𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛

“      you   think   too   highly   of   me.      ”     celtigar   speaks   and   it's   an   attestment   to   how   different   he   is   with   her   than   others   (   or   perhaps   more   to   the   misplaced   belief   she   seems   to   have   in   him   as   a   result   )   -   that   she   thinks   such   a   thing.   he   is   no   gentleman,   not   in   the   way   she   speaks   of.   “    and   it's   rather   unfortunate,     ”    he   continues   in   agreement,   though   thoughts   linger   in   the   truth   of   the   events   so   often   unfolding   in   the   dark   walks   of   the   keep.   “      but   perhaps   one   day   it   will   be   so.     ”    his   arm   is   offered   to   maiden,     “      until   then,   shall   we   ?       ”

" oh , only when it comes to our friendship. i do have some idea of what a scoundrel you are with others. " she teases him lightly , soft smile accompanying her words. if anything , it only made him more endearing to her , to be treated so kindly by someone who may not be held in such high regard by others. " i hope so. it'd be a much nicer world , don't you think ? " though she is well aware that he was entirely correct in his own observations , and that she could hardly blame anyone for having such thoughts about a lord and lady alone. fingers gently curl around his arm , smiling up at him. " we shall. "

never  in  a  million  years  would  gysella  have  imagined  herself  living  the  life  she  had  right  now  .  the  red  keep  was  a  mere  fairytale  she  had  heard  of  as  a  child  ,  never  really  believing  it  existed  until  she  step  foot  in  it  .  funny  how  the  fates  were  ,  gysella  thought  as  she  glanced  at  her  reflection  in  the  mirror  ,  from  shivering  in  the  cold  on  a  fishing  vessel  to  make  ends  meet  to  being  dressed  by  servants  to  attend  this  lavish  party  for  her  majesty  .  her  gaze  trailed  to  helios'  reflection  ,  the  corner  of  her  lips  tugging  as  eyes  meet  .  "  is  it  too  much  ?  "  gysella  glanced  over  her  shoulder  .  "  i  could  give  these  noble  ladies  a  run  for  their  money  ,  "  she  chuckled  as  she  turned  back  to  her  reflection  ,  running  her  hands  through  the  delicate  fabric  of  her  dress  .  "  now  ,  would  you  make  haste  and  help  me  fasten  my  dress  ?  we  musn't  keep  the  queen  waiting  ,  "  teasing  her  husband  .  "  ━━  and  no  funny  business  ,  you  .  i  want  no  creases  on  my  dress  .  "

there was not a day that past that helios regretted his marriage. it had never been something that he'd wanted when he became a man , always thinking of things like suffocation and iron chains whenever he thought of it. it had felt like conforming to the needs of society rather than the needs of himself. then he had met gysella and she had warped his view on such things , warped it enough that he knew that he could commit to her as a salt wife at the very least. stepping into her space , he stills entirely at the sight of her in the mirror , the dress she'd chosen accenting every curve of her body , every plane that he had spent hours upon hours memorizing. " gods , you are the most perfect creature to ever walk this earth. " his hands find her waist , tugging her against his bdy as he ducked his head to press a lingering kiss to her cheek. " i can't believe you would ask me to fasten it rather than the other way around. king's landing truly has changed us , sweetheart. " he teased in return , lightly slapping her thigh before doing as she asked. " the nobility won't know what to with such a beauty walking among them. "

         [           open to those attending the queen's banquet           ] 

she is more than a little pleased over which gathering she had ended up at. hunting was not in her nature , often wincing her way through it during times when her uncle had implored her to go. she held a theory that stags were sacred to her bloodline , precious. a representation of her house. it felt like a sin to hunt such a creature. and gambling , well , she had a terrible poke face even if she did enjoy a game of cards. thus , when the princess asks her such a question , the truth comes easily. " yes , very much so. the queen holds such lovely banquets , it is an honour to attend. " it was much more her style. voice lowers , lips pulling into a smile. " besides , i don't particularly enjoy hunting and i am horrible at bridge. "

      ebony hues and curled locks of identical hue are a sight greeted with warm welcome, perhaps the prince's sole salvation in this vast, woeful sea of wretchedness. there is little aehrys has not, nor shall not tolerate from the greyjoy. " let us cease our concern for my expression. " he mutters bitingly, syllables lilted and thick with the excessive consequence of saccharine westerosi whiskey, and plucks the chalice from the fingers of his companion to lift it to his own mouth instead, keen to savour the scorching sensation. " y'done ogling at the open cleavages? i must get out of here. " aehrys then declares with a rather keen impatience, desirous for the mirthful companionship of his lifelong comrade over the boastful festivities, arranged by the children of the gilded dragoness herself, opulent and exorbitant. he spins, makes a rather ungraceful exit of the hall of revelry, through this dense throng of people, and heads for his own chambers through the lengthy passageways within the large castle. " helios ... " the prince begins, digits combing through pearly locks, a heaviness tugging on his words, chest feverish with ale, " fuck. let's leave for essos this very night. lys, perhaps. " he passes a gold-framed portrait of a silver-headed woman that is displayed with pride upon a stone wall, eyes deeper hue of his own, her countenance resolute, clad in crimson. daenerys, perhaps? or visenya? he bears no concern. " what say you? ".

there is an ever present smirk on his features at his friend's annoyance , though it quickly dissipates when the prince steals his drink. " do learn to take a joke , dear friend. you are letting the dragons and the other sad saps of this keep get to you. " he replaces his goblet within moments , swallowing down the ale that he so often indulged in. it always made a party even more enjoyable than it usually was , always heightening the level of depravity and joy in the air. " i am never done ogling cleavages , especially when my wife tells me i'm not allowed to touch her until everyone here has seen her lest i crease her dress. for you , though , i suppose i can make the sacrifice. " he sighs , watching his friend turn before he grabs the whole bottle of ale from the servant and following his dearest friend. he is unsurprised by the way his mood can flip from jovial to brooding in a moment , all too used to his antics as aehrys is to his own. "and risk your mother's wrath for abandoning her festivities and your brother's wedding ? tempting. " he admits , the thought of pissing off the holy queen an entertaining one. " i say that running away to lys is not going to help get rid of that rosy bride they found for you. "

"  a  little  bit  ,  "  aerina  replied  meekly  .  they  were  far  more  grand  ,  too  grand  that  it  would  put  the  targaryen's  gathering  to  shame  but  they  need  not  know  that  .  "  they  have  their  similarities  and  differences  but  parties  are  still  parties  at  the  end  of  the  day  ,  would  you  not  agree  ?  "  the  princess  smiled  .  "  i  am  still  acquainting  myself  to  westerosi  customs  .  the  dances  are  fascinating  !  do  you  dance  yourself  ,  lady  jaide  ?  you  must  teach  me.  "

sitting there beside the princess , she tries to imagine what it would be like. she's been told plenty of the lands across the narrow sea, knowing that it was certainly different from what she was used to in the stormlands. " that is very true , i believe. all parties seem to have the same people , the dancing , and the lemon cakes that everyone seeks out. " she smiled in return , a quiet laugh leaving her. " i do love to dance , very much. i'd be very pleased to be the one to teach you. "

“      are   we   all   so   transparent,      lord   helios   ?      i   hadn't   realized   you   knew   many   tyrells.     ”   words   said   in   jest,   for   he   is   right   -   in   more   ways   than   one.   long   proclaimed   rose   of   the   reach   would   far   rather   be   found   within   the   greenery   than   surrounded   by   the   judgement   of   the   court.      “      you   are   correct,      though   -   save   for   my   mother.      the   gardens   have   always   irritated   her   senses.      perhaps   one   needs   to   be   a   tyrell   by   birth   not   by   name   to   share   the   appreciation.     ”

" i'm an excellent judge of character , ros. what can i say ? not to fret , though. you'll always be my favourite tyrell. " he flashes pearly whites at the maiden , always thinking himself far more intelligent than he had any reason to. he can not blame her for being drawn here rather than staying up in the keep. he'd had half a mind to go down to the docks and taken someone's boat for a spin around the harbour , himself. " funny , i thought all people from the reach loved flowers more than most. "

hidden  in  the  shadows,  only  flickers  of  candlelight  accentuate  strong  cheekbones  ⸻  caught  in  conversation  with  some  old  ruling  lord,  zoned  out  of  the  conversation  as  all  rhaeys  picks  up  is  daughter  and  dishonor.  his  mind  does  not  heed  to  the  words  —  if  whatever  is  alluded  to  is  true,  golden  -  haired  targaryen  will  slither  his  way  out  like  the  deviant  he  is.  relief  overtakes  body  as  mother's  master  of  laws  seeks  him  out,  saving  crown  prince  from  more  stern  talks  from  an  overbearing  father  whose  daughter  he  might  have  slept  with.  lips  part,  white  shark  teeth  pressing  together  in  smile  but  they  do  not  reach  his  eyes  -  not  genuine  but  when  has  it  ever  looked  heartfelt.  "  perhaps  you  should  ask  her  that  yourself,  my  lord.  i  dare  not  speak  for  her  grace  the  queen.  "  simple  words,  deflection  but  the  smart  choice  -  strategically.

there was a reason that he had decided to stay in the capital and make the crownlands his new home. he had faith in his queen , liked the way that she headed his council and thought him a man that held the law above all else. he had liked that , but he liked the future he could see far more. he liked the demeanour of his prince , the way that the dragon always seemed to know the right things to say , politically or otherwise. he liked the future that he could see in him , but more than that , tharion liked the possibilities that it could create for him. " i will when people stop swarming her long enough for me to get a word in. " hand raises his goblet to his lips , sipping at the dornish red before sliding his gaze back to the prince. " may i be so bold to assume you were not enjoying it quite so much before i saved you from that conversation ? "

she knew better than to mouth off; voice her honest opinion over the night's festivities. lady velaryon currently on her best behavior as she offers an insincere smile and pleasantries. since it was the only way to play the game as she's been repeatedly told by her elder brother. the snow haired beauty having to swallow her pride more than she'd like to this evening. araceli on the verge of finding the nearest body of water to purge herself of such falsehoods; valyrian blood fueled by a mix of indignation and restlessness, unsure of how to calm the sensation other than stepping foot on the sea's shores. or better yet, sail away in her embrace altogether. she begrudgingly pulls herself from her reverie and laughs when spoken to. ❝why yes, the only thing that could make this better is seeing a dragon in the flesh.❞ been there, done that.

he masks the way the thought of the dragons disgusts him wholly. they were awful creatures , creating destruction the last time that they were free to roam this world. he was a godless man , faking his faith whenever it benefitted him in front of his queen , but he did not blame the gods the way his queen does for the tragedy that killed his grandparents. he blamed those scaly , awful creatures. " now wouldn't that be something ? " he comments quietly as if it would be an interesting sight to behold rather than a disgrace. " perhaps you should take a ship to the west and search for one. "

“      you'd   risk   being   seen   alone   with   me,      my   lady   ?     ”      she   has   no   need   to   fear   he   attempt   anything   that   might   dishonor   her   -   not   her,      never   her   -   though   their   solitude   in   the   gardens   could   be   perceived   as   such.      “      come   now,      jaide   -   what   might   our   families   say   ?     ”      his   own   would   take   it   as   an   opportunity   -   her   own   ...   he's   not   so   sure.      “      no,      perish   the   thought   -   i   know   just   the   balcony   that   might   be   perfect   to   view   the   meteors   from.      i'm   enjoying   them   thus   far,      but   we'll   enjoy   the   festivities   even   better   from   there.     ”

" only because i have faith in how much of a gentleman you are , my lord. " though her face does flush at the implication he makes , and stupidity takes hold in her feelings for not having considered it before speaking. " at times , i do hate the way our society works. the fact that i can't even walk with a friend without it being seen in a suspicious nature is an awful thing. " though she knows that he's entirely right in the matter , can hear her uncle's voice in the back of her head disapproving. " the balcony it is , then. "

the princess smiled brightly as visage of their lady in waiting came into view . no matter who her heart belonged to within it there would always be places for her family and jaide . " my darling , i would love nothing more , " they said with a giggle as golden curls bounced with giddish movements as they walked arm and arm with the baratheon born . " i made sure that all of our favorite treats were made along with mother's , " hela took no notice of looks and bows from people she passed , their full attention was on jaide . " i feel terrible for barely speaking with you all evening but you must tell me everything . have you danced ? please tell me you've danced , " their lady was too fair not to be swept off to the dance floor .

there's a warmth that fills her at the sight of helaena by her side , an ease overtaking her in their presence as it always does. jaide is often quiet by nature , more reserved and happy to keep to herself when she can. but around helaena , it always brought her out of her shell. " all of them ? there are some very good benefits of you being a princess , you know. " she giggled , leaning into their side as they made their way through the crowd. " please , you needn't feel bad about that , you're one of the hosts of the evening. and i did dance with one of the tarly lords. " she grinned wide , a light blush coating her cheeks at the thought. " tell me that you are having a good time. "