He was waiting, watching, listening all day and all night. That's all his duties were, and now wasn't any different as the armored man waited perched on the roof above his mistress's window like a gargoyle. He could hear her pained grunts as the maester guided her through the birthing process. He absentmindedly scanned the ground below him, seeing pairs of Tully bannermen patrol the grounds around the castle. As a torch light passed near him, he shifted, causing his feet to brush some loose rock off the steep roof he clung to.

"One last push, my lady." came the raspy voice of the maester below. A final scream soon followed as the faint sound of wailing filled the night sky. "Congratulations, Lady Stark. You have delivered a baby boy." The armored knight risked inching closer to the ledge, allowing his head to hang down and peer into the window. He could see the back of the maester holding what he presumed was the wailing infant. A few handmaidens were wiping away the sweat and blood off Catelyn Stark as she lay gasping in her bed.

'Two... three... possibly two more near the door.' The armored man began to count out the people within the room, memorizing each face as best someone could while upside down. There was a set of three candles on each side of the bed that thankfully didn't shine bright enough to reveal his position. When one of the chambermaids looked up at the window, he quickly retracted his head, staying completely silent, waiting, listening. He could hear the chatter between the people inside the room as clear as day. "Please, all of you, grant me a moment alone with my new son." At her command, he could hear the shuffling of feet and the door opening and shutting.

Slowly, he leaned his head down once more. Catelyn Stark was busy gazing and adoring over her child, too busy to notice the armored man slowly maneuvering his body around so his feet softly landed on the windowsill. He peered his head inside, his eyes immediately darting toward the door. Despite the weight of the armor, it produced no noise when he gingerly stepped into the room. The dark shades of each piece made him almost undetectable with the dim candlelight. Many times had he snuck into places he wasn't allowed, often to kill someone of importance.

His large frame followed the shadows dancing on the old stone walls, slowly moving closer to Catelyn's bed. The large dark gauntlet of the man reached out as he neared one of the sets of candles on her bedside. With movement too quick for Catelyn to register, his hand swiped the flames as if stealing the fire itself before she found that she couldn't scream. No noise could escape her mouth as the man's gauntlet smothered her mouth. Panic rose in her eyes as she could barely make out the silhouette of an enormous creature looming above her like a demon. She could see what looked to be horns on the top of its head as its tail rose high in the air.

As if sensing her distress, the child in her arms began whimpering, almost on the verge of bawling its eyes out once more. She couldn't let this thing hurt her child, so she started squirming and shaking, trying to remove the large hand preventing her from calling for help.

"Lady...Stark."

The chilling voice of the demon froze her in place. It felt as though the room became colder as the silhouette spoke to her. A cold chill ran down her back as she saw its free hand move behind its back. Tears began to spill from her eyes, thinking of how this was how her and her newborn's lives would end. She could only imagine the devastation Ned would feel, hearing that both his wife and son had their throats slit in the darkness of the night, and there was nothing he could've done to prevent it. The tears clouding her vision and the noise of her hyperventilating ringing in her ears barely made her register that the silhouette moved something into her sight.

It was a letter with the seal of House Stark.

Had Catelyn's mouth not been covered, she would've scoffed and sighed with relief. The silhouette neared her face, causing her head to shrink back into the pillows as far as she could. But her attempt to retreat into herself stopped when the silhouette leaned in enough for the candles on the other side of her bed to light up its face. What she thought were horns turned out to be two ornaments of wings on either side of its helmet. The tail she saw was the spiked tip of its poleaxe secured onto its back. It was no demon, just a man in dark armor, a rather large man.

"My master Lord Stark... expresses his remorse on not being here for his child's birth, my lady. He was the one who ordered me here."

There was that chilling voice again, and seeing who the voice belonged to didn't make it better. It sounded as though ice was breaking each time the man spoke. She couldn't detect any emotion in the man's voice or any warmness in the hollow black sockets of the helmet she stared up at.

"I am... Cypress, the sworn shield of Lord Eddard Stark and now of you, Lady Catelyn. The letter before you will explain and affirm what I've told you."

The large gauntlet of the man slowly retracted from her mouth as he laid the letter on her chest. She took deep breaths as she stared at the armored man with him staring back. Catelyn's eyes drifted to the door, debating on calling for the guards outside, but the armored man seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Please do not scream, my lady. I do not wish to take the life of anyone inside this castle, but I will if they see me."

Catelyn watched as he moved to the other side of her bed to stand in the candlelight. She could faintly make out the embroidering of his armor and the design of the heavy dark cape draped across his back. The armored man did nothing but watch as Catelyn slowly shifted in her bed, carefully eyeing the man who had somehow snuck into her quarters. Opening the letter, Catelyn began to read while gently rocking her newborn.

My Dearest Catelyn,

I hope this letter finds you and our newborn in good health and spirits. I find myself missing you more than words can express. Our separation weighs heavily on my heart, and I long for the day when I can return to your side.

I can only imagine the joy our child must be bringing. I regret that I cannot be with you during these precious moments to witness his first cries and smiles. I promise you, my beloved, that I carry you both in my thoughts, and my heart aches to reunite with you.

I have taken measures to ensure your safety and that of our child. The man standing before you, Cypress, is my most trusted sworn shield. I have sent him to Riverrun to watch over you both and offer you protection and assistance in my stead. I trust him implicitly, and I hope his presence brings you some measure of comfort in these uncertain times.

Please remember, my dear Catelyn, our love remains strong and unwavering. I yearn for the day I can hold you and our child in my arms. Until then, take good care of yourself and our child. Know that you are always in my thoughts and prayers.

With all my love,

Eddard

'I hope his presence brings you some comfort.' Catelyn almost scoffed as she read those words. Her eyes drifted back to the silent man as she finished reading the letter, who remained staring at her and her son. She couldn't even hear any breathing coming from the man. Learning that he wasn't an assassin, Catelyn didn't know what to say or do with Cypress. Pulling her son closer to her chest, she awkwardly began a conversation with the silent knight.

"How long have you been in service to Lord Eddard?"

"His whole life."

His response was instant and short, as though this was an interrogation. Catelyn tried to force a smile on her tired face, realizing that talking with him might not be the best option. Her focus returned to the child in her arms when the boy began crying softly. Cypress watched in silence before walking back to the other side of the bed, shrouding himself in the darkness.

"What... is his name?"

A surprised look spread across Catelyn's face, realizing she hadn't come up with one yet. Her mind wandered back to Ned, wondering where he was and how long this war would last. Eventually, she decided on a name she felt he would approve of.

"Robb. His name is Robb Stark."

The door to her chambers suddenly opened, and a guard entered with another close behind.

"Is everything alright, my lady? Who were you talking to?"

Catelyn quickly looked to her left, only to see that Cypress was gone. As she looked around the room, she couldn't spot him. Seeing her gaze about the room, the guard entered, peering behind the door before looking at every dark corner. Catelyn was about to tell them of the armored man but quickly thought against it.

"I... I was just talking to my son. Please close the door; I wish to rest now."

The guard looked over to the window before giving a curt nod to Lady Catelyn. After he shut the door, she gazed about the room again, thinking she might see Cypress. But when she realized she was alone, she shifted to lay comfortably in bed, holding Robb close. Her gaze lingered on the window before the tiring events of the past instants lulled her to sleep. Yet unbeknownst to her and the people in the keep, Cypress was silently perched on the roof of her quarters again waiting, watching, listening all day and all night.

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As much as Catelyn would've liked to believe the events of last night were her mind playing tricks on her after just giving birth, it was anything but. She almost screamed when she awoke this morning to the sight of Cypress staring at her mere inches from the bed. Robb seemed awake from the fact he was teething on the armored man's cloak. Yet it appeared Cypress was unbothered by the baby drooling over him.

"Good morning, my lady."

"Good morning..."

Catelyn's eyes drifted to the window, seeing the sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon. The soft glowing rays of the morning shined on Cypress's armor, allowing Catelyn to see the detailed embroidering of wolves running across his breastplate. As her gaze moved up to his helmet, she could almost make out the pattern of a wolf's maw.

"How... long have you been watching us sleep?"

The armored man gently removed his cloak from Robb's mouth before lightly tapping his little nose.

"After your guards changed shifts during the night."

Silence overtook the room once again, save for Robb's mewling. Catelyn watched as he moved over to the side of the door before standing still. Before she could ask what he was doing, the door creaked open, and in walked a servant girl.

"Oh, apologies, m'lady. I didn't think you were awake."

The servant girl walked in and shut the door behind her, not noticing she unveiled Cypress by closing the door. Catelyn watched in amusement as Cypress moved behind the servant, keeping in step with her, almost touching her back. The comical scene only continued when she and Robb watched as the servant turned around multiple times, feeling someone following her, only for Cypress to sidestep her gaze each time and move back into position. The poor girl became more confused when, while dusting off some of the furniture in the room, the servant misplaced her cleaning rag, only for Cypress to hand it to her. She muttered a quiet 'Thank you.' before suddenly whipping around.

Yet, just like before, Cypress evaded her vision silently. To top off the comical sight, he flipped the girl's long hair over her face before moving to the window and jumping out. Catelyn tried to fight back a laugh as she told the poor bamboozled servant it must've been the wind.

This cycle of Cypress silently following behind people continued on and on, and each time, Catelyn couldn't help but smile and laugh. Cypress even began the charades during the day and in public places as he followed Catelyn. Guards and servants alike were targets of this game, causing a rumor to spread across the keep of a spirit haunting the castle. Catelyn had to admit she was beginning to appreciate the silent man's presence; his antics and quiet behavior were a welcome change to her routine.

"The war is over."

Catelyn almost dropped Robb when she heard Cypress speak. She managed to find her voice as she turned to face the armored man hidden in a dark corner of her quarters.

"How could you possibly know that? We haven't heard from Ned or anyone even before you arrived."

"Shadows are everywhere, my lady. King Aerys is dead, slain by one of his Kingsguard, and Robert Baratheon now sits on the Iron Throne."

Cypress moved to the window before climbing on the ledge.

"My master is coming personally to collect you and his son. He will be arriving soon."

With that, he pulled himself out of the window and began climbing the castle's wall. The guards below didn't notice the armored man clamber onto the roof nor him quickly disappearing into the shadows of the night.

Next Chapter: Winter

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Word Count: 2320

(A/N): Damn, how long has it been two, three years? Anyway, the ending was kind of rushed. I got a splitting headache.