Gendry knew that people from all over Westeros were going to come to the wedding because not attending or not being invited would be seen as some sort of insult. So he wasn't surprised when he found out that Edmure was going to come and Arya's cousin from the Vale was going to make the trip. Yara sent back a raven saying that she was on her way while making some snide comment about how she should be visiting for Theon's wedding as well. They got a letter from Edric saying that he couldn't leave, but either Bella or Mya were going to arrive. The invitation that could have gone over exceptionally poorly was Daenerys saying that she couldn't leave King's Landing yet. Several positions needed to be filled before they could come. The Lannister's that were running the Westerlands also didn't reply at all, and the Martell's apparently said that things weren't great there either, but Ellaria said that she was sending several cases of Dornish Red which was going to make things interesting by the end of the party.

Of all the people to arrive first, Missandei, coming on behalf of Daenerys, was not the one that Gendry expected, yet there was a full three weeks before the wedding. She was wrapped in warm furs, and she didn't look thrilled to be in the North again, but she greeted them with warm smiles nevertheless.

"Missandei," Sansa said as she walked down and bowed to the woman deeply. Val and Jon walked out to greet her and Gendry privately thought that Val was doing a pretty good job of learning how to stare down these nobles. She was terrifying in the same way that all of the women in Winterfell seemed to be terrifying. "We weren't expecting you so soon."

"My Queen flew me to the border where I borrowed a horse from one of your Bannerman, and he offered to escort me here," Missandei replied with a bow. "My Lady Val, it's lovely to meet you, I am Missandei of Naath, and it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the close confidant of Queen Daenerys, and she sends her apologies that she was not able to come to this wedding herself."

"I understand the concept of an unstable kingdom where a ruler cannot leave," Val said, which was what Missandei was saying beneath all of her pretty words, and Gendry smirked to himself as he watched the exchange. Missadei looked a little surprised but then smiled.

"Please, come inside," Jon said.

"I'm actually early for a reason," Missandei said. "My Queen is quite worried about Rhaegal and would like me to go and see how he is adapting to the North and that everything is going well." There were only a few people who could go and see Rhaegal without it ending poorly. Bran and Meera could go, but Rhaegal reacted to Meera being pregnant the same Nymeria did, and that could end badly. Jon was far too busy planning and getting ready for the wedding to take the day trip, which really only left one person who could approach the dragon without getting burned alive.

"I can take you, Lady Missandei," Gendry said, and Missandei smiled brilliantly at him like she knew that he was going to be the one to take him to see the dragon. "You'll need your horse; it isn't exactly close."

"Of course," Missandei replied. The two of them rode out of Winterfell not long after, and Jon mouthed a 'thank you' as he hurried back into Winterfell to keep planning with Val. Gendry waved off any additional guards since he didn't need the extra protection, but Ghost was apparently in a mood and followed the two of them out of Winterfell. "Does he get along with the direwolves?"

"We haven't seen any problems so far, but we did learn something new," Gendry said, and he was glad it was just the two of them because he could be a little less formal. Missandei was a good woman who wouldn't accept anything informal with Daenerys but tended to calm down a little around other people. "Meera is pregnant, and Rhaegal reacted very strongly in the same way we've seen Nymeria respond."

"Are you telling me that Rhaegal could sense the pregnancy?" Missandei asked after a beat of silence because he could only assume that this was information that Daenerys did not have.

"That seems to be the case," Gendry said as they rode up to the cave where Rhaegal was. Some bones were lying on the ground from the animals that people brought to feed him and the ones that he hunted. Gendry climbed off his horse and offered Missandei a hand to help her off of hers as well. "You know how they are; stay close until we know how he's going to react to you. It's been a long time since he's seen you."

"Of course," Missandei replied as she looped her arm into Gendry's, and they walked toward the cave. Rhaegal walked out, his wing still ruined, and he sniffed the air as they approached.

"You know us," Gendry said as he held up a hand. Ghost, wisely, stayed back by the horses who were spooking a little from the giant dragon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ghost acting like a sheepdog to keep the horses from running away. Missandei was tense as his side, but Gendry was doing his best to keep himself calm because it always seemed to go better when he was calm. Rhaegal allowed them to approach, and Gendry placed a hand on his warm nose. Rhaegal huffed out a breath that made Missandei laugh softly as she touched him as well. The two of them stood there in silence, just giving Rhaegal some attention until it was time for them to leave. They didn't have any food to give him, but Gendry could feel it in his bones that Rhaegal was satisfied as he walked into his cave.

"She's very worried about him," Missandei whispered as they watched the dragon. "I can only assume he would go to her if he could." They climbed back onto their horses and began to make their way back to Winterfell.

"He can glide short distances, but that's it, and it seems to take a lot out of him," Gendry replied. "I don't see a cart taking him south ending well, the same with a boat, so I'm not sure what else to do. I've been thinking about that wing and if there was a way for me to help him fly again, but things have been busy, and I just haven't had the time to think about it."

"I shall tell Her Grace that you are considering that. She would send you any supplies or money that you would need to make it happen," Missandei replied, but Gendry shook his head.

"I don't know if it's possible, and I don't want her to get her hopes up, but if I need something, I'll be sure to ask," Gendry said, and Missandei watched him carefully.

"You are a rare man, Gendry Stark, a very rare man. I hope you realize that someday," Missandei said. Gendry didn't know what he was supposed to say to something like that, so he said nothing. The two of them made idle small talk as they walked back to Winterfell. As they rode on Gendry swore, he could feel Rhaegal watching him, and he kept glancing over his shoulder, expecting the dragon to be there. He knew his connection to the beast wasn't as strong as Jon or Bran, but there was no denying that he felt something for Rhaegal.

Jon was going a little out of his mind. While Bran and Meera's wedding was a lot of planning and asking people to come to the ceremony, he also knew that a lot of people wouldn't come because there wasn't enough time or resources. Now things were different, and he needed to find space in the castle for Robin and Edmure and everyone else who was coming to see him get married. Val didn't have any immediate family, but several clan members of the Free Folk were planning on coming as well. Jon just had to make sure that there was enough space for everyone to sleep.

He was a little sad that Edric said he wasn't going to be able to come. He adored that young man, and Jon wanted to see how he was doing with running Storm's End. However, going from that far south to the North was a big ask, and he knew that being away that long after only holding his title for so little time was not a smart decision. Still, Jon wanted to see him but was still glad when Baratheon's banners appeared, and Bella jumped off of her horse to hug Sansa. Bella looked like a princess in her black and gold dress and Stark grey furs that they gave her what felt like half a lifetime ago.

Bella insisted on taking part in the dressmaking, which seemed to surprise Val, but Jon explained that Bella was a lady like Sansa or Arya was a lady, unconventional in the best possible way. Jon was glad to hear that things were going well in Storm's End and that Davos was looking out for all of the Baratheon's. Gendry smiled brightly for the first time in what felt like a lifetime when his big sister arrived, and Arya seemed happier as well. Val seemed bemused but enjoyed the company of yet another unconventional lady.

Things got a little more difficult as the wedding date approached, and Edmure and Roslin appeared, which was the first time Val met a proper lady. She seemed a bit uneasy about it, but Roslin was a good woman who would keep her judgments to herself in the worst-case scenario. Val didn't like Robin at all, but Jon didn't really blame her; his cousin was a bit of a prick, and Sansa very much agreed. She said Robin held nothing but bad memories of her time in the Vale.

The night before the wedding, when half of the Lesser Houses had arrived, and the other half would be there by the morning, Jon knew it was time to put his plan into action. He was getting married in the Godswood with a Northern ceremony, but Val was not of the North and didn't keep the Old Gods the way that he did. He told her that he would honor her customs, and that meant it was time to try and steal his bride.

Jon crept down the hallway as quietly as he could, knowing that if he woke up any of his siblings, his plan would be ruined. He wasn't sure how he was going to get Val back to his room without things getting awkward and even more so if he needed to bind her hands. People would be confused, but he wanted to honor her the best he could. She was in one of the family rooms though most of her things were in his room now since she would be moving in tomorrow. Jon pushed the door to her room open and readied himself for a fight because he knew that Val wouldn't come easily or silently.

Instead, Jon was met with an open window and an empty room. He wondered if she had gotten cold feet and decided that escaping was the best course of action. Jon didn't entirely blame her if that was the case. This was a lot for anyone, and he understood. He turned around and began to walk back to his room, intent on getting some sleep for some awkward conversations to occur in the morning. Jon was about to open his door when it opened, and Val was about to walk out with a line of rope in her hands. They both looked at the rope in their hands, and Val shook her head.

"Were you coming to steal me?" Val asked as she walked back into his room. Jon closed the door and thought about locking it since if anyone came in, they would have words to say about a man and a woman being alone in a bedroom before they were married. Not that anyone in Winterfell who married would care, but Jon didn't feel like dealing with the Lesser Houses who thought they knew better.

"I did promise to honor your customs," Jon replied. "Can I assume that you were coming to steal me too?"

"I very much was," Val said, "and I still intend to." She was fast on her feet, but Jon had sparred with Arya plenty of times in the last couple of years. He moved out of the way and quickly locked the door so no one would come in. It appeared that Val managed to get into his room through the window, which was kind of distracting with how amazing it was. Jon didn't mind the idea of being stolen, but he also knew that letting Val win would be an insult. So he fought back with everything he had, and they even broke a table in their struggle. It eventually ended with his hands bound and him pinned to the floor by Val. She was straddling his waist and looking down at him with her brilliant blue eyes, and they were both breathing hard. "Looks like I stole myself a King."

"That you did," Jon replied, and he felt a little breathless as they both lay there staring at each other. "A King who is willingly allowing himself to be stolen the same way he hopes his future Queen is allowing herself to be stolen as well."

"You should be a poet with all of those pretty words," Val said, and she was smiling.

"So says the woman who declared to me that I convinced a free woman to steal herself," Jon said, and they were both smiling now. Val laughed softly and removed the ropes from his wrist. She pushed herself to her feet and offered Jon a hand to help him stand. He took it, but they didn't release each other, and they were standing very close. "Tradition dictates tomorrow that we kiss in front of all of our guests."

"I know," Val replied. "Will there be a bedding ceremony? I've heard the women talking about such a thing, and it sounds barbaric."

"It is, and there won't be," Jon assured. "But I told you that I wanted our marriage to be a friendship, a partnership, above all else. We're going to be King and Queen, so we aren't going to have a lot for ourselves. I was wondering if you wanted to share our first-" Val apparently didn't need him to finish his sentence because she leaned forward and closed the distance between them. It wasn't a heated kiss, but it was hardly chaste either. There was a twist in his gut that he hadn't felt since Ygritte died, and he very much wanted to wrap his arms around Val and pull her closer. This wasn't the time for that, and she pulled away after a few moments.

"A first kiss in private," Val whispered. "You are a romantic deep down, aren't you, Jon Snow?"

"For a long time, the idea of being with someone was something I only got to think about in the context of stories, so I guess I am. Does that make me the swooning maiden in our marriage?" Jon asked.

"I believe it does," Val replied. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek as she turned and walked out of the room. Jon watched her go and didn't miss the slight flush on her cheeks or the way she was hesitating just a little as she walked out of the room. Jon could see the slight red marks on his wrists and went to bed with a smile on his face.

Jon woke up the next morning and realized that he was getting married. He was the King in the North, and he was getting married to the woman who was leading the Free Folk to solidify an alliance between their people. Their marriage was going to change the way that people looked at the Free Folk for the rest of time, and Jon was having a hard time coming to terms with that idea. He stayed in bed for as long as he could until Sansa showed up and told him to get his ass out of bed in no uncertain terms. Jon did as she asked because it was usually best to let Sansa do as she wanted.

"I'm sure you don't want me here for this, so I'm sending up Bran, Gendry, and anyone else you would like to spend some time with," Sansa said, and Jon noticed the dark circles under her eyes and that she looked like she hadn't slept.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Bella and I were just up most of the night stitching your request into Val's dress. I wish you would have given me more notice about that but, even with more notice, I needed a second set of hands, and no one knows how to stitch like Bella Baratheon. Truly a woman after my own heart," Sansa said, and she waved off the rest of the conversation. "I'm going to spend the day with Val and make sure everything is going well."

"I think it will," Jon said as he thought back to the night before and how they were technically already together because she stole him, but Jon had a feeling that Sansa wouldn't take that information well. They needed to make sure this was public, so everyone knew that this was a real marriage and a real alliance. If Jon walked into a room with Val and said, they were married because she stole him, people would question it, which was the last thing he wanted. Sansa nodded and walked out of the room. Jon's clothes were set aside, and he really had all day to kill. One of the girls from the kitchen brought him breakfast, and Bran and Gendry appeared not long after that.

"I hope you're not going to ask me for advice," Gendry said as they sat around his room a few hours later. They were passing around a wineskin and doing an excellent job of remaining at least mostly sober because Jon was not going to fuck this up. However, his hands were shaking, and he was worried.

"You never really told me how you two got married," Jon said.

"I'd say spite played a pretty big role since we knew it would be the last thing that Cersei wanted," Gendry said, and Bran choked on his drink. "She asked Thoros if he would marry us before she asked me if memory serves, and we found this little Heart Tree in the middle of the Riverlands. I'm fairly sure Thoros was drunk, we exchanged cloaks even though she promised to give me the Stark name someday, and that was it."

"This is all spectacle," Bran said. "But it's an important spectacle, and it's for the good of the North. That's how I felt more or less though I knew Meera more than you know Val."

"She seems like a good woman," Jon said softly. "If nothing else, I think we'll be good friends someday soon, and that's more than most King's can get from their Queens." They were all thinking of Robert and Cersei. The rest of the day was spent talking about any other than marriage and women, and it was nice. Jon loved spending time with his little brother and his good brother. It settled his nerves, and he wasn't nervous when the sun went down, and they all made their way down to the godswood. The lanterns lined the walkway, and Jon could feel his crown on his head. Gendry had spent the last six weeks designing a crown for Val as well, and Jon hoped that she didn't hate it.

He looked up when everyone began to settle and saw her approaching. Val had her hair done up in intricate braids on top of her head. Her dress was a simple light grey with wide sleeves lined with dark fur that looked like it came from the furs she wore when she first arrived at Winterfell. What made it beautiful was the shadow of a mountain range that Sansa and Bella spent the last night sewing. It was the Frostfangs, and judging from the way Val was smiling, she knew that. Tormund was walking with her, and they had spoken about a different ceremony for their wedding. Tormund grinned and kissed Val's hand before stepping aside. Val was not a woman to be given away; she was giving herself to Jon of her own free will. It was going to make some of the more traditional Northern houses upset, but Jon always promised to honor her independence. Bran was the one performing the ceremony, and he was grinning.

"Who comes before the Old Gods this night?" Bran asked.

"Val of the Free Folk comes here to be wed. A woman grown, a warrior, and a leader. I come to beg the blessing of the Gods. Who comes to claim me?" Val asked.

"Jon, of House Stark, the King in the North. Who gives her?" Jon asked.

"She gives herself," Val replied, and Jon ignored the way people were talking behind them. He made sure that he only had eyes for his bride.

"Lady Val, do you take this man?" Bran asked.

"I take this man," Val replied, and they both hesitated for a moment. Val nodded slightly, and Jon closed the distance between them. The kiss was soft, and they were both smiling when they pulled away. "Your sister told me you asked her to put these mountains on the dress," Val whispered so only he could hear. "They are the Frostfangs."

"I promised that I would honor your heritage the best I could," Jon whispered back, and there were cheers throughout the godswood. The North officially had a new queen.

The feast was precisely what Jon thought it would be, which meant it was kind of insane. There were so many people, and he was waiting for more than one fistfight to break out. In fact, there was one moment where he thought that Sansa and Arya were going to take care of House Dustin right at that moment personally. House Dustin who was seated as far away from the main table as possible and close to the door if and when they decided that leaving was the best idea. After everyone had drunk and ate, Gendry walked forward and placed a box in front of Jon. He smiled and stood up, calling for silence.

"Friends and allies, I thank you all for coming to see my marriage to Val of the Free Folk. As my wife and the Queen in the North, I asked our master blacksmith and my good brother Ser Gendry Stark to make her a crown. I would like you all to see me crown the Queen in the North before you," Jon said. He helped Val walk around the table, and she knelt in front of him with her bowed. Jon opened the box and revealed the crown. It was shining steel the same way his own crown was and lines with dragonglass. There was a wolf on end, but the tail turned once again into the Frostfang mountains, and the outline of the world beyond the Wall would sit on Val's head. She saw the mountains, and she smiled as Jon placed the crown on her head. He offered her a hand, and they stood hand in hand in front of everyone.

"My friends, with this marriage, may peace reign down between the North and the Free Folk for generations to come," Val said, and she raised their clasped hands into the air. "To peace!" The room erupted in cheers, and Jon could see Sansa openly weeping and Tormund trying to do his best to hide that he was crying just as hard.

They didn't stay much longer than that because Jon knew that people were going to call for a bedding if they didn't leave soon, and the last thing he wanted was for Val to punch out the Lord of a Lesser House mere hours after becoming Queen. They walked together through Winterfell as everyone behind them continued to carry on celebrating. Jon opened the door for her, and they walked into the bedroom that they would be sharing from now on. There was another room with another bed off to the side if Val ever wanted her own bed, and Jon planned on keeping his promise never to take her to bed if she didn't want it.

"It's strange to feel this crown on my head," Val said as they both sat down at a table. She took it off and set it down so she could look at it. "The Frostfangs again, you know I'm going to sleep with you tonight regardless, Jon. You don't need to butter me up."

"I'm the swooning maiden, remember," Jon replied as he sat down and poured them both a glass of wine. Val began to take her hair down from the braids, and Jon watched her carefully. She was really quite beautiful, and in the low candlelight and the moonlight from the window, she looked almost ethereal. Vall ran her fingers through her hair and looked up to see him watching her. She blushed a little and stood.

"Shall we?" she asked and offered him a hand. Jon took it, and they walked toward the bed. He hadn't been with a woman since Ygritte, and he never asked Val if she had any experience with men. If this was her first time, he was going to do his damndest to make sure that it was pleasant at the very least. Val turned around, and Jon began to undo the buttons to her dress. She turned and began to undo the buttons to his jerkin as they both undressed each other carefully. Jon was down to his breeches and Val to her thin shift when he reached forward and cupped her cheek.

"May I?" he asked.

"You may," she replied, and they kissed. It started soft, but it didn't stay that way long. Jon wrapped his arms around her and pulled Val closer, so they were touching. She opened her mouth, and Jon finally got to taste her for the first time. She tasted like the wine they'd been drinking with dinner and something that he couldn't put a name to. It was good, and it was more than he ever thought he would get from a woman. Val reached down and began to unlace his breeches as they both shed the last of their layers. She threaded her fingers through his hair, and when she pulled Jon, nearly blacked out with lust.

Jon didn't want to stop kissing her, but they needed to get onto the bed. Val moaned when he bit down on her bottom lip, and that was a sound that Jon wanted to hear again. He trailed his hands down her body until he found where she was warm and already wet between her legs.

"I've been with a man before," Val whispered against his lips. "I know Westeros men think that leave a woman ruined but-"

"You're not ruined," Jon said as he slipped a finger into her. "You feel perfect to me." Val snorted a laugh and pulled him down for another kiss. Jon knew all about getting his mouth on a woman, but he wasn't sure if tonight was the right time. He began to circle the spot that Ygritte showed him, and Val gasped against his mouth. Jon began to kiss along her jaw until he got to her neck and decided that leaving a mark on his new bride would probably look good to the people but might not be what she wanted. He moved further down to her shoulder and sucked a bruised into the skin there where he knew it would be hidden. Val moaned, and he felt her clench around his fingers.

Val yanked him up for another kiss as Jon settled between her legs. He looked into her eyes, asking a silent question, and she nodded. She felt like heaven, and Jon sort of loved the feeling of her nails digging into his shoulders. They were both on edge from a long day, and Jon knew he wasn't going to last long. As he moved in and out of her, he reached between Val's legs and touched that spot again. She gasped and moaned loudly as she clenched down around him. It only took a few more moments before Jon fell over the edge, Val pulling him into a kiss to capture his moans.

He was tired and all but collapsed next to her as they lay side by side, trying to catch their breath. Their hands were close, but they weren't touching each other anymore.

"Not a hardship at all," Val said, and Jon buried his face in the pillow to shake with laughter. When he opened his eyes, Val was looking at him, and she began to laugh as well. This was the best possible outcome Jon could have wanted for this. He thought about Ned and Cat, how they built love out of being strangers and a sense of duty, and hoped that he could someday do the same with Val. For now? This was enough, and they laughed as their hands moved closer and their pinkies were touching.