ɢʟᴏʀʏ / 𝖌𝖔𝖗𝖊

                        Even in the harsh winter Marina’s sun kissed skin glowed in comparison with the grim walls of Winterfell, long caramel tresses curled down her back in perfect intricate braids and her small frame was kept warm by tick layers of fur she began to discard as she entered her chambers. Tired swollen belly comes to light, her kids had finally settled down for the afternoon after a long day out, but the moment her grey eyes meet those of her husband she wished perhaps they had stayed out a while longer. It was saddening to think she had turn fear and heartbreak into affection and care for the man she had once dreaded marrying, years of happiness and a few children latter a piece of paper had turned everything sour and everything they worked for seemed to have gone out the nearest window. Marina had turned cold and unwelcoming at best, avoided him as much as possible, even her current pregnancy had been nothing but a slip of judgement on her part. She paused and stiffened when her name rolled of his lips, her rage hit her chest with fury but she remained quiet as he spoke, slowly moving once again. “I am afraid I find myself uninterested with not only what others think of our marriage due to our current location and situation, as well as with the whole ordeal altogether.” Knowing the beating heart of the one shadow that slowly killed her marriage was under the very same roof did not helped neither of them. She refused to look at him as she kept getting undone for the day. “There is far more pressing matters at hand.” 

            WEATHERED  HANDS  RUN  DOWN  A  FATIGUED  EXPRESSION  ;  over  dark  eyes  ,  a  sea  of  tragedy  with  specs  of  green  ,  shipwrecks  of  the  past  which  had  DROWNED  in  waves  of  desire  ,  over  the  slope  of  his  nose  ,  that  nuzzled  the  neck  of  his  wife  and  lingered  over  the  neck  of  his  LOVER  ,  over  his  wine-stained  lips  which  had  pressed  upon  almost  every  part  of  marina’s  body  whilst  wishing  it  was  another’s  .  he  was  a  HORRIBLE  man  ,  truly  rotten  at  the  core  .  he  always  knew  that  his  heart’s  truest  desires  will  eventually  come  out  to  light  ,  he  just  didn’t  realise  he  would  feel  so  . . .  indifferent  about  it  all  .  in  fact  ,  he  feels  slightly ,  just  slightly  , HAPPIER  ,  as  though  the  secret  was  a  boulder  that  had  been  weighing  up  on  his  shoulders  and  marina’s  discovery  of  that  one  misplaced  letter  was  the  little  shove  that  pushed  the  boulder  off  - - -  he  just  happen  to  tumble  along  with  it  .

           he  lets  a  knuckle  lodge  between  his  teeth  ,  the  word  of  his  wife  only  stirring  the  boiling  pot  of  anger  in  his  chest  and  a  heavy  sigh  escapes  his  lips  .  he  hangs  his  head  lowly  ,  the  knowing  feeling  of  DEFEAT  beginning  to  creep  .  “  my  love  ,  ”  he  begins  (  and  he  hopes  he’ll  let  her  finish  )  ,  with  his  gaze  still  on  the  stone  floors  of  their  chambers  .  the  words  are  soft  but  somewhat  HOLLOW  ,  did  not  carry  the  same  gravity  it  used  to  .  marina  was  his  love  ,  though  whether  she  was  his  GREAT  LOVE   was  contestable  .   “  why  do  you  fail  to  understand  ,  how  important  it  is  for  us  to  at  least  seem  like  companions  !  ”  his  voice  raises  just  the  slightest  but  he  attempts  to  reign  back  his  emotions  .  CONTROL  ,  CONTROL  ,  CONTROL  .  his  father’s  words  bounced  around  the  intoxicated  convolutions  of  his  mind  .  control  is  POWER  . “   otherwise  they  will  tear  this  family  apart  .  we  must  seem  perfect  .  and  if  not  perfect  then  at  least  ,  strong  .  ”

                   IT  IS  ONLY  NATURAL  THAT  HE  FINDS  HER .  despite  every  attempt  to  maintain  boundaries ,  to  respect  propriety  -  he  always  manages  to  find  her .  and  how  could  he  not ,  when  her  heart  is inexorably  tied  to  him ? they  are  maps  that  lead  to  each  other ,  and  try  as  they  might  to  find  a  crossroad  or  a  road  less  traveled, they  always  find  themselves  here. much  to  her  dismay ( && just  as  it  always  does  ) ,  her  heart  seizes ,  the  familiar  aching  pang  stopping  her  breath .

he  looks  at  her  with  eyes  that  she  knows  as  well  as  her  own ,  and  she  very  nearly  forgets  the  crowd .  instead ,  she  offers  a  POLITE  curtsy  to  lord  tyrell &  his  conversational  partner . he  speaks ,  prompting  her  lips  to press into  a  firm  line . after  all  the  time  that  has  passed , merely  gazing  at  him  aches  and  brings  comfort  within  one  heartbeat and the next . while  her  lips  remained  pursed ,  her  gaze  is  familiar ,  knowing . his  offer  of  escort  is  gallant ,  gentlemanly ,  but  she  knows  its  guise  much  better : TROUBLE .  ❝  lord  tyrell … ❞  the  title  sits  uneasily  on  her  tongue  as  it  always  does .  she  knows  him  by  so  many  other  names .  she  should  say  no ,  politely  decline ,  and  yet . ❝  i’d  be  glad  of  the  company ,  how  easy  it  is  to  get  turned  around  in  such  an  expansive  keep … ❞  a  gleaming ,  apologetic  smile  is  given  to  tomas’  company.  ❝   if  you  can  SPARE  him ,  that  is . ❞

she  waits  for  the  other  to  depart ,  before  her  face  softens .  her  eyes  are  wide ,  and  she  tilts  her  head  upward  to  examine  his  countenance  fully -  trying  to  discern  his  every  thought  with  a  glance  only.    hand  trembles  uncharacteristically ,  waiting  to  take  his  arm.  DANGER.   her  voice  lowered  among  the  cacophony , she  finally  speaks  directly  to  him .❝  tomas … ❞ the  name  is  like  an  admission  of  all  she  cannot  freely  say. 

                   ❝   i  think  we  would  deem  this  contact  as  unnecessary , no ?  ❞

          FATE  IS  A  FUNNY  LITTE  THING  .  he  never  used  to  believe  in  it  .  he  was  a  man  of  strategy  and  science  ,  a  man  of  his  own  DESTINY  ——  to  remake  it  or  destroy  it  as  he  will  .  his  father  wouldn’t  allow  beliefs  of  anything  else  ,  fate  is  just  another  thing  to  conquer  .  that’s  what  powerful  men  do  ,  THEY  CONQUER  .  but  with  dyanna  ,  tomas  tyrell  ,  was  completely  and  utterly  powerless  .  heart  thuds  ,  knees  weaken  ,  fingers  shake  ——  he’s  just  gotten  better  at  hiding  it  .  but  not  by  much  .  you  had  to  look  very  closely  ,  but  his  desire  for  her  was  overflowing  .  it  was  obvious  in  how  his  hands  clasps  tighter  together  ,  FIGHTING  the  urge  to  caress  her  cheek  or  touch  a  curl  of  her  hair  ,  his  eyes  darkening  with  desire  and  thoughts  of  illicit  affairs  ,  shoulder  moving  just  the  slightest  so  that  he  was  that  little  bit  closer  to  her  .  it’s  with  dyanna  dayne  that  he  bends  the  knee  for  fate  .  it’s  with  dyanna  dayne  that  his  heart  surrenders  ,  it’s  with  her  that  the  conquerer  becomes  the  conquered  .  though  such  feelings  were  hidden  (  with  some  degree  of  difficulty  )  with  a  placid  smile  and  a  simple  nod  to  his  companion  .

          “  you’ll  have  to  excuse  me  ,  lord  piper  .  i  will  come  find  you  later  today  .  ”  the  other  man  gives  a  smile  and  walks  off  ,  despite  his  words  ,  the  tyrell  wishes  that  the  lord  piper  will  soon  find  himself  lost  in  the  colossal  labyrinth  that  the  starks’  call  home  .  despite  the  man’s  good  nature  and  jubilant  spirits  ,  he  was  rather  tiresome  ,  dreary  and  rather  unremarkable  .  all  of  which  makes  him  unfit  to  the  be  the  company  of  the  hand  of  the  king  .  his  attention  quickly  falls  from  the  retreating  man  to  the  woman  before  him  .  at  the  implication  of  her  words  ,  the  clandestine  meaning  behind  such  simple  statements  had  him  needing  a  mighty  inhale  of  air  .  for  he  was  feeling  his  knees  weaken  ,  the  blood  failing  to  reach  his  brain  .  and  he  was  just  drowning  in  everything  that  was  dyanna  dayne  .

                     SHE  HAS  NEVER  SEEN  THE  CORRIDORS  OF  WINTERFELL so absolutely  teeming  with  people . safety  in  numbers ,  she  supposes .   what  has  served  dyanna  as  a  thoroughfare  between  one  location  and   the  next (  she  had  studied  maps  of  winterfell  prior  to  her  arrival  ,  to  ensure  extreme  familiarity  ) is  now   an  obstacle   she  must  overcome .  the   westerosi  lords  &  ladies  walk   at   a  snail’s  pace  . &  in such  close  proximity  that  it  is  impossible  to  pass through  without  a gentle  shove  or the  clearing  of  the  throat . with  a  roll of  her  eyes , she  tucks  a  missive  into  her  bodice   and searches  for an opening.

                                 ❛ pardon me ,  ❜ she  begins ,  seeing  her  pathway  of  escape   just beyond  the  individual , dornish  accent  lilting  off  of  her  tongue .  she   masks  her  annoyance  with  a  placid  smile    ❛ might i pass ? ❜

@brokenstarters​

               𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓  𝐈𝐍  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  ,  𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐍  𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐘 deteriorating   and  drowning  in  utter  boredom  ,  tomas  finds  himself  desperately  praying  to  the  seven  ,  dearly  wishing  for  a  lifeline  from  this  shipwreck  of  a  conversation  .  dark  eyes  narrow  in  concentration  as  arms  fold  behind  his  back  ,  ruby  knuckles  turning  pale  at  the  accumulating  ANGER  at  the  center  of  his  chest  .  had  he  been  a  little  boy  ,  he’d  be  rocking  on  his  heels  ,  fiddling  with  his  rings  ,  but  his  father  was  a  STRICT  teacher  .  one  who  taught  him  discipline  and  control  ,  how  to  mask  anger  with  a  placid  interest  .  they  walks  as  they  talk  ,  listening  intently  to  the  words  of  the  other  though  his  slow  pace  ,  both  in  action  and  speech  ,  made  the  tyrell’s  ears  tint  crimson  with  fury  .

 THE  PRINCESS  OF  DORNE  :  a  brilliantly  radiant  little  girl  with  a  laugh  that  buried  itself  in  your  mind  till  you  were  laughing  yourself  ;  THE  QUEEN  IN  THE  NORTH  :  a  guileless  young  woman  ,  unaware  of  winter’s  burden  ,  yet  my  dear  ,  the  winter  is  so  becoming  on  you  ;  THE  MOTHER  OF  WOLVES  :  shoulders  crumble  ,  knees  weaken  ,  heavy  eyelids  drop  but  your  heart  ,  oh  your  heart  had  never  been  so  full  .  

 THE  KING  OF  THORNS  :  a  gangly  little  boy  ,  afraid  of  the  darkness  grows  up  to  be  a  comely  young  man  ,  no  longer  afraid  of  the  darkness  but  of  the  creatures  that  call  it  a  home  ;  THE  SAGE  OF  THE   CROWNLANDS  :  wisdom  is  his  sword  ,  didactic  words  slice  through  immorality  and  iniquity  ;  THE  HOPELESS  ROMANTIC  :  he  who  wishes  to  love  and  be  loved  ,  not  mundanely  but  to  the  deepest  extremes  ,  ready  to  die  for  the  one  who  holds  his  heart  .