#frozenasterism

[smaragduseques]

@frozenasterism sent ; you always need someone to blame, and when you can't find one, you make one. ( from otto )

the rebuke earned only a turning of his head, gaze directed away from the older man and fixed upon the view beyond the window, jaw clenching tight enough that it would begin to ache if he did not force himself to release the tension as he followed the path of a squire toing and froing across the courtyard that lay below with his eyes. the barb hooked under his skin as was its intent, no matter how he might think himself immune to such things, as he should be, never having earned a moment of his father's favour, all kind words and soft praise having halted after his mother's passing for she was the only one who offered them up. he had some naive hope that otto might come to spare some kindness, if not any affection, for the briefest time, craving even the meagrest sign of approval, yet none had come and otto had left with alicent for king's landing instead. such hopes had long since faded, abandoned and grieved, in a way, but otto had a way of finding weaknesses, sometimes picking at them over time and other times, like this one, aiming directly for them and driving the blade home.

he allowed the silence to last, drawing in a breath and exhaling it, repeating twice more, rather than indulging himself in the urge to bite back in haste. he could leave the room if he wished. he knew otto would see such a thing as a retreat, a concession of a fight, would let it stand as gwayne agreeing with him, and perhaps that should no longer matter. perhaps he should turn his back more often, upon all of them, save daeron. he would not miss them. and yet, despite knowing the futility of drawing out the argument, he could not force himself to walk away from it, not when such a baseless accusation was flung upon him. "you shed the blame you ought to carry like water from a duck's back. i do not place blame where it is undeserved, i only expect any man to have the spine to stand by his actions and if he cannot defend himself, then he deserves to be called up on them." turning once more to his father, hands clasping behind his back in a stance that made him look at ease, even if he should not feel so. "it is a trait that i notice lacking both amongst king's landing at large, and our kin."

[polyolbos]

@frozenasterism sent ; sniffing. it smells like a flower field but none is in sight — oh, what is that? ( for floris from sheepstealer )

she could make no complaints as to the hospitality she had been shown by the queen and those that resided within dragonstone's walls, even if by rights they could have treated her with far greater suspicion when she had come to pledge her own fealty, even if her father had given the baratheon support to the greens, in return for whatever safety they might offer her, a protection from the marriage that would have been thrust upon her had she remained behind. but they had been kind, both the queen herself and her sons too, providing her with a new home, whether it should only be temporary or otherwise. in some ways, dragonstone did not always feel so unfamiliar compared to storm's end, the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks a pleasant comfort, though now overlayed with the sounds of dragons, still causing her to startle on occasion when their screeching became louder, most oft when they were taking to the skies, and she had not yet ventured any closer to the creatures than witnessing them through a window or from the courtyard as they wheeled far above.

a storm had begun to roll in, far enough away across the water that she doubted it would reach the island before it died away, and should any seek floris out, they would no longer find her within the castle, having already made an escape to yet higher ground, a vantage point from which to better watch the stormy seascape, even if a drizzle of rain had already begun to fall. mere minutes had she been sat upon the rocks, sharp stones digging in through the fabric of her dress, but the discomfort not great enough to deter her, when her unusual peace was disturbed, not with the whining sounds she now knew to associate with the dragons, but the falling of dislodged stones, the sound of a breath from a creature that should be impossibly large, but was rather not so unusual with the number that roamed, whether wild or not. as her head turned, her heart seeming to know what her gaze would find before her mind had caught up, with the way it hammered within chest, dark hues widened upon meeting those of the dragon, lips parted and yet no sound escaping.

almost, in her haste to stand, did she fall down, and only the grabbing hold of her former seat kept her upon two feet, though it would leave bloody grazes upon the palm of hand. "i am very sorry." dragons could not, as far as she was aware, understand a word she might have to say, yet they tumbled from her, as once she had found her voice, she found she could not stop them, in the feeble hope that perhaps it would give her some greater chance at living beyond the next few minutes. "i'm not here to disturb you or — or anything else."

[polyolbos]

@frozenasterism sent ; turning with a flip of his tail heavy enough to shake the ground, tilting his head with a curious growl at the little human. ( for egg from sheepstealer )

he is going to be in trouble when he eventually finds his way back. yet he had known that from the moment he had slipped away, trailing behind the rest of his family, and waiting for the first opportune moment in which he could make his escape, an idle wonder of how long it might take for them to notice his absence and who would notice it first. the trouble would be worth the escape from boredom, though, and he cared little for the clothes he had been told to wear which now had small tears from his scrambling over rocks, and if any had seen the little prince, they might have feared he would go tumbling into the waters that lay below. there is no goal to his scrambling, no end point, other than when the sun begins to dip too low in the sky and he is forced to turn back around, for all his adventurous spirit, he still does not want to be caught alone out here once dark falls. 

later, when he recalls these moments, he won't be able to explain how he could miss the form of the dragon, how he had been far too focused on placing feet on solid bits of rock, a song uttered under his breath as he had ventured, that it would have been nigh impossible for him to notice the dragon, and rather the sudden motion, from what he had assumed to be yet more rocks ahead and not such a large creature taking up most of a rare flattened surface, nearly sent him tumbling backwards. the growl feels as if it vibrates through him as he slowly inches himself a little further forward onto a more solid standing, though no amount of caution will spare him now, he knows. a dragon is not one of the stray cats that, though clever, can still be tricked. or so he assumes, for really he knows little of them and their behaviours.

despite the knowledge that this dragon could, and may yet still, swallow him in one mouthful, a toothy grin manages to grow upon his face. a dragon. a wild one at that, like that his grandsire had claimed after losing his first. he should be scared, more scared, than he feels, he's certain of it, but he cannot make himself find that fear. "hello."

[crgnstrk]

@frozenasterism sent ; i don't need sleep. i need answers. ( from larence )

a huff of air was all the acknowledgement he gave, a faint amusement buried within the sound as heavy steps approached followed by the sound of an empty chair scraped over stone flooring, a man who has never had much cause to quieten his movements save for hunting, when the snow would help in muffling all noise. even at the late hour, winterfell itself would never be still, with its rotation of guards, the necessity to keep a number of fires fed throughout the coldest hours of the night, even despite the hot springs below, or with restless guests. "i have only just convinced rickon to listen to his nursery maids and go to bed. must i do the same with you?" the words were lighthearted but his tone belied his concerns, he knew of sleepless nights, had endured enough of them himself over recent years, but he knew equally well how fruitless it might be to tire yourself out only to have no more clarity when the morning broke.

"i find that answers come more easily if you are well rested, and when talked over with others." advice he often did not heed himself, for discussion would invariably end with trying to discourage him from the path he had already decided on, and in any occasion where he had been swayed, he would almost certainly have had less problems if he'd favoured his own solutions, oft involving a valyrian steel sword.

[polyolbos]

@frozenasterism sent ; i see why you like luke better. ( for dalton from joff bc this whole verse is too funny i can't help it )

the princes could not have been more different. it was not as simple as liking lucerys better than his elder brother, something that sounded as if it were only a matter of personality but there was more to it than that. even if jacaerys had shared his brothers' temperament exactly, there would still be the thread that drew dalton to luke, the inherent appeal that kept his attention far longer and far more intently than any had before. he was more than just a prince of the realm, though he seemed to be the only one to recognise it, and he was more than any ironborn who was simply made in the image of the drowned god, instead he was a mirror to him, victorious against the storm god and protected from a watery grave. but he would not say so to joffrey, he likely wouldn't understand either, and an amused smile pulled on his lips instead.

"you should tell jacaerys that. over breakfast."

[polyolbos]

@frozenasterism sent ; offers an orange to jace. ( from the orange man )

gaze going from orange to his face and back again, a few times over, his own brows only furrowing more with each back and forth glance. he'd ask if this had ever worked out for him, but he didn't really want to hear any answer at all. silence seemed the best option, and telling his mother they need better anti-crispy security.

[polyolbos]

@frozenasterism sent ; staring intently. ( unprompted jace for dalton bc don't think he didn't notice how he looks at his brother )

the histories would tell that there was little other than the opportunity to satisfy a bloodlust that kept the red kraken's loyalty to rhaenyra, something that had been absent from the alliance offering that had come from the greens. it wasn't wholly untrue, yet the telling of it would leave out the frequency with which dalton would remain upon dragonstone between raiding the queen's enemies, under the pretence that they might act more effectively and swiftly if he were at least partially involved in the discussions of the council. some rumours persisted of a friendship with the prince lucerys, though were largely later dismissed by maesters as ludicrous claims that were likely started by mushroom.

sounds of the ocean waves crashing against dragonstone's rocks and the salt air came through the window where he lingered, seated upon the sill and head turned to watch something beyond. he waited for the prince to say something, feeling his gaze without having to look, but the silence only dragged on, until dalton finally allowed his attention to turn to jace. "did you need me for something, my prince?"

[storiesofthenight]

@frozenasterism asked: “Stop laughing at me, I’m cold and uncoordinated.” ) ( from robin for steve )

“I’m sorry, it was instinctive. It was …” He sighed and maneuvered over to her, holding a hand out to help her back to her feet. It really had been funny to watch her slip and fall, but more because it’d been unexpected. “Sorry, come on, let’s get you back inside. I can make you a hot coco?”