Aegon spat out his wine, coughing and wiping his mouth, while he specifically paid attention to look at Roslin Frey's... elder brother, who was old enough to be her grandfather. Judging from the transformation of the elder Lord Frey's eldest son's expression from shock to ecstasy, this "good news" was probably not known in advance even by the bride's own family; it was entirely Robb Stark's personal decision.
The parents of the Northern Lords like Karstark and Umber desperately winked, wanting their young master to withdraw his request, but Robb Stark didn't even look at them, only staring at the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms above, waiting for a reply.
...
Robert's face fell. As Robb's Father's close friend and the head of House Baratheon, he was clearly not very satisfied with the wife his brother's son had chosen for himself – the Frey family was simply not worthy of the Stark family, this was a "fact" recognized throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and Robb was the eldest son and heir?
This godson of his, only by marrying that cunning little girl from the Tyrell family and binding the North and The Reach together, could he maximize his own interests and consolidate peace in the Seven Kingdoms.
That being said, the promise of a King could not be taken lightly. Although this marriage was not satisfactory, it at least did not threaten the rule of the Iron Throne. Robert quickly composed himself and looked at the representative sent by the bride's family for this rebellion suppression: "Stevron! Can you make this decision on behalf of your Father?"
Of course not. Everything in the Frey family had always been decided by the old Lord Walder Frey alone. But Stevron Frey knew that if he dared to say no this time, he would be beaten to death by his old man when he got home: "Yes, Your Majesty! On behalf of the Frey family, I agree to this marriage!"
"Very good. Since that's the case, hurry up and call your little sister over." Forgetting the slight unpleasantness that occurred when he rewarded Aegon just now, Robert became somewhat interested. He hadn't performed a marriage grant many times. Since things had come to this, let's make it lively: "Since everyone in the Seven Kingdoms is here today, we might as well not choose another day – let the peaks of the Vale of Arryn and the nobles of the entire Westeros witness this marriage! Someone, quickly go and find me a septon! Robb, behave yourself, you'll enter the bridal chamber tonight!"
...
The Frey people received the order, and a nimble-footed one slipped out of the tent to call the bride. The remaining people in the tent immediately became boisterous like boiling water. Several nobles from the North quickly surrounded Robb, frowning and saying something, seemingly disapproving of the marriage. But more people had already begun to congratulate the two families uniting in marriage – some congratulated the Young Wolf Lord on winning a beauty, while others congratulated the Frey family on securing a good husband... The change from extreme stillness to extreme activity was so fast that even Aegon was dumbfounded: The groom's parents were still completely unaware, and you, his uncle, are holding a wedding for the younger generation?
Such an absurd thing, coming from Robert, was simply... too reasonable.
A King certainly had the right to grant marriages, but the premise was that the people involved and their families had to be aware and willing to accept. When the Mad King chose Jaime Lannister to serve in the Kingsguard, Jaime initially thought it was an honor, but Tywin had regarded the King as an enemy ever since. Robert seemed absurd and unconventional, but he knew very well what he could and couldn't do. He would never arbitrarily arrange marriages for the children of important vassals like Robb and Margaery, uncrowned kings. It was one thing whether the parties involved gave face or not, but if the parents disagreed, things could go wrong and cause trouble.
But this time was different. This marriage was requested by Robb himself. Robert was just going with the flow. As for how Eddard and Catelyn would react after hearing the news... let them argue with their son themselves.
As for the Frey family, they should just secretly laugh. Who has time to care what you think?
***
Aegon rubbed his temples: Those who can't control their lower half ultimately can't control their lower half. But no matter what, Robb marrying Roslyn... was at least much better than marrying a little nurse or some minor noble whose surname Aegon couldn't even remember. Not to mention anything else – at least the Red Wedding was absolutely impossible to happen now.
Aegon felt sad for Robb's father – don't be misled by the anomaly that is Eddard with his special circumstances. In this era where the concept of gender equality had not yet awakened, and nobles and commoners were almost two different species, qualities like "keeping oneself pure," "avoiding women," and "being faithful to one" were never virtues primarily promoted by the Stark family or the Northmen. This could be seen from the philandering nature of Eddard's brother, Brandon Stark, who enjoyed "bloodying his spear" and was particularly fond of breaking virgini*y.
As a modern person, Aegon would outwardly condemn such irresponsible behavior after sleeping with someone. But in reality, as a Lord and Father, educating and restraining children like Eddard did, using a "second son template," was inherently prone to problems: The more something is forbidden, the more likely a child is to become obsessed with it or cause trouble with it. It's better to guide than to block – if Lord Stark had found some prostitutes early on to let Robb taste the sweetness of women, and made his heir understand the noble game rule of "women are like clothes, vassals are like limbs," then Robb wouldn't have been controlled by his lower half upon seeing a pretty girl, disregarding even family interests.
...
"Your Majesty, this – holding a wedding without notifying the Hand of the King, I'm afraid it's not appropriate."
"Damn the Kingsguard..." Robert roared: "Everyone calls you 'Barristan the Bold'. If you ask me, you should be called 'Barristan the Buzzkill'! Now, take this jug of wine and get out of the tent! Don't come back until you've finished it!"
The old man in white robes stood still for a few seconds, surveyed the victory feast that had turned into chaos, sighed, and actually obediently took the wine Robert handed him and left the tent.
It didn't take long for Robb's bride, Roslin Frey, whom Aegon had wanted to see before, to arrive in the tent, surrounded by her family.
When this delicate and timid girl entered the tent surrounded by the Frey people, the atmosphere reached a climax again. Many nobles had already met Roslin Frey, but tonight, under the illumination of the firelight and set against a backdrop of her unattractive relatives, she appeared even more beautiful than usual – her slender figure encased in a light-colored, form-fitting dress accentuated her fair skin; her soft, dark chestnut hair was styled in loose curls that fell to her waist; her refined and delicate face featured a pair of large brown eyes that flickered, seemingly holding buried starlight under the candlelight...
Her appearance finally made the previously subdued Northern Lords join the revelry. Although her background and status were slightly lacking, her beauty at least compensated for some of the disappointment. It seemed everyone could accept such a beauty becoming the future Mother of the North.
***
"She is indeed a beauty. I was even a little moved when I saw her."
This comment about the bride was somewhat presumptuous. Fortunately, it came from Margaery Tyrell. Aegon dared not pretend not to hear it and could only raise his cup, admiring the beauty while nodding in agreement.
Roslyn, her face full of shyness and sweetness, was pushed into Robb's arms. Robert loudly announced the wedding had begun, and the Lords started banging on bowls and tables... Although the septon hadn't been found yet, no one cared about these details anymore.
...
Robb's bride was indeed quite alluring, but having had girlfriends and having transmigrated from a modern world filled with "photo fakery" and plastic surgery, Aegon's resistance to beautiful women was far higher than that of ordinary people in this world. After admiring her for a while, he eventually shifted his gaze away.
Margaery glanced at Aegon with interest: "The Night's Watch cannot marry. What do you think when you see a woman?"
(You can't marry, but it doesn't mean you can't touch women.) Of course, he couldn't answer this scheming girl in front of him so frankly. Aegon straightened his face like his old superior – Benjen Stark: "We take duty as our wife, and honor as our mistress."
"Hmph—" Margaery, uncharacteristically, wasn't acting. Instead, she truly rolled her beautiful eyes slightly, pouted, and displayed the dissatisfied demeanor of a young girl. She glared angrily at the Night's Watchman, but in her mind, she carefully recalled every detail of meeting and talking with Aegon. She hadn't noticed any impropriety or slips on her part. How did this guy in black clothes become so wary? Forget trying to trick him into talking, even just casual chat elicited such a stiff response: "You fellow, you're really boring."
Aegon also felt he had been overly cautious and quickly smiled: "There are no women on The Wall. Facing a lady like Miss Margaery, I am very nervous. If I have offended you, please forgive me, Miss."
"Hmph—" Watching others hold a wedding while few of her goals for this trip to the North had been realized, and now facing such an impenetrable fellow, Margaery momentarily lost the mood to act. She snorted and turned her head away, no longer speaking.
From the moment Robb opened his mouth to ask Robert for the marriage grant, Aegon changed from the protagonist to an insignificant small character. But the person talking to him was, after all, a noble lady. "It's too noisy here. I'm feeling a bit dizzy. I'll take my leave first." He apologized to the Little Rose and turned to leave the tent.
Chatting with a beautiful woman was certainly pleasant, but Aegon was always a very realistic person. Margaery Tyrell couldn't possibly become his se*ual partner, and talking to her required constant vigilance against falling into traps. It was so exhausting that it was better to stay far away.
The boisterous "wedding" scene was left behind. Although it wasn't completely quiet outside the tent, it was much better than inside. Using the moonlight and the firelight scattered throughout the camp, Aegon saw Barristan, who had just been driven out of the tent by Robert.
The old Kingsguard in his white robes and armor was currently sitting on a low, long bench a few meters away from the tent entrance, drinking the fine wine "granted" by Robert sip by sip. His originally tall and heroic back now appeared so lonely.
This guy is too obedient, isn't he? Is he really planning to finish the wine before going back into the tent, or is he simply drowning his sorrows in drink?
Although Barristan had just tried to "ruin his good thing," Aegon still admired his integrity and extraordinary skill. It was certainly not a bad thing to get acquainted with such a formidable character.
--