Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or anything related. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the creator of this wonderful universe and David Benioff and D. B. Weiss who created the show.
Face Claim for Lady Sanira Tremaine: Caitlin Stasey.
Chapter Four: The Wedding Feast.
Thanking another person for their well-wishes, Sanira excused herself and walked away wanting to get some fresh air, the room was so loud and she wanted a little time to gather her thoughts for a moment. Sanira had barely had a moment to herself since she had stepped into the Great Hall, let adjust to the fact that she was now a Stark; her entire life changing from this moment forward.
Making sure that no one was really watching her, Sanira slipped out of the hall wanting to have a moment or two to herself before she was forced to greet another Lord or Lady and converse with them. Sanira did not want to be rude but everything had happened so quickly and she had barely been able to wrap her head around the fact she was married before she had been dragged from pillar to post speaking with different people.
She had tried to be polite and smile constantly, Sanira was doing her best but her head was still trying to catch up; she feared that she would be a terrible wife to Robb. What would people think when they realised the woman that was their future Lady of Winterfell was not up to the job, she knew truly little about how to do the duties that were going to be expected of her.
The cool evening air greeted her as she stepped outside the castle, her eyes glancing upwards to the night sky and she almost wondered when the first snow would start to fall. Shivering a little, Sanira hurried further away from the hall doubting that her absence would be ignored for long; it was her wedding feast afterall.
"Are you okay?" Catelyn asked appearing out of the hall, she had seen her new daughter leave and she was concerned knowing that Arlenna was not likely to offer much comfort to her. The other woman seemed more interested in downing the wine that she had brought for the wedding, after she had turned her noses up at what the Starks had to offer.
"I'm sorry Lady Stark… I was just taking a moment to myself," Sanira apologised knowing how bad this must have looked, she wasn't trying to be rude and she wasn't used to being the centre of attention. It was something that Sanira would quickly have to get used to, she was going to be Lady of Winterfell one day and she would have a lot of responsibilities.
Walking over to Sanira, Catelyn offered her a reassuring smile knowing that she had felt exactly the same when she had married Ned; it had been a drastic change from the match that she had originally expected. It was Ned's older brother that she was originally meant to marry, his untimely death had drastically changed things and Catelyn knew that she could not come to regret her marriage to Eddard.
"You can call me Catelyn. Sanira, we are family now," Catelyn replied softly, she looked out into the night and shivered knowing that the days were getting colder and the long summer was coming to an end. For some of her children, it would be the first winter that they had known and Catelyn could not shake the feeling that there was something else in the air. Looking at Catelyn surprised, Sanira slowly nodded her head and tried to wrap her head around that fact; she was unsure about how things would play out when her family returned to Aeredale.
"Thank you," Sanira said looking out, she took a deep breath and tried to relax for a few moments; no one seemed to have come looking for her except for Catelyn. Even her new husband seemed a little distracted with his friends and Sanira was grateful for that, she still had no idea what to really say to him; it all felt so awkward when she was around him.
"It's okay to be afraid. Many brides feel the same," Catelyn comforted not looking to Sanira, she doubted any advice that came from Arlenna would be helpful; the woman seemed far too interested in what people thought of her than what was happening with her children. Arlenna had looked bored during the ceremony and Catelyn had been surprised to hear that Arlenna had not even been with Sanira that day helping her prepare; instead, she had the servants running around running meaningless errands.
"If you ever need someone to talk to," Catelyn offered remembering what it had been like when she had come to Winterfell after the rebellion was over and how out of place she had felt as a Southerner.
Moving towards Sanira, Arlenna kept a pleasant smile on her face knowing that it was time to have a small talk with her daughter; she wanted to ensure that Sanira did her duty tonight and cemented this alliance between the families. Everyone would be counting on her and Arlenna was not about to let Sanira screw this up, every woman did their duty on their wedding night and Sanira would not be any different.
"I hope you are prepared for tonight," Arlenna mused softly, she rested a hand on the back of the chair where Sanira was sitting; she dismissed the two women that Sanira was talking with before she sat down. Peeking at her mother, Sanira almost wished that Arlenna was not about to give her this talk again; she did not want to listen to it and it made her even more nervous about what was too come.
"Yes mother," Sanira whispered looking over to Robb, he was talking with some of his father's banner men that had been invited to celebrate and she was grateful that he was not able to hear what her mother was saying to her. Catelyn's words had been much more comforting and the only thing that Arlenna seemed to tell her was that it would hurt or it would be unpleasant.
Her words made Sanira wonder why her parents' marriage seemed so content and that they kept the same bedroom; they barely spoke and Arlenna acted like Rolan was the worst husband around. Though perhaps that came from her mother's Lannister pride, she had often bemoaned her low status and Sanira wondered just what sort of match her mother would have made for herself.
"Don't expect him to pay much attention to your needs," Arlenna said before moving away, she did not look back at Sanira who took a deep breath; she was sure her mother loved scaring her and making her life hell. It almost made Sanira want to hide away until she knew that her mother was gone, she felt a little jealous of the care that Catelyn Stark had not just for her sons but for her daughters as well.
"Time for the bedding," Theon announced gleefully, he had been eyeing Sanira all evening and there was no point in putting this off; the feast was coming to an end and it was time for what he saw as the main event. Surely Robb would forgive him if he got a little handsy with his new bride, perhaps he would even get her warmed up for the man that he considered like a brother to him.
Sanira's head snapped in his direction and stared, she did not want the Greyjoy touching her especially since his reputation was far from good. There was no doubt in her mind that he would get carried away and Sanira was not sure what people would think of her then, would they see her as a victim or a temptress and have her marriage annulled.
"If you don't keep your hands to yourself, you'll lose them," Robb snapped glaring at his friend, he had told him already that there would be no bedding ceremony and yet Theon seemed determined to ignore him. He did not know what Theon was thinking but jealously must play its part, he would not have Theon take liberties especially at the expense of his new bride.
A couple of the visiting lords chuckled at how protective Robb was already and they watched as Robb walked over to Sanira; the entire room seemed almost silent watching the newlyweds closely. Offering his hand to Sanira, Robb tried to ignore the nerves that formed in his stomach; he offered Sanira a small reassuring smile before she got to her feet knowing that there was no putting this off now.
Ned watched his eldest son lead his bride from the feast and he felt pride in what Robb had done, he did not blame him for refusing the bedding ceremony especially considering how nervous Sanira looked. The slightly drunken crowd cheered as Robb and Sanira left the feast, the celebration continued after the newlyweds had left for their new quarters.
Catelyn smiled walking over to Ned, she wrapped her arms around him and looked around the room; everyone seemed so happy and she was pleased that everyone seemed to be having a good time. Looking over at the bride's parents, Catelyn was almost surprised to see Rolan and Arlenna speaking even if it did seem to be more of an argument than anything else.
The two of them had barely said a word to each other all day and Catelyn guessed that it had something to do with Rolan's plans for their youngest son.
Stepping into their new quarters, Sanira could not bring herself to even look at her husband let alone think about why they had come here; her mother's unhelpful words circled her mind and made her just want to flee. Her stomach felt like she had swallowed butterflies and Sanira wanted nothing more than to cower away from him, hide away under the covers and pretend that she was alone.
Robb closed the door behind them glad that someone had started a fire to keep the room warm, it was quite different from his old room and he guessed that was too be expected now that he was a married man. The two settled into an uncomfortable silence unsure what to say to one another, they both knew that this was going to take some getting used to and they had all the time in the world now.
"We don't have to do this if you're not ready," Robb murmured nervously, he could see how uncomfortable Sanira looked and he did not wish to make her more uncomfortable. He was sure that they could consummate their marriage when they were both ready with the last thing Robb wanted was for Sanira to feel forced into something; he would wait for her to be ready.
Their wedding was barely a few hours ago and Robb did not know much about Sanira, he had not really talked with Sanira when she had first arrived in Winterfell only for the first meeting with their parents around. Rather he had focused on the tasks that he normally did and he felt a little foolish for not thinking past the ceremony, his very life was changed now and there was no going back.
"You'd be okay with that?" Sanira whispered surprised by Robb's suggestion, she had thought he would want to consummate their marriage as soon as they had the chance to do so. It was the one thing that they were supposed and Sanira could not imagine what her mother would say when she found out that she was the reason that they had not done so.
Arlenna would taunt her for the fact that she had been a coward, she would never let Sanira hear the end of it. "If it makes you more comfortable," Robb reassured her, he could see that Sanira was not ready and they had had a long day; they could take their time and he would wait until she was ready.
It also gave Robb the chance to prepare himself for that moment, he was just as nervous as she was and he feared hurting her especially since he did not know what he was doing. Staring at Robb surprised, Sanira did not know what to say to him especially when he was seemingly doing something so wonderful for her; she nibbled on her lip wishing that things were just as simple with everything else.
Robb moved away to prepare for bed, he was glad that he had refused the bedding ceremony; he could only imagine how awkward it would have been if people had been listening to them. He pulled his shirt over his head and tried to block out the thoughts of anyone else but them, he did not care who might be upset about the lack of consummation of their marriage; such things would come in time.
Watching Robb, Sanira was not sure what was going to happen but she hoped that he would always be this understanding; she could not imagine how he would react to her night terrors. Arlenna seemed so sure that Robb would insist she move back to her former bedroom after being woken up most nights; she did not know how anyone could put up with Sanira's childish problem.
"I'll let you prepare for bed," Robb said turning away so that Sanira could change out of her wedding dress and into her bed clothes; he did not want to make this awkward and in time they would get used to this. Moving to step out of sight, Robb paused and looked back at Sanira for a moment; his blue eyes watched her knowing that they would be simply fine.
"You looked beautiful today," Robb murmured before leaving the room, Sanira watched him leave and sighed before moving to carefully remove her dress; she was almost glad that she knew how to remove her dress without help. Slowly changing out of her wedding dress, Sanira made sure to hang it up before she quickly pulled on her night clothing.
Settling on the bed, Sanira did not have to wait long before Robb entered the room; the two did not say a word as they settled down for bed and got under the covers, both thinking about how strange this all was.
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