⊰ ── ( CHAOS IS A LADDER )

[vaell]

ＬＡＵＲＡＮＥ　ＡＲＲＹＮ ！
─────────────────────────────────── ───────────────────────────────
( title. lady of the vale; protector of the vale ) ( tagged. nathaley, micah, tullys, valian, adryana | mentioned: tytos, cilla ) ( location. red keep; gardens )


indentupon her sisters agreement, a small smile graced the otherwise uninviting expression painted across the arryn lady's features. "you sound eager," she noted aloud, knowing full well her younger sister had been less than enthusiastic about the prospect of the arryn bunch even travelling to the capital. though she supposed the gardens were a stark contrast to the stuffy hall of the keep, and a lot more pleasing to the eye, too, which would explain nathaley's small pique of interest. "i suppose it helps to look forward to something when nothing else about a situation is appealing. but yes, the gardens never fail to disappoint. the range of flowers housed here are quite a sight to behold on their own, and, may i even say a rival to the red keep's actual architecture." she had never really cared much for the capital, admittedly, and that much was evident in that singular statement alone. to laurane the keep had always paled in comparison to the eyrie, not much being able to surpass having grown up surrounded by walls of white marble and having the ability to peer out at the mountains of the moon whenever she pleased to. though she could easily recall trips to the capital alongside her parents, she could hardly remember feeling impressed. in fact, the first time she had been in the crownlands, she had actually felt more disappointed than anything else. she would never say as much to her parents but it was always evident in the way laurane seemed disinterested, aloof, even, when attending crown events or tourneys. kings landing had lost all of it's allure the moment they had actually arrived there, and a part of her wished that it could remain this wonderful, untouched image in her mind rather than being spoiled by the reality of it all. why nobody had told her the capital wasn't all that grand as she had been expecting, it was well beyond the then-young laurane. though she always did understand the power kings landing held, she could safely say it was just not that awe-inspiring of a sight. so, now used to the capital, it could only seem to grow more drab to her.
indentshe cast a glance to the rest of the guests, spotting the lannisters golden hair from where she was seated. based on their small reunion alone, tytos had hardly changed. he was still the same high-spirited man he always had been, and if anything, he seemed to have grown a bit too keen on his interest toward her judging by his eagerness to jump at a dance alone. priscilla was still as poised as ever, even if some of her pleasantries may have been hollow. the same applied to laurane, this facade of cordialness. but maybe she had been a bit too mild with the pair, though it felt necessary to make up for all the times she had curt with the man, even though he never really seemed to get the hint anyway. she hadn't realized exactly why her lord father had arranged her to marry the man outside of shallow alliances and trading resources - but surely it must extend further into the deeper politics of westeros? the former lord of the vale had a bit of a knack for wanting to secure power, she knew this, but in what way could this arrangement truly benefit both the former lord of casterly rock and himself, she didn't know. regardless, the lions were a formidable ally, even despite their rocky relationship with the crown thanks to the doings of their own father.
indentso, she looked back to her plate and idly picked at the food before her. the empty seat beside her left her curious of micah's current affairs, though to be honest, she didn't give too much thought to it. it wasn't unlike her brother to seek out other guests, if not for a way to have himself distanced from his sisters, then for a way to bask in the glory that was being outside the vale, it seemed. the only thing that ever irritated her was his sudden need to slither off from them when she wasn't looking his way, without so much as saying a word. though other than that, the absence of micah was generally welcomed as it gave her and nathaley time to converse without him needing to pitch in his two cents constantly. at the sound of a voice, though, laurane glanced up from her plate, her eyes landing upon none other than the tullys with lady valian baratheon in tow. their red hair distinguishable to themselves alone and their garb of red and blue, the trouts were, at first glance, a pleasant sight to behold. that was if you didn't know them, of course. while lady janessa was always one she knew she could have a good, meaningful discussion with, she couldn't say the same for her brothers. they had always given off a rambunctious energy, as if unable to hold themselves to a mature level even when attending a coronation. so naturally, her eyes narrowed at the sight of the two tully lords sitting themselves down beside janessa, already expecting some tasteless comments or brainless musings to come from them sooner or later. for now, though, she turned her attention back to the heir of riverrun and her younger sister, whom must be lady rheva tully. "lady janessa," she finally greeted the ruler of the neighbouring realm to her own, glad to be able to see her once more. she made sure to soften her expression toward the youngest tully, for it was likely the woman's first time visiting the capital. unlike laurane's first encounter with kings landing, it was probable that she were overwhelmed, that much she could take a stab at, simply judging by the way she held herself in comparison to her sister's own confident demeanor. "lady rheva."
indenthe mention of the queen in the north had left her eyes briefly flickering across the table to spot the dark-haired woman. truthfully, she had seemed to missed her presence until now, the woman mostly having kept to herself probably due to the fact her only sibling at the coronation had gone to take her spot beside the tyrells under the pergola. so, with a nod in her direction, she also greeted her. "queen adryana." the falcon shifted her gaze between the tully heir and the stark heir as she then returned janessa's pleasantries. "faring as well as any might, given the circumstances. it's wonderful to see you both, as well as your family, lady janessa. no doubt we three are to face the brunt of the coldness that winter brings with it, though things must be absolutely frozen up north already compared to even the riverlands and the vale i'm sure, queen adryana?" to the vale, both the riverlands and the north were nearest; her homelands border only the riverlands to the west, and are held to the bite in the north. winter came fast and hit hard though it was likely much worse in the northern realm by now. and judging by the few starks attending the coronation, she could safely assume that adryana's two youngest siblings were still in winterfell, not having joined her on the trip to the capital. it wasn't unlike the starks to prefer their stay up north rather than venture down to any other realm. though she shared similar thoughts, it just wasn't realistic to stay holed up in the eyrie forever, as unfortunate as it were. hence why she and her family were even at the coronation.
indentbeside her, she heard a quiet growl which was elicited from none other than her brother, whom had finally arrived to the table. he wasn't even fashionably late, just late. she looked to him from the corner of her eye as he inquired what he had missed. and truthfully, not very much. it seemed he had come just in time for any meaningful conversation to even take place. before it had really only been just her and nathaley exchanging words to each other, after all. luckily, lady janessa greeted him before she could respond to him, which was a good thing because laurane probably would've aimed to make her time spent in the gardens sound more interesting than it really had been. so, she offered no words to her brother and instead gave a final greeting to the tully brothers, as much more of an afterthought in comparison to everyone else, mostly because she hardly even wanted to acknowledge them to begin with. "lord kermit, lord calrin." although they had gone so far without making a fool out of themselves, it seemed she had been mistaken, for lord kermit's small chuckle left her gaze lingering in the direction of the two brothers. though she always thought micah a handful to deal with, he was never one to publicly embarrass the arryns or bring any sort of shame to the trio. he had no problems driving her mad back home, but it was different when they travelled outside the vale. as it should be, for everyone, laurane thought. though she respected janessa deeply, for she had to deal with such senseless men, a part of her wondered how she could not, at the least, keep them tame. perhaps she was being too critical, but surely she would have left such nuisances back home if she knew they were going to humiliate their family name. though, ultimately, she supposed at their ages, janessa shouldn't need to hound them for being bumbling morons.
indentlady valian was more than content to humor the two brothers, it seemed. which spoke multitudes for her character, but she wouldn't complain if she were to be the one to take up their attention, as long as their incessant foolishness did not impede to the rest of the table. though still, she couldn't help but appear visually appalled by the exchange between the three, eyebrows drawn together in their gall. she hardly even noticed the sound of a shattering glass, so discontent with the brashness of the two brothers before her. but before she could even part her lips to speak, it seemed micah had beat her to having the first dig at the tullys. she reached for the goblet before her, feeling the need that this conversation would no doubt need to be accompanied by wine. she raised the liquid to her lips, taking a glance to micah as he spoke. upon his face was a smile, though it held no amity to lord kermit or calrin whatsoever. still, she felt they may just be oblivious enough to miss that alone. drawing the wine from her lips, she cradled the goblet in both hands. "my brother is correct, my lords," she was quick to jump in should the tullys want to spew some nonsense before she could address either of them, "dismissing the thought of war, well, i did not think it beneath you, but still, i am taken aback by your lack of care. if i may remind you, the riverlands tend to be a frequent battleground, thanks to your central position." she spoke plainly, though her words were undeniably cold, if not contentious, in nature. laurane could hardly stand when just about anyone seemed unruly, nonchalant in their ways all at the dispense of others, and the two brothers were no exception to that rule. it was likely that both micah and laurane were speaking what was on everyone else's minds, save for valian, perhaps. she looked to janessa, whose expression was still neutral, though she could tell the heir had stiffened in a sort of discomfort. "it is simply childish to behave in such a manner, as to purposefully degrade your family," the arryn lady then shifted her attention back to her own siblings, her tone shifting to something a bit more haughty, though with no lack of enmity. "house arryn holds such values to a much higher standard, though, which is likely why my siblings or i cannot seem to understand the way you choose to act." finally, a light smile crossed her features before she indulged in another sip of arbor red.
indentthe way laurane affronted the two was casual, despite it all. really it was like she were engaging in simple observations upon the two, genuinely baffled by their thought processes. which she was. and to be honest, she was already expecting some snide remarks from either of the pair, if they could even muster it after the two arryns had laid it out quite bluntly for them. upon the whole ordeal, she was reminded with a not-so fond childhood memory that seemed all too relevant. a small party of graftons had once visited the eyrie, kin of her own mother. a then-ten-year-old laurane had been immersed in the world that was reading the dance of dragons, a true telling by grand maester munkun, comfortably seated just past the weirwood throne in the high hall. she had been reading about rhaenyra targaryen and her half-brother, aegon ii targaryen, whilst her cousins were being nuisances, likely because they were unable to contain themselves in such a castle as the eyrie. they were being much too loud for her taste, giddily running up the stairs of the hall. sometimes their shouts would make her lose track of where she had been reading on a page, their words bouncing off the walls of the hall. so, she had scowled, shooting a glance toward the sheer curtains that separated her from the rest of the hall. how they were related to her, let alone her mother, she had no idea. so, laurane dutifully snapped her book shut and neared the curtains. she grasped the fabric and pulled it back firmly. "what are you doing?" she had nearly growled, fingers twisting around the gauzy material. they had paused in their tracks, looking over to the arryn peering over to them, as if caught in some sort of heinous act. they were younger than she, hardly five and six. but still, there they stood, frozen and guilty. clearly they had been playing about the high hall. "why are you being so loud?" she huffed in exasperation, eyeing the pair very carefully. "gods. i didn't know i was related to morons." it was an observation, or at least, to her it was. besides, micah was eight and her sister was only three and yet they both were more tame than they. so, why should they get away with it? unsure they had heard her correctly, the two siblings had exchanged a glance. laurane snapped the curtains shut, not caring to hear a response from them, and wandered back to where she had been situated. she had heard some quiet discourse from where they had been standing, though hardly thought much of it. they were probably upset or something, but at least they had left her alone.
indentof course, after that, she had received more than an earful from her mother. not only had she been 'rude' to her cousins but also supposedly unladylike in her choice of words. so they had ratted her out.
indentso, family or not, unruliness was something laurane had never tolerated.

[vaell]

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


indentthe two tully brothers were obviously vying for the attention of the lady valian, cal having caught the glance that kerm sent his way after he introduced himself to her. the stupid grin upon his face did not falter, not even when he was suddenly urged forward by janessa and swept away from the stag. sitting down next to kermit, he followed his brothers lead and reached forward and picked out a peach. to be honest, they didn't really say anything questionable yet, so when his elder sister lowered her voice to speak to the two of them, he raised an eyebrow. "dependable? how could the riverlands not be? i mean seriously, just seconds ago we pledged ourselves to the tyrells and unless we were somehow lying-" he held back an inward laugh, knowing janessa may just snap on the two of them, "-which we aren't, of course. wait, we aren't, are we?" dumbly, he grinned over to kermit. nothing of it was malicious, of course, but it was probably the wrong place and time to even bother with such words. "whatever, like he said. war, shmore. we're here to enjoy the night, unlike you, sister." he leaned back in his seat, taking a bite out of the fresh fruit and savoring the taste that hit his tongue. as everyone begun exchanging greetings, he just sat back and observed, offering but a simple, insincere, "queen adryana. lady laurane, lady nathaley." as a greeting. lord micah had eventually joined the two arryns, finally another man who was not one of the tully brothers amongst all of the women seated at the table. not that he had any objections to the latter, but maybe he could join in on them with their foolishness and get everyone to chill out a little. "lord micah." he greeted. the air hanging about the table was far too serious for cal, mostly because the heirs had decided to begin to exchange pleasantries. he turned his head to the side to give an eye roll. really, all they could talk about was winter and how good it was to see each other? lame. the queen in the north, the lady of the vale and his own lady sister were all such bores. i mean, he knew about janessa, but what a shame for the other two. he really thought he might be able to take turns throwing some smooth words their way, but whatever.
indentwhen kerm suddenly bumped his shoulder following his plea of permission for janessa to let them go see lady valian, he in turn quietly snickered. these were normal affairs for the two brothers, teasing janessa in whatever way possible or pitting themselves against each other for someone who catches their eye. although, luckily for the two tully lords, it seemed they wouldn't need to venture far from their family, for the baratheon lady had sat herself at the same table. now it was his turn to shoot a glance toward his brother. he was about to tell lady valian that his sister did not in fact own this table or these lands and had no right to tell her where she could sit, but his parted lips elicited no words, for lord micah arryn had spoken up. when he glanced over to him, much to cal's surprise, his face was more harsh than he had expected, and even he could pick up on the fact he was giving off some sort of judgemental attitude. to be honest, he wasn't planning to listen in to the arryn lord's words until he realized he was directly addressing him and kerm. so, slowly, his eyes turned to his brother as lord micah continued to ramble on. he wondered if he was thinking the same thing as him, about just how obnoxious this man was already starting to sound. and to be honest, he was even kind of annoyed that the arryn lord had gone against them, rather than joined in on their antics.
indentcal didn't really want to even amuse this man, but he couldn't just ignore how he had got up in he and kermit's face, of course. talking about how they would better suit being like a court fool, or sarcastically stating the two could convince an invading army to not attack riverrun. it was an understatement to say that he felt attacked by him, and on what grounds? because he got offended over a small, harmless joke that kerm had made? now, when putting it that way, cal felt he was flat-out just looking for something, or someone, to pick on. but by the gods, he was interrupted again, this time by the lady of the vale. he narrowed his eyes as she offered her own venomous words, swooping in to come and aid in her brothers passive aggressiveness toward the pair. "no need to remind me," he grumbled beneath his breath, likely quiet enough for the arryn trio to miss, but he couldn't be sure. "we only live in riverrun." the words sorta just slipped out, but he couldn’t help it. he knew that their realm was often a battleground, but did they really think they would suddenly be fighting a war in a fortnight or something? because thats how it seemed. so the arryn lady went on to essentially, in cal's eyes, bash them and house tully, and he was just about over the words of this uppity woman as well. her and micah were obviously related if not by facial similarities, then by their cold words alone. he hadn't expected so much backlash from the two, to be honest, but their reputations seemed to ring true. but seriously, she spoke as if he cared about how the arryns chose to spend their time, and this and that about house arryn as if lord micah or lady laurane were any better than them. which they surely both acted. so, he huffed in exasperation finally as the two falcons let up.
indent"yeah, okay," he said slowly, putting his hands up as though to placate the two. "such demeaning words coming from the arryns. speaking as if you both really care about anyone else. i mean, you can just hide out in the eyrie and wait the storm out regardless. isn't that dismissing the thought of war as well? we have to actually face it." cal basically just uttered the first insult he could hurl back at them, even if it essentially dismissed all the arryns had been preaching. quite frankly he didn't even know what to say in return, for he knew they would bite back with even colder retorts, so he was sure saying just about anything would do. he was taking a risk right now, and it was not a calculated one, for he would likely regret saying anything at all. but somehow, the tully lord still managed to look smug, sure that he must have hit some sort of a nerve with the usually impenetrable arryns, even going so far as to share a bit of a conceited half-smile to his brother. it was unlikely the two tully brothers would win this argument, but the gods knew they would try. he snuck a glance over to his sisters, curious how they were boding with such discord at the table. janessa was no doubt uncomfortable, and if rheva weren't either, he'd be surprised. they had made no move to defend their brothers yet, which was a bit unsettling, considering he definitely thought he would have either of them as a cushion to fall back on should they need to back the two tully brothers up. which they normally did, but something about the tension weighing down on them all made him feel like they were not going to do anything in favor of the two this time, thanks to lord micah and lady laurane's words.
indentin a bit of a late realization, he came to terms with the fact that this time they most likely didn't have janessa or rheva at their backs, and would need to fend for themselves. cal swallowed thickly. suddenly, and with a bit of urgency, he opted to quickly try and back out while he could, looking back to kerm. no doubt the arryns would pummel his weak insult into the ground if he did not get away now, and fast. "anyway. clearly kermit and i are not so welcome here as i first expected," in his tone he pretended to be hurt by the arryns, though the pace of his words quickened as to try and skirt around his prior comments. he then threw a glance over to the baratheon lady. "i would have no troubles seeing myself out, if the lady valian would join me, of course." he had jumped to the opportunity before he could even allow kerm to, but he had no doubt his brother would pitch in to try and join cal wherever he decided to wander off to. hopefully she would agree and they could get away from this literal hell. this was no way to spend the day, being snarled at by the falcons of the vale and seemingly made out as the bad guys. how many times did they have to refer to the fact they just wanted to have some fun? that was what they were here for, after all.

[undertheweather]

✾ lyanna tyrell — 22 — princess of the six kingdoms — tagged; ani, lyra, mags

lyanna listened as the new king spoke about their cousin, and then about the starks. it was admittedly odd to hear him speak so casually and openly after being left in silence for so long. they had never been the best of friends, their different duties and lessons creating a natural divide between the two of them as children, but they had also never been enemies. they were siblings. and it was nice to had her brother back. just as she was about to respond in kind about the comical seriousness of their northern neighbors, she spotted lyra approaching.

she watched as the brunette woman and her direwolf made their way to the table and she sat beside the king. she smiled a little at the other princess's compliment. "as do you," lyanna replied cooly. she wasn't normally one to fuss over cosmetic trivialities, but the intricacies of lyra's gown were objectively well crafted. not to mention that the stark girl always seemed to look lovely. she had some of the harsh features that the starks were known for, but she was hauntingly beautiful, as though the spirit of the north lived inside her.

before she could say anything else, the royal party was interrupted by the sharp sound of glass shattering in the distance. the princess watched as her brother's head spun so fast she thought it might fly off. she wondered for a brief moment if she should be more on edge. after all, a ceremony like this could bring in vagrants or looters, or dragons. "i'll be back," andrik said abruptly before leaving the table. she hoped that his leave of absence wouldn't be noted.

lyanna gave another warm smile to her soon-to-be-sister-in-law, attempting to show the other woman some of the welcoming warmth that she should be receiving from her betrothed's family. "he always has to be the hero," she said to the stark girl with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. it was a silly verbal quip, but it honestly seemed to be true of most men. they just couldn't seem to help themselves. maybe that was part of the reason that the tyrell princess often found that she preferred the company of women.

just as the thought entered her mind, lady magdalene seemed to appear out of thin air. "my apologies for my absence," the princess heard the blonde woman's voice before she saw her. a genuine smile spread across her cheeks as she turned to face her lady-in-waiting. however, when her eyes locked with on the lannister in front of her, she found herself frozen for a moment. red flooded lyanna's vision and she considered that it may be her new favorite color. "i was aiding the women in the kitchens. i hope my absence was not of an inconvenience," she continued, snapping the tyrell princess out of whatever trance she had been lost in. the tone in her voice was even, but lyanna knew that she probably didn't really care if her absence had been an inconvenience. the lannister woman was independent and witty, and she didn't often care too much about how that made others feel. anna liked that about her. "i'm sure i can handle being left unattended for a few hours," the auburn haired woman retorted, giving a small smirk to mags, who was now leaning against the pergola. the princess chanced a glance over at the other lannisters at their own table before focusing in on the emerald eyes next to her. "why don't you go be with your family. i'm sure lady priscilla and ser tytos would love to see their sister," she said, "and, believe me, i'm not going anywhere."

[landogate]

𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐒X𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐍

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
XXXXXXXXTWENTY-ONE. KNIGHT OF THE KINGSGUARD. KNIGHT OF HOUSE BARATHEON. GAY. LOCATION: THE GUARDENS TAGS: ANI
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxxHE was a sobbing, disastrous mess by the time andrik found him. at first he attempted to stand, to flee the distressing and albeit embarrassing situation, but soon realized he didn't have the strength and stand again. "no, no. it's my fault." he attempted to push andrik away, with shaking hands and quivering lips. why did of all people attending the feast, did andrik have to find him. though it was certainly a matter of time before andrik found the cowardly knight in the gardens, he did want it to be away from any particular kingly event. just hours prior he had been crowned lord of the six kingdoms and now faced bennis, who was a wracked, sobbing mess.

xxxABOVE all else, bennis would aim to take the blame. if he turned in the guard who had pinned him against the wall it would surely put a bigger target on his back. every kingsguard took the position for life, and for better or worse that included bennis. he would not be pardoned under any circumstance, and if that meant suffering at the joke of the other members of his post, then so be it, he would suffer. beanie tried to calm himself though, by slowing his breathing and taking deeper breaths, instead of the ragged shallow ones he'd been doing whilst crying. "andrik, you should be with your family, with your subjects." it was true. like always, bennis would eventually calm himself down and rejoin the party. "people will begin to notice your absence." there was no place for formalities between himself and the king, but in the presence of anyone else he would be groveling, begging for forgiveness for using only his first name and none of his kingly titles. he silently cursed as he wiped his eyes, making brief eye contact with ani. "you'd think me a fool for this," he struggled to laugh, letting only a few short breaths exit his lungs. "your coronation day is tarnished by finding one of your knights a blubbering, disastrous mess. it's my fault, you shouldn't worry."

xxxMAYBE he'd tell andrik the story at a later date, or even later in the day once he'd had two sips of wine or ale. but he knew that it would be better if he held off on it for now, unless andrik forced it out of him, he would try to keep his mind off of it. there was so much to worry about now in the capital, so much that secretly bennis hoped andrik wouldn't ask him later on. the branding of silver serpents kept him up at night, they infiltrated his dreams and sometimes bennis would find himself on a balcony, staring out at the open sea, waiting for the black and red flag of a targaryen ship to appear distantly on the horizon. there was so much to worry about, bennis found himself exhausted at the end of each day, significantly more so since he and andrik fled dragonstone. bennis stood finally, his hands pushing down on his knees as he rose, the crying had stopped a while ago, but his eyes were still ringed with puffy red skin.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[landogate]

𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒X𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
XXXTWENTY-FOUR. PRINCESS OF DORNE. HOUSE MARTELL. PANSEXUAL. LOCATION: DRAGONSTONE. TAGS: MARKAS, THE TARGS, CARDAN, ASIRIA
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxxAT first it seemed too stagnant for amaris. the air was warm but still when cardan greyjoy had entered the room. for a few moments of time, all amaris seemed to do was flicker both her head and her glances to the white-haired targaryen bunch and this lone pirate-lord. amaris' question to markas had been answered preemptively as the greyjoy approached the rightful rulers to the seven kingdoms. she had smiled on rhaegon's conclusion to feast, and had moved with a small smile and curt nod. from her position now she could see the entirety of the throne, those who stood on the dias, who moved behind it, the way light illuminated their figures like gods of the seven. the white dragon was intimidating at best, and it did make amaris wonder as to why asiria hadn't been promised to him, the heir. unless it was because of his age, a mere thirty years, it didn't make much sense to betroth her half-sister to a younger targaryen man. a targaryen man nonetheless, but not the king. she made a mental note to bring it up with markas later, surely he had pestered their father enough to figure out why there was a skip in the process of betrothals. as amaris glanced, she noticed that another white-haired princess had slipped from view too, the face-stealer herself, naerys. amaris made sure to not scrunch up her face, for fear it may come off as rude toward the dragons and their serpent mother.

xxxSOMETHING for the journey home was certainly going to be asking markas how much he knew about the serpent badges, or myrrine, if he knew anything at all. her thoughts were cut short when saenera, the second eldest all but forced the greyjoy to kneel. amaris had sucked in a breath quietly, and watched as the sea-lord blubbered in forgiveness and knelt. they surely knew how to ascertain what they wanted; kneeling nobles, but it made amaris question as to why cardan hadn't kneeled immediately. as if two white-haired royals and their small but strong dragons didn't force a man to kneel on sight.

xxxAMARIS was joined by the arm with her brother as they stood partly in the shadows, away from the main portion of the floor. and again, the room felt still and stagnant after the greyjoy had said his piece. amaris was about to open her mouth and thank the targaryens for their hospitality when the shrill call of another dragon rang out. little did she know, she would not hear the struggles and cries of their most recent prisoner, only the satisfied shrill of a whelping dragon. she'd looked to markas, who was unreadable, in both the light and facial features. amaris knew it was not her place to ask such outlandish questions that involved the dragons and would rather not risk her head or neck for some silly answer.

xxxAGAIN the princess opened her maw to bring about a more evened out, lighter conversation but was interrupted by the presence of dramon and asiria, who looked worse for wear. though her skin did not appear as ghostly as it would with fear, there was a sinking feeling of dread that filled her stomach when she saw the new couple. now amaris did not have the hindsight to think it was something dramon did, but rather something asiria had seen. she felt and urge to untangle herself with her brother and hold her sister taught. when the doors opened though, a stench followed them, like charred meat on a stick. it certainly didn't smell like edible meat though, which made amaris' feeling of dread worsen and deepen.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[landogate]

𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐓X𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
XXXXXXXTWENTY-THREE. LORD OF HOUSE TULLY. CLOSETED BISEXUAL. LOCATION: THE FEAST. TAGS: TULLYS VALIAN, STARKS, ARRYNS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxxTHE two brothers were in sync, but they were as stupid as each other. kermit glanced over to the lady valian once more who looked pleased with the two brothers, something that made kermit perk up and smile to himself. maybe he'd just figured their way out of kings landing for the night, accompanying the lonesome lady baratheon in the gardens and empty halls. though when the group around their table began to swell kermit knew he had to move, now. a male presence, made himself known and began to vilify kermit. usually one to stand up and spit back as many insults as he could, kermit felt stuck to his chair, frozen in place like a doe in the middle of a hunt. the man, who he assumed was an arryn spoke of war (again, how boring) and arrows, as if they didn't hold the most impenetrable castle in all of westeros, perched high on stone like falcons.

xxxONE look to janessa and kermit knew he would absolutely be ruined by the time tomorrow morning came around. it was their first outing as a tully band under the new king and kermit had already shown his true colours, a bit of navy blue, some silver and a whole lot of deep mott brown. another glance to his brother at his side and he knew there were better things awaiting them if they left the table now. he felt like a giddy teenager again, or better yet an unschooled child, swinging his legs at the table when they were supposed to be entertaining guests. then again, kermit had never really had much of an adult personality. he was much more acquainted with the feelings of recklessness and stupidity. in his eyes he was a comedic genius, someone who everyone envied, or wanted. he was perfectly happy with either, if he was honest. kermit was standing now, but with a small smile on his face. he didn't care for what the arryn said or claimed, and with the shrug of his shoulders and the skull of wine in his hand he kept his smile plastered on his face. "like my brother says, the arryns can-" a quick pause to burp, kermit covered his mouth and grinned happily, "my pardons to the noble lord here, must be the wine. as i was saying; the arryns can just hold themselves up on that big rock of theirs."

xxxHE moved so that he was standing behind his original chair, one hand planted on rheva's shoulder. "oh but the court jester position sounds quite fun. i love being the center of attention, can't you tell, lord, lord micah?" he slurred and chuckled. he used the back of the chairs of his siblings to hold his grip on reality tight, until he got to janessa's chair. "but here this, here this, leave janessa out of it. she really does--" a hiccup interrupted his speech before he composed himself, "she doesn't deserve whatever vendetta you've got against us tully's, lord micah, lady laurane." he turned to face his brother and the lady valian when cal made his departure speech. guess that's my cue to leave too, he'd thought and coming around to the opposite side of valian he dropped his persona of being drunk when they were out of view. a more natural and actually happy smile came to his face as he chuckled to himself, even if valian chose to spend time with calrin over kermit, he was sure he could find another single or lonely noble to pester. he glanced once more to calrin, before simply stating "gods, janessa is going to murder us tomorrow."
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[radio.active.]

i lady of the eyrie
ii the gardens of the red keep
iii with the arryns, the tullys, the starks
iv no mentions

indentAs the Arryn and Tully families exchanged their cold, knifelike words, Nathaley found herself laughing nervously. The situation was impossibly uncomfortable, and the pressuring aura surrounding her siblings was all but suffocating her. Once again, the world seemed to close in on the youngest Arryn's already fragile walls and Nathaley found herself searching for even the tiniest excuse to escape and disappear into the inviting shade of the gardens. Still, she forced herself to remain where she was. Laurane had promised to walk with her in the gardens, and Nathaley certainly did not want to jeopardize the prospect.
indentHowever, the moment the Tully brothers opened their mouths to bite back at her own brother's snide words, Nathaley decided that, yes, it is certainly time to leave. Vomit was already rising fast in her throat as she all but threw back her chair and hurried away from the rising tensions. The lady almost sprinted away from the banquet, passing but not seeing each table of nobles and castlefolk as she locked her sights on the neatly manicured box hedges.
indentNathaley had just barely rounded the corner of the hedgerow out of sight of the banquet before she keeled over and spit out the sick that had finally forced its way up.
indentIt was truly unfortunate that her body's response to stressful situations was to become physically ill. The number of times she could recall being in this situation or one much like it, knelt just out of site with her lungs heaving, her throat burning, and her eyes welling with tears of both exertion and shame, numbered far too many.
indentWhen her shaking subsided enough to rise to her feet, she peeked around the corner of the hedge and waved down a passing serving girl. "Ginger tea, please," she said softly, wiping the tears from her eyes with the little white handkerchief from her pocket. The girl scampered away, leaving Nathaley to fade back to a small stone bench a few meters away, shaded in the growing shadows of the hedges.
indentThe serving girl was back rather quickly with a steaming cup of tea. Nathaley took the cup and offered a weak smile in return as she sank into the cutting scent of ginger. Shehad found over the years that ginger was an excellent solution for these incidents, though she was well aware that this sickly feeling of pressure on her stomach would likely not go away for several days at the least. Nevertheless, it would be an unladylike level of stubbornness if she refused to at least grant herself the comfort of ridding the taste of bile.

[vaermina]

---

[vaermina]

---

[winterfell.]

─ ❅ -- ( ＬＹＲＡ ＳＴＡＲＫ ) ─────────────────────────────────
⇉ [ location : red keep ] [ title : princess of the north ] [ tagged : (ani), lyanna, (mags) ] [ 1043 words ]


- - - - -Lyra was never too concerned with appearances. In fact, back home, she often found herself running through the corridors of Winterfell without shoes, hair an unkempt mess when she had nothing much to do. She wore the simplest fabrics, greys lacking much embroidery. However, as she got older, suddenly becoming more important once betrothed to the king, optics became more crucial. Despite never caring much in the past, she was well aware of the importance of her duty, and of what that meant for a young woman in Westeros. Duty was, unfortunately, tied to a very specific image, one that she saw more and more of when she began traveling south. She saw it in each and every one of the noblewomen at the coronation and, upon looking in the mirror before leaving her chambers, she saw it in herself. It was still odd to hear the compliment from her almost-sister-in-law, something she wasn't used to. Even if it were only Lyanna trying to be polite, it felt nice. She smiled softly at the woman, giving a nod of appreciation as she tried to find a comfortable position in her chair. She didn't think it was possible to be comfortable when sitting next to someone who felt like a complete stranger, even if that stranger was to be her husband soon. She went stiff when he spoke to her, not entirely sure what she was expecting. But he responded to her with no malice, no anger in regards to her tardiness, with complete understanding. She relaxed a bit, nodding in thanks. She was expecting something passive-aggressive, though she wasn't entirely sure why. She didn't know Andrik, in truth. She had no right to expect anything of him. She thought, for a moment, that this might have been the most he'd spoken to her since she arrived at King's Landing. But perhaps she was exaggerating that. Surely their initial meeting hadn't been as awkward as she was making it seem. She reached for the goblet placed before her, taking a quick sip of wine. She wasn't sure how much of it she would need while the nobles feasted before her, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to still her nerves for the time being.

- - - - -She glanced up to be met with a woman in crimson approaching the pergola. Magdelene Lannister, lady-in-waiting in service to Lyanna, made her rather late appearance. Briefly, Lyra wondered what the woman might have been up to, but didn't think much of it. She was an independent young woman, one of her only friends since arriving at the Red Keep. There was no need to keep tabs on her. That was Lyanna's job anyway. She gave a smile and a small nod to the woman, allowing her future-sister-in-law to respond to the woman accordingly. Before much else could be said -- or anything that pertained to Lyra, anyway -- she heard the sound of shattering glass, causing her to perk up. Atla did the same, ears stiffening as the direwolf pup stared in the direction of the noise. She lowered her hand to the top of the wolf's head, running her fingers through her fur to keep the creature from running off to investigate. It was likely just a casual slip. Things like that happened all the time and there was no use troubling herself over it. However, her betrothed, apparently, thought otherwise. Just as quickly as Lyra found herself in the king's company, she was watching him leave her side. She let out a small sigh, but wasn't too disappointed by the action. If anything, she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders, not as worried about being on her best behavior without Andrik. She would be held to high standards regardless, but she could make an insulting comment with Lyanna and Mags around without causing a fuss, the two women already knowing her nature and distaste for holding back her true thoughts. Lyanna spoke up once more, a light comment that brought a warm smile to Lyra's own face. To hear him spoken of with such a fond familiarity was comforting. "Is that so? I suppose it'll be up to us to keep him from getting into trouble then," she said. Chivalry and the desire to be a hero was an admirable quality, she thought. But dangerous for a ruler. "Otherwise he might hurt himself when he tries to save us all from the horrors of a shattered glass."

- - - - -Magdelene was relieved of her duties for the time being and Lyra couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. She was being excused specifically so that she could be reunited with her siblings. While she knew that the dynamic between the Lannister bunch was completely different than that between Lyra and her own sister, she knew that family didn't lose its importance between the houses. Mags' siblings likely missed her just as dearly as the wolves in the North missed one another. The young woman took her leave, leaving Lyra and Lyanna alone for the time being. It wasn't uncomfortable, she thought. Perhaps the only thing that made her current position bothersome was the fact that she was situated in the pergola, far away from the other nobles, including her sister. She was set as if she were somehow above the rest, a hierarchy that she didn't much appreciate. But, at the same time, it was nice not to be surrounded by people she barely knew. It was how she was avoiding much of the petty drama, she realized. She wasn't expecting much commotion at this event, hoping everyone were on their best behavior given recent events. However, the Tully men obviously didn't get the memo. Calrin and Kermit Tully had a reputation for needlessly causing a fuss. She watched as their table grew less and less populated until only a few people remained, her sister included. Poor Adryana. It must have been so awkward to witness all of that. Lyra shook her head, letting out a tired sigh. "What do you suppose that was about?" she asked casually, taking another sip of wine. "Whatever it was, I hope that was the end of it. Getting the knights involved sounds awful right now," she added, doing her best to make conversation.