Honeyholt

131 AC

Winter was a dreary season for House Beesbury. Their gardens, which during the warmer seasons, would be awash with the colors and fragrance of flowers and buzzed with the sound of bees as they collected nectar, became a graveyard of brown grass, shriveled weeds, and barren trees. Other then the occasional bone-chilling wind, the gardens were silent like a tomb. The bees had sequestered themselves in their hives to stay warm and hibernate for the winter, meaning no more honey for their human keepers. Just like their bees, Honeyholt's residents were cooped up inside their castle.

The hallways were frigid, and the servants wore thick wool cloaks and stuffed their shoes with straw to keep warm as they went about doing their daily tasks. The hearths in every major room were lit and dutifully tended to in order to ensure warmth and comfort. Nobody went outside unless they had to, such as to collect water from the well or taking care of the horses, castle livestock or poultry. The unfortunate castle guards who had to patrol Honeyholt's battlements wore gloves and scarves to try and stave off the cold. Everyone's thoughts were on staying warm and the return of spring.

In one bedchamber in the castle, the windows were covered with tapestries depicting the deeds of the legendary Garth Greenhand, candles were lit, and a big fire burned brightly in the fireplace. Two women and eight girls were all crammed into the small space. Winter was the furthest thing from these ladies minds. In place of ice and snow was music; a small concert was being held there. And the sole musician who was performing was Lady Nell Beesbury.

How to play a musical instrument is among the many lessons that are taught to noblewomen during girlhood. Nell was a talented harpist, and she was playing her treasured harp for her female relatives. Her music was for the benefit of Lady Ellyn Roxton, the wife of Nell's uncle, Ser Damion Beesbury. Lady Ellyn had just entered the final month of her pregnancy, and her baby had been kicking quite a lot lately. The concert had been arranged to try and soothe Nell's unborn cousin and to give his or her mother some respite.

Besides her skill with stringed instruments, Nell also had a pleasant singing voice. She sang four songs: "The Roadside Rose, The Seasons of My Love, My Featherbed, and The Maids that Bloom in Spring." As Nell was halfway through her fourth song, a knock on the door interrupted her singing. This interruption greatly annoyed the women.

"Enter." Commanded Nell's mother, Lady Jeyne Cuy, in a slightly frosty tone. A serving girl nervously entered the bedchamber. With all eyes on her, the servant quickly shared her message.

"A thousand pardons miladies," She began, "but Lord Beesbury and his brothers would like to see Lady Nell in the study. They have something important that they would like to share with her."

The women all exchanged glances with each other as a tide of excited murmuring rose up. Nell felt her mother's hand squeezing her arm.

"Maybe your father has found a husband for you Nell!" Jeyne whispered excitedly.

"You could be marrying Alan!" said Nell's younger sister Allison. Alan, full name being Alan Tarly, was the oldest son of Donald Tarly and Jeyne Rowan, the Lord and Lady of Horn Hill. Alan had been fostered by House Beesbury since he was seven, and the Beesbury's treated him as if he were one of their own. Although Nell's father, also named Alan, his full name being Ser Alan Beesbury, had been contemplating on several potential suitors for his eldest daughter and child, everyone else in Honeyholt strongly believed that Nell would be betrothed to her foster brother.

It would be a powerful match since Alan was not only the heir to Horn Hill, he was also the younger brother of the Voice of Oldtown's second wife, Lady Samantha Tarly. Having ties to three of the Reach's most powerful noble houses would have benefitted House Beesbury immensely. Thanks to having both a great-grandfather serving on the queen's small council as Master of Coin and an uncle, Ser Roger Beesbury, serving in the Queensguard, there were other powerful noble families that Nell could be married into besides House Tarly of Horn Hill. Families like Houses Darklyn, Massey, Stokeworth, and even Velaryon were now in consideration. Regardless of which nobleman her father chose, Nell's future was going to be a bright one.

The concert now over, Nell handed her harp to the servant, and ordered for her to return it to her room. Nell's younger sisters and cousins all filed out to start other activities while their mothers remained behind to socialize. Lady Nell traveled alone to her father's study. The hallways were unbearably chilly, and Nell could not wait to sit next to the fireplace during her meeting with her father and uncle. Her brisk pace, however, allowed the young woman to reach the study in a relatively short amount of time.

Just as the servant had said, her father and Uncle Damion were in the study waiting for her. And just as Nell had hoped, there was a large fire burning in the fireplace, giving the room a comfortably warm temperature. She sat down in the chair next to her uncle and the conversation began.

"Nell," her father began from his seat behind the desk, "do you have any thoughts as to why I have summoned you?"

"Marriage?" She answered. Her father smiled as he nodded.

"You are correct, Nell. This is about a marriage. Do you have an inkling as to who I have chosen for you?"

Nell's heart raced excitedly.

"Alan?" She said with a grin. Lord Beesbury shook his head, confusing his daughter. "One of Alan's cousins from House Rowan?" Alan shook his head again.

Nell hesitated with her next answer. "Lord Rowan himself…?" Ser Damion chuckled at his niece's response. Alan was surprised by his daughter's answer.

"Lord Thaddeus Rowan? That old man? Heaven's no, Nell!" Alan said incredulously in a comforting tone. "He is a kindhearted man from what I have heard, but the man I have chosen for you is nowhere near as old as the Lord of Goldengrove.

In fact, your husband to be is actually three years younger than you."

Alan then leaned forward, his excitement growing. "Your husband is going to be Prince Joffrey Velaryon, Queen Rhaenyra's third born son!"

Nell's eyes widened and she gaped at her father when she heard her fiancé's name. She placed her hand over her heart. "A prince?" She said disbelievingly, "I am going to marry a prince?"

"Yes, you are marrying a prince, my dear." Damion said as he patted his niece's shoulder. Alan picked up a scroll from his desk.

"A raven just flew here half an hour ago bearing this letter. Look at the wax seal."

Alan handed the scroll to Nell. Looking at the seal closely, Nell could see the shape of the Targaryen dragon on the broken wax when it was it put together for her viewing. She blinked at it twice as if still unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Read it, Nell." commanded Alan, and Nell did as told.

"Alan,

A great opportunity has become available for our house. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen the First of Her Name has offered a match between her thirteen year old son, Prince Joffrey Velaryon, to one of our female kin. I have suggested Nell to be Joffrey's bride, and the queen has agreed to it! As soon as you are finished reading this letter, send a raven to the Red Keep with a letter stating that you accept the match. The Seven are smiling down upon us, Alan!

Rejoice in our good fortune!

Sincerely your grandfather,

Lyman."

As Nell read the letter aloud, her upcoming betrothal to Joff slowly began to sink in. This was truly an opportunity of a lifetime! Nell looked up from the letter towards her father.

"Did you send a raven, father?" She asked, to which Alan nodded.

"Yes, I did shortly after having the servant send for you. I believe that was the fastest I have ever written a letter in my life!"

"Now we will have three Beesbury's living at the royal court." Damion added. "I do not think our family as been this close to the Targaryen's since "Stinger" Beesbury's time."

Alan glared at his brother. "Our father's cousin is not exactly a good example, Damion…"

Stinger Beesbury, his real name being Ser Braxton Beesbury, was Nell's first cousin twice removed. He was one of the court favorites of Princess Saera Targaryen, the fifth born daughter of King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Braxton, Saera, and their cohorts frequently engaged in licentious behavior together in King's Landing and sometimes right under the king and queen's very noses. Other than being Saera's favorite, Braxton was also one of her lovers. After the princess's scandals came to light, Ser Beesbury was slain by the enraged Old King during a trial by combat.

The septon and septas at Honeyholt would often use Braxton's affair with the princess as a warning against giving into temptation. In hindsight, Nell realized that her religious tutors usually focused more on Saera's flaws rather than Braxton's even though he was a more than willing accomplice in the princess's salacious actions. The man had even boasted of fathering two bastards by the time he was nineteen! Unlike her fiancé's great-grandaunt, Nell had not heard anything bad about Joffrey. As far as Nell knew, Joff was not known for being flirtatious, did not have a temper, or was boastful.

What she did know was that the prince had fought ably during the Burning of the Narrow Sea on the back of his dragon, Tyraxes, and that was good enough for her. At the meeting's conclusion, Alan had both his brother and daughter swear to keep the engagement a secret until he received final confirmation from the queen about marrying Nell to Prince Joffrey. A raven arrived a few days later bearing the confirmation, and that night, the Lord of Honeyholt announced the betrothal. The news greatly excited the family, and Nell was congratulated several times over by her relatives. Lord Alan Tarly was happy for his foster sister, but Nell thought she could sense a faint aura of disappointment coming from him.

The wedding was set to be held three months later, and House Beesbury wasted no time in preparing for the nuptials. Lady Jeyne Cuy summoned seamstresses to create Nell's wedding gown, while Alan arranged the dowry. Because of the distance between Honeyholt and King's Landing, ravens came and went quite frequently bearing letters regarding any incidents of bad winter weather. When the Beesbury's were set to leave for King's Landing, a letter arrived from the capital bearing bad news. A massive blizzard had struck part of the Riverlands and most of the Crownlands and Stormlands, covering the area in layers upon layers of snow, blocking the major routes that led to King's Landing. Before the family could despair however, the Targaryen's offered a solution to their dilemma.

There would be two weddings. One would be held at Honeyholt, and the other at the Red Keep. Prince Joffrey Velaryon would travel to the Reach on dragonback to marry his bride at her family seat, then the newlyweds would travel to King's Landing to be married at the Red Keep. Joff would be accompanied by his stepfather, older brother, Lucerys, and his wife Rhaena. The queen could not attend the first wedding since she was busy trying to oversee the clearing of the Kingsroad after the heavy snowfall, but she would definitely attend the second wedding at the Red Keep.

The idea of members of the royal family visiting Honeyholt with their dragons greatly excited Nell's siblings and cousins. Her brothers Philip, Aubert, and Thore had all offered to patrol the battlements to keep a lookout for the dragons. When the dragons were spotted a few days later, everyone was gathered outside in the snow dusted courtyard to greet the groom and his family. It was quite a sight seeing the dragons land outside of Honeyholt's walls. Steam wafted off from the dragons bodies due to the cold weather, but the great beasts seemed to be undeterred by it.

King Daemon Targaryen dismounted his dragon first, and Joffrey second. Lucerys got off his dragon next, and he assisted Rhaena off of Arrax. In his wife's hands was her young, growing dragon, Morning. The Targaryen/Velaryon host all wore thick black great-cloaks to stave off the cold, and Nell got a good look at her fiancé when he removed his hood. Her first impression of Prince Joffrey Velaryon was that he looked cute.

Joff reminded her of her younger brothers. He was a foot shorter than her, had a somewhat stocky build, and close cropped brown hair. Underneath his great-cloak, Joff was wearing a black and white outfit: black doublet, gloves, trousers, and boots; white sleeves peaked out of the doublet. Nell could tell that Joff was shy even though he tried to not to appear that way. She could not help but smile at this; Joff was just a regular pubescent boy.

The prince himself got a good look of his fiancée. His first impression of Lady Nell Beesbury was that she was tall. She was wearing a cloak that was draped over a green and white dress, had amber eyes and brown hair with a widow's peak. Nell's hair was tied in a braid that was behind her back, and she appeared to be overweight, but her cloak obscured the rest of her figure. Joffrey thought that Lady Beesbury had kind eyes.

The Beesbury's bowed when the royals approached. Alan then warmly greeted his guests, and invited them to partake in a pre-wedding feast to warm up. Nell and Joffrey were seated next to each other in the great hall. Their first interaction was awkward at first. Having just met, they did not have anything to talk about.

Noticing how quiet his little brother was being around his fiancée, Luke leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"Tell her about Tyraxes. Talking about dragons is always a great way to start a conversation."

Joffrey nodded softly at his brother's advice. He wanted to talk, he really did, the words were building up in the back of his throat but something kept them back. In the same vein as Luke's encouragement, Nell's mother leaned in towards her daughter and whispered into her ear. Jeyne pretty much repeated what Lucerys had said word for word.

"Ask him about his dragon. That is always an interesting topic!" Driven by her mother's advice, Nell took the initiative.

"My lord…" she began softly. However, Joffrey did not hear it since he was too focused on eating his honeyed chicken. Taking a deep breath, Nell repeated what she said except a little louder. Hearing Nell talk startled Joff, and he turned to face her with a piece of chicken hanging out of his mouth like a dog's tongue. The sight caused the woman to chuckle.

Realizing what his betrothed had found to be so funny, Joff turned beet red, and he quickly pulled the meat from his mouth. He smiled bashfully.

"Many apologies, my lady! I did not mean to look so slobby!"

"It is quite alright, my lord." Nell said. "I should have tried to speak with you when you were not eating. Do you like it? Can you taste the honey?

It comes from our own hives."

"Yes, it is quite delicious, my lady." Joff replied. "How is yours?"

"Good." She said. Moving on from talking about dinner, Nell brought up the topic of dragons. "Tell me about your dragon, my lord."

Joffrey lightened up when Nell asked about Tyraxes. He regaled his future wife and in-laws about Tyraxes, telling them what it was like to fly, how much Tyraxes ate, and what color his flames were. The mention of dragonflame greatly intrigued Nell's youngest brother, Thore.

"You fought in the Burning of the Narrow Sea, right?" He asked. "What was that like?"

Every Beesbury within earshot looked at Joffrey in anticipation of hearing about his exploits in battle. They were in awe of Joff's descriptions of flying high in the night sky by moonlight, diving down onto the enemy fleet without fear, and unleashing torrents of dragonfire onto the ships. However, Joff did not exaggerate his exploits nor try and take too much credit for himself.

"I mostly stayed close to my brother, Luke, during the battle. I tried not to fly straight into the thick of it. Caraxes and Meleys dealt the heaviest blows to Lord Jasper's armada, not me."

"You fought in a battle to protect your mother's crown, my lord." Nell said, and she gently touched Joff's hand. He flinched slightly under her touch. "Whatever you did contributed to your family's victory on the Narrow Sea. You have a right to be proud."

Joff blushed when he heard his betrothed's words. Thinking that she had embarrassed him in some way, Nell quickly withdrew her hand. Joff did not intend for Nell to feel bad about what she did, and he felt sorry about it. He also liked how her hand felt on his, her skin was soft and warm. Thankfully he would get to feel Nell's hand again tomorrow for their first wedding ceremony.

The wedding was a lovely affair. All the pews in Honeyholt's chapel were filled with the families of both the bride and groom. Prince Joffrey Velaryon waited for his bride at the altar. He was wearing a black wool tunic with crimson accents, black boots, and wore a sword in a jeweled scabbard on a leather belt. Ser Alan Beesbury arrived at the time the wedding was to start with his daughter, the bride, in tow.

Nell wore a lovely white samite gown with an elaborate thread of gold brocade that depicted bees and flowers. A simple, thin circlet of solid gold that was adorned with a single pearl rested on Nell's head. Her white outfit clashed with her wedding cape, which depicted House Beesbury's heraldry: three yellow beehives on a yellow and black field. Although nervous, Nell held her head up high, and walked unflinchingly and gracefully towards the altar with her father. Both Lady Cuy and her second daughter, Allison, wept when they saw Nell; both them and everyone else thought that Nell looked so beautiful.

Having been so nervous about marrying Lady Beesbury, Joffrey felt his fears melt away when he saw her. Stopping before the altar, Nell stood perfectly still as her father removed her wedding cape. Nell felt cold and strangely enough, vulnerable, without the cape, a feeling that soon dissipated when Joffrey draped the wedding cape bearing his personal coat of arms around her shoulders: three Velaryon Seahorses (for Joff and older his brothers) and the Targaryen Dragon. As discreetly as she could, Nell stooped down so that Joffrey could pin the cape to her shoulders. Appreciating his thoughtful wife's gesture, the prince whispered "thank you" to her when he was done.

The two held hands as the septon recited the wedding prayers and had the couple exchange vows. The kiss at the end was an awkward peck on the lips. When the septon declared that Prince Joffrey Velaryon and Lady Nell Beesbury were "one flesh, one soul, now and forever", the couple gently squeezed each other's hands. The newlywed's slowly began building their relationship further by bonding during the wedding feast, and rather than consummate their marriage that night, they were both too nervous to do so, Nell entertained her husband by playing her harp and singing to him. Slowly but surely, Joff and Nell grew more and more fond of each other.

Shortly after the wedding, Nell departed for King's Landing with her husband and his family. It was both an exciting and heartbreaking day for Nell. Exciting because she was leaving to live at the royal court, and heartbreaking because Nell was leaving her home, where she was born and raised. Saying farewell to her family was a difficult thing to do, and it was a bittersweet affair. Before being helped onto Tyraxes's back, Nell took a long look at Honeyholt.

Her lips quivered, and a hard, hot lump formed in her throat. So that her family and household would not see her tears, Nell quickly climbed up onto Tyraxes's back.

"Are you ready, Nell?" Joffrey asked gently.

With her eyes still on her family, a lachrymose Nell nodded and uttered the word 'yes'. As Tyraxes began to take flight, Nell waved to her family as the dragon began to rise up into the air. Nell pulled her scarf up to her face to protect against the terrible cold that existed in higher altitudes, as well as to soak up the tears that were streaming down from her eyes. Lady Beesbury did not take her eyes off of Honeyholt even when it became the size of the ant high above in the sky, until it faded from view during the flight. With Nell pressed so close against his back during the flight, Joff could hear her sniffling every now and then.

He felt bad for her. If he weren't flying a dragon at that moment, he would hug her. But all he could do was console her with his words.

"Do not fret, my lady- I mean Nell." He said. "You will like living in the capital. My mother and grandparents are looking forward to meeting you, as are my brothers, sister, and cousins. We will even meet the two girls who are betrothed to Aegon and Viserys.

Mother had sent a raven earlier when we were resting at Horn Hill on our way to Honeyholt saying that the girls had arrived at the Red Keep. You can share your music with them, I am sure that they will all appreciate that. I know my good-sisters Baela and Rhaena would really appreciate your harp. From what I have heard, my little nephew and niece keep everyone up at night with their crying!"

Nell could not help but smile beneath her scarf. Now it was her turn to be comforted by her spouse.

"I believe I shall do that, Joffrey. Thank you…" she said in a soft and grateful tone. Together the newlywed's followed Caraxes and Arrax through the dark grey winter sky on their way to King's Landing, and the good married life that awaited them there.

Rewrite Notes: Here are the changes for this chapter.

1. Nell was a lutist rather than a harpist in the original chapter.

2. Instead of giving her sister and cousin a music lesson, Nell instead gives a musical performance for one of her aunts.

3. Robert Beesbury, Nell's grandfather, is deceased in the rewrite. The names of her father and uncles have been changed too. Alyn is from FaB while Damion and Roger are OCs.

4. House Rowan and Tarly characters from FaB.

5. The Beesbury's do not travel to King's Landing for the royal wedding, and thus do not encounter Ser Criston Cole.