nurkartal-blog
* DENOUEMENT /
— do not bare your teeth unless you're willing to get them bloody.
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nedwynstark.
@nurkartal
After the end of the council meeting, Ned let his mind wander to other pressing concerns. Less pressing than a Dothraki hoard, for sure, but still concerns on a time limit. He made his way over to Esra as they all collected their things and offered her his arm. “May I accompany you back to your chambers, my lady? I’d like to speak with you in confidence for a few moments if it won’t be too much of a bother.
“ of course, my lord. ” she did not bother to tell him that nothing spoken to her was truly spoken in confidence. her living was in trading secrets, and if selling edwyn stark’s could someday benefit her, well... but she took his arm all the same, stepping away from the council table. “ it must be quite pressing. ”
outside the council’s chambers, it was a trip through twisting corridors to a series of rooms where esra dwelled. a hub for hidden tunnels and secret passages, but she didn’t tell him that either. with the door shut behind them, she asked “ is it the sort of talk that requires a drink, lord stark ? ”
quid pro quo | ned & esra
#* . ˚ ◝ 000. — in character › int.#* . ˚ ◝ 000. — in character › edwyn.#i just skipped right to her rooms so we could dive right in#if that's ok??#if not lmk and i'll shave off that last part
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( ♛ truth serum ) who in the capital would you bed if there were no repercussions, and why?
“ there are always repercussions - — and i’m the one who makes them. there is only one person in the world that i would take to bed for free. for everyone else, there is a price. not always money, but a price... if i must play along, i’d say lord arryn. i enjoy the intrigue. or lord uller, perhaps. the woman from slaver’s bay. or the queen. how typically lysene of me, but i do like a touch of the valyrian. ”
@adrian-arryn, @maronuller, @bloodstainxd, and @rhcena.
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Carolyn Gage, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc (1987).
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( ♛ truth serum ) how many lovers have you lay with?
“ sometimes more than one a day, every day, for several years. i’ve long since lost count. exactly as you’d imagine. rather boring… if you’d wanted something really interesting, you should’ve asked how the mistresses in lys kept us courtesans ‘ tight as maidens ’ and skilled as the goddess of love herself. that’s the secretive part. ”
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maronuller.
IT HAS TAKEN him a surprising amount of coercion to learn where the Mistress of Whispers keeps her residence. He’s not sure what she has on the servants that inspires such loyalty, but it’s likely information that would cost them their heads – so he has had to up his own game accordingly, which leaves his appearance lacking. He steals into a room to clean his hands. Scrubbing at his fingernails still leaves them stained, and he decides it doesn’t particularly matter anyway. These parts of the Red Keep are more of a maze than a castle, and it’s by luck rather than navigational excellence he sees a head of dark hair move around the corner ahead of him. The flacon of Dornish red he slings over hisshoulder, and strides after her. “Thought you might be in desperate need of a drink at this point.”
@nurkartal / closed starter.
what she was desperate for was peace and quiet. although she didn't say as much. years ago she'd learned to bite down on her tongue until it dripped nothing but charm and an alluring wit. flies were caught with honey. and people were loose with their secrets when they felt comfortable. she turned in a gentle whorl of crimson fabric, like a splash of blood across the old stone floor beneath her, a polite dismissal on her lips - —
and came face to face with a man she hadn't seen in almost a decade. " maron uller. " dark eyes slid slowly over him, from the crown of his head to the shoes on his feet. it wouldn't be fair to say that he'd grown since she'd seen him last, but he had changed. as everyone did. she had, too. " you found me all the way down here... we may just make a spy of you yet. " her lips eased into a smirk, and as she turned to continue down the twisting hallway, she made a gesture for him to follow. " you went through so much trouble just to offer me wine ? all this time and you don't even lead with hello. "
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mcrrec.
“ ah, the lovely lady of whispers and secrets, ” morrec said with a chuckle as the easily recognisable woman crossed past his shop as he stood outside for some fresh air and relief from the heat of the forge, “ have you come for new weapon? i hear we are under ‘attack’ from some sort of enemy. or are you going to ask me to be your personal bodyguard ? ”
" keep complimenting me and i might just start to think that you mean it, " she quipped, pausing her progress down the street of steel. she hadn't come here to see him at all - — although she wouldn't tell him as much. she was making her way back from the street of silk, where she'd slipped away to visit a woman she considered a lover. " as much as it breaks my heart, i'll leave you to defend some other damsel... but while i'm here, is there somewhere we could speak privately ? "
if she was roped into conversation with him anyway, may as well make it useful.
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arrryk·:
♛ || LORD EDWYN, LORD ADRIAN, LADY ESRA
Once he got wind of what was happening, Ned knew it was only a matter of time before the council would be called. He was just making his way back towards his chambers after seeing Lady Baratheon and her children to safety when the message came. He walked swiftly through the keep, only stopping for half a moment when he passed his chambers to drop off his bow and straighten himself in the mirror.
He gave the others a polite nod as he came blustering in to take his seat. “Your Grace. My lords. Lady Esra.” They didn’t have much time for formalities, he knew, but there was still enough time for quick greetings.
Adrian glanced across the table to his friend and gave a short nod of his head in not only his direction but in the direction of the rest of the council members, Esra and their King. These were concerning times in the kingdom and none of them had to say much of anything. All of them had recieved the same message, the same information. Adrian firmly believed though that Esra surely knew more as was the nature of the mistress of whispers - she was even more ambiguous a character than he was. For that the representative of the Vale had the deepest respect for her. “I believe we can dispense with the formalities on this particular occasion. They will eat time we could use elsewhere to prepare”
a dothraki horde in westeros - that was something unheard of since before his wife’s family ruled, he was fairly certain the last seen was near a century ago - and before that it had been alongside the late lady daenerys targaryen over two hundred years ago. this was not something anyone had foreseen. arryk sat at the head of the table, drumming his fingers on the polished and carved wood, anxious and tense with shoulders tight under the armour. he greeted each lord and lady that arrived quickly, inhaling and exhaling sharply as he considered what was potentially coming and then stood.
“ well, my lords and ladies ━━ you have all read the reports from lord rykker and lord staunton, ” he gestured to the documents scattered across the table, though he knew that each had been sent out to the ruling lords and those on the council, “ the current death toll of these savages stands at forty-five men loyal to house rykker, thirty of house staunton’s men, eleven men and four women who were at the old stone bridge inn, two men travelling on the rosby road, and the rape of a lone woman who serves house mooton - she and a child from the old stone bridge are the only firsthand witnesses. ”
his eyes scrolled down the pages of information that had been sent to the crown, “ we have approximately two days at maximum if they are indeed heading towards kings landing and the red keep, however, we have no reason to believe they mean direct harm to the crown nor the people of westeros aside from their barbarian nature. does anyone have reason to believe otherwise ? ”
the tension in the air was almost a palpable thing - — something esra could nearly taste on her tongue. a clan of dothraki in the sunset kingdoms was a rarity; a threat that no one thought to prepare for until it was on their doorstep. for her part, she’d imagined that she had left her encounters with them behind in the free cities. dark eyes skimmed the hasty message that had been scrawled in rook’s rest, parchment held in her slender fingers, her lips pulled into a thoughtful frown.
lord stark’s greeting and the king’s voice had her gaze lifting, and before another westerosi lord could toss in an opinion about the dothraki‘s motives, she offered, “ they do not like the sea, and will not generally cross it for simple reasons. plundering, conquering... they have the free cities and their plains for that. if they wanted to upend a leader, it likely would have been a magister. ”
the smooth flow of a lysene accent was interrupted by a shake of her head. “ if they wanted money or land or bloodshed, they have plenty of it. ” she shifted slightly in a rustle of light fabric, tucking away the copy of the message that had gathered them all there. “ whatever they want, their means is always the same. they rape and pillage and kill. so i suppose a more pressing question might be how to deal with them. ”
Meeting of the Small Council
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with news of the dothraki bearing down upon them, the whole of the red keep was abuzz. but even with that danger on the horizon, people needed to eat. the kitchens were busy as ever. a constant drone of noise as cooks worked, dishes clattered, servers and maids whisked through on their way in and out, trays of food carried in skullful hands. esra had found a quiet corner in all that chaos, a shadowy little alcove with a low bench. she sat with one leg drawn up, her chin propped upon her knee. a tigress in the shadows of jungle leaves, watching patiently for unsuspecting deer.
a small blonde child sidled up to her. he slipped a crisp, rolled up piece of parchment into her hand, which she in turn tucked into a pocket of her skirt. and from the same pocket, she drew a coinpurse that she pressed into the boy's hand. and then he was off, gone like one of the shadows thrown across the floor by the milling crowd. and esra was left alone again.
for a time. there was a plate set on the bench at her hip. warm bread, covered in butter and herbs and drizzled in honey. she broke off a piece with deft fingers, brought the morsel to her lips and chewed thoughtfully... until she became aware of someone else entering her space. dark eyes flit around, until they landed upon a kitchen wench. and then she arched one neat brow. " can i be of service ? "
closed starter for @adelaynehill.
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Maybe,” he said. “Maybe I can get some kind of a happy ending.”
“Not only are there no happy endings,” she told him. “There aren’t even any endings.
Shadow and Bast, Neil Gaiman, American Gods (via zealouswerewolfcollector)
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rhcena.
@nurkartal
With the threat of the Dothraki looming, their arrival to the gates of the city seemingly imminent, and with almost the entire nobility in the realm inside the city’s walls, the queen was exploring every option. She knew Arryk was busy taking care of it, but her worry drove her to investigate other ventures of defence should it come to that. After all, this was her city, more so than the city of her husband’s no matter what title he held. King’s Landing was her home, it had always been her home, it was filled with memories of childhood, stories of her family’s greatness through history. The people inside the gates of the city had always been her people, she had been their princess before becoming their queen. She could not allow the security of King’s Landing to fully rest in the hands of another, not even if that person was her husband.
This determination led her to the chambers of Arryk’s mistress of whisperers, the woman who knew of all the secrets in the castle. Rhaena hesitated for another moment, not sure if she was venturing into dangerous waters, but still, she raised her hand to knock on the door. When it opened, a hesitant smile of doubt curved her lips slightly.
“Lady Esra, I hope I am not disturbing you,” she announced. “I wondered if you might have a moment to talk.” Before the woman could object, she hastily added: “I promise I won’t stay long. I know you must be busy with this threat from the Dothraki horde looming over us.”
there was an ache in her head, just behind the shadowy line of her eyes. the threat of the dothraki horde loomed over her head like a weighted veil... and she should be in the council room, she knew. she should be with the king, or with his other advisors, or with the countless people who ferried secrets and information for her. she should be doing something productive - — and yet the hour found her shut up in her chambers, pacing, her bare feet padding across old stone and plush rugs. she was clad in nothing more than a pair of loose silk trousers, dark hair spilling to her hips in waves that had been undone from a braid. she thought best when she was alone, not listening to lords prattling in the chamber room, all in a bid to speak over one another.
she knew every secret passage and dark tunnel in this city, part of her whispered. she could just flee king’s landing like she’d fled meereen. like she’d fled lys.
a knock on her door banished those thoughts like a candle chasing shadows from the corners of a room. she stilled, a frown on her lips, and then pulled a silk robe from where it was draped over the back of a chair. loosely wrapping it about herself, she moved across the space in smooth strides...
... and found herself face to face with the queen. “ your grace. ” her surprise didn’t show on her face. she took a step backward, pulling the door farther open as she did so. “ not very. i think best when i’m not busy. - — come inside, if it please you, so that we can speak privately. ”
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Deepika Padukone for Sabyasachi x Nilaya Collection
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bloodstainxd.
From every nook and cranny of the kingdoms and far across the sea, different people mingled in the city Westeros considered the center of the earth. Some vastly unique in their appearance, others looking so alike in her eyes they could all have been born from the same womb. The only ones she took pride in in being able to tell apart from the crowd were her people. Raised on the coast of Essos, who had felt the eastern sun lovingly caress their skin and the salty water kiss their feet as they stood upon the shores. And if it had not been for the look of the lady who sat upon a rock, gazing at the open sea as the wind played with her embroidered attire, her accent would have given her away. The song that came from the lips of lady that could have easily been depicted in tales of old sounded warm and homely. It even managed to bring a hint of a true smile onto the mage’s features, as she took a seat not too far from the rock where the beautiful creature sat. “When I came here, I thought I knew crowded streets and busy markets, but I learned soon I had been terribly mistaken. This city indeed gives a new meaning to every verb known to describe a insufferable crowd. The sea is a pleasant change of scenery indeed, if only it’s waves were loud enough to overrule the harsh sounds from within the city walls.”
there was familiarity in the woman’s accent and in the way that she dressed. something that spoke of home and days long past - — periods in her life that all but she had forgotten. it brought to mind days of sun and sand, covering her slender frame in light silks and drinking sweet wines. days when she had been younger, and more free. esra found a smile slowly coming to bloom on the red curve of her lips as the woman settled near her. ❝ unfortunately it doesn’t quite. although if you stay here long enough, you can almost train your ears to no longer hear it. ❞
her head tilted slightly to one side, the light mesh fabric of her veil shifting. dark eyes were scrutinizing, and the soft line that formed between them as her brows furrowed was thoughtful. ❝ have we met before this ? ❞
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* ROSLYN TULLY. /
she kept the soft-leather bound notebook tucked in the swishing fabric of her skirts, a pencil tucked in the waves and heat-frizzed curls of her hair as the sun beat down on her face. she wanted nothing more than to just escape from the prying eyes, escape from the old crones who fussed around her - — ‘ oh, don’t worry sweetling, if you pray to the mother, you’ll find a suitable husband and have many babies ’ … she was tired of the outlandishness of the false idols scattered around the capital like feathers in a nest. she was tired of pretending to believe so she would not embarrass her father and her house. an unfamiliar figure stood looking over the sight of the ocean, her dark skin and jewellery so vastly different from roslyn and all she was aware of in her lifetime.
“ oh, yes. i think it’s much nicer by the water, it smells sweeter i think. are you trying to escape the heat, my lady ? ”
she shook her head, the hoop through her nostril and her earrings softly jingling. “ not the heat. i am trying to escape the crowd, though. ” so many people crowded into one place for nothing more than the birth of a child. and yet she bit her tongue upon such thoughts, because no one should have any reason to believe that she wasn't just as swept up in the royal family as everyone else in westeros. “ all the bowing and greeting and smiling tires me more than genuine exercise. if i didn’t find moments of peace, i’d be exhausted. ”
a deft hand reached to sweep her skirt to one side, leaving enough space on the rock for the girl to sit comfortably by her side, if she so wished. “ i’m no lady. please, only call me esra. - — and you ? have you come to escape the heat ? ”
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* TEYRON GREYJOY. /
teyron had not considered he would come across another person; only the men and women of his crew and a handful of others seemed to be as enamored and at home by the seas as he was. to him; the ocean was safety, ferocity, a blessing and a violent bitch no one could tame - —- the ironborn had salt in their veins, and would always follow the pull to the sea. he followed the paths, ignoring most of the faces that passed him — and he paused, taking stock of the sight and sound of roiling, choppy waves creating natures finest sight. and then the voice pulled the seafoam green eyes from the ocean to a figure he had previously overlooked.
“ i must say, it’s a unexpected yet surprise to see another person appreciating the immense beauty of the seas. and the city smells of sweat, death, piss and wholly over-ripened ripe fruit — - i’d rather this than the city by far. ”
“ the sea raised me, ” she said, and knew she was only halfway lying. as a child, the closest she had come to the ocean had been what she could see of the skahazadhan from the terraces of the pyramids that she had once scrubbed. but on the decks of a merchant’s ship, that servant girl from meereen had died and esra nur kartal had been born in her place. in a way, it was the truth. the unforgiving ocean between meereen and lys had been her rebirth. the blue-green, tropical sea around lys had been a warm cradle in which she grew into a woman. and then the sea had brought her here.
her lips had curled into what could almost be called a smile. “ i’d call her mother, but i fear she doesn’t love me as i love her. ” a neat brow arched, her head shaking slightly in agreement. she bit back a soft chuckle and replied in kind - — “ how keen. you have the nose of a perfume-maker. no, i much prefer the salt air. ”
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* LYNESSE HIGHTOWER. /
her stomach had turned itself inside out once more, but luckily the symptoms of the babe growing in her womb were becoming more sparse. still, lynesse found herself running to secluded area fairly often. part of her worried if it was going to be noticed any time soon, but with the celebrations, the lady-in-waiting could disappear easily from the throngs of people. what she hadn’t expected, though, was to get lost in the place she’d call home for the last six years. perhaps the solitude was what she needed. between her family, the bowing, the waving, and the secrets – she felt overwhelmed. lynesse was stopped when she saw the other woman sitting there in her gorgeous fabrics from far away lands. lynesse felt shocked, as if she was a child that was caught stealing from a merchant. “ah, yes. hello. it is nice, i must agree.”
her dark gaze found a familiar face —— a spill of blonde hair and fair features that esra recognized as one of the queen’s handmaidens. “ and yet you look like you don’t feel well. here. ” she stood in a smooth shift of fabric and willowy limbs, offering her perch on the weathered rock for the other woman to take. it wasn’t a great offering, true, but it was the only place worth sitting on the near barren stretch of ground between the keep and the sea. she moved a few steps away from the stone, jewel-covered hands clasping in front of herself. “ have my seat. ”
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WAVES POUNDED AT JAGGED ROCKS , spraying foam heavenward in great white fans . in front of her , the sheer drop of an unforgiving cliff - — and behind , the imposing outer wall of the red keep . the westerosi called this southern sun harsh , but to esra nur kartal it felt like little more than the warm caress of a LOVER’S hand . beneath a pale veil , dark hair tumbled to her hips in perfumed waves , and eyes like piercing shadows watched the violent sea . she sat like a SCULPTURE on a rock that had been worn smooth over centuries , sandaled feet resting upon thick grass . a breeze brushed over her skin , playing in the intricately embroidered layers of her skirt . the sound of footsteps behind her fell on her ears , and her head turned a fraction , SILKEN lysene accent flowing from her lips . “ lovely , isn’t it ? here you can almost pretend the city isn’t so unbearably stuffy . ”
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