𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹

carnelian  orbs  vibrate  as  his  mind  wanders  .  his  sister  always  tried  to  calm  the  storm  ,  even  when  their  pressence  should  not  be  part  of  any  conflict  .  his  hand  comes  up  and  eyes  return  to  equally  slit  ones  .  "  do  not  speak  to  anyone  ,  it  will  fall  suspicious  if  you  bring  word  upon  the  starks  or  any  house  of  the  north  .  they  need  their  words  for  the  king  ,  their  anger  and  wrath  ⸻  no  child  of  highgarden  can  calm  such  storms  .  "  it  was  the  truth  .  their  involvement  would  be  suspicious  was  it  ever  noticed  and  with  him  so  close  to  the  throne  ,  inching  further  into  the  dragons  den  ,  his  sister  could  not  expose  herself  either  .  she  had  to  be  the  head  of  highgarden  ,  the  one  to  unite  their  own  home  and  region  .  "  spend  your  time  mending  wounds  with  the  reach  houses  ,  mend  what  you  can  ,  offer  what  we  can  allow  to  give  -  "  fingers  go  to  temple  and  since  no  one  else  was  looking  a  genuine  smile  came  forth  upon  hands  lips  .

the  mention  of  a  bouquet  from  home  sounded  refreshing  .  however  ,  no  flower  could  keep  it's  fragrance  or  will  to  live  cut  from  it's  stem  and  travelling  under  harsh  conditions  .  "  do  not  bother  ,  the  flowers  will  not  survive  such  a  harsh  trip  and  do  not  deserve  such  treatment  .  "  a  sigh  leaves  his  lips  .  "  in  due  time  i  will  see  home  again  ,  under  what  circumstances  we  do  not  know  .  "  hopefully  not  in  a  coffin  or  as  ashes  ,  but  who  knows  with  this  world  .  "  i  need  you  to  be  careful  while  here  ahri  ,  i  could  not  stand  you  falling  prey  to  hands  which  wants  what  we  have  or  what  we  desire  .  "

The voice beside her drew selyse’s attention, and a faint smile touched her lips as she followed the stranger’s gaze across the hall. "then i pity whoever keeps the crown's ledgers," she replied, dry amusement threading through her voice, her fingers traced once along the stem of her goblet before stilling, "tonight alone could likely fund half a fleet." perhaps more, the crown had spared no expense in crafting spectacle. gold shimmered from every surface, candlelight danced across polished marble, and music swelled as though the realm had not collectively stiffened after the king’s decree. selyse took a measured sip of wine, "still," she continued, quieter now, "i suppose extravagance has always been useful." her gaze drifted briefly toward the royal dais, "people tend to look upward at glittering things," a small pause. "it keeps them from noticing what is happening at eye level." only then did she glance toward the woman beside her, expression softened by quiet warmth rather than scrutiny, "though i suspect you already know that."

tsavorite  orbs  watch  the  onyx  locked  beauty  .  by  her  clothing  and  representation  it  was  easy  to  understand  who  she  was  .  a  woman  of  the  riverlands  ,  perhaps  a  tully  ?  as  someone  who  had  studied  all  the  houses  as  a  young  girl  ,  she  could  often  figure  out  who  they  were  with  some  attention  to  their  attire  ,  to  their  mannerisms  and  the  looks  given  to  the  man  upon  their  throne  .  shoulder's  relaxed  a  little  at  the  woman's  soothing  voice  and  the  celtigar  listened  to  every  cultivated  word  she  spoke  .

the  smallest  hint  of  a  twitch  of  her  lip  happened  at  the  mention  of  her  sharpened  mind  and  she'd  take  it  as  a  compliment  .  "  that  is  true  ,  for  we  see  the  glittering  beauty  ,  but  not  the  rats  underneath  the  boards  .  "  her  words  were  gentle  ,  not  loud  or  brash  .  she  didn't  dare  in  case  any  dragon  sharpened  their  ears  .  it  was  a  difficult  position  ,  to  stand  against  a  crown  so  regal  and  formerly  great  ,  but  that  was  it  ..  formerly  .  "  it  is  not  only  me  which  understands  it  seems  lady  swann  ,  it  seems  your  mind  is  as  sharp  as  the  rivers  you  love  too  .  "  compliments  could  get  you  far  ,  and  sometimes  as  far  as  one  needed  .

even dragons perish.

his eyes flickered back to dohyun a small grin on his face and his tone lighter, “but dead or not we learn to respect their presence all the same."” whether he spoke of dragons or the men who claimed them was left unsaid. however that is all he would say on the dragons, human or otherwise.

lancel’s dark eyes narrowed at the mention of his wife. what game was he attempting to play? for he most definitely had a game in mind. but lancel liked games, he found himself to be rather good at games. he closed the distance between them by a measured step, neither hurried nor hesitant. "she remains well, both oldtown and the children demand much of her" he answered evenly. " but she has never been one to shrink from duty, the burdens of that city would bend lesser shoulders." he leaned in a little closer to the lord hand, his voice lowered "but i suspect you know as much already so i must wonder why you ask."

he held dohyun's gaze without blinking, the silver lion of castamere did not bare his teeth without reason. over the years he had built a careful intimidation around him, so he did not retreat. as he never had. to yield ground without purpose was to invite others to believe you could be moved.

lancel reached out then, resting a firm hand upon doyhun’s shoulder. the grip was deliberate, firm but impossible to ignore. to any watching eye it might have appeared a gesture of easy familiarity between powerful men. maybe it was. maybe it wasn’t. time would surely tell. "if there is business between us, let us spare one another the dance. i confess my patience for half truths grows thinner with each passing day."

he  notices  it  .  the  eyes  which  find  the  king  .  eyes  which  without  a  doubt  wonders  if  the  dragonriders  have  long  since  outgrown  their  time  upon  the  throne  .  in  truth  ?  perhaps  ,  he  wondered  the  same  .  however  ,  within  an  established  kingdom  with  a  bloodline  filled  with  kings  ,  queens  and  lieges  ⸻  why  not  let  them  ?  and  behind  the  curtain  ,  within  the  darkness  where  no  one  is  looking  ,  you  guide  their  unsteady  hands  ?  he  still  wondered  if  it  was  the  right  action  ,  but  through  birth  and  years  of  learning  ,  he  would  enact  his  father's  wishes  ,  as  long  as  he  saw  something  within  it  .

"  yes  ,  we  are  nothing  but  mere  men  .  "  he  mused  back  ,  carnelian  orbs  reflecting  that  of  his  equal  .  his  answer  about  his  wife  brings  a  genuine  smile  upon  serpents  lips  .  "  well  i  expect  nothing  less  of  your  wife  ,  if  i  am  to  be  honest  -  "  hands  come  forth  ,  folded  together  in  front  of  his  attire  .  "  would  you  believe  me  lord  lancel  ,  if  i  said  even  with  such  few  years  in  kings  landing  ,  i  still  long  for  the  embrace  of  the  reach  at  fleeting  moments  ?  "  half  lies  ,  half  truths  ,  they  were  always  such  wonderful  creations  .

the  hand  upon  his  shoulder  was  heavy  ,  yet  he  understood  it's  meaning  .  could  one  trust  a  lion  of  castamere  ?  or  would  fangs  of  a  flower  serpent  sink  first  in  the  notion  of  betrayal  ?  "  do  you  believe  i  speak  in  riddles  lord  lancel  ?  "  a  tilt  of  his  head  ,  a  challenge  was  given  so  he  gives  one  in  return  .  it  was  never  sure  who  one  could  trust  and  who  one  couldn't  in  the  spinning  of  these  games  ,  but  it  was  certain  ,  he  would  never  show  his  hand  before  the  other  .

the masquerade ball at the red keep ; day five .

Despite all the glimmering of the golden chandeliers and the magnanimous facade the King bore all the way up there on his raised dais with his elaborate dragon mask, Sebastyn saw his rambling speech for what it was; madness and paranoia. When the shocked silence finally broke and the room took to nervous tittering, he couldn't help but let out a brazen guffaw. Were all of the guests here truly bearing witness to the same thing ? It was an accusation at best, a witch hunt at worst, and his wine-addled brain couldn't find anything more amusing in a room full of all of Westeros' most important.

He takes a substantial swallow of his wine before turning to the nearest person to him. " Truth reveals itself eventually, " he repeats in a mockingly low timbre. " How much do you think those maesters will accept to miss a few coppers in their counting ? " he jests, perhaps a bold statement amidst all the fearfully low whispers now floating about the room. As the music picks up again, blanketing all of the sudden tension in a reminder of the former revelry, he tips his cup towards his new companion in a mimicry of a toast. " Whatever soothes the head that bears the crown, right ? "

clenched  fist  and  fingernails  biting  into  flesh  of  her  palm  .  the  celtigar  daughter  found  herself  not  in  shock  ,  not  in  uproar  over  the  kings  speech  .  the  targaryens  were  gluttonous  and  with  their  safety  compromised  with  their  dragons  gone  ,  their  world  was  no  longer  as  safe  as  before  .  so  why  shouldn't  they  ask  the  nobility  of  their  realm  to  check  their  loyalties  ,  to  bow  down  to  the  crown  and  it's  still  suspicious  power  .  her  thoughts  of  political  understanding  went  rampant  ,  while  the  valyrian  blood  in  her  veins  cursed  them  further  .

the  quiet  of  the  wind  is  interrupted  by  another  and  celtigar  daughter  turns  abrputly  to  find  herself  in  the  company  of  a  royce  .  she'd  never  travelled  too  far  north  ,  never  ventured  beyond  what  her  house  deemed  proper  .  she  was  a  bargaining  coin  in  a  game  she  wished  to  partake  in  ,  yet  she  was  but  a  woman  .  "  we  are  allowed  our  own  opinions  are  we  not  ?  regarding  if  the  music  is  of  ones  taste  ?  or  should  we  all  fall  underneath  the  influence  of  the  masses  ,  lord  royce  ?  "  she'd  never  been  one  to  be  careful  with  her  words  ,  never  one  to  cower  no  matter  her  own  fright  or  what  should  or  should  not  be  said  between  four  eyes  .  tsavorite  hues  turn  back  onto  the  black  of  the  ocean  ,  letting  the  darkness  settle  her  mind  .  “  what  i've  heard  you  do  not  settle  for  the  will  of  the  masses  either  lord  royce  ,  or  is  that  another  false  rumor  ?  ”

a snake. and lancel knew it.

lancel exhaled through his nose and lifted the cup to his lips, though he drank little. "of course we should, sadness is not a terrible thing," he said, his voice muffled by the rim of the goblet. "some of these mournful lords may seek their comforts elsewhere in the city before the night is done." a faint smile tugged at his lips, "wine, brothels, dice, every melancholy lord spends gold more freely than a cheerful one." his eyes slid toward the lord hand beside him, lingering there with quiet meaning. "gods know we'll need it if we're to recover even a fraction of what this spectacle has cost." no expense spared for this celebration of unity. but at what cost? cost of the coffers. which would, of course, be up to him to recuperate.

then with a quick smile, lancel shifted his expression to something easy and laidback. he leaned back slightly with an easy smile, rolling the goblet lazily in his hand once more. “ah. but perhaps it is the master of coin in me talking. it seems i’ve lost the ability to look at a celebration without counting the cost of cheer.”

carnelian  orbs  fell  upon  the  master  of  coin  ,  a  smile  produced  through  venom  upon  his  lips  in  the  company  of  the  other  .  snakes  ,  dragons  ,  beasts  and  men  .  were  they  not  all  the  same  ?  for  few  could  measure  his  interest  ,  to  captivate  it  and  make  sure  it  stayed  .  the  lord  reyne  ?  he  could  have  his  interest  for  like  speaks  to  like  and  while  the  world  swayed  in  it's  honeyed  liqour  ,  they  would  drown  each  other  in  wine  and  poison  .

"  no  ,  sadness  is  not  a  terrible  thing  ,  yet  do  we  understand  this  one  lord  reyne  ?  the  one  where  beasts  fell  dead  upon  the  ground  ,  coiled  in  their  own  venom  as  sickness  depraved  our  royal  houses  beloved  companions  ?  "  small  tilt  of  his  head  and  the  hand  of  the  king  studied  the  other  .  a  worthy  match  ,  or  perhaps  something  entirely  different  ?  a  laughter  which  does  not  meet  his  eyes  echoes  between  the  two  ,  not  too  loud  and  yet  not  unnoticed  .  "  yes  well  ,  it  comes  with  the  job  does  it  not  ?  every  join  which  leaves  the  treasury  is  one  we  need  to  replace  and  how  do  we  do  so  ?  "  such  questions  were  meant  for  the  table  ,  not  happy  gatherings  of  the  nobility  .

"  however  ,  you  are  quite  right  -  this  is  not  the  time  nor  place  to  consider  the  realms  coin  .  "  he  hums  ,  lifting  his  goblet  to  his  lips  ,  drinking  the  poison  which  sooths  every  man's  soul  .  "  how  is  your  wife  ?  "  the  question  is  abrupt  ,  yet  one  which  finds  them  upon  common  ground  .  a  hightower  ,  married  to  a  reyne  .  he  was  not  blind  to  the  posibillities  ,  then  again  ,  he  was  not  blind  to  the  beast  cunning  next  ot  him  either  .