seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from Russia
seen from Japan
seen from China
seen from Morocco
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from Yemen
seen from Switzerland
seen from Australia
seen from Morocco
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Brazil
seen from Malaysia
seen from Switzerland
sad to think that flora is the only one left of the group of starks and rogerses who grew up in winterfell. brandon, lya and julian are all dead, ned grew up in the vale, and ben is at the wall ☹️
Yeah it’s sad that it’s just Flora and her memories now
We know how Gareth and Lucas are as fathers (at least a little bit), but what is Flora like as a mother? I'm sure she's glad she doesn't need to conform to a society where she is expected to arrange a marriage for her son.
Arranged marriages are absolutely a thing in Braavos, but Flora and Cassio’s family is not really considered nobility, and Flora has no interest in advancing their fortunes through marriage.
Flora enjoys her relationship with her son but after having him she realized she doesn’t really enjoy being a parent to small children which is partly why she didn’t want any more after Lucio. She loves him but she’s relieved when he’s a more self sufficient and thoughtful older child and no longer a helpless toddler.
Hand-holding: 43 for Flora/Howland?
He finds it difficult to connect the girl before him to the one who hung on his every word at Harrenhal, smiling playfully, grey eyes sparkling with excitement.
That girl was just a child, of course, and this is a young woman, really, not a girl at all anymore.
But all the same, you would almost think they were two different people.
“Lord Reed,” she says, taking his hand before the gnarled little heart tree. The others will arrive shortly but given the hasty nature of all of this, he wanted to speak to her in private beforehand.
To ascertain if she was truly willing, in the most practical sense, and to see… well, to see if any of that happy and innocent young girl remains.
“I know you must be tired,” he says. “The ceremony will be very brief.”
“Yes.” Her smile does not reach her eyes.
He tries again. “We have no septs in the Neck, but we could travel to White Harbor a few months from now, and obtain the blessing of a septon, if that is what you wish.”
“I would not ask you to dishonor yourself like that, my lord,” she says. “I know they are not your gods.”
“Making you happy would not dishonor me,” he says quietly, probing at her with his eyes. She will not quite meet his gaze. “Florence? Will you look at me?”
She does.
“If you do not want this I will not raise any protest,” he says. “You have my word.”
“It is I who should be asking you that,” she says, bitterly. “I know this is a burden to place on you-,”
“What burden?” he demands, genuinely confused.
She blinks. “I am disgraced,” she says then. “You know it. We all know it. From the Wall to Sunspear they know it. I dishonored myself-,”
“You were taken against your will by men who broke their vows,” he says sharply. “Anyone who would blame you-,”
“Many do, my lord.”
“Is a fool and a craven and should be stuffed in a sack and drowned,” he finishes.
She looks stunned by his vigor. He raises her hand and kisses it, swiftly.
She breaks into a half smile, which comes a little closer to her grey eyes.
I'm reading ch 31 of aouh, and honestly I am so happy to find someone else who hates Arthur Dayne as much as I do. All he has going for him are aesthetics, one good action, and a fancy sword, and "all" he has against him is so many horrible actions I can't fit them in one ask. A truly reprehensible man.
I don’t hate Arthur and I think he could be a very interesting character if written as a sort of dark take on the popular Lancelot or Gawain trope. Do I agree with his morals, no, but I can enjoy plenty of characters whose morals I find skeevy or heinous or just lackluster.
Flora is a POV character, not a neutral narrator’s voice. She’s biased. Doesn’t mean she’s wrong to feel that way and I certainly think she’s been treated terribly by men like Arthur who should be looking out for her best interests, but I don’t pretend Florence is a neutral commentator or the ultimate judge.
Given the trauma around Lyanna giving birth and dying plus her mother not being there. How did Flora deal with her pregrancy?
It was under very different circumstances and Flora was several years older and more mature so she handled it pretty well all things considered. She had a very easy pregnancy.
Has it dawned on Flora that she is living a story now, as she always wanted to? She is the fair maiden that fell in love with a foreign writer, and he fell for her as well. Their love so great that even the maiden's father allowed he marriage (albeit, only after Flora gave him an ultimatum). And how did Flora and her husband meet? I know they exchanged letters, but not much else.
They met while she was in Braavos looking for Lucas. She doesn’t like to think of her life as a fairy tale. She’s not special or chosen and this isn’t the life she fantasized about as a child. It’s her reality and there’s good and bad to it, but she chooses to focus on the good rather than living in a dream world.
If Lucas were to die, would Florence offer Tess and her children a place to live with her and her family?
Yes, most likely
So reading Tess's backstory, makes me understand why Flora named her son after Lucas. Also I like to head canon that both the Braavos theater house, Amberly, and Winterfell have plans in place if Tess and the kids ever need sanctuary.
Flora commonly refers to Lucas half jokingly as a vile treacherous sellsword, but still the finest vile treacherous sellsword she knows.
