#i. alicent arryn — with abraxas martell.

[wnterreign]

with abraxas martell / @stxrfclls where: the gardens.

        alicent  had  known  there  was  a chance, likely a high one, that her invitation would go unanswered. were the roles reversed the thought would have crossed her mind. thus a breath she hadn't realized she was holding escaped when she saw the prince approaching. she stood up.   ❝ thank you for joining me, your highness. i'm certain you're busy with the joust. ❞   and given the terms they'd been on last they'd spoken, alicent had to think that she wasn't on the list of people he would want to converse with.

[wnterreign]

        alicent  couldn't  remember  a  time  when she hadn't been guarded to some extent. early lessons had told her to pick her friends carefully and be wary of others who were not family. house arryn's tragedies had only built those walls higher. spoken vows alone not enough to climb above them, no matter how clear her good sister's love for the prince was, he'd still been mostly unknown to alicent, and she far preferred judging action. house martell's conduct leaving her disappointed. yet she should've shown restraint, another lesson taught that she'd forgotten. and had abraxas stormed off rather than show kindness she would have understood why.   ❝ i sincerely hope for the same. not only with sharra, but with you as well. ❞ she greatly misliked being in conflict with family, and it was time another arryn extended that treatment to him.   ❝ if you'll give me the chance. ❞ alicent expected no miracles but hoped she could prove her words true, that she was not the woman he'd encountered months ago.

abraxas  had  been  gifted  in  a  crash  course  of  how  differently  families  worked  compared  to  his  own.  a  lesson  he  had  not  asked  for  ,  but  one  he  supposed  was  needed  regardless  of  the  delivery.  when  he  thought  that  the  arryns  were  an  extension  of  his  house  ,  he'd  soon  learned  that  they  saw  him  as  just  as  much  an  outsider  as  their  reputation  held  towards  the  rest  of  westeros.  it'd  burned  ,  but  for  the  sake  of  his  wife  he  stood  where  he  was.  were  he  any  other  prince  ,  even  his  younger  self  ,  brax  would  have  already  walked  away  with  a  laugh.  "  i  understand  the  place you found yourself in  ,  alicent.  "  he  bites  his  tongue  ,  not  mentioning  that  her  reasoning  could  not  translate  to  that  of  her  husband  or  good  brother  ,  both  who  acted  in  similar  fashions.  "  i  was  worried  for  sharra's  safety  as  well.  "  he  says  instead.  it's  not  his  place  to  hold  her  accountable  for  the  other  members  of  her  house  ,  but  abraxas  does  not  expect  an  apology  from  her  husband  to  ever  come.  "  i  shall  still  share  that  we've  had  this  talk  ,  and  hopefully  that  can  help  mend  what  was  broken.  "  for  sharra's  sake  ,  for  any  children  they  ever  did  have.

[wnterreign]

with  abraxas  martell     /     @stxrfclls​

        after  her  conduct  during  her  questioning,  alicent  had  thought,  and  hoped,  that  the  martells  would’ve  understood  that  they  were  not  people  she  wanted  to  see  at  this  time.  she  had  enough  on  her  mind,  worrying  about  her  people  and  the  fact  that  she’d  be  giving  birth  in  a  castle  she  felt  entirely  unsafe  in,  which  meant  she  lacked  both  the  time  and  patience  to  comfort  them  for  their  continued  failures.  so  when  there  was a  knock  at  the  door  followed  by  sharra’s  husband  entering,  alicent  couldn’t  barely  hide  her  annoyance.  she  stared  at  him  for  a  long  moment,  dark  eyes  cold  and  piercing,  before  looking  away.        ❝  now  is  not  the  best  time.  ❞        unless  he  finally  had  answers  -  unlikely  given  the  questions  they  were  asking  for  their  investigation.

[wnterreign]

alicent  arryn  summoned  to  the  inquisition.

        the  lady  of  the  vale  was  the  very  image  of  composure  as  she  entered  the room  and  took  a  seat  before  the  council.  there  was  no  reason  for  her  to  worry.  if  anything,  it  should  be  the  martells  answering  to  her  why  her  good  sister’s  safety  had  been  failed  now  twice.  however, all  signs  of  the  frusteration  she  had  freely  disclosed  to  her  husband  were  now  locked  tightly  away,  but  the  warmth  with  which  she’d  once  offered  the  dornish  royals,  now  an  extension  of  her  family,  was  muted.

when did you arrive in sunspear ?

❝  a  few  weeks  before  the  other  guests  began  arriving.  ❞       a  fact  they  would  know  seeing  as  sharra’s  second  wedding  had  been  a  small  affair.        ❝  i,  along  with  my  husband,  attended  the  small  ceremony  celebrating  the  union  of  my  good  sister  and  prince  abraxas.  ❞        she  pointedly  didn’t  look  at  the man  when  she  spoke  his  name.

what were you doing the day of the wedding ?

❝  i  remained  in  the  arryn  apartments,  resting  and  then  getting  ready,  until  the  wedding  celebration  began.  there  were  a  few  alterations  that  the  dressmaker  needed  to  make  to  my  dress  that  took  longer  than  anticipated.  ❞

did you leave the festivities at any point during the ceremony or reception ? where did you go ? did you return ?

alicent  hoped  the question  was  posed  only  to  confirm  records  the  guards  had  kept  and  not  because  the  martells  had  neglected  to  keep  track  of  who  came  and  went  during  the  celebration.       ❝  no,  i  didn’t.  ❞

did you see anyone leave ?

❝  many.  it  seemed  people  were  coming  and  going  as  they  pleased,  but  i  didn’t  pay  them  much  mind.  ❞       that  should’ve  also  been  the  responsibility  of  the  martells’  guards,  but  as  these  questions  continued  she  found  her  faith  that  they’d  remembered to  fulfill  any  aspect  of their  job  that  evening  fading.

what were you doing when the fire began ? what did you do in response ?

❝  sitting  with  my  husband  in  the  ballroom,  which  is  where  i  was  for  the  entire  reception.  we  had  been  preparing  to  return  to  our  room.  ❞       she couldn’t  help  but  raise  a  brow  at  the  follow-up  question.  she  rested  a  hand  on  her  pregnant  stomach.        ❝  well,  given  my  current  state  i  doubt  i  would’ve  been  much  help  to  anyone.  i,  with  the  help  of  my  husband,  left  the  room  as  quickly  as  possible.  only  once  i  knew  all  my  family  had  made  it  out  did  i  return  to  my  room.  ❞

where do you think the fire started ? do you have any ideas on who might have started it or how they might have gotten in ?

❝  i  didn’t  have  the  chance  to  wander  around  the  ballroom  or  courtyard  much  as  i  was  quite  tired  so  i  cannot  answer  with  any  certainty.  there  were  plenty  of  tapestries  and  flowers.  ❞        and  if  they’d  done  any  investigating  she  didn’t  understand  why  they  wouldn’t  have  at  least  a  general  idea  of  where  the  blaze  had  begun.

do you know any of the victims of the fire personally ? do you suspect any foul play ? would anyone wish to see them harmed ?

the  crack  in  her  composure  grew,  eyes  widening, and  she  bit  her  tongue  so  some  of  the  venom  filling  her  mouth  dissipated  before  she  spoke.       ❝  yes,  my  good  sister,  sharra  martell,  has  now  almost  been  kidnapped  twice.  ❞        alicent  locked  eyes  with  each  member  of  the  council  but  it  was  the  master  of  whispers  that  her  gaze  lingered  on  the  longest.      ❝  clearly  there  is.  and  while  i’m  certain  house  arryn  has  enemies,  sharra’s  life  has  only  been  in  danger  since  she  came  to  sunspear.   ❞

who do you think the targets of the attacks and fire were ? do you think some were used as a smoke screen ?

❝  your  newest  princesses.  ❞       she  answered  without  hesitation,  incredulous  that  they  even  needed  to  ask.  more  words  were  on  the  tip  of  her  tongue,  but  alicent  decided  it  was  best  to  keep  her  answers  brief  before  her  frustrations  grew  too  palpable.

what were you doing yesterday morning ? ( the day of the murder ) did you see or hear anything unusual throughout the day ?

❝  i  remained  in  the  arryn  apartments  all  day  so  no,  i  did  not.  ❞

what do you know about the recent murder ? are you aware of the victim or who might have desired them dead ? do you think the victim is tied to anyone in sunspear ?

❝  the  rumors  say  it’s  one  of  your  bannermen.  ❞        another  person  house  martell  had  failed  to  protect.        ❝  but  that  is  all  i  know.  ❞

are there any houses of people you suspect may have any involvement in these attacks ? are you suspicious of anyone ?

alicent  considered  holding  her  tongue,  a  demure  no  would  hopefully  see  a  quick  end  to  this  line  of  questioning,  but  with  sharra’s  wellbeing  on  the  line,  she  could  not  keep  her  suspicions  to  herself.  she  took  a  deep  breath,  leaning  into  her  courtesies  and  not  letting  any  accusation  slip  into  her  tone.      ❝  i  believe  house  martell  should  look  at  all  with  reasons  to  oppose  your  recent  marriages,  even  if  suspicion  falls  within  your  own  borders.  ❞

have you seen or heard anything that could be of use to the crown at this time ?

❝  unfortunately,  i  have  not.  but  if  i  do  i  will  be  sure  to  share  it  with  your  grace.  ❞       based  on  their  previous  actions,  or  rather  lack  of  any,  alicent  wondered  if  any  information  would  be  put  to  good  use.

do you have anything else you’d like to share ?

her  nails  lightly  pressed  into  her  palms.  you  should  be  the  ones  sharing  how  you  intend  to  keep  my  good  sister  safe  after  your  failures.  she  shook  her  head.        ❝  no,  your  grace.  may  i  return  to  my  apartments  now?  i  fear  all  this  stress  isn’t  good  for  my  baby.  ❞

[wnterreign]

with  abraxas  martell    /    @stxrfclls​ where:   somewhere outdoors in winterfell.

        marriages  for  people  of  their  rank  were rarely based on genuine feelings, politics interfering with that, but she was grateful that wouldn’t be the case for her good sister. based on her quiet observations of the pair, they seemed very much in love, and the marriage tied dorne’s strength to the vale. the only source of sadness was having to say farewell to sharra for half the year.        ❝  prince abraxas, i hope you aren’t exaggerating how cold you are in hopes that sharra will relinquish visits to the eyrie.  ❞        tone was light, but there was a seriousness underneath.        ❝  you will have a very cross sister on your hands if that is so.  ❞

[wnterreign]

        her  eyes  had  remained  fixated  on the prince, noting even the smallest change in his expression, including the brief flicker of surprise. a good surprise, she hoped.  ❝ we should have, ❞   she agreed.   ❝ i didn't feel in my usual state of mind in dorne between my pregnancy and my brother's death still recent. and then i feared that sharra . . . ❞   she shook her head slightly. remembering how close to harm her good sister had been remained difficult to speak of. hopefully he'd understand what she alluded to.  ❝ i say that not as an excuse but an explanation. ❞   yet as a ruling lady, she still should've conducted herself better; she'd been raised to do so.   ❝ i wouldn't expect nor ask you to. ❞  for she spoke not for her husband or good brothers either. her shoulders relaxed slightly.   ❝ thank you, abraxas. ❞

abraxas  wasn't  sure  where  the  conversation  would  go  ,  despite  many  assumptions  he'd  attempted  to  remain  neutral.  the  prince  measures  his  surprise  when  alicent  dives  right  in  ,  but  if  she  were  watching  she    might  have  caught  the  glimmer  in  his  eyes  before  he  tamped  it  down.  he  nods  gently  ,  allowing  alicent  to  continue  and  listening  to  her  intently.  her  behavior  ,  and  that  of  her  husband  ,  had  been  one  of  the  highest  insults  he'd  ever  experienced  ,  an  apology  was  needed  but  not  expected.  he  didn't  know  them  well  enough  to  think  it  to  happen.  "  i  won't  deny  that  the  behavior  caught  me  by  surprise  ,  i  had  thought  we  could  handle  things  differently.  "  he  says  slowly.  "  i  accept  your  apology  ,  alicent  ,  but  i  cannot  speak  for  the  rest  of  my  family  nor  wife.  "  he  wouldn't  stand  between  sharra  and  her  family  ,  nor  would  he  actively  try  to  fix  the  situation  either.

[wnterreign]

        there  still  lingered  a  little  frusteration  over how the events in dorne had unfolded, but time and distance had served as calming factors, permitting logic to return where emotion had ruled. stubborn she may be, but family had always been more important. mending the divide that now existed far more important than her pride. she took a slow breath.   ❝ i wanted to apologize for my conduct in sunspear. ❞ she saw no point in dancing around the topic.   ❝ i was frightened, not only for myself but my family and my child, and frustrated, especially after the wedding was attacked. however, i was out of line and treated you and your family unkindly. i didn't consider what you were going through. for all of that, i sincerely apology, abraxas. ❞

abraxas  would  not  go  out  of  his  way  to  avoid  the  members  of  house  arryn  ,  but  he  did  not  wish  to  see  them  either.  it'd  been  a  breath  of  fresh  air  when  sunspear  emptied  ,  and  his  blissfulness  with  sharra  had  come  back.  save  darnell  ,  he  was  unhappy  with  the  split  caused  but  also  too  prideful  to  fix  it  when  he  was  not  in  the  wrong.  despite  that  pride  ,  though  ,  he  would  not  turn  down  an  offer  when  one  reached  out  ,  hence  his  agreement  to  meet  alicent.  if  they  could  resolve  this  ,  he  would  try.  "  of  course  ,  though  you  do  not  need  to  use  my  title.  "  he  understood  why  she  had  ,  but  abraxas  didn't  wish  to  start  off  on  that  foot.