⊰ ── ( CHAOS IS A LADDER )

[landogate]

𝐄𝐋𝐌𝐎X𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐉𝐎𝐘

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XXXXXXXXXTWENTY-SEVEN. GHOST OF DRAGONSTONE. DEAD. LOCATION: DRAGONSTONE. TAGS: NAERYS. ASIRIA, DRAMON
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xxxSOON, he decided, soon it would be over. the shame and torment of being captured and killed on the same day would be relived of him. he had no blade to fight with, a dragon looming overhead and a noblewoman surely ready to rip his head off with her own hands. he let his head rest on the stone, it was cold. it didn't phase him anymore. another breath escaped him. if only he hadn't sailed into the fog that morning, then perhaps he may have saved his own life. "when you are done with me, all i request is that what is left of me is thrown to the sea. if you would indulge a dead mans request." he swallowed, voice breaking. "i will meet my gods soon, as you will too, one day."

xxxTO salvage his own pride, elmo attempted yet again to rise to his knees and successfully did so when a small voice rung out in the courtyard. he glanced over his shoulder the best he could. the woman was an innocent one surely, a maiden who had barely seen blood, and beside her was an unmistakable targaryen. his eyes hung low as his captor spoke. her words were a jumbled mess of threats and conversation on elmo himself. braving himself for a gruesome death, he spoke freely, though his words were breathy and sharp. "i am a greyjoy, an ally by my brothers request. if you are an ally, i pray for your health, dear lady, i pray you too do not become a dragons snack." before he knew it and could finish his sentence, he was met with the harsh heat of the flame, and suddenly it was black, and charred.
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[radio.active.]

i lady heir of storm's end
ii gardens of the red keep
iii with the tully family
iv no mentions

indent"Oh, boo Beanie," the lady tutted, taking a small step away from her brother. "Can't I tell my brother I missed him?" She offered the newly-crowned king something resembling an apologetic smile, though it was rather empty. If Bennis hadn't directly told her to keep herself in line, Valian wouldn't have hesitated to flaunt protocol. After all, there were dozens of men on the Kingsguard, it wouldn't be the end of the world if she spent a few moments with the brother she hadn't seen in what felt like lifetimes. With a sigh, she said, "I suppose I can let you work. But I will see you during the banquet, brother. You can't escape me for that long." With a final little boop on Bennis' nose, Valian turned and swept away on her new quest to find a servant who knew where the best wines were.

indentBy the time Valian had arrived in the gardens of the Red Keep, she had gotten her hands on a dust-covered bottle of blackberry wine. While blackberry was hardly her favorite - or even near the top of her list - she had been unable to locate a servant who had been willing to let her raid the wine cellar itself. Still, she made do with what she could get her hands on, and sipped the sickly sweet drink as she joined the fray.
indentMuch of her time was spent milling about the various nobles and houses present. Partly, she reasoned with herself, was that this was an effort to establish a better place for the Baratheon name amongst the other Westerosi nobles. But, of course, Valian would be lying if she said that it wasn't also an excuse to pluck the plumpest fruits and juiciest pieces of meat from their plates. On occasion, a lord or ser would protest, pushing Valian to bat her dark eyelashes and slip away like a doe into the woods.
indentEventually, the lady of Storm's End found herself in the orbit of the Tully family. She hadn't had much interaction with the bunch save for Lady Janessa, but the entire family radiated a chaotic energy and all around attractive faces intrigued her.
indent"Well, hello, Lady Janessa," Valian bubbled, all but forcing herself into their little circle. "I trust that the Riverlands are well? I imagine you have your hands quite full with running the region and keeping your hooligans in check." A servant passed with a platter piled high with colorful cheeses, drawing Valian's attention away for a moment as she selected a handful of carefully arranged cubes. Turning back to the Tullys, she popped a delightfully soft piece of brie into her mouth and began to size up each of the Riverlanders."I'm afraid I haven't properly met you yet," she said, offering a small swish of her gown in place of a curtsey to the younger siblings.

[vaell]

ＤＲＡＭＯＮ　ＴＡＲＧＡＲＹＥＮ ！
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( title. lord of dragonstone ) ( tagged. asiria, naerys, elmo | mentioned: shyon, myrrine ) ( location. dragonstone; courtyard )


indentjust as he had expected. myrrine had sent naerys to do her dirty work, because he was too busy touring with his bride, and saenera and rhaegon were occupied with the task of keeping their allies content. either way, this broken man was just a pirate. of no use to them, as his dear sister had just so kindly reminded him. sometimes he felt naerys thought herself better than the rest of the bunch, and it wasn't because he thought she displayed any sort of arrogance. no, it was because by now he thought himself well versed in the way that her and rhaegon doled out subtle hints of their superiority, and it was more than possible they both thought he and saenera didn't demand just as much as importance as the two of them. which was the opposite of true. be it on different playing fields or not, they were just as much as force to be reckoned with. though he didn't have as many close connections to many high ranking cult leaders, there was one former sellsword with which he had trained and learned from endlessly. lady shyon had - reluctantly at first - allowed for dramon to study the art of fighting that belonged to yi ti. not only this, but with her he had learnt to worship the two major deities of her culture, the lion of night and the the maiden-made-of-light. two starkly different gods, the lion of night being a destructive male figure who seeks to punish the wicked and cruel, whilst the maiden-made-of-light is a female figure who sets out to preserve and defend the good. dramon often found himself floating about different religions, never having solidly committed to one until shyon immersed him into her own culture's beliefs. he isn't devout, to be honest, but he is quite keen on the yi ti religion and does try to abide by the set out values. this was likely where his first interests in travelling had blossomed from as well. yi ti is a fabled land of the east, similarly to asshai and hyrkoon. it is said to be tropical in climate, populated with immense jungles inland stretching across great lengths of the landscape. from the rainforest there are patchworks of green farmland due to centuries of human civilization. when shyon had told him of her homelands, it had left the dragon lord yearning to travel to such a place, a place that few westerosi have even travelled to. so simply put, once she knew of his eagerness to venture different lands, she always made of show of playfully bragging of all the places she had travelled throughout in essos. which was definitely a part of why dramon was more than eager to one day visit asiria's homelands of dorne. maybe then he could be the one to brag.
indentdramon now eyed his sister carefully as she passed by him to make her way over to asiria. his gaze followed them as they joined arms and walked beneath the statue, though he made sure to remain still where he had been standing. something about the sight of naerys arm in arm with asiria looked genuinely peculiar. or maybe even unsettling? his sister was deadly, a weapon honed to take on the faces of others, and it was a skill that she alone out of the four siblings could boast. she was not one to be trifled with, not when it came to the art of coldblooded murder nor just about anything else. asiria, on the other hand, was not so battle hardened. where naerys wore armor, dark and sinister in it's very material, the princess wore a soft gold gown, the fabric likely tearable upon force. the two of them were completely stark in nature. he listened in to what she was saying to asiria, gaging her words as almost disingenuous. almost. it wasn't hard to presume the fact that the targaryen lady could hardly care for his future bride, but the way in which she spoke betrayed no such values to the princess, most likely. however, he knew she was speaking the truth; asiria would need to come to peace with the fact that their conquest was not something that was going to wind up being one without spilt blood. whether or not the other great houses come to bend the knee, they would nonetheless be wiping out the tyrell roses, as they had done to their own family only decades prior. revenge comes around, as it always does, and if the former lord of the six kingdoms couldn't have seen that coming, then he was nothing short of a fool. they didn't deserve to rule any kingdoms - and if he had to be honest, it was likely that the other great houses would care more so for their own safeties than that of the tyrells by the time they see a demonstration of house targaryen's power. dramon couldn't blame them. why would you want to bring harm and destruction to your own name and homelands for the sake of loyalties and saying you never betrayed your pledges of allegiance. or, he supposed, they wouldn't be saying that at all. corpses can't talk. and if any of the high lords or ladies believed they could dance around the wrath that would be the targaryens if they chose not to bend the knee to the rightful rulers, then they would be direly mistaken.
indentas naerys' gaze turned back to him, he narrowed his eyes, expecting her to say something else to him. maybe tell them it was an appropriate time to take their leave, and then she could begin the execution shortly after their departure. though no such things occurred. his sisters lips did not part for words, not for him, at least, and she looked back to the prisoner all in shambles on the ground before them. his eyes darted back to asiria in that split second, realizing the sudden movements of the face-stealer to be that of her about to order this man dead. any words he was going to say caught in his throat as she called out to mehrunes. it was far too late now, for the young dragon had immediately perked up at the sound of it's name. he tore his gaze from the princess and looked to the pirate now, the guards surrounding him taking several paces backwards as naerys spoke his death into words. dracarys. a shriek sounded out, and within moments a hot, bright blaze tore through the air towards the man, cutting off his attempts of finishing his sentence. the dragon lord did not look away, for he had seen this and worse more times than he could ever recount. he breathed in the smell of burning flesh. it was familiar, welcome, even. this man, here on dragonstone, symbolized something. in him he could see what may lay ahead for westeros' inhabitants. there was never any shortage of the ending of lives on dragonstone, which was amusing considering they hadn't spent all that long on the island, and each time he felt encapsulated by the ordeal. here they were, finally on this foreign land that was meant to be theres, meant to be well-known to them, and they were ridding the continent of fools and those denying to conform to their cause one by one. it was just right. a screech was elicited from his own dragon, a high and piercing sound ringing out in the courtyard as aerador seemingly shared in mehrunes' eagerness.
indenthowever, this time, instead of giving into endless musings of what the future may hold, he pulled himself out of the stupor that was witnessing an execution. asiria likely had never seen the sorts before, not anything nearly as gruesome. behind his back he clasped his hands neatly, as if it hadn't really been that much of a big deal, passing by the now limp and burnt body to come up behind naerys and asiria. he made to gingerly place a hand on the martell woman's shoulder, trying not to startle the woman even more so than she may have already been. though her back was to him, he could already imagine her tightened features and braced himself for her potential shock. "princess asiria?" he finally spoke, sounding as if he were navigating on rocky terrain, not entirely sure how to approach the situation. it wasn't often dramon had to console anyone after an execution, to say the least. but surely the pirate's words, with him allegedly being a greyjoy, struck a nerve in his future wife, considering the fact he claimed to be allied with the dragons. he only meant to frighten her, whether or not his words deemed true or false. so maybe his sister had left out some critical information regarding the captive's identity..well, he then gave a quick side glance to naerys. he couldn't say if he objected with her decision or agreed with it, but either way, the deed was now done. he cleared his throat. "you made quick work of this pirate, sister. or was it greyjoy lord? i'm not so sure. either way, i wouldn't have expected any less." stiffly the words came out, hollow and dull in contrast to how he had been attempting to be more gentle in his approach to asiria. myrrine would be pleased, he supposed. not that the flame of meraxes concerned herself much at all in the dealings with treacherous pirates, but still. who knows what knowledge would have spewed from his mouth if he were to escape their clutches. perhaps he would run to the crownlands and alert the tyrells of what he had seen here on this very island. no more was that a possibility. dramon spotted aerador still perched atop the base of a gargoyle, his attention likely still held by mehrunes' use of flames. though soon enough his leathery wings had opened once more, giving a few tentative flutters before gliding down to the three of them. his claws reached out for dramon's shoulder, stretching out to grapple onto the fabric before finally finding balance. he tucked his wings into his sides and gave curious stares to both his sister and his betrothed. his hand fell away from asiria's shoulder. "i think it may be a good idea to head back to the great hall, considering we've seen various sights so far, and the castle isn't going anywhere. we have more than enough time to wander around and allow you to become acquainted with the other structures in dragonstone. what do you think, princess?" surely she would jump at the opportunity to leave the courtyard, with its looming sense of despair and darkness mounting over the pirate's death. besides, it was about time that they check in with their allies and rhaegon and saenera. whatever they were discussing now with the ironborn and dornish or whatever pledges that were being given to the targaryens would be crucial for their conquest. perhaps they would even hold some sort of a celebration to honor their new alliances. no specifics had been discussed but he knew the westerosi had a taste for finer things in life, and a feast wouldn't be shocking to him. myrrine knew how to appease these lords and ladies and just how to execute it in a way that screamed 'we are not outsiders'.
indentit was interesting to him that not only were they likely going to celebrate, but so were the other nobles of westeros, though for much different reasons. today was andrik tyrells coronation - and the thought was repulsive in his mind, for how could a man unfit for such an honor have it bestowed upon him so easily? his father had fallen at the hands of the cult, mostly unbeknownst to the westerosi, and they were putting their blind trust into a man who could easily make the same mistakes. a common theme with most, he found, was that nobody really seemed to learn from what their parents or ancestors before them had fallen victim to. at best, andrik would be moronic to near dragonstone like his father had. but they didn't need to wait for him to come to them. they could strike whenever it suited them. myrrines words resonated in the back of his mind like an echo, though. they needed to first pick off their supporters, essentially destroy whoever was unwilling to submit to them and replace the former great house with one that would comply with and obey house targaryen. a more manageable lord or lady, if you will. one that could be kept in check - but also be in great debt to the targaryens for granting them an ancestral seat to rule from. it was likely someone being paid such a high honor to be instilled as the ruling house of a realm would never think to go against the words of the dragons, nor would they be likely to give thought to any schemes concerning any rebellions against house targaryen. obviously it would need to be carefully executed, though, for the loyalty of a great houses' vassals seemed to run immeasurably deep. he was sure that a new ruling house would cause discontentment and unrest amongst the nobles whom were pledged to a previous great house, and that would just not do. so maybe they would need to make it clear insubordinate behavior would be taken care of quickly, wiping their names away just as they did to other houses who tried the same. of course, this all could be avoided if the vassals saw their overlords pledging themselves to the dragons. they wouldn't do anything that their superiors would not abide by, for the most part. their clamber for power in westeros needed to be a meticulous, fine one, to avoid any possible future complications.

[vaell]

ＣＡＬＲＩＮ　ＴＵＬＬＹ ！
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( title. lord of riverrun ) ( tagged. tullys, valian | mentioned: - ) ( location. red keep; gardens )


─────the coronation of andrik tyrell had been a long, boring ceremony for calrin tully, nearly enough to elicit a yawn from him if he didn't think janessa would first hit him for doing such a thing in the now-quiet hall. so he didn't. the ever-so-attentive tully lord watched as the septon placed the crown on the man's head after uttering some probably meaningful lot of words that he could quite frankly not recall thanks to being distracted by some not-so present thoughts. he managed a "long may he reign" just as the rest of the bunch of nobles did, the thunder of applause following urging him to clap for the tyrell as well. beside him, kermit wasted no time to turn to the three of them and voice exactly what cal himself had been thinking. so obviously he was quick to agree with his brother. "you're telling me? i don't think i could stand the voice of the septon for another second, droning on and on," he nearly rolled his eyes. "anyway. i think a feast is only the appropriate apology for making us all sit through that." though quickly enough janessa had interjected into their complaints, and he found himself sighing in annoyance. she growled at kermit, whom he didn't think deserved any of her wrath, and went on to basically chastise him. gods, could they ever catch a break? it was like walking on thin ice around her, especially now in kings landing, and he wasn't having it. if they wanted to wind down and relax during their time in the capital, then they shouldn't be reprimanded for it. especially if that's what they were here to do, right? enjoy the festivities all in the name of the new king andrik, spend time floating around all the different houses and mingling with the members, maybe even tossing in a few flirts here and there, probably even cause a scandal by doing so to someone who is already betrothed. that was the fun of it all. for cal, at least.
indentnearly lost in the thought of upcoming feast, he heard janessa speak once more and hardly tuned in to what she was saying. something about travelling outside the riverlands more often? meh, sure. he gave her a small shrug in return. he personally did like travelling outside of his homelands but right now he was focused on other matters. his eyes scanned the crowd of nobles around them, spotting the familiar house colors and sigils donned of many great houses. baratheon..stark..arryn..lannister. no greyjoys or martells, though. whatever. the bigger loss were the martells, if you asked him. the greyjoys were no more than upscaled pirates with hardly enough going on for them, their only happiness in life to reave and raid. he was pretty sure the iron islands were the last place he would ever want to venture in his life. which was concerning, considering that the north nearly occupied that spot - so yeah, somehow the iron islands were worse than the north. ouch. he didn't understand how the starks were so patriotic for such a vastly bleak and frozen realm, or how they could stand residing in winterfell to look out at the same sights all the time. the same applied to him, it was true, but the riverlands were no frozen wasteland. his homelands boast plains, forests, hills, and endless rivers, bordering on every single kingdom with dorne as the exception. and yeah, living somewhere your whole life leads to sceneries becoming boring quite fast, but he could safely say he would suffer if he had to grow up in winterfell. seriously, imagine at the age of five already being done with the same dreary palette and lack of just about anything. that alone was the distinct difference from his preference for the riverlands and the north.
indentbegrudgingly, he followed after janessa as she parted through the crowd, taking his time and ending up slacking behind the rest of the tullys. but eventually he did make it to the dais with them all. after each of his siblings said their part, it was finally his turn to face the king. "your grace. i wish you good fortune and a prosperous reign," he gave a bow before stepping after his siblings down the dais. kermit again was testing janessa's patience right when they rejoined the rest of the gallery, and cal had to repress a chuckle in order not to receive a sideways glare from her. he kept his mouth shut this time, though he too definitely did want to joke about gossiping with the lesser nobles about who might've been the cause for the former lord of the six kingdoms' death. so, he went with his siblings through the corridors of the hall as they made their way toward the gardens for the feast. finally no more standing in place waiting for things he could nearly doze off to just thinking about. as the tully bunch had been met with the cold airs of winter outside, he turned to rheva, about to make some stupid comment about how the crownlands had it easy, but luckily, before he could even blurt anything out if he wanted to, the lady valian had approached them. she immediately gave her greetings to janessa first, but cal basically danced around his siblings to be at the forefront of things with janessa. the baratheon lady shifted her attention to the younger tullys, which was in his favor. "my lady," he quickly jumped in before either rheva or kerm could, flashing her a dazzling smile that belonged only to the charmer that was himself, making sure to keep up with their paces as they walked now. "lord calrin tully. it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." he gave a small bow of his head in respect. even if he hadn't been introduced to her, he would have known she were the lady of storms end just by her attire. she wore her house colors in all their glory with a golden brooch of a stag's antlers lining her neckline, making it well known just who she were. so hopefully he could capture her attention for a moment as she did his, if only brief thanks to his dumb show of meeting her. "may i say, you look ravishing on this fine day."
indentsurprisingly, he gave her another small nod of his head, taking a moment to fall back a bit closer back to janessa to allow for kerm and rheva to actually be able to introduce themselves. his eyes scanned over the already seated nobles as they neared the middle of the gardens, lucky to already have goblets in their hands that would surely be continued to be filled time over and over again as the day went on. he wondered where the tully bunch would end up. surely they could butt in somewhere and start making conversation with the other great houses. he wasn't so sure he could contain himself from any brashness should janessa try and stay somewhat serious. how could he? he needed to entertain these dull lords and ladies, all of whom already seemed way too uptight for his taste. how some nobles could not relax during this time of celebration, cal wasn't so sure. either way, he was positive he could crack a few jokes - though he couldn't promise they wouldn't be out of turn - and maybe get them all to loosen up. i mean, assuming they were not already let loose. judging by some of the expressions that he noted from the tables, he was probably right that he could cause some chaos. whether he get lost about the feast on his own or with kerm, only time could tell. it was often the two got separated when they started going about and being ridiculous, but one way or another he always wound up back at his brothers side at the end of the night, probably ranting about whatever he had endured that day. or maybe his elder sister would frown upon the two of them doing such things at this scale of an event. not that she didn't normally. it was just that this was, well, a much more important day. still, that would be no good, having to sit around at a table for the majority of the time. if her and rheva wanted to do that, then they could - but leave him out of it. so, now being curious, he glanced to janessa, wondering what her next move was.

[vaermina]

ＡＮＤＲＩＫ 'ＡＮＩ' ＴＹＲＥＬＬxxx
I.xthe lord of the six kingdomsx II.xtagged: lyanna, lyra, magdalene, beanie


indent"mhm," agreed the king at lyanna's reflection, his eyes briefly scanning the crowd of nobles entering the gardens. it was almost like the two royals instantly noticed the appearance of their cousin, cordelia, at the same time. he hadn't recalled seeing her in the great hall, and he wouldn't be surprised if she had just arrived at the red keep. it seemed in cordelia's nature to be late to even her own cousin's ceremony. ani knew that along with some lesser tyrell nobles, cordelia resides in the regional capital of the reach, highgarden. the castle sits on an emerald hill overlooking the mander, its white walls and golden rooftops reflective of the beautiful realm it was built in. admittedly, ani has always held a fondness of highgarden not reflective of his feelings towards the red keep. its briar labyrinth, stain-glassed windows, slender towers, palatial keep, and winding corridors leave much to be desired compared to the current fortress he resided in. highgarden is nothing if not a reflection of the reach with the climbing ivy, grapes and red roses that can be found on most structures. surrounding the ancestral home are fields of golden roses as far as the eye can see. the reach is the second-largest realm in westeros and by far the most fertile and populated. due to its heavy population, the tyrells have the ability to raise the largest army in westeros. combined with the royal fleet and the fleets of the redwyne family - numbers that easily rake past two hundred warships and even five times that number in merchant carracks, whalers and galleys - the redwynes host a fleet even larger than the iron fleet of house greyjoy. the relationship between the crown and the iron islands has always been tense due to the greyjoys' rebellious temperament, although any sort of rebellion they did try to enact always ended up being a failure. nevertheless, with both the crownlands and the reach in tyrell control, his family has a considerable amount of influence in the six kingdoms. his attention moved away from their cousin when lyanna spoke again, this time referring to the starks. he nodded in agreement. "i should hope so. it would set a good example to the other families, help quell any sort of anxiety the lords and ladies might feel about the future of westeros if they see the two monarchies in union." he had leaned back slightly in his seat, goblet still in hand as he observed the stark family from their position near the tables. the hazy afternoon sunlight reflected off the gold crown atop his brow. while the north is the biggest realm, it is one of the least populated and the region's poor population density has, historically, made it difficult for the starks to even gather their usual amount of bannermen that creeps up to forty five thousand. the starks and tyrells have always been in good graces, though, especially after his father granted them independence when the former king in the north helped aid house targaryens' downfall. he knew that many northerners are skeptical of those who live in the south, often borderline prejudiced towards foreigners. most northerners would never follow the tyrells unless their ruling family shows some sort of public unity with them. not that ani even really understood that sentiment. they would have no royal family in the north if his father hadn't been kindly and granted them independence in the first place. well, he supposed it didn't matter much. the citizens of westeros tend to act certain ways depending on which realm you're in, and he supposed the cold shoulder is fitting for those who live in the tundra and dead woodlands.
indenthe eyed princess lyra and her sister, queen adryana as they stood near the tables with their direwolves at their feet. he couldn't help but smile slightly as his sister's words breached his train of thought. "well, i cannot say i'm surprised. out of all the houses, the starks are surely to take such sentiments literally," he mused good-naturedly. not that he blamed them. it was similar to how his cousin cordelia and several other tyrell names still have control of the reach, despite the royal family residing in king's landing. he knew that lyra had two younger siblings and while their absence had been noted, he couldn't say he was reflecting too much upon it. he could not say that he had seen the stark family interact much with the other nobles in the great hall. he would have expected more from lyra's sister, the queen in the north. he did not know the younger woman that well, but he wondered if she were unsettled or suspicious of those around her, common traits found in those of northern blood. he hoped not. royals are often expected to be sociable with others, well-versed in the manners of conversation. his parents had practically rubbed that in he and lyannas' faces when they were younger. perhaps she was just uncomfortable, being so far from winterfell. he wasn't sure. unlike the tyrells, the starks' monarchy extends as far as the borders of the northern realm go. they only have control of their vassal houses and minor nobles found in the north. the other great houses are pledged to the roses, as their realms make up the six kingdoms of westeros. nevertheless, he appreciated the woman's condolences earlier in the red keep. perhaps he was reading too much into it. eventually, princess lyra seemed to unintentionally follow his sisters' words by approaching the pergola. the king had to move his leg back so the princess could take her seat. the young woman spoke rather stiffly, the words falling off of her tongue a reflection of the royal environment she had grown in. the arrangement between ani and the northern princess is one that might be called... interesting. it had been arranged when his father was still alive, although now it seemed more critical than ever with a war brewing on the horizon. he wasn't sure about it all. he knew that princess lyra loved her homeland, and it's simple impossible for the crownlands to be exactly the same as the north. the different landscape, climate, culture, religion; king's landing would never be winterfell, no matter how much snow blankets its roofstops and streets during the coldest of winter evenings. from what he has gathered of the princess so far, she is devout to the old gods, a religion that is pretty much only solely practiced in the northern regions of westeros these days. ani is not much religious himself and hardly paid mind to the seven, so luckily, such differences did not look like they could cause any sort of conflict between them. he wasn't sure what he could do, to try and make it more comfortable for her to reside here. of course, any requests she might have would surely be taken into consideration and completed so she enjoyed the red keep more than she currently does but he supposed that locking himself away the past few weeks to obsessively float around his chambers as he tried looking into dead-ends of the targaryens' return did not help with anything. if he came off as cold in any way since his father died, he hadn't meant it.
indent"i am glad you think so," he said calmly at lyra's words, despite how stringent they sounded. "and of course, you're not faulted for such." ani knew that she hasn't seen her sister in a while before the events of today, so he was not irritated by her late coming. he opened his mouth to say something else until a familiar presence, magdalene lannister, floated onto the boards of the pergola. he closed his mouth as the young lady-in-waiting apologized for her absence. magdalene is the youngest of the lannister family, having been sworn into service not long before his betrothed arrived in the capital. she tended to his sister. his father had accepted her services in an effort to improve the relations between the roses and the lions, although he could not say he was positive in the lannisters' loyalty. it seemed strange to him that they hold no sort of aggression or bitterness towards the tyrells for the execution of the former lord of casterly rock, but he has heard tales of how the old man used to act towards the women in his family. in his eyes, his death was deserved and he couldn't help but think the ladies of house lannister agreed. unfortunately, the king was interrupted yet again by the sound of glass shattering nearby. his head practically snapped to the source of the sound. there was a flash of gold as someone vanished into the winding pathways of the garden, several servants rushing forth to clean up what appeared to be a mess of broken glass and liquid. the sound had drawn the attention of practically everyone standing nearby, including the archers browsing the parapets and nobles sitting at the tables. given the recent murder of the tyrells' father and rumors circulating about the return of a vengeful family, everyone was on edge. he was sure that some of the nobles had even been hesitant to travel to king's landing, given the current tenseful climate. he glanced at his company. "excuse me," he told the women. "i'll be back." putting down his goblet, ani rose from the table and shuffled past lyra, stepping down from the pergola to approach the servants frantically cleaning up the spill and shards of glass. they cringed when they saw the king approaching. of course, ani would never lash out at those who work in the red keep - especially for accidents - but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. everyone is on edge as it is. he felt the need to make sure everything was alright, though, and take on an air of responsibility when it comes to the outer dealings of the feast so none of the other nobles grew timid. "what happened? accidentally drop something?" he inquired the young women. he bent down to try and help pick up some of the larger shards, although one of the servants respectfully shooed his hands away, so he did not accidentally cut himself. one of the servants had scampered over with a broom, shaking her head. "i'm sorry, your grace," she squeaked. "ser bennis had grabbed a glass and, um, i don't know, i guess he got spooked or somethin' and he dropped it." the mention of the baratheon caused ani to frown as he leaned up to his full height again. on instinct, he immediately looked to the other knights of the kingsguard. some of them were grinning at each other in a somewhat smug manner. guards who stood nearby appeared disgruntled, like they were just rolling their eyes at some sort of nuisance.
indentuh, oh.
indent"thank you for telling me," he told the young women, turning away to look down the cobblestone pathway beanie must have fled upon. beanie - an affectionate nickname for him, really, for his actual name is bennis - is a good friend of the king's, despite their painfully stark differences. whereas ani can be ruthless, brutal and straightforward, beanie was timid, quiet and introverted. before his father passed, ani could be found in the courtyards of the red keep sparring with knights of the kingsguard but he could not recall having ever practiced training with beanie, for he was always afraid he would accidentally skewer the younger man like a pig on a spit. he knew that the younger man is not of knightly material, but he certainly held a chivalrous spirit. well, of some sorts. he didn't know about bold courage to run into battle with a flaming sword but he was certainly loyal to ani and his sister. and either way, he has always been firm on the fact that beanie has potential. the king knew that not all of the knights in his kingsguard are fond of him, but he was oblivious to the extent of it. any bullying directed towards beanie was often done out of his line of sight, and considering it's usually always swept under the rug, he's never really heard much about it. one time, a gardener had come to him to tell him he heard crying out in the hedges one evening while tending to the flower beds but ani hadn't given it much thought until it became a regular complaint from his subjects. eventually, he began to suspect the culprit might be beanie but he was unsure how to approach him over the matter, not wanting to send him into panic or humiliate him without meaning to. beanie is sensitive. not that that's a bad trait, of course but it seemed to harm more than help. he knew that when beanie first came under the service of the tyrells, his lady mother had requested him to sleep in different barracks than the others in his post. if there's one way to be singled out, it's that. deciding to check up on beanie before returning to the pergola, he began to follow the cobblestone path that snaked into the gardens, figuring he could try and play a game of scavenger hunt to find where the younger man had run off to.
indentthe gardens of the red keep are massive. there is more than one gardener that tends to it on the regular. several fountains could be found scattered throughout, each one having been remodeled and resculpted to fit the aesthetic of his house than the former overlords of the keep. each type of flower grown in the beds were different than the last. some of them were in the full glare of the sun, others shaded by neatly trimmed trees. lanterns hung from wooden posts along the edges of the pathways to provide light for strollers whenever the sun went to sleep. birds could be heard chirping from their positions in the trees, some of them bathing in birdbaths and others attempting to steal grain and seeds from feeders. some of the larger hedges had been trimmed into animals. ani scanned his surroundings carefully to try and locate the familiar blonde head of beanie. he didn't know where he would be hiding at. the further you wander into the gardens, the more isolated you become. if beanie had shattered the glass and scampered off into hiding, he must have a valid reason for doing so. he knew the younger man would never cause a scene intentionally. ma-
indenthe paused when he heard a sound of distress.
indentthe king frowned, turning his head. it was coming from near one of the walls of the garden, hidden behind several large hedges. mulch crunched underneath ani's boots as he veered off of the smooth pavement of the pathway, following the sound of grief. it didn't take him much longer after that to find beanie. the young man was curled in an alcove in the wall, hidden behind the many plants and bushes that covered him from view. honestly, ani was not as surprised as he thought he would be upon discovering the baratheon knight. he was more surprised he hasn't ever stumbled upon beanie having a mental breakdown sooner. nevertheless, the sight of the distraught man elicited sympathy from him almost immediately. the tyrell king had a knack for being rather blunt and direct, almost rough around the edges but he held a considerable amount of compassion. he never liked seeing anyone in his inner circle upset. "beanie?" he said, attempting to keep his tone gentle as not to accidentally startle or scare the knight. "what's wrong? why are you upset?" his demeanor was rather soft, so beanie did not think he was somehow mad at him for shattering the glass earlier. he also kept his demeanor empathetic, as to try and not make beanie feel embarrassed somehow that the king ended up walking in on his breakdown. not that he looked down at him for such. ani had his own fair share of crises the past few weeks. and despite his alarm for the younger man, he kept his distance, not sure if beanie wanted him to approach or not. he didn't think beanie would lash out aggressively, given how it's simply not in his nature but he didn't want to make him uncomfortable. to someone looking in on the situation, they might raise a brow at how different the king and the knight looked right about now. there was ani, dressed in verdant and golden silk with a brown cape and dijon crown atop his head. and then there was beanie, hunched in the dirt and staining his armor with tears dripping down his face. people are often quick to judge, given how beanie is a knight and supposed to act a certain manner to uphold the status of the kingsguard. but ani didn't put that sort of pressure on him, knowing who he was and how he is. he knew the type of person beanie is, so he didn't expect anything outlandish from him. he wasn't even sure if beanie would tell him why he was upset, even though ani - much to his current obliviousness - certainly held the power to fix whatever problems he faced.

[vaermina]

ＪＡＮＥＳＳＡ ＴＵＬＬＹxxx
I.xthe heir of riverrunx II.xtagged: kermit, calrin, rheva, valian, laurane, nathaley, adryana


indentwhen the nobles were allowed to leave the great hall and transition to the gardens, janessa linked arms with rheva and kermit. her grip on rheva was considerably more gentle than kermit's to keep him from trying to run off as soon as he was given the clear. if she could grow a third arm, she'd be undoubtedly grabbing her brother calrin as well.
indentthe gardens of the red keep were a lovely sight. growing up in the riverlands, she liked to see nature more than she liked to see stone and iron. the seat of house tully, riverrun, is built on the confluence of the tumblestone and red fork rivers, overlooking not only the wetlands but woodlands and roads surrounding it. she knew she was biased but personally, riverrun would always hold a special place in her heart. it's not the largest ancestral seat in westeros and perhaps not the most beautiful but it would always be lovely to her. she particularly enjoyed the godswood, a quiet and and airy garden between the great hall and the keep that harbored elms, redwoods, muddy streams and chirping birds. she knew her sister, rheva, also loved riverrun; to the point where it seemed she never really wanted to leave. janessa didn't blame her. if she had her way, she'd probably stay in the safe confines of the castle herself. but she knew she had duties and obligations outside of the riverlands, particularly when it comes to keeping the relations between the crown and the tullys secure. the tyrells have one of the most fertile lands on the continent, so it's not like they depended on the other realms for food but the riverlands is also pretty fertile in its own right, and they do as much trading with the westerlands as they do the north, their upper neighbors. the riverlands is practically situated right in the middle of the continent, too so many of their allies use their roads and waterways as a means for shipment. janessa had been told since she was young she would one day inherit the title as lady paramount of the trident, and she would be the exemplar of the tully family itself. she's always taken such duty very seriously. the tullys had been a huge alley to the tyrells in the war - as most of the battles between the targaryens and rebels were held on riverland soil - and the tully army had helped crush any sort of help sent by the iron islands to the dragon lords. if there is truly a war coming, she intended for her house to help aid the crown again.
indentjanessa led her siblings over to one of the tables. she couldn't help but perk when she made note of all the silver dishes available for the nobles to feast from. hopefully, this would be enough to stop kermit's complaining. she swore, she has never seen more immature men in her entire life than her brothers when they decide to act like idiots. it almost made her humiliated to even be here right now. janessa and rheva are more than aware of what etiquette needs to be shown to the other lords and ladies of westeros, but kermit and calrin seem to share a brain the size of an acorn. truly, she worried for them. if something were to happen to janessa, she did not think kermit or calrin would do well on their own. her brothers have never struck her as nobility. socialites, perhaps but nobility? nobles are expected to be well-versed in politics and formalities. she found it difficult to even imagine her brothers dabbling in such a thing. now that she thought about it, the two of them are more socialites than anything else. they're both well-versed in social activities and que, but she found it hard to picture them entertaining a court of politicians. she supposed it was a good thing she was the eldest of the bunch, so she had the reins as heir after their parents died and not kermit.
indentthe woman's attention was pulled away from her family when someone forced themselves into their circle. she kept her face neutral at the intrusion, observing the woman who had spoken to her in the first place. she recognized her as lady valian of storm's end, the heir of house baratheon. the woman radiated something spectacular, with her elegant dress that boasted the colors of her noble house. while it has been quite a while since she has last seen the other great houses of westeros, they all practically grew up together. she remembered being a child and attending tourneys in king's landing, sitting amongst the nobles and glancing at faces that would later grow to be familiar to her. some are closer than others, yes but she could not say anyone here is totally unrecognizable apart from perhaps the youngest of them. she smiled at lady valian, offering a small curtsey in greetings. "lady valian," she addressed her politely. "the riverlands is doing alright, yes. of course, we're already beginning to feel the effects of winter and snowstorms from the north. terrible business it is for the markets when half of the rivers are freezing up, but i suppose it's to be expected. i hope the stormlands have not felt such effects as of yet." the stormlands is further south than the crownlands, the castle of storm's end nestled on the crook of shipbreaker bay along the narrow sea. she did not think the stormlands has seen winter as of yet, apart from perhaps a drop in temperature. she couldn't help but smile lightly, especially when valian referred to her family as 'hooligans'. of course, janessa was not insulted for she was right about that. the only one with a levelled head apart from janessa herself is rheva.
indentas to be expected, her brother calrin practically forced himself into their conversation. it took all of janessa's might to not grab one of the cheeses offered by the servant's platter and shove it into his mouth to force him to be quiet. i'm going to yell. she didn't trust her brother to not try and wander off by the end of the evening to cause chaos somewhere in the gardens. janessa could only keep him on lockdown for so long before he slithered out of his cage, and she was apprehensive of what he might try and do. she did not want to look like a fool to the other houses, all of whom seemed to be radiating an air of certain regality and eloquence that - much to her irritation - her own family could never possibly live up to. she didn't know if calrin thought he was some sort of court's jester; if he did, he might as well go dress as a fool and grab a flute and start playing a tune for the king and his family. janessa supposed she'd be lying if she said her brothers have not made her cry out of frustration more than once, and she could already tell she'd be crying on the way home out of embarrassment if calrin or kermit said or did something to humiliate their house tonight. she met her brother's eyes, although her gaze had hardened, as if she were thinking of hitting him aside the head with a plate. she looked back at lady valian, forcing a smile this time to hide her inner thoughts. "yes, this is my brother lord calrin." she nodded towards the man, forcing her tone to remain neutral. "and this is my brother lord kermit and my sister lady rheva." she nodded to the other tullys individually. then, she spoke again. "please, let us sit and eat," she motioned towards the table. "before the food gets cold. it all looks so delicious." thus, the lady of riverrun led her family to the table - albeit practically dragging her brothers along to sit as she did so. as they neared the table, she lowered her voice to talk to her brothers. "please just do me a favor and act like you care about this event tonight. that is all i ask of you two, and you know i don't ask for much. it is important that we maintain a proper reputation to the other houses so we look dependable if there is a war coming." if her brothers decided to frolick around like animals, the other houses would think the tullys immature and childish, and she didn't want that. she wanted to be seen as a dependable ally, not like she and her siblings were running amuck and butting heads all the time. whether or not kermit and calrin would understand that, she didn't know. perhaps they would decide to be selfish after all and go and gossip about the former king's demise with other nobles and end up being thrown into the dungeons alongside shackled skeletons under king andrik's orders. that would be just her luck.
indentthe tullys found themselves in the company of the arryns and starks once they arrived at the tables. most of the great houses had sat near one another, perhaps without even meaning to. she gently urged her sister to take a seat, before doing the same with calrin and kermit - minus the gentleness and adding some sort of urgency, of course. after taking a seat with hopefully the lady of storm's end following their lead, she quickly observed the guests before them. she recognized the arryns almost immediately from their blue gowns that reflected the mellow colors of their sigil. the arryns have always radiated an air of dignity and granduer. even when she were younger and had accompanied her parents to king's landing, she remembered standing by her mother while they talked with the former lord and lady of the eyrie and even then, the arryns had spoken with such august. from her understanding, there were supposed to be three of them but it looked like lord micah arryn was nowhere to be seen. it was only his sister lady laurane and lady nathaley sitting at the table. queen adryana stark was also sitting at the table, her sister probably having left to go sit underneath the pergola with her betrothed. this was the perfect time for janessa to actually interact with other heirs. she loved her siblings, truly but none of them had been bestowed with the expectations she had been placed under as a child due being the eldest. it was nice to finally be around others who could perhaps understand her situation. she gave the other nobles polite smiles. "lady laurane, lady nathaley, queen adryana," she greeted them, tone civil. "i hope you are faring well this afternoon. it is a pleasure to see you all once more, even if the circumstances are not exactly ideal." she supposed a gentle introduction into small talk would work. she was unsure how the other nobles were feeling, although it'd be quite stiff to sit and eat in silence. she didn't expect anything negative to out of the interactions, unless her brothers tried to become meddlesome and step on the wrong nerves. she was hoping they could keep a levelled tongue, for the sake of everyone around them and just be normal for once. janessa blinked and briefly looked to the pergola when she heard the sound of glass shattering from nearby, although she quickly deemed it to just be the result of someone's shaky hand. like most, she was on edge.

[landogate]

𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐓X𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘

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TWENTY-THREE. LORD OF HOUSE TULLY. CLOSETED BISEXUAL. LOCATION: THE FEAST. TAGS: RHEVA, JANESSA, CALRIN, VALIAN, STARKS, ARRYNS
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xxxONE thing kermit was forever grateful of was his brothers agreement that janessa was sometimes too uptight, or too controlling. he was in kingslanding, arguably the city of women and dodgy taverns and he was just itching to get out, beyond the high walls of the red keep, something he was sure calrin would agree to once the cover of night fell. his life under janessa was full of secretive eye-rolls and snarky backtalk. part of him always itched to leave the riverlands, to find somewhere more liberating. he had no pleasure to rule a keep. today was no different. he found the red keep constricting, so many lords and ladies eager to please their new king. he found himself eye rolling as many of the richer lords and ladies made empty promises to the king, the only thing on his mind was the feast. gods, even a tourney would be good around now.

xxxKERMIT found himself fidgety as he hung around janessa, like a dog waiting it's orders. he glanced to calrin who had already introduced himself to a gorgeous young lady. scowling slightly, kermit bumped into his brother and made himself available, only briefly listening to janessa. "yes lady valian, what a pleasure it is to meet you." he all but purred, flashing a toothy smile "we two brothers are enticed in your beauty." kerm shot a glance to calrin, making sure he knew they were on the same page. rheva would surely want to make her acquaintance next, so kermit left a little room for her. before he knew it he was being dragged by his lady sister, causing him to cry out suddenly, before it was replaced by vulgar curses as he was led to the tully table. another eye-roll was elicited.

xxxTHOUGH when he was faced with the mountains of food at their table he was much happier. poultry and charred fish sat decadently, fruit was piled high and the grainy-bread products looked golden in the light. he didn't even have to look twice before kermit reached for a peach, biting into it and savoring the flavor. though he was swiftly taken from his pleasures to listen to janessa's scolding. for a fact, kermit had mostly kept his mouth shut the last few minutes, so he was partly unsure why she had chosen just now to berate both the male siblings. it wasn't their fault the red keep was so boring. kermit had sat next to calrin, how that had happened only the gods would know. both young men were notoriously bad to keep, always plotting with each other or rough-housing over an attractive server in riverrun. out of all his siblings, kermit was closest to calrin. they both had the same perchance for trouble and mischief.

xxx"WAR, more like shmore, gods janessa you're such a bore." he chuckled leaning back into his chair. he did scoff though upon her insistence that the two troublemakers stay put tonight and not cause any trouble. "whatever, guess we'll just sit here bored. if we have your permission dear sister might we go talk to the lady valian?" he snickered, bumping his hand into calrin's shoulder. he made sure to pout whenever he spoke of permission or dear sister, again trying to elicit a response out of her. it was all in good fun, at least that's what it was in kermit's brain. he barely sat up though when more women approached the table, unless he had a valid reason to leave the table now, he wouldn't be leaving for a long while.

xxxTHE tully listened to his sister for the first time in a while. he recognized the queen in the north immediately. everyone knew who ruled the white wastelands, but the other woman he was forced to listen to janessa. lady arryn? the second, younger noblewoman he was unsure of. perhaps it was another princess of the north, or the lady of the vale's kin. he was seconds away from moving when the shattering of glass took his attention. at least it wasn't him this time.
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[winterfell.]

─ ✧ -- ( ＲＨＥＶＡ ＴＵＬＬＹ ) ─────────────────────────────────
⇉ [ location : red keep ] [ title : lady of riverrun ] [ tagged : tullys; valian; arryns; adryana ] [ 1239 words ]


- - - - -Perhaps she was just too adjusted to Cal and Kermit, their antics and pestering being a part of her day-to-day life for as long as she could remember. Unlike Janessa, Rheva didn't pay much attention to it, even if she thought some of their comments were in poor taste. It was easy to ignore them and get lost in all the glamour of King's Landing. She'd never seen anything beyond the Riverlands -- and very little beyond Riverrun itself -- in her life. Needless to say, the decor and the nobles and the general energy was a lot to take in. She felt overwhelmed, eyes scanning over the great hall of the Red Keep over and over and over again, just trying to observe as much as she could. Her sister and brothers seemed less anxious, but she supposed that was the norm for them. Janessa was, very easily, taking control of the situation at hand, she noticed. She always admired her sister for that, for the confidence she seemed to have at all times. She knew the girl had a massive weight on her shoulders, in charge of overseeing all of their homeland. Yet she wore the title well. On top of that, no one could keep Kermit and Cal in line like she could. Of course, it wasn't perfect. Rheva didn't believe there was a human being alive that could actually keep the two Tully boys in check, but Janessa made them at least seem like lords. Or almost lords. It was as good as it was going to get. She snapped back to attention at the gentle hold her sister had on her, allowing herself to be lead into the garden along with the other nobles for the feast. Once outside in the fresh air, she felt like she could breathe again. She'd grown accustomed to living a life surrounded by nature, flowers and trees all around them, enriching their land with beauty. It was a sharp contrast to the great hall, but a welcome change. It reminded her of her home, though it wasn't exactly the same, she supposed. Nothing was exactly the same as Riverrun. But, on the bright side, it was warmer here than it had been back home. Winter was setting over the Riverlands, which meant bad news for the gardens. Flowers were wilting and it seemed like the whole world was greying. King's Landing, in contrast, was further south. It hadn't been hit at hard. There was still a light chill in the air that made her wish she'd brought a cloak, but the sun was bright and the world was just as vibrant and colorful as she'd hoped.

- - - - -She shot a glance over to her brothers, both of whom had spent the bulk of their time complaining that they were hungry. They were being feasted now. She hoped that would be enough to satisfy them, but she had a sneaking suspicion that this wouldn't end their mischief. She was starting to think that nothing could quell that. Before anything more could happen, a voice broke through the vague chatter of the remaining nobles, someone speaking to her sister specifically. Rheva's eyes fell to the woman's gown before anything else, the sheer extravagance of the piece both beautiful and intimidating all at once. If the blacks and golds didn't immediately give away the woman's identity, the antlers on her broach certainly did. Lady Valian Baratheon was nothing short of attention-grabbing. The confidence it must have taken to wear black to a coronation was beyond the Tully. Janessa addressed her first, as was her place. But before anyone else could so much as open their mouths, Calrin stepped in, something that obviously annoyed their sister. Rheva expected nothing less from him. She expected Kermit to do the same, admittedly and was surprised when Janessa beat him to the punch, introducing each of the Tully siblings separately. At the sound of her own name, Rheva curtsied, a small smile on her face. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady," she said softly. "Might I say that gown is absolutely stunning," she added. Her eyes flickered over to her sister, following in her lead and taking a seat at the table she'd chosen for them. She zoned out a bit during Janessa's plea to their brothers, knowing that she wasn't directing any of her frustration toward the youngest of them. Despite Rheva constantly checking herself to make sure she was doing as she should, she knew for a fact that any of Janessa's stress today wasn't her fault. The most she'd done is lose herself in her surroundings for a bit, but it didn't make much of a difference. She didn't talk much either way. She'd be surprised if any of her siblings even noticed, given all that was going on. She rolled her eyes as Kermit spoke, wondering how it was that he could have been raised by the same parents as her. Something was different about the Tully men and it didn't add up. "I thought you were looking forward to the feast," she said. "How are you bored of it already?"

- - - - -Their table was occupied by the Arryns and the Starks. The Arryn ladies were easy to spot, their light hair paired with their blue gowns giving them away. She didn't know much about either of them. Lady Laurane was a proud, strong presence. Her appearance alone radiated easy regality, confidence. Her younger sister, on the other hand, was a little harder to read. She hadn't heard much of anything about Lady Nathaley, but Rheva liked to assume she was a sweet girl, just as intelligent and honorable as her sister. It was a snap judgment, but, if she was going to judge people, the Tully preferred to do so in a positive light. Adryana Stark, the Queen of the North, was with them as well, her direwolf pup at her side. She felt sad for the woman, knowing that it must have been difficult to travel to King's Landing alone. Moreover, her sister wasn't joining her for the feast, which was distressing. Of course, her sister was betrothed to the king, so it made sense for her to be seat at the pergola. Regardless, it must have hurt to be alone. Rheva was picking at her food, only taking small bites every now and again when she wasn't distracted by something. Janessa was the first to break the stiff silence over the table, greeting each of the noble women. Rheva glanced up, smiling at all of them and nodding as her sister spoke. She felt that it wasn't her place to say much else. She hadn't been addressed by any of the nobles and she wasn't nearly as important her sister, the heir to their house. Instead, she took a small sip of the wine in front of her, having barely set her cup back down when she heard the sound of shattering glass, causing her to cringe in her seat. She turned to look, but couldn't see where it came from or who caused it. It was likely just an innocent accident from one of the servants. She just hoped no one was hurt. At the complete and utter lack of panic, she assumed it was insignificant and she let out a small breath at that, turning back in her seat to engage with the noblewoman at the table.

[radio.active.]

i lady heir of storm's end
ii gardens of the red keep
iii tags the tully family
iv no mentions

indent"You are correct, we have yet to feel the claws of winter sink into our skin," Valian said, quietly thanking nature for being kind thus far. Well, at least to the Stormlands. By the sound of it, the Riverlands were already suffering. "It truly is awful that your markets and trade routes are at risk, though. I pray that winter is particularly kind to the Riverlands this season." It was a lie, though not one of ill intention. Valian was far from a religious woman. After years of praying to the seven gods for the health of her family, the safety of her brother, the security of the Stormlands to little avail, she had become quite nihilistic towards the idea of religion. Her advisors disliked her open lack of faith in the seven, though when had she ever listened to their uninvited opinions? The luxurious stag's horn brooch pronounced to the world a loud and clear never.
indentThe eager approach of the Tully brothers brought a smile to the lady's lips. It wasn't often that she got a chance to chat or - dare she admit - flirt with anyone worth her time. Bennis was all the way in King's Landing, leaving the only worthwhile conversations to be had with either her attendants or the occasional serpent that came her way. Neither were particularly preferable; they always insisted on treating her with fear and respect that was just plain insufferable to be had in a friend. With the level playing field she had with these fellow nobles, it was much easier to hold a conversation.
indentWhile Valian had offered sweet smiles to both of the Tully brothers, she turned her full attention to the youngest. Lady Rheva was much more reserved than her brothers, and it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that her manners were also more refined as she patiently waited for her own introduction. "Why, thank you, Lady Rheva. It is likewise a pleasure to meet you," she said, allowing her gaze to sweep down and glance between Rheva's and her own gowns. "I must admit that I am quite partial to this design, though I would simply love to hail from a house of much more flattering colors." Although she didn't mind gold accents and gilded accessories, Valian just plain despised the color yellow. With this deep-rooted hatred for the color leaving only black for Valian's house-influenced colorings, it made Storm's End feel quite gloomy. Some days Valian did find herself enjoying the feeling her many black gowns gave, the auras of power and being untouchable, as she strode through the parapets of her home castle with the waves of Shipbreaker Bay crashing below. Still, the sea storms could only be enjoyed for so long.
indentUpon hearing Janessa and Kermit's exchange, Valian returned her attention to the rest of the Tully siblings. "Oh, no need to go anywhere, Lord Kermit," she chirped, gracefully perching herself in one of the seats near the Tullys. "As the only one of my house, I have nowhere else to be." While the freedom she held as her own keeper was always a plus - never being ordered around by an elder siblings, or tugged around by her ears as the Tully boys were - it did tend to get lonely. "Of course, if that is alright by you, Lady Janessa? Dare I say you could use a break from wrangling your brothers."

[vaermina]

ＭＩＣＡＨ ＡＲＲＹＮxxx
I.xa lord of the valex II.xtagged: laurane, nathaley, rheva, janessa, kermit, calrin, valian, priscilla (m), tytos (m)


indenthaving snuck off from his family in the throne room to mingle with the other guests, it didn't take long for micah to find the other arryns in the gardens.
indenthonestly, he was tempted to sneak off again once he realized who they were sitting by.
indentthe tullys had made themselves comfortable across from his sisters and queen adryana stark, who sat near them. micah slowed to a near stop as he emerged from the crowd, eyeing them critically. house tully is infamous for their chaotic characters, with such chaos mainly stemming from the men in their house. if anything, micah has always found the two to be irritating, even when they were younger and his parents would take him and his sisters to king's landing for royal events. they never seem to shut up, always having something to say. micah was more of a nuisance to his family because of his untameable quench for adventure; he was not exactly sociable or glamorous like the tully brothers. like his sister, he could come off as blunt and harsh, especially if he did not like someone. his temper could also lead him to be particularly scathing, which is why it was like walking on thin ice around him. he knew he should stay near his family, though, especially at such an important event like this one. he was tempted to go with with some of the lesser nobles pledged to the ruling house of the vale, but he wasn't sure how his sister would feel about that. not that he ever cared for her opinion, but he didn't feel like getting a scolding later when they were returning to the eyrie. he sighed to himself, preparing for whatever onslaught he might face as he approached the table.
indentseveral trees grew along the edges of the courtyard the tables had been set in, lanterns hanging delicately from their branches. micah couldn't help but swat one of the low-hanging branches away with a hiss. being taller than the average man definitely has its cons, and it often involved micah walking into tree branches or hanging cobwebs if he was not careful enough. sitting nearby, he also couldn't help but recognize the blonde heads of the lannister brood. the lady of casterly rock, priscilla lannister, appeared to be conversing with her brother, ser tytos. he knew that laurane was betrothed to the lion knight, something he couldn't help but find amusing given the older man's jovial reputation. poor sucker. he probably had not a clue what he was in for. micah was curious of him, though. he was a knight, not pledged to one such family like the kingsguard. he probably had a lot of stories to tell, stories that micah would absoutely bombard him for later. with ser tytos presumably moving to the eyrie, there'd finally be another man in the castle although he doubted tytos would be of much use as backup in he and laurane's daily arguments. as much as the older man intrigued him, he decided to leave him be with his sister.
indentmicah approached the table, another curse escaping him when he nearly hit his head on a lantern hanging from a low tree branch. "by the gods-" he growled, going to sit next to laurane. the sooner he sat, the less chance he has of getting a knot on his head by hitting something hanging from a tree branch. even while sitting, though, the arryn still had a look about him that labelled him a towering person. his knees were scraping against the bottom of the table. he glanced at his sisters. "what'd i miss?" before they could respond, though, he heard a greeting thrown his way by lady janessa tully. "good afternoon, lord micah. i presume you're doing well?" she had a small smile on her face, having watched the man nearly be taken out by the hanging lantern. micah couldn't help but smile sheepishly. "hello, lady janessa. and yes, i'm doing well, thank you." while he lacked the well-spoken nature of his sister, micah could be polite and gentlemanly. he was not a public terror unlike some people at this table. he glanced at the younger woman sitting beside the tully heir. "lady rheva. lord calrin, lord kermit," he greeted the brood, his dark gaze flickering to the northern ruler who sat nearby. "queen adryana." eventually, his attention was directed to the other tully men. lord kermit's chuckle did not go unpassed by the nobles sitting at the table. one of micah's brows raised at his words, the arryn lord's features nothing short of judgmental and harsh as he looked at the tully men. micah is a very expressive person. you could simply look at his face and tell how he's feeling. it was almost like lord calrin and lord kermit embarrassed their family on purpose. sure, micah does not always get along with laurane but he never attempted to pick fights with her in public. he knew that disorderly conduct would make them appear odd and dismantled to the other nobles. it seemed like the tully men didn't care about that, though. they came off as nothing short of childish. if anything, it just bothered micah because he simply found them to be irritating. it's not like they did anything to him personally.
indentlady janessa had thrown her brother a scathing glare but did not say anything, probably trying to hold her tongue for the sake of the other nobles at the table. just judging by the look in her eyes, she looked stressed. the arryn could not help but glance at his sister, wondering what she'd say in response. if there's one thing about laurane, it's that she does not take any nonsense and does not let anyone disregard her in any way. she could easily chew up the tully men and spit them back out without a problem. in fact, he would be surprised if laurane did not say something. it seemed like lady janessa tried her hardest to rein the two of her brothers in, with no success in most cases. granted, they did not come off as intimidating, either. their silly demeanors and immature quirks made them appear as soft as rotten melons. to be honest, he wasn't sure why he was growing irritated. perhaps it was his lack of patience and just general tolerance that made him annoyed. he was already regretting sitting here and it hasn't even been five minutes. no doubt, lord calrin would join in his brother's antics and cause the already souring atmosphere to grow even more tense. micah knew that he himself is no picturesque example of a proper noble, but at-least he did not go around gossiping or acting blatantly callow. these are adults they're talking about, yet they might have been dropped on their heads as infants which explained their slow behavior.
indentit seemed that lady valian baratheon - who, much to his surprise, he just noticed also being present - wanted to steal the tully brothers. was she stupid, too, to want to be alone with them as company? maybe she wanted their validation. even that seemed suspicious. honestly, he didn't care much. micah would rather sit with the statues in the garden than be alone with them. lady janessa's features appeared neutral, although he could tell by how tense she was she was displeased with the whole situation, and somewhat frustrated by her brothers' inability to act normal. before she could respond to lady valian's inquiry, micah spoke.
indent"for a man who seems to think that the threat of incoming war is boring, you act like lounging about as a socialite would save you from getting sniped by an arrow in battle," he told lord kermit with a smile; one that held no sort of friendliness about it. he leaned back slightly in his seat. "but i digress. i suppose you two would know everything there is when it comes to the topic of war, by the way you seem to just so carelessly toss it aside. i'm sure the art of gossip would save you from an enemy should war reach the riverlands. you probably don't even need a sword. i'm sure you could convince an invading army to not attack riverrun, am i right? all the gossiping and chattering has to be of use somehow. oh no, i can't imagine you'd act foolish for no reason. or maybe you could do a funny little dance, distract them long enough to create a diversion. kind of like a court fool. i feel like that would be in you twos' alley, perhaps." the smile on his face could be mistaken for teasing, if you're the type of person who's not intelligent enough to read between the lines. in reality, it was harsh and scathing. the atmosphere of the table seemed to take another shift once micah spoke. house arryn has always held a reputation for being cold, honorable and blunt and much like his elder sister, micah upholds that stereotype pretty well. he didn't like kermit and calrin tully and he wasn't afraid to show that through his passive aggressive words. he didn't find the men menacing, either. even if they could wield a sword well, he was almost positive they'd be skewered before they could even swing it. he wouldn't be surprised if something happened to house tully in the coming months, should war be declared. to be honest, while he just found the tully brothers a nuisance to society, it was evident that they disrespected their sister with their antics. it might be unintentional, but to everyone else, it's as plain as day. while micah knew he was a pain to laurane in the eyrie and not at all easy to handle, he's never gone out of his way to humiliate her in public. he's always known his place. he couldn't say the tully brothers thought the same. whether or not they decided to respond just as passively aggressively, he didn't care. he felt like he had enough ammunition to bury them six feet under. it was obvious they did not take their sister seriously, and they probably were unprepared to be called out for their childish behavior by someone outside of their family. he was surprised it didn't happen sooner.