It is a quiet ceremony, and as you gaze into her dark eyes that are framed by chestnut curls you know that no woman in the Seven Kingdoms has ever looked so beautiful. Hardly a full day’s light has passed since she took you into her bed and comforted you in the way that wives comfort their husbands, and already you have found a Maester to perform the union to bond you to Jeyne as man and woman. You can still taste her lips and the soft flesh that your mouth found between her breasts and between her legs, and for a startling moment it makes you dizzy, sweet and pure and heady and intoxicating as it is – but in the same moment you know that it is so much more than that. It is the way that she looks you in the eye, shy and confident all at once, and the way that she grips your fingers in hers and the way that she is not afraid of your title. She is afraid of many things and yet she faces them head-on, with her chin held high and a fierce expression on her face and somehow she reminds you of all the times that your father has tried to explain the meaning of bravery.
Father.
Your heart still aches for him and you feel a pang in your belly as you realize how much your actions would displease him today, if he were alive. You have given a solemn oath to the Freys in exchange for the use of their precious bridge, and now you intend to undo everything with the utterance of a few simple words. Your vow, to take Jeyne as your wife and to protect her with as much love and bravery and honesty as you have ever given anything, and with it you destroy the alliance that you only made in order to save your father. Even in that, you have failed.
There is a part of you, though, that speaks up in a quiet voice and wonders if maybe your father could be proud of you. It is your honour that has led you to this moment, because you know that Jeyne is far too good to be left at The Crag as a King’s mistress – and Gods forbid that you should risk leaving her with a baby in her belly. Robb Stark’s bastard child, a product of war and dishonour? Never. You love your brother Jon with all of your heart, but you have seen the struggle and pain that has come with growing up as a bastard and you will not inflict that on any child if you can help it.
A child. The thought resonates in a place deep inside and somehow your smile widens as you take Jeyne’s soft, warm hands in your own. You imagine a baby with her curls and your eyes and if it is possible, you find that you love her even more.