The feast went surprising well. Most Northern lords were happy enough if you give them enough ale and beer. The rest seemed satisfied by Ned's explanation that he had physical proof that he wasn't cuckooed by her. Or maybe they were on their best behavior in front of the Hand of the King. The push to the front had lessened a bit after he announced that he would stay until the birth of his child in the North. Cat was of course happy for Lysa that her husband would be there for the birth of their child, but it would mean a lot more work for her and hopefully it would help the North to develop more to have the Hand of the King listen to what they need and want.

Yes, Cat was happy for Lysa, nevertheless did she feel envy twitched in her guts, when she saw her sister in her bright Tully colored dress next to her, while Cat could only ever wear the white and grey of Ned's house. Not that her dress was not fine and elegant, it was very much so, but she missed the freedom to show her Southern colors. But she couldn't not the Southern wife for their good Lord that brought a bastard to his home. It was unfair, a small voice whispered in her head, they should respect me, I'm now their Lady Stark. This voice belonged to the prideful young girl from Riverrun and while that little girl maybe would be right, it was a little girl that would have never shamed her husband with a bastard. No, the woman she became knew that she had to win the favor of the North in an uphill battle. Everything she did will be measured and every mistake she made will be held against her and worst her children, her beautiful Tully colored children. For them she had to find a way to become the real Lady Stark.

The feast stretched long into the night and the next morning and Cat couldn't describe how thankful she was to steal away for some time to but the children to bed. Lysa came with her to help her and while Lysa put Meri in bed Cat looked after the other once. Handmaids helped the boys to chance and Cat took care of Sansa. Once the baby was asleep she went to the boys' chamber.

Robb was still up and declared: "I'm not tied at all! I don't wanna sleep!" His words were undermined by his yaw.

"Of course not my love." She picked him up, even if he slowly got heavier. "But good lord must do what their king and lord father told them to and your father sat that it is time for bed. You want to be a good lord, right?"

"Yes mama." He didn't sound happy, but let her tuck him into bed.

"That's my big boy. Good night." She kissed his hair and caressed his rosy cheek. "Sleep well and nice dreams." Cat had no doubt that once she left the room, he would be up again to play with his brother and if needed he would wake him up for it. With those thoughts she turned to the other bed in the room. When Robb had jumped up and down in his bed, Jon lied down already and watched her with big eyes. She took one deep breath and stepped closer to him. "And you too, Jon. Sleep tight."

"Thank you Aunt Catelyn." The missing teeth in the front made his 't's sound more like 's's. He had only once called her mama and Cat had corrected him immediately. He had looked so heartbroken, as heartbroken as Meri had looked when she had sat on that tree not long ago, but she hadn't been so good at calming him down as Ned had been. He wasn't her son and will never be, but Ned made it perfectly clear that he was part of this family and so she told him to call her aunt.

"Of course." She pulled the blanket a bit higher and straightened it out. She wasn't touching him, but taking care of him. The fear that he was a threatto her children never left her and with every mistrusting look towards Robb it grew stronger, but for Meri's sake and the sake of her own marriage she had to bring herself to care, at least a little. Hopefully Ned was right and Jon would grow up Robb's strongest ally and defender.

When she left the room and she could hear Lysa telling Meri a good night story. It was a story about True Love, Meri didn't like those stories, she thought it was gross when they kiss in the end and they bore her. She preferred it to ask questions over questions, but she had learned her manners and stayed quiet while a guest was talking. It had taken a lot of time to teach her this. She blamed Ned for it, at least a little, he was always answering all her questions as good as he could and even went to the library to look for books that would answer her questions. But Lysa didn't know that, so she told her a story.

The rest of the evening had been over soon and the following weeks likewise. At all times some lord or another was staying in Winterfell to talk with Lord Arryn about taxes and trade or in Lord Bolten's case about fostering his son and heir in the Vale. Cat felt exhausted after some time and Lysa was less help the further she was in her pregnancy. Soon her little nephew or niece would be born and the little voice in her head that was tied most the time whispered and soon it will be quiet in our home again. She enjoyed having Lysa here, but it was difficult from time to time.

There were only few times when no other lord sat at their table, but Cat was graceful that today was such a day. She knew that tomorrow new people will arrive, but today it was just her family, Lysa and Lord Arryn. It got later and both Ned and his foster father had drank a couple of wine at the end of the dinner. It seemed to lose her goodbrother's tongue a little.

"I worry about Robert." He looked older than normal and kind of sung in. "Seeing you and your wife, made me realize the mistake I made."

"What are you worried about?" Ned's voice showed serious concern for his friend.

"He doesn't like to rule and he is unhappy with his wife." Jon Arryn pivoted the cup between his hands. "Maybe I should not have made him marry her back then." Ned didn't comment, but his despise for the Lannisters was obvious to see on his face. "I only thought about how to keep the realm stable and didn't consider him or even her in this."

"What is the problem?" Ned asked careful. Cat wasn't sure what to do, should she leave with the children and Lysa or could she stay. A short glance to Lysa told her that her sister wouldn't leave on her own for this conversation.

"They are both not made for a political marriage." The old man laughed joyless. "You know Robert; he is a man of passion. I hoped, that her beauty would be enough for him, but it wasn't, isn't. It's not even lust that leads him to her chambers, but duty to produce another heir. Think about it, it's not lust that leads him to a beautiful woman's bed. You can't force him to care, if there is no passion in him for it and he has no passion for his wife or even much for his boy. Robert doesn't have the will to fight her for him, to be a stronger influence on the boy than his mother." He emptied his half-full cup at once and refilled it. "He had passion for your sister, but not for the Queen. And she isn't better at all. To prideful to be a good wife to him. She would have needed a husband that wanted to lay the world to her feet, not one she had to make care about her. None of them had the patience to make a political marriage work and I start to doubt that it ever will." He looked up from his wine and looked Ned in the eyes. "Do you think it would have been wiser to wait some time before getting him a wife?"

"I think that the realm was in a difficult situation after the war and it was important to reunion the kingdom, but I don't think it was the wisest to give so much power to the Lannisters." Ned was nothing if not honest as he answered.

"But if not her, who? You could ask the Martells after that dreadful business with Elia and her babes, never mind that they would have wanted to use the position to punish the Lannisters," Ned face showed that he wouldn't disagree with this possibility, but Arryn continued. "What would have let to a new war. Maybe a woman from the Crowlands, but there is no house powerful enough to reunion them, neither you nor me had had a woman to offer to him and the Tyrells had fought us to the end and lied siege on Storm's End and Robert and Stannis both hated them with passion. Maybe it would have been best if only one of us had married at Riverrun and we could have placed a Tully queen on the throne…" She and Lysa looked at each other and they both didn't know what to say about that. If her father hadn't been so fast in finding them new husbands, could it have been possible? She could see some satisfaction in Lysa's face to hear that the Queen was unable to make her husband happy. A part of her wanted to scowl her like she did in Riverrun when they were children, but another part remembered the letters from Lysa and how the Queen had mocked her merciless and she stayed quiet. "But that is water under the bridge, right? Don't listen to the ramblings of an old man."

It was difficult to describe the look on Ned's face in that moment; there was pity and exhaustion in it and a bit helplessness as he placed a hand on his foster father's back. "But an old man that will soon be a father from his Tully wife."

Her goodbrother laughed and agreed with Ned. "Yes, to our good Tully wives, who bring us more happiness than a king has." Cat had to admit that pride colored her own cheeks as well when the two men toasted to them.

But this happiness didn't last long. Soon after Lysa was confirmed in the birthing chamber, but Maester Luwin was worried, because the baby hadn't turned when it should. It would be a breech birth. It would be far more dangerous than a birth normally was already.

"My Lady Arryn, I know that this must sound strange to you, but I think it would be right to call someone else here to help." He told them both, because Lysa wanted Cat close to her the closer they got to the birth.

"But aren't you good at this? Cat only had good words about you, when you brought Sansa into the world." Lysa was nervous and clinched her hand tight.

"I like to hear that and while I brought a couple of children safe into the world, I fear your childbirth will not be easy and I don't have much practical experience with this kind of problems we have to expect. The woman I want to join us is a renowned midwife in Wintertown, who attends births nearly every day and who had faced this before." He explained them patiently. "I don't want to risk your life or your child's life because I'm to prideful to ask for help if I need it."

Lysa looked at her fearful and Cat herself didn't know that to think either. Childbirth was always dangerous, but to know that this one would be even more dangerous than normal was a frightening thought. At the same time she was grateful that Maester Luwin was ready to make sure that Lysa had all the help they could hope for. She nodded to Lysa and she agreed in a timely voice.

"Thank you, Maester Luwin, please call on whoever you think could help."

Since then Cat had stayed with Lysa as much as she could. It physically hurt to be away from her children for so much of the day, but for one she knew that Ned and even Benjen took great care of them and her sister needed her right now and maybe this was even the last time she could spend with Lysa. The longer they were in there the more Lysa seemed to shrink. She looked so young and scared like the little girl she had been at Riverrun after their mother died.

"You will stay with me right Cat?" Lysa's hand shook as she tried to finish a blanket with a falcon and a fish on it. Her stitches weren't as even as when she started the blanket month ago.

"Of course I will stay by your side." Cat let go of her own stitch work of a wolf and grabbed Lysa's hand. "You are my sister and I will help you as much as I can." Cat felt tears well up in her eyes, but didn't let them fall.

Lysa pulled her closer and whispered to her, even if no one else was in the room. "Promise me, that if I die, you will look after my baby. You have to make sure that Merianne and this one will meet."

"You will not die. Maester Luwin will make sure that everything works out fine."

"Promise me, Cat."

"I- I promise, should something happen, I will ask Ned to take in your child as a ward." It felt like she betrayed Lysa by acknowledging out loud the chance that she could die, but Lysa looked calmer after the promise. "But you have to promise me that you don't give up. No matter what happens."

"I can promise you that." They both forced a smile on their faces.

While Lysa could be difficult and demanding at dinner, Cat missed her dearly now that she had to have them without her. It was uncomfortable to sit between Ned, Benjen and Lord Arryn. Ned tried to give her attention from time to time, but with Benjen still not talking to her and Lord Arryn wallowing in self pity it was difficult to sit through dinner.

"Oh why did the Seven curse me like this?" The old man's lamenting made Cat grip her spoon harder during the soup. "Three wives I married, Ned and I still don't have a heir!" Her other hand balled into a fist and her jaw trembled in anger.

"Jon, I'm sure that Maester Luwin will do everything in his power to keep Lady Lysa and the child safe." Ned tried to reassure his friend or maybe her as he gently lay his hand on her fist and caressed her with his thumb. But the old man didn't seem to listen to her husband.

"A curse I tell you. To lose a third wife like this…"

This was too much! Cat threw her spoon down into her soup at the same time as she stood up and glared at her goodbrother Jon Arryn. "My sister is not dead yet!" Her voice sounded shrill in her own ears, but she didn't stop even as she felt the eyes of everybody in the hall on her. "This womb you mourn for, while still alive, belongs to my little sister! And I don't plan to give up hope that she will live through this birth! And that she will be able to live her childhood dreams of visiting all the seven kingdoms and maybe even Essos!" She didn't wait for an answer and left the table. Cat knew that she shouldn't. It was her duty to stay with her guests, entertain them and to make sure that they feel welcome in her home; she most definitely wasn't supposed to shout at them. But she couldn't care less in this moment.

As she stormed out of the hall she heard noise behind her, but she didn't turn around. There were probably already stories going around about the Southern Bitch who couldn't even a worthy lady when the Hand of the King dinned with them. She heard footsteps behind her and when she turned around she was surprised to see that Benjen and not Ned had followed her. She whipped away the angry tears that stunk in her eyes as she straightened her back to face him. The young Stark man had an uncharacteristic awkward look on his face as if he hadn't thought about what to say once he caught up with her.

"Benjen." She wouldn't apologize to him, to Ned she will of course later, maybe even Lord Arryn if Ned ask her to, but she didn't own Benjen one.

"Catelyn-" He really wasn't sure how to start this conversation. Strange, he was never shy to express his displeasure with her. "I punched a man in the face."

That wasn't what Cat expected at all. "What?"

"In the war." He made a pause and Cat wasn't sure what to say. Did he expect her to say anything about it? Did he just needed time to sort his own thought? "When Ned was away fighting and I was left in charge of Winterfell, I punched a man in the face. I think he was a cousin of Lord Crowl." He paused once again and Cat tried to remember Lord Crowl. She placed him as someone from Skagos with a red and black coat of arms. "He asked me what I would do once Ned would die in the war." He shrugged his shoulders. "I punched him for it and forbade everyone to assume that Ned would die."

She still didn't know what to say and he wasn't saying anything else and shrugged once more before turning around to walk away. This was maybe the first time Benjen had ever said something nice(?) to her and tried to connect with her since she got here. He was already a few meters away from her when she found her voice again.

"Benjen." He looked over his shoulder back to her. "Thank you." She didn't know what else to say and he didn't seem to expect her to.

Cat watched him walk away and wasn't sure where to go herself. Not back into the hall for sure. The children had been put to bed an hour ago. It was still too early to go to bed herself. Maybe the Glass gardens or the sept? This decision was taken from her when a young chamber maiden ran up to her. She stopped next to her and had to catch her breath while holding her side.

"Lady Stark." She huffed in a cracking voice. "Lady Arryn- the birth-begin-"

Cat didn't wait for her to say anything more and ruffed up her skirt and hurried to Lysa's birthing chamber. She didn't brother to knock and stepped right in. Lysa still looked fine, but the contraction normally started sometime earlier before the actual birth. Lysa's eyes lit up when Cat stepped into the room and she stretched her hands out to her, like a little child that wanted to be carried. Maester Luwin talked to some of the maidens and send a couple of them away, while he made sure that everything was prepared and that hot water and clean towels were ready.

Cat took her hands and kissed her forehead. "I'm here Lysa. Don't worry" She mumbled a lot of more comforting nonsense to her in hope to vanish the scared look from her little sister's eyes. With each contraction Lysa gripped her hand and begged her, for what cat wasn't sure and she suspected that Lysa wasn't either. After around an hour or two one of the maids returned and Maester Luwin talked to them in hush voices through the door. The people on the other side hurried away again and the good maester checked the position of the baby again by carefully touching Lysa's belly. Another hour later a older woman stepped into the room that Cat had never seen before. While her eyes flickered through the room with interest and understanding, her fleeing chin gave her a dull look. This woman was probably never called a beauty in her life the acne scars on her face and the crooked teeth made sure of that. She stepped closer to Lysa.

"Greetin' m'lady. I'm Lynana. I'll help you with your birth. Don't worry, I've been a midwife for longer than you're old." She introduced herself immediately and touched Lysa's hand and wrist while doing it. Lysa looked over to Cat with big eyes.

"Thank you, Lynana for looking after my sister." Cat answered for Lysa and mustered the woman Maester Luwin thought best to call here to help with the birth. Up close, Cat could see that her dark hair was still wet, her skin scrubbed red at places and that her dress was too wide for her. The maids must have given her a bath and clean clothes before she got here.

"Course m'lady." She bowed to her and then let go of Lysa and went over to Maester Luwin.

They talked in hush voices and Cat could understand them, before they returned and both carefully pressed down on Lysa's belly. On her left hand the nail of her thumb was unnatural long and pointy. One side seemed even to be serrated like a saw. Both the measter and her looked very serious and turned away again to talk quietly.

Apparently their decision was to wait for now, because while they checked the belly and Lysa often they didn't do anything for most of the time. They only told them that sometimes a birth takes longer and not to worry. They said that a lot, no worry, no reason to worry, don't worry. It didn't make Cat feel better. For hours Lysa now screamed in pain. Her beautiful red hair was wet with tears and sweat and it was wild from throwing her head from one side to the other. They were here for the whole night and much off the morning without much happening. Lysa's face turned pale and she trembled even between the contractions. The maester and midwife whispered more and more animated between each other. Luwin looked at the woman as if she had lost her mind, but continued to listen to her. She made a swift gesture towards Lysa and Maester Luwin sighed deeply before nodding. Again maids were sent out of the room even when they left with a bewildered look on her face. They returned to her and Lysa. Telling them that everything was fine and that they shouldn't worry. They would only try another way to help Lysa get this baby. The midwife had done it a dozens of times. Cat held Lysa closer. Something was wrong and they were desperate if Maester Luwin agreed to a method he wasn't familiar with. Shortly after the maids return with a lot of pillows and thick winter blankets and trestle. The midwife tested it by leaning on it before nodding and ordering the maids to put down some pillows in front of it.

"Maester Luwin! What is the matter with this?" Cat grabbed him by the arm when he was within her reach.

"Lady Catelyn there is no need for you to-"

"Don't tell me not to worry!" She hadn't the patience to let him talk like this. At the same time the midwife tried to order some of the maids to get Lysa up and out of the bed. "No, no, no!" Cat felt like losing control. "What are you doing there?!"

"Lady Catelyn, please you have to stay-" Maester Luwin tried to calm her down, but she wasn't listening.

"M'lady." The midwife grabbed both her arms and forced her to look at her. "Your sister is gonna die, if we didn't to nothing. She's gonna need you to get through this, don't force us to send you out."

It worked somehow. Cat didn't fight against her anymore, but the fear still kept her in its grip. "What is happening?" Her voice sounded in her own ears weak and quiet. The midwife didn't answer, because she had to help to get Lysa to the trestle.

Maester Luwin was it who pulled her aside and explained it to her in a kind and calm voice. "The babe is stuck on the way out and we hope that by switching Lady Arryn's position, we could free it or sag down. And if that doesn't work it would give us a better angle from the way it is stuck to pull it down." He carefully put his hands on her shoulders. "Please Lady Catelyn, it would probably help your sister a lot if you stay with her and calm her down, but for that you have to be calm." She felt like a little girl herself, who was reprimand by her father. She couldn't lose her head now. With a weak nod she asked what she could do. "Knee down on the other side and talk to her. Keep her calm. Can you do this?" She nodded again and went over o her sister.

It was a strange picture. She heavily leant on the wooden trestle; kneeing with her legs spread wide and the skirts hiked up over her belly. Two maids held her up under the arms so that she wouldn't sag down. Cat kneed down in front of her, cupped her face up and leant their foreheads together.

"You can do this Lysa. I know you can. Soon you will have this baby and be its mother. And what a great mother you will be." She whispered those and many more words to her, petting her hair and face. Lysa groaned and cried out of pain, when the midwife crouched down next to her and apparently tried to push the baby within the belly in the right position.

"They will grow up close right, Cat? My baby and Merianne-AH! It hurts!"

"Of course they will. The baby and Meri and Robb and Sansa, with all cosines and siblings it will have, because you will all come to visit us. Every year or two, right Lysa?"

This went on for another hour or more. To Cat it felt like an eternity. Once more the midwife and maester discussed something that Cat couldn't hear. The maester nodded in agreement. The midwife pushed up her sleeve up onto the shoulder and washed her arm in warm water. Maester Luwin got a bottle with oil and inspected her arm before doused it with the oil. She leant down and explained to Lysa and her what was going to happen.

"I'll try to pull the child down. It'll hurt, but much longer and we risk you child. You'll have to say strong."

Cat couldn't tell if Lysa really understood it, but the woman didn't wait for an answer and ordered the maids in the room to hold Lysa tight, before she lay down behind her. Cat couldn't and wouldn't see what happened down there, but she never heard Lysa or anyone scream like this. It was bone chilling and no matter what Cat did or said, nothing could calm her down. The midwife was shouting orders at the maids to hold her still and even Maester Luwin helped with that. Finally after so much time the midwife made a sound of triumph.

"There you are you slippy little thing, get out there!" It took some more minutes and some more anguished cries from Lysa and finally, finally there was a wet noise followed by screams of a baby. This one screamed louder than Merianne had.

Maester Luwin looked the child over while the maids lifted Lysa back into the bed. After a quick look and cutting the cord short he seemed satisfied enough and passed it to one of the girls to wash it clean and turned back to Lysa. The midwife made room for him to felt her belly again and he didn't seem very concerned.

"The womb didn't fall out." She could understand between and the midwife answered something like, "Luck that it wasn't her -" She could understand the rest and the midwife frowned and shook her head to whatever the maester said back. Maester Luwin looked over to Lysa and her, but Cat didn't spend them any more mind when Lysa started to talk to her.

"Cat." Her voice was weak and hoarse. "My baby…"

"It is fine Lysa! You did great! Everything is fine!"She kissed her forehead with her words and a happy smile stretched over her face and was answered by an exhausted one from Lysa.

The maester and maids made sure to clean Lysa up down there and after a few more minutes switched the blankets under her. They have her something to drink, but they didn't seem very afraid or hectic to Cat. That hopefully meant that her little sister wasn't about to die. The little babe was loosely wrapped in a white blanket when they brought it back. Its face was red from screaming and a little bit of red- orange hair was on its head.

"Congratulation Lady Arryn, you have a healthy little girl." Maester Luwin said as he placed her at Lysa's tit. A whit of bitterness bloomed in Cat. All this pain and fear for a firstborn girl? It didn't seem very fair.

"She is perfect." Lysa whispered while watching the little girl suck on her treat, quiet for the first time. "Do you think I can name this one after mother?"What right would Cat had to spoil this moment for Lysa. She had a daughter that she could keep, a trueborn one.

"I'm sure Lord Arryn would be happy to." And if Cat had to convince him herself. Lysa was the first wife to give him a living child; she should at least be able to name her daughter.

They had time for maybe half an hour before Lysa started to drift off to sleep and the little one to be full. She yawned and fell asleep as well. She looked out of the window, it must be after midday already again. After a quick look in the mirror to fix her own looks Cat carefully scooped her up to present the child to her father. She wrapped the blanket Lysa had made around the babe; the Arryn crest in good view for all to see. Outside the door Lord Arryn waited together with Ned. The old man's hands were restless as she stepped out. He looked up with wide eyes and was faster up from his chair then she expected from a man his age.

"My Lord Arryn, I would like to present you your daughter. After a long birth you are father of a healthy little girl." She have expect him to be disappointed with a daughter, but the moment she placed the little bundle in his arms, his face lit up in awe and tears swelled up in his eyes.

"I have a daughter." He whispered in a broken voice. "Ned, I am the father of a daughter!" He started to laugh and gently rock the little girl. "Here, look at her!" He turned to her husband to show off her niece.

"She is lovely Jon." Ned caressed her little rosy cheeks. "She has your nose and mouth." And it was true. The child had the thin lips and aquiline nose of Lord Arryn. "What do you want to name her?"

"I don't know. I didn't dare to hope that I would really become a father of such a beautiful little creature." It was clear the old lord was still speechless and beyond happy.

"Lysa would like to name her after our mother Minisa, if that is agreeable with you my Lord. She fought hard for both their lives and has to rest now, or she would tell you this yourself." Cat still stood close to the men to make sure that Lord Arryn held the girl right.

"Minisa Arryn, heir of the Vale." He tested the name on his tongue and smiled in bliss. "Aye, that is a good name. Lysa granted me the greatest honor and gift, by giving me a child. It is only right that she can choose this name for a daughter." He sat down and looked at his daughter for some more time, before he looked up again, as if he just remembered something. "Lysa, my wife, how is she?"

Was Lysa only an after-thought for him, a bitter voice asked in her mind, but she answered with all the dignity a great lady should have. "It was a difficult birth, but Maester Luwin is confident that she will recover in some time."

"Good, good, very good." After some more silence h e looked at Ned. "I will have to write ravens to the Vale lords and Robert and, and of course my goodfather Lord Tully. On the way south we will have to stop there."

The old man rambled on some more and Ned listened with a soft smile. After some time Maester Luwin stepped out of the room and he looked calm enough. He informed Lord Arryn that, because of the difficult birth, he would advice Lysa not to get pregnant again for around two years, to make sure that the injuries heal the right way. Jon didn't look to mad about that and expressed his understanding, even if two more years to try for a son would be a long time for an old man like him. After bringing Minisa back to Lysa, Cat excused herself to take a bath, eat a little bit and to finally look after her own children again.

When she stepped into the nursery the children all were very excited to see her again. Robb and Meri ran over to her and hugged her knees and even Jon came closer to greet his Aunt Cat. Sansa was in her uncle Benjen's arms.

"Hello Catelyn." He greeted her. "I heard that everything went fine?"

"Yes, Lysa and Lord Jon have a beautiful daughter with the name Minisa Arryn." She answered him while crouching down to hug the children. She was even so happy about how well everything went that she invited Jon into the hug. "I take that you looked after the children for the time being?"

"Yes, they are adorable. It's good to have some more Starks around again." She knew she should take this peace as it is, but she couldn't help but push just a little bit.

"Even if they didn't look like Ned?" She made sure not to sound too harsh in front of the children.

He shrugged his shoulders and answered with an awkward small smile. "Yes I would have liked it if they looked a bit more like Ned, but once you sit down and watch them you can see a lot of him in the small things." He tickled Sansa gently and she smiled back at him and soft dimples appeared on her face. A little feature she shared with Robb, but not with Meri or Jon. It warmed her heart that there was something of Ned in Robb and Sansa that Jon didn't have."I know that you don't see it very well with his beard, but they have Ned's smile. He and Brandon got it from our mother. Lyanna always made fun about the fact, that they had the most adorable smile out of all us and should have been the maidens." A nostalgic sadness crept into his eyes. "Thinking back maybe that was the reason both of them were fostered away after mother died…"

Now that Benjen said it, it was true that Ned had dimples. You really couldn't see them with his beard, but she felt them before when they had lay close and she caressed his face. She shooed the children closer so that she could sit next to her goodbrother.

"Will you now leave for the wall? Now that you are sure that they are Starks?" Cat couldn't say what answer she preferred in that moment.

"I promised Ned to at least wait until Robb is a bit older in case something should happen to Ned. He worries that some lords could try to insurge against him, if he doesn't have the backing of an older Stark." If Benjen was happy with this or not, cat couldn't tell. "I think, he hopes that I find a nice lady to settle down with." She noticed that he didn't offer an apology and some part of her wanted to lash out because of it, but she knew that it would be better if she keep the peace and swallow her pride.

"Maybe it that wouldn't be the worst thing, to have some more little Stark cosines in the North." She picked Sansa up and told the older once to go to bed for a nap time. "At least don't fight it, if it happens, Benjen."

Benjen didn't say anything about this and excused himself, so that she could put them to sleep for an hour or two. Once the children were asleep Cat started to feel her own tiredness. Sleeping sounded great at this moment, but she should first have a prayer for the Mother that She protected Lysa and made sure that the baby was fine. Her shoulders and legs hurt when she kneed down in the small sept. It was not a big one, but she was lovely and if only for the reason that Ned built it for her because she had been home sick here in the cold North surrounded by people that did like or respected her. As she finished her prayers she continued to stare at the small candle that she had lit and her thought drifted back to her own worries. While Benjen now finally believed her and accepted Robb and Sansa as Starks, the rest of the North was different. It would only take some nasty rumors to hurt her son. She asked the Father for justice and that he would protect Robb's legit claim on Winterfell. She asked the Mother and the Maiden for mercy for the innocents, Robb and Sansa were innocent of whatever lie she had told. She asked the smith for patience and endurance to help her children and the warrior to make her a shield to protect her children from any harm. Finally she asked the Crone for advice. How should, could she protect them? But the stature stayed quiet. The lines of the polished wood that was her face stayed still. Wooden statures of the Seven were what Ned had ordered for the sept. Before she had only seen them crafted out of stone. Maybe he wanted to mix his numberless old tree gods with her own Seven gods to create a link between them. The old gods. The Starks had always believed in the old gods and this small sept wasn't big enough to convert the North to the Seven. Would she be the only one to pray here? Could she teach her children to pray to the Seven? No. This realization hit her deep in the heart. She couldn't teach them to pray to the Seven that was a Southern thing to do and would make the lords question her children even more. She would never see her children in the Seven Heavens again. She felt tears in her eyes and her hand shook. Slowly she turned her eyes to the stranger.

"Please, once I die let me go to the same place that my children will go to one day." She whispered as quiet as she could, before standing up and practically fleeing out of the sept. Once the door closed behind her it felt like she lost an old friend.

That night when she lay next to Ned she kissed him with all the tender care she had for him in her heart. She could feel his soft dimples against her hand. "Ned." She hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "Can you teach me how to pray to the Old Gods?"

A.N. Ok there was a lot in this chapter, but I would like to make a time skip soon, but first I wanted to show how and why this little bastard girl changed things in the relationship of some characters. Lysa was able to have a child much sooner, because she didn't drink moon tea the first time and we have a little daughter here. And yes a daughter can be a legit heir, if there is no son even outside of Dorne. They are just after their brothers in the line of succession. So for now Minisa is Jon Arryn's heir.

Cat is taking on the old gods to protect her children and to become the best Lady Stark she could and that her children will be as Northern as possible. That means some differences in the children's education as well. No heroic knight stories about the King's Guard for Bran and no septa for the girls. Things like this.

Please leave a review and help me to improve my story and writing.