Daven and his fellow knights had spent the last two days days in the Ebott Keep, resting from the long ride and showing warmth to members of his bride-to-be's household. Ser Steffon Stackspear played fetch with some of the dog monsters, throwing a stick for them to catch and return to him. Ser Tybolt Crakehall chattered with a Snowdin Bear Monster about how the politics of Westeros had seemingly spiraled out of control following King Robert's death and how uncertain things had become. Lord Damon Marbrand spoke to a local pyromancer named Alphys and asked her for advice on rebuilding Ashenmark with a stronger defenses. Ser Gareth Clifton ... well, the Monsterlanders found Ser Clifton just as annoying and obnoxious as the Westerlanders did: many monsters have taken to calling him 'as bad as Jerry', whatever that means. In any case Daven made a mental note to tell his uncle Tywin to keep Ser Clifton out of diplomatic parties going forward. Daven, planned on spending this afternoon waiting. Usually he was pretty talkative, but today he was in no mood.

After breaking his fast with a light meal, the Lannister Knight walked down the hallway to the Godswood. He needed to get some fresh air and think.

When he reached the Godswood, Daven looked it over. It was a Seven-Worshipper's Godswood, a private garden rather than a place of worship. There was one Weirwood tree in the center with a carved face that smiled as though laughing. There were also a few stone benches in the garden. The rest of the Godswood was covered by golden flowers. The flowers seemed to reach for the rays of sunlight with their petals. There were so many that hardly any grass could be seen in the garden.

Sitting on one of the stone benches, Daven sighed and tried to calm his nerves. "Oh Gods, what am I getting myself into ..."

He heard a motherly voice from behind him. "Are you feeling nervous?"

Daven turned around and saw who the voice belonged to. It was Lady Paramount Toriel Dreemurr, Daven's soon to be mother-in-law. She was covered over with valyrian-white hair, droopy ears hung from the sides of her head, and her eyes were red. Regardless of this strange appearence she seemed tender and kind. Of course Daven knew better than to mistake such qualities for weaknesses, and could sense a sort of strengh about this Lady. Toriel Dreemurr reminded Daven of Joanna Lannister, his late aunt, in that regard. Noblewomen of this caliber were not content with wine and feasts, nor were they easily cowed.

The Lannister scion answered honestly. "To be truthful, yes."

Toriel smiled and sat down on the bench next to Daven. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Daven saw no reason not to. "Well marriage is for life, and I do not yet know what type of woman your daughter is. And to be honest my own House has not had very many happy marriages in recent memory. My parents have - had a happy marriage, but a lot of my aunts, uncles, and cousins do not."

Gently, Toriel placed her hand on Daven's shoulder. "To start with, I want to offer my condolences for your father. From what I have heard, he was a good man. I know personally how hard it can be to lose a beloved family member, and I get the feeling fewer people asked you about this than should have."

Daven Lannister felt a bit defensive; by what right does Toriel presume this?! Granted her intuition was correct - apart from Daven himself his mother and sisters were the only people in Casterly Rock who noticed Stafford's death for more than a passing moment - but for Daven that seemed beside the point. "I thank you, but I am not comfortable discussing that right now. And for the record, plenty of my kinsmen consoled me after I got the news."

Toriel did not seem convinced by Daven's lie, but neither did she press further. Instead she changed the subject back to Undyne. "Alright then. If I may ask a different question, how do you feel about strong women?"

This question caught Daven off-guard. It took him some time to consider this. In Daven's own family tree there were many women who were strong of will and politically powerful. Daven's aunt, Joanna Lannister, was her husband Tywin Lannister's most trusted adviser, his intellectual equal, and the closest thing he had to a conscience. Daven's great-grandmother Rohanne Webber, helped her husband Gerold Lannister maintain control over the Westerlands at a time when his succession was disputed. As for women warriors, Daven's feelings were more mixed. There none in House Lannister to look towards, as few Andel houses let their daughters train in weaponry. He had heard that Asha Greyjoy fought with an axe, but as far as Daven was concerned she was just a bloodthirsty savage like her father Balon. He had also heard of Brienne Tarth and Dacey Mormont, two noblewomen who wielded swords and wore armor like knights. He had a much better opinion of them. He even got the chance to meet Dacey Mormont at a minor Tourney in Fair Island: Dacey unhorsed most of the knights there, and was friendly and affable when Daven congratulated her on her victories.

"It never hurts to be strong, especially not in times like these."

Toriel nodded in approval at this answer. "That's good. Now how much do you value fidelity?"

Daven resisted the urge to groan. Obviously it's awkward for his wife's mother to ask if he plans on cheating on her. "I am not controlled by impulses. I value fidelity a lot, both in myself and in my spouse." Daven suspected that Toriel was asking this question because of his cousin; Tyrion Lannister was well known for frequenting brothels openly. Of course, Tyrion's father Lord Tywin hated him for that among other things.

Toriel answered plainly. "Undyne has too much honor to betray you."

Daven hoped this was true. After a pause, he asked another question. "Lady Toriel, you and Lord Asgore have been together longer than normal humans have been alive. Any advise you can give on how to make a marriage work?"

Once again, this time after a long pause, Toriel gave a plain answer. "You need to communicate with each other. I learned almost too late how powerful and important my words can be. When you and your wife have a disagreement or an argument, try to talk it out. A problem like that won't solve itself."

Daven Lannister knew better than to press further, as he could tell by her voice that Toriel wasn't ready to talk about this. So he just nodded to her.

"Thank you for telling me these things. I'm less nervous now."