For a moment Relena’s eyebrows pulled upwards as she gazed to the side. Even if a courtship when badly, it often didn’t mean much, at least not for a woman, if she was told by her father that she was ought to marry someone, even if that someone had proven to be a fool, what was she ought to do?
“To some…”, the dark haired woman mumbled, her gaze roaming through the room, when Viserys talked about hard work being involved in a courtship.. “And some enjoy it.”, she added after a brief moment. After all there had to be at least a few men who enjoyed writing letters and poems, otherwise why would there be so many? Also, it was one of the few appropriate ways for a lord and a lady to spend time together. “I don’t think so. Courtship had tradition and charm, flirting on the other hand… I simply believe that there had to be a reason why a proper courtship is the preferred conduct between men and women in our circles.”
“You forget that as royalty we often don’t get much choice in who we marry. It’s already arranged. Father would have wanted myself and Daenerys to marry but my brother….I should be married by now and yet I haven’t heard a word of anything. Perhaps I should try courtship. Seek it out myself.” Viserys voiced his thoughts, now truly thinking on the idea of courting and doing so seriously instead of flirting when it seemed to lead to nothing.
“What is with you and being right all the time?” He asked, chuckling softly as he shook his head, his silver curls following the movement. “You’ve been here a while, is there anyone you’d consider courting? Surely there must be a Lord or knight that’s caught your fancy” He asked as he pushed his back away from the column to near her as if she was going to tell him a deep dark secret.
“Then how have you thought about courtship so far?”, Relena questioned, emerald eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the silver haired man, wondering what had been going on in his head so far when someone mentioned the act of courtship. “I am certain there are.” After all courtship was one of the few joys women had in this world and sadly what came after was rarely as pleasant, perhaps that was one of the reason why most women insisted upon being swept of their feet, even if they themselves had no say in who would get their hand in the end.
“Ah, well…” Viserys started, gathering his thoughts together under the scrutinizing eye of the dark haired Baratheon. “From everything I’ve known it’s just you talk, write a letter and hope everything goes well. You hope that it’ll be a good match and it’s more unnerving than being arranged to marry someone. You don’t want to ruin the courtship, not if she’d be a good match.”
Viserys struggled to find the right words at first, taking pauses to find them before he started to find himself agreeing with Relena’s previous words. “Courtship is quite a lot of hardwork…but I guess in the end, that means that the marriage will be better.” He shrugged before he looked back at where they had come from “With flirting you get a clearer glimpse of a person and what their intentions are. Surely flirting and courtship could go hand in hand.” Viserys suggested, leaning up against one of the hallways columns.
“That is how courtship is ought to happen, is it not?”, Relena replied, black eyebrows rising slightly as she replied to Viserys. “And the amount of effort one puts into the courtship allows you to know how much they actually care, which in my opinion is far better than a few blunt words.”
His face changed from one of questioning and slight judgement to one that was blank and he stared at her dumbfounded. “I never thought about it that way before.” He’d never found a problem with flirting and thought little of courtship. “Thank you, you’ve given me a new perspective. Maybe I’ll give courtship a try sometime, I can only assume there are many other ladies who share your sentiment”
“I suppose” Viserys offered as he glanced up at the ceiling for a moment to think on her words before returning his gaze to the woman before him. “It may be a tad too forward but I’d rather not be kept in the dark about affections. Wouldn’t you? Or would you prefer more tact and a letter sent to you in flowerly words?”
“And you would lose all safety and security from any houses if you came with me. I hate that you are with him Meryll. But least this way I get paid, paid more than I’ve had in a while and you are..safe…”
He wouldn’t admit it but he feared what would happen if she and he ran. They’d be looking over their shoulder every minute and he didn’t want that for her. He cared about her too much, more than he’d admit. He wanted her, but he cared so much for her that he would give up his own happiness so she could be safe.
“Would you really want to be on the run? Would you honestly be content with me? Not just as a friend and a lover… Meryll…I can’t give you what that Lannister can.”
The host from Riverrun would be leaving before the week was out, and she’d be staying behind. She was the Lady of Winterfell- Brandon’s wife after so long. “I know my uncle well enough to be certain he’s threatened you within an inch of your life if you displease me. He’s offered to stay and make sure you behave yourself.” Brynden for one had said as much to her before the ceremony. After all this time he was still none too happy with both of his nieces being so far away. “Father’s probably said something just as bad.”
“Not yet, not really.” Even northerners had to insist on a bedding. It wouldn’t be a real marriage until then. “You’ve barely kissed me.” Truth be told they’d gotten up to more onver the past three weeks than they had since ceremony a few hours before. No one had left them alone there’d been too many congratulations and comments about what was to come.
“That’s how I want to be found by your bannermen, bloody sheets and half stripped.” she scoffed. To be fair she’d be more than half stripped by those same bannermen in a few hours time for the proper bedding. As right as this all felt, as much as she wanted to take him up to bed the the prospect of a bedding petrified her.
“Oh has he?” Brandon asked chuckling at the thought of Brynden staying longer in Winterfell. “He’ll find himself utterly bored.” Brandon commented before the talk turned to the wedding ceremony. “Should I kiss you?” He asked before leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her cheek and than another on her lips, a little less chaste and more passionate. “How many more shall I give you until My Lady Stark is content?” Brandon looked at Cat with a smirk on his face as he pulled away. “Is it? I don’t suppose your Uncle or Father would like that very much. “ His nose wrinkled up just a bit as he spoke. He himself wasn’t worried about the bedding, having bedded a few woman before Cat but he had known how maidens had worried about their first time and he placed two hands on her shoulders. Rubbing them just enough to reassure her. “You’ll be okay. I won’t hurt you. Least, I’ll try my best to make it….pleasurable.”
He had been expecting a feeling of warmth to wash over him as Roberts sword found its was into his chest, he expected to see his wife and children, anyone he had known in his life but as darkness clouded his vision he found nothing. His thoughts and feelings were mo more and Rhaegar Targaryen ceased to be no more.
That was until there was a spark and he felt his soul being pulled, yanked away from the once comforted feeling of nothingness and back towards the light to being again. Memories and basic functions were coming back slowly as he felt his soul realign with his body. He felt his skin burn and for a moment Rahegar wondered if this was it. He had passed some judgement test and would wake in the afterlife. But he heard an unfamiliar voice and his foggy mind went to the Seven. “The Mother…?” He mummered as he thought the voice to belong to the motherly aspect of the Seven. But as he woke further and looked at the woman, he gave her a warm half smile. Of course The Mother would take form in his very own mother. In Rhaella. “Mother, Rhaella…I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you or Viserys. I should have been. But-” His voice was low and there was a bitter sadness that came out between words as he tried not to cough, inhaling the smoke that was still around him. “I-wasn’t.”
Yet, there was something about this woman and the longer he looked at her that more he found himself noticing differences. Just enough to make him see that it wasn’t Rhaella and Rhaegar sat up, feeling the weight of his armor, intact and as if Robert hadn’t laid the killing blow on him. He had died. But everything here felt to real, smelt to real and looked to real. This wasn’t the afterlife at all, his indigo eyes looked around and he was bewildered. Why was he in the Dragonpit in Kings Landing? He should have been far away, far from here, fighting at the Trident.
He stumbled upright, getting his bearings as he reached for his sword. “Who are you?!” The Prince of Dragonstone demanded as he unsheathed his sword and held it out, pointing it at the woman who wore nothing on her. Why had he been brought here? Was this another test from the Gods? It had to be. “Why have you brought me here?”
Hi loves, I’ve been thinking about it and I need to write a quick PSA about writing with me because I’ve been giving myself unnecessary anxiety. I treat my writing partners the way I’d like them to treat me. I’m not gonna bug you about replying–i get it life is rough, or perhaps you have a muse that is louder at the moment or maybe even you’re just not feeling it right now. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. Please, take your time. However, I’m still going to tag you in things that remind me of your muse/our thread/our ship. And every now and then I’m going to leave you things in your inbox from my muse to remind you that I’m still interested/enjoying writing with you. There’s no pressure to reply to any of it. It’s just that I know I get anxiety or feel like the worst person on the planet when I haven’t replied to something in what my brain considers to be a decent amount of time and it’s my way of expressing that I’m still thinking about you and my muse and I are here whenever you want to continue our thread or want to drop and plot something new!
you’re my writing partner and i love you (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Goldnwulf 