GoT One-Shots!

New Skills (Tormund Giantsbane x fem!reader)

Tormund chuckled to himself as he watched you in the practice yard of Winterfell. You were so graceful most of the time but put a sword in your hand, and you couldn't be more clumsy or awkward. You heard Tormund's laughter and whipped your head around to face him. You flushed and turned away, embarrassed. You'd never trained with a blade before. You were a daughter of one of the lords in the North staying in Winterfell. But now that the White Walkers were coming, you knew it was necessary for everyone to fight that could.

"No need to be embarrassed. Not everyone is meant to hold a blade," he told you with another laugh. You scoffed and your chin jutted out in pride. "I do not recall asking for your opinion." Tormund nodded, a few flakes of snow falling from his fiery hair. "Aye, but I'm gonna give it anyway. Yer balance is all wrong, yer holding the hilt too tight and the blade yer using is probably too heavy fer ya." Your eyes narrowed for a moment, but you saw the sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't trying to be cruel. He was only trying to help.

"Teach me?" Tormund's eyes widened. "What?" You handed him the sword and repeated your request. He studied your face and saw the determination there. The will to learn. "Fine. I'll teach ya. We start tomorrow." Your lips split into a smile, the likes of Tormund hadn't seen from you before. "Thank you. W-Would you care to come for a ride with me? I need to get out from behind these walls for a bit." You hadn't meant to ask, but you couldn't stop yourself.

It was Tormund's turn to be embarrassed. The color of his face nearly matched his hair. It only took you a second to figure out why. "You don't know how to ride, do you?" He refused to meet your gaze until you placed a hand on his arm. "How about this: you teach me to wield a sword and, in return, I'll teach you to ride?" Tormund agreed readily.

For several weeks, Tormund worked with you and you did get better. You taught him how to ride a horse, letting him ride your very own mare. She was of a more mild temperament than your stallion and you knew she wouldn't try to throw Tormund. It would be better for him to not fall off too many times.

"I don't see the point in needing to know how to ride," he grumbled, making you laugh. The two of you were much closer than you had been, but that's what happens when you spend a lot of time with one person. "Tormund, it'll be beneficial in the coming war." He grunted but didn't argue. You stifled a giggle at his discomfort. "Don't worry. She's tame. Loveable even." You reached over and stroked her mane.

Tormund's eyes lingered on you. There was gentleness in you that you rarely showed, except when you were with him on the horses or around children. You looked back up at him and smiled. "What?" Tormund shook his head. "Alright. Shall we?" Tormund reluctantly nodded, gripping the reins tightly. "Loosen your grip, Tormund. She won't hurt you." You soft commands actually made Tormund relax a little. It wasn't the brash loudness of Free Folk women, but it wasn't the haughty tone of a higher born woman either. It was just you.

Riding wasn't difficult for Tormund to learn. He had a far easier time than you did with the sword. Soon, the two of you were racing back through Winterfell's gates, your laughter echoing through the courtyard. You pulled your horse to a stop and looked at Tormund. There was a smile on his face as his dismounted the horse.

"See? It wasn't so bad," you joked earning a glare from the Wildling. "Yer right," he finally muttered. You laughed. "Good. Shall we practice now?" Tormund grinned and nodded. You put the horses back in the stable and made your way to the practice yard. You were determined to show him that you had improved.

While you had indeed improved, you still weren't good enough to beat Tormund. Tormund didn't pull punches when it came to training and you were glad about that. He treated you just like he would a man he was fighting with and it didn't take long for you to end up flat on your back in the snow. You giggled as you got up and dusting the white powder off your trousers. "Guess I need a bit more work."

"Guess ya do." He took in your smiling face, snow covered hair, and sparkling (e/c) eyes. You had the free spirit of a Free Folk woman with the grace of a lady. It was a contradiction that Tormund loved. Oh yes, Tormund loved you. How could he not after so many weeks together? "You're staring again, Tormund." His face turned red again and you laughed. You leaned up and kissed his cheek before walking away. You'd managed to stun him in silence. He stared after you, mouth agape. It only took him a split second to run after you, a smile on his face.