Kat was sitting on a crumpled bed, crying loudly, with her hands on her face. If it wasn't for the thick stone walls of the Red Castle, her sobbing would have been heard even in Flea End.
The eyes of the Northern Princess were so swollen that one would think she was crying all night. In fact, it was, because tears had been pouring out since last night without stopping. She didn't sleep a wink for a moment, and she probably would have gone mad if it hadn't been for Ned. Her twin brother hadn't left her for a minute and had been trying patiently to calm her sister down.
- How...how can a mother do this to me? - A girl sobbed, shaking with sobbing. - She gave me to that nasty, fat, snotty Lord John Tarley, as if... - Her voice was snapping, she started stuttering. - As if I were a tribal mare, - she finished her thought barely.
In response to her sister's words, Ned only hugged her tightly because the guy didn't have the right explanation for their mother's behavior. He didn't understand how Catelyn's mother could get married to this disgusting guy! Yesterday, when he and his sister heard the burning news, they barely believed their ears. They thought it was just an evil joke. But in the Queen of the North's voice, there was ice that burned more painfully than hot metal. The tone by which she announced her decision was not to be opposed, as always. Of course, Eddard understood that the mother simply needed a lucrative political alliance in case of war, and to marry her sister was probably the easiest way to strengthen her position if necessary. But it was too cruel! Standing next to Catelyn, Nathan saw how she had changed in her face and was afraid that she would faint, came up and held her hand tightly. The girl's eyes expressed her boundless horror and despair. The Queen of the North left the room with a cold look at the children. The door behind her shut with a loud knock, and the young lady left all her strength; falling on a soft carpet, she sobbed.
Now, rubbing her sister's soft hair and fragile shoulders, the North Prince was only thinking about how to help her. But what could they do?
Thinking about the situation, the guy didn't notice his sister dozing off on his shoulder. Physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion did the trick. He gently put the girl's head down on a soft pillow, and wanted to go out and look for her mother, as he had to at least try to influence her hasty decision, although Ned doubted that something could change. Suddenly, they didn't knock loudly on the door. It was Shireya Baratheon, who, having heard such unpleasant news, came to visit her new friend.
- How is she? - omitting the unnecessary rules of etiquette, the young lady of the Stormy Limit became interested, giving a worried look at the fragile girl who had forgotten her disturbing sleep. Even in a dream, Catelyn sobbed and Shireya's heart was torn with sympathy.
- I had just fallen asleep, - said Ned, sobbing up and nervously pushed my hand over her ruffled hair. When he approached the round, low table, he filled the bronze cups with summer wine. - You are probably already aware of the situation, aren't you?
- Everyone already knows, - Shireya said quietly, taking the drink out of his hands. - To be honest, when my father told me about this terrible engagement, I did not even believe it at first.
- So did we, but you should have heard our mother. - He sat down in one of the chairs in his sister's room and was tired of leaning back and covering his eyes. Shireya sighed heavily. The air seemed to be soaking up in anxiety in the room itself.
After discussing this difficult situation a little more, the young people came out of the rooms of the Northern Princess. Shireya thought about how to support the poor girl and found no solution. The young lady also thought about how happy she was. Her father always said that she could make her own choice, not relying on any favorable or convenient to someone their unions. Of course, Sireya knew that her fiancé had to be a representative of some noble house, but he could have been just a vassal of the House of Baratheons and nothing more.
Ned, as planned, went to find his mother, preparing for a difficult conversation. Also, without conspiring, both the Northern Prince and the young lady of the Stormy Limit remembered Titos Lannister, catching himself at the thought that he would not be glad to have the union of the North and the Prostrane and, perhaps, would try to do something to prevent such a union from happening. Ned's heart was crushed by the icy hand of fear. Mother did not understand how this engagement might turn out.