CATELYN

When her father had arrived late in the evening to her chambers, Catelyn had not known what to expect. Certainly the last thing she expected to hear from her Lord Father's voice was that she was to put on an unmarked cloak and to go down to the docks with an escort in the guise of Lord Tytos Blackwood—also dressed with an unmarked cloak. Her cloak was quite large enough to hide her nearly seven month swell.

As Catelyn did as her father bid her, she asked, "Why such secrecy?"

"You'll see, Cat… you'll see…" said her father with an odd mixture between a smile and frown and an odd tone to his voice.

The trip from the Tower of the Hand to the docks proved to be far less troublesome when the streets were mostly abandoned at night, with only the goldcloak patrols for company. Lord Tytos walked with his arm linked with hers, going as fast as she felt she could waddle through the streets. Catelyn had now grown used to the smell of King's Landing and the wafting scent of the nearly cleared battlefield beyond it. Such a thought made her stomach turn at its implications.

They arrived at the docks as the last bit of sunlight slid beneath the western horizon. Much to her surprise there were two men who met them at the entrance to the harbor. From the years of study she had devoted during her long betrothal to Brandon, she recognized the Northern sigils immediately. Two crossed battle axes on a yellow field: House Dustin. A silver gauntlet on a red field: House Glover. They made their introductions then: Lord Willam Dustin, and Ethan Glover. Both of whom had been with her husband. It seemed her husband had returned to her. Catelyn immediately rubbed the swell of her belly with pride, imagining how well favored she would be received for bringing her husband a son in but a few months' time. She also feared this meeting—why would he return and send for her to come in secret? That gave her ill bodings.

Lord Tytos and herself were escorted to a ship and taken to a tiny cabin inside of which stood her Lord husband. It was here that Lord Tytos took off his cloak and Catelyn dropped her hood and greeted her husband. He seemed rather nervous, more like Petyr had when they and Lysa and begun kissing games at Riverrun. He greeted her by taking her hand and a kiss upon each cheek. Such a greeting while not uncommon was not what one would expect from a husband and wife—but then Eddard and she hardly knew one another, despite what the swell of her belly proved. She was brought a stool by her husband, and urged to sit, for which she was quite grateful for his attentiveness. Lord Tytos was asked to give them a moment alone, and with a nod he did so.

She began by saying, "Not that I am ungrateful to see you safe and sound, my lor—Eddard, but why the secrecy? Did you not find your sister?"

"Ned, please call me Ned," encouraged her husband. Ned? The Bloody Wolf wanted her to call him Ned? Had she not seen the remains of the battlefield, she'd doubt the word of her husband's deeds.

"Of course, but you did not answer my questions," she reminded.

"Aye I did find my sister, and I would have you meet her before we part, but is it not enough that I wished to see you, Catelyn?" he asked her.

"If you are to be Ned, then you must call me Cat," she added.

He smiled at this and then said, "Aye, so it shall." He then paused for a moment, as if gathering his nerve. "I wished to see you, and our growing child. To speak with you and introduce you to some people before the King would have need of me… Cat."

At mention of their future babe, Catelyn proudly felt her swelling body. She received a kick in response. The future heir to Winterfell grew within her—of that she was quite sure. And so she unhooked her cloak and let it fall where it may. She would happily show her future husband what she could of his son to be.

"Your son and heir grows strong within me, Ned, I feel quite confident in saying that it is a son."

Ned stared in wonder at her, as though he had never seen a woman quick with child before—she doubted that very much.

"You look on with amazement," she observed.

"Aye… to think that that is the result of one night amazes me… I do not say that to cause any offense, Cat, but it makes me wonder about our future propensity for children."

She bristled slightly at the obviously unconscious suggestion that he might have doubted that one night was enough to get her with child, but then he had seen her maiden blood on the sheets. She knew that he knew that she had come to him a maiden, and she also knew that he had not, by his own admission. But she put aside these thoughts—it would do no good for her marriage if she imagined every word he spoke to be a slight to her. He obviously had not a way with words, and as such she would have to see to it that she did not imagine intentions behind his words that were not there.

So she made a peace offering to his apology for his unintended offense, "I would like to have a large family, my lord, to help amend for your loss."

At this her husband looked at her with an obvious gratitude, gone was the icy exterior he'd had before now.

He was restrained in his response, but still obviously very grateful. "I would not ask that of you if you did not wish for it, Cat."

She smiled as he gallantly kissed her hand. She could very easily grow to become fond of her new husband, the way he was treating her. He was being so attentive and considerate, that Cat nearly imagined herself her nickname's namesake and having been given cream to lap up.

She should have savored that moment more.

He continued, "That makes what I have to say though that much harder."

"Is it unpleasant news, Ned?" she asked, fearful of such a warning.

"I fear you might find it as much," he replied bluntly. He then continued, "But after giving it some careful consideration, I think the best thing would be for the truth to be between us, do you not, Cat?"

Catelyn did not like where all this preamble was leading, it caused her son within her to move about uneasily.

"Aye, I would always wish to have the truth from you, Ned, even if it is… unpleasant," she admitted.

At least then I would know that I am worth the truth, if you do admit as much to me.

He began, "I found my sister in Dorne. While there I discovered an abandoned babe who has been orphaned by the war. Seeing as the child has no one else in the world, I have decided to take him in as my ward until he is a man-grown."

Such news as this, while disconcerting, Catelyn could not understand why she would be expected to find it displeasing. That nobles took in wards was common enough practice, and that her husband was good enough to do so for a babe orphaned by the war, why that spoke of a kind and gentle heart that Catelyn could very well see herself falling in love with, were it to be expressed more openly to her. If anything such an act tempered any fears she had at her husband being a Bloody Wolf in marriage as much as in war, and it endeared him to her more.

"My lord, I would be happy to help you raise your ward. Mayhaps when he is of age to squire, I might write to my nuncle Brynden, the Blackfish, so that he may have a chance to earn his own way in this world," she suggested.

At this a faint smile appeared on her husband's lips, and Catelyn knew she had well-pleased him with such an offer.

"I cannot imagine why you thought that might displease me, Ned, it would be good for our son to have a boy like a brother close in his age to play with," she admitted.

"Aye… but I have been holding back the part that I fear to tell you, Cat," he admitted.

That had not been the news he wished to tell her? She the sighed and said, "Then say it, Ned, and be done with it."

He then took a breath and said, "Cat, you'll recall on our wedding night that I admitted to having only been with one other woman before we were to be married, do you not?"

That sinking feeling she had felt earlier suddenly began to claw and drag her spirits down. He wasn't about to… no…

"Aye, but that was before any connection was made between the two of us" she admitted, half feeling the need to remind herself of how the situation had been at the time to quell the clawing feelings.

"Well, like our one night, it too resulted in—"

No…

"A bastard, my lord?" she interrupted.

"Aye. I have a bastard son," he confessed.

The claws of her jealousy sunk in deep. Who was this woman who had seduced her husband and given him a son before she could? Did Ned seek to put his bastard son ahead of hers?

By the Seven! It is bad enough that he had a bastard, but a bastard son?

But he is a babe, nothing more, and one who was conceived when I was to marry Brandon. To hold it against Ned would be ridiculous. He owed me nothing at that time, and he is trying to be honorable in at least telling me about his existence.

But his bastard is older than my son… and could possibly be a threat one day.

Only if I fail my duty to my son.

"I am sorry Cat," he said

With some amount of restraint, Catelyn held back her jealousy as much as she could. Her husband had not broken his vows to her, and was being honest with her-that alone was worth holding back and quelling any amount of jealousy. Were he to have hidden the truth from her, then she might have cause to resent him more, but with it spoken in the open?

She forced herself to voice these thoughts, pushing back against jealousy's claws, "For what do you apologize? You have not broken our marriage vows. By his existence now, the babe was conceived before you were to marry me. Were you to have broken your vows to me, he'd not yet be born. Unless of course you are apologizing for not having told me before of his existence?"

"I knew not of Jon until a moon ago. I am sorry for causing you pain, Cat," he admitted.

And in that moment, Catelyn felt the claws of jealousy lose their grip, if only for the moment. He was genuinely concerned for how she felt, and to have that in her husband, was worth enduring a bastard son's existence.

"Would you care to meet my sister?" he asked her.

"Aye, I would like to meet my goodsister," she agreed, and her husband helped her too her feet and retrieved her cloak and put it about her shoulders once more.

She was thankful that Ned had told her of the boy's existence, and she felt that as long as the boy stayed in the relative unknown with his mother, that she would be able to continue on without ever having to give the boy another thought.

Looking back, she should not have been so optimistic.

In the second cabin, she was introduced to her goodsister. And Catelyn was able to see for the first time the face which began this entire war. It was not a particularly beautiful face, at least not in the classic sense, but it was hardly plain or ugly either. Instead it was a face which held a beauty that was more than the sum of its parts. But how this could inspire the dragon prince to have abducted her, Catelyn knew not.

But these concerns became secondary when a gurgle caught the attention of her ears, and she turned to see a makeshift cradle tucked away in a tight corner of the cramped cabin. It was in that cradle she saw two babes, both wide awake. There were like night and day to one another—one could pass for a Targaryen princeling, were it not for his blue eyes who she took to be her husband's ward. The other… was her husband in miniature form—like the son she wished to give him.

"You brought him with you?" asked Catelyn as she turned to her husband's face. He nodded, admitting as such. She felt her hands unconsciously go to the swell of her belly at that moment.

What if my son does not resemble his father as much?

She was shocked at this news, "Why does he travel with you? Does he not have a mother?"

Her husband lowered his head and woefully said, "I take my son in because his mother is dead."

Catelyn felt rather foolish and a bit guilty for a moment for having spoken in such a way about the woman. A woman, who she could obviously tell Eddard cared for to have taken in their son. But that only made the grip of jealousy's claws sink in further.

"Who was she?" asked Catelyn, needing to know

Her husband was silent for a moment before speaking, looking towards his sister for a moment before answering, "Lady Ashara Dayne."

A highborn bastard on both sides… the most dangerous kind. And a Dornishman to boot… in thirteen years' time there'll be servant girls in Winterfell big with his bastards.

"Do you mean to take him to Winterfell, my lord?" she asked.

He admitted, "Aye, I do."

"Can't the Daynes look after their own fallen star?" asked Catelyn.

"He is as much a Stark as he is a Dayne," mumbled her goodsister.

That is the reason why he is dangerous to my son to come.

Catelyn ignored her goodsister's remark and looked her lord husband in the eye, "What have I done to deserve such a slight, my lord?"

He flatly said, "I intend no slight to you, Cat."

She recalled that he did not intentionally mean to slight her before, mayhaps now was nothing different, so she would have to explain it to him, "Bringing your bastard son into the home we mean to share, I would call a slight."

"I would have him grow up at Winterfell with his brother to be, my heir."

"Now you're just making a mess of things, Ned," added Lyanna

"Why must he come to Winterfell?" she asked.

Her goodsister surprisingly answered her, "It is a tradition amongst the Starks to take in their bastards and raise them alongside their trueborn kin."

This was news to Catelyn, she had not read this in all her lessons of the North that she had taken pains to procure in preparation for her marriage to Brandon.

Her husband added, "Like the wolf of our sigil, we see ourselves as a pack, and the pack is strongest when together and raised as a pack. We've had no troubles with bastards as a result in our history."

Catelyn expressed her doubts, "That may be so in the past, but the old washerwoman's saying remains that one time can overturn many others."

"If it is our son's inheritance and security you fear, then I would say that from our history, you have more to fear from our cadet branches and the Boltons, than you do of any Stark bastards. Jon will remain my bastard for as long as I live, but I would have him know his brother and Winterfell," her husband disclosed.

Their words seemed to make sense, but still those feelings gnawed at her. She would make one thing very clear.

She sighed before speaking, "You may bring him as you please, my lord. Clearly I have little say in the matter, but do not expect me to be a mother to that boy."

Her husband seemed to let loose a breath she had not been aware that he had been holding on to. It was her goodsister who responded, much to her shock.

"You may not be his mother, but you will treat him kindly," growled her goodsister.

With some difficulty, Catelyn said, "If he proves to be as good a brother and a son as you believe he will, he will find little to complain of my treatment of him."

But even as she said as much, she doubted that he would ever prove to be either.

"Thank you, Cat," spoke her husband.

It was then that Catelyn asked if she might be allowed now to return to the castle. Her husband looked at her for a few moments before nodding his ascent and as quick as she could she left that blasted room and returned to the company of Lord Tytos, who escorted her all the way back to the Red Keep without incident.

Catelyn wanted to cry, but she held it back, wishing for the comfort which only solitude or her sister might be able to provide, but when she had returned to the Tower of the Hand, she was approached by her sister with troubles of her own.

"Oh Cat, where have you been? Have you heard anything of father?" asked Lysa frantically.

Catelyn answered, "No, Lysa."

Lysa's explanation came as quick as a lightning strike, "Last I had heard he and the King were to meet with Lord Tywin on some urgent matter! They say the Dragonstone Fleet has made sail, do you think they'll try to take the city?"

The Dragonstone Fleet had made sail? Seven help them if that were the case—there was no fleet to defend the city if that were the case. But for the life of her, Catelyn could not find it within herself to become worked up over such news… not when the image of her husband's bastard still plagued her thoughts.