The festivities were in full swing when Lord and Lady Stark arrived with their children. Ned's men were loud and rowdy, enjoying their ale and food. It had been a long time since they had a decent meal, and the Lords would want it to the fullest.

When the North Men watched Ned walk in with his little family, they fell quiet and watched as they approached the high table and sat down next to Hoster, Edmure, and Ser Brynden. Ned was going to hand his children to their nursemaids, but Lyarra clung to him, and following his twin's example, Robb did the same thing. Ned's lip ticked into a half smile, and he settled the children on his lap, but he found it difficult to eat his meal, so Catelyn took Robb from him as Lyarra refused to be parted from her father.

As they sat, talked, and ate, Ned would cut bite size pieces of food for Lyarra and feed it to the baby, which she enjoyed. Lord Umber was eating and drinking but was also observing Ned's children. He watched as Lyarra smeared food on Ned's chin, and the baby began to giggle. Lord Umber let out a booming laugh that startled Lyarra. But instead of crying at the noise, she turned to study the large, loud man with curious silver eyes. Lyarra blinked a few times, then reached down and grabbed some potatoes off her father's plate and threw them at Lord Umber, hitting him in the forehead. Lord Umber stared at the child in Ned's arm in shock while Lyarra grinned and burst into a fit of giggles. Hearing his twin's laughter, Robb followed her gaze and began giggling.

Catelyn gasped when she saw Lyarra lob a glob of potatoes at their guest. She took the child from her husband and gently started admonishing her daughter, but suddenly Catelyn stopped when she heard Lord Umber's laughter resonating through the hall.

“Ah, Ned, the little wolf has good aim. There's no doubt that she has wolf's blood in her veins,” Lord Umber said good-naturedly as he wiped the food from his face, “She's going to be as wild as Brandon and Lyanna ever were,” Lord Umber pointed out. And that was something that was already worrying Ned.

As the feast continued, Lyarra and Robb slowly slumped and fell asleep. Catelyn stood and was about to leave with her babies to put them to bed when Ned rose and took Robb from his mother. They excused themselves and took the children to their nursery. They changed the twins and put them in their crib; instantly, the twins cuddled with each other and fell asleep again. Once they were settled, the couple returned to the feast but not before Ned stopped to check on Jon. Catelyn didn't wait for him and proceeded to enter the dining hall alone.

The feasting and drinking went on well into the night. Catelyn decided that she would retire early and left her husband to enjoy his time with his men. Once Lady Catelyn left, Howland Reed sat next to Ned. Ned glanced at his friend and waited for him to speak. Howland took a drink to give him time to organize his thoughts.

“Are you planning on telling Lady Catelyn about Jon's true parentage?” Howland asked.

Ned sighed and rubbed his face, “I do not know. She is a stranger, and I do not know if I can trust her with such delicate information. What do you think, my friend?”

“I have had two visions, Ned. One where you keep the truth from your wife, and Jon grows up abused, lonely and miserable. He has his siblings with him, especially Lyarra, but it is not enough for him, and he believes he has no choice but to join the Night's Watch,” Howland explains.

“And your other vision?” Ned questions.

“This vision is different. Lady Catelyn understands your promise to your sister about keeping Jon safe at all costs as it is the word of her house, Family, Duty, and Honor. She mothers Jon as a mother should and lets him call her mother. Things between the two of you run smoother, and she is accepted more in the North. But I must advise that if you choose the latter, tell her in the safety of Winterfell, not here,” Howland advised his friend.

Ned nodded; he had a lot to think about before they reached Winterfell. The first thing he needed to do was to get to know his wife and children, then have a long discussion with Catelyn. The idea of telling his wife Jon's true origin was a little daunting, but after thinking about it for a while, he felt that was the best thing to do.

With his decision made up, Ned decided that once they arrived in Winterfell and everyone was settled, he would try to explain Jon's circumstances. His only hope is that Catelyn will become affectionate with Jon and treat him as she would her children.

As the night wore on, Ned decided to retire for the evening; he made his way to his shared bed chambers with Catelyn but not before stopping to check on his children. Walking into the room where Jon was with his wet nurse, he saw that his son was fast asleep in Wylla's arms. Ned smiled and took the boy from her; he kissed Jon's head and placed him in the crib. After that, Ned went to the twin's nursery. He peeked inside the crib and found Robb snuggled with a stuffed wolf while his daughter had a fox in her arms. She had her thumb in her mouth and sighed, causing Ned to chuckle lightly. The minute Lyarra heard Ned; her eyes flew open. Lyarra giggled when she saw her father and sat up; she reached for him, and Ned smiled at his daughter and picked her up.

Once she was in his arms, Lyarra snuggled into Ned and placed her head on his shoulder. She put her thumb in her mouth and drifted off to sleep. Ned smiled at his beautiful daughter, that reminded him so much of his mother, right down to the eyes. He sat in the rocking chair and rocked her until he was sure she was asleep. But when Ned tried to put Lyarra down, she whined and clung to him. He shook his head and realized that this child was going to be a daddy's girl

Ned smiled and sat down in the rocking chair again. He rocked his little girl and thought of what Lord Umber had said about her. The more Ned thought of it, the more he was convinced that Lyarra would have wolf's blood in her as Brandon and Lyanna had. But he decided then and there that he would not make the same mistakes his father made with Lyanna. If Lyarra wanted to know how to handle a sword or any other weapon, he would allow it. And Ned would not betroth her to a man she did not want to be with. Lyarra's happiness was the most important thing to him.

When Ned was finally sure his daughter was in deep slumber, he placed her next to Robb and left the nursery. He entered his shared chambers with his wife and got ready for bed. Pulling back the covers, Ned laid down next to Catelyn. Catelyn had her back to him but rolled over to face him, “Is the feast over?” She asked.

“No, but I wanted to retire early. Unfortunately, our daughter was awake and refused to let me leave until I rocked her to sleep,” Ned said with a low chuckle.

Catelyn smiled, “I am not surprised Lyarra has attached herself to you so quickly. Her favorite person in the castle is Uncle Brynden; Lyarra only wants my attention when she's hungry. I do not mind, though; Lyarra seems to need a father figure more than Robb does,” Catelyn whispered to her husband.

Ned smiled in the dark, “If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me more about them?”

Catelyn brightened at the thought, “Oh, for being only a year and some moons old, they are very aggressive. Lyarra learned to crawl, walk, and talk first. But she always tried to help and encourage Robb. There isn't a time that they are not together, and though Lyarra is more advanced than her brother, she still treats him well and never gets frustrated when Robb cannot do the same things she can.”

“Tell me more about Lyarra,” Ned asked.

“Our daughter is the sweetest child I have ever seen. She is kind and considerate even for only being a one-name day old. Lyarra can easily charm anyone she comes across, even my father. Animals seem to love her. She once had ducklings following her as if she were their mother.”

“What happened?” Ned asked.

Lyarra had heard their cries of desperation and rushed into the reeds to find that their mother wasn't there. She had bread with her and fed it to the ducklings, and after that, they began to follow her. We tried to get them away, but she threw a fit and called them babies. They wandered around all day with my Uncle Brynden following her. He was the only one she would allow with her. Finally, they went to the pond and found the duckling's mother, and Lyarra reunited them with their mother. She was so happy; she came running in babbling about a mama duck and babies. Brynden explained what happened.

What Brynden had left out was that the mother duck had a broken wing and was unable to get to her brood. He watched as Lyarra slowly walked toward the injured duck and laid her hand on its wing. Brynden gasped when he saw Lyarra's hands glow pink and heal the duck's wing. Once she did, the mother duck nuzzled Lyarra and took her ducklings from her, and swam away. Brynden was so flabbergasted that his great-niece had the power to heal that he stood there staring at her. When Lyarra looked at him worried, he knew she was scared of showing him her powers. Bynden picked up the toddler and assured her that it was their secret. Lyarra smiled and hugged the old knight tightly, and headed back to Riverrun.

Ned and Catelyn talked about Robb and Lyarra for a while longer; when it grew quiet, Ned decided to broach the subject of Jon, “Catelyn, we must discuss what will happen with my bastard. I do not want him to grow up separated from his siblings. I know you resent him, but I promise you that there is no reason for you too. There are many things I need to explain to you, but I cannot do it here. I promise that when we reach Winterfell, I will tell you everything, including who Jon's mother is. Please do not take your resentment that you feel towards me on Jon; he is innocent. And once you have heard what I have to say, perhaps your opinion of Jon will change. I ask that you keep an open mind for now.”

Catelyn turned and stared at Ned. She didn't know this man, but Catelyn wanted her marriage to him to work, and if it was going to work, Catelyn knew she had to put some effort into it and at least hear her husband out. It went against her teachings as part of the Faith of the Seven, but she had to admit that it was true; Jon did not ask to be born.

Catelyn sighed, “Alright, Ned, I will hear you out when we reach Winterfell, but you must promise me that your bastard will not try to supplant Robb's right as heir.”

Ned looked at his wife, “On my honor, I swear that will not happen.”

With that, the couple blew out the candles and went to bed. After that brief conversation with Catelyn, he felt a little better about telling her Jon's true origins.