The Snow Keep

She sat on her Lord Husband’s lap and closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the sounds of the wedding feast. Voices, people laughing, the music of the harps, the sound of the dancers’ feet, the bustle of the servants, the sound of wine flowing into goblets all fading to a distant roar as she listened to the beating of her husband’s heart. She was so tired and her ribs and her head ached. She’d had too much wine. She felt strangely happy all the same. This is what she was meant to do, had trained all her life for… she had finally become a Lady of the Realm.  The feast had been magnificent, she’d been awed by the abundance of food, the variety of dishes was astounding. The musicians and entertainers could not have been more delightful. If she hadn’t been injured, she might have been a bit disappointed that she didn’t get to dance more, but all she really wanted now was to rest . Meli cent opened her eyes again and looked up at Lord Gregor who sat back in his chair, drinking,...

They cheered as the wedding processional passed through the Outer Ward. Cheered. Not for him, he knew, but for her. Their Lady, his wife. What was it about this little creature, he wondered. How did she win your heart without effort? With a look, a smile? She had charmed him, that was certain. He half wondered if she had some kind of magic about her. Not that he believed in such things, but still... he could not deny that she caused him to feel something strange and different, something damn near unsettling. This topic had occupied his thoughts since he first discovered her in the Godswood. He puzzled over it once more as he carried her toward the Hall of the Hundred Hearths. Perched in the crook of his arm, wrapped in his cloak, her arm around his neck, she was smiling. She was fragile, delicate, and that made him want to protect her, somehow. And yet, she was brave. Perhaps the bravest girl he'd ever encountered. In fact, he'd never before met a female who hadn't been a...