;;rodrik - Blog Posts
rodrikofwinter:
—.
he disliked being out of winterfell, if he was being frank, but rodrik was thankful that he was still in the north. he had so little desire to travel south again, though he knew eventually such a thing would occur. the king of winter had been preoccupied with trade routes and plans for the north, so much of his free time was spent poring over letters and documents when he would rather be enjoying the brisk air of white harbor.
he heard his wife before he saw her and his lips twitched as a kiss was pressed to the back of his head. “trade routes, mainly,” he remarked carefully, his fingers moving to sign for her. “while i’m allowing some lands to pass through unhindered, i do not want to give them the ability to enter the entirety of the north.” his voice was brusque for a moment before he turned and pressed a soft kiss of his own to rosalyn’s temple.
her question was a welcome one and his lips twitched. “you could, perhaps, convince me to take a break.”
.
with each day that passed rodrik’s signing had gotten better and better. while rosa was used to being in a world with those who knew no sign language at all, it felt comfortable to know her husband was there with her. and one day when their children grew up they would learn as well. it was times like this that she felt included in what was happening, instead of having to watch from the sidelines. “i think that is smart. we don’t want everyone to think they are able to come in without us knowing.”
right on cue, rosalyn reached out to take rodrik’s hands within her and to try to pull him away from his desk. “come on a walk with me then. you have been behind that desk all day long and the sun is about to set. and i believe the sunset is going to be beautiful. and maybe i am wrong but i do not believe you have eaten either.” she noted. “i think the trade routes can wait a little longer.”
location: white harbor, the north
the party from winterfell had arrived days before any of the other kingdoms were set to arrive. it had given them time to be sure everything was prepared for the arrival of everyone. rosa had worked along with the manderly house to ensure that all the rooms were set up for people. she had been spending a lot of time making sure the placements of the rooms were just right so there would be no tensions near one another. despite how much her handmaidens were insisting she rested. finally she gave in and headed back to her chambers
there she could see her husband sitting at his desk working hard. seemingly in the same place she had left him in, however this time with a much larger stack of papers in front of him. walking over to him, she placed a gentle kiss on the back of his head. wrapping her arms around him as she looked down at the papers on his desk.
"what are you working on? you have been sitting here for what feels like hours?" she said, trying to get a better look at what he was working on. moving to his side, she took a seat next to him to see him respond back to her question. "is there anything i could help you with?" she asked, wanting to take some pressure off of rodrik's shoulders.
@rodrikofwinter
it was clear the wedding party was going to go deep into the night. it seemed like everyone was ready for a night of drinking and partying before what was going to lie ahead of them. and while rosalyn had enjoyed her time of merriment with everyone else, she was also happy to sneak away for a bit. holding onto the arm of her now husband the two of them walked the halls of the castle. butterflies filling her stomach once more as they walked alone together. no more need of a chaperon to keep a watchful eye on the couple. they were married which afforded them a little more privacy, which was both relieving but also caused the butterflies to flutter in her stomach. "did you have a nice time?" the now queen asked as they walked together. "i know it was more of a southern wedding but i hope you still enjoyed yourself."
@rodrikofwinter
rodrikofwinter:
a private meal with his betrothed was a luxury in the vale that rodrik would not enjoy so often in the north. as the lord of winterfell and now king of winter, he often took his meal in the great hall with his men, as his father had before him. there was something to be said about a meal in private, where his singular focus could remain on the woman who was soon to become his wife.
the smile upon rosa’s face brought one to his own, a more genuine smile than the wolf of winterfell often showed in the south. “we are often quite insular at times,” he told her, his head inclining. “our gods are different, our way of life. we are simpler; i do not take much joy in gold or jewels as you might be accustomed to here.” he took a sip from his ale. “when we are in the north, i will assign someone to instruct you in our customs.”
fingers moved to cut the meat that was on the plate in front of him. “i know that i am not the warmest of men, rosa,” he spoke candidly, wishing for her to know his thoughts. “but i will do all in my power to make you happy. as my queen, you will be elevated above most. and as my wife,” here he paused before exhaling. “as my wife, i will be faithful and belong to you alone.”
.
it had only been a handful of times that rosa had seen the king of winter smile since she had met him at dragonstone. although it was rare, it was kind. it felt genuine each time he gave one, not a forced pleasantry like so many other nobles painted on their faces. she felt quite special to get to see it more and more as the days drew closer to their wedding.
rosalyn knew moving to the north would mean a big change in customs that she had been used to. and there was no denying that she was nervous but it felt almost exciting as well. a simpler life was by no means a worse life or anything to snub her nose at. she often found solace in the quiet moments of the castle, she was sure she would find the same at winterfell. "someone to help me would be great help, thank you. that last thing i want to do is offend anyone."
taking a small sip of her drink, she could feel her cheeks burn the slightest color of pink, despite her efforts. "rodrik," rosa started. "you have been nothing but kind to me from the moment i have met you. you have been learning how to sign for me when no one said that you must. i find that to be very warm." she told him. there was a pause, a slight hesitation at her next words. as she was unsure if they were right or not. "i want for you to be happy as well. i...i hope i could also help to make you happy."
rosa would be lying to say she wasn't the slightest bit nervous for the dinner about to take place. it was the first real time all of them were going to be able to get together as one. soon enough both of their families would be joined together and all the princess wanted was for them all to get along. her siblings meant the world to her, and rodrik was soon to be her husband, she needed them to get along. but rosa came from a family of people all with very strong personalities and ideas. she loved them for it but she hoped that it wouldn't clash with the starks. but perhaps with the threat of war looming over them all, a night of a joyful celebration was what they all needed.
the red head looked around at all the people gathered in the room. letting out a sigh of relief, she smiled. at least so far so good.
@kingarryn @ravellaarryns @robinofthevale @rodrikofwinter @harrionstark
rodrikofwinter:
@rosaaaryn
the meal was quite good, though rodrik couldn’t really recall exactly what he was eating. his focus remained on the woman across from him, the one who was to be his wife — and the mother of his future children. he had not spent much time with rosalyn without one of their siblings present, though today the only other presence in the room was a servant who also doubled as chaperone ( flimsy though that argument might be ) for the duration of the meal.
rodrik set his goblet down as he signed to her, well aware that his signing was nowhere near as good as he might like it to be. he spoke as well, knowing that she might better read his lips than the motions that his unpracticed hands made. “what do you know of the northern customs? i am not certain what southron septas teach of the north.”
.
butterflies had fluttered around her stomach the entire day as she waited for the night to come. it was then she'd be able to spend dinner alone with her soon to be husband. the thought alone was strange and foreign to her. she always knew she'd get married to someone, but the thought of it being here now was hard to believe. she only knew a little about rodrik, but it was what he had shown her that was enough to win her over.
for the first time she felt like she was alone with him. she loved her siblings more than anything in the world but it felt a little freeing to be away from their watchful eyes. she knew they only wanted the best for her, but there were somethings she wanted to discover on her own.
the way his hands moved, although somewhat clumsily, through his signing brought a smile to her face. her hands matched in kind with her words, knowing it would be best to help him practice. "i know a little but i am sure there are many things i do not know. i know the northern people to be a proud and honorable people. i just hope i can prove myself worthy to them. i do not expect them to trust me right away. is there....things i should know?"
rodrikofwinter:
@rosaaaryn
though many in the north would consider him to be jovial, a man who will share a drink and a laugh with his men, in the south rodrik has long been thought of as the dark wolf, a man who has made decisions others would often revile. his expression was solemn in the south, made even more so by the dour walls of dragonstone. the harsh neutrality of the grey bricks juxtaposed against the sea so turbulent the water was little more than droplets and cresting waves that crashed against the shore, both reminded him of home and made him wish that he was still in the north.
his crown, hammered bronze with spikes of black iron, was heavy on his head, though he did not wear it outside of his official duties.
( his bearing, his countenance, the way he spoke so confidently made it clear, rodrik thought, that he was the king of winter. anything more was an ostentatious showing he did not believe in )
rodrik had sparred in the training yard with a couple of his men and as he walked back into dragonstone itself, he kept from wiping beads of sweat percolating on his forehead. as he neared the hallway toward his chambers, however, he saw a familiar face though it was not one he knew well. the arryn princess his father had wanted him to wed stood just ahead and though negotiations between the families had not begun again, he felt it impolite to simply ignore her.
“good afternoon,” he said, the small talk sounding strange even to his own ears. “it has certainly been some time since we’ve last met.”
.
the days at dragonstone were coming to an end. and honestly, rosa was thankful for that fact. after everything that happened on this island, the arryn princess was ready to make her way back home. when they were first leaving to come to dragonstone rosa was overjoyed at the thought of getting to leave the vale for awhile. all throughout the war she had been stuck in the vale and honestly mostly in the eyrie to keep her safe. so getting travel somewhere was exciting for her. but now she wondered why she had left the vale at all.
but rosa couldn't let these thing bring her down. to break her. no she needed to stay strong for herself and for her family. so despite how much anxiety it might bring her she decided to go for a nice walk today. her guards following behind her to at least bring some comfort.
"king rodrik." surprise laced in her melodic voice. rosa had seen the other king during the time on the island but had never a real chance to speak with him. plus with the rumored talked of their father's arrangement she thought it might be inappropriate for her to reach out to him without knowing where people stood. but now with the two of them in the hall together there was no leaving a perfectly polite conversation. "it certainly has been a long time and much has changed. is your family well? i haven't had much of a chance to speak with either of your sisters here yet." she smiled. "and you! i hope you have been good as well with all the new pressures of kinghood."
