Proposal

"My lady, may I ask, is that…?"

"A marriage proposal, yes," Catelyn replies to Maester Luwin.

Maybe it is a bit early. Definitely early, but not entirely unexpected.

Not even the sender's identity surprises her. Not really.

She looks at the parchment in her hand but nothing else. It arrived half an hour ago sealed with a mocking bird.

"Will you accept it?" The maester asks her after a while.

"No." How could she? "He is a dear friend of mine, and, I have no doubt, the best intents lead him. But after the capital, the North would bore him, and his presence is indispensable to the realm's wellbeing."

According to Lysa, who wrote about him to Catelyn from time to time, almost proudly. And it is not hard to imagine that what she says is true. Petyr was always ambitious and clever enough to achieve his goals.

And many years ago he was… Well, it is already in the past. In spite of it…

"I never would be able to marry to him." She puts aside the message and turns to the Maester. "Besides I could never marry to someone from the south." For the lords of the North it's more than enough that Catelyn herself came from the South. "And I won't take a husband from the northerners either."

"Never is a long term, my lady. And you are still young," Maester Luwin notes.

Yes, she is young, only twenty-six. And she is a woman.

A new husband could push her aside and lay a claim to the North. Apparently he would do.

Catelyn cannot allow that to happen.

She is also young enough to bear more children.

A new husband could demand that those children, his children, inherit Winterfell instead of Robb. And maybe he would do anything that it has to be done to ensure that.

Catelyn cannot allow that to happen.

"Nothing can be more important than Robb and Winterfell. I have no other desire only to know them safe. So 'never' fits me very well."

Maester Luwin nods. "As you wish, my lady."

She wishes that way. It is expected of her to get married again, but Catelyn does not care about expectations and conventions, for once. She has a home and a family and she will not entrust anyone else with them.

And… she still loves Ned. Maybe that is a childish excuse, a lot of people would say it does not matter, but she does love him and for her it matters.