The year is 286 AC. King Jaehaerys II has just passed, leaving the throne without a rightful ruler. While his three children fight for the crown, Winter creeps closer, and unimaginable darkness looms.
Not all alliances will be so typical this time. In fact, many people have a crucial effect on the way this story is told. As for the ending, we only hope there are enough people left alive to tell it after its passed.
Events
Join us for our first event, the wake of recently deceased King Jaehaerys II.
Updates
AUG. 19: So we are now officially open to the public. We have a mini-event flashback thread going on, and our main event just began. Feel free to make a second canon if you can keep both of them active enough.
Don't hesitate in pestering staff with questions; it's what we're here for! Let's raise a glass and make a cheer toward a successful launch of Winds of Winter.
Post by alayne baratheon on Jun 27, 2015 11:14:41 GMT
@tagged
###
notes
i'm only after success don't need a relationship
There was no mistaking it. Most ladies were going to be certainly indoor persons. Walking in the corridors of the Red Keep, Alayne was a tall figure cut in the smoothness of her dress. Her hair was neatly arranged into a tidy bun made from her braid, and her quiver of bow and arrow visible from her back, as she walked her way across the corridor. what had they said of the baratheon girl? slim, slender, and pretty - but armed with a tremendous will. dark eyes scanned for any people in the corridors, and she continued walking. Maybe she could use a visit to the library, but firstly, what was the intent of her purpose in here?
Grimness was in her features. A visit to the Red Keep had been out of curiosity; she needed ideas for her game plan. Ten and eight, she knew marriage was highly viable but she did not seek in the expectations of the genders that cornered her within the walls of the norms of gender. The shadow of death did not hang near. She was a woman and she knew it; her heart did not bother to embrace the softness associated with her gender. The Storm Lady would do well to embrace her role as a woman and yet the tendency lay between her, torn by the line of her desires and her mind.
When did it seem right to just do her duty? Truth be told, Alayne knew the limits she was born with but it did not bother her. Her father loved her; she loved her father. Her father had groomed her mind, she had thirsted for his approval. After all, House Baratheon was known for their brawn and it was refreshing to see their father a man much known for the play of his cyvasse board than the fury that came with their House words.
Ladies. What did she really feel about her own peers? Some girls could be - Yet her mind could not bare to fathom the sentence. She could not stand decrying her own gender. For in itself, she'd decry and pull down herself. For she was female, head to toe. Nothing could change that.
Rainy days in the keep were no fun. Back in Storm’s End, she had been the one staying in the dry while she’d watched a Baratheon spar in the rain. But here in the Keep it would just be too weird to be playing out in the rain. It wasn’t even that strong a rain, yet most people still stayed indoors anyway. And that meant she would be bored again. It had been days since she had arrived here and she still had not gotten around to doing what she had come for. The Hand was busy, she had not even seen that person. And they had apparently called upon people from many great houses. By now she was quite convinced that there was more to it than just a little bureaucracy, but who was she to guess that?
Vanessa sighed audibly, her breath leaving small marks on the glass of the window she was looking out of. She sat on the windowsill, yet with enough property to not seem entirely weird, and watched the water dance in the air outside. None of the people that she had talked to before were here at the moment and most of the newcomers had seemed weird. She really needed to find someone to brag about too, before she would go home again. Just not now. She was not searching right now. Yet she was in that mood where she was pretty much hoping for someone to come find her, sitting in her dark blue dress, with her hair let down all the way.
Post by alayne baratheon on Jun 28, 2015 9:27:52 GMT
@vanessa
---
music: i am the best
i'm only after success don't need a relationship
Then there it was, a prey. A pretty figure, slender with dark hair, sitting in the corner. Judging by the looks of the woman, her breath visible in the glass, eyes watching the dancing of the water outside, this was a highborn girl, no doubt. Rich and pretty. Her hair was dark, and she looked to be roughly around Alayne's age, give or take. So what game did this one want to play? Game or no game? What was this girl even doing here? She seemed... out of it. Alayne rolled her eyes, stern, the dryness of her humor clinging to her like the stench of perfume. "Good.... day. What brings some pretty highborn like yourself here to the Red Keep?" Her voice was clear, colored by the stoic amusement of an onlooker. Never let it be said that power belonged to the man who said he was king. Power was held, grasped. Projected. She smiled at the highborn girl, fingers patting the wood of the bow on her back. "I'm pretty damn sure you're not from around here. You're highborn, I'm highborn. You know... There's something dangerous..."
She craned her head to lift her chin, confident, then twisted her neck. Her hair flipped along with her. Her. Me."There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenaged girls. What do you think? My name's Alayne. Alayne Baratheon of the Stormlands. Lord Daemon Baratheon's daughter. What is your name, sweetheart?"
Love. Sweetheart. Smoothness was a thing. She had yet to be personally affectionate. In this case, this was just a matter of being able to hit the mark with the girl.
Post by VANESSA ARRYN on Jun 29, 2015 12:03:36 GMT
Well, that was a new one. A female chatting her up. So far, that kind of stuff had been limited to males to be honest. Vanessa did not strictly speaking mind it, but she was moderately surprised when she turned and gazed at a pretty lady. For some reason, she had a bow on her back but that was something Nessa didn’t mind. She was under the protection of hospitality, after all. She did arch a brow at the other’s name though. Was that one of Alayne’s sisters? It sure sounded like that. Why hadn’t she seen her at Storm’s End, though? Well, maybe she had been too preoccupied with the eldest to notice this one. A sleigh that she immediately decided to rectify.
“Your name sounds a lot like your sister’s. I have met her just a few days ago at Storm’s End, mayhap I simply missed you back then? In either event, I am Vanessa, firstborn of the house Arryn. It is a pleasure to meet you, dear. Are you just as much a waiting deer here as I am?” Her voice was a bit stern but mostly gentle, betraying her upbringing. She did give the girl a smile while talking, though.
Post by alayne baratheon on Jun 29, 2015 14:59:59 GMT
@vanessa
---
music: i am the best
i'm only after success don't need a relationship
The Arryn had replied, stern but with the gentleness as expected of Southern ladies. Arryns were regal in their bearing. Was this one a fierce falcon? Or a gentle little falcon? It did not bade well with the doe to look at the Arryn like that. Maybe, this one had steel. Silk hiding steel. A pretty face and a prettier brand of steel underneath it. "well if you failed to meet me in storm's end, then that's perfectly understandable." her reply was sharp, blunt. her voice was laced with authority, every bit of the powerful leader she was capable of. "i usually spend my days in the stormlands reading, or riding. it's nice to meet your acquaintance, lady vanessa. me, i beg to differ all the way. i can wait, if i choose to, but it's not in my nature to just sit there and wait. i prefer to take things in my own hands."
her own ideals, if time was kind and lady vanessa was nice, maybe she could try her luck with her. the arryns were rich; they had a good army. alliances were transactions. this one was as good as any transaction.
"the pleasure is not yours. rather, it is mine, love," drawled the doe, her eyes shining. another drop of her rare charm and chicanery dripped into her manner. authority. chicanery. the power of voice and delivery. who else could master it but her? "you're very charming."
Post by VANESSA ARRYN on Jun 30, 2015 23:49:02 GMT
“Ah, that explains things just a bit. I did not spend much time in the library during my visit. I was mostly around your sister, watching her train and stuff. But I regret not having explored the halls more, since I could have met a nice person earlier,” she replied before laughing softly. Then she nonchalantly pushed herself off of the seat so she could look the other woman in the eyes more easily. She looked pretty, but she really should rather let her hair down.
“however, I have to deny you right back. The pleasure is also mine, so I fear we will have to share it dear. And no, there are no negotiations about this. However, if you really want to, I can show you something else that might please you instead,” she replied, moving a stray hair out of her face before stretching slightly. She had no shame doing that, everyone got a little cramped after sitting around for too long, after all. “But I don’t think I have been all that charming so far. Unless you would call being a decent person very charming. You will notice it when I actually try to be charming though, honey.”
Post by alayne baratheon on Jul 1, 2015 9:55:44 GMT
IT'LL BE HELD AGAINST YOU
IF HEAVEN'S GRIEF
BRINGS HELL'S RAIN, THEN I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I KNOW YOU'RE BAD NEWS. JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I WANNA TEACH YOU A LESSON IN THE WORST KIND OF WAY. STILL, I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY
Whose fault was it she found boys disgusting? This girl was not disgusting by any measure. No, Alayne corrected herself. Vanessa Arryn, she told herself. So this one wanted to present some kind of challenge. This one would not be an easy catch. She was the little falcon; Alayne was the doe, running after the prey for the sake of candor. So she actually had something to show Alayne? Alayne was fine. So far, nothing really close to being impressed.
She harbored high standards after all; a stag knew his own fury. Father had made sure of that. The keenness of her eye and the clarity of her voice and rhetoric had been trained after all. Playfulness and danger together, mixing them in speech was a tricky maneuver. Why not enjoy it? The doe had little patience for bullshit, but there was nothing wrong with patting herself on the back and occasionally being cryptic.
"Dear, you are a thousand times more charming than I ever will be. Take a look at the mirror. I am sure you will agree with me. Don't you think so?"
The doe had stepped closer. She patted Vanessa's shoulder, skin meeting soft cloth. Nice cloth, noted the doe. Not disappointing, given the economic power the Eyrie had. The Stormlands had average army power and average wealth but on her own, the doe was determined to push her family into political advancement.
"I am an unfortunate girl who has ruined her disposition entirely with archery. And you are a perfectly good girl. Me against you. You will be a more favorable bride than I will be." She fingered a strand of the Arryn's hair, then let it go.
Wow, this was the most straightforward highborn girl she had ever met. If someone had watched them, this much could cause rumours already. Fortunately, no one was currently around, but a stray servant seeing one young lady go through another’s hair like that and someone might have something to tarnish their reputations on hand. Vanessa really hoped that her parents would find someone in Dorne for her, it would be much easier to have fun there. As it was, they better exercised some caution.
Still, the archery comment got her to laugh. “And I practiced both archery and swordplay a bit. There is no disposition to lose as long as you do not neglect other areas. Unless, of course, you mean things like these.” And with that, she would swiftly catch the hand that had taken her hand, figuring that it was the dominant one. There, she would feel in a little, to find those traces that only extended archery training could leave. “I guess it mars good skin a little, but I personally find it more alluring when one has skills like these. By the way, why don’t we find another spot? I fear people might come by after dinner.”
Post by alayne baratheon on Jul 2, 2015 2:24:39 GMT
IT'LL BE HELD AGAINST YOU
IF HEAVEN'S GRIEF
BRINGS HELL'S RAIN, THEN I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I KNOW YOU'RE BAD NEWS. JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I WANNA TEACH YOU A LESSON IN THE WORST KIND OF WAY. STILL, I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY
No one would see it anyway. Alayne did admit to her father boys were the grossest things on the planet. Girls... Girls were okay, she guessed. Not that she could hit on one. If Vanessa Arryn seriously thought Alayne was flirting with her, then she was wrong. Alayne was...bantering for a bit, so to say. Trying to grasp at straws in making decent conversation. Make or break her relationship with the Arryns.
The sudden skin-to-skin contact made Alayne a bit nervous, but she held her composure. She ran patrols on the Stormlands. Why be scared of the touch of another girl? She preferred things on her own preference. This was amusing. If her father found a match for her in Dorne... It could be a one-way ticket to freedom. If the guy would worship the ground she walked on... Hmm... And gift her food trips.
The invitation was pretty sensible. The Baratheon sighed in relief, and gently pushed away the Arryn's hand away.
"Of course you are right, dear," conceded the Baratheon. High possibility that people would spot them.. "Do you know any better spots? I live my privacy," she admitted.
“Hmm, actually yeah, I know a nice one. The princess has showed it to me a while ago,” Vanessa noted before trying to grasp the hand that she had just scrutinized and lead the girl away. Night was coming fast and there was rain, but the princess had showed her a towaer that barely anyone used, which Saerysa had lined up with a few furs to make it more comfortable. It was a spot designed for people who wanted to be alone at the busiest point of the world, so it would fit their needs nicely.
“So what did bring you out today? In that hall there were neither archery targets nor books to read, so you must have had another objective. Did your parents or siblings come with you? I think most houses are currently distracted with that Riverlands tournament, whatever that might be about. Poor prince had chosen a bad time to call people together, didn’t he?” She still had not had the audience that she had been waiting for and by now she was confused who had actually called for her. The hand was obviously too busy and she had met the prince. He did not seem very business-like to her at all.
Post by alayne baratheon on Jul 3, 2015 7:37:06 GMT
IT'LL BE HELD AGAINST YOU
IF HEAVEN'S GRIEF
BRINGS HELL'S RAIN, THEN I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I KNOW YOU'RE BAD NEWS. JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I WANNA TEACH YOU A LESSON IN THE WORST KIND OF WAY. STILL, I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY
“Darling, you’re a sharp one,” so mused the Baratheon. Her gaze snapped back to the Arryn. Gently, she pushed away the skin contact. So this one could read her somehow? Well, that was nice. She frowned, sober and solemn, for this was her nature. The sleigh of hand, the drop of the dice. One slip and she could be dead. She met her new acquaintance’s gaze, her eyes sharp and clear. Why share her past? The only thing they shared was the view. Diamonds on the floor, no one took that. The fall of the dice, the currency of politics, it was this. The vanishing of the sun, then the moon, the moon would come soon. What did you want me to say? The Arryn wanted some revelation, some kind of resolution. Did she really want to get it right? Alayne could not bare her deepest secrets to someone like her now. For that, she would give away so much things. She could. But she would not. She didn’t want to risk it. To pin her heart on such a thing demanded too much. The acorn had fallen, and what was left was to risk every thing she had thrown on the path to get here.
It was only the beginning. “Depends, really, based on the kind of person you are. Darling, I’m very bad at understanding political workings, I am afraid.” Her voice did not shake, her tone honest. Where was the lie? Where was her chicanery? Her currency was gold, her words golden. Why trade her newfound devotions for this? She would slither here, cover her head, head in hand, and paint things blue. Yet this girl… She could see Alayne for what she was. A heady oddball in the Stormlands. Someone who had a few mars in her skin, from her habit of training.
“I came here alone. I wanted to make friends, you know. I wanted to go around, buying food from stalls and finding good meat here in King’s Landing. Really, all I wanted to do was eat.” Her tone was serious, and she was working it nicely. Food was the cover. Partial reasoning be damned. “I like to eat meat, you see. I wanted to have the food all to myself.” The doe found herself bellowing in her laughter, her amusement. Bitter. A bitter taste in her mouth. What the fuck?
“If my father came here and he wanted me around, I’d come here. I told you already. I am here for the food. I am here to amuse myself. Nothing like being hedonistic occasionally.”
“Or so I have heard,” she replied with a laugh. But it was not entirely in jest. She was sharp indeed, sharp enough to notice that someone here was evading her question somewhat. Plus she did not believe that any Baratheon daughter could really be dim witted in this regards, especially not a well-read one. No, she sure must have had some education. No one would send a daughter alone here without any, especially when there was a certain older sister available. But she was not going to pry, at least not now.
Instead, she led the girl to the stairs and took the lead upwards. “This is not necessarily the best place to make friends, you know? At least those that you actually plan on trusting eventually. Though I guess now would be the best time, given how many visitors from all around Westeros are here.” It was true, aside from Saeryse and maybe her brother she had not yet found someone who really seemed fully trustworthy, at least among the locals. She figured that at least half the servants were spying for one person or another. But what else to expect from a place that had a designated master of whisperers? It didn’t matter though, since up here in this comfortable refuge there was no one who could listen. She opened the door to let the other in.
“The princess showed me this recluse. I don’t think anyone will disturb us here or overhear what we have to say. So maybe you could tell me what you really want in this city~.” It was a stab in the blue of course, that’s why she said it almost jokingly. But hey, maybe it would work.
Post by alayne baratheon on Jul 5, 2015 11:36:17 GMT
IT'LL BE HELD AGAINST YOU
IF HEAVEN'S GRIEF
BRINGS HELL'S RAIN, THEN I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I KNOW YOU'RE BAD NEWS. JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I WANNA TEACH YOU A LESSON IN THE WORST KIND OF WAY. STILL, I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY
So now they were all alone. Alayne didn't like being pried on; she itched to be out of sight. Yet this falcon had given her her greatest wish - to slip out into the unknown. Yet the greatest currency that Alayne wanted was not something the falcon could easily give her. The doe could always outrun the mighty falcon, snare the rose and brave all the thorns in its green stem. The power of position only gave a higher price for watchers. The Targaryens rarely said anything of the Baratheons, and so did the Lannisters.
Lord Daemon, Alayne's own father, painted himself as weak. That cane, his bending. He masked the political calculus he was truly capable of. He could outrun a lion. He had a cold fury he reserved for his enemies. It seemed pretty plain now why the falcon was sharp. Even the falcon realized the depth of danger this position was in.
To trust in a falcon. Would that be wrong? No, it was not. Every move she made here was a small part of the cyvasse board called Westeros. She had faked the bit about being so stupid about politics. Her, of all people.
"Questions first, then, Arryn." So softly, the dutiful doe's voice was a glide of the wind, yet the sharp edge of her subtext remained. "What makes the falcon think that the doe can easily trust the falcon? If you want to trust me so bad, then you be careful."
Why dodge the question? She could easily put it all to a stop. That'd be reckless, however. Violence was not the answer.
She paused.
"Give me a good answer, Arryn. Disappoint me not. If you do not disappoint the stag, I'm sure she'll give you the answers to your questions."
“Gee, you really like these animal motifs, don’t you?” She was not dodging the question too much here; this was just the most important thing to her at that moment. To find out why exactly the girl wsas so fixated at that. Once more, Vanessa would simply take the other’s hand and guide her over to the window. Rain was still dancing behind the glass, but they till had one of the best views in the city from here. “Look out. It is not ‘a’ stag and ‘a’ falcon enjoying this view, it is you and it is me. We both know that the other is much more than what their animal would suggest, so please, Lady Alayne, you should refer to me by name as well. It means acknowledging me as another human being, after all, not a chesspiece.”
And with that said, she would let her go again and instead let herself sink into the cushions and pillows that had been stashed in this room, giving her a comfortable position. “And that is simply because I would want to trust you, and why you could trust me. Because I have a feeling that both of use are more than just our family name. It is important too, of course, just like any family, but we are our own people, are we not?”
Post by alayne baratheon on Jul 9, 2015 2:39:06 GMT
IT'LL BE HELD AGAINST YOU
IF HEAVEN'S GRIEF
BRINGS HELL'S RAIN, THEN I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I KNOW YOU'RE BAD NEWS. JUST ONE YESTERDAY. I WANNA TEACH YOU A LESSON IN THE WORST KIND OF WAY. STILL, I'D TRADE ALL MY TOMORROWS FOR JUST ONE YESTERDAY
Alayne let her lips curve. This girl was too nice, was she? If she was a man, she wouldn't hesitate to literally make a potential proposal. This girl would not fail whoever married her. She would be good counsel. Sweet. A sweet girl who didn't deserve any of the dirt that King's Landing imparted anyway. The Arryn had no reservations.
She was honest. Perhaps Alayne could trust that. She couldn't just fucking expect on someone? Expect me, expect me. The phrase rang in her head. Oh, Seven. What would she do? Hmm. What did circumstances even dictate? She had little tolerance for any bullshit at all.
"Okay, I'll concede then," began the Baratheon girl. "I do see you as human. Well, that's a relief, you know. At the end of the day, we might be pieces but it's up to us to make the choice. There are players, there are pieces and the best way to play sometimes is to let the moves work against you and you work with it. I am my own woman, Lady Vanessa. Not some doll for any suitors of mine to fondle, grope or stare at. I do live for myself, and I work to ensure my interests are being catered to."
She took a seat, by the window. Once again, she resumed eye contact with the Arryn.
"That does not mean, that I will not enjoy myself. Lady Vanessa Arryn, I want you to give me your trust. I will be your friend. Are you going to accept my offer? I can give you more, you know."
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Rainy days in the keep were no fun. Back in Storm’s End, she had been the one staying in the dry while she’d watched a Baratheon spar in the rain. But here in the Keep it would just be too weird to be playing out in the rain. It wasn’t even that strong a rain, yet most people still stayed indoors anyway. And that meant she would be bored again. It had been days since she had arrived here and she still had not gotten around to doing what she had come for. The Hand was busy, she had not even seen that person. And they had apparently called upon people from many great houses. By now she was quite convinced that there was more to it than just a little bureaucracy, but who was she to guess that?