Finally the day of the wedding ceremony had arrived, and as was traditional it was to be held in the evening once the sun had gone down, so that left everyone with time on their hands before the event. Well it left the nobility with time on their hands, the smallfolk servants of Winterfell were run ragged coping with the influx of guests for the wedding, seeing to their needs and preparing for the great feast afterwards.
Lord Stark, as usual, was among the first to the training yard that morning, even on a day like this the Lord did not stint his martial duties, Tywin noticed that in addition to training with blade and shield Lord Stark also trained in that strange form of combat that he called Bujinkan, an exotically strange name to Lord Tywin's tongue. A few curious guards had joined their Lord in this pursuit since he had started it, they all sported white belts, while Lord Stark sported a black belt, probably a way to distinguish proficiency in this strange art he noted.
The Lord of Last Hearth and his entourage had arrived yesterday and so all were present finally for the wedding, a good thing as Tywin had noticed that Cersei had lost much of the flush that had seemed to afflict her in the later stages of their journey to Winterfell. His daughter had regained her regal bearing and it was now high time that she was wed and bedded and assumed her new role as the Lady of Winterfell.
He had spared no expense for the gown that his daughter would be wed in, he had the best cloth merchants supply the materials to the best gown makers in Kings Landing, the dress had been long in the making and equally long in waiting. Cersei would have married Prince Rhaegar in it, or even Robert Baratheon had things worked out differently, but he could not keep a certain smug satisfaction from showing on his lips. Cersei marrying Lord Eddard Stark in Winterfell was probably the perfect setting for the gown he had commissioned.
Cersei had of course been unaware of his preparations, when the whole business with sorting out who she would wed had finally been resolved her had called for the gown to be brought to the Red Keep. He had show it to Cersei and have her try it on; it probably needed some minor alterations or something, from what he remembered of Joanna, she had always seemed to be altering and changing her clothing.
Cersei had arrived in the company of Ser Barriston Selmy, whom he had dispatched to fetch her, she and Jamie had been avoiding him since he had announced the details of their betrothals to them the day before. She had looked a little puffy faced and red eyed, like she had been crying, a most undignified way for a Lioness of Casterly rock to behave he had noted. He had introduced Cersei to the dressmakers and then had then reveal the gown to her. Quickly Cersei's face had lit up when she had seen the masterpiece that he had commissioned.
"Only the best, most expensive for you my dear, Myrish Silks and Lace, and only the very best of those either. The silk is the purest of pure white, the very best one can find, the lace took fifty women over two years to sew!"
Cersei's eyes rove over the material, her hands running over it in counterpoint to her staring, emerald eyes.
"Its' it's beautiful father" she had stammered, gazing in wonder at the creation.
"Just like you my dear, just like you. There will never have been a bride as beautiful as you on your wedding day and there will never be a bride as beautiful ever again Cersei..." he said to his golden daughter, a small lump in his throat.
"It is traditional for high born ladies to marry in the colours of their House Cersei, this is a break with that tradition, the white symbolises your purity and maidenhood. And that when Ned Stark drops his cloak over your shoulder you will become a Stark."
He moved closer to Cersei to whisper in her ear "All will think that House Lannister will be surrendering up to House Stark the most valuable of gifts, but we both know different, don't we Cersei?"
She started in surprise at this, but before she could say anything he gripped her arm fiercely "remember Cersei, you are a Lannister, you will always be a Lannister, I am surrendering nothing, the Stark thinks that he is getting the best deal out of this. But he is not, his children will be half Lannister, my grandchildren will rule in Winterfell and in Casterly Rock. And the Lannister name will prosper from now until the end of time Cersei. Never forget that you are part of that, that your womb is a tool for House Lannister, not for House Stark..."
He stepped away and released Cersei "You should go and try it on my dear, see what it looks like on..."
With that Cersei left to an antechamber where after a considerable amount of time she emerged, looking physically radiant, if somewhat sullen. His daughter really had to learn to smile more; much more befitting of her beauty than the scowls and sneers she seemed to prefer affecting.
Cersei twirled and spun in the gown of shimmering white, the dress was what was called a 'sheath dress' in that it hugged his daughters slim figure tightly, only widening out a little midway down her thigh, there was a small train that dragged out behind the dress, nothing extravagant though. The gown was really two dresses, an under dress of the finest, smoothest, whitest silk from Yi-Ti and above it a dress of the same cut made from Myrish lace, delicate, airy and embroidered with tiny lions and wolves. Originally the wolves had been dragons, but he had paid an absolute fortune for the lace to be reworked and the dragons replaced with wolves. He had not had the time to alter the dress with stags in the case of the marriage he had tried to broker of the hand of Robert Baratheon. Probably just as well, two alterations might have bankrupted even him...
Hrmm, the dress looked just that little bit too short for Cersei, after all it had originally been commissioned a few years ago.
"Do you think it it's a little short?" he directed the question at the chief seamstress who had worked on the dress.
Before the woman could answer Cersei spun around to face him "No father, its perfect" she announced, a look that booked no argument on her oh so pretty face.
Ah, the Lioness was back, good "The hem is a good inch off the ground my dear, what will people think?"
"Who cares what a bunch of northern savages think father? I like it just how it is!" and for emphasis she had stomped one of her feet onto the stone floor.
Tywin gazed over at the head seamstress with a question on his face, she had just bowed her head slightly and then said "If my Lady wishes the dress to be this length then my Lady will have it that length."
Cersei beamed with a smug pride at this; of course as he was paying truly exorbitant amounts of coin for this dress he could just force the issue. He shrugged his shoulders internally, it was a minor matter, and it made Cersei happy, he would grant his daughter this boon.
Dragging his mind back to the present Tywin saw that the group in the training yard was dispersing, others were arriving to start their days practice at arms. He decided that it was time for him to break his fast and he made his way to the Great Hall, shuddering to think of the state it would be in after last night's feasting. He resolved to sit as far away from the Umber's as possible when he took his meal, they were likely to either liable to be drunk still or even worse grouchy with sore heads all round.