A/N: All mistakes are my own since I have yet to find someone to read my stories over for me. The rating for the first chapter is PG but will change with later chapters. Hope you all like it :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters and background belong to George R.R. Martin. This is just for fun.
Catelyn
The air was cold and dry, and Catelyn could feel the hairs on her arms rise up. Brandon was staring at her, a grin on his face. He had just spent the entire evening trying to convince her that it was her duty to bed his brother, like that was a part of their marriage vows. He had not yet convinced her, when someone knocked on the door of her bedchamber. Brandon bade the person at the door to enter and Ned walked in looking a bit confused.
"You wanted to see me," Ned asked, averting his eyes when he saw that Catelyn was merely wearing her shift and a robe.
"No need to be so shy brother," Brandon joked, but Ned's face only turned to stone, his eyes staring at his brother with disbelief.
"Alright, I guess I'll leave the two of you alone," Brandon said, kissing her cheek on his way to the door. As he was about to leave, Ned grabbed his brother's arm, pulling him back from the door.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ned growled, looking between his brother and good-sister.
Brandon pulled his arm from Ned's grasp and patted his shoulder. "Catelyn is going to help you relax a little," Brandon said, his smile widening even more when he saw that Ned understood his meaning, chuckling a little as he opened the door. "Don't frown brother, it wouldn't be the first time we shared a lady."
Brandon closed the door, leaving them there alone, the coldness finally getting to her and she walked over to close the windows, Brandon had thrown open when he came in, telling her that his frigid brother was not fond of heat, for he might melt.
Catelyn felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up into Ned's eyes, as he stood next to her, pulling one of the furs around her shoulders.
"I'll close them, you should go sit by the fire before you become ill," he said, in a calm voice, although his eyes still told her of the anger built up beneath his courtesies.
Catelyn managed to whisper a thank you before retreating, curling up in one of the chairs in front of the fire. It was a rare occurrence for her to have to light a fire in her chambers, for the walls would usually suffice, but the last few days had been especially cold, forcing her to stay near her chambers, even during the day.
Ned dropped into the chair opposite her, after pulling the windows shut, his head falling into his hands. Silence raining for what feels an eternity before Ned can bring himself to look upon her, his mask falling away to reveal his uncertainty.
"You do not have to worry, my lady," he said, one of his hands gripping the other as if to stop it from reaching out. "I have no intention of taking advantage of you, no matter what my brother intends."
Catelyn looked into his eyes again, and she understood, already knew, that Ned would never force himself upon her. Nevertheless, Brandon expected her to seduce his brother, and she has no idea what she would say if she was unable to do so.
"Has he lost his senses?" he said angrily, startling Catelyn. "Does he truly expect me to bed his wife?"
Ned stood up and went to stand near to the hearth, staring down into the flames, refusing to even look at her. Catelyn looked down at her hands and found the courage to speak, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head, she still had her pride, despite the words that then left her lips. "If I do not please you, my lord, I'm sure Brandon can find someone who will better suit your needs."
Catelyn has no clue as to what her good-brother might want in a woman, she has never seen him with anyone. When Brandon threw one of his many banquets, Ned never danced nor spoke to any of the ladies at court, except for Catelyn, and she has never heard any of the servants talk about women Ned has gotten with child, and not once has she heard a rumour that Ned visits the brothels in Winter Town, unlike her lord husband. In fact, the only clue that Ned has had a woman was his bastard son, the one whom followed in her little girl's footsteps.
Catelyn was unprepared for the fury that is apparent on her good-brother's face as he turned around to face her, his fists clenched so his knuckles turned white.
"Has Brandon done this before?" he demanded. "Catelyn! Has he offered you to other men against your wishes?"
Ned walked over to stand in front of her, and before she can react, he pulled her to her feet, the fur she had around her shoulders fell on the floor, pooling around her feet.
"No! Of course not," she spoke quickly, a hint of irritation at the suggestion, the words spoken before she could think of what she said, before she can remember why he asked in the first place. Before tonight she would have thought it impossible for Brandon to ask her to betray her wedding vows but now...
"If he has, I need you to tell me. My lady, do not lie to protect him," he said, staring straight into her eyes, as if he was daring her to lie to him.
Catelyn quickly pulled away, averting her eyes away from his, putting some distance between them, by taking a step back, placing the chair between them.
"Brandon had never asked anything like this of me before. I have never broken my marriage vows, though I cannot say the same of your brother," Catelyn spit out, her pride more bruised than she would ever admit, and once more she has spoken before thinking, although it is not as if it is a secret that Brandon often forgoes his marriage bed in favour of a another, the evidence scattered around the North, and probably elsewhere if Catelyn is honest with herself.
"Brandon has not been a faithful husband, but we had hoped you soon have a son, setting your place here in stone, preventing ambitious men from trying to influence Brandon. Although, now I'm not so sure he has not completely lost his mind."
"What we?" Catelyn asked, wondering whom Ned had spoken with about matters such as these.
"Maester Luwin and I have spoken of it, though I know some of the bannermen are concerned, even if they do not speak up," Ned said gently.
Catelyn crossed her arms over her chest, bitterness burning inside her. "How am I supposed to have a son when my husband would rather send his brother to my bed then come himself."
"I'm sorry, my lady. I did not mean to offend," he said, stroking a hand through his hair before continuing. "We had hoped that Brandon would mature and take his role more seriously when Father died. That he would take his duty more seriously, a foolish hope perhaps, since it seems that he will not and now he uses his authority as Lord of Winterfell to entertain himself."
Ned appeared angry and a bit ashamed, even though he has nothing to feel shame over, he could not change his brother's ways, no more than she could.
"In the beginning, I thought something was wrong with me, that I was somehow to blame for Brandon's ways, but it seemed no matter how many times he came to my bed, he always craved the chase, and once I had been won I could no longer satisfy his needs." Catelyn said, more to herself than to Ned.
"Father used to call it the wolf blood, Lyanna had a touch of it and it drove her to an early grave and Brandon has always had more than a touch, and now it seems to consume him and is driving him to madness," Ned said, sitting down again as if the weight of his siblings' choices was weighing him down.
"He is a good man, Ned, and he wants to be a good lord." Catelyn said, knowing her words to be true, but also hoping that they will bring him comfort.
"I know," he agreed, though he also shook his head. "But sometimes that just isn't enough. Winter has not passed and yet Brandon is behaving as if it is a Southern summer. He spends too much time throwing feasts, and too little listening to the smallfolk. He thinks this is all a game and if he is not careful, many of them might die while we sit around feasting."
"He won't let that happen, surely he won't," Catelyn whispered, sitting herself back into her chair as well, pulling her feet up, wrapping her arms around them.
For a while they sit there staring at one another, challenging each other to look away. Catelyn looked at him and thought of the first time she saw him, when Brandon and he came home from the war, welcoming them home with Lana in her arms, although the two had only arrived a sennight before. Brandon had taken a look at his Tully looking daughter with his sister's name with hidden disappointment. Whether it had been Lana's looks or her sex, Catelyn did not know, although she suspected that it had to do with how little Lana resembled the late Lyanna Stark.
Ned for his part had greeted her in a calm manner, as was his way, and congratulated her on her marriage and child. If he was disappointed that Lana looked nothing like his sister, he did not show it, and as more time passed and it became clear that her daughter would not become more Stark like, he had confided in her that he was glad that she could make her own way and not be trapped by his sister's ghost, and Catelyn agreed.
A smile passed over her lips as she thought of her spirited daughter, Ned must have noticed because he looked at her with a strange expression.
"Why do you think he did this? Did he truly think I would just take you to bed? That I would come to your bed against your wishes?"
Catelyn is unaware as to what Brandon's motives might have been, especially with how possessive Brandon usually was, even before they were married, Brandon had rarely allowed other men to dance with her, and since their marriage, only Ned and Benjen had been allowed to dance with her more than the occasional short dance. Brandon would usually cut the dance short, and pull her to the side, holding her closer than he usually would as if to show his dominance. Acting as if she was a toy he did not want to share, even though he usually didn't want to play with it himself.
"I think he wants to unburden his conscience," Catelyn finally said, shrugging her shoulders.
"What do you mean?" Ned asked.
"When he beds other women, he doesn't want us to be standing over him, judging him. He doesn't want my embarrassment and your disappointment to follow him at feasts when he sneaks away with Lady Dustin or some poor kitchen maid," she explained.
Catelyn giggled at his shocked look; as if it were not common knowledge that Brandon frequently took the widow of his fallen friend to bed. The same woman Brandon often tried to match Ned with, against both of their wishes, the Lady Dustin no more interested in Ned than he was in his brother's mistress.
"If you have bedded me, Brandon probably thinks that the two of you are even, and that you cannot judge him from straying away from our marriage bed," Catelyn said, wondering how much thought Brandon had actually put into this.
Ned stroked a hand over his beard before speaking, "If that was his intent, then I guess he is going to be very disappointed in the morning."
Catelyn was about to protest when he put his hand up, silencing her, "It has nothing to do with me not finding you desirable. You are a beautiful woman, and Brandon should not treat you as he does. However, you are not mine to have and what if I got a child on you? What would Brandon do then? Would he raise my child as his own and should you have a boy, would he name it his heir?"
"So he says," Catelyn answered.
"What?" Ned exclaimed, his mouth open and his grey eyes staring at her in disbelief.
"That is what he said when I asked him. He said the babe would be a Stark and so it did not matter, although he was also certain you would take great care and not make another bastard," Catelyn answered truthfully, not sure if she should laugh or cry at Brandon's clear dismissal of her feelings on all of this.
To Be Continued…
AN: The next chapter will hopefully be up before next Friday if school doesn't bury me alive, but that chapter will be from Ned's perspective.
