CATELYN III

Waking up with Ned at her side was something Catelyn found to be soothing. Even with all the troubles that they might face-Kings, secrets, nephews, treason, for the time all seemed bearable with Ned there by her. Unfortunately such a comfort could not last all day, and soon she was re-immersed in the troubles of the day. The kennel master spoke with her about needing to have the hunters increase their yield to feed the direwolf that had taken up residence in the kennels. Ned had told her of the children's attempt to corral the wolf for its pups, explaining Bran's… gift… in the process. So Catelyn decided to avoid the kennels for the time being until the wolf was released with her pups back into the Wolfswood.

So once her duties came to a halt, Catelyn had meant to spend the day with her babe. Rickon however seemed to have decided to set up camp outside of the wolf's pen and so she looked for Bran after he had finished his swordplay for the day-eventually finding him praying in the Godswood. Bran knelt in front of the heart tree, speaking in a voice so quiet Catelyn could see his lips move but hear no voice in the unearthly quiet of the Godswood. Catelyn watched her son in his devotions. He'd never been so interested in his religon before this, Catelyn noted.

"Are you praying for guidance?"

"Aye."

"About your… gift?"

Bran did not answer her.

"What are the words? I'll help you pray."

"There are no chants, you simply ask for what you need."

"Are the old gods so simple then? No wonder your father keeps them."

And Catelyn spent a quiet hour with her son, asking his gods for him to receive guidance in the… gift… he had been bestowed. When they had finished, Bran hugged and thanked her, and Catelyn felt she would remember this moment for the rest of her life.

When they came out of the Godswood, they found Theon Greyjoy shooting arrows with her eldest son in the practice yard. Theon seemed to be doing most of the talking, with Robb apparently troubled about something, clearly enjoying the elder's company, but unwilling for some reason to allow himself express it.

Catelyn noticed that Bran upon seeing her husband's ward froze, staring at him, and so she asked, "What troubles you?"

Bran seemed not to notice her at first before shaking his head and saying, "Nothing, mother."

Her son then departed her side without another word, and Catelyn was left to wonder what had caused such a change in her sons' moods.

The evening meal passed quietly, with Robb and Theon being absent, and her four younger children obviously having some secret amongst themselves from the way they spoke with their actions. Ned excused himself early from the table, and Catelyn began to wonder if he might not know something about what was still troubling their youngest-was it only the wolf?

Catelyn meant to meet Ned outside of his son-nephew-Jon's room, but when she arrived there, her husband was nowhere in sight. She checked inside Jon's room and found Arya and Bran sitting by Jon's side. Arya noticed the door's opening and whatever conversation they'd been having over Jon's unconscious side had swiftly ended. Catelyn dismissed her children to their rooms-Arya giving much argument but ultimately acquiescing after she shared a look with Bran. This left her alone with Jon. A part of Catelyn wanted to simply walk out the door, a very large part. But another reminded herself that this was her nephew, and he deserved more than she had given him in the past. So Catelyn smoothed out the blankets he was under, giving herself more of them to better tuck him in, which she did as swiftly as she should. She looked upon Jon in that moment and saw the small boy who had the pox and once again she felt guilty for being inable to feel as an Aunt to an orphaned child should. And so she left the room soon after to banish such troubling thoughts from her mind.

As Catelyn walked back to her chambers she passed her eldest's room, the door to which had been carelessly left open a crack-probably because her son rarely bothered to actually make sure his doors were shut. It was because of this, Catelyn heard Bran speaking to Robb unlike she'd ever heard him speak.

"Trust him not, Robb. He'll stab you in the back!"

Robb somehow sounded much younger than Bran when he said, "Theon hasn't done anything yet. Mayhaps things might turn out differently this time."

"Yet! Give him but the opportunity-" added Arya, whom Catelyn didn't find herself surprised at hearing her present.

"Maybe he could change."

"Do you want to save father or not?" charged Bran

Was Ned in trouble? Was Theon plotting to kill him?

"Of course!" replied Robb.

Catelyn couldn't bare it anymore and she burst into her eldest's room to the surprise of all three of its occupants.