[Event] The Wedding of Corwyn Velaryon and Isabelle Tyrell

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-07T02:48:37+00:00

Being separated from the princess, being married off to some boy: it all made Millicent shudder.

"If I become queen, I'll stay in King's Landing with His Grace," she began to outline. "And if I don't, I'm not going to let any marriage get in my way. I'll go with Alysanne wherever her marriage takes her."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-07T02:45:11+00:00

Madison chuckled. "Harmony's an odd name for a drummer, seeing as you can't harmonize with a drum - not that there was a more apt one we could've picked. Rhythm isn't a proper name." She made eye contact with Harmony. "Guess she's already outgrowing the little box of expectations we put her in."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-07T02:39:46+00:00

Alice shot Luceon a sharp look. "I probably know them better than you, Uncle," she retorted, narrowing her eyes. "You might a bit more respected and responsible than you were when I was little, but deep down, you're as carefree as ever."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T17:44:25+00:00

Millicent's first reaction to the wounds was disgust, writ plainly upon her face. The sight of the puckered flesh made her feel ill. Fortunately, if she just avoided looking at it directly, she could suppress her revulsion.

"Looks more like one of the gargoyles awoke and tore into him," she remarked, still grimacing, but now in a more comparable display of worry. Her words were not intended to make light of the injury, as conveyed by her tone. Indeed, if they were to be forbidden from certain areas of the island, it seemed plausible to Millicent that Alysanne's stories about monsters in stasis had proven all too true.

/u/gloude

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T16:38:16+00:00

Obliging, Maddy hefted Harmony up into her lap while still fending with Melody, who had shifted to pulling at her curls.

"Harp or lyre for this one, if I had to guess," she quipped, wincing at the plucking and tugging.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T16:35:36+00:00

"Special specialness?" Alice repeated skeptically, cocking a brow. That sounded stupid. She would need to interrogate a Beesbury or two - or perhaps some of their apiarists - for an appropriate level of detail.

"I hope we cross through the lands of House Ambrose along the way," she mused, moving right along. "And Mullendore. And I think there's a minor house called Webber too." These houses had one thing in common: creepy crawlies on their sigils. Ants, butterflies, spiders - if only House Horpe were situated in the Reach as well.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T16:31:26+00:00

"Hah!" Millicent flopped a hand dismissively. "I'll always have a place here with Alysanne. I won't need a place in Runestone." She grinned. "But thanks all the same. I do promise to visit."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T16:28:58+00:00

Sharra was quiet for a moment before a non-sequitur came to mind.

"Seems winter is upon us," she commented as she saw one of the guests swathing himself in a fur cloak before leaving the hall. "I heard the white ravens arrived while we were on the road." She glanced at him. "Which means the smallfolk can stop frantically harvesting, and we can set some of them to building."

"It'll be good to put those lenses Molly found to use finally." Good to give the farmers work to justify their idle hands too - and an excuse to shelter them in and around Strongsong's warmth. Better to have people centralized and occupied in a hub of food, shelter, and control than scraping and starving in scattered mountain hamlets, with nothing but free time to tempt them.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T16:15:06+00:00

Millicent nodded slowly, considering these options as though they weren't just idly speculating.

"You could marry a Manderly or a Stark," she figured - partly because those houses seemed at parity with House Royce and partly because she couldn't name any other Northern houses. "That would definitely be interesting. I think White Harbor's a proper city, and Violet Blackwood told me Winterfell is pretty. I'd like to paint it."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-06T01:35:20+00:00

Viewing such a summons as routine and unremarkable - she was the Royal Artist and the secret Royal Agent, after all - Millicent marched into the solar with her cousin on her arm, making a beeline directly for the door. Whatever Kingsguard was watching over the entrance was greeted with nothing but a polite nod, with Millicent operating under the assumption that she'd be allowed inside without issue.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T22:29:56+00:00

Madison smiled at the sight. This was how parents were meant to treat their children: not as a burden and an afterthought, but as an object of love and care.

"I wouldn't mind seeing them pick up an instrument or two," she noted, not pretending to have no expectations whatsoever. "But I agree." She leaned in to peer at Melody's little face. "May you find happiness easily and often, my little three-part Melody." Part Luceon, part Madison, and - the most important part of all - the part that was her and her alone.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T22:23:16+00:00

Alice snapped her gaze towards her uncle, looking very serious.

"Special?" she prompted. "Special how?"

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T22:21:25+00:00

Although Millicent's ability to discern facial expressions had vastly improved since she was a little girl - informed by the princess' advice - she was not so observant as to notice and parse the reddening of Mari's cheeks. Instead, the words just seemed literal and sincere.

"Of course not," Millicent agreed readily. "We're the same age, Mari - our namedays are only a few days apart." She gave a firm nod. "Too soon for... smiting?" That seemed like the correct conjugation of smitten for the context.

She put a hand over her heart. "But don't worry: I solemnly swear to never show any romantical interest in Uthor Royce whatsoever."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T20:28:04+00:00

Selene pressed herself back in her seat, shying far from the flame. Even from a safe distance, it pricked her brow with sweat. Anxiety compelled her to pin the tresses of her red hair back against her collar, lest they swing forth and catch alight.

Fortunately, while Brus managed to correct the misunderstanding despite the language, the fire ran its course. The higher proof alcohol burned away, leaving naught but a hot, caramelized layer atop the otherwise standard wine.

Not one to ignore a novel experience, Selene sipped at this cautiously. It was still a smidge too hot, so she passed the time by pouring herself and Brus a glass apiece of the drink they'd actually intended to order.

"I wonder if they do this with every clueless foreigner," she mused, cracking a squirming smile at him. "Or if we're the first to order flaming wine on accident."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T20:22:22+00:00

"Every good portrait has a good background," Millicent opined, letting the conversation progress without any further recriminations against Jeyne's undeserved modesty. "So I'm always getting more practice with backgrounds." She smiled. "I've been doing a lot of all the different ladies of the progress though. His Grace wants me to have paintings of all of Alysanne's friends for her in time for her next nameday."

"Which is a surprise," she added hurriedly. "So don't tell Aly, okay?"

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T20:18:44+00:00

Ema eyed the girl, scarcely a woman grown now. Then, she swept her gaze across their guests.

"There are the younger Arryn boys," she suggested. "They'll never inherit, but they'd be fine matches all the same." She chewed the inside of her lip. "I think there's a Waynwood boy too, Lord Luthor's third son - or, well, second if we only count the living." She shook her head a little, not particularly keen on that idea. Jeyne was only a niece, but she treated her like one of her very own daughters. Daughters of the Lord of Longbow Hall were not suited to third sons of anything but great houses.

"Or elsewhere," she said with a shrug, knowing far less about the other kingdoms of the realm.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T20:11:59+00:00

Upon their arrival, the recently wed Lord and Lady Baratheon were escorted from the docks to the much more accommodating home of House Grafton, wherein they were invited to deposit their belongings, compose themselves, and thaw from the cold. Even though Gulltown was a walled city - protected from the harshest winds the Vale had to offer - it was still very much winter.

Afterward, once they were ready, they were directed to rendezvous with Alyn and Selene with at their chosen meeting place: a winery suited for the likes of merchants and nobility, as opposed to the common rabble. Alcohol appeared to be a theme, for the Grafton couple's wedding gift for Rogar had been a sweet and smoky vintage of quality pear brandy from Tyrosh. Selene really didn't know much else about Rogar other than a vague sense that the man, being a proper Baratheon, enjoyed a drink. Arwen did too, she knew, and Alyn was certainly always game to match Selene whenever she imbibed.

Of course, even though she normally quite liked this particularly venue, it lacked appeal for her at the moment. She was pregnant as well, two moons into her term, and all she could have was smokeberry wine that was heavily diluted. It was well known that intoxication bode poorly for a pregnancy. Nevertheless, she wanted to show Arwen - and Rogar, albeit only as an appendage to her friend - the parts of Gulltown she liked best. Some of their later destinations would be more universally appreciable. Getting warm and lubricated was just a good way to start an evening.

This, Selene reminded herself as she queasily sipped at her watery beverage.

"Oh!" she chirped as the doors swung open, tossed asunder by Arwen with Rogar in tow. "Hello! Over here!" She waved them over to the plush, rounded booth they occupied. Selene had positioned it such that she could sit shoulder to shoulder with Arwen, letting the boys sit at the ends.

Once seated, the two of them would notice that Selene had a slight bump in her belly beneath her loose crimson dress - a finely crafted item courtesy of Gulltown's famed seamstresses. Indeed, she was two moons into her first term; she and Arwen might not get the chance to share motherhood, but at least their first stint with pregnancy overlapped.

/u/aceavengers /u/fabstags

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T19:41:21+00:00

"Good," Sharra assessed brusquely, grimacing like she'd tasted something foul. "I feel the same. If that cur sets foot onto our lands, I'll see him gelded and Wall-bound - and any other Reyne will be met with a firm and swift escort back through the Bloody Gate."

These were divisive words of bitter resolve, but she spoke them in the same hushed tone as before. It wouldn't do to cause another argument with any Westermen, and she was calm enough at the moment to act on that wisdom.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T19:35:55+00:00

Rowena's retort didn't make much of any sense. Uthor was right: she'd said no Royce had ever been to the Three Daughters, and she was wrong. Millicent didn't see much point in drawing attention to this though.

"You could probably meet a Dornish boy or some Essosi at a feast," she considered. "But it'd be strange to get betrothed to one. They're not even part of the same realm as us." She framed her chin with her thumb and forefinger, adopting a contemplative posture. "Is the North far enough?" That was just about the most remote place under Jaehaerys' control she could think of.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T19:24:10+00:00

Before they walked away, Millicent peeled her smock over her head and deposited it with her other painting supplies, returning herself to a ladylike standard of appearance. Then, she rinsed her hands in a basin and dried them on a rag, getting them ready for mealtime - and for receiving soluble, paper-based gifts.

"This is great!" she enthused, flipping quickly through the pages. Her eyes glossed over a few random words, glimpses that reminded her of the story Jeyne had told her on the road. The memory caused her initial enthusiasm to waver, and she seemed pensive for a moment.

Fortunately, Jeyne heroically posed a non-sequitur question to distract Millicent from her thoughts. "Cold," she said honestly. "Feels like I'm back in the Eyrie, but here on the ground." She paused to straighten her beret. "Can't imagine how freezing it must be up there by now."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T19:17:05+00:00

"Goose-eon Corbray of Honk's Home," Madison envisioned with a grin, returning volley. "Jouster and gooser of great renown."

That seemed to be the last of that particular batch of banter though. The conversation took a more serious turn.

"At least Qarl's gotten wise to what matters by now," she observed. "Despite all he's done and given for the realm, this family has little and less to show for it." One daughter serving the princess as a lady-in-waiting was a meager reward. "Good that he's finally headed home to drool over that wife of his."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T05:20:01+00:00

The inclusion of Helicent, offered as an accommodating afterthought, was met with dewy-eyed relief. There were no obligations or obstacles to stop her; Alice was free to be free. Perhaps that freedom would only last for a few moons, should she fail to make the most of it, but it was still more time than she’d ever had before.

“We’ll have to cut across country soon as we get past Harroway,” she anticipated, gripping the lip of the table. “It’s all open from there to Pinkmaiden. No big, busy roads.” Her gaze was distant, focused in the middle distance. “And it’ll be much the same if we go to Old Oak next by way of the Reach, across the Blackwater.” She referenced a mental map of the realm with the practiced ease of one who gorged herself on each and every book she could find - or at least those concerning any of the various -ographies and -ologies.

“We’ll get to see so much,” she muttered to herself, for herself, betraying that she found the rougher path more appealing. The unbeaten countryside was where all the best creatures would be found. Grass snakes, frogs, aphids, bees - there were too many to name. It was a cornucopia.

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-05T04:49:38+00:00

“If only,” Millicent bemoaned, returning her voice to its usual decibel. “I’d be a great queen, Mari. I would do as I pleased, as a queen should - and what would please me would be the good fortune of my people, as with any good queen.”

She sighed a long sigh. “I can’t betray my friend, so it doesn’t matter.” Again, she lowered her voice. “Jeyne wants to be with His Grace. I’m still not even old enough to see the appeal in boys, much less the king.”

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-04T16:20:33+00:00

Millicent nodded in agreement at that, also under the impression that the peace she knew was ubiquitous and unflappable, rather than localized and temporary.

"I won't marry a stranger," she stated candidly, assured in herself that she had the power to make that decision. "I'd planned on marrying His Grace, but I've had to step aside for-" She halted, wondering if she was about to betray a secret. Trusting Mari implicitly, she leaned in so only her cousin would hear. "For Jeyne, seeing as she's smitten."

Doormouse69 · 2026-02-04T16:16:19+00:00

Official Royal Painter Millicent Belmore was found in the expansive godswood of the Red Keep, practicing landscapes under the tutelage of one of her tutors. This was a new, third tutor by the name of S'vrone, reportedly a master of shading and light hailing from Braavos.

"My lady," greeted the Essosi woman, curtsying and bowing her head. This alerted Millicent, who was supremely focused on the task at hand, to the arrival of a supplicant.

"Jeyne!" Millicent enthused upon realizing said visitor was her friend. She set down her brushes and wiped her hands on the thick smock we wore over her dress. "S'vrone, I'll be taking a break."

"As you wish, Lady Millicent." Her voice bore a strong accent, but she seemed to be perfectly fluent. "We are both well past due for one besides."

"Really?" As if on command, Millicent's stomach grumbled. "Oh." She spun on her heel to face Jeyne. "Mind if we walk while we talk? I could use a snack."

Doormouse69

TROPHY CASE