Eddmina didn't realise that she had fallen asleep in Willas' arms until she felt herself waking up and felt his arms wrapped around her, her head resting in the crook of his neck.

At first she was a little embarrassed, considering she was completely naked, until she remembered what had happened the night before and decided there was no point being shy around him. With a small sigh, she shut her eyes again, hoping to go back to sleep as she still felt exhausted from the day before, but the sunlight was streaming through the curtains. Mornings in High Garden were much brighter than in Winterfell and she still wasn't used to it. If she had been alone she would have probably gotten up, but she daren't disturb Willas, not since he still seemed to be asleep.

Part of her couldn't get over the night before, the memories coming back to her as she laid in bed. She knew Willas was a kind person, but he had been so caring and gentle to her. It had hurt a little when he broke her maidenhead, and with his bad leg she had to be on top, but he made sure she was comfortable and was sure she wanted to sleep with him. In the end she had no regrets, not as he stroked her hair and spoke to her softly, whispering her name in her ear and making her feel safer than she ever had done before.

It was surprising how comfortable she felt in his arms, feeling as though she had known him much longer than a few months. She imagined what it would be like to have been married to someone who wasn't so kind, but the thought made her shudder, knowing she had gotten lucky.

"Good morning," she heard a quiet voice call from above, and she craned her neck around to see Willas looking at her with tired eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Morning," she replied with a smile, sitting up slightly and pulling the bedsheet up to cover herself a little. "I'm alright, you?"

"Good," he nodded with a smile, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "Are you in any pain from last night? I'm sorry-"

"I'm fine, I promise," she told him honestly. "When are you going hunting?"

"If it was up to me, never," he groaned slightly, rolling his eyes. "Not that I dislike hunting, I could just think of better things to do with my first day of married life,"

"Well I'd rather go hunting than go for lunch with the ladies," Eddmina muttered bitterly. "It's fine, you go off and ride around the Reach and I'll sit in the gardens and make boring small talk with a bunch of southerners,"

Willas chucked, amused by her distaste for tradition and etiquette. At first he thought her attitude was due to her being from the north and the cultural differences, but he'd come to realise that she just hated attention and spectacle. She seemed to prefer minimalism, and despite growing up in such a grand setting, he couldn't help but admire her quiet disposition. She was so quietly confident, seemingly secure in herself, and it was quite attractive to him.

"We should probably get up," she suggested, but as she moved to get out of bed Willas took hold of her arm, pulling her back gently. With a small laugh, she pushed a quick kiss before pulling out of his grip. "Seriously, people will be waiting for us, and if I'm late to lunch I'll probably be lectured by my mother,"

"I didn't think married women cared for parental discipline," Willas remarked sarcastically, flashing her a smirk as he let her go, watching as she got out of bed, quickly pulling on a robe to cover herself. When he noticed her sigh and raise her eyebrows at his joke, he frowned. "What is it?"

"Well, I've realised you're probably right, but also realised you don't really know my mother at all," she told him with a shrug, sitting down at the dressing table and beginning to braid her hair. "She hates it when I'm not proper, not ladylike, she hates it when I give my opinions or try to be one of the boys, but maybe that's just because it reminds her that I was born before Robb. It reminds her I'm the family disappointment,"

Eddmina knew the disappointment her mother felt when she had been born. Even if her mother had never overtly told her, her actions spoke loud enough. Born as the elder twin, her gender was nothing but a disappointment, because if Ned Stark died in the rebellion and his only child was a girl, how would house Stark go on? Of course, a male was born only minutes later and order was restored, but Eddmina knew the first few moments of her life were surrounded in disappointment.

She didn't like dwelling on it. She had a fine enough relationship with her mother, even if it could be tricky sometimes, and she knew the rest of her family appreciated her. It was only in important situations that her mother's expectations bore down on her overwhelmingly, and her whole life for the last few months had felt like one big important situation.

Too focused on making her hair neat, she hadn't noticed that Willas had gotten out of bed too until she felt his hand on her shoulder. Covered by only a robe like hers, she spotted the brace reattached to his bad leg while he leaned heavily on his cane. She couldn't help but wonder if it ached, like he had mentioned the night before, and she felt a little ashamed that she had barely thought of his leg in the time that she had known him. All the rides, the long walks with his hounds, thinking back they were quite strenuous activities, and if he had ever been in pain he must have hidden it well. She realised then just how strong he was, to live with his injury without complaint and to only really mention it when making jokes about it.

He squeezed her shoulder gently, bringing her back out of her thoughts, and she looked up at him as she finished her braid, offering him a small smile. He seemed to be examining her, trying to figure out just what she was thinking and how she was feeling, though in that moment she was impossible to read. Perhaps one day he'd be able to figure her out a little easier, but that would come with time and trust, and he knew to take it slowly. After all, they had not even been married a day.

Instead he settled for pushing a kiss to the top of her head, hoping she would at least understand that the gesture was one of solidarity and understanding.

"I'd like to say that we'll get through today together, but we're being separated yet again," he said lightly. "But I'll be here at the end of the day, waiting for my anything-but-disappointment wife to return to me,"

***

Arya was waiting for Eddmina in the courtyard, looking a mixture of bored and lost, though the moment she saw her older sister she bounded over to her, jumping to hug her.

"Morning," Eddmina tried to hold back a laugh as she ruffled her sister's hair, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as the two of them began to walk to the Gardens. "Where's Sansa and mother?"

"Oh, Sansa's been complaining that she can't get her hair right so they're both still upstairs, but I wanted to see the hunt leave so I snuck off," she explained. "I don't know why I have to come to this thing, Eddie,"

"Because you're my sister and you love me enough to not leave me alone with the southerners," Eddmina told her with a fake-serious voice, making Arya groan. "It's not that bad, perhaps one day I'll be accompanying you to your wedding celebrations,"

Both sisters looked at each other, and a second had barely passed before both of them broke into hysterical laughter. Eddmina might have been able to negotiate her true wishes with her duty to the family, but Arya would not be so easy. In fact, Eddmina could quite easily imagine her parents never managing to convince Arya into a betrothal, but she liked that. She liked the thought of her wild little sister making her own way in the world, finding her own path and not relying on any man save their family.

The two of them chatted the whole way to the gardens, talking about everything that had happened in Winterfell since Eddmina had left. Nothing overly important, yet to Eddmina every last detail was vital, wanting to know absolutely anything she could about her home. She didn't realise just how homesick she was until Arya was rambling on about the servants and the snow and how she found Theon trying to sneak girls into the castle late one night. The stories made her smile, but it also hurt, wishing that when her family returned home in a weeks time she would be going with them.

Eddmina stuck close to her little sister the whole lunch, having Arya sit next to her on one side while she kept Sansa on her other side. Sitting next to Arya kept her sane, stopping her from feeling so out of place, while keeping Sansa close stopped anything going unheard. She silently worried that Sansa would fall in love with life in the Reach, or that one of the other enthusiastic young ladies would say something unknowingly hurtful about the North. She knew she should just let her sister have her fun, let her make friends, but she at least wanted to know exactly what was happening.

Not that much happened. As well as her sisters and mother, around a dozen other Tyrell women gathered, most of them being cousins or aunts, all of whom seemed equally thrilled and confused over Willas' new wife. Eddmina was nothing like what they were used to or expected, but that was fine, she didn't want people knowing everything about her. Despite not being very hungry she ate to be polite, and answered any questions fielded towards her, though Leonette and Margaery sat across from her made sure to gently steer away any topics they thought she'd not like, acting as her protectors like always.

Sat at the top of the table was Lady Olenna, who seemed just as bored at the polite conversation the ladies engaged in. Eddmina hoped she was better at hiding her boredom than the matriarch, as she often scoffed or let out a dramatic sigh while rolling her eyes any time someone said something she didn't approve of. It amused Arya at least, while Sansa constantly scowled at her younger sister for her quiet laughs.

"I thought bringing Northerners into the family would make these cursed lunches more interesting," she muttered after one of the cousins, perhaps Megga Tyrell, said something dim. Eddmina felt Olenna's gaze burn into her and immediately looked up.

"You've been calling me a wildling this last month, perhaps you'd prefer feasting with them beyond the wall?" Eddmina recalled, raising an eyebrow sarcastically, ignoring the way her mother kicked her foot under the table at her to tell her to be quiet.

"I thought Wildlings were a myth," Elinor Tyrell, another of the cousins, reckoned. Arya snorted, and it was her turn to be kicked by their mother.

"They're real," Eddmina said, polite yet firm. "Our Uncle's fought enough of them, and up north we're all told plenty of stories from beyond the wall. The freefolk don't believe in big wedding parties, but they have customs of their own. There's no betrothals, and certainly no traditional feasts or lunches, the man has to kidnap the woman from her tribe, and she's expected to put up a fight. The woman's got be be seen as strong too, you see, because they're expected to be warriors. There's no time for weaklings or cowardice when fighting skin-eating Thenns or the Others,"

Megga let out a horrified gasp while Elinor appeared close to tears. Arya looked enthralled, clearly having missed Eddmina's horror stories, though Sansa seemed embarrassed and their mother was glaring daggers at her. Apparently discussing matters beyond the wall at lunch was impolite, but that didn't stop Margaery smirking in amusement at her horror-stricken cousins or Leonette holding back a grin. Lady Olenna seemed just as satisfied at Eddmina's contribution to the conversation, letting out a single laugh as she nodded.

"See? Much better topic of conversation compared to the state of the roses," Olenna commented before her attention shifted to someone approaching the table. "Ah, just in time for one of Eddmina's thrilling tales,"

With a small frown, Eddmina looked round Leonette to see the approaching figure, though as soon as she saw it was Amariah, she felt her throat close and her chest tighten. The blonde woman looked flustered yet beautiful, wearing a light pink dress that made her exposed arms look tanned, her hair pulled into one of the complicated southern styles that Eddmina knew Sansa was envious of.

Amariah nodded politely at Lady Olenna until meeting Eddmina's eye, offering her a smile that seemed fake. Before anyone could speak, Leonette stood up, her chair thudding the the floor, and flashing Eddmina an apologetic look, she stormed off, outraged. Eddmina didn't blame her, instantly wanting to go after her, but she couldn't, not as it was a lunch in her honour. Amariah took Leonette's place, making Margaery stiffen slightly, adjusting her posture so she was sat taller than the other woman, her gaze flicking between her new sister and her grandmother.

"Sorry I'm late," Amariah said with another smile before looking to Eddmina. "Congratulations, by the way. Coming from such a desolate place I bet your thrilled for such a fortunate match,"

Eddmina bit her tongue, swallowing down all the insults she could think of, taking hold of Arya's hand underneath the table to tell her sister to stay quiet. Arya was staring at Eddmina, scandalised, even their mother seemed a little offended Amariah's comment and she had tried to seem gracious all afternoon, while Sansa seemed to be in shock that someone would insult their home despite her slight agreement that to move from Winterfell to High Garden was a real success. It felt as though everyone was looking at her, waiting for Eddmina to make her move, so she stared at the woman, not breaking eye contact, part of her wishing that Leonette hadn't left so she could break Amariah's nose again.

"The North isn't desolate, but yes, you're right, it is a fortunate match, Lord Willas is a kind man who I know will be a wonderful husband," she answered coldly, her face stoic and unmoving. "Though of course you'd know that,"

Her family seemed confused at that remark, though Margaery smirked proudly and yet again Olenna looked impressed, but Eddmina didn't care. Amariah flinched at her words, but Eddmina didn't care. All she cared about was getting through the rest of lunch until she could dismiss herself. She wanted more than anything to go to the library, or go riding. She wanted the company of Willas, or Leonette and Garlan. She wanted her brothers. She wanted anything except to sit across from the woman who saw her as a subpar replacement.

The lunch lasted a few more hours, for most of which Eddmina remained silent. She knew the whole time that Amariah was staring at her but she refused to look at her and give her the satisfaction. As soon as the other women started to leave Eddmina was quick to dismiss herself, leaving before even Margaery could offer to accompany her back to the keep. If she was in Winterfell she'd be straight to the armoury to find a bow and some arrows because she so desperately wanted to shoot something, but she had no idea where the archery ranges were in High Garden, so she made do with just imagining she was firing arrows at a target, hoping the thought of it would take her mind off Amariah.

It didn't work, not as she felt someone link their arm through hers and without even looking she realised it was Amariah herself. Eddmina stiffened slightly, clenching her jaw.

"Hello, Emeria," Amariah beamed another of her false smiles. "I was just wondering if we could have a little talk,"

"My name's Eddmina," she spoke flatly, her rough northern voice contrasting with Amariah's bell-like accent. Eddmina scowled as the other woman laughed. "It's a combination of my father's name and my grandmothers. Eddard and Minisa, it was meant to tie together both houses Stark and Tully, but of course you wouldn't care, considering those houses are desolate,"

"If I offended you earlier I do apologise," she said lightly, clearly not meaning it. "How are you finding the south?"

"It's fine," Eddmina answered with a shrug.

"You're very brave to move so far away from home, I thought perhaps we could be friends and I could give you some advice?" Amariah said, and part of Eddmina was reminded of the sad woman she had seen the night before at the wedding feast until the woman's false smile brought her back to what was happening. "I'm sure your resentment of me is due to what the other Tyrells have told you, but I'm not truly a bad person. The Tyrells all seem to think you're a good person, why do you think that is?"

Eddmina shrugged again, mostly because she had no idea. She didn't personally think she was a good person, she was just a person. She tried to do her best, to look after her siblings and do her duty, but she knew she could have her moments where she was the furthest thing from good. Sneaking out of the castle late at night to go riding, fooling around with Theon, breaking into the wine cellars with Robb, disobeying her mother, the list could go on, but of course she wasn't going to tell Amariah any of that. Instead she stayed quiet, and let the other woman continue talking.

"Willas clearly likes you," she said, a little bitterly. "A lot more than he ever liked me. He's a very strange man, cares far more about his dogs and horses than women, I'm surprised he's even looked up from a book long enough to know your name,"

"I wouldn't use that as proof of ignorance, you didn't know my name," Eddmina snapped before she could stop herself, imagining the archery range once more, letting an arrow fly right into the bullseye. "I don't have many friends, but I don't think the sole purpose of friendship is to just insult both me and my husband,"

"I just wanted to warn you," she said, her voice a little weaker. "Willas is a strange man, but he's still a man, and all other men I have known in the context of marriage have been cruel. I have friends who's husbands have beat them, or ignored them while they are off with whores. You're young, naïve and from far away, you don't know how things like this work and I would hate to think such a pretty thing as you would be crushed in these great House games,"

Eddmina wanted to roll her eyes because of how wrong Amariah was about her. She might be younger than her but she wasn't as stupid as she thought she was. Her mind briefly drifted to Theon and all the experience she had outside of marriage, but she quickly pulled her mind away from those events, instead thinking about her other words. She knew she was a pawn in house alliances, and she knew all about men visiting whores. Her relationship with Theon proved that, when he would leave her rooms and go straight to the brothel most nights, and even her father, the most honourable man she knew had a bastard.

What bothered her was the cruelty Amariah had spoken of. It didn't take a genius to tell she was speaking from personal experience, her sadness the night before explained. As spiteful as she was Eddmina didn't like to think she was being mistreated, but at the same time she wasn't blinded by her sympathy. Amariah was manipulating her suffering to scare her, she realised. If she could convince her, the stupid northerner who didn't know how anything worked in the Reach, she could take her place as soon as she ran off home. Eddmina would be scared away, and Amariah could seek sanctuary with the Tyrells, finding the place she had disregarded nearly eight years ago.

"I'm not stupid," Eddmina said, taking her arm out of Amariah's. They were nearly back at the keep, she could go the rest of the way alone if she walked fast enough, lock herself in Willas' chambers until the hunt returned and she would have her brothers and her husbands company. "Thank you for your concern, and I'm sorry for your experiences, but I'm a Stark of Winterfell. You can't frighten me,"

Eddmina made to storm off but she didn't get far. Amariah grabbed hold of her arm, and she had a much stronger grip than she appeared. Eddmina spun around to face her properly, only to be met with a pair of sad eyes, making guilt and worry run through her.

"Trust me," Amariah insisted, her tone seeming more desperate than manipulative. "You might think Willas is a good man, as strange as he is, but he's a man all the same. If you don't want a hard life, give him what he wants. Let him have you, and give him sons, strong boys that will grow to be better knights than him that he can teach to be honourable lords, and in return he may grow to like you, even if just a little,"

***

Eddmina spent the rest of the day alone in the kennels. With Willas' pack of wilful wolfhounds, she found herself able to think, her mind running through the possibilities Amariah had spoke of.

It had been her fear ever since learning of the betrothal that Willas wasn't who he truly was. Was it possible she hadn't avoided the horrors of arranged marriage and she had really married someone who would be cruel to her? Amariah seemed determined to make her feel that way. Surely he wasn't cruel though, the Willas who had stolen her away from the party before anyone could insist on a bedding ceremony wasn't cruel. The Willas who had promised to never hurt her and had been so gentle when breaking her maidenhead only to kiss her gently as they woke up that morning was the furthest thing from the villain Amariah spoke of.

Amariah would have much to gain if she scared Eddmina away, but her words had done something to her, reminding her of all the fears of marriage she'd tried to put away. Willas was kind for now, but would he be kind if they didn't have children, or if they had girls? With her own personal problems, Amariah's advice of giving him sons had mixed into a toxic mindset that she wished to get as far away from as possible. Even walking the hounds through the woodlands and watching them chase each other couldn't distract her from that.

As soon as she had the hounds safely back in their kennels she headed back to Willas' rooms - or, her rooms now too, though that thought was still new. She wanted to sleep, or to at least lay down before seeing her husband to get her thoughts straight, though that became impossible as soon as she saw him already in their rooms.

'Gods, he's handsome,' she thought before she could stop herself.

He was sat on their bed, his boots and leg brace discarded by the bedside cabinet, both legs stretched out in front of him, one arm rested behind his head while the other held up a large book. His curls were unruly from a day on horseback, and he was dressed in just his trousers and an undershirt, though even that wasn't tied all the way, leaving his tanned chest exposed. As soon as the door shut behind her, Willas looked up and smiled, reaching for his cane to get up and greet her properly.

"No, it's fine," she dismissed his chivalry quickly, crossing the room and sitting down on her side of the bed. He relaxed, leaning over and taking her hand, squeezing it as he brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "How was the hunt?"

"As dull as I expected it to be," he shrugged with a smile. "I didn't kill anything, though Loras caught a rabbit, heavens forbid I forget to tell you of his glories. No, I spent most of the time talking to your brothers. They are just as wonderful as you made them out to be. How was the lunch?"

"Fine," she said, hoping to get away from that topic before he could ask anymore questions and it became inevitable to tell him all about her worries. "I'd like to go hunting one day, will you take me?"

"Of course," he said, but he was frowning, noticing her reluctance to talk about the lunch. "Surely an afternoon with the ladies couldn't have been so bad that you won't even talk about it?"

"It wasn't bad, I didn't annoy my mother or my sister too much, your grandmother had me tell stories of wildlings to scare your cousins, it was fine," she told him, but the worry was eating away at her and he was looking at her as if expecting her to carry on, knowing there was more to say. "Willas, I know you're a good man. I know you won't hurt me,"

"Never," he shook his head, sitting up and adjusting his position so he could look at her properly, his spare hand moving to hold her face, his thumb stroking over her cheek. "What did my grandmother say to you?"

"Not Lady Olenna," she shook her head, feeling the worry twist inside of her until it became unbearable and she couldn't stop herself from breaking down into tears.

She hated crying, but the way Willas pulled her close made the ordeal a little more bearable. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, her hands hugging him tightly while he stroked her hair, kissing her forehead gently and whispering reassurances to her softly. This man could never be cruel to her, she knew. It had all been lies, there was nothing cruel about Willas at all. He was a good, kind man. He had been kind to her right from the first moment they met, and she felt safer with him than with anyone else, perhaps even her family.

"I'm sorry," she apologised the moment she calmed down a little, wiping her tears away quickly as if to pretend she had never cried at all, though Willas was still watching her with concern. "Please don't think I'm stupid or foolish or-"

"I'd never think that," he promised, still holding her close, his voice so sincere. "I don't think you're stupid, I just think you're a very smart girl who's had to be strong for a long time, and even the strongest have moments. Expressing your emotions is normal, please don't be afraid of them,"

"Willas, you're so good," she breathed out as if in amazement, feeling foolish regardless of his words because of how smitten she was by him.

"Tell me what happened, and tell me everything," he said quietly, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance.

And so she told him everything. She told him the whole story of lunch, how Amariah's arrival changed the whole dynamic, how she insulted her home in front of everyone.

"Even Sansa couldn't pretend not to be upset, and she'd happily go along with anything a southerner says if it means fitting in and being liked!" Eddmina exclaimed.

She told him about how awkward the rest of the meal was, and how the moment she tried to escape Amariah got her alone. When it came to telling him about her harsh words on marriage, she had recovered from her tears completely, becoming her usual, stoic self, though she was still in Willas' tight embrace, his arms tightening around her s if protectively.

"How dare she," he muttered in outrage the moment Eddmina had finished speaking. "My Grandmother invited her, and the moment everyone has left I'll be cornering her to find out why. I'm sorry she tried to manipulate you like that,"

"I don't care that she thought she could scare me," Eddmina said firmly, her pride stopping her from fully accepting Willas' sympathies. "I just hate that she managed to hit the nerve that bothers me the most perfectly. She doesn't know me at all, but she still managed to hit upon my worries for children,"

Willas frowned. They'd barely been married for a day and yet Eddmina was already worried about children? He didn't see that happening for a long time in his mind, he certainly wasn't ready to become a father even if he was considered old enough. Eddmina pulled out of his embrace as she sat up straight, and it was only then that he could see just how much she was bothered by the whole thing.

"I don't want to start a family for a long time, Mina," he told her honestly, stroking her arm in a way he hoped was reassuring. "And when that time does come, I truly don't care who our children are. Boy, girl, I just want them to be clever and strong and know they're loved,"

"Good," she nodded, trying to hide how relieved she was. "It's stupid, but I've always worried that someone would make my future children feel like they're as much of a disapointment as I was,"

"How could you ever be a disapointment?" he asked, sounding scandalised as he remembered all the previous times she'd given herself that label.

"I've been called it plenty of times before," she shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Not by my father, or my siblings, though Sansa might have whispered it once or twice when I skipped lessons with the Septa, but my mother and the Septa and even my Aunt has called it me plenty. I can't dance, I play boyish instruments and sing all the wrong songs, I spend more time shooting arrows than sewing favours, I spend most of my days with my father's bastard and the son of a rebel traitor, I hide in the library away from all my problems, I hate not speaking my mind, and most importantly, I was born the elder twin.

"I met my Aunt Lysa only once, at some nameday gathering for my grandfather at Riverrun, I think I was eight. She's not had it easy and tragedy turned her bitter. It was the first time she had left King's Landing and it was just after she lost another child. The men were out riding, obviously I was banned from joining them, and I ended up alone with her. I'm not quite sure why. One moment the septa was telling me off for something and the next I was all alone with my aunt, and she told me bluntly just how better off the whole family would be if I had been born the younger twin, or rather not at all. Lysa treated me to the whole story of just why. Obviously being born in the middle of the rebellion, my mother didn't know she was having twins, all she knew was that the baby she was having may end up being the sole hope for hope Stark if it was a boy, but I was a girl. It broke her heart, she cried and cursed herself, and then when all hope was lost Robb came along, and suddenly I didn't matter. Not in a bad way, it's just that now there was a proper heir, and my mother forgot all about her hopelessness.

"The only reminder for that despair was me, and I wasn't treated to the same love that Robb recieved. I know my mother loves me, I'm her first child after all, but being born first threw her into a panic that she couldn't forget or move away from, because I'm a constant reminder. Aunt Lysa couldn't forget either. She remembered me bitterly as the disappointing girl, and suggested to me when telling that story that my mother resented me as much as she resented Jon. It did seem to explain things, since Sansa was only a few years younger than me and she certainly didn't get as many lectures as I did. Sansa was perfect, she was like Robb, all Tully in appearance, not like Jon and I, and Sansa was well-behaved and polite. She was the furthest thing from a disappointment.

"When I asked my mother about it once we were home she didn't deny any of it. Instead she made it worse. She told me all about how I was the oldest and had to be a perfect example. She told me of my future, how one day I would be married to a high lord and would have his sons. She only said sons, so when I asked what of daughters, she said with a laugh 'gods forbid you have daughters, they may end up just like you.'"

"What would be wrong with ending up like you?" Willas interrupted in outrage, until he remembered her previous list. It was almost funny, those were all the reasons he was falling slowly in love with her, yet those were the parts of her she wasn't expected to portray. "No wonder you have difficulties with your mother,"

"It wasn't her fault, I was a spirited child," she shrugged as if to hide how much she cared. "I was worse than Arya, and gods knows my sister can't behave even if she tries. I love my mother, and I know all she meant was that I wasn't the perfectly prim girl Sansa always was, but sometimes I just can't forget everything Lysa told me, and all the disapproving looks my mother gives me any time I act less than perfect. I love her, but it feels impossible to live up to her standards sometimes. Amariah just reminded me of it all, and she made me feel as if disapproval for who I am is inescapable,"

"No," Willas told her, shaking his head. "I want you to be happy, bollocks to any sort of societal norm that means you would feel less than your worth. I always said that when I finally married it would be for love and not duty, and even if this was for our families, I will try to never make you feel as though this is a thing of convenience. You're my wife, not some dutiful servant girl, I'm meant to make you feel happy and loved, not make you feel unnerved in your own home or scared of disappointing me,"

He embraced her again, though rather than hiding away by burying he face into his neck, she kept her gaze fixed on him. She hoped that he didn't notice that she was looking at him with grateful admiration, but the moment she pulled away slightly to push her lips to his, she knew her kiss had conveyed any emotions she was scared to show him.

"You're a Stark, you'll always be a Stark of the North, but when I wrapped you in my cloak yesterday I brought you into my family and under my protection," he said once their lips were parted. "You're my wife and I will spend the rest of my life making sure no one ever makes you feel less than your worth. I promise,"

She nodded, unsure what to say, not able to find the right words to convey her gratitude or her overwhelming affection. He was a good man, damn anyone who thought otherwise. He was a good man and he cared about her, it was impossible to even consider anything but him being good, and kind, and safe. He made her feel so safe, so secure, and most importantly he made her feel appreciated. They'd not known each other long enough for love, but he seemed to understand her well enough to make her feel as though she was worth his love.

Nothing else mattered but him, just like the night before. Without another thought she was kissing him again, properly kissing him, sat upon his lap with her weight shifted away from his bad leg. His hands in her hair, he worked her tight braid loose until her curls were out and he could run his fingers through them.

"Beautiful... So, so beautiful," he breathed out as she guided his hands from her hair to the ties of her dress, trusting him more than anyone else in the whole world.

***

Word count: 6155

***