9. Jon Snow.
The rangers did not return until three days later. Catelyn used that time to bond with her youngest son. He had opened up to her again and loved walking hand in hand with both Osha and his mother.
"I guess you are part of the Stark family now" Catelyn joked with Osha and they all laughed.
"But Mother" interjected Sansa "we are no longer Starks. You are Baratheon, I'm Lannister, and Jon is … Snow."
"Your names matter not, dear child" said Osha seeing Catelyn gasp. "You are still family" and Catelyn nodded at her gratefully.
The awkwardness of the moment was interrupted by the sound of the horn.
"They're back" shouted Rickon. "The rangers are back! Let's go, Jon might be back!"
And there he was, looking more like a young Ned than Catelyn remembered. How she hated that face. The face that had brought her shame and humiliation. Yet, that face also mirrored the one face she loved more than anything in this world. She had never been able to reconcile her feelings towards Jon.
The rangers went straight into the Lord Commander's chambers joined by other men of the Night Watch and even Stannis himself. As self-proclaimed rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms, it was his duty and responsibility to learn as much as he could of affairs that affected the realm.
When the meeting was over, Jon came running to where the women were.
"Sansa!" he cried hugging his half-sister and kissing her on the cheek.
"Oh, Jon, you're here! And you're alive!" she replied returning the embrace.
"Lady Stark" he nodded politely at Catelyn.
"It's Baratheon now" she replied sadly "and it's good to see you again, Jon." When he looked at her as if she had gone mad she added "A lot of things have happened."
"Did you see the Giants? Did you see the monsters? Did you kill them?"
"Whoa, slow down boy!" he told an overexcited Rickon. "No, I didn't see any monsters. But let's leave that for the soldiers, shall we? Did you show your mother and sister around?"
"Yes" he said beaming with pride.
"Thank you for letting him stay here with you and for protecting him" Catelyn told him.
"It's the least I could do. He's my brother. Half-brother" he corrected himself.
"Half or not, he is your brother, Jon" she said and he looked at her quizzically. "As I said, a lot of things have happened. Can we take a walk?"
"Certainly" he replied and guided her towards the yard.
"Your father would be very proud of you" Catelyn started.
"To be honest, this is not a place to be very proud of. Both he and uncle Benjen knew what this place was like and they still let me come" he replied icily.
"I may have played a role in that decision. I have done things to you that I'm not proud of. I will not apologize, that would be belittling you or what you mean to me. I know why I behaved the way I did. I had my reasons. But your father loved you very much."
"Do you know who my mother was?"
"No, I do not. And that question has been plaguing me for almost twenty years. It is the one thing I could never forgive your father. He shamed me and humiliated me and then had the nerve to bring that shame into my house so that I could see it every day. It is not your fault. It was him I was angry with, not you. I loved Ned with all my heart and could not direct my anger at him, so I directed it at you. And for that I will apologize. But I do not know who your mother was. He never told me. It's the one secret he kept from me."
"You loved him, yet, from what I have heard, you did not wait much to wed again. ... Stannis?"
"Do not do this Jon. You have no idea what your brothers and sisters have gone through, what I have been through. As I said, a lot of things have happened. A few weeks after you left for the Wall, an assassin came for Bran. We suspected it was the Lannisters. Ned was in King's Landing with the girls, I had to warn him of the dangers we could be facing. So I went to King's Landing and a person I trusted told me the dagger belonged to the Imp."
"Tyrion Lannister would never try to kill Bran. He even came up with an idea for a saddle so that he could ride again."
"I know that now. But my friend lied to me. I kidnapped Lord Tyrion and took him to my sister's to be tried. But then things just escalated from there. The war started. Instead of returning home to Bran and Rickon I stayed with Robb and helped him with his campaign. Ned was killed. Sansa was held prisoner by the Queen and then forced to marry Lord Tyrion. Arya disappeared. Then we received word that Theon had attacked Winterfell and killed Bran and Rickon. Robb broke an oath he had made to the Freys and we were betrayed. I am sure you have heard of what happened at the Twins in that wedding."
"Yes, Robb was killed. And so were you, I thought" his accusation not lost on Catelyn.
"I was. But then Lady Melisandre used her magic to bring me back" and she raised her hand as if to stop the barrage of questions coming her way. "Do not ask me what it is. I do not understand it. But I am back. They intended to use me to get the North and gather an army to win the throne. That's why I had to marry Stannis. I miss you father dearly. I have not forgotten him. Not a day goes by when I do not think of him" or talk to him, she added to herself. "But Stannis has helped me get Sansa back. Now we have found Rickon. I have not lost hope that we can find Arya and Bran. And I am glad we have found you. You have his face" and he flinched slightly as she brought her fingers to his cheek. "You are part of him. I couldn't care less about who sits in the Iron Throne or the strange creatures lurking beyond the Wall. I just want to go back home with whatever family I can get back. And that includes you, Jon".
"I – I don't know … don't know what to say, Lady Stark" he stuttered.
"As much as it pains me, I'm not Lady Stark anymore. Call me Catelyn, or whatever you feel most comfortable with" and then she added with a sad smile "Just don't call me Lady Baratheon."
"You don't look like a Lady Baratheon" he smiled back and they made their way back to the Common Room where a meeting was being called.
I'm proud of you, Cat. "Ned? Oh Ned. Why did you do this to me? All this time I hated the poor boy knowing full well it was not his fault but yours. I just couldn't bring myself to be angry at you. I still can't" I'm so sorry Cat, I really am. But I'm glad you two can make up. You should have done that years ago. "Maybe you should have told me who his mother was years ago" she snapped back at her husband. I'm sorry Cat. "Not even now?" I'm sorry. I can't. "Is she alive?" Cat, don't do this. I don't want to fight you, not now. "Well, then leave." Don't cry. "Why Ned? Just leave. I don't want to talk to you right now." And she wiped the tears off her eyes before walking into the Common Room.
TBC