rubyredwisp:

When I was a girl, my father held a ball. I’m his only living child, so he wanted to make a good match for me. He invited dozens of young lords to Tarth. I didn’t want to go, but he dragged me to the ballroom. And it was wonderful. None of the boys noticed how mulish and tall I was. The shoved each other and threatened to duel when they thought it was their turn to dance. They whispered in my ear how they wanted to marry me and take me back to their castles. My father smiled at me and I smiled at him. I’d never been so happy. Till I saw a few of the boys snickering. And then they all started to laugh. They couldn’t keep the game going any longer. They were toying with me. “Brienne the Beauty,” they called me. Great joke. And I realized I was the ugliest girl alive. A great lumbering beast. I tried to run away, but Renly Baratheon took me in his arms.