the coronation feast was both grand and wonderful, but roran had enough of idle chatter and endlessly flowing pitchers of wine. he’d indulged slightly more than he usually did, having a taste for the dornish wines the starks were serving. while he was not drunk, per se, he could feel his senses being somewhat clouded by the drink already. roran disliked when he was unable to think clearly, and quickly found his way to a basket of bread, hoping some more food in his stomach would help clear things up.
truth be told, he was tired of the festivities all together, and would much rather return to his rooms. there were a few new volumes he’d managed swindle from the stark family’s maester, and roran could think of nothing better than to escape the crowds gathered and lose himself in those pages. in fact, the moment he saw an opportunity to leave, he quickly snuck out, whispering an excuse.
once roran stood outside in the cold weather of the north, an unfortunate realisation dawned on him. he had no idea where to go. normally he was quite good at navigating his surroundings, but with the wine, nothing was as clear as it should. turning around, the lord suddenly realised he was not alone, and almost without thought, an excuse slipped from his mouth. “ah,” he started. “just getting some fresh air. the north certainly knows how to throw a feast.”
⤷ ( ro. gmt+2. 25. she/they. ) the courts offer bread and salt to RORAN BARATHEON of HOUSE BARATHEON. many say that the FORTY-TWO year old RULING LORD of STORM’S END is known to be TEMPERATE and INGENIOUS, though ill tongues whisper that HE is RETICENT and VACILLATING. when his name is uttered , one is reminded of the eye of the storm, the one calm spot in between the chaos ; a reluctant ruler, expected to be the spare, not the heir, and never quite growing out of it ; the disappointment of a father, constantly hovering over you ; brain over brawn, even when your entire legacy says the opposite ; preferring the company of books over people. may he be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. ( fc: michiel huisman )
hello all! i’m ro and this is my soft son, roran. i wrote this introduction beforehand so it is still very much open to changes that will likely come with plotting and such. thanks for reading, i’m excited to plot with you all!
trigger warnings for: death, childbirth.
roran baratheon was born the second son of the ruling lord of house baratheon. from the moment he was born, it was clear his older brother was prepared to be the heir to their house, while he was just the back up plan. permitted a lot of freedom, roran found himself drawn to more intellectual pursuits. when his brother wielded his iron warhammer on the fields of battle, roran was inside the library, studying the history of the summer isles. when his brother attended political meetings, roran spent his time with local healers, gathering the herbs needed for curing various ailments. and while his brother made his way through most the whores in the stormlands, roran held onto a firm belief in love, the true kind.
though it was clear roran did not have the disposition of a storm lord, he was incredibly clever. he knew much about the histories of westeros, how to cure common illnesses, and even political strategy (though that always bored him to no end). he was popular with the small folk too. his brother was the one they ultimately looked up to, but roran often found ways to sneak them bread and other goods, to help sick children survive the night. he was gentle and kind, blending in with them just as easily as he blended into the crowds of nobility. roran was always unnoticeable.
his original plan was to join the maesters. the pursuit of knowledge was something roran would enjoy dedicating his life to. fate, however, seemed to have a different path in store for him. when roran was eighteen years of age, his brother died in an unfortunate accident, caused largely by his own stupidity (though no one would ever say so). suddenly, roran was to be the next ruling lord of storm’s end, and his life changed forever. his father was desperate for roran to marry and father children. he had to be reintroduced to all the vassal lords. he had to learn how to play the game, despite his dislike for politics (and people in general).
marriage was what came first. at the age of nineteen, roran was wed to a lady from the vale. they did not know one another, and roran found himself wondering if he could learn to love her, or even care for her. despite the lack of romance in their marriage, they had a child not one year later. his father said it was fortunate his first child was a son. what was less fortunate was his wife dying in childbirth.
with all the death that plagued him, roran found himself hardening. he grew quiet and shied away from conflict or any sort of human interaction as much as his position permitted him. his father passed away not shortly after too, leaving roran a ruling lord who had no clue what he was doing, a recently widowed father of his infant son, and a general disappointment to the stormlands, as far as he could tell. truth be told, he was doing decently enough. his people were fed, his vassals were content. his only issue was his lack of backbone. roran was not a violent man by any means. he could not crush rebels the same way his ancestors did. he negotiated with them instead, but often conciliated too much to others.
a few years after, roran found himself and his men in need of shelter. he ended up in blackhaven, where he met lady araela dondarrion. for the first time, he felt something stir in his heart again, and not even a year later, the two of them were married.
over the past two decades, roran has spent much of his time caring for his son, his wife, and his people. he still struggles with the mantle of ruling lord, often sending advisors and vassals to do his tasks so he can hole up in his room with a book. horribly antisocial, he rarely strays from talking to anyone who isn’t part of his trusted circle. as lord of the stormlands, his people remain reasonably content, though there is some dismay regarding the way roran handles some of the more violent aspects of ruling.
with the way the stark king died, the madness of the targaryen king, and the meeting of most westerosi nobility in one place, it seems roran’s relative peace and quiet will soon be disturbed. he realizes that he needs to step up and become a more powerful force in the land, but struggles with what that entails. though it seems that soon, he will no longer have a choice in the matter.
