The welcome feast at Winterfell in honor of Lucas Lannister had been a spectacular success. Every person in the vicinity of Winterfell was talking about and discussing the event that had transpired at Winterfell. Even the smallfolk, who barely had any stake in the politics of High Lords, were curious, intrigued, and debating the details of the feast. And the main focus of these details was the grand gifts that Lucas Lannister had come bearing for the House Stark.
And the conversation was not going to remain within the boundaries of the North. The news was certain to travel across all of Westeros and was bound to generate further discussion and debate, especially among the Great Houses.
In a typical scenario, this would not have been a significant issue. There were always many people willing to give and who did give costly gifts to the Lords of noble houses to secure benefits for themselves. Usually, it was not a big deal. A common practice.
The big deal, however, was the name Lucas Lannister. From the day he had begun his almost miraculous and marvellous rise and his name started to echo in the halls of the noble houses, Lucas had hardly even acknowledged any Lordly house.
In fact, the opposite was true. It was always the Lords seeking favors from him with the intention of securing and getting great deals for Lucas' metals and his new wine. It was these high and mighty people who wished to be acknowledged by him.
Lucas's conduct in Winterfell toward House Stark stood in complete contrast to his known personality. Here, he had acted as if he were almost flattering Lord Stark. This kind of flattery had not been even enjoyed by the King. And a sudden shift of this kind was bound to spark serious questions and debate across the realm. People were surely going to question the intention of Lucas Lannister regarding the North.
The sun had risen with its usual sheen, casting its pale yellow hue on the majestic castle of Winterfell. The Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark, had woken a bit earlier than usual. His head was thumping with pain, making him uncomfortable. He had drunk a bit too much ale at the feast the night before. And this pain was a result of the hangover.
He might have decided to stay in bed a bit longer, but today was a big day. He was going to officially discuss matters today with Lucas Lannister.
He had gotten ready and took his seat by the window, gazing outside, when Catelyn entered the room carrying a large glass on a wooden tray in her hands.
"Herbal water," she said with a smile. "It will help with your hangover."
"Thank you," Ned responded with a smile. He took the glass and a long gulp of the warm water from it, while Catelyn sat across from him on the bed.
Both of them remained silent until Ned finished drinking his herbal water.
"It surely makes me feel better," Ned remarked after taking his last gulp.
"It does," Catelyn replied. "I learnt it from my mother."
Though Catelyn was trying to smile it was not quite reaching her eyes.
"You seem tense," Ned remarked, his eyes narrowed on her face. "What is the matter?"
"It is nothing serious," she replied. "It is just about Sansa."
Ned did not reply immediately. His eyes moved towards a decorative metallic box placed on a table not far from him. It was the box Sansa had used to carefully store the exquisite and expensive necklace Lord Lucas had given her. It had become her most prized possession in a single moment and the box had been completely emptied of its previous ornaments to store the necklace.
After waking that morning, the first thing that Ned Stark did was that he had Catelyn fetch the box from their daughter. Although Lucas had outright refused to take it back, Ned was adamant about returning it. He could not accept such an expensive gift. His conscience would not allow it. Though Lord Lucas had said that once they began talking about the deal he had in his mind, the issue and the cost of the necklace would be too small to even be considered, he could not base his decisions on assumptions and empty promises.
"She is not happy that I have taken the necklace back from her and am going to return it to Lord Lucas?" He questioned with a sigh, the answer to which was very obvious.
"No," Catelyn nodded. "She was not happy about it. She was wondering why we have to return something that was given to her as a gift."
What Catelyn did not say was that Sansa was not merely annoyed or sad, but had thrown a full blown tantrum over the necklace being taken from her.
Sansa had been entirely unwilling to give the gift back. She had been livid and stubborn. She had gone so far as to snap at her mother, had shouted at Catelyn, questioning what right her father had to take anything that had been gifted to her. Her words had been very harsh.
Catelyn had almost been forced to snatch the gift from her daughter, but she would not, and could not tell all of this to her husband. Dealing with the matters of her family, especially those regarding her daughter, was her responsibility.
She would deal with it in her own way. She might have considered telling him the whole truth, but she did not wish to burden him with additional thoughts when such a big day was in front of him. She wanted him to be free of all worries as he navigated the tough terrain with Lord Lucas.
Ned nodded at Catelyn's response.
"I will get her another necklace," he replied, though his own voice lacked conviction. He and Catelyn both knew it was almost impossible for their house to afford something like that, especially considering that winter could be upon them at any time and they had to stock as much grain as possible.
"It is fine," Catelyn responded, putting up a bright smile on her face. "It is nothing more than a childish tantrum. She will understand it in some time. She is mature enough."
"You leave this thing to me," she added. "You should focus more on how to deal with Lord Lucas and all that he is going to propose to you."
Ned, too, smiled, and nodded. This was what he liked the most about his wife. In their entire life together, Catelyn had not even once made him worry about his family. And though he did not agree with all her methods, she handled everything brilliantly.
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