ᴜɴʀᴇᴘᴇɴᴛᴀɴᴛ .

nara wynch. the lady (assassin) of iron holt. [ intro . threads . plots . pinterest . ]

❝  the  ale  is  not  as  terrible  as  the  south’s  ––  but  the  other  is  …  an  option,  ❞  he  jokes,  even  though  it  would  not  have  been  so  in  the  past.    ❝  since  when  did  we  keep  secrets?,  ❞  he  probes,  playful  smirk  on  his  face.    had  he  been  there,  he  was  sure  he  would  have  gotten  wrapped  up  in  their  mayhem  along  with  them.    ❝  i’m  not  sure,  actually.    ferah  and  i  have  not  figured  it  out  yet  but  i  would  like  to  return  to  the  islands  soon,  hopefully  with  kazim.  ❞    one  day  he  would  like  him  to  see  timur’s  home,  but  that  was  a  thought  for  another  day.    ❝  is  that  all  i  am?    your  entertainment  when  you  want  to  be  a  bother?  ❞    her  question  made  his  laughter  brief,  unsure  what  would  happen  now.    ❝  i  …  don’t  know.    you  can  travel  with  me.  ❞    as  what,  was  the  true  question.

  “ the cold does seem to bring people closer, ” she noted with a small smile. “ you’re telling me you’ve never kept anything from me ? ” nara challenged him. there were many lies she had to tell others, ones that could put her and her family in danger, if they were revealed, but it seemed as though she had given a good honest impression of herself so far. “ i hope that you can find a way for kazim to spend as much of his time in iron islands, so we don’t have to tease him for acting like a mainlander. ” there was still a soft smile on his face. “ the sex was also great, ” she giggled, but she did feel as though he wanted her to confess something. something more than she was ready to admit to heself. as much as something in nara squirmed a small tiny yes at his suggestion, some younger and naiver version of nara, that barely even existed in this universe, she could not agree to that. it was against her whole being. it was against the person she was and who she wanted to become, and it did not align with the morals of the wynches. what she did for her family and the secrets she kept was the real reason she would have to deny him, push him away. “ i can’t follow you around, timur. i will not be your mistress. ” she needed to be with her family. 

“  i  was  bored.  ”  as  was  the  reason  why  kaelys  did  most  things,  and  ended  up  in  many  of  the  situations  they  had  been.  most  things  didn’t  hold  her  attention  more  than  a  couple  of  hours  at  the  max,  and  was  one  of  the  many  reasons  they  despised  being  on  the  mainland.  their  brows  raise  at  their  friend’s  words,  wondering  what  it  was  that  could  cause  nara  to  be  as  out  of  sorts  as  she  seemed.  “  did  you  drink  too  much  ?  ”  kae  questioned,  gaze  narrowing.  “  so  then  why  are  you  pissed  off  ?  ”  and  if  whatever  it  was  was  enough  for  nara  to  think  they  wouldn’t  react  well  to  it  had  to  be  something  big  .  .  .  or  dumb.  “  you’re  either  going  to  tell  me  something  i’ll  dislike,  or  will  laugh  at.  from  how  you  are  acting,  it’s  up  in  the  air  for  which.  spit  it  out,  it’s  not  like  you  to  dance  around  things.  ”         

she laughed and then pretended to ponder on it. “only if you want it to. i am sure a trip in the skies would do you some good.” but despite saying this, visenya knew vhagar were not likely to accept anyone other than her family to ride on her back. her dragon was fiercely stubborn. “let us go explore the outskirts of the woods together, maybe we will see some wolves.” she was excited by the prospect, her dagger tied to her body as always if need be. “i already miss king’s landing. even being forced to breathe same air as aedar is better than being bored in winterfell.” the only good thing about this trip was that her oldest brother had not joined. xavion knew visenya’s feelings about the king, he knew how frustrated that she was with the betrothal. the one she did not dare break in fear of who aedar would tie her to next. her only hope was that lord dondarrion broke it off, she can do then pretend to be sad about it and ask for more time before getting betrothed again. “i even brought wine!” she opened the satchel she was wearing and revealed the wineskin. “and it’s dornish, so never say i don’t treat you.”

  “ it’s been too long since you saw me throw my guts up last, has it, vi ? ” xavion joked, though even the thought of being so high up in the air and his life quite literally being in the hands of a beast he knew nothing of made him feel some type of way. the lord would have definitely preferred to relive their teenage years and exploring their limits, when it came to ale and wine over it. “ and you are certain the arrival of your dragons has not scared off the wildlife for miles ? ” he questioned, wondering if wolves would stick around, when all their potential food have scattered. “ we’ll be lucky if we see anything. ” he did not want to be as pessimistic as he sounded, and it was a good thing visenya had a talent for bringing out the more optimistic side in him. “ you don’t have to pretend with me, we both know it’s not the boredom. i’m sorry you’re unfortunate enough to start to understand why i had been so damn miserable. ” xavion did not feel pleased that this was something that the two could now bond over. as naive as it was, he would have wished her an arrangement she would not detest. “ wow, you really must have missed me. ”

        freja  looked  at  nara  with  a  bright smile and nodded. “i love strawberries!” she exclaimed, eyes widening. lukas knew she was already thinking about how many she could eat in one day, but before she could even ask him anything, he shook his head, holding up two fingers as a reminder that she could only have two pastries. it was only when his daughter nodded, despite pouting, that lukas looked over at the baker.        ❝  three strawberry jam pastries and-  ❞       he paused, glancing over at nara.        ❝  do you want something too?  ❞        he didn’t have much of a sweet-tooth himself, but his friend’s words clearly suggested otherwise about her.

throughout  the  years,  melina’s  father  had  try  to  smother  any  duty  to  her  home  out  of  her.    he  only  cared  for  her  duties  in  furthering  their  line  when  she  one  day  married.    she  knew  it  would  be  hard  to  be  taken  seriously  without  her  father  when  she  had  been  seen  so  little  at  his  council,  but  she  was  luckily  to  be  liked  by  many  within  her  city.    xavion  was  another  she  was  grateful  for,  having  become  a  dear  friend  even  before  her  father  passed  and  one  she  knew  she  could  look  to  should  she  need  assistance.    ❝  quite  well,  so  far.    but  so  many  are  focused  on  the  change  of  scenery  …  the  true  test  will  be  when  we  are  back  home  for  some  time.  ❞

  xavion had sensed that longing to be able to do more in melina for a while now, especially when being under her father’s wing. the former ruling lord was not a pleasant acquaintance of xavion’s, perhaps that is why he had indeed anticipated for her to take over and it was not just the fact that it was his childhood town that she would rule over, but it also meant that she was finally free of him. “ there will be plenty of those. what you will start missing is trips like these and the ability to get away from those responsibilities. enjoy it while you can, melina. ”

her  thoughts  had  turned  from  the  book  the  moment  she  had  heard  his  voice,  with  ferah  looking  down  at  it  in  surprise.  “  you  have  not,  ”  she  assured  quickly,  pushing  it  further  down  the  couch  and  nodding.  “  of  course  you  may  sit  with  me.  come,  i  just  asked  for  more  logs  on  the  fire.  ”  which  ferah  was  grateful  for  as  she  was  sure  that  she  would  be  blushing  soon  just  due  to  his  presence  and  nothing  to  do  with  the  heat  that  had  warmed  her.  in  the  months  since  they  had  begun  their  correspondence,  she  felt  as  though  she  understood  him  and  his  position  better,  which  had  been  confusing  for  her  own  feelings.  emotions  that  she  had  ruminated  on,  afraid  to  tell  her  siblings  about  and  only  spoken  in  riddles  when  she  did  feel  bold  enough  to  coming  to  a  head  in  a  way  she  wasn’t  sure  she  was  prepared  for.  “  i  have  not  been  to  the  gardens  yet,  but  i  have  heard  that  they  are  beautiful,  and  heated.  i  was  told  of  the  winter  roses,  and  i  wish  to  go  and  see  them  at  some  point.  did  you  visit  when  you  first  arrived  ?  ”  ferah  asked  with  a  smile,  which  dimmed  only  slightly  at  the  mention  of  his  son.  one  of  the  many  reasons  she  had  ended  their  correspondences  in  the  first  place.  “  oh  ?  has  he  made  a  snow  angel,  yet  ?  i  think  he  would  find  that  to  be  far  more  fun.  ”   

soren  saw  nara  before  she  saw  him  and  knew  it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  before  she  made  her  way  over,  but  he  did  nothing  to  rush  it.    ❝  minding  my  own  business,  ❞  he  replies,  looking  up  at  the  other  islander  and  pulling  out  a  seat  for  her  to  sit  with  him.    though  nara  pushed  the  wrong  buttons  for  soren  sometimes,  he  tolerated  her  for  kae,  and  never  acted  on  his  own  feelings  about  her.    ❝  it  depends  on  what  the  favor  is.  ❞    just  because  he  tolerated  her  did  not  mean  he  would  go  out  of  his  way  for  her.    in  fact,  if  given  the  chance,  he’d  gladly  push  her  off  of  kaelys’  ship.

  his response to her question suggested that she should be doing the same, but if either of them truly did want to mind their own business, they wouldn’t be in this establishment in the first place. assuming that nara was capable of that, which she wasn’t. “ that sounds awfully boring. soren, what do you even do for fun ? ” she asked it with some interest in him, but she had her doubts that he would give offer up an answer to her. she took a seat beside him. “ god, just say yes. what harm can this little ironborn bring ? " she was definitely showing some version of her puppy eyes to him, knowing full well that he would see through it. “ come on, it’s nothing. i need you to hold onto something for me for a little bit. just give me your hand. ”

timur’s  nose  scrunched  up  at  the  mention  of  furs,  not  really  looking  to  dress  himself  up  like  a  northerner.    ❝  i  think  i  will  pass.    i  can’t  really  see  myself  in  them,  ❞  he  says  through  a  chuckle,  looking  down  for  a  moment.    a  small  misfortune  of  spending  all  of  his  time  at  highgarden,  was  not  getting  to  go  home  at  all,  and  he  did  miss  pyke.    ❝  hopefully  you  caused  some  havoc  as  well  when  you  returned.    with  kaelys,  no  doubt?  ❞    the  reach  was  everything  he  hoped  for,  bringing  a  more  gentle  smile  to  his  lips  as  he  nods.    ❝  it  was.  ––  no  thanks  to  my  father.  ❞    better  late  than  never,  was  all  he  could  try  and  think  to  lessen  the  pain  of  his  late  father’s  deceit.    ❝  i  missed  the  islands  though.    i  missed  you,  ❞  he  says  with  a  nudge.

as  with  many  things,  kaelys  wasn’t  concerned  with  the  joust  despite  having  signed  up  for  it.  to  them,  it  would  be  another  way  to  show  the  mainlanders  that  many  of  their  activities  were  useless  therefore  not  taking  up  much  of  their  time  or  focus.  their  moseying  trip  to  the  stables  had  come  only  for  lack  of  anything  else  to  do,  the  familiar  voice  that  called  out  surprising  if  only  because  she  had  not  expected  to  see  nara  there,  and  helping  at  that.  “  i  was  not,  ”  kae  answered  honestly  with  a  shrug,  “  but  i  am  surprised  that  you  are  here.  you  are  always  in  a  wicked  mood,  that  is  nothing  new.  ”  if  any  of  their  friends  claimed  to  not  be  in  a  mood,  that  was  when  they  would  worry.  “  you  do  not  look  like  hell.  who  has  upset  you  this  time,  and  have  you  already  made  them  wish  that  they  hadn’t  ?  ”     

“  if  you  think  you  intimidate  me  ,  you’re  mistaken  .  ”  they  retort  ,  voice  even  though  their  heart  hammers  against  their  ribcage  .  it  is  not  nara  herself  that  brings  this  on  ,  nor  her  threats  —  but  cailin’s  natural  neuroticisms  that  she  has  not  been  able  to  leave  behind  ,  even  as  she  aged  and  learned  .  their  eyes  roll  ,  though  petulance  does  not  align  with  their  usually  restrained  nature  .  “  if  my  existence  is  a  struggle  ,  i  have  only  the  blood  of  your  house  to  thank  for  it  .  ”  they  lower  their  voice  considerably  on  the  least  few  words  ,  leaning  in  slightly  so  that  only  nara  would  be  able  to  catch  them  .

  “ do not flatter yourself. i do not think of you, ” nara almost does not let cailin finish their saying, when she interrupts her. “ it is you who seeks some absurd pleasure in trying to provoke me into insulting you. ” cailin would know that nara was not the one to keep her mouth shut. the rest of the wynches might have passed her, acting as though she did not even exist, but nara was not one to listen to her being called names and ignore it. “ no, darling, it’s a struggle because of your mallister blood. ” 

open  starter  /  tavern  in  the  winter  town

the  north  was  a  vague  memory  to  soren  but  winterfell  had  never  before  been  seen  by  the  islander.    he  had  no  desire  for  any  of  it  and  if  not  for  kaelys’  presence  being  required,  he  would  be  happy  to  never  step  foot  in  the  frozen  kingdom  again.    one  of  the  few  forms  of  enjoyment  he  found  was  in  the  pubs,  having  a  liking  for  the  northern  ale.    he  kept  to  a  corner  at  the  counter,  watching  the  boisterous  northers  mixed  in  with  others  from  the  rest  of  westeros,  hoping  that  the  blend  of  personalities  leads  to  some  entertainment.  (  @reignrbs​​  )

  the second nara had entered that tavern, she was up to no good. it took way too long for her to spot soren between all of these people, especially when he was looking as though he was hiding in that corner. she immediately strode towards him the second she set her eyes on him, a content little smile on her lips. “ what are you doing here all alone ? ” nara was used to seeing him attached to kaelys hip, but she definitely would have known if they were also here. she knew he was the observer and liked to watch things unravel from a distance, when nara was the type to be the thing unraveling. they had an interesting dynamic. “ can i ask you a favor ? ”

  “ do tell. what have you been keeping yourself busy with, astris ? make anyone cry yet ? i need some inspiration, ” nara said to the fellow ironborn over the small table of a tavern, playing with a glass of whatever it was that they served there. nara was not very picky with her booze, and yet she was still getting used to the taste. she was starting to miss her jeweled flask that she had left behind in pyke. “ do you think that man over there is staring at us for our beauty or is he asking for a knife to be thrown at him ? ” though the tavern had a mixture of both guests of the starks and northerners, nara was definitely bringing some attention to herself with her appearance, just the way she liked it.

with  nara  wynch    /    @unrcpcntant​ where:   the markets

      he  held  his  daughter’s  hand  as  the four year old stood on her tiptoes so she could see the array of pastries laid out on the table. they’d been here for a handful of minutes but freja, after being told that she could only take two of small pastries at most, struggled choosing. lukas didn’t mind. however, he could hear whispers of impatience surrounding them earning a glare from her, but he didn’t want anyone yelling at his daughter        ❝  freja, maybe nara can help you pick out one of the treats to try,  ❞       he suggested upon catching sight of the fellow ironborn.

Jacaerys shrugged his shoulders at her question. In truth, he was not expecting to see anyone in particular, there were a few people that he wouldn’t mind seeing again, as they are people he considered friends, but apart from that, Jacaerys was planning on spending most of his time in Winterfell alone. Or with his sister, catching up on lost time. “No one in particular.” He told her. “It’s was fine, tiring but nothing I’m not used to.” He had spent most of his life travelling so he was used to it. “There is a training ground, I’m sure they’ll let you train there if you speak to whoever is in charge. You should find the master of arms.” 

  nara’s brows furrowed slightly at the underwhelming answer he gave her. he had seemed quite intentive of the arrivals to her, but she did not know the male well enough to make any assumptions. “ so you have travelled westeros then ? is it just to satisfy your interest or ? ” she questioned, because that’s what she did in order to know people around her better. she had become more cautious of others than usual after all that went down in the red keep. “ that is the thing. i do not want to join the training ground as i want to do it as private as possible. i do not like others watching. ”