By the Old Gods

The Dornish Ball had been interesting, of course Robin had arrived later than his siblings but their hosts had been made aware of that. He had wanted to finish  a few matters back in the Vale before making the great descent from the Eyrie. This was the first time Robin had left the Vale in a great time, and his first time here in the Dornish Kingdom, and it seemed everything that was said about it was true. It was a den of indulgence, and hedonism. People were showing far too much skin, and allowing those that they governed to see them in such states of debauchery was insulting. Rather than going with the suggested gold, Robin was still glad in his Arryn blues. Blue was after all a far superior color to gold, blue was what colored the sky, the ocean, and many of the prettiest flowers of Westeros.

As the night began to go on Robin couldn’t help but notice members of the Lannister side of things disappearing. Secret meetings? Dorne was loyal to the Iron Throne. This could have all been some elaborate ruse to take hostages and force the Independent Kingdoms to re-swear their fealty to the Iron Throne. Robin would die before allowing such a thing, he had taken quite  a bit of his time to convince their father it was the right thing to do, and he would not allow the Vale to succumb under pressure. Rubbing his chin, he reflected to himself for a few moments before turning to the person next to him, it was off the cuff for him, but he thought the other was probably well drunk now and would be easier to probe.

“What do you think the Iron Throne’s endgame is? What is it looking to get out of this whole summit? Complete unity again? Or something else? I think they have something up their sleeves. I don’t trust them, and I don’t trust this summit. Something about it all feels….off.”

rosa was doing her best to hold her head up high. word had spread quick around the ball about what had happened, not that she was surprised there. new gossip always seemed to fly across the room before you could stop it. and she was sure there was plenty of false information being spread around. but that was for another night to fix, after all that happened with her brothers she just couldn’t think of that now. but rosa was thankful seeing alys approaching. but despite her talking, rosa was quick to switch to signing since she did not wish for anyone to overhear he conversation. “you have nothing to apologize for. it’s only the faults of those men…” she signed. “my brother rian is madder than i think i have ever seen him before.”

“Good,” Alys signed back. “I would help him if I thought he needed it.” Alys could not imagine the pain Rosa was going though. The pressure she felt was much different. She did not have a whole kingdom’s weight on her shoulders. Alys had already saved and sent her family enough coin to keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives. It did not matter if she married or did anything more than this. “Is there anything I can do? I must admit my social knowledge does not cover things like this. If I was back home, I would be able to give them a swift kick and make sure they really felt it.” She hoped her words would at least help Rosa to realize people around her cared about her. “Whatever you need.”  

Alys had been away from Rosa when everything happened. She often got overwhelmed in crowds, always nervous that she was going to make a wrong move. But now, she knew she had to act. She heard the gossip quickly, moving to try and find her mistress. She found her after a few moments, her heart breaking as she saw her. She approached her carefully, not wanting to scare her. “Rosa....I am so sorry.” She put her hand out should the other woman want to take it. “They are cruel, cruel men. I have no doubt your brothers will make sure they pay.” 

—   “YES, I REMEMBER YOU WELL…  you speak with your hands like that  brawny blacksmith clegane does sometimes.    the princess arryn must be the dainty head of red curls he was — uh, conversing? with.”    vida smiled;  “pleased to meet you, alys.  my name is vida, i’m a… travelling herbalist of sorts,” she chuckled.   “i have hired a stall in the dornish marketplace, which i think is where we first crossed paths.”

“Conversing, yes. It is another form of language. It is not common for those who do not need it. But for those that do, it can be their only way to communicate.” She nodded her head, remembering the woman once she mentioned the market. “I do remember you. I apologize. I do not believe I got your name. Your herbs were very useful and I thank you for your work.” 

“It must have been difficult for the Reeds to let you go, but I am glad Rosa gets to enjoy the benefits of having you around to aid her,” she commented kindly. “You know, she actually taught me a few signs. I have always been fascinated by language, but before I met Rosa then I never thought of wordless language.” Rhaena had spent countless hours learning Valyrian and Dothraki, she had actually looked forward to her lessons as a child. “When I am old and bedbound, I hope to study it more.” The music continued and the dancers kept gliding across the floor. “How did you learn to interpret? You… studied it?” She was always a little awkward around those who came from a more humble background. Did they have access to books? She genuinely did not know. 

“The Reeds were always kind to me. Lady Reed all but packed my things for me to go to the Vale.” She couldn’t help the smile on her face. It had been hard to leave her family but the trust the Reeds had shown in her gave her the confidence to move on to, in the words of Lord Reed, an opportunity to further herself that she had earned. “Should you wish to learn more, I am happy to show you whatever you would like.” At the question of how she learned her skills, Alys shook her head. “I did not study, no. My family....I was the only one who could hear. My mother was born that way and my father was a blacksmith from an early age. He lost his hearing around the time he met my mother. My siblings inherited my mother’s illness while I did not. It was around my first name day when a neighbor noticed I could hear.” 

    —   “I THINK… THAT THE LADY MALLISTER MIGHT BE MY FAVOURITE, PERSONALLY.   SHE SEEMS TO HAVE GONE TO DORNISH TAILORS and i think it’s quite nice considering it’s a dornish celebration,”   a light shrug of her thin shoulders, but vida was still smiling.   “ah, i would think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity — how often are people like us going to be present and able to attend a celebration like this again?”

“I do not know if it will ever happen again. It’s a blessing from the Gods that I’m here at all.” She could have easily died or been killed when she was younger. But she was strong, her family had always told her yet. It seemed the other woman was not a noble and there was no reason not to make friends. “I am Alys Black. Handmaid to Princess Arryn.” 

cassana’s eyes was fixated on a gentleman across the party who seemed to be jumping from lady to lady asking for dance. some said yes and now most were shooing away the somewhat irritating man, who was getting more and more desperate. “gods….i bet you two pieces that the next group turns him down again” cass said quietly to the person next to her, a slightly smirk at the thought. though suddenly her eyes got wide as he began wandering towards them. “oh shit.”

Alys looked towards the man the woman next to her seemed to be talking about. She wasn’t sure what to make of most of the men at the party. If her true position and family lineage was known, she doubted many would speak to her. Once she realized he was coming towards him she turned. “Just follow my lead,” she said softly, hands moving as she spoke. “Say something back and just move your hands around. Pretend you’re trying to use your hands to explain what you’re saying.” 

Rhaena smiled softly as she mulled over the woman’s words. While she usually enjoyed nights of festivities, she also sometimes despaired having to participate when all she really wanted to do was curl up in bed with a book. She felt bad taking them for granted, but they had been a part of her entire life, first as a princess then as queen. “Life works in mysterious ways, but I am glad you get to experience this,” she said sincerely despite not being able to relate. “Everyone deserves a luxurious night of fun once in a while.” Her gaze fixed upon the dancing couples again as she thought about other conversation topics other than Rosa. “You hail from the North, do you not?” the queen asked curiously. “Remind me again how you ended up in the employ of the Arryns.”

“I am, Your Grace.” She took a careful sip of her wine, not wanting to make a fool of herself just yet. “I used to work for Lord Reed of Greywater Watch. Or well, his sister. She lost her hearing and as I could interpret, Lord Reed hired me. The Arryns learned of me for Rosa after many years with the Reeds. Lady Reed was a kind woman who told me to go. The Arryns are a wonderful employer and I know my family is truly safe. And I get to speak to you and travel to places such as this. It....it is not something I thought I would be able to do.” 

       —   “WELL, THAT WAS CERTAINLY A SHOW WASN’T IT?” vida said, clapping along with the crowds as the competitors, swathed in gold, began to exit the raised platform to await the decision of who would claim the title.    “i think the lady caerella targaryen or niyah of shadows will be the winners,  perhaps the lannister king will take the other title.   i don’t think i’ve ever seen so many women and a few select men BLUSH that hard in my life.   not that i could blame them…   this competition seems crafted to make the viewers a little hot under the collar,”  she grinned.

“It was rather intense,” she said with a smile, taking a small sip of the wine in. her hand. She was cautious of how much she drank. It was new to her. Or at least somewhat new. “Though I do think Rosa did look lovely.” She would always be biased towards her employer. “I applaud all of them. I am not sure if I could do what they are doing.” 

“miss? are you alright?” quickly he realized that she wasn’t just some drunk party-goer who had a little bit too much, something else was wrong. giving a quick instruction to the guard with him to grab some water and cloth, he hurried over to her side. “miss? can you hear me? miss?” he said touching her face gently. the speedy guard made it back and will was able to get a cool cloth on the girl’s head. “oh come on wake up.”

Alys wasn’t sure how she ended up on the ground. The next thing she knew, she heard someone near her and felt a cool cloth on her head. She opened her eyes slowly as she tried to see who was there with her. All she could really tell was that it was a man. “Forgive me, my lord,” she said softly, struggling to sit up. “I think the heat has gotten to me.” She wasn’t able to fully sit up, gently moving back down to the ground. 

starter / the midsummer ball / @alys-black·

She had seen Rosa be plucked out from the crowd by a handsome knight. She grinned to herself as they began dancing among the twirling couples. Her lady-in-waiting would certainly be blushing crimson, but the darkness of the night and the flickering flames would most likely hide it. She recognised the fair-haired woman who was standing watching Rosa as well. The queen grabbed another goblet of wine and made her way over to her friend’s handmaiden. “Are you enjoying the evening, Alys?” Rhaena asked with a kind smile. They did not often speak, but they have had some conversations due to Alys’ position. 

Alys gave a nod as Rosa danced off, signing for her to relax before letting herself fall back to the edge of the crowd. She didn’t let the other woman out of her sight, needing to be close by should she need her. Hearing someone next to her caused her to jump, curtsying to the queen before she spoke. “It is a lovely gathering, Your Grace,” she said with a smile. “I never thought I would be at something this grand.”

    midsummer ball;    @alys-black·

     “EXCUSE me, miss?   why do you keep moving your hands like that?”  neridia finally asked,  having observed her  for the better part of five or so minutes.  she’d never seen anything quite like it before… it was odd, but so fluid.  like her hands were dancing almost.

Alys jumped when she heard the voice in front of her. She was not used to people speaking to her when she was speaking with her hands. She bowed her head before speaking. “I am an interpreter,” she said softly. Her speaking voice was never that loud unless she truly thought about it. “For those who cannot hear. I tell them with my hands what is being said.” 

“Of course not. Rosa is a dear friend and companion. That is the extent of our relationship.” 

“I fear I do not know enough men to pick one. If someone would want to marry me, I would hope it would be someone who was able to help my family. That is what is more important to me.”