Author's Note ; Firstly I want to apologize for the wait for this chapter. As much I wish I could promise regular and scheduled updates, my work and offline life hardly ever allow me to plan time to write. So again I do thank you for your patience and hope I still have many of you sticking this out with me. I do not intend to stop this story I have so much planned!
Thank you especially to those who reviewed the last chapters - amrawo and The King in White! Some questions were brought up in the reviews that I will address. This is not a love triangle story, as much as Robb and Alysanne have had feelings for each other that is not going to be a focus in this story. It may come up in later chapters but will not be the central conflict. As for Bran, I know a few of your have wondered and I am afraid you will still have to wonder what his fate will be, but that shall be revealed in the next two chapters after this one!
If any readers have any comments, questions, concerns or feedback please leave a review, as I love to get them! Also I am still open to welcome a Beta for this story or someone who can make a id graphic for this story cover!
Two days had never flown by so quickly, since the announcement of the wedding by King Robert, all of Winterfell had been in an uproar to make all the preparations. Hunters were sent out for fresh kills to serve at the wedding banquet. Extra supplies were immediately sent for from the towns closest to Winterfell. With the promise of Lannister gold and supplies to replenish what was spent to host the feast, no expense was spared. Everyone seemed to be in constant motion, there was so much to do and such little time. For Alysanne the most prominent challenge to tackle was the matter of her wedding dress or rather her wedding dresses. She was going to need two. There was to be a ceremony in the Sept for the Lannister's and also a ceremony at the weirwood tree to satisfy both the Stark and Umber heritage that flowed in her veins. The ceremony before the Seven would occur first, then the other right after.
White satin was dyed red and the seamstresses that had comes with the royal caravan to see to the wardrobe of the Queen and royal children were the ones tasked with making her first dress. They made it in the Southern style, it was lighter than dresses she was accustomed to wearing. Alysanne felt bad to see them work so hard for a dress she would wear once, she had seen many women bent over the fabrics, embroidering visions of lions and vines of gold into the rich red fabric. In some respects it was truly amazing to see such intricate work come together so quickly, things that would usually takes weeks were being accomplished in the couple short days between the announcement of the engagement and the wedding itself. Thankfully though only one dress was needed to be made, for her Northern ceremony she would wear her mother's wedding dress.
Benjen Stark had kept the dress tucked away exactly for this purpose. It had been Serena's wish to keep the dress for her firstborn daughter to wear when she married. Little had either Benjen or Serena known but they would only have a single daughter to inherit the dress. Despite having been stored away for years it was in excellent condition. It was a dress of Stark grey and silver thread embroidering along the corset depicting the very same Heart Tree in the Godswoods of Winterfell and wolves, the sigil animal of House Stark. Along the cuffs of the sleeves were a pattern that resembled chains, the sigil of House Umber, a small symbol of her mother's House that she would wear. Only minor alterations to the hem and the sleeve length needed to be made to the dress and Alysanne loved her dress dearly, able to feel that her mother would be with her on her wedding day in spirit at least.
In the course of those two days there had actually been little time for Alysanne to spend time with her husband to be, between the preparations and the hours spent with the seamstresses she had little time to see her own family let alone Ser Jaime. She had though been visited by Queen Cersei as she was being fitted with her dress for the Sept ceremony, she had said few words, her green eyes were firm and seemed wary of her even as she spoke gently and with kinds words. In the end Alysanne was hopeful about her relations with her future good-sister, but still had yet to figure out where they stood with each other. On the other hand Alysanne found herself quite liking her future good-brother, Tyrion. She found him witty and funny, she had encountered him a couple times about the Keep each time they had been pleasant with the other and Tyrion had even voiced his approval to her.
"You will be just what my brother needs, he is in sore need of a good woman after all this." Is what the littlest Lannister had last said to her. Though she hadn't understood what he had met at first, she could only assume he was referring to Jaime's service in the Kingsguard.
Once the day of the wedding rolled around Alysanne felt nervous, she had had only two real conversations with her groom and she was set to marry in a few hours. Servants had woken her early to bring hot water and a tub into her room and help her bathe. Sansa, Arya and Lady Catelyn had come to also help her prepare. Though admittedly Arya only sat around either lamenting that Alysanne was marrying at all or asking endless questions about Jaime Lannister and Sansa was speculative about the ceremonies and how the feats would unfold while also wondering what her wedding to the crown Prince, Joffrey, would be like. Catelyn was the one who helped Alysanne prepare and style her hair. For the first ceremony she would keep to the southern style. Her long locks of brown hair were piled up to the top of her head in an intricate pattern. It seemed an impractical and time consuming but she did not utter a word on complaint and even found herself liking the way it looked in the end. There was a certain kind of elegance to it, but ultimately it would not be her style of choice.
Getting into her wedding dress made everything seem so much more real, this was truly it – her wedding day. Her cousins and Lady aunt left and her father came, the one who would walk her down to the Sept and give her away. Her placed the Stark cloak around her shoulders and kissed her brow before they left her room, for the last time. Already her things were packed, ready for the journey to King's Landing, only a few things remained unpacked but had been moved to the room that after tonight she would share with Jaime Lannister, as husband and wife.
Alysanne wasn't even aware of her moving or her walk down to the Sept, she only realized that she had arrived as the doors creaked open. Her grey eyes lifted and she looked down the crowded room, the Sept was glowing in warm amber light of a hundred candles, even in the midafternoon the grey skies of the North required the candles to be used even during the day. The Sept was packed with guests, to the right was her family, the Starks and to the left were the Lannister's and the Baratheon's and all turned to watch the bride as she entered and made her way down the central aisle. At first Alysanne looked to each side and made eye contact with some but as soon as her stomach clenched her step faltered and she felt her father grip her arm a little tighter. Her head turned and she looked to him and saw him give her a warm smile to comfort it. It seemed to ground her and once she was able her looked forward once again towards the front of the Sept where the septon was waiting… as well as her husband-to-be. He stood in radiant golden armour with red, the Lannister cloak was draped over his forearm.
He was turned to look at her as she came down the aisle, his green eyes looked directly to hers and for the moment that was all she could see. She rolled her lower lip between her teeth and the distance between them grew less and less. Soon she was ascending the few steps. Her body was moving automatically as the brunette turned to face her father. As she looked up to him they exchanged a look of understanding. Benjen sighed as he looked to his daughter, seeing the woman she had become. Now he was to give her away, she would not just be his daughter, she would be a man's wife. The years had gone by all too soon, he determined.
Leaning forward he kissed her forehead before they both turned and he presented her hand to Jaime Lannister. The golden haired knight took a step down and then took Alysanne's hand. This was the transition, she would leave behind her Stark name and become a Lannister. Her hand trembled slightly in his hold but Jaime flexed his hold on her, it was a motion of comfort. It centered her and the corners of her lips curved upwards as she looked to him.
"Your Graces, my Lords and my Ladies…" the septon started to speak and suddenly both Jaime and Alysanne's head turned and look to the holy man and then they ascended the last two steps together to stand side by side. Her hand was raised, entwined with his and she gazed to the man standing at her side out of the corner of her eyes.
"We gather to witness the union of a man and a woman, as they become one heart, one soul, one flesh." The septon continued on. "Now we ask that the bride shed her maiden cloak." He then instructed and Benjen Stark stepped up behind her and slowly removed his daughter's grey cloak, Alysanne glanced to her father one last time as he slowly stepped back taking the cloak with the direwolf sigil etched into it.
"Now you cloak the bride and take her under your protection." Came the next step and Alysanne turned slightly, letting her shoulders face Jaime. There was a ruffling of heavy fabric and a moment later she felt it's weigh drape across her back. The brunette adjusted her shoulders slightly before turning back to the Septon, a warmth grabbed at her hand. Jaime had taken her hand once again and she looked to him, a small nod of her head. As they looked at each other the Septon stepped forward to them and wound a ribbon around their joined hands, a symbol of the joining of their lives.
"In the sight of the Seven, I seal these two souls together, binding them as one for all eternity." He proclaimed as the final knot was made. "-Now look upon each other and say the words." Slowly Jaime and Alysanne turned, facing each other fully. There was a measured beat as their eyes met and they gauged each other for when to begin, as they had to say the words together.
"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone… Stranger." They recited together.
"I am his, and he is mine." Alysanne uttered her next line.
"I am hers, and she is mine." Jaime stated his version of the vow.
The Septon quoted passages from the book of the Mother and the Father to highlight the sacredness of marriage before he took the ribbon from their interlaced hands. In so few gestures and words they were now eternally bound to each other. Alysanne's eyes glanced sideways to Jaime, he was now just a few more small gestures away from officially being her husband. Yet after this they would still have one more ceremony to perform, then by the Old gods and the New they would be man and wife by every law in the Realms. Her eyes briefly drifted up to the Septon and then to the image of the seven pointed star behind him. She had never followed the Faith of the Seven, unlike her cousins, both her parents were Northerner's and had always followed the Old gods. The very Sept of Winterfell was a recent addition to the castle on the order of Eddard Stark for the sake of his wife. Once she left the North to go South with her new husband there would be no Godswoods for her to pray at. Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago the arrival of the Andals to Westeros had cut down the Heart Trees in the South, many stumps remained but the carved faces on the trees were gone.
"In the light of the Seven, I declare this couple as man and wife. One body, one heart, one soul for all their days, cursed be those who would tear them apart." The Septon declared , his voice echoing through the otherwise silent Sept. The holy man then then turned his gaze to Jaime and spoke; "You may seal you union with a kiss on the bride."
Alysanne felt her breath hitch in her throat at those words. Her body responded automatically and turned as she felt Jaime turn next to her. New they were face to face again. She regarded him with a wide expression. They held each other's gaze for a moment before finally Jaime started to lean in closer to her, his taller form bending over hers. The brunette was only able to suck in a quick half breath before his mouth covered hers, delivering her first and very heated kiss.
It took no time at all from the end of the first ceremony before the bride was stolen away to prepare for the second one. Sansa, her aunt and a servant meant to attend her for the day quickly swooped in and stole her from Jaime's arm the moment that she stepped foot outside the Sept. Once in her empty bedroom she was quickly stripped from her ornate gown of red and gold. Her hair was taken down from the elaborate fashion it had been pinned and piled up into. Sansa combed her long brown hair and then she and her mother quickly went to work on re-braiding her hair, it was nothing too complex. They simply put braids that held up half of her hair and rounded it into a circular pattern on the back of her head, the rest of her long locks were left flowing down her back. It was a simple yet pretty Northern style.
They were rushing to prepare her to be put into her mother's dress when suddenly there came a knock at the door. The heads of all the women in the room turned to look at the door, each wondering who it could be. Catelyn gave a sharp nod when the servant girl looked to her with a questioning look, she then answered the door and a moment later she turned back and looked to the Stark women.
"It's Ser Jaime Lannister, my ladies." She said lowly. A stunned silence filled the room, none had expected the groom to show up at her rooms while they were preparing the bride for the second ceremony. "Should I let him in?" she then asked.
Catelyn looked to her niece and Sansa even seemed to look to Alysanne wondering what she would say since it was evident that Jaime was here for the sole purpose of seeing her. Slowly she rose from the chair she was seated in as her hair was being attended too and then nodded in response. As she did she grabbed a shawl to cover herself as she was only in her chemise.
"Let him in." she confirmed with words before the servant girl turned and opened the door once again, setting it wide and letting Jaime stepped into the room.
"We will give you a few moments, but then we must get you ready." Lady Catelyn said before she left the room with Sansa and the other girl. Once the door was closed both Alysanne and Jaime looked to each other as a small stretch of silence passed between them. They were now a married couple yet they had not spoken more than a few words to each other, but Alysanne wondered what had brought him here.
"I hope you do not often entertain men while you are in your dressing gown." Jaime said with a smirk, it might have been an accusation if he had not spoken so lightly. Still Alysanne blushed though and drew the shawl more closely around her body to try and preserve her modesty.
"I do not make a habit of letting any man see me like this, however I figured my husband was allowed to see me." She replied and her lips pulled upwards at the side.
"That is comforting to hear." He said and again a small stretch of silence filled the space between them. Ser Jaime seemed to get slightly flustered as he suddenly raised his hand and ran it through his golden locks and then paced towards the window and then back.
"My lady-" he started.
"Alysanne." The dark haired woman cut him off which caught the knight off guard.
"What?" Jaime then asked.
"I am your wife, you should call me by my name." she said to him and she watched him head slowly nod in response.
"Well then, you ought to call me Jaime then." He said in return before he visibly breathed in and then spoke of what had brought him to her in the first place, "Alysanne… I know you had no choice in this arrangement. What the King says is unfortunately what will be, I am sure you or your father never would have chosen me for your husband… someone that they call oathbreaker, a man without honor..." Jaime then said his green eyes turning away from her to look elsewhere in the room.
"Do you intend to be?" Alysanne then softly asked, yet again catching Jaime by surprise.
"Intend to be what?" the Lannister then asked as he looked to her again.
"The vows we made in the Sept… and the ones we will make in the Godswoods… do you intend to break those?" the dark haired female asked. Her voice was light as she asked the question.
"I have done many things in my life I am not proud of… there are very few things that I can be proud of. But-" Jaime said and then stepped forward and he reached for her hand, taking her left and held it with both of his. He stared down at her hand his eyes focused as his thumb stroked over the back, admiring the soft skin. "-the vows I make to you I will put above all else. I may be an oathbreaker in the eyes of everyone in the Seven Kingdoms, but I will never be such to you."
Alysanne breathed in deeply and her hand squeezed his. "Then that is all that matters to me." She told him. Jaime seemed to look at her incredulously and this caused the bride to blush brightly, of course there had been many stories about Jaime Lannister, tales of the deeds he had done – many of them not favourable. But those stories she knew she could not put much stock into, for what mattered was not the man he was, but the man he is now and the kind of man he would be as her husband.
"Now I believe we have another wedding to see too, my Aunt and cousin I think will break down the door soon to ready me for the next ceremony." She then said and Jaime slowly relinquished his hold on Alysanne's hand.
"I shall not hold off your family any longer then. I suppose I shall have no recourse to make you my wife once again." Jaime said and then bowed his head to her before he turned to the door. As his left hand rested on the door and he glanced back to her.
"Come find me, I'll be waiting under the tree." He said humorously before he left the room and left Alysanne with a smile on her face.
Well now that season six has ended I feel just to need to say how excited I am for the next season, though I hope we get 'Winds of Winter' before the premiere of season seven. If only to know how different Martin is taking the plot lines compared to Benioff and Weiss.
Now for a new fic reccomendation;
The Wolf that Kissed the Rose by KaiserKou ; When the Gods spoke to Robb Stark his whole world changed. Forsake Honour. Winter is coming, and the cold knows no mercy. And as darkness gathered around him and those closest to him turned on him he would have only one light in his life left. AU from Robb's coronation and onwards.
Is one of my favorite stories that focuses on Robb and spares him from the grim fate of the Red Wedding - now in this story our dear King in the North is a little OOC but I think the author has made brilliant and logical changes that enhance the story perfectly. And there is just something that I love about Margaery x Robb pairings that I cannot get enough of.