family, duty, honor

They threw her body into the river and called it mercy. But the Trident bore her back, crowned in vengeance, cradling death in her arms.

Family, Duty, Honor

think about catelyn’s journey as a mother. though she originally convinces ned to go south, she regrets it once she realizes that he means to separate their family for the sake of duty. so she forces herself to part with her daughters, but allows herself to be “selfish” by praying for bran to stay with her. of course, her prayers are twisted when bran falls and is left in winterfell. however, remaining by his side means that catelyn must leave robb to act the lord alone and abandon baby rickon to his older brother and maids.

it is only the danger to her husband and daughters that finally brings her back to herself. now she must leave her sons behind, even with bran still hanging between life and death. she has done all she can do for him. however, once she warns ned about the lannisters, she cannot remain with her daughters (or even see them). she has done all she can do for them. now it is robb who needs her the most.

when catelyn reunites with robb, she puts aside the maternal instinct to send him back home to safety, for the sake of his honor as a future lord. by the time his men crown him a king, ignoring her pleas for peace, it is too late to save him. throughout the war, catelyn remains with her son or stays behind based on what is best for him. she must reconcile leaving her sansa and arya as hostages in order to win her son’s war, waiting for victory to finally reunite them all.

it is only when she believes that she has lost bran and rickon (and possibly arya) that she finally allows herself to be “selfish” again, trying to save her daughters at the cost of her robb’s war. though she and robb forgive each other for their mistakes, their shared grief and guilt drives catelyn further from her only remaining child. with nobody else left, it is all she can do to try to protect robb. she begs him to keep grey wind by his side, to send rolph westerling away, not to throw his life away for a war of revenge, not to name jon as his heir, and to ask for bread and salt at the twins.

not that it matters. all of those impossible choices, all of her sacrifices, all for nothing. she loses all of her children, anyway.

“She reached up with both hands and grabbed the blade with all her strength, pulling it away from her throat. She heard him cursing into her ear. Her fingers were slippery with blood, but she would not let go of the dagger.”

“Let him grow taller, she asked the gods. Let him know sixteen, and twenty, and fifty. Let him grow as tall as his father, and hold his own son in his arms. Please, please, please. As she watched him, this tall young man with the new beard and the direwolf prowling at his heels, all she could see was the babe they had laid at her breast at Riverrun, so long ago.”

“He had deep blue eyes and a mouth made for smiles,”