The King In the North and Lady Stark (GoldenGateSon x SinCat)

Robb was alone in his war tent looking upon the map on the table. The young lord had been doing quite well in his first war, but despite his successes, he was still just a boy. The rigors of battle weighed heavily upon him, and with Talisa out tending to the wounded and his bannermen with their own armies, Robb was left alone for some peace and quiet as he gathered himself and collected his thoughts. It was still a long ways to King’s Landing, and though confident in the success of men against the Lannister’s, there would be yet more northern blood spilled before they had their justice for Ned’s death. His blue eyes scanned drearily across the table before him as his auburn curls hung down ever so slightly in front of him. Despite having so many around him, it was at times like this that his father was still by his side to give him strength and wisdom.

RE: The King King In the North and Lady Stark (GoldenGateSon x SinCat)

What mother could not wish the best to her children? Even the vicious Lannister queen seemed to be capable of setting the entire kingdom of fire for her kids. And yet she did not seem to understand the pain of a mother who's daughters were kept as hostages -- or she rather did, which was why Sansa and Arya were still alive. Catelyn wandered aimlessly around the camp, lost in her thoughts. Her family was falling apart. First Bran, the sweetest of her children - she was grateful for the Gods to let him live, but the boy was crippled. The Lannisters turned her child's dreams into ashes, and they would be never forgiven. Next her husband, her poor Ned, the father of her children, the love of her life. Both of her daughters... Sansa, forced into marriage and suffering humiliation in the claws of lions - Catelyn would shiver at the thought of the horrible things her elder daughter must be enduring. And Arya, who fled the scene and ever since has not been found. Cat believed she was alive and well, but with each day the hope was fading. Rickon, the youngest of all, still a babe of three he was when she left Winterfell. Not a day passed she wouldn't wonder if he's being raised as a good, noble man his father was. And, of course, Robb. The firstborn of hers. The only one she could still see.

But he wasn't a child anymore. Not a kid who'd flee to his mother's arms seeking for solace as he pulled a fight with a stray cat and got scratched all over. No, he was Lord Stark now, leading his men to a war, seeking to avenge the family. Catelyn shuddered. He was just a boy, her little boy, even if she could not stop him. By the corner of an eye she saw Talisa rushing off to mend the wounds of the injured which meant she wasn't likely to interrupt anything if she paid Robb a visit now. This woman he was to wed, the one with his child...Catelyn couldn't say she disliked her - but something was wrong. She wasn't the one to break the vows, and her son did - and the consequence, still unknown to her, made Catelyn very uneasy.

She entered the tent of her son, first peeking in to see if he was alone. "Robb." Lady Stark smiled at her son. He might have a beard growing now, he might have a map for further strategies lying in front of him... But he was still her little boy, and she would do anything to protect him.

Robb was so lost in thought that he barely noticed Catelyn enter the tent until she was practically standing in front of him and calling out his name. Distresses, pondering eyes quickly snapping up from the map on the table to meet his mother's gaze, and his own softened as he looked into her warm, comforting eyes. "Mother," he said, smiling back at her. Stepping away from the table, he made his way around the tent and towards, reaching his arms out to take her into an embrace. As he did so, he brought his face close to hers before gently and tenderly taking in her lips for a lingering kiss. Though some may have found this intimacy between them to be somewhat strange, the King in the North thought nothing of it. He was her firstborn, and she his mother, and the bond that the two shared after so many years together as mother and child was stronger than anything else in this world. Perhaps even stronger than the bond that he shared with Talisa, though he would never tell her that. After all, the kiss that Robb had just shared with Catelyn was not a kiss between lovers, but a kiss of affection and deep connection between a parent and child, something the two had shared ever since Robb was but a babe. Nevertheless, the kiss lingered, and when the young lord finally pulled away, he smiled into his mother's eyes once more as he took her hand and led her over to the nearby bed. "Come, sit," he said as he led her. When he was a child, it had been she was leading him, but now with his father gone and himself a man, he was leading her along with the entire Northern realm. Having taken his seat, he turned to look at her, his hands still in hers as they faced each other on the bed. "I hope you've been keeping busy around the camp," he said, not with a mind for small talk as his thoughts instead traveled towards coming battles.

She smiled widely as he approached her. There were so many worries, so much to trouble him... She could see him getting older under the weight of them, faster than he should. At this rate her young boy was to turn into an elderly man in no time. As he embraced her, for once again Catelyn noticed of him now being taller than she was, his body firm and strong. And yet she was determined to protect him. Nevertheless, the mothers would often come stronger and more dangerous than the armies of the Unsullied across the Narrow sea. If anyone ever hurt her pup, the she wolf would hunt them down - she's proven that by capturing the Imp.

Catelyn cupped her son's cheek, noticing the previously soft skin of his face was now roughened by the stubble, but she still gave his cheek a gentle stroke by a thumb. Then he leaned in to press lips to hers. While Cat found the relationship of her sister and her boy ill, considering the child of six was still breastfed, she saw nothing wrong of her and Robb exchanging kisses. Catelyn closed eyes as their lips met, smiling a bit. Every time it was something special. No, it wasn't a kiss she'd share with her husband, it was merely something between her as a mother and him as a son, even if Catelyn never kissed any of her children in such manner.

She followed Robb as he led her to seat, slightly hating to let him take the adult role even in this small encounter. "There is not much to do for a woman." Catelyn admitted, then giving his hands a firm yet gentle squeeze. "But I could not afford leaving you on your own. You are still a child, my child. It's only natural I worry." She gazed at him, a face of a young man - not an adult yet, a youth that was only stepping into the age. How could she let him fight wars? Oh, there was nothing in the world Catelyn wished more than for him to listen! Yet, Robb was as stubborn as his father. "You look tired. Have you been sleeping well lately?"

Though deep down knowing that he was still but a youth, Robb did his best to hide that fact, mustering every ounce of his father that he had in him when he left his men into battle or strategist with his trusted bannermen. Before his mother, however, he was free to accept shed the armor of his rough exterior. Iron willed and stoic before his men, Robb was weary and worn down before his mother. He even did his best to maintain an air of strength when alone with Talisa. "Aye... no..." he said said after a brief pause as she spoke to him. "I get little rest with the fighting, and when I do, Talisa usually..." he continued, pausing a bit as he turned to look Catelyn in the eye with a faint smirk and smile. "Talisa usually keeps me busy," he finished. "And when I finally do manage to get into bed, sleep doesn't come. My dreams are filled with images of father... of Sansa... of Bran... Arya... Riccon... I just wish I was strong enough to bring them home. Now," he said as his eyes listlessly drifted towards the floor. Despite this, his hands remained firm in Catelyn's, squeezing hers for support and comfort like he had done when he was but a small child. Now a grown man, Robb needed that same support that she had given him ever since he was a boy. "I can't even remember the last time I took a bath!" he said, more to himself than to his mother, laughing a bit at the state he was in given the pressures around him. Growing up in Winterfell, while Nan had tended to and bathed his brothers and sisters, Robb was bathed by Catelyn herself on a regular basis. A special privilege, a special bond, given his place as first born. With all the chaos since they began their march, it was hard to find time to sleep and even eat, let alone bathe.

Catelyn rather watched him than listened. Not a slightest movement, conscious or not, slipped the eye of a mother. She could tell he was weary. It was nothing but a matter of time for him to lose himself in the madness of the war. Just like the most of bannermen noted and would still whisper behind his back, despite the recent victories, he was a green youth, the smell of summer still strong and following him wherever he went, oblivious of the terrors winter bore. Catelyn already lost Ned, she partly lost both of her daughters, the idea alone of her Robb, her firstborn to be taken away as well would haunt her and fill her eyes with worry. She did not fear the war nor death. The only thing Lady Stark dreaded was loss of her elder son.

At the mention of Talisa, her soon-to-be daughter in law, Catelyn forced a weak smile. It was a painful subject. Almost as painful as promising him to the daughter of Lord Frey as if he was a puppy of the best breed and she was negotiating with an owner of the bitch if the two were to be mated. Even if it was all for his wellbeing, Catelyn probably never felt worse than vowing that. She was also wondering how would the 'late Lord Frey', as her father would call him, react at the news. The other thing to take her peace away was the bitter understanding of her boy becoming a man. Soon, he would even become a father. It was all happening too fast, way too fast. Robb was not ready, even if he claimed to be, and the worst of it was her inability to shield him from anything that could go wrong. But Catelyn would never let him know - the King in the North already had much more things to worry of than any young man this age. She did not wish to become a burden to him, too.

As he spoke of the family, Catelyn nodded quietly. There was nothing on a subject for her to say as both of them shared same fears and dreams. Instead, she wrapped both arms around him, for once again noting of how big he had grown. She had to force him down to press his head to her chest as she'd do when he was younger to give him solace. Catelyn gently ran finger through his hair, the same shade as her own, before whispering. "I know. It won't be long...I promise. Soon we will be returning home. All of us."

His notion of the bath, however, caught Lady Stark by surprise. It took her few fast blinks and a second to understand what's been said, but the moment she did, Catelyn could not suppress a laugh herself. It then clicked on she couldn't remember the last time they'd share a laugh. "I'm glad you remember this much!" She released him, but kept the smile. "I doubt you'd like to known as the King of the Stench. " She then leaned in to plan a short kiss onto his lips again. "Would you like me to join you?"

No matter how old Robb would get, and no matter if he was king of all of Westeros or just the lord of Winterfell, he would would always find comfort in his mother’s hands through his hair or her soft words in his ear. Even in his war weary stupor, Robb couldn’t help but laugh with Catelyn as she playfully teased him. The young lord needed as much happiness as he could find in these hard times, and thankfully his mother was there to provide when he most needed it. Turning to her, he accept her kiss gratefully, finding comfort in her lips against his. Hearing her offer him a bit of reprieve in this stressful time in his life, Robb looked up into his mother’s green eyes with a smile. “That would be wonderful, Mother,” he said with another smile and another soft kiss on her lips before he rose.

Extending his hand to her like a gentlemen, Robb helped Catelyn to her feet before exiting the war tent and making the short walk to his nearby personal tent where he slept at night with Talisa and where he had his baths, when he managed to get them. The guards made way for their lord and their lady as they entered, and inside, Robb saw his attendant standing by the entrance. “Have a bathe drawn for me,” he told her, and with a simple bow, she went to go fetch the water for the bath. In the back of the tent behind another flap was the bath, a round tub large enough to hold four people at least, and with such a large size, it would take a bit of time for the water to be heated. With the attendant hurrying off to see to her lord’s command, Robb walked deeper into the tent away from the entrance, as he undid his cloak and tossed it to the bed. Reaching around himself, he tried to undo his breastplate, but his bruises and his weariness from battle merely elicited a groan of discomfort and pain from his lips.

“Mother, can you help me with this,” he asked, turning to her with yearning look on his face. Even as a grown man, Robb would always be able to turn to Catelyn for help and love, even in the simplest of things. Having to constantly show strength and independence in all other facets of life, even with Talisa, it was with his mother that he would be able to let his guard down and show signs of vulnerability, and with his father and the rest of his family gone, it was Catelyn and Catelyn alone whom he could turn to for help, whenever he needed it.