"Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory."
-Abraham Lincoln
After the doors that lead into the spacious hall shrieked open, it was then that Igraine made her entrance. The woman looked around in shock; this wasn't a feast hall. Where were the bright cheerful colours? The burgundy's, the green's, the gold's. The only colour that stood out was brown. Brown tables, brown chairs, brown floors; All in all, A lot of brown.
She felt someone's intruding gaze upon her, A intense crawling on her skin like needle points into her pores. She lifted her eyes from the wood work and turned to the intruder, It was none other than her betrothed. Though his eyes weren't strictly on her, more her body. Twice. Twice he had done that. Was the boy void of any semblance of self control? Though her angry ramblings were cut short as once again his eyes narrowed and filled with disdain as his glare, the one reserved only for her once again reared it's ugly head. It was then she realised with a humbling blow to her confidence, he wasn't looking at her at all. It was her dress. She didn't know why it bothered her but it did. She didn't care what he thought.
Though she realised deep down she did, it was then she processed. She enjoyed it because for one second not everyone was staring at Cersei, for a moment she allowed herself to think her face as beautiful as the queens, and her body an object of lust, even if it was to a singular man.
Taking a breath she turned back to him and glared, giving it all she had. After all she had picked this dress knowingly, hoping to rile him up with the fact she wasn't wearing Stark colours. Igraine felt like an idiot, she should have realised straight away instead of being caught up in fantasies of her beauty.
Turning sharply her curls bounced on her shoulders as she strode away, she noticed then, Tyrion. He stood off to the side alone and in the shadows, Igraine smiled and began her walk over.
"Baby Sister, How beautiful you look." Tyrion uttered jokingly.
"As handsome as always, Big brother." He chuckled at the use of 'Big'.
"A word not often used to describe me, it would seem."
"Well. You are rather short." She told him with a grin.
"And you have a big nose; lets not dwell on our birth defects, hmm?" Her hands immediately went to cradle her button nose; in a pathetic attempt to hide it from the world.
"My nose is not big." She drawled out dangerously with a glare though her threatening edge was quickly lost with the nasally tone which accompanied it.
"Its actually quite humongous." A jesting voice uttered in behind them, as Jaime made his presence known.
"We have the same nose." Rae pointed out, switching her glare to her oldest brother.
"That's exactly why it's so big." Tyrion smirked, This time both his siblings turned to glare at him. "Alright, alright. Your noses are just beautiful. What is it you came over for my sweet girl, it can't just be to discuss your features." Tyrion had always held love for his little sister, she was endearing and innocent. Even though she too often sought Cersei's approval, becoming her little lap dog.
"I only wanted to see you. Why must I have a purpose?" Rae asked her hands coming to rest at her stomach. "It has been almost three whole moon since I saw you both last, excluding today of course"
"Three moons too long if you ask me." Jaime muttered his eyes scanning the crowd, seemingly looking for enemies. His eyes roamed like a crazed hound ready to pick a fight with anyone who dared approach. "Now were stuck in this barren wasteland they call a home."
"Now, Now Jaime. The North has it's charms... believe me..." Tyrion muttered smirking at their brother.
"Tyrion. Really?" Rae's tone was disbelieving as she rolled her eyes at her brothers lecherous words.
"I sincerely doubt she'll be frequenting the whore house, Little brother. I'd have to kill anyone who laid a hand on her."
"I'd almost forgotten why it is i'm nearly twenty name days old without a husband."
"You can't blame that entirely on me. You scared most of them off with your big mouth." Jaime smirked as his eyes continued their patrol of the room.
"Gods forbid a woman should have a brain." Igraine mockingly gasped bringing her palms to her face.
"I don't think it was so much the brain, more the fact you told young Ser Maured to go and soak his head when he tried to place a kiss upon your hand.
"You make it sound worse than it actually-" She was cut off by Lord Eddard's calm voice. This was it. She'd find out when she was to be married, it was going to be announced.
"I welcome you all into my home. Your trip has been long and hard but now are the days for rest. Though your journey has not been for nought as a great... honour has been pledged upon the houses Stark and Lannister. The king has proposed a union, which shall be carried out on the morn of tomorrow, by his degree."
Her stomach dropped; Tomorrow? It took moons to prepare a wedding. Apparently Lady Catelyn agreed as her eyes widened comically, though Igraine couldn't find it in her to laugh.
"The betrothed must take the blood promise the eve before their wedding as the first men did before them. Robb, Igraine please join me."
Both of them stood up and practically crawled her way to the front, she had been told to remember the words of this ritual in which they ingest the blood of their significant other to signify a bond that is eternal, Jaime's bedtime stories were becoming more and more real.
Eddard took her bare hand as the two stood either side of him, He placed her hand palm up in Robb's. He handed his son the ceremonial dagger, which had a wolfs head carved into the hilt. Ned stepped back as the two came together, Robb knew what he was doing, so she followed his lead. He took the blade and swiped the metal along her the palm of her hand creating an indent in her flesh. He leaned down and swiped his tongue along the cut, until the pool of blood was gone.
"As you are injured, I heal you and protect you under my name." He said the words and his tone spoke of the unyielding practice they had taken, as he wrapped the white linen bandage around her hand.
She took the dagger from his hand and held his hand in hers and her ringed digits held the hilt, She carved into his skin as he had done to her. Leaning her head down, she licked the length of the cut just as he had done. His cold eyes looked down at her as she wrapped his palm up just as he ad done for her minutes before.
"As you are injured, I heal you and protect you above all else." His glare had softened to a narrowed lid and a vague glance of dislike as their bandaged palms took one another.
"The ceremony is complete, these souls are bound forever by the blood of their veins."
The hall started up and the music began once again, Though their hands stayed locked together, his were surprising warm against her icy skin. Were they supposed to dance?
"One dance, Then you can both go your separate ways" Catelyn appealed to them both as they stood awkwardly hands still adjoined on the dance floor as couples swooped past each other. "Please." They had to keep up appearances, both recognized this as they turned to face each other, Robb's hands came to rest at her waist while both hands went to his neck. They procured the steps which had been ingrained in both of their minds as children. His glare was none existent now, though an awkward silence remained, neither breaking it as both thought about and struggled against their situation. As soon as the dance ended Robb pushed her away as if she burnt him, Which was fine with her, even if it did sting.
She had to remember; This is all a game. As a player doesn't imagine his pawns feelings she mustn't care about Robb's or even think of him as a person. That was all he was to her; A pawn. Or at least that's what she told herself.
