#leo 002

the small council meeting came to an end, and yet, there was a matter that he did not wish to discuss with the small council; not as of yet, considering it involved business and family. and whilst the small council were some of the most loyal members of the realm, the blood of the lannisters meant that family would always remain a level above them; even that which run within those of golden tooth, who defended the entrance to their realm. and it was for that reason the sounds of the king's crier announcing his arrival echoed within a bustling hallway, merely two hours after the lord commander completed his shift, the crowds of westerland courtiers splitting like the sea itself as the lion king walked through the middle.

( THE KING. THE KING. )

"with me." and the lord commander followed after him with nothing more being needed than the nod of a head, closing the door behind him; the man remained stood, knowing there were multiple matters he needed to speak with leo lefford about - only one of them was regarding the position of lord commander. the other? was regarding the position of being ruling lord of house lefford, a brother to those of lannister blood, and their kinship.

their sacred kinship. tyland: he looked upon the man who was his family; and thus, he trusted him. trusted him to complete his duty, to know what was needed to serve this realm and ensure they did not lose themselves to all the gods had blessed them with. that they remained a pride firmly on the ground, alert, aware of their surroundings and their enemies - unlike the arryns, their heads within the clouds. the only way to ensure their dominance would be to move forward, to look  to the sky; for if he could, he would conquer that too. 

Leo blinks drowsiness out of his eyes at the sound of Daesung’s voice. It sounds so different over the phone, so distant. A pang of guilt rests in his chest when he realises it’s been too long since he’s heard it. “Daesungie?” The nickname slips out before Leo has much of a chance to think about it. “I- I’m not busy. Tell me where you want to meet.” He pauses, shifting the phone to his right hand when the pencil that had previously been in his grasp is discarded. “What happened? Is- Is something wrong?”

usually, the ruling lord of stone hedge did not mix festivities with other affairs: whether it be political or business. especially during the season of yule, which was once the most cherished of all festivities by house bracken. it still was, to some extent, however it had not been the same in many a year; a quiet sense of togetherness found in trying to get through the period. usually, being the main focus here; seeing as this year, ronan had decided to once again restart the festivities within stone hedge. the decoration had been grander, which only made the ancient keep seem cosier and more inviting than it usually was.

when he informed her that he would be inviting house lefford to the celebrations, both as a sign of warmth to maintain connections, as well as discuss the matter of lady gold with leo lefford, it seemed to make sense. it did make sense.

and so why had she been quietly avoiding making eye contact for too long with the ruling lord of golden tooth, who had last seen her when they danced together within the reach? why was it the sight of leo lefford within the hallways and the halls of her home seemed to make her feel a strange blur of emotions; amusement, shyness, curiosity. as though she would not have pictured him here, within one of the warmest places of all the riverlands at such a special time of year. and it was only time the lady of stone hedge approached her guest, in a mirror of what she had done the first time they had met; quietly taken the seat beside him rather than opposite him this time.

only after she had taken to the dance floor for the majority of the night, particularly being spun so much by fergus blackbar she was hardly able to walk straight for a minute or so when he finally put her down. "hello." her voice greeted him, almost sheepish in nature. this was all rather strange to her, and she detested how she did not know why. all he was doing was sitting there, a drink in his hand; they had danced this dance before. why was it different this time? she had seen her brother speaking to him earlier in the evening, watching from the corner of her eye as he confirmed the identity of lady gold.

it was strange to think it were something only the three of them in the entire room knew of. the explosion they seemed to be sitting on. there was a momentary quiet between them, her hands resting together; she did not fiddle with them.

Was this a habit of Leo’s now? Because it sure as hell felt like one and it was getting on Kaeden’s nerves the way the man chose to walk in so freely into the sheriff’s department and into his office once again. Made him question how come he wasn’t worried what his friends might think of these short visits, too, but the sheriff doubted there would be an answer if he asked. So, instead, he ignored Leo for as long as he could, secretly hoping the man might get the idea this time and give up, but even after twenty minutes or so Kaeden could still feel his presence in the room. It kind of made the whole office smell like smoke. Hanging on his last nerve he finally spoke: “You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes. What do you want this time?” He added, lifting his head to look at the man.