A/N: So here is a Catelyn Stark chapter. Please review on this one.

Catelyn Stark I

Winterfell, the North. 284 AC.

'Oh gods, give me strength,' Catelyn mentally prayed to the Seven as she walked through the corridors of Winterfell, holding a crying Robb in her arms. Aemon, or Jon, and Dany, thankfully were quiet children as they were overwatched by the wetnurse.

It was an important and historical event for House Stark, at least that is what her husband told her. The lords of the vassal houses were coming to Winterfell to assemble for an urgent meeting. Although Catelyn recalled many times when her father, Hoster Tully, gathered the houses of the Riverlands, this meeting apparently was of outmost importance. This meant that right now, Catelyn had to prepare everything for the guests, and not just the lords themselves, but their escort too. One of the maidens approached her.

"It may seem that the guest chambers for all of our guests are ready." Catelyn took a guess, only to discover she was mistaken.

"Almost, milady," the maiden answered. "We are still preparing for Lord Reed and his lady wife."

Catelyn mentally cursed herself for constantly forgetting about the Reeds. She wasn't used to the Crannogmen, not to mention that the people in the South held low views on them due to their culture and habit of living in the swamps, calling the Crannogmen "mudmen" or "frog-eaters". Still, House Reed was a vassal to House Stark and just like the other vassal lords, Lord Howland Reed was coming to Winterfell. To be honest, Catelyn was nervous. She saw the lords of Riverland gathering at Riverrun numerous times, but at least she knew them. Here, in the North, she didn't know any of the lords personally. Yet, her septa would usually tell horrifying tales of the Northern savages, following the false gods, and committing acts of heresy.

"Be quick then, for we have been reported that bannermen were spotted, and they will arrive in two hours." Catelyn told her with authority. Once the maiden was gone, Catelyn went straight to the kitchens. Thankfully, she didn't have to give any orders or scold any of the cooks as she saw they were working hard. With that, Catelyn went down to the courtyard of Winterfell, where she saw her lord husband already preparing to greet the guests. He was holding Jon and Daenerys in his arms. Catelyn smiled to herself as she saw the baby girl asleep, despite the commotion around. Maester Luwin, an old man in dark robes, too dark for a maester in Catelyn's opinion, stood alongside Eddard along with Benjen and Ser Arthur Dayne, who was already wearing the clothes of a Stark bannerman.

As the young woman wondered where the other former members of the Kingsguard were, the Reeds and their men have finally arrived, holding the flags with the house's sigil; a crocodile. From what her lord husband told her, Lord Howland Reed accompanied him to the Tower of Joy and was one of the first to know about Jon's true parentage. Although the Rivermen despised the Crannogmen, Catelyn felt respect for Lord Reed, mentally thanking him for keeping the secret of her nephew. She knew that she could trust him. Howland Reed got off his horse and bowed before Ned.

"Milord, Lord Howland Reed of Greywater Watch has answered to your summoning and arrived." Howland spoke to Ned, who pulled the Crannogman up and pulled him a tight hug.

"I already miss you, my good friend." Eddard Stark told him, while Catelyn smiled. Eddard then kissed the hand of Lady Jyana Reed, Howland's wife, while Howland did the same to Catelyn. Catelyn then presented the Reeds their guest chambers, both women were carrying their respective sons; Catelyn had the infant Robb, Jyana had the toddler Jojen.

Sometime later, banners with a bear were seen and Catelyn stood along her husband once again as the Mormonts arrived. Catelyn heard many stories about House Mormont of Bear Island, and all of them were not pleasant. She heard that they allowed their ladies to learn to fight, which was unladylike and savage, and the septas at Riverrun told unpleasant tales of the Mormont savages mating with bears, as a way of worshipping the Old Gods.

Recalling these stories, Catelyn shivered in both fear and cold as Jeor Mormont, an old man already having his hear and beard white as snow, rode in, followed by a short and stout woman in furs, also riding a horse, which was considered unladylike in the South. Along with them was a teenage girl. As the three Mormonts dismounted their horses and approached the Starks, a girl of around ten years old joined them, holding a toddler girl. The five bowed in front of Eddard who then welcomed the Mormonts to Winterfell.

"Milady, this is Jeor Mormont, the lord of Bear Island," Eddard told her. "His son, Jorah Mormont, is acting lord in his absence. This is his sister, Lady Maege Mormont."

"My oldest daughter, Dacey," Mage motioned to the teenage girl. "My second born, Alysane, and this is little Lyra."

"Nice to meet you, young ladies," Eddard answered before introducing the Stark children. "This is Robb, our firstborn, Jon, and little Dany."

"Yes, I've seen her already at King's Landing." The Old Bear chuckled when he saw the baby girl in Catelyn's arm along with Robb.

"That's the Mad King's daughter, isn't it?" Alysane suddenly asked, only to be immediately scolded by her mother and older sister.

After the Mormonts came Roose Bolton and his escort. Catelyn felt even more uneasy as she saw the sigil of his house; a flayed man. She heard the ancient rival between the Starks and the Boltons, who used to flay people. Although flaying in the North was now outlawed, the sigil still remained and the Boltons still held pride for the deeds of their past ancestors. Cat wanted to relax when Roose seemed to be a good-mannered and polite man. She then had to depart and feed her children. On that day, she relieved the wetnurse of her duties, and so, she was in the nursery alone.

Relieved that both of her children were finally fed, Catelyn smiled as she went to take a rest. She never thought that motherhood could be so hard. She supposed her mother had the same experience. Yet, she hoped that soon it would get easier. As she lied on her bed, she was about to relax when she heard a baby's cry. From the sound of it, it was a cry for hunger. Heading towards the cribs, Catelyn was troubled, she had just fed both Dany and Robb. When she approached, she was surprised to discover that it was Jon crying. Of all three children the Stark family had now, Jon was the most quiet one. Yet, Catelyn should have foreseen this.

The young lady of Winterfell began searching for the wetnurse, but with no success. Jon, meanwhile, was wailing wildly, desperate for a mother's milk. Catelyn sighed as this meant that she had no other choice but to feed him herself. She was reluctant to do that. Catelyn didn't know why, but supposed that he wasn't her child. Yes, officially, Jon is a bastard, and Catelyn always believed in what the Seven thought about bastards. But that wasn't the issue, she knew that Jon was not a bastard, the issue here is that he was her nephew, not her son.

Catelyn approached Jon's crib with these thoughts. Looking at the boy's tearing eyes, Catelyn's heart broke. She remembered the truth of Jon's parentage and the terrible deaths of his parents; his father savagely killed in battle, his mother died from childbirth. He was an orphan now, and if it wasn't for his uncle, her husband, he would've have perished in this harsh and cruel world, just as their little Dany. Sobbing with pity towards her nephew, Catelyn took Jon from the crib before opening her dress, and pulled him towards one of her bare breasts. The cries were immediately replaced with slops as Jon began eating her milk.

"Oh."

Hearing a voice, Catelyn immediately turned around and saw Maege Mormont standing at the open doorway with her Lyra in arms.

"Please forgive me, milady," Maege spoke. "I was looking for the nursery, where I can feed my Lyra. May I enter later."

"No, no, you may enter," Catelyn told the Mormont as she smiled in order to assure her that she meant no harm. Maege then began breastfeeding her new-born daughter, while Jon continued to drink Tully's milk.

'Such an appetite you have, little one,' Catelyn thought about her nephew when she noticed Maege's curious look. "Is something bothering you, Lady Maege?"

"No, milady. I just, see you are feeding your husband's, em, bastard." Maege answered with caution.

"It's something wrong about that? He is a child." Catelyn asked.

"It's not that," Maege tried to explain. "It's just I'm surprised: Lady Catelyn, a highborn lady from the South, tending to a bastard. Southern ladies, like you, are usually pointlessly cruel towards them. No offense, milady."

Catelyn hummed, nodding. She understood what the Mormont meant. She should have guessed that if the Southern had negative views on the Northmen, then the Northmen's views on them and their faith in the Seven could be no better. "You have not offended me, milady. It's true, according to our faith in the Seven we treat the bastards differently than in the North or Dorne. We accuse them of the sin they have not committed. Sometimes we forget that it's not their fault that they were born. Take my little Dany, for example."

"Your ward?"

"Our daughter," Catelyn corrected. "Even if she was born from the dead queen, Seven bless her. When Ned brought her to the capital, King Robert wanted her dead, just like the poor children of Princess Elia."

"Yeah, I heard from my brother that Lord Eddard and Robert had a huge argument about it." Maege added, with Cat nodding.

"Yes, he wanted her dead simply because she is a Targaryen, the daughter of the Mad King," the auburn-haired woman continued. "Yet, my lord husband did not allow. He knew that little Dany is not guilty of her father's crimes. It's not her fault that she was born from the Mad King's semen. She is just a poor child, born in a world that would be cruel to her."

"Same with Jon. Yes, he is my husband's bastard. Yes, he is the reminder of my husband's dishonour, and yes, as a follower of the Seven, I would have despised him, or worse, get rid of him. But it's not his fault that he was born and that his father had an extramarital affair. He is just a poor child, born in a world that would be cruel to him."

As Catelyn finished, Lady Maege looked at the Southern with surprise while Cat was putting Jon back into the crib. To be honest, Cat was surprised as well. She may have called herself a hypocrite, since she knew the truth that Jon was no bastard, but thinking about what she said about children, even bastard children, being innocent, she supposed that what she said was right. During her childhood, Catelyn was raised in the ways of the Seven, with the family's septa at Riverrun teaching her about courtesies and faith. However, her lessons with the septa were stopped by her dear Uncle Brynden, who encouraged her to take lessons with her brother Edmure. After that she learned far more than what the septa taught her, or what the septa did not taught her at all; court politics, intrigues and how to run a household. Brynden told her back then that while she could believe in the gods, she must learn that the world is not what the Seven told and that she must make her own decisions.

"There seems to be more to you than what the people of the North may think, Lady Catelyn." Maege told her. Catelyn genuinely smiled in reply, causing Maege to smile back.

"I know that we Southerners always consider you as savages," Cat told her. "But from what I see you are just normal humans, just like us."

"Do the southerners compare us to the Wildlings often?" Maege asked.

"Not only," Cat answered, and although hesitantly, she told Maege what the septons and septas told the children in the South about the North and the faith of the Old gods. Catelyn feared that the stories would offend her guest, but to her surprise, the She-Bear roared with laughter. Cat had the feeling that the keep was shaking from her laugh.

"That's the most absurd and stupid things I've ever heard," Maege continued to laugh. "Those septas of yours are really good of making up stupid fairy tales!"

Catelyn thought she would be offended, but to her surprise, she found herself smiling and then laughing too. Maege was right, what the septas told about the Northerners was absurd, portraying them as evil spirits. As they continued to sit at the nursery, the two women talked on and on. They didn't even stop when it was time for the feast welcoming the lords across the North. Maege shared her experiences in motherhood, to which Catelyn was grateful. They shared stories of their past, Cat told Maege about Riverrun, while Maege talked about Bear Island. For the first time since her arrival to the North, Cat found a friend.

Later that night, Eddard visited her in his chambers. Approaching her, he smiled. "I heard you found a new friend."

"Maege seems to be nice person." Cat simply answered, tending to her hair, wearing only her robes. She smiled when Eddard Stark wrapped his arms around her, merging his beard into her auburn hair.

"Cat, I heard that you fed Jon and what you said about natural-born children," Eddard then spoke. "Did you really mean it? Would you have cared for Jon if he was my son, but not yours?"

"I think I would. I wouldn't have treated him as one of my own, but I would've tried to be there for him." Cat answered, looking at her husband through the mirror's reflection. "To make him feel at home, feel safe."

"Maybe that would be better," Eddard answered. "No one must know that he is not a bastard."

"I know, Ned. I know the risks we're taking." Cat turned towards him. "It's just I believe he does not deserve to be treated as a bastard. Not because he is a prince, but because he's an orphan and what happened to his parents."

Looking at her, Eddard smiled, hugging her even tighter. "You're going to be a great lady of Winterfell, and a wonderful mother."

Smiling back, Cat made Eddard release her. Standing up, she undone the belt of her robe before taking it off, revealing her bare body before her husband. That night, the chambers of Catelyn Tully Stark was filled with heat, as both husband and wife engaged in love-making.

The next day, as Cat was doing her duty as lady of Winterfell, she found the maidens and servants genuinely and truthfully smiling at her. Greeting her. Catelyn immediately guessed that they heard of her tending to Jon, surprising the personnel of the keep. Cat remembered the day she came to Winterfell. The servants were wary of the new lady, mainly because she was a southerner, and followed the Seven. She even heard some of them whispering behind her back, and wanted to punish them. She was always taught that the servants must obey their lords and ladies, but Eddard told her that in the North it was different. She must gain the servants' respect if she wanted to stop the whispering, while also being grateful and respectful in return. Now, Catelyn noticed that they were looking at her not only with surprise, but also respect.