LADY VELARYON

more doodles of rhaenys with her family 💕

he was not a man to falter easily. it took a great blow to unsteady him or else he might have been felled many years ago by any number of difficulties he had faced, and for those who bore witness to the lord of driftmark receiving the news of the loss of his beloved grandson, it was no different then. the blow that was dealt with just a few words did not cut him down, did not unsteady him, but instead, they would report, the sea snake acted only to reaffirm support behind the rightful queen.

only once privacy had at last been granted, long after the sun had once again fallen below the horizon, did he seek out the comforts that might be found at the bottom of a bottle of wine, despite knowing it would do little to numb the pressure that had pushed upon his chest, as if the pain were a physical thing trying to burst free of him. his grip upon the neck of the wine bottle threatened to break it with how tightly his fingers grasped at it, as if he were a man drowning and it a rope thrown out to him. he would not be able to say how long he'd sat, sinking deeper into his cups and finding no solace within them. he could not say how many cups he had needed before the sting of tears pricked at his eyes, as rare a sight as the rest, and they had been allowed to fall.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀EVEN HAVING LOST both of her own children but moons apart from one another, nothing could have prepared rhaenys for the loss of a grandchild. a young person but at the very beginning of his life that never, under any circumstances, even the cruellest of them, should have greeted death before her, and if rhaenys could somehow have rightened the unfairness of it all and bargained with the stranger himself, offered up her own old life in exchange for lucerys' so he could carry on whilst she took his place in death, she would have done so in a heartbeat. ever since the news had reached them, her heart had been aching, not only with the heavy loss of her beloved grandson, but also for rhaenyra — a deep, lingering pain only a mother who had lost a child before could understand. but there was only so much she could do for the grieving young mother before she had to accept that, through the worst throes of it all, rhaenyra would have to walk alone, as she herself had, even knowing that a sorrow, an agony as deep as that, would never fade away. one merely learned to cope with it, to rise and face each day anew, to keep breathing, keep on living even with that ever-present ache clawing at the heart, but not one of them went by where she did not think of her two children, wished to know they were well, to have them near, to be able to cradle them close and protect them as she once had been able to in their childhood, even when they had long grown into adults by the time of their passing. the pain of it never went away, never became more bearable, you merely learned to accept it as a part of your every day life.

quiet footsteps led her closer to her husband, right where she had expected to find him when the rest of the castle had grown silent with the falling of night, and the lord had been nowhere to be seen, slowing to a halt at the table's edge. “ wine will not lessen the weight of our grief. ” there was nothing reprimanding to her words, despite their nature, rhaenys' voice soft, quiet, a hand reaching to gently pluck the cup of wine off the table as she claimed the seat next to corlys‪᾿‬, bringing it to her own lips for a sip of the strong-tasting redness. the warmth that spread through her stomach upon swallowing was nigh taunting with how hollowed out and empty her chest felt. returning it to the table, her hand found her husband's, a tender warmth splaying across the top of it, before her palm ran up the length of his forearm, soon joined by her other hand to close around it, squeezing gently, as her head tilted sideways into his shoulder, silver hair acquired only with age falling along the length of it. the silence that hung in the room before rhaenys broke it, voice but a whisper, was vast, but not unsettling — they were, at the very least, not alone in their mourning. “ he would have made a fine lord of the tides, much like our laenor . . . he was more like him than he even realised. ” even if they had not truly been bound together by blood, luke had shared clear traits with leanor she had easily spotted when she had seen them together or watched her little grandson prance around with that restless, adventurous energy his father had, too, displayed — not that it had ever mattered to rhaenys, any of those rumours. laenor had a son, and rhaenys had been blessed with a grandchild, the second sweet little babe to render her a grandmother and fill her heart with a delight, up until the arrival of the grandbabes, unknown. thinking of how the boy would bring up his targaryen heritage in meetings, needing corlys' lighthearted reminder he was a velaryon, the smile that tugged at the woman's lips was sad, but genuine, lilac eyes glistening in the flickering candlelight — tears, she had nigh been certain she had run out of after leana and laenor had left this earth, but luke was proving her wrong now, and she was glad he was, for she did not know how she could have possibly dealt with the grief if she was forced to keep it all trapped inside of her, when she knew already now that she would be reminded each day what corlys and her had lost when their future now would unfold so very differently from what they had thought it would look like. oh, what wouldn't she have given to have had more time with him, for him to someday, likely soon, move to driftmark, to watch him grow into the great, respectable lord he was destined to become at his proud grandsire's side. she'd known, on from the moment she had watched a little boy stood at the harbour many years ago, grasping his grandsire's hand, and gazing with wonder upon the ships so much taller than him, that there had been no one for her husband other than luke. their grandson. his heir. his favourite, as she oft had liked to tease corlys. taken away.

fury, pure and silver, you grip it tight inside, like a knife, it glints in your eye.

ICEWALLED. an independent & private portrayal of LAURENCE LENNOX-HALL from cg drew's hazelthorn. canon / canon-divergent depiction, inspired by book and own headcanons, able to be written into a multitude of verses. dark & triggering themes present, crafted by cae.

A WIP I really need to finish - ‘La belle reine sans couronne’, perhaps?

"You’re   not   on   the   list."

"Need   a   light?"

"You   dropped   this."

"Is   that   your   drink   or   mine?"

"You're   late."

"I   thought   you'd   be   taller."

"You   always   stare   like   that?"

"They   told   me   not   to   trust   you."

"I   wasn’t   expecting   you."

"You   clean   up   well."

"You   look   lost."

"Haven’t   we   met?"

"Not   what   I   imagined."

"Are   you   following   me?"

"You’re   not   from   around   here."

"You’ve   got   something   on   your   cheek."

"Mind   if   I   cut   in?"

"You're   sitting   in   my   seat."

"I   was   warned   about   you."

"That’s   a   dangerous   smile."

"This   seat   taken?"

"You're   the   distraction."

"Why   are   you   looking   at   me   like   that?"

"You're   early."

"You're   late   on   purpose."

"First   time   here?"

"Try   the   champagne."

"That   color   suits   you."

"You're   exactly   how   I   pictured   you."

"We’re   not   supposed   to   talk."

"We   shouldn’t   be   seen   together."

"Do   I   know   you?"

"That   watch   doesn’t   match   your   suit."

"You’re   not   very   good   at   hiding."

"Someone’s   been   asking   about   you."

"Thought   you’d   never   show."

"You   have   good   taste   in   music."

"Don't   turn   around."

"Guess   we’re   partners   now."

"You   shouldn’t   be   here."

"Do   you   believe   in   fate?"

"You’re   late.   I   almost   left."

"That’s   my   drink."

"I   think   you’re   in   the   wrong   place."

"Your   cover’s   slipping."

"Tell   me   that   wasn’t   on   purpose."

"Are   you   going   to   apologize?"

"Care   to   dance?"

"That’s   quite   an   entrance."

"You   always   this   bold?"

"I’ve   heard   of   you."

"You’re   not   easy   to   find."

"You   look   nervous."

"Sit.   Please."

"You   read   the   file?"

"You   shouldn’t   trust   me."

"Nice   aim."

"We   weren’t   supposed   to   meet   yet."

"You   took   your   time."

"So,   you’re   the   infamous   one."

"Someone's   been   watching   me."

"Your   timing’s   suspicious."

"You   look   like   trouble."

"That’s   a   nice   trick."

"I’ve   been   looking   for   you."

"Are   you   hurt?"

"They   didn’t   say   you’d   be   charming."

"You   always   arrive   like   this?"

"That’s   classified."

"Don’t   trust   the   bartender."

"You're   bleeding."

"You   have   five   minutes."

"Where’s   your   partner?"

"I   wasn’t   briefed   on   you."

"You   have   terrible   timing."

"I   wasn’t   expecting   company."

"I   thought   you   were   a   myth."

"You   look   bored."

"I   saw   you   watching   me."

"You're   not   like   the   others."

"So,   you're   the   backup?"

"Try   not   to   get   killed."

"That's   a   dangerous   dress."

"You   don't   belong   here."

"We   meet   at   last."

"That’s   not   your   real   name."

"You   weren’t   followed,   right?"

"We’ve   never   met.   Officially."

"Don’t   say   my   name."

"Is   this   seat   cursed   too?"

"No   sudden   moves."

"We’re   alone   now."

"Take   off   the   mask."

"I   know   what   you   did."

"Who   let   you   in?"

"You’re   prettier   in   person."

"You’re   not   what   I   expected."

"You   shouldn’t   smile   like   that."

"Don’t   flatter   yourself."

you did good out there.

you made me proud.

they had the advantage.

you saved my life.

how many were lost?

we can't stay here forever.

that was way too close.

i searched everywhere!

how can i ever repay you?

you came out of nowhere.

help me look for survivors.

you couldn't have known it was a trap.

i knew i could count on you.

were you hiding the whole time?

you saw what they did out there.

i can't believe we won.

how long have i been out?

we're lucky the walls held.

no more bloodshed.

here, i think this is yours.

you impressed me.

think i'll sleep for two days straight after a fight like that.

i'm still limping, but i'll be fine.

i can't believe they're gone.

don't blame yourself.

they were stronger than we were.

i tried to save them.

are you giving up?

it was close. we made it out.

how are we supposed to beat them?

never do that again.

it'll be dark soon. we should move.

how are your injuries? let me see them.

stay close to me.

i'm not as young as i once was.

that went better than expected.

i don't think i can do that again.

i need a medic over here!

i'm a little sore, but i'll be okay.

war is hell.

i didn't know what to think.

they were ready for us.

we did what we could.

i can still remember the screams.

was it worth it? for this?

i don't think this is a fight that can be won.

you left me to fend for myself out there!

where were you when i needed you?

i thought you were dead.

after a fight like that, i want you to stay close.

i'm more worried about you.

i saw you fall.

let me clean you up.

where does it hurt?

it was a trap.

this used to be a pretty spot once.

can't believe it's all gone.

one second you were right beside me, and the next, you were gone.

i knew i'd see you again.

pull yourself together!

no one's ever taken that castle.

we knew it'd be close.

you dropped your sword.

is it over?

i don't think i can do this anymore.

i had your back!

this is a lost cause.

i'm not strong enough.

you're covered in blood.

next time, we'll be ready for them.

i needed you out there!

i couldn't have done this without your help.

we should keep moving.

we're not done yet.