Katarina woke up, but kept her eyes shut and body still. Pain was the perfect word to sum up the previous night. Although she put all of her trust in Robb, it seemed impossible to accomplish without any pain, and she still felt the remnants of that pain as she laid still.
After gaining enough confidence, Katarina slightly opened her eyes only to see the emptiness of where her husband would have been. She felt somewhat grateful for being alone, due to a small amount of embarrassment. Wrapping the fur blanket around her, she sat up and took a good look at her new chambers which she hadn't gotten a chance to admire before. Hanging on the wall was a banner with the Stark family sigil, a dire wolf. The progress she made last night seemed to melt away when everything she laid eyes upon made her feel like an outsider.

Breakfast

She couldn't have felt more ecstatic when she saw the dining hall was only occupied by her sister and a girl whom she did not recognize. They spoke as if they had known each other for years; she was always envious of how quickly people warmed up to her sister. Aurora stopped mid-sentence when she spotted Katarina and gestured to the seat across from her with a wide grin.
Katarina quickly rushed to the table and reached for an apple, hoping to be able to embrace the silence if she had a mouthful but that was only wishful thinking.
"Kat, I want you to meet Rose," she gestured towards the girl "She's a maid of the Starks. As you know we plan to leave late afternoon, so you are going to need a friend. Who better than Rose?"
"Pleased to meet you, my lady." Rose had a head full of vibrant red hair and eyes that matched Winterfell's forest.
Before Katarina could even speak, she was rudely interrupted by her sister's impatient questions.
"So" she mouthed slowly "how was last night?" she inched closer as if the news was top secret.
"Fine. It was fine." She muttered. Rose and Aurora exchanged unsatisfied looks before complaining.
"Oh you're such a brute, Katarina! Why don't you stop torturing me and share your experience. Rose won't say a word either, right?" Rose quickly nodded in agreement.
Kat sighed in aggravation. "Very well, if you must know, last night was purely embarrassing and painful. There, does that fit to your liking, or shall I go further into detail?" Her sarcastic tone had a harsh bitterness.
Aurora tilted her head with a sympathetic smile "It will get better little sister. You have my word." She gently laid a consoling hand on hers. Katarina glanced down at her bright red apple in silence, clearly wanting the conversation to be over.
"I heard news of the Lannisters and King Robert coming to Winterfell days from now." Rose added, breaking the silence. Katarina heard many stories about the Lannisters, and the bad ones outweighed the good.
Just as she brought the apple to her mouth, ready to indulge, she nearly dropped it after what she had just heard. "Days? Why so short of notice?"
"King Robert left King's Landing in hopes of making it to the wedding. Unfortunately the Old Gods planned otherwise, but that was no excuse to turn back." Kat was curious on how Rose knew so much.
"Where did you hear this?" she asked, her voice barley there.
"Being a maid here has its benefits, my lady." She smirked.
"I only wish I could be here to see it." Aurora pouted "I hear that Jaime Lannister is the finest knight of all seven kingdoms, with hair as yellow as the heaven's light."
"I also heard that he is the King Slayer," Katarina muttered bluntly, not taking her eyes off of the apple she slowly devoured. Her sister narrowed her eyes while Rose smiled inwardly.
"May I remind you that the King he slaughtered was the mad King?" Her sister challenged.
"May I remind you that you are married, murdering every possibility you dream of with "Jaime Lannister" anyway" Kat responded with a winning smile. Rose's eyes shifted between the two of them in anticipation of what would be said next, but Aurora only chuckled in response, Katarina joining as well.

Late afternoon

About an hour had passed since Katarina saw her family off back to Winchester. A part of her felt relief for the fact that the trouble her family brought had left with them, but also sorrow for the fact that now she was truly alone. From her short stay here, Katarina learned that the women of the North gossiped about every little thing you could offer them, and she kept that in mind as she roamed inside the castle walls with her head held high. Sounds of iron swords clashing against one another in the distance caused unease to build up in the pit of her stomach. Her small hands gripped the sides of her dress as she hurried over to the ruckus.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw Robb and Jon sparring while Arya rooted for Jon and Bran for Robb. Both men had stern faces and tight jaws while they circled each other like cats. It was in her best interest to stay clear of the competitor's way so she rushed to Arya's side.
"Who's winning?" she whispered, not taking her eyes from the two.
Arya looked up and answered in pure amusement "Jon! If Jon wins it'll be great because then Bran has to give me his knights' helmet."
"Shut up, Arya!" Bran screamed from behind them "You're not getting anything from me because Robb will win!" Arya only basked in Bran's anger as she turned back around. "Come on Robb!" he yelled in desperation.
At the moment it seemed unclear who would win and who would yield, but Katarina didn't find herself rooting for either Robb or Jon. She only watched the precise and skilled movement that each one made. For a moment Robb's eyes met with Katarina's but a moment was all it took as Jon knocked him off of his feet and to the ground. Katarina discreetly covered her mouth as she giggled to herself, but it was Arya who laughed hysterically while pointing a finger at Bran who stormed off. Jon offered Robb his hand with a smug smirk planted on his face. He pulled him up and patted his back as if to show good sportsmanship.
"All it takes is a second Robb, and then you die." He chuckled before turning to Katarina and giving her a small nod and heading to the stables.
"You cost me a fight." He walked towards her with both arms stretched out on either side of him.
"Well If I would have known my presence was too distracting, I would have stayed inside. "The colder and colder the days got, the whiter her breath showed in front of her.
"Oh, I was only joking." His smile revealed a row of perfect teeth.
"I know, as was I." she surprised herself with the smart tongue she developed and spoke in front of Robb. To her luck he didn't seemed to mind it, in fact he may have even liked it. "I hear news of the Lannister's coming to visit, is that so?"
His lips tightened at the sound of the Lannister name. He looked at her questioningly before continuing "Yes, they are. They were said to arrive in a matter of days."
She nodded at the news she was already aware of thanks to Rose. Silence fell over them as she urged to find something to say but he beat her to the punch.
"It's colder than usual today; are you not cold?" he asked, noticing her hugging herself.
She didn't realize how cold she was until he said it "A bit. I'm use to the heat." It was another thing she could add to the list of being an outsider. When she looked up at him, he seemed out of it like he wasn't listening. His mind was elsewhere as his eyes wondered above them. Confused, she looked up to see what he was looking at and discovered Lord Stark on the balcony speaking with his bastard son. She tried to make out bits and pieces of what they were saying but "KnightWatch" was all she got.
"KnightsWatch." She whispered mostly to herself.