My dear" he said as he proffered his arm to Cersei.
She gave him a small smile and placed her slim arm atop his and they walked out of the First Keep and made their way to the Godswood.
Darkness had fallen and torches were lit all along to illuminate the way, over Cersei's shoulders was thrown a cloak of deep, rich red and gold, lions embroidered all over its surface. Tywin was wearing a crimson cloak with its collar trimmed with wolf fur in the stark style and beneath it his best red and gold doublet and pants, his feet were encased in good strong boots of black leather, polished to a high sheen.
Behind Cersei trailed several of her new ladies in waiting, all northern girls from minor noble houses, none of whom looked to be particularly thrilled at the prospect of being his daughter's companions he noted. The ladies in waiting that had accompanied her north would be retuning south with him when he departed, it would not do for them to be left in Winterfell, their families had need to them back in the Westerlands, all of them needed to be married for one.
Cersei had a fierce tongue and a temper to match so her new northern companions had better get used to her requirements and desires, after all she was the daughter of a Lord Paramount and soon to be the wife of another.
During the afternoon a light dusting of snow had fallen from heavy grey clouds but now the skies were clear, above them the stars blazed in their uncounted millions, the great arc of what the First Men had called the 'backbone of the sky' arched high above them, its dusty white clouds apparently home of millions more tightly packed stars, or so the Maesters said.
And so they strolled along, their route lined with Stark Smallfolk, Men at Arms and even the odd Red Cloak, until they arrived at the entrance to the Godswood.
Here the paused and Cersei had her ladies in waiting make one final check of her dress and hair before they strode in through the gates and into the Godswood proper.
He could feel the mounting tension off his daughter as they walked deeper into Godswood, the torches that lined their way illuminated the path but little else, the depths of the Godswood were dark and foreboding looking on either side of them.
After a minute or two they emerged into the centre of the Godswood and the party that awaited them.
Ned Stark stood tall and proud before the huge weirwood tree, arrayed behind him were the massed Lords and Ladies of the Northern Houses that swore fealty to House Stark. All were dressed in what passed for finery in the North, often just polished brigandines and most wore cloaks with fur at the collar, though tradition attested that only the Starks could wear wolf fur at the collar.
Lord Stark himself was dressed in his usual ensemble of grey wool trousers, black leather boots and a grey, high collared wool jacket with two wolf heads at the collar. Tywin had made the young Lord a gift yesterday of two new wolf heads, in gold and with rubies for eyes, which the Stark had accepted graciously, which now adorned his jacket collar. Around his waist was his sword belt, with the by now usual sword and dagger, but underneath it a sash in cloth of gold was wrapped around his waist. Over his shoulders was a Stark cloak, the same one he would soon drape over Cersei's to signify her transfer from the protection of her father to the protection of her husband. This was not part of the traditional northern wedding ceremony but Lord Stark had offered it as a 'gift' to their Andal beliefs, and Tywin had accepted it in the same good faith as it had been offered.
Not surprisingly when he caught sight of Cersei a wide grin had split his face, and the wolf Lord had not taken his eyes off her from when he had first glimpsed her as they had emerged into the space in front of the weirwood.
Tywin noticed that Cersie's hair, worn down as opposed to p and elaborately styled, had tiny white flowers woven into it as they stopped the required ten paces from Ned Stark, his brother Benjen strode forwards and said "Who comes before the Old Gods this night?"
"Cersei, of the House Lannister, comes here to be wed" he replied in a clear and confident voice, he felt Cersei shiver a little at that, maybe she was cold, frost would be falling from the clear sky, even in the sheltered conditions of the Godswood.
"A woman grown, true born and noble, she comes to beg the blessing of the Gods! Who comes to claim her?" he announced, thinking of all the effort on his part that had led to this moment.
Lord Stark took two steps forwards to stand beside his brother "Eddard of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Who gives her?"
"Tywin, of House Lannister, her father, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West."
"Lady Cersei, will you take this man?" asked Benjen Stark.
Cersei did not move for a second, another second, before she removed her hand from his arm and took a step, then another forwards. She raised her head up to look Lord Stark in his eyes and with a clear voice said "I take this man!"
Ned Stark never broke eye contact with Cersei while he asked "Lord Stark, will you take this woman?"
"I take this woman" he replied.
Tywin took two steps forwards and gently lifted the heavy Lannister cloak off Cersei's slim shoulders, feeling the girl trembling beneath his hands, and he stepped back two steps.
Lord Stark slowly shrugged his cloak from his shoulders and gently wrapped Cersei in his grey, Stark cloak.
Lord Stark never took his eyes from Cersei's as he held out his hand, Benjen stepping forwards and handing him something.
He took a golden ring and held it up until it caught the light "The circle is a symbol of eternity, having no beginning, no end; it is a symbol of strength, having no edges to break or weaknesses to be exploited. I will place this ring on your finger Cersei Stark as a symbol of my love for you and in the sure and certain knowledge that our love will be like a circle, eternal and strong!"
With this he slipped the ring onto the slim finger that Cersei sported her diamond ring on.
He handed a much larger gold band to Cersei and in a halting voice she repeated the words that the Stark had just said, her voice thickening slightly as she said the Stark's name..
Apparently this was something new that the Stark had insisted upon, despite grumblings among some of the more conservative Northern Lords aboutinterferingwith the ceremony, never mind that bit with the cloaks...
Lord Stark had told him that he wanted to honour Cersei's Lannister heritage by forging something from gold that would symbolise their union, and Tywin had thought it a grand idea, and certain to enamour Cersei. Unfortunately his daughter had been less than pleased, remarking that it was 'bad enough that she had to be wed in a dirty forest glade and not a Sept, it was bad enough that she was being married in a heathen faith, and that her 'husband' adding his own lines to the ceremony in a bastardised version of the sacred ceremony of matrimony was just too much...'
Thankfully Cersei had calmed down, all maidens were a bag of nerves as they approached their wedding day and poor Cersei had been through quite a bit already, the journey north, the attack by the bandits, entering her new home, so far away and different from anything else she knew. It must be so overwhelming for her, so nerves and stroppy behaviour had to be expected he supposed.
Anyway that was that, Cersei was now married to Lord Stark, it was time to get out of the cold and begin the wedding feast.
