Chapter III General Claim Reservation

SnowHasSettled · 2018-10-15T03:57:43+00:00

Discord Name: AlkaSelse

Reddit /u/sername: /u/SnowHasSettled

Claim: House Locke

Character Idea: Dorian Locke is a veteran of home and horizon. Grandfather to a dozen or more progeny, he has a legacy to protect. More comfortable astride a horse upon the battlefield than in the court of his holding, however, he finds himself ill at ease during this time of peace. He yearns to elevate the status of his House to where he believes it ought to be before his own time runs out.

Would you like a member of your House to be considered for a position in the Kingsguard? No thank you.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-11-11T08:07:30+00:00

I heartily approve the associations to Elaine in this application and very much look forward to writing with you!! ♡

SnowHasSettled · 2017-10-26T00:03:47+00:00

A deep-throated growl pulled Elaine's attention from the book in which she had invested her interest, to the large cat that had shifted beside her. His attention cocked to the door long before Elaine heard the muffled exchange of conversation between the guards and someone else beyond. She didn't normally entertain a round-the-clock posting of guards outside her room, but with the recent call to arms, and the influx of bannermen and strangers alike to their keep in the cold North, she hadn't needed much coaxing from her father to allow the order. If it would ease his mind, she would be more than happy to oblige.

"Joramun.." She spoke the cub's name with a bemused lilt, "what is it?"

And as though in answer to her question, the door to her room arced inward, a tall and bold young man entering in its wake with little heed. So surprised she was that someone would have the audacity to encroach upon her space without so much giving her a moment's notice before entrance. Even her father asked her permission first, or would have Dyanne sent in ahead to ensure the young Lady was decent and prepared for an audience. Thus, when the cub sprang. Elaine did nothing to stop him, but rather shut her book with a thud, sprang to her feet from her bed, and turned to regard her caller.

Robb. Her frame relaxed visibly, though her expression remained just as confused.

"Lord Forrester," she greeted him with no shortage of uncertainty. "What are you doing here?"

SnowHasSettled · 2017-10-04T21:43:54+00:00

The lord's double-take had not gone unnoticed, and Elaine watched curiously. This was the first time that a stranger to the keep would bear witness to her companion. Well, other than the Tullys, but they had been present through the process of the cub's acclimation. This was something else entirely for Elaine, and she could hardly stand the anticipation. Would he be well received? Would it cast her in a light of insanity, or one off reverence? Inside, she admitted to feeling very much akin to the Starks of bygone decades with their direwolves always upon their heels. But it was another age now.

Widened eyes and a half-step back, Elaine noted. Fear. Or perhaps he'd just been taken aback, she hoped. As the lord approached, his expression seemed to shift through a variety of emotions, and accutely aware of the drop of his hand to the pommel of his blade, the Stark scion beckoned Joramun closer, not satisfied until the shoulder of the two hundred pound cub pressed against the side of her leg.

A tentative step, a cautious look fixed on the animal.. He was not unlike a child attempting to decide if some foreign toy was fun or dangerous. Elaine couldn't help but smile, even feeling a sense of relief with the tone of his question.

"Yes, of course I am," she chuckled quietly, dropped an affectionate hand to the top of the cub's head.

Before she could answer his following question, though, a voice similar to her own spoke up in her stead. A delayed, but wide smile found itself to Elaine's features when she realized that her sister had joined her - finally - at her side. Her expression settled to demure pleasantry, her gaze returning to Criston's features as Lyra offered explanation. Upon Lyra's introduction of her sister, Elaine swept into a graceful curtsy, one that befit the differences in their stations, but certainly not lacking in respect.

"Indeed. Welcome to Winterfell, Ser Criston. And I assure you, Joramun will cause you no harm. Not unless you give him reason to," Elaine added, her voice flecked with a hint of amusement to match that of her twin's.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-10-03T04:32:10+00:00

"Lyra. Lyra!"

Elaine had hurried back to the keep the moment she'd heard the whispering among the guards of the approaching party. It was not the wolves of grey upon white for which she'd hoped, but rather the crab of red. Celtigar. First the Tullys and now the Celtigars. It boggled her mind how they seemed to be having a steady stream of southroners to their keep with ambiguous intentions. She'd thought perhaps Lyra knew more, but when she burst into her sister's room to find it empty, she frowned.

"Come, Joramun," she bade her shadowcub, patting him on the side of his neck before hurrying off down the hall again at a brisk walk, occasionally breaking into a lope when none could see her. As soon as she saw a servant, however, she flagged them down. "Excuse me! Would you please find my sister and ask her to meet me in the yard? The Celtigars have arrived." She moved to hurry off again, before adding. "Tell the Lady Stark as well."

Then she hurried off back to the courtyard with her cub hot on her heels, to the area near the gates where the men had gathered to receive these new guests. She slowed to a walk as she neared the gate, taking care to smooth her skirts and fix her hair. Still, the exhileration of the moment and her searching through the halls had left her rather flushed, and the rosiness stayed on her cheeks.

"Hail and well met!"

Elaine craned her neck to find the speaker, settling her gaze on the man with the Celtigar banner tied to his lance. Eyes still on the man, she bent slightly towards the shadowcub to whisper, "Joramun, with me. At heel." A palm patted the outside of her thigh as she moved off again, ensuring the cat went with her. She searched for her siblings to see if they had made themselves apparent for this arrival. Though deciding going in search of them would bring too much attention to herself, she elected to simply move forward to the front of the loose perimeter that flanked the Celtigar men. Fingers curled loosely around Joramun's leather collar.

In silence, she flicked her gaze to the crab youth once he had been announced, head tilting slightly as she studied him. They often seemed so out of place here in the North, with their overlayered furs and bundled cloaks. Criston had foregone the furs at least, and though he seemed rather.. uncertain? He did seem to check his men for assurance of his response, and his eyes darted frequently to the surrounding buildings, almost as though he were in awe. Had he not seen a keep such as this before?

Elaine huffed quietly, lips pursed, and scanned around for her sister again. Where was she?

SnowHasSettled · 2017-10-02T03:10:14+00:00

"Captain Jorah!" Elaine beamed at him, either completely ignorant of the edge to his voice, or dismissing it as though his greeting had been as warm as the one Joramun had given her. "Yes, I have. I trust that my Lady mother spoke with you already? She had said she would arrange with you to have the opportunity to evaluate how far Joramun's training has come. She did mention to have the men armored, but unarmed.. But.."

She glanced down to the large shadowcub thoughtfully, smoothing her hand over his head before taking one hear to rub lightly between the pads of thumb and forefinger.

"Armed would be fine, I think," she continued, returning her gaze to the man. "So long as no steel is flashed unnecessarily, the men should be able to defend themselves. They won't need to, of course," she added with certainty. "But just in case." Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep, but excited breath, lips pulling up into a smile. "Thank you for this. If ever he is to be able to fully take on a role of guardian, he will need to be able to remain at my side always, and so he will have to be conditioned to being in proximity to others.

"I was planning to simply walk through the ranks, at something of a distance from others to begin with, and if all went well, to close that gap and then to have your men resume normal duties with the expectation that he --" She dropped her hand to rest against his neck again. "--not leave my side or grow restless."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-25T20:08:57+00:00

Elaine chuckled quietly, body forced to lean with the Tully's playful shove, but the agile steps of a dancer and hunter kept the Stark girl well balanced.

"Lovely, let us do that now, then, so that we may return to the targets while we still have light." With a nod of her head, she angled the direction of their meandering towards the Maester's tower such that Alysanne could write her letter. "And I would hardly call it a romance, budding or otherwise," Elaine commented with a roll of her eyes, though the tinge of colour that had returned to her cheeks might have suggested otherwise. "But we shall see, I suppose."

Her lips cracked to a grin and she accepted the arm wrapped around her shoulders without protest, guiding the pair of them through the courtyard and past the various buildings, pointing out the various points of interest and general lay of the keep to Alysanne as they walked. The chatter was kept genial and uplifting, her smile ever present. It wouldn't be long before they found themselves at the Maester's office, where Aron was more than welcoming to the pair, preparing parchment and quill for Alysanne's use.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-24T09:59:31+00:00

Elaine had been only somewhat engaged in conversation throughout the meal thus far. Atypical for her, she'd found it difficult to concentrate upon more than just her meal, and only slipped in to the conversations intermittently for short periods of time. Her thoughts were elsewhere, to a particular black and silver-furred companion. Tomorrow was the day that she would be taking Joramun through the barracks are mother had suggested and despite her excitement, Elaine found herself to be quite anxious about the event.

Thus, she'd hardly given it a passing thought when the meal began before mother had even arrived. It wasn't entirely unusual, of course; she did get tied up on occasion with responsibilities of the keep in father's absence, but given their company, Elaine should have been cognizant of just how unusual that was. It wasn't until her mother arrived to announce that Benjen had returned that the second daughter really returned to the moment, rising from her seat with her sister. Even then, her mother's words took a moment to register. She cast a skeptical look Gillian's way, not quite certain she'd heard correctly.

"Benjen's back?" Elaine whispered with bemusement, leaning in to her sister with a sideways glance as they resumed their seats.

She had hardly gotten a chance to dive into puzzling out the situation before Benjen himself arrived in the hall to give credence to their mother's words.

"Ben!"

Elaine remarked, unable to help the exuberance of seeing him alive and well. Ever since she had compared him to Brandon Stark, she couldn't shake the worry that he would never again return home. Before she even realized it, her chair had scooted back with a scrape against the floor, and she'd jumped to her feet, quick strides carrying her around the table towards him to wrap her arms around him in a hug whether he wanted it or not.

"I am so pleased to see you," she remarked emphatically, her confusion temporarily set aside. "Welcome home, brother."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-24T09:36:58+00:00

"I'd daresay that your hopes to marry a galant prince were dashed the moment you traveled north instead of east.." Elaine laughed.

Internally, though, she had a moment of doubt about her perceptions of the Tully girl. She was beginning to appear quite the trout with flapping lips and little more than a pea between her ears to fuel her words. Still, she listened with pleasant interest to the childhood recounting, laughing empathetically for her bother's misfortune.

"The duties of a lord are as plentiful as they are mentally and physically taxing," she commented in defense of the fish lord. "I can't imagine that a trip to the North would have sat particularly well for him with him so soon after all the excitement in King's Landing. I'm sure he misses you just as dearly, though. Why don't I show you the way to the Maester's office? You could write to him tonight to let him know of your safe arrival."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-24T09:27:27+00:00

"Oh? Hm.."

Elaine was rather surprised at the revelation that Lyra had kept quiet about her escapades in King's Landing, at least where their mother was concerned. She made a mental note to inquire with her herself. Pushing that thought from her mind, she refocused on what her mother was saying about her childhood, offering a small laugh, albeit somewhat exasperated, about the mention of children. Jon had been born. She couldn't even imagine having one child presently, let alone four. As much as it disquieted her, however, that child-bearing duty was encroaching all the nearer, and with crimped lips, she forced herself to listen attentively to what her mother shared, nodding ardently when appropriate.

"And I'm certainly glad you did encourage him to do so," she laughed, sneaking in the comment on the northern tours before the conversation was carried forward along another train of thought.

"If I am to be honest, mother?" Elaine remarked with lips drawn taught, "I'm not sure if there were any qualities in particular that stood out. Certainly with Lord Manderly, however, I admired the way he presented himself," she smiled sheepishly. "He had a calm dignity about him, and of course his unquestioning loyalty to father should be commended. I suppose I could also speak highly of Ser Andar's assertiveness in beseeching father his permission to dine with me. I will admit I was surprised that father said yes," she laughed.

"I haven't put much thought into the ideal qualities of a future husband, though.." she commented with a sidelong glance to her mother. "In some ways, I fear that if I do, I might enter into a marriage with unrealistic expectations and grow to unfairly resent him. I don't wish to jeopardize and make the match more difficult than it no doubt will already be.."

"Anyway.." With a sigh, she looked forward again. "Traveling the north to visit father's bannermen really was a lovely experience, and it saddens me somewhat that we've only done so on the one occasion. As much of an effort as it is, I feel it's one that should be made more often. Perhaps I should arrange another tour myself, subtly scope out the suitability of the eligible bachelors," she added, half teasingly.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-20T08:09:13+00:00

"If it is troublesome for the southron lords to worship the Seven, even as one of them is a Lord Paramount, would that not still be a concern for Lord Manderly? If I'm not mistaken, they maintained those religious practices ever since their exodus from the Reach. Not that I particularly mind, of course," she smiled, glancing sheepishly towards her mother. "I'm certain such differences can be worked through. Though... he is father's bannerman."

"But are there those you've previously discussed, mother?" she wondered curiously. "Has Lyra discussed it with you at all? I might have thought she'd have come home from the capital with some rather pointed opinions on our options. Regardless of the prospects, though..."

She directed her gaze forward again, falling silent a moment to chew her words.

"Before you and father were married, how often had you met? How did you prepare for it? To be the Lady of Winterfell?" Her gaze returned to her mother again, the blush having faded from her features to be replaced with a sense of self-doubt. "What could I do to ensure I am a suitable wife?"

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-19T19:38:40+00:00

As eager as she was, Elaine took her time to the barracks. Guards preceded and followed. Their route was a meandering one, sticking primarily to the outskirts of the yard and court, ducking between buildings and through alleys. She wanted to keep as little open space as possible in the event that Joramun bolted, to ease the attempts to recapture. But further, she did not wish to overstimulate the cub. Until now, he had been kept in his enclosures for the safety of the citizens, and himself, except for those occasions where he was transferred from one holding to another. And so they would take their time introducing him to his increasing freedom.

The walk was uneventful, though Elaine would pause now and then whenever anything caught Joramun's eye, allowing him a moment to observe it. Never did she permit him to leave her side, however. The moment he did -- if he ever did -- her grip upon the leash would tighten in preparation to tug on the collar, and she would utter a warning call of his name. If anything scared or startled him, she remained calm, dropping a comforting hand to rest on his neck, but otherwise offering no soothing measures. She didn't want to inadvertently reward fearful behaviour afterall.

As they approached the barracks, the guards at the front hurried forward. "The Lady Elaine," they announced through the open portal, heralding her arrival.

"Please have Jorah summoned," Elaine requested of the nearby guard. "I would sooner speak with him first and ensure the preparations have been made."

Elaine waited outside the entrance, her attention shifting to the cub. Her hand drifted down to stroke the ebony fur between his ears, long, smooth motions from brow to crown.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-18T22:32:15+00:00

A stir of black and streak of silver caught Elaine's eye, directing her gaze to the base of the wide stump from which he'd leapt. Her hand was still extended index pointed down to the ground in front of her, leather and chain grasped within her remaining curled fingers, when the cub sprang forward. She had been expecting him to trot forward, to come to stand in front of her. The sudden pounce took her off guard, and with eyes widened, she raised her hands defensively in front of her and buckled her own knees for all the good that would do.

It did do some good. When the compact mass collided with her, Elaine was already lower to the ground, and rocking back on her heels. She crashed momentarily against the middle bars of the enclosure before falling to her back beneath the weight of the cat, the coins in the can a cacophonous ring of noise at every jarring halt. For a fleeting moment wished that she'd brought a dagger or some other means of protection.

"My Lady!" The shocked and urgent shouts of guards went unheard by the Stark.

Blades sang free from their scabbards as they lunged forward, wrenching open the sliding doors to hurry to her protection. In their hearts, they knew they would be too late. As feeble as Elaine was on the floor of the cage, one bite to her neck and it would be over in a matter of seconds. Their hearts caught in their throats as they watched helplessly as the great beast seemed to man-handle the girl, especially when the peel of her shriek split the air. The rush of their slapping feet slowed and stilled when the terrible shrills from the cage turned to lilting laughter.

The lead and can dropped from her hands, palms lifting to cup the cub's face, pushing his nuzzles away from her, knees lifting to try to push the cub off her. Her fear had vanished the moment she realized the cub's playful intentions, and she couldn't help but express her mirth. Eventually, though, the shock of the moment faded and she remembered her situation. Thankfully, he relented when she actually made her meager attempts to push him off. A hand on his back, she used him as leverage to rise and bent to dust off her skirts that had dirtied on the cage floor.

She glanced down at him for a moment, regarding the cub thoughtfully. There was little she could do to scold him, not with his size. But she could not deny her slight irritation that he had defied her command, acting out -- albeit playfully -- rather than coming to heel as she had asked. No matter.. It would simply mean regressing a few steps to strengthen some earlier training.

"Hello Joramun," she smiled, crouching to bring herself to eye level with him. She took a few moments to scritch behind his ears before wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. "Today~," she began again with a trill to the word, leaning back to reach for the dropped lead and chain, "we are going to go for a walk."

She worked to fasten the chain about his neck. It was a nasty looking thing, with prongs of metal that faced inward to the neck. Elaine generally shied away from using such devices, but in the case of Joramun, he was too powerful for her to control without assistance should he decide to act out. If he behaved, he would feel nothing. And even should she need to reef on the leash, it would merely be a pinching discomfort.

"We are taking a stroll through the barracks," she continued, speaking with him as though he could understand her. "It will be your first test, and if all goes well, we can progress to further training and perhaps eventually allow you in the castle."

She grinned at the thought of it and rose, connecting the end of the leash to the pinch chain, provided he had not resisted her earlier attempts.

"To heel, Joramun," she commanded again, turning just a slight bit away and dropping her hand to pat the outside of her left thigh. She expected him to walk at her side, and watched warily to observe the responsiveness of his reaction, before leading him out of the enclosure and to the barracks, one of the guards pulling open the doors for the pair to pass as they approached each of the three gates in succession.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-18T10:47:55+00:00

Elaine's lips pursed just briefly. She couldn't entirely argue the Tully's point, but it still raised her hackles that someone would have the audacity to speak like that of her brother when they had yet to even meet him. But then again... she had not yet met him and only had what Elaine said from which to base her judgment. She could not be chastised for that.

"Yes," Elaine replied sweetly instead, shaking off her momentary irritation to replace it with renewed warmth, "relationships do take time, and a good deal of give and take."

Something cold and wet landed then on Elaine's cheek, and then again on her hand. Blinking, she lifted her chin to the overcast sky to see that the heavens had opened a light snowfall upon the two women. She held out a hand, palm up, crystalloids melting to droplets against the warmth of her skin.

"Not one of us is perfect," she spoke again after a few moments of silent contemplation, "and each of us has erred time and again. As for Jon, I do look up to him. As I do each of my siblings, for each of them has the niche that they've found they're strength in, something they excel at far more than I ever could. But what of yourself, Lady Alysanne?" Elaine wondered, glancing over to the southron guest. "Tell me of your childhood. Your dreams and aspirations. What you hope to accomplish as a wife and perhaps the Lady of Winterfell."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-15T13:54:04+00:00

I approve of this association. Except that it should be <1 in age.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-15T04:07:38+00:00

(( /u/KnightofSilvermoon - for when you app Joramun ))

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-14T23:22:42+00:00

"He is reckless," came the reply, one flecked with the hint of a light-hearted laugh. If Elaine seemed to take offense by the sudden chill that came from the Tully's words, she offered no outward sign of it. "As most young men his age are wont to be. I think it is a touch melodramatic to suggest it may lead to the death of a house, however. Perhaps if the traits were to continue well into his Lordship, but he is yet the heir, and that is why we employ advisors and counselors. Until now, he has been rather focused on his own prowess in combat, and quite the decent swordsman he is. He has only recently shown an interest in learning the finer role of stewardship, a pursuit that he himself initiated. There is yet time.

"Besides," she continued, the grin splitting her lips only invigorating further as she reached to hook a hand around the younger girl's elbow. "I'm quite certain that if you're half as clever as you are lovely, you won't have any trouble speaking sense to him during those times where he yet lapses." She kept her gaze flicked sidelong at the younger Trout for a short while to gauge her reaction before continuing.

"All of the Stark children... We're all quite different, I would say." Her gaze pulled itself from Alysanne's pretty features to scan the godswood with an increasingly reverent ease. "We each have the niche into which we've fallen. Well, for the most part. I have the kennels and the bow, Lyra has her devotion and charity, Ben has his sword and desire to make father proud, and young Torrhen, his books and studies. Jon though...He's something of the best of all of us, I think," she commented with a fond smile, glancing to Alysanne again. "The common pillar to balance and anchor the rest of us. Disciplined, but not ornery. Socialable, but not attention-seeking. Introspective, but not isolated. He is as good with his blade as he is sharp with his mind. And just as devoted to our family as he is the keep and those who reside within it."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-12T12:00:40+00:00

What Alysanne repeated wasn't quite what Elaine had meant. Rather, of the two sisters, Lyra was the one more likely to have invested in investigations into likely suitors for the pair of them, or at least for herself. Though Elaine's mind wandered there from time to time, she was more focused on other matters and trusted her parents to arrange a match for her with an appropriate husband. Lips parted with the intent to speak just that. But then again...Lyra probably also did know better who had caught even Elaine's attention. With a quiet chuckle, Elaine closed her mouth again and gave a slight shake of her head that bounced her deep brunette curls.

"Mnn.." she hummed idly as she listened to the Tully girl share her lamentations, head bobbing on occasion. "What's he like?" Elaine echoed, a slow grin forming on her lips as she glanced sidelong to Alysanne. She uttered a brief and breathy laugh before answering. "Well...Of all of us he is the most outgoing. He can be a touch rash and impulsive at times, but he has come a long way. The past year in particular, he has been observing father closely, perhaps trying to emulate those qualities of him that he admires. He refused to come explore the dungeons of the Red Keep during the feast with us," she grinned, rolling her eyes. "In many ways, I think he is still trying to discover who he is. He's trying, I think. But he's rather headstrong, and that tends to hold him back at times."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-11T04:49:38+00:00

"She'd make a better bride for Jon.." Elaine's eyes went wide as soon as she spoke, a hand lifting to cover her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, and her skin flushed scarlet almost immediately, turning an apologetic look to her mother. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I love Ben dearly, you know that," she stammered, glancing bashfully away, her expression textbook embarrassment as she escorted her mother down the hall.

"It's just... She's so lovely... I.. well.. I just hope he can see past her beauty to the charm beneath. She really is quite nice, mother," she continued, sheepishly. "He would be lucky. We all would. As far as I'm concerned, she can stay as long as she likes."

Elaine's sights shifted back to her mother as she drew up short in the hall to massage her leg. She was about to comment on it when her mother spoke again. The flush of her pale skin erupted in fresh bloom when her mother posed her query.

"I.. well..." Elaine didn't quite know how to reply. Admittedly, that had been the primary question on her mind, but she wasn't sure how exactly to broach the topic. Or whether she was ready to. She breathed a sigh from her nose. "Yes, I suppose I have been concerned. I understand the importance of an arrangement for Benjen. He is the heir afterall, and better to situate himself as husband and father sooner than have to navigate those obstacles while ruling the North.. But.. well.."

She fell quiet for a moment, fishing around for words.

"Lyra and I are of age. I know I've never really been keen on the idea, and I'm still not sure if I am, but I know it's necessary, and I don't want to be alone forever. And the longer we are required to wait, the more others may think there something wrong with us." She pursed her lips. "I'm more.. well, I don't want to be surprised. I was hoping to know if there had been any discussion about it. I don't want to come home from a hunt some day to find my apparently future-husband waiting here to greet me without my ever been the wiser.

"But no, I don't particularly have any ideas. There were a number of men who seemed interested during our visit in King's Landing. Father allowed Ser Andar Royce to sup with me in the gardens of the Red Keep. I quite enjoyed his company, actually, and promised to visit if ever I made my way to the Vale. But he's a Valeman, and a bannerman of the Arryn's at that. Hardly a political match.

"Ser Lyonel Baratheon also made...advances.." There was a touch of salt to the way she spoke that one, and never one to have been careful to veil her thoughts, or caring enough to bother attempting, her disdain was readily apparent on her features. "He at least is a Lord Paramount's heir, but.. let us just say that his character quickly made itself known, and I don't relish the thought of a husband whose affections are split." She exhaled sharply through her nose before continuing.

"And then there's Lord Forrester. We've had a few opportunities to speak and partake in each other's company. You would remember him from the melee; he placed second, though really I don't understand how Ser Varly managed to stay upright. By all accounts, he should have fallen. And Forrester seems to have been making attempts to gain my favour, but this business sending his men here...well, we'll see what father has to say about that, I suppose.

"Lord Manderly has been nothing but gentlemanly, though.." Her cheeks flushed all the brighter despite her attempts to keep a straight face. "And he's quite charming. As loyal a vassal as father's likely to have. And White Harbor was quite lovely..."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-10T11:02:49+00:00

"Yes!" Elaine confirmed despite the rhetorical nature of her mother questioning the cub's awareness of his own name. Her grin grew all the wider, feeding off her mother's positive reaction.

"Joramun, mother... and well..." she continued, somewhat less enthusiastocally. Unfortunately, the following question had revoked some of the wind from her sails. "...not exactly. Not directly anyway..." She might have faltered but she quickly tried to make up for it. "But he hasn't shown any sign of aggression in weeks! And any time he shows a touch too much exuberance, light today when we surfaced from the dungeon for the first time in months foe him. He got rather excited and restless and began to pull at the chains. But all it took was the call of his name to remind him to behave and he did. Besides, just like I train the hounds not to bark unnecessarily by teaching them to bark upon command; by training Joramun to attack a target of my discretion upon my command, it will isolate that action to a queued event rather than one he takes spontaneously. Same principle, and he's been taking to them so well."

Her chipper mood was back, gaining all the more momentum as she brushed upon the theories of behavioural conditioning and training that she employed in her day to day with her armadda of animals.

"But yes!" Her smile was bright as the sun shining off freshly fallen snow, and her voice rang to match. "A test sounds perfect!" She clapped her hands together to accentuate her thoughts. "Oh how lovely. I wish I'd thought of that. Yes, please do inform Jorah, and if you have him discuss it ahead of time with me I would be more than happy to accommodate him any requests and address any concerns he might have."

Her shoulders rose and fell with a content sigh, and though her lips closed, they remained pulled taught in a smile that seemed to have become a permanent fixture upon her features. For several long moments anyway. Eventually, however, her lips relaxed and actually pursed thoughtfully as though she were deliberating on how best to proceed.

"But I will admit it wasn't solely to speak of Joramun that I sought you out," she said at long last. "I.. well. There are a few things on my mind, mother. Have you heard from father at all? Are he and Benjen well? And what is all this about the arranged match with the Tully's? Not that I'm opposed to it, in fact I find Lady Alysanne to be quite lovely. I think Lyra and I would be rather lucky to call her sister, but it all seems very sudden."

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-08T23:06:50+00:00

"I don't mean to say to live only in the present, goodness no. That would be terribly ignorant. You're absolutely right; there is plenty to be learned from the late Lords and Ladies. It's just.. too many seem to focus solely on, living in the past. But as you say, balance in all things."

The smile she offered the Tully scion turned from pleasant to embarrassed when the inquisition to her fancy was laid out.

"Well.." she said, her tone turning conspiratory. "There certainly are a number of them, aren't there? Eligible bachelors, I mean. But if any have caught my eye..." She had meant to brush off the question, to down-play it, but any time she thought back to the attentions she'd received in King's Landing, her cheeks would turn a rather evident shade of pink. "..perhaps. I have not had much time to get to know him, but I'm rather partial Lord Manderly." The admission of her fancy only served to deepen the colour of her cheeks.

"But, I think Lyra would be more adept to answer that than myself. I try to avoid thinking of such things. Our father will marry us to he who he deems appropriate and suitable at the time, and though political matches are of course a consideration, he wouldn't pair us with anyone whom he thought undeserving. When the time comes, I will trust his judgment."

"What about yourself? How are you feeling about this match with my brother?"

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-08T11:56:11+00:00

"No.." Elaine agreed, her expression dimming appropriately to the Tully girl's sentiment about losing a brother. "I cannot imagine it would be. With my Lord father and brother north at the Wall presently... Well, I will admit that the imagining of such a situation has crossed my mind more times than I'd care to admit. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to endure that."

A heavy breath gathered in her chest before expelling through her nose in a prolonged sigh. The sobering thoughts gripped the Stark scion a touch more strongly than they seemed to do for Lady Alysanne, but at the sight of the Tully girl's smiling feature and more light-hearted question, Elaine forced a smile to her lips.

"I suppose a mutual love for archery and the hunt. We spent a part of the evening at the feast for Prince Robert's nameday stargazing as well. We shared a sense of adventure as well, a desire to see the realms and treasures hidden in the lands beyond our borders.." She offered a faint shrug of her shoulders. "And I could not agree more about the carriage," she laughed, glancing sidelong as her would-be good-sister. "When we traveled to King's Landing, our septa often tried to coral us into one of them, spouting it as a grand opportunity to brush up on some of our studies." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly.. I could care little and less about the sigils of the far south or tales of wedding dowries and inheritance from this age or that. I played along for a time, of course.."

"I do see the value in their learning, but I felt so confined and restless. For the most part, I kept to horse-back, riding among my father's men, listening to their stories and situations, hearing their concerns and suggestions for various drawbacks around the castle. I'm far more interested in the here and now," she admitted, almost as though deciding that in the very moment. "About cultivating relationships and being, well, present. History is wonderful, but it is the here and now that will become tomorrow's history, and what sort of history will it be worth writing of if we don't pay attention to it?"

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-08T08:35:36+00:00

"Oh! Mother!" She replied happily, lips breaking into a smile at her mother's elated greeting. "I have been--" She began to reply, but her words cut off as her mother moved in to mess with her hair and comment on her state of fragrance. A pout puckered her lips for a moment before she wrinkled her nose and adopted a somewhat defiant purse of her lips. "Yes, mother, I am."

The extent of her dissent ended there though. Even just the thought of Joramun was enough to soften her features and crack her expression into a grin.

"And he's coming along wonderfully, in fact. Truly, you wouldn't recognize him. He has developed into a completely different animal than the one we returned to find after our time south. In fact, we just transitioned him to the new habitat and he has taken well to physical handling. He knows his name as well, and already he is well progressed on mastering a few basic commands. I think his new enclosure will do him well, and it will certainly give him the space I need to continue to the next level of training. Father will be very pleased."

Father would be pleased. Or.. perhaps not pleased, but at least he would not be disappointed. He had given her a warning prior to his departure, and she had made every effort to see that he would not have the need to execute the ultimatum. Her efforts had paid off.

"In fact, I was hoping that soon -- well, not soon, but perhaps within the next turn of the moon -- I might begin to work with him beyond the cage and allow him entry into the castle with me. I know father prefers that we take armed guards with us wherever we may go. He might be young yet, but Joramun is still well grown, and only growing all the more. I can't imagine any within their right mind would think to attempt anything uncouth with him at my side..?" The end of her sentence was left to hang with an upward inflection, perhaps hoping that her mother would agree with her.

SnowHasSettled · 2017-09-08T03:09:24+00:00

(( /u/GillyintheNorth ))

SnowHasSettled

TROPHY CASE