#ned ⨳⬩ || arsa stark

[xfulminare]

with arsa stark @faetels

initially he had found it hard not to take his sister's absence personally, to see it as a rejection of not only himself but his family. then perspective had been gained ( with the help of his wife, as always ) and he could no longer begrudge the youngest stark a chance for something of her own. there had always been certainty in his future that one day winterfell would pass to him and he had welcomed it, structure a comfort rather than a burden. it had taken time to understand that it might not be the case for his siblings too. still, even with the acceptance there was still a temptation to pull her closer now that they were all in one place, one he had done his best to resist. but as he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure heading towards a door, he could not help but attempt to intercept her. "arsa." voice was kept low, not wishing to ruin her hidden identity to all those around. "going somewhere?" there was no accusation or condemnation in his tone, only fond amusement. it wasn't as though he himself had not been known to duck out of occasions such as these when they all became too much.

[cordoleo]

hear ye hear ye — the riverlands welcomes lady lynara stark of winterfell. king matthos baratheon is glad that the twenty - nine year old appears to be nurturing and he shall overlook that it’s said they are also jejune, as long as they are glad to celebrate peace in the seven kingdoms. fortunately for them, matthos remains oblivious that they aren’t happy with his reign.

i. background.

full name: lynara stark.

commonly goes by: nara.

epitaph: the northern dove.

official title: lady of winterfell.

age: twenty nine.

birth date: twelfth day of the third moon of the year 270 a.c.

gender + pronouns: cis woman + she/her.

orientation: bisexual.

allegiance: house stark, the north, peace.

spoken language: common tongue.

religion: the old gods.

ii. appearance.

faceclaim: havana rose liu.

eye color: gray.

hair color: light shade of brown, a bit ruddy under the sunlight. her hair is very long, reaching below her hips, and wavy; she has to custom of wearing it plaited in the north, but has decided to wear it loose, sprinkled with a few braids here and there, during her stay in the south.

remarkable markings: light dust of freckles over her cheeks and nose, blushes and smiles easily.

dominant hand: right.

height: 5'4"

build: lithe and graceful.

iii. personality.

virtues: x

vices: x

weapon of choice: crying.

moral alignment: neutral good.

inspired by: sansa stark (!!!), isabel madrigal, primrose everdeen, susan pevensie, padme amidala, maria santa ( renascer ), mary queen of scots & mary tudor queen of france.

common tropes: break the cutie, tba.

iv. relationships.

parents: rickard stark & utp tully.

siblings: ned and godric ( older ), utp and arsa ( younger ).

relationship status: betrothed to sebastion baratheon c. 274 a.c.

children: none.

pets: several. a white mare called agnes; a splash white stallion called snowbell; more tba.

direwolf: a one year old female with yellow-red colored fur and green eyes named autumn; she’s generally docile, but is very astute and allegedly growls when she hears lies.

other relations: ayisa tully ( cousin ), barbrey ryswell and olynna blackwood ( companions and best friends ).

previous relations: n/a.

v. biography.

trigger warning : pregnancy, arranged marriage ( underage ), anxiety.

as the eldest born daughter to the starks, lynara has taken on the mantle of the eldest sister as if something necessary to her core. one of her earliest memories is following along her mother as the lady tully-stark waddled around the keep, heavy with child, claiming that a little sibling would soon come — that would become poignant for lynara, who would fall to the follower position rather well. good at following and copying, she soon became both her mother’s, their septa’s and the old nan’s little shadow, mimicking their behaviors and words, making herself out to be the one vigilant and caring for her younger siblings, both as the nurturer and the reprimander.

at the age of four, she was betrothed to king matthos’ eldest son. as a four year old, she did not quite understand the intricacy of the arrangement, though she would soon understand the expectation that came with it. she was not only supposed to copy her mother, be a good elder sister, but she was to be a proficient lady of the house for the day she would become a princess — then queen. the weight of that has been domineering on her personality and on her actions: she must be graceful, she must be dutiful, she must be proper and polite; anything short of perfection in her opinion is something she nearly abhors, and fixes to correct as soon as she can.

as luck would have it, lynara is, in some ways, rather fitted to the position she was to one day take. “a lady at three”, is something her mother may have said, for the girl was ever keen on pleasing and charming anyone who came across her. and indeed, that continued throughout her adulthood. tender-hearted and soft-spoken, she has all the makings, humors and leanings of a lady of southern disposition: she enjoys dancing, singing, playing the harp, needlework, poetry and tales of romance. above all, she loves beautiful things, and is invested in making them herself — besides being a good singer, she has become very good at drawings, sketching things and people of her daily life and dreams as well as pieces of clothing, which she enjoys sewing into reality.

yet, despite the weight of the position she is one day to take, lynara is still callow to the world. the north may be considered harsh by southerners, but the starks have raised their children sheltered from a world of poison, falsehood and intricate schemes. as such, she still sees and focuses on all of the beauty of the world — and so dreads to see the opposite, being led to tears easily at dark thoughts or stories. though she has tried to prepare for the certain likelihood of leaving her home and she is not dull-witted not to realize stakes when presented to her, she cares not for politics, and tends to see them with more sensibility than sense. her reason for having grown a distaste for matthos comes not from how much of a negligent king he has become, but for his bad treatment over those she knows, particularly her father, whom she knows to be unhappy on the south (and, well, her own unwanted enlacement to the king’s son).

[templarhalo]

Templarhalo rambles about the House Stark family tree

@empressofmankind @goodqueenaly @xenowlsome @effdragonkiller @aegor-bamfsteel @turtle-paced 

Cregan Stark’s Grandmother and Rickard’s mothers were both of House Locke  We know the Lockes once ruled the Wolf’s Den for a time, and their location  would have put them in striking distance of the Three Sisters and the Vale.  For a House we know so little about having two Locke’s marry into House Stark and have the children be the next Lords of Winterfell is quite interesting.

I wonder which house the daughters of Black Aly and Cregan married into?  Also I wonder if House Bracken was one of them to help reconcile the Black and Greens

Did Eddard name Sansa after the daughter of Cregan’s son Rickon?   This Sansa married her Uncle Jonell One Eye Stark.  GRRM says there were no ruling Ladies of Winterfell or Queens in the North in their own right(Which I think is complete and utter bullshit given how long  House Starks been around. )  Did Sasna hate Cregan for arranging this marriage? Or was she in love with her Uncle?  Given how bypassing the Andal-Firstmen rule of succession screwed over House Targ  and lead to two bloody civil wars. one of which Cregan had fought in, I wonder why he arranged for Jonnel to succeed Rickon  rather than let Sansa rule in her own right.

Sansa’s sister Serena married a Jon Umber but had no children,  but one of her daughters with Jonnel’s brother Edric  married an Umber and had issue.   There’s no mention of Jon Umber being Lord of Last Hearth, but if Osric Umber, who wed Serena’s daughter Aranna was, that would be interesting. Especially if Serena’s marriage to Jon was to make a half-Stark the next Lord of Last Hearth.   In addition Arrana’s sister Aregelle married a Robywn Cerwyn.  If he was the next Lord of Cerwyn that would mean There would be two Half Starks ruling two seats in the North, one on Winterfell’s doorstep and one near the Wall. 

I wonder how Barthogen Stark got the name Blacksword? And why the Skagosi rebelled?   Also I wonder how his older brother Edric felt about being passed over for Lord of Winterfell, despite being married to  a Stark in her own right.and having his own kids.

Brandon Stark has a bastard son with Wylla Fenn, a Crannogwoman.  I’m curious as to he circumstanced behind his conception.  Did Brandon ina situation with her like Brandon Stark and Bethany Ryswel?  Were Wylla and Brandon’s marriages both loveless and they took solace in each other?  Was Lonnel raised at Winterfell like Jon Snow was?  

Brandon’s son Rodwell married Myrrine Manderly but died without issue, What is it with Lords of Winterfell dying without issue? 

Rodwell’s brother and successor  Beron married Lady Lorra Royce (Main branch not the Gates of the Moon one) and had  seven kids with her.   Beron’s death against the Ironborn started a succession crisis amongst House Stark, which GRRM said he plans to cover in a Dunk and Egg title with the working title the She Wolves of Winterfell

Beron made an alliance with Casterly Rock to fight off the Greyjoys.  I wonder if this alliance had a marriage pact?  Beron’s sister Arsa is listed as unwed, and has no issue as are Beron’s daughters Alysanne and  Berrena,  The Lord of CR at the time would have been Gerold the Golden, who married Rohanne Webber. Perhaps  Tion Lannsiter was betrothed to one of Beron’s daughters but had to break it to marry Ellyn Reyne? Maybe after Rohanne disappeared in 230 and if Arsa was still alive and unwed she made have been wed to Gerold? 

I’m curious as to the exact circumstances behind this succession crisis.   Unlike his brother Rodwell Beron had seven kids, Five of them sons and two daughters. Were descendants of his ancestor Serena Stark and passed over Edric’s two sons Cregard and Torrhen making the argument they had the better claim legally? (Which they did as Sansa 1.0 died without issue but the next Lord of Wintefell was Barthogen, not Cregard So did Cregard and Torrhen die without issue? Either way, I'm looking forward to how  GRRM covers this interesting period of Stark History. 

 Donner son of Beron died without issue passing rule of the North to his brother William who is Rickard Stark’s Grandfather

Timeline note for fans of Old Nan and fanfic writers. The Brandon Stark that died at 3 years old that  she came to nurse for is the son of William Stark, who died in 226 AC at the Battle of Long Lake  during the reign of Egg’s dad Maekar.  Maekar is Dany’s Great Great Grandpa.  

William married a Blackwood.  This is the second Blackwood marriage on the family tree, wonder how those two met

Rickard’s Aunt Jocelyn married an unknown Royce of the Gates of the Moon.   It’s her descendants Catelyn mentions could inherit Winterfell after Robb if he died without issue 

 I wonder if any of these descendants of Jocelyn  were made aware of their potential claim.   Maybe they married the descendants of Artos Stark  or his siblings Berena, Alysane and Errold if those three had any children of their own 

Rodrik “The Wandering Wolf” Stark, the youngest brother of Willaim Stark married Arya Flint of the Mountain Clans. (The First Flints)  They had two children,  Lyarra, the Starklings Grandma and Branda, who married a Rogers.  The Rogers are a Stormlands house so I wonder what the politics and or circumstances behind that marriage given that she could have easily married into  a Mountain Clan or another vassal house of House Stark,  Especially since his brother married a Blackwood, and his niece married a Royce.   GRRM is very deliberate in his choices for worldbuilding so I wonder if this is something that will come up in future books  . (  For example he could have made Tywin’s wife a distant cousin from the Lannisters of Lannisport but choose to make her his direct cousin.)  

I wonder if Ned named Arya after his grandmother.  Was Ned the favorite Grandson before Rickard shipped him off to the Vale?

 Eddard’s dad Rickard most likely married Lyarra Stark,  daughter of his Grandfather’s Brother Rodrik to tie up claims to Winterfell.  I wonder if  Tywin took note of his older colleagues choice of marriage when considering who he would marry?  

       Additional notes

       Again GRRM seems to have a boner for Lords of Winterfell dying without issue and ruling of the North passing to a brother. This makes the family tree quite a mess,    And you thought House Targaryen’s family tree was bad

I feel like Brandon Stark’s bastard Lonny Snow has some role to play in a Dunk and Egg tale. He’s on the family tree for a reason

Cregan’s first wife was a Norrey of the Mountain Clans.  Were the Norreys hoping to use their martial ties to their feudal overlords to try to depose House Wull as most powerful of the Mountain Clans?

No Bolton marriages, kinda surprised and kind of not.  Be interesting if there was though  

The Brandon Stark who died at 3 year’s old’s  mother was a Glover.

No Crannogmen marriages either.   I wonder why GRRM didn’t squeeze a marriage to House Reed in.

House Stark defiantly has had a lot of periods of instability and teetering in the edge of extinction.  A lot of relatives on the tree feel like their there to take up space and die so the Staklings have no cousins or distant relatives to inherit.    This instability is perhaps the reason the Starks don’t posses any Cadet Branches like the Lannisters, Arryns Harlaws, Goodbrothers Royces and Farwynds. 

On the subject of William Stark marrying a Blackwood, I wonder if he was betrothed to  Artos’ wife Lysara  Karstark but broke it to wed Lyanna Glover or Melantha Blackwood?

Was Jocelyn’s marriage to Royce of the Gates of the Moon a love match?  Her maternal grandmother was a Royce of Runestone, so I’m surprised Willaim didn't try and marry her into the main branch,the heir of Runestone  or another Great House.  She’s his only daughter, wouldn't he hand be wasted on son of a cadet branch’s who do not even possess a formal seat that can be inherited?  Perhaps William was playing a long game, trying to  get Jocelyns’s kids wed into House Arryn or its cadet branch at Gulltown?  Or maybe a Sunderland considering the Three Sisters strategic importance if the Vale of Arryn and Winterfell went to  war again?

[xfulminare]

( stark c / lewis tan / cis man & he/him ) hear ye hear ye — the riverlands welcomes lord edric stark of winterfell. king matthos baratheon is glad that the thirty - three year old appears to be honourable and he shall overlook that it’s said they are also uptight, as long as they are glad to celebrate peace in the seven kingdoms. fortunately for them, matthos remains oblivious that they ARE happy with his reign.

Name: Edric 'Ned' Stark Age: thirty-three Orientation: heterosexual, heteroromantic ( regrettably ) Loyalties: House Stark, The North Religious affiliation: Old Gods Appearance: he grew taller than his father at 6'2 and shoulders broadened to match. Dark hair and dark eyes, keeps a well trimmed beard most of the time. Gait: he walks with pride but not overbearingly so, steps can sometimes be heavy and he's not particularly graceful but walks with reluctant purpose. if he's following one of his children he's crouching down or bending over, probably hurried too. Aesthetic:

Family: -

Father: Rickard Stark Mother: tbd Stark nee Tully Siblings: Godric Stark, Lynara Stark, Arsa Stark Children: Serena Stark (9), Benjen Stark (8), Rickon Stark (7), Relina Stark (4), Lyanna Stark (3), Aryana Stark (2), Edwyn 'Little Ned' Stark (under 1) Extended family: Ayisa Tully (maternal cousin) Marital status: married to Talisa Stark nee Manderly Direwolf: Midnight (named by his daughter, Serena) also answers to Puppy & Fluffy but only if it's the youngest Starks. Talisa calls him Seal.

PERSONALITY: -

Traits: cautious, attentive, protective, worrisome, loyal, steadfast, disciplined, generous, sceptical, principled, just, incorruptible ( maybe ) Values: he was raised to do the decent thing and so he values the same trait in others. he doesn't appreciate being lied to ( although he's not always able to discern when that is happening ) and believes that a man's word is his bond. Fears: since he was eight years old he had feared the death of his family, mostly at the hands of southerners. now that he is older and he has children to worry about as well as his siblings this fear has only grown. he worries about his father in king's landing and what attention his role as hand will bring them all. Moral Alignment: lawful good Temperament: phlegmatic Zodiac: taurus sun, cancer moon, libra rising Inspiration: ned stark ( asoiaf ), robb stark ( asoiaf ), hector ( the iliad ) and a little bit of aragorn ( lotr ), lancelot ( merlin )

BIOGRAPHY: -

tl;dr - the weight of the future of the north and house stark weighs heavily upon him. he feels the responsibility keenly and his cautious nature makes him reluctant to break from tradition. losing his aunt, uncle and grandfather has made him hesitant of going south and he cannot help but believe that nothing good happens to a northerner who goes south. soft and something of a pushover with his family, the same way that his direwolf is, but that doesn't mean everyone is afforded the same grace. in everything he does ned tries to embody the north that he will one day lead, he stands for the honour and pride of its people but can also be as hard and cold as its ice.

with all the hours he played at shadowing his father it was inevitable that he would take on some of rickard stark's traits. but it was more than just imitation and following his father's lead, ned truly was his father's son. the importance of tradition was impressed upon him and the first time he watched his father swing a sword over his head in the name of justice, he knew that he wanted to be able to uphold their laws with the same tenacity.

the deaths of his aunt, uncle and grandfather would always hang over him. he was eight years old when events begun to unfold and remembers it vividly. how they'd gone south while he'd stayed behind and not returned. how winterfell would never echo with his aunt's laughter, how his uncle would never tease him about his form when they sparred and how any wisdom his grandfather might have had for him would be forever lost.

their absence was felt keenly and so he found himself clinging more tightly to his siblings, showing that he was his mother's son too with how often he embodied her house's motto of family, duty, honour. they became his tenants to live by as he grew older, having lost family members so young he wanted nothing more than to keep those he had left as close to him as possible. he held his siblings close, always thawing him out before he could let himself get too cold.

whether he would have always been an old soul or that was a fate inflicted upon him by grief is a question that will never be answered. but ned tended to be on the serious side growing up, shunning some types of fun in the name of honour. the only ones who could successfully get him to bend the rigid bars he restrained himself with were his family but mostly calon greyjoy, once he'd convinced the ironborn to warm up to him.

duty came for him later in life when the betrothal that had been a certainty for so long finally became inevitable. he had been determined to be a good husband no matter what he felt for his bride to be but when he met talisa it was almost love at first sight. it wasn't just her obvious beauty that drew him but the fact that they seemed like a perfect match - her freeness balancing his caution.

the only rule he broke ( more like bent ) was the feelings he had for his bride to be leading to them sharing before the wedding, the union resulting in their daughter being born swiftly after their wedding. so taken with both his daughter and his wife, more two children followed before a brief break was taken for more to follow again.

he balances the role of father with the one of lord, ever learning from his father until the death of mychel arryn called rickard south. the childhood anxiety that had ebbed with the flow of years began to rise once more. nothing good happens to a stark in the south is a sentiment he feels deep in his gut and he does his best to continue to lead the north in the absence of his father.

HEADCANONS: -

he didn't enjoy his weapon lessons until his uncle cregan began teaching him. it wasn't anything that his father did wrong, just his uncle found a way to simplify things and make it more fun. after his death he struggled to take it back up but continued to do so in the hope he could be remembered as a great swordsman.

he believes that his word is his bond and he will hold others to theirs also. there have been times where this has been used against him, drunken lapses in judgement being exploited for other's gain ( looking at you calon greyjoy )

more to come, maybe

[cordoleo]

w. arsa stark, the carnivale ball, @faetels

her sister shines as much as a star would, even amongst so many glittering nobles — arsa is only easy to spot for lynara had gasped in delight at the sight of her gown during a visit to the younger's chambers, and she couldn't be gladder arsa had followed through. the temptation to turn to compliments stays barely curbed out of the will not to sour yet another meeting with her sister; instead, lynara brings a hand to the youngest stark's elbow. "hey, pup," greeting is softly uttered, a smile on her eyes and on her lips as she finds arsa's gaze before looking towards the dance floor their cousin had declined joining some moments past. "i believe we may not come to the rock anytime soon. not before this thaws," with a wedding hanging over her head herself, she could understand aysia's hesitation, even if she could not tell if she would be so bold as to decline the king's demands. with a shake of the head, grey eyes fall back on the sister. "i know you must be looking forward to go back home, but are you as desperate as ned?" she scrunches her nose gently; their brother could hardly contain his wish to not have to venture south any longer.