King's Landing, the same day
As soon as the feast is over, Aylis rushes out and bursts out crying when nobody can see her anymore. She seats on the cold slabs of the Red Keep and cries her eyes out, overwhelmed with shame and disappointment. The feast have gone on after the betrothal's announcement but Stannis had kept looking down, and she had felt so many eyes on her she has thought she would be sick in front of everybody. Then, Hoster has told her she should go to bed and she had jumped out of her chair as swiftly as if it was covered in thorns.
When she stops crying, she slowly stands up again and brushes her dress, stained with tears. Aylis walks to her room but, indeed, stop in front of Stannis's one, and sneaks in. His smell is all over the place, overwhelming her nostrils. She shyly walks around, touching the clothes, lying on the bed, smelling the pillow and hugging it tightly.
"What are you doing here?"
She gasped loud and sits up, recoiling too much and hitting the back of her head against the hard wood of the bed. Stannis is standing here, his hand still on the handle of the door. She whimpers with pain and puts her hand on her head, checking there is no blood. She is fine, but feels ashamed and hurt.
"I wanted to see you", she mumbles, looking down.
Stannis leaves the door open:
"You cannot get in my chamber like that, Lady Tully."
"Please", she begs. "I need to talk to you…"
"I will meet you in your room, in a few minutes", he answers.
The open door is a clear invitation for her to leave. She holds back a sob and gets off the bed, passes by him staring at the ground and startles as he closes the door behind her. Miserable, she joins her own room, sits on the bed and waits for him. She notices her doll on her pillow, grabs it, kisses it and hides it under the bed.
Stannis places a slight knock on his future wife's door. He feels nauseous when he remembers the feast, and is happy to be away from this entire people now. He hears her little voice telling him to come in and he leans on the handle, pushes the door and closes it behind him. She is sitting on the bed, obviously leaving room for him to sit by her but he stays standing, so uncomfortable of getting here.
"What did you want to talk about?" he coldly says, looking at her.
She looks up, and he can see she is very hurt by his behavior.
"I thought we could talk about the ceremony…"
Stannis felt cold and unpleasant beads of sweat running along his spine.
"We will not get married before you have bled, which will occur in several years. What you need to wonder now is if you really want to marry me? We are ten years apart, it is a huge gap, and I can talk to my brother if you decide to marry someone else. Maybe Renly, if you really want a Baratheon."
She stares at him, dumbfounded: how can he say that?
"You really don't want me, do you?" she asks, her throat painful and dry.
He does not answer, and she walks to him:
"I don't want a Baratheon. I want you; I have wanted you since the day we met. If I have to wait, I will wait. Will you?" she asks back, defying.
"I will obey my King", he simply answers.
"Don't you feel anything for me?" she asks again, getting closer.
Stannis takes a step back and changes the subject:
"As for the ceremony, I want you to know I will not allow the bedding. I think it is shameful and inappropriate. Your father will have to take care of the musicians and food. I will arrive on the day before the marriage, and we will see each other only when your father will lead you in the Sept. If a tourney has to be held, I will not participate. I am not a good jouster and I would not like to shame you on our wedding day."
A long silence follows these words and Aylis is still staring at him, and he feels worse than ever.
"Don't you feel anything for me?" she repeats.
"Have you listened to a word I have said?" he raises an eyebrow.
"No bedding ceremony, no tourney, you won't be here before the eve of the day, my father will hire musicians. Answer me now."
He looks down at her, realizing how small she is, and how young. She is pretty, but she is a little girl. She has not bled, her long hair is mostly the only physical feature that differentiates her from a boy, and he cannot see her as his future wife. He just cannot.
"You are pretty", he admits. "You are nice and I enjoyed the time when we wrote to each other."
A soft smile curls her lips up, but it disappears when he says:
"But, you are very young and I like you more as a friend, than as a wife."
Aylis feels anger and determination flowing through her veins: why is he trying so hard to turn her down?
"But I will be your wife, and there is nothing you can do about it", she crosses her arms and tries to make herself taller and to look like a young woman, and not like a child.
"Why do you like me so much?" Stannis asks, genuinely surprised.
A Tully is a good match: they are respected, and rule over the Riverlands. She could marry with any boy she would want. Aylis takes his hand and strokes it. He watches her do it:
"It's your hands I think… or your eyes… it is because you are brave, and honest. You just proved it. I could hate you, but it makes me only love you more."
She holds his hand tight and she lays a long kiss on it. Stannis shivers, not used to physical contact, and he quickly takes his hand away from her.
"It is late, I will go back to my room. I wish you a god night, Lady Tully."
"Call me Aylis", she smiles slightly.
"I will try", he nods and leans on the handle of the door.
"Stannis?"
He holds back an exasperated sigh and turns to her:
"Yes?"
She walks to him and closes the door in front of him.
"Can you do me a favor?" she asks, leaning against the door so he cannot open it.
"It depends on the favor you are going to ask me", he replies, feeling trapped and hating this.
"I would like you to kiss me", she asks, her heart beating hard against her chest, scared he would refuse.
He leans down and kisses slightly her cheek and she chuckles:
"A real kiss. A kiss you would give to your wife."
He swallows hard and does not move, and her hand comes to his tunic and strokes the stag:
"Just imagine I am some years older. How would you kiss me?"
"You are not older", he protests.
"Stop being so damn logical and do it", she groans.
He cannot help but chuckling and looking at her tenderly. Maybe they would be happy, in the end. She wraps an arm around his waist, looks up and strokes his cheek with her free hand. His skin is soft, so soft she could spend hours stroking it. After a hesitation, he cups her cheek, gently, feeling bad again when he sees how big his hands are on her cheeks, totally covering her skin. Plucking up courage, he leans down on her and softly unites his lips with hers. Trembling, Aylis does not dare move and lets him do, kissing back happily. He moves back, smiles slightly and leaves her here, trembling and a huge grin locked on her lips.