As Hand of the King, Father was not one to sit still and nudged Robert toward marrying Cersei Lannister, daughter of Tywin Lannister. Many argunts were employed, and at one point Father tried to recruit to help him in the effort, but I refused to be any part of it. By the end of the third week, however, Robert gave way and agreed. Preparations for the royal wedding began at once.
On the brighter side of things, Robert had started taking with him on hunts, where I killed my first stag and drank my first cask of wine. Unlike Uncle Yohn, I found I quite liked the ereenese sweet. Apparently I had a sweet tooth. The hunt itself did not particularly appeal to , it was more useful as a way to get out of doors and clear the head. But that was a small thing, set against the genuinely bad news.
My dear father had decided to give to the Martells. It was painful to hear. He was handing over to them like so kind of hostage. When I asked him directly why, the answer was: "all for the sake of peace." At that I told him everything I had been holding back. I did not choose my words carefully. The hurt was eating alive and I did not care about consequences. At a certain point he, Lord Arryn, could not hold himself back and struck across the face. I did not speak to him again after that. I was to be sent to Dorne after the royal wedding.
The wedding of Robert began early in the morning. From first light all the representatives of the Great Houses and the most significant of their bannern moved from Aegon's High Hill, where the Red Keep stood, toward Visenya's Hill, where the Great Sept of Baelor rose above the city. The sept itself stood at the hill's summit, in the western part of the city. The square before it was paved with white marble, and at its center stood a stone column topped with a statue of King Baelor, carved from the sa white stone. That was where I first saw Cersei Lannister. A girl of rare beauty, I would say comparable to the Elves and surpassing so of them.The crowd moved into the sept and filled the hall. I was near the front. The King and Queen approached the High Septon, who stood at the very center on a raised platform. The platform was shaped as seven steps, which Robert and Cersei climbed together. The vows to the Seven Gods followed, each styled in honor of a particular deity.
"Let this marriage be glorified now and forever!" the Septon proclaid. "Is there any among those present who objects to this union?"
A minute of silence passed. The Septon invited everyone to continue with the ceremony and proceed to the exchange of cloaks. Tywin Lannister ca forward to help Cersei remove her cloak for the exchange, he helped drape Cersei in a cloak of yellow bearing a black stag. And then:
"With this kiss I pledge you my love and take you for my lord and husband."
"With this kiss I pledge you my love and take you for my lady and wife."
They spoke the words together and kissed.
"Before the eyes of gods and n I hereby proclaim Robert of House Baratheon and Cersei of House Lannister to be man and wife. One flesh, one heart, one soul, from this day until the end of their days, and cursed be the one who cos between them," the High Septon declared.
What followed was the giving of alms, the wedding feast, and two days of tournant. From House Arryn we gave Robert a crown of pale gold, a plain circlet from which curved lines rose like the tines of antlers, and at its center a stag could be plainly made out. Robert was genuinely glad of the gift.
On the day of the tournant I decided to have one last bit of fun and slipped away to enter myself in secret. Unfortunately I was caught and not allowed to compete. In the end the Kingslayer won and crowned his sister queen of love and beauty.
The wedding lasted nearly two weeks in all, and when it was over the high lords began making their way ho while I began packing my things for Dorne.
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