Game of Thrones: Trials of Marriage

Chapter 9 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

Reviews

gugadg: He did; in fact it's mentioned in this chapter.
SweetImagination15: Yeah well; that's what happens when it comes to rash judgement; don't worry it will be resolved quickly; as for Bran; I really can't picture him actually getting mad; he'd be more concerned about Meera to think about Jeyne.
Veridissima: Thanks, yeah well, Jeyne tends to act without thinking sometimes.

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

Discovering a Welcome Truth

Bran sighed as he watched the snow outside the window. He was worried about his wife; lately Meera had been acting strangely, more withdrawn. Contrary to her obvious attempts to shield him; he had heard the rumours about him and Meera. He knew however that wasn't what was bothering her; it seemed deeper. The more Bran thought about it, the more he was certain it had something to do with Meera's self-consciousness. He was lost in thought; wondering desperately how he could help her; reassure her. At that moment Meera walked in; she smiled at him but Bran had seen her troubled expression already; that was enough to inspire him to take action. He turned his chair around to face Meera.

"Meera, please, sit here; I need to talk to you." He said, gesturing to a chair next to him.

She looked surprised and then walked over and sat with him. She shifted awkwardly and finally spoke.

"Bran; is something wrong?"

Bran sighed. "Yes; you've been acting strangely lately; I think I know what's wrong."

Meera swallowed and shook her head. "Bran I…"

"You're upset about what Jeyne said; I know that; I get that your self-conscious; tell me, just what is it that's bothering you?"
Bran noticed that she seemed to be struggling over her words and hoped she would be able to tell him the truth.

Finally Meera sighed; she could see the look on Bran's face and felt it was safe to talk about her concerns.

"Okay; I'm sorry Bran; I know it was stupid, just some of the things she said really got to me." She explained. "She…I was worried that you weren't willing to consummate the marriage for reasons other than your physical condition."

Bran was about to interrupt but Meera shook her head. "I know I don't have the most…womanly figure and that there are girls even younger than me who do…I guess I just thought I wasn't good enough and…I wasn't; beautiful enough to be your wife."

Bran sighed and reached out to her; she moved so she was seated in his lap, close enough for him to embrace her.

"You are beautiful Meera; to me especially, that's all that should matter."

Meera felt her shoulders slump as the tension left her body and smiled, before gently kissing Bran's neck.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Their tender moment was interrupted however by a knock at the door. Meera sighed and disentangled herself from Bran and went to answer it. She was surprised to see Jeyne standing there; along with Sansa. She could tell from Sansa's serious expression and Jeyne's contrite one that there had been serious words between them. She therefore was able to guess why Jeyne had come here.

Sansa looked past Meera to Bran.

"Do you mind if Meera comes with us Bran." She asked, "We'd rather have this conversation in private."

Bran nodded and the girls left the room. Meera remained silent as they walked; wondering if her intuition was correct. She knew she would soon get her answer as they stopped in one of the castle rooms, which was presently unoccupied. Once inside the others turned to Meera and Sansa spoke.

"Go on Jeyne; if you want you said is true, now's the time to say it."

Jeyne nodded slowly. "Meera I…I'm sorry for what I said about you, to you…I didn't; I just spoke without thinking and I…I'm really sorry; I know…"

Meera however smiled and nodded. "It's okay Jeyne, I accept your apology; I'd rather put this behind us; no real damage has been done, I want to keep it that way."

Jeyne looked surprised by this and also relieved. She smiled and nodded before turning to Sansa.

"I'm sorry to you too Sansa; I…I know I shouldn't…"

Sansa however smiled and hugged her friend. Meera let out a breath; relieved that finally she could put this unfortunate incident behind her now. Finally she left the room and headed back to her and Bran's room; still smiling as she was certain things could start looking up now.

After Meera left Bran continued to gaze out of the window; he hoped that whatever was happening between the three women would turn out well for all involved. He was surprised however when, only a few minutes later, he heard a knock at his door.

"It's open." He called.

The door opened and Robb walked in. Bran smiled at his eldest brother as Robb sat down on a nearby chair.

"Hello Robb; how's Jeyne?" He asked, referring to Robb's wife Jeyne Westerling.

Robb smiled. "She's fine; Bran, I wanted to ask you something."

Bran noted Robb's expression and tensed. "O-Okay?"

"Is it true…That Meera is still a maiden?" He asked as delicately as possible.

Bran sighed and slowly nodded. "Yes; I…I know I'm capable of doing that but…I can't…I can't move, like I'm supposed to; since my legs…"

Robb however smiled. "Bran, you can actually do it; you don't need your legs. I was talking with Maester Luwin and…it turns out, people with crippled limbs; their body compensates for it. It does so by strengthening the remaining limbs. In short, since you lost use of your legs; your arms will be at least twice as strong."

Bran was amazed by this. "Are…Are you sure, I can use my arms to provide the leverage I need?"

Robb nodded. "Positive; so, what do you have in mind."

"I…I need some time to think." He said finally.

Robb nodded and left the room; leaving Bran amazed; he could actually do it; he could consummate their marriage. He could finally make Meera happy and allow their marriage to become even better.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.