#all the stark children! minus robb

[luvinescent]

Mismatched Hearts

Pairing: Robb Stark x fem!Reader

Summary: Y/N and Robb have been friends since childhood; the two harboring feelings for one another without the others’ knowledge. When Robb’s mother makes the choice to meddle in his love life by constructing an engagement between the two—Robb is left with guilt at the belief that he has trapped her in an unwanted marriage with him because of his status. Neither one choosing to confess their feelings or address the situation; they do more harm than good towards their friendship and future marriage.

Warnings: angst angst but fluff but angst but fluff yk

Word count: 5996

Part 2/2

Previous

The scent of roasted baby pig filled the dining room, along with the various dishes that had been laid out by the servants. Presently, a family dinner was being held between the Starks and the Y/Ns. Eddard had sought out Y/Ns father; inviting the family to their household to bond with one another. The table setting was situated with Eddard at the head of the table, his wife beside him, Robb beside her, and the rest of the Stark children (minus Jon, per Catelyn’s request). Y/N’s father sat on the other side of Eddard, her mother next to him, herself beside them, and her younger sibling sitting at the end. From her position, she sat right across from Robb. While jokes and talk was being shared between the parents, and laughter between the younger siblings; Y/N and Robb hadn’t even shared a glance at each other. Sansa was the first to crack Y/N to speak, asking her on what color she had decided for her dress.

“Oh, I haven’t even thought about that kind of stuff yet…” Y/N extended, “I guess white for traditions…maybe gold”, she answered, smiling at the young girl. Digging into her meal, Sansa scrunched up her face in enthusiasm, “I’m so excited! Soon we’ll be sisters!” Robb had let his eyes linger up from his dish and land upon Y/n as she laughed, watching Sansa and Arya now argue about “You already have a sister!” and “Well, not a good one!”. He took in her beauty, memorized by the sound of her laughter and the way she held a kind of glow in her eyes. Sensing someone was watching her, Y/N turned her head; her laughter stopped abruptly as she made eye contact with him. The two shared a long glance until it felt all too much, and they both looked back down at their plates. Both blushing immensely.

Y/N’s father patted his belly, letting out a grunt of satisfaction, “That meal was heavenly, Ed. I cannot begin to thank you for inviting my family and I into your home”, he said with her mother nodding along. Catelyn waved her hand in the air, replying in her husband’s place, “Nonsense. We are to be family soon, so a dinner is expected. I hope you saved room for dessert.” At the mention, servants began to enter the room with plates containing slices of lemon cake. Once given to each person at the table, everyone began to dig in; except for two people. Y/N stared at her slice while Robb observed her. Noticing her untouched piece, Eddard questioned the girl, “Lady Y/N, you have no appetite left in you? Or are you participating in the practice that ladies do of cutting sweets off to lose weight for your wedding?”. Y/N cringed at the comment in displeasure, but hid it behind a smile, “No, my lord. I am just not fond of sweets- “

“She hates lemon cake”, Robb announced to the table. Picking up her plate, and his, he called a servant over, “Take this back to the kitchen. Bring the lady a slice of strawberry cake instead”. The servant nodded and scurried away. Sitting back down in his seat, Robb chose to ignore all the stares that were put on him and focused his attention on only one person: Y/N. She nodded at Robb and spoke a very gently, “Thank you”. Their mothers gave each other a knowing glance as they watched their children interact. Robb cleared his throat and returned her nod, “It is alright. It would not be fair for everyone to be enjoying dessert and for you not”. The servant returned into the room, handing Robb his plate and Y/N hers. Before she could grab it, Robb took the plate from her and replaced it with his; their fingers gently brushing one another’s. “Here,” he pulled back his hand quickly as he set the plate down, “this one is a larger slice”. She thanked him once again as he continued his talk, “I know how much you enjoy your sweets”.

There was a hint of mischief in his voice that only she could hear. Y/N understood his little inside joke; referring to all those times when they would steal the baked goods from the kitchen. At their small age, it was an intense mission of trying not to get caught that involved a lot of running and tripping on their feet. In the end, they would still get caught as all Lady Catelyn had to do was follow the trail of dropped biscuits. Y/N smiled fondly at the memory and let out a small giggle; which she felt embarrassed for as now all the attention was turned on her. “Sorry,” she apologized as she must’ve looked crazy for laughing out of nowhere, “Yes. I do enjoy my sweets very much”. Robb grinned, feeling happy that she was able to notice his jest.

Smiling while staring at the two, Y/N’s father interrupted their moment, “I must thank you son. You two are not married yet and you are already acting like an attentive husband. I can rest easy knowing my daughter shall be in good hands”. Robb smiled and nodded at his words but hidden behind him were his anxious thoughts that were returning once again.

Good hands? he thought, you mean the hands that have confined her.

Eddard raised his glass of wine, with everyone else following through, “To a happy marriage and alliance”. Some moments later, after everyone had finished their dessert and wine, people began to stand and leave. Robb made quick work of heading straight towards the door but was interrupted by Y/N wrapping her hand around his forearm.

“Robb, can we please talk- “

“I’m sorry my lady but I must go”. And with that, once again, Robb left—leaving her standing there by herself.

Since their last encounter in the dining hall, several days had transpired and not a word had been spoken between Robb and Y/N. At first, Y/N sought out Robb several times, but the male had refused her advances or hidden from her. After that, Y/N was fed up and gave him similar treatment; ignoring his presence when she passed him down the halls on her way to see his sisters and not greeting him when she saw him with Jon.

“Jon. Lovely day we’re having today.” She smiled warmly at the boy, disregarding the other who stood tall right next to him. “It is quite a lovely day, my lady”, Jon spoke, “Where are you heading off to?”. Nodding, she turned her head in the direction of the great keep, “Lady Stark has been giving me lessons on- “, ever so quickly, her eyes had darted over to Robb before returning back to his brother, “-being Lady of Winterfell. I, uh, I should get going. I’ll see you later”. And with that, she picked up the skirts of her dress and left their company. She was a few steps away when the Greyjoy boy came into view, “Theon. Hope you have a good day” and she was gone. Theon was given little time to process the greeting, returning a stuttering “Y-You t-too, my l-lady!”. Walking up to the two brothers, his eyes were bulging in disbelief, “I must have hit my head or something! That’s the first time I ever heard her call me by my first name. A lovely sound it was for my name to come out her mo- “

“Do not go all lovesick. Her hand is spoken for” Robb said annoyed with a hint of anger in his voice. Jon was also quick to notice the jealous tone that was hidden in there. He cleared his throat, staring around the castle yard, “Her hand is spoken for, you say? Yet you two have not spoken a word to one another in days”. Robb’s head turned quick and a glare was delivered to Jon that made even him slightly quiver, “Mind your business, Snow”. A stare down between the two was in motion, several seconds of pure silence gone by. Theon, still not good at reading the room, threw in his two cents and slightly laughed “You two still aren’t talking? Sounds like her hand is up for grabs to me. Maybe I should go find the lady right now and convince- “. Theon had no time to finish his banter as he found himself on the ground, in mud, having been pushed by Robb. And hard.

“Ow! You prick! I was only joking!” he exclaimed.

“Joke or not, remove such thoughts from that head of yours. As if I would ever let Y/N go with the likes of you”, Robb glared down at him fiercely.

Jon pushed his brother aside to help the Greyjoy boy to his feet, both frowning at the Stark heir. Theon grumbled in irritation, “Yeah, yeah, fine. Now look at me—I got mud all over me!”. Jon rolled his eyes, taking out the piece of cloth he has kept on him for the past weeks now, “Stop wining like a baby and use this”. Before Theon could take the item, it was confiscated by Robb. “Oh, what?! Am I not allowed to get this shit off me?!”, Theon expressed.

Staring down at the handkerchief, Robb recognized the coloring as well as the sewing of a badly stitched direwolf. “Where did you get this?” he questioned, fixating his eyes on Jon.

Jon sighed at the sight of Robb, “She gave it to me. Said to burn it but I didn’t have the heart to do it”. Robb stared down at what originally had belonged to him but had given up because of his insecurities. Ever so carefully, he caressed the fabric, turning it around and now noticing the small stitched initials in the corner. The first initial was sewed perfectly, while the second looked as though a mistake was made or a new thought had been formed. Robb knew right away that Y/N had originally sought to sew her last name initial, but changed her mind and replaced it with an S instead.

First/Initial S.

Y/N Stark.

Not being able to handle his feelings, Robb left in a hurry, taking the handkerchief with him. Jon watched as Robb left; it felt like he was seeing more of Robb’s back than he was of him entirely these days. To Jon, maybe this could finally be what can reconnect Y/N and Robb again. His thoughts were interrupted, eyes rolling as Theon yelled beside him “Hey, where you going?! While you’re at it, bring me back something to clean myself with, you cunt!”

Finding her was never hard for Robb. Once he spotted her, walking alone down the halls, he quickly jogged up to her. “My lady,” he called out but she chose to ignore him and his repeated addresses. “My lady,” he tried once more as he finally caught up to her, standing right behind her, “Y/N”. With that, she turned ever slowly to face the oldest Stark child, hand clasped in front of her, “Yes, my lord?”. He chewed on his bottom lip and vexedly looked around, “You know I am not a Lord until my father passes down his title. Call me by my first name”. Laughing bitterly, she placed her hands upon her hips, “I can do many things —call you many things. But I just won’t do that”. He stared deeply into her eyes before pulling out his handkerchief, “Was this one of the many things you can do?”. She gaped at his palm, looking back at him in furry, “Where did you get that? How did you get that?”.

He answered her question straightforwardly, “Jon had it—said you gave it to him” he raised the cloth to show her initials, “Never mind that. Explain why you put this here”.

Angrily, she took the handkerchief out of his grasp and held it tightly against her chest, “I gave it to Jon because you said, and I quote, “I never asked you to do this and I don’t need this”, she said doing her best to deepen her voice to impersonate Robb. Before Robb could cut in, she continued “And I put that there because I wanted to give you that gift not as a friend, but as your wife. When we were to be married, I thought the best first gift I could possibly give you was my time and effort. As if any of that matters now”.

Robb locked eyes with her as he fully took in her revelations. A part of him felt jubilation that she never felt obligated to make him his gift but instead did it out of her own accord. The other part pf him felt deep anger towards himself for how he acted towards her. Taking a step closer, Robb conveyed, “What do you mean it doesn’t matter- “. Robb stopped talking abruptly as he fully took in her previous speech.

“What do you mean by when we were to be married?”.

Swallowing harshly, Y/N sheepishly looked away; not having the strength in her to look him in the eyes. “You were bound to find out by the end of the day,” she cleared her throat once more, “I spoke with my parents yesterday and I came here to speak with yours today. They agreed with my outlook on the matter and our engagement has been suspended”. Robb felt all the oxygen in him get knocked out by the words she spoke. He tried to keep his composure, but his labored breathing was something he could not control. Anguished, he mumbled “You had no right. What about my say on the matter?”

His question made Y/N turn her head rapidly and gawk at him in shock. That shock then turned to anger with her own heartbreak mixed in. Jabbing a finger in his chest, she gritted her teeth and hissed, “You’re say on the matter?!” she sucked in a breath, “I did this for you. You! All you! A little thank you would be appreciated”. Grasping her hand in his, he held it tightly as he held her fury faze, “For me?! I never asked you to do this!”

Scoffing, she pulled her hand back and slightly pushed him, “Well, it sure felt like I had too! You hardly look at me anymore, hardly speak to me or spend time with me- “, her voice cracked immensely as Robb took notice of the tears forming in her eyes, “Was the thought of marrying me that torturous?”. Robb gaped at her in confusion and in sorrow, taking a step close to her and placing a hand upon her face, “What are you talking about? Spending my life with you could never be agonizing”. Shaking her head, she pushed him once again, “You don’t have to play me for a joke Robb. I know, okay. I know you don’t want to marry me, and I understand. I’m sorry that you were put into such a situation and as your friend, I could not bear to watch you suffer so I fixed the problem. What’s done is done”.

Robb started to shake his head, raising his hands up to calm the girl, “Y/N. Please. I think we need to talk clearly. You must know that I- “

“I’m being sent to the Riverlands”.

Silence had enveloped the two; the drop of a pin could be heard. Robbs’ labored breathing had returned and more intense now. “…What?” he questioned.

Y/N stood her ground, tears still staining her face, but no emotion now present upon it. She looked lifeless as she spoke her next words. “Since my engagement to you has ended, my parents have returned to their original plans when it came to my future husband. I am to wed one of Lord Frey’s sons”. Robb lost his senses and engulfed the girl in a tight hug, “No. No, you cannot” he begged, “I’ll talk with your parents. I-I’ll make things right”. This time, Y/N didn’t push him away immediately. She basked in his warmth and security. Slowly, she placed her hands upon his chest and made some distance between the two. Emotionless, she uttered, “I have to go”, now heading towards the end of the hallway. Grabbing ahold of her forearm, Robb begged once again, “Please, Y/N! We need to talk- “

Turning around, the crushed look she held upon her face was enough to silence Robb. Raising her shaking hands, she cried out, “Please Robb, please. Do not make this hard for me. If you have any respect for me as your friend, as a human, you will let me leave. I cannot do this right now. Please”. Hearing the desperation in her voice, Robb took a step back. Y/N gave him one last glance before taking her leave. Robb watched in silence as her figure got smaller and disappeared. It was then he noticed that he had been crying the whole time as well.

A week and a half had passed since the announcement made by House Stark and House Y/N of the annulment of their household union. Robb and Y/N were both depressed and a mess. Y/N would isolate herself in her room and would only come out when she needed to eat or bathe. She occasionally would still have to go to her septa lessons within the castle but would keep out of sight of her (ex) best friend. Robb, on the other hand, had increased his time practicing his swordsmanship and shooting. His family grew worried that he might over exhaust himself but did not know what other ways to help him. His temper and outbreaks of anger had increased vastly. So, to them; this was a great way for him to let out his frustrations and not upon them. Today, his rage was high as he had overheard his parents speak about Household Y/N beginning preparations to send Y/N away by the end of the week.

Y/N was equally displeased and terrified. She had tried her best to convince her parents not to go through with their plans (she even suggested devoting her life to the faith), but their minds were set. Rushing down the halls of Winterfell castle, she squeaked and hid behind a corner at the sound of someone’s voice. Peaking out her head, she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Arrya Stark. Walking up the girl, she smiled and greeted her, which was returned back.

“I haven’t seen much of you lately. I’ve missed you”, Arrya spoke frowning.

Y/N winced but smiled weakly at the girl. Aside from Robb, Arrya was one of the Stark children she would spend a great deal of time with. Whether it was playing or practicing their archery together (Arrya giving her lessons instead of vice versa), they were friends as well. Patting Arrya’s head, Y/N shook her own, “I am truly sorry. I have just been…dealing with certain things. You are far too young to understand”. Arrya gave her a look of awareness, “I know about everything. Robb and you are no longer getting married, and you are going away. I think I can understand how difficult that ought to be”. Y/N gulped as the young girl continued “Robb is in shambles you know. Been a real ass to everyone lately”.

Lightly laughing, Y/N forced a smile upon her face at the mention of the man she holds deep affection for. “I’m sure he will be alright. Our friendship was something we both held dear, so it is very sad to see how much it has and will change”. Arrya shook her head vigorously, raising her eyebrows high.

“No. It’s because he loves you”.

Y/N stopped petting the girl and gave her a confused look. She then suddenly let out a loud chuckle. “I’m sure he cherishes me very much as a friend”.

Arrya continued shaking her head, trying to get the older girl to understand. “No! He does love you. Like loves LOVES you!”

Arrya wanted to bang her head against the wall at how dense Y/N was continuing to be. “This is what I mean by you being too young to understand. There is a difference between having love for a friend and having love for a lover. Robb only loves me as a friend”, Y/N returned to petting the girl.

Arrya moved away from her hand and let out a groan. “But I truly mean it. He is going crazy- “

“Would you like to go shooting with me?” Y/N interrupted the girl; choosing to ignore Arya’s previous comments of false impression. Arya was quick to change her expression of annoyance to excitement. Her mind threw out all thoughts about her older brother’s and friend’s problems and was replaced by the thoughts of one of her favorite activities. Readying herself to say yes, her smile dropped in remembrance. “I can’t,” she scowled, “I was on my way to see my mother. She’s making me take extra lessons to better my needle work”.

Y/N tsked her tongue at the statement. “That’s too bad. I really needed something to calm my thoughts”, staring down at the ground she raised her head up, “I guess I’ll just go alone”.

Arya’s eyes bulged out as she saw Y/N turn her back and walk away, “You can’t go alone. It’s dangerous!”. Y/N turned her head and waved her hand, “Don’t worry; I’ll be fine. It can’t be any more dangerous than me having to wed a Frey” she made a joke at her own troubles. “I’ll see you another day. Bye!”

Arrya waved her hand and returned her goodbye, along with a “Be safe!”. Once Y/N was out of sight, she sobbed in defeat and headed down the hall to her classes.

At the same moment, Robb stood in the castle yard working on his own shooting. He had been doing so for hours and his aim had gone from perfect to flawed as time passed by; his thoughts continuing to run wild. At this point, he wasn’t even trying as he let go his of bow and barely made the mark.

“You missed”. Turning towards his side, Jon and Theon stood there—having been watching the Stark heir for almost an hour. This was per the request of Eddard Stark who wanted to make sure his son didn’t go mad and accidentally harm himself. He chose to ignore them and picked up another arrow; preparing his stance, he let the bow go and watched as it missed the target. “Missed again”, both boys said in unison. Robb shrugged his shoulders and went to retrieve the arrows he had thrown, “Don’t care”.

Theon watched Robb return to his stance, deciding to speak his mind. “Have you spoken to the girl?”. Jon did not even bother to hush the Greyjoy boy as even he was readying himself to ask the same question. Robb chewed his inner cheek, trying his best to control his temper, “No, I have not. I haven’t seen her around the castle, and it will be inappropriate of me to go to her home”. Theon let out a low whistle and crossed his arms, “That’s shitty”. Robb inhaled deeply as the sound of the Greyjoy boy was getting on his nerves. Before he could speak, Robb was interrupted by a young female voice.

“She was here earlier”. The trio turned and saw the youngest Stark girl come out from the shadows. Jon laughed and pointed at the girl, “Aren’t you supposed to be taking your extra lessons?”. Arrya’s face flushed as she defended herself quickly, “I was let out early”. A clear lie coming out of her mouth. “Anyway, not that matters. Y/N was here earlier—I know that she’s been coming here a few days for her septa lessons”.

Theon let out a loud cackle as he turned to Robb, “Haven’t seen her around the castle? The girl is clearly ignoring you”. Jon slightly smacked the boy upside his head to which Robb nodded at him in thanks. He returned to shooting his arrows, listening in on the other three’s conversation but not joining. Part of him wanted to quickly distract himself from thinking about Y/N and how she was purposely trying to be out of his sight. In a sense, it was the price he had to pay for doing the same to her originally. Jon ruffled up his half-sister’s hair and questioned, “And did you speak to her?”. Arrya nodded, “Yeah. Said she missed me; I told her I missed her. Blah Blah Blah. Then she left to go practice her shooting”, she scanned over the boys and eagerly spoke, “Can I please practice with you guys?”.

Robb had stood still for a second, taking in her words before sharply turning his entire body. “What do you mean she left to practice? Alone? And in the woods?”.

Both Jon and Theon tensed up and frowned as they took in the younger Starks words, realizing the implications of what she said. Arrya nodded once again, setting her sites on Robbs bow, “Yeah, alone. And I assumed so if she’s not out here with you guys”, she scanned her surroundings, “Don’t worry. She said she’d be safe. Can I practice now?”.

Robb moved quickly, grabbing his sword, and brining his bow along with him. Placing his hand upon his half-brothers’ shoulder, he spoke sternly and swiftly to him and the Greyjoy boy, “Grab a weapon and grab your horses. Split up into the woods— whoever finds her first, make sure she’s not injured and bring her back safely. Do you understand?”. Both Jon and Theon nodded, taking in their orders and seeing how Robb displayed himself as man and a future Lord. He gave them a nod and wasted no time in hurrying to his horse.

In the midst of the woods, a gentle chill lingers in the air, a refreshing coolness that swirls among the trees. A carpet of fallen leaves crunches under the feet of Y/N as she strolls along. Her face had turned into a slight flush from the cold air and her own physical movements. She had been able to shoot a couple of arrows within the half-hour she had been there. She had no targets in mind; deciding to leave the critters of the forest at peace and chose to just aim randomly at certain tree’s. She stopped suddenly at the sound of movement coming from her side; the large bushes moving. Scrunching her face, she set her bow down and stayed low, still distancing herself slightly. Ever slowly, she extended her hand out and called out to what she assumed was a wild rabbit, “Pss pss pss. Come here little guy”. More movement continued to happen until it stopped and out from the shrub came a wild boar. Y/N’s smile dropped instantly, and her fight or flight senses kicked in; standing up from the ground immediately. The sudden movement made by her had alerted the boar; its eyes landing upon her.

Without warning, the creature charged.

With a surge of fear-fueled quickness, she dove to the side, narrowly evading the boar's razor-sharp tusks. Her bow still in her hand, Y/N was quick to shoot at the beast. From her angle on the ground, the boar was only grazed slightly on its back. Her eyes never leaving the beast as it whirled around, desperation was fueling her actions as she struggled to recover from her fall. Once again, she narrowly avoided the onslaught of the boar, lunging herself on the other side of the forest ground. One more time, she raised her bow and released; this time, the arrow impaling its backside. Y/N thought she was safe at last as the boar let out a pained squeal—but the animal was strong willed as it did not fall to the ground. Y/N actions only fueled the boar’s anger. Being caught off guard, she did not have the time to stand up again. The boar raced at her, and Y/N felt her heart drop; letting out a petrified scream as she was about to meet her fate.

That never came. To her own shock, another arrow came out of nowhere and pierced the animal. The impact diverted the boar’s trajectory, causing it steer away toward the left of Y/N; falling to the ground and succumbing to it’s injuries.

Y/N’s body trembled with the aftermath of the encounter, chest heaving with exertion and relief. Looking up, she saw her savior was Robb.

Robb, himself, was breathing heavily. He had almost witnessed the death of the woman he loves but came in time to save her. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Robb got off his horse and ran to her. Engulfing her in a hug, still on the ground, he hushed the girl and caressed her hair as he let her sob into his chest. “Shh. You’re alright. You’re safe— I’ve got you”, he placed a kiss upon her temple. A minute or two passed before Y/N had started to settle down. Robb, taking notice, placed both hands upon her face, his eyes slightly watery, “What were you thinking?! You can’t come this deep into the forest—especially with such little defense. You could’ve gotten hurt!”. Y/N shook her head, not being allowed to speak as Robb continued, “If I was just a little bit late, I could’ve found you dead! Do you not see how much that would’ve scarred me for life?!” He finally let his tears drop.

Sobbing heavily, she apologized to her friend. “I’m sorry! I know. I know I shouldn’t have come out here alone, but I needed some time to myself. I have so much going on- “she gasped deeply “I do not want to leave for the Riverlands”. Robb looked over the girl, looking at all the bruises she had gained. “We need to get you to a maester. Come on, your parents must be worried sick about you”. He raised her up to her feet and was walking towards his horse, but Y/N did not budge from her position. Turning to face her, Robb sent her a puzzled look.

“Robb. I do not want to marry the Frey boy”.

Robb bit his lip, trying his best to suppress his own emotions and focus on his friend’s health first. “Y/N, we need to get you checked- “

“Why exactly was I a bad candidate for your future wife?”

Robb felt all the air leave him as he starred at her emotionless face. “What?” he questioned.

Y/N shook her head, continuing her maundering. “I have known you my entire life. I know your likes and dislikes. I’ve been there for your ups and downs. I share so many precious memories with you. I wish to know why you would want to settle your life with a random stranger instead of me” she said not caring how desperate and draft she sounded. “…Am I not pretty enough? Am I a terrible person to you? There were a couple times I thought you felt something for me-“

Robb interrupted her, taking a step to stand in front of her. “Hold on. I do not think such things about!”, he held her gaze, “You are the most beautiful woman I know. The word terrible can never been used in the same sentence as you”. Nodding his head, he finally confessed, “Yes. There were times I did feel something for you. I still do. That is why it would not be fair for me to marry you”.  Y/N scoffed as she took in his words, ever so confused, “What does that even mean?!”.

Robb took a step back, creating a bit of distance between the two. “I could not marry you knowing that it was against your will. My household name trapping you into saying yes. Just as you are now being forced to marry the Frey boy, you were being forced to marry me”. Y/N stared at him like he had grown a second head. She took a step forward, closing their gap once again. “Trapping? Forced?! I agreed to the union on my own accord and very happily I must say!”, she pointed a finger at him “All I ever wanted was to be with you”. Robb gaped at her; his eyes wide in disbelief. “You wanted to be with me...You wanted to marry me?”.

Nodding her head, she spoke sternly. “Yes”. Y/N’s facial expressions softed a bit, gulping air and preparing herself to speak. “…Did you not want to be with me?”.

Robb took her face into his hands, their foreheads connecting. “Yes! You’re all I have ever wanted. I have been in love with you almost my whole life”. Y/N could feel her own tears and see his as well. She smiled at Robb and spoke gently, “So have I”. The two stared at each other in awe before Y/N raised her fist and striked Robb’s chest. “Stupid! Stupid! You’re so stupid!”, she said knowing she was just as dense. “Dumb, stupid, foolish- “

Robb caught her wrist in his hands. The forest was alive, full of birds chirping and the wind rustling through the trees. But, to them, not a sound could be heard as they looked into each other eyes. Robb was the first to lean in, taking her lips in his. The kiss was slow and slightly inexperience at first. That was before Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and the two further deepened the kiss. It became very intimate and carnal instantly; deep love still hidden behind it. Y/N was the first to pull away, needing to catch her breath. Robb heaved heavily, his lips now a slight red and swollen. The two grinned at one another— Robb hand placed on her hip and the other on her cheek. “I love you”, he spoke honestly.

Y/N held back a chuckle, biting her lip as she stared lovestruck. “Now I really don’t want to marry the Frey son”.

Robb’s expression dropped, turning into a serious one as he stroked her cheek. “I’ll make things right. I will talk to the Freys, my parents— I will talk to yours. One on one. This time, I will ask for your hand without the meddling of my family”. Robb gulped, asking anxious, “…that is if you will have me”. Y/N nodded eagerly, smiling up at him, “If you’ll have me, then yes”.

“Always”.

With that, Y/N leaned in and closed the gap between their lips once more. They felt a warm, velvety feeling that flowed from their lips and sent waves of emotions coursing through their bodies. The kiss depended, a silent invitation for a more fervent connection. Robb had to decline that invitation. Pulling away, he was hit with the memory of what had just occurred a few moments ago. Looking down at Y/N, he took in all her bruises, scrapes, and dirt that covered her body.

“We still need to get you to a maester. Come on.”

Y/N groaned as Robb dragged her by the hand towards his horse, “I feel fine”. Shaking his head, Robb let out a chuckle, “We’re still in dangerous territory. Besides, that’s just all the adrenaline talking— it is bound to run out”.

Y/N gave him a mischievous smile, placing her hands on his chest and speaking quietly, “We can stay here. I can think of a few ways to keep my adrenaline pumping”. She leaned up to kiss him but was met with a flick on her forehead. “Ow”.

“Maybe another time”, he laughed, “Lets get going”. Placing her and himself upon his horse, he headed towards his home. Y/N turned her head, smiling up at him, “You looooooove me. That’s so gross”.

“Stop”.

Now aside from the birds chirping and the wind rustling through the trees, their laughter could be heard throughout the forest.

#robb stark #robb stark x reader #robb stark x you #robb stark x y/n #Robb stark imagine #robb stark oneshot #robb stark scenario #robb stark fanfic #game of thrones #got imagines #got x reader #got scenario #richard madden

[raspberryfingers]

A Lion in the Garden -Tywin Lannister x Reader- (Part 20)

WARNING: Mentions of sex

—————

Robb Stark was undressing and getting ready for bed, watching his wife and newborn son—Ned—playing on the bed with a fond smile on his face. It was an odd thing, for in the several months that he had been back at Winterfell, he couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d said. He would’ve walked straight into a slaughter had he married his uncle to one of Walder Frey’s daughters.

You’d saved his life and allowed him to return to Winterfell free of any treasonous charges. Plus, in the last several months, the gods had managed to bring his family back together. Minus Bran, who several Stark men were beyond the wall searching for. Not knowing whether or not he’d ever see his brother again made Robb quite anxious, but he held out hope. 

Rickon had been brought back to Winterfell with a wildling, and according to him, he had escaped with Bran when Theon had taken Winterfell, and Bran had warging abilities. That was why he was going beyond the wall. 

Ah yes, and then there was Theon. Robb had by all accounts intended to take his head, but when he returned to Winterfell and found the sorry state he was in, he couldn’t do it. He often wished he had, but deep down, he knew he wouldn’t have been able to in any circumstance. Theon had always been like a brother to him.

And of course, the Hound had brought Arya back too. She had told the family quite a lot about her adventures in the Riverlands, and at Harrenhal. Though she ‘failed’ to mention it to her mother, Robb had heard about her time as Tywin Lannister’s cupbearer. Besides you, he didn’t think he’d ever heard someone say such pleasant things about the Old Lion.

And then there was the Hound, who—upon arriving at Winterfell—found that he didn’t want to leave. He’d been at Winterfell ever since then, specifically in charge of looking after the Stark children. It gave him a feeling that was as close to joy as he would ever get, and seemingly helped to soothe the anger in him. 

More than anyone, though, Robb’s mother was glad to see their family together again. Losing Ned had been hard, and she’d been so afraid of losing her daughters too. 

But she was home now. 

They all were. 

Well, Sansa was in Highgarden, but Loras had vowed that they would come and visit quite often. It soothed Catelyn, and more than anything she was glad to see her daughter happily married.

Along with that, Robb still had to uphold a promise he’d made to Arya upon her return, which was that they would visit Jon at Castle Black. Though, with Stannis occupying it and preparing to march south, it would have to be postponed awhile. 

He couldn’t wait for all of this to be over.

Robb’s thoughts were disrupted, however, by a distinct knock on his door. With a sigh, he moved over and opened it, finding two of his servants with a rather large box.

“What’s this?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A message and a gift for you, Lord Stark.”

“From whom?”

“Tywin Lannister.”

Robb Stark was shocked, and somewhat wary. What on earth could Tywin Lannister of all people be sending him? 

Then he remembered something. 

“Bring it in, set the box down on the table,” he commanded, letting them awkwardly shuffle in and do so. Talisa watched somewhat anxiously, holding her baby to her chest as she sat up in bed. 

Robb thanked the men as they left, and moved to open the box once the door was shut. He knew what it was before he lifted the lid off, but was still excited to see it.

Ice.

Robb lifted the giant sword from its case, examining it and smiling. He was grateful to see it returned home, and for a moment he thought he might cry. This sword was one of the few things he had left of his father. 

“This’ll be yours someday, little man,” he said softly, showing the weapon to his son, who certainly seemed intrigued by its shine. 

“Not for a long time, though,” Talisa added, raising her own eyebrows at her husband. He chuckled and nodded, knowing she was right. She always was.

Carefully, he set the sword upon its holder on the mantle. It had been sitting empty for years now, and it made him happy to see it restored. 

Oh father.

Robb made his way back to the table, lifting the letter that had come with it. Sure enough, it had the hand’s seal. 

Carefully, he opened it and began to read.

Lord Stark,

My son Tyrion promised that this sword would be returned once you were no longer in rebellion, and he is true to his word. 

Though, I am sorry to inform you that you have not been returned the entire sword. I doubt you would have noticed, but I feel compelled to admit there is about an inch missing from it.

This metal will be put to very good use, I assure you. Several months ago, Lady Tyrell—to whom you spoke—gifted me a ring made of Valyrian steel. I intend to do the same for her, the only difference being that should she accept my gift, I will take her as a wife. 

As a man quite devoted to your own wife and family, I’m certain you can understand the sentiment. I’m also certain I can trust you to keep the content of this letter confidential, minus your wife. Best wishes, Lord Stark. 

-The Hand of the King, Tywin Lannister

Robb Stark found himself beginning to laugh, not in the slightest upset about what he had learned. In fact, he was happy for the Old Lion. It was odd, especially because they’d been at war for years, and yet there was no bitterness in Robb Stark. 

After all, Joffrey was dead, just as you had assured Robb he would be. And, knowing that Tywin Lannister intended to marry you made perfect sense. Who else but the Nightshade of the Garden would be able to satisfy and soften the most powerful man in Westeros?

“What does it say?” Talisa asked, not expecting her husband to begin laughing at a letter Tywin Lannister had sent. 

Robb was still smiling as he handed the paper to his wife, and he watched her read it for a few seconds.

“It seems the Old Lion intends to take the Nightshade of the Garden as a bride.”

She looked it over completely, and began to gape. She certainly wouldn’t have expected the man to be so sentimental, but deep down she knew better than to doubt the effect that women had on men. 

“Do you think he’s already asked her?” She questioned, handing the letter back to her husband. Robb shrugged, placing it on the table. 

“It’s hard to say, really. There’s no date on the letter,” he said, joining his wife in bed and taking their son into his lap. Talisa watched her husband lift the boy into the air, both of them grinning and giggling at each other. She couldn’t help but smile at the scene, and she leaned over to kiss Robb’s cheek. 

“And you’re not upset he took some of the metal off?”

“No, oddly enough. I should be furious about the idea of a Lannister attempting to alter the sword in any way, but Tywin Lannister is right. I’m a sentimental man, and I do love my family. Not to mention, I love my wife very much,” he said, grinning at Talisa and kissing her softly. She gave a small laugh in reply. 

“And with that in mind, I can’t find it in myself to be angry. Lady (Y/N) was a well spoken, impressive woman. The type of woman a man like Tywin Lannister would enjoy and appreciate. Not to mention, I’m certain she’s earned his respect by now. She mentioned she’d yelled at him and even despite that they get along quite well. If the Old Lion has found happiness, good for him. Maybe it’ll make him less of an obnoxious cunt,” he reasoned, covering Ned’s ears at the end. Talisa smacked his shoulder, and he began to laugh. 

“I mean it! I know you certainly made me a better man, who’s to say the same can’t be said for Tywin Lannister? Plus, everyone knows his last wife made him a better man, I bet it could happen again,” he shrugged, removing his hands and patting over his son’s head, which was already full of thick dark hair. 

“Do you think she truly loves him though? Plenty of men have wanted her over the years, and yet she’s never married. Why would she pick Tywin Lannister of all men?” Talisa questioned, knowing that plenty of people thought the man to be disagreeable.

“When I’d spoken to her, she described him rather nicely. I had a suspicion then that perhaps something more was going on between the two, and it seems I was right. You’re probably not aware of this, but she hated him for a long time. She visited Casterly Rock as a girl and the two of them did not get along very well. It’s why I laughed when I learned that the Tyrells and the Lannisters were making an alliance. I honestly figured it would be a weak one given that their two leaders are not particularly fond of one another. But no, by all accounts, the two have gotten along rather well since the Battle of Blackwater. She wouldn’t have put aside that rivalry for show unless she truly, genuinely liked the man,” Robb explained to her, watching as she took Ned in her arms and placed him in the wooden crib beside their bed. He was thankfully a very quiet baby, and went to sleep with relative ease. It made Robb feel that they’d named him correctly. 

“I see. Well, hopefully Lady (Y/N) says yes. I’m certain they would have quite the wedding.”

“I hope so too. Perhaps they’ll even invite us.”

The two laughed, laying back in bed and cuddling close together. As Robb began to drift off, he found himself smiling.

To the Old Lion and the Nightshade of the Garden.

—————

Tywin Lannister was nervous.

He found himself sitting in the garden where you two had properly fought for the first time over a year ago. Though, he hoped this conversation would go much differently. 

He was fidgeting with his own rings, and he felt vastly uncomfortable. He was never nervous, and experiencing the feeling brought him great discomfort. What if you should say no? What if everything that came out of his mouth sounded incoherent, and he upset you? 

There were a million possibilities when it came to what he was about to do, and he found himself imagining every single one. 

He couldn’t recall the last time he’d wanted something this badly. The last time he’d cared so much about a single person’s answer, or opinion. He’d lived a long, decent life despite his losses. He had all that most men craved, and yet the one thing he truly wanted was you. 

More specifically, to make you his wife. And what if you should be against that? How would he live with himself, knowing that you hadn’t wanted to marry him, but did so to avoid another lord? He had no doubt you would at least be content in the marriage, but he didn’t want you to merely be content. Tywin wanted you to be happy, to be fulfilled as his wife. Just as he would be as your husband. 

More than anything, he wanted to give you the world. He wished he wasn’t hand of the king, so he could marry you and return to Casterly Rock. Oh to return to his chambers with their tall, large windows that overlooked the sea. 

He wanted to share that bedroom with you more than anything else on earth. You had the perfect temperament to be the Lady of Casterly Rock, he knew it for a fact. 

Oh to marry you.

Not to mention, to shower you with riches and dress you in the finest Lannister red and golds. He knew you’d always be a Tyrell, but it didn’t keep him from imagining how wonderfully you would represent his own house. 

But, what if you didn’t accept his proposal? Again, these thoughts came back to him, and he sighed before rubbing his face again. Tywin Lannister felt as if he was in utter shambles.

He tried to distract himself with the flowers, which were currently in full bloom and looked absolutely magnificent. A lion in the garden, indeed. 

Just then, he heard a noise, and looked over to find you standing there. He instantly sat up straighter, and took a deep breath. Your grandmother was right. It was now or never. 

—————

“Tywin?” I said softly, a tone of inquiry in my voice. He had an odd look on his face, sitting on the bench while he fixed his ring. It was the one I had given him.

“(Y/N), sit, please,” he said quickly, scooting over a bit. I moved forward and sat down beside him, admiring our surroundings. The first time we’d sat here together, it hadn’t been nearly as beautiful. Right now, I felt oddly at home, almost as if I was back at Highgarden.

“It seems every time I’m sitting on this bench you’re right beside me,” I observed, to which he nodded and gave a gentle smile, but said nothing. Yes, something certainly was wrong, and it made my stomach drop. Had something happened? I swallowed, hoping I was merely in my head and all was well.

“You asked to meet me here?” I questioned then, having received word from a servant an hour ago that I should expect to come here at this time of the afternoon. Golden sunlight was peaking through the garden, and it was enough to be warm but not hot. It was a lovely afternoon, in all honesty. 

“Yes, I did,” he said simply, rubbing his hands against his thighs. I’d never in my life seen any man display such nervous behavior, and it was even more unsettling from him. Since when did Tywin Lannister let himself be consumed by nerves? 

Though, when I considered his behavior at the tourney, perhaps it wasn’t all that strange. Still, it didn’t make any sense for him to behave this way while merely conversing with me. 

“Am I allowed to know why?” I asked, making Tywin look over and raise both eyebrows. Gods, what was wrong with him? He was acting as if I’d said something astonishing and he hadn’t expected it.

“Yes, you certainly are. I have, uhm- I’ve requested your presence so that I might give you a gift. Two gifts, actually,” he said, stumbling over his words a little. He wasn’t even looking me in the eyes. 

“Are you alright, Tywin? You seem… anxious,” I questioned softly, furrowing my eyebrows with concern and pressing my hand to his forehead. Perhaps he was coming down with something? His face did feel awfully hot. 

He reached for my wrist, kissing my palm as he brought my hand down from his forehead.

“I’m alright, my dear, just allow me to explain,” he assured me, seemingly relaxing a little bit. I nodded, then processing that he had gifts for me. What sort of gift would be making him act this way? 

“There’s two gifts, and one requirement. The requirement is that in order to receive the second gift, you must accept the first one,” he continued, watching my face carefully. I nodded at this, though I was truthfully feeling somewhat confused. What was so important that I couldn't have both things individually? And why was he being so mysterious about the damned thing? 

Nothing about this conversation had made any logical sense thus far, and it made me feel as if I was dreaming. Tywin was always so well spoken. So confident. He was a lion, after all. 

“Very well, what is the first one?” I asked, deciding to ignore all my other concerns. Perhaps there was a reason for the odd behavior, and all would be explained momentarily.

Tywin paused, reaching for my hands and taking them in his. His hands were soft and warm, and the feeling of his skin on mine was pleasant. Not to mention, his hands were practically twice the size of mine, and I felt entirely enveloped by him.

“Before I give it to you, can I say something? Would you allow me to?” Tywin whispered, and there was a hint of emotion in his voice that I could not deny, nor place.  

“Of course, Tywin. What is it?”

He swallowed, looking me in the eyes as he again fixed his posture. He inhaled awkwardly, closing his eyes for just a moment and then opening them fiercely. Somehow, I knew then that the lion was back. The anxiety that had been consuming him—for whatever reason—was gone now.

“The last time we sat here, (Y/N), you were lecturing me. You were expressing your hatred for me, and rightfully so. At the time, I thought you were being ridiculous. I thought you were still a girl, just as you had been the first time we’d met. But no, I quickly learned that you were not. And, despite the anger I felt while sitting here, I would soon become grateful for it. I am truthfully very grateful that you yelled at me that day, because if you hadn’t, I might not have become so obsessed with the idea of making you tolerate me. And if I hadn’t done that, I never would’ve entertained the idea of you liking me, let alone- let alone loving me,” he said, taking deep breaths and letting out shaky exhales as he did. It was as if he had to remind himself to be calm. Though, the sentiment was overwhelmingly sweet. I felt myself smiling as I pressed one of my hands to his face, letting my thumb stroke his neat stubble. 

He leaned into my touch, placing one hand on top of mine as he continued. 

“And more than that, I found that I liked you. I found that I enjoyed watching you smile, and hearing you laugh. I was comforted by your thoughts, and reassured with your advice,” he muttered sweetly, a distinct passion and adoration in his eyes as he stared down at me. Then there was a slight sadness.

“After losing Joanna, I never thought I’d love another woman again. I never wanted to. But you managed to force yourself into my heart, as ridiculous as that might sound. And now that I have such a fondness for you, I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” he said, eyes scanning over my face as he did. I still had not a clue where he was going with this, but my heart pounded with every word. I couldn’t ever recall him being so open about how he truly felt towards me. 

“About a week or two before you left for Dorne, I received a raven from Catelyn Stark, requesting that her husband’s sword be returned to her son. I had, in all honesty, forgotten about that sword up until then. Upon remembering its existence, however, I found myself presented with an opportunity,” he began to explain, confusing me even further. What in the seven hells did the Stark’s ancestral sword have to do with anything?

Tywin paused, observing the somewhat confused look on my face. He looked away for a moment, as if considering what to say next. I then watched him move his hand, raising and positioning it so I would look down at his rings. The one I’d given him in particular, as it shone twice as bright. 

“(Y/N), when you gave me this ring, it was a symbol of our improved relationship. It was a symbol of our friendship. The day you gave it to me, I was no longer the Lord Hand, or Lord Tywin. From that day on, I was just Tywin to you,” he said softly, looking down at his hand before looking me in the eyes again. There was something so serious, so dire in his voice. He swallowed and then continued to speak once more. 

“And upon remembering that I would have to return that sword to Robb Stark, I felt compelled to take another step forward. Because for quite some time, I was more than satisfied being just Tywin to you. In fact, I was overjoyed. But eventually, I realized that I would be content as more than just a lover to you. And so, from that sword, I forged you a ring. A ring that I hoped would symbolize not only our friendship, but our love as well. A ring that I hoped to give to you… to give to you the day that I… that I asked you to be my wife,” he said, voice soft and progressively becoming quieter as he spoke. At the end, his voice was at a whisper, but not so quiet that I did not hear him. 

I then watched him reach into the pocket of his coat, and when it was removed, I found a ring in the palm of his hand. It was made of Valyrian steel.

My heart skipped several beats, and I could not keep myself from gaping as I looked up at him. I searched his face, and I tried to contain myself. I did not want to jump to conclusions, but I felt tears begin to well in my eyes. Was he truly asking for my hand?

“I had this ring made before I bedded you for the first time. At that point, I did not feel ready to ask for your hand in marriage, but I did feel that it would be plausible in the near future, so I had it made then anyways. It was not until Dorne… not until you were away from me that I realized there is only one thing that I will ever want for the rest of my life. When you were gone, I of course feared for your safety, for your life. I often found myself lying awake at night, wondering if you were still breathing. I was terrified. But, more than that, I missed you. I missed your teasing and your flirting, your excitement over simple things. I missed your warmth in my bed at night, and the sound of your laugh during the day. I found myself increasingly aware of your absence more and more each moment. And, I found that I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t bear to be without you, (Y/N), and it’s because of that fact that I want to ensure your permanence in my life. I want to ensure your permanence in my life for the rest of my life, no matter how short it may be, and that is why- that is why I’m begging you to accept this ring and wear it proudly for as long as I live. That is why I’m asking you to be my wife, (Y/N).”

There was so much emotion in his face, in his eyes especially, as he revealed all that he felt for me, and I couldn’t deny the tears that had begun to spill from my own eyes. 

Oh Tywin, my dear. 

I cupped both sides of his face with my hands, giving him a gentle smile as I spoke.

“When I was in Dorne, Tywin, I was sitting around the fire with Jaime and Bronn one morning. We were discussing how we’d like to die, and additionally how we’d not like to. I noted that the worst idea of death to me is somehow that of lying in a bed surrounded by too many children and grandchildren. I explained to them that my worst fear has always been being married off to some lord and losing who I am. My worst fear is being sold and bred like an animal, and only ever serving that purpose just as so many women are forced to do. I told them that, and reasoned that it’s why marriage has always made me so reluctant. But, upon saying this, Bronn pointed out to me that you had allowed me to come,” I began, giving him some context for what I was about to say. I spoke slowly, occasionally sniffling because I was somehow still crying. It seemed Tywin was about to as well.

“I realized then that Bronn was right. Even after the tourney, even after you’d expressed such a distinct fear about me being in a dangerous situation, you still let me go with them to Dorne. Not for Jaime or Cersei, but for me. You let me fulfill my more adventurous desires, which is something that few other men would do. And when I thought about that, I understood that the idea of marriage, the concept that I had been so against and hated so much for the majority of my life, was no longer something I feared. I no longer feared it because I knew that if you ever took me as your wife, I would still be more than just your wife. And with that thought came the realization that I do want to marry you, Tywin. To be your wife would be the most divine thing in all seven kingdoms, and I should be proud to take you as my husband,” I told him softly, both of our tears flowing freely now. Tywin smiled at me and wiped my cheeks, sniffling as he looked down and slipped the ring onto my finger. The weight was pleasant, almost as if it had been missing from my hand every day before this day. 

I took Tywin’s hand in mine then, pressing our rings together and smiling at him. The metaphor was certainly not lost on him, and he did not waste another moment before leaning down and kissing me. 

I wrapped one arm around his neck and held his face with my other hand, kissing him through my smile and simultaneously my tears. Tywin’s arms were wrapped around me, holding me impossibly close, almost as if he couldn’t believe I was real. There was so much love and passion in that kiss, and it was so overwhelming that somehow kissing him was not enough. I wanted to meld our souls together, to be eternally connected to him in every way that I possibly could. 

“(Y/N)… (Y/N), I love you,” he whispered, swallowing and catching his breath. He let our foreheads press together, and all I was physically able to focus my eyes on were his eyes. 

“Oh Tywin, I love you so much. So much,” I muttered in reply, kissing him once more before smiling as I pulled away. Somehow, I was still having trouble processing that I would truly be his wife. 

Gods, I couldn’t wait. 

“Now that I’ve given you the ring, would you like to know what the second gift is?” He whispered after a moment. I was utterly shocked then. There was more?

He moved his face back, and gave the smallest of grins at the shock in my eyes. 

“I spoke with your father this morning. I told him I was going to ask for your hand in marriage today,” Tywin began, making me raise an eyebrow.

“And how did he react to that?”

“He began to choke on his wine.”

We both laughed a bit, because it was exactly what I would’ve expected from my father. I suspected he was the only Tyrell who was entirely clueless about my relationship with Tywin. 

“I explained it to him in political terms, such as he needed to marry you off to a decent lord, and I wanted more children. I truthfully don’t care if you’re opposed to having children, but I did need an excuse, and your father thought nothing of it. I explained that we got along fine and would make a suitable match, but that I had a request to make,” he continued, much to my amusement, for I would’ve given anything to see my fathers face during this conversation. 

“A request?”

“I told him that if he wished to see you married to me, he needed to keep you as the head of the Tyrell army. He stuttered and fumbled around for a minute or two, but I made it abundantly clear that it was absolutely necessary, and he relented,” Tywin revealed, watching with satisfaction as I began to gape once more. 

“He’s not going to name Loras the head of the army?”

“Not so long as he wants to see us married, no he won’t.”

I began to laugh now, throwing myself into Tywin’s arms and holding him as tight as I possibly could. The man had just ensured I would keep the one thing I’d always valued so much and held so close to my heart, and how could I not love him even more after that? 

“Oh Tywin, thank you. Thank you, thank you… thank you,” I repeated, still smiling and laughing softly as I remained in his arms. To say that I was overjoyed was an understatement. 

“I told your grandmother this, and I’ll tell it to you as well. Anything you desire I will give you. If you want to be my wife, then you will be. If you wish to remain head of the Tyrell army, you will. I would give you all seven kingdoms if you so much as mentioned it,” he said, voice soft and low in my ear. I couldn’t stop smiling. I couldn’t think of a single day in my life when I’d ever received so much good news. I couldn’t recall a single day where I’d ever been so happy. 

“I love you, Tywin, so much,” I whispered, unable to express anything but that. He chuckled sweetly, arms still wrapped around me. There was such peace in his arms, and knowing that I would spend the rest of my life in them made me smile brighter than the sun. 

As I pulled away, I seemed to remember something Cerella had said once. Looking down and observing my ring, I contemplated it. The ring was adorned with intricate vines for a pattern. There was a beautiful red jewel on the top, and on the bottom, a lion appeared to be sleeping, covered in the vines. And of course, it was nightshade. 

“You know, Tywin, the day I told Cerella that we were romantically involved, she gushed about it so much, claiming that we would be the most powerful match Westeros has seen in centuries. At the time, I hadn’t fully grasped that sentiment, but the more I’ve thought about it the more I’ve realized she’s right. Usually the lowborn get to marry for friendship and love, and we have to marry for political power. But, the curious thing about our marriage is that it will accomplish both. We’ll be combining the two richest houses, and in doing it, we get to marry someone we both truly love. That idea in itself feels quite powerful to me,” I said, motioning around with my hands as I explained my thought process. Tywin smiled at me the whole time. I didn���t think I’d ever seen him smile so much.

“Essentially, the two most powerful people in Westeros are getting married and have each other’s interests at mind. The two greatest powers are becoming a single entity,” he remarked, to which I raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you may be the most powerful man in Westeros, but to say that I-“

“I’m a puppet, (Y/N). I know that, and I don’t mind it. You’ve always pulled my strings, sometimes I’ve been conscious of it and sometimes I haven’t, but the reality of it is, I let you do it because most of the time it does no harm to me. In fact, when I let you take more control, things usually go better than they normally would. I wouldn’t let a stupid person sway my decisions and beliefs, you know that. My point is, if someone has the ability to influence the most powerful man in Westeros so consistently, then what does that make them?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at me to demonstrate he was serious. 

“The most powerful person in Westeros,” I answered. He nodded, satisfied with my answer. In all honesty, I had not realized he viewed it that way. He was right of course, I had been pulling his strings, though it was never out of malicious intent, and I usually only did it for the good of the realm. Or my family, as happened with Loras and Sansa.

“I’ve never wanted to manipulate you, I hope you know that. When I attempt to change your mind, I do it for the good of the realm or the good of my family. I’ve never once done it to gain personal power, you’re more than that to me,” I said, not wanting him to feel as if I was playing the puppeteer because it gave me personal glory or satisfaction.

“I know, my dear. It’s why I went along with the idea of Prince Oberyn killing Joffrey.”

My mouth dropped a bit, and he kissed my forehead. 

What?

“Oberyn Martell did kill Joffrey, but everything that happened was too perfect. It was deliberate, well thought out. Men like Oberyn Martell are impulsive, and you’re the most thorough person I know. Plus, you had plenty of reason to want Margaery married to Tommen instead,” he said quietly, knowing we were in a secluded area but should still make efforts to at least be somewhat secretive. I was still gaping, shocked that he had known it was me the whole time. 

“I’m not mad, dear girl. Tommen is much easier for me to control, and you know that too,” he whispered, thumb brushing over my cheek. I swallowed, somehow coming back to reality as he said it.

“I wouldn’t have put the thought in Oberyn’s head if it would’ve caused any complications of your power. I only did it because Tommen was clearly a better temperament for a husband and for a king.”

“I’m aware, (Y/N). We need not discuss it further now that it’s no longer a secret. All I ask is that you promise me one thing.”

“Hm?”

“The next time you decide to plot something like that, tell me first. If you cannot trust your husband with these things, then who can you?” He requested, both of my hands in his. He gave them a gentle squeeze, and I could tell he meant it. He genuinely was not upset about Joffrey’s death. 

“I’ll tell you, Tywin. I promise.”

“Good. Do you think you can make it up the tower of the hand?” He questioned, tucking a strand of hair behind my ears. He couldn’t take his eyes off me either. 

“It’s only slightly irritating to go up stairs, I’ll manage it perfectly fine,” I reasoned, knowing my wound was well healed enough for plenty of things. The look on  Tywin’s face told me he already had one thing in mind.

“Will you join me there tonight? I’m tired of covering your mouth when I fuck you. I'd like to hear your moans tonight,” he muttered, looking me up and down before settling on my face again. There was a lusty haze in his eyes, and I expected he’d be a bit more unhinged tonight. I grinned at him and nodded, quite excited at the prospect.

“Yes, I’ll join you in your chambers tonight, Tywin.”

He leaned in and kissed me once more, and I felt my stomach consumed with butterflies like it was the first time I was kissing him. 

I felt then, that despite their cruelty, the Gods rewarded us from time to time. And I knew it then, that the nicest thing they would ever reward me with was Tywin Lannister.

To spend the rest of my life with him, what a thought.

TAGLIST:

@cheyxfu @lemonscoffee @groovy-lady

@ladysindar @vesta-ro @exo-nova @paola-carter

@prettykinkysoul @nothing2113

@fullmoonshadowwrites @kishie8

@the-desilittle-bird @dianilaws @girlonfireice @muscari-fae @lostgirllulu @abigfanofgameofthrones @smalltownbigheart @frombloodandflesh @supernaturalismyreligion666

@the-desilittle-bird @dianilaws @girlonfireice @muscari-fae @lostgirllulu @abigfanofgameofthrones @smalltownbigheart @frombloodandflesh @supernaturalismyreligion666

#tywin lannister #tywin lannister x reader #tywin x reader #Charles dance #house lannister #game of thrones #game of thrones x reader #asoiaf #a lion in the garden

[miserystargaryen]

The Starks and their Direwolves

(note: I'm only referring to the show in this post)

It's so interesting to me how the Stark children's trajectories are reflected in the lives of their direwolves.

Robb/Grey Wind Grey Wind wars with Robb until they are both butchered at the Red Wedding. From the time Robb found him in the snow to their deaths, Grey Wind remained by Robb's side.

Jon/Ghost Jon and Ghost are a package deal (minus the Battle of the Bastards, still bitter), traveling together, fighting together. Jon's enemies are Ghost's enemies. Jon giving Ghost to Tormund before marching on King's Landing reflects Jon's own gravitation towards the North. In the end, Jon and Ghost travel north of the Wall together, where they were both supposed to be all along.

Sansa/Lady Lady died because Sansa lied to Robert and Cersei about what really happened with Joffrey, Arya and Mycah. The lie was the beginning of the end for her. It reflected her inability to see Joffrey as a villain and turned her against her own family. The death of Lady represented the death of a part of Sansa. She built herself back up, without her wolf and wrought with anger, eventually becoming the Lady of Winterfell.

Arya/Nymeria The death of Mycah was also the catalyst for Arya to send Nymeria away into the wild. Arya was changed after that and went a little wild herself. It was the beginning of her bloodlust. She learned to be a water dancer, a Faceless Man, an assassin. She took matters into her own hands and grew up to be nobody's victim. When Arya meets Nymeria again in 7x02, Nymeria is the alpha of her own pack. Arya knows her wolf is right where she was meant to be. Just as Arya had never been a lady, Nymeria had never been a pet.

Bran/Summer Bran and Summer were bonded from day one, and they stuck together all throughout Bran's journey to becoming the Three-Eyed Raven. Summer defended Bran at every turn, most memorably at the very end of season 6 when Bran and Meera leave the cave. The death of Summer represents the death of Bran the boy, and the birth of the Three-Eyed Raven.

Rickon/Shaggydog Shaggydog was ever Rickon's fierce protector, as wild as a direwolf raised by a six-year-old could be. Unfortunately we as an audience don't see much of Rickon and Shaggydog's relationship after they're separated from Bran, but we can assume they maintained their bond as Jon and Ghost do. Shaggydog's end was Rickon's end.

#game of thrones #house stark #asoiaf #robb stark #jon snow #sansa stark #arya stark #bran stark #rickon stark #grey wind #ghost #lady #nymeria #summer #shaggydog #direwolves #sam posts

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #42: Game of Thrones, but make it Catelyn Tully

Let's be honest: there are a lot of terrible people in Game of Thrones. As someone once said, it's less pick your favorite character than pick your favorite war criminal. Yet the one character I can usually find few redeeming qualities for is, by comparison, one whose wickedness is most tame - Catelyn Tully. I just can't forgive her cruelty to Jon for the "crime" of being born someone else's son.

So I thought: what would it take for me to like Catelyn Tully as a person? Or: What would a Jon Snow raised by a loving stepmother look like?

Aka: The Rhaegar the Righteous Fic

Just imagine it:

Everything through Robert's Rebellion happens just as in canon, but with one exception: when Lysa Tully became pregnant by Petyr Baelish, her father did not force her to drink moon tea. As lowly as Hoster Tully thought Baelish is, he believes there is more shame in forcing his daughter to end her pregnancy than in allowing her to marry the father of her child.

But Baelish, still licking his wounds from Brandon Stark, refuses to marry Lysa - he still wants Catelyn's hand. So Catelyn is forced to watch her younger sister rage and then despair over Petyr's betrayal while still very much desiring her bastard child. This causes Catelyn's position on baseborn children to soften.

Lysa dies in childbed. Her child follows soon after. Catelyn is distraught.

When Ned returns from war with his own bastard, Catelyn resolves to treat Jon with all the love she would have given Lysa's son - though she still feels rather put out towards Ned about it.

Jon grows up loved by his stepmother - and this changes everything, for Catelyn is a Southron, Andal influence. Like Bran, Jon grows up wanting to be a Southron knight, and, like Sansa, is more faithful to the Seven than the Old Gods.

Ned, though leery of anything Southron - particularly where Jon is concerned - eventually consents to Jon earning his knighthood. Jon is sent to squire for Baelor Hightower, heir of Oldtown and eldest brother of Jorah Mormont's wife, Lynesse.

Jon's Southron knighthood should collide with his Northern ethics and morality in all the best ways - he should be the most honorable and chivalrous knight since Arthur Dayne, whom many assume to be his uncle.

The events of canon proceed apace. Robert dies, Ned is beheaded, and war breaks out.

Rather than rejoin his family, Jon stays with the Hightowers - Jon's position is that while it makes sense to rise against Joffrey for his actions, breaking away from the Seven Kingdoms makes them oathbreakers. He distinguishes himself in skirmishes with Lannister forces on the Westerlands borders for which he is knighted.

After Renly's death, Jon comes to the attention of Olenna Tyrell when, during discussions regarding which of the remaining factions to back, Jon argues for finding the nearest person of Targaryen blood and installing them on the throne rather than dealing with a heretic like Stannis or a madman like Joffrey.

Olenna has always had the vague suspicion that there was more to Ned Stark's bastard than meets the eye and something about this interaction causes her to look at Jon and go Targaryen - or at least plausibly Targaryen - and all of a sudden the Reach and half of the Stormlands is rising in the name of Rhaegar's posthumous son.

Eventually proof comes from the Citadel and the Neck that Jon is Rhaegar's son - also named Rhaegar - but at the time Jon is highly uncomfortable with what he sees as deception. He only agrees to go along with it because 1) Olenna manages to convince him it's the truth and 2) it's the only way he gets to marry Baelor's oldest daughter, Elinor Hightower, with whom he is in love.

Without the Tyrells backing the Lannisters, nearly all the Seven Kingdoms - minus Dorne and King's Landing - fall to Reacher forces. The Red Wedding happens before Jon is forced to deal with Robb's own kingship and Jon retakes the North before turning his forces against Joffrey and his Essosi mercenaries.

Jon is crowned King Rhaegar the Righteous and marries his beloved, Elinor Hightower, in a brilliant dual ceremony in the Sept of Baelor. His reign is always known as a period of prosperity in Westeros during which the Seven come to dominate the Seven Kingdoms. There's a decidedly Camelot bent to later histories of this period.

Daenerys never tries to retake Westeros, but instead builds a - slave free - Valyrian empire in Essos. This eventually comes to be Westeros' great rival and many wars are fought between them over control of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, but in its early years both branches of House Targaryen intermarry frequently.

Bonuses include: 1) Jon and Elinor falling in love while he squires for her father, but realizing nothing can ever come from it and having a very UST-filled courtly romance until they're finally given leave to marry after he's named king; 2) Jon and Elinor's first daughter being named Catelyn, after his beloved stepmother; 3) Heavy overtones of Arthurian myth, with the faith of the Seven taking the place of Christianity, up to and including the King in the Mountain following Jon's death; and 4) no one being more surprised than Olenna Tyrell when it turns out Jon really is a Targaryen.

And that's all I have. As always, feel free to adopt, just link back if you ever do anything with this bun.

Other Jon Snow Headcanons: Aegon the Undying | Aegon the Unyielding | Aemon the Adventurous | Baelor the Brave | Daeron the Desired | Dyanna the Defiant | King of the Ashes | Lady Arryn | Lady Baratheon | Lady Lannister | Lady Stark | Lord of the Dance | Prince Consort | Prince of Summerhall | Queen Mother | Rhaegar the Righteous

More Terrible Fic Ideas

#plot bunny #fic ideas #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire #got #asoiaf #jon snow #jon snow is a targaryen #faith of the seven #catelyn stark #catelyn tully

[munsonfamilyband]

I posted about this yesterday but I have a brain worm for a Stranger Things/Game of Thrones crossover fic and I decided to share the current character list and plot changes I have in mind. It would be a Steddie fic (duh have you seen my blog) so some plot lines won’t be addressed as much because it will be from Eddie’s POV. Anyway, major spoiler warnings if you’ve never watched GoT or read the books (though I’m going off the show)

Eddie: Jon Snow (not as brooding but it fits)

Jeff: Robb Stark

Gareth: Theon Greyjoy (I originally had Jeff as Theon but I like him as Robb better, plus Gareth feels more like Theon to me)

Nancy: Samwell Tarly (she goes to the Wall in drag using the name Nate)

Robin: Sansa Stark

Max: Arya Stark

Will: Bran Stark

Erica: Rickon Stark

Uncle Wayne: Benjen Stark

Jason: Joffrey Boratheon

Lucas: Gendry Waters (I did fact check this, bastards in King’s Landing have the last name Waters)

Steve: Ygritte of the Free Folk

Jonathan: Dolorous Edd

Argyle: Varys

Dustin: Podrick Payne

Mike: Jojen Reed (this is one option, alternate was Robin Arryn)

Chrissy: Daenerys Targaryen

Hopper: Tormund Giantsbane (I love this for him)

Murray: Tyrion Lannister (may swap him with Jonathan to have some Jargyle but idk yet)

Joyce: Brienne of Tarth

Enzo/Dmitri: Jaime Lannister

Brenner: Stannis Boratheon

El: Melisandre

Billy: the Hound (this is mostly out of how interesting I find Billy’s character potential, as he stood in the show he was awful but at the very end he showed a potential to be good)

Tommy H: Alliser Thorne

Barb: Missandei (or maybe Gilly?? So she’s friends with Nancy)

Karen Wheeler: Cersei Lannister (I love Karen but it’s the MILF energy that puts her here)

Dr. Owens: Ser Davos

Patrick: Grey Worm

Henry/Vecna: the Night King

Bob: Hodor

Lt. Col. Sullivan: Tywin Lannister

Yuri: Little Finger/Petyr Baelish

Reefer Rick: Mance Rayder (Idk it feels right)

Plotwise:

the Stark children (minus Robb, sorry Robb) will all live

Benjen will still become the half-walker half-human that he becomes

Brienne will end up with Tormund rather than Jaime (I love Brienne and Jaime but I can’t split up Jopper)

Dany and Jon won’t sleep together they just become besties

I may do Jancy or I may do Ronance, unclear right now

Hodor will still die

Melisandre will not be the sexy priestess she normally is, having El be the powerful magic user that she normally is fit too well especially with Brenner as Stannis but there won’t be any sexy stuff between them

I’m letting Arya and Gendry be happy because I love Lumax so much

Ygritte will get injured but not die, the cave scene IS happening (maybe Steve is trans??? I don’t know how well I could write that but I have always loved trans Steve in canon as a way to play into his family dynamic)

Varys won’t die

Rather than having an age difference between all the siblings, Bran and Arya are now twins so Will and Max are the same age

Characters that don’t have a match and need one/will just be getting random names:

Jaqen H’ghar

Ned and Catelyn Stark

Lady Talisa Stark

Jorah Mormont

The Mountain

Jeor Mormont

Ramsey Bolton

Bronn

Yara Greyjoy

#stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #westeros AU #i don’t know where this came from fully it just sort of happened while i was in the shower #I’ve edited this list like 5 times so hopefully it works

[ericanoelle]

What if both Robert and rhegar died at the trident?

Stannis becomes King. Daenerys and her brother still go to Essos and he has people watching them. He marries Cersei to unite the Baratheon and Lannister houses but they have a loveless marriage. Jaime is sent to the Wall for killing the Mad King. While this angers Tywin, Stannis still marries Cersei to appease him.

They have one child named Steffon. Stannis does not let Cersei to get their claws into their son and while she has her own life, she doesn't hold power like she would in the books. Eventually, she goes back to Casterly Rock.

Ned lives out his life in the North with his family.

Petyr rises high in the Vale and eventually becomes close with Jon Arryn and Lysa, becoming something like the Vale's official accountant (Jon Arryn is not hand of the king). Petyr convinces Lysa, who he having a reluctant affair with, to poison Jon Arryn. When Jon dies, Ned suggests that Catelyn take the kids, minus Robb, to the Vale to be with her sister. Ned stays behind. They are there for a few months.

Catelyn sees that Lysa has become a bit....nuts. It worries her. Meanwhile, Petyr is taken with Sansa who is like 15 at this point but keeps it innocent. He also treats the rest of the children pretty much the same.

Catelyn, much like in the books, begins to put together what happened between Lysa and Petyr...and what her father had done to Lysa. She confronts Petyr about it and he states that he did not know until much later what happened and he would have married her and done the right thing (he probably wouldn't have but...he lied). He states that he sees Lysa as nothing more than a sister and that he has put everything that happened in Riverrun behind him.

Catelyn believes him and this softens her to him.

Lysa however, overhears. She looses it, believing that Petyr is still in love with Catelyn and has changed the affections to Sansa. Because she has noticed the attention that Petyr gives Sansa. They argue in front of the moon door but instead of just Sansa, Catelyn is there as well. Lysa grabs Sansa and holds her over the moon door but Catelyn grows protective. She doesn't mean to, but she accidentally pushes Lysa out the moon door.

Petyr jumps into action, covers up the story that it was a suicide in order to protect Catelyn. The grief becomes to much but Petyr reminds her that Sansa would have died if she did not intervene.

Sansa and Petyr have a moment, because she has questions about what Lysa said. Petyr assures her that he did what he did to protect her and her mother- nothing more but promises her that she will one day be a great lady.

This makes Petyr cemented in her mind.

Catelyn ends up taking the kids to Riverrun because she learns that her father is dying. Petyr gets word that his work in the Vale has earned him the position of Master of Coin. A few years past and Petyr, knowing he can't own brothels or earn Stannis disproval, is on his "best behavior"- still scheming but in a way that works his way into Stannis's inner circle- think Davos and Mel hybrid if you will.

Petyr suggests that his son, Steffon, needs to marry. Steffon is much like his father, taciturn and ridged. Petyr suggests Sansa as a bride. Stannis agrees, since the Starks were loyal during Robert's rebellion and arranges the match. Sansa and Steffon are about 18 each when they marry.

Steffon and Sansa do not have much in common but she still is able to get pregnant. She is married to the prince after all. During her pregnancy, a small rebellion of Targaeryn loyalist breaks out. Steffon goes to deal with it and ends up dying. The line of succession weighs heavily on the child that Sansa has.

She does end up having a boy. She names him Steffon (call him Stef) after his father.

Court life goes on and Stannis eventually would rise House Baelish up to a Nobel house and soon names him hand of the king. When Stef is about four, Petyr, Stannis has a "heart attack". Petyr poisoned him.

Sansa is made Queen Regent until her son becomes of age. She trusts Petyr, the memory of how he protected her and her mother in the Vale years prior. She meets Cersei and Tywin a few times but Petyr warns her about them. She keeps them at bay but states that Cersei would be far happier in the West. Tywin would eventually marry her off to someone else.

At this point is where the affair between Sansa and Petyr begins. Petyr becomes very invested in Stef and making him a successful king. He is the only real father figure he would know. Petyr hires the faceless men to kill Dani and erase the rest of her family line.

#Petyr Sansa #what if

[maisiestyle]

JON & ARYA STARK’S NIGHTMARE ABOUT WINTERFELL & KING’S LANDING

There is an interesting parrallel that both characters share in the bad dreams they have and where they lead.

Arya was chasing Blarion the Black cat and she gets lost and finds the hidden room below the Red Keep filled with dead dragons.

When they had first come to King’s Landing, she used to have bad dreams about getting lost in the castle. Father said the Red Keep was smaller than Winterfell, but in her dreams it had been immense, an endless stone maze with walls that seemed to shift and change behind her. She would find herself wandering down gloomy halls past faded tapestries, descending endless circular stairs, darting through courtyards or over bridges, her shouts echoing unanswered. In some of the rooms the red stone walls would seem to drip blood, and nowhere could she find a window. Sometimes she would hear her father’s voice, but always from a long way off, and no matter how hard she ran after it, it would grow fainter and fainter, until it faded to nothing and Arya was alone in the dark.

It was very dark right now, she realized. She hugged her bare knees tight against her chest and shivered. She would wait quietly and count to ten thousand. By then it would be safe for her to come creeping back out and find her way home. - Arya Stark, AGoT

As Arya escapes through a secret tunnel under the Red Keep, she remembers Winterfell’s crypt:

Suddenly Arya remembered the crypts at Winterfell.

Arya remembers a childhood memory of all the Stark children (minus Rickon) in the crypts and a ghost jumps out and scares them. Sansa runs away screaming. That ghost was Jon, covered in flour joking around. Before he’s revealed, Arya punches the “ghost” and baby Bran is clutching Arya’s hand and Robb’s leg. They all laugh about it.

The memory made Arya smile, and after that the darkness held no more terrors for her. … She was going home. Everything would be better once she was home again, safe behind Winterfell’s grey granite walls.

~*~

JON SNOW’S NIGHTMARE ABOUT WINTERFELL

Jon has this bad dream about Winterfell that has him feeling lost and unwanted. He is not really alone in the castle though. The King’s of Winter are down in the crypts where Jon is being lured. He is afraid.

“Sometimes I dream about it,” he said. “I’m walking down this long empty hall. My voice echoes all around, but no one answers, so I walk faster, opening doors, shouting names. I don’t even know who I’m looking for. Most nights it’s my father, but sometimes it’s Robb instead, or my little sister Arya, or my uncle.”

[…]

“Do you ever find anyone in your dream?” Sam asked.

Jon shook his head. “No one. The castle is always empty.” He had never told anyone of the dream, and he did not understand why he was telling Sam now, yet somehow it felt good to talk of it. “Even the ravens are gone from the rookery, and the stables are full of bones. (When Arya escapes the Red Keep, she goes through the stables where she is alone with dead men) That always scares me. I start to run then, throwing open doors, climbing the tower three steps at a time, screaming for someone, for anyone. And then I find myself in front of the door to the crypts. It’s black inside, and I can see the steps spiralling down. (Arya goes down “serpentine staircase when she tries to find the room with the dragon bones and escape the Red Keep) Somehow I know I have to go down there, but I don’t want to. I’m afraid of what might be waiting for me. The old Kings of Winter are down there, sitting on their thrones with stone wolves at their feet and iron swords across their laps, but it’s not them I’m afraid of. I scream that I’m not a Stark, that this isn’t my place, but it’s no good, I have to go anyway, so I start down, feeling the walls as I descend, with no torch to light the way. It gets darker and darker, until I want to scream.” He stopped, frowning, embarrassed.

"That’s when I always wake."

~*~

2 Notes:

The tunnels under the Red Keep:

Red Keep was commissioned by Aegon the Conqueror, yet was only finished in the time of his son Maegor. Maegor, whose mother was accused of using witchcraft in order to conceive him, and who he himself was accused of using dark magics.

About the Red Keep, he said: "only the blood of the dragon will know it's secrets."

Yet GRRM chooses this way for Arya to find her freedom? Interesting.

~*~

Where is Arya's Home?

This line from her nightmare:

By then it would be safe for her to come creeping back out and find her way home.

In Jon's mind, is Winterfell Arya's home? In ADWD, Jon knows "Arya" is Winterfell yet he thinks this:

Bring her home, Mance. I saved your son from Melisandre, and now I am about to save four thousand of your free folk. You owe me this one little girl. - Jon, ADwD 

Is the Wall Arya's home? No, it's wherever Jon is. Just like Arya's second visit to the room full of dead dragons, Jon will enter the crypts at Winterfell again and the King's of Winter will not frighten him. 

#arya stark #jon snow #house stark #jonsnowmonth2022 #asoiaf #sansa stark #game of thrones #arya-stark

[daenerys-targaryen-moved]

LEAH omg have you seen the whatculture video on youtube about the most devastating tv deaths of 2019?! 3 guesses who took the top spot. they give our Queen her proper respect (minus a brief “it was how it was handled, not necessarily the arc itself” with which i totally disagree). just them acknowledging how devastating it was to lose such an ICON was somewhat cathartic. *trigger warning for a quick clip of THAT scene if you don’t want to see it

I don’t really watch any videos on youtube that have to deal with got because I know eventually I’ll run into someone who agrees with the ending and I don’t have patience for that kind of nonsense.

First off, I will never accept the fact that they took an abuse survivor, a rape survivor, a domestic abuse survivor, an ex slave, a young girl who survived because she believed in herself, a girl who just wants to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and turned her into someone who kills thousands just because of some bells, and inevitably gets murdered by her lover, the last person she trusts and loves. No. I won’t ever accept it. Anyone who says that the ending was bad because it was rushed really just don’t get it. If they this ‘arc’ of her going mad from the beginning, why didn’t they implant it more into earlier seasons?

You could be the devils advocate here and say, “They did!” and show times when she was angry and vouched to ‘kill them all’, times when she was unforgiving, you could blame it on her heritage, but then I would turn that around and ask you, “Why didn’t Jon go mad?”, “Why didn’t Tyrion go mad?” “Why didn’t Arya go mad?” “Why didn’t Sansa go mad?”

Up until 8.05, Daenerys Motherfucking Targaryen had done nothing that was worse than any other character, in fact, I’d say she was the one who gave more than any other character.

Show!Daenerys executes the masters who kidnapped, tortured and crucified 160+ children to send her a message while on her way to Meereen. Do I give a fuck? Nope.

When Tyrion used Wildfyre to brutally burn his enemies in the war against Stannis, no one blinked an eye. Not even when Davos expressed the fact that Tyrion was the main factor that killed his son. No one blinked an eye when Tyrion, in a fit of rage and despair, expressed the desire to poison and murder the entire population in Kings Landing. No one blinked an eye when Robb Stark, in a fit of rage and despair, expressed the desire to ‘kill them all’, after learning about his fathers death. No one blinked an eye when Jon Snow beheaded a man, a man who was literally begging for mercy mind you, because he refused to follow his orders.

Show!Daenerys learns that Hizdars father was one of the masters she crucified, and that he actually fought against the murder of the children (something that doesn’t happen in the books), and she graciously allows Hizdar to bury his father honorably so that he can go into the afterlife.

Show!Daenerys executes Randyl and Dickon Tarly, men who actively went against their liege who they were pledged to, helped end the Tyrell line, brutally masacered the entire Tyrell army, and also insulted Daenerys’ + her armies + Tyrion! She gave them a choice. She didn’t have to give him a choice. The punishment for treason is automatic death. Ned Stark didn’t get this opportunity, those who desert the nights watch are not given this opportunity, Daenerys didn’t have to give them a choice, yet she did. She offered, “Join me or die.” and they chose death.

Sansa and Arya both executed a man who abused them, used them and nearly plotted them against one another, a man who was begging for mercy.

I went on a slight tangent about the double standards but they really do annoy the living daylights out of me. It’s just all hypocrisy. She’s not allowed to breathe. She’s not allowed to do anything. She’s villified for the exact same things everyone else does meanwhile they all get a free pass. Miss me with that bullshit.

#long post #anti got #got meta #ish #anti dany bs #deanerys death tw #Anonymous

[arrynnat]

Day Five

By the time the rainstorm had subsided, Shae’s leg injury had healed, and knowing that Grey Worm did not trust her, she decided to run away with some supplies while no one was watching, only to have her throat slit for her treachery when Grey Worm caught up with her.

Shireen and Tommen were chased up a tree by Ramsay during the previous night, where he brandished his hatchet and menacingly taunted them by threatening to chop the tree down. Tommen froze out of fear, while Shireen held on for dear life and kept Ramsay occupied. While Ramsay was distracted, Shireen spotted her father and his companions in the distance, and frantically tried waving to him for help. It took a while for Stannis to notice her because of the thick dark clouds in the sky that darkened the arena, but he spotted her eventually, and readied his sword. However, just as Stannis and his companions (minus Olenna and Loras, who stayed behind to keep watch at their camp) were closing up on Ramsay, the Bolton Bastard had realised what was going on, and swung his hatchet into the trunk of the tree. Luckily for everyone else, Ramsay had swung his hatchet so hard it got embedded within the thick lumber, but pulled it out just in time to meet Stannis’s sword. The two fought ferociously, steel clashing against steel, but Stannis’s sword broke halfway during their fight. Just as it looked like Ramsay was going to win, Stannis slashed him in the face with the broken sword, and swung it into his neck, killing the bastard once and for all. Slowly, the two children climbed down, and Shireen was happily reunited with her father while Tommen was left uncertain, even as he was allowed to join their group.

Oberyn and the Hound finally came to an agreement about the strategy they were to use against the Mountain over a drink in the night. One of them was to attack from the front while the other attacked from behind, but neither of them trusted the other very much. Obara was busy flirting with Podrick by the fire while Brienne and Arya sharpened their swords, with Brienne reminding Arya that she was there to make sure at least one Stark got out alive and she had no intentions of failing in her duties.

Against Ned and Catelyn’s wishes, Robb decided to go and raid the camps of other tributes alongside Yara and Theon later in the day, where they stumbled upon the Mountain’s stash of supplies on the other side of the Cornucopia clearing. Theon has set his sights on a Valyrian steel sword and wanted to grab it, but Yara warned against it, arguing that it could be a trap. Just then, the Mountain returned to his base camp, lugging in a shadowcat he had evidently just killed. The three of them hid quietly in the shadows, not wanting to be spotted. Robb was certain he had a plan somewhere, but he had to come up with it fast.

#game of thrones #the hunger games #the joffrey games #robb stark #ramsay snow #ramsay bolton #oberyn martell #stannis baratheon

[obiwns]

to death’s door - jon snow x baratheon!reader (1)

one shot requested by: @witch-of-letters

this is strictly reader x jon, but robb is included!

concept: jon has been in love with the reader, who is a baratheon, since childhood but she has been betrothed to robb. she escaped the red wedding, with grey wind at her side, and has sought refuge at castle black. jon, alongside him the reader, are killed and resurrected by melisandre.

here’s part two. masterlist.

word count: 1.4k whew

For as long as you can remember, house Baratheon and house Stark had been two peas in a pod— quite literally. When your father had started a rebellion against the Targaryen rulers, he placed his trust in Eddard Stark’s family to ensure your safety. You and the children of house Stark got along quite well, you and Sansa were almost always in each other’s company, Robb always liked to tease you, and Jon followed you around like a lost puppy with Arya in tow, her teasing him about being in love with you.

⠀

It was true, to say the least. Ever since little bastard Jon laid his eyes on what he considered was the most beautiful girl he ever met, he instantly fell into a pit of love and adoration for you. You were sweet and gentle, but tough and incredibly stubborn. Those qualities, minus your dark colored hair and your build, truly made you the most notable Baratheon heir. You were older than your blonde counterparts, which was much to Cersei’s dismay.

⠀

Today, however, was not just another adventure to Winterfell. This was the day you’d be betrothed to Robb Stark. You were quite disappointed in the selection, but you knew that Robb was naturally a good man and that’s all you cared for. You smiled graciously as you walked down the aisle, your father’s hand in yours. It all happened in a flash, one moment he was wrapping his cloak around your shoulders, another he was kissing you in front of your families, then you ended up in his private quarters. Throughout the night, you had hoped to catch Jon, but he was nowhere to be seen, much to your disappointment.

⠀

Beside you, Robb chuckled, “Oh c’mon (Y/N), don’t look so disappointed in sharing a bed with me.” He joked, a toothy grin appearing on his face as he reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. When you smiled back at him, he gazed happily at you, but cleared his throat a little. “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” You tried to not look guilty.

⠀

“No Robb! That’d be ridiculous.” You lied, to which Robb snorted at. He rolled his eyes before moving towards his bed, flopping down on it with a sigh. Beside the wooden furniture, Grey Wind emitted a slight grunt in disapproval.

⠀

“You lying to my face is ridiculous- even Grey Wind can even tell!” The heir to Winterfell stated, his hand motioning to his sleepy direwolf dramatically. Who knew Robb Stark would make such a fuss? You stifled a laugh before sitting at the edge of his bed, releasing a defeated sigh.

⠀

“Maybe I was,” you responded at last, turning your head to look at Robb, who was staring at you. He tried his best not to look disappointed, but the furrow of his brows and the downward twitch of the corner of his lip gave it away.

⠀

He glanced away, “Then.. then we don’t have to do anything. I don’t want to force you into doing something with someone you don’t want to be doing it with.” Robb responded honestly, moving to sit up and take your hand in his. “I vowed to never hurt you and love you for the rest of my days and such. But if this isn’t what you want, then I respect that.”

⠀

You smiled gratefully at him, “Thank you Robb.”

⠀

Several weeks had passed by since your wedding night with Robb. People had assumed your marriage was consummated, but never really asked any questions about it. You hoped that by being at Winterfell you would see Jon more, but you found out that he left for the Night’s Watch the day after your ceremony. Robb was the first to tell you and he looked guilty while doing so.

⠀

One day, the news of your fathers death came to Winterfell via crow. It broke your heart into two, especially since the murderous hag you suspected had done it was sitting on the Iron Throne beside her son with a smug grin on her face. By all the Seven Gods, you hated Cersei Lannister. Robert Baratheon’s death ultimately splitted Storm’s End. Who should the loyal vassals turn to? The true heir to the Iron Throne, His nasty brother, Stannis, or his other soft-hearted brother, Renly? Frustration clawed at you.

⠀

Eventually, you allowed your mind to glaze over the thought of Jon and the death of your father. You allowed yourself to be happy with Robb and how he made you feel. From the outside, it could’ve looked like you two were a real couple instead of a platonic one. Robb had declared war on house Lannister for the unrightful execution of his father and the presumed death of his sister, Arya, and you were utmost grateful for it. In some way, you felt that Robb was doing both your father’s justice. Even with the new declaration, divided houses of Storm’s End flocked to Stannis, Renly, and much to your surprise, Robb. This really helped him have an edge over the opposing, murderous royal house known as the Lannisters.

⠀

Unfortunately, his luck had run out after an altercation with Walder Frey. The Lord of Crossing wanted something in return for Robb’s desire to cross the Twins, but your husband couldn’t hold up his end of the bargain and lost his head for it. It was chaotic being in a castle where everyone was murdering everyone- you didn’t even know who to trust! Grey Wind had led you to safety, nobly taking down anyone who stood in your way. A few of Robb’s men had noticed you and took the extra measure of protecting you and providing you with a horse, sparing two men to keep you safe on your escape.

⠀

The group of you rode hard for the North, the screams of battle were now inaudible as you approached Winterfell. How long had it been? You assumed it was weeks— maybe even a few more months than you expected. The two men — whose names you learned were Rodrik and Kevan — you were riding with warned you that Winterfell might not be safe, and by the time you rode over the rolling moors, the Stark sigil had been replaced by a Bolton one.

⠀

Tears brimmed your eyes, prompting Kevan to speak up, “M’lady, we should backtrack and head around Winterfell. We may not be able to seek help here anymore.. but what about the bastard?” You nodded simply, steering your horse to face the direction you came from and following the two men without another word.

⠀

The ride to Castle Black was difficult and extremely long— longer than the journey to Winterfell. You were tired, your horses were tired, and so were your two loyal bannermen friends. A cough escaped you as you wrapped yourself up into an even tighter grip, the cloak one of the men spared you doing little justice against the harsh coldness. After days, the sight of the Wall was in plain view and so was Castle Black. You were ecstatic, your eyes gazing happily but sadly at the home of crows.

⠀

“Open the gate!” You heard one of the men shout as you approached, everyone rushing to their places in order to help. You clambered down from your horse, Grey Wind moving forward to nuzzle your leg before seeing his younger brother Ghost, immediately rushing to his side and sharing a quick nuzzle. You let out a shaky breath, your eyes surveying the what was left of the Night’s Watch. They stared back at your hungrily, like wolves ready to pounce on kill.

⠀

Subconsciously, you allowed yourself to slouch, covering up whatever prominent features you had before searching for the dark, dreamy eyes you yearned to look in. You soon found them, but instead of their once soft look, they now sported a defeated and cold look. Jon slowly stepped down the stairs, his hand gripping the sides before stopping at the bottom. He then rushed forward, gathering all of you in his grasp. Jon let out a little happy chuckle, his eyes beginning to brim with tears as he pulled away, giving you a long kiss on the forehead.

⠀

“I am so.. so sorry, (Y/N).” He says at last, his gaze sympathetic with a hint of mourning. He took your hand, motioning for his fellow watchers to take your horses. Jon looked at your two guards, nodding at them appreciatively. “Thank you both for keeping her safe. There’s food, clothes, and fresh hay for your horses.”

⠀

He took your hand and led you to his private chambers.

⠀

#game of thrones #jon snow #house stark #got #aegon targaryen #the north remembers #game of thrones x reader #game of thrones request #jon snow request #jon snow x reader #jon snow imagine #minor robb stark x reader #baratheon!reader #got x reader #got imagine

[chillyravenart]

Hi, darling❣️ Love your asks and now I want to ask something too) Do you think Orys Baratheon was really the conquerors bastard brother? Obvi he spend his youth with the Targaryens on Dragonstone so how do you think Valaena Velaryon treated him? How about like Catelyn treated Jon Snow?

Hellooo💕 Thank you for your question, even though I have no idea how to answer it, lets give it a go;

Yes I do think Orys was Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys' bastard brother. I don't see any evidence to suggest otherwise, and clearly Aegon trusted and treasured him enough to corroborate their relationship. I'm also going to ruminate blindly on Valyrian concepts of free love & bastard children lmao. Since this was pre-Conquest, Westerosi values had not yet steeped into Targaryen/Valyrian practises & I can only assume that Orys must have been an acknowledged bastard for him to grow up so close and dedicated to Aegon e.g like Jon and Robb. Funnily enough though, Orys probably took his mother's name "Baratheon" because he certainly wasn't called Orys Waters. Matrilineal bloodlines come throughhhh. And because Orys wasn't legitimized or a dragon rider, I don't think he was much of a threat to his half siblings, so Valaena couldn't have been too fussed. I mean if I had kids like Aegon, Visenya & Rhaenys I wouldn't be too worried about someone usurping their inheritance either hahaha.

There was also the concept of "dragonseeds".

Here (on Dragonstone), brides thus blessed upon their wedding nights were envied, and the children born of such unions were esteemed above all others, for the Lords of Dragonstone oft celebrated the birth of such with lavish gifts of gold and silk and land to the mother.

This was because the commonfolk viewed the Targaryens as gods (I mean who can blame them) & it also applied to House Velaryon too. It's likely Aerion and Valaena grew up thinking this was entirely normal and the fruits of these unions were far more cherished than in mainland Westeros. And it's not a reach to assume Orys' mother would have been bestowed with gifts too. King Jaehaerys commented on it, "Orys Baratheon himself was a dragonseed, a bastard brother to our grandsire... gifts were given..."

So no, I do not think Valaena treated Orys as Catelyn treated Jon. I think the main issues for Catelyn were the fact that Ned had been "unfaithful" to her, refused to tell her who Jon's real mother was, acknowledged him openly, feared he may potentially be a threat to her own children's inheritance "my lady mother said you can never be lord of Winterfell " (+ her objection to Robb naming Jon as his heir) and also because Jon looked very much like a Stark unlike most of her own children. All this & the ingrained prejudices that bastards are considered to be flawed and treacherous by Westerosi (minus Dorne) standards.

So the fact that Orys looked nothing like a Targ may have been comforting as he did not look like the blood of old Valyria and Valaena wouldn't have been too salty about that lol. This is all conjecture btw, who knows if she approved or not. However Valyrian attitudes to bastard children seem a bit more relaxed to me, I say Valyrian and not specifically Targaryen because Corlys Velaryon had 'acknowledged' his own bastards Addam and Alyn & had them legitimized. Aegon IV legitimised all his own too, but that was probably because he was the biggest pisstaker House Targaryen had ever seen. Daemon Blackfyre, perhaps the most beloved of all his bastards grew up in the royal court as a much cherished member of the family by all accounts, as did Bloodraven, Bittersteel, Shiera Seastar and all the rest🤷🏽‍♀️

I know bastard children from other families have been given prominent roles too, however I don't believe any of them were ever considered to be be legitimate heirs or lords in their own right. All I can assume is that the blood of the dragon was greatly esteemed, whether legitimate or not.

#i hope this answered your question #anon asks #chillyravenart answers #asoiaf #house targaryen #orys baratheon #pre asoiaf

[raspberryfingers]

A Lion in the Garden -Tywin Lannister x Reader- (Part 19)

WARNING: Mentions of miscarriage

—————

My grandmother was arriving from Highgarden today, much to both Margaery’s and my happiness. It had been a long few months without her, especially when I’d been gone in Dorne and Margaery had been the only Tyrell—minus my father—in King's Landing. 

I was waiting for her at the gates of the Red Keep, and watching her carriage come through the grand doors made me smile more than I had since winning at the tourney. 

The horses stopped, and I instantly approached, watching my grandmother step down and look around with a sigh. She’d never been fond of Kings Landing.

“Hello, dear,” she said as I took her hand and kissed it. 

“Grandmother. Welcome back,” I said, and she scoffed, linking our arms as we made our way toward the castle. Our slow pace was convenient, as my stitches had been taken out, but walking was a bit hard if I did it for too long. The maesters assured me that if I continued to take care, I’d be back to normal in about two weeks. 

That naturally excited me, because though Tywin and I had continued to… well, enjoy each other, it would be nice to do so without cautious restraint. 

“I’m not happy to be back. Dreadful city. Though, when I received that raven I knew I had to come,” she said, patting my hand gently as we went inside. 

“I wouldn’t have sent for you under any other circumstance. Margaery loves me, but she needs you here right now, as I’ve been a bit too busy helping Tyrion Lannister manage finances and plotting with the Lord Hand on how to handle Stannis Baratheon should he somehow manage to defeat Robb Stark,” I explained, and my grandmother nodded.

“Yes I’m aware, you’re quite involved. Margaery needs someone who knows her experience, anyways, and as far as I’m concerned, you don’t,” She said, raising an eyebrow at me. I shook my head.

“No, I certainly don’t. It’s happened to you before?”

“It happens to plenty of us, dear. It’s never discussed, but it occurs far too often. It causes far too much pain,” my grandmother said, lamenting what had apparently also happened to her. 

I felt my heart sink, and I had no clue what to say or do. All I could do was apologize.

“I’m sorry, grandmother.”

“It was all a long time ago. How has your sister been doing? Relatively, of course,” she asked quietly, not wanting anyone to hear us as we journeyed through all the damned stairs in the castle. 

“Slowly but surely she seems to be improving. Though, she hasn’t been eating as much these days, and I believe she’s been spending less time with the king. Cersei made a passing comment about it the other day, asking if she was alright because Tommen had not seen much of her lately. I explained that she had been sick and was recovering, though Cersei clearly did not buy it,” I informed her, watching her nod and sigh.

“Margaery’s going to need to start going outside again if she doesn’t want people to whisper. We’ll keep her away from more tedious things of course, but she needs to maintain her relationship with her husband or else things are going to go very wrong,” my grandmother insisted, quite animated with her free hand. 

“She’ll take it better from you.”

“Yes, I know.”

I looked around and sighed, a feeling of dread in my stomach. I felt so bad for Margaery that it often made me sick. 

“Oh, I nearly forgot. You’re a bloody fool for going to Dorne with Jaime Lannister,” she said suddenly, though I realized it was most likely because I was struggling with the stairs.

“It was fun, grandmother, and both Myrcella and Tyrstane are safe. Plus, they’re to marry at the end of this week,” I said, watching her roll her eyes. 

“Fun. You are utterly ridiculous, (Y/N). You love jumping into the wreck, don’t you?”

“It’s certainly my biggest flaw, grandmother.”

“The two children are quite eager, aren’t they? You’ve only been back for two weeks now,” she noticed, to which I nodded and laughed. 

“Yes, they certainly are eager. They are both good people, though. Cersei gave me a genuine thank you when I brought her daughter home,” I said, making her laugh.

“That would've been a sight! She detests the whole pack of us, only the gods know why. Perhaps she doesn’t like the thought of her mother being replaced,” my grandmother guessed, laughing even more as she whispered the last bit to me. 

“Oh please, grandmother, for the last time, I’m not-“

“Enough, (Y/N). Lord Tywin already told me the two of you kissed. I suspect you’ve done much more than that since then,” she scoffed, waving her hand at me in annoyance. 

I remembered then, that Tywin had said she’d made him promise to marry me after bedding me. I thought perhaps she’d done it as part of her assumptions about us, not based on actual evidence. Though, I was not entirely surprised. Nor was I upset, somehow. If Tywin had truly wanted to keep it secret from everyone, he wouldn’t have told my grandmother a thing. 

Perhaps he didn’t mind telling people because he thought… there might be something more to our relationship?

“We have not done more since then. And either way, I’m certainly not replacing Lady Joanna. Tywin has a special place in his heart for her,” I said, shaking my head.

“Try telling Cersei that.”

I sighed, knowing my grandmother was right. I hoped that someday Cersei would come to tolerate me, but I found the chances of that oddly slim. Then again, it seemed anything was possible now that I was in love with the man I’d hated for a lifetime.

—————

Olenna and Margaery were sitting together, and though Margaery felt bad for making her grandmother come to King's Landing, she knew it was what she needed. 

“I know it’s hard, my dear, and I’m so sorry. You’re still young though, and it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to have children,” Olenna assured her, taking her granddaughter's hand from across the table. Margaery nodded and looked down, pressing her lips together.

“I just- I wonder if it was something I did. Or rather, something I didn’t do. I wonder if it was my fault,” She whispered, making her grandmother shake her head. 

“No, my dear, it wasn’t any of that. Children die in the womb all the time, only the gods know why. I’ve gone through it too, and look where I am now. I have three wonderful grandchildren to make up for my disappointing son,” she said, making Margaery laugh for the first time since she had miscarried. 

“What was it… what was it like, for you?” Margaery questioned, fidgeting with her hands.

“It wasn’t easy. I was a bit farther along than you, and your grandfather already knew I was pregnant. He was thankfully supportive, but it took me a long time to move on. You don’t have that luxury, my dear,” Olenna said, making Margaery look down once more and furrow her eyebrows with a distinct sadness. 

“I don’t want Tommen to know. He’ll let it slip to Cersei and Tywin without even realizing the implications,” Margaery said softly, knowing that this was something she’d had to suffer through alone. A pain she would always have to keep a secret. 

“Which means you’re going to have to resume public life much faster than you’d like to. You don’t have to be ambitious just yet, but perhaps you ought to stay with the king in his bed tonight, and walk with him in the gardens tomorrow,” Olenna suggested, knowing that if Margaery remained secluded for too long rumors would inevitably spread and her relationship with Tommen might be affected.

“What if he wants to… to…”

“Let him down gently. Tommen’s a sweet boy, if you tell him you just want to hold him, he’ll comply. He probably won’t think anything of it,” Olenna said, to which Margaery nodded. 

“As for Cersei and Tywin, don’t worry yourself. So long as Tommen doesn’t know, Cersei won’t. Even if Tywin knew, he wouldn’t dare do anything, your sister would take his head,” she continued, to which Margaery smiled a bit. 

“I feel bad for (Y/N). I’m worrying her, I know I am,” she said softly, making Olenna scoff and shake her head.

“Don’t even think about (Y/N), her feelings in this don’t matter. What matters now is you, my dear,” she assured her granddaughter, hand to her cheek. Margaery simply nodded, which Olenna took a sign to move on from the topic. The last thing she wanted to do was make the trauma and pain worse by discussing it too much. 

“Now, tell me what I’ve missed, dear girl.”

“Kings Landing has been quite boring, I’m afraid. Besides a small uprising of religious fanatics, which were crushed quite promptly, nothing has caused any problems,” Margaery informed with a shrug. Olenna nodded.

“And what of your sister? Anything new?”

“Well, (Y/N) was the champion in the tourney, and she went to Dorne just before the wedding, though you already know both of those things,” Margaery said with a soft laugh.

“Believe me, when I learned of it, I was in the right mind to send down our best guards and retrieve her from King's Landing. Even more so when I heard that she’d accompanied Jaime Lannister to Dorne. Your sister is a complete idiot. It’s good to know I at least have one smart grandchild,” Olenna complained, a distinct aggravation in her voice. Meanwhile, Margaery found she could not stop laughing. She was extremely grateful you’d send for Olenna. 

“I’m certain Tywin Lannister would’ve thanked you for doing it. I wish you’d been there, grandmother. He kept yelling for the match to stop while (Y/N) was fighting, and he was shaking. I would’ve sworn I saw a tear slide down his cheek when she was being choked. I’ve never seen a man look more terrified in my life,” she said softly, as if worried someone might hear what she was saying. Olenna nodded and sipped her wine, swallowing as she processed everything.

“Do you think he’s bedded her yet?”

“It’s hard to say, but if I could place my bets I would say yes. The day (Y/N) left for Dorne, Ser Elias came up to me and asked if I knew where she was, to which I responded ‘no, should I?’” She began, pausing for dramatic effect, “apparently she’d told him that she was spending the night in my chambers. I covered for her of course, but it was rather odd, and when I saw her later that day she looked unusually happy.”

Olenna merely nodded, and Margaery thought it was rather odd. She would’ve expected her grandmother to laugh. She did not know, of course, that a promise had been broken. Well, the Queen of Thorns would not let that stand.

—————

Tywin Lannister was making his way up the tower of the hand, returning from the King's chambers, where he had informed Tommen that he planned to lead 500 men to Winterfell to destroy Stannis. He expected to leave in a little over a week, though he knew you would not be happy with it and would most likely demand to come along. When he’d agreed to send 500 men, you expected he would send another to lead for him, such as Kevan. But, in all honesty, he missed battle just as much as you did. More than anything, he just wanted to leave King's Landing for a month or so.

Admittedly, he didn’t want to leave you. Dorne had been miserable for him, but he tried to rationalize how much he missed you by telling himself it was merely because he was worried about your safety. 

While you’d been gone though, he had truthfully realized something else. It had been eating at him since you’d returned. 

“Lord Hand, Lady Tyrell is here to see you.”

Tywin had reached his chambers, and was surprised when the guards said that. Had you really climbed all the stairs? He knew you were mostly healed, but it seemed a bit strenuous all the same.

Opening the door and going inside, he looked around and did not see you. Were you in his bedroom? 

He ventured to find out, licking his lips somewhat anxiously at the thought of you waiting for him in bed. 

However, as he pushed open the door, he found your grandmother sitting at the small table in his room. There was a distinct shock in his eyes, and it gave Olenna great satisfaction.

“Lord Tywin, how lovely to see you. I have a feeling the sentiment is not shared, though. You were expecting my granddaughter, I would guess,” she said, rising from her seat and clasping her hands together.

“I did not realize you arrived today, Lady Olenna,” he said sharply, standing straighter and making sure that the initial shock on his face was nowhere to be seen. 

“Either way, the guards did tell you Lady Tyrell was waiting for you inside, and your first instinct was to come to the bedroom,” she noted, to which he scoffed and looked away from her. He would not tolerate this. 

“And that is relevant, why?” 

Olenna merely laughed, sitting back down and pouring herself some wine. 

“You’ve broken your promise, Tywin,” she noted, looking over at him smugly. He raised an eyebrow, sitting down across from her.

“I have done no such thing.”

“Then would you care to explain why my granddaughter has dresses in your closet?” She interrogated, making Tywin suck in his cheeks for just a moment. He was backed into a corner now, was it better to admit it or continue to resist? 

“I don’t blame you, Tywin. My granddaughter is quite beautiful, and I was aware that your restraint would tire eventually. I’d only like you to be honest with me so that I might be honest with you,” she said, watching Tywin pour himself some wine and take a rather large sip. 

“I would like you to know that (Y/N) presented herself to me, and that I attempted to protest. I had every intention to maintain my promise,” he told her after a moment, watching as she began to laugh.

“Oh, she’s just like me, that girl. And, it’s quite a thing isn’t it? You attempted. Come now, Tywin, we both know that’s certainly not the same as maintaining it. You wanted my granddaughter, just as she wanted you.”

Tywin involuntarily fidgeted with the ring on his finger. The one you had given him.

“I’ll be honest, yes I did. And I don’t regret it,” he said sharply, trying to maintain his confidence before your grandmother. 

“I’m glad, because now it’s time you actually uphold that promise. You recall just as well as I do what you vowed to do once you began to bed her,” Olenna remarked, watching the Old Lion look down into his lap.

“I need more time.”

“Perhaps you should’ve considered that before you decided to bed my granddaughter. I’m going to be frank with you, Tywin. My son intends to accept another marriage proposal for (Y/N) by the end of this week, and to have another one of her suitors end up dead will not look coincidental. If you have any intention of ever marrying my granddaughter, you ought to ask her now,” Olenna explained, watching fire ignite in Tywin’s eyes at the mention of another man marrying you. 

“I still have time. Even if the proposal is accepted, I have until the wedding planning begins. Your son might be an idiot, but he’s not so stupid he won’t understand that marrying his daughter to me makes infinitely more sense than some boy from a liege house,” Tywin reasoned.

“Of course, but then it will create conflict. Whichever damn lord my son intends to give her to will naturally be upset that the engagement was called off, and perhaps even more upset at House Lannister. Should that liege house decide to try and do something to spite you, you would feel compelled to do what you’ve always done and destroy them. Now, when that happens, there’s a unique dilemma for House Tyrell. Not only would we be failing to protect a liege house, but we’d be marrying our eldest child to the person that committed the assault. You need to propose now, Tywin, that’s all there is to it,” Olenna said sharply, making sure that Tywin completely understood the repercussions of him deciding to wait. The lion would keep his promise or watch the woman he loved be married off, there was no debate or compromise. 

Tywin sat there in silence, knowing your grandmother was right. It did have to be now, lest he hold his silence forever and be forced to see you married to some pathetic boy and swell with his children. 

No.

It was time now, and Tywin knew it just as well as your grandmother did. And the truth of it was, he did want to marry you. He wanted to claim you as his wife and spend the rest of his years with you, even if they should be only a few. But there was an underlying fear in him, especially as he recalled what you’d said the night the two of you had laid together for the first time.

You weren’t ready to marry him either.

He doubted that in the last two months or so that had changed, and it made him beyond anxious. 

“What are you thinking, Tywin? Men like you don’t usually stay quiet for very long,” Olenna said, interrupting his thoughts. 

“I’ve already procured a ring for your granddaughter. I’ve been intending to give it to her since she returned from Dorne,” he replied after a moment, watching Olenna’s eyebrows raise with surprise. She certainly had not expected that of him.

“A ring?”

“She gave me this one as a testament of our good relationship. I’d like to give her one of her own as a testament to my devotion to her. As a testament of my- my love,” he explained while showing her the ring you had given him so long ago. Your grandmother smiled at him.

“How romantic of you, Tywin. I would not have expected it.”

“I am worried she won’t accept it,” he said, ignoring the previous comment made and pouring himself more wine.

“You’re worried she won’t accept your marriage proposal? Don’t be ridiculous, Lord Tywin,” she remarked with a scoff, believing the man to be exaggerating or unnecessarily nervous.

“Before she left for Dorne was the first time I took her into my bed. Before I did, I told her that you had requested that I did not bed her without requesting her hand shortly afterwards. In response, she said that she understood I was not ready to marry her, just as she was not ready to marry me. If her sentiments have changed in the last month or so, then I am unaware,” he explained, watching her nod.

“Let me ask you something then. Before that night, did you already want to marry her?”

“No. I felt our relationship was too young.”

“And since then your sentiments have changed?”

Tywin paused, nodding and looking away from Olenna’s satisfied smirk.

“Then naturally, Tywin, I don’t think it’s fair to assume that my granddaughter's sentiments are still what they were.”

“Even so, I don’t want to pressure her. She’s always expressed a desire to live her life the way she wants to, and I’m not going to take that from her.”

“She doesn’t have a choice, Tywin. It’s you or a liege lord. My son is clearly relentless, and I’ve already been trying to slow him down. She’s not getting any younger, and she does need to marry and have children,” Olenna said, despite wishing you didn’t need to. She’d enjoyed watching you grow into yourself, and had always dreaded the day you got married. Somehow, though, she felt you would thrive with Tywin Lannister for a husband. 

“Even if she marries me, it’s important to consider that she-“

“She detests the idea of children, I’m aware. Perhaps it’s a good thing given that you’re so much older than she is,” she noted after a moment, leaving the bait out. Tywin had no clue it was a test.

“It’s not the idea of children that she detests, it’s losing her freedoms with it. She’s excellent with her younger siblings, and I have no doubt in my mind she would make an excellent mother. However, (Y/N) would kill herself if that’s all she was ever permitted to be,” he corrected, watching as a smile appeared on your grandmother's face. It reassured her, in a sense. It made her feel that perhaps Tywin truly did understand you, and it was not a lustful fling. 

“And so, I will come to my next point. Something I have meant to speak with either you or your son about before asking (Y/N)’s hand in marriage. Something I am going to demand,” he began, standing up to assert a certain level of confidence and dominance in the conversation. Olenna remained unphased. 

“You’re not in much of a position to make demands, Lord Tywin. Either you marry my granddaughter or somebody else will,” she said, raising both eyebrows at him to demonstrate just how genuine her statement was. 

“Tell me, Lady Olenna, if your son found out I was not only willing, but actually quite eager to marry your granddaughter, what do you imagine he would say?” Tywin questioned, already knowing exactly what the response would be, of course. 

“He would most likely jump up and down while clapping his hands together, the pathetic fool,” she mumbled, remembering just how excited Mace had been upon hearing Margaery would marry Joffrey. 

“Precisely. Your son is more eager to marry (Y/N) to me than (Y/N) is to be married to me. Therefore, I am in the position to be making demands. Demands that he is not going to like, mind you, but demands that he will fulfill in order to marry his daughter to me,” Tywin asserted, making Olenna’s face twist with distinct annoyance. Gods, Tywin Lannister really was an insufferable cunt, wasn’t he? She had not a clue as to what you liked about him. 

“You love and desire my granddaughter far too much to ever give her up, Tywin. Let’s not pretend that I’m a blasted fool.”

“Correct. I have every intention to take her as my wife, but your son doesn’t know that, and I would threaten to reject her should he not give in. Don’t look so annoyed, you’ll like this demand.”

“But my son won’t?”

“No.”

“Very well, what is it?”

“I will marry (Y/N) on one condition: she must remain head of the Tyrell army until she can no longer hold a sword. That is my demand,” Tywin said sharply, watching Olenna’s eyes widen.

“My son is not going to give into that demand easily.”

“Nevertheless, he will if he wants to see his eldest daughter married to the richest man in Westeros,” Tywin assured her, knowing the kind of man your father was. He would complain, and then he would do as he was bid. 

“What if he does not? The one thing he’s quite unrelenting in is making Loras the new head once (Y/N) has been wed,” Olenna questioned, knowing just how strongly your father felt about the subject. 

“He will.”

“Yes, you’re right. But hypothetically, what if he does not? Would you truly sacrifice marriage to my granddaughter over it?” She asked, genuinely curious now. Tywin did seem quite confident in the fact that Mace would accept his request. 

“No, of course not. I would give (Y/N) anything on earth that she desires, and if she desires to be my wife, then she will be. It’s exactly why I am making this demand. She desires to fight, she desires to lead. So she will,” he said simply, knowing that any other man might’ve been blind to your misery as merely a wife and mother. But no, Tywin would not see you unhappy, even despite his concerns. He would rather watch the garden be overgrown than see it barren after he had cut everything back. 

Olenna merely nodded at the man, rising from her chair with a distinct satisfaction. It was odd for Olenna to consider that Tywin Lannister, the coldest, most brutal man in all seven kingdoms seemed entirely enslaved to your wishes. 

Just as he had been a good husband to Joanna, your grandmother was confident he would be good to you. Somehow, she got the strange feeling that deep down, Tywin Lannister was a romantic. She likened him to something such as ember, once soft and hardened after all these years. 

Of course, he’d been rather harsh even as a boy, but it seemed those who managed to find a way into Tywin Lannister’s heart would have his utmost loyalty and devotion. So long as they did not do something that might remove that sentiment, anyways. 

He was a small, sturdy fortress. Fiercely protecting the few that could fit within his walls, and easily repelling those that did not. 

Yes, you would do well with Tywin Lannister for a husband, your grandmother had not a single doubt about it. And even more than that, you would be happy. 

Olenna wanted to laugh at the thought. Two years ago, even she would not have been able to conjure up the thought of you marrying Tywin Lannister, for love especially. Yet, even now, at 28 years old, you continued to surprise your grandmother. She supposed you always would. 

TAGLIST:

@cheyxfu @lemonscoffee @groovy-lady

@ladysindar @vesta-ro @exo-nova @paola-carter

@prettykinkysoul @nothing2113

@fullmoonshadowwrites @kishie8

@the-desilittle-bird @dianilaws @girlonfireice @muscari-fae @lostgirllulu @abigfanofgameofthrones @smalltownbigheart @frombloodandflesh

#tywin lannister #tywin lannister x reader #game of thrones #game of thrones x reader #house lannister #charles dance #tywin x reader #asoiaf #tywin imagine #a lion in the garden

[jeyne-stark]

Okay, I’m out of class and procrastinating on my reading. Let’s do this.

@attaining-fic

(Cut because long post is long.)

So Euron grabs Theon when he’s exiled, pre-rebellion, which means that Balon only has Yara as a viable heir post-rebellion.

If Yara gets taken to Winterfell, Balon has no viable heirs, and with Alannys’s dementia, he’s not getting any from her. If he takes a salt wife and makes her children his heirs, he’ll lose the support of House Harlaw. I don’t think any of his brothers have any kids, which means if his title passes to them it’s only delayed the inevitable by a few years. Fun fact, kids: political stability is an illusion and even the most stable society is a couple of disasters away from total collapse.

If she’s taken hostage, Yara’s probably going either to Winterfell or to King’s Landing but as much as I like the idea of the Iron Islands being super unstable, either is inconvenient for story purposes, so we’ll leave Yara in the Iron Islands. For now.

So canon happens, minus Theon. The Lannisters will want the Starks dead, which means Robb, Bran, and Rickon are in danger. (Sansa, Arya, and Jon are less important pieces compared to the legitimate sons.) (Theon’s attack of Winterfell was super convenient for the Lannisters on multiple levels.) Roose  plots with Tywin and sends Ramsay to take Winterfell while Roose kills Robb.

Roose miscalculates his ability to avoid Grey Wind and dies before he can so much as scratch Robb. Bran and Rickon flee Winterfell when Ramsay attacks and go North to the Wall and to Jon. (I’m playing the “this is my AU and I can do what I want” card to have a Bran/Rickon/Jon reunion, fuck you too canon.)

Robb’s lack of dying means the war continues for another few years, but otherwise we’re sticking to canon. Joffery dies at his wedding, Baelish takes Sansa to the Vale to hide her there and to be a creepy fuck etc.

And now Theon and Euron arrive on the scene. Euron arranges for Balon to die per canon, Theon goes “wait shit I’m next” and hightails it the fuck out of there, and promptly runs into Robb and Team Stark.

“Well,” thinks Theon as he’s sniffing around the camp, “these people look like they might make decent meat shields to keep Euron from finding me, time to make them owe me so that they’ll help. Hmm. I’ll find this Sansa girl and bring her to them, and then they can keep my uncle from killing me maybe hopefully.”

(I want to note that Theon was on board with the plan of Balon dying and Euron taking the crown. He was not okay with realizing that he was next, after Balon. This is self-preservation. Theon doesn’t know what morals are yet.)

So he goes and attacks the Eyrie and kidnaps Sansa, and takes her to Robb rather like a stray cat who has decided to bring you a present. (When I say “kidnap” I mean “bound and gagged and slung over Theon’s shoulder.” Remember what I said about Theon not having morals yet?)

Theon explains his situation to Robb, once Sansa has been suitably fussed over, and Robb is like Hmm. Okay. Thank you for bringing my sister to me. We’re going to chain you up to make sure you don’t try anything funny, but because I do believe you about your uncle wanting you dead, you’ll be staying in my tent.

Cue the slowburn of Theon mouthing off to Robb, generally being a good prisoner except for all the ways he isn’t (Theon is actively trying to seduce Robb and/or Sansa, he’s not very picky, so he’s shirtless any time he can arrange it, artfully arranging his chains so that they drape nicely, working out, that sort of thing), and slowly realizing as he watches Robb and Sansa that he’s…kind of a terrible person.

Like, at first he thinks it’s hilarious, because he’s encountered codes of honor, or at least people who claim to have codes of honor, and they’re always jokes, but then he realizes that for the first time he’s met people who are entirely sincere about their code of honor.  

And Theon is fascinated, and as he watches them he realizes that they are good, and honorable, and just, and all those things that Theon always thought were just lies people told themselves, which meant Theon was better than them, because he wasn’t any of those things either, but at least he admitted it and embraced it. (Sidenote: that kind of makes it worse, imo. But that’s a debate for another time.)

But if people can, truly, have honor, and do justice, and be good people, what does that make Theon? Because Theon’s had Euron as his primary influence and role model for fifteen years, Theon must have done some awful things during that time.

So Theon has a crisis of conscience. And then he has another. And he really does not have any framework or vocabulary to process these, so then he has another, and ultimately decides that he’s going to try this…honor stuff.

Also, I’m a sucker for this, Theon gets sick and feverish and accidentally confesses to Robb that he’s a terrible person and Robb should really just let him die and Robb says no.

Anyway. Eventually they all head back up to Winterfell, which Jon and co. have taken back, and there are big happy reunions until Euron sends a letter to Theon taunting him and saying that he has Yara.

Theon’s trying this honor thing, so of course he has to rescue Yara, but because Theon is not good at having friends, he doesn’t tell Robb or Sansa where he’s going. He just disappears, and figures that they won’t care much one way or the other. (Spoiler: they do.) He gets Yara out, and Yara does think that this is the ghost of her baby brother, because Theon is definitely dead after fifteen years with Euron, but Theon gets captured and roughed up in the process.

Euron taunts him a bit, mentions that he’s kind of proud of Theon, growing a spine, if you had just…not interfered with my plans we could have ruled together just kidding no we couldn’t. That sort of thing.

(Theon: Your approval fills me with shame.)

Euron eventually leaves, and Theon slumps back against the restraints, figuring that he’s definitely dead and nobody is coming for him. He doesn’t want to die. He wants to go back to Winterfell, wants to see it in the spring, wants to live. A single tear slips down his cheek.

And then Robb kicks in the door.

#i am not i repeat not actually writing this #i guess this is leaning towards throbb over theonsa but it could go either way honestly #theon is a bi disaster with a thing for redheads and he has two hands #robb/theon/sansa the poly v #i still need a title for this #theon greyjoy #euron greyjoy #asha greyjoy #robb stark #sansa stark

[samwpmarleau]

You've expressed disdain over Rhaenys-Corlys and Rhaegar-Lyanna (and understandably so) because the girls were teens and the men adults, but you're pretty OK with Daenerys-Maron, even though she was 15 and he was in his mid-thirties (the same age as her brother). I am not attacking you, just curius - what's the difference?

For the record, I don’t only despise Rhaenys-Corlys and Rhaegar-Lyanna because of their ages, though that is obviously a main factor. I also despise them because of their actions (Maron’s, or lack thereof, are discussed below) and the power imbalance. Rhaenys was granddaughter of a king, yes, but Corlys had literally a generation’s worth of experience on her and since their marriage was a ~love match~ yet Rhaenys was married at just 16, that means he groomed, and lusted after, a CHILD. The imbalance, minus the grooming part, is even more pronounced in Rhaegar-Lyanna, but I’ve gone over that at length before.

Now, for the rest ...

One:

Never once are we told Maron’s age. Mariah was likely born in 153 or 154, given that she and Daeron were decreed to wed “when they were of age,” which is 16. I personally peg Maron being born in 165-167, which would put him at 21-23 at the time of his marriage, 5-7 years older than Daenerys. My supposition is that there was at least one child born between Mariah and Maron who died in infancy or childhood.

Why? Because there’s no reason for the Prince of Dorne and his consort to agree to marry off one of their two children away so early. There’s no reason for them to make the gamble that Maron would not only survive childhood but have a fruitful marriage to a woman yet to be decided. Why is it not much more probable that they had at least one other child besides Mariah and Maron, thus being more confident that her being married to the Targaryens wouldn’t be detrimental to the Dornish succession?

We are told Mariah and Daeron were children when their father made the treaty with Baelor, which allows for a wide range of ages, up to the age of 16. Cases in point: Ned refers to Lyanna as a “child-woman” at 16, Kevan and Tyrion refer to Jeyne Westerling as a child at 16, Yandel and others in Casterly Rock refer to 10-year-old Tywin as a child, etc.

Because “of age” in this series is said to be 16, anything younger than that would be considered a child. In other words, it would be perfectly reasonable for the treaty to have been done when Maron was an infant, Mariah around 13, and their other sibling(s) somewhere in the middle. And no, a 13-year (or more) age gap between eldest and youngest siblings isn’t remotely unusual. For example:

Rhaena Targaryen and Jocelyn Baratheon: 31 years apart

Jon Waters and Joy Penrose: Anywhere from 11-29 years apart

Rhaegar and Daenerys Targaryen: 25 years apart

Daeron II and Daenerys Targaryen: 19 years apart

Robert and Renly Baratheon: 15 years apart

Robb and Rickon Stark: 12 years apart

(This is just including the same women through all pregnancies, of course. If you include a man having kids by multiple women, such as Walder Frey, Leyton Hightower, or Aegon IV, the divide gets even larger)

Two:

Daenerys is said to have been two years younger than Daemon Blackfyre, who was born in 170, putting her born at 172. Her wedding being in 188 (and thus her being 16) is supported by two remarks in the world book. One, it says “how is it that eight years passed [since the wedding] before the rebellion loomed?” The rebellion didn’t occur until 196, and 196-8=188. Daenerys was 16.

Secondly, the world book says Maron agreed to be betrothed when Daenerys was of age and that they were wed the following year. So if we take the wording literally, that means that Daenerys actually could have been born at least a year earlier, and thus was 17 at her wedding (two years of negotiation + one year until Daenerys was of age + one more year until the wedding). Most likely the wording is just awkward and they were actually betrothed and married in the same year. Nevertheless, it’s possible that there’s a math error there and Daenerys was meant to only be one year younger than Daemon (and/or Daemon was meant to be born in 171, not 170), making her 17 at her wedding.

Either way, she was NOT 15.

Three:

Maron barely knew Daenerys, and their marriage was arranged. It was nothing like the Corlys-Rhaenys situation.

Four:

He treated her astronomically well, to the point of building her a PALACE. He never cheated on her so far as we’re aware, and they clearly had a lovely marriage, considering they had multiple children, she adored the Water Gardens wherein she started the tradition of children of all classes coming together, a portrait was commissioned of her that still hangs there today, she was “never aught but a loyal wife,” etc.

Five:

Maron is clearly contrasted with Daemon Blackfyre: Whereas Maron never once insulted Daenerys, Daemon had no qualms about not only egregiously insulting his wife, but Daenerys herself. And despite claiming to love Daenerys, he clearly wasn’t all that broken up about her marriage, considering he had at least NINE children with his wife over twelve years (that’s almost a kid a year!). Too, he held no regard for established rule of law — he wanted to marry Daenerys while still married to Rohanne, despite polygamy being outlawed and its last practicer being Maegor the Cruel. For Daenerys’s part specifically, she “left no trace” of anything regarding Daemon, implying she was more than content in her own marriage.

In conclusion:

There is a WORLD of difference between Maron-Daenerys and those other pairs, and we have no indication whatsoever that there was a significant age gap between the two. A few years? Yes. Many years? No.

#i won't stand for slander! (or libel rather) #maron martell #daenerys targaryen #maron x daenerys #asoiaf #thenightsmellsofjasmine

[howlandreads]

Does Birthright Matter?

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about whether birthright in the ASOIAF series should be relevant to fans.  What got me debating this is my split mind on the issue – when I see Robb or Jon crowned King in the North or Sansa reclaim Winterfell, it feels right, but whenever D*enerys launches into a rant about how the seven kingdoms is her birthright, I immediately see her as entitled, completely undeserving, and unfit to rule.  Though at first this seems like I’m just biased in favor of the Starks, I think there’s actually something much more nuanced going on.  Consider these quotes about Ned:

“You never could lie for love nor honor, Ned Stark.”

- Robert Baratheon

“You wear your honor like a suit of armor, Stark.”

- Petyr Baelish

“You are an honest and honorable man, Lord Eddard.”

- Varys

“The Long Summer will come again before that one would besmirch his precious honor.”

- Jorah Mormont

“Your father was no friend of mine, but only a fool would doubt his honor or his honesty.”

- Stannis Baratheon

By all accounts Ned was honest, loyal, and undoubtedly honorable.  We know that Ned valued honor and protecting his family above all else, and he taught this mentality to all of his children.  As soon as it was necessary, Robb didn’t hesitate to step into the role of Lord of Winterfell, and he did so as well as anyone could have:  

“He honored every man in turn, showing no favorites, listening as his lord father had listened.  He has learned so much from Ned, she thought”

- Catelyn Stark

“I told myself. . . swore to myself. . . that I would be a good king, as honorable as Father”

- Robb Stark

“He wants so much to be a good king, to be brave and honorable and clever”

- Catelyn Stark

As well as Robb, Jon also grew into an honorable man capable of leading the North.  This can be seen in his leadership in the Night’s Watch and his role as King in the North in seasons 6 and 7 (minus the whole handing his kingdom to D*ny thing).  Jon is a man of honor and integrity through and through:

“He has proved himself valiant, loyal, and resourceful.”

- Maester Aemon

“The only gods he worshipped were honor and duty.”

- Melisandre

The last Stark child we’ve seen exercise their birthright is Sansa.  Not only is Sansa the only reason Jon was able to win the Battle of the Bastards, but she’s also proven herself intelligent, clever, and completely capable of ruling the North and being the Lady of Winterfell in season 7. She also shares all the best Stark qualities; she’s honorable and always puts the needs of her people above the needs of herself.

“You have your mother's eyes.  Honest eyes, and innocent.”

- Petyr Baelish

“Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please.”

- Catelyn Stark

Looking at all these quotes about the honesty, honor, and loyalty of the Stark children, it’s easy to see that Ned and Catelyn raised them to be strong and dependable Kings and Queens of the North.  The reason Robb and Jon were declared King in the North and Sansa became Lady of Winterfell isn’t because of their last name – it’s because the people of the North trusted Ned Stark to raise capable and honorable children.  The titles they have been given aren’t because of the random coincidence of them being born to House Stark – it’s because they have each proven their character to be equal to that of Ned’s.  They didn’t just show up and have their power handed to them; they all proved themselves capable of ruling first.  Robb was only chosen King in the North after gathering the banners and leading his men into battle, Jon was only chosen King in the North after leading the Night’s Watch and winning the Battle of the Bastards, and Sansa was only chosen to be essentially Queen in the North after leading the Knights of the Vale into the Battle of the Bastards and retaking Winterfell.

The Starks also aren’t motivated entirely by their birthright.  They’ve all been forced into their positions of power at the behest of others.  The only time they’ve ever asserted their birthright is when Jon and Sansa reclaimed Winterfell from the Boltons.  What makes this assertion of birthright different than when D*ny claims the seven kingdoms are hers, is that it’s based entirely on emotional and familial connection and memories.  When Jon and Sansa speak about Winterfell they always refer to it as home.  They want to reclaim it, not because they’re power hungry or ambitious, but because it’s the last remaining piece of the family they’ve lost and continue to mourn for.  They want to reclaim Winterfell because it’s where they grew up and all they have left of their family - because it’s home.

This is all in comparison to D*ny, who only wants to claim Westeros because it’s her birthright. Not because it’s home, not because she has an emotional connection to the land, but simply because of the coincidence of her being born the daughter of the Mad King Aerys.  D*ny thinks often about how she doesn’t even consider Westeros her home, despite being born there.  This is all obvious in season 7 during her first meeting with Jon.  She goes on and on about how she’s made it as far as she has just because she has undying faith in herself. Not the people who have pledged and sacrificed their lives for her, but just herself.  And all that self-confidence and self-determination is the reason she gives for why she deserves to rule all of Westeros.  Now I know D*ny has been through hell – being raised by her nightmare of a brother, being sold to the Dothraki, etc.  But to think you deserve to rule an entire kingdom, and hold the lives of millions of people in your hands without any sort of election when you don’t know the land, the people or the history, is so far beyond decency and healthy self-determination.  Though D*ny’s arrogance is much less obvious in the books, it’s still very much there. Especially in this quote where Viserys tells her how Robert’s rebellion is essentially all Elia’s fault:

“’If I had been born more timely, he said, Rhaegar would have married me instead of Elia, and it would all have come out different. If Rhaegar had been happy in his wife, he would not have needed the Stark girl.’"

- D*enerys IV, A Storm of Swords

The only reason D*ny objects to this because she thinks it’s unfair Viserys is blaming her for not having been born soon enough to marry Rhaegar.  She sees no problem with the bizarre blame Viserys places on Elia, and actually believes she could have satisfied Rhaegar enough to prevent the rebellion.

The difference between when the Stark childrens attempt to claim their birthright and when D*ny tries to claim her birthright, is that the Starks have earned their claim through demonstrating they have just as honorable a character as their father, while D*ny has proved nothing to the inhabitants of Westeros, except that she has the same affinity for burning people alive as her father did:

“Aerys was mad, the whole realm knew it.”

- Catelyn Stark

“Aerys was mad and cruel, no one has ever denied that.”

- Brienne of Tarth

“A crowned beast.”

- Jaime Lannister

The Starks have earned the honor that was given to their father, while for all the people of Westeros know, D*ny has earned the dishonor that was given to her father (especially after she’s burned the Tarlys).  D*ny deserves to have the people of Westeros reject her ridiculous claims of birthright as long as she refuses to humble herself and prove to them that she’s a capable ruler before demanding that they bend the knee or die.

#a song of ice and fire #game of thrones #got #asoiaf #anti daenerys #anti targaryen #house stark #jon snow #robb stark #sansa stark #meta #birthright #starklings #ned stark #dark!dany #george martin #Does Birthright Matter?

[minervacrawley]

The things I do for Love

(A: English is not my first language. Sorry for some awkward sentences.)

I know there are many discussions about Game of Thrones’ theme of power. For me, it always seemed like there is another big theme: The theme of love and what people are willing to do in the name of love. There is a huge amount of characters who do terrible things or things that go against their morale / beliefs.

Let’s start at the beginning: Jaime Lannister pushes Bran out of the window when the boy catches him and Cersei. He does that out of love: for his sister, but also for his children who would be in grave danger if the affair becomes public. He also says the symbolic phrase „The things I do for love“. It’s a horrible act, Jaime risks/wants the death of a little boy. Later in the books/show we learn that Jaime isn’t a cruel person after all, it goes against his morale. His next act out of love: He, a member of the Kingsguard, killed King Aerys and got his iconic nickname. That totally goes against his beliefs since we learned that Jaime really wants to be a true knight. Later it is revealed that this was his most heroic act: The king wanted to kill thousands of people. Why was Jaime doing that? Surely to save that people but more out of love for his father whom the mad king threatened as well and ordered Jamie to kill. (Jaime also lied to his brother about whose wife Tysha, saying she was a whore. To me, that’s out of love for Tyrion: Jaime thinks it would be more hurtful for him to know that a person who really loved him was raped by his father’s men. He risks Tyrions hate if he ever get to know the truth…)

Now to his sister, Cersei Lannister. We all know Cersei loves three things: Power, Jaime and, most of all, her children. But she also loved her mother and that’s why she hates Tyrion so much and treats him horrible since the moment of his birth: He was the reason for Joannas death. To save her children, Cersei knows no boundaries: She seduces her cousin Lancel to kill her husband (even though she loves Jaime and only him, the mirror image of herself), she ignores Joffreys brutality even against herself (and one of her most defining traits is her pride) and she blows up the Sept of Balor. That’s truly an act of revenge, but also an act to get her son Tommen back who was „in the clutches of that Margaery-bitch“.

That leads to Tommen Baratheon/Lannister, the sweet boy that killed himself out of love for his wife Margaery.

His grandfather Tywin Lannister is motivated by love, too. He, a man that honors family (and often reminds me of the Tully’s „Family, Duty, Honor“ minus the honor-part) detests his son Tyrion due to the fact that his birth killed his beloved wife. I think he wouldn’t hate him at all if Joanna had survived (even though he is a dwarf, but that seemed to be secondary for Tywin). Also he willingly risked his position of power (one thing we know Tywin is after) by leaving King’s Landing when Aerys was lusting after Joanna.

Tyrion Lannister is no exception in his family when it comes to love. He really loved Shae, so he wanted to send her away to ensure her safety (what totally goes against his own lust and distaste for responsibility). When she betrayed him he killed her (and hated himself for doing that). He killed his father, too. The man that wanted his death. For me that’s even more important since Tywin was the only parent Tyrion knew and so many of his actions were motivated by the need for his fathers acceptance. (Laugh at me but I think deep inside he really loved his father.)

Shae betrayed the man she loved when she thought he betrayed her (sending her away to be with Sansa). Her actions were out of hurt love.

Next is Robert Baratheon. It’s often said how much he loved Lyanna Stark (even though I think he only loved the image he had of her) and that’s the reason for his rash rebellion that killed thousands. But that love for Lyanna had even more consequences: he whispered her name in his wedding night what leads to Cersei hating him (she once told Ned that she could have loved Robert if he had not loved his dead sister) and never having a true born child. In my opinion, that poisons his relationship worth his children, too. I really can’t remember a scene with Robert showing affection for one of his „children“ (even Myrcella or Tommen who are so easy to love). They all remind him of Cersei, who simply isn’t Lyanna.

That leads to Lyanna Stark herself. Little is confirmed about the real reasons behind her leaving Winterfell with Rhaegar, but there are lots of speculations. I for one think that she wasn’t raped by him but really was in love with the prince and feared a marriage with Robert. That love led to Roberts Rebellion and the death of her father and (beloved) brother Brandon. And her own as well as Rhaegars.

Rhaegar Targaryen betrayed his wife and two children out of love for Lyanna, risking the whole kingdom (though I’m not sure if he really loved her or if she only was a part of the prophecy he obsessed about).

Eddard Stark, Mr. Honorable himself, lied to his best friend Robert and his wife Catelyn out of love for his sister Lyanna: He vowed to save her son with Rhaegar. Thereby he risked his own marriage (with the woman he later truly adored). He declared himself a cheater. He also lied to Jon about his mother and let the boy grow up with the shame of being a bastard, causing some sort of trauma. Out of love for his daughter Sansa, Ned willingly swallows his honor (one of the things he values the most).

Catelyn Stark, a woman that values family and her children above all else, is horrible towards Jon Snow, an innocent child himself. That’s out of love for Ned, she thinks he loved the bastards mother more than herself. Maybe if Ned ever said Jon’s mother was never important to him, Cat could have treat Jon like one of her own children - or at least with some friendliness. Out of love for her daughters, Cat betrays her son Robb by releasing Jaime Lannister, a man she truly detestes.

Edmure Tully surrendered Riverrun, his home, and risked the hate of his uncle and his men to save his son (a babe he’s never seen before, by a wife whose family murdered his). Putting family above duty and honor.

Their sister Lysa Arryn is another great/horrible example. Out of love for Petyr, she poisoned her husband and father of her son, leading to the events of A Game of Thrones. She also threatens her niece Sansa to the part of trying to kill her out of jealousy when she thinks that Petyr loves the girl.

Petyr Baelish is only motivated by one thing: the love for Catelyn Tully. As a young boy he dared to challenge Brandon Stark, knowing he could never win (and Petyr is normally all but irrational). He fakes love for Lysa, betrays Eddard and kills a substantial number of persons, all to get Catelyn. It is irrelevant how many people will suffer for his love. When he can’t have Cat anymore, he takes her young daughter Sansa as replacement.

Sansa Stark revealed her fathers plans out of „love“ for Joffrey. Out of love for her father, Sansa wrote a letter (forced by Cersei) to Robb and later she tries do kill Joffrey, risking her own death. Sansa „betrays“ Jon as well, when she wrote that letter asking Littlefinger for help. That was out of love, too: Love for Jon whom she wants to protect in the upcoming battle he can’t win (and out of love for Rickon, but she doubts they will get their little brother back alive).

Arya Stark decides to become an assassin to avenge the death of her beloved father, mother and brothers. Nobody can tell me that this doesn’t goes against the morale of a young, prepubescent girl. (And Arya sends her beloved direwoblf Nymeria away to save her from Joffrey.)

Robb Stark risks all his family fights for and all he has learned out of love for Talisa/Jeyne Westerling. That leads to his own, his mothers, his direwolfs and most of his mens death (as well as the death of Talisa and their unborn child in the show) and the end of a war he probably could have won.

Ellaria Sand, a woman that loves her children and grew up in a country known for treating girls well (just like Oberyn said), killed Myrcella, an innocent girl, out of love for her dead lover.

Out of love for Bran, Summer willingly gives his own life.

Just like out of love for Drogo and her child, D*enerys is willing to end her own life by burning herself. She sees no sense in her life.

And don’t forget Jorah Mormont who turned slave trader do hold his beloved wife Lynesse Hightower and later gave up his only chance to return home due to his love for D*ny.

But there is a positive example, too: Out of love for Gilly, Samwell Tarly, a real coward up to this point, figths and kills a White Wanderer. He also stands up against his own father, too. (All talk about the one and only, really true love in agot is that of Ned and Cat, but what about Sam and Gilly? They trust each other, they aren’t related or secretly lust after another person and never tried do kill the other. There is no angst between them. They are only two people deeply in love. A love that’s only threatened by Sams position as a member of the Night’s Watch, but that isn’t a real threat to them. For me, they are my one truly happy pairing at the time.)

I’m pretty sure there are tons of other examples, but that are the only ones I remember on the fly.

What does all of that mean for Jonsa?

I highly support the theory that Jon Snow will play D*enerys. And why will he do that, Mr. Honorable Jr. himself? Something that goes against his morale? (Something he hated himself for doing to Ygritte?) Well, out of love: for the North, his people and his family. Nothing is more important to Jon than saving his people, especially Sansa. She was already once the reason to go against his beliefs: Jon pledges he would never fight again, only to do it for Sansa when she asks for it (and he reads that letter from Ramsay).

Well, that are only my thoughts and I would love to hear what you think about it. Maybe I’m totally delusional. ;)

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