Robin Arryn wasn't supposed to live long enough to become a man. He had been a small and sickly child who looked like he would be taken away from the world at any moment. Just a small and fragile little bird who would never leave the nest.

His father, Jon Arryn, was taken away from him at a young age. Robin could barely remember him. Just a faint memory lingered of a man who had lifted him in his arms and held him. A faint memory of someone who was safe and sound. Because his mother, Lysa Arryn, had not been of sound mind. She breastfed her son way longer than was customary in the kingdom. Way past the time when he had grown all his teeth. She did so until the day she died. Thrown out of her own castle by the man who supposedly loved her, Petyr Baelish.

So the little bird was left all on his own. Way too small and fragile to ever spread his wings and fly. It was assumed that he would perish too, without his mother to hold her wings over him.

But he didn't perish. Instead, he grew stronger and healthier. Robin grew big enough to fly on his own. He flew so much higher than ever expected from him. The little bird somehow grew into a falcon.

Maybe it was the freedom of being out from under his mother's wings. Maybe it was just something that came with age. Maybe it was the fact that his mother medicated daily with milk of the poppy and that he suddenly no longer was exposed to it through her milk.

Robin was now almost a man. He was already taller than most men and his voice carried the depth of a man. He lived longer than he had ever been expected to. But he was also still a child in many ways. When he didn't get his way he got angry and acted out. When he was sad he sometimes still wished his mother was there. And he didn't know much about the world of adults. He knew nothing of romance and love.

But Robin's childhood was over. The last seconds of it were passing by. No matter how childish or immature he was would soon have to be a man. Because he was standing next to a Septon in the High Hall of his castle the Eyrie. Awaiting his bride.

It was cold in the hall. It was always cold in the Eyrie as the castle was located high up on a mountainside. The wind was blowing in through the moon door in the floor. It was still light in the hall, despite it being nighttime, as the white marble of the walls and floors lit up as the moon hit it through the long narrow windows. The whole castle glowed in cold icy tones. From the walls and floors to the flowers that decorated the hall and the blue jacket the groom was wearing.

Everything was icy and cold, except for the red hair of Robin's bride. She was suddenly standing there right in front of him, led in by Lord Royce as her father was currently wrapped up in a war against the crown. Her name was Desmera Redwyne and flaming red hair lit up the whole hall. Her dress was in ivory with red ribbons around the waist and sleeves and over it, she wore a bride's cloak in red, the color of her house. She didn't look like she belonged. She was too colorful, too full of life, too warm. Desmera had grown up in lush vineyards in the Reach, leasuring in sunlight every day. That's where she belonged, not on a cold mountainside. But yet that's where she was. Even younger than the groom she was about to promise to be faithful to forever.

As Desmera smiled at Robin he felt like his heart almost stopped. She was so pretty and he had barely been close to a girl before, certainly not a pretty girl of his own age. When he was younger he had a crush on his cousin Sansa who he had been promised to be married to at one point. But after she left the castle there had been no other girls. Just a lonely boy trying to become a man without any parents guiding him. Lord Royce had been the only person who had been there for him and tried to raise him.

Robin and Desmera took each other's hands. It was the first time they touched each other. It might have been the first time Robin touched a woman at all, at least one that wasn't his mother. It felt like a spark in his hand as it touched hers.

The Septon started reciting a sermon as they stood there. Robin did not listen to a word of it. All he could focus on was the burning feeling of Desmera's hand in his. He swore to himself to always protect her. Because he had fallen in love instantly, like only a boy who knows nothing about life can. The pure innocent love of a child who is yet to experience true hardship.

Robin didn't see the tears running down Desmera's cheeks. Tears for the life she was leaving behind. Tears out of fear for what was to come.

"It's time to remove the's bride's cloak," the Septon declared.

Lord Royce untied the straps on Desmera's red cloak and lifted it from her shoulders.

The Septon then handed Robin a blue cloak instead, the color of his own house. Robin went over to his bride and carefully placed it on her shoulders. As he tied the straps his hand accidentally brushed against her breast. This made him blush profusely and he looked down on the floor to avoid meeting her eyes. He wanted to apologize but figured this might ruin the ceremony.

Just one more thing remained before the ceremony was over. Before they would be husband and wife forever.

"The marriage will be sealed with a kiss," the Septon continued. "Will the bride and groom pledge your allegiance to each other?"

None of them had ever kissed before. Now they were supposed to do for the first time in front of hundreds of people.

"With this kiss, I pledge my love," Robin said.

"With this kiss, I pledge my love," Desmera repeated.

Robin put his hands on both sides of her face. Just to make sure he aimed correctly.

And he moved his face closer to hers until suddenly his lips met hers, and he kind of just stayed there. Unsure of what to do next. It was a weird kiss. But still, it wasn't unpleasant. It could have been worse. He could have accidentally bit her.

"I take you for my lord and husband, Lord Robin Arryn," Desmera said as he finally moved his lips from hers and the awkward kiss ended.

"And I take you for my lady and wife. Lady Desmera Arryn", Robin said and took her hand again as they turned around and faced the crowd.

"One flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever," the Septon said. "You are now Lord and Lady Arryn."

Hand in hand they walked out of the hall. Not children anymore but husband and wife.

***

When Robin entered the bedchamber for their wedding night Desmera was already on the bed. The maids had led her in there, undressed her, and placed her on the bed in just her nightgown.

Her red hair laid like a crown around her. Her lips were as red as her hair and her eyes were green like the lush hills of her homelands. Her nightgown was lacy and so sheer it was almost see-through. She just laid there waiting for what was about to happen. Not smiling. Not crying. Just waiting.

And poor Robin had no idea what to do. He didn't even know what couples did on their wedding night. He had a basic idea from books he read but no idea how the actual logistics of it worked. Lord Royce was not the kind of man who had ever tried to have that conversation with him and Robin had no other parents or guardians to ask.

He stood there looking at her for a while. His eyes met hers. She looked scared he thought. Scared of him, the little bird who was never supposed to fly. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed, his back towards her.

"I'm not going to..." he said to his bride behind him. "I mean... I don't know..."

He heard her stirring behind him and suddenly she was sitting next to him.

"I don't know either," she said and looked at him briefly. But she looked down at the floor before her gaze could meet his.

"So what do we do?" he asked. "A marriage needs to be consummated."

"We'll go to sleep," she answered. "And we'll tell them that it was."

So they did. They slept as far away from each other on that bed as they could, afraid to accidentally touch each other. Robin kept his shirt and pants on. Because being so close to her did affect him in ways that confused him. Ways that probably had something to do with what they were expected to do on that night.

Robin woke up the next morning to the sound of his new wife crying. He found Desmera sitting on a bench by the window looking out, her red hair flowing down her back and blowing in the wind. She was crouched up with her arms around her legs. So beautiful and so sad.

He went over to her. And sat on the bench beside her. He was careful not to touch her as he sat down.

"Why are you crying, Desmera?" he asked.

"My home, my family," she said. "Everything I've ever had. I will never have it again. I look out and it's not... green, it's not home. I just see the sky, it's all blue."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I'm taking your home from you. But I will defend your home, I promise you that. I will do what your family expects of me as your husband. I know that's the reason you're here. And I will make sure you don't lose your lands."

She nodded and looked at him. She finally looked at him without looking away.

"Thank you," she said. "Then it will all be worth it. And I'll be what you expect of me as a wife."

"I don't expect anything of you," he said. "I'm just a boy who has no clue on how to be a husband. But I have armies, and that's why you're here. And I will use them to protect you and your family. I will protect you, Desmera, always."

Suddenly he felt her hand on his shoulder. Robin looked over at Desmera and her hand stroked his cheek slightly as he did. His cheek that still was so smooth, no sign of a beard.

"You're not a boy anymore, Robin," she said. "And I'm not a girl. We're husband and wife."

She leaned over towards him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. This made him blush and feel awkward. But it was also the best moment in his life.

***

In another bedroom, further to the west in the kingdom, a few days later another young man, almost still a boy, was also experiencing his wedding night. This groom's name was Tyrek Lannister and he was the Lord Paramount of the Westerlands. He who not many weeks earlier had been engaged in a childish squabble with the Lord of the Vale on the floor of a tavern. Technically it was his second wedding night, but that first marriage had now been invalidated as it was never consummated.

It was his wife's second marriage too. Her name was Talla Tarly and Tyrek's uncle Tyrion had arranged their marriage to ensure the use of her family's forces. The Tarly's resided in the Reach and getting the use of their forces for the crown would undermine the Redwyne's who ruled the region against the will of the king. Talla's previous husband had been a Symun Fossoway, an old man who had perished shortly after the marriage. This made her the holder of the forces of his house too. As the Lannister forces were very depleted at this point the addition of the forces Talla commanded doubled the number of men fighting for them.

So Tyrion had hastily made sure Tyrek's marriage was annulled with the help of Samwell Tarly, the brother of the bride who was also the Maester serving the king. They also made sure that Samwell's unborn son was made the heir of House Tarly instead of Talla, to make sure the house name didn't die out. After that was done the wedding could be held in Tyrek's castle of Casterly Rock.

Just as Tyrek entered the bedroom for the wedding night finding his bride already laying on the bed. Her dark curly hair forming a gloria around her head and her nightgown revealing parts of a woman the poor young man had never seen before. Petals from red roses were strewn around her.

Talla didn't look scared as her new husband, who was a few years younger than her, entered. Instead, she smiled at him. Talla never seemed scared of anything in life. Everything seemed to excite and engage her. Her cheeks were always rosy and her lips always seemed to smile. Her dark hair was always impeccably styled and her dresses were always of the latest fashion.

Tyrek was nervous as he approached his new wife but the smile made him feel more at ease. But he still lingered at the foot of the bed, unsure of what to do next. He knew what husbands and wives were supposed to do but didn't really know where to start.

As he stood there Talla sat up on the bed. She reached out for him, grabbed the top of his pants, and pulled him towards her. He ended up straddling her, with her hand still at the top of his pants.

"Are you not going to take me?" she asked.

"I... will," he replied. "But...you know I haven't done this before. I've been married before but my previous wife was a child."

"Well, I've been married before too," she said, "But my previous husband was an old man. He could barely even get hard long enough to take me. But I bet you can, my pretty young husband."

Then she untied his pants and put her hand down the front of them. She gave out a delighted shriek as her suspicions were confirmed to be correct.

"It seems like you do want to take me," she whispered to him. "And I'll show you how to do it."

Then she pulled her husband down on top of her and kissed him. Poor Tyrek was aroused and terrified all at once. He didn't know if he should run away or oblige his new bride. But running away seemed rude. So instead he kissed his wife back. And little by little he got less terrified.

Talla helped him get his shirt and pants off before pulling off her own nightgown. She put his hands on her breasts as he was too nervous to know what he was allowed to do. And she guided his way in between her legs.

***

It took a bit longer for Robin Arryn and Desmera Redwyne to consummate their marriage.

But every morning they sat on that bench together. Not touching each other. But talking to each other. Or sometimes not talking at all, just sitting there.

On the third day, Desmera kissed him, not on the cheek but on the lips.

On the fourth day, Robin kissed her, on the lips as well.

On the fifth day, they both leaned over at the same time, kissing each other. And they didn't stop, they kept kissing. Eventually, they moved over to the bed.

"Will you take me, husband?" she asked.

"If you want me to, I will," he responded.

"Do you know how to do it?"

"No... but it can't be that complicated... People do it all the time."

It turned out to be a bit more complicated than Robin expected, but eventually, they did figure it out. It was awkward but it worked. And after a few days of practice, it got less complicated and awkward. It even got quite enjoyable.

And as might happen, when two very young and fertile people figure out how to enjoy each other's company, new life was created in the process. Robin Arryn, the child who was never expected to become a man, was about to have a child on his own. He didn't know it yet, but when he did find out it would change everything. It would cause him to make a dire decision, for himself and the kingdom.

Author's Note: Sorry for that little detour into the love lives of Robin Arryn and Tyrek Lannister, but I promise it's important for the future of the kingdom.