#joy hill asoiaf

[lovelyllamasblog]

Thank you @rakiah for taking my commission for Joy Hill!! She's so beautiful!!

Some background for those who don't know;

Joy Hill is the bastard of the Lannisters, the natural born daughter of Tywin's youngest brother, Gerion, who went missing before the start of the series. Her mother is named Briony and that's all we know about her.

She only gets mentioned in A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows. Jaime calls her sweet, but also lonely. Some of the headcanons I've seen is that she lives on Casterly Rock and is being raised by her paternal aunt, Genna Lannister-Frey.

I also ship her with Jon Snow. Why? High born bastards who are easily overlooked by others, who understand both the highborns and the lowborns. Depending on the circumstances, they would definitely have a common ground that could become something more.

[wolfhertz]

Fell into a new series. Whoops 🫢

Decided to do some designs for some Lannister ladies who didn't appear in the show/books (yet). A lot of them don't really have much in way of descriptions so I kinda just went wild🤷‍♀️

I'm still slogging through the books so these are very show-inspired (plus I love the costume design of the earlier seasons, fuck it). Joanna's white-blonde hair is inspired by @amuelia's headcanon. I think it's a really cool idea :3

Reblogs are appreciated❤️

[chic-beyond-the-wall]

What Joy Hill would wear

[coldraindropsss]

Briony, Joy Hill, Lynora Hill

[iceywolf24]

I do hope when the Lannister regime inevitably collapses that Martyn and Dorna manage to get themselves, Janei and Joy to safety.

We don't know much of him but given Martyn is around 14 I think he can learn from his family's mistakes.

[cynicalclassicist]

That's some interesting stuff about the Lannisters. And goes into their toxic nature. And the nature of Westerosi society.

Lannisters, Sex, and Power

“Everything is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.” ~ Oscar Wilde

Perhaps I’ve shown my hand a little too soon — perhaps I should have left you hanging. But sex is a key means by which Lannisters in A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) cement and legitimise power.

Keep reading

[duxbelisarius]

Dune At Home: The First Dornish War, Part One

This is a project I've had on the backburner ever since I finished my Military Analysis of the Dance. I mentioned in my analysis of the Velaryon Blockade that I plan to rewrite the Dance series at some point, in light of the research and further reading I've done into the subject of pre-modern warfare. One can look at this new series focused on the First Dornish War as essentially a trial run for the rewrite, but my reasons for analyzing this war in particular go far beyond that.

The First Dornish War was the largest conflict fought by the Seven Kingdoms following unification, while its outcome cast a long shadow over the history of Westeros and the Targaryen Dynasty. There's Rhaenys' death and the affect it has on her family, the recurrent desire of future monarchs to conquer Dorne and succeed where Aegon failed, to say nothing of the way in which the events of the war have influenced and continue to influence the plot of the main ASOIAF books. While F&B only devotes 10 pages to the war as compared to the 200 taken up by the Dance, the importance of the First Dornish War far exceeds it's limited coverage, and we can probably expect to learn more about it in TWOW, ADOS, and the Aegon's Conquest series planned by HBO. This more than justifies analyzing the First Dornish War and the extent to which it is consistent with George's own worldbuilding and what we know about Medieval and Early Modern war.

This first part of the series will assess the Dornish worldbuilding, what information we have about its people, geography, environment and society as a whole. The purpose of doing this is to establish a baseline of what we can know or reasonably infer about Dorne from what the books tell us, which can then be compared to how Dorne is portrayed in F&B during the First Dornish War. I also recommend checking out the Dornish installments of the Politics of the Seven Kingdoms series written by the late Steven Attewell of Race for the Iron Throne; if you want a second opinion or more detail, his series is absolutely worth your while!

Atlas of Ice and Fire estimates that Dorne's size is approximately 328 472 square miles, using a similar process to TWOIAF editor Elio Garcia; this makes Dorne slightly smaller than Pakistan (340 509 square miles) and slightly larger than the former French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, c.290 000 square miles). Atlas estimates a population of c.3 million in Dorne at the time of the ASOIAF series with his calculations again using methods similar to Elio, but the population may easily be lesser or greater than these extrapolations. Unfortunately the demographics of Planetos are a mess at best, and Dorne's population and that of the Seven Kingdoms should in theory be much smaller at the time of the First Dornish War.

ADWD's map of the south and TWOIAF's map of Dorne identify 16 and 17 populated locations in Dorne respectively, excluding Ghaston Grey, the Tower of Joy, Vulture's Roost and the Water Gardens. 7 of these settlements are located in the Red Mountains, aka the Dornish Marches: Starfall, High Hermitage, Blackmont, Skyreach, Kingsgrave, Wyl and Yronwood. Dorne is divided into eastern and western halves south of the mountains, with the eastern half beginning in the hills around the source of the Vaith and Scourge rivers and extending to the Broken Arm, and Dorne's western half comprising mostly desert save for the sulfurous Brimstone River. The aforementioned maps show only two settlements in western Dorne, Sandstone and Hellholt, while the remaining 7-8 settlements are located in Eastern Dorne: Vaith, Salt Shore, Lemonwood, Sunspear, Ghost Hill, Godsgrace, The Tor and Planky Town. All of the settlements in eastern Dorne are located directly beside the Vaith, Scourge and Greenblood Rivers or to the north of them, save for Salt Shore on Dorne's southern coast.

These dispositions reflect what we know about the settlement patterns of Dorne's past from TWOIAF: the majority of the First Men settled in the Greenblood valley or the Red Mountains, with the Daynes, Fowlers and Yronwoods settling in the latter area and the Wades, Shells and many more settling by the former. Only the unnamed Lords of the Wells ventured into the western deserts, and these were a minority. Only with the arrival of the Andals do we know of named houses settling in the west, House Uller and Qorgyle, while the Martells, Allyrions, Jordaynes, Santagars and Vaiths settled in the east along the northern coast and in the river valleys. When the Rhoynar arrived in Dorne and finally settled they mainly stayed in the east near the coast and the river valleys, further cementing the Red Mountains and eastern Dorne as the most populous areas of the country.

The distribution of Dorne's population is also consistent with the information we have about it's geography and climate. George's inspirations for Dorne in this regard were Spain and Palestine, and Morocco also fits the bill, being regions where summers are hot and dry and winters are cool and wet. These areas also have the bulk of their population situated along the coast and in the major river valleys, which is again consistent with George's worldbuilding. More than three-quarters of the land south of the Red Mountains is arid wasteland according to TWOIAF, with the bulk of this land being flat save for the hills at the source of the Greenblood and it's tributaries, and a small mountain range between The Tor and Ghost Hill on Dorne's northern coast. Dorne's southern coast is some 400 leagues/c.1200 miles long according to Rodrick Harlaw, and is largely barren outside of Salt Shore with few sources of fresh water for passing ships to utilize.

It should also come as no surprise that Dorne's population distribution coincides with those areas with an abundance of fresh water, for consumption and agricultural purposes. Eastern Dorne is mostly scrubland with hard, rocky soil that relies heavily upon the Greenblood for irrigation; alongside the Brimstone and Torrentine, the Greenblood is the only river which does not dry up during any season. Potential sources of fresh water in the Red Mountains include the Torrentine and Wyl Rivers as well as an unnamed river that ends near Yronwood, alongside groundwater from wells and rain/meltwater collected from streams, springs and cisterns. Due to the Brimstone being sulfurous, fresh water in western Dorne comes primarily from wells, watering holes and oases.

The result of Dorne's varied geography, climate and population distribution a history of political division and the emergence of Dornish subcultures following Nymeria's wars. The Rhoynar arrived in Dorne less than 700 years before Aegon's Conquest, following the destruction of the Rhoynar Principalities by the Valyrian Freehold, prior to which the First Men and Andals had warred with each other and their Reacher and Stormlord neighbours for millenia. Nymeria and her people spent more than four years in the area of the Summer Sea before arriving in Dorne and allying with Mors Martell, and it took more than a decade to unify the Dornish lands. Four Dornish subcultures emerged in the centuries after the Rhoynar settled, known to us from the ASOIAF books and TWOIAF as the Stoney, Sandy and Salty Dornish, and the Orphans of the Greenblood.

The Orphans have a small population that lives on poleboats in the Greenblood valley and near Planky Town, and retain the language and gods of the Rhoynar, while the Salty Dornish live along the coast and retain some Rhoynar customs but have adopted the common tongue and the Faith of the Seven. The Sandy Dornish live in the deserts and the river valleys, and are closer to the Rhoynar than the Stony Dornish who live in the Red Mountains, some of whom may still practice male-preference primogeniture as opposed to absolute primogeniture. Internal divisions ensured conflict too place within Dorne even after unification, with Nymeria facing two rebellions during her 27 year reign according to TWOIAF. The Yronwoods rebelled several times in the centuries before Aegon's Conquest and supported 3 of the 5 Blackfyre rebellions; following the death of Nymeria's grandson Mors II, his successors the Red Princes (2 of 3 were female) faced further rebellions and sought to suppress the Rhoynar language, driving the Orphans to speak their mother tongue in secret only.

Other aspects of Dorne's worldbuilding will be discussed in greater detail in subsequent installments, but for now I believe this is a solid baseline for us to use. Similar to my analysis of the Velaryon Blockade, I'm going to offer my potential fix-its or improvements now as opposed to saving them all for a conclusion like I did with the Dance series. I think this is process is better based on the feedback I received for the Dance, as its better to highlight those aspects that still work and what areas can be made better as opposed to just listing off flaws ad nauseum. Although not perfect, I think that Dorne's worldbuilding is a step up from how the rest of the Seven Kingdoms are portrayed, being on par with the North and Iron Islands in terms of the information we're given about their socities and their cultural diversity. With the exception of the Vale and Riverlands to some extent, Westeros between the Neck and the Dornish Marches tends to blend together; for example, we have little indication of any differences in Westerlands culture between the coast and the Western Hills, or the mining communities and peasant farmers, despite having three major POVs from the Westerlands (Jaime, Cersei, Tyrion).

Dorne's cultural diversity is significant as there should be a greater variety of cultures and languages in Westeros just based on the great distances and different terrain, even among the First Men and Andals. That being said, there is one quibble I have concerning the four Dornish subcultures, specifically the 'Stony' and 'Sandy Dornish.' Rhoynar culture had a strong affinity with water due to their original home in the Rhoyne valley and use of water magic; TWOIAF also states that those who settled in Dorne preferred to live by the sea which had been their home during their wanderings, hence the 'Salty Dornish' culture. It doesn't really follow that the 'Sandy Dornish' should be more like the Rhoynar than the 'Stony' based on this information; if anything the reverse should be the case based on geography and settlement patterns.

Access to the sea is greater in the Red Mountains than the western desert thanks to the mouth of the Torrentine and the western coast of the Sea of Dorne, whereas Dorne's southern coast is mostly uninhabitable. The greater abundance of fertile land and fresh water in the mountains would better accommodate Rhoynar refugees than the more scarce resources of the western deserts; despite TWOIAF's references to water witches making "dry streams flow and deserts bloom," the majority of Dorne's population remains concentrated in the east and the Red Mountains, suggesting these were just legends or that water magic did not significantly improve the habitability of western Dorne.

The way the 'Sandy Dornish' and their culture are described is also contradictory; despite references to their living in the river valleys as well as the deserts, TWOIAF makes it clear that outside the valleys, "men live in different fashion" and describes the 'Sandy' way of life as centered around wells and oasis which support life in the desert. We also know that five of the six kings that Nymeria exiled to the wall were from the Red Mountains: Yorick Yronwood, Vorian Dayne, Garrison Fowler, Benedict Blackmont and Albin Manwoody, with Lucifer Dryland of Hellgate being the outlier. Largescale Rhoynar settlement in the marches should have been a priority for Nymeria in light of the opposition she faced from the lords of the Red Mountains, both to repopulate an area that had seen heavy fighting and ensure that the border of Dorne was settled with people that were personally loyal to her and had arranged marriages with the local houses.

The 'Stony Dornish' should be closer to the Rhoynar than the 'Sandy' on this basis alone, and this could have had interesting implications for the story and worldbuilding. Given the significant presence of the Andals in the western deserts, it would have been interesting to see how this remoteness affected the local development and practice of the Faith of the Seven. Ellaria Sand is a bastard of House Uller who are one of the Andal houses that settled in the desert, though we only get glimpses of her in ASOS, AFFC and ADWD; by having the 'Sandy Dornish' be more distinct, we could have seen how her houses' Andal roots affected her character if at all. Perhaps she would be closer to Tyene Sand due to her training to be a Septa, and Tyene could even instruct Oberyn and Ellaria's four daughters in the Faith? In fact this raises a broader criticism of the Dornish worldbuilding, being how the practice of the Faith in Dorne differs from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. TWOIAF mentions that the more liberal sexual morays of the Rhoynar clashed with the teachings of the Faith, but is the Dornish Faith deemed schismatic? Were there any conflicts with the Faith hierarchy? This is a subject that would be worth exploring since the in-universe author of TWOIAF, Maester Yandel, insists that the Andals learned ironworking from the Rhoynar and that there were relations between the two peoples prior to the Andal migrations. Did Rhoynar beliefs affect the development of the Faith in Essos and vice-versa, and did this have any affect on the adopting of the Faith by the Rhoynar that settled in Dorne?

We're going to cover more issues with the worldbuilding of Dorne once we start discussing the First Dornish War itself, but for now these are the extent of my issues as concerns the foundational worldbuilding. I believe George did a solid job of constructing it despite some flaws, and that greater issues mainly arise when trying to square this portrayal of Dorne with what we're shown in the Dornish Wars.

[lemonhemlock]

One thing I do find annoying about GRRM's work is that he really lays on the 'bastardphobia' thick lmaooo. In real life, back in the medieval era, bastards weren't necessarily treated poorly per se, well depending on their fathers/mothers circumstances, I suppose, and weren't seen as these 'inherently untrustworthy, lustful creatures.' Henry VIII's bastard, Henry Fitzroy, was given a royal title and household I believe and wasn't treated like a leper or anything. Mary Queen of Scots bastard brother was a friend/advisor to her before they had a falling out or some type of conflict iirc. He also I think held noble titles/lands.

I get he's trying to make a point about bastardy in Westeros and this is a fictional story but I feel like people take this fictional Westerosi mindest and project onto actual history. Like, bastards were really not that big of a deal or whatever in real life.

On the whole, I think that men's bastards were looked upon more favourably than bastards borne by noble ladies, but in-universe it's a trope meant to explore certain themes or ideas and provide much-needed narrative tension. It may appear exaggerated at times, but it bears mentioning that not all ASOIAF bastards are controversial. The case of Dorne is one to note, of course, and there are other individual examples of bastards that are handled in a fairly chill manner - Mya Stone, Edric Storm (who would have had an OK life if it weren't for Melisandre constantly trying to kill him), Joy Hill, Garse & Garrett Flowers, Aurane Waters etc. There are enough high-born bastards that are shown to be either considered for or occupying official positions such as master-at-arms, in the City Watch, on the High Council, there's one that was Lord Commander of the Kingsguard (Addison Hill) etc. So I wouldn't even say GRRM has an axe to grind against bastards.

[mneiai]

Jon Snow's Living Situation in ASOIAF

A lot of people take for granted that it was "unusual" for Jon Snow to be raised at Winterfell, so I tried to gather information on as many natural born children mentioned in ASOIAF and related materials to see if that was true.

And it seems not to be, even in the South (outside of Dorne, even). The children born out of wedlock to highborn parents seem to be kept with them or nearby.

This is admittedly a small sample size (around 80 characters, and I didn't go too deep into it so I'm missing at least some), but it's not like this is real history, and the fact that Jon's situation is not unusual seeming from what we're shown in the books just adds to the idea that people's impressions of what is normal are not the truth of what is normal.

Northern Bastards that lived/probably lived with their families (other than Jon himself):

Brandon Snow (Torrhen Stark’s brother, most likely lived at Winterfell)

Sara Snow (Rickon Stark’s daughter during the Dance, if she existed definitely lived at Winterfell)

Dacey, Alysane, Lyra, Jorelle, and Lyanna Mormont (Maege Mormont’s daughters, father(s) unknown and most likely not married to Maege)

Denys Snow (Bastard of Barrowtown, bastard of House Dustin)

Lonnel Snow (Son of Brandon Stark from Daeron II’s reign, possibly the origin of House Cassel)

Timothy Snow (the Bastard of Flint’s Finger, presumably lived with his Flint relatives)

Northern Bastards who were acknowledged and fostered elsewhere in the North:

Larence Snow (Halys Hornwood’s son, fostered with the Glovers)

Other Bastards who seem to have lived with/near their families:

Addison Hill (Bastard of Cornfield during the Conquest)

Alys River (House Strong, a wet nurse at Harrenhal)

Aurane Waters (Bastard of Driftmark, Lord Monford Velaryon’s brother)

Bastard of Blackhaven (House Dondarrion during the conquest)

Bastard of Harrenhal (House Lothston during Daeron II’s reign)

Bryden Rivers (Bloodraven), Gwenys Rivers, Mya Rivers

Cedrik Storm (Bastard of Bronzegate, House Buckler bastard, fought Barristan Selmy)

Daemon Sand (Bastard of Godsgrace, son of Ryon Allyrion)

Daemon Waters (aka Daemon Blackfyre, son of Princess Daena and Aegon IV)

Falia Flowers (daughter of Humfrey Hewitt, though made a servant)

Joy Hill (Gerion Lannister’s daughter)

Lynora Hill (daughter of Ser Jason Lannister, works at Casterly Rock)

Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, Tyene Sand, Sarella Sand, Elia Sand, Obella Sand, Dorea Sand, and Loreza Sand (the Sand Snakes)

Orys Baratheon (rumored bastard of Aerion Targaryen)

Red Robb Rivers (the Bowman of Raventree, bastard of House Blackwood)

Rolland Storm (Bastard of Nightsong, House Caron)

Ronald Storm (son of Ser Ronnet Connington)

Ronard Storm (House Durrandon, usurped his brother King Morden II)

Tom Flowers (Bastard of Bitterbridge, from House Caswell during the Dance)

Tyler Hill (Bastard of Lannisport, son of Lord Lyman during Maegor’s reign)

Tyrion Tanner (Lollys Stokeworth’s son)

Walda Rivers (great-granddaughter of Walder Frey)

Walder Rivers (Walder Frey’s oldest bastard son)

Walys (Maester at Winterfell under Rickard Stark, while becoming a Maester might normally be seen as sending the child away, he was the son of a Hightower and an Archmaester)

Wex Pyke (son of Sargon Botley)

(I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume if someone is called “Bastard of [seat of their family]” that they lived with their family, as Jon Snow is the “Bastard of Winterfell”)

Other Bastards who possibly lived with their families (at least for a time)

Blackshield (Bastard of Uplands, possibly of House Mullendore)

Ellaria Sand (daughter of Harmen Uller)

Garrett and Garse Flowers (Mace Tyrell’s first cousins, presumably lived with their father)

Harry Rivers (Bastard of Bracken, son of Lord Jonos Bracken)

Shiera Seastar (daughter of Aegon IV, not really confirmed where she lived her early years I don't think, though most likely in King’s Landing)

Bastards definitely not raised at home:

Aegor Rivers (Bittersteel, would have been raised in King’s Landing but Daeron and Aemon forced Aegon to send him away)

Cotter Pyke (Night’s Watch member, most likely did not live with his highborn relatives)

Edric Storm (Robert Baratheon’s son, technically was raised at his family’s seat in Storm’s End, but not at the Red Keep)

Gendry Waters (Robert Baratheon’s son)

Mya Stone (Robert Baratheon’s daughter)

All the rest of Robert Baratheon's kids

Notable bastards whose situations are not at all comparable to Jon’s:

Ramsey Snow (Roose Bolton’s son, a product of a First Night rape)

Benedict I Justman (a Blackwood/Bracken mix, so basically an abomination in the eyes of the gods lol)

Addam and Alyn Velaryon (Lord Corlys Velaryon’s probable sons, most likely purposefully hidden)

Franklyn Flowers (mother was a small folk raped by Fossoways of Cider Hall)

Glendon Flowers (could not prove parentage, claimed to be Quentyn Ball’s son with a camp follower)

Jayne and Jon Waters (Alyn Velyaron and Elaena Targaryen’s children, Alyn died when they were young but had planned to marry Elaena)

Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella (obviously)

All of Lyonel Hightower and Samantha Tarly’s children (weren’t allowed to marry, but had children anyway)

Named bastards we don’t have enough information on:

Addam Rivers (briefly a river king)

Humfrey Waters (Commander of the City Watch)

Jafer Flowers (Night’s Watch member)

Mervyn Flowers (King Aegon III KG)

Robert Flowers (former LC of the KG)

Robin Hill (former LC of NW)

Ser Samuel Stone (Runestone master-at-arms)

Tristan Rivers (Golden Company)

[cynicalclassicist]

That double-dealing does sound very much in character for Tywin Lannister.

Hello. In ASOS Tywin tells Tyrion that Joy Hill will be marrying a Frey. However Sybell Spicer mentions to Jaime that Tywin promised a Casterly bride. Do you think Tywin made false promises to Sybell or Jaime misinterpreted the Casterly bride as Joy Hill?

I think there are two important points to remember here. Number one, Tywin was absolutely not above double dealing, giving what he didn’t actually have or promising something to one party while actually intended it for another (or not to give at all). We see this with Harrenhal, where Tywin freely confessed that giving Littlefinger the title was an empty honor so long as Roose Bolton occupied the castle. We see this with Gregor Clegane, where Tywin invited Oberyn to the capital to receive justice for the murders of Elia and her children while never actually intending to hand over the person both he and Oberyn knew to have been responsible for killing Elia and Aegon. We see this with the North, where Tywin signed off on naming Roose Warden following the Red Wedding and legitimizing Ramsay Snow while always intending Winterfell to go to Tyrion and Sansa’s son (once the Boltons had helpfully cleared out the ironborn). Therefore, I could absolutely believe that Tywin would promise the same bride to two different grooms, while only ever intending that Joy Hill should go to one of them.

Number two, while this is not explicitly spelled out, I don’t think Tywin particularly cared for the Spicer-Westerlings in general or Sybell in particular. Keep in mind, Tywin was an extremely classist person, someone who quite literally believed nobles are worth more than non-nobles (and Lannisters more than everyone else) and disdained the Free Cities because “[t]hey fight with coins instead of swords”. Consider how Jaime thinks of the Spicers as “a line of upjumped merchants” descended from “some sort of half-mad witch woman from the east”, how Cersei remembers Maggy the Frog as “mother to a petty lord, a wealthy merchant upjumped by my grandsire”, how Kevan argues that it was a mistake for Gawen Westerling to have married Sybell because “Lady Sybell’s grandfather was a trader in saffron and pepper, almost as lowborn as that smuggler Stannis keeps” and her “grandmother was some woman he'd brought back from the east”. I tend to think Tywin thought of the Spicers and Sybell along the same lines - upjumped merchants with “doubtful” Essosi blood and women who schemed and bedded their way to power, useful enough for his plans but not really worthy of mingling with House Lannister. 

So I think what happened is that Tywin used the exact words Sybell repeats to Jaime - “joy” and “a bride from Casterly Rock” - knowing exactly how ambitious Sybell would read them - that is, a daughter of the main Lannister line married to her Raynald. Gawen, after all, had approached Kevan with an offer to marry Jeyne to Willem or Martyn; why not, in Sybell’s mind, have Raynald marry Kevan’s daughter Janei, or Stafford’s daughters Myrielle or Cerenna, or one of the other Lannister female cousins who may exist, descended from Jason’s two unnamed sons? This would be a crowning achievement for the Spicer clan - to go in three generations from hawking saffron on the streets of Lannisport to having a lordly descendant marrying into House Lannister - and would make Sybell that much more likely to betray her current royal son-in-law.

At the same time, Tywin I think promised Joy Hill to a natural son of Walder Frey, always intending that this should be the marriage (or, at least, the betrothal) that actually took place. This, after all, is what he told Tyrion directly, when he had no reason to lie or mislead him and when virtually everything else he told him - Lancel’s and Daven’s betrothals to Freys, Riverrun going to Emmon Frey, Roose Bolton becoming Warden - is true (with the only misleading detail being “Arya Stark” going with Roose - Tywin did seem to recognize that this girl was not really Arya). If Raynald survived the Red Wedding (and Tywin obviously didn’t care enough to warn Walder about his pact with the Spicers), then when Sybell came demanding her Lannister marriage, he could present Joy Hill, comfortably (and correctly, as it turned out) predicting that Sybell would be aghast at the idea of her son marrying a bastard. Joy would be free to wed to Walder’s son (or, indeed, anyone else - she was young enough that Tywin might have thought that betrothal could be broken too, if a better prospect came along) and Tywin could say that he had followed the letter of the agreement exactly, without actually delivering what he promised (or mingling Lannister blood with that of the Spicers). 

(And yes, I know the WOIAF app says Jaime “misunderstands when [Sybell] states that the Westerlings ‘shall have joy of him’ and supposes that his father had promised to wed Joy Hill to the heir of the Crag”, but this is a rare circumstance where I think the text suggests otherwise.)

[lovelyllamasblog]

Sixteen Going On Seventeen from The Sound of Music but make it Lucemond

[chic-beyond-the-wall]

What Joy Hill would wear

[seashell-hawke]

satin being my favourite minor asoiaf character is a joke bc he isn’t as minor as my other favourite minor character, joy hill, a bastard lannister cousin with one mention who lives absolutely rent free 

[coldraindropsss]

Woman of house Lannister

[siravalondulac]

001. cerelle i

house of lies, city of blood

asoiaf ff | fem!oc centric

summary: the wayward princess finds her way home word count: 1989 warnings: none author's note: welcome back to book three of 'stars above, songs below'. i know i have left you waiting for quite a while, so i hope you enjoy this chapter :3

masterlist

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She did not know what she had expected, returning home near eleven years later. Relief, perhaps? Joy and hope, now that she was back. Or something in the complete opposite direction. Fear. Pain about having left at all.

Yet the only thing on her mind as she looked down on King's Landing and its red castle rising high above the city, was uncertainty. What if... What if her mother did not want her back? What if Oberyn didn't? What if she had changed so much no one recognised nor believed her? She had burnt so many bridges with so many people in her life, if that happened she might just throw herself into the sea and stay there. Perhaps the merfolk would be kinder.

Her mother's necklace chafed around her neck, the added weight of Benjiamin Vypren's ring doing her few favours.

(The scroll he had received from Tywin, foretelling the events at the Twins and confirming her grandfather’s involvement, was hidden safely in her pocket. The words had faded due to her escape through the river, yet were still legible. Just in case.)

She wondered what Jon would say if he saw her now. Running away from her problems once again, abandoning his siblings, turning her back on the people who truly needed her. Sure, she had saved his brother, but at what cost? Would he be more disgusted about her cowardice or the blood on her hands? Or would he simply not care?

Such a thought terrified her.

Starlight grew restless beneath her, stomping with her hooves, trying to move forward. She patted her horse's neck, speaking calming words to her as much as to herself.

How her mare had, once again, managed to find her way back to her unsettled her. After the attack by the Stark soldiers, the thing at the Twins, and then her escape from Riverrun, she had thought her horse lost forever to her. But here Starlight was, white hide as glowing as ever.

Cerelle took a deep breath.

Standing on a hill until the sun set and rose again would bring her no closer to alleviating her fears. So she finally urged Starlight on, and set off for her city.

As she neared the gate, two things started increasing: the amount of travellers around her, and the terrible smell. Neither of which she particularly liked, but supposed she had to endure.

The city walls seemed smaller than in her memory, the cobblestone pavement less secure under Starlight's hooves, the streets populated with far, far more goldcloaks than possible. And then... There were Lannister soldiers walking along the houses and huts, never alone, always in groups of four or more, hands on their swords, faces obscured, and if any of them found out she was the Golden Paladin-

No. They would not. She was the Paladin no more, therefore no one would hunt her for it. Never again.

Her fingers traced her dagger's outline underneath her thin shirt. She would not draw it, would not draw blood with it, but just in case she needed it.

As she rode along the shops on Cobbler's Square and further on the Gods' Way, she turned Oberyn's words in his letter around in her head.

Look out for seven suns on the King's Way.

A direction, most likely, on where to meet with him. Only that she had no clue what these "seven suns" were meant to symbolise - paintings, statues, people even?

The King's Way led directly towards the Red Keep, and it took everything in her not to gallop through the gates and fall into her mother's arms. Yet she needed to meet Oberyn beforehand, to mend their bond before the court might rip them apart once more.

One after the other.

Manses lined the cobbled pathway, each rising higher and higher, reaching out towards the castle, yet not one able to replicate its glory. They were painted in all the colours of nature, with numerous decorations on its veneers, roses and animals and suns and mosaics-

She stopped Starlight abruptly.

One of the manses had seven golden suns painted above its wooden gate, almost indistinguishable against its yellow backdrop. But they were there. And in the front, equipped with a spear and a shield each, stood two guards of House Martell.

Where she had assumed her family would reside previously, she had not considered. The Red Keep had been out of the question due to the bad blood with its inhabitants, but outside of this… Of course Oberyn - or Doran - held property in King’s Landing. Just in case, they might say if asked.

She dismounted and carefully walked towards the gate with Starlight’s reigns in hand. Her heart pounded in her chest, louder and louder, rushing the blood through her body, clouding her thoughts.

“Pardon me,” she said quietly to one of the guards. “I desire to speak with Prince Oberyn.”

The man mustered her, his black beard hiding the lower half of his face and his head-scarf the upper half. “And who is it that demands such?”

She was about to answer, when the second guard suddenly called out, “Elle?” Turning to him, a smile had spread on his face. He looked almost the exact same as the man beside him, leading her to believe they might be brothers. “What happened to you?”

Two things could be meant by his question: the more obvious, of her having been missing for near three years, or the one at hand, of her current looks. The dirty and tattered shirt and pants coupled with her unruly hair and the three scars worked miracles of hiding who she truly was.

“That is a long story,” she answered. “One I would like to discuss with my father first.”

“Of course. Please, follow me.”

The gate opened to reveal a moderate courtyard, yet filled with plants of all colours and sizes, encircling a happily-pattering fountain embedded into the ground. Stairs led up to a balcony stretching along the entire wall.

Starlight was taken from her by a dark-skinned stablegirl, who was close to having to wrench the reigns from Cerelle's hands. Yet eventually, she was pulled away by the guard and led up the stairs and through a simple red door.

She felt for her dagger. Just in case.

“My prince.” The man had stepped between two panels and bowed deeply. “There is someone here for you.”

He then gave way for her. She took a breath, and stepped forward.

Oberyn sat beside Ellaria and Elia, the round table between them filled with food. They all stared at her in disbelief, none of them moving as they had to take in who stood before them.

What if they did not recognise her? Worse, what if they did but threw her out again? If they had found out that - and why - she had run away, and now thought less of her? If they-

Faster than she could react, Elia had slammed into her. Her breath was knocked out of her, and in the grip around her body she had trouble regaining it, but she did not care. Her sister embraced her, despite everything, and so she could do little but hug her back, if awkwardly.

Elia pulled back, breaking their contact, yet her face remained full of glee. “I’m sorry, I know you don't like that, I just-” She broke off and threw herself around her neck again, moving the bandages underneath her shirt. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Cerelle whispered to her sister. “So terribly.”

Oberyn and Ellaria had stood up as well, yet had not moved further.

“What happened to you?” Elia asked once they had separated completely. “One day you were just gone and no one knew anything.”

“That is a bit complicated.” Her gaze shifted to Oberyn for a moment, then back to her sister. “Could you leave me alone with our father? Just for a moment. Then I promise I will explain everything to you.”

Elia looked to her parents, glee and happiness deluded by confusion. And worry. Ellaria walked forward and took her daughter's hand.

“Let us wait outside.”

The door fell close, and they were alone.

She studied the man that had taken her in all those years ago, the man that had been more of a father to her than her true ones had ever been, who had raised her in the knowledge he had to eventually betray her. His appearance had not changed in the slightest.

“You've grown.”

“I heard you talk to Doran.” Better get right to it. “You have been planning to marry me to Quentyn and seat me on the throne ever since you found me in Braavos.”

The few steps he had taken towards her - either to view her better or hug her as well - seemed forgotten. “Elle-”

“You lied to me. I thought I was safe with you, that I could trust you!”

“Elle, please-”

“You knew why I ran away! And yet you were planning to do the exact same thing to me!” For the first time, she did not care she was losing control of her voice. “For seven years I blindly followed every word you said, went to every lesson you sent me to, did not question why a bastard received a king’s education-”

“It was for your best.”

“For my best?! I do not want to be queen! I just wanted a family.”

He looked at her. Only that, nothing more. Why would he not be angry at her, scream at her like she did to him, throw her out to punish her for her misdeeds? How could he be so calm when she was… When she had lost control far too easily.

“If I betrayed you so,” Oberyn finally asked after a long silence, “why have you returned?”

Leave it to him to alway trump her, to be the only one she never won against. To be the only one to know her, inside and out.

“I… realised-” Her voice wavered. “How quickly light could be snuffed out, how easily one could go from having many regrets to none of them mattering. I realised I had to see you again one more time and ask you why? Why me?”

Why did you involve a little girl in your revenge schemes? Why did you treat the child of your enemy with such kindness? Why did you take me in at all?

He stepped closer, slowly, carefully, as if he were approaching a frightened animal.

She was taller than him, she realised with frightening clarity.

“It is true,” he said quietly. “I took you in because I wanted to take revenge on House Lannister. Doran and I had plans to seat you on the throne and use you to punish those who had wronged us. But-” he quickly added. “Over the years I have grown to love you like you were my own. Back when you disappeared, I had already grown hesitant about our plans.”

She wanted to scream at him, wanted to call him a liar and traitor, wanted to justify the many years they had missed because of her. But…

The conversation she had overheard had been as he had described. Oberyn had seemed cautious about using her and marrying her to his nephew. Had she truly destroyed their lives over this?

No. He had needed to learn a lesson. A hesitant reconsidering would not have undone seven years of lies.

“I will tell Elia.” Not want, or should, or might. “She deserves to know the truth about me.”

He gave a single nod. “What reason will you give for your disappearance?”

Oh, she wanted to scare him. Make him suffer the way she had that day, and tell him what he expected. Yet that was not her.

“That someone found out the truth, and I ran to protect you all.”

And with that, she left the room.

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author's note: new chapter will release every sunday 6pm cet, so see you next week :3

[ao3feed-tywin]

Hidden Dragon among the Lions

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/t1P8rnV

by 10868letsgo

This started before season 1 came. Eleana Targaryen is the daughter of the Mad King and the noble house of Karstarks. During the Rebellion, Tywin Lannister he must repaid the debt to her mother. So, he taken her in and raised as his daughter name Eleanor Hill to keep her safe. Now war has come upon them and can she play part of the game or died trying?

Words: 10259, Chapters: 7/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Game of Thrones (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Robb Stark, Original Female Character(s), Ned Stark, Catelyn Tully Stark, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Rickon Stark, Rickard Karstark, Torrhen Karstark, Harald Karstark, Alys Karstark, Tywin Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Kevan Lannister, Genna Lannister, Joy Hill, Robert Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Selyse Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, Joffrey Baratheon, Myrcella Baratheon, Shireen Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Aerys II Targaryen, Rhaella Targaryen (Wife of Aerys II), Rhaegar Targaryen, Viserys Targaryen (Brother of Daenerys), Daenerys Targaryen, Elia Martell, Doran Martell, Oberyn Martell, Sand Snakes (ASoIaF), Lyanna Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Euron Greyjoy, Balon Greyjoy, Asha Greyjoy | Yara Greyjoy, The Others | White Walker Character(s) (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Relationships: Robb Stark/Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Slow Romance, Duty, Politics, Family Secrets, Action/Adventure, Kings & Queens, Healing, Making Love, Flashbacks, Mystery

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/t1P8rnV