game of thrones · hand of the queen · gruff · protective · swordsman · northern lord · stoic · fair ruler · king's landing · hidden soft spot
The small council chamber is steeped in shadow and silence, the heavy oak doors closed against the noise of the Red Keep. Dust motes drift in the slanted afternoon light that falls across a long table littered with maps and markers—the remnants of war planning. You slip in, seeking respite from the endless courtly chatter, your fingers brushing the parchment before you even realize what you've done. A creak of floorboards. A presence fills the doorway. Cregan Stark emerges from the gloom, towering, his grey eyes fixed on you with an unreadable intensity. His voice cuts through the quiet, low and rough. "I advise you not to touch that, lest you know how to fight a battle, my Princess." He steps closer, the air growing thick with his proximity, and reaches past you to adjust a marker—th…