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[juno_chan]

(Cross-posting here because this turned into over 3,000 words of pure LET ME SALVE MY SOUL WITH SHAMELESS HURT/COMFORT MMMKAY?)

For the kink meme, prompted by blackcigars - prompt: Ned/Cat, a difficult pregnancy and birth puts Catelyn in a depression that Ned works to pull her from.

No porn, non-graphic childbirth. JUST ME TRYING TO FIX MY FEELS.

Comments

[blackcigars]

i linked this on my tumblr, in hopes that i would have a moment to read it because it's quite long and i wanted the perfect moment to have emotions about it because i knew that i would and so i've finally read all the way through and my heart aches. just aches. because all catelyn wants is to feel safe again. that's all she wants. that's all she wants for her children. to be safe. and if she were to be safe, she would be happy. so when i read stories like this and there is someone to provide that safety for her, someone to lift the weight of the world off of her shoulders, i am the one who is happy.

i love the many parallels between the women of westeros. i love that her ability to produce children is paramount, not solely because it is her duty but because it brings her joy to be a mother and protector. i love that even though she went through such a difficult moment with bran, that her last thoughts were that he was safe. i love that ned is sad because she is sad and he wants so badly for to understand that he doesn't need an army of children when he finds such a consummate soldier inside of her.

everything was beautiful and i adore you so much, as a writer and as a person and i'm so thankful that you wrote this stunning piece of work! ♥

[juno_chan]

EEEEE, THANK YOU SO MUCH BB! I'm so glad you liked it. IT WAS THERAPUTIC IN A WAY. Because one of my favorite things about the Ned/Cat relationship is just that they're so clearly PARTNERS, and they take turns carrying the burden and being the strong one and letting the other lean on them, and once he's gone Catelyn doesn't get those breaks or those moments anymore ('I'm so tired of being strong, I want to weep, I want to be comforted, just for a day, an hour...'), she has to be strong and hold it together and hold her LIFE together ALL THE TIME. And it just breaks my effing heart.

And Catelyn just loves being a mother and so there's definitely sorrow at the idea of not being ABLE to have more children, not just for feeling as though she's failing at her duty but because she loves them so much and her life just feels better and more and more full of love as each one comes. And I definitely think her first concern if she did have a difficult birth would be for the baby, because through the series it's all about how Cat doesn't really give a damn what happens to her as long as her babies are safe. =(

SO MANY FEEEEEEELINGS GROSS SOBBING.

Thank you againnnnnn!!!! MUAH!!! <3