Ser Harwin Strong X Reader - Tumblr Posts

By Your Side

warnings: mentions of death/hanging (very brief), forced to marry jason lannister, f!targaryen!reader, not proofread

summary: as a targaryen, you must do your duty to strengthen your family’s alliances. that means marrying whoever your father chooses, regardless of your love for someone else.

author’s note: more harwin woooo. also I just know harwin would hate and beat up jason lannister without question.

You had never been so envious of Rhaenyra.

You hadn’t minded when she had been made heir, you’d been happy for her. You didn’t care that your father favored her, that she was ‘the realm’s delight’– you were content to be hidden behind her shadow.

But one thing you would always be jealous of was how your father allowed her a choice.

He had allowed her a choice of who to marry before she wedded Ser Laenor– a choice that was not afforded to you.

Viserys had grown ill– and quite frankly tired– of fighting with his daughters on political matters. So, after Rhaenyra’s chaotic wedding to Laenor and the binding of the houses Targaryen and Velaryon, it was your turn.

The King announced your betrothal with no ceremony. He requested you attended a meeting of the small council a week after Rhaenyra’s wedding, which was of no surprise to you. Your father often requested either you or Rhaenyra to attend and listen in on the going ons of Westeros.

But this council was different. As you sat in your chair, your fingers fiddling with the small dragon glass sphere in front of you, you couldn’t help but feel anxious. With one daughter wedded, you knew that your father would seek to marry you off, too.

“Princess,” it was the lord hand, Lyonel Strong speaking. “If it please the King, I was hoping you would consider my eldest son, Harwin, as your husband. I know you have many suitors asking for your hand–”

You opened your mouth to speak, but your father beat you to it.

“I apologize, Lord Lyonel, but I have already betrothed my daughter to another. She is to marry Lord Jason, of House Lannister.”

You resisted the urge to gag, anger and jealousy bubbling in your gut like a boiling pot about to overflow. Your hand clasped the dragon glass sphere fiercely, your knuckles whitening at the force.

“Father, if I may–” you began, but Viserys waved a hand and shook his head.

“You may not. It is settled. He is Lord of Casterly Rock, and a strengthened alliance between our families is of utmost importance.”

You shut your mouth, teeth grinding together in discontent and rage.

The remainder of the council meeting went by agonizingly slow. You sat there quietly, jaw clenched as you toyed with the seams of your dress. You could feel the occasional pair of eyes watching you, but you kept your gaze trained on the table in front of you.

As soon as you father rose and the council was dismissed, you sprung from your chair. Your walk was swift as you practically ran from the chamber, pushing through the heavy wooden doors and into the corridor.

Ser Harwin Strong, your personal guard, was waiting for you by the doors. At your abrupt exit he startled, straightening and following you without hesitation.

“Princess, if you would slow–” he began from behind you, quite surprised at your speed. He had never seen you so eager to be away from a place– or perhaps he had never seen you so worked up about something.

Harwin had been your personal guard since Rhaenyra’s naming as heir. Although most men vied for the chance to protect the future queen, he set his sights on you.

Your father had granted him the position with no protest. From then on, Harwin had been a constant figure in your life. Sure, you’d met him before he became attached to your hip. Rhaenyra had introduced you to him numerous times– but you never spoken beyond that.

Perhaps you were guilty of stealing glances when you thought he was not looking, or wishing he would ask you to dance at a festival. So what? Wishes seldom came true.

But then he became your guard, and your attraction to him reared it’s head. It was no secret he admired you– both from afar and up close. But you were slow to allow yourself to admire him.

However, after years of being together nearly every day, you either learn to love someone or you learn to hate them. Luckily for Ser Harwin, you learned to love him.

That made this whole predicament so much more difficult.

“I will not,” you threw over your shoulder, your feet stomping up the stone stairs as you made your way through the castle.

You heard Harwin mumble something behind you, but you paid him no mind as you stormed past corridor after corridor. Finally, you made it to the royal apartments.

You threw open the door to your chambers, attempting to slam it closed behind you, only to be stopped by Harwin’s large figure.

He slipped into the room, shutting the door softly behind him and turning the lock. You ignored him as you threw yourself down onto a lounge, eyes watching the tall ceiling.

“Princess, what is the matter? You practically ran here,” there was a hint of amusement in his voice, but the moment you turned your icy gaze to him, he sobered.

“My father,” you spoke the words distastefully. “Has decided it is my turn to be wed.”

Harwin hummed as he approached your lounge, his hands clasped behind his back.

“No worries, Princess. I’m sure that my father will speak to the King.”

“He did,” you stated bitterly. “The King would not hear it. I am betrothed to Lord Jason Lannister.”

Harwin said nothing. He crouched beside you, his gloved hands reaching for yours. You allowed him to take them, breathing heavily through your nose as you thought of your now bleak future.

Jason Lannister was notorious for being an ass. Rhaenyra had corroborated that statement more than once during her time searching for a husband. She had narrowly dodged his attempts for her hand, but you had not been so lucky.

“It seems that my father has learned his lesson through my sister. I am not afforded the choice of a husband. Instead, I must mary this vile man and be forced to bear his vile children.”

Harwin chuckled softly, pressing his lips to your knuckles. You turned your head, eyes narrowed as you looked upon your knight.

“You find that amusing?” You questioned.

“I find you amusing, your highness. Your dramatics are quite entertaining.” He pulled back from your hands in favor of looking into your eyes.

“This is not meant for entertainment, Ser Harwin. This is a serious matter.”

“Most serious, Princess.” He replied, lips turning up in a teasing grin.

You huffed, pulling your hands from his and shifting your body in the lounge. Now you lay with your back towards him.

“It is not the end of the world, my love. You are strong, and you will not let a leech like Jason Lannister change that.”

“He will not change it,” you confirmed, your back still turned. “But what will he do to try? I cannot imagine being forced to spend days and nights with him. From what Rhaenyra has said of him, he seems truly awful.”

“I will be with you,” Harwin spoke. His hands moved to your side, gently pulling you back towards him. You went without protest.

He captured your chin between his forefinger and thumb, turning your face so you would have to look at him.

“I will be with you,” he repeated, his eyes locked with yours. “I will never let him do what you do not want him to do. I will not leave your side, and I will not stop loving you, no matter the lord you marry.”

“Careful, Ser Harwin,” your voice was low as you spoke, humor creeping into it as your lips quirked up in a small smile. “Such talk is treasonous. A princess and her knight? What would the realm think?”

“I do not care,” he answered honestly, leaning his forehead against yours. “Let them hang me. If it were up to me, you and I would leave this place and escape to Harrenhal. You would be my lady wife and we’d do whatever we pleased.”

You did not speak for a moment, weighing your thoughts and words.

“I do not see why my father refused your father. A union between the families of the King and his Hand–”

“Your father is doing what he believes is best. The Lannisters are powerful allies,” Harwin interrupted.

“Mayhaps, but I believe we have stronger allies closer.”

“Mhm,” Harwin hummed. “How much closer?”

You grinned, brushing your nose against his. “Oh, I dunno, maybe on this corridor?”

“That far?” He replied.

“This room?” You tried.

“A little closer.” He said.

“Mayhaps right beside me?” You giggled.

He smiled at the sound of your laugh. Harwin tilted his chin then, brushing his lips on yours.

You inhaled deeply, closing your eyes. If it were up to you, you would stay in this moment forever. But it wasn’t up to you, and duty was a cruel mistress.

“We could always run away,” you told him, your voice a whisper.

“You and I both know we are bound to our duties.” He responded, and you sighed.

“No more dwelling on this matter,” he spoke after a moment, his lips just barely touching yours as he talked. “It does no good to worry.”

You hummed in agreement, eager to free yourself from those thoughts– if only for a moment. You pressed your lips to Harwin’s and he responded quickly. The kiss was soft, full of unspoken love and promises between the two of you.

That was one thing you loved about Harwin. He was subtle with his affections, but he was also so protective of those he loved. You knew that everything he said had been true– that he would gladly die if it meant he got to love you for a moment longer.

And although you would not marry him, you knew what you had would not falter. Harwin had been there before, and he would be there after, Jason Lannister be damned. The pair of you had snuck around for years, what’s a few more?

Harwin pulled back from you, one gloved hand coming up to cup your cheek. His thumb traced the line of your cheekbone as he looked at you fondly.

“I wish I could stay longer, but I fear my father would have my head. I’m to see him about matters with the City Watch.”

You nodded in understanding. You reached out a hand, brushing a stray curl from his eyes.

“Farewell, Ser Harwin. I’m to be at the dragon pit soon, anyway.”

He stood, his touch lingering until he could no longer reach your face. You sat up, watching as he bowed his head, gave you a small grin, and said a quick ‘princess.’

You watched him leave, and you didn’t rise until the wooden door closed behind him, already wishing that things were different like you had so many times before.

𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 | 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞.

⊹ fandom house of the dragon

⊹ pairing ser harwin strong x reader

⊹ synopsis when the fight breaks out, ser harwin strong decides to get the most important lady in the room to safety

⊹ tags some sexual tension—sexual fluff is the term i'd use it; "who did this to you?" trope + wound bandaging; unexpected marriage proposal in the end because i can't control where my stories go

⊹ warnings fighting, hotd spoiler for 1.05

⊹ word count 1305

The crowd thickens on the dance floor. You are sitting off to the side, on your third cup of wine, watching with amusement as your best friend gets in a heated discussion with Daemon in the middle of the room for the entire crowd to watch. As interested as you are as to what will happen between them, you take a sip and divert your eyes away so if someone were to interrogate you, you’d be able to feign cluelessness.

Your eyes sweep over the room, taking in the attendees. There’s King Viserys, who’s aggressively moving his knife back and forth in a cutting motion except he’s missing the actual chicken because he’s too absorbed watching with scandalised eyes at his brother and daughter.

Then there’s Queen Alicent, who’s also watching, but more subtly. She’s gotten better at concealing her emotions, and much better at learning the subtle ways of the court. You’ll have to warn Rhaenyra about her old friend.

But like every time the two of you are in the same room together, your eyes are eventually drawn to him. Unsurprisingly, he’s already staring at you. Ser Harwin Strong stands across the room with someone talking to him, but it’s clear he’s no longer interested in them. You smile at him, and he bows his head in greeting. His eyes shamelessly rake you up and down, and to tease and appease his appetite which you know all too well, you lean forwards slightly so your dress gives him a much nicer view. You grin at his smile.

That is the crux of your relationship. Longing glances from across the room, a moment of flirtation that doesn’t lead everywhere. For now, it’s fun. Sneaking around, teasing each other in public, the possibilities of what could be existing in the inch of space between your lips when you have your back against the wall and his chest pressed against yours, never pushing further, but not pulling away. You’re both satisfied with it for now. But how long will it last before it’s no longer enough and you both must make the decision of either being together or forever apart?

A scream rises above the crowd, tearing your attention from him. Duty and loyalty to the princess takes over your body, and you stand in search for Rhaenyra immediately. You catch sight of her white hair and see as the thick crowd, now panicked, shove the princess aside.

“Rhaenyra!” you shout out to her, but no one hears you.

No one except for ser Harwin, who despite being so far from you and on the other side of the panicking crowd, sees you grab the knife you had been cutting your chicken with and head determinedly into the crowd to defend your friend. As frustrated he is by you endangering yourself, he can’t help but chuckle at the sight of your stubbornness, loyalty, and bravery. But worry overtakes him as you disappear into the throng of bodies, gone from his view.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his father motion for him to grab the princess. Harwin stretches his head to the left before shoving aside the person in front of him, then the person behind them and every else who stands in his way. He occasionally punches someone if they won’t move. As the crowd gets even thicker, he begins to use his body to barrel his way through. He does pretty much anything that needs to be done until he catches a glimpse of you again, now having made it to the princess’ side. Blood drips down your knife. The sleeve on your pretty blue dress is ripped, and he sees blood stains around it.

You turn and your eyes meet, as if you could just feel his presence when he came near enough.

“Ser Harwin,” you gasp out. “Take the princess to safety—OH!”

The floor disappears from under your feet.

You scream out as his large hands grasp your waist, and with barely a grunt, hoist you over his very broad shoulders. The heat from his hands is familiar, the grip on your waist drawing memories from two nights before, but in this moment, all you feel is anger and disbelief as you are carried away from Rhaenyra who is picked up in a similar position by another member of the city watch.

“Put me down, ser Harwin!” you shout. You slam your fists against his back, not that he’d feel it.

“Stop moving, my lady,” he says gruffly.

You twist around so you can see a glimpse of where you’re going. One hand is still wrapped around your legs to keep you from falling. His other hand is shoving people aside to clear a way.

“PUT ME DOWN!” You try to kick, but his grip tightens.

Then he slaps your ass.

“I said, stop moving!”

Realizing that this isn’t a fight you’re going to win, you huff and stay still as he fights through the rest of the room. Only out in the hall where it’s silent, empty, and dark, does he bend down to put you gently on the ground.

You slap his chest. “You were supposed to get the princess to safety!”

“I was getting my lady to safety first,” he says unabashedly.

“You can’t put me above Rhaenyra!”

“Can’t I?”

Heat floods your cheeks at his words. You look down and see that his hands are still gripping your waist, as if he’s still keeping you safe. Silence passes between you, only the sounds of his and yours heavy breathing filling the air. Gradually, your anger ebbs away, but still his grip doesn’t loosen.

“You can let go of me now, ser Harwin,” you say softly, breaking the silence.

He doesn’t. He steps forward, forcing you take a step backward. Forwards, back, forwards, back, your eyes never looking away from his until your back hits the wall. He takes a step forward. Then another. He’s much taller than you, and much broader. His entire presence looms over you, but you don’t feel terrified or small. If anything, you only feel protected. Secure.

Loved.

He reaches for his shirt and tears a strip from the bottom. You don’t protest as he dabs the blood on your arm before wrapping it over the wound. When he’s done, he bends down to press a kiss against it.

“Does it hurt?” he asks softly.

You shake your head. The scalding touch of him being so close to you yet not doing anything is more unbearable than the knife that cut you.

“Who did it?”

“Harwin.”

“People get hurt from fights all the time. No one will know it was intentional.”

You can’t stop the chuckle from escaping. He smiles softly at you and moves even closer so his forehead is resting against yours, his breath warm over your lips.

“You can’t do that again,” he says.

You look at him challengingly. “Can’t I?”

“No, you can’t. Stop risking yourself.”

“Rhaenyra is my friend, and I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse from here. I have to stay by her side and protect her.”

He sighs, and you know he understands that he can’t ask you to forsake your friendship with her. “Then I will stand by your side and protect you,” he says instead.

You raise your brows. “Oh, will you?”

“Enough of this hiding around and being on opposite ends of the room. I want to be by your side at all times.”

“And how will you do that, ser Harwin?”

He takes your hand in his and presses a kiss to the inside of your palm. “Marry me,” he says, and you feel everything in you stop until he is all you can see and think and feel.

“Marry me and be mine.”

𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝗈𝗍𝖽? 𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗂𝗄𝗍𝗈𝗄 𝗌𝗇𝗂𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗍𝗌, 𝗇𝗈. 𝗂 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗍𝖿𝗅𝗂𝗑 + 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗏𝖾. 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗆 𝗂 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗅𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗇 𝗌𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝗍𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌? 𝖼𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗒.

𝗂 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂 𝖿𝖾𝗅𝗍 𝗌𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽. 𝗂'𝗏𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗅𝖾𝖽 (𝗋𝗂𝗉 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗆 𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇). 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍'𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾

╰┈➤ 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘧!