Sabia mea fredoneaza de argint.

It was a completely silent morning in Stormveil, the apprentice graft surgeon had decided to wake up long before the first rays of the sun began piercing through the thick cloak of clouds that usually surrounded the castle, her sleep had been restless, the idea nesting in her mind would continuously rip her from her slumber so the woman decided that she would wake and be done with her project before anyone could find her. She left the warm comfort of her bedsheets and went to her wardrobe, searching for a while before she found what she was after: a worn and tattered dress, the very one she was wearing when she first approached the castle, it was perfect for what she intended to do, as she would never wish to ruin the preciously decorated dresses so kindly gifted to her by Lord Godrick, but that old rag surely she wouldn’t miss. The minute shadow of the woman began walking the endless corridors of the castle, changing route multiple times to avoid crossing paths with the guards, missing the company of the Lord who didn’t mind carrying her from time to time especially when having to go from one end of the castle to the other, admittedly she could have used the help of the giant demigod during her journey but alas she didn’t want him to know of her plan before she was done with it.

The grafting room had changed significantly since her arrival at the castle, when she entered she was not greeted by scattered limbs and the smell of rotting bodies, instead she walked in on a large room with tables where the polished tools were neatly placed, she made it a point that every surface and utensil in the room was to be properly cleaned, and would often contribute to do so herself. She used the little magic she was capable of to light the torches and chandeliers in the room before proceeding to the cold cellar she had built below to preserve the limbs used for grafting, now she only needed find a pair of suitable arms, perhaps those of the tarnished sorceress that had recently fallen in battle? Adalia carefully examined them, they were about the size of her own arms, the hands were fine and elegant, accustomed to casting spells which she deduced could prove useful, very well then, she made her decision and went back to the bigger room laying the arms on a table along with the utensils she would need.

In that moment it dawned upon her that she would have to go through the whole procedure alone, with no aid, completely awake and with nothing to alleviate the pain, she began wondering if the arms would keep sort of a mind of their own as Godrick sometimes joked they would. Enough hesitation, she mentally scolded herself and began slicing her skin in the spot where the new arm would go, beginning the agonising process of grafting herself, she took several pauses as sometimes the pain proved to be unbearable, she breathed and then carried on connecting the muscles of her new limb to her body and securely stitching it in place, once she was finally done she allowed herself a longer rest and that’s when the gatekeeper found her at last.

“Lady Adalia, there you are!!”

The friendly voice bringing her back from her world of pain, the gatekeeper’s face turned to a frown once he saw her, exhausted and bloodied.

“We’ve been looking for you everywhere- What have you done?”

He barely finished voicing his question when he was grabbed by the woman, who fixated her jade green eyes on him with her most intimidating look.

“Godrick must not know I’m here, nor what I’m doing, do you understand?”

He gave a nod.

“I need you to distract him, but first I am going to need more thread to finish my work, could you bring it to me?”

With another nod Gostoc left the room and she returned to her silent suffering.

She tried to move her new arm a little, only a finger, she felt her muscles pulling, a sharp pain stabbing through her shoulder but she did manage to move the arm’s index finger, she would need to get used to it, to make those muscles stronger in order to properly move but she did it, it was a success. Relishing in her accomplishment Adalia became impatient to finish her work so she could proudly show her Lord what she was now capable of, the feelings of excitement rushing through her making her forget about her pain altogether and eager to continue her work, if only the gatekeeper would be back with the thread she needed. Waiting for so long was maddening, she never had exactly a patient personality but now it was even worse, she began wondering if the gatekeeper would ever be back at all, what if he had decided to tell Godrick about her secret project? She didn’t know what they would do or if they’d try to stop her, she could only wait while a new feeling of anxiety began gnawing at her, biting at her stomach, she could only wait and pray to the Erdtree that the gatekeeper would be back soon without having told anyone.

The room’s door made a creaking noise as the woman noticed a smell reaching up to her, the smell of a hearty meal: Gostoc had returned with food.

“Can’t be grafting with an empty stomach, you’ll pass out!”

She didn’t even notice how hungry she was, devouring what her friend had brought in mere minutes while repeating how thankful she was.

“You are the best!!” She said, squeezing the gatekeeper in a hug with what little strength she had in her three limbs “what is the plan now?”

We distract the Lord, I spread a voice that a tarnished is attempting to sneak in, not a soul will bother you, I promise!

She could hardly hold back her laughter thinking about how the gatekeeper would fool everyone in the castle, fortunately for her he was a bloody good liar.

“I have the feeling you’re going to have some fun. Thank you Gostoc.”

Once he left she returned to her work, knowing what to a little better from the previous arm she just needed to repeat the process on the other side, she began cutting, making space, connecting what had to be connected, adjusting her body to the new limb while pausing as often as necessary to rest. It was still an awfully painful procedure but she was able to go about it more quickly and precisely this time, fuelled by her impatience and stubbornness. When she was finally done she realised she had lost track of time, she looked in a nearby mirror as she tried to clean herself of the blood that was on her hands, arms, even a little in her hair, it was a futile job, but blood aside she liked what she saw in the mirror: an accomplished graft surgeon apprentice, with four arms that would be of great help in her work once she would learn to properly operate the newer two, that for the moment she was only able to move a little.

Immensely proud of herself Adalia exited the room intent on showing off to Godrick what she had done, so eager that she forgot of her pain and fatigue and almost ran through the castle in excitement, sneaking past the eventual guards, door after door across the labyrinth of Stormveil that by now she almost knew like the back of her hand, searching for the demigod. Once she had found him she practically sprinted towards him waving her four arms.

The Lord’s look when he turned to her was not what she initially expected, an expression of worry painted on his face as he saw the woman covered in blood and dressed in rags, his mind going through the thousand of scenarios in which she could have found herself in danger.

“For the Erdtree, what happened?”

He asked picking her up, Adalia winced at the wave of pain he had unknowingly caused her, it was only a moment later that he noticed the two extra limbs, he held her new hand in one of his, looking at her in awe.

“You did this?”

She could only smile back at him proudly, now that was the reaction she was hoping for. Initially he could not believe that his apprentice successfully grafted herself on her own with no help whatsoever but thinking about it, with how incredibly smart and determined she was it made perfect sense how she could manage to do that, and oh how much he admired her. His golden princess, his brilliant graft surgeon, they had grown so close that his hearts would ache whenever he was away from her Grace and still he dared not tell her, fear clawing at him every time he tried, fear of what she might think of him in truth. But now it was different, now that she had made herself similar to him he began feeling more comfortable in her presence as if perhaps now she would not scorn him - not that she ever did.

“For what reason?” He asked in almost a whisper.

“It’s practical! These will help a great deal with my work and besides, I believe they look quite magnificent, does your Lordship not think so?”

Magnificent. She thought of her grafted self as magnificent. If that was so then perhaps she didn’t think of him as lowly as he believed, perhaps…

“You truly are magnificent, a skilled surgeon honoring this castle with wits and grace and…”

He paused, looking fondly at her, unsure of what to say next, she now held one of his grafted hands in hers as she waited for him to finish his sentence.

“… I wish you would do me the honor of becoming my consort.”

There, he said it, it was not exactly how he pictured it but had he not found the words now he would have never been able to later on, once it was done he could do nothing more than prepare himself to face her rejection but in fact nothing in the Lands Between could have ever prepared him for her reaction.

She lit up, so much so that he was under the impression that she would outshine the Erdtree itself, her face so radiant with happiness that the demigod became lost in his admiration of her, unable to process what was happening even as she shifted closer to press a delicate kiss on his cheek.

“I would be most happy to do that.”

Golden light filtered through the windows of the library, the afternoon went by as the scholar took notes from the Lord of Stormveil’s lesson, she had been studying the theory behind grafting for a while now since she managed to convince the demigod to allow her in the castle, everyone in the Lands Between described it as a place from nightmares but in reality she didn’t find it to be so awful, on the contrary she was beginning to feel quite at home there and its lord, Godrick the Grafted, was not as monstrous as most people made him out to be - at least not to her - of course he had treated her coldly when she first arrived but the more they spent time together studying the more he was beginning to get used to her presence to the point where they would speak to each other almost in a friendly manner.

The lesson was interrupted by the gatekeeper Gostoc, who had now become a good friend to Adalia, he walked up to the lord to talk to him but the young woman couldn’t quite grasp what they were telling each other, all the secrecy of course raised a suspicion but she decided not to interrupt, after a while the gatekeeper left and Godrick turned to her once more.

“We shall end our lesson prematurely today.”

She gave him a questioning look, indicating that perhaps an explanation was needed, so the demigod let out a chuckle before clarifying.

“I would be most delighted if you joined me for dinner later this evening.”

Her questioning look turned to surprise at those words, not an unpleasant surprise, after all she did enjoy spending time with him despite him initially keeping her at arm’s length - and multiple arms at that - still Adalia wondered the reason for such a sudden invitation.

“To what do I owe the honor?”

An unexpected question, and there the Lord hesitated like she had never seen him do before, she swore for a moment she could almost see the faintest tint of red appearing on his face as she struggled to restrain a slight amusement.

“Think of it as… a reward for a brilliant apprentice.”

Adalia couldn’t help but smile, feeling proud that the hard work she has done so far was being recognised, after being dismissed she made her way through the castle hallways and back to her chambers to the large and quite cozy room that belonged to her, as she entered with the intention to drop on the mattress and remain buried in the blankets for a bit of rest she found a red dress neatly folded and placed on her bed, which she unfolded to reveal it was embroidered with golden thread and decorated with precious stones. It must have cost a fortune she thought, a dress fit for a noble lady, if it was another reward it was a great one indeed. After bathing she proceeded to try on the luxurious garment which seemed to fit perfectly, the fabric was soft and warm and she couldn’t tear her eyes from the intricate embroidery, she spun around watching the dress move along with her, she gazed at the mirror for some time unable to recognise herself in the reflection until she was brought back by the sound of knocking at her door.

“It is only me! May I?”

Gostoc, she opened the door and let him in.

“You wore the dress I see! Splendid!”

They both laughed as the gatekeeper bowed in front of her like she was royalty, Adalia’s laughter getting only louder as she learned the reason for his visit.

“I was tasked by the lord to properly style your hair.”

“My hair??” she kept chuckling “do you know how to do that?”

“Do you mistake me for a hairdresser?”

“It’s alright,” she said wiping a tear “thankfully, I think I can manage that myself.”

She began carefully braiding her golden locks into a more complex hairstyle while the gatekeeper observed her, they kept talking and making jokes until the woman finally asked the reason behind the invitation.

“Do you know why Godrick wishes to dine with me? And why this dress suddenly appeared in my room? Come on, you can tell me!”

“I’m afraid not dear. My best guess, the Lord’s attempting to court you.” He replied, laughing once more.

“Quit jesting!” She raised her voice, throwing a small cushion at the gatekeeper who promptly managed to dodge it.

“I think I’m done, lead the way!”

Adalia began making her way through the castle, following the lead of her friend, the more she wore the dress the more comfortable she started feeling in it, walking down the hallways in it was beginning to make her feel as if she was an actual lady, which she really didn’t mind to say the least, it was almost like she was exactly were she was supposed to be, like she belonged to the castle. She began wondering again why everything was so different from the stories she had heard? Did it even matter? At the end of the day she was happy, she was learning a lot and she was also in good company, besides, she was to be treated to a fine dinner and a most entertaining evening.

Once they entered the room the young woman was surprised to find it so immense and finely decorated and… empty, for whatever reason the Lord had not arrived yet so the gatekeeper helped Adalia on a chair that was almost as tall as her, so that she could sit at the gigantic table, before disappearing out the door where they came from, leaving her alone.

Her eyes darted across the room admiring the paintings, the brocade curtains adorning the window, wondering about the castle’s history and the lavish gatherings that that room could have once held, but now there was only her daydreaming at the table.

Heavy steps heading her way brought her back to reality, steps who could only belong to someone of impressive stature: the Lord of Stormveil had finally decided to join his guest. He stopped right behind her, Adalia didn’t have the time to question it before a pair of hands made their way around her neck holding something, a golden pendant with the symbol of the Erdtree etched on it, she couldn’t help but smile at the precious gift.

The demigod sat not too far from her and that’s when she decided to break the ice.

“My thanks for the invitation, truly if you weren’t the Lord of Limgrave and I a simple surgeon, I would think you were trying to woo me, your lordship!” She said with a chuckle, thinking about what the gatekeeper told her before in jest.

He didn’t know how to react to such impertinence, how dared she speak to him in a such a manner? Had it been anyone else they would have regretted it by now but she, she was the only one who didn’t mock him or think lowly of him, to her he was not a feeble demigod or a monster, she was the one who had always shown him genuine respect. So be it, he would allow her this one mischief, and perhaps more. Besides, he enjoyed the sound of her laughter too much, it filled the empty halls of the castle as well as his hearts. He caught himself smiling for a moment and quickly recomposed himself.

“What makes you think so, exactly?”

She placed a hand on the golden charm that he had just gifted her.

“This perhaps, or the luxurious dress I happened to find in my chambers…”

Godrick lifted his chalice, that a servant had filled in the meantime, gesturing towards the woman.

“It suits you magnificently, if I may.”

Adalia felt her face turning to a scarlet hue, but really she had no one to blame but herself for this, she attempted to hide her embarrassed smile behind a hand and thanked him, looking at him from behind her golden lashes all the tales she had heard seemed so far from the truth, in fact before her there was a man knowledgeable, well spoken, a nice host, how all those stories originated was beyond her. During the course of the evening she had asked him to tell her some real stories, the demigod was at first taken aback by such a request as the people who showed interest in what he had to tell were not many but after a bit of convincing he began recounting and so time went by between anecdotes, chalices of fine wines, delicious dishes and the melodious sound of Adalia’s laughter, which increased significantly upon hearing about Godrick’s flee from Leyndell, it was the first time someone found the tale amusing rather than cowardly.

“Your lordship wearing a woman’s garments? I would certainly love to see that!” She took one more sip from her chalice while giggling. “That must be a sight to behold…”

Were it anyone else they would’ve become grafting material soon after, but her, her tone hid no mockery and there was no malice in her sweet gaze, as odd as it was she seemed to actually like being in his company just as much as he had grown to accept and even crave hers, finding it more and more difficult to banish her from his thoughts, painful as they were for he was aware that she couldn’t possibly love him. He awoke from his hypnosis just in time to prevent the lady from falling from the high chair, clear that she had one too many chalices of wine, although he himself was not doing much better than her.

“I believe we both should head to our quarters, ‘tis late and we’ve much work to do tomorrow.”

The woman looked down from her spot and then back at him again, the room had started to spin around her and she had no intention on climbing down the chair herself only to risk breaking her neck, an understandable fear, after a moment of hesitation the demigod carefully picked the lady up and went to place her on the ground where she simply refused to be put down.

“Quite the stubborn thing you are.” He jokingly reprised her, speaking for the first time in an affectionate manner.

“So I’ve been told…”

Now reprising himself for such foolishness, what had he thought? Talking in such a manner and now carrying the bull headed woman through the halls of the castle, what happened to him? Such attitude did not befit a Lord, but still he held her. Proud of her small victory Adalia sat comfortably in his arms until she gave up on trying to fight off sleep and fell into a deep - however drunk - slumber, knowing herself safe in the embrace of the demigod who made his way through doors and corridors careful not to wake her.

Upon reaching her chambers Godrick quietly opened the door and went to tuck the sleeping beauty in many warm blankets, once safe from the cold he left her to her dreams, wishing that the morning come soon so he could see her once more.

What’s the dumbest thing they’ve ever laughed at for way too long?

Can’t think of anything specific but it’s most likely a jape she or Boremund made at Aemon’s expense, and everyone has moved on but Elaenys is still giggling about it half an hour later as she and Boremund look at each other from across at the table in absolute mischief.

What’s a secret they’ll take to their grave?

Her magic. She’s spent her lifetime studying and researching and yes even practicing ancient valyrian magic but not in an effort to preserve it for the future, her endeavours are mostly selfish and the fruit of her passion / obsession and the only person she has shared her knowledge with was her daughter Elenei who does practice and carry on some of her mother’s magic but most of it was kept a secret that now rests with Elaenys in her grave.

Do they wear a mask in public? What’s the real them like underneath?

What’s their “I’ve killed for less” trigger?

Dishonesty, it’s the fastest and surest way to get on Éadith’s (as well as basically any other Belthorne’s) bad side, she’s someone who says what she does and she keeps to her word, hypocrisy and dishonesty are the things that piss her off the most, if she’s to kill a liar or a traitor she’d think she’s doing the world a favor.

What gift would utterly destroy them (in a good / bad way)?

A dragon from Viserys’s Old Valyria collection! He did have one made for her and he had it painted pink (her favorite color) so she could “have a dragon of her own” and Éadith was absolutely tearing up! She still keeps it hidden amongst her belongings and she’ll put it by her nightstand when she’s feeling particularly melancholic.

What do they want written on their gravestone / what do they want people to remember them for?

For someone who would become known as “The Lady of Loss” after her departure she didn’t particularly gave it much thought when she was alive, even as she urged into the final battles hoping to die so she’d be reunited with her loved ones she didn’t think about how she’d want to be remembered, and perhaps she didn’t wish to be remembered at all!

What piece of advice do they give everyone but never follow themselves?

It’s funny because she tells people to do almost the opposite of what she does and that is for a very specific reason: she wants people to assume that she thinks a certain way, that she’s just this emotional naïve lady so that they underestimate her and lower their guard around her.

So the piece of advice she would give others but not follow would be something along the lines of “just be yourself!” Because while yes, Vanessa is mostly herself there are parts of her personality that only a few select people can see because she’s someone who keeps her cards covered, people at court see Vanessa and her personality - that’s not a lie, she doesn’t change it - but just a limited part of it.

What gift would utterly destroy them (in a good / bad way)?

A perfume, but not just any perfume, it would have to have a very specific scent, it’s a perfume she’s forgotten the name of because it’s been so long, one that was given to her by her mother and reminds her of summer, of happier times and fond memories. She would try to describe its scent to Tyland in as much excruciating detail as she can remember and he did try to move the world to find it mostly to no avail.

Until!!!!! Until, some time after his return from Myr, Vanessa finds a small perfume bottle and when she opens it she gets overwhelmed by tears because there it is! After so many years! And it’s destroying her not only because it’s something she’s wanted for so long, not only for the memories connected to the scent and the fact that he managed to find it but because even with all that happened, even when they were an ocean apart divided by distance and war and duties he still thought of her.

What’s their most oddly specific daily routine?

It’s the way Vanessa takes care of her hair! She spends so long in the morning brushing them and she doesn’t let anyone else do it because she’s very particular about her hair, she’s very careful to avoid knots and breakage and is afraid someone else might not be able to detangle it like she does.