Fandom: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Pairing/Characters: Baelor Targaryen (Breakspear) x reader
Word count: ~1700
Includes: Reader is written with she/her pronouns and is referred to as wife, aunt, and Lady. This is shorter than I would like it to be, and it serves as a bit of a filler chapter before things start happening for real.
Warnings: Teasing, but nothing else I can think of
Other: Chapter two for Tourney at Ashford Meadow.
You meet many interesting characters during your first day at the Ashford Meadow Tournament.
Part 1 Part 2 (you are here) Part 3 Part 4
You arrive at the small meeting hall quite late, your ladies insistent that you take the time to get dressed. The one you had been traveling in ”was just not suitable”, they said, and that the one your husband gifted you for your name day would be much more suited. And now, with your lighter gown moving along with you easily, you must agree that they were right. And you adore wearing the clothing Baelor buys you.
“-and that one day, the Seven Kingdoms would be safe in your hands.” You don’t recognize the voice, but you step into the room nonetheless. The back of a knight, low-born, perhaps of the hedges, blocks your view of your husband, but you can see Maekar rolling his eyes.
“Not for many years yet, I pray.” Your husband murmurs, smiling, and you step into the room, making sure your heels click as you enter.
The knight, who has been rambling off frantic explanations, freezes before bowing deeply.
“M-My lady.” You give him a nod, quite curious. Not many men would have the courage to face your husband and his brother like this.
“You wish to enter the lists. Is that it?” The words are aimed at the knight, but Baelor’s eyes are on you.
“Yes.” The knight’s answer is quiet, but he nods still.
“The decision is of the master of the games, but I see no reason to deny you.” Your husband gestures to the man next to him, who nods and agrees quickly.
“As you say, m’lord.”
“Your Grace, I-“ The knight begins, but is cut off by your brother-in-law.
“Very well, ser. You are grateful. Now, fuck off.” His words are a low grumble, and they earn a sideways look from Baelor.
“You must forgive my brother, ser. His sons went astray on the way here, and he fears for them.” You sigh deeply. So do you - especially for young Aegon. Daeron, too, is a good man and could fend for himself, only if he hadn’t turned to the bottle. Which he probably has, wherever he is.
As you walk around the desk, you lay a hand on Maekar’s shoulder in support before stopping at Baelor’s side, and he greets you with a soft kiss to your cheek. The master of the games hurriedly pulls out a chair for you to take a seat, and you do with a grateful smile.
“Guards are looking for them, yes?” Your tone is gentle as you glance at the brothers in turn, and they both nod.
“Yes. I’ll join them after the mandatory shit is dealt with.” Maekar mutters, low enough for only you and Baelor to hear, and you refrain from reacting.
The knight steps backwards, the sound of his boots making you lift your gaze up at him. He is a tall man with light hair, clearly nervous.
“My lords. My lady.” He bows in your direction, turning and slowly leaving the room.
“Ser.” The knight turns, fear in his eyes again.
“You are not of Ser Arlan’s blood?” Baelor’s hand is running along your arm as he questions the knight, who shakes his head.
“No, I am not.”
“By law, only a trueborn son is entitled to inherit a knight’s arms. You need to find a new device, ser, with a sigil of your own.” You slide your fingers along the lightning bolts you have embroidered into the inside of your sleeve, a small reminder of the house you come from. House Targaryen has been good for you, but House Dondarrion is where you come from.
“I will. Thank you again, your grace. I will fight bravely. You’ll see.” And with one last bow, the man leaves, only to fumble in finding his way out.
You hum as you watch him leave, curious still.
“Interesting man.”
“A weakling.” Maekar huffs, shifting in his seat.
“He came here to talk to you. That must have taken great courage.” Disagreement colours your tone, but before Maekar can retort, Baelor pulls you to his chest.
“You look beautiful.” His voice is low enough for only you to hear, and you smile against his lips as he leans down to seal his lips into yours with a fervent kiss.
You faintly hear Maekar grumble and the servant girls giggling before your attention is fully sealed to your husband. Baylor’s scent surrounds you, the strength of his arms bracing you against his chest, making your head spin. The even press of his lips on yours makes you forget that you need to breathe, and the coarseness of his beard on your skin has a shiver running up your spine. You wind your fingers into the fabric of his clothes, hoping to be even closer to him. The point of the Hand of the King brooch digs into your wrist, but you barely notice.
As he pulls away, you chase his lips before opening your eyes and find everyone staring. Your fingertips press to your lips as you try to hide your blazing cheeks.
“Couldn’t wait until you are in your chambers, brother?” Maekar asks, his tone filled with hidden laughter as he continues.
“There are, unfortunately, matters for us to attend to, so you’ll have to part with your dear lady wife yet again.” Baelor sighs, knowing it is true. Maekar nods to you in acknowledgement before he leaves, shaking his head as he goes.
“I will find you before the Joust begins,” Baelor promises, brushing his fingers along your cheek.
“Until later, my love”. His voice is low as he presses another chaste kiss on your lips before he strides out, following his brother.
*****
The evening has fallen before you see your husband next.
“Many young ladies in the stands today, I’m sure you will find someone willing to give you their favor.” You tease your son gently, tugging on his collar to neaten it, a playful spark in your eye.
“Mother.” He mutters, a faint flush of red rising to his cheeks as he tries to step back. You are not having it, however, and lift a hand to brush his hair back, even as he tries to shoo you away.
“Let her fuss.” Baelor’s eyes are gentle as he walks past his son into the room, taking in the two of you with a quick look.
He’s changed his attire, you notice, as he takes a heavy breath, stopping to watch the yard from the window.
“Many things to discuss?” Your tone is gentle as you brush more creases out of your son’s clothes.
“Many things, not all of them important.” Baelor’s sigh is low, and you send him a sympathetic look.
“At least they are over for today. You’ll just have to escort me around all evening, poor thing.” You coo, and he laughs, a rare feat. He is not an emotionless man, he just scarcely lets them show.
His hands find your stomach, and he pulls you to his chest, back first.
“Having you on my arm makes anything worthwhile.” His words rumble in his chest, lips brushing your temple, beard tickling your cheek with his words. Your eyes slide closed as the back of your head meets his chest.
“I am going now,” Valarr announces, but you catch his wrist before he can. Baelor releases you as you step to press a kiss to your son’s forehead.
“Please, be careful.” You whisper, and he squeezes your hand with his, promise in his eyes, before nodding to his father and leaving the room to prepare for the tourney. You meet your husband’s gaze and return to his arms as he opens them in invitation.
“He will be alright, my love.” Baelor’s tone is gentle as he assures you, and you pray to the gods that he is right, that they will keep your boy safe.
*****
The tournament field is lit with dozens of torches as you step up into the raised stands, and the riders are warming up their horses, riling up the crowd as you take your seat, eager for them to begin. You haven’t seen too many tourneys in your life. There is always an energy in the air, one you cannot find anywhere else. Maybe it is the danger or the connection between man and horse, you do not know.
You follow as the knights stop, one by one, to greet the crown prince, and he nods to them as they ride up to the stands. All of them dressed to their best, their armors polished to perfection. But one of them catches your eye the most.
His golden armor glitters in the light of the torches, the large antlers on his helmet making him hard to miss. Ser Lyonel Baratheon, the son and heir of the Lord of Storm’s End. He stops his horse with a flourish and bows his head. You stand, and he pulls his horse to a stop as you approach the railing. Smiling, you raise your garland in your hand, and skillfully you slide it onto his lance. The crowd watches as it slides down until it meets the hilt before cheering loudly.* Ser Baratheon bows again, deeper, and kicks his horse into canter, lifting his lance high to showcase your favor, the crowd cheering louder.
You can faintly hear him boasting to his competitors as the Ladies behind you mutter, but you pay them no mind. You return to your seat, placing your hand atop your husband’s as it rests on the chair’s armrest. You lean in to brush a kiss on his cheek. He returns it and smiles at you, softly, thumb running along the skin of your wrist as the horn sounds.
The horses and riders take their places. A silence gathers over the crowd before a single shout breaks it.
“Lord Ashford fucks his sheep.” The said lord shifts uncomfortably in his seat, but you pay him or the laughter of the crowd no mind, your eyes on your son. His horse is pawing the ground in anticipation.
A final sound of the horn, and the horses charge, hooves beating the ground as their riders lower their lances.
*Reader gave her favor to Lyonell because he is the overlord of her birthhouse, The Dondarrions (canonically Baelor married a Dondarrion). Giving it to him made it feel like giving it to family, as her brother (Manfred Dondarrion) was not fighting in the Joust.
Did I do all of this research to justify having the reader give her favor to Lyonel because that man is buried deep in my brain, and I cannot escape him even if I write for other characters? Yes.
Want to start investing but don't know where to start? Here's our complete list of advice and info on the stock market.
{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Investing for Beginners
Fundamentals of investing:
What’s the REAL Rate of Return on the Stock Market?
Do NOT Make This Disastrous Beginner Mistake With Your Retirement Funds
The Dark Magic of Financial Horcruxes: How and Why to Diversify Your Assets
Dafuq Is Interest? And How Does It Work for the Forces of Darkness?
Booms, Busts, Bubbles, and Beanie Babies: How Economic Cycles Work
When Money in the Bank Is a Bad Thing: Understanding Inflation and Depreciation
Investing Deathmatch series:
Investing Deathmatch: Managed Funds vs. Index Funds
Investing Deathmatch: Traditional IRA vs. Roth IRA
Investing Deathmatch: Investing in the Stock Market vs. Just… Not
Investing Deathmatch: Stocks vs. Bonds
Investing Deathmatch: Timing the Market vs. Time IN the Market
Investing Deathmatch: Paying off Debt vs. Investing in the Stock Market
Investing Deathmatch: What Happens in a Bull Market vs. a Bear Market
Now that we’ve covered the basics, are you ready to invest but don’t know where to begin? We recommend starting small with micro-investing through our partner Acorns. They’ll round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and invest the change in a nicely diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and ETFs. Easy as eating pancakes:
Start saving small with Acorns
Alternative investments:
Small Business Investing: A Kinder, Gentler Alternative to the Stock Market
Bullshit Reasons Not to Buy a House: Refuted
Investing in Cryptocurrency is Bad and Stupid
So I Got Chickens, Part 1: Return on Investment
Twelve Reasons Senior Pets Are an Awesome Investment
How To Save for Retirement When You Make Less Than $30,000 a Year
Understanding the stock market:
Ask the Bitches Pandemic Lightning Round: “Did Congress Really Give $1.5 Trillion to Wall Street?”
Season 3, Episode 2: “I Inherited Money. Should I Pay Off Debt, Invest It, or Blow It All on a Car?”
Money Is Fake and GameStop Is King: What Happened When Reddit and a Meme Stock Tanked Hedge Funds
Season 3, Episode 7: “I’m Finished With the Basic Shit. What Are the Advanced Financial Steps That Only Rich People Know?”
Wait… Did I Just Lose All My Money Investing in the Stock Market?
Season 4, Episode 1: “Index Funds Include Unethical Companies. Can I Still Invest in Them, or Does That Make Me a Monster?”
Retirement plans:
Dafuq Is a Retirement Plan and Why Do You Need One?
Procrastinating on Opening a Retirement Account? Here’s 3 Ways That’ll Fuck You Over
How to Painlessly Run the Gauntlet of a 401k Rollover
Ask the Bitches: “Can I Quit With Unvested Funds? Or Am I Walking Away From Too Much Money?”
Workplace Benefits and Other Cool Side Effects of Employment
You Need to Talk to Your Parents About Their Retirement Plan
Season 4, Episode 5: “401(k)s Aren’t Offered in My Industry. How Do I Save for Retirement if My Employer Won’t Help?”
Got a retirement plan already? How about three or four? Have you been leaving a trail of abandoned 401(k)s behind you at every employer you quit? Did we just become best friends? Because that was literally my story until recently. Our partner Capitalize will help you quickly and painlessly get through a 401(k) rollover:
Roll over your retirement fund with Capitalize
Recessions:
Season 1, Episode 12: “Should I Believe the Fear-Mongering about Another Recession?”
There’s a Storm a’Comin’: What We Know About the Next Recession
Ask the Bitches: How Do I Prepare for a Recession?
A Brief History of the 2008 Crash and Recession: We Were All So Fucked
Ask the Bitches Pandemic Lightning Round: “Is This the Right Time To Start Investing?”
Yesterday I spent the ENTIRE day watching the new murder mystery series, The Residence on Netflix and let me tell you this right here, right now. It was absolutely the best, the most amazing, the stunning, incredible, stupendous, extraordinary, remarkable, astonishing murder mystery TV series I Have Ever Seen in my Whole Entire Life. Now I have seen a lot, a LOT of murder mysteries in my lifetime, but this one was on an entire new level.
This was by far the most incredible murder mystery I have ever seen and... it was downright fucking hilarious to watch from beginning to end. The detective was so incredible that I have no words. I want to say more, but I'm at a loss. I have never been more impressed than I right now as I'm typing this up. The Residence is a 11/10. It's so amazing and I urged anyone reading this to drop what you are doing and watch the series right now on Netflix.
The Residence is the best murder mystery you will EVER watch in your entire life!!!!!!
what do you mean elon musk did a nazi salute on live tv at the united states presidential inauguration twice and is now erasing the evidence off the internet by replacing the footage with the crowd cheering instead?
would be a shame if people reblogged this, wouldn’t it?
If you’re an American federal employee and got an email saying “it’s ok to quit your job.” Do not, for the love of everything, quit your job. This is purely a scare tactic to get rid of as many people as possible without legal consequences.
Obviously, Trump has realized firing everyone in the government will be harder than he thought because of robust legal protections so he’s trying to scare or trick people into leaving instead because he knows they can block and slow his fascist agenda. Don’t let that happen. If you’re in the civil service, your country needs you; stay in your job and protect the constitution. And if you’re not in civil service, do what you can to support the civil service, including calling your representatives and asking them to protect civil servants.
Important addition: the email was almost WORD FOR WORD the same email sent to Twitter employees after Musk took over. It does not consider Federal employee rights or regulations, parts of it make NO SENSE WHATSOEVER (you resign but will be kept on active payroll and simply won’t be given work or need to come in. For 8 months.).
8 months pay with the ability to get a new job is very tempting, especially for lower-paid workers. All that extra money could really cover some gaps and relieve financial pressures. It’s tempting. I get it.
ITS ALSO NOT LIKELY LEGAL AS WRITTEN AND YOUR AGREEMENT COULD ACTUALLY SCREW YOU. There’s a reason so many of the recent EOs and initial memorandums are getting halted or rewritten - no thought or research was given to what they can do given actual regulations and union contracts. Because many are coming from Musk via DOGE, and Musk has NEVER had to deal with unions, federal employee regulations, and strong opponents capable of fighting back HARD with decades of legal precedent at their back.
Reality seems to be hitting as an afterthought to all the shit spewing like a firehose from this administration. Don’t react to the first edition of ANYTHING. Given it a few days and see what actually can be done.
Right now, r/fednews is the biggest social media hub for federal employees anywhere; you can find resources, advice, news, memes, and encouragement there.
If you're not a federal employee, feel free to pop over anyway for information, and please send well-wishes! They really need it right now, as their jobs are so so so important but not very popular or prestigious, and now the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world are trying to take their livelihoods.
The architect of Project 2025, Russell Vought, is now Trump's director for the Office of Managenent and Budget -
ie, the main guy who created Project 2025 is now the topmost-level manager and coordinator of all federal agencies.
His vision for federal civil servants, in his own words:
"We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.
We want their funding to be shut down so that the EPA can't do all of the rules against our energy industry because they have no bandwidth financially to do so.
We want to put them in trauma."
Project 2025 specifically targets federal civil servants for a reason. They are the essential first and second lines of defense of the US democracy and the fascists know it.
And if you’re in the civil service we’re all rooting for you. You are heroes. Even slowing him down buys valuable time to defeat the fascist agenda. Defend the constitution. We stand with you. Hold the line! Don’t resign!
Call your representatives and tell them to protect the civil service.
And to any civil servants reading this, thank you for your service. Your country and your constitution need you. We love you. Hold the line. Don’t resign. We are with you.
I have been lucky enough to know quite a few federal civil servants. They are no strangers to absolute bullshit and hold far more power than most people realize.
I understand not wanting to work under this regime and needing to do what is best for their own well being, but DO NOT take this offer drafted by folks notorious for not paying people.
And notice the potato doesn’t guilt you with “if you don’t, something horrible will happen.” Potato wouldn’t betray you like that, because potato is a refined person of good humor and character, and understands that, sometimes, a visit to your dashboard just isn’t convenient right now. Sometimes you just went on a fandom gif reblogging spree or your energy is low, you do not have the time to make your dashboard suitable to guests, and a polite visit just isn’t in the cards. Potato understands this, and doesn’t get upset, or gods forbid, throws a tantrum and wishes ill on your household. Instead, Potato merely stores away their blessings for a later visit and leaves as a good friend should.
StopNCII.org is operated by the Revenge Porn Helpline which is part of SWGfL, a charity that believes that everyone should benefit from technology, free from harm. Founded in 2000, SWGfL works with a number of partners and stakeholders around the world to protect everyone online
And notice the potato doesn’t guilt you with “if you don’t, something horrible will happen.” Potato wouldn’t betray you like that, because potato is a refined person of good humor and character, and understands that, sometimes, a visit to your dashboard just isn’t convenient right now. Sometimes you just went on a fandom gif reblogging spree or your energy is low, you do not have the time to make your dashboard suitable to guests, and a polite visit just isn’t in the cards. Potato understands this, and doesn’t get upset, or gods forbid, throws a tantrum and wishes ill on your household. Instead, Potato merely stores away their blessings for a later visit and leaves as a good friend should.
some snippets from the return of the king concert!!!!!!!!!!! for me the highlights were the shire themes at the end and the soloist 😭 but I was too far gone at that point to film lmao you're just going to have to take my word for it
