The eldest daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn of house Tully remembers when her mother was still carrying her younger brother Robb inside her. She barely remembers her Aunt Lyanna taking her horseback riding through the Wolfs wood, and even less the time that Lyanna left the north never to return again. She remembers when her father's grim form left Winterfell to go and fight with Robert Baratheon's Rebellion, and when her father returned with a bastard. She remembers when Theon Greyjoy was brought back from another Rebellion this time it was defending the crown not taking it. She remembers many things but the one thing that time will not fad from her mind would be the day she met Jaime Lannister.
Katarina Stark stood motionless by the heart tree in the god's wood. Winterfell was hastily making preparations for the quests that were due to arrive any day. Kat stood with all the poise that a young lady of court, she stood with a kind of meekness in her features. Though if one looked close enough you would see the character hiding in her eyes, the pride, defiance, and grace. Mostly you see the eyes that have been through a thousand trials, cried through a thousand endless nights, and laughed through a thousand jokes. Eyes that have scene many, and will see many more days.
As she stood the wind whistled quietly through the wood, her father once told her that was how the old gods spoke to them. All that you had to do was listen, as she figured out many times when life seems to be twisting in odd ways. Kat stood patiently praying and hoping that the gods would answer her, she was lost. Unable to straighten out her thoughts concerning the news that she had been told that morning.
"Jaime Lannister."
As if testing the name on her lips for the first time, just saying his name brought forth a flow of emotions and questions. Fear - would he be gentle as a husband, concern - all the things that people say he has done, and hope – that all of her worries would be for nought. When Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn first told their eldest child that she was to marry Sir Jaime Lannister, she didn't have much to say. Only that she agreed to the marriage that it was her duty to her family, to marry a Lord or Sir of Westeros. This didn't last long as she soon questioned her father and mother.
"Why"
"King Robert has requested it."
"I thought Sir Jaime was of the Kings guard, bound to a lifetimes service to the king taking now wife and fathering no children?"
"The king does as he likes sweet girl, all we can do is honor his trust."
"I won't dishonor your command father, but I only wonder, the Kingslayer?"
"The king knows that the relationship between the Starks and the Lannisters is nothing more than an understanding in that both hate each other, you know it I know it, all we can do is try to mend this for the honor we hold for the realm. "
"For the better of the realm."
"Kat, he will honor you as a true husband, if he doesn't he will have Ice cut through that Southern neck of his in the Northern fashion. That is if Robert wouldn't kill him first."
"What of the Kings guard, they simply let him go?"
"The Kings guard's duty is to their king, and the king wished for Sir Jaime to be let go." Lady Catelyn speaking for the first time in the conversation.
"Do you consent Katarina?"
"Of course father, as I said before it is my duty to my family and to Winterfell."
"Good because they are arriving here with in the next few days."
