#who else would Stannis send but Davos? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

istaricelebelasse · 3 years

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In that AU where Stannis smuggles Sansa out of KL, can we see how she gets smuggled out of the city? :0

Thank you for the prompt! This fic series can now be found under the tag ‘smuggle au’ 💕

The Lannisters thought Sansa meek, and mild, and broken. They thought she would not even dare dream of escape, that she would just submit to whatever fate they had planned for her.

And they were very nearly right.

Every day that Sansa spent with them, every day she was summoned before the court to be punished for her brother’s victories, every day was one that pushed her closer to hopelessness.

Being thought to be broken did have the occasional freedom, if it could even be called that. Sometimes she was allowed to look at the markets, provided she had a large escort, and Joffrey had been in a good mood that day. More often than not it was because one of Queen Cersei’s ladies wanted to ‘take pity’ on her, or curry favour with the future queen.

As though Sansa would forget their barbs and cruel titters in favour of remembering such small kindnesses.

Yet, Sansa did find herself clinging to those brief moments of kindness, for they were a brightness among the dark that filled her days.

There was something so comforting about seeing people going about their lives, even if the golden veil that had existed during her father’s tenure as Hand had now disappeared.

She had no coin with which to purchase anything, nor that she could give to those in need.

But it was enough really to just look at the people, at the different sights and smells, the colours that filled her eyes. It broke up the monotony of her life, made everything seem just a little lighter for a while afterwards.

Sansa inhaled deeply, the scent of spice filling her nose. The market tables were emptier than they had been on her previous visits, the people more hungry looking, but despite that the scent of spice and perfume still hung upon the air.

It was foolish perhaps, the sort of thing that would have her banned from all future excursions, but Sansa could not help but sip from her guard for a single moment. She wanted a moment where she wasn’t constantly being watched by Lannister men.

She stepped over to a table displaying skeins of bright wool, of the sort she would quite happily purchase if she had had the funds to do so. Her guards were distracted by the sight of ale, and the exposed flesh that was on display just as surely as any item.

It was a mistake to do so.

A hand wrapped around her mouth, the other around her arm, and Sansa found herself being dragged into an alleyway before she could even try to make a noise.

If anyone saw them, they did not care, for no one interfered as Sansa was dragged away from the well lit streets and into the warren of Flea Bottom.

Sansa struggled against her assailant, but she was far weaker than they were. Her kicks and hits were ineffective the few times they even managed to reach their target.

Finally they stopped, in an alley that Sansa had never seen before. It was near the docks, that much she could tell from the scent of brine that even overpowered much less savoury smells.

It was there that the figure let go of her, his hands leaving her mouth and arm. If Sansa was any braver it would have been the perfect time to attack. As it was she merely stood there trembling.

She half expected to recognise her attacker, for them to be one of the many men in the Red Keep who leered at her. She expected to be attacked properly, now that there were no witnesses around them.

Sansa plucked up every ounce of her courage, and turned to meet her assailant’s eyes. She would be as strong as her Lady Mother.

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” She demanded, proud of the way her voice only trembled slightly.

“Princess Sansa.” The man bowed, and his cloak pin caught the light.

It was that which clued Sansa into his identity, the onion sigil only belonged to one man.

“Ser Seaworth?”

The man let out a light chuckle, “Aye, my lady. Davos though, as proud as I am of my title, I do not wish to be called as such by a child in my charge.”

His smile was comforting, almost fatherly. It made Sansa feel almost instantly safe.

“Why- why did you come for me?” She ventured, marvelling slightly that she felt safe enough to ask such a question.

“My King ordered me to.” Davos said gently, “King Stannis says that he owes your father a debt that can never be repaid, but that he’s willing to try.”

#sansa stark #davos seaworth #Ser Davos #game of thrones fic #asoiaf fic #who else would Stannis send but Davos?#smuggle au #anon

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a-libra-writes · 3 years

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Game of Thrones - Love Letter and Handwriting Headcanons

In this preference, you'll be writing to: Ned Stark, Robb Stark, Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, Benjen Stark, Jory Cassel, Eddison Tollett, Yara Greyjoy, Daenerys Targaryen, Jorah Mormont, Missandei, Grey Worm, Tywin Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Sandor Clegane, Bronn, Petyr Baelish, Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Margaery Tyrell, Brynden Tully, Edmure Tully, Brienne of Tarth, Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Oberyn Martell, Arianne Martell

my own silly fanfic made me think of this bc there’s letter writing later on in that. whee!

Ned Stark

His handwriting is neat, evenly spaced and fairly plain. It’s easily readable, which is the point - he knows not everyone is well-versed in letters and he tries to make it easier. Ned typical sends ravens, only writing a full letter for when he has to give instructions or relay something important. He has a formal Stark wax seal for this… and yes, he uses that same formal seal when he sends something to you. The more you exchange letters, the more relaxed he clearly becomes in writing. He knows he isn’t romantic or poetic by any means, but he hopes his affection for you comes across.

Robb Stark

Goodness knows he’s had endless lessons on writing properly and expressing the right words, but Robb just has no interest in it. His handwriting is perfectly legible but obviously hastily written, and he doesn’t care if there’s a few smudges or the paper gets dirty. When he’s writing to you, he’ll try to be neater… but sometimes he’s just got so much to say, and he’s so eager to send it, he doesn’t even notice the mess. Robb never thought he’d anticipate letters, especially romantic ones, but he loves receiving things from you. If you live far away, he feels the distance strongly and starts to rely on your letters to feel more connected to you.

Sansa Stark

As expected, her penmanship is pretty and neat. If she's in a good mood she'll add little flourishes here and there, but normally she's a bit embarrassed to do it. It feels childish to do that now. When she finds a nice stationary, she saves it until she writes to you. Her envelopes have the usual Stark direwolf with some wildflowers along the border. Honest and romantic words used to come easy to her, but now she’s more subdued. She’ll include pretty poetry she heard and wanted to share with you.

Jon Snow

His writing would be neater if he just slowed down, but he’s often in haste, especially once he becomes Lord Commander. He never cared about the proper penmanship or address because who would a bastard write to? Really, it’s lucky he was taught letters at all. He’d do his best to write neater for you, but the words keep escaping him - It’s hard enough to express how he feels in person, writing it isn’t any easier, no matter what Sam says. Jon always responds if you write to him, even if he’s blushing and feeling stupid the whole time.

Benjen Stark

He’s perfectly capable of writing neatly, but Benjen rarely bothers to. He jots down what he needs, though he at least has to make it legible - there’s only so many men that know their letters at the Wall, and Benjen has to keep his orders neat. When you pass him a secret letter, he’s grinning like a boy. He thinks it’s adorable that you went through the effort of finding supplies and writing something so sweet. He’ll ask to read it in front of you, but if you make him do it in secret, he’ll want to run and find you as soon as he’s done. He’d fold it up tight and keep it in a safe pouch tied to his belt.

Jory Cassel

His handwriting is pretty messy. Jory was never bothered by it until he had to write you something. Oh no. Wasn't there a proper way to address you? What if it was too personal, or too standoffish? Poor Jory overthinks his letters unless you two write with frequency. His handwriting won't get better, but he's more comfortable writing sweet things. He likes to keep his envelopes and papers plain so no one suspects anything, which is a good habit if you’re dating in secret, but a silly once if you’re married.

Eddison Tollett

He jokes it’s a small miracle that he knows his letters, poor as his family was. He likes to pretend he doesn’t, just so the higher ups on the Wall won’t give him extra duties like they did Sam. Reading never interested him, and he had no one to write to, so it’s just not something he thinks about. When you slip him a letter, he just stares at it dumbly for a minute. Once Edd has a chance to open it up, he’s a little taken aback. What… should he do? Should he talk to you? Respond to it? He’s never had such a nice gesture given to him, never had anyone write such nice things to him (has he even received a letter before??). So the next time to meet him, he still has a stupefied look on his face. And here he was thinking nothing on the Wall could surprise him anymore..

Yara Greyjoy

She was taught writing and reading by her nuncle - because the Gods know her father hardly bothered - so she actually has fond memories of both, even if she hardly does it. Yara would be very curious by anything you sent. Was something wrong? If it smelled of perfume or had a pretty stationary, she’d snort… but once she read the contents, she’d just grin and laugh. If the letter is more romantic, she finds it silly, but so like you. Very endearing. If it’s more saucy and risque, well … she’s going to read this in private and take her time.

Daenerys Targaryen

Her handwriting wasn’t as neat as it could’ve been, given her upbringing. It’s a point of embarrassment, so Dany practices pretty lettering and uses interesting inks she’s found around the markets. It’s a bit relaxing, though when she’s writing something official as Khaleesi and Queen, she makes sure it’s perfect. She’s pleasantly surprised when you write her something - has she ever actually received something this sweet before? She’ll write you back with a smile on her face, and she likes any chance to use that fancy Targaryen seal. Dany will still love to receive and send letters even if you both are staying in a palace together. It’s just one of many romantic gestures she thought she’d never enjoy.

Jorah Mormont

Jorah's handwriting is nice, but he usually writes in haste, so several letters end up smudged. He doesn't like to waste paper and start over. Jorah really can’t believe that you’d send him something romantic and sweet; he tries to hide his grin and blush, but he’ll wear it the whole time he’s reading. When he's writing something really sweet to you, it gets him flustered and happy, so whole words end up smudged. He doesn't notice the ink on his hand until he's already put the letter in the envelope. He keeps whatever you’ve sent him in a protective leather book so they can’t get damaged.

Missandei

She has lovely handwriting in many languages, as she was taught. The neatness of the lines and letters really is impressive. When she's writing something sweet to you, she pauses and struggles with the words for a while. Missandei always has the sweetest, most thoughtful letters - more sentimental than romantic. Her letters are punctuated with citrus smelling paper and a modestly decorated envelope.

Grey Worm

He’s only recently learned to read, and writing is still a struggle - he’d be very intimidated at the idea of writing something to you. When you give him something to read for practice, it takes Grey Worm a few minutes before he realizes it’s something you wrote. And it’s for him! And about him! He’s very happy but also very flustered. It takes him longer to get through it, but he can’t stop smiling all day once he’s done. He aspires to write something just as nice, once he’s practiced more. He’d keep your letters in a safe place, and wouldn’t want anyone else to see them.

Tywin Lannister

His penmanship is near perfect, which you expected. It’s always written in a stark black ink on fine, almost marbled paper that has an equally officially looking gold Lannister seal on the envelope. People whisper it’s liquid gold that seals it, but you know better. Tywin’s letters are for business only, so he doesn’t expect you to send him anything romantic… He wouldn’t know what to do with it, besides read it with some amusement and tuck it away for later. You might think he never read it, until he’ll tease you by quoting it weeks later.

Tyrion Lannister

His handwriting is elegant and flawless, as it was meant to be. When Tyrion’s tired he’ll smudge here and there, and depending on how important the letter is, he’ll start over entirely. When he receives your first letter, he’s surprised by the pretty stationary and envelope - this is for him? - and the contents are even better. Tyrion might have a small mental shutdown if you write him something romantic and kind. He’ll re-read it over and over and be distracted through much of the day. This is really for him? He has to respond, of course, and he’ll do it while his emotions are high. For once he doesn’t think on carefully crafted words, he writes what he feels and picks a more subtle stationary (no giant Lannister seals) so attention isn’t drawn to you.

Jaime Lannister

Gods, he hates writing. Just sitting down to write a report is bad enough, but when it's something important? When it's a response to something lovely you wrote? He struggles. The letters start moving around like they used to, he remembers those awful lessons with his father and he's just put off by the whole thing. Seeing you in person is far better. Jaime's handwriting is neat, because it had to be, though when he's upset he'll write a few letters backwards.

Sandor Clegane

It's a mess. Really, the fact his words are readable is a miracle. 'Chicken scratch' is a generous term, though his name is passable. If you wrote him a letter, he'd have no idea what to do with it, let alone how to respond. Sandor doesn't do sentiment like that; seeing you in person can be conflicting and confusing enough. He'd probably rip it up and burn it after drinking too much (and immediately regret that in the morning).

Bronn

He's barely literate, and not a man of flowery words anyway, so don't respect a response. If anything he'd hand the letter to Tyrion and ask him to read it - only for it to be handed back once Tyrion realized it was very personal and... revealing. Bronn doesn't worry about a response or consider you getting upset about it. If you are, he has ways to make up for it.

Petyr Baelish

You expected him to have neat penmanship, but you didn't expect it to be this nice. And of course, his way with words shows in his letters, but it's even better. You might even blush and have to excuse yourself to read it in private. Petyr loves to write on fancy paper with fancier envelopes that have his sigil, but if they're meant to be secret, the only indicator is a little symbol on the envelope's seal. He delights in anything you send him, especially if he can smell your perfume on it.

Stannis Baratheon

Stannis writes very neat letters with equally impossibly neat rows. He has a habit of gripping his quill too tight, but his letters are concise so his hand doesn’t hurt. While he usually writes quickly because he knows what to say, when he writes to you, he pauses far too often. Sometimes ink drips on the paper while he’s thinking, sometimes he misspells a word he’s never gotten wrong before. It takes a long time, especially if he’s responding to something that was very sweet and romantic. His first letters were very awkward and halting, but they’ve steadily improved. Mostly.

Davos Seaworth

You were the one who helped him with writing, after helping him read as well. Davos isn’t happy with his penmanship, but he didn’t think he’d make it this far, so he keeps trying when he has time. It’s messy but legible enough. Davos is always pleasantly surprised when you write to him; he loves that you took the time to send something so sweet. It’s hard for him to reply efficiently, or to put what he’s thinking into words, so sometimes he’ll wait for you to get back instead. He would use your letters to practice reading… but it gets him terribly flustered to read the same kind things over and over again.

Margaery Tyrell

She doesn't mind taking the extra time to make her letters extra beautiful, to press dried flower petals and put them in the envelope, to look through dozens of stationary to find one that's just right for her mood. For most people, they're lucky to get one of these little rituals - you get all of them. She'd be delighted if you took extra care in your letters, too, and naturally she keeps whatever you send her in a special box (that absolutely no one will find).

Brynden Tully

It's no surprise that his handwriting is simple and gets the job done. His brother used to complain that he wrote like a soldier, not a lord, and Brynden is proud of that. He won't wax poetic to you, but he will plainly state that he misses you and he always writes back promptly. Brynden feels bad that his letters take so long to arrive, so he'll make them longer with funny anecdotes and things he's heard from travellers. He folds his letter a few times and wraps it in a protective parchment, just in case rain comes or some idiot drops it.

Edmure Tully

He writes well enough, with neat letters that are jotted down in haste. Edmure almost never stays and lingers on words and sentences, he just writes what comes to mind and moves on. He’s shocked in a good way when you write something to him - you missed him that much? Enough to write all this? He re-reads it several times, and keeps whatever you send him after that. He’ll eagerly write back, and even if it’s silly and awkwardly worded, you can feel the love in every letter. His letters are often a bit crumpled and are plain except for the Tully seal.

Brienne of Tarth

It might surprise some that she has a lady's penmanship. It was never something Brienne had trouble learning, though she often accidentally broke the quill by holding too hard. Though she cherishes the kind things you send her (and she blushes terribly as she reads them), she struggles to send something in return. Her words fail her and she feels embarrassed for trying, but she does try. Seeing you in person is so much easier, though. She likes to keep your letters in a safe place and read them when she's feeling down.

Ramsay Bolton

The letters are messy, but legible enough. The real issue is all the stains on the paper, usually a combination of mud, blood or water. He has little care for the proper way to write or address others; Roose may have given him the bare minimum and not expected him to actually use it. Ramsay is very surprised and amused by anything you send him, though. He considers writing something back, but decides to wait or just go and see you directly. That’s far more fun.

Roose Bolton

His handwriting is functional and his words are to the point. There's nothing outstanding about the letter or its contents, save for a blood-red Bolton seal on the envelope. Roose rarely sends full letters, though; it's a quick Raven or nothing. Though he won't mind anything you send… he'll be very pleased with how personal they become, and he still won't send anything back right away, if he does at all. Better to keep you in anticipation.

Oberyn Martell

Oberyn has a stylish flourish to his letters that’s unique to him. If that didn’t give it away, the pretty gold ink or embellished envelope will. Often it has the spear as a seal, sometimes it’s some interesting and strange stamp he picked up from his travels. There’s always a slight scent to his letters, and you can’t always place it. The actual words themselves are often scandalous and teasing, though he’s sent plenty of heartfelt things, especially if you enjoy it. He’s no poet, but he’s honest and romantic. Oberyn much prefers to see you in person, but he likes to receive sweet things and re-read them.

Arianne Martell

Her handwriting is beautifully elegant, and she loves getting ahold of pretty colored inks and papers. Her letters straddle a fine line between romantic and a little scandalous, and she likes to use pet names, as if you both are writing in secret. Her envelopes have a pleasant smell, and the official Martell seal. If she wants her letter to be sent especially fast, she’ll take her father’s seal. She keeps anything you send her in a pretty, hand carved wooden box with a lock and key.

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aegor-bamfsteel · 2 years

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While I can understand Cat's fear about Jon usurping her kids rights to inherit WF, I don't understand why she thinks Robb naming some distant cousin from Vale his heir would be better option. Won't they pose same threat as Jon?

“MY LORDS!" [Greatjon] shouted, his voice booming off the rafters. "Here is what I say to these two kings!" He spat. "Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine, from some flowery seat in Highgarden or Dorne? What do they know of the Wall or the wolfswood or the barrows of the First Men? Even their gods are wrong. The Others take the Lannisters too, I've had a bellyful of them." —AGOT, Catelyn XI

Not at all. The distant cousin from the Vale has a small claim because their great-great-grandmother was Jocelyn Stark, and unfortunately there are no other closer lines of descent (Rickard was an only child, and none of his children bar Eddard had any legitimate issue), but there’s nothing else to recommend them to the North as heir; they were born in the Vale, likely educated and knighted there, raised in the Faith of the Seven, probably aren’t related to any other northern families, etc. Considering how loyal many of the Northerners are to their land and the Starks, a Vale ruler would be a last resort due to Robb’s desperate position (and it was a backup plan anyway, because he and Jeyne were earnestly trying for a child). If Jeyne and Robb had an heir, the Vale cousin wouldn’t pose a threat because nobody in the North would want them as a ruler; Robb died heirless and Wyman Manderly is sending Davos to find Rickon rather than court a potential Vale heir. Meanwhile, Jon was raised in Winterfell as Ned’s natural son and keeps to the old gods, so at least he’d be considered a true Northman with close descent from the Starks; that seems to be the basis for Stannis offering him Winterfell, and Robb’s reason for probably naming him heir in his will: "Jon's more a Stark than some lordlings from the Vale who have never so much as set eyes on Winterfell." —ASOS, Catelyn V

#ask #asoiaf #jon snow #robb stark #the vale #the north #law

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aweseeds · 3 years

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I've come across some recent posts about Robb Stark's Will, its impact on the line of succession, and I feel the following points seemingly need to be hammered home each time:

1) Robb is a king. A king's word is law and he can do things mere lords can't. A king can name a lord an attainted traitor, strip the lord of his lands and title, and give them to someone else. A king can order executions, whereas lords execute based on the king's laws. Supposed King Joffrey can release Barristan Selmy from the Kingsguard over Selmy' objections that Kingsguard vows are for life. Stannis points out a king can new lords, like he did with Davos. Kings can change older, established laws. Kings can make brand new laws.

Therefore, Robb can absolutely decide the line of succession to his title, lands, and castle by legitimizing Jon and make him first in line as his heir. Robb can absolutely disinherit Sansa.

2) Robb having this authority is backed up by another king. Stannis proposed doing the exact same thing by legitimatizing Jon, naming him Lord of Winterfell, and releasing him from Night's Watch. Stannis also stated Sansa will have no legal right to Winterfell. Stannis can be very focused on adhering to legal precedent. If he views it as within a king's powers to legitimize one sibling and disinherit another, it's pretty sound.

That's 2 separate kings of different backgrounds plainly stating a king definitely has the power to do exactly what Robb said.

3) Literally no one argues Robb's actions are illegal or beyond a king's powers, including his mother despute her being against his decision. In fact, Catelyn Stark, depicted as an intelligent and politically astute character, acknowledges Robb can lawfully take this action. She doesn't want Robb to disinherit Sansa or legitimize Jon. But she doesn't claim Robb lacks the legal authority to disinherit Sansa or legitimize Jon. She launches into a series of arguments to dissuade Robb, but doesn't argue Robb's actions are beyond a king's legal ability.

Catelyn suggests some possible cousins in the Vale being named Robb's heirs. Catelyn would not do this if Robb lacked the power to disinherit Sansa and name Jon his heir. It's an acknowledgement Robb has that power.

4) Catelyn would not so adamantly argue against Robb naming Jon his heir if Robb's Will was unenforceable or void. She'd rest assured that should Robb die without children, Sansa would inherit and Jon get nothing no matter what Will Robb wrote. Instead Catelyn tries every argument she can to change Robb's mind, thus acknowledging his word is law. She is adamantly against Robb naming Jon because she knows it's legal. Sansa has no absolute right to inherit Winterfell if a King in the North declares otherwise.

5) The legality of the will is confirmed by the Northern and Riverlands lords who sign it as witnesses. They wouldn't sign a worthless document. Robb would make sure they knew his intentions so they would enforce them. By signing they acknowledge the will's contents of making Jon his heir and disinheriting Sansa are legally within King Robb's powers and they shall defend it. Robb also sent his Will north with Marge Mormont & others to safeguard it & to publicly announce Jon is Robb's heir in the event of Robb's death. Sending his Will to the North in the hands of loyal Northerners guarantees the document is secure so it can be enforced.

6) Robb's actions are completely justified as the North is at war. No King in the North, nor the Northern lords and people would support someone married to their enemy potentially inheriting a crown or the king's castle. They don't want the Lannisters to have a legal argument re Sansa having a claim. Robb is not writing this Will on a whim. Robb justifiably wants to make it absolutely clear Sansa is not in line of succession period. So Robb would absolutely and permanently disinherit Sansa to eliminate any chance of inheritance to castle or title. It is completely justifiable based on the situation.

7) The idea of there being no harm in Sansa inheriting is invalid. Her marriage to Tyrion remains in effect. They could apply for it to be annulled, but that would require the approval of the High Septon or a king. Non-consumption is grounds to apply for an annulment, a couple publicly married cannot just announce their marriage is dissolved, no matter what the show reied to ignore.

Even if Robb had said that Sansa's marriage to Tyrion was annulled, the Lannisters don't recognize Robb's authority and would say the marriage remained legal. Robb doesn't say Sansa and Tyrion's marriage isn't valid in the North. He says it is and neither Catelyn, nor anyone else disputes that fact. The North recognizes a southern marriage as valid, even if it is not performed before a weirwood or doesn't mention the old gods.

Effectively, it the same as how a marriage performed in California is recognized as legal in other states & countries even though California marriage laws do not exactly match other states' or countries' marriage laws. See how Catelyn and Ned's marriage is valid in the North despite it being performed in the south by southern custom. Even after the North declared independence, they recognized southern marriage ceremonies as having full legal effect, see Robb & Jeyne's marriage and Edmure and Rosalyn.

9) Robb's death does not render his Will invalid. A king's laws and commands remain in effect after his death. The next king can change the laws, but the previous laws & commands do not die with a king.

10) People who claim Robb cannot disinherit Sansa miss or ignore an important point. Even without his Will Sansa does not have sufficient evidence to claim Winterfell, especially long term. Bran and Rickon are alive and inherit before Sansa. Should Sansa try to claim Winterfell or the title, the reappearance of Bran and/or Rickon defeats her claim.

Plus, only someone whose identity can be unequivocally proven would be recognized as heir to Winterfell by the North or the south. All the Stark kids disappeared from public view. The Boltons pulled a fake Arya scam. Only one Stark family member has an undisputable identity. That's Jon Snow with his Stark looks, direwolf, and whose location has always been known.

Northern & southern lords, etc.: "Where are the Stark kids. Are they alive?"

"Hell if we know. They've all vanished and likely dead."

"Are we sure this Stark claiment isn't a scam by another Northern or southern house to claim Winterfell & the title?"

"We do not. None of them look like a Stark except the girl claiming to be Arya and there's already been one fake of her. None of them have a direwolf (unless Rickon returns with a living Shaggydog).

In contrast, Jon's identity is confirmed:

Northern & southern lords etc.: "Where is Ned Stark's bastard Jon Snow?"

"He's at the Wall. Been there for years and is Lord Commander."

"Are we sure this guy is Jon Snow?"

"Hell yes, just look at him, that's definitely Stark blood. See the huge direwolf? There's also hundreds of people confirming his identity, including a king in Stannis, for the entire time since he left Winterfell. The Night's Watch wouldn't have elected a guy Lord Commander if his identity wasn't certain."

No one will claim Jon is an imposter. Northerners will likely view Littlefinger as a Lannister toadie who served the guy who murdered their Lord Paramont. They won't take his word he has a Stark at face value, especially after he publicly claimed she is his bastard daughter. Lysa is dead & cannot testify that that girl is indeed her niece.

Plenty of people get upset over the content of a family member's Will when it doesn't favor them. Doesn't change a Will being enforceable. Likewise, just because part of the fandom doesn't like the contents of Robb's Will doesn't mean it's somehow invalid. Robb clearly stated the terms of his Will & rejected all of Catelyn's arguments to change it. Robb wanted to make sure his Will was absolutely enforceable. I bet if his Will stated Sansa was his heir, that part of the fandom that now claim it's invalid or unenforceable would argue the Will was 100% an irrefutable act. GRRM not printing an image of Robb's Will on the page doesn't mean the written document differs from his plainly stated intent. We don't see images of every raven message, yet we accept them as true when characters tell us the contents.

#a Will isn't unenforceable just because its terms don't work in your favor #some people honestly want all the Starks dead so Sansa can be the heir #Robb's Will

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istumpysk · 3 years

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Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ACOK: Davos I (Chapter 10)

Look, it’s not my fault these Stannis chapters are so damn long! Do you think I’m enjoying this?

The morning air was dark with the smoke of burning gods.

Excellent. I’ve studied for this exam.

+.+

Heat rose shimmering through the chill air; behind, the gargoyles and stone dragons on the castle walls seemed blurred, as if Davos were seeing them through a veil of tears. Or as if the beasts were trembling, stirring . . .

I imagine seeing stone dragons through a veil of tears will be a shared experience for many.

+.+

"An ill thing," Allard declared, though at least he had the sense to keep his voice low. Dale muttered agreement.

"Silence," said Davos. "Remember where you are." His sons were good men, but young, and Allard especially was rash. Had I stayed a smuggler, Allard would have ended on the Wall. Stannis spared him from that end, something else I owe him . . .

Davos, quick question, is exploding better than being on the Wall?

God, it’s painful. Davos is relieved his son never wound up on the Wall, while Ned encouraged his own to go. I cry.

+.+

The Maiden lay athwart the Warrior, her arms widespread as if to embrace him. The Mother seemed almost to shudder as the flames came licking up her face. A longsword had been thrust through her heart, and its leather grip was alive with flame. The Father was on the bottom, the first to fall. Davos watched the hand of the Stranger writhe and curl as the fingers blackened and fell away one by one, reduced to so much glowing charcoal.

(...)

The head fell off the Smith with a puff of ash and embers.

Pfft, easy. Watch this.

The Mother seemed almost to shudder as the flames came licking up her face. A longsword had been thrust through her heart, and its leather grip was alive with flame.

She clutched tight at his hand. "Nothing will happen to you. Nothing. I could not stand it. They took Ned, and your sweet brothers. Sansa is married, Arya is lost, my father's dead . . . if anything befell you, I would go mad, Robb. You are all I have left. You are all the north has left." - Catelyn IV, ASOS

A man in dark armor and a pale pink cloak spotted with blood stepped up to Robb. “Jaime Lannister sends his regards.” He thrust his longsword through her son’s heart, and twisted. - Catelyn VII, ASOS

I filled my mouth with fire and breathed the flames inside him, down his throat to lungs and heart and soul. The last kiss it is called, and many a time I saw the old priests bestow it on the Lord’s servants as they died. I had given it a time or two myself, as all priests must. But never before had I felt a dead man shudder as the fire filled him, nor seen his eyes come open. It was not me who raised him, my lady. It was the Lord. R'hllor is not done with him yet. Life is warmth, and warmth is fire, and fire is God’s and God’s alone.” - Arya VII, ASOS

The Father was on the bottom, the first to fall.

"But they have the soft hearts of women. So long as I am your king, treason shall never go unpunished. Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!" - Arya V, AGOT

Davos watched the hand of the Stranger writhe and curl as the fingers blackened and fell away one by one, reduced to so much glowing charcoal.

And the seventh face… the Stranger was neither male nor female, yet both, ever the outcast, the wanderer from far places, less and more than human, unknown and unknowable. Here the face was a black oval, a shadow with stars for eyes. - Catelyn IV, ACOK

"Seven,” he agreed, “but no one sings of the Stranger.” The Stranger’s face was the face of death. - Samwell III, ASOS

The longer you hide, the sterner the penance. You’ll be sewing all through winter. When the spring thaw comes, they will find your body with a needle still locked tight between your frozen fingers.” - Arya I, AGOT

Calm as still water, Arya told herself, but even when she gave her eyes a moment to adjust, there was nothing to see but the vague grey outline of the door she had come through. She wiggled her fingers in front of her face, felt the air move, saw nothing. She was blind. - Arya III, AGOT

She tripped and fell, face first, scraping her knee open on a stone and smashing her fingers when her hands hit the hard-packed earth. Needle tangled between her legs. She sobbed as she struggled to her knees. The thumb of her left hand was covered with blood. When she sucked on it, she saw that half the thumbnail was gone, ripped off in her fall - Arya V, AGOT

Incense sweetened the air, and beside the seven altars candles shone like stars. A thousand twinkled for the Mother and near as many for the Maid, but you could count the Stranger’s candles on two hands and still have fingers left. - Cersei VI, AFFC

Sail, Frodo, sail!

The head fell off the Smith with a puff of ash and embers.

He had wrapped his cloak around her shoulders and sworn to protect her, but that was as cruel a jape as the crown the Freys had placed atop the head of Robb Stark’s direwolf after they’d sewn it onto his headless corpse. - Tyrion VII, ASOS

The Maiden lay athwart the Warrior, her arms widespread as if to embrace him.

His marriage was a daily agony. Sansa Stark remained a maiden, and half the castle seemed to know it. - Tyrion IV, ASOS

The Warrior was Renly and Stannis, Robb and Robert, Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow. - Catelyn IV, ACOK

Foils Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow are The Warrior? Gosh, they have so much in common!…

He glanced about the sept, at the gods. The Mother, full of mercy. The Father, stern in judgment. The Warrior, one hand upon his sword. The Stranger in the shadows, his half-human face concealed beneath a hooded mantle. I thought that I was the Warrior and Cersei was the Maid, but all the time she was the Stranger, hiding her true face from my gaze. - Jaime IV, AFFC

Tyrion lingered after his cousin had slipped away. At the Warrior's altar, he used one candle to light another. Watch over my brother, you bloody bastard, he's one of yours. - Tyrion X, ACOK

+.+

He could trust none of them, nor would they ever include him in their private councils. They scorned his sons as well. My grandsons will joust with theirs, though, and one day their blood may wed with mine. In time my little black ship will fly as high as Velaryon's seahorse or Celtigar's red crabs.

That is, if Stannis won his throne. If he lost . . .

Take note, Davos isn’t only loyal, he has ambitions of his own.

+.+

It was just, what he did to me. I had flouted the king's laws all my life. He has earned my loyalty.

(...)

Allard turned his head away, coughing and cursing. A taste of things to come, thought Davos. Many and more would burn before this war was done.

Well I’m glad you’ve come to terms with that.

Jorah Mormont and Davos Seaworth aren’t as different as most would have you believe, and I’m shocked more people don’t make that connection.

+.+

Behind, Davos heard a faint clank and clatter of bells. "Under the sea, smoke rises in bubbles, and flames burn green and blue and black," Patchface sang somewhere. "I know, I know, oh, oh, oh."

Battle of the Blackwater!

I win this round, clown.

+.+

The king plunged into the fire with his teeth clenched, holding the leather cloak before him to keep off the flames.

(...)

Guards rushed to beat out the cinders that clung to the king's clothing.

(...)

A ragged wave of shouts gave answer, just as Stannis's glove began to smolder. Cursing, the king thrust the point of the sword into the damp earth and beat out the flames against his leg.

(...)

The Red Sword of Heroes looks a proper mess, thought Davos.

Don’t let his tough demeanor fool you, Stannis Baratheon is the most hilariously pathetic character in this entire series.

Trust me, Theon isn’t touching this loser.

+.+

"A sword of fire!" shouted Queen Selyse. Ser Axell Florent and the other queen's men took up the cry. "A sword of fire! It burns! It burns! A sword of fire!"

Melisandre lifted her hands above her head. "Behold! A sign was promised, and now a sign is seen! Behold Lightbringer! Azor Ahai has come again! All hail the Warrior of Light! All hail the Son of Fire!"

I just realized these people are the QAnon of Westeros.

+.+

"A knight's son, but not a knight," said Davos. "Nor will you ever be, if you meddle in affairs that do not concern you. Stannis is our rightful king, it is not for us to question him. We sail his ships and do his bidding. That is all."

Big shock, the son has more sense than the father. I wonder which one will die.

+.+

When a pirate grows rich enough, they make him a prince.

And when a princess grows bored, she becomes a pirate.

Ba Dum Tss!

+.+

"The men of Westeros are ever rushing," complained Salladhor Saan. "What good is this, I ask you? He who hurries through life hurries to his grave."

Robb was calling his Grey Wind, because he ran so fast. - Bran II, AGOT

+.+

"Pirate," said Davos. "You have no wives, only concubines, and you have been well paid for every day and every ship."

"Only in promises," said Salladhor Saan mournfully. "Good ser, it is gold I crave, not words on papers." He popped a grape into his mouth.

"You'll have your gold when we take the treasury in King's Landing. No man in the Seven Kingdoms is more honorable than Stannis Baratheon. He will keep his word." Even as Davos spoke, he thought, This world is twisted beyond hope, when lowborn smugglers must vouch for the honor of kings.

This is fantastic. Salladhor Saan will be paid when they take the treasury in King’s Landing.

Isn’t Stannis fully aware the crown is bankrupt? Lol, the honor of kings...

+.+

"A sword plucked from fire, yes. Men tell me things, it is my pleasant smile. How shall a burnt sword serve Stannis?"

"A burning sword," corrected Davos.

"Burnt," said Salladhor Saan, "and be glad of that, my friend. Do you know the tale of the forging of Lightbringer? I shall tell it to you. It was a time when darkness lay heavy on the world. To oppose it, the hero must have a hero's blade, oh, like none that had ever been. And so for thirty days and thirty nights Azor Ahai labored sleepless in the temple, forging a blade in the sacred fires. Heat and hammer and fold, heat and hammer and fold, oh, yes, until the sword was done. Yet when he plunged it into water to temper the steel it burst asunder.

"Being a hero, it was not for him to shrug and go in search of excellent grapes such as these, so again he began. The second time it took him fifty days and fifty nights, and this sword seemed even finer than the first. Azor Ahai captured a lion, to temper the blade by plunging it through the beast's red heart, but once more the steel shattered and split. Great was his woe and great was his sorrow then, for he knew what he must do.

"A hundred days and a hundred nights he labored on the third blade, and as it glowed white-hot in the sacred fires, he summoned his wife. 'Nissa Nissa,' he said to her, for that was her name, 'bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world.' She did this thing, why I cannot say, and Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.

That ain’t no hero! No, ma’am.

We’re all on the same page here, right?

Three swords, three dragons. Crack across the face of the moon. Weapon made of fire. Less a prophecy, more a warning. Yada, yada, yada.

+.+

"Now do you see my meaning? Be glad that it is just a burnt sword that His Grace pulled from that fire. Too much light can hurt the eyes, my friend, and fire burns."

Your children will burn, Shireen will burn, Flea Bottom will burn...

Lots of burning in your life, Davos. You really should have listened.

+.+

"His god, ser friend? Not yours? Where is the god of Ser Davos Seaworth, knight of the onion ship?"

Davos sipped his ale to give himself a moment. The inn is crowded, and you are not Salladhor Saan, he reminded himself. Be careful how you answer. "King Stannis is my god. He made me and blessed me with his trust."

+.+

He remembered the red priest Thoros of Myr, and the flaming sword he had wielded in the melee. The man had made for a colorful spectacle, his red robes flapping while his blade writhed with pale green flames, but everyone knew there was no true magic to it, and in the end his fire had guttered out and Bronze Yohn Royce had brained him with a common mace.

A true sword of fire, now, that would be a wonder to behold. Yet at such a cost . . .

You’re damn right! R’hllor ain’t got nothing on First Men magic runes!

A true sword of fire, a wonder to behold? Be careful what you wish for.

+.+

The maester tells me that we have one hundred seventeen ravens on hand. I mean to use them all. One hundred seventeen ravens will carry one hundred seventeen copies of my letter to every corner of the realm, from the Arbor to the Wall.

(...)

Each of you will carry a chest of letters, and you will deliver one to every port and holdfast and fishing village. Nail them to the doors of septs and inns for every man to read who can."

"Is this meant to be your shield, my lord? A piece of paper?" She ripped the letter in half, ripped the halves in quarters, and let the pieces flutter to the floor. - Eddard XIV, AGOT

+.+

"You have more to say about the letter. Well, get on with it. I did not make you a knight so you could learn to mouth empty courtesies. I have my lords for that. Say what you would say, Davos."

That’s unfortunate, good help is so hard to find. Stannis, why do your lords only give you empty courtesies?

Afterward Guncer Sunglass, mildest and most pious of lords, told Stannis he could no longer support his claim. Now he shared a sweltering cell with the septon and Ser Hubard's two surviving sons. The other lords had not been slow to take the lesson. - Davos I, ACOK

+.+

Stannis stood abruptly. "R'hllor. Why is that so hard? They will not love me, you say? When have they ever loved me? How can I lose something I have never owned?" He moved to the south window to gaze out at the moonlit sea. "I stopped believing in gods the day I saw the Windproud break up across the bay. Any gods so monstrous as to drown my mother and father would never have my worship, I vowed. In King's Landing, the High Septon would prattle at me of how all justice and goodness flowed from the Seven, but all I ever saw of either was made by men."

Try to get through any Stannis dialogue without immediately thinking of Daenerys.

+.+

"When I was a lad I found an injured goshawk and nursed her back to health. Proudwing, I named her. She would perch on my shoulder and flutter from room to room after me and take food from my hand, but she would not soar. Time and again I would take her hawking, but she never flew higher than the treetops. Robert called her Weakwing. He owned a gyrfalcon named Thunderclap who never missed her strike. One day our great-uncle Ser Harbert told me to try a different bird. I was making a fool of myself with Proudwing, he said, and he was right."

Jesus, is this broken goshawk a stand in for Shireen? I feel a bit sick to my stomach.

Fuck this guy.

+.+

Stannis Baratheon turned away from the window, and the ghosts who moved upon the southern sea. "The Seven have never brought me so much as a sparrow. It is time I tried another hawk, Davos. A red hawk."

Hey guys, look what Catelyn sees in Renly’s tent!

The pavilion was larger than the common rooms of many an inn and furnished with every comfort: feather mattress and sleeping furs, a wood-and-copper tub large enough for two, braziers to keep off the night's chill, slung leather camp chairs, a writing table with quills and inkpot, bowls of peaches, plums, and pears, a flagon of wine with a set of matched silver cups, cedar chests packed full of Renly's clothing, books, maps, game boards, a high harp, a tall bow and a quiver of arrows, a pair of red-tailed hunting hawks, a vertible armory of fine weapons. He does not stint himself, this Renly, she thought as she looked about. Small wonder this host moves so slowly. - Catelyn II, ACOK

Final thoughts:

There are living breathing human beings that believe this man will triumphantly recapture Winterfell.

He won’t only fail, he’s going to fail in spectacular fashion. The author is going to make an example out of him. It’s going to be Tywin shitting on a toilet levels of embarrassment. Killing your brother and your daughter for a throne? Oh, it’s going to be so bad.

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #acok #davos i

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agentrouka-blog · 3 years

Note

Stannis Baratheon turned away from the window, and the ghosts who moved upon the southern sea. “The Seven have never brought me so much as a sparrow. It is time I tried another hawk, Davos. A red hawk.” What do you think is red hawk? Is it related to dragon or another rh'ollo related?

Well. I am pretty sure, the answer is in the text itself:

"I trusted in his wisdom and your wiles, and what did they avail me, smuggler? The storm lords sent you packing. I went to them a beggar and they laughed at me. Well, there will be no more begging, and no more laughing either. The Iron Throne is mine by rights, but how am I to take it? There are four kings in the realm, and three of them have more men and more gold than I do. I have ships . . . and I have her. The red woman. Half my knights are afraid even to say her name, did you know? If she can do nothing else, a sorceress who can inspire such dread in grown men is not to be despised. A frightened man is a beaten man. And perhaps she can do more. I mean to find out.

Next thing, Stanny proceeds to send a shadow baby to stab his little brother through the throat.

The red hawk is Melisandre and her red god, and her dark dark blood magic.

Considering the sparrows that Stannis laments will become synonymous with a brutal, unrelenting and merciless religious fanaticism later in the books, it's a not-so-subtle suggestion that Stannis is making a big mistake.

#stannis baratheon #proudwing #r'hllor #melisandre #asoiaf villains #rouka queue

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ericanoelle · 2 years

Note

What if Cersei agreed to Petyr’s original proposal to Sansa?

So, I adore this concept so much.

So, Petyr asks for Sansa's hand and for some reason, Cersei thinks this is a good idea. They marry but Petyr does not touch her sexually at first. Instead, he starts to teach her to play the game. He beings to cause Sansa to fall in love with him and thus the do end up consummating the marriage, thus making the marriage valid.

Lysa gets wind that Petyr was "forced" to marry Sansa and is enraged. She sends someone to try and murder Sansa in order to have Petyr to herself. Seeing that Petyr would have men on the inside at the Vale, he learns of this quickly and arranges for Lysa to slip through the moon door. Whoops.

Since he is trying to teach her to play the game, and knows that she wants her brother to win, he asks what they should do to obtain that goal. She knows that he was close with Lysa, as he would have told her, and she suggest he writes to Robin and hints that maybe he should side with the Starks- help his family and all. He agrees. Robin gives the Knights of the Vale to Robb and this gives them no reason to marry Edmure to a Frey girl.

Thus, no red wedding.

Arya would have been return to them via the Hound.

The war rages on and Joffrey is set to marry Margaery. At the wedding, Petyr and Sansa are in attendance but in the background. Sansa, does not know of the plot to kill Joffrey but Petyr and Olenna are in on it. The Purple Wedding goes as planned and Tyrion is still blamed. But this time, Sansa is not implicated.

During all this, Petyr is writing to the lead officer of the Knights of the Vale and knows the comings and goings of Robb's army. In the wake of Joffrey's death, Petyr tells Sansa they need to leave- and quickly. The disappear from the city the night before his funeral and seeing that eyes are not on them, it is done easily.

Robb's arm attacks the morning of Joffrey's funeral and it is chaos but due to having the Knights of the Vale, Robb wins. On the outskirts, Petyr and Sansa arrive at Robb's camp to find Catelyn, who is still angry with Petyr.

Sansa and Catelyn argue, Sansa defending her husband. She knows what happened with Ned but she also knows that her father was foolish. She claims that Petyr did what he had to do and attempted to save him. Catelyn wants the marriage annulled and Sansa says that won't be possible because she is pregnant.

This, Petyr did not know. He is as shocked as everyone else.

In the end, Catelyn and Robb let the marriage stand much to their dismay. Sansa tries to urge Robb to take the Iron Throne but does not. Instead, he holds it for Stannis, who comes to claim it once he knew that King's Landing had been won.

The Tyrell's bend the knee easily and wash their hands of the Lannisters, who are all executed, in order to save themselves.

In negotiations, Robb tries to convince Stannis to allow the North to break free, but Stannis is holding firm and will not let any of the Starks leave until Robb bends the knee. Not one for being told what to do, Petyr has Stannis poisoned (I imagine that the Red Witch is at Dragonstone). Only Sansa knows who killed him and the throne passes to Shireen. She is brought to King's Landing and puts Davos as her hand of the king. The Red Witch believes that her work is done and that Stannis was always meant to die (her visions are not always accurate so we are rolling with that).

Queen Shireen allows the Starks to leave King's Landing and to go back to Winterfell but says that the North is still apart of the Seven Kingdoms.

Due to Sansa's pregnancy, they head to Riverrun instead, where she will then give birth to a daughter named Alayne Baelish. Around the same time, the Umber's travel south with Rickon. They know Bran is alive, somewhere and Robb naturally orders men to find him- with the help of the Night's Watch.

Petyr, sees Rickon as an opportunity. He discusses with Robb that Shireen is never going to allow the North to break free. He advises an engagement between Rickon and Shireen. Since they are still very young, the marriage would not take place for a long while. They agree.

However, Dani ends up crossing the Narrow Sea and taking the throne from Shireen. The Starks, along with Petyr and Sansa bend the knee. Tyrion is the hand of the queen and Varys her master of whispers. During the coronation, Petyr is appointed as Master of Coin, because while Tyrion and Varys may not fully trust him, they know he is good with coin. With Sansa and Alayne in toe, they feel that he will be more cautious.

Yet the game always continues on.

#petyr x sansa #what if

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mrsjadecurtiss · 4 years

Note

Another ask, if you have the inclination: I've just been rereading Reek III with all that entails, and Theon thinks about 'the son is just the shadow of the father' re Roose and Ramsay. Do you believe that Roose can actually be as bad or worse than Ramsay at this point? He's got to be worse than average and his morals very lacking, but it's hard to imagine us being made to abhor him more than Ramsay in the remaining books. Is it just Theon's terrified paranoia, or do you think it can pay off somehow? 🤔 Or am I misinterpreting that line do you think?

Do you believe that Roose can actually be as bad or worse than Ramsay at this point? He's got to be worse than average and his morals very lacking [...].

This is a trap, he is playing with you, the son is just the shadow of the father. Lord Ramsay played with his hopes all the time. - Reek III, aDwD

This is no man to jape with. You had only to look at Bolton to know that he had more cruelty in his pinky toe than all the Freys combined. - Reek III, aDwD

I believe quotes like these refer to the effect of the cruelty they enact, rather than the specific crimes.

Ramsay is vile and cruel, enacting heinous violence upon people like a slasher movie villain. We do not have any evidence that Roose personally inflicts the same degree of crass violence upon people, as even in his presumably candid retelling of the miller's wife story, while a horrifying and inexcusable crime, he does not reach the extreme level of violence Ramsay inflicts upon smallfolk on the regular with his hunts and torturings.

"Roose Bolton's cold and cunning, aye, but a man can deal with Roose. We've all known worse. But this bastard son of his … they say he's mad and cruel, a monster." - Davos III, aDwD

The point, i believe, is not who produces the worst feats of violence, but rather another facette of grrms criticism of feudalism:

Would Ramsay even have a chance to do these heinous crimes if his father, who knows about everything, had an ounce of morality in him?

[Roose:] "All you have I gave you. You would do well to remember that, bastard." - Reek III, aDwD

Everything Ramsay has, his high position, the freedom to do all the crimes he wants, the protection from law that would have otherwise sent him to the wall in no time, he has because of his father's selfishness. Roose could have stopped these crimes from happening, he could have given Ramsay the appropriate punishment, instead he keeps Ramsay around because he feels like it...

Roose is at the top of his society, answering to barely anyone except his overlord and his king; so much power is at his fingertips, and yet he uses it for selfish reasons, commits crimes, allows crimes to happen in full knowledge, and everything is handled as it benefits him instead of abiding to morality or law. Every crime Ramsay does is Roose' responsibility as feudal lord and thus his crime.

"When soldiers lack discipline, the fault lies with their lord commander," his father said. - Tyrion VIII, aGoT

Roose is called the leech lord, and indeed he is a leech upon society, bleeding his people dry to his own benefit while not lifting a finger himself. While he is not a literal vampire, obviously parts of his character are a play on vampire myths, and the aristocratic bloodsucking vampire is frequently used as a metaphor for critique of the ruling class (i hear Fever Dream by grrm plays with this, though i have not read it). He might not commit a Texas Chainsaw Massacre in person, but that doesn't make him any less morally bankrupt and despicable, and he still has the same blood on his hands.

There is a tendency where Roose tries to lighten his crimes in conversation - here are three examples showing different facettes:

"The arrogance of it! They do not expect the north to believe their lies, not truly, but they think we must pretend to believe or die. Roose Bolton lies about his part in the Red Wedding, and his bastard lies about the fall of Winterfell." - Davos IV, aDwD

[Roose:] "Tell me, my lord … if the kinslayer is accursed, what is a father to do when one son slays another?" - Reek III, aDwD

[Roose:] "The maesters will tell you that King Jaehaerys abolished the lord's right to the first night to appease his shrewish queen, but where the old gods rule, old customs linger. The Umbers keep the first night too, deny it as they may. Certain of the mountain clans as well, and on Skagos … well, only heart trees ever see half of what they do on Skagos." - Reek III, aDwD

1. Denial of involvement - Roose frequently either escapes blame completely (for example for Duskendale), puts blame on someone else (like blaming Ramsay's bastard blood for Winterfell), or lies about his crimes to evade blame.

2. Selectively invoking law - using the kinslaying law, he pretends his hands are tied when it comes to Ramsay, even though he could for example also send him to the wall as punishment. He frequently breaks laws as he pleases and also took part in breaking sacred contracts such as guest right (red wedding), so him invoking law in this instance is likely a tool to absolve himself of blame during the conversation.

3. Comparing himself to others to lessen his own acts, after failing to escape blame - by bringing the Umbers etc into the conversation, he tries to make himself look less bad; "look, everyone's doing it, and the skagosi are probably even worse than me!"

As opposed to Ramsay, he is aware of how the severity of the crimes he is doing would be received by others. He likes to present himself as a rational and civilized man, and thus has an interest to downplay his criminal actions, even if he does not see anything wrong with them as he did them for his own benefit.

"No tales were ever told of me. Do you think I would be sitting here if it were otherwise?" - Reek III, aDwD

"That annoyed me, so I gave her the mill and had the brother's tongue cut out, to make certain he did not go running to Winterfell with tales that might disturb Lord Rickard." - Reek III, aDwD

As the Mormonts were bannermen to the Starks, [Jorah's] crime had dishonored the north. Ned had made the long journey west to Bear Island, only to find when he arrived that Jorah had taken ship beyond the reach of Ice and the king's justice. - Eddard II, aGoT

The foolish Ramsay tries to pride himself in his crimes; Roose however knows of the importance of optics. He is aware that he frequently breaks the law, and tries his best to keep his reputation intact as to not attract unwanted attention; especially with an overlord like Ned Stark, who would not handwave any crime and would make sure justice is served.

From what we can observe, in my opinion the difference between Roose and Ramsay is that Roose doesn't see anything wrong with comitting violence as long as the result is of a benefit for him, while Ramsay additionally also commits violence because he merely finds enjoyment in inflicting it, violence for violence's sake. This is why Roose is able to control himself and always gives Ramsay the advice to be restrained, but Ramsay is unable and unwilling to do so and his acts are much more extreme. Roose is likely starting to realize this difference by aDwD.

Is it just Theon's terrified paranoia [...]?

I do also believe Theon's statement is fueled by paranoia, if you look at the entire context:

"I mean you no harm, you know. I owe you much and more." - "You do?" Some part of him was screaming, This is a trap, he is playing with you, the son is just the shadow of the father. Lord Ramsay played with his hopes all the time. "What … what do you owe me, m'lord?" - "The north. The Starks were done and doomed the night that you took Winterfell." He waved a pale hand, dismissive. "All this is only squabbling over spoils." - Reek III, aDwD

Roose is not necessarily tricking Theon here since it appears to be a correct statement; And he does have an interest to be on friendly terms with Theon (offering him fresh clothes for example) because he wants to make use of his position as heir to the iron islands, a goal he expressed as early as a Storm of Swords.

"Flaying Theon will not bring my brothers back," Robb said. "I want his head, not his skin." - "He is Balon Greyjoy's only living son," Lord Bolton said softly, as if they had forgotten, "and now rightful King of the Iron Islands. A captive king has great value as a hostage." - Catelyn VI, aCoK

"Serve us in this, and when Stannis is defeated we will discuss how best to restore you to your father's seat," his lordship had said in that soft voice of his, a voice made for lies and whispers. Theon never believed a word of it. - The Prince of Winterfell, aDwD

Note that here Theon does not believe him either, any trust he has shattered by Ramsay as well as Roose' unlikable personality. Still it seems likely Roose was really somewhat trying to be nice with Theon, because as he tries to teach Ramsay there's value in it:

"Power tastes best when sweetened by courtesy. You had best learn that if you ever hope to rule." - Reek III, aDwD

Do you think it can pay off somehow?

This is speculation, but i believe Roose' story is likely headed in the opposite direction - A Storm of Swords featured his greatest villainous feat, the Red Wedding, a showcase of cruelty and treacherousness. I do not think it will be followed up by an act of even greater cruelty; instead i think he will finally reap what he has sown.

Roose Bolton said nothing at all. But Theon Greyjoy saw a look in his pale eyes that he had never seen before — an uneasiness, even a hint of fear.

That night the new stable collapsed beneath the weight of the snow that had buried it. - a Ghost in Winterfell, aDwD

I believe the line about the stable is meant as a metaphor for his regime collapsing, as it is put directly after the line where he realizes the situation is growing dire for him.

It all seemed so familiar, like a mummer show that he had seen before. Only the mummers had changed. Roose Bolton was playing the part that Theon had played the last time round, and the dead men were playing the parts of Aggar, Gynir Rednose, and Gelmarr the Grim. - a Ghost in Winterfell, aDwD

Roose is likely going to continue the parallel with Theon as his arc goes steadily downwards. He is a foil to Ned; where Ned died but his legacy lives on, Roose will likely live to see his legacy crumble.

There is of course a possibility that he, when cornered, starts expressing more cruelty as a last-ditch effort. We saw the stable used as a metaphor for his rule in Winterfell; but there is another interesting detail about the reconstruction of the burned Winterfell:

Serve well, Lord Bolton told them, and he would be merciful. Stone and timber were plentiful with the wolfswood so close at hand. Stout new gates had gone up first, to replace those that had been burned. Then the collapsed roof of the Great Hall had been cleared away and a new one raised hurriedly in its stead. When the work was done, Lord Bolton hanged the workers. True to his word, he showed them mercy and did not flay a one. - the Prince of Winterfell, aDwD

Aegon the Conqueror had commanded [the Red Keep] built. His son Maegor the Cruel had seen it completed. Afterward he had taken the heads of every stonemason, woodworker, and builder who had labored on it. Only the blood of the dragon would ever know the secrets of the fortress the Dragonlords had built, he vowed. - Catelyn IV, aGoT

This is a crack theory, but perhaps Roose has something up his sleeve when it comes to the newly constructed roof of the Great Hall (a location that features extremely prominently through all of Theon's aDwD Winterfell chapters). Maybe he could make it crash intentionally to bury his treacherous allies or something like that...

I doubt however that he will do Ramsay-style extreme violence, i can't really see a reason and it doesn't appear to be his style. He seems more about cunning than flashy displays.

As always these are not PoV characters, so as long as we don't have a view inside their heads we can never say anything with 100% certainty.

#asoiaf #roose bolton #ramsay bolton #asoiaf meta #a song of ice and fire #asks #mzyraj #sorry if i went a little off topic ajsjdjfjxjd #im like roose i just love going on a tangent of someone gives me an opportunity to talk #also ive seen your other question its very interesting #ill see when i can get to it

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musical-chick-13 · 4 years

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And Theon bc I love him

WHAT A COINCIDENCE I LOVE HIM TOO (this answer is gonna be a combination of books and show)

Send me a character and I’ll tell you the following:

• Did they live up to their potential? / In what ways was their potential unachieved?

-I would say yes. The only negative I have about his general arc is his death (which, see below). But Theon from the very beginning was, though not a particularly nice person, still relatable. Feeling othered, wanting to be accepted by an immediate environment that doesn’t accept you, isolated from and ostracized by your family, and the tension that comes between serving the different types of familial relationships in your life. Theon has no idea who he is, tossed aside by his blood family for not growing up with them and being “soft,” aka sort-of moral and having emotions that aren’t selfish rage or smugness (which, yep, that second part is a mood, see: my entire childhood and how no one wanted to be around an “emotional” “soft” child). And from there, he spirals out of control in a way that, while certainly not admirable by any stretch of the imagination, is still understandable in the context of the narrative and his characterization. And from there, after going through hell and quite literally losing himself (even to the point of straight-up denying rescue), he builds himself back up gradually, to the point where he expressed extreme regret for what he’s done, helps an innocent woman escape a truly horrifying situation, acknowledges that his family is generally garbage, and (in-show b/c again books aren’t finished), helping to restore his sister to power, rescuing her after his PTSD relapses while confronting Euron, and ultimately opting to protect the Starks come hell or high water in order to genuinely atone for what he’s done. He is no longer conflicted because he wants to do the right thing, and that right thing is defending the kingdom from the White Walkers and making sure Sansa and Bran are safe. And it’s no longer about fulfilling a duty or finding a family to fill the void. Because now he has found himself. I will contend that Theon has one of the best, most nuanced, most organic redemption arcs of all time. I will forever be grateful that I got to see that piece of storytelling unfold.

Although, I would love to know what he thought of Dany. A missed opportunity, that.

• How they negatively and positively affected the story.

-Positive: His arc of identity and finding where your loyalties lie ties into the overall theme of “How do you find yourself in a world where goodness, authenticity, and honesty are often punished and increasingly rare?” And it proves that governmental politics aren’t the only defining factors in decisions: familial politics can be just as difficult and dangerous, which adds yet another rich, complicated layer to the overall story. He has a genuine, honest-to-Drowned-God redemption arc, which is...not really present anywhere else in the story (no, Jaime is not on a Redemption Quest, I will die on this hill). But I think the biggest draw of Theon’s presence is that it deconstructs the whole “Character Revenge Fantasy” idea. He does bad things. We want him to be punished. But not like that. No one deserves that. How far is too far? What does retribution really look like? Given how easily that idea can be abused and go off the rails, is retribution even something to strive for? What is the point of using extreme violence/torture/mutilation/breaking someone’s psyche when it doesn’t really accomplish anything? Isn’t atonement and genuine justice a better option? It certainly was for Theon. He could only piece himself back together and do anything meaningful once he was out of his abusive environment. All of these are imporant questions that are posed by his existence in the narrative.

-Negative: Idk if I have much to say here. My biggest problem is his death (see below), but that’s not really a negative story effect so much as...being disappointing and narratively irrelevant. I gotta say, his introduction via his sister was...really weird. I genuinely have no idea why GRRM wrote that. It never came up again or had any kind of narrative ramifications and kind of cast a strange, uncomfortable light on his relationship with Asha/Yara for the remainder of the story. I can ignore and enjoy their later relationship it if I don’t think about it too hard, though, so I guess I’ll chalk it up to GRRM having a Bad Idea.

• What my favorite arc for them is.

-All of it?? Theon’s journey is kind of...one big arc, which is why I think it works so well. He has this overarching redemption plot which spans the entire series and informs every decision he makes (for good or for bad, depending on where in the aforementioned journey he is). The redemption arc isn’t bogged down with side plots or other pieces of narrative clutter, meaning it has time to grow and, thus, be gradual and realistic. If I had to choose a specific point, it’s probably when he tries to reintegrate back into society via supporting Yara. Gaining the Iron Islands’ support for her ruling, spiriting away with Euron’s fleet, and ultimately rescuing his sister after her capture. He can’t just go back into society. He’s scared. He has really bad PTSD. But he recognizes that putting his home in good hands is something bigger than just him because it’s Yara’s home, too. I just...I really love family relationships, y’all.

• What I think of their ending.

-I’m not really sure how I feel about this one. I get that the series is GrimDark™ and that people who make the right choice and fight for good die all the time, but Theon dying just felt...wrong. To me.

And, like...I get it. It makes sense to parallel his original descent into villainy (cemented by executing those two boys and pretending they were Bran and Rickon) with him dying to protect Bran himself. It ties into the whole very common trope of completing a full redemption arc by committing a completely selfless act at great personal cost. It’s kind of like the whole Missy thing in Doctor Who (which...hoo boy, that post is coming, make no mistake), where selfishness is directly opposed by making the ultimate sacrifice with no motivation for personal gain. And the fact that the last words he ever heard were “You’re a good man?” I cannot even begin to describe how much that makes me sob. But...honestly, I’m really tired of this idea that redemption has to end in death in order to be achieved or “complete.” I think it’s much more poignant to have a redeemed character live to help build a better world. Because what’s the point of telling people to be better if the “reward” is death? No one’s going to want to reform themselves if they think that’ll be the result.

I think the thing that Bugs Me™ the most is that Theon never really got to have a moment of peace when he was alive. Sansa gained the North’s love and at least had a secure childhood. Ned and Cat were happily married for years. Arya had parents who loved her and a good relationship with Jon. Jon fell in love with Ygritte and found his Night Watch Bros, and Robb (in show verse) had some very happy moments with Talisa. Davos put great stock in what he considered fulfilling friendships with Stannis and Shireen; Brienne was treated respectfully by Renly, Catelyn, and Sansa; Missandei and Grey Worm had each other and their friendship with Dany, who herself had many personal successes in her quest for the Iron Throne and saw the death of her abusive brother. Cersei even had moments with Jaime (who himself had several notable military victories and at least some time with Myrcella, as well as being gladly and deeply in love, however dysfunctional that love was), times when she successfully fought off enemies (including her dad), and some sweet moments with Tommen, as well as a huge victory via blown-up sept at the end of season 6. Theon was treated as a second-class family member by the Starks his whole life by being “traded” to them as a condition of war resolution AS A BABY, is immediately disparaged and mistreated by his immediate family when he tries to return to them, makes terrible decisions that almost cost him his conscience completely, is brutally tortured by Ramsay, is on the run with his sister from Euron almost immediately after, and has a PTSD attack that ultimatly results in him having to launch a rescue mission. And then he fights ice zombies. And then he dies. He never really...got to be happy at all? There was never any kind of “win” for him. Not even survival. The narrative couldn’t even give him that.

TLDR: Theon’s death seemed less shock-value-y than others (like, for example, Shireen or Missandei or, heck, Melisandre even), and it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen. It’s narratively-informed and it makes sense as an emotional through-line, but, ultimately, Redemption Cemented By Selfless Death is a tired trope, and I honestly thought this story (which...you know...serves as a deconstruction of common fantasy tropes/book tropes in general) was better than that.

• When I wish they had died. / If I think they should’ve died.

-So here’s where we get personal™ kids.

So, it’s no secret that I am...severely mentally ill. I’ve talked about expression/presentation of mental illness in regard to Cersei a lot on this blog, and how that (as paradoxical as it may seem) helped bring a sense of comfort and emotional resonance to me. Theon, post-Ramsay, has, I think, a very clear case of PTSD. Theon is one of the few characters I’ve seen where his mental illness isn’t the cause of the bad, violent, dangerous choices he makes. It only takes root after he has made the decision and conscious effort to better himself, and it, rather than demonizing him, serve to humanize him. His trauma didn’t define him. And although a PTSD attack led to him unintentionally losing Yara to Euron’s capture, he makes every effort to rescue her, a goal he does end up achieving. It is so rare I get to see a character who goes through these things, successfully fight them and come out with positive qualities at the end. Like...switching topics a bit here, Jaime going back to King’s Landing to (try to) escape and ultimately die with Cersei made sense to me because, as Jaime says, he is a hateful man. He never made much of an honest effort to be anything else. And he never truly wanted to be good; he just wanted to be liked. He wanted to adopt some personality that would make him feel less disconnected from the rest of the world. But Theon...genuinely feels remorse for everything he’s done. He makes a concerted effort to do everything in his power to improve the lives of people he believes are good and deserve to be safe. So, just...killing him off in a Completely Selfless Sacrifice (like...you know how a lot of mentally ill people put themselves through suffering-like OCD rituals, bottling feelings, self-harm, even suicide-in a misplaced attempt to “help” or “protect other people”) seemed antithetical to everything we saw of his arc.

Ultimately, with such a humanizing, empathetic portrayal of trauma and mental health struggles, seeing Theon be killed off just...pissed me off. I am so tired of seeing mentally ill characters die. I really want to believe that I can live through and thrive in spite of the things that afflict me, and I get example after example of characters not being allowed to do that. It feels awful, quite frankly. And it makes hope that much harder.

I also just feel like...there was nothing the story gained from his death? I get the thematic parallels as mentioned earlier, but it didn’t really move the story forward in any significant way. It didn’t motivate other characters to do anything, it had no political ramifications, it didn’t serve to contribute to any kind of happy ending or commentary on society, it just...was sad. Again, I thought this story was better than that.

#theon greyjoy #got #my son #mental illness in media #meta #redemption arcs #tw: self harm mention #tw: suicide mention

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owlsinathens · 4 years

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For the ask game: 2, 3 and 23. And happy new year 🎉☺️

Hi again! Thank you very much for sending an ask ❤️❤️❤️

2. Tell us what you're most looking forward to writing - in your current project, or a future project

I've been violently assaulted by a very complicated, very weird Superhero AU. I'm thinking about little else atm and I'm very much looking forward to writing all the Theon meets Superhero scenes. I don't know if I'll ever post it though, it's such a crude mix between crack, romance and extra dark 🙈🙈

3. What is that one scene that you've always wanted to write but can't be arsed to write all the set-up and context it would need?

There's this AU that doesn't stop coming back to me, especially one scene of it. It's set after GoT season 8, Jon is still north of the Wall despite King Bran having pardoned him almost immediately after exiling him. Now the king needs Jon's help - and Jon says no. Basically he ignores all ravens and sulks. Theon (who is very much alive and living in Winterfell with his bff Queen Sansa) volunteers to go and retrieve Jon. Glorious reunion and cave stuff and in the end Jon lets himself once again be talked into saving Westeros. The problem is, the thing is a whole huge-ass story, with different POVs and so much plot when all I want is Theon and Jon banging a lot north of the Wall 😂😂

23. What's the story idea you've had in your head for the longest?

Probably the Pirate AU. Featuring Theon as the Worst Pirate Ever™️, Jon and Robb as His Majesty's brave soldiers and Davos the privateer with his parrot Stannis. Oh and loads of piraty lore. It's basically a crude mixture between Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island and GoT, extra plot-heavy and I'm very much lacking the nautical vocabulary in English to actually write it.

Happy New Year to you too, my dear! 😘

#theon greyjoy #jon snow #greysnow #snowjoy #my writing #WIPs #writing asks

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a-libra-writes · 4 years

Text

The GoT Characters Reacting To You Being an Artist

this was a request, send eons ago, back in ye olden days. probably?

In this preference, you'll be drawing with: Ned Stark, Robb Stark, Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, Benjen Stark, Jory Cassel, Dolorous Edd, Mance Rayder, Tormund Giantsbane, Yara Greyjoy, Daenerys Targaryen, Jorah Mormont, Missandei, Grey Worm, Tywin Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Sandor Clegane, Bronn, Podrick Payne, Petyr Baelish, Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Margaery Tyrell, Brynden Tully, Edmure Tully, Brienne of Tarth, Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Oberyn Martell, Beric Dondarrion

NED STARK

He’s the sort to be charmed by something like this, he’s never had a talent for creative pursuits so he appreciates it when he sees it. He likes the devotion you have to it, and the discipline, it’s just another reason to admire you. Ned encourages the hobby, and when he has time he likes to watch your painting or sketching. if you allow it. Ned enjoys your pictures of animals the most, even if they aren’t very good… He thinks they’re cute. If you ever made portraits of the family, he’d absolutely hang them around his office and the sitting rooms at your request.

ROBB STARK

When you were children, Robb used to be terribly impatient, waiting for you to finish sketching and doodling so you both could finally play. You’d make him pose funny so you could have a reference. As he got older, he began to be in awe of your skill as it improved. He still remembers the cute little scribbles you’d make. Now whenever you ask him to sit so you can practice portraits, he blushes under your concentrating stare. He would love to have a portrait of you to take with him on his campaigns, but he’d be too shy to ask directly, so he’d suggest it in the most roundabout ways.

SANSA STARK

She adores watching you work, and the finished product. Sansa enjoys creative pursuits, and although she’s more of a seamstress and embroiderer, you can share experiences and tips with each other. Sometimes she’ll ask you to lightly sketch on fabric so she can embroider over it. As much as she loves your drawings, she blushes whenever you want to draw her, and she can’t imagine being painted. Sitting and being stared at by you is so romantic to her young mind, she can’t focus at all, daydreaming about what it’ll look like when it’s finished. It’s a memory she cherishes for a long time.

JON SNOW

Jon was wondering where you had gone off to at the end of your duties, not that he kept track of that often, it was Ghost that would lead him to wherever you were hiding. He thought it was kind of silly to hide something like this, but then again, you took great pains to get supplies from Mole’s Town. He’s so relaxed when he watches your process, how you so effortlessly transfer things around you to paper. When Jon can, he tries to get charcoal for you to use.

BENJEN STARK

He loves listening to the sound of the charcoal scratching against your sketchbook. He usually hears it when he finds you after his overnight shifts, wanting to see you before he left to sleep. He’ll rest against you and idly watch the picture appear on the paper. Sometimes the sound of that and your breathing is so peaceful, he falls asleep. He likes it when you draw maps for the ranger’s reference because you sketch out the different animals and wildling camps instead of just marking them. It’s cute as hell, and he won’t let anyone insult you for it.

JORY CASSEL

Jory loves your talent as well, he heard people around Winterfell talking about your “charming” paintings and wanted to see for himself. When he was crushing on you and later trying to court you in his own way, he’d bring you art supplies you needed. The fact he paid attention to what you were running low on was flattering. Jory enjoys watching you work, but he’s too embarrassed to sit and pose for anything; he’s relieved if you paint landscapes or animals instead.

EDDISON TOLLETT

He thought it was the oddest thing he’d ever seen, you huddled up in your coat and scarf but no gloves so you could draw the horses or some trees. Well, Sam had his books, and Jon would go off to train, so this was just something you did to keep your sanity on the wall. He liked sitting next to you and observing, making wry comments now and again. Many times he’s joked about you drawing the wall, but a specific section of the wall, because “that’s the prettiest part”. If he can find some charcoal or things to draw on, he’ll keep it without thinking, then remember it weeks later and give it to you with some shyness.

MANCE RAYDER

Mance loves your artistic nature. He’s a musician himself, so he understands the urge to create something, to just let your mind wander and escape in it. You’re sort of an odd inspiration to him; when you both are relaxing in his tent late in the evening, and you’re just sketching something, he feels the urge to get his lute and start experimenting with a new song.

TORMUND GIANTSBANE

He doesn’t really get the “point” of it, but he’s still fascinated watching you paint something across a thin, pale piece of leather you made yourself. Tormund will just be right there next to you, up in your business and wanting to see how you do it. He’s more patient in the evening, content to sit across the fire and just watch your hands move. He wonders how you just know how to move them. Sometimes he’ll trace things in the snow with a stick, trying to mimic your shapes and movements, but falling totally short. It just makes him more in awe of you.

YARA GREYJOY

She doesn’t think much of artistic pursuits, it’s just not in the Ironborn culture to care about things like art and prose. Still, she knows skill when she sees it, and she can admit it’s interesting to watch you sketch something, then she comes back an hour later and you’ve made the drawing almost lifelike. She won’t ever want to be drawn, but there’s a look of pride on her face when you show her scenes of her ship and the men working on it. She might even keep one of them.

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

Dany thought you were writing in that old journal for the longest time, and she realized you were drawing when you were next to Drogon, capturing a rare moment of the dragon calmly sitting. That’s when she playfully demanded to see it, wanting to see what else you drew of her dragons. Instead she found a sketchbook full of scenery, people, horses, flowers, whatever interested you at the time. When she passed over portraits of herself, she wanted to linger and stare, smiling at how shy you’d get. Once in Meereen, Daenerys sets up a studio for you, hoping you can escape to it when you’re stressed. She ends up visiting it just as often, admiring your half-finished paintings as she tries to calm down.

JORAH MORMONT

Jorah finds it to be a darling hobby, something that fits you perfectly, but he’s still surprised by your skill level. In Essos, that sort of talent is coveted by rich merchants and politicians, but you only do it for yourself. When the khalasar stops to camp for the evening, he’ll make his way to you, hoping you don’t mind him sitting and quietly watching. Whenever you mention drawing Jorah, he’s flattered but shy at the idea. He doesn’t think he’d make a very interesting subject in armor or not, so he directs you to the horses or landscape. Whenever he passes by a market, he looks for paints you might like.

MISSANDEI

She’s highly appreciative of your talent, as she has something of an artistic interest. Missandei isn’t much of one herself, but she appreciates art immensely. She can’t hide her curiosity when she notices you painting and sketching, and she’ll want to wait for you to tell her it’s okay to look. Once you two are closer, she’ll ask about your process, about why you chose this color or that subject, what the art makes you feel. You noticed she prefers your more abstract pieces over the simple still-life or portraits.

GREY WORM

Grey Worm has seen all sorts of grand portraits and sculptures in the houses he was sent to guard over the years. He never had a thought about how they were actually made, even after being freed. It was so new and foreign to him. When he watched you work, he loved seeing how it’d go from a sketch to a painting. You’d show him the different paintings and brush strokes to make it happen, but it was still like magic. When you drew him, it unsettled him at first, seeing a non-moving reflection stare back at him. Eventually Grey Worm shyly asked for a small portrait of yourself that he could carry around. It’s his good luck charm.

TYWIN LANNISTER

Well, there are less than savory hobbies young ladies can have, and painting was certainly an accomplishment to be proud of. He admired your skill from afar, you were clearly talented, and he’s a man who appreciates a craft that’s honed and excelled in. This continued in Casterly Rock, and Tywin had to admit he was proud of the landscapes you did of the keep and the ocean surrounding it. He’d have several of your paintings in fancy frames in his office.

TYRION LANNISTER

During your first meeting, Tyrion noticed the odd markings and colors on your dominant hand, and sometimes they were on your sleeves, too. When he spotted you drawing in a secluded corner days later, it made sense. Tyrion was interested in you so he used art as a way to talk with you, and he was pleasantly surprised when you’d respond, letting him see your sketches and later, some of your paintings. It was like he was invited into a private world, and it made him like you all the more. When you’re a couple, he’s always finding interesting paints from Essos or fine brushes made of ivory and sable hair, and he proudly keeps your paintings in his office.

JAIME LANNISTER

Sometimes he lingered in your chambers after you two were intimate, and inevitably you’d start sketching something. He thought it was amusing, some funny quirk, and always had to joke if you were drawing him. When you’d fall asleep he’d look through the sketchbook, admiring your drawings, trying to deny how much of yourself he could see in them, and how they deepened his feelings for you. It was too risky to carry a portrait, but he ended up stealing one of your drawings before he had to leave for his father’s war. He chose a simple detailed sketch of your favorite flowers; you used them in your perfume and you always had them in your room.

SANDOR CLEGANE

The gruff man dismisses it as “some women’s nonsense”, although he couldn’t recall any women in court who had their noses stuck in sketchbooks as often as you did. He’d see you in the gardens almost every day, drawing something in a book. He didn’t think about it until you two were close, and he was able to sit next to you and see the drawings. Sometimes you drew what was around you, and that made sense, but sometimes you drew things from your head, and he wondered how difficult that was. Sandor would absolutely not want anything drawn of him; it makes him uncomfortable and gives him feelings he’s not ready for when he sees pictures you made of him or Stranger.

BRONN OF BLACKWATER

Bronn doesn’t think much of it. He’s a mercenary, what did you expect? He didn’t tease you, but he did like to be a distraction when you were trying to draw something, curling his arms around your waist and kissing up your neck to get your attention. Often when you knew he was stopping by, you’d engross yourself in a project, just to grin at his frustration as he tried to pull you from it. He’s had some curiosity and looked in your sketchbook before, but that’s it. He’s willing to pose for something, but only if you promise him a reward, since he gets antsy sitting so still, having to look at you but not getting to touch.

PODRICK PAYNE

He really admires your skill, it was something he was always interested in as a boy, but he never had the talent for it. When you’re sketching, Pod wants to look over your shoulder, but that’d be rude, so he just waits, a bundle of nervous energy that Tyrion eventually dismisses. He can’t hide his excitement when you offer to show him the sketchbook, and later your studio, which he enters with such reverence, you’re a little embarrassed. Once Podrick is more comfortable with you, he’ll ask about your process and inspiration.

PETYR BAELISH

He admires your talent like he admires the rest of you, it’s just one more reason to adore you. He found out where your secret drawing spot was, where you’d hide away from the court and spend all morning on your sketchbook. This is where Petyr would “chance” upon you, and your art was a way for him to get you to open up. He was well versed in art himself, so he could discuss techniques and artists with you, and later send you nice gifts like rare paints and fine brushes. If he knew you’d accept, he’d offer to give you a tour of some of the fine paintings and ancient statues that were sadly gathering dust in the Red Keep, paying more attention to your reactions than what you were looking at.

STANNIS BARATHEON

Stannis really has no like or dislike for art, it’s not something he cares to think about. Even with that lack of opinion, he can tell you’re talented and you work hard at what you do. Since you clearly enjoy it so much, eventually he’ll shyly offer you a room in Dragonstone to use as a studio. He may not be the best at describing why he likes your work, or what about it is good (please don’t ask his opinion on a piece), but he’ll make sure you have whatever supplies you desire. He’ll be beyond embarrassed if you ask to draw him, but you can quietly sit in his study and sketch, he’ll be none the wiser.

DAVOS SEAWORTH

Davos finds your skill to be charming, and something worthy of praise, he’s not shy about complimenting you when he notices you painting. He’d never overstep his bounds and ask to see the sketchbook you’re always buried in, but even just listening to your charcoal scratch at the paper is soothing. Several afternoons he’s sat whittling something while you draw something else, both of you exchanging a few words, then sitting in a peaceful silence. He’s always encouraging of your art, even if he doesn’t know any technical terms or what’s considered “great” vs “good”. It looks nice to him, so he enjoys it.

MARGAERY TYRELL

This is just one of many things Margaery appreciates about you; really, there’s nothing more attractive than someone with many talents. Her favorite thing is to watch you paint, specifically, when you’re mixing paints and deciding which color to use. They all look similar to her, and you’re only using a few strokes of some of them! She likes to sit and chat with you while you work, not even minding when you just respond with a “mm” and “oh”. She has a hand mirror that has a small portrait of you in it; she insisted you paint one she could carry around.

BRYNDEN TULLY

He enjoys sitting next to you when he has a chance, watching you work on your sketchbook while you both chat or just enjoy the silence. It’s what drew him to you initially, a pretty girl with her nose tucked in a sketchbook, totally oblivious to the lords trying to get her attention. Unlike those courtiers, he doesn’t pretend to know a damn thing about art. He just loves to see your graceful hands move across the page and how you furrow your brow in concentration. Brynden outright laughs if you want to draw him, insisting there are far prettier subjects around. His younger, more wistful side wishes someone could capture the express you have when you draw, so he could have that picture in his pocket.

EDMURE TULLY

He likes the hobby, it’s just another amazing thing about you, although admittedly he can get impatient when you’re spending a long time on a painting. He gets a funny, flustered feeling when you paint landscapes of Riverrun, or portraits of your children, once you have them. He’ll hang them up proudly in the Great Hall - or his office, if you’d rather have them there, he’s just so proud! Though, he’s a bit shy about sitting for a portrait. Something about your gaze makes him squirm, and he’d much rather have a picture of you or the kids.

BRIENNE OF TARTH

When Brienne watches you sketch something and later paint over it, it almost seems like magic, although she understands the hard work behind it, and your artistic process. She understands it better than most, considering how hard she worked at her swordsmanship. Brienne is so embarrassed if you want her to sit for a portrait, she just can’t do it. However, if she’s fully armored and you’re sketching her training or on her horse… It gives her a pleasant kind of embarrassment. Your portrait looks amazing, a gallant knight in movement, and she’s so happy you see her that way.

RAMSAY SNOW

Oh, he gets so impatient when you’re sketching or painting and he wants you for something… or just wants you. You’ll see him sigh and fidget in your peripheral vision, if he doesn’t just sit in front of you and call your name. You don’t expect him to understand the point of it, although unbeknownst to you, he has some morbid ideas of art. Best not go to that place. You’re surprised by how much he likes drawings of his hounds, he’ll actually sit next to you and watch you work with interest. Granted, it won’t last more than fifteen or twenty minutes, but there’s a strange… comfort in the warmth of him as he leans in, resting his chin on your shoulder.

ROOSE BOLTON

He doesn’t mind how you spend your freetime, although this pursuit is an interesting one. To keep you pleased, he’d learn the different supplies and paints you used and order new ones whenever you needed them. If you liked quiet while you worked, or being outside, or having someone to talk to, he’d arrange that. You’d probably even have a room for a studio in the Dreadfort, many servants agree it’s a cheerful, welcome addition to the place. Once you two had children, Roose would keep a small portrait you painted of them in his office. It’s an oddly sentimental thing for the man to do, but no one would dare comment on it.

OBERYN MARTELL

This is one of many things on his list of reasons to love you. He’s a man who loves art and creativity, especially when the paintings are full of life and color. When he notices you’re sketching or painting, he actually approaches quietly, not wanting to interrupt your concentration (and wanting to see what you’re working on). He’s delighted by portraits you make of him, but personally he loves your landscapes of Dorne. You capture his feelings of his country so well, it makes him a little emotional. He’ll absolutely ask you to draw a small portrait of yourself - as scandalous as you can manage! - so he can always have you with him. He keeps it in a small pocket mirror with the glass taken out.

BERIC DONDARRION

The former knight is very charmed by this, in fact, you might think he’s … attracted to it. He tries not to make it obvious, but you notice how he wistfully gazes at you while you draw. It’s never any big or fancy pieces, just what’s around as you travel with the Brotherhood. When you’re together, he makes no secret about it, looking totally lovesick as he watches how you brush your hair aside and focus on the drawing in front of you. What a silly man. He also likes to cuddle behind you while you work, sometimes resting his head on your back and falling into a doze.

#game of thrones imagine #game of thrones preference #got imagine #got preferences #game of thrones x reader

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istumpysk · 4 years

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Maiden & Warrior

I’ve always loved this passage ever since I first came across it on @starkmaiden’s page. I felt like it was some of the most prophetic text that has appeared in all of ASOIAF, so naturally it’s always been largely ignored by the rest of the fandom.

The passage first appears in Davos’ intro chapter at the beginning of A Clash of Kings, and describes Melisandre and Stannis burning the Faith of the Seven. At this point Ned Stark, the Father, is dead (“the first to fall”), but the remaining Starklings are still scattered across the continent.

And George R. R. Martin gives us a preview of things to come.

The Mother seemed almost to shudder as the flames came licking up her face. A longsword had been thrust through her heart, and its leather grip was alive with flame. – ACOK, Davos I

The Mother, a longsword had been thrust through her heart.

A man in dark armor and a pale pink cloak spotted with blood stepped up to Robb. "Jaime Lannister sends his regards." He thrust his longsword through her son's heart, and twisted. – ASOS, Catelyn VII

The Mother, alive with flame.

I filled my mouth with fire and breathed the flames inside him, down his throat to lungs and heart and soul. The last kiss it is called, and many a time I saw the old priests bestow it on the Lord's servants as they died. I had given it a time or two myself, as all priests must. But never before had I felt a dead man shudder as the fire filled him, nor seen his eyes come open. It was not me who raised him, my lady. It was the Lord. R'hllor is not done with him yet. Life is warmth, and warmth is fire, and fire is God's and God's alone." – ASOS, Arya VII

The head fell off the Smith with a puff of ash and embers.

He had wrapped his cloak around her shoulders and sworn to protect her, but that was as cruel a jape as the crown the Freys had placed atop the head of Robb Stark's direwolf after they'd sewn it onto his headless corpse. – ASOS, Tyrion VII

Big deal. Nothing new so far.

Ned Stark is the first to fall, Robb Stark’s head is cut off, and Catelyn Stark is resurrected by R’hllor.

But what about the rest? If he’s linking members of the Seven to House Stark, and spoiling future events through that text, what else can we extract? Why would he stop with the Father, the Mother, and the Smith?

Let’s first focus on the Stranger. What is the Stranger? Who is the Stranger?

the Stranger, carved to look more animal than human. – ACOK, Davos I

And the seventh face... the Stranger was neither male nor female, yet both, ever the outcast, the wanderer from far places, less and more than human, unknown and unknowable. Here the face was a black oval, a shadow with stars for eyes. – ACOK, Catelyn IV

"Seven," he agreed, "but no one sings of the Stranger." The Stranger's face was the face of death. – ASOS, Samwell III

Joffrey's bier had been laid out beneath the Stranger, who led the newly dead to the other world. – ASOS, Jaime VII

The Stranger had his shrine as well, though hardly anyone ever came to him. Most of the time only a single candle stood flickering at his feet. The kindly man said it did not matter. "He has many faces, and many ears to hear." – AFFC, Arya II

The Stranger was neither male nor female, yet both. Human, animal. Ever the outcast, the wanderer. The Stranger’s face was the face of death. The Stranger leads the newly dead to the other world. They have many faces.

Sound like anyone from House Stark to you? But just in case you didn’t get the idea, good old George R. R. Martin thought it might be good for a laugh to have Arya Stark ride around on the back of a horse named Stranger for half a book.

Half the time he slept in the saddle now, trusting his stallion to follow whatever rutted farm track or game trail they were on. The horse was a heavy courser, almost as big as a destrier but much faster. Stranger, the Hound called him. – ASOS, Arya IX

Because who needs subtlety?

So what is the text telling us about Arya as the Stranger?

“the Stranger writhe and curl as the fingers blackened and fell away one by one” – ACOK, Davos I

If you’ve been following me for the 5 seconds I’ve been active, you’ll know that I quite enjoy clowning how poorly the fandom interprets text. Every theory is convoluted and nonsensical, when George R. R. Martin is almost laughably direct when foreshadowing.

With that in mind, it was my suspicion that Arya Stark will lose fingers.

And…

Unfortunately…

I’m compelled to report that after investigating this hypothesis a little further, I’ve come across some other potential foreshadowing that might support this.

The longer you hide, the sterner the penance. You'll be sewing all through winter. When the spring thaw comes, they will find your body with a needle still locked tight between your frozen fingers." – AGOT, Arya I

(Blind, and can’t see her fingers? There’s a 2 for 1, courtesy of George)

"Liar," Arya said. Her hand clenched the blood orange so hard that red juice oozed between her fingers. – AGOT, Sansa III

Incense sweetened the air, and beside the seven altars candles shone like stars. A thousand twinkled for the Mother and near as many for the Maid, but you could count the Stranger's candles on two hands and still have fingers left. – AFFC, Cersei VI

😞

Listen, before we continue, if you’re some rabid Arya fan not happy about what I’m saying, please hop out of my comments. It doesn’t spark joy that a child might lose some fingers. I desperately hope I’m wrong.

So why does Arya lose fingers? I originally planned to go further with this, I have some theories based on text, but ultimately it’s conjecture, and I decided it’s not something I really want to write about because it’s kind of a bummer.

Moving on. Where does that leave us?

The Maiden lay athwart the Warrior, her arms widespread as if to embrace him. – ACOK, Davos I

Who is the Maiden?

Lol.

I mean, we know who the Maiden is, but in case there’s some anti reading this that needs convincing.

To the other maidens he had given white roses, but the one he plucked for her was red. – AGOT, Sansa II

She went to the Maid and beseeched her to lend her courage to Arya and Sansa, to guard them in their innocence. – ACOK, Catelyn IV

His marriage was a daily agony. Sansa Stark remained a maiden, and half the castle seemed to know it. – ASOS, Tyrion IV

I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs. And later I dreamt that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow. – ASOS, Arya VII

The Maiden dances through the sky, she lives in every lover's sigh, Her smiles teach the birds to fly, and give dreams to little children. – ASOS, Samwell III

"Yes." Sansa knew the truth of her flowering could not be long hidden in the Eyrie. "Tyrion didn't... he never..." She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. "I am still a maid." – ASOS, Sansa VI

Brienne edged her mare forward. "My sister is lost as well. A girl of three-and-ten with auburn hair, fair to look upon." "All the Mother's children are fair to look upon. May the Maiden watch over this poor girl . . . and you as well, I think." – AFFC, Brienne I

She was a maiden now, three-and-ten and flowered. – AFFC, Sansa I

And at Winterfell, Sansa was a little girl with auburn hair. My daughter is a maiden tall and fair, and her hair is chestnut. – AFFC, Alayne I

I am looking for a girl, Brienne remembered. A highborn maid of three-and-ten, with blue eyes and auburn hair. "My lady?" she said. "Lady Sansa?" – AFFC, Brienne VIII

Sansa. Sansa is the Maiden. The end.

Daenerys…

That night Daario had her every way a man can have a woman, and she gave herself to him willingly. The last time, as the sun was coming up, she used her mouth to make him hard again, as Doreah had taught her long ago, then rode him so wildly that his wound began to bleed again, and for one sweet heartbeat she could not tell whether he was inside of her, or her inside of him. – ADWD, Daenerys VII

…is most definitely not the Maiden. Please go away.

And then there was the Warrior. What is the Warrior?

The gods had never meant much to Davos the smuggler, though like most men he had been known to make offerings to the Warrior before battle – ACOK, Davos I

The Warrior had his sword sketched in beneath his face – ACOK, Catelyn IV

When he was a boy, the septons had taught Davos to pray to the Crone for wisdom, to the Warrior for courage, to the Smith for strength. – ASOS, Davos VI

The Warrior stands before the foe, protecting us where e'er we go. – ASOS, Samwell III

The Warrior is always depicted with sword, called upon during battle, prayed to for courage, he protects us where e’er we go.

Who is the Warrior? Well, there’s plenty. Throughout the series many a character gets directly called a warrior (but not necessarily the Warrior): Robert Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Rhaegar Targaryen, Robb Stark, Brynden Tully, Brienne of Tarth, Victarion Greyjoy, Prince Oberyn, Thoros of Myr, Gendry, Waymar Royce (lmao), the wildlings, the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the Night’s Watch…

But two in particular stand out.

The Warrior was Renly and Stannis, Robb and Robert, Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow. – ACOK, Catelyn IV

Heh, yeah, there’s Catelyn Tully assigning the Warrior to Jon Snow in the same book the passage originally appears.

Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow, warriors and perfect foils.

Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Both have broken dreams of heroism and chivalry. Both break vows. Both have mangled hands. Both captured by the enemy. Both not terribly popular with Catelyn Tully. Both refuse Casterly Rock and Winterfell respectively.

Both… will have complicated relationships with sister-lovers?

A flush crept up Lancel's cheeks. "I pray for you, cousin. And for Her Grace the queen. May the Crone lead her to her wisdom and the Warrior defend her." "Why would Cersei need the Warrior? She has me." Jaime turned his horse about, his white cloak snapping in the wind. – AFFC, Jaime II

Oop.

That’s right.

Jaime (Jon’s foil) once fancied himself the Warrior, and his sister-lover Cersei (Sansa’s foil) his Maiden.

Couldn’t make this shit up if I tried.

The Maiden lay athwart the Warrior, her arms widespread as if to embrace him.

How are we feeling Jonsa fam?

#jonsa #jon x sansa #actually jonsa #book jonsa #jonsa meta #asoiaf #sansa stark #jon snow

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jackoshadows · 5 years

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This is a write-up regarding the situation in the North as of the last book A Dance with Dragons regarding the Starks and their claim to WF and the North. It’s a rather long post with book quotes that looks at why each character has a claim to the North/WF and how much support they have for that claim going from the character with the strongest claim/support to the weakest.

Contenders currently in the North:

Bran Stark: Currently in the lands beyond the wall with the 3ER. Prince Bran Stark was the Prince of Winterfell and the Stark in Winterfell when King Robb Stark was campaigning in the South. He ruled over the North until Theon’s betrayal and attack wherein Theon became the Prince of Winterfell with his father Balon Greyjoy as King. Ramsay then sacked Winterfell and Roose Bolton took over as Warden of the North with Ramsay Bolton as the Lord of Winterfell, by way of marriage to ‘Arya Stark’.

Rickon Stark: Currently in Skagos. Next in line to Bran Stark. Has the support of the powerful Wyman Manderly to become the Lord of Winterfell/Warden of the North under King Stannis Baratheon as per the deal made with Stannis’ envoy Davos seaworth. Robett Glover also agrees to join Stannis’ campaign if Davos brings back Rickon safely from Skagos and sends weapons and hunters to Stannis to help in his march on Winterfell against the Boltons. Davos is currently headed to Skagos to bring Rickon back.

Characters that know that Bran and Rickon are alive: Theon Greyjoy, Wex, Wyman Manderly, Robett Glover, Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, Gilly, Osha, Hodor, the Reeds and the Liddle of the mountain clans.

Additionally, Bran is communicating with Jon, Arya and possibly Rickon through their wolf dreams and in Theon’s case through the WF Godswood. Jon sees Shaggydog eating a unicorn in Skagos through Ghost. He sort of ‘knows’ that Bran and Rickon are alive through the direwolves communicating with each other.

Jon Snow: Ned’s bastard son only comes into the picture through Robb Stark’s will. So let’s take a look at this will. Before his death, Robb Stark creates a will to ensure that the Northern kingdom does not die with him. At this point, Robb thinks that Bran, Rickon and Arya are dead. First, he needs to make sure that the Lannisters don’t get the North:

By law Sansa is next in line of succession, so Winterfell and the north would pass to her.” His mouth tightened. “To her, and her lord husband. Tyrion Lannister. I cannot allow that. I will not allow that. That dwarf must never have the north.”

“No,” Catelyn agreed. “You must name another heir, until such time as Jeyne gives you a son.”

Robb and Cat seem pretty determined that Sansa, her husband and any children they have will never get the North/WF. This indicates that there is a provision in the will where Sansa is explicitly debarred/disinherited from getting the North. This seems to be a pretty popular idea as, up North, Stannis is of a similar mind –

"Lady Lannister, you mean? Are you so eager to see the Imp perched on your father's seat? I promise you, that will not happen whilst I live, Lord Snow."

So anyways, Sansa is out. Next, Robb decides to legitimize Jon Snow and he trusts Jon so much that he decides to do this before even knowing whether his wife Jeyne Westerling is pregnant or not. Catelyn is so distressed over this, that she would rather Robb select some cousin from the Vale to be Lord of WF/KITN than Jon Snow because she thinks that Jon will steal Robb’s child’s birthright. And that once Jon is legitimized it cannot be taken back. They argue over this:

He is set on this. Catelyn knew how stubborn her son could be. “A bastard cannot inherit.”

“Not unless he’s legitimized by a royal decree,” said Robb. “There is more precedent for that than for releasing a Sworn Brother from his oath.”

“If you make Jon legitimate, there is no way to turn him bastard again. Should he wed and breed, any sons you may have by Jeyne will never be safe.”

“Have you considered your sisters? What of their rights? I agree that the north must not be permitted to pass to the Imp, but what of Arya? By law, she comes after Sansa . . . your own sister, trueborn . . . ”

“ . . . and dead. No one has seen or heard of Arya since they cut Father’s head off. Why do you lie to yourself? Arya’s gone, the same as Bran and Rickon, and they’ll kill Sansa too once the dwarf gets a child from her. Jon is the only brother that remains to me. Should I die without issue, I want him to succeed me as King in the North. I had hoped you would support my choice.”

From all this we can speculate that the Robb’s will has provisions that disinherits Sansa, legitimizes Jon and makes him KITN if Jeyne does not have a child – since the only uncertainty at the time the will is written up is whether Robb will have a child or not.

The following lords are signatories and witnesses to this will: Jason Mallister, Raynald Westerling, Greatjon Umber, Galbart Glover, Maege Mormont and Edmure Tully. We don’t know where this will is – it’s speculated that Galbart Glover and Maege Mormont are in possession of the will and were last headed for Greywater watch, the residence of Howland Reed.

If Robb’s will comes into play, then Jon goes from Jon Snow to Jon Stark and that automatically pushes him to the head of the queue as the eldest Stark, even if Bran and Rickon are alive. Of course, ultimately it all depends on which houses will support Jon Stark and which houses will support Bran, Rickon or Arya stark.

Contenders currently outside the North:

Because much of the North and house Stark is patriarchal, the girls come further down the line when it comes to their claims to WF and the North.

Arya Stark: Currently in Braavos. She is involved in the Northern plot in the book through Jeyne Poole – who marries Ramsay Bolton as ‘Arya Stark’ to help the Boltons hold the North. With Jon’s help, Stannis engages with the Mountain clans and they agree to fight under him to defeat the Boltons and free Arya. As Big Bucket Wull explains:

Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. No one sings songs of men who die like that. As for me, I am old. This will be my last winter. Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die. I want to feel it spatter across my face when my axe bites deep into a Bolton skull. I want to lick it off my lips and die with the taste of it on my tongue.

So the clans and Stannis are fighting to save Arya. While Stannis himself is not interested in Arya as a heir to WF (he wants to rescue Arya for Jon’s sake and send her to him), the clans and some of the Northern houses in the game – who don’t know about Bran and Rickon being alive – could be plotting to get rid of house Bolton and restore WF/North to Arya as Queen in the North. Even Roose’s so called Northern allies are not pleased with the way ‘Arya’ is being treated.

Barbrey: The bride weeps ... Dressing her in grey and white serves no good if the girl is left to sob. The Freys might not care, but the northmen ... they fear the Dreadfort, but they love the Starks.

Theon: Not you.

Barbrey: Not me, but the rest, yes. Old Whoresbane is only here because the Freys hold the Greatjon captive. And do you imagine the Hornwood men have forgotten the Bastard's last marriage, and how his lady wife was left to starve, chewing her own fingers? What do you think passes through their heads when they hear the new bride weeping? Valiant Ned's precious little girl. Lady Arya's sobs do us more harm than all of Lord Stannis's swords and spears.

“Night work is not knight’s work,” Lady Dustin said. “And Lord Wyman is not the only man who lost kin at your Red Wedding, Frey. Do you imagine Whoresbane loves you any better? If you did not hold the Greatjon, he would pull out your entrails and make you eat them, as Lady Hornwood ate her fingers. Flints, Cerwyns, Tallharts, Slates … they all had men with the Young Wolf.”

“House Ryswell too,” said Roger Ryswell. “Even Dustins out of Barrowton.” Lady Dustin parted her lips in a thin, feral smile. “The north remembers, Frey.”

Meanwhile, Lord Commander Jon Snow at the Wall has send Mance Raydar – the King beyond the wall – to rescue his sister. After he receives a letter from Ramsay Bolton informing him that Stannis has failed and that Mance is dead, Jon rallies the Wildlings to go attack the Boltons and save Arya. He is assassinated at this point.

So while all this is happening in the North, the real Arya is in Braavos. How would she connect to this plot? Well, if Jon is dead at the wall, fake Arya/Jeyne Poole may end up going with Justin Massey to Braavos – where Stannis has send him to get more mercenary soldiers and men to fight against the Boltons. Imagine Arya’s surprise when she comes across Jeyne masquerading as Arya in Braavos while Arya is walking around with someone else’s face?! This could very well be the spur that pushes her to make a trip to the Wall or the North. The only obstacle is of course that Winter has come in the books and the snowstorms are so bad that Stannis and his army is stranded unable to march even to WF. It’s not going to be easy for Arya to get North at this point. It’s possible that Arya therefore travels to the Riverlands or even the Vale since weather wise that’s easier to do.

Sansa Stark: Currently in the Vale. She is LF’s nominee for the North/WF. The major obstacle for her getting the North is her marriage to Tyrion. Currently she is still married to Tyrion as of the last book. This marriage can only be annulled by the high Septon in KL – which means there should be a regime friendly to Sansa in KL before this can happen. Or Tyrion should die. This is what LF is hoping for - that Cersei somehow manages to kill Tyrion. LF’s plans depends on both Tyrion and SweetRobin dying. Hence why Sweetrobin is being given dangerous levels of sweetsleep, despite the Maester’s warnings. LF also thinks that Bran and Rickon are dead.

So according to LF’s plans, Cersei kills Tyrion, SweetRobin dies, Sansa marries Harry the heir and is unveiled as Queen in the North/Lady of Winterfell.She gets the North and the Vale in one swoop.

But unfortunately for Littlefinger, the North is moving full speed ahead with their own plots and games. Bran and Rickon are still alive, some Northern houses are pushing for Rickon, others support Arya and Robb’s will basically disinherits Sansa Lannister. LF does not know any of this. There’s also the fact that with winter coming to Westeros and the snow storms, no army is going to be able go North any time soon. No single person would be able to do the same. Alys Karstark nearly died riding from Karhold to the Wall. So Sansa is going to be stuck in the south for a while yet.

So with Sansa in the vale, Arya in Braavos and Bran beyond the wall, the closest contenders for WF and the North location-wise are going to be Rickon and Jon. And Jon is still lying dead in the snow. So it’s very likely that we will get either Lord of Winterfell Rickon Stark if Stannis wins or KITN Rickon Stark if Stannis dies in the next book.

#ASoIaF #Bran Stark #Rickon Stark #Jon Snow #Arya stark #Sansa Stark #Robb Stark #Northern lords #Winterfell #And the North

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7deadlycinderellas · 5 years

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The Maiden of the Sea 3/5

AO3 link

Carrying the twins is actually easier than Arya ever expected.

Sure, she has to adjust to her size, but that was doable. Renly had owned a great many clothes that Arya can pick through to find ones that will accommodate her expanding gut, though most of them are awfully gaudy.

She’s trying on and tying a tunic of black silk embroidered with leaves and vines one morning. Most of these garments are just sitting around, gathering moths. She should really find someone who can take them apart and sew them into more serviceable garments. She cringes and tosses the silk tunic aside, trading it for a slightly less garish one of green wool edged in gold. Gendry peeks up from the bed and tells her,

“You should just wear that as a dress.”

Arya stares at him bewildered. The tunic is quite long, nearly to her knees, and blessedly loose around her middle, but still.

“And just go around with my naked legs sticking out like a heron?”

“I like your legs, and I don’t get to see them enough.”

Arya rolls her eyes, and pulls out the hose that were hanging with the tunic. She cringes, realizing that they’re the two piece kind that are supposed to be held together with a codpiece.

“I didn’t know men still wore these.”

Gendry glances over at them.

“Can’t imagine they were ever popular up North, too cold. My uncle was apparently very much into keeping up with fashion though.”

Arya tosses them aside.

“Can’t do those, I’m not giving everyone at the training yard a free show.”

Afterwards, she finds a pair of lambskin breeches that slide on easily and tie very low on her waist. She’ll have to roll them up though, and she’s sure she looks ridiculous.

“You could just have something made for you, it would probably end up being much more comfortable” Gendry interjects.

Arya sits on the end of the bed to pull on her boots, which takes far longer than it used to.

“I know. I just hate the idea of all that work going into making things I’m only going to wear while I’m still enormous.”

In fact, Maester Elric had seemed mildly concerned about her size at first. And then, after interrogating her on her recent eating habits, told her he suspected that she was carrying twins.

Twins, as if the possibility of one child wasn’t daunting enough.

“It’s strange,” Arya had admitted once, “I love children, I always have. I rejected the idea of being someone’s broodmare, but I always thought I’d be the fun auntie for Jon and Sansa’s children. I thought Sansa’s especially would need it.”

She makes a face, thinking back to what she knew of other highborn children. Some she had met seemed to hardly spend any time with their parents at all. While Joffrey had cried to his mother over everything, she didn’t think she recalled King Robert spending any time at all with any of his children.

“I don’t want a wet nurse,” she tells Gendry when she’s seven moons along. “I don’t want to get used to the idea of foisting my children off on someone else, especially for something so...personal.”

Gendry glances up from his papers. They’re going through the ledgers together. They’ve taken to doing that with most of their duties. This was something that normally fell to the Lady of the keep. Arya accompanies him in petitions, and they both manage the servants. Helping each other out aside, it means that if Gendry retreats into his grouchy, sullen self at an offhand comment, or if Arya’s temper got the best of her when someone questions her ability, one could take the reins and let the other go hide and lick their wounds.

And on the rare occasion someone riled both of them up, they were a force to be reckoned with. Ours is the fury indeed.

“If you’re sure,” Gendry tells her, “I mean, I never heard of any woman in Flea Bottom having one, and they get on well enough.”

“Merope tells me there’s a girl in the kitchens, Mollie, whose due a moon before me. I’ll talk to her, just in case of emergency...but I think we can do this.”

It will be a challenge. Aside from the official duties of her title, Arya has taken on much of the role of the Master-at-arms.

The previous one had been killed during Stannis’s siege years ago, and much of the job had been taken on by the captain of the guard, who seemed more than glad for the occasional relief. A couple of the guards had objected to taking direction from a woman. A raised eyebrow and a question if they had heard of the exploits of Arya Stark, bringer of the dawn, had mostly pushed those down.

And for those who didn’t, a firm rap from her quarterstaff had changed plenty. She really doesn’t use the staff enough.

She keeps with the actual sparring as long as her body allows her to. And once she can’t, she still walks the training yard, observing, offering advice.

Even the physical symptoms don’t bother her as much as she thought. The heartburn’s pretty bad, but nothing like Merope had warned. Having to visit the privy constantly is a pain, but she’s in a proper castle now, where that’s never far away. And Maester Elric’s teas keep the worst of the intestinal symptoms at bay.

Sometimes she worries that she’s become numb to physical discomfort. That she’s become so used to it that she won’t recognize if she’s truly hurt.

Somehow, the one that bothers her most is the swelling of her feet, especially when she gets large enough she can’t do anything about it herself.

Gendry insists that he doesn’t mind rubbing her feet before bed.

“I’ve told you, I like making you feel good.”

Arya pouts.

“That’s the same excuse you used the other night when you let me hump your leg while you were still asleep because you were too tired to do anything else, and I can’t reach my own cunt anymore.”

Arya had been right that her pregnancy had made her libido go into overdrive. She hadn’t thought it was possible for her to want him anymore than she already did, but she had apparently been wrong. And while Gendry had enjoyed the change greatly, sometime this life they had built just took too much out of him.

Arya keens when Gendry digs his thumbs into her arches.

“I don’t like being dependent on other people,” she admits, “I spent too long not trusting anyone but myself, and now I’m going to have two tiny humans completely dependent on me. I don’t even know what to name them.”

Gendry blinks like it’s the first time the thought had occurred to him.

“Shit,” is his reaction, “And we have to pick two instead of one.”

He thinks for a few moments, and then wrinkles his nose.

“If either one’s a boy, we’re not naming him Robert.”

“Agreed,” Arya’s silent for a bit, before continuing. “I used to think I would name my firstborn after my father. I can’t. I don’t want to name them after any of my loved ones who have died. You see the way some of the older people here look at us…”

“Like we’re them reincarnated,” Gendry says bitterly. He hates being compared to Robert, just as Arya is uncomfortable being compared to an aunt she never met.

“I don’t want my children’s lives cast in the shadows of ghosts.”

They won’t be. Even names aside, the people of Storm’s End didn’t know them as children, they won’t build their children up on the expectations of the memories of parents.

Gendry drops her feet, and pulls her into his arms. He kisses her slowly but thoroughly, caressing her cheek with his thumb. His other hand finds the waistband of her breeches.

“Is this a bad time to admit I’m so hard I could cut diamonds?”

Arya laughs,

“At least you’re awake this time. “

He pats her on the arse.

“Roll over,” he tells her, voice deep and husky. She does as told.

She feels him pulls her breeches down as she unties and struggles to pull her tunic over her head. She expects to feel him enter her, instead her back goes cold and a few seconds his hand pushes her thigh up and his tongue probes at her from behind.

“Gotta make sure you’re wet,” he whispers lustily, before returning to his licks. Arya sighs and groans, and grasps at the sheets, pushing back against his face. He drives her closer, so close, before pulling his mouth away.

“You’re mean,” she says petulantly. His kisses one arsecheek in apology. He then returns to his previous position, wrapping one arm over hers and pushes in with one firm stroke.

This is pretty much the last position they can do this in. Arya’s sore breasts quickly made her not want to be on top anymore, the shaking making it worse. Then her abdomen began to hang loosely and it made her so uncomfortable that she no longer enjoyed being on her hands and knees. Eventually, Gendry wouldn’t even get on top of her for fear of hurting the babes. Fucking her husband had become nearly as difficult as finding a comfortable position to sleep in.

As she grinds back on his cock to match his every thrust, his hand groping for her nub blindly, she muses that at least it’s a good one to save for last.

She grunts and cries out when she comes. Gendry leans over and softly bites her shoulder as he thrusts hard and spills inside her.

“Can’t wait til I can see your face when you do that again.”

Arya’s still in a daze, but opens one eye.

“I could drag over the looking glass.”

She’s not got quite a moon left when Davos and Marya arrive for a visit.

Arya is delighted when Davos presents them with his gift to the babes, a carved wooden cradle.

The gifts have started coming slowly. Most of the houses were waiting until the actual birth to send their congratulations, fearing stillbirth or childbed fever. Arya understands, but hates the ideas that want to take root in her mind of what could happen.

Selwyn Tarth had sent a young foal, now in the castle stables. He had sent a note saying,

“If you’re child is anything like mine, this may be the only plaything they need for many years. And if, Gods forbid, the worst comes to pass, I’m sure the lady of the house could find it in her heart to make a place for the beast.”

One day out of the blue, Daron and Tim had presented her with a thing made out of fishnets, that they insisted was a baby carrier.

“Since they think you’re having two, there’s a spot to stick one on your back too,” Daron had insisted, lifting the net over her head and showing her.

She will definitely be testing that with melons before putting a child in it.

The cradle is beautiful, made of dark wood, and still rocks smoothly, though it’s clearly been used for many years.

“I’m no craftsman, my lady, but I’ve always been good with my hands, and this served our sons quite well.”

She barely has time to ask if it will fit two when Davos asks where Gendry’s ran off to instead of greeting guests.

“The forge most likely. That’s where he goes when he’s upset or someone pisses him off or he just needs to lose himself. He’s been in there a lot lately because he’s scared but doesn’t want to talk about it. He doesn’t like being bothered when he does, but I don’t think he’ll mind if it’s you.”

Davos has barely left when Marya begins fussing over her,

“I can’t believe you’re still up and moving around as close as you are. With Dale I was in bed nearly an entire moon before.”

Arya flushes red. Maester Elric’s been giving her hell for not wanting to go on bed rest, but she doesn’t feel like she needs to stop. Slow down maybe, but not stop.

“Oh you know, another day. One day it’s achy joints, the next my tits are leaking.”

“If you want comfort, the first one is the hardest.”

“I can’t even think of any others right now.”

Marya holds onto her shoulders, fondly. Like a mother. Arya suddenly feels tears prick at her eyes and wonders what her own mother would think of what she has become.

“I brought you some blankets and baby clothes as well,” she studies Arya before continuing. “You tell me Gendry’s frightened. Are you?”

Frightened? Arya thinks. She knows fear, she’s stared it in the face. She knows fear, intimately.

“Not really. Nervous? Maybe, anxious? Without a doubt.”

She reaches down and runs her hands over her stomach so she can feel the kicks. It’s been a chore keeping other people’s hands away. These are for her alone.

“Mostly? I really want to meet them.”

Marya pulls her in to kiss her on the head.

“I think you’ll do just fine then. I’m glad Gendry has someone like you. Davos used to write to me that he was scared the boy would never adjust to his new status. He would bristle at the tiniest of insults and sulk at the smallest mistake he made. He needs someone like you.”

Arya feels a smile quirk at the corners of her mouth.

“We’re good for each other,” she says, “We each want to beat up the other’s insecurities.”

Davos and Marya leave in a few days, saying they were called to King’s Landing before they could return home. After they bid their farewells, Arya tells Gendry,

“Bran wrote me a letter. He says he wants to give Dragonstone to House Seaworth. They both know the land, Davos has more than proved himself worthy and they already have multiple heirs.”

“I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more,” Gendry muses, “I’d have probably cocked this whole lord thing up if Davos hadn’t been here to help me.”

He’s helped them both, Arya thinks.

A few weeks later, she gathers a handful of Renly’s old clothes to take to Mollie. Her son, Tris, had been born three weeks before. The girl had nearly panicked when she’d gone into labor and realized that it would be some time until she could go back to the kitchen. Arya had promised to find work for her that she could do sitting down.

“I’ve tried to take a bunch of these seams out, so we can use the fabric to make children’s clothes in a bunch of different sizes. I don’t know if they’re boys or girls yet, so you can make dresses or trousers if you like. If they’re girls, I’ll let them pick whichever ones they like,” Arya tells her in a whisper.

She leans over the basket and gently taps Tris’s nose, softly. She knows better than to a wake a moon-old baby.

“You should make him some too, there’s some really nice leather among that all.”

“Milady,” Mollie says, touching the fabrics, “These are far too fine for a child of mine.”

She had realized quickly upon talking to the other woman, that Mollie had no one and her child would be a Storm. She could have told her that some of Arya’s favorite boys had been born bastards, and that the only part of them that should be cursed was the men who left them. But she knew it likely wouldn’t make a difference, and she hoped that this might prove to her that Mollie’s son would be treated no differently by the Lord and Lady of this house.

“They’re far too fine to be sitting in a wardrobe attracting moths too. Neither me nor Lord Baratheon are going to be wearing anything like this. I’m sure Renly wouldn’t want them to go to waste, and I’m too shit with a needle and thread. If I were in your position, my children would probably be running around naked until they could sew their own.”

She fingers the golden lace stitched onto the edges of a red velvet doublet.

“Feel free to tear off any of this frippery though. They’re going to be worn by children after all.”

Mollie finally accepts, and when Arya stands, she feels a cramp and stumbles a bit.

“You okay milady? Mollie asks, looking after her.”

“I’m fine,” she tells her. “If anyone asks, I’m heading to the Godswood.”

She’s been spending more and more time out here as of late, when she needed to get away and collect her thoughts. It was her place, the way Gendry’s was the castle forge. When her skin began to feel stretched and heavy, she would come out here, strip and go for a swim.

This is what she does today, pleased that even though it’s a bit cold, the sky is still only gray and not pouring, yet anyway. She feels another cramp, and winces, before feeling the water take her weight and lets herself relax and try to let it out.

The cramps keep coming and going, and Arya is annoyed;. They’re like the ones that came with her moons blood, but are much sharper. When she starts to go wrinkly, another one hits her.

She dresses and gets up to leave, and another hits, this one stronger, so much so that she stumbles.

Alright, maybe she SHOULD go see Maester Elric before supper.

The maester of Storm’s End is younger than any Arya’s met previously, his formerly golden hair only streaked with gray, worn tied back at his neck. He’s also a bit more sharp tongued than she’s used to, but she prefers that.

When she tells him about the cramps, he places a hand on her stomach, and asks.

“Is the pain constant? Any bleeding?”

“No,” Arya replies, “It comes and goes, but they’ve been happening more-”

Another one hits, and she grimaces and draws herself in. That was the worst one yet. She almost forgot she had legs for a minute.

Elric sighs and rubs his forehead.

“I would ask if you were paying attention to the dates I gave you, but you clearly haven’t.”

Arya sputters.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“When was the last cramp before that?”

Arya thinks.

“Twenty minutes or so ago, after I left the Godswood?”

“My lady,” he tells her, measured. “You’re in labor.”

“Oh,” she says weakly, Elric takes her arm and begins to lead her out of his workshop and towards the Lord’s chambers, “That makes sense. Can someone please fetch my husband?”

Arya’s heard a lot about childbirth, from women of all stations, along with perfunctory lessons from her septa growing up. Part of her feels like she’s prepared, but also knows she’s completely not.

The contractions begun coming more frequently, by the time Gendry turns up. Arya hurts in ways that she’s not sure she even knew she could. Gendry holds her hand, even as she tells him some extremely unkind things.

She groans and pants and cries out, but won’t scream. She’s been stabbed, had run through the streets bleeding and jumped into a canal and tried to swim. She had pulled out stitches multiple times. This may be an entirely different kind of hurt, but it’s going to end in something beautiful, so it’s not worth screaming over. This harbour will not submit to the storm.

After a seeming lifetime, Elric announces that he can see a head, and a minute later, Arya hears a cry.

Elric cleans off the babe, wraps her in a blanket and hands her to Arya. She’s beaming and her heart sings, even as she hears Elric go “that’s one down.”

The second comes a few minutes later, with one strong push ending in a sharper pain. Elric cleans and hands Arya that one as well.

He’s clamping and cutting the cords when he feels the need to say,

“I’d watch out for that one, she tore you on the way out. It’s not bad though, barely a nick, it won’t even need a stitch.”

Arya’s cuddling the both of them, marveling at the tiny noses and ears and their little tufts of black hair, so she only vaguely notes Gendry going pale as a ghost and going “That can happen?” There’s so many things going on downstairs, she’s not sure she would even notice a big tear.

Then he says something about “afterbirth”, and Arya chooses not to think too much about what that means. She’s only got eyes for the girls in her arms, and ignores the odd, squishy feeling that follows, Elric’s hands massaging her abdomen, and whatever it is he’s throwing in the washbasin with the soiled towels and he’s talking about burying.

Gendry’s climbed onto the bed beside her, when Arya’s pulled down the neck of her tunic and Elric’s showing her how to get the babies to latch. It’s a bizarre feeling, but the two of them seem to know what to do, so it’s not bad. Elric nods, and tells them he’ll check in on them all again in a bit.

He pats Arya on the shoulder.

“For all the knowledge they guard at the Citadel, they cannot make life. Only women can do that. I think this is my favorite part of the job.”

And then he leaves them be.

Arya’s exhausted, so when the children stop suckling and yawn, she gives in to Gendry’s grabby hands and lets him take one.

“Have you thought anymore about names? Because I have nothing.”

Arya looks down at the little dark haired creature in her arms.

“My grandmother was Lyarra...how about Lyra?”

Gendry nods,

“That’s a good one. But we need one more.”

Arya bites her lip in thought.

“What about Lysa?” She pronounces it with a long ‘i’, “leesa’.

Gendry makes a face.

“Didn’t you have a mad aunt named Lysa?”

“I didn’t know her. I only have Sansa to go on that she was mad. And besides, her name was pronounced “Lie-sa”. I was thinking like Lys, the free city.”

Lyra’s already back asleep on Arya, but Lysa’s wiggling her little arms at her father above her. Arya’s reaches out to tap her nose.

“I always wanted to see Lys, I wanted to see all the free cities. I loved Braavos, loved the sea and the canals. Loved the smell and the fresh seafood and the boats and all the different people going about their lives in such a bustling place. It was like what King’s Landing could have been, if it didn’t stink so much.”

She pauses a bit, the darkness getting back into her eyes.

“Though I loved Braavos a lot more before I learned a blind girl could get beaten regularly in the streets and no one would do a single thing. I should have known better than to expect that people were better anywhere else.”

Gendry leans over to kiss her on the forehead, to help her chase the darkness away.

“Lyra and Lysa work for me.”

Arya eyes her still awake daughter. Her eyes aren’t quite as blue as her father’s, there are flecks of gray in them, like her own. Storm eyes, Arya thinks to herself.

“We could go see Lys someday,” Gendry tells her, “I’ve never seen any of Essos. Someday, we could go. All of us maybe even.”

Arya smiles as she feels her exhaustion threaten to take her. Maybe they would.

Gendry and Maester Elric both have to practically yell the next day when she wakes and tries to get out of bed immediately.

#game of thrones #A Song of Ice and Fire #gendrya #fic

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