5th Month of 289 A.C. Winterfell
Lady Catelyn Stark
It had been six years since she had married Ned, six years in which she had come to know her husband and feel something more than just simple fondness for him. She was not afraid to admit that she loved her husband, and that he loved her. They had shown each other well enough during these long cold winter months. When she thought of how she had worried over his coldness in the early days and whether she would have been happier with Brandon, she shook her head in wonder. Together she and Ned had had four wonderful children, their little wolf cubs. Robb who was filled with a boundless sort of energy that reminded Catelyn of her brother Edmure when he had been that age, Rickon who had even more energy than Robb and was wilder as well, Sansa her sweet daughter who was the perfect lady in everything, and their newest pup Arya, who looked like Ned, and certainly howled like a wolf when she was unhappy.
Of course her goodmother and the royal party had been in Winterfell when she had given birth to Arya, and her goodmother the Lady Lyarra had been of some comfort during the pains, whilst Ned had fretted. Her goodmother was an impressive lady, a survivor of what Ned called one of the darkest periods in Winterfell's history, and she was shrewd lady who had a tongue that could make any woman and even an experienced soldier blush red. Catelyn was very fond of her and would be sad to see her go. As for the King, her nephew Jonothor was a sweet lad, filled with as much energy as Robb was, and was a very inquisitive child always wanting to know more about things. Truly he was a joy to have in Winterfell, filling the halls with childish laughter. His two companions, Harwyn Greyjoy and Loras Tyrell were also interesting. Harwyn Greyjoy was Lord of the Iron Islands but was a very shy child, rarely speaking and mainly following the other boys in their play, seeing him meet his uncle Theon had been a tear inducing moment as both boys had looked at one another and then hugged as if they never wanted to let the other go. Loras Tyrell was a bit of an annoyance filled with cockiness and arrogance that truly disquieted her.
The rest of the royal party was somewhat of an annoyance for Catelyn, well those who came from the crownlands were. They were demanding and often complained about things that were beyond her or Ned's control. There was much and more that Catelyn wished she could say to these ignorant lords who complained about things that if they were to try and fix would end up bringing to an end countless years of tradition. The lords from the riverlands who had come from King's Landing were somewhat better, and had reminded Catelyn of home for which she was happy, though she missed her father and brother something fierce. Winter was beginning to wane though, and she knew that soon enough the royal court would return south, but she did wish for one more moon with her goodmother so she could learn all she could.
As it was, they were sitting together watching the children play about and Catelyn took this time to ask some questions she had been meaning to ask. "My lady, I have been meaning to ask for some time, and as Ned knows little on the subject, I was wondering if you would be able to tell me more on Edwyle Stark,. I have read much about Winterfell during and before my time here, but he is rarely mentioned and I was wondering why that was."
Her goodmother is silent a moment and then asks. "How much do you know of the She Wolves of Winterfell Catelyn?"
Catelyn ponders this and then says. "I know that they were five Lady Starks who were contesting the issue of the succession of Winterfell following the death of Beron Stark. Why do you ask my lady?"
"Do you know whom they were Catelyn?" her goodmother asks. Catelyn shakes her head, and her goodmother continues. "I am not surprised you do not. It is not a period that is well remembered or even talked about here in the north, but it is a period that has shaped the north ever since. The She Wolves of Winterfell were Lorra Royce, Alys Karstark, Serena Stark, Lyanna Stark and Mariah Stark. They were all fierce ladies, who would give many of these northern roses a run for their money. And they all believed their side of the family should be the ones to rule Winterfell. Now this of course caused problems, Lorra Royce was from the south and her ways were somewhat foreign to the north, and as such she relied heavily on her goodmother to ensure that support was there for her children. Serena Stark had the benefit of being Lord Cregan's actual heir and having the support of House Manderly and House Umber."
"Was there a war?" Catelyn asks.
Her goodmother shakes her head. "No, but it came very close to one. There was a lot of bickering and fighting within Winterfell and the surrounding lands but not war was fought. Serena Stark had one thing that Lorra Royce did not have she was a Stark on both sides and her son Torrhen was a man grown and a proven battle commander. Though of course there was talk that he had had Lord Beron stabbed at the end of the war with Dagon Greyjoy. And though Lorra and Beron had seven children they were all relatively young and in this time of uncertainty it was argued that a man not a child was needed." Catelyn nods. "Eventually it took the intervention of a hedge knight and his squire to ensure that the true Lord of Winterfell could come to the winter throne. Donnor Stark became Lord of Winterfell in 217 A.C. after the deaths of Serena and Mariah Stark and their offspring, and yet Donnor did not survive long. He died in 219 A.C. and some say he was poisoned. His own brother came to power later that year, and that is where things begin to get interesting."
"Are you suggestion Lord Willam the Wise poisoned his own brother?" Catelyn asks surprised.
Her goodmother laughs. "Oh there is no doubt he did. Donnor was a lack wit somewhat, Willam was everything a lord should be and he knew how to use that to his advantage. He rebuilt the north and so everyone forgot how he became Lord. But when he died his brother became regent for his young son Edwyle. And this is where the tale becomes dark." Catelyn looks at her goodmother then intrigued. Her goodmother pauses a moment and then continues. "For Artos was known as the finest swordsman of his generation but he carried a dark secret, he was more Bolton than Stark. And he worshipped a strange god that some called evil incarnate, and he passed this worship on to his nephew."
"What worship was this?" Catelyn asks though she wonders if she truly wishes to know the answer.
"A worship of a god so foul that to speak its name now would be to invite evil to Winterfell." Her goodmother says. "Let us just say that this worship caused Edwyle many a problem. He was a tyrant cruel and bloodthirsty, he would have made Maegor the Cruel look tame. There were many days where he would execute people by the dozen simply because he could and none would question him. That was where my husband comes in. for you see for much of his young life Rickard's mother had sheltered him from the evils his father committed but then she died trying to bring another son into the world, and there was no one to protect Rickard from his father. The man did things that no boy should ever have done to him, and when the time came Rickard rebelled against his father."
Catelyn is shocked by this and she says. "I…I.. did not know that. It was never mentioned and Ned never speaks of it."
Her goodmother sighs then. "That is because the children do not know of it. We both promised we would not speak of it to the children when we had them, because there are some parts of the past that must remain unspoken. The generation of lords who was around when Rickard rebelled either died during that rebellion or are too young to remember the rebellion. It was not something the north needed to know after the years of the She Wolves. And so it was forgotten. But that is why no one speaks of Edwyle Stark. The man was a monster who was removed in the only way Rickard could think of to remove him."
"Is that why he was so determined to see more involvement in the south? To remove himself from the horrors he had seen as a child?" Catelyn asks aloud.
Her goodmother nodded. "We were weak after all of that. We needed strength and these alliances gave us the strength to rebuild and grow strong again."
Catelyn looks at her goodmother then, sat there having lived through hell and come back on the other side. She wonders how she would have fared in such a situation and thinks that she would rather not know. Then she looks to her children playing with their cousin, running around screaming and laughing as little children do, and she swears to the gods never to allow any harm to come to them. As if sensing her thoughts her goodmother speaks. "Rickard is determined to not allow any harm to come to the children. Had Rhaegar Targaryen not been such a fool this promise would have gone from the beginning. Alas he was not as smart as we all hoped, and now we are here. But there will be no more fighting."
Catelyn looks at her goodmother and asks. "How can you be so sure? There is nothing in life as certain as death mother, I know that well. But there is joy to be had, but men are such that they will always find reason to fight with one another."
Her goodmother is silent once more, and Catelyn finds her thoughts drifting to the images she had seen in a book lying about Winterfell's Library. The sign of a fived headed beast fighting a wolf headed man, the blood on the ground and a poor and twisted shape in the corner crying for life. She wonders what that could have meant, but she does not ask her goodmother, for she knows that there are some things that should not be spoken of. Her thoughts turn to her father and her brother down in Riverrun, dealing with all the troubles there and she hopes they remain safe and protected. And then there is Lysa in the Vale whom she has heard not a word from in all the time she has been in Winterfell. She wonders how her sister is getting on, with her husband her son, and whether or not she found the happiness they both craved as girls.
Her thoughts are drifting now, and she looks towards the boys playing some game or the other, Sansa tottering after them on her little legs. And she smiles, this is what life is, this moment right here, with her children, carefree and nothing more than the next thing for them to do on her mind. She does not want for there to be anything more to concern her other than that. But she fears there will be more, there will most definitely be more. Ned had already mentioned having to travel back to the Wall to speak with Lord Commander Mormont, and she worries for him, truly she does. There have been strange tales coming from the wall.
She is taken from her thoughts when her goodmother says. "You asked how I could be so sure that there will be no more war Catelyn. And I will tell you the answer. Because those who would cause harm to us are going to die, one by one they will die."