“ you think too highly of me. ” celtigar speaks and it's an attestment to how different he is with her than others ( or perhaps more to the misplaced belief she seems to have in him as a result ) - that she thinks such a thing. he is no gentleman, not in the way she speaks of. “ and it's rather unfortunate, ” he continues in agreement, though thoughts linger in the truth of the events so often unfolding in the dark walks of the keep. “ but perhaps one day it will be so. ” his arm is offered to maiden, “ until then, shall we ? ”
" oh , only when it comes to our friendship. i do have some idea of what a scoundrel you are with others. " she teases him lightly , soft smile accompanying her words. if anything , it only made him more endearing to her , to be treated so kindly by someone who may not be held in such high regard by others. " i hope so. it'd be a much nicer world , don't you think ? " though she is well aware that he was entirely correct in his own observations , and that she could hardly blame anyone for having such thoughts about a lord and lady alone. fingers gently curl around his arm , smiling up at him. " we shall. "
joanna silently agrees, lips pressed into a thin line – the fact that gysella and alannys weren't by their side bothers them as well, and little sister being assigned to be under her majesty's keen gaze is as worrisome as it is relieving, for the greyjoy is as distrustful as they come. " all split up? lord helios misses his lady wife, how endearing. " joanna teases after a moment of silence, deciding not to share their worries, but keep spirits light and high instead. " you needn't worry brother. i am certain gysella is more than pleased to be rid of you for at least a night and get to gamble your jewels away on top of all. "
a roll of his eyes follows his sibling's comment , though they were not at all wrong. " i worry about her. she's nervous to be around so many nobles , and she wants to impress them. " she'd hardly said as much to him , but despite their marriage still being fairly fresh and new , he knows parts of her that he likes to believe no one else does. " oh , i'm sure she'll have a grand time doing as much and aehrys will do nothing except encourage her , the bastard. " he shakes his head , though amusement crosses his mouth. there is far less to worry about considering his two favourite people were together , and thus he could focus on his sibling. " we should have a little wager of our own. i bet i can get my arrow in the stag before you do. "
𝙲𝙻𝙾𝚂𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 ━━ for : helios greyjoy [ @fireblcd ] , their chambers before the queen's party .
never in a million years would gysella have imagined herself living the life she had right now . the red keep was a mere fairytale she had heard of as a child , never really believing it existed until she step foot in it . funny how the fates were , gysella thought as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror , from shivering in the cold on a fishing vessel to make ends meet to being dressed by servants to attend this lavish party for her majesty . her gaze trailed to helios' reflection , the corner of her lips tugging as eyes meet . " is it too much ? " gysella glanced over her shoulder . " i could give these noble ladies a run for their money , " she chuckled as she turned back to her reflection , running her hands through the delicate fabric of her dress . " now , would you make haste and help me fasten my dress ? we musn't keep the queen waiting , " teasing her husband . " ━━ and no funny business , you . i want no creases on my dress . "
there was not a day that past that helios regretted his marriage. it had never been something that he'd wanted when he became a man , always thinking of things like suffocation and iron chains whenever he thought of it. it had felt like conforming to the needs of society rather than the needs of himself. then he had met gysella and she had warped his view on such things , warped it enough that he knew that he could commit to her as a salt wife at the very least. stepping into her space , he stills entirely at the sight of her in the mirror , the dress she'd chosen accenting every curve of her body , every plane that he had spent hours upon hours memorizing. " gods , you are the most perfect creature to ever walk this earth. " his hands find her waist , tugging her against his bdy as he ducked his head to press a lingering kiss to her cheek. " i can't believe you would ask me to fasten it rather than the other way around. king's landing truly has changed us , sweetheart. " he teased in return , lightly slapping her thigh before doing as she asked. " the nobility won't know what to with such a beauty walking among them. "
the jewels prince kasporio had brought to the doe's party were all expensive, yes, enough in value to rebuild half of westeros, but they were of no importance to him, really, of no emotional value for each one of them he had three more back home. with cups refilled constantly, including his own, the game gets more intense, lords and ladies around him getting carried away, each bet more valuable than the previous one. " alright then. " kasporio, nicely buzzed and all, murmurs to himself as his turn approaches. the thrill of gambling had gotten to him but he was losing momentum and he couldn't let it get boring now, could he? so he undoes the necklace around his neck, chain embroided with tons of tiny gems that reflected the dim light in the room, connected around a huge topaz stone, which in turn was surrounded by pure gold. he'd had it since the day the emperor took him in, for it belonged to the previous topaz prince of house dagareon, hundreds and thousands of years ago, dating back to the empire of dawn. gambling it away would be a bad decision, to say the least, which is why losing was not an option. " your turn. better be good. " he turns to the person next to him with a challenging smile, raising a cup of wine in a quiet salute before bringing it upon his lips.
he may not be a future emperor , but his house certainly had enough coin for him to have a grand time at the young princess' party. that and the fact that he had become so good at telling lies that gambling came easy to him. he smirked at his old friend , leaning back comfortably in his chair with one hand still on the table , fingers drumming idly at the polished wood. he huffs a laugh the moment he sees the prince put in a necklace he had never seen the man without any time he spent time in essos. " will you truly wager something so sentimental , my friend ? " eyebrow raises before he works of a ring with a large emerald encrusted in the middle , something won earlier in the night that he didn't care about parting with. he clearly holds more clarity than his friend , at least at this point in the evening. " do you think it will suit my complexion once it's mine ? "
aphroditic maiden can imagine what fun it must be to hunt among the greatest hunters of the land ( or so she would assume - for why else might the foreign queen select who she had ), yet will not deny the calm of the dragon's gathering too, is welcome. at very least she is grateful to be kept from her sister at this time, not yet able to face her following her actions. “ are you enjoying yourself ? ” serene expression crosses princess amethyst's face, teacup lifted to lips in dainty movement - revealing amber jeweled bracelet. “ i've never enjoyed the hunt, so i was pleased to be kept from it. ” only a half truth, but one she offers them nonetheless.
she is more than a little pleased over which gathering she had ended up at. hunting was not in her nature , often wincing her way through it during times when her uncle had implored her to go. she held a theory that stags were sacred to her bloodline , precious. a representation of her house. it felt like a sin to hunt such a creature. and gambling , well , she had a terrible poke face even if she did enjoy a game of cards. thus , when the princess asks her such a question , the truth comes easily. " yes , very much so. the queen holds such lovely banquets , it is an honour to attend. " it was much more her style. voice lowers , lips pulling into a smile. " besides , i don't particularly enjoy hunting and i am horrible at bridge. "
joanna lacked expertise in hunting, it was not something they were used to due to the iron island's harsh conditions rarely providing an outlet for it, but they were excited nonetheless. the sound of excited murmur, goblets being filled, blades and arrow being sharpened filled the kingswood. the greyjoy had finished their preparations, bow strapped to their back, ready for the go, they sat by the tents, cup of wine in hand as light hues, observant as always, noted something that pleased them. " my, the woods are to be filled to the brim. i see familiar faces, ones i would swear were not put on our list. " joanna turns to the person next to them, tone low and lips turned upwards in amusement. " you reckon the queen will have their heads for disobediance? "
he is not much of a hunter when it came to land animals. he's been with the targaryens in the past and on various name days throughout the years. still , he is more comfortable spearing fish from the sea or skinning a walrus for it's pelt. boars and white stags were far less entertaining in his opinion. he's got his bow and sword beside him , mildly sulking that he had been separated from both his wife and dearest friend and placed instead with that ghastly lannister lord. the fact that his sibling was with him was his only consolation. " unsurprising given the queen seemed to want us all split up. " his gaze turns to joanna , smirk coming across his features. " i hope so. it'd be amusing to watch the heads roll down that hill over there. "
ebony hues and curled locks of identical hue are a sight greeted with warm welcome, perhaps the prince's sole salvation in this vast, woeful sea of wretchedness. there is little aehrys has not, nor shall not tolerate from the greyjoy. " let us cease our concern for my expression. " he mutters bitingly, syllables lilted and thick with the excessive consequence of saccharine westerosi whiskey, and plucks the chalice from the fingers of his companion to lift it to his own mouth instead, keen to savour the scorching sensation. " y'done ogling at the open cleavages? i must get out of here. " aehrys then declares with a rather keen impatience, desirous for the mirthful companionship of his lifelong comrade over the boastful festivities, arranged by the children of the gilded dragoness herself, opulent and exorbitant. he spins, makes a rather ungraceful exit of the hall of revelry, through this dense throng of people, and heads for his own chambers through the lengthy passageways within the large castle. " helios ... " the prince begins, digits combing through pearly locks, a heaviness tugging on his words, chest feverish with ale, " fuck. let's leave for essos this very night. lys, perhaps. " he passes a gold-framed portrait of a silver-headed woman that is displayed with pride upon a stone wall, eyes deeper hue of his own, her countenance resolute, clad in crimson. daenerys, perhaps? or visenya? he bears no concern. " what say you? ".
there is an ever present smirk on his features at his friend's annoyance , though it quickly dissipates when the prince steals his drink. " do learn to take a joke , dear friend. you are letting the dragons and the other sad saps of this keep get to you. " he replaces his goblet within moments , swallowing down the ale that he so often indulged in. it always made a party even more enjoyable than it usually was , always heightening the level of depravity and joy in the air. " i am never done ogling cleavages , especially when my wife tells me i'm not allowed to touch her until everyone here has seen her lest i crease her dress. for you , though , i suppose i can make the sacrifice. " he sighs , watching his friend turn before he grabs the whole bottle of ale from the servant and following his dearest friend. he is unsurprised by the way his mood can flip from jovial to brooding in a moment , all too used to his antics as aehrys is to his own. "and risk your mother's wrath for abandoning her festivities and your brother's wedding ? tempting. " he admits , the thought of pissing off the holy queen an entertaining one. " i say that running away to lys is not going to help get rid of that rosy bride they found for you. "
" a little bit , " aerina replied meekly . they were far more grand , too grand that it would put the targaryen's gathering to shame but they need not know that . " they have their similarities and differences but parties are still parties at the end of the day , would you not agree ? " the princess smiled . " i am still acquainting myself to westerosi customs . the dances are fascinating ! do you dance yourself , lady jaide ? you must teach me. "
sitting there beside the princess , she tries to imagine what it would be like. she's been told plenty of the lands across the narrow sea, knowing that it was certainly different from what she was used to in the stormlands. " that is very true , i believe. all parties seem to have the same people , the dancing , and the lemon cakes that everyone seeks out. " she smiled in return , a quiet laugh leaving her. " i do love to dance , very much. i'd be very pleased to be the one to teach you. "
“ are we all so transparent, lord helios ? i hadn't realized you knew many tyrells. ” words said in jest, for he is right - in more ways than one. long proclaimed rose of the reach would far rather be found within the greenery than surrounded by the judgement of the court. “ you are correct, though - save for my mother. the gardens have always irritated her senses. perhaps one needs to be a tyrell by birth not by name to share the appreciation. ”
" i'm an excellent judge of character , ros. what can i say ? not to fret , though. you'll always be my favourite tyrell. " he flashes pearly whites at the maiden , always thinking himself far more intelligent than he had any reason to. he can not blame her for being drawn here rather than staying up in the keep. he'd had half a mind to go down to the docks and taken someone's boat for a spin around the harbour , himself. " funny , i thought all people from the reach loved flowers more than most. "
hidden in the shadows, only flickers of candlelight accentuate strong cheekbones ⸻ caught in conversation with some old ruling lord, zoned out of the conversation as all rhaeys picks up is daughter and dishonor. his mind does not heed to the words — if whatever is alluded to is true, golden - haired targaryen will slither his way out like the deviant he is. relief overtakes body as mother's master of laws seeks him out, saving crown prince from more stern talks from an overbearing father whose daughter he might have slept with. lips part, white shark teeth pressing together in smile but they do not reach his eyes - not genuine but when has it ever looked heartfelt. " perhaps you should ask her that yourself, my lord. i dare not speak for her grace the queen. " simple words, deflection but the smart choice - strategically.
there was a reason that he had decided to stay in the capital and make the crownlands his new home. he had faith in his queen , liked the way that she headed his council and thought him a man that held the law above all else. he had liked that , but he liked the future he could see far more. he liked the demeanour of his prince , the way that the dragon always seemed to know the right things to say , politically or otherwise. he liked the future that he could see in him , but more than that , tharion liked the possibilities that it could create for him. " i will when people stop swarming her long enough for me to get a word in. " hand raises his goblet to his lips , sipping at the dornish red before sliding his gaze back to the prince. " may i be so bold to assume you were not enjoying it quite so much before i saved you from that conversation ? "
she knew better than to mouth off; voice her honest opinion over the night's festivities. lady velaryon currently on her best behavior as she offers an insincere smile and pleasantries. since it was the only way to play the game as she's been repeatedly told by her elder brother. the snow haired beauty having to swallow her pride more than she'd like to this evening. araceli on the verge of finding the nearest body of water to purge herself of such falsehoods; valyrian blood fueled by a mix of indignation and restlessness, unsure of how to calm the sensation other than stepping foot on the sea's shores. or better yet, sail away in her embrace altogether. she begrudgingly pulls herself from her reverie and laughs when spoken to. ❝why yes, the only thing that could make this better is seeing a dragon in the flesh.❞ been there, done that.
he masks the way the thought of the dragons disgusts him wholly. they were awful creatures , creating destruction the last time that they were free to roam this world. he was a godless man , faking his faith whenever it benefitted him in front of his queen , but he did not blame the gods the way his queen does for the tragedy that killed his grandparents. he blamed those scaly , awful creatures. " now wouldn't that be something ? " he comments quietly as if it would be an interesting sight to behold rather than a disgrace. " perhaps you should take a ship to the west and search for one. "
“ you'd risk being seen alone with me, my lady ? ” she has no need to fear he attempt anything that might dishonor her - not her, never her - though their solitude in the gardens could be perceived as such. “ come now, jaide - what might our families say ? ” his own would take it as an opportunity - her own ... he's not so sure. “ no, perish the thought - i know just the balcony that might be perfect to view the meteors from. i'm enjoying them thus far, but we'll enjoy the festivities even better from there. ”
" only because i have faith in how much of a gentleman you are , my lord. " though her face does flush at the implication he makes , and stupidity takes hold in her feelings for not having considered it before speaking. " at times , i do hate the way our society works. the fact that i can't even walk with a friend without it being seen in a suspicious nature is an awful thing. " though she knows that he's entirely right in the matter , can hear her uncle's voice in the back of her head disapproving. " the balcony it is , then. "
the princess smiled brightly as visage of their lady in waiting came into view . no matter who her heart belonged to within it there would always be places for her family and jaide . " my darling , i would love nothing more , " they said with a giggle as golden curls bounced with giddish movements as they walked arm and arm with the baratheon born . " i made sure that all of our favorite treats were made along with mother's , " hela took no notice of looks and bows from people she passed , their full attention was on jaide . " i feel terrible for barely speaking with you all evening but you must tell me everything . have you danced ? please tell me you've danced , " their lady was too fair not to be swept off to the dance floor .
there's a warmth that fills her at the sight of helaena by her side , an ease overtaking her in their presence as it always does. jaide is often quiet by nature , more reserved and happy to keep to herself when she can. but around helaena , it always brought her out of her shell. " all of them ? there are some very good benefits of you being a princess , you know. " she giggled , leaning into their side as they made their way through the crowd. " please , you needn't feel bad about that , you're one of the hosts of the evening. and i did dance with one of the tarly lords. " she grinned wide , a light blush coating her cheeks at the thought. " tell me that you are having a good time. "
࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ 𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗 ⁝ francois arnaud, 35, cis male, he / him. announcing the arrival of HELIOS of HOUSE GREYJOY, the LORD HEIR of PYKE. whispers among the court name them to be both LOYAL and MESSY in disposition, and those closest to them speak to their interests in sailing. if we bards could compose a song for them, it might tell stories of curls wrapped around another's fingers , laughing smiles as a drop of wine trickles down a chin , the rage of a stormy sea in his eyes , sea salt crusted on skin , disappointment weighing on shoulders but refusing to show it . the seven whisper to their most devout queen as she sleeps, making her question where their loyalties truly lie. are they right to whisper? for their loyalties truly lie with HOUSE GREYJOY.
PHYSICALITY : brown wavy hair that grows especially curly after being in the ocean , a thin scar from the time someone cut his throat but just didn't press deep enough to kill him , 6′2 , lean but muscular.
ii ⸻ personal
SEXUAL ORIENTATION : bisexual
ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : demiromantic
MORAL ALIGNMENT : chaotic neutral
SINS : lust / gluttony / greed / sloth / wrath / pride / envy
there was joy in the iron islands the day that helios was born. lancion and julienna greyjoy had always taken their duty seriously , knowing that they must provide their lands with an heir to lead them into the future. when helios came into this world screaming , julienna pressed a kiss to his brow and decided that he would be a grand lord one day.
he was raised on the belief that the world was his oyster and the tide changed for him. his mother spoiled him , his father taught him all he knew and yet , the message did not quite sink in the way that they intended for it to.
oh , he was arrogant. told from birth that he was something special to have all that he pleased from life. he would be one of the greatest seafarer's of their generation according to them , and on that point they were at least partially correct. the sea was in his veins , and he travelled far and wide as often as he could. he raided anywhere he pleased , stealing riches and jewels from wherever he could. he often paid the iron price for the things he took , having little regard for the life of those he deemed irrelevant.
he became best friends with a prince of westeros , and it felt almost as though he was untouchable because of such a fact. for who would dare to invoke the wrath of a dragon ? though that is not the reason helios spends so much time in summerhall , instead he often thinks of aehrys as a brother to him.
he began travelling to essos when he was fifteen years old , seeking anything that would keep him entertained. he would always be proud to be ironboy , would always think his own people far superior to others , but he enjoyed getting to know other cities and people all the same. he's most certainly been banned from at least one essosi city probably for sleeping with someone's wife , but helios merely thinks of it as a great story.
his parents hoped that he would settle down and do his duty as the future heir , perhaps finally take an interest in politics , but he never did. instead, lio always figured that he would have advisors for that sort of thing. he had little interest in being stuck to the iron chair all day listening to the nobles bitching about each other. but by the same margin, he wouldn't dream of stepping aside for his sibling to do it. it was his by birth right to rule the islands as he pleased one day.
his parents tried to arrange several betrothals for him only for him to drive them all into ruin. he'd either insult the house or his potential bride, laughing as they left the islands in a huff. he refused to become shackled to someone who wanted him to settle down , spend his time playing at politics and conforming to society's view on him. several years into adulthood and he especially felt the pressure on him to have children , a responsibility that scared him most of all. every time his parents pushed him towards such things , it only made him feel more and more like it was all a trap.
when he'd first met his now wife , she'd just been another body to warm his bed. and then he got to know her better , was charmed by her humour and how she was the opposite of everything society pressed upon him. most importantly , she made his heart fill with love for the very first time. it made all his fears slip away when it came to commitment , and he married her within a year.
he thought that it would appease everyone that he had taken a wife at last , happy to have children to name heirs if it meant he'd have them with her. but they still insisted that he marry a rock wife as if there weren't past instances of the children of salt wives becoming heirs if there was no rock wife. it left a deep unhappiness to settle over him like a storm cloud , the realization that he would never be enough unless he conformed.
it is a difficult thing to now hold such resentment towards his lord father and lady mother. it's even more difficult to ponder the idea that perhaps his life would be far easier if they were not around , especially when his heart still begs him to forgive despite all of the damage they have done to it.
iv ⸻ tidbits
big fan of knives and he has at least five strapped to his body at all times. most of them are stolen , and his favourite has a hilt of silver with a large ruby encrusted at the end that he calls sir pointy.
he's been in four past betrothals and has absolutely ruined them all some way or another. usually through insulting either the person who was betrothed to or their house. has defs made a few enemies that way.
you know the slutty white period shirt ? he wears them constantly , often with so many buttons undone it creates a v neck. also loves being shirtless and will use any excuse to take his shirt off.
he's so unserious , hence why he plans on forming a council in the islands to guide him once he's ruling lord. truthfully man just wants to do all the parts of ruling that include bringing him pride and glory rather than the political crap.
he may have a very complicated relationship with his parents , but he loves his siblings very much. he's allowed to talk shit about them , but anyone else who does is gonna get their face smashed into a table.
" oh , princess fahriye you look so beautiful in that gown. " jaide complimented the princess immediately upon setting her sights on the woman's gown . she had always loved when all the nobles gathered together for something themed , always excited to set her gaze upon the fashion that people would display. it's a moment later that she realizes that her words could be taken quite a different way and she flushes bright pink , panicked hues flicking up from the fahriye's gown to her face. " forgive me , i did not intend to sound so forward. i just adore your gown. "