Lady of Winterfell

Chapter Three: Day of the Wedding

Trying to ease her nerves as she prepared for her wedding, Sanira could not help but stare at her wedding dress and wrap that hung up for her to see. 

The room had been emptied of her belongs the day before and had been moved into the new living quarters that she would share with Robb after the wedding had taken place. 

However, the empty room did little to help Sanira's nerves and she messed with the hem of her sleeves while Aiana worked on her hair. 

What would happen if she messed up? 

Or her new husband found her too strange to put up with so decided to have their marriage annulled? 

"I heard Lord Robb has asked for the bedding ceremony to be forbidden," Aiana murmured continuing to arrange her lady's hair into the perfect style for her wedding, she had heard the kitchen maids gossiping when she collected Sanira's breakfast. 

It was known that Eddard Stark had also forbade the bedding ceremony at his wedding to Lady Catelyn because it would not do if he broke someone's jaw at his own wedding. 

The entire castle was talking about what would happen that evening and many Lords and Ladies had arrived to watch the wedding of two Northern families. 

It was not every day that the hier to the North wed, Lord and Lady Stark had been married in a rather hurried manner considering Eddard was about to ride off into war and it had been a joint affair with Catelyn's sister marrying Jon Arryn of the Vale. 

"One less thing to worry about," Sanira replied offering a weak smile, she had been too few weddings in her time and she had always watched the beginning of the bedding ceremony with interest until she realised it would happen to her one day. 

The very idea turned her stomach at the thought of drunk lords touching her like that and helping her out of her clothes until her husband would be led into the room. 

Aiana laughed and nodded her head, she patted Sanira on the shoulder before continuing on with her work; everything had to be perfect for the wedding. 

There had been no sign of Arlenna all morning and it was clear that she had no intentions of appearing anytime soon; she had her own maids were running around like headless chickens trying to get her ready for the wedding.

Anyone would think that she was the bride with all the demands that she was making, Arlenna was certainly taking advantage of what was being offered to her. 

Finishing Sanira's hair, Aiana smiled to herself before remembering that Maester Luwin had dropped something of this morning; Sanira had been bathing at the time and she had forgotten. 

Moving to get it, Aiana knew that it had come from Beckton in the Riverlands where Sanira's grandmother now lived, she had been there for a while now and had not returned to Aeredale after the passing of her dearly beloved husband. 

"Your grandmother has sent you a gift... she apologises for not being able to make it," Aiana said moving to hand the small parcel to Sanira, she was sure that Sylvina Tremaine would have been here if she could. 

It was no secret that the former Baratheon woman had no time for Arlenna, she hated the woman that her son had married even if she dotted on her grandchildren. 

Arthur, Sanira and Deston were the future of the house that Lady Sylvina had worked hard to build up from the ground; the House of Tremaine had lost much of its former glory and was on the verge of ending when she had married her husband. 

Slowly opening the parcel, Sanira paused at the sight of the necklace that her grandmother had sent to her; it was the one that Sylvina had worn when she had married Ronard Tremaine.