CATELYN

Catelyn was shocked, and Robb and Uncle Brynden as well. The news had reached them that Petyr Baelish had married Lysa, crowned Robert Arryn King of the Mountain and Vale and declared himself Lord Regent. After what she'd seen at the Eyrie, Catelyn knew that no man would marry her sister except for power. She also remembered something even more disturbing.

"When I went to King's Landing with the dagger the assassin had tried to kill Bran with, Petyr told me that he had lost it in a bet to the Imp when he, Petyr, bet on the Kingslayer in a tourney. When I arrested the Imp he told me that he never bet against his brother. Half a year later, I went to see the Kingslayer in his cell to trade news of his family with him for information. He admitted that he was the father of all of his sister's children, and that he had pushed Bran from the tower because Bran had seen the two of them together. But he claimed that neither he nor either of siblings had sent the assassin after Bran. He wouldn't have had the chance to confer with his brother on their stories. Did Petyr lie to me, and if he did, why? And if none of the Lannisters sent the assassin, who did?" She was trembling now. Robb and Uncle Brynden looked deeply disturbed.

Then Catelyn remembered something else, something that she was loathe to share, but she knew that she must let Robb and Uncle Brynden know. "While Father was dying at Riverrun he often spoke to me thinking I was Lysa. He kept saying 'tansy, tansy,' and 'forgive me…the blood." When I asked who Tansy was and if she still lived he said, 'Dead…you'll have others…sweet babes, and trueborn.'" Catelyn paused, and gulped.

"After Lysa and I were wed on the same day our new husbands rode off to fight the Mad King. Both of us missed our moon blood, and Lysa was thrilled at the thought that both of us were carrying sons who would be best friends with each other." Catelyn's heart ached as she remembered how happy her sister and been, and what had happened next. "But not long after that Lysa's moon blood came, and all of the joy went out of her. At the time I assumed that she had only been a little late, but…"

"She had been carrying a child," Uncle Brynden finished grimly. "But it wasn't her husband's. So my lord brother made her drink moon tea." Robb looked horrified. His aunt soiled herself, and his grandfather forced her to destroy the babe that resulted while it was still in her womb.

"Father had sent Petyr home not long before that, as soon as he had recovered from the wounds Brandon inflicted on him. Could he have been the father? Lysa was always very fond of him."

"I never thought that he reciprocated those feelings," Uncle Brynden said.

"Perhaps he did," Catelyn said. Did I know Petyr at all? Did I know my own sister at all. Then another awful thought came to Catelyn's mind. Neither Sansa nor Arya wre happy about their future husbands. Would either of them or even both of them seek solace in another man's bed? Perhaps even bear another man's child? That's what Cersei Lannister did, and look what resulted. Catelyn wanted to believe that both of her daughters were too honorable for that. But Lysa bedded another man, and was carrying his child, and I never knew it. What else is there about my sister that I don't know? What is there about my daughters that I don't know? But Catelyn could not worry about safeguarding her daughters' virtue for the future now. She needed to deal with the situation at hand.

"When Petyr was at court in King's Landing, Sansa was there as well," Catelyn said. She told a serving girl to go fetch Sansa.

Sansa looked sullen as ever. "What do you want?" she asked rudely. Catelyn decided to let it pass. This was too important.

"Lord Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin at King's Landing, has just married Aunt Lysa and declared himself Lord Regent of the Kingdom of the Mountain and Vale. I wanted to know what you'd observed of him during your time in King's Landing."

Sansa's looked taken aback, and then resumed her usual bored, sullen expression. "He never did anything to help me, if that's what you're asking. He told the Queen that he was going to the Eyrie to try to convince Aunt Lysa to join forces with Joffrey. Then he left." She looked around. "Why?"

Before Catelyn could say anything, Robb spoke first. "Uncle, you must go to the Eyrie at once with as many men as I can spare. Make sure that Aunt Lysa and Robert are safe, and seek the lords of the Vale"—Maester Luwin ran in, breathless.

"Your grace, I just received a raven from Lord Commander Mormont at Castle Black. The Others have risen beyond the Wall! He says to come at once with as much force as possible!"