Rhaella
Her aunt Rhaelle had married a lord from the Stormlands. For love.
"A landed knight from the Stormlands is almost as good, is it not?" Rhaella whispered to her bedmate and companion.
Joanna's face was inscrutable. It usually was. Rhaella was very fond of Joanna, but there were times when she missed Ariella and her more open disposition and less enigmatic temperament. Ariella Martell was gone from Rhaella's side now; she had gone back to Dorne to rule as the Princess of Dorne after her father died.
"Lord Baratheon is not just any lord. He rules all the Stormlands." Joanna's tone was careful, and her eyes never left Rhaella's face.
"And Ser Bonifer is not as good as Lord Baratheon?" Rhaella hated how defensive she sounded. But she was feeling defensive, for her sweet knight, and for herself as well.
"Not for a princess of royal blood."
Rhaella had always prized this quality the most in Joanna Lannister – that she never flinched from telling the unpleasant truths. But tonight of all night, Rhaella would have preferred Joanna to be less her usual blunt self, and more the agreeable, supportive companion. Rhaella sighed and turned her face away from her bedmate.
"But perhaps your grandfather could be prevailed upon to grant Ser Bonifer a lordship," Joanna whispered, her hand gently brushing off the stray hair that had fallen over Rhaella's right eye.
Rhaella turned to face her bedmate once more, her hand clasping Joanna's own. "Do you think so? Do you really think so, Joanna?"
"His Grace is very fond of you, my princess."
"Fond enough to let me marry for love?" Rhaella paused, considering her own question. "After all, Grandfather married for love himself. And all his children did the same, my own father included."
Joanna said nothing.
"It matters not a whit to me if Ser Bonifer remains only a knight. I would be happy to be wed even to a landless knight, if only Ser Bonifer is that knight," Rhaella confided.
A look passed through Joanna's face, brief and fleeting, but it had not gone unnoticed by Rhaella. "Do you doubt me, Joanna?"
"No, I have no doubt that you believe that," Joanna replied, her tone judicious.
"But?" Rhaella persisted.
"You are a princess, born and raised in the lap of privilege and luxury. Ser Bonifer's circumstances and position are better than most other knights, true, but his land is not plentiful and his keep is very small."
"I would learn to make do. Truly, I would, Joanna."
Joanna smiled. "I'm sure you would. But still, it does not hurt to encourage Ser Bonifer to perform some acts of valor and courage that might get him favorably noticed by the king."
Rhaella dreamt of her gallant knight rescuing her father and grandfather from the blade of a Blackfyre pretender that night, and a few more nights after.
Selyse
"He is so very severe. Lord Stannis, that is. Not the king."
Something in Delena's voice caught Selyse's attention. She turned around sharply to look at Delena. "The king? We are not talking about the king. We're talking about Stannis Baratheon."
"It's a shame uncle Alester could not arrange for you to have the king instead," Delena whispered, and then started giggling uncontrollably. "He's like a king from the storybooks. So brave, completely charming and very, very good looking."
Selyse ignored Delena's silly fantasies about Robert Baratheon. On the other hand …
Queen Selyse. She could not truly say that the thought had never occurred to her. But Robert Baratheon was already married, and his brother Stannis was not. Uncle Alester had been very pleased with the betrothal. "A king's brother. You are to be married to a king's brother, Selyse. My niece, the good-sister to King Robert Baratheon. Mace Tyrell with all the riches of House Tyrell and his fraudulent claim to be Lord of the Reach and Highgarden could not manage that for his sisters. Or his daughter."
"Will you stay at Dragonstone after the wedding?" Delena asked.
Selyse scoffed. "Of course not. Lord Stannis spends most of his time at King's Landing serving in the King's Small Council. As his wife, my duty is to be by his side."
Delena nodded. "Dragonstone must be a very grim and lonely place in any case. It's a pity Lord Stannis does not rule Storm's End instead."
Selyse frowned. She did not like to be reminded of that. "He should have, if King Robert had followed the letter of the law," Selyse snapped. But no matter. Her future husband was able, aye, able and talented. His brother would see and appreciate his ability, and in time, Stannis Baratheon would be more than just the Master of Ships and Lord of Dragonstone. Hand of the King, in not too long a time, Selyse expected. Jon Arryn the current Hand was well-advanced in age. Who else would King Robert trust to be his next Hand, if not his own brother, his flesh and blood?
She would give Stannis plenty of sons and daughters. Perhaps one of their daughters would marry King Robert's eldest son. Selyse would not be queen, but maybe her daughter could.
"Do you love him?" Delena's voice jolted Selyse from her reverie.
"Who?"
"Lord Stannis, of course. Who else?"
"What a silly question, Delena. I barely know him, we've only met the one time."
"Will you love him, once you have known him?"
"I'm sure I will," Selyse replied without hesitation.