As he expected the Council meeting dragged on and on, Jorah had tuned out after the first hour of debate on what to do about the remainder of the Greyjoy fleet. Any suggestions he had made where dismissed by others on the Council, so he sat back and watched the members of the council argue. He looked over at the Queens Hand, who tipped his goblet to him in a mock salute.
Jorah nodded in response to his friend. It still amazed him how much wine such a small fellow could consume. Jorah himself rarely drank wine, preferring ale, but even then, he rarely drank, preferring to keep his wits about him. At least if he had been drinking it would explain his inability to decipher fact from fiction about Allyse.
When he finally returned to his chambers later in the day, there was a visitor waiting for him.
"Jorah." She said as she got up from his desk and crossed the room to greet him.
Jorah gave her a half-smile.
"What is wrong?" She asked concerned about his lack of welcome. "Are you angry with me?"
"No, no! I... " He shook his head, turning away slightly and scratching at his ear, when he found himself blushing.
"My love, tell me!" She insisted. When he did not respond she reached out and took his hand. "I'm sorry I left you last night, I know I should have left you a note but I thought I would be back before you woke. But you were gone when I returned."
"Where did you go?" Was all he could think to ask. The feeling of relief that flooded through him cooled his reddened cheeks.
"I realised that we had not asked the septon to remain silent about our marriage. I wanted the Queen to hear our news from us rather than her Master of Secrets." She explained.
For a moment he just looked at her, still reeling at the knowledge that he hadn't dreamt the whole thing.
"What did you have to do to get the septon to keep quiet?"
"Even septons have vices, some they would prefer were known and others not so."
"You're blackmailing him?" Jorah was shocked.
"No I paid him off!" She defended with a grin. "Forty gold pieces to keep his mouth shut!"
"Forty!" Jorah exclaimed, shocked at the amount.
She gave a dismissive shrug.
"So you do not wish to dissolve our union?" He had realised that part of his discomfort during the day had been the thought that the intimacy they had shared was not real.
"Dissolve our union? Is that what you thought?" She looked shocked at his question.
"When I woke and you were gone..."
"I have no desire to be parted from you." She took his other hand in hers. "In fact I am looking forward to being introduced us as Lord and Lady Mormont at tonight's ball." She laughed.
"I am not a Lord." He corrected her. He was no longer the Lord of Bear Island, just a knight, whose position was elevated by the Queens favour.
"Our marriage has made you the Lord of Arbor." She smiled at him.
"Oh!" Their union had been so sudden that Jorah had not thought about titles. He was still coming to terms with that fact that he had again married on a whim.
"I think the title suits you well. Ser Jorah Mormont, Lord of the Arbor!"
"I doubt many others will find it so." Jorah knew that the other members of the Queens Council resented his seat at their table, and that they generally considered him to be unworthy of the position and that some had even petitioned Danerys to have him executed as a traitor.
"Well I find you very impressive my Lord." She brushed at the black doublet with its three headed dragon embroidered in red silk that he wore as the commander of the army, smoothing it across his chest. "And very handsome."
"You'd be the only one to think that!" He pointed out. As a younger man he had had his share of female attention, but now, older, greyer, balding and branded, he could not see how any woman would find him 'handsome'.
"You would be surprised!" She told him. True, he might not be as pretty as some of the young men around the keep, but even with the brand on his cheek Allyse thought he was quite handsome. He had the kindest blue eyes she had ever seen, and his smile, when he offered it, made her heart flutter. Even for a slightly older man he was strong and fit. Looks aside, she had come to know Jorah as a kind man, a good man.
Allyse had heard other women at court whispering about how attractive they thought Ser Jorah was. Some, she knew, only found him so because of his close ties to the Queen and others found the demon brand exciting. In all honesty she could not pinpoint exactly what it was that drew her to him. Perhaps it was that hint of steel in him that she liked, the sense that he was not some pampered fop, but a real man.
"I have to tell you that I am a jealous woman, Jorah. There is only one lady I will share you with, and even she had better keep her royal hands to herself!" She poked him playfully in the chest, eliciting a throaty chuckle from him.
"Speaking of the Queen, we must tell her." He told her.
"Perhaps a little later." She suggested and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. "Right now I believe I need to apologise a little better for leaving you last night!"
Despite his doubts about their relationship and union, Jorah could not deny her. He might not have know if he was in love but the whirlwind of emotions he had felt at the thought that their marriage and relationship may have been a dream had shocked him. Had he been so fixated on Danerys that he had been surprised to find that other women did want him, were she did not? Jorah could not deny that he enjoyed Allyse's company, nor could he deny that he wanted what she was offering him so badly it almost hurt.
"Jorah?" He blinked at the sound of his name.
"Sorry!" He apologised and drew her tight against him.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked quietly.
He shook his head and silenced her with a kiss. How did a man put into words his dreams of a loving marriage, of children, of grandchildren? He had promised Allyse faithfulness, love, and honour and Jorah was going to make damn sure he fulfilled those promises and more. He promised himself that he would never again do anything to hurt those that depended on him.
