CATELYN

After Robb and Jon Snow had left the Great Hall, Arya herself had left not long after, and Sansa-ever the only one with good table manners-politely finished her meal before being asked to be excused. Bran was the only one left at the table, seeming to take little interest in his food, instead moving it from one side of the plate to the other, trying to avoid eating it, oddly emulating her lord husband at the moment-or perhaps the reverse were true. Since Bran sat at the other end of the table, Catelyn decided to talk to Ned to see if she could discover what was bothering her two men.

"What's wrong, Ned?"

"Nothing," replied Ned with his typical icy tone, that Catelyn had learned in all their years of marriage actually meant something was actually troubling the man. By the seven, the man could be stubborn.

"Something is troubling you. Tell me."

Ned then looked up towards Bran, he then gruffly told him that if he was finished his dinner he was dismissed from the table. After Bran had left, Ned's rough exterior diminished as though he were taking off a mask.

"It's nothing, Cat-I'm worried about the news from the Wall."

"Is it the wildlings again?"

"They've picked up their raiding. A party has been sent out to track the latest group after it retreated back behind the wall. There's talk of a King beyond the Wall."

"A King beyond the wall? I thought wildlings didn't kneel to anybody."

"There's talk, Cat. Not much more than that."

And with that said, her lord husband ended the conversation, rising to leave, but still with a troubled face. Catelyn ordered the servants to begin their clearing of the great hall, and took her leave of the building to return to the Great Keep. She hadn't seen her baby boy Rickon all day-Old Nan had met her this morning saying that her baby wasn't well this morning and saying it was nothing serious that a good day's rest a bed. Catelyn, occupied with meeting with the head cook to discuss which meats would last the fortnight, had at the time agreed with Old Nan that that was the best course of action, resolving to visit her poor sick Rickon later in the afternoon, and told the cook to have food be sent up to the nursery. Then one of the squires had accidentally broken a window in the armory, and Cat had had to speak with Maester Luwin about sending a raven to Wyman Manderly about seeing if any merchants from Myr had recently been in White Harbor selling glass. And after that Mikan had approached her saying that he would like permission to advertise to the nearby smallfolk of his need for an apprentice. Catelyn agreed but then had to speak to the head maid about seeing if there was an extra cot that could be moved into the smithy. There were a million other little tasks that all day popped up which she had to take care of that by the end of the day; Catelyn had not found the time to visit her poor sick baby. She now resolved to visit him in his rooms, but to her surprise she found as she came to the entrance of the Great Keep, that Sansa was entering the keep holding a tired Rickon. Catelyn was shocked at first to see Sansa take such an interest in the boy. Why just yesterday the girl had come demanding that the "little monster" as she'd referred to him, should be locked up because he had gotten sticky jam handprints all over her green dress. And yet, here was her daughter, nurturing her holy terror of a brother and acting as a woman grown.

It was at that moment that Catelyn realized that her daughter was growing up. That dress looked rather tight around her chest, and exposed the barest hint of her ankle. It would soon be time to propose a betrothal for her, and in a few years perhaps Sansa would be doing this not for her brother, but for a babe of her own. Not wishing to disturb the scene, Catelyn followed the two in utter silence, pride in her daughter and wistful nostalgia for the sweet babe she'd been welling up in her heart. Sansa saw her when they came to the nursery where Rickon still slept-and at that moment Sansa looked as though she thought that Catelyn might want to take Rickon from her, but Cat instead motioned for Sansa to continue on into the nursery. There Sansa laid the little boy who was groggy down on his tiny bed, and Catelyn and Sansa undressed the boy and left him in a shift and tucked him in together. As they then were about to leave, Rickon whimpered and sat up.

"Sansa… I want Shaggy…" moaned Rickon

Sansa responded by saying, "He'll be here in the morning baby brother, now try and get some sleep."

"I want not to…"

"Yes, you do, you ought to be tuckered out after playing with Robb and Jon."

At the sound of the bastard's name, a slight chill went through Catelyn, but she suppressed her sudden wish to interrogate further, less she disturb the sweetest scene she'd ever witness between Sansa and Rickon. By this point Sansa had managed to convince Rickon to lay down in exchange for Sansa singing a lullaby. As soon as the first words were sung, Catelyn's heart stopped-it had been the same lullaby her brother and sister had always pestered her to sing after their mother had died. She'd grown so tired of singing the song, that Catelyn didn't recall ever singing it to Sansa or any of her children. And besides it was a Riverlands lullaby, not a lullaby of the North.

"Close your eyes, and go to sleep.

Feel the rock of the boat, the waves do keep.

And as the current swiftly sweeps,

drift down the river, and go to sleep.

If we come to a waterfall,

fear you not or tremble at all.

Mother shall come, so do not fret,

You'll be safe and sound by the riverbed."

Sansa finished the lullaby by humming the first half of it as she slowly eased away from Rickon's bed, blew out the candles in the room, and joined Catelyn at the door.

Catelyn's eyes were misty at the sound of the song, thinking of whether she had looked as such when she had sung to her siblings, and she regretted having ever growing tired of the song. Once they had shut the door to the nursery, Catelyn then asked if she could speak to her privately, her voice trembling with emotion. They quickly climbed the keep to Sansa's room, and Catelyn offered to brush out her daughter's hair. Sansa looked overjoyed at such a proposal and sat in her chair, and Catelyn took the brush and expertly began to brush.

"I'm so proud of you, Sansa."

"Thank you, mother."

"You're almost a woman grown, soon you'll be a lady and it'll be time to find you a worthy knight."

Sansa's response confused Catelyn, it was mumbled, as though she expected not Catelyn to hear it, "I'd rather not."

However Catelyn did not have long to ponder the meaning of these words as she pulled a knot amongst her daughter's hair. This caused Sansa to wince in pain for a moment, but then suddenly to freeze in shock. She was silent for a moment, with that look of utter shock still left on her face.

"Sansa?" asked Catelyn, and her daughter quickly turned to face her.

"Mother, am I actually here?" her fearful eyes suddenly betraying the girl she still was.

"Of course you are sweetling. Where else would you be?"