"Stay still, Nymeria!" Mother said as she tied to stays of my red and gold under dress, far too tight for my liking. She always tied it too tight because that was the way that they did it in the River Lands and how Sansa always had hers, but both Arya and I hated having tight dresses because there was less room for breathing.
However, there was a reason for me wearing this dress and the over dress that would also be worn as well. At the start of this feast, my father would announce the man that I would be betrothed to, and I had no idea who they had chosen. In fact, the man that I was to be betrothed to wouldn't know either, so there'd be no clues from looking at the young men in the hall.
Smiling at my reflection in the mirror, mother stated: "There, that will do, now for your over dress." She then brought over another dress and smiled widely at it and then at me. She then helped me into a dark red dress, which was darker than the under dress, that had black and gold details all over it. She tied it tightly, but not as tight as the other dress. Then she secured one of her own golden belts around my waist.
Then she began brushing my long hair into submission and then she started to work to make my hair look beautiful. She bound my hair into multiple braids, which were all tied together at various intervals.
"There! Perfect!" I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My lips were the colour of blood, and I looked like a princess, but something was missing. There was something significant that I had to wear with it, but she wouldn't really approve what it was.
"No, something is missing." She stared at me as I gently fastened my direwolf pendant around my neck. She glowered at it and turned to look at me sternly.
"Nymeria." She warned, but I turned to look at her carefully. She didn't get to dictate this because the direwolf was part of who I was because I was a Stark.
"I will go into this a Stark, and at the end of this day, I shall still be Stark of Winterfell. The blood of the First Men flows through my veins, and I will uphold my own true house, even though I am being married into another." She stared at me and realised that she couldn't argue with me.
"Very well, Nymeria." She conceded before leading me out of my room. She would use a side entrance to the great hall, and I would be expected to walk in on my own, in front of all of the lords and ladies gathered. She placed a small kiss on my forehead and then left me with Sir Rodrick, who smiled at me.
"It will be alright, Lady Nymeria." He said smiling at me widely and then he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, before having to speak to the other guard waiting by the door. The longer that I spent waiting, the more that my heart rate began accelerating with nerves and partial excitement as I hoped that I would be able to marry a man who would grow to love me.
"Lady Nymeria." Sir Rodrick said, bringing my attention to him as he said: "It's time." I nodded at him and smiled before turning to face the door.
With that, the doors were opened, and I walked inside. Everyone was staring at me and knew that everyone was waiting for this to start and to find out who I would be married to. Eyes followed me, and I walked very slowly towards the high dais. Eyes bored into me, and I could see smiles and frowns directed at me. My eyes refused to look at anyone directly apart from Bran, who was smiling widely at me. I gave him a small smile before I looked at King Rhaegar carefully, who was also staring at me.
Then King Rhaegar rose, making me sink into a very low curtsey, as was customary at these sort of betrothals. "Lady Nymeria, you are now of age to be betrothed, and we have been debating over the past five days. Many different suitors have been suggested and denied, but we have finally come to our decision." He then paused and looked around the hall. My heart was hammering, and I watched as most of the others leant forward in curiosity while my father smiled at me.
"You are a brave soul, and we could think of no one else, who would be right for you to marry and have a family with. Therefore we have decided that you are to be married two weeks after your next name day to my son Prince Jon of House Targaryen." Cheers erupted from the others while everyone clapped. I felt some people glare at me as I smiled at Jon. He looked relieved, and I had a feeling that he hadn't known either.
Turning to look at King Rhaegar, I said: "Your Grace, I am overjoyed to be betrothed to Prince Jon, and I hope that I will do both our families justice." He smiled at me and then looked around.
"These two young adults shall be the future of our dynasty and to the union of House Stark and Targaryen. This will help us all and should be able to produce a new line that should route out the centuries of damage done by the inbreeding that my family has committed, but now we shall make it right." There were cheers and clapping. My father smiled at me as did mother while Jon looked at me with a look of true happiness, which made me beam at him.
Raising up, I walked over to sit beside Jon, who gently took my hand in his. His hand was warm and rough from old fighting injuries as well as from training. He smiled at me and then we turned to look back at my father, who had risen already.
"Thank you all for coming and for bearing with us as we decided over the union between our two houses. We hope that you will all be there to support them in all their endeavours and I know that we are all looking forward to seeing them together and the beautiful family that we're sure they'll have." Jon sent me a nervous look causing me to bite down on my lip because we both knew that was something that we were expected to do.
After that, everyone began to start eating, and Jon leant over to whisper to me: "I will never pressure you to have a child. I promise you that, Nymeria." He said kindly to me and gave me a bright, brilliant smile.
"Thank you, Jon." He smiled at me before handing me a bowl of stew, which caused me to giggle ever so slightly.
"Eat up, it'll warm you up. Trust me I could live off this." Giggling at that, I began to eat my stew. At our feet, Shadow and Ghost played and nipped at each other's fur. Smiling down at them, I noticed that they both looked up at me and Jon, who was also smiling at them. He then leant over to whisper in my ear: "I do believe that Lady Baratheon and Joffrey are glaring at us out jealousy because I have the most beautiful bride in all of Westeros and she can't ever be as beautiful as you whereas Joffrey is jealous that I get to wed you." He smiled at me, and I returned it.
"I'm not that pretty, but thanks for saying that." He stared at me for long moment, his bright purple eyes scanning over my face. He was smiling ever so slightly at me as he brought his free hand up to my face.
"You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid eyes on, Nymeria." He spoke quietly and with a deadly seriousness in his eyes. He smiled at me widely and then moved his hand from my cheek while he lifted our entwined hands and kissed the back of mine.
Jon's Point of View
Before she could respond to me, Lady Catelyn stood up, causing us all turn to look at her and we all fell silent. She beamed at us all and then loudly spoke. "Due to Nymeria's betrothal to Prince Jon, she along with her three younger siblings shall be travelling to King's Landing tomorrow, and this feast shall mark the last feast that Nymeria will have at Winterfell for some time. As well as that this is the last feast that King Rhaegar and Queen Lyanna shall be having here until their next visit so I would like to ask you all to stand, please."
Everyone did as instructed and rose up, each holding their goblets up. Everyone was drinking fine Dornish wine, but I could see that Nymeria grimacing at the goblet, she clearly didn't like the wine. To be fair, I had only seen her sip wine at her sister's wedding, it mustn't be something that she enjoyed.
Lady Catelyn broke my reverie by saying: "To King Rhaegar!"
"To King Rhaegar!" Everyone echoed loudly with a smile and as we raised our glasses up. Father smiled around but looked down ever so slightly. He wasn't too keen on having toasts made to him and nor was I to be honest.
Lady Catelyn then yelled: "To Queen Lyanna!"
"To Queen Lyanna!" Most yelled, but the Stark children, as well as Benjen Stark and Lord Eddard, yelled something else as did mother.
"Winter Is Coming!" Everyone stared at the Starks, but they all shrugged and smiled at one another. Mother was beaming at them all, and I knew that this was something that she had missed in the South. Glancing down at Nymeria, I began to wonder whether she'd feel like that in King's Landing.
Sighing, I began to drink as did everyone else, including Nymeria, who was looking around at everyone. Her hand, however, was still entwined with mine though, so I didn't mind that she wasn't just staring at me.
Finally, everyone began dancing again, but I had the feeling that she didn't want to dance again because she kept on looking down. Looking at her again, I noticed that she was staring at me with a bright smile.
"Come on there are two people we need to talk to." She began dragging me over to the other side of the hall and then let go of my hand. Staring at her, I watched as she snuck up on a small boy whose identity I was unsure about and then wrap her arms around him.
"NYM!" He yelled, and I knew that it was Bran who she was hugging. He turned to her looked annoyed at her, but she simply sent him a look.
"Come on, there's someone that you, Jon and I need to speak to." He stared at her and then at me. I sent him a confused look as we trailed after her. She slipped easily between people until she had reached the alcove. Why did we always come back here?
"Lord Tyrion?" She asked, making him turn around and smile. Bran looked at him in surprise, and I simply stared at her.
"Nymeria, Jon and you must be Bran." He looked from Nymeria to me and finally to Bran, who he beamed at. "Wow, you're so much taller than me, and according to your sister, you'll be smarter than me soon." Bran chuckled at that while I moved over to snake a hand around Nymeria's waist.
"What are you up to?" I asked her causing her to turn her head so that she was looking at me.
"Tyrion has agreed to teach Bran in King's Landing. He also is a friend of mine and does tend to have some good ideas, when he's not too drunk." Laughing at her final five words, I saw Tyrion showing his muscles to Bran, who in turn was doing the same.
"Well, Bran, I'm sure that you'll be an exceptional fighter when you're older. You might even beat Jaime one day if your sister doesn't do that first." He said as Bran, and I looked at Nymeria.
"No, Sir Jaime has already beaten me Tyrion, so it's up to you Bran, and then you'll be the best swordsman in Westeros." And that was how we spent the rest of the night. The four of us talking, smiling and laughing as well as drinking on Tyrion's part.
I couldn't help but smile because this was what our lives together would hopefully be like.