Falcxnprince​:

location: in the great hall of winterfell after one of the nights of the northern games

@anya-snow

the northern games had cast a spell of joy across the castle that seemed to have been in hibernation. laughter echoed in the corridors, people recounting the day's events or enjoying catching up with people. for a land that had weathered the storm of a war, the northern folk deserved the pleasure of celebration, a collective exhale after being ensnared by a man's unwarranted quest for power.

as the sun dipped below the horizon, various houses and families gathered in the great hall for an evening feast. the air was full of merriment, the spirits of the north rekindled by a shared joy. rosa, the queen, found delight in conversing with lords and ladies, the hall alive with the burgeoning cheer of a people reclaiming their right to happiness.

amidst the revelry, rosa spotted anya across the hall and beckoned her lady in waiting to join at the table. with a server gracefully pouring glasses for each, the queen inquired, "are you enjoying the games, anya?" her words carried genuine interest as they settled into the lively mood of the feast.

"i wanted to speak with you, to get your thoughts on some matters," rosa continued, her demeanor earnest. "as a representative for the merchants guild, and with the wars now hopefully behind us, i believe it's time to look to the future of our trade. i know you've discussed matters with his grace before, but i was hoping to hear directly from you." she offered anya a reassuring smile, her intentions clear.

"i think you should consider reaching out to other merchant guild representatives from different kingdoms as one of our ambassadors. alternatively, if you're willing, you could venture to yi-ti. i recall your desire to visit. you would be going as our representative, ensuring northern support accompanies you." rosa spoke with both warmth and wisdom she had recently begun to embrace, delicately addressing a desire she had sensed in anya during their late-evening conversations in the court. she aimed not to pressure but to guide—a gentle nudge towards a decision anya may have yearned for but hesitated to embrace.

gcuienveres​:

closed starter for // @rosaaaryn​

.

golden skirts swishing around her ankles as the sound of her footsteps bounced off the marble walls, guinevere held the grand, admittedly heavy, bouquet of ornate roses close to her chest as she made her way through this specific wing of the eyrie, a part of the castle she had never yet explored before. the two woman had never spoken much in all the time they had been in the vale and back in dragonstone, aside for when their ladies would cross paths on their daily duties and they would engage in civil small talk for the sake of politeness. her first impression of the youngest arryn princess was one of fragility; almost reminding her of the sunflower fields back in the rolling hills of the westerlands, vibrant, but delicate, and needed to be cared for properly. 

the lannister woman knew how a lady of her rank was supposed to behave; hiding true feelings and thoughts behind a facade of sweetness and kindness, whilst silently observing the situation around them and supporting their own causes privately. and in the years a woman spent learning to be quiet but observant, one would pick up the ability to be a decent judge of character; the woman had learned to listen to her senses, her gut, the tone of one’s voice and the warmth in their eyes. and guinevere, from a quiet distance, had begun to think that rosalyn was good; truly good, in the purest way. and so when her engagement to rodrik stark became the court’s main source of gossip for the week, guinevere done what she had aways been taught to do; play the part. 

congratulating a princess hosting you in her home for news of her engagement wouldn’t be considered brazen, or bold; but rather women being women, fawning over foolish notions of romance and chivalry, and finding anything excuse to gossip. guinevere did not intend on even knocking on the door of the chambers and alerting the flame haired woman of her presence, motioning to the guards on either side of her door to leave the bouquet at her door, accompanied with a small note expressing simple congratulations for the engagement on behalf of the house lannister. with that, the woman had ushered toward her own lannister guards to turn as they began to make their way back up the corridor, only to hear the chamber door open before she could leave the doorway. “apologies; i did not wish to interrupt. a small gift, for your good news.” 

.

the last thing she expected to see as she stepped out of her room was the sigh of the lannister princess, and a small gift that was sat at her doorstep. a smile spread across the young arryn's face as she realized what gwen had done.

"you brought me a gift?" rosalyn said, pure surprise in her voice. how incredibly thoughtful that was of her to do. with the last-minute nature of her wedding, she figured it would not be such a big deal to other houses. it was nice to see someone congratulating her like this. someone thinking of her.

"thank you so much for these. they are truly so lovely." she smiled once again. "please, your highness i would love for you to join me for some tea if you have the time. as a thank you for such a thoughtful gift." bending down she picked up the bouquet of flowers that had been left for her. how beautiful they were. and the thoughtfulness behind them made them even more beautiful.

it would be nice to get her mind off the planning of the wedding for a few moments. and getting to spend time with gwen who she had barely gotten a chance to see since they had arrived back in the vale. everyone seemed so busy that it was hard to stop to enjoy simple pleasantries.

stepping aside to allow guinevere inside, she took a quick moment to sign to her handmaiden asking her to grab some tea and other small goodies for them. placing the bouquet on one of the large windowsills she turned to look back at her new companion.

"you know, it seems a little silly but ever since i was a little girl i have collected pressed flowers. if you look through my books now i'm sure you will find a dozen of them tucked in between the pages." she laughed. "they are like little memories hidden away. i've started a collection of flowers that have to do with the wedding. when the time comes i will be adding these to it, so i can remember."

C A S I M I R   T U L L Y

“Casimir understood that perhaps, though his words had sounded strong and unlike the boy in his youth, the voice of his younger self had indeed peaked through.”

penned by belle

@casimirtully

Eleanor Tomlinson for Schon! Magazine (2021) ♥

starkwhitewolf​:

torrhen paced the halls, wincing with every cry of pain his wife made as his good friends tried to comfort him. he was eternally grateful for rhydian and brandon in that moment. despite tradition or formalities, he was desperate to be with rosa, but he knew his presence was best outside, surely there were better hands and minds within the room, one more would only distract from focus and he wanted everyone’s attention on his wife and child. suddenly, as if by magic, a babe’s cry filled the halls of winterfell, and torrhen’s heart. he waited what seemed like hours, but finally a midwife gave the welcome, and he walked faster than he had in his life.

the king of winter entered with a bright smile and went to lay beside his wife, admiring the little babe in her arms. gods he was so small. smaller than he ever imagined. it had been long since he had seen a baby, perhaps even since his own younger brothers and sisters had been born. he remembered hearing mothers’ laboring echoing in the halls, their first cries. he had been worried then, of course, although not quite understanding the severity of the situation. with his own wife, however, it was the equivalent of torture. had he been able to take aware a fraction of her pain, taken on a bit of the risk she had to, he would.

yet they were here, frozen in time, in this moment. he would recall this for the rest of his life. “he’s perfect, rosa.” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple, reaching a gentle finger to stroke the little one’s cheek. “i did not imagine a baby to be as peaceful as he.” he jested with a soft chuckle, ice blue orbs turning to his queen. “i know some might think of this as duty, but you have given me the world, i am eternally grateful to you.”

.

after everything they had gone through together, he was here. all the worry and doubt of what was going to happen. cursed words thrown at her by pirates and threats. but their son was here and not born under a blood moon but a perfectly clear night sky. suddenly in a moment all that worry and stress and fear was gone as she held him in her arms. he was safe now in her arms. she knew she would never let anything bad happen to him and torrhen would never let anything happen to any of them.

what a blessing it was to have them both here with her now.

“he is absolutely perfect.” she smiled, getting to see the look on torrhen’s face as he saw his son for the first time. the king of the north and the future king swadded in her arms.

torrhen said she had given him the world but rosa knew in her heart that she would have given anything to him in that moment. anything he could ask for. “and you have given me the world too, a new world in my arms. a new home, a new life. i could never thank you enough for everything you have given me. i love you more than i can put into words this moment.”

despite still being sore, she adjusted herself up in the bed, holding out their son for torrhen to take. “you should hold him.” she said.

visxionaries​:

@rosaaaryn​

he saw the figure of rosa arryn, sat upon a bench beneath one of the cloisters of dragonstone as the rain fell outside, talking to … a basket? cedric almost narrowed his eyes in momentary confusion before clearing his facial expression as the woman noticed him; he had heard much of rosa arryn’s emotionally fragile nature, and seen a fair amount of it in the few moments rowan had allowed his little sister to stay with the bunch of older boys. offering her a nod of acknowledgement, he did not intend on stopping but continuing on his journey -  it was then he saw the floppy ears of a rabbit peep from the basket. ah, cedric thought. not mad. almost simultaneously, his four legged fox of a shadow had chosen to sneak from the shade of the foliage; vivid orange tail upright as his amber eyes fixed on the rabbit now being cradled in the woman’s arms.

“kit, no.” cedric hissed under his breath, moving to step before the creature in an attempt to stop the arryn woman from seeing the creature that wanted to feast upon her precious bunny for a spot of lunch. “go on, bugger off. we’ll get you lunch somewhere else.”

.

there was a cool breeze move past from the soft rain that fell outside. she had forgotten long ago what the rain sounded like falling on stone but she knew it was a peaceful noise. if she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough then maybe she could conjure up the sound or imagine what it could be. the arryn was happy enough to sit on the bench and enjoy the view at least. for a moment she might even look as if she belonged in that spot, like a statue caught in time.  

her gaze was mostly fixated on the book she had brought along with her, along with her small companion who was enjoying the protection of the basket he was tucked into. the breeze moved around them carrying hints of sweet rainwater that hung in the air with each rustle of the wind. lost in the paged of her book she missed cedric walking by her, only looking up to lean over to share a small piece of fruit with smudge she smiled. “there you go.” she told the tiny bunny.

up ahead of her she did not hear the agitated words of the tyrell as he commanded his own small companion to keep walking. rosa could only see the red flash of a fox trotting over towards her. and more likely over towards smudge. quickly she scooped up the small bunny in her arms, standing up to keep out of sight of the fox who now stood at her feet. “no, you are getting no meal here. find somewhere else to go little fox. shoo…shoo please.” her eyes searched up towards someone walking up “he cannot have smudge. is he…feral?” she said holding the bunny closer, only noticing them who it was. “oh, cedric. hello.”

starkwhitewolf​:

.

torrhen was still figuring out rosa arryn. one moment she seemed as easy to read as a parchment he had scanned many times before, other times she seemed as unfamiliar as an entirely new language to decipher. he was never one to try and assume things about others simply based on their behaviors or past lives, but he knew, in part, it was important as husband to understand his wife to a certain degree. marriage to rosa had proved to come easily, but in many ways he was dealing with his own internal struggles. the eldest stark son had always been protective of his family and his home, even knowing he’d have to marry outside of the kingdom one day. a large part of him, to not fault of rosa, still saw the arryn name as an outsider to his kingdom. while he got along well with her brother, the king of the vale, torrhen stark had always put a small wedge between himself and those not from the north. perhaps rosa would help him to find a better way of securing relationships with outsiders, without entirely blocking them off.

the king’s brow furrowed at her words. while honestly was expected, and appreciated, he hated to hear that she didn’t feel completely safe in her own kingdom. how he wished to return to winterfell, to cast out every last southerner, to be rid of the shadows that haunted everyone. at her questioning, however, he shook his head. “no.” he replied firmly. “do not give him that power, rosa. that is how he is thriving, fear.” torrhen sighed, placing a hand on her stomach gently. “the monsters under our beds as children were always a play in our own minds. do not let him torment yours further. if i have to send you south for safety, so be it, i will.“ even if it meant his child was not born in his kingdom, a thought which troubled him in an inexplicable way, he would do what it took to keep rosa and their baby safe.

.

there was a longing to return back home to winterfel. away from all of this mess. a place where they could just spend time together as a married couple as they had. it had only been a short time since they been married, since she had moved her life up north, since they had discovered the wonderful news of their child. she wanted to spend time just to enjoy those moments. spend the time to get to know torrhen more. he had so many walls up around him, almost like she could see them. it had taken time but already she could see a few of them begin to fall around them. letting her into the real him, a side he might hide from others. she wanted to know that part of him.

“i would not leave you. i want to stay here with you, i want our child born in our home. with you by my side…” danger seemed to lurk around every corner for them now. it might be safe to leave to the south to have the child but then what? “if i go south then i would be giving into their fears. i want to be strong for you, for this child.” if she could do that, if she could show her strength then perhaps whatever curse this man was trying to throw at her could be overpowered. if she was strong then this child would be. she placed her hand over his on her stomach. the smallest kick was there, only just started but each time she could breath a sigh of relief that the child was okay. her other hand, moved to the side of his face, running her thumb over his cheek. “i want to be here with you. i feel safe with you here.”

dear cedric,

i hope your travels back to highgarden have been well. you departure was so sudden i was not able to find you before you left. i'm sure it is important business why you are away and not because you grew bored of all of us at the vale. 

i'm unsure if you knew when you'll be traveling back to the vale with all the talks of battles and fighting going on. (are you fighting? you know you all don't have to fight but you are so very similar to my brother. i’d be very happy for some company back in the eyrie.)

smudge might be the only one relived with your departure since that means kit is not lurking around every corner to make a new snack out of him.

i do have some news my friend....it seems like my wedding is going to be sooner than expected. the fighting ahead has moved everything along. and i know it is probably going to be a stretch and i’m sure you have other important thing to do.... but i would really love for you to be there. you've been a dear friend and i want you there for the day. it would mean a lot to me.

of course i understand if you have other obligations and cannot make it.

i hope you are well

your friend,

𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖆

@visxionaries

rosa knew her husband was busy and this would be just another thing to add to his growing list of tasks but it was important to stop this in its tracks. "i was getting ready for the wedding with my ladies in waiting and we were discussing the upcoming wedding. young lady mara mentioned how lucky this new queen would be that the first man she got to be with on her wedding night was her husband...." rosa took in a deep breath to continue the story, unhappy with the news she had to present. "after some questions it seems that mara's sister was made to sleep with the lesser lord who looked after her village. and she had no idea that the first night had been banned by law."

Owen wasn't prepared for his morning to go one way or another. He had the routine of his meals and meetings and sparring and sketching and circling back to meals through various points. And honestly, he let his council run meetings without him. And the wedding season seems even busier than most of those seasons.

"Of course, my wife. What's on your mind? Has something happened?" Owen asked as he began to pile food on his plate.

location: white harbor, the north

the party from winterfell had arrived days before any of the other kingdoms were set to arrive. it had given them time to be sure everything was prepared for the arrival of everyone. rosa had worked along with the manderly house to ensure that all the rooms were set up for people. she had been spending a lot of time making sure the placements of the rooms were just right so there would be no tensions near one another. despite how much her handmaidens were insisting she rested. finally she gave in and headed back to her chambers

there she could see her husband sitting at his desk working hard. seemingly in the same place she had left him in, however this time with a much larger stack of papers in front of him. walking over to him, she placed a gentle kiss on the back of his head. wrapping her arms around him as she looked down at the papers on his desk.

"what are you working on? you have been sitting here for what feels like hours?" she said, trying to get a better look at what he was working on. moving to his side, she took a seat next to him to see him respond back to her question. "is there anything i could help you with?" she asked, wanting to take some pressure off of rodrik's shoulders.

@rodrikofwinter​