DANCING WITH DRAGONS ;; a collection of imagines.

harwin strong ; clandestine

⁀➷ summary ; drabble requested by a friend as part of my 1k follower celebration on tumblr.

"i would like softly smiling at each other from across the room, with ser harwin strong please!!!"

⁀➷ pairing ; harwin strong x reader

⁀➷ notes ; i wrote this without my glasses and at 3 am so forgive me if there's mistakes 🙏

━┉⠀❩⠀◗⠀●⃟⠀◖⠀❨⠀┉━

members of the royal court had gathered in the grandeur of the red keep at the behest of king viserys targaryen. what would transpire, you didn't necessarily care, but your father wanted you to come along to experience diplomacy.

this was probably one of the only downsides of being apart of a noble family living so close to kings landing. you were at beck and call, and it was irritating to travel back and forth repeatedly. you did find company though, company within the brawny arms of ser harwin strong.

he was the talk between ladies of court; tall, handsome, thick muscled, and well-endowed as the lord commander of the city watch. he was a very eligible bachelor, but ever since rhaenyra targaryen had married and left him behind, he wasn't too interested in the theatrics of love.

that is, until he ran into you at court.

quite literally.

the six-foot mass of brown curls had turned into a corner without looking, steps hustling him to his destination. he had nearly knocked you over, but saved you from your fall with his quick reflexes. the usually confident and charming commander would say something suave, but this time, he was at a loss for words when his eyes meet yours. once he remembered himself, he ushered words of apologies without breaking eye contact.

ever since then, you two were glued at the hips – under the secrecy of night.

"have you given thought as to who to marry?" your fathers voice flits into your ear. you tentatively sip from your cup of wine, turning your attention to your father. you hum in thought, eyes surveying the room as you think on the question.

"not quite." your gaze lands on the eldest son of lyonel strong, chatting happily to his brother, larys, across the room. his hair is pulled back and out of his face, wearing fine clothes adorned with plain jewelry. his house colors proudly putting together his outfit.

ser harwin trading in his commander armor into nobleman's clothes was a beautiful idea. admittedly, he looked gorgeous in both. his nobleman's clothes showed off his muscle mass in a way his armor didn't; the nice fabric was strapped against his chest, almost showing off his broad shoulders and torso. the sleeves to his arms were bigger than usual, slimming down towards the wrist to fit comfortably.

you were sure if he flexed; the material would dissolve immediately, leaving him as naked on the day he was born.

not that you would complain.

you bite back a smile and rethink on your comment. it wasn't necessarily a lie; the prospect of marriage dulled you, but ser harwin was an absolute bachelor. charming, funny, and a rule-breaker, ser harwin seemed to match your personality. one thing was obvious; you were enjoying him a little too much.

it's as if when you say his name mentally, he hears you. his head lifts up and he meets your gaze; brown, beady eyes blinking steadily back at you. a smile curls the edges of his lips into a smile, pearly whites standing out from the beard he was growing. you smile in return and shyly look away. after a moment you glance back at where he was. he's still watching you carefully, smile still parting his lips.

the action alone is enough to swirl a lick of ardor through you. with such an intense stare being shared between you two, it's as though the world surrounding you goes still and silent, leaving no one but you and him in the grandeur of the red keep's throne room. without words, with just a small, toothy smile, he's effortlessly charming.

he's the first to break eye contact, returning his attention to larys (who, no doubt noticed that his brother was rather distracted) and continuing their conversation as if nothing happened. when larys had looked to find out what caught harwin in a trace, you almost meet his gaze.

quickly finding something else within the vicinity to gawk at, you narrowly miss locking eyes with him. you can feel his eyes on you, observing you, before the aching heat of his attention slowly pulls away.

you release a steady breath of air to calm your nerves. they light back up in fury when your fathers irritated expression returns to view.

"well?"