I cannot deny that the love story between my great forefather and Ashara Dayne is truly captivating, yet in the end, all of it is but a tale. If you visit the Grand Mausoleum and pay your respects at the tomb of Eddard the Unifier, you will see that the one lying beside him is Catelyn Tully Stark—not Ashara Dayne.

– Emperor Eddard VII

"They had erected the naked corpses of King Jaime and Queen Cersei right across from Casterly Rock, cut off their heads and replaced them with lion heads. Fortunately, Kevan Lannister and his brothers' bodies had been treated with respect."

Catelyn felt nauseous upon hearing the horrifying news. She knew the Rock King and Queen were great sinners who had brought disaster upon themselves, their family, and their people—but did they really deserve such a fate?

According to Septa Mordane, the answer was a definite yes; the gods had delivered justice to the Lannisters. But for Eddard, it was a definite no—in her husband's eyes, the breaking of guest right was a grave sin that could never be justified, no matter the excuse or reason.

Catelyn admitted her feelings were conflicted. If the High Septon had made a statement, she might have followed his wisdom, but the Faith of the Seven had remained completely silent on the Red Wedding. They hadn't supported it—but they hadn't condemned it either.

The Red Wedding should have been the final nail in House Lannister's coffin, and in a way, it was. Never in their thousands of years of history had House Lannister fallen into such a weak and pitiful state. Yet they were still alive. They still held Casterly Rock. And they had become something they had never been before: a pack—just like the Starks.

Tyrion Lannister, after the Red Wedding catastrophe, had declared his one-year-old niece Ceryse the Queen of the Rock, and took up her regency. Shortly after, he showed everyone that he was far more Tywin Lannister's son than his brother Jaime ever had been.

It wasn't just Lannisters who died in the Red Wedding—many of Westerland's nobles were either killed or captured in that treacherous attack. So House Lannister wasn't the only noble family angry at the rebels, but because their families were held hostage, they couldn't do much. According to Ned, Lord Tyrion had rescued all the captives with a clever and simple move.

"He offered the rebels Lannisport in exchange for the release of all prisoners," King Stark had said with admiration. "The city wasn't as fortified as Casterly Rock, and the rebels' army had the upper hand. It wouldn't have taken long for them to overrun it. Lord Tyrion knew this, so he sacrificed his ancestors' legacy, hoping to take it back later."

"Why would the rebels accept such an offer?" Catelyn had asked.

"Because they were afraid there might be wildfire in the city. They didn't want to suffer the same fate as the Iron Fleet, who recently attacked Lannisport and were consumed by fire. When the city was offered to them on a golden platter, they accepted," Ned had frowned. "But it was the wrong decision. Once the prisoners were freed, there was nothing holding back the Westerland lords who were furious over the Red Wedding. They rose up against the rebels."

According to Ned, the Westerland lords had split into three factions: the rebels and their supporters, the Lannisters and their supporters, and finally, the alliance of independent lords with no clear leader. These lords were angry at the rebels because of the damage they had suffered in the Red Wedding, but they were also reluctant to follow the Lannisters.

"Civil war in the Reach, civil war in the Westerlands, civil war in the Iron Islands," Ned had said, shaking his head. "When we founded the Three Kingdoms Alliance at the Maidenpool Council, I knew the other realms would descend into chaos—but even I didn't imagine it would be this bad. No one could have."

According to her father Hoster, Catelyn's marriage to Eddard had been a great blessing for the Riverlands. 'If it weren't for you, the center of the war might have been the Riverlands instead of the Westerlands,' he had told her. Catelyn knew the history of her homeland well. The Riverlands had always served as a chessboard for other kingdoms to wage war. Fortunately, the gods had been merciful and just. They had punished not the innocent people of the Trident, but the disgusting nobles of the Westerlands who had broken all taboos.

Her relationship with Eddard hadn't started well—her husband's first act after the war had ended was bringing his bastard daughter home. That move had driven Catelyn mad. She knew that nobles could have bastards, but those bastards were usually not raised in the household, not among the family. The most generous course was sending the child to a suitable noble house for education and covering the costs—just like they had done with Jon Snow.

But Eddard hadn't done that. He brought the bastard girl home and raised her like a Stark in everything but name. That decision enraged Catelyn even more. She was perfectly aware that the girl had been conceived before her marriage to Ned, but having a living, breathing reminder of Ashara Dayne constantly before her eyes was something she simply couldn't bear. "He took me before you," she would say, as if to imply, "He loved me first, and still loves me. The only reason he loves you now is because I jumped from the tower." Every time Catelyn looked at that bastard girl, she couldn't help but wonder if she herself was just a consolation prize for her husband—and that thought drove her even madder.

The first few months of their marriage were filled with arguments. Catelyn was stubborn—she wanted the girl gone. But Eddard was a wall of ice and refused to back down. It was not a good beginning to a marriage, not until their final argument. Catelyn had complained that Ned seemed to care more for the bastard girl than for Robb. Ned had implied that he feared for his daughter's safety. Those words had shattered something inside Catelyn.

Allyria Snow could have been a living reminder of her mother, but she was just a 3-year-old little girl. Catelyn had never once thought of harming her in any way; if she had done such a thing, she knew she would never forgive herself. However, Ned didn't know this, and he was concerned for their daughter's safety. It was then that Catelyn realized her husband didn't truly know her at all, and this realization forced her to withdraw.

Once they reached an understanding about the bastard girl, her relationship with Eddard had begun to grow into something resembling love. After Sansa and Arya were born, seeing that Ned doted on them just as much as he did on Allyria had confirmed something for Catelyn: Ned was the kind of father who didn't hesitate to be strict or harsh with his sons when necessary—but he worshipped his daughters and spoiled them too much. In short, Allyria hadn't received any special treatment just because she was 'that woman's' daughter. Realizing this gave Catelyn some peace.

Furthermore, the new High Septon had completely repealed and invalidated the old decree that bastards were sinful seeds who dared to challenge the rights of the legitimate. This helped Catelyn relax even more, and she no longer felt so disturbed by Allyria. Well, her eyes still made Catelyn uneasy—but not because they were Ashara Dayne's. The bright violet was the color of those repulsive Valyrian people. If the girl had lighter hair, she would've looked like a Targaryen, and Catelyn would never have let a girl resembling that cursed, vile family near her children.

The Tullys and the Starks—both had once been promised Targaryen spouses, but those promises were broken. Catelyn had once seen that story as a blow to her family's pride, but now she saw it as the blessing of the gods. Catelyn was repulsed by and wanted nothing to do with anyone who looked like or carried the blood of Targaryens. That included her husband's best friend, Robert Baratheon.

Anyway, Allyria had become a tolerable problem for Catelyn—something she could ignore. The voices in her head had quieted. She no longer saw the bastard as a source of worry.

Until now.

"I'm bringing my son Jon to Winterfell. He will live here, with his sisters and with Robb."

"You… you can't do that. You promised me," Catelyn stammered.

"I promised I wouldn't legitimize them," Ned corrected. "I never said Jon wouldn't be raised at Winterfell."

"Why… why are you doing this? You're tearing our family apart. Again."

"I'm not tearing our family apart," said Eddard, frowning. "Jon is part of this family. He'll be a companion and ally to Robb. And Allyria deserves to be with her twin brother."

Catelyn looked into the face of the man she loved and saw that familiar determined expression. Her husband would not back down.

"Tell me, Ned. Tell me why you're suddenly doing this. If you've ever loved me, tell me."

Ned looked at her for a moment, hesitant, then let out a deep sigh. "I made a promise to his mother. The boy will be raised at Winterfell."

Ashara Dayne… that woman again. 'Did you think he loved you, Lady Trout?' A Dornish woman's laughter echoed in her ear. 'Ned loves me. He's always loved me. And now, he's bringing my son home. So he can be the next King in the North.'

Catelyn clenched her fists and stormed out of the room in anger.

"That's terrible news, Your Majesty," Lady Bracken said with sorrow. "You do not deserve such humiliation."

"Yes, men can sometimes be truly ungrateful," Lady Whent agreed. "Even King Eddard is not an exception."

"Please, ladies," Catelyn raised her hand to warn them, "be careful when speaking of your king." Her anger toward Ned was still fresh, but that did not mean she would allow women outside her family to insult him.

Murmurs of apology were heard from the room. Lady Barbary Dustin said nothing, but her eyes watched the conversation like a snake.

"I've actually heard some rumors," Lady Piper suddenly said. "That Allyria is not King Stark's child."

"What?" The women in the room looked at Lady Piper in surprise. Even Catelyn couldn't hide her curiosity, stepping out of her queenly role to ask, "Explain."

"At the dance at Harrenhal, I was there," Lady Piper said proudly. "And I clearly saw, it was not King Eddard who invited Ashara Dayne to dance, but her brother Brandon. He acted on behalf of his brother." She shrugged. "Lord Brandon is already known for his whore-like past, and Dornish women, well, they are hardly any different. They lack moral values and wouldn't hesitate to sleep with a betrothed man."

This thought made Catelyn pause for a moment. Ned had only asked about Ashara Dayne once, and he had responded angrily. For the first time in her life, she had been afraid of her husband. But now, upon reflection, perhaps his anger wasn't directed at her, but at Ashara Dayne... Yes, the whore woman had made Ned fall in love with her, and then slept with her brother Brandon, breaking his heart. Instead of being with a wonderful man like Eddard, she had chosen to be one of Brandon Stark's many conquests. It was to be expected of Dornish whores.

This thought planted a seed of hope in Catelyn. If Allyria was Brandon's child, then it would make sense why Ned had tried to hide her identity. Even if Ned Stark's child was a bastard, he would still receive a certain amount of respect because he was the man who led the North to victory in battle. But Brandon, he was not the same. He was a fool who ran to King's Landing, wanting Rhaegar's head. Allyria would be just one of his many bastards, so people would look down on her, and her mother would be seen as a whore. Ned must have wanted to protect the girl, Catelyn thought. Then, his firstborn, his one and only love, was mine.

"Are we sure Brandon is her father?" Lady Alice Vance asked mockingly. "After all, that woman from Dorne was around the palace and spent so much time near the prince."

For the first time that day, Catelyn laughed, her spirits lifted. "Yes, I think that's very likely." If those bastards later set their eyes on Catelyn's children's inheritance, this doubt about their fathers would cause many to question their legitimacy.

"Your Majesty, the King urgently requests to see you in his chambers," Marq Piper, a member of the Wolfguard, entered and bowed respectfully.

Catelyn was surprised by this summons. Dinner would begin soon, but the King urgently called for her. Could something serious have happened?

She hurried down the corridor and toward the King's chambers. When she saw there were no guards outside, she was surprised, feeling uneasy for no apparent reason, and slowly opened the door.

Ned was there, facing the window, his back to her. There was no one else in the room. "Catelyn, I have some serious news to tell you," he said, moving toward her and holding her arms. "But I need you to stay calm."

Catelyn felt a surge of fear at his words. "What's going on, Ned?" she asked.

King Stark took a deep breath and then looked at his wife. "Roose Bolton is dead," he said.

Catelyn was surprised by the news, but it didn't upset her. After all, why should Roose Bolton's death bother her? On the contrary, it was good news. She looked at Ned as if asking a question.

"He was killed by a Faceless Man," Ned explained with a sigh. "Contray Penrose and Harry Strickland were also assassinated in the same way; the latter managed to survive, but Queen Alara's brother was killed. We believe the people who hired the Faceless Men are from the Valyrian cities. I just received all the reports."

At this news, Catelyn's whole body trembled with fear. "Robb... Sansa... We have to protect them, Ned, this can't be happening!" she screamed, looking at the Wolfguard standing by the door with fear in her eyes. Could one of them be a Faceless Man? Or one of the servants? My children, I must protect my children. She tried to shake free from Ned's grasp, but the King of the North held her tightly.

"Catelyn... Cat. Stay calm, look at me," Ned said, locking eyes with her and speaking carefully. "We're safe. Our family is safe, okay? Nothing is happening." He reassured her.

"How can you talk like this? They're Faceless Men, they could be anywhere!" Catelyn shouted.

"Catelyn, you are the Queen of the North. I need you to stay calm. I won't do anything that would endanger our children, do you understand?" Ned sighed. "I'm going to change the Wolfguard's security protocols entirely, and our family won't leave the western part of the castle for the next few months. There will be a code changed every six hours, written only by me, and anyone who doesn't know it will be killed instantly." He began explaining. "The Wolfguard and the servants we have will always be keeping an eye on each other; they will never be alone. No one will be able to enter the western part of the castle. I'm taking every measure I can for a Faceless Man. Our family will have to be quarantined like this for a few months."

"But Ned, we... we can't live like this," Catelyn said, still in fear, but finally managing to find a bit of logic. "We are a royal family, if we act like cowards, everyone will look down on us."

"I know that," the King said, taking another deep breath. "Lord Stannis is going to Braavos as a representative of the Three Kingdoms Alliance. He will meet with the Lord of the Seas personally and will find a solution to this Faceless Men issue. Until then, we will have to live in quarantine for a few months."

After a brief moment of silence, Catelyn looked into Ned's eyes again and took a deep breath. Her fear still wrapped around her, but she knew now that they had to do something.

"It will be alright," Ned said, his voice firm. But Catelyn felt that something was missing. In that moment, it felt like the whole world was weighing down on them. The future was more uncertain than ever, and fear was slowing her steps.

"Ned... are we really safe?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. A single tear fell from her eye, a reflection of her fear.

Ned looked into his wife's eyes, took another step forward, and gently wrapped his arms around her. "We are safe," he said, his voice soft but reassuring. His warm embrace, the comfort and security she was used to, brought a sense of relief to Catelyn. As the tension in her shoulders slowly eased, she rested her head against his chest.

They stood there silently for a while, feeling only each other's presence. Catelyn, regulating her breath, could feel the calming effect of his touch.

They stayed like that, holding each other. The fear was still there, but it was no longer suffocating. For now, they had each other. That was everything.

When Catelyn lifted her head to look at him, there was still fear, but it was now softened by the reassurance his touch had brought. She nodded slowly, taking another deep breath. "Okay," she said, "We'll get through this."

Ned nodded as well, his eyes filled with determination. "Together," he replied.