Push!"

The sound of people rushing past jolted him from his trance. He turned to see a figure running away from something—or someone. Without hesitation, he sprinted after them and grabbed their slender arm.

"Where are you going—Alyssan?"

Gwayne smiled when he saw the figure in the dark cloak; it was his beautiful niece. A dark-haired man stepped forward and told the others he would take care of her. He led her back to the Red Keep and then stopped in the garden.

"Where did the guard in front of your room go? How can they let you walk around Silk Street?" Gwayne is not upset with Alyssan. He is trying to distract himself from his niece, who is still in her pajamas and robe. Even though she is wearing a dark cloak, his imagination runs wild. He finds it hard not to picture a beautiful body under those clothes if he were to untie them.

The young princess with lilac eyes said, "I know the secret passage in this keep." She looked sweet and friendly, but her smile faded when she saw her uncle's worried face. Blushing, she added,

"I want to know how men please women."

The young Hightower frowned at her. The princess explained, "I need to know this in case I get married and need to understand what to do."

"That's why you're going to the brothel alone?" said Gwayne in a flat voice, "It's not safe for a Targaryen princess like you to walk down the silk street alone, because danger can come at any time."

"I—I'm worried about you..." His hand held her face softly. “If you want to learn, I can teach you that...”

The little princess in front of him bit her lip and looked at it with some eyes—curious? Lust?

"But I have a question....do you want me?"

Alyssan could no longer refuse the person in front of her as she had wanted him for so long—wanting to be more than an uncle and niece normal relationship. When she was a Targaryen, why couldn't she marry her uncle?

The seduce corner of the garden in the Red Keep now had a lewd sound of the young princess who sat on Gwayne’s lap, his long finger buried deep inside her virgin cunt but this night was gonna change. His other hand put under her nightdress and messaged her plump breasts

“Gwayne” Alyssan said with a softly moaned, “Can you fuck me? Is it not against your Oath?”

“I’m a golden cloak, princess. I can fuck whore or commoner lady unlike King Guards” He felt sorry for Criston Cole because he couldn't keep his promise. He looked at his older sister, the queen, with sad eyes. He put another finger as he saw the dripping of her sweet cunt. “So wetting, little princess. It soaked my breeches until I can three fingers in yours.”

He kissed along the neck and shoulders that peeked out from the collar of her nightdress. "Take a deep breath, my little princess. Inhale slowly and then exhale gently." He smirked and continued moving his fingers and stopped. Alyssan tried to complain, but suddenly he pushed her down to lie on the soft grass beneath her, he raised her nightdress until it reached above her ample breasts that could tell how much she had grown up now. The petit body underneath him was nearly naked and he was the only one that could see that.

In Gwayne’s mind, he want to fuck his cock inside her virgin cunt but since it was his little princess’s first time, it had to be slowly. The Hightower knight kissed down her flat stomach and reached her crotch, his tongue buried inside her dripping core until her back arched from the grass floor.

Gwayne could see how Alyssan bit her hand to keep her wantonly moaning down. Sadly, he couldn’t hear it but if only they were alone in his chamber, he promised that he would make her scream with pleasure until the whole keep knew who owned hers.

She was nearly at her climax but Gwayne removed his mouth and untied his breeches to reveal his hardened fat cock to her eyes. The young princess said,

“It won’t fit, uncle.”

The dark-brown hair kissed her temper and murmured in her ear, “It will fit. I will move slowly until you adjust my size” His hands moved to spread her legs until he could see how her virgin cunt wetting with her own fluid.

She squirmed when the cold wind hit her body, her nipple hardened. He lowers his head to suck it while thrusting his hip until the hilt in her tight heat. Her back arched for his thrusting and her hand gripped his cloth body tight.

“Look at you, princess... it’s nice being me.” Gwayne kissed and kneaded at her busting breasts, “If it were someone else, your situation might end up worse in the brothel.” He changed position by putting her legs on his shoulder and continuing the thrusting and became primal when she slowly adjust his cock already.

“T—Too deep.” Alyssan felt pain and good with pleasure when his blunt head hit her weak spot perfectly causing her wantonly moan. Her condition is the same as a brothel in Silk Street cause she is nearly nude and him still fully clothed and it was only he who could see her like this.

“The older you get, the more beautiful you become, dear Alyssan.” His hands kneading her swelling breasts, “Soon, those tits will full with milk for the babe when you are pregnant.” Gwayne accepted that he wanted to see Alyssan pregnant with his babe—pregnant with Hightower’s seed. Forget about The Black and The Green cause he wants only this petit Targaryen princess.

“I’m fucking you in the garden where everyone could see the little princess was fuck with her uncle.” Gwayne kissed her neck, the young knight looked at her lower belly that bulge from his cock. He pulled her hand to touch it and pressed a little until she arched her back, “Is it so excited? If they found out about the dragon princess spreading her leg wide for the man that is not her betrothed.”

“If that man was you, I’m glad to spread for you.”

The young Hightower groaned. “Cherish yourself, Alyssan. You are the daughter of the king and queen of the Seven Kingdoms. If you are defiled, who will want to marry you?”

“It’s you, Gwayne.” Alyssan said to him while moaning with pleasure, “I want to marry you, be your wife, be pregnant with your babe” She looked at thought her pleading eyes.

Both of them were nearly at the edge but Gwayne want Alyssan cum first, he moved his hand between their bodies to tease her pearl until she squirmed  underneath him, “Can I spill inside you?” When he saw her permitting him, he spilled his hot seed inside her fertile womb in the hope that it would take root and he would reason to marry hers.

“Why did you become golden cloak?” Alyssan lay on the grass and said, "Suddenly, my sworn shield is someone else."

Gwayne smiled a little while help her redress but he couldn’t resist the way that her lower part cover in his cum.

“I'm worried that I might act on my feelings and do something unexpected to you., you are my niece and my sister's daughter.” The young Hightower knight looked at her lilac eyes, "Are you regret—”

“I’m that you are my first time.” She looked at her uncle with pleading. “Another round, uncle?”

Gwayne gave a low groan while carrying the young princess in bridal style, “I have the plan to fuck you until you’re hoarse.”

The Mushroom claimed that Queen Alicen had to wed Princess Alyssan to Ser Gwayne after she caught her daughter made love with her uncle on the balcony of her chamber in the house of Nightingale.

The End

[goodqueenaly]

I find this passage so utterly fascinating:

By the time Cersei wed the king, Robert's lady mother was long dead, though both of her brothers had turned up for the wedding and stayed for half a year. Robert had later insisted on returning the courtesy with a visit to Estermont, a mountainous little island off Cape Wrath. The dank and dismal fortnight Cersei spent at Greenstone, the seat of House Estermont, was the longest of her young life. Jaime dubbed the castle "Greenshit" at first sight, and soon had Cersei doing it too. Elsewise she passed her days watching her royal husband hawk, hunt, and drink with his uncles, and bludgeon various male cousins senseless in Greenshit's yard.

There had been a female cousin too, a chunky little widow with breasts as big as melons whose husband and father had both died at Storm's End during the siege. "Her father was good to me," Robert told her, "and she and I would play together when the two of us were small." It did not take him long to start playing with her again. As soon as Cersei closed her eyes, the king would steal off to console the poor lonely creature. One night she had Jaime follow him, to confirm her suspicions. When her brother returned he asked her if she wanted Robert dead. “No,” she had replied, “I want him horned.” She liked to think that was the night when Joffrey was conceived.

These two paragraphs reveal so much about the sexual power dynamics at the heart of Cersei’s relationship with Jaime (especially as it relates to the conception of their children). From almost the first moment of her marriage, Cersei was subjected to Robert’s pre-royal (and, by extension, pre-marital) familial connections: first entertaining his maternal uncles as longterm party guests for “half a year”, then spending an interminable two weeks at his maternal family’s ancestral castle among his uncles and various male (and female, of course) cousins. For a Lannister who was raised to believe, and does in fact believe, that Lannisters are literally worth more than other people (and who would in her tenure as queen promote Lannisters and Lannister interests at court), this subjection must have seemed like some sort of twisted nightmare: trapped on an island on the complete opposite side of Westeros from Casterly Rock, surrounded by Robert’s mother’s people as though the late Estermont queen by right (to borrow the Cecily Neville style) were trying to supplant the Lannister queen (and her expected collection of Lannister hangers-on) from beyond the grave. (Even the dominant color of green - so prominently displayed in the name of Greenstone and the Estermont sigil - would have been the chromatic opposite of Lannister crimson, the more to isolate Cersei from her Lannister lineage.)

I find it so fascinating in turn that this is the moment Cersei likes to imagine for Joffrey’s conception. It’s not, after all, that Cersei only then decided to start a sexual relationship with Jaime: they had been sexually experimenting together in childhood and had had sex both before Jaime joined the Kingsguard and, according to Cersei, on the morning of her wedding. Nor is this the first time Cersei experienced Robert’s desire for any other woman; after all, even on their own wedding night he had called her “Lyanna” in drunken wish fulfillment. However, what Cersei discovered on Estermont (and had Jaime confirm) was that, given the chance, Robert would gladly look for sexual pleasure outside his marriage with his own maternal cousin - all while leaving Cersei, so he believed, sleeping soundly (having, of course, either been raped by Robert immediately prior or been threatened with rape by the man who by Westerosi standards had total legal control over her sexual experience)

So Cersei, I think, decided to use this opportunity to flip that dynamic around, to exercise her own sexual agency over the future of the Baratheon royal dynasty. If Robert would look to his own relative for sexual pleasure outside of marriage, she would do the same, just with her brother instead of a cousin. If Robert would force her to endure a seemingly endless parade of his related Estermonts, then she would bear children with his name but not a trace of that Baratheon-Estermont descent. The contrapasso punishment for Robert’s familial-based infidelity in the heart of Estermont power, so Cersei seems to believe, is not the death of his person but the death of his dynastic and marital expectations: as he had committed adultery with his cousin, so she would commit adultery with her brother, producing purely Lannister-blooded offspring while denying Robert any genetic influence over the future of the royal House. As he had left her, so he thought, somnolently unaware of his extramarital expeditions, so she would leave him alive but metaphorically asleep to her own plans, for her personal sexual agency as well as the future of his dynasty.

[leesielex]

Magic Awakens | CH 55: Jon Snow XIV

Summary: Jon's powers intensify under the tutelage of Bloodraven, and his feelings intensify for Daenerys as they share their dreams more often.

A Preview:

“It’s beautiful here. Where are we?” Daenerys asked Jon.

He had to shake his head and look at their surroundings to know, as the only beauty he had been able to see was hers. She was utterly distracting and he needed to pull himself together. No one had ever mistaken him for a poet, but when in her presence thoughts came to him unbidden and made him feel as if he could be.

Her moonglow hair reflected the light to shimmer like a gem. Her eyes glistened like amethysts set in the most prized of jewelry, reflecting the light and seering into his own with a passion of fire. Her milky white skin was flawless and smooth and her clothes fit her so well, they hugged every curve and left little to the imagination. The women of Westeros never dressed like that, especially in the cold, harsh north.

“We are in Winterfell, in the godswood. My father, or uncle rather, used to come here and sit on this root and polish the Stark ancestral sword, Ice, next to the pool,” Jon told her as he motioned to the twisted root that came up from the ground and made a perfect seat before it grew downwards into the earth, just before the pool.

Dany walked around the tree, one hand following slightly behind her, trailing along the bone white bark of the heart tree. “It’s magical. I can feel the power of the Gods here. Can you feel it too?” Her violet eyes found his as she asked him.

His mouth went dry. He often felt nervous around her, which would normally mean he would forget how to speak. But with Dany it was different.

Though they had yet to meet in person, she was an old friend who he had long known in this world between reality and dreams. She made him want to confide in her, to trust her, to tell her things he had never dared to share with anyone. She understood him in a way most never had before and it made him feel like he belonged somewhere, that mayhaps he could belong to her, and her to him.

Maybe it was because she had known about magic long before him and had helped him to learn and understand, to accept it was within him. Perhaps it was because she was family, two of the last Targaryens. Though he still felt more wolf than dragon, more ice than fire.

Mayhaps it was in their blood and the magic to feel this connection, to be drawn to her like a moth to a flame. He thought it was just her. It was who she was and everyone around her gravitated towards her. She made them feel welcome and accepted, her smile lit up the room and her passion burned you where you stood.

Jon sat upon the root as his father had. His chest constricted, remembering the man he’d lost and his last days with him before coming North. Oftentimes his tongue would twist around calling him father, or uncle, stuttering out one, then changing it.

Worse was when he called a combination, his mind and tongue did not connect properly, ‘fancle’ or some other nonsense would come out. Dany was always quick to smile and remind him Ned Stark would always be his father, he did raise him and protect him after all. Family is more than blood, she told him with a sad smile upon her face.

He knew why. Dany had divulged her own childhood tales. He marveled at them, the good and bad, as they spoke through the night in this world they created for themselves as they slept.

“Aye, I feel it. It sounds like whispers in the wind. Like someone else is here with us, and if we just opened our ears, or minds, we could hear their wisdom. I had always felt that near the heart tree, but I always brushed it away before,” he confessed to her.

A branch snapped behind him, as he whipped his head around to find his silver-haired aunt behind him, two slender arms came around his neck. His face went red as the leaves above him when he accidentally got an eyeful of her perky bosom. They weren’t overly large but they were more than enough for her petite frame and the dress she currently wore accentuated them and drew his sight to them.

Her laugh sounded like bells, and made the hairs on his neck stand at attention as her breath met his ear. It was not the only thing standing at attention at her close proximity. He was unused to any woman being so affectionate with him, let alone one of such beauty. She seemed unaware of the effect she had on him, which he was both grateful for and annoyed at.

He often woke up alone in the makeshift bed in the cave, hard and wanting after she walked into his dreams. It shamed him and filled him with guilt that he pictured her purple eyes blown wide with desire, her plump lips around his cock, and her soft body as naked as her nameday, as he brought himself relief.

When she touched him so freely like this his mind flashed through those inappropriate visions and he quickly disentangled himself from her.

Click here to read full story on AO3

[agentrouka-blog]

While I feel sad for Dany for her not having a true home, but I don't understood her sudden connection to westroes as her home. It didn't occur till viserys died as she still considered home at braavos as her home. It really contrast with Sansa building snow WF at eyrie. Even if WF had not been same as previous Sansa will rebuild it with help of starklings. On the other hand Dany responsible for destruction of other's homes in quest for her home.

While I hate defending Dany, I feel compelled to point out that she doesn't have a legitimate home, so any place she dreams of is going to be a fantasy. She was hunted as a child by an implacable king who wanted her dead for what her brother did. That's legitimately unfair, there was nothing she did to earn his wrath and nothing she could have done to appease it. Dreaming of home as a place where her family was in power is not an unreasonable fantasy, even later on.

Once Robert was dead, she would have been safe and free to choose her own home, in theory, but by then she had become fixated on the throne, and the idea of safety and home were wrapped up in the concept of ruling Westeros. And she had the dragons, so she never had to reconsider her plans, not truly.

It was too late.

The real and painful contradiction between home and power is going to be when home is, in theory, within reach outside of rulership. Aegon is about to take the place back, and he is her nephew. It would be safe to return. But Dany no longer wants to simply return, she will want to rule regardless. Given the choice between family and power, she will choose power.

The picture Tyrion paints here is not that of two Targaryens. (I'll leave you to imagine who fulfills this scenario. Hint: the girl who rebuilds Winterfell from Snow and the boy who has the name to match. They are the ones who care about family bonds.)

"I told you, I know our little queen. Let her hear that her brother Rhaegar's murdered son is still alive, that this brave boy has raised the dragon standard of her forebears in Westeros once more, that he is fighting a desperate war to avenge his father and reclaim the Iron Throne for House Targaryen, hard-pressed on every side … and she will fly to your side as fast as wind and water can carry her. You are the last of her line, and this Mother of Dragons, this Breaker of Chains, is above all a rescuer. The girl who drowned the slaver cities in blood rather than leave strangers to their chains can scarcely abandon her own brother's son in his hour of peril. And when she reaches Westeros, and meets you for the first time, you will meet as equals, man and woman, not queen and supplicant. How can she help but love you then, I ask you?" (ADWD, Tyrion VI)

This bit following right behind is more like it:

Smiling, he seized his dragon, flew it across the board. "I hope Your Grace will pardon me. Your king is trapped. Death in four." (ADWD, Tyrion VI)

Even a marriage to Aegon would not sound attractive, given that nominal power would be his, and his temperament has shown us he is not easily cowed. The idea of Aegon being a "mummer's dragon", of NOT being her family, will be immensely attractive to Dany, because it will justify her claim to rulership in spite of his existence.

Because home to Dany the idea of power and ruling, not family or a place of safety.

[tomakeitbeautifultolive]

Something I've been wondering about: If Jon comes back as a fire wight like Beric Dondarrion and unCat, will he be able to get it up? Blood won't really be flowing in his body anymore, so would his dick be powered by fire magic or something like that?

I, too, have spent a great deal of time pondering Jon Snow’s dick, Anon. 😏 Jokes aside, I will admit right off the bat that most of what I have to offer is total speculation, but over-thinking the most minor details of ASOIAF happens to be my favorite pastime, so let’s go!

Like pretty much everyone who read the quote, I was totally thrown off by the “fire wight” revelation. Here’s the quote for reference:

“..poor Beric Dondarrion, who was set up as the foreshadowing of all this, every time he’s a little less Beric. His memories are fading, he’s got all these scars, he’s becoming more and more physically hideous, because he’s not a living human being anymore. His heart isn’t beating, his blood isn’t flowing in his veins, he’s a wight, but a wight animated by fire instead of by ice.”

So, an important distinction to make here is that this quote is about Beric Dondarrion specifically, not Jon Snow.

The condition of Jon Snow’s corpse might matter

George can be very clever with how he words things. Note that he goes into Beric’s deaths, describing multiple resurrections and how he’s falling apart before stating that his heart is no longer beating. It could be that a fresh “fire wight” might still possess bodily functions—at least at first. Catelyn, too, was a very sorry looking corpse by the time she was reanimated, therefore not a great comparison, either. Especially since it’s Beric rather than Thoros who, with very little life force to lend, resurrects her.

If nothing else, Jon will be “fresh”, and his location at the Wall means the low temperatures will help preserve his body even if the resurrection takes some time. 

And speaking of the Wall… there happens to be a special lady there who could help Jon, and whose powers happen to be amplified by the magic of the Wall...

Melisandre is profoundly more powerful than Thoros of Myr

Thoros may be a red priest, but otherwise he seems to be a pretty normal human man. We get a clue about when he converted from Jaime:

“Jaime had once heard Thoros tell the king that he became a red priest because the robes hid the winestains so well.”

Relatively recently, one might guess, as most children aren’t yet drunks. Further, he was never very dedicated to his faith, even questioning it at times.

Melisandre, on the other hand...

“Melisandre had practiced her art for years beyond count, and she had paid the price. There was no one, even in her order, who had her skill at seeing the secrets half-revealed and half-concealed within the sacred flames.”

While we don’t know much about her, this confirms that she spent countless years studying her craft, and no one in her order can match her skill. And no one believes in their faith more than Melisandre. Like in the television series, it’s a safe bet that she’s actually much older than the natural human lifespan, particularly if she managed to lose count of how many years she’s studied magic.

If Melisandre is the one to resurrect Jon Snow, she might not use a ‘last kiss’ method at all, or, if she does, it could be more powerful than anything Thoros is capable of.

Unlike Beric, Jon Snow is probably the prophesied prince

Speaking of Melisandre’s ability to glimpse secrets in the flames… there’s someone she sure seems to see a lot of:

“I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R'hllor shows me only Snow.”

“Skulls. A thousand skulls, and the bastard boy again. Jon Snow.”

“The flames crackled softly, and in their crackling she heard the whispered name Jon Snow. His long face floated before her, limned in tongues of red and orange.”

I know. There is some contention about who the Prince that was Promised is. Regardless of whether you agree that it’s Jon Snow, you’ve got to admit that Melisandre is seeing him in the flames for a reason. And if he’s not the prophesied prince, then perhaps his blood has something to do with it. It’s likely that, for some reason, the combination of Targaryen and Stark blood matters. At least, Rhaegar Targaryen seemed pretty convinced...

Whatever Jon Snow’s business is in Westeros… it’s unfinished. And part of that unfinished business might just involve becoming a father.

The emphasis put on Jon fathering a child is notable

Let’s go back to Jon’s first chapter ever. It opens with Jon at Robert’s feast, the author uses Jon’s eyes to describe the setting and multiple characters. And then enters Benjen Stark. This is when we really get to know Jon. When you read this passage, really consider the author’s intent here:

"You don't know what you're asking, Jon. The Night's Watch is a sworn brotherhood. We have no families. None of us will ever father sons. Our wife is duty. Our mistress is honor."

"A bastard can have honor too," Jon said. "I am ready to swear your oath."

"You are a boy of fourteen," Benjen said. "Not a man, not yet. Until you have known a woman, you cannot understand what you would be giving up."

"I don't care about that!" Jon said hotly.

"You might, if you knew what it meant," Benjen said. "If you knew what the oath would cost you, you might be less eager to pay the price, son."

Jon felt anger rise inside him. "I'm not your son!"

Benjen Stark stood up. "More's the pity." He put a hand on Jon's shoulder. "Come back to me after you've fathered a few bastards of your own, and we'll see how you feel."

Jon trembled. "I will never father a bastard," he said carefully. "Never!" He spat it out like venom.

Suddenly he realized that the table had fallen silent, and they were all looking at him. He felt the tears begin to well behind his eyes.

This is how George R.R. Martin chooses to introduce us to Jon Snow. And gods, that always hits me right in the gut. It’s absolutely supposed to. Jon’s trembling, venomous anger is palpable. You feel the deep hurt and resentment in his words, right down to his core. Jon says he doesn’t care—but the bite in his words and the tears welling in his eyes tell us otherwise.

Jon Snow easily embraces his vow of celibacy. At first. And then comes Ygritte. And after getting his first taste of love and later flirting with the idea of becoming a lord when it’s offered to him by Stannis, Jon Snow begins to imagine what it might be like to have a wife...

“I might someday hold a son of my own blood in my arms. A son was something Jon Snow had never dared dream of, since he decided to live his life on the Wall.”

And look what happens the moment he does dare to dream of it...

“I could name him Robb. Val would want to keep her sister's son, but we could foster him at Winterfell, and Gilly's boy as well. Sam would never need to tell his lie. We'd find a place for Gilly too, and Sam could come visit her once a year or so. Mance's son and Craster's would grow up brothers, as I once did with Robb.

He wanted it, Jon knew then. He wanted it as much as he had ever wanted anything. I have always wanted it, he thought, guiltily. May the gods forgive me. It was a hunger inside him, sharp as a dragonglass blade.”

And the feeling transitions into an almost tangible hunger felt by his wolf, Ghost.

Speaking of Ghost…

Grab your tinfoil! ‘Cause Jon’s life might’ve already been ‘paid for’ ...By Daenerys

First… in case you didn’t know, Daenerys is probably a skinchanger:

“The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head.”

Basically, it goes like this:

As Daenerys wanders the Dothraki Sea in search of food after being whisked away by Drogon, she hears a wolf’s howl.

“Will (Ghost) howl for me when I'm dead, as Bran's wolf howled when he fell?”

Feeling lonely yet no less hungry, she eats some strange green berries. Her stomach begins to cramp.

“My flesh will feed the wolves and carrion crows, she thought sadly, and worms will burrow through my womb.”

Unfortunately, Daenerys then experiences some horrible diarrhea. Poor girl! I don’t bring it up to be crass, but because this purge bears striking resemblance to an earthly drug called Ayahuasca—a substance that, aside from emptying your bowels, is often used as a means to ‘open your third eye’ (Just as Bran does in the crypts, and he can finally reach Jon and Ghost…)

Dany falls asleep and begins experiencing trippy dreams about her brother—perhaps even achieving contact with the other side? Then...

“When she woke, gasping, her thighs were slick with blood.”

Assuming it’s nothing more than her period, Dany begins to wonder the last time she bled—hinting that it might’ve been a little while.

“The sight of so much red frightened her. Moon blood, it's only my moon blood, but she did not remember ever having such a heavy flow.”

Maybe a bit of a stretch, I know. But… this wretched and graphic scene of Dany’s loose bowels really made me wonder what in seven hells George was thinking. I was so embarrassed for Dany that I HAD to figure out why he’d do this to her.

And my best guess is that she’s using these latent skinchanging abilities to tap into this strange connection with the “blue rose” over at the Wall of Westeros and the silent wolf who finally howled for help upon his death… And so, Dany’s miscarriage may be the death that will pay for Jon’s life.

I might’ve found some more evidence to back this claim up, this is very new ‘evidence’, so bear with me:

“Fire”, in the world of ASOIAF, often translates to “life”. As is seen here in Sam’s speech following Aemon’s death (thanks, bridge4!):

“He was the blood of the dragon, but now his fire has gone out.”

Further, according to the wiki:

“When a follower of the Lord of Light dies, priests fill their mouths with fire and breathe flame into the deceased”

In the House of the Undying, Dany receives a series of chilling prophecies, one of which happens to be about fires:

“Three fires you must light, one for life, one for death and one to love”

I know, I know. Drogo’s pyre, the Khals, etc etc. But George might be playing with double meanings here… So, if we think of fires as conceptions, this could maybe mean:

One in exchange FOR the Dragon’s lives (Life)

One in exchange FOR Jon’s resurrection (Death)

One conceived (likely with Jon) and carried to term (TO love)

Food for thought! Especially considering that, like Jon, Dany possesses the blood of Old Valyria, and these sacrifices are probably all the more powerful as a result. But even if I’m dead wrong about that prophecy, well, fire still broadly means life, which bodes well for our brooding ‘bastard’, who might just end up as a “fire wight”.

Hopefully something in this drivel has given any Jon fans reading this a little bit of faith that, despite the slight setback of death, Jon will still be able to exercise his, uh, virility when he finally meets Dany. 😅 Thanks for the ask!!

[thebluelemontree]

I know GRRM has previously stated that ADwD!Tyrion is at his lowest point, but I find it very hard to see how he will ever redeem himself given what he has done and what he has participated in. Do you believe readers gloss over the tragedies he faces i.e. slavery, the Tysha revelation, and do you see path for redemption?

I think with the fandom in general there does seem to be a proportional relationship to the amount of careful consideration people give their problematic favs versus how little they give to a character that is decidedly not their fav. Full disclosure: Tyrion is not one of my favs. There are moments I don’t like him and I don’t personally connect with him. He’s deliberately written to be someone most readers will wrestle with. Out of all the POVs, he’s probably the most psychologically complex and fraught with a minefield of trauma-induced hot buttons. As we know, profound trauma and horrific family dynamics rarely produce saintly victims who suffer beautifully, quietly, and always behave magnanimously. I am by no means an expert on Tyrion; however, I do know he definitely started out as a good person. Early AGOT Tyrion is a pretty decent fellow who validated Jon’s feelings of anger and resentment and designed a saddle to accommodate Bran’s disability for no other reason than he just empathized with them both. Even later on, he does stand up for Sansa against Joffrey’s cruelty, even though their marriage was a miserable farce and act of war against her family. Sansa seems to bear no personal ill-will toward him despite it. I think we should leave room for the possibility the impression he made with small kindnesses in the beginning could come back around to foster peace and mutual forgiveness between the Starks and Lannisters toward the end. 

But before that he was a sweet, loving kid until he was brutally disabused of the notion that anyone could possibly love him. I can’t imagine anything worse than your own father violently raping by proxy two innocent kids for the crime of his son being happy and believing for one single second that he was loved for himself. He’s experienced a lifetime of continuous physical, sexual, mental, and verbal abuse on top of ableist bigotry and repeated scapegoating that nearly cost him his life more than once. For all his dark gray, unlikable moments, it’s actually kind of a miracle that Tyrion still retains what goodness he does have when he could have been totally fucked up beyond repair, without any pity or compassion left in him, and hating all of humanity with every fiber of his being.   

GRRM does a good job of delivering blow after intensifying blow leading up to the moment he snaps and murders Tywin and Shae.There’s the overwhelming stress of the trial for the regicide he was framed for, one where his guilt and conviction is a foregone conclusion. The public humiliation and betrayal of Shae’s false testimony where his sexuality is served up for mockery. The people of KL are literally bloodthirsty and cheering for his death. There’s the momentary hope and crushing defeat of Oberyn Martell championing him in the trial by combat. Then finally Jaime drops the Tysha bomb. I mean, wow... it’s a lot. It’s totally understandable why he goes to the Hand’s tower to confront his father instead of escaping immediately. Personally, I don’t think he has to be sorry about killing Tywin at all. That pile of excrement had it coming and deserved a painful, ignoble death on the shitter at minimum. Shae is the only one there that has enough mitigating factors to say she definitely didn’t deserve to be strangled to death, though I get how it happened in the heat of the moment under intense mental duress. I think he needs to atone for that one, and I say that as someone who thinks Shae is a callous, conniving, greedy, low-level bloodsucker without any redeeming qualities. Yet, killing either of them, especially Tywin, didn’t bring Tyrion any peace or satisfaction whatsoever. Kinslaying is still up there with the most cursed of transgressions. It’s major part of his spiral into the tormented abyss we see in ADWD.  

It’s been a long time since I read ADWD as it’s not my favorite part of the series, so my memory of all the details is not the best. And like I said, I am not an expert on Tyrion. The general impression I get is that Tyrion thinks that he thinks he hates humanity and he’s finally become the monster everyone believed him to be. So he rages against practically everything and everyone. He certainly harbors a hatred for the people of KL and the sister sitting on the throne. There is a high probability he acts upon those feelings and helps usher in a catastrophic tragedy out of vengeance. Just as an example, he is aware of the wildfire cache sitting under KL and that knowledge can be used in a really bad way. Might be that crossing a point of no return, which may feel glorious in the moment, is ironically the thing that causes him to recoil in horror and regret after the dust settles. Consider Tyrion’s dream about the duality of himself: 

That night Tyrion Lannister dreamed of a battle that turned the hills of Westeros as red as blood. He was in the midst of it, dealing death with an axe as big as he was, fighting side by side with Barristan the Bold and Bittersteel as dragons wheeled across the sky above them. In the dream he had two heads, both noseless. His father led the enemy, so he slew him once again. Then he killed his brother, Jaime, hacking at his face until it was a red ruin, laughing every time he struck a blow. Only when the fight was finished did he realize that his second head was weeping.

If the two heads are both noseless, then they are both present day Tyrion. There are two sides of him right now that are equally capable of reveling in bloody vengeance and weeping for someone he still loves even though they wounded him deeply. 

Then what? Well, the thing about hitting your lowest point is that you can either dwell there until you fatally self-destruct or you can find your way back up. Granted, ADWD Tyrion is in a dark place, but there’s still space to get even darker for at least a little while in TWOW. It is possible Tyrion spends the rest of his life atoning for his worst actions during this period, using his intellectual gifts (even the parts that are Tywin writ small) to serve the needs of the people he has harmed. And it does make good story sense for someone who grew to hate humanity for very understandable reasons still found it in himself to care about it enough to save it. Even sacrifice himself for it if necessary since there’s a strong possibility he is a dragon rider. Since all signs seem to point to him ultimately playing a heroic role against the Others, we can rule out the idea that he just says good riddance to bad rubbish and laughs while the world ends. That has to mean something, right? 

There is always a path for redemption for anyone who sees the wrong of what they’ve done, has heartfelt remorse, and commits themselves to meaningful and lasting change. It’s not really about forgiveness at all, although that sometimes happens alongside redemption and it’s certainly easier for people to forgive once they see change. Redemption is work the character must do themselves for the right reasons. It’s not a status granted to them by other people. In fact, it’s probably more sincere when someone decides to do right anyway even if no one ever thinks better of them. If Tyrion (or any other character) is unforgivable to you, then the best worst thing that could happen is that they have to live a long life and spend all of it repaying their karmic debt. Even if he’s not my fav or your fav, a lot of people out there still do relate to him and the things he’s been through. A lot of people are not okay and not good victims from the trauma they’ve suffered. Fiction with redemption that is possible for anyone gives people hope that they could be better too, and there’s no other instance in the books that makes me think GRRM is cynical about redemption. The only way redemption isn’t happening for Tyrion is if he choses not pursue it. 

[a-libra-writes]

How the GoT Characters Comfort You Before an Arranged Marriage

This request was interesting bc ayyy, as anon said, this is Westeros and this would probs happen! Also I just realized u requested this ages ago i am so sorry lmao. I really need to keep track of dates n shit

In this preference, you'll be comforted by: Ned Stark, Robb Stark, Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, Benjen Stark, Jory Cassel, Dolorous Edd, Mance Rayder, Tormund Giantsbane, Theon Greyjoy, Yara Greyjoy, Daenerys Targaryen, Jorah Mormont, Missandei, Grey Worm, Tywin Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Jamie Lannister, Sandor Clegane, Bronn, Podrick Payne, Petyr Baelish, Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Margaery Tyrell, Brynden Tully, Edmure Tully, Brienne of Tarth, Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Oberyn Martell, Beric Dondarrion, Gendry

NED STARK

He’d take it upon himself to talk to you before the arrangement was official, even if your family had already decided on it. Ned would take your hands in his and reassure you, hoping he could put what he was feeling into words. He was sure you’d do well in Winterfell, which had gone so long without a proper Lady in its walls, but you were also much younger than him, which made him worry that you wouldn’t be happy. However, your genuine thanks and a sweet smile would be enough to make the “cold” Lord Stark blush a little.

ROBB STARK

He had been told about this arranged marriage some months ago, but evidently your family didn’t bother with the same consideration. You didn’t find out until you were on the road to Winterfell. Robb had a fondness for you right away, so he gave you a tour of Winterfell to cheer you up. He was very considerate, asking what kinds of things you liked and pointing out places you could go to relax if things got too overwhelming. The whole time Robb was touching and guiding you gently, trying to prove that you didn’t need to be afraid around him.

SANSA STARK

Both of you knew it was only a matter of time before your marriage was arranged, since that was the entire reason your parents brought you to the Red Keep. It didn’t mean you had to be happy about it. Several times Sansa snuck into your room, bringing stolen sweets with her, letting you vent and pout while she held you. Sansa would try to be the optimist, assuring you that you were still a courtier in the Red Keep and once she was Queen, the two of you could visit anytime. They were nice fancies, something to distract you two from the inevitable. 

JON SNOW

For a long time Jon had known he couldn’t marry you, but it still stung fiercely when you told him about the arrangement. His own pain was dwarfed by how much he hated seeing you this upset. As much as you both talked about this happening, now it was actually here, and Jon just wrapped his arm around you while you were petting Ghost. He alternated between reassuring you that it would be alright, but now that he was leaving for the Wall, he wasn’t so sure. He decided to visit you every day until he left, bringing you small gifts and making sure Ghost gave you plenty of attention. He hated having to leave you like this, so he made Robb promise to ensure you were treated well.

BENJEN STARK

It had to happen eventually, but Benjen always casually brushed off such things, and you grew used to that. When the news finally arrived and you told him, you didn’t expect such a strong reaction. He was trying to keep a cool face, but it quickly broke as he asked if you were sure. He didn’t outright ask you to try to break it off, but it was obvious he hated the idea of losing you, even if you weren’t supposed to be together in the first place. Benjen would have a hard time letting you out of his embrace as he promised it would be alright, although you knew he was already thinking of ways to keep the two of you together.

JORY CASSEL

He didn’t think much about marriage, only that he should eventually get around to it. He had always privately thought that, since he was from such a minor family, he would choose his own bride, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Still, you were a pretty girl and clearly beloved in Winterfell. He wanted to make a good impression, so he tried to talk about different things and show you around the keep. Sometimes he’d become nervous and stumble over himself, and your cute laugh didn’t help him feel less fumbling. 

DOLOROUS EDD

He always said he’d pity the bride who got “stuck” with him, and that was true now. He was genuinely curious to meet you, since this arrangement helped his family far more than your’s. You were far more reasonable than he expected, but he still lowkey suggested that you could back out if you wanted to. You two actually spent a long time talking. He found it easy to talk to you, since you weren’t immediately off-put by his dour humor and you thought it was more amusing than rude. He was still worried you’d regret the match, and figured you’d call it off eventually. 

MANCE RAYDER

Your father was the leader of the largest group of wildlings that had yet to join Mance. He would only accept the promise of a marriage. You agreed to the arrangement, but Mance already knew you weren’t some Southern bride. He admired your strategy and stories of your battles, and genuinely wanted to get to know you. He could tell you’d make a capable strategist, even second-in-command, and he wanted you to know he valued you as more than a simple agreement.

TORMUND GIANTSBANE

He was not happy with Mance about the arrangement, even if he knew it was the only way your tribe would join the massive army. He did a complete 180 once he realized who you were. He’d heard stories about you, and suddenly he was beside himself with excitement. Once you arrived, Tormund was quick to regale you with stories of his own triumphs, hoping to impress you and gain your approval. Mance was totally entertained by this change, figuring the both of you would get along. Tormund would find out your tribe’s courting traditions and do them, wanting to prove he would be a capable partner even without the arrangement.

THEON GREYJOY

Right away he’d brag about what an honor it was to be marrying a Greyjoy, and when he tired of that, he’d casually mention being a prince to the Iron Islands, too. This hadn’t impressed you much, since your family was one of the biggest ones on the Iron Islands, and just as old as the Greyjoys, besides. Still you humored him, and since Theon was attracted to you right away, he wanted to get to know you. He wanted to see how you fought and sailed, but also how you rode and if you knew some archery. It was amusing how much he liked the idea of a tomboy wife, as opposed to the proper ladies he met in the North.

YARA GREYJOY

Shit like this happened all the time to women, and you and Yara already knew it wasn’t going to keep you two apart. Yara didn’t have to worry about such things, but you were from a less powerful family that needed connections. To cheer you, she took you on a wild night before your wedding day. You both would hit up a chain of wine sinks, drinking and dancing your way into all sorts of debauchery. At one point, she’d honestly tell you what you meant to her, and if you were the slightest bit unhappy in your match … She and her axe would be there. 

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

She wasn’t happy about the announcement, but she understood the politics of it. You had a say in it, at least, although she could tell it wasn’t what you wanted. You both could carry on your relationship - who was going to stop you? - but she still hated that it was necessary. On your wedding night, Daenerys would find your husband during the feast and pointedly tell him that if he did anything to cause you pain or distress, she had three dragons just outside that she was more than happy to introduce him to. Daenerys would ask you several times if you were comfortable with this arrangement, and she’d begin to think on ways to get you out of it. 

JORAH MORMONT

He knew he didn’t have much to offer, so the proposal from your parents came as a surprise. Jorah had always admired how polite and graceful you were at feasts and in court, you’d even spoken kindly to him several times, even when most brides were told to disregard the Mormonts as a serious match. When you two met up, he made a point to bring flowers he heard you liked and was nothing but kind as he promised you’d be comfortable with him. He didn’t need to say how considerate he’d be; you could tell by the gentle way he held your hand and spoke so honestly. Even if you’d be living modestly, you knew he’d be loyal and amiable.

MISSANDEI

She was familiar with the marriage customs of most cities in Essos, so you telling her about the arrangement shouldn’t have been such a shock. Missandei should have known it was going to happen, but she was just so happy with your relationship and the time you spent together. Things would still stay the same between you two, since it was a marriage of convenience, and that cheered her some. While she helped take off the stress of planning it, she shared ideas of how you two could still meet, especially since you were an important advisor to Daenerys. Before long Missandei had come up with several plans that made you tease her about being so sneaky. 

GREY WORM

While he understood the reason you had to go through with this arrangement, especially since it benefited Daenerys’ army, he wasn’t pleased about it. Grey Worm hadn’t imagined for a moment that you and him would have anything like that, but … It still hurt to see how displeased you were with making plans. He became even more protective of you, pointedly glaring at your “betrothed” anytime they were in the room together. He’d also make a point to bring you simple, nice things, like a cup of tea you liked or flowers, especially on days when the pressure of the date was grating on you. 

TYWIN LANNISTER

This marriage was part of a larger plan he made, and your family was in no position to refuse. He would never marry a fool, however, and while he wouldn’t admit how much he liked your cleverness and wit, he knew there was no sense in making an enemy of you. Tywin would make it clear that you had every luxury available in Casterly Rock, your family could visit, there would be feasts and galas. As he expected, you took the news well, although you wondered when and how you’d come to the attention of such a powerful man. 

TYRION LANNISTER

Well, the day had finally come, his father suddenly decided Tyrion was useful for a political match. He figured he should meet you before the day and warn you about what sort of family you were marrying, and what kind of husband you were going to have, as if both weren’t obvious to all of King’s Landing. Tyrion was pleasantly surprised by how considerate you were to him, and understanding of the situation, as your family had gladly offered you up to be a Lannister bride. Still, he carefully stressed that it could be dangerous for you. He promised to look after your safety and ensure you had every comfort you wanted, and he’d always treat you respectfully no matter what. 

JAIME LANNISTER

It seemed to Jaime that the gods were punishing every aspect of his life they could get to. He really didn’t think his father was truthful in this threat of arranging a marriage, but here you were, just an hour after he was informed of the decision. He had a nagging feeling that you didn’t understand the extent of his family’s ruthlessness, like his sister - and worse, in the past, he would’ve left you at their mercy. He was different now, and he knew you from court. You didn’t deserve to be thrown into a lion’s den. Jaime tried to be casual as he explained to you the marriage was a bad idea, but since there was no way to avoid it, you had to be careful. He asked you to come to him if you saw anything suspicious, or especially if Cersei said anything. He’d even ask Tyrion to keep an eye on you. 

SANDOR CLEGANE

Your “arrangement” was so thoughtfully put together by King Joffrey, who thought his dog needed a woman to keep him from barking so much. It was all a big jape to the court, a slight against you and your family… and there was no getting out of it. After days of avoiding each other, Sandor finally cornered you in the evening. He was totally drunk, but spoke to you bluntly. He wouldn’t make you do anything you didn’t want, and he’d never hurt you. You two could completely avoid each other. He was quite calm as he said all this, drunk as he was, and it surprised you. You’d heard such awful stories about the Hound, but here he was speaking softly and trying to reassure you. 

BRONN

The fact that he, a great stuffy knight, would have to go on with a typical, stuffy arranged marriage. Your family was fairly wealthy, but a new name most old families weren’t interested in. He met you as a formality, but he was surprised by not just your looks, but how easily you sized him up and told him off. He was expecting a timid proper girl, not a woman who spoke fouler than most men under his command. Bronn made a point to visit you several times, bringing bottles of expensive wine and wanting to keep talking to you, even if you were prickly. Tyrion told him not to push your buttons but now Bronn was too interested.

PODRICK PAYNE

The arrangement was a surprise to the both of you, and something Podrick never expected, as he was always treated as a less important member of his family. He’d immediately go to Tyrion for advice, and if possible, a way to call it off. He was sure whoever was going through with this was an old spinster or a frightfully young girl. Worse than either, he was told by Tyrion that you were his age, pretty and well-liked in the court. When he met you, he tried to make conversation, but his nerves kept biting at him. He finally asked if you were alright with the arrangement, as he couldn’t fathom why you’d want to marry into his family. He appreciated your honestly, and figured you two could at least be on friendly terms, even if thoughts of a sept and wedding night was a bit too much at the moment.

PETYR BAELISH

He’d made this arrangement in the first place, all but backing your family into a proverbial corner to ensure they’d comply. Since you knew him as little more than a friendly acquaintance, he made a point to visit with you before any official wedding. Petyr was all charm and amiability, promising you’d have whatever your heart desired, and he’d treat you better than a princess, especially since the arrangement was so sudden. Each day before the event, he’d send a gift with a nice letter attached. All the sentiment made you wonder if this arrangement was your family’s idea after all. 

STANNIS BARATHEON

Stannis isn’t the best with comforting words, and arranged marriages were expected of lords and ladies. But you were a much younger woman being arranged to marry an older man as a second wife, and he could understand how that could make you uneasy. He’d make a point to tell you about Dragonstone and the sort of comforts you could have there, and promise you could change things if you wanted, like rearrange a library or have a stable to yourself. He’d also promise to be loyal and respectful to you, since ideally, he wanted a wife who could help him run the household. 

DAVOS SEAWORTH

He never dreamed of being part of a “political” match, because when would he ever have the position that was sought after? He’d been a widow for years, besides, but this was still presented to him. He felt bad for you, a fourth daughter being sold off to a man far too old for her. When he met with you, Davos was clearly nervous, but your understanding made him feel a little better. He tried to reassure you that there could be a way to get around the arrangement (somehow), but even if it had to happen, he assured you that he’d be nothing but gentle and would make sure you were cared for. Davos had seen some terrible conditions ladies had to live in, and while he was pleasantly surprised by your wit and understanding of the situation, he still thought you deserved much better. 

MARGAERY TYRELL

She wasn’t able to prevent a match from happening, but she could ensure you were matched with one of her brothers or even a cousin. Margaery’s family was aware of her fondness of you, and she was stubborn in wanting to keep you close. Her grandmother warned her against such sentiment, but you knew she wouldn’t be swayed. Long ago you both had talked about what you’d do when duty called, and Margaery made it clear she would keep you as close to Highgarden as possible. She was so confident in herself that she’d help you plan the wedding, giving suggestions on jewels and wanting to be the first to see your gown once it was finished.

BRYNDEN TULLY

It happened, he was finally worn down and forced into a match. The fact you were so young and the match was highly beneficial to the Tullys was even more irksome. He argued with his brother that Edmure would be a better choice, an obvious one, but the deal was done. By the time you arrived he had simmered down. It wasn’t your fault this happened, and he admittedly began to get a soft spot for you as you two chatted. He still felt he was too old for you, but he straightforwardly said that he’d be loyal and make sure you were provided for. He was quite serious as he said this, but he was also holding your hand very gently and had to lean down because of how tall he was, so … it just ended up being endearing. 

EDMURE TULLY

He was very delighted by this marriage proposal - Edmure remembered you from a gala several years back. You were the prettiest girl in the room, so it was great luck that you were engaged now… Except he learned that you weren’t told anything about it until the last minute. He hated the idea of you being unhappy in Riverrun, or worse, with him, so when you arrived he tried to give you a nice tour, showing the nice room you’d have, the pretty Godswood and sept, the lovely view of the river, and so on. His desire to please you would be obvious to everyone.

BRIENNE OF TARTH

The only thing that lessened the blow of your arranged marriage was that she could still be your personal knight. Had anyone tried to send her away, they’d have to deal with the two of you. You tried to reassure Brienne and promise that she’d always be by your side, and it would be easy to keep the relationship under wraps. It wasn’t an ideal situation, and you know she struggled with it, but as a Lady of a prominent House, your options were always limited. Brienne was comforted by your constant reassurances that you were always her’s, and in turn, she promised to protect you if your husband ever attempted anything untoward.

RAMSAY BOLTON

His father made it clear that you were a beloved daughter of a powerful family, and Ramsay wasn’t to toy with you in any way. If being scolded wasn’t irksome enough, you’d already heard unsavory rumors about him. When you arrived, Ramsay put on his best charm, treating you like the lady you were. There wasn’t much to the Dreadfort, so Ramsay asked questions about you and showed you his most docile horse and hound. He’d be pleased if you were a rider, as it was something you both could do with little talking. The charade was annoying, but it didn’t take long for him to form an interest in you.

ROOSE BOLTON

This arrangement had been a long time in the making, unbeknownst to you, as Roose had desired you ever since he first met you years ago. You only knew his family’s questionable reputation, and he knew he had to ensure your first visit to the Dreadfort was a good one. Roose was very gentle in speaking to you, considerate of your space and made a point to ask you how you wanted things arranged. You could have your own room if you desired, horses to ride, the Godswood to yourself, and so on. There was no way for you to back out of the marriage, but Roose didn’t want you to be unhappy. In time, he wanted you to enjoy being at the Dreadfort, and with him. 

OBERYN MARTELL

His family finally managed to tie him down with an arranged marriage, and he would have refused it had he not already known of you. Oberyn was intrigued and attracted, and he did want your powerful family to ally with his. When you arrived in Sunspear, it was easy for Oberyn to be his charming and slightly scandalous self - even if his brother begged him to tone it down - and he gladly gave you a grand tour of the liveliest places in the city. He’d want you to meet his daughters, since they were your age, and he regaled you with all the fine rooms and things you’d have as a Princess of Dorne. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming, but you could tell he really wanted your happiness. 

BERIC DONDARRION

He was a knight of good standing from an honorable house that had long needed a Lady, so Beric understood the arrangement, but he also understood why you might be uneasy. With his well-known sunny smile, he’d want to know your honest feelings and how he could make you more comfortable. It didn’t matter if it was filling a room with your old things or going out riding alone, Beric would indulge you. Truthfully, he was fond of you from your first meeting, and he wanted to make a good impression.

GENDRY

Being legitimized was already terrifying, then he learned he had to marry a proper lady. It gave him stress headaches just thinking about it. To make matters worse, you were beautiful and you greeted him nicely. He’d try his best to sound”confident, but once you both were alone, he’d just come clean and apologize to you. He felt like you expected something different, a “real” lord, not a glorified bastard. Gendry would be relieved how considerate you were, not at all like most ladies he heard about, and hoped you two could at least be friends.

[deactivatedpermanently]

Fat Bastard Girl | Robb Stark

Could you maybe do a Robb Stark imagine where the reader is insecure about her weight and he comforts her?

Requested by: Anonymous

(A/N: I really hope this was alright; I’ve never really written anything based on a request before, but there’s a first time for everything I suppose! Also, if you’re offended by explicit language (which I doubt you are if you like Game of Thrones) then probably skip this one.)

Summary: When you, a swordfighter loyal to the Starks, follow Robb to war, many of the soldiers manage you feel insecure about yourself. Robb steps in and comforts you.

By the age of 3, you had a sword in your hand. Sitting idly by and simply just marvelling at your half-brothers and their immaculate swordsmanship wasn’t enough to satisfy you. So, with your father’s permission, your second eldest half-brother (Gared Laurent), the legitimate son of former knight Lord Regalt Laurent, taught you to how to fight. He was just 15 at the time, but he, like you, was a prodigy with a sword. However, unlike you, he wasn’t Lord Laurent’s bastard.

You had been raised in the keep of Herely Heath since infancy, following the death of your biological mother during childbirth. Luckily, Lady Juliene Laurent (the woman you knew as ‘mother) didn’t resent you enough not to raise you; with 6 boys, she was happy to raise a girl. Unfortunately, her dream of dressing you up in pretty gowns and styling your hair in a beautiful way was soon dashed when she realised that you were different. You wore your brothers’ old clothes  due to loathing the long, girly dresses your mother insisted you wore. Your hair was often made messy by the wind and rain in which you insisted in playing. Your personality was more brash and confident than what was expected of a young girl, and the daughter of a lord. 

The commoners, unlike your family, seemed to judge you and mock you to themselves for who you were. You heard their whispers about you, the chubby bastard being raised like the legitimate child of a lord and lady. Most other lords and ladies would be disgusted that their daughter, illegitimate or not, wanted to fight, but, instead, your father and mother were surprisingly supportive of your choices, even when commoners and several other lords and ladies passed judgement upon you.

As you learned how to fight with a sword from such a young age, you became easily one of the best sword-fighters in Westeros. Though you weren’t as good as Jaime Lannister, you could certainly give him a run for his money. Like your half-brothers, your skills were on par with that of an accomplished knight. That’s why when you turned 11, instead of marrying you off to a wealthy prospective lord, your father decided to send you off to Winterfell to begin serving his old friend, Ned Stark.

Though you were a bastard, you were still the daughter of a Lord. Your father insisted that you were escorted to Winterfell, less than a day’s travel on horseback away from Herely Heath, by three members of his guard, but you insisted he let you travel alone because, in your words: “A true fighter need not be protected.”

Your arrival at Winterfell was a welcome one by all of the Starks. You were the same age as Robb and Jon, both of whom initially doubted your abilities as a sword fighter. With Lord Stark’s permission, you engaged in combat with both of them and won within half a minute. While Jon revered you as a worthy opponent, Robb was mesmerised by you. With the tip of your blade to his throat and your foot resting on his torso, Robb looked up at you with complete admiration. From that moment, you were close with both the Snow boy and Stark boy, even if one viewed you in a whole different light to the other. The fact that you were a bastard always helped you relate to Jon and be close with him and have a strong, platonic bond, but you could surprisingly connect with Robb, especially when he requested that you teach him how to be a better fighter.

When you and Robb were 14, Robb gained a better understanding of you than he ever had before. He learned why you were the way that you were.

It was late at night, and you and Robb were training by fire light. Yet again, you had him pinned to the ground.

“Your stance made you lose balance.” you informed him, extending your hand to him to help him up. “And, you were holding your sword too low down, so I could kick it out of your hand. If I wanted to kill you, I could’ve killed you. Imagine: Robb Stark killed by a fat bastard girl.”

“Alright; no need to keep bringing it up.” Robb muttered, sitting up and taking your hand. “You always do that.”

“Do what?” you asked bluntly, pulling him up with a little bit of difficulty.

“Tell me that you could’ve killed me and that you beat me and then say you’re a ‘fat bastard girl’.” Robb answered.

“You’d be smug about it too if you were a fat bastard girl defeating the legitimate son of a lord.” you said, folding your arms. 

Rob frowned and looked at you, a bemused expression on his scuffed-up face. He was silent, something in the back of his mind telling him that you weren’t finished talking.

“If I wish to wield a sword and pierce the flesh of my enemies instead of be forced please a wealthy man in a loveless marriage and produce a dozen children, I have to prove myself as more than Lord Laurent’s fat bastard girl to everyone whose watching me.” You glanced up at Rob. “What’s the eldest son of Lord Eddard Stark got to prove when nobody’ll judge him for what he was born as?”

Robb was silent still. Yet again, he sensed that you weren’t quite done, and he was alright with that. He’d never thought of you, the brave and cunning (Y/N) Laurent, as just a fat bastard girl, but he knew, deep down, he’d never be able to prove to you that you weren’t just that.

“I was born as a fat bastard girl, but I want to die as more than that.” you responded. “When I die, I want to be remembered as something more than just Laurent’s fat bastard girl.”

You were done, Robb thought to himself. It was his turn to speak.

“Is that why you picked up a sword?” Robb asked.

“Of course not. I was three; I didn’t care about honour and victory when I was three. I just thought sword fighting looked better than drinking tea with mother.” you replied, causing Robb to snort a laugh.

There was a brief moment of silence.

“You’ll always be more than a fat bastard girl to me, (Y/N).” Robb stated.

“I know that.” you said in an unconvincing response. “It’s getting late. We’d better go back inside before your mother shouts at us.”

From that day on, Robb was aware that, in spite of how you presented yourself, you were insecure. You weren’t as self-assured as you acted, but you only broke down in private. That was until you had followed Robb to war.

Robb had appointed you second-in-command after him, knowing you could and would be a good leader.

However, the incredulous men who gawked, sneered and laughed at you didn’t share the same idea. For one, you were a woman. Somehow, your lack of testicles meant that you were unworthy of having any authority over them. Two, you were fat. Being fat meant that they just couldn’t resist the urge to not mock you. They didn’t even have to know you were a bastard to make up their minds that you weren’t good enough to lead them. Even when you’d slaughtered one of your foes before their eyes, they didn’t take you seriously. To you, they represented everyone, which meant that no one would take you seriously as a fighter.

They’d literally snort at you when they thought you weren’t listening. They’d roll their eyes at you when they thought you weren’t looking. Within weeks, you were sick of it.

You snapped.

“Any man to show me any disrespect regarding my appearance gets his heart torn out by their own sword! Do I make myself clear?” you yelled.

They all cackled at you. You clenched your jaw. 

A young man sat close to you made a pig squealing noise, causing a louder eruption of laughter.

You stormed over to him, effortlessly unsheathed his sword and pointed the tip of the blade at his chest, now rapidly rising and falling in panic. The laughter was drowned out by silence. The young man looked up at you, his eyes filled with the fear of a man about to die.

“Didn’t you hear me?” you demanded. “Or could you just not understand me?”

“I-I...Um-um-” he stammered out. “I-I...W-well-”

“I’m sorry; am I not making any sense? Am I speaking in Valyrian?” you demanded.

“N-No! I-I-I’m really s-sorry, m’lady-” he stuttered out, tears spilling from his eyes. “P-Please, don’t-”

“I could skewer you and make an example out of you, or I could show you mercy and be weakened by your pathetic display of grovelling.” you said, pretending to think aloud. “Laurents, legitimate or not, are never ones to spew empty threats. If I don’t tear your heart out with your own sword, I wouldn’t be a very good Laurent, would I?”

“P-please, m’lady. I beg for mercy!” the man pleaded, body wracking with sobs.

“Only the weak show mercy. I told you that anyone else to show disrespect towards my appearance would have his heart extracted by their own sword, did I not?” you demanded.

“Y-y-yes, m’lady. B-But, I was only j-joking-”

“Oh, my sincerest apologies then, sweetheart! I didn’t realise you were only joking.” you responded, thick sarcasm laced in your voice. “Joking or not, it’s still disrespect. All my life, disposable, loathsome fools like you have disrespected me because of my weight. Even when threatened with death, idiots will still do all they can to wrench a laugh from those around them. When I explicitly stated defiance would lead to death, why should I spare you?”

“Because, I forbid you from doing so.” an authoritative voice said, approaching you from behind.

“Robb? What are you doing?” you questioned, trying to sound as confident as possible.

Robb looked at the young man whose chest was being prodded by the sword in your hand, then looked up as if to address anyone with a cold look in his eyes. “If any of you refuse to show Lady Laurent your respect, you’ll have to answer to me. Is that understood?” Robb loudly demanded.

“Yes, Lord Stark!” the soldiers shouted in unison. 

Robb grabbed the sword from your hand and threw it to the ground. He grabbed your wrist and practically dragged you in tow as he marched you to his now-empty tent.

“What was that?” he demanded, folding his arms as he glared at you.

“They were all being cunts to me, making pig noises and commenting about me behind my back, so I threatened them with death. That scrawny little prick disobeyed me, so I was prepared to skewer him.” you shrugged, suppressing the urge to just break down about everything that had been overwhelming you as of late.

“You can’t just kill people who mock you, (Y/N).” Robb sighed irritably

“Why not? I have a sword, skill, authority and a general disdain for those expendable cunts. I could massacre half of them if I pleased.” you sneered bitterly, looking Robb in the eyes.

“I know you, (Y/N). I also know you weren’t going to go through with ending that boy’s life. You don’t have to act like you can choose if those men out there live or die.” he said, approaching you as he placed his hands on your shoulders.

You looked away from him, folding your arms. “Shut up.”

“If you think they’re just expendable cunts, why let them get into your head?” Robb questioned.

You felt tears brim your eyes as you bit your bottom lip and said nothing. 

“(Y/N).” Robb said firmly.

You exhaled. “I’ve been treated like shit since I was a kid because of who I am. I thought having authority would earn me some respect, but still they view me as nothing more than a fat bastard girl.” you explained, tears falling. “If they can’t see that I’m not just a fat bastard girl, how am I supposed to convince myself that that’s not just what I am?”

You felt a firm grip find itself around your waist, the warmth of Robb’s furs warming your freezing cheeks. Reluctantly, you wrapped your arms around Robb’s torso. A few moments later, he pulled away just enough so he could look at your face.

“(N/N), you’ve never just been a fat bastard girl.” Robb assured you, softening from the stoic facade he’d worn to intimidate the soldiers. “I learned that when you beat me in that fight when we were kids. (Y/N), never let those people make you feel anything less than what you actually are.”

“What am I actually, then?” you asked incredulously, damp cheeks heating up. Robb holding you so firmly made you feel a little more secure. Of course, you didn’t need Robb to protect you, nor could he raise your self-esteem. But, he’d always been good at making you feel a little better than crap. 

“You’re a confident fighter, a strong opponent, a beautiful woman.” Robb responded. The sincerity in his speech and the emotion in his eyes that bore into your soul was enough to melt any reluctance to accept his words as anything other than true.

“Don’t use my vulnerability to get me into bed, Robb.” you insisted jokingly in an attempt to show him that what he’d said had made you feel a little better.

He chuckled and smiled faintly as you, wiping away your tears with the back of his fingers. Of all the people you’d met in your time away from home, Robb had been the one to see you in this state the most. He was never annoyed nor inconvenienced by it. In fact, he felt privileged to be the one you trusted enough to come to in times of distress. 

“I’ve been in love with you since the first time you pointed a sword at my throat. Did you know that, (N/N)?” Robb said, not entirely thinking. Still, he was bold enough to speak such words. 

You shrugged, masking your surprise and childish urge to fangirl. “I suppose so.” you responded. “Before I say that I love you too, can I tell you something else?”

“Of course.” he replied.

“Don’t ever undermine me in front of anyone again, or I’ll skewer you like a pig being roasted over a fire.” you said with a smirk, half-joking.

“Understood, my lady.” he replied with a smirk, half-frightened.

[aegonbeingfakeisracist]

Rhaenys would be so much more interesting not just because of her memories of her father and relationship to Westerosi characters, but also because she is the descendant of not just old Valyria, but the Rhoynish. Imagine her saying that she is the blood of the Rhoyne and placing equal importance in her mother’s ancestry. And imagine the impact of Rhaenys surviving and returning on Jaime, Arianne, & Ned. Her surviving would be impactful because ppl knew her as a child, not just her pregnant mom.

YUP.

Theoretically, some of that same stuff could apply to Aegon, but he’s being raised by someone that didn’t care for Elia. There’s a reason that in Rhaenys lives fics, she’s almost never raised by JonCon - her being raised by her uncles or Ashara would allow her to have a real connection to her maternal heritage in a way that Aegon just can’t. I remember someone - @azullarks, I think? - talking about the destructive power of ice and fire and how it would be very cool if the Dornish played a major role in the rebuilding of Westeros because of the constructive power of Rhoynish water magic, and I just love that. How cool could that be with Rhaenys rejecting her father’s fire for her mother’s water?

I love that point about the impact of Rhaenys’s return on these other characters. The thing about Aegon is that even if he is exactly who he says he is, he was an infant at the end of the war when he supposedly died. He might not have even been walking yet! For almost all his life up until that point, there was a war going on. People did not know him. But Rhaenys was old enough for people to have real memories of who she was. It could have been so powerful to see how they react to her, especially because of her resemblance to Elia.

Rhaenys, Arianne, and the Sand Snakes make ten girl cousins. In addition to that, Arianne has two brothers. The odds are very much in favour of Rhaenys looking similar to one of these people. So meeting Rhaenys would make everything that happened so much more real to Arianne, who can’t remember her cousin. Arianne doesn’t remember holding Rhaenys, but she’s been told she did. It would be so, so good for her to actually meet her and be struck by how much she looks like a Martell. And if Arianne met Rhaenys, maybe Obara and Nymeria did, too - I think I even made a post once about how I think it’s implied that Nym had more of a relationship with Elia than her sisters or Arianne. It would be so cool to see how that influences decisions and interactions. It would be a very, very different kind of story, and one that I think would be incredibly cool. Much more interesting to me than for Arianne to meet Dany, who she has no reason to care about.

Jaime, too, is interesting. I think I’ve commenting on how much of a cop out I think it is that he doesn’t have any thoughts on the little girl he was supposed to protect or the woman that was a fellow hostage that in another life he might have married. But if he continued to not have thoughts on them in a world where Rhaenys lived, it would go past cop out into just plain terrible writing. Him reacting to her could be so cool. I’ve argued that some parts of the text can be taken as evidence that coming face to face with Aegon will force him to confront his self perception and prove what he claims - that he didn’t think Tywin would hurt Elia and her children. It would be the ultimate test of character and who he truly is. Jaime has been wilfully ignorant and complicit in his family’s awful acts for years now, in addition to his own terrible acts. He was a grown man when he lied to Tyrion about Tysha. He was even older when he pushed Bran out a window. Older still when he was willing to hunt down Arya and kill her or chop off her hand. As readers, we can see that he’s deluding himself about his father and has continued to do that long after Elia and her children’s murders in a way that becomes a lot more wilful and less genuinely unable to see it. Maybe when he was seventeen, he thought what Tywin did to the Reynes, the Tarbecks, Tytos’s mistress were all just flukes and there was still a line he wouldn’t cross. But as an adult in his thirties, coming face to face with Rhaenys, who he knew and had to have interacted with? It could have been so cool.

The thing about Rhaenys - and Aegon, too, though to a lesser degree - is that they’re connected to Aerys, too. Jaime specifically thought about how Aerys’s blood was in Aegon when he was asked who should be crowned. They’re also defined repeatedly as Rhaegar’s kids. So if Rhaenys had lived, you’d have the conflict between hatred of Aerys, complicated feelings about Rhaegar, and fond memories of the sweet little girl herself. Whereas Dany wasn’t even born at the time. It’s just...Rhaenys had so much potential, it kills me that that’s just glossed over.

[lariskapargitay]

Brienne of Tarth is Lightbringer

Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon.

All three are grey heroes in the series, one of which is the most popular character in the book and especially the show. All three are legendary figures from their respected Houses- the one true king who should have been Lord of Stormsend, the secret prince born of ice and fire, and then there is the Mother of Dragons, Mysha, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and the last (so far as we know) Dragon.

All three have been, supposedly, chosen by the Lord of Light, and all three are the leading choices for Azor Ahai with their individual weapons (dragons, a valyrian steel sword and a burning sword) acting as the legendary weapon Lightbringer.

It makes sense; the great leaders who’ve been prophesied to end the long night. One even has DRAGONS, it would be absolute folly to imagine anyone else’s from three big huge players, one of whom the series is named for whose story is so heavily linked to the Others, to act as Azor Ahai or the weapon prophesied to end the Long Night; Lightbringer.

This post isn’t to dissuade those three or others from being AA or LB, but rather to put forth a new candidate to act as the legendary metaphorical ‘sword’. Someone who was a supporting player for the second and third books, ignored in the show, and for some reason people consider boring when she finally gets a chance to shine in her own POV.

Brienne of Tarth.

The ugly girl who wants to be a knight, a noblewoman whose house isn’t a great one, who has blood ties to both the Targaryen and Baratheon dynasty and who were kings and queens in their own right once upon a time. Not much is known about House Tarth apart from their sigil, rose and azure quartered with yellow suns and white crescent moons, the name of their keep Evenfall. Their descendants were not always called ‘Tarth’ though, their family name was once ‘Evenstar’, which has been passed down to be the official title of the Lord of Tarth.

Their House seems to have a fond appreciation for the sky and all that comes from it, including naming the small little island off Tarth ‘Morne’ to stand for morning, with only House Dayne as a challenger in regards to their love and admiration for the celestial. All that to say; House Tarth values light, in all its natural forms. The sun, the moon, the stars, the morning dawn… Their sigil and title literally brings light *looks directly at the camera like I’m in the office*, and it is one of only sigils where no matter what; it cannot be killed. No matter if the Dead or Living wins the war, the sun and moon and the evenstar will rise day after day until the end of eternity. Dragons and krakens and crows and stags and direwolves and lions can be killed, but the lights in the sky can never be.

The title of Evenstar itself also has connections to Lightbringer. Lucifer means ‘Lightbringer’ and it is the Latin name for the planet Venus. Venus used to be called ‘Evenstar’, and Evenstar is, as covered above, the title of the Lord of Tarth. With Faegon attacking Tarth, it is safe to presume that Selwyn, her father, is dead and Brienne is now the Lady of Tarth making HER the Evenstar which literally, not metaphorically, makes her, Lightbringer (which is something no other contender can claim.)

Another language fact is Tarth means smoke or fog in the Welsh language. “Born amidst salt and smoke,” is a large part of the prophecy of AA & LB and Brienne, being born on an island that means smoke in the middle of a salt sea…

ACOK Davos I

“To oppose it, the hero must have a hero's blade, oh, like none that had ever been.”

AFFC Brienne I

>When she was small, her nurse filled her ears with tales of valor, regaling her with noble exploits of Ser Galladon of Morne, Florian the Fool, Prince Aemon the Dragonknight and other champions. Each man bore a famous sword, and surely Oathkeeper belonged in their company, even if she herself did not.

Brienne often thinks of Oathkeeper as a ‘magic sword’, and here she not only calls it a heroes sword, but she is humble enough not to consider herself amongst them. The sword is worthy of being a part of something great but not Brienne herself. And right after she refuses to call herself a hero, she kneels, blade in hand, and says a prayer to the Crone whose known to bring light *once again looks at the camera like I’m in the office* to help guide people who would ask for it.

>**AFFC Brienne I**

>Kneeling between the bed and wall, she held the blade and said a silent prayer to the Crone, whose golden lamp showed men the way through life. Lead me, she prayed, **LIGHT THE WAY BEFORE ME**, show me the path that leads to Sansa.

Now, onto a huge moment for Brienne, where a large bulk of this theory comes from. The dream Jaime has, the prophetic Weirwood dream where most of his prophecies have come true.

>**ACOK Davos I**

>“In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword.

>**ASOS Jaime VI**

>Brienne’s sword took flame as well, burning silvery blue. The darkness retreated a little more.

>Brienne moved her longsword back and forth, watching the silvery flames shift and shimmer.

>Then his sword went dark, and only Brienne’s burned, as the ghosts came rushing in.

Lightbringer is, in its most basic form, a burning sword. Brienne, Stannis, Thoros, Beric, Jon and Jaime are the only ones to use a burning sword. Stannis sword is proven to be a fake, Thoros uses tricks to get his sword to light on fire, and Beric had a legitimate magical burning sword but he gave up his life for Lady Stoneheart. That leaves Jon in his dream then Jaime and Brienne in Jaime’s dream.

Again, this essay is not to dissuade the other candidates, but I personally do not believe that GRRM is the type of writer to let the secret dragon prince, the just leader, the Aragorn of Westeros get the big prophecy fight in the end. Aragorn wasn’t the one to destroy the ring, it was the unsuspecting big footed hobbit who saved the day. In any case Brienne DOES carry a flaming sword she uses to fight the dead, and she is the ONLY LIGHT left in Jaime’s world and the world itself. And yes, Jon does carry a red flaming sword in his dream whereas Brienne carries a silvery blue flaming sword in Jaime’s dream, but Oathkeeper, her sword, is red and black. It’s spell forged, it’s magic, **IT COMES ALIVE IN THE SIGHT OF FIRE**.

>**ACOK Davos I**

>And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.”

>**AFFC Brienne VIII**

>In the light from the firepit the red and black ripples in the blade almost seemed to move.

Let’s move on to another significant moment in Jaime’s dream is when a naked beautiful Brienne touches him.

>**ADWD Jon III**

>Therefore after Lightbringer was never cold to the touch, but warm as Nissa Nissa had been warm.

>**ASOS Jaime VI**

>She put a hand on his shoulder and he shuddered at the sudden touch. She’s warm.

Brienne is warm in his dream just as Lightbringer the sword is warm, she carries a flaming sword, she brings light, she’s the only light in the world… The dream can be interpreted in a few ways, mostly done to either prove or disprove an eventual romance between Jaime and Brienne, (I 10000% proves it does along with all the other evidence but that’s another 2000 word essay for another time.) But I believes it also offered a substantial amount of proof to my theory that Brienne is in fact Lightbringer. Melisandre even says the Lord of Light created the sun and moon and stars to assist them in ‘keeping the night at bay.’ .

>**ADWD Jon III**

>The Lord of Light made the sun and moon and stars to light our way, and gave us fire to keep the night at bay.”

Once again; let me bring back the Tarth fascination with the celestial

>**AFFC Brienne II**

>The arms of Tarth were quartered rose and azure, and bore a yellow sun and crescent moon.

>**ASOS Jaime IV**

>“I am Brienne of Tarth, daughter to Lord Selwyn the Evenstar, and sworn to House Stark even as you are.”

Brienne is the sun and moon, she is the brightest star in the sky. Yes there was a magic comet that fell for the birth of dragons but it lasted only for a while then died off. The Evenstar will always stay in the sky, as well as the sun and moon. They will always bring light.

Now, branching off into LOTR territory for a moment, Brienne is given the exact same introduction as Eowyn was when she killed the Witch-King, as ‘no man’ could kill him

>**The Return of the King, book 5, ch. 6 "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"**

>“But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund’s daughter!”

>**ACOK Catelyn II**

>“He is no man, My Lady. That’s Brienne of Tarth, daughter to Lord Selwyn the Evenstar.”

Don’t you think there’s just the tiniest bit of coincidence that GRRM introduces Brienne using a VERY similar quote to another blonde shieldmaiden who is confused for a man right before she helps destroy the leader of a great and terrible undead army and helps save the day?

Now, all this isn’t to say she’s an absolute shoe in for Lightbringer. That’s not to say it won’t be the obvious choice and Jon and Dany or Stannis save the day and they get to rule Westeros for 100 years and they get to be the ones who tell the Hobbits they bow to no man. But what I am saying is Brienne is just as much in the running to be Lightbringer as them. And just how bards can slay dragons, and Hobbits can destroy rings; an ugly girl who wants to be a knight can most definitely be a Lightbringer.

[jeyned]

heya everyone ! i wrote a really long intro / backstory which i’ve linked below, but in case you’re lazy like me i’ve also put a little tl;dr under the cut with the cliffs notes. there’s also a bunch of plot ideas in case anyone is interested ! like this, drop me and IM, or message me on discord ( do you like yuice ?#6373 ) if you want to plot !

⤷ the courts offer bread and salt to jeyne whent née lannister of house whent. many say that the twenty - seven year old ruling lady of harrenhal is known to be lively and insightful, though ill tongues whisper that she is condescending and selfish when her name is uttered , one is reminded of a pretty smile hiding bloodied teeth; the hiss and raised hackles of a cat that thinks itself a lion; a languid and velvety darkness; heartbeat made of war drums. may she be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. ( fc: caitlin stasey )

full backstory   /   statistics page   /   development tag .

              trigger warnings for ; death & murder, illness, forced marriage, misogyny & misogynistic slurs (1), war.

basics.

name.  jeyne whent née lannister. nicknames.  the little lioness. age.  twenty-seven. traits.  + clever, intrepid, lively, protective, insightful, tasteful.          - hypocritical, cruel, condescending, proud, selfish, spiteful. titles.  ruling lady of harrenhal, heir apparent to lannisport. loyalty.  [ lana del rey vc ] money, power, and glory. also the starks of winterfell, i guess.

tl ; dr .

jeyne is the youngest child and only daughter of the lord of lannisport and his wife. well - raised, courtesied, if admittedly spoiled. even as a little girl she plays pretend at being a king. her father teaches her what words like wartime and loyalty and ambition mean ; the sacrifices she must make for their family name, for gold and glory.

the ironborn raids come to the shores of the westerlands and both her brothers are sent to fight. the younger dies first ; there is no body to bury. her mother falls ill with something they can only call grief.

jeyne is married not long after, a rose in bloom at nineteen. when she first hears, she weeps and begs and rages. her father reminds her of her duty, of the joy it would bring her ailing mother. jeyne knows then what must be done, and plans.

when her first husband dies just shy of two years into their marriage, jeyne is irreproachable. he dies in winter, already ill ; goes to sleep coughing and doesn’t wake up. jeyne isn’t even in the castle when it happens, although unfounded rumors fly of witchery and murder. 

nine months pass, and she plays the part of mourning widow exceptionally well. it helps her mummer’s farce that news comes from the war : her remaining brother is dead now too, and her mother’s health is failing. without her brothers, she’s the ostensible heir to lannisport ; her father’s displeasure with this is made quite clear to her. he even suggests she isn’t his ; bearing too many of her mother’s features, not enough of his.

she is remarried quickly to lord lucas whent, without a fraction of the pomp and circumstance of her first wedding ; now a widow, with a reputation tarnished by unproven but incessant whispers, the newest match is rushed, necessary but insignificant. she doesn’t cry or beg this time, just goes coldly.

she hates him before she even meets him, hates the harrenhal the moment she sets eyes on it, hates the cold and the rain and the gloom of the castle and its people. spends all her considerable energies complaining and making life generally miserable for anyone around. 

word arrives that her mother has died ; her father remarries quickly in the hopes of a new male heir, and draws in his nephews and nieces. weighing his options. jeyne prays to the stranger to take them all. 

she resents the lot of them ; her father for using and betraying her, her brother and mothers for leaving her, the ironborn for killing her brothers, the starks for suing for peace and making their deaths worthless, her husband merely for existing. mostly, though, she resents herself, not clever enough to find a way out of the cages she’s been locked in.

plots.

enemies.  the very best plot type and you cannot convince me otherwise. gimme intimately plotted hate-your-guts-smile-to-your-face frenemies who overthink everything the other says and press each others buttons incessantly. gimme ‘our houses have fought each other and i blame your family for this or that’. gimme petty jealousies and annoyances and people too much like her for them to get along. gimme people who think she’s a traitorous, murdering bastard and a whore to boot, and aren’t even wrong to think so.

close friends.  i don’t imagine she has a lot of these ; those not deterred by her reputation often are dissuaded by her personality. still i love the idea of her having a few lords or ladies with whom she gets along quite well, the kind of people you only need to meet briefly to know you understand each other. can be from pretty much anywhere ; stuck at harrenhal i imagine jeyne to be an avid letter-writer. 

cousins.  i’m also considering sending in a wc for this, but gimme all the family plots ! could be paternal cousins, potential contenders for inheriting lannisport, & probably childhood companions. could also be maternal cousins ! i listed her mom as being a westerling but i’m more than happy to change that to another house for plot reasons, it doesn’t really matter ! her father could’ve also had sisters who married into other houses, there’s lots of options.

failed betrothals.  i can imagine her father made a lot of offers, both when she was first getting married and after she was widowed. and i can imagine a lot of reasons why someone might reject that ; she’s a lannister, she’s not .... great as a person and her reputation isn’t phenomenal either. after the death of her first husband, too, i can imagine her prospects were pretty slim. still, the lannisters are ambitious and would have sought out as good as match as they could have. 

family of her late husband.  yea, i specifically didn’t pick a house for her first husband to be from because i wanted to leave ‘em open for other applicants but also because i wanted to leave it open in case it’s a plot anyone would like to take up ! most of the story around that is also very vague so as to fit with pretty much any ideas/plots someone has going on. would be really fun, tho ; possibly they can even have been co-conspirators and this person inherited jeyne’s late husband’s title and lands ? or they absolutely hate jeyne and think she’s a murderer which .... she very well might be.

sister in law.  the widow of jeyne’s older brother, irwyn ; i hc that they had a daughter but tbh that’s just flavor text and i am open to changing pretty much anything i’ve got going on. i may send in a wc for this at some point too ? anyway, whether she stayed at lannisport or returned to her family home or anything, idk. seems like an unlikely connection to get picked up but it’s definitely out there if it happens to fit for someone.

brothers’ connections.  again kind of vague ? would probably work best for men from the northern kingdom who may have known them or trained with them, or else fought alongside them against the ironborn. could also be ladies with pretty much any kind of attachment to either of them idk ; jeyne doesn’t have a whole lot of family left so this is my way of trying to have connections thru her family anyway.

childhood friends.  idk how many characters from the westerlands there are around rn, but bring them to me pls. would love some childhood friends for jeyne ; whether they fell out of touch, or still write each other monthly letters. them being a ward at lannisport, or jeyne being a ward at theirs for a time is also a neat option ! 

allies.  not quite friends, but potential partners whose ambitions align with hers. she has connections to the wealth of lannisport and the might and strategic position of harrenhal ( though harrenhal is truly weaker than she’d ever admit ) and honestly would support just about anyone if it meant she got lannisport. she’s power hungry what can i say ? 

former flings / secret lovers.  firstly these can be of any gender as jeyne is ... peak evil bisexual tbh. yes i’m queercoding my villain and i think that’s very sexy of me. these are also just pretty vague ideas, and absolutely do not need to be particularly romantic ; they could have had a more lengthy affair or just hooked up at a wedding or a tourney or something. 

travellers.  both lannisport and harrenhal are pretty common places to pass through. on a sea journey on the western coast one is likely to stop by lannisport, and harrenhal stands practically at the center of westeros, which is a fun opportunity for jeyne & your muse to have met even if they live very far way or are unlikely to have met in other ways ! especially considering harrenhal’s size it’s a good stop over for travellers with a larger retinue. idk i just want an excuse to plot with everyone.

[shannygoatgruff]

The World Over - Part II

Genre:  Vikings/GOT Crossover Fan Fiction

Overall Rating: MA – violence, language, strong sexual content 

Summary: Ivar the Boneless and Daenerys Targaryen find themselves unlikely allies. But each has something that the other needs to get them what they want. He has the tactical skill to take her all the way to Kings Landing. She has the dragon army that will give him all of England, possibly Norway. Will they be each other’s savior or demise?

A/N: Neither show’s timeline is cannon.  They aren’t meant to be - I’d have to do a lot of finessing to make everything work if I kept to the script!

Little Orphan Dany

Thoughts weighed heavily on the young woman's mind. How was she, a mere 19-year-old, one of the most feared women on this side of the Narrow Sea? She didn't want to be feared. She wanted to be loved – by her brother, by the people, by her khalasar…by her sun and her stars; her beloved Drogo.

Turning over in her bed, Daenerys Targaryen let out an audible sigh. This was not the life she had imagined. Her brother, Viserys, was the one that wanted to reclaim the Iron Throne, not her. She just wanted to go home. Only, where was home? She was a bastard without a country, driven out by the usurper Robert Baratheon during the slaughter of her family.

Looking out at the rooftops of Meereen, Dany thought back to where her home could be. When she was younger, she used to believe that her home was somewhere in Westeros – though she wasn't sure where. She never felt apart of Westeros. 

At one point in time, she believed her home was the island of Dragonstone - the ancestral home of the Targaryens, and where she was born. Her mother had still been heavy with Daenerys in her belly when she escaped with Viserys after King Robert put himself on the Iron Throne. Her mother died giving birth to Dany in that place.

Viserys had tried to convince Dany that their home was in King’s Landing. Dany was sure if they ever made it there that he would have spent most of his time parading her around at court like she was a slave on sale at auction. He had filled her head with so many stories about the Red Keep, that she often wondered how he could remember what it looked like seeing as he was so young when they fled. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have tried to use her to gain every favor with every lord and nobleman in all of King’s Landing. The thought made her shutter.

Would she really be connected to King’s Landing? That was where her father had ruled. So much blood had been spilled there. So many people changed allegiances, like the ebbing of the tide. Not knowing who to trust, who was on your side...

Plus she had heard they kept the remains of the dragons of the Kings of Old within the Red Keep. What kind of horrible place was that? She would probably be as much a stranger there as she would be on the Wall.

The more she thought about it, the more she knew that her only home had ever been with Drogo. Khal Drogo. How she missed her Drogo. He had been her everything.

She was been totally against it when Viserys had Magister Illyrio arrange the marriage. She only dared to say something one time to her brother and the look in his eyes was enough for her to never utter any other words about the match again. Viserys had beat her before, but she had never angered him enough to 'wake the dragon' which he always threatened to do. She did not really know what that meant, nor did she want to find out.

Being the dutiful sister, Dany prepared to marry a complete and total stranger. Not only did she not know this man who was almost 10 years her senior, but they were from two different worlds. They did not speak the same language or share the same customs. She literally did not have any idea what or how to do as a married woman, let alone as a wife of a Khal.

The day Daenerys first saw Drogo, she was petrified. She could not will her feet to move toward him as she stood on the balcony for his inspection. She was just a girl. She had just barely had her blood for a full lunar season, and she was expected to have sex with this man. And that's what he was – a man. Khal Drogo was a huge man, full of muscles and stood at a full 6'4" tall. His hair was the deepest shade of black she had ever seen and hung in a long ponytail that landed on his horse when he sat astride it.

They were each other's polar opposite. He had the most exotic toffee-colored skin and chocolate eyes, compared to Dany's boring pale skin, towhead and blue eyes. Where he was tall and hard, she was just above 5 feet and soft. He was dark and brooding, she was pale and childlike. She could see callouses on his hands as he gripped the reins of his horse. Her hands were as smooth as silk reminding her that she had never done a day's labor in her life. He smelled like sweat, oil, and sand. She smelled like rose water. He spoke in a guttural language that she did not understand. She spoke the common tongue and Old Valyrian, which to him sounded like gibberish. There were no two things that they had in common.

She had no mother or sister to explain to her what was supposed to happen on her wedding night. Only a brother who told her to make sure she pleased him. And that advice was only because Viserys wanted, no needed something from her betrothed. Daenerys didn't even know the first things about the Dothraki, except they were violent, nomadic horse lords who probably mounted their women like a steed mounted a mare.

She knew nothing about the man she was to marry and even less than that about sex. And when he took her, she had been afraid and cried. She cried for weeks after that night – every time he took her. She knew people found it pleasurable. The Dothraki were not shy about sex, they had it out in the open for the entire horde to see. But she didn't know what she was doing and couldn't communicate with her husband to ask him to show her. 

She longed for the passion that the bards and poets spoke of, so she sought the help of her slave. She learned to talk to her husband, and how to love him.

Drogo and Dany worked. Somehow, they fit together like a hand and glove. Drogo became the air that Daenerys breathed. He taught her love and confidence in herself that she did not know she possessed. She taught him patience and that a Khal did not always have to be ruthless during the quiet times between a husband and wife. There's was a match brought together by the old gods and the new.

And Rhaego…her sweet Rhaego. He was promised to be the Stallion Who Mounts the World, if only he had lived. The thought of the son that she and Drogo created was a memory that was too hard for her to bear. She lost her son and her husband in rapid succession. She went from being a wife and a mother for all of those months to now this...

Losing her two great loves had changed her. She went into the flames as Daenerys Targaryen and came out Daenerys Stormborn – The Mother of Dragons. Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon were now her children – her young dragons were so much like children. She cared for them and protected them, and in return they loved her. Her three sons were going to avenge their family name in Westeros.

The Lannisters did not deserve her father's throne and she would reclaim it for her husband and son.

Now she was here. A Khaleesi, with her own khalasar, an army of Unsullied soldiers and the Second Sons at her command. Not to mention, she had the entire country of Meereen to liberate from slavers. No wonder she was having trouble sleeping. If only Drogo were here to put his strong arms around her and pull her into his embrace. She would easily be able to drift off into a deep slumber. He would help her strategize a plan to free the slaves, help the merchants, and punish the masters. Then maybe she could concentrate on a way to recruit more soldiers for her army and plan how to get their horde across the Narrow Sea.

"This is impossible," Dany huffed, sitting up to lift the pitcher of cool water next to her bed. She filled an empty goblet, sat down the pitcher and placed the glass to her lips. Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that the water had not been poisoned before she took a large gulp. "I am no war strategist.”

Looking over to her bed, she turned up her lip and shook her head. Daario meant well, but he was not what she needed. He wasn't Drogo. He did not even come close. Why was she allowing him to take company in her bed? She barely enjoyed his company during the waking hours, let alone at night. This had to stop. Loneliness was no cause for desperation.

Carefully, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and place them into awaiting slippers. She stood, grabbing the pale blue silk robe. She slipped the fabric over her arms, transporting the goblet from one hand to the other, as not to spill the liquid inside. She continued to drink, as she made her way out of her chamber.

As Dany walked the dimly lit hallways, she pondered where to go. She could see who was in the council room, and perhaps talk strategy on how to get the slavers of Yunkai back under control. Or perhaps, since the night was so nice, she would take a walk to the clearing and visit with her dragons.

She continued to walk down the hall until she heard voices and the soft flutter of laughter. The light lilt made her stop and smile. As quickly as the laughing started it stopped. Dany slowly rounded the corner and tried to stop the corners of her mouth from turning up.

Grey Worm stood at attention, arching his back and holding his head at up, "My Queen."

"Torgo Nudho," Dany nodded at Grey Worm, "Missandei." She turned and looked at her most trusted advisor, then back to Grey Worm. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I need to discuss some things with Missandei," she noticed the lightning-quick flicker of disappointment that flashed across Grey Worm's face and how it disappeared almost as quickly.

Clenching his jaws, he bowed to Daenerys, before stealing a look at Missandei and exiting the room.

A huge smile split Dany's face in two. Grabbing the darker woman by the arm, she ushered Missandei over to the window bench aligned with soft pillows and sat her down beside her. "So…tell me. Are there new developments between you and Grey Worm?" Dany held her goblet in both hands and guided it to her lips. She kept her eyes eagerly trained on her friend.

Missandei was thoughtful in her answer, but as usual, kept her face very neutral and her voice calm, "No developments as of yet. But, I have noticed the way he watches me. It is no longer like is protecting me. There is another look in his gaze, now." Playing with the hem of her gown, she furrowed her brows. "I am starting to feel differently toward him. But, I don't know that I should. I don't know that I can…that he can…if we could ever…"

Dany put her hand on her friend's arm to quiet her questions, "In this uncertain time, I know one thing to be true. We all must find love when and where we can. We don't know if tomorrow is promised to us. Stop worrying about if you or he or you both can, whatever. Think about what you can do, and what you enjoy doing, together." She let her gaze go to the other side of the room, "While we are in Meereen, we have it easy. When we cross the Narrow Sea, things will change. Steal away as much time with him as you can. These times may not be afforded to you, later."

"Is that what you are doing with Daario?" Missandei looked at her lap, then up at Dany's face, afraid she had overstepped her bounds. "I mean no harm, but I do not understand why you share your bed with him. You barely tolerate him."

Dany let out a hearty laugh, "I know!" She sat her goblet on the floor beside her and took Missandei's hand in hers. "I grow bored here. I can listen to the quarrels of farmers all day and think of how to get to King’s Landing. The truth is being here," she motioned around the room, "bores me. We are building a great army that grows stronger by the day. My dragons are growing big and strong. Soon, there will be nothing standing in the way of me taking back the Iron Throne. I have the army to do it, but not the plan. That's why I spend time with Daario. I keep hoping one day something brilliant will come out of his pretty mouth, but nothing ever does."

"What about Ser Jorah? He must have a plan." Missandei chimed in.

"Nothing that will not cause me to lose more than half of the Dothraki, Unsullied and Second Sons. I am not prepared to sacrifice them." Dany stood up and walked over to the large table, picking up one of the war pieces on the map and turned it over in her hand. "I need a tactician. Someone to beat them at their own game. When our army comes, we will give them a fight like they have never seen before." Turning back to her friend, she smiled softly, "So I say again, go, find your man. Enjoy him now. Soon, we will rain fire upon Westeros."

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[mattatouile]

headcanons for chapter 8 of we make the rules

below the cut in case people haven’t read yet! (am I spoiler warning a fanfic? maybe?)

1) Jaime’s mom died when he was 8 and his Aunt Genna made sure the kids went to grief counselors/therapy for it, because Aunt Genna is the BEST even if Tywin is the worst. Because of this, Cersei and Jaime didn’t develop quite the same sort of super toxic co-dependent incestuous relationship. But they were still just...a little co-dependent, just because Tyrion was too young to know anything about their mother, and their father was extremely neglectful. So. 

2) Jaime, because he did always really want his dad to just give a fuck, went to the right University and got into the best Law School in Westeros. He got the perfect internship at Targaryen, Hightower & Dayne. He put in his time, he accepted the job, he spent two years there and then -- he just couldn’t deny it anymore. Something was wrong with Aerys Targaryen and he didn’t know what until Elia stopped by one day and Jaime saw the bruises on her arm and the holllow look in her eyes. And then he found out Aerys was abusing the receptionist and sexually harassing her. Jaime found a way to convince Elia that he was trustworthy and with his support, she filed for divorce and let everything out of the bag about the abuse and the sexual harassment. Jaime helped her in every way he could, including speaking out publicly about Aerys.

3) Aerys was found guilty of sexual harassment and basically lost his ass. Because this is my world and fuck the patriarchy. It doesn’t hurt that the Martells and the Lannisters have just as much weight behind them as Aerys (or almost, and combined...) Jaime’s father was furious with him. He besmirched the family name, basically, and when Jaime decided that he would start his own firm with his childhood bff Addam and Ilyn Payne, it didn’t actually help matters. 

4) When Robert Baratheon was publicly outed in the news for his many, many mistresses and children, Jaime refused to help defend him or turn the tide. He refused to make any statements of support for anything other than his sister. This did not help matters at all, and actually put a strain on the relationship with him and Cersei because she was like, “Do you think I didn’t fucking know about the other women? I’m not a fucking idiot, Jaime.” 

5) Jaime and Addam picked Ilyn to go into practice with them (okay, they all but begged him) because the Paynes were a recognized name, and Ilyn was notorious for being a stern, unforgiving, morally upstanding man. He would give them some clout and they trusted him to at least hold with the same opinion they had regarding the working environment. 

6) Oh, right. The divorce. In keeping with making his father happy, Jaime also married the Perfect Acceptable Woman, Lysa Arryn (in this universe I’ve branched out and she’s not Sansa’s aunt because my head hurts even imagining it). They are...not a good match. At all. They never really were, but they were supposed to get married so they did. Within a year of getting, he finds out that Lysa’s been sleeping with Petyr Baelish for basically the entire time they’ve been together. The weird thing is, that’s not the part that’s upsetting. He’s just sad and maybe a little mad that he wasted 6 years of his life in a relationship he didn’t want just because he was so desperate to make his father happy and The Right Kind of Son(and man). 

7) He threw himself into his career after that, and just sort of...let that be an excuse for not dating a lot. He really didn’t have a lot of time, but he also certainly wasn’t going out to bars and trying to meet people in his little downtime. He did end up dating a nice woman for a little than a year like five years after he and Lysa split up, but it just kind of fizzled out. Jaime Lannister: Unlucky in Love.

--

And now for Addam Marbrand, my perfect boy. I think some readers wondered why Addam was SO angry and why he showed up at Jaime’s house so late. So like, bearing in mind that some of this will be addressed in the next chapter, this isn’t really spoilery because it’s basically just connecting the dots of the story to this point.

So, as noted above, Addam and Jaime have known each other forever and they’ve been extremely good, if not best, friends for most of their lives. Addam also knows how vocal and serious Jaime has been about never being like the Aerys Targaryens and Robert Baratheons of the world. 

Addam has also suspected for months that something was going on with Brienne. He thought Jaime was involved somehow, until Jaime swore up and down and Brienne promised too that it had nothing to do with their working relationship. Addam trusts Jaime. Pretty much implicitly. But he cannot quite shake the feeling that something is off. 

When Addam finds out about the aborted kiss--well.

Here’s the thing, Addam did trust Jaime implicitly until he all but has it confirmed that his best friend has been bold-faced lying to him for months. It’s not just that Jaime lied, it’s that Jaime has lied more than once, and has made Addam feel like he’s imagining things.

He is pissed because Jaime knows first hand the consequences of this sort of situation. And the thing is, he might assume it’s all consensual and fine ... except that Tarth has been acting weird and uncomfortable and she pulled away from Jaime’s embrace. Addam can’t help but start putting together pieces into a really terrible, hideous puzzle. So not only is his friend lying, but his friend is lying about something that could ruin his life and their company and fuck over everyone and of all the men in the world, Addam expected it from Jaime least of all. 

And at the end of the day, Jaime knows good and damn well that it’s not something actually forbidden. You just have to document things and make sure everything is above board with HR and Jaime doesn’t get to decide Brienne’s promotions, etc. It’s so easy. It’s so easy that if they’re just dating, surely Jaime and Brienne are both smart enough they would just do the simple thing like signing a piece of fucking paper so that their entire lives don’t blow up in their faces.   

[wackygoofball]

Any chance you could make my dreams come true and please make a J/B Sound of Music moodboard?? 🙏🙏🙏

Hi @tarthserjaime! Thanks for a) believing my moodboards worthy enough to fulfill dreams - I did not know they had that much power, and b) for such a lovely prompt.

I have to send two things ahead, however:

1) I have not watched the movie (I know. *rings Shame Bell*), which is why my knowledge is based on synopses and short clips I saw. I hope the moodboard transmits the vibe nonetheless.

2) I set this story in Westeros because I never feel comfortable setting those characters in real life, which is why I did away with the Nazi regime plot as I wouldn’t want to associate any of the GoT/ASoIaF characters with that ideology. I went with Daenerys Targaryen as the factor to push them away from home because she canonically has reasons to want Jaime gone and because she seized government control in canon as well. But I want to keep her in the background here as I want to put my focus on that curious family and this most curious couple instead. So yeah, just as a heads-up.

Either way, here is the moody board to go along with it, and I certainly hope that it makes your dreams come true!

Jaime x Brienne - The Sound of Music AU

Brienne of Tarth, postulant at the Citadel, is livinga life in hiding ever since her father’s passing. While she loves the otherseptas and the Elder Sister dearly, she always feels out of place because sheenjoys fencing and activities not associated with a young lady. More often thannot, she finds herself stealing away to the hills to pursue her privatepassions of fencing and singing.

Eventually, the Elder Sister takes her aside afterBrienne came late for service yet again. Brienne is very apologetic, but theElder Sister, as usual, is mild with her and instead makes the suggestion toher about to change her entire life:

To go out into the world and get to know it.

“But I am to become a septa.”

“If you so choose, but I believe you cannot take thevow in good conscience before you have seen what else the world holds for you,my dear. You spent many years here without seeing what lies beyond the hills,and I believe it is about time that you do.”

And so, Brienne is sent to the Lannister family,living in a large estate on the outskirt of the capital. She is to become thenew governess for the children in Commander Lannister’s care – his deceasedsister’s and Catelyn Stark’s two daughters. There she meets the recentlyretired war veteran Commander Lannister, a soldier who lost his hand in the warand his reputation after he murdered Aerys Targaryen. And Brienne must say… sheis anything but impressed.

The man always keeps his distance, something Briennecannot understand for just a single second. She knows what a blessing it is tohave a family, and what a curse it is to be without. And here is a man who haseverything and instead spends most of his time being miserable over the loss ofhis hand.

The children, in turn, are on their very own paths,some of whom need much discipline whereas others would do better with a littleless.

Brienne finds it hard at first to connect to thechildren. After all, she never thought she would have an opportunity to raisechildren, as all of her engagements ended before they ever began and she knowsfor a fact that she is an ugly thing with queer antics. Septa Roelle likelyalways had the right of it when she told her that with this kind of attitude,she could only ever make it as a septa, which later inspired her to join the Citadel,once her father came to pass and she didn’t know what else to do with her life.

However, unexpectedly, she finds a way out of themisery: It is the mixture between discipline, which she teaches the childrenwanting to learn how to fence, and encouragement that seems to turn the tablesfor her. Brienne also realizes that the children, stuck at the mansion for mostof their time, are longing to see what lies beyond the fences of the residence.Thus, she makes it a habit to take the children out into nature, teach them howto fence and later on gathers the courage the sing for and with them, too.

However, not all is well at the mansion, as Briennealso makes the acquaintance of Jaime’s brother Tyrion, a man she finds is ofquestionable character at best. She is irritated by his closeness to DaenerysTargaryen, who has, not long ago, wrestled power from their sister and overthrewthe government. Because she cannot imagine that this woman likes the Lannisterfamily very much. And yet, the man prides himself with his massive intellectand how that will all play out to their advantage.

Thus, Brienne keeps her distance and instead focusesall of her efforts on the children, who soon grow on her more than a lot.Commander Lannister’s behavior eventually has her snap, however. After yellingat the children returning from a boat tour, ushering them back inside as heforbade them to go out, a drenched to the bone Brienne of Tarth has had enough.She calls him upon his behavior, but when he keeps deflecting, Brienne informshim that she cannot continue to work for him under such circumstances and willpresently return to the Citadel.

Later that day, the Commander comes to her chamber andfinally shares with her the reasons for his behavior: He doesn’t want thechildren outside that much because he is afraid that he will fail to protectthem against Daenerys Targaryen. For now, she is busy with other things, but heknows that his presence poses a danger to them because he killed her father –if for very good reasons, as he explains.

As to the reasons for his distance, Jaime admits that heis afraid that someone will realize that Cersei’s children are actually notRobert’s but his, too. His sister beat it into him to stay away from them andnow he has a hard time reconnecting with them without giving away who he trulyis to them. Things worked for a while when the children were with her while hetook care of Catelyn’s children as he promised it to her when she released himin exchange for them during the awful hostage situation during the war thatkept building up between the two factions back in the day.

“Lannisters always pay their debts, and I owed Catelynthat much… or rather, she would have deserved more, but I am afraid this is allI can give.”

Brienne is shocked to hear the news, but she also hasto realize that despite what she finds more than questionable about him, shecan’t fault him for loving, and she can’t deny that, deep down, he is a goodman. When Jaime asks her to stay, she agrees, under the condition that he willchange his old ways and try to grow closer to the children again.

“You owe a debt to them as well, but foremost toyourself. To finally have that family you thought you’d never have.”

In the course of the events, the Commander and his governessgrow closer and closer, because, as it turns out, there is more to connect themthan meets the eye. Both share a passion for music, and for the first time inher life, Brienne finds someone more than accepting of her “queer antics”,volunteering to give her private fencing lessons.

“May I have this dance, Miss Tarth?”

Things take a sudden turn when no one other thanCatelyn Stark winds up on their doorsteps. Sansa and Arya are more thanoverwhelmed with their mother’s reappearance after everyone assumed her to bedead, but as it turns out, Catelyn was saved by the revolutionist group TheBrotherhood, led by Beric Dondarrion. They rescued her and hid her away and eventuallyhope to bring her back home North, an area that fought hard for and finallygained its independence.

Catelyn is overly thankful to Jaime for expanding hispromise to take care of the girls and not just return them back North. Jaimeinvites her to stay at the residence with them. Brienne, sensing the closenessbetween the two, grows more and more weary of her growing feelings for Jaimebecause he and Cat have such a history going back that she can’t imagine herdream of a life together as a family will ever become true.

Not that this stops the feelings from making her blushin his presence by any means, however.

In a private moment, Jaime and Tyrion discuss thelatest developments. Jaime is shocked when Tyrion proposes to him that heshould ask Catelyn Stark to marry him. The younger brother makes a valid point,by Jaime’s own admission, that Cat is in an impossible situation as a widowwithout her family’s wealth available to help her start over – and a womanstill searched for by militias who continue to have their feuds with anyoneassociated with the Starks or Lannisters, for that same matter. Tyrion addsthat it may be a useful union for both of them as Catelyn may be their way outof this situation with Daenerys Targaryen.

Jaime doesn’t know what to make of that, after all, hehas feelings for Brienne already. At the same time, he cares for Cat and herdaughters as though they were part of the family already, and leaving them indanger or having them try to make their luck in the current situation thecountry is in feels wrong to him.

It would be without honor, after all.

Tyrion, believing himself on the right track withthings at last, carries the idea over to Catelyn before waiting for Jaime’sanswer. Cat, unaware, finds herself entertaining the idea more than maybe sheshould.

Brienne does not remain blind to those circumstances. Drivenby both her wish to protect the family she came to love so dearly – and the manshe grew to love in particular – and her belief that he could never choose herover Catelyn, Brienne feels any urge to leave the household and head back tothe Citadel.

Not that she tells anyone about those thoughts justyet, of course.

Having witnessed the children performing, Tyrion hasanother fabulous idea to help the cause, which is to have them perform forDaenerys Targaryen. If they succeed to get her on their side, or so hebelieves, they may get to keep the mansion and she won’t persecute his brotherfor murdering Aerys Targaryen.

Currently, there is no searching order for him and hewas not yet summoned to her, but Jaime is under scrutiny, everyone knows, even moreso because he’s made himself rare in an effort to keep the children guarded. Jaimeis very much against it, not believing that the woman can be swayed in his oranyone’s favor after all that’s been.

Wanting to give the children an opportunity to performnonetheless, Jaime arranges for a private party to which only friends areinvited. That evening, Brienne mostly stays with the children outside, feelingvery much out of place all over.

Some things just never seem to change.

When Tommen asks her about a particular dance thepeople inside are performing, Brienne explains that it is a dance that used tobe reserved for royals back in the days of knights and kings, though somefamilies still require their children to learn it.

“And did you learn it?”

“A lifetime ago.”

“So can you teach me?”

“Oh, I don’t know… I don’t believe I should.”

However, the children insist, and so Brienne starts todance the same steps she used to take back at Evenfall Hall when she didn’t yetknow that she was the ugliest girl in the world.

She is shocked when someone wants to take the nextturn – and it turns out to be Jaime. After all, he used to learn it himselfback in the day.

“May I have this dance, my lady?”

Brienne accepts and dances with Jaime, forgetting allher troubles and insecurities for a moment to listen to the music and dance toit, unafraid.

With him.

When the music dies out, Brienne finds herself evenmore in emotional turmoil, only to run away when Catelyn comes outside to seeabout what’s going on.

Brienne packs her things in a hurry, wanting to leaveand return to the Citadel. Cat comes to her room and they come to talk aboutJaime. Catelyn admits that she doesn’t bear romantic feelings for him.

“But… against all odds, I came to see that he is agood man who does right by the children he helps raise – and my own, which is arare gift in these most troubling times.”

“He is a good man, no doubt. I think you could be veryhappy… together.”

“And would you be happy with us together?”

“Me? Why does my opinion matter?”

“You tell me.”

Brienne says nothing to that and walks out of theroom, letting Catelyn know that she truthfully wishes her all the luck in the world.

“Because no less do all of you deserve.”

Later that evening, the children perform and all arein awe with the act. Brienne watches them with fondness, proud of how far theycame as a family, how close they grew, but she tries her best to stay clear ofJaime, even though he desperately wants to talk to her.

Heartbroken, Brienne returns to the Citadel, wantingto take her vows as a septa. The Elder Sister calls her out on her feelings forJaime and tells her that she must return to the Lannister residence because shecould not take Brienne’s vows in good faith if all the promise would meanrunning away from her true feelings for that man. She encourages her to returnto the residence to look for her life.

“You never ran away from a fight, my dear, why startnow?”

Brienne comes back to the Lannister residence to learnthat Cat and Jaime got engaged. With a heavy heart she agrees to stay as agoverness for the children until they found a replacement for her.

Jaime is fed up with her trying to sneak away, whichis why he corners her eventually to finally have honest conversation with her. Hewants her to understand that he proposed to Catelyn, believing she’d never comeback.

“We don’t marry for love. She doesn’t love me and Idon’t love her. It would be to keep her safe and ensure the girls don’t have tolive a runaway life.”

“I understand all that. And I am happy for you. Who knows,maybe you will grow to have more feelings for one another over time. My fatherdid with my mother, did I ever tell you?”

“That is all you have to say about this?”

“What else is there to say? I am… I am happy.”

“You are.”

“I am. Because the best part of my life, this family,will get its happily ever after. What more could I wish for… Commander?”

“You tell me.”

Wanting to protect the family to the best of herabilities, Brienne makes a daring proposal: She wants them to give up on theresidence and try to get to the independent North to start over there insteadof hoping for Daenerys Targaryen to go mildly on Jaime.

Jaime and Cat are perfectly in shock at the proposal. Whilethey have some money on the side, they don’t share enough to make for a livingthere. Jaime essentially lives off of his savings because he can’t hold a jobafter his crippling. And selling the property would draw unwanted attention tothem all the same.

“That should be no issue.”

“Money is sadly an issue, always.”

“I will provide for it.”

“You are… a septa.”

“Postulant. Since I haven’t taken my vows just yet,the Citadel has not demanded of me to give my money away just yet. And I havemore than a lot from my father’s inheritance.”

“You do?”

“How else would I know that dance, hm?” she huffs. “The money was meant to go to charitable causes, but Ibelieve I have a more personal cause now. I want to invest. Into the children,into their futures… into yours. You want to look for Catelyn’s sons – and youshould – but you can only do that in the North. In the independent zone, youwill be safe from Daenerys Targaryen and her accusations against you. So… takethat money to pay the Brotherhood to help get you to the North before thesituation grows more severe and you will get the future I want to invest in.”

“I can’t accept that.”

“Of course you can, now don’t be a stubborn idiot…Commander.”

“And what of you in that alternative?”

“I will return to the Citadel and take my vows. I canbe happy there, but only if I know this family protected. So please, let meprotect you.”

Whereas Brienne and Jaime continue to struggle tobalance their oaths and their undeniably strong feelings for one another,Catelyn also has to decide on how she wants to carry on in life, whereas the children have more than a hard time coping with losing either of the three. 

However, all of that is soon overshadowed by thethreat of Daenerys Targaryen pushing charges against Jaime for murdering herfather, which may tear this family apart before it can ever hear the sound ofmusic again…

Additional Image Sources: The Sound of Music (1959), http://gwendoline-christie.com/

[ansheofthevalley]

I strongly disagree with the endings for the Stark Pack. Sansa and the Northern lords along with the Vale and Riverland's lords and armies travelled to what was left of King's Landing to get Jon back against a few, what, hundred foreign invaders with no leader? And just let Jon be punished for saving them all? And Arya, who had finally learned that she had family and a home to go to and protect would just leave to go sailing, something that was never really a part of her arc other than an off...

...handed comment to a stranger in Essos? And Bran, who's motives and POV have been non-existent for SEASONS is made king by a group of people who don't know him or what he is capable of at roughly 17 years old when there are other, better, candidates in the Dragon Pit and elsewhere. And Sansa, who's whole arc has been about her status as the Key to the North and how she only wants the love and safety her parents had is entirely alone at the end of the show? All of the Starks should be together.

Hi there!

One of the things I'm still trying to wrap my mind around is the Starklings ending. LBR, season 8 was a mess and it didn't make much sense narratively, especially if compared to previous seasons. It's as if D&D discarded seasons-worth of character growth and development in favor of shocking twists *pretends to be shocked*

But you asked about the Starks and their ending.

The thing about the Starklings is that they’re deeply connected to the idea of home, but more specifically, going back to that home. Some left by choice, others by force or circumstance. But the thing is that all the Starklings have been uprooted from their home early on. Their journey (and I’m simplifying the hell out of it) is about going back home. All the characters have their distinctive aspects to their journeys to set them apart. But if we were to say what their journey is about in just a few words, it’s that: it’s about coming home. But there’s also another factor: family. All of them had to be stripped of their identity as a Stark in one point (or more than once) of the story. (*) Since the moment they’re stripped from their home and identity, they start their journey on regaining both (we could make an exception with Bran since he’s tied with magic and is in pursuit of a higher calling) (**). But the themes of identity, present in their arcs trough their home and their family name, are there. 

(*) I just realized that all the surviving Starks had to renounce to/hide their identity in order to survive. All those who didn’t (Ned, Robb, Cat and Rickon) ended up dead.

(**) Bran’s journey can be identified with two archetypes: the Sage and the Magician. Both archetypes are connected to the sense of self. The Sage is about knowledge and a yearning of paradise (which is connected to his fight against the Night King and the Others). Basically, his journey is to bring back Summer through knowledge and an understanding of his powers. The Magician is about power and wanting to leave a mark in the world. We can see this with him when he’s north of the Wall with the TER.

Jon

D&D screwed up Jon's character and his development, reducing him to a mere mouthpiece to justify Dany's actions. The problem with Jon in S8 (which started in S7) is that. He was no longer treated as a protagonist but as a plot device, which can be said about all of the Starks.

Jon has huge identity issues, mainly because of his bastard status. He’s automatically set apart, even if his siblings and father did accept him and treated him as a trueborn son. The fact that he’s a bastard is a huge cross he carries, and it’s because of this he makes the choice to leave his home. For him, going to the Wall is a way to prove himself, to make others see that even a bastard can be honorable, but also to escape from the name “Snow”. At the Wall, all men are equal: it doesn’t matter where they come from or who they were before. At the Wall, they’re all equal. Or at least, that’s what he thought. 

Of course, he found a place where he belonged, people that made him feel like home. But all of those always ended up being taken from him. So, there was only thing for him to do: to go back to his real home, Winterfell, and be Jon Snow again. Because in the Night’s Watch he was “Lord Snow” and a brother of the NW, later Lord Commander. With the Wildlings he was “a crow” and later a traitor. But he really found himself in S6, when he took back Winterfell with Sansa and when she “made” him a Stark (by cloaking him). Of course, that came crushing down in the S8 premiere, when he finds out he’s the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. And that’s it. We don’t see how the RLJ reveal affected him, how much of an impact it had on his identity, which already was complicated, how it changed his family dynamics or his relationships with certain characters. The reveal, along with his character, were used as plot devices for another character. We never saw the conflict of his true identity and home be resolved, not explicitly.

Jon's ending (him being sent to the Wall as "punishment" for killing Daenerys) makes little sense. As you said, he’s punished for killing Daenerys, instead of, IDK, punishing him for participating in the Sack of King’s Landing. That was a war crime, and punishing him for said war crime would’ve made more sense (since GOT and ASOIAF are basically politics with ice zombies and dragons). I could understand if the lords (and Greyworm, for some inexplicable reason) wanted to punish him for kinslaying. We know it’s bad and that it’s frowned upon in Westerosi culture. If that were the reason for his exile, I could understand it (and this is what D&D went with). But they completely undermine this by basically awarding Tyrion with everything he ever wanted for doing the same and admitting to killing his father in front of the nobility of Westeros five minutes earlier. It doesn’t matter if Tyrion suddenly sees these things as burdens. It doesn’t change the fact that these are the very things he was after when the show started. If the punishment for kinslaying is exile, then exile every person that committed that crime, which is both Jon and Tyrion. If the punishment for enabling and participating in the Sack of King’s Landing is exile, then exile every person that took part in it, that means Jon, Tyrion and Dany’s remaining army. You can’t punish some and award others when they did the same thing. That’s bad writing. But it’s known D&D are huge Tyrion fans (to the point of making him a completely different character), so...

The fact that he was made to leave his home and spend his life at the Wall (even if there were people that respected him there) is underwhelming. He yearned for a home, for a family, for an identity. And what better way to give him all that than to have the people he loves to accept him for who he is, not the name he carries? If it were up to me, Jon would’ve ended up in Winterfell, stripped from all titles, both from his Targaryen and Stark lineage. I would’ve made him remain, Jon Snow because that’s who he is. Because, ultimately, it doesn’t matter who fathered him. His loyalties always were with the Starks. But in the end, he would’ve had a chance to show it, a chance to defend and fight for his family and House. All while remaining a Snow. But for that to happen Jon needed a POV; the Starklings needed their POV; their dynamics needed to be shown, not hinted at; Jon needed to be shown interacting with other characters, not just Daenerys; the RLJ needed to be centered around him, not Daenerys.

Because, ultimately, that’s why the final season failed to deliver a satisfactory end to the story: it was centered around the wrong character. Because D&D chose not to comment in-universe on Dany’s morally gray actions, they had to double down in the last two seasons, so the GA wouldn’t be caught off guard with her “turn to darkness”. And because they centered S7 and 8 around her, all of the plot points that were established in previous seasons were used as a means to explain her “turn”, even when they shouldn’t have. RLJ was never about her. RLJ would’ve served as a perfect explanation of why Jon did what he did if it had been used from his POV. But it wasn’t. It was used as a plot device for the Dark!Dany arc. And we ended up with an unsatisfactory S8 that felt off.

Arya

Arya’s complete arc was about family and how revenge and justice can blur a little bit. When she’s forced to hide her true identity, she embarks on a journey that’s related to defining herself as a person: she’s Arya Stark, then she’s Arry, then she’s No One and finally, she’s Arya Stark again. It’s a turbulent journey in which she deals with revenge and justice, and she manages to fight for justice once she reclaims her identity as Arya Stark of Winterfell. Her journey has always been about that: identity. We meet her as an outsider in her own family group, an outcast. It would’ve been reasonable to go full circle, and show Arya to the audience being with her family, show her being accepted just as she is (things that made her an outsider in the beginning). Arya’s journey is a typical Heroine’s Journey.

She starts the series with a separation of the femenine. We see her dislike for feminine things and her desire to do what her brothers do. And taking her ending to Winterfell would’ve displayed perfectly the integration of the masculine (her being a water dancer and a faceless man) with the femenine (her new relationship with her sister and playing a role in Sansa’s court). She’d be right where she started, but different. She’d be accepted and valued for who she is. But we know GRRM is going for the bittersweet ending, and that ending is too sweet an ending for George’s liking, I imagine. But in my opinion, you can always bring a bittersweet sense to the ending by showing how hard it is to rebuild their world. Because that’s what they’ll all have to do: rebuild. These characters started the series are children or teenagers, and by the end they have the responsability to rebuild what other people have destroyed. Give the audience a glimpse of the hardships to come, show them that once it ends it won’t be sunshine and rainbows, but actual hard work. But then again, that’s just my opinion.

Bran

It’s a bit complicated for me when it comes to disscussing Bran’s ending. The thing is, D&D never understood Bran’s character. That’s why his connection to magical elements are downplayed a lot. That’s why he was missing a whole season. Because D&D didn’t understand his character and ultimately treated him as a plot device, mainly for the RLJ reveal. That’s why so many people have problems accepting him ending up as King, I think. Because it feels out of nowhere.

TBH, I’m on the fence regarding his ending. Not because I can’t see him as King, but because of D&D’s inconsistent writing. From S1 he’s linked to the magical aspects of the story but D&D downplayed those aspects so hard that ultimately Bran’s story fell generic. Then you have the season in which he was missing, explained as “him training to be the TER”. But then he’s brought back because he’s important again. We see him train with the TER, understand his powers of greenseeing a bit more and his link to the Night King. But then again, his character does a one-eighty, and by the end of S6 and the entirety of S7 he turns out to be a soulless, omnipresent God rather than the boy that wanted to fly. Sure, it can be “justified” if you go with the “Bran died in the TER cave” way of thinking. But what bugs me the most of D&D’s writing of Bran is that he stated that he wasn’t capable of being Lord of Winterfell, simply because he wasn’t Bran Stark anymore. He did that twice: once in S7 when Sansa gave him the title back (his claim surpasses Sansa’s since he’s a man) and once again in S8 when Tyrion offers him the chance to be Lord and Warden if he wants to (to ensure little to no resistance from the North respecting Daenerys). He declines both times, he gives his reasons. But in the series finale, when Tyrion proposes him as King, he’s suddenly Bran Stark again and able to rule? It doesn’t make sense. The thing is that D&D fucked up when it came to Bran, and the story overall suffered for it.

Sansa

Sansa’s arc has been defined by family and belonging, as all of the Starklings. But what differentiates her arc to those of her siblings is the fact that time and time again, she was referenced as “The Key to the North” aka the future of House Stark. The fact that she starts the series as a dreamer, a feminine girl that yearns for a family of her own and a valiant husband that loves and respects her, only for those dreams to be beaten out of her almost immediately, leads you to believe her arc will come full circle in a way in the end. But since GRRM is going for the bittersweet ending, maybe it was never in Sansa’s cards for her to end up married and having the family she always wanted, but at least she could be surrounded by her remaining family or those she considers family.

Yes, in the end, she “won”. She’s home and she’s Queen in her own right. But her journey feels inconclusive. Her arc is the only one tied to the themes of marriage and family (in the sense of having her own children) in a romantic way. She was defined as a character through her womanhood, as @esther-dot said. But not once she has had a romantic partner. Which really leaves you thinking, since minor characters like Bronn and Pod had “romantic” partners. But not Sansa. She was punished by the narrative for wanting to be a wife and a mother.

She was married off twice, she was groomed and raped. We see her go from a girl with dreams to a suffering woman, all because of her name and her being “the Key to the North”. She has basically been put through all that suffering and pain because of her identity. And even after all that, she ended up alone. She has not known what a consensual relationship is, what a healthy romantic relationship is like.

Even if we abstain from talking about romantic relationships, ever since leaving King’s Landing, all she wanted was to go home and rebuild it for her family. Since reuniting with her siblings, all she wanted was to take care of her family, for all of them to be a pack. After having her isolated and surrounded by enemies, it would’ve been satisfying to know that at least she was now surrounded by family and/or friends. But no, she ends up alone, after just finding Jon, Bran and Arya, after feeling safe with Brienne.

TL;DR: D&D fucked up big time by forgetting that the Starks always were the heart of the story. They used them as plot devices to reach their ending, which is why the Starks’ endings feel hollow because it was not driven by the characters themselves but by the writers’ need to reach the finish line. So, even if they ended the Game alive and well and in places of power, it feels unearned in some ways, nonsensical in others.

Thanks for the ask!