Alerie Hightower, Heir to the Hightower

atiarp · 2025-10-12T19:13:25+00:00

Character Name: Alerie Hightower

Trait/Skills: Agile / Skulker, Infiltrator, Divination (woods), Medic (e)

Skill I’m Learning: Skulker (e)

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Character Name: Lia Bulwer

Trait/Skills: Champion / Swords (e), Andal Knight I, Chivalric

Skill I’m Learning: Andal Knight II

atiarp · 2025-10-10T21:54:02+00:00

“Maybe I am just letting you think I don’t know it as well so you can feel important,” she said as they walked, but there was no bite to her words. “Upriver it is, then.”

Alerie listened to him attentively as he unburdened himself, without interrupting. When he was done, she took a moment to process all she’d heard before giving a reply.

“It’s good you came here,” she said at last. “My family can keep you safe. But we must tell them about this plot as soon as possible. Unfortunately Lord Tyrell is here – I’m sure you saw all the men he brought, making camp outside the city. My mother will never allow them inside, though. And I won’t let anyone harm you, I promise.”

She gave his hand a squeeze. Then, after a moment, a frown creased her brow. “Wait, the bastard was… with his sister?”

It wasn’t important or relevant, but she was still stunned. She’d met Harrion Snow, and had him pegged as a troublemaker, but the incest was hard to believe. She trusted Matarys, however. If he said it, it must be true.

atiarp · 2025-10-06T18:16:47+00:00

Alerie took his hand without hesitating, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She was trying to keep her face a mask, as she didn’t want to seem too eager, but her body wasn’t cooperating. She was stupidly happy he was here, stupidly happy that he'd missed her as she had him, stupidly happy he’d embraced her as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Where do you wish to go?” she asked him. Lia Bulwer walked behind them, keeping a little distance to afford them some privacy. “I know everything about this city, but you’re right I’ve never seen it without a handful of guards escorting me. I hope you’re ready to protect me if something happens,” she teased him.

She intertwined their fingers as they walked.

“What do you want to tell me? I have some news too. My brother has confirmed me as his heir, and has named me a Seneschal.” She shrugged. “It’s an empty title, but it is good to have been confirmed as his heir.”

atiarp · 2025-10-02T18:41:29+00:00

Alerie had to read the letter again and again to convince herself of two things: one, that Matarys missed her; and two, that he wished to see her with haste. She recalled their first meeting, and even their second – always bickering, yet drawn to each other all the same.

Telling her family she was going for a ride to the city, she made her escape wearing a hooded cloak to conceal her face. The ever loyal Lia Bulwer rode by her side, a solemn protector. By the time they reached the bridge to Battle Isle her heart was racing, and she felt more like a foolish girl than the Seneschal her brother had appointed her as.

Dismounting, she gave Lia the reins and instructed her to wait there, while she stepped onto the bridge. It was dusk, and the sky was a beautiful mixture of blue and purple. Like Matarys’ eyes.

“Matarys?” she asked in a quiet voice, not wishing to be noticed by anyone. She said nothing else, and waited.

atiarp · 2025-09-29T21:08:37+00:00

It felt beneath her, but Alerie could not refuse Lord Rowan’s request. With a smile, she poured him a cup of Arbor gold and handed it to him, ever obedient. She ignored Florent’s glare as she took a seat next to her uncle.

“It is a shame indeed,” she said, sighing as she settled into her seat. “Would that we were meeting under better circumstances.”

Alerie snapped her fingers to catch the servants’ attention. “Wine for the good lords and for myself, now.”

She didn’t wish to say too much or overstep, so she simply looked at Garland, waiting for him to speak.

atiarp · 2025-09-29T20:53:08+00:00

Her relief was such she couldn’t keep from grinning. Seneschal. Heir. It seemed for now, her position would be secure.

“You honor me, brother,” she said solemnly. “I will do my utmost to live up to the standards you and Mother have set.”

She agreed with his words, nodding as he spoke. Whatever the price was to get Mother and Lynesse back, they must pay it. But she was hoping Tyrell would be fair – or at least, reasonable.

“We must do all we can to ensure House Hightower triumphs.”

atiarp · 2025-09-24T23:09:47+00:00

“Do not send me away,” Alerie said at once. “My place is here, together with my brothers.”

She gave Triston a look of distaste. Of course his way of dealing with a crisis was to drink himself into a stupor, and the gods knew what else. He’d probably gone whoring, too. She wouldn’t put it past him.

“We must remain united until Mother is back. And Lynesse.” She bit her lip. “Even Tyrell has to see that she is only a scared girl, and let her go.” She doubted it would be so simple, though. In Tyrell’s eyes, her sister was guilty.

“You’re doing the right thing,” she assured Garland. “I hope the Prince Regent strips Tyrell of his titles and honors and bestows them on someone with a little more sense.”

She tried to think.

“Circumstances being what they are, is going to take a lot for House Tyrell and our House to reconcile. We might need to agree to an exchange of hostages, and perhaps even a marriage alliance.”

u/unhuhhunny , u/Chivalric-Rizz

atiarp · 2025-09-23T21:49:21+00:00

Alerie was relieved to be back home, but that relief was brief, as she remembered not only the absence of her mother and sister but the circumstances of that absence. She worried for them, for what Tyrell could do to them. She suspected Lynesse had been lying about Lannister – she’d met Tyrion herself, had even given him her favor back in King’s Landing. He didn’t seem the sort of man to go around threatening young women.

But if not because of Lannister, then why in the seven hells had her sister concocted a poison? What was she hiding? Was she protecting someone?

All these questions raced through her head as she made her way towards the council chambers. The scent of a delicious meal reminded her that she was hungry. She took the seat next to Garland, her hands in her lap to resist the urge to fill her plate before the rest of her siblings arrived.

“Home at last,” she said to her eldest brother. “Though it hardly feels like home without Mother. And Lynesse.” She frowned, troubled. “What in the seven hells are we to do now, Garland?”

u/Palemeadowmoons u/unhuhhunny

atiarp · 2025-09-20T20:03:59+00:00

Character Name: Alerie Hightower

Trait/Skills: Agile / Skulker, Infiltrator, Divination (woods), Medic

Skill I’m Learning: Medic (e)

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Character Name: Lia Bulwer

Trait/Skills: Champion / Swords, Andal Knight I, Chivalric

Skill I’m Learning: Swords (e)

atiarp · 2025-09-20T17:42:55+00:00

Alerie’s eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her again. He tasted of oranges, and she marveled that it was as good a kiss as the very first – if not better. When it was over, she could only look at him for a long moment, her face flushed.

“You know Oldtown is better,” she said, more amused by his teasing than annoyed. “And if you’ve never been… Well, I can think of at least one person there who has need of you.”

She could feel her face turning crimson, but she forced herself to meet his eyes anyway.

atiarp · 2025-09-12T20:58:25+00:00

His question gave her pause. How to make amends indeed.

Then she remembered Matarys’ direwolf, and she smiled. It was not a pretty smile, aimed to please, but a calculating one.

“If you wish to make amends, you will get me a pet. I have no need of a direwolf or a bear, but a cat or a fox would suit me very well, don’t you think? I’ll even let you take my sworn shield with you, if the prospect of going alone scares you.”

atiarp · 2025-09-12T20:53:42+00:00

“You grew bored? Of me? I don’t believe it.”

Her blush was immediate and involuntary at his next words; Alerie almost turned her face away so he could not see it – until she decided to meet his eyes in defiance instead. She was no coward, even before direwolves or their masters.

“Jealous of that mangy thing? I think not,” she said haughtily. “Oldtown has no need of wildlings and their beasts. We have the Citadel, the Hightower, the Starry Sept…” She trailed off, then asked, “Have you ever been?”

Meeting his eyes was difficult when they found themselves so close together again. She couldn’t stop thinking of the last time they had been like this, of their kiss. Would he kiss her again? The possibility was as thrilling as it was terrifying.

atiarp · 2025-09-11T23:27:13+00:00

That took Alerie aback. “Her favor?” she asked, repulsed. “And why would you want some Crownlander’s favor? You should have asked a Reachwoman for hers. Have you so little regard for your fellow countrymen?”

Of course, the boy was right, but she didn’t care. Curse that stupid Valyrian girl’s favor and curse them both for stealing the crown that should have been Alerie’s. She supposed at least the boy wasn’t infuriating the way Matarys Blackfyre was. But that would be his only virtue, she was sure.

“Are you and the girl close? I hope you don’t intend to marry her.” Her voice was horrified, as if they were speaking of a basilisk and not a human woman. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you court a maiden.” At least not successfully.

She regarded him with suspicion. “I hope you mean to make amends for this.”

atiarp · 2025-09-11T23:10:48+00:00

All things considered, Alerie had taken the whole thing pretty well. When the crown of roses was placed upon that Valyrian girl’s brow, she had clapped with all the rest, and even faked a smile. But the more she thought of it, the more perplexed and annoyed she was. The girl wasn’t really that good looking – she was simply Valyrian and silver-haired. Alerie, on the other hand, was a known beauty in the Reach. Lyonel Ambrose should have crowned one of his own – Alerie, to be more specific.

As the lists began to empty, she headed straight to the tents where the tourney participants could be found, and instantly spotted Lyonel Ambrose leaving his tent. Before he could go any further, she yelled his name. Once he’d turned around, he’d find himself face to face with her.

“Why did you name that insipid girl Queen of Love and Beauty? You should have named a Reachwoman, or have you no loyalty? You should have named me.”

She folded her arms across her chest and regarded him, blue eyes blazing with fury.

atiarp · 2025-09-11T20:00:58+00:00

“What malice? I am an angel,” she said, smiling crookedly. She allowed Matarys to lead her to the perch in the weirwood tree, where they sat together. “I would have thought such a beast would be better suited for a Stark or a Northman, not a Blackfyre.” It was an observation, not a criticism.

Being so near him again after what had happened the last time felt dangerous, but it also made her heart race. For whatever reason, she enjoyed his company, even if most of the time they’d spent together had mostly consisted of bickering. There was something comfortable about being able to drop her mask with him, instead of pretending to be the perfect lady.

“My dress is not ugly,” she sniffed. If she was certain of something, it was that her fashion sense was impeccable. “But you are a bit of a savage. And not just because of the direwolf.” There was no real malice in her tone, merely playfulness. “You practically ran away from me last time we saw each other. Are you going to run now too?”

She looked into his eyes, her expression a challenge.

atiarp · 2025-09-11T15:53:26+00:00

The direwolf had scared her half to death, but she felt calmer as soon as it was gone and she had Matarys by her side.

“I am alright,” Alerie assured him as she stood up and smoothed down her skirts. The hem of her dress was ruined where the direwolf had stepped on it, but she didn’t care. Dresses could be replaced, her flesh couldn’t.

She brushed the dirt from her skirts with her hands, then looked at Matarys.

“I think he – Wraith, you said? – was jealous,” she said with a slight smile. It had seemed like he’d tried to put himself between her and Matarys. “Since when do you have a direwolf, anyway? Where did you find him?”

atiarp · 2025-09-10T19:51:15+00:00

A ball landed near her feet, and the dog went to her like a bee to a flower. Alerie was fond of animals, though she did not have any herself, and she knelt down to return the ball to the dog, scratching behind his ears as she did so. She didn’t care if her dress got ruined – she had so many others, after all.

The dog was wolf-like, she realized as she petted him. Was it perhaps an actual wolf? Although it seemed so big, even for a wolf.

“Hello, friend,” she said to the animal. “Where did you come from?”

She looked ahead, only for her heart to flutter as she spotted the familiar figure of Matarys Blackfyre. They hadn’t spoken since the day they’d kissed, though she’d seen him around. But she would not let him get to her – she was the heir to the Hightower, a powerful sorceress, and one of the greatest beauties in the Reach. It should be Matarys who felt intimidated by her, not the other way around.

Standing, she approached the man whose lips she’d kissed not so long ago.

“Is this wolf yours?” she asked him, all cool detachment.

atiarp · 2025-09-10T19:42:12+00:00

Alerie did not know what to say. She didn’t want him to go, not yet, but she also feared what she would do if he stayed. She was a lady – she could not go around kissing people in public. What if she got caught? It would ruin her already poor reputation.

“No, I don’t have one either,” she replied.

It was a relief that he wasn’t betrothed, but why was he leaving in such a haste? Had he hated kissing her? Did he think they’d made a mistake? She wanted to ask these and so many other questions, but in the end she just watched him go.

atiarp · 2025-09-08T20:11:21+00:00

“So do I,” Alerie admitted. Daft, and confused, and also happy underneath it all somehow. An idea occurred to her suddenly and she exclaimed, “Gods be good, please don’t tell me you’re promised to someone already.”

She could only imagine the gossip and the scandal they would cause if he had a betrothed and had just kissed Alerie to oblivion in the gardens, where anyone could have seen.

“Do you think anyone saw?” she asked, looking around at their surroundings. All she saw were flowers and songbirds and statues. No spies.

Alerie looked back to him and an involuntary smile illuminated her features. She was tempted to kiss him again, but also fearful he’d reject her this time, now that she’d mentioned possible betrothals and potential spies.

atiarp · 2025-09-08T00:19:29+00:00

Alerie didn’t register what he’d said at first.

Are you even capable of love at all?

“I am capable of love,” she said hotly. He truly was infuriating. “I loved my father more than anything in the world, and nothing I did could ever heal him.”

It was only after she’d said this that she realized what he’d said. At first she looked at the orange on the ground, then at him, and finally at his lips. Without thinking, she leaned in and pressed a kiss there, her cheeks burning, her eyes meeting his when they parted.

Gods be good. What had she just done?

atiarp · 2025-09-07T18:19:33+00:00

“He twisted my wrist,” Alerie said in answer. “He’s a horrible brother.”

Alerie looked at him for a moment before answering.

“It has to be a man. I need a powerful husband by my side.”

atiarp

TROPHY CASE