#jaime just wants to be fucked and loved and the modern world would allow his privileged ass to do just that

[ilynpilled]

modern au jaime would be unemployed his ass would not be doing anything

​jaimes story in canon is actually about the tragedy of a man that is forced to have a job

#ask #jaime just wants to be fucked and loved and the modern world would allow his privileged ass to do just that #we are on the same page anon #he would have a dream of knighthood + swordplay shit with a sport tho #but on a more serious note him being so opposed to inheriting power is not necessarily that he lacks determination #and he was fine with the rock before all that happened honestly #tho i doubt he would like it #anyway ye ambition isnt just about power like jaime does dream of glory too so he would want to achieve something #before he would fall off and burn out and THEN he would be unemployed

[ladyalice101]

jonsa fic recs

alright, i’ve had a couple requests for recs, so here is my list. these are all fairly recent fics, all written this year i think. all of them are from my bookmarks on ao3, but i picked the recent ones which are my god-tier recs, my oh-my-god-i-love-this-so-much-i-think-i’m-going-to-die, the ones i reread. they have very little in common, but if you don’t find anything on here that tickles your fancy, then feel free to check out my bookmarks. i have just over 100 on there, and every single one on there are fics that i think are absolutely phenomenal.

for @abi117 @why-cant-i-be-careless and @orangeflavoryawp

canon divergent

Victory by moutainsbeyondmountains. one-shot, 5489k.

“You won already, Your Grace,” Tyrion said mournfully. “Enjoy your victory. There are no lands left to conquer. And there are no more dragons.”

if you read no other fic on this list, read this one. seriously. it’s d.ny pov, and glorious. genuinely, i couldn’t give this high enough praise. i reread this A LOT. like, a lot a lot. i could probably quote this fic.

I Want Something so Impure by @asilentfrenzy. one-shot, 10166k.

“You have caused this, you and your queen. You allowed her to speak to me that way, allowed her to order my obedience in my own home as if I’m to be her new dog to train. I am the Lady of Winterfell, and your inbred aunt has no right to-”

“Aye, you are the Lady of Winterfell,” he growled, his eyes flashing with an added flame of fury at the mention of the woman’s newly found relations to him. “The same Lady of Winterfell who not too long ago advised me to be smart, yet it seems that you can’t follow your own advice.”

“Be smart,” she repeated, filling her face with a look of mocking humor. “By kneeling? By allowing her to seize my title and command my people? Perhaps I should offer her these chambers as well. Better, I’ll just offer them to you again, seeing as I’m sure you’ll be sharing a bed. Shall I fuck her as well? As I want to be just as smart as you, Jon.”

so if you couldn’t tell from the summary, this one is sassy af. it features darkish/dominant!jon, which is my jam, and is pretty much just 10k of smut, which is also my jam.

it’s a small crime, and i’ve got no excuse by mxash. 5/5, 8214k.

“did you see her?” sansa snarled, a hand come to pull at his collar, pulling his mouth down only hairs from her own. “your targaryen queen has dressed as though she was a whore to catch your eye.” jon smirked as she bit his lip. what was this? dany had almost recoiled in her disgust and shock, but she hadn’t been able to pull herself away from the horrific sight. my lover and his own sister.

this one serves some dark!jonsa realness, and it deserves more comments/kudos. it is written entirely in lowercase, but don’t let that distract you. the characters are dark, and devoted, and who doesn’t love d.ny catching jon and sansa fucking? seriously, this one is a must-read.

Dark in Bloom by @orangeflavoryawp​. oneshot, 8304k.

"His gravity wavers, the axis of his world tilted to the measure of her lips." - Jon and Sansa. The stain of desire bleeds slowly between them.

yeah orange, i’m reccing one of your own fics to you. seriously though, this is just like ... mindblowing. i cannot overstate how much i love this one. i literally will just randomly remember it sometimes, when i’m just going about my daily business, and i’m like “shit, that fic by orange was a masterpiece. love it.” so, yeah, if that doesn’t tell you how much i love it, then idk what will.

what i’m asking by @amymel86​. oneshot, 1173k.

"I'm not here to talk about that," Theon says, setting off another, thankfully smaller coughing fit. "I'm here to talk about Sansa."

Jon can feel the blood drain from his face. "Is she ill?"

Theon shakes his head, lifting his eyes to Jon as he coughs into his fist. "No," he finally says, his lungs giving him a small reprieve. "The Queen is in her prime. Which is why you are needed."

okay, ya’ll obvi know of amy. she writes so much fantastic fic. but i feel like this one kind of flew under the radar? which is a CRIME tbh. this fic was so ... it was so heartbreaking, but in the best way. it’s not that divergent from canon, bc the main thing that is truly different is that theon lives. seriously love this fic.

A Toss of the Coin by Paige242. one-shot, 3793.

Years after the war, the Queen in the North and the pardoned Queenslayer welcome their first child. Old traits emerge, and Jon worries about this Dragon in a den of Wolves.

ok, so this is a future fic where jon and sansa married. i don’t even know how to describe this one. it isn’t jonsa focused, but that doesn’t make it any less brilliant. it is so unique, and i’m yet to read another fic that explores the idea of one of jonsa’s kids inheriting some targaryen madness. there IS a part two, which was just as amazing. pls do yourself a favour and read this!

Choose by @esther-dot​. oneshot, 5630k

“I know the cost of our loves. I know too well how they fall on the scale, one outweighing the other. I know what you tried to tell me. I know.” She was looking at him now, and he was afraid, but he would say the words that he had been unable to silence. “I never had the chance to choose you, but I would. I would choose you every time.”

THE DIALOGUE IN THIS IS INCREDIBLE. i just reread this to try and find my fave quote, but i actually can’t even pick. there are just so many amazing conversations, between sansa and jon, sansa and d.ny, arya and jon .. ugh, the list goes on. love this, please read.

Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge by alltheshinywords. one-shot, 3187k.

Post 8x03, slightly AU. Tormund and Jaime inexplicably find themselves becoming matchmakers when they notice a certain chemistry between Jon Snow and Sansa Stark. Extreme fluff and silliness.

this one is the least angsty on the list, and honestly it’s just such a good time. i remember reading this while s8 was airing, and honestly it was just so light hearted that i laughed out loud several times, despite being heartbroken over what happening in the show.

canon, but alternative universe

leave behind a love story by aetherae. one-shot, 9562k.

Maybe if things had been different, they wouldn't be like this. They would be worse.

ok, so, despite the summary, i naively went into this expecting a happy ending. yeah, so, no. however, this was one of the most interesting fics i’ve read in a while, because each universe it explored was so different to the ones i usually see floating around. and the writing was SUPERB.

i fell in love with a war (and nobody told me it ended) by mountainsbeyondmountains. one-shot, 18752k.

In which the North and the South have been at war for years, and Sansa unexpectedly finds herself on the run with a certain Targaryen bastard.

this is an avatar/bender au, and it is GLORIOUS. after i read this, i promptly devoured every other fic this author has written bc i loved it so much. the bending is just a backdrop to the amazing enemies-lovers this fic delivers.

modern au

Fuel and Fire by @zarahjoyce​. currently 4608k, 4/?, WIP.

"You see?" Sansa says, smiling now. "If you really have to have a room far away from me, seems like you need to move into a different hotel." As an afterthought she adds, "Or to another planet."

"Bet you'd just love that, wouldn't you?" Jon asks her.

"Loads," she snarls.

He takes a deep breath, all the while just looking at her.

Truth be told Jon will give anything in the world to be able to just-- just--

-

Jon and Sansa, and all the tropes applicable to them.

All. The. Tropes.

ok so zarah in general writes AMAZING fic, they’re always so creative and inventive and i’m always genuinely shook by the fic they write. but like, this one is the god tier one BC TROPES.

when we kiss: mmmm, fire by @dancemajicdance​. 8/8, 39705k.

Sansa might be seeing someone casually, but thanks to Arya, Robb, and Theon, it’s Jon who’s got the inside track on how to get Sansa to take him seriously.

aka: the one where jon finds out that sansa has a daddy kink, and he uses it to seduce her away from the dating scene and into his arms, heeeey-oh!

yes yes, it’s a daddy kink fic, and it’s fucking glorious alright. if that’s not your thing though (even though i’m pretty sure this fic is EVERYONE’S thing) then please, for the love of god, check out the rest of their stuff on ao3. you won’t regret it. even though they don’t write much jonsa anymore, the prolific contributions they HAVE made will go down in history as some of the best jonsa ever written imo.

As Long As We're Going Down by @alienor-woods​. 9/12, currently 42228k, WIP.

Four years after Stannis Baratheon wins the Battle of the Blackwater, Sansa Stark finds herself summoned back to King's Landing to serve as a bridesmaid at Crown Princess Shireen's wedding. When King Stannis tries to marry Sansa off to his illegitimate nephew, Edric, she thinks quick and tells him she's already married--

--to her bodyguard, Jon Snow.

i actually don’t know how to explain how much i love this. it’s written so beautifully, and it’s so realistic and just ugh. read it. the adaption to modern royalty is the best i’ve ever read, and the characters are very raw, and very realistic. (also, yes, the characters have gotten together at this point in the story, in case you were scared of committing to a wip without the satisfaction of some hot and heavy scenes).

#jonsa #jon x sansa #jonsa fic #fic rec #jonsa fic rec #actuallyjonsa

[22drunkb]

Some thoughts about Bran Stark

Okay, so--not to butt in and trample around, as someone who never read the books and stopped watching the show sometime around season 3--but the thing is, I feel like the ending has finally allowed me to understand exactly what it was that turned me off Game of Thrones, which I never quite did put my finger on till now, and I want to at least write it out once. (Ironically, this has made me like the story better, though not its execution.) To attempt a spoiler-free summary: I’m going to be thinking about the thematic structure of the story and why that should make certain things make sense, and how they came to not make sense anyway.

The thing is, thematically and structurally, Bran ending up king makes absolute and perfect sense. It’s just that they didn’t write the story in line with the structure they were given. The problem with the show is--and always has been--that the writers don’t actually understand what “subverting fantasy tropes” means or could look like, and they don’t care about it in any meaningful way. What they care about is doing big, bloodthirsty, quasi-historical fiction with a lot of nudity. (See: the Civil War show they wanted to do.) And Bran’s whole situation only makes sense (or would have made sense, if executed properly) in the context of high fantasy.

Keeping in mind that complicating high fantasy tropes was an important part of what Martin reportedly set out to do, each of the Stark kids (the story’s backbone) had a clear thematic purpose. Each of them a) was a take on a trope, b) had a clear character trajectory that would allow that take on the trope to be developed while functioning as a working character arc, and c) through that trope-inflected arc, could allow the audience a window into specific part of the society (i.e., they supported the worldbuilding), which in turn allowed the further development of these takes on the tropes by giving them specific, appropriate settings and side characters to bounce off of. This is to say that GRRM did a good job setting himself up to do “trope subversion” in a way that would comment on the things he wanted to comment on, function as part of a larger world and story, and help support a plot that would be in harmony with all of the above. This is one very solid approach to character design. To be clear, despite this paragraph being about characters, I’m talking about themes--it has nothing to do with their personalities or whatever. This is about what ideas come together in the concept of each character and therefore how each character’s story develops the ideas.

A good reason to approach character design in this way is if you have set out to subvert, complicate, comment on, or otherwise mess with genre tropes. To do so, the characters have to themselves be tropes, or at least be designed in close relation to tropes, in order to derange them. So like, just to take the simplest two examples:

Robb: The Prince. Firstborn, shining favorite, destined to inherit. Set up (normally) to avenge his father, restore order to his kingdom, and go home. Bungles it entirely by seeking true love; meanwhile, in the course of his story we learn about the regional politics of the North, the politics of alliances by marriage and kinship, etc. Narratively, his failure allows the entire political and military situation to get infinitely more clusterfucked. All of those pieces fit together well thematically.

What is being subverted here is the prince’s marital destiny. We have loads of fairy and fantasy stories about prince and prince-types for whom pursuing true love just happens to be convenient (they can marry whoever they want), or whose pursuits of love are rescued by fate (his true love turns out to be his promised princess all along! She’s secretly a magical being of some sort, and that trumps betrothal agreements! The one he was originally supposed to marry died or decided to marry someone else! etc). This is totally kosher in traditional high fantasy (or in the folklore that the genre draws on) because it’s an expression of the harmony of the story-world; the characters go through their trials and adventures and end with a resolution in the form of marriage that announces that all is as it should be. What it looks like GRRM set out to do is ask what happens when people still follow those rules and the rules aren’t in harmony with the world they live in.

In particular, the entire thing points square at the fact that princes are political animals. It seems to me that Robb’s story was meant to say, well, actually, sometimes people with power just have to marry people they don’t love as a condition of being powerful (which comes up constantly throughout the whole show). After Ned and Catlyn, basically every “true love” couple is dysfunctional, incestuous (Cersei and Jaime, Daenerys and John), and/or gets narratively stomped on, as far as I’m aware. (Did Sam and Gilly make it? If so, I think that’s allowed because they’re commoners.) Ironically, Ned and Catlyn set Robb up to fuck up by modeling one of these convenient political-and-true-love marriages. He thought he was supposed to be allowed to have it all. He was wrong. The end. Next. But the show seemed to expect me to feel that the outcome was unjust and tragique for Their Love, when all that was unjust and tragique about it was that Robb was idiot enough to bring the consequences of his actions on his entire group of followers. That is the point. That his status has to constrain his behavior, and when it doesn’t it has consequences for others. The status itself is what’s being problematized.

Jon: The Secret Heir. Second-oldest, bastard-born, treated with contempt. In relation to the family, literally a supplementary person. Set up (normally) to be rediscovered as the true heir to the throne and end up as king (moving from the margins to the center; getting the acceptance he couldn’t have as a bastard). The twist is the “true” dynasty he represents is composed of inbred lunatics, and his potential access to the throne goes not only via that bloodline but via repeating their tradition of incest. Dovetailing nicely with that, he was set up from the start as less wanting access to the kinship system than wanting to be free of it, so instead of becoming king by virtue of being a Targaryen, he stops the reinstatement of the Targaryen line altogether. Meanwhile, for most of his story, as a “supplementary person” he gives the audience a view into a lot of corners of Westeros that are concerned with what is excluded from Westeros: the Night’s Watch, the Wildlings, and indeed the White Walkers.

Again, all of that lines up together well. It’s part of the larger derailment of the blood-as-destiny notion of a “true” king, heir, ruling dynasty, etc. (I think the main reason GRRM goes so hard on the incest, not to mention having not one but THREE bastard characters, is in service of this; it also means Jon’s character arc of wanting out of the bloodline system fits into the thematic structure. See? Everything ties together neatly.) But I mean. We all know the character was not executed well.

And so on. I could do the same for Sansa and all the rest of them. (Sansa and Arya are probably the two most successful executions of what their character designs set them up to do; it’s not a coincidence those are the characters whose stories people seem to be happiest with.) But the thing is, a lot of these tropes, while certainly common in high fantasy, are also found in lots of other genres. Chosen Ones and Unexpectedly Eligible Chosen Ones and Princesses and Warrior Maidens (whether in literal forms or not) show up all over the place. The fact that these aren’t strictly fantasy archetypes perhaps means they were less prone to being mishandled. Bran, though. Bran belongs firmly and only in high fantasy. He is, literally, supposed to be a magic priest-king. A take on the Fisher King, even (I’ll explain about that later). And his story was weighted toward the end because of what it seems like Martin was trying to do more broadly, meaning it was much more on the showrunners to do it right.

High fantasy is always trying in some way to engage with ~the numinous~, which is to say the sort of never-explainable mystery and magic of the world. Magic in high fantasy is usually closely tied to deep time, the land, nature, or the metaphysical. Ancient beings, lost secrets, nature spirits, hidden realms, that sort of thing. It’s part of the genre’s inheritance from the mythology and folklore it’s all based on, which had a much more enchanted, vitalist view of the world than we generally do now. (In a way, that’s the purpose for high fantasy’s existence as a modern genre--keeping some access to that.) What Martin set the whole story up to do was question the tropes that often go along with the genre by making the setting one in which almost everybody has forgotten about all the magic and mystical knowledge that is in their history. Westeros is an extreme, historicized take on the Shire, basically. (”English pastoralism you say? I’ll see you and raise you the English Civil War” -- George R.R. Martin, presumably.) They have no notion of what’s really out there and what’s really possible in the world, and have quite comfortably isolated themselves in a situation where they need not remember. As a result, the social institutions that were developed long ago in relation to the ancient magics and knowledges become, instead, just social norms that can be manipulated, distorted, and played out in a much more historical-fiction kind of fashion, which gives Martin lots of room to point out that, say, ironclad patriarchal bloodlines cause problems. (That is, if you take away any magical justification, by virtue of connection to the land or the spirit realm or what have you, for the right to rule, then you stop having to have your One True Kings also be good people. It allows him to pull apart the different pieces of that trope and suggest that their being connected in the first place is questionable. Which it is! He’s right and he should say it!)

But the magic has to come back at some point, or else it’s really not high fantasy. And it seems like what he wanted to do was have all these elements from outside Westeros--the White Walkers, that god whose name I’ve forgotten, and Daenerys with her dragons--converge on it such that the characters would have to go back to their deep history and call those things back up in order to deal with the real world they live in (instead of the wealthy political bubble of all the scheming) and thus get to a point where they could actually change their system for the better. You can think of it as a very elaborate deus ex machina in a way, except the deus ex machina isn’t Daenerys showing up with dragons to fight the White Walkers or Arya having trained (again, outside Westeros, for the record) just the right way for killing the Night King. It’s all of these external forces forcing the characters in Westeros to get their fucking shit together. Otherwise there’s really no resolution to the war, in a high fantasy version of the story. It’s just historical fiction with some weird bells and whistles. Without a need to go back and figure out whatever the First Men were up to, there’s no incentive to go back to the numinous. That he intended for sure that some version of a return of the numinous end up being a big part of the climax is reinforced for me by the fact that the Starks--again, the backbone of the whole story--are set up as being unusually in touch with this mystic/magical heritage (the old gods, the crypt, the godswood) and unusually faithful to the traditional ways. They were introduced that way for a reason.

So where does Bran come in. The thing is that Bran is literally named after the mythic founding king of Westeros, Bran the Builder. The other thing is that both of those Brans are clearly named after Bran the Blessed, a literal mythic god-king from Welsh mythology whose name means crow (but who for various reasons also often gets associated with ravens, which in turn are commonly associated with transcendent knowledge, magic, etc; it’s a long story). So you have a younger member of the story’s key Stark family, already closer to the sources of magic and mystery than most. You name him after the founder of Westeros who lived in a time of magic, traffic with other beings, and great building works and other inherited accomplishments for which the associated knowledge has since been lost, etc. You have him gain mystical abilities to transfer his consciousness to other bodies, or through time (absolutely typical Mystic Powers). You have him even take on a special priestly status passed down from the era of magic by leaving Westeros to hang out with other kinds of magical beings, which means he is now explicitly named both Bran and Raven.

OBVIOUSLY this kid is supposed to be king. He’s going to restore the realm to a situation in which the ruler, the realm, its various life forces and nature spirits, and the metaphysical are all connected to one another and, in a sense, present in the same body (which is the kind of genuine mythological shit high fantasy is always drawing on). But the writers then just sat around and did nothing with him for years on end until whoops hey he’s king now. Of course no one thinks it makes any sense!! It’s fucking malpractice!!!!

If you go to the GOT Wiki and just read Bran’s page, everything makes sense and lines up well in terms of a list of events. (Although it’s really notable how short the entry from s8 is, and how everything it lists is things that happen to Bran, pretty much.) There is a progression that makes sense. But from what I understand--this was certainly the situation when I stopped watching--nothing was ever done to suggest that any of this mattered. The Three-Eyed Raven, the forest spirits, the magics and so on--it was treated at most as a backstory machine. It had no connection to or effect on the rest of the story, so far as I can tell. The fact that none of this played into the battle with the White Walkers at all is flatly insane. The thing I most remember people saying about Bran after that episode wasn’t even “Why didn’t he use X or Y that he learned in the forest?” but “Why was he there?” which just goes to show how completely and utterly bungled this entire piece of the narrative was. Like, if your high fantasy story is making its audience ask “Why would the story put the one character with the greatest knowledge of ancient magics and powers at the scene of a battle against an all-but-forgotten ancient threat,” then I’m sorry, it has gone fully off the rails, and not just in its most recent season. That’s not subversion, it’s just fully dropping the ball.

You know what would make sense as a lead-in to Bran becoming king? Oh, his performing some spectacular feat of insight, magic, strategy, or all three at the battle that no one else could have pulled off because no one else had his background or powers. Even after years of screwing this part of the story over, that could at least have bothered to make a case for why any of it mattered to the rest of the story. It would not have been very subversive, but when you’ve fucked up this royally you don’t get to be precious about your radikal innovative approach, Davids. I can’t believe Peter Dinklage had to sit there and make a bullshit speech about storytelling, when a decently-handled story would have made it seem natural and self-evident by then (you can still have surprises along the way!) that Bran should be king.

Anyway, in closing: part of the reason I checked out when I did was that I felt like they weren’t doing the things I thought they should do as the story developed. Genuinely, one key part of that was that they seemed to be doing absolutely nothing with Bran, which was baffling to me because it seemed obvious to me he was set up to be an incredibly important character. At the time, I thought they were going somewhere close to this with Bran but just taking way too long at it for some reason. What’s now clear is that the showrunners didn’t understand what they should have been doing with him. (Everybody who was taken aback by this outcome is not a fool for not seeing this. They were, quite reasonably, following the narrative cues they were given along the way, all of which said “Bran doesn’t matter.” It’s maybe clearer to me because I stopped watching.) And what that now makes clear, in my opinion, is that they never really understood what Martin was trying to do by “subverting fantasy tropes”; that in fact they didn’t really understand the genre, let alone what subverting it entailed. Which is exactly what bothered me about it even years after I stopped watching, but couldn’t put my finger on--until, ironically, they proved me right about Bran.

#game of thrones #bran stark #bran the builder #bran the blessed #i really tried no to write this bc who wants to get into got discourse right now but i couldn't get it off my mind #so here #i had a whole thing about disability and the fisher king but honestly it wasn't necessary #let's just say i think what martin (presumably) had in mind for ''bran the broken'' was something more complex #probably still fucked up! but differently

[bellonablake]

Jonsa Fanfiction Recommendations

Because season 8 is starting and I am filled with angst, have this list of fanfics I’ve enjoyed recently!

(I have no shame. Most of these are rated E.)

canonverse au

And the Geese Are Headed North Again by yekoc [E]

In the dark and honest part of her that Sansa is no longer afraid of, she had thought that Jon would die, and she was no sadder than she was relieved. In the months that she ruled Winterfell while the great war of men and wights waged around them, she felt herself growing into her power, sinking her roots back deep into the Northern soil. She enjoyed it, ruling. She was good at it. And at night, she had a wide bed and a door that locked and she was never cold. If Jon died in the war, she would miss him like she missed Robb and Rickon and Bran. She wouldn’t miss her husband.

Seeing him now, she notes the absence of the relief and joy that marked her first glimpse of him at Castle Black. Instead, she feels a too-familiar grief: my brother is gone.

you were born with a word on your tongue by Dialux [T]

Sansa leaves Winterfell to marry Prince Jon Targaryen, but the road south is treacherous beyond imagining; when Sansa is betrayed, she is all alone. Terrified, she assumes the personality of Alayne- a bastard from the Vale, who herds geese for the King.

[Goose Girl AU, where families have magic and Sansa is a princess in the North, but things get worse before getting better.]

time's been kind to you, my love by Dialux [E]

Sansa knows her loyalties lie with the Northern independence. Robb might have forgotten her, but she hasn’t forgotten him. Married to Tyrion, beaten by Joffrey- she’s never allowed herself to forget. Sansa has Stark engraved deep into her blood and bone. She’s been a quiet girl for long enough: wolves are protective of their own, after all, and it’s time she lived up to that.

[Aged up Jon and Sansa, set in an universe where, on Jon’s fourteenth birthday, Ned tells him his true parentage and Jon goes to Essos instead of the Wall; upon hearing of Sansa’s predicament in King’s Landing, he returns with an army.]

the demons around you by dropofrum (95echelon) [E]

When Jon came back for her, he came with dragons. Dragons, and an army, and the promise of a crown, but all Sansa had ever wanted was him.

(Or, the one in which Jon Snow knows his heritage, and the day Lord Stark betroths Sansa to Joffrey fucking Baratheon, he packs his things and travels to the other end of the world. The other end of the world turns out to be Astapor.

Astapor, and Daenerys Stormborn.)

Found In Forbidden Nights by alienor_woods [E]

In which Robb Stark still refuses to trade Jaime Lannister for his sisters, but Jon Snow decides if being an oathbreaker means he can tell strategy and politics to fuck off, then it's worth it to take matters into his own hands.

(It’s the after, though, that Jon and Sansa hadn’t bargained on.)

What a Disappointment by just_a_dram [E]

Sansa Stark and Jon Targaryen are married and neither of them is pleased about it. Set in a world where Rhaegar lives and Jon was raised in King's Landing as a legitimized bastard.

ain’t no grave can hold my body down / i’ll crawl home to her by kattyshack [E]

written for jonsa kink week on tumblr: day 1: dark jon + virginity kink:

Once the resurrected Jon Snow has retaken Winterfell with his cousin Sansa Stark at his side, he’s determined that the North will keep its queen — but Jon will take the woman for himself.

Snow Kisses by caesia [E]

The sky sends icy kisses falling against her cheeks, but Jon’s kiss still burns on her lips.

modern au

As Long As We're Going Down by alienor_woods [T]

Four years after Stannis Baratheon wins the Battle of the Blackwater, Sansa Stark finds herself summoned back to King's Landing to serve as a bridesmaid at Crown Princess Shireen's wedding. When King Stannis tries to marry Sansa off to his illegitimate nephew, Edric, she thinks quick and tells him she's already married--

--to her bodyguard, Jon Snow.

no such thing by dropofrum (95echelon) [E]

It's the same old story: Girl falls in love with prettyboy vigilante, girl falls in bed with insanely hot coworker, boy seriously contemplates a schizophrenic breakdown.

(Or, Sansa is Lois Lane, Jon Snow is some weird composite of Clark Kent and Batman, and for a story that was supposed to be funny, there's more angsty fucking in this one than I ever intended.)

i got only good intentions (so give me your attention) by kattyshack [E]

inspired by ang’s (@recklessflyboi) thirst for a jonsa fic based on this song, and this chat post by @porcelainsansa on tumblr:

Sansa: I am sorry, I just sneezed and liked your post by accident. Jon: And commented “damn daddy” on all my selfies? Sansa: I have the flu.

In Case of Fire by Jade_Masquerade [E]

After Sansa quarrels with Arya on the traditional Stark family fall camping trip, Jon finds himself unexpectedly sharing his tent, sleeping bag, and more.

A Summer of Snow by Jade_Masquerade [E]

Sansa spends her last few months before going off to college getting closer to Jon.

when we kiss: mmmm, fire by kattshack [E]

Sansa might be seeing someone casually, but thanks to Arya, Robb, and Theon, it’s Jon who’s got the inside track on how to get Sansa to take him seriously.

aka: the one where jon finds out that sansa has a daddy kink, and he uses it to seduce her away from the dating scene and into his arms, heeeey-oh!

Sex and Reps by caesia [E]

Some yoga instructors disdained weightlifting, but Sansa found the isolation of muscle groups and the repetitive motions entrancing. Jon and Sansa meet at the gym.

loving you’s a bloodsport by kattyshack [E]

Jon hadn’t begun the evening with a plan to bleed all over the Starks’ pristine white sitting room. But now there’s a scarlet stain on Catelyn’s Persian rug and Jon’s nursing a bloody nose in the kitchen.

Or: Catelyn Stark isn’t pleased when Jon Snow makes a spectacle of himself at her latest cocktail party, but her daughter certainly isn’t raising any objections to the way he chooses to defend her honor.

you know the way to make me lose control by kattyshack [E]

If you’d told Sansa Stark that she would one day find herself tabletop dancing with a shirtless Jon Snow to a Mariah Carey song at one of the Tyrells’ raucous parties… -well…- It’s just a lot to take in. Suffice it to say, she’d never quite expected this—and she certainly never expected what comes after.

Or, as advertised on Tumblr: the sweaty, grinding, fakeout makeout wallsex jonsa fuck fic

#jonsa #jonsa fanfiction #jon x sansa #got #got fanfiction #asoiaf #my fanfic recs

[firesign23]

#Like Brienne's ending wasn't BAD#she's in a respected position at least#(though I do have issues with her taking that position for a bunch of reasons and feel free to ask for THAT rant) - Hi! Can we have that rant, please? :D

*cracks knuckles* So, first of all, none of this rant is going to be particularly new–the whole Brienne becomes Lord Commander of the Kingsguard has been rightfully pilloried since the episode aired. And I could take more time and do a better structured essay on the topic complete with rage-filled screaming, but y’all are just getting my mildly irate rant.

Brienne’s ending is… one of the better endings for women in the show, if you can divorce it from the other endings and probably all logic. Fuck yeah, my badass warrior goddess has been given one of the most respected positions in the realm. #grrrlpower(sponsoredbyWenchesWeekly) But that doesn’t make it good.

Celibacy – Let’s just start with this, because we all know it is coming. No woman, and especially an unconventional woman like Brienne, is allowed to have love in this world. And it’s really just a particularly blatant version of “Women are not allowed to have everything, they have to choose–love or career? ambition or family? etc” bullshit that has been not-so-subtly controlling our stories for decades. Brienne is a woman who loves, deeply, so naturally she takes a position that means she can have no husband or child, and puts her in an awkward position with the family she had found. (It might have just been me, but the Ser Podrick scene just felt… off) But even if we believe she doesn’t REALLY want love, or is just so super heartbroken over Jaime that she won’t love again, we have…

Duty to her house – Look, she’s the only child of a noble house. The books are more explicit about this “Marrying and producing an heir is her duty” element, but even the show points out that she is an only child. By becoming Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, she’s basically just went “LOL, entire island of people I have a responsibility towards, guess you’re out of luck.” Which… I mean, if it could be presented in such a way that it is clear she has to choose her own needs over duty, I’d be down for it. We don’t get any such indication. 

Duty to her previous vows – If we want her to be Lord Commander, why wouldn’t it be for Sansa, Queen of the North? The one she’s been sworn to protect for years? Or at least give us one damn line of Sansa and Brienne saying goodbye along the lines of “You have served me so well, Ser Brienne. Caring for my brother is the last duty you can perform for me.” Without it, the whole damn thing reads like “Here’s a shiny job for any generic knight, everything you promised is irrelevant.” Speaking of which…

Vows of a Knight – The last true knight of Westeros, the Ur-Knight of Myth and Song, has become a glorified bodyguard. It is prestigious, yes, but not particularly useful for holding up the vows she had been charged with, the vows she had wanted (and been living her life by) for YEARS. In a modern AU, this would be Pro Bono Lawyer Brienne taking a high flying job because they promise her she can do her pro-bono work three days a year. “But she wanted to be in Renly’s Kingsguard.” Yes, she did. AND THEN SHE HAD AN ENTIRE FUCKING CHARACTER ARC LEARNING ABOUT WHAT TRUE KNIGHTHOOD IS. 

Cost of the Role – She knows, better than anyone, how fucked up the Kingsguard can be. She saw the price it demanded of Jaime. She’s now serving a King who is not even completely human. But it’s a-ok because there’s a Very Important Role for her to serve in this narrative, that of…

The Silenced Biographer – Brienne’s final scene is her silently chronicling a (heavily sanitised, aka blatantly untrue) version of Jaime’s life, with no mention of her own role.  “Escaped imprisonment and rode south in an attempt to save the capital from destruction.” Fuck you, Dumb & Dumber. You want to make Jaime Lannister a sad little addict who definitely only cares for Cersei’s cooch? THEN YOU FUCKING OWN UP TO IT, NOT LEAVE BRIENNE TO GIVE HIM ABSOLUTION. It’s a beautifully acted and scored scene, but the script makes it abundantly clear that she’s just doing her duty, silent and lying. The price the Kingsguard demands is already being paid. Brienne of Tarth deserves better than to silently witness the fall of her own morality.

Any and all of these points would be fine alone. Or not FINE, but falling within the range of Ways I Expect Game of Thrones to Suck. I could even meta most of them away. But together? We are being asked to believe that Brienne of Tarth gave up her own vows and duties and desires in favour of someone else’s perception of glory, and I’m not having it.

#Brienne of Tarth #(and my heart) #GoT meta #I don't even go here #the writing's no good #(thank you Essie)

[tidustargaryen]

Honestly, do you think Jon was right to kill Thorne, Olly? Jon's fans will answer yes, and that's perfectly normal. They kill your favorite character, for reasons that make no sense to you being given that Jon did the right thing. Yes he was right to save the Freefolk, because we know what's behind the wall, we know what happens when the Night King kills Freefolk'people.

The question is: Do Thorne and Co. know it? Most do not believe in the WW, and it's totally normal, if I come to tell you that I saw the Night King in my garden will you believe me? Others know that there are of course strange things beyond the wall, others know that the WW exist but are not totally convinced of the threat until they see it in front of them, like Dany, like the Starks during the battle of Winterfell.

For them, Jon let pass savages, who will kill, plundering and rape the people of Westeros. The women of their families, the children, like Olly who saw his family being killed and then devouring.

You think Olly was wrong to kill Jon? After what he saw? After he witnessed the horrors made by Freefolk without knowing the threat or believing the existence of the WW?

For these traitors, because yes, they still betrayed their commanders, but they had circumstances to do so, but for them, Jon allowed the main enemy, against whom Night's Watch was created, according to what they believe, to pass the wall, to enter the lands of the kingdom to perpetuate the murders, the rapes and the pillages and they are right to believe it, being given that when Tormund and Ygritte have to pass the wall, they have destroyed at least one village.

It's the same for Jaime, he's killing the Mad King, he betrayed his oath, his king, but for good reason, because the Mad King was going to explode the city. He is still an Oathbreaker, but he did what was right for him, for us too. But not for others, for others, he was a Kingslayer, a man without honor.

Jon did what was right for him, for us, just as Thorne and Co. did what was right in their eyes.

It's the same for Mirri Maz Duur, I hate what she's actually doing because she did it against my favorite character, because of her, Dany is cursed, she lost her husband and child.

But, I know that she has also done what is right for her, her people have always suffered Dothraki violence, murder, looting, rape, slavery. She just wanted to save her people, they are very faithful, and the stallion who mount the world was a great danger to them.

I'm still pro Dany but I still know that Mirri had her reasons, reasons that make no sense for Dany, but Mirri did what was right for her people.

Dany, in burning her, did what is right for her betrayal, her husband and child'deaths.

As GRRM said, not everything is white or black, and what seems right to you may not be in someone else's eyes.

And it's the same for Jon and Dany.

That's why i write this. You say: The fans of Dany / Jonerys show their true colors, they do not like Jon but I return you this sentence ...

Jon / Jonerys fans, do you really like Dany? Or is she just a beautiful woman that Jon needs to empty his balls?

It's the same problem, from your point of view you're right, you think it's just what Jon did, I think it's not.

Jon did to Dany what Thorne and Co. did to him. He hated what his brothers did to him... but he did that to a woman he pretend to love ? (Yeah fuck you D&D or George if he make the same ending for Jonerys)

As I explained: Thorne and co did what they did because from their point of view, Jon had betrayed Night's Watch, they wanted to punish him and then I guess they would have done what was necessary to the Freefolk goes back beyond the wall.

Jon betrayed Dany because he wanted to save his family, yes he does not approve what she did to KL, but that's when Tyrion raised the threat against his sisters (especially Sansa because she revealing Jon's kinship, which led to Varys' assassination attempt on Dany) that Jon reconsidered the murder.

Was it fair? It's up to everyone. I'm sure for Dany, including her followers, it's Jon the traitor, Jon is wrong. For those who are on the side of Jon, he made the right choice.

Should he kill her? I think not. Do you seriously think he was not able to stop her without killing her? He could imprison her, he made the worst choice. It was not only his queen, it was his aunt, it was his lover. You tell me seriously that he had only one choice, and that was to kill her?

Jon made the wrong choice, the worst choice. And that's why people who love Dany, even if Dany is not necessarily their favorite character, can love Dany and favor Jon or another character, defending her. The people that Dany kill, those are the same people who died all along the show. Extras, people without names. I have never seen anyone complain about lost innocent lives. Do you think that the soldiers who died during the Battle of Blackwater with the Wildfire, Tyrion's plan, deserve it? 

They were soldiers, certainly, but some, or a lot, have no choice, they have to fight for their Lords, otherwise they are executed. They were innocent just like the people of KL. But I do not see anyone insulting Tyrion.

And this is one of many examples, it is always Dany who is wrongly accusing for her choices. You honestly think that if Tywin, Stannis, Cersei and even Jon, if they had dragons, you think they would not use them? Jon would certainly use them to take over Winterfell. And no one would be sorry. Everyone would have been happy. Because it was revenge. It was good to kill the Boltons, the Lannisters, the Freys.

But not the slavers? You think that's what slavers do is good ? They crucified 163 children .... children .... and people cry because these same slavers found themselves in turn crucify?

When Arya makes cooking recipes with humans, is that right?

That a father, despite all the horrors he has been able to do, deserves to eat his own children?

Yes ? So slavers also deserve to be crucified as they crucified the children.

But Dany was always blaming for the justice she has done. Why ? Because she is a woman? Because she's not a Stark? And that she is the daughter of the Mad King? Because a woman should not have so much power?

Daenerys did not deserve to die, otherwise, almost all the characters in the show deserve it.

She did not deserve to die from the hands of the man she loves, during a kiss, after promising her help to the North, she made the right choice, but she did not have to help .... If she had refused to help Jon, she would have been criticizing for being selfish, thinking only of the Iron Throne. But she was also criticizing for helping, no matter what she did, during that season she was losing.

I hate this season because the authors did everything to make people hate Daenerys, they wanted to force the viewer's mind by completely forgetting the logic of their story. The only goal, to make believe that Daenerys is crazy and evil.

I am proud to say that, for my part, they have not succeeded. They will not have succeeded in forcing my mind to think that Daenerys deserved this fate, after the crappy life she had, after the flight to the free cities, the famine, the violence of her brother, the rape, the slavery, the scorn of men, and all that she had to endure, she did not deserve to be killed by the man she loves.

Yes I am angry against Jon, and it is a human reaction, to kill this woman for a kiss while he had no choice! He did what Thorne and Co. did to him, he hated being betrayed for passing the Freefolk south of the wall, he hated the betrayal of his brothers, and he did the same thing to Dany?

But Dany deserves it for what she did?

I don’t care, I don’t care about the people of KL, the same people who applauded the death of Ned Stark, who licked the feet of the Lannisters, who spit on Yara, applauded Euron, who have, for all the trouble she did, spit and insult Cersei during the march of shame, she made bad choices to protect her family, but I think no one deserves to be humiliated in public as she was. Nobody.

Yes, of course, from my personal point of view, I will love that Dany does not kill innocent people, but she did not suffer enough? The rejection of people when she comes to help the North, she lost a dragon to help Jon, if she had let him die beyond the wall, you'd be happy? No. If she had let him die during the battle at Winterfell would you be happy? No. Dany save Jon, and what did he do? He rejected her, because she’s his aunt ? The incest in medieval times shocked anyone ... except between parents / children, brothers / sisters (Except in Targaryens family), and among the Targaryens and even among the Starks it is common, the grandparents of Jon were cousins ​​and on the side of the Targs, brothers and sisters .... Moreover, he slept with Dany while he knew that she was descended from a family where they were almost all incestuous, her parents are brother and sister. Sorry but I do not sleep with a guy whose whole family tree is incestuous, it repels me, because incest is wrong and disgusting in modern time, but not in medieval era. Jon did not mind, because in medieval times, for people it was normal. As normal as it is abnormal for us now. But once he knows that Dany is his aunt he is disgusted? It does not make sense.

But hey, let's say it's normal to be disgusted ...

This does not prevent him from going to see Dany, to comfort her, to defend her against the ingratitude of the Starks and the North, to console her, to tell her that he is sorry for the death of Missandei, Rhaegal, the dragon he was riding ... To be simply a support for her, not just a loyal subject who behaves like a robot ... He could have stopped her before she does that when she says "Let it be fear" ... It's still a big clue to what she's going to do: reign in fear. So do bad things, and he does not do anything to stop her? While later he does not hesitate to kill her?

It's not just the murder of Dany, it's all this series of events, all this bashing on her character that is disgusting, and while we were waiting for comfort in the scenes of Jonerys, we have that ? Jon rejected her? Jon killed her? 

We have the right to be angry, angry towards D & D, towards Varys, Tyrion, Sansa, the North the Starks and Jon.

But you do not understand that. Jon live north of the wall, time will heal his wounds, he may find another woman, will have children, since the bastard does not count with Freefolk, he will finally be happy, with friends, Ghost. Yes he is not King, so what? You think that's what he wanted? ShowJon? No, he would have been unhappy.

I loved Jonerys, I love Jon's story, he's a hero, I'm proud of what he did for Freefolk, because fuck xenophobia, but I can not forgive what he did to Dany. She is my favorite character, far ahead of everyone else, and I hate all those who have hurt her during this season, almost everyone except the dead on her side, even Drogon did not avenge her mother, even the Dothraki, while it is their customs to avenge their Khal / Khaleesi, even the Unsullied don’t. They jailed Jon, why Jon did not imprison Dany, why he did not give her a more dignified death than kill her during a kiss, by surprise, seriously, Jon show more respect during the execution of Thorne and Co., allowing them the last words, he gives them more honor than he gives to Dany ...

It is unfair !

But frankly, what if it was Jon? Frankly, if Jon had lost his family, Ghost, if his lover had rejected him, if he had lost everything, if he was totally alone, if this whole season was not a bashing of Dany but Jon and that Dany ended up killing him coldly during a kiss, would not you hate Dany?

#daenerys targaryen #jon snow #season shit 8 #it's long #very long #i will say i'm sorry but i'm not #it may not be read anyway

[thebrochtuarachs]

Arranged: Chapter 2

Modern AU. Set in 2018. Where Claire and Jamie are arranged to be married.

CH: 1

AO3

CHAPTER 2: The Explanation

Claire

“Papa, Mama, can I talk to you in private.” Claire said with a dead tone as she motioned towards the living room, hoping it was far enough to quiet her impending outburst.

“Excuse us” Henry said as all three stood up, set down their wine glasses and left the Frasers in the dining room to surely have a discussion of their own. When Claire locked the door behind them, she turned to her parents and gave them the sternest look she could muster in her life.

“You can’t possibly think that I would agree to this…arrangement?! Who do you think you are to marry me off to some guy? – “

“Darling, I don’t think Jamie is some guy - “ Henry retorted.

“I am speaking and you can talk when I am finished!” Claire huffed back angrily. “This is not the bloody 18th century! I am not some type of property you can buy and sell to whoever asked first? I am my own person, with my own ideas, with my own intelligence and I can bloody well find a fine, young and remarkable man, who I will CHOOSE to spend the rest of my life with, perfect well.” Claire was pacing back and forth the room, contemplating the next sentences she’ll say.

“Did you not ask me once if I have suitors of my own? Because let me tell you, I’ve had tons of them since I was in high school! I can have any man I want and have them grasping from the palm of my hand!” Claire continued her rambunctious speech. This was not like her but this inner fury inside her made her such.

“Also, did you have to announce it during the dinner? Why not just tell me there was THIS plan before? Maybe I could’ve refused then rather than now - not like this because I swear I am not slightly embarrassed to make a fucking scene” Claire huffed then stopped pacing. She walked closer to her parents, stood in front of them and looked them straight in the eyes. “I will not marry James Fraser, in any way, shape or form. Do you hear me? If you so much as to trick me into it, I will leave this place and you’ll never hear from me ever again” Claire knew it was a tad overboard but she was really angry.

Her parents looked at each other, having a silent conversation of their own Claire’s eyes softened a bit and darted to and from her mother and father, willing them to give her a viable explanation. “Mama, Papa, why are you doing this? What is going on?” Her parents just continued to look at each other and then to her then back to each other.

“Tell me, god damn it!!!

“It’ll be good for the business and the company” her father blurted out.

“So, that’s it?! This arranged marriage is a business merger?? Can you not do it without me getting hitched?!”

“We need to protect our assets and this is the best way how – this is for your own good and the family’s as well” Henry explained defiantly.

“Also, we like him and we want him for you” her mother tried back.

“That is not your choice to make! This is my life!” Claire hated that she sounded like a whiny teenager but she needed to stand her ground if there is a way of getting out of this crazy idea. “I worked so hard, to study, to be a woman of my choosing – ”

“Protecting and continuing the family legacy is what we’ve instilled in you since you were young. This is just stepping into that role.” Her father said steadily. This standoff is shifting its balance and its not in Claire’s favor.

“I know very well the role I have in this family and I take that very seriously. Uncle Lamb’s legacy means the world to me too.”

“Then this arrangement should be of no problem to you.” Henry said sternly. “And Jamie is a fine, young man, a close friend of the family’s, we approve of him – it is the perfect situation for all of us.”

Claire was dumbfounded by what her father just said. She couldn’t think and just barely managed to move from where she stood. When the words finally sink in, she shook her head then composed herself then continued to battle her parents on.

-

Jamie

“I suppose ye have questions” Brian started, filling the silence that was occupied by the ticking of the clock.

“Ye think?” Jamie snorted back. “I just come back after a six-month trip, suddenly invited to a dinner with my family and friends, and then this announcement?”

Brian looked at Ellen and with her nod, he took a deep breath before speaking.

“Lad, we kent why you suddenly went on this wee trip and it was not just to find some new authors. It’s to prove yourself successful in your own way not for us but for Claire.”

Jamie flinched at his parents. Nobody knew that. Nobody knew he liked Claire. Nobody knew she was the reason he left. Nobody knew that he was trying to prove something. Nobody. He told no one and yet, his parents have known all along.

With his shocked look, her mother continued the story. “Janet saw you try to approach Claire in uni but when you saw him with, what’s his name, oh, Frank Randall, a PhD Student, accomplished man, we knew you had to try and at least make yourself a contender for her heart.” Ellen explained to his gaping son. “You wanted to be your own man, make and do something that is yours.”

“We’ve always known you liked Claire growing up and we also knew you were too respectful of her dreams to try and ruin it” Brian chimed back in.

“Then why are you doing this now?” Jamie said, hopelessly embarrassed that he even tried to keep it a secret.

“Ye ken the Randalls, aye?” Brian stressed. “Claire doesn’t know that her parents know that she and Frank been secretly seeing each other this past month. Naturally, they did some digging and background check, and found a lot of red flags in their family as well as in Frank. Aside from his family having shady business dealings, we believe he’s wooing her to get access to her ancestor’s, Lambert Beauchamp’s, original notebooks, records, books, etc. for his dissertation. It will not be good for her nor to anyone. We need to protect her.” His father insisted.

“Why not just tell Claire all these?” Jamie fired back. True, he wanted Claire but not like this. He did not work hard just to be handed something he didn’t earn. He was a better man than that and his parents must know that.

“Do you think she’ll approve to know that her parents, technically, broke a lot of privacy protocols to know what they know? No. She’ll be more livid and she’ll run straight to Frank just to prove a point. You know how stubborn she can be?” Jamie knew and he wouldn’t be surprised if Claire went off and ran away with him, maybe, even marry him, just out of her spite. Claire was a careful lass when it comes to her dreams but was impulsive when someone tries to dictate her life.

“And this is a better alternative?” Jamie reasoned.

“Aye, at least, there’s a reason to keep an eye on her or for you to keep an eye on her” Brian answered back.

“By deceiving her, lying to her?” Brian and Ellen shrugged in resignation. They knew the weight of the burden they’re asking Jamie to carry but if they could think of any other way, they’d do it in a heartbeat. “What do you expect this arrangement will accomplish?” Jamie couldn’t help but ask. Despite the weirdness of the situation, he was rather curious.

“Well, we went far as keeping Claire out of the Randalls and for you, I guess, finally having a chance to court her?” Ellen said, breaking the information.

Jamie sinked down to his chair and ran his fingers in his hair. This was too complicated, too archaic, too messed up and just too…much. “Da, don’t you think I can do that on my own?”

“I know ye can but the situation kind of forced it now.”

They can still hear Claire’s faint screaming from the other room as she continued to barrage her parents with questions.

“What do you expect me to say to Claire?”

“That they leave to you. She’s probably too angry at them to believe a word they will say but they ask that you leave the shady business behind first until they can look at it further.”

Jamie nodded in understanding but still, the fact is, they’ve trampled themselves in some sort of tricky situation.

“She will never forgive me for this if she knew the truth. I know it” Jaime said, defeated, but Claire’s safety comes first.

Brian placed a hand on Jamie’s shoulder in support. “If your feelings are as true as you know them to be, then hopefully – hopefully, she’ll come around”

-

“I can perfectly protect the family business even as a doctor! I don’t need a husband to do that for me!”

Jamie could still hear Claire argue with her parents but they’ve been there long enough and the night needed to end. After his talk with his parents, and with the sudden revelation of his true feelings, it was a no-brainer that Jamie was in this plan now. However, he would not still allow for this “engagement” to Claire be the thing that gets them together – he doesn’t want it that way and she probably doesn’t want it that way either. He wanted her and he wanted to earn her trust and love – not through this forced arrangement.

So, he focused at the task at hand: Keep Claire away from the Randalls – this is priority #1. He’s almost sure Henry and Julia conjured up an improbable reason and he decided to just go and run with whatever reason they built. He doesn’t know it yet but once it comes up, it’s his turn to continue with the story. He’s works in publishing, surely he can come up with one fast?

He ran his hands through his face and hair to prepare himself then Jamie knocked on the door to interrupt the Beauchamp’s.  

“What?!” Claire retorted forcefully. She was nowhere near done with her parents.

“It’s Jamie.” he heard shuffling on the other side and the door swung open.

Instead of addressing Claire, he turned to her parents. “Uncle Henry, Aunt Julia, would you mind giving the room to me and Claire?”

“Jamie, I am not done speaking - “ she tried to stop them but they were out the door and Jamie closed it behind him.

“You seriously cannot agree to this!” Claire began pacing again.

“I don’t” he said calmly, rooted in where he stood.

“Then let’s tell them that nothing going to happen! They can’t dictate our lives like this! Get married?! Did they even think for once that we might have prospects of our own, that we want to choose who spend the rest of our lives with?” Claire was rambling, explaining away the reasons this arrangement was ridiculous.

“Claire, you know your parents and you know mine. They wouldn’t do this if there was no valid reason.”

“And you think this business merger is a valid, ENOUGH reason?”

So that is what they told her. Jamie decided to just run with it.

“No, not enough.” he said, playing along with the ruse.

“Then someone tell me more because I am left out in the dark here”

“So am I.” he lied. “But I have an idea - but you won’t like it”

“As long as it does not lead to the altar, I’m open”

“Well, ye and I dinna ken the bottomline of this setup. I thought if we investigated for ourselves and find out how this all came to be, maybe we can catch their intention and stop it there”

“Is that the best you’ve got?” Claire asked, brows furrowing.

“Ye got any other ideas?”

“Yeah, shove “no” into their faces”

Jamie had to laugh at that remark then turned serious. “And when ye do that, they’ll force our hand by making an announcement to the media and then breaking the engagement off will be harder to do. It’ll be a scandal to both our families.” Jamie said as if knowing that’s exactly what their parents are going to do. “That is when everything can be lost”

Claire sat down, tired and resigned. “So what, we just engaged, just like that?”

He moved and sat beside her, not touching but close enough to radiate enough trust in what they're about to embark on. “Ye ken the theater? We can just make them believe we are running along with it. All the while, we can hitch our own plan and find a way to let this die as quietly as possible”

“Pretend we’re engaged? You know I’m a bad actor” she said and Jamie nodded in agreement. “Ye are.” Claire laughed in return then looked at Jamie - her childhood friend turned fake-engaged fiancé?

“As long as there are no other viable plans, I agree to give it a go. Now, what happens next?” she asked.

-

Both came out of the study and walked towards their parents who were having a deep conversation of their own. Sensing their children, all four turned to them in anticipation.

“We have come to a decision” Jamie began. Their parents sat straighter in wait. “We have agreed to this arrangement” He put his hand up to stop them from rejoicing and they immediately backed down. “However, we have conditions. Break one of them and we break this off” Jamie took charge and Claire silently stood beside him in support and solidarity.

“First, no announcements shall be made to the media of any kind – newspaper, internet, all types.”

“Second, you cannot tell anyone else in our family – not Jenny, Willie or Rabbie. Only the six of us will know until we’re ready to tell them ourselves.”

“Third, we will decide when and where to get married. No questions as pertaining the details of the…wedding…that is to come may be asked in the duration of this engagement”

The words falling out of Jamie's lips felt foreign to him but he needed to be strong for this - he can be strong for this, for Claire. He looked straight in the eyes of all their parents and let them know how hard this is for him and what he received in return was a look that said that they understood and they were grateful.

“Is that all?” Henry asked and both nodded. He then looked to his wife, then to the Frasers, and then to Claire and Jamie. “If that’s all then, we agree to your conditions” The four parents rose and gave their children hugs and everyone resumed the night as if everything was okay and nothing crazy happened at all.

A/N: First, I am so sorry this chapter took a while to come around. I knew the story in my head a while back but putting them down on paper has put me in a little writer's block. But I just took a social media break and had a little bit more creative space to push this through. :) I'm not a super angsty person so apologies if the angst isn't all that much but I really tried! :) So excited that I get to push this story along now - and yes, in this story, the Randalls are really shady, douchy, people. So Frank fans, sorry in advance! As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Your messages mean a lot! <3 #Chapter3HereWeCome

#outlander #outlander fanfic #outlander fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #personal #arranged au #arranged #jamie fraser #claire fraser #claire beauchamp #jamie x claire #modern au

[myrxellabaratheon]

oooohhh, teenage cersei & jaime + 22! for the drabble meme :)

modern!AU because I love modern!AUs (and it’s not even a drabble even if I kept the various scenes as short as possible; I’ll eventually write a longer version of this)

22. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”

The parties at the Baratheon’s were probably the only thing that Cersei really liked about Robert Baratheon even if she knew better and soon realized that the best way to have an invitation was playing smitten with him. Which was how she, Melara Hetherspoon, Jeyne Farman and Jaime were at that particular party, Cersei’s emerald eyes fixed on Rhaegar Targaryen.

Who, at that moment, was speaking with Arthur Dayne and Jaime himself. That was the first moment Cersei noticed it, while she was following with her glance the older boy. Jaime was speaking with the others, and Cersei didn’t even know he was in speaking terms with her crush and his best friend, and his eyes kept flashing on her, before turning back to the person he was speaking with. She turned, the moment her brain suggested it that. And she was sure he wasn’t just judging her too short dress. Her lips turned slightly up, while she brought her drink to her mouth again.

–

Rhaegar Targaryen invited Elia Martell as his date at the Last Year Prom. Cersei knew he did it because Rhaegar and Elia’s father planned to make some economical deal with their industries and that was a way to seal it as if they were in fucking middle-ages. Cersei didn’t care. She accepted to go to the prom with Arthur. She didn’t care about the man, she just wanted to be a fourteen-year-old girl allowed to enter another party which was meant to be only for older people. Jaime invited Catelyn Tully and even if Cersei hated the older girl she was glad her brother was there as well.

Arthur wasn’t such a charming person, though. She hoped that to be this close to Rhaegar he should have been the funniest guy in the world, but he wasn’t. He was kind and wasn’t unpleasant to talk with, but he didn’t seem interested enough in him and that was the only thing she wanted. She wanted for Rhaegar to notice how she danced with his best friend, she wanted him to be jealous.

“Can you please take something to drink for me too?” She asked when Arthur let go of her body, his hands placed respectfully on her waist. The older guy nodded and Cersei smiled at him, turning a moment later when she felt the piercing sensation of someone staring at you in the back of her head.

What she didn’t expect was to face her brother’s eyes.

–

“Cersei got an internship in the Capitol, for this spring,” Tywin said, proudly, looking over the table, full with the Christmas dinner, and Cersei couldn’t keep a smile that rose on her lips, knowing it was more a smirk in arrogance than anything. Her eyes stopped on Jaime, they shared one of their glances. Someone once told that twins can read each other minds. Cersei couldn’t, but for her was so damned easy to understand Jaime, and she loved it. As well as she loved how likewise they looked. Because she saw him, and she knew he was beautiful. And that meant she was as well.

Aerys Targaryen nodded from the other side of the table and told something to Steffon Baratheon and that was enough for Cersei to break the contact with Jaime and going back with her mind at the party hosted in their house. It was a huge thing, and she thought that, maybe, she would grow used to this kind of occasions, once in King’s Landing. They looked so suited for her. Fancy and elegant, everything she always asked for her life to be.

She rapidly was back into the conversation about her internship and didn’t see the soft light lightening her twin brother’s eyes, but she totally saw his smile.

–

“You are creepy,” She called him out, playfully. She was seated on the comfortable bench in Starbuck, her computer opened in front of her while she was looking at Jaime over the screen of it.

“What?” He asked, his own computer closed on the table, he wasn’t even pretending to do something different.

“You are staring at Elia Martell as if you want to kidnap her, or to kill her. I don’t know, it’s creepy.” Cersei stated, taking another sip of her black coffee.

“I just think the girl ruined her life, but who am I to judge?”

“I thought Rhaegar was your friend.”

“I know the guy, it’s different,” There was something misplaced, in Jaime’s voice. Cersei couldn’t bother to understand what it was, she glanced again over the screen of her computer, her eyes running a moment later on his hands, spread over the computer. She wondered how would have been having those hands around her waist and… Seriously, it wasn’t the moment. She succeeded in silence those thoughts for a couple of years, by now, she could resist a little bit longer, she went back writing her essay, without lingering any longer on Jaime’s face. “I never liked him, or your stupid crush on him.”

And now emerald eyes were burning again, fixed on her blonde hair.

–

The eighteenth birthday of the older Lannisters’ heirs wasn’t something that could be considered a small deal. Despite Cersei knowing that her brother would have preferred just to invite some close friends of them, she was completely enjoying all the huge and crowded party.

And after a couple of too strong drinks, she was also enjoying the usual annoying attention from Robert Baratheon out of all the people. They reached the Lannisters’ balcony, speaking about something Cersei didn’t even care. Robert was awesome, that was the only thing her brain was registering right now, and he wasn’t even slightly similar to Jaime, which was even better. She wanted to be a politician, in the future, she couldn’t bring scandals over herself, even if her heart missed a beat every time she looked at her twin brother.

“This place is stunning,” Robert tried to change the argument. Not that Cersei cared.

“As if yours isn’t,” She snapped back. “Seriously, Robert, do you want to speak about the landscape?”

The man’s hands ran on her back and pushed her closed, smashing their lips together. They parted and kissed again and again until they decided to go back to take something else to drink. And the moment they walked inside she could see the glooming glance on Jaime’s eyes lingering on her.

–

Graduation meant that despite having spent eighteen years together, for the first time in their lives they would have moved to different places. Cersei was going to the Red Keep college, in King’s Landing, while Jaime decided for a gap year before deciding what he wanted to be in the future.

And now they were standing there, their uncomfortableness evident in the language of their bodies. “What’s wrong, Cersei?” Jaime, finally, asked.

“I thought we can tell everything, to each other,” It was something Cersei always pretended from him, even if she had never been so crystal clear with him in return.

“I’ve always had,” Jaime answered, and Cersei found difficult not to laugh in his face. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” She stated, simply, and saw Jaime’s blush rising in his cheeks. It took a moment, in which Cersei looked at her back to see if their father was approaching, but, for now, they were alone in the foyer. She pushed her lips against Jaime’s, his tongue parting hers. “You should have told me before.”

send me a paring and a number

#cersc #drabble asks 2.0 #jaime x cersei #cersei x Jaime #lannincest #jaime lannister #cersei lannister #modern!au #got #game of thrones #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #juls’ works #juls (should not be allowed to) answer

[maidenoftheforestlight-blog]

You are literally a disgusting degenerate thinking that a young fucking child is "exploring her own desires" by trying to deal with a grown man who has threatened to rape her. I bet you gross ass would think that the creep who kidnapped poor Elizabeth Smart was just trying to keep her safe. The irony of having a problem with incest but not with pedophilia you piece of shit freak.

Firstly, I want you to know that I don’t appreciate this abuse or this accusation and the sheer hatefulness of this post, the fact that you went on a personal attack over shipping, is both a ridiculous overreaction and grounds for being blocked.

But I’m going to give you a chance and try to reason with you first. Because, rather like Sansa, I like to believe the best of people. I think you’re better than how you’ve presented yourself. 

 Now, I feel like if you’re going to treat these characters as if they were actually real people in a real world that plays by the rules of modern society you would find an incestuous relationship between siblings (and as a person who comes from a family of adoptees- not that that’s your business- the fact that they’re really cousins makes no difference to me. They are siblings and love each other as siblings) just as abhorrent as a potential future relationship between Sansa and Sandor… two people who regardless of their age difference have made a huge (overwhelmingly positive) impact on each other and canonically have a relationship with romantic tension.

 If you have a problem with the Sansan romance, take it up with GRRM… he’s the one writing it into the series. There are a lot of couples with big age differences in the asoiaf universe (e.g Jaime and Brienne have exactly the same age gap). If you’re ok with cousin incest because of “medieval times were different” (an assumption on my part, I know. I actually have no idea why you’re ok with incest in this fictional world but I’m going to also go ahead an assume that you’re not ok with incest in reality… A courtesy you unfortunately have not extended to me) then it strikes me as odd that you’re not also ok with GRRM’s use of “big age gaps were common back then”… especially since both things actually aren’t really all that historically accurate to most of medieval Europe… Certainly not as general practices like they are in Westeros. 

Most Sansan shippers ship this relationship because of Sansa’s actual feelings and character development that arise out of this relationship. And no… there’s nothing wrong with people who were also once thirteen year olds reading into the fact that a thirteen year old is exploring her own desires and sexuality through fantasies about an older person that authority figures wouldn’t consider appropriate for her… Because most of us were thirteen years old once (or are thirteen years old now) and most of us had crushes or fantasies about people we could never be with (or even should never be with! gasp!). But here’s the thing about fantasy and fiction, they allow us to explore sides of ourselves that we must otherwise repress. For young women in particular, fantasy can serve to free us (at least in our minds) from the constraints of “socially approved” expressions of sexuality or desire. 

For a character like Sansa whose arc is so concerned with the role of women in society and the acceptable expression of femininity, as well as thoroughly policed and controlled female sexuality… It’s important that her “sexual awakening” is prompted not by some kind of Westerosi ideal of masculinity, not at all by a man that any traditional Westerosi Patriarch would choose for his daughter, not by the handsome golden prince of the fairytales Sansa was spoon fed from infancy- the very stories that blinded her to much of what is wrong with her society… No, rather than that shining paragon of Westerosi patriarchal culture, Sansa becomes attracted to Sandor Clegane. A man that for all his many faults (and no one denies that he has many) is also truly a victim of the system, of childhood abuse and neglect, who has never known kindness or compassion, who has been dehumanised by everyone on account of a deformity caused by his own brother (a brother who was rewarded by society rather than punished!) to the point that he is called a dog and treated like a dog… like a Beast, in fact. Because that is what GRRM is reconstructing here; the Beauty and the Beast story. What makes a man become a Beast? What about Beauty triggers change in him? What about Beast makes Beauty start to feel for him…and later fall for him? To see the man hidden behind the ugliness? These are the things GRRM is examining.

Regardless of what you want to believe anon, young teen girls do have sexual fantasies… a good number of them have such fantasies about people way older than them… It’s a thing. If that resonates with a reader who is or was a teenaged girl, that doesn’t make them “disgusting” or a “pedophile”, not does it make GRRM a pedophile. Just as I am sure you do not promote the acceptance of incest in the real world, I think you should really open your mind to the possibility that just because someone finds a fictional relationship with a large age gap interesting, and would like to see where the author takes that relationship in future (keeping in mind that Sansa would likely have been 18 or older by the time she was reunited with Sandor if GRRM had been able to stick to his original plan), it doesn’t mean they even like or accept relationships with large age gaps in reality, even between adults. Accusations of pedophilia are just beyond the pale. You have no idea what people behind the computer screen have gone through in their lives or what their friends, family, acquaintances or colleagues have gone through. You just don’t know. I would ask that you stop to think more carefully before you post any kind of serious accusation like that to anyone again. Especially over anything so trivial as preferences in shipping in a fantasy series. 

Lastly, I know you sent me this message anonymously with the intention that I would “fight back” and get into some kind of argument with you. Maybe you thought I would sling insults back at you and also accuse you of horrible, sick crimes. I’m sorry that I haven’t provided you with that entertainment. That kind of drama simply doesn’t interest me and further more, I think it is beneath both of us as rational human beings who are capable of understanding the difference between fiction and reality. I seriously considered not replying at all and simply blocking you, but I decided not to do that in the end. Because I believe in giving people the chance to prove that they can be better than their negative first impression. So I leave it up to you. If you want to discuss literature with me like a rational, polite, adult, then I’m willing to put this behind us.

But I do not suffer trolls. If you post hateful messages to me again you will be blocked. 

Have a nice day. 

#because I like to believe in people #and the promotion of peaceful and rational discourse is one of the most necessary things in today's world imo #also Sandor never threatens Sansa with rape? #if you're referring to what he says to Arya... he was literally trying to goad her into killing him #He has only ever tried to help and protect Sansa #Even the Blackwater events resulted from a failed rescue attempt due to his PTSD #that doesn't excuse his actions but it does explain them and he's certainly no rapist #Sandor is more respectful of Sansa's personal space and youth that a majority of the men she comes into contact with #he's attracted to her but never touches her inappropriately and even recognises that it is wrong for him to look her as if she were grown #this is in stark contrast to #the other 'leading men' in Sansa's life #sansan #shipping discourse #oh tumblr... #using real life abuse as a moral soap box in your shipping war is exceptionally immature

[fleurdulys]

yesterday i had to read with my own two eyes this:

and i’m just wondering if there’s another version of asoiaf out there, that maybe, because i live in romania, i got to read the poor people™’s version where things are completely different

i know at this point i might sound as a broken disc but jaime’s defining quote is “The things I do for love” and i know a big chunk of the fandom believes that’s only in relation to Cersei but, if he wanted us to believe Jaime goes to incredible lengths for Cersei only, it would’ve been easier for GRRM to write “The things i do for you” and just leave it at that. But the thing is, this is Jaime’s quote, it’s not about Cersei or Tyrion or Brienne, this quote is ABOUT JAIME. Because Jaime loves. And Jaime does incredibly stupid, awful things for the people he loves. But he also does incredibly brave heroic things for the people he loves. And to pretend a modern Jaime would be awful to everyone except Cersei is just ignoring everything we know about his character. Because he’s hated for something he did in order to save thousands of lives when he was a teenager. He retreated from the world he basically saved because that world called him names behind his back and thought of him as an oathbreaker and a man without honour. And yet, even hated by the world, Jaime still found it in himself to save Brienne from rape twice, to save her from actual death by putting his life on the line for her, he still saved Pia from rape and actually killed her rapist, he still found it in himself to take Riverrun without having to resort to violence. Honestly if he lived in modern times, Jaime would be that guy who saved women from being harrassed or abused or raped while all his ‘friends’ would laugh at him because ‘look at this cuck’ and then he would probably kick the shit out of them but you know that’s another discussion. I don’t know how much clearer the text could be about this. Jaime’s genuinely honest and open with pretty much everyone and it’s the fact that most people instantly reject him and look down on him is what makes Jaime act like a sarcastic douchebag.

Anyway, back to Bran and the most awful thing Jaime’s done in the book timeline... there’s an interesting idea about evil and atrocious acts that I’ve seen expressed in different videos, by different authors or philosophers. The idea that if we want humanity to become better and to stop comitting atrocities we need to take a hard cold look at ourselves. Like honestly just face our deepest darkest demons and understand them. And in order to do that we have to put ourselves in uncomfortable positions and give an honest answer to what we would do then. So basically this is a guy who was caught in the act of having sex with the wife of a violent, petty, vengeful king by a random child whom he’s never met before. And he’s a guy put in the position to choose between his life and the life of the person he loved most in the world and the life of a random child. Morally, on an abstract level, it’s horrible, obviously. You were doing the badwrong thing so you’re supposed to be punished for it. But on a human, individual level, Jaime’s decision and action is understandable.  “ The things I do for love," he said with loathing” and I think a lot of you really miss out the loathing part or choose to ignore it because Jaime doesn’t sit around wallowing in regret and instead, he chooses to actively do things in order to become a better man. Because he DOES things for LOVE. He’s a man of action and he’s a man who wants to love and be loved and he pretty much proved time and time again that Cersei isn’t the only person in Westeros that he cares about. Is he a sarcastic douchebag most of the time? Yes, he is. Does he step the fuck up when people need him to step the fuck up? Yes, he does. He absolutely puts himself on the line for the people he cares about and sometimes even for the people who are just there...around him.

And that brings me to my final point, idk why or who I’m writing this for (since the person who called him a dudebro effboy blocked me), but I really feel this is one of the most misunderstood characters in Asoiaf, even by some people who claim to love him as they seem to love him only if he’s an extension of his sister and in order to do that they have to make him as awful as possible. Like another thing Jaime’s been accused of is misogyny because he imagined knocking his sister’s teeth out when he found out she was cheating on him. I don’t know about you but I’m genuinely terrified of people who judge other people based on their THOUGHTS. Like omg, he committed a THOUGHTCRIME, must be the worst. Yikes. Nevermind the fact that this is a man who’s never slept with anyone else other than his sister, who renounced his claim in order to become pretty much a monk (well you know, except for the times he fucked Cersei when Robert wasn’t looking) and who always thought of his sister as being actually honest when she was with and to him. And then all his life comes crashing down on him when he finds out the person he loved most in the world wasn’t even faithful? I think he can be allowed to have Bad Thoughts™. While Cersei literally threw stuff at him, but you know, that doesn’t count, gotcha fandom. Anyway,  I’m tired of people on this website pretending they’ve never imagined anything bad in their life and that they’re all as pure as snow. Y’all better leave Jaime Lannister out of your bullshit.

#ohh boy #yeah #it's personal #jaime lannister #jaime x brienne #rape tw #abuse tw

[ohcaptaintarthister]

Everyone Has Secrets by Ellaria

FridayFabFic No. 1

Despite my intent to find the positive in the negative, there were some people rubbed wrong about my FridayFabFic. There are only two apologies I’ll be making: I’m sorry I don’t like your stories, and I’m sorry most of the stories I like are old. I stand by what I said about the current state of A LOT of JB fanfics but you should REMEMBER it’s only my opinion–ONE PERSON! I have no wish to be queen bee or anything (unlike some people). I don’t encourage people to have troll accounts so they can leave awful comments on works they don’t like and happily report to others their success at shooting down an author who only wanted to write differently. That’s a well-known fact about quite a lot of people in the fandom that’s nevertheless hard to swallow–at least for me.  

As mentioned before, you might not like what I like, you might approve, or you might be curious enough to check out why I like some stories and find confirmation I’m a fucking kook. I’m willing to discuss but try not to be defensive. You want to be heard, I’ll listen. But when I do, do me the courtesy of hearing me out as well. If you think there are stuff I should check out, either comment on this post or message me. 

If you’re still reading, then maybe you’re curious to find out what I say. Yay! Again, you might be doing so to find further proof what a crazy ass I am. That’s okay too! But since you’re here, let me tell what I look for in the stories that will be in FridayFabFic:

1. COMPLETE. Thus, no WIPs.

2. MULTI-CHAPTERS. I’d like to include one-shots but that would mean considering a type of story under this category that I really don’t like. No, I’m not sorry. Guys, we��re not fascists. We’re allowed to have different opinions. You don’t like angst, you don’t like major character death, well I don’t like…FUCK. I’m shutting up now. People take things so personally, Jesus. Let me pour you some Valpolicella.

3. NO CATEGORIES. Meaning it can be canon-continuation, canon-divergent, crack, modern AU, and universes upon universes. I’ve read a lot of JB. More than I’d like to admit. I lurked around AO3 for a long time before writing fanfic. I would read practically anything. What matters is…

4. THEY’RE WRITTEN BEAUTIFULLY. Such as, despite the reader knowing what universe the fanfic is written in, the writing is not predictable. The depiction of Jaime and Brienne, even if OOC at times, still works in the universe of the story. The story is compelling, a page-turner, a nail-biter, swoony. It can be a lot of things but what I look for is characterization that has depth and whose journey takes me for a ride.

5. AND…THEY PUSH THE ENVELOPE. The joy behind reading fanfic is favorite characters are placed in different situations by the writers. I’m a sucker for anything where Jaime and Brienne go through an emotional, even physical beatdown. I like them when they start out broken, or halfway through the story a monkey wrench whams without warning onto them and things are just never the same. One of them may be die. Or both. As long as the writing prepares the reader, the events are justified and works in the world of the story, PLUS it’s done well, THAT’S the kind of writing I look for. So, don’t count on fluffy stories here. They’re just not my thing, ‘kay? Here. You could use another glass…hey, don’t throw that at me! That’s perfectly good wine!

And so, awesome people, let’s raise our glasses as I unveil the first FridayFabFic… 

Everyone Has Secrets by Ellaria

Summary: (from the author–always acknowledge, guys!)  Political journalist Jaime Lannister finds himself out of alternatives when Millennium, his magazine, becomes endangered by his reckless actions. Brienne Tarth, a professional hacker charged with the task of investigating him, will stumble upon more than she expected. The mystery of a disappearance ten years earlier will draw them to Winterfell, where more than one secret might be uncovered.Based on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Stuff I probably shouldn’t say but will anyway:

EHS is fucking better than the original. 

Why: 

I read this fanfic first before cracking open Stieg Larsson’s novel. I like EHS better because, and no offense to those who love The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this fanfic delves deeper into the characters. Every sentence from Ellaria is a beating heart. I am lucky to have read this when it was already complete, and can only imagine the hell readers must have gone through waiting for updates. It’s not just a fantastic edge-of-your-seat thriller but the developing romance between Jaime and Brienne has the slow unraveling, if one can say, found in a Jane Austen novel, but also with a jagged, breath-taking sexiness. You read Everyone Has Secrets either with a cup of your favorite tea or a glass of pinot noir. 

Squee Moment/s: (I had to pick my two absolute favorites)

“Sighs turned into panting, blood mixed with sweat and water. She noticed his bleeding increased due to the motion, but it was not in her to stop anymore. He shifted his angle and shoved himself deeper inside, grazing a place that she had never known was there. With a whimper on her lips she was dragged into total whiteness, an absence of existence, a moment where their juncture was all there was. Letting go of the last of her control, she felt her walls grasp him tightly and dug her nails into his back, trying to keep herself grounded.”

                                     *********************************** “I agree now,” Jaime said, looking straight into her eyes, all traces of his amusement gone. “I should have fought for you, even if I had to fight against you. I should have brought you back, screaming and kicking, back with me, where you belong.”

Jaime Lurves Brienne:

“It will take you at least two whole days.” Lannister frowned and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Not to mention that your ass is going to be flat as a board by the time you get there, and you’ll be walking like a cowboy.”

“My ass?” She shook her head in disbelief. “What do you even care about my ass?”

Brienne Lurves Jaime:

The movement caused the blanket to flap around her, and Lannister’s scent filled her nose. For some reason, it felt intoxicating.

Holy Shit Moment/s:

“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” he told her, placing his large hands on the desk. “You’re gonna get on the table and spread those ugly legs of yours, and I’m gonna fuck you until I’m well and pleased. Then I’ll sign the check for your allowance and pay you like the whore you are.”

                                 ***********************************  

It was fierce and loud, and came from the mouth of a big, wolfish mutt that ran towards him. Its yellow eyes regarded Jaime with rage, he barked again and again, slobber dripping from its open jaw. When the animal made to bite, baring his teeth fiercely, Jaime’s instincts took over—he pulled the stag’s antler out of the direwolf and struck the dog on the shoulder.  

Read it for:

1. The high emotional stakes. Every chapter ends on the right note, and long after it has, there’s still that lingering hum. Or purr. I won’t spoil the ending for you other than saying it ends pretty much on such notes, rather than with a bang. And the denouement is as smooth as scotch.

2. The action sequences. Jaime’s fight with a wolf is my favorite.

3. The HAWT sex that finally happened! From the time Jaime catches Brienne in her underwear outside her apartment, to their sexy online late-night chat (I kind of wanted to bang their heads together and order them to just get it on, damn it), until their very much anticipated first time and all the other times that got even more emotional and sexier. 

4. And the ending. It’s one of the most perfect endings in Modern AU JB fanfics. It’s a perfect ten!  

5. Here’s the link! http://archiveofourown.org/works/1126633/chapters/2271647

Oh, and one more thing, Everyone Has Secrets won Third Place in the 2016 All-Time Favourite Game of Thrones Fanfic at Fanatic Fanfics. It’s clearly a winner!

Sorry again that I was a little late. Migraine is an evil bitch fucker finally banished by the magic of a Thai oil whose name I can’t pronounce. I’ll be on time next Friday!

Thanks for reading!

#fanfic #fanfiction #jaime x brienne #brienne x jaime #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #modern au #girl with the dragon tattoo #ellaria #fridayfabfic

[petyrbaealish]

My fourth (and last) promised prompt for my 400 Follower Celebration. Hope you like it!

For: My 400 Follower Celebration. Halloween themed prompts.

Prompt: By @0writerchick0 :  "Congrats on 400! I absolutely <3 your blog. If I'm one of the first 4 I'd love to request a scene were PxS meet at a halloween party -- well a couple of them. Maybe as one of them hits up various parties, they notice the other keeps appearing. One, none, or both of our OTP can be supernatural, entirely your choice. Thanks! I know it'll be great! “

Tags: Petyr x Sansa, Halloween, Modern AU

Title: Follow My Lead Link here.

Summary: Petyr goes to a company Halloween party, and spies a girl dressed as a faerie that he cannot seem to keep his eyes off of. Enchanted, he follows her from party to party, taken as much by her beauty as the mystery surrounding her. What he learns upon finally meeting her will change him forever.

Follow My Lead

Halloween parties weren’t exactly Petyr’s forte. Sure, he enjoyed dressing up, but his idea of the concept meant something entirely different. He had a certain sense of style he prided himself on, something that most Halloween attire couldn’t possibly live up to.

Still, here he was, on October 31st, dressed in costume and at a Halloween party, all in the name of keeping up appearances at work. His boss, Robert Baratheon, had little taste for theme parties, but his dreadful wife Cersei had planned the event (on the company’s dime, of course), and as a senior level employee, Petyr was obligated to attend. And to wear a costume, which was explicitly stated as mandatory on the rather gaudy invitations, designed more to flaunt wealthy status than to exhibit taste. Just like Cersei herself, in fact.

He’d spent more time than he would have liked to admit trying to find a costume that was both simple and elegant, that required minimal effort and allowed him to wear one of the suits he always donned for company events. A vampire might have been a good choice, if he’d been willing to wear false fangs, which were really all that was necessary to pull off the look, but he felt rather stupid doing so, and that option was quickly discarded. Another option, found during a quick search for costume ideas, involving writing the word ‘book’ on his face to mimic Facebook, was also dismissed. He didn’t relish the idea of walking around with anything written on his face, even in the name of a simple costume.

Instead, he’d opted for something that only required that he carry around an empty picture frame, large enough to frame his face, minus the glass and cardboard backing. It was annoying to have to carry it around everywhere, and Cersei seemed less than pleased, but everyone else seemed to love the ‘Self Portrait’ idea (many wished they’d thought of it themselves, rather than dressing up in fairly typical Halloween fare). Over all, Petyr was definitely pleased with successfully saving himself from having to spend an entire evening dressed like Prince Charming (Cersei’s twin brother Jaime) or wearing some foam monstrosity like Pycelle (fuck, was the old man really dressed like Gumby? Petyr supposed it fit, in a way. Pycelle had always been quite spineless. And creepy).

Petyr spent much of the night trading barbs with Varys, who was dressed tonight as Maleficent. Though Petyr wouldn’t have thought it, somehow Varys actually pulled it off, which was slightly unsettling. The man was always full of surprises, though Petyr wouldn’t never admit as such to anyone, and tonight was apparently no exception.

Varys had spoken with disdain of Petyr’s own costume, seeing behind the ingenuity for what it really was: an excuse not to do any work finding a real costume and a way to avoid suffering through the indignity like everyone else. Of course, Varys was actually enjoying wearing his outfit, but that was hardly the point. Varys had known Petyr would abhor dressing up, and now Petyr had robbed Varys of the joy of goading him all night about it.

As they quipped about Cersei’s costume (she was dressed as Cinderella, the counterpart to her twin brother Jaime’s costume. They weren’t even trying to be discrete about their incestuous affair, apparently. Her husband, Robert, was the only one who’d forgone a costume, which was probably how they’d managed the couples’ costume in the first place), Petyr spotted Ned Stark walking towards them, accompanied by his wife, Catelyn, better known as Cat, a heartache if there ever was one. He’d spent years recovering from her rejection, blissfully separated from her and her new husband, until suddenly they were back in his life again. Really, he should have seen it coming, considering Robert and Ned had been close growing up, but Petyr had hoped Ned would continue with his rather ambitionless career track in construction.

Cat and Ned were another pair wearing a couples’ costume, dressed as Beauty and the Beast, respectively, which Petyr thought quite fitting, all things considering. Apparently they were among the few that had actually followed Cersei’s theme for the night of classic fairy tales. Of course, Petyr’s own costume fit with the theme, technically. Self portraits were common, in the times when most of those fairy tales took place, after all.

Luckily, Ned spotted Petyr before they were close enough to have to make pleasantries for appearance’s sake, and grabbed Cat’s arm, pulling her in the opposite direction. Petyr watched them go with a self indulgent smirk that he hardly cared if Varys noticed, until his eyes caught a flash of vivid red and his smirk faltered. Cat had covered her own red locks with a cheap brown wig for the occasion, since Belle was a brunette, so Petyr was certain it hadn’t been her. And yet the girl he’d seen had looked so much like Cat had back when he was still young and foolish enough to love and hope for love in return, that he was completely taken off guard.

She was dressed like a faerie, though her costume was like none he’d ever seen before. Petyr watched her, enchanted, as she wove through the crowd, following Cat and her brutish husband. Her dress was dark green, short and tight-fitting, embroidered along the hem and up one side with curling vines, their trail snaking along her neckline and down one breast, and up into the sheer light green fabric that stretched from the tops of her breasts to her neck. Flowers glittered like jewels among the leaves, and the entire dress shimmered with an iridescent quality that seemed otherworldly.

On her feet were dark green stilettos, the straps crawling up her calves and to her knees, looking for all the world like real vines against her pale skin, complete with tiny leaves. And upon her back were wings, delicate structures of sheer gossamer fabric, light green like the top of her dress, and glittering with silver filagree and shining gemstones. They swayed gently as she walked, leaving a shimmering trail in her wake.

Petyr swallowed, and fought back the urge to follow her, to find out who she was, to take her hand and lead her from the party, back to his apartment, and his bed. Varys eventually tired of trying to secure his attention once more, and left for more stimulating conversation, though Petyr knew he’d hear about this at work on Monday. He didn’t entirely care. All he wanted was to keep watching her, only her.

She drifted closer to him once, as she gave up her pursuit of Cat and Ned (which still had him more than a little curious) and instead flitted about the party, laughing and talking with his co workers. Her skin carried a subtle glow to it, and a fine dusting of metallic silver shone on the apples of her cheeks. There were little flakes of reflective material encrusted in artful designs by her eyes, reminiscent of shards of glass, each fleck highlighting the gorgeous blue eyes that peeked up from beneath long, pale lashes.

Petyr caught her eye once. Only once. And her lips had curved upwards in a smile he could only deem excessively wicked, and oh, how he liked it.

But before he could force himself to stop standing there and gawping at her like a complete imbecile, she’d vanished.

One minute, he had her in his sights, and the next she had gone. It was like magic. He searched for her in vain for the next ten minutes, then ended his vigil and searched the room on foot, again to no avail. The girl was gone.

Mood soured, Petyr left the party, thinking that perhaps he might be able to find her again, using his considerable skills at finding people who did not wish to be found. But instead of driving back home, he inexplicably found himself driving to another party, that of Robert Baratheon’s brother Renly, and Renly’s boyfriend Loras. Positively baffled by what on Earth had tempted him to come, when he’d never cared for either Renly or Loras, he sat in his car for a few minutes, trying to figure out the strange compulsion.

Coming up empty, he made to pull his car back out of the space he’d pulled into, but found himself oddly reluctant. Petyr cursed, then snatched up the picture frame and got out of the car, wondering if perhaps he’d been possessed earlier that night. It really was the only explanation.

Or perhaps possessed was the wrong word for it. Enchanted, more likely. The girl had befuddled his senses, rendering him completely incapable of speech or movement. More than likely, he was still shaking off the effects of her considerable charms.

The party was in full swing when Petyr reached Loras’ apartment, the door open to allow free passage for guests. No one seemed to notice him, everyone half clad in various costumes, and either drunk, high, or a mix of the two, dancing and shouting like the world depended on it. Again, Petyr wondered at the strange inclination he’d had to come here, and briefly debated about turning back around and heading back for his car.

Until he saw that flash of red again, so vibrant despite the cacophony of color saturating the room. Like a fly caught in a web, he was instantly ensnared, helpless to her pull, though he suspected she was as like to devour him as the spider would the fly.

She was talking to a girl he recognized as Margaery Tyrell, Loras’ sister. In truth, neither were technically classified as girls, but as young women, but as he was nearing forty he had a tendency to refer to anyone under thirty as a girl, or a boy, rather than as a woman or man. Though he was starting to revise that line of thinking, staring at the bewitching red headed faerie. Young she might be, but when he looked at her he saw only a woman, fully grown, and, quite importantly, legal to be lusted after, or pursued, if he so chose.

Petyr watched her with her friend, not caring if anyone noticed how openly he was staring. As she hugged Margaery goodbye, her eyes caught his once more, and she cocked her head curiously to the side, regarding him thoughtfully. And then she was sweeping past him, leaving behind an intoxicating scent of lemon and mint in her wake.

So, of course, he followed.

He’d followed people before, though purely for work purposes, and not for anything else, but the methods were much the same in any case. So he knew how to be discrete, as he trailed her outside, then followed her in his car as she drove uptown. This was toeing the line of stalkerish behavior, he knew it, and yet he couldn’t stop himself regardless.

Somehow, something had driven him to Renly’s party. And he was certain it had been her. Somehow, some way, she was calling to him.

And he would answer that call, it seemed. Willingly or not.

Mostly willingly.

Nearly completely willingly.

She’d taken him to another party, this one, he was somewhat horrified to see, packed full of Cat’s children. None of the Stark brood interacted with her at all, but Petyr watched her watching them from afar.

Luckily, she chose not to stay long. The Stark children’s party had been even more raucous than Renly’s, with a decidedly younger guest list, and the whole time he’d been waiting for someone to spot him and shriek of stranger danger.

Again, he followed his faerie beauty, his eyebrows lifting when she pulled into his club, the Mockingbird. Apparently she had her sights on the joint party held by two rival paintball enthusiast groups, the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings. Petyr had been most amused when they’d come to book the party, months ago. From what he’d heard, the head of the Night’s Watch had fallen for a flame haired Wildling during one of their many matches, and now they wanted to hold a party in hopes of settling the differences between the teams.

This last party was even more hectic and hedonistic than Renly’s and the Stark children’s parties combined, though that was to be expected, considering it was at his club. The strippers he employed were all working the room, dressed in tasteful costumes that he himself had approved ahead of time. Alcohol and other, less legal substances, flowed freely, and most of the Wildling team (all easily identified by an excess of piercings and tattoos, along with unnaturally colored hair) had heavily imbibed.

Petyr followed her once more, and watched as she focused her gaze on the head of the Night’s Watch, a young man with longish curly dark hair who had eyes only for his wild haired Wildling girl. He could see a sadness in her eyes, one he’d caught briefly at the company party, and at the Stark brood’s party in fuller force. Just what was her connection to these people?

He spent awhile pondering the matter as he watched her, but unfortunately, since he was at his club, his focus was eventually interrupted by his staff, inquiring after the reason for his presence.

Annoyed, Petyr tried to shrug Olyvar off. “I own the Mockingbird, Olyvar. That is reason enough.”

The blonde laughed. “Uh huh. And that pretty redhead you’ve got your eye on has nothing to do with it.”

Petyr shot him a withering look. “Don’t you have work to do?”

Olyvar gave him a cheeky salute, then sidled up to one of the patrons he’d previously been attached to, and disappeared.

“So this is your club, huh?” A voice sounded behind him, lilting and musical.

Petyr turned, and she was there, smiling coyly at him. His mouth went dry as he caught her scent again, his eyes drinking in her ethereal beauty afresh. She was even more breathtaking up close. Quite literally, in fact.

He schooled his features into one of indifference, though it probably hardly mattered, considering his behavior all night. “Yes.”

She cocked her head to the side, her gaze traveling up his body before meeting his. “It’s nice,” she commented. “And quite classy, for a strip club.”

He chuckled. “I prefer to think of it as a night club. Referring to it as a strip club calls up a far seedier experience than I hope to provide.”

She grinned. “And do you ever partake in your club’s offerings?”

“No,” Petyr scoffed. “Though this is a classier establishment than most, I have more self respect than that. A woman bought for her attentions is not a willing woman, no matter how much it appears otherwise.”

“So you would prefer that a woman comes to you willingly?”

“I think you’ll find most do.”

“Indeed.” Her lips curved. “You’ve been following me.”

Petyr raised an eyebrow. “Have I?”

“Yes.” She sidled closer, her hand reaching out to finger his tie. “Do not worry. I am willing.” She paused, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Dance with me?”

He only nodded, not trusting himself to speak, though he honestly wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect. Were they still at the company party, he would have been assured of his dancing skills, but club dancing was a far different entity, and he was loathe to make a fool of himself. Still, he followed her out onto the dance floor, and tried not to sigh with relief when she merely wrapped her arms around his neck, initiating a slow dance despite the techno beat.

As they danced, he found his gaze caught by hers, their bodies moving closer and closer together, and closer still, until hardly a sliver of space could be found between them. Soon they were cheek to cheek, and his breath whispered against her ear and the tendrils of flame tucked behind it.

Though the silence that enveloped them was exquisite in its own right, he was desperate for answers, his need to know overpowering anything else. “Who are you, sweetling?” he asked, feeling her shiver in his arms as his breath tickled her neck.

“You may call me Sansa,” she replied softly. “The rest is unimportant.”

Even her name sounded otherworldly, the way he thought it might feel to roll off of his tongue. The sound of it, and the sensation, dredged up images both erotic and exotic, and if only her name could inspire such in his mind, he could only dream of what delights unraveling her mysteries might bring.

Petyr pulled back so that he could see her face, and gave her his most winning smirk. “Oh, I doubt that.”

The corner of Sansa’s mouth lifted to match his. “Do not ask me, unless you truly want to know. Many a man has lost his mind upon learning a faerie’s secrets. They cannot handle the truths we bare.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Getting a little too into the spirit of the holiday, I see.”

Her lashes dipped, and she shook her head sadly. “It is a shame. I had hoped that perhaps you’d be different.”

Mouth turned downward, she made to step away, but Petyr tightened his grip on her waist. “Wait.”

“Yes?” One red brow had arched, and her blue eyes had retained some of their former sparkle.

“Test me. If indeed I lose my mind, it will have been happily lost.”

Her smirk returned. “And if you keep your sanity, what then? Will you continue to follow my lead?”

“Continue?” Petyr asked, then narrowed his eyes as realization struck him. Of course. Grinning, he shook his head. “My first eye opener of many, I suppose. Tell me, was it mere coincidence that I saw you at Renly’s party?”

“Of course not,” she purred. “You had no intentions of coming to that party, before tonight. You came for me, and me alone.”

He wanted to know just how she had enticed him to follow her to that second party, when he’d had no idea that she’d be there, nor any reason to go besides that, but then, maybe he didn’t. What did her reasons matter, truly, so long as her interest in him was genuine? He’d always prided himself on his judgement, in the character of others, in dealing with all manner of life’s idiosyncrasies. Whoever this bewitching woman was, he knew she meant him no harm.

“And what were your reasons for attending so many parties tonight?” Petyr asked, prodding gently for the answers he wanted. “A woman such as yourself doubtless has no lack of friends, and yet only at the second party did you seem to have any previous rapport with the guests.”

Sansa’s smile turned wistful. “In another life, that might not have been the case. I was born to another family than the one that raised me. A family who does not know me, even as I watch them from afar. I would have been happy with them, my heart tells me so. But fate had other plans.”

Petyr frowned, considering her words. Then each party she had attended tonight, perhaps had guests with familial connections to this girl? And the third party had been hosted by the rambunctious Stark children…

He wracked his brain, casting for clues among the various guests he’d spotted at each party. Ned and Cat had been at Cersei Lannister’s company party. Their children had all been in attendance at the third party. And here, at the fourth party, he suddenly recalled that the head of the Night’s Watch was in fact a cousin of the Starks.

That left only the second party, which rather left a kink in his theory. Try as he might, Petyr couldn’t remember having seen anyone there that was related to the Stark family, or even a Tully, which was Cat’s maiden name. But then, Sansa had seemed to have friends there, so perhaps that party alone was not part of the puzzle her words had suggested.

“And what fate would tear a girl from her family?” Petyr asked finally, suspecting she wasn’t about to answer him outright, but enjoying the challenge the riddle posed nonetheless.

Sansa leaned in close, her breath tickling the shell of his ear. “I should think you’re clever enough to know the answer, though I shall give you a clue regardless. Not everyone is wearing a costume tonight.”

He had left his own meager attempt at a costume behind in his car, needing no pretense to visit his own club, though he knew with absolute certainty that she wasn’t referring to him. And, as he hadn’t yet seen anyone in the club without a costume, he imagined Sansa’s words held an entirely different meaning. Which only left one answer, one possibility, which even now lingered beneath his fingertips.

But that was absurd.

Wasn’t it?

Long ago, he remembered hearing that Cat had lost a child. A girl who’d been taken from them soon after birth. They’d buried their little girl, heartbroken over their loss. And yet here was a woman, whose looks seemed so very similar to Cat’s, whose age corresponded with the story, who’d never known the family she was born into, and instead sought them out one Halloween.

She had said he might lose his sanity upon learning the truth. Although he was wondering if perhaps he should be questioning her sanity instead, if she was really insinuating what he thought she was.

Still, what could be the harm in playing along? Either she’d offer proof and he’d learn another hidden facet of the world he lived in, or she was simply enjoying her little game, seeing how far she could take it. Or, most undesirable of the three, she truly believed what she was telling him, despite all evidence to the contrary, and he’d have wasted an evening on the whims of a gorgeous mad woman.

Petyr sincerely hoped that it wasn’t the third option. The second would be most ideal, he imagined. But, a part of him, a very small part that still believed in songs and fairy tales of happily ever after, despite all he’d done to crush it, hoped it was the first option.

“Show me?” he entreated, drawer her closer in his arms.

She was silent for half a heartbeat, yielding to his embrace, then her steps halted, and she retreated, eyes glinting. “This is your club, is it not?” He nodded, and she continued, expression sly. “Perhaps we could go somewhere more private? You must have an office on the premises.”

Smirking, he stepped back, taking her hand. “Right through here, my lady,” he said leading her towards a door that nearly blended in with the surrounding wall, marked with a discrete ‘Employees Only’ sign.

The door lead to a corridor, and at its end Petyr found his office, retrieving a key from his pocket to unlock the door, before letting Sansa inside. He stepped in after her, flicking the switch on the wall to turn on the light and closing the door behind him with a soft snap. She surveyed the room with a keen eye, turning on the spot to take everything in, the space immaculate, just as he always kept it, and he watched her in turn, wondering just what she had in store for them.

Finally, her eyes found his again, her lips curving in a mischievous smile. “Are you certain this is what you want?” she asked. “There may be no turning back.”

He cocked his head to the side, eyes sweeping over her form, taking in every exquisite detail, before they met her gaze with a calmness that was in stark odds with his erratic heartbeat. “I am confident that whatever the outcome, it will be worth it.”

Her smile broadened. “For your sake, I hope you are right.”

Petyr tried to shake off her cryptic warning as he watched her retrieve a small round mirror from her purse and set it on the ground. He stared, astonished as the mirror began to expand before his eyes, growing larger and larger, until it was the size of a small area rug.

Then, she took his hand. “Do you trust me?”

Without speaking, he nodded, hardly knowing what to think.

And then she stepped forward with one foot, onto the glass, and as she did so ripples fled from the point of contact, like water in a pond. A gentle pressure to his hand, urging him forward, and he stepped onto the mirror as well, just as she moved her other foot. Petyr stared down at their reflection for a second, watching the ripples slowly smoothing out, before he suddenly felt himself sinking down, down, down. Before he had fully realized what was happening, he was standing upright once more, on the mirror, and with Sansa. But their surroundings had changed. Where once he’d been enveloped by the comforts of his office at the Mockingbird, he was now surrounded by complete unfamiliarity.

Petyr could not help but gape as his eyes took in the scene before him. They were standing in a garden, dark greenery overflowing in every direction, dotted with splashes of color more vibrant than anything he’d ever seen. It was dusk, and the moon was full overhead, and so bright and round and startlingly close that he felt almost as if he could reach up a hand and cup it in his palm. Fireflies lazily drifted about, and the air seemed to shimmer, like dust sparkling in the moonlight.

There were statues nestled here and there about the foliage, flowers and vines twining around them, as they continued to grow, even now before his eyes, and the statues too seemed to shift and change, expressions morphing, limbs stretching, hair blowing in the soft breeze. A large weeping willow, with flowers reminiscent of cherry blossoms woven into its long trailing branches, stood at the edge of a lake with waters smooth as the glass of the mirror beneath his feet, a state which contradicted the tumbling geyser at its center.

Sansa stepped off of the mirror, her hand still in his, and he followed her to the cherry willow, ducking with her through its canopy. Beneath the tree’s shade was a space strangely incongruent with the size he’d expected, given the tree’s dimensions. There was another pool, the water burbling happy against smooth stones, along with a large blanket draped over the dark green grass, its design similar to the dress Sansa wore. Glowing orbs hung in mid air at varying heights, fireflies dancing beneath the glass.

She led him to the blanket, drawing him down to sit beside her. It was far more comfortable than he would have thought, sitting upon the ground with only a blanket between him and the earth, and he idly wondered how that could be possible, before chastising himself. Of everything he could see before him, that was honestly what he was curious about?

It was clear that his earlier theory had been right. This woman was not merely masquerading about on Halloween as a faerie. She was one. And here was the proof, before his eyes, beneath his feet, in his hand.

As strange as it seemed, option number one had indeed been the correct answer.

And Petyr was certain that he’d never been happier to have his entire worldview turned on its head. From dreamer, to cynic, and back to dreamer again.

Both transformations at the hand of a red haired beauty that had captivated his heart.

He was certain now. It could not merely be a coincidence. This was Cat’s daughter.

Sansa was a changeling.

When Petyr’s gaze met hers, she smiled sadly at him, twining her fingers with his. “And now you know.” She paused. “Will you stay with me?”

“Yes.” He said it automatically, without having thought it over, without a single fraction of a second’s hesitation. And yet he didn’t regret his answer. Far from it.

Her eyes shone, lips parting, each painting a picture of the surprise and joy she clearly felt. And then he leaned in and kissed her, and her lips tasted bright and sweet, like lemon meringue, and he couldn’t have stopped even if he’d wanted to.

Afterwards, she lay curled against his chest, her skin soft against his, the blanket pulled to drape over their bodies as the air chilled beneath the tree. Sansa wasn’t asleep, her fingers drawing abstract patterns over his chest and stomach, tracing the scar he knew they’d eventually talk about. Petyr did not know how or why she had set her sights upon him, but he hardly cared. As long as she wanted him, he would follow her lead anywhere.

Notes: Changeling is sometimes used to describe only the faerie child left in the human world, but I checked and it can also just mean one child exchanged for another, so I believe it still fits how I used it :). Hopefully I’m right.

Also, yes, that’s a reference to Shrek, because Jaime so looked like Prince Charming at the beginning of the show.

I hope you liked it! If you haven't yet, and want to read more Halloween themed shorts, check out my other works :). I have 4 other Halloween one shots that I think you might like!

#petyr x sansa #game of thrones #fanfiction #my fanfiction #one shot #400 followers #Halloween #prompts #follow my lead