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           | The Faceless Wolf |                   | The Beauty |                | The Onion Knight |                                   | Giantsbane |              | The Beggar King |                 | Kissed By Fire | all loved by Amy

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khalasarkhaleesi:

Daenerys silently respected him for his confession regarding his previous history as an honest man. She had dealt with many people across many different lands and different places from different walks of life and one of the things she had learned was that it took a lot of inner strength for people to acknowledge their own individual flaws and mistakes. There were too many people across the seven kingdoms that couldn’t do that. 

“When you both arrived at Dragonstone, I had an expectation that you were here to bend the knee. I was sadly disappointed.” There was a sharpness, a harshness that crept into Dany’s words and she paused for a moment to collect herself. In some situations, strength and assertion was required to the point of being potentially aggressive but in other situations, there was the requirement for a gentler hand. 

“When Jon Snow denied me I was angry, at first, but as I thought more about it I realised that there was something I was missing. Ser Davos, before I can proceed any further I need to know what happened in the North. I need you to tell me what happened to Jon.” Dany asked, a gentle insistence in her voice. If she was going to take back her throne, if she was going to continue her fight to take back that which was her birth rite, she needed to know everything she could about what was happening in Westeros and what had happened before. She may be a foreigner to the land at times but she knew enough to know that whoever held the North would hold the throne. She needed to know what was happening in the North and what had been happening so she could better appeal to their sensibilities. 

He supposed he should have expected that was what she wanted to know, he’d made the error of slipping up and making a mess of the situation. He hadn’t known Jon would not want to speak of his resurrection until it was too late, and now he’d promised to tell the truth and she had him cornered. He was torn, he did not want to go against his King’s wishes, but he also did not want to break a promise to her to tell her the truth. So, he started in a safe area, part of Jon’s story that he knew he wouldn’t mind Davos telling.

“The northerners are a stubborn lot. They don’t like change, and Jon was the first in centuries to question why they thought the wildlings were beasts of men. He rose to Lord Commander, and brought the free folk through the wall. I met some of them, at the battle for Winterfell. They’re big brutes, but they’re no more monsters than you or I. For the first time since that wall went up, the men born on both sides are living in the closest thing to peace that can be expected. All of that is thanks to no one but Jon.” 

There was a pause for a moment, an instant of hesitation before he continued. “He’s a stubborn lad, and he has no desire to be where he is now. He never wanted to be king, but he’s too damn honourable to turn away duty whether he asked for it or not. He’s trying to make sure his people survive, that’s all he’s ever tried to do, and he’s paid the price for it on more than one occasion.” How he paid that price was not something Davos felt was his story to tell, if Jon did not want the tale told. It wouldn’t be fair to him to go telling all of his stories behind his back. 

[onceasmuggler-blog]

This is your friendly reminder that you are all Davos’ precious onion children and he loves you all.

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Chrys Watches Got [x]

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khalasarkhaleesi:

Dany waved her had through the air, effectively dismissing his words regarding his company. If there was one thing that Dany had learned over the years, it was that a person’s birth did not determine if they were good company or not. Most of the highborn lords and ladies wouldn’t understand hard graft or what it meant to work to achieve something. 

“I’ve spent quite a lot of time with the Dothraki Ser Davos, a lad from Flea Bottom is welcome company and practically the high of sophistication if the truth be known.” Dany replied, the same pleasant smile lingering on her lips. There was just something refreshingly honest about this sailor. Dany thought herself to be quite a good judge of character and her instincts told her that if she asked him a straight question, she would get a straight answer. 

“I want to ask you about Jon Snow.” Dany paused to allow the words to sink in before continuing. She was going to have to be delicate with this particular interrogation.

“I look at you Ser Davos and I see an honest man. If I ask you a question about Jon, will you answer me fully and truthfully?” Dany made sure to place particular emphasis on the word ‘fully’. She didn’t doubt he would be truthful, but she didn’t just want a watered down version of the truth, she wanted the entire story. 

Davos smiled gently at the comment about the Dothraki, it was good to know that the girl still had a sense of humour even after all she’d suffered. She seemed like the resilient sort, she had to be in order to still be standing here, but there was something else about her, a humility he’d rarely found in his interactions with highborn folk. If she could keep that part of herself alive, the onion knight believed it would serve her well if she ever did sit on that throne she so desired. 

He wasn’t surprised she wanted to ask him about Jon, he was the main reason the former smuggler had returned to Dragonstone after all, and of course the King in the North would be the main focus of the would be Queen. He’d tried his best to aid Jon up to this point, to show this dragon queen not that Jon was necessarily a good king, though he seemed good at ruling whether he liked it or not, but that he was a good man. To Davos that would always be more important, so naturally that was what he focused on. 

What he also valued however was honesty. He’d prided himself on being truthful even when it was difficult during his time as Stannis’ hand, and he certainly didn’t want to change that just because he was serving a different King. 

“I’ve not always been an honest man, your grace, but I’ll try my best to answer whatever is bothering you to the best of my ability. I’ve not got the wits for complicated lies, so you can trust what I say will be the truth.” Whether she would approve of the truths he had to tell her, or believe them, well, that was up to her. 

[onceasmuggler-blog]

PSA

Replies will likely be slow on all of my blogs for at least a little while. Wanted to give you all the heads up.

[onceasmuggler-blog]

❛ Are you in some kind of trouble? ❜

“Not sure trouble is the right word, milord. But something like that, aye.” Davos agreed, fingering the stumps on his bad hand. Stannis needed more men to bolster his cause, and with his plans becoming ever more dangerous Davos became more and more concerned, not only for his own safety, but for that of Shireen. She was a sweet girl, and didn’t deserve to be caught up in the madness of her father as he tried to fight his way to power. “I’m here on behalf of Stannis Baratheon, milord.”  

[onceasmuggler-blog]

Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.

It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.

It promises light

like the careful undressing of love.

Here. 

It will blind you with tears 

like a lover.

It will make your reflection

a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.

Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,

possessive and faithful

as we are,

for as long as we are.

Take it.

Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,

if you like.

Lethal.

Its scent will cling to your fingers,

cling to your knife.

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khalasarkhaleesi:

Daenerys had not expected her meeting with Jon Snow to go the way that it had. She had fully believed that his acceptance of her invitation was simply to bend the knee and pledge his allegiance to House Targaryen. She had been sadly disappointed. The desire had been strong within her to cast him from Dragonstone and promise that there would be retribution for his insolence. Dany was more than that though, she had to be greater than her worst desires. After all that her father had done wrong, after all the damage and shame that he had brought to their noble house, Dany had much to prove. Her dragons, her precious children, and her armies would go quite far to bring the Iron Throne to her but that was not how she wanted to win her throne back. She had to win the country and the way to do that was through the hearts and minds of it’s people. 

At first, Dany had been angered by his refusal to bend the knee, but, after the news from Varys, she had, had much more to worry about than the insolent ‘king’ in the north. Still, as she had contemplated their next moves, fragments of the conversation in the reception hall had come back to her. With a frown on her face, Dany had known that she must seek out Ser Davos. He had said much about Jon Snow and yet there had been something more beneath the surface and Dany had not dug any further. It was now bothering her, just that little something niggling at the back of her mind. 

She had left the castle, stepping out to embrace the cool breeze coming off the sea. This place had not been what she thought it would be, but the sea was something that she enjoyed. The view was so much different than when they had been in Pentos but, when she stood by the walls on the path leading down to the beach, Dany knew that she preferred it here. At least on this island, she was the Mistress of all that she surveyed. 

It had not taken her long to find Ser Davos, a man who she knew had been at Dragonstone when the pretender Stannis Baratheon had held her ancestral home. Thankfully, there was very little of his legacy here. She slowed her pace as she approached the self made man. Dany smiled pleasantly at him as she heard Viserion call out from far above her head. It was good to hear him, to hear all three of them calling out to one and other. She had been forced to separate them, chain them and even now she still felt a sharp stab in her heart as she thought about what had happened in Mereen. 

“Not today Ser Davos. I wanted to speak with you, without Jon Snow present, or anyone else for that matter.” 

“Me?” 

Davos inquired with a raise of his brows. He wasn’t the type most highborn folks sought out, in fact even with his granted lordship he wasn’t exactly approved of among most other lords and ladies. Despite all he’d done they still saw him as inferior to them, not that he paid it much mind any more. 

“I’m afraid I’m not much company for a highborn lady such as yourself. I’m just a lad from Flea Bottom who’s been lucky through his life, but I couldn’t tell you what the proper way to act would be in most circumstances, so I’m sorry if I offend you.” He added, deciding it was best to apologise now just in case rather than when he was staring down the jaws of one of her children.

There were only two reasons Davos could possibly think of that would explain why Daenerys had come to him rather than Jon. The first was perhaps the most obvious, that she didn’t trust the Northern lad and wanted to know what his people thought of him. Davos wasn’t sure he’d count himself as one of Jon’s people, but he was the closest thing they had here. The other would be substantially more complicated, and that was if she wanted to talk about his time here before, when he was with Stannis. The memories were bittersweet now, knowing what became of not only Stannis, but his sweet daughter Shireen. 

Shireen had taught him how to read in those very halls which were now filled with Unsullied and Dothraki. He’d loved the girl with all his heart, as if she were one of his own, and it was safe to say that her death struck him far harder than Stannis’ ever could. She’d not deserved such a grisly fate, and he’d never forgive Stannis or Melisandre for their parts in that particular crime

“If I can be of use, your grace, I’ll gladly answer anything you ask of me, where I can.” 

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bxstardcrowking:

Turning his head downwards at the sound of his companion’s voice, Jon offered Davos a polite smile before turning his head to the sea stretched out before them. “I don’t sleep much any more…” he replied, a melancholic hint to his tone, leaving the reason behind such reluctance to rest unstated for he knew the other man could hazard a solid guess. After returning back to the realm of the living from death, closing his eyes reminded him of the nothingness he had experienced, and he did not enjoy it. He preferred to take snatches of sleep in short intervals, ones he knew he would wake from, without the plague of what might have been haunting him. 

Heeding the other man’s advice, he stilled in his movements, though did not pass comment that he had spent quite some time walking The Wall, which was much less certain of footing during the nights, instead turning back to Davos. “It seems the nights are kind to neither of us, the air does little to help that. Still, it was worth trying…” 

Glancing back up at where he had been, Jon took in the formidable shadow of Dragonstone under the cover of night and sighed, wondering if perhaps he ought to have listened a little more closely to Sansa before leaving, though he knew, ultimately, anyone else’s presence would have been an insult to the formidable Queen. “What do you make of her, Ser Davos?” he asked, seeking counsel from the other man as to how he regarded Daenerys, the man able to judge character in a way he could not, and baring advice that was always welcomed. 

Davos frowned at Jon’s admission of his lack of sleep, immediately adding it to the seemingly never ending list of things to worry over when it came to the lad. It made sense, he supposed, if you’ve been through the sleep of the dead you’d undoubtedly be scared that if you slept you’d never wake up again. As much as he understood why Jon didn’t sleep, he certainly couldn’t condone it. Lack of sleep was known to drive a man mad after a while and the last thing any of them needed was another madman in their midst. 

“The air can only do so much, your grace. After a life out on the waves I can’t say the smell of salt does much to help me sleep anymore. Then again neither does the smell of the fields, so perhaps by my age sleep is meant to be fleeting.” He was about to ask the lad if he wanted an escort back inside the keep when the king spoke again, causing his brows to furrow. 

It hardly took a genius to work out who Jon was referring to, but why she was on his mind so late at night was the larger concern for Davos. There was every chance of course that he was simply worried about making an alliance, or getting off this island, but he was also a young lad. It might have been some years ago now, but Davos could remember being that age, and with a woman like that around military alliances probably would have been the furthest things from his mind. 

“The Queen? She’s a sharp mind, and determined, if a little on the stubborn side. She acts like she’s already a ruler, and with the army following her she already is. Not one I’d cross, but she seems like she cares about her people which is something.” 

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dracaesanguinem:

Despite the demeanor she forced on herself, the constant example of grace and discipline a queen ought to have, the Targaryen did not wish to make it seem as though she did not enjoy the counsel or company of her guests. Ser Davos had struck her as a loyal man — one who admired his king and stood firm at his side like a proper Hand should. He was no highborn, no famous knight; but his words spoke a great deal for what he held in his heart and Dany could see the honesty in it. It always showed a great deal more in him than it ever did for his king.

So when Davos approached her, it was with ease that she nodded her agreement; but alas the words that followed put a crease between her brows at the mention of the King in the North. “You come to try and convince me to join Jon Snow’s cause once more, Ser Davos?”, it’s with good humor that she mutters such words, taking slow steps to meet with the man eye to eye. The Targaryen had to remind herself he was only doing his biding. 

Her amethyst eyes soften then, and lips upturn as she begins her walk toward the terrace that overlooked the sea, nodding for the man to keep her company. “Or is this about some matter I am unaware of?” 

Davos chuckled, unsurprised that she’d seen through him almost instantaneously. She was a bright girl, and was far more used to the complicated dialogue of the gentry than Davos ever would be. 

“Can’t blame a man for trying. What kind of hand would I be if I didn’t try to convince you of Jon’s best traits, and gloss over his worst ones?” He asked, far more honest than perhaps he should be under the circumstances. There was no point in trying to lie to her now, he’d not come here to try and deceive or lie to her, that was bound to get him nowhere. 

He followed alongside the queen quickly, falling into step beside her with ease. The sea just beyond Dragonstone’s coasts was not one Davos was happy to see the sight of, knowing that his boys lay at the bottom of it thanks to her hand’s wildfire. He held no grudge against Tyrion for that of course, but it didn’t soften the blow that they were gone for good. 

“Tell me, your grace, what worries you about him? Maybe I can do something to help his reputation, even if the word of a man from Flea Bottom isn’t about to change your mind entirely on the lad.” 

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thedragoninthesnow:

“I was hoping to ask you. You have lived at Dragonstone, you know the land, and you know how to slip into holdings undetected. More than that, I trust you.” Davos was probably one of the only people he fully trusted anymore. One person whom he had not had star in his nightmares killing him.

Davos nodded solemnly as he heard what Jon had in mind. While he couldn’t exactly say no to the king’s proposition, he was slightly concerned about the idea, if he was honest. 

“I’ll help you get into the bays, but I can’t help if a guard spots us. I’ve never been much of a fighter, I don’t think I’d be much help against an Unsullied army or a dragon.” 

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killthebxy:

          the words of caution brought a faint smile to his lips, a grateful one. he could tell Davos cared for him, even though they weren’t related by family bonds in any way, and the older man was growing to be one of the few he knew he could trust for anything. to know he’d be along for the wild ride just started gave him a bit of solace — for, after all, Davos had been advising a king before. he certainly knew more of such tidings than Jon himself or even Sansa could hope to.

‘ of course — i ask of you to always do. speak truthfully to me, and i will always hear even if i may not agree. ‘

“Don’t let this all get to your head. The moment you start believing you’re owed a crown is the moment that it’ll be taken from your head, and if you’re particularly unlucky your head’ll be taken from your shoulders too. That’s what happened to Stannis, in the end. He went from a good man looking for justice, to a man who felt the world owed him something.” 

Davos explained carefully, holding his hands behind his back. It wasn’t pleasant to speak of Stannis in this way, he’d thought of the man so highly in the past, but it was necessary, in order to get his point across. 

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agirlofwinterfell:

She smiled, mayhaps for the first time in a while as the older man approaches her. It feels so nice to be home, the cold, the dreary weather.. she loves it. It’s home. She’s spotted the Onion Knight around, Jon having told her of him too. She had high respect for him, from what she knew, he was a good man. 

“Please, just call me Arya, Ser Davos.” Jon had spoken of her.. It was a warm thought, one she cherished. He hadn’t forgotten her, while he’d been gone. “Jon has told me much about you, I am glad you are here with us. Just as I am glad to be home. I missed the cold.” Of all things, even the cold. 

“Arya it is then.” He nodded simply, pleased that she seemed to be settling back into her home well. He couldn’t begin to imagine what the youngest Stark girl had been through, what she’d seen since she’d left Kings Landing, but he couldn’t imagine that the world had been kind to a little girl out all alone. It was impressive that she’d even managed to last so long to grow up at all, if he was honest. Clearly she was cut from a different cloth. 

He chuckled at the idea that Jon had been telling his sister about someone as insignificant as himself, it was nice that he’d put in a good word of course but he really hadn’t expected it. 

“Well I hope he kept some things to himself when it comes to me, at least. I’m not sure I’d say I’m glad to be here, given the circumstances, but I’m willing to do my bit as always to help.” He didn’t comment on the cold, or how it was affecting his aching bones. If it helped her settle back into a life that was a touch more like the one she’d had before this war, he’d gladly put up with the chill in the air. 

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nxtsoordinary:

She was in the middle of sharpening her sword when the man approached her. Brienne hadn’t been avoiding him; she’d thought they had made their peace with one another. She’d had to do exactly what she had done, and she didn’t regret getting revenge for Renly’s death. She fell still when Davos halted before her and tilted her head at his question. With a nod, she motioned toward the stool nearby. 

“Of course, please sit. What is it, Ser Davos?”

Davos took his seat when directed, fingers brushing over the shortened stumps on his other hand for a moment. It was harder than he thought it would be to ask the question, but he was here now and it was far too late to back out. 

“It’s about Stannis. Obviously he’s gone, and I’ve made my peace with that, so don’t think I’m here to argue or want revenge. But, if you don’t mind me asking, I wanted to know how he went, and... if he left any message when he died.” 

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{{ Please reblog this if you’re a mun who’s open for angst plotting. Death, pain, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, illness, misery, fighting, screaming, tears, hate, disgust, trauma, graphic gore, etc; I’m in need of threads. Thank you. }}