Catelyn shuts her eyes tight, her fists sticking against her hips, her body shaking slightly. Her shivers intensify when the boy's lips touch hers. She doesn't like it, but it's their game of the moment so she doesn't want to be the killjoy. Her cheeks turn peachy and, when she opens her eyes again, Petyr Baelish is looking triumphantly at her. She smiles slightly and looks down: it's not from excitement she blushes. It's from shame and repulsion. Lysa, by her side, jumps up and down, excited:

"My turn, my turn!" her little girl's voice shouts. Petyr gives a last look to Catelyn before joining her.

The boy had arrived in Riverrun to be forstered by Lord Tully. Lysa had fallen in love the minute he met them. But Petyr had not. Catelyn hadn't needed much time to realize he loved her. The way he looked at her, how he was insisting about playing that kiss game with them two, not only Lysa… He was three years younger than Cat, and, when she had been looking at him, she had only seen another little brother. It's true they had become very close, because they had loved having a stranger in Riverrun, but Catelyn was seeing him as a brother, not as a potential lover.

A servant calls them for dinner and they rush back to the castle, running. Catelyn takes her time, looking at her home, her landscape. She knows, as a lord's daughter, that she will have to leave Riverrun one day, to marry a man her father would have chosen. She doesn't mind that fact, unlike Lysa. Catelyn trusts her father to find her a man worthy of her. Tho, as she grows older, she knows this day gets closer, and she kind of dread it. Her heart will be broken when she will have to leave her father, her siblings, and Riverrun. How she loves Riverrun… The thick sandstones walls rising from the water, its great waterwheel turned by the Tumblestone, everything is magnificent and noble. Rain starts pouring as they get by the castle and Catelyn, unexpectedly, slows down to feel the soft and warm rain on her face and hair. She looks behind her at the godswood and smiles softly. They are all raised in the Faith of the Seven, and she loves her gods. After her mother died, she had often been there, and had cried, hiding from her siblings, because she was now the Lady of Riverrun, her father said, and she had to be strong and brave. She would mourn her mother, yes, but not in front of the others. Lysa calls at her and she joins them.

When they get in the dining room, Hoster is already sit. He glances at them and they quickly sit down in turn, knowing they're late. They all start eating silently, but Catelyn notices her sister is not here. She looks up at her father:

"Where is Ailys?" she asks.

"Sleeping", Hoster retorts coldly.

The baby is two years old now, but Hoster still shows no affection for her. It hurts Cat a lot, but she never talks about it. She knows it would be not appropriated for her to talk about these things with her father. Women dying in childbirth are very common, and it's common for the fathers to hold their children responsible for their wives' deaths. Catelyn plays with her fork, not very hungry. A single look from her father makes her eat. Outside, a thunderstorm has broken out. In the middle of the thunders, the lightning and the rain pouring hard on the castle, they hear Aylis crying. Catelyn stands up but her father coldly says:

"Sit down and finish your plate, Cat."

A servant comes to him:

"Should I go, my Lord?"

He shakes his head and she walks back to her place. Catelyn tries to eat, but the cries make her feel sick. Is she because she's a girl? But, no. She looks at Lysa, who eats quietly. Edmure doesn't react either. Aylis cries louder and louder, calling at her father, a servant, one of her sisters, anyone. Catelyn imagines her, red, her tears rolling down her cheeks, despair in her eyes. The sound stops suddenly but, instead of cries, those are scarier sounds. Catelyn stands up and exclaims:

"She's choking!"

No one moves and she runs out, not listening to her father commanding her to come back. She runs in the stairs, climbing the steps quickly, and rushes in the room. A foul odour makes her walk back at first, but after a few seconds, she walks to the crib: Aylis has tried to stand up but she couldn't, swaddle up. Catelyn winces when she sees she has thrown up everywhere but she still takes her in her arms, rocking her gently. She feels, disgusted, Aylis's mouth wiping against her beautiful hair, but she doesn't say anything, she keeps comforting her and takes her to her own room. Walking by a servant, she explains the bed sheets need to be changed in Aylis's room. The baby stops crying when they get in the room and Cat takes a washcloth and water to wipe her burning face. Aylis looks at her with big eyes and falls asleep in her bed when Cat huddles against her. Her heart still furiously hammers in her chest: she was so scared. She does not want to lose her sister. She closes her eyes and tries to find sleep.

The following morning, she decides to go see her father. It has been raining all night long, and Lysa wants them to play outside in the mud, but she wants to see him first. She knocks on the door of the room where he works, and his voice says:

"Come in."

She opens, blinded an instant by the sun shining through the window. Hoster has opened it, and a fresh wind makes Cat shiver a bit. He puts his quill on the wooden desk and turns to his oldest child:

"Hello cat", he softly says.

She walks to him and lays a kiss on her cheek.

"Father, can I ask you something?"

"Of course", he turns his chair to look at her.

"Why do you hate Aylis?" she directly asks.

Hoster sighs and shakes his head:

"I don't hate your sister…"

Cat stares at him: she would like to yell at him, but she can't, so she lets him speak. The Lord of Riverrun stands up and walks to the window, facing the river, his hands on his back, crossing them, his fingers fidgeting nervously.

"She reminds me so much of your mother, Cat. You do too, but Aylis is really the one who looks the most like her. That's why it's so hard for me to… even look at her face. I love her, she's my child, it's just… too hard sometimes."

As he says that, he remains still, his blue eyes scrutinizing his land. Catelyn walks closer to him and slips her hand in his. He looks down and smiles slightly at her:

"Her first word was 'Father', did you know that?" she asks him.

He nods slightly:

"A servant told it to me…"

"She will never disappoint you, Father. I'm sure of that."

Cat opens her arms and wraps them around Hoster's waist. He holds back his tears, and hugs her tight.

"Now, go play with your sisters and brother", he whispers against her hair.

"Alright Father", Cat nods and leaves.

Hoster stares at the door long after she left and whispers "If only you had not died, Minisa…"

Outside the castle, Catelyn runs to find her siblings and Petyr. She follows the laughs she's hearing and sees Edmure chased by a laughing Aylis, clumsily running after him. Lysa is on the ground, her dress already ruined by mud and she looks up at Cat, waves at her so she joins her. Cat happily joins, and they create a mud cake. Petyr is either with Edmure or them and, when the cake is done, he insists on eating it. Giggling all along, the sisters staring stunned at him, he eats the whole "cake". When he stands up, triumphant, his face turns white and he rushes back in the castle. The Tullys burst out laughing and keep playing until they're all too tired and too dirty to go on. When they get back in, a servant tells them Petyr has thrown up and feels really bad. Catelyn changes her clothes into cleaner ones and she goes see him. She feels a bit ashamed of what happened. Petyr is in a bed, his pale very face, his green-grayish eyes closed. He doesn't look like he is in pain, he's probably just sleeping. She sits by his side and slips her hand in his:

"I'm sorry Petyr", she whispers.

"Cat…." The boy mumbles, in a way that makes the young girl shiver violently.