𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐄 | 𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐈𝐀𝐅

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐕𝐘𝐍𝐄

THE ORIGINS OF HOUSE VYNE
as transcribed by Maester Gulian,
from the documents of Maester Myros, Aethelmure, and Cellador
circa 7 AC.

FROM THE BOWELS OF THE CRYPTS BENEATH VYNEHEART, the men of Florian Flowers crept up the steps, singing a song that traveled up the chamber, the sound wrapped around the throats of the guards set upon protecting those of House Greystone, and within mere moments, they fell to the ground, as though having been strangled.

Meanwhile, the ailing King Harys of House Greystone withered as he laid in bed, unaware of the quiet chaos looming below his bedchamber, as he was tended to by his seven daughters. So ill was he, that he could not hear the smooth chanting of the men, as they stalked through the halls, taking root in place of his guardsmen, and making way for Florian himself, the bastard son of a lesser Gardener, who'd caught the eye of one of the daughters, Helicent, whom he'd wed in secret scarcely a moon before.

Without a son, the only thing keeping Florian from taking Vyneheart for himself, was the dying king. Helicent and her sisters were ordered to step aside and allow Florian to "do as the Gods intend." All but one of the sisters moved away, a lady whose name has been lost to history, but was later to as, the 'lady of the moonlit eyes' and was said to have been the eldest daughter of the senile king.

Her protests were rather pitiful and in vain, as she was forced into the arms of her sisters, and with the rest of them watched as Florian murmured above their father. He did not draw his thorn-thin blade from his side. He whispered, he spoke, and eventually he softened to a hum.

He sat at the side of the dying man, and it has since been claimed, soothed him to death.

Following the capture of Vyneheart at the hands of Florian, he would wed each of the daughters to secure his claim. Some wept, some quivered, only Helicent smiled, and only the eldest daughter had to be held back as she attempted to attack the man with a sharp pin from her hair.

The man would be coined the 'King Without A Name' as for the first year of his reign, he would not claim a name nor sigil for his dynasty. Not until the 'lady of the moonlit eyes' had escaped her chambers within what would become known as the Tower of the Grey Ladies.

Her tuneless screeching could be heard as she raced down the steps and into the throne room where the King sat, proud as the tallest tree in a forest. He'd been admiring his lady-wife Helicent, the only one who ever sat at his side, when the lady burst in.

Men had urged forth to hold the woman back, to protect the man who'd usurped her father's throne and her birthright. When one brought a blade to her throat, Florian raised his hand, graciously sparing her life, and allowing the woman to speak.

The first words that tumbled from her lips were, "What enchantment have you sung? That of vines? Wrapping around the throats of good and honest men!" For when he spoke, no fairer a voice there was in the room. It was a creature of dandelions and roses. Something soft, gentle, and his men were all the same. Some claim it was witchcraft, but others take a more realistic approach and say it was mere chance.

From that, the King replied, "Not just throats, but hearts." his voice had taken root in the hearts and souls of the Grey Ladies, it was said. Vines grew from deep down in there, wrapping around their hearts, strangling them, entrapping them. They were as much his servants as they were his wives.

As the lady glared up at the King she proclaimed, "One day there will be no fairer soul from the fruit of your vine, but he will be born scarred by those vines as you have scarred me. He will be the last of your damned house! The last fruit of your vine!"

The King cared not for such words, and with a flick of his fingers his guards dragged the screaming woman back to her bedchamber. From then on he went by Florian of House Vyne, or Florian the Fair. The words of the house became 'Fruit of the Vine' as a boast for his many descendants. Some say it was either to mock or humor the eldest Greystone.

By the end of Florian's reign, he had sired sixty-one children. Ten from each sister, but for the eldest, who'd only given him one child, Aladore, who would go on to inherit his father's title and land.

Aladore, unlike his father, recognized the sacrifice made by the seven sisters. During his reign, he would erect a statue of his mother within the Godswood of Vyneheart, her eyes shining alight at night by the opals placed in their stead.

Since Florian's death there has never been a man so reviled by his ancestors as was he. He may have been proclaimed the 'fair' yet, there has never been a man so reprehensible within the history of House Vyne, and henceforth, has since been denounced by his family, despite being the founder of their great dynasty.

Florian was a villain masquerading amongst heroes. His voice that had once entranced like rose vines around the hearts of others, has since fallen silent and the mere mention of him has grown poisonous in the generations since. He was no great founder of his house, only the root of the vine that through the years would prove its sigil and words right. A wreath of vines, as fruitful as any.

But these vines do entangle, they do entwine, and in that bears the heart of the matter, that which brought the end of House Vyne.