the audience of a reenactment of aegon's seige of the westerlands and the reach
Sebastyn typically preferred the entertainment of puppets and musical players to the historical dramas and the recitations of ancient poetry, but at least in this amphitheatre, there would be action. He wondered what the players risked with their fire-breathing portrayals of the Conqueror's dragons with the destruction of the species not long past.
His head rested in his hand as he idly perused the rounded pavilion, wondering what kind of food or beverage they may be offering, when a swish of skirts suddenly occupied the seat next to him. He looked up just as a burst of fire swept the stage below and illuminated the Lady Tyrell's face in a swath of golden light.
" My lady , " he greeted with a bow of his head. " I believe your family is about to be crowned liege of the Reach , " he gestured below to where an actor in green armor fell dramatically to the feet of the player portraying the first Targaryen king in his familiar silver wig.
“ oh, and look, ” she ribbed in return, “ i believe the conqueror now names your family liege paramount of the stormlands. ” ahri watched as the antler-crowned actor recites ours is the fury boldly ⎻ a kitschy and slightly questionable performance, in her opinion, but it's hard to deny the entertainment of it.
“ perhaps you should be down there, ” she nodded to the stage below, “ i've always said you would make a fitting thespian. ” another burst of flames filled the theater in glow and heat. “ then again, you've never liked conforming to any script, so perhaps not. ” after another minute listening to some more questionable dialogue ahri finally turned towards the baratheon lord, taking a good look at him for the first time. though they often write letters, it's been well over a year since they've last met. he was a welcomed sight.
“ it's good to see you, bash. ” only to knowing ears would one hear the soft earnestness of her voice.
certain unease runs through the hand of the king's mind . he knew the old dragon would make things difficult , for even as he tried his best to whispers words of wisdom to him , he rarely listened . the north would not be pleased about being denied passage home and carnelian orbs understood the wrath which could come from such chains around their necks . with mask matching his sister , the tyrell ruling lord found himself seeking shelter away from prying eyes , his serpent hues meeting that of sibling which had understood the need for conversation even as small as whispers . " it is but yet another challenge to climb . " he uttered in annoyance , the mask of a kind and comforting man slipping in the pressence of snake just like himself .
a sigh escapes tired council's lips before carnelian orbs locks upon sister . " it seems the king might've made enemies even amongst the wolves , even after giving a son to them - " annoyance can be visible to sister , but not to watching parties . " i wish to see highgarden again soon , if only to smell the fields . " he confesses in the confinement of the two .
it had been many moons since she had been in the same room as her brother, and a part of her wished this week had not been their reunion. the other part found it rather fitting. there is truly nothing like a king's outward paranoia and bristling lords held at court against their will, providing the perfect setting for them to meet again. such politicking and challenges are things they are all too familiar with as a family. perhaps it is why they naturally drifted at each other's side after the king's speech.
she listened as her brother vented, hushed and vexed. she herself found maelor's pronouncement disconcerting to say the least, but her faith in her lord brother never wavered. and although ahri's natural instinct is to solve all the troubles of her loved ones, this trouble was one she could not fix for him. when she was younger, ahri had a way with the king, bonding over a love of dragons and the histories of old valyria. but she knew even her way with words could not break through the king's mania now. this would fall on her brother's hands alone. however, perhaps she could use her words elsewhere.
“ brother, i can speak with the starks. ” she offered cooly. “ perhaps they are not irrate, ” she jested, “ but if they are as we assume, i can sway them to endure the captital a little longer. and they can convince the same of the other northern lieges.” knowing her good standing with the starks, it was a sound plan. “ just say the word, and i shall do as you command. ”
“ i can also send for a bouquet from home, if you wish. ” this she submits more softly. she spent half her childhood living away from home, and as used to it as she is, she did understand her brother's yearning for home better than most. nothing compared to summer fields and wildflowers of highgarden. “ leona knows your favourites. ”
༻ ❁ ༺ open starter for ( 0 / 3 )
time & location: day 5 ; the masquerade ; the great hall
╰┈‣ the great hall paused, like a still from a painting by one of the old masters. it would make for a beautiful scene ⎻ glistening candlelights dyed the sea of decadent jewels and fine silk in gold amber ⎻ a magnificent sight no matter where you looked. yet, what captured eyes most was not the shine nor the vivid. no, the focal point of this piece would follow everyone's attention, centred upon the dais, to the pale white dragon and his lost queen. and like all masterpieces, there was more than meets the eye. for below the pulchritude lay something far more rotten.
all eyes remained on king maelor as he returned to his seat ; the hall sucked of its breath until the music finally resumed and merriment followed. but even hidden behind masks and mirth, ahri could still see it in the stiff postures and sharp glances, hear it in the forced laughter and strained whispers ⎻ there was fear in the air. but it wasn't new. she felt the tension, palpable, from the moment she arrived in king's landing, and the king's decree felt like a long time coming even before then.
“ oh, ” a sudden presence behind her snapped her from her musings, and she turned to meet the figure before they could collide. “ i shouldn't have stood in the middle of the path. my apologies, ” her voice soft and disarming, “ here, let me get you a new drink. ” she smiled from behind her mask, grabbing a new flute from a passing serving boy and replacing it with the old.
( lee jieun, 30, she / her, tyrell b ) ── ⸱ king maelor offers his welcome to LADY AHRI TYRELL of highgarden. across the realm, they are praised as the EPITOME OF GRACE and BRILLIANTLY GIFTED, though courtly whispers insist they can also be DOGMATIC and ELUSIVE behind closed doors. still, their allegiance is said to lie with HOUSE TYRELL & THE FEW WHO'VE EARNED HER HEART. their presence evokes imagery of blinding sun glitter on a cerulean lake; the buzz of a gala, as whispered secrets drift off the balcony into the midsummer night; the scent of the rose garden wafting beyond the hedge maze, sweet and dizzying, enough to inspire any storyteller. with so many tales in circulation, separating truth from fiction may prove no easy task.
i. basics.
title & epithet: lady regent of highgarden, the golden rose. ⧽ age: thirty. ⧽ date of birth: the first of the seventh month, 101 AC. ⧽ place birth: highgarden, the reach. ⧽ gender: cis woman. ⧽ pronouns: she / her. ⧽ sexual orientation: bisexual. ⧽ religion: faith of the seven ( with a respect and interest for the old gods & the old gods of valyria. ) ⧽ loyalties: house tyrell, the reach, and those in her heart.
ii. personality & character.
mbti: entj - a ; the commander. ⧽ enneagram: type 1 ; the reformer / the perfectionist. ⧽ hogwarts house: slytherin. ⧽ temperament: ... ⧽ positive traits: brilliant, quick-witted, enchanting, capable, loyal, pragmatic, thoughtful. ⧽ negative traits: dogmatic, elusive, calculating, manipulative, unrelenting, ruthless, unknowing of how to truly be open and honest, and unaware of how to process her inner turmoil. ⧽ favourite hobbies: archery, riding, singing. ⧽ favourite subjects: history, astronomy, high valyrian. ⧽ character inspo: a hint of azula ( atla ), natasha romanoff ( marvel ), margaery tyrell ( got )
iii. physical traits.
height: 5'8 ; 177 cm. ⧽ hair: raven black, natural soft waves down to her hips ; usually braided and styled in various fashions. ⧽ eye colour: dark honey. ⧽ physique: slender build, unassumingly agile. ⧽ speech: sweet and warm like a summer breeze. ⧽ scent: roses, wild bluebells, peaches and lemongrass.
iv. addendum
political involvement: the secondborn of house tyrell, the shining bloom among her siblings. she was never to inherit the seat of highgarden – no, that right always belonged to her brother. instead, she was groomed since birth to be nothing short of perfection, to uplift the family name in other ways. from the time she was nine, she was sent to live as a ward with all the great westerosi houses. six months at a time, she would study, play, and grow up alongside the children of these families, and for six months she would go home; the cycle continued, each year a different house, until she was nine and ten. on paper this was a beneficial and strategic arrangement for all sides, especially for the other great houses, for who would turn away the golden rose of the second most powerful family in westeros ?
for her family, she quickly caught on to the role her parents wanted her to play. even behind closed doors, tyrells never broke the façade of virtue, but even at nine she could tell… there was just something more. it was just a glint in their eyes when her parents first told her of the arrangement, something she couldn’t quite name then. but when she returned after that first six months with the targaryens, the questions, conversations, and preparations her parents had for her – it clicked. she was to be the brightest example of tyrell excellency, hiding in plain sight, in the heart of the great houses; a spy.
since then, just over ten years have passed and she’s regent of highgarden, while her brother is in king’s landing. though the prosperity of the reach can often make one forget the realities of the realm, even without being in the capital herself, she’s all too aware of the turmoil afoot; she grew up in it, and witnessed first-hand the death of the last dragon. now, she works with her brother to ensure the power and security of the reach, and however the succession proceeds, the tyrells will surely have a hand in it.
character arc: born at the height of summer, she was a bright-eyed, soft-hearted girl. but she was also naturally brilliant, and a soft heart had no place where talent exploited could nurture power.
and now that she’s older, she could tell what it was she saw in her parents’ eyes all those years ago; a hunger for power, a desperation they would have never admitted to. they moulded her into what they needed, and she let them because she could; because she was good at it; because it made them happy. in her eyes, her brother was born into their approval, whereas she had to earn it. but morphing into what her parents wanted, at such a young age, came at the cost of herself. she didn’t so much as erase herself to be what they wanted; she never had the chance to become a person herself.
so she learned to shield her soft heart behind honeyed thorns, veiled behind petals, and devoted her life to her family. a childhood filled with countless lessons from history and politics to science and art, practicing skills from dance and archery, and being exceptional. everything so she could impress the high lieges, and charm their future heirs. and when she grew older, she learned how her beauty disarmed many, but her wits kept her from being dismissed. she learned when to listen, and when to speak, and more importantly, how and what to say in order to get what she needed from people. it only took a few years for it to hit her, that it was all too easy to manipulate people in this way; that she was good at it. though it was not all an act, and she grew to truly care for, even love, some of them, it was still a serpentine control over others that she began to crave as much as her parents’ approval.
since her parents’ passing, when she was four and twenty, it was as if something broke and she could begin to breathe. but she’s been forced to confront and reconcile who she truly is without her parents’ schemes, and the fact that she can never really escape the game of thrones she involuntarily became a player of. in her own way she loves her family, but deep down, a sort of resentment brewed, for without her family, who was she ?
v. history.
will be updated tbd.
vi. headcanons.
will be updated tbd.
vii. potential plots & wanted connections.
will be updated & properly write this out soon but to quickly add one major wanted connection:
BETROTHED - this would mostly likely be to one of the major houses. i'm thinking this would have been an arrangement planned for years already, given the calculating nature of the tyrells to ensure power for their family. but honestly i'm open to anything that works ! the only requirement is being from one of the major houses as they would have met and come to know each other during ahri's decade-long circuit of living with the different great houses. we can decide whether the betrothal was planned then or later, and how they got along. they could be classic childhood friends, or hated each other at first, again i'm up for anything !
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