`endure,

there  was  no  place  she'd  rather be. like the sea would never part from the shore, she would forever remain with her princess. one day another marriage would be arranged sooner rather than later, but helaena would find a way to stay nearby.  ❝  i'm glad to hear that. ❞   though she wouldn't have been disappointed to hear of gossip.  ❝  my travels were quite short. i've remained at princess catraena's side since we all left highgarden. ❞

the  trauma  of  highgarden  still  felt  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many,  and  while  beric  was  a  man  of  the thrill,  even  that  had  been  far  too  much.  still,  it  pleased  the  lord  to  know  the  lady  had  managed  to  enjoy  life  after  the  horror.  “i  had  no  fear  in  my  heart  that  you  would  find  your  place  here.  and  what  a  fine  place  it  is.”  there  was  a  certain  sense  of  pride  that  swelled  in  him  upon  knowing  helaena  had  found  such  lofty  friends.  that  very  pride  showed  in  his  face,  like  a  father  watching  a  child  succeed.  “if  you  should  find  the  time,  blackhaven  would  be  so  pleased  to  have  you  within  its  walls  again.”

the  tragedies  of  past  gatherings  hadn't vanished from her minds, storms and fire raining joining the potential settings of her dreamscape, but trapping herself in them prevented embracing the future's dawn. cella could think of no better way to herald in a new chapter than a celebration of new life.  ❝  of course! ❞   maiden didn't even require music - sometimes twirling though harrenhal's halls between reality and illusion.  ❝  though, i highly doubt her majesty would ever throw a dull ball. ❞   each of the few she'd been fortunate to attend had all been distinctly breathtaking.  ❝  have you danced at all, oly? ❞

his sister's enthusiasm brought a warm smile to olyvar's face. while he himself didn't truly care much for such events, it always did bring nothing but pure joy to his heart when myrcella enjoyed herself. “it makes me wonder how she plans to top it with the next one.” but the curiosity only lingered a moment, as the shift to his own behaviors of the night had him rubbing a hand anxiously at the back of his neck. “ah--yes. it would be a terrible lie if i claimed to not have danced with a good half the attendees.” not for the sake of enjoyment of course. he was a man on a mission, and that mission was connections ( and marriage ). “i fear i may not be able to walk tomorrow morning if i keep it up any longer.”

such  gatherings  were  not  meant  for  olyvar  to  have  fun.  no,  there  were  much  more  important  activities  to  partake  in--like  purposely  bumping  into  lord  arryn  to  ensure  a  conversation  was  locked  firmly  in.  it  was  an  accident,  of  course.  certainly  not  at  all  something  he  had  planned  from  the  moment  he  saw  the  lord  moving.  and  when  the  elder  apologized,  olyvar  was  quick  to  dismiss.  “not  at  all,  lord  antony.  it  seems  i  was  enjoying  my  wine  far  too  much  to  see  where  my  own  feet  were  carrying  me.”  mostly  a  lie,  but  he  did  enjoy  the  wine  cupped  in  his  hand.  “perhaps  it  best  we  both  avoid  dancing  at  the  same  time.  but  i  do  hope  you  are  enjoying  yourself  at  the  least.”  a  cheeky  smile  followed  the  words.

He  attempted  to  keep  younger  siblings  within  eye-line  throughout  the  festivities,  but  as  patrons  fell  deeper  into  cups,  dancing  less  orderly  and  crowd  more  chaotic,  it  was  getting  harder  and  harder.  A  leash,  next  time.  Or  something  more  eye-catching.  He  cursed  his  whole  life,  leading  to  that  point,  before  abandoning  his  almost  full  cup  in  a  more  active  search.  Of  course,  after  the  first  pass  over  the  room  was  fruitless,  his  expression  teetered  closer  towards  panic,  and  he  sought  out  the  first  familiar  face.  "Lord  Beric.  Apologies,  but  you  have  not  happened  to  see  my  siblings,  have  you?  They  seem  to  find  great  fun  in  sending  me  to  an  early  grave."

while  beric  never  would  turn  down  a  good  gathering,  even  he  had  become  a  bit  disoriented  amongst  the  hustle  of  it  all.  after  long  losing  count  of  all  whom  he  had  shared  some  chatter  with,  the  heir  of  blackhaven  had  only  begun  to  glance  around  for  a  new  conversation  buddy  when  it  seemed  to  have  found  him  instead.  a  gentle  smile  was  offered,  the  familiar  face  bringing  some  surprising  comfort.  alas,  the  near  panic  on  lord  amos'  face  had  beric  placing  a  hand  upon  the  other's  shoulder  to  offer  a  light  squeeze.  “relax,  my  friend.  i  saw  lady  arushi  not  too  long  ago,”  he  reassured,  the  squeeze  being  replaced  by  a  light,  hopefully  comforting  pat.  “i  am  sure  she  and  the  others  are  perfectly  well  behaved  and  not  at  all  finding  themselves  in  precarious  situations.”  a  playful  tone  matched  the  grin  that  followed.

EDIT REQUEST MEME Anonymous asked LOTR + 2 ∟ Favourite Male Character

a  warm  laugh  rumbled  easily  from  belly,  a  brotherly  bond  never  faltering  despite  any  time  apart.  “every  good  party  needs  a  boar--though,  i  would  rather  not  be  the  one  hunted  this  time.”  his  smile  matched  the  joy  of  his  tone,  arms  quick  to  wrap  around  the  younger  for  a  rough,  tight  embrace.  the  elder  kept  it  short,  stepping  back  a  moment  later  to  place  both  hands  upon  his  brother's  shoulders  to  give  him  a  good  once  over.  “and  look  at  you.  surely  fighting  off  the  suitors  at  this  rate?”

❝  lord  dondarrion.  ❞  a  smile  accompanied  nereid's greeting. despite a year spent on westerosi soil, her circle of those who surpassed the title of acquaintance remained small, for duty and friendship had kept her close to dragonstone princess' side, but the lord heir was among those ranks.  ❝  i hope all has been well at blackhaven since your last letter? ❞

eyes  alight  with  joy,  the  heir  of  blackhaven  wasted  no  time  falling  back  into  friendly  mannerisms  as  he  spotted  the  other.  “lady  helaena--i  had  hoped  you  would  be  here,”  he  greeted  swiftly,  a  gentle  bow  offered  to  match.  “as  for  blackhaven--”  he  paused  a  moment  as  he  straightened  up. he'd spare her the confession of being on an adventure more than within the walls.  “all  is  very well.  and  i  hope  your  travels  have  been  just  as  comfortable?”

she  felt  at  ease  walking  through moonlight, and tonight it shown upon joy rather than horrors that lurked in the shadows. dreamy smile hadn't faded from cella's lips since the lights had brightened the great hall - what a wondrous display the illumination had been! though the magic hadn't faded.  ❝  the candles resemble starlight so that sometimes i forget we aren't outside ❞   realty blurring particularly when she'd been twirling across the dance floor earlier in the evening.

attending  social  events  was  something  olyvar  knew  he  would  never  be  quite  fond  of.  however,  seeing  his  younger  sibling  enjoying  herself  (  and  the  admittedly  beautiful  decor  )  made  even  the  anxious  older  paege  find  a  reason  to  smile.  “ it  is  magnificent, ”  he  agreed  swiftly,  dark  eyes  locked  upon  the  beautiful  display  around  them.  it  was  quite  the  show,  one  fit  perfectly  for  the  new  little  princess.  dropping  his  gaze  back  to  his  sister,  a  curious  question  was  found.  “ would  you  still  have  danced  so  gracefully  had  it  been  more--bland? ” 

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers 2002, dir. Peter Jackson

LEE JAE-WOOK as JANG UK in ALCHEMY OF SOULS (2022-2023)