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istumpysk · 9 months

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OPERATION ICEBERG: THE TIER LIST

THEORY:

Tysha is the Sailor's Wife

TIER:

Strong Contender: These theories have a lot of textual support, but there are still some elements of uncertainty.

[Tier list overview]

EVIDENCE:

First, who is Tysha?

Tysha was a crofter's daughter from the westerlands.

According to Tyrion, she had blue eyes, dark hair, and she was slender and beautiful.

They met when Tyrion and his brother Jaime rescued Tysha from outlaws; Jaime chased the men away while Tyrion cared for Tysha.

They quickly fell in love, married, and lived in a little cottage by the sunset sea, where they constantly made love to each other for a fortnight.

When Tywin discovered the marriage, he had Jaime deceive Tyrion by telling him that Tysha was a sex worker hired to make him a man.

Tywin then had his guards gang-rape Tysha, each giving her a silver coin afterwards.

Tywin then forced Tyrion to rape her last, and give her a gold coin, signifying that Lannisters are worth more.

The marriage was undone, and Tysha was never seen again.

Eventually, Tyrion learned that Jaime lied to him about Tysha, and he now spends every moment of the story wondering where she went.

Second, who is the Sailor's Wife?

The Sailor's Wife is a sex worker who works at the Happy Port brothel in Braavos.

Her real name is unknown.

We have no description of what she looks like.

What we know about her backstory will be covered below.

So, could they be the same person? Let's find out!

Born in 273 AC, Tyrion married Tysha when he was 13 years old (in or around the year 286 AC). If they had a child, that child would now be 14 years old.

The Sailor's Wife has a 14-year-old daughter named Lanna, who also works at the Happy Port.

Lanna was always begging the singer to play her stupid love songs. She was the youngest of the whores, only ten-and-four. Merry asked three times as much for her as for any of the other girls, Cat knew. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

Did you catch that name? Lanna. The Sailor's Wife named her child Lanna.

In the same book that introduces the Sailor's Wife and Lanna, a pregnant woman asks Cersei for permission to name her child Lanna to honor House Lannister.

Lady Graceford, who was large with child, asked the queen's leave to name it Tywin if it were a boy, or Lanna if it were a girl. - Cersei II, AFFC

And guess what? Lanna has long golden hair. Not blonde hair, no, golden hair.

Yna was there too, braiding Lanna's fine long golden hair. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

The Sailor's Wife lost her husband when she was 14.

Tysha was 14 when she met, married, and was separated from Tyrion.

I was only thirteen, and the wine went to my head, I fear. - Tyrion VI, AGOT

"[...] My brother unsheathed his sword and went after them, while I dismounted to protect the girl. She was scarcely a year older than I was [...]." - Tyrion VI, AGOT

Arya finds there's something sad about the Sailor's Wife.

Tysha had a face that would break your heart.

She was good that way, and quick to laugh as well, but Cat thought there was something sad about her too. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

She was scarcely a year older than I was, dark-haired, slender, with a face that would break your heart. - Tyrion VI, AGOT

The Sailor's Wife can speak the Common Tongue of Westeros.

Tysha was an orphaned daughter of a crofter from the westerlands of Westeros.

"He sings a pretty song," she murmured softly, in the Common Tongue of Westeros. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

She was a crofter's child, orphaned when her father died of fever, on her way to … well, nowhere, really. - Tyrion VI, AGOT

The Sailor's Wife and Lanna both seem to have a fondness for singers and love songs.

Tyrion often recalls Tysha singing "Seasons of Love" to him with affection.

When Cat slipped inside the brothel, though, she found Merry sitting in the common room with her eyes shut, listening to Dareon play his woodharp. Yna was there too, braiding Lanna's fine long golden hair. Another stupid love song. Lanna was always begging the singer to play her stupid love songs. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

Cat was thinking about the fat boy, remembering how she had saved him from Terro and Orbelo, when the Sailor's Wife appeared beside her. "He sings a pretty song," she murmured softly, in the Common Tongue of Westeros. "The gods must have loved him to give him such a voice, and that fair face as well." - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

It was pleasant to think that men still sang, even in the midst of butchery and famine. Remembered notes filled his head, and for a moment he could almost hear Tysha as she'd sung to him half a lifetime ago. - Tyrion VII, ACOK

The Sailor's Wife only beds men who marry her; the rites are typically performed by a wine-soaked red priest or a septon at the Sept-Beyond-the-Sea.

Tyrion and Tysha were married by a drunken septon.

The Happy Port sometimes had three or four weddings a night. Often the cheerful wine-soaked red priest Ezzelyno performed the rites. Elsewise it was Eustace, who had once been a septon at the Sept-Beyond-the-Sea. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

"A Lannister of Casterly Rock wed to a crofter's daughter," Bronn said. "How did you manage that?" Oh, you'd be astonished at what a boy can make of a few lies, fifty pieces of silver, and a drunken septon. - Tyrion VI, AGOT

Tyrion obsessively asks himself, "Where do whores go?" whenever thinking about his father or Tysha. He seems convinced she is in a brothel somewhere.

At one point, he wonders if she's at a port; another time, he mentions the term "courtesan," a word strongly associated with Braavos.

And the whores were out. River or sea, a port was a port, and wherever you found sailors, you'd find whores. Is that what my father meant? Is that where whores go, to the sea? - Tyrion VI, ADWD

"Do you know where whores go?" When they did not respond, he repeated the question in High Valyrian, though he had to say courtesan in place of whore. - Tyrion I, ADWD

"Have you ever visited the pleasure houses of Lys?" the dwarf inquired. "Might that be where whores go?" - Tyrion I, ADWD

Selhorys may be where whores go. Tysha might be in there even now, with tears tattooed upon her cheek. "I almost drowned. A man needs a woman after that. [...]" - Tyrion VI, ADWD

"Do you know a woman by the name of Tysha?" he asked, as he watched his seed dribble out of her onto the bed. The whore did not respond. "Do you know where whores go?" - Tyrion VI, ADWD

The Sailor's Wife claims that her first husband was lost at sea when she was 14, and often prays for him to return to her.

The author repeatedly writes scenarios in which Tyrion almost drowns.

Was that why he reeled backward, or did he see the sword after all? He would never know. The point slashed just beneath his eyes, and he felt its cold hard touch and then a blaze of pain. His head spun around as if he'd been slapped. The shock of the cold water was a second slap more jolting than the first. He flailed for something to grab on to, knowing that once he went down he was not like to come back up. Somehow his hand found the splintered end of a broken oar. Clutching it tight as a desperate lover, he shinnied up foot by foot. His eyes were full of water, his mouth was full of blood, and his head throbbed horribly. Gods give me strength to reach the deck . . . There was nothing else, only the oar, the water, the deck. – Tyrion XIV, ACOK

The sudden cold hit Tyrion like a hammer. As he sank he felt a stone hand fumbling at his face. Another closed around his arm, dragging him down into darkness. Blind, his nose full of river, choking, sinking, he kicked and twisted and fought to pry the clutching fingers off his arm, but the stone fingers were unyielding. Air bubbled from his lips. The world was black and growing blacker. He could not breathe. There are worse ways to die than drowning. – Tyrion V, ADWD

He looked about for his wine cup, but when he found it all the rum had spilled. Drowning is bad enough, he reflected sourly, but drowning sad and sober, that's too cruel. In the end, they did not drown … though there were times when the prospect of a nice, peaceful drowning had a certain appeal. The storm raged for the rest of that day and well into the night. – Tyrion IX, ADWD

Furthermore, the theme of drowning is heavily present in much of Tyrion's arc, to the point where it's becoming kind of weird.

(There's always potential for karma when someone has a man thrown off a ship en route to the Wall or uses wildfire to bury an army at the bottom of Blackwater Bay.)

Once Janos Slynt realized he was not to be summarily executed, color returned to his face. He thrust his jaw out. "We will see about this, Imp. Dwarf. Perhaps it will be you on that ship, what do you think of that? Perhaps it will be you on the Wall." He gave a bark of anxious laughter. "You and your threats, well, we will see. I am the king's friend, you know. We shall hear what Joffrey has to say about this. And Littlefinger and the queen, oh, yes. Janos Slynt has a good many friends. We will see who goes sailing, I promise you. Indeed we will." - Tyrion II, ACOK

He retched the wine up and lay in it a while, wondering if the ship would sink. Is this your vengeance, Father? Has the Father Above made you his Hand? "Such are the wages of the kinslayer," he said as the wind howled outside. It did not seem fair to drown the cabin boy and the captain and all the rest for something he had done, but when had the gods ever been fair? And around about then, the darkness gulped him down. - Tyrion I, ADWD

Ser Rolly grabbed Tyrion by the collar. "Let us see how dwarfs swim," he said, chucking him headlong into the Rhoyne. The dwarf laughed last; he could paddle passably well, and did … until his legs began to cramp. Young Griff extended him a pole. "You are not the first to try and drown me," he told Duck, as he was pouring river water from his boot. "My father threw me down a well the day I was born, but I was so ugly that the water witch who lived down there spat me back." He pulled off the other boot, then did a cartwheel along the deck, spraying all of them. - Tyrion IV, ADWD

And the sight of me can only be salt in her [Penny] wound. They hacked off her brother's head in the hope that it was mine, yet here I sit like some bloody gargoyle, offering empty consolations. If I were her, I'd want nothing more than to shove me into the sea. - Tyrion VIII, ADWD

Tyrion found himself musing on how easy it would be to slip over the gunwale and drop down into that darkness. One very small splash, and the pathetic little tale that was his life would soon be done. - Tyrion VIII, ADWD

Yna, another sex worker at the Happy Port and a maegi, tasted the Sailor's Wife's blood. She claims her lover is dead and hopes he never returns, as he would be a corpse. That's a really strange thing to say, no? You always have to read between the lines with a maegi.

If you asked Tyrion, he would tell you he's been dead for a long time.

"She thinks that if she finds the right god, maybe he will send the winds and blow her old love back to her," said one-eyed Yna, who had known her longest, "but I pray it never happens. Her love is dead, I could taste that in her blood. If he ever should come back to her, it will be a corpse." - Cat of the Canalds, ADWD

There are worse ways to die than drowning. And if truth be told, he had perished long ago, back in King's Landing. It was only his revenant who remained, the small vengeful ghost who throttled Shae and put a crossbow bolt through the great Lord Tywin's bowels. No man would mourn the thing that he'd become. I'll haunt the Seven Kingdoms, he thought, sinking deeper. They would not love me living, so let them dread me dead. - Tyrion V, ADWD

Other things to consider:

Neither Samwell nor Arya provide a physical description of the Sailor's Wife, which many, especially myself, find highly suspicious. It's remarkably uncharacteristic of George R. R. Martin, given how much attention he devotes to this character.

On that note, why is it that among all the sex workers we encounter in the series, we learn so much about this particular one? (But again, not what she actually looks like.)

I feel super gross typing this, but one could argue that there's a twisted rationale to Tysha wanting to marry her customers after the sexual assault she experienced.

COUNTER-EVIDENCE:

Let's start with the obvious: Tyrion's not a sailor, and Tysha didn't lose him because he was lost at sea. (I'd argue it's fairly clear why she wouldn't share the real story.)

The whole point was that Tywin and Jaime lied, and Tysha wasn't actually a prostitute. Making both her and her daughter sex workers after what she experienced would be unnecessary, distasteful, and kind of offensive. (That said, I wouldn't put it past George to do it.)

What are the odds that Arya Stark runs into the Tysha in Braavos? (Roughly the same as Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister bumping into each other at the other end of the world.)

After what happened to her, would Tysha really pray for Tyrion to return to her? Would she name her child Lanna? (Don't look at me, I don't know.)

The Gerion Lannister Consideration:

Gerion Lannister was Tywin Lannister's youngest and most reckless brother. It appears he was a sailor, given that he had a ship called the Laughing Lion and enjoyed the occasional adventure.

Circa 291 AC, Gerion went on a quest to find House Lannister's ancestral Valyrian steel greatsword, Brightroar, along with any other treasure that might have survived the Doom of Valyria.

Gerion was never seen again.

Almost a decade had passed since the Laughing Lion headed out from Lannisport, and Gerion had never returned. The men Lord Tywin sent to seek after him had traced his course as far as Volantis, where half his crew had deserted him and he had bought slaves to replace them. No free man would willingly sign aboard a ship whose captain spoke openly of his intent to sail into the Smoking Sea. - Tyrion VIII, ADWD

It's not unreasonable to speculate that it's actually Gerion Lannister who married the Sailor's Wife, and fathered Lanna.

But there are some issues.

For starters, the Sailor's Wife lost her husband at sea when she was 14 years old (in or around 286 AC). Gerion disappeared in 291 AC.

Gerion was in Westeros for Robert's Rebellion (282-283 AC), and Robert's marriage to Cersei Lannister (284 AC).

"[...] If you have need of a dagger, take one from the armory. Robert left a hundred when he died. Gerion gave him a gilded dagger with an ivory grip and a sapphire pommel for a wedding gift, and half the envoys who came to court tried to curry favor by presenting His Grace with jewel-encrusted knives and silver inlay swords. - Tyrion IV, ASOS

In 288 AC, Gerion had a daughter named Joy Hill, with a commoner from the westerlands named Briony.

"Joy is my late uncle Gerion's natural daughter. A betrothal can be arranged, if that is your wish, but any marriage will need to wait. Joy was nine or ten when last I saw her." - Jaime VII, ASOS

Remember, Lanna was born in or around 286 AC.

What are the odds that between Robert and Cersei's marriage and the conception of Joy Hill, 31-year-old Gerion Lannister sailed to Braavos—assuming that's where he met the Sailor's Wife—legitimately married a 14-year-old who wasn't yet a sex worker, conceived Lanna with her, left her there for reasons unknown, traveled home, never returned, and never mentioned any of this to anyone?

Let's say they met in the westerlands. Why didn't he acknowledge his wife and legitimate child like he did his illegitimate daughter Joy Hill? Why is the Sailor's Wife hiding the fact that Gerion Lannister was her husband?

Why aren't we getting the Sailor's Wife's name and description? Such information wouldn't need to be safeguarded, would it?

Why the emphasis on the specific ages of Lanna and how old the Sailor's Wife was when she lost her husband? None of this matters if Gerion is the husband. Lanna could be any age, the Sailor's Wife could be older than 14 when she met 31-year-old Gerion, and their encounter could be placed at a more logical time in history.

Why am I being told so much about the Sailor's Wife? The marriages to her customers, the drunken priest, the singing, the sadness, Yna's fear of his corpsy return—none of this is relevant to Gerion Lannister.

Most importantly, what is the point of all this? Calling Gerion Lannister a minor character in the series would be generous. He's merely a footnote in history. This is too much.

I think what's happening here is that George wants to trick you into believing her husband was Gerion, when it's actually Tyrion.

STUMPY'S THOUGHTS:

Please don't overlook that Lanna is older than Sansa.

This one theory is better than all the secret Howland Reed theories combined. For the record, if it is Tysha, I don't think anything will come of this. I would be stunned if Tyrion ever came face-to-face with Tysha again.

VOTE:

I welcome discussions. Feel free to reblog, respond, or challenge my perspective—I won't be offended by any of it.

Please note, if "no" is the eventual winner, or if it's competitive, a second poll will be conducted to determine the proper location.

NEXT THEORY:

Olyvar Frey is Rosby's ward

[Main menu]

#operation iceberg #asoiaf theory tier list #theory 7 #tysha is the sailor's wife

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arronlannister · 3 months

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| @cerissalefford | | setting :: private sitting area reserved for westermen | | the coronation event | | summary :: arron invites his cousin for tea because he has several questions for her about his wife's conversation with his sister. he has spoken to her other handmaidens, staff, and ladies-in-waiting leaving only his cousin left to be questioned.

"As much as I hate this place it has been so lovely to be here. Lovely to know that so much blood was shed for a reason.” Arron thought the Dance without purpose and everyday it became clearer to him that there was much good from the destruction. The Westerlands were truly independent, one of the only regions to know true independence with no reliance on the Starry or Sept of Baelor. They would have their own banks and then it would continue. Arron never cared for court or politics. Politics made him uncomfortable, and he hated to tap into a place that made him uncomfortable. A feeling washed over him that was strangely fitting, strangely cold.

“I don’t want to take up too much of your time, cousin. I’ve already spoken to Guinevere and let her know I needed you for only a few moments so she won’t worry about you there.” Arron didn’t exactly tell Guinevere what he wanted just that he wanted to talk to her and see how she was, leaving it open. It wasn’t odd because Arron Lannister always spoke to his family, always spoke to his cousins, to his family. Everyone save for his Aunt Lanna, once he was old enough to not speak to her he didn’t. He thought her an irritating nitwit. Still, he spoke to his cousins because didn’t think them all to be severely lost and misdirected in their cause. Anyone could be redirected. He captained through storms and sailed through the eyes of the stranger to come out on the other side.

“From my understanding you were one of the ladies present when my wife spoke with my sister. I would like to know what they spoke about. See, I’m under the impression the conversation did not go well and before I start conversations, I like to have all the facts.” Arron smiled easier than any Lannister in living memory. “Dear cousin, please help me get these facts.”

#c: cerissa #cerissa001 #queue up the queue queue

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elegantsplendour · 1 year

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Dance of the Empire

Chapter 2. The Exquisitely Odd Lannister

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Katherine Lannister x Aegon II Targaryen

Sometimes, love can be just as destructive as hate.

Especially the politics of the realm rip away an all-consuming love: especially when demons of the second-son are unleashed by thirst of vengeance.

Our choices have consequences.

Warnings: None

As Katherine Lannister stood atop the steep cliffs of Casterly Rock, she hurled rock after rock into the tumultuous sea below. Each boulder seemed heavier than the last, straining her slender frame and causing a tear in the fine fabric of her bright red dress. Despite the thunderous impact of the rocks against the waves, the sea appeared indifferent, effortlessly swallowing the missiles.

With heaving breaths and a growl of frustration, Katherine seized another boulder, its weight causing her delicate features to contort with effort. With a fierce roar, she flung the rock with all her might, watching as it vanished into the frothing abyss. As the salty wind whipped her hair and the light rain kissed her skin, Katherine's mind drifted to Borros Baratheon, a crude and illiterate brute whose lecherous gaze had often made her skin crawl. She could still feel his eyes upon her, roving over her body with a lascivious hunger that made her blood boil.

With a fierce punch, Katherine struck the rocky ground, her hand stinging with pain. It was a small but satisfying hurt, one that matched the fierce turmoil of her thoughts. For a moment, she surrendered to her anger, to the primal bestiality that lurked beneath her carefully cultivated veneer of elegance and poise. She needed this moment of pure anger, irrationality and bestiality. On her way back to the castle, she rearranged her dress and assessed her figure from a small pond formed by accumulated rainfall. Her lips formed into a slycurve, her beauty was nothing short of incomparable and she knows it. Katherine Lannister enchanted everyone but the Lannisters.

She remembered when the Princess Heiress’ letter congratulating her thirteenth nameday, subtly reminding her that her exceptional appearance might become an inconvenience. From then on, she noticed the lingering gazes of admiration, longing, sympathy, and lust. And she used those glances to her advantage, relishing the power she wielded with her effortless moves. She despised her father for treating her like a prized breeding mare, and the lustful men to whom he paraded her, but she had scoffed at the idea. How could something so beautiful ever be an inconvenience? The inconvenience was them. Some day, she would make sure there will be none.

As she entered the hall of the castle with her usual graceful and confident demeanour, her younger half-siblings gathered around the Cyvasse table glared at her presence.

"Oh well well, isn’t this our broodmare half-sister ," sneered her sister, her tone dripping with malice. "Father will sell you off to the highest bidder, and you'll be nothing but a breeding machine for some lordling's pleasure."

Her brother snickered, his lips twisting into a cruel smile. "Or maybe he'll just marry you off to some old, ugly lord. That way, you'll be stuck birthing his heirs until you're old and grey."

Katherine's doe eyes narrowed, a subtle yet unmistakable expression of disdain crossing her delicate features.

"How kind of you to entertain me with your charming wit and eloquence.” With effortless grace, she sank onto the couch, her silky brown hair falling in a cascade around her delicate features.

“It’s funny how you naively believe you can prove to father your worth with your studies and your pretense of grace, but do not forget your place,” Lanna Lannister gritted her teeth, “you are the same breed as a bastard. You do not share our family features, with your earthly colour of eye and hair. Who knows if you are the fruit of some indiscretion your whore of a mother had,” her voice dripped with cruelty.

Katherine forced back her chuckle as she recalled the distant days where Alerie Tyrell snuck out of Tyland Lannister’s chamber when Ariane Stark was still alive.

"Bastard?" Katherine scoffed, her laughter ringing out like silver bells. With an almost teasing tone, Katherine raised her eyebrows provocatively and let her doe eyes return to their innocent expression, "My dearest, I do wish you success in achieving the things you crave in life. For myself, I am quite content with all that I have," she said, her voice carrying an air of superiority that could only be matched by her enviable reputation, the Exquisitely Odd Lannister, across the realm.

But beneath the facade of her impeccable appearance and charismatic persona, Katherine knew that there was one thing that she desired above all else, something that she had yet to attain. It was a desire that burned within her, driving her soul forward with an unrelenting force. And though she would do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Just as Lanna and Tybolt Lannister were ready to retort with fury, Tyland Lannister’s voice interrupted the rivalry, “Children. Behave yourselves. I have important matters to discuss with your sister.”

Lanna Lannister whispered cruelly before making her exit, “Looks like you’re finally going to meet your destiny.”

Katherine was consumed by an inferno of desire to greet Lanna with the most violent and bloody treatment known to men, to witness her squirm in agony, plead for forgiveness, and succumb to fear. For as long as she could remember, Katherine had imagined herself as a dragon, like Rhaenyra, soaring high and spewing flames of vengeance. In her vivid imagination, she would reduce Casterly Rock to ashes, relishing the sight of her enemies writhing in agony and pleading for mercy, but for the moment, she kept her wrath in check, her dark eyes revealing nothing but an enigmatic mask of composure and innocence, belying the tempestuous storm that raged within her.

Tyland sat across Katherine with his usual calculating smile, “my dear, I have a great honour to offer you.”

Katherine’s heart sank as she heard the words.

In spite of her hatred towards Tyland, she preferred him over her spoiled half-siblings. At least, he had some sense of how much of an asset his elder daughter was. Could it really be there was a match for her that convinced him to betroth her to some lord? The thought of it bathed her in a draining sea of powerlessness.

“Yes father, I am eager to hear it,” Katherine smiled with a pretense of obedience.

“Queen Alicent Hightower has invited you to reside in King’s Landing to accompany her second son, Aemond Targaryen,” Tyland paused.

As Tyland's words entered Katherine's ears, her eyes widened. A Targaryen. Her mind raced to Rhaenyra, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne who developed some sort of care for her. Katherine recalled the subtle message she had sent to Rhaenyra about the possibility of marrying Jaecerys Velaryon, hoping for a glimmer of hope and escape from her miserable life. But Rhaenyra's reply was vague with comforting words. Katherine understands her choice - the inheritance of Driftmark was being questioned, and Rhaenyra needed to strengthen her political alliances with the Velaryons, including marrying her sons to Baela and Rhaena Targaryen, the granddaughters of Corlys Velaryon.

For a fleeting moment, Katherine believed that this was all part of Rhaenyra's plan to rescue her from her wretched family. But she quickly dismissed the idea as she remembered the growing tension between the Targaryen Court, with the Greens led by Queen Alicent and the Blacks by Princess Rhaenyra, especially after the infamous incident on Driftmark six years ago had only deepened the divide.

"My dear," Tyland continued, "I know it may seem unjust to be assigned to a crippled second son, but this is not a betrothal. You are only to accompany him," he smirked, "While residing in the Red Keep, you will have the opportunity to meet countless noble, handsome suitors who will be immediately smitten by your charms."

Katherine's mind was far from Tyland's words as he spoke. Aemond Targaryen, Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of meeting the One-Eyed Prince. She couldn't deny the admiration of the second son of House Targaryen, he was the spare, the only one without a dragon in his family. But that didn't stop him from claiming the largest dragon in the world at the tender age of ten, unapologetically. The sheer audacity of his feat was awe-inspiring to the young Lannister. He had seized the opportunity, even when others thought it was not the right time (Laena Velaryon had just died, after all). But he didn't care. He had boldly taken his chance, and now he was riding high on the back of his dragon, unfazed by the doubts of others.

"I will go," Katherine declared, this time, her tone devoid of formality or gentleness.

Tyland's grin widened, pleased with her response. He placed his arms on her shoulders. "Excellent, my daughter. I always knew you were more astute than your mother."

At the mention of her mother, Katherine’s anger flared. Why did everyone have to compare her to Ariana Stark? She was nothing but a stubborn woman whose arranged marriage had ended disastrously, dying of depression and leaving behind a beautiful child who lacked Lannister features but inherited the Stark ones. Katherine couldn‘t remember how many times people had asked her if she considered herself more Lannister or Stark. In truth, she didn’t care. She was Katherine, an odd name bestowed by gods-knows-who, but one she had learned to embrace. That was all that mattered.

Rushing through the halls, Katherine's mind raced as she paced back and forth in her chamber, her half-siblings' whispers fading into the background noise. Closing the door, she took deep breaths, feeling her heart racing with excitement.

Queen Alicent Hightower from her distant memory of her five-year-old self, now summoning her to King's Landing to be her son's Lady Companion seemed absurd at first, but as she calmed down, she realized that the queen's choice was no surprise at all. With her father's propaganda of her rare beauty, intelligence, and so-called virtue, her reputation should have been the talk of King's Landing.

But Katherine knew that this was more than just about her reputation. The question of succession loomed over the realm, and with King Viserys' health deteriorating, a political alliance with the wealthiest house of Westeros was crucial for the Greens to secure their power. And what better way to do that than through a marriage with the eldest daughter of House Lannister?

As Katherine stood on her balcony, she felt a glimmer of hope and freedom washing over her soul for the first time in her life. The salty scent of the sea and the chirping of the birds seemed to rejoice with her.

But amidst her excitement, Katherine swore to herself that she would not be manipulated no more, not by her father, not by the Lannisters, not by Queen ALicent and the Greens, not even Rhaenyra, whom she had only met once yet strangely considered as somewhat a big sister, or even a mother figure. Once again, she swears to fulfill her duty to herself, to her desires, to her freedom, and only to herself. The idea of stepping foot into the centre of power and knowledge, yet also of adventures and unknown burnt like an eternal flame, and she will embrace the fire within with passion even with the risks of being burnt.

Katherine Lannister

#aemond targaryen #aemond the kinslayer #aegon x oc #aegon targaryen #aemond one eye #aemond x fem!reader #aemond stannies #aemond fanfiction #aegon x y/n #hotd aemond #house of the dragon #hotd #dark aemond targaryen #aemond x y/n #aemond x oc #aegon x you #games of thrones #Spotify

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lencra · 1 year

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♛ → THE WESTERLANDS present(s) LENORA TARGARYEN née LEFFORD, the QUEEN CONSORT of THE CROWNLANDS, THE STORMLANDS AND THE STEPSTONES. when the dragons danced in the sky they thought the GREENS would still fly, but in the blink of an eye, they would all die. the TWENTY-NINE year old FEMALE who was INDEPENDENT & ELEGANT before they saw the first of the flames, is now UNPRINCIPLED & DETACHED after seeing the last. they’re often associated with the last glint of orange across the sky during sundown, the sound of coal eagerly gliding across paper, the unnerving feeling of observing hazel eyes watching patiently from a corner and the sweet smell of magnolias on the summer breeze. (hannah dodd)

STORY

lenora was married to lord gerion tarbeck for five moons until he was executed by the lannisters. she married him as she had been asked to report on his doings by her mother who knew nora did not seek a powerful match and so they found a compromise. she took measures all throughout her marriage to avoid conceiving a child. as soon as she was told of house tarbeck's role in her beloved mother's death, she fully turned on them and was pleased to see the house go extinct. after her husband's death, lenora was once again a lefford as the death was effectively treated as a divorce. nora was never happier than as a widow, the freedom of her new status suited her well, and there was a spark in her that was not there while she was betrothed or married.

after returning to golden tooth, she fully threw herself into her passion for architecture, landscaping and drawing. she could often be found with a pen with a coal core and paper in the gardens. lenora took on the task of redesigning the gardens at golden tooth, she was sketching different plans for the new design before she was made head lady-in-waiting to queen katherine.

after some time at king tyland's court, she got betrothed and wedded to prince jaehaerys targaryen in 143 ac. upon her marriage, she became the princess consort of the crownlands.

lenora became queen consort of the crownlands, the stormlands and the stepstones after her husband, now king jaehaerys ii, conquered the kingdoms and took the throne from his cousin, queen daenerys. while he was preparing to take the throne, lenora was poisoned which resulted in the loss of their unborn son.

a moon before her husband's official coronation, she discovered that she was with child again. in 144 ac she gave birth to twin boys, prince aegor, the heir to the throne, and prince tybolt, the heir to storm's end.

PERSONALITY

lenora is a calm and rational creature, it generally takes a lot to rile her up. sometimes her calmness is downright unnerving for others, a fact in which she does take some pleasure. however, her calmness can sometimes evolve into detachment and apathy.

due to her calm demeanour, she is often confided in and trusted, which is a responsibility that she takes seriously.

her secret wish in life is to be left alone to design, draw, build and be allowed to indulge in all her passions. had she not been born a daughter of house lefford, she would likely have strived to become a royal architect. but lenora has seemingly come to a quiet acceptance that some dreams will only stay dreams.

when she gets angry, she gets cold and she will cut off all contact with you if she's able. she is far more ice than fire, more head than heart.

RANDOM FACTS

if called by a nickname, she prefers to go by nora.

she is naturally left-handed but has trained herself to become somewhat ambidextrous, but while drawing nora prefers to use her left hand as she finds it easier to do detailing.

lenora was distraught by her mother's death as she admired her greatly. after her mother's death, she tried to fill lanna's shoes the best she could by taking on more responsibilities at golden tooth. it was by doing this that she unwittingly made herself a perfect candidate for a new bride for jaehaerys.

she's quite tall, taller than most ladies, at 175 cm/5'8" and she is slender. lenora has hazel eyes, more green and gold than brown, and wavy blonde hair that she sometimes curls.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

the art nerds (close but distant friends): while lenora has grown up close to her sisters and cousins, i still see her having a small group of close friends. these friends would also likely have an artistic hobby of some kind or at least be interested in art, it would be something they bond over. it can be everything from music to poetry to painting. i imagine they are spread all over the kingdoms.

a childhood sweetheart: we are talking in her teen years, so it would be quite an innocent romance, more just like a first kiss type of thing. lenora would have believed herself to be in love at the time, but now she knows that it was just the thrill of discovering romance, his feelings about it will be determined by whoever picks up the connection. they might be good friends to this day or they might not have seen each other much, if at all since, and it is a little awkward. there are many possibilities! ― taken by ser percival templeton.

friends: lenora is in need of friends outside her family, so anyone she has bonded with in the past, but that might not qualify for the art nerds group. it can range in everything from casual friends to best friends.

enemies: i don't think nora has beef with a lot of people, but she is generally a little colder towards those close to garland hightower or with a connection to the iron isles. while it is very difficult to rile her up, she can be provoked if anyone speaks ill about her immediate family ― especially if someone talks shit about her sisters. however, she might be disliked through no fault of her own for her connection to the lannisters or to the targaryens.

a false friend: perhaps someone who has faked friendship in order to get close to lenora in order to try and gain information on the lannisters or the targaryens. someone who has placed themselves in her circle of friends for a specific selfish reason.

#( introduction. )

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goodqueenaly · 1 year

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@publiusmaximum reblogged your post “What might hypothetically happen if a Lord...”

House Lannister is in a bit of a bind in the near future:

Cercie refuses to wed (and thus have legitimate children) again.

Lancel and Jamie are part of celibate knightly orders.

Tyrion is an attainted traitor.

Tyrek is missing.

Tommen is alive... But he's not a Lannister King, he's a Baratheon King.

Who does that leave for when Cercie dies without a new legitimate child? Martyn, I guess? Or one of his kids?

House Lannister is looking at extinction in the near term. Unless I'm missing something.

Oh, I’m not worried about the continuation of House Lannister. You’re certainly right that the line of Tywin (legitimate, anyway - again, hi Dancy and Marei) may well be headed for extinction: Cersei’s doom has been long prophesied (as has the doom of her children, even if they were considered legitimate), and I don’t love the odds of Jaime or Tyrion surviving the series (much less having legitimate children of their own). However, Tytos’ other (male-line) grandchildren are a bit of a question mark: again, I agree that Lancel is permanently out of the running (and, I think, not long for this world anyway), but the ultimate fates of Martyn (Kevan’s son, last mentioned by Genna as a possible replacement groom for Amerei Frey in the newly Lannister-sponsored holding of Darry) and Janei (Kevan’s toddler daughter, presumably still with her mother Dorna in the westerlands), as well as Tyrek (missing, but I think too often mentioned to be left as simply an open mystery) are as yet unknown. And that’s without mentioning the female-line descendants of Tytos Lannister via his only daughter, Genna: assuming any of them survive the series, such Lannister-Freys could make a claim on the basis of their relation to Lord Tytos (as Genna herself predicts might happen with Riverrun, if Robert Arryn would be tempted to make a claim to the holding of his maternal Tully grandfather).

And all of that is only discussing Tytos’ (legitimate) line (which of course excludes Joy Hill, the bastard daughter of Gerion Lannister). Tytos’ younger brother, Jason, has quite a few descendants around in the era of the main novels, from both his first marriage to Alys Stackspear and his second marriage to Marla Prester (not counting, once again, his own bastard daughter). Indeed, Jason has at least two living male-line grandsons today (Damion, the son of his eldest son, Damon (who himself might still be alive), and Daven, the son of his son Stafford), as well as a male-line great-grandson (Damion’s son Lucion). Nor indeed does this count include Jason’s other sons by Marla Prester (and whatever children they may have or may have had), or Jason’s female and female-line descendants (such as his other two daughters by Marla (and whatever children they have or may have had), Daven’s sisters Cerenna and Myrielle, and Damion’s daughter Lanna, with Jast sons of her own).

And that is only going to the (known, legitimate) descendants of Lord Damon Lannister, the “Grey Lion”. We don’t have a Lannister family tree beyond Damon, and while F&B certainly added more Lannisters, there is nevertheless a definite gap between young Lord Loreon Lannister (who is about 10 when F&B concludes in 136 AC) and Lord Damon Lannister (who was lord around the turn of the third century AC). There could be any number of Lannisters of Casterly Rock out there that are simply beyond our scope of knowledge for the moment.

In the words of Catelyn, “The Lannisters of Casterly Rock were a damnably large and fertile house”.

#tumblr replies #house lannister

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agentrouka-blog · 2 years

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It is interesting that Maqoro refered the Drowned God as the demon, which begs a question what kinda Eldrich abomonation is gonna come out of the sea when Euron does his bloodsacrfice?

If he's anything like Dany, he'll have a bunch of vicious baby krakens in a bucket still waiting to grow up. "Feed us, father! The blood of innocents, please!"

But Euron isn’t sacrificing to the Drowned God. He is practicing blood magic, which is universal in its appeal.

Watch me derail my response to a different subject: the fake duality of the gods, and of ice and fire. (Long post.)

GRRM likes to remind us occasionally that the gods aren’t solid and separate.

In the sept they sing for the Mother's mercy but on the walls it's the Warrior they pray to, and all in silence. She remembered how Septa Mordane used to tell them that the Warrior and the Mother were only two faces of the same great god. But if there is only one, whose prayers will be heard? (ACOK, Sansa V)

Catelyn calls them “the seven faces of god”. God, singular.

“One god with seven aspects” Septon Meribald calls it.

"Seven? No. He has faces beyond count, little one, as many faces as there are stars in the sky. In Braavos, men worship as they will . . . but at the end of every road stands Him of Many Faces, waiting. (AFFC, Arya I)

One god: death.

The struggle is not between the god of death and the god of life, but how humans deal with loss and grief, or with the desire for power, in a world where the door between life and death is more permeable than it should be.

The other whores said that the Sailor's Wife visited the Isle of the Gods on the days when her flower was in bloom, and knew all the gods who lived there, even the ones that Braavos had forgotten. They said she went to pray for her first husband, her true husband, who had been lost at sea when she was a girl no older than Lanna. "She thinks that if she finds the right god, maybe he will send the winds and blow her old love back to her," said one-eyed Yna, who had known her longest, "but I pray it never happens. Her love is dead, I could taste that in her blood. If he ever should come back to her, it will be a corpse." (AFFC, Cat of the Canals)

Shades of Dany and Drogo “When will he be as he was?” Shades of blood magic. Only death can pay for life.

That’s a door that should never be opened. But it is. Again and again it is.

But death never buys life. It only ever buys horror. Horror and power.

I have very few concrete ideas about what exactly Euron’s kind of magic is meant to summon. But true to the above, GRRM makes sure we know that the Drowned God and R’hllor are essentially mirrors. Or, if you will, the exact same thing.

Their god was Red R’hllor, and a jealous god he was. Her own god, the Drowned God of the Iron Isles, was a demon to their eyes, and if she did not embrace this Lord of Light, she would be damned and doomed. They would as gladly burn me as those logs and broken branches. (ADWD, The King’s Prize)

“Your Drowned God is a demon,” the black priest Moqorro said afterward. “He is no more than a thrall of the Other, the dark god whose name must not be spoken.” (ADWD, Victarion I)

Demons hungry for sacrifice, both.

The Drowned God also mirrors the special duality of R’hllor.

In their theology, the Drowned God is opposed by the Storm God, a malignant deity who dwells in the sky and hates men and all their works. He sends cruel winds, lashing rains, and the thunder and lightning that bespeak his endless wroth. (The World of Ice and Fire - The Iron Islands)

On one side is R'hllor, the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow. Against him stands the Great Other whose name may not be spoken, the Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, the God of Night and Terror. Ours is not a choice between Baratheon and Lannister, between Greyjoy and Stark. It is death we choose, or life. Darkness, or light." (ASOS, Davos III)

Both work the same way. They are two faces of the same hungry abyss.

Significantly, Dany didn’t sacrifice her blood magic victims to any particular god in order to gain the dragons. She did not chant, she did not call on any deity. The presence of the eggs alone, coupled with her intentions, seems to have been enough.

It is blood magic, not fire magic. Or water magic. Or ice magic. Blood, always blood.

In that, Dany is very similar to Euron. Neither care for the gods in particular, but they understand the mechanics of trading life for death.

“All gods are lies, but yours is laughable.” (...)

"The Crow's Eye has fed your Drowned God well, and he has grown fat with sacrifice. Words are wind, but blood is power. We have given thousands to the sea, and he has given us victories!" (TWOW, The Forsaken)

Both call themselves the storm(born) and liken themselves to gods or godliness.

And how did Dany feel when she stood, godlike, atop the pyramid? Lonely.

Are the gods lonely, though?

He saw his brother on the Iron Throne again, but Euron was no longer human. He seemed more squid than man, a monster fathered by a kraken of the deep, his face a mass of writhing tentacles. Beside him stood a shadow in woman's form, long and tall and terrible, her hands alive with pale white fire. Dwarves capered for their amusement, male and female, naked and misshapen, locked in carnal embrace, biting and tearing at each other as Euron and his mate laughed and laughed and laughed... (TWOW The Forsaken)

What is this, but a mockery of the entire concept of duelling gods? They aren’t at war, they are reigning together, watching the carnage commited in their name with inhuman hilarity.

They are in on it together. They are the same.

Given the theme of a fake duality, perhaps, on a deeper level, ice and fire are also the same. Two faces of the same coin. Two masks of the same inhumane hungry energy.

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice.

Both are death. Eternal winter, eternal summer. All just means the end of the world. Different roads lead to the same castle.

@fedonciadale gave me a bit of a brain tweak with this line in a chat:

“I just think that the Ice magic that the CotF woke enabled the Fire magic. So, first we have Ice magic that is warped Cotf magic and the scales are tipped and Fire magic is made possible.“ (...) And I think "awakening the Fire magic" at Summerhall - which is different than just continuing to have dragons - was the action that awoke the Others

There is clearly a connection and a reciprocal relationship between the various kinds of magic in the ASOIAF world. It might just not be as fully dualistic as this, but again different faces on one coin.

When the door is open, the door is open for all. Just in changeable forms.

The dragons don’t like the cold, the Others shatter from obsidian. But if they are both only products of blood magic, they are only tools at the disposition of those who summoned them, and their disparate interests. Like the gods, they only seem mutually opposed, while they spring from the same source.

That might be the reason that both Others and dragons and Melisandre’s magic and glass candles and Euron can happen at the same time, all with disconnected motivations. They all amplify each other to an extent.

It’s possible and even likely that something led to the current escalation of magical destruction, but I can’t properly guess what.

Jaqen emphasizes a transactional aspect between life and death:

"The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life. This girl took three that were his. This girl must give three in their places. Speak the names, and a man will do the rest." (ACOK, Arya VII)

He doesn’t say what will happen if that exchange is disturbed. Maybe nothing. Maybe the Curse of Garin. Maybe the Doom of Valyria.

Whatever originally opened the doorway between life and death that enabled these exchanges of blood and life for power, is the true problem.

Whatever prompted it then and now, in the North, a full-on apocalypse is already slowly underway. The Others bring the cold, they enslave the dead, all life flees before them, or joins them in death. Clearly, something powerful went into creating them. This dark magic attracted more dark magic. Stannis and his blood sacrificing priestess cannot hope to defeat the Others, perhaps they are even helping make it worse.

In the South, something similar may begin gather, bought with blood magic. Perhaps Euron is simply waiting for someone with powerful enough blood to come along and be of use to him.

The different kinds of magic cannot defeat each other.

In order to end all of it, the door needs to be closed.

#euron greyjoy #anti daenerys targaryen #blood magic #fire threat #ice threat #religion in asoiaf #drowned god #r'hllor #false dichotomy

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casterlygldcs · 4 months

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who; @ambroseserrett when and what: a random starter, in which ambrose is dragged into the mess that is the court of the westerlands. there are rumours spreading that certain areas within the west continue to worship according to the starry sept, rather than the new laws dictated by the great sept of lannisport. one of the reports include a small sept and settlement located with serrett lands, brought forth by ambrose serrett.

the procession through the lion's mouth was met with the sounds of drums and trumpets, the cheering of crowds that had lined the streets all the way from the gates of lannisport, climbing higher and higher into the clouds and the skies to follow the stone path leading to the lion's den itself. the people remained in high spirits, and whilst they did not throw petals as was accustomed to other regions, they sung westerland folk songs and cheered; and as the lion king held onto the reins of his faithful steed, he found time itself began to blur. it was in momentous decisions and changes did such events occur within the court of elegant savagery; when he married the lady of silverhill, she who had become his queen of choice.

it was entirely possible he could have made a more pragmatic international match, and yet he had decided to crown the woman he knew from what felt like the beginning of the never ending story: the court of the west needed perfection, it needed stability, and where else would he find such a thing except for within a woman of the westerlands? and now, the small folk line the streets and cheered various names, as though they were not returning from a coronation but rather as though they were returning from war.

but to the small folk, who had been forced to watch the kraken arise on the horizon like a scene from the end of times, to the small folk who had lost mothers and sisters to the sea if not the krakens, this was the return from war. king jaehaerys targaryen had taken his rightful place upon the throne, and it was their king that had overseen the final chapter of the dance of dragons coming to a close. his queen was one of the fairest women in all the realm, the middle daughter of lanna lannister: it felt as though it were the beginning of some fairytale.

but fairytales were often rooted in darkness, and in disturbance. and as the men passed through the mighty entrance to the rock that was the lion's mouth, there was a large number of serrett guards who remained within the courtyard and the keep: the belly of the beast, the lion's mouth was cavernous, dark and dimly lit. there came a harsh light in the arch that saw the sunlight, and the clouds, the sunset sea; and all those who remained below them. ambrose serrett approached him at the king's hand waving a gloved hand forward, both of them remaining atop their horses and clad in their capes. for whilst some had seen the journey as the king closing the chapter that was the dance of dragons, it seemed as though some had viewed it as an opportunity for the king to once again be in the grace of the high septon.

the bastard, son of a whore who wore a rainbow crown made of glass. easily shattered, just as tyland had overseen such violent bloodshed upon the steps of the starry sept that sent shockwaves through the realms. the master of whispers had reported of the updates during their travels, and it became abundantly clear that ambrose serrett would quickly renavigate to serrett lands to round up those who were rumoured to continue worshipping according to the faith of oldtown. mass was supposed to be done in the ancient tongue of the west, the presence of wine and bread was void since it was never the body and blood of hugor of the hill, and the notion of paying for helping souls pass over as they await their judgement. all things tyland lannister had abolished, and yet here came the rumours...from the lands of his queen, most of all.

ambrose serrett was not the ruling lord of silverhill, but the master of coin was needed within the rock for the council meeting come tomorrow - meaning it was up to the second son to gather together those who had tainted their worship with treason. within lands of his own, just when his family had reached their heights - the kin of tyland lannister's queen of choice. "lord serrett!" tyland's voice was booming and deep over the large number of servants who began to unpack from the horses, making it clear he intended to stop the man.

he remained on his horse and tyland came off it, for ambrose serrett had a job to do. a hunt to begin, and a line to bring back.to the lion's den to be charged according to the king's justice. "your sister the queen is holding great amounts of faith in your ability to see this done. as do i." tyland added, the latter half not completely true: he was not wholly aware of the mechanisms of ambrose serrett, having known his older brother more. was there space to drive a wedge between the brothers? "the hand has been made aware of your responsibility - when they are brought to us, he will have prepared the trial." how some words said so little but so much at the same time. it was clear, from the very beginning, that this was to be no fair trial. such was the reality of needing to ensure dissent and resistance would adequately removed. decreasing it would not be enough.

#c: ambrose #ambrose 001

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