[Day 3]The Wedding Planners [Laena & Lysette]

Laena gently smiled, and patted the other woman's shoulder reassuringly. "My first husband was an older man. He was solid. Reliable. Safe. Young men are frequently .. rather mercurial. He provided me with a safe haven when I needed it in my life. If you cannot manage 'love', 'comfort' should not be underestimated.

"And don't fear a life without love. Even if you can't love your husband, once you have your first child, I all but guarantee you will. Maybe not immediately, while they're too young to really understand the world around it. But when they look at like you are the most important thing in the world, even the coldest of hearts will melt.

"And I wouldn't blame you for not feeling love before, Ruarza ābra, for, as I said before, what man actively pursuing you sees *you*? It is hard to feel love for anyone approaching you, but drooling over the power you are hidden behind.

"Not to mention that love isn't a blazing bolt from the blue. That's nonsense for the story books. Lust may be, but not love. Love is .." her face softens, along with her voice, "something that creeps up on you. It is in feeling safe in your husband's embrace; seeing something you like, and thinking of him; your gaze naturally gravitating to him when he enters, and feeling an absence when he leaves; it's in smiling at his touch;" orgasming on his cock; "until one day you realise that, without realising it, without intending to, he's carved out a little part of your heart all for him. Not in one large, dramatic gesture, but through months of building trust, and working together, both parties changing so as to better fit together, you are now one part of a whole, rather than alone in the world.

"To me, it would be strange if you *had* felt love." She pauses. "Well, romantic love, anyway. Though, of course, if you actually meant you hadn't felt 'lust' for any of the men near you, that's a rather different story," And I hatehatehatehate you! I'd give you some of mine, if I could! "and one rather more concerning."

Laena gives her a sad smile. Maybe I don't envy her as much as I thought. If I knew I'd never enjoy sex again, I'd probably throw myself off a cliff.

Laena's eyebrows are about to shoot off her face, when her brain catches up, and she realises Lysette isn't talking about mariticide when she mentions 'alternatives'.

Instead, she nods. "Alright. So, let's discuss possibilities. Off the top of my head, there is Ser Jon Florent, Ser Patrek Florent, and Ser Matthew Mullendore to start. Ser Normyn Flowers would also qualify, but for unrelated reasons, I find myself mistrustful of his house, so cannot particularly recommend him.  The others ... I don't really know much about, I'm afraid."

There's a few seconds' pause, before Laena, clearly reluctantly, continues. "The two men already jousting for your favour are also both good choices, though a bit too young to be ideal. I can already tell you what Lord Marq would say about them: they have the will to not be a puppet, and the wits to seek good advice. And, further, if Ser Aemon has any secrets, he hides them well. All I know about his actions here so far is that he went drinking with Lord Karl Willum, and came out sober enough to ensure that all of his fellow revellers who needed it got safely back to their tents. I haven't heard anything in particular about Ser Sebaston Rowan yet."

She sighs. "This is another one of those things you probably don't want to hear, but does need to be said: Them being a bit younger than ideal may be a good thing." She purses her lips briefly before continuing, in a blunt tone. "You are not ready to rule. You may have what it takes up here," she taps her own head, "but you still have a woman's heart." tapping her own breast, over her heart. "Ruling isn't just about knowing the right thing to do. While you may not wield the blade yourself, or command any troops directly, you will still have to make decisions that will determine if people die, which people die, when people die. If you intend to shy away from those decisions, the tough decisions, it would be better to not rule at all. There is no shame in that: women are meant to bring forth life, men to end it. For a woman to rule is to spit in the very face of natural order." Despite her words, her tone carries no condemnation of such an act. "You may have the wisdom to recognise when to bend, and when to stand, but when the time comes to stand, you have to have the spirit to stare the entire world right in the eyes, and say 'No. You move.'. Speaking bluntly, Lady Lysette, you were intimidated by a woman standing too close and whispering at you. So long as the knights around you continue to protect and shelter you, your spirit will remain weak, and you will never be ready to rule."  Her tone is not harsh, or cruel, merely a quiet, firm statement of facts.

"I know." Laena responds, softly, letting the point sink in for a moment.

"Don't misunderstand my purpose here, Lady Lysette. I have no power over you, and unless you marry my brother, no stake in the success or failure of your house. You may do whatever you wish. My purpose here - my only purpose - is to push you. Test you. Challenge you. To shake your beliefs, to best differentiate between those you will bend on, and which you will stand firm on. Between those you need, and those you merely want. If we do not end this meeting with you holding probably more resentment towards me than gratitude, I have done you a disservice, because that means I did not push you hard enough. Those who court you, those who love you, they will not do this, for they care too much about you, or at least your opinion of them.

"So, we have determined you will not compromise on your desire to rule." She looks the other woman firm in the eye. "Why? Why does ruling matter so much to you? You could find a husband willing to listen to your advice, find joy in your children, and live a life of luxury; all without ruling. So why?" Again, her tone isn't accusatory, simply calm and level.

At her last words, Laena smiles. Not a friendly smile, rather one like a predator who just found their prey's lair, unguarded and undefended. "Excellent answer." Her voice radiates pleasure.

"Something we have not touched on yet is alliances. If this generation of the family only has one opportunity to marry, arguably the man himself is less relevant than the house he brings with him. Remembering that an alliance is a two-way street, what traits do you seek in your partner house?"

Leana frowns. "Half the people whose names I recalled are Florents. Certainly wealthy, and no doubt welcoming of all military power, but ... politically complicated, let's say, and Brightwater Keep is certainly not close, being about as distant as you from Highgarden, in the complete opposite direction. House Mullendore is based east of Oldtown, so they're even further. Goldengrove is close, shares political leanings, is militarily powerful, and a contender to be the third richest house in the Reach."

She taps her fingers against each other. "Really, if Ser Sebaston Rowan were older, he'd be pretty much ideal. In troubled times, particularly when you're looking to be on the less populous side in the area, there is no such thing as 'too much' military power." She seems to be talking almost to herself here.

"If you're willing to consider lesser houses, I know about a half-dozen more knights we could look at there, but because they're lesser houses, all I know is their names. I'd have to dig into them to find out even basic facts, like their age and marital status."

She crosses her arms, and taps her fingers against her elbows briefly. "I recognise that what I'm about to say is self-serving, but that doesn't make it less true. Firstly, my brother has a *very* strong protective streak running through him, and I don't believe he would ever willingly trample on your dreams." she holds up her hands. "I realise he's much younger than you want, but firstly, he is an admirable person, and secondly, if he hears that we have spoken, I want to be able to look him in the eye and say that I did argue in his favour.

"However, there is a second possibility that may well provide you with more of what you want. Ser Jon Starkwood, Lord Ulbert's uncle, and House Starkwood's Master of Arms, is a widower. Now, House Starkwood is not *rich*, but what we do have is ..." she looks around, then leans forward and whispers something into Lysette's ear briefly, "...and maybe you would find that even more useful. We're neighbours to the Rowans, so again, we're reasonably close, and our political affiliation is known and committed to."

She focuses intently on Lysette again. "The decision is, of course, yours. But personally, I suggest you spend some time seeing how malleable Ser Sebaston is, as well as perhaps getting a second, less biased opinion on the Starkwood offerings, if you, understandably enough, don't fully trust me there. Meanwhile, I can dig into their activities, and the potentials from lesser houses, if you might be willing to consider them. I will let you know when I have a full report, we can meet again, to discuss our findings. I'll probably have a partial report by tomorrow ... well, late today if time is really critical, and hopefully a full report, or near enough, by a day later, presuming that I don't hit any serious problems. My people can only hear what people are saying, after all."

[Updated, thanks. The line 'though the House is not so wealthy in terms of gold as others' mislead me there.]

Something flashes in Laena's eyes briefly. "Oh? What exactly are you suggesting?" Rather than inquisitive, her tone is ... carefully neutral.