Chapter 1

Jon clenched his fists as he stood before an old septon. The whole situation felt unreal. He was actually about to marry a girl he hadn't even met. It was absurd. He had to keep reminding himself why he was doing this: for Arya, to spare her from marrying one of Walder Frey's sons. That had been one of Lord Frey's demands if Robb and his men wanted to cross the river. Robb needed to marry one of his daughters, and Arya needed to marry one of his sons.

When Catelyn had told them about the price, Jon had immediately known he couldn't let that happen to Arya. She wasn't an object to be used like that. Instead, he had offered to marry one of Lord Frey's daughters. The old lord had surprisingly agreed but with one condition: unlike Robb, Jon wouldn't be allowed to choose which daughter he would wed. Lord Frey would make the choice.

To make matters worse, Jon wasn't even allowed to meet his future wife before the wedding. Not that it mattered; he was doing this for Arya. His eyes met Robb's, who gave him an encouraging nod. Jon knew Robb was grateful for his sacrifice. Even Catelyn had thanked him. Theon, on the other hand, found it all amusing and had been grinning at Jon the entire time.

Finally, Lord Frey entered the hall, arm in arm with Jon's bride. She wore a light peach wedding gown and a veil that hid her face. All Jon could tell was that she looked quite short. He swallowed hard as Lord Frey walked her down the aisle and handed her over to Jon. He tried desperately to catch a glimpse of her face, but the veil concealed her completely.

"You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection," the septon said.

She wasn't going to lift her veil; he was supposed to wed her without even knowing what she looked like. Great. She turned around, helping him remove her cloak and replace it with his own.

"My lords, my ladies," the septon continued, "we stand here in the sight of gods and men to witness the union of man and wife. One flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever."

Jon bit his bottom lip as he took his bride's small, trembling hand in his. He wasn't familiar with this wedding ceremony, but he had memorized what he needed to say and do. The septon tied a ribbon in a knot around their hands.

"Let it be known that Lord Jon, son of Lord Eddard of House Stark, and Lady Shirei of House Frey are one heart, one flesh, one soul. Cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder. In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity."

The septon paused and unraveled the ribbon.

"Look upon each other and say the words."

Jon looked at the girl, but he couldn't see anything. Damn it. He still had to say the words he had memorized.

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger. I am hers and she is mine. From this day, until the end of my days."

The septon didn't say anything, and Jon couldn't remember what he needed to do next.

"Go ahead, young lord, give your wife a kiss," Lord Frey's amused voice said.

Jon swallowed as he remembered the next part. He needed to lift her veil. Somehow he managed to move his hands and took hold of the veil. When he lifted it, he gasped. A child. A young girl who looked absolutely terrified. Her tearful large blue eyes stared at him fearfully. Jon was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

"Lord Jon?" Lord Frey's voice prompted. "I believe she is expecting her kiss."

"She… She is a child," Jon finally managed to say.

"She looks like a woman to me," Lord Frey replied and chuckled. "What do you say, Lord Stark?"

Robb seemed beyond tense; Jon knew what was at stake here. They didn't have any time to waste. Jon looked at the girl and forced a calming smile onto his face.

"With this kiss, I pledge my love," he murmured and touched her cheek with his lips as briefly as he could.

Lord Frey chuckled and clapped his hands. The others in the hall followed his example, though there was nothing worth clapping for. Lord Frey had just forced Jon to wed a frightened child. The whole thing was nothing but a cruel joke. Who could do that to his own daughter?

"It's alright," Jon whispered to the girl. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She didn't say anything; silent tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Jon felt nothing but protective of her, and he swore to himself that he would keep her safe, no matter what it would take.