Kailasa wasn't allowed to go to sleep yet, though. She needed bathe so her hair would be dry by morning. She forgot how long it took to dry in the humid heat of the Coast. The North was much drier. Her hair could dry in mere hours, instead of nearly half a day.

"Would you like me to call in your nurse to corset you?" Elena asked her softly.

Kailasa shook her head. "No. I will do it myself."

"Is there anything else you need from me?"

"I haven't seen Captain Jones here lately. He promised he would be here." Kailasa said softly.

"I do not know my lady. His ship hasn't been in port."

Kailasa frowned. "If that changes, please inform me immediately." She had hoped he and Emma would be there. Friendly faces and all that. People she actually wanted there instead of the lords and ladies who were only there to say they were. People who actually cared for her.

"I will." Elena said. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"No, thank you. The night is yours." Kailasa told her.

"I will wake you tomorrow when it is time to begin getting you ready." Elena told her. "You'll be able to sleep most of the morning."

Kailasa nodded slowly. "Have a good night, Elena."

The woman smiled sadly, before leaving Kailasa to herself.

Kailasa bit into another strawberry in the bowl that Elena had brought for her earlier that night. Sweet summer berries.

Why couldn't everyone just let her sulk for a bit? Couldn't they just let her mourn whatever she needed to mourn? Did everyone have to meddle with everything? Couldn't she just be left alone for once in her life? Couldn't she make her own choices?

Of course, if she could, there would still be a wedding happening the next day. Just to a different man.

Kailasa sighed as she took off her robe, and put on her smallclothes and corset. She knew she couldn't sleep yet, but she felt more comfortable while she was in her corset; like she wasn't forgetting anything. Not that it was comfortable to wear; it never was. It was tight from her hips to her chest. It could make it hard to breathe, but it also made her feel more comfortable. She had been in a corset like this for so long she couldn't remember what it was like to be without it. It was the most uncomfortable thing that a person ever could wear to feel comfort. At least her legs were overall bare. The sheets felt good against her bare legs.

There was a knock on the door.

"Elena, really, the night is yours." Kailasa said tiredly, as she put on her white robe after getting on her corset.

The door opened slowly. "It's not Elena."

Kailasa looked up suddenly, before turning over her shoulder. "Jon?"

"I would've come sooner, but-" Kailasa cut him off when she took the four steps over to him and kissed him.

"You know what?" She said. "I don't care. I don't fucking care. You're here." She kissed him again.

He held her tightly to him, like he never wanted to let her go again.

A part of Kailasa told her that this was a dream. That she was still passed out, and this was all happening in her head. How could he have gotten there, anyway? How could he have gotten so far South in less time than it took his family to get there? They left him at Winterfell-Arya said that much-so how could he have gotten to Goldenbirth? How?

This all had to be a dream.

But he felt so real beneath her hands. On her lips. How could he not be real? She could be able to tell the difference between a dream and reality, couldn't she? He had to be here. He had to be.

Jon pulled away. "Kailasa," he said softly. "Are you okay? Captain Jones told me everything."

So that's where Captain Jones was; that's how he got there.

"I'm better now." She told him. "My father sent the marriage contract. I knew nothing of it."

"But why did you stay?"

"Because I had to believe that you would come." Kailasa told him. "I thought you would come with the Starks, but Arya told me that they forced you to stay."

"Yes, I have to say that your servants were talking. It seems like everyone knows that you don't want to get married."

"I am sure that they've heard the screaming." Kailasa sighed. "Imagine having the same fight every night since I returned. It's redundant, and both my brother and I are too stubborn to change our minds."

"I should have guessed that your brother was just as stubborn as you. At least we can be stubborn together now. We can take this, can't we?"

Kailasa nodded. "Yes, but what is the time?"

"Late. The castle is falling asleep." Jon told her.

"We have to wait until morning, then." Kailasa said. "But it's going to be hard, you know that right? And probably neither of us will be unscathed."

"What are they going to do? Yell at us?"

"Put us in the dungeons. Cast us out. Hit us. I'm rather sure my brother won't try to kill us, so that's good news." Kailasa told him.

"I thought you loved your brother. I thought your brother loved you."

"I'm a pawn to him right now. Trying to better the family." Kailasa told him, looking down for a second, before looking back up at him. "You know, we could always jump on a ship and leave."

"But do you really want to run away?"

Kailasa shook her head. "No. I'm more of a stand and fight kind of woman."

"Then we'll stand and fight." Jon said.

Kailasa nodded. "Gods, for a moment there I didn't know what I was going to do."

"That must be a change for you." Jon smiled slightly.

"You have no idea." She pulled him towards her to kiss him again, pulling him towards her bed. She wasn't exactly thinking with her mind, but she didn't really care anyway. She just wanted him, all of him. She didn't care if in the morning everything they ever planned went to hell, if anything, that made her want to do this more. Just one night.

A part of her knew that everything would probably go to hell.

She pushed him onto the bed, and got on top of him as she began to unlace his shirt, that's when he pulled away, though he seemed to be forcing himself to.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Do you want me to stop?" She asked as she slowly kept undoing his shirt, but her eyes never left his.

"No." He said, his eyes drifting to her chest, where her breasts were pushed up by her corset.

She smiled. "Good." She kissed him again.

He pulled away again. "But we're not married."

"Have faith." She said, running her fingers through his hair. "We will be."

He kissed her now, as she tried to push his shirt off him, but it didn't really work with him pressed to the bed, so she pulled him up by his shirt so she could get if off him, and then threw it to the floor, as she ran her hands from his shoulders down his chest. He was muscular, but lightly so, not too much muscle, yet he wasn't skinny either.

Kailasa broke away to look at him, running her fingers over his smooth skin.

"See something you like?" He asked, teasing slightly.

She looked back up lightly. "Very much." She kissed him lightly before she began to kiss his neck as she ground her hips against his.

"Seven hells," he cursed, as he grabbed the damp hair at the back of her head with one hand while his other hand squeezed her ass.

Kailasa couldn't help but smile against his neck. She liked this. It was easy. It felt right. She loved him. She knew she was where she was supposed to be. It felt like a dream, but at the same time, it all felt to real to be anything but. She rolled her hips against him, and she felt him harden through his pants.

"Do you like that?" She teased, mentally thanking Meara for her lessons on this subject.

"Yes." He hissed.

Kailasa pulled away from Jon to look at his face as she rolled her hips again and let her arms rest on his shoulders as she smiled at him.

Jon's fingers worked on Kailasa's corset, fumbling with the lacings.

"Like this," She told him as her fingers covered his and slowly unlaced her corset. She liked how Jon's eyes flashed from her eyes to her body and repeated, which only made Kailasa feel as if everything was worth it to be looked at like that. The hell her last few weeks had been, and the hell to come.

"Now you're just teasing me." Jon said softly when her movements became very slow.

"Well I'm having fun, aren't you?" She challenged.

"I'd never complain." He replied.

"Mhm," She sighed as she made it to a few inches below her breasts, but all Jon could see was the valley between her breasts. The corset didn't want to let her go, and Kailasa wanted to tease Jon just a bit longer.

She kissed him again, only to have him break away after a moment.

"Okay, I may start complaining now." He said, breathless.

Kailasa couldn't help but giggle as she kissed him again, taking her corset the rest of the way off. Jon took it from her and threw it to the ground beside the bed as he looked at her.

Kailasa didn't shy away from him as he looked over her. She didn't try to cover herself, and she didn't try to stop her from looking at him in any way. She let him look at her as she watched him. She let him touch her however he wanted.

Jon's thumbs brushed under her breasts, making Kailasa arch her back into him as she hummed happily. Jon bowed his head as he began kissing her chest.

"Oh." Kailasa cried softly when Jon took one of her nipples into his mouth as his fingers brushed over her other one. She ground her hips against his again, craving friction.

Slowly, Jon's hand ventured down her body, slipping beneath her small clothes and running her fingers over her folds, making Kailasa hum happily. Her hand slipped over his, guiding him, showing him how to touch her.

"Gods," She whispered as he slowly pushed his finger inside her and she guided his thumb over her bundle of nerves, making her legs jolt. Jon took that opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist, and flip them so he was on top of her.

Kailasa giggled before she kissed him, withdrawing her hand from his and tangling both her hands in his hair for a second before her hands slithered in between them and began working on the fastenings of his pants before pushing them down.

He got off her to take them off, and while he did that Kailasa arched her back to get her small clothes off and tossing them to the side. Jon got back on her, now completely naked. Kailasa wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you." He kissed her.

Kailasa grabbed his shoulders and flipped them over so she was on top of him, surprising him enough to get him to do as she wished. Kailasa got on her knees before reaching down and guiding him inside her while they stared into each other's eyes.

As she moved over him she weaved her fingers between his.

"Gods," Jon said, sitting up as Kailasa put his hands on her hips and her hands slithered up his arms to his shoulders as she leaned forward to kiss him. She liked the feeling of his skin against hers. She liked him inside and around her. The warmth of his skin against hers. His lips on hers, or sliding down her neck, making her gasp when his teeth bit lightly into her skin. His grip on her hips tightened, and brought her down on him, hard.

"Oh!" She cried as he hit a spot inside her, causing Jon to pull away.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" He said, concerned.

"I'm fine." She whispered, a smile on her lips. "Do it again."

So he did, and the same sound left her lips. It was a sound of pleasure, not pain like he had thought. He wrapped her arms around her back, and flipped them over again so he was on top of her.

He pushed all the way into her as she wrapped her legs around him tightly, trying to pull him closer to her.

"Gods, Jon." She moaned, her nails biting into his shoulders.

Jon bit at her neck as they moved, coming together harder and harder. When Kailasa rose to her release, Jon followed rather quickly after, and rolled off her, both of them catching their breath.

"Was it like you thought it would be?" Kailasa asked him softly after they caught their breath.

"No." He said. "And yes."

"Better or worse?" She asked turning her head to look at him.

He turned his head towards her. "Better." He leaned towards her and kissed her lightly. "And for you?"

Kailasa rolled on her side and ran her hand down his chest. "Better." She kissed his chest. "Why do they try to keep those who are married? Such a waste."

Jon laughed quietly. "I do not always think it is like this, Kailasa." He said, his hand moving to her hair before he kissed her again before pulling away. "What happens now?"

"What happens now?" Kailasa repeated. "We can't do anything until morning. But come morning, I will call off the wedding. I will tell your brother everything. He will help us."

Jon nodded. "Yes, he would not want to make you marry him."

"We have nothing to fear." Kailasa said, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. "Perhaps we should get some sleep?"

And so they did, with their arms around each other, and Jon's head on her shoulder. For the first time since she arrived home she felt safe; she felt warm. Even knowing she would face hell in the morning, she couldn't help but feel so happy she could burst.

She was with the man she loved, after she had lost hope. She had him, and he had her. Now, they would never be parted.

XXX

Kailasa got up before Jon was awake and got dressed in a plain grey dress. She paused only a moment, looking out the window where the sun rose. She saw Captain Jones' ship. He did it for her. He was a true friend, and the closest thing to family she felt like she had. He and Emma. They would have to come with her if she got Silversheet. She would give them whatever they wanted if they agreed. She needed people she could trust around her; and they were the only two she could name at the moment.

Besides Jon.

She felt something cold around her neck and she jumped, bumping into Jon behind her.

"Sorry!" He said quickly. "I just wanted to give you this." He held up a necklace with a wolf on the pendant. The one from the marketplace months ago."

"When did you get it?" She asked him, surprised.

"I bought it the day you picked it up at the market." He told her. "I was just saving it."

"Did you know I would choose you?" She asked him, teasing him slightly.

"No, but I hoped you would." He told her. "May I?" He gestured towards her neck.

"Please." She turned her back towards him, and held her long hair up for him to clasp it around her neck, and then she turned to face him again, grasping where it fell at the hollow of her throat. "I love it. It shall never leave my neck."

"Promise?"

"Promise." She smiled. "Now, I have something to ask of you."

"Which is?"

"Stay here when I talk to your brother." She told him. "Please. I would really rather deal with him myself. I'm the one that didn't nip this in the bud when he first arrived. I should have. I should have taken whatever my brother would have given me for speaking out.

"What would he have done?" Jon asked.

"He probably would have struck me again. I do not know. Nothing I couldn't live through." Kailasa told him. "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen now. They cannot force us to do anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. If something bad happens we run." Kailasa said. "They cannot force anything. I can refuse to say my vows. I can refuse to stand in the water to be wed. They cannot force me. I do not think your family will force me."

Jon shook his head. "No, I do not think so." He agreed. "But are you sure you should do this alone?"

"Your brother won't hurt me. He never would." Kailasa said. "I know that much. I'll come back here after I tell him, and get him to help us. Then you and I will live whatever life we want. We could go to Silversheet. We could go to Dorne. We can decide it later."

"I will be waiting right here." He told her.

Kailasa got on her toes to kiss him. "I will be back soon."