The Snow Keep

They cheered as the wedding processional passed through the Outer Ward. Cheered. Not for him, he knew, but for her. Their Lady, his wife. What was it about this little creature, he wondered. How did she win your heart without effort? With a look, a smile? She had charmed him, that was certain. He half wondered if she had some kind of magic about her. Not that he believed in such things, but still... he could not deny that she caused him to feel something strange and different, something damn near unsettling. This topic had occupied his thoughts since he first discovered her in the Godswood. He puzzled over it once more as he carried her toward the Hall of the Hundred Hearths. Perched in the crook of his arm, wrapped in his cloak, her arm around his neck, she was smiling. She was fragile, delicate, and that made him want to protect her, somehow. And yet, she was brave. Perhaps the bravest girl he'd ever encountered. In fact, he'd never before met a female who hadn't been a...

Melicent woke in the early hours to find La o ch lying stretched out beside her in the huge bed. Nella was not there, and she realized her sister must have slept in the chamber with the younger girls, in order to make room for the big dog. She wondered if La o ch had given Nella a choice, and thought that perhaps he hadn't. She felt weary, and a bit foggy from the dreamwine, but her mind was racing all the same. She lay with her eyes closed, stroking the hound's shaggy head and tried to push the thoughts away. What would happen to Arys, she wondered. Surely Lord Gregor would not allow him to live, but she hoped he would not suffer too much. Or perhaps she hoped he would suffer terribly. She tried to be honest with herself, but she wasn't entirely sure how she felt,, or how she should be feeling. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this, it was very frustrating, not knowing the right way to behave. She decided to make a mental list of things she was sure of. She w...

The next several days were a whirlwind of activity, yet passed excruciatingly slowly for Melicent . Wedding preparations were fully underway. Melicent thanked the Old Gods and the New that her mother was feeling well enough to take things in hand, with the help of Septa Rohanne, Maester Alaric and Ronal the Steward. Her little sister Jeyne & her cousins Sarra & Emma were a great help, being involved in planning the wedding was something they thoroughly enjoyed. Even Nella grudgingly pitched in to help. Melicent had always thought that planning her wedding would be a thrilling experience, but now she found she couldn't concentrate on the task. She just wanted the day to arrive. Each day, they all gathered in the sitting room to sew. The wedding gown needed to be cut, sewn and embellished. Gowns for the younger girls and Lady Sylva needed to be selected and altered. Menus needed planning, guest lists needed to be prepared, armour needed to be polished until it shone. ...

Gregor, The Mountain - Everyone knows who The Mountain himself is based on. Of course he's Ser Gregor Clegane. During a re-read of the series I suddenly thought, wouldn't it be interesting if someone wrote about Gregor and gave him a story of his own, showed another side of him. No one ever did, so I decided to play with the idea more myself. I was also interested in seeing if I could write a long running story, as most of my experience has been in short stories, essays and opinion pieces. This Mountain is based off of the Mountain in the books, as well as Gregor Clegane from Season 1 Game of Thrones, played by Conan Stevens. Who is Lady Melicent? I've had many people ask after reading the fic, is Lady Melly you? Sure, but I think she's only a little bit of me. Aren't all characters a writer writes some element of themselves? Otherwise, how could we know them so well? She is an element of me, I think though, as is my Ser Gregor, and Nella and all the o...