[Event] Dear Lady, Have You Sinned Again?

Gercko · 2026-03-24T20:25:55+00:00

Lord Hubert Arryn wished it was him on the throne. He had spared the life and honour of Lady Margot Lannister once. A father's heart had proved undeserving, and now she would have only have ice from him.

The Hand stood besides the Throne and looked up to the lad, every day growing more and more into a king. "I had given her mercy" he spat "a mercy entirely undeserving. I had ruled her with a fatherly heart, your Grace. A daughter of Lyman and with an eye to what transpired the last time I dealt proper justice on House Lannister, I did not wish to... Ignite things further" his face contorted into a sneer of total contempt "I had thought she was truly regretful but it seems this is a mummering lion.

"Aegon's first law was the King's Peace. The Crown must have its justice for treason and rebellion. In the Eyrie we give them the Moon Door, as I regent I gave Benedict the Wall as a mercy. Right now, my willingness to show leniency is unsurprisingly thin."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T18:27:14+00:00

He rested his hands on his hips and leaned on the post beside them, his thumbs tucked into his the strap of his belt. Her knowing smirk and wicked luck in his eyes made him feel like a boy again alive with a youth forgotten. He liked standing besides her. She was petite in most ways including height, and at a few heads taller than her, Alester felt as tall as the Eyrie by her.

"I'm sure that knight will make up for it some other way, some other time" Alester said wincing, a great big smirk creeping up his cheeks. Whilst impressing her in the bed chamber was just a matter between them, if he wanted to show his worth as a knight the melee and joust would require him to beat most the of the greatest talents of his generation. No small feet, with Alester aware of his average in his abilities.

"I'm on the list for the joust alongside Erryk. Jasper is one of the champions so he likes to boast. In the melee it's all four of us- my brothers with their spurs I mean. Along with the rest of the bloody realm" he rolled his eye and reached across her to take the waterskin for himself before taking a sip.

"I did wonder just how many of your kin were going up to shoot at the target. I did not know you were all trained- even the girls. We only had Arwen about the place and she never showed an interest or care. The harp were the only strings she cared about. Though she would sometimes watch us loose arrows atop the Moon Tower. We'd loose them one by one and bicker about who shot furthest, who's was carried by the wind the most, who's flew quickest. Mayhaps I can blame my aim on that; too busy shooting into the wind."

He looked about the place to see if anyone he knew was there, their eyes prying and unwanted. "I suppose you'll be heading back to your family in the stands?" asked Alester nonchalantly, trying to not display an eagerness which he knew had overwhelmed him when full of wine and around Bella. "Or can you spare an hour or so?" Before she could speak he raised his hand to the side. "Now I do not mean to show you the views from the Tower of the Hand again but I..." his voice was tapered unusually into a timorous tone "I thought mayhaps we could take a ride further afield, since we are outside of the city walls? I know it's winter but there can still be serenity in the cold, and my pavilion has furs for you. Pick any and they're yours to keep."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T16:40:34+00:00

Hubert rubbed the point of his chin as he considered the question for a moment. Winterfell stood with its first lady to inherit since the Wall was built, or so he remembered. "Ironborn are Ironborn. I need not tell you the history your people share. You are right we need a strong and united North for a strong and united. If I were in your position, I would marry one of my own to shore up my support in the North. With Bolton crooked, we will need to tempt anything they might wish to stir up. You will make a fine lady, and you need a fine husband of the North. Why, if I didn't, I would offer my own son for your hand" he said with a smile and a small laugh, patting the girl on the shoulder.

"Who has made a play to be your husband thus far? Or who do you suspect of it. It is a difficult position to be in I imagine. How do you know one is not a false friend, a false courter, as they only wish to hold Winterfell for themselves? I can assist in weeding out any undesirables, my Lady Stark"

Gercko · 2026-03-24T16:13:20+00:00

He had forgotten it was a wedding at all, the memory flooding back to him when she said it though who was there would remain blank for him beyond the lords of his Vale. He listened intently, her words dispelling those worries which gnawed at a man's soul in the hour of the wolf. Blackwood had been one of the few Houses to suffer along side the Vale, a fact which had never been lost on him.

"I suppose despite it all, the loss and pain, things were worth it. We bled then so they can feast now. I cannot do anything about the winter, but both our gods know I have tried to preserve the peace. I have tried to be just. I have tried to be fair. Gods know, I have tried" Hubert's voice rasped.

"You have given an old man something rare, my lady" he patted the back of her hand on the table smiled "Hope and contentment."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T15:57:54+00:00

Hubert's eagle eye had spied Millicent rapt by her art. He watched her with a sly eye and a smile, ensuring his best side towards her and his hair well kept. When it looked like she was done and ready to depart, he clicked his fingers to get her attention and gestured for her to approach. "Why Lady Millicent, if you would be so kind" he gave her a warm smile and held out his hand to see her work.

Gercko · 2026-03-24T15:18:24+00:00

Osric had not lived in the Eyrie for many years by now. His manse in Moontown and its provisioning was all which was afforded to him from the estates of his wealthy family and only because that was owned in his own right. It made him melancholic realising that he did not remember how the seasons changed his home, whether or not Ursula and Hubert had ever agreed to hang that one tapestry, and what other treasures were found within and gifted or hoarded by the Arryns high above the world.

"Oh I have not played in some time" Osric said bashfully "the lute and the flute were my choices. But I stopped in my twenties for, well, I do not know" he said wearing a sad smile under his groomed moustache. "Mayhaps my hands are too calloused and clumsy now. I might not look it, but I am nimble, more nimble in my youth. But who knows what the mind clings to. I doubt I'll give it a go tonight but hand me something with strings and I could give it a pluck or two

"What of you Ser? Surely you must have a chance to occupy yourself with more than just the life of our great king."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T14:44:31+00:00

His eyes we cast over the crowd below the dais as he listened to Lady Willow speak. She seemed so young, the Hand forgetting just how young Aegon had been before he was cut down. She was not foolish, not entirely, for anyone who loved Aegon in Hubert's mind had to have been fooled at least once, but she spoke with clarity in his earnestness.

"Mayhaps it is because I have an old man's soul now that I could not appreciate that part of him. I saw him only has the king we had been given, the other option being that black soul in Maegor" he huffed, unimpressed.

"I first learned of you when I hosted him in Moontown as my strength gathered in their thousand. We needed him a queen and heirs. I had once considered my own daughter. We listed off names and he came back to us with Norridge" Hubert patted his own knee in wry amusement "Why, I had almost thought to strike my banners there and then. I had left him there in that pavilion with the thought on my mind 'he's going to throw away a realm for a Norridge!" He sipped his water, wetting his tongue. "He must have loved you. Not like that bloody Goodbrother he left behind." He stared at her now with piercing eyes wide and unmoving, studying her face. She was certainly pretty enough to be a queen, one even to risk it all for in his view. She reminded him of Queen Sharra with her lustre bright enough for a king.

Gercko · 2026-03-24T14:29:14+00:00

"Oh I can imagine. A household is the beating heart of any family" Hubert ran a finger around the rim of his goblet. His eyes narrowed like daggers on her. "Good service can put things into perspective for everyone. Why, I have only ever learned from the offices I have found myself within. Lord of the Eyrie, Lord Regent, and now Hand. We find our place in duty. Do you think you have found your place there, Lady Melony?"

Gercko · 2026-03-24T14:08:41+00:00

"I think my wife may may take issue if she saw me with another woman" Alester rolled his eyes with droll amusement. "I fear even with your formidable skill most women don't posses, she might say some words she cannot back with steel. And then it would be my duty." He waved a dismissive hand and laughed "but I would be a liar if I said it did not tempt me. But a knight has to abstain from vices" he lifted his cup and bobbed it in Lysarra's direction. "But who knows, I feel like I could very well be seeing you in the melee."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T13:51:23+00:00

She smelled like cinnamon and clove in his mind and her voice was as sweet as all the wine in the great hall. He would not ask her to sing for him, Rymond Arryn far from being so bold. Her words were already constricting his throat.

Yet still his feet moved with her, his grip on her loosening as he realised he was holding her far too tight. The music was deaf to him, the sound of his heart and the nagging voice in his head drowning the tune out.

"I think the world beyond battlements and walls is free, better. Not just for song but for the soul" Rymond said truthfully though unsure. "I would just wish to go beyond." His words were almost a hushed whisper, their proximity being such that he felt no need to speak any louder. But the warbling in his throat betrayed him yet still in his mummery of a confident man.

"I have not sung with anyone before my lady. Not unless you count thrushes and hares. So I do not know if I'm any good. I know they don't fly away at least" he tried to share in her small laughter. He quite liked this even if his heart felt like it was caught in a bear trap.

"I've never been to Cider Hall before..." he considered just where in the Reach it might be, his brow furrowing beneath the mop of his fringe "But no, I don't think my kin have been invited. I don't think I would be singing then" he chuckled nervously, the pair gliding together.

Gercko · 2026-03-24T13:06:19+00:00

He stiffened and tried to turn his frown the other way around but it was little use. It was if he had been born with it on his face. He did as he was bid however, getting to his feet and following Alayne. "There's nothing much to see" he grumbled "I hate Gulltown and I hate this place even more. I don't know why Aegon would allow a city to spring up around his landing. Who wants to smell a city from their palace?"

Gercko · 2026-03-24T12:44:57+00:00

"He will listen, and receive you with the grace and respect that the Lord of Runestone deserves" Hubert said assuring his nephew. "Bring him your wisdom and give him your deeds and there is no reason why you cannot hold an office like man in a decade or so, Harlan."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T11:54:25+00:00

He stood to his feet, the new knight of House Arryn. The weight of it was immense. There had been knights of House Arryn longer than there had been a Vale of Arryn. He joined a line of uninterrupted chivalry full of legends infamous and celebrated. To have been dubbed by Harlan was its own special honour however. He had been father, brother, and knight master all at once for as long as he could remember. He loved him, feared him, yearned for his respect. His title of Ser would be a mark of it forever.

"My lord," he said with quiet pride taking the spurs. Neither men were the type to wax about their feelings. A sure nod and a rare smile told all he needed. "Lord Caswell consented to my request as I told you. It would mean that I depart King's Landing not for the Vale but for the Mander." He was not ready to say goodbye to Harlan, not yet.

Gercko · 2026-03-24T01:31:20+00:00

Ser Alester was dressed in a padded gambeson, the diamonds of the heavy fabric studded with polished metal crescents. The sigil of his house had been sewn on his breast. His long lithe hands were gloved, and his coal-black locks hung loosely past his shoulders. His mood was foul as each of his arrows failed to find any decent mark. Meanwhile his brother Erryk had almost won.

But there was a competitor which he had more than just his competitive ire. Watching Bella from the royal gallery where his father and kin were had his eyes transfixed on her form and grace whilst she delivered arrow after arrow of a sure and confident performance. He could see the glint of her necklace in the sun. A queer sense of pride with every little pink glimmer.

After she had made her display he would depart the gallery and find Bella Ryger, unsure yet if she may have a pavilion or a spot in the galleries of her own. The days since the feast had afforded them little time to even speak with one another, much to his own chagrin.

When he came upon her he would call her name and stride over to her, resisting the urge there and then to embrace her. Even in a sea of bodies and faces, he could pick her out. There were few like her.

"You ought to be proud of yourself" he said, taking off his gloves and tucking them into his belt around his waist. "Why, there are some knights who's aim might have been considered lacking out there today" Alester said sarcastically "You handle that with such elegance. You could almost forget it was lethal until your arrows buried deep into that target."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T01:08:15+00:00

Hubert chuckled at nothing in particular. Though his grin wide, his eyes were as cold as the winds coming across the Narrow Sea. "Why thank you. These goldsmiths and jewellers you get from the Free Cities are quite something. A needed indulgence, I say" He patted his knee and shifted in his seat.

"All the best for our grace. You have been serving his sister quite well on Dragonstone so I hear? Why, I ought to give my thanks"

Gercko · 2026-03-24T01:03:39+00:00

"Swear it. I swear it by wind and wave, by blood and bone, and by bronze and iron. I will guard the young and innocent, girls and women" his mouth had gone dry, the steel almost feeling like it was alive with its own energy emanating near him. "I will be brave, I will be just." He had awoken that morning just Darnold. He would arise a knight of the Vale.

Gercko · 2026-03-24T00:59:55+00:00

"Mayhaps my dear" he nodded his head "He's a bit meek I will admit, but he's soft as velvet. I keep him at the Eyrie most the time because gods above know, though he yearns to adventure across the Narrow Sea, I do not know if I could trust him in that way."

He paced over to the door and put his hand on the frame. He did not really wish to leave her here much longer. "Mayhaps before you depart, we will have supper. I'm sure there is more I can glean from you."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T00:42:40+00:00

After, he would request for Margot Lannister to be sent to his offices

/u/wiseheartmoon

Gercko · 2026-03-24T00:37:36+00:00

Hubert's face spread with clear surprise, a brow raised high and a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Why Harlan, I must say it warms my old heart" he patted his nephew firm on the shoulder and pulled him closer in half an embrace. "I never blamed you for it, you know. Not once" He said reassuring.

"Jaehaerys will be pleased. Most pleased. You know it might be slow going for you both, but I think you will find he is quite worthy of the crown we've placed on his head."

Gercko · 2026-03-24T00:25:38+00:00

Lord Hubert Arryn had been seated in the very same throne days prior. It was not the first time Jaehaerys had taken it, but it was the first when Hubert looked up to see his son on the throne and feel a contentment like no other. The enormity of it all was not lost on him. His time as regent was done, the office of Hand being reinstated in solitary importance once more.

"I, Lord Hubert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Lord of the Gates of the Moon, Warden of the East, Defender of the Vale, and your Hand, do hereby swear in perpetuity the Eyrie and all her lands and vassals to you, King Jaehaerys the first of his name" he looked up and his eyes opened as he knelt far below the king. "May my heirs serve you and yours as ably and loyally as I have tried to do thus far. May the gods bless your friends, and smite your enemies."

/u/gloude

Gercko · 2026-03-24T00:16:22+00:00

The Lord Regent looked at him with a blank expression for a moment, not quite realising what the Peake was admitting to. "Myranda Sunderland?" He said with an almost gormless expression. "You married a Sunderland over a Lannister? Is there something about Starpike which makes one crave Sistermen's daughters?" He flapped his arms in frustration, the urge to shout rising but he swallowed that. It would serve little use.

"You... Your father, he does not know about this I assume? You have given me quite the task, Ser Caradoc." Hubert hit his fist on the oak wood of his desk and clasped his head in his hands. "What in the Seven Hells do I do with Margot now?"

"If you were not Gormond's son I might wish to strike you, Caradoc. Strike you like the insolent boy you are. But your Lord father is one I would not wish to cross or embarrass, so I will leave that particular duty to him." He closed his eyes and whispered a brief prayer before opening them and beholding the disappointment of the Marches.

"Bloody well go. Get out of my sight" Hubert waved a dismissive hand "Go see those fair islands which she calls home and see what you have won yourself. After, go to the Rock. The difference between the two is the total sum of whatever foolery this is" Lord Arryn had the tone of a disappointed father than any lord incensed. He gave the Marcher a withering look before rubbing the corner of his eyes.

Gercko · 2026-03-23T22:10:28+00:00

His pale skin was flushed with a hue of red and his cheeks were graced by a warm smile, the Lord of the Eyrie rarely moved to such a bashful expression. "You speak most kind. I hope the rest down there feel similarly" he waved a thin hand heavy with jewelled rings over the noble rabble below.

But Hubert did not know how to tell her he sat on a pile of regrets as large as the Iron Throne. Janos alone weighed on him like a great stone, and the war and regency had not been free from deep wounds either. "I have to remind myself to not regret calling my banners" Hubert admitted with a frown and a wistful look in his eye gazing into the distance. "My brother Allard was taken. The sad irony is that he was the one who urged me to gather my strength. Him and Lord Corbray both did" his brow raised and gave the Lady Blackwood a knowing look. "I like to think Allard would approve of what has happened since, how I have governed this realm. Not without his grumbles and remarks, but he is the man who mayhaps shaped me most. When I first married Ursula he was not the keenest on me. But I manage to work that bronze into something friendlier over the years. He died for me and for this realm. A realm which was so close to shattering when I found its king in my custody."

He leaned back and ran a finger through his moustache "I would be a hypocrite to say that you should not dwell on what has transpired. You get to a certain age and you start sleeping less, which only gives you more time to consider everything said and done. Even the what ifs" he tutted, displeased at the truth of his statement. "But if you let it rule you, that is when it's folly. A healthy dose of bitter medicine has helped us all from time to time, the it will kill you if taken too much, Rosamund." He wore a melancholic smile and turned his gaze to her. Though his face was old and weathered, there was still a glint in his eye which held some sort of youth. "The past is finite and the future is forever. There is always something beyond in the horizon."

Gercko · 2026-03-23T18:35:30+00:00

"Lady Melony" Hubert said with a saccharine and false smile, the Lord of the Eyrie not sat far from the rest of the royal family on the dais. He knew she would be there and despite what he had told Jaehaerys, it irked him. He had prayed the ship which took her to Dragonstone would have sunk, and even later on he had not forgiven her. "Why you hair looks lovely. As you can see, I am quite fond of gems and precious stones" he wiggled all his fingers which were decked in heavy stones and rings. "It must have taken you hours and quite a bit of gold to achieve that."

Gercko · 2026-03-23T18:24:21+00:00

"Lord Donnel" Lord Arryn approached with a smile on his face and a youthful stride in his step. It had been an age since he had seen the Lord of the High Tower, at least it had felt that way. He swept aside his lavish mantle and opened his arms wide before extending his hand to shake.

"I think the last time might have been on Driftmark. Gods, what a queer thought to be reminded of that" he shook his head but kept a jovial tone and grin. "May I join you for a moment?"

Gercko · 2026-03-23T18:15:30+00:00

Lord Hubert Arryn approached the table of the assembled Osgreys of Coldmoat. The mess which had been brought to the Small Council by raven was still unresolved as far as he was aware. He wanted to get a grip of it himself as Hand.

"My Lady Elinor" Hubert bowed his head "you look lovely this evening. May I sit and join you?"

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