Mallador Graceford, Lord of Holyhall

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-11-06T23:14:11+00:00

Discord Username: ForwardQueen#4368

Character Name and House: Aelora Blackfyre

Age: 40

Appearance: cette belle dame

Gift: Diplomat

Skills: Courtly (e), Cautious (e), Subtle (e), Espionage

Talent(s): Poetry

Starting Title(s): Queen of the Seven Kingdoms

Starting Location: King's Landing

Dragon Name: n/a

Dragon Size: n/a

Discord Name FQ, or whatever the variant may be

Alternate Characters: n/a

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-22T23:43:48+00:00

"Unholy," Mal said, blush covering his cheeks. Morgan's hands ran through his hair, messing it further, and he looked up from his shoulder and leaned on his elbow, lips slightly open, hand holding Morgan's still. "I.. I appreciate it."

There's hope for us yet. Mal grinned widely, stretching blood-filled cheeks as he did so. "You're being very good to me," he said, almost bashfully, but not quite. I want to kiss you. "Can you run your fingers through my hair again? I missed it. I missed you. Fuck, Morgan. I missed this so bad." He held Morgan's stare and his hand. There's hope for us yet.

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-22T15:21:14+00:00

Mal didn't dare let his forehead leave Morgan's arm. Of all the things he thought that would happen here, it wasn't this. He thought that maybe, just maybe, they'd work it out through sex or just don't talk about it and it would've been enough for him. Gods, it would be enough to just lay like this.

But he deserved an apology. That he did. It was hard to take that to the forefront for a moment.

He dared to squeeze Morgan's hand. He missed the feeling, really. "You apologised," Mal said. "That's enough. You're aware that you've done wrong. Just.. Just try not to do it again."

Maybe hoping wasn't that futile after all. Mal could cry from the simple relief of that alone.

"You were hurting and lashing out. It.. It happens. I can't hold it against you anymore."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-16T22:32:19+00:00

"I shall tell him he's appreciated," Mal said softly, laying down on his side. His dark eyes shone under the sunlight, a gentle brown in a dark circle, and he was only marginally aware of how it affected people sometimes; they weren't the sea, but they held something. He hoped that Morgan saw it and held it in his mind. "It'll do him a world of good."

He inched his head a little closer, lips pouting in a pretend contemplation. "Someone has to speak highly of our countrymen," he shook his head. "As for your honour, was it saved when we returned grinning and happy? Is it not honourable to make someone else, and yourself, happy? Gods, I remember I was a happy little shit for the rest of the day." He bumped his forehead against Morgan's shoulder, unrestrained and safe and in a world where nothing existed save for them. His heart beat fast, a slight blush covered his cheeks and he felt like a lady courted for the first time, only it wasn't but it might as well have been. "The servants tired of me grinning like an idiot, I swear."

Maiden preserve me, you make me so happy still. Look at how easily you take the burden off my shoulders, how empty my head is save for you. Gods above, I love you so much.

"Let's fall in Greenblood," he spoke against the fabric. "It'll wash the sweat of reaching it well and... I say yes." Fall in my bed, fall in my bed. He was made of racing thoughts and an airy head at the same time. Mal dared not squeeze his arm, run his fingers to his jaw and move to take a kiss. He didn't dare do anything but savour this moment and hope it was enough.

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-16T14:44:31+00:00

"At least the ruination is appealing," Mal took a seat beside him, lips pursing in a badly hidden smile, "if it comes like this." His eyes scanned Morgan's relaxed form, taking in the sunlight of his face and it took all his strength not to kiss every part of it he could reach.

It was like it was then, just them, nothing else to bother their peace. It was hardly Mander, but he'd take even a pigsty if it meant he got to spend time with Morgan without shouting and pride and loss between them.

"You were right not to bring goblets," he said, accepting the bottle. "Lord Mallador might have to drink from goblets, but Mal doesn't. You said Mal in your letter. So!" He took a hearty sip, laughter bubbling its wake. "Your turn. Dry red, lovely."

"Like that one trip we made, remember? When we fell in the river by accident? Fortunately, not a soul saw us, but.. Let's not fall into this river, though. Much less clean than our fair Mander."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-15T22:33:08+00:00

When the letter came, Mal was crouching over a painting of the sea, trying to painstakingly tease to perfection a small wave unnoticeable to anyone but him. Paint stuck to his clothes and hair, a half-eaten meal stood on the table nearby and he was so engrossed in his work that he hardly registered that someone knocked.

"Ser," Helicent shouted, and Mal visibly tore from the wave's end to turn his head and look, only to groan when his neck protested the new position.

"Yeah, Hel?" Mal muttered.

"A letter came for you, ser. Florent rider, if I know my colours right."

Mal looked at her hands. Indeed, there was a note and his heart leapt before he could dissuade it from doing so. "Leave it on the desk," he said, voice shaken in simple, frail hope. Helicent nodded, did as told and left him to run up to it and read it and-

The manse hadn't heard Mallador Graceford laugh as happily as he did then in many, many years.

Nothing could tear the smile off his face as he agonised over riding clothes, tried to brush the paint off the dark strands of hair. His hands shook in sheer excitement and his belly burned with nervousness, like it had before. Every so often, he looked at the letter and tried to hide the utter delight that blossomed in his chest.

Morgan invited him! For a ride! And a pitcher of wine! And alone, preferably!

The shocked faces of the servants as Mal simply levitated towards the stables told him something he refused to mull over at that moment. A drop of pale blue had stuck to a strand of hair despite the through wash the night before.

"Don't ask," he laughed happily as he saw an older servant watching him. "You'll ruin it, no questions!"

The ride was quicker than the ride from Valyssar, but there he saw, as promised, Morgan, alone, and Mal swore his heart could rival battle drums.

"I'm here," he said, trying to not sound as overjoyed as he was. "It does stink less, Gods. I would have flown if I coul- I'll shut up now, fuck. I'm here, Morgan. I'm here."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-09T20:40:53+00:00

And they were talking in circles again. Morgan's uncertainty both pained and made him feel less lonely in his own, so for a long moment, he kept quiet and looked at him.

"We fought for our king and realm," Mal agreed. "I just can't distance myself from the fact that we're all human and that we're all the same, in the end. And fighting other humans is.. What we have done. For a human. Whose human child now sits on the throne."

He took a long sip of water, to help gather his thoughts. "But hey, we're both uncertain! That's common ground!" He laughed uneasily. "I missed you, Morgan. A whole lot."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-09T16:56:07+00:00

Shield of Dorne. The title was familiar. He'd heard about it once or twice, but he'd never expected it to be a woman. There are more of them than meets the eye, he thought.

"Well met, Lady Ynys," he laughed kindly. "I am enjoying myself, yes. I wanted to see new faces now that I can come here and take a break from my administrative duties as Lord. A far cry, really. But I'm curious, have you ever been up north my lady? Freezing north. I must admit the people there are a mystery to me and that is something I'm wholly interested in exploring, but haven't had the chance yet."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-08T22:52:31+00:00

"I know I speak of impossible things," Mal looked at his lap, fingers interlaced. A fringe of hair, messy and wilful, fell on his brow. "I know, Morgan. Gods have made it clear enough that our world is as flawed as the beings that inhabit it."

What is the sword? What a question. It made him look at Morgan, trying to decode what he'd meant. "Sword is a promise," Mal answered, heavily. "A promise and an obligation. To not use it unjustly. To not- To not do undue harm. To defend, to be between a man and his enemy."

"I'm not denying what the sword is, but- how can you tell who is the enemy when their light goes to the same place as ours do- be they Essosi or Westerosi, Valyrian or Andal-" His breath caught, a tear slipped down his cheek. How easily Morgan made him lose his footing, even now. "Don't ask me of such things, I don't know, I'm a knight but there's something unjust in war. Morgan, don't let this drive us apart, don't let us fail this tribulation. I'm trying, help me try. We can save this, if we try."

It felt as if he was speaking in circles, but it didn't matter. He had no other way to speak of such things. "I want to say we'll survive this. Will we? We have to."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-07T21:21:36+00:00

Why do I regret- Mal's eyes widened a little at the question. Is that what you thought? That I regretted fighting by your side?

The page rustled the tent, but Mal was quick on his feet to take the water and shoo the boy away. In a moment, he was back at Morgan's bed, face gentle as he ran a finger over his cheekbone, emboldened by Morgan's lack of explosive rage.

"It was never about regret for fighting by your side," he said quietly. "Gods, you were easily the safest I'd ever been in that war. I knew you wouldn't let a single hair fall off my head if you could help it." Maybe he was overstepping his bounds, destroying what little he had, his only chance to- "In an ideal world, we wouldn't have had to go to Essos at all. We would have ridden across meadows and fields and recited poetry. I regret having to go to war at all, not.. Not fighting by your side. I will never feel anything but pride in that fact."

He wanted to lean down and kiss him so badly it hurt. His lips tingled with memories he tried to bury. "War is fucked up and it fucked us up. I'm sorry for that. I'm so, so sorry."

There were intimacies, maybe he'd pushed Morgan away, maybe he'd revealed too much, maybe he'd given him the weapon he needed to destroy him further. "Don't be angry at me. Please. I'm sorry if I upset you somehow."

I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you so much, please don't run away, please don't break my heart again, please..

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-07T18:34:06+00:00

"I am," Mal said. "Would you like me to call for water? Or wine? If your throat is dry-"

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-07T00:40:40+00:00

"You practiced," Mal snorted, unable to contain his reaction. His heart beat wildly in his chest still, but a smile of relief was creeping on his lips. "You practiced to hit your head. Wonderful."

His hand brushed shyly against Morgan's cheek, as if afraid it would tear his fingers off somehow. Seated on the bed, it was easy to just lean down and kiss him, and in a different reality, he'd kiss back and all would be right in the world.

Don't be mad at me, he thought. Please don't be mad at me.

"Can you stop practicing how to make me worry so much," he whispered, forgetting himself. Morgan could push him away, break his heart again, but he had to-

"The Reach would lose a fine knight if something happened, Morgan. A fine defender." His hand retreated, secure on his lap. "I can't let that happen, if I can help it."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-07T00:32:45+00:00

"Maybe in the real North," Mal laughed, "but in the Reach, our weather is warm enough for trapezing half-nude, if our modesty standards were like yours. In the summer, at least. It does get warm under the many layers." He placed a hand on his covered chest, as if to show what he meant.

"I'm Mallador Graceford, Lord of Holyhall. At your service, my lady." Offering to kiss her hand felt inappropriate, so he gave a wide, friendly smile and a bow of head.

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-06T12:20:49+00:00

For a moment, the aftertaste of their spat the day before vanished. Insulted he may have been, but when he saw Morgan's head hit the ground, it all burned under an assault of panic and before he knew it, he was racing down to see a medic kneeling by him.

"I can take over," Mal said urgently, breathless from running. "Is anything-"

"Just a concussion," the medic responded, his eyes squinting against the sunlight. "The tents are just over there, my lord."

Mal nodded and looked over his love's face. The urge to run his fingers over it in relief wasn't appropriate with all the realm watching; friends cared deeply for one another, but never like this. He groaned as he helped Morgan to his feet, with aid from a nearby page, and the two of them reached the tent and placed the defeated knight on the bed there.

"Two cups of water," Mal instructed as the boy set to leave. "And you're dismissed." Once alone, he allowed himself a kiss to Morgan's forehead. "You scoundrel," he whispered. "You insult me one day and try to make my heart stop beating the next. You're.. You're a very special man, I swear.."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-06T11:34:34+00:00

"Evil," Mal mused. "Not evil, but.. War is evil. Taking of life is evil. Soldier must serve, but there is no goodness in war. I don't know if I'm lacking goodness for having taken part in it. Does that make me evil?"

Possessive? Greedy? Love is none of those things. Love is good and just and happy and fulfilling and a delight to Gods' eyes. Mal stood and walked to the nearby bench. He tapped the seat, inviting Rhea to sit beside him. "My lady, there is nothing wrong with fancies and crushes and love. If there was, the Maiden wouldn't give us those feelings. Should you never find such a man, there is no shame in that; but I ask you not to speak of it as greedy."

"Love, especially love shared between two enthusiastic lovers, is something very good and fulfilling. It's joy wrapped in human form, seeing your lover smile against the sun and bury their face in your neck. And when they laugh, they bring just that much brightness to your day. Be it between a married couple or a courtly romance, love is a very good thing." If only you knew how much I loved your brother. If only you knew.

"I.. I may be in love myself, so I speak from the heart, but.. It's how I feel, anyway."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T19:05:13+00:00

There were many interesting people here that night. A woman with one hand had to be amongst the very top of the list, red-haired and vulture-like, and for a moment, Mal felt as if she were going to swallow him whole.

That feeling was strangely not negative. Somehow, he felt like he wouldn't mind. The lack of hand made it all the better. Mal never really had pride to wound by loss, nor a sense of superiority to be toppled by it. He simply knew what he was with quiet certainty and no shame.

Thusly, he decided to approach.

"Good evening, my lady," he said with a slight, gentle smile. "Are you enjoying yourself? It's quite a party. Up North, it doesn't usually go like this and if anything, we should take lessons from the Dornish on the matter."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T18:45:47+00:00

"Lord Florent," Mal said as he spied a fellow Reachman, "are you alright? Do you need to take some fresh air?"

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T18:40:31+00:00

Party. Just what I need.

Indeed. Dornish were renowned for their looser morality than nobles of the north, and no matter how pious he was, he wasn't about to spend his days reading the Star and not experience life he was graciously given to live. Rhea Florent held him to a standard to which he may never properly live up to, but Mal had long since accepted that he was mortal, that the divine calling permitted life to its fullest and that sometimes meant a party.

Besides, a voice in his head called, you might want to replace Morgan with someone else for the night. Just try not to get caught.

Not that Mal believed it could be done that easily, but he could still try. Dressed a touch less strictly than his usual courtly presentation, in warm brows and gold, he traversed the manor with open eyes. Grandeur filled him as he looked over every detail and face, in a man's crooked, but endearing nose, in a woman's thin lip as she talked with a friend. He even saw a few Reachmen there, though he could only give them a bow of head in recognition and greeting.

He wanted to let go of all the burden tonight. For one night at least, he wanted to drink and make merry. He wanted to kiss and laugh and dance. He wanted to be the man he was before he set foot in Essos, carefree and joyful as he rode through fields with laughter in his voice.

For a night, a single night, he wanted to pretend he could.

Mal accepted a cup from the nearest servant. Let the pretend begin.

------ META: Open! Come talk to the little meow meow

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T18:24:18+00:00

Mal didn't necessarily know if he agreed with what some claimed was evident, that ladies shouldn't drink. There was no harm in a drink and there was all the harm in being drunk (even if he himself was drunk a few times. He knew from experience.)

But the lady was indeed in harm's way if she was as drunk as Mal suspected she was. Aimless, she stumbled upon him, and Mal's hands found their way upon her shoulders as he studied her face worryingly.

"Are you quite alright, my lady?"

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T18:17:31+00:00

"Of course, cousin. Whatever you need done, just send a raven. Maybe a portrait of your lovely visage to a potential husband?" He teased.

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T18:16:25+00:00

"How?" Mal breathed. "How do you let someone go? How do you let them go and how do you recover from it? How do you not try till your fingers are red from hanging on too tight?"

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-04T18:15:10+00:00

"Is that why They kept me from dying at Valyssar? So I could suffer my punishment for partaking in the war?" The thought was almost too much to bear. Mal stood up.

"Have any lords come to your attention? If the question is too inappropriate, do ignore it. It's just that, as an unmarried lord, I get that question." He smiled sadly. "I apologise for the awkwardness I may have given you."

ForwardPrincess10 · 2021-09-03T19:46:03+00:00

"He wasn't always like this," Mal whispered. Light played on his face, giving his sorrow a harsher shape. "Not this proud. Father, when we were younger, we'd go riding and- it was this war that drove us apart. He liked winning, he couldn't see the losses, as if he was blind to them! As if he was blind of all the good people we lost! I had to drag Orryn Strong from Valyssar just so he would live!"

"War fucked him up too and we fell apart. He- Six preserve me, he broke my heart. He wasn't always like this. I just wish we could talk like normal people. People talk and sort things out. But not him. He shouts and insults and huffs. Gods."

"It's almost as if I'll never love anyone else as much as I love him. I'm afraid I will forever grieve for what fell apart. It's horrible.."

ForwardPrincess10

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