#and that she'd be so insignificant of a threat on her own

[countlessofvoids]

Talking about/analyzing the warlords is pretty much meaningless since they're kind of a nothing characters but I'll do it anyways:

Firstly, I feel like three of them is too much. With Grimmel, that makes four antagonists in one movie. Of course it's not impossible to write all four well - but with other things the film focuses on such as The Hidden World and the fury romance - even with enough screentime, one of them is bound to be underdeveloped.

I've seen people say there's no reason for them to exist at all. I disagree, I think removing them is arguably worse. They are Drago's allies, him being defeated puts a dent in their plans and makes Hiccup a threat in need of elimination. They have a reason to be there. Defeating Drago should have consequences; building all this up then having no sign of it in the next installment - while the villain is a hunter with zero connection to anything - doesn't make sense for the worldbuilding and would be a backwards progression.

Another thing is the personalities given to these characters. I do like how even though with their limited screentime and depth, we can see they all have their own, unique personality rather than everyone being the same angry brutes. But do said characteristics make sense for their role?

Chaghatai Khan is who I consider the best fit for his job. He's smartest of the three, calm and collected. Unlike Griselda, he doesn't let his frustrations with Grimmel get to him. He seems to know when someone's useful and when they need elimination. All the attributes you need for a succesfull leader are present.

Griselda is what you'd expect from this character archetype. Quick to anger, doesn't respect failure, harsh and a ruthless fighter. I don't think Griselda's dumb, but with how easily irritated she gets, she'd probably start few extra conflicts on her own if it wasn't for Chaghatai stopping her. I kinda wish there was more of her interactions with Grimmel, the tiny bit of their dynamic that we did get sparked some interest in me.

Ragnar makes the absolute least sense to me. He's shown to be cheerful, a bit of a coward and even childish. Not the personality I'd write for this character trope. You're telling me he raided villages, possibly enslaved both people and dragons, build an army and went on a succesfull conquest so barbaric it earned him rank of a warlord? An explanation for this could be him being in a nepo baby situation. But we can't really speculate on that, since there are no canon implications for it.

Now I don't wanna sound like a snob who thinks they know better than THW's writers, because I definetly don't. So feel free to ignore this part. Personaly to avoid having characters who are/should be important to the plot then end up with no development or arc whatsoever, I'd either:

A) Get rid of one or two warlords, making the cast less bloated - which means there are less characters to focus on, allowing more exploration for the remaining antagonists.

B) Have one of them takes on a role akin to Drago. Whoever that would be stays a warlord and becomes the driving force of conflict, meanwhile the other two are reduced to generals. Grimmel has a role similiar to Eret, as in he's under the warlord's command. This way it's clearer that he works for them and is not a warlord himself. You know, instead of like in the movie where he just walks in and bosses everyone around like he's been their leader all along. Seriously, why were the supposed brutal conquerers letting him treat them like insignificant soldiers while they're just standing around pouting?

C) Remove the trio entirely and leave only Grimmel. Either he's a warlord who disguised himself as a hunter, or he used to be a hunter who then became a warlord. Why am I insisting on not keeping him just as a hunter? Like I mentioned above; to me, going from armies and wars to simpler dragon hunters feels backwards.

So in conclusion: The Warlords should've been given a lot more importance to the plot because they have connections to the previous film's antagonist and I believe both them being empty characters and not existing at all is a waste. Think of the possibilities that could've been done with them, like making them pararells to Hiccup's friends/family.

(Feel free to correct me if I got any information wrong!)

[zany-brainy]

Random Thoughts: I don't think Beatrice would travel (or at least wouldn't go globetrotting) after Adriel's defeat and Ava's departure. There's a few reasons.

Beatrice might be feeling more free to embrace who she is and figure out more about herself outside of her upbringing and role within the OCS but I don't think she'd want to go very far.

Perhaps when Ava told her to live her life she meant for Beatrice to travel the world, to climb mountains, and see sights. Maybe she wanted Beatrice to take a boat down the Amazon, to surf off of Bondi Beach, to meet Mickey Mouse in Florida, and swim in the Blue Grotto.

For Beatrice though, living right now means preparing and learning more in anticipation of the oncoming threat. And learning as much as she can about Reya, her realm, and any others that might be like her or Adriel. Hardest of all is doing all that outside of the OCS but in ways it allows her to pursue these goals in ways that her sisters might not be able to. It also allows her to remain in contact with Jillian Salvius, who distances herself from the OCS for obvious reasons. She's great help in directing Beatrice towards information and the former nun hopes she can help keep the grieving mother grounded.

For Beatrice, living starts small. She doesn't leave the country, too worried of being very far from her sisters. She also wants to learn more about the place she's lived for so long while locked away behind the literal walls of the Cat's Cradle and her own figurative walls. She wants to connect to people the way Mary made look so easy.

Research and training still take up so much time. Especially when Jillian comes calling with a new invention or breakthrough she'd like Beatrice to consult on. But Beatrice finds time to connect. She teaches. Short lessons in self defense in the evening hours at a local dance studio. But it's between these responsibilities that Beatrice partakes and lives.

Little victories, as Ava liked to call them. Little rebellions as Beatrice still thinks of them. Her parents never allowed her many sweets when she was younger. Now Beatrice finds herself indulging in Bubblegum flavored, double scoop, sprinkle covered ice cream here and there. And yes, it mostly just enforces that Mint Chocolate Chip is her favorite but in her mind she can see the snarls her mother would shoot her if she bore witness to some of the overindulgent treats Beatrice had been sampling.

Impulse purchases weren't a consideration for Beatrice but after a particularly trying day at Jillian's lab, she finds herself buying a guitar. It only has a little bit to do with Ava once saying she'd look badass with one and a lot to do with her former classmates' insistence on the pointlessness of the musical arts. Beatrice is awful at playing guitar. Her fingers can't quite find the music and sooner than she'd like she finds herself hiding it in a corner of her apartment.

Silly nicknacks like refrigerator magnets, little figurine statues, and the like were mostly just clutter but Beatrice finds herself picking them up here and there. She holds onto cups and receipts from new restaurants and ships she visits. Mementos of where she's been. It's no great adventure around the world but each little new something Beatrice holds onto makes her feel like she's living a little bit more every day.

She moves cities every few weeks. New places and people, new opportunities, hopefully new leads. New receipts, a new magnet or shot glass. Beatrice still didn't drink but the glasses were small and inoffensive enough not to cause clutter.

She still mourns and still worries and prepares but in between these big responsibilities, the duties she retains in different ways than before. It's silly and insignificant but she lives in these little moments, growing and changing in little ways. Beatrice finds herself waking up later than she ever had in the past, 6:00AM. She doesn't immediately clean every dish the second it reaches the sink.

It's small and ridiculous but these changes were unthinkable to her before. It's not living big or loud or adventuring but for as small as each change is, it's something Beatrice never saw coming. Hell, she gets an Instagram just to take pictures of food and animals she comes across as back up for whenever she has to ditch her current burner phones. They're all little victories day in and day out as she works and trains and learns.

And one day, after what seems like far too long, Beatrice gets to share it all with Ava, whose eyes light up at all the funky shotglasses that line their cabinet. Ava, who insists on what restaurants and cafes Beatrice has to take her back to. Ava, who instantly takes over what she now deems as their Instagram account and shares all their victories going forward, little and big.

[vidawhump]

Day 3: "______ deserved it"

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

Brilla cautiously watched, afraid to step in and defend her shipmate, afraid to follow the captain's commands to escort her off the ship, afraid to say anything out of line, fearful of everything. She had never been one to be scared. Brilla was the bravest of those aboard the ship. Sure, sometimes recklessness might be a more fitting term, but she was brave nonetheless.

But the captain's icy stare broke all bravery she might have had.

"Brilla. You know Jocelyn deserved it. We don't mess with magic, let alone magical creatures. Magic is a threat to the ship and everyone aboard, Brilla. I want to keep everyone safe. I know you liked her as a shipmate, but messing with magic will not be tolerated."

Brilla trembled. She escorted her closest friend off the ship, for the exact crime Brilla herself had perpetrated.

Josie only asked a mermaid where all the fish she wanted to photograph had scattered, and she learned that tourist motorboats scared them away. She assumed that she would return to the reef later when the fish settled down again. Brilla had lost track of how many times she'd met up with Nilalang, swam alongside the sirens and mers, played with the selkies, and Josie was punished. Was it right for Josie to take the fall for such a simple mistake?

But it didn't matter. Whether it was right or wrong fell out of play, because Brilla feared what would happen if she spoke up. About her own interactions with the magical creatures, about the insignificance of Josie's minor slip-up, about what would happen if things were to change. If she were to defy.

So she silently led Josie off the ship. She was the only one who knew the truth but was complacent in her best friend's demise. What a tragic way to end their time together.

—

@loonybun @inkwell-and-dagger Tagging y’alls writing blogs since you seemed to like the first bit :3

[spell-cleaver]

Gravediggers

Chapter 14: We do not tolerate threats to our friends.

Luke and Aphra must face Vader.

"I don't want you."

"You do not understand—"

"I understand you're a part of the Empire. I understand that you led the forces to wipe out Geonosis."

"You are still under the influence of the Geonosian mind control, I see. I had not realised the effects lasted so long after the death of the worm. You will recover soon."

Luke ignored him. "I understand that the Empire is building a Death Star—"

"Luke!" Vader sounded furious, which made the hairs on the back of Aphra's neck raise. She tried not to think about the last time she'd heard him that angry. She sucked in a breath through her nose, just to remind herself she still could. "I intend to destroy it. I have informed you of this. Insolent child, if you would only listen—"

"I listened to what you said," Luke bit back. "But I formed my own conclusions. You only want to destroy the Death Star because it's insignificant next to the power of the Force. Were those your words? It gives power to your political enemies instead of to you. It disgusts you and it risks replacing you. You want to be the only toy of mass destruction at the Emperor's disposal."

"Yet we share our objection to it." Vader stepped forwards, reaching out a hand. "Come with me. We can destroy it together. You yearn to know more about the Force—I can teach you everything."

Aphra saw Luke hesitate.

Read the rest on AO3 or on FFN!

[anxiousnerdwritings]

Poor yan!sibling Arya, shes lost so much and now she found an older sibling whos looking after her. I think she'd be clingy and overprotective

At first, Arya would try her hardest to come off like she doesn’t need anyone, like the lone wolf she is, but deep down she really needs someone she can lean on. She misses her family so much, even Sansa. So to have someone so willing to take her under their wing and be what she needs most would be so detrimental to her. As much as she tries to feign staying strong and choosing to be on her own, Arya wants someone who she can run into their arms and just cry, to release all the stress and emotions she’s pent up since the very beginning. Someone who will just let her, encourage her even to unleash whatever it is she has going on in her head/heart and stay by her side throughout these moments especially.

She wouldn’t want to be too clingy in case that may make her darling pull away from her but when she is clingier than usual, Arya justifies it by saying she was reminded of or thinking of her family or Winterfell in general and just needed some affection/loving. But she can get very clingy, especially when she feels threatened that her darling may be taken away from her. Arya would be exceptionally clingy right off the bat if her darling reminded her of one of her family members. In that case there wouldn’t be any holding back.

The overprotectiveness that comes with Arya is immeasurable. She takes the smallest, most insignificant bits of interaction as a threat against her darling. She would be so hyper aware of what goes on with and around her darling out of fear of losing them. She’s lost so much already that she can’t fathom losing the only good thing she’s had for awhile.

One thing can be for certain though, regarding her darling alone, Arya’s infamous list will grow longer due to her overprotective nature.

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

ok w/e putting this here cos i need space to ramble hasdhakdhs

so. ocs as spirits and demons.

Neira: duty and fear

she was pretty easy tbh because duty is one of, if not the, core motivator for her (duty as a mage, as a warden, as a friend, etc. etc.), as well as the conflicts these duties can cause when they clash. The other strong motivator is fear and they're kinda related but just. fear is something that is very present for her in a bunch of ways (fear of disappointing, fear making mistakes, fear of losing herself, fear of harming ppl, list goes on) and are also ironically also what makes the whole "being more susceptible to demons" (aka a demon of fear) a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Kala: perseverance (probably? tho idk if that's too "on the nose") and i'm not sure about demon (pride?)

Like perseverance pretty much summarizes her entire life, beating the odds and living in spite of everything wanting, including her determination to live her own life and live a good life despite living on borrowed time from the taint, and not just that but also preserving her pride and dignity and sense of self despite not even being supposed to have any. Which is why i wanna say she'd be susceptible to pride too, cos pride is something that has acted as an anchor and as fuel through all that, in a way.

Liam: love and sloth

Love was easy because the love for his family and friends is pretty much at the core of most of what he does, love for his family and friends but also generally just. having love for his home and getting sentimentally attached to things and all that. For the demon my first instinct was despair since that's he fights with quite a bit rip, but tbh he would be such an easy target for sloth i think. not sloth as in laziness but as in craving relief and simple contentment. like. if you gave him a perfectly simple boring happy life like the sloth demon did with Ali in DAO that's it it's game over he ain't leaving.

Lilian: courage or valor, and despair

Not sure about courage or valor because both of that is something she both values a lot and has a lot of, and it's what allows her well, do what she's doing, but it's also what she inspires in other people. As for despair, that is an emotion she very very actively tries to repress avoid and prevent, but it's that looming ever present threat. It's why she is so stubborn about being proactive and about keep going forward because if she didn't she would simply fall into that pit.

June and Ari i'm still not sure about; June i wanna say would be curiosity or learning? Because she does have a natural curiosity which does inform a lot of her actions overall, but it is also very selective. As for the demon maybe desire? Desire as in both the desire for knowledge but also just. personal desire. Like she wants things and can be incredibly insistent on these wants, it's something that drives her but can also make her selfish and ruthless in pursuing them

For Ari purpose plays a big role but it's more like.. the question of and desire for purpose? and how he thrives as inquisitor cos it gives him the sense of purpose he was lacking, so idk if purpose itself as a spirit would be entirely right. Demon could be desire or terror or pride i think? The desire for purpose, for knowledge, for answers. Pride is also there as a motivator especially later and post Trespasser, and (ironically) part of why he wants to stop Solas. But he does also have a persistent fear of like cosmic horror and nothingness and insignificance in the back of his mind that he tries very hard to ignore, so,,,,,,

[ginjointsintheworld]

I'm trying to get into Leyla's head, seeing as the writers are allergic to diving deep. Beware, These are ramblings😩

When Leyla moved in with Lauren and their relationship got going, I wonder if then Leyla thought about the imbalance of the r/ship or if she thought it was transactional in any way or if she actually thought of the power imbalance, but her deep need and desire to be able to have a place to rest and study with no worries overshadowed that. I mean she did say "I went along with it, and that's on me". (she still needs to take back that "you tried to own me. You bought me" 😒)

When she became a resident again, while she did have hesitation about how it would look sleeping with the boss, was that (Lauren being her boss) less of a problem or no problem at all because they were able to create clear boundaries and were just deeply in love so the power imbalance was insignificant or never came to mind? Or because she started paying rent then all was forgotten?

We have seen from Leyla over thinking a simple cup of coffee from a lover for that matter,- something Lauren didn't think twice about and honestly no one would - that perhaps Lauren going behind her back and breaking her trust that one time is still not even the cause of this mentality . And it makes it all the more frustrating. Colleagues buy each other coffee ever so often because it's just want colleagues do without anyone thinking they have to pay back in some way. that Leyla for a minute was hesitant is equally sad and disturbing.

What and who can deliver Leyla? She wants to be with Lauren, loves her alot, is in love with her, knows that Lauren is sorry and isn't giving all this help just so she can keep her in her arms , and yet this monkey won't just get off her back.

We can sit here and say when she finishes paying her debt and the immigration woes are over, they will be even but that's not true. Lauren will always be wealthy, and Leyla will never be able to match Lauren's salary plus her wealth, and then what? The love will be enough? Will she keep thinking that she can't match up when her gf spoils her silly? Will it then become a silent one sided competition of who can out-gift the other?

Again, who or what will deliver Leyla?

This is not lashing out on Leyla, just intrigued, amused and a tad bit frustrated lol

Thank you for allowing me ramble. Okay bye.

you know my askbox is always to open to all ramblings!

the way i personally look at it and the measuring stick i use to gauge any potential power imbalance is, was leyla able and knew she was able to exit the relationship whenever was wanted? was there any pressure for her to change/alter her behavior out of fear of something or someone? i think in their situation pre-visa, i could whole heartedly say that yes, leyla could've left whenever she wanted and she was always her most authentic self. for example post first kiss when leyla thought that she had misread the signals and kissed lauren. she was ultimately ready to pack up and leave had lauren not come home and found her first. then when they broke up, leyla did leave. but this time leyla has much more at stake and if she did anything to get her visa appeal denied, she'd be deported. that's beyond another level of threat to her safety. where as before she'd maybe go back to living in her car worse case scenario, maybe crash with a friend or coworker, hell even temporarily stay in a hotel. leyla, right now, is fighting for her life. that's what i'm interpreting (though it'd be nice if we could get some more detailed backstory to confirm ahem) that visa situation as. she's fighting for her literal life because i don't think she would've willingly left her family, career, behind to come to a country starting over personally and professional, on a refugee visa if there wasn't present danger back home.

but when it comes to the authority and dynamic between them... i don't know i just never saw any reason to believe or think that they didn't view each other as equals. personally, we've seen multiple times that lol lauren does not hold any authority or power over leyla. poor woman shuffled home and tried to break up with her once and got told no. when they first lived together, leyla even clarified it, she viewed them as roommates. they shared and took care of that space together and both contributed to it to make it a home. professionally, even if we look beyond that fact that lauren holds the utmost respect for leyla as a doctor, they could've disclosed their relationship to HR (most likely did given how they were openly showing affection around the hospital and lauren announced it to everyone lmao). how is it any different than max dating helen when they both worked at NA? or even during their weird in between will they won't they time? he's the medical director. there's no power greater than him aside from the board. plus, yes, lauren and leyla made very conscious efforts to establish boundaries for when they're dr. bloom and dr. shinwari during work and lauren and leyla outside of it.

the money side of things.... sometimes i feel like that gets misinterpreted with regards to what leyla's struggle is with that. don't get me wrong, part of that is because of the writers being unclear at times. but overall, i think it boils down to leyla having complex and very deep rooted mentalities with success needing to be accomplished through your own grit to be worthy. because if we look at all the times that leyla has brought up money or material things, it's been in association with the perception of earning the situation she's currently in, "i won't let you pay for me to stay somewhere. i'm not a charity case," "now all these fancy things, you. make me feel like that's the reason i'm successful. like i didn't earn it" and "but the one thing i thought i earned was just paid for like everything else." leyla didn't have a problem when she thought lauren was going to use her money to buy textbooks and new equipment for the other residents. it was only when the residents spun their little sob story and she thought it gave her an "unfair" advantage over everyone else. also no offense to the bloom family wealthy but the occasional uber black ride to work, food, clothes, an ipad, those are all very normal affordable things that a doctor and chair of a department could afford. it's canon that lauren is one of the top paid doctors at NA. and leyla very well could be chair of a department one day and make the same kind of money. where lauren's wealth played an actual factor was making the donation, which she's knows was a massive mistake, and the lawyer fees. also when leyla brought up the food and clothes before, she owned that discomfort that came from that because she didn't voice to lauren that she didn't need her to buy these things and i think she knows if lauren knew how it made leyla felt, she would've backed off. when she mentioned that, it was likely more referring to the earlier days when she wasn't a resident yet. cause leyla was okay with the ride to work and lauren brought leyla a bagel and coffee when they were working opposite shifts. she didn't have a problem with those things then and i would say it was because she was making legitimate money as a resident, settled and happy in her career and yeah coffee then was just a coffee. and leyla probably bought lauren a coffee and her favorite pastry on occasions because that's just a thing you do. just like leyla probably took lauren to romantic dinners and paid for those.

but i've mentioned it before, i didn't view the coffee situation as being just about the coffee. like lauren said, it's that the overthinking with the coffee was a symptom of their current complex situation with the visa. leyla is borrowing $10k/month from lauren for a currently unknown amount of time. that's an insane burn rate and leyla is trying to pay back what she can as they go along because she knows it. like if this case takes a year to resolve, that's $130k which is more than the donation lauren paid for leyla's residency spot. yes, lauren is rich and that money in the grand scheme of things isn't a blip for her and that is an amount leyla can pay back. hell people borrow that much money for medical school. but it's the principle of lauren being willing to lend that much, combine that with the fact that she's also opened up her apartment to leyla again when she needed a stable address and her previous concern about lauren feeling like her feelings are being taken advantage of. i can understand why leyla would start to get caught up in wondering how much is taking too much? even with something as small as a coffee, even if the limit does not exist to lauren, it matters to leyla.

and of course, as you and i both acknowledged before, this is tv so there's always going to be a melodramatic element that in reality would be simpler to work out lol. but anyways, always fun to read your thoughts and hope you didn't mind my word soup reply LOL

[millysaurusrex]

Heartbreak Warfare

When the snows settle and the shock of survival sets in, Gendry finds himself in the Winterfell forge. There is no need for weapons now, at least, not until they ride South, but it is the one place that makes him feel some semblance of normalcy.

Normal. He's not quite sure what that word means anymore. The world as he knew it had gone topsy turvy ever since Master Mott had woken him from his sack one morning declaring that he now belonged to the Night's Watch. Four moons ago, he was back in the slums of King's Landing. Now, he has fought an army of the dead, is a King's son, is now the Lord of his father's ancestral home - is this his new normal?

He stares into the burning coals of the forge and tries to think about the days before he'd come North. It helps stave off the cold to think about the heat of King's Landing. The North is cold - a cruel, unforgiving cold that seeps into your bones, no matter how many layers of leather and fur one wore. In the heat of the forge, he can almost pretend he is there again, on the Street of Steel, mending armor for Lannister soldiers. It's a fantasy that isn't particularly pleasant. The Lannisters were enemies - enemies to his father, enemies to the Starks, and he hadn't exactly been living in luxury during his days there. But, pretending he's back there, far from this place and the battle he's just survived, he can almost forget about her.

He’s an idiot, he knows. She’s said it enough times and he’s once again proved her right. What made him think that she would choose him? So, he’s a lord now, with a fancy title and a nice large keep by the sea - it doesn’t matter. It’s never mattered to Arya. He could be a no named bastard smith living in the slums of Flea Bottom, or a King’s son, fighting alongside her noble born brother. It doesn’t matter who he is, it’s who she is not.

He wants to laugh. Wants to cry. But he settles for beating a discarded breastplate in the forge until it cracks and crumbles and becomes more useless than it was before. It’s okay. He knows angry. He likes angry. Anger is something he’s felt since he was a child. Anger at the way the world treated him due to his circumstances, anger at the way highborns sold and traded him like he was cattle. Anger is something natural to him, if all the stories of King Robert’s fury are true.

So, he beats his hammer against one item after the next, not caring about the mess he’s made or the protest his muscles make as the hours tick by. He can deal with the physical pain even if his body is still fatigued from the battle. He won’t stop because if he stops then he thinks of her, thinks of her mouth, warm, as he kissed her, thinks of her face when she refused his proposal.

He wants to be mad at her. Wants to think that of course she turned him down- he was too bloody lowborn to be kin to my lady, high - but he knows that’s not true. He’d seen it in her eyes, the way they’d crumbled when he sank to one knee, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a drunken frenzy. No, he cannot blame her for turning him away. And that angers him all the more. Because what did he think, that just because they had shared a night together, that just because he had been given a title by a foreign queen, that she would somehow see him differently? She had told him that she just wanted to know what it was like being with a man. He'd taken the softness in her eyes, the way she pulled him flush against her to mean that maybe, just maybe, she wanted him the way he wanted her - by his side, forever and ever. But, he's a fool, because that's not her - she's not a lady, not one to settle down with some man. She's the Breaker of the Dawn, the Slayer of the Night, and she doesn't need a bastard-blacksmith-turned-Lord. He cannot fault her for that.

He can, however, be angry that she left without another word. He’d grown used to her presence since arriving in Winterfell, and he knew, just knew she was gone. She’d not said a word to anyone, if the harried look on her sister’s face meant anything, or the way Jon called her name well into the night. He wants desperately to look for her, to follow Jon into the woods that surrounded Wintertown, but he does not. If she has left, she does not want to be found. And he stays in his forge and waits until it is time to head south to join what is left of the Dragon Queen’s army.

He could sit this one out. Jon tells him so. He could go to Storms End, take his ancestral home. He deserves it.

But the idea of sitting in an unfamiliar castle tastes sour in his mouth and the thought of losing himself in the carnage of another war sounds better, and his fingers itch for the bloody, deadly fight that’s sure to come when they take back the Kingdoms from the evil Lannister queen. He’d like to bash her head in with his hammer, he thinks. He’s fantasized about it, about standing over her as she looks on in terror, thinking Robert’s ghost had come back to haunt her. And all that rage, all the pain and suffering he’d endured just because she was a jealous, vile woman - he’d make her suffer. And oh - what a sweet suffering it would be.

He runs a hand across his face, wondering just when his thoughts had gotten so dark. He never used to think this way, about murder and bloodshed. Maybe this was what war did to a person. What suffering did.

Either way, he doesn’t mind. He likes it. It spurns him on, keeps him going, keeps him alive. And right now, life is just about survival. Survive one war to fight the next. Survive each and every night until the gods no longer see you fit to walk this earth.

As he travels south, he steadies his mind on the task at hand. They may have survived the dead but they still have Cersei's army to contend with. She has the golden company and Euron Greyjoy's fleets, or so Jamie Lannister says. He doesn't know much of anything about the golden company nor the Kraken Pirate's army, but he knows King's Landing, knows the goldcloaks and the Lannister army. He'd armed them, been around them for years. He'd overheard them talk about the dragon queen and what they hoped to do to the Northerners. He'd watched as the Sept of Balor erupted in green flames, heard the screams of those locked within. He'd heard the Lannister soldiers laugh about that, too.

He may not be a war strategist like Jon or Davos or the Unsullied leader, but he knows just how dangerous the Lannister queen is. She may just be a woman, seemingly so insignificant after what they've just endured, but he knows better than to underestimate Cersei. There is nothing she wouldn't do if it meant she could keep her golden crown.

.

When they reach Dragonstone, Jon requests his presence in the council room. It's a dark, drab room, and a large table carved in stone to show a map of Westeros sits grandly in the middle. He's seen it before, when the Red Witch had brought him to Stannis. He involuntary grimaces, the way he always does when he thinks about that night so many years ago. That had been the only time he'd ever met a family member and it's not exactly a fond memory.

Jon clears his throat and Gendry realizes that the King in the North has said something that he's missed.

"Pardon, your grace?"

"I asked if you would come join us." Jon motions toward the table which is surrounded by the new Dothraki leader, the Unsullied captain, the Imp and Lord Varys. The dragon queen stands at the window, her back to them. Gendry blinks.

"M'lord, I'm no war strategist, I don't understand -"

"No, but you fought along side me, same as any other man at this table. And you're a lord now and so your place is here."

He wants to argue but Jon fixes him with that small smile, the one that says 'please shut up, and just do it,' a mixture of exasperation and appreciation. He knows that look. He's seen it on Arya's face a thousand times over the years. She’d looked at he or Hot Pie that way whenever either of them said something particularly stupid. She'd given it to him when she requested her weapon. He swallows that thought and nods before joining Jon at the table.

“They have taken down one of the dragons and Cersei now has Euron Greyjoy’s fleet. They haven’t nearly as many of the Iron Born since Yara Greyjoy has taken back the Iron Islands, but they still have the Golden Company.” Jon says, motioning toward the stone map.

“How many men fight for the Golden Company?” Queen Daenerys asks, although she has not looked away from her place at the window. Gendry isn’t sure how he feels about the dragon queen. She’s beautiful, it’s true, but there is a coldness to her that he cannot quite name, and even her kindest actions hold a sense of threat. He had seen it in her eyes the night she had named him Lord of Storm’s End and it makes his insides churn when he thinks too hard about her reasoning. He’s learned well enough by now that highborns never do anything out of pure kindness. Except maybe Jon.

“Nearly ten thousand, your grace.” Ser Davos says. Gendry grimaces. Ten thousand and at least five thousand Iron Born. Already the army is twice their size and that doesn’t include the Westerosi who fight for her.

“Why would a foreign army fight for a Lannister queen?” Daenerys asks, finally turning from the window. Her strange purple eyes are hard as steel. Gendry can’t blame her. She’s lost so much already. He's felt the steel harden inside him as well.

“Well, enough gold can make a man do just about anything. And the Lannisters have lots of it.”

“And they are backed by the Iron Bank as well.” Lord Varys says, his voice smooth and cool, but the indecision in his eyes evident. Everyone seems to be on their toes and it makes Gendry all the more uneasy.

“But they are sellswords, are they not?” Queen Daenerys asks. She looks at Jon for a moment before turning to Lord Tyrion. “In my experience, it isn’t too difficult to sway the allegiance of men who fight for gold.”

“Yes, your grace, but the men of the Golden Company are not like other sellswords.” Davos says, his hands ever clasped behind his back. “They are notoriously reliable and have never been known to break a contract. Their leader, Harry Strickland, is as honorable a man as any.”

“You know him?” Queen Daenerys’ voice is hard and accusatory. Davos pauses, glancing at Gendry and then her, before answering.

“Yes, but only briefly. They came to Storm’s End, many years ago, to make treaty with Stannis Baratheon.”

Gendry raises an eyebrow. It is still strange to hear about his uncle, and even stranger to remember that his uncle was the same man who wanted his blood to be king. He doesn’t miss how Queen Daenerys’ eyes slit to him before moving to Davos.

“And what about Cersei’s army?”

“While we were fighting in the North, their army has had time to rest and build and train.” Jon says, sliding an uneasy look at the queen. “Who knows how many soldiers she’s gathered.”

Gendry speaks before he can catch himself. “At least eight thousand, your grace.”

Jon, Queen Daenerys, Davos and all other eyes turn to him. He feels his face warm and prickle. He moves closer to the table to stand beside Davos. “When I was in King’s Landing, I armed the Lannister army. I got to know them, listened to them talk while they looked around my shop. Last I heard, they had eight thousand soldiers.”

Jon sighs and rubs a hand across his tired face. “So, that’s eight thousand Lannisters, five thousand Iron Born and ten thousand men from the Free Cities. All men who are loyal to the Lannisters.” The heaviness of the situation is evident and Gendry squirms in his boots. Somehow, this is worse than the threat of the dead army.

Queen Daenerys seems to contemplate the situation before raising a brow.

“If their honor will not convince them to our side, then they can die with their honor, with the rest of them. To hells with all this waiting. I will fly Drogon to the Red Keep and burn it to the ground, with every single one of her soldiers and their honor.” The word sounds like a curse as she spits it out, and rage forms in her violet eyes.

“Your grace, Cersei has opened the gates into the keep. There are thousands of common folk there. You cannot –” Queen Daenerys’ slams her hands on the stone window and she turns to face her Hand with unbridled rage.

“I can and I will. I have followed your guidance, Lord Tyrion. I took my men to Winterfell to fight the Northern battle and lost over half my men. I took my dragons beyond the wall for the Northern cause and lost one to the dead. I have waited as year after year has passed by while Cersei sits on my throne. I am through waiting. I will take what is mine with fire and blood.”

The room is quiet. Gendry stares at the Queen, his mouth ajar. She intends to burn them all, he realizes with a jolt and stories he’d heard of her father, the Mad King, flood through his mind. Stories of dragon fire and burning flesh that adults told naughty children to keep them in line. Truth be told, when he had first met the dragon queen, he had not seen any resemblance to her father. She had a kindness about her that he hadn’t expected from the tales he’d been told of the Targaryans. But looking at her now, her pretty face twisted in ugly fury, he wonders if he sees a spark of the madness.

It is Jon who speaks next and he calmly steps to the queen, touching her shoulder with unexpected familiarity. “Dany, we will take your throne.” His words are careful and kind, but stern. “But, we cannot let thousands of innocents die for Cersei Lannister. Remember what I told you, out there on the beaches?” He motioned his head toward the window. “Remember I told you that if you bring fire and destruction that you are not any different. And what the Seven Kingdoms needs most now is someone different.”

Queen Daenerys is quiet for a moment and Gendry takes a breath. It almost seems as if Jon is able to convince her – until she speaks again.

“Someone like you?”

And at once it seems like all the air has been sucked out of the room despite the large, open windows. Everyone freezes, Gendry included. The accusation in the queen’s voice is clear, and she marches away from Jon who is staring at her open mouthed and wide eyed.

“Dany, I-”

“It doesn’t matter.” She snaps. “Every minute we spend here arguing about what move to make is another minute that usurper sits on the throne. You can join me, or you can stay here and debate your honor, but I am through with waiting. My army has been slaughtered. My children have been shot down like cattle. Jorah is dead and Missandei is dead. I will not wait another moment longer.”

And with that she marches from the room and the silence is deafening.

.

That night, as he sits in the room the queen has given him – a room nicer than any room he’s ever had – he thinks. He thinks about the pending war, thinks about the fury in the dragon queen’s eyes. She has lost so much. He cannot imagine the pain she must have felt watching her friend slaughtered before her eyes. He knows pain. He's felt it all his life, having everyone he's ever loved taken from him. His mother, who's face he can barely recall but who's soft hands and warm voice penetrates his memory, had been taken by fever. He'd grown to respect and look to Mott as a father figure, and he'd been cast away - or not cast away, but spirited away to protect him. He'd finally learned he had a family, only to remember that they were all dead. And Arry, Arya, the scrawny little girl pretending to be a boy in the wake of a seemingly endless war...He'd thought he'd lost her once, to the Frey's at the Red Wedding, alongside her lord brother. But, there she'd been, in Winterfell, taller, cleaner than he'd ever seen her. More beautiful. And they had shared a moment together that would forever be burned into his memory. But, now she was gone as well and he was once again all alone. Yes, he can imagine the queen's pain.

And right then, he feels guilty for the pain that has gripped his heart, feels guilty for feeling sorry for himself. His thoughts of Arya - playing their last moments together over and over in his head - seems foolish now. He could very well die tomorrow – die in the same shithole he had been born in - and here he is pining away after a girl that was never really his to begin with. The anger that radiated off the queen and Jon’s look of concern - it is clear that they may have won the war against the dead, and they might win the Great War – but the fighting will never be over. His dreams of grey eyes and a wolfish grin suddenly do nothing to warm him.

He has it all, has everything he could have ever asked for - a name, a title, a home - but of course, it means nothing without her. Lord of the Stormlands or bastard blacksmith, without her he doesn’t have what really matters - family. None of it matters now, though. She's spoken her peace and disappeared, and he doesn't know if he'll ever see the grey eyed Stark again.

But, he'll survive. He's survived the slums of Flea Bottom. Survived the nightmare that was Harrenhal. He survived the Red Witch and the seas around Dragonstone. He survived beyond the Wall and the Battle of the Dawn. Baratheons are survivors. He can survive this as well.