Selwyn's Tent

[The Smith]

Selwyn nodded, "I apologize for my failings. You should accept them, I am mostly failings." He stood slowly and walked to the table set in one corner, "Do you have any other questions?"

[Marie]

"Just one," she said. "We should marry soon, and indeed we would be married already if Kyma's predicament had not forced us to leave Winterfell so early. Have you any notion on when we should marry? Perhaps at Harrenhall, once we have dealt with the men there? It can't be the wedding we ought to have, of course, but it would make a statement regarding our unity and that is useful. Besides, if I should get with child, it will be necessary for the child to be born in wedlock."

[The Smith]

Selwyn nodded, but did not turn to face her. "I have no preference but one. Not at Harrenhal."

[Marie]

"Oh."

After a moment she remembered the old tales of ghosts.

"As you wish. We'll deal with Harrenhall and then talk again about where you want to march next. We can discuss our wedding then, alright?"

[The Smith]

"Of course. I had a simple one before." Selwyn replied, "I thought it was nice, but I will accept what ever you think fitting a Queen."

[Marie]

"A Royal wedding should be something special, but I know that won't be possible in our present circumstances. Still, I do think we need to make a show of it, for the people."

[The Smith]

Selwyn nodded, "I thought so. The reason my wedding to Jo was so quiet was because my mother wished it to happen before my Father could interfere."

[Marie]

Rhaenys nodded thoughtfully. She felt the time was not yet right to ask questions about Selwyn's past.

"I see. Well, there is no-one to interfere in our wedding. We have to give our army hope for the future and a shabby little wedding won't do that."

She sighed.

"I know that I am not the kind of woman you can love, but I hope we will be friends."

[The Smith]

Selwyn slowly turned to look at her, "Are you playing one of those games women play, or do you really mean what you say? It seems more trap then truth to my ears."

[Marie]

"Why would it be a trap?" She asked. "It's in both our best interests if we can be friends. It will make us both more comfortable if we can be at ease with one another."

[The Smith]

Selwyn snickered a little, "We will be friends. Of this I have no doubt. But the doubt of love. It seems tailor made to make a man dispute it. That was my first instinct. To wipe away your comment with a firm declaration of loves design."

[Marie]

She regarded him seriously but there was pain in her eyes.

"Hardly. Any fool can still see that you love your first wife still. I won't pretend that it is not difficult for me to see that but I do accept it. Our circumstances are such that the boundaries are much changed and it seems to me that it would be easy for you to hold the lady Joanna up as a paragon of virtue, compared to me, who is ignorant of Westerosi ways and history and, yes, I admit it, not all a woman is usually expected to be."

[The Smith]

Selwyn was silent for a long moment. Then his lip quirked, "Would it soothe you to know that you are far more knowledgeable about our History then Jo ever was? She thought it quite boring." He shifted his feet studying Rhae's reaction.

[Marie]

That did surprise her, actually. She had naturally assumed that Selwyn held his wife up as the model of womanhood. Rhaenys wondered what other flaws the woman had possessed but she knew Selwyn would confide in her only if he wanted to.

"It does," she answered. "It seems to me that it would be as beneficial for the wife of a king to learn the history of the realm as it is for the actual monarch. What did interest your wife then?"

[The Smith]

"Horses." Selwyn replied, "She loved horses, and riding. She liked dogs as well." He smiled, "One time on a hunt, she was separated from the rest of us, and when I found her she has cradling a baby stag. She insisted on nursing it to adulthood."