golden days.

what  a  glorious  race  ,  thought  the  siren  of  gulltown  as  she  watched  finishers  cross  the  line  .  she  envied  them  ,  wishing  she  hadn't  been  too  chicken  to  take  part  herself  .  though  she  doubted  she  would've  been  much  competition  -  at  least  against  the  challengers  here  .  with  a  delighted  sigh  she  left  her  seat  ,  seeking  shade  and  sweet  refreshments  to  parch  her  thirst  . hands clasped together , thumb of her left hand rubbing along the length of jagged scar on her right palm . almost lost in her own mind , she did not watch her step as heel of her shoe caught in a dip in the ground --- causing her to lurch forward and hit the ground on her hands and knees . ❝ gods , how embarrassing , ❞ she groaned as she adjusted her position to lift her hands and brush dirt from her palms .

the race was incredible to watch, cheering infectious as horses sped by, even if participants were only in sight for a few moments. rowena knew how to ride on horseback but not anywhere near as well as those in the competition. she had no issue with horses but preferred other means of transport, hence a great lack of practice. with the events of the day coming to an end, she begins her way back to her lodgings where ryon is napping. there is a sudden thud with a woman's voice that strikes rowena as odd and she turns to spot the aftermath of the lady's trip. " are you all right, lady serra ? that sounded quite painful, " she is already offering her hands to help lift the woman up, trying to see if they will need to find the maester.

cassia  turned  the  jade  bracelet  over  in  the  palms  of  their  hands  ,  casting  a  critical  gaze  over  the  piece  .  with  the  scammed  gold  that  they  had  gotten  in  king's  landing  ,  she  had  gone  to  the  merchants'  stalls  with  no  thought  as  to  what  they  wanted  aside  from  to  spend  a  few  dragons  and  not  allow  them  to  continue  to  burn  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  their  coin  purse  .  “  they  claim  to  have  many  benefits  to  jade  .  wealth  ,  longevity  ,  peace  ,  ”  cass   mused   before  passing  the  jewelry  over  to  rowena  .  “  it's  not  my  favorite  ,  but  it  may  make  a  nice  accessory  for  you  or  for  ryon  if  it  is  recast  into  something  more  suitable  for  him  to  not  be  able  to  lose  .  ”

the plan was only to look, no buying - but as rowena passed stall after stall, she began to put a backup plan into action. perhaps she could cave on one piece, regardless of whatever is chosen in the end. maybe even something small for ryon. her hands are held behind her back as if it will help, eyeing the collection the merchant had for sale. once finished, rowena waits silently by cassia to see if anything has caught their eye. as the jewelry is passed, she looks curiously at the jade bracelet, thinking the color is quite beautiful. " how can this small rock have so many benefits ? " the lady arryn questions, brows furrowed. she grins at the kind offer but gives a quick shrug. " something he cannot lose ? impossible, " she holds the piece up to let light shine through the jade. " do you have a favorite ? i will keep an eye out, "

"No smile for me Ryon? I'm not scary you know I don't bite - will you root for me too?" Warrick smiled broadly for a moment tickled by the sudden bashfulness of the little babe knowing how tempermental two year olds could be sure rowena was pleased to have a moment where the child was not so actively moving. Bowing his head stepping away from his boat for this conversation his smile softened to an old friend knowing the arryns had always been close companions of his atleast. "Knowing you my lady have put gold on my team to win I am flattered and filled with even more motivation to make sure there is a good return on your investment. I would like to say I am in no need of it but I will take your well wishes and hope to put on a good race. How are you fairing today, Lady Rowena?"

her hand rubs gentle circle motions on ryon's back, soothing the toddler and hoping by the time they reached his governess, he would be back in better spirits. " oh, he will, someone is just in a mood, " she responds, adjusting his weight on her hip. it was challenging, attempting to find time to participate in certain events, yet the lady arryn knew she would regret her mistake if she chose otherwise. rowena would make the time available. " there is no pressure to win, but i enjoy supporting fellow occupants of the vale. " plus, she didn't mind a bit of friendly competition. " i am well today, thank you. i wish there was more of a breeze to this heat... but that is my only complaint for the moment. what of yourself, lord warrick ? "

she would follow the strict lessons the tyrell matriarch laid out for them all . easy smile on lips , poised to be both graceful and helpful in the midst of the kingdom come to highgarden. malina had not requested much of malaika aside for her to be more hostess than she , to be impediment when she could no longer stand the prying conversation . " i do deeply apologize , however , both the bride and groom have been called away to attend to other things . i would be more than willing to pass along a message , or perhaps , be of assistance to you . " she did not falter , though as her gaze met another , malaika excused herself smoothly with a curtsy . " i have been in search of you , " greeted warmly to be overheard , façade dropping once the other had exited . " my apologies . i did not know of another way to repeat myself for the third time . "

rowena found the reach to be incredibly beautiful and everything she had heard about the region's bountiful flowers were true. she did not care if it was cliche to want to sniff every single type or that the briar labyrinth was a childhood fear, especially when there were many who probably felt that way about the moon door - she quite enjoyed exploring highgarden. on her way to travel more of the grounds, the last thing she expected was someone stopping her path. " oh, me ? i think you might - " words are cut off the second everything clicks into place, eyeing the company they had distanced themselves from. " right, yes, of course ! here i am ! " rowena exclaims loudly enough for everyone in a close proximity to hear. once they are alone, the lady arryn gives an apologetic smile. " no need to apologize, i entirely understand. you must be incredibly busy helping with the wedding. "

observing  alys,  jory  is  reminded  of  what  he  has  lost.  it  was  not  anything  material  so  much  as  it  was  his  youthful  optimism.  the  jory  that  had  chosen  squiredom  over  learning  to  rule  over  the  neck  had  long  faded,  and  had  taken  the  expectations  that  he  had  for  this  future  version  of  himself  along  with  him.  ultimately,  jory's  goal  had  been  accomplished.  he  was  a  knight,  the  captain  of  winterfell's  guard,  and  he  was  good  at  what  he  was  tasked  with.  but  the  path  jory  had  taken  to  get  there  had  been  such  a  heinous  deviation  from  what  he'd  once  dreamed  of  within  the  walls  of  greywater  watch.  "  lord  edric  learned  that  from  me.  "  he  says  as  much  in  jest,  offering  a  smile  that  fades  as  he  contemplates  the  question  she  levies  at  him.  it's  not  one  that  can  be  answered  simply,  but  he  attempts  anyway.  "  be  loyal  to  what  matters.  it  doesn't  have  to  be  the  starks,  or  winterfell,  or  bear  island  —  though  it  can  be.  "  he  struggles  to  wrangle  his  train  of  thought,  sighing  quietly.  "  you  can  be  the  finest  technical  swordsman  the  realm  has  ever  seen,  all  of  westeros  can  know  of  your  prowess  in  battle  —  but  it'll  mean  nothing  if  you  don't  have  something  to  fight  for.  " 

the jest is taken with a grin, glancing back at jory. " it feels as if lord edric has learned a lot from you. " both a tease and stating an observation, alys takes pride in knowing they are well acquainted with some of their biggest idols. ned has always been an obvious one, but those who helped him reach his potential usually become quick interests of alys. jory had what alys essentially dreamed of becoming one day - a well established knight with an occupation of honor, being the captain of winterfell's guard. while they were not picky about where they ended up, it would only be the greatest of accomplishments to end up in a similar position as ser reed. she very much values how he views knighthood and the steps to not only becoming a knight, but becoming a good one. " be loyal to what matters... the north matters to me, ser, what else could there be ? " an idea comes to mind but they do not voice it aloud. " aye, i think i see what you mean... it would be an honor to have something so meaningful to fight for, yes ? if there is anything i have learned during our travels, it is that i am proud to be in service to the starks. "

aemma  finds  herself  envious  of  alys.  just  a  short  time  ago,  she'd  had  aspirations  for  her  future  that  she  held  close  to  her  chest.  she  wished  to  sing,  or  to  devote  her  time  to  aiding  the  motherhouse  that  had  taken  her  in  when  she  was  young.  all  of  that  was  squandered  now,  any  plans  they  may  have  had  for  their  life  crushed  under  the  heavy  weight  of  loss  and  duty.  still,  she  bears  a  smile.  "  thank  you,  "  the  gratitude  is  offered  with  a  slight  tilt  of  their  head,  gaze  momentarily  cast  downward  towards  casterly  rock's  stone  floors.  no  matter  her  condemnable  jealousy  and  her  own  dashed  dreams,  aemma  still  wished  to  see  alys  live  theirs.  "  oh,  i've  no  need  for  rest,  "  they  shrug  off  alys's  concern.  it  seems  that  was  the  majority  of  what  she  received  from  others  as  of  late  —  concern  and  pity  in  droves.  what  aemma  needed,  in  reality,  was  for  someone  to  tell  her  she  wasn't,  in  fact,  running  house  grafton's  legacy  into  the  ground  as  they  speak.  "  you  and bear were  a  marvel,  truly,  "  they  place  her  hand  on  alys's  forearm,  fingers  resting  there  gently.  "  a  well deserved  near  win.  "

with as much responsibility as their lord has, and ned is only presently heir, alys cannot imagine the strength it must take to be a ruling liege. they often dream of whisking aemma away some place far, not even needing to be a long trip, the two of them exploring together. how lovely it would be to handpick a bouquet for the lady grafton or share fresh fruits on a sunny hill with no one for miles. how different things could be if her allegiance was not already confirmed to the service of the north. perhaps they could have at least daydreams and wishes to satisfy their greatest desires. " everyone has need for rest, " alys corrects immediately, not wanting to push but reminding aemma to take care of themselves. " or if you need help with anything, you need only ask. " it is no surprise that the topic is changed and while alys does not like talking about herself, even more so when it takes away from aemma speaking, she obliges the other. the gentle touch helps, granting a toothy smile from the mormont. " thank you, i will inform bear of your compliment, he will be thrilled. "