Chapter 3: To Betroth or Not To Betroth…

King Benjen turned his head back to Queen Amelia when the door fell shut behind his youngest son Harlan. Why did he even still called them children? The oldest one was twenty-four and married and his youngest was now seventeen. Darnell had been eight, he had still been a child. But now that he was gone, Ailith was the youngest, and she had not been a child since her mother had died. Benjen took a sip from his wine. Somewhere he might have guessed that the coming of Queen Amelia had something to do with marriage, but he had never thought that it would be linked to his little girl. His little Ailith. But when he had seen her walking out that door just now, he had realized she was not 'little' anymore. She was seventeen, and normally she would have been married already. King Benjen sighed and looked from his wife to the Queen of the Reach.
'Don't look at me like that, Benjen,' she said. There was no need for courtesies now they were alone. 'You knew the time would come she was leaving you.'
'I know,' Benjen said, and decided to leave it with that.
'If I may, your Grace, why Ailith?' Gunnora asked. Queen Amelia raised one eyebrow.
'Well, there're not many other princess for my son to marry, are there?' she said, as if Gunnora had said something offensive, 'Besides, my lord husband thought it would be a wise idea if his successor would have strong bonds with the Starks.'
'Not with the Lannisters?' Benjen said, knowing how much Amelia had always wanted Rowan to marry a girl of her own family.
'Well, the King and Queen of the Westerlands don't have any daughters, do they?' she snapped, and took a sip of her wine, 'And since your successor already married princess Ciara of the Vale and princess Astrid of the Stormislands is betrothed to house of Dorne, only the princess twins of Stormlands are left. Ugh, I never liked Mirabel and Mishaila, spoiled, fat and always together. Most likely Rowan had to marry both of them, instead of one. But I will not have a Baratheon marrying one of my sons!'
'I see,' Benjen said with a small smile. Ingrith had once said that mothers were very picky about the future husband of wife of their children, but Queen Amelia had been the worst Benjen had ever seen. He looked into his iron wine cup and thought deeply.
'Your girl should feel honored to even be asked,' Queen Amelia went on, 'He's a charming, good looking, smart young man who is to rule a country. Besides that, he has wealthy friends and family ties and comes from an ancient lineage.'
'Alright,' Benjen said and focused his eyes on Amelia, 'Ailith will be betrothed to your Rowan, and they will get married. After this, there is no turning back.'
'Agreed,' Amelia said, her green eyes looking straight back at him.
'Ailith will also be joined by twenty men of my guard,' he went on, never trusting the Lannister woman, even though she was married to one of his friends, 'And no-one can stop her from coming home to Winterfell, whenever she wants to visit.'
'As long as she remains loyal to her lord husband,' Queen Amelia answered.
'She will,' Benjen said, he thought he knew his daughter well enough to say that.
'Than we will have a wedding soon,' Amelia smiled, waving her blond locks back.
'We will indeed,' Benjen said, smiling back. He just hoped Ailith was mature enough to accept it too.

'Ailith, child,' Benjen knocked on the door of her daughters room. It had been too late the last night to talk to her, and he thought he should give her her rest. Yet, when he saw her at breakfast, something stopped him from saying. She sat at the table, happy and smiling, teasing her brothers a bit. Benjen had realized that soon she would not be there with them to dine, laugh, sing and fight with them. She would be miles and miles away, in another castle. With another man as her hero. It had been no secret that Benjen had been the childhood hero of Ailith. But that morning, he realized all that was about to change. He would not be the only one who would hold her tight in her arms, or whisper soft sweet words in her ear. Or to dry her tears, when she was sat. Or dance with her. Or to be the one man in her life, who never failed her. She was growing up.
'Come in father,' he heard Ailith say through the door and awoke from his daydreaming. When he stepped in the door, Ailith stood up and made a small bend. Inger, one of Ailiths maids, bended for her lord master and left the room. Benjen smiled when he saw his daughter, the young woman. She wore a light red dress, with her hair almost completely loose. It showed the red, natural blush on her cheeks very well.
'You look good,' he smiled.
'As do you,' she smiled back. Ailith walked to her father and kissed him on the cheek. 'Did you come here to have tea with me, father?'
'No, not this time,' he laughed. When Ailith was younger, she used to invite everyone – literally everyone, from her father to the stable boy and from her brothers to the cook – to have tea with her on her room with her dolls and talk about dragons and wars.
'What is it?' Ailith asked, when she noticed her father had still not said why he had come. He sighed and led her to her small sitting place, it was a round part of the room where four chairs and a table stood.
'Sit down, child,' he said. Ailith did as she was told and looked at her father with big eyes. Perhaps he had heard what had happened between her and Rowan last night. It was nothing like her to go kiss some boy in a tiny room!
'What is it, father?' she asked with a small voice.
'Your lady mother and I talked to Queen Amelia last night and-'
'Gunnora is not my mother, father,' Ailith immediately said, but her father raised his hand and sighed.
'Please, child, it's hard enough already,' he took a deep breath and continued, 'We had a talk with Queen Amelia, and we decided that you are to be wed with Prince Rowan. You are to be his loving wife and one day Queen of the Reach.'
'If it pleases you,' Ailith said, trying not look all to happy. Her father looked at her.
'I will send twenty of my men with you, and you are free to visit us every time you want,' he said. Ailith smiled.
'Thank you, father.'
'You don't mind at all, do you?' he smiled, seeing the happy twinkle in her eyes. Ailith looked away, but her mouth curled into a smile.
'Not really,' she admitted. Benjen burst out into laughter and Ailith joined him. He gently took her chin and looked at her.
'Gods, look at you, girl,' he sighed, 'I remember the day I first held you in my arms. My little girl. You look so much like your mother, in more ways than just your beauty. Use your brains, girl. Be loyal to your husband and watch out for the snakes.'
'I will, father,' she promised.
'Good,' he said and smiled at her. He took a deep breath and stood up, it was time to move on, 'Now if you will excuse me.'
'Father,' Ailith said, she walked to the door and kept it close, 'You will come and have tea with me, when I'm Queen of the Reach, right?'
'Your majesty,' Benjen smiled, 'I would be most delighted.'
'Good,' Ailith said and smiled content. She opened the door and let her father out.

The next day, Ailith sat in the library and looked more out the window that into her book. She was thinking about the talk she had had with her father the day before. She doubted if her father would visit her much. It was nothing for a Stark to travel South. Just as it was for a Tyrell or Baratheon to travel to the North. The Starks belonged in the North and the Tyrell and Baratheon in the South. Not many who had gone South, had returned – alive. Ailith almost thought of it as some sort of curse. Yet, she hardly believed in curses. And besides, she had the intention of living in the South, not dying. Still, there would be a Lannister around her. It gave Ailith chills just thinking about it. No matter how large the castle was, she would still live in it with Queen Amelia.
'Are you cold?' a familiar voice asked behind her. Ailith turned around and saw the smiling, stubbled face of Rowan. He straightened his back and bend. As he walked closer, Ailith stood up and gave a small bend back.
'I never expected to see you in a library,' she smiled, when he stood on the other side of table.
'You would be surprised,' he smiled. He looked good in the soft blue he wore, Ailith thought, but could not make herself say it. For a moment he just stood there and smiled at her. Ailith prayed he would not do that a lot, it made her nervous.
'I have something for you,' he said and walked around the table. For a second Ailith wanted to walk to the other side of the table, to make him walk round and round. But she figured that would be quiet childish, she would be married soon. Rowan took her hand and Ailith realized he was almost as tall as her brother Benjen, which was pretty tall! Just like her mother, she was not very tall, even more compared to the tall men of the North. But even with Rowan she only reached his shoulders.
'Since we are now officially betrothed, I thought it would seem proper to offer you this,' he said and showed her a ring. Ailith gasped when she saw it. It was white gold ring, with the rose of Tyrell laid on several leaves which formed the circle of the ring. But which struck her most, was that in the rose of Tyrell, the Direwolf of Stark was engraved.
'Do you like it?' he asked, bending his back a bit to look her straight in the eyes. Ailith raised her hands before her mouth.
'I- I love it,' she gasped, 'Its beautiful.' Rowan smiled and took her left hand and gently slid the ring around her ring finger. Ailith could not take her eyes of it. Even when Rowan took her hand and kissed it.
'Thank you, so much,' she said again. Not knowing what to do, really.
'Hey, I thought: you're leaving your home, your father and your brothers, the least I could do was cheer you up with some jewelry,' he smiled, still holding her hand. Ailith smiled.
'Are you trying to buy me with jewelry?' she said, raising her eyebrows.
'I would not dare, my lady,' he smiled. It made Ailith blush for no reason, and she just smiled back. 'Honestly, I won't try to buy your love.' Rowan said as he took her other hand. Ailith moved closer.
'You already have my love,' she whispered. He leaned forward and kissed her.
'O please!' someone said, quickly Ailith pulled back and looked surprised to her brother Eddard. He made a face as if he was sick. 'Lovebirds, come on! You're not married yet.'
'O, shut it, Ed,' Aitlith hissed, as she stood close to Rowan as is she wanted him to protect her. Rowan just laughed.
'No, no, Ailith,' Eddard went on, 'You're my little sister, and this prince aught to be-'
'Come on,' Ailith said as she rolled with her eyes and started to walk away with Rowan's hand still round hers.
'Wait- is that a ring I see?' she heard Eddard say, but just walked on.

'Do you remember Castle Highgarden?' Rowan asked. They were walking around the outer wall of Winterfell, hand in hand. Ailith shook her head.
'Not really, the only time I was really in Highgarden was when I had to eat or sleep,' she said and laughed. Suddenly Rowan stopped walking and looked at her. His face serious, and even a bit worried.
'Do you fear coming to the Reach' he asked. Ailith looked at him and knew he was not kidding.
'No,' she said, but when he pinched his eyes she knew there was something she was scared of, 'Well, with all due respect, but your mother is one thing I fear.'
'I can understand that,' he said with a small smile.
'But that's the only thing,' she said honest.
'Really? You don't fear men? Poison? Swords or arrow?'
'My lord,' Ailith smiled and stepped closer, 'I am a Stark, its not in my nature to fear, but to be feared. Besides I grew up with four older brothers and a younger brother. Every night a soldier would dine with us, so I know their ways.'
'So, you are fearless?'
'No, my lord,' Ailith said and looked him deep in the eyes, 'What I fear, is another woman in my place. Another girl's legs around you. Another woman receiving the love of my lord husband. That is what I fear.'
'You have nothing to fear, my lady,' Rowan said after a moment as he stroked her hair back, 'For you are the only one I want to give my love to.'
'And I also fear your mother,' Ailith said. They both smiled.
'I think we can handle her, together,' Rowan smiled and kissed her.

So...hoping you guys like it! It will probably be monday the next time I upload the story, sorry for that..
Anyways, Let me know what you think of it, please !