vhassenor:
the glass gardens at winterfell are a sight to behold ; and while there are countless such sights, elio finds himself drawn to them. beyond the visual spectacle he picks his way through — lush greenery caged in panes of fine glass, winter roses in shades of blue, a lemon tree bright as gold in the refracted light — the sheer historical brilliance of it impresses him. reaching out, he takes a single rose petal between his fingers, thinner and softer than silk. it feels somewhat dramatic, but he wonders how long it would have taken the starks to freeze or starve, without hot springs to warm their walls, and bones, and glass gardens.
he looks up at the sound of a door creaking, and interruption to his thoughts ; a cold breeze from outside floats in, carrying faint voices and the noise of everyday life. a weighty click of a heavy door closing shut, and the sound ceases, and soon the chill has dissipated into the warm air. curious, and more importantly, concerned about appearing secretive, elio takes a few steps from his rather concealed spot. he raises his hand in brief greeting, not wanting to seem threatening or suspicious in any way, as faint recognition dawns on him.
“ prince siddharth, ” he greets in what he hopes is a kind and friendly fashion ; he does not know the dornish prince well, having very little occasion to speak to the man, but is not so clueless as to have no knowledge of him. “ come to escape the cold ? ” he inquires. “ i’d wager it’s near as hot as dorne in here, though not half as dry. ” / @siddharthmartell
If there was such a place in Winterfell that intrigued the Prince of Sunspear the most, it would be its godswood, its three acres of dark, old forest, untouched for 10,000 of years, cradling the fortress as if it was but its babe. Siddharth Nymeros Martell had heard that among its trees lie sentinels, soldiers, oaks, ironwoods, hawthorns, and ash, some of which he himself has never laid eyes nor touch on. He was no sage of such things, but a boy within his retinue showed promise and prowess of such study. Siddharth had been of mind to send him to the Citadel to foster the boy's knowledge, satiate his curiosity, and perhaps in time, he may serve him back as a future maester. If things were truly so simply.
His dark eyes quickly narrowed at the sight of the Merchant Prince, taking but a few moments to recall his name. Siddharth was well aware of his station, though the letters would not come to mind sooner, as he himself has done a great deal of business in Essos. The unfathomable coarseness of the Braavosi's face, complete with equally dark eyes and grievous brow, seemed strangely displaced by his modest garb. Does he not understand the weight of his station as Prince of the Seven Kingdoms? Most would belittle him as a mere consort to a dragon princess, a merchant whose luck rang true once married to a Targaryen, but luck or strategy, Siddharth found opportunity and purpose to his absence of harm. Not everyone who fights great battles do so with sword and spear.
"Prince Elio..." He offered him a mixture of a slight nod and a brief bow, standing his ground, a playful smile finding its way upon his lips. He turned to the boy slightly behind him, gesturing for the child to offer the Merchant Prince the same respect, and tasked him without word to find his leave upon dutiful obedience. The Prince of Sunspear then took a few steps closer to Elio, though he maintained a measure of distance between them. "The cold of Winterfell, I have yet to find common ground with... Everything here is more dreary and grim than in Dorne.”
“I do hope your travels with your Targaryen Princess fared better than mine. Such a long way away from home, are we not? My retinue would not stop weeping for the paradisaical warmth of the Water Gardens." He chuckled, shaking his head, at the memory of his men, fierce warriors of the desert turned children brought away from their mother.













