Chapter 4
Jon couldn't sleep. He wasn't cold or even uncomfortable, even though he was lying on the cold stone floor on a couple of blankets. He had slept on the ground many times, so this wasn't so bad. The roaring fire in the fireplace kept the bedchamber warm, and he had a nice soft pillow under his head. The only sound he heard was Shirei's calm breathing. Thankfully, she was asleep; the poor girl really needed some rest.
Jon sighed and folded his hands under his head. If someone had told him yesterday that he would be in this situation right now, he wouldn't have believed it. He had a wife. A wife who hadn't even celebrated her 13th nameday yet. And he was on his way to war. What should he do with Shirei? How could he make sure that she was safe?
Leaving her here with that monster father of hers certainly didn't sound like a good option. Should he send her to Winterfell then? He didn't know. All he knew for sure was that her safety and welfare were his responsibility now. Poor girl. He doubted that he was the kind of husband she would have chosen, if the choice had been hers. But then again, she probably hadn't thought about marriage or men in general very much yet.
Jon sighed again and closed his eyes. He needed to get some sleep. Just a couple of hours… His eyes flew open as he suddenly heard heavy footsteps from the corridor. At least three people were approaching the bedchamber. Now Jon understood why there wasn't a lock on the door. Damn it. Jon acted quickly; he got up, placed the blankets and the pillow on the bed, and dived under Shirei's blanket. Thankfully, he had removed his boots and cloak before settling on the floor.
Shirei blinked her eyes sleepily, but unfortunately, Jon had no time to say anything to her before the door opened. Jon wasn't really surprised to see Lord Frey. Shirei was completely awake now; she looked as frightened as a hunted rabbit when she saw Jon beside her and her father entering the chamber with two guards. Jon sat straight up and made sure that the blanket covered Shirei.
"What is the meaning of this?" Jon asked as calmly as he could. "You woke my wife."
"My apologies, young lord," Lord Frey responded mockingly. His eyes were on Shirei, who was shaking under the blanket. Jon tensed when he saw the wicked smile on the old man's face.
"Tell me, is my daughter a woman already?" Lord Frey asked.
Jon clenched his fists under the blanket, struggling to maintain his composure. "That's none of your concern," he replied, his voice cold and steady.
Lord Frey's smile widened. "Oh, but it is, young lord. You see, I need to ensure that the marriage has been consummated. It is a matter of honor and family."
Shirei's fear was palpable, and Jon could feel her trembling beside him. He took a deep breath, trying to think quickly. "Your daughter is resting, as she should be after such a day. I will not have you disturb her."
Lord Frey stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "Disturb her? I'm merely fulfilling my duty as her father. I must know that this marriage is legitimate."
Jon's mind raced. He needed to protect Shirei from any further humiliation. "The proof you seek is on the bed, Lord Frey," he said. "Now, please leave us in peace."
Lord Frey's gaze flicked to the sheet, and for a moment, Jon thought he saw a flicker of doubt.
"I want to see the bed sheet."
"Couldn't that wait until the morning…"
"No." Lord Frey paused and glanced at Shirei, who was clearly terrified. Her legs were shaking as she stood up. Jon followed her example, although he would have liked to stab Lord Frey or at least somehow comfort poor Shirei. He stepped before her, trying his best to shield her from the gaze of the guards.
"Very good," Lord Frey said as he observed the blood on the bed sheet.
Thankfully, Lady Derwa had given Jon the small bottle of blood; Lord Frey might have been suspicious if he had noticed any fresh wounds on Jon. Once again, Jon had to control himself when Lord Frey ordered one of the guards to take the bed sheet.
"Why would you need that, my lord?"
Lord Frey smiled that malevolent smile of his.
"My daughter is a woman now, surely that calls for a celebration."
Jon gritted his teeth, but he didn't argue. Right now, he only wanted Lord Frey to leave. Fortunately, he did, after telling Jon to enjoy the rest of his wedding night. Jon took a deep breath after Lord Frey had closed the door behind him. Shirei was standing next to the bed, keeping her eyes on the floor.
"It's alright," Jon said quietly and gestured for her to lie down. "Please."
She obeyed and tensed when Jon lay down as well.
"It's alright," Jon whispered in case someone was still behind the door. "I need to stay here in case someone comes in, but I'm not going to touch you, I promise."
Shirei was quiet for a moment before looking at Jon.
"My father… If… If he finds out…"
"He won't," Jon assured. "You are my wife now; you don't have to be afraid of him anymore."
Shirei blinked a few times; she seemed nervous.
"Will… Will you take me with you?"
Jon looked at her, feeling the weight of her fear and the gravity of the situation.
"Yes," Jon replied, his voice steady and reassuring. "You will come with me. I won't leave you here with him."
She was quiet for a moment before speaking.
"Thank you. I'll be a good wife; I can sew and wash your clothes and…"
"We have time to talk about that later. Right now, I would like to know something about you."
Her eyes widened.
"About me?"
"Yes. Could you tell me something about yourself?"
She hesitated for a moment before replying.
"I… I like animals."
"Really? Well, I have a direwolf called Ghost."
She gasped.
"You have?"
Jon nodded, a genuine smile breaking across his face at Shirei's sudden interest. "Yes, he's very loyal and quite gentle, despite his size. You'll meet him soon enough. He's been a constant companion to me."
Her eyes lit up with curiosity and a bit of awe. "I've never seen a direwolf before. I've only heard stories."
"Ghost is special," Jon said, his tone warm. "He's not just a pet; he's a friend and a protector."
Shirei's expression softened as she relaxed a little. "I would love to meet him."
"And you will," Jon assured her. "When we leave here, he'll be with us."
She gave him another small smile, the first glimmer of hope he'd seen in her since the wedding.
"Do you have any other interests?" Jon asked, wanting to keep her talking, to make her feel more at ease.
Shirei thought for a moment. "I… I don't know. I like taking walks with my sisters."
Jon nodded. "That sounds nice. I have two sisters as well."
"Do you like taking walks with them?"
"Well… To be honest, I haven't done that very often."
She nodded thoughtfully. "I can take a walk with you as often as you like."
Jon couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Shirei. That's very kind of you." He paused, listening intently for any sounds in the hallway. Thankfully, he couldn't hear anything. "How about we try to get some rest now? We have a long journey ahead of us."
Shirei nodded and settled back down under the blankets. Jon stayed where he was, making sure she was comfortable before lying down beside her, though he kept a respectful distance.
"Goodnight, Shirei," he said softly.
"Goodnight, Jon," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Shirei looked around the small bedchamber she shared with the twins, Serra and Sarra. They weren't here right now; she was by herself. A maid had packed all her belongings into a small chest. She didn't own much; everything fit in that one chest. It was on her bed, ready to be picked up.
Today, she would leave her home for good and start a new life with her husband. Lord Jon had said they would leave right after breakfast. They would travel with an army of strange men. The thought made Shirei nervous and a little scared. She had spent her whole life here, and the only men she had ever spent time with were her brothers.
Not that they had paid much attention to her; to them, she had been the shy and timid runt. She had always preferred the company of her sisters; they weren't intimidating like most of her brothers. Shirei had lost her mother when she had been a small child, and she didn't remember much about her. Her sisters had told her that their mother had died in childbirth, and Shirei had been afraid that the same thing would happen to her.
That was one of the reasons why she was so grateful to her husband. He had said he wasn't going to put a babe in her belly. She still couldn't understand how the babe would come from his man part. That sounded very strange, and she was grateful that he hadn't wanted to put his man part inside her. He had been very kind to her, kinder than any other man.
She especially liked his gentle voice and the way he talked to her. His words weren't mean, harsh, or cruel; they were kind. He was kind. She hoped that she would be able to please him. She needed to be a good wife. But how? According to her father's wife, men only wanted to put their man part inside their wives. Lord Jon didn't want that, so she needed other ways to make him happy. Thankfully, she could sew well, and she was quite good with horses. She could wash his clothes, serve his meals, and take care of his horse.
"Shirei?" Derwa's voice said.
Shirei turned around and saw her sister standing in the doorway.
"Hi."
"Hello," Derwa replied. She was smiling, but her smile was tense. "How are you?"
"I'm fine."
Derwa pressed her lips together and closed the door.
"Are you sure? Did Lord Jon… Did everything go well last night?"
"Yes, he was very kind to me."
"Good… That's good."
Derwa walked over to Shirei and hugged her.
"My poor little sister… I am going to miss you."
Shirei let out a sob.
"I'll miss you too. All of you."
Derwa stroked Shirei's hair and hugged her tightly.
"Lord Jon gave me his word that he will take care of you. I need you to also take care of yourself."
"I promise," Shirei sobbed.
"I need you to be strong. I know you can be, you are a Frey. Our House might not be the most powerful one, but we are strong. Especially us women."
Shirei was still sobbing, but she nodded.
"Sweet little Shirei… You are leaving us too soon."
Shirei buried her face in Derwa's shoulder; she was really starting to understand that she would leave her sisters today.
"I wish you a safe journey, little one," Derwa murmured with a shaky voice. Derwa had always been the strongest one of her sisters; Shirei had never seen her crying. Now she felt Derwa's tears soaking into her hair. They stayed like that until they heard a knock. Derwa pulled away and quickly dried her eyes.
"Yes?"
A maid opened the door.
"Pardon me, my lady, Lord Frey is waiting for Lady Shirei in the dining hall."
"We'll be right there," Derwa replied.
"Yes, my lady."
Shirei dried her eyes; she needed to stop crying.
"You are strong," Derwa said firmly and touched her shoulder. "Come, father and Lord Jon are waiting."
Jon had to struggle to control himself as he sat at the table. He was nothing but repulsed by their host's "thoughtful gesture." The bloody bed sheet had been hung on the wall. According to Lord Frey, he wanted everyone to see that his daughter was a woman now. The man was truly disgusting.
"Ah, there's the little flower!" Lord Frey announced when Shirei entered the dining hall with Lady Derwa. Other members of the Frey household were already at the table. So were Robb, Catelyn, and Theon. Jon was grateful that at least Robb knew the truth.
"Come, girl, come!" Lord Frey demanded. "Sit on your husband's lap. I'm sure he would like that."
"I think she would be more comfortable on a chair," Jon stated tensely. He was more than ready to stab Lord Frey.
"Nonsense." Lord Frey paused and glanced at Shirei. "Be a good wife and sit on your husband's lap."
Shirei kept her eyes on the floor, her cheeks were bright red.
"Now, girl."
Jon was about to reach his limit, but Robb stopped him.
"Let it go," Robb whispered. "We'll leave after this."
Jon was furious when he saw Shirei's distress. She walked over to him with shaky legs and sat on his lap.
"There's a good wife," Lord Frey chuckled. "You should be glad, Lord Jon, she has already been trained quite well."
Jon didn't say anything; he barely managed to control himself. Poor girl certainly didn't deserve any of this. The only good thing was that she wouldn't have to endure anything like this after today. Soon they would be far away from here, and her father would never hurt her again. Jon would make sure of that even if it would be the last thing he would ever do.
