Hugh Hammer (ASOIF/SI)

 "And what, pray tell, did your husband say exactly?" her mother

 asked her, the pair of them once more alone in the room where they

 had previously sewed on many occasions. Thankfully her sisters

 were not present, just her and her mother, outside the sky was

 leaden and low, the terrific snowstorm during her wedding yesterday

 having passed, leaving behind in its wake at least a foot of new snow

 to blanket Kings Landing.

 "He, he said that he would not lay with me until I was ten and six,

 that I was far too young at ten and four to, to risk the outcomes of, of

 physical love…."

 "He is worried that you are too young to bear children," her mother

 replied, a strange look passing over her face. "Well, I suppose he is

 at least honorable in that respect, because ten and four is a little

 young, I know."

 She quailed a little at that, if, if bearing children was dangerous at

 her age, why, why had her mother agreed to her being wed in the

 first place? Before she could ask about this her mother continued,

 "we could always have you take Moon Tea in the meantime, that

 would reduce the risks of pregnancy and allow your marriage to be

 consummated. And it must be consummated my dear, a marriage

 not consummated has no standing in the eyes of Gods or men. You

 are not truly married until, well until then…."

 "Should, should I, well….."

 "Hush now my dear, I will arrange everything, we will get you a

 supply of daily Moon Tea, never you worry. But just be sure to tell

 nobody, especially those sisters of yours, they have loose tongues

 and are equally likely to make unkind remarks at your expense."

 "Yes mother….and….?"

"You will return to your husband's bed and inform him that you are

 taking Moon Tea, and you will consummate your marriage. The

 Prince would be a fool to turn you down, a beautiful maid like you!

 Do not fear daughter mine, the Prince will do his duty by you, it will

 all work out in the end. Once you are ten and six you can stop taking

 the Moon Tea and give Prince Hugh an heir."

 "Yes, yes mother."

 "Now, is there anything else your mother can do for you?"

 "No, I, I assume that Cassandra and Ellyn will be staying in the Red

 Keep for now?"

 "Yes, as will I. Though I plan to return to Storms End soon

 enough….I suppose I should tell you that I intend to take another

 husband…."

 "Oh? Why mother?" she asked, curious to see what her mother's

 thinking was about this.

 "The Stormlands are beset with Dornish raiders, I need a man to

 lead our forces, such as they are, to protect the Marches. As such

 my husband will be named Lord Protector of the Stormlands until

 your brother Royce comes of age. I cannot lead the forces of the

 Stormlands, so I am in need of a husband, just like my daughters

 eh?"

 "I, I am no longer in need of a husband," she replied, the slightest of

 smiles twitching her lips.

 "No, you are not, are you, you lucky thing. Price Hugh is a fine man,

 and he will make a great husband and father, of that I am sure. And

 hopefully at least one of your children with him will ride dragons! I on

 the other hand have to choose a more, mundane man for my

 husband, a Stormlander Lord, a second or third son, whose most

 desirable quality is that he is good in battle. His handsomeness or

 otherwise is sadly not of any concern of mine…."

She pondered this for a moment and decided that she would say it,

 "you, you would have liked to marry Prince Hugh, if you could

 have….."

 "Ah girl, was I that obvious, no, don't answer that!" her mother

 giggled like she was a shy maid, "yes, I will admit that Prince Hugh

 has caught many the eye, maids, women grown and even crones,

 along with not a few wives whose husbands pale in comparison with

 the handsome Prince. And while I would have no doubt much

 enjoyed being married to the Prince, there were other considerations

 that made my desires, such as they were, a moot point."

 "He, he would have, would not have…." She stammered, still

 embarrassed by all of this. Was there something wrong with her,

 despite her age, that meant Prince Hugh did not like her? That he

 would not do his duty by her as her husband? The book her mother

 had given her had at least taken away the unknown about what

 exactly a bedding entailed, and for that she was at least, of not

 happy, well less fearful.

 She had come to her wedding bed naked and willing to allow Hugh

 to do his duty by her, but he had refused, asking her to put on a

 nightdress and to get into bed, he himself was wearing a pair of

 loose trousers, that he had referred to as 'pyjamas', a word she had

 never heard of before. It sounded strange to her ears, possibly

 Ghiacari, but Hugh did not elaborate.

 Instead, he had turned to her in their bed, her heart pounding in her

 chest with anticipation and the slightest bit of fear and explained that

 he would not bed her until she turned ten and six. He had elaborated

 that it was not that he found her unattractive, the opposite her

 assured her, but that she was far too young to his eyes to be

 bedded. She had felt tears pool in her eyes, and she had not been

 able to prevent them from falling, Hugh had tried to comfort her, but

 she had pushed him away, turning her back to him and cuddling up

 into a ball on her side, hugging her knees to her chest.

After a minute Hugh had stopped trying to get her to talk to him and

 she heard him let out a long sigh, along with the words, "I fucking

 hate you George, you fat cunt!" She pondered what this meant but

 did not ask Hugh, or turn her back, and after a few minutes she

 heard his breathing deepen and she realised he had fallen asleep.

 This annoyed her no end, for reasons she could not fully fathom

 herself, but she stewed and ruminated for quite a while before sleep

 finally claimed her.

 "Aye he would, for I am a woman grown with five children to my

 name. But stop fretting, has your mother not provided you with the

 solution to this little, temporary 'problem'?"

 "Yes, yes mother," she replied, but without any real enthusiasm, for

 she feared that Prince Hugh would not be moved on this matter. He

 did not strike her, in the short time she had known the Prince, of

 being a man much open to changing his mind once it was made up.

 Which was a shame, for she very much liked the look of her

 husband, and she wanted to…..have babies with him, and bedding

 was the way babies were made. And so what if Septa's said it was

 sinful to desire ones husband in a physical way, she knew she

 desired Prince Hugh, desired him greatly in fact.

 And she was not unaware of how other women looked at Hugh, even

 before they had been betrothed and then married, women looked

 upon Prince Hugh with appreciation that ranged from mild interest to

 frankly inappropriate, hot states. Even before being betrothed this

 had made her uncomfortable, and now it made her, well it made her

 angry, very, very angry.

 And for her mother to admit that she would have liked to marry her

 husband, her Hugh? Anger and annoyance had been building inside

 her since that revelation by her mother, that, that, brazen

 hussy…..how dare she think that Hugh might find her even a tiny bit

 attractive….

She would be having a very, very stern talk with Hugh later on today

 and he better be willing to consummate their marriage, though what

 she would do if he refused she was still unsure of.