#riverun

[moseslikellamas]

Cinders in the Dark

Chapter fifteen

Pairing - Benjicot Blackwood x Whent!OC

Summary - Lucinda talks with the witch in the tall tower. Benjicot dances around the lord Paramount.

Warnings - Magic, delusions, trickery, frightening imagery, forced marriage, mentions of death, blood, mention of suicidal ideation,depiction of burns, depictions of panic attack, anxious thoughts, grief, violent fantasies, not canon, Kieran Burton fancast.

Word count - 2k

More setup but its going somewhere soon

The halls were dark as she made her way towards the witch in the tall tower. But she was oddly comforted by the soft glow cast by her lone torch. She felt free in a way she never had before. There was no duty or pressure of honor hanging over her, only the determination to right a wrong. She was not quite righteous but felt a burgeoning sense of purpose starting to fill the empty corners of her life. All of her life she had been tossed around helpless to the winds of destiny. But she’d been to the afterlife, she’d seen the grave beneath the waves waiting for her. She was not afraid of death, it might be the only small mercy she was granted in this life. She no longer had any ties to this life, her entire family dead and in the ground. Or somewhere worse her mind whispered but she pushed that thought away. The important thing was, she was unencumbered, free to do as she pleased.

The tall tower was alive with lights and smells. Jasmine and clover hung around her head as she climbed the stairs to the room at the top where she knew the witch was waiting. A childlike wonder stole over her for a moment as she watched the woman work, an interloper in the doorway. Dressed in a navy dress and wearing a brown apron over top, she was mixing something together in a bowl. Occasionally she would chop something or move to grind another ingredient. Lucinda felt a pang of loneliness wash over her. She could not remember the last time she spoke to someone who was not her most hated husband or a ghost from beyond time.

“It’s bad luck to linger in the threshold. And you my dear need all the luck you can get.”

Startled at her voice she jerked back before relaxing again. Shy and wary, she moved into the witch’s workshop, taking care not to bump into the various hanging plants that were drying out. It was so warm inside the room, the fire was lit low despite the heat. Mostly, she was comfortable, in a way she hadn’t been maybe since her mother died all those years ago. A flutter of wings against the windowsill caused her to jump again. A pretty barn owl rested there, its dark eyes staring at her.

“How’d you do it?” She blurted out, her gaze shifting to the woman still mixing ingredients together.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific, I am quite the busybody.”

Lucinda swallowed, rubbing her sweaty palm on her gown. She was out of her depth. But when have I ever been in control? She thought, trying to build up her courage.

“The fire in the entrance was lit. How did you do it?” Her curiosity was winning out over her fear as she pressed closer towards the table she was working at.

“That’s not what you mean though is it? Why don’t we speak plainly at last.”

The witch abruptly set down the pestle she was holding, her gaze sharp enough to cut her down. Letting go off her hesitation, Lucinda took the plunge.

“I want to know what you know about fire magic. I don’t know where our new house guest has gotten off to but I want to be rid of him.” She paused then as a wave of rage poured over her at the thought of her wonderful husband. The man who caused all of her problems. “He’s done something to me. I cannot leave this place and yet I am hardly here.”

Lucinda gazed at her burned sword arm, flexing the scarred fingers. She could feel the fire there smoldering under her skin. The tissue was just a paper thin covering, inside she was ash.

“Nothing new there, love.” A sharp chop of her knife accentuated her words. “Plenty of people aren’t here. I’m not here either, it's easy to be nowhere. Harder to be somewhere. So where do you want to be?”

Where did she want to be? On a boat sailing across the narrow sea. She wanted to feel the spray of the sea on her face. To hear the birds cry in the wind and feel the rope against her palms. She wouldn’t be lady anyone, just another nameless wench. She’d learn to fight, cuss and drink with the best of them. At night they’d gather below deck and tell stories while the waves rocked them to sleep. The only thing she’d have to worry about was raising the sails and washing the deck. Her skin would tan under the sun and she’d gain new scars with real stories behind them. She’d be no one beyond crewmate, friend, lover.

“You’re not here again. See, I told you it’s harder to be somewhere.”

Lucinda looked back at the woman, shaking her head. A stupid thought, an unattainable dream. Back like a long lost friend, fury wrapped around her. It was the cloak to match her crown of anguish.

“I want to kill my husband. That’s where I want to be, a widow.”

That was close enough to her dream. After all she wouldn’t be sailing the high seas a married lady, would she? Their separation was never a question whether in fantasy or reality.

The woman laughed at that, a real and genuine sound. It warmed Lucinda from the inside out, quelling some of her overwhelming emotions. She took a deep breath gathering herself while the woman wiped her eyes.

“Aye, I reckon many a woman has wished for the same. Certainly for less of a man than the one you’ve managed to land.”

Lucinda scrunched her face at her phrasing. She hadn’t landed anything, he’d stolen into her life. The rotten thief he was, murderer and worse.

“So, can you help me?”

She watched the woman take her robe off. Her concoction apparently complete, she wiped her hands clean. Then she walked over to join her on the other side of the table.

Looping their arms together she said, “We’re going to find out.”

***

The gods were on his side, Benjicot thought gleefully. Only four nights had passed before the raven arrived carrying the news. It heralded in what the realm had held its breath to hear, long may the Queen reign. It had taken everything in him not to pump his fist in the air and scream victoriously when the news was announced. They’d been at dinner when it came, a rather dramatic hour in his opinion. But perhaps that had been the intended effect. Lord Tully had cast his eyes towards Benjicot’s after reading the announcement. His eyes were hard and searching, watching for his reaction. Benjicot had been at ease, calmly sipping his wine. But on the inside he was bathed in the blood of glory and he reveled the thought of steel against steel. He knew Elmo was on to by any means and he wished for a moment he had brought Robb with him. A damned good archer but he was better at putting people at ease. Something Benjicot struggled with at times.

Letters bearing the Targaryen seal had arrived at every castle in the realm. Lord Elmo seemed to think they might get off without a war but Benjicot knew that wouldn’t happen. If anything he was working to ensure it wouldn’t. He itched to get on Antares and head back to Harrenhal but he resisted. It wouldn’t paint him in a more favorable light if he went galloping off at the first sign of news. No, he needed to wait a bit. See if anything stirred up in the meantime. He had taken to spending his days in the training yard. Benjicot, Oscar and Kermit became nearly inseparable. They rose together at dawn, spent their days working together and would blow off steam at the taverns at night. It was slow work, building trust. As much as he loathed to waste the time he could be spending elsewhere, he enjoyed spending time with them.

All riverland boys meet and spend time together at some point. But Benjicot had been out of the public eye for a long while, having left to oversee Raventree when his father died. The last time he had seen Oscar they were both still babies hardly old enough to hold a proper training sword. Oaths were good, strong and solid foundations to start on. They were all rivermen, and house Blackwood was sworn to house Tully. But real loyalty came in friendship, in brotherhood. It came in the matching scars and blood spilt over the grass. He always strove to make genuine connections with people. Some people were just more open to the idea than others. And Elmo’s sons were open enough to a bannerman.

“How is your new wife, Benjicot? Shame she could not attend with you.”

Elmo’s gravelly voice pulled him out of his introspective thoughts. He blinked, shrugging. “What man can confess to knowing the ways of women? She’s obstinate, if nothing else, wouldn’t dream of accompanying me.”

The half truth rolled over his tongue smooth as silk.

“That’s too bad. My wife and I are both waiting most anxiously to meet the reclusive woman. You’ll have to persuade her on your next visit.”

Despite his best efforts he couldn’t stop the way his fingers clenched around his goblet. His tome implied he didn’t believe Benjicot at all.

“I assure you, I will do my best.”

“You’re sure, even if I wrote to her, she wouldn’t show up?”

At that a tiny smirk made its way onto his face for the briefest of moments before he could wipe it off. “No and by all means,” he waved his hand at the lord. “Write to her. I would love for someone to talk some sense into the woman.”

He could write to her until he ran out of birds to send. No one would be writing back from the black stone walls of Harrenhal. The lord Paramount seemed to be mulling over his confidence. Benjicot knew he was trying to piece it all together in his head and if he had faith in anyone to figure him out, it was the red headed lord in front of him. His ever watchful eyes missed nothing even from someone as good at hiding their emotions as Benjicot was.

The prying lord didn’t bother him too much. Problems would arise when Elmo started taking actions against him. Until then he could deal with suspicion and mistrust. It didn’t matter to him if the war broke out or not really. It was a useful tool in his arsenal of tactics to help bring about the rightful order of things. But if the realm accepted the queen no questions asked, well he would work with what he had at his disposal. He could work up another invitation to court and take a more direct route if necessary. Though with his wife missing it would make that plan a lot harder.

“Aye and if you talk to her like that I can see why she would rather be left behind. You can’t be all rocks and mud to your wife.”

Benjicot knew he had a point there. But his darling wife had not liked him from the jump. He had half a mind to think that she hated men on principle if he hadn’t seen her speak softly with the guards around the castle. He hadn’t exactly spent his time trying to win her over.

“Any useful advice on stubborn women?”

“A patient man.”

Benjicot raised his glass in a toast. He was plenty patient enough.

[thebadboyfanclub]

My Beloved Wife (Cregan x Reader)

Honestly I got nothing to say for this imagine it’s just sex scenes pieced together. Hope you enjoy!

“It is such a blessed day for you to be frowning sweetling”

Corlys advised his daughter before he placed a kiss on her forehead, (y/n) felt like a lamb for slaughter, a sacrifice for the name of alliance and strength, her mother could only offer a grin and a tight hug for comfort, her youngest offspring was meeting the fate that was written for her the second she was born.

Rhaenys did her best to shield (y/n) from wedlock for as long as she possibly could, sending her away to the Riveruns with the excuse of “expanding her horizons of knowledge”, Rhaenys was a bystander when Lord Cregan asked about their daughter, Lord Cregan was betrothed at the time so it was impossible to predict such a twist of events.

Her father guided her toward her future Lord husband and (y/n) could not breathe properly. There he stood, the ever-defiant Cregan Stark who was with his head held high and a look that could stop a man and make a giant tremble from fear, a Velaryon could not survive in the cold of the north, she was not meant for the environment that she was now obliged to live in after they exchanged oaths in front of the old gods.

(Y/n) could still recall how she shook from the cold that pierced through her bones under her blanket, the handmaidens had dressed her in a sheer nightgown and even though the fire burned bright she was still unable to control her shiver.

“You will get used to it, first nights are always tough”

She had not heard him walk in, a yelp escaped her lips as she sat up in their shared bed to fully see him, instinctively she covered herself with the thick blanket, Cregan was slightly intoxicated from the feast, she could tell as he lazily left his goblet on the table and almost there away his fur, letting it hit the ground with a heavy thud.

“I hope so”

She replied in a meek voice as she diverted her gaze away from Cregan who only approached her and stopped once he was directly ahead of her, his thumb and index found her chin and slowly guided her head towards his direction, once (y/n) laid her eyes on him once again she was met with a drunk yet kind smirk, she did not realize that he was smiling back at him with the same fondness.

“My lady wife”

He spoke more to remind himself and refresh how the phrase rolled off his tongue, it was easy, the girl was beautiful and appeared to be sweet, still, the thorn that stuck in his heart was the fact that she was not Arra, his beloved Arra who gave her life for their son.

Out of pure spite to himself, he brushed off the idea of his Arra and in a blink of an eye (y/n) felt his lips crash with hers with such force that made her lay back down and Lord Stark climb on top of her.

(Y/n) was inexperienced when it came to the sweet path of beddings, Cregan giggled when she saw how she attempted to cover her breasts when he took off her nightgown, one could easily detect how (y/n) did not know how to go about this.

“Do not worry, I will lead, I’ll be gentle”

He put her nerves to ease, her soft skin and sweet scent were enough to lure Cregan into another world, her embrace was tight and her body was burning, (y/n) found out the ways that pain and pleasure could go hand in hand when it came to laying with a man.

(Y/n) surrendered to her lord husband's arms and became a slave to her bodily needs and cravings, love bites started to decorate his skin as (y/n) was no longer in control but Cregan did not care, she was a natural partner in this dance of their bodies

The idea that (y/n) was experiencing things with Cregan for the first time excited him, to see her face form as her body went over waves of pleasure was his favorite part, his grasp was strong and his caress had a certain amount of possessiveness, like the winner that was collecting his reward.

“I-I don’t know”

“It is alright, it is normal”

Her chest was set on fire and the muscles in her entire body spasmed as droplets of sweat went down from her forehead to her cheek, it felt like she would die and then nothing, her body relaxed fully and with a gasp of air she fell on the man that held her until the sensation washed away, she looked so pretty with her hair sticking to her forehead and her eyes half shut from tiredness.

Cregan was also close to experiencing the addictive feeling of it when the idea of pregnancy and the end of Arra repeating took over and with a swift motion he jumped off from her like something had bit him or stung him, his back was now turned on him as he grunted, his heavy breathing and sudden change in his demeanor left her utterly confused.

“What- what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

Her innocence and concern left him somewhat amused within the surreal scenery, (y/n) tried to peak while she let her chin rest on his bicep and Cregan mastered all his strength to calm himself.

“No, no, everything is fine, you should rest”

-

Cregan was a man that came with a cloak of mystery wrapped around him, he was respectful to (y/n), held her honor high and was respectful to her in every aspect, there was no room for anyone to even attempt at making any comment about his lady wife.

The problem was that (y/n) had expected him to be more endearing towards her after their encounter, he had not summoned her to his chambers after that night, and their physical contact was as far as a hold of a hand or a caress of her hair, she yearned for the safety that his hugs provided, for the heat his body radiated and the spark in his eyes.

“Higher, (y/n)!”

Little Rickon squealed with joy as (y/n) held the reigns of her dragon Starblaze who flew in circles around their home, (y/n) missed being able to ride her dragon for hours on end, she would try to do for at least an hour a day since Starblaze had started to complain by leaving loud screeches in the middle of the night.

Rickon was curious for marvelous creature, at first she would only let him climb on Starblazes back while he was on land, but slowly she started to take him up in the air with her, (y/n) smiled at the joy that was radiating the little lord and commanded her dragon to go a little higher.

“Dracarys”

She yelled and Starblaze let a breath of fire before they ducked under it, Rickon was slightly frightened by the sight of the fire still as they went away from it for safety his laugh was loud and rambunctious.

(y/n) adored the child from the moment they met, a bright and kind child that was the light she needed to forget the coldness of his father, she would spend her days entertaining the boy by going on rides or playing hide and seek and even helped him with his studies, the boy grew attached to the Velaryon lady in a fast pace and could not go to sleep unless (y/n) tucked him in.

Cregan had gone out in the yard with his men before he saw the handmaidens without his lady wife nor his child around, concerned he approached them for answers since they were supposed to have lunch together an hour ago.

“Where are my lady wife and my son?”

“Lady (y/n) has taken Lord Rickon on dragon back”

Almost like (y/n) had heard her husband looking for them she decided it was time to make their landing, as gently as he could Starblaze landed before he roared to make Cregan cover his ears from the sound, he turned his attention to the large beast only to find (y/n) slide down before she reached up to assist Rickon and once he was tucked in her arms and supported him by her hip she fixed his ruffled her, the boys' rosy cheeks were the evidence of the cold air as he leaned to (y/n)s arms as much as he could.

“Did you have fun little cub?”

Rickon nodded with excitement and (y/n) snickered at how adorable the child was, to see him smile so brightly and enjoy his time with her was the peak of her day, (y/n) was so fascinated by Rickon that she did not notice how Cregan looked at them.

His son was motherless ever since birth, he had not known the love of a mother, he married (y/n) to somehow fill that void in the boy's heart, his heart sang at the sight of Rickon tucking his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her neck and (y/n) rubbed his back, she saw him as her kin, Rickon was now one of her own.

“My apologies my lord we seem to lose track of time, Rickon was strapped the whole time I hope you did not worry for his safety, we double check everything before we ride”

“It alright my love, Chiara take Rickon to his bed”

“I will see you later sweet boy”

Rickon yawned when he was passed to the handmaiden, it seemed like the long ride tired him out to forget he had not eaten since he broke his fast, (y/n)s heart skipped a beat at the words of Cregan, he never called her that, it was always “my lady” or “my wife”.

“We should head for lunch”

“It can wait”

Cregan grabbed her hand not forcibly but with enough strength to guide her away from the yard, (y/n) was taken back by the sudden behavior of the lord, he had never done such an act of escorting her so swiftly or skipping their lunch.

Before she could ask any questions or understand where they were heading Cregan pulled her into his chamber and shut the door behind him, at an instant his arm snaked around her waist, and put his lips on top of hers for a passionate kiss.

(Y/n) relaxed under his touch as she wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen their kiss, the sensation of his beard against her chin was something she never would have guessed that she had missed, his fingers found the back of her dress and with clumsy movements, he snapped her corset open.

“My beloved wife”

It came out more like a growl than a compliment before he finally got her naked, his eyes full of lust as his big hands roamed her bare skin, (y/n) was a fine partner as she had familiarised herself with Cregan wanting to take the lead.

Cregan positioned her so she can straddle him while he sat on their bed, her fingers graced through scars that he had earned from previous battles on his chest and lower abdomen, in (y/n)s eyes Cregan was a God, a handsome young lord that was hers by oath, to be able to see him paralyzed with pleasure was an aphrodisiac on its own.

“I missed you”

She confessed, her voice barely above a whisper as she found the strength to admit it between kisses that tickled his neck, slowly she dragged her nails down his back causing him to hiss, Cregan had done his best to restrain from taking her in every room of his home, he had not forgotten their wedding night but the fear of losing her while his seed occupied her womb had been the only obstacle.

“Do not worry, you will always be mine”

The greediness had started to run in Cregan's veins when it came to her, the whispers of men about her beauty and the things they would say about her were making him go wild inside.

(Y/n) was the lady of the north now, it was inevitable that men wanted her and women envied her, that did not make it better in his head, he was possessive of his dragon, and now that she had spread her wings over his firstborn son in such a compassionate and loving way.

The image of (y/n) with a swollen belly walking next to him as the men lowered their heads in defeat was his motivation to thrust with all his might, slow yet strong as he earned grunts and moans from her.

(Y/n) moved her hips like she mounted her dragon, she smirked at the idea that her years on dragon back would come in handy when it came to pleasuring her lord husband, she thoroughly enjoyed Cregan's surprise and sounds that came from his plump lips, the student was catching up to her master.

“Keep it up, my love”

“Say it again”

“My Love”

Cregan repeated before he grabbed a fistful of her hair to force her head back and create a canvas of kisses and bites out of her shoulders and collarbones, her hands found his biceps as she dug her nails deeper to unleash some of her power, there it was again, the strange fire that started from her lower part of her belly and then exploded all over her body.

“We shall have a child, you must be the mother of the child”

He was talking more to himself than her, (y/n) did not care she relished his delirium of thoughts of her becoming a mother, the mother of a wolf and a dragon, what intricate combination would that be? She thought, she had grown tired but kept going, waiting for him to pull away from her all of the sudden but he never did, on the contrary, he held her closer and his hug became almost like an invincible lock with her chest colliding with his until he finally stopped, his head laid in her chest for a moment until the delightful feeling shimmered down.

(Y/n) caressed his back with her fingertips, the wolf of the north, the warrior lord was now holding her and resting in her arms like a baby, she smiled lazily as his eyes found hers, and his thumb reached up to go over her lips, (y/n) response was pursing her lips and kissing his thumb making him laugh in a lower tone.

“Our first child will be a girl”

“It may be a son, my love”

“No, a girl, she will have a dragon, like her mother”

He slightly pulled back to lower his focus to her now flat belly, his hand went from her lips and traced down to her belly button, forcing goosebumps all over her glistening body, she looked like a diamond as the sweat droplets went between her breasts.

The daylight shinned through the windows (y/n)s skin appeared to be made out of diamonds and the sweat was just liquid gold when it came to what Cregan thought of her, they both panted for air and gawked at one another, Cregan's hands found her waist again to pull her near enough for his lips to nibble on her earlobe before he whispered.

“Today will be the day we conceive our first out of many, let us make sure of that, lay down”

Requests are open!

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Day.9 ~ Lets play tricks ~ Hallowtober

Davos/Aeron x lady!reader

warning : fluff, mention of the dance of the dragon, kiss, no use of y/n

Summary : The Dance of the Dragons was one of the most tragic and brutal events in the history of Westeros, but even in that time there were at least a few moments of hope and a few laughs together. Even in the chilly fall when two knights went on an excursion with their lady, they had to pass the time.

info : Davos and Aeron as much as i love them both i knew i had to write something for them as always have fun reading and have a nice day :)

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pounding of hooves on the muddy cold ground seemed to be smothered by the mud as Aeron's white mare and Davos' dark stallion trotted side by side.

The two young men, both knights, had barely glanced at each other at first when they were both called to their common overlord and knew that although Oscar Tully was a familiar to both of their families, they really only had to come here for her.

Lady Tully the rainbow trout Oscar's older sister and the beauty of the riverlands even if the pointed name seemed a bit strange Davos and Aeron knew that she seemed like the rainbow.

Her clothes were colorful, her devotion to animals affectionate and despite everything she had a certain devotion for the two knights who had often accompanied her on fishing trips or rides, ,,Did Lord Tully say something about the lady?” Aeron asked after a moment of silence in which each of them wanted to ride faster than the other. Davos grunted and gripped the reins of his stallion tighter.

,,My lady will probably want to go for a ride with me Bracken,” he replied before pausing for a moment and then stepping off the trot into a gallop ahead of his old friend who shouted at him to wait.

The two of them raced almost all the way into the hall where Oscar and his sister greeted them with a roll of the eyes but a smile and a hug for their part, ,,Still no race to see me my knights,” she winked, avoiding the gaze of her brother who just seemed happy to at least give her a little time out.

A time out that she spent differently as Davos and Aeron both held her hand beside her and seemed to be willing to feel the love and devotion again.

But the hoped-for ride out alone turned out to be a bad decision when only an hour later both knights found themselves in Riverun's garden, ,,As stormy as ever Davos…I'd like to go for a ride with you two but I wanted to look at the weirwood tree with you, talk, eat something and escape my duties” she admitted with a sigh and relaxed a little not taking on the attitude of a lady but that of an exhausted woman who had to deal with strategies and war, with deaths and losses and a younger brother who seemed to be overwhelmed every time.

Davos shrugged his shoulders apologetically and kissed her hand in apology, a gesture he'd picked up from the Bracken who'd done the same upon their arrival.

Aeron grinned slightly and grabbed the golden tray on which were a few pumpkin cookies that surprisingly reminded him of autumn and the warmth of the fire and held them out to his two friends, ,,Say, how about a spooky story from my grandfather about the Headless Knight and the Ghost Princess?” Davos asked almost challengingly and took a bite of the cookie.

She saw the approval in Aeron's eyes as he lay down on the pillows and blankets laid out in the garden and she too leaned back against the tree and motioned for her friend to begin the story, a story she thought would be one of the wetnurses to teach children but no, it was a story that got scarier and scarier with each word.

A tale of tragic death, unrequited love and gruesome designs so that Aeron and she moved closer and closer together, clinging to each other and Davos leaned closer and closer until he ended the story with a shrill yelp.

There seemed to be a flash in the sky above them and Tully and Bracken seemed to almost faint before Davos laughed and pulled them both into an embrace, ,,Your faces are too amusing,” he laughed, hugging his two friends tightly once more before they all sat up a little, but the goosebumps and fast beating hearts they all had was a sign that this spooky fall day was only going to get scarier.

Who knows, maybe there would be a few more kisses and loving gestures as a reward for having to protect the lady from the headless knight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[housetullysource]

Minisa Tully lady of Riverun

Catelyn Stark lady of Winterfell

Lysa Arryn lady of the Vale

[phoenix-king-ozai]

Honestly if Zhao actually killed Zuko I don't think it'd go well even if it worked because I don't think Ozai would appreciate this regardless of which version we're talking about.

Like come on, if Ozai wanted Zuko dead, he'd have fried him during the Agni Ki and I most certainly don't think he'd appreciate Zhao deciding his kid's fate in his stead.

Also if Ozai found out Zhao did it, he's getting turned into a burnt crisp because ignoring how bad it's look to allow Zuko's death to slide, Live Action Ozai seemed impressed Zuko even found Aang and didn't give up on him despite him being disappointed so him being killed would just result in a fiery death.

Iroh stated himself that Fire Lord Ozai would be displeased…probably furious over Zuko’s assassination by pirates when talking to Zhao in the animation. Iroh knows Ozai better than anyone else alive than maybe his wife Ursa and daughter Azula!

Iroh in the Live Action claimed that Ozai committed the assassination of Zuko when he talked to Zhao. However, it is extremely likely that Iroh was creating a false narrative to delude and misdirect Zhao from being aware that Zhao was the true culprit of the treasonous crime on his nephew. Iroh even suspects that Azula was helping Zhao get his promotion. Iroh was even willing to talk to Ozai regarding sending his Royal Procession Imperial Guards after Zuko. Iroh also should know that Ozai still cares deeply about his son and probably wouldn't assassinate him without just cause or reason. Even strategically Ozai would be extremely furious by having a member of his personal military assassinate his own son for his own political rise and gain. How dare a commoner and soldier kill his own flesh and blood firstborn son; Crown Prince of the Fire Nation even during exile. Blood of Agni, The Almighty Sun Spirit! The Fire Sages as well as the rest of the Fire Nation nobility would see that as an unforgivable slight against the Royal Family and Ozai would be seen as weak and foolish not to respond. Just like Tywin Lannister when his son Tyrion was kidnapped at the Vale in Game of Thrones. Tywin immediately sought out violent retribution against House Tully of the Riverlands because Catelyn Stark and Lysa Arryn were the daughters of Foster Tully of Riverun and Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. Zuko’s death by the plot of Admiral Zhao would be answered with Fire and Blood!

[yanderelovlies]

Why don't you write a fic with a skyrim mc or a random y/n that you created?

Note: Since the lovely anon gave me free reign, I went with something simple but heartwarming. Also I'm trying to form a new little lore for them since it's an AU

Fandom(s): SWWSDJ, DachaBo, DMC

Character(s): SunnyDayJack, Bo, Dante Sparda, and Vergil Sparda

Au: Skyrim au

You sighed, plopping yourself down on the ground. you had planned on stopping at the Inn in Rorikstead, but due to the complications of your new traveling companions, you had to settle outside the town instead.

"I don't understand why I have to hide my Deadric features. None of the other races do." Vergil huffed, crossing his arms staring at the fire.

"Well," you poked the fire to make sure it stayed alive. "Most races aren't own as evil gods."

Vergil scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Exaggerated."

Dante let out a boisterous laugh, pulling the meat out of the fire. "Exaggerated my ass! I've seen what our father is capable of."

Vergil glared at his brother was you watch the of the began to fight over the rights and wrongs of Deadric lords. You sighed, shaking your head. who knew two half daedric lords would be such a handful.

Bo plopped down next to you, watching the two half lords fight. "you know....it was much quieter when it was just and jester boy."

You shrugged, leaning on Bo. "It's not all that bad. Besides, you and Jack were just as bad."

"but we aren't related and meeting for the first time. these two grew up together!"

At this, both Daedric lords turn to Bo Vergil holding glare while Dante had a look more akin to remorse. "We weren't raised together. Mother only took Dante." Vergil's note made you flich it cold and hurt.

Though it didn't seem Bo was having any of it as he glared back, "So maybe you should use this time to get to know each other instead of fighting."

You sighed as Jack came to grab the other knight by the back of his shirt. "Play nice Bo, or you're gonna be left in Riverun."

He looks over to you with pleading eyes "You wouldnt....right?"

You shrugged. "You heard the Jester."

It seemed to get quiet after that as ever just stared at the fire in awkward silence. After a while, you cleared your throat, gaining the attention of everyone. "So tell me about your father, Vergil. You seem to hold him in high regard."

Vergil looked you up and down in contemplation before looking back at the fire. "Where to start."

Everyone paid close attention when Vergil spoke. It wasn't every day you heard what a Daedric Lord was like on a day to day baises. However, Dante seemed to be paying special attention even asking questions from time to time. It wasn't long till Vergil began to ask to hear more of their mother.

You smiled at the interaction. They just needed a push. Maybe now it will be more peaceful during travel.

"Bo! did you eat the last of the meat?!" or maybe not.

[centrally-unplanned]

RIP: Board Game Geek’s Game of Thrones Play-by-Forum

Due to a discussion about setting up an online Game of Thrones Board Game match (h/t @bookworm-blackshoe & @k-simplex ), I dug up the old tools for asynchronous play that everyone used for Board Game Geek Play-by-Forum games. It was a really big and active community; over 500 games were played it looks like, they developed custom maps for easy play, custom variants of the game for balance, and all that. The most successful was the Five Kings and a Prince variant, which had a tweaked map, new house cards, and unique ‘crisis’ cards instead of just wilding attacks over and over:

I played a few games like 5 years ago or so, but more often what I did was read the games; because it was Play-by-Forum and most had a ‘No Ravens’ rule where all diplomacy had to be done publically, the entire narrative of the game is written out for you. Some roleplay, others chat about their lives as they play, etc. I still remember some of the epic plays or in particular the yelling-at-screen blunders you saw in these games. 

Something that is really cool about this is that the ‘meta’ is essentially recorded-over-time through these games. Greyjoy’s overpoweredness is apparent early on; Lannister in particular develop key strategies to mitigate this, like a first turn CP-muster on Lannisport becomes really common. “Openers” like the Greyjoy 4-Castle Riverun play or the Stark Turn-2 Eyrie Snipe become known and named, etc. The history of the game on this forum is preserved at 100% resolution in this way, which is really great.

The forum is dead now of course - the last game, #518, had its last post in March 2022, and it was essentially dead by 2021. I was reading through the last 5KaaP variant game, and its last three turns took over a year to finish as players dropped out and the hunt for replacements got more and more difficult. Everyone knows its the last game of the forum, its the only reason they pushed through - and they finished, in a really close 3-way tie finale (tiebreaker mechanics gave the win to House Baratheon). Very happy they did, it should end that way.

Why the forum died is probably obvious. Its a forum, forums overall are dying slow deaths even if this one had its heyday way later than most. Apparently the Game of Thrones Board Game had a Steam release? I didn’t know that - it has ~50 daily active players, which is not stunning but honestly the forum never had much more than that, its a fine player base and likely cannibalized some of the forum population, even if its primarily synchronous as opposed to asynchronous play. VASSAL as a board game engine exists and has a GoTBG module, maybe it has players?

Bigger culprits are like time itself - we are at the tail end of the Golden Age of Board Games right now, and A Game of Thrones was a pretty early entry into that era. It is an extremely complex game with tons of edge cases and bespoke rules clarifications, it takes 4 hours to play in person, all of that. It is thoroughly modern in its design, for sure, but the past ten years of game design have really pushed towards simpler design philosophies and less demanding playtimes, GOTBG isn’t as much in step with the market now. Additionally, communities like these have ‘anchor’ members - the people who made these mods & tools, people who served as moderators and drummed up players, etc. When a few of them leave the community becomes adrift and fades away faster, and that definitely happened here.

Meanwhile the franchise of a Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire itself has of course declined quite markedly - primarily through the organic passing of time, but less organically through the ritual suicide of the latter half of the televion show and George RR Martin’s tease-and-denial fetish when it comes to his book publishing schedule. I think those intersect too - Game of Thrones fans are nowadays normally older, and the older you are, on average, the less time you have for months-long play-by-forum overly complex board games. Apparently the default mode for the Steam version is for a game to be 6 turns long instead of 10, I think that reflects the changing demo. 

Anyway, goodbye to the Board Game Geeks Game of Thrones Play-by-Forum community. May this post serve as a stone in your cairn, and hopefully a reminder of its existence to anyone out there who was also a member and stumbles across it.

[lucerysxestermont]

location: the grounds of riverrun, during luc and monty's visit for trade within the riverlands

@lucius-rivers

in the intricate labyrinth of riverun's halls, luc found himself trying to pull up his memories of how to navigate the halls. although he had once visited these spaces during a fleeting visit with a cohort of seasoned maesters, the details had blurred, leaving him to wander in pursuit of his cousin and the promised sanctuary of the library. 

and yet somehow despite his attempts at finding the library he found himself outside the castle walls near the training ground. amidst a dance of clashing steel, luc spied various men locked in the practice of sparring, honing their combat skills.

approaching a figure who stood apart from the fray who luc had yet to meet before. this man exuded an aura of strength and handsomeness, features hinting at noble lineage but he was unsure which house the man was from.  "excuse me, sir," he called out, already threading his words with an apologetic melody. "my sincere apologies for the intrusion on your training. but i am supposed to be meeting my cousin in the library but i seem to found myself turned around…well a lot. would you be able to direct me?”

[surfgirlbobi]

#riverun

by mariobroehl

[thunderrode]

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[glorynglory]

𝙾 !    𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝚈  ...   lord    lian    tully    ,    the    silver    trident

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         lewis tan,  37,  cis male,  he / him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  LIAN  of  house  TULLY,  the  LORD  of  RIVERUN.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  ANALYTICAL  and  VENGEFUL  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  revenge.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  family  :  the  desire  to  be  /  give  everything  ,  the  desire  for  rebirth  and  reckoning  ;  duty  :  there  is  something  heavy  in  your  chest  ,  something  with  sharp  edges  that  graze  against  your  ribs  ,  it  does  not  beat  but  thunders  ;  honour  :  something  is  beginning  to  taste  like  blood  .  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  THE  TULLYS.    

lord  lian  tully  never  fails  to  misunderstand  the  world’s  expectations  of  him  .  as  a  child  he  was  always  a  nervous  one  ,  fiddling  with  the  buttons  on  his  tunics  ,  picking  at  the  hangnail  on  his  thumb  ,  tapping  his  foot  during  prayers  —  and  all  in  all  wash  unintentionally  perceived  as  arrogance  and  that  was  the  label  he  always  believed  he  must  live  up  to  

as  a  young  man  ,  the  possibility  of  being  the  lord  paramount  of  a  the  riverlands  was  intoxicating  ,  the  power  (  what  very  little  of  it  he  had  and  was  to  have  )  consumed  him  and  a  toxic  nature  of  ambition  soon  altered  him  .  the  ambition  and  the  arrogance  made  him  an  extremely  unlikeable  personality  .  so  much  so  that  the  common  folk  had  created  a  name  for  him  ,  the  silver  trident  .  because  though  he  could  try  to  be  the  best  ,  he  never  will  be  .  

as  he  grew  up  he  destroyed  his  father’s  paranoia  and  cowardice  and  how  he  destroyed  all  ties  to  the  targaryens  and  by  extension  ,  destroying  any  chance  of  royalty  being  attached  to  the  tully  name  .    of  all  the  great  houses  of  westeros  ,  the  tullys  never  ruled  as  kings  .  and  the  thought  embarrassed  the  young  lian  and  made  him  feel  ill  .  

house  tully  is  an  old  noble  house  of  first  men  and  their  closest  connection  to  royalty  was  with  the  king  of  the  rivers  and  the  hills  ,  tristifer  mudd  .  if  marriages  between  the  two  families  has  been  successful  ,  house  tully  could  have  been  ruling  as  kings  .  but  it’s  a  daydream  ,  a  what-if  .  though  with  his  arrogance  ,  ambition  and  maniacal  desperation  for  a  throne  ,  perhaps everyone  should  be  wary  of  what  could  happen  .

𝙳𝙾  𝙸  𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙸𝙵𝚈  ?

[midnightwitch92]

Robert's Rebellion was built on a lie. Whose lie?

[jovifan64]

#Repost @outlander_world @download.ins --- New #Outlander S5 promo still with #SophieSkelton and #richardrankin as #Brianna and #Roger . Via Outlander Starz IG Story . #Outlander #OutlanderStarz #OutlanderSeries #Outlanderseason5 @diana_gabaldon @sophie.skelton @rikrankin #SophieSkelton #richardrankin #FrasersRidge #northcarolina #riverun #revolutionarywar #DianaGabaldon https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nnnF3BiDJ/?igshid=lpms6jdr8xgq

[banrion-dearg]

Cat with baby robb at riverun

[acnhcustomdesigns]

chalk rainbow hopscotch designed by melissa of riverun 

[machiavxlli]

Leyla joined him in laughter. The Tyrell scholar had a way of getting laughter out of the woman like no other man ever had. It was precious. The redheaded Tully often missed home, but Allaestyr managed to make King's Landing tolerable. "I concur, my lord. I do believe your mother was right." The redhead nudged his shoulder with hers. "Besides, I merely jest." Leyla missed her mother, who passed away in the child bed. It was a fate that Leyla was constantly reminded of when she was young, the maesters and septa's in Riverun spoke of it often.

Leyla's eyes fell on the queen, Cersei Lannister, as she walked past. She was far from them, unable to feel the trout's gaze on her back. "How do you feel about your cousin marrying the future king? Your house must be proud..." Leyla tried to hide her disdain for the Lannisters, but she was often told her that her eyes gave her away. Margery was set to marry the future king, Joffrey Baratheon, who was nothing but a arrogant prick.

He placed his hand over his heart and feigned heartbreak. "Arrogance, m'lady. You find me more arrogant than a man with a stick and a horse, finding it appealing to race the horse down the list till he hits the other man with a stick and calls himself a knight. Oh, no, my arrogance comes from knowing that the realm couldn't have such useless events if I wasn't good at my job."

Allaestyr laughed before taking a seat beside her, "beisdes, I'm dashing. My mother told me so before she passed and said never let a lady tell you otherwise. You are a dashing and handsome my, my dear boy. I choose to believe that my mother was a wise and wonderful person to bring me in this world, m'lady. Do you not concur?"