Author's Note

I do not own A Game of Thrones nor A Song of Ice and Fire.

And so ye may behold, yet another crazed plot bunny! Now, I'm marking this one as complete, but I do actually have ideas for a few more scenes, so there may be a little extra. That said, I don't plan to expand it into a full story, so if anyone feels inspired or wants to run with the idea, go for it!


Catelyn was woken by her husband stumbling about the room as though unsure of where he was, clumsily attempting to pull on clothing, while keeping his back to her.

"Ned?" she mumbled, pushing the furs back to reach for him. "Come back to bed, it's cold."

"No, La– Ah, no, Catelyn. I have matters to attend to."

"It's not yet dawn; what matters could be affecting you?"

"Prayers?" he said, though he sounded uncertain himself. Then he nodded, still keeping his back to her. "I must go to the godswood."

A sharp yell cut through the air, echoing through the halls of the castle. Cat gasped and pushed her furs back as she stumbled from the bed. Ned, however, was already moving for the door, clothing forgotten, grabbing his longsword from its stand against the wall as he went.

Robb's room was nearest, and his door open. As they approached, her son came stumbling into the hall, his face red with blood. He moved clumsily, as though still trying to work out how to walk, and bared his red teeth when he saw them.

"Robb?" Cat whispered.

"Arya?" asked Ned.

"You're dead," Robb declared, shaking his head. "You left me." Then he turned and rushed away, bolting for the stairs. "Shaggy! Shaggy, where are you? Osha? Shaggy?"

"Robb?" Cat called after him, taking a few steps to follow.

Jon Snow came stumbling from Robb's room next, one arm clutched to his chest and red with blood. He looked up at Ned in confusion. "But– I'm Robb."

"And I'm Jon," Ned muttered.

Jon looked at Cat, and his expression broke with horror and confusion. "Mother? But we–"

Cat frowned. "I am not your mother, and you will address me properly!"

"I– er– Yes?" He pressed his hands to his shirt. "Except we were…"

"Aye," Ned muttered.

A yell echoed down the hall, this time from Sansa's room.

"Back, you beast!"

Jon straightened and grabbed at his waist for something he failed to find. "Sansa!"

There was a sharp scream from Sansa's room.

"You get Sansa. I'll go find Robb," Ned said.

Jon looked like he wanted to argue, but finally nodded and hurried back down the hall. Ned rushed down the staircase. Cat considered her options before hurrying after Jon Snow. The boy well knew he was forbidden from the girls' rooms!

Sansa's room was a mess, the furs thrown from her bed and her nightstand overturned. Both her daughters were present, with Arya trapped beneath her, shrieking as Sansa raised a bloody hand to strike her once more.

"Sansa!" Cat shrieked.

"Mother!" Arya wailed.

Jon rushed to seize Sansa and pull her back, and the two fell upon the floor, kicking and rolling and scrapping until somehow Sansa had the upper hand again.

Then she looked confused. "Ned?"

Cat reddened. "Sansa, do not speak of your father so!"

"I think I'm Jon actually," Jon said.

Sansa fell from him and backed up against the wall, staring at her hands. "No, no, no, no. What magic is this?"

Bran appeared in the doorway, Rickon by his side. "No," the boy said slowly, backing away. "No. This is naught but another test."

Rickon scurried into the room, pausing to look back at Bran. "I never knew I was so small!"

"What insanity has inflicted you all tonight?" Cat snapped.

Her children exchanged looks. Jon caught Rickon's eye, and it was almost as though something passed between them, because Jon stood, straightened his nightgown, and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Mo– Lady Stark. We could none of us sleep, so we thought we might play a game, 'cept it got out of hand. Twas my fault entirely."

Cat sighed. "You are all too old for such nonsense. Jon, I'll see to it your father deals with you. Now, all of you come out of there to your own bedchambers at once." She lifted Arya to her feet. Her mouth and nose were bloody, and her eyes already turning black. "Arya, let's get you to the Maester."

"Yes Mother."

She stood in the doorway until Jon and Rickon left Sansa's room. Sansa looked near about to follow, and then stopped in the doorway and looked at Jon as though uncertain. "Do I sleep here?"

Jon gave the slightest nod, took Rickon's hand, and hurried him away.


By the time Cat had got Arya up to Luwin's chambers and woken the old Maester so he could tend to her, Ned had managed to find Robb, and half-dragged, half-carried him up to the Maester's rooms as he wailed and screamed.

"I don't know you! I want Osha! I want my mother! Leave me be!"

"He's bloodied his hands trying to climb the wall of the godswood," Ned said, pinning the boy into a chair. "And taken a nasty cut to the leg."

Cat peered at her husband. Whatever madness had afflicted the children didn't appear to have spread to him – but he had been behaving oddly earlier too, had he not?

"I'll keep young Arya here for the night," said Luwin. "We'll treat lord Robb in his own rooms; he should just need a little cleaning up. Although I should say you're really a little old for such things, young lord."

Robb bared his teeth and growled. "I need to find Shaggy!"

Ned took his arm. "Come along, Rickon. We'll find Shaggy in the morning."


It took them another hour to get Robb back in bed, and even then Cat wasn't entirely sure he'd stay. Ned asked Jory to watch his door. Cat retreated to their own chambers – and Ned stopped.

"What is it now?" she asked.

"I… might you sleep in the Lady's chambers for tonight, my Lady? I need… quiet."

Cat frowned. "Have I displeased you?"

"No; no. I just… please?"

For a moment he looked just like a boy, confused and unsure. Cat turned towards the doors to the Winterfell Lady's Chambers, rarely used these days.

"Then I hope your night is restful."

She entered her rooms before he his and lay down upon her bed.

Hopefully whatever madness had gripped the children would have faded by the morn.