A/N: A short epilogue.
Egg began, "Your gown -"
Betha interrupted. "If you are going to say, 'Your gown brings out the color of your eyes,' I wish you would save yourself the bother. Granted, it is not as terrible as 'Your hair brings out the color of your eyes,' but it is still quite dreadful."
Egg blushed, at the reminder of his first attempt to pay Betha a gallant compliment, years ago.
"That is not what I am trying to say," he insisted. "Though, it cannot be denied that the whiteness of the gown you are wearing does indeed bring out the color of your eyes and your hair. The contrast -"
Betha rolled her eyes. "You sound just like my sister's betrothed in one of his long-winded letters. 'The darkness of your eyes and your hair would paint a starkly beautiful contrast to the whiteness of the snow in Winterfell, my dearest Melantha.' We laughed for hours and hours, Melantha and I, after reading that utter failure of a compliment."
Egg disagreed. "Your sister's betrothed managed to insert the name of his House in the compliment. I find that very original indeed. He deserves to be applauded for his effort."
"I quite understand your predicament," Betha said, adopting the tone of someone making allowances for a less fortunate creature. "You must think that you are not in a position to judge other men for the unoriginality of their compliments, considering the failure of your own past attempts at paying gallant compliments to ladies of all ages."
Egg looked mightily offended. "I have learned to be more original in my compliments, since that first time we met."
Betha looked unconvinced. "Have you? Have you really? We'll have to see about that. You have yet to convince me of this newfound talent of yours. So what were you going to say about my gown?"
"I was going to say, 'Your gown makes you look like a charming bride, my lady.'"
"Charming? Don't you mean beautiful? Brides are always called beautiful on their wedding day, no matter how unflattering they may look on other days. There has never been an ugly bride in the entire history of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Charming sounds more original than beautiful, surely?"
"Certainly not. And I think it is very presumptuous of you to speak of me as your bride, as if I have already agreed to it."
"I said a charming bride, not my charmingbride."
"Did you? Well, I must have misheard you."
"Perhaps you heard what you wanted to hear," said Egg, keeping his tone light and teasing, not daring to hope.
"If I am to be wed, which is not a certainty at all, mind you, but if I am, then I certainly would not be wearing a white gown at the wedding," scoffed Betha.
"What color would you rather be wearing, at this wedding that may or may not take place?"
"Black, of course. I am a Blackwood of Raventree after all."
