Familiar Feeling / Ned Stark

12. Promises & Pox

"What's wrong my love?" Everly questioned finding Jon in bed at midday. "Robb is outside in the yard, he was looking for you... whats going on sweetie?" Everly sat beside jon in bed. 

"I dont feel good mama." Jon whimpered, tears pulled at his eyes, she kissed his forehead and he was hot to the touch. 

"NED!" Everly begged, his hands were clammy and he was pale too. "NED!" Everly shouted desperately. 

"It's lord stark to you." Catelyn hissed. 

"NED!" Everly sobbed out. 

"What's wrong with him?" Catelyn asked cautiously. 

"What's wrong?" Ned questioned urgently. 

"I need a  maester, something's wrong with Jon...." Everly whimpered ned ran off, Catelyn scoffed. When ned returned Everyly was holding her baby boy as he struggled to get a good breath in. 

"Oh my honey, my sweetie," she whimpered. 

"Mama," He rasped. 

"What?" Everly whimpered. "He...." she looked to Ned with teary eyes. "How did he get the pox?"

 Maester Luwin said if he made it through the night, he'd live. But it would be a very long night. 

So Everly sat with him all through the darkness. Listened to his ragged little breaths, his coughing, his whimpering. Ned sat beside her running a hand over her back. 

"My boy, my boy," Everly whimpered. "He needs to live, he needs to be okay, I can't live without my Jon.' She sobbed out. 

When Ned brought Jon home from the war, Catelyn couldn't bear to look at him. She didn't want to see those brown stranger's eyes staring up at her. So she prayed to the gods, take him away. Make him die. He got the pox. And she knew she was the worst woman who ever lived. A murderer. 

She had condemned this poor, innocent child to a horrible death all because Catelyn was jealous of his mother. A woman he didn't even know. A woman she didnt even know. 

 So as Everly sobbed into Jon praying the Gods, all the Gods and anyone and anything that would listen to save him, to save her baby boy.

 Catelyn prayed to all seven gods, let the boy live. Let him live and she would love him. she would be a mother to him. she would beg her husband to give him a true name, to call him Stark and be done with it, to make him one of them for good.

The minutes passed on like hours and seconds passed on like minutes. Everly couldnt breathe, the maester warned her to keep her distance but she clung to Jon, kissing his little face telling him he would feel better soon. 

"Ned what if he-"

"Dont think that way." Ned begged. "He is strong." 

"I can't lose him."

"You wont." Ned assured. "I promise." 

"You can't promise that. "

"And yet I am." Ned corrected. 

A mother should never have to bury their child. It should be against the law. Everly told Jon stories and prayers all night, she yawned out kissing his sweaty forehead. He whimpered snuggling into her. Catelyn kept her children far, far away. 

Everly couldnt sleep. Catelyn was upset that she wasnt tending to the other children, as was her job but ned barked at Catelyn to tend to the children herself. Everly needed to stay with Jon. 

"The brave little wolf... He could hear them howling in the night. The little cub was frightened. His mother said, "You are a direwolf, my son. You mustn't be afraid." Everly assured. "For one day, all the beasts will bow to you. You will be king. All the stags will bow. All the lions will bow. All the fish will flop dead as your supper." Everly went on. "The bears in the north and the foxes of the south, all the birds in the sky and the beasts in the sea, they will all come to you, little wolf, to rest a crown upon your head. And the cub said, "Will I be strong and fierce like my father?" Everly looked to Ned, he held to Jon's hand. "Yes, said his mother. You will be strong and fierce just like your father." EVerly went on. Jon's eyes fluttered open and closed as he listened. "I will keep you safe, my love. I promise you. You just have to get better and i will never let anything bad happen to you again. Please, please, please, my love."

Jon lived. And Catelyn couldn't keep her promise because she couldn't love a motherless child.

Besides no one knew of her promises to the Gods. No one would know what she promised. She wished she didnt pray at all seeing how Ned held Jon and Everly close, like they were his family.