A/N: I'm going to be away until next week so I thought I'd post another chapter before I leave. Hope you all enjoy!

Lily: Her position is certainly not enviable at the moment! Haha, I know what you mean with regards to Robb! Hope you enjoy the new one.

unnamed visitor: Thank you so much. There are some positives starting to brew up but I think Robb is still rather focused on the negative. Here is the new update, hope you like it!

Right-ho folks, enjoy the wedding.

:)


IX


"Father. Smith. Warrior. Mother. Maiden. Crone. Stranger. I am his, and he is mine, from this day, until the end of my days," Roslin took a deep breath as she looked in the mirror having recited the vows she would make before the Gods for what felt like the thousandth time. Her stomach was churning as she smoothed her hands over the ivory silks she had been swathed in. She glanced towards the window and saw how high the sun had risen. Soon. It would happen so very soon. It could well be that the King was already in the Sept. She took another deep breath and turned back to the mirror. The front of her hair had been scraped and braided back so that her light waves fell behind her shoulders and down to her waist. The attendants at Riverrun had spent forever brushing and braiding her hair and now it seemed to almost shimmer in the bright sunlight that was streaming through the window.

Roslin scrutinized her face, hoping that she looked serene and happy as a bride ought to. At least that's what the stories said. In reality she had only even seen apprehension and outright fear on the faces of all the brides she had witnessed being wed. She wasn't sure if she felt fear exactly, but she was certainly apprehensive. Her talk with the King the night before had eased her worries slightly though and she was more inclined to believe his mother's words that he would never mistreat her. In fact, beneath his gruff and imposing stature he seemed like quite a gentle sort of man. She imagined that softness and kindness was saved for his family and she hoped that that would include her now. A heavy sigh left her. She was getting ahead of herself. One conversation was not enough to get the full measure of a man, she was deluding herself if she thought it was.

A knock came at the door then and Roslin swallowed hard, knowing that this was it. "Come in," she called out, amazed that her voice came out evenly and with no hint of a shake. The door opened at her command and Olyvar strode in, a bright smile lighting up his face that at least made her feel a little bit more at ease. "Are you ready?" he asked her and she smiled slightly at him before turning back to the mirror for a moment. She looked ready. She felt almost ready. That would have to be enough she supposed, it would do no good to keep the King waiting. "Is he waiting for me?" she asked him.

"Do you need a moment?" Olyvar asked her knowingly, "he won't mind waiting for you, Lady Stark was telling him when I left that brides are often late. Apparently it is somewhat of a tradition." Roslin smiled again at that, more of her nerves melting away and she finally turned away from the mirror and crossed to the table in the corner where her maiden's cloak was neatly folded. The cloak was made of silvery-grey silks and had blue lace trimming it. Along the bottom hem were stitched the two Twins over and over from end to end. It was a beautiful thing, a surprise parting gift from her father. Remember where you're from.

As if she could forget. She pulled the cloak around her shoulders and moved to tie it around her neck, her hands shaking now and making it almost impossible. "Let me help," Olyvar said gently, moving to take the ties from her and tying them swiftly up before his hands came to her shoulders. "I know you're nervous," he said, meeting her eyes, "but he is a good man Roslin and I know he will be good to you…I don't think I would be quite so at ease with handing you over to him if he wasn't."

"Thank you," she said quietly and he smiled, moving his hands from her shoulders and pulling her into a tight embrace for a moment. When they pulled apart she sent a smile of her own to him, the action feeling rather forced. He squeezed her shoulder and she took a breath. "Ready?" he asked her again and this time she nodded her head determinedly. She didn't know if she truly was ready, but she had to be.


Robb swallowed hard as he heard the doors to the Sept open. In the silence he could hear a few gasps and whispers, and above them the sound of footsteps on the stone floor. They were coming closer. She was coming closer. The moment they were bound together forever was coming ever closer. He swallowed hard as he turned his head slightly to see her mere feet away from him on the arm of her brother. She met his eyes and managed a tiny smile but he could sense her nerves, they seemed to practically mirror his own. Somehow he managed to hold his hand out to her when she reached his side and she seemed to hesitate before she placed her own small hand into his. It wasn't lost on Robb that this was the first physical contact they had had and he almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"Will you cloak this woman and bring her under your protection?" the Septon asked and Robb turned to face her, his hand squeezing hers lightly before he let it go so he could move to untie her maiden's cloak. He couldn't help but noticed her breathing intensify, feeling the quick warmth of it on his fingers as he loosened the silk threads. He slipped the cloak easily from her shoulders and folded it over his arm before he handed it back to Olyvar. There had been no time to make a proper cloak of Winterfell, but the seamstress had managed to make a cloak of grey silk that was trimmed with white fur. He took it from his mother and she gave him an encouraging smile before he turned to sweep it around Roslin. He tied the threads tightly before he stepped back slightly from her and took her hand in his again.

The Septon came forward and began wrapping a ribbon around their clasped hands and he could feel Roslin's shaking within his own. At least he thought it was hers that was shaking. He put slightly more pressure on her, his own hand engulfing hers as he felt the warmth and softness of her skin beneath his own rough palm and fingers. "Look upon one another, and say the words," the Septon instructed them and Robb imagined that she had swallowed just as hard as he had before they both opened their mouths to quietly recite their vows. It struck Robb just how simple they were. How very easy it was to give away one's life to another person. Somehow he kept Roslin's eyes as they recited their vows and her own didn't waver away from his. Despite all his underlying fears and uncertainty there was something rather bonding and intense about the moment.

It was over quickly though as the Septon moved closer to them again to unwind the ribbon from their hands. Robb knew what came next. What everyone expected to come next. He couldn't ignore it, people would talk if he didn't at least seem interested in his new bride. Hesitantly he stepped closer to her, only now realising exactly how small she was. The top of her head barely came up level with his chest and she was likely half his width. Delicate. Almost breakable. He pushed that thought aside as she lifted her head up, his own leaning down at her action. An inch from her lips he could feel her breath and he held his own, pressing his lips chastely against hers for a moment before he pulled back from her and forced a smile. The Sept erupted into applause and cheers, and Robb met Roslin's eyes, thinking that they may well be the two unhappiest people in the room.


The feast was sumptuous but Roslin could barely eat more than a few bites of each course that was set in front of them. At her side the King barely touched his own food, preferring instead to pour cup after cup of wine down his throat. She tried not to let it bother her, forcing her mind away from what was to come now that the final course had been cleared away. The musicians had struck up and several people were dancing together. They looked as though they were having a good time. In fact, everyone besides her and the King looked as though they were having a good time. Roslin allowed her eyes to go to the windows then and she saw that the sky was almost black now. She almost shuddered, somehow forcing her body to stay still before she decided to follow the King's lead and drink some more wine.

When she set down her drained cup she was surprised that his hand came to clasp around her forearm, her head snapping to his. "I think it time to retire," he told her and she swallowed hard, hoping that her expression was not mirroring the sudden fear and horror that had just engulfed her entire body. "Who will call for the -," she started but he shook his head, his hand clenching slightly more tightly around her forearm. "There will be no ceremony," he told her, "you are my queen…you will not be humiliated in such a way."

"Thank you," she whispered and he smiled faintly at her before he finally released the almost too tight grip he had on her arm. "If you want a moment you can go ahead," he told her and she nodded faintly before her eyes flickered out over those congregated to celebrate their marriage. "I don't know where your chambers are your Grace," she said after a long moment of watching the dancers.

"Go up to your own chambers," he told her quietly and she turned to look at him, knowing there was a confused frown creasing her brow. He seemed to smile slightly at her again when he took in her expression. "I thought it might be more comfortable for you," he said, "to stay in a room you are more familiar with."

"That is most thoughtful of you, your Grace," she said, and she meant it. It was a small consideration but the fact that he had thought of it at all gave her the ability to be able to smile properly at him before she pushed her chair back slightly. "I think I shall retire now," she told him, meeting his eyes fleetingly as he nodded at her words. "I will join you in a short while my queen," he returned and she nodded her own head before she stood from her chair and picked up her skirts, making her way as quickly as she dared from the high table. She skirted around the edge of the hall, not wanting to walk through the middle of all the dancers and have them see her leaving. They would make a fuss of her exit, bowing and curtseying to her and murmuring formalities. She supposed she ought to get used to such things since she was now a queen.

That was something she could still not quite believe. Being a wife was one thing, but queen? She shook her head to clear it, there were more pressing things for her to worry about right now as she carefully climbed the stairs. The thought of the bedding terrified her. Knowing what was to come. Knowing that her husband, a man she had met all but three days ago, would see her bare and vulnerable. More so, that he would invade her body in the most intimate way she could imagine. Her hand was shaking when she reached out to open the door of her chamber and once inside she clenched both of them into fists and willed them to stop. It was her duty. She had to do it. There was no other choice in the matter. She belonged to him now and she was his to do with as he pleased.

She somehow managed to get her hands steady enough so she could unknot the cloak from around her neck and slide it from her shoulders, draping it over one of the chairs. Avoiding the full length mirror and the one on top of the vanity she began unhooking the little clasps of her bodice and loosening laces so her dress could come from her. When it too came from her shoulders she let it drop to the floor, stepping out of it and kicking her shoes from her feet before she bent down and picked up her discarded dress. She draped that over the same chair, resting her hands on top of them and taking several long, measured breaths. How long she stood like that she didn't know, she only turned when she heard the door-knob turn, her stomach clenching tightly.


Roslin turned to face him when he entered her chambers and he allowed his eyes to linger on her for a moment, taking in the sight of her stood there in just a thin shift. He swallowed hard, trying to smile for her before he moved his hands to unlace his doublet, shrugging it from his shoulders and tossing it onto the sofa before he sank down onto it to remove his boots. She didn't move while he worked and the silence of the room was almost crushing him. One look at her had told him that she was nervous and he promised himself as he set his boots aside, that he would do everything to relax her and make this at least bearable. It was the least he could do considering everything. He stood up from the sofa and walked slowly towards her, the apprehension in her eyes turning steadily to fear as he advanced on her.

Tentatively he reached his hand out to take a stray lock of her hair and twirl the softness between his fingers before he tucked it back behind her ear. She looked vaguely surprised at the gesture and he smiled slightly wryly. "You don't need to be frightened of me," he told her, "I'm not going to force you to do anything until you're ready." She looked faintly placated at that and he moved his hands to rub them lightly up and down her upper arms, feeling her flesh pimple beneath his touch. "Are you cold?" he whispered and she nodded her head almost shyly. "Get into bed," he urged her softly and she seemed to take a deep, shuddering breath before she moved her own hands up to the straps of her shift. His hands came to still hers and she frowned slightly at his movement. "You can leave it on if you'd feel more comfortable," he told her and she nodded her head.

Robb released his hold on her then and she took a few steps back from him, her eyes lingering apprehensively on him for a moment before she took his advice and walked around to the bed. He watched her pull back the blankets and furs, his hands coming to loosen his tunic as she slipped herself into the bed. After he pulled his tunic up and over his head he tossed it aside before walking to the other side of the bed and slipping in next to her. The tension between them was huge but Robb knew that he had to take the lead in this whether he liked it or not. Roslin was just an innocent young girl and he was the one who needed to guide her, to reassure her and prepare her for this. For him. He shifted closer and he felt her stiffen but not move away as he allowed his hand to come and rest on her waist.

"Try and relax," he urged her, rubbing his thumb in circles across her hip as he shifted his body to within an inch of hers. Hesitantly he bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, hearing her let out a breath as he did so. "Tell me what I can do," he said softly, pulling away to meet her eyes. "Just do it," she whispered to him and he sighed heavily before he nodded his head and shifted his body again so he loomed above her. His hand dropped down from her waist to her hip and began bunching up the silk of her shift until her bare thighs were exposed to him. He looked up to her eyes then and she nodded slightly, her legs coming apart with only minor coaxing from him and he nestled himself between them. Robb carefully lowered his body down against hers, wary of crushing her tiny frame with his weight and her hands came tentatively to rest on his shoulders. He nodded, as though to give her permission to touch him, his own hand seeking out her thigh as the other braced his weight above her.

Her body tensed but he allowed his hand to travel up her thigh, hesitating slightly before he slipped it around so he could cup between her legs. She seemed to tense even more but he knew he had to at least try and get her body ready to accommodate him. He allowed his fingers to move against her, his thumb seeking out that special little bud and pressing lightly against it before circling slowly. Roslin seemed to squirm beneath him, her fingernails pinching little crescents into his shoulders and he knew that she was responding now through her fear. A tiny gasp left her as he continued circling and he could feel the beginning of her arousal against his fingers, the warmth of it swelling his own desire. He let his fingers glide more firmly against her and she squirmed again as he moved his eyes back to hers. There was surprise most evident, but something else. Something that looked like want.

He allowed his thumb to press down more firmly on seeing that and her next gasp was accompanied by a tiny noise of what he hoped was pleasure. Encouraged by her back arching slightly, he allowed one of his fingers to slip inside her, feeling her muscles tense around him as he did so. "It's alright," he murmured, circling her bud again as he slowly moved his finger in and out of her. Slowly she relaxed again and he continued his action until he managed to coax a tiny murmur of pleasure from her. Her breathing was far more ragged now as he continued on and her arousal was soaking his hand. Now was the time, now when she was relaxed and ready for him. He allowed his finger to slip from her, his hand coming instead to release his hardness from his breeches. When he was free he moved his hand back between her legs and let his thumb resume circling her bud as he positioned his length at her entrance. "Draw your knees up," he told her softly and she obeyed him after a moment.

He took himself into his hand, guiding his length into her and pushing down so he filled her completely, a sharp gasp and whimper of pain leaving her lips as he did so. Gods she felt so good around him, and he was ashamed of himself for even thinking that when she was clearly in discomfort. He rocked his hips slightly and another little noise left her lips that he knew wasn't pleasure. One of her hands came from his shoulder and down his arm, seeking out the hand he had clenched around her hip. He moved his own as hers came closer, lacing her fingers with his and moving their entwined hands to rest at the side of her head. Her fingernails dug into the back of his hand as he kept slowly rocking his hips and he moved his lips to kiss the back of her own. "I'm sorry," he whispered against her skin, "I'm so, so sorry…"

She merely squeezed his hand in response and he continued on with his slow thrusts, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand every now and again. Her other hand was still clamped around his shoulder but her nails had ceased digging into him and he hoped that that was a positive sign. Hoped that her pain had passed. He moved his lips from the back of her hand and buried his head in the crook of her neck, feeling her breathing ragged against his ear as he groaned out against her soft skin. Gods she felt so good, so very good. He pushed the guilt over her pain and the guilt over Jeyne away and focused on her warm breath in his ear and her tight warmth surrounding him, another involuntary moan leaving his mouth and stifled in the skin of her neck. His pace was quickening now despite himself and a sharp cry left her mouth. He couldn't be sure if it was pleasure or pain. Perhaps somewhere in between. Either way he was afraid to look up and see her face, scared of what her expression might be.

Robb could feel his end coming, she felt so good he and he was ashamed of how quickly it would all be over, knowing he wouldn't be bringing her ultimate pleasure. His hand clamped tightly around her own as he groaned out his release, spilling deep inside her and collapsing down against her, breathing hard against her neck. Roslin's own breath was sharp in his ear and he realised that his weight was likely crushing her tiny frame. "I'm sorry," he breathed out once more, releasing her hand and pushing his own palms against the bed to lift himself away from her. His length slipped from her and he saw the slight grimace of pain cross her features, the guilt gnawing away at him again. This wasn't the first time she had deserved. "Are you alright?" he asked her and she nodded her head slowly, her hands coming to the hem of her shift and pulling it down.

When it settled about her he saw the few tiny spots of bright red blood soaking through the thin silk and he swallowed hard before moving his eyes back to her face. He could see no trace of any tears but he knew he had hurt her, probably far more than he had expected to do. Towards the end he had just lost control, forgetting all about being slow and careful with her. He regretted it now but he was too craven to open his mouth and explain it to her. If he started spilling his innermost feelings to her now then likely he would never stop and by the end she would likely despise him. He smiled faintly for her and she blinked her big, dark eyes at him a few times before she returned the gesture shyly.

It took him another moment to realise that he was still propped above her, his body just looming there mere inches from hers. Likely that was not helping her relax and so he made to shift away from her, rolling to one side. He was about to roll onto his back when her hand came to clench around the forearm of the arm he had trailing across her waist. At her action he stayed still on his side, barely an inch between them as the soft pad of her thumb began rubbing circles into the muscles of his forearm. He allowed his body to relax, laying his head down against the pillow and watching her face as her features seemed to calm. Somehow her action was soothing him as it seemed to be soothing her and so he made no move to tug his arm from her grip. If she wanted it there then there it would stay if it brought her some kind of comfort. The Gods know it was the least he could offer her.


A/N: Hopefully that was realistic and not too cold...

More when I return next week!

:)