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[anastacia-templeton]

as she listened to wylliam speak, the lady of ninestars couldn't help the gentle smile across her face. something that lord swann wasn't was harsh, brash, angry, and she found that their small conversation put her at ease that she didn't have to uphold such standards that had paved their way across her brain from her other relationships. sure, they weren't even together, just having a simple conversation but the feelings were there that she was grateful that lord swann was different than lord lefford. leander had a chokehold, metaphorically and physically, on anastacia but she felt it slipping away the more she heard the lord swann speak. a small laugh left her as wylliam gave her a fair warning that he wasn't into linguistics, which was fine; many women had to find things to occupy their time, she didn't expect that from him for him to be well versed.

their conversation was going smoother than she thought and a wave of relief washed over her that she could quell her petulance for at least one evening. the only chance someone had to get to know the true her besides running her mouth with nonsense like a madwoman. anastacia resisted to brush the curl of brown hair falling across his face away, instead beginning to play with her own fingers out of nerves. so much behind those dark orbs; mysteries, wonders, dreams, she felt like she could eventually drown into him and she wouldn't mind. anastacia steadied herself mentally to quiet her impulses.

"oh dear," she stated with a feigned gasp, a hand resting against her chest. blue orbs flickered towards his arm then back at lord swann, "thank goodness your arm is properly healed now, gods know what you'd do without it." she teased gently, a smirk across her face to show her playfulness. the conversation might be awkward to wylliam, but to anastacia, she was enjoying herself far more than she had thought.

the vale had it's own secrets hidden within them and anastacia found herself drawn to the darkness of the woods, silently wondering if it would just swallow her whole or have her suffer at it's own hands. the mention of mountain clans brought her cousin, axell royce, to mind and how he towered over her like a giant. how he murdered people at his own hands without a single blink. maybe that is what lord swann referred to. she hadn't toured that far into the stormlands to enjoy the beauty of it, but the way wylliam spoke of it, she could only imagine how gracious it must actually look. "i do find that conservation of woodland animals very important, without them, we are to waste away. maybe you can tell me more of your projects if we are to speak again." at the mention of some sort of object to crack open the beautifully jeweled stones, anastacia's eyes twinkled in wonder, already noticing that this was the lord swann's soft spot. for stones hidden deeply in the caves of rainwood. "the wyldes do have control of the rainwood, i do hope they let you explore when you wish."

catching his smile for the first time in their rambling conversation, anastacia's cheeks turned softly pink, looking down to not show how shy she had just felt in the presence of wylliam. all anastacia could hear was her mother's scoldings; how petulant she might be to be blushing in front of a lord that hadn't even taken an interest for her, how desperate she must be for a man's gaze. shaking off the feeling, anastacia gave wylliam a smile in response with a small nod, "you have yourself a deal, my lord. and you must show me the rainwood, i have not had the pleasure to go far into the stormlands but it's been on my mind to travel, so if i ever find myself there, i will write to you and hope that you will show me around."

anastacia-templeton​:

anastacia found the conversation between herself and lord swann endearing; certainly not what she was expecting from him, but it would continue to grow her interest in the gentleman next to her. she had a good ear for listening and that’s just what she did while he mused over his interests. nodding her head gracefully to show she was listening to their banter, anastacia was quite enthralled with the fact that the lord enjoyed to be outside; while she could do without being outside, maybe she could grow to enjoy the outdoors. she was quite skilled with horseback and it only sparked a question if he would ever want to go riding with her through the countryside.

he seemed like a simple man of simple interests; it worked out in her favor, it meant that she could get to know his hobbies and incorporate them into her own. anastacia wore herself with pride, she would be a trophy wife to anyone who would have her, and she made it a point to accomplish it.

“you enjoy the countryside, have you ever tried horseback? i will be honest, my lord, i do not partake in walks in the woods, but maybe if i had you by my side, i could manage.” she assured him with a soft smile, now watching his face. anastacia knew she was laying the heat on thick, but it was only endearing to see the lord struggle to find his words. “i do find rocks.. pretty. geodes are my favorite, actually. i have a collection of amethyst at home that i keep underneath my window so i can watch them shine in the morning.” although wylliam did not respond to her question if she found him captivating, the lady tried to not let it show that it annoyed her; who wouldn’t want to be in her presence?

“when i am not attending parties i quite enjoy playing the pianoforte, i enjoy reading in my home’s library,” anastacia had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she continued, “i enjoy baking, candle making, riding by horseback and flower arranging.” it all made her seem like a proper lady which she had no shame in, “i also have dabbled into learning different linguistics across westeros. there’s not much to do when you’re a lady, all of the fun stuff is left to the men.”

standing a little closer to the lord, anastacia said confidently as she watched the lords and ladies dance across the floor, “maybe sometime soon, you may come adorn my crystals i keep at home.”

➳

“you’ve got me there, lady anastacia. i don’t have the memory for languages. i mix up the words, you see. end up saying something entirely rude to someone’s face.” a slight laugh came from him at his confession. wylliam swann had always found himself thinking complicatedly about the manners of socialising, especially since there had been times where he had gotten quite the emotional reaction as a result of his presumed blunt tongue and rudeness, which he had never intended to come across that way at all. he had always found himself sitting within the great castle of stonehelm's hall, quieter than the other two of his siblings who seemed able to socialise with just about anyone. “consider that a fair warning.”

meanwhile he found himself wondering how they seemed to find ways to speak about almost anything and everything under the sun, entirely naturally, as though it were the waves coming in and out of the shore. 

meanwhile, he found himself awkwardly fumbling and tripping over his own words, coming up with random points that made no sense, or focusing entirely only on what he found interesting. it had taken him some years to understand and pick up social cues more clearly, to ensure he heard what the other was saying clearly.

"yes, my lady...i've ridden a horse before." he spoke, his tone almost trailing off as he looked upon her face: bright red hair, delicate features that looked up at him with as much attention as he reminded himself to give her.  it sounded as though he thought she were implying the obvious, and a slight wisp of his chocolate coloured hair came over dark brown orbs as he looked down upon her, clearing his throat slightly. he kept talking, so he did not sound as though he were being sarcastic. “as a boy, i found myself falling off quite a lot. there was one time my horse actually sent me flying into mud, and i broke my arm.” he raised his arm casually, as if to show it were more than fine now.

“should you ever find yourself visiting the stormlands, you'll realise a great majority of activities consist of the outdoors. people love both the rainwood and the kingswood greatly; there are even hermits and reclusives that live within them. nobles and smallfolk find great pride in such areas of natural beauty." he did not necessarily say she would be with him however, and that was not intentional, but rather a result of him speaking on matters he found interesting. "i understand why you are not fond of the outdoors, my lady. the vale is not the place for such activities...lest you find yourself...butchered by...mountain clans." 

he almost winced at his words as he continued, inwardly wondering why he were still speaking. “but you will not be butchered by anyone in our woods. if anything, i am being mindful of the amount of hunting done on woodlands by nobles for sport. there are people who rely on the population of stags for a living.” did she care about this? no. so why was he talking about it? seven knew.

and yet, at her mention of geodes, wylliam almost found himself wondering if he had heard right. never had someone spoken to him of rocks at a wedding, or an event such as this one: he almost choked himself ensuring he did not ramble on endlessly, much to her detriment. it would be rather embarrassing, would it not? “i have this hammer that cracks geodes open in one go...it’s weirdly satisfying, honestly. but i have a collection of geodes, that goes on for rows within my chambers in stonehelm. one took three months for me to extract the geode from the basalt...morgan and magnus thought i was going mad, but i was sure of it.” he spoke as though she would simply know who he was speaking about. “lord wylde and lord...wylde.”

“uh...sure, if i find myself in ninestars for some reason. you can see the three month geode, if you end up in stonehelm.” he smiled down at her, moving slightly so someone could walk by them. “deal?”

[anastacia-templeton]

a response sealed with the ninestar seal arrives back to wylliam swann, delicately written and asked to be placed on his desk.

dearly beloved, i do quite embrace change and do enjoy the fact that we will be together in kings landing. i was definitely not expecting such change, but it is easier on my mind knowing you are by my side throughout the whole ordeal. his grace has his formal orders, and you are only right to follow those. i do hope you are well, and i await when we can see each other again. augustus & agatha find that i am an enemy at the moment, as i have acquired another feline by the name of venus. otherwise, they also await your arrival. i will take your advice and not do that again, i do quite forget that i should not fall ill before we are wed. yours, anastacia elisabeth templeton xx

anastacia-templeton​:

a letter handwritten with fine line work appears on wylliam swann’s desk once public word has been made that he is the hand of jaehaerys targaryen.

my dearest wylliam,

i hope this letter finds you well. i write this letter to you in hopes to hear a response back as to how your travels are fairing, what beautiful sights you’ve seen. i am quite interested to know your position now as hand. i find my feelings as i write this as a form of longing, i quite miss you terribly. i know your duties as hand are of most importance, so when you find the time, i would love to hear your reply. augustus & agatha hope to see you soon, as you will find their fur, unfortunately, littered across this letter. i send all of my love, and wish you safe travels back to me.

sincerely yours,

anastacia elisabeth templeton

the letter is signed with a lipstick stain.

@malcontentswanns

➳

upon receiving a letter from his betrothed, wylliam swann found himself nervous to see her handwriting. he would rather see a summons from the king than this. as he opened the letter, his breath half held, he saw the lipstick immediately. a chair skirted against wooden floorboards slightly as he moved back, in shock. he sweeps aside cat fur, mumbling about it being unhygienic. 

to my betrothed, the lady of ninestars...ana,

thank you for your letter. there is much change happening within the realm...you need not worry about it, for i will ensure it is as settled as possible for when we wed. being hand of the king was not something i was expecting when we spoke during the festivities; i don’t think anyone was expecting such change. i want to inform you, just so you know, that we will end up living in kings landing rather than stonehelm once we wed: his grace, king jaehaerys, would not have that i am away for too long. 

how are augustus & agatha?

yous sincerely, 

lord wylliam of house swann, hand of king jaehaerys of house targaryen, second of his name

also, i advise you avoid kissing  parchment my lady: you know not where it may have been. getting ill would be quite unfortunate. 

[anastacia-templeton]

who: @percival-templeton where: after announcing her engagement to wylliam swann, anastacia sought out her brother to discuss the happy news.

after having left the wedding in highgarden with a bethrotal of her own, anastacia just could not hold in her excitement. after many attempts at begging the lord lefford's hand with no whisper of hope, she found herself afraid to be stuck in a cycle of despair as her own lady mother. the banging, annoying noise of her mother's ugly voice rang in her head that she was worth absolutely nothing but a common lord, not like someone like lord swann. the whole ride home, anastacia felt like she was floating amongst the stars as one would in the throes of young love. of course, the only person that came to mind that she dearly wished to tell was percival. to gush about the details with him. as much as her brother detested such talk, anastacia gave not a care in the world. wylliam had a charm about him that she couldn't truly place; something always brought her back to the small talks they had at the celebration and she could only dream how wonderful their own wedding might be. anastacia knew she was being extremely ridiculous and petulant, a trait that she was ceaselessly reminded of, but it was every girl's dream to plan their own wedding.

thankfully, lord swann wouldn't have to know her dark secret, and neither did percival need to know. the clicking of heels in the corridors of the halls was quick, swiftly making her way towards her brother's room before she swung the door's open, her hair wild after having to hurry to see him after the whole thing. "percy!" she exclaimed, her face lit up with extreme joy, her gloved hands flying to her cheeks and her blue orbs lit with a brightness she hadn't felt in a while. "can you believe it?! lord swann asked me to be his betrothed!" of course, she knew percival could care less; he was always a very serious man in comparison to his sisters, but she hoped that he could find some way to grasp the purity of her excitement. "i must tell elinor, oh, she'll be so excited."

anastacia took a beat to realize how childish she might've sounded, even for her grown age, and it made her clear her throat. "sorry." she quietly apologized as she smoothed out her dress with her gloves, now looking straight ahead at percival, searching his face for disapproval. "do you think mother would be proud of me?" there went the childish voice she absolutely detested, but it was a true question. the relationship between herself and their late mother was awful, but maybe percival could give some sort of reprieve to her swirling thoughts.

[anastacia-templeton]

If Leander and Will were to compete for your affections, who would you choose and why?

anastacia stares at the question before her with clammy hands and a hard swallow. the choice of only her fleeting dreams. she silently wonders if she would even choose any; the men both had wonderful questionable attributes that she adored in them, but she knew that the right choice was in front of her.

"lord swann would be my obvious choice," she spoke plainly, confident in her answer. "he has treated me unlike any man i have known. lord lefford vexes me in a way i cannot explain, though, wylliam has given me nothing but a gentle hand and another outlook on life. he is very wonderful and i can only hope that i will make him happy as his future wife."

[anastacia-templeton]

an unsent letter crumbled to desecration covered in dried stains of tears. the paper is illegible.

leander,

i find that your words have certainly rung true after all of these years. after my many incidents, i have been unable to find what i desire; after so much loss, as you're aware. i believe that you have poisoned me. i only wish to write to understand what i am lacking. i know you absolutely care not on my feelings, only when i can come over to satiate your desires. i fear that is all i am good for at this point in my time, a toy. i find that our understanding is ruining my betrothal, and i only wish for you to try and get it through your amazingly thick skull that all i desire is to be happy. i just want one thing and it seems that your claws run deep. i am unable to find anything but darkness. the cloud that constantly lingers above me.

i found love in the lord swann, i know you might think that your letter might have gotten under my skin, but he is so wonderful. augustus & agatha enjoy his presence, they do that small mewl-squeak whenever they see him, and if they like him, then i find that he is worthy of my trust. my trust, the thing you've broken from me and somehow, i fall for your empty promises every time.

i just desire for you to quit clouding my mind so i may make room for how happy i could be. this letter will unfortunately never see anyone's eyes but mine. my mother always gave me an outlet to her endless screaming was to write a letter to whom hurt you, and then ruin it, because if you were to do that then they couldn't hurt you anymore.

i find that you constantly hurt me even though i let it happen. i hold onto scraps that you feed me. and i am tired. i just want this one to stick. they say the people you love, you shall never hurt them but you, leander, hurt everything you touch even if you pretend to love them. i only wish you the best, but i wish to follow my heart, which is with lord swann. please do not write to me anymore. please do not ruin this for me.

sincerely,

lizah.

@leanderlefford

[anastacia-templeton]

a letter handwritten with fine line work appears on wylliam swann's desk once public word has been made that he is the hand of jaehaerys targaryen.

my dearest wylliam,

i hope this letter finds you well. i write this letter to you in hopes to hear a response back as to how your travels are fairing, what beautiful sights you've seen. i am quite interested to know your position now as hand. i find my feelings as i write this as a form of longing, i quite miss you terribly. i know your duties as hand are of most importance, so when you find the time, i would love to hear your reply. augustus & agatha hope to see you soon, as you will find their fur, unfortunately, littered across this letter. i send all of my love, and wish you safe travels back to me.

sincerely yours,

anastacia elisabeth templeton

the letter is signed with a lipstick stain.

@malcontentswanns

[anastacia-templeton]

there before anastacia stood her queen in an impassive state, one lacking the normal emotives of a human being. all the woman could hear was the quiet crackle of flames from the fireplace located within her grace's chambers, and of course, anastacia's lips flapping with making no sense. embarrassing herself in front of the queen. the lady of ninestars could swear she could hear her own mother rolling over in her grave, wanting to use her bony hands to strike her once more as she had done as a child when she was acting ungracious towards her.

nodding only in agreement to ravella's statement, she believed it to be true. that her head was truly in the stars and that she had made an absolute fool of herself in front of her queen. eyes focusing onto the pages, anastacia's breath hitched in the chasm of her throat before she looked away in humiliation that ravella was paging through her book as if it was a gentle read. it scared her how emotionless her queen was in front of her; any smart woman would've immediately kicked her out of her chambers and given her a lecture, but here was ravella, willing to humiliate anastacia more.

shaking her head, "no, your grace. i do not wish an audience..." a lack of words was present within the lady of ninestars; here she was to be a lady paramount of stonehelm and she was making an absolute simpleton of herself. would wylliam still want to marry her for such mortifying actions? no, he wouldn't. the man hadn't spoken to her much since their engagement, this would only make it worse. wylliam would see her as a common whore, a woman who belonged in a brothel instead of at his side as his wife.

confusion wrote itself over anastacia's face as ravella mentioned percival and the lefford woman, the woman who she had heard very little from the lord lefford. turning to face her queen, she spoke. "percival was involved with the new princess?" she asked in a tone that was dumbfounded. anastacia couldn't see percival messing with any married woman, he had too much respect for himself. "your grace, what do you speak of?"

anastacia-templeton​:

fear struck through anastacia like a lightning bolt crashing into the darkened woods that felt like her queen’s chambers, a choke on her own spit threatening to show itself, unbecoming of a lady as herself. the sound of ravella’s dark skirts should’ve been an inkling as to keep the silence between her and the other woman who had hightailed it out of there. leaving her and her queen alone. anastacia couldn’t find any words; only her cheeks stark red as her waves atop her head as she kept her head down, almost afraid to catch her queen’s disapproving gaze.

“i..” for once, the ginger haired woman was at a loss for words; yes, she had spoken with queen ravella once or twice, but never to this intensity. never because she was sitting around like a child gossiping about the taboo relations in her dornish book. “i do apologize, my queen.” her voice mousy, embarrassed that the older, more beautiful woman had caught her with such filth. something about the woman’s hard gaze made her heart quicken, but she chalked it up to fear. a silent curse to the maiden who had begged her to bring the book out. “i only wish to find ways of pleasing my lord paramount…” a soft squeak. embarassing. almost degrading for the lady in waiting as she squirmed in discomfort in front of her queen.

clearing her throat, anastacia’s eyes wavered to look up at ravella; intimidated, yes, but.. no. quickly excusing the thought from her head, anastacia arose from her seat and placed her hands behind her back in respect to the powerful woman before her, stifling a nervous swallow. if someone was to stare intensely, they would see her trembling. who was she to lie to her queen?

“i do enjoy the book, my queen.” shut up. “i do quite apologize for my whispers being so loud as to disturb you.” anastacia was grateful that ravella had not taken notice to her swift hands of hiding the said note in reply to a certain lord lefford, hidden within the book, now hidden within her corset.

“do you wish i excuse myself from your chambers, my queen? i will make haste, i know you must have business to attend to rather than discuss a dornish book with the likes of me.” why was she still talking about a book full of ways to pleasure both men and women with the fucking queen of the vale? anastacia could only find herself digging a hole deep into the ground, wishing to bury herself into it and hide away from the constant embarrassment that nagged in her soul.

♟

did the queen of the vale genuinely care whether the sister of percival templeton looked over the likes of casual dornish filth with her close companions and whoever else she no doubt spread her legs for? there was not in an inch that cared in essence for the morality of the girl, or for her reputation, but rather the sound of giggles which had crept through the veiled curtain had been enough to unsettle her sense of cold steadiness. there came no response from ravella at the words of anastacia templeton, though she found herself inwardly amused once again that the woman had openly admitted to liking such a book. 

“you templetons seem to have your head in the stars.” she spoke, a cruel tone in her voice as she looked upon the girl. “all nine of them.”

cheeks brightly red, clear sense of nervousness and unease within porcelain features: she looked as though one push over and she would shatter into a million pieces. she was like a little mouse that had stumbled into the entirety wrong place, and all knew what became of mice that had scattered into where they should not be. as people knew what happened to young girls who found themselves amongst those they should not. there was still no reply from the queen, the sound of the fire crackling in the hearth. 

silence in the queen’s apartments, as she liked it; and the silence continued, she could almost make out the beating of lady templeton’s heart. ravella did nothing but open the book again, her face remaining utterly expressionless as she read over the likes of things percival templeton would be astounded to see his sister reading. she paused at the page which included instructions on using rope to bring forth a sense of helplessness: it was enough to nearly make her crack an inhumane smile. 

she ripped the page out wordlessly, before placing it before the eyes of the lady of ninestars.

“read it. out loud.” her instructions were clear. her arms moved to fold over the tie of her black velvet gown, and heard the distant sound of bells tolling. another legion of the knights of the vale pushing down the giants lance, passed the gates of the moon, to defend the realm from mountain clans. and here was the lord commander’s sister, sitting with wetness between her thighs giggling over disgust. “allow me to grant you an audience. you like that, do you not?” she turned as though to call in the guards that stood beyond the confines of the doors, guards that worked directly under percival. guards that would be forced to hear lord percival’s sister recite words that were utter filth. how would they ever look at him with respect?

“unless, you can tell me of what involvement the newly married targaryen princess has with your house.” 

[anastacia-templeton]

Carrie (1976) dir. Brian De Palma

[anastacia-templeton]

fear struck through anastacia like a lightning bolt crashing into the darkened woods that felt like her queen's chambers, a choke on her own spit threatening to show itself, unbecoming of a lady as herself. the sound of ravella's dark skirts should've been an inkling as to keep the silence between her and the other woman who had hightailed it out of there. leaving her and her queen alone. anastacia couldn't find any words; only her cheeks stark red as her waves atop her head as she kept her head down, almost afraid to catch her queen's disapproving gaze.

"i.." for once, the ginger haired woman was at a loss for words; yes, she had spoken with queen ravella once or twice, but never to this intensity. never because she was sitting around like a child gossiping about the taboo relations in her dornish book. "i do apologize, my queen." her voice mousy, embarrassed that the older, more beautiful woman had caught her with such filth. something about the woman's hard gaze made her heart quicken, but she chalked it up to fear. a silent curse to the maiden who had begged her to bring the book out. "i only wish to find ways of pleasing my lord paramount…" a soft squeak. embarassing. almost degrading for the lady in waiting as she squirmed in discomfort in front of her queen.

clearing her throat, anastacia's eyes wavered to look up at ravella; intimidated, yes, but.. no. quickly excusing the thought from her head, anastacia arose from her seat and placed her hands behind her back in respect to the powerful woman before her, stifling a nervous swallow. if someone was to stare intensely, they would see her trembling. who was she to lie to her queen?

"i do enjoy the book, my queen." shut up. "i do quite apologize for my whispers being so loud as to disturb you." anastacia was grateful that ravella had not taken notice to her swift hands of hiding the said note in reply to a certain lord lefford, hidden within the book, now hidden within her corset.

"do you wish i excuse myself from your chambers, my queen? i will make haste, i know you must have business to attend to rather than discuss a dornish book with the likes of me." why was she still talking about a book full of ways to pleasure both men and women with the fucking queen of the vale? anastacia could only find herself digging a hole deep into the ground, wishing to bury herself into it and hide away from the constant embarrassment that nagged in her soul.

who: @anastacia-templeton where: following the letter received by the king consort graham royce from prince jaehaerys targaryen, regarding the conduct of percival templeton and the lady lenora lefford.

so the new princess to be joining house targaryen was a whore who met with her lord commander within an inn of all places, speaking openly to those lower in status than her as though she had not just taken jaehaerys targaryen as a husband. the discussion with the king consort had been one in which ravella had admittedly found some amusement, wondering just what was going on within their minds to sit in the corner of an inn and pretend as though they were old companions having a good catch up within an inn of all places.

nonetheless, her husband was not as amused as she was; to say he was not impressed was an understatement. she left it to him to discuss matters with the lord commander as was appropriate between men, and it would be up to her to work out whether this would come up again. like an irritant to the skin, or a wound to the side of one's chest.

that was the issue with the westerlands, the issue with having such seemingly endless amounts of money; true regality came not from the amount of gold worn around one's neck, but from their backbone. from the way one carried themselves. but such were people that bought and conned their way into positions of power: eventually the gold will run out, and what came next? she was within the private quarters of her chambers, on the other side of a private veil that divided her lounge area from her bedchambers. and she could hear some giggling from the other side of the curtain.

adorned in a black velvet robe with her dark, thick raven hair pinned up, ravella looked up from the letter she was drafting to the river king regarding lady waynwood's claim to harrenhal. something she too wished to get her hands on, cementing closer ties with the kingdom of rivers. she heard the giggles become quieter now, and in the blink of an eye the queen of the vale seemed to cross the length of the room, pushing aside the veiled curtain and looking upon the flame red hair of lady templeton, with another lady. looking over a book of some sort.

ravella stood before the two of them, her hand itching with the wish to strike them for behaving so childishly; instead, she extended her hand, silently demanding for it to given to her. "allow me to address lady templeton." ravella spoke, not looking at the other woman; and yet she saw her face drop slightly, drop into a small curtsy, and heard the sounds of her skirts swishing over the marble floor.

"are you conducting yourself as the future lady paramount of the stormlands or an idiot child?"

she opened the book, despite seeming as though she was not going to do such a thing. the book went from resting against the skirts of her black velvet gown to suddenly facing up. as she had assumed, it was filth; usual courtly writings by women and men alike on the arts of pleasure. it amused her to watch the woman squirm in pure discomfort and embarrassment, small cheeks becoming as red as the flame in her hair. "is this what you enjoy, my lady?"

[anastacia-templeton]

unknown to anastacia, her constant prattling was most likely falling on deaf ears, as did most of her continous chatter. the lady of ninestars could feel an incoming wall; some tension, some other feeling she could not particularly place, though, she managed to keep her composure as she listened to the ebony-haired man next to her. that's what intrigued anastacia about men, how she could keep talking and figure out whether or not they'd be able to put up with it; whether they'd have the balls to tell her to cease her prattling or whether they'd grin and bare it.

domeric seemed to be interested in what else she had to say which made her make a mental note that she could talk within reason. the monotonous tone he carried seemed to never waver, giving her another clue that he was either a man of not many words, or he found her boring. who would find a lady like her dull? she was, in her mind, the best, so lord stone should feel honored to be in her presence. the ginger haired maiden kept her soft smile across her face as he asked what could possibly be going through her head; many things, of course. all of the chatter she had heard, how much percival despised domeric. blues hues fluttered to look at domeric's face, study it, take in his features underneath the lantern light. how forbidden this interaction was. anastacia averted her gaze quickly as she continued to speak, her voice still one of silver and honey.

"many things are in my head, not just air." a pause. of course she wanted domeric to think she was as helpless as she looked, she was the only one who knew what kind of person she truly was. no amount of paramours, relationships, or men would ever find out the egnima that was anastacia. she found herself proud that she could keep herself so well hidden from society, though, maybe it was time to let a little trouble flow through her veins. "is there something in specifics you'd like to know from me, my lord? how might i be of assistance to our master of coin?"

here became the dance, the push and pull she intended to play with domeric. would this cause disturbance with percival? sure it would, but who was she if she wasn't the troublesome sister?

anastacia-templeton​:

the hesitation from the dark haired man almost made anastacia want to speak to fill the void of words, but thankfully his stormy eyes decided to take her figure in; desolate, dark, like a night with no stars. something about the way he was a man of few words only tempted anastacia more, making the ginger lady cross her feet just at the base of the desk that she resided upon. if percival could only see how promiscuous she was without being married to domeric, she figured her brother would fall over and have a heart attack.

anastacia had not taken a lover since her last relationship went sour, maybe lord stone would be different in his paramour. playful flirtation wasn’t off of the table, it was all innocent banter, wasn’t it? gracefully, she landed on her feet after getting off of the desk to take her stroll with lord stone throughout the gardens, maybe this whole ruse was in vain but for now, anastacia would lavish in the man’s attentions, however brief they might be.

“if i may speak freely, my lord.” anastacia began as they walked side-by-side towards the gardens, the darkness beckoning the lady to come entrance herself within the lanters, the roses, the beauty of night. “i do wish to know what goes through your mind in these late hours. i know for my own, i wonder what sort of things lurk in the dark, what creatures prowl through the abyss outside. i am not afraid,” she said matter-of-factly to make a point that the presence of full isolation did not frighten her, “but i just cannot help but wonder what many things are up to in the bumps of the night. what about you?” anastacia knew, deep down, way down, that this whole interaction was possibly forbidden in her brother’s eyes, but that would be a problem to deal with for later. for now, though, she would embrace the presence of the brooding, mysterious figure beside her.

.

Domeric didn’t have to say anything because he knew she would speak regardless of whether or not he wanted to hear the words coming from her. “No. You don’t wish to know what is in my mind.” And he was sure if she knew what ran through the mind of the Master of Coin then she would tuck tail, turn, and runaway from this room and never return. While she didn’t inspire such thoughts thrown in her direction he wondered if she were here to upset her brother or if she desired to play games. 

Domeric pushed in his chair as he rose from the desk, dusting off the front of his sleeve doublet and walked from around the desk and before to exit the room, he leaded in the doorway waiting for her to follow him and once they were moving he let the door close behind them. If she spoke to much and too loudly she would surely suffer the quiet wrath of the queen and Domeric wanted to have his one fun, he could watch such acts at a later time.

She was not ugly and that worked for Domeric. He was the creature who prowled the night, the being in the shadows you felt but never saw. Domeric didn’t need to say these things. It was embarrassing to announce what made up a man’s soul work or how a man without existed in a world of warmth when everything around him was always so cold. Not that it bothered him. His blood was off the Vale but the North made him accustomed to cold air, cold people, and colder days. The nights were long and dark in the North, window so cold you could see her as she blew in thew night and when he stood on the battlements of Winterfell to see the great heights of the North the cool air felt like a hug.

“No. I don’t wonder about what bumps in the night nothing or no one would be fool enough to take me unawares.” He spoke with the same casual, monotonous tone as they walked, his arms folded behind his back, the halls were mostly empty with all but the queens household guard away fighting leaving Domeric here to deal with these moments. People who just wanted to chat. Though the whiff of her…desperation? Was it desperation? Did he make herself freely available to men who offered her just enough attention to feel special?

She would never be as pretty as the Queen, no one would be. There wasn’t a warmth to Lady Templeton and that was curious, something about her act seemed to be put together and held in place using twine and threading around the edges. What secrets did this woman have and how useful or detrimental would they be to the realm?

“And what else is in your little head?”

If there was anything else at all swimming in there then he wished to have knowledge of it. There were so many who hated him, this powerful bastard and if he could have things his way then he would gather everything. Do what it took to make sure none were bold enough to challenge him or his in their future in this realm. 

[anastacia-templeton]

There is only one reason for a hasty betrothal - the Lady of the Ninestars is with child. The logical solution is to peddle her to an ignorant man. Good thing her brother found one.

-From the latest issue of the society page | @malcontentswanns | @anastacia-templeton | @percival-templeton | @celtigxr |

[anastacia-templeton]

@malcontentswanns

[anastacia-templeton]

Phoebe Dynevor

[anastacia-templeton]

the hesitation from the dark haired man almost made anastacia want to speak to fill the void of words, but thankfully his stormy eyes decided to take her figure in; desolate, dark, like a night with no stars. something about the way he was a man of few words only tempted anastacia more, making the ginger lady cross her feet just at the base of the desk that she resided upon. if percival could only see how promiscuous she was without being married to domeric, she figured her brother would fall over and have a heart attack.

anastacia had not taken a lover since her last relationship went sour, maybe lord stone would be different in his paramour. playful flirtation wasn't off of the table, it was all innocent banter, wasn't it? gracefully, she landed on her feet after getting off of the desk to take her stroll with lord stone throughout the gardens, maybe this whole ruse was in vain but for now, anastacia would lavish in the man's attentions, however brief they might be.

"if i may speak freely, my lord." anastacia began as they walked side-by-side towards the gardens, the darkness beckoning the lady to come entrance herself within the lanters, the roses, the beauty of night. "i do wish to know what goes through your mind in these late hours. i know for my own, i wonder what sort of things lurk in the dark, what creatures prowl through the abyss outside. i am not afraid," she said matter-of-factly to make a point that the presence of full isolation did not frighten her, "but i just cannot help but wonder what many things are up to in the bumps of the night. what about you?" anastacia knew, deep down, way down, that this whole interaction was possibly forbidden in her brother's eyes, but that would be a problem to deal with for later. for now, though, she would embrace the presence of the brooding, mysterious figure beside her.

anastacia-templeton​:

curiosity peaked as the ginger maiden listened to domeric’s accent roll off of his tongue with ease; she had learned about many different regions of westeros but never heard the bolton language spoken so easily. now that the gentleman was finally catching her gaze, ana couldn’t help herself as a simpering, coy smile graced her lips, leaning slightly off of the desk. “i do desire your eyes to be meeting mine, swim in the rivers of mine own eyes, it’s only formal, lord stone.”

anastacia’s egotistical personality would allow for nothing less, but at least domeric was complying to her request. something so strange. she understood that her brother despised him, especially for being a bastard and while ana felt some sort of way towards that notion, she found that the riveting feeling of being troublesome overshadowed it. sure, speaking to the bastard was against every vein in her body screaming to leave; he was half of the man she expected. domeric had money, lots of it in fact, but it didn’t excuse the fact he had been publicly shamed for being a bastard. the maiden decided to push the idea away for now, domeric was being very kind and she wasn’t one to loudly express her displeasure with his status.

what interested anastacia even more was what was in that paper that now was illegible, causing her to pout and cross her arms with a loud huff. “it might’ve been above my station but it would’ve been nice to share, i too, have interests in our trades.” that was a flat out lie, she just wanted to know what was going on. “nevermind,” anastacia uncrossed her arms and instead placed them in her lap, “there must be something more interesting to do than sit in this stuffy room and write letters to no one, is there not, lord stone? i know that it is your job to uphold the position of the hand, but, having a conversation with me is better, yes?”

raising an eyebrow towards the enigmatic gentleman in front of her, she continued talking, her voice turning into one of honey, “tell me, ser, what takes your interest? what would you rather be doing than sitting here for our beloved queen?”

.

Did she want to fuck him or spy on him? Domeric could never tell what women wanted. They either afraid of him, friendly to him, or they wanted him and he found it rather amusing to consider. His brow furrowed at her words. She didn’t read. Of course not. Most women were allergic to books without some passage about love. If her eyes were rivers then he would drove himself. A part of him felt curious. He supposed he could fill this women, seed her, and present her to her brother. No. He had a wife, he it wouldn’t make sense to seed this one. Unless…no. Though, he’d been able to lie with a woman without putting a baby in her belly why would this one be any different? But would she talk? Perhaps he could put in her mouth and she could speak in vowels.

Domeric almost wished to unleash her on the Queen and let her suffer the vapid prattling of a woman who one knew how to be pretty. However, he was bored and it was important for one to hone their skills. Domeric needed to wear that mask of human when interacting with the more sensitive members of society. He looked toward the door and when he didn’t hear the sound of stirring he looked back at the woman before him.

What was the game? Oh yes. Domeric let his eyes trail over her, taking in none of her features before glancing back at her. “I’m sure there are many things to keep a man’s mind distracted at play.” He never found working dull. His boredom came from other means. A lack of an outlet in other ways. A restless feeling that made him want to play with people. It made him want to toy with them. And he didn’t know how long he would have the energy for it. But, her brother was a cunt who hated him for being a bastard. Uncreative and touchy.

Domeric would touch Percival’s sister.

“Fine, lady Templeton, I will take you on a walk through the gardens.” He stood up. “Come.”

[anastacia-templeton]

anastacia found the conversation between herself and lord swann endearing; certainly not what she was expecting from him, but it would continue to grow her interest in the gentleman next to her. she had a good ear for listening and that's just what she did while he mused over his interests. nodding her head gracefully to show she was listening to their banter, anastacia was quite enthralled with the fact that the lord enjoyed to be outside; while she could do without being outside, maybe she could grow to enjoy the outdoors. she was quite skilled with horseback and it only sparked a question if he would ever want to go riding with her through the countryside.

he seemed like a simple man of simple interests; it worked out in her favor, it meant that she could get to know his hobbies and incorporate them into her own. anastacia wore herself with pride, she would be a trophy wife to anyone who would have her, and she made it a point to accomplish it.

"you enjoy the countryside, have you ever tried horseback? i will be honest, my lord, i do not partake in walks in the woods, but maybe if i had you by my side, i could manage." she assured him with a soft smile, now watching his face. anastacia knew she was laying the heat on thick, but it was only endearing to see the lord struggle to find his words. "i do find rocks.. pretty. geodes are my favorite, actually. i have a collection of amethyst at home that i keep underneath my window so i can watch them shine in the morning." although wylliam did not respond to her question if she found him captivating, the lady tried to not let it show that it annoyed her; who wouldn't want to be in her presence?

"when i am not attending parties i quite enjoy playing the pianoforte, i enjoy reading in my home's library," anastacia had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she continued, "i enjoy baking, candle making, riding by horseback and flower arranging." it all made her seem like a proper lady which she had no shame in, "i also have dabbled into learning different linguistics across westeros. there's not much to do when you're a lady, all of the fun stuff is left to the men."

standing a little closer to the lord, anastacia said confidently as she watched the lords and ladies dance across the floor, "maybe sometime soon, you may come adorn my crystals i keep at home."

anastacia-templeton​:

anastacia had always been so fascinated with the logistics of weddings, how cultures came together for one night and forevermore through the children spawned from the marriage. she could only hope that her own would be as beautiful and grand – no, she would make sure it would be.

well, lord swann certainly was dreamy with his looks. sapphire orbs watched the man brush back a strand of hair that had fallen askew against his forehead and she resisted going to fix it for him, having neutral feelings towards the man in front of her. anastacia took a mental note that he was the lord paramount to the stormlands, that he was the master of laws to the beautiful caerella targaryen, but his last words took her sort of by surprise. i’m finding the wedding, a wedding. did the lord not enjoy how romantic weddings could be, all of the eyes among them to watch a romance come together? 

the lady of ninestars still had her smile on her face, although starting to fall as her hand continued to be extended towards him, did he have no manners when it came to greeting a lady of her status? many questions flew through her brain as anastacia almost retracted her hand before wylliam placed a goblet of wine in her unsuspecting grasp. now, her face was in more of confusion than ever.

with an awkward chuckle coming from her lips, anastacia raised her goblet to the lord in toast, to what she had no idea but if it made him feel comfortable than so be it. “yes, my lord, i will be most excited when the time comes.” taking a sip of wine, she pondered on what she could’ve been doing wrong to have the lord so off-put by her. was it her forwardness? was she ugly? clearing her throat, anastacia came to stand by wylliam, eyes now watching the floor instead of directed towards wylliam.

“tell me about yourself, my lord. what are your interests? what captivates you?” anastacia glanced only briefly at wylliam; she had never had such trouble conversating with any man before and she would damned if it started with the handsome lord. “i do hope i am good company, my lord. captivating, even.” percival had once noted to anastacia that she was full of herself, but all anastacia saw in the mirror was perfection. how could lord swann not see the greatness standing beside him?

➳

he wished he did not see the smile begin to slip off her face; the look of hesitancy and confusion within her orbs that made him wonder where he had made another social blunder. from time to time he was able to realise just when something in the conversation had gone somewhat awry, though these times were quite rare and far in-between; people had that thing they did with their faces. their expression faltered just slightly, and over the years he had come to realise it was definitely a bad sign. 

he saw sparkling orbs slip ever so slightly, and he felt a buzz within him: not one that was excited, but the buzz that came with nervousness. 

“that’s good, right?” he asked. as she continued to speak on her own wedding. was that why she was speaking to him? she was on the list. had elenda said something to her? he was not entirely sure why he was nervous; it was rare for women to come up to him and present themselves in such a forward way. he found himself wondering what the purpose was behind this conversation: he who hardly spoke to others outside of work, especially those who were not his close inner circle: consider the stormlanders, who seemed to be knitted together in a court where they would always be viewed as less. 

“better you are excited at your own wedding, rather than being...dragged to the sept.” what was he even on about this point? he did not know whether this conversation was going as awfully as he seemed to paint it in hues in his mind; he knew not why she was even here. “happens sometimes. very awkward.” shut up wylliam. wylliam, shut up.

the woman’s orbs were now looking at the ground rather than him, only glancing up briefly: it was different to the forward words that came from her lips, and he knew not how to read the situation. had he made her uncomfortable? he had never sought to make her uncomfortable; or make her feel as though he found her uninteresting, even if he did. there was no need to appear rude or dismissive, especially as she was just doing what ladies were taught to do: ellie was the same, networking at social functions as much as she wished to have her head buried in a book. 

tell me about yourself. the question made him want to die. what was there to even tell? at one point he felt as though he had forgotten everything about himself. “i am an avid enthusiast about nature. stonehelm is in an area of profound beauty...not as inaccessible as the vale, though. able to walk without fearing a shadowcat. or falling off a mountain.” there was a moment where he said the words, and thought they would be enough. he realised he needed to continue to expand; she looked as though she wanted more details. 

“preservation... currently of the game within the kingswood to ensure increased amount of hunting does not impact the livelihood of those peasants who require the game to actually sustain livelihood.” and he had rambled. there was no need to go into so much detail there. “i also enjoy collecting rocks.” no detail there. he did not want to ramble again. captivating? did she ask if he found her captivating? wylliam laughed. that was socially appropriate, was it not - especially considering she must have been joking. surely, she were joking. he did not answer her question, merely nodding slightly. “what are your interests, when you are not...here?” 

[anastacia-templeton]

@anastacia-templeton following the conversation between lord wylliam swann and lady anastacia templeton at the wedding of king cedic tyrell, further conversations between the two families took place. by the time the courts were leaving the reach, a formal decision on the dowry had been made. lord wylliam swann and lady anastacia templeton are now betrothed.

[anastacia-templeton]

anastacia had always been so fascinated with the logistics of weddings, how cultures came together for one night and forevermore through the children spawned from the marriage. she could only hope that her own would be as beautiful and grand -- no, she would make sure it would be.

well, lord swann certainly was dreamy with his looks. sapphire orbs watched the man brush back a strand of hair that had fallen askew against his forehead and she resisted going to fix it for him, having neutral feelings towards the man in front of her. anastacia took a mental note that he was the lord paramount to the stormlands, that he was the master of laws to the beautiful caerella targaryen, but his last words took her sort of by surprise. i'm finding the wedding, a wedding. did the lord not enjoy how romantic weddings could be, all of the eyes among them to watch a romance come together? the lady of ninestars still had her smile on her face, although starting to fall as her hand continued to be extended towards him, did he have no manners when it came to greeting a lady of her status? many questions flew through her brain as anastacia almost retracted her hand before wylliam placed a goblet of wine in her unsuspecting grasp. now, her face was in more of confusion than ever.

with an awkward chuckle coming from her lips, anastacia raised her goblet to the lord in toast, to what she had no idea but if it made him feel comfortable than so be it. "yes, my lord, i will be most excited when the time comes." taking a sip of wine, she pondered on what she could've been doing wrong to have the lord so off-put by her. was it her forwardness? was she ugly? clearing her throat, anastacia came to stand by wylliam, eyes now watching the floor instead of directed towards wylliam.

"tell me about yourself, my lord. what are your interests? what captivates you?" anastacia glanced only briefly at wylliam; she had never had such trouble conversating with any man before and she would damned if it started with the handsome lord. "i do hope i am good company, my lord. captivating, even." percival had once noted to anastacia that she was full of herself, but all anastacia saw in the mirror was perfection. how could lord swann not see the greatness standing beside him?

anastacia-templeton​:

for: @malcontentswanns location: in the reach during the wedding of highgarden

anastacia had quite enjoyed the festivities of the wedding, especially seeing all of the new faces of lords attending. if there was one thing anastacia was interested in, it was finding herself a new man to spill her attentions onto. her last relationship hadn’t gone the way she wanted, and it made her nauseated to even think of lord lefford.

the ginger maiden had been in talks with her older brother about the many lords in attendance, but one had caught her sapphire eyes. wylliam swann. not only was he somewhat handsome, he had the sort of land she wanted to inherit. there were a few other prospects, but the lady decided to try her hand at lord swann. excusing herself from her brother, anastacia made her way towards wylliam, a sweet smile across her features; mother always said you would catch more men with a honeyed appearance than sour, and she only hoped to impress him.

blue silks of her dress were fitted in all of the right places, not a hair out of uniform, and her gloved hands clasped behind her back; anastacia inhaled only just before ending up beside lord swann. “good evening, my lord.” she gave a respectful bow towards him as her eyes took over his frame; slim, his doe eyes were dark, but he was tall. anastacia had standards and she made a mental note to check off three of ten attributes for her ‘perfect’ match.

extending her hand towards wylliam, she continued to speak with her voice soft, “i am anastacia templeton making your acquaintance. do you enjoy the wedding so far, my lord? i, personally, would’ve had a different colour for my own wedding.”

➳

weddings were places were he often found himself feeling entirely bored: for he would never grace the dance floor with his elongated legs moving entirely offbeat, and curse the eyes of those watching. the noise was loud, and there were moments where he felt entirely fine and comfortable: and there were times he felt as though the walls would cave in if he did not get a moment of quiet. this was one of those moments where he felt as though he would die if he heard the flutes and violins continue; at this point he was sure all the songs sounded the same.

he had paid no attention to the presence of women that were also in the room until elenda had quietly come to his side, knowing not to ask for a dance: rather to note the presence of one of the women she had put upon her list. her list, the current figment of his nightmares: he noted the way a certain name had been bolded. it were not possible; maximus celtigar had made it more than obvious, and he would not meddle in the family dynamic of the celtigars. he were not rowan arryn to force her to pick between her family and himself.

why was he thinking these things? he had not even opened his mouth and told her the extent of his feelings yet. it did not mattered.

and suddenly, as though some otherworldly force read his thoughts, there was a gracious, admittedly pretty woman that stood before him: he was sure it was one of the ones on the list. her face was round, and she had cheeks that perked upward when she smiled with eyes that sparkled. she had been pointed out earlier, and now he only stood, cursing himself for not remembering her name. he only hoped she was confident enough to introduce herself by name, rather than expecting him to already know. what was her name again? what family did she come from? was it suddenly hot in here? was she looking him up and down? 

“my lady.” he greeted, bowing his head slightly; a strand of dark hair moved slightly over his forehead, though it moved back in place as he rose his head to look upon her. they would need to talk about something. anything. for a moment he wondered whether she liked rocks, and he almost wanted to hit himself with one in that moment - of course she would not. anatascia templeton: sister to the knight of ninestars. the vale. she looked more like a tully. “lord wylliam of house swann. master of laws to queen caerella targaryen, lord paramount of the stormlands..and i’m finding the wedding...a wedding.” 

his voice trailed off. he wondered why he was saying all this. he also wondered why she had extended her hand toward him. he heard her say something about a wedding, and what she would want for her own. why was she extending her hand? was he supposed to kiss it? did she want him to kiss her hand? a servant was passing with goblets of wine, and he took it seamlessly, slipping one into her extended hand smoothly. he raised his own. “you’d do well to remind your husband of that when the time comes then.”