#curiouscarson

Margaery Tyrell ✿ So the girl is as clever as she is pretty.

“you must be fierce.  can you do that, for our queen?”

ben nodded, his swallow belying his fear.  aly looked around.  she rested her hands on his shoulders.  “you can do it,” she said.  “it won’t be so bad.  i’ll have stuck them full of arrows by the time you charge.  that’ll stop them.”

ben was pale.  her nephew was only eleven years old.  his father had ailed in the past few years, which was how aly had even been able to sneak in practice with her bow.  her brother had been determined that she wouldn’t whenever she’d asked as a girl, but he’d hardly been able to get out of bed since she was thirteen.  whatever my brother’s virtues, he is not a man his son can take heart in on the eve of battle.  

she took benjicot’s helmet and set it on his head, dropping the visor down.  “remember: if you’re frightened, you can yell really loudly.  it’ll make you feel better and it’ll frighten anyone in your path.  can you do that?  roar like our queen’s dragon?”  ben nodded.  “can you yell for me now?”

he did, his tiny boy’s voice filling his helmet.  he balled his armored fists and hunched his shoulders and yelled, his voice raw.  

“good,” aly said.  “now i want to hear you from the hill with my archers, all right? i’ll be listening for you.”

ben raised his visor and reached for his waterskin.  “aly?”

“yes?”

“you’ll shoot them, right?”

“as many as i can, and as swift.  you’ll hear the whistling of my arrows as you ride out.  i promise.”  she pressed a kiss to his forehead.  

he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.  i’m all he has.  

and in that moment, aly blackwood was afraid.  she’d never been the type of girl to frighten easily, but the thought of her little nephew crushed by the incoming westermen, his brains pouring out of his skull and filling that helment...

The first time Brienne met Jaime Lannister, she found him rude, abrasive, arrogant, and entirely stand-offish.

She had a good thing going in this government, and not only were there now changes to abide by, but he was her immediate superior and thus, every decision of hers would have to be run by him in order to be approved. Jaime Lannister didn’t have what you’d call an approving face. He was all business, and with a high and mighty attitude that had no place coming here, if you asked her.

She quite detested the very sight of him.

---

The first time Brienne saw the cracks in Mean Jaime’s armour was when he dug into his own pockets to pay for Marillion to sing at the family concert he’d been so adamant was unnecessary spending.

It was an entirely selfless move that shook the ground for her. It had been months and months of solidifying a pretty strong case against him, against everything he stood for. She’d all but written speeches in her mind about why she wanted him gone, and then he went and pulled that.

Brienne didn’t like contesting her judgment.

---

The first time Brienne felt respect for Jaime Lannister, he was red-faced and sweaty in front of twenty cameras, passionately defending himself for the teenage decision that cost him the nickname ‘kingslayer’.

Nobody wanted to be known as a usurper, power-hungry and greedy and the only reason why he got ahead in the world was because he plotted against his boss. Yes, she’d done plenty of research on him when he’d showed up in her life. It wasn’t easy, dismantling all that biased information in order to see his side. But there was something sparking honourable behind the worn down exterior of the man.

Something she respected.

---

The first time Brienne was happy about Jaime’s presence, he almost left.

His father wanted him to return to his old job, and the disappointment she had felt at the news had surprised her. It would have been unprofessional to ask him to stay, however. Highly unprofessional. She did so, anyway, swallowing her pride, only to find out he was staying anyway.

Brienne shared a smile with him that she can’t shake off her mind.

---

The first time Brienne asked out Jaime Lannister, he turned her down.

It couldn’t have been surprising; Brienne had lived a life where men turning her down was the norm. But she had been so sure that the attraction was mutual. The way Jaime looked at her had been seemingly unmistakeable. He’d still said no. Turns out, Tyrion had warned him not to ask out co-workers. So when Jaime suggested they eat lunch in the office, of course she said yes.

It was the first time Brienne wondered if soulmates were real.

---

The first time Jaime kissed Brienne, she was so blown away by the romantic delight of it all that she could think of little else afterwards.

Despite several warnings from their superiors, despite knowing that they couldn’t, Jaime had fallen for her. He’d admitted so himself, and there was little Brienne could do in terms of sticking to the rules when it came to him.

It was frightening, how little she cared about policies when she got to be with him.

---

There were firsts after firsts after firsts, piled on top of each other, things that Jaime Lannister did that she wondered about, that she loved, that she hated, that she ultimately couldn’t live without.

“What are you doing?” Brienne asked, smiling with surprise at the sight of him after not having seen him for weeks.

He got down on one knee and her heart stopped as her throat tightened. “Oh gods, what are you doing?” she breathed out, standing stock still.

thank u so much!!! 💙

the fact that christmas is so close!! (it’s my favorite holiday)

getting lost in central park just listening to music

doing really well on an essay/exam

wearing a nice outfit/buying new clothes

what? what happened? that’s crazy!

congrats!

curiouscarson replied to your post “I got four hours of sleep but I’m so happy rn. I did a major...”

yay! congratulations! savor the feeling <3

fcntasticbeasts replied to your post “I got four hours of sleep but I’m so happy rn. I did a major...”

yay congrats!! <3