who: @ofwrittenwhispers when and where: the verdant concord, the first time brianna is able to see fiona since her return from braavos considering she was unable to make the grafton ball in fiona's honour.
brianna bracken stood at the entrance to the highgarden ballroom, her gaze sweeping over the sea of finely dressed lords and ladies swirling around the grand hall. the music floated through the air, a soft waltz that seemed too elegant for her tastes. her eyes fell to a woman across the room, standing near a cluster of people, her golden hair catching the light just so. brianna’s heart lurched painfully in her chest. she hadn’t seen fiona grafton in what felt like an eternity, not since the news had come that fiona was leaving for braavos.
she had never imagined fiona would just disappear without so much as a word, without so much as a glance back.
the sudden departure had confused her, unsettled her, left her feeling like a fool. why had she gone? why had no one told her? the amount of times people had asked her what had happened with fiona, and she was unable to answer - what sort of fool did she appear as?
she had heard the rumours, of course. everyone had. fiona grafton’s grand return to gulltown, the ball of all balls, the one everyone seemed to talk about for days after. all of brianna’s other friends had attended, their names slipping casually from the lips of gossiping lords and ladies, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. but there she was, stuck at stone hedge, playing the dutiful daughter, while ronan had his hands full at riverrun, as always. and so, brianna had missed it. bloody typical - everyone else got to waltz around in fancy gowns, sip wine, and gossip, and there she was...
stuck holding down the fort at stone hedge like a servant.
there, standing near the edge of the ballroom, was fiona grafton. brianna froze, her breath catching in her throat. the sight of her brought a rush of emotions she wasn’t quite ready to face. fiona was just as radiant as ever—seemingly smaller than usual, with the same dark, glossy hair that cascaded in waves down her back. the gown she wore shimmered like starlight, making her seem almost ethereal. she looked every bit the noblewoman, the one who had been gone so long, the one whose marriage had been the subject of far too many rumours. she wanted to boot her up the arse.
and then, as if a switch had been flicked, brianna’s instincts kicked in. she took a deep breath, put on her best exaggerated smile, and sauntered toward her. "well, well, well," brianna said, her voice light but laced with sarcasm. "do i know you?" she cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes in mock confusion. "you look familiar, but... no, i’m certain we’ve never met." she resisted the urge to laugh - just slightly. it had taken much effort, but she had managed to hold onto it. "well then, girl - when you see fiona grafton, let her know she's landed herself right in it with her favourite bracken." she purposefully put on the voice fiona puts on when she was ordering her servants around, ensuring her lilt changed to that of the vale whilst acting seemingly bratty.
