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flowerandblood · 6 months

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The Prince and The Fox

[ modern! • Aemond x friend! • female ]

[ warnings: sexual abuse, violence, trauma, panic attack ]

[ description: After the events of her childhood, despite her best efforts, her neighbor and the younger brother of her friend Helaena, Aemond, does not want to know her. This state lasts until a house party organized by his older brother, Aegon, during which an incident occurs that will change their relationship forever. Slow burn, angst, toxic ex-Alys, rough Aemond. This is several anon requests combined into one fic. ]

WARNING: The main plot between the characters takes place in high school. Yes, in high school. The belief that teenagers wait with an intimacy when they are in love in high school is ridiculous to me. Aemond and the character here are the same age. Don't ask me how old they are, in my country you are of the age of consent in your first year of high school and an adult in the last year of high school, so if it is more convenient for you, think about it that way and decide for yourself. In this story, I am not following the trail that they are magically friends right away, but how they become friends and what that even means. I'm writing this fic to give the perspective of young, lost people, not adult women who want to see exactly themselves in everything they read. If that's all you expect, this isn't the fic for you.

I don't want whining about this in my comments or asks. I will delete these and block you. You have been warned.

Aemond + Evans Series Moodboard

This is my first story that has its own playlist, but yes! Get in the mood! Story Music Playlist. Song used in this chapter: Feuer Frei! (Rammstein)

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

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She wasn't sure how they became friends. Before she met him she played often with Helaena, they lived in the neighbourhood, and there wasn't much of an age difference between them. They often visited each other to play with their dolls, while her brothers existed for her somewhere in the back, busy with their serious, boyish affairs unavailable to girls.

One day when their mother called Helaena home she was sitting on a blanket on the grass in their garden, pretending that her teddy rabbit had just been drinking tea from her pink plastic cup, when their whole elaborately choreographed scene was destroyed by a dog bumping into her and licking her.

"Vhagar! No! Bad dog!" She heard the growl of a young boy, running up to them and grabbing his happy, shiny labrador with big eyes, who just licked her face, panting loudly, pulling her by the collar, trying to drag her away.

She giggled, wiping her face, and it was only when she looked at him that she noticed a large white bandage on the left side of his face, covering his entire eye and part of his cheek, taped up with plasters. She blinked, curious, and cocked her head.

"What happened to you?" She asked lightly, and he threw her an angry, murderous look, tightening his lips and furrowing his brow.

"Fuck off." He hissed, and she turned all red, close to tears, devastated that he had used such ugly, vulgar words towards her that her parents had forbidden her to use, shouting at him that he wasn't allowed to talk like that, that she didn't like him and for him to go away.

This is exactly what he did, dragging his dog behind him with difficulty, and she took her rabbit and ran to her house across the street, no longer waiting for Helaena to return, distraught.

Her father tried hard to get anything out of her, but he understood little of her loud sobbing and babbling, she could see nothing through her tears, she stood and stammered out mere fragments of sentences from which her parent had by some miracle put together a whole. Her father sighed heavily, running his hand over his face.

"Listen. Helaena's brother, I think his name is Aemond, had a very serious accident. I was told about it by his mother when I met her in the supermarket recently, the whole family is going through a lot. He will have to wear an artificial eye and will be left with a big scar. He feels very bad about it and that is why he is behaving like this. Your question was very tactless." He said finally.

She felt a squeeze in her heart and burst out sobbing even louder, this time because she had offended him, that surely this boy now hated her when she wanted everyone to like her.

"− I didn't − after all − uh − I didn't mean to − I just −" She mumbled in despair, not knowing herself what she wanted to say, breathing hard, almost choking from her sobs, her face all red, she was hot with emotion.

"Come here." Her father said to her, so she walked towards him. He embraced her and stroked her head, saying that she should ask her mother to help her bake cakes for him and bring them to him, wishing him a speedy recovery and apologising so they would both feel better.

She decided that this was indeed a good idea and did exactly that.

The next day she knocked on their front door standing with a box of cakes and was opened by their mother, a beautiful, long-haired woman with a warm smile, she was wearing a thick green jumper.

"Good morning, dear, Helaena is just in ballet class." She said to her in a soft, calm voice, and she shook her head.

"No, ma'am, I've come to see Aemond, I've baked cakes for him and I want to wish him quick recovery." She recited with difficulty what her mother had told her to say, hoping she hadn't forgotten anything, waiting with a pounding heart for a response.

The woman smiled broadly with some kind of gratitude and called out loudly to her son asking him to come downstairs, saying he had a visitor.

Her son came down reluctantly, furrowing his brow, having no idea who might want to see him and when he spotted her he immediately pressed his lips together, furious.

He approached his mother, looking at her distrustfully, and she swallowed loudly feeling a tightening in her throat and tears of shame gathering in her eyes again.

"I'm so sorry for asking you about it at the time, in the sense of what happened to you and that I upset you and that you were sad and that I yelled at you afterwards because I was sad too and − and −" She mused, forgetting for a moment what she was getting at in that sentence, swallowing her saliva loudly and suddenly remembering. "− and − and I brought you cakes that I baked with the help of my mother to wish you a speedy recovery."

She said quickly and held out a cardboard box tied with a ribbon in front of her. Aemond looked uncertainly at his mother, who nodded at him to accept the gift. He did not look at her as he reached out for the package and murmured under his breath, nodding. His mother sighed quietly.

"What should you say now?" She asked him expectantly, and he pressed his lower lip together, looking somewhere sideways, discouraged.

"Thank you." He muttered, turned and headed up the stairs.

"Goodbye." She said quickly, turning and running towards her house, feeling relieved that now she had put things right and now he would surely like her a lot.

She was wrong.

When she came to their house to see Helaena, he immediately locked himself in his room. When they passed each other at primary school he did not respond to her greeting by pretending not to see her even though they were neighbours.

When their parents met each other in the supermarket and started talking to each other, he would approach the shelves and pretend to look at some products, doing everything he could not to talk to her.

He never spoke to her in a bad way again, never shouted at her again, but simply pretended that she didn't exist.

Everything changed when they went to high school and it turned out they would be in the same class. They would then get on and off at the same bus stop, but instead of talking to her he preferred to put his earphones in his ears and browse through the apps on his phone, pretending not to see her.

She tried to talk to him, but he shunned her, treating her like air. She had the painful feeling that from that moment, from the day she asked him the wrong question, she was already crossed out as a person in his eyes.

And then their literary history teacher gave them a homework exercise to do in pairs. Assigning a person to each, when he looked at her he waved his hand as if realising something.

"Ah, Evans, you and Targaryen live nearby, it will be easier for you to work. Next couple −" He said, and she froze, looking at him over her shoulder, his eye wide open, pointed in her direction, he was playing with his pen between his fingers, his lips clenched into a thin line.

He was furious.

She swallowed loudly feeling a tightness in her throat and turned back towards the board, feeling only the loud pounding of her heart.

She ran after him off the bus, seeing him walking towards his house with his backpack thrown over one shoulder, the hood of his dark sweatshirt pulled over his head, earphones in his ears. She grabbed his sleeve to make him stop, and he flinched and looked back, surprised.

"Wait, can we talk?" She asked, breathing fast, and he furrowed his brow, taking the earpiece out of his ear, she could hear some loud heavy metal music coming from it and recognized the song Feuer Frei! by Rammstein.

"What?"

She blinked, understanding that he hadn't heard completely what she'd said. She grunted quietly, letting him go, looking at him expectantly.

"I asked if we could talk."

He looked ahead, letting the air out loudly through his nose with impatience, pulling the other earpiece from his ear, looking everywhere but at her. She guessed he wouldn't say anything, so she started quickly, not wanting to irritate him unnecessarily.

"I know you don't like me and I promise not to annoy you with anything. Let's just go to your place or mine, do this homework and get it over with. Okay?" She asked in a trembling voice and he licked his lips, indecision and frustration in his eyes, something was going on in his mind that she didn't understand completely.

He snorted, shrugging his shoulders and nodded at her.

"Come."

They entered his house greeted by the smell of dinner just being cooked. Their mother welcomed her presence in the company of her son with joy and surprise.

"Will you eat something? The meatballs in sauce are warm and ready." She said warmly, hoping they would stay down, guessing that they were both hungry after many hours of lessons.

She wished he would agree, feeling a burbling in her stomach.

"No. We're going to go do our homework." He said in a low, slightly hoarse voice. He pulled off his shoes, slipped the hood off his head and walked up the stairs without looking at her.

He walked into his room, throwing the clothes and books lying on the floor into the wardrobe, clearly wanting to do a quick tidy up, his whole walls covered with posters of various bands, Rammstein, Electric Light Orchestra, Deep Purple, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, his bookshelves heaving with books.

"Sit." He said lowly, pointing to the chair he'd set up by his desk, himself sitting down in a comfortable high-backed leather player's chair, spreading out on it comfortably.

She walked over to him, pulling her pastel soft backpack off her back, pulling out her notebook and the book they had just reviewed.

The Little Prince.

She felt that he was looking at her expectantly, so she opened her notebook in which she had written down the exact assignment the teacher had given them. She decided to read it aloud so they could reflect on it together.

"The Little Prince is a metaphorical story. Talk together about a few scenes from the book that moved you most and compare your thoughts, writing down similarities and differences. Analyse at least two scenes in this way."

She glanced at him, tightening her lips, feeling her heart pounding hard. For some reason she was terrified, he was sitting next to her, resting his elbows on his desk, leaning forward, seeming even bigger and taller to her than usual.

She felt strange thinking that he smelled nice, that he used some ordinary, cheap men's perfume.

He sniffed with his nose, not even looking at her, taking a pen in his hand.

"Have you read this book?" She asked, wanting to make sure he knew what they were going to talk about. He threw her a look like he thought she was an idiot.

"Do you have any more stupid questions, or can we get started?" He asked lowly, and she pressed her lips together, humiliated, feeling for some reason that she wanted to cry.

She felt like asking why he couldn't forgive her at last, but decided it was pointless, that he obviously didn't like her because he had such a whim.

She shook her head and he hummed, taking her copy of The Little Prince in his hand and began looking through it.

"Which scene do you want to talk about?" He asked coldly, dispassionately, and she swallowed loudly.

"About the Little Prince and the Fox." She said quietly, feeling him give her a brief glance.

He grunted under his breath, apparently agreeing with her choice, waiting for her elaboration on the matter. She swallowed with difficulty, licking her lips.

"What moved me most was how true this scene is. That the greatest enemy of friendship, or any close relationship, is haste. That only by respecting someone's barriers, only by approaching someone slowly and with understanding, can you really look at them from a distance.

By taming someone, by making that person grow attached to you, you take partial responsibility for that person's feelings, for making them trust you enough to believe that you won't intentionally hurt them with your behaviour. Until we really get to know someone we are just a crowd of people passing each other on the street."

She said in a trembling voice, feeling for some reason tears under her eyelids and a tightness in her throat, her eyebrows arched in pain, her lower lip began to tremble, she played with the material of her white daisy dress in a nervous gesture.

She felt him watching her, an awkward silence fell between them.

She couldn't look at him.

She thought he was going to say something cruel, that he was going to tell her to stop wailing, but he said nothing. After a while he spoke up.

"I see this scene differently. They're both moving towards each other because they're determined to do so. They are both going their separate ways. There is a balance. The Little Prince doesn't force the Fox to approach him, just as the Fox doesn't force the Little Prince to approach him. They do it of their own free will. They tame themselves because that's the decision they made. You can't tame someone who doesn't want it." He said lowly, and she looked up at him feeling tears begin to run down her face.

Was he talking about himself?

Was she the Fox who wanted to tame him even though he didn't want it?

"I'm sorry." It burst out of her chest before she had time to think about what she was doing.

He pressed his lips together and swallowed loudly, clenching his hands lying on the desk into fists, his nostrils moving restlessly in accelerated breathing.

She covered her face with her hand, embarrassed that she just couldn't stop crying, feeling pain in her heart and feeling sorry for herself that she just wasn't able to give him a break, that she kept seeking his attention and interest when he just clearly wanted her to leave him alone.

She couldn't bear the thought that she wasn't liked by every man she knew.

She felt ashamed at the thought that she had been so selfish.

"I can't stand that you don't want to talk to me. That you don't like me, that you pretend not to see me. I think it's driving me crazy and you're right to think that I'm an attention-seeking girl. I'm ashamed and I apologise to you for that because it's not your problem. I promise I'll stop." She said between laboured breaths, shrugging her shoulders, lowering her gaze.

He just looked at her.

"You exaggerate everything too much. You care too much." He said finally, his voice calmer as was his gaze.

She saw him fidgeting involuntarily with his fingers in a nervous gesture, the cuticles around his fingernails peeled and red, they must have caused him pain, but he plucked them nonetheless.

"Stop." She whispered and placed her hand over his, his fingers froze in mid-motion. She heard him swallow loudly, completely taken aback, his healthy eye open wide, his whole body concentrated. She stroked his palms with her thumb, and he didn't push her away.

"I'll leave you alone." She said softly and took her hand away, not believing she had dared to do so, and he just nodded and grunted, looking in her book for the quote he wanted to talk about.

They wrote down silently next to each other what they had talked about, and when they had finished she took her books, packed up and left without saying goodbye to him.

She no longer sought his gaze when he stood next to her at the bus stop, when he sat behind her in class, when she passed him in the school corridor. She realised that she had been conceited and vain in thinking that she would make him like her. She thought there was nothing wrong with someone not fancying her, not wanting to talk to her.

She had to get over it.

She attended extra volleyball classes, loved this sport and had good results at inter-school competitions. The captain of the men's team was Cregan Stark, a tall, well-built, funny black-haired boy who caught her eye from the start.

He would occasionally wink at her from afar seeing her gaze, and she would blush, lowering her eyes.

They were good mates, chatting sometimes during breaks and laughing. Cregan often approached her between classes, throwing in any topic, sometimes accompanied by his colleagues who were also fond of her. She felt butterflies in her stomach when he invited her to a house party that Aegon was organising.

She knew that Aemond would certainly be home at that time, but she figured that he would lock himself in his room and not go downstairs to them anyway, so she readily agreed, glad to see Helaena there as well.

She dressed in her favourite suede black dress reaching mid-thigh with a boat neckline, not revealing her breasts but showing her shoulders, and she wore her favourite shiny black boots. She let her hair down, deciding that she looked the prettiest this way, and literally ran out of the house when she heard a knock on the door.

She and Cregan hugged each other as if they were friends and moved arm-in-arm across the street hearing the loud music in the distance. When they entered she saw a crowd of people, most were her friends from the estate, so she greeted everyone around her, one of the guests handed her a cup with probably the cheapest wine possible.

She took a sip, glancing at Cregan and he winked at her as he always did, this time embracing her, pulling her close.

She felt the heat in her lower abdomen and the flush in her cheeks.

For most of the time they sat together on the couch, talking about everything and nothing, she saw no one around him but him, looking into his big dark eyes as if enchanted. She swallowed loudly when she felt his hand on her thigh, trailing up and down, and pressed her lips together, unsure if she liked it or not.

However, she didn't reject his hand, not wanting to offend him, some part of her happy that he reciprocated her interest, that he liked her too, that he found her attractive too.

"Shall we go to the garden?" He asked loud enough for her to hear him, and she nodded with a smile, feeling her own heart beating fast, happy that he wanted to be alone with her.

They walked out into the garden through the kitchen, through a back entrance she knew very well, on the way she felt him grasp her hand in his, she had a feeling her heart would leap out of her chest. They sat down on the terrace bench, he embraced her and hugged her close, and she snuggled into his chest.

She wondered with a blush on her cheeks if he would want to kiss her.

She swallowed loudly and a shudder went through her as, from her shoulder, his hand slowly began to move up to her neck, slipped under the material of her dress and touched her bare breast. She squeezed his wrist, terrified.

"N-no." She mumbled, but instead of stopping, he tightened his fingers on her flesh.

"No, stop." She said terrified, aggressively pulling at his hand, feeling tears in her eyes, cold sweat on the back of her neck, her whole body screaming for him to let her go, wanting to run away, but he wouldn't release her.

"Didn't you hear?" She heard a firm, low voice beside her, and Cregan jumped away from her suddenly, rising from the bench.

Aemond stared at him with his lips tightened, an expression of disgust on his face, his healthy eye wide open, his hands clenched into fists.

"Don't you fucking understand what 'no' means?" He asked him again, louder this time, furious.

She was just sitting and shaking, breathing hard, looking down at her shoes, tear after tear running down her cheeks, she was unable to move or get anything out.

Cregan grunted back.

"Fuck off." He growled, wanting to get past him, but Aemond grabbed him by his shirt and pressed him against the door frame with all his strength.

She stood up quickly, terrified, and covered her mouth when Cregan hit him on the forehead with his head and he took a few steps backwards, Aemond's fist hit his face in return, Cregan half-curled and coughed. They moved away from each other, panting heavily.

"Fucking bastard." He hissed, holding his red cheek with his hand and walked back out into his house, loud music, screams, laughter and conversations of people inside around them.

She sat down on the ground, feeling her whole body shaking, clenching her eyes shut, a strange, high-pitched sound and a sob came from her throat as it finally dawned on her mind what had actually happened.

That he touched her in a way that made her uncomfortable and made her unable to breathe, that she had asked him to stop and he hadn't, how bad it made her feel, how frightening and humiliating it was.

She felt so dirty.

She wasn't sure if what came out of her mouth could be called crying, she felt like she was whimpering and howling, holding her hand to her mouth as if trying to shield herself from what was happening, to no avail.

She heard the rustling of the grass beneath his feet, she felt the gentle touch of his large, warm hand on her back, casual, tender, friendly, comforting.

She snuggled into his black sweatshirt and cried out loud, disappointed, distraught and devastated that she had trusted him, that she had believed him and he did something like this to her.

Why?

Was it because she didn't push him away when he touched her thigh, that she went out with him alone?

Did he think that was what she wanted?

"Shall I go and find Helaena?" He asked in a trembling voice clearly not knowing what to do, how to help her, horrified by what he had seen and her condition. She shook her head quickly, feeling ashamed, she didn't want anyone to know.

She heard him swallow loudly.

"If you want I'll go with you to his parents tomorrow. I'll tell them what I saw. He's been groping you all evening." He said low with some kind of tension, and she froze, drawing in the air loudly at the thought that he must have come downstairs, that he must have seen them as they sat on the sofa, watched them.

Follow them out.

She wondered if he had done it to make sure he wouldn't do anything to her against her will.

It was her fault.

She did not push him away when he touched her thigh.

She went off with him herself.

"No. They won't believe me. He'll say I wanted it myself." She mumbled in a trembling, weak voice between one shattered breath and another.

She could feel his heart pounding hard, that he was nervous too, that he didn't know what he should do. He put his arm around her in a friendly manner, feeling subconsciously that she needed it, that she was terrified.

They both stood up quickly when they heard some girls come out for a cigarette. They raised their eyebrows, looking at them with amusement, one of them waved at them.

"Hey, Cyclops, do you have a girlfriend now?" She asked, the second girl laughed out loud, the third looked at the others disapprovingly, lowering her gaze, pretending she hadn't heard this.

"Fuck off, you stupid bitch!" She growled at her so loudly and with such fury that the girl froze, it seemed to her that she had never called anyone that out loud before in her life.

In a frenzy of desperation, anger and humiliation, she pulled her boots off her feet and, one by one, started throwing them at them until all three of them fled inside the house screaming that she was insane.

"Fuck, calm down! Jesus." He called out to her in shock, grabbing her by her arm. She raised her eyes at him, breathing loudly, his gaze softening a bit.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked lowly, almost indifferently, and she nodded, feeling that she wanted to cry again at the thought of Cregan's touch on her chest.

His hand tightened on her bare breast, refusing to let her go.

An unpleasant shiver ran through her, she felt like she was going to vomit.

First, though, she had to find her shoes, one of which had ended up in the bushes, the other behind their barbecue, all dirty from the coals. She put them on anyway, she was already indifferent to everything.

He didn't even ask if she wanted him to walk her away.

He just followed her.

On the way out they came across Cregan and his mates smoking a cigarette on the road, some of his friends whistling at them, laughing out loud.

"Are you guys going to fuck?" He called from a distance in amusement, she felt that her whole body was shaking, that she was afraid of them and she thanked God that he had gone with her, that he had not left her alone.

She wondered if this was what he experienced all the time at school.

Humiliation.

He stood with her in front of her door with his hands tucked into his black trousers, his face turned in profile.

She knew she shouldn't do this, but she needed it.

She walked up to him and hugged her face to his sweatshirt, standing in front of him like that. She could feel his warm breath on the top of her head, she knew he was looking at her.

She swallowed loudly as she felt his forehead pressed against her hair, he let out a loud breath, something in his voice that she could call sympathy.

"Try not to think about it. If you change your mind and want to go to his parents, I'll go with you. Hm?" He asked lowly, and she nodded.

"Are you going to keep seeing him?" He asked coolly after a moment, and she shook her head, feeling that it made her sick at the thought.

"Good." He muttered, raising his head. She pulled away from him and looked at him, swallowing loudly.

"Gonna give you my phone number. In case you decide to do it." He added quickly, wanting to make sure she didn't understand his proposal ambiguously. She nodded her head.

He dictated a string of numbers to her, which she typed into her phone and added him to her contacts under the name 'Prince'. He saw this and lifted his gaze to her, but made no comment.

They looked at each other for a moment in silence.

"I'm sorry." He said finally. She nodded her head in understanding.

"Thank you for everything. That you… you know. Have a good night." She said softly, without looking at him anymore, and disappeared behind the front door of her house.

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Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy

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dwellordream · 8 months

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female adultery in ASOIAF and why it's not akin to modern day cheating

frequently fans insist on treating adultery within the world of ASOIAF as it it were the same as modern day infidelity. this, of course, ignores the fact that most marriages among the nobility of Westeros are arranged.

this does not mean every marriage is miserable, of course, but there is significantly less emotional attachment between the couple beforehand, unless they have known one another since childhood.

with that said, fans quite often do use this argument in defense of adultery- not for wives, but for husbands. a frequent claim put out is that men like Rhaegar, for example, don't owe their wives any loyalty because the marriage was not their choice. while technically, yes, no one is mandated to love their spouse or to respect an inherently broken marriage system, this ignores the fact that a woman like Elia is not free to carry on an affair the way her husband would be. women's bodies and sexualities are far more policed than men's in Westeros.

even with her husband's permission to take a lover on the side, most women would face extreme social ostracization and scorn if they were found out to be having affairs. and especially for the wives of princes and kings, this carries the weight of treason, because it puts into question the parentage of any royal heirs. Elia could have been outright killed if she was found to have a lover, regardless of Rhaegar's personal feelings on the matter.

the vague exception to this rule would be in the case of a woman like Genna Lannister, who is considered to have been forced to marry 'beneath her station', to a Frey, and thus, the jokes and insinuations that she may be cheating on Emmon do not carry quite the same weight. yet even so, I doubt Genna Lannister would ever openly announce she had a lover or directly discuss having an affair with her husband.

to go back to my original point, I am far more interested in female adultery than male. this is primarily because one of the few ways most Westerosi noblewomen can fight back against a forced or arranged match, or against an abusive or neglectful husband, is to secretly pursue their own pleasure and ambitions with a lover.

that is not to say that I think cheating is moral in these situations, but it is certainly not the same as a modern day woman having a fling while her husband is oblivious. a woman like Cersei, for example, did not choose to marry Robert. she was initially happy to become queen, but she quickly became disillusioned with her marriage, and Robert proved an extremely abusive and contemptuous husband.

Cersei cannot divorce or leave Robert, and even if she attempted to, would likely lose all contact with her children. nor does her family support the idea of her ending her marriage. given these parameters, Cersei cheating on Robert is simply not the same as it would be in a modern AU.

similarly, Rhaenyra is often bashed by the fandom for likely carrying on an affair with Harwin Strong during her marriage to Laenor. while there is zero indication in F&B or HOTD that Laenor was ever abusive or cruel to Rhaenyra, we know she did not freely choose to marry him. while HOTD presents the match as something Rhaenyra accepts and tries to use to her advantage, in F&B, Rhaenyra initially strongly protests the marriage until her father threatens to disown her if she does not accept Laenor as a husband.

in F&B, Laenor and Rhaenyra's marriage is depicted as stable but distant. the couple does not spend much time together and while Laenor appears to have tolerated Rhaenyra's relationship with Harwin, and to have had his own lovers, he obviously expected Rhaenyra to still have children who would be publicly presented as his offspring.

outside of any arguments over Rhaenyra's actions during the Dance or her time as reigning Queen, was Rhaenyra wrong to pursue a relationship outside her marriage, and to claim the children from that relationship as legitimate? I don't think so. 'legitimacy' is a construct of the feudal system in ASOIAF. while this doesn't mean it doesn't cause real trauma and pain, both to children raised knowing they are bastards, children who are accused of being bastards, and women who are expected to silently tolerate their husbands potentially pitting their own children against one another, it is not, actually 'real'.

Rhaenyra's sons are still her sons. her sexuality and personal autonomy shouldn't, outside of the context of the story, actually be something she is judged on. so it is strange to me when people insist that Rhaenyra having an affair or claiming her sons as legitimate is openly tyrannical or malevolent. there is plenty to criticize her character on- much as there is plenty to criticize Cersei on- but choosing to defy the institutions around her is not one of those critiques that should be valid.

#valyrianscrolls

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gendrie · 3 months

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And no one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her father. (Arya, AGOT)

a notable aspect to arya's arc is her having to confront that the northerners, both stark men and their bannermen, are flawed and, frequently, of dubious loyalty. this issue is introduced very early on, in her second chapter, and it leaves arya reeling. she had an idealized perspective of these men, in particular, those who serve her father and eddard himself. arya is close with the stark household and admires her father. so arya is deeply disappointed when none of them prevent the injustices on the trident.

She might have been able to trick a Frey or one of the Brave Companions, but the Dreadfort men had served Roose Bolton their whole life, and they knew him better than she did. If I tell him I am Arya Stark and command him to stand aside . . . No, she dare not. He was a northman, but not a Winterfell man. He belonged to Roose Bolton. (Arya, ACOK)

in harrenhal she learns the (horrific) extent to which northern men will inflict harm themselves when the boltons take over the castle. they kill, rape and terrorize those within and arya is forced to watch it all. roose is one of robb's bannermen, but he is not worthy of trust nor are those who serve him and arya realizes this as she escapes the castle.

The look she gave him was full of hurt. "I thought you were my father's man." "Lord Eddard's dead, milady. I belong to the lightning lord now, and to my brothers." [...] He gave her a searching look. "Can you understand what I am telling you?" "Yes." That he was not Robb's man, she understood well enough. And that she was his captive. (Arya, ASOS)

and even men who formerly served at winterfell can find new leadership. harwin is someone arya knew since she was a little baby, but he is no longer a man of winterfell. arya is, understandably, resentful of being taken captive, but her dynamic with the brotherhood is layered. they do treat her well and want to do right by her despite their plan to ransom her. arya also accepts that they need resources to fund their mission. harwin shows that he still care for the starks by pleading with beric to revive catelyn.

She looked at their filthy hair and scraggly beards and reddened eyes, at their dry, cracked, bleeding lips. Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb's men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry. They all seemed to be looking at her, the living and the dead alike. The old man had squeezed three fingers out between the bars. "Water," he said, "water." (Arya, ASOS)

again, arya is forced to witness the crimes the northerners (and their allies) committed in the riverlands. the karstark men are being tortured to death for their crimes when arya rides thru the stoney sept. she does not look away, but instead she shows them mercy. arya gives each man one last drink of water before they are executed. this is something i feel embodies her responsibility as a stark: to show mercy but to see that justice is met

these are significant experiences for arya. its an extension of ned's advice to "know the men who follow you". arya needs to know the limitations, failings, loyalties and crimes of those who claim to serve house stark. whoever is going to lead the north cannot be ignorant of those nuances. this is the stuff of northern leadership.

#asoiaf nonsense #broken record post lol #but honestly?#if arya was a male character these experiences would NOT be taken for granted #she's overlooked for a position thats given to an offpage toddler and a character who's yet to interact with any northmen #make it make sense

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summonthebats · 1 month

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The Other Untenable Situation

The thing is House Hightower genuinely cannot afford to Not object to Rheanyra succeeding Viserys over his legitimate sons by Alicent. Pretty much no house could but the Hightowers in particular.

In general, the Andal, First Men and (based on Visenya the Conqueror being the eldest and her brothers consort) Valyrian custom is that sons inherit before daughters. To marry a noble woman and then effectively disinherit her sons is a huge violation of the social contract, as well as a huge insult to her house. To not object to that violently would indicate to their bannermen and their enemies that this house can’t or won’t defend its own, and that puts a massive target on their back.

Think Tytos Lannister. A house that won’t demand what it is due, and yes social custom does say the legitimate sons are due their fathers stuff before his daughters get a look in, is going to lose everything.

And House Hightower does soft power. They do Soft Power really, really well.

The Citadel, the Stary Sept and the giant lighthouse that is their castle are the base of this. They maintain it by diplomacy and respectable (by Westeros standards) behavior and trade and their word being good and overall adherence to the social expectations of the society they are in. The High Tower was siege proof before Bran the Builder was born, they have thousands of years of respect to lose and good conduct to uphold. The social contract is vital to them.

In Westeros this all includes murdering anyone who doesn’t keep their end of the bargain. AKA, the Frey justicication for the Red Wedding.

So when Viserys married Alicent without first stipulating that Rheanyra would remain his heir no matter what the deal this society understood to be made was that if she gave him sons they would inherited his throne. Alicent upheld their side, there is no Maegor and Ceryse grey area with the glaring absence of heirs here.

Then Viserys broke the deal. House Hightower must either enforce it or their position crumbles.

And then they die.

#house hightower #are playing soft power like whoa #but in westeros so the violence is always pending #viserys i targaryen #settting his eldest up for massive shit #and everyone else too of course #but really the Hightowers were the worst house to pull this with #hotd #the dance of dragons #anti viserys i targaryen #man has the political savy of a pot plant

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goodqueenaly · 7 months

Note

I'm rereading AFFC and wondering if you have any thoughts/speculation on why Gerold Dayne has such a dark reputation in Dorne. We see it in action of course with Myrcella but in Arianne's POV and her later conversations with Doran, it's clear that his reputation preceded that act and he's explicitly described as the most dangerous man in Dorne but without any real explanation of why exactly. What might a knight like Gerold do to earn a reputation like that, to be considered "poison" even by someone as bold as Oberyn?

I think this is where the failure of Gerold Dayne as a would-be badass (which, of course, was the author's own, unsuccessful intent) becomes most obvious. "Show, don't tell" does not have to be an absolute rule in writing, but as you correctly note, we are shown nothing of Gerold Dayne's backstory or prior actions and instead almost entirely told what to think about Gerold Dayne. The most we can say about Gerold prior to AFFC is that he was occasionally a sexual partner to Arianne - a description which in absolutely no way justifies denoting him as "the most dangerous of all her [i.e. Arianne's] little group of plotters" or, even more laughably, "the most dangerous man in Dorne". Yes, a character who is willing to start a war by mutilating, with the intent to kill, an adolescent girl is a pretty terrible person - but we have no context on why Gerold was the sort of person who would have done that, or why everyone reacted so uneasily to the danger he ostensibly presented.

Hopefully, the author has more in mind on what to do with Gerold in TWOW so that we can get a better sense of where Gerold actually gained the reputation the author so badly wants us to believe. Certainly, the author has created his share of characters whom we might call mad, bad, and dangerous to know, but I think it will depend on what sort of danger the author wants Gerold Dayne to represent. Is Gerold a highborn sadist in the vein of, say, Aerion or Joffrey, people who enjoyed the pain they could inflict with the power their positions provide? Is Gerold ruthlessly ambitious in the vein of, say, "Big" Walder Frey, born to (relatively) little aristocratic inheritance but willing to do anything and everything to get himself into a greater power position? Does Gerold believe himself justified in the vein of, say, the Shavepate, willing to shed blood, even the blood of children, in the name of his cause? Does Gerold think of himself as some nationalist hero for Dorne, or does he only care about whatever his personal end goal may be? Any or none of these could be true, but whatever the author does choose I think may impact how he demonstrates Gerold Dayne's (apparently) dangerous reputation.

#asoiaf meta #gerold dayne

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scifrey · 5 months

Text

NINE-TENTHS

by J.M. Frey

Cover Design by J.M. Frey

Cover Art by @seancefemme

About the Book

Twenty-four is one year too young for a quarter-life crisis, but hey, Colin's always been an overachiever. He's got a degree in Sustainable Tourism, which his family says he's wasting as a barista, an annoying anxiety disorder, and no freaking idea what to do with his life. The only thing going his way is the cute coffee shop regular, a homo draconis named Dav (who, in his humanshape, is a total hottie.) Still, it'd be easier if Dav didn't have a habit of accidentally setting things on fire when he's startled. Like the café kitchen.

When Dav breaks draconic taboo and volunteers as a replacement bean-roaster to apologize for the inferno meet-ugly, sparks really fly. Everything's finally happening for Colin, until he learns that hooking up with Dav means that under dragon law, Colin is absorbed into Dav's hoard.

Possession may be nine-tenths of the law, but becoming his boyfriend's property does not make this whole identity crisis thing easier. Especially now that Colin must navigate politics, paparazzi, and legal questions about his personhood. Colin's still angling for his Happily Ever After, but the growing scrutiny on his relationship with Dav threatens their budding romance. And if he's not careful, Colin's fight for agency may just destroy symbiotic human/dragon relationships worldwide.

Tropes:

#CoffeeShopAU #ForcedProximity #FriendsToLovers #Miscommunication #SecretRoyalty #ABODynamics (ish) #ContemporaryFantasy #Dragons #ShifterRomance #PosessiveRomance #SunshineAndGrumpy #MutualPining #SharedBraincell #TwoHalvesOfAWholeIdiot #MeetUgly

How To Read:

The first five chapters of the book will drop January 13th, 2024.

After that, chapters will drop every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

For now you can:

☕Shelve it on Wattpad when it drops (or now, if the link will let you), so it's in your library and you get update each time a new chapter is released.

☕Follow me on Wattpad, so you're alerted every time this, or any other story of mine, updates. (I'm currently serializing three different books at a time, and have chapters scheduled to drop nearly every day of the week until 2025!)

☕Sign up for my Newsletter to be reminded of the release date, and to stay abreast of any developments with the novel.

Is this book only on Wattpad?

For now, yes. I'm currently working with W by Wattpad Books to release a re-worked, spicier, version of my Watty-Award winning sapphic romance TIME AND TIDE.

I want them to pick this book up as well, especially since I really want to write the other two books in the series, so I'm trying to prove to them that I'm worth it.

In that case, this means centralizing all my lovely readers on their site, with the hope that you'll vote, comment, and recommend the heck out of it to your friends, so it gets lots of buzz.

Happy Reading!

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rkdhsdl · 9 months

Text

surprise!

word count: 592 gender neutral reader character(s): cassandra vole, daniel page, ivy warrington, lottie turner TW/CW: none writer's notes: dances around in circles like a maniac, anyway this is my 5th fic of today(my time) what is going on, anyway toodaloo enjoy i love yall (/o3o)/

background information: you try surprising your s/o by hiding near their dorm doors, keyword, try.

cassandra vole

she’s slightly startled at first.

first of all, she’s probably wondering why in the world you’re in her dorm room, waiting for her just so you could surprise her.

if you ask if she got surprised, she’ll haughtily say no, but if you continue asking(pestering) her, or become downcast, she’ll reluctantly say yes, because thats the partial truth.

she thinks to get you back but doing the same thing isn’t her style; and tries to come back at you with the help of the frey twins.

they failed

but the try was nice; you might want to teach her how to really startle someone, but don’t go too far or she might start to use it to her full power, or so she says.

she still says to be cautious of her roommates when when you come up with the idea to go into her dorm again.

daniel page

daniel refuses to say that he was startled in the slightest bit, he’s in denial.

there are hints that he did get surprised, but if you aren’t really observant, it’s difficult to tell.

his stubbornness continues even when you try everything you can to get the truth out from him; he will not budge.

he did get surprised a little; but he thinks it was adorable, and he can never admit that out loud.

he thinks that he should come back at you by using a potion, such as transforming into you, or a hair raising spell– he will someday, but not now.

daniel will never say his plans about surprising you back. he wants it to have the same effect, but what can he say? your glee is contagious, maybe he’ll do the same to you, hiding near the door and surprising you once you come in.

ivy warrington

ivy visibly jumps, you can tell by how her violet eyes shake slightly.

puts a hand on her chest and proceeds to breathe in and out.

bless her soul, and you come to her aid, patting her back. she’ll be fine, but your sudden appearance with a sharp shout did bring you the reaction you wanted, but now you can’t help but feel bad.

ivy doesn’t plan to come back at you(either that she forgot, or just doesn’t want to)

but if you do plan to ask her about different methods to surprise others, she puts in a lot of insight and ideas, brainstorming so you have many methods to choose from.

also evaluates some methods and provides you with the best one at times.

is she worried that you might use this method on her in the future? slightly, but you did promise her that you wouldn’t do it again… right?

lottie turner

lottie is focused on her sketchbook to really notice you popping from the door’s side.

until she does a split second later and decides that you and your antics became a new muse for her– you originally were, but you surprising her inspired her to draw you surprising people.

you are slightly disappointed that your attempt didn’t work, but seeing lottie happily sketching in her book, you can’t help but smile as you sit next to her, watching pencil strokes from a figure of you.

maybe your plan of surprising lottie failed, but maybe it wasn’t too bad; you did earn a happy lottie sketching on her sketchbook, humming songs.

mission failed successfully

overall, you do plan to surprise her again, but it might be difficult because mostly everything she sees– especially you– brings her motivation and inspiration to start a new sketch.

#hpma x reader #hpma #cassandra vole x reader #cassandra vole #daniel page x reader #daniel page #ivy warrington x reader #ivy warrington #lottie turner x reader #lottie turner

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mountttmase · 9 months

Text

A Mountain To Climb: The Sequel

Chapter Three

Note - chapter three already 😭 I can’t believe we’re here. Also if you want to be included in the tag list just let me know. I know I had one for the last series but I forgot to ask for this one 😂 but let me know what you think of this chapter 🩷

Pairing - Mason Mount × Reader

Word count - 3.1k

Warnings - series will contain fluff, smut and angst

Masterlist

‘So he hasn’t given you any details? Like at all?’

‘Nope, not a thing. Hence why I’m not sure what to wear’

It was the day of your date and you we’re currently on FaceTime to Freya so she could help you pick an outfit, however due to Masons lack of information about what was happening you were struggling.

‘What about jeans and a nice top? Can’t go wrong with jeans and a nice top’

‘I’ve never really understood what that means’ you told her, flicking through your wardrobe. ‘Like what’s constitutes a nice top? And are jeans not too casual?’

‘Honey, I wish I knew. You best be prepared for when I find my man cause I’m gonna be a mess I can feel it’

‘What do you mean? You’re the most sensible head I know’

‘Well yeah, when it comes to you I am cause I know what’s best for you. I quite clearly don’t know what’s best for me or I’d have my own brown eyed beauty’

‘Don’t talk about my man like that’ you laughed in mock offence, knowing she was joking but it made you a little smug knowing she thought Mason was attractive.

‘Well does he not have a friend for me? What about that one with the Prince Charming hair? Ben is it?’

‘That’s Ben, yes’ you laughed ‘but he’s got blue eyes’

‘Brown, blue, practically the same thing’ she waved you off but you geared yourself up as were about to break her heart.

‘Hate to break it to you, Frey. But Ben has a girlfriend now’

‘Of course he does. Just my luck’ she sighed, covering her face in her hands as she pretended to cry.

In the end you decided on some leather trousers and a short top. Heels felt a bit too dressy so you settled on trainers and with a final spin Freya gave you her nod of approval.

‘I’m loving the all black, it’s classy. And I think you fit the smart casual brief. How long till he’s here?’

‘Like 15 minutes’ you told her, a tidal wave of nerves settling in your tummy as the realisation hit you.

‘Please don’t tell me your nervous’ Freya laughed, watching you panic from the other side of the phone but you couldn’t respond as you were starting to freak out. ‘Come on love, it’s Mason. There’s nothing to be nervous about he adores you. You could be sat there all night with food stuck in your teeth and he’d still worship the ground you walked on’

‘That’s the thing though, it’s Mason. I haven’t felt like this about anyone else. Haven’t been on a proper grown up adult date ever like this is all a lot’

‘I bet as soon as you see him you’ll be fine, just stop getting worked up. You’ll ruin your makeup’

‘Just let me freak out a bit’ you laughed as you made sure you had everything in your bag until you heard a knock on the door. ‘That’s probably him. I should go’

‘So he comes to the door rather than texts you from the car? Old school, I like it’ she winked and you laughed as you picked up your phone and made your way to the door. ‘Have the best time, yeah? And wear protection!’ She shouted and you flipped her off before hanging up. After a few quick breaths you answered the door with a smile and the sight you were met with caused your heart to flutter.

There was Mason, dressed in the most adorable green jumper and black jeans and you smiled at the fact you didn’t feel too overdressed. But it was the way he was looking at you that made your head spin.

‘Hey, you all ready to go?’ He smiled and you nodded at him before locking the door up behind you and following him to the car. He opened up the door for you to get in but just before you had the chance he pulled you to him and brushed a little bit of hair out of your face. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah, why?’

‘Cause you haven’t looked at me in the eyes yet’ he laughed before cupping your jaw so you’d look at him. ‘Nervous?’

‘A little bit’ you laughed which caused him to look at you lovingly. ‘I’ve never been on a date like this before. It just feels massive for me after everything you know?’ you confessed and he gave you a gentle nod before kissing your nose and then gently kissing your lips and you felt yourself relax instantly.

‘You’re in safe hands with me. I promise’ he whispered, reassuring you a little bit before you got into his car.

‘So where are we going?

‘It’s a secret’ he winked and you shook your head playfully at him.

‘So you’ve been saying’ you laughed ‘I’ve been having a breakdown for days about what to wear’

‘Well you didn’t need to. You could of worn a rubbish bag and I wouldn’t of cared’ he told you before reaching for your hand and kissing the back of it. ‘But you look beautiful’ he murmured and you felt yourself go hot all over.

‘Well you don’t look too bad yourself’ you chuckled which caused him to laugh, his smile warning your heart in a way no one else’s could.

You were driving for about twenty minutes when he finally pulled into a random underground car park and you still had no idea where you were but the smile on Masons face reassured you everything was fine so you took his extended hand and followed him up and out onto the street.

‘So I thought long and hard about where to take you tonight. I didn’t wanna take you somewhere random so I’m taking you to a place that’s pretty special to me’ he told you, squeezing your hand lightly as you stopped in front of a cute Italian restaurant. ‘I come here all the time with my family, they sort of know us in here but I’ve never bought a girl before’ he laughed, looking down at you with a nervous smile. ‘We come here for birthdays and anniversaries. Wins, losses, you name it. I hope this is okay’

‘It’s perfect’ you smiled, reaching up to kiss the side of his nose gently to let him know he had nothing to worry about. If anything you loved that he was taking you somewhere that meant something rather somewhere generic.

‘Mason! Teddy said you’d be here, it’s so good to see you’ the hostess smiled as the pair of you walked in. She looked genuinely happy to see him and he kept hold of your hand as he lent over to give her a small hug.

‘Hi Dee. Yeah he said he’d sort me table out’

‘Of course. Although I was surprised when he told me it was for two’ she laughed, her kind eyes landing on you. ‘You must be y/n?’

‘Oh, yeah that’s me’ you told her, reaching out for her extended hand but you had no idea how she knew your name until you looked up to Masons pink cheeks.

‘Teddy made him tell us who you were. He never books a table for two’ she winked up at him before reaching for a couple of menus. ‘Come one then, I’ve got you the best table in the house’ she exclaimed before leading you through the restaurant, making small talk with Mason about his family and when she would see them next.

It was fairly unassuming from the outside but the inside was a whole other story. A huge skylight in the centre of the room with a massive chandelier hanging low enough that you could probably reach it. The decor felt classy but homely at the same time and the huge trees covered in fairy lights dotted around the place made it even more magical.

Dee took you over to table near the back, a round booth that Mason shuffled all the way over in so you were sat next to each other and you smiled up at him when you felt him place his hand on your thigh.

‘Is this alright?’ He whispered and you couldn’t help but lightly peck him on the lips.

‘It’s perfect, I love it’

You’d had your drink orders taken and you were just opening the food menu when you heard Masons name being shouted across the room. He quickly shuffled out from the table and you watched as a man in chefs whites approached and pulled Mason into a quick hug.

‘Hey Teddy, thanks for sorting this’

‘Don’t be silly, I told you anytime’ he laughed before his eyes landed on you. ‘So I take it this is y/n?’

‘Oh shit, yeah’ Mason laughed, the pair turning to look at you. ‘This is y/n. Y/n this is Teddy, he owns the place’

‘Nice to meet you’ you told him with a small wave as you watched as Teddy hit Mason on the back lightly almost as if he was congratulating him.

‘The pleasure is all mine. I always told Mason as soon as he meets his girl he needs to bring her here’

‘Well here she is’ Mason laughed and you felt yourself blush at his words.

‘Listen I need to get back, but let me know when you’re leaving yeah?’ He told Mason and they shared a quick goodbye before he was sliding in next to you.

‘So what do you fancy?’ He asked, opening your menu up so you could look together but the only thing that was jumping out to you were the prices. He caught on straight away and squeezed your thigh so you would look up at him and his kind eyes relaxed you. ‘I asked you out, so it’s my treat yeah?’

‘But you paid for McDonald’s’

‘And I’m paying for this’ he laughed, nodding his head back to the menu. ‘So pick what you want’

‘Will you help me?’ You asked and when the waitress came over he ended up ordering for you. You were happy he had because whenever he’d picked was delicious and you almost lost it when he fed you some of his, keeping up his eye contact as you took a bite off his fork.

‘Now I know you probably want dessert but i actually have somewhere else for us to go so we’ll have to skip it’ he told you once you were finished and you pouted up at him as he knew you liked to end your meals on something sweet. ‘Don’t worry, the night is still young’ he reassured you and once everything had been paid for and you’d said goodbye to Teddy and Dee, Mason started walking you down the road in the opposite direction of the car. You didn’t ask where you were going as you knew he wouldn’t tell you so you just walked with him until he stopped outside where you needed to be.

‘The cinema?’ You laughed as he led you in but it didn’t look like any one you’d ever been in before and when he took you into the screen your heart gave a thump. The seats you were used to in most cinemas had been replaced with comfy looking sofas and arm chairs and you were pleased to find he’d reserved you a sofa to share. Popcorn, chocolate buttons and a blue raspberry ice blast already sat waiting for you and you lent up to kiss him gently to thank him. ‘This is so cute Mase, thank you’ you laughed as you plonked down next to him, his arm making its way around you shoulders as he pulled you closer.

‘Well you said you’ve never been on a proper date so I thought I’d bring it back to basics. You can never go wrong with dinner and a movie’

‘Maybe after we could share a milkshake’ you teased with a wink and he shook his head whilst laughing.

‘You feeling better now?’

‘A bit yeah’

‘I can tell’ he whispered, bumping his nose against the side of your head before kissing your temple. ‘I love it when you get sassy’

‘Well you normally make me too nervous to be sassy’ you laughed, finally looking up into his smiling face. ‘But I’m having a really nice time’

‘I am too’ he whispered before dipping his head to kiss you gently. You wanted to kiss him deeper but you were aware of where you were and who you were with so you took what he gave you knowing you could hopefully get more from him later.

Thankfully there weren’t too many others in there with you and you took great pleasure in watching all the adverts and telling him what films you wanted him to take you to see next. You were so caught up you hadn’t even checked what film you were actually seeing, hoping he hadn’t picked something scary even though the thought of hiding in him was appealing. It looked like it was a mushy romcom though and you relaxed into him as he lightly kissed your neck.

He kept teasing you the whole way through, kissing any part of your skin he could reach and stroking his hands over your thighs and waist to the point you had to smack his hands away and tell him to concentrate on the movie as he was missing the best part. You also didn’t know how much more you could handle of him touching you without doing something about it.

He behaved for the rest of what was left, and you waited until everyone had gone until you made your way out so you could remain as inconspicuous as possible. The car park was pretty much empty when you got back and when he pushed you up against the door so he could kiss you properly you didn’t stop him this time.

You hadn’t really kissed him properly like this since that night at Bens, getting by on soft touches and pecks as you got comfortable with each other again but you’d been craving him like this for a while. His hands were in your hair as you gripped at his jumper, dragging him as close to you as possible before you felt his hands move over your waist and hips so he could grip your bum and as much as you wanted him you knew you shouldn’t be doing this here so you reluctantly pulled away. His forehead resting on yours as you both got your breath back before he looked at you a little shyly.

‘Sorry’ he laughed, kissing your nose as he ran his thumb under your bottom lip. ‘Got a bit carried away there. You ready to go?’

‘I suppose’ you huffed, not ready to leave him yet but you knew it was getting late and he had training in the morning so you slid into the seat when he opened the door for you. You weren’t far from home when he pulled into the McDonalds drive through he’d taken you in the week prior and you turned to him confused.

‘What? Thought you wanted to share a milkshake’ he winked at you before ordering one whilst you laughed besides him. He let you drink most of it on the way back to your flat but you made sure to let him have some too, holding the straw to his mouth so he could take a few sips but you told him you were too full for the rest and you left it for him to finish. He walked you up to your flat just like always and you turned to face him as soon as you got to the door.

‘Would you like to come in?’ You asked, and you watched the cheeky smirk take over his face as he nodded shyly.

‘I guess five minutes won’t hurt’ he told you before following you inside. ‘I’ve only ever really been in here once I think’

‘Oh yeah, you came to pick your charger up when I was hanging out my arse’

‘Seem like a lifetime ago’ he told you, perching on the arm of your sofa before you slipped yourself in between his legs, your hands resting on his shoulders as his rested on your waist so he could caress the skin of your tummy that was slightly on show. ‘I’m glad I’m here under different circumstances now’

‘Me too’ you laughed as you placed your lips to the bridge of his nose which caused him to scrunch it up adorably. ‘Thank you for tonight, I had a really nice time’

‘I did too’ he told you honestly, smiling up at you lovingly before you reached down to kiss him again. This time you were in the driving seat as you were a tiny bit taller than him since he was sitting down as you kissed him with as much feeling as you could before the pair of you were gasping for air. ‘I think it’s best I go’

‘Oh’ you breathed, trying not to let him see how disappointed you were but he could see right through you and how your mood had shifted instantly.

‘It’s not that I don’t want to, you know… I just don’t wanna rush things’ he explained, kissing your arm gently. ‘And I know if I stay here any longer I’ll never make it to training in the morning’ he laughed which made you smile a bit. ‘Ah there we go, that’s my favourite smile’ he teased which only caused you to laugh more as he pulled you into a hug. ‘We’ll see each other soon though yeah?’

‘Okay’ you nodded stepping back so he could stand before cupping your jaw so he could kiss you again and even though you were disappointed he wouldn’t be staying any longer you reminded yourself that this was technically your first date and you had all the time in the world. ‘Text me when you get home?’

‘Of course’ he whispered kissing you again before you walked him to the door. Once he was finally gone you made your way over to the window so you could wave him off like you always did and when he blew you a kiss you felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Tags: @chaotic-taco-collector-blog

Thank you so much for reading 😌 I’d really like some feedback so please feel free to drop me an ask or whatever you feel comfortable doing, I’d really love to hear from you 🩷

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hiatuswhore · 1 year

Text

♕ ℓαѕт σƒ σℓ∂ ναℓуяια

♕ A/N: I watches House of Dragons and LOVED it. So definitely had to find a way to incorporate it somehow. I just started writing for Game of Thrones so send me some requests! Also feedback is my motivator so please, please, please comment!

♕ SUMMARY: War is a game made for the clever and the ruthless, one without the other shall stumble and stammer. Stumbling and stammering has no place amongst the clever and ruthless. In war that can cost you your life. House Stark, known to be most honorable must find a way to navigate all that they do not know. Stumbling and stammering in the Lions Den.

♕ WORD COUNT: 2K

♕ WARNING: Season 3 Spoilers of GOT

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(Y/N) STANDS WITH HER HANDS CLASPED IN FRONT OF HER. Her perfect posture and gleaming smile blend seamlessly into the crowd of spectators. She breaks her gaze forward, scanning the room. An endless supply of false smiles, speaking honey from their tongues as they pour venom into their ears. Do their hearts beat as fiercely as my own? She inhales sharply, her father's hands taking her own with a light squeeze.

"You're trembling, my dear. The course of action you take determines the future of Westeros," Cassian towers over his daughter, an unwavering veil of ease as she stares down at her plate. He kisses the side of her head, muttering into her temple, "We will defeat our foes no matter your decision."

The chorus of clapping pulls both Balter's back into the moment. Guests jump at the opportunity to wish Lord Edmure and his new wife Roslin congratulations. (Y/n) and Cassian doing so courteously before returning to their table. The music and animated chatter fail to reach (Y/n) 's table. She picks at the fruits on her plate, her leg bouncing without pause beneath her.

"—striking your King is an act of treason," (Y/n) freezes as the King of the North and his wife laugh amongst themselves. She fails to block them out as they speak of names for their unborn child. Her gaze shifting from the back of Robb Stark's head to the watchful glances around the room.

"They're all watching me," (Y/n) mutters, fiddling with her plate as her father scans the room. Walder Frey guzzles wine restlessly, his eyes bouncing between (Y/n) and Lord Bolton. (Y/n) cautiously brushes her hand against her father's forearm, her voice barely above a whisper as she avoids his gaze, "Father, please, help me. I know not of what to do?"

"My sweet girl, we are at war. Our hand has been forced into a difficult situation, but if you are ever to command the Azgeda army, you must be able to weather any storm. I have done my part. Now you must do yours," Cassian sighs, turning to his glass. (Y/n) keeps her gaze low before squaring her shoulders, straightening her back as she brings her twitching leg to a halt. Her eyes glazing over as she lifts her head, Walder Frey narrows his eyes as they catch each other's gaze. She offers a half nod, watching as the fickle man does the same to a Frey standing a few feet to the right of her table. (Y/n) stands, smoothing out her dress before circling her table. She stops in front of Robb and Talisa Stark's table. In the corner of her eyes, she ignores the watchful eyes of Lord Bolton and Lady Stark.

"My Queen," (Y/n) curtsies with perfect precision as Talisa smiles sweetly, "Lady (Y/n)."

"Your grace, I apologize for the intrusion, but I carry time-sensitive information. Will you walk with me?" Robb's smile falters, his eyebrows furrowing as he scoots to the edge of his seat. (Y/n) swallows thickly as he turns to his wife, pecking her cheek before rising to his feet.

"Lady (Y/n)," He says, offering his arm. She smiles weakly, offering Talisa a final curtsy before taking his arm. "Have you enjoyed the festivities?"

"Yes, your grace, it appears Lord Edmure is not as apprehensive about this union as before," The two move in sync at a leisurely pace, following the wall toward the back of the hall. (Y/n) nods absentmindedly as Robb jokes about making a mistake in not marrying a Frey, her eyes on her father as they pass him.

"The Queen is very lovely, your grace. There is no mistaking the way you look at her," (Y/n) 's smile hides the screaming shame beneath the surface. "One can only hope to find a love match as such."

"You are quite lovely yourself, Lady (Y/n). You and your father have continued unrelenting loyalty to my family and cause. You have both been invaluable to me. I assure you when this is over, I will make certain you get that love match," He stops her, making certain to look her in the eyes as he holds a wide smile. (Y/n) breaks her gaze continuing their stroll, the announcement of the bedding ceremony filling her silence, "Time-sensitive information? Should we summon my advisors?"

"Not necessary and not here, my King. Back in Azgeda, we say the walls have ears. What I am to tell you is for the ears of the King in the North only. We will win this war, but I need you to trust me," Stopping short as a large group of Northerners carry Roslin out of the hall with Edmure struggling to tame the invasive hands of women leading him out of the hall. Robb frowns at her words, her face void of a tangible expression. Then, as the stampede of Northern wedding tradition disappears, a Frey soldier side steps both (Y/n) and Robb at the doors.

"Lord Frey is about to toast," The soft hum of Rains of Castamere fills the halls as Robb frowns, his eyes bounding between (Y/n) and the Frey soldier.

"I am aware, and we shall return long before the toast. I escort our King at Lord Frey's behest," The soldier mimics Robb's frown as (Y/n) swallows thickly, the window of opportunity closing rapidly. (Y/n) glances back to find her father speaking quietly with Lord Bolton and Frey. At the opening of the doors, (Y/n) pulls Robb left sharply, her pace hastening in the dimly lit corridor.

"What is happening?" (Y/n) reveals a cloak pulling it around Robb. She carefully covers his head before handing him a dagger. She ignores his barrage of questions as she leads him toward the main gate.

"Lady (Y/n). Are you not supposed to be at the proceedings? We are locking down soon," (Y/n) stops in her tracks, turning to the soldier with a half smile. She sidesteps Robb, who keeps his gaze down.

"I've grown weary. My father sent me with my guard. I am to return to the Azgeda stronghold south of here. Come morning, we'll be war heroes, I suppose," (Y/n) glances at the gates where several Frey soldiers rush around with weapons in hand. The man frowns, tilting his head to look past Her. As she lifts her chin, her smile falls from her lips, "I think you forget your place, soldier. A foot soldier interrogating a high-born Lady, the last descendant of Old Valyria. I imagine the consequences would be unspeakable."

"My apologies, milady. I meant no offense," His gaze drops to his feet as he steps to the side. She clasps her hands, marching past him with her head held high and Robb shuffling in tow. Then, out of earshot, she pauses, standing at the edge where the torchlight meets the darkness that consumes the tree line.

"Follow me," She does not wait for a response or spare Robb a single glance as she marches toward the woods. Robb watches her retreating form before glancing at the twins. He knows something is wrong, but a nag in his chest beckons him to follow the last descendant of Old Valyria. His journey toward the tree line is short, even as he shuffles carefully with the dagger she gave him in hand. She stands speaking with one of her father's generals when he discovers the handful of knights hidden in the Forest.

His furrowed eyebrows fall as he clenches his jaw with narrowed eyes. (Y/n) approaches with her hands clasped in front of her, "Your grace—"

"What is the meaning of this?" The sound of swords unsheathing nearly drowns out the low grumble of the young King's voice. One hand holds her neck as the other presses his dagger to her throat. She stands rigid as he glares daggers at her, ignoring her father's soldiers that surround him.

"Stand down," She calls out—not to Robb, to her men. Her gaze on Robb unrelenting, with a chilling calm painting her features. The valyrian steel sits cold against her throat as no one moves a muscle, "I am the Lady of Azgeda. The last house with ties to Old Valyria. Chosen by the gods. Your commander, in my father's absence, I said stand down!"

The sheathing of swords and her commands do little to stifle the indignation in Robb's eyes.

"The young wolf. You've won every battle but have made costly mistakes, your grace," (Y/n) squeezes her eyes shut as Robb backs her into a tree. The soldiers' cries in the distance fill the air as the Red Wedding begins. Robb glances toward the Twins before speaking in a low hum, "Get to a point."

"Walder Frey and Roose Bolton have betrayed you. This wedding is a farce, a slaughter. I was tasked with separating you from your wife. She is to be the first target," (Y/n) grits her teeth as the dagger draws blood, Robb's grip tightening on her throat. His hands tremble against her skin as his eyes well with realization.

"You left my pregnant wife and mother to be slaughtered?" He scoffs, yanking her from the tree and turning her toward the Twins, knife still at her throat. The cries quiet down, and in the distance, Azgeda soldiers march toward the blood bath.

"I had a choice tonight. Allow you to be slaughtered with your people, lose this war and accept a reward from my mother's murderers. Or save your life and use this treachery to our advantage. These seasoned soldiers with us now will march us to our stronghold not too far North as the rest of the army murderers the Freys and Boltons."

"Why shouldn't I slit your throat?" He whispers into the shell of her ear, her back pressed to his chest. Dagger still at her throat, she lets out a dry laugh.

"Because all of this would have been for nothing. My men will kill you, my father will bide his time and side with the Lannisters as he plots his revenge, and your sisters will remain captives. Frey and Bolton have given us an advantage. Right now, your men, mother, and wife lay dead. My father will present your mother's body and a mutilated man to the crown. The world will think you dead, and my father will demand my protection and army set up camp in Casterly Rock away from the North until things calm down. Then, while they lick their wounds and celebrate their victories—their treacheries, you will command the Azgeda army in their ancestral home. We will take Casterly Rock and paint Kings Landing with Lannister blood. But go ahead, slit my throat, end our family names, and will be written in history books as casualties of the Red Wedding. Fools who thought they could wage war against the crown," Another dry chuckle leaves her lips as she watches her army overwhelm the Twins. Tears leave her as she pictures a fate far worse than death, the Lannisters getting away with it all. If Walder Frey or Roose Bolton still breathe, they are undoubtedly aware of her and her father's betrayal.

Robb's grip on (Y/n) loosens before he drops it entirely. She steps back, turning away from the Twins as Robb's legs buckle beneath him. On his knees, his eyes focus on the Twins. A quiet sob leaves his lips as she wipes blood from her neck. Her sworn protector, Azgeda's general at her side, checking for wounds.

"Your grace. Lady (Y/n). We must leave soon in the coverage of night. The Lannister army is arriving in a few hours," Nodding her head, her gaze remains on Robb, who does not move a muscle. Reaching forward, (Y/n) pauses, studying Robb carefully before placing her hand on his arm. He yanks away from her violently before rising to his feet and stomping further into the woods. (Y/n) gesture for men to follow him.

"Are you okay, Lady (Y/n)?" Swallowing dryly, she nods, offering a half-hearted nod.

"Send word to prepare our ships. We sail for Casterly Rock in the coming weeks."

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catofadifferentcolor · 6 months

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Terrible Fic Idea #68: GOT, but make it bastards and broken things

Sometimes I have terrible fic ideas. Sometimes terrible fic ideas have me - such as this one, which crawled into my head the other day and has yet to let go. Mainly: what if Game of Thrones leaned into the cripples, bastards, and broken things motif?

Or: What if Tyrion Lannister and f!Jon Snow formed a marriage of convenience?

Aka: The Red Queen Fic

Just imagine it:

Everything happens as per canon, with two exceptions: 1) Lyanna Stark dies giving birth to a daughter whose "beauty matured as she grew older, and its was said that she was more beautiful at age seventy than at age seventeen" [x], who Ned named Rowena after Jon Arryn's second wife; and 2) The Greyjoy Rebellion takes place immediately before Robert heads north.

Things go slightly differently in the Greyjoy Rebellion. Everyone is a little older, reflexes are a little slower, and everyone has been on peacetime footing for just that much longer. Tywin Lannister dies in the fighting, with the Lord Paramountcy of the Westerlands falling to Tyrion. Theon Greyjoy dies alongside his brothers; his sister becomes Ned's ward instead.

Meanwhile, Jon Arryn has died of apparent old age back in King's Landing, so Robert choses to ride from war in the west straight to Winterfell, so Ned can wrap up a few things before being dragged back to the capitol as Hand. Tyrion is dragged along.

While there, Tyrion encounters awkward, angular, but strangely charismatic Rowena Snow in the library. They do not expect to hit it off, but they do, finding a genuine friendship and understanding in each other. It is not love, but it is enough.

As Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, Tyrion needs a bride - and he was already turned down by most of the eligible families of rank while he was still heir. So rather than trod a well-known path, he proposes marriage to Rowena, who is at least tolerable and believed to be the bastard of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne.

Rowena, realizing it's the best offer she'll ever get, agrees, and eventually convinces Ned to do so as well. After all, there's nothing a Lannister protects more fiercely than another lion.

Canon continues apace. Ned loses his head, war is declared, and Cersei can make very few open moves against her sister-in-law - who is, after all, a Lannister now - or Sansa - a hostage, yes, but under Rowena's protection. The latter still isn't having a good time, but at least she's not being beaten in open court. (Eventually Rowena does manage to get Sansa married off to Willas Tyrell, securing the Reach and her sister's safety.)

The Red Wedding happens, though it is planned entirely by the Freys and Cersei herself, who thinks Tyrion is too weak to do what must be done. No one is pleased.

The Purple Wedding happens. Tyrion and Rowena manage to avoid suspicion by missing the event entirely, the latter being confined to childbed as she labored with their first child, Joanna - though Cersei still tries to point fingers at them anyway. Few believe her.

Cersei's actions grow wilder while Tommen is king... to the point where Rowena and Tyrion realize if they don't act soon riots and revolts will act for them. So they stage a palace coup.

Tyrion, in addition to being Hand of the King, is Regent after the coup. He sits in the small council in the first of these roles and has Rowena sit in his place for the second. They manage to stabilize most of mainland Westeros - Tyrion strengthens ties with Dorne, despite the suspicious death of his niece; Rowena heads to the Vale, replaces Lysa Arryn and Littlefinger with Bronze Yohn, and sends Robert Arryn to be fostered with Sansa and Willas; forces loyal to Tyrion liberate Edmure Tully from the Twins and install him back in Riverrun - but the North and Iron Islands are still a mess when winter descends.

Margery dies of a winter sickness. Tommen goes mad with grief. He kills himself soon after... and Tyrion, his regent, is left as King of Westeros.

It should be a recipe for more revolts and uprisings - after all, it was bad enough a dwarf married to a bastard was Regent, let alone Hand of the King - but Westeros is tired of war. It's now the middle of the longest winter ever recorded, and rather than hoard food Tyrion does his best to distribute it evenly throughout the country. He makes concessions. He rules, allows widows and heiresses and young children to keep control of family estates, fills empty castles with good men rather than cronies, and generally acts like a decent king. It's a nice change of pace for a country so familiar with Targaryen drama.

Eventually word comes spilling out of the war-torn North about the Others. Rowena, being the fighter of the new royal couple, leads a force north and eventually defeats them, less through individual martial prowess than decent leadership and fresh troops

When Dany arrives after winter is over to stake her claim, few wish to join her. She harries Westeros from the Stepstones for a few years, but when she dies under suspicious circumstances - probably an assassination, but she had so many enemies at that point no one can say which got to her - her dragons take up residence on Dragonstone of their own accord, seemingly giving their allegiance to the new dynasty.

Bonuses include: 1) Later historians endlessly debating whether or not Tyrion was the bastard son of the Mad King. The evidence should be circumstantial but convincing and include his children's appearance. A few will try claiming Rowena was the daughter of a dragonseed - maybe even Rhaegar himself - but are less well received; 2) Rowena gaining her moniker Red Queen from her habit of wearing primarily Lannister Red after her marriage - and for occasionally becoming drenched in the blood of her enemies, as when removing Littlefinger from power in the Eyrie; 3) Tyrion and Rowena's marriage being one primarily of friendship. It should take at least a year - possibly closer to three - for them to feel genuine romantic love for each other. It should, however, be the ideal medieval noble marriage, filled with fondness and respect, even from the beginning; and 4) Cersei fading away into obscurity. She's never outright harmed or neglected or even strictly imprisoned, she merely retires to a strict motherhouse from which escape is unlikely if not impossible and fades from history. Her name, for all it is connected for four kings by blood and marriage, is largely forgotten by even those familiar with the time period in favor of Robert's first love, Lyanna, and Tyrion's reserved but unendlessly capable queen, Rowena.

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

More Terrible Fic Ideas

#plot bunny #fic ideas #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire #got #asoiaf #jon snow #female jon snow #jon snow is a targaryen #tyrion lannister #house stark #house lannister #house targaryen #marriage of convenience

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magicoldcottage · 4 months

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The 12 days of Yule

Looking to add more meaning to the season?

I think it's time we started to look back at our traditions from the past, and brought real meaning to the festivities rather than the commercialised mess that Christmas has become. The season was never about how many presents you got, how much money you could spend. It was about spirituality and family.

Below I run through the 12 days of Yule which started this year on the 21st Dec. I write this on boxing day which is 6th day of Yule if you are trying to find the current day.

When is Yule?

I've seen some confusion on posts of the date, this is natural as the date varies. The celebrations commence the day before the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Which does vary slightly from year to year. This year the shortest day is the 22nd, so Yule starts on the 21st.

What were the 12 days of the celebration.

On the first day of Yule, The day before that Winter Solstice. people honoured "The Mothers", the goddesses who watched over the family and the land. They offered them food and drink on Mother’s Night, and asked for their blessings for the coming year. If you don't follow the Mothers in any guise simply substitute for one you do as part of your practice. For more details on the mothers click here

On the second day of Yule, people celebrated the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. They lit candles, bonfires, and the Yule log to symbolize the return of the sun and the warmth of life. They also decorated evergreen trees with ornaments and gifts. To those of you who've had your tree up since october, yes decorating the tree was part of the festivities. As not everyone has the ability to burn a giant log so a candle lit to banish the dark is a great modern option.

On the third day of Yule, people honoured Odin, the god of wisdom, war, and magic. They left offerings of food and drink for him and his followers, the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession of spirits and animals that roamed the sky during the winter nights. They also told stories and poems about Odin and his adventures. It was a family day pulling everyone together to spend time telling tales and being close.

On the fourth day of Yule, people honoured Thor, the god of thunder, strength, and protection. They ate and drank in his name, and thanked him for his blessings. They also carved runes and amulets for protection and luck. If you don't fancy making Thors hammer amulets use this day to make something simple to act as protection for your family. For an easy option why not make my tripple goddess knot, only a length of string in needed, guild click here

On the fifth day of Yule, people honoured Frey, the god of fertility, prosperity, and peace. They exchanged gifts and tokens of love and friendship, and wished for a fruitful and prosperous year. They also made wreaths and garlands of mistletoe, holly, and ivy, which were sacred to Frey. Again making the Wreath was part of the festivities rather than something that you made in advance.

On the sixth day of Yule, people honoured Freya, the goddess of love, beauty, and magic. They celebrated with feasts, music, and dancing, and expressed their joy and gratitude for life. They also practiced divination and seidr, a form of shamanic magic that Freya taught to Odin. So Boxing day (as of 2023) is the day to break out your favourite divination tools and scry the future.

On the seventh day of Yule, people honoured Balder, the god of light, joy, and purity. They remembered his death and resurrection, and hoped for his return in the new world. They also played games and sports, and enjoyed the snow and ice. A great day to break out those new boardgames, invite people over who are getting bored and have a games night.

On the eighth day of Yule, people honoured Skadi, the goddess of winter, hunting, and skiing. They admired her beauty and strength, and respected her independence and justice. They also went hunting and skiing, and enjoyed the cold and the wilderness. Not everyone is going to enjoy a hunt, but getting out in nature to spend some time to appreciate the beauty of the world around us should be our target on this day.

On the ninth day of Yule, people honoured Ullr, the god of archery, skiing, and dueling. They praised his skill and courage, and challenged themselves and others to contests of honor and glory. They also made offerings of skis, bows, and arrows to Ullr. Although Monopoly in our house tends to turn into a blood sport, contents of strength should be slightly more energetic.

On the tenth day of Yule, people honoured Loki, the god of mischief, fire, and change. They laughed at his tricks and pranks, and acknowledged his role in the balance of the world. They also played jokes and riddles, and embraced the chaos and the change. Again draw together with friends or family and have some fun, even if its settling down for a good comedy film.

On the eleventh day of Yule, for the end of the year people honoured the ancestors, the spirits of the dead who lived on in the otherworld. They remembered their names and deeds, and honoured their legacy and wisdom. They also set a place for them at the table, and shared stories and memories with them. We have all lost someone who remains in our hearts. Use this day to remind yourself how they have touched your life. Pull out the old photographs, share their stories with those too young to remember them and keep them alive. Click here for my memory stones for those feeling crafty.

On the twelfth day of Yule, people honoured the Norns, the goddesses of fate who wove the threads of destiny. They reflected on the past, the present, and the future, and made resolutions and plans for the new year. They also burned the remains of the Yule log, and scattered the ashes for good luck. This day normally falls around the new year and the tradition lives on as "New Year Resolutions". Don't aim for the impossible, practical resolutions are far easier to stick to.

For more ideas of things to make or do, click here for my masterpost.

#magic #witchcraft #witchblr #pagan #grimoire #yule #crafting #christmas #festive

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