#tyrion is a he* not she it was a typo

[yourlocallunatic]

My Lady.

podrick payne x Lannister f!reader

18+

summary: Bastard daughter of Jamie Lannister you’ve stayed in the Red Keep as a ladies maid without your family's knowledge, after Jeoffrey dies it’s no longer safe for you so your father sends you with his new ally.

warnings: smutttt! piv sex, oral, m & f receiving. lovey dovey shit. lannister trauma. probably some typos….sue me.

WC: 7.4k

The commotion during the week after your cousin's death was something you hadn’t seen since the former King Baratheon died and the ‘usurper’ Ned Stark was beheaded. They were questioning you, you knew they would—you had been working for Sansa Stark ever since she arrived in King’s Landing, of course, her ladies' maid would know something of her disappearance as well as her new husbands. You and Shae had been asked to testify against Tyrion in the trial, you knew you couldn't testify against your uncle without revealing your true lineage. Not many knew of it, but your uncle was one of them.

You'd been waiting in your chambers silently for days, sneaking out only to steal food from the kitchens. When your door busted open suddenly you thought the worst, Cersei had found you out, or even worse Lord Tywin, he wouldn't think for a second before killing you. A bastard in his family. How shameful.

"My daughter, come with me now," you were shocked to see your father, he didn't engage with you unless absolutely necessary. As devastating as it was that you hardly ever saw him, you knew it was for your safety. You glance down to his now golden hand, having only heard from the other maids and squires of what happened to him. "Come, quickly now, pack a sack we don't have much time." what were his plans now though? He'd only just gotten back.

"What are we doing?" you began to slowly gather a couple of dresses and slips, but Jamie was clearly in much more of a rush, tearing a long, grey cloak from your cabinet before unbuckling a golden, lion-pommeled dagger and tossing them in a bag.

"You mustn't use this unless you need to. And we aren't doing anything you are going away."

"But you told me it was safer here, where you are!" you picked up the pace, tying your bag together as your father draped your cloak and hood over you, nearly completely concealing your face, "I can't see anything! Can't you just tell me what's happening?"

"Keep your voice down please," he whispered grabbing your hand before tearing into the hallway. "I'll explain in a moment I promise." You huffed quietly—annoyed—but following him anyway. What else could you do but trust him? You had no one else to trust.

Winding through the halls you came to an abrupt stop outside the back entrance of the Keep. And there stood a woman you'd never seen before, she was beautiful in a way you'd never expect, tall, impressive, mighty, her eyes a striking blue. This had to be Brienne of Tarth, the woman you had heard brought your father back to King's Landing.

"Brienne please," you had never once heard your father plead. "This is the one favor I'll ask of you," he speaks to Brienne as you walk to the edge of the forest where there are three horses and two men waiting. "And here he is, your last gift," he says smiling as he pulls one of the men next to him. You knew his face. Podrick Payne. He was your uncle's squire. You two had often seen each other in passing once Tyrion and Sansa had gotten married, he was a quiet boy, but always spared a smile and a nod towards you. And you had noticed just how gorgeous his smile was. You pull your hood over your face a tad more, not knowing if you could really trust him yet.

"I don't need a squire. She'll slow me down enough already," Brienne scoffed and nodded her head in your direction.

"I won't slow you down ser-... my lady," Podrick quickly fixed his mistake before promising to serve Brienne well. The other man, Bronn you think his name was, a friend of Lord Tyrion's handed Podrick an axe before rushing him off to ready the horses.

"I trusted you to get me back to the Keep, and now I'm trusting you with my daughter. She's safest outside of King's Landing." your father glances at you and then back at Brienne, "she's been found out. If not yet then at tomorrow's trial. I can't have her killed." You look at him before grabbing his golden hand.

"Please don't. She said it herself, I'll slow her down! I can find a better place here, in the city so you can keep an eye on me!" You beg.

"You know I can't darling," he brings his hand to your face stroking your falling hair away from your eyes, "You know how jealous your aunt can get, and how protective your grandfather can get of our family. They'll find you here." you may not have known him well enough but he was your father, the only family you'd had for years. Tears welled in your eyes before you wrapped your arms around him. He held you tight, it was the first you'd been held in years, and you relished the moment. "I trust Brienne, and if you trust me, you'll trust her, Podrick's a good lad too! You know him, they keep you safe." you pulled away from him and sniffed, wiping your tears away.

"The horses are ready my lady," Podrick walked back towards you and Brienne.

"Very well. Get the lady on her horse and we'll be off soon."

"Yes, my lady."

"I'm not a lady, get her on the horse," she says sharply. You gave one more look to your father before walking with Podrick, leaving your father and Brienne to talk.

"Have you ever been North, my lady?" Podrick strikes up a conversation as he ties your bag to the back of the horse, securing the saddle before kneeling before you and setting his hand out to help you on the horse. You hadn't seen him his close before, freckles scattered his cheeks and his warm chocolate eyes stared into yours as he recognized who you were. His brows furrowed but he didn't ask questions. The loyalty of a squire.

"Never, I don't suppose I'll like it though. I'm not fond of the cold," you answer, smiling slightly to try and lighten the mood. Your hand rests on his broad shoulder as he lifts you to the horse. You let out a small yelp as you went, not expecting the strength he had, you quickly tried to play it off "Gods I hate horses, haven't ridden one in years, and last time I did I nearly got stepped on." He chuckles at you as he adjusts the stirrups for you.

"Well I'm sure he could teach you to ride," Bronn comes from the other side of the horse, patting Podrick on the back roughly as Podrick glared at him. Giving you the impression that he was often teased by the older man.

"Not sure I'd help, I haven't ridden in a while either," he turns back to you, giving you a shy smile as Brienne and Jamie start back towards you.

"Wasn't talking about horses," Bronn smirks and ruffles the top of Podrick's head, the younger man trying to push him away. "See, this lad's got a magic cock, all the girls in King's landing want him now, three whores turned away a load of gold 'cause he was that good."

"Shut up!" Podrick growls as he walks away to mount his horse, redness growing on his cheeks. You knew your face was growing hot too at the image. You'd heard plenty of stories from the other ladies' maids about what intimacy was like, and hardly ever did you hear of it being good, let alone good enough to turn away money. You adjust yourself on your saddle, a warmth quickly settling in your belly.

"Better make sure your daughter watches herself around that lad!" Bronn walks past your father patting him on the back. Your father's eyes now stare darkly at the squire who looked absolutely humiliated.

"I hear anything about you touching my daughter I'll have Brienne chop that 'magic cock' off in your sleep," Podrick looked utterly shocked, his daughter? But it was quickly replaced but fear. "You hear me, boy?" Your father's hand moved to hold the handle of the sword at his side.

"O-of course, Ser! I would never, I-I'm a gentleman, I've always respected your daughter." A blush begins to form at the tips of your ears, respect. You look to him to give him a reassuring smile and nod, just like the ones he'd give you every time you saw each other.

"Keep her safe, Brienne. Keep your oath." and that was the last you saw of your father for quite some time.

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Traveling with Brienne and Podrick had actually been somewhat enjoyable. Minus sleeping outside every night and enduring Brienne's constant grumpiness you were actually getting used to it. You and Podrick just grew closer and closer, each telling one another stories of your squiring and maid days.

Once, he questioned your lineage, and you gave him the truth. "My mother died when I was young, she was a Lady of the Court, Jamie didn't know I was his child until right before she passed. And well... you know the rumors about him and the Queen...she wouldn't have taken well to knowing he had a child that wasn't hers. Foul of them both honestly..."

"What happened after that?" Podrick urged on gently, looking at you from where he rode next to you on his horse, you could tell he was trying his best not to pry but was too curious.

"Well, he had me raised in the Keep. I worked since I could walk, in kitchens, wait staff, whatever you could think of. He always made sure I knew who he was, hardly ever saw him though."

"Does anyone else know?"

"My septa, I'm sure Varys knows because Tyrion found out recently and who else would he hear it from?" you laugh at the absurdity of the thought that your uncle had a whole other niece living under his roof and he of all people didn't know. He smiles at your story, not a single bit of judgment in his eyes.

You too had learned so much more about the sweet man that squired your uncle, even hearing of the time he and Bronn had forced Podrick to tell them everything that had happened in Littlefinger's brothel the night the women turned away the gold. That story had been told after one evening you three had spent quite a while in a tavern, seeking the warmth from the rain with fire, and probably too much ale. He had been so embarrassed the next morning when Brienne told him to stop bragging about how good he was in the bedroom.

"What are you talking about? I didn't brag about anything!" He'd said defensively as he readied your horses the next day, his face already going red. That was also the first time you heard Brienne laugh.

"If I recall, you said word for word," she said before deepening her voice to imitate Pod "'Oh Y/N, they just wouldn't stop asking! How many times am I supposed to say that I'm just good, it's all about receiving and giving.'" Podrick's mouth dropped open as he shook his head looking between the two of you.

"I-I, no I didn't say that!" he looked at you for a response and all you could do was shrug and give him an awkward smile that confirmed his fears. He looked down at his feet, ashamed, "Never let me drink that much ale again." and he was silent most of the day's ride.

As embarrassed as he was you were even more aroused. The man had grown on you, he was sweet, and always looked after you and Brienne before doing anything for himself. It didn't help that one evening he was without a tunic for a while as you washed it in the creek. He sparred with Brienne, he was getting stronger from his training, you could see it as you watched the muscles in his chest and abdomen ripple as the swords clanged together, or his arms tensing as he held defense against Brienne. He had caught your eye as you were looking at him, but you swiftly turned away in embarrassment, practically drooling. Then it had been you that didn't talk for most of the next day's ride.

Some weeks after that, you sat by a fire after the longest day you'd had. Sansa rejecting Brienne's protection, and her not trusting you for one second after she found out who you were. You'd been chased by some of Littlefinger's men, losing both Brienne and Podrick for some time. It was the first time you'd been in that much danger since Brienne defeated the Hound. Brienne slept a ways away, claiming she was too irritated with Pod to stand the sight of him. Your legs were tucked underneath you and you held your hands close to the fire.

"Are you cold, my lady?" his voice held a teasing tone, you'd told him many a time you weren't a lady, but he didn't stop, and you knew he called you that just to tease you. You were in no mood for it though, the girl you'd known and cared for for years now didn't trust you. Littlefinger had gotten into her head. You were angry, at her, at Baelish, at your father for leaving you, your mother for dying, at Brienne for picking on Podrick, and even at Podrick himself for running off without you and leaving you.

"Of course I'm cold, we're in the North now Podrick," You spat out at him. You know you'd regret your harsh tone later but right now, fuck it.

"Have I upset you?" he says softly, just the sound of his voice melting your heart. You close your eyes, all the anger and heartbreak you've had today began to swim in your eyes. "Y/N..." gods his voice couldn't be more perfect, it broke you. A sob left your lips and they didn't stop. "Whoa, woah, what's going on?" you didn't hear him stand up from his side of the fire and make his way to you before he put an arm around you. You fell right into him, he was too warm to resist, too gentle. He shushed you and rocked you in his arms until the crying stopped.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Podrick," your voice nasally from crying "I shouldn't be mad but I am. I cared for Sansa, she became a sister to me and now she doesn't trust me. I cared for my father and he sent me off, I cared for my mother and she died before I could even speak, I care for you and you left me, I know it wasn't on purpose but I was so afraid without you. I'm sorry, I don't want to be mad but I can't help it!" you choked out another sob before he looked at you and wrapped his arms around you again.

"No, no, don't say sorry, it's alright, it was a hard day, you can be mad. I-I hate that I left you...I promise I d-didn't mean to but the horse..." he trailed off pulling back to look you in the eyes. Gods you loved those damned eyes, his brows were pulled together as you stared each other in the eye, not a look of pity, just sympathy. You lean forward to rest your head against his chest, so worn from the long day. He smelt of fire smoke and evergreens. It felt so right you didn't even realize this was the closest you two had been to one another. His strong arms held you close and he rested his chin atop your head. You wondered if this felt just as right to him as it did to you.

"Pod?" you break the peaceful silence and he hums an answer in response not wanting to let go of you, "Do you care for me too?" these words made him let go, looking at you with a mixture of confusion and nerves.

"W-what?"

"I-um, said before that I cared for you, do you care for me too?" his mouth closed and opened like a fish out of the water as he searched for words, always so unsure of himself.

"Of-of course I do! I'm here to protect you." those weren't the words you'd wanted him to say.

"No, Podrick, do you care for me?"

What little remaining confidence he had left his body, he closed his eyes tightly gathering whatever courage might be inside of him before opening them and looking you in the eye, moving quietly to grab the side of your face, still wet with tears. "Yes. Very much." the tension left your body and a smile grew on your face. Your hands moved to grab behind his neck and pull his forehead to yours.

"Please, kiss me Pod, I want to know how you feel."

And he didn't even hesitate to smash his lips to yours and practically swallowing you whole. This Podrick was different, he was moved by passion and love and lust. He wasn't the clumsy boy right now, this was the broad-shouldered man you saw sparring (of course they were both just as good, they were both your Podrick). He took hold of your body and didn't let go, one of his hands was entangled in your hair holding the back of your head to pull you closer, and the other gripped your hips tightly, he was feral. You held the sides of his face and gently pushed him away so you could come up for air. You made eye contact and began to giggle at him, he let out a huff of a laugh before resting his forehead on yours.

"Sorry," he mumbled becoming the shy Pod again, "I've been wanting to do that for so long now."

"Me too."

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More weeks had passed and more things had changed. You and Podrick would sneak hidden hugs in the mornings and quiet kisses in the night when the dark had fallen. As much as you'd both like to believe you were keeping a good secret, Brienne could feel the change, she could see it in the glances and little smiles you gave each other. You'd continued to follow Sansa so Brienne could fulfill her oath. But when you came upon the aftermath of the battle between the Boltons and Stannis things went downhill. Everything was all over the place, and when you finally found Sansa she and the Greyjoy boy were being attacked by men from Ramsey's army. As Brienne and Pod went to take down the men you rushed to Sansa, you jumped off your horse and pulled her up from the ground. You watched from afar, the dagger your father gave you at your side. Your heart raced in your chest as you followed Podrick with your eyes, watching from every angle to ensure he was safe. He ended up on his back—swordless—with a man about to kill him, your body betrayed you, and standing from your safety you rushed right to him, "Podrick!" you screamed as you ran, hoping to reach him before the man struck. Your breath was stuck in your lungs but released when Theon struck the man from behind. The two men nodded at each other, Podrick's a sign of thanks.

"Oh gods," you rush to him the rest of the way and throw yourself on top of him, "I almost lost you!" you cried into his cloak.

"You won't lose me, my lady," he shoved you off of him and stood to help you up, "not now." he pressed a kiss to your forehead, not giving a flying fuck Brienne was watching. You made eye contact with her, looking away shyly and burying your face in Podrick's chest. You didn't see the small smile that graced her lips.

A few more days passed and you came to Castle Black, Sansa had apologized for not trusting you, and you gave your own apology for not telling her the whole truth. She was stubborn, it would be a slow rebuild of trust, but you could already see the young girl you first knew peeking through. Just before you reached the castle you and Sansa rode on one horse behind the two others. Podrick had looked back at you and you gave each other a shy smile. As confident as he could be sometimes, usually his nervousness won out, but so did yours.

"You love him don't you?" Sansa's voice rang behind you quietly.

"I really do," your voice sounded dreamy, something it never did. Perhaps something good might come out of this.

Jon and Sansa had reunited and things were calm for a moment. You were able to bathe, eat, and sleep in a bed covered with furs. The North was cold, you hated it just as much as you thought.

"My lady," Podrick came to sit next to you in the hall where you tried to keep warm by the fire. You immediately pull him closer trying to gather any warmth you could, "Why aren't you in bed?" he asks as he takes off his cloak to drape it around you.

"My room is freezing! I can't sleep in there! Thought in here I could at least sit by the fire."

"I don't like the thought of you here alone, the men of the Night's Watch, lots of them are dangerous...why haven't you just lit the fire in your room? That should warm you." he rubbed slow circles on your back, but your quick turn to look at him startled him back an inch.

"There is no fire in my room, don't you think I'd have lit it by now?!" the cold made you intensely irritable but you still snuggled closer to him. "Wait... Pod? You have a fire in your room?"

"Uhm...yes? You don't?"

"NO! I just said so! Ohh that is so unfair! I bet it's because I'm a woman, the fuckers."

"Hey it's alright," He says trying to calm you, "You can um, you can stay in my room if you'd like." He looks you in the eye and your gaze softens.

"Really?"

"'Course, the fire's already going, should be nice n' warm already."

"Take me there m'lord oh the chill has seeped into my bones! I need a big strong man to help me!" you faint into him dramatically. He laughs at your bad attempt at acting and helps you to your feet.

"Let's go then, my lady."

He was right the room was already warm and cozy, filled with his scent from the worn leather tunic resting over the chair. You immediately took off both of the cloaks that now rested on you and kicked off your boots, flopping into the bed and under the furs, kicking your feet as you inhaled his scent. From the door he smiled gently at you, seven hells he was head over heels.

"Goodnight then, my lady," He moved to open the door, his cheeks red as he watched you cuddling into the bed.

"Podrick? You're not staying?" the thought of him leaving had you on your feet and straight to him before he can set his hand on the knob. You pull his arm away and bring it to you.

"I don't think we should..." He looks away from you clearly very nervous about something.

"Do you not want to? I can just go back to my room, I just thought... maybe you'd want to be together, while we have the chance," you look up at him through your lashes, confused at why he'd want to leave.

"No, no, I-Just. I really don't think I could...is all," your brows pull together trying to understand, he sees the confusion and continues to explain as he moves to hold your face in his hands, "You. Lying next to me. In bed? I-I don't think I could control myself if I wanted to."

Realization flooded your expression and then you began to think. You. Him. All those stories he'd so stupidly bragged about, the thoughts of his naked chest consumed you. You'd wondered what he looked like below that too. You hadn't been with a man, not like that. A few kisses here and there but this? Something different entirely. And you wanted it. You wanted him to make you feel good, just as he'd said. So you plucked up the courage.

"Then don't," you stepped closer to him taking his hands and moving them from your face to your waist, "please Podrick? I trust you."

Every ounce of his self-control was now gone in the wind as you all but pleaded for him. "Fuck." he cursed pulling you into him and pressing his lips to yours. The Podrick you saw the night by the fire was here again, and he was hungry. You didn't hear him curse often but this, his raspy, needy voice felt like fire in your veins. You didn't think it was possible for him to hold you any closer as his face buried into your neck and his lips trailed down, nipping and licking and sucking. You'd never felt anything so heavenly.

"Pod, I... I want to see you," you pant out, beginning to pull at the strings of the thin under-tunic he was left in after he'd given you his cloak in the hall. He helped, finally pulling the top over his head and leaving his chest bare. You immediately began to trail your hands down him, feeling every single inch as you had so often dreamed of doing. "So perfect," you whisper, beginning to place feather-light kisses across the span of his chest.

"Y/N, you um, you need to tell me if you really want this, I don't want to take something from you if you value it," he spoke quietly and shyly as you continued running your hand all over him, feeling the strength of his arms, the broadness of his shoulders, the smoothness of his chest. How could you not want this?

"I want this, it is important to me, and I want you to have it," you look him in the eye, speaking your truth, "Show me, Podrick, I want it." You take your hands away from him and begin to undo the ties of your dress, wanting him to see you for all you are. He watches you intensely. Short, quick breaths leave him as he feels himself growing harder and harder within the confines of his breeches. You were magnificent, your dress slowly fell down your body and pooled on the ground by your feet. Podrick couldn't help but stare and stare and stare. The longer he did the more nervous you grew, slowly moving your hands to cover yourself.

"No," his voice was low, full of desire, "don't cover yourself, you're fucking breathtaking," he gasped out. He sounded confident, and dominant, but not in a demeaning way, in a way that made you feel loved and cared for. He reached out, grabbing your breasts in his hands and plucking softly at your hardening peaks. A soft gasp left you and he covered your mouth with his, slipping his tongue inside as he continued caressing you. His hands went lower and lower, reaching around to your backside and giving it a quick squeeze making you moan into his mouth. "You trust me, yes?" he asks, and you nod continuing to kiss him, moving to his neck like he had done to you. Shit. He tasted so good. "I want to hear you say it," he speaks, pulling your head away with the hand he now held on your cheek.

"I trust you. I love you. Do whatever you want to me," the desperation was evident in your voice and your actions as you couldn't take your hands off of him.

"Go lay down," he kissed your forehead softly before pushing you gently towards the bed. The back of your legs hit the bed and you fell back, leaving your legs hanging down. A stroke of confidence befell you and you opened your legs slightly, showing him your pussy on full display. He walked towards you excruciatingly slow and when he finally reached you he touched you so very lightly. He traced his fingers across your hip-bones, across the tops of your thighs and right down in-between, so close to where you needed him. "You've uh, have you touched yourself before?" a tremor of anxiety running through him. You meet his gaze as his hands grow closer to your center, you nod at him shyly, should you be ashamed? He quickly answers your question. "Yeah? Good." Then it happens, his rough, calloused fingers finally meet where you most need him. He's so slow it almost kills you, dragging his fingers up and down gathering your arousal on his fingertips before bringing them to your throbbing bud. He elicits the most desperate sound out of your throat. "Is that where you touch? Is that where it feels good?"

"Yes, yesyes. It feels so good," you didn't recognize your own voice so desperate and wanton. Your head falls back against the furs on the bed as he continues his work, then OH gods. You feel his soft, wet tongue touch your center. Your head whips up and you look him straight in the eye from where his mouth connects to you, as his eyes meet yours he lets out a groan, and his eye slip shut fully enamored with the taste of your pussy. You hadn't ever felt anything so perfect, but maybe he'd change your mind later. His fingers massage the insides of your thighs as he laps and sucks at you. For the sake of the Night's Watch, you try your hardest to contain your noises but when a finger slips up and starts circling around your entrance you lose it, slapping a hand to your mouth to muffle your moans. His finger slips in slowly—too slowly—and you buck your hips forward aching for more.

"Be patient, I want to make sure you're comfortable," Podrick mumbles against your pussy, you can barely hear him but listen anyway as he works you open. A second finger joins soon and he sucks and licks your clit while his fingers move in and out of you, steadily building up a pace.

"Oh Pod, please don't stop, it feels so, so, good," your hand moves down slowly working its way into his hair and holding firmly as he does as you say, not stopping for a second. You can see his torso rhythmically jutting forward, trying to grind himself against something—anything. That brings you so close to the edge thinking of him, just as desperate as you are. A couple more laps of his tongue against your clit and a single groan into your pussy and you're falling over the edge. You pant and squirm as his motions don't let up. "Podrick, Pod, I can't 's too much," He finally pulls away from you, taking his slick-covered fingers and sticking them in his mouth, sucking away your juices. A down-right sultry moan leaves your lips at the sight and you slap your hand to your mouth before falling back against the bed again.

"Was that alright?" he asks, his hair is tousled and he slowly kisses up your body stopping to lick across your nipples, tugging one with his teeth slightly.

"Alright? You're a god Podrick," you pull his face to yours kissing him deeply. "Does it feel that good for you too? Can I make you feel like that?" He chuckles at your eagerness and kisses you again.

"I imagine it would with your mouth, but I want you to feel good tonight," now laying beside you, you see the evident tent in his breeches. You reach your hand down and grip him through his pants, moving up and down against the hard length experimentally.

"Please, Pod? It's only fair," you grin at him and he nods quickly at you, the pleasure too intense for him to just ignore. You shuffle down the furs and untie his breeches, letting your fingers drag down the curls on his lower belly and groin as you do so. You remove his pants quickly, you are just as desperate to taste him as he is to feel you. You move your hand up and down his length, leaning down to suck the drops of him from his tip.

"Gods, fuck, Y/N."

"Tell me what to do," you look up at him, he was so needy and desperate to feel you around his cock, but he'd let you have your fun first.

"Spit on it," and you do just as he says, you let the spit dribble down your chin and fall right on his cock, "now keep going up and down." following his directions you stroke him at a steady pace. "You can use your mouth too," more of a suggestion than direction but you dive right in taking his length in your mouth, doing just what felt right taking him deeper and deeper, and rubbing what you couldn't fit in your mouth. Woah. Now that you had your mouth and hand around him you realized just how large he was, would he fit? Thoughts coursed through your head as you continued your ministrations. So caught up you didn't hear his voice till he pulled your head off of him with the hand that was weaved through your hair. "Stop, stop," you heard the gasps and immediately grew worried.

"Was it not good?"

"It was too good," he huffed, out of breath, "I want to fuck you before I finish." his words brought you to reality a small fear settling deep in your gut. Your expression must've betrayed you because his hand moved to cradle your face. "We-we don't have to, whatever you want to do, I won't make you, my lady," he pecks your cheek and looks you in the eye waiting for a response.

"I-just...do you think you're going to fit?" genuine worry laced in your voice. He tried his best not to giggle at you, this version of you was so different from your normal snarky self.

"I got you nice and ready for me, if it hurts too much you say the word and I'll stop, I promise," how could one man be so utterly perfect? He shuffled out from underneath you and in one swoop you were now beneath him. His shining eyes stare down at you in adoration. His hand moves down to mess with your pussy again, moving your slick all around to make sure you were nice and wet for him, all the while keeping eye contact and watching your face contort in pleasure. “you want me to fuck you?” his voice was laced with lust but also a genuine concern for you. You nod vigorously, not being able to wait another second. His hand drifted away from your cunt causing a whine to leave your mouth. Taking his cock in his hand he pumps it a few times before taking the head and rubbing it all through your slick.

“Please, please,” you moan out reaching for his shoulders to pull him into you, your nails desperately scraping down his back.

“Please what?” his voice was teasing and you could tell this was his way of taking back every time he had been teased, flipping it around to make you a frustrated, whiny mess under him.

“Ugh, please Podrick, I want you to fuck me! I want to feel you inside of me, please,” you’d never been so desperate for anything in your life.

“‘Course love, whatever you want, I’m gonna go slow, ‘right?” you silently thank him for his consideration, he knew you were nervous, but you knew he would take care of you, just as he always did. The stretch was magnificent. He slid into you, taking his time and watching your reactions. A small wince at the dull pain that made you feel so achingly full, and an open-mouthed look of pure pleasure as he fully sheathed himself inside of you. “this good?” he asked, you could tell he was trying his hardest to hold himself back for your sake.

“‘S good Pod, please keep going,” your hands were still in his back practically digging your claws into him. Then he pulled out and pushed back inside in one motion, a loud moan left your lips as he groaned out a curse. You were squeezing him so nicely. His pace slowly formed as he kept moving in and out, his forehead falling against yours and your hot breaths mingling together as you panted and moaned. He rutted into you as he held you close, closer than anything you’d felt, you were one.

“That’s it, love,” this new name had you keening your head back. “knew you could take it, take me.” his words were barely coherent and he kept thrusting into you. You felt so full, so good, it was everything you could've hoped for.

"Love you, love you so much," your words made him groan out a "fuck" and he picked up his pace, fucking into you like a madman.

"Love you so much, you're—oh gods, fuck—doing so, so well," you could feel the sweat dripping down his back from where you held and you knew he was holding himself back as best as he could. Podrick was a sweet man, probably the kindest you'd ever met, but what you felt now wasn't kindness, it was desperation, fierce desperation to fuck you and fuck you good and hard. You knew men got like this, so eager for sex, you'd heard the stories about how violent they could get, but you'd never thought about Podrick having the same needs. He wouldn't escalate to violence, not ever, but you could feel the hunger in his thrusts as he gripped your hips tightly. The warmth from before started growing in your belly again, winding up and ready to break; and it got even more intense when he moved a hand from your hip back closer to your center, putting his calloused thumb right on your aching bud and rubbing it in circles. Your needy whines grew more desperate and your nails dug harder into his back—undoubtedly leaving marks. "Feel good?" he asked yet again, constantly making sure everywhere he touched you brought intense pleasure. You nod against his shoulder and move your legs to wrap around him. "There you go, m' getting close love," he grunted out, his thrusts growing sloppier. You cry out as the intense feeling washes over you again and he continues rubbing your clit to work you through it. As soon as it's finished he pulls out of you quickly, spilling himself all over your stomach and tugging on his cock as his spend continues to leak out of him before grunting once more and flopping next to you. Both of you pant hard, trying to recover from the intense feelings. His seed pooled on your stomach stickily and you reached a hand to run your fingers through it before moving them to your mouth and sucking his flavor off of them. You wouldn't lie and say it tasted good, but it was his essence and that alone aroused you again. He looked over at you and smiled cheekily before kissing your forehead.

"Could you, uhm..." you say nodding downwards to where his seed lay cooling on you.

"Oh-oh, 'course, sorry," He jumped up from the bed, the shy Pod returning with a rag and cleaning you off. His face was red, all of a sudden nervous as he realized what you two had just done. "That was good, right? I didn't hurt you or anything?" he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he used the other to stroke up and down your thigh, comforting you.

"It was amazing," you smile at him, trying to be reassuring before a smirk grows on your face. "Glad I was able to feel that 'magic cock' after all," you poked his ribs.

"Gods, I wish Bronn had never said anything, I wish I had never said anything!" he whined, moving off the bed to put his breeches back on, turning his face away from you.

"Come on Pod! I'm just teasing, you know I love it," you sit up and cover yourself with the furs, your body growing cold again as your sweat dries. "Come lay with me please," you beg, "just be with me." He turns his head back to you his brows curving down in adoration, your braids became messy and your lips were flushed pink from all the kissing. You'd never have any idea of how much he truly did love you. He walked back to the bed and rolled under the furs, pulling you into him and holding you tight.

"Sleep. You should be warm enough now, my lady," you giggled as you nuzzled your head into his neck and fell into a dreamless sleep.

When you woke the next morning Podrick was gone. Your heart dropped as you thought of countless reasons as to why he would leave. Was he done with you now? Was he ashamed of you? You got dressed quickly and tried your best to fix the mess your hair was without undoing the braids you had from yesterday. You opened the door slowly, looking both ways making sure no one would see you leaving Pod's chambers. You made your way to the hall for breakfast, still seeing no sign of Podrick. You sat beside Sansa with your bowl of oats and pushed it around with your spoon.

"You, uh—you haven't seen Podrick have you?" you asked her quietly, still worried he had just up and left.

"Don't worry, I saw him walking with Brienne to go train," she gave you a cheeky smile. "he had quite the smile on his face too." you blush at the thought of seeing him so happy because of you. You hurry to finish your breakfast so you can make your way out to see him.

You stood on the upper level, looking down on the yard where Podrick was sparring against a new member of the Night's Watch, Brienne watched from afar, occasionally shouting directions out to Podrick. Even though his skills were improving he still had a long way to go to match Brienne's level, that being said you had never seen him win a match against her. But sparring against this boy, someone more his size and skill level, he was doing amazing. He'd knocked the sword out of the boy's hand and walked closer to him, pointing his sword directly at his chest and smirking at him. Wow. You really must've given him the stroke of confidence that he needed. A steady smile sat on your face and you looked around only to see Brienne already staring at you. Her gaze was hard and your smile fell, she moved her head in one short movement to signal you to come down to the lower level. You walked towards her gradually, slightly worried about what she might want to speak to you about. As you reach her side, Podrick begins another round against the boy, catching your eye and giving a sweet smile (for luck he would tell himself, but really it just distracted him).

"Podrick seems happy this morning," Brienne states, eyeing you sideways.

"Suppose he does yes," you feign innocently.

"You weren't in your room this morning," your face falls and a blush grows rapidly on your face.

"I-I was in the kitchens.."

"Oh don't play coy, I know very well what happened," she looks you in the eye, very clearly feeding off your nervousness. "Just be careful, and don't let your father know or he'd have me chop off his 'magic cock' just like he said before we left. And as much as I'd like to do just that sometimes..." she trails off and looks back to Pod fighting before smiling softly at you, "he really makes you happy?"

"Yes, he really does," you turn to watch the man you love continue his fight before disarming the other lad again and putting the sword to his throat. Seven hells, he grew more and more handsome by the day. You could see his stubble shining in the winter sun as he looked to smile proudly at you and his eye glowed with joy. Yes, he made you very, very, happy.

[lemonhemlock]

what are they doiiiing, man

The more I believed I wasn't a book puritist, the more this show is trying to make me one because what are they doing?

Everything is inconsistent from episode to episodo and from season to season, like they're not even trying to make it believable

The only good thing is fr Daemon plot and this does shock me because I wouldn't have believed it before lol

And they're kind of making me feel angry about the green (alicent the most, because what are you doiiing? Not even on a book!alicent point, but from the same shows, she is always something different and it's humiliating really)

Idk, i try to take all with a light heart but... it's still able to make me quite mad

And sorry for all the typos and errors, I'm in a rush dhsjal

i mean it's a really disappointing season

i've said it before in my critiques, we can argue all day about characterisation (maybe some actually see aemond as an emotionless psycho, maybe some actually buy that alicent would sell out her own sons for rhaenyra), but there is little to no buildup for these HUGE changes and they don't even make sense in the context of the story. the greens are so, so emotionally flat and one-note melancholy with stunted dynamics. if they don't give a shit about each other, why and even HOW could the audience? where is the tragedy? ok, you want to make those changes from the books and create completely different versions of these characters: you have to make me believe it, man. you have to put in the work.

but these writers don't even understand the politics of the world they are inhabiting. they're not fixing any plot holes from the books, they're creating more. how the heck is house hightower JUST fine with having TWO members of their family dismissed in quick succession from the small council? who is financing this war? uncle hobert should be writing angry letters to aemond demanding appropriate reparations or else the hightower armies go back to oldtown. if they are not going to advance their own interests further as a house, why are they fighting this pointless war? tyland lannister should have given aemond some lip back for his attitude since house lannister has resources (i.e. armies, ships and gold) that aemond needs. these people have power! we've already seen the riverlords take no shit from daemon and he has a dragon too!

i've said this already to our dear @stannisfactions, so i'm gonna repeat myself here, but if alicent somehow became convinced that aemond was so off the rails he was going to get helaena killed................ there are ways around that that DON'T involve selling out your entire family to rhaenyra (certainly your male relatives, even the ones who didn't do a damn thing to you, like your brother, your uncle, your cousins, YOUR OTHER SON (THE NICE ONE), who are only following YOUR lead at the end of the day, because YOU put aegon on the throne and told them to mobilize forces and declare for him and now rhaenyra will see them all as traitors.

has everyone forgotten how to stage a castle coup? i know vhagar is big and scary, but she's parked way outside KL and aemond is just one man who was NOT shown to hustle for his own connections and personal network of friends. smack him in the damn head and throw his ass in jail!! tell everyone else the now-conscious KING aegon told you to! alicent was ruling queen for many years, it makes no sense for her not to have her own resources and courtiers who could help her do this.

can you imagine joffrey baratheon, surrounded by lannister guards loyal to and paid by tywin lannister, whose war is financed by the lannisters, dismissing tywin or cersei (or even tyrion) from his small council? are you laughing yet? why doesn't alicent have her own private army of hightower guards loyal to HER? unless you want (and need) her to be the stupidest person alive so that you can write your rhaenicent fanfic 🤌

they want to humiliate alicent so much to „punish” her for ~choosing the patriarchy~ instead of her bff rhaenyra and girl power. it's such an overdone storyline. other shows, books, media have done it to death, why is it in my dragon show, too? she can't have been a competent regent for viserys and not know how to do these things or not have acquired the resources to do them if necessary. how can she be both competent and incompetent when the plot requires it? it's giving wanting to still have the cake after eating it and throwing it into outer space

[istumpysk]

Sansa was bethroted to Joffery but he set her aside and marry Margaret. Sansa was forced to marry Tyrion and became Joffery's aunt. LF wanted to marry Sansa but he was denied by Cersei and she got married to Tyrion. LF marry Lysa and become Sansa's uncle. Sansa was molested by Tyrion and LF was rape victim of Lysa. Tyrells killed Joffery and LF killed Lysa after their marriages by using Sansa as their pawn. While it's not exactly same but some similarities are there.

Margaret gets my award for best typo of the day, anon. Beautiful.

As for the rest of the message, this was me the whole time:

Some similarities indeed!

[barbarab1707-blog]

About Dany the Dragon, chains, and how Jon sealed his fate at the Dragonpit meeting

Daenerys is a dragon. I think no one can argue with that. She calls herself the Mother of Dragons, people call her the Dragon Queen. 

She also sees herself as a dragon, as per this:

And this:

Olenna even tells her: “You’re a dragon, be a dragon” which is also the “counsel” Missandei gives her before her death, “Dracarys” (=be a dragon).

And at the end the showrunners show us this:

Dany has finally completely embraced her inner dragon.

How does this tie in with the Dragonpit meeting? Well, this scene is full of foreshadowing of what is bound to happen in season 08, especially regarding Dany the Dragon and Jon’s fate.

Before the dragonpit meeting, we have this piece of dialogue: “Dragons don’t understand the difference between what’s theirs and what isn’t. Land, livestock, children. Letting them roam free around the city was a problem.”

So, dragons don’t make the distinction between what’s theirs and what isn’t. Dany being a dragon, she is the same. 

Which is shown by this (land):

Dany not making the difference between which lands belong to her or not, could be further illustrated when Dany tells Jon this in s08: “what happens when they demand you press your claim and take what’s MINE.” She considers the 7 Kingdoms to be hers, when they are, by right, Jon’s.

This (livestock):

And this (children):

The second part of the sentence about letting dragons roam free is more important though. The Dragonpit was built in order to contain the dragons and control the damage they could do. 

In Dany’s case, what prevents her doing too great a damage, what controls her inner dragon and prevents it to “roam free” are her counsellors. They are her Dragonpit if one could say. Jorah, Barristan, Tyrion, all helped at one point or another to stop her unleashing her inner dragon, which manifests as anger. They also all failed at one point or another.

From the beginning of season 04, Dany herself started slowly slowly fearing her inner dragon, her own power and anger, which coincided with the moment where she started fearing her children’s power and wildness. This culminated with her locking and chaining Rhaegal and Viseryon in s04e10 and thus, trying to repress her nature.

However, trying to repress her nature didn’t seem to work all that well for her.

Besides, while his brothers were in chains, Drogon was still “roaming free”, which could mean that, as much as Dany tried to repress her impulsive and prone to anger nature, she still couldn’t fight it completely. Something that is confirmed when she feeds Meereenese nobles to the still chained Rhaegal and Viseryon mid-season 05, after Barristan’s death which angered her. 

Moreover, at that point of time, she doesn’t have anyone to keep her in check anymore, as Jorah is in exile, and Barristan is dead. Instead, she has Daario and Missandei encouraging her to embrace her inner dragon. Dany starts reconciling with it when she escapes the fighting pits on Drogon’s back. She is free again to be who she is. She embraces again her inner dragon when she burns the khals and takes over the khalasar (something that isn’t hers to begin with but feels entitled to have).

She wants to go full on dragon when she makes that speech to Tyrion when she returns to Meereen:”I will crucify the masters, I will set their fleets afire, kill every last one of their soldiers and return their cities to the dirt. That, is my plan.” Tyrion, who has taken Jorah’s and Barristan’s vacant positions, manages however to temper her first impulse. 

But, it’s interesting to note that he was the one to set Rhaegal and Viseryon free from their chains which was 2 episodes prior to her unleashing her anger on the khals.

Tyrion freeing them from their chains is interesting on a symbolic level and as foreshadowing as well, as in season 07, Tyrion’s bad decision making is what provokes Dany’s anger more and more, progressively awakening her inner dragon.

That’s when another comes in to help keep it in check once again: Jon.

From mid-season 07 until the end of s08e04, Jon is the one to act as Dany’s chains/Dragonpit.

However, s05 Dany, Jorah, Barristan, Tyrion, Varys and Jon all forgot something important:

You are damn right, Jorah. No one can tame Dany’s inner dragon, not even herself. (Sorry about the typo in the picture, I got it elsewhere, I’m too lazy to make my own).

And they forgot this:

Interesting we got reminded of that at the Dragonpit meeting. I think we heard that one before, didn’t we?

Hey, look! Drogon is in chains…Kraznys is at the other end of the chains, thinking he is in charge. But Dany is actually the one holding the whip in that scene. She is the master, the one with power. And hey, Kraznys even calls Drogon “a beast”. Doesn’t that remind us of something?

I’m not saying Jon is Kraznys, I’m just pointing the fact they both see dragons as beasts and both think dragons can be controlled, bound to their will, or in other words, chained to them. In Kraznys’ case, it was an actual dragon, in Jon’s case, it was Dany. Kraznys fell into Dany’s trap, failed in controlling Drogon and Dany unleashed her anger on Astapor. 

In s07e06, we also have this:

Another dragon in chains! I’m starting to think now that this ridiculous scene had a symbolic purpose. The only one who could actually bind a dragon to his will is the Night King. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, Dany bound her dragons to herself with blood magic and the NK bound Viseryon to himself with his magic. Only Dany’s Ice counterpart to her Fire could do it. No one else.

Let’s have a look at another moment at the Dragonpit. This is what Jon told Cersei when he refused her conditions:

“I am true to my word, or I try to be. That is why I cannot give you what you ask. I cannot serve two queens. And I have already pledged myself to Daenerys of House Targaryen.”

And this was his speech when Tyrion told him he should have lied: “I’m not gonna swear an oath I can’t uphold. Talk about my father if you want, tell me that’s the attitude that got him killed, but when enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies, and lies won’t help us in this fight.”

What does that have to do with anything? will you ask in a Sansa fashion. Well, the interesting thing about Jon’s speech on promises and lies is the chain on the floor while he does it.

The chain looks like this after Jon kills the wight:

Then, just before he starts his speech about oaths, promises and lies, it looks like this:

The chain has been rearranged on the floor by the staff, as we can see that on the second picture it is further away from the wight’s remains than on the first picture. Also, its spiral shape looks better. It is supposed to mean something.

Jon steps inside the spiral shaped chain right before his speech about promises and lies. The photo below is taken after he’s finished though:

What does it mean then?

The first meaning I spoke about was the obvious one, Jon is still chained/tied to his mission, as the wight’s remains at the end of the chain show us. Which leads him to:

Fall into a trap he creates for himself. 

When he “bent the knee, but” on the boat, he lied to Daenerys, or, as Tyrion put it so well in s07e03 (when he convinces Dany to let Jon mine the dragonglass), he gave her “something by giving her nothing”. However, at the Dragonpit, Cersei puts him on the spot, and he has to cover up for his previous lie and assure Dany of his loyalty to her. By pledging himself and the North to her in front of everyone, he is swearing an oath he cannot back out of. Even less after talking about upholding oaths and words meaning nothing when false promises are made. Those very words chain him to his public pledge to Dany. That’s what the chains are showing us, Jon, in season 08, feels he has no choice but to be true to his word, it is a matter of honour. This, in turn, leads him to:

engage himself in a spiral of lies and events (spiral shape) he won’t be able to get out of (chains). The only thing that finally frees him of this spiralling is her death.

He thought he could bind her to his will, control her. Instead, he got himself in chains, like the shot below shows:

Jon is inside the spiral while Dany stands at the other end of the chain. Dany, like in the scene with Kraznys, is actually the master, the one in charge. Jon, through his decision to pledge himself to her, has made himself her prisoner. We can say that from the moment he stepped foot on Dragonstone until the moment he killed her, he never ceased being her prisoner. Sansa was right, by going to Dragonstone, Jon walked into a trap. Not only the one he created for himself at the Dragonpit, but also the one Tyrion had set up for him when he invited him to Dragonstone without mentioning he had to bend the knee. 

Anyway, he walked into a trap, then failed in controlling Dany’s inner dragon, and she unleashed her anger on King’s Landing. Just like in the scene with Kraznys really.  It’s worth pointing that Dany is standing in KL (a city she will destroy) when she repeats the same words she told Kraznys in Astapor (a city she destroyed). She freed the people of Astapor, and later on, she “freed” the people of KL (albeit in a tiny bit extreme way). It looks like a kind of echo to me.

For those who would like to say that Jon becomes the dragon in chains, I will say no no no. Jon’s personality has nothing to do with Targaryen mentality, he is a Stark through and through!

Well… except maybe for… falling for his sister? Alright, alright, maybe he is the chained dragon here, but just a little bit, okay? Let’s say he is a winged wolf in chains, yes?

Seriously though, I wonder if, by showing us the two scenes displaying chains in season 07, they weren’t trying to draw a parallel between Viseryon the dragon being bound to the Night King’s will (Ice), and Jon the dragon being bound to Dany’s will (Fire). Without Viseryon nor Jon having a real choice in it either. 

One other thing that I feel foreshadows Jon’s fate in season 08. Before the Dragonpit meeting, Tyrion says: “but in the beginning, when it was home to Balerion the Dread, it must have been the most dangerous place in the world”. Jon in season 08, acts as Dany’s illusory dragonpit/chains, he prevents her from doing damage as best as he can. But she sees him as a threat and he is afraid of her which is understandable, as being too close to a locked and/or chained dragon is still a dangerous position to be in:

It’s interesting to see that the Dragonpit, which is the place where Jon sealed his fate, is a ruin. Jon, who is Dany’s last metaphorical Dragonpit, ends up broken. A dangerous position to be in indeed. 

Am I going too far here?

To conclude this thing, I’d like to mention another scene in that same episode that foreshadows as well Jon’s fate as a prisoner of Dany’s. It is the one with Theon. 

Theon mentions his time as a prisoner of Ramsay’s and how Yara, his sister, was the only one to try and save him. In season 08, Sansa is the only one who tries, in a desperate move, to save Jon, by telling Tyrion his secret. Most importantly, she goes to KL with an army to try and free him at the very end, while he is still a prisoner (but of Grey Worm’s now. Geeez, poor Jon…). The parallel can even go on, as Yara failed in freeing Theon and bringing him back home, and Sansa, although she manages to free Jon, fails in bringing him back home too. Jon is a broken man, Theon was a broken man. In season 08, Theon chooses love for the Starks and Sansa over duty to Yara, his Queen. Jon at the end chooses love for Sansa over duty to Daenerys, his Queen. 

Anyway, those were my latest messy ramblings and that’s all for now.

Thanks for reading!

[butterflies-dragons]

Hey love your metas! I want to ask about Sansa dealing with her sexual assaults and trauma. The way she mismemorised the traumatic events, do you think she gonna misremember any other similar traumatic events in future? Do you think her family will help her remember these events n dealing with it?

Hello Anon,

Thank you ♡

I recently wrote about Sansa dealing with trauma, particularly sexual assault trauma. 

Here is the post for anyone interested. 

And here is another one.  

Almost every meta, essay, analysis, etc, about the so-called “un-kiss”, has been written from a sexual perspective.  For the majority of this fandom, either shippers or not, Sansa remembering a kiss instead of the sexual assault she suffered and later having nightmares with her assaulter being in bed with her, CLEARLY means that she is having sexual fantasies with her assaulter, that she is expressing her dark, repressed, hidden, deepest desires about her assaulter, that all this is part of her sexual awakening.  

But every time GRRM has been asked about the subject, either from a sexual perspective or not, he consistently tagged Sansa misremembering things and events as “unreliable narrator.” Lets see.

In chronological order:

JUNE 26, 2001

SF, TARGARYENS, VALYRIA, SANSA, MARTELLS, AND MORE

[GRRM is asked about Sansa misremembering the name of Joffrey’s sword.]

The Lion’s Paw / Lion’s Tooth business, on the other hand, is intentional. A small touch of the unreliable narrator. I was trying to establish that the memories of my viewpoint characters are not infallible. Sansa is simply remembering it wrong. A very minor thing (you are the only one to catch it to date), but it was meant to set the stage for a much more important lapse in memory. You will see, in A STORM OF SWORDS and later volumes, that Sansa remembers the Hound kissing her the night he came to her bedroom… but if you look at the scene, he never does. That will eventually mean something, but just now it’s a subtle touch, something most of the readers may not even pick up on.

[Source]

It is very curious that the person who misremembered Joffrey’s sword name wasn’t Sansa, it was Arya:

The big man shrugged. "I was Joffrey's sworn shield. The butcher's boy attacked a prince of the blood."

"That's a lie!" Arya squirmed in Harwin's grip. "It was me. I hit Joffrey and threw Lion's Paw in the river. Mycah just ran away, like I told him."

—A Storm of Swords - Arya VI

But despite the unreliable narrator’s identity confusion, what I understand from George’s answer is that misremembering a minor detail like Joff’s sword name “it was meant to set the stage for a much more important lapse in memory,” like the “un-kiss” for example, that George mentioned next. 

At the same time, the “un-kiss” will eventually mean something, but just now it’s a subtle touch, something most of the readers may not even pick up on.

Take note that George’s answer is from 2001, after ASOS was published, so by that time he already knew about the existence of the shippers that want Sansa with the Hound being together in a romantic/sexual relationship. You can check this fact by reading the questions and answers from 1999 compiled in this post.  But he still mentioned that the meaning of the “un-kiss” was “a subtle touch, something most of the readers may not even pick up on.” 

So much for the so-called “evident”, “canon”, “endgame“ ship and ASOS being “their ship’s book”  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

* * *

OCTOBER 05, 2002

SANSA’S MEMORY

[Note: This mail has been edited for brevity.]

… this is an inconsistency with ASoS more than an outright error. In ASoS, Sansa thinks that the Hound kissed her before leaving her room and King’s Landing. In ACoK, no kiss is mentioned in the scene, though Sansa did think that he was about to do so.

Well, not every inconsistency is a mistake, actually. Some are quite intentional. File this one under “unreliable narrator” and feel free to ponder its meaning...

[Source]

Here George’s answer is more succinct: the “un-kiss” is not a mistake, it was intentional, file this one under “unreliable narrator.”

* * *

NOVEMBER 27, 2007

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Here’s a really particular question (which I realize means it probably won’t get asked in a general interview): In A Storm of Swords, there is a chapter early on where Sansa is thinking back to the scene at the end of A Clash of Kings when The Hound came into her room during the battle. She thinks in the chapter about how he kissed her, but in the scene in A Clash of Kings, this actually didn’t happen. Was that a typo or something? —Valdora

GRRM: It’s not a typo. It is something! [Laughs] ”Unreliable narrator” is the key phrase there. The second scene is from Sansa’s thoughts. And what does that reveal about her psychologically? I try to be subtle about these things.

[Source]

Here George gave us little clues:

[The un-kiss] is from Sansa’s thoughts [an internal thought for herself, she is not telling anyone that the Hound kissed her]

What does that reveal about her psychologically? 

I try to be subtle about these things

Also take note how GRRM repeatedly highlights the word “subtle” regarding the “un-kiss”:

but just now it’s a subtle touch (After ASOS but before AFFC)

I try to be subtle about these things (Shortly after AFFC)

This is a stark contrast with the majority of this fandom, either shippers or not, that interpret and believe that Sansa remembering a kiss instead of the sexual assault she suffered and later having nightmares with her assaulter being in bed with her, CLEARLY has to do with her sexual awakening, that the “un-kiss” means that she is having sexual fantasies with her assaulter, that she is expressing her dark, repressed, hidden, deepest desires about her assaulter.  

And I wonder, since Sansa has similar dreams with Ilyn Payne and often feels naked around him:

As the headsman looked at her, his pale colorless eyes seemed to strip the clothes away from her, and then the skin, leaving her soul naked before him. Still silent, he turned and walked away.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa I

She dreamt of footsteps on the tower stair, an ominous scraping of leather on stone as a man climbed slowly toward her bedchamber, step by step. All she could do was huddle behind her door and listen, trembling, as he came closer and closer. It was Ser Ilyn Payne, she knew, coming for her with Ice in his hand, coming to take her head. There was no place to run, no place to hide, no way to bar the door. Finally the footsteps stopped and she knew he was just outside, standing there silent with his dead eyes and his long pocked face. That was when she realized she was naked. She crouched down, trying to cover herself with her hands, as her door began to swing open, creaking, the point of the greatsword poking through …

She woke murmuring, “Please, please, I’ll be good, I’ll be good, please don’t,” but there was no one to hear.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa VI

Once she dreamed it was still her marrying Joff, not Margaery, and on their wedding night he turned into the headsman Ilyn Payne. 

—A Storm of Swords - Sansa II

Does this mean that Sansa is having sexual fantasies with her father’s executioner as well? Does this mean that Sansa has dark, repressed, hidden, deepest desires about Ilyn Payne too?

I think that the “un-kiss” has to do with Sansa’s internal thoughts, how her mind works, how her mind deals with unpleasant/disturbing events. So in order to decipher its meaning we must ask ourselves about Sansa’s psychology, she is a deeply traumatized child by many events: Her direwolf’s death, her father’s death, the disillusionment of her Prince and the Queen as high moral figures, the disillusionment of the knights as fair heroes, the psychological, physical and sexual abuse she has suffered so far.  The “un-kiss” is a subtlety from the author, this can’t be as easy as “Sansa has the hots for the Hound”. 

Sansa: All she wanted was for things to be nice and pretty, the way they were in the songs. —A Game of Thrones - Sansa I

Sansa: Almost raped by the Hound during the night of the Blackwater Battle, he invaded her bedroom, pushed her to bed, put a dagger at her throat, requested a song from her under threat of death.  

There is a song called “Off to Gulltown” that says:

Off to Gulltown to see the fair maid, heigh-ho, heigh-ho. I’ll steal a sweet kiss with the point of my blade, heigh-ho, heigh-ho. I’ll make her my love and we’ll rest in the shade, heigh-ho, heigh-ho.

Sansa: The Hound kissed me during the night of the Blackwater Battle.

Fandom/Shippers: Sansa fancies the Hound uhhhhhhhhh

Sansa: Has unpleasant memories of the “un-kiss” feeling soiled by it. 

Sansa: Has a nightmare about Tyrion and the Hound in bed with her the night after Marillion attempted to rape her.

Fandom/Shippers: Sansa fancies the Hound and have fun dreams with him uhhhhhhhhhh

It's really all that easy?

George hates to be predictable:

I spoke earlier about how predictable stories bore me. And we’ve all, you know, seen the stories where the hero, you know, he seems to get in trouble—he’s all alone, he’s surrounded by twenty foes, but he’s the hero! You know he’s going to get out of it; you’re not really engaged. I want you to be engaged. I want you to feel what the viewpoint character is feeling. If the viewpoint character is in trouble, I want you to be afraid, I want you not to know whether he’s going to get out of it. And I think the only way to do that is establish very early in the books that you’re playing for real, that anyone can die, and if the character’s in a life or death situation that he might not survive it. That these are not superheroes, these are not Indiana Jones. These are fallible human beings who are vulnerable to death and betrayal and all that. To my mind, that makes the stories much more suspenseful and gripping and emotionally involving.

(...)

I also liked the idea of the story not being predictable. Too much of fantasy is too predictable, you know? They say we write the stories that we want to read. And I was a reader long before I was a writer, and as a reader I love stories that take me to places that I don’t expect, and I hate stories where you read the first five pages and you know exactly what’s going to happen for the rest of the book. Those stories bore me very quickly, and I don’t want to bore my readers or indeed bore myself in writing, so I try to, you know, create a fairly complicated thing that’s full of twists and surprises and unexpected turns, but all of them rooted hopefully in human nature and arising out of the characters and the desires and wishes and dreams of those characters.

—A Dance With Dragons: George R. R. Martin

And he is always distracting us:

There are some mysteries in these books. There are some things that I’m gonna reveal later on that I’m planting clues for. There are some later plot twists that I’m foreshadowing. There are things that are gonna happen in Book 5 and Book 6 and Book 7 where I’ve planted a seed for it in Book 1. But I don’t necessarily want to give away my hand. So, what do I do when I plant the seed? Well, I plant the seed, but I try to do a little literary sleight of hand, and while I’m planting the seed, my other hand is up there waving and is distracting you with some flashy bit of wordplay or something that’s going on in the foreground, while the seed is being planted in the background. So hopefully the seed is there, the foreshadowing is there, but maybe you won’t notice it, because it’s surrounded by so many other things.

—The George R. R. Martin Podcast, Episode 7 (9:17)  

Transcription provided by this post.

Think about it!    

* * *

DECEMBER 2016 ASKING GEORGE R.R. MARTIN ABOUT SAN/SAN

My question is regarding Sansa Stark. Her sexuality has evolved through every book and yet the memory that seems to stick the more with her in this regard is the night of the Blackwater. So I was wondering if you can expand on your view on what this is, since as before that night her interactions with Sandor Clegane weren’t really physical.

The night of the Blackwater, yes. Ahhh… Well, I’m not going to give you a straight answer on that hahaha… Uhmmm, but I would say that ahhh… you know a television show and a book each has its own strengths and weaknesses; there a re tools that are available to me as a novelist, that are not available to people doing a television show. And of course there are tools available to them, that are not available to a novelist, I mean they can lay in a soundtrack, they can do special effects, they can do amazing things that I can’t do, I just have words on paper. What can I do, well I can use things like the internal narrative, I can take you inside of territories… thoughts, which you can’t do in a TV show… Ahhh… You just have the words they speak, you see them from outside because the camera is external, while prose is internal, and I have the device known as “unreliable narrator”… Ahhh… Which again, they don’t have. So, think about those two aspects when you consider that night of the Blackwater.

[Source]

Here George was asked directly, by a shipper, about the “un-kiss” and Sansa’s sexuality, and he stuck with his classic “unreliable narrator” answer.

George also repeated these things:

I can use things like the internal narrative

I can take you inside of territories… thoughts

Prose is internal

I have the device known as “unreliable narrator

His comparison between a TV Show and a Book is very telling: 

You just have the words they speak, you see them from outside because the camera is external, while prose is internal.

Also, it seems that he is done with questions about Sansa’s sexuality, as you can see from the chronology of questions and answers in this post. 

So, the “un-kiss” and any other misremembering from Sansa has to do with her psychological state, not with her sexuality in particular.

Sansa did something similar with the Trident incident, where her direwolf Lady, part of her soul, was killed by her own father using his sword Ice. 

She remembered the facts exactly as they happened when she told her father about it. But later she started to blame Arya and Cersei, but exculpates Joffrey, her future husband:  

Sansa and Septa Mordane were given places of high honor, to the left of the raised dais where the king himself sat beside his queen. When Prince Joffrey seated himself to her right, she felt her throat tighten. He had not spoken a word to her since the awful thing had happened, and she had not dared to speak to him. At first she thought she hated him for what they'd done to Lady, but after Sansa had wept her eyes dry, she told herself that it had not been Joffrey's doing, not truly. The queen had done it; she was the one to hate, her and Arya. Nothing bad would have happened except for Arya.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa II

She accommodates and compartmentalize a lot as a way to cope and survive every unpleasant, disturbing and traumatic event that already happened to her in her short 13 years.  

So to answer your specific questions:

Do you think she gonna misremember any other similar traumatic events in future?

I think so. This is sad because it means that Sansa will experience even more  traumatic events that she will have to deal with... 

We need to wait to know the “un-kiss” true meaning. She romanticizes the Hound’s rape attempt against her and made it into a kiss, just like a song called “Off to Gulltown” that describes a non-con/sexual abuse situation against a maid, like her.

Inside her mind Sansa decided to remember the good things that men like Tyrion and the Hound did for her.  In her first AFFC chapter (Sansa I), she thinks:    

When Joff had her beaten, the Imp defended her. 

When the mob sought to rape her, the Hound carried her to safety. 

When the Lannisters wed her to Tyrion against her will, Ser Garlan the Gallant gave her comfort.

Only in her nightmares the true slipped out:

And she dreamed of her wedding night too, of Tyrion's eyes devouring her as she undressed. Only then he was bigger than Tyrion had any right to be, and when he climbed into the bed his face was scarred only on one side. "I'll have a song from you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. "I wish that you were Lady," she said. 

—A Storm of Swords - Sansa VI

But after Marillion’s attack, Littlefinger forced kiss and Lysas’s death she is starting to join the dots.  For an instance, when she hears Littlerfinger using the same sexual innuendo than Marillion, “Let me warm you”, she realizes that Petyr Baelish is bad news:

Let me warm you, Sansa. Take off those gloves, give me your hands."

"I won't." He sounded almost like Marillion, the night he'd gotten so drunk at the wedding. Only this time Lothor Brune would not appear to save her; Ser Lothor was Petyr's man. "You shouldn't kiss me. I might have been your own daughter . . ."

—A Storm of Swords - Sansa VII

The whole passage from her first AFFC chapter (Sansa I) is very revealing: 

The things her aunt had said just before she fell still troubled Sansa greatly. "Ravings," Petyr called them. "My wife was mad, you saw that for yourself." And so she had. All I did was build a snow castle, and she meant to push me out the Moon Door. Petyr saved me. He loved my mother well, and . . .

And her? How could she doubt it? He had saved her.

He saved Alayne, his daughter, a voice within her whispered. But she was Sansa too . . . and sometimes it seemed to her that the Lord Protector was two people as well. He was Petyr, her protector, warm and funny and gentle . . . but he was also Littlefinger, the lord she'd known at King's Landing, smiling slyly and stroking his beard as he whispered in Queen Cersei's ear. And Littlefinger was no friend of hers. When Joff had her beaten, the Imp defended her, not Littlefinger. When the mob sought to rape her, the Hound carried her to safety, not Littlefinger. When the Lannisters wed her to Tyrion against her will, Ser Garlan the Gallant gave her comfort, not Littlefinger. Littlefinger never lifted so much as his little finger for her.

Except to get me out. He did that for me. I thought it was Ser Dontos, my poor old drunken Florian, but it was Petyr all the while. Littlefinger was only a mask he had to wear. Only sometimes Sansa found it hard to tell where the man ended and the mask began. Littlefinger and Lord Petyr looked so very much alike. She would have fled them both, perhaps, but there was nowhere for her to go. Winterfell was burned and desolate, Bran and Rickon dead and cold. Robb had been betrayed and murdered at the Twins, along with their lady mother. Tyrion had been put to death for killing Joffrey, and if she ever returned to King's Landing the queen would have her head as well. The aunt she'd hoped would keep her safe had tried to murder her instead. Her uncle Edmure was a captive of the Freys, while her great-uncle the Blackfish was under siege at Riverrun. I have no place but here, Sansa thought miserably, and no true friend but Petyr.

—A Feast for Crows - Sansa I

As you can see Sansa is starting to realize that the persons that help her, can also hurt her and have ulterior motives to help her, that the help is not unconditional and always has a price.  

So I think she will reach a point where she would be able to do the same with all her abusers, she will realize that men like Tyrion, the Hound, Dontos, etc, have helped her but at the same time have hurt her, Tyrion accepted to marry her and almost commit marital rape, the Hound attempted to rape her and repeatedly abuse her psychologically and physically, even Dontos, always requesting kisses.  

Do you think her family will help her remember these events and dealing with it?

Most probably. Meeting Jeyne Poole again, for example. Knowing what Littlefinger really did to her, and all his crimes against House Stark.

I really hope for that moment of realization, when she can stop lying to herself, when she can clearly see all those men as her abusers and that she owns them nothing. 

George, please! She had enough already... Give her some peace and quite! Give her true friends and her family back! 

Thanks for your message.

[queenaryastark]

I don't understand what GRRM is doing with AA. As the books progress it becomes more obvious that Stannis is the fake while Dany is the real deal. The foreshadowing for Dany as AA is overwhelming. Yet, in ADWD he throws in blatant foreshadowing for Jon as AA through Melisandre. Surely GRRM isn't having Stannis be a red herring for Dany who is then a red herring for Jon? But it doesn't make sense to introduce Jon as a contender this late in the game either if Dany is AA. Am I overthinking this?

I agree with you that the foreshadowing for the Azor Ahai prophecy seems to lead to Daenerys. She has already filled the prophecy, technically, with Drogo as Nissa Nissa and her three dragons being Lightbringer. The only foreshadowing that points to Jon is this passage:

Yet now she could not even seem to find her king. I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R'hllor shows me only Snow. -- ADWD

In my opinion, there are three possible explanations for this: a) Snow being capitalized is a typo and all she sees is actual snow, which Stannis is swimming in at the moment, b) her visions aren’t accurate and she’s being manipulated by the fire side of the main villain, or c) the AA prophecy is meant to be filled by more than one character, with Jon and Dany being two of the characters meant to fill it.

IMO, b an c are the most likely options.

I do see the possibility that Mel is serving the fire side of the main villain to be pretty high. She’s often wrong, she burns people alive, she wants to burn an innocent kid alive, the power of her god creates what GRRM referred to as fire wights meaning they’re the fire version of the wights the Others are creating, and she sees Bran/Bloodraven as the enemy of her god. All of that together makes me think she’s an unknowing pawn in the service of the main villain(s). Since her visions mislead her even though she’s an extremely old veteran of the process, she’s probably being actively misled. So when she sees Jon or Snow, that could be a way of manipulating her into turning Jon into a fire wight the way Beric was.

My hope is that Dany, Jon, Bran, Arya, and Tyrion are all chosen ones on some level meant to work together to defeat the great enemy.  Since Dany needs two other riders for her Lightbringer dragons, any of the other four could fit the bill.

[alternativewinxcontinuity]

Don't mind me, just losing my mental sh*t

Has anyone else ever noticed it always seems to be the people who’ve never written/posted anything that leave the most unnecessary (and often meanest) comments?

Or the people who themselves write like they haven’t hit puberty yet but feel like they can comment like a professional editor by giving advice that is exactly the opposite of what they were just saying needs to be fixed?!

Not Winx Related, I just really needed to vent. I got a shit review on a non-Winx Story and as I bitch a little about that I'm finally taking the time to address a review I got on my GOT fic, which turned nasty that I want to pick apart, but not to his face because he is not the kind of reviewer who should be interacted with, so I'mma dump it here. (Rant un-beta'd.)

Like? You really want to leave a comment on chapter 2 of a part 30 chapter fic that you haven’t read saying shit like:

“I don’t see the point its basically a rewrite”

When, had you read even one chapter on, you would have begun to see the divergence that is about to slowly snowball out of control while the universe does its best to stay on track. (yes the 'its' typo is review accurate.)

Like buddy, I get it, you've never written anything in your life and you think this is okay to say to someone because, and this may surprise you: you're an asshole.

"The point" was that it was a fun idea, "the point" was that I was enjoying the crossover and figuring out how everything could go wrong by replacing a single major part, "the point" was many, many other people found it hilarious and so did I. Not "the point" but it was also a version of Harry Potter not written by a fcking TERF.

Or:

'This Character is just really out of character, you're doing a bad job of writing him.'

Okay *goes to check their fics to see how they wrote him to see if she can figure out where reviewer is coming from. they have no fics in the fandom.* 'hey reviewer, you say he's out of character, how would you go about fix him so he's more in character?'

'Oh well, he's just not very *season 1 characterisation despite the fact he's explicitly stated to be season 3 end of his character growth story arc*, you should have him do *a thing that is something he would never have done even in season 1*'

-

Or shit like (and this is a long one from 'Richard' who hid behind the Anon function):

"This is a great fic. It's surprisingly difficult for me to optimize the protagonist. So first,"

Like? excuse you? why would you need to optimize my character?

"I really hope Sansa chooses to mine the metric tonnes of valuable honey and wax from that beehive once she gets her inventory."

So I hate to admit that the honey and wax would be a good idea, and she will be getting a boon of that, but it will be because she'll be getting Bee Hives later, not because she'll think to strip mine a people in dire straights.

"Also, she has valyrian steel claws, which she now knows can dig into the rock very easily. Those crumbling ledges? She can dig new ones, she can dig a staircase. She can widen the entrance so that her soldiers come in to help mine the liquid gold. Especially since she appreciates the difference between currency and goods. Of course, maybe she'll establish diplomatic relations instead."

So I am going to look so fcking petty when I finally get the next chapter out, because I actually addressed this idea with reality. Trust me, I did some research, and while there's almost nothing easily found on how long it would take to do this sort of work by hand, what I found supported the idea that it's stupid. It takes (and I shit you not) literal days with a team of men using hand tools to carve through even a few metres of rock (the exact time depends on how hard the rock is and how large they make the opening/area).

Sansa would be literally clawing at the walls with her nails which, while yes they are Valyrian steel, are still attached to very human fingers and arms. and here's where my first hand knowledge kicks back in: I went on a mock archaeological dig when I was in high school, I spent several hours scrapping layers of compact sand to uncover artefacts, resistance levels aside, the repeated action is hell on your muscles, Sansa would spend as much time recovering as she would digging. to get all the way to the entrance would take her literal years with Richard's suggested method.

PLUS: the point of the adventures is for SANSA (and Arya) to have the spot light, to be forced to think and find ways to use the new Abilities they've been given, or to come up with new ones. It's part of my whole "Power is Earned, or it is Corrupted" mentality, if you don't work for it, you will sooner rather than later abuse it.

AND: of course she's going to use diplomatic solutions, she's Sansa, and that's what the clue of foreshadowing was saying! Literally everything you need to know to solve the Dungeons is in their individual clues!!!

"Secondly, medieval people already had long-lasting torches which burned for hours and hours instead of 5-10 minutes. Each torch looked like a pillar or stupidly elongated torch that was carried with the tip lit and burning down like a candle. They also didn't use candles as those were too expensive. They used rushes soaked in fat which could be made by the dozens to hundreds with a few hours' work. There's a youtube video on this subject entitled medieval misconceptions: torches and candles."

Oh. My. God. Such. Valuable. Information. If . Only. I had. Known. This. When. I wrote. about. reed candles. in this. very fic.

Literally of the four times I used the word candle, twice it was explicitly 'reed candles' (and guess what other name rushes go by?) and once it was a metaphor specifically about the smoke and not the candle.

As for the pillar candles, the ones that burn for hours are too heavy for someone of Sansa's size and arm strength and the hour candles, (if you've ever seen Avatar Last Airbender, the candles they used in the Secret Tunnel) are unwieldy and aren't so good for putting down in a way that doesn't risk them going out. (Putting them far enough into a wall sconce that it won't topple back out makes it very tricky to remove it.)

Which, why even bother with torches that are more effort to obtain when Sansa's powers make the 'advantage' obsolete anyway!? Not to mention: Displayed Content! If a show uses something even in the background, it exists in that world. Wax candles aren't that rare. (Also side note, because I do my fcking research: the majority of hives which supply the honey and wax to Westeros are owned by the Maesters of old town.)

"I don't really care about those things though. The latter is a mistake literally everyone makes and I didn't know was a mistake until a month ago. Which goes into my third point, how Sansa could optimize things."

Then why bring it up, especially since I didn't technically make said mistake??

"At this point she knows she needs people and she's already given her powers to someone trustworthy. She also knows that healing is a power she can give. And she knows they're going to need this at least as much as medics. And there are indeed people she trusts whom she hasn't approached with an offer of power. Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, Lyra Mormont of Bear Island, and Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion Lannister can wait but not forever. Lyra should be approached as soon as possible."

NO. Arya was the exception, not the rule, Sansa isn't going to just go off and give her god-blessed powers to anyone else. I was hesitant to give it to Arya as it was, and only let myself because I could use the 'Arya's God is Death, there's more stakes than you thought' to fully justify it.

Tyrion as he is can't be trusted, and future Tyrion chose Dany over Sansa, neither Sansa nor Arya know how his story ended, so as far as they are concerned he's a good ally, but not actually trust worthy enough for this.

For those of you confused, Lyra Mormont is one of the daughters of the Lady Maege Mormont, and one of Lyanna's sisters. Lyra got maybe two mentions in the books and nothing in the tv series so I can only assume Richard meant Lyanna, who is currently 2 years old! But we'll come back to this, because Richard sure did!!!

As for the medic thing, I really hope Richard meant he was fcking off for good in his final word, because if he comes back, I really don't want him to think he's responsible for the medic corps that I've been planning and attempting to foreshadow with Sansa approaching Luwin, and Beth and Jeyne following Sansa's lead with archery.

Like, oh hey, guess which unfortunate field medic bride of a Stark might find her way to Winterfell if she hears about young women being trained in some basic healing to help Maester Luwin deal with any cases of over flow of patients. That's right, I'm planning for triage nurses! No magical powers required. 

"I assume she's going to get glass from Lys through the Tapestry of Doors. For that she's going to need tokens. She's going to need tokens for everything, and she already knows it. So collecting and hoarding tokens should be a big priority for her. And that means going places where there are tokens to be got. Places she hasn't gone to yet, like The Wall and Bear Island. Just to get tokens."

No. Again, just NO! Sansa already stated that Tokens and relying on them were a thing that would come back to bite her, she'll horde them as she finds them, but she's not going out of her way to find them because she has things to do! Also: the Tapestry of Doors was a piece of Flavour text for way late in the fic if it ever came back, and like a Stargate, requires one at each end, so someone would have to travel to Lys anyway, which is dumb when Sansa now has a Loom which can copy any 'raw' material, and the ability to convert that 'raw' material' into any object she has the blueprint for, which she can get by 'scanning' with her console.

She just has to put 2 and 2 together!!

"She also knows there are dungeons in each place, and that she needs to get to them. And that it's better if she gets in with people. Like people Lyra trusts to whatever dungeon is in Bear Island."

The thing about the Dungeons is that the whole thing is for Sansa, some of them will have special requirements, but very few of them are crucial, they're just there so Sansa has a place and a trial to obtain Unique Items of game breaking power or ability.

"The last way to optimise her powers is one I don't think she'll take even though it has a lot of benefits. Going with a squad of soldiers into the Dreadfort's dungeon in order to confront the walking dead, with hit and run tactics slowly draining the population there. The main benefit and reason to do this is to harden and blood the soldiers to prepare them for the Long Night, so she should have the soldiers on rotation in order to expose as many as possible to the horrors to come."

Problem is the undead in the Dreadfort Dungeon aren't the same as the Wights and White Walkers, they can just be killed in the same ways. The idea of these kinds of fics is that by the time the Long Night Comes, Sansa and Arya can do most if the heavy lifting. You are right that Sansa wouldn't risk her people for some EXP though.

Sansa will be going back though, there's a pair of Shears and Needle in there.

"Also, the loot should be great. Perhaps another loom. But I would do it even for more bobbins. Or nothing at all."

Literally the Loom is a one off item. It is super powerful with what it can do in the context, so having more than one would ruin the power balance I've been trying to keep between Power Fantasy and OP Bullshit.

-

Someone of course pointed out that (Richard said Lyra, but responder said Lynna) Lyanna was currently literally 2 or 3 years old, she can't do shit. (they also brought up that 2 (actually 3) characters had already declined the super powers, because it included bad timeline memory downloads.) Guess how Richard took that?!

If you guessed "not well" you get a cookie!

Seriously, I was kind of annoyed at his review because^^^ reasons he was wrong about stuff, but also the arrogance of 'telling me how to optimize my character' was just, icky, so I was just going to ignore him.

But then he went (in response to the other reviewer):

"(snort) I think you need to recall what Lyanna Mormont is like at 10 years of age. She is a force and she is in charge. And what exactly is your objection, that Sansa needs consent or is preserving innocence?"

No moron, the objection is that she's literally 2 or 3 years old, what the fck is she going to do in her tiny little body? But yes, now that you mention it, Sansa (was assaulted and lost her bodily autonomy, she) would place a huge amount of importance on consent, it's one of the reasons she was so upset by Arya taking advantage of her sleepy state to get her to agree.

"Lyanna Mormont wouldn't care. Jon and Robb care, that's why their sister cares. Lyanna would never thank Sansa for trying to preserve her innocence, keep her ignorant, or keep her weak. She would be insulted."

Lyanna is literally 2 or 3 years old, she doesn't know enough to care or be insulted by not being told that she's lost the chance to remember several years of horrific shit before being violently murdered.

Also I notice you didn't say anything about the name correction. Got it wrong the first time did you?

"Which leaves only respecting Lyanna's will. Or her mother's will maybe. Or at least informing them of what she's decided to do before she does it so they can prepare. But Sansa gains nothing by not asking."

And what would she gain by asking? also nothing. Lyanna is 2 or 3 years old. Also the fic isn't about her. Why would Sansa even trust her? The child who thought she could judge Sansa for being unable to stab her way out of some horrible places? who scorned Sansa because she was femme? Because Sansa's strength isn't the same as hers so Lynna decided Sansa didn't have any?

Lynna chose Jon to lead the North over Sansa who had a better claim to the throne, Jon, who spent the entire 8th season saying how much he doesn't want to be king, Jon who legit just tried to walk away from the Command of the Nights Watch.

"And this brings up another issue, the fact Sansa never decided FOR Jon and Robb cuts both ways. She informed them of their choice and she let them make it."

"Sansa didn't keep them in the dark without informing them of the decision she was making for them, as you seem to want to do, since that definitely isn't the right thing to do. Mushroom management is a shit heap."

The boys were already aware that something was up, Sansa had nothing to gain by lying, and she made the offer before she realised the memories were a thing.

"The question to ask a toddler is "do you want to grow up?" it's not a difficult question to ask and it does have a meaningful answer. And that's the problem you have, because you already know Lyanna Mormont would say yes and you want her to say no. That's why you want the question never asked."

"You want to pretend that Lyanna Mormont, DEFINITELY in charge of bear island at 10 years of age, is a gormless wimp like 25 year old Jon Snow who refused to be king and refused to even THINK whether or not Daenerys would be a good queen by constantly uttering the refrain "she is my queen"."

Laynna was in charge because she was the last of her family, everyone else was lost fighting someone else's war. More importantly: she's not even part of the equation? Why would Sansa travel to Bear Island to ask a 2 or 3 year old if she wants to become an angry and traumatised 10 year old in a 2 or 3 year old body which will feel like a prison because she's not as tall or fast as she used to be, because she can't lift or climb or jump or ride or fight like she used to.

And for what? a few super powers she has to ask Sansa for? For mental trauma her family and friends cannot comprehend?

But no, have a look at the part where Richard really started to cross the line:

"No, Lyanna Mormont wants power, wants to grow up, that is obvious. And you're an obstacle in her way. She would hurt you for standing in her way, probably smashing a mace in your knees. And you're so weak that yes you would in fact be hurt by a 2 or 3 year old toddler. She killed a giant and she would have no problem killing you for daring to think you're a giant."

"Stand aside little man and let Lyanna Mormont have her glory."

Now I don't know what this guy's obsession is with Lyanna, but that sounded like a threat to me. Like, who tells people that a fiction character would physically maim or murder a real person just for pointing out said fictional character is 2 or 3 years old?

Lyanna doesn't want power? She's not that kind of person, even if she is fictional? More importantly:

Neither I nor the reviewer were 'standing in her way' because she's a fictional character who's not even in this fic!!!

But his behaviour was pretty shit, so I told him to knock it off or I was going to turn the review filters on.

That went about as well as you might expect.

So I was All:

[I don't know what you think you mean by 'optimize the character' but half of your assumptions are wrong, the rest run counter to my pre-existing plans and I don't care for your overall demeanour. I was prepared to leave your post be, but your recent reply is inappropriate and uses language which runs VERY close to sounding like a death threat, which I DO NOT APPRECIATE. I don't want to be 'that bitch', but I am going to ask you to please be respectful, or I will be turning on the comment filters.]

Because I don't Know if you know this but AO3 has three filters in the privacy tab of every story posted:

1] “Only show your work to registered users”

this means that you MUST be logged in to an AO3 account to even find it let alone read it

2] Disable Anonymous Comments

you Must be logged in to leave a comment

3] Enable Comment Moderation

doesn't matter what you say, with out Author OK, your review will not be showing up in the comment section.

(… tumblr just did that thing again where it refreshes in the middle of my thousands of words of text and loses all my stuff, it is literally making me want to kill myself. Because I have to retype all the responses from the next fcking section. It's my own fault for not just using a word document, but also: fck tumblr? For being stupid?)

So, from here Richard had three options:

1- Apologise and move one

2- say nothing and pretend it hadn't happened and move on

3- He went with this:

“Your Sansa Stark is weaker than canon Sansa Stark. It's true your Sansa Stark has a strictly higher level of ambition than Sansa Stark. But what she uses in order to achieve her goals, her resources, is weaker.”

“She uses actions, capabilities and skills. She uses embroidery, archery, learning (archery), she uses the people she already knows but not strangers. She uses and manipulates the people she can interact with, learn from, act upon. The level of people that is directly equal to skills.”“

She doesn't use language, nor does she use strangers. Strangers are the level of people that don't require interaction but DO require language to deal with. And your Sansa Stark's language is too weak. When she manipulates the maid in the Dreadfort, it's entirely accidentally and unintentionally.”

Sansa has seen what power does to people, she's seen what lies ahead for the manipulators of the world, she's been taught at the side of Cersei and Petyr, and she does not want to become them. For all the horrific things she's gone through, Sansa came out the other side with her compassion intact, possibly even stronger than before.

“She talks to Domeric only because she's already interacted with him, she's been healing him for days by that point. She fakes Green Dreaming to her father because she knows her language is inadequate and will achieve nothing. The way her father and mother treat her, they know mere words would be inadequate. And they would dismiss any words she said. "Haven't we told our children dreams can't hurt you?"”

She doesn't want to interact with Domeric, he looks like the man who violated her repeatedly, killed her brother and sacked her home. She wants to be as far away from him as possible. When she does end up interacting with him, despite being so sleep deprived it's a wonder she hadn't started hallucinating, she manages to win him over pretty easily.

She fakes Green Dreaming because “a god made me time travel” is not only a ridiculous concept but a foreign one as well. Why would Sansa tell her parents that when it would mean admitting to going through some horrific shit, to letting her family down and being let down by her family when Green Dreams are a known thing which explains her knowledge. It's not inadequacy, it's efficiency and an attempt to hide horrible things.

I need to point out that “Haven't we told our children that dreams can't hurt you?” is said by Catelyn in self-recrimination afterwards, and is said specifically to reference the reason Sansa might not have felt she could go to them with her problem was because it was based on dreams. Because what parent would take dreams as a serious threat unless they were a Nightmare on Elm Street survivor, especially since Green Seers have become so rare they've been relegated back to myths and stories by the time Jojen and Bran show up.

“Language requires actions such as mouthing, shouting, tonguing, but actions will never add up to language. Actions are necessary but NOT SUFFICIENT for language. This is why you can't write a single damned sentence with only actions. Try it, you won't be able to.”

I can't take this paragraph seriously if only because of the use of the word 'tonguing'. FFS, he sounds like a small child trying to convince people he's got a PhD. 'If I throw out some big words and phrase them right they'll sound 'academic' and I'll look smarter!

'I know this probably isn't what Richard meant but: Sign Language? Is literally all actions?

(Obviously real language requires thoughts and concepts to be communicated to be a language, but even the most primitive of body movements can express something: I'm hot, I'm hungry, I'm angry, etc. It might not be true language, but it is communication, which is the basis of language, the reason we made language in the first place.)

“Canon Sansa Stark had dreams, plans, and designs on what others have. She wanted to wed a prince, she had designs on the princess position. She wanted out of King's Landing. She wanted Winterfell. She wanted the Knights of the Vale to fight ... FOR HER.”

“People who had never met canon Sansa Stark in their entire lives fought and died for canon Sansa Stark's benefit. For the designs of a (her words) stupid girl. And sure, her initial designs were stupid. And they only rose up to being pathetic. But they were designs, they were dreams, they were plans.”

I need to talk about my interpretation of Sansa for a minute, because that's what I've been writing: my interpretation of Sansa.

Sansa was raised with an idea of how the world should be, not how it was. She was raised loved and protected and surrounded by men of honour. Fed stories of heroes, brave knights and valiant princes, where good always triumphed, or was romantically defeated and beautifully tragic.

She wasn't raised to expect dishonourable men and hidden motives, she wasn't raised expecting a (metaphorical) dagger in her back.

She didn't want the crown, she didn't want the throne, she wanted “the prince” from her stories, who would cherish her and care for her and give her a family filled with love. And yes the pretty dresses and the shiny jewels and the adoration and praise. But she never wanted power, that came later.

Later after she'd seen the cracks in the world and the grime beneath the gilding, when she'd learned friend and foe were often the same, that people with power would hurt her, use her, that she was nothing but a trophy to them.

Sansa wanted power because “if I'm the one with the power, then they can't hurt me any more, if I have the power I'll be safe, if I have the power then I can protect people, if I have the power I can stop people like that.”

But Sansa has never had power, it was always borrowed, an illusion that could vanish at one misstep. She had no money of her own, her blood made her valuable to others as a trade commodity, but gave her no personal power.

When people fought for her, it was never really about her.

Petyr gave her armies so he could win favour so he could use her as a proxy for her dead mother. Brienne fought to fulfil an oath to Sansa's dead mother.

The Men of the North fought for Winterfell, to get revenge on the Boltons. The Wildings followed Jon Snow. And when it was over, it was Jon who was crowned king, not Sansa the one who had to talk him into getting back their home in the first place.

Her parents and Robb fought for her, but their armies fought for House Stark, for the insult Sansa and Arya's capture and Ned's death presented.

“Your Sansa Stark has no plans, has no dreams, and certainly has no designs. She doesn't use language, because her language is too weak and has no power. She doesn't use her emotions or feelings because they are brittle and far too weak to be used. Weaker even than the emotions and feelings of a stupid girl. She doesn't use her mind or intellect because she doesn't cogitate. She uses skills and ONLY skills. To try to fake everything else.”

It's odd that he says this when he started off this response by saying my Sansa was more ambitious than canon Sansa.

First of all: I thought I was making it fairly clear that her goals were: save her family, save the North, stop the White Walkers.

Her dreams are to never be beholden to another man ever again.

Sansa wants her family alive, she wants to be safe and she wants to be free of all the political manipulations she had to sit through in the first timeline.

Second of all: Richard has clearly never been assaulted in his life in any way and I am so fcking happy for him. Really.

Look, people who suffer long term trauma, (or short term, it doesn't matter how long really) are not magically okay afterwards. The idea that sexual assault makes femme women strong is disgusting and so toxically prevalent in movies and shows and books these days its... horrific. You'll notice butch women like Arya aren't typically assaulted to be strong, because they're already so 'manly'. It was a genuine surprise when they tried to have Brienne assaulted, but that was more about showing how much of a 'good guy' Jaime was than Brienne.

You can really tell in several places that the tv series had non-con fetishists on staff.

Sansa is so brittle now, because she feels safe enough to let herself feel the fear she wasn't able to earlier, to work through the panic and the anger and all the emotions she couldn't before.

“Your Sansa Stark plans to use skills in order to change the world. And since it's obvious the world isn't run by woodcutters or farmers or archers or anyone else defined by their SKILLS, she will fail. She will fail abysmally, totally and catastrophically. She hasn't got the slightest sliver of a chance.”

Quick tally: Sansa has managed to convince her parents she had knowledge of the future, put them on track to realising Petyr Baelish was stealing from the Crown, got Stannis curious in Dragonstone, came up with a plan to gain favour for the North by helping to pay of part of the Crown's debt and has begun working on a plan to ensure more food is available for the Northerners when Winter arrives.

Not to mention, (and you'd easily miss this): Sansa has begun influencing a shift in the young women of the North who had previously been influenced by the South.

The thing is, Richard seems convinced its about the looting and the grinding, 'kill enough stuff and you become a God!' but it's not.

“So you stacked the deck in her favor. You put a high tier deity on her side. Now Sansa has a slim chance to squeak out a win, using the power she's borrowing. But here's the thing, it will never be HER win because it isn't HER power, it isn't HER plans. Your Sansa Stark has no plans, but her deity does, even if they're stupid plans of puerile amusement-seeking. So IF there is a victory at the end, it will never be Sansa Stark's victory, it will be her deity's. Because she is only a pawn, a tool, a peon, a minion.”

Richard doesn't seem to understand what the introduction of Arya's God means for the lore. The amount of death from the wars is causing Bad Things in the back ground of the original timeline.

Sansa isn't the Being's pawn, she's their start player, the Being is a sponsor who's giving Sansa the chance and resources to be greater than she was. It's not about 'puerile amusement-seeking', but how do you tell a young woman who's gone through what Sansa's gone through that the fate of the entire human race is in her hands, that if she fails it won't just be her family that falls.

If Sansa thinks the Being just wants amusement, then Sansa will act as she pleases and hope it's good enough, which puts her closer in line with saving the world than if she's actually trying to save the world, because that is a much bigger task than 'stop the issues that got my family killed'.

The Being is only victorious if Sansa is, it's their shared victory.

Now up until this point Richard has been an arrogant tool, but it might almost seem like he's being reasonable. This is where he loses the plot and just starts back on his favourite fall back: threatening people with violence.

“Now generally, when an author writes a protagonist who is a pawn, a tool, a peon and a minion of a higher power, when they write a protagonist who is WEAK, it's because they themselves are weak. Generally doesn't mean universally however, so I had to know. And now I do. You are weak Jasper.”

“You want to convince me of something Jasper. You want to convince me that I'm wrong, that my opinion is wrong, that my position is wrong, you want me to change my mind, you want me to know my plans and judgment are wrong. Because they're in conflict with yours. But how do you achieve this? By threatening me with your borrowed power. Exactly like your Sansa Stark.”

Did he have to google the list of synonyms there?

I don't know what it is about being referred to by name, but it bugs me that he chose to use only a portion of my pen-name like we were somehow familiar, rather than not using my name or referring to me as OP or something along those lines.

Also I really have to disagree that only weak people write about people being weak, but I don't think his opinions of weak and strong match with mine either. 

He is wrong, but more importantly: he threatened someone with violence for daring to correct him.

I wasn't threatening him, I was warning him to stop being an asshole or I would disable anonymous commenting.

“You do this because you're weak. And what do we call weak people who complain about strong people's actions when they are the bitches of higher powers? We call them exactly what you "don't want to be", we call them bitches. You are a bitch to higher powers and you bitch about higher powers like me. You bitch about people who can use their intellects. And for a good reason too.”

“You fear my attitude because I am the bitch slapper. I slap little bitches like you all fucking day long every single day. It doesn't matter to me who it is, whether it's my own friends who are bitching, I slap them for it. And you will never ever convince me that you're right. Because you're weak. And because I don't respect bitches.”

Look, I've seen enough therapists of different varieties to pull off some impressive psych 101 bullshit so I can tell you right now: Richard is a man who has never held any real authority in his life, he has mediocre skills at best and often feels talked down to because he feels more entitled than he is and no one treats him like a god for breathing. He refuses to back down when wrong even in the face of evidence and then he pouts because the world didn't shift to match his delusions.

The worst part is I know this, and I know I shouldn't let this bother me. But it does. But it shouldn't and I can tell him to his 'face' via review reply why he's wrong, or he'll know it bothers me, then he'll feel validated, even though he's wrong. And he'll probably threaten someone with more violence and then I really will have to disable anon comments and effectively punish some readers who did nothing wrong.

“So what are you going to do to me that I care about? Stop me from reading your fic? You don't have that power. Stop writing it so that I can no longer learn how your mind works, my ulterior motive? That would be cutting your nose to spite your face. You would suffer far out of proportion to me. I would just move on to some other author. Report me? Go ahead, I don't care. Really, we're done here, so have a nice life.”

Yes I do, literally the first of the privacy filters would stop you from reading, but that would hurt my other readers who don't have an account.

'Ulterior motive'? Buddy, you apparently don't understand how any mind works.

Again: if you don't care why bring it up?

Are you really leaving though? Do you promise?!

“The only thing you could ever do to me is surprise me by ceasing to be a weak little bitch. Or even resolving to not be one. This would invalidate all of my predictions by rising to my implied challenge. That's what I like, win-win. (lol) I'm not holding my breath though.”

I don't have anything to prove to this douche tool and it bothers me that this is bothering me so much!!!! The worst part is, this review came at a time when my attention for the fic was flagging, so I'll never know if it was really this review or not that made me stop writing for the past few months?

Those of you with an AO3 account who drop by my profile to see if I wrote anything interesting may have noticed my recent 'for archive users only' locked fic. I can confirm that yes: to mental detox this review I went and watched a Chinese Xianxia drama that has become my new hyper-focus. Almost 100 plot bunnies are being posted into the locked fic in an effort to purge it rom my brain so I can get back to what I was doing. It seems to be working. I wrote about 1000 words for Episode: Sisterhood this week, so the chapter is almost done. At last!

[fyeahsmokinhot]

Basically a mildly funny, delusional therapy session!

Ok, I can't anymore I just need to let it out.

I've been in bed since this morning as I got food poisoning/stomach flu and I'm quite sure it's because of D&D and not the T/A.

So anyway let's rant...also my nimble fingers might make typos as I'm super dehydrated (feeling like Ghost after fighting with WWs and being abandoned by Jon the Dumbest).

So we start with the funeral.....and its sombre as shit. Well done David Nutter btw. And we move on to eating food 🤮.

Here we go: Dany! I love(d) her so much, but lately she's all over the place going from crazy to crazy in love. Now don't let my lack of detecting any chemistry between her and Resident Emo Boy confuse you BUT are we just all going to sweep the incestous undertones under the pelts?Here I am watching another make out scene???.....but ok I shall resurrect and go to Kings Landing where Cersei is hosting a party (Wall themed I see). After losing her baby (also wth how did she not see them?why didn't she dracarys Eurons ass?), her Sir Friendzone and her BFF once again Dany is made to seem BAD for mourning in a murderous way (ah I guess it's ok if Arya does it....or Snow?), Being held to higher standard .....JUST BC SHE HAS A VAGINA??? ( Dios Mio, Olenna please).

Next up on my list Arya who went back to her old cuddle buddy The Hound.....Kind of digging it. Gendry you dumbass (❤️) offer her to go on a round-trip of murder (Bonnie & Clyde style) not a marriage. Also mad love for making her an honest woman with those puppy eyes.

Brienne & Jaime ....and this is where we go cray-cray. Dear fellow citizen of Tumblr, if you still reading brace yourself....by the end of the next 2 episodes (if U ARE a BRAIME shipper) you be losing golden hands, legs, basically everything that you can rip off (like Miss Vanjie did when singing No More Pain). So after reading countless (!!!!) posts about how people interpreted that scene (remember dear reader I was ill today so it was a lot) I think we can settle on Prince Charming Now Turned Old Guy Because Of International Incestous Relations is a dumbass with a death wish. BUT is he a good dumbass or a bad one.Now here I'd like to point out two things I didn't see considered:

Jaime already killed a king to save the population of Kings Landing.

Jaime said to Brienne he would have done the deed at Riverrun....but he didn't cus of Brie-Brie .....I'm assuming we all saw the things he did for her that went against Cersei. He went back to rescue her instead of rushing to KL, he arranged for her to leave as soon as Queen Should Have Been Thanos' Wife even breathed in her general direction, gave her instructions and means to protect Sansa even though his sister wanted her dead, took Riverrun in piece BC Brie-Brie asked !!!!! Come on guys after all that you can't believe he would put Cersei before her (or maybe I'm fuckin wrong since D&D don't even seem to know correct details in their behind the scenes cuts). So yes I believe Jamie wants to kill Female Jaime because....if she defeats Dany she is coming for them in Winter fell (also Brienne and Sansa are in WF).

No I don't ship Jaimsa (because hello fuckin weirdos 💝), but Briennes oath means something to Jaime.

BUT I hate...hate...hate how Jaime left her (the 🍑). He broke her heart after she finally opened it ...and this (D2 will burn in hell, the crossroads demon is on it).

Also my two weirdos having the most relatable and clumsy copulation (yes I said it, someone had to) moment. Like don't we all just flirt like Jaime...so smooth: it's hot in here bitches breeches off. Oh look my poor hand doesn't work I guess I will need your help...🥺🥺🥺

Brienne will NOT die. I can't believe otherwise.There are some characters you don't touch (Juliet from Lost, Clarke from The 100, Castiel) and she is one of them. I love that Gwen was real about her arc of being a woman this season.

I do think I have an unhealthy obsession with Braime as this episode actually made me sick(no it wasn't the take away) and now I will forever remember this as the night Braime became canon and the day when I felt like The Prince of Dorne when his eyes were popping (oh Oberyn....Pedro Pascal I miss your holiness sexiness).

And what with all the articles/YouTubers predicting pregnancies? We watched (with my friend, I'm not hallucinating from dehydration) people predicting a pregnant Dany, Brienne, Arya (?)....basically everyone with boobs. Chill guys if you worried about repopulating Samwell is on it!

And Tyrion best wingman in Westeros. What even was he doing showing off to GingerBain (btw good for you, tap dat rebound ass babe....and have fun going back to the land of the lost....you could have taken Dumbass Emo with you 🤫). Btw guys how many versions of the Two Dudes Just Hanging And Discussing The Fate Of The Iron Throne While Demeaning Rulers (mostly women) As Incompetent do we have to sit through? Can I like request to see actual things like Two Eyed Robot telling the sisters about the heritage or Sansa telling Tyrion instead of cutting away? That Tyrion and Sansa scene was having me on the edge.

And we come to Sansa. My queen, my sunshine and..... apparently my New Little finger ( is it only me who hates this comparison that reduces her to a power hungry, brothel-less creepy dude even thought she's been doing everything for her family????). I lost it when I heard them bring this up in the Untucked Uncut vid. Like maybe give us some actual scenes with Sansa where we get to see her contemplating her goals and wishes and not just her looking pretty up into the sky (compulsory shot of season 8). I've been feeling so far away from Sansa since season 7 (worst season ever....but this one is a contender).

Also from now on I'm believing in Bronn.He foresaw the Bang and said he will collect later. There will be a later for the boys! Bronn gave up on the castle he's now gone to take over for the Witchy Woman who talked to frogs and Cersei. Big ups for the resident Reversed Three Eyed Raven!

I have read the interview where GRRM said he doesn't agree or like some character fates. I agree GRRM so can you give us a book ....I mean God's it takes me ages to get started on my coursework, bit at least I submit it 10 min before the deadline!

Also the total lack of any mention of Braime in both behind the scenes....??!!!...Might be good news.

#Bonus Fun topics you can bring up at Thanksgiving:

Podrick and the 3some - u go girl!!!

Tyrion and his lack of sex - we've all been there and that's why I need spoilers to satisfy my craving....just like you needed to know about the magic vagina!

Wtf is a Varys anymore? Also Yara?

Ser Dadvos without kids and Red God's is super depressing. Give the guy an orphan!

Greyworm -which shot of his face was more intimidating. Rate from 1 to Dracarys!

Global warming? Dragons near extinction?

*Disclaimer: I love all GOT characters (well, maybe except for I Have One Facial Expression And It's Emo Jon), but I just needed a good rant cus the ones aimed at my friends didn't do it for me 😄

[mihakeeper1]

My pathetic attempt...

at trying to make it better...

It’s bad, awful, not worth it., probably full of typos.. But I have to write it ^^

PS: not a fan of the “pregnancy” theory, but I’m so convinced they will go there I have to tackle it at the same time 

To say that he did not expect to survive was a huge understatement. When he went back to Cersei, it was because he knew she would die... and he needed to be there with her. With the injuries inflicted by Euron, and the walls and the roof collapsing around them, the world turned to black. But he was not afraid to die, he was prepared for a while.

Though his life did not end, and between fever and nightmares, he slowly joined the world of the living again. He felt a hand checking his wounds and he drank milk of the poppy often. He felt his body moving slowly and he realized he was on a boat. Until he was finally able to open his eyes and saw what was happening around him. The young Podrick Payne was sitting on a side of the cabin. He tried to speak, but no words came out and he ended up coughing a few times instead.

“Don’t move, sir... I’ll fetch M’lady”

The young man was out before he could utter another word. His whole body ached, and he was not sure he would be able to speak anyway. He closed his eyes again and, without realizing it, fell back to sleep.

------

The second time he woke, she was there. He hurt from his wounds, but it was not much compared to the guilt of facing her. When he left Winterfell, he was convinced it would be the last time he would see her. He did not expect to be wrong.

She looked at him as soon as he shifted in the bed and she gave him some water to drink. He tried to do it on his own, but he failed miserably. So she helped. He noticed she was different, much different from when he had shared her nights. Gone were her smile and her sparkling eyes. She also made sure not to look at him.

“You should be dead”

It was not a jab, or a complaint, but a statement. And truth be told, he should be dead. He should have died with her. His sister. His lover. He wanted to ask about her but he did not dare. It didn’t matter, as she guessed his question anyway.

“She was already gone when Davos arrived. You were barely breathing... But he took a chance”.

She paused a little, her voice suddenly harsher.

“We are on our way to Tarth. Rest today, tomorrow we will talk. You have choices to make”.

She stood up and left, leaving him alone in the room. Pod came a few times during the rest of the day, to give him some food and change the bedding. Jaime could not help but notice the young squire being as quick as he could. There was a time when Podrick Payne loved to spend as much time as he could around him, one of the former best knights in Westeros. This time had passed.

-------

The day after, she came back in his room. He was awake for some time, thinking about all the ways he could find to end his own life. Surely he was not meant to survive his sister. The thing was, as much as he had made peace with dying with Cersey, he was not ready to kill himself. He was a warrior, through and through. Though he doubt he would be much of a fight at this moment.

His fellow knight sat next to him and he glanced at her. Her eyes were cold as ice, and for the first time since he woke, they met his.

“I told you you had a choice to make”

He nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment.

“I am with child...”

He swallowed hard and his eyes went immediately to her belly... which she protected with her own hand. He raised his good hand to join hers but she moved away, her face full of anger.

“That’s not what I...”

She breathes heavily and sighed.

“What I mean is... A woman in my condition does not have a lot of choices...”

The realization came hard and he felt like a dagger pierced his skin again. He went to her that night... And the following. And he used her... He did not realize it at the time, but he used her. She allowed him to, but he always knew she would. She loved him.

“Now, I have three men who would help me in my situation. So you don’t have to agree because of a sense of duty. This is not the... This is not for that I am giving you this choice”

“Who?” he heard himself asking.

She looked at him with this hard stare he found so strange and he thought she would not answer. To be honest, she’d have every right not to.

“Podrick”

He snorted at the name, and he thought he saw the flicker of a smile.

“Bronn...”

“Ow...”

“And Gendry”

This one hurt him and he did not know why. Maybe because Gendry looked a but like Renly. The Renly she had been in love with. Yet he had no right to be jealous.

“Or... “

She sighed and spoke the rest very quickly.

“Or we could wed and you would have the opportunity to be a father to that child”

His answer was more a whisper now.

“I do not deserve this”

Her answer was harsh, but true, as she exited the room.

“No, you don’t. But she, or he, does.”

He added in his own head “And so do you”.

-------

They arrived in Tarth two days later. He was still weak, but he could walk some with some assistance. Podrick began to feel at ease with him again and he felt relieved. Brienne was avoiding him as much as she could.

A person who was not trying to azvoid him, though, was Selwyn Tarth. A bit taller than Brienne, and quite old now, he was still very impressive. He had a loud and strong voice, and his eyes were as piercing as his daughter.

He had been the one to demand Jaime’s answer to Brienne’s proposal. He had agreed and he had seen the Evenstar sigh heavily and shake his head. Gendry, as lord of the Stormlands would have been a better husband. And, on a whole, a better man. Jaime knew that better than anyone. Still, he wanted the opportunity to be a father to one of his children.

With Cersei deep in his thought, he cloaked Brienne on a Sunday morning. There were few guests and no one clapped. It was not a real wedding, but a masquerade to let her keep some dignity and not bring a bastard into the world. And as he adjusted the cloak on her, he realized two things. The first was that he had wronged her in ways that he even did not think about at the time. And the second, that she was actually the one who should cloak him. As he tried to grab her hand, to thank her, to make her understand he would be there for her from now on, she removed his hand from hers and shook her head. When he noticed tears forming in her eyes, he understood the road to forgiveness would be painfully long.

--------

When Brienne had learned about the child growing in her womb, her first instinct was to try and get it out. She was not a mother. She did not want to be a mother.

But as it grew inside her, she had felt the need to protect it.

And when Tyrion had arrived at Winterfell and had told her about Jaime’s fate, she had resolved to keep it and to raise it as the heir of Tarth. Not as a Lannister though, and Tyrion had agreed on that. Were Jaime to accept her proposal, the baby would bear her name... and not his. 

She did not know why she was still so willing to save Jaime’s life and to offer him a new life. She loved him, of course, and she probably always would, but she also despised him and resented him for the way he has treated her. She could have refused him her bed, and she considered herself as guilty as he was, but the consequence of their actions were quite different for a man and for a woman.

When he only looked for some solace, she ended up tainted. For a beautiful and young woman, it was already difficult to find a man who would accept a bastard. But for someone like her, she had thought it would be even worse. Though it seems her role during the battle of Winterfell and her reputation would have helped her. Podrick had been the first to step in, red in the face and stuttering like an idiot. But his heart was in a good place and she had thanked him heartily.

Bronn’s offer had been a little bit more colourful and in the form of a letter. She had read it once, but could not bear to look at it again as she was the one blushing with what he proposed to do to her, where she to become his wife.

And Gendry’s offer had touched her. He had also sent a letter, explaining how he did not wish to marry for love, but that he admired her and how she fought. He reminded her of Renly, but a stronger, younger Renly.

Then, of course, Jaime had agreed. And now, they were wed. She had led him to their bed chambers and she had seen his questioning gaze when she had shown him his own bed.

“If you thought we’d share, you were wrong... “

He hadn’t answered and she had helped him settle. He still had trouble walking and it would take him some time to heal completely. She had a feeling it would take her some time to heal too, even if her wounds were not that visible.

-----------

Selwyn Tarth had found his new son an occupation. As new master of arms, Jaime would be training the young men how to fight. As he grew stronger, his days would get longer and longer. And he was able to avoid her the same way she avoided him.

And it did hurt. The way she would turn her head away when he looked at her and tried to speak to her, how she would pretend to be asleep when he woke up and prepared himself for the days, how she would excuse herself during the supper so that she would lie in her bed before he even came into their bed chambers. And the more her belly grew, the more she was pushing him away.

When the baby arrived though, she asked for him. She had taken his good hand and she had cried and scream. She was strong, but this was probably the worst fight she had ever fought. Or maybe it had been against the dead. He remember that night, when she had trusted him completely... and he had done the same. He remembered the rush of the fight and the fear he experienced when he had though she had died. He realized with surprise that that fear had never left him. Cersei was still in his heart, and in his dream, but Brienne had a place there too. And when the baby was put in his arm, he cried. Because of this baby he would finally get to know, but also because of this woman he now again shared his life with.

-------

Catelyn was a fussy baby and Brienne was, at her own surprise, a very caring mother. She had refused every wet nurse that her father had sent her. She would feed her own child, thank you!

And what a sight that was! The tall, strong and proud knight nursing her daughter. This time, he was the one pretending to be asleep, just to be able to catch her offguard, when she thought no one was paying attention to her and she was slowly rocking Catelyn, whispering words of confort and love. A year ago, he would have said with certainty that Brienne was made to be a warrior. Today, he would say that she also was made to be a mother.

He would do his share too, even if it was not always easy with only one hand. But he kept on trying and he was soon able to carry her around and to soothe her. It gave Brienne some time to rest, and she did not mind him taking care of Catelyn, as much as she minded the wet nurse.

They went on with this simple life for a few months. And then, the fever got to their daughter, and the maester asked to keep her for the night. He saw that Brienne was keeping a strong and composed face in company of the maester, but when he left, Jaime immediately took her in his arms. She fought him back for a while but, eventually, she broke into tears and collapsed on the bed with him. He kept her close to him during the night and, while she slept, he made her two promises. The first one was not to hurt her or leave her ever again. The second was to make everything he could so that, one day, he would again be worthy of her.

[elfsroot]

I hope GRRM is so enraged by the show that he does us right by writing the end we deserve.

Jaime and Brienne, Jon and Daenerys - who just learned that there was a typo on the papers at the Citadel, Drogon, Sansa and Tyrion; they all get to board a ship to Valinor. Meanwhile Arya goes to kill  the eye of Cersei, easy peasy. She goes and grabs Gendry, they ride around Westeros for a while and then sail to the Immortal Lands as well eventually. Then the volcano under Westeros wakes up and this land built on corruption, pain and betrayal is forever gone. Thank you.

[itsbenjo]

Initial Thoughts on Game of Thrones

Initial thoughts on Game of Thrones. **SPOILERS** So, we all knew they didn't have the books. Last season was rushed and felt off so I don't know why anyone was expecting this season to be different. However, I think this season got more hate than deserved. This comes down to the lack of source material. Those who read the books have had beloved theories about the ending for years. So when it was never revealed Tyrion was the mad king's son, and since he never became a dragon rider the three headed Targaryen dragon never came about all that buildup for zero payoff feels a lot like Lost.

But this wasn't Lost, there was an ending. It may not have been satisfying but this world was never one to give a neat, clean conclusion. To paraphrase Ramsy Snow: "If you think this has a happy ending you haven't been paying attention."

I've seen a few major gripes and I will try to address each one. Also, I'm writing this on my phone, please forgive the grammar, typos, and rambling. Also, the only book I read before starting the show was game of thrones, since starting the show, I've read all the books except dance of dragons, if any of that disqualifies me from an opinion in your eyes, then just stop reading here.

1. Dany's "sudden turn" This was frustrating but it wasn't out of nowhere. They were pushing this narrative pretty hard since season 7 but this has been a possibility from the beginning. Daenerys has been told to drown her enemies in fire and blood since she was able to understand her brother's rants. It also doesn't help she was abused her entire life by multiple people who professed to have her best interests at heart. It makes sense that she has lived long enough to see herself become the villain, she knows nothing but fighting and conquest. She doesn't know Westerosi politics or even the people. We knew from her experiences around Slavers bay that she knew how to conquer but not govern. This was not a surprise, it was poorly executed and paced. If dany "won" then it would be an endorsement of divine right to rule.

2. Jamie and Cersei: this one was simple, we expected Jamie to redeem himself, he had in the eyes of Brienne, but not to himself. Jamie expected to die at the battle of Winterfell and when he didn't the only thing left was to make sure Cersei died.

Cersei being crushed by rubble fleeing for her life was fantastic. Tyrants seldom get the justice we think they deserve. Hitler shot himself in a bunker as the Red Army fought street by street through a burning Berlin (sound familiar?). She was never going to allow herself to be taken alive, during the battle of the Blackwater we saw she was completely prepared to poison herself and Tomen in order to avoid capture.

3. Tyrion: when we first meet Tyrion he is in a brothel in winter town talking about how clever he is. When we see him at the beginning of the final episode, he is weary and thinks he is far less clever than he once did. I mean this is just growing up, sure Tyrion read every book he could and they certainly gave him the tools he needed to survive but discovering you are not as strong/smart/attractive as you once were (or thought you were) is a frustrating part of growing up. Tyrion is a great adviser now because on top of all that knowledge of history and politics, he now has real world experiences and now knows the world is not as simple as he once thought.

4. Varys was underutilized in this season and they never addressed those ravens he sent. That would have been a cool call back to Ned Stark. Still super bummed he wasnt revealed to be the mermaid king.

I could go on (and probably will) but for now, I need to give my thumbs a break.

Lunchbreak Update:

5. Jon Snow: Lawful good characters are almost always boring and Jon was no exception. Like a typical leading man he was surrounded by far more interesting characters. I mean I didn't hate jon I just found him incredibly boring.

6. Sansa: Another young woman abused from childhood. But sansa knows the north and she knows the game. I understand why she would be so unmovable about the North's independence. Yes, she is cold, like the North. She is tired of being ruled and this makes sense all the way back to season 2 with Tyrion telling her she would outlive them all. Sansa had an amazing character development, from being a young girl who wanted to marry a pretty prince to an Ice Cold queen of the north. She wasn't made a badass by her abuse as some would say but she is a badass in SPITE of all the abuse. Sansa is a survivor and I am happy to see her crowned queen of the North.

7. Bran Maybe they spent too long on Bran's arc but when the payoff came it was just met with an "eh, okay I guess". He was the only candidate left that would've come as a surprise and I suppose having an all-seeing all-knowing elected monarch will help a mend the broken and fragile 6 kingdoms.

8. Samwell My beautiful summer child far ahead of his time, ending up as grandmaester was probably as happy an ending we could hope for sam. However, I actually I rolled my eyes when he made a pitch for representative democracy.

9. Ser Bron The writers had no idea what to do with him. The crossbow thing might've worked if they spent more time on it. Ser Bron of High-garden and master of coin just doesn't make sense. Again if they had spent more time evoking instead of us just having the characters drop exposition whenever they need to move the plot forward, this would have been doable.

10. Arya Her character development seemed to end after she kills Littlefinger. Not sure how being a sea captain works for her but it isn't too far out of left field. It's a call back to her crossing the narrow sea for the first time but it still didn't quite feel satisfying. The ending for Arya, Jon, and Sansa just felt like spinoff ploys. I

11. Ser Davos Underutilized, the writers had no idea what to do with him. The onion knight deserved an ending but I suppose master of ships is reward enough.

12. Ser Brienne An interesting lawful good character who wrapped up her arc fairly well. Her recording of jamie's deeds in the book of the kingsguard was satisfying.

[itsnotashow]

How is even possible to mix up Gendry and Podrick?

First of all, I think they look nothing alike.

Second of all, I read that someone thought they were the same character, which is absurd!

You have Podrick, former squire of Tyrion, now Brienne's squire. He's from House Payne (same house of sir Illyn Payne, the executioner who killed Ned Stark). For the plot he has zero importance. Yes, we love him because he's clumsy e because we wanna know what he did to that whores, but he's basically useless.

On the other hand you have Gendry, bastard son of Robert Baratheon. The only one left with Baratheon bloods in his veins. A smith who learnt from Tobho Mott, who was known for his ability to forge Valyrian Steel (I don't remember if they said that in the TV show), and that can be very helpful in the war against the Night King and the White Walkers.

Gendry traveled with Arya since the death of Ned Stark, he was her friend, the only one who "was different", she trusted him, she told him the truth about who she really was. He can be important for the future of Westeros and he will be the one that helps Arya finding her true self again.

I'm sure in the show and in the books he'll have a crucial role in Arya's life (obviously I hope they'll end up together because they are definitely written with romantic undertones).

So how can someone think Gendry and Podrick are the same person? Seven Hells! I am sick of the typical viewers...

(Sorry for any typos or grammatical mistakes, English is not my first language)

Go visit my Gendrya page on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/AryaAndGendry

[dingoes8myrp]

Mom and I React to Game of Thrones 5x09

I'm typing these with my eyes on the TV screen. I'm aware there are typos and I'm butchering names, but paying attention to the show has become more important now that I haven't seen these episodes before. And googling to make sure I typed the name of a character or a city right is leading to accidental spoilers, so I've stopped doing that. Enjoy!

Before the show

Screencap of Melisandre

Mom: "This is unreal. She wants him to kill his daughter."

Me: "And he told her to go fuck herself, basically."

-

Recap

Hardhome

Mom: "This was so crazy!"

Ramsay: "I don't need an army. I need twenty good men."

Mom: "Good, he's gonna leave. She can go light her candle."

Me: "If she's allowed to leave her goddamn chambers."

-

Melisandre

Mom: "She's gonna kill the daughter."

Tents start to randomly light on fire.

Mom: "What the hell?!"

Mom: "She's doing it!"

Davos: "Twenty men..."

Me: "RAMSAY!"

Mom: "What?"

Me: "Remember he said 'I need twenty good men?'"

Mom: "OH!"

-

Jon and the wildlings head toward the gate to the wall

Me: "They're not gonna let him in. Or they're gonna murder him. He left too many people there that didn't like what he was doing."

Alliser looks down from the top of the wall

Mom: "Fuck."

Me: "Look at them all."

Mom: "Jon's like 'fuck.'"

Mom: "Open the gates."

Giant ducks in

Mom: "Look at them all looking."

Me: "Because most of them didn't think giants were real."

Alliser walks up to Jon

Mom: "Tell him about the white walkers!"

-

Stannis commands Davos go back to Castle Black

Me: "He's sending him away for a reason."

Mom: "Because he's gonna kill his daughter."

-

Jamie sits down with Doran

Ellaria glares

Me: "Oh, this bitch."

Ellaria pours her wine out instead of toasting Tommen

Me: "Oh, can someone kill this bitch already? I hate her. She's not even cunning."

Tristayne: "I'll release your man on one condition."

Me and Mom: "Uh-oh."

They release Bronn

Me: "He's gotta marry someone or something."

Dude elbows Bronn in the jaw

Mom: "Hah! Whack him back!"

-

Arya sees Meryn get out of the boat

Me: "Ohhh that guy's on her list!"

Mom: "She's gonna fail her mission."

Me: "Oh, that doesn't look suspicious. Just roll into a brothel with your oyster cart."

Meryn surveys the girls

Meryn: "Too old."

Me: "Eww."

Me: "Even his buddies are looking like 'Um... dude?'"

Meryn spots Arya

Mom: "Oh, she has to kill him."

Me: "He knows who she is."

Mom: "Are you sure he doesn't just want to bang her?"

-

Doran: (to Ellaria) "You can swear your allegiance to me now, or you can die."

Me: "Finally."

Doran: "I believe in second chances. I don't believe in third chances."

Me: "Uuuugh."

I really can't stand her. She's barely a character and she's annoying.

Ellaria: "I know your daughter had no part in what happened to the man I love. Perhaps even you are innocent of that."

Me: "The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Mom: "That she's not going to do anything to them?"

-

Stannis visits Shireen

Mom: "Oh dear God."

Stannis: "Sometimes a person has to choose. Sometimes the world forces his hand."

Mom: "Oh God, no."

Shireen: "I want to help."

Me: "I hope something goes terribly wrong and everyone but her dies."

Shireen stops walking

Mom: "She just realized what's happening. Oh, God."

Me: "Ohgodno ohgodno."

Me: "I hope it goes wrong and they die."

Selyse runs to the pyre

Me: "Oh, she's going! Her fucking brainwashing finally wore off. WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU TEN MINUTES AGO?!"

Me: "Really?!!! All those men are just gonna fucking stand there?"

I'm disgusted

-

The Great Games

Me: "It's like the old Greek colosseum."

Mom: "Well, it's like basketball for them. Their sport."

Me: "Why does it have to be 'to the death?'"

Mom: "Is it to the death?!"

Me: "Yes! That's why she doesn't like it!"

Jorah enters the pit

Daenerys: *claps*

Me: "She wants you dead, fuckface."

Mom: (on Tyrion) "He likes his friend. He doesn't want his friend to die."

Me: "It's the only way he can get in front of her."

Mom: "'I'll kill for you, I'll die for you, I'll do anything for you.'"

Me: "Well, he's gonna die anyway. He has the greyscale."

Jorah takes a beating

Mom: "Oh Jesus Christ."

Jorah hums a spear into the crowd and stabs a Harpy

Me: "OH FUCK!"

Mom: "He tried to kill her?!"

Me: "No, the dude BEHIND her was trying to kill her."

Mom: "I thought the fights were gonna stop this!"

Me: "So did she. 'Cause this asshole right here--OH!" ('Cause that asshole right there just got stabbed to death)

Jorah fights his way up to save Daenerys and everyone just looks at each other

Me: "Awkward."

Harpys surround them all

Me: "She needs a weapon! Why does Dany never have a--"

Dragon screech

Mom: "DRAGON! YES!"

Me: "'SURPRISE, MUTHAFUCKAAAS!'"

Mom: "And he knows who to kill and who not to."

Me: "Haha these assholes forgot she had dragons."

Mom: "She's gonna get on him."

Me: "No she's-- Oh."

And then I was pretty much Tyrion for the rest of that scene

[lyannas]

I like that grrm chose catelyn as the narrator for the northerners' side of the war, but why do you think he chose her over robb?

GRRM has, notably, removed every king from the WOT5K as POV characters. Neither Balon, Joffrey (or Tywin, if that’s how you look at it), Stannis, Robb, or Renly have POV chapters and instead have other characters offering insight into their wars. Balon has Theon, Joffrey has Sansa and Tyrion, Stannis has Davos, and Robb and Renly have Catelyn (Brienne, of course, does not get a POV chapter until long after Renly is dead). Meanwhile, the women (or “queens” if that’s you wanna read it) who are not actually seriously considered as contenders within their worlds, do have POV chapters. This includes Daenerys, Cersei, Sansa (if her endgame is truly QItN), Asha, and Arianne. I’d argue that even Melisandre counts in this pool, as she was described as Stannis’s “true queen”.

I’m sure other people have their own theory on why this is. It is, after all, a rather unusual and circumvent way to tell the stories of some very central characters. I think it’s for a number of reasons. For one, these five men are all in rather similar positions with similar goals. They are all powerful men with sizeable armies behind them, and while their motivations for war and conquest are all different, they all want the (or “a”, in Robb’s case) throne. They are all commanders, they’re all some of the most privileged people that exist in their society, and to be quite honest, they don’t need their own voice in the narrative. I mean sure, it might be nice to know about the intimate and personal details of their minds and thought processes, but all in all we glean more than enough from other characters’ observation of them.

Another reason I believe GRRM chose to do it this way ties into his anti-war narrative. Most of what we see these five men do in the books is wage war. As commanders and as kings, they’re in the highest position of power with the resources and men for the sole purpose of waging war. The books detail the effects of this war quite clearly. These armies bring with them rape, bloodshed (both in battle and outside of it), destruction of farmland, pillaging, depletion of natural resources, famine, and in the Lannisters’ case, systematic war crimes in what is virtually a concentration camp (AKA Harrenhal, *shudders*). Even Robb, who is painted as a very noble and even a moral hero can’t prevent individual men from acting out, and he certainly did not surveil Roose Bolton as closely as he should have (though hindsight is admittedly 20/20). These men, whether we love them or hate them, are waging wars whose effects ripple out and hit the most vulnerable people of society the hardest. To give us the POV of these men will almost guarantee that we will hear their justification for bloodshed, the excuses they tell themselves, and the jingoism that may drive them. Worse, when presented in the very sympathetic format of a POV, we as readers may be inclined to sympathize with them to some degree. That’s not what GRRM wants us to see. He wants us to give us more objective views of these people from the people who observe them, and through POV characters like Arya, Bran, and Davos, we are made to see what sort of misery these men have brought to very vulnerable people.

And yes, this does include Robb Stark. As good and noble as he tried to be, he is still a king and a figure in this war who happens to also make some very bad choices that he doesn’t actually consider to be bad when he makes them. As I noted before, this means a Robb POV chapter would mean we get to hear all his excuses for his bad choices, and we as readers don’t need to hear his excuses. “Words are wind”, after all. (Still love u, Robb).

Through the POVs of the people who observe them, we learn a lot not only about these men but about how people who love them (and don’t love them) react to them, and that is what another crucial thing that would be missing from their POVs. Here’s a question to pose as an example: what is more impactful– a look inside Stannis’s head as he insists that Edric Storm must be sacrificed, or Davos’s profound disappointment at his beloved king’s decision? What’s better– being in Joffrey’s head as he orders Sansa stripped and beaten in front of the court, or reading that terrible act firsthand from the victim? Would it be more interesting to know what Balon is thinking when he first sees Theon after their long separation, or read Theon’s humiliation and extreme sorrow at his father’s lackluster reaction to his homecoming?

In many instances, not having the kings’ POVs allows us to see inside the minds of some of their victims. Whether they victimized these people maliciously or not is irrelevant; the point is that the victims, (or the overlooked, or the disregarded) have a voice while those who hurt them do not. (Again, I must include a qualifier for Robb Stark: while he never tried to hurt his mother on purpose, he definitely dealt her some rather crushing blows with decisions such as not trading Jaime for his sisters, naming Jon as his heir, sending Theon to Pike against her advice, etc). Another interesting element it adds is that it does leave somethings about these kings a mystery– which adds to the compelling storytelling imo.

So, what makes the queens different? Plenty of things. They are, for the most part:

At a disadvantage in society by virtue of their sex

Underestimated and undervalued

Fighting uphill battles in terms of getting the respect and power they want

Under the control of a man/men or have experienced a large part of their life under that control

Not treated as equals to men

There are exceptions to this of course, and Arianne does make up the majority of those exceptions, but nonetheless the queens are all women whose positions are made highly unique by virtue of the fact that they all have to be creative or even underhanded to achieve the same goals that the men around them can achieve in a straightforward manner. After all…

Daenerys needed dragons to survive and jumpstart her story

Sansa was a captive at King’s Landing and is to some extent still a captive at the Vale, and had to jump through some insane hoops just to get to this point

Cersei has to use sex, deceit, murder, manipulation, and subject herself to some pretty awful things to get the power she desires (which is still out of reach!)

Despite being regarded as her father’s heir, Asha has to fight her uncles and change the minds of her entire sexist society in order to be recognized as queen of anything, and is reduced to her sex by men at every turn

Arianne also must use sex and deception, but is dogged by the notion that her father doesn’t want her to be his heir and tries to launch a scheme that goes horribly awry. This, of course, could have been prevented had her father simply been honest with her from the beginning and reveal the information he told Quentyn to her as well.

So while the men literally just had to gather their armies and declare war to get things in motion, these women have to take the less-than-scenic route with many bumps, twists, and turns to achieve even a fraction of the autonomy and power their male counterparts have. And sadly, these women still haven’t achieved that level of power, with the exception of Daenerys who built her army from scratch but also had the help of three very big, very scary dragons. Also known as the only very big, very scary dragons in the whole series. In other words, while the kings only needed to call their banners, Daenerys had to recreate a phenomena that hadn’t occurred in decades and also involved her walking into a funeral pyre. Not exactly the same thing.

So there is my very long-winded and probably typo riddled answer as to why I think GRRM chose not only Cat over Robb, but literally any other POV character over any of the contending kings. I am actually really glad he did it this way, even if he didn’t do it this way on purpose.

[wackygoofball]

Gifset: Jaime x Brienne - Traveler AU

Jaime Lannister, manager and right-hand man to the CEO of the company, his father Tywin, lives a life that goes its course almost entirely by itself. From the early beginnings of his life, he was framed to, one day, inherit his father’s “family empire.” And Jaime never bothered, really, being a natural in what it takes to fill in such a position. It just seemed like the most natural conclusion to go with the flow.

Nothing out of the ordinary happens – until it does.

A car accident right outside the family company’s office building leaves Jaime’s right hand permanently damaged. And this experience shows Jaime one thing: He didn’t witness anything exciting, anything extraordinary, and almost died not having achieved much of anything outside the family business.

At first, he is simply depressed, caves in at home, does not show up at work, is done with life. But then, perhaps by a wink of fate, Jaime finds an old map, from the last holiday he took when he was still in college, and bought himself a ticket to Lys out of the blue. He almost completely forgot over business life that this was his last actual holiday, and a good one, actually. And as he sits there, going back over some of the good old memories, Jaime has to realize that he hasn’t taken any time for himself, hasn’t traveled – beside for work – in ages.

In a cloak-and-dagger operation, Jaime buys backpack, boots, tent, and whatever else he can gather, only to wind up by the Citizens Advice Bureau first chance he has to get the papers needed. After that, Jaime takes a taxi to King’s Landing Airport and wants to board the next-best plane he can catch, much to the irritation of the woman sitting behind the counter.

When asked to where he would like to go, Jaime simply replies, “Doesn’t matter. Just away from here. So long I can fly right now, I don’t care what the location is.”

And so, Jaime finds himself walking on Dornish soil soon thereafter.

Already at the airport, as he waits for his luggage to arrive, Jaime gets one confused phone call after the other from his family members, asking him where he is.

“Dorne. What would you want to do in Dorne?!”

“Making holidays,” Jaime replies simply, again and again.

“And you couldn’t have told anyone beforehand?”

“I got the last ticket.”

“When are you going to come back?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?! But Jaime…”

“As I said, I don’t know, and my bag just arrived. I am hanging up now, bye.”

Jaime reckons that the vacation will do him good, but he soon grows dissatisfied. Doing the usual tourist routines has him rather annoyed. Even the prospect of seeing some of the most beautiful sights Dorne has to offer has Jaime shockingly little excited. He thought that this would be it, that this is what he is seeking, but… it’s not.

The realization comes to Jaime one late night, watching a travel documentary on a small TV in his hotel room: He doesn’t need vacation, he needs to travel.

Thus, Jaime gets himself on a ferry to the Stepstones, from the Stepstones to the Grey Gallows, and from the Grey Gallows to Tyrosh, and so forth. On the way, Jaime buys himself a bunch of disposable cameras to take pictures with, and begins to do something that he didn’t do ever since the accident, namely to write – in a leather journal he bought on a small market in Dorne.

After all, no one is going to read his chicken scratch other than him.

However, not all is rosy on that journey, because Jaime has to realize far sooner than later that walking into this completely unprepared comes with a certain kind of thrill, but also a lot of troubles. Ending up in rat holes of hotels, having to camp out in the wilderness when the motels are all overbooked, only to realize that he never put up a tent in his life and thus failing miserably at the task, are only some of the troubles he encounters on that vacation.

At the same time, Jaime is thrilled to see all those new places, meet all sorts of people, taste different foods, and make experiences he never would have made, had he stayed home.

During his stay at Braavos, something catches his interest as he visits the Titan of Braavos, because there is one person in the mass of tourists taking pictures of the statue and following tourist guides around like geese, who seems not at all interested in the monument. The tall woman with blonde hair has not taken a single picture of the statue, Jaime observed, but instead took out her camera to take pictures of rather queer things, at least to Jaime’s mind: An ice cream cone dropped on the ground seems to have her particular interest.

Jaime feels very tempted to talk to her, but as he is about to do it, a youngster falls off the Titan’s toe after he had to climb on top of the statue, and everyone starts to fuss, so that Jaime loses the blonde woman in the crowd.

He travels to the next location, though the woman with brilliant blue eyes and an odd taste in objects of interest, remains on his mind all the while.

After a quite desperate phone call from his younger brother Tyrion, Jaime reluctantly agrees to check on his emails. For that matter, he gets into an internet café, because Jaime cannot properly read mails on his phone, and he purposely left his computer at home before he went on his vacation. After a quick check-in with reality awaiting him back home, Jaime decides that he is not yet ready to succumb to that life again, so he closes the tab and instead decides to use his remaining time at the café to browse the internet for traveler advices, groaning at some things he could easily have prevented, had he bothered to read up on the matter before just boarding a flight to Dorne.

In the course of his research, Jaime stumbles over a blog named The Traveler’s Guide of the Other Kind. And compared to most blogs he scrolled through, which were mostly focused on the person and his or her experiences, lots of pictures with nice InstaBran filters and what not, this blog’s title holds true. This one does not feature any pictures… of the person who is running this blog, let alone clues about his or her identity.

However, the blog is even more curious, because it doesn’t talk about what food to get where, or what sights are worth the voyage. Instead, the blog entries are largely about “The Small Things,” about sunsets in certain locations and at what times the light is the best, quite witty comments on the masses of people all doing the same thing “in strange sort of rituals, hailing statues, bridges, castles, and churches of faiths they do not even partake in, and all that with cameras and selfie sticks,” little anecdotes about people the author saw and observed, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes rather romantic.

Jaime would love to go on, but apparently, he kept reading the blog so long that the internet café is closing for the day. Nevertheless, he remains intrigued, so Jaime starts scrolling through the text posts on his phone once returned to his shabby motel.

Lying on his back in bed, he continues reading the posts that keep captivating him, finding it almost hilarious that some of the experiences and impressions written are so close to his own. Jaime drops his phone right in his face as it literally hits him that the author of the blog apparently features an entry on “The Tristful Chronicles of a Braavosi Ice Cream Cone,” with a picture of a dropped ice cream cone at the top, matching both the day and the location when Jaime saw that tall blonde woman taking pictures of that ice cream cone on the ground.

Jaime reckons that if he took the risk to abandon his entire life to go travelling, he might just as well take the risk to reach out to that woman who has been flitting across his mind ever since he saw her in Braavos.

What is the worse that can happen, right?

Thus, Jaime tries to type a comment, but ends up pushing the SEND-button before he could double-check, thus sending a message that is filled with typos and some really odd wordings. “Stupid hand!” Meanwhile, in a hotel room on New Ghis, Brienne is surprised to get a new comment on her “The Tristful Chronicles of a Braavosi Ice Cream Cone” entry, which did not have too many readers at all.

Not that Brienne bothers. She didn’t start the blog to gain followers, but simply wanted to have a place to gather her thoughts at. The message she receives now has her rather baffled, because… typos and rather a lot of gibberish stuffed into a short comment, but still readable enough for her to understand that the person who wrote this saw her back at the Titan and wondered until s/he found this blog what was so interesting about that ice cream cone.

Brienne is a bit shocked: She never posts pictures of herself, for the plain reason that she is ugly and doesn’t like to have her picture taken anyway. The thought that someone may out her is somewhat frightening to Brienne. After all, she tries to stay anonymous, just travels around, merges in with the background to observe.

Yet, she cannot resist replying, very cautiously so. However, to her even greater surprise, Brienne gets a reply almost instantly, and then another, and another, and she ends writing back each time.

Jaime and Brienne eventually message each other over the private message tool of the blog, which allows them to communicate more privately, discussing their travelling experiences, to where they have already gone, etc.

Sometime later, almost by accident, they find out that they are currently in the same location. So Jaime takes a chance and suggests to meet.

Brienne almost falls off her chair once she reads that message. Because that never happened, and she believed it impossible anyway. Brienne replies, truthfully, that she has to catch a flight that same day, later that evening. Jaime replies instantly that he wouldn’t care.

“We can meet up as long as we can until you have to fly again, I don’t mind.”

And so, they meet. The first handshake is all kinds of awkward once it dawns on them that they are two strangers who decided to meet based on some shared travel experiences. The beginning of the conversation is rather rocky, but once they start talking about journeys again, the two somehow ease into the situation. Jaime eventually find the courage to ask Brienne about why she takes those rather odd pictures and why they are the focus of her online travel guide. And so, Brienne explains: “To me, travelling is about seeing places, about witnessing them. And that is more than tasting the food, looking at the statues, the churches. It’s about watching people interact, about seeing children climb on top what is considered a cultural good. It’s about lost ice cream cones. Couples breaking up and proposing to one another in the cheesiest of ways. You know, I could have done it like most others do, focus on the obvious, the conventional. But I like to think that… that there is something beautiful in the unconventional, just like it is in what seems to be utterly unimportant because it is so very conventional.“

Jaime is thrilled about what he hears.

Suddenly, Brienne gets a call that her normal flight is going to be cancelled, but that she can still catch an earlier flight if she gets to the airport within two hours. Brienne excuses herself, explaining that she always wanted to see Old Valyria at the season, and knows she won’t catch a flight until they close down for the year. Jaime tells her that it’s fine and that he perfectly understands. Brienne is very apologetic – and a bit mournful because she can’t remember the last time she enjoyed a date that much.

As they prepare to part, Jaime tells her that he will be waiting for the next log entry on Old Valyria. Brienne gathers all of her confidence to offer him her telephone number, which Jaime takes more than gladly. The two part with a another awkward handshake, though really, they can’t help but think about one another once they are out of each other’s sight. Despite the fact that both are too stubborn to admit it.

And so, their journeys go separate ways again. Jaime wants to head further North while Brienne ventures through Old Valyria. Jaime is pleased to read an entry that alludes to their meeting and even a quote by him from their conversation. The two now start to talk over the phone, and as they continue travelling, try to beat one another in most unconventional places to have found,  most curious experiences to have witnessed, or weirdest people they met, etc.

"Some boys like a challenge…”

They accidentally meet up again at an airport after both had their flights cancelled, so they are stuck for the night. The two are not sure whether to shake hands or hug, so yeah, it is awkward. They decide to get some drinks at the bar to pass the time. Jaime and Brienne come to talk about his injury and how that was the starting point for him to start that journey. Brienne lets on that she decided that it was time that she left home after Renly died and she had caved in at home far too long that it had her father worried.

“Sometimes you have to leave to find your way back home… I hope, at least.”

Once it’s time to say goodbye, Jaime suggests as casually as he can that they may want to try to end up in the same location some time, surprised when Brienne instantly recounts to where she is going and in what order, only to break out laughing when Jaime takes out his worn journal to see about his flight plans.

“Now, that is what I call old-fashioned,” she snorts.

"I call it traditional. Not all of us run fancy blogs, you know.”

“Well, blogs are also already outdated. Now it’s InstaBran stories that count. So perhaps we have something in common in that regard after all.”

They figure that the location following their next ones actually matches, so Jaime and Brienne agree to a “travel date.”

Then, at last, the time has come, and they are in the same location. They meet up at the airport, get themselves rooms in the same hotel. The two are thrilled to discover just how much they actually have in common, making their very own tours, discussing their boring jobs and their exciting journeys, sharing takeaway in hotel rooms, and watching sunsets in the most curious of places together.

Jaime still can’t believe himself that he just follows through with this new kind of life, almost eloping with a woman he barely knows but feels as though he has known her for years already. He wouldn’t have done things in that way back in the “old life.”

And for Brienne, it’s also the first time she even considered a man in that way after Renly’s death.

Of course, they continue to challenge one another. Jaime has to do things with his right arm upon her insistence, while Jaime takes out his “even more old-fashioned than the journal” disposable camera and challenges Brienne to have him take her picture, one of which he secretly adds to his journal.

And on a journey of self-discovery, they discover each other, eventually giving in to their undeniable attraction for one another. The two want to go on travelling, but eventually decide to go together, rearranging plans so that they can take the same route.

It is like a journey to heaven. Seeing different places, kissing under sights, taking pictures of the small things, reading through each other’s log entries, even lying next to each other in shabby hotel rooms with uncomfortable mattresses feels divine.

However, the journey comes to a sudden halt when Jaime runs into Tyrion, who has tracked him down upon their father’s order, explaining to the older brother that Tywin’s patience has worn thin and that if Jaime does not return any time soon, he will no longer provide for Jaime’s travelling – or anything else for the matter.

“And he is serious, I am telling you.”

Heartbroken, Jaime talks to Brienne about the latest revelation, but he is surprised that she shows such great understanding for his situation, even encouraging him to go back home. “You are loyal to your family. I am loyal to my father. I get this, I do, Jaime. We don’t get to choose.”

While both say that they can meet up again and that Brienne may want to travel to Casterly Rock some time soon, both know that their travel romance has come to an abrupt end.

Begrudgingly, Jaime makes his way back into the old life, feeling utterly miserable about himself, which does not go unnoticed by his younger brother Tyrion, though he does not know about Jaime’s heartache for his former travelling companion, because the older brother did not want to involve Brienne into his family’s mess any more than he already did.

Brienne is not faring much better. Her thoughts revolve around Jaime all the while, too, which she realizes in a number of posts she deletes that almost exclusively speak of heartache and Jaime, Jaime, Jaime. She has to realize that being alone and anonymous is not that great when you finally found someone who knows and understands you. Then, being alone and unconventional seems to ring so hollow.

Back in King’s Landing, Tyrion discovers his brother’s journal eventually.

After some serious deciphering of the chicken scratch, Tyrion must say that Jaime’s journal is an entertaining read, if not a profitable one. He gets into contact with publishers, and they seem to share his opinion, because it is only a little while from now that Jaime’s journal entries are getting published as a travel guide – after some just as serious editing through his younger brother, of course.

Brienne meanwhile, on her continuous voyage towards the Isle of Faces, which is supposed to be her last stop on the journey before going home to Tarth again, stumbles across a bookstore, where they feature a book with Jaime’s picture on the title page. Stunned, she buys the next best copy she can grab, devouring the journal as she roams through the streets of Oldtown.

Not only is she surprised that Jaime apparently went into publishing, after he teased her all the while for telling the whole world about her experiences, “even though you claim to be so shy, wench,” but she is also caught off-guard by some many log entries alluding to her. While the book was edited so not to give her identity away, something that Jaime likely insisted on for her sake, she finds herself near tears at some of the later entries speaking about how the shared voyage with her proved to be the best part of the whole journey.

“It was during that time that I saw in myself the man I wanted to be. That part of my voyage is the one that changed my world – for the better. That one person I met… changed everything, turned my whole voyage of life upside-down, and I loved every second of it. And to this day, I come to regret that it didn’t last longer. I wish I was still out there, every day.”

Brienne calls up Jaime once she is back in her hotel room, to congratulate him on his latest success. Jaime explains rather sheepishly that he didn’t know “until it was too late” that Tyrion took the journal to publishers behind his back.

“Now my own face is haunting me in every bookstore. I think I have to go incognito.”

“Fake moustache?”

“Maybe.”

They talk about Brienne’s plans, and how far she has come by now. Brienne tells him that she is “just that close” to get through with the locations she planned on visiting, to arrive at the Isle of Faces as her “final piece in the puzzle.”

“So? What are you going to do with your newly acquired status as a popular traveler journalist?“ Brienne teases, if only to distract from herself – and her apparent heartache at the thought that she will finish the journey alone, because the two actually made plans to go to the Isle of Faces together.

But then reality called back and all was over.

“Laughing myself silly because I hated reading since a young age, and now I am supposedly a writer. Well, at least you can make some money with those guides. So maybe you should start as well.”

“I think I will pass.”

“Says the popular blogger.”

“I am not popular at all, and I pride myself with that,” she argues.

“Would be too mainstream for you anyway.”

Towards the end of the conversation, Jaime blurts out saying “I miss you… I… I miss us.”

”… Me, too,” Brienne replies hastily. “But… well, travelers undergo voyages. That is what we do. We don’t know where we end up. The journey is the goal. And that means we sometimes end up… in different places, it seems.”

Jaime wants nothing but get out of the family company, his mind keeps going back to the Isle of Faces, and most importantly – Brienne, whereas Brienne’s thoughts on her voyage keep revolving less and less around the Isle of Faces and more and more about the travel partner she lost back when he went to the capitol to return to “real life.”

Things may take another turn when Jaime’s brother makes a proposal, but whether that is going to pan out, only time will show.

Because as corny as it may sound, life is a journey.

And it is yet to be determined whether Jaime and Brienne will get a chance to go on that journey together, or will continue to be swept to different shores…

[jonsa-creatives]

Prompt! Jon & Sansa have married for political reasons. After the war, Sansa starts to become frustrated with Jon bc he won't do the do with her even tho he'll hold her in his arms & cuddle, etc. So one night she confronts him & tells him she'll take a lover if he won't make their marriage true. Jon gets protective of her & growly & telling her she's his & only his and starts touching her & they make love in the dirtiest best way possible. Basically Dom!Jon restraining himself until he can't

Hi Anon!

I am liking all the dom!Jon prompts coming our way and I can’t say I’m not tempted! But well, here I am filling another dom!Jon prompt we all love so much LOL so I hope you like this one Anon!

Unbeta’d so pardon the mistakes and typos if any!

Rated E for explicit.

Mood music inspired by Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly ft Camila Cabello

~ Mod Elle

My Undoing

The wedding was all a blur as Sansa was in a daze for the most part. There wasn’t even a kiss between the both of them as Jon cloaked her with his white as snow fur cloak, one that he had commissioned for their nuptials. Next thing she knew, they were both seated side by side, watching their guests eat and drink merrily as the food and wine kept coming. 

Sansa could only manage a few bites and took a few sips of the wine that was so generously gifted by King Tyrion from Kings Landing. She liked how it tasted and she understood why kings and queens drank so much. Perhaps a little more would numb her to what was coming next.

As if they read her mind, loud chants of ‘bedding!’ rose within the halls and had reached a level so deafening that Sansa wanted to run away and hide. Her tears flowed freely and Sansa wiped them away hastily, hoping no one noticed. 

“No. There will be no bedding ceremony, my lords. Thank you for joining us and we hoped that you enjoyed the food and wine. Now, if you don’t mind, I think Lady Stark would like to retire for the night. I am sure she is tired,” Jon spoke and addressed for the loud chanting to stop. Sansa was relieved and smiled at her new husband as he held out his hand to her. He had become a stranger to her now, after his return from the war. Battle weary, scarred and no longer a bastard, this Jon was very much a stranger to her. He even spoke differently now. Sansa wasn’t quite sure she was entirely comfortable with it.

“Thank you. I was getting quite tired. I suppose I will see you.. soon?” Sansa thanked him as she stood up to leave. Jon nodded and turned his attention to the lords who were getting increasingly rowdy. Perhaps it was time for all to retire for the night. Jon had barely any energy nor the patience to spare in dealing with drunken lords eager to paw at his new bride.

Sansa settled in underneath the furs and clutched tightly at the waist of her smallclothes. She was a bundle of nerves as memories of her previous wedding night with Ramsay flashed in her mind. 

No, Jon would never do that. He isn’t Ramsay.

The doors creaked opened and Sansa sat up, ready to greet Jon when he entered, smoothing her hair to make sure every strand was in place. she may look every bit a wife but she could not deny she still wasn’t ready for it. To be bedded by her cousin, now turned husband. The new Lord of Winterfell.

It was a marriage alliance suggested by Tyrion when news of Rhaegar and Lyanna’s secret marriage was made public throughout the seven kingdoms and how the baby boy that was born out of that marriage came down to Jon. He wasn’t a bastard after all. 

Despite his new status, Jon had refused to rule as a Targaryen, constantly reminding Tyrion that he would always be a Northener, inside and out. Though the Northern lords weren’t too happy to receive him as such. The only way to appease them was a promise. A promise that they will no longer be subjected to Southern subjugation. 

“There is a way.” 

“And what would that be? The North would never have me near their kingdom,” Jon sighed as he sat with Tyrion and his small council. How he yearned to return home. Life in the South was not suited for him.

“The North won’t revolt if you were tied to house Stark. If Sansa was that link,” Tyrion suggested as he took a big gulp of wine from his half filled goblet. Jon stared at him and turned to Varys, who nodded in approval.

“Sansa? She will never have me! We were siblings-”

“Ah yes, but now you’re not are you? You weren’t even close, last I heard when Sansa once talked about her family while she was here at Kings Landing,” Tyrion continued as he pointed to Jon as if making a point.

“Well, cousin marriages are accepted and very common, my Lord. It would take some getting used to-”

“I can’t do that with Sansa! I can’t do it to her! After all she has been through, I just can’t,” Jon shook his head in adamant refusal.

“Well then, in that case, prepare for another civil war. After what D@enarys had accomplished since the Battle of the Dark Winter, they seek reparations for all that damage, all that hurt. My Lord. It is your choice, still. Marry Sansa or fight another useless senseless war. And this time, whose side will you be on?” Varys spoke and Jon winced as the truth of his words stung him. He was right.  

“Send a raven. I’ll return to Winterfell in a fortnight.”

Tyrion smiled as he held up his goblet to Jon. “Send me an invitation, Jon Snow. Or is it Jon Targaryen?”

Jon smiled as he entered and saw an attentive Sansa sitting on their marital bed. She looked exquisite and every bit a princess, with her long copper locks falling softly down her shoulders and her silky robe that covered the smallclothes he was expected to tear off her. Jon turned away as he removed his cloak and doublet, undressing for bed. Tonight was going give him little rest and sleep, even though he was exhausted enough from earlier that day.

“Jon.. I could.. If you wanted to..” Sansa softly spoke, fingers in her hair twisting her locks nervously. It made her look even more beautiful than she already was. There was something about a shy and sweet Sansa that made his loins stir. Jon couldn’t deny that it wasn’t the first time he felt that way about Sansa. He had always felt that way about her, ever since they reunited at Castle Black years ago. Jon had those feelings deeply suppressed, in light of how inappropriate and forbidden it was, feeling that way about his half sister. Now, there was no reason for him to feel any inhibition - she was his to take. Perhaps, those feelings weren’t suppressed after all.

“No, Sansa. I won’t do that to you. Not tonight, not ever. Not unless you want me to. Whenever you’re ready.”

A deep sigh that came from her indicated her relief and Jon’s heart sank a little. But perhaps it could work, nobody needed to know and the North would remain peaceful and faithful to Lady Sansa. No civil war looming on the horizon. That was perhaps, enough for this marriage between them.

The days had come and gone and it was almost the last few months of winter, as Sansa and him maintained a calm yet playful friendship. He had grown to love her, as a wife, much to his dismay and the nights became more and more agonizing to him as he yearned so much to touch her, as a husband would. There was nothing to stop him, with Sansa only inches away, her shapely form laying next to him on the bed they shared for almost a year now. Tonight was just going to be another night he would take himself in his own hand, dreaming of Sansa bouncing on his hard cock, moaning his name.

“Jon?”

“Yes, Sansa?” 

“It’s been a year that we’re married. Do you think the other lords are wondering why we don’t have heirs yet?” Sansa asked innocently as she sat at her vanity and brushed her hair. It was hypnotic to watch her, how he wished he could run his fingers through her soft red hair.

“Is that what you worry about often? That the lords think about how often we bed?” Jon smiled as he wiped a warm wet washcloth over his face and chest. 

“No but if I were them, I would wonder, I suppose. Someone once told me that bedding was all that men ever think about,” Sansa giggled as she turned to Jon. They were no longer shy around each other, whether half naked or in their smallclothes. It was good progress, as Jon took notice.

“Is that what you assume I think about?”

“Well, don’t you? Especially now that you’re not getting… anything from me.”

Jon placed his washcloth down and walked towards Sansa. He knelt down and looked into her pale blue eyes that he often lost himself in.

“Sansa, listen to me. What we have, is enough. I don’t think of taking you like any common man would. I know… what he did to you and I do not want you to be reminded of that in anyway. No matter how long it takes, how you feel about me, I will never force you to do anything you don’t wish to.”

Sansa stopped brushing her hair and looked down. She wasn’t about to shed any tears, not anymore, for what Ramsay did to her. She was damaged and did not feel in any way a proper high born wife should be. 

“Perhaps, you could find someone to do it on my behalf.. since you can’t even bear to touch me..”

Jon stood up and stared at Sansa, his ears burning at what he had just heard. Sansa watched him and as their eyes met, Jon suddenly felt overcome with a burning desire to sweep her in his arms and kiss her till dawn broke.

“Sansa, why would you say that? Do you want me to bed another?”

“Perhaps, since we don’t even touch each other. I know it’s hard for you to-”

“Is that what you want? Do you also wish to bed another man other than me?”

Sansa’s hand flew to her mouth when she realised how the conversation had angered him.”No, Jon! I would never-”

“Then stop saying such things. It won’t happen, it will never. You are my wife. You are mine as I am yours.”

Sansa looked up at him with her eyes shiny with tears. “Am I? Are you mine, truly?”

“Aye, I am.” Jon nodded as both their eyes locked onto each other’s once more. The familiar stirring deep within his loins greeted him again, this time more forceful and he felt himself growing hard. There was no denying how much he wanted to take her, to mark her as his. And his only. Jon’s gaze drifted to her soft pink lips and it took him every ounce of restraint, not to grab her by the hair and kiss her, as he watched her tongue flick across her lower lip. Sansa broke their eye contact and looked down, albeit briefly as she shyly returned his gaze.

“Show me, Jon. I want to know.”

It only took him a second before he pressed his lips against hers and parted them in a desperate search for her tongue. She tasted of berries and lemon and it only made her more delicious. His tongue brushed against her teeth as it tangled in a frantic dance with hers. Gods, how he loved kissing Sansa. It was better than he had imagined.

Jon opened his eyes as Sansa pulled away from him. She giggled at what had transpired between them and Jon could only smile back. He was desperate to have her on his mouth again.

“Will you have me then, my Lady?”

Sansa’s nod was all he needed to sweep her into his arms and throwing her on the bed. Sansa gasped but continued her girlish giggles at how peculiar he was behaving as a husband. Surely, no husband would act like this, like a ravenous animal in heat. Sansa was only half right, if she knew how hungry Jon was for her.

“Take this off,” Jon ordered as he tugged at the chemise she had on. It was thin and almost sheer but the way it clung to her curves was teasing him a little too much. Sansa nodded shyly as she meekly wriggled out of it. But it took too long for Jon and he wasn’t sure what came over him, as he pulled and ripped the fabric into two. Bare breasts with light pink teats greeted him and Jon devoured them, biting into her flesh as Sansa threw her head back at the new found pleasurable sensation.

“Uhh.. Jon..” her moaning his name was all he had ever dreamt about the past year they had been married. As Jon’s teeth scraped against her soft bare skin, Sansa writhed as he made her way down between her thighs. His hands roamed all over until they settled firmly on the curve of her buttocks, kneading the firm yet soft flesh as his pinky teasingly brushed against her puckered hole. A deep gasp from Sansa told him, this was all new to her and it made his heart swell knowing he was still her first in a way.

“Jon.. no.. what are you doing..”

“Shh.. I promise you will feel good, Sansa. I only want to make you feel good. Will you let me? I will never hurt you, I promise.”

Jon smiled as he watched Sansa who was watching him, kissing her belly and the inside of her thighs and as he reached her sex, Jon stared straight into her eyes as he clamped his hungry mouth over her folds. Sansa jumped and shut her eyes, overcome with the fire of lust that had taken over her body, giving Jon full control to do whatever he wanted. It made him  even harder than he thought possible, at how sweet and delicious she tasted.

Jon hummed against her warm wet flesh as he sucked and nibbled on her luscious folds. Sansa cried out in ecstasy as his tongue snaked in, darting in and out of her inner walls, teasing her into yielding to him completely.

The pressure that grew from deep within her only grew the more Jon licked and sucked at her flesh. Her peak reached higher and higher as she clawed at his curls and it wasn’t until he pressed the flat of his tongue against her small nub that something exploded within her. It was mind-blowing and never in her life she dreamt of feeling that in her, ever.

“Ahhh! Jon.. oh gods! Jon!”

Sansa panted as she came down from her climax, her first one. Jon peppered her body with kisses as he crept up on top of her. For the first time, Sansa was in love - as she looked into the grey eyes that hungered for her, the lips that uttered her name so lovingly. She was his, completely - mind, body and soul.

“I will make you mine, Sansa. I will mark you so everyone can see how much you belong to me.”

Sansa nodded as Jon kissed her neck and winced as he nibbled hard on her skin. “Spread your legs open for me, sweet girl. I need you.”

She couldn’t see it but she certainly felt the stiffness that poked at her entrance. It felt large enough for Sansa to be nervous at its intrusion but she was well prepared, judging from how wet and slick she had become. Her body was ready and willing. Jon paused and turned his attention to Sansa, watching her reaction as he readied himself to enter.

“Sansa, you’re mine. Always remember that,” Jon whispered as his painfully hard cock pierced through her wet folds and found himself wrapped tightly within her inner walls. Sansa and Jon groaned in unison as both of them savoured the spine tingling sensation. Sansa felt full yet hungry for him and she never knew how bedding could feel this way. Sansa moaned wantonly as Jon started to move, rocking his cock in and out of her. It took all he had in him not to spill in her too soon but the way she moaned his name and how intoxicating her scent was, Jon found himself thrusting deep and hard into her, in chasing after his own peak.  

“Ohhh! Jon… uhhh..I’m yours… always..”

Jon’s hand grasped her neck and pressed down gently, as he whispered into her ears. “I won’t let any man touch you, let alone look at you… You’re mine, Sansa. Mine.. mine.”

Sansa held onto his hand on her neck and shut her eyes as her peak washed over her once more, this time deeper and lasting longer than just a few seconds. Sansa’s body went limp as she felt as if she had died and went to heaven. It was almost like a little death as Jon’s cock pistoned in and out of her, pushing faster and deeper at every jab. “I love you, Jon..” 

The three words that Sansa softly whispered into his ears were all that caused him to come undone. Jon howled as he finally let go and spilled into her hungry quim, as rope after rope of his seed shot deep in her, mingling with her juices. Sansa moaned along with him as she felt the warm fluid pool deep inside her inner walls. Jon heaved and panted for air as he stayed on top of Sansa, too weak to move. He had given her his all, if only she knew how weak she would make him. 

She was his soft spot, his one weakness. He had no real fear and he had seen the worst and faced the worst in his life. He had scars and healed broken bones to prove it. That was, until now. If he had only one thing to be afraid of, Sansa would be it. She would be his undoing, that much he knew.

“I love you, Sansa. Always.”

Okay, okay I know this wasn’t very dom!Jon but I got carried away! Sorry Anon, Jon can’t quite help himself in turning into a soft romantic when it comes to his precious Sansa! I hope you still like it lol..

Thanks for the prompt!