A/N: Had this idea in my head for a while now, and have been writing it for a while. Finally decided to post. Let me know what you think.

Catelyn Tully had never expected this life.

She had been born a Tully, at Riverrun to the south, a much warmer land. Growing up she had heard stories of the north, of the savages, of the uncivilized people, of all types of horrors.

Her husband, Eddard Stark, changed that for her. Her father had always told her that war could change a man, but she didn't know what that really meant until she saw Eddard for the first time after Robert had been crowned, sitting in the Great Halls of Winterfell.

The first thing she had noticed was his warm smile. He looked at her like a man that was already in love, not as a man who had barely known his wife. She remembered that he noticed the baby, their son, in her hands, and how he cried at first sight of him.

"Robb," he had called out, clutching their son in his arms, seeming as if he would never let go. Oddly enough, she had never written him and told him Robb's name before he came home. Somehow, he just knew and when she birthed the rest of her children, he knew as well.

In the beginning, they didn't have much, but Ned had accomplished a lot in seventeen years. Moat Calin had been rebuilt. He bought peace between Skagos and the mainland. Nearly 100,000 people from north of the wall had settled peacefully south of it. He restored the Night's Watch, increased trade and profit by selling wood and fur. The list went on and on. She knew that history would look favorably on her husband and she couldn't have been happier. She was currently married to the richest man in all of Westeros and had six wonderful children who she loved and adored. Life was good. The gods had blessed her.

At that moment, however, she didn't feel very blessed. She would have to be the bearer of bad news, of pain to her wonderful husband, and had to go to the godswood. She had never liked the godswood of Winterfell, it was dark, and primal, where the godswood of Riverrun had been a light place where she could read or play with her sister.

However, she knew her husband and knew she would be here. Every time he took a man's life, he would sit on that same moss-covered stone, and clean his sword in the quiet of these woods and that is where she found him, in the center, under the weirwood,

"If you kill a man and it's just, seek forgiveness from the gods and they will take your guilt away," he always said.

She saw Lyarra first, or rather Lyarra felt her. The large grey direwolf lifted her head, sniffed the air, and wagged her tail when Catelyn came into view. Lyarra was one of Ned's oddities.

A moon ago Ned had returned from a hunt with a very pregnant direwolf he had somehow befriended and named after his mother. "They have the same eyes," he had told her softly but that wasn't even the strange part. "She will birth six pups," he said. "Grey Wind, Ghost, Lady, Nymeria, Summer and Shaggy Dog. They will protect our children and they will all live to be old, and perhaps have pups of their own."

Surely enough, two weeks later, Lyarra gave birth to six direwolves, and, just like Ned had told her, her children had named them Grey Wind, Ghost, Lady, Nymeria, and Shaggy Dog. Bran had yet to name his yet, but she was sure the wolf's name would be Summer. They were all currently there in the godswood with Ned, feeding on their mother.

"Ned," she called softly. He lifted his head and flashed a brilliant smile. He had done everything he could to make her fall in love with him, she couldn't imagine any other life.

"My love," he said, his voice was loving and warmed her. "Where are the children?" he asked a hint of amusement in his voice. She smiled back. He was always worried about the children. The only love greater for their six children than hers was his, and she thought that had done a fine job raising all six of them.

"Robb and Jon are with Ser Arthur," she said proudly. She was truly proud of her two boys, even if Jon wasn't really hers. In honor of Lyanna, she raised the boy as her own and gave him the best of everything, just like she gave her children.

All those years ago, Ned returned home not only with a babe in his hands but also with the Sword of the Morning as his guard. She had thought the rumors of Ned's love affair with Ashara Dayne to be true, and that her brother had come North to be the protector of his sister's child.

The truth was more tragic. The truth was that Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen had been in love, had gotten married, and Jon had been a result. The whole rebellion had been based on a lie. Ser Arthur had sworn to Rhaeger, to Lyanna, that he would do anything to protect their son, and Ned had convinced Robert to release him from his vows, so he was allowed to go North with Ned. He and Ser Rodrik had been training soldiers and their children ever since.

She called Lyarra over to her and sat at the edge of the pool where she scratched between her ears.

"How do they fare?" Eddard asked, he had always been interested in the training and education of his children. From an early age, he had them all involved, listening and learning when he completed his duties as Warden of the North.

"Ser Arthur claims that if they went south, they would win all the tournaments, and ladies from the Wall to Sunspear would throw themselves at them," Catelyn replied proudly, and Ned smiled.

"And Sansa?" Ned asked.

"With Domeric, of course," Catelyn answered. "I agree that she is too young, Ned but I don't know how long you should wait. Surely with him being the last Bolton, he will need to take a wife soon."

"I know," Ned responded grimly, before his features went soft, "I'm just not ready to give her up yet."

Domeric Bolton was like another one of her children. His father and bastard brother had died when the boy was fostering in the Vale due to a terrible attack and Ned had decided to raise him as his own.

"You can't blame a boy for the sins of his father," he would say. She had doubts that he really believed that when it came to Domeric. Roose Bolton and Ramsay snow had died on their way to Winterfell after they were summoned by Ned. They were attacked by bandits but the culprits were never found. She could tell that Ned wasn't quite fond of Domeric, if she was honest, Ned really hadn't had much love for Roose Bolton and seemed to transfer that mistrust to the boy, but he would never admit that.

"Not ready to give her up, or not sure about who you are giving her up to?" Catelyn asked. Ned glanced at her with piercing eyes, sighed, and then shrugged.

"Arya?" Ned asked. He had obviously moved on from Domeric, so she decided it would be best to let it be. For now.

"No doubt somewhere practicing with her bow," Catelyn sighed.

Ned laughed. "Sansa does the same."

"Sansa doesn't give Septa Mordane any of the trouble Arya causes," Catelyn responded. Ned had insisted that all the children would know how to defend themselves. Sansa and Arya had been trained with a bow from a young age, and while Sansa preferred the dagger, she still wanted to be a proper lady, Arya preferred the sword.

"I understand that you want the children to protect themselves," Catelyn continued, "but she must learn to be a Lady as well as a warrior."

"She had just as much wolfblood as Lyanna and Brandon combined," Eddard quipped but gave in when Catelyn groaned, "I will speak with her about taking her other lessons more seriously."

"Have Jon do it, she might actually listen," Catelyn responded with a smile. Arya and Jon had always been close.

Ned laughed again before moving to his next child. "Bran?" he asked.

"Somewhere climbing with William," Catelyn found herself sighing again. "I wish they wouldn't."

Eddard sighed and nodded as well, that was something that he had always agreed with her on. He didn't like when Bran climbed.

"You would have been proud of Bran," he spoke again softly after a great sigh. She furrowed her eyes, why did he seem so frustrated?

"I'm always proud of Bran, of all the children," she responded truthfully. He nodded at her, but still saw that same look of frustration lingering.

"What bothers you my love?" she asked, and he sighed again.

"He was the fourth this year Cat," he responded. "I don't know what else to do. I have strengthened the Night's Watch. I provide them with food, with horses, with gold. They have enough men to hold most of the major keeps along that wall, and yet men like him are craven. Is there nothing else that can be done?"

"You have done all you can Ned. Some men are just not built for the wall. Can you blame them?"

He nodded but she turned serious. "Did he speak of the others?"

"Aye," he responded simply.

She frowned. "You must not let Jon go there."

"I know," he agreed, again frustration seeping through, "but what else can I do? We've tried everything yet he still wants to go. He doesn't think he belongs here."

"Maybe," she started and stopped before continuing, "Maybe we should tell him the truth."

"Aye," Ned responded. Maybe it's time but you did not come here to speak of the Wall or the children. What news do you have for me?"

"How did you know?" Catelyn asked, and like always when Ned knew that he shouldn't, he just shrugged. "I dreamt it."

"There was terrible news today from the capital. I did not wish to trouble you until you had cleansed yourself," she braced herself, knowing there wasn't a way to soften the blow. "I am so sorry my love, Jon Arryn is dead."

Her eyes found him and saw something that she didn't expect. She saw shame in his eyes, she saw regret. He muttered something so low, that if it was not for the quiet of the godswood she wouldn't have heard him, "I couldn't save him."

She wanted to question him, wanted to ask him what he meant but he spoke first. "Your sister," he said. "And Jon's boy? What word of them?"

"She returned to the Vale," Catelyn responded.

"I suppose that Robert travels North now?" Ned asked her.

"Yes," Catelyn responded, "how did you know?"

"It only makes sense," he responded warily. "He is going to want me to be his Hand."

"Will you accept?" she asked softly.

"I'm certain I will for the time being," Ned responded cryptically after what seemed to be an intense internal battle.

"Your dreams are just dreams Ned," Catelyn responded softly. He had once told her about a terrible nightmare where he had been beheaded in King's Landing on the orders of Prince Joffrey. "You won't be executed in King's Landing."

Ned looking at her piercingly again, "I know. Winter is coming."

A/N: Yeah, so first one down. Tell me what you think of course. The next one will be a very, very short Tyrion chapter, followed by Ned.