17 feels like classic nedlyn so i will ask for that as well
17. “I’m cold.”
Oh yeah a classic Nedlyn trope. Cat is cold and Ned warms her. So lets go. (And I only needed a mouth to write it.)
Catelyn didn't know what to do. She must have had run through the little cabin a hundred times but she still couldn't find anything that could help them. After having searched for what felt like forever she was getting really angry at whoever made the decision not to plan ahead for emergencies in this cabin.
She couldn't find anything to get in contact with anyone. She had looked for an emergency phone or a button or anything that would be helpful in informing people that they needed help. At this point she would have been glad to find some sort of fireworks, so there was at least a little chance someone would notice them up here. But naturally there weren't any.
Not for the first time today she wondered how exactly she had gotten into this mess. And the answer was, Brandon!
It had started about a week ago when they were at a family dinner and someone, she couldn't even remember who it was, had made a joking comment about them hopefully getting married soon. When they had gotten back to Brandon's place a huge fight had broken out between them just because of a silly little comment.
Brandon had accused her of telling people "this nonsense" about them getting married was true to get his family to put even more pressure on him to finally marry her. She hadn't even known there was pressure from his family. His words had of course infuriated Catelyn for two reasons. First how could he ever think of her as being this manipulative. And second that it was apparently such a terrible thought for him to be marrying her.
"That is not what I meant Cat. You know that right?! It is not about you.", Brandon had yelled at her. Then stopped for a second. "Wait...no...that's not what I meant."
"No, Brandon I understand. It's not about me. Nothing here ever truly is and this is the problem in this relationship. Everything has to be about you! Everything has to work out just the way you want it to. And you don't want to marry me because then you might actually have to grow up or god forbid you have to give up some part of your fun, carefree lifestyle... like your women."
Brandon had looked shocked at what she had said. She wasn't sure if it was because he had thought she didn't know about his women or because he didn't think she would ever dare to bring it up. She hadn't bothered finding out which one it was. She stormed out and walked back to her own apartment.
It hadn't been the smartest idea considering it had already been late and her apartment wasn't close to where Brandon lives. When she had finally arrived home it had been four a clock in the morning and she had been frozen through to the bone. Something that happened quite easily to her in contrast to Brandon. He had always told her that Stark didn't get cold. That if they ever did something was really wrong.
So Cat knew something was very wrong!
After their fight there had been a silent between the couple for days. Cat had decided that she was not gonna call him. She had been tired of always being the one giving in and excusing Brandons shitty behavior towards her. She didn't quite know what she had expected but after four days he had actually called her and had asked if they could go away for the weekend so they would have time to talk without being disturbed or distracted.
That's how she had gotten here in the first place. Brandon had invited her to the secluded little cabin up the mountains that was owned by his family. The cabin and its surroundings had been beautiful ever since she had seen it for the first time. The first time she had ever seen it was in the summer where the trees would be a wonderful green and the water in the little ponds that surrounded the cabin shimmered in the sun. While the summers were gorgeous the winters were pure magic. Everything was coated in a layer of snow. The only things that weren't white were the red leaves from the weirdwoods trees that shined the brightest this time a year.
She had agreed to meeting him here. She had been suspicious when Brandon Stark of all people had made the suggestion to take time out of his life to have a mature adult conversation. It shouldn't have surprised her that he never showed up. Not for the first time her lack of surprise at the shitty things Brandon did to her made her wonder if she shouldn't have noticed before how much was wrong in their relationship.
They had planned to meet at the cabin at six pm and to then stay the weekend. It had been two days since they had talked on the phone. She had thought about what she would tell Brandon ever since their call ended. She knew their relationship couldn't go on like this any more. Brandon would have to promise and then show her that something will change otherwise there was no chance that their relationship could ever work again. It was important for them to finally have this talk, that much she knew.
That's why Catelyn had arrived at the exact right time. Brandon hadn't.
She got mad at herself for even thinking he might actually keep his promise, she should have known better. She had tried to call him but he hadn't picked up. After an hour had passed she had wanted to try again but to further her anger her phone had died. The plan had been to stay another hour and then leave but a loud knock had interrupted her thoughts.
When she had opened the door there were three things that surprised her. The first thing was the cold breeze and the snow that hit her in the face. The second thing was that Brandon's brother Eddard Stark was standing in front of her. And the third thing was that he was drenched in water that already started to freeze. He was shaking and tried to say something but before he could Cat had already pulled him into the cabin.
"Oh my god, what happened to you?" she had asked while moving him in front of the heater for him to sit down to then kneel next to him.
It seemed like he wanted to answer her but his teeth were chattering too much. She had stood up to turn up the heater. Suddenly there was a loud crash and everything went dark. She had jumped at the loud sound but it had only taken her a second to figure out what happened.
"What the?…shit", she had yelled: "The power is out!"
She had grabbed a blanket nearby and knelt back down next to the shivering body that was Eddard Stark.
"Are you ok?" she had asked while trying to wrap the blanket around him.
He had still shivered but this time he could answer: "I got up he...ere to get you. An...nd I forgot about the little ponds. Bran..."
Cat didn't need more of an explanation. Brandon had abandoned her in this damp cabin and then sent his brother to fix his mess, as always. By the time Ned had arrived at the cabin the snowfall had picked up which led to the small ponds being hidden under it and easily overlooked.
"I…Br...randon..."
"It's ok. I understand, don't try to talk too much unnecessarily." she had stopped him.
For a moment she had thought she could see him smile, just the tiniest bit. Then she had realized why. Properly no one had ever accused him of talking unnecessary or too much.
Cat had tried to think of what they could do now. From the short view she had gotten from outside when she had opened the door for Eddard, there was no way for them to drive back down the mountain and she had known with the power out they couldn't stay here either.
"Eddard…..Ned? Do you have a phone with you? I could try calling someone. My phone doesn't have any battery left." Trying to talk to him had been a little bit awkward. Besides the fact that Ned was shaking like a leaf, they just didn't really know each other that well.
It wasn't like they didn't like one another. She actually liked Ned a lot. He was kind and smart and it was easy to talk to him once you broke through his surface a bit but there was always some distance between them. She couldn't put her finger on why but she sometimes got the feeling Ned tried to avoid her until she seeks him out.
The first of the few times Cat had met Eddard she thought she might have done something to offend him but Brandon told her it was just Ned's brooding and distant nature.
With his shaking hands Ned had pulled a phone out of his pocket. It was of course completely wet. Cat had taken the phone to check if there had been anything she could do but the phone had been completely dead. So then she had started running around the little house like a crazy person but still hadn't been able to find anything to help them.
They were stuck in this cabin, that was getting colder by the minute.
After not finding anything useful Cat returned to Ned, who was still sitting in front of the heater which had already started to Iost their heat, wrapped in the blanket that had become just as wet as Ned himself.
"I can't find anything to contact anyone! So I guess we have to wait out the storm. That also means we need to get you warm."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Your teeth are basically giving a concert. You need to get warm again and that quickly. First you need to get out of those clothes." Cat told him.
Ned looked at her so scandalized as if she had asked him to kill his dog.
"I can't take my clothes off in front of you"
"I promise I won't look but you need to get warm and without power that is not gonna work with you sitting here in your wet clothes. I'll go look for some more blankets. You should get into bed and try to warm up."
Ned stood up from the floor. He didn't look too convinced but walked towards the small bedroom. Cat actually found another blanket and some towels which she brought to Ned.
She was faster then she had expected because when she walked into the bedroom the young Stark was still standing next to the bed. His shirt and pants were off and his back was turned to her. While he was leaner than Brandon his back was still quite muscular and when he moved it looked really nice on him. Suddenly Cat had the urge to touch him, to not just see but feel his muscle move.
She must have made a sound because he turned around and she immediately felt how the blood rushed into her face. Apparently she wasn't the only one because Cat could have sworn she saw a little bit of color creep up Neds cheeks as well.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I found some towels for you."
She walked to Ned and handed him the towles desperately trying to not stare at his chest. Which turned out to be very hard because she couldn't look him in the eyes either. So her eyes just switched around the room while she tried to control her blush. She handed Ned the towles and he began to wrap them around him.
"Thank you Catelyn."
Now that he was out of his wet clothes Neds teeth had stopped shattering but he was still visibly shaking and that worried her.
"You should really get into the bed now Ned. Or you will not get warm again."
Ned listened and climbed into the bed but she heard him mumble something about "Starks" and "not cold". After he covered himself with the blanket he looked back up to her. It felt a little bit weird just standing there over him not sure what to do next.
"What should we do now?" Ned asked the question she was thinking.
"Now, you are going to sleep and hope that the storm stops so we can get home tomorrow without somebody to rescue us. If you need anything I will be on the couch in the next room." she answered.
He looked at her, nodded and after looking at her once more, he closed his eyes.
"See you in the morning", she whispered while leaving the room.
Catelyn went back to the couch. The living room was already colder than before. That's why she tried to snuggle into the couch as deep as possible while pulling the blanket close to her. Hopefully Ned was warmer in his bed.
She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. It took some time but after a while she finally fell into an uneasy sleep. Last thing she felt was a little breeze around her face and she hoped that that night in the cabin wouldn't become much colder.
She jolted awake at the sound of the wind blowing against the wooden walls. It definitely had gotten colder since she fell asleep and no matter how close she pulled her blanket it couldn't keep her warm anymore. It wasn't a great feeling but she was going to live and just try to sleep through it at least that what she told herself.
But when the wind stopped howling for a minute, she heard another sound. One she had heard earlier this night but hoped she wouldn't hear again. Neds shattering teeth. Her wish that Ned would be warmer in his bed than she was on the couch had obviously not come true. His unfortunate meeting with the water probably hadn't been helpful and now he was possibly freezing to death.
Determined she picked herself up from the couch and walked back into the small bedroom. She stood in front of the door for a minute before finding the courage to walk inside.
"Ned? Are you ok? I heard you from outside." she asked in a whispered tone to not scare him should he be sleeping.
"I'm cold. No matter what I do I can't get warm. I can't feel my toes anymore and my hands feel numb." he pressed out.
"Why didn't you call me? I would have come to help you!"
"You can't do anything… there is no...power here"
In that moment Cat had an idea and made a distinction. She took the steps towards the bed and put the blanket that was skill around her shoulders on top of Ned.
"W...what are you d…doing? You n...eed your blanket."
"Yes! So do you and that's why we are gonna share it. We need to warm eachother with the body heat we have left before it leaves us completely"
She started talking of her jacket and pulled her hoodie over her head. Even while shivering Ned still looked at her like she lost her mind. Normally it was really hard to read Eddard Stark but in that moment there was no doubt what he was thinking right now.
"It's ok Ned. We need to have skin to skin contact to warm up. I'm afraid you're gonna freeze to death otherwise and I can't explain that to your family. If I understand everything correctly it would be against nature for a Stark to die from the cold. That's why I'm gonna take my clothes off now and then I will get under the covers with you, so we can sleep until the next morning and not die of hypothermia. Are you ok with that?"
Neds stared at her for a few more seconds like he was trying to find something in her face and then nodded. Cat quickly took off her shirt, she had no desire to stand in the cold air any longer than necessary. It was a very awkward moment and she tried to not look at Ned while she peeled her skinny pants down her legs. Why did she have to wear those today? Getting out of them was a pain.
She almost tripped and fell down which made her look up. Ned stared at the ceiling as if he had to study it to pass an important exam and concentrating on it made him feel bad.
She debated whether or not she should take off her bra as well. The idea of sleeping in her bra wasn't very comfortable but she probably shouldn’t sleep next to her boyfriend's brother without it. The weird thing was the thought of laying naked next to Ned exited her more than anything else and gave her a funny stomach ache.
What is wrong with you Tully? This is not the appropriate time! Actually this thought is never appropriate, she thought to herself.
In the end she decided to leave her bra on. Ned already looked uncomfortable, she didn't want to add to that. She almost jumped under the covers so there was no heat lost and she had gotten cold too while standing around in the cold air.
At her sudden appearance next to him, he winced. On instinct she put her hands on his chest to calm him down.
"Oh my god, sorry Ned I didn't mean to scare you."
"Everything is fine. You didn't do anything wrong. There is no need to apologize."
He still seemed kind of tense but it was hard to tell considering he was still shaking like a leave. She stroked over his chest in an attempt to warm him up a bit and to get him to relax. It didn't seem to work. To her Ned still appeared just as tense as before. Maybe distracting him by talking would work better.
"This will work, Ned. We'll get through this night."
He actually smiled at that: "Of course we are, Catelyn. You are way more stubborn than this storm."
Hearing him say that surprised her. She had never heard him making any kind of joke and it seemed hardly the time for them but at least it seemed to relax him.
"How would you know that? And I'm not stubborn, I'm just determined."
"Mmh" Ned mumbled and his lips formed a little smile but closed his eyes again.
"And it's Cat by the way. You don't need to call me Catelyn all the time."
"Cat" he repeated her name and now his smile became wider.
Seeing his smile made her feel good. It was a nice smile and she wished she could see it more often. His lips were quite nice too. She shook her head to get these thoughts out of her brain.
"We should go to sleep now. How should we do this? Maybe I could just...like lay kind of on top of you but still kind of next to you. I think that way we will warm each other best. Are you comfortable with that?" she asked him.
Ned didn't open his eyes and didn't say anything either but then nodded. Cat had the feeling that something was still making him feel uneasy. Maybe it was because of her, she thought. Maybe he hated having her so close to him.
"Are you sure?" she asked again she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.
This time Ned nodded immediately.
Cat carefully moved closer to him. She slung her arm over him and placed her head on his chest and snuggled her body as close as possible to his. Ned's arms were placed awkwardly on the matrance unsure where they should go. Cat touched one of his hands and noticed it was cold as ice.
She took both of his arms and slung them around her so they would warm up quicker. When his hands touched her back she shivered. He tried to pull them back but she held them in place.
"It's ok Ned, the cold will be gone quickly."
His arms relaxed a bit. She wished he would have said something but he kept quiet.
She twisted her head up to look at his face and whispered: "Sleep well"
"You too Cat. I hope your sleep will be good." Ned whispered back.
For a second time this night she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She eased a bit more into Neds arms around her. His heart beating next to her ear lulled her into a deep sleep pretty fast. Her last thoughts this time were wondering when was the last time that she felt this safe in Brandons arms?
“You’re staring quite intensely at me, Cat. Do you wish to tell me what’s on your mind?” he raises an eyebrow as he smiles cockily. It always thrills him when he catches her looking at him, without even glancing away or pretending that she wasn’t gazing.
“Oh, nothing. I’m just simply loving the view.” she takes another sip of tea.
As she slept amidst the rolling grasslands, Catelyn dreamt that Bran was whole again, that Arya and Sansa held hands, that Rickon was still a babe at her breast. Robb, crownless, played with a wooden sword, and when all were safe asleep, she found Ned in her bed, smiling.
ohh this is probably the cutest and the fluffiest thing i've ever wrote/writing!! in fact, it is a fic totally based on this post but i couldn't write the way i wanted so it's been sitting in the corner for a while, i didn't want to rush it because i loved the idea and wanted to do it justice. but here's a little glimpse from the introduction!
With Robb clinged to her, it was harder to reach her destination but he quickly let go when they were close, jumping towards one of the albums that both Catelyn and Robb knew belonged to his infancy photos.
“Dat, mummy, dat!” He said excitedly, pointing at his album.
“No, Robb.” She said. And before Robb could fuss about it, she added, “Today, I’ll show you something new. How about photos of mummy and daddy?”
“Yes!” he replied enthusiastically, clapping his hands. “See mummy daddy!” He glanced at his father before adding, “Pwease!”
“That’s my boy!” Ned smiled and opened his arms for the little toddler who was now running at him.
in this post, i really want to thank all the ned/cat writers out there, the ones i know and also the ones i don't.
while i can never have enough of them, there are quite a number of fanfics out there, and with the  exception of few, they've always been loyal to the ned and catelyn we know in the books/show.
i was always aware that a great deal of these fics were in character since liking these people enough to write about them (especially catelyn) takes a lot of analysis and thinking, i really got to understand how truly precious that is to have this last week where i read some fics from another fandom and while the story itself was sweet, it felt like an original work who happened to be set in the same place with characters who are just namesakes. that is something i rarely came across in this fandom.
so i just wanted to say thank you and let you all know that you are all very much appreciated!!❤️
“I was not even with Ned when he died.. Her head swam, and the sept seemed to move around her. The shadows swayed and shifted, furtive animals racing across the cracked white walls. Catelyn had not eaten today. Perhaps that had been unwise. She told herself that there had been no time, but the truth was that food had lost its savor in a world without Ned. When they took his head off, they killed me too.“
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