Cassie, again thank you so much. I swear I could not have done this without you! Enjoy everyone3.
The godswood in Winterfell had a life of its own; it was peaceful yet so alive with its vibrant colors. Catelyn let the light breeze take her unbound hair with it as she watched the water ripple and the leaves on the branches dance. The silence of the woods was welcoming to her, letting her get lost in her thoughts and hopes. It had been two months since they made their journey back to Winterfell, back to the cold and strangeness of the north. The castle grounds were alive with workers and villagers, and Catelyn found that there was never a dull or quiet moment until night fell. Even then the night had its noises- owls, wolves and the crackling of the fire through the chambers.
Even though no more than a few words had been passed between them, Ned had been gracious to her; as a gift, he had made plans to build a sept on the grounds for her. Catelyn was grateful, but she still couldn't find herself carrying on a casual conversation with her husband. She was filled with pain and anger, and all she wanted to do was lash out at him. But she had been taught better, which was why she came to the godswood instead. By the time she had walked halfway there, she had found herself calmer, and by the time she was amongst the water, she was at peace. But for some reason, on this day, Catelyn couldn't escape her anger and she wasn't sure why.
Nothing had happened differently; they had shared breakfast meal together while the children were being fed by Septa Mordane, and after the meal, Catelyn had went to her study to get some of the matters for the castle taken care of. Ned had departed gone to his solar and spent most of the afternoon there. After the children had woken from their nap, Catelyn had gone to the nursery where she spent late afternoon with Robb and Jon. Of course she had not interacted with Jon like she had with Robb. He was growing, and his name day had come and gone with a blink of the eye. She was trying to get him to try walking, but of course he was more interested with the wooden toys in the room.
Jon was only four months old, and was growing just as much as Robb. He had a full head of thick black curly hair, and piercing grey eyes like his father's. Maybe that was when it started, when she had found herself staring at her husband's bastard. He looked so much like Ned, and would probably look more like him as he grew into a man. Catelyn had felt the rage burn in her heart and mind; she had excused herself knowing that she couldn't cast it upon the child. It wasn't his fault, but even so, she felt herself giving him no mind at all. She had walked the dark halls of Winterfell hoping that would calm her, but it didn't. So she decided to go the godswood, when halfway through her walk she felt herself angrily kicking at stones and branches that littered the ground.
When she finally reached the sanctuary, she was filled with pain and betrayal. She went to the water, watching it as the wind carried it. She focused on the ripples as they went throughout the pond, disappeared and then came back with a new wave of wind. Catelyn closed her eyes listening to her surroundings; she could hear the wind whistle through the branches of the trees and rustle the leaves that were attached. She inhaled deeply, the cold air of Winterfell filling her lungs like ice; she let it out a little calmer than before.
"My lady, are you alright?"
Catelyn opened her eyes and scanned the area, her eyes falling on her lord husband who was sitting on a rock near the water, cleaning his sword. She straightened her back, years of courtesies flooding into her mind. "Yes, I am fine, my lord." Ned raised his eyebrow softly to her, still continuing to clean Ice. Catelyn looked down a small blush coming across her cheek. "Ned…" With his name upon her lips, he looked back at his blade, working slowly as he sharpened and cleaned it. Catelyn furrowed her brows; she could feel the anger rise again "No, I am not alright."
It came out a little more forceful than she intended, but it got her husband's attention. Ned looked up at her from his spot near the water slight confusion on his face. "What is the matter?"
She could feel the fear of the question rising in her throat. "Why did you bring him home?" Ned sighed heavily and set down his things and got up. He walked over to her and she could see that he wanted to reach out, but he didn't.
"I did not have a choice."
Catelyn scoffed looking away from him. "Yes you did, but you chose one that most men would not even think of." She looked back at him, fire in her blue eyes.
"He can lead a better life here, Cat, one that couldn't have been in King's Landing."
"What lives can a bastards have, Ned? You know just as well as I do that he will never be anything."
"Don't speak of him like that Cat, he is still my son." Ned's voice was a bit more stern that before.
Catelyn nodded a bit. "Well…then it makes it alright." She started to move away from him, but her arm was caught by his hand. She whirled back around, tearing her arm from his grip.
"You have a bastard too."
Catelyn just looked at her husband; his words had been full of hate. Full of despair. "Robb is more of a Stark than your son will ever be."
Ned laughed a bit at her words. "One that does not have a father."
Catelyn did not know what had happened next, the only thing she heard was the slap of her hand against Ned's cheek. It had brought both of them out of the rage they were feeling and back into the world. Ned stepped back from her; he was finally hearing the words that he spat out. Catelyn felt tears burning her eyelids, a few slipping down and falling to the ground. She turned around to hide herself from him, her hands going to wipe the tears from her face.
Ned moved to her, his arms wrapping to her front. "I'm sorry, Catelyn."
She moved against him, pushing him away with her back. He held on tighter but she was a lot stronger than he thought. She broke free of his arms and turned around pushing him away from her. "Do not touch me."
Ned ignored her words and went back to her, taking her arms with his large hands. He brought her to his chest but she still fought against him. Her hands slipped up to his chest to push him away, but he continued to hold her close. After a few moments, Catelyn stopped fighting, her body giving up to a slightly familiar embrace. She closed her eyes as tears threatened again; she let out a small sob which caused Ned to hold her a bit tighter. Catelyn made another attempt to push away from him, this time a bit more forcibly. Ned moved back a bit and took her face in his hands; he was taken aback by the pain he saw. It was like nothing he had ever seen before; he had been upset about his brother's death. But not like her, she was broken.
Ned was going to do whatever he could to fix her brokenness; he knew he played a part in it by bringing Jon home. But someday she would understand, someday he would tell her. He closed the space between them and pressed his almost dry lips against hers. She returned it with a push to his chest, but he kept on hoping that she would give up. And she did, her hands went from his chest to wrap around his sides and bring him closer. Catelyn returned his kiss with want and passion. She moved her hands from his sides and brought them up to his face, her hands running through his dark hair. Ned felt a sudden form of knots in his belly as they continued to kiss. Eager for breath he broke away, causing a cry from Catelyn's lips.
Her eyes to his, and in an instant his lips were back to hers; she leaned her chest onto his. Ned ran his hands to her back and pulled her as close as possible to his own body. He parted her lips more with his tongue, wanting to explore her, to taste her. Catelyn let him the act causing her to arch against him. Ned felt his mind swirl he never thought that a woman could make him feel like this. Ned moved back just quick enough to catch her hand and pull her away from the open. He went towards the large tree that stood next to the pond. He went past the large stone bolder he had been sitting on and to the other side of the tree. He pressed Catelyn's back against the base and kissed her hungrily.
Catelyn was surprised at Ned's actions; he wasn't one for spontaneity, but then again, they barely knew each other. She welcomed it openly as she ran her hands back into his hair. He broke away from her lips again and placed soft kisses along her jaw line and then her neck; Catelyn hummed softly as he bit down on her skin. She moved her hands from his hair and to his chest, her fingers working at the ties of the leather. They dropped free of his chest and shoulders with a thud to the ground. She ran her hands over the thin cloth of his tunic. She could feel the outline of his muscles; it caused her to groan softly.
At her actions, Ned moved his hands to her waist, slowly running them up her sides to remove the trout broach; he tossed it aside as he pushed the cloak from her shoulders. The heavy green fabric pooled around her feet, and he could feel how hot her skin had become through her dress. Ned's lips brushed against her cheek and to the curve of her jaw near her ear. He hissed against her skin when Catelyn's hands slipped under his tunic, causing him to shiver.
He brought his eyes up to hers; Catelyn smiled softly, her blue eyes shining with passion and mischievousness. A gasp escaped her throat when Ned took her in his arms and spun them around, his back now to the base of the tree. His fingers worked quickly at the front laces of her dress as his lips attacked her neck again. Catelyn smirked a bit as he cursed under his breath; no doubt he found the corset that was confining her. "Having a bit of trouble?"
Ned groaned and picked up his head to look at her. "You wear too many damned clothes." Catelyn smiled and leaned forward to kiss him softly. When she spoke, her lips danced across his.
"Just rip it off."