Chapter 75: Mother

"Mother!" Robb said as he rushed forward to embrace his mother. He held on tightly then pulled back to look at her. Mother's hair was done up all neatly, her cheeks had a hint of blush and there was a smile on her lips.

Mother curtseyed then. "Your Grace." That done they embraced once more before Robb led her to the chairs in his study.

Once they were both seated, he asked. "How was your journey here?" Mother had travelled by ship, it was the fastest way to get to King's Landing what with the winter snows starting to settle in everywhere.

"It was as calm as could be. Though when we left White Harbour there were murmurs about some sort of pirate King in the Stepstones." Mother replied raising a quizzical eyebrow.

Robb waved a hand. "Those rumours are nothing. It's a few fools who have been dealt with." Sellsails who had tried to get money from the throne for services that Stannis Baratheon had promised them. They were now hanging from their ships in the Stepstones. Lord Redwyne had seen to that.

"How are my siblings?" He asked then deciding to change the topic.

Mother's smile grew. "They're well. Bran is settling into his role as Lord of Winterfell reasonably well. Your letter helped massively in ensuring he didn't try and push to go to the Wall again."

Robb breathed a sigh of relief, when he'd read Mother's letter saying that Bran wanted to head to the Wall to help deal with the wildlings he'd been outraged. His brother was ten! That was no age to go to war. "I'm glad." He spoke. "What about the girls?"

"Arya is doing well; she's exploring more of the castle and has taken well to her lessons with that sword Jon gave her." Mother answered, a brief flicker of disapproval flashed across Mother's face, but Robb was happy to hear that she'd allowed Arya to keep practising.

"Sansa is proving to be a bit more difficult." Mother said.

Robb frowned. "How so?"

"She still sometimes has nightmares about what happened in King's Landing." Mother said, something must have shown on his face for she quickly added. "They're happening much less than they did before, but they are still happening. She's also having to find her own place in the system of the family once more. She spent a year thinking she was going to marry Joffrey and then that didn't happen, and her illusions were shattered."

Mother sighed. "I blame myself for that. I never prepared her for the potential that her husband to be would not be like the stories and songs she so loved."

"None of us knew what Joffrey would be." Robb answered, though Myrcella had warned him.

"Still, I think she is slowly trying to find a role for herself within the household. She's attending a lot of meetings with me, when I need to discuss the household finances and arrangements for food supplies and the like. I think it is giving her something to think about." Mother said.

"Good, that's good." Robb answered. As long as his sister was happy, that was all he cared about.

"Have you had any offers for her hand?" Mother asked.

Robb hesitated, he didn't know whether Mother would want to pursue any of them or what. Eventually he decided on simply being truthful. "Lord Tyrell did mention that he was interested in marrying his heir to Sansa."

"The cripple?" Mother asked.

Robb flinched internally but nodded. "I told him that Sansa was too young to be married just yet."

"Good." Mother replied. "Let Sansa enjoy her childhood for a bit more time."

There was a brief silence, then Mother asked. "And what of you? How go preparations for tomorrow?"

Tomorrow, the day that his children would be brought into the Faith.

"About as well as they can be. We've got the whole thing planned out. We know who needs to be where. I think there's going to be a rehearsal later today, if you are not too tired to attend?" Robb replied.

"Of course, I will attend." Mother said.

"Good." Robb replied.

Another pause, then Mother asked. "And, I believe Lysa and her son are here?"

Robb exhaled. "Yes." He took a moment and then said. "I have decided to separate Robert from Aunt Lysa. He will be raised by Ser Brynden in the Eyrie."

Mother's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"Aunt Lysa is not stable. She has been keeping Robert inundated with milk of the poppy, she admitted to killing her husband on Baelish' orders and she tried to kill herself a few days' ago." Robb said.

Mother's eyes widened. "She…she tried to kill herself?"

"Yes. She did this after I told her that her son would not be staying with her. She was trying to manipulate me into relenting." Robb said.

"And you are not going to?" Mother asked.

"No." Robb replied. "I have made my decision, and it is final."

Mother shifted in her chair. Robb got the sense that she was trying to decide whether to harangue him for separating a Mother from her son, or not. He was therefore greatly relieved when she said. "I want to speak with her."

"Of course. Her room is down the hallway and to the right." Robb responded. Mother nodded and changed the topic to something else for the remainder of their conversation.

The gold cloaks opened the door to her sister's room, Catelyn nodded her thanks and strode in. There was a slight breeze in the room, and a glance toward the window showed her that it was open, though access to it was barred. A sniffle drew her attention to the bed in the centre of the room.

She was shocked by what she saw. Her sister was sat on the bed, staring into the air, her hair was dishevelled, her skin was pale and there were bruises on her arms and hands. Her sister looked at her and frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Catelyn wanted to move toward the bed, but something told her to remain where she was. "I've come to see you."

"Why?" Lysa demanded. "To gloat?"

"Gloat?" Catelyn asked confused. "Why would I want to gloat?"

"Because your son has taken everything from me, just like you did. He's taken Petyr from me and he's taken my son." Lysa said.

Catelyn frowned, Petyr had committed treason, she knew that, what the specifics were she wasn't aware of, but Robb had told her his crimes had been grievous and had been part of the reason why Ned had died. For that alone she would never forgive Petyr.

"Your son is just like you, you know." Lysa snapped, in a manner that suggested she did not mean it as a compliment. "He thinks himself so high and mighty, he thinks himself better than me. Just like you did. Just like you did whenever Petyr showed you more attention than he did me."

Catelyn ignored the reference to Petyr and instead said. "Robb is the King, he is better than us both, Lysa."

Lysa ignored that. "You know, I never understood what Petyr saw in you."

Catelyn was about to say something when Lysa continued. "You never paid him any attention, especially after you got betrothed to Brandon Stark. I did. I kept paying him attention, I loved him, but he only wanted you. He thought you were better than me. But I was the one who helped him after your savage betrothed hurt him. He gave me a baby and then Father decided to remove it."

Catelyn gasped. Lysa had been pregnant with Petyr's child?

"He gave me so much moon tea that it damaged me. It was the reason why I couldn't have a child for so long. Then Petyr found a way for me to have a child and that's when Robert was born. He was mine, all mine. Jon was happy to have an heir, he didn't care that the boy looked nothing like him. He was just happy. And finally, I had a son." Lysa said.

Catelyn frowned.

"But now your son wants to take him away from me." Lysa said, she held up her arms. "That's why I did this. I thought if I did this, your son would be scared into stopping his madness. But he wasn't."

"You doing that is why he put his foot down. It isn't safe for Robert to be with you, Lysa. He will be safe with Uncle Brynden." Catelyn replied.

Lysa snorted. "Uncle Brynden will turn him against me. He'll fill his head with all sorts of poison. I can't let that happen." Catelyn was about to say something when her sister's mood changed suddenly. She went from defiance to crying, weeping.

In shuddering breaths, she said. "I…I…I just want the pain to stop."

Catelyn was rooted to the spot, wanting to comfort her sister but not knowing if such a thing would be welcome.

"I…I… I never thought my life would be like this. I love Robert but he's so exhausting. He always needs help and I…I just want to be alone." Lysa continued. "I…I…I say I wanted to harm myself to pressure Robb, but really, I did it so that I could finally end the pain."

Lysa turned to her, her face drenched with tears and that was what pushed Catelyn to rush to her sister's side and embrace her. Lysa buried her head into Catelyn's shoulder as she had done when they were children and sobbed. In between sobs she said. "I'll leave King's Landing, I'll leave and go somewhere far away, so that Sweetrobin doesn't know that I've gone. It'll be better this way."

"Why don't you come with me to Riverrun? Edmure has written to say father is very ill." Catelyn said.

She half expected Lysa to say no, but her sister surprised her by nodding and saying. "I'll come." Catelyn smiled and kissed the top of her sister's head.

"It'll be alright, I'm sure it will be." She whispered soothingly.