@zaldriakhzan sent in : [ GUIDE ]:          in the process of guiding the receiver through a crowded place, the sender’s hand protectively grazes against the small of their back | aemar

while the red keep can be seen as dreary -- a place so ancient and old that maryse can easily get lost within its halls, no matter how well planned -- king's landing is awash in color. she had not expected this : the busy streets, the sights and sounds at times so similar to maezemh it makes her heart race.

she had only asked to go to the sept, to see what one looks like so far up north, but maryse instead finds herself glued to the carriage window. the princess watches men and women stare at the royal progress curiously, and children who run beside their doors that maryse gives a small wave to before the guards cut their view off on their horses.

the sept is grand, but cold, despite the candlelit offerings. maryse wanders from statue to statue, carefully lighting a candle at each so as not to appear to have favorites of the seven, but does linger a touch longer in front of the mother. she searches in vain for the sun iconography maryse knows would be everywhere in dorne, but pretends to focus on the brilliant stone carvings. when it is time to leave, she can sense aemond behind her just as much as she can casimir, arion, and delon. her sunguard has grown, even subconsciously, by one.

the smallfolk have no doubt heard that their prince and his new wife has joined them outside of the keep, because when maryse steps out in the sunlight and takes a breath not filled with smoke of incense and candlelight, they push in, reaching hands out to touch them, or ask things of them in a language that maryse struggles to grasp on the best of days and is unintelligible when yelled at her so.

in maezemh, this never occurs. the smallfolk are aware of their royals, yes, but the sunguard and the guards in general never allow them close. call maryse privileged -- but she has never been near accosted near holy ground. the dornish respect ( or fear ) the sun princess and her children far too much, and most would say they are the closest to divinity they have on earth ! the most maryse has seen of them have been bows and stares from a distance ; nothing like this, where a man grasps at her silk dress.

but then, she looks again. they are starving. the man that held to her dress is dirty, a look of desperation in his eyes. a mother hoists her child up not to give the child the chance to see royalty, but to beg for food for him while he wails, confused, above the crowd. it moves as a beating heart might, in a rhythm so unfamiliar that maryse nearly cowers before it. can nothing be done ? surely, dorne has offered aid to them. surely, those in charge of the throne would not let their people starve ?

before the princess can feel worse about her surroundings ( the visit to the sept had been her idea, after all ), there is a nearly invisible line drawn by her sunguard : a separation. casimir steps to cover her with sword and sigiled cloak, and arion and delon, following his lead, do the same until maryse can see nothing more than her guard, and the carriage on a clear path in front of them created by aemond's own guard.

Heartstopper 🥹🥺🥺😭😢😢🥺🥹🥹🥹

I literally don't know what to say. My babies. Genuinely can't believe this series is over but also so glad it happened 🥺

Also I love enby Darcy ehehheheheheheh and pirate Charlie and just Sahar in general (Sahar book when?? (Jk(mostly)))

Also got invited to a house party <3