CATELYN
She was wandering along the edge of a serene brook, weaving her footsteps in and out, smiling and shining. It was near sunset. The towers of Riverrun could be seen distantly through a soft summer haze that rendered them in purplish impressionistic hues, and over the grassy field between her and the keep swam an ocean of fireflies.
I am dead, I think.
But it wasn't a frightened sort of thought. It was resigned. Perhaps she would even find Robb. Bran, Rickon, Ned, her father—all the ones she'd lost.
"Catelyn!"
Her heart ballooned at the familiar sound of her husband's voice. She broke into a trot. When she reached Ned she threw her arms around him and went in for a kiss, but he pulled away. Something was wrong.
"Ned?"
"It's me, Catelyn."
"What is it?"
"Um…"
Eddard Stark, slain lord of Winterfell, turned his face toward the setting sun. For a moment red and gold light painted him in the colors of House Lannister. Catelyn frowned.
"Tell me," she insisted.
"It's Jinglebell," Ned said at last.
"What?"
"You killed that retarded guy, Catelyn."
Walder Frey crouching like a twisted gremlin in his enormous oak throne, the pagan boom, boom, boom, boom of the drum, the crossbow bolts, the screams—she clutched her chest and staggered, but Ned caught her.
"They betrayed us—"
"But Catelyn, eww!" Ned cried. "You almost sawed his head off! It's not like he did anything wrong. In fact, out of all the Freys, it's possible he's the only one who didn't do anything wrong at all."
"They murdered our son!" Catelyn shouted. "Our king! Walder Frey killed Robb!"
Ned shook his head and mugged regretfully. "He wasn't even a point-of-view character though," he said.
"What on earth are you talking about?!"
"I'm talking about you killing a retarded guy for no reason!" Ned shouted back. "Listen, I could put up with all the abuse you gave Jon Snow. I know he always reminded you of my side-ho. But look: I just can't get past you vengefully ripping that knife back and forth across Jinglebell's throat. I'm sorry, Catelyn. We're getting a… ghost divorce."
Catelyn sank to the ground and wept. For a while Eddard stood there, his long shadow lying across her shuddering form like a cloak. Then he turned and walked off, leaving her to her tears and her afterlife.