The Scholarly Stag

despite how right it felt to hold orryn's hand, dory couldn't help but bite down on his lip as his boyfriend led him through the great hall. the thought of someone seeing them weighed too heavily on him. a part of him knew there was no need to worry - it could easily be explained away as not wanting to be separated in the crowd but it did little to quell his worries.

still, he couldn't help but melt into the other's embrace the second they were alone - a wide smile already spread across his face. "of course," he whispered, it felt too weird to say you're welcome, given the circumstances. starting trouble was just about the last thing orryn needed - but dory couldn't help but laugh as he heard the others offer. "no, no, everyone has been wonderful," he assured the other male. "i don't think anyone will miss me," he laughed, "i'd love to see the city."

Orryn smiled when Dory said that no one would miss him and that he would love to see the city. A hand moving to the other's chest, and then his face. His smiled soon turned mischievous. "You mean it then? Truly? You would want to sneak out together?" Orryn knew exactly how to get out of the Red Keep from here, and even more he kept changes of clothing hidden in the secret tunnels whenever he came for visits for quick escapes.

"I want to see whats going on in the streets of the city, like one of the members of the smallfolk, get away from all this stuffy ceremony, and arrogant nobles. Just the two of us. You want to?"

isolatednights

a rather odd quest for the young prince to be taking, abraxas thought, and he could not help but question if it were a self-appointed task, or one requested of him. offering a soft chuckle, his head ducked slightly. "i have five children, all of which i consider my own even if they are not of my direct blood, your highness. i want for nothing but peace." the loss of his eldest sister and wife had struck hard and deep. with the feud between the blackwoods and brackens drawing to a close with his own betrothal to a daughter of his once-rivals... that was all the man truly wanted. a long, quiet and peaceful life. but gathering of westrosi nobility was rarely followed by a time of peace.

"forgive my bluntness, my prince, but i'm afraid i can offer little opinion on our new king. as the late queen daenerys held reign over westeros for my entire life, i've had little opportunity to know how our new king will fair in a role of such power. i do, however, have high hopes and strong faith. i imagine few could be raised by a woman of such importance and become anything but a mirror."

"Five children....a daunting task no doubt. If my own parents are to be believed. They themselves had two daughters, and two sons." He looked at Lord Blackwood, considering everything he said. Orryn always weighed words heavily not being the one to allow them to just flow from his mouth. "Good. Peace is essential to all of us. The Riverlands, and the Stormlands are two of the kingdoms that have the most to gain from peace. Look at how vast your people's population has become, how many cities have sprung up. We have finally developed our own major settlement." He nodded his head.

"My Uncle, our next King is a good man. I have no doubt he will be a good king, especially with the right council serving him."

#c: abraxas

eleneibaratheon

location: maegors holdfast; open starter

elenei hated quiet. silence was a time for grieving and sadness - she had had enough of that for a lifetime. most days she spent surrounded by her gaggle of ladies; though, with all the recent tragedies in the capital, most had excused themselves to be with their families. she sat, uninterested in the ornate spread of cakes and fruit in front of her, absentmindedly flipping through the pages. soft footsteps broke her from her trance, glancing up to the see a figure standing at the edge of the table. elenei smiled warmly, propping herself up with two hands. "please, sit." she motioned to the empty chair closest to her. "how is the weather treating you?"

Orryn was now trying to help his cousin where he could, gauging the thoughts of the lords and ladies of the Stormlands on how they felt about Daeron now being their future King. The consensus seemed to be optimism, a young king could mean even more changes, better changes for Westeros. Yet, they were still deeply concerned about the death of his uncle. Something that was also eating at Orryn.

He was walking past his sister when he heard her request, sighing, he smiled before sitting. "The weather? The same as everyone else I imagine. Unless for some reason the weather prefers me to others, dear sister. Why has the weather offended you?"

#c: elenei

isolatednights

abraxas did not consider himself a social butterfly ( with close friends, it was perhaps a different story, for he could spend countless hours with them and not grow exhausted ; but their time within the capital leading up to that evening and the lengthy hours themselves were wearing on him ). having excused himself from a conversation, abraxas had moved to snatch a goblet of wine from a passing tray ( contemplating whether or not it would be appropriate to excuse himself ) when he heard his name.

perking up, the man straightened. "your highness." he greeted, head dipping into a respectful nod ( eyes blinking almost owlishly at the question for several moments before shaking himself from his stupor ). the statement was certainly true, but he could not recall the last time he ( or his father ) had been asked their opinion on matters of importance. "the ongoing affairs meaning the crowning of your uncle and renewal of the treaty, prince?"

Orryn waved his hand when the other lowered his head, he wasn't here for such things, but rather actually interested in figuring out the others thoughts. The Blackwoods fielded a larger army than the Tullys, which meant for the sake of his Uncle, their support was going to be very important in securing the Riverlands. The other houses that Orryn had identified within the same category were the Brackens, the Mootons, the Mallisters, and the Pipers, in addition to their liege lords, the Tullys.

"It would be those very things yes, I am trying to deduce how people, and what people are seeking. Naturally I would hope everyone is seeking a continuation of peace. Additionally, I want to get an assessment of how people feel about my Uncle, our new King."

#c: abraxas

theodoric's mouth was starting to hurt from how much smiling he'd done. he'd engaged in more small talk over the past hour than the entire course of his life - or at least, that's what it felt like. perhaps he was just tired of having the same conversation over and over, or maybe, he was just tired. either way, he couldn't help but smile as he caught orryn's eye. the other male being the only reason he hadn't found a reason to excuse himself for the night.

he didn't protest as orryn took his drink - he'd been sipping on it throughout the night, meaning it likely would've gone to waste. dory bit down on his lip as he leaned in to hear what orryn had to say, his eyebrows briefly arching out of surprise. "i was just getting ready to say there's no need to order me," he smiled as he lifted his head to meet the other's gaze. "i'd be honored to accompany you."

Once he was told that Theodoric would be honored to accompany him, Orryn allowed himself to smile ever so slightly, before his hand found the Redwyne's. Guiding him through the crowded Great Hall. He had spent a lot of time in the Red Keep, he knew it very well, and quickly whisked the other away to a more private balcony that he had always enjoyed. It over looked the Blackwater, where shipyards were. He had always liked watching the ships be built there, now though you could see the flickers of lamps lighting the docks, few people were out and about at this hour. He wet his lips, eyes scanning over the other, Orryn looked around making sure they were alone, before he wrapped his arms around Dory in a hug.

"Thank you....for coming. These past few days have been hard....seeing your face in the crowd....it has been reassuring." Releasing Theodoric, his hand went to lightly brush his hair. "Your night has been good yes? Do I need to make sure anyone has an awful time at this coronation for bothering you?" Orryn was mostly joking about that. "Do you want to sneak out into the city? Or do you think we'd be missed?"

Orryn was finishing the last conversation he had wanted to seek out, and now that he felt he finished his required tasks he had decided it was time to engage in actual pleasantries, which namely for him, meant spending time with Theodoric. He located the Redwyne fairly easily, as if though he could always track him down when they were in the same location. Moving in perhaps a little too close, Orryn trying to be playful took the glass Theodoric was holding out of his hand and proceeded to drink whatever was in it. Finishing it, he put it down on the table.

"I have finished my princely duties for the evening. As a Prince, I think it is in my right to order you to be my companion for the rest of the night. If you want to of course, and you do not have your own tasks you still yet need to attend to."

@atychiphobiias

Feasts were a reality of being a member of the nobility and royalty of Westeros. Orryn existed within a weird space between both. He was a noble, currently the second in line to Storm's End until his brother produced heirs of his own, but he was also a Prince...a grandson of the former Queen, nephew to the future King. Destined to hold no lands of his own, reliant upon his family. Still he was happy to do his duty where he could. That was why he now found himself approaching the Ruling Lord of Raventree Hall. He had just finished talking to the Brackens, and now he wanted the Blackwood viewpoint of things.

"Lord Blackwood, may I steal a moment of your time? I was hoping to gauge your thoughts on how the Riverlands currently feel about the ongoing affairs. Your house offers a unique perspective, having existed both in the North and the South, much like the Manderlys."

@valyrianblooded

#c: abraxas

♥

Orryn while not prone to outwardly showing it would do anything to support his family. This extends to people he's grown close enough to to consider family. If anyone ever does anything to hurt his family, he does not forget or forgive.

#about!orryn

"i'm afraid not," theodoric responded, a small frown momentarily appearing across his face as he looked at the tarts in his hands. he should have known remembered that orryn preferred pear. they'd only spent countless hours together.

"the apricot is all yours then," he smiled before reaching for the berry tart himself. he'd always liked berries, which in a way was sort of perfect - because his gesture didn't fall short, and no food went to waste.

"a few hours," he responded after swallowing his bite - "just long enough to unpack and change my clothes," this time he laughed, "i couldn't wait to see you."

Orryn lifted his hand to run his thumb over Dory's chin, smiling at him. "No frowning, just because you aren't carrying around a pear in your pocket." He took the apricot from the other, biting into it. He didn't usually eat such sweet foods, but he was glad that Dory brought him this. Right now he had about a thousand thoughts running through his head. Having the other here with him now, it worked wonders in calming down his nerves.

His smile shifted into a slight smirk, eyes running over Dory. "I would have liked to watch you change. You're very good at dressing. Your clothes are pretty. It'd have been nice to see how you pick them out, your outfits."

Leaning over, Orryn pressed his lips against Dory's cheek. "Well you can see me all you want now. You've gotten more beautiful since I last saw you."

jasperbaratheon

the prince of storm’s end found himself standing at the back of the great hall, purposely distancing himself from the rest of his family who were now gathered at the front of the hall; acting as a united front while they greet their guests. shades of white and brown hair; the now two great houses of westeros, initially reunited through his grandmother and grandfather.

the now dead dragon queen.

he let in a sharp breath. it felt surreal for him to be back in king’s landing, part of him expecting to see his grandmother enter through the hall’s doors any moment now. spending most of his youth exploring the stormlands and iron islands, it felt like a different world to him being back to the capital. the same place in which his father’s destiny had been decided on – for him to take the seat in storm end’s while his eldest brother the iron throne. he felt a pang of jealousy rush through him; overwhelmed him. he did his best to keep it in, to shove it as far back down as it came from.

preferring to remain in the shadows, it only felt fitting to stay where he stood, away from his own family. he intentionally fixated his gaze towards the outskirts of the room, not wishing to meet his own family’s gaze. he could feel his mother’s light orbs glaring at him for not standing with them. although the great houses of westeros had arrived for his uncle’s coronation and to participate in peace negotiations with the north, jasper wasn’t in a celebratory mood. not tonight. he felt as though he owed it to his grandmother to grieve her.

he felt out of place at the capital, a thorn among the roses. he believed it impossible for his family to maintain the same legacy of the dragon queen and to carry out her vision. not with her gone. he reached for a cup of wine that rested on a servant’s tray of drinks, taking a sip as he tried to push away the grief that seemed to consume him as of late.

“i see i’m not the only one who isn’t in a celebratory mood.” he stated flatly, taking another sip from his cup.

No one would say Orryn Baratheon was a great emotional, in fact to many he seemed devoid of emotions. Even now through the death of his grandmother, Orryn was remaining stoic. Of course he loved her, and he would miss her, but what use were tears? Would they bring her back? Would they fix the problems now laid out before them? No of course not. They would simply consume time he did not have. However the manner in which his brother was holding himself was embarrassing to say the least. This act of victimhood, as though the whole realm could freeze in one moment in time just for them. That was not the reality of the world, and they could not sit back and simply allow time to pass while being inactive. So once he could, Orryn made his way to the part of the room that Jasper had hidden himself away in, eyes scanning over his older brother.

"Hardly anyone is actually celebrating." Not that his brother would actually be clever enough to see that. "Many of the people in this room would rather Grandmother be alive right now. They know that her sitting the throne brought stability....a calm....that has lead to major economic and social reforms. A major increase in infrastructure that has seen Westeros grow vastly. Our roads for the first time in our history rival Essos and the Free Cities. What is going on here is simply people being courteous to one another. They're exchanging pleasantries because they must. As a Prince, it's something you should be doing as well. Grandmother wouldn't want us sitting around moping, she would want us to continue the work she began. Now more than ever that she is gone."

Sighing, "I understand if you miss her, and you're sad. Don't try and drink it away. Please. You become annoyingly belligerent when you drink and no one, least of all me, want to have to deal with that."

#c: jasper

location: some discreet location near the water participants: theodoric redwyne & orryn baratheon ( @thescholarstag )

“hey,” theodoric spoke softly, a gentle smile spreading across his face as he took a seat next to orryn. “sorry, it took me a while to find you,” he added, “you know how i am when it comes to directions.” it probably wasn’t necessary to offer up that detailed of an explanation - or any explanation at all but he felt the need to say something - even if it wasn’t important. almost immediately he found himself inching closer to his friend, until he was able to easily reach out and wrap his arms around orryn's shoulders. he didn't say anything, instead resting his chin on the other's shoulder. they stayed like this for a while longer - the silence only breaking when dory let out a loud gasp. “i can’t believe i almost forgot,” he explained as he began to rummage in his pockets. “i brought tarts. i think there’s a berry and apricot,” he held out his hand for orryn to pick first.

Orryn had always been good at disappearing when he wanted to. The passing of his grandmother was....not something he expected. Still he was not one to show emotion, he never had been. He supposed growing up at Storm's End had a habit of doing that. No time to cry when waves crashed against the Storm Wall everyday, threatening to finally send the castle sliding into the sea below. He was sitting looking at the calm waters of King's Landing, the Red Keep was beautiful but suffocating. Orryn enjoyed sneaking away, blending in with the people, partaking in underground fight matches.

His head turned when he heard Theodoric's voice, his face remained neutral, but he was glad that his friend was there. They were very different, their personalities, where they were from. He felt the other move in, and put an arm around him before a chin was put on his shoulder. Looking down at the tarts, he raised an eyebrow. There were never really a large number of sweets in the Stormlands, or fruit for that matter.

"Apricot. They're good. I'm not a fan of berries. I like pears though. You don't happen to have any pears on you, do you? Have you been in the city long? I imagine my uncle went to great lengths to make the Redwynes feel welcomed."