Only A Northern Song ~ Game of Thrones / Willas Tyrell ~

Chapter Twenty: The Rose and the Wolf

On the morning of the wedding Eddmina was woken by a group of handmaids coming into her room to prepare her for the day ahead, bringing a bath in with them for her. She felt numb as she got out of bed as if she was not in her own body, allowing the handmaids to strip her from her nightgown and help her into the tub. As they washed her with rich soaps and oils, she couldn't quite figure out how she felt, but she soon realised she wasn't really nervous at all. Her excitement didn't quite match that of the handmaidens fussing over her, but as she laid in the hot water, she felt almost content.

Any nerves she did feel, she realised, were not out of duty. Perhaps if she was marrying anyone else - anyone who wasn't Willas - she might feel different, seeing the ceremony as something just for the good of her family, but she wasn't marrying someone else. She was marrying Willas, and he was someone she cared about. The night before had been evidence enough for their feelings, and for a moment she almost forgot she was marrying out of betrothal. Their pairing to her felt more like an amicable deal of convenience, one that would make them both content, though that might be because if she thought hard enough she could still remember how warm she had felt in his arms as he kissed her. The memories of their kisses by the fountain seemed to surround her, a smirk impossible to fight whenever she thought of how his lips had felt against hers, how his tongue had ran across her bottom lip, how she'd bit his lip gently in an act of passion. She wasn't usually one for daydreaming, and she found herself amused at how vacant she was to what was happening around her, not even realising when the handmaidens were helping her out of the bath, towelling her dry and wrapping her in a thin robe.

She was shaking a little though as she sat down at the dressing table, thinking about the day ahead of her. It was then that she remembered her duty, and no thought of how kind Willas had been or how good of a friend he was could take her mind off the worry of what lay ahead. She didn't usually like a lot of attention, preferring to keep to herself and keep quiet, but as the bride attention was unavoidable, evident through the crowd of handmaids attending to her. It felt odd, considering she didn't have a maid back in Winterfell, refusing any sort of help much to her mother's annoyance, but she sat there and let them get on with their work, watching through the mirror as one of them laid her dress out on the bed, another brushing through her long dark hair.

"Are you cold, my lady?" the handmaid brushing her hair asked gently, mistaking her nervous shakes for shivering.

"No," she shook he head. "I haven't been cold for months,"

The handmaid let out a small laugh, and just as she finished brushing out her hair, a small knock came at the door. Not waiting for anyone to answer it, both Margaery and Leonette entered, both of them already dressed in their finery ready for the wedding, with Margaery wearing a grey and gold dress with her signature plunging neckline, whilst Leonette wore deep green. The two of them squealed excitedly as they saw her, both of them running to hug her, though their excitement made Eddmina nervous, especially considering she was wearing only a robe.

"You both look beautiful," she said honestly to both of them.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you're going to be," Margaery grinned, taking a seat on a stool next to Eddmina as she held something out to her. "A present from my brother,"

With unsteady hands, Eddmina took the present off Margaery, seeing it was a wedding veil, with something like a crown wrapped into it. As she unwrapped it, she found herself gasping as she saw it was a crown of Winter roses, mixed in with posies of wildflowers and white roses. It was a work of art, and it made her insides ache knowing that it was a gift from Willas. Resting in the middle of it was a folded piece of parchment, her name written on the front of it, and she carefully picked it up and began to read.