nysalogs | ( semi-closed )

[ Edmund is prone to leave the house every now and again (though he stays there far more than Newt has ever had, for obvious reasons), but it has been talked about between all of his housemates that guests are always welcome, as long as they can be sure that they are friends. Edmund, seeing as he knows no one from his world, is inclined to place faith in Daenerys and Newt, as they have in him.

And so, having a guest around the house doesn't surprise him.

What surprises him is the face he sees, though it's not a terrible one — in fact, a smile is brought upon his face, even after an exciting day outside. ]

And you are Sansa, a lovely name I wouldn't forget. How lucky it is to have you as a guest.

If I may ask, by whose invitation—? [ Although he has a feeling. Things are suddenly dawning to him. ]

[ she smiles, as she knows she is supposed to, at the remark about her name — briefly, she wonders if Jon still remembers the advice she gave him, back when they were still children, to always compliment a girl's name. perhaps she will have to ask him. ]

You're too kind. It is I who is lucky, to have been invited. [ and then, to answer his question, ]

It was queen Daenerys. Her Grace was generous enough to offer me a quieter space to rest. My living quarters are rather... loud, right now. [ her smile turns into a grimace, and maybe more things are dawning to Edmund, as there is only one very loud house that has been prominently featured over the network in the past days... ]

Ah, [ a thoughtful sound, one that indicates many things.

Puzzles coming into place at a click. Where it hasn't been as obvious before, the shape of her face, her hair, her demeanor — most of which reminds him of Robb Stark, and perhaps some of it reminds him of Jon Snow as well. Her soft kindness, that which is reminiscent to him of his sister Susan, gentle but firm, and endlessly polite. And, of course, calling Daenerys a queen, as it is her rightful title. As wise as Edmund is, he does have a habit of missing the obvious sometimes.

He makes it a point not to mention the house, and those who live in it. Nor does he mention that Theon has been invited here as well during the quiet moments, by Edmund himself. ]

Then, forgive me, as I have been remiss, by not calling you by your proper title, Lady Sansa — or is it 'Princess'?

[ He still unsure about the customs, even after speaking to Daenerys herself — never mind the other argument where Daenerys calls herself queen of the seven kingdoms, even if one of them already has a King in the North. ]

Lady, [ she responds, her lips tilting in the slightest of smiles, realizing he has put together the puzzle pieces to make a coherent image — and still, she appreciates him not asking about her house, her brothers and Theon. ]

My brothers are kings, but our father was the Warden of the North, the Lord of Winterfell. [ so not a king... and the story behind why her brothers (and isn't that strange to say,still, to speak of both Jon and Robb at once, knowing both of them are here and alive and well) were crowned king too long and too painful to recount. ]

But you don't need to apologize to me, ser. I made no mention of the status given to me by my birth, as it has little relevance here. All our worlds are gone, after all.

[ Oddly enough, Edmund will not ask the question about how two brothers are both kings, simply because that particular circumstance at face value isn't weird to him at all. He and Peter shared a kingdom for ten years, with their sisters, and while everyone thought it was unnatural, they simply took their (literally) god-given crowns in stride. ]

Then let me ask for forgiveness for something else, one that I neglected to mention for the exact same reason you did not inform me of your title. [ He kneels in front of her, one knee to the ground. ] I am King Edmund Pevensie, of the kingdom of Narnia.

Well met, [ he says, a little wry ] my lady.

[ before she has the chance to say anything, he is kneeling and she is confused, even more so as he keeps speaking, the words that follow making her eyes widen; and despite his confession being dressed as an apology, despite his kind manner, she feels her heart freeze. ]

Forgive me, Your Grace, I did not mean to give offense by not using your title.

[ she bows her head, gaze lowered. ] The honour is mine, King Edmund. Please, rise. A king does not need my forgiveness. [ nor would any king she has known ask it like this, not even her brothers. ]

Perhaps, but a king should always know when to ask for it.

[ A hard lesson he's learned, and carried with him all these years. A lesson that he hopes others of equal status would know how to do, and what to do with, no matter if the circumstance seems small or not. He's met rulers with no regard for the company they keep, and the crowd they rule over, the rise and fall of monarchs that gave way for their egos to take root. ]

It was no offense to me, my lady. If I were to insist on wearing my title all the time, I imagine it would be exhausting, and frivolous like you said. I rule no land here. But I regard you with respect, and therefore my wish is for you to know me as I am, for I suppose I will always be a king regardless.

Most kings I know would not admit that so freely, [ she says with a smile that speaks of her approval — something he doesn't need either, but she can't help but express it nonetheless. she had liked him before; now, she finds she has respect for him, too, as she wonders what kind of a king he had made, what kind of land he had ruled over... whether his rule had been one of peace. ]

Then I am honoured even more. But you're right... the loss of your home doesn't make you any less of a king. [ her smile softens a touch. ] I would know... my brothers are both still kings, even though the land they ruled was the same. That Robb was our king before doesn't change the fact that Jon is king, now, too. Once you are named... you cannot be unnamed.

I have learned many lessons in my life, my lady.

[ Starting from a young age, when he'd been spoiled and bratty, just overall unpleasant. He had never been terribly evil, but he could only have gotten worse, if he hadn't been shown the error of his ways. He is no less conscious of his actions than he was back then, when he'd been pretty certain that he ruined everything for himself, his family, and an entire kingdom.

It's certainly interesting to note, that now she has two brothers for kings, but he picks up the past tense that she uses when she calls Robb king. Not that he would pry. ]

'Once a king and queen of Narnia, always a king and queen of Narnia.' Someone I know has told us that once. [ And there is never a time, when Edmund does not think of Aslan, and Narnia, and the kingdom Edmund no longer has.

In any case, ] Narnia is a kingdom with four thrones. My siblings and I sit on them, by the grace of Aslan — two kings and two queens, all of us unmarried, none of us interested in marrying each other at all. [ he tacks on, with a small smile of his own, because he already knows what might go through people's heads. ]

[ it speaks highly of him, the humility that mingles with respect in his voice — she knows too many rulers who would not listen to criticism, who would do only what they wished and heed no advice... nor learn from their mistakes. ]

That your world may no longer exist... it doesn't make who you are now any less real.

[ even though Winterfell is gone... she is still Lady Stark, the Lady of Winterfell. she is still a wolf. she falls silent to listen to Edmund's explanation, wondering briefly who this Aslan is that he speaks of, for who could be spoken of with such respect by someone who is already a king?

but the last remark gets a small laugh from her. ] Do people really think that? [ she sighs, even as a smile lingers on her lips. ] It used to be a practice for some great houses, back in Westeros, to marry close kin... but never in the North.

[ she pauses. ] Was it a requirement? For all of you to remain unmarried? Would you not have children to carry on your name and legacy?

We could marry, if we wished. Narnia can survive with one ruler, at the least.

[ But their circumstances were special, in a sense. Edmund has no way of explaining it, other than that they were tasked to rule together. ]

Though I'm more than certain that only one of us has real wish to. [ His smile is full of good-natured humor, sheepish. ] My elder sister, Susan, had suitors lined up at her feet from lands even beyond the Eastern Ocean, though she'd been keen on a prince from the southern lands. The two of us traveled south in order to meet him, and see if marriage would be suitable for them.

Really?

[ it seems like an interesting tale, and it's the first time Edmund has spoken of his siblings by name, something that catches her attention even more. ]

What happened once you reached the south?

I had a feeling, and not a very good one.

[ Edmund has learned to trust his gut, when it comes to people, and it often pays off. ]

You know, suitors — when they step into your territory, they are respectful and kind, they show the very best of themselves in order to win another's affection. It's typical, of course, to want something so terribly that you would do anything to get it, including pretending to be something you are not.

Though I find that you see a man as he truly is, once you are in his home, playing by his rules. As much as the prince wanted my sister, [ And Edmund has real doubts that he wanted her that badly to begin with; perhaps he'd been blinded by her beauty, but nothing more ] he wanted our kingdom even more.

( semi-closed )

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