A/N: This is an AU where the name of your soulmate appears on your body. Political matches are still made if for any reason there isn't a name, or if the House really wants an alliance. It's also a mix of prompts that I've seen around (Soulmate!au, Ned is forced to tell Cat the truth about Jon). The first chapter is 1339 words.
Sansa woke up at her usual time despite the fact that she had barely slept the night before. The excitement she had felt at finally knowing who her soulmate was had kept her awake.
On the name day after a girls first flowering, her soulmates name would appear on her body, and hers on his. It was said that the Gods had done this as the woman was ready to be a wife and mother.
Pulling the covers back, Sansa looked at her bare arms and the bottom half of her legs, but found nothing.
A knock at her door startled her for a moment before remembering that her mother said she would wake her this morning.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened to reveal Catelyn Stark. She was dressed in dark blue which complimented her auburn hair, blue eyes, and pale complexion.
Sansa had often been told that she could be her mothers twin as they looked so alike at this age.
"Happy name day, Sansa," Catelyn said as she walked in and closed the door. "Have you seen the name yet?"
"No, it's not on my arms, or lower legs," she replied nervously.
"There is no need to be so nervous, sweetling. Whoever it is, is your perfect match," her mother said trying to reassure her.
Pulling up her nightclothes until they were around her waist, she saw that the name was on her upper leg.
Sansa stared at the name unable to believe the cruel joke the Gods had played on her.
Aegon Targaryen.
There had only been one Aegon Targaryen born in the past twenty years and he was dead.
"Sansa," catelyn said sounding concerned.
"They've got it wrong," she said blinking back tears.
"The Gods are-"
"-wrong this time. He's...he's dead!" Sansa sobbed.
Her mother pulled her into her arms and comforted her as she let out her tears.
"It will be alright, sweetling. We will work it out. I'm sure your father could help find out the truth," Catelyn murmured.
Sansa couldn't help but feel that she was being punished by the Gods for some reason.
Maybe it's because of being horrible to Arya? she thought.
Once her tears were gone, her mother said, "I will get a maid to draw you a bath. Think about the new dress you will wear at the feast tonight for your name day. I am sure if you spend some time with your friends it wil help you forget about him for a little while."
"Of course, mother," she replied.
Sansa knew that it would be very hard to forget even when she was spending time with her friends. Jeyne Poole would ask her the moment she saw her, as would her other friends. They would all want to know as Sansa was the first one of them it happened to.
"Tell your friends that you have been told not to tell anyone who your soulmate is until we have received a raven from his family. They should not ask you again after that," Catelyn said as if she had heard her thoughts.
"Thank you, mother."
"I will go and speak to your father now. He will know what to do," she said kissing Sansa's forehead before getting up and leaving.
-0-0-0-
Catelyn rushed to her husbands solar to tell I'm about Sansa.
Aegon Targaryen must be alive if he is their daughters match. The question was, where was he?
There had been rumours in the aftermath of the rebellion that the babe which which had been murdered was not Aegon, but an imposter. Was it true? Could the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell still be out there somewhere? Or was there another member of the family still alive with the same name?
It was unlikely as Robert Baratheon had killed, or driven out the rest of the Targaryen family after he had taken the throne. The only known ones left were Viserys and Daenerys.
Catelyn stopped walking and her blood ran cold at the thought.
What would Robert do with Sansa when he found out her soulmate was his enemy?
Even after all these years he was still obsessed with ending their line, and Catelyn was sure that not even his friendship with Ned would stop him from moving against her daughter.
Finally finding herself outside her husbands solar, she wrapped once on the door.
"Enter," he called.
Catelyn went in and made sure the door was shut and locked it before going to stand in front of the desk.
"Cat, is everything alright?" he asked getting up and walking around to her.
"Sansa's soulmate is Aegon Targaryen," she told him.
A look of shock flashed across his face before it settled into a grim expression.
"You knew he was alive, didn't you?" she asked.
"Not exactly. I think you might want to sit down for this, Cat," he said.
It was obvious her husband knew something, and she wasn't going to like it.
Once she had taken the seat in front of the desk, he retuned to his own and rubbed his temples. Catelyn knew Ned only did that when he felt stressed and under pressure.
This is going to be bad, she thought.
"There were two Aegon Targaryen's born within a two years of each other. The first was to Rhaegar and Elia, and he was murdered in the sack of Kings Landing. The other was born just after the rebellion had ended and was hidden to keep him safe," Ned explained.
"The second one is still alive then. Who are his parents?" she asked.
"Rhaegar and Lyanna."
"Then where is-," she was about to ask when she suddenly realised.
Jon.
It all made sense. Ned's reluctance to tell anyone his mothers name, why he insisted that he be raised in Winterfell, and why he had humiliated her in front of the Kingdoms.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Catelyn asked trying to keep her voice even.
"I thought it was better if I didn't," he admitted.
"Why?"
"I thought that if Robert ever found out then he would spare you and the children."
Catelyn could understand that, but he should have trusted her with the truth.
"Does Jon know the truth?" she asked.
"No. I never planned on telling him unless he went to the wall and became a brother of the Night's Watch. Only then would he be safe from Robert," Ned told her.
"Does anyone else know?"
"Howland Reed. He was with me at the Tower of Joy when we found them."
Catelyn sat quietly for a moment. There was so much to take in that her mind was spinning.
She could understand now why Ned had done what he did, but it didn't erase that fact that he didn't trust her with the truth even after everything they had been through.
"Say something, Cat."
"You should have told me the truth. Maybe not at the beginning, but definitely at some point. I have been horrible to the boy because I thought you had given your heart to her, and loved her more than me. Had I known the truth I would not have treated him so harshly. Family, Duty, Honour. The words I was taught as a girl, and the words I have tried to live by.
"It hurts that you did not trust me enough to confide in me, and I cannot forgive you for keeping this a secret for so long," Catelyn told him.
"What can I do to make it up to you?" he said getting out of his seat and kneeling in front of her.
"Just tell me the truth, and help him and Sansa. They are soulmates," she said swallowing thickly.
"Of course," he said.
Catelyn knew that the next few days, weeks, and even months were going to be hard on the family. Deciding when and who to tell was going to be difficult, but telling Sansa would be the hardest and Catelyn hoped her daughter would take it well.
