Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Caitlin

Among all the rooms in the Winterfell Castle, Caitlyn's bedroom was the most stuffy, so that it was rarely necessary to light a fire to keep warm.The castle is built on a natural hot spring, and the steaming hot water flows through the high-walled bedroom like the blood in the human body, driving the chill out of the stone hall, filling the glass garden with moisture and warmth, and preventing the soil from freezing.In more than a dozen smaller open-air courtyards, the hot springs are steaming day and night.It may not matter in the summer, but in the winter it can often be the difference between life and death.

Caitlyn likes to have her baths hot and steamy, and the walls of her chosen living room are always warm to the touch.It was only because this kind of warmth could bring back her memories of Riverrun, and reminded her of the days when she was running around with Lysa and Edmure under the bright sun, but Ned still couldn't bear the heat.He would always tell her that the Starks were made to live in the cold, and she would always laugh and answer, If that was so, then their castle was built in the wrong place. So, when they were done, Ned rolled over, rose from her bed, and walked across the room as he had done a thousand times before, drawing back the heavy tapestry curtains, and pushing open the high narrow windows one by one, letting The chill of the night poured into the bedroom.

He stood quietly by the window, completely naked, with nothing on his hands, facing the dark sky alone, with the cold wind whistling around him.Caitlin pulled the warm fur and covered it up to her chin, and looked at her husband silently, feeling that he seemed to have become thin and fragile, as if he had suddenly become the man she had entrusted to her life in the cathedral of Riverrun fifteen years ago. young people.Her lower body still ached from his violent movements, but it was a pain that felt good, and she could feel his seed inside her.She prayed that the seeds would bear fruit.It had been three years since Rickon had been born, and she was young enough to have another son for him.

"I just refused him." He turned to face her as he spoke, his eyes were dark and his tone was full of doubts. Caitlin sat up from the bed: "No, you can't refuse." "My responsibilities are here, in the North, and I have no intention of succeeding Robert as Prime Minister." "He doesn't understand that. He's a king now, and a king is not to be treated like a human being. If you refuse him, he'll wonder why, and sooner or later wonder if you're half-hearted. Don't you see , may it bring us any danger?" Ned shook his head. "Robert will never do anything against me or my family. He loves me more than a brother, and if I refuse, he will be furious and curse, but in a week we will be on the same page." I scoff at this matter. I know him well!"

"You know him in the past," she replied, "and the king is a stranger to you now." Catelyn thought of the direwolf lying in the snow, and the antlers stuck deep in its throat.She had to find a way to make him see the truth. "My lord, the king's pride is everything to him. Robert has traveled thousands of miles to visit you and bring you such a high honor. You can't say no to him. It's like slapping him in the face in public." "Honor?" Ned smiled bitterly. "In his eyes, there is no higher honor," she replied. "In your eyes?"

"It seems the same to me!" she snapped, suddenly angry.Why doesn't he understand? "He would let his eldest son marry Sansa. What could be more honorable? Sansa may one day be queen, and her children will rule from the Wall in the north to the mountains of Dorne in the south. Isn't that good?" "Jesus, Catelyn, Sansa's only eleven," Ned said, "and Joffrey...Joffrey he..." She hurriedly said, "He is the current crown prince, the heir to the Iron Throne. When my father betrothed me to your brother Brandon, I was only twelve years old."

These words caused a bitter twitch at the corner of Ned's mouth, "Brandon, yes, Brandon knows how to do it. He does everything with confidence and confidence. Both you and Winterfell should belong to Brandon. He A Prime Minister and Queen's father. I never said I'd drink that bitter drink." "Maybe you haven't," Caitlin said, "but Brandon is long gone, and the glass has been passed to you, and you'll have to drink it whether you like it or not." Ned turned again, back into the night.He stood there looking at the darkness outside the house, maybe he was staring at the moonlight and the stars, maybe he was watching the sentry on the city.

Seeing him hurt, Catelyn softened.Eddard Stark had married her in Brandon's place, as was custom, but the shadow of his dead brother was still between them, like the shadow of another woman, one whom he would not name but who A woman who gave birth to an illegitimate child. She was about to get up and walk to him when the knock on the door came suddenly, which was particularly harsh and unexpected at such a moment.Ned turned back and frowned, "Who is it?" Desmond's voice came from outside the door: "My lord, Maester Luwin is outside and said he has something urgent to see."

"Did you tell him that I told him not to disturb anyone?" "Yes, sir, but he insists on seeing you." "All right, let him in." Ned went to the wardrobe and pulled on a heavy robe.Caitlin was suddenly startled by the chill in the room. She sat up on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Should we close the windows?" she suggested. Ned nodded absently. Maester Luwin had been ushered in. The maester was a thin man, all gray.His eyes were gray, but keen, and little escaped him; his hair was gray, too, as age left him; his robe was gray wool, trimmed with white velvet, and Tucker colors.There are many pockets hidden in the wide sleeves, and Luwin is always busy putting things into the sleeves, and can take out books, letterheads, weird magic tools, children's toys and so on from time to time.Catelyn was amazed that Maester Luwin's hands were still working, considering how much Maester Luwin carried up his sleeves.

The maester waited until the door closed behind him before speaking. "My lord," he said to Ned, "forgive me for disturbing your rest. Someone has left me a letter." Ned asked sullenly, "Someone left you a letter? Who left it? A messenger came today? How could I not know?" "My lord, it wasn't a messenger. Someone put a beautifully carved wooden box on the desk in my star-gazing room while I was dozing. My servant said he didn't see anyone coming in or out, but he must have been with the king." We have no other visitors from the South." "A wooden box, you say?" Caitlin asked.

"There is an exquisite lens inside, which is specially used for stargazing. It seems to be the workmanship of Mir. The lens made by Mir can be said to be unparalleled in the world." Ned frowned again, and Catelyn knew he had little patience for such trifles. "Lens?" he said. "What does that have to do with me?" "At that time, I also had the same question," Master Luwin said, "Obviously there is a mystery hidden here." Catelyn shivered under the thick fur. "The purpose of the lens is to see the truth." "That's right." The bachelor touched the collar that symbolized his identity. It was a string of heavy necklaces made of many pieces of different metals. Caitlin only felt a surge of fear rising from the bottom of her heart. "Then what exactly do you want us to see?" "That's the problem." Maester Luwin took out a tightly rolled letter from his sleeve. "So I disassembled the whole wooden box and found the real letter at the bottom of the fake box. But this letter is not for me." Ned held out his hand: "Then leave it to me." Maester Luwin didn't respond. "My lord, I'm sorry, but it's not for you either. It's clearly stated that it can only be opened by Mrs. Caitlin. May I send the letter?" Caitlin nodded without answering.Luwin put the letter on the low table beside her bed, sealed with a drop of blue wax.Luwin bowed, ready to leave. "Stay," Ned ordered heavily, looking at Catelyn. "What's the matter, ma'am? You're shaking." "I'm scared," she admitted.She reached out to pick up the envelope with trembling hands, the fur slipped off her body, she completely forgot about her naked body.I saw the crescent and falcon crest of House Arryn printed on the blue sealing wax. "It's from Lysa," Catelyn said, looking at her husband, "and I'm afraid it won't be good news." She told him, "Ned, there's a lot of sadness in this letter, I can feel it. " Ned's brows were furrowed, and his face darkened. "open." Caitlin broke the seal. Her eyes glanced at the inner text, and at first she couldn't see why, but then she suddenly realized: "Lysa is cautious and refuses to take risks. We invented a secret language when we were young, and only she and I understand it." "Then can you read the contents of the letter?" "Yes." Caitlin said. "tell us." "I think I'd better resign first." Maester Luwin said. "No," Caitlin said, "we need your opinion." She pulled back the fur, rolled out of bed, and walked across the room.The cold air at midnight pierces the heart and lungs, and is as cold as a tomb. Maester Luwin looked away immediately, and even Ned was taken aback by her sudden move. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "Light a fire," Catelyn told him.She found a nightgown from the closet, put it on, and squatted down in front of the long-cooled stove. "Master Luwin..." Ned began. "Maester Luwin has delivered every one of my children," Catelyn said, "and this is not the time for hypocrisy." With that, she stuffed the letter into the fledgling fire, and piled some rough logs on top of it. above. Ned crossed the room, took her arm, and lifted her up.His hands held her tightly, his face inches away from hers. "Tell me, madam! What is in the letter?" Caitlin froze under his pressure. "It's a warning letter," she whispered, "if we're smart enough to listen." His eyes searched her face. "Please go on." "Lysa said Jon Arryn was murdered." His fingers tightened. "Murdered by who?" "House Lannister," she told him, "the present Queen." Ned let go, leaving bright crimson fingerprints on her arm. "Jesus," he whispered gruffly, "your sister is so sad she doesn't know what she's talking about." "Of course she knows," Caitlin said, "Lysa herself is very impulsive, but this letter has been carefully planned and carefully hidden. She must be very clear that if the letter falls into the hands of others, she will definitely die. It can be seen that this absolutely It must have been groundless, otherwise she would not be willing to take such a big risk." Caitlin looked at her husband, "We really have no choice now, you have to be Robert's Prime Minister, you have to go south to find out the truth yourself .” She knew immediately that Ned had come to the exact opposite conclusion. "What I know is that the south is a place full of poisonous snakes and beasts, and it's better for me to avoid it." Luwin plucked the place where the necklace scratched the skin of his throat: "My lord, the Prime Minister has great power, enough to find out the real cause of Duke Arryn's death and bring the murderer to justice. Even if the situation is not good, we must protect Madam Arryn." and her youngest son, but it is more than enough." Ned looked around the room helplessly, and Catelyn's heart followed his gaze, but she knew she couldn't hold him in her arms just yet.For the sake of her children, she must first win the battle in front of her. "You say you love Robert more than your own brother. Can you bear to see your brother surrounded by Lannisters?" "Get the White Walkers to take you both," Ned muttered.He turned his back on both of them and walked towards the window.She said nothing, and neither did the maester.They waited silently for Ned to say goodbye to his beloved home, and when he finally looked back from the window, his voice was so tired and sentimental, and the corners of his eyes were slightly moist, "My father only went to the South once in his life." , is to respond to the king's call. The result is gone forever." "Times are different," said Maester Luwin, "and so are the kings." "Really?" Ned replied numbly, and sat down in a chair by the fire. "Catelyn, you stay in Winterfell." His words pierced her heart like ice. "Don't." She suddenly became frightened, is this a punishment for her?Never see him again?Never get his warm hug again? "It must." Ned's tone did not allow any refutation. "While I go south to assist Robert, you must rule the north for me. In any case, there must be a Stark in Winterfell. Robb is fourteen years old and will soon be grown up. He must start learning How to rule, and I can't be by his side to teach him. You need to let him participate in your confidential meetings. He must be fully prepared before the time comes when he needs to be alone." "Bless the gods, let you come back soon." Maester Luwin muttered. "Master Luwin, I have always regarded you as my own blood and flesh. Please give my wife advice no matter how big or small it is, and teach my children what they must know. Don't forget, winter is coming." Maester Luwin nodded gravely, and the room fell silent again, until Catelyn summoned up the courage to ask the question she dreaded hearing the answer to most: "Where are the other children?" Ned rose and took her in his arms, and held her face close to him. "Rickon is young," he said softly. "He stays here with you and Robb. The other children are with me. Go south." "I can't bear this." She replied tremblingly. "You must be patient," he said. "Sansa is marrying Joffrey. It is a fait accompli. We must not give them any reason to doubt their loyalty. Arya should have learned from the ladies of the southern court long ago." Rules and etiquette, in a few years, she will be ready to get married." Sansa would shine brightly in the South, Catelyn thought, and Arya did need to learn some manners.So she reluctantly temporarily put aside her attachment to her two daughters, but Bran can't go, Bran must stay. "All right," she said, "but Ned, for the sake of your love for me, please let Bran stay at Winterfell. He's only seven." "I was only eight years old when my father sent me to the Eyrie to be adopted," said Ned. "Ser Rodrik said that Robb and Prince Joffrey didn't get along well, which is not a good sign." Bran just happens to be the bridge between the two families, he is a lovely kid, smiling and lovable, let him grow up with the princes, friendships will come naturally, just like Robert and I did back then, so As a result, our family's status will be more secure and stable." Caitlyn knew he was telling the truth, but it didn't take away her pain.She was about to lose them all: Ned, her two daughters, and her beloved Bran, leaving only Robb and Rickon.She felt lonely at this moment, Winterfell was a big place after all. "Then don't let him get too close to the wall," she said bravely. "You know Bran likes to climb up and down." Ned kissed the remaining tears in her eyes. "Thank you, my dear lady," he whispered, "I know it hurts." "What about Jon Snow, my lord?" Maester Luwin asked. Upon hearing the name, Caitlin immediately froze all over.Sensing her anger, Ned pulled away and let her go. Caitlin knew from a young age that it was common for aristocratic men to secretly have illegitimate children, so she was not at all surprised when she learned that Ned had an illegitimate child with a peasant girl during the battle not long after she was newly married.After all, Ned had his man's needs, and during the year he fought, he only married her for a few days before hurrying south, leaving her safe behind in his father's Riverrun, separated from each other.Her thoughts were so much on Robb, who was still a baby, than on the husband she barely knew.When he was in the midst of battle, he could not help but seek comfort.And once he left the seed, she also hoped that he could at least make the child safe. But he did more than that. The Starks were different. Ned brought his bastard home and called him "son" in front of everyone.When the war was finally over and Catelyn returned to Winterfell, Jon and his wet nurse were already living in the city. It had hurt her so much that Ned would not speak of the mother, nor of the relationship.There are no impenetrable walls in a castle, however, and Catelyn soon heard several theories from her handmaidens, from soldiers who had fought alongside her husband.They whispered to each other about Ser Arthur Dayne, nicknamed the Sword of the Dawn, the most skilled knight of the Kingsguard under Aerys, but their young master was in a one-on-one duel. Killed him.They also vividly narrated how Ned took Sir Arthur's saber afterwards and went to Starfall City on the Midsummer Coast to find Arthur's sister.They said that Miss Ashara Dayne was fair-skinned, tall and tall, with deep and cold violet eyes.After thinking for two weeks, she finally got up the courage to ask her husband face to face in bed one night. Yet that was the only time Ned had ever frightened her in the years of their marriage. "Never ask me about Jon," he said, cold as ice. "He's my own son, that's all you need to know. Now, madam, I want to know where you got it." Come by that name." She assured him she would never bring it up again, and she shared the source with him.From the next day, all rumors in the city stopped abruptly, and the name Ashara Dayne was never heard of in Winterfell again. Whoever Jon's biological mother was, Ned was bound to be deeply attached to her, because no matter what Catelyn said, she couldn't persuade him to send the baby away.That's one thing she'll never forgive him for.She had learned to love her husband with all her heart, but she could never feel affection for Jon.In fact, she could turn a blind eye to as many illegitimate children as Ned loved, as long as they were out of sight.But Jon could always see and feel it, no matter how he looked at it, it was an eyesore. What's worse, he grew more and more like Ned, even more like his father than the sons she gave birth to. "Jon must go," she answered. "He and Robb are on good terms," ​​Ned said. "I would have liked—" "He must not stay." Caitlin interrupted him. "He is your son, not mine. I will not let him stay here." She knew she was going too far, but she was telling the truth.Ned would not do the boy any good if he did leave him at Winterfell. Ned looked at her with pain in his eyes. "You also know that I can't take him south. There is no room for him in the court. A child with the surname of an illegitimate child... You should be very aware of how others will gossip. He will be excluded." Caitlin armed herself again, resisting the silent demands in her husband's eyes: "I heard that your good friend Robert also gave birth to many illegitimate children outside." "But not one at court!" Ned raged. "That Lannister woman insisted on it, God damn it, Catelyn, how could you be so cruel to him? He's only a child." Well, he—" He was in a fit of rage and could have said something worse, but Maester Luwin interrupted just in time: "I have an idea. Your brother Bunyan came to see me the other day, and the kid seemed interested in joining the Blackshirts." Quite interested." Ned was taken aback. "He wants to join the Night's Watch?" Catelyn said nothing, let Ned figure it out for himself, and now she would only make him angry.However, she was so happy that she wanted to kiss the old master in front of her!His proposal was the perfect solution.To Benjen Stark, the sworn brother in black, Jon was an impossible son.After a long time, the child will naturally follow the oath to join the brothers in black. In this way, he will not be able to raise children, and one day he will compete with Caitlin's own grandchildren for the inheritance of Winterfell. Maester Luwin added, "It is a great honor to serve on the Wall, my lord." "And even a bastard might rise high in the Night's Watch," Ned thought, but his tone was still a little puzzled. , but he is only a fourteen-year-old boy..." "It is a difficult choice indeed," Maester Luwin agreed, "but we are also in a difficult time, and the road he has traveled will be no rougher than yours or your lady's." Caitlyn was inevitably thinking about the three children she was about to lose, and it was so hard to keep silent. Ned turned away and looked out of the window again, his long face silent and thoughtful.At last he sighed, and turned his head again. "Well," he said to Maester Luwin, "it seems the best thing to do so far. I'll speak to Benjen." "When shall we tell Jon?" asked the old man. "Not yet, we have to make some preparations. There are still two weeks before the departure, let him enjoy the rest of the time. Summer is coming to an end soon, and there is not much left for childhood. Timing When I get there, I'll tell him myself."