Another Preview to the "A Song of Ice and Metal" Story.

Catelyn

Catelyn Tully, now Catelyn Stark, sits within a carriage as it travels to her soon-to-be new home. She pulls the furs she was given tighter and attempts not to shiver from the cold the North is known for. Even inside the carriage, it feels like she is standing outside in the snow. She thought it was an exaggeration when she was told how cold the North is, even during the summer years. But now it feels like they were understating how cold the land is. She doesn’t even open the curtains to their carriage in a vain attempt to not let any more cold winds enter. 

A sigh of vexation draws her attention to her only company inside the carriage, Septa Mordane. “These barbarians and their land of snow,” the older woman grumbles as she tries to pull her own clothing tighter to warm herself as well, “How they expect any civilized person to grow accustomed to this is beyond me.”

Catelyn remains quiet. She knows the older woman had no love for the people of this cold land, and she agrees with the Septa. Truth be told, after everything she has heard of the North and its people, she expected worse. She heard the people here are much like the land they live in—cold and wild, like the land they call home. They pray to trees and worship false gods. 

Fortunately, now that she is the Lady of Winterfell, she can bring some civility to this savage land and properly integrate the Northerners into the Seven Kingdoms so that they are no longer isolated and are considered barbarians. She certainly does not want that for any of her future children. 

That isn’t to say the North hasn’t contributed something to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. Their ability to produce quality medicine is renowned throughout the land of Westeros and even Essos. Their talent for battle and warfare is undoubtedly not dismissed or scoffed at. And their uncanny ability to produce beautiful glass like no other certainly puts others to shame. But the thing they are most well known for is their drinks. A variety of drinks, where some can make a man drunk by as little as a sip, is well known across the world. She saw this back at Harrenhal. 

At the thought of that, she becomes rather melancholy. Harrenhal. The place where smiles died. Her wedding was but a few weeks ago, and she is still coming to terms with her new lot in life. She had expected to be Lady Stark, but she did not expect it to be rushed and lacking any real romance. And she expected another Stark instead of the one she received. 

‘Brandon,’ she becomes saddened at the thought of her former intended. The man she was originally intended to marry was tragically and unjustly murdered along with his father by the command of the mad king. ‘Now the kingdoms are at war.’

Yes, a war that is tearing apart the seven kingdoms. One that she has heard from her father and Lord Arryn will depose the Targaryens from the throne and place another family. Though who that is, she does not know. All she does know is that alliances through marriages were quickly made. Angering many who had their own plans. Like the lord of Casterly Rock, Tywin Lannister. 

The old lion had made an arrangement with Lord Rickard Stark before his unjust death that Cersei and his son Brandon were to be wed as a sort of repayment for the Warden of the North saving Joanna Lannister's life and exposing the secret order within the maester order that consisted of old men who believed themselves to be the true rulers of Westeros, which is another tale entirely. 

At least, that is how Cersei described it when they met. In truth, it was more of a competition between the daughters of House Tully and House Lannister to see which one would be the next Lady of Winterfell. She remembers the day her father told her she would be courting the eldest Stark son. Her father, Lord Hoster, had told her to try to entice Brandon to favor her over Cersei, which was not easy at first. Cersei was certainly beautiful, and it worried Catelyn over how attracted Brandon was to her. But fortunately, the other girl's beauty was only skin deep. She looked down on Brandon and everyone, which did no favors for the only daughter of House Lannister. Brandon may have found her attractive physically, but that did not made up for her other shortcomings in regards to keeping the heir’s attention. 

Catelyn however was the picture perfect lady as she was raised to be. Knowing her place and being dutiful to her would-be husband was ingrained into her and sister since they were young. Sewing, raising and bearing children, and maintaining a household was what she was taught outside of her lessons of the faith. She knew her duty and did what was expected of her. And it was enough for Brandon to prefer her over Cersei. 

Brandon was not what she expected from a Northerner when she met him. At least not entirely. He was blunt, brash, scruffy, exuberant, confident, proud, wild, and so many things really. But what surprised her was how caring and romantic he was able to be with her. She recalls how they were walking through the gardens in the Vale, and he took his time in finding a flower to give to her. Because he said that it was only appropriate to find a flower that was good enough for her. He treated her kindly and with respect, more so than Robert Baratheon did with Lyanna that is for certain. An example of this was when sweet little Petyr challenged him to a duel for her hand. Brandon could’ve easily killed the poor boy, but at the behest of Catelyn, he did nothing more than knock the boy out with one blow. 

All in all, Catelyn felt sure that Brandon would have been a fine husband for her. 

However, one day it changed. One day, Brandon came at her in a drunken stupor and all but tried to force himself on her. He did not get far, for she set him straight with a slap to the face. It shocked him first, but that faded quickly and he became angry. He did nothing further to her and set off to find Cersei. She was heartbroken of course to find that the dashing and exuberant man he was, was only an act he put on for her. That this was his true self. Her uncle had often told her that Northerners have a saying that when a man drinks, he reveals his true self. It was her uncles way of warning her to be careful in choosing her suitor. 

The next day, she recalls Brandon having a shameful face and apologized to her for his behavior to her the day prior. She wanted to dismiss him and not say another word but she did not want to fully believe that the drunken man before was who he truly was. She asked what had occurred that made him so angry and do something like that but before he said a word his brother, Eddard, challenged him to a duel. Though it looked more like a thorough thrashing than a duel. Eddard beat his brother badly in front of her and Cersei. The only thing that stopped it was their father’s arrival. 

It was a full day before she saw the Stark brothers and apparently in that time, Eddard was named to be the heir to Winterfell! What could have occurred that would make Lord Stark set aside his oldest son for the second?!

It also meant her efforts in enticing Brandon were wasted because she knew Eddard had his eyes set on a Dornish beauty, Ashara Dayne. At least, that is what would’ve happened had the kidnapping not happened. After that, Catelyn's father only promised to support the rebellion if Eddard had married her. 

But she cannot dwell on such things. She is now a wedded and bedded woman to Brandon’s brother, Eddard. Though the two could not be more different. Where Brandon was tall and embraced life, Eddard was staunchy and stoic. That isn’t to say he’s not attractive, but he’s just not his brother. 

Then again, neither were like their sister or father. Catelyn met each one briefly and did not expect what she received. Rickard Stark, the father, was a stoic man. He hardly showed any emotion whatsoever. She would have assumed he like the famous Tywin Lannister, but that was not it. There was something in his eyes that told her he held great pain inside and longing inside. 

The only daughter of that man though? By the seven, was she everything she heard Northerners were. Wild, brutish, barbarous, and uncultured. Yes she was a lovely girl, if only slightly unkempt, but she was nothing like a lady of the realm should be. No self respecting lady would be caught dead behaving the way Lyanna Stark did. 

And yet, despite everything wrong with that girl, she caught the attention of the gallant prince, Rhaegar Targaryen. So much so, that he not only dishonored his wife Elia Martell by naming the Stark girl the Queen of Love and Beauty after he won the tourney, but he also kidnapped the woman and provoked Brandon to go to King's Landing and demand the prince return his sister. Which caused the Mad King to arrest him and provoke Lord Rickard Stark to go to King's Landing and demand the safe return of his children. Which then led to their sham trial and murders, thus invoking a war in the Seven Kingdoms. 

The members of House Stark were certainly an interesting brood. 

For the life of her, she does not understand why Rhaegar did such a thing. From everything she has heard, he was nothing like his father. He was kind and caring, but strong and just. He was supposed to be the hope for the realm. Now it seems his madness his family is known for has finally manifested. Afterall, it is said when a Targaryen is born the gods flip a coin, and that decides whether they are mad or not.